Systematics and biogeography of the subantarctic Leptusa (Coleoptera: Staphylinidae: Aleocharinae: Homalotini)

A taxonomic revision of the subantarctic genus Leptusa (Coleoptera: Staphylinidae) reveals that Leptusa antarctica is not a single species but a complex of five distinct species, two of which were reinstated from synonymy and two newly described. The study confirms the identity and disjunct distribution of Leptusa atriceps across multiple subantarctic islands, including Falkland, South Georgia, Marion, Crozet, and Kerguelen Islands. Phylogenetic analysis using 76 morphological characters supports the monophyly of the subgenus Halmaeusa but does not firmly establish its evolutionary relationships, with Nanoglossa from South America emerging as a potential sister group. The distribution patterns of these species provide a foundation for future biogeographic studies in the subantarctic region.

Orlov, I., Solodovnikov, A., & Leschen, R. A. B. (2019). Systematics and biogeography of the subantarctic Leptusa (Coleoptera: Staphylinidae: Aleocharinae: Homalotini). Systematics and Biodiversity, 17(1), 60–79. https://doi.org/10.1080/14772000.2018.1547329