Dr. Margaret Thayer and Dr. Al Newton, staphylinid experts from the Field Museum of Natural History, were visiting us at the University of Kansas this past week. Prior to their departure, we decided to try and get a taste of Kansas eastern deciduous forest.
I decided to take this opportunity to look for Deinopsis, but after some time with no sign of the beetles, I quickly switched to myrmecophile collecting.
Geodromicus brunneus is one of the largest and most brilliantly colored species of Geodromicus in North America.
I think this is a female Batrisodes lineaticollis, found with Lasius sp. under bark.
Limulodes paradoxus runs among ant feet.
Limulodes paradoxus with Aphaenogaster ants under a flat stone. These tiny feather winged beetles are blind and occur in the ant nests of several ant species. I have also collected them with Lasius umbratus.
Trichiusa compacta I think. This species I find in small numbers and associated with dry dead wood. This particular individual was sifted from dry tree hole debris.
Ceophyllus monilis with Lasius sp. under a large flat rock. As I lifted the rock over, the ants hastily carried off their aphid livestock.
Ceophyllus monilis is arguably the largest pselaphine species in North America. This enigmatic myrmecophile is quite widespread where host Lasius spp. are present.
