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Amblyopinina Seevers 1944:
Heterothops
Stephens 1829
  Figure 1.12.8 Quediina: Quedius peregrinus Gravenhorst, head. 2.2.3 Philonthina: Philonthus cognatus Stephens, head. 2.2.7 Quediina: Q. canadensis Casey, dorsal view of pronotum. 2.2.9 Quediina: Q. peregrinus, mesotarsus. 2.2.11 Heterothops fusculus (LeConte), head. 10.7.1 H. fusculus.    
 
 
 

The genus Heterothops can be recognized by the combination of: elytra not overlapping, without plates anterior to the prosternum, neck present, impunctate and usually very broad (Fig. 1.12.8), antennae closer to the nearest eye than to each other (Fig. 2.2.3), pronotum impunctate or with dorsal rows of three or fewer punctures (Fig. 2.2.7), with empodial setae between the tarsal claws (Fig 2.2.9) and last maxillary palpomere distinctly narrower than the preceding (Fig. 2.2.11) – compared with that of Quediina (Fig. 1.12.8).

 
 

Heterothops is the only representative in ECAS of the otherwise south-temperate Amblyopinina. This genus is broadly distributed in North America and has the highest diversity in the West. Heterothops are generally rarely collected and sifting moist litter is the most productive method to obtain specimens. Heterothops fusculus (LeConte) is an easily recognized, large Heterothops (Fig. 10.7.1) that can be found in yard compost in addition to more natural habitats, while the other four species in ECAS are darker and more obscure. One of these species, Heterothops marmotae Smetana, has only been collected in groundhog (Marmota monax) burrows in the vicinity of Ottawa, Ontario, Canada (Smetana 1971b). It is surely more widespread but its apparently restricted habits have probably prevented its collection elsewhere. The species of Heterothops were revised by Smetana (1971a) and will be reviewed in a future publication.

 
 
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