Augyles auromicans King & Lago 2012

New Combination

(Fig. 30, 51, 70)

Heterocerus auromicans Kiesenwetter 1851: 287.

Centuriatus auromicans (Kiesenwetter): Pacheco 1964: 30.

Description. Length 3.5 - 5.5 mm. Reddish-brown. Pronotal disk with a pale midline, about one-eighth the width of the pronotum (Fig. 30). Elytra trifasciate; pale elytral markings orange and distinct. Postmetathoracic coxal lines and post-mesothoracic coxal lines prominent. Male genitalia (Fig. 51) of the typical Augyles type; phallobase slightly expanded anteriorly; medial edges of caliper-like parameres separated by an ovoid space; a dark, membranous internal structure (presumably the aedeagus) is often curled within the anterior end. Hypermandibulate males unknown.

Diagnosis. The presence of post-metathoracic coxal lines and a median pale stripe on the pronotum make this species easy to distinguished from all other southeastern heterocerids.

Notes. Aggregations of A. auromicans form mud galleries that are smaller and more scattered than those made by H. pallidus (Kaufmann 1987). This apparently leads to less frequent mating encounters, and consequently, male priority (the last male to mate with a female fertilizes nearly all of the eggs). Spermatogenesis is constant in A. auromicans, in contrast to H. pallidus where spermatogenesis is affected by weather patterns. Augyles auromicans also flies less often as a response to agitation than H. pallidus, usually choosing to dig deeper into the substrate rather than taking flight (Kaufmann 1987).

The species has not been found in Mississippi, and only one specimen is known from Alabama. This specimen was collected from a swampy area near Tuscaloosa (Tuscaloosa County, 5 mi. SW Tuscaloosa, 18 April 1981, S.C. Harris), which has since undergone development.

Distribution. Augyles auromicans occurs from southern British Columbia southeast to Colorado and east throughout the northern United States to the Atlantic Coast. Records from the northern U.S. and southern Canada are common; however, A. auromicans has rarely been collected in the southern states (Fig. 70).

Specimens examined. 8 (See Appendix).