Othiini
The Othiini is a tribe within the Staphylininae, in all cases the antennal insertions are separated by less than the length of the first antennal segment. In Britain it includes two genera and six species: Atrecus affinis (Pk.) and five species of Othius Stephens. Atrecus is distinct in having produced mandibles and almost impunctate elytra. In Othius the mandibles are shorter and broad and the elytra very diffusely and strongly punctured, they meet at the suture without overlapping. The pronotum is punctured either side of the disc, usually a longitudinal series of a few punctures, and even to the lateral margin i.e. without a sublateral longitudinal groove. This combination of characters is unique to Othius, at least in Britain. The widespread and common Othius punctulatus (Goeze) is distinct due to its large size, 10-14mm. Othius laeviusculus Stephens (5-6mm) and O.lapidicola Markel and Keisenwetter (6-7mm)are mainly black with paler elytra, at least around the margins, and are larger than the following two species. In O.lapidicola the pronotum is finely shagreened and the elytra not obviously longer than the head, it was only recently added to the British list by Skidmore (1988) from specimens found in Perthshire. O.laeviusculus is widespread and local in England and Scotland (Joy). Othius angustus Stephens (4.5-5.5mm) and O.subuliformis Stephens (4.5-5mm) are smaller and lighter; reddish-yellow to pitchy-red with darker elytra and entirely testaceous appendages. In O.angustus the head is depressed from inside the base of the antennae to the punctures before the eyes. In O.subuliformis the frontal punctures are situated in a transverse depression. O.subuliformis is generally common while Othius angustus is quoted as local, chiefly on mountains (Joy), Wales and Scotland (NBN). All species are keyed by Lohse(1964) who includes adaegus figures of angustus, lapidicola and subuliformis and pronotal line drawings of angustus and subuliformis (melanocephalus and myrmecophilus respectively in Joy). Joy keys all but the distinctive lapidicola, the nomenclature is out of date but straightforward to deal with using the Coleopterist checklist. Records for each species are mapped on the NBN gateway. References Lohse, G.A. 1964. In Freude, H. et al. Die Kafer Mitteleuropas 4:167-168. Skidmore, P. 1988. Othius lapidicola in Scotland, a first British record. Ent.Mon.Mag 124:92.
Othius punctulatus	Atrecus affinis	Othius punctulatus	Atrecus affinis