A Taxonomic Study on Astenus leptocerus Eppelsheim, 1895 (Coleoptera:Staphylinidae:Paederinae) from Forest Area of Andhra Pradesh, India

The beetles belonging to the family Staphylinidae are commonly known as rove beetles under the suborder Polyphaga of the order Coleoptera. The present paper deals with a taxonomic study on Astenus leptocerus Eppelsheim, 1895 belonging to the subfamily Paederinae under the family Staphylinidae. The specimens were collected from different forest area of Andhra Pradesh during a faunistic survey in 1997. The collected materials are studied with the help of light microscope and Scanning electron microscope (SEM). The identification is mainly based on the differences in morphological characters and structures of male genitalia. The specimens are deposited in the National Zoological Collections of Zoological Survey of India, Kolkata. The detailed morphological study of Astenus leptocerus Eppelsheim, 1895 is being presented herein.