Dyschirius (Eudyschirius) sphaericollis
Geographic: NEA
Distribution: Native, New World. Canada – AB, BC, MB , NB , NF , NS , ON , PE , PQ, SK ;
US A – AR, AZ, CO, CT, DC, IA, ID , IL , IN , KS , KY , MA, MD , ME , MI , MN , MO , MT, ND ,
NE , NH , NJ, NM , NV, NY , OH , OK , OR , PA, RI , SC, SD , TX, UT, VA, VT, WA, WI, WV, WY.
Common name: Rounded-neck Discolored Beetle
Synonyms: Clivina sphaericollis Say, 1823:23
Dyschirius subpunctatus Hatch, 1949:116
Macrohabitat: Lowlands to mountains, sea level – 2896 meters altitude, on
banks of rivers, brooks, and irrigation canals, shores of lakes, ponds, and pools (e.g., in sand
pits and gravel pits), on sea beaches, at borders of lagoons, and on saline or alkaline flats. Markedly hygrophilus. Microhabitat: Adults are ground-dwelling on exposed, moist or wet
bare silty sand or somewhat clay-mixed substrate, which is often saline or alkaline. Dispersal
abilities: Macropterous, capable of flight; slow runners, strong burrowers. Seasonal occurrence:
Adults have been found in March – November; copulating pairs, May; teneral adults
in late May – October; probably a spring breeder. Behavior: Adults are mostly nocturnal,
sometimes active in the sunshine, predaceous, and take cover during the day in burrows they
dig into the substrate, in cracks in the substrate, under dead decumbent vegetation, or stones;
they are gregarious. Populations of this species are associated with staphylinids (Bledius ssp.).
Adults feed on staphylinid (Bledius ssp.) and heterocerid (Heterocera spp.) larvae. Adults repeatedly
flying to UV lights at night and occasionally are found in drift and wash up. Adults overwinter
in the substrate.