Figure 3.7.1 Staphylinus ornaticauda LeConte, dorsal habitus.

This species is unique among the species of Staphylinina with red elytra for its head with patches of golden setae (Fig. 3.7.1). It cannot be confused with any other species of the subtribe in ECAS.

This species is spottily distributed in North America and records exist for Minnesota (historical), Iowa (no date), Michigan, Manitoba, Ontario, Québec and Nova Scotia. Its distribution in ECAS is given by (Map 28).

Eastern Canada: ON, QC, NS
Adjacent U.S.: MI

Staphylinus ornaticauda has been collected in ECAS from May to September, with a majority of the specimens being collected in June to mid-July.

Staphylinus ornaticauda is the only species of the genus in the New World. It is restricted to wetlands (bogs and fens) with an abundance of sphagnum moss, that occur south of the boreal forest zone; therefore its entire known range is relatively small (Map 24) and most of the known habitat exists in Canada. Specimens with label data indicate it can be captured by pitfalls at the edges of bogs/fens and by sifting sphagnum moss. It was last collected in the United States in 1922 (Michigan) and most recently from Canada in 1981 (Nova Scotia).  Ten individuals (the most collected at one time) were collected by pitfall trapping, south of the Richmond area, Ottawa, Ontario, Canada in 1978.  This species is flightless and probably has limited dispersal capabilities. Its restricted distribution, narrow habitat requirements and apparent rarity suggest that this species warrants further study as a possible species at risk of extinction.