Figure 3.4.3 Dinothenarus badipes (LeConte), ventral abdomen. 3.4.4 D. badipes, maxillary palpus. 4.2.1 D. badipes, habitus. 11.2.1 D. badipes, from under rocks near a stream.

Dinothenarus badipes is distinguished from other species of Staphylinina in ECAS by its entirely black body (Fig. 4.2.1), entirely orange legs (Fig. 11.2.1), golden setae at the bases of each abdominal segment (Fig. 3.4.3) and a spindle-shaped apical maxillary palpomere (Fig. 3.4.4). Ocypus brunnipes Fab. is similar in colouration but lacks the golden abdominal setae and its apical maxillary palpomere is rectangular.

This species is broadly distributed over eastern North America. Its range in ECAS is given in Map 5. It is newly recorded from the province of Prince Edward Island:

CANADA: PE: Queens Co., Harrington, barley field, pitfall trap, 14-VI-2004, C. Noronha, 6 (ACPE); Johnstons River, rutabaga field, 14-XI-1983, M.E.M. Smith, 1 (ACPE); Kinlock, 2-VI-1962, B. Wonnacott, 1 (UPEI).

Eastern Canada: ON, QC, NB, NS, PE
Adjacent U.S.: MI, IN, PA, NY, VT, NH, ME

Dinothenarus badipes is collected in ECAS from January to December, with a single peak in abundance in April-June depending on latitude.

This is a common species that has been collected from under logs and stones, leaf litter, moss, and loose bark in a wide variety of habitats including forests, the shores of wetlands and lakes, along streams and rivers, orchards, oak savannah, and tallgrass prairies. However, D. badipes does not occur in the boreal forest, though it may occasionally occur in transition areas.  This species is rarely found at carrion traps. Snider (1984) successfully cultured D. badipes on a diet consisting solely of millipedes, but this species is likely a generalist predator of ground-dwelling arthropods and it is also known to consume adult click beetles (Hawkins 1936).