Small beetles as a tool for exploring a big world: pains and gains of systematics of the mega-diverse Coleopteran family Staphylinidae

With more than 60,000 described species globally rove beetles (Staphylinidae) are the largest family of animals. Staphylinids are not obvious due to their small size and cryptic biology, but they are vital component in all terrestrial ground-based microhabitats. And fossil record suggests that this was so at least since Middle Jurassic.

For a long time strong taxonomic impediment prevented these ubiquitous beetles from being available for scientific inquires outside pure systematic entomology. Due to continuing effort of my colleagues, students and myself, such unfair situation is changing.

Backed with good taxonomy, sound total evidence phylogenetics, paleontology and adequate ecological data, naturally, a close look at rove beetle evolutionary diversity may contribute critical piece in the puzzle about our natural word.

How fast a small Danish oceanic island can be colonized from the mainland? Did New Zealand drown in Oligocene? What was the Eocene climate like and how extensive were boreotropical forests then? This talk aims to show how fun is to study rove beetles when they help seeking answers to these and other questions.