“Collecting” in the Louisiana State Arthropod Museum: Descriptions of New Species, Notes on Taxonomic Changes and Range Extensions, and an Evaluation of Museum Holdings of Euplectite pselaphinae (Coleoptera: Staphylinidae)

Nine new species of pselaphine rove beetles from the southeastern United States are described from four euplectite genera: Rhexius (two new species), Pseudactium (one new species), Actium (one new species), and Bibloplectus (five new species). A single new synonymy is noted in the genus Conoplectus Brendel, 1883. Regional checklists of the species in each genus are provided, and new species are integrated into previously published keys and supported by illustrations of diagnostic characters. All specimens in this study were obtained from the pinned collection of the Louisiana State Arthropod Museum (LSAM, Louisiana State University, Baton Rouge, LA). Evaluation of museum holdings revealed substantial taxonomic coverage of the supertribe, regionally: 4823 specimens were recovered, representing 74 of the 87 species and 25 of the 25 genera previously known from the Southeast. This publication highlights the inherent value of arthropod museums with geographic specializations as unique repositories of regional faunal elements.