The fossil occurrence of Helophorus arcticus Brown (Coleoptera: Hydrophilidae) in Pleistocene deposits of the Scarborough Bluffs, Ontario

Abstract

Fossils of Helophorus arcticus Brown are described from Pleistocene deposits believed to be about 70 000 years old. This is the first record of the species as a fossil in North America. At present H. arcticus is known only from damp tundra regions of the subarctic in Canada, and it is suggested that such conditions probably prevailed in the Toronto region during the deposition of the Scarborough Formation 70 000 years ago. This discovery also points out the vast changes in insect distribution which have taken place during and since the last glaciation.