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opennotspecifiedNov 2018View details →

FIGURE 2 in Faunistic inventory and zoogeographical analysis of the ground beetles (Coleoptera, Carabidae) of Garf Raydah Nature Reserve, Southwestern of Saudi Arabia, and description of a new species of Paussinae

FIGURE 2. Paussus (Hylotorus) abditus sp. n. holotype specimen from the Hejaz mountains. The illustration shows the specimen with the appendages of the right side at their broadest view, while the left antennae and legs are shown twisted through 90 degrees, i.e. at their narrowest view (cf. Nagel 2006). The inset shows the "collar" of the anterior pronotum at frontal view. Scale bar: 1 mm. Illustration: E. Weber, Basel, Switzerland. Copyright: P. Nagel.

opencc-zeroMay 2020View details →

Data from: Recovery of a boreal ground-beetle (Coleoptera: Carabidae) fauna 15 years after variable retention harvest

1. Retention harvests are preferred over traditional clear-cuts for sustainable forest management because maintenance and re-establishment of native forest biodiversity is a priority. However, few studies have examined long-term responses of biotic assemblages to retention harvest at particular sites. 2. We studied the effects of decreasing initial harvest intensities (clear-cut, 10, 20, 50, and 75% dispersed green tree retention) on carabid beetle assemblages relative to assemblage changes in un-harvested control stands in four successionally ordered cover-types of boreal mixedwood forest. We also studied temporal effects by comparing assemblages over a 16-year pre- and post-harvest period, using data collected through monitoring of the EMEND (Ecosystem Management Emulating Natural Disturbance) experiment in NW Alberta, Canada. 3. Retention harvests affected assemblages differently across cover-types. Assemblages in compartments harvested in the earlier forest successional stages of 'deciduous' or 'deciduous with spruce understory' converged toward the pre-harvest structure of corresponding controls over time. In contrast, beetle assemblages in 'mixed' or 'conifer' compartments, that represent later successional forest, moved steadily away from their pre-harvest structures during the first post-harvest decade. These latter assemblages became strikingly more similar to those under deciduous canopies by 15 years post-harvest. Synthesis and applications. Variable retention harvests will promote and maintain biodiversity better than clear-cutting. Higher retention levels promote faster recovery, but toward fauna typical of early successional forest in all cover-types. Carabids associated with conifer habitats are less resistant to impact from harvesting than are those from broadleaf deciduous forest. Therefore, conifer dominated stands present the most significant management challenge and higher retention levels are required to promote rapid and effective faunal recovery in such late successional stands.

opencc-zeroNov 2020View details →

Species delimitation, classical taxonomy, and genome skimming: a review of the ground beetle genus Lionepha (Coleoptera: Carabidae)

The western North American genus Lionepha is shown to contain at least 11 species through a combination of eight-gene species delimitation analyses and morphological study. In order to confirm the names of several species, we sequence DNA of primary types of several names, including a LeConte lectotype collected in the 1850s, using next-generation sequencing. We examine chromosomes of eight species, and show that all have 12 pairs of autosomes and an X0/XX sex-chromosome system. The following species are described as new: Lionepha australerasa, L. kavanaughi, L. lindrothi, and L. tuulukwa. The name Lionepha erasa is shown to belong to a relatively rare, western species ranging from Oregon through Alaska; the common, widespread species previously known as Lionepha erasa now takes the name L. probata. Bembidion lindrothellus, B. chintimini, and B. lummi are synonymized with L. erasa. We provide tools to identify specimens to species, including illustrations and diagnoses.

FIGURE 8 in New species and new record of cavernicolous ground beetles from Sichuan Province, China (Coleoptera: Carabidae: Pterostichini and Platynini)

FIGURE 8. Male genitalia of Pterostichus (Huaius) hanwang sp. nov. A median lobe and parameres, lateral view B apical lobe, dorsal view.

FIGURE 5 in New species and new record of cavernicolous ground beetles from Sichuan Province, China (Coleoptera: Carabidae: Pterostichini and Platynini)

FIGURE 5. Cave Niu'ertong Dong, a locality of Jujiroa deliciola Uéno and Kishimoto, 2001 A, B, two different entrances; C-F, environs inside cave.

FIGURE 3 in New species and new record of cavernicolous ground beetles from Sichuan Province, China (Coleoptera: Carabidae: Pterostichini and Platynini)

FIGURE 3. Cave Shenxian Dong, the type locality of Jujiroa zhouchaoi sp. nov. A, environs of the cave, entrance shown by arrowhead; B, C, entrance; D, individual running in cave; E, the moist and gravelly areas in cave, showing the habitat where the beetles were collected; F, Chao Zhou is collecting.

FIGURE 7 in New species and new record of cavernicolous ground beetles from Sichuan Province, China (Coleoptera: Carabidae: Pterostichini and Platynini)

FIGURE 7. Head and pronotum (A, B) and labium (C, D) of Pterostichus (Huaius) species. A and C Pt. (H.) hanwang sp. nov.; B and D Pt. (H.) yuae Tian et Chen, 2019

opencc-zeroDec 2015View details →

Data from: Behavioral adaptations imply a direct link between ecological specialization and reproductive isolation in a sympatrically diverging ground beetle

Adaptation to a previously unoccupied niche within a single population is one of the most contentious topics in evolutionary biology as it assumes the simultaneous evolution of ecologically selected and preference traits. Here, we demonstrate behavioral adaptation to contrasting hydrological regimes in a sympatric mosaic of Pogonus chalceus beetle populations, and argue that this adaptation may result in nonrandom gene flow. When exposed to experimental inundations, individuals from tidal marshes, which are naturally subjected to frequent but short floods, showed a higher propensity to remain submerged compared to individuals from seasonal marshes that are inundated for several months. This adaptive behavior is expected to decrease the probability that individuals will settle in the alternative habitat, resulting in spatial sorting and reproductive isolation of both ecotypes. Additionally, we show that this difference in behavior is induced by the environmental conditions experienced by the beetles during their nondispersive larval stages. Hence, accidental or forced ovipositioning in the alternative habitat may induce both an increased performance and preference to the natal habitat type. Such plastic traits could play an important role in the most incipient stages of divergence with gene flow.

opencc-zeroDec 2015View details →

Data from: Directional mitochondrial introgression and character displacement due to reproductive interference in two closely related Pterostichus ground beetle species

Reproductive interference due to interspecific hybridization can lead to character displacement among related species with overlapping ranges. However, no studies have examined which reproductive traits are most important in reducing reproductive interference. We conducted molecular analyses of two nuclear genes (28S and Wingless) and a mitochondrial gene (COI) from two closely related ground beetle species, Pterostichus thunbergi and P. habui (Coleoptera: Carabidae), with overlapping distributions. In addition, we examined four reproductive traits (body size, organ morphologies of intromittent and non-intromittent male genital organs, and female reproductive period) in sympatric and allopatric habitats. We compared male genital morphology using geometric morphometric analysis. The species determined by morphology were classified into separate groups based on the phylogenetic tree constructed by the nuclear gene (Wingless). However, according to the mitochondrial genes examined, P. thunbergi was not monophyletic, while at the sympatric sites these species formed a monophyletic clade. This incongruence suggests that interspecific hybridization and subsequent mitochondrial introgression from P. habui to P. thunbergi have occurred. Concerning genital morphology, both of the intromittent and non-intromittent organs of P. thunbergi differed more from P. habui at the sympatric sites than between allopatric sites, suggesting directional reproductive character displacement. Pterostichus thunbergi, which likely arrived in P. habui habitat in small numbers, would have experienced stronger selection pressures than P. habui.

opencc-zeroDec 2018View details →

Data from: Effects of undergrowth removal and edge proximity on ground beetles and vascular plants in urban boreal forests

Urban forests are regularly managed for human safety and aesthetic reasons, but they are crucial habitat for many species. Removals of undergrowth occur commonly in these forests, yet the ecological consequences of these operations are poorly understood. We sampled ground beetles (Coleoptera, Carabidae) and vascular plants along 20-m edge gradients in Finnish urban forests, in five stands treated 0.5−2.5 years earlier with undergrowth removal and in five untreated stands. We hypothesized that undergrowth removal and edge proximity would benefit opportunistic and open-habitat species, whereas shady-habitat species would be affected negatively. (1) Regarding carabids, diversity and evenness indices, open-habitat species and Carabus nemoralis responded positively, and forest species, Leistus terminatus and Pterostichus oblongopunctatus responded negatively, to the undergrowth removal. Regarding plants, generalists, Maianthemum bifolium, Rubus saxatilis and Sorbus aucuparia responded positively, and forest species, Geranium sylvaticum, Oxalis acetocella and Vaccinium myrtillus responded negatively, to the undergrowth removal. (2) Edge proximity had little effect on both plants and carabids. However, open-habitat carabids were less abundant and less speciose, and the plants Oxalis acetocella, Trientalis europaea and Rubus saxatilis had higher cover, 10−20 m from than right at the edge. (3) Plant (but not carabid) community responded to the undergrowth removal but not to the edge proximity. While managing urban forests, we recommend an avoidance of undergrowth removals at sites that host rare or threatened forest-associated flora and fauna.

opencc-zeroDec 2013View details →

Data from: An unexpected clade of South American ground beetles (Coleoptera: Carabidae: Bembidion)

Phylogenetic relationships of the Antiperyphanes Complex of the genus Bembidion are inferred using DNA sequences from seven genes (two nuclear ribosomal, four nuclear protein coding, and one mitochondrial protein coding). Redefined subgenera within the complex are each well-supported as monophyletic. Most striking was the discovery that a small set of morphologically and ecologically heterogeneous species formed a clade, here called subgenus Nothonepha. This unexpected result was corroborated by the discovery of deep pits in the lateral body wall (in the mesepisternum) of all Nothonepha, a trait unique within Bembidion. These pits are filled with a waxy substance in ethanol-preserved specimens. In one newly discovered species (Bembidion tetrapholeon sp. n., described here), these pits are so deep that their projections into the body cavity from the two sides touch each other internally. These structures in Bembidion (Nothonepha) are compared to very similar mesepisternal pits which have convergently evolved in two other groups of carabid beetles. The function of these thoracic pits is unknown. Most members of subgenus Nothonepha have in addition similar but smaller pits in the abdomen. A revised classification is proposed for the Antiperyphanes Complex.

opencc-zeroDec 2017View details →

Data from: Progressively excluding mammals of different body size affects community and trait structure of ground beetles

Mammalian grazing induces changes in vegetation properties in grasslands, which can affect a wide variety of other animals including many arthropods. However, the impacts may depend on the type and body size of these mammals. Furthermore, how mammals influence functional trait syndromes of arthropod communities is not well known. We progressively excluded large (e.g. red deer, chamois), medium (e.g. alpine marmot, mountain hare), and small (e.g. mice) mammals using size-selective fences in two vegetation types (short- and tall-grass vegetation) of subalpine grasslands. We then assessed how these exclusions affected the community composition and functional traits of ground beetles (Coleoptera, Carabidae), and which vegetation characteristic mediated the observed effects. Total carabid biomass, the activity densities of carabids with specific traits (i.e. small eyes, short wings), the richness of small-eyed species and the richness of herbivorous species were significantly higher when certain mammals were excluded compared to when all mammals had access, regardless of vegetation type. Excluding large and medium mammals increased the activity density of herbivorous carabid species, but only in short-grass vegetation. Similarly, excluding large mammals (ungulates) altered carabid species composition in the short-, but not in the tall-grass vegetation. All these responses were related to aboveground plant biomass, but not to plant Shannon diversity or vegetation structural heterogeneity. Our results indicate that changes in aboveground plant biomass are key drivers of mammalian grazers' influence on carabids, suggesting that bottom-up forces are important in subalpine grassland systems. The exclusion of ungulates provoked the strongest carabid response. Our results, however, also highlight the ecological significance of smaller herbivorous mammals. Our study furthermore shows that mammalian grazing not only altered carabid community composition, but also caused community-wide functional trait shifts, which could potentially have a wider impact on species interactions and ecosystem functioning.

opencc-zeroDec 2017View details →

Data from: Edge effects and beta diversity in ground and canopy beetle communities of fragmented subtropical forest

Clearing of dry forests globally creates edges between remnant forest and open anthropogenic habitats. We used flight intercept traps to evaluate how forest beetle communities are influenced by distance from such edges, together with vertical height, spatial location, and local vegetation structure, in an urbanising region (Brisbane, Australia). Species composition (but not total abundance or richness) differed greatly between ground and canopy. Species composition also varied strongly among sites at both ground and canopy levels, but almost all other significant effects occurred only at ground level, where: species richness declined from edge to interior; composition differed between positions near edges (<10 m) and interiors (> 50 m); high local canopy cover was associated with greater total abundance and richness and differing composition; and greater distances to the city centre were associated with increased total abundances and altered composition. Analyses of individual indicator species associated with this variation enabled further biological interpretations. A global literature synthesis showed that most spatially well-replicated studies of edge effects on ground-level beetles within forest fragments have likewise found that positions within tens of metres from edges with open anthropogenic habitats had increased species richness and different compositions from forest interior sites, with fewer effects on abundance. Accordingly, negative edge effects will not prevent relatively small compact fragments (if >10-20 ha) from supporting forest-like beetle communities, although indirect consequences of habitat degradation remain a threat. Retention of multiple spatially scattered forest areas will also be important in conserving forest-dependent beetles, given high levels of between-site diversity.

opennotspecifiedDec 2007View details →

FIGURE 5 in Biodiversity patterns of cavernicolous ground-beetles and their conservation status in the Azores, with the description of a new species: Trechus isabelae n. sp. (Coleoptera: Carabidae: Trechinae)

FIGURE 5. Mean activity-density (+ s.e.) of Trechus terceiranus Machado (Coleoptera, Carabidae) in Algar do Carvão (Terceira island) between 2001 and 2006 (until September). Activity-density was measured as the number of specimens per trap per sampling night.

opennotspecifiedDec 2007View details →

FIGURE 2 in Biodiversity patterns of cavernicolous ground-beetles and their conservation status in the Azores, with the description of a new species: Trechus isabelae n. sp. (Coleoptera: Carabidae: Trechinae)

FIGURE 2. Aedeagus of Trechus isabelae n. sp. a) median lobe, lateral view; b) left and right parameres c) median lobe, dorsal view. Scale: 0.5 mm.