Dissertation Research: Systematics, Cladistics, and Biogeography of the Genera of the Abariform Generic Complex (Coleoptera: Carabidae, Pterostichini)

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9700764 LIEBHERR Ground beetles, those classified in the family Carabidae and tribe Pterostichini, often are large and may have unusual shapes and striking colors. Moreover, these beetles are often very abundant, and as generalized predators constitute essential regulatory components of ecosystems in which they are found. Numerous general principles of phylogenetic history, ecology and animal behavior have been developed from studies of these beetles. A group of ground beetles, classified in a set of four genera known as the abariform generic complex and most commonly found in Central and South America, share a combination of features (metallic color, pectinate claws, large eyes) that is unique within the tribe. These features suggest that the abariform beetles are diurnal, visually oriented predators, a mode of life, not often found in the Pterostichini, that may have a different history from that of diurnal beetles belonging to other groups. In this research, James Liebherr and doctoral candidate Kipling Will are to conduct a taxonomic revision and phylogenetic analysis of species in the abariform generic complex. Characters from adult and larval morphology will be analyzed; morphological characters of the female reproductive tract and larvae will be investigated for the first time for these taxa. The resulting hypotheses of relationship will be utilized to develop classifications, to determine whether diurnality has appeared in one lineage of these beetles or in more than one, and to test historical biogeographic hypotheses that try to explain the distribution of these beetles in Central and South America. Broader investigations of exemplars from the tribe Pterostichini will focus on defining the limits of the tribe, generic relationships within the tribe, and testing biogeographic patterns at the continental level.