Molecular Phylogenetics and Revisionary Systematics of Hawaiian Carabid Beetles (Insecta: Coleoptera)

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DEB-9806349 Liebherr Based on analysis of morphological characters, the Hawaiian platynine carabid beetles (Coleoptera) comprise a monophyletic radiation of 131 known species, all derivable from a single generalized ancestor to either the oldest high island of Kauai, or an older now eroded island. Phylogenetic relationships among these species provide the historical context within which evolutionary patterns can be evaluated. Such patterns include those of biogeography, and character evolution involving flight-wing loss, modifications of overall body shape, specializations of the cuticle, and body size. Nonetheless, morphological characters provide ambiguous phylogenetic information for a clade comprising 74 species of the radiation. Molecular markers from mitochondrial cytochrome B, mt cytochrome oxidase II, ribosomal introns, and nuclear cytochrome C are used to provide substantially more characters to unambiguously determine phylogenetic relationships. Theoretical issues concerning how to combine disparate sources of phylogenetic data are also investigated; i.e., 1) should gene data be treated on a site by site basis or as a single complex transformational character, and 2) must information from different characters be congruent to produce informative phylogenies. In addition, taxonomic findings--newly discovered species and characters--are summarized in a monographic treatment of the Hawaiian Platynini, permitting interested researchers to identify these species for their biological research.