PEET: Monographic Revision and Phylogenetic Analysis of Athetine Aleocharines (Coleoptera: Staphylinidae: Aleocharinae: Athetini)

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9978110James Ashe Among terrestrial organisms, the beetles remain one of the poorest known major groups of animals, with species diversity already recognized in the tens of thousands but possibly much greater than that. Their ecological significance is also great, and in particular the staphylinid rove beetles of the subfamily Aleocharinae are thought to be major predators of soil nematodes and other soil microarthropods worldwide. Yet, the poor state of knowledge of beetle taxonomy impedes progress in general classification of these animals and in application and use of identification keys by ecologists, resource managers, and others needing reliable information and ready access to accurate data. Continuing a productive program of research and training in beetle systematics, Dr. James Ashe and colleagues at the University of Kansas embark on a second series of projects under the Partnerships for Enhancing Expertise in Taxonomy (PEET), which will include training of minimally two new taxonomic experts in beetle systematics; production of taxonomic monographs and revisions of selected groups of rove beetles; and databasing of specimen information, geographic distributions, morphological data, images and illustrations, and identification keys in web-accessible formats. Dr. Ashe also helps maintain the website that hosts all of the NSF-supported PEET projects, at the University of Kansas's Natural History Museum.