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

小行星9700764 地面甲虫，那些分类在家庭步甲和部落Pterostichini，往往是大的，可能有不寻常的形状和醒目的颜色。 此外，这些甲虫往往是非常丰富的，并作为广义的捕食者构成的生态系统中，他们发现的重要监管组成部分。许多一般原则的系统发育史，生态学和动物行为已经发展从这些甲虫的研究。 一组地面甲虫，分为四个属，称为abariform general complex，最常见于中美洲和南美洲，具有独特的特征组合（金属色，梳状爪，大眼睛）。 这些特征表明，拟步甲是昼行性的、视觉导向的捕食者，这种生活方式在Pterostichini中并不常见，可能与属于其他类群的昼行性甲虫有不同的历史。 在这项研究中，James Liebherr和博士候选人Kipling Will将进行分类修订和系统发育分析。 将分析成虫和幼虫的形态特征;首次对这些类群的雌性生殖道和幼虫的形态特征进行研究。 由此产生的关系的假设将被用来开发分类，以确定是否durnality已经出现在这些甲虫的一个谱系或在一个以上，并测试历史地理假说，试图解释这些甲虫在中美洲和南美洲的分布。 对Pterostichini部落样本的更广泛调查将侧重于定义部落的界限，部落内的属关系，以及在大陆层面上测试地理模式。

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.