CO1 barcodes resolve an asymmetric biphyletic clade for subspecies and provide nucleotide variants for differentiation from related lineages using real-time PCR.

is a multivoltine polyphagous beetle species that has long been documented as a significant agricultural pest throughout its native range in North America. This beetle can vector bacterial and viral plant pathogens that result in major losses to crops such as cucumber and soybean. Many countries outside the Americas treat as a species of quarantine importance, while in the USA only the subspecies is subject to quarantine, to prevent introduction from Mexico.

Army ant middens - Home and nursery of a diverse beetle fauna.

Army ants provide nourishment to a large variety of animals. This includes birds that feed on animals flushed out by army ant raids, symbiotic arthropods that consume the ants' prey or their brood, and other arthropods that scavenge on army ant refuse deposits. The latter have not received much attention, and the few published studies lack detailed species identifications.

A remarkable legion of guests: Diversity and host specificity of army ant symbionts.

Tropical rainforests are among the most diverse biomes on Earth. While species inventories are far from complete for any tropical rainforest, even less is known about the intricate species interactions that form the basis of these ecological communities. One fascinating but poorly studied example are the symbiotic associations between army ants and their rich assemblages of parasitic arthropod guests.

Recognition and revision of the group (Histeridae, Histerinae, Exosternini).

Forty-nine new species of Neotropical Exosternini are described in this work, representing the newly recognized species group, within the large, heterogeneous taxon . Eight previously described species are also assigned to this group. Relationships within are indicated with several informal subgroups: subgroup: ( Hinton, 1935, , , , , , Marseul, 1889, , , , , , , , , Schmidt, 1893, , Reichensperger, 1939, , , , , , , ); subgroup: ( , , , Kanaar, 1997, , , , Wenzel & Dybas, 1941, Schmidt, 1893, (Lewis, 1898) , ); subgroup: ( , , , , , ); subgroup: ( , , , , ); subgroup: ( , ); subgroup: ( , , , ); - unplaced to subgroup: ( , , , ).

A revision of the species group (Coleoptera, Histeridae, Exosternini).

The species group is established here, revising the seventeen included species, four of which are described as new. This group is named for and contains the type species of , so represents a core around which a modern concept of the dumping-ground genus may be developed. The group includes several common and well-known species in the Americas, including some of the only to exhibit distinctive coloration.

Two new species of Parandrinae (Coleoptera: Cerambycidae) in the genera and from South America.

Two new species of high-elevation Parandrinae (Coleoptera: Cerambycidae) are described from Bolivia and Ecuador, South America. Both species are unusual in having piceous coloration over most of the dorsal surface. Parandra (Tavandra) santossilvai Lingafelter & Tishechkin, new species, is described from Achira, Santa Cruz Province, Bolivia, a site at 2,000 meters elevation.

A revision of Megalocraerus Lewis, 1902 (Coleoptera, Histeridae: Exosternini).

The formely monotypic Neotropical genus Megalocraerus Lewis is revised to include five species, known from southeastern Brazil to Costa Rica: Megalocraerus rubricatus Lewis, Megalocraerus mandibularis sp. n., Megalocraerus chico sp.

Arthropod Distribution in a Tropical Rainforest: Tackling a Four Dimensional Puzzle.

Quantifying the spatio-temporal distribution of arthropods in tropical rainforests represents a first step towards scrutinizing the global distribution of biodiversity on Earth. To date most studies have focused on narrow taxonomic groups or lack a design that allows partitioning of the components of diversity. Here, we consider an exceptionally large dataset (113,952 individuals representing 5,858 species), obtained from the San Lorenzo forest in Panama, where the phylogenetic breadth of arthropod taxa was surveyed using 14 protocols targeting the soil, litter, understory, lower and upper canopy habitats, replicated across seasons in 2003 and 2004.

Supplement to the revision of the genus Eremosaprinus Ross, 1939 (Coleoptera, Histeridae, Saprininae): new distributional data and description of a new species from Arizona, U.S.A.

A new species of the genus Eremosaprinus Ross, 1939, E. warneri, is described from southeastern Arizona, USA, and incorporated into the identification key for the genus. Description of the new species is supplemented with SEM micrographs and drawings of sensory structures of the antenna and male genitalia.

New genera and species of Neotropical Exosternini (Coleoptera, Histeridae).

We describe the following 8 new genera and 23 new species of Neotropical Exosternini. Conocassis gen. n.

A systematic revision of Baconia Lewis (Coleoptera, Histeridae, Exosternini).

Here we present a complete revision of the species of Baconia. Up until now there have been 27 species assigned to the genus (Mazur, 2011), in two subgenera (Binhister Cooman and Baconia s. str.

A systematic revision of Operclipygus Marseul (Coleoptera, Histeridae, Exosternini).

We revise the large Neotropical genus Operclipygus Marseul, in the histerid tribe Exosternini (Histeridae: Histerinae). We synonymize 3 species, move 14 species from other genera, sink the genus Tribalister Horn into Operclipygus, and describe 138 species as new, bringing the total to 177 species of Operclipygus. Keys are provided for the identification of all species, and the majority of the species are illustrated by habitus and male genitalia illustrations.

Arthropod diversity in a tropical forest.

Most eukaryotic organisms are arthropods. Yet, their diversity in rich terrestrial ecosystems is still unknown. Here we produce tangible estimates of the total species richness of arthropods in a tropical rainforest.

A revision of the genus Mecistostethus Marseul (Histeridae, Histerinae, Exosternini).

We revise the genus Mecistostethus Marseul, sinking the monotypic genus Tarsilister Bruch as a junior synonym. Mecistostethus contains six valid species: Mecistostethus pilifer Marseul, Mecistostethus loretoensis (Bruch), comb. n.

A revision of the genus Kaszabister Mazur (Histeridae, Histerinae, Exosternini).

We revise the four species of Kaszabister Mazur, 1972, one of which, Kaszabister barrigaisp. n., is described as new.

Review of the continental Oriental species of Lilioceris Reitter (Coleoptera, Chrysomelidae, Criocerinae) closely related to Lilioceris impressa (F.).

Criocerine leaf beetles found in Nepal feeding on Dioscorea bulbifera (L.), an invasive weed of Asian origin, were identified as Lilioceris cheni Gressitt and Kimoto based on a synopsis of the Oriental Lilioceris species and review of the Lilioceris impressa species group. All the continental, Oriental species included in the group are diagnosed and illustrated, and a key for their identification is provided.