MicroCT data provide evidence correcting the previous misidentification of an Eocene amber beetle (Coleoptera, Cicindelidae) as an extant species.

The fossil record suggests some insect species have a marked longevity. The oldest fossils purported to represent extant insect species are from the Oligocene and Eocene. One of the most cited fossils is the extant tiger beetle Tetracha carolina (Coleoptera: Cicindelidae) that was identified over a century ago by Walther Horn in Eocene Baltic amber.

Re-collected after 55 years: a new species of (Coleoptera, Carabidae) from California.

A new species of the carabid beetle genus Latreille is described from the Central Valley, Los Angeles Basin, and surrounding areas of California. is a distinctive species, a relatively large member of the subgenus Notaphus Dejean, and within a member of the LeConte species group. It has faint spots on the elytra and a large, convex, rounded prothorax.

Mating marks on museum specimens reveal breeding patterns in species of Bonelli (Carabidae, Pterostichini).

We found distinct and consistently placed, species- and sex-specific abrasions of the cuticle on museum specimens of 14 species of the Bonelli, 1810 (Carabidae, Pterostichini) subgenusHypherpes Chaudoir, 1838. We deduced that these marks are generated during mating and, therefore, can be used to distinguish between preserved specimens of beetles that had previously mated at the time of capture and those that had not mated. In addition to describing and detailing the occurrence of the marks and providing evidence that they are the result of mating, we demonstrate their utility for inferring life history using a museum voucher collection.

Phylogenetic systematics of the genera of Thryptocerina Jeannel, 1949 and new species from New Caledonia (Coleoptera, Carabidae, Oodini).

The Oodini precinctive to New Caledonia are reviewed with nine species recognized, of which seven are newly described in two genera. Five species are described in the genus Chaudoir: , , , , and In the genus Heller two species, and , are described. In order to place cladistically the newly described species in a genus, a phylogenetic analysis of a matrix of 36 characters of adult morphology was conducted including exemplar species of three putative outgroup genera, six putative ingroup thryptocerine oodine genera, and all oodine species from New Caledonia.

Persistence of the ground beetle (Coleoptera: Carabidae) microbiome to diet manipulation.

Host-associated microbiomes can play important roles in the ecology and evolution of their insect hosts, but bacterial diversity in many insect groups remains poorly understood. Here we examine the relationship between host environment, host traits, and microbial diversity in three species in the ground beetle family (Coleoptera: Carabidae), a group of roughly 40,000 species that synthesize a wide diversity of defensive compounds. This study used 16S amplicon sequencing to profile three species that are phylogenetically distantly related, trophically distinct, and whose defensive chemical secretions differ: Anisodactylus similis LeConte, 1851, Pterostichus serripes (LeConte, 1875), and Brachinus elongatulus Chaudoir, 1876.

Biosynthetic origin of benzoquinones in the explosive discharge of the bombardier beetle Brachinus elongatulus.

Bombardier beetles are well-known for their remarkable defensive mechanism. Their defensive apparatus consists of two compartments known as the reservoir and the reaction chamber. When challenged, muscles surrounding the reservoir contract sending chemical precursors into the reaction chamber where they mix with enzymes resulting in an explosive discharge of a hot noxious chemical spray containing two major quinones: 1,4-benzoquinone and 2-methyl-1,4-benzoquinone (toluquinone).

HCN emission by a Polydesmid Millipede Detected Remotely by Reactive Adsorption on Gold Nanoparticles Followed by Laser Desorption/Ionization Mass Spectrometry (LDI-MS).

Hydrocyanic acid (HCN) is a well-known defensive allomone in the chemical arsenal of millipedes in the order Polydesmida. The presence of HCN in the headspace vapor of adult Xystocheir dissecta (Wood, 1867), a common millipede from the San Francisco Bay Area, was traced by laser desorption/ionization-mass spectrometry (LDI-MS). To accomplish this, the headspace vapor surrounding caged, live millipedes was allowed to diffuse passively over gold-nanoparticle (AuNP) deposits placed at various distances from the emitting source.

A new subgenus for "Acalathus" advena (LeConte, 1846) and the challenge of defining Calathina based on morphological characters (Coleoptera, Carabidae, Sphodrini).

The taxonomic position of Pristodactyla advena LeConte, 1848 (= "Acalathus" advena in the sense of previous authors) is discussed in light of a novel review of the morphological characters of Calathina and closely related taxa. All Acalathus Semenov, 1889 species and all other Dolichina share the distinct character state of having the sensory pits of the apical gonocoxites reduced or absent, while these pits are well-developed in P. advena.

Review and new species of Darlington, 1962 (Carabidae, Abacetini).

Darlington described based on from New Guinea. In this review, is described from Leyte Island, Philippines, (Straneo, 1943) is transferred from Andrewes, and inclusion of (Jedlička, 1935) in the genus is confirmed. Characteristics of and genera that have been proposed as closely related to are discussed and a unique character, the post-ocular sulcus, shared among species of and is proposed as a synapomorphy for these two genera.

Local and Landscape Drivers of Carabid Activity, Species Richness, and Traits in Urban Gardens in Coastal California.

Urban ecosystems, as mosaics of residential, industrial, commercial, and agricultural land, present challenges for species survival due to impervious surface, degradation, fragmentation, and modification of natural habitat, pollution, and introduced species. Some urban habitats, such as community gardens, support biodiversity and promote ecosystem services. In gardens, local factors (e.

(Coleoptera: Carabidae) is established in California.

Background: The ground beetle Bembidion (Neja) ambiguum Dejean is native to Europe and north Africa, in the Mediterranean region.

New Information: We report it from North America for the first time, from five localities around San Francisco Bay, California. The earliest record is from 2012.

Additions to the knowledge of Nevada carabid beetles (Coleoptera: Carabidae) and a preliminary list of carabids from the Great Basin National Park.

Background: Additions to the list of Carabidae known for Nevada, USA and carabid beetles found in the Great Basin National Park, NV are reported with notes on ecology and identification resources.

New Information: For 79 species of carabids, we present 57 new state records, two state records previously reported in online resources, one confirmation of a previous questionable record for the state, and report 22 records for the Great Basin National Park that includes three new state records.

Up high and down low: Molecular systematics and insight into the diversification of the ground beetle genus Rhadine LeConte.

Rhadine LeConte is a Nearctic genus of flightless ground beetles that is poorly studied despite its relevance to evolutionary studies of subterranean fauna. Adults are notable for their slender and leggy habitus and the wide variety of habitat preferences among species, with several known only from mountaintops while others are restricted to caves or more general subterranean habitats. In central Texas, USA there are several cave endemics relevant to conservation.

Resolution of taxonomic problems in Australian Harpalini, Abacetini, Pterostichini, and Oodini (Coleoptera, Carabidae).

Taxonomic changes are made for several problematic Australian Carabidae in the tribes Harpalini, Abacetini, Pterostichini, and Oodini. Examination of types resulted in the synonymy of Veradia Castelnau, 1867 with Leconomerus Chaudoir, 1850; Nelidus Chaudoir, 1878, Feronista Moore, 1965, and Australomasoreus Baehr, 2007 with Cerabilia Castelnau, 1867; and newly combining Fouquetius variabilis Straneo, 1960 in the genus Pediomorphus Chaudoir, 1878; Australomasoreus monteithi Baehr, 2007 in the genus Cerabilia Castelnau, 1867; and Anatrichis lilliputana W.J.

A taxonomic review, new species and a key to species of Platycoelus Blanchard, 1843 (Coleoptera: Carabidae: Pterostichini).

Based on the study of type material for species of Platycoelus Blanchard, 1843 significant changes to the current taxonomy of species included in this genus is required. Psegmatopterus politissimus (White 1846) from New Zealand is found to be congeneric with Platycoelus species and so is a new combination. Platycoelus irideomicans (Tschitschérine 1890) status novum; P.

Taxonomic review of Cratocerus Dejean, 1829 (Coleoptera, Carabidae) with the description of six new species.

A diagnosis of the South and Central American genus Cratocerus Dejean (Coleoptera: Carabidae) and a key to all species is provided. Eight species are recognized including six species that are newly described: Cratocerus sinesetosus sp. n.

A new species of Lesticus Dejean, 1828 (Coleoptera, Carabidae) from the Finisterre Range, Papua New Guinea and a key to the genera of pterostichine-like Harpalinae of New Guinea.

Lesticus finisterrae (Carabidae: Pterostichini) sp. n. (type locality: Finisterre Range, Papua New Guinea), is described and characters to differentiate it from other "Trigonotomi" species are given.

Taxonomic review of the Pterostichini and Loxandrini fauna of New Caledonia (Coleoptera, Carabidae).

The generic-level taxa included in Pterostichini and Loxandrini from New Caledonia are reviewed and a key to genera and species provided. Two new genera are described, Paniestichus and Abacophrastus, with the following new species: Paniestichus subsolianus, Abacophrastus millei, Abacophrastus chapes, Abacophrastus carnifex, Abacophrastus hobbit, Abacophrastus megalops, Abacophrastus reflexus and Abacophrastus bellorum. Abacoleptus curtus new species, is described.

Quantification and evidence for mechanically metered release of pygidial secretions in formic acid-producing carabid beetles.

This study is the first to measure the quantity of pygidial gland secretions released defensively by carabid beetles (Coleoptera: Carabidae) and to accurately measure the relative quantity of formic acid contained in their pygidial gland reservoirs and spray emissions. Individuals of three typical formic acid producing species were induced to repeatedly spray, ultimately exhausting their chemical compound reserves. Beetles were subjected to faux attacks using forceps and weighed before and after each ejection of chemicals.

Molecular phylogeny and Holarctic diversification of the subtribe Calathina (Coleoptera: Carabidae: Sphodrini).

A molecular phylogeny of the subtribe Calathina was inferred from DNA sequence data from the mitochondrial cox1-cox2 region and the nuclear genes 28S and EF-1alpha. All lineages within Calathina from the Holarctic region were represented except for the monotypic subgenus Tachalus. Maximum Parsimony and Bayesian analyses of the combined data set showed that the subtribe is a monophyletic lineage that includes a single genus Calathus, where other taxa currently ranked as independent genera (Lindrothius, Synuchidius, Thermoscelis and Acalathus) are nested within this genus.

Orange/lemon-scented beetles: opposite enantiomers of limonene as major constituents in the defensive secretion of related carabids.

The major constituent in the pygidial gland defensive fluid of the carabid beetle Ardistomis schaumii is (R)-(+)-limonene, whereas that of Semiardistomis puncticollis is (S)-(-)-limonene. This was an unanticipated result, since it is not very common to find the opposite enantiomers of the same compound among the secondary metabolites of related species. Moreover, the glandular liquid of A.

Biosynthesis of tiglic, ethacrylic, and 2-methylbutyric acids in a carabid beetle, Pterostichus (Hypherpes) californicus.

Tiglic, 2-methylbutyric, and ethacrylic acids are found in the pygidial gland defensive fluid of many carabid beetles. By injecting a deuterium-labeled precursor into the carabid beetle Pterostichus (Hypherpes) californicus, and analyzing the defensive fluid by gas chromatography/mass spectrometry, we were able to demonstrate that tiglic and ethacrylic acids are biosynthesized from isoleucine via 2-methylbutyric acid. Moreover, we observed that the injection of L-isoleucine induces an increased production of tiglic acid in P.

A genomic perspective on the shortcomings of mitochondrial DNA for "barcoding" identification.

Approximately 600-bp sequences of mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) have been designated as "DNA barcodes" and have become one of the most contentious and animated issues in the application of genetic information to global biodiversity assessment and species identification. Advocates of DNA barcodes have received extensive attention and promotion in many popular and refereed scientific publications. However, we suggest that the utility of barcodes is suspect and vulnerable to technical challenges that are particularly pertinent to mtDNA.