Genus Pterostichus Research Articles

Revision of the Chinese endemic subgenus Tschitscherinea Berg, with descriptions of three new species (Coleoptera, Carabidae)

The subgenus Tschitscherinea Berg, 1898 of the genus Pterostichus is reviewed with eight species recognized. Three new species are described: Pterostichus (Tschitscherinea) spissipedes sp. nov. (type locality: Laojunshan, Yunnan, N26.63°, E99.72°), P. (T.) spectabilis sp. nov. (type locality: Luguhu, Yunnan, N27.63°, E100.82°), P. (T.) jiuzhaiicus sp. nov. (type locality: Jiuzhaigou, Sichuan). A new subgeneral synonym is proposed: Jedlickaia Sciaky, 1997 is a junior synonym of Tschitscherinea Berg, 1898 syn. nov. All eight species of the subgenus are keyed, described and illustrated. Pterostichus (Morphohaptoderus) parvicollis Sciaky & Wrase, 1997, a species showing morphological similarities to the subgenus Tschitscherinea, is described and illustrated based on the newly reported male specimen.

Review of the ground beetle subgenus Micronialoe from Korea, with a description of a new species (Coleoptera: Carabidae: Pterostichus)

Micronialoe (Pterostichini: Pterostichus) is a poorly known subgenus of the ground beetle genus Pterostichus, which includes three species from the Korean Peninsula and adjacent islands. Here, a new species, Pterostichus (Micronialoe) spinulosus sp. nov., was identified among the specimens collected from Mt. Biseulsan and Mt. Choejeongsan, Daegu-si, Korea. Along with the description of the new species, all Korean species are redescribed, and the subgenus is re-diagnosed. The new species is morphologically allied to P. (M.) bifoveolatus, thus, the intraspecific variation of the new species is examined and valid characters for distinguishing species are discussed. A key for the identification of the species of the subgenus is also provided.

Review of the subgenus Lyrothorax of the genus Pterostichus (Coleoptera: Carabidae) in the Western Palaearctic, with descriptions of two new species

Until now, the subgenus Lyrothorax Chaudoir, 1838 (genus Pterostichus Bonelli, 1810) in the Western Palaearctic included only the type species, P. caspius (Ménétriés, 1832), distributed along the southern Caspian Sea in Azerbaijan and Iran and, as an introduced species, in the Czech Republic. Studying rich material, including the types, it was found that under the name P. caspius there is a species complex comprising three closely related species, two of these are described in this paper: P. fritzei sp. n. from Iran (type locality Naharkhoran, Gorgan) and P. vagus sp. n. from Iran, which was also introduced to the Czech Republic (type locality Shaskola, Gorgan). These new species differ clearly from each other, as well as from P. caspius, mainly in the features of the median lobe of the aedeagus and its endophallus. A lectotype of P. caspius is designated to ensure the stability of the nomenclature. An identification key, images of all three species and distribution maps are provided. The occurrence of species of Lyrothorax in the Iranian province of North Khorasan and Turkmenistan is not obvious and requires confirmation.

Taxonomic study on the subgenus Orientostichus, the Pterostichuspulcher species group (Coleoptera, Carabidae, Pterostichus).

The Pterostichuspulcher species group of the subgenus Orientostichus Sciaky & Allegro is defined for P.pulcher Sciaky & Allegro and six new allied species. All seven species of this group are revised on morphological characters. Six new species are described from south of Sichuan province, China: P.pemphissp. nov. (type locality: Shuihaizi, Puge county, 27.33°N, 102.45°E), P.orbicollissp. nov. (Longzhoushan, Huili county, 26.79°N, 102.20°E), P.leosp. nov. (Shizishan, Jinyang county, 27.88°N, 103.23°E), P.liyuanisp. nov. (Luojishan, Puge county, 27.58°N, 102.39°E), P.condylussp. nov. (Yele, Mianning county, 28.96°N, 102.16°E), P.jialinisp. nov. (Jiamashi, Huidong county, 26.81°N, 102.68°E). Tritrichischinensis Jedlička, syn. nov., a species previously misplaced in the subgenus Orientostichus, is excluded from the genus Pterostichus and confirmed to be a junior synonym of Synuchusnitidusreticulatus Lindroth, 1956.

Revision of the Chinese species of subgenus Koreonialoe (Coleoptera: Carabidae: Pterostichus), with descriptions of two new species.

The Chinese species of subgenus Koreonialoe Park & Kwon, 1996 of the genus Pterostichus are revised, including four species from the eastern part of Jilin and Liaoning provinces. Two new species are described: Pterostichus (Koreonialoe) micropoidessp. nov. (type locality: Jilin, Changbai county), and Pterostichus (Koreonialoe) tetralobatussp. nov. (type locality: Liaoning, Xiuyan county). Pterostichus (Koreonialoe) bellatrix (Tschitschérine) is newly recorded from China (Jilin). The subgenus Koreonialoe is classified into two groups on account of their differences on the endophallus, and all Chinese species accord with the microps group defined herein. A key to all six species in the microps group is provided.

A new subgenus and three new cavernicolous species of the genus Pterostichus from China (Coleoptera: Carabidae: Pterostichini)

Summary Three new cave-adapted species of the genus Pterostichus Bonelli, 1810 are described. Qianius n. subgen. is established to place two new species from Guizhou, southwestern China: Pterostichus (Qianius) lii n. sp. (cave Hei Dong in Zunyi) and P. (Q.) xuedytes n. sp. (cave Niupi Dong in Bijie). P. (Licentius) cuii n. sp. is reported from two caves, Tangren Dong and Huangyuan Dong in Beijing, close to P. (L.) mirabilis Jedlička, 1939, probably the first described Chinese pterostichine with cave-adapted morphological features. A key to subgenera and species of cavernicolous Pterostichus in China is provided.

A DNA barcode library for ground beetles of Germany: the genus Pterostichus Bonelli, 1810 and allied taxa (Insecta, Coleoptera, Carabidae).

Species of the ground beetle genus Pterostichus Bonelli, 1810 are some of the most common carabids in Europe. This publication provides a first comprehensive DNA barcode library for this genus and allied taxa including Abax Bonelli, 1810, Molops Bonelli, 1810, Poecilus Bonelli, 1810, and Stomis Clairville, 1806 for Germany and Central Europe in general. DNA barcodes were analyzed from 609 individuals that represent 51 species, including sequences from previous studies as well as more than 198 newly generated sequences. The results showed a 1:1 correspondence between BIN and traditionally recognized species for 44 species (86%), whereas two (4%) species were characterized by two BINs. Three BINs were found for one species (2%), while one BIN for two species was revealed for two species pairs (8%). Low interspecific distances with maximum pairwise K2P values below 2.2% were found for four species pairs. Haplotype sharing was found for two closely related species pairs: Pterostichus adstrictus Eschscholtz, 1823/Pterostichus oblongopunctatus (Fabricius, 1787) and Pterostichus nigrita Paykull, 1790/Pterostichus rhaeticus Heer, 1837. In contrast to this, high intraspecific sequence divergences with values above 2.2% were shown for three species (Molops piceus (Panzer, 1793), Pterostichus panzeri (Panzer, 1805), Pterostichus strenuus (Panzer, 1793)). Summarizing the results, the present DNA barcode library does not only allow the identification of most of the analyzed species, but also provides valuable information for alpha-taxonomy as well as for ecological and evolutionary research. This library represents another step in building a comprehensive DNA barcode library of ground beetles as part of modern biodiversity research.

Taxonomic and nomenclatural changes in three species of Pterostichus Bonelli (Coleoptera: Carabidae) from the Far East.

The ground beetle genus Pterostichus Bonelli has diversified in regions including the Far East, but taxonomic issues remain even at the species level. This study presents taxonomic and nomenclatural changes in three species of Pterostichus from the Far East: P. (Petrophilus) eximius Morawitz, P. (Lenapterus) wellschmiedi Kirschenhofer, and P. (L.) subrugosus Straneo. The analyses are based on comparative studies of the endophallus of male genitalia, which is taxonomically useful in Carabidae but has not been examined in these species. The first species, P. eximius, has been treated as a monotypic species that is widely distributed in Eastern Siberia, the Russian Far East, and adjacent regions, but our results revealed that populations from Rishiri-tô and the Sakhalin islands are distinct from the nominotypical population from Transbaikalia. The name for the Sakhalin population, which was synonymized with P. eximius, is reinstated as subspecies P. eximius sachalinensis stat. nov., and the Rishiri-tô population is described as Pterostichus eximius rishiridakensis ssp. nov. Conspecificity (syn. nov.) was confirmed for P. wellschmiedi, which was described from southern Sakhalin, and P. marginatus Matsumura, which was described earlier from southern Sakhalin. No conspicuous differences in the endophallus structure were found between P. subrugosus, which was described from Hokkaidô, and P. marginatus, although differences are recognized in the elytral sculptures and in the metallic luster of the dorsal surface. The taxon was thus downgraded to subspecies P. marginatus subrugosus stat. nov.

The genus Pterostichus in China III: a brief review of subgenus Chinapterus Berlov (Coleoptera, Carabidae) with descriptions of two new species.

The subgenus Chinapterus Berlov, 1998 of the genus Pterostichus is briefly reviewed and a new synonym is proposed: Pterostichus singularis Tschitschérine, 1889 = Pterostichus balthasari Jedlička, 1937 syn. nov. Two new species are described: Pterostichus (Chinapterus) lianhuaensissp. nov. and Pterostichus (Chinapterus) liupanensissp. nov.Pterostichus przewalskyi Tschitschérine, 1888 is moved from subgenus Sinoreophilus Sciaky, 1996 to Chinapterus, and lectotypes are designated for P. balthasari and P. przewalskyi. A key to four species of the subgenus Chinapterus is provided.

Remarkable cave-adapted ground beetles of the tribe Pterostichini from China: a new subgenus and three new species (Coleoptera: Carabidae)

SummaryA new subgenus, Huaius n. subgen. of the genus Pterostichus, is described to deal with the following three new species of ground beetles which were recently discovered from limestone caves in Central China: Pterostichus (Huaius) caoi n. sp. (Cave Lijia Dong in Yichang, Hubei Province), Pterostichus (Huaius) tiankeng n. sp. (Cave Xigou Dong in Hanzhong, Shaanxi Province) and Pterostichus (Huaius) yuae n. sp. (Cave Didonghe Dong in Hanzhong, Shaanxi Province). This new subgenus is not closely allied to any lineage of Chinese Pterostichus. The pronotal structure of Huaius has the most peculiar morphological characteristics, lacking lateromarginal borders and without grooves on the portion of basal foveae. All members of Huaius are de-pigmented, almost blind and extremely troglomorphic. This is the first report of cave-adapted pterostichine beetles from Asia.

Pterostichus neilgaimani sp. nov., a new species of ground beetles (Coleoptera: Carabidae) from relict sacred grove in Eastern Georgia.

A new species of ground beetles (Coleoptea: Carabidae) belonging to the subgenus Aphaonus Reitter, 1887 (genus Pterostichus Bonelli, 1810) is described, based on two specimens collected from the sacred grove of Khevsha (Eastern Georgia).

Structure and population dynamics of Pterostichus spp. beetles (col. Carabidae) in three types of wetland

This study presents research on communities of Pterostichus spp. beetles found in 2001 and 2003 in three types of wetland: elm and ash riparian forest (RF), poplar monoculture (P) and extensively managed meadow (M). All sample plots were located near the city of Bydgoszcz (53?, 9?N18?E) on the Vistula River floodplain. During both years, 11 species of genus Pterostichus spp. were found. In 2001, from all sample plots 886 beetles were collected; in 2003, 5 963. In both years, most specimens came from plot RF (636 in 2001 and 3 544 in 2003). From plot P, 1 862 specimens of Pterostichus spp. beetles were collected and from plot M, 807 specimens. No statistically significant influences of the marshland habitat type and year of research on communities of Pterostichus spp. beetles were revealed.

A new subgenus Wraseellus of the genus Pterostichus Bonelli (Coleoptera, Carabidae, Pterostichini) and new species descriptions.

A new subgenus Wraseiellus new subgenus (type species: Pterostichus andrewesi Jedlička 1931) of the genus Pterostichus from China is described. Eight species and one subspecies are recognized in the new subgenus including three new species and one new subspecies: Pt. (Wraseiellus) comatus new species (Guangxi: Maoershan, N25.87°, E110.42°), Pt. (Wraseiellus) crassiapex new species (Hubei: Tiechanghuang, N30.75°, E110.30°), Pt. (Wraseiellus) pseduodiversus new species (Yunnan: Luguhu, N27.63°, E100.82°), Pt. (Wraseiellus) stictopleurus cangshanensis new subspecies (Yunnan: Cangshan, N25.63°, E100.14°). Feronia crebrepunctata Straneo, 1937 is newly proposed as junior synonym of Pterostichus meyeri Jedlička, 1934. A key to all known species and subspecies, images of habitus and genitalia, and distribution maps are provided.

Into the Himalayan exile: the phylogeography of the ground beetle Ethira clade supports the Tibetan origin of forest-dwelling Himalayan species groups.

The Himalayan mountain arc is one of the hotspots of biodiversity on earth, and species diversity is expected to be especially high among insects in this region. Little is known about the origin of the Himalayan insect fauna. With respect to the fauna of high altitude cloud forests, it has generally been accepted that Himalayan lineages are derived from ancestors that immigrated from Western Asia and from adjacent mountainous regions of East and Southeast Asia (immigration hypothesis). In this study, we sought to test a Tibetan Origin as an alternative hypothesis for groups with a poor dispersal ability through a phylogeographic analysis of the Ethira clade of the genus Pterostichus. We sequenced COI mtDNA and the 18S and 28S rDNA genes in 168 Pterostichini specimens, including 46 species and subspecies of the Ethira clade. In our analysis, we were able to show that the Ethira clade is monophyletic and, thus, represents a Himalayan endemic clade, supporting endemism of two of the basal lineages to the Central Himalaya and documenting large distributional gaps within the phylogeographic structure of the Ethira clade. Furthermore, the molecular data strongly indicate very limited dispersal abilities of species and subspecies of these primary wingless ground beetles. These results are consistent with the hypothesis of a Tibetan Origin, which explains the evolution, diversity and distribution of the Himalayan ground beetle Ethira clade much more parsimoniously than the original immigration hypothesis.

Phylogeny of ground beetles subgenus Nialoe (s. lat.) Tanaka (Coleoptera: Carabidae; genus Pterostichus): A molecular phylogenetic approach

AbstractWe constructed a phylogeny of the ground beetle subgenus Nialoe (s. lat.), genus Pterostichus (Coleoptera: Carabidae) based on two mitochondrial (cytochrome oxidase I and 16S ribosomal DNA) and one nuclear (28S ribosomal DNA) gene sequences. Thirty‐three representative species of the group and three outgroup species were analyzed. The resultant trees (maximum parsimonious, maximum likelihood and Bayesian trees of the combined data of the three gene sequences) indicated that there are two large and three small lineages in the group, some of which were supported by a previous morphology‐based phylogeny. In all the analyses, the small lineage composed of two Korean species is sister to the rest of the subgenus, but relationships of other four lineages differed among the analyses and remained unresolved. The implications of the present results are discussed in terms of taxonomy and biogeography of the group.

Report on the Largest Known Occurrence of Morphological Anomalies in Ground Beetles (Coleoptera: Carabidae)

We report on one of the largest known occurrence of minor morphological anomalies in adult ground beetles (Coleoptera: Carabidae) in North America. Carabid beetles were caught in pitfall traps in 2006 in ash (Fraxinus spp.)-dominated stands in southeastern Michigan. About 10% and 32% of the trapped individuals and species, respectively, showed morphological anomalies that ranged widely from the presence of tumors, cysts, fossae, misplaced setae, and missing and fused elytral striae to incomplete pronotum. The genus Pterostichus Bonelli had the greatest numbers of anomalies that were present primarily on the elytra, although the head, pronotum, and abdominal sternites were also affected. Within species, Pterostichus melanarius (Illiger), the introduced European carabid beetle, had the greatest numbers of morphological anomalies. Slightly more females than males with anomalies were caught in these forest stands. The occurrence of such high numbers of morphological anomalies in adult beetles across the central hardwood forests is perplexing, and we suggest future studies focus on elucidating its causes within this forested landscape.

A new species of Eutarsopolipus (Acari: Podapolipidae) from Pterostichus luctuosus Dejean (Coleoptera: Carabidae) from Michigan, U.S.A.

Eutarsopolipus shpeleyi n. sp. (Acari: Podapolipidae) is described from the carabid beetle, Pterostichus luctuosus Dejean (Carabidae), from Michigan, U.S.A. and compared with E. pterostichi, E. vernalis, E. inermis, E. diunculosus and E. fischeri in the pterostichi group of Eutarsopolipus. This is the third record of Eutarsopolipus and the first record of Eutarsopolipus in the pterostichi group from the carabid genus Pterostichus in North America.

Phylogeny and Genital Evolution of Carabid Beetles in the Genus <I>Pterostichus</I> and Its Allied Genera (Coleoptera: Carabidae) Inferred from Two Nuclear Gene Sequences

Abstract The phylogeny and genital evolution of carabid beetles in the tribe Pterostichini, mainly the genus Pterostichus (Coleoptera: Carabidae), were studied using two nuclear gene sequences: wingless and 28SrDNA. Phylogenetic results suggest that the genera Molops, Poecilus, Stomis, Myas, Lesticus, and Trigonotoma and the subgenus Bothriopterus of the genus Pterostichus form basal lineages, with genus Molops sister to the rest of the tribe. The genus Pterostichus, with the exception of the subgenus Bothriopterus, was monophyletic and occupied more derived lineages. Examinations of the membranous parts of the genitalia (male endophallus and female spermatheca) revealed that endophalli and spermathecae are classified into four and five types, respectively. Reconstructions of genital character evolution on the trees obtained suggest that the ancestor of Pterostichini had a straight endophallus and a short cylindrical spermatheca and that the elaborated genitalia seen in some species evolved in more derive...

Description of a New Species of Pterostichus Bonelli, P. barri, from the Appalachian Mountains (Coleoptera: Carabidae)

A species of the genus Pterostichus Bonelli, Pterostichus barri new species, is described from specimens collected in the Appalachian Mountains. It belongs to the subgenus Feronina Casey and differs from the only other species included in that subgenus, P. palmi Schaeffer, in having three (instead of two) discal setae on elytral interval 3 and the median lobe of the aedeagus is more robust with the apical lamella shorter. Pterostichus barri differs from P. (Paraferonia) lubricus LeConte, a morphologically similar species also living in the Appalachian Mountains, in having the elytral striae more impressed, particularly the lateral ones, the last visible sternum of the male with a small, median protuberance, the median lobe rounded between the basal bulb and the shaft, and the right paramere elongate apically.

Effects of reduced pesticide dosages on carabids (Coleoptera: Carabidae) in winter wheat

Abstract The effects of reduced insecticide and herbicide dosages on total dry mass of carabids and their generic components were examined using fenced pitfall traps in winter wheat fields on three farms in Southern Zealand, Denmark. The estimated total dry mass of carabids increased by 25% when the pesticides were reduced to one fourth of the normal application rates. At reduced dosages, the activity of the genus Pterostichus was increased by 62%. The activities of Loricera and Demetrias were increased by 67% and 56%, respectively, although significant interaction terms indicated that the dosage effect was not uniform for these genera on all farms. Calathus tended to be more numerous with reduced pesticide applications. By contrast, catches of Bembidion, Synuchus and Trechus decreased by up to 45% at reduced dosages. A higher weed cover due to reduced herbicide applications probably benefited most species, except those having habitat associations with sparse vegetation such as the field‐inhabiting Bembidion and Synuchus. The higher activity of larger carabids may lead to enhanced predation on smaller carabids and hence different carabid assemblages.