Bembidion

Abstract: Carabid beetles were collected with grids of pitfall traps during two seasons in five habitats in the ecotone between aspen parkland and boreal mixedwood forest in central Alberta. The 23 abundant species (54 species in total) were divided into the following four distributional types: (1) Pterostichus adstrictus Eschz. was numerous in all five habitats (habitat generalist); (2) Platynus decentis Say, Calathus ingratus Dej., and Scaphinotus marginatus Fisch. were abundant in all four forest habitats (forest generalists); (3) another 10 species were common in one or two forest habitats (forest specialists); (4) nine species, representing mainly Agonum , Amara , and Bembidion , were restricted to a recently cleared timothy–clover grassland (meadow species). Soil moisture seemed to be important in determining habitat associations of the species among the forest types. Captures of most species were aggregated also within habitats, and the consistency of aggregation among particular traps suggests that it is mainly a response to subtle microhabitat differences. All abundant species, except S . marginatus , showed a peak of capture in May–June. Number of species, corrected for sample size by rarefaction, was highest in the meadow (27.5) and lowest in the dry upland aspen forest (11.9). Species diversity was highest in meadow and the lakeside forest habitats, but carabid assemblages of the four forest habitats were more similar to each other than to the meadow assemblage.

Abstract: Identification of arthropod predators is challenging when closely related species are found at a given locality. Identification of the immature stages is especially problematic, because distinguishing morphological features are difficult to use or have not been described. We used polymerase chain reaction (PCR) to distinguish closely related carabids and spiders, and to match eggs and larvae (or nymphs) with identified adult parents. Within the Carabidae, we amplified species-specific mitochondrial cytochrome oxidase I (COI) fragments for three species each in the genera Poecilus and Harpalus , and two each in Chlaenius and Bembidion. Within the Araneae, we amplified species-specific COI fragments for two Hibana species (Anyphaenidae), Pardosa milvina and Rabidosa rabida (Lycosidae), Frontinella communis and Grammonota texana (Linyphiidae), and Cheiracanthium inclusum (Miturgidae). We are able to correctly identify all immature stages tested — eggs, larvae (or nymphs) and pupae — by comparison of the amplified fragments with those of the adults. Using COI markers as species identifiers is a tenet of the Barcode of Life initiative, an international consortium to provide a molecular identifier for every animal species.

Abstract: BACKGROUND The knowledge of the ground-beetle fauna of Strandzha is currently incomplete, and is largely based on data from the Bulgarian part of the region and on records resulting from casual collecting. This study represents a critical revision of the available literature, museum collections and a three years field study of the carabid beetles of the Bulgarian and Turkish parts of Strandzha Mountain and the adjacent Black Sea Coast territories. NEW INFORMATION A total of 328 species and subspecies of Carabidae, belonging to 327 species from the region of Strandzha Mountain and adjacent seacoast area, have been listed. Of these, 77 taxa represent new records for the Bulgarian part of the region, and 110 taxa new records for Turkish part of the studied region. Two taxa, one subgenus (Haptotapinus Reitter, 1886) and one species (Pterostichus crassiusculus), are new to the fauna of Bulgaria. Based on a misidentification, the species Apotomus testaceus is excluded from the list of the Bulgarian fauna. Seven species (Carabus violaceus azurescens, Apotomus rufus, Platynus proximus, Molops alpestris kalofericus, M. dilatatus angulicollis, Pterostichus merklii, and Calathus metallicus) are treated as doubtful for the regional fauna, and one (Apotomus rufus) also for the Bulgarian fauna. Altogether, 43 taxa collected in the Turkish part of the region are new for European Turkey. New taxa for Turkey are the genera Myas and Oxypselaphus, the subgenus Feronidius, and nine species and subspecies (Carabus granulatus granulatus, Dyschirius tristis, Bembidion normannum apfelbecki, B. subcostatum vau, Acupalpus exiguus, Myas chalybaeus, Oxypselaphus obscurus, Pterostichus leonisi, Pt. melas). In addition, there are a further seven species that are here confirmed for Turkey.

Abstract: Author(s): Maddison, David R; Will, Kipling; Crews, Sarah; LaBonte, James | Abstract: 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.