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Surveys for adult Cylindera (s. str.) lunalonga (Schaupp) (Coleoptera: Carabidae: Cicindelinae) were conducted between 2001 and 2011 at over 80 sites throughout the species’ historic range in the San Joaquin Valley and Sierra Nevada Mountains of California. Previously considered extirpated from the Valley, these surveys resulted in finding adults at 18 sites, several with large populations (>50 individuals). As suggested by historic records, our studies confirmed that the Valley populations of Cy. lunalonga occur in what were historically wetland sites, but are now lowland agricultural croplands. Adults were always associated with wet, muddy soil within and along the edges of irrigation ditches. A comparison of morphology, behavior, habitat, and conservation is made with the only known extant Sierra Nevada population.
We conducted a morphological and mtDNA analysis of Cicindela decemnotata Say (Coleoptera: Carabidae: Cicindelinae) populations from throughout its geographic range to determine the extent of variation within the species and to assess the validity of subspecific names. The morphological study included an analysis of traditional subspecific characters including elytral color and maculations. These results provided evidence for the recognition of four subspecies of C. decemnotata, three of which are new: 1. C. d. decemnotata Say usually with green to dark green dorsal coloration and complete elytral maculations; it is widely distributed from Canada south to northern New Mexico and west into southern Utah and Idaho; 2. C. d. meriwetheri n. ssp. is distinguished by its bright green to green dorsal coloration, elytral maculation characterized by a thin middle band, a lack of humeral maculations, and a small number of genal setae; it has a restricted distribution from eastern Washington north to south central British Columbia; 3. C. d. bonnevillensis n. ssp. is distinguished by a combination of green to green-purple dorsal coloration and its greatly reduced elytral maculations; it is restricted to the area of ancient Lake Bonneville in north central Utah; 4. C. d. montevolans n. ssp. is distinguished by a predominately red-purple dorsal color and greatly reduced elytral maculations; its distribution is restricted to high elevations of the Bear River Mountains of northeastern Utah and southeastern Idaho. We also analyzed the mitochondrial haplotypes for cob and cox1 genes for one to six individuals from each of the six populations. This molecular analysis indicated recently diverged but discrete groups within C. decemnotata that are compatible with the subspecies distinctions postulated from morphology. These shallow molecular divergences within C. decemnotata are best explained by rapid phylogenetic radiation in the recent geological past in the wake of postglacial recession.