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Five Hawaiian species of Paratachys Casey are revised, including four newly described: Paratachys terryli from Kauai; P. perkinsi from Moloka‘i; P. haleakalae from Maui; and P. aaa from Hawai‘i Island. A lectotype is designated for the fifth Hawaiian species currently combined with Paratachys , Tachys arcanicola Blackburn, 1878 of Oahu. Hawaiian Paratachys spp. known from more than one specimen exhibit some degree of ocular polymorphism, that variation being extreme in P. terryli where individuals range in ocular development from macrophthalmic with broadly convex eyes to microphthalmic with small, flat eyes. All Hawaiian Paratachys species comprise individuals with vestigial wings, with the exception of P. terryli , where a single macropterous, macrophthalmic female complements the other 18 brachypterous specimens. Based on a transformation series of characters from the male aedeagus, the biogeographic history of Hawaiian Paratachys is consistent with progressive colonization of the Hawaiian Island chain. Three of the species do not appear to represent species of conservation concern, with P. terryli and P. haleakalae known from terrestrial deep soil, litter, and streamside microhabitats in montane wet rain forest, and the troglobitic P. aaa occupying the dark zone of numerous, recently developed lava tube caves within the Mauna Loa and Kilauea volcanic massifs. The conservation status of the other two species is much more dire, with P. arcanicola of O‘ahu not seen in nature since the early 20 th Century, and P. perkinsi known only from a single specimen fortuitously collected in 1894 near sea level on Moloka‘i.

Phylogenetic analysis of Migadopinae Chaudoir, 1861, based on morphological characters analyzed using maximum parsimony and Bayesian inference, recognizes the tribal adelphotaxa Aquilicini Moret, 2005 and Migadopini. Amarotypini Erwin, 1985 (type genus Amarotypus Bates, 1872) is newly synonymized with Migadopini, as its taxonomic recognition renders Migadopini paraphyletic. Phylogenetic relationships within Migadopinae establish the Andean tropicomontane Aquilex Moret, 1989—type genus of the monogeneric Aquilicini—as sister group to the circum-Antarctic Migadopini. The earliest-diverging member taxa of Migadopini are distributed across southern South America and the subantarctic Falkland Islands. Subsequent divergence implicates Australia, New Zealand, and the Campbell Plateau. Internodes of the taxon-area cladogram are optimized using RASP (Reconstruct Ancestral State in Phylogenies), with nodal optimizations interpretable by both vicariance or dispersal. Campbell Plateau taxa are ambiguously derived from an ancestral node optimized to either South America, Australia, or the Campbell Plateau itself, a result most consistent with fragmentation of these Gondwanan terranes. Only the origin of the Tasmanian Migadopiella Baehr—taxonomically placed within a paraphyletic assemblage comprising the New Zealand genera Amarotypus , Amaroxenus Larochelle & Larivière, and Amarophilus Larochelle & Larivière—is interpreted unambiguously as dispersal based, in this instance via east to west trans-Tasman dispersal. Winged flight by migadopine carabid beetles, previously hypothesized as a vehicle for dispersal between Australia and South America, is dismissed based on restriction of macropterous taxa to two disparate and highly subordinate taxa; one comprising the Australian tropicomontane Dendromigadops Baehr and its temperate rainforest-occupying sister genus Decogmus Sloane, and the second, Antarctonomus complanatus of Valdivian and Magellanic Nothofagus forest in Chile and Argentina. Relevant fossil evidence supporting austral relationships of Migadopinae is briefly reviewed, including the mid-Cretaceous occurrence of Migadopinae in Kachin Burmese Amber, and the Miocene-aged fossil carabid beetle, Antarctotrechus balli Ashworth and Erwin (Trechini), described from the trans-Antarctic Mountains. The former supports a Cretaceous origin for Migadopinae consistent with Austral vicariance, the latter augurs the discovery of biogeographically homologous Antarctic fossil representatives that could corroborate an Austral vicariance hypothesis for the migadopine radiation.

The entomophthoralean fungus Zoophthora rhagonycharum (Bałazy) S. Keller, previously recorded in Europe from Poland and Switzerland, is now reported in North America from New York State, United States of America. On both continents, this obligate insect pathogen is known only from resting spores found within dead, adult native soldier beetles (Cantharidae) of the genus Rhagonycha Eschscholtz, 1830. Resting spores have undulating, light brown episporia. In New York, columnar rhizoids attach cadavers tightly to the undersides of leaves in the understory of hardwood forests in late June and early July.

Tropopterus Solier, 1849, precinctive to southern South America, is taxonomically revised. Six new species are described: T. peckorum sp. nov. , T. robustus sp. nov. , T. canaliculus sp. nov. , T. trisinuatus sp. nov. , T. minimucro sp. nov. , and T. fieldianus sp. nov. Merizodus catapileanus Jeannel, 1962, is synonymized with T. montagnei Solier, 1849. Lectotypes are designated for T. montagnei , T. giraudyi Solier, T. duponchelii Solier, and T. nitidus Solier (= T. duponchelii ). Tropopterus peruvianus Straneo is noted as a nomen dubium , with its identity and taxonomic placement to be substantiated via neotype designation. Phylogenetic relationships among Tropopterus spp. are hypothesized based on 37 morphological characters, the distributions of which are analyzed under the parsimony criterion, with the cladogram root established between Tropopterus and its adelphotaxon from New South Wales, Australia. Speciation in the group has occurred predominantly at a limited geographical scale relative to the overall generic distribution, with three pairs of sister species sympatric. However phylogenetic divergence between taxa in the more northern, sclerophyllous forest characterized by Nothofagus obliqua (Brisseau de Mirbel) and those occupying the Valdivian and North Patagonian Rain Forest dominated by N. dombeyi (Brisseau de Mirbel) is observed in two instances of phylogenetic history. Using specific collecting locality records, it is shown that Tropopterus beetles have been collected syntopically and synchronically with species of Glypholoma Jeannel (Coleoptera, Staphylinidae), Anaballetus Newton, Švec & Fikáček (Coleoptera, Leiodidae), Andotypus Spangler (Coleoptera, Hydrophilidae), and Novonothrus Balogh (Acari, Oribatida). These concordant ecological occurrences document a cohesive Nothofagus forest leaf-litter community. These genera plus other Valdivian Rain Forest invertebrate taxa all exhibit an Austral disjunct biogeographical pattern that corroborates trans-Antarctic vicariance between the Nothofagus forests of southern South America and Australia. Male genitalic antisymmetry is shown to be a synapomorphy of Tropopterus , though the female reproductive tract retains the plesiomorphic orientation observed in all other moriomorphine taxa.

The 15 species of Mecyclothorax Sharp precinctive to New Caledonia are revised and shown by cladistic analysis to comprise a monophyletic lineage, here treated as subgenus Phacothorax Jeannel. The New Caledonian species of subgenus Phacothorax include Mecyclothoraxfleutiauxi (Jeannel), M.najtae Deuve, and 13 newly described species: M.jeanneli sp. n. , M.laterobustus sp. n. , M.laterorectus sp. n. , M.laterosinuatus sp. n. , M.laterovatulus sp. n. , M.manautei sp. n. , M.megalovatulus sp. n. , M.octavius sp. n. , M.paniensis sp. n. , M.picdupinsensis sp. n. , M.plurisetosus sp. n. , and two jointly authored species; M.kanak Moore & Liebherr sp. n. , and M.mouensis Moore & Liebherr sp. n. . subgenus Phacothorax is one of five subgenera recognized within genus Mecyclothorax based on cladistic analysis of 65 exemplar taxa utilizing information from 137 morphological characters. The four other monophyletic subgenera include the precinctive Australian Eucyclothorax subgen. n. (type species Mecyclothoraxblackburni [Sloane]), the precinctive Queensland Qecyclothorax subgen. n. (type species Mecyclothoraxstoreyi Moore), the precinctive New Zealand Meonochilus Liebherr & Marris status n. , and the geographically widespread and very diverse nominate subgenus, distributed from St. Paul and Amsterdam Islands, eastward across Australia and New Guinea, and in the Sundas, Timor Leste, Lord Howe and Norfolk Islands, New Zealand, and the Society and Hawaiian Islands. The biogeographic history of Mecyclothorax can be derived from the parsimony cladogram time-calibrated by times of origin of particular geographic areas inhabited by resident representative species. Based on sister-group status of subgenus Phacothorax and subgenus Mecyclothorax, and occupation of Lord Howe Island–an island originating no earlier than 6 Ma–by the earliest divergent lineage within subgenus Mecyclothorax, the ancestor of present-day Phacothorax spp. is hypothesized to have colonized New Caledonia 6 Ma, subsequent both to Cretaceous Gondwanan vicariance as well as any Oligocene submergence. Area relationships among the New Caledonian Phacothorax point to earliest diversification incorporating the northern massifs, and most recent diversification on the ultramafic volcanic substrates in the south of Grand Terre. Flight wing loss has played an important role in shaping the various island faunas, both in their morphology as well as their diversity. The retention of flight capability in only a few of the many hundred Mecyclothorax spp. is presented in light of how populations evolve from macropterous colonizing propagules to vestigially winged specialists. Interspecific differences in genitalic structures for the sister-species pair M.fleutiauxi + M.jeanneli are shown to involve functional complementarity of male and female structures. Extensive geographic variation of male genitalia is demonstrated for several New Caledonian Mecyclothorax spp. This variation deviates from the geographically uniform male genitalia exhibited by species in the hyperdiverse Mecyclothorax radiation of Haleakalā volcano, Maui, suggesting that extensive sympatry occurring among species in that diverse species swarm selects for stability within this mate recognition system. Conversely, lower levels of sympatry characterizing the depauperate New Caledonian radiation permit the presence of more extensive male genitalic variation, this variation not selected against due to the lower likelihood of interspecific mating mistakes.

The Australian fauna of Mecyclothorax Sharp (Coleoptera: Carabidae: Moriomorphini) is reviewed, with special focus on species assigned to the monophyletic subgenus Eucyclothorax Liebherr: M.isolatus , sp. n. from Western Australia, M.moorei Baehr, M.punctatus (Sloane), M.curtus (Sloane), M.blackburni (Sloane); M.eyrensis (Blackburn); M.peryphoides (Blackburn); M.darlingtoni , sp. n. from Queensland; M.jameswalkeri , sp. n. from Western Australia; M.lophoides (Chaudoir); and M.cordicollis (Sloane). The last six species listed above–the M.lophoides species complex–have been the source of long-term confusion for taxonomists, with male genitalic characters providing trouble-free species circumscription. One new subspecies, M.lewisensisestriatus , subsp. n. from Queensland is added to the seven previously described taxa of the monophyletic subgenus Qecyclothorax Liebherr. The balance of the fauna consists of four species in the subgenus Mecyclothorax: 1 and 2 , the sister-species pair M.lateralis (Castelnau) and M.minutus (Castelnau); 3 , M.ambiguus (Erichson); and 4 , M.punctipennis (MacLeay). Mecyclothoraxfortis (Blackburn), syn. n. , is newly synonymized with M.minutus . Mecyclothoraxovalis Sloane is recombined as Neonomiusovalis (Sloane), comb. n. , and a neotype is designated to replace the destroyed holotype. Phylogenetic relationships for the Australian Mecyclothorax are proposed based on information from 68 terminal taxa and 139 morphological characters. The biogeographic history of Australian Mecyclothorax is deduced based the sister-group relationship between Mecyclothorax and the Amblytelus -related genera, with both groups hypothesized to have originated during the late Eocene. Diversification within Mecyclothorax has occurred since then in montane rainforests of tropical Queensland, temperate forest biomes of the southwest and southeast, and in grasslands and riparian habitats adjacent and inland from those forests. Several species presently occupy interior desert regions, though no sister species mutually occupy such climatically harsh habitats. The M.lophoides species complex exhibits profound male genitalic diversification within the context of conserved external anatomy. This disparity is investigated with regard to the functional interaction of the male internal sac flagellum and female spermathecal duct. Though limited association of flagellar and spermathecal duct configurations can be documented, several factors complicate proposing a general evolutionary mechanism for the observed data. These include: 1 , the occurrence of derived, elongate spermathecal ducts in three species, two of which exhibit very long male flagella, whereas males of the third exhibit a very short flagellum; and 2 , a highly derived and exaggerated male flagellar configuration shared across a sister-species pair even though the two species can be robustly diagnosed using external anatomical characters, other significant genitalic differences involving male parameral setation, and biogeographic allopatry associated with differential occupation of desert versus forest biomes.

The Australian genus Theprisa Moore, 1963, is taxonomically revised to comprise five species, two newly described: Theprisa darlingtoni Liebherr & Porch, sp. nov. of Tasmania, and Theprisa otway Liebherr, Porch & Maddison, sp. nov. from the Otway Ranges, Victoria. Two previously described species, T. australis (Castelnau) and T. montana (Castelnau), are distributed in the mountains of Victoria. The third previously described species, T. convexa (Sloane) is found in Tasmania. A lectotype is designated for T. convexa because the various syntypes are ambiguously labelled. Cladistic analysis based on morphological characters establishes monophyly of Theprisa relative to the Australian genera Sitaphe Moore and Spherita Liebherr. This and a second clade of Australian genera ( Pterogmus Sloane, Thayerella Baehr, and Neonomius Moore) do not form a natural group, but are cladistically interdigitated among two monophyletic New Zealand lineages ( Tarastethus Sharp, and Trichopsida Larochelle and Larivière) suggesting substantial trans-Tasman diversification among these groups. Hypothesized relationships within Theprisa are consistent with two bouts of speciation involving the Bass Strait; an initial event establishing T. convexa as adelphotaxon to the other four species, and a more recent event establishing the sister species T. darlingtoni and T. montana . Geographic restriction of T. otway to the Otway Ranges is paralleled by Otway endemics in several other carabid beetle genera, as well as by endemics in numerous other terrestrial arthropod taxa. Whereas these numerous Otway endemics support the distinctive nature of the Otway Range fauna, their biogeographic relationships are extremely varied, illustrating that the Otways have accrued their distinctive biodiversity via various means.

The Mecyclothorax carabid beetle fauna of Haleakalā volcano, Maui Island, Hawai'i is taxonomically revised, with 116 species precinctive to Haleakalā recognized, 74 newly described. Species are classified into 14 species groups, with the newly described species arrayed as follows: 1, Mecyclothorax constrictus group with Mecyclothorax perseveratus sp. n.; 2, Mecyclothorax obscuricornis group with Mecyclothorax notobscuricornis sp. n., Mecyclothorax mordax sp. n., Mecyclothorax mordicus sp. n., Mecyclothorax manducus sp. n., Mecyclothorax ambulatus sp. n., Mecyclothorax montanus sp. n., Mecyclothorax waikamoi sp. n., Mecyclothorax poouli sp. n., and Mecyclothorax ahulili sp. n.; 3, Mecyclothorax robustus group with Mecyclothorax affinis sp. n., Mecyclothorax anchisteus sp. n., Mecyclothorax consanguineus sp. n., Mecyclothorax antaeus sp. n., Mecyclothorax cymindulus sp. n., and Mecyclothorax haydeni sp. n.; 4, Mecyclothorax interruptus group with Mecyclothorax bradycelloides sp. n., Mecyclothorax anthracinus sp. n., Mecyclothorax arthuri sp. n., Mecyclothorax medeirosi sp. n., Mecyclothorax inconscriptus sp. n., and Mecyclothorax foveolatus sp. n.; 5, Mecyclothorax sobrinus group with Mecyclothorax foveopunctatus sp. n.; 6, Mecyclothorax ovipennis group with Mecyclothorax subtilis Britton & Liebherr, sp. n., Mecyclothorax patulus sp. n., Mecyclothorax patagiatus sp. n., Mecyclothorax strigosus sp. n., Mecyclothorax takumiae sp. n., Mecyclothorax parapicalis sp. n., Mecyclothorax mauiae sp. n., Mecyclothorax subternus sp. n., Mecyclothorax flaviventris sp. n., Mecyclothorax cordaticollaris sp. n., and Mecyclothorax krushelnyckyi sp. n.; 7, Mecyclothorax argutor group with Mecyclothorax ommatoplax sp. n., Mecyclothorax semistriatus sp. n., Mecyclothorax refulgens sp. n., Mecyclothorax argutulus sp. n., Mecyclothorax planipennis sp. n., Mecyclothorax planatus sp. n., and Mecyclothorax argutuloides sp. n.; 8, Mecyclothorax microps group with Mecyclothorax major sp. n., Mecyclothorax xestos sp. n., Mecyclothorax orbiculus sp. n., and Mecyclothorax contractus sp. n.; 9, Mecyclothorax scaritoides group with Mecyclothorax scarites sp. n., Mecyclothorax timberlakei sp. n., Mecyclothorax crassuloides sp. n., Mecyclothorax crassulus sp. n., Mecyclothorax gracilicollis sp. n., and Mecyclothorax dispar sp. n.; 10, Mecyclothorax haleakalae group with Mecyclothorax reiteratus sp. n., Mecyclothorax splendidus sp. n., Mecyclothorax bacrionis sp. n., and Mecyclothorax simpulum sp. n.; 11, Mecyclothorax vitreus group with Mecyclothorax kipwilli sp. n., Mecyclothorax kipahulu sp. n., Mecyclothorax kaumakani sp. n., and Mecyclothorax kuiki sp. n.; 12, Mecyclothorax montivagus group with Mecyclothorax rex sp. n.; 13, Mecyclothorax ducalis group with Mecyclothorax aquilus sp. n., Mecyclothorax invisitatus sp. n., Mecyclothorax longidux sp. n., and Mecyclothorax brevidux sp. n.; and 14, Mecyclothorax palustris group with Mecyclothorax hephaestoides sp. n., Mecyclothorax oculellus sp. n., Mecyclothorax bicoloris sp. n., Mecyclothorax bicoloratus sp. n., Mecyclothorax bilobatus sp. n., Mecyclothorax palustroides sp. n., Mecyclothorax filipoides sp. n., Mecyclothorax nanunctus sp. n., Mecyclothorax tauberorum sp. n., and Mecyclothorax pau sp. n. Mecyclothorax integer Sharp, stat. n. is recognized as a species distinct from Mecyclothorax interruptus Sharp. Because type series for species described by Blackburn, Karsch, and Sharp are most often divided among geographically remote collections, lectotypes are designated to stabilize the nomenclature. The radiation includes numerous cryptic sibling species best diagnosed using male genitalia, and photographs are used to represent the male genitalic variability observed among numerous dissected individuals. The large number of new species is based on substantial new collections made from all quarters of the mountain. The dense geographic sampling allows fine-scale discrimination of species boundaries, elucidating the geographic disjunctions that are associated with speciation within this hyperdiverse radiation. Disjunctions between closely related species precinctive to various areas of the mountain are not congruent across the different lineages of the radiation, indicating differential responses by the various lineages to past geological and geographical events. Of the 62 1' latitude × 1' longitude grid cells on Haleakalā that are occupied by Mecyclothorax beetles, 22 house 10 or more species, and 9 house 20 or more species. This substantial level of sympatry, associated with occupation of diverse microhabitats by these beetles, provides ample information useful for monitoring biodiversity of the natural areas of Haleakalā.

The 11 species comprising the fauna of Mecyclothorax Sharp of Papua New Guinea are reviewed, with five species newly described: M. amingwiwae Liebherr, new species,M. andersoni Liebherr, new species,M. brispex Liebherr, new species,M. gressitti Liebherr, new species, and M. medioconstrictus Liebherr, new species. Assessment of characters of the male genitalia and female reproductive tract demonstrate that the fauna is phylogenetically diverse, pointing to prolonged residence in New Guinea by the constituent members of this fauna. All species occupy montane habitats and are characterized by brachyptery, and the assemblage in aggregate exhibits rather low levels of sympatry. This pattern is compared to geographic patterns presented by the similarly brachypterous, but highly diverse and intensively sympatric faunas of the Society and Hawaiian Islands.

The 101 species of Mecyclothorax Sharp known to inhabit Tahiti Island, French Polynesia are taxonomically revised, including 28 species that are newly described: Mecyclothorax claridgeiae sp. n., Mecyclothorax jeanyvesi sp. n., Mecyclothorax poria sp. n., Mecyclothorax aano sp. n., Mecyclothorax papau sp. n., Mecyclothorax manina sp. n., Mecyclothorax everardi sp. n., Mecyclothorax ramagei sp. n., Mecyclothorax pitohitiensis sp. n., Mecyclothorax curtisi sp. n., Mecyclothorax hoeahiti sp. n., Mecyclothorax ninamu sp. n., Mecyclothorax kokone sp. n., Mecyclothorax paahonu sp. n., Mecyclothorax kayballae sp. n., Mecyclothorax ehu sp. n., Mecyclothorax papuhiti sp. n., Mecyclothorax tuea sp. n., Mecyclothorax taatitore sp. n., Mecyclothorax konemata sp. n., Mecyclothorax arboricola sp. n., Mecyclothorax rahimata sp. n., M. oaoa sp. n., Mecyclothorax maninapopoti sp. n., Mecyclothorax hunapopoti sp. n., Mecyclothorax fefemata sp. n., Mecyclothorax maninamata sp. n., and Mecyclothorax niho sp. n. Mecyclothorax muriauxioides Perrault, 1984 is newly synonymized with Mecyclothorax muriauxi Perrault, 1978. Lectotypes are designated for: Thriscothorax altiusculus Britton, 1938; Thriscothorax bryobius Britton, 1938; Mecyclothorax globosus Britton, 1948: and Mecyclothorax sabulicola Britton, 1948. Dichotomous identification keys augmented by dorsal habitus and male aedeagal photographs are provided to the various species-groups and all included species. The spermatophore of Mecyclothorax papau sp. n. is described, with the ampulla and collar found to correspond dimensionally to the length of the internal sac flagellar plate. Variation among characters of the female reproductive tract is presented for all newly described plus other representative species comprising the radiation. Taxa are assigned to species groups, modified from the classification of G.G. Perrault, based on derived character states polarized using the Australian outgroup taxon Mecyclothorax punctipennis (MacLeay). Much of the species-level diversity on this small Pacific island is partitioned allopatrically over very small distributional ranges. No species is shared between Tahiti Nui and Tahiti Iti, and nearly all species in Tahiti Nui are geographically restricted to one ridgelike massif of that volcano. Cladistically similar species are often distributed on different massifs suggesting that vicariance associated with erosional valley formation has facilitated speciation, however several instances in which sister species occupy sympatric distributions on the same ridge system demonstrate that speciation may also occur across extremely localized landscapes. Such localized differentiation is facilitated by the low vagility of these small-bodied, flightless predators whose fragmented populations can persist and diverge within spatially limited habitat patches. The intense philopatry of Tahitian Mecyclothorax spp. coupled with the highly dissected landscape has produced the geographically densest adaptive radiation on Earth. This radiation has occurred very rapidly, with species durations averaging 300,000 yr; a speciation rate similar to that observed in Hawaiian Oliarus planthoppers and Laupala crickets, and East African Rift lake cichlid fishes.