Under Construction

Abariform clade

Kipling Will
Click on an image to view larger version & data in a new window
Click on an image to view larger version & data in a new window
taxon links [up-->]Pseudabarys lebasi [up-->]Abaris [up-->]Pseudabarys robustus [up-->]Pseudabarys brasiliensis [up-->]Neotalus portai [up-->]Pseudabarys columbicus [up-->]Pseudabarys mexicanus [up-->]Pseudabarys substriatus [down<--]Euchroina Interpreting the tree
close box

This tree diagram shows the relationships between several groups of organisms.

The root of the current tree connects the organisms featured in this tree to their containing group and the rest of the Tree of Life. The basal branching point in the tree represents the ancestor of the other groups in the tree. This ancestor diversified over time into several descendent subgroups, which are represented as internal nodes and terminal taxa to the right.

example of a tree diagram

You can click on the root to travel down the Tree of Life all the way to the root of all Life, and you can click on the names of descendent subgroups to travel up the Tree of Life all the way to individual species.

For more information on ToL tree formatting, please see Interpreting the Tree or Classification. To learn more about phylogenetic trees, please visit our Phylogenetic Biology pages.

close box
Containing group: Euchroina

Introduction

Members of the primarily Neotropical genera Pseudabarys, Neotalus and Abaris are relatively small ground beetles. Most individuals are brilliantly metallic with very prominent eyes. These characteristics give them a unique look that is very similar to the Australian genus Prosopogmus.

A few of the abariform species have been treated taxonomically. Straneo (1939) published a key to the eight then named species of Abaris and Bousquet (1984) added a ninth species when he discovered that LeConte’s Pterostichus splendidulus belonged in the genus Abaris. Bousquet and Liebherr (1994) summarized what little had been published on the relationships of the genus Abaris and covered nearly all the genera included herein. Will (2002) revised Abaris and Neotalus, providing a key to species and biogeographic analysis for the group.

Characteristics

Included taxa have characteristics of Euchroina and very prominent eyes. Abaris species are uniquely characterized among all Pterostichine grade taxa by pectinate claws.

The combination of large eyes, pectinate claws, and metallic luster suggests that Abaris species may have peculiar life histories or behaviors relative to related genera that have characteristics more typical for pterostichine grade taxa. However, the limited field observations for these species do not provide incontrovertible evidence for any adaptive significance for this suite of characteristics. Both Abaris and Pseudabarys are collected in leaf litter, sometimes in or near fallen rotten fruits or flower petals.  

References

Bates, H. W. 1871. Notes on Carabidae, and descriptions of new species (no.1). Entomologist's Monthly Magazine 7.

Bousquet, Y. 1984. Redescription of Abaris splendidula (Leconte) new combination (Coleoptera: Carabidae: Pterostichini). The Coleopterists Bulletin 38:384-389.

Bousquet, Y., and J. K. Liebherr. 1994. Larval description of Abaris bigenera Bates, 1882, and notes on relationships of the genus Abaris Dejean, 1831 (Coleoptera: Carabidae: Pterostichini). Journal of the New York Entomological Society. 102:435-441.

Chaudoir, M. d. 1873. Matériaux pour servir á l'étude des féroniens. Bull. Soc. Imp. Nat. Moscou 46:85-116.

Dejean, P. F. M. A. 1825-1831. Species général des Coléoptéres de la collection de M. LeComte Dejean, Mequignon-Marvis, Paris.

LeConte, J. L. 1863. New species of North American coleoptera. Smithsonian Miscellaneous Collection 167:1-86.

Straneo, S. 1939. On the genus Abaris Dej. (Coleoptera: Carabidae). Psyche 46:38-41.

Will, K. W. 2002. Revision of the new world abariform genera Neotalus n. gen. and Abaris Dejean (Coleoptera: Carabidae: Pterostichini (Auctorum). Annals of the Carnegie Museum of Natural History 71:143-213.

Title Illustrations
Click on an image to view larger version & data in a new window
Click on an image to view larger version & data in a new window
Scientific Name Abaris aenea
Identified By K.Will
Life Cycle Stage Adult
Body Part Habitus
View Dorsal
Image Use creative commons This media file is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution License - Version 3.0.
Copyright © Kipling Will
About This Page

Kipling Will
University of California, Berkeley, California, USA

Correspondence regarding this page should be directed to Kipling Will at

Page: Tree of Life Abariform clade. Authored by Kipling Will. The TEXT of this page is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution License - Version 3.0. Note that images and other media featured on this page are each governed by their own license, and they may or may not be available for reuse. Click on an image or a media link to access the media data window, which provides the relevant licensing information. For the general terms and conditions of ToL material reuse and redistribution, please see the Tree of Life Copyright Policies.

Citing this page:

Will, Kipling. 2006. Abariform clade. Version 21 October 2006 (under construction). http://tolweb.org/Abariform_clade/51566/2006.10.21 in The Tree of Life Web Project, http://tolweb.org/

edit this page
close box

This page is a Tree of Life Branch Page.

Each ToL branch page provides a synopsis of the characteristics of a group of organisms representing a branch of the Tree of Life. The major distinction between a branch and a leaf of the Tree of Life is that each branch can be further subdivided into descendent branches, that is, subgroups representing distinct genetic lineages.

For a more detailed explanation of the different ToL page types, have a look at the Structure of the Tree of Life page.

close box

Abariform clade

Page Content

articles & notes

collections

people

Explore Other Groups

random page

  go to the Tree of Life home page
top