Monthly Archives: April 2013

BotW: Dyschirioides sellatus

Posted on 23 April 2013 by David Maddison

Dyschiriina is a subtribe of carabids that include small, fossorial (they live in tunnels in the soil) members.  I found the one above on a river shore in Missouri.  I love the interesting  form of the beetle, and the delicate … Continue reading →

Posted in Beetle of the Week | 2 Comments

Port and Roses

Posted on 21 April 2013 by David Maddison

In late January 2012, my daughter, Julia, and I were dining at Luc, having a typically excellent meal. At one point, Julia went to the restroom, and then returned to the table. The following conversation ensued. Julia: “David, I think you … Continue reading →

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What should I name this beetle?

Posted on 18 April 2013 by David Maddison

Along some creek and pond shores in the Sierra Nevada of California there lives a pretty, spotted Bembidion, and this Bembidion has no name.  It belongs to the subgenus Liocosmius, a group of Bembidion that range from BC to Baja … Continue reading →

Posted in Revising Bembidiina, Taxonomic Process | Tagged , , | 9 Comments

Changing of the guard

Posted on 16 April 2013 by David Maddison

In 1985, my brother Wayne wrote the first version of MacClade, a graphical program for studying branches of a phylogeny (“clades”) and phylogenies more generally.  It was a very small program, that did just a few things, but was notable … Continue reading →

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Names approved!

Posted on 15 April 2013 by David Maddison

In two earlier posts, I wrote about the dangers of naming species after the name of the first peoples of an area, as well as the concerns about using a word from a native language. In the first of those … Continue reading →

Posted in Revising Bembidiina, Taxonomic Process | Tagged , , | 1 Comment

How to collect beetles for DNA studies

Posted on 12 April 2013 by David Maddison

Preserving beetles for DNA studies is easy, but a few rules need to be followed. You will first need to decide which specimens to preserve. It is ideal to have two or more specimens of a species preserved, so that … Continue reading →

Posted in Revising Bembidiina, Taxonomic Process | Tagged | 7 Comments

More hidden species in Bembidion: a multiplicity of “Bembidion kuprianovi”

Posted on 6 April 2013 by David Maddison

In Lindroth’s magnificent 1963 treatment of Bembidion of Canada and Alaska (and the northern contiguous States), he notes the extent of structural variation within species. Some species he notes to be relatively uniform, others more variable. As I delve into … Continue reading →

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Why I spend my time with carabid beetles

Posted on 1 April 2013 by David Maddison

 

Posted in Miscellany | Tagged , | Leave a comment