Category Archives: Revising Bembidiina

Two lineages, not one

Posted on 19 August 2013 by David Maddison

I’m back, after a long hiatus.  We’ve been busy in the lab looking at the specimens from the Big Loop Trip, and sequencing them.  Over the next few weeks I will report on some of the results.  We’ve discovered some … Continue reading →

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A new lineage of Bembidion?

Posted on 1 July 2013 by David Maddison

On my recent field trip around the west, something occurred that has never happened to me before in North America:  I knew, in the field, that I had found a previously undiscovered species.  This has happened to me in South … Continue reading →

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BLT

Posted on 1 July 2013 by David Maddison

Our recent field work around the western USA, dubbed “The Big Loop Trip”, covered about 6165 miles (9922 kilometers) and almost one month.  My graduate student John Sproul was with me for the entire trip; my former postdoc (now UC … Continue reading →

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There and back again

Posted on 23 June 2013 by David Maddison

We made it back to Corvallis a few hours ago, after having logged 6165 miles (9922 km) on the road trip.   Herbert (“El Tigre”) was very glad to arrive in Corvallis, as he noted that it is much moister … Continue reading →

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On the Road

Posted on 10 June 2013 by David Maddison

I’m now in Moab, Utah, on day 16 of a long field trip. On 26 May my graduate student John and I drove south from Corvallis, Oregon, collecting our way down to Concord, California, where we met up with my … Continue reading →

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Off into the wilds!

Posted on 28 May 2013 by David Maddison

Kip Will, John Sproul, and I are about to embark on a 3-week trip from the Bay Area to New Mexico, Colorado, Utah, and Nevada.  If you want to see pictures of the trip, check out my Instagram feed (@bembidion). … Continue reading →

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The Bembidion ulkei mystery: solved

Posted on 7 May 2013 by David Maddison

In an earlier post, I discussed the mystery of Bembidion ulkei.  Here’s a quick summary:  according to Lindroth’s (1963) study, Bembidion obscuripenne is a widespread species in the west,  from California north to Washington. In contrast, Lindroth knew B. ulkei only … 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 →

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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 →

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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 →

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