Tag Archives: Bembidion

Hiding in Plain Sight

Posted on 31 August 2013 by

In most groups of organisms there are taxa that are very isolated phylogenetically, and are structurally so distinctive that they are easy to recognize (the Australian platypus and Welwitschia mirabilis come to mind).  Some of these isolated taxa are considered to … Continue reading →

Posted in Revising Bembidiina, Taxonomic Process | Tagged , , , | 4 Comments

Two lineages, not one

Posted on 19 August 2013 by

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

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 →

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

Follow-up to “What should I name this beetle?”

Posted on 9 May 2013 by

In my post “What should I name this beetle?”, I discussed a pretty, spotted beetle species that lives in the Sierra Nevadas of California and which lacks a name. I’ve recently been in discussion with Don Cameron,  an arachnologist and … Continue reading →

Posted in Taxonomic Process | Tagged , , | 3 Comments

The Bembidion ulkei mystery: solved

Posted on 7 May 2013 by

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

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

Names approved!

Posted on 15 April 2013 by

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

Posted on 6 April 2013 by

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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Four?

Posted on 23 March 2013 by

In western North America small, dark Bembidion (Plataphus) are common on gravel river shores.  Most of these are called Bembidion curtulatum.   They are the smallest members of subgenus Plataphus (sensu Lindroth) in North America, at about 3.5 mm long. As … Continue reading →

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BotW: Bembidion bowditchii

Posted on 13 March 2013 by

The beetle of the week is a very elegant species, Bembidion bowditchii, which lives in western North America.  It is rarely caught, but not uncommon in the right habitats: broad sandy shorelines of rivers.  It is abundant on the Kootenay River near … Continue reading →

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