Publication Date

2025

Advisor(s) - Committee Chair

T. Keith Philips, Doug McElroy, Jarrett Johnson

Degree Program

Department of Biology

Degree Type

Master of Science

Abstract

Spider beetles of South America have historically received little systematic study, though now they are the subject of recent diversity surveys and documentation. This investigation contributes to the ongoing exploration of spider beetle diversity in South America by adding records for the recently described Cordielytrum and the yet to be described Furcillifer, as well as constructing phylogenies with new genetic material. MaxEnt was used to create an ecological niche model revealing habitat suitability in Chile and Peru for Cordielytrum, a genus of flightless spider beetles currently known only from Peru. Even with few occurrence records, a model with good discriminatory power was generated. The most suitable conditions for Cordielytrum are situated along the coast of Peru reflecting, in part, drainage patterns. The model created in this investigation can be used to guide field surveys and can be improved by adding more occurrence records for Cordielytrum. Phylogenetic analyses using CO1, 16S, and 28S gene fragments supported the validity of the genus Furcillifer. Trigonogenius appeared invariably nonmonophyletic. Further investigation into the clades comprised of Cordielytrum and Trigonogenius is recommended. A novel species of spider beetle, Furcillifer locumbaensis, is described from specimens collected from Rio Locumba near Ite, Peru. Overall, the investigations herein describe the current understanding of spider beetle diversity in Peru and northern Chile as well as suggest that diversity patterns are influenced by temperature, precipitation, topography, and potentially other unidentified environmental variables.

Disciplines

Biodiversity | Ecology and Evolutionary Biology | Entomology | Life Sciences

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