A new maryland record for Cicindela splendida hentz (Coleoptera: Carabidae: Cicindelinae), with notes on taxonomic status and phylogenetic relationships

2007·1.5 MB·

by  Jonathan R Mawdsley

PROC. ENTOMOL. SOC. WASH.
109(3), 2007, pp. 727-729
Note
A New Maryland Record for Cicindela splendida Hentz (Coleoptera: Carabidae:
Cicindelinae), with Notes on Taxonomic Status and Phylogenetic Relationships
Cicindela splendida Hentz has long exposures are still common at this
been considered one of the rarest tiger writing in central Maryland, in settings
beetles in the state of Maryland. In such as roadsides, railroad cuts, power
a review of the state's tiger beetle fauna, line rights-of-way, drainage ditches, gul-
Glaser (1984) reported that he could lies, abandoned sand or gravel quarries,
only find two valid records of C and abandoned clay pits. Comparison
splendida. These records were based on with the geological map of Maryland
collections from Calvert and Prince (Maryland Geological Survey 1968) in-
George's counties, of which the most dicates that the red clays in central
recent was from 1948. With no recent Maryland, including those at Patuxent
C
records, Glaser (1984) concluded that Research Refuge, are part of the Creta-
splendida might actually be extirpated ceous Potomac Group. Specific forma-
from Maryland. tions within the Potomac Group which
Recent survey work by the author and may include red clays are the Raritan
colleagues at sites along the Patuxent and Patapsco Formations, as well as the
River in Anne Arundel County, Mary- Arundel Clay. These Potomac Group
land, has identified many previously sediments underlie much of central
unknown populations of tiger beetle Maryland, particularly in the corridor
species. Most recently, surveys by the between Washington, D.C. and Balti-
author at the U.S. Fish and Wildlife more. Given the abundance of suitable
Service's Patuxent Research Refuge habitat, it is likely that additional popu-
identified a small population of C lations of C. splendida exist in Maryland.
splendida on Refuge property. On April The apparent scarcity of C. splendida
15, 2006, adults of this species were in Maryland is particularly surprising
observed foraging and ovipositing in an given the large number of specimens of
area of bare, eroded red clay soil within this species collected during the first
an abandoned sand and gravel pit. The decades of the twentieth century at sites
area where the beetles were observed was in the District ofColumbia and northern
heavily eroded into a series of small (1- Virginia, as demonstrated by the follow-
2 m deep) gullies. Other tiger beetle ing records from NMNH. For complete-
species present at this site on this date ness, I also incluNdeMNthHe few Maryland
included C. sexguttata Fabricius and records from the collection.
C. tranquebarica tranquebarica Herbst. District of Columbia: Rock Creek,
Two voucher specimens of C splendida 14.V.1899 (2 $, 1 $), 2.VI.1901 (1 S, 1
were collected for deposition in the 2), 14.IX.1902 (1 S).
collection of the National Museum of Maryland: Prince George's County,
Natural History, Smithsonian Institution Bladensburg, 21.IV.1920 (1 S ); Fort
(NMNH). Washington, on clay bank, steep ravine,
Cicindela splendida is closely associat- 8.IV.1943 (1 S, 1 2), 6.IX.1943 (1 $, 1
ed with exposed, eroded red clay sub- ?), 15.IX.1943 (1 ?). Glaser (1984) also
strates throughout its range (Knisley and reports a collection from: Calvert Coun-
Schuhz 1997, Pearson et al. 2006). Such ty, Solomons, 20.IV.1948.
728 PROCEEDINGS OF THE ENTOMOLOGICAL SOCIETY OF WASHINGTON
Virginia: Alexandria, 28.IV.1889 (1 close relatives, part of a monophyletic
2); 2.VI.1902 (1 2). Arlington County: group of similar species. However, these
Four Mile Run, 28.IX.1913 (1 S ); three species do not themselves form
Glencarlyn, 8.IV.1929 (1 c? ), 18.IV.1931 a monophyletic group. Rather, C. limba-
(1 S). Fairfax County: Barcroft, IX. lis is the sister-species of C. decemnotata
1914 (1 (?); Falls Church, 20.V.1917 Say, while C. splendida is the sister-
(2 c?), 5.V.1917 (1 (?); Mount Vernon, species of C. purpurea Olivier. These
21.IX.1910 (1 2), 20.V.1917 (1 c?), two lineages in turn form an unresolved
21.IX.1919 (4 S, 5 2), 23.IX.1920 (2 trichotomy with C. denverensis. In the
2), 6.IV.1929 (5 S), 5.IV.1930 (1 c?, 2 context of this analysis, Schincariol and
2), 24.IX.1930 (1 2), 30.IV.1931 (1 2), Freitag's ''C. splendida group" is clearly
15.IV.1933 (2 S), 11.IX.1936 (3 S,2 2), non-monophyletic.
24.IX.1939 (1 S, 1 2); locality not More interestingly, this analysis sug-
C
specified, 21.IX.1919 (1 2), 19.IX.1920 gests that splendida, C. limbalis, and
C
(1 ?). denverensis have all existed as separate
Maryland, Virginia, and District of species for at least one million years.
C
Columbia populations of splendida Barraclough and Vogler (2002) estimated
are readily separated from other sympat- divergence times for each lineage in
ric tiger beetle species by the combina- their analysis, using nonparametric rate
tion of uniformly green or blue-green smoothing of branch lengths which had
1)
head and pronotum with 2) reddish or been estimated using maximum likeli-
DNA
purplish elytra with green lateral margins hood methods applied to sequence
and variable (but often highly reduced) data. The divergence of C. denverensis
white markings (Knisley and Schultz from the other two lineages is estimated
1997). However, from a broader taxo- to have occurred approximately 2 mil-
nomic perspective, the separation of C. lion years ago, the divergence of C.
splendida from a closely-related group of limbalis and C. decemnotata approxi-
similar North American species has long mately 1.8 million years ago, and the
been problematic. In the most compre- divergence of C splendida and C. pur-
hensive treatment to date, Schincariol purea approximately 1.0 million years
and Freitag (1991) studied the adult ago. These estimates serve to bolster
morphology of taxa in their "C splen- the conclusions of Schincariol and Frei-
dida group" and concluded that three tag (1991) that C. splendida, C. limbalis,
C
valid species were represented: splen- and C. denverensis are each separate and
C
dida, C. limbalis Klug, and denverensis valid species.
Casey. This conclusion has generated I thank Holliday Obrecht and Brad
considerable discussion, because the Knudson of the U.S. Fish and Wildhfe
three forms share similarities in colora- Service for permission to survey tiger
tion, are partially sympatric, and are beetles at the Patuxent Research Refuge.
known to mate with each other (Johnson For assistance with projects along the
1979, Kippenhan 1994, Knisley and Patuxent River, I thank Sam Droege of
Schultz 1997, Pearson et al. 2006). the U.S. Geological Survey and Warren
A
recent molecular phylogenetic anal- Steiner ofthe Smithsonian Institution. C.
ysis of North American species of the Barry Knisley and Michael A. Valenti
genus Cicindela L. (Barraclough and provided valuable comments on the
Vogler 2002) provides an interesting manuscript. Terry Erwin graciously per-
resolution to these longstanding taxo- mitted the examination of specimens in
nomic questions. As expected, C splen- the collection ofthe National Museum of
C
dida, C. limbalis, and denverensis are Natural History.
VOLUME NUMBER
109, 3 729
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