Re-definition and review of the Oriental genus Hexachaetus Chaudoir, 1871 (Coleoptera: Carabidae: Orthogoniini).

The ground beetle genus Hexachaetus Chaudoir, 1871 is re-defined and reviewed. Bearing six setae on ligula is no more considered as a crucial characteristic for Hexachaetus. Members of Hexachaetus share the following combination of morphological features: body polish, smooth, and impunctate, ligula more or less dilated at apex, bearing 4, 6, or even 12 setae apically, prosternal process unbordered at apex, elytra distinctly and obliquely truncated at apex, with the apical inner angles very sharp in most species (except for H. mulan n. sp.), and interval 3 with anterior and posterior setiferous pores (median one lacking). The members of Hexachaetus are about 20 species which could be divided into six species groups. All except angulatus species group are dealt with in this paper, with descriptions of four new species: H. kirschenhoferi n. sp. (Indonesia: Kalimantan), H. brunki n. sp. (Malaysia: N. Borneo), H. vietnamensis n. sp. (Vietnam: Annam) and H. mulan n. sp. (Malaysia: Perak and Pahang). H. maindroni Tian & Deuve, 2006 is proposed as a subspecies of H. lateralis Guérin, 1843, n. stat. A key to species groups and species of the genus is also provided.

Definition of the jianfengling species group of the ground beetle genus Orthogonius MacLeay (Coleoptera, Carabidae, Orthogoniini).

The jianfengling species group of the termitophilous carabid genus Orthogonius MacLeay, 1825 is defined and reviewed. This species group ranges from southern China, crossing Indochina and Myanmar to eastern India. To date, the jianfengling species group is composed of ten species, including six new species which are hereinafter described and illustrated: Orthogonius wrasei sp. n. (Myanmar), Orthogonius bellus sp. n. and Orthogonius limbourgi sp. n. (Vietnam), Orthogonius politior sp. n., Orthogonius aberlenci sp. n. (Laos) and Orthogonius meghalayaensis sp. n. (India). Habitus, elytral apices and male genitalia of all species are illustrated. A key to species and a distribution map of jianfengling species group are provided.

A review of the sarawakensis species group of the ground beetle genus Orthogonius MacLeay, 1825 (Coleoptera, Carabidae, Orthogoniini).

The sarawakensis species group of the termitophilous carabid genus Orthogonius MacLeay, 1825 is defined and reviewed. Members of this species group are distributed in Southeast Asia and represented by four species, including two new species: Orthogonius sabahicus sp. n. (Sabah, northern Borneo, Malaysia) and Orthogonius morvanianus sp. n. (southern Thailand). A key to all species of the species group is also provided.

A review of the baconii species group of the termitophilous genus Orthogonius Macleay (Coleoptera: Carabidae: Orthogoniini).

The baconii species group of the termitophilous carabid genus Orthogonius Macleay, 1825, is defined and reviewed. This group is known only from southern Asia and so far recorded by two species: Orthogonius baconii Chaudoir, 1871, from India and O. nepalensis Habu, 1979, from Nepal. Two new species are described and illustrated: O. rogueti n. sp. from southern India and O. ceylanicus n. sp. from Sri Lanka. In addition, a key to all species of this species group is provided.

Empirical assessment of RAD sequencing for interspecific phylogeny.

Next-generation sequencing opened up new possibilities in phylogenetics; however, choosing an appropriate method of sample preparation remains challenging. Here, we demonstrate that restriction-site-associated DNA sequencing (RAD-seq) generates useful data for phylogenomics. Analysis of our RAD library using current bioinformatic and phylogenetic tools produced 400× more sites than our Sanger approach (2,262,825 nt/species), fully resolving relationships between 18 species of ground beetles (divergences up to 17 My). This suggests that RAD-seq is promising to infer phylogeny of eukaryotic species, though potential biases need to be evaluated and new methodologies developed to take full advantage of such data.

Definition and review of the lancangjiang species group of the termitophilous genus Orthogonius Macleay, 1825 (Coleoptera, Carabidae, Orthogoniini).

The lancanjiang species group of the termitophilous ground beetle genus Orthogonius Macleay, 1825, is defined and reviewed. This group is characterized by the black and rather elongate body, dense punctation on head and elytra, long and slender appendages, thin fore tibiae, and elytral interval 3 without a subapical setiferous pore. To date, the lancanjiang species group is composed of four species and one subspecies, including three new species and one new subspecies which are described in the present paper: O. macrophthalmus sp. n. (northern Vietnam), O. euthyphallus sp. n. (southern Vietnam), O. euthyphallus bolavenensis ssp. n. (southern Laos) and O. carinatus sp. n. (northern Laos). A distribution map and a key to all species of this group are also provided.

Three new species of the genus Brachinus Weber, 1801 from the Philippines, with a modified key to species (Coleoptera: Carabidae: Brachininae).

Three new Brachinus species namely B. grootaerti n. sp. (Palawan Island), B. palawanensis n. sp. (Palawan Island), B. mindanaoensis n. sp. (Mindanao Island) from Philippines were described. In addition, a modified key to the known Brachinus Philippine species is provided.

Molecular systematics and evolutionary history of the genus Carabus (Col. Carabidae).

Despite the number of evolutionary, ecological and conservation studies that are conducted on Carabus, the global evolutionary history of the genus remains poorly understood. Here, we analysed 7.5 kilobases of DNA sequence data (six mitochondrial and four nuclear genes) from a worldwide sample of 45% of the known subgenera (99 species and 14 subspecies). We compared the nuclear and mitochondrial phylogenies obtained from Maximum likelihood and Bayesian analyses through topological tests of congruence and dating analyses. Our results mostly corroborate the monophyly of the morphological subgroups of Carabus. However, current morphological and molecular data appear unable to accurately infer the deep branchings within the genus. We show that Carabus originated ca. 16.7-25.1 Ma, approximately 25 Myr later than previously estimated. Major groups of Carabus are subdivided into clades that diverged from each other in a relatively short period of time around 10 Ma (6.6-14.8). This time frame suggests that the present-day distribution of Carabus subgroups may be explained by isolation resulting from Eurasian forest fragmentation brought on by Miocene climate changes and by mountain orogenesis. Finally, we highlight several conflicts between mitochondrial and nuclear topologies that may be explained by mitochondrial introgression.

Orthogonius species and diversity in Thailand (Coleoptera, Caraboidea, Orthogoniini), a result from the TIGER project.

The carabid genus Orthogonius MacLeay is treated, based mainly on materials collected in Thailand through the TIGER project (the Thailand Inventory Group for Entomological Research). Among 290 specimens, 20 species are identified in total, 10 of them are new species: Orthogonius taghavianaesp. n. (Nakhon Nayok: Khao Yai National Park), Orthogonius coomanioidessp. n. (Phetchabun: Thung Salaeng Luang National Park), Orthogonius similarissp. n. (Phetchabun: Thung Salaeng Luang National Park; Loei: Phu Kradueng National Park), Orthogonius setosopalpigersp. n. (Phetchabun: Thung Salaeng Luang National Park), Orthogonius gracililamellasp. n. (Loei: Phu Kradueng National Park; Chaiyaphum: Tat Tone National Park), Orthogonius pseudochaudoirisp. n. (Phetchabum: Thung Salaeng Luang National Park; Nakhon Nayok: Khao Yai National Park), Orthogonius constrictussp. n. (Phetchabum: Thung Salaeng Luang National Park), Orthogonius pinophilussp. n. (Phetchabum: Thung Salaeng Luang National Park), Orthogonius varisp. n. (Cambodia: Siem Reap; Thailand: Ubon Ratchathani: Pha Taem National Park; Phetchabun: Thung Salaeng Luang National Park) and Orthogonius variabilissp. n. (Thailand: Phetchabun: Thung Salaeng Luang National Park; Nakhon Nayok: Khao Yai National Park; Phetchabun: Nam Nao National Park; China: Yunnan). In addition, Orthogonius mouhoti Chaudoir, 1871 and Orthogonius kirirom Tian & Deuve, 2008 are recorded in Thailand for the first time. In total, 30 species of Orthogonius have been recorded from Thailand, indicating that Thailand holds one of the richest Orthogonius faunas in the world. A provisional key to all Thai species is provided. A majority of Thai Orthogonius species are endemic. Among the ten national parks in which orthogonine beetles were collected, Thung Salaeng Luang holds the richest fauna, including 16 species.