Biogeographic homology of the Broscini (beetles)

[John R. Grehan]

For those interested in ground beetles (Carabidae) or biogeographic
patterns in general I have
illustrated a case for the Pacific homology of the carabid tribe Broscini
in the following web page:
http://www.ento.psu.edu/home/Frost/Research/Biogeography/Panbiogeography/Pacifictracks/Broscinibiogeography.htm

The southern sub-tribes have clearly Pacific main massings and these
complement a northern North America-Eurasia pattern
that can be resolved as part of a Pacific biogeography comparable to
Nothofagus/Fagus (for example). This Pacific homology
also resolves the otherwise enigmatic distribution of the Axoyina subtribe
found in Iran, northern India and Mexico. The
actual distributions drawn are quite generalized, being extrapolated from a
written list (the author of the revision unfortunately was
one of those systematists who do not think geographic distributions to be
important enough to illustrate) so there is the
probability that some details are not all that precise - although this does
not affect the homology assignment presented here.


John Grehan
Frost Entomological Museum
Pennsylvania State University
Department of Entomology
501 ASI Building
University Park, PA 16802. USA.

Phone: (814) 863-2865
Fax: (814) 865-3048

Frost Museum
http://www.ento.psu.edu/home/Frost/index.html