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A rich fauna of subterranean short-range endemic Anillini (Coleoptera, Carabidae, Trechinae) from semi-arid regions of Western Australia.

ABSTRACT: Globally, the great majority of Anillini species are endogean, adapted to live in the interstices of soil and leaf litter, while the extremely low vagility of these minute ground beetles gives rise to numerous shortrange endemic species. Until recently the Australian Anillini fauna was known only from leaf litter in rain forests and eucalypt forests in the wetter, forested regions of eastern and south eastern Australia, as well as Lord Howe and Norfolk islands. The first hypogean Anillini in Australia (17 species in six genera) were described in 2016 from mineral exploration drill holes in iron-ore bearing rocks of the Pilbara region in Western Australia, representing the first finding of the tribe deep underground in a semi-arid climate region. A further eight new genera and 20 new species are described herein, mostly from the Pilbara region as well as the semi-arid Kimberley and Goldfields regions; all were collected in mineral exploration drill holes. The following new genera are described: Erwinanillus gen. nov., Gregorydytes gen. nov., Pilbaraphanus gen. nov., Neoillaphanus gen. nov., Kimberleytyphlus gen. nov., Gilesdytes gen. nov., Pilbaradytes gen. nov., and Bylibaraphanus gen. nov. The following new species are described: Erwinanillus baehri sp. nov.; Gracilanillus hirsutus sp. nov., G. pannawonicanus sp. nov.; Gregorydytes ophthalmianus sp. nov.; Pilbaraphanus chichesterianus sp. nov., P. bilybarianus sp. nov.; Magnanillus firetalianus sp. nov., M. sabae sp. nov., M. salomonis sp. nov., M. regalis sp. nov., M. serenitatis sp. nov.; Neoillaphanus callawanus sp. nov.; Kimberleytyphlus carrboydianus sp. nov.; Austranillus jinayrianus sp. nov.; Gilesdytes pardooanus sp. nov., G. ethelianus sp. nov.; Pilbaradytes abydosianus sp. nov., P. webberianus sp. nov.; Bylibaraphanus cundalinianus sp. nov.; and Angustanillus armatus sp. nov. Identification keys are provided for all Australian anilline genera, and Western Australian species. All the described species are known from a single locality and qualify as short-range endemics. The Anillini are recognised as a significant and diverse element making up part of Western Australia's remarkable subterranean fauna, and whose conservation may potentially be impacted by mining developments.

SUBMITTER: Giachino PM

PROVIDER: S-EPMC8222277 | biostudies-literature |

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature

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Project description:BackgroundThe Alpine region harbours one of the most diverse subterranean faunas in the world, with many species showing extreme morphological modifications. The ground beetles of tribe Trechini (Coleoptera, Carabidae) are among the best studied and widespread groups with abundance of troglobionts, but their origin and evolution is largely unknown.ResultsWe sequenced 3.4 Kb of mitochondrial (cox1, rrnL, trnL, nad1) and nuclear (SSU, LSU) genes of 207 specimens of 173 mostly Alpine species, including examples of all subterranean genera but two plus a representation of epigean taxa. We applied Bayesian methods and maximum likelihood to reconstruct the topology and to estimate divergence times using a priori rates obtained for a related ground beetle genus. We found three main clades of late Eocene-early Oligocene origin: (1) the genus Doderotrechus and relatives; (2) the genus Trechus sensu lato, with most anisotopic subterranean genera, including the Pyrenean lineage and taxa from the Dinaric Alps; and (3) the genus Duvalius sensu lato, diversifying during the late Miocene and including all subterranean isotopic taxa. Most of the subterranean genera had an independent origin and were related to epigean taxa of the same geographical area, but there were three large monophyletic clades of exclusively subterranean species: the Pyrenean lineage, a lineage including subterranean taxa from the eastern Alps and the Dinarides, and the genus Anophthalmus from the northeastern Alps. Many lineages have developed similar phenotypes independently, showing extensive morphological convergence or parallelism.ConclusionsThe Alpine Trechini do not form a homogeneous fauna, in contrast with the Pyrenees, and show a complex scenario of multiple colonisations of the subterranean environment at different geological periods and through different processes. Examples go from populations of an epigean widespread species going underground with little morphological modifications to ancient, geographically widespread lineages of exclusively subterranean species likely to have diversified once fully adapted to the subterranean environment.

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A rich fauna of subterranean short-range endemic Anillini (Coleoptera, Carabidae, Trechinae) from semi-arid regions of Western Australia.

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