Western Kentucky University Bowling Green, Kentucky
Spider beetles (Coleoptera: Ptinidae) are insects that can thrive in extreme arid environments. In these habitats, they are usually globular in shape and flightless, with the latter attribute leading to poor dispersal ability. Along the coasts of Peru, some of the most unique arid ecosystems on earth, called Lomas, are made up of hills that intercept fog from the ocean. These hills, and the river drainages within them, make moisture available for plant life that supports animal inhabitants, including spider beetles. The regions between Lomas and drainages are barren desert expanses that isolate beetle populations. This island effect has created genetically distinct populations and species with distinct morphological features. Molecular sequence data from several genes has been used to create a phylogeny showing relationships among species and supporting hypotheses on the biogeographic effects on speciation. This data, along with morphology, is also used to document and describe new species.