This project will build on four years of research by the beetle taxonomic working group in support of the All Taxa Biodiversity Inventory at Great Smoky Mountains National Park. Two objectives will be undertaken. First, we will provide identifications and distributional data for two important plant-feeding families from ~1100 malaise trap samples generated by the Park's structured protocols. These datasets for long-horned beetles (Cerambycidae) and leaf beetles (Chrysomelidae) will facilitate the transition of these taxa from inventory to ecology phases of the Science Plan. Second, two manuscripts describing new species will be prepared. The first will describe a new species of forest litter-inhabiting ground beetle in the genus Anillinus. A second paper will describe a new genus and species of short-winged mold beetle and provide analytical data supporting its placement in the classification of the beetle family Staphylinidae, subfamily Pselaphinae. Species webpages will be produced for lepturine cerambycids and pselaphines.

Principal Investigator

PI Name:  Dr. Chris Carlton

PI Organization:  LSU - Lousisiana State Arthropod Museum