Twelve Ground Beetles New to Virginia or the District of Columbia and an Annotated Checklist of the Geadephaga (Coleoptera, Adephaga) from the George Washington Memorial Parkway

Steury, Brent; Messer, Peter

Annotated checklist of 184 species of beetles from 70 genera found in the George Washington Memorial Parkway. One-hundred eighty-four species in 70 genera of geadephagan beetles (183 carabids and one rhysodid) were documented during a nine-year field survey of a national park site (George Washington Memorial Parkway) that spans parts of Fairfax and Arlington counties and the City of Alexandria in Virginia, and the District of Columbia. The capture of Elaphropus quadrisignatus (Duftschmid) represents the second record for the New World. Seven species, E. quadrisignatus, Harpalus rubripes (Duftschmid), Microlestes pusio (LeConte), Platynus opaculus LeConte, Pterostichus permundus (Say), P. sculptus LeConte, and Scarites vicinus Chaudoir are documented for the first time from the Commonwealth. Seven species, Anisodactylus dulcicollis (LaFerté-Sénectère), Elaphropus anceps (LeConte), E. saturatus (Casey), Oodes americanus Dejean, P. permundus, S. vicinus, and Tachys potomaca (Erwin) are documented for the first time from the District of Columbia. The study increases the number of geadephagan beetles known from the Potomac River Gorge to 255 species and the number from Virginia to 543 taxa. Hand picking and Malaise traps proved to be the most successful capture methods of the eight methods employed during the survey. Periods of adult activity, based on dates of capture, are given for each species. Relative abundance is noted for each species based on the number of captures. Notes on morphological characteristics and habitats are given for some species. Phloeoxena signata (Dejean) was the only species found in the study area that appears on the state list of rare animals of Virginia. Eight species are adventive to North America.

Twelve Ground Beetles New to Virginia or the District of Columbia and an Annotated Checklist of the Geadephaga (Coleoptera, Adephaga) from the George Washington Memorial Parkway

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