Antarctotrechus balli sp. n. (Carabidae, Trechini): the first ground beetle from Antarctica
Fossil elytra of a small trechine carabid are reported from the Oliver Bluffs on the Beardmore Glacier at lat. 85°S. They were compared with counterparts from the extant genera Trechisibus, Tasmanorites, Oxytrechus and Pseudocnides. The fossils share some characters but are sufficiently different to...
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ftdoajarticles:oai:doaj.org/article:0bd29392b63a446491d551d148998abc 2023-05-15T13:48:56+02:00 Antarctotrechus balli sp. n. (Carabidae, Trechini): the first ground beetle from Antarctica Allan C. Ashworth Terry L. Erwin 2016-11-01T00:00:00Z https://doi.org/10.3897/zookeys.635.10535 https://doaj.org/article/0bd29392b63a446491d551d148998abc EN eng Pensoft Publishers http://zookeys.pensoft.net/articles.php?id=10535 http://zookeys.pensoft.net/lib/ajax_srv/article_elements_srv.php?action=download_pdf&item_id=10535 http://zookeys.pensoft.net/lib/ajax_srv/article_elements_srv.php?action=download_xml&item_id=10535 https://doaj.org/toc/1313-2989 https://doaj.org/toc/1313-2970 doi:10.3897/zookeys.635.10535 1313-2970 1313-2989 https://doaj.org/article/0bd29392b63a446491d551d148998abc ZooKeys, Vol 635, Iss , Pp 109-122 (2016) Zoology QL1-991 article 2016 ftdoajarticles https://doi.org/10.3897/zookeys.635.10535 2022-12-31T04:51:26Z Fossil elytra of a small trechine carabid are reported from the Oliver Bluffs on the Beardmore Glacier at lat. 85°S. They were compared with counterparts from the extant genera Trechisibus, Tasmanorites, Oxytrechus and Pseudocnides. The fossils share some characters but are sufficiently different to be described as a new genus and species. We named the new species Antarctotrechus balli in honour of George E. Ball who made major contributions to the study of carabids through his own research and the training of students while at the University of Alberta, Edmonton, Alberta, Canada. The closest extant relatives to the extinct A. balli are species of Trechisibus, which inhabit South America, the Falkland Islands and South Georgia, and Tasmanorites, which inhabit Tasmania, Australia. Plant fossils associated with A. balli included Nothofagus (southern beech), Ranunculus (buttercup), moss mats and cushion plants that were part of a tundra biome. Collectively, the stratigraphic relationships and the growth characteristics of the fossil plants indicate that A. balli inhabited the sparsely-vegetated banks of a stream that was part of an outwash plain at the head of a fjord in the Transantarctic Mountains. Other insects represented by fossils in the tundra biome include a listroderine weevil and a cyclorrhaphan fly. The age of the fossils, based on comparison of associated pollen with 40Ar/39Ar dated pollen assemblages from the McMurdo Dry Valleys, is probably Early to Mid-Miocene in the range 14–20 Ma. The tundra biome, including A. balli, became extinct in the interior of Antarctica about 14 Ma and on the margins of the continent by 10–13 Ma. A. balli confirms that trechines were once widely distributed in Gondwana. For A. balli and other elements of the tundra biome it appears they continued to inhabit a warmer Antarctica for many millions of years after rifting of Tasmania (45 Ma) and southern South America (31 Ma). Article in Journal/Newspaper Antarc* Antarctica Beardmore Glacier McMurdo Dry Valleys Tundra Directory of Open Access Journals: DOAJ Articles McMurdo Dry Valleys Transantarctic Mountains Canada Beardmore ENVELOPE(174.900,174.900,-83.350,-83.350) Beardmore Glacier ENVELOPE(170.000,170.000,-84.500,-84.500) ZooKeys 635 109 122 |
institution |
Open Polar |
collection |
Directory of Open Access Journals: DOAJ Articles |
op_collection_id |
ftdoajarticles |
language |
English |
topic |
Zoology QL1-991 |
spellingShingle |
Zoology QL1-991 Allan C. Ashworth Terry L. Erwin Antarctotrechus balli sp. n. (Carabidae, Trechini): the first ground beetle from Antarctica |
topic_facet |
Zoology QL1-991 |
description |
Fossil elytra of a small trechine carabid are reported from the Oliver Bluffs on the Beardmore Glacier at lat. 85°S. They were compared with counterparts from the extant genera Trechisibus, Tasmanorites, Oxytrechus and Pseudocnides. The fossils share some characters but are sufficiently different to be described as a new genus and species. We named the new species Antarctotrechus balli in honour of George E. Ball who made major contributions to the study of carabids through his own research and the training of students while at the University of Alberta, Edmonton, Alberta, Canada. The closest extant relatives to the extinct A. balli are species of Trechisibus, which inhabit South America, the Falkland Islands and South Georgia, and Tasmanorites, which inhabit Tasmania, Australia. Plant fossils associated with A. balli included Nothofagus (southern beech), Ranunculus (buttercup), moss mats and cushion plants that were part of a tundra biome. Collectively, the stratigraphic relationships and the growth characteristics of the fossil plants indicate that A. balli inhabited the sparsely-vegetated banks of a stream that was part of an outwash plain at the head of a fjord in the Transantarctic Mountains. Other insects represented by fossils in the tundra biome include a listroderine weevil and a cyclorrhaphan fly. The age of the fossils, based on comparison of associated pollen with 40Ar/39Ar dated pollen assemblages from the McMurdo Dry Valleys, is probably Early to Mid-Miocene in the range 14–20 Ma. The tundra biome, including A. balli, became extinct in the interior of Antarctica about 14 Ma and on the margins of the continent by 10–13 Ma. A. balli confirms that trechines were once widely distributed in Gondwana. For A. balli and other elements of the tundra biome it appears they continued to inhabit a warmer Antarctica for many millions of years after rifting of Tasmania (45 Ma) and southern South America (31 Ma). |
format |
Article in Journal/Newspaper |
author |
Allan C. Ashworth Terry L. Erwin |
author_facet |
Allan C. Ashworth Terry L. Erwin |
author_sort |
Allan C. Ashworth |
title |
Antarctotrechus balli sp. n. (Carabidae, Trechini): the first ground beetle from Antarctica |
title_short |
Antarctotrechus balli sp. n. (Carabidae, Trechini): the first ground beetle from Antarctica |
title_full |
Antarctotrechus balli sp. n. (Carabidae, Trechini): the first ground beetle from Antarctica |
title_fullStr |
Antarctotrechus balli sp. n. (Carabidae, Trechini): the first ground beetle from Antarctica |
title_full_unstemmed |
Antarctotrechus balli sp. n. (Carabidae, Trechini): the first ground beetle from Antarctica |
title_sort |
antarctotrechus balli sp. n. (carabidae, trechini): the first ground beetle from antarctica |
publisher |
Pensoft Publishers |
publishDate |
2016 |
url |
https://doi.org/10.3897/zookeys.635.10535 https://doaj.org/article/0bd29392b63a446491d551d148998abc |
long_lat |
ENVELOPE(174.900,174.900,-83.350,-83.350) ENVELOPE(170.000,170.000,-84.500,-84.500) |
geographic |
McMurdo Dry Valleys Transantarctic Mountains Canada Beardmore Beardmore Glacier |
geographic_facet |
McMurdo Dry Valleys Transantarctic Mountains Canada Beardmore Beardmore Glacier |
genre |
Antarc* Antarctica Beardmore Glacier McMurdo Dry Valleys Tundra |
genre_facet |
Antarc* Antarctica Beardmore Glacier McMurdo Dry Valleys Tundra |
op_source |
ZooKeys, Vol 635, Iss , Pp 109-122 (2016) |
op_relation |
http://zookeys.pensoft.net/articles.php?id=10535 http://zookeys.pensoft.net/lib/ajax_srv/article_elements_srv.php?action=download_pdf&item_id=10535 http://zookeys.pensoft.net/lib/ajax_srv/article_elements_srv.php?action=download_xml&item_id=10535 https://doaj.org/toc/1313-2989 https://doaj.org/toc/1313-2970 doi:10.3897/zookeys.635.10535 1313-2970 1313-2989 https://doaj.org/article/0bd29392b63a446491d551d148998abc |
op_doi |
https://doi.org/10.3897/zookeys.635.10535 |
container_title |
ZooKeys |
container_volume |
635 |
container_start_page |
109 |
op_container_end_page |
122 |
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1766249979973730304 |