Description and phylogenetic relationships of two new species of Baripus (Coleoptera: Carabidae: Broscini) and considerations regarding patterns of speciation

SERGIO A. ROIG-JUÑENT, FEDERICO AGRAIN, RODOLFO CARRARA, EIDER RUIZ-MANZANOS & MARCELO F. TOGNELLI

ANNALS OF CARNEGIE MUSEUM

Año: 2007 p. 1 - 40

0097-4463

Baripus Dejean is a genus of the family Carabidae restricted to southern South America. Three subgenera are recognized within the genus; one of them, Cardiophthalmus Curtis, is endemic to the Patagonian Steppe. Together with the members of the genus Cnemalobus Guérin-Ménéville, these beetles are the largest Carabidae of the Patagonian Steppe. New studies in the northern region of Patagonia, the Payunia, reveal the presence of two new species Baripus (C.) nevado n. sp. and Baripus (C.) precordillera n. sp. restricted to an isolated monatne habitats. In this paper, we provide a morphological description of the new taxa with illustrations of male and female genitalia. We also include phylogenetic analyses using all known species of Baripus. The cladistic analysis showed that B. (C.) mendozensis, B. (C.) nevado and B. (C) precordillera constitutes a monophyletic group of species. These three species are allopatric, but B. (C.) mendozensis and B. (C.) nevado ranges are in close proximity. The distribution pattern, together with the phylogenetic pattern, suggests a possible peripatric pattern of speciation. We used a predictive model of species distribution to establish the present, past, and future distribution of B. (C.) mendozensis which is the most widely distributed species. Based on these analyses, we speculate that the current pattern of speciation may be a result of climatic changes during the Pleistocene.