Phylogenetic revision of the N orth A merican A sidini ( C oleoptera: T enebrionidae)

The asidine darkling beetles ( C oleoptera: T enebrionidae: A sidini) are a morphologically diverse tribe of flightless tenebrionids found in many arid and sub‐arid habitats around the world. The 260 currently described N orth A merican species are contained in 27 genera, all of which are restricted to the western half of the continent. Evolutionary relationships within and between the N orth A merican A sidini ( C oleoptera: T enebrionidae) genera were reconstructed using partial sequences of mitochondrial cytochrome c oxidase I ( COI ) (660 bp) and nuclear ribosomal 28S ( D2 region) (492 bp), and 100 phenotypic characters for 50 North American asidine species, representing 20 of the 27 currently described genera and 1 new genus. Species from two additional tenebrionid tribes ( B ranchini and C oniontini) and the S outh A merican asidine genus Cardigenius were chosen as outgroups. Analyses were performed using maximum parsimony and B ayesian inference methods. Clade support was inferred based on the posterior probability distribution of tree topologies, nonparametric bootstrap analysis, and partitioned B remer support indices. The generic classification of the N orth A merican A sidini is revised based on the results, with ten genera recognized. Seven current genera: Craniotus L e C onte, Heterasida C asey, Litasida C asey, Microschatia S olier, Pelecyphorus S olier, Philolithus L acordaire, Stenomorpha S olier, are redescribed, and Ardamimicus S mith gen.n ., Ferveoventer S mith gen.n . and Micrasida S mith gen.n . are described, including Ardamimicus cognatoi S mith sp.n ., Ferveoventer browni S mith sp.n . and Micrasida obrienorum S mith sp.n . Twenty current genera are treated as subgenera pending further analyses: Philolithus L acordaire with subgenera Glyptasida C asey, Gonasida C asey, Herthasida W ilke and Tisamenes C hampion; Pelecyphorus S olier, with subgenera: Astrotus L e C onte, Parasida C asey (=  Plesiasida nom.n ), Poliorcetes C hampion, Sicharbas C hampion, Stenosides S olier, Ucalegon C hampion and Zaleucus C hampion, and Stenomorpha S olier with subgenera Asidina C asey, Asidopsis C asey, Bothrasida C asey, Megasida C asey, Notiasida C asey, Platasida C asey, Pycnomorpha M otschulsky, Stethasida C asey and Trichiasida C asey; all stat.rev .