Pupal morphology in the subfamily Paussinae (Coleoptera: Carabidae)

Abstract

Pupae of the Ozaenini lineage (Pachyteles vignai Deuve, 2000, P. digiulioi Deuve, 2000 and Physea setosa Chaudoir, 1868) and the Paussini lineage (Platyrhopalopsis melleii (Westwood, 1833) and Paussus kannegieteri Wasmann, 1896), are described and shown in figures, and compared with other adephagan taxa. In contrast to the customary assumption that pupal characters are uninformative with regard to systematics, this analysis shows the importance of pupal characters for phylogenetic reconstruction at different levels. Differences between basal and derived Paussinae occur in the arrangement of setae and in the folding of gonothecae, while some characters, like the microsculpture, the inversion of the last abdominal segments and perhaps the reduction of the 7th abdominal spiracle, support Paussinae monophyly. The extent of pubescence is a morphocline among Adephaga, with reduction in several unrelated taxa. Finally, the possibility of recognising distinct abdominal segments and antennal articles at the pupal stage, in taxa where they appear fused at the adult stage, may provide an ontogenetic basis for elucidating phylogenetic relationships.