Phylogeny of the ground beetles belonging to Scaphinotus, subgenus Brennus (Coleoptera: Carabidae)

The aim of this study is to provide a comprehensive phylogeny for the carabid beetles belonging to the genus Scaphinotus, subgenus Brennus. Contemporary methods in both morphological and molecular systematics will be used to explore the phylogenetic relationships between the carabid beetles belonging to Scaphinotus, (Brennus) and related subgenera as well as the relationships within the subgenus itself. Specifically testing the hypothesis that 1) Scaphinotus (Brennus) is a monophyletic group with respect to the other subgenera and 2) the species of Brennus are those depicted by Gidaspow (1968). Phylogenetic trees will be constructed using morphological data as well as nucleotide sequences from four genes: mitochondrial cytochrome c oxidase 1 (CO1), CAD, and 28S ribosomal DNA. The results of this research will represent the first phylogenetic analysis of the beetles in the genus Scaphinotus (Brennus) and will provide valuable insight into the evolutionary history of carabid beetles in Western North America.