Phylogenetic relationships of subfamily Patrobinae (Coleoptera: Carabidae) in Japan, with a focus on genus Apatrobus and the description of a new species

Abstract

In Japan, tribe Patrobini (subfamily Patrobinae: family Carabidae) comprises five genera: Diplous, Minypatrobus, Apenetretus, Archipatrobus, and Apatrobus. We studied the phylogenetic relationships of these genera and all known species of Apatrobus using mitochondrial cytochrome c oxidase subunit I (COI) and nuclear 28S ribosomal RNA (28S) sequences. We also studied the phylogenetic placement of Japanese Patrobini taxa among those of North America and Eurasia using COI and 28S gene sequences. Among known Apatrobus taxa, Apatrobus hayachinensis and Apatrobus michinorii were phylogenetically determined not to belong to Apatrobus, but to be involved in the lineage of Apenetretus, which is known from Japan (Honshu) and Taiwan. We propose that these species be renamed Apenetretus hayachinensis n. comb. and Apenetretus michinorii n. comb., respectively. The remaining Apatrobus species are divided into eastern and western clades in Japan, with the eastern clade containing six closely related species of central Honshu and the western clade containing two groups of species found in Kyushu and in Shikoku and southwestern Honshu (Chugoku District and Kii Peninsula), respectively. Additionally, we examined the species status of some populations based on molecular phylogenetic and morphological analyses and describe the new species Apatrobus tsujii Dejima & Sota, n. sp., from northern Kyushu.