The darkling beetle tribe Edrotini (Coleoptera: Tenebrionidae) is a morphologically and behaviorally diverse group of charismatic, endemic New World species. This tribe is species-rich, with ~329 described species in 46 genera, and yet no modern revision or key to the species exists and no attempt has been made to place the component taxa within a phylogenetic context. The last edrotine revision was conducted over one hundred years ago and is considered nearly unusable by modern taxonomists. Consequently the goal of my graduate work is to undertake a modern revision of the significant edrotine genera.

Presently my research focus is the phylogenetic revision of the charismatic edrotine genus Edrotes, whose approximately half a dozen charismatic species inhabitant sand dunes systems in the southwest United States.

Best,
Christopher Wirth
Graduate Student

Smith Lab Edrotini Publications:

Smith, A.D., and C. Wirth. 2016. A new genus and species of stridulating Edrotini (Coleoptera: Tenebrionidae: Pimeliinae) from West Texas, with notes on stridulation within the tribe. Annales Zoologici, 66: 577-587.