First Recorded Hawaiian Occurrence of the Alien Ground Beetle, Agonum muelleri (Coleoptera: Carabidae), from the Summit of Mauna Kea, Hawaii Island

Adults of the non-native species, Agonum muelleri (Herbst) (Coleoptera: Carabidae) were collected from the summit of Mauna Kea in 2006 and again during 2008, indicating that a population of this European species is established on Mauna Kea volcano, Hawaii island (NEW STATE RECORD). Agonum muelleri is a synanthropic species that has been accidentally introduced from Europe to both the east and west coasts of North America, with the known North American distribution including 24 provinces and states of Canada and the United States. Characters for the adults are provided to permit diagnosis of this non-native species from all other native and introduced carabid beetle species known from Hawaii. Recorded environmental conditions from Mauna Kea summit taken during the months when specimens were collected are consistent with conditions associated with winged flight by A. muelleri individuals in the species’ native European range

Out of Hawaii: the origin and biogeography of the genus Scaptomyza (Diptera: Drosophilidae)

The Hawaiian Archipelago is the most isolated island system on the planet and has been the subject of evolutionary research for over a century. The largest radiation of species in Hawaii is the Hawaiian Drosophilidae, a group of approximately 1000 species. Dispersal to isolated island systems like Hawaii is rare and the resultant flora and fauna shows high disharmony with mainland communities. The possibility that some lineages may have originated in Hawaii and subsequently ‘escaped’ to diversify on continental landmasses is expected to be rarer still. We present phylogenetic analysis of 134 partially sequenced mitochondrial genomes of Drosophilidae (approx. 1.3 Mb of sequence total) to address major aspects of adaptive radiation and dispersal in Hawaii. We show that the genus Scaptomyza, a group that accounts for approximately one-third of the species-level diversity of Drosophilidae in the Hawaiian Islands, originated in Hawaii, diversified there, and subsequently colonized a number of island and continental landmasses elsewhere on the globe. We propose that a combination of small body size, rapid generation time and unique ecological and physiological adaptations have allowed this genus to effectively disperse and diversify