Trogloderus verpus

Johnston, 2019

Trogloderus verpus is a psammophilic darkling beetle described in 2019 from the eastern Colorado Plateau. It belongs to a restricted to dunes and sandy in the western United States, with having diversified during the mid-Pleistocene in response to geographic features of the Intermountain Region.

Pronunciation

How to pronounce Trogloderus verpus: /ˌtrɒɡloʊˈdɪərəs ˈvɝːpəs/

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Identification

As a member of the Trogloderus, this can be distinguished from other darkling beetles by its association with psammophilic (sand-dwelling) and its placement within the tribe Amphidorini. Specific diagnostic features separating it from T. tuberculatus, T. vandykei, and T. warneri would require examination of the original species description.

Habitat

Dunes and sandy in desert regions, specifically the eastern Colorado Plateau.

Distribution

Eastern Colorado Plateau, United States.

Similar Taxa

Trogloderus warneriAlso newly described from the western Colorado Plateau in the same revision; geographically adjacent but on opposite sides of the plateau.
Trogloderus tuberculatusPreviously described with overlapping psammophilic preferences in western United States dunes.
Trogloderus vandykeiPreviously described in the same with similar sand-dwelling .

More Details

Taxonomic History

Described by Andrew Johnston in 2019 as one of six new in a comprehensive phylogenetic revision of the based on morphological and molecular analysis of 3,734 specimens.

Biogeographic Significance

The Trogloderus has a most recent common ancestor dated to 5.2 million years ago on the Colorado Plateau; T. verpus represents eastern plateau lineage divergence during mid-Pleistocene speciation events influenced by the Kaibab Plateau and other geographic features.