Historical biogeography of Eusattus muricatus (Coleoptera : Tenebrionidae)within the Great Basin, western North America

Genetics of Eusattus muricatus LeConte (Coleoptera: Tenebrionidae) populati ons within the Lahontan Basin and the Lahontan Trough of the Great Basin, w estern North America were assayed using protein electrophoresis. Two simila r population phenograms were developed using neighbour-joining and maximum likelihood algorithms. An area cladogram was developed using geological dat a. Maximum likelihood phenogram and area cladogram were compared to test fo r congruence between geology and phylogeny. Pairwise regressions of estimat ed gene flow measures (Nm) yielded a significant relationship for populatio ns within the Lahontan Basin but not for the Lahontan Trough. Protein molec ular clock calculations showed that populations within the Lahontan Basin w ere primarily differentiating according to the dune/subbasin isolation even ts predicted by the area cladogram.