PHYLOGENETIC-RELATIONSHIPS OF NORTH-AMERICAN AEGIALIA (COLEOPTERA, SCARABAEIDAE) AS INDICATED BY ALLOZYMES AND MORPHOLOGY

A cladistic analysis of morphological characters of the North American species of Aegialia supported the concept of the genus, the subgenera , and identified several distinct clades within the subgenus Aegialia. Allozyme character analysis using neighbor-joining. maximum likelihoo d, and analysis of loci-as-characters using step matrices, also suppor ted monophyly in Aegialia and its North American subgenera Leptaegiali a and Psammoporus. A total evidence analysis using a combination of al lozyme and morphological data sets provides a robust analysis of the g enus and supports conclusions based on the individual data sets. A bas in and range province flightless clade composed of Aegialia crescenta Gordon & Cartwright, A. hardyi Gordon & Cartwright, and A. magnifica G ordon & Cartwright was identified; with A. concinna Gordon & Cartwrigh t as its sister species.