Landscape and Habitat Attributes of Species of Glyptasida Casey (Coleoptera: Tenebrionidae)
2012
Lockwood, Stephanie A. | Pollock, Darren A.
The geographic distribution of species of Glyptasida Casey, 1912 ranges from along the western edge of the Great Plains from southern Canada to northern Jalisco, Mexico and west into Utah. Species and habitat associations of these beetles are here analyzed using a powerful geospatial dataset created by layering four habitat attributes (land cover, elevation, precipitation, and temperature) with locality data from museum specimens. Individuals of Glyptasida are associated with shrubland and grassland of temperate and tropical biomes. Species are found between 380 and 3,035 m elevation, in areas receiving 15–92 cm of precipitation and experiencing temperatures between -7° and 30°C annually. The distribution of Glyptasida conforms to the elevation and precipitation patterns in shrubland and grassland areas. Distribution cuts across temperature patterns, and therefore temperature does not appear to restrict the distributions of Glyptasida species. Geospatial considerations indicate favorable conditions for Glyptasida in areas of the Great Basin (western Utah, southern Idaho, southeastern Oregon, and northern Nevada), areas where records for the beetles are absent. Combined restricted walking dispersal patterns and constrained grassland/shrubland corridors in the Rocky Mountains potentially limits the distribution of individuals of Glyptasida into these areas.
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