Click-beetles (Coleoptera: Elateridae) are an abundant, diverse, and economically important beetle family that includes bioluminescent species. To date, molecular phylogenies have sampled relatively few taxa and genes, incompletely resolving subfamily level relationships. We present a novel probe set for anchored hybrid enrichment of 2260 single-copy orthologous genes in Elateroidea. Using these probes, we undertook the largest phylogenomic study of Elateroidea to date (99 Elateroidea, including 86 Elateridae, plus 5 non-elateroid outgroups). We sequenced specimens from 88 taxa to test the monophyly of families, subfamilies and tribes. Maximum likelihood and coalescent phylogenetic analyses produced well-resolved topologies. Notably, the included non-elaterid bioluminescent families (Lampyridae + Phengodidae + Rhagophthalmidae) form a clade within the otherwise monophyletic Elateridae, and Sinopyrophoridae may not warrant recognition as a family. All analyses recovered the elaterid subfamilies Elaterinae, Agrypninae, Cardiophorinae, Negastriinae, Pityobiinae, and Tetralobinae as monophyletic. Our results were conflicting on whether the hypnoidines are sister to Dendrometrinae or Cardiophorinae + Negastriinae. Moreover, we show that fossils with the eucnemid-type frons and elongate cylindrical shape may belong to Eucnemidae, Elateridae: Thylacosterninae, ancestral hard-bodied cantharoids or related extinct groups. Proposed taxonomic changes include recognition of Plastocerini as a tribe in Dendrometrinae and Hypnoidinae stat. nov. as a subfamily within Elateridae.

Rove beetle assemblages from forest dominated by yellow birch (Betula alleghaniensis Britt. (Betulaceae)) at two sites in southeastern Quebec were characterized in terms of composition, diversity, and relative abundance. In total, 143 species were collected over two seasons (June–August of 1999 and 2000). In the pretreatment year (1999), 88 species were found in uncut stands. In the post-treatment year, 116 species were found in treated (by patch harvesting and ground scarification) and control plots combined. Sixty-one species were common to the two sites, 27 species captured in the 1999 season were not recaptured in the 2000 season, and 55 additional species were captured in 2000. There are 23 new distribution records for Quebec, and one species, Atheta (Dimetrota) pseudomodesta Klimaszewski, sp. nov., is described. New bionomics data on relative abundance, seasonality, and the utility of different trapping methods are presented. Assemblage composition is compared with that of a red spruce (Picea rubens Sarg. (Pinaceae)) forest in New Brunswick.

Invasive species can be a threat to native species in several ways, including 8 transmitting lethal infections caused by the parasites they carry. However, invasive species 9 may also be plagued by novel and lethal infections they acquire when invading, making 10 inferences regarding the ability of an invasive host to vector disease difficult from field 11 observations of infection and disease. This is the case for the pathogenic fungus 12 Batrachochytrium dendrobatidis (Bd) in Europe and one invasive host species, the North 13 American bullfrog Lithobates catesbeianus, hypothesized to be responsible for vectoring 14 lethal infection to European native amphibians. We tested this hypothesis experimentally 15 using the alpine newt Ichthyosaura alpestris as our model native host. Our results show that 16 infected bullfrog tadpoles are effective vectors of Bd. Native adult newts co-housed with 17 experimentally infected bullfrog tadpoles became Bd infected (molecular and histological 18 tests). Moreover, the exposed adult newts suffered mortality while the majority of infected 19 Bullfrog tadpoles survived until metamorphosis. These results cannot resolve the historical 20 role of alien species in establishing the distribution of Bd across Europe or other regions in 21 the world where this species was introduced, but they show its potential role as a Bd reservoir 22 capable of transmitting lethal infections to native amphibians. Finally, our results also suggest 23 that the removal of infected bullfrogs from aquatic environments may serve to reduce the 24 availability of Bd in European amphibian communities, offering another justification for 25 bullfrog eradication programmes that are currently underway or may be considered.