Order Coleoptera Scientific name Harpalinae Rank Subfamily | Suborder Adephaga Higher classification Ground beetle | |
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Lower classifications | ||
Harpalinae is a huge subfamily of ground beetles that contains 20,000 species. A rarely used common name for the subfamily is the harp beetles. The Harpalinae contain the most apomorphic ground beetles, displaying a wide range of forms and behaviors. Some are, rare among ground beetles, omnivores or even herbivores.
Contents
Many closely related subfamilies have been treated as subordinate taxa of the Harpalinae by various authors. Among these are the Dryptinae, Lebiinae (including Cyclosominae, Mormolycinae, Odacanthinae, Perigoninae), Licininae (including Chlaeniinae, Oodinae), Orthogoniinae, Panagaeinae, Platyninae, Pseudomorphinae, Pterostichinae (including Zabrinae). Here, they are considered independent families within the harpaline (sensu lato) assemblage, and this is also tentatively assumed for the enigmatic monotypic genus Ginema.
Systematics
Within the Harpalinae, at least four large supertribes and several smaller ones are identifiable. Conversely, the group previously known as "Pterostichitae" appears to be a paraphyletic collection as currently defined, yet it likely includes several tribes more closely related to each other than to other members of the Harpalinae. Consequently, the subgroup centered around the genus Pterostichus is acknowledged as the subfamily Pterostichinae in this context.
Genera
The Harpalinae include the following genera:
