Environmental Factors Affecting Soldier Beetle Distribution and Coloration in Columbia

Adults of the soldier beetle species, Chauliognathus proteus, appear on host plant Compositae at successively later dates following emergence with increase in altitude. Appearance is correlated with flowering of the host. Ground color is darker in cool, moist highlands than in the hot, dry lowlands, an example of Gloger's Rule as applied to invertebrates. Selective advantages are discussed as well as basic physical factors affecting the environment in which the species lives. THE LAMPYROID BEETLE family Chauliognathidae has been considered variously as a subfamily (Gorham 1881, Champion 1914, Boving and Craighead 1931, and Arnett 1962) or as a tribe (LeConte 1861, Leng 1920, Delkeskamp 1939, and Blackwelder 1945) of the family Cantharidae. Miskimen (1961a) elevated the group to full family status because of clear-cut morphological and behavioral differences. The new family was divided into two tribes, Chauliognathini and Ichthyurini, based on structure and be-