I study the systematics and biogeography of the superfamily Caraboidea (= Geadephaga = Ground Beetles sensu lato) of the New World with emphasis on the Nearctic fauna. Current taxonomic research is on the supergenus group Selenophori which includes Selenophorus, Discoderus, Amblygnathus, Athrostictus and several Neotropical genera not mentioned here. See a coauthored review of the Nearctic Selenophorus at https://bugguide.net/node/view/1948798. Now I'm in the middle of a manuscript for revising the New World sister genus Discoderus. My other ongoing projects: (1) Write a sequel to my published paper on Pseudaptinus (Thalpius) of North America; (2) Write an identification key to the Nearctic species of Amara; (3) Describe a new species of Rhadine from north-central USA; (4) Revise the stenolophine genus Agonoleptus; (5) Revise the harpaline species Notiobia terminata with at least one synonym resurrected as valid; (6) Discover reliable external structures for identifying the sex of Scarites. I would appreciate specimens from any of these genera mailed to my diagnostic lab for study, accurate species identification, and for eventual deposit in the secure insect collection of the Milwaukee Public Museum (MPM). The sender will receive species names shortly afterward and be acknowledged as a contributor in the relevant subsequent publication.

My profile appears on BugGuide at https://bugguide.net/user/view/12327 where I do most of my online contributions. As a demanding taxonomist, I feel that most distant field photos of uniformly dark & shiny Ground Beetles are frustratingly difficult to identify to species level with confidence. I need at least one perpendicular dorsal view of the beetle as oblique lateral shots are usually insufficient. An additional perpendicular close-up image of the pronotum is especially helpful.

As a relative newcomer to iNaturalist, I find that genus & species navigations are clumsy when compared to BugGuide. Hopefully things will get smoother as I gain experience here.