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Shockley FW Cline AR (2004) A contribution to the inventory of Coleoptera of Missouri: new records from Benton County. Journal of the Kansas Entomological 77(3): 280–284.

Introduction

Benton County is located in southwest-central Missouri, lying at the intersection of four of the eleven recognized natural divisions within the state: the Osage Plains, the Ozark border, the Springfield Plateau, and the Upper Ozarks (Nelson, 1985) (Fig. 1). This unique intersection has resulted in significant overlap between 5 classes and 19 distinct subclasses of natural communities with the primary canopy made up of mixed hardwoods, cedar and pine (Pinaceae), and cypress (Cupressaceae), the understory comprised mainly of mixed woody and
herbaceous shrubs, and a groundcover of mid- to tallgrasses (White and Madany, 1978; Nelson, 1985).

The potential for interaction between these natural communities to form many different niches for insect exploitation makes Benton County well suited to support a diverse beetle fauna. However, a scarcity of entomological collecting efforts in this region have resulted in Benton County being poorly represented in state and regional collections and an overall underestimation of state diversity. Our objective was to conduct a preliminary survey of the beetles of Benton County as a contribution to the state’s inventory of Coleoptera.