Yves Alarie

Research Interests

My laboratory has focused on aquatic members of the large beetle suborder Adephaga (= Hydradephaga), one of the most diverse groups of freshwater insects on Earth with the view to studying the patterns by which taxa evolved worldwide. My research demonstrates the power of larval morphology, with its inherent chaetotaxic analysis, as a tool for testing hypotheses of phylogenetic relationships of insects. Thus far our findings have challenged many established views concerning the taxonomic structure of the Hydradephaga. Their continued analyses and those of related groups has led to a revision of our views on how they are taxonomically organized. One item of practical significance is that association of aquatic beetle larvae with adults has the potential to make the wealth of characters present in the larval stage available for ecological and evolutionary study. A long-term goal of my research program is to study the evolutionary significance of morphological differences among species.  A central tenet emerging from historical analyses of the evolution of morphology is that hypotheses about how these general patterns are generated may only be tested within an explicit phylogenetic framework, which is the main output of the proposed research.

Publications (last 6 years)

Short, A.E.Z., Alarie, Y., Garcia, M. and L.J. Joly. 2012. Are noterids specialized meruids (Coleoptera, Adephaga)? A reply to Dressler et al. Systematic Entomology (in press).

Alarie, Y. and D.T. Bilton. 2012. The larva of Hydroporus zimmermanni G. Müller, 1926 (Coleoptera: Dytiscidae: Hydroporinae), with notes on its ecology and a review of described Hydroporus larvae. The Coleopterists Bulletin (in press).

Alarie, Y., Michat, M.C. and K.B. Miller. 2011. Notation of primary setae and pores on larvae of Dytiscinae (Coleoptera: Dytiscidae), with phylogenetic considerations. Zootaxa 3087: 1-55.

Toledo, M., Megna, Y. S., and Y. Alarie. 2011. Description of a new species of Laccodytes  Régimbart, 1895 (Coleoptera, Dytiscidae, Laccophilinae) from Cuba.  Zootaxa 2792: 63-67.

Alarie, Y., Short, A., M. Garcia, and L. Joly. 2011. Larval Morphology of     Meruidae and its phylogenetic implications (Coleoptera: Hydradephaga). Annals of the Entomological Society of America 104(1): 25-36.

Michat, M.C., Alarie, Y. and Watts. C.H.S. 2011. Larval morphology of Allodessus Guignot (Coleoptera: Dytiscidae). Aquatic Insects 33: 27-40.

Michat, M.C., Alarie, Y. and Watts, C.H..S. 2010. Descriptions of the first instar larva of the hypogaeic species Neobidessodes limestoneensis (Watts & Humphreys) and of the third instar larva of Hydroglyphus balkei Hendrich (Coleoptera: Dytiscidae: Bidessini) with phylogenetic considerations. Zootaxa 2658: 38-50.

Alarie, Y. and Longing, S. 2010. Description of the larvae of Heterosternuta sulphuria (Matta and Wolfe) with a key of identification of the known species of Heterosternuta Strand. The Coleopterists Bulletin  64: 85-90.

Alarie, Y., Michat, M.C. and C.H.S. Watts. 2009. Larval morphology of Paroster Sharp, 1882 (Coleoptera: Dytiscidae: Hydroporinae): reinforcement of the hypothesis of monophyletic origin and discussion of phenotypic   accommodations to a subterranean environment. Zootaxa 2274: 1-44.

Michat, M. C. and Alarie , Y. 2009. Phylogenetic relationships of Notaticus Zimmermann (Coleoptera: Dytiscidae) based on larval morphology. Annals of the Entomological Society of America 102(5): 797-808.

Miller, K.B., Gibson, J.R. and Alarie, Y. 2009. North American stygobiontic diving beetles (Coleoptera: Dytiscidae: Hydroporinae) with description of           Ereboporus naturaconservatus Miller, Gibson and Alarie, new genus and species from Texas, USA. The Coleopterists Bulletin 63(2): 191-202.

Alarie, Y., Michat, M.C., Nilsson, A.N., Archangelsky, M. and L. Hendrich  2009. Larval morphology of Rhantus Dejean (Coleoptera: Dytiscidae: Colymbetinae): descriptions of 21 species and phylogenetic considerations.  Zootaxa, 2317: 1-102.

Alarie, Y. Megna, Y. S.and A. Deler-Hernández. 2009.  First West Indies records of Thermonectus succinctus (Aubé, 1838), with notes on other Cuban species (Coleoptera: Dytiscidae). Koleopterologische Rundschau 79: 5-16.

Fairn, E., Alarie, Y. and A. Schulte-Hostedde. 2009. Temporal variation of adult sex ratio in the whirligig beetle Dineutus nigrior Roberts (Coleoptera: Gyrinidae). The Coleopterists Bulletin, 63(3): 298-300.

Alarie, Y.  2009. Hydradephaga of the Magdalen Island Archipelago. Koleopterologische Rundschau 79: 17-25.

Fairn, E. R., A. I. Schulte-Hostedde, and Y. Alarie. 2008. Attachment site and infestation parameters of parasitic water mites on the whirligig beetle Dineutus nigrior Roberts (Coleoptera: Gyrinidae). (Coleoptera: Gyrinidae). Aquatic Insects 30(3): 223-228.

Fenske-Babin, J., Anand, M. and Y. Alarie. 2008. Rapid morphological change in whirligig beetle (Coleoptera: Gyrinidae) museum species correlate with climate change. Ecological Entomology 33: 646-651.

Fairn, E., Schulte-Hostedde, A. and Y. Alarie. 2008. Water mite parasitism is associated with body condition and sex of the whirligig beetle Dineutus nigrior Roberts (Coleoptera: Gyrinidae). Ecoscience 15(3): 327-331.

Michat, M.  and Y. Alarie.  2008. Morphology and chaetotaxy of larval Hypodessus cruciatus (Régimbart) (Coleoptera: Dytiscidae: Hydroporinae), and analysis of  the phylogenetic relationships of the Bidessini based on larval characters. Studies on Neotropical Fauna and Environment 43(2): 135-146.

Fairn, E., Alarie, Y. and A. Schulte-Hostedde. 2007. Sexual size dimorphism in the diving beetle Laccophilus maculosus Say (Coleoptera: Dytiscidae). The Coleopterists Bulletin 61: 409-418.

Miller, K.B., Alarie, Y. and Whiting, M. F. 2007. Description of the Larva of Notaticus fasciatus Zimmermann (Coleoptera: Dytiscidae ) associated with        adults using DNA sequence data. Annals of the Entomological Society of America 100: 787-797.

Alarie, Y. and M. Michat. 2007. Phylogenetic analysis of Hydroporinae (Coleoptera:Dytiscidae) based on larval morphology, with description of first-instar Laccornellus  lugubris. Annals of the Entomological Society of America 100: 655-665.

Fery, H., Petrov, P.N. and Alarie, Y.  2007.  Notes on the identity of Oerodytes dauricus (Motschulsky, 1860) and other members of the O. alaskanus – clade (Coleoptera: Dytiscidae). Linzer Biologische  Beiträge 39: 65-78.

Michat, M. C.  Alarie, Y., P.L.M. Torres and Y. Suarez. 2007. Larval morphology of the diving beetle Celina and the phylogeny of ancestral hydroporines. Invertebrate Systematics 21: 239-254.

Alarie, Y., M. C. Michat, Archangelsky, M., and H. M. James. 2007. Larval morphology of Liodessus Guignot: generic characteristics, descriptions of five species and comparisons with other members of the tribe Bidessini (Coleoptera: Dytiscidae: Hydroporinae).  Zootaxa 1516: 1-21.

Alarie, Y. and M. C. Michat.  2007. Primary setae and pores on the maxilla of larvae of the subfamily Hydroporinae (Coleoptera: Adephaga: Dytiscidae): ground plan pattern reconsidered. The Coleopterists Bulletin 61: 310-317.

Fairn, E., Alarie, Y. and A. Schulte-Hostedde. 2007. Sexual dimorphism in Dineutus nigrior Roberts Coleoptera: Gyrinidae). The Coleopterists Bulletin 61: 113-120.

Fairn, E., A. Schulte-Hostedde and  Alarie, Y. 2007. Allometry and sexual selection in the whirligig beetle Dineutus nigrior (Coleoptera: Gyrinidae). Ethology 113: 257-266.

Balke, M., Wewalka, G., Alarie, Y. and Ribera, I. 2007. Molecular Phylogeny of Pacific Colymbetini: radiation of New Caledonian and Fiijan species. Zoologica Scripta  36: 173-200.

Alarie, Y.  2006. Amphizoidae, Aspidytidae, Haliplidae, Noteridae and Paelobiidae  (Coleoptera, Adephaga). World Catalogue of Insects, Volume 7.  The Coleopterists Bulletin 60: 305-306

Michat, M. and Alarie, Y. 2006. The larvae of Amarodytes duponti (Aubé)(Coleoptera: Dytiscidae: Hydroporinae), with comments on Bidessini larval morphology and chaetotaxy.  Zootaxa 1351: 1-13.

Cook, L. Alarie, Y., and Babin-Fenske, J. 2006. Morphometric Analysis of Dineutus emarginatus  Say (Coleoptera: Gyrinidae); subspecies designation reconsidered.  The Coleopterists Bulletin 60: 235-241.

Arnott, S.E, Jackson, A., and Y. Alarie. 2006. The Distribution and Potential Effects of Water Beetles in Lakes Recovering from Acidification.  Journal of the North American Benthological Society 25: 811-824.

Alarie, Y. and G. L. Challet. 2006.  Larval description and phylogenetic placement of the South African endemic genus Andex Sharp (Coleoptera: Adephaga: Dytiscidae).  Annals of the Entomological Society of America  99: 743-754.

Alarie, Y. and Y. S. Megna. 2006. Larval morphology of Cuban specimens of Pachydrus obniger (Chevrolat)  (Coleoptera: Adephaga: Dytiscidae).  Koleopterologische Rundschau 76: 43-49.

Shaverdo, H. and Y. Alarie. 2006. Description of larvae of Canthyporus kenyensis Bilardo & Sanfilippo (Coleoptera: Dytiscidae: Hydroporinae) with implication for the phylogeny of the tribe Hydroporini.  Aquatic Insects. 28(2): 113-130.

Schulte-Hostedde, A. and Y. Alarie.  2006. Morphological patterns of sexual selection in the diving beetle Graphoderus liberus.  Evolutionary Ecology Research 8: 891-901.

Belzile, N., Chen, Y-W., Gunn. J. M., Tong, J., Alarie, Y., Delonchamp, T. and C-Y. Yang. 2006. The effect of selenium on mercury assimilation by freshwater organisms. Canadian Journal of Fisheries and Aquatic Sciences 63: 1-10.

Alarie, Y. and S. Hughes. 2006.  Larval morphology of HoperiusFall and  Meladema Laporte  (Coleoptera: Adephaga: Dytiscidae) and phylogenetic implications  for  the tribe Colymbetini.   Bollettino  della Societa Entomologica  Italiana, Genova. Invited Paper 85: 307-334.

Alarie, Y. and G. L. Challet.  2006. Study of the larvae of Prismopes suturalis Sharp Coleoptera: Dytiscidae, Hydroporinae) with implications for the phylogeny of the Hyphydrini.  Aquatic Insects 28: 31-46

Books

Larson, D. J., Y. Alarie and R. E. Roughley. 2000. Predaceous Diving Beetles (Coleoptera:Dytiscidae) of the Nearctic Region, with an emphasis on the fauna of Canada and Alaska.  NRC Research Press, Ottawa, Ontario, Canada, 982 pp.