Systematic Entomology最新文献

The historical classification of dung beetles (subfamily Scarabaeinae) based on classical morphology has been repeatedly shown to be artificial due to widespread homoplasy. Previous attempts to revise, redefine and stabilize the classification within a molecular phylogenetic framework resulted in 101 genera treated as incertae sedis. Among these unplaced taxa are all genera endemic to Australia, New Guinea, New Caledonia and New Zealand. Here we examine tribal classifications among the subfamily Scarabaeinae based on ultraconserved elements (UCEs), with a targeted sampling aimed at examining systematic relationships of the Australasian endemic genera that, until now, have remained poorly supported. On the basis of these results, we reinstate a tribal name previously synonymous with Deltochilini. Mentophilini Lacordaire stat. rest. and sensu n. includes 31 genera endemic to Australasia. Additionally, a new tribe is proposed for a distinct lineage that is supported by both morphology and phylogeny. Boletoscapterini trib. n. consists of a single Australian genus, Boletoscapter Matthews. We discuss the validity of the tribe Epilissini and recommend not recognizing the tribe until future revisionary work redefines the distinct clades. Following these taxonomic changes, 23 tribes within Scarabaeinae are recognized as valid and 47 scarabaeine genera remain unplaced.

The majority of moths are terrestrial throughout their life cycle. An exception is the subfamily Acentropinae (Lepidoptera: Crambidae), a diverse group of aquatic moths comprising nearly 700 species. Acentropinae represent the largest lineage of moths with at least one life stage adapted to an aquatic environment. Despite their unique biology, their evolutionary relationships remain poorly understood. The most comprehensive study on acentropine phylogeny is over 70 years old and predates the use of modern analytical methods. Few studies since then have attempted to reconstruct the phylogeny of Acentropinae, and those that did are limited in taxon and character/gene sampling. We tested hypotheses of acentropine relationships by reconstructing a genus-level phylogeny based on 360 loci and 22 genera of Acentropinae. Our phylogeny provides strong support for the monophyly of Acentropinae, a basal division between two tribes, Argyractini Lange and Acentropini Stephens. The tribe Nymphulini Duponchel syn. nov. is found to be a junior synonym of Acentropini. Within this tribe, we find support for some previously defined family-group clades (the ‘terrestrial’ clade, the ‘flowing water’ clade, and the Aulacodes clade), and we discuss novel morphological features that are potential synapomorphies of these clades. Our study provides a foundation for future research on the ecology and evolution of aquatic Lepidoptera.

The zoobank LSID for this publication is: urn:lsid:zoobank.org:pub:B95DE9C4-E516-4D20-978F-A1B3C4C45BA0.

Omethidae are a small family of soft-bodied beetles, which are classified in the superfamily Elateroidea. The family is composed of 13 extant and one fossil genera and 69 species described from the Americas and East Asia. Members of Omethidae have a particularly heterogeneous morphology, with current members originally described in Cantharidae, Drilidae, Lampyridae, Telegeusidae and Phengodidae. Morphological and molecular-based phylogenetic hypotheses are still highly divergent, with morphology-based phylogenies recovering Telegeusinae related to Phengodidae, and multigene phylogenies recovering Telegeusinae as closely related to Omethidae. We implemented a genome skimming sequencing approach to produce genomic data for representatives of all Omethidae subfamilies. The resulting dataset is the first phylogenomic study produced for the family. Our results corroborated previous multigene phylogenies, and recovered Omethidae sister to Artematopodidae, and Telegeusinae as a subfamily of Omethidae, and also rejected the relationships of Telegeusinae with Phengodidae. In contrast to previous molecular-based hypotheses, Driloniinae were recovered as a sister group to the remaining Omethidae, rendering the following topology: (Artematopodidae + (Driloniinae + (Telegeusinae + (Omethinae + Matheteinae)))). We reviewed the family and presented an updated diagnosis for Omethidae and its subfamilies, as well as identification keys for the subfamilies and genera, and a checklist for all described extant and extinct species.

Aotearoa New Zealand is home to a remarkable number of endemic taxa, some of which have existed on the archipelago since before the breakup of Gondwana. The mite harvesters (suborder Cyphophthalmi), tiny non-spider arachnids that dwell in forest leaf litter and caves, are one such group. The mite harvester family Pettalidae Shear exhibits a classic Gondwanan distribution with notable diversity in Aotearoa, which is home to three pettalid genera. Our research focuses on the evolution of the most widespread and speciose Aotearoa pettalid genus, Rakaia Hirst, 1926. Through phylogenetic analysis, we provide a window into patterns of ancient diversification and infer historical biogeographic trends. We generated subgenomic data through target enrichment of ultraconserved elements (UCEs) using an Arachnida-specific probe set; the 50% and 75% taxon-occupancy matrix retrieved 848 and 585 loci, respectively. In addition to generating the first fully resolved phylogeny of Rakaia, we performed a molecular clock analysis and tested for shifts in diversification rates in order to explore the effect of geological events such as the Oligocene Drowning, the uplift of Kā Tiritiri o te Moana, and forest habitat contraction and fragmentation during the Last Glacial Maximum.

The family Gerridae, commonly known as water striders, are true bugs (Hemiptera, Heteroptera) that skate on the surface of waterbodies ranging from small streams to large rivers, ponds, lakes and even the open ocean. Eight extant subfamilies and eight tribes are traditionally recognized in this family. Furthermore, Microveliinae and Haloveliinae (traditionally in Veliidae) have also been classified as Gerridae by some authors lately. Here, we used a low-coverage shotgun sequencing to infer the phylogenetic relationships of Gerridae, showing new insights into the evolutionary history and taxonomic status of this taxon. Our study represents the first molecular analysis that includes representatives of all subfamilies and tribes. Nineteen specimens analysed were from museum collections and over 25 years old. Maximum-likelihood and Bayesian inference analyses support the monophyly of all subfamilies except Gerrinae, which is paraphyletic. Our analyses further revealed the non-monophyly of Gerrini, Metrobatini and Trepobatini, as well as for the genera Aquarius Schellenberg and Tenagogonus Stål (both Gerrinae). A molecular clock analysis showed that Gerridae originated during the mid-Cretaceous, with most subfamilies diversifying during the Late Cretaceous or early Paleogene. The results highlight issues with the current classification of Gerridae and the need for a careful taxonomic review of some taxa of this family.

Deep-soil arthropods remain one of the least studied components of terrestrial biodiversity, and we present, as an exciting discovery, a new endogean beetle collected by floating deep soil samples in Chile. We analysed a 4203-ortholog dataset using both maximum likelihood (ML) and coalescent methods to infer its relationships. Regardless of the analytical setup, this lineage was recovered as sister to the clade consisting of Lycidae, Cantharidae, Elateridae and the lampyroids. The distant position of this new taxon relative to previously described elateroid families is confirmed by additional analyses of differently sampled, although less phylogenetically informative, 66-gene and mitogenome datasets. As a result, we describe Badmaater chilensis sp. and gen. nov. in Badmaateridae fam. nov. (Coleoptera: Elateroidea). Badmaater resembles other clicking elateroids but has a three-segmented antennal club, slender palpi and globular metacoxae that are situated close to each other. It is blind, wingless and extremely small-bodied. We date the origin of Badmaateridae to the Triassic. The ancient origin of Badmaateridae suggests that this lineage has probably survived all disturbances shaping modern life, from the Triassic/Jurassic volcanic activity to the end-Cretaceous asteroid impact and subsequent Cenozoic and Quaternary climatic fluctuations. However, Badmaateridae is now one of the few beetle families with only a single species restricted to a narrow range. Deep-soil dwelling Badmaater survived in a relatively high-latitude area periodically affected by close glaciers and separated from the tropics by an arid zone. Badmaater, as a wingless deep-soil beetle occurring in a restricted area, has a limited dispersal propensity and consequently faces an inherent risk during turbulent environmental changes.

Triepeolus Robertson (Hymenoptera: Apidae: Nomadinae) is the second-largest genus of cleptoparasitic apid bees in the world but its evolutionary diversification through space and time has not been previously investigated. We present a dated phylogeny based on ultraconserved elements that includes 64 Triepeolus and 21 representative species of all seven other genera in the tribe Epeolini and propose a subgeneric classification for Triepeolus and its sister genus, Epeolus Latreille. Argyroselenis Robertson stat. rev., Pyrrhomelecta Ashmead stat. rev. and Trophocleptria Holmberg stat. rev. are removed from synonymy with Epeolus and recognized as valid subgenera. Three new subgenera are proposed for Epeolus—Ectopodus Onuferko subgen. nov., Gongronotus Onuferko subgen. nov. and Worfapis Onuferko subgen. nov.—and another three for Triepeolus: Placopyge Onuferko subgen. nov., Pseudodoeringiella Onuferko subgen. nov. and Rightmyera Onuferko subgen. nov. The subtribes Rhogepeolina syn. nov. and Thalestriina syn. nov. are synonymized under Odyneropsina and Epeolina, respectively. Divergence dating analysis inferred that Epeolus and Triepeolus originated sometime between the early Oligocene and early Miocene. Whereas the other epeoline genera most likely originated within the Neotropics, Epeolus and Triepeolus most likely originated within the Holarctic region, with the Bering Land Bridge identified as the route by which epeolines reached the Old World. Although Triepeolus diversity predictably reflects that of its main host taxon—long-horned bees (Hymenoptera: Apidae: Eucerinae)—the evolutionary mechanisms by which Triepeolus was able to diversify into the largest genus in its tribe are not yet clear and require further investigation.

Blow flies (Diptera: Calliphoridae) occur worldwide and exhibit a wide range of larval feeding habits, including saprophagy, coprophagy, parasitism and predation. Understanding their biology is critical for medical and veterinary science and ecology. Calliphorids thrive across a range of habitats and exhibit complex life histories, with larvae developing immersed in their food substrate, while adults are free-living and have diverse feeding strategies. Some species have evolved specialized parasitic associations with vertebrate or invertebrate hosts, which are behaviors with important implications for agriculture and for understanding evolutionary transitions between saprophagy and parasitism. This study presents a comprehensive phylogenetic analysis of the Calliphoridae, utilizing 711 of 736 analysed nuclear genes, using anchored hybrid enrichment, from a global collection of blow flies and their relatives. Our results provide a robust and novel reconstruction of the evolutionary history of this group, pinpointing major transitions in larval feeding habits. We argue that saprophagy evolved independently multiple times from invertebrate parasitic ancestors, with vertebrate parasitism emerging from a number of different feeding strategies. These findings challenge prior hypotheses and offer new insights into the adaptive traits driving trophic specialization and diversification in this group.

Classifying organisms is fundamental in biodiversity research, but time-consuming. Although technological advances in species discovery and phylogenetic analysis have marked the early 21st century, we are far from achieving a comprehensive inventory of species diversity, as many taxa remain largely undocumented. Discovering or classifying lineages without formally describing and naming them leaves biodiversity knowledge incomplete and non-interoperable, as such units cannot be consistently referenced or validated across datasets and disciplines. Accelerating formal species description therefore requires a strategic, data-driven plan to maximize efforts with finite resources. Using a uniquely complete dataset, we explored past, current and projected trends in the description of the megadiverse yet largely understudied true flies (Insecta: Diptera). We found evidence of a persistent global decline in Diptera species descriptions since the late 1990s. At current rates, it will take centuries to describe even the well-studied groups, which represent only a fraction of Diptera diversity. We argue that many other insect orders are in the same conditions, given the misalignment of research priorities, under-utilization of emerging tools, the overall shortage of taxonomic expertise and the limited availability of curated data for neglected groups. To address these challenges, we propose five strategic priorities for a renewed, data-integrative taxonomy aimed at accelerating the formal description of species, with potential applications across much of the remaining undocumented animal diversity.