Systematic Entomology最新文献

We describe †Cretovelona orussopteryx n. gen. & sp., a female orussoid from mid-Cretaceous Kachin amber. We examine the fossil with synchrotron scanning and integrate it into an existing morphological data set for Orussoidea. †Cretovelona is placed as sister to crown group Orussoidea by Bayesian phylogenetic analyses. It is unique in displaying a combination of plesiomorphic (e.g. 12 antennomeres, exposed ovipositor sheaths, partly internalized ovipositor that does not extend further than anterior part of abdomen) and apomorphic characters (e.g. antenna with club, fore tarsus 3-segmented) that display intermediate stages in the evolution of the host detection mechanism and the fully internalized ovipositor in extant Orussidae. The wing venation of †Cretovelona is even more reduced than observed in extant Orussidae, likely correlated with the small body size (<2 mm). Tracing the changes in body size across the orussoid tree indicates that the stem group underwent a size reduction event in the Cretaceous, something that might have influenced character evolution in for example wing venation and internalization of the ovipositor. †Cretovelona is a rare example of a transitional fossil that elucidates the evolution of complex features when adapting to a highly specialized lifestyle, in this case detecting and targeting hosts deep inside wood. We propose to recognize only the family Orussidae within Orussoidea. Orussidae comprises the crown group Orussoidea, including all Cenozoic fossils described so far. The stem group taxa, all Mesozoic fossils, are not assigned to any specific family within Orussoidea. Zoobank Registration: urn:lsid:zoobank.org:pub:397F76A5-7467-4BCA-9963-6A380EC05200.

Calonecrinae represent a unique but small subfamily of Nitidulidae that is endemic to South Asia. Their habitats, the South Asian lowland forests, are under the imminent threat of degradation, posing a risk of rapid extinction for these species in their specific locales. Despite the looming threat to their existence, our understanding of this enigmatic group remains limited. We conducted an examination of museum and newly collected specimens, alongside a review of the literature, which led to the discovery of a new species, Calonecrus mindanaoensis sp. nov., from Mindanao, Philippines. Additionally, we provide detailed illustrations of various type specimens of the genus Calonecrus Thomson. For the first time, the immature stages of Calonecrinae were described based on Calonecrus jendeki, with detailed photographs including scanning electron microscopy images. Additionally, their natural history was uncovered, revealing that all life stages are uniquely adapted to complete their entire life cycle in sticky sap. We reevaluate the phylogenetic placement of the Calonecrinae based on phylogenetic analyses of mitochondrial genomes. Calonecrinae positioned within the Epuraeinae clade and are phylogenetically related to the epuraeine genus Trimenus. Consequently, this study proposes reclassifying Calonecrinae as Calonecrini stat. nov., an extremely modified tribe within the Epuraeinae. This research significantly broadens our understanding of the ecology of Calonecrini. Along with the taxonomic and phylogenetic results, we provide a solid foundation for the conservation of this group and further research into their unique habitat preferences and evolutionary behaviour.

A rapid proliferation in the availability of whole genome sequences (WGS), often with relatively low read depth, offers an unprecedented opportunity for phylogenomic advances using publicly available data, but there are several key challenges in applying these data. Using low-coverage WGS data for the ant species of Formica, we conducted detailed comparisons on two different analytical pipelines (reference-based vs. de novo genome assembly), four types of datasets (5-kbp-window, ultra-conserved element [UCE], single-copy ortholog [BUSCO] and mitogenome), and a series of analytical procedures (e.g. concatenation vs. coalescent analyses) to identify which are robust to typical WGS data. The results show that at a shallow scale of phylogenetic relationships of closely related species 5-kbp-windows from the reference-based pipeline and UCEs from the de novo assemblies are more successful than the BUSCOs in recovering informative markers for phylogenetic inference. Compared with concatenation analyses, coalescent analyses often resulted in disparate deeper relationships in the phylogeny. This study also uncovers evident mito-nuclear discordance and demonstrates genome-wide gene conflicts in phylogenetic signals, both pointing to possible incomplete lineage sorting and/or hybridization during the early, rapid radiation of Formica ants. Divergence dating analyses show that different types of data and analytical methods could result in inconsistent time estimates, highlighting the potential need for multiple approaches to better understand species divergence. The strengths and weaknesses of different analytical pipelines and strategies are discussed. Findings from this study provide valuable insights for large-scale phylogenomic projects using WGS data.

The butterfly tribe Luciini (Theclinae), which currently includes 22 species, is restricted to Australia and mainland New Guinea and its adjacent islands. All species appear to have obligate, highly specialised associations with ants, and half of them are known or assumed to be myrmecophagous. Despite considerable progress in taxonomy and classification, no robust phylogenetic hypothesis currently exists for the tribe that could form a framework for a better understanding of the evolution of ant attendance in the group. Here, we reconstruct the phylogeny of the Luciini based on an extensive molecular dataset (up to 391 genetic loci for 101 ingroup samples representing 17 (77%) species and all four genera). Bayesian and maximum likelihood analyses found that the genus Pseudodipsas C. & R. Felder is polyphyletic, with the species Pseudodipsas cephenes Hewitson distantly related to the type species Pseudodipsas eone (C. & R. Felder). Comparative morphological evidence corroborates our molecular phylogenetic results and supports the establishment of a new monotypic genus, Paradipsas Braby, gen. nov., to accommodate the species Paradipsas cephenes (Hewitson) comb. nov. Phylogenetic relationships among genera in our well-supported trees are as follows: Lucia Swainson + (Pseudodipsas + (Paralucia Waterhouse & R.E. Turner + (Paradipsas + Acrodipsas Sands))). The ancestor of the tribe most likely associated with Dolichoderinae ants (possibly arboreal Anonychomyrma Donisthorpe) in wet biomes during the Eocene (stem-group: 37.91 ± 2.66 million years ago ‘Mya’). Differentiation of three of the butterfly genera in the Oligocene-Miocene (crown-group: 27.17 ± 3.75 Mya) involved shifts to other dolichoderine species (subterranean species of Anonychomyrma for Paralucia) or genera (Iridomyrmex Mayr for Lucia, Papyrius Shattuck for Acrodipsas) coinciding with shifts to drier biomes. Associations with other ant subfamilies represent more recent, secondary shifts within Luciini genera in the Miocene–Pliocene, and include single ant shifts to Formicinae (Notoncus Emery for Paralucia pyrodiscus (Rosenstock)) and Myrmicinae (Crematogaster Lund for Acrodipsas spp.). These patterns strongly suggest obligate ant attendance has been pivotal in the diversification of Luciini. Aspects of the ecology and biology of Paradipsas cephenes comb. nov. are clarified, particularly its critical habitat and attendant ant Anonychomyrma gilberti (Forel).

Recently, genomic approaches have helped to resolve phylogenetic questions in many groups of parasitic organisms, including lice (Phthiraptera). However, these approaches have still not been applied to one of the most diverse groups of lice, Amblycera. To fill this gap, we applied phylogenomic methods based on genome-level exon sequence data to resolve the relationships within and among the families of Amblycera. Our phylogenomic trees support the monophyly of the families Ricinidae and Laemobothriidae. However, the families Trimenoponidae and Gyropidae are not monophyletic, indicating that they should be merged into a single family. The placement of Trinoton is unstable with respect to Boopiidae and Menoponidae, and we suggest recognizing Trinotonidae as a separate family. At the genus level, the genera Colpocephalum, Hohorstiella, Menacanthus and Ricinus were recovered as paraphyletic. Regarding generic complexes, the tree revealed the Menacanthus complex to be monophyletic, but the Colpocephalum complex paraphyletic, including genera not traditionally placed in this group. Dating analysis suggests that the divergence among families of Amblycera occurred shortly after the Cretaceous–Paleogene boundary 66 Mya. Cophylogenetic analyses revealed many host-switching events during the diversification of Amblycera, indicating that the evolutionary history of Amblycera does not tightly mirror that of its hosts. Ancestral host reconstructions revealed that the ancestral host of Amblycera was most likely a bird, with two host switching events to mammals. By combining phylogenomics, molecular dating and cophylogenetic analyses, we provide the first large-scale picture of amblyceran evolution, which will serve as a basis for future studies of this group.

Knowledge of phylogeny is required to understand the evolution of highly diverse groups such as the euophryine jumping spiders, a lineage showing high species and morphological diversity. In this study, we applied a phylogenomic approach using ultra-conserved elements (UCE) obtained from 145 taxa to infer the phylogeny of euophryine jumping spiders. The results provide a well-supported phylogenetic framework for Euophryini, especially for the deeper relationships, in which the monophyly of Euophryini, as well as most clades corresponding to a genus or a group of closely related genera, are strongly supported. Additionally, the evolutionary patterns of male embolus length and female copulatory duct length of 117 euophryine species were investigated through ancestral character state reconstruction and phylogenetically independent contrast analyses using the UCE phylogenetic framework. The results suggest strongly that the evolution of the lengths of male embolus and female copulatory duct in Euophryini is positively correlated. The common ancestor of Euophryini likely had relatively short embolus and copulatory duct, followed by repeated lengthening or shortening of both structures in different lineages. Possible mechanisms that may have caused this intersexual coevolution pattern in Euophryini are discussed. This study advances our understandings of the phylogeny, systematics and genitalic evolution of euophryines, providing a solid foundation for future studies on the diversification and evolution of this jumping spider group.

Planthoppers (Hemiptera: Fulgoromorpha) are a species-rich and globally distributed insect clade with high economic, ecological and evolutionary importance. However, the relationships among planthopper lineages and families remain unclear. Previous efforts based on inconsistent morphological traits, a few genes or limited sampling often resulted in conflicting tree topologies. Here, we used genome-level data to assemble 1164 nuclear single-copy genes and 13 mitochondrial protein-coding genes for 149 planthopper species representing 19 out of 21 extant families. Additional markers were added from published mitogenomes, expanding our sampling to 285 species. These markers were used for maximum likelihood–based tree inference and dating analyses. The newly inferred phylogenies validated well-accepted relationships and recovered novel placements for several taxa, including the family Achilixiidae and species from the tribe Lyncidini and genus Madagascaritia in Dictyopharidae and Fulgoridae. Based on molecular and morphological evidence, we proposed taxonomic changes including the establishment of a new family Borysthenidae stat. rev. within Delphacoidea and a new superfamily Meenoploidea superfam. nov. with redefined Kinnaridae stat. rev. and Meenoplidae stat. rev. The time analyses based on 57 nuclear markers and 30 fossils dated the origin of extant Fulgoromorpha back to Guadalupian, Permian (~263 Ma), close to the maximum constraint at 267.3 Ma, while applying an older root constraint resulted in an origin in Mississippian, Carboniferous (~332 Ma). While future sampling of unstudied fauna in unexplored regions or habitats may change the topology, the current phylogenomic analysis will serve as a solid foundation for research into planthopper ecology, evolution and significance.

Accurately delimiting species boundaries is essential for understanding biodiversity. Here, we assessed the taxonomy of the leaf-cutting ants in the Acromyrmex octospinosus (Reich) species complex using an integrative approach incorporating morphological, population genetic, phylogenetic and biogeographical data. We sampled populations across the biogeographic distribution of the species complex and reconstructed their evolutionary relationships using ultraconserved elements (UCEs) as molecular markers. We evaluated traditional morphological characters used to distinguish putative taxa and performed species delimitation analyses to investigate divergence between evolutionary lineages. Our results support the hypothesis that the A. octospinosus species complex consists of two species: the widely distributed and polymorphic species A. octospinosus and its inquiline social parasite A. insinuator Schultz et al. We consider A. echinatior (Forel) syn. nov. and A. volcanus Wheeler syn. nov. as well as the subspecies A. octospinosus cubanus Wheeler syn. nov., A. octospinosus ekchuah Wheeler syn. nov. and A. octospinosus inti Wheeler syn. nov. as junior synonyms of A. octospinosus. We also investigated the biogeographic history of the species complex and the evolutionary origin of the social parasite A. insinuator. We inferred that A. octospinosus originated during the late Miocene approximately 6.9 Ma ago in the Neotropical rainforest. Acromyrmex insinuator shared a common ancestor with A. octospinosus approximately 3.4 Ma ago, with a crown-group age of approximately 0.9 Ma. Our phylogeny supports the hypothesis that the inquiline social parasite speciated via the intra-specific route of social parasite evolution in direct sympatry from its host. Our findings reshape our understanding of the A. octospinosus species complex and provide a foundation for future studies of Acromyrmex leaf-cutting ants.

Myrmecomorphy is the most common type of Batesian mimicry in arthropods. In the true bugs (Insecta: Hemiptera: Heteroptera), myrmecomorphy has been recorded in at least seven superfamilies, but not among the stink bugs (Pentatomoidea) until 2014. The only known species that exhibits a high degree of myrmecomorphy during both the adult and nymphal stages within this group, Pentamyrmex spinosus, was reported based on a single specimen, yet little was known beyond its morphological description. In this study, the biology of this species is reported as living in bamboo (Poaceae: Bambusoideae), in close proximity with a highly similar ant species, Polyrhachis dives (Hymenoptera: Formicidae). Further, the phylogenetic position and the origin time of this stink bug species were inferred in the context of Pentatomoidea. The dated phylogeny indicates that Pentamyrmex spinosus is the sister group of Phyllocephalinae, a specialized grass-feeding subfamily in Pentatomidae, and diverged about 42.7 Ma (52.6–33.2 Ma), roughly synchronous with the radiation of the crown group of Polyrhachis ants (42.0–33.0 Ma) and slightly after the early radiation of bamboos (66.9–24.9 Ma). Our results suggest that the origin of this myrmecomorphic stink bug was probably driven by the rapid diversification of spiny ants and bamboo. In addition, our results also provide a reference framework for the phylogenetic and taxonomic systems of Pentatomoidea and Pentatomidae.

With 334 species, the subtribe Xanthopygina forms a diverse and ecologically dominant component of the Neotropical beetle fauna, ranging from the southern United States south to Argentina. Species can be abundant in a variety of microhabitats and are frequently encountered in tropical forests. Although a number of morphologically distinct genera are now well defined and identifiable, the subtribe still suffers from several poorly defined genera with relatively generalized morphology. The worst of these is the genus Gastrisus Sharp, which has never had a morphological definition per se and has, over time, accumulated many morphologically disparate species. This nebulous concept of Gastrisus has further made it difficult to generically assign and describe new species. Here we assembled a phylogenomic dataset using anchored hybrid enrichment across a broad sample of Xanthopygina, including nearly all described genera, a representation of morphological variation within Gastrisus and a number of undescribed taxa we were unable to assign to a genus. Both maximum likelihood and coalescent analyses converged on a well resolved and stable topology for the subtribe, which will serve as a critical framework for continued taxonomic progress in Xanthopygina. Nine major lineages were identified, most congruent with previous work. The limits of Gastrisus were successfully identified, and the monophyletic core of the genus was recovered as sister to a redefined Nausicotus Sharp, which included Torobus syn. n. Several large species of Gastrisus were resolved as a clade of the Xanthopygus group and are here placed in Drepanagrios gen. n. An additional six new genera were discovered but will be described and treated in detail in future papers. In addition to Gastrisus, Phanolinus Sharp, Xenopygus Bernhauer, Phanolinopsis Scheerpeltz and Ocyolinus Sharp were recovered as paraphyletic, resulting in Elecatopselaphus syn. n. (=Phanolinus), the re-validation of Leptodiastemus Bernhauer stat. ressur. and the redefinition of Xenopygus, Phanolinopsis and Ocyolinus. We propose Phanolinus scheerpeltzi nom. n. as a replacement name for Phanolinus peruvianus (Scheerpeltz 1972, nec Bernhauer 1917) (previously Elecatopselaphus).