Dissertation Research: Systematics and Morphology of Metalmark Moths (Lepidoptera: Choreutidae)

论文研究：金斑蛾（鳞翅目：Choreutidae）的系统学和形态学

• 批准号: 0608399
• 负责人: David Wagner
• 金额: $ 1.1万
• 依托单位: University of Connecticut
• 依托单位国家: 美国
• 项目类别: Standard Grant
• 财政年份: 2006
• 资助国家: 美国
• 起止时间: 2006-06-15 至 2008-05-31
• 项目状态: 已结题
• 来源: https://www.nsf.gov/awardsearch/showAward?AWD_ID=0608399&HistoricalAwards=false
• 关键词: Dissertation; Research; Systematics; Morphology; Metalmark

The family Choreutidae, members of which are commonly known as metalmark moths because of metallic markings on their wings, is a poorly known microlepidopteran group. Choreutids, with 400 currently described species worldwide, are most diverse in the world's tropics. Using a broad range of methods, this project will address some of the numerous unanswered questions about this group. We will employ molecular and morphological techniques to resolve the phylogenetic relationships within the family and infer choreutid relatives among other Ditrysian Lepidoptera. With one mitochondrial (cytochrome oxydase I) and two nuclear genes (elongation factor 1-alpha and wingless) and careful examination of a number of morphological structures, from both adult and immature stages, we will construct phylogenetic trees using maximum parsimony, maximum likelihood, and Bayesian inference. The resulting trees will be used to improve the current classification of choreutids so that the named taxa are based on natural groups. They will also be used for the study of the evolution of choreutid morphology, host plant usage, behavior, and life history parameters. Using scanning electron microscopy, a detailed morphological examination of the ultrastructure of immature stages of six choreutid genera that have not yet been described will be done and with that work, previously unknown morphological structures will be illustrated. New species will be described, as well as a new genus, of choreutids from the Neotropics. The family has many more species left to be discovered - over 40% of choreutids that were collected in Central America are new to science. Today, in the age of an extinction crisis, there is an urgent need for systematic work on taxa from tropical ecosystems. With this project, information about the life of these imperiled biotas will be recorded and made readily available to everyone through a website developed for the family Choreutidae.

跳蛾科是一个鲜为人知的小鳞翅目昆虫群，其成员通常被称为金属标记蛾，因为它们的翅膀上有金属斑点。舞蹈科目前在全球范围内有400个物种，它们在世界热带地区最多样化。使用广泛的方法，这个项目将解决关于这个群体的许多悬而未决的问题中的一些。我们将使用分子和形态技术来解决该科内的系统发育关系，并推断其他Ditrysian鳞翅目之间的编舞类亲缘关系。通过一个线粒体(细胞色素氧合酶I)和两个核基因(伸长因子1-α和无翼)以及仔细检查成体和未成熟阶段的一些形态结构，我们将使用最大简约、最大似然和贝叶斯推理构建系统发育树。由此产生的树将用于改进目前对舞蹈科的分类，以便命名的分类群基于自然类群。它们还将被用于研究舞蹈虫的形态进化、寄主植物的使用、行为和生活史参数。利用扫描电子显微镜，将对尚未被描述的6个编舞目的属的未成熟阶段的超微结构进行详细的形态观察，并在此基础上说明以前未知的形态结构。将描述来自新热带地区的舞蹈虫的新种和一新属。这个家族还有更多的物种有待发现--在中美洲收集的舞蹈虫中，超过40%是科学上的新物种。今天，在面临灭绝危机的时代，迫切需要对热带生态系统的类群进行系统的研究。有了这个项目，关于这些濒危生物群的生活信息将被记录下来，并通过一个为Choreutidae家族开发的网站随时提供给每个人。