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.

家族的Choreutidae是一个众所周知的微滴虫组，其成员通常被称为金属标记飞蛾。在全球范围内有400种物种的浮游者在世界的热带地区最多样化。使用广泛的方法，该项目将解决有关该组的众多未解决问题中的一些问题。我们将采用分子和形态学技术来解决家庭内部的系统发育关系，并在其他ditrysian鳞翅目中推断浮游相关。有一个线粒体（细胞色素氧化酶I）和两个核基因（伸长因子1-α和无翅），并仔细检查成人和不成熟阶段的许多形态结构，我们将使用最大的parsimony，最大的可能性，最大可能性，以及贝叶斯的讨论来构建系统发育树。所得树将用于改善当前的浮游物分类，以便命名的分类单元基于自然群体。它们还将用于研究浮游形态，宿主植物使用，行为和生活历史参数的演变。使用扫描电子显微镜，将对尚未描述的六个浮游属的未成熟阶段的超微结构进行详细的形态学检查，并且将在这项工作中进行，以前未知的形态结构将被说明。 新物种将描述新物种的浮游物。该家庭还有更多的物种可以发现 - 超过40％在中美洲收集的浮雕是科学的新手。如今，在灭绝危机时代，迫切需要从热带生态系统上进行系统的分类单元。有了这个项目，将记录有关这些危害生物群体的生活的信息，并通过为Family Choreutidae开发的网站录制并随时为所有人提供。