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.

Choreutidae家族的成员通常被称为金属标记蛾，因为它们的翅膀上有金属标记，是一个鲜为人知的小鳞翅目昆虫。目前全世界有400种舞蹈虫，在世界热带地区最多样化。使用广泛的方法，这个项目将解决一些关于这个群体的许多悬而未决的问题。我们将采用分子和形态学技术来解决家庭内的系统发育关系，并推断其他Ditrysian鳞翅目之间的choreutid亲属。一个线粒体（细胞色素氧化酶I）和两个核基因（延伸因子1-α和无翅）和一些形态结构的仔细检查，从成人和未成熟的阶段，我们将构建系统发育树使用最大简约，最大似然，贝叶斯推理。由此产生的树将被用来改善目前的分类choreutids，使命名的类群是基于自然群体。它们还将用于研究舞蹈虫形态学的进化，宿主植物的使用，行为和生活史参数。使用扫描电子显微镜，详细的形态学检查尚未被描述的六个choreutid属的未成熟阶段的超微结构将完成，并与这项工作，以前未知的形态结构将被说明。 新物种将被描述，以及一个新属，choreutids从新热带。该科还有更多的物种有待发现-超过40%的在中美洲收集的舞蹈虫是新的科学。今天，在灭绝危机的时代，迫切需要对热带生态系统的分类群进行系统的研究。通过这个项目，有关这些濒危生物的生活信息将被记录下来，并通过为Choreutidae家族开发的网站随时提供给每个人。