The phylogeny and evolution of holometablolous insects (Endopterygota)

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Endopterygote insects are not only the by far the most species rich group of animals, but also especially attractive for phylogenetic investigations as different life stages display largely independent character sets. Nevertheless, the phylogeny is not sufficiently clarified. The usefulness of the genes used in molecular studies is limited and morphological data matrices were mainly compiled from the literature and not well documented. The present project aims at the creation of a comprehensive data set, especially with characters, which were scarcely used previously or not studied sufficiently with a comparative approach (e.g., wing articulation, developmental characteristics). Emphasis is placed on careful and co-ordinated taxon sampling, innovative morphological techniques (e.g., x-ray microtomography) and on an innovative and detailed documentation of the characters. The data will be stored in a data bank with detailed information (and illustrations) for the character states entered in the matrix. Different cladistic analyses will be carried out (e.g., larval versus adult features) and the morphological characters will be combined with molecular data in co-operation with Prof. M. Whiting (Brigham Young University). The character evolution will be reconstructed and an evolutionary scenario will be developed based on the total evidence analyses.