REVSYS: Phylogeny, Biogeography, and Taxonomy within the Ground Beetle subfamily Paussinae (Carabidae)

步甲(Paussus)属(Paussus)(340种)的物种表现出独特的形态结构的非凡多样性，部分原因是它们是蚂蚁的专性共生体(即桃金娘)。帕苏斯的分类学处于一种混乱的状态，这一点从该群体的多种相互矛盾的分类中可见一斑。这在某种程度上是由于这些甲虫惊人的表型独特性，这往往掩盖了可以用来推断物种之间进化关系的相似性。该项目的目标是：(1)根据DNA序列数据推断Paussus内部的进化关系；(2)利用由此产生的系统发育框架检查形态特征的演变；(3)在Paussus内编制一个新的物种类群分类和这些物种组的电子互动检索表；(4)对马达加斯加特有的Paussus物种进行系统修订；以及(5)向马达加斯加的环境非营利组织和政府机构提供地理参考的生物多样性数据，用于以科学为基础的保护规划。这项研究产生的系统发展图将为拟议的马达加斯加动物群系统修订以及今后所有修订和该属内的生物地理分析提供一个稳定的进化框架。对性格进化的分析将揭示与没药有关的一些非常不寻常的特征的进化模式。在马达加斯加生物多样性研究所(REBIOMA)的协助下，将向生态学家和保护生物学家提供分布和生活史数据、物种和更高级别的分类、系统发育假说以及基于纸张和网络的鉴定工具。在整个项目中，PI将培训高中生、本科生和研究生进行形态和分子方法的修正系统学研究。

Species in the carabid beetle genus Paussus (340 species) exhibit an extraordinary diversity of unique morphological structures, in part because they are obligate symbionts of ants (i.e., myrmecophiles). The taxonomy of Paussus is in a state of turmoil, as evinced by multiple contradictory classifications of the group. This is to some degree due to the striking phenotypic uniqueness of these beetles, which tends to obscure similarities that can be used to infer evolutionary relationships between species. The objectives of this project are to: (1) infer the evolutionary relationships within Paussus based on DNA sequence data; (2) examine the evolution of morphological characters using the resulting phylogenetic framework; (3) produce a novel species-group classification within Paussus and an electronic interactive key to those species groups; (4) produce a systematic revision of those species of Paussus endemic to Madagascar, one of the most diverse and threatened regions of the world; and, (5) provide georeferenced biodiversity data to environmental non-profit organizations and governmental agencies in Madagascar for science-based conservation planning. The phylogeny produced with this research will provide a stable evolutionary framework for the proposed systematic revision of the Malagasy fauna, as well as for all future revisions and biogeographic analyses within the genus. Analyses of character evolution will reveal patterns of evolution of some very unusual traits associated with myrmecophily. Distributional and life history data, species- and higher-level classifications, phylogenetic hypotheses, and paper and web-based identification tools will be made available to ecologists and conservation biologists as facilitated by Réseau de la Biodiversité de Madagascar (REBIOMA). Throughout this project, the PI will train high school students, undergraduates, and graduate students in morphological and molecular approaches to revisionary systematics research.