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

步甲属Paussus中的物种（340种）表现出独特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，蚁蝇）。Paussus的分类法处于混乱状态，这一点可以从该群体的多种相互矛盾的分类法中看出。这在某种程度上是由于这些甲虫惊人的表型独特性，这往往掩盖了可用于推断物种之间进化关系的相似性。本项目的目标是：（1）根据DNA序列数据推断Paussus内的进化关系;（2）利用所得到的系统发育框架研究形态特征的进化;（3）产生Paussus内新的种组分类和这些种组的电子交互式检索表;（4）对马达加斯加特有的Paussus物种进行系统的修订，马达加斯加是世界上最多样化和受威胁的地区之一;以及（5）为马达加斯加的环境非营利组织和政府机构提供地理参考生物多样性数据，以进行基于科学的保护规划。本研究产生的系统发育学将为马达加斯加动物群的系统修订以及属内所有未来的修订和地理分析提供一个稳定的进化框架。对性状进化的分析将揭示与食蚁性相关的一些非常不寻常的性状的进化模式。分布和生活史数据，物种和更高级别的分类，系统发育假设，以及基于纸张和网络的识别工具将提供给生态学家和保护生物学家，由马达加斯加生物多样性网络（REBIOMA）提供便利。在整个项目中，PI将培训高中生，本科生和研究生的形态学和分子方法的修订系统学研究。

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.