The phylogeny and evolution of the "Lower Neoptera" (Insecta)

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Considerable efforts have been made in recent years to reconstruct the phylogeny of the lower neopteran insects. Nevertheless, their relationships are still largely unresolved. This gap of knowledge might repre-sent the greatest shortcoming in insect systematics and evolution. The "Lower Neoptera" comprise 9 of the 11 principal lineages of neopteran insects (excluding Acercaria and Holometabola): the species-rich Orthoptera and Dictyoptera, the generalised Plecoptera, the highly specialised Phasmatodea, Embiop-tera, and Dermaptera, and the microdiverse Grylloblattodea, Mantophasmatodea, and Zoraptera. The knowledge of the morphology of all these groups is very fragmentary and superficial. Our project is de-signed to compile an extensive morphological dataset for a carefully chosen taxon sample, with a focus on presumptive key taxa. Examined character systems will include the skeletomuscular systems of the head, thorax, pregenital abdomen, female postabdomen, and the tarsal and pretarsal attachment struc-tures. The obtained data will be combined with those from existing character systems provided by interna-tional collaborators. The involved expertise on different body parts, taxa and innovative methods will lead to strong synergistic effects. The phylogenetic reconstruction based on the novel morphological evidence will provide a source for testing molecular trees and for placing extinct taxa. A well supported phyloge-netic hypothesis and comprehensive evolutionary scenario for the “Lower Neoptera” are the ultimate goals of the project.