PEET: Taxonomic Expertise in True Bugs: Systematic and Monographic Research on Assassin Bugs (Heteroptera: Reduviidae)

PEET：真正虫子的分类学专业知识：刺客虫子的系统和专题研究（异翅目：Reduviidae）

• 批准号: 0933853
• 负责人: Christiane Weirauch
• 金额: $ 74.94万
• 依托单位: University of California-Riverside
• 依托单位国家: 美国
• 项目类别: Continuing Grant
• 财政年份: 2009
• 资助国家: 美国
• 起止时间: 2009-09-01 至 2016-03-31
• 项目状态: 已结题
• 来源: https://www.nsf.gov/awardsearch/showAward?AWD_ID=0933853&HistoricalAwards=false
• 关键词: PEET; Taxonomic; Expertise; True; Bugs

The assassin bugs (Reduviidae) are charismatic members of the order Heteroptera or "true bugs." There are many species of assassin bugs, and they exhibit remarkable diversity, not only in the way they look but also in their behavior. Many assassin bugs are beneficial because they eat potentially harmful insects. However, some species feed on vertebrate blood and carry Chagas disease, which affects millions of people in South and Central America. Unfortunately, we do not know how many species of assassin bugs exist, nor do we have good ways to identify them. Very few taxonomists study assassin bugs, which makes it hard to know much about their evolution, behavior, or even where they all live. This project will assemble an international team of scientists to train students in the evolution and classification of insects, with a special focus on the assassin bugs. The research will combine fieldwork and studies of museum specimens with powerful descriptive and analytical approaches as well as development and use of bioinformatics tools, while focusing on five subgroups of the assassin bugs. Biodiversity information on an ecologically extraordinary group of insects will become available while advancing knowledge on species that are of medical importance and of interest as natural enemies. At least five graduate level trainees and five undergraduate students will be trained in systematics of Reduviidae and the true bugs. Monographs, online tools including identification keys, an electronic catalog and a digital library of taxonomic literature, images of type specimens, species pages, and movies documenting assassin bug behavior will make the group accessible to educators, ecologists, those dealing with integrated pest control, and the general public.

刺客虫（Reduviidae）是异翅目或“真虫”的魅力成员。食虫的种类很多，它们表现出惊人的多样性，不仅表现在外表上，而且表现在行为上。许多食虫是有益的，因为它们吃潜在的有害昆虫。然而，一些物种以脊椎动物的血液为食，并携带恰加斯病，这种疾病影响着南美洲和中美洲的数百万人。不幸的是，我们不知道有多少种杀手虫存在，也没有很好的方法来识别它们。很少有分类学家研究食虫，这使得人们很难了解它们的进化、行为，甚至它们都生活在哪里。该项目将组建一个国际科学家团队，对学生进行昆虫进化和分类方面的培训，特别关注杀手虫。该研究将结合实地考察和博物馆标本研究，采用强大的描述和分析方法，以及生物信息学工具的开发和使用，同时重点关注刺客虫的五个亚群。在促进对具有医学重要性和对天敌感兴趣的物种的知识的同时，将提供关于生态上非凡的昆虫群体的生物多样性信息。至少五名研究生水平的学员和五名本科生将接受关于Reduviidae和真正的虫子的系统学培训。专著、包括识别密钥在内的在线工具、分类文献的电子目录和数字图书馆、模式标本的图像、物种页面和记录食虫行为的电影将使教育工作者、生态学家、从事综合虫害防治的人员和一般公众能够访问该组织。