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

刺客昆虫(Reduviidae)是异翅目中富有魅力的成员，也就是“真正的昆虫”。刺客昆虫的种类很多，它们不仅在外表上，而且在行为上都表现出了惊人的多样性。许多刺客昆虫是有益的，因为它们吃潜在有害的昆虫。然而，一些物种以脊椎动物的血液为食并携带恰加斯病，这种疾病在南美洲和中美洲影响着数百万人。不幸的是，我们不知道有多少种刺客昆虫存在，也没有好的方法来识别它们。很少有分类学家研究刺客昆虫，这使得人们很难太多地了解它们的进化、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，特别关注刺客昆虫。这项研究将结合实地工作和对博物馆标本的研究，以及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，同时重点关注刺客昆虫的五个亚群。将提供有关生态上非凡的昆虫群体的生物多样性信息，同时促进对具有医学价值和天敌意义的物种的了解。至少五名研究生级别的实习生和五名本科生将接受关于Reduviidae和真正的昆虫的分类学方面的培训。专著、包括识别钥匙在内的在线工具、分类文献的电子目录和数字图书馆、模式标本的图像、物种页面和记录刺客昆虫行为的电影将使教育工作者、生态学家、从事综合虫害控制的人员和普通公众能够接触到该组织。

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.