RevSys: A systematic revision of the New World Exosternini (Coleoptera: Histeridae)

拟步甲是微型节肢动物区系中的重要成员。作为许多害虫，特别是苍蝇和小蠹的捕食者，它们具有法医学和经济学意义。有些是社会昆虫的专业捕食者，并进化出显着的生态整合机制。尽管它们在生态和经济上具有重要意义，但我们对其多样性的了解却很少。该项目将澄清外胸龙类中约400种新热带物种的分类，利用DNA和解剖特征解析它们的进化关系，描述数百种新物种，提供图解识别指南，并为生命百科全书开发物种页面。该项目将加强国际科学合作。我们的实地工作将与拉丁美洲的研究机构合作完成，这些研究机构将作为标本库，提供当地的专业知识和支持，并通过项目研讨会受益。这项研究将开启甲虫生物多样性的一个重要组成部分，以进一步研究，更好地了解地球上最多样化的动物群体的进化，并将有助于开发生物多样性科学的人力资源。

Histerid beetles are conspicuous members of the arthropod microfauna. As predators of numerous insect pests, especially flies and bark beetles, they have forensic and economic significance. Some are specialist predators of social insects, and have evolved remarkable ecological integrating mechanisms. Despite their ecological and economic importance, our knowledge of their diversity is poor. This project will clarify the taxonomy of approximately 400 Neotropical species in the Exosternini, resolving their evolutionary relationships using DNA and anatomical characteristics, describing hundreds of new species, providing illustrated identification guides, and developing species pages for the Encyclopedia of Life.This project will strengthen international scientific collaborations. Our fieldwork will be done in collaboration with Latin American research institutes, who will serve as specimen repositories, provide local expertise and support, and benefit through project workshops. This research will open up an important component of beetle biodiversity to further study, provide greater understanding of the evolution of the most diverse group of animals on the planet, and will help develop human resources in biodiversity science.