ARTS: Litter Bugs: revisionary and phylogenetic research on the least studied true bug infraorder (Insecta: Hemiptera: Dipsocoromorpha)

艺术：垃圾虫：对研究最少的真实昆虫下目（昆虫纲：半翅目：双翅目）的修订和系统发育研究

• 批准号: 1257702
• 负责人: Christiane Weirauch
• 金额: $ 43.75万
• 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: 2013
• 资助国家: 美国
• 起止时间: 2013-07-01 至 2018-06-30
• 项目状态: 已结题
• 来源: https://www.nsf.gov/awardsearch/showAward?AWD_ID=1257702&HistoricalAwards=false
• 关键词: ARTS; Litter; Bugs; revisionary; phylogenetic

Museums house an untapped wealth of biodiversity in their unsorted shelf collections of samples from around the world. Researchers from the University of California, Riverside, together with an international team of collaborators, will investigate the biodiversity of "Litter Bugs" (true bug infraorder Dipsocoromorpha). These insects are tiny, inhabit cryptic microhabitats, and show highest species diversity in the tropics. Using trap samples already housed in museums combined with some additional fieldwork, the team will build the largest and best-curated collection of Dipsocoromorpha in the world. Integrative taxonomic revisions will reveal the true diversity of selected groups. The phylogeny of this group of insects will be investigated using morphological and molecular approaches, resulting in a new taxonomic classification. Litter bugs feature remarkable differences among the sexes, including hardened forewings (a trait that is rare outside the beetles), and stunningly complex terminalia. The phylogenetic foundations created during this project will lead to a greater understanding of the evolution of these unique features. Biodiversity information for these insects will become available through publications and cybertaxonomic tools, most importantly an online "Virtual Collection of Dipsocoromorpha". Two graduate students and several undergraduate students will be trained in modern systematic methods and knowledge transfer and collaborations fostered among the community of insect researchers.

博物馆从世界各地未分类的货架上收集了大量的生物多样性样本。来自加州大学河滨分校的研究人员将与一个国际合作团队一起调查“垃圾虫”（真正的次等双类虫）的生物多样性。这些昆虫很小，栖息在隐蔽的微栖息地，在热带地区表现出最高的物种多样性。利用已经收藏在博物馆里的捕集器样本，再加上一些额外的实地调查，该团队将建立世界上最大、最精心策划的双锥虫收藏。综合分类修订将揭示所选群体的真正多样性。该昆虫群的系统发育将采用形态学和分子方法进行研究，从而产生新的分类分类。砂虫在两性之间有着显著的差异，包括坚硬的前翅（这种特征在甲虫之外很少见），以及令人震惊的复杂终末体。在这个项目中建立的系统发育基础将有助于更好地理解这些独特特征的进化。这些昆虫的生物多样性信息将通过出版物和网络分类学工具提供，最重要的是在线“双翅形目虚拟馆藏”。两名研究生和几名本科生将接受现代系统方法和昆虫研究人员之间的知识转移和合作方面的培训。