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

博物馆在其未分类的货架上收藏着来自世界各地的样本，其中包含未开发的生物多样性财富。来自加州大学河滨分校的研究人员将与一个国际合作者团队一起，调查“臭虫”(真正的臭虫类)的生物多样性。这些昆虫很小，生活在隐秘的微生境中，在热带地区表现出最高的物种多样性。利用博物馆中已经收藏的陷阱样本，再加上一些额外的田野工作，该团队将建立世界上最大、管理最好的双索形目动物收藏。综合的分类学修订将揭示选定群体的真正多样性。这一类昆虫的系统发育将用形态和分子方法进行研究，从而产生一个新的分类。臭虫的性别差异显著，包括坚硬的前翅(这是甲虫以外罕见的特征)，以及令人震惊的复杂终末。在这个项目期间建立的系统发育基础将导致对这些独特特征的进化的更好的理解。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获得，最重要的是在线“网纹线虫虚拟收藏”。两名研究生和几名本科生将接受现代系统方法以及昆虫研究人员社区之间促进知识转移和合作的培训。

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.