Comparative functional head morphology in modern rove beetles (Coleoptera, Staphylinidae)

游动甲虫(隐翅虫科)有63,650多个已描述物种，是最大的昆虫家族之一。与植食性昆虫不同，流动甲虫通过它们在枯枝落叶层中不同的生活方式而多样化。在本项目中，我们从系统和概念上扩展了我们以前关于葡萄科昆虫的工作，采用了一种综合的功能和生态形态的方法来研究现代的、主要是捕食性的流浪甲属代表的比较功能头部形态。这指的是传统隐翅虫族的几个物种丰富的单系亚科。作为广泛的比较分析的一部分，我们也考虑了功能方面，我们的目的是全面了解这些特殊支系的进化和形态多样化。基于对头部形态的同步加速器显微断层扫描和扫描电子显微镜分析(口器形态、头部肌肉的存在和不存在包括其起源和插入、下咽-前脑膜复合体的结构和组织、触幕结构、前脑膜的硬质)，口器的功能方面将与捕食和取食行为的直接观察相结合，并在系统发育的背景下进行解释。我们将对传统隐形虫族(以及一些主要部落)的所有亚科的37名代表进行比较研究。我们还将收集下颌骨和相关肌肉的形态测量数据，以评估相对下颌咬合力和闭合速度。三维几何形态计量学将被用来量化分枝和取食类型之间的头部形态差异。根据已发表资料中采用的系统发育模式，我们将进行特征图谱分析，目的是识别进化变化和新奇事物，包括由此产生的功能后果。为了进行分支分析，本项目中建立的头部形态特征将与申请人以前在其他葡萄形分支上的工作中获得的字符矩阵相结合。这将有助于测试内部头部形态在多大程度上有助于澄清关于某些亚科内的亚科和部落之间的系统发育的未决问题。分析还将阐明几个亚科/部落的组型基本计划特征和自形。最后，通过系统发育回归分析，下颌的生物力学/功能形态分析将与猎物捕获行为的观察相关联，从而促进在功能背景下对模式的解释，并提供对这些特征对这些分支总体多样性的贡献的理解。

With more than 63,650 described species, rove beetles (Staphylinidae) are one of the largest insect families. In contrast to phytophagous insects, rove beetles have diversified through their different ways of living in the litter layer. Extending our previous work on staphylinids methodically and conceptually, we follow, in the present project, an integrative functional and eco-morphological approach to investigating the comparative functional head morphology of modern, mostly predatory representatives of rove beetles. This refers to several species-rich monophyletic subfamilies of the traditional Staphylinine group. As part of a broad comparative analysis that also considers functional aspects, we aim at attaining a comprehensive understanding of the evolution and morphological diversification of these speciose clades. Based on Synchrotron microtomographic and scanning electron microscopic analyses of head morphology (mouthpart morphology, presence / absence of head muscles including their origins and insertions, structure and organization of the hypopharynx-prementum complex, structure of the tentorium, sclerites of the prementum), the functional aspects of mouthparts will be combined with direct observations of predatory and feeding behavior and interpreted in a phylogenetic context. We will examine comparatively 37 representatives of all subfamilies of the traditional Staphylinine group (and the main tribes for some). We will also gather morphometric data of the mandibles and the associated muscles to evaluate the relative mandibular biting forces and closing velocities. Three-dimensional geometric morphometrics will be used to quantify head morphological differences between clades and feeding types. Based on a phylogenetic scheme adopted from published sources, we will perform character mapping analysis with the goal of recognizing evolutionary changes and novelties including the resulting functional consequences. In order to perform a cladistic analysis, the head morphological characters established in the present project will be combined with a character matrix obtained from previous work of the applicant on other staphylinid clades. This will help to test the extent to which the internal head morphology can contribute to the clarification of open questions concerning the phylogeny among subfamilies and tribes within certain subfamilies. The analysis will also elucidate both the plesiotypic groundplan features and the autapomorphies of several subfamilies / tribes. Finally, by means of phylogenetic regression analyses, the biomechanical / functional morphological analyses of the mandibles will be related to the observations of prey-capture behavior, thereby facilitating the interpretation of patterns in a functional context and providing an understanding of the contribution of these characters to the diversification of these clades in general.