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

博物馆收藏了来自世界各地未经分类的标本，其中蕴藏着丰富的生物多样性。来自加州大学滨江分校的研究人员将与一个国际合作者团队一起调查“垃圾虫”（真正的昆虫下目Dipsocoromorpha）的生物多样性。这些昆虫很小，栖息在神秘的微生境中，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，结合一些额外的实地考察，该团队将建立世界上最大和最好的Dipsocoromorpha收藏。综合分类学修订将揭示所选群体的真正多样性。将使用形态学和分子方法研究这组昆虫的生殖发育，从而产生新的分类学分类。垃圾虫在性别上有着显著的差异，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的末端。在这个项目中创建的系统发育基础将导致对这些独特特征的进化有更好的理解。这些昆虫的生物多样性信息将通过出版物和网络分类工具提供，最重要的是在线“Dipsocoromorpha虚拟收藏”。两名研究生和几名本科生将接受现代系统方法和知识转移以及昆虫研究人员社区之间合作的培训。

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.