ARTS: Systematics of the darkling beetle genus Eleodes: Integrating morphology, DNA, and biodiversity informatics to resolve a taxonomically impeded genus

Eleodes是北美西部特有的一种不会飞的深色甲虫属(鞘翅目：拟步甲科)。通常被称为臭甲虫，Eleodes以其“直立”行为和受到威胁时释放出的有毒化学物质而闻名。该项目将通过全面的系统发育研究战略和创新的、基于内容管理系统的数据积累方法，通过解决百年来的系统性挑战，向其他学科开放该属。它将为Eleodes分类、形态和自然历史创建一个基于标本的虚拟知识环境，将标本、图像和参考作品链接到相关的分类学、系统发育、本体论注释的解剖和地理数据。这个项目将通过重点培训一名博士后学者、一名博士生和至少8-12名本科生，有力地促进我们对Eleodes和Tenebrionid系统学的理解。几乎所有产生的数据都将通过项目门户网站获得，并二次上传到EOL和Morphbank。科学界和公众将通过将Eleodes标本数据和图像协同扩展到“节肢动物西南采集网络”(SCAN)，创建一个生物多样性信息学实验室模块，并将Eleodes生物学和多样性主题纳入亚利桑那州立大学的外联计划，包括开发学习应用程序以及实施学校和博物馆活动。

Eleodes is a flightless genus of darkling beetles (Coleoptera: Tenebrionidae) endemic to western North America. Commonly called stink beetles, Eleodes are known for their "headstanding" behavior and the noxious chemicals they eject when threatened. This project will open the genus to other disciplines by addressing century-old systematic challenges through a comprehensive phylogenetic research strategy and an innovative, content management system-based data accumulation approach. It will create a virtual specimen-based knowledge environment for Eleodes taxonomy, morphology, and natural history linking specimens, images, and reference works to associated taxonomic, phylogenetic, ontologically annotated anatomical and geographic data. This project will strongly advance our understanding of Eleodes and tenebrionid systematics through focused training of a postdoctoral scholar, a Ph.D. student, and minimally 8-12 undergraduate students. Virtually all data generated will be available through the project web portal and secondarily uploaded to EOL and Morphbank. The scientific community and general public will be engaged through a synergistic extension of Eleodes specimen data and images to the "Southwest Collections of Arthropods Network" (SCAN), the creation of a biodiversity informatics lab module, and by incorporating Eleodes biology and diversity themes into ASU's outreach program, including the development of learning applications and implementation of school and museum activities.