访花露尾甲对花粉食物的取食与消化形态结构适应性研究

访花露尾甲亚科Meligethinae，俗称花粉甲虫，隶属于鞘翅目Coleoptera，露尾甲科Nitidulidae，是露尾甲科中完全形成访花习性并以花粉为主要食物来源的亚科，也是揭示露尾甲科各亚科在形态结构、生物学习性及生态适应性复杂交互关系的重要类群。访花露尾甲在适应取食和消化花粉的进化中，其口器和消化道形成了相应的形态结构适应，本项目拟采用扫描电镜、透射电镜和显微CT成像仪，整合超微形态平面图像和3D数据，并将几何形态学与传统比较形态学方法结合，通过（1）获取口器及消化道形态结构数据；（2）评估和筛选形态结构指标；（3）分析探讨各形态结构部位对取食和消化花粉行使的作用的研究，阐明访花露尾甲对花粉食物取食和消化的形态结构适应性。

Meligethinae (Coleoptera: Nitidulidae), also called "pollen-beetles", is the subfamily among Nitidulidae independently and entirely became strictly anthophagous, in fact, all members of this lineage use pollen as the main food resource. Meligethinae represent an important group to reveal the different and regular interaction of morphological structure, biological habit, and ecological adaptability among the various subfamilies of the family Nitidulidae. During the evolutionary of adapting to eat and digest pollen food, the mouthparts and digestive tracts of Meligethinae accumulated some relevant morphological and structural adaptations. This project intends to integrate the ultrastructure images and 3D data from the Scanning Electron Microscope, Transmission Electron Microscope, and Micro CT. Also combining geometric morphology with traditional comparative morphology. The foreseen main targets of this research project are: (1) to obtain morphological and 3D structural data of adult mouthparts and digestive tract in different Meligethinae clades, (2) to provide evaluation and screening of the main involved morphological structures, and (3) to analyze and explore the effect of the variation in the different morphological structural parts on feeding and digesting pollen food. The cumulative information so obtained should help in clarify the adaptability of the morphological structures of Meligethinae to eat and digest pollen food.