Diversity

Research

11 pages, 3648 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Study on the Relationship Between Species Richness and Morphological Diversity of Higher Categories in Scarabaeoidea

by Yumeng Qiao, Yijie Tong, Zhehao Tian, Ning Liu and Ming Bai

Diversity 2024, 16(12), 721; https://doi.org/10.3390/d16120721 - 25 Nov 2024

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Evolutionary biology faces the important challenge of determining how to interpret the relationship between selection pressures and evolutionary radiation of species. The different biodiversity indicators highlight the disparate nature of biodiversity investigations. However, the influence of ecological factors and the specificity of taxonomic [...] Read more.

Evolutionary biology faces the important challenge of determining how to interpret the relationship between selection pressures and evolutionary radiation of species. The different biodiversity indicators highlight the disparate nature of biodiversity investigations. However, the influence of ecological factors and the specificity of taxonomic phylogeny have led to controversy over the correlation between these indicators. By combining quantitative morphology and statistical methods, here we analyze the biodiversity under the influences of phylogenetic relation factors represented by higher categories. A total of 8508 species of beetles from 1247 genera, 34 subfamilies, and 10 families of the Scarabaeoidea were selected as a test group; 70% of the family-level samples and 60% of the subfamily-level samples were selected at a proportion of 10–30% of the global described species. The taxonomic categories of family and subfamily were selected for phylogenetic representation, and the analysis of geometric morphometrics on the pronotum and elytron, which represent the major aspect of the morphology in dorsal view, was conducted. Through principal component analysis and Spearman correlation coefficient analysis, it was found that: the morphological diversity of the pronotum is higher in most groups of family/subfamily category than in the elytron; the correlation between the morphological diversity and species richness of the pronotum in the superfamily Scarabaeoidea is higher than that of the elytron; correlations between morphological diversity of the pronotum and taxa richness among sub-/families were always found to be consistent, and it was higher than it in the elytron test. This study compares the correlation between the diversity of different characters and the richness of taxa to interpret the phylogenetic impacts of biodiversity and sheds light on a fresh perspective for detailed studies of the selection pressures and formation mechanisms regulating the rise and fall of species. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Diversity, Distribution and Zoogeography of Coleoptera)

10 pages, 3499 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Contribution of Dung Beetles to the Enrichment of Soil with Organic Matter and Nutrients under Controlled Conditions

by Hasnae Hajji, Abdellatif Janati-Idrissi, Abdelkhaleq Fouzi Taybi, Jean-Pierre Lumaret and Youness Mabrouki

Diversity 2024, 16(8), 462; https://doi.org/10.3390/d16080462 - 2 Aug 2024

Viewed by 990

Abstract

Dung beetles are important ecosystem engineers as they bury manure produced by animals and contribute to nutrient cycling. This study assessed the impact of four dung beetle species, a roller (Gymnopleurus sturmi) and three tunnelers (Onthophagus vacca, Onthophagus marginalis [...] Read more.

Dung beetles are important ecosystem engineers as they bury manure produced by animals and contribute to nutrient cycling. This study assessed the impact of four dung beetle species, a roller (Gymnopleurus sturmi) and three tunnelers (Onthophagus vacca, Onthophagus marginalis subsp. andalusicus and Euonthophagus crocatus), on manure removal and soil fertility by using microcosms in a greenhouse setting. The four species contributed significantly to the removal of manure from the soil surface and increased the nutrient content of the soil, notably potassium, phosphorus, and nitrogen, but the amount varied depending on the species. These results highlight the importance of dung beetles in facilitating soil organic matter and nutrient flows and the need to preserve their populations to support the sustainability of grazing systems. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Diversity, Distribution and Zoogeography of Coleoptera)

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8 pages, 765 KiB

Open AccessArticle

A Bioregionalization of South Africa Based on Beetles (Coleoptera)

by Amy K. Summersgill, Şerban Procheş, Syd Ramdhani and Sandun J. Perera

Diversity 2024, 16(8), 454; https://doi.org/10.3390/d16080454 - 1 Aug 2024

Viewed by 957

Abstract

Beetles represent the most diverse group of living organisms on Earth, yet there has been very little in the way of using beetle distributions in bioregionalization exercises. Here, we combine several small data sets for beetle distributions in South Africa to produce a [...] Read more.

Beetles represent the most diverse group of living organisms on Earth, yet there has been very little in the way of using beetle distributions in bioregionalization exercises. Here, we combine several small data sets for beetle distributions in South Africa to produce a list of morphospecies and to analyze their presence within twenty geographic units spanning the entire country. We find a diversity of fine scale assemblages in the east, but also a disjunction between the western arid/winter-rainfall and eastern summer-rainfall half of the country, which is in line with several previous studies based on diverse groups of animals and plants. We recommend the use of the increasing citizen science data sets in studying biogeographic patterns in groups such as beetles, which have so far received limited attention. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Diversity, Distribution and Zoogeography of Coleoptera)

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17 pages, 2709 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Decoding Anotylus (Thomson 1859) Beetle Diversity: DNA and External Morphology Match in Área de Conservaciόn Guanacaste, Costa Rica

by K. Dante Underwood, Robert Puschendorf, David T. Bilton, Winnie Hallwachs, Daniel H. Janzen and M. Alex Smith

Diversity 2024, 16(8), 441; https://doi.org/10.3390/d16080441 - 25 Jul 2024

Viewed by 975

Abstract

Taxonomy underpins biological research because names are needed for comparative analysis, conservation status, and public communication. Despite this, many species remain undescribed and are therefore vulnerable and unprotected, particularly in the tropics. Neotropical Staphylinidae beetles (Coleoptera) are among the insect groups most likely [...] Read more.

Taxonomy underpins biological research because names are needed for comparative analysis, conservation status, and public communication. Despite this, many species remain undescribed and are therefore vulnerable and unprotected, particularly in the tropics. Neotropical Staphylinidae beetles (Coleoptera) are among the insect groups most likely to contain significant unknown and/or cryptic diversity. Here we used an integrative taxonomic framework to conduct a preliminary review of one particularly diverse genus of Staphylinidae (Anotylus) in Área de Conservaciόn Guanacaste, northwestern Costa Rica. We began by DNA barcoding novel collections and using Barcode Index Numbers (BINs) as an estimate of taxonomic diversity; we found 18 provisional new species. We augmented this genetic analysis with a morphometric analysis of adult morphological characters and found that we could differentiate most provisional species by external morphology as well as by elevation of collection. All the most abundant species could be differentiated from each other by differences in body size. One BIN included slight (~1%) genetic variation that corresponded with some morphological differentiation suggesting the existence of two species within a DNA BIN. Our results support the efficacy of DNA barcoding collections of tropical insects as an effective biodiversity estimator, one that can be used as a primer for integrative taxonomic studies using BINs as species hypotheses. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Diversity, Distribution and Zoogeography of Coleoptera)

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137 pages, 50439 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Classification of the Genus Harpalus (Coleoptera, Carabidae) of the World Based on Imaginal Morphology

by Boris M. Kataev

Diversity 2023, 15(9), 971; https://doi.org/10.3390/d15090971 - 28 Aug 2023

Cited by 2 | Viewed by 3568

Abstract

The genus Harpalus, Latreille, 1802, is the largest ground beetle genus of the tribe Harpalini and one of the most diverse genera of Carabidae (more than 400 described species). The definition and taxonomic boundaries of the genus, as well as previously proposed [...] Read more.

The genus Harpalus, Latreille, 1802, is the largest ground beetle genus of the tribe Harpalini and one of the most diverse genera of Carabidae (more than 400 described species). The definition and taxonomic boundaries of the genus, as well as previously proposed classifications, all based on regional faunas, are briefly reviewed in this paper from a historical perspective. The classification of the genus Harpalus proposed herein is based, for the first time, on a comparative morphological study of the world fauna and covers all the described species. The genus is divided into seventy subgenera combined into nineteen subgroups and ten groups; thirty-six subgenera are newly described: Afroharpalussubg. n. (type species Harpalus fulvicornis Thunberg, 1806), Hyloharpalus subg. n. (type species Harpalus laevipes Zetterstedt, 1828), Sinoharpalussubg. n. (type species Harpalus puetzi Kataev et Wrase, 1997), Macroharpalus subg. n. (type species Erpeinus major Motschulsky, 1850), Meroharpalussubg. n. (type species Harpalus fulvilabris Mannerheim, 1853), Ameroharpalussubg. n. (type species Harpalus spadiceus Dejean, 1829), Drymoharpalussubg. n. (type species Harpalus atratus Latreille, 1804), Caucasoharpalussubg. n. (type species Omaseus aeneipennis Faldermann, 1836), Calathoderussubg. n. (type species Harpalus potanini Tschitschérine, 1906), Isoharpalussubg. n. (type species Carabus serripes Quensel, 1806), Psammoharpalussubg. n. (type species Harpalus kozlovi Kataev), 1993, Platyharpalus subg. n. (type species Harpalus ventralis LeConte, 1848), Asioharpalus subg. n. (type species Harpalus nigrans Morawitz, 1862), Anamblystus subg. n. (type species Carabus latus Linnaeus, 1758), Homaloharpalussubg. n. (type species Carabus tardus Panzer, 1796), Bactroharpalussubg. n. (type species Harpalus cautus Dejean, 1829), Diaharpalussubg. n. (type species Harpalus vittatus Gebler, 1833), Mesoharpalussubg. n. (type species Harpalus gisellae Csiki, 1932), Eremoharpalussubg. n. (type species Harpalus remboides Solsky, 1874) Oreoharpalussubg. n. (type species Harpalus famelicus Tschitschérine, 1898), Hypsoharpalus subg. n. (type species Harpalus arnoldii Kataev, 1988), Anophonus subg. n. (type species Ophonus cyanopterus Tschitschérine, 1897), Haloharpalussubg. n. (type species Harpalus salinulus Reitter, 1900), Megaharpalussubg. n. (type species Harpalus stoetznerianus Schauberger, 1932), Aristoharpalussubg. n. (type species Harpalus ingenuus Tschitschérine, 1898), Cycloharpalussubg. n. (type species Harpalus pulvinatus Ménétries, 1848), Euryharpalus subg. n. (type species Harpalus cisteloides Motschulsky, 1844), Brachyharpalussubg. n. (type species Carabus autumnalis Duftschmid, 1812), Hemipangussubg. n. (type species Harpalus klapperichi Jedlička, 1955), Mauriharpalussubg. n. (type species Harpalus cardoni Antoine, 1922), Caloharpalussubg. n. (type species Harpalus cupreus Dejean, 1829), Baryharpalussubg. n. (type species Carabus dimidiatus Rossi, 1790), Heteroharpalussubg. n. (type species Harpalus metallinus Ménétries, 1839), Idioharpalus subg. n. (type species Harpalus numidicus Bedel, 1893), Pachyharpalussubg. n. (type species Harpalus crates Bates, 1883) and Paraharpalus subg. n. (type species Harpalus oblitus Dejean, 1829). A detailed morphological description of the genus, diagnoses, composition and distribution of all supraspecific taxa with brief biotopic notes are given. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Diversity, Distribution and Zoogeography of Coleoptera)

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36 pages, 56450 KiB

Open AccessArticle

The Genus Nama, with the Description of 14 New Species (Curculionidae, Entiminae, Namaini)

by Massimo Meregalli and Roman Borovec

Diversity 2023, 15(8), 944; https://doi.org/10.3390/d15080944 - 20 Aug 2023

Viewed by 2048

Abstract

The authors complete the study of the genus Nama Borovec & Meregalli, 2013, one of the seven genera of the tribe Namaini Meregalli & Borovec, 2021, with the description of 14 new species: Nama chaslavskae (type locality: North of Aggeneys, 29°12′ S 18°50′ [...] Read more.

The authors complete the study of the genus Nama Borovec & Meregalli, 2013, one of the seven genera of the tribe Namaini Meregalli & Borovec, 2021, with the description of 14 new species: Nama chaslavskae (type locality: North of Aggeneys, 29°12′ S 18°50′ E); N. startorum (type locality: Danielskuil, 28°11′ S 23°33′ E); N. ginobartalii (type locality: Messelpad Pass, 29°54′ S, 17°44′ E); N. yusrae (type locality: Wildepaarde Hoek, 29°57′ S 17°33′ E); N. goegapensis (type locality: Goegap Park, Kraaifontein, 29°37′ S, 18°02′ E); N. semilunata (type locality: Gemsbok Vlakte frm., 30°30′ S 17°29′ E); N. martiana (type locality: Aggeneys, Gamsberg, 1116 m, 29°15′S, 18°57′ E); Nama smithi (type locality: Tswalu Kalahari Reserve, Pass South, 27°19′ S, 22°31′ E); N. kostali (type locality: near Danielskuil, 28°15′ S, 23°34′ E); Nama seriehispida (type locality: NE Bitterfontein, 30°53′ S, 18°19′ E); N. khalidae (type locality: SW Kliprand, 30°40′ S, 18°41′ E); N. switzerae (type locality: W Gamoep, 29°58′ S, 18°22′ E); N. peternormani (type locality: Anenous Pass, 29°14′ S, 17°35′ E); N. wallacei (type locality: Pofadder, 29°07′ S, 19°25′ E). Short biogeographical remarks are added. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Diversity, Distribution and Zoogeography of Coleoptera)

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28 pages, 10009 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Lost Collections: Preserving Historical Biodiversity Memory—The Case of Peiroleri’s Manuscript Catalogue

by Fulvio Giachino

Diversity 2023, 15(5), 654; https://doi.org/10.3390/d15050654 - 11 May 2023

Cited by 1 | Viewed by 1509

Abstract

The purpose of this study is to highlight the importance of historical research on entomological collections in museums and to suggest some techniques to investigate them. Through documentary research and analysis, it is possible to obtain data on poorly known entomologists and collections; [...] Read more.

The purpose of this study is to highlight the importance of historical research on entomological collections in museums and to suggest some techniques to investigate them. Through documentary research and analysis, it is possible to obtain data on poorly known entomologists and collections; this may be extremely important for the study of past and present-day biodiversity. The finding and study of Peiroleri’s catalogue proves that, through meticulous historical research, it is possible to locate type specimens even if the original collection is supposedly or virtually lost. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Diversity, Distribution and Zoogeography of Coleoptera)

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38 pages, 21075 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Combination of Morphometric and Morphological Analyses: An Effective Approach for the Study of Platynus from the Italian W Alps (Coleoptera, Carabidae, Platynini)

by Angela Roggero, Pier Mauro Giachino, Achille Casale, Gianni Allegro, Alessandro Fiorito and Claudia Palestrini

Diversity 2023, 15(4), 493; https://doi.org/10.3390/d15040493 - 28 Mar 2023

Viewed by 2876

Abstract

In the W Italian Alps, an area characterized by considerable environmental complexity, the widespread Platynus were studied by focusing on their species composition. The ecological niche realized by the genus in this area encompasses a preference for humid and cold environments, sometimes associated [...] Read more.

In the W Italian Alps, an area characterized by considerable environmental complexity, the widespread Platynus were studied by focusing on their species composition. The ecological niche realized by the genus in this area encompasses a preference for humid and cold environments, sometimes associated with altitude. Several specimens from private and public collections were investigated by geometric morphometrics, a powerful technique capable of detecting even minor morphological variation. The quantitative analysis was paired to a qualitative survey of anatomical traits. To classify and discriminate species, external traits (head, pronotum, right elytron) and internal structures (male and female genitalia, mouthparts) were evaluated by direct examination and dissection. The results supported the presence of the five species already known from the study area and also helped to identify four new cryptic taxa to which the specific rank was assigned. They are herein described as Platynus maritimus n. sp., Platynus occitanus n. sp., Platynus simonisi n. sp., and Platynus vignai n. sp. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Diversity, Distribution and Zoogeography of Coleoptera)

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