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Diversity
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Diversity and Evolution of Coleoptera
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Diversity and Evolution of Coleoptera

A special issue of Diversity (ISSN 1424-2818). This special issue belongs to the section "Phylogeny and Evolution".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (30 June 2023) | Viewed by 27600

Special Issue Editor

Prof. Dr. Ming Bai

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Key Laboratory of Zoological Systematics and Evolution, Institute of Zoology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100101, China
Interests: insect diversity; molecular systematics; geometric morphometrics; 3D morphology; functional morphology; biogeography; AI taxonomy; intelligent insect monitoring; fossil

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues, 

Beetles (Coleoptera) are a species-rich and evolutionarily successful group of animals that dominate terrestrial and aquatic habitats all over the world. They perform vital ecosystem functions, for example, by recycling dung or breaking down dead wood. They can be economically important pests of crops or act as important biological control agents in agricultural systems. Nevertheless, the diversity and evolution of Coleoptera is a growing topic in scientific research. Despite extensive progress by amateur and professional scientists around the world, gaps in our knowledge on the diversity and evolution of Coleoptera remain. New methods in the study of morphology or the application of phylogenomics to reconstruct the evolutionary relationships of beetle continually challenge our understanding of beetle diversity and evolution. In this Special Issue of Diversity, we would like to offer a platform for the presentation of recent studies on the diversity and evolution of Coleoptera and to improve our understanding of their evolution through the lens of morphology, genomics, and fossils, amongst a multitude of other sources.

Prof. Dr. Ming Bai
Guest Editor

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Keywords

  • Beetles
  • Coleoptera
  • diversity
  • evolution
  • morphology 
  • phylogenomics 
  • genomics
  • fossils

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Published Papers (8 papers)

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Research

17 pages, 9762 KiB  
Article
Geometric Morphometric Analysis of Genus Chaetocnema (Coleoptera: Chrysomelidae: Alticini) with Insights on Its Subgenera Classification and Morphological Diversity
by Mengna Zhang, Yongying Ruan, Ming Bai, Xiaoqin Chen, Lixia Li, Xingke Yang, Ziye Meng, Yang Liu and Xinyan Du
Diversity 2023, 15(8), 918; https://doi.org/10.3390/d15080918 - 8 Aug 2023
Viewed by 2140
Abstract
In taxonomy, qualitative methods are commonly used to analyze morphological characters, which can lead to dramatic changes in higher taxa. Geometric morphometrics (GM) has proven to be useful for discriminating species in various taxonomy groups. However, the application of geometric morphometrics in supraspecies [...] Read more.
In taxonomy, qualitative methods are commonly used to analyze morphological characters, which can lead to dramatic changes in higher taxa. Geometric morphometrics (GM) has proven to be useful for discriminating species in various taxonomy groups. However, the application of geometric morphometrics in supraspecies classification is relatively scarce. In this study, we tested the controversial two subgenera classification of Chaetocnema with geometric morphometrics; a total of 203 Chaetocnema species representing 50% of all known species from around the world were selected for the analysis. We analyzed the shape of the pronotum, elytron, head, aedeagus, and spermatheca. The results showed that the two traditional subgenera distinctly differed from each other; therefore, we propose using two subgenera arrangements to facilitate the understanding and taxonomy of the Chaetocnema species (especially in the Oriental, Palearctic, and Nearctic regions). Additionally, the morphological diversity of the abovementioned structures of Chaetocnema was analyzed, and it was found that the highest morphological diversity was in the spermatheca, which was greater than that in the aedeagus. Our research demonstrated that GM could be useful for detecting morphological delimitation of the supraspecies taxa. It also showed that GM methods are applicable to insects as small as 2 mm in body size. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Diversity and Evolution of Coleoptera)
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24 pages, 8805 KiB  
Article
Fine-Tuned Ecological Niche Models Unveil Climatic Suitability and Association with Vegetation Groups for Selected Chaetocnema Species in South Africa (Coleoptera: Chrysomelidae)
by Francesco Cerasoli, Paola D’Alessandro and Maurizio Biondi
Diversity 2022, 14(2), 100; https://doi.org/10.3390/d14020100 - 30 Jan 2022
Cited by 4 | Viewed by 3738
Abstract
Despite beetles (Coleoptera) representing most existing animal species, the ecological and biogeographical factors shaping their distribution are still unclear in many regions. We implemented state-of-the-art ecological niche models (ENMs) and niche overlap analysis to investigate climate–occurrence patterns for five flea beetle species of [...] Read more.
Despite beetles (Coleoptera) representing most existing animal species, the ecological and biogeographical factors shaping their distribution are still unclear in many regions. We implemented state-of-the-art ecological niche models (ENMs) and niche overlap analysis to investigate climate–occurrence patterns for five flea beetle species of the genus Chaetocnema in South Africa (C. brincki, C. danielssoni, C. darwini, C. gahani, and C. natalensis). ENMs were fitted through Maxent and Random Forests, testing various parameterizations. For each species, tuned ENMs attaining good discrimination on spatially independent test data were selected to predict suitability across the study region and individuate its main climatic drivers. Percentage coverage of climatically suitable areas by seventeen Afrotropical vegetation formations was also computed. Predicted suitable areas do not extend far away from known presence localities, except for C. brincki and C. gahani in north-eastern South Africa. Temperate grasslands and shrublands cover most of suitable areas for C. brincki and C. gahani, along with warm temperate forests, as well as for C. danielssoni, in this case being followed by tropical flooded and swamp forests. Climatic suitability for C. darwini mainly relates to the Mediterranean grasslands and scrublands of the southern coastal region, while suitable areas for C. natalensis encompass various vegetation formations, coherently with its wide distribution. The environmental niche of C. danielssoni significantly overlaps with those of the wide-ranging C. darwini and C. natalensis, suggesting that historical factors, rather than low climatic tolerance, has determined its restricted distribution in the Western Cape Province. Maxent and Random Forests were confirmed to be of great help in disentangling the environment–occurrence relationships and in predicting suitability for the target species outside their known range, but they need to be properly tuned to perform at their best. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Diversity and Evolution of Coleoptera)
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16 pages, 3490 KiB  
Article
Study on the Relationship between Richness and Morphological Diversity of Higher Taxa in the Darkling Beetles (Coleoptera: Tenebrionidae)
by Liangxue Cheng, Yijie Tong, Yuchen Zhao, Zhibin Sun, Xinpu Wang, Fangzhou Ma and Ming Bai
Diversity 2022, 14(1), 60; https://doi.org/10.3390/d14010060 - 17 Jan 2022
Cited by 10 | Viewed by 4446
Abstract
Many studies have found that the correlation between species richness (SR) and morphological diversity (MD) is positive, but the correlation degree of these parameters is not always consistent due to differences in categories and various ecological factors in the living environment. Based on [...] Read more.
Many studies have found that the correlation between species richness (SR) and morphological diversity (MD) is positive, but the correlation degree of these parameters is not always consistent due to differences in categories and various ecological factors in the living environment. Based on this, related studies have revealed the good performance of using higher taxa in biodiversity research, not only by shifting the testing group scale from local communities to worldwide datasets but also by adding different taxonomic levels, such as the genus level. However, it remains unclear whether this positive correlation can also be applied to other categories or groups. Here, we evaluated the applicability of higher taxa in the biodiversity study of darkling beetles by using 3407 species (9 subfamilies, 89 tribes, and 678 genera), based on the correlation between taxa richness and morphological diversity in the tribe/genus/species. In addition, the continuous features prevalent in the tenebrionids, pronotum and elytron, were selected, and the morphological diversity of various groups was obtained by the geometric morphometric approach to quantify the morphologic information of features. This study found that genus/species richness in subfamilies Pimelinae and Stenochiinae was positively correlated with the change trend of MD, and the correlation between the MD of elytron and taxa richness gradually decreased from the tribe-level to the genus-level to the species-level test. The results confirm the stable morphology and simple function of the elytron and the applicability of tribe level in biodiversity research. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Diversity and Evolution of Coleoptera)
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8 pages, 2026 KiB  
Article
Phylogenetic Placement of the Plesioclytini (Coleoptera: Cerambycidae: Cerambycinae)
by Laura N. Sutherland, Kyle E. Schnepp, Gareth S. Powell and Seth M. Bybee
Diversity 2021, 13(11), 597; https://doi.org/10.3390/d13110597 - 20 Nov 2021
Cited by 2 | Viewed by 2352
Abstract
The tribe Plesioclytini was recently erected for a single genus of cerambycine longhorn beetle. The group was diagnosed from a proposed sister lineage, the diverse Clytini; however, a formal phylogenetic analysis was not performed due to limitations in data availability. Here, we present [...] Read more.
The tribe Plesioclytini was recently erected for a single genus of cerambycine longhorn beetle. The group was diagnosed from a proposed sister lineage, the diverse Clytini; however, a formal phylogenetic analysis was not performed due to limitations in data availability. Here, we present a phylogenetic reconstruction from five loci, that Plesioclytini is not sister to Clytini, but is instead only distantly related. Subsequent morphological investigations provide additional support for this placement. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Diversity and Evolution of Coleoptera)
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6 pages, 1425 KiB  
Article
Systematics and Biogeography of the New World Genus Plumolepilius (Coleoptera: Curculionidae)
by Manuel A. Barrios-Izás and Juan J. Morrone
Diversity 2021, 13(11), 596; https://doi.org/10.3390/d13110596 - 19 Nov 2021
Viewed by 2671
Abstract
Plumolepilius Barrios-Izás & Anderson, 2016 is a leaf litter weevil genus that inhabits montane broadleaf forests from southern Mexico to northern Panama. The genus consists of 27 species, 22 distributed in the Chiapas Highlands province (Mexican Transition Zone) and 5 found in the [...] Read more.
Plumolepilius Barrios-Izás & Anderson, 2016 is a leaf litter weevil genus that inhabits montane broadleaf forests from southern Mexico to northern Panama. The genus consists of 27 species, 22 distributed in the Chiapas Highlands province (Mexican Transition Zone) and 5 found in the Pacific dominion (Neotropical region) in Costa Rica and Panamá. Here, we analyze the phylogenetic relationships of the species of Plumolepilius based on 20 external body characters and 9 characters from the genitalia. The first dichotomy of the cladogram separates two species from the Pacific dominion from the remaining species of Plumolepilius from the Chiapas Highlands province and three species restricted to the Pacific dominion. We hypothesize that redundant distributions in the taxon-area cladogram of the genus may be due to dispersal events, probably during the Pleistocene glaciations. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Diversity and Evolution of Coleoptera)
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8 pages, 4171 KiB  
Article
Genetic Diversity of a Rising Invasive Pest in the Native Range: Population Genetic Structure of Aromia bungii (Coleoptera: Cerambycidae) in South Korea
by Seunghyun Lee, Deokjea Cha, Yongwoo Nam and Jonkook Jung
Diversity 2021, 13(11), 582; https://doi.org/10.3390/d13110582 - 14 Nov 2021
Cited by 10 | Viewed by 3195
Abstract
The red-necked longhorn beetle (RLB; Aromia bungii [Faldermann, 1835]) is an emerging invasive pest. From its native range of East Asia, it invaded Europe and Japan in the early 2010s. Despite its increasing importance, the molecular resources of RLB are scarce, and its [...] Read more.
The red-necked longhorn beetle (RLB; Aromia bungii [Faldermann, 1835]) is an emerging invasive pest. From its native range of East Asia, it invaded Europe and Japan in the early 2010s. Despite its increasing importance, the molecular resources of RLB are scarce, and its invasive dynamics are largely unknown. In the present study, we carried out the first analysis of its population genetic structure in South Korea, which is part of its native range, using 1248 bp cytochrome oxidase subunit I (COI) sequences of 199 individuals from 18 localities. We found that in South Korea, RLB has a moderate population genetic structure and can be divided into three geographical subgroups: central, southeastern, and southwestern subgroup. Comparative analyses with two Chinese, one German, and ten Italian RLB sequences yielded non-significant results because of largely missing genetic data from other native areas. Nevertheless, as it provided the first population genetic data for this invasive alien species (IAS) whose range is increasing, our research is a crucial molecular resource for future invasive dynamics research. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Diversity and Evolution of Coleoptera)
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40 pages, 18513 KiB  
Article
Revision of the Subgenus Burlinius Lopatin (Coleoptera, Chrysomelidae, Cryptocephalinae) from China and Description of Four New Species
by Wenyuan Duan and Hongzhang Zhou
Diversity 2021, 13(11), 523; https://doi.org/10.3390/d13110523 - 23 Oct 2021
Cited by 3 | Viewed by 2511
Abstract
This study revised the subgenus Burlinius Lopatin, 1965, of the genus Cryptocephalus Geoffroy, 1762 (Coleoptera, Chrysomelidae, Cryptocephalinae, Cryptocephalini), and describes four new species, namely, Cryptocephalus (Burlinius) longchiensis sp. nov., C. (Burlinius) baowenzhengi sp. nov., C. (Burlinius) tomurensis [...] Read more.
This study revised the subgenus Burlinius Lopatin, 1965, of the genus Cryptocephalus Geoffroy, 1762 (Coleoptera, Chrysomelidae, Cryptocephalinae, Cryptocephalini), and describes four new species, namely, Cryptocephalus (Burlinius) longchiensis sp. nov., C. (Burlinius) baowenzhengi sp. nov., C. (Burlinius) tomurensis sp. nov., and C. (Burlinius) glabrelegantulus sp. nov. The species C. (Burlinius) turpis Chen, 1942, and C. (Burlinius) yangweii Chen, 1942, were revalidated and treated as distinct species. Another four species were transferred into this subgenus from the subgenus Cryptocephalus, namely, C. (Burlinius) flavolimbatus Pic, 1920 (stat. nov.), C. (Burlinius) pusus Schöller, 2009 (stat. nov.), C. (Burlinius) scutemaculatus Tan, 1992 (stat. nov.), and C. (Burlinius) shaowuanus Gressitt & Kimoto, 1961 (stat. nov.). Two species (including one more subspecies) were removed out of this subgenus, namely, C. (Burlinius) nigrolimbatus Jacoby, 1890, C. (Burlinius) pallidipes Pic, 1927, and C. (Burlinius) pallidipes nakatae Gressitt & Kimoto, 1961; they were transferred into the subgenus Cryptocephalus. Thus, the subgenus Burlinius Lopatin includes now a total of 26 species in China according to our revision. A key to all the Chinese species of this subgenus is provided as well as color illustrations and line drawings for the general habitus and genital structures. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Diversity and Evolution of Coleoptera)
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24 pages, 7323 KiB  
Article
Taxonomy of the Cryptocephalus heraldicus Group (Coleoptera: Chrysomelidae, Cryptocephalinae) from China
by Wenyuan Duan, Fengyan Wang and Hongzhang Zhou
Diversity 2021, 13(9), 451; https://doi.org/10.3390/d13090451 - 20 Sep 2021
Cited by 2 | Viewed by 3508
Abstract
This is a study on the leaf beetle subgenus Cryptocephalus Geoffroy, 1762 from China, with the particular emphasis upon the species-group classification of the subgenus and the taxonomy of the Cryptocephalus heraldicus species group. A new key is compiled to all the species [...] Read more.
This is a study on the leaf beetle subgenus Cryptocephalus Geoffroy, 1762 from China, with the particular emphasis upon the species-group classification of the subgenus and the taxonomy of the Cryptocephalus heraldicus species group. A new key is compiled to all the species groups found in China. Four new species are described from China: Cryptocephalus (Cryptocephalus) biordopunctatus sp. nov. from Yunnan, C. hani sp. nov. from Shanxi, Hubei, Shaanxi and Gansu, C. incisodentatus sp. nov. from Sichuan and Yunnan, and C. nigroflavusiventerus sp. nov. from Yunnan. Three species are found for the first time in China: C. lacosus Pic, 1922, C. nigriceps Allard, 1891 and C. rajah Jacoby, 1908. The species C. nigrolimbatus Jacoby, 1890 is transferred from the subgenus Burlinius Lopatin to this subgenus and assigned to the Cryptocephalus heraldicus group. The species number of this group is now 30 in total according to our result of taxonomic review. A key to all the mainland China species of this species group is provided as well as high quality color images and line drawings of adult habitus, aedeagus, and other important structures. All the types of the new species are deposited in the collection of Institute of Zoology, Chinese Academy of Sciences (IZ-CAS). Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Diversity and Evolution of Coleoptera)
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