Phylogeographic patterns of two tiger beetle species at both sides of the strait of Gibraltar (Coleoptera: Cicindelini)

The Strait of Gibraltar is one of the major barriers to gene flow between land masses of Europe and Africa at the western end of the Mediterranean. Since the opening of the Strait at the end of the Miocene 5.33 million years ago (Mya) it has exerted a strong influence on the dispersal and colonization of whole biotas, particularly with regard to the retreat of organisms during glaciation peaks and the northward colonization events during the warm periods of Pleistocene. The aim of this study is to elucidate the influence of the Strait of Gibraltar in the gene flow among populations of two tiger beetle species collected in Morocco, Cicindela campestris (L. 1758) and Lophyra flexuosa (Fabricius 1787), with regard to both new and published data from populations of southern Iberia. The phylogeographic analysis showed that Moroccan haplotypes of L. flexuosa belonged to a single coastal mitochondrial clade and that populations at both sides of` the Strait of Gibraltar were genetically well connected. The haplotype network of C. campestris showed that Moroccan populations made up a robust cluster clearly differentiated from those of Iberian and other European populations. These differences are thought to reflect the distinct evolutionary history (dispersal capacity, ecological strategies) of both species, as L. flexuosa shows an almost continuous distribution on the coasts located at both sides of the West Mediterranean, whereas C. campestris shows a patchy distribution and prefers montane habitats in the Western Palaearctic.     

基于防御腺特征的琵甲族属级阶元系统发育关系分析 (鞘翅目： 拟步甲科)

基于16属65种琵甲（含新记述7属）的防御腺特征, 探讨了琵甲族（鞘翅目： 拟步甲科）的属级系统发育关系。通过对这些种的防御腺着生位置、 形状、 长度、 宽度、 囊体间距、 囊壁厚度、 囊壁花纹、 囊壁褶皱等特征进行解剖测量和分析, 归纳出族、 属级特征。利用SPSS19.0和Hennig86（1.5版）两个软件对选定特征进行聚类分析和系统进化分析, 得出琵甲族16属的进化关系为：Prosodes>Blaptogonia>Tagonoides>Thaumatoblaps>Caenoblaps>Agnaptoria>Asidoblaps>Coelocnemodes>Dila>Gnaptor>Blaps>Pseudognaptorina> Nalepa>Belousovia>Gnaptorina>Itagonia。基于防御腺形态学数据的琵甲族系统发育分析结果将琵甲族16个属清楚地分开, 表明其在分类上具有重要价值。     

Ecological coassociations influence species' responses to past climatic change: an example from a Sonoran Desert bark beetle

Ecologically interacting species may have phylogeographical histories that are shaped both by features of their abiotic landscape and by biotic constraints imposed by their coassociation. The Baja California peninsula provides an excellent opportunity to examine the influence of abiotic vs. biotic factors on patterns of diversity in plant-insect species. This is because past climatic and geological changes impacted the genetic structure of plants quite differently to that of codistributed free-living animals (e.g. herpetofauna and small mammals). Thus, ‘plant-like’ patterns should be discernible in host-specific insect herbivores. Here, we investigate the population history of a monophagous bark beetle, Araptus attenuatus, and consider drivers of phylogeographical patterns in the light of previous work on its host plant, Euphorbia lomelii. Using a combination of phylogenetic, coalescent-simulation-based and exploratory analyses of mitochondrial DNA sequences and nuclear genotypic data, we found that the evolutionary history of A. attenuatus exhibits similarities to its host plant that are attributable to both biotic and abiotic processes. Southward range expansion and recent colonization of continental Sonora from the Baja peninsula appear to be unique to this taxon pair and probably reflect influences of the host plant. On the other hand, abiotic factors with landscape-level influences on a diverse suite of codistributed arid-adapted taxa, such as Plio- and Pleistocene-aged marine incursions in the region, also left genetic signatures in beetle and host plant populations. Superimposed on these similarities, bark beetle-specific patterns and processes were also evident: our data revealed two secondarily sympatric, reproductively isolated genetic lineages, as well as a previously unrecognized mid-peninsular warm desert refuge. Taken together, this work illustrates that the evolutionary history of species-specific insect herbivores may represent a mosaic of influences, including—but not limited to—those imposed by the host plant.     

Investigating movement in the laboratory: dispersal apparatus designs and the red flour beetle,Tribolium castaneum

The natural dispersal of Tribolium castaneum Herbst (Coleoptera: Tenebrionidae) has been emulated in the laboratory for more than 50 years, using a simple dispersal apparatus. This has typically comprised of a starting container (initial resource or patch) connected by tubing, which contains thread for the animals to climb into a tube and hence to an end container. That is, beetles move to a new viable resource or patch from an inter‐patch zone or non‐viable habitat. We modified this basic apparatus design to test the effect of tubing length and tubing insertion angle on the dispersal rate and proportion of successful dispersers. We expected that the proportion of successful dispersers would be repeatable within each apparatus design, and that increasing tubing length and steepness of the insertion angle would reduce dispersal rate and success across apparatus designs. Dispersal increased linearly through time, similarly so for both males and females. The design with the most vertical tubing insertion angle had a lower proportion of successful dispersers. Tubing length also had a negative relationship with dispersal success (as judged by insects reaching the end container), but a significant reduction in dispersal success was only apparent between the shortest and longest tubing between containers. We suggest that locating and climbing the vertical section of string before they can enter the tubing between containers restricts dispersal and that at higher densities, insects exhibit greater inclination to climb. This type of apparatus has flexible design tolerances and further potential to study the dispersal of other small insect species that primarily use pedestrian locomotion.     

A failed invader in the North Atlantic, the case of Aglenus brunneus Gyll. (Col., Colydiidae), a blind flightless beetle from Iceland

The occurrence of an occasional pest of mouldy stored product residues, the blind flightless beetle Aglenus brunneus Gyll., in samples from the medieval farm at Reykholt in Iceland, along with several other strongly synanthropic beetles, is considered in relation to its fossil record. The species is dependent on man for its dispersal and survival and it probably had its primary habitat in the warm, decaying litter of the undisturbed forest floor in Europe. Now virtually cosmopolitan, it had been introduced to a remote site in the eastern desert of Egypt by the Roman period and was widespread in medieval northern Europe. The processes by which such an apparently stenotopic species could have invaded are discussed in relation to other evidence for anthropochorous dispersal.     

Lack of support for Rensch's rule in an intraspecific test using red flour beetle (Tribolium castaneum) populations

Rensch's rule proposes a universal allometric scaling phenomenon across species where sexual size dimorphism (SSD) has evolved: in taxa with male‐biased dimorphism, degree of SSD should increase with overall body size, and in taxa with female‐biased dimorphism, degree of SSD should decrease with increasing average body size. Rensch's rule appears to hold widely across taxa where SSD is male‐biased, but not consistently when SSD is female‐biased. Furthermore, studies addressing this question within species are rare, so it remains unclear whether this rule applies at the intraspecific level. We assess body size and SSD within Tribolium castaneum (Herbst), a species where females are larger than males, using 21 populations derived from separate locations across the world, and maintained in isolated laboratory culture for at least 20 years. Body size, and hence SSD patterns, are highly susceptible to variations in temperature, diet quality and other environmental factors. Crucially, here we nullify interference of such confounds as all populations were maintained under identical conditions (similar densities, standard diet and exposed to identical temperature, relative humidity and photoperiod). We measured thirty beetles of each sex for all populations, and found body size variation across populations, and (as expected) female‐biased SSD in all populations. We test whether Rensch's rule holds for our populations, but find isometry, i.e. no allometry for SSD. Our results thus show that Rensch's rule does not hold across populations within this species. Our intraspecific test matches previous interspecific studies showing that Rensch's rule fails in species with female‐biased SSD.     

Evidence for Gondwanan vicariance in an ancient clade of gecko lizards

Aim Geckos (Reptilia: Squamata), due to their great age and global distribution, are excellent candidates to test hypotheses of Gondwanan vicariance against post‐Gondwanan dispersal. Our aims are: to generate a phylogeny of the sphaerodactyl geckos and their closest relatives; evaluate previous phylogenetic hypotheses of the sphaerodactyl geckos with regard to the other major gecko lineages; and to use divergence date estimates to inform a biogeographical scenario regarding Gondwanan relationships and assess the roles of vicariance and dispersal in shaping the current distributions of the New World sphaerodactyl geckos and their closest Old World relatives. Location Africa, Asia, Europe, South America, Atlantic Ocean. Methods We used parsimony and partitioned Bayesian methods to analyse data from five nuclear genes to generate a phylogeny for the New World sphaerodactyl geckos and their close Old World relatives. We used dispersal–vicariance analysis to determine ancestral area relationships among clades, and divergence times were estimated from the phylogeny using nonparametric rate smoothing. Results We recovered a monophyletic group containing the New World sphaerodactyl genera, Coleodactylus, Gonatodes, Lepidoblepharis, Pseudogonatodes and Sphaerodactylus, and the Old World Gekkotan genera Aristelliger, Euleptes, Quedenfeldtia, Pristurus, Saurodactylus and Teratoscincus. The dispersal–vicariance analysis indicated that the ancestral area for this clade was North Africa and surrounding regions. The divergence between the New World spaherodactyl geckos and their closest Old World relative was estimated to have occurred c. 96 Myr bp . Main conclusions Here we provide the first molecular genetic phylogenetic hypothesis of the New World sphaerodactyl geckos and their closest Old World relatives. A combination of divergence date estimates and dispersal–vicariance analysis informed a biogeographical scenario indicating that the split between the sphaerodactyl geckos and their African relatives coincided with the Africa/South America split and the opening of the Atlantic Ocean. We resurrect the family name Sphaerodactylidae to represent the expanded sphaerodactyl clade.     

Effect of selected pseudoguaianolides on survival of the flour beetle, Tribolium confusum

Four pseudoguaianolides, parthenin, helinalin, coronopilin and tenulin, were tested for their effects on survival of the confused flour beetle, Tribolium confusum. Tenulin had no significant effect in concentrations tested but the other three compounds significantly reduced survival of the beetles when present in food in concentrations higher than 3.0%. It is suggested that the α-methylene-γ-lactone moiety (absent in tenulin but present in the other three lactones) is responsible for the detrimental properties of selected pseudoguaianolides on survival of flour beetles, whereas the α-β-unsaturated ketone functionality (present in tenulin, parthenin, and helenalin)does not contribute to those properties.     

Evidence for host race formation in the leaf beetle Galerucella lineola

We examined preference and performance of four Finnish Galerucella lineola F. populations on alder and willow. In standardized two‐choice laboratory feeding trials with alder and willow, only two naturally alder‐associated G. lineola populations accepted alder. Two conspecific willow‐associated populations preferred willow. These preferences seem to be unstable, however, because they can be modified by the beetles’ experience. Thus, there probably is not a complete host preference‐based isolation of alder‐ and willow‐associated G. lineola beetles in nature. In performance experiments, larvae of all four populations survived better on willow than on alder. This may indicate that willows are the ancestral hosts for G. lineola. Nevertheless, larvae of the two alder‐associated G. lineola populations survived better on alder than larvae of the two willow‐associated populations. On the other hand, larvae of the two willow‐associated populations survived better on willow than larvae of the two alder‐associated populations. This performance trade‐off suggests that G. lineola encounters different selective pressures on alders and willows. On both of them, selection probably disfavours those G. lineola genotypes that are the most successful and abundant on alternative hosts. This may reduce the effects of gene flow that is likely to occur as a consequence of incomplete host preference‐based isolation of alder‐ and willow‐associated G. lineola populations. Data from pupal weights support the idea that alder‐ and willow‐associated G. lineola populations may be genetically differentiated. Pupae of the two alder‐associated populations were heavier than those of the willow‐associated populations irrespective of whether larvae had fed on alder or on willow. Overall, our results indicate host race formation in G. lineola. This process may be enforced by the variable abundance of alders and willows in local communities.     

Evolution of beetle bioluminescence: the origin of beetle luciferin

Bioluminescence, the conversion of chemical energy into light in living organisms, is dependent on two principal components, an enzyme luciferase and the substrate luciferin. In beetles, the enzyme luciferase has been extensively studied, with signi?cant enzymological, sequence and structural data now available. Furthermore, the enzyme has been employed in a remarkable number of important applications, from microbial detection and medical imaging to GM gene expression studies. However, there is little information regarding the biosynthesis of beetle luciferin, and here we review the literature and speculate as to its evolutionary origins. Luciferin consists of a benzothiazole moiety attached to a thiazole carboxylic acid moiety, the former being rarely observed in nature but the latter being observed in a broad range of biologically derived molecules. Benzothiazoles are, however, observed in melanogenesis and we speculate as to whether this may be relevant to the understanding of luciferin biosynthesis in beetles. This review examines recent novel insights into beetle luciferin recycling and we assess a range of possible biosynthetic mechanisms. Copyright © 2004 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

The larvae of Gnaptorina felicitana and Agnaptoria amdoensis of the tribe Blaptini from China(Coleoptera:Tenebrionidae)

This paper describes the morphological data of the larvae of two species from the tribe Blaptini Leach,1815.The two species are Gnaptorina felicitana Reitter and Agnaptoria amdoensis G.Medvedev,whose larvae have not been reported up to now.In this paper,morphological characters,informations of specimen,and character figures of the two species' larvae are provided.A key to the two genera and the reported species is listed here.The larvae specimens are deposited in the Museum of Hebei University.     

The effects of temperature,relative humidity,light, and resource quality on flight initiation in the red flour beetle,Tribolium castaneum

We investigated the environmental conditions that induce a flight response in the red flour beetle, Tribolium castaneumHerbst (Coleoptera: Tenebrionidae), including resource quality, temperature, relative humidity, and light. Over 72‐h trial periods, we observed the proportion of individuals emigrating by flight to range from 0.0 in extreme heat or cold to 0.82 with starvation. Resource quality, presence of a light source, and temperature all directly influenced the initiation of the flight response. We did not detect any effect of relative humidity or sudden change in temperature on the incidence of flight. We discuss our findings in the context of Tribolium ecology and evolution.     

Dispersal and diversity in the earliest North American sauropodomorph dinosaurs, with a description of a new taxon

Sauropodomorph dinosaurs originated in the Southern Hemisphere in the Middle or Late Triassic and are commonly portrayed as spreading rapidly to all corners of Pangaea as part of a uniform Late Triassic to Early Jurassic cosmopolitan dinosaur fauna. Under this model, dispersal allegedly inhibited dinosaurian diversification, while vicariance and local extinction enhanced it. However, apomorphy-based analyses of the known fossil record indicate that sauropodomorphs were absent in North America until the Early Jurassic, reframing the temporal context of their arrival. We describe a new taxon from the Kayenta Formation of Arizona that comprises the third diagnosable sauropodomorph from the Early Jurassic of North America. We analysed its relationships to test whether sauropodomorphs reached North America in a single sweepstakes event or in separate dispersals. Our finding of separate arrivals by all three taxa suggests dispersal as a chief factor in dinosaurian diversification during at least the early Mesozoic. It questions whether a 'cosmopolitan' dinosaur fauna ever existed, and corroborates that vicariance, extinction and dispersal did not operate uniformly in time or under uniform conditions during the Mesozoic. Their relative importance is best measured in narrow time slices and circumscribed geographical regions.     

Contribution to the Tribes Diaperini Doyen in Korea (Coleoptera: Tenebrionidae: Diaperinae)

A taxonomic review of six genera of Korean Diaperini is presented. Seven species in Korea are described here. We provide a key to the Korean species and genera, diagnoses and photos for them.     

Impact of microgravity and hypergravity on free‐running circadian rhythm of the desert beetle Trigonoscelis gigas reitt.

Abstract

Free‐running circadian rhythms of locomotor activity of Tenebrionid beetles Trigonoscelis gigas Reitt., taken from the Turkmenian sand desert, were monitored in DD. The effects of microgravity (μG) ‐11 days in space flight aboard the Russian BION‐10 “COSMOS”; satellite, and of 2G hypergravity ‐ seven days on a centrifuge, were determined.

Two kinds of effects were found.

In stable 2‐peak records, there was a moderate decrease of τ in μG and an increase of τ in 2G, both of about 0.3 hr.

In unstable records, alterations of gravity caused drastic deviations of τ and ?. Remarkably, two peaks of the activity rhythm, which are supposed to be controlled by separate oscillators, responded to gravity transitions in different ways.

Gravity effects on the circadian system could be explained from a direct effect on the oscillator(s) itself or from a feed‐back by altered locomotion to the pacemaker.

Thus, for the first time the gravity dependence of a free‐running circadian rhythm was proved in a combination of real space flight and centrifuge experiments.     

Molecular evidence for multiple infections of a new subgroup of Wolbachia in the European raspberry beetle Byturus tomentosus

Wolbachia, a group of maternally inherited intracellular parasitic bacteria, alter host reproduction, including the induction of thelytokous parthenogenesis, feminization of genetic males, son killing and, most commonly, the induction of cytoplasmic incompatibility (CI), in a diverse array of arthropods. CI can result in infertility and has attracted attention because of its potential in biological control and as an agent in speciation. Although there has been some analysis of overall infection rates in arthropods and within individual insect orders, there has been little exploration of within-species variation. In this study, primers specific for the ftsZ gene of Wolbachia were used to amplify it from different geographical samples of the European raspberry beetle (Byturus tomentosus), confirming the presence of Wolbachia. More than 99% of UK individuals were found to be infected with Wolbachia and 97% of these B. tomentosus beetles harboured multiple infections. Preliminary analysis of B. tomentosus beetles from continental European populations revealed a lower level of infection (24%) than those from the UK. Phylogenetic analysis using the ftsZ DNA sequences places Wolbachia from B. tomentosus into a new clade (Abt) within the A division, with some revisions to the existing Wolbachia phylogeny.     

Notes of the genus Chlorophila Semenow with descriptions of two new species from China (Coleoptera: Tenebrionidae: Lagriinae: Lagriini: Statiriina)

The genus Chlorophila Semenow, 1891 is reviewed with all known eight species worldwide in this present paper. Two new species, Chlorophila carinadorsum sp. n. and Chlorophila longicornia sp. n. are described. Four known species are described again from freshly collected specimens. The diagnostic characters of, and a key to all known eight species are provided.www.zoobank.org/urn:lsid:zoobank.org:pub:8DFE3353-9B83-4950-ACE9-918A42017C56.     

Mimicking natural disturbances of boreal forests: the effects of controlled burning and creating dead wood on beetle diversity

The young successional stages of boreal forests are an important habitat for many saproxylic species. These habitats are formed by disturbances such as forest fires and they are characterized by large volumes of dead wood and sun-exposed conditions. Today, young successional stages of natural origin are very rare in Fennoscandia and there is need for restoration. We constructed a large-scale field experiment in which we studied the effects of two restoration practices on beetle diversity: controlled burning and partial harvesting with creating different volumes of dead wood. We sampled beetles with flight-intercept traps recording a total of 56,031 individuals and 755 species. The species richness and abundance of both saproxylic and non-saproxylic beetles were increased by burning and harvesting but the volume of dead wood created on harvested sites had no short-term effect on species richness or abundance. Rare species, especially saproxylic ones, preferred burned sites and a similar trend was observed among red-listed and pyrophilous species. Burning and harvesting also resulted in different species assemblages and there were some additional differences according to the volume of dead wood. We conclude that fire can be successfully used in restoration of managed boreal forests to increase species diversity and to facilitate the recovery of declined species. However, long-term monitoring is needed to clarify the effects of the restoration practices, in particular those of creating dead wood without using fire.     

基于防御腺特征的中国刺甲族属级阶元系统发育分析（鞘翅目: 拟步甲科）

基于18个代表种的防御腺特征, 探讨了中国刺甲族(Platyscelidini)4个属的分类地位和系统发育关系。通过对防御腺的着生位置、形状及其长度和宽度、腺体间距及其表面花纹和皱褶等重要特征的分析, 归纳出属级和族级的防御腺特征。利用SPSS 13.0和Hennig 86（1.5）2个软件对所选定的防御腺特征分别进行聚类分析和进化分析, 两者结果均支持刺甲族现有分类体系的稳定性, 且后者提出刺甲族4属的系统发育关系为: （Myatis +Bioramix）+（Oodescelis + Platyscelis）     

中国琵甲属八新种（鞘翅目：拟步甲科：琵甲族）

记述中国琵甲属8新种：甘孜琵甲Blaps garzica,sp,nov,叉尾琵甲B.furcala,sp.nov。,太原琵甲B.taiyuanica,Sp,nov.,尖角琵甲B.acutangula,sp.nov., 周氏琵甲B.choui,sp.nov.,多毛琵甲Bpilosa,sp.,nov.,短体琵甲B.brevis,sp.nov和圆形琵甲B.ratalaria,sp,nov。模式标本保存在河北大学博物馆。