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Current Biology : CB Jan 2017Joe Parker introduces the staphylinids or 'rove beetles', the most species-rich groups of insect on Earth.
Joe Parker introduces the staphylinids or 'rove beetles', the most species-rich groups of insect on Earth.
Topics: Animals; Biological Evolution; Coleoptera; Ecosystem; Models, Biological
PubMed: 28118583
DOI: 10.1016/j.cub.2016.07.050 -
Current Opinion in Genetics &... Aug 2021Insects have evolved tremendously diverse wing colour patterns that fulfil ecologically vital functions, including intraspecific sexual signalling, mimesis, mimicry, and... (Review)
Review
Insects have evolved tremendously diverse wing colour patterns that fulfil ecologically vital functions, including intraspecific sexual signalling, mimesis, mimicry, and detering predators. Beetles, which form the most species-rich order Coleoptera, have amazingly diverse wing colour patterns; however, the molecular mechanisms that give rise to these patterns remain poorly understood. Recently, the gene pannier (pnr), which encodes a transcription factor of the GATA family, was identified as an essential player in the wing patterning of the multi-coloured Asian ladybird beetle Harmonia axyridis. Here we review recent progress in understanding the molecular underpinnings of wing colour pattern formation in H. axyridis.
Topics: Animals; Biological Evolution; Coleoptera; Color; Gene Expression Regulation; Phenotype; Pigmentation; Wings, Animal
PubMed: 33744509
DOI: 10.1016/j.gde.2021.02.007 -
Scientific Reports Nov 2022Most species are embedded in multi-interaction networks. Consequently, theories focusing on simple pair-wise interactions cannot predict ecological and/or evolutionary...
Most species are embedded in multi-interaction networks. Consequently, theories focusing on simple pair-wise interactions cannot predict ecological and/or evolutionary outcomes. This study explores how cascading higher-order interactions (HOIs) would affect the population dynamics of a focal species. Employing a system that involves a myrmecophylic beetle, a parasitic wasp that attacks the beetle, an ant, and a parasitic fly that attacks the ant, the study explores how none, one, and two HOIs affect the parasitism and the sex ratio of the beetle. We conducted mesocosm experiments to examine these HOIs on beetle survival and sex ratio and found that the 1st degree HOI does not change the beetle's survival rate or sex ratio. However, the 2nd degree HOI significantly reduces the beetle's survival rate and changes its sex ratio from even to strongly female-biased. We applied Bayes' theorem to analyze the per capita survival probability of female vs. male beetles and suggested that the unexpected results might arise from complex eco-evolutionary dynamics involved with the 1st and 2nd degree HOIs. Field data suggested the HOIs significantly regulate the sex ratio of the beetle. As the same structure of HOIs appears in other systems, we believe the complexity associated with the 2nd degree HOI would be more common than known and deserve more scientific attention.
Topics: Animals; Female; Male; Bayes Theorem; Coleoptera; Population Dynamics; Wasps
PubMed: 36371593
DOI: 10.1038/s41598-022-23763-z -
Animal Cognition Nov 2021Spatial orientation is important for animals to forage, mate, migrate, and escape certain threats, and can require simple to complex cognitive abilities and behaviours.... (Review)
Review
Spatial orientation is important for animals to forage, mate, migrate, and escape certain threats, and can require simple to complex cognitive abilities and behaviours. As these behaviours are more difficult to experimentally test in vertebrates, considerable research has focussed on investigating spatial orientation in insects. However, the majority of insect spatial orientation research tends to focus on a few taxa of interest, especially social insects. Beetles present an interesting insect group to study in this respect, due to their diverse taxonomy and biology, and prevalence as agricultural pests. In this article, I review research on beetle spatial orientation. Then, I use this synthesis to discuss mechanisms beetles employ in the context of different behaviours that require orientation or navigation. I conclude by discussing two future avenues for behavioural research on this topic, which could lead to more robust conclusions on how species in this diverse order are able to traverse through a wide variety of environments.
Topics: Animals; Coleoptera; Space Perception
PubMed: 33846895
DOI: 10.1007/s10071-021-01513-4 -
Current Opinion in Insect Science Feb 2018The order Coleoptera (beetles) is arguably the most species-rich lineage of animals. Beetles exhibit an extraordinary variety of life histories and occupy most... (Review)
Review
The order Coleoptera (beetles) is arguably the most species-rich lineage of animals. Beetles exhibit an extraordinary variety of life histories and occupy most terrestrial environments. Whole genome sequences are available for 11 beetle species, only six of which have been published. Studies of beetle genomes have revealed remarkable new insights into the genomic basis and evolution of beetle life histories and other aspects of beetle biodiversity, including the genes underlying chemoperception, detoxification, and specialized plant feeding, as well as the role of horizontal gene transfer in elaboration of the beetle trophic repertoire. Nonetheless, such studies are in their infancy. The study of beetle genomes has the potential to further revolutionize our understanding of beetle biodiversity, but genomic studies of beetles remain seriously limited in scope and resolution by the very few genomes that are currently available for study.
Topics: Animals; Biodiversity; Coleoptera; Female; Genome, Insect; Male; Phylogeny
PubMed: 29602365
DOI: 10.1016/j.cois.2017.12.002 -
Journal of Proteome Research Oct 2022Neuropeptides are signaling molecules that regulate almost all physiological processes in animals. Around 50 different genes for neuropeptides have been described in...
Neuropeptides are signaling molecules that regulate almost all physiological processes in animals. Around 50 different genes for neuropeptides have been described in insects. In , which is the largest insect order based on numbers of described species, knowledge about neuropeptides and protein hormones is still limited to a few species. Here, we analyze the neuropeptidomes of two closely related tenebrionid beetles: and ─both of which are model species in physiological and pharmacological research. We combined transcriptomic and mass spectrometry analyses of the central nervous system to identify neuropeptides and neuropeptide-like and protein hormones. Several precursors were identified in and , of which 50 and 40, respectively, were confirmed by mass spectrometry. This study provides the basis for further functional studies of neuropeptides as well as for the design of environmentally friendly and species-specific peptidomimetics to be used as biopesticides. Furthermore, since has become accepted by the European Food Safety Authority as a novel food, a deeper knowledge of the neuropeptidome of this species will prove useful for optimizing production programs at an industrial scale.
Topics: Animals; Biological Control Agents; Coleoptera; Hormones; Larva; Neuropeptides; Peptidomimetics; Tenebrio
PubMed: 36107737
DOI: 10.1021/acs.jproteome.1c00694 -
Journal of the American Academy of... May 1990Blister beetle dermatosis is a distinctive vesiculobullous eruption that occurs after contact with three major groups of beetles (Order: Coleoptera). It is caused by a... (Review)
Review
Blister beetle dermatosis is a distinctive vesiculobullous eruption that occurs after contact with three major groups of beetles (Order: Coleoptera). It is caused by a vesicant chemical contained in the body fluids of the beetles. The smallest and least known family is the Oedemeridae. Although there are few references in the medical literature, blister beetle dermatosis caused by oedemerids may be more common and widespread than currently recognized. The best known family is the Meloidae with numerous species worldwide causing blistering. The vesicant chemical in both Oedemeridae and Meloidae is cantharidin. The third group of blister beetles includes species of the genus Paederus (Family: Staphylinidae). The clinicopathologic picture differs because this genus contains a different vesicant agent, pederin. The clinicopathologic features of oedemerid blister beetle dermatosis are described. The world medical and relevant entomologic literature is reviewed.
Topics: Animals; Cantharidin; Coleoptera; Dermatitis, Contact; Humans; New Zealand; Seasons; Skin Diseases, Vesiculobullous
PubMed: 2189910
DOI: 10.1016/0190-9622(90)70114-w -
Insect Molecular Biology Feb 2020The insect odorant receptors (ORs) are amongst the largest gene families in insect genomes and the primary means by which insects recognize volatile compounds. The...
The insect odorant receptors (ORs) are amongst the largest gene families in insect genomes and the primary means by which insects recognize volatile compounds. The evolution of ORs is thus instrumental in explaining the chemical ecology of insects and as a model of evolutionary biology. However, although ORs have been described from numerous insect species, their analysis within and amongst the insect orders has been hindered by a combination of limited genomic information and a tendency of the OR family toward rapid divergence, gain, and loss. We addressed these issues in the insect order Coleoptera through a targeted genomic annotation effort that included 1181 ORs from one species of the sister order Strepsiptera and 10 species representing the four coleopteran suborders. The numbers of ORs in each species varied from hundreds to fewer than 10, but coleopteran ORs could nevertheless be represented within a scheme of nine monophyletic subfamilies. We observed many radiations and losses of genes amongst OR subfamilies, and the diversity of ORs appeared to parallel the host breadth of the study species. However, some small lineages of ORs persisted amongst many coleopteran families, suggesting receptors of key function that underlie the olfactory ecology of beetles.
Topics: Animals; Coleoptera; Evolution, Molecular; Genome, Insect; Phylogeny; Receptors, Odorant
PubMed: 31381201
DOI: 10.1111/imb.12611 -
Journal of the Royal Society, Interface Apr 2009Members of the order Coleoptera are sometimes referred to as 'living jewels', in allusion to the strikingly diverse array of iridescence mechanisms and optical effects... (Review)
Review
Members of the order Coleoptera are sometimes referred to as 'living jewels', in allusion to the strikingly diverse array of iridescence mechanisms and optical effects that have arisen in beetles. A number of novel and sophisticated reflectance mechanisms have been discovered in recent years, including three-dimensional photonic crystals and quasi-ordered coherent scattering arrays. However, the literature on beetle structural coloration is often redundant and lacks synthesis, with little interchange between the entomological and optical research communities. Here, an overview is provided for all iridescence mechanisms observed in Coleoptera. Types of iridescence are illustrated and classified into three mechanistic groups: multilayer reflectors, three-dimensional photonic crystals and diffraction gratings. Taxonomic and phylogenetic distributions are provided, along with discussion of the putative functions and evolutionary pathways by which iridescence has repeatedly arisen in beetles.
Topics: Animals; Coleoptera; Optical Phenomena; Phylogeny
PubMed: 18957361
DOI: 10.1098/rsif.2008.0354.focus -
Doklady. Biochemistry and Biophysics Aug 2022The structure of the brain of the smallest coleopteran, Scydosella musawasensis Hall, 1999, is described for the first time. As in other extremely small beetles, the...
The structure of the brain of the smallest coleopteran, Scydosella musawasensis Hall, 1999, is described for the first time. As in other extremely small beetles, the brain of S. musawasensis displays signs of miniaturization: displacement to the thorax, compactization, and a small number and size of the neurons. The body size of the studied smallest beetle is similar to that of the minute hymenopteran Megaphragma, which has a nearly anucleate nervous system. However, the structure of the brain of the studied smallest beetle is similar to that of large representatives of the order and is characterized by a high number of nuclei in the brain and a significant volume of the cell body rind. The neuropil of S. musawasensis occupies 60% of the brain volume, confirming the neuropilar constant rule.
Topics: Animals; Body Size; Brain; Coleoptera; Neurons
PubMed: 36038683
DOI: 10.1134/S1607672922040068