Cladistic analysis of Omalodini Kryzhanovskij (Coleoptera: Histeridae: Histerinae)

Abstract

According to the current Histeridae classification, Omalodini is composed of 100 species described in 12 genera distributed in the Neotropical, Afrotropical, Marseul; Theropatina Mazur. Our aims were to test the monophyly of Omalodini, using cladistic analysis, and propose a hypothesis of the phylogeny of the tribe. The matrix was composed of 49 terminal taxa (34 from the ingroup and 15 from the outgroup) and 131 characters of the adult morphology. The data were analysed under equal weights and implied weights. In both analyses, Omalodini represents a polyphyletic group and the trees obtained from equal weights analysis (two most parsimonious trees) were chosen in order to recover the tribe's monophyly. We recognize three lineages in Omalodini: Ebonius, undescribed genus and Omalodes, being supported by six transformations (Ebonius + (undescribed genus + Omalodes)). The sister group of Omalodini was defined as a clade composed of Histerini, Platysomatini and Hololeptini. The subgenera of Omalodes were not resolved consistently under different implied weight analyses. It is necessary to emphasize that Omalodes (Omalodes) comprises the largest group of Omalodini and requires an analysis with better sampling for more precise resolution of the internal phylogeny of the genus. The groups excluded a posteriori from Omalodini, Theropatina, Asolenus, Atribalus, Blypotehus, Lewisister, Notolister, Perfidolenus, Rhypochares, Sphyracus and Scapomegas, could not be allocated to any of the existing tribes of Histerinae.

New species of Omalodes and redefinition of the tribe Omalodini (Coleoptera: Histeridae: Histerinae)

“…nov. represents a lineage somewhat distinct from all other known species of the genus, showing the following possible autapomorphies: lateral metaventral stria oblique and pro-meso and metatibiae with a row of setae on outer submarginal region (Leivas et al 2014). On the other hand, it shares several characters of the genus, such as: apical region of the scape with a subrectangular projection; antennal club with pseudosutures inwardly arcuate; carinal striae of prosternal keel subparallel; marginal mesoventral stria interrupted at the middle (in most species); anterior tibiae with a differentiated sulcus with setae adjacent to the tarsal cavity; and pygidium longer than the half of propygidium length (Leivas et al 2014). Omalodes atacamanus sp.…”

“…Thus, according to the study of Leivas et al (2014), the new taxon appears to represent sister species of all other Omalodes, and as such be placed in a new subgenus. In the present study, we however have kept a conservative position because a comprehensive phylogenetic analysis of Omalodes has not yet been provided, and the monophyly of the subgenera of Omalodes have not yet been rigorously tested.…”

Chave de identificação e diagnose dos Histeridae (Insecta: Coleoptera) de interesse forense do Brasil

“…A chave dicotômica e as diagnoses foram baseadas nos caracteres levantados no estudo morfológico e em Arriagada (1986), Mazur (2001) e Aballay et al (2013) e a terminologia adotada seguiu Leivas et al (2015).…”

A revision of Megalocraerus Lewis, 1902 (Coleoptera, Histeridae: Exosternini)

“…Recent attempts to resolve phylogenetic relationships in Exosternini and Histerinae (Caterino and Tishechkin 2015, Leivas et al 2015) have mostly served to show that none of the tribes of Histerinae are monophyletic as currently constituted (perhaps true even of the subfamily). However, Megalocraerus is closely related to most other Neotropical Exosternini, with particularly close relationships to Hypobletus Schmidt.…”