﻿Comparative morphology and key to Amydetinae genera, with description of three new firefly species (Coleoptera, Lampyridae)

Campello, Lucas; Vaz, Stéphanie; Mermudes, José Ricardo M.; Ferreira, André Luís de Souza; Silveira, Luiz Felipe Lima da

doi:10.3897/zookeys.1114.77692

Cited by 4 publications

(1 citation statement)

References 26 publications

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“…However, species of the latter subfamily have moreor-less narrowed and dehiscent elytra, which expose a part of the dorsal abdomen and the hind wings. Females of all three groups are unknown but presumably highly paedomorphic (Campello et al, 2022;Ferreira et al, 2019Ferreira et al, , 2020. In the morphologically diverse Ototretinae, males usually do not have distinctly shortened elytra, although one or two abdominal tergites are exposed in some cases.…”

Section: Superfamily Elateroideamentioning

confidence: 99%

When a key innovation becomes redundant: Patterns, drivers and consequences of elytral reduction in Coleoptera

Goczał,

Beutel,

Gimmel

et al. 2023

Systematic Entomology

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The transformation of the fore wings into strongly sclerotized protective covers (elytra) is considered a fundamental evolutionary innovation of the megadiverse order Coleoptera. Surprisingly, these multifunctional structures have been reduced in many distantly related groups of beetles. Patterns, drivers and the evolutionary implications of this modification have never been comprehensively discussed. In the present study, we surveyed the entire order Coleoptera to analyse the patterns of elytral shortening and loss, with a special focus on prevalence, forms, degree of reduction and the functional background of this significant deviation from the coleopteran ground plan. Our analysis revealed that about 20% of all extant species (roughly 88,000 out of 442,275 spp.), distributed across all four suborders, have shortened or even absent elytra. The elytral loss was more frequent within the polyphagan series Elateriformia and Staphyliniformia. Moreover, we found that elytral reduction has independently occurred multiple times in the evolutionary history of Coleoptera and that it has been driven by a wide array of selective drivers. One of the main drivers is the improved flexibility of the uncovered abdomen and the correlated increased manoeuvrability in narrow spaces, as well as the option of using the flexible abdomen as a steering organ or to facilitate mating. Another common driver is mimicry, where exposed metathoracic wings potentially improve the overall similarity to hymenopteran models. Exposure of the abdomen can facilitate the targeted release of defensive abdominal gland secretions and was most likely a crucial step towards establishing relations with social insects enhanced by chemical communication. In the Elateriformia, and rarely in other lineages, elytral loss is a consequence of paedomorphosis, related to a specific resource‐allocation strategy. In many groups of beetles with reduced elytra, alternative defensive strategies can be found. This includes, for instance, aposematic coloration, chemical defence, mimicry or bioluminescence. Direct drivers of elytral loss in many groups remain unclear, and more studies are needed to understand the evolutionary background and implications of this significant morphological modification in Coleoptera.

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Section: Superfamily Elateroideamentioning

confidence: 99%

When a key innovation becomes redundant: Patterns, drivers and consequences of elytral reduction in Coleoptera

Goczał,

Beutel,

Gimmel

et al. 2023

Systematic Entomology

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Phylogeny of Scissicauda Species, with Eight New Species, including the First Photinini Fireflies with Biflabellate Antennae (Coleoptera: Lampyridae)

et al. 2023

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Photinini is the largest tribe of Lampyrinae fireflies, with over 30 genera and nearly 750 species, and includes taxa where adults may or may not have light organs. A focus on taxa with bioluminescent adults left the taxonomy of dark fireflies in poor condition compared to taxa with lit adults. A recent phylogenetic study based on molecular data supported the transfer of Scissicauda McDermott, 1964—traditionally placed in Amydetinae due to the flabellate antenna of its type species—to Photinini at a branch sided with Pyropyga Motschulsky, 1852 and Pyractonema Solier, 1849. Such placement had never been recovered before in morphology-based studies, and the consequences for the interpretation of character evolution in this lineage are yet to be addressed. Moreover, Scissicauda was previously thought to be endemic to the Atlantic Forest. Here, through phylogenetic analyses of 38 taxa and 108 morphological characters, we (i) expand on the concept of Scissicauda to include S. antennata sp. nov., S. asymmetrica sp. nov., S. aurata sp. nov., S. biflabellata sp. nov., S. gomesi sp. nov., S. jamari sp. nov., S. neyi sp. nov., S. truncata sp. nov., and (ii) transfer Lucidota malleri Pic, 1935 and, therefore, S. malleri comb. nov. We also recover Pyropyga + Pyractonema as sister to Scissicauda + Haplocauda, providing the first morphological evidence for their sisterhood. Noteworthy, the new species S. biflabellata sp. nov. and S. asymmetrica sp. nov. stand out as the first known Photinini species with biflabellate antennae. In addition, our study reports the first Scissicauda species in the Amazon (S. antennata sp. nov., S. aurata sp. nov., S. gomesi sp. nov., S. jamari sp. nov., and S. truncata sp. nov.) and Cerrado biome (S. neyi sp. nov.). Our study highlights the value of continued sampling and phylogenetic analyses of South American fireflies towards a revised classification and deeper understanding of this lineage.

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Illuminating Firefly Diversity: Trends, Threats and Conservation Strategies

Lewis,

Jusoh,

Walker

et al. 2024

Insects

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Fireflies are a diverse group of bioluminescent beetles belonging to the family Lampyridae. Recent research on their diversity, evolution, behavior and conservation has greatly advanced our scientific understanding of these charismatic insects. In this review, we first summarize new discoveries about their taxonomic and ecological diversity, then focus on recent endeavors to identify and protect threatened fireflies around the world. We outline the main threats linked to recent population declines (habitat loss and degradation, light pollution, pesticide overuse, climate change and tourism) and describe relevant risk factors that predict which species will be particularly vulnerable to these threats. Although global coordination of firefly conservation efforts has begun only recently, considerable progress has already been made. We describe work by the IUCN SSC Firefly Specialist Group to identify species currently facing elevated extinction risks and to devise conservation strategies to protect them. To date, IUCN Red List assessments have been completed for 150 firefly taxa, about 20% of which face heightened extinction risks. The conservation status for many species has yet to be determined due to insufficient information, although targeted surveys and community science projects have contributed valuable new data. Finally, we highlight some examples of successful firefly habitat protection and restoration efforts, and we use the framework of the IUCN SSC Species Conservation Cycle to point out high-priority actions for future firefly conservation efforts.

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Comparative morphology and key to Amydetinae genera, with description of three new firefly species (Coleoptera, Lampyridae)

Cited by 4 publications

References 26 publications

When a key innovation becomes redundant: Patterns, drivers and consequences of elytral reduction in Coleoptera

When a key innovation becomes redundant: Patterns, drivers and consequences of elytral reduction in Coleoptera

Phylogeny of Scissicauda Species, with Eight New Species, including the First Photinini Fireflies with Biflabellate Antennae (Coleoptera: Lampyridae)

Illuminating Firefly Diversity: Trends, Threats and Conservation Strategies

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﻿Comparative morphology and key to Amydetinae genera, with description of three new firefly species (Coleoptera, Lampyridae)

Cited by 4 publications

References 26 publications

When a key innovation becomes redundant: Patterns, drivers and consequences of elytral reduction in Coleoptera

When a key innovation becomes redundant: Patterns, drivers and consequences of elytral reduction in Coleoptera

Phylogeny of Scissicauda Species, with Eight New Species, including the First Photinini Fireflies with Biflabellate Antennae (Coleoptera: Lampyridae)

Illuminating Firefly Diversity: Trends, Threats and Conservation Strategies

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Comparative morphology and key to Amydetinae genera, with description of three new firefly species (Coleoptera, Lampyridae)