Defenses of Water Insects

Stirring up the relationship between quantified environmental DNA concentrations and exoskeleton‐shedding invertebrate densities

“…This contrasts with several studies on fish and amphibians for which a wider range of conditions seems to be suitable for the detection of correlations between eDNA concentrations and organism densities (Evans et al, 2016;Hänfling et al, 2016;Lacoursière-Roussel et al, 2016;Pilliod et al, 2013;Saitoh et al, 2016;Valentini et al, 2016). Since a large proportion of invertebrates shed exoskeletons and invertebrates, in turn, represent a large proportion of freshwater fauna, the results from this study likely reflect the situation for a significant part of the freshwater biodiversity (Albrecht et al, 2007;Baxter et al, 2005;Covich et al, 1999;Dettner, 2019;Moore, 2006;Pereira et al, 2012;Wallace & Webster, 1996). This would indicate that densities of this very diverse group of organisms might be quantifiable by eDNA techniques after all, in conditions described above.…”

The morphological evolution of the Adephaga (Coleoptera)

“…Within Haliplidae, a sister‐group relationship between Peltodytes and the remaining genera (Fig. ) is well established (Beutel & Ruhnau, ; Baca et al ., ; Vondel, ), including recently with an evaluation of the morphology of the pygidial glands (Dettner, ). Peltodytes displays autapomorphies such as a narrowed epistome and metacoxal plates which cover the abdominal venter almost completely.…”

The enduring value of reciprocal illumination in the era of insect phylogenomics: a response to Cai et al. (2020)

“…Pygidial defence glands occur in all adephagan beetles (Forsyth, 1968, 1970, 1972). Prothoracic glands are only known to occur in the families Hygrobiidae and Dytiscidae (Forsyth, 1968, 1970, 1972; Beutel et al ., 2006; Dettner, 2019). In general, prothoracic exocrine glands are present in various beetle families (e.g.…”