The evolutionary ecology of the Lygaeidae

Abstract

The Lygaeidae (sensu lato) are a highly successful family of true bugs found worldwide, yet many aspects of their ecology and evolution remain obscure or unknown. While a few species have attracted considerable attention as model species for the study of insect physiology, it is only relatively recently that biologists have begun to explore aspects of their behavior, life history evolution, and patterns of intra- and interspecific ecological interactions across more species. As a result though, a range of new phenotypes and opportunities for addressing current questions in evolutionary ecology has been uncovered. For example, researchers have revealed hitherto unexpectedly rich patterns of bacterial symbiosis, begun to explore the evolutionary function of the family's complex genitalia, and also found evidence of parthenogenesis. Here we review our current understanding of the biology and ecology of the group as a whole, focusing on several of the best-studied characteristics of the group, including aposematism (i.e., the evolution of warning coloration), chemical communication, sexual selection (especially, postcopulatory sexual selection), sexual conflict, and patterns of host-endosymbiont coevolution. Importantly, many of these aspects of lygaeid biology are likely to interact, offering new avenues for research, for instance into how the evolution of aposematism influences sexual selection. With the growing availability of genomic tools for previously “non-model” organisms, combined with the relative ease of keeping many of the polyphagous species in the laboratory, we argue that these bugs offer many opportunities for behavioral and evolutionary ecologists.

Molecular evolutionary trends and feeding ecology diversification in the Hemiptera, anchored by the milkweed bug genome

“…, Figs. 1, 9, [20, 21]). For black coloration, the melanin synthesis pathway known from holometabolous insects ( e.g.…”

“…As the native food source of Oncopeltus is the toxic milkweed plant, its own feeding biology has a number of interesting implications regarding detoxification and sequestration of cardenolide compounds. A prominent consequence of this diet is the bright red-orange aposematic (warning) coloration seen in Oncopeltus embryos, nymphs, and adults [20, 21]. Thus, diet, metabolism, and body pigmentation are functionally linked biological features for which one may expect changes in gene repertoires to reflect diversity within an order, and the Hemiptera provide an excellent opportunity to explore this.…”

“…Furthermore, Oncopeltus has been an established laboratory model organism for over 60 years, with a rich experimental tradition in a wide range of studies from physiology and development to evolutionary ecology [21-23]. It is among the few experimentally tractable hemimetabolous insect species, and it is amenable to a range of molecular techniques ( e.g ., [24-26]).…”

Patterns of reproductive isolation within and between twoLygaeusspecies characterized by sexual conflicts over mating

“…Lygaeus equestris (Linnaeus; Hemiptera: Lygaeidae) is an aposematic seed feeding insect with a wide geographical distribution, ranging from Spain to Russia (Deckert, ; Solbreck et al ., ; Péricart, ; for a general review of lygaeid biology, see Burdfield‐Steel & Shuker, ). It is a generalist seed predator of various composites (Solbreck & Kugelberg, ; Kugelberg, ; Solbreck et al ., ); however, its preferred host plant through much of Europe is Vincetoxicum hirundinaria (Gentianales, Asclepiadacaea: Kugelberg, , ; Solbreck et al ., ).…”

Age and aggregation trigger mating behaviour in the small hive beetle, Aethina tumida (Nitidulidae)

“…After an initial approach, males ascend females straight away and briefly stroke the female's pronotum before they slide down and insert their aedeagus. Nevertheless, other polygamous aggregating beetles or bugs such as T. castaneum or C. maculatus and many Lygaeidae exhibit a similar reduced courtship behaviour (Arbuthnott and Crespi 2009;Arnaud and Haubruge 1999;Bloch Qazi 2003;Burdfield-Steel and Shuker 2014a;Maklakov and Bonduriansky 2009;Rivers and Morin 2009). Such behaviour may be indicative of cryptic female choice (Eberhard 1997).…”