.
A bstract Wild silkmoths (Saturniidae) are one of the most emblematic and most studied families of moths. Yet, the absence of a robust phylogenetic framework based on a comprehensive taxonomic sampling impedes our understanding of their evolutionary history. We analyzed 1,024 ultraconserved elements (UCEs) and their flanking regions to infer the relationships among 338 species of Saturniidae representing all described subfamilies, tribes, and genera. We investigated systematic biases in genomic data and performed dating and historical biogeographic analyses to reconstruct the evolutionary history of wild silkmoths in space and time. Using Gene Genealogy Interrogation, we showed that saturation of nucleotide sequence data blurred our understanding of early divergences and first biogeographic events. Our analyses support a Neotropical origin of saturniids, shortly after the Cretaceous-Paleogene extinction event ( ca 64.0 [stem] - 52.0 [crown] Ma), and two independent colonization events of the Old World during the Eocene, presumably through the Bering Land Bridge. Early divergences strongly shaped the distribution of extant subfamilies as they showed very limited mobility across biogeographical regions, except for Saturniinae, a subfamily now present on all continents but Antarctica. Overall, our results provide a framework for in-depth investigations into the spatial and temporal dynamics of all saturniid lineages and for the integration of their evolutionary history into further global studies of biodiversity and conservation. Rather unexpectedly for a taxonomically well-known family such as Saturniidae, the proper alignment of taxonomic divisions and ranks with our phylogenetic results leads us to propose substantial rearrangements of the family classification, including the description of one new subfamily and two new tribes.
It is widely accepted that we face a biodiversity crisis due to human activities, and we need active conservation interventions to address it. Natural history museums have recently made public commitments to play a more active role in helping to address the biodiversity crisis. What role might they play in helping nature recover? To answer this question, we recognise a hierarchy of conservation interventions (species, community and whole systems) and illustrate the role that museums can play in these. We also discuss how museums enable people to engage with conservation science. While barriers remain, there are significant opportunities for the conservation community to better integrate collections into their research. We need museums to help enable this to happen.
Insects, the most diverse group of animals, inhabit almost all environments on Earth. They are susceptible to a wide range of parasites, including entomopathogenic protozoans, nematodes, and ectoparasitic mites. These parasites manipulate host physiology via immunomodulation, endocrine disruption, and metabolic reprogramming. The long-term coexistence of insects and parasites has driven the evolution of intricate survival strategies. Insects deploy morphological, physiological, and behavioral adaptations to mitigate infection risks, whereas parasites counter with sophisticated mechanisms enhancing transmission and reproductive success. Emerging evidence indicates symbiotic microbiota as critical mediators in this evolutionary arms race, modulating infection outcomes through microbial-host-parasite crosstalk. Here, we review recent research progress on the effects of parasites on the development, reproduction, immunity, and behavior of insect hosts; the evolutionary dynamics between insects and parasites; and the interactions of host-parasite-microbiota in insects. Compared to mammals, insects provide a simple model system for elucidating conserved molecular mechanisms underlying host-parasite-gut microbiota interactions. This paradigm not only advances fundamental understanding of evolutionary parasitology but also pioneers microbial-based biocontrol approaches, offering sustainable alternatives for agricultural pest management and economic insect conservation.
Published studies and records of species of Anopheles that occur in Thailand are reviewed and lists in public databases are revised. ITS2 and COI sequences of specimens from Thailand available in GenBank were analyzed using a phylogenetic method and compared with sequences of species from other countries. Eighty-one species of Anopheles are currently known to occur in Thailand, including the informally recognized An. aconitus species B, An. annularis species A and B, An. jeyporiensis species B, An. tessellatus species A, C, and F, and An. subpictus species C and D. Three new species complexes, the Aconitus, Jeyporiensis, and Karwari Complexes, are recognized.
Living chondrichthyans comprise only a fraction of their historical diversity represented in the fossil record, but together they provide insights into the evolution of this ancient clade. Using a theoretical morphology approach, we sought the evolutionary drivers of mandible morphology, a key factor in the feeding ecology of the clade, across their more than 400 million year evolutionary history. Using an empirical sample of 122 extant and 95 extinct species across 35 orders, we created a theoretical morphospace that encompasses, and expands beyond, sampled variation. We sampled morphologies from this theoretical morphospace and subjected them to biomechanical analysis of speed and strength, deriving landscapes of functional performance and optimality into which we projected a phylomorphospace. We examined how the optimality landscape has been navigated by chondrichthyan evolution and how it has been occupied by taxa characterized according to habitat and trophic level. The empirical chondrichthyan morphospace occupation was dispersed from the trade-off optimality peaks. Early chondrichthyans occupy morphospace characterized by narrow, curved jaws before expanding to more robust morphologies through time. This move toward robust morphologies does not follow the most optimal trade-off morphologies, instead avoiding areas that are least optimal. Deep-water species occupy the largest morphospace area, while higher trophic level species stay closer to the trade-off optimality peaks. Our study shows that chondrichthyans, rather than being living fossils, have explored increasingly specialized jaw morphologies, likely related to shifts in ecology such as increased numbers of durophagous taxa, as opposed to a more generalist optimization of component biomechanical constraints.
