Collection methods and distribution modeling for Strepsiptera in the United States.

The twisted-wing parasite order (Strepsiptera Kirby, 1813) is difficult to study due to the complexity of strepsipteran life histories, small body sizes, and a lack of accessible distribution data for most species. Here, we present a review of the strepsipteran species known from New York State. We also demonstrate successful collection methods and a survey of species carried out in an old-growth deciduous forest dominated by native New York species (Black Rock Forest, Cornwall, NY) and a private site in the Catskill Mountains (Shandaken, NY). Additionally, we model suitable habitats for Strepsiptera in the United States with species distribution modeling. We base our models on host distribution and climatic variables to inform predictions of where these twisted-wing parasites are likely to be found. This work provides a useful reference for the future collection of Strepsiptera.

Chewing through challenges: Exploring the evolutionary pathways to wood-feeding in insects.

Decaying wood, while an abundant and stable resource, presents considerable nutritional challenges due to its structural rigidity, chemical recalcitrance, and low nitrogen content. Despite these challenges, certain insect lineages have successfully evolved saproxylophagy (consuming and deriving sustenance from decaying wood), impacting nutrient recycling in ecosystems and carbon sequestration dynamics. This study explores the uneven phylogenetic distribution of saproxylophagy across insects and delves into the evolutionary origins of this trait in disparate insect orders. Employing a comprehensive analysis of gut microbiome data, from both saproxylophagous insects and their non-saproxylophagous relatives, including new data from unexplored wood-feeding insects, this Hypothesis paper discusses the broader phylogenetic context and potential adaptations necessary for this dietary specialization. The study proposes the "Detritivore-First Hypothesis," suggesting an evolutionary pathway to saproxylophagy through detritivory, and highlights the critical role of symbiotic gut microbiomes in the digestion of decaying wood.

Phylogenomics of Tetraopes longhorn beetles unravels their evolutionary history and biogeographic origins.

Tetraopes longhorn beetles are known for their resistance to milkweed plant toxins and their coevolutionary dynamics with milkweed plants (Asclepias). This association is considered a textbook example of coevolution, in which each species of Tetraopes is specialized to feed on one or a few species of Asclepias. A major challenge to investigating coevolutionary hypotheses and conducting molecular ecology studies lies in the limited understanding of the evolutionary history and biogeographical patterns of Tetraopes. By integrating genomic, morphological, paleontological, and geographical data, we present a robust phylogeny of Tetraopes and their relatives, using three inference methods with varying subsets of data, encompassing 2-12 thousand UCE loci. We elucidate the diversification patterns of Tetraopes species across major biogeographical regions and their colonization of the American continent. Our findings suggest that the genus originated in Central America approximately 21 million years ago during the Miocene and diversified from the Mid-Miocene to the Pleistocene. These events coincided with intense geological activity in Central America. Additionally, independent colonization events in North America occurred from the Late Miocene to the early Pleistocene, potentially contributing to the early diversification of the group. Our data suggest that a common ancestor of Tetraopini migrated into North America, likely facilitated by North Atlantic land bridges, while closely related tribes diverged in Asia and Europe during the Paleocene. Establishing a robust and densely sampled phylogeny of Tetraopes beetles provides a foundation for investigating micro- and macroevolutionary phenomena, including clinal variation, coevolution, and detoxification mechanisms in this ecologically important group.

Stolleagrion foghnielseni (Odonata, Cephalozygoptera, Dysagrionidae) gen. et sp. nov.: a new odonatan from the PETM recovery phase of the earliest Ypresian Fur Formation, Denmark.

We describe the new genus and species Stolleagrion foghnielseni n. gen. et sp. from the Fur Formation in northwestern Denmark based on a single fossil wing. This is the first odonatan described from the earliest part of the PETM recovery phase of the early Eocene. A combination of nine wing character states are considered to be diagnostic of the Dysagrionidae Cockrell only together with the cephalozygopteran head; however, the combination of these nine plus the presence of Ax0 is also diagnostic without the head. By this, we assign Stolleagrion foghnielseni to the Dysagrionidae and reassess the position of other odonates previously treated as cf. Dysagrionidae.

Long-term monitoring and analysis of Brood X cicada activity by distributed fiber optic sensing technology.

Brood X is the largest of the 15 broods of periodical cicadas, and individuals from this brood emerged across the Eastern United States in spring 2021. Using distributed acoustic sensing (DAS) technology, the activity of Brood X cicadas was monitored in their natural environment in Princeton, NJ. Critical information regarding their acoustic signatures and activity level is collected and analyzed using standard outdoor-grade telecommunication fiber cables. We believe these results have the potential to be a quantitative baseline for regional Brood X activity and pave the way for more detailed monitoring of insect populations to combat global insect decline. We also show that it is possible to transform readily available fiber optic networks into environmental sensors with no additional installation costs. To our knowledge, this is the first reported use case of a distributed fiber optic sensing system for entomological sciences and environmental studies.

Exploring chromosome evolution in 250 million year old groups of dragonflies and damselflies (Insecta:Odonata).

Using recently published chromosome-length genome assemblies of two damselfly species, Ischnura elegans and Platycnemis pennipes, and two dragonfly species, Pantala flavescens and Tanypteryx hageni, we demonstrate that the autosomes of Odonata have undergone few fission, fusion, or inversion events, despite 250 million years of separation. In the four genomes discussed here, our results show that all autosomes have a clear ortholog in the ancestral karyotype. Despite this clear chromosomal orthology, we demonstrate that different factors, including concentration of repeat dynamics, GC content, relative position on the chromosome, and the relative proportion of coding sequence all influence the density of syntenic blocks across chromosomes. However, these factors do not interact to influence synteny the same way in any two pairs of species, nor is any one factor retained in all four species. Furthermore, it was previously unknown whether the micro-chromosomes in Odonata are descended from one ancestral chromosome. Despite structural rearrangements, our evidence suggests that the micro-chromosomes in the sampled Odonata do indeed descend from an ancestral chromosome, and that the micro-chromosome in P. flavescens was lost through fusion with autosomes.

The damselfly genus Furagrion Petrulevicius et al. (Odonata, Zygoptera) from the early Eocene Fur Formation of Denmark and the dysagrionoid grade.

The earliest Eocene odonate genus Furagrion Petrulevicius et al. from the Danish Fur Formation is revised based on eighteen specimens, two of which apparently have been lost since their publication. The holotype of Phenacolestes jutlandicus Henriksen, type species of Furagrion, is incomplete and lacks the characters currently used to differentiate species, genera and higher taxa in Odonata. We, therefore, propose that the holotype is set aside and a recently discovered nearly complete Fur Formation fossil is designated as neotype. Furagrion possesses all of the nine wing character states currently used along with head shape for diagnosing the Dysagrionidae; however, Furagrion has a characteristically zygopteran head, not the distinctive head shape of the suborder Cephalozygoptera. We, therefore, treat it as a zygopteran unassigned to family. These nine wing character states appear in different combinations not only in various Zygoptera and Cephalozygoptera, but also in the Frenguelliidae, an Eocene family of Argentina that may represent an unnamed suborder. We recognise these taxa as constituting a dysagrionoid grade, in which these character states appear either convergently or as symplesiomorphies. Furagrion morsi Zessin is synonymized with Phenacolestes jutlandicus Henriksen, syn. nov. and Morsagrion Zessin with Furagrion Petrulevicius, Wappler, Wedmann, Rust, and Nel, syn. nov.

Evolution of Odonata: genomic insights.

Odonata is an order of insects that comprises ∼6500 species. They are among the earliest flying insects, and one of the first diverging lineages in the Pterygota. Odonate evolution has been a topic of research for over 100 years, with studies focusing primarily on their flight behavior, color, vision, and aquatic juvenile lifestyles. Recent genomics studies have provided new interpretations about the evolution of these traits. In this paper, we look at how high-throughput sequence data (i.e. subgenomic and genomic data) have been used to answer long-standing questions in Odonata ranging from evolutionary relationships to vision evolution to flight behavior. Additionally, we evaluate these data at multiple taxonomic levels (i.e. ordinal, familial, generic, and population) and provide comparative analysis of genomes across Odonata, identifying features of these new data. Last, we discuss the next two years of Odonata genomic study, with context about what questions are currently being tackled.

A Chromosome-length Assembly of the Black Petaltail (Tanypteryx hageni) Dragonfly.

We present a chromosome-length genome assembly and annotation of the Black Petaltail dragonfly (Tanypteryx hageni). This habitat specialist diverged from its sister species over 70 million years ago, and separated from the most closely related Odonata with a reference genome 150 million years ago. Using PacBio HiFi reads and Hi-C data for scaffolding we produce one of the most high-quality Odonata genomes to date. A scaffold N50 of 206.6 Mb and a single copy BUSCO score of 96.2% indicate high contiguity and completeness.

Taxonomic revision of the Neotropical genus Heteragrion Selys, 1862 (Zygoptera: Heteragrionidae): male morphology, new species and illustrated key.

In this study, we have comprehensively presented taxonomic information on all 62 known species of Heteragrion Selys, 1862, which includes illustrations, photographs, diagnostic characters, and a key to males. Our analysis is based on the examination of over 900 specimens from 19 different collections worldwide, encompassing the type material for at least 42 species. Furthermore, we have described a new species, Heteragrion corderoi sp. nov. (, BRAZIL, So Paulo state, Campos do Jordo, Condomnio Paradise, 24.i.1999, (Coordinates: -22.7072, -45.5894, 1796 m asl), F.A.A. Lencioni leg., LABECO), which we identified from a male that was previously considered to be a paratype of H. mantiqueirae Machado, 2006 and additional specimens collected in Campos do Jordo, So Paulo state.

Review of Nasuconia Sakakibara, 2006 (Hemiptera: Membracidae) with description of three new species.

The treehopper genus Nasuconia Sakakibara, 2006 previously included four species and was recorded only from Brazil. Here we provide a revised diagnosis of the genus and describe three new species: Nasuconia ellenfutterae sp. nov. from Ecuador, Nasuconia guianensis sp. nov. from French Guiana and Nasuconia yasuni sp. nov. from Ecuador. The genus can be distinguished by the following combination of characters: frontoclypeus conical with transverse grooves, obliquely projected forward at least 1/3 of its length beyond suprantennal margin; pronotum navicular, low, punctate, with longitudinal elevated lines or nodes; first valvulae with ventralinterlocking device distinctively sinuate. Two informal species groups are recognized based on characters of the head, forewing and leg chaetotaxy. A key to species, photographs, updated morphological descriptions, and the first descriptions of the female and male genitalia of Nasuconia species are provided. Comparisons of cucullate setae and fine abdominal integument structures are also made using scanning electron microscopy.

Review of Cyphotes Burmeister, 1835 (Hemiptera: Membracidae) with the description of a related new genus.

The Neotropical treehopper genus Cyphotes Burmeister, 1835 (= Aspona Stal, 1862 syn. nov.) is redefined. Cyphotes contains only two species, the type species Cyphotes nodosa Burmeister, 1835 (= Aspona bullata Stl, 1862 syn. nov.) and Cyphotes quadrinodosa (Fonseca & Diringshofen, 1969) reinstated. comb. Allocyphotes gen. nov. (type species Cyphotes insolita Goding, 1929) is proposed to accommodate two other species previously placed in Cyphotes, Allocyphotes pompanoni (Boulard, 2011) comb. nov. and Allocyphotes colombiensis (Gonzlez-Mozo, 2017) comb. nov., and three new species from Ecuador: A. flavus sp. nov., A. waoraniorum sp. nov and A. robertoi sp. nov. for a total of six species. Illustrations, including genitalia images, new locality records and keys to genera and species are provided.

Danowhetaksa gen. nov. with two species from the early Eocene lst Formation from Denmark, the first Palearctic Whetwhetaksidae (Odonata: Cephalozygoptera).

We propose Danowhetaksa n. gen. (Odonata: Whetwhetaksidae) with two new species: D. birgitteae n. gen. et sp. and D. rusti n. gen. et sp. from the earliest Ypresian Stolleklint clay of the lst Formation in northwestern Denmark. Whetwhetaksidae has previously been known only from the Ypresian Okanagan Highlands of far-western North America, the new records are, therefore, the first from the Palearctic Region.

Taxonomic note on the species status of Epiophlebiadiana (Insecta, Odonata, Epiophlebiidae), including remarks on biogeography and possible species distribution.

The species included in the genus Epiophlebia Calvert, 1903 represent an exception within Recent lineages - they do not belong to either dragonflies (Anisoptera) nor damselflies (Zygoptera). Nowadays, the genus is solely known from the Asian continent. Due to their stenoecious lifestyle, representatives of Epiophlebia are found in often very small relict populations in Nepal, Bhutan, India, Vietnam, China, North Korea, and Japan. We here present a taxonomic re-evaluation on the species status of Epiophlebiadiana Carle, 2012, known from the Sichuan province in China, supplemented with a morphological character mapping on a genetic tree to highlight synapomorphies of E.diana and E.laidlawi Tillyard, 1921. We conclude that E.diana is a junior synonym of E.laidlawi. Furthermore, we discuss the Recent distribution of the group, allowing for predictions of new habitats of representatives of this group.

Evolutionary history and divergence times of Odonata (dragonflies and damselflies) revealed through transcriptomics.

Dragonflies and damselflies are among the earliest flying insects with extant representatives. However, unraveling details of their long evolutionary history, such as egg laying (oviposition) strategies, is impeded by unresolved phylogenetic relationships, particularly in damselflies. Here we present a transcriptome-based phylogenetic reconstruction of Odonata, analyzing 2,980 protein-coding genes in 105 species representing nearly all the order's families. All damselfly and most dragonfly families are recovered as monophyletic. Our data suggest a sister relationship between dragonfly families of Gomphidae and Petaluridae. According to our divergence time estimates, both crown-Zygoptera and -Anisoptera arose during the late Triassic. Egg-laying with a reduced ovipositor apparently evolved in dragonflies during the late Jurassic/early Cretaceous. Lastly, we also test the impact of fossil choice and placement, particularly, of the extinct fossil species, †Triassolestodes asiaticus, and †Proterogomphus renateae on divergence time estimates. We find placement of †Proterogomphus renateae to be much more impactful than †Triassolestodes asiaticus.

Comparative phylogeography uncovers evolutionary past of Holarctic dragonflies.

Here, we investigate the evolutionary history of five northern dragonfly species to evaluate what role the last glaciation period may have played in their current distributions. We look at the population structure and estimate divergence times for populations of the following species: Aeshna juncea (Linnaeus), Aeshna subarctica Walker, Sympetrum danae (Sulzer), Libellula quadrimaculata Linnaeus and Somatochlora sahlbergi Trybom across their Holarctic range. Our results suggest a common phylogeographic pattern across all species except for S. sahlbergi. First, we find that North American and European populations are genetically distinct and have perhaps been separated for more than 400,000 years. Second, our data suggests that, based on genetics, populations from the Greater Beringian region (Beringia, Japan and China) have haplotypes that cluster with North America or Europe depending on the species rather than having a shared geographic affinity. This is perhaps a result of fluctuating sea levels and ice sheet coverage during the Quaternary period that influenced dispersal routes and refugia. Indeed, glacial Beringia may have been as much a transit zone as a refugia for dragonflies. Somatochlora sahlbergi shows no genetic variation across its range and therefore does not share the geographic patterns found in the other circumboreal dragonflies studied here. Lastly, we discuss the taxonomic status of Sympetrum danae, which our results indicate is a species complex comprising two species, one found in Eurasia through Beringia, and the other in North America east and south of Beringia. Through this study we present a shared history among different species from different families of dragonflies, which are influenced by the climatic fluctuations of the past.

Phylogeny and classification of Odonata using targeted genomics.

Dragonflies and damselflies are a charismatic, medium-sized insect order (~6300 species) with a unique potential to approach comparative research questions. Their taxonomy and many ecological traits for a large fraction of extant species are relatively well understood. However, until now, the lack of a large-scale phylogeny based on high throughput data with the potential to connect both perspectives has precluded comparative evolutionary questions for these insects. Here, we provide an ordinal hypothesis of classification based on anchored hybrid enrichment using a total of 136 species representing 46 of the 48 families or incertae sedis, and a total of 478 target loci. Our analyses recovered the monophyly for all three suborders: Anisoptera, Anisozygoptera and Zygoptera. Although the backbone of the topology was reinforced and showed the highest support values to date, our genomic data was unable to stronglyresolve portions of the topology. In addition, a quartet sampling approach highlights the potential evolutionary scenarios that may have shaped evolutionary phylogeny (e.g., incomplete lineage sorting and introgression) of this taxon. Finally, in light of our phylogenomic reconstruction and previous morphological and molecular information we proposed an updated odonate classification and define five new families (Amanipodagrionidae fam. nov., Mesagrionidae fam. nov., Mesopodagrionidae fam. nov., Priscagrionidae fam. nov., Protolestidae fam. nov.) and reinstate another two (Rhipidolestidae stat. res., Tatocnemididae stat. res.). Additionally, we feature the problematic taxonomic groupings for examination in future studies to improve our current phylogenetic hypothesis.

Who are we now? A demographic assessment of three evolution societies.

Scientific societies have the potential to catalyze support for communities that have been historically excluded from science. Many of these societies have formed committees to propose and administer initiatives to promote the career and well-being of their members, with a special emphasis on racial and ethnic minorities. Yet, these societies are rarely armed with data to inform their proposals. Three of the evolution societies (American Society of Naturalists, "ASN"; Society of Systematic Biologists, "SSB"; Society for the Study of Evolution, "SSE") have also formed Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion committees in the last few years. As a first step in determining the needs of the societies, these committees collected data on the demographic characteristics of the societies' constituents by surveying the attendants of the Evolution 2019 meeting. Here, we report the proportions for different demographic groups in attendance at the meeting and compare these proportions to the demographics of recipients of Ph.D. degrees either in evolutionary biology or in the broader life sciences, as well as population demographics of the USA. Our results indicate that historically excluded groups are still underrepresented across US-based evolutionary biology professional societies. We explore whether demographic composition differs at different professional stages and find that representation for women and LGBTQ+ members decreases as the career stage progresses. We also find some evidence for heterogeneity across societies in terms of racial composition. Finally, we discuss the caveats and limitations of our procedures. Our results will serve to inform future efforts to collect demographic data at the society levels, which should in turn be used to design and implement evidence-based initiatives for inclusion and equity. This report should be a starting point for systematic efforts to characterize the ever-changing representation in evolutionary biology and to work toward the inclusion of all groups.

Odonata.

Jessica Ware introduces the insect order odonatan, the damselflies and dragon flies.