Insect phylogenetics is being profoundly changed by many innovations. Although rapid developments in genomics have center stage, key progress has been made in phenomics, field and museum science, digital databases and pipelines, analytical tools, and the culture of science. The importance of these methodological and cultural changes to the pace of inference of the hexapod Tree of Life is discussed. The innovations have the potential, when synthesized and mobilized in ways as yet unforeseen, to shine light on the million or more clades in insects, and infer their composition with confidence. There are many challenges to overcome before insects can enter the 'phylocognisant age', but because of the promise of genomics, phenomics, and informatics, that is now an imaginable future.
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http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.cois.2016.09.007 | DOI Listing |
Sci Data
January 2025
College of Life Sciences, Capital Normal University, Beijing, 10048, China.
Eriocraniidae (Lepidoptera) are widespread leaf miners and have unique adaptability to hypoxia and low temperatures, causing covert but devastating harm to Fagales (Betulaceae and Fagaceae) plants in the Holarctic. However, the lack of a high-quality genome of this most ancient family within the angiosperm-feeding group largely limits the studies on the phylogeny and environmental adaptation of the primitive Lepidoptera. In this study, utilizing Illumina sequencing, PacBio HiFi sequencing, and Hi-C technology, we constructed a chromosome-level genome assembly of E.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFMol Plant Pathol
January 2025
Facility Horticultural Laboratory of Universities in Shandong, Weifang University of Science and Technology, Shouguang, Shandong, China.
Two phylogenetically unrelated viruses transmitted by different insect vectors, tomato spotted wilt virus (TSWV) and tomato yellow leaf curl virus (TYLCV), are major threats to tomato and other vegetable production. Although co-infections of TSWV and TYLCV on the same host plant have been reported on numerous occasions, there is still lack of research attempting to elucidate the mechanisms underlying the relationship between two viruses when they coexist in the same tomato or other plants. After assessing the effect of four TSWV-coded proteins on suppressing TYLCV in TSWV N transgenic Nicotiana benthamiana seedlings, the TSWV N protein proved to be effective in reducing TYLCV quantity and viral symptoms.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFPLoS One
December 2024
Finnish Museum of Natural History, University of Helsinki, Helsinki, Uusima, Finland.
Although several methods exist for extracting and sequencing historical DNA originating from dry-preserved insect specimens deposited in natural history museums, no consensus exists as to what is the optimal approach. We demonstrate that a customized, low-cost archival DNA extraction protocol (∼€10 per sample), in combination with Ultraconserved Elements (UCEs), is an effective tool for insect phylogenomic studies. We successfully tested our approach by sequencing DNA from scarab dung beetles preserved in both wet and dry collections, including unique primary type and rare historical specimens from internationally important natural history museums in London, Paris and Helsinki.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFNeotrop Entomol
December 2024
Dept of Agronomy, Santa Catarina State Univ (CAV/UDESC), Lages, SC, Brazil.
Climate change and anthropogenic disturbance in agricultural production systems can facilitate shifts in the distribution of arthropod pest species and in the range of plant hosts on which they feed. This study presents the first record of Tropical Sod Webworm (TSW), Herpetogramma phaeopteralis Guenée (Lepidoptera: Crambidae: Spilomelinae), on native or nativized species of the genus Axonopus (Poaceae) in Brazil. The occurrence of population outbreaks of this species was observed in March and April of 2024 among smallholder cattle farmers in Capão Alto and Campo Belo do Sul, both municipalities situated in the highlands of Santa Catarina State, southern Brazil.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFSci Rep
December 2024
Integrated Laboratory of Pathogenic Biology, College of Preclinical Medicine, Dali University, Dali, China.
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