Molecular phylogeny reveals food plasticity in the evolution of true ladybird beetles (Coleoptera: Coccinellidae: Coccinellini)

0476482 - BC 2018 RIV GB eng J - Journal Article
Escalona, H. E. - Zwick, A. - Li, H.-S. - Li, J. - Wang, H. - Pang, H. - Hartley, D. - Jermiin, L. S. - Nedvěd, Oldřich - Misof, B. - Niehuis, O. - Ślipiński, A. - Tomaszewska, W.
Molecular phylogeny reveals food plasticity in the evolution of true ladybird beetles (Coleoptera: Coccinellidae: Coccinellini).
BMC Evolutionary Biology. Roč. 17, č. 1 (2017), č. článku 151. ISSN 1471-2148. E-ISSN 1471-2148
Grant - others:GA JU(CZ) 152/2016/P
Institutional support: RVO:60077344
Keywords : Coccinelloidea * ladybugs * diert shifts
OECD category: Ecology
Impact factor: 3.027, year: 2017
https://bmcevolbiol.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1186/s12862-017-1002-3

Background: The tribe Coccinellini is a group of relatively large ladybird beetles that exhibits remarkable morphological and biological diversity. Many species are aphidophagous, feeding as larvae and adults on aphids, but some species also feed on other hemipterous insects (i.e., heteropterans, psyllids, whiteflies), beetle and moth larvae, pollen, fungal spores, and even plant tissue. Several species are biological control agents or widespread invasive species (e.g., Harmonia axyridis (Pallas)). Despite the ecological importance of this tribe, relatively little is known about the phylogenetic relationships within it. The generic concepts within the tribe Coccinellini are unstable and do not reflect a natural classification, being largely based on regional revisions. This impedes the phylogenetic study of important traits of Coccinellidae at a global scale (e.g. the evolution of food preferences and biogeography). Results: We present the most comprehensive phylogenetic analysis of Coccinellini to date, based on three nuclear and one mitochondrial gene sequences of 38 taxa, which represent all major Coccinellini lineages. The phylogenetic reconstruction supports the monophyly of Coccinellini and its sister group relationship to Chilocorini. Within Coccinellini, three major clades were recovered that do not correspond to any previously recognised divisions, questioning the traditional differentiation between Halyziini, Discotomini, Tytthaspidini, and Singhikaliini. Ancestral state reconstructions of food preferences and morphological characters support the idea of aphidophagy being the ancestral state in Coccinellini. This indicates a transition from putative obligate scale feeders, as seen in the closely related Chilocorini, to more agile general predators. Conclusions: Our results suggest that the classification of Coccinellini has been misled by convergence in morphological traits.
Permanent Link: http://hdl.handle.net/11104/0273062