Florida State Collection of Arthropods

Abstract Myrmeleontini is a widespread antlion tribe within the lacewing family Myrmeleontidae, well known for its larvae building cone‐shaped pits in sandy soil to trap prey. The monophyly of the tribe is well supported, but the monophyly of many genera within the tribe as well as the definition of the genus Myrmeleon Linnaeus has long been questioned. Here, we present a phylogenomic analysis of Myrmeleontini with emphasis on the Eurasian fauna, using ultraconserved elements (UCE) data. Our results recovered Myrmeleon as a diverse grade, with Baliga Navás, Callistoleon Banks, Euroleon Esben‐Petersen, Hagenomyia Banks and Megistoleon Navás deeply nested within it. Based on our sampling of type species of many genera (including those synonymized with Myrmeleon ) and detailed morphological comparisons, we provide a new phylogeny‐based classification of Myrmeleontini. Accordingly, Myrmeleon s. str . only refers to the formerly recognized M. formicarius group from Palaearctic region. The status of 12 genera that were previously considered as junior synonyms of Myrmeleon is restored (i.e., Banyaleon Zheng & Liu nom. n ., Bordus Navás stat. rev ., Callistoleon Banks stat. rev ., Cocius Navás stat. rev ., Enza Navás stat. rev ., Macroleon Banks stat. rev ., Moreyus Navás stat. rev ., Morter Navás stat. rev ., Neleon Navás stat. rev ., Neseurus Navás stat. rev ., Myrmeleodes Navás stat. rev . and Tafanerus Navás stat rev .), while Neohornius stat. rev ., previously treated as a subgenus of Myrmeleon, is herein elevated to genus. Additionally, based on comprehensive sampling from the Oriental region, five new genera from this region are described, that is, Ancyroleon Zheng & Liu gen. n ., Baligaptes Zheng & Liu gen. n . Melanobaliga Zheng & Liu gen. n ., Orientaleon Zheng & Liu gen. n . and Sinobaliga Zheng & Liu gen. n .

An identification guide for the Aphodiinae of Brazil is provided. Aphodiinae are a subfamily of Scarabaeidae comprising small and saprophagous beetles normally recognizable by the elongated body, clypeus covering the mouth parts and metatibiae with two apical spurs. In Brazil, the subfamily is composed of 40 genera and 148 species. Through the analysis of material in collections and literature, an identification guide for the subfamily in Brazil was written. Dichotomous keys for all genera and species are provided. Three genera (Amerilochus Skelley, 2007, Saprolochus Stebnicka & Galante, 2007 and Stebnickiella Skelley, 2007) and 15 species (Blackburneus surinamensis Dellacasa, Dellacasa & Gordon, 2011, Blackburneus thomasi Dellacasa, Dellacasa & Gordon, 2011, Labarrus lividus (Olivier, 1789), Aidophus kolbei (Schmidt, 1911), Ataeniopsis haroldi (Steinheil & Stroblel, 1872), Batesiana chamorroi Skelley & Vaz-de-Mello, 2022, Iarupea lopeteguii Martínez, 1953, Lomanoxia canthonopsis Skelley & Howden, 2003, Lomanoxoides bitubericollis (Schmidt, 1909), Odontolytes guayara (Stebnicka, 2002), Odontolytes loretoensis (Stebnicka, 2002), Tanyana guyanaensis (Stebnicka, 2003), Amerilochus cinereus Skelley, 2007, Saprolochus tridentatus Skelley, 2007, Stebnickiella zosterixys Skelley, 2007) are considered new records for the country. Ataenius bolivarensis Stebnicka, 2007 and Cartwrightia cartwrighti Cartwright, 1967 are tentatively considered as new records. Ataenius Harold, 1867 is treated at species group level only. Platytomus longulus (Cartwright, 1948) and Platytomus freudei (Balthasar, 1960) are treated as a species complexes. The known distributions of many species are updated.

All life stages (adult female, second-instar female, first-instar crawler, adult male, fourth-instar male pupa, third-instar male prepupa, second-instar male) of a new species of felt scale insect (Hemiptera: Coccomorpha: Eriococcidae), Acanthococcus orzo Deeter, Miller & Powell, sp. nov., on Muhlenbergia capillaris (Lam.) Trin. (Poales: Poaceae) in Florida, USA, are described and illustrated, with notes on ecological associations. The species is diagnosed based on the adult female anal-ring setae, setae on the hind tibia, the absence of microtubular ducts, and the morphology of the enlarged setae. Comparisons are given with similar species for all stages. Diagnoses are given for the adult female and adult male. A diagnostic key to the adult females of Acanthococcus Signoret species of Florida is provided. Analysis of DNA extractions from this new species is also performed and the results produced distinctive COI and 18S data.

Two new species of the genus Rakovicius Pittino, 2006: R. neimongolensis Minkina & Skelley, sp. nov. from China (Nei Mongol), and R. sagaingensis Minkina & Skelley, sp. nov. from Myanmar are described and illustrated.

Two new species Eupariini Schmidt, 1810: Ataenius trox Minkina & Skelley, new species from Mato Grosso in Brasil and Saprosites halmaheiraensis Minkina & Skelley, new species from Halmahera Island in the Northern Moluccas, Indonesia are described and illustrated. The male of Airapus rudolphi Bellmann & Minkina, 2023 is described supplementarily; its aedeagus is presented for the first time, and the species is reported from Mentawai Islands, Indonesia for the first time.

Abstract Understanding how novel adaptive traits arise, evolve and impact other aspects of an organism's phenotype is a foundational question in evolutionary biology. We explore this by focusing on Onciderini (Coleoptera: Cerambycidae: Lamiinae), a tribe of longhorn beetles commonly referred to as twig girdlers because the females of some species girdle live trees to deposit their eggs. We reconstructed the first time‐calibrated phylogeny of the Onciderini, based on three genetic markers (cytochrome c oxidase subunit 1 ‘ cox1’ , Wingless ‘ Wg ’ and carbamoyl‐phosphate synthase domain of the CAD locus ‘ CPS’ ), and used morphometric data, employing multiple models of trait evolution and phylogenetic regressions, to assess whether girdling behaviour predicts head size or head size sexual dimorphism. Our results indicate that onciderines originated c. 49 million years ago ‘Ma’ (95% highest posterior densities ‘HPD’: 44.1–54.57 Ma) and consist of two major lineages, which we formalize as subtribes Hypsiomatina and Onciderina. Additionally, our analyses revealed several taxonomic inconsistencies within the tribe, which we rectify by proposing new synonymies, including Jamesia Jekel as a synonym of Hypselomus Perty, Cipriscola Dillon & Dillon of Hypsioma Audinet‐Serville and Psyllotoxus Thomson and Taricanus Thomson as a synonym of Oncideres Lacordaire, and a new combination for Periergates kenjii Nearns & Swift as Oncideres kenjii (Nearns & Swift) comb. nov . Using this new phylogenetic framework, we identified five independent unidirectional origins of girdling behaviour within the tribe. Overall, our results suggest that girdling influences head size evolution in Onciderini, as it is associated with an increase in both male and female head size of girdler species. Despite this, girdling and non‐girdling lineages do not consistently differ in head size sexual dimorphism. This study refines the classification of Onciderini and marks a significant step in understanding the evolutionary dynamics shaping the diversity of twig‐girdler beetles, a group with notable ecological and economic importance.

The rise of angiosperms to ecological dominance and the breakup of Gondwana during the Mesozoic marked major transitions in the evolutionary history of insect-plant interactions. To elucidate how contemporary trophic interactions were influenced by host plant shifts and palaeogeographical events, we integrated molecular data with information from the fossil record to construct a timetree for ancient phytophagous weevils of the beetle family Belidae. Our analyses indicate that crown-group Belidae originated approximately 138 Ma ago in Gondwana, associated with Pinopsida (conifer) host plants, with larvae likely developing in dead/decaying branches. Belids tracked their host plants as major plate movements occurred during Gondwana’s breakup, surviving on distant, disjunct landmasses. Some belids shifted to Angiospermae and Cycadopsida when and where conifers declined, evolving new trophic interactions, including brood-pollination mutualisms with cycads and associations with achlorophyllous parasitic angiosperms. Extant radiations of belids in the genera Rhinotia (Australian region) and Proterhinus (Hawaiian Islands) have relatively recent temporal origins.

Specimens of an egg parasitoid wasp, Telenomuscristatus Johnson (Platygastroidea, Scelionidae), were reared from stink bug egg masses collected in the wild, in Maryland, United States. The egg masses were identified morphologically as Halyomorphahalys (Stål), Banasa Stål and Euschistus Dallas (Hemiptera, Pentatomidae). Molecular tools were used to further identify the Euschistus egg masses as E.servus (Say) and E.tristigmus (Say). All of these are new host associations for Te.cristatus. We also provide data to contribute to future identification of Te.cristatus: images of the holotype specimen and COI sequences from two disparate localities.

A new species of sap beetle, Urophorus (Anophorus) cordiformis Ito and Powell, new species, from Ishigaki-jima Is., the southern Ryukyu, southwestern Japan is described. A key to the Japanese species of Urophorus Murray, 1864 is also provided.