Exploring the evolutionary history of lichen moths through an integrated approach (Lepidoptera: Lithosiini)

• Grant number: 21/02524-3
• Support Opportunities: Research Grants - Young Investigators Grants
• Duration: October 01, 2023 - September 30, 2028
• Field of knowledge: Biological Sciences - Zoology - Taxonomy of Recent Groups
• Principal Investigator: Simeão de Souza Moraes
• Grantee: Simeão de Souza Moraes
• Host Institution: Instituto de Biologia (IB). Universidade Estadual de Campinas (UNICAMP). Campinas , SP, Brazil
• Associated researchers: Alexandre Marcos Antonelli ; André Victor Lucci Freitas ; Carolina Branco Dale Coutinho ; Marcelo Duarte da Silva ; Nicolas Dowdy ; Niklas Wahlberg ; Pasi Markus Sihvonen ; Thamara Zacca Bispo Taumaturgo ; Victoria Gwendoline Twort
• Associated scholarship(s): 24/15063-2 - Comparative morphology of androconial organs and species delimitation in Cisthene Walker (Erebidae, Arctiinae, Lithosiini, Cisthenina), BP.IC; 23/13856-2 - Exploring the evolutionary history of lichen moths through an integrated approach (Lepidoptera: Lithosiini), BP.JP

Abstract

The evolutionary history of life is diverse and complex, and in order to develop a better understanding of the relationships among species and the environment, extensive data is needed. During the few last decades molecular data, sophisticated model-based methods, increasing computational capacity and integrated approaches have allowed the study of evolutionary questions in a completely new way. On the other hand, the biological diversity in the Neotropics has a number of specialists inversely proportional to the number of taxonomic groups. This discrepancy is intensified in lichen moths, whose evolutionary history cannot be understood without a modern, integrative systematics approach, given the group's large diversity and the lack of specialists. The group is quite diverse in the Neotropics, with diverse morphology and biology, poorly understood biogeography, elaborate sexual characters, complex chemistry of compounds and a poorly understood interaction between caterpillar's and their unusual food source, lichens. Despite the corroborated monophyly of the Lithosiini, there are still limitations regarding the validity of groups and phylogenetic relationships. Moreover, of the 457 genera where 3150 species are listed, 345 are considered taxonomically incertae sedis. The main difficulty in obtaining a phylogenetic hypothesis that may or may not corroborate the stablished suprageneric groups and developing further evolutionary and biiogeographical studies is the reduced taxonomic sampling used so far. Previous studies show that a better understanding of Lithosiini can be achieved through broader taxonomic sampling and a balance between the volume of data accessed and the number of taxa sampled. This prerogative is also valid for the understanding of evolutionay apects associated with the morphological diversity in structures involved in the production of pheromones (androconial organs) and sound (tymbals), as well as with the diversity, distribution and diversification of Lithosiini in the Neotropics. Knowing that Lithosiini represents a highly diversified group in the Neotropical region and with phenotypically variable morphological attributes, but without understanding about the implications that this diversity has on the evolutionary history, diversification and distribution of the group, this project proposes a modern integrative study for Lithosiini beyond the current state-of-the-art, using molecular data from NGS and Sanger sequencing; comparative morphology of androconial organs, tymbals and genitalia using scanning electron microscopy and micro-CT; and species delimitation studies. In addition, this project aims to contribute to the increase and curation of moths in the collection of the MDBio, to science communication, and to the training of human resources through supervision of undergrad students, master students and doctorate students. (AU)