Wing morphology of Neopasiphaeinae bees: comparisons between traditional and morphometric methods for a phylogenetic investigation of form

• Grant number: 12/24335-9
• Support Opportunities: Scholarships in Brazil - Scientific Initiation
• Start date: February 01, 2013
• End date: June 30, 2014
• Field of knowledge: Biological Sciences - Zoology - Taxonomy of Recent Groups
• Principal Investigator: Eduardo Andrade Botelho de Almeida
• Grantee: Letícia Cândida Pataca
• Host Institution: Faculdade de Filosofia, Ciências e Letras de Ribeirão Preto (FFCLRP). Universidade de São Paulo (USP). Ribeirão Preto , SP, Brazil
• Associated research grant: 11/09477-9 - Taxonomy, phylogeny, biogeography, and evolution of Neopasiphaeinae bees (Hymenoptera: Colletidae) using molecular and morphological data, AP.JP

Abstract

The main goal of this project is to promote the advancement in the systematics of Neopasiphaeinae bees (Hymenoptera: Colletidae). This aim will be accomplished by a comparative morphological study of wings of these bees, which will serve as basis for the proposition of phylogenetic hypotheses among neopasiphaeine bee taxa. Three distinct methodological approaches will be used complementarily: classical geometric morphometry, cladistic analyses using discrete as well as continuous characters. The intended taxon sampling will include 20 terminal species, representing 15 genera of Neopasiphaeinae. Wings will be photographed using a stereomicroscope, which will also allow the acquisition of reference measurements. The main contribution of this project will be to complement the investigations being conducted in the "JP Research Grant" (proc. number 11/09477-9) by the addition of novel data to this larger study. The phylogenetic research proposed for the this "IC scholarship grant application" will also represent a relevant contribution to the understanding of morphological evolution of neopasiphaeine bees, in addition to an evaluation of the phylogenetic signal obtained in morphometric data, still underrepresented in formal phylogenetic studies. The use of a combination of distinct methods to the same data set will allow the advancement in the understanding of the phylogenetic relationships within Neopasiphaeinae as well as the appreciation of validity and usefulness of different methods. This project will allow the student to be trained in scientific research and become more acquainted with various stages of the academic investigation (data gathering and analyses). (AU)