Biology subjects

Motyka, M.

Publications and source records attributed to Motyka, M..

3 recordsLinked to original sources

bioRxiv2023

Ontogenetic modifications produce similar phenotypes in distantly related click beetles (Coleoptera: Elateridae)

The study analyzes the relationships of click beetles (Elateridae) Paulusiella Lobl, 2007, and Analestesa Leach, 1824 (=Cebriognathus Chobaut, 1899), both incapable of jumping, with soft-bodied habitus, and unknown females. Due to divergent morphology, their positions have been an uncertain issue. We use mitochondrial genomes to test their current placement in Cebrionini (=Cebriognathini) and Elaterinae incertae sedis, respectively. We recover Paulusiella as a sister to Hemiops Laporte, 1838 (Hemiopinae) and Analestesa as one of the serially splitting branches in Cardiophorinae, both with robust support. Paulusiellinae subfam. nov. is proposed for Paulusiella. Analestesa is transferred to Cardiophorinae, and Cebriognathini Paulus, 1981, an earlier synonym of Elaterinae: Cebrionini, is a synonym of Cardiophorinae Candeze, 1859. The click beetles affected by ontogenetic modifications converge to similar forms lacking derived states. As a result, their phylogenetic position cannot be reliably inferred by morphological analyses and needs to be validated by molecular data. Paulusiellinae and Analestesa represent two additional cases of the shift to incomplete sclerotization in elaterids raising the total number to six. The present transfers of extant taxa between subfamilies call for a cautious interpretation of morphology in other soft-bodied groups, including the taxa described from amber deposits.

zoology↗

bioRxiv2022

Neogene climatic fluctuations and poor connectivity with the centres of diversity shaped the Western Palearctic net-winged beetle fauna

Only twenty-two net-winged beetle species (Elateroidea: Lycidae) are known from the Western Palearctic region (WPR), i.e., less than 0.5% of the global lycid diversity and much fewer than from the similar latitudes of East Asia or Northern America. We use the comprehensive distribution data and the molecular phylogeny of [~]400 world lycids, including fourteen European species, to provide a new perspective for understanding the structure and evolution of this group in the WPR. All Mediterranean species represent deeply rooted lineages with relatives in Eastern Asia. These species occur in relictual ranges close to the familys Pleistocene refugial edge. The phylogeny points to the loss of biological connection with East Asia since the Mid Miocene. A third of WPR species is widespread in Central and Northern Europe, reaching Eastern Asia, some of them possibly younger elements of the European fauna. Unlike relatively high diversity in the Eocene amber, the extant net-winged beetles represent a small fraction of elateroid diversity in the WPR and are generally rare. Therefore, we assume that most WPR species are relics trapped in Mediterranean refugia since the onset of the Plio-Pleistocene cooling and are critically endangered by the ongoing loss of suitable habitats.

zoology↗

bioRxiv2021

Phylogenomic and mitogenomic data can accelerate inventorying of tropical beetles during the current biodiversity crisis

Conservation efforts must be evidence-based, so rapid and economically feasible methods should be used to quantify diversity and distribution patterns. We have attempted to overcome current impediments to the gathering of biodiversity data by using integrative phylogenomic and three mtDNA fragment analyses. As a model, we sequenced the Metriorrhynchini beetle fauna, sampled from [~]700 localities in three continents. The species-rich dataset included [~]6,500 terminals, >2,300 putative species, more than a half of them unknown to science. The phylogenomic backbone enabled the integrative delimitation of robustly defined natural units that will inform future research. Using constrained mtDNA analysis, we identified the spatial structure of -diversity, very high species-level endemism, a biodiversity hotspot in New Guinea, and high phylogenetic diversity in the Sundaland. We suggest that [~]20 person months of focused field research and subsequent laboratory and bioinformatic workflow steps would substantially accelerate the inventorying of any hyperdiverse tropical group with several thousand species. The outcome would be a scaffold for the incorporation of further data. The database of sequences could set a benchmark for the spatiotemporal evaluation of biodiversity, would support evidence-based conservation planning, and would provide a robust framework for systematic, biogeographic, and evolutionary studies.

evolutionary biology↗