Omalisidae, a species-poor family of elateroid beetles, are distributed mostly in the Mediterranean region. The morphology of females is modified due to neotenic development and the males share some traits with other neotenic lineages in Elateroidea, namely Drilini (Elateridae: Agrypninae) and Lyropaeinae (Lycidae). A molecular phylogeny was inferred from six omalisid species representing four genera and the previously published dataset of Elateroidea. The DNA based phylogeny suggests that small-bodied males, reduced pronotal carinae and missing elytral costae evolved independently in multiple elateroid lineages. The limits of Omalisidae are redefined and seven genera, i.e., Omalisus Geoffroy, 1762, Phaeopterus Costa, 1857, Thilmanus Gemminger, 1869, Euanoma Reitter, 1889, Pseudeuanoma Pic, 1901, Paradrilus Kiesenwetter, 1865 and Cimbrion Kazantsev, 2010, are currently placed in the family. Thilmaninae Kazantsev, 2005 and Paradrilus Kiesenwetter, 1865 are transferred from Drilini (Elateridae: Agrypninae) to Omalisidae and the Paradrilinae subfam. nov. is proposed. Paradrilus differs from other Omalisidae in prolonged cranium, wide robust prosternum with two apical processes and absent sharp edge of the pronotum. The morphology of Paradrilus is described in detail, illustrated and all taxa currently classified in Omalisidae are listed.

• MeSH
• anatomické struktury zvířat anatomie a histologie   růst a vývoj   MeSH
• brouci anatomie a histologie   klasifikace   genetika   růst a vývoj   MeSH
• ekosystém MeSH
• fylogeneze MeSH
• rozšíření zvířat MeSH
• velikost orgánu MeSH
• velikost těla MeSH
• zvířata MeSH
• Check Tag
• mužské pohlaví MeSH
• ženské pohlaví MeSH
• zvířata MeSH
• Publikační typ
• časopisecké články MeSH
• práce podpořená grantem MeSH

The ectoparasitic fungus Hesperomyces virescens was studied on its invasive host, the harlequin ladybird Harmonia axyridis, in the Czech Republic. A primary aim was to examine the relationship between fungal infection and elytral coloration of the ladybird. Furthermore, the role of host sex and mating status of females were analyzed. Beetles (n = 1,102) were sampled during autumn migration, and then sexed, weighed, and screened for infection. Females were dissected for detection of sperm in their spermathecae. Ladybirds were sorted according to color form and absorbance spectrophotometry was used to quantify carotenoid contents in their elytra. In individuals of the nonmelanic succinea form, the degree of melanization was measured using digital photographs and putative age groups were estimated based on background color of elytra. Sexual differences in infection patterns indicated transmission during copulation: males were infected mostly on elytra and venter, and females had infection almost exclusively on elytra. Mated females had higher infection rate than virgins. There was no influence of genetic color form on the fungal infection. Putative age groups (visual sorting to yellow, orange, and red) correlated with fungal infection. Infected individuals had elevated elytral carotenoid levels in comparison to uninfected individuals, which could be explained by host age. Infection-free succinea beetles were extensively melanized because they emerged later in the season at lower temperatures which induced melanization. Overall, we highlight that H. axyridis is a multivoltine species whose age, if not taken into account in ecophysiological studies, might present a considerable confounding factor.

• MeSH
• Ascomycota fyziologie   MeSH
• biologické modely MeSH
• brouci metabolismus   mikrobiologie   MeSH
• interakce hostitele a patogenu * MeSH
• karotenoidy metabolismus   MeSH
• melaniny metabolismus   MeSH
• pigmentace * MeSH
• sexuální chování zvířat * MeSH
• zvířata MeSH
• Check Tag
• mužské pohlaví MeSH
• ženské pohlaví MeSH
• zvířata MeSH
• Publikační typ
• časopisecké články MeSH

Rose chafers (Cetoniinae) are a large group of flower visitors within the pleurostict Scarabaeidae that are characterized by their distinctive flight mode with nearly closed forewings. Despite their popularity, this is the first study to use molecular data to infer their phylogenetic relationships. We used partial gene sequences for 28S rRNA, cytochrome oxidase I (cox1) and 16S rRNA (rrnL) for 299 species, representing most recognized subfamilies of Scarabaeidae, including 125 species of Cetoniinae. Combined analyses using maximum parsimony, maximum likelihood and Bayesian inferences recovered Cetoniinae as monophyletic in all analyses, with the sister clade composed of Rutelinae and Dynastinae. Rutelinae was always recovered as paraphyletic with respect to Dynastinae. Trichiini sensu lato (s.l.) was recovered as a polyphyletic clade, while Cetoniini s.l. was recovered as paraphyletic. The inferred topologies were also supported by site bootstrapping of the ML trees. With the exception of Cremastochelini, most tribes of Cetoniinae were poly- or paraphyletic, indicating the critical need for a careful revision of rose chafer classification. Analysis of elytral base structure (including 11 scored characters) in the context of phylogeny, revealed a complex, concerted and rapid transformation of the single trait elements linked to a modified flight mode with closed elytra. This appears to be unlinked to the lateral sinuation of the elytra, which originated independently several times at later stages in the evolution of the group.

• MeSH
• Bayesova věta MeSH
• biologická evoluce * MeSH
• brouci klasifikace   genetika   MeSH
• DNA chemie   izolace a purifikace   metabolismus   MeSH
• fylogeneze MeSH
• křídla zvířecí anatomie a histologie   MeSH
• respirační komplex IV genetika   MeSH
• RNA ribozomální 16S genetika   MeSH
• RNA ribozomální 28S genetika   MeSH
• sekvenční analýza DNA MeSH
• zvířata MeSH
• Check Tag
• zvířata MeSH
• Publikační typ
• časopisecké články MeSH