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ViewAttendees 2

10-Minute Paper

Systematics, Evolution, and Biodiversity

SysEB: Evolution and Phylogenetics 1

Repeated evolution of sound production in the darkling beetles (Coleoptera: Tenebrionidae) revealed through phylogenomics

Sunday, November 5, 2023
2:54 PM – 3:06 PM ET
Location: Gaylord National Resort & Convention Center, Chesapeake J-K
In-Person
Darkling beetles are a “hyperdiverse” family containing an estimated >30,000 species in 2,307 genera worldwide. Members of the group are morphologically and behaviorally diverse, with a significant range of body sizes, presence of sexually dimorphic characters, and, in some taxa, the production of sound, using both stridulation and substrate tapping. However, higher-level tenebrionid relationships are poorly resolved, limited by methodology or taxonomic sampling in previous studies. The resulting lack of phylogenetic context has regrettably limited the exploration of character and behavioral trait evolution in the family. Leveraging recent phylogenomic studies we inferred a robust phylogeny for higher-level tenebrionid groups. Using this phylogeny coupled with morphological matrices we reconstruct the evolution of sound production in the family. We find that multiple mechanisms for sound production evolved independently and hypothesize functions, largely defensive or reproductive, for these behaviors.