PEET: Taxonomic Expertise in True Bugs: Systematic and Monographic Research on Assassin Bugs (Heteroptera: Reduviidae)

PEET：真正虫子的分类学专业知识：刺客虫子的系统和专题研究（异翅目：Reduviidae）

• 批准号: 0933853
• 负责人: Christiane Weirauch
• 金额: $ 74.94万
• 依托单位: University of California-Riverside
• 依托单位国家: 美国
• 项目类别: Continuing Grant
• 财政年份: 2009
• 资助国家: 美国
• 起止时间: 2009-09-01 至 2016-03-31
• 项目状态: 已结题
• 来源: https://www.nsf.gov/awardsearch/showAward?AWD_ID=0933853&HistoricalAwards=false
• 关键词: PEET; Taxonomic; Expertise; True; Bugs

The assassin bugs (Reduviidae) are charismatic members of the order Heteroptera or "true bugs." There are many species of assassin bugs, and they exhibit remarkable diversity, not only in the way they look but also in their behavior. Many assassin bugs are beneficial because they eat potentially harmful insects. However, some species feed on vertebrate blood and carry Chagas disease, which affects millions of people in South and Central America. Unfortunately, we do not know how many species of assassin bugs exist, nor do we have good ways to identify them. Very few taxonomists study assassin bugs, which makes it hard to know much about their evolution, behavior, or even where they all live. This project will assemble an international team of scientists to train students in the evolution and classification of insects, with a special focus on the assassin bugs. The research will combine fieldwork and studies of museum specimens with powerful descriptive and analytical approaches as well as development and use of bioinformatics tools, while focusing on five subgroups of the assassin bugs. Biodiversity information on an ecologically extraordinary group of insects will become available while advancing knowledge on species that are of medical importance and of interest as natural enemies. At least five graduate level trainees and five undergraduate students will be trained in systematics of Reduviidae and the true bugs. Monographs, online tools including identification keys, an electronic catalog and a digital library of taxonomic literature, images of type specimens, species pages, and movies documenting assassin bug behavior will make the group accessible to educators, ecologists, those dealing with integrated pest control, and the general public.

刺蝽（Reduviidae）是异翅目或“真正的蝽”中极具魅力的成员。刺蝽有很多种类，它们表现出显着的多样性，不仅表现在它们的外表上，而且表现在它们的行为上。 许多刺蝽是有益的，因为它们吃潜在有害的昆虫。然而，一些物种以脊椎动物的血液为食，并携带恰加斯病，该疾病影响了南美洲和中美洲的数百万人。不幸的是，我们不知道刺蝽有多少种，也没有好的方法来识别它们。 很少有分类学家研究刺蝽，这使得人们很难了解它们的进化、行为，甚至它们的生活地点。 该项目将组建一个国际科学家团队，对学生进行昆虫进化和分类方面的培训，特别关注刺蝽。该研究将把实地考察和博物馆标本研究与强大的描述和分析方法以及生物信息学工具的开发和使用结合起来，同时重点关注刺蝽的五个亚群。有关生态上非凡的昆虫类群的生物多样性信息将变得可用，同时增进对具有医学重要性和作为天敌的兴趣的物种的了解。至少五名研究生级别的学员和五名本科生将接受红尾虫科系统学和真正昆虫的培训。专着、包括识别码在内的在线工具、电子目录和分类文献数字图书馆、模式标本图像、物种页面和记录刺蝽行为的电影将使教育工作者、生态学家、从事害虫综合防治工作的人员能够接触到该小组。和广大公众。