REVSYS: Multilevel Revision within the Praying Mantises (Insecta, Dictyoptera, Mantodea)

REVSYS：螳螂（昆虫纲、网翅目、螳螂纲）内的多级修订

• 批准号: 1216309
• 负责人: Gavin Svenson
• 金额: $ 35.75万
• 依托单位: Cleveland Museum of Natural History
• 依托单位国家: 美国
• 项目类别: Continuing Grant
• 财政年份: 2012
• 资助国家: 美国
• 起止时间: 2012-01-23 至 2017-01-31
• 项目状态: 已结题
• 来源: https://www.nsf.gov/awardsearch/showAward?AWD_ID=1216309&HistoricalAwards=false
• 关键词: REVSYS; Multilevel; Revision; within; Praying

The charismatic predatory insect group of praying mantises (order Mantodea) includes over 2,400 described species that exhibit an incredibly rich diversity of morphology and life history strategies. Despite the long tradition of ecological, behavioral, and physiological research focused on the group, mantises have received limited taxonomic attention and the current classification scheme does not reflect genetically based, evolutionary relationships. This project will unify traditional and modern morphological and genetically based systematic methods to reconstruct the evolutionary relationships for all praying mantises, which will guide the construction of a natural classification that reflects true evolutionary groups. This research will also produce two species-level taxonomic monographs (representing about 21% of the praying mantis diversity) while building new museum collections, describing numerous new species, producing online, interactive identification keys for mantis genera, and producing a publicly accessible database of taxonomic information and scientific literature references.This project will represent a significant first step in modernizing the systematics of these insects that are often used to control such pests as aphids. The project will also provide a model for future revisions of other insect groups. This research will impact the broader community by: 1) producing high-quality images of mantises and their morphology, organized in an evolutionary framework that will facilitate community identifications through online, interactive taxonomic keys; 2) opening annually scheduled workshops to include university students, high school teachers, and the public, which will provide information and training in praying mantis taxonomy, morphology, and biology; 3) providing new scientific training at the post-doctoral, graduate, and undergraduate student levels; and 4) immediately complementing current comparative research in mantis sexual ecology, prey recognition physiology, and auditory evolution by providing a stable and predictive classification.

具有超凡魅力的捕食性昆虫螳螂（螳螂目）包括 2,400 多个已描述的物种，它们表现出极其丰富的形态和生活史策略多样性。 尽管长期以来生态、行为和生理研究都集中在该群体上，但螳螂受到的分类学关注有限，而且当前的分类方案并未反映基于遗传的进化关系。 该项目将统一传统与现代形态学和遗传学的系统方法，重建所有螳螂的进化关系，这将指导构建反映真实进化群体的自然分类。 这项研究还将编写两本物种级分类学专着（约占螳螂多样性的 21%），同时建立新的博物馆藏品，描述大量新物种，生成螳螂属的在线交互式识别密钥，并生成可公开访问的螳螂属数据库分类学信息和科学文献参考。该项目将代表这些昆虫系统学现代化的重要第一步，这些昆虫通常用于控制蚜虫等害虫。该项目还将为其他昆虫类群的未来修订提供模型。 这项研究将通过以下方式影响更广泛的社区：1）生成螳螂及其形态的高质量图像，这些图像被组织在一个进化框架中，该框架将通过在线交互式分类键促进社区识别； 2) 每年定期举办研讨会，参与者包括大学生、高中教师和公众，提供螳螂分类学、形态学和生物学方面的信息和培训； 3）在博士后、研究生和本科生层面提供新的科学培训； 4）通过提供稳定和预测性的分类，立即补充当前在螳螂性生态学、猎物识别生理学和听觉进化方面的比较研究。