Contributions to the Knowledge on Diversity and Natural History of Termitophilous Aleocharinae, and a Phylogenetic and Biogeographic Analysis of the Subtribe Corotocina Fenyes Staphylinidae: Aleocharinae: Corotocini)

• Ano de defesa: 2024
• Autor(a) principal: Zilberman, Bruno
• Tipo de documento: Tese
• Tipo de acesso: Acesso aberto
• Idioma: eng
• Instituição de defesa: Biblioteca Digitais de Teses e Dissertações da USP
• Palavras-chave em Português: Biological diversity; Crescimento pós-imaginal; Diversidade biológica; Post-imaginal growth; Simbiose; Sistemática; Symbiosis; Systematics; Termitofilia; Termitophily
• Link de acesso: https://www.teses.usp.br/teses/disponiveis/38/38131/tde-04112024-164448/

Ecological interdependence and symbiosis are fundamental drivers of species diversification, a concept recognized since Darwins On the Origin of Species. While interactions between termites and their symbionts vary widely, some have become so intimate that they have given rise to an array of organisms with extreme morphological and behavioral specializations, known as termitophiles, with many notable examples found in the Staphylinidae subfamily Aleocharinae (Coleoptera). This thesis explores various aspects of the study of termitophiles. It begins by addressing the diversity of termitophilous Aleocharinae, drawing on a database intended for future online availability and continuous updates on termitophile data within the Phylum Arthropoda. It starts with a discussion of the concept of termitophily, followed by a comprehensive worldwide list of termitophilous species in Aleocharinae. It includes summaries of relevant groups, discussions of existing literature, behavioral insights, distribution maps for most groups, and host relationships with updated names based on modern termite taxonomy. This section covers all 807 living species of termitophiles across 217 genera and 19 tribes in the subfamily, as well as seven fossil species, most of which are associated with nest-building termites in the subfamily Nasutitermitinae (Blattodea, Termitidae). The thesis then delves into one of the most intriguing phenomena in various termitophile groupspost-imaginal growth. This section examines its origin, presents a new and earliest known case of a fossil Aleocharinae displaying this phenomenon, its diversity among beetles, the proximate and ultimate causes behind it, and its implications for taxonomy and phylogenetics. The key argument presented is that post-imaginal growth likely originated as a byproduct of feeding behavior and the ingestion of termite hormones, eventually evolving into a diphasic and potentially parasitic life cycle. The second part of this thesis presents a comprehensive phenomic phylogeny and biogeography of the subtribe Corotocina (Staphylinidae, Aleocharinae, Corotocini). This study includes 79 terminal taxa (67 ingroup and 12 outgroup) and 131 qualitative and quantitative characters, meticulously detailed and illustrated throughout the text, based on an extensive morphological study. The current topology and synapomorphies are discussed and compared with earlier classification hypotheses for the subtribe. The ancestral areas and dispersal events are also examined, revealing an Afrotropical origin that aligns with existing knowledge of their termite hosts. Additionally, a catalographic account for the subtribe is provided, along with selected taxonomic notes for the subtribe, including the description of three new species and new host for the genus Corotoca.