Linking Phylogenomics and Phenotypes to Resolve the Evolution of Morphologically Convergent Neotropical Net-Winged Beetles

• Applicant: Dr. Vinicius De Souza Ferreira
• Subject Area: Systematics and Morphology (Zoology) ; Evolution, Anthropology
• Term: since 2026
• Project identifier: Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG) - Project number 572840040

The Lycidae are a family of soft-bodied beetles classified in the superfamily Elateroidea. They are notorious for their involvement in mimicry and aposematic relationships. The family is also known for having several lineages affected by paedomorphosis syndrome (PS), a phenomenon in which adult individuals retain juvenile characteristics into their adulthood. PS is expressed by a collection of morphological modifications, including reduced sclerotization, flight capacity, and miniaturization of structures such as mouthparts and genitalia, leading to convergent morphology across different taxa. In extreme cases, adult females strongly resemble their immature forms, often referred to as “larviform females” in the literature. The predominantly Neotropical Calopterini and the endemic Leptolycini — two tribes comprising approximately 400 species across more than 40 genera — are among the groups affected by PS, which is known to affect some Calopterini and all Leptolycini. While recent molecular-based phylogenies have provided evidence to support the distinction between these two tribes as independent lineages in Lycidae, these studies have featured incomplete taxon sampling. More importantly, taxa displaying paedomorphic features and with disputed taxonomic placement have been poorly sampled in molecular-based studies, and the limits, compositions, and morphological diagnoses of both tribes remain unresolved. This project aims to resolve the classification of the tribes Calopterini and Leptolycini for the first time using a large-scale phylogenomic approach, and to identify diagnostic morphological features that distinguish them through an integrative morphological study. We aim to determine the timing of their divergence and investigate the evolutionary drivers of their convergent morphologies within a biogeographic framework. We expect the results of this research to be scalable to other organisms with highly convergent morphologies, particularly those with unresolved evolutionary relationships, such as other members of Lycidae and Elateroidea affected by paedomorphosis.

• DFG Programme: Research Grants
• Co-Investigator: Professor Dr. Thomas Schmitt