Geometric morphometrics analysis of the hind wing of leaf beetles: proximal and distal parts are separate modules

By

Ren, Jing
Bai, Ming
Yang, Xingke.
Zhang, Runzhi
Ge, Si-Qin

Type

Article

Date of Publication

2017

Original Publication

ZooKeys

Volume

685

Pages

131-149

Subjects

Chrysomelinae , Evolution , variance , venation , wing folding

Contributed by

Pensoft Publishers

Language

English

Published by

Sofia, Bulgaria Pensoft Publishers

Identifiers

DOI: https://doi.org/10.3897/zookeys.685.13084

 

Abstract

The success of beetles is mainly attributed to the possibility to hide the hindwings under the sclerotised elytra. The acquisition of the transverse folding function of the hind wing is an important event in the evolutionary history of beetles. In this study, the morphological and functional variances in the hind wings of 94 leaf beetle species (Coleoptera: Chrysomelinae) is explored using geometric morphometrics based on 36 landmarks. Principal component analysis and Canonical variate analysis indicate that changes of apical area, anal area, and middle area are three useful phylogenetic features at a subtribe level of leaf beetles. Variances of the apical area are the most obvious, which strongly influence the entire venation variance. Partial least squares analysis indicates that the proximal and distal parts of hind wings are weakly associated. Modularity tests confirm that the proximal and distal compartments of hind wings are separate modules. It is deduced that for leaf beetles, or even other beetles, the hind wing possibly exhibits significant functional divergences that occurred during the evolution of transverse folding that resulted in the proximal and distal compartments of hind wings evolving into separate functional modules.