Comparative embryology of Polyneoptera: Reconstruction of phylogeny and groundplan of polyneopteran insects

2015 Fiscal Year Final Research Report

• Project/Area Number: 25440201
• Research Category: Grant-in-Aid for Scientific Research (C)
• Allocation Type: Multi-year Fund
• Section: 一般
• Research Field: Biodiversity/Systematics
• Research Institution: University of Tsukuba
• Principal Investigator: MACHIDA Ryuichiro 筑波大学, 生命環境系, 教授 (50199725)
• Project Period (FY): 2013-04-01 – 2016-03-31
• Keywords: 昆虫類 / 多新翅類 / 新翅類 / 比較発生学 / 高次系統 / グラウンドプラン / 比較形態学 / 網翅類

Outline of Final Research Achievements

Polyneoptera, which was directly derived from the initial explosive radiation of insects, is the most significant group in understanding them, simultaneously Polyneoptera is a most difficult group to figure out the evolution. We have conducted a comparative embryological study of Polyneoptera, and we clarified the embryogeneses of Zoraptera, a primitive mantodean, Isoptera, Blattaria, all 9 families of Dermaptera, and all 9 families of plecopteran Arctoperlaria. Based on these results, 1) we proposed two embryological autapomorphies of Polyneoptera, on the monophyly of which a doubt has been cast, 2) we strongly suggested the affinity of Zoraptera, Phasmatodea and Embioptera formulated as “Zoraptera + (Phasmatodea + Embioptera)”, and 3) we proposed a new phylogenetic system of Dictyoptera “Mantodea + (Blaberoidea + (Blattodean + Isoptera))”.

Free Research Field

動物系統分類学、昆虫比較発生学、昆虫比較形態学