Entomology Commons^™

A Phylogeographic Study Of The Kentucky Endemic Cave Beetle Neaphaenops Tellkampfii Erichson (1844), Mahamad Miya

Masters Theses & Specialist Projects

Cave beetles are an excellent group to study evolutionary history and speciation by isolation within cave habitats. However, they are underrepresented in such studies, particularly in North America, one of the hotspots of cave biodiversity where beetles account for a significant proportion. The present research addresses this issue by focusing on the Kentucky endemic cave beetle, Neaphaenops tellkampfii, a species hypothesized to comprise four subspecies. Based on allozyme data, previous studies have noted high genetic variation within and high similarity among local populations of this beetle, suggesting complex evolutionary dynamics. In this regard, this study aims to elucidate the evolutionary …

A Systematic Study Of The Highly Endemic Spider Beetle Fauna (Coleoptera: Ptinidae: Ptininae) Found In The Coastal Deserts Of Perú, Marlena Askren

Masters Theses & Specialist Projects

Spider beetles are small, often flightless insects that occur in hyperarid environments around the world. They exhibit interesting morphology and behavior that allows them to conserve water they obtain from plant material, dung, and other detritus. One hyperarid region in which they are found is the Pacific coast of Perú and northern Chile. The Sechura Desert, Peruvian Coastal Desert, and Atacama Desert make up the arid coast where spider beetles occur from north to south. Through multiple years of field work and museum collections, populations of spider beetles were found along the coast in isolated pockets of vegetation, separated by …

Diversity And Phylogeny Of Spider Beetles (Ptinidae: Ptininae) In Coastal Chile And Peru, Jacob Bowen

Masters Theses & Specialist Projects

Spider beetles of South America have historically received little systematic study, though now they are the subject of recent diversity surveys and documentation. This investigation contributes to the ongoing exploration of spider beetle diversity in South America by adding records for the recently described Cordielytrum and the yet to be described Furcillifer, as well as constructing phylogenies with new genetic material. MaxEnt was used to create an ecological niche model revealing habitat suitability in Chile and Peru for Cordielytrum, a genus of flightless spider beetles currently known only from Peru. Even with few occurrence records, a model with …

Analysis And Tritrophic Associations Of Bats, Bat Flies, And Laboulbeniales Microfungi In Kenya, Ally Willis

Masters Theses & Specialist Projects

Bats (Chiroptera) are host to diverse lineages of ectoparasitic arthropods including ticks, mites, fleas, bat bugs, and bat flies (Arthropoda). Streblidae and Nycteribiidae are families in the dipteran superfamily Hippoboscoidea, and these hematophagous ectoparasites and their host associations are relatively well studied in the American tropics but not as well in east Africa. One of the main properties of host-parasite systems is host specificity, with some Eastern Hemisphere species (Nycteribiidae) appearing to display a lower level. The morphology of bat flies may drive (or be the result of) niche partitioning on the landscape of the host. Streblid bat flies in …

The Evolution Of A Response To Smoke Within The Arthropoda, Adam Miles

Masters Theses & Specialist Projects

Many animals have a survival instinct to flee in response to fire, but do they respond to smoke alone? Many arthropods respond to fire or smoke by moving in the opposite direction (a negative taxis) to obtain shelter. At the species level, taxa that have adapted a behavioral response to fire increase their fitness. This response behavior has been observed in many terrestrial arthropods. Still, the behavior is currently unknown for marine, aquatic, or cave arthropods, which are atypically exposed to smoke or fire. This project assesses how often behavioral adaptation to smoke avoidance may have evolved within Arthropoda. Twenty-two …

A Phylogenetic Analysis Of The Leuctra Ferruginea (Walker 1852) Species Group (Plecoptera: Leuctridae), Madison Layer

Masters Theses & Specialist Projects

Leuctra Stephens, 1836 is a genus of Plecoptera (Leuctridae) distributed widely across the Northern Hemisphere, with approximately 210 species reported from eastern North America, Europe, northern Africa, and sporadically across Asia. Eastern North America harbors a small proportion of the global Leuctra fauna (ca. 15% = 31 species), most of which occur in the ancient Appalachian Mountains and unglaciated landscapes in the southeastern USA. Nearctic Leuctra species, except for L. moha and L. crossi, have been divided into five species groups based on external male morphological characteristics. Current phylogenies of Nearctic Leuctra are partial and preliminary, and no comprehensive …

Description, Diversity, And Phylogeography Of The North American Spider Beetle (Coleoptera: Ptinidae) Genus Coleotestudo, Robert Chambliss

Masters Theses & Specialist Projects

A new genus, Coleotestudo, is proposed for the American species currently placed in the genus Niptus LeConte and are transferred herein. Two new species from Mexico are also described as C. potosi n. sp. and C. nahua n. sp. Distinguishing morphological characteristics for the North American Coleotestudo species are given. The combined set of morphological evidence, DNA sequence data, and a Western New World distribution strongly support the hypothesis that Coleotestudo does not share a recent common ancestor with N. hololeucus and both represent unrelated clades of spider beetles.

During the summer of 2021, Coleotestudo was collected mainly from …

Diversity In Darkness: Shedding Light On Cryptic Species In The Cave Beetle Genus Darlingtonea Valentine Using 3rad Sequencing And Consequences Of Climate Change Based On Thermal Tolerance And Dehydration Resistance, Athanasios S. Apostolopoulos

Masters Theses & Specialist Projects

The relationship between geographic distribution and phylogeny is pronounced in patchy, discontinuous habitats that limit gene flow, such as cave ecosystems. The isolating nature and selective pressures of cave environments can result in relatively high levels of endemism and cryptic speciation in cave faunas. Cryptic speciation exhibited in cave faunas is poorly studied, though it is an integral aspect to consider when discussing conservation efforts.

Our study employed the 3RAD genomic sequencing technique and robust population sampling across the distribution of a monotypic genus of cave beetle, Darlingtonea Valentine, that inhabits karst systems in a nearly 200 square mile range …

Predictive Distributional Modeling Of Rare And Uncommon Stoneflies (Insecta: Plecoptera) Of The Central Appalachian Mountains Using Maximum Entropy, Phillip Nathaniel Hogan

Masters Theses & Specialist Projects

Predicting where rare species may be found is important in addressing and directing conservation efforts. Knowledge of the distribution for many of these taxa is often lacking or unknown altogether. The use of species distributional modeling fills gaps in this knowledge by predicting where a species may be present by taking a correlative approach between presence/pseudoabsences and environmental data. The aim of this study was to describe the distribution of several rare and uncommon aquatic insects using Maximum Entropy (MaxEnt) modeling as human influences within the central Appalachian Mountains are increasing and isolating pockets of biodiversity. Species distribution modeling of …

Dung Beetle (Scarabaeinae) Diversity Of The Highest Elevation In West Africa: The Nimba Mountain Range, Jacob Bowen

Mahurin Honors College Capstone Experience/Thesis Projects

The Nimba Mountain Range in Guinea, Ivory Coast, and Liberia is within the Upper Guinean Forests, a critical biodiversity hotspot highly threatened by various human activities. The region is home to many endemic species including the viviparous Nimba toad, Nimba otter-shrew, and the discrete Bossou chimpanzee population. Dung beetles can act as a focal taxon from which extrapolation to the diversity of other taxa and ecosystem health can be made. Elevational trends in dung beetle diversity were investigated on the Nimba Mountain Range and in the nearby Bossou Chimpanzee reserve in Guinea. Dung beetle species diversity surveys aimed to document …

A Comparison Of Bee Abundance And Species Richness In Three Managed Grassland Types, Emily Russ

Mahurin Honors College Capstone Experience/Thesis Projects

Bees are threatened by environmental changes, pathogens, and pesticides (Pettis, 2012, Meeus et al., 2018). The goal of the study is to compare and evaluate the bee abundance and species richness in three different field types. My hypothesis is that bees would favor the fields planted for their benefit, and that the tall grass dominated plantings would be preferred over mowed fescue. My findings have low power considering few replicates and the use of relative abundance and relative species richness for statistical analyses. Bee abundance and species richness had an overall positive relationship of varying degrees across habitat types. Relative …

A Review And Comparison Of U.S. State Wildlife Action Plans For Stonefly (Insecta, Plecoptera) Species Of Greatest Conservation Need, Kathryn Greene

Mahurin Honors College Capstone Experience/Thesis Projects

State Wildlife Action Plans (SWAPs) were created in order to identify Species of Greatest Conservation Need (SGCN) and develop plans to prevent their populations from further decline and the possibility of being listed as threatened or endangered. Which SGCNs are included are decided based on characteristics that determine their vulnerability. As of early 2021, approximately 720stoneflies (Insecta, Plecoptera) species are found in the U.S., but only 143 are listed as SGCN. Only 29 states have stoneflies included on their SGCN lists, but 37 states use EPT (Ephemeroptera + Plecoptera + Trichoptera) metrics when assessing water quality issues in running water …

Delineation Of Undescribed, Morphologically Cryptic Cave Beetles Of The Pseudanophthalmus Pubescens Species-Group (Coleoptera: Carabidae: Trechinae), Jedidiah John Nixon

Masters Theses & Specialist Projects

The genus Pseudanophthalmus Jeannel is a widespread and extremely diverse taxon of troglobiont beetle endemic to the karst of eastern North America, with its distribution centered in Tennessee and Kentucky. Despite lying near the heart of this region, the pubescens species-group was thought to contain many undescribed species. In this study, the validities of several of the late Dr. Thomas Barr’s unpublished putative new species in the pubescens-group were tested both morphologically and molecularly. Body measurements (length and width for head, thorax, and abdomen), as well as male genital morphology were compared to see if they reflected theorized species limits.. …

An Intergrative Ecological And Taxonomic Assessment Of The Stoneflies (Insecta, Plecoptera) Of The Black Mountains, North Carolina, Usa, Madeline Lake Metzger

Masters Theses & Specialist Projects

The Black Mountains are a part of the Blue Ridge region of the Appalachian Mountains and include Mount Mitchell, the highest peak east of the Mississippi River at 2,037 m (= 6,684 ft). A comprehensive inventory of the stonefly fauna was conducted between 2014-2019 within Mt. Mitchell State Park and adjacent Pisgah National Forest. Collections occurred seasonally from 44 unique locations, covering a broad range of stream sizes and elevations in the region. Sequencing of the mitochondrial cytochrome c oxidase subunit I (mtCOI) gene was completed to assist with making positive determinations to species for females of taxonomically challenging genera …

A Phylogenetic Analysis Of Bostrichoidea (Coleoptera) And Revisions Of The Southern African Spider Beetle Genera Meziomorphum And Eutaphroptinus (Ptinidae: Coleoptera), Olivia M. Gearner

Masters Theses & Specialist Projects

Proposals for the internal relationships and classification of the bostrichoids are currently poorly supported, and almost all are based on morphology alone. This study improves upon on previous phylogenetic analyses of the group by including more taxa using the standard genes for many phylogenetic analyses. Cytochrome C oxidase subunit 1 (CO1), 28S small subunit rRNA, and 16S small subunit rRNA mitochondrial genes were sequenced or obtained from Genbank, then analyzed using parsimony and Bayesian analyses. Topologies differed depending on genes used. A three gene tree and a two gene (28S and CO1) tree both supported relationships in which a basal …

Review Of The Sub-Saharan Africa Species Of Dignomus And Phylogenetic Analysis Of The Bostrichoids (Coleoptera: Bostrichoidea: Ptinidae), Amelia Lesbeth Smith

Masters Theses & Specialist Projects

Sub-Saharan Africa is home to nine described species of Dignomus Wollaston, 1862. Study and dissection of specimens has led me to the hypothesis that there are nine undocumented species in this region. Descriptions and images of the new species are presented and discussed, along with a compiled list of all described species from the Sub- Saharan region. The probable biology as geographic distributions for members of the genus are also given.

Additionally, a phylogenetic analysis of 95 species of bostrichoids using CO1 molecular data was done with a focus on the origins of Dignomus and Pseudomezium. parsimony and bayesian analyses …

Co-Occurrence Patterns Of Bat Flies On Neotropical Chiroptera, Mitchell Louis Schooler

Masters Theses & Specialist Projects

Parasite-host systems provide excellent opportunities to explore ecological dynamics such as competition, competitive exclusion, and co-occurrence. The distribution of streblid bat flies on their host bats were examined for patterns of species co-occurrence and to understand mechanisms driving these patterns. The purpose of this study was to determine patterns of co-occurrence among individuals of different Neotropical bat fly species. After establishing patterns of co-occurrence, tests on whether variation in fly morphology was linked to observed patterns of co-occurrence were performed. Co-occurrence patterns were determined using null model analyses, and a predominant pattern of aggregation was detected. To examine the relationship …

An Improved Regional Honey Production Model For The United States, Anthony B. Trimboli

Masters Theses & Specialist Projects

Currently three systems are used to categorize honey production regions in the United States, one from the United States Department of Agriculture, one from the American Bee Journal used for its monthly U.S. Honey Crop and Markets report, and one from Bee Culture’s monthly regional honey price report. These systems follow political state boundaries and are based upon climate, bee forage, and regional beekeeping practices. While these systems are popular with the general beekeeping community, to our knowledge, their accuracy has not been studied.

Although differing geographic regions can vary in bee forage species availability, states with similar geography and …

Phylogeny Of The Oniticellini And Onthophagini Dung Beetles (Scarabaeidae, Scarabaeinae) From Morphological Evidence, T. Keith Philips

Biology Faculty Publications

A phylogenetic study was conducted to hypothesize relationships of most of the genera of the Oniticellini and Onthophagini for the first time using morphological characters from a diverse array of external and internal sclerites. The monophyly and sister relationship of both tribes was found using Bayesian and parsimony analyses with heavily to moderately weighted data. An alternative hypothesis based on parsimony analyses of unweighted or slightly weighted data show a paraphyletic Oniticellini without the Onthophagini, although recognition of the subtribe Helictopleurina as a tribe would eliminate non-monophyly.

Of the three Oniticellini subtribes, the Helictopleurina and Drepanocerina are monophyletic. There is …

Host-Parasite Associations Of Small Mammal Communities And Implications For The Spread Of Lyme Disease, Matthew J. Buchholz

Masters Theses & Specialist Projects

Many zoonotic pathogens of concern to human and veterinary health are maintained in the environment within small mammal reservoirs and vectored to new hosts by ectoparasitic arthropods. While the ecological relationships among small mammals, ectoparasites, and disease-causing symbiotic microorganisms are important to these dynamics, little is known about them across much of North America. The sylvatic cycle of Borrelia burgdorferi, the etiologic agent of Lyme disease, is of particular interest because Lyme disease is the most common vector-borne disease of humans in the United States. However, cases of Lyme disease are primarily confined to the northeastern and Midwestern United States, …

Fluttering Beauty, Jonathan Jeffrey

SCL Faculty and Staff Publications

This article chronicles the efforts of Lillian Iona (Tyne) Pace (1925-2010) in getting the Viceroy butterfly designated as the Kentucky state butterfly.

Pace Family Papers (Mss 458), Manuscripts & Folklife Archives

Manuscript Collection Finding Aids

Finding aid only for Manuscripts Collection 458. Pace family documents (chiefly related to land transactions) including deeds, land grants, mortgages; as well as Bible records for the Pace and related families (click on "Additional Files" below for scans), and probate records. A significant portion of the collection documents the garden club activities of Lillian (Tynes) Pace and her efforts to have the Viceroy butterfly designated as the Kentucky state butterfly.

An Automatic Framework For Embryonic Localization Using Edges In A Scale Space, Zachary Bessinger

Masters Theses & Specialist Projects

Localization of Drosophila embryos in images is a fundamental step in an automatic computational system for the exploration of gene-gene interaction on Drosophila. Contour extraction of embryonic images is challenging due to many variations in embryonic images. In the thesis work, we develop a localization framework based on the analysis of connected components of edge pixels in a scale space. We propose criteria to select optimal scales for embryonic localization. Furthermore, we propose a scale mapping strategy to compress the range of a scale space in order to improve the efficiency of the localization framework. The effectiveness of the proposed …