Brigham Young University BYU ScholarsArchive Theses and Dissertations 2020-03-23 Advances in the Systematics and Evolutionary Understanding of Fireflies (Coleoptera: Lampyridae) Gavin Jon Martin Brigham Young University Follow this and additional works at: https://scholarsarchive.byu.edu/etd Part of the Life Sciences Commons BYU ScholarsArchive Citation Martin, Gavin Jon, "Advances in the Systematics and Evolutionary Understanding of Fireflies (Coleoptera: Lampyridae)" (2020). Theses and Dissertations. 8895. https://scholarsarchive.byu.edu/etd/8895 This Dissertation is brought to you for free and open access by BYU ScholarsArchive. It has been accepted for inclusion in Theses and Dissertations by an authorized administrator of BYU ScholarsArchive. For more information, please contact [email protected]. Advances in the Systematics and Evolutionary Understanding of Fireflies (Coleoptera: Lampyridae) Gavin Jon Martin A dissertation submitted to the faculty of Brigham Young University in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy Seth M. Bybee, Chair Marc A. Branham Jamie L. Jensen Kathrin F. Stanger-Hall Michael F. Whiting Department of Biology Brigham Young University Copyright © 2020 Gavin Jon Martin All Rights Reserved ABSTRACT Advances in the Systematics and Evolutionary Understanding of Fireflies (Coleoptera: Lampyridae) Gavin Jon Martin Department of Biology, BYU Doctor of Philosophy Fireflies are a cosmopolitan group of bioluminescent beetles classified in the family Lampyridae. The first catalogue of Lampyridae was published in 1907 and since that time, the classification and systematics of fireflies have been in flux. Several more recent catalogues and classification schemes have been published, but rarely have they taken phylogenetic history into account. Here I infer the first large scale anchored hybrid enrichment phylogeny for the fireflies and use this phylogeny as a backbone to inform classification. Several classification changes are made throughout the group with emphasis on morphological traits that support the AHE hypothesis. Building off of this classification work, and in an effort to help correct taxonomic issues that have plagued the Lampyridae, I also present an electronic identification tool to the firefly genera of the world. This tool is built in Lucid and incorporates 23 characters (features) and 76 character states. These characters are inspired by current and historic literature. Emphasis was given to characters and states that are easily located and do not require complex dissection. The key currently works for 113 of the 146 known lampyrid genera. As such, it should be noted that it is a provisionary attempt at identification, and all identifications should be checked against primary literature. Fireflies, like many organisms, rely on sensory cues from their environment and are an ideal system for studying sensory niche adaptation. This is due in large part to the dependence of many species on bioluminescent sexual communication. Using transcriptomics, I examine the phototransduction pathway and provide some of the first evidence for positive selection in beetles, of components of the phototransduction pathway beyond opsins. Based on preliminary data gathered in several BYU Bio-100 courses for non-majors, I observed that many students come to class with a human-centric view of the world.. In addition to this, and perhaps as an explanation, students also come to class without a firm understanding of natural history collections and their roles both to the general public and specifically to science. Therefore, in two sections of BIO-100 at BYU students were given an online module as part of their normal homework. This module was designed to use fireflies from the Monte L Bean Science Museum to introduce students to the concept of natural history museums and to give an example of an organism at risk for extinction. Unfortunately, no gain in pro-environmental thinking was observed post-intervention, however, I did observe gains in student’s appreciation of the importance of natural history collections to both the general public and to scientific research. Keywords: classification, lucid, key, phototransduction, natural history collections ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS I would like to thank each member of my committee for the hours of time spent mentoring me not only in science but also in life. I particularly want to thank my committee chair, Dr. Seth Bybee, for the many lessons learned. Dr. Bybee gave me a chance to expand my passion and scope, and I will be forever grateful for the experiences here. I want to thank Dr. Jamie Jensen especially for helping me develop the tools and skills I will need to be a better educator. I want to thank Dr. Marc Branham for opening his lab and continuing to foster my love for a group of the most fascinating creatures on Earth. I thank Dr. Kathrin Stanger-Hall for pushing me to be a better scientist and a better communicator. I also want to thank Dr. Michael Whiting for pushing me to always be better, in every aspect of my science. I want to thank the many curators and collection managers who opened the doors to their collections and without whom this research would not have been possible: Cate Lemann (ANIC), Shawn Clark (BYU), Chris Grinter (CAS), Paul Skelley and Kyle Schnepp (FSCA), Azadeh Taghavian (MNHN), Max Barclay and Michael Geiser (NHM), Isabelle Zuercher (NHMB), and Floyd Shockley (USNM). I want to also acknowledge my family, who share just as much of this degree as I do. My wife, Tara, has spent countless hours counseling me and reminding me why we do this. She has sacrificed greatly in this academic pursuit, and through her dedication and love, continually keeps me focused on perspective. I also want to thank my children Emma, Charlie, Annabelle, and Theodore for their sacrifice and love. This research was supported financially by grants from the National Science Foundation and the BYU Graduate Mentoring Award. Table of Contents Title Page .............................................................................................................................. i Abstract ................................................................................................................................. ii Acknowledgments ................................................................................................................ iii Table of Contents .................................................................................................................. iv List of Tables ........................................................................................................................ v List of Figures ....................................................................................................................... vi Chapter 1: Higher-level phylogeny and reclassification of Lampyridae (Coleoptera: Elateroidea) ....................................................................................................... 1 Introduction ............................................................................................................... 3 Materials and Methods .............................................................................................. 5 Results ....................................................................................................................... 10 Discussion .................................................................................................................. 13 Conclusions ............................................................................................................... 22 Acknowledgements ................................................................................................... 37 Literature Cited .......................................................................................................... 38 Ch. 1 Tables ............................................................................................................... 58 Ch. 1 Figures .............................................................................................................. 63 Chapter 2: Lampyrid-ID: An interactive LUCID based electronic identification key to the genera of the Lampyridae (Coleoptera) of the world ...................................................... 65 Introduction ............................................................................................................... 66 Materials and Methods .............................................................................................. 67 Conclusions ............................................................................................................... 71 Acknowledgements ................................................................................................... 73 Literature Cited .......................................................................................................... 74 Ch. 2 Tables ............................................................................................................... 75 Ch. 2 Figures .............................................................................................................. 81 Chapter 3: The genes of the phototransduction pathway among fireflies (Coleoptera: Lampyridae) ........................................................................................................................... 82 Introduction ..............................................................................................................