Bark beetles are among the most damaging pests, and a diverse group of insects which are difficult to identify. This project will revise the classification and evolutionary history of one of the largest and most important bark beetle groups: Cryphalini, the Pygmy Borers. The project will 1) revise the classification of Cryphalini genera using a molecular phylogeny, 2) analyze populations of putatively global cryphaline species (some of the most widespread insects on Earth) to test whether they are true species or clusters of cryptic species, and 3) reconstruct the evolution of genome copy number in Pygmy Borers (in some genera, males have only one copy of each chromosome), and test whether deviations are associated with manipulative bacterial parasites. The approach integrates next-generation sequencing, automated matrix-based taxonomy, and a large global network of collaborators, including citizen collectors.
The project's high-throughput methodology represents a new cost-efficient approach to diverse but understudied groups of organisms. Non-academics will benefit from the new identification capacity. A single cryphaline species (i.e., the Coffee Berry Borer) causes $500,000,000 annual damages, yet quarantine officers have no tools to distinguish it from other cryphalines. The broader public will benefit from a new Citizen Science project "Bark beetles in your backyard".
