scholarly journals Molecular evolutionary trends and feeding ecology diversification in the Hemiptera, anchored by the milkweed bug genome

2017 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kristen A. Panfilio ◽  
Iris M. Vargas Jentzsch ◽  
Joshua B. Benoit ◽  
Deniz Erezyilmaz ◽  
Yuichiro Suzuki ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Feeding Ecology ◽  
Critical Mass ◽  
Blood Feeding ◽  
Oncopeltus Fasciatus ◽  
Structure Evolution ◽  
Gene Repertoire ◽  
Protein Coding ◽  
Milkweed Bug ◽  
Insect Order ◽  
Specific Expansion

AbstractBackgroundThe Hemiptera (aphids, cicadas, and true bugs) are a key insect order, with high diversity for feeding ecology and excellent experimental tractability for molecular genetics. Building upon recent sequencing of hemipteran pests such as phloem-feeding aphids and blood-feeding bed bugs, we present the genome sequence and comparative analyses centered on the milkweed bug Oncopeltus fasciatus, a seed feeder of the family Lygaeidae.ResultsThe 926-Mb Oncopeltus genome is well represented by the current assembly and official gene set. We use our genomic and RNA-seq data not only to characterize the protein-coding gene repertoire and perform isoform-specific RNAi, but also to elucidate patterns of molecular evolution and physiology. We find ongoing, lineage-specific expansion and diversification of repressive C2H2 zinc finger proteins. The discovery of intron gain and turnover specific to the Hemiptera also prompted evaluation of lineage and genome size as predictors of gene structure evolution. Furthermore, we identify enzymatic gains and losses that correlate with feeding biology, particularly for reductions associated with derived, fluid-nutrition feeding.ConclusionsWith the milkweed bug, we now have a critical mass of sequenced species for a hemimetabolous insect order and close outgroup to the Holometabola, substantially improving the diversity of insect genomics. We thereby define commonalities among the Hemiptera and delve into how hemipteran genomes reflect distinct feeding ecologies. Given Oncopeltus's strength as an experimental model, these new sequence resources bolster the foundation for molecular research and highlight technical considerations for the analysis of medium-sized invertebrate genomes.

scholarly journals Fleas are parasitic scorpionflies

2020 ◽  
Vol 3 (6) ◽  
pp. 641-653
Author(s):  
ERIK TIHELKA ◽  
MATTIA GIACOMELLI ◽  
DI-YING HUANG ◽  
DAVIDE PISANI ◽  
PHILIP C. J. DONOGHUE ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Blood Feeding ◽  
Morphological Characters ◽  
Phylogenetic Position ◽  
Murine Typhus ◽  
Protein Coding ◽  
Important Group ◽  
Insect Order ◽  
Heterogeneous Models ◽  
Sanger Sequence ◽  
Molecular Dataset

Fleas (Siphonaptera) are medically important blood-feeding insects responsible for spreading pathogens such as plague, murine typhus, and myxomatosis. The peculiar morphology of fleas resulting from their specialised ectoparasitic lifestyle has meant that the phylogenetic position of this diverse and medically important group has remained one of the most persistent problems in insect evolution. Here we test competing hypotheses on the contentious evolutionary relationships of fleas and antliophoran insects using the largest molecular dataset available to date consisting of over 1,400 protein-coding genes, and a smaller mitogenome and Sanger sequence alignment of 16 genes. By removing ambiguously aligned sequence regions and using site-heterogeneous models, we consistently recover fleas nested within scorpionflies (Mecoptera) as sister to the relictual southern hemisphere family Nannochoristidae. Topology tests accounting for compositional heterogeneity strongly favour the proposed topology over previous hypotheses of antliophoran relationships. This clade is diagnosed by shared morphological characters of the head and sperm pump. Fleas may no longer be regarded as a separate insect order and we propose that Siphonaptera should be treated as an infraorder within Mecoptera, reducing the number of extant holometabolan insect orders to ten.

Studies on the pteridines in the milkweed bug, Oncopeltus fasciatus (Dallas)

1966 ◽  
Vol 12 (11) ◽  
pp. 1411-1421 ◽  
Author(s):  
Hugh S. Forrest ◽  
Michael Menaker ◽  
Jennifer Alexander
Keyword(s):  
Oncopeltus Fasciatus ◽  
Milkweed Bug

scholarly journals Transovum Transmission of Trypanosomatid Cysts in the Milkweed Bug, Oncopeltus fasciatus

PLoS ONE ◽  
2014 ◽  
Vol 9 (9) ◽  
pp. e108746 ◽  
Author(s):  
Felipe de Almeida Dias ◽  
Luiz Ricardo da Costa Vasconcellos ◽  
Alexandre Romeiro ◽  
Marcia Attias ◽  
Thais Cristina Souto-Padrón ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Oncopeltus Fasciatus ◽  
Milkweed Bug

The Hormonal Control of the Development of Hairs and Bristles in the Milkweed Bug, ONCOPELTUS FASCIATUS, DALL

1966 ◽  
Vol 44 (3) ◽  
pp. 507-522
Author(s):  
PETER A. LAWRENCE
Keyword(s):  
Juvenile Hormone ◽  
Mode Of Action ◽  
Hormonal Control ◽  
Oncopeltus Fasciatus ◽  
Corpora Allata ◽  
Moult Cycle ◽  
Dense Population ◽  
Milkweed Bug ◽  
Larval Stages ◽  
Hormonal Milieu

1. As in Rhodnius, the larval Oncopeltus has bristles which are supplemented at each moult. However, at metamorphosis a dense population of non-innervated hairs develops. 2. Implantation of corpora allata into 5th-stage larvae showed that the development of these hairs can be inhibited universally or locally by the juvenile hormone (JH). 3. Transplantations of integument between 5th-stage larvae of different stages in the moult cycle gave some information about the power of the host to synchronize the graft to its own moult cycle. 4. Transplantations between different larval stages showed that the grafted in tegument responded to the hormonal milieu of the host. 5. Adult integument was transplanted onto larvae to study the reversal of metamorphosis. It was found that the development of a supernumerary population of hairs depended on the integument passing through a moult cycle in the presence of JH. After two moults in the presence of JH, reversal of metamorphosis was found to vary over the surface of the transplant, being further advanced at the margin. At the edge of the graft properly formed larval bristles developed, while at the centre adult hairs were formed in adult cuticle. Intermediately formed bristles were found in the intervening areas. It is suggested that reactions associated with wounding are the cause of this heterogeneous result. 6. The significance of these results in relation to other work and to theories concerning the mode of action of the juvenile hormone is discussed.

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