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Diversity
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Insect Diversity: Morphology, Paleontology, and Biogeography
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Insect Diversity: Morphology, Paleontology, and Biogeography

A special issue of Diversity (ISSN 1424-2818). This special issue belongs to the section "Animal Diversity".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 30 April 2026 | Viewed by 1269

Special Issue Editors

Dr. Cecilia Waichert

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Guest Editor
Programa de Pós-Graduação em Zoologia, Universidade de Brasília, Brasília, DF, Brazil
Interests: molecular systematics; insect biogeography; phylogenetics
Dr. Wesley Colombo

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Depto Ciências Biológicas, CCHN, Universidade Federal do Espírito Santo, Av. Fernando Ferrari 514, Goiabeiras, Vitória, ES, Brazil
Interests: systematics; evolution; Hymenoptera; palaeoentomology; Chrysidoidea
Prof. Dr. Celso Oliveira Azevedo

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
1. Center for Human and Natural Sciences, Department of Biological Sciences, Federal University of Espírito Santo, Vitória, ES, Brazil
2. Ufes Goiabeiras, Federal University of Espírito Santo, Vitória, ES, Brazil
Interests: systematics of parasitoid wasps of the family Bethylidae (Insecta, Hymenoptera)

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Insects are among the most evolutionarily successful organisms on the planet, exhibiting remarkable anatomical adaptations, occupying nearly every terrestrial and freshwater habitat, and leaving behind a rich fossil record that traces their origins and diversification. Understanding insect diversity requires an integrated perspective that connects their structural complexity, deep evolutionary history, and geographic patterns across time and space. This Special Issue welcomes original research and review articles focusing on form and function, fossil evidence of major insect lineages, and spatial or temporal patterns of insect distribution. Contributions that link morphological data with phylogenetic or ecological frameworks, or those that provide new insights from underexplored fossil deposits or biogeographic regions, are particularly encouraged. By bringing together these complementary fields, we aim to deepen our understanding of how insects evolved, diversified, and adapted to a changing planet.

Dr. Cecilia Waichert
Dr. Wesley Colombo
Prof. Dr. Celso Oliveira Azevedo
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Diversity is an international peer-reviewed open access monthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2100 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

  • functional morphology
  • palaeoentomology
  • paleoecology
  • phylogenetics
  • species distribution

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Published Papers (2 papers)

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Research

11 pages, 1426 KB  
Article
When Shape Defines: Geometric Morphometrics Applied to the Taxonomic Identification of Leaf-Footed Bugs of the Genus Acanthocephala (Hemiptera: Coreidae)
by Allan H. Smith-Pardo, Jordan Hernandez-Martelo, Manuel J. Suazo, Laura M. Pérez, Camila Peña-Aliaga, Juan Sebastian Garcia, Monserrat Saravia, Thania Acuña-Valenzuela, Hugo A. Benítez and Margarita Correa
Diversity 2025, 17(10), 680; https://doi.org/10.3390/d17100680 - 29 Sep 2025
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Abstract
The study of qualitative morphological variation is essential for taxonomists and professionals involved in the identification and diagnosis of species of agricultural importance. This becomes particularly critical when quarantine decisions depend on the accurate identification of species belonging to highly diverse genera, poorly [...] Read more.
The study of qualitative morphological variation is essential for taxonomists and professionals involved in the identification and diagnosis of species of agricultural importance. This becomes particularly critical when quarantine decisions depend on the accurate identification of species belonging to highly diverse genera, poorly reviewed taxonomic groups, or sets of morphologically similar species that lack comprehensive identification keys. Geometric morphometrics has proven to be a powerful tool for resolving taxonomic uncertainties and distinguishing economically significant pest insects, even in the absence of formal taxonomic keys. In this study, we applied geometric morphometrics to analyze pronotum shape variation across 11 species of the genus Acanthocephala, representing nearly half of the currently recognized diversity in the genus, including several species of quarantine relevance to the United States. Our results indicate that principal component analysis accounted for 67% of the total shape variation and identified shape patterns that are useful for distinguishing between several species. Discriminate analysis further supported the differentiation among species, with significant differences confirmed through Mahalanobis distances. Although some species exhibited morphological overlaps, particularly among closely related taxa, most comparisons yielded statistically significant results. These findings demonstrate that the shape of the pronotum is a reliable and informative characteristic for species delimitation within the Acanthocephala group. We propose the use of geometric morphometrics as a reproducible, cost-effective, and robust method for species-level identification in taxonomically complex groups, which has valuable applications in quarantine inspection, pest monitoring, and agricultural biosecurity. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Insect Diversity: Morphology, Paleontology, and Biogeography)
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28 pages, 13450 KB  
Article
Molecular and Morphological Analyses for Delimiting Species Boundaries: The Case of Sclerodermus cereicollis Kieffer, 1904 (Hymenoptera: Bethylidae)
by Paolo Masini, Gianandrea Salerno, Manuela Rebora, Daniela Lupi, Wesley D. Colombo and Celso O. Azevedo
Diversity 2025, 17(9), 611; https://doi.org/10.3390/d17090611 - 30 Aug 2025
Viewed by 723
Abstract
The genus Sclerodermus Latreille (Hymenoptera: Bethylidae) comprises over 80 species of ectoparasitoids of insect pests in forests, agricultural environments, and stored products with a cosmopolitan distribution. Despite its growing significance in biological control, behavioral ecology, and public health, the taxonomy of the genus [...] Read more.
The genus Sclerodermus Latreille (Hymenoptera: Bethylidae) comprises over 80 species of ectoparasitoids of insect pests in forests, agricultural environments, and stored products with a cosmopolitan distribution. Despite its growing significance in biological control, behavioral ecology, and public health, the taxonomy of the genus remains poorly resolved. This is largely due to morphological reduction and simplification among species, outdated or incomplete original descriptions, and limited access to type material. A particularly problematic case is Sclerodermus cereicollis Kieffer, originally described from two geographically disjunct populations: Giglio Island (Italy, Palaearctic) and Annobón Island (Equatorial Guinea, Afrotropical). The syntype series includes morphologically divergent specimens, casting doubt on their conspecificity. In this study, we redescribe S. cereicollis based on both the original syntypes and newly collected material from Italy. A lectotype is designated to stabilize the nomenclature, and we provide the first molecular data for the species to assess genetic cohesion among populations. Comparative morphological and molecular analyses reveal that the Afrotropical syntypes represent a distinct, previously undescribed species. Accordingly, we describe Sclerodermus annobonensis Masini, Colombo & Azevedo sp. nov., designating a holotype. This study refines species boundaries within Sclerodermus and highlights the value of integrative taxonomy, combining historical and contemporary data, in resolving persistent systematic ambiguities in morphologically conservative taxa. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Insect Diversity: Morphology, Paleontology, and Biogeography)
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