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A.Yu. Solodovnikov
Larval chaetotaxy of Coleoptera (Insecta) as a tool for evolutionary research and systematics: less confusion, more clarity.
J. Zool. Syst. Evol. Res. (Blackwell Verlag, Berlin), 2007, 45(2): 120-127.
Abstract.
Chaetotaxy
of
beetle
larvae
is a
significant
source
of
characters
for
descriptive
and
phylogenetic
aspects
of
systematics
of
this
largest
group
of
animals
of
comparable
age.
Survey
of
the
mostly
modern
systematic
literature
employing
larval
chaetotaxy
in
Coleoptera
reveals,
however,
that
contrary
to
some
general
claims
for
the
utility
of
this
character
set,
use
of
larval
chaetotaxy
is
rather
limited.
This
is
mostly
because
researchers
find
working
with
larval
chaetotaxy
difficult
and
time
consuming.
Factors
that
make
exploration
of
chaetotaxy
so
cumbersome
are
methodologically
analysed
here
and
divided
into
two
categories:
intrinsic
and
operational.
It
is
revealed
that
the
most
dangerous
of
them
are
operational,
which
arise
from
the
multiplication
of
inconsistencies
coming
from
different
levels
of
comparative
morphological
research.
As a
result,
ill-defined
assessments
of
larval
chaetotaxy
may
bring
more
confusion
than
clarity
to
the
systematics
of
beetles,
especially
to
its
phylogenetic
component
which
is
intuitively
avoided
by
researchers
who
refuse
to
use
chaetotaxy.
This
paper
attempts
to
scrutinize
the
sources
of
these
inconsistencies
undermining
studies
of
larval
chaetotaxy
in
hope
of
eliminating
them
from
present
and
future
systematic
studies
of
Coleoptera.
Some
methodological
issues
raised
here
are
also
applicable
to
adult
Coleoptera,
to
other
insects
and
invertebrates,
or
to
the
proper
ways
of
exploring
the
comparative
morphology
of
living
organisms,
underlying
evolutionary
and
systematic
research.