Hong Pang

Sun Yat-Sen University | SYSU · School of Ecology

The ladybird beetle Micraspis discolor plays an important role as a predator of various arthropods within Asia’s rice ecosystems. While pollen could serve as an alternative diet for this beetle, facilitating mass-rearing, its pollinivory might inadvertently result in attacks on crop pollen. This study aims to explore the role of gut bacteria on pol...

Background Cryptolaemus montrouzieri (Coccinellidae) is widely utilized as biological control agents in modern agriculture. A comprehensive understanding of its food preference can help guide mass rearing and safety management during field application of pest control. Although some studies have paid attentions to the impacts of prey shift on C. mon...

The current trend in phylogenetic and evolutionary analyses predominantly relies on omic data. However, prior to core analyses, traditional methods typically involve intricate and time-consuming procedures, including assembly from high-throughput reads, decontamination, gene prediction, homology search, orthology assignment, multiple sequence align...

The eggs of the Mediterranean flour moth, Ephestia kuehniella, are frequently utilized as alternative diets and have demonstrated promising outcomes when consumed by various insects. Nonetheless, the specific reasons for their effectiveness remain unclear. In our study, we assessed the developmental performance of the ladybird Propylea japonica whe...

In this study, we first time sequenced and analyzed the 16S rRNA gene data of predator ladybird beetles Novius pumilus and globally distributed invasive pest Icerya aegyptiaca at different stages, and combined data with bacterial genome sequences in N. pumilus to explored the taxonomic distribution, alpha and beta diversity, differentially abundant...

The current trend in phylogenetic and evolutionary analyses predominantly relies on omic data. However, traditional methods typically involve intricate and time-consuming procedures prior to core analyses. These procedures encompass assembly from high-throughput reads, decontamination, gene prediction, homology search, orthology assignment, multipl...

Mantispidae have developed multidimensional specializations of predation that are leveraged by trade-offs involving attack properties, which is revealed by interdisciplinary analyses of phylogeny, morphometrics, and mechanical modeling. The lineage diversification was stimulated by its raptorial foreleg evolution, and was influenced by the ecosyste...

Horizontal transmission of bacteria to varied hosts can maintain and even expand microbial niches. We previously found that the aphid gut bacterium Serratia symbiotica strain SsMj can be transmitted to ladybird beetles via predation, but whether the predator is a new host, a reservoir or a dead end of this bacterium is unknown. This study aims to p...

Background Scale insects are worldwide sap-sucking parasites, which can be distinguished into neococcoids and non-neococcoids. Neococcoids are monophyletic with a peculiar reproductive system, paternal genome elimination (PGE). Different with neococcoids, Iceryini, a tribe in non-neococcoids including several damaging pests, has abdominal spiracles...

Juramordella asperula gen. et sp. nov. (Coleoptera: Tenebrionoidea) is described based on a specimen from the Middle Jurassic Daohugou Biota, Nincheng County, Inner Mongolia of China. Juramordella asperula is distinguished from other Praemordellinae mainly for roughly punctate elytra, absence of subapical or lateral ridges on all tibiae and tarsi,...

Bacterial symbionts can play a key role in the interactions between trophic levels. Certain symbionts are known to confer protection against natural enemies of their arthropod hosts. However, whether natural enemies evolve and adapt to prey symbionts is not well understood. In this study, we found that a free‐living strain of aphid symbiont Serrati...

Taxonomy plays an important role in understanding the origin, evolution, and ecological functionality of biodiversity. There are large number of unknown species yet to be described by taxonomists, which together with their ecosystem services cannot be effectively protected prior to description. Despite this, taxonomy has been increasingly underrat...

Grzymalia wukong gen. et sp. nov. is described as the first named representative of Aderidae from the Mesozoic amber deposits, based on a single adult beetle inclusion in mid-Cretaceous Kachin amber, northern Myanmar (ca. 99 Ma). The new genus resembles several extant representatives of the tribe Euglenesini, with such characters as uniseriate elyt...

The ladybird beetle Micraspis discolor is a potential biological control agent in the rice ecosystems of Asia. Besides attacking a range of arthropod prey the ladybird also feeds on pollen. To explore the mechanism of pollinivory of M. discolor, we compared the transcriptomes and microbiomes of the ladybird when fed rape pollen versus insect foods...

Background Members of the genus Novius Mulsant, 1846 (= Rodolia Mulsant, 1850) (Coleoptera, Coccinellidae), play important roles in the biological control of cotton cushion scale pests, especially those belonging to Icerya . Since the best-known species, the vedalia beetle Novius cardinalis (Mulsant, 1850) was introduced into California from Austra...

Species of the genus Oxyscelio Kieffer are egg parasitoids of Orthoptera. The genus is relatively diverse in China, with 34 described species. Some species of the genus are extremely morphologically similar and difficult to identify, especially in males. In this study, DNA barcoding based on sequences of the COI gene was used to discriminate Oxysce...

Apalochrini comprises nearly half of the genera of Australian Melyridae, which are all recognized by male specific characters, and are commonly found on grasses, flowers and riverside or seashore rocks. Here we describe a new genus Salsolaius gen. nov. from Lake Way of Western Australia, representing the first known genus of Australian Melyridae in...

Cantharidae is a diverse group of soft-bodied beetles and frequently occurs in the Mid-Cretaceous (c. 99 Mya) amber of Myanmar. In the present paper, three new soldier beetles, Cretocantharis veda gen. & sp. nov., Palaeocantharispanna gen. & sp. nov. and Hukawngichthyurus maha sp. nov. are reported. A phylogenetic reconstruction of Cantharidae, inc...

A new genus and species of the cleroid family Lophocateridae are described and illustrated from the mid-Cretaceous amber of northern Myanmar. Gracilenticrus burmiticus Yu, Kolibáč & Ślipiński gen. et sp. nov. is unique among Lophocateridae in the tiny body size, frontoclypeal suture and antennal grooves absent, symmetrical antennal clubs, protrocha...

The relictual archostematan beetle family Ommatidae attained high diversity during the Mesozoic. Despite their once high taxonomic diversity and morphological disparity, many Mesozoic ommatid taxa remain poorly understood, partly due to limited preservation. Here we report an exceptionally well-preserved fossil, which we describe as a new ommatid g...

Eucalyptus species have become one of the most commonly planted trees worldwide, including China, due to their fast growth and various commercial applications. However, the productivity of Eucalyptus plantations has been threatened by exotic invasive insect pests in recent years. Among these pests, gall inducers of the genus Ophelimus of the Euloph...

A new genus and species, Multistria orthotropa gen. et sp. nov. , and a new species, Dachibangus hui sp. nov. , of Mimarachnidae are described from the mid-Cretaceous Burmese amber. These new taxa display unique wing color patterns and extend the Mesozoic diversity of Mimarachnidae. The evolution of wing venation, phylogenetic placement of Mimarach...

Some insects, such as bees, wasps, and bugs, have specialized coupling structures to synchronize the wing motions in flight. Some others, such as ladybirds, are equipped with coupling structures that work only at rest. By locking elytra into each other, such structures provide hindwings with a protective cover to prevent contamination. Here, we sho...

The first fossil representative of the cleroid family Trogossitidae is described from mid‐Cretaceous Burmese amber. Microtrogossita qizhihaoi Li & Cai gen. et sp. nov. is unique among Trogossitidae in the relatively widely separated procoxal and mesocoxal cavities, weakly asymmetrical antennal clubs, coarsely facetted eyes, coarse sculpture of dors...

A new species of Mimarachnidae, Cretodorus rostellatus sp. nov. with well-preserved male genitalia is described from the Upper Cretaceous (lowermost Cenomanian) Burmese amber. Diagnostic features of the genus Cretodorus are reviewed. The paedomorphic nature of this family are discussed, including sensory pits, median carinae, tarsal segment.

Coccinellini, the ‘true ladybirds’, is a large, cosmopolitan tribe of lady beetles with immense variability in colour and form that include many commonly recognized species and major biocontrol agents, as well as some ubiquitous invasive species. In this study, we performed phylogenetic analyses of molecular and morphological data. For the molecula...

Two new genera of the subfamily Protobraconinae van Achterberg & Chen, 2021 (Braconidae) are described from mid-Cretaceous amber of northern Myanmar: Chainochora gen. nov. (with type species Chainochora syntoma sp. nov.), and Kleistochora gen. (with type species Kleistochora dolichura sp. nov.). A key to the genera of Protobraconinae found in Creta...

During the Mid-Miocene Climatic Optimum [MMCO, ~14 to 17 million years (Ma) ago], global temperatures were similar to predicted temperatures for the coming century. Limited megathermal paleoclimatic and fossil data are known from this period, despite its potential as an analog for future climate conditions. Here, we report a rich middle Miocene rai...

The cotton mealybug Phenacoccus solenopsis Tinsley (Hemiptera: Pseudococcidae), is an emerging invasive insect pest in China. Hymenopteran parasitoids are the key organisms for suppressing populations of P. solenopsis in the field, and therefore could be used as biological agents. Accurate identification of the associated parasitoids is the critica...

Ladybirds (family Coccinellidae) are one of the most diverse groups of beetles and globally comprise over 6000 species. Despite their scientific and economic significance, the taxonomy of Coccinellidae remains unstable, and we still know little about their evolutionary history. By using a small number of genes, previous phylogenetic analyses have n...

Background The ladybird beetle Cryptolaemus montrouzieri Mulsant, 1853 (Coleoptera, Coccinellidae) is used worldwide as a biological control agent. It is a predator of various mealybug pests, but it also feeds on alternative prey and can be reared on artificial diets. Relatively little is known about the underlying genetic adaptations of its feedin...

Background Horizontal gene transfer (HGT) has been documented in many herbivorous insects, conferring the ability to digest plant material and promoting their remarkable ecological diversification. Previous reports suggest HGT of antibacterial enzymes may have contributed to the insect immune response and limit bacterial growth. Carnivorous insects...

Background The ladybird beetle Cryptolaemus montrouzieri Mulsant (Coleoptera, Coccinellidae) is used worldwide as a biological control agent. It is a predator of various mealybug pests, but it also feeds on alternative prey and can be reared on artificial diets. Relatively little is known about the underlying genetic adaptations of its feeding habi...

Eucinetus parvus sp. nov. is described from late Cretaceous Burmese amber, representing the second record of Eucinetidae from the Burmese amber and the first species of the family with simple, not piercing, mouthparts. A comparison between Mesocinetidae and Eucinetidae is provided.

The Music Frog genus Nidirana was recently resurrected as a distinct genus and contains 14 species distributed in subtropical eastern and southeastern Asia. The species diversity of Nidirana is dramatically underestimated, and half of its species was described in the last five years. In this study, Nidirana occidentalis sp. nov., a new species of M...

Mesozoic lophocaterids are relatively rare and here we describe and illustrate two new genera and two new species, Mesolophocateres pengweii Yu, Leschen & Ślipiński gen. et sp. nov. and Parayixianteres parvus Yu, Leschen & Ślipiński gen. et sp. nov. based on seven well-preserved adults from the mid-Cretaceous amber of northern Myanmar. The new taxa...

The Mantispidae (Neuroptera), commonly known as mantid lacewings or mantispids, are characterized by raptorial forelegs used by adults for predation. They have a fossil history extending to the Early Jurassic. During the past 180 Myr, the lineage has undergone significant evolutionary transformation, exhibiting an elevated diversity in morphology y...

A new Australian genus Notointybia gen. nov. is established for three species formerly placed in Laius Guérin-Méneville, Dicranolaius Champion or Intybia Pascoe. It can be separated from the other apalochrine genera by the following characters combined: pronotum with complete lateral carinae, basal antennomeres modified and fore tarsi four-segmente...

The genus Oxyscelio Kieffer from China is revised. Thirty-four species are recognized, of which two species are described as new: O. nullicarina Mo & Chen, sp. n., O. paracuculli Mo & Chen, sp. n., and fourteen species are newly recorded from China: O. aclavae Burks, O. arcus Burks, O. brevidentis Burks, O. excavatus (Kieffer), O. flabelli Burks, O...

Gonatopus viet Olmi, 1986 was originally described from Vietnam based on a single female. No further distribution records or hosts have been documented since its original discovery. In the present study, this species is newly recorded from China and its host is confirmed as Stirellus capitatus (Distant, 1918) using DNA barcoding techniques. The uti...

Trissolcus Ashmead (Hymenoptera: Scelionidae) is a cosmopolitan genus of egg-parasitoid wasps associated with stink bugs (Pentatomidae, Scutelleridae, Urostylididae), many of which are important insect pests. Documentation of host associations for these wasps, which we here provide via museum specimens, can support their use as biological control a...

The phylogenetic relationships within the beetle family Cucujidae were investigated for the first time. Fifty‐seven morphological characters were used for maximum parsimony and Bayesian analyses. Mitochondrial genomes were generated from museum specimens through genome skimming and used for phylogenetic analyses in a maximum likelihood framework du...

Australian fauna of the tribe Macrotomini Thomson, 1861 is revised, and 37 species in 16 genera are recognised, illustrated and discussed. Keys to the species are provided. Based on the morphological characters and our previous molecular phylogenetic studies, the following new species are described: Analophus septentrionalissp. nov., Archetypus mar...

A new species of Noviini, Novius marek Ślipiński and Pang sp. nov. is described from New Caledonia. It is the largest known species of the genus, easily recognised by its size, very flat body and zigzag darker pattern on yellowish-brown elytra. A key to the New Caledonian species of Novius, new distribution records and illustrations of known specie...

Two new species of Trigonalyidae are described from Tibet (SW China): Jezonogonalos nyingchiensis Chen & van Achterberg, sp. nov. , and Taeniogonalos eurysoma Chen & van Achterberg, sp. nov. In total, seven species representing four genera are known from Tibet, and two of them are newly recorded from Tibet: Taeniogonalos bucarinata Chen, van Achter...

The mature larva and pupa of the Australian silvanid species, Macrohyliota militaris (Erichson) are described from laboratory reared material. This is the first description of immature stages of Silvanidae from Australia. The larva of M. militaris conforms to the general body shape and apparent morphological features of known Brontini and is very s...

Three cryptic species, which were previously reported as Nidirana adenopleura , are revealed on the basis of comprehensive approaches. Nidirana guangdongensis Lyu, Wan, and YY Wang, sp. nov. is distributed in Nanling Mountains and southern Luoxiao Mountains, Nidirana mangveni Lyu, Qi, and YY Wang, sp. nov. is known from northern Zhejiang, and Nidir...

We combined museum collection genomics and morphology to identify new genera and species, and to otherwise revise the taxonomy of the poorly understood Australian longhorn beetles in the subfamily Prioninae. Moreover, we produced a comprehensive DNA reference library for molecular species identification and a first comprehensive molecular phylogeny...

Background: Ladybird beetles (Coleoptera, Coccinellidae) are highly diverse in their feeding habits. Most of them are specialist feeders, while some can have a broad spectrum of prey. As a representative group of generalists, the tribe Coccinellini includes many aphidophagous species, but members of this tribe also feed on other hemipterous insect...

True ladybirds, classified in the tribe Coccinellini, are easily recognisable by their relatively large and shiny bodies and contrasting colour patterns. They are one of the most widely studied groups of beetles, being of economic importance and used as model organisms in biological and ecological research. Ladybird Beetles of the Australo-Pacific...

Geocoris pallidipennis (Costa, 1843) (Heteroptera: Lygaeidae) is a generalist predator of insect pests and it is used in insect pest biological control. However, there has yet to be established a mass rearing protocol for this predator that using artificial diets, and therefore its field applications are limited. This study was undertaken to optimi...

A new species of Araripeneuridae Cratoneura cuneata sp. nov. and an undetermined species Cratoneura sp. are described from the Upper Cretaceous (lowermost Cenomanian) Burmese amber. They can be assigned to this family by the typical venation of forewing, and different from other species of the genus by the wing venation such as forewing ScP + RA ve...

Mantispidae is a lacewing family with over 400 extant species (Ohl, 2004, 2007; Oswald, 2015). The family is divided into four extant subfamilies Symphrasinae, Drepanicinae, Calomantispinae, Mantispinae and one extinct subfamily Mesomantispinae (Lambkin, 1986a, b; Wedmann & Makarkin, 2007). The living mantispids are distributed cosmopolitan except...

A new adephagan beetle embedded in Burmese amber is described as Burmapseudomorphus planus gen. et sp. nov. From its broad and flat habitus, the lack of a pronoto-elytral angle, the short and broad head, the short mesoventrite, and the lancet-shaped elongate prosternal process it resembles beetles belonging to the aquatic Dytiscoidea. The metacoxal...

Three fossil species classified in the family Monotomidae are described from mid-Cretaceous Burmese amber. They are attributed to the recent tribe Lenacini Crowson, known so far from a single extant endemic species, Lenax mirandus Sharp, from New Zealand. Lenax karenae Liu, Tihelka, McElrath and Yamamoto sp. nov., Cretolenax carinatus Liu, Tihelka,...

Two new mantid lacewing genera and species, Archaeosymphrasis pennyi gen. et sp. nov. and Habrosymphrasis xiai gen. et sp. nov., are described from mid‐Cretaceous Myanmar amber. Phylogenetic analysis recovered the new genera as stem‐group Symphrasinae, sister to the rest of the subfamily. These represent the oldest fossil record of the subfamily Sy...

A new species of Music frogs, Nidiranayaoicasp. nov. is described based on a series of adult male specimens collected from Mt Dayao, Guangxi, southern China, providing valuable new information on the phylogeny, bioacoustics, and biogeography of related species within the genus Nidirana. The new species forms the sister taxon to N.daunchina from wes...

A new genus and species of Ithonidae, Puripolystoechotes pumilus gen. et sp. nov., is described from the Middle Jurassic of Inner Mongolia, China. The new genus is distinguished by possessing a hind wing with a simple humeral vein, only three ra-rp crossveins, M forked slightly distal to origin of RP1, and wing membrane without color pattern. This...

Amolops shuichengicus sp. nov., a new species of the A. mantzorum group is described from Guizhou, southwest China, on the basis of significant molecular divergences in 16S + CO1 genes and the combination of morphological characteristics: small body size, SVL 34.6–39.6 mm in adult males and 48.5–55.5 mm in adult females; dorsal skin relatively smoo...

Here we report the earliest known fossil belid, Sinoeuglypheus daohugouensis gen. et sp. nov., from the latest Middle Jurassic Jiulongshan Formation of north-eastern China. Extant belids are specialist herbivores feeding on gymnosperms or angiosperms, but it is likely that this new belid fed on coexisting conifers or other gymnosperms. Extant membe...

Two species of the genus Allophrys Förster are described from Australia: A. fuscipes sp. nov. and A. gauldi sp. nov. These are the first descriptions of Allophrys species from Australia. A key to the Australian species of the genus is also provided. Key words: taxonomy, key, Tersilochinae, parasitoid

†Mesopassandra keyao gen. et sp. nov., representing the first Mesozoic record of the family Passandridae (Coleoptera: Cucujoidea), is here described from Upper Cretaceous Burmese amber. Based on a phylogenetic analysis of 30 adult characters †Mesopassandra was recovered as the sister group to all remaining Passandridae, having a large labrum, biden...

The superorder Odonatoptera comprise the three orders Geroptera, Protodonata and Odonata. As one of the most basal groups of insects, Odonata are valuable for the study of evolution, especially the origination and development of wings. Dragonflies and damselflies mate in the air. The mating rituals are displayed by pairs coupling together and flyin...

Biological control is the main purpose of intentionally introducing non‐native invertebrate species. The evolutionary changes that occur in the populations of the introduced biological control agents may determine the agent's efficiency and the environmental safety. Here, to explore the pattern and extent of potential genomic changes in the worldwi...