Systematics, Evolution, and Biodiversity
Student Competition 10-Minute Paper
Abigail E. Magland
Research Technician
Drexel University
Souderton, Pennsylvania
Paul E. Skelley
Chief Entomologist
Florida State Coll Arthropods
Gainesville, Florida
Seth Bybee
Professor of Biology
Brigham Young University
Provo, Utah
Gareth S. Powell
Graduate Student
Brigham Young University
Provo, Utah
The subfamily Pharaxonothinae (Coleoptera: Erotylidae) feeds on and pollinates the cones of Cycadales, an order of ancient gymnosperms. Cycadaceae, the oldest of the two cycad families, is native to Asia and Australia, and Zamiaceae is native to the Americas, Africa, and Australia. Pharaxonothines also follow this pattern and have two major clades, one in the Old World and one in the New World. Members of each clade are categorized as either free-living or cycad-associated. In this study, the relative eye size between free-living and cycad-associated species was compared. We measured the eye size as a proportion of lateral head space and dorsal body length for nearly all described species within the subfamily Pharaxonothinae. Using these data, we compare morphological differences between behaviorally separate groups within Pharaxonothinae. We provide evidence for a close link between feeding behavior and sensory morphology.