David C. Hawks

TL;DR: A phylogeny of beetles based on DNA sequence data from eight nuclear genes, including six single‐copy nuclear protein‐coding genes, for 367 species representing 172 of 183 extant families provides a uniquely well‐resolved temporal and phylogenetic framework for studying patterns of innovation and diversification in Coleoptera.

TL;DR: The results support earlier hypotheses, primarily based on morphology, for a basal grade of phytophagous families giving rise to a single clade of parasitic Hymenoptera, the Vespina, from which predatory, pollen-feeding, gall-forming and eusocial forms evolved.

TL;DR: The phylogeny of Staphyliniformia is reconstructed using DNA sequences from nuclear 28S rDNA and the nuclear protein‐coding gene CAD for 282 species representing all living families and most subfamilies, with a representative sample of Scarabaeiformia serving as a near outgroup, and three additional beetles as more distant outgroups.

TL;DR: This first comprehensive phylogenetic analysis of the superfamily Chalcidoidea based on a molecular analysis of 18S and 28S ribosomal gene regions for 19 families, 72 subfamilies, 343 genera and 649 species finds no impact of alignment method, and few but substantial differences between likelihood and parsimony approaches.

TL;DR: For three groups of Eulophidae, Encyrtidae and miscellaneous Chalcidoidea, the CPD specimens were of consistently higher quality for all groups, although the overall differences between CPD and HMDS specimens were marginal.