Data from: Utility of geometric morphometrics for inferring feeding habit from mouthpart morphology in insects: tests with larval Carabidae (Insecta: Coleoptera)

Feeding habits are important life-history traits in animals; however,
methods for their determination are not well established in many species.
The larvae of the beetle family Carabidae are an example. The present
study tested the utility of geometric morphometrics of mouthpart
morphology to infer the feeding habits of carabid larvae. Using
Pterostichus thunbergi as a model system, larval feeding habits were
inferred using geometric morphometrics of mouthparts and the results were
compared with those obtained from rearing experiments. The rearing
experiments indicated that P. thunbergi larvae are carnivores that require
snails as an essential part of the diet. Through geometric morphometrics,
associations between mouthpart morphology and larval feeding habits were
confirmed for species in which these two traits are known. A discriminant
analysis using these associations classified P. thunbergi larvae as
snail/slug feeders, which is a result compatible with the rearing
experiments. Geometric morphometrics also revealed that morphological
integration and ontogenetic shape change might play roles in the
diversification of mouthpart morphology. Overall, these results
demonstrate the utility of the geometric morphometrics of mouthparts to
infer feeding habit and to clarify the mechanisms of mouthpart
morphological diversification in the study group, and the results also
serve as a basis for future studies of other insect groups.