Bibliometric Analyses of Web of Science Illuminate Research Advances of Neuropterida

SIMPLE SUMMARY: Neuropterida is a relatively primitive group of Holometabola including about 6500 extant species. Many species of this group are natural enemies and can prey on a variety of agricultural pests. This research analyzed the relevant literature in the core database of Web of Science by using CiteSpace, and then summarized the beginning and development of the research in the field of Neuropterida. The results showed that the United States and China had the most publications on the Neuropterida and were the main countries for research. These two countries have had the most productive authors and institutions. Representative institutions for research on natural enemies of Neuropterida included the China Agricultural University and the Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences. Due to the late start of Neuropterida research in China, the early research focused on practical applications. In addition, there is more cross-research in the fields of agriculture and biochemistry, molecular biology, chemistry, etc., indicating that the research of Neuropterida can be covered from the macroscopic study to the microscopic study. In addition, it was found that the early research focused on the biological control of Neuropterida by analyzing the keyword burst, whereas the current research has focused on the phylogeny of Neuropterida more. ABSTRACT: Neuropterida is a relatively primitive group of Holometabola. There are about 6500 extant species. Many species of this group are natural enemies and can prey on a variety of agricultural pests. In order to understand the leading research institutions, researchers and research contents, and to predict the future research directions of Neuropterida, the Web of Science core database, from January 1995 to September 2021, was searched with the theme of “Neuropterida or Neuroptera or Megaloptera or Raphidioptera or Lacewing”. The results showed that the United States and China published relatively more publications than other countries. In addition, researchers from these two countries had more cooperation with other countries. China Agricultural University ranked the highest in the number of publications and centrality in this field. In addition, it was found that the early research focused on the biological control of Neuropterida by analyzing the keyword burst, whereas the more recent research focused on the phylogeny of Neuropterida. As the first representative chromosome-level genome of Neuropterida has been published, the future research of Neuropterida will focus on the genomic studies and molecular mechanisms of their morphological characters, behavior, historical evolution and so on.