New records of Neogene Xenarthra (Mammalia) from eastern Puna (Argentina): diversity and biochronology

2019 ◽  
Vol 93 (06) ◽  
pp. 1258-1275
Author(s):  
Sofía I. Quiñones ◽  
Ángel R. Miño-Boilini ◽  
Alfredo E. Zurita ◽  
Silvina A. Contreras ◽  
Carlos A. Luna ◽  
...  

AbstractXenarthra is an endemic South American lineage of mammals, probably the sister clade of the other placental mammals. The oldest records of Xenarthra are from the latest Paleocene, although its current diversity is much lower than that recorded in some intervals of the Cenozoic Era. A new Neogene Xenarthra (Pilosa and Cingulata) assemblage from two localities of the Argentine Eastern Puna (Calahoyo and Casira) is described. The newly recorded taxa—Cingulata, Dasypodidae, Eutatini: Stenotatus sp. indet. and Eutatini indet., Euphractini: Macrochorobates scalabrinii (Moreno and Mercerat, 1891), and Tardigrada, Mylodontinae: cf. Simomylodon sp. indet. and Simomylodon cf. S. uccasamamensis Saint-André et al., 2010—and those already published from Calahoyo—Cingulata: Macrochorobates chapadmalensis (Ameghino, 1908), Eosclerocalyptus sp. indet., and Tardigrada, Megatheriidae: Pyramiodontherium bergi (Moreno and Mercerat, 1891)—suggest a middle–late Miocene age for the fossil-bearing levels. In Calahoyo, the presence of Stenotatus sp. indet., in addition to some rodents currently under study in the lower levels, suggest a closer similarity with the palaeofauna of Cerdas (southern Bolivia), probably involving the last part of the Miocene Climatic Optimum. The Xenarthra recorded in the middle and upper levels of Calahoyo and Casira suggest a late Miocene–Pliocene age. A comparative analysis between Calahoyo and Casira highlights the absence of Cingulata in the latter and a high diversity in the former. This situation probably indicates different paleoenvironmental conditions. Finally, we present the first certain record of the genus Simomylodon Saint-André et al., 2010 in Argentina, which includes the oldest record of dermal ossicles for sloths in South America.

2018 ◽  
Vol 52 (1) ◽  
pp. 3-12 ◽  
Author(s):  
I. Balashov ◽  
O. Vasyliuk ◽  
D. Shyriaieva ◽  
Z. Shvydka ◽  
O. Oskyrko ◽  
...  

Abstract Thirty-six species of terrestrial molluscs were found in the dry grasslands and rock outcrops of the study area, including three that were not previously known for Central Ukraine: Granaria frumentum, Pupilla bigranata and Mediterranea inopinata. These species are relics related to dry open habitats and require conservation in Ukraine on the national level, G. frumentum is already listed in the Red Book of Ukraine, and the other two should be listed in its next edition. It is proposed to create the new protected areas in the most important newly revealed locations of these species. These rocky areas also retain the high diversity of land molluscs in the region. The invasive snail Xeropicta derbentina was found for the first time on the DNIPRO Upland, on the edge of natural dry grassland. The rare native snail Morlina glabra was recorded for the first time in Kyiv Region, it is proposed to be included into the regional red list.


Zootaxa ◽  
2018 ◽  
Vol 4388 (1) ◽  
pp. 143
Author(s):  
VINÍCIUS COSTA-SILVA ◽  
ANGÉLICO ASENJO ◽  
ALFRED F. NEWTON ◽  
PATRICIA J. THYSSEN

The genus Ontholestes Ganglbauer includes 35 species distributed mainly in Eurasia, with a few additional species in Africa and North and South America (Herman, 2001; Yang & Zhou, 2012; Smetana & Shavrin, 2013; Rougemont, 2016). According to Asenjo et al. (2013), the South American record of the Palearctic species Ontholestes murinus (Linnaeus, 1758) for Brazil made by J. Guérin (1953) seems doubtful. Ontholestes murinus was recorded for the first time outside the Palaearctic region by Smetana (1981), from Newfoundland, in Canada, as an adventive species (e.g., Downie and Arnett, 1996; Brunke et al., 2011), but its occurrence in Brazil remains to be confirmed; if the Guérin (1953) record was based on a mistaken identification or mislabeled specimen, this would reduce the number of species distributed in this region from two to one. With respect to O. brasilianus Bernhauer, although it has been confirmed for Peru, Brazil and Argentina (Herman, 2001; Asenjo et al., 2013; Newton, 2015; Newton & Caron, 2015), no specific localities of occurrence have been reported since its description in 1906. Thus, to solve problems of misidentification with Neotropical species of this genus, in this study we redescribe Ontholestes brasilianus and provide the first illustrations of the beetle including its aedeagus and a short key for South American species. Additionally, new records from South America are listed here. 


Phytotaxa ◽  
2017 ◽  
Vol 291 (4) ◽  
pp. 287 ◽  
Author(s):  
D. B. POINDEXTER ◽  
M. ESCUDERO ◽  
P. JIMÉNEZ-MEJÍAS

In 1906, Clarke described C. hypsipedos based on specimens of Weberbauer 2617 and placed this species in subgenus Vignea. In 1909, Kükenthal also described the name C. umbellata var. depressa on the basis of the number Weberbauer 2617, a species attributed to section Acrocystis of subgenus Carex. Wheeler in 1988 also placed C. hypsipedos in section Acrocystis while reducing Kükenthal’s name to synonymy. During a recent herbarium survey, we studied syntypes corresponding to Weberbauer 2617 at B, F, G, and MOL. The study of these materials revealed important inconsistencies between the specimens and Clarke’s protologue and Wheeler’s study, suggesting that Weberbauer 2617 is a mixed collection of two different species. One plant conforms to Carex sect. Acrocystis, while the other bears resemblance to subgenus Vignea. Several salient characters distinguish these two taxa from each other, most notably including: stigmas 3 vs. stigmas 2, achenes trigonous vs. lenticular, and perigynium pubescent to puberulent vs. glabrous. Carex hypsipedos from Peru, corresponding to Clarke’s original description, is here lectotypified. The Carex sect. Acrocystis species is assigned a new name, Carex punicola, from Argentina, Bolivia, and Peru (South America). In addition to Wheeler’s (1988) observations, we here provide additional detail and illustration of this species. It is closely related to C. geophila, another American species in section Acrocystis.


PLoS ONE ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 16 (9) ◽  
pp. e0257519
Author(s):  
Matheus Pontes-Nogueira ◽  
Marcio Martins ◽  
Laura R. V. Alencar ◽  
Ricardo J. Sawaya

The emergence of the diagonal of open/dry vegetations, including Chaco, Cerrado and Caatinga, is suggested to have acted as a dispersal barrier for terrestrial organisms by fragmenting a single large forest that existed in South America into the present Atlantic and Amazon forests. Here we tested the hypothesis that the expansion of the South American diagonal of open/dry landscapes acted as a vicariant process for forest lanceheads of the genus Bothrops, by analyzing the temporal range dynamics of those snakes. We estimated ancestral geographic ranges of the focal lancehead clade and its sister clade using a Bayesian dated phylogeny and the BioGeoBEARS package. We compared nine Maximum Likelihood models to infer ancestral range probabilities and their related biogeographic processes. The best fitting models (DECTS and DIVALIKETS) recovered the ancestor of our focal clade in the Amazon biogeographic region of northwestern South America. Vicariant processes in two different subclades resulted in disjunct geographic distributions in the Amazon and the Atlantic Forest. Dispersal processes must have occurred mostly within the Amazon and the Atlantic Forest and not between them. Our results suggest the fragmentation of a single ancient large forest into the Atlantic and Amazon forests acting as a driver of vicariant processes for the snake lineage studied, highlighting the importance of the diagonal of open/dry landscapes in shaping distribution patterns of terrestrial biota in South America.


1998 ◽  
Vol 76 (2) ◽  
pp. 290-297 ◽  
Author(s):  
Paul M Catling ◽  
Sue Porebski

To evaluate the relationship between the four subspecies of Fragaria chiloensis, 14 characters were measured in 95 plants. F ratios from ANOVA were used to determine and apply the optimal characters for subspecies separation. Discriminant analysis indicated that the Hawaiian ssp. sandwicensis was entirely distinct, differing from the other subspecies in having longer leaflets and longer hairs on the undersurface of the leaflets and more numerous leaflet veins. The South American and North American plants were significantly different but overlapped to a degree. The former differed primarily by having mostly 6-10 petals, instead of having 5-6 (rarely 7) petals. The two North American subspecies overlapped extensively and may be best transferred to a lower taxonomic rank. A key to the subspecies is included.Key words: Fragaria chiloensis, ssp. pacifica, ssp. lucida, ssp.sandwicensis, ssp. chiloensis, Rosaceae, strawberry, taxonomy, classification, morphology, North America, South America, Hawaii.


1997 ◽  
Vol 71 (4) ◽  
pp. 610-615 ◽  
Author(s):  
T. J. DeVries ◽  
G. J. Vermeij

The new genus Herminespina comprises extinct South American species of “Thais”-like ocenebrine gastropods with prominent colabral folds and a labral spine. Geographic range extensions into Peru are reported for the late Pliocene H. mirabilis and the late Miocene to Pliocene H. philippii, both previously known only from Chile. A new early Pliocene species, H. saskiae, is described from the Sacaco Basin of southern Peru and compared with an early Miocene muricid from Peru and Chile, Acanthina katzi. Herminespina is one of several genera of Neogene muricids in western South America that bear labral spines.


Author(s):  
Julio César García-Rodríguez ◽  
Zeferino Vicente-Hernández ◽  
Manuel Grajales-Solís ◽  
Naoki Yamanaka

Asian soybean rust (ASR), caused by the pathogen Phakopsora pachyrhizi, is the main disease of soybean in Mexico and worldwide, threatening its production. Knowledge about the virulence of Mexican rust populations (MRPs) is crucial in order to develop or introduce soybean cultivars with resistance to this disease. This study investigated the geographic variation on the virulence of 19 MRPs collected in two states of Mexico: Tamaulipas and Chiapas, using a set of 12 differential soybean varieties. The inoculation of MRPs showed that there was no large difference in virulence to differentials carrying Rpp4 or Rpp5 between MRPs from the two states. However, a contrasting phenotype was observed on Rpp1, Rpp1-b, Rpp2, and Rpp3. In the comparative analysis of virulence profiles with 157 and 20 P. pachyrhizi samples from South America and Asia, respectively, the MRPs from Chiapas form an isolated cluster, including the Tamaulipas state. The MRPs from Tamaulipas clustered with South American samples because of common characteristics, such as virulence to Rpp1 and avirulence to Rpp1-b. However, opposite reactions on Rpp1 and Rpp1-b that have been reported in major USA pathogen were also observed in Chiapas samples. A common trend between Chiapas and major USA pathogen was also observed in Rpp3. As the main conclusion of the present study, the 1,000 km distance between these two states in Mexico makes a big difference in the virulence of ASR.


2021 ◽  
pp. 1-55
Author(s):  
Zhaoxiangrui He ◽  
Aiguo Dai ◽  
Mathias Vuille

AbstractSouth American climate is influenced by both Atlantic multidecadal variability (AMV) and Pacific multidecadal variability (PMV). But how they jointly affect South American precipitation and surface air temperature is not well understood. Here we analyze composite anomalies to quantify their combined impacts using observations and reanalysis data. During an AMV warm (cold) phase, PMV-induced JJA precipitation anomalies are more positive (negative) over 0°-10°S and southeastern South America, but more negative (positive) over the northern Amazon and central Brazil. PMV-induced precipitation anomalies in DJF are more positive (negative) over Northeast Brazil and southeastern South America during the warm (cold) AMV phase, but more negative (positive) over the central Amazon Basin and central-eastern Brazil. PMV’s impact on AMV-induced precipitation anomalies shows similar dipole patterns. The precipitation changes result from perturbations of the local Hadley and Walker Circulations. In JJA, PMV- and AMV-induced temperature anomalies are more positive (negative) over entire South America when the other basin is in a warm (cold) phase, but in DJF temperature anomalies are more positive (negative) only over the central Andes and central-eastern Brazil and more negative (positive) over southeastern South America and Patagonia. Over central Brazil in JJA and southern Bolivia and northern Argentina in DJF, the temperature and precipitation anomalies are negatively correlated. Our results show that the influence of Pacific and Atlantic multidecadal variability need to be considered jointly, as significant departures from the mean AMV or PMV fingerprint can occur during a cold or warm phase of the other basin’s mode.


2002 ◽  
Vol 34 (4) ◽  
pp. 311-320 ◽  
Author(s):  
Arve Elvebakk ◽  
Roland Moberg

AbstractTen foliose and placodioid species of Physciaceae are reported from the National Park Torres del Paine and from other areas in southernmost Chile. Phaeophyscia constipate and Physconia perisidiosa are reported as new to the Southern Hemisphere, Phaeophyscia endococcina var. endococcina and Phaeorrhiza nimbosa as new to South America, and Dimelaena oreina and Physcia kalbii as new to Chile. The latter was recorded only from the island of Chiloé. Dimelaena appears to be rare in Magallanes and has been recorded only from one steppe locality. Phaeophyscia constipate and Phaeorrhiza nimbosa appear to be confined to the driest steppes, in areas with occurrences of rock outcrops associated with calcareous soil. Physconia muscigena has a similar habitat ecology, but a wider distribution, and is quite common. Physconia perisidiosa and Physcia adscendens were found to be very common in all bioclimatic zones surveyed in the lowland of Torres del Paine. The Physciaceae species treated here are all bipolar or subcosmopolitan, and belong to genera lacking an austral or South American element in the area studied, in contrast to the pattern in all other reasonably large macrolichen groups, except among cetrarioid genera. Their habitat ecology is also very similar to conditions known in the Northern Hemisphere. On the other hand, other widely distributed Northern Hemisphere species such as Physcia stellaris and P. aipolia have known distribution patterns in South America which are disjunct and northern and very different from those of the species treated here.


2009 ◽  
Vol 57 (1) ◽  
pp. 76 ◽  
Author(s):  
Silvana M. Sede ◽  
Daniela Tosto ◽  
Paola Talia ◽  
Melissa Luckow ◽  
Lidia Poggio ◽  
...  

The neotropical genus Camptosema in its southern distribution is represented by the following four species: Ca. paraguariense, Ca. praeandinum, Ca. rubicundum and Ca. scarlatinum. Ca. rubicundum is the only species with all the diagnostic characters of the genus, i.e. tubular calyx. The other three taxa are related morphologically and cytologically to Galactia and Collaea, two closely allied genera in the subtribe Diocleinae. Individual and combined phylogenetic analyses of morphology, ITS and trnL-F were conducted to examine the position of these species as well as to explore their relationship with Galactia and Collaea species in southern South America. In none of the analyses does Camptosema species form a monophyletic group. Instead, they are scattered in different groups. These results together with cytological, morphological and AFLP data provide good support for re-evaluating the taxonomic position of these species within Camptosema.


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