scholarly journals Phylogenetic analysis of coadaptation in behavior, diet, and body size in the African antelope

2000 ◽  
Vol 11 (4) ◽  
pp. 452-463 ◽  
Author(s):  
Justin S. Brashares ◽  
Theodore Garland ◽  
Peter Arcese
Keyword(s):  
Phylogenetic Analysis ◽  
Body Size

Bursaphelenchus chengi sp. n. (Nematoda: Parasitaphelenchidae) isolated at Nanjing, China, in packaging wood from Taiwan

Nematology ◽  
2008 ◽  
Vol 10 (3) ◽  
pp. 335-346 ◽  
Author(s):  
Hongmei Li ◽  
Phap Quang Trinh ◽  
Lieven Waeyenberge ◽  
Maurice Moens
Keyword(s):  
Phylogenetic Analysis ◽  
New Species ◽  
Body Size ◽  
Posterior Margin ◽  
Petri Dish ◽  
Packaging Materials ◽  
Lateral Field ◽  
Female Tail ◽  
Domain Sequence ◽  
Lateral Lines

Abstract Bursaphelenchus chengi sp. n. is described and illustrated. Dauer juveniles were isolated from imported wood packaging materials from Taiwan to Nanjing Port, China. Bursaphelenchus chengi sp. n. was reared and maintained on Petri dish cultures of the fungus Botrytis cinerea. The new species is characterised by the medium body size in both sexes, the presence of only two incisures in the lateral field and the robust and strongly curved spicules. The spicule lamina is angular distally, the rostrum digitate and the condylus rounded. The tail is arcuate with a pointed terminus. The bursa is usually truncate with the posterior margin indented in some specimens or rounded with a fine axial point. Females have a small vulval flap formed by a short extension of the cuticle of the anterior lip, and a conical tail that gradually tapers to an almost straight or slightly recurved, pointed or rounded terminus. Because of the presence of two lateral lines, similar spicule shape, tapering female tail and the presence of a small vulval flap, B. chengi sp. n. should be grouped in the abietinus-group sensu Braasch. together with B. abietinus, B. antoniae, B. hellenicus, B. hylobianum and B. rainulfi. ITS-RFLP profiles support the proposal of the new species, and phylogenetic analysis of the 28S rDNA D2/D3 domain sequence places it close to B. antoniae and other species of the abietinus-group.

scholarly journals Surface sculpturing in the skull of gecko lizards (Squamata: Gekkota)

2020 ◽  
Vol 131 (4) ◽  
pp. 801-813
Author(s):  
Elizabeth Glynne ◽  
Juan D Daza ◽  
Aaron M Bauer
Keyword(s):  
Phylogenetic Analysis ◽  
Body Size ◽  
Functional Significance ◽  
Evolutionary Transitions ◽  
Apparent Relationship ◽  
Phenotypic Diversification ◽  
Skull Bones

Abstract It has previously been stated that geckos are characterized by smooth cranial bones bearing no sculpturing; however, there are many exceptions. Here we systematically characterize variation in sculpturing in cranial bones across all seven gekkotan families and examine patterns of evolutionary transitions in these traits on a multigene molecular gekkotan phylogeny to elucidate trends in phenotypic diversification in bone sculpturing. Over 195 species were reviewed using specimens where smooth, grooved, pitted and rugose sculpturing patterns were found. Of the 26 cranial bones, only seven (premaxilla, maxilla, nasal, prefrontal, frontal, parietal and postorbitofrontal) were found to bear sculpturing across more than three species. Sculpturing was found to extend beyond these seven bones onto either the dentary, surangular and/or quadrate within five species. Phylogenetic analysis showed that sculpturing evolved recently and repeatedly in several distinct lineages. The remaining 19 skull bones were smooth, except in the five species above, supporting the suggestion that smooth skull bones were ancestral in gekkotans. There is no apparent relationship between body size and the presence of bone sculpturing. The functional significance, if any, of sculpturing requires further investigation.

scholarly journals Systematics of the Rubidgeinae (Therapsida: Gorgonopsia)

PeerJ ◽  
2016 ◽  
Vol 4 ◽  
pp. e1608 ◽  
Author(s):  
Christian F. Kammerer
Keyword(s):  
South Africa ◽  
Phylogenetic Analysis ◽  
Body Size ◽  
Endemic Species ◽  
Large Body ◽  
Strong Support ◽  
Late Permian ◽  
Large Body Size ◽  
Karoo Basin ◽  
Assemblage Zone

The subfamily Rubidgeinae, containing the largest known African gorgonopsians, is thoroughly revised. Rubidgeinae is diagnosed by the absence of a blade-like parasphenoid rostrum and reduction or absence of the preparietal. Seven rubidgeine species from the Karoo Basin of South Africa are recognized as valid:Aelurognathus tigriceps,Clelandina rubidgei,Dinogorgon rubidgei,Leontosaurus vanderhorsti,Rubidgea atrox,Smilesaurus ferox, andSycosaurus laticeps. Rubidgeines are also present in other African basins:A. tigricepsandS. laticepsoccur in the Upper Madumabisa Mudstone Formation of Zambia, andD. rubidgei,R. atrox, and the endemic speciesRuhuhucerberus haughtonicomb. nov. andSycosaurus nowakicomb. nov. occur in the Usili Formation of Tanzania.Aelurognathus nyasaensisfrom the Chiweta Beds of Malawi also represents a rubidgeine, but of uncertain generic referral pending further preparation. No rubidgeine material is known outside of Africa: the purported Russian rubidgeineLeogorgon klimovensisis not clearly referable to this group and may not be diagnosable. Phylogenetic analysis of rubidgeines reveals strong support for a clade (Rubidgeini) of advanced rubidgeines includingClelandina,Dinogorgon,Leontosaurus, andRubidgea. Support forSmilesaurusas a rubidgeine is weak; it may, as previous authors have suggested, represent an independent evolution of large body size from anArctops-like ancestor. Temporally, rubidgeines are restricted to the Late Permian, first appearing in theTropidostomaAssemblage Zone and reaching highest diversity in theCistecephalusandDaptocephalusassemblage zones of the Beaufort Group.

scholarly journals A new family of diprotodontian marsupials from the latest Oligocene of Australia and the evolution of wombats, koalas, and their relatives (Vombatiformes)

2020 ◽  
Vol 10 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Robin M. D. Beck ◽  
Julien Louys ◽  
Philippa Brewer ◽  
Michael Archer ◽  
Karen H. Black ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Phylogenetic Analysis ◽  
Body Size ◽  
South Australia ◽  
Morphological Diversity ◽  
New Taxon ◽  
Ancestral State ◽  
Late Oligocene ◽  
Postcranial Skeleton ◽  
New Family ◽  
Australian Marsupial

Abstract We describe the partial cranium and skeleton of a new diprotodontian marsupial from the late Oligocene (~26–25 Ma) Namba Formation of South Australia. This is one of the oldest Australian marsupial fossils known from an associated skeleton and it reveals previously unsuspected morphological diversity within Vombatiformes, the clade that includes wombats (Vombatidae), koalas (Phascolarctidae) and several extinct families. Several aspects of the skull and teeth of the new taxon, which we refer to a new family, are intermediate between members of the fossil family Wynyardiidae and wombats. Its postcranial skeleton exhibits features associated with scratch-digging, but it is unlikely to have been a true burrower. Body mass estimates based on postcranial dimensions range between 143 and 171 kg, suggesting that it was ~5 times larger than living wombats. Phylogenetic analysis based on 79 craniodental and 20 postcranial characters places the new taxon as sister to vombatids, with which it forms the superfamily Vombatoidea as defined here. It suggests that the highly derived vombatids evolved from wynyardiid-like ancestors, and that scratch-digging adaptations evolved in vombatoids prior to the appearance of the ever-growing (hypselodont) molars that are a characteristic feature of all post-Miocene vombatids. Ancestral state reconstructions on our preferred phylogeny suggest that bunolophodont molars are plesiomorphic for vombatiforms, with full lophodonty (characteristic of diprotodontoids) evolving from a selenodont morphology that was retained by phascolarctids and ilariids, and wynyardiids and vombatoids retaining an intermediate selenolophodont condition. There appear to have been at least six independent acquisitions of very large (>100 kg) body size within Vombatiformes, several having already occurred by the late Oligocene.

scholarly journals A gigantic bird from the Upper Cretaceous of Central Asia

2011 ◽  
Vol 8 (1) ◽  
pp. 97-100 ◽  
Author(s):  
Darren Naish ◽  
Gareth Dyke ◽  
Andrea Cau ◽  
François Escuillié ◽  
Pascal Godefroit
Keyword(s):  
Phylogenetic Analysis ◽  
Body Size ◽  
Central Asia ◽  
Late Cretaceous ◽  
Upper Cretaceous ◽  
Large Body ◽  
New Taxon ◽  
Ecological Diversity ◽  
Large Body Size ◽  
Fossil Bird

We describe an enormous Late Cretaceous fossil bird from Kazakhstan, known from a pair of edentulous mandibular rami (greater than 275 mm long), which adds significantly to our knowledge of Mesozoic avian morphological and ecological diversity. A suite of autapomorphies lead us to recognize the specimen as a new taxon. Phylogenetic analysis resolves this giant bird deep within Aves as a basal member of Ornithuromorpha. This Kazakh fossil demonstrates that large body size evolved at least once outside modern birds (Neornithes) and reveals hitherto unexpected trophic diversity within Cretaceous Aves.

scholarly journals The anti-predation benefit of flash displays is related to the distance at which the prey initiates its escape

2021 ◽  
Vol 288 (1955) ◽  
pp. 20210866
Author(s):  
Karl Loeffler-Henry ◽  
Changku Kang ◽  
Thomas N. Sherratt
Keyword(s):  
Phylogenetic Analysis ◽  
Body Size ◽  
Bird Species ◽  
Animal Kingdom ◽  
Escape Behaviour ◽  
Flight Initiation

Flash behaviour is widespread in the animal kingdom and describes the exposure of a hidden conspicuous signal as an animal flees from predators. Recent studies have demonstrated that the signal can enhance survivorship by leading pursuing predators into assuming the flasher is also conspicuous at rest. Naturally, this illusion will work best if potential predators are ignorant of the flasher's resting appearance, which could be achieved if the prey flees while the predator is relatively far away. To test this hypothesis, we compared the survival of flashing and non-flashing computer-generated prey with different flight initiation distances (FIDs) using humans as model predators. This experiment found that flash displays confer a survivorship advantage only to those prey with a long FID. A complementary phylogenetic analysis of Australian bird species supports these results: after controlling for body size, species with putative flashing signals had longer FIDs than those without. Species with putative flashing signals also tended to be larger, as demonstrated in other taxa. The anti-predation benefit of flash displays is therefore related to the nature of escape behaviour. Since birds with hidden signals tend to flee at a distance, the flash display here is unlikely to function by startling would-be predators.

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