scholarly journals Assessment of available anatomical characters for linking living mammals to fossil taxa in phylogenetic analyses

2016 ◽  
Vol 12 (5) ◽  
pp. 20151003 ◽  
Author(s):  
Thomas Guillerme ◽  
Natalie Cooper
Keyword(s):  
Data Collection ◽  
Phylogenetic Analyses ◽  
Molecular Data ◽  
Total Evidence ◽  
Morphological Data ◽  
Living Species ◽  
Anatomical Characters ◽  
The Impact

Analyses of living and fossil taxa are crucial for understanding biodiversity through time. The total evidence method allows living and fossil taxa to be combined in phylogenies, using molecular data for living taxa and morphological data for living and fossil taxa. With this method, substantial overlap of coded anatomical characters among living and fossil taxa is vital for accurately inferring topology. However, although molecular data for living species are widely available, scientists generating morphological data mainly focus on fossils. Therefore, there are fewer coded anatomical characters in living taxa, even in well-studied groups such as mammals. We investigated the number of coded anatomical characters available in phylogenetic matrices for living mammals and how these were phylogenetically distributed across orders. Eleven of 28 mammalian orders have less than 25% species with available characters; this has implications for the accurate placement of fossils, although the issue is less pronounced at higher taxonomic levels. In most orders, species with available characters are randomly distributed across the phylogeny, which may reduce the impact of the problem. We suggest that increased morphological data collection efforts for living taxa are needed to produce accurate total evidence phylogenies.

scholarly journals Assessment of cladistic data availability for living mammals

2015 ◽  
Author(s):  
Thomas Guillerme ◽  
Natalie Cooper
Keyword(s):  
Data Collection ◽  
Molecular Data ◽  
Data Availability ◽  
Total Evidence ◽  
Morphological Data ◽  
Living Species ◽  
The Impact

Analyses of living and fossil taxa are crucial for understanding changes in biodiversity through time. The Total Evidence method allows living and fossil taxa to be combined in phylogenies, by using molecular data for living taxa and morphological data for both living and fossil taxa. With this method, substantial overlap of morphological data among living and fossil taxa is crucial for accurately inferring topology. However, although molecular data for living species is widely available, scientists using and generating morphological data mainly focus on fossils. Therefore, there is a gap in our knowledge of neontological morphological data even in well-studied groups such as mammals. We investigated the amount of morphological (cladistic) data available for living mammals and how this data was phylogenetically distributed across orders. 22 of 28 mammalian orders have < 25% species with available morphological data; this has implications for the accurate placement of fossil taxa, although the issue is less pronounced at higher taxonomic levels. In most orders, species with available data are randomly distributed across the phylogeny, which may reduce the impact of the problem. We suggest that increased morphological data collection efforts for living taxa are needed to produce accurate Total Evidence phylogenies.

scholarly journals Disentangling relationships among eastern Mediterranean Cymbalaria including description of a novel species from the southern Peloponnese (Greece)

2021 ◽  
Vol 307 (2) ◽  
Author(s):  
Pau Carnicero ◽  
Núria Garcia-Jacas ◽  
Llorenç Sáez ◽  
Theophanis Constantinidis ◽  
Mercè Galbany-Casals
Keyword(s):  
Eastern Mediterranean ◽  
Phylogenetic Analyses ◽  
Taxonomic Revision ◽  
Distribution Patterns ◽  
Morphological Characters ◽  
Molecular Data ◽  
Morphological Data ◽  
Long Distance ◽  
Aegean Islands ◽  
Molecular Phylogenetic

AbstractThe eastern Mediterranean basin hosts a remarkably high plant diversity. Historical connections between currently isolated areas across the Aegean region and long-distance dispersal events have been invoked to explain current distribution patterns of species. According to most recent treatments, at least two Cymbalaria species occur in this area, Cymbalaria microcalyx and C. longipes. The former comprises several intraspecific taxa, treated at different ranks by different authors based on morphological data, evidencing the need of a taxonomic revision. Additionally, some populations of C. microcalyx show exclusive morphological characters that do not match any described taxon. Here, we aim to shed light on the systematics of eastern Mediterranean Cymbalaria and to propose a classification informed by various sources of evidence. We performed molecular phylogenetic analyses using ITS, 3’ETS, ndhF and rpl32-trnL sequences and estimated the ploidy level of some taxa performing relative genome size measures. Molecular data combined with morphology support the division of traditionally delimited C. microcalyx into C. acutiloba, C. microcalyx and C. minor, corresponding to well-delimited nrDNA lineages. Furthermore, we propose to combine C. microcalyx subsp. paradoxa at the species level. A group of specimens previously thought to belong to Cymbalaria microcalyx constitute a well-defined phylogenetic and morphological entity and are described here as a new species, Cymbalaria spetae. Cymbalaria longipes is non-monophyletic, but characterized by being glabrous and diploid, unlike other eastern species. The nrDNA data suggest at least two dispersals from the mainland to the Aegean Islands, potentially facilitated by marine regressions.

A combined morphological and molecular phylogeny for sea urchins (Echinoidea: Echinodermata)

1995 ◽  
Vol 347 (1320) ◽  
pp. 213-234 ◽  
Keyword(s):  
Data Base ◽  
Sequence Data ◽  
Phylogenetic Analyses ◽  
Total Evidence ◽  
Morphological Data ◽  
Rrna Genes ◽  
Rrna Gene ◽  
Molecular Sequences ◽  
Higher Taxa ◽  
Stem Group

Phylogenedc reladonships of higher taxa of echinoids have been invesdgated using a 163 character morphological data base and molecular sequences from large and small subunit (LSU and SSU) ribosomal RNA (rRNA) genes. The complete ssu rRNA gene has been sequenced for 21 taxa, with representatives from nine of the 14 extant orders of Echinoidea. Partial LSU sequences, representing the first 400 base pairs (b.p.) from the 5' end were also sequenced for three taxa to complement an existing data base of ten taxa. The two molecular sequences provided a total of 371 variable sites, of which 143 were phylogenetically informative (compared to 145 phylogenetically informative sites from morphological data). Morphological, LSU and SSU data have been analysed separately and together. Morphological and ssu sequence data generate topologies that are not significantly in conflict (under Templeton’s test), but the strong signal pairing arbaciids with clypeasteroids in the LSU derived tree marks the LSU sequence data as anomalous for this taxon. A ‘ total evidence’ approach derived a tree very similar in topology to that derived from morphological data. Rooted on the stem group echinoid Archaeocidaris , our total evidence tree suggested relationships of higher taxa as follows: Gidaroida Phormosomatidae Echinothuriidae Diadematidae Spatangoida Clypeasteroida, Cassiduloida Calycina, Arbacioida Stomopneustidae Glyphocidaridae Temnopleuridae Echinometridae Echinidae, Strongylocentridae. Phylogenetic analyses run both with and without key fossil taxa yielded slightly different topologies. It is important to include fossil taxa in a phylogenetic analysis where there are long stem-group branches or where the crown group is highly derived.

The Akodon boliviensis species group (Rodentia: Cricetidae: Sigmodontinae) in Argentina: species limits and distribution, with the description of a new entity

Zootaxa ◽  
2010 ◽  
Vol 2409 (1) ◽  
pp. 1 ◽  
Author(s):  
J. PABLO JAYAT ◽  
PABLO E. ORTIZ ◽  
JORGE SALAZAR-BRAVO ◽  
ULYSES F. J. PARDIÑAS ◽  
GUILLERMO D’ELÍA
Keyword(s):  
Phylogenetic Analyses ◽  
Molecular Data ◽  
Species Group ◽  
Species Limits ◽  
Northwestern Argentina ◽  
Semiarid Environments ◽  
Central Argentina ◽  
The Andes ◽  
Mountain System ◽  
Living Species

Akodon, with about 42 living species, is the most diverse genus of the subfamily Sigmodontinae. The Akodon boliviensis species group includes small-bodied, morphologically similar forms inhabiting Altiplano grasslands and grassland/forest ecotones of the eastern slope of the Andes, from central Peru to central Argentina. Northwestern Argentina contains the largest diversity of species of the group; the taxonomic treatment of these species has been based largely on unsupported and some weakly based opinions as underscored by recurrent changes. Based on morphologic and molecular data we assessed species limits among Argentinean populations of the Akodon boliviensis species group. We conclude that four species of the A. boliviensis species group inhabit northwestern Argentina. These are: A. boliviensis; A. caenosus (under which we synonymyze A. aliquantulus); A. spegazzinii (of which the nominal forms alterus, leucolimnaeus, and tucumanensis are junior synonyms); and A. sylvanus. Additionally, we described here a new species of the A. boliviensis species group, Akodon polopi, which inhabits central Argentina. This is the only species of the A. boliviensis species group inhabiting the Sierras Grandes range (ca. 2000 m), mountain system of medium height, isolated (ca., 600 km) from the main Andean chain by low elevation arid and semiarid environments. Additionally, our phylogenetic analyses suggests that the Akodon varius species group is polyphyletic.

A molecular phylogeny of Callianassidae and related families (Crustacea : Decapoda : Axiidea) with morphological support

2020 ◽  
Vol 34 (2) ◽  
pp. 113 ◽  
Author(s):  
Rafael Robles ◽  
Peter C. Dworschak ◽  
Darryl L. Felder ◽  
Gary C. B. Poore ◽  
Fernando L. Mantelatto
Keyword(s):  
Bayesian Analysis ◽  
Molecular Analysis ◽  
Single Species ◽  
Molecular Data ◽  
Total Evidence ◽  
Morphological Data ◽  
12S Rrna ◽  
New Genera ◽  
Key Species ◽  
The Family

The axiidean families Callianassidae and Ctenochelidae, sometimes treated together as Callianassoidea, are shown to represent a monophyletic taxon. It comprises 265 accepted species in 74 genera, twice this number of species if fossil taxa are included. The higher taxonomy of the group has proved difficult and fluid. In a molecular phylogenetic approach, we inferred evolutionary relationships from a maximum-likelihood (ML) and Bayesian analysis of four genes, mitochondrial 16S rRNA and 12S rRNA along with nuclear histone H3 and 18S rRNA. Our sample consisted of 298 specimens representing 123 species plus two species each of Axiidae and Callianideidae serving as outgroups. This number represented about half of all known species, but included 26 species undescribed or not confidently identified, 9% of all known. In a parallel morphological approach, the published descriptions of all species were examined and detailed observations made on about two-thirds of the known fauna in museum collections. A DELTA (Description Language for Taxonomy), database of 135 characters was made for 195 putative species, 18 of which were undescribed. A PAUP analysis found small clades coincident with the terminal clades found in the molecular treatment. Bayesian analysis of a total-evidence dataset combined elements of both molecular and morphological analyses. Clades were interpreted as seven families and 53 genera. Seventeen new genera are required to reflect the molecular and morphological phylograms. Relationships between the families and genera inferred from the two analyses differed between the two strategies in spite of retrospective searches for morphological features supporting intermediate clades. The family Ctenochelidae was recovered in both analyses but the monophyly of Paragourretia was not supported by molecular data. The hitherto well recognised family Eucalliacidae was found to be polyphyletic in the molecular analysis, but the family and its genera were well defined by morphological synapomorphies. The phylogram for Callianassidae suggested the isolation of several species from the genera to which they had traditionally been assigned and necessitated 12 new generic names. The same was true for Callichiridae, with stronger ML than Bayesian support, and five new genera are proposed. Morphological data did not reliably reflect generic relationships inferred from the molecular analysis though they did diagnose terminal taxa treated as genera. We conclude that discrepancies between molecular and morphological analyses are due at least in part to missing sequences for key species, but no less to our inability to recognise unambiguously informative morphological synapomorphies. The ML analysis revealed the presence of at least 10 complexes wherein 2–4 cryptic species masquerade under single species names.

scholarly journals Improvements in the fossil record may largely resolve current conflicts between morphological and molecular estimates of mammal phylogeny

2018 ◽  
Vol 285 (1893) ◽  
pp. 20181632 ◽  
Author(s):  
Robin M. D. Beck ◽  
Charles Baillie
Keyword(s):  
Maximum Likelihood ◽  
Fossil Record ◽  
Morphological Character ◽  
Phylogenetic Analyses ◽  
Molecular Data ◽  
Morphological Data ◽  
Ancestral State ◽  
Case Scenario ◽  
State Reconstruction ◽  
Consensus View

Phylogenies of mammals based on morphological data continue to show several major areas of conflict with the current consensus view of their relationships, which is based largely on molecular data. This raises doubts as to whether current morphological character sets are able to accurately resolve mammal relationships. We tested this under a hypothetical ‘best case scenario’ by using ancestral state reconstruction (under both maximum parsimony and maximum likelihood) to infer the morphologies of fossil ancestors for all clades present in a recent comprehensive DNA sequence-based phylogeny of mammals, and then seeing what effect the subsequent inclusion of these predicted ancestors had on unconstrained phylogenetic analyses of morphological data. We found that this resulted in topologies that are highly congruent with the current consensus phylogeny, at least when the predicted ancestors are assumed to be well preserved and densely sampled. Most strikingly, several analyses recovered the monophyly of clades that have never been found in previous morphology-only studies, such as Afrotheria and Laurasiatheria. Our results suggest that, at least in principle, improvements in the fossil record—specifically the discovery of fossil taxa that preserve the ancestral or near-ancestral morphologies of the nodes in the current consensus—may be sufficient to largely reconcile morphological and molecular estimates of mammal phylogeny, even using current morphological character sets.

scholarly journals The phylogenetic conundrum of Lutzia (Diptera: Culicidae: Culicini): a cautionary account of conflict and support

2015 ◽  
Vol 46 (3) ◽  
pp. 269-290 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ian J. Kitching ◽  
C. Lorna Culverwell ◽  
Ralph E. Harbach
Keyword(s):  
Dna Sequences ◽  
Phylogenetic Analyses ◽  
Morphological Characters ◽  
Molecular Data ◽  
Morphological Data ◽  
Data Set ◽  
Generic Status ◽  
Strong Signal ◽  
Phylogenetic Studies ◽  
Data Support

Lutzia Theobald was reduced to a subgenus of Culex in 1932 and was treated as such until it was restored to its original generic status in 2003, based mainly on modifications of the larvae for predation. Previous phylogenetic studies based on morphological and molecular data have provided conflicting support for the generic status of Lutzia: analyses of morphological data support the generic status whereas analyses based on DNA sequences do not. Our previous phylogenetic analyses of Culicini (based on 169 morphological characters and 86 species representing the four genera and 26 subgenera of Culicini, most informal group taxa of subgenus Culex and five outgroup species from other tribes) seemed to indicate a conflict between adult and larval morphological data. Hence, we conducted a series of comparative and data exclusion analyses to determine whether the alternative positions of Lutzia are due to conflicting signal or to a lack of strong signal. We found that separate and combined analyses of adult and larval data support different patterns of relationships between Lutzia and other Culicini. However, the majority of conflicting clades are poorly supported and once these are removed from consideration, most of the topological disparity disappears, along with much of the resolution, suggesting that morphology alone does not have sufficiently strong signal to resolve the position of Lutzia. We critically examine the results of other phylogenetic studies of culicinine relationships and conclude that no morphological or molecular data set analysed in any study conducted to date has adequate signal to place Lutzia unequivocally with regard to other taxa in Culicini. Phylogenetic relationships observed thus far suggest that Lutzia is placed within Culex but further data and extended taxon sampling are required to confirm its position relative to Culex.

Total evidence phylogeny of the North American harvestman family Stygnopsidae (Opiliones : Laniatores : Grassatores) reveals hidden diversity

2017 ◽  
Vol 31 (3) ◽  
pp. 317 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jesús A. Cruz-López ◽  
Oscar F. Francke
Keyword(s):  
Bayesian Inference ◽  
Phylogenetic Analyses ◽  
Mitochondrial Protein ◽  
Morphological Characters ◽  
Molecular Data ◽  
Total Evidence ◽  
The North ◽  
Protein Encoding ◽  
The Status ◽  
Taxonomic Changes

Systematic relationships among Laniatores have received considerable attention during the past few years. Many significant taxonomic changes have been proposed, particularly in the superfamily Gonyleptoidea. As part of this superfamily, the basalmost Stygnopsidae is the least known family. In order to propose the first total evidence phylogeny of the family, we produced four datasets: three molecular markers – partial nuclear 28S, mitochondrial ribosomal 16S, mitochondrial protein-encoding cytochrome c oxidase subunit I; and 72 morphological characters. With these data, we performed three different phylogenetic analyses: (1) Bayesian Inference with molecular data, and (2) Bayesian Inference and (3) Maximum Likelihood using combined data. Our results are congruent: a monophyletic Stygnopsidae subdivided into two major clades: Stygnopsinae and Karosinae, subfam. nov. The following genera are redefined: Stygnopsis, Hoplobunus and Serrobunus stat. rev. The following taxa are described: Iztlina venefica, gen. nov., sp. nov. and Tonalteca, gen. nov. Additionally, the following changes are proposed: Serrobunus queretarius (Šilhavý, 1974), comb. nov., Stygnopsis apoalensis (Goodnight &amp; Goodnight, 1973), comb. nov., Stygnopsis mexicana (Roewer, 1915), comb. nov., Stygnopsis oaxacensis (Goodnight &amp; Goodnight, 1973), comb. nov., and Tonalteca spinooculorum (Goodnight &amp; Goodnight, 1973), comb. nov. We also discuss the status of the genera Isaeus stat. rev. and Mexotroglinus. Finally, we discuss the evolution of male genitalia and convergence of selected homoplastic diagnostic characters.

scholarly journals Synonymization of the male-based ant genus Phaulomyrma (Hymenoptera, Formicidae) with Leptanilla based upon Bayesian total-evidence phylogenetic inference

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Zachary H. Griebenow
Keyword(s):  
Sequence Data ◽  
Phylogenetic Inference ◽  
Morphological Characters ◽  
Molecular Data ◽  
Total Evidence ◽  
Morphological Data ◽  
Systematic Revision ◽  
Dna Sequence Data ◽  
Evidence Framework ◽  
Nuclear Loci

Abstract.Although molecular data have proven indispensable in confidently resolving the phylogeny of many clades across the tree of life, these data may be inaccessible for certain taxa. The resolution of taxonomy in the ant subfamily Leptanillinae is made problematic by the absence of DNA sequence data for leptanilline taxa that are known only from male specimens, including the monotypic genus Phaulomyrma Wheeler & Wheeler. Focusing upon the considerable diversity of undescribed male leptanilline morphospecies, the phylogeny of 35 putative morphospecies sampled from across the Leptanillinae, plus an outgroup, is inferred from 11 nuclear loci and 41 discrete male morphological characters using a Bayesian total-evidence framework, with Phaulomyrma represented by morphological data only. Based upon the results of this analysis Phaulomyrma is synonymized with Leptanilla Emery, and male-based diagnoses for Leptanilla that are grounded in phylogeny are provided, under both broad and narrow circumscriptions of that genus. This demonstrates the potential utility of a total-evidence approach in inferring the phylogeny of rare extant taxa for which molecular data are unavailable and begins a long-overdue systematic revision of the Leptanillinae that is focused on male material.

scholarly journals Phylogeny, evolution, and classification of the ant genus Lasius, the tribe Lasiini, and the subfamily Formicinae (Hymenoptera: Formicidae)

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Brendon E Boudinot ◽  
Marek L Borowiec ◽  
Matthew M Prebus
Keyword(s):  
Molecular Phylogenetics ◽  
Phylogenetic Analyses ◽  
Social Parasitism ◽  
Molecular Data ◽  
Species Group ◽  
Total Evidence ◽  
Death Process ◽  
Ancestral State ◽  
Fossil Species

Within the Formicidae, the higher classification of nearly all subfamilies has been recently revised due to the findings of molecular phylogenetics. Here, we integrate morphology and molecular data to holistically address the evolution and classification of the ant genus Lasius, its tribe Lasiini, and their subfamily Formicinae. We accomplish this through a critical re-examination of morphology of extant and fossil taxa, molecular phylogenetic analyses, total-evidence dating under fossilized birth-death process, phylogeography, and ancestral state estimation. We use these results to provide revised taxonomic definitions for the Lasiini and select genera, and we provide a key to the genera of the Lasiini with emphasis on the Lasius genus group. We find that the crown Lasiini originated around the end of the Cretaceous on the Eurasian continent and is divisible into four morphologically distinct clades: Cladomyrma, the Lasius genus group, the Prenolepis genus group, and a previously undetected lineage we name XXXgen. n. The crown of the Lasius genus group is considerably younger than that of the Prenolepis genus group, indicating that extinction has played a major role in the evolution of the former clade. Lasius itself is divided into two well-supported monophyletic groups which are approximately equally speciose. We present evidence that temporary social parasitism and fungiculture arose in Lasius two times independently. Additionally, we recover the paraphyly of three Lasius subgenera and propose replacing all subgenera with an informal species group classification: Lasius = Acanthomyopssyn. rev., = Austrolasiussyn. n., = Cautolasiussyn. n., = Chthonolasius vsyn. n., = Dendrolasiussyn. n. Total-evidence analysis reveals that the Baltic-region amber fossil species Lasius pumilus and Pseudolasius boreus are misplaced to genus; we therefore designate XXXgen. n. for the former and XXXgen. n. for the latter. Further, we transfer XXX and Glaphyromyrmex out of the tribe, considering the former to be incertae sedis in the subfamily, and the latter a member of the Formicini (tribal transfer). Two final taxonomic actions are deemed necessary: synonymy of Lasius escamole Reza, 1925 with Liometopum apiculatum Mayr, 1870 syn. n. (subfamilial transfer), and transfer of Paratrechina kohli to Anoplolepis (tribal transfer, forming A. kohli (Forel, 1916) n. comb.).

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