A taxonomic revision of the Cardiocondyla nuda group (Hymenoptera: Formicidae)

Zootaxa ◽  
2017 ◽  
Vol 4290 (2) ◽  
pp. 324 ◽  
Author(s):  
BERNHARD SEIFERT ◽  
ICHIRO OKITA ◽  
JÜRGEN HEINZE
Keyword(s):  
Cryptic Species ◽  
Species Complex ◽  
Incomplete Lineage Sorting ◽  
Taxonomic Revision ◽  
Species Group ◽  
Clustering Methods ◽  
Low Frequencies ◽  
Linear Discriminant ◽  
Colony Demography ◽  
The Mean

A taxonomic revision of the Cardiocondyla nuda species group is presented based on methods of Numeric Morphology-Based Alpha-Taxonomy (NUMOBAT) and supplemented by analysis of mtDNA. A total of 258 samples with 571 worker individuals were investigated by the hierarchical and non-hierarchical exploratory data analyses NC-Ward and NC-K-Means clustering considering 16 NUMOBAT characters. Two species are described as new, increasing the number of species in the group to eight. We separate the group into two main clades: the C. mauritanica species complex, which is of Oriental and Indo-Australian origin and contains the cryptic species C. mauritanica Forel 1890, C. strigifrons Viehmeyer 1922, C. kagutsuchi Terayama 1999, and C. itsukii sp. nov. and the Australasian and Polynesian C. nuda species complex with the cryptic species C. nuda (Mayr 1866), C. atalanta Forel 1915, C. paranuda Seifert 2003, and C. compressa sp. nov. The mean error of the two NC-clustering methods relative to the controlling linear discriminant analysis was 0.4% in C. mauritanica, 2.2% in C. itsukii, 0% in C. strigifrons, 0% in C. kagutsuchi, 1.5% in C. nuda, 3.2% in C. atalanta and 3.2% in C. paranuda—all these data are below the 4% threshold recommended by the Pragmatic Species Concept. The morphologically determined species clusters were confirmed by mtDNA data with a rather strong sequence divergence among the cryptic species of the C. nuda complex of 5.6–7.9%. The mean mismatch of two different mtDNA analyses with NUMOBAT clustering was 5.4% in 54 samples of seven species of the C. nuda group for which mtDNA data were available. The mismatch thus is smaller than in many other studies of Eumetazoa in general or ants in particular and is probably explained by low frequencies of ancient hybridization and/or incomplete lineage sorting. Comments on zoogeography, colony demography and behavior are given in the species sections and determination keys are provided. Cardiocondyla ectopia Snelling 1974 and Leptothorax caparica Henin, Paiva & Collingwood 2002  (syn nov.) are synonymized under Cardiocondyla mauritanica. Cardiocondyla nuda sculptinodis is not a member of the C. nuda group and is moved to C. shuckardi sculptinodis, a revived combination.  

scholarly journals Incomplete lineage sorting and ancient admixture, and speciation without morphological change in ghost-worm cryptic species

PeerJ ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 9 ◽  
pp. e10896
Author(s):  
José Cerca ◽  
Angel G. Rivera-Colón ◽  
Mafalda S. Ferreira ◽  
Mark Ravinet ◽  
Michael D. Nowak ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Genetic Variation ◽  
Cryptic Species ◽  
Species Complex ◽  
Population Genomics ◽  
Incomplete Lineage Sorting ◽  
Morphological Evolution ◽  
Population Level ◽  
Similar Species ◽  
Lineage Sorting ◽  
Amplification Method

Morphologically similar species, that is cryptic species, may be similar or quasi-similar owing to the deceleration of morphological evolution and stasis. While the factors underlying the deceleration of morphological evolution or stasis in cryptic species remain unknown, decades of research in the field of paleontology on punctuated equilibrium have originated clear hypotheses. Species are expected to remain morphologically identical in scenarios of shared genetic variation, such as hybridization and incomplete lineage sorting, or in scenarios where bottlenecks reduce genetic variation and constrain the evolution of morphology. Here, focusing on three morphologically similar Stygocapitella species, we employ a whole-genome amplification method (WGA) coupled with double-digestion restriction-site associated DNA sequencing (ddRAD) to reconstruct the evolutionary history of the species complex. We explore population structure, use population-level statistics to determine the degree of connectivity between populations and species, and determine the most likely demographic scenarios which generally reject for recent hybridization. We find that the combination of WGA and ddRAD allowed us to obtain genomic-level data from microscopic eukaryotes (∼1 millimetre) opening up opportunities for those working with population genomics and phylogenomics in such taxa. The three species share genetic variance, likely from incomplete lineage sorting and ancient admixture. We speculate that the degree of shared variation might underlie morphological similarity in the Atlantic species complex.

Review of the Poecilimon (Poecilimon) zonatus species group and description of new species from Turkey with data on bioacoustics and morphology (Orthoptera: Phaneropterinae)

Zootaxa ◽  
2018 ◽  
Vol 4417 (1) ◽  
pp. 1 ◽  
Author(s):  
HASAN SEVGİLİ ◽  
DENİZ ŞİRİN ◽  
KLAUS-GERHARD HELLER ◽  
MİCHÈLE LEMONNIER-DARCEMONT
Keyword(s):  
New Species ◽  
Species Complex ◽  
Taxonomic Revision ◽  
Species Group ◽  
The Other ◽  
New Subspecies ◽  
The Balkans ◽  
The North ◽  
Two New Species ◽  
Basal Branch

The aim of this study is to conduct a detailed taxonomic revision of the Poecilimon (Poecilimon) zonatus species-group (Orthoptera: Phaneropterinae) using both morphology and bioacoustics. Two new species (Poecilimon (Poecilimon) salmani, P. (P) azizsancar) and one new subspecies (P. (P) zonatus datca) are described. Based on the data, we conclude that the species complex can be separated into two subgroups (P. tauricola and P. zonatus). Within the P. zonatus subgroup, song structures indicate P. variicercis as basal branch since producing two syllable types is possibly a derived character. From both, from bioacoustics and morphology, it is concluded that the relationships between species of the group are as follows: P. tauricola subgroup (P. tauricola + P. azizsancar) + P. zonatus subgroup (P. variicercis + (P. varicornis + (P. zonatus zonatus+P. zonatus datca)) + (P. salmani+P. vodnensis)))). Except for two species (P. vodnensis and P. varicornis), the other species of the group are all distributed in Anatolia. P. vodnensis is known only from Macedonia, whereas, P. varicornis has been recorded only from Syria and Lebanon. We assume that the group originated from an Anatolian ancestral stock and expanded its distribution to the Balkans through Taurus Way and Dardanelles. Other ancestral populations may have also spread in the north-south directions through the appropriate steppe corridors in the Anatolian Diagonal Mountains and in its vicinity.

Taxonomic and nomenclatorial revision within the Neotropical genera of the subtribe Odontocheilina W. Horn in a new sense—23. Odontocheila parafemoralis sp. nov., a new species of the O. cajennensis species-complex (Coleoptera: Cicindelidae)

Zootaxa ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 4995 (1) ◽  
pp. 96-110
Author(s):  
JIŘÍ MORAVEC
Keyword(s):  
New Species ◽  
Species Complex ◽  
Present Author ◽  
Taxonomic Revision ◽  
Species Group ◽  
Similar Species ◽  
Undescribed Species ◽  
Key To Species ◽  
Previously Treated ◽  
A New Species

A new species of the genus Odontocheila Laporte de Castelnau, 1834 is described from Brazil as Odontocheila parafemoralis sp. nov. Along with other species previously treated as subspecies of O. cajennensis (Fabricius, 1787), the new species is classified here as a species of the O. cajennensis species-complex (within the O. cajennensis species-group). It was commonly confused in collections with O. bipunctata (Fabricius, 1792) and O. femoralis Chaudoir, 1860. Specimens from Itaituba, Rio Tapajoz, Pará (the type locality of the new species) were previously considered by the present author to be aberrant adults of O. oseryi (Lucas, 1857) and were also included within the species in the taxonomic revision of the genus (Moravec 2018). A recent examination of numerous specimens from Itaituba has revealed that they represent an undescribed species, which is diagnostically separated from all taxa of the O. cajennensis species-complex. Consequently, it is described here as new to science. Illustrations of the habitus, diagnostic characters and variability of the new species and distinguishing characters of similar species are presented in colour photographs. A revised key to species of the O. cajennensis species-complex (within the complete O. cajennensis species-group) is presented with reference to the taxonomic revision of the genus (Moravec 2018). An essential map of distribution is also given.  

Hidden conservation vulnerability within a cryptic species complex: taxonomic revision of the spotted skink (Oligosoma lineoocellatum; Reptilia: Scincidae) from New Zealand

Zootaxa ◽  
2017 ◽  
Vol 4300 (3) ◽  
pp. 355 ◽  
Author(s):  
SABINE MELZER ◽  
TRENT BELL ◽  
GEOFF B. PATTERSON
Keyword(s):  
New Zealand ◽  
Cryptic Species ◽  
Species Complex ◽  
Taxonomic Revision ◽  
Sensu Stricto ◽  
The South ◽  
The North ◽  
Northern Half ◽  
Cryptic Species Complex ◽  
Single Genus

The diverse skink fauna of New Zealand comprises 40 described species within the single genus Oligosoma Girard, 1857. Cryptic species are common among New Zealand skinks, leaving numerous species undescribed. We used molecular phylogeny together with morphological analyses to distinguish four species in the spotted skink, Oligosoma lineoocellatum (Duméril & Duméril 1851), species complex. These are O. lineoocellatum sensu stricto, which is confined to the centre of the South Island, O. prasinum sp. nov. from the Lake Tekapo region, O. elium sp. nov. from the northern half of the South Island, and O. kokowai sp. nov. from the northern South Island, Cook Strait, and the North Island. Despite significant genetic differences, the morphological similarity of these species made it challenging to resolve their taxonomic identity. Three of the four species previously recognised as a single, widespread taxon are now recognised as threatened with extinction by a combination of invasive predatory mammals and land use change. 

scholarly journals Taxonomic revision of the Malagasy Camponotus grandidieri and niveosetosus species groups (Hymenoptera, Formicidae) using qualitative and quantitative morphology

Zootaxa ◽  
2017 ◽  
Vol 4238 (2) ◽  
pp. 203 ◽  
Author(s):  
JEAN CLAUDE RAKOTONIRINA ◽  
SÁNDOR CSŐSZ ◽  
BRIAN L. FISHER
Keyword(s):  
Morphological Analysis ◽  
Principal Component ◽  
Taxonomic Revision ◽  
Shape Space ◽  
Species Group ◽  
Species Boundaries ◽  
Linear Discriminant ◽  
Distribution Maps ◽  
Species Groups ◽  
Species Descriptions

The Camponotus grandidieri species group and Camponotus niveosetosus species group of the Malagasy region are revised. Species delimitation was inferred from the evidence of both qualitative morphological analysis and multivariate morphometry. The multivariate method combined the Nest Centroid (NC)-clustering method and Partitioning Algorithm based on Recursive Thresholding (PART) function to generate hypotheses about species boundaries (clusters) based on 19 continuous morphological traits of minor workers. The proposed species hypotheses were tested by cumulative cross-validated Linear Discriminant Analysis (LOOCV-LDA) and Principal Component Analysis in a shape space (shape PCA). Morphometric ratios for the subsets of minor and major workers were used in species descriptions and redefinitions. Here, eight species are recognized, of which three are newly described and five are redescribed. Four species belong to the Camponotus grandidieri species group: auropubens Forel, efitra n. sp., grandidieri Forel, and maintikibo n. sp.; and four species belong to the Camponotus niveosetosus species group: descarpentriesi Santschi, madagascarensis Forel stat. rev., mita n. sp., and voeltzkowii Forel. Camponotus auropubens aldabrensis Forel and C. olivieri freyeri Santschi are synonymized under C. auropubens. Camponotus grandidieri atrabilis Santschi and C. grandidieri comorensis Santschi are synonymized under C. grandidieri. Illustrated species identification keys for both minor and major castes, taxonomic discussions, images, and distribution maps for each species superimposed on the ecoregions of Madagascar are also provided. 

scholarly journals Revision of the Plagiolepis schmitzii group with description of Pl. invadens sp. nov. – a new invasive supercolonial species (Hymenoptera: Formicidae)

2020 ◽  
Vol 67 (2) ◽  
pp. 183-196 ◽  
Author(s):  
Bernhard Seifert
Keyword(s):  
Invasive Species ◽  
High Resolution ◽  
Cryptic Species ◽  
Taxonomic Revision ◽  
Species Group ◽  
Species Level ◽  
Group Level ◽  
Absolute Size ◽  
Data Analyses ◽  
Exploratory Data

Using high-resolution stereomicroscopy and exploratory data analyses, a taxonomic revision of the cryptic species close to Plagiolepis schmitzii Forel, 1895, called Pl. schmitzii group, was conducted. Morphology was numerically recorded under highly standardised conditions considering absolute size and 16 shape, pubescence and surface characters. A key to the non-parasitic Westpalaearctic species of the ant genus Plagiolepis Mayr, 1861 is provided which firstly separates, on species group level, the Pl. pygmaea (Latreille) species group, the Pl. pallescens Forel species group and the Pl. schmitzii species group and, finally, on species level, the cryptic species of the latter group. The recognised species of the Pl. schmitzii species group are Pl. schmitzii Forel, 1895 (invasive species), Pl. barbara Santschi, 1911, Pl. atlantis Santschi, 1920 and Pl. invadens sp. nov. (invasive species) that is described as new from a supercolony in Germany. Based on morphological arguments, the taxa Pl. barbara var. madeirensis Emery, 1921, Pl. maura polygyna Santschi, 1922 and Pl. schmitzii var. tingitana Santschi, 1936 are recognised as junior synonyms of Pl. schmitzii, the taxa Pl. schmitzii crosi Santschi, 1920, Pl. pallescens var. kabyla Santschi, 1920 and Pl. perperamusSalata et al., 2018 as junior synonyms of Pl. atlantis and the taxon Pl. maura Santschi, 1920 as junior synonym of Pl. barbara. A concluding comparative section suggests that pre-adaptations for anthropogenous dispersal and transformation to supercoloniality in introduction areas are apparently common traits in Plagiolepis ants.

Identification of sibling species in the genus Eucyclops from water-bodies of Ukraine and Russia using crossbreeding studies

2014 ◽  
Vol 25 (1-2) ◽  
pp. 61-68 ◽  
Author(s):  
V. I. Monchenko ◽  
L. P. Gaponova ◽  
V. R. Alekseev
Keyword(s):  
Cryptic Species ◽  
River Basin ◽  
Black Sea ◽  
Species Complex ◽  
River Basins ◽  
Water Bodies ◽  
Similar Species ◽  
Basin Water ◽  
Different Populations ◽  
Baltic Sea Basin

Crossbreeding experiments were used to estimate cryptic species in water bodies of Ukraine and Russia because the most useful criterion in species independence is reproductive isolation. The problem of cryptic species in the genus Eucyclops was examined using interpopulation crosses of populations collected from Baltic Sea basin (pond of Strelka river basin) and Black Sea basin (water-reservoires of Dnieper, Dniester and Danube rivers basins). The results of reciprocal crosses in Eucyclops serrulatus-group are shown that E. serrulatus from different populations but from water bodies belonging to the same river basin crossed each others successfully. The interpopulation crosses of E. serrulatus populations collected from different river basins (Dnipro, Danube and Dniester river basins) were sterile. In this group of experiments we assigned evidence of sterility to four categories: 1) incomplete copulation or absence of copulation; 2) nonviable eggs; 3) absence of egg membranes or egg sacs 4) empty egg membranes. These crossbreeding studies suggest the presence of cryptic species in the E. serrulatus inhabiting ecologically different populations in many parts of its range. The same crossbreeding experiments were carries out between Eucyclops serrulatus and morphological similar species – Eucyclops macruroides from Baltic and Black Sea basins. The reciprocal crossings between these two species were sterile. Thus taxonomic heterogeneity among species of genus Eucyclops lower in E. macruroides than in E. serrulatus. The interpopulation crosses of E. macruroides populations collected from distant part of range were fertile. These crossbreeding studies suggest that E. macruroides species complex was evaluated as more stable than E. serrulatus species complex.

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