A new cryptic species of fringe-toed lizards from southwestern Arizona with a revised taxonomy of the Uma notata species complex (Squamata: Phrynosomatidae)

Zootaxa ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 4778 (1) ◽  
pp. 67-100
Author(s):  
ELIZABETH G. DERYCKE ◽  
ANDREW D. GOTTSCHO ◽  
ANDREW D. GOTTSCHO ◽  
DANIEL G. MULCAHY ◽  
KEVIN DE QUEIROZ

Fringe-toed lizards (Uma) are among the most specialized lizards in North America, adapted to insular windblown sand habitats in the hyper-arid southwestern deserts, with allopatric distributions, subtle morphological variation, and an unstable taxonomic history. We analyzed a morphological dataset of 40 characters for 65 specimens and a molecular dataset of 2,286 bases from three mitochondrial loci for 92 individuals and interpreted these data alongside published analyses of multi-locus genetic data with the goal of revising the taxonomy of the Uma notata (Baird 1858) species complex. We confirmed that fringe-toed lizards from the Mohawk Dunes in southwestern Arizona (U. sp.) constitute a cryptic species sister to the rest of the complex that can be diagnosed with DNA barcoding and geography, so we describe and name this species Uma thurmanae sp. nov. We also confirmed the evolutionary distinctiveness of U. inornata (Cope 1895), an endangered species endemic to Coachella Valley in southern California. We designate a lectotype for the taxon U. “rufopunctata”, but we put its name in quotation marks to reflect its uncertain taxonomic status with respect to its neighboring species U. cowlesi and U. notata. 

2021 ◽  
Vol 9 ◽  
Author(s):  
Chatmongkon Suwannapoom ◽  
Ke Jiang ◽  
Yun-He Wu ◽  
Parinya Pawangkhanant ◽  
Sengvilay Lorphengsy ◽  
...  

The taxonomic status of the Thai populations belonging to the Limnonectes kuhlii species complex is controversial, due to phenotypic similarity in the cryptic species complex. Recently, some studies on this group in Thailand have discovered four new species: L. taylori, L. megastomias, L. jarujini and L. isanensis. Even so, the diversity of this group is still incomplete. Based on an integrative approach encompassing genetic and morphological analyses, we conclude that the Limnonectes populations from Nan Province (northern) and Yala Province (southern) of Thailand are conspecific with L. bannaensis Ye, Fei & Jiang, 2007 and L. utara Matsui, Belabut & Ahmad, 2014, respectively. These are the first records of these species in Thailand. Our study highlights the importance of using DNA sequence data in combination with morphological data to accurately document species identity and diversity. This is especially important for morphologically cryptic species complexes and sympatrically occurring congeners.


2019 ◽  
Vol 187 (3) ◽  
pp. 599-621 ◽  
Author(s):  
Baptiste Martinet ◽  
Thomas Lecocq ◽  
Nicolas Brasero ◽  
Maxence Gerard ◽  
Klára Urbanová ◽  
...  

AbstractBumblebees have been the focus of much research, but the taxonomy of many species groups is still unclear, especially for circumpolar species. Delimiting species based on multisource datasets provides a solution to overcome current systematic issues of closely related populations. Here, we use an integrative taxonomic approach based on new genetic and eco-chemical datasets to resolve the taxonomic status of Bombus lapponicus and Bombus sylvicola. Our results support the conspecific status of B. lapponicus and B. sylvicola and that the low gradual divergence around the Arctic Circle between Fennoscandia and Alaska does not imply speciation in this species complex. Therefore, based on our molecular and morphological analyses, we propose to assign them subspecific status: Bombus lapponicus lapponicus from Fennoscandia and West Siberia and Bombus lapponicus sylvicola comb. nov. from Alaska and Yukon. In addition, our analyses reveal a cryptic species in the B. lapponicus complex from Alaska, which we describe here as new: Bombus (Pyrobombus) interacti sp. nov.


2003 ◽  
Vol 16 (4) ◽  
pp. 515 ◽  
Author(s):  
Patricia M. Hogbin ◽  
Michael D. Crisp

The endangered plant Zieria prostrata J.A.Armstrong (Rutaceae) is known from only four coastal headlands in northern New South Wales, Australia. The discovery of another headland Zieria form, Z. sp. aff. smithii, raised questions about the taxonomic status of Z. prostrata and its relationship to the Z. smithii Jacks. species complex. Morphometrics was used as the primary tool for investigating the relationship between Z.�prostrata and the Z. smithii species complex, while a genetic study utilising RAPD markers was used to assess the validity of the distinct evolutionary lineages implied by the morphometric analysis. Z. prostrata formed a distinct group in phenetic space based upon the morphometric data, but with an incomplete discontinuity between it and nearby populations of Z. smithii based upon the genetic data, implying that Z. prostrata may be considered a distinct but incipient species. While the morphometric data set suggested that Z. sp. aff. smithii may be worthy of subspecific status, the genetic data revealed that each headland population is likely to have originated independently from inland populations of Z. smithii. Therefore, the morphological similarity among populations of Z. sp. aff. smithii does not reflect evolutionary relatedness, but rather is likely to be a consequence of parallelism and active or rapid speciation. Z. sp. aff. smithii is therefore considered to be a headland ecotype of Z. smithii.


2014 ◽  
Vol 25 (1-2) ◽  
pp. 61-68 ◽  
Author(s):  
V. I. Monchenko ◽  
L. P. Gaponova ◽  
V. R. Alekseev

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.


2011 ◽  
Vol 115 (1) ◽  
pp. 54-61 ◽  
Author(s):  
Tor Carlsen ◽  
Ingeborg Bjorvand Engh ◽  
Cony Decock ◽  
Mario Rajchenberg ◽  
Håvard Kauserud

2012 ◽  
Vol 29 (6) ◽  
pp. 403 ◽  
Author(s):  
Natsumi Kanzaki ◽  
Erik J. Ragsdale ◽  
Matthias Herrmann ◽  
Werner E. Mayer ◽  
Ralf J. Sommer

2004 ◽  
Vol 76 (2) ◽  
pp. 316-324 ◽  
Author(s):  
Matija Gogala ◽  
Tomi Trilar

Recent bioacoustic investigations have shown that Cicadetta montana Scopoli 1772 is a complex of morphologically similar sister species that are best characterized by their song patterns. At the type locality of C. montana, only mountain cicadas with simple, long lasting song phrases were heard, recorded and collected. Therefore, we have good reasons to suggest that this type of song is characteristic for C. montana s. str. Boulard described a song of C. montana from France with phrases composed of a long and a short echeme; this type of song is characteristic for cicadas morphologically corresponding to C. montana var. brevipennis Fieber 1876; we suggest to raise this taxon to species level. On the basis of specific song, Puissant and Boulard described C. cerdaniensis from Pyrénées. A similar case was the discovery and description of C. montana macedonica Schedl 1999 from Macedonia; since these Macedonian cicadas are sympatric with at least two other cryptic species in the C. montana group and molecular investigations showed substantial genetic differences between C. macedonica and C. montana or C. brevipennis, we conclude that this taxon should also be raised to species level. Songs of closely related C. podolica and Korean mountain cicada are presented as well.


2018 ◽  
Vol 14 (11) ◽  
pp. 20180498 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sofia Paraskevopoulou ◽  
Ralph Tiedemann ◽  
Guntram Weithoff

Under global warming scenarios, rising temperatures can constitute heat stress to which species may respond differentially. Within a described species, knowledge on cryptic diversity is of further relevance, as different lineages/cryptic species may respond differentially to environmental change. The Brachionus calyciflorus species complex (Rotifera), which was recently described using integrative taxonomy, is an essential component of aquatic ecosystems. Here, we tested the hypothesis that these (formerly cryptic) species differ in their heat tolerance. We assigned 47 clones with nuclear ITS1 (nuITS1) and mitochondrial COI (mtCOI) markers to evolutionary lineages, now named B. calyciflorus sensu stricto (s.s.) and B. fernandoi . We selected 15 representative clones and assessed their heat tolerance as a bi-dimensional phenotypic trait affected by both the intensity and duration of heat stress. We found two distinct groups, with B. calyciflorus s.s. clones having higher heat tolerance than the novel species B. fernandoi . This apparent temperature specialization among former cryptic species underscores the necessity of a sound species delimitation and assignment, when organismal responses to environmental changes are investigated.


Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document