scholarly journals Phylogeny of the family Characidae (Teleostei: Characiformes): from characters to taxonomy

2010 ◽  
Vol 8 (3) ◽  
pp. 385-568 ◽  
Author(s):  
Juan Marcos Mirande

The family Characidae is the most diverse among Neotropical fishes. Systematics of this family are mainly based on pre-cladistic papers, and only recently a phylogenetic hypothesis for Characidae was proposed by the author. That phylogeny was based on 360 morphological characters studied for 160 species, including representatives of families related to Characidae. This paper is based on that phylogenetic analysis, with the analyzed characters described herein and documented, accompanied by comparisons of their definition and coding in previous papers. Synapomorphies of each node of the proposed phylogeny are listed, comparisons with previous classifications provided, and autapomorphies of the analyzed species listed. Taxonomic implications of the proposed classification and the position of the incertae sedis genera within Characidae are discussed. A discussion of the phylogenetic information of the characters used in the classical systematics of the Characidae is provided.

2020 ◽  
Vol 96 (2) ◽  
pp. 455-498
Author(s):  
Kai Horst George

Uncovering the systematics of CopepodaHarpacticoida, the second-most abundant component of the meiobenthos after Nematoda, is of major importance for any further research dedicated especially to ecological and biogeographical approaches. Based on the evolution of the podogennontan first swimming leg, a new phylogenetic concept of the Ancorabolidae Sars and Cletodidae T. Scott sensu Por (Copepoda, Harpacticoida) is presented, using morphological characteristics. It confirms the polyphyletic status of the Ancorabolidae and its subfamily Ancorabolinae Sars and the paraphyletic status of the subfamily Laophontodinae Lang. Moreover, it clarifies the phylogenetic relationships of the so far assigned members of the family. An exhaustive phylogenetic analysis was undertaken using 150 morphological characters, resulting in the establishment of a now well-justified monophylum Ancorabolidae. In that context, the Ancorabolus-lineage sensu Conroy-Dalton and Huys is elevated to sub-family rank. Furthermore, the membership of Ancorabolina George in a rearranged monophylum Laophontodinae is confirmed. Conversely, the Ceratonotus-group sensu Conroy-Dalton is transferred from the hitherto Ancorabolinae to the Cletodidae. Within these, the Ceratonotus-group and its hypothesised sister-group Cletodes Brady are combined to form a monophyletic subfamily Cletodinae T. Scott, subfam. nov. Consequently, it was necessary to restructure the Ancorabolidae, Ancorabolinae and Laophontodinae and extend the Cletodidae to include the displacement and exclusion of certain taxa. Moreover, comparison of the Ancorabolidae, Cletodidae, Laophontoidea and other Podogennonta shows that the Ancorabolidae and Cletodidae form sister-groups in a monophylum Cletodoidea Bowman and Abele, which similarly has a sister-group-relationship with the Laophontoidea T. Scott. According to the present study, both taxa constitute a derived monophylum within the Podogennonta Lang.


2000 ◽  
pp. 1-31 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jeffery A. Wilkinson ◽  
Robert C. Drewes

The first comprehensive phylogenetic analysis of the family Rhacophoridae was conducted by Liem (1970) scoring 81 species for 36 morphological characters. Channing (1989), in a reanalysis of Liem’s study, produced a phylogenetic hypothesis different from that of Liem. We compared the two studies and produced a third phylogenetic hypothesis based on the same characters. We also present the synapomorphic characters from Liem that define the major clades and each genus within the family. Finally, we summarize intergeneric relationships within the family as hypothesized by other studies, and the family’s current status as it relates to other ranoid families.


2005 ◽  
Vol 26 (2) ◽  
pp. 139-147 ◽  
Author(s):  
Francisca do Val ◽  
Paulo Nuin

AbstractThe systematics and phylogenetic relationships of the family Leptodactylidae are controversial as is the intrafamilial phylogeny of the leptodactylids. Here we analyze the relationships of the leptodactylid subfamily Hylodinae. This subfamily has been considered to be monophyletic and composed of three genera, Hylodes, Crossodactylus and Megaelosia. In the present study 49 characters were used, based on different studies on Leptodactylidae phylogeny. Maximum parsimony methods with unweighted and successively weighted characters were used to estimate the phylogeny of the Hylodinae. Upon analysis, the data provided further evidence of the monophyletic status of the three genera, with Megaelosia being the basal genus and the other two genera being sister taxa. The analysis with successive weighting results in a more resolved topology of the species subgroups of the genus Hylodes and separates this genus from Crossodactylus and confirms that the hylodines are monophyletic.


2018 ◽  
Vol 16 (3) ◽  
Author(s):  
Marcelo Loureiro ◽  
Rafael de Sá ◽  
Sebastián W. Serra ◽  
Felipe Alonso ◽  
Luis Esteban Krause Lanés ◽  
...  

ABSTRACT The family Rivulidae is the fourth most diverse clade of Neotropical fishes. Together with some genera of the related African family Nothobranchiidae, many rivulids exhibit a characteristic annual life cycle, with diapausing eggs and delayed embryonic development, which allows them to survive in the challenging seasonal ponds that they inhabit. Rivulidae also includes two species known as the only the self-fertilizing vertebrates and some species with internal fertilization. The first goal of this article is to review the systematics of the family considering phylogenetic relationships and synapomorphies of subfamilial clades, thus unifying information that is dispersed throughout the literature. From this revision, it is clear that phylogenetic relationships within Rivulidae are poorly resolved, especially in one of the large clades that compose it, the subfamily Rivulinae, where conflicting hypotheses of relationships of non-annual and annual genera are evident. The second goal of this work is to present an updated phylogenetic hypothesis (based on mitochondrial, nuclear, and morphological information) for one of the most speciose genus of Rivulidae, Austrolebias. Our results confirm the monophyly of the genus and of some subgeneric clades already diagnosed, but propose new relationships among them and their species composition, particularly in the subgenus Acrolebias.


Zootaxa ◽  
2010 ◽  
Vol 2408 (1) ◽  
pp. 1 ◽  
Author(s):  
C. DELAND ◽  
C. B. CAMERON ◽  
K. P. RAO ◽  
W. E. RITTER ◽  
T. H. BULLOCK

The family Harrimaniidae (Hemichordata: Enteropneusta) is revised on the basis of morphological characters. The number of harrimaniid genera is increased to nine by the addition of Horstia n. gen., Mesoglossus n. gen., Ritteria n. gen. and Saxipendium, a genus previously assigned to the monospecific family Saxipendiidae. The number of species is increased to 34, resulting from the description of five new species from the eastern Pacific — Horstia kincaidi, Mesoglossus intermedius, M. macginitiei, Protoglossus mackiei and Ritteria ambigua. A description is supplied for a sixth harrimaniid species, Stereobalanus willeyi Ritter & Davis, 1904, which previously had the status of a nomen nudum. Four harrimaniids previously assigned to the genus Saccoglossus are transfered to the genus Mesoglossus — M. bournei, M. caraibicus, M. gurneyi and M. pygmaeus, while Saccoglossus borealis is reassigned to the genus Harrimania. Notes on habitat and zoogeography are included for the seven foregoing species and a table of diagnostic characters for existing and new species and a dichotomous key to the enteropneust families and harrimaniid genera are provided. Finally, a phylogenetic hypothesis concerning the Harrimaniidae is postulated, with discussion on the evolution of the group.


Zootaxa ◽  
2011 ◽  
Vol 3047 (1) ◽  
pp. 1 ◽  
Author(s):  
MATTHEW S. WALLACE

Members of the Smiliini, the nominotypical tribe of the large New World subfamily Smiliinae, are predominately Nearctic in distribution. This tribe included 169 mostly tree-feeding species in 23 genera. A parsimony-based phylogenetic analysis of an original dataset comprising 89 traditional and newly discovered morphological characters for 69 species, including representatives of 22 of the 23 described genera of Smiliini and five other previously recognized tribes of the subfamily, resulted in a single most parsimonious tree with three major clades. The broad recent concept of Smiliini (including Telamonini as a junior synonym) was not recovered as monophyletic by the analysis. Instead, the analysis supported narrower definitions of both Telamonini, here reinstated from synonymy, and Smiliini. A key and diagnoses are given to define these tribes, along with discussions of their phylogeny, biogeography, and host plant associations. The genera Antianthe Fowler, Hemicardiacus Plummer, Smilirhexia McKamey, and Tropidarnis Fowler are placed as Smiliinae, incertae sedis. Based on the phylogeny, several genera from both tribes including Atymna Stål, Cyrtolobus Goding, Heliria Stål, and Telamona Fitch are not monophyletic. Diagnostic characters emphasizing the morphological differences between the Smiliini and Telamonini include the dorsal margin of the head, the shape of the pronotum, the size of the pronotal humeral angles, the presence or absence of pronotal longitudinal rugae, the size of forewing cells, variations in the fusion of veins R and M apically in both the foreand hind wing, and the shape of the apex of the female second valvulae. Mapping geographic distribution onto the phylogeny suggests that the common ancestor of the ingroup (all three clades) occurred in Central America and Mexico, with multiple dispersals to temperate North America. Many Smiliini and Telamonini feed on various species of oak (Quercus) and the close evolutionary association between these insects and their hosts is discussed.


2001 ◽  
Vol 15 (1) ◽  
pp. 1 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mary Morgan-Richards ◽  
George W. Gibbs

A phylogenetic analysis of New Zealand weta from the sub-family Deinacridinae is presented. Eighteen species were studied using 27 genetic characters (allozyme and cytogenetic) and 25 morphological characters. The combined data set produced a phylogenetic hypothesis with twelve well-supported nodes. Despite the great diversity of habitats and life styles exhibited by the eleven Deinacrida White species a well-supported bipartition separates them from the seven Hemideina Walker species. Six of the Hemideina species formed a monophyletic clade, with respect to H. broughi (Buller). Evolution of stridulatory ridges used for sound production in both defence and intraspecific communication appears to have occurred at least twice. Adaptation to the recent New Zealand alpine environment has also had multiple origins. Biogeographic interpretations from the phylogenetic hypothesis are discussed.


2011 ◽  
Vol 279 (1731) ◽  
pp. 1093-1099 ◽  
Author(s):  
Maria Heikkilä ◽  
Lauri Kaila ◽  
Marko Mutanen ◽  
Carlos Peña ◽  
Niklas Wahlberg

Although the taxonomy of the ca 18 000 species of butterflies and skippers is well known, the family-level relationships are still debated. Here, we present, to our knowledge, the most comprehensive phylogenetic analysis of the superfamilies Papilionoidea, Hesperioidea and Hedyloidea to date based on morphological and molecular data. We reconstructed their phylogenetic relationships using parsimony and Bayesian approaches. We estimated times and rates of diversification along lineages in order to reconstruct their evolutionary history. Our results suggest that the butterflies, as traditionally understood, are paraphyletic, with Papilionidae being the sister-group to Hesperioidea, Hedyloidea and all other butterflies. Hence, the families in the current three superfamilies should be placed in a single superfamily Papilionoidea. In addition, we find that Hedylidae is sister to Hesperiidae, and this novel relationship is supported by two morphological characters. The families diverged in the Early Cretaceous but diversified after the Cretaceous–Palaeogene event. The diversification of butterflies is characterized by a slow speciation rate in the lineage leading to Baronia brevicornis , a period of stasis by the skippers after divergence and a burst of diversification in the lineages leading to Nymphalidae, Riodinidae and Lycaenidae.


Zootaxa ◽  
2007 ◽  
Vol 1427 (1) ◽  
pp. 1-36 ◽  
Author(s):  
CURTIS EWING

The endemic Hawaiian sap beetles were originally placed in 13 genera in 1908; Apetasimus, Apetinus, Cillaeopeplus, Cyrtostolus, Eunitidula, Eupetinus, Gonioryctus, Goniothorax, Nesapterus, Nesopeplus, Nesopetinus, Notopeplus, and Orthostolus. Apetasimus, Cyrtostolus, Eunitidula, and Notopeplus were described for single species, with additional species later described for Apetasimus and three undescribed species known for Eunitidula from Oahu, Molokai, and West Maui. Nesopeplus and Nesopetinus have been previously shown to be junior synonyms of Prosopeus. The monophyly of the genera is tested using morphological characters, primarily of the male copulatory sac, in a parsimony framework. The results provide the rationale for reducing the number of endemic genera to six; Apetasimus (= Cyrtostolus + Orthostolus in part), Cillaeopeplus (= Notopeplus), Eupetinus (= Apetinus), Gonioryctus (= Eunitidula + Goniothorax + Nesapterus), Orthostolus s.s., and Prosopeus. Brachypeplus (= Cillaeopeplus) gracilis, a species endemic to Guam, was placed in the formerly Hawaiian endemic Cillaeopeplus in 1962. Examination of the types of all species of Cillaeopeplus shows no direct connection between B. gracilis and the Hawaiian taxa comprising the remainder of Cillaeopeplus. Brachypeplus gracilis is placed incertae sedis in Brachypeplus herein. The position of the endemic Hawaiian sap beetles within the nit idulid subfamily Cillaeinae is surveyed using exemplar species from 22 of 27 genera placed in Cillaeinae. Undescribed species from eastern Polynesia allied with Brachypeplus subgenus Selis are proposed as the closest relatives of the Hawaiian endemic sap beetles based on internal and external morphology.


Zootaxa ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 4903 (1) ◽  
pp. 140-150
Author(s):  
KONSTANTIN B. GONGALSKY ◽  
PAVEL S. NEFEDIEV ◽  
ILYA S. TURBANOV

A new species of the family Agnaridae, Lucasioides altaicus sp. nov., is described from the Altai Mountains, southwestern Siberia, based both on morphological characters and molecular data. This species is the first record of Lucasioides from Russia, whose location is the northernmost habitat of terrestrial isopods in indigenous habitats presently known to Eurasia. The diagnostic characters of the new species and a preliminary phylogenetic analysis within Agnaridae are provided. 


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