One More “Living Fossil”: Mesozoic Lineage Differentiation, Morphological Stasis and Weak Phylogeographic Structure in Eurasia in the Bosminopsis Deitersi Group (Crustacea: Cladocera: Bosminidae)

Abstract Background: Water fleas (Crustacea: Cladocera) of the Family Bosminidae have been studied since the founding of paleolimnology and freshwater ecology. However, one species, Bosminopsis deitersi, stands out for its exceptional multicontinental range and broad ecological requirements. Results: Here we use an integrated morphological and multilocus genetic approach to to address the species problem in B. deitersi. We analyzed 32 populations of B. deitersi s. lat. Two nuclear and two mitochondrial loci were used to carry out the bGMYC, mPTP and STACEY algorithms for species delimitation. Detailed morphological study was also carried out across continents. The evidence indicated a widely distributed cryptic species in the Old World (Bosminopsis zernowi) that is genetically divergent from B. deitersi s.str. We revised the taxonomy and redescribed the species in this complex. Our sampling indicated that B. zernowi had weak genetic differentiation across its range. A molecular clock and biogeographic analysis with fossil calibrations suggested a Mesozoic origin for the Bosminopsis deitersi group. Conclusions: Our evidence rejects the single species hypothesis for B. deitersi and is consistent with an ancient species group (potentially Mesozoic) that shows marked morphological conservation. The family Bosminidae, then, has examples of both rapid morphological evolution (Holocene Bosmina), and morphological stasis (Bosminopsis).

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Bosminopsis deitersi (Crustacea: Cladocera) as an ancient species group: a revision

PeerJ ◽

10.7717/peerj.11310 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 9 ◽

pp. e11310

Author(s):

Petr G. Garibian ◽

Dmitry P. Karabanov ◽

Anna N. Neretina ◽

Derek J. Taylor ◽

Alexey A. Kotov

Keyword(s):

Morphological Evolution ◽

Single Species ◽

Species Group ◽

Freshwater Ecology ◽

Genetic Approach ◽

Species Problem ◽

Ecological Requirements ◽

Morphological Stasis ◽

The Family ◽

Group A

Water fleas (Crustacea: Cladocera) of the Family Bosminidae have been studied since the founding of paleolimnology and freshwater ecology. However, one species, Bosminopsis deitersi, stands out for its exceptional multicontinental range and broad ecological requirements. Here we use an integrated morphological and multilocus genetic approach to address the species problem in B. deitersi. We analyzed 32 populations of B. deitersi s. lat. Two nuclear and two mitochondrial loci were used to carry out the bGMYC, mPTP and STACEY algorithms for species delimitation. Detailed morphological study was also carried out across continents. The evidence indicated a widely distributed cryptic species in the Old World (Bosminopsis zernowi) that is genetically divergent from B. deitersi s.str. We revised the taxonomy and redescribed the species in this complex. Our sampling indicated that B. zernowi had weak genetic differentiation across its range. A molecular clock and biogeographic analysis with fossil calibrations suggested a Mesozoic origin for the Bosminopsis deitersi group. Our evidence rejects the single species hypothesis for B. deitersi and is consistent with an ancient species group (potentially Mesozoic) that shows marked morphological conservation. The family Bosminidae, then, has examples of both rapid morphological evolution (Holocene Bosmina), and morphological stasis (Bosminopsis).

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Correcting a 135-year error: Limulidae Leach, 1819 (Chelicerata, Xiphosura) is the proper authority, not Limulidae Zittel, 1885

Journal of Paleontology ◽

10.1017/jpa.2021.23 ◽

2021 ◽

pp. 1-2

Author(s):

Philip M. Novack-Gottshall ◽

Roy E. Plotnick

Keyword(s):

Horseshoe Crab ◽

Marine Species ◽

Limulus Polyphemus ◽

Junior Synonym ◽

Living Fossil ◽

New Family ◽

The Family ◽

The World ◽

Modern Genus

The horseshoe crab Limulus polyphemus (Linnaeus, 1758) is a famous species, renowned as a ‘living fossil’ (Owen, 1873; Barthel, 1974; Kin and Błażejowski, 2014) for its apparently little-changed morphology for many millions of years. The genus Limulus Müller, 1785 was used by Leach (1819, p. 536) as the basis of a new family Limulidae and synonymized it with Polyphemus Lamarck, 1801 (Lamarck's proposed but later unaccepted replacement for Limulus, as discussed by Van der Hoeven, 1838, p. 8) and Xyphotheca Gronovius, 1764 (later changed to Xiphosura Gronovius, 1764, another junior synonym of Limulus). He also included the valid modern genus Tachypleus Leach, 1819 in the family. The primary authority of Leach (1819) is widely recognized in the neontological literature (e.g., Dunlop et al., 2012; Smith et al., 2017). It is also the authority recognized in the World Register of Marine Species (WoRMS Editorial Board, 2021).

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Sequence data from isolated lichen-associated melanized fungi enhance delimitation of two new lineages within Chaetothyriomycetidae

Mycological Progress ◽

10.1007/s11557-021-01706-8 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 20 (7) ◽

pp. 911-927

Author(s):

Lucia Muggia ◽

Yu Quan ◽

Cécile Gueidan ◽

Abdullah M. S. Al-Hatmi ◽

Martin Grube ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Sequence Data ◽

Single Species ◽

Sister Group ◽

Asexual Propagation ◽

Dna Sequence Data ◽

Wide Range ◽

The Family ◽

Rock Inhabiting Fungi ◽

Stable Habitat

AbstractLichen thalli provide a long-lived and stable habitat for colonization by a wide range of microorganisms. Increased interest in these lichen-associated microbial communities has revealed an impressive diversity of fungi, including several novel lineages which still await formal taxonomic recognition. Among these, members of the Eurotiomycetes and Dothideomycetes usually occur asymptomatically in the lichen thalli, even if they share ancestry with fungi that may be parasitic on their host. Mycelia of the isolates are characterized by melanized cell walls and the fungi display exclusively asexual propagation. Their taxonomic placement requires, therefore, the use of DNA sequence data. Here, we consider recently published sequence data from lichen-associated fungi and characterize and formally describe two new, individually monophyletic lineages at family, genus, and species levels. The Pleostigmataceae fam. nov. and Melanina gen. nov. both comprise rock-inhabiting fungi that associate with epilithic, crust-forming lichens in subalpine habitats. The phylogenetic placement and the monophyly of Pleostigmataceae lack statistical support, but the family was resolved as sister to the order Verrucariales. This family comprises the species Pleostigma alpinum sp. nov., P. frigidum sp. nov., P. jungermannicola, and P. lichenophilum sp. nov. The placement of the genus Melanina is supported as a lineage within the Chaetothyriales. To date, this genus comprises the single species M. gunde-cimermaniae sp. nov. and forms a sister group to a large lineage including Herpotrichiellaceae, Chaetothyriaceae, Cyphellophoraceae, and Trichomeriaceae. The new phylogenetic analysis of the subclass Chaetothyiomycetidae provides new insight into genus and family level delimitation and classification of this ecologically diverse group of fungi.

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Two new species of stalked crinoids from the northeastern Pacific in the genera Gephyrocrinus and Ptilocrinus (Echinodermata, Crinoidea, Hyocrinidae). Effects of ontogeny and variability on hyocrinid taxonomy

Zootaxa ◽

10.11646/zootaxa.2825.1.1 ◽

2011 ◽

Vol 2825 (1) ◽

pp. 1 ◽

Cited By ~ 3

Author(s):

MICHEL ROUX ◽

PHILIP LAMBERT

Keyword(s):

British Columbia ◽

New Species ◽

Single Species ◽

Depth Range ◽

Evolutionary Trend ◽

Exceptional Collection ◽

The Family ◽

Two New Species ◽

Northeastern Pacific ◽

Stalked Crinoids

Two new species of deep-sea stalked crinoids belonging to the family Hyocrinidae were collected in the northeastern Pacific. The descriptions contain detailed information on character variations and ontogeny. The five specimens of Gephyrocrinus messingi n. sp. lived at depths ranging from 1,777 m to 2,110 m off British Columbia and California. This new species is the first record of the genus Gephyrocrinus in the Pacific Ocean, which was previously known from only a single species, G. grimaldii, from the northeastern Atlantic at the same depth range. The two species illustrate opposing phenotypes within the same genus. Fifty-eight specimens of the second new species, Ptilocrinus clarki n. sp., were dredged off British Columbia close to the type-locality of P. pinnatus, the type species of the genus Ptilocrinus, but at shallower depths ranging from 1,178 to 1,986 m. This exceptional collection provides significant data on intraspecific variation in the main morphological characters, especially arm pattern. The ontogeny of stalk articulations and the main traits of adoral plate differentiation are described in detail. A complementary investigation on P. pinnatus was conducted using specimens collected by the “Albatross” expedition at a depth of 2,906 m. Despite similarities in external morphology, tegmen and cover plates, the two ptilocrinid species display significant differences in pinnule architecture, aboral cup and stalk articulations. From comparison with Gephyrocrinus messingi n. sp. and Ptilocrinus clarki n. sp., G. grimaldii and P. pinnatus are interpreted as the result of heterochronic development by paedomorphy after ecological or geographic isolation. Pinnule architecture in the two new species suggests first steps in an evolutionary trend toward a rigid box which protects gonad inflation in the proximal part of the pinnule. These new data on Ptilocrinus and Gephyrocrinus create problems in the current taxonomy of the family Hyocrinidae. The main derived characters, especially in pinnule and arm pattern, are used to propose new hypotheses for hyocrinid phylogeny.

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Comparative morphology and species-groups of the oribatid mite genus Scapheremaeus (Acari: Oribatida: Cymbaeremaeidae), with new species from South Australia

Zootaxa ◽

10.11646/zootaxa.2213.1.1 ◽

2009 ◽

Vol 2213 (1) ◽

pp. 1-46 ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

MATTHEW J. COLLOFF

Keyword(s):

New Species ◽

Oribatid Mite ◽

South Australia ◽

Biosphere Reserve ◽

Single Species ◽

Comparative Morphology ◽

Species Group ◽

Undescribed Species ◽

Species Groups ◽

Semi Arid

The morphology of the genus Scapheremaeus Berlese, 1910 is reviewed and characters of taxonomic utility delineated. Based on the morphological review, some 13 species-groups are outlined based on major morphotypes. There are two main categories: i) species that have a complete circumdorsal scissure with plicate microsculpture on the circumnotogastral plate and strongly contrasting microsculpture (foveolae, ridges or tubercles) on the centrodorsal plate (plicate species-groups), and ii) species with the circumdorsal scissure complete, incomplete or absent but with little or no contrast in microsculpture between the central and lateral regions: typically both regions foveolate or reticulate (non- plicate species-groups). A catalogue of world species of Scapheremaeus is provided. Scapheremaeus petrophagus (Banks, 1906) is not a Scapheremaeus but belongs to an undetermined genus in the Ameronothroidea. Cymbaeremaeus cyclops Oudemans, 1915 is recombined to Scapheremaeus. Five new species are described (S. angusi sp. nov., S. cheloniella sp. nov., S. ewani sp. nov., S. lambieae sp. nov., and S. pulleni sp. nov.) from soil and litter habitats in semi-arid Mallee eucalypt vegetation at Bookmark Biosphere Reserve, South Australia. These are the first members of the genus Scapheremaeus to be described from Australia, though undescribed species have been recorded previously. All the new species are morphologically closely-related and belong to a single species-group: Carinatus.

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Fish Diversity in Huchharayanakere, Shikaripura, Shivamogga District, Karnataka, India

Mapana Journal of Sciences ◽

10.12723/mjs.39.2 ◽

2016 ◽

Vol 15 (4) ◽

pp. 11-22

Author(s):

H M Ashashree ◽

H A Sayeswara ◽

K L Naik ◽

N Kumara Swamy ◽

Nafeesa Begum

Keyword(s):

Water Quality ◽

Fish Fauna ◽

Single Species ◽

Economic Importance ◽

Fish Diversity ◽

Fish Health ◽

Chemical Condition ◽

Physico Chemical ◽

The Family ◽

Faunal Diversity

Fresh water wetlands are fragile ecosystems, which are fast deterioring and shrinking due to manmade activities. The fish composition of Huchharayanakere of Shikaripura was studied for a period of twelve months from January to December 2015. The icthyo-faunal diversity of this pond confirmed the occurrence of 13 species of fishes belonging to 5 families. The family Cyprinidae represented by 9 species. Families Anabantidae, Bagridae, Clupeidae and Notopteridae were represented by only a single species. Simultaneously the physico-chemical condition of the water body revealed that water quality is suitable for fish culture. The study of fish fauna of an aquatic body is useful for planning of fisheries development. The pond needs proper management and utilization of this fish wealth and sustainable steps to monitor and conserve the fish health. The present study revealed that Huchharayanakere of Shikaripura harbors wide varieties of fish with economic importance in local and global trade. The study will provide future strategies for development and fish conservation.

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Detection of cryptic diversity in lizards (Squamata) from two Biosphere Reserves in Mesoamerica

Comparative Cytogenetics ◽

10.3897/compcytogen.v14i4.57765 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 14 (4) ◽

pp. 613-638

Author(s):

Riccardo Castiglia ◽

Oscar Alberto Flores-Villela ◽

Alexandra M. R. Bezerra ◽

Ekaterina Gornung ◽

Flavia Annesi ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Genetic Divergence ◽

Biosphere Reserve ◽

Species Group ◽

Phylogeographic Structure ◽

Lizard Species ◽

Dna Taxonomy ◽

16S Gene ◽

Taxonomic Studies ◽

First Time ◽

Mtdna Marker

A combined approach based on karyology and DNA taxonomy allowed us to characterize the taxonomic peculiarities in 10 Mesoamerican lizard species, belonging to six genera and five families, inhabiting two Biosphere Reserve in Chiapas, Mexico: La Sepultura Biosphere Reserve, and Montes Azules Biosphere. The karyotypes of four species, Phyllodactylus sp. 3 (P. tuberculosus species group) (2n = 38), Holcosus festivus (Lichtenstein et von Martens, 1856) (2n = 50), Anolis lemurinus Cope, 1861 (2n = 40), and A. uniformis Cope, 1885 (2n = 29–30) are described for the first time, the last one showing a particular X1X1X2X2/X1X2Y condition. In Aspidoscelis deppii (Wiegmann, 1834) (2n = 50) and Anolis capito Peters, 1863 (2n = 42), we found a different karyotype from the ones previously reported for these species. Moreover, in A. capito, the cytogenetic observation is concurrent with a considerable genetic divergence (9%) at the studied mtDNA marker (MT-ND2), which is indicative of a putative new cryptic species. The skink Scincella cherriei (Cope, 1893), showed high values of genetic divergence (5.2% at 16S gene) between the specimens from Montes Azules and those from Costa Rica and Nicaragua, comparable to the values typical of sister species in skinks. A lower level of genetic divergence, compatible with an intraspecific phylogeographic structure, has been identified in Lepidophyma flavimaculatum Duméril, 1851. These new data identify taxa that urgently require more in-depth taxonomic studies especially in these areas where habitat alteration is proceeding at an alarming rate.

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A new synonym for Zelia Robineau-Desvoidy, 1830 (Diptera, Tachinidae), the genus Opsozelia Townsend, 1919, with the description of three new species

ZooKeys ◽

10.3897/zookeys.880.35482 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 880 ◽

pp. 113-133

Author(s):

Rodrigo de Vilhena Perez Dios ◽

Marcelo Domingos de Santis

Keyword(s):

New Species ◽

Single Species ◽

Species Group ◽

Identification Key ◽

Additional Material ◽

New Synonym ◽

Three New Species

The monotypic tachinid genus Opsozelia Townsend, 1919 (Diptera: Tachinidae) is synonymized with ZeliaRobineau-Desvoidy 1830, syn. nov. The single species of Opsozelia, O. discalis Townsend, 1919, is redescribed as Zelia discalis, comb. nov., based on examination of the holotype from Guyana and additional material from Suriname, Brazil and Paraguay. Three new species of Zelia similar to Z. discalis are described from Brazil: Z. magnasp. nov., Z. guimaraesisp. nov. and Z. formosasp. nov. These four species are treated informally as the Zelia discalis species group. An identification key to the species of this species group is provided based on male specimens. Descriptions and illustrations are provided for the male terminalia of all species and for the female terminalia of one species, Z. guimaraesi.

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Elucidating the Function of an Ancient NF-κB p100 Homologue, CrRelish, in Antibacterial Defense

Infection and Immunity ◽

10.1128/iai.00948-07 ◽

2007 ◽

Vol 76 (2) ◽

pp. 664-670 ◽

Cited By ~ 14

Author(s):

Ze Hua Fan ◽

Xiao Wei Wang ◽

Jinhua Lu ◽

Bow Ho ◽

Jeak Ling Ding

Keyword(s):

Time Course ◽

Horseshoe Crab ◽

Secondary Infection ◽

Protein Profile ◽

Sequence Context ◽

Living Fossil ◽

Immune Priming ◽

Repeated Infection ◽

The Family

ABSTRACT The family of NF-κB transcription factors essentially regulates immune-related gene expression. Recently, we isolated and characterized the classical NF-κB/inhibitor κB (IκB) homologues from a “living fossil,” the horseshoe crab, Carcinoscorpius rotundicauda. Interestingly, this ancient species also harbors another class I NF-κB p100 homologue, C. rotundicauda Relish (CrRelish). Similar to Drosophila Relish and the mammalian p100, CrRelish contains both the Rel-homology domains (RHD) and the IκB-like domain. In this study, we found that the RHD of CrRelish can recognize horseshoe crab and human κB response elements and activate the downstream reporter in vitro, thereby suggesting the evolutionary conservation of this molecule. Pseudomonas aeruginosa infection transcriptionally upregulates CrRelish, which exhibits a dynamic protein profile over the time course of infection. Surprisingly, secondary infection reinduced an upsurge in CrRelish protein expression to a level which overrode the protein degradation at 12 h postinfection. These observations strongly suggest the involvement of CrRelish in antibacterial defense. Secondary infection causes (i) the maintenance of a favorable expression-competent sequence context of the CrRelish gene and/or (ii) the derepression or stabilization of the CrRelish transcript resulting from the primary infection to enable the more rapid expression and accumulation of the CrRelish protein, reflecting apparent signal/immune priming in a repeated infection.

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Cybaeus (Araneae: Cybaeidae): the consocius species group of the Californian clade

Zootaxa ◽

10.11646/zootaxa.4965.3.1 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 4965 (3) ◽

pp. 401-436

Author(s):

ROBB BENNETT ◽

CLAUDIA COPLEY ◽

DARREN COPLEY

Keyword(s):

Sierra Nevada ◽

Single Species ◽

Species Group ◽

Identification Key ◽

Central Coast ◽

Distribution Maps ◽

The Third ◽

Sierra Nevada Mountains ◽

Moist Forest ◽

Species Groups

Species of North American Cybaeus L. Koch (Araneae: RTA clade: Cybaeidae) are common moist-forest spiders classified in Holarctic and Californian clades. Here, in the third paper in a planned series reviewing the six Californian clade species groups, we review the species of the consocius group. We recognize nine species: Cybaeus consocius Chamberlin & Ivie, C. hesper Chamberlin & Ivie, C. hummeli Bennett spec. nov., C. opulentus spec. nov., C. pan Bennett spec. nov., C. penedentatus Bennett, C. simplex Roth, C. ubicki Bennett spec. nov., and C. vulpinus Bennett. Eight of these species have restricted distributions in the central Sierra Nevada Mountains of eastern California, U.S.A (C. opulentus, C. pan spec. nov., and C. vulpinus) or the central coast of western California (C. consocius, C. hesper, C. hummeli spec. nov., C. penedentatus, and C. ubicki spec. nov.); a single species (C. simplex), is relatively widely distributed in western Oregon, U.S.A. Descriptions, illustrations, distribution maps, and an identification key are provided as well as a discussion of conservation issues of relevance to the group.

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