Perspectives on Chemotaxonomy: Molecular Data Confirm the Existence of Two Morphologically Distinct Species within a Chemically Defined Lepraria caesiella (Stereocaulaceae)

The recent catalogues of the family Dolichopodidae considered Syntormon pallipes (Fabricius, 1794) and S. pseudospicatus Strobl, 1899 as separate species. In this study, we used three approaches to estimate the significance of differences between the two species: molecular analysis (COI and 12S rRNA sequences), analysis of leg colour characters and geometric morphometric analysis of wing shape. The morphological data confirmed the absence of significant differences between S. pallipes and S. pseudospicatus found in the DNA analysis. Significant differences in the wing shape of two species have not been revealed. Hence, according to our data, there is no reason to consider S. pseudospicatus as a distinct species.

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A NEW SPECIES OF THE Pareas hamptoni COMPLEX (SQUAMATA, SERPENTES, PAREIDAE) FROM THE GOLDEN TRIANGLE

TAPROBANICA The Journal of Asian Biodiversity ◽

10.47605/tapro.v9i2.230 ◽

2020 ◽

pp. 174-193

Author(s):

Li Ding ◽

Zening Chen ◽

Chatmongkon Suwannapoom ◽

Tan Van Nguyen ◽

Nikolay A. Poyarkov ◽

...

Keyword(s):

New Species ◽

Yunnan Province ◽

Southern China ◽

Taxonomic Status ◽

Distinct Species ◽

Molecular Data ◽

Lower Number ◽

Actual Distribution ◽

Golden Triangle ◽

Morphological And Molecular Data

An investigation of the taxonomic status of Pareas hamptoni (Hampton's Slug snake) based on morphological and molecular data revealed a new distinct species from the Golden Triangle region (comprising parts of southern China, and adjacent Laos and Thailand). The new species is shown to be a sister species to P. hamptoni but can be separated from the latter by having 3–5 dorsal scale rows at midbody slightly keeled (vs 5–9 scales strongly keeled); a lower number of ventrals, 170–188 (vs 185–195); and a lower number of subcaudals, 67–91 (vs 91–99). The new species is currently known from northwestern Thailand, northern Laos, and the southern part of Yunnan Province in China at elevations of 1,160–2,280 m a.s.l. We suggest that the new species to be considered of Least Concern (LC) in the IUCN‘s Red List categories. Problems of taxonomy and actual distribution of the P. hamptoni complex are briefly discussed; our results show P. hamptoni is now reliably known only from Myanmar and Vietnam, but its occurrence in Yunnan Province of China is likely.

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New free-living nematode species and records (Chromadorea: Plectida and Desmodorida) from the edge and axis of Kermadec Trench, Southwest Pacific Ocean

PeerJ ◽

10.7717/peerj.12037 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 9 ◽

pp. e12037

Author(s):

Daniel Leduc

Keyword(s):

Nematode Species ◽

Distinct Species ◽

Abundant Species ◽

Molecular Data ◽

Weddell Sea ◽

Body Contour ◽

Southwest Pacific ◽

Free Living Nematode ◽

Strong Resemblance ◽

Morphological And Molecular Data

One new nematode species is described and two new species records are provided from the edge (6,080 m depth) and axis (7,132 m) of Kermadec Trench, Southwest Pacific. Leptolaimus hadalis sp. nov. is characterised by medium body 587–741 μm long, labial region not offset from body contour, inconspicuous labial sensilla, amphid located 12–19 μm from anterior end, female without supplements, male with four tubular precloacal supplements (alveolar supplements absent), tubular supplements almost straight with dentate tip, arcuate spicules and weakly cuticularized dorsal gubernacular apophyses strongly bent distally. In a previously published ecological survey of Kermadec Trench, L. hadalis sp. nov. was the most abundant species in a core obtained at 8,079 m water depth and third most abundant species in a core obtained at 7,132 m, while only one individual was found at 6,096 m depth, and none at 9,175 m depth (Leduc & Rowden, 2018). Alaimella aff. cincta and Desmodora aff. pilosa are recorded for the first time from the Southwest Pacific region. Prior to the present study, Alaimella had only been recorded from coastal locations and from the Weddell sea to a depth of 2,000 m. The record of Desmodora aff. pilosa at 6,080 m depth is the deepest record of a Desmodora species to date, although unidentified Desmodora specimens have been found as deep as 6,300 m in the South Sandwich Trench. The morphology of the Kermadec Trench Alaimella aff. cincta and Desmodora aff. pilosa specimens bear a strong resemblance to their respective type populations from the Northern Hemisphere, but further morphological and molecular data are required to ascertain whether they in fact represent distinct species.

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The hidden anatomy of paranasal sinuses reveals biogeographically distinct morphotypes in the nine-banded armadillo (Dasypus novemcinctus)

PeerJ ◽

10.7717/peerj.3593 ◽

2017 ◽

Vol 5 ◽

pp. e3593 ◽

Cited By ~ 8

Author(s):

Guillaume Billet ◽

Lionel Hautier ◽

Benoit de Thoisy ◽

Frédéric Delsuc

Keyword(s):

South America ◽

Paranasal Sinuses ◽

Morphological Diversity ◽

Distinct Species ◽

Molecular Data ◽

Morphological Data ◽

Diagnostic Feature ◽

Guiana Shield ◽

Diagnostic Features ◽

Continental Scale

BackgroundWith their Pan-American distribution, long-nosed armadillos (genusDasypus) constitute an understudied model for Neotropical biogeography. This genus currently comprises seven recognized species, the nine-banded armadillo (D. novemcinctus) having the widest distribution ranging from Northern Argentina to the South-Eastern US. With their broad diversity of habitats, nine-banded armadillos provide a useful model to explore the effects of climatic and biogeographic events on morphological diversity at a continental scale.MethodsBased on a sample of 136 skulls ofDasypusspp. belonging to six species, including 112 specimens identified asD. novemcinctus, we studied the diversity and pattern of variation of paranasal cavities, which were reconstructed virtually using µCT-scanning or observed through bone transparency.ResultsOur qualitative analyses of paranasal sinuses and recesses successfully retrieved a taxonomic differentiation between the traditional speciesD. kappleri,D. pilosusandD. novemcinctusbut failed to recover diagnostic features between the disputed and morphologically similarD. septemcinctusandD. hybridus. Most interestingly, the high variation detected in our large sample ofD. novemcinctusshowed a clear geographical patterning, with the recognition of three well-separated morphotypes: one ranging from North and Central America and parts of northern South America west of the Andes, one distributed across the Amazonian Basin and central South America, and one restricted to the Guiana Shield.DiscussionThe question as to whether these paranasal morphotypes may represent previously unrecognized species is to be evaluated through a thorough revision of theDasypusspecies complex integrating molecular and morphological data. Remarkably, our recognition of a distinct morphotype in the Guiana Shield area is congruent with the recent discovery of a divergent mitogenomic lineage in French Guiana. The inflation of the second medialmost pair of caudal frontal sinuses constitutes an unexpected morphological diagnostic feature for this potentially distinct species. Our results demonstrate the benefits of studying overlooked internal morphological structures in supposedly cryptic species revealed by molecular data. It also illustrates the under-exploited potential of the highly variable paranasal sinuses of armadillos for systematic studies.

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A re-examination of the molecular systematics and phylogeography of taxa of the Peromyscus aztecus species group, with comments on the distribution of P. winkelmanni

Therya ◽

10.12933/therya-21-1115 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 12 (2) ◽

pp. 331-346

Author(s):

C. William Kilpatrick ◽

Nelish Pradhan ◽

Ryan W Norris

Keyword(s):

Phylogenetic Analyses ◽

Distinct Species ◽

Molecular Study ◽

Molecular Data ◽

Species Group ◽

Cytb Sequence ◽

Voucher Specimen ◽

Cranial Measurements ◽

Mitochondrial Cytochrome B ◽

Isthmus Of Tehuantepec

The objectives of this study are to examine the available molecular data from the mitochondrial cytochrome-b gene (Cytb) and a concatenated dataset with this gene and two nuclear introns (Adh-1-I2 and Fgb-I7) to reexamine the systematic and phylogeographic conclusions reached by Sullivan et al. (1997) concerning the Peromyscus aztecus species group. The divergence of samples of P. aztecus oaxacensis across the Isthmus of Tehuantepec are further examined and taxonomic revisions are suggested. In addition, this study reviews the sources of data that lead to the conclusion that P. winkelmanni occurred in the Sierra Madre del Sur in Guerrero including a morphometric examination of a reported voucher. Bayesian and maximum likelihood analyses were conducted on a dataset of 31 Cytb sequences of all taxa in the P. aztecus group except for P. a. cordillerae and a concatenated dataset including five individuals of this group. Representative taxa of the P. boylii, P. mexicanus, and P. truei groups were included in both analyses. Body and cranial measurements of the voucher of the P. winkelmanni from Guerrero from which a Cytb sequence is reported to have been obtained was compared with measurements from specimens taken from the vicinity of Dos Aguas, Michoacán, including the type locality. We identified seven instances involving problematic identifications in GenBank. Once these issues were addressed, well-supported monophyletic sister clades of the P. aztecus and P. boylii species groups were recovered from phylogenetic analyses of Cytb sequences (Fig 1). Phylogenetic analyses of the Cytb and the concatenated datasets recover similar topologies that support the relationships of taxa of the aztecus group proposed by an earlier molecular study. Populations of P. a. oaxacensis southeast of the Isthmus of Tehuantepec represent a distinct species. Measurements of the voucher from Guerrero identified as the source of a P. winkelmanni Cytb sequence are smaller than P. winkelmanni for several characters. The divergent populations of P. a. oaxacensis from southeast of the Isthmus of Tehuantepec are recognized as two subspecies of P. cordillerae, P. c. cordillerae and P. c. hondurensis, whereas those northwest of the Isthmus are retained as P. a. oaxacensis. The lack of genetic divergence observed between P. a. evides and P. a. oaxacensis questions whether these two taxa should continue to be recognized as separate subspecies. Northern and southern populations of P. spicilegus demonstrate moderate divergence and additional examination of morphological and molecular differentiation within this taxon is warranted. The distribution of P. winkelmanni should be restricted to the vicinity of Dos Aguas, Michoacán, due to the lack of a voucher specimen that would confirm its reported occurrence in Guerrero.

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Rhodocybe formosa (Agaricales, Entolomataceae): new collections, molecular data and synonymy, and Rhodocybe griseonigrella comb. nov.

Phytotaxa ◽

10.11646/phytotaxa.255.1.3 ◽

2016 ◽

Vol 255 (1) ◽

pp. 34 ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

ALFREDO VIZZINI ◽

BERNARDO PICILLO ◽

ENRICO ERCOLE ◽

JORDI VILA ◽

MARCO CONTU

Keyword(s):

Phylogenetic Analysis ◽

Distinct Species ◽

Molecular Data ◽

Its Sequences ◽

European Species ◽

Molecular Comparison

Rhodocybe formosa (sect. Rhodocybe), a species so far known only from Spain, is here reported from Italy. A detailed description, including also macrophotographs, microphotographs and drawings together with a phylogenetic analysis of the ITS sequences, are provided. According to the molecular comparison of the type collections, R. minutispora, a species recently described on the basis of collections from Spain, is a synonym of R. formosa. Clitopilus griseonigrellus is recognized as a distinct species and recombined in Rhodocybe. A key to the European species of Rhodocybe sect. Rhodocybe is provided.

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Cryptic species complexes in manipulative echinostomatid trematodes: when two become six

Parasitology ◽

10.1017/s0031182008005374 ◽

2008 ◽

Vol 136 (2) ◽

pp. 241-252 ◽

Cited By ~ 37

Author(s):

T. L. F. LEUNG ◽

D. B. KEENEY ◽

R. POULIN

Keyword(s):

Cryptic Species ◽

Phylogenetic Analyses ◽

Morphological Characteristics ◽

Single Species ◽

Distinct Species ◽

Molecular Data ◽

Spatial Segregation ◽

Small Scale ◽

Intermediate Hosts ◽

Species Complexes

SUMMARYRecent studies have shown that some digenean trematodes previously identified as single species due to the lack of distinguishing morphological characteristics actually consist of a number of genetically distinct cryptic species. We obtained mitochondrial 16S and nuclear ITS1 sequences for the redial stages of Acanthoparyphium sp. and Curtuteria australis collected from snails and whelks at various locations around Otago Peninsula, New Zealand. These two echinostomes are well-known host manipulators whose impact extends to the entire intertidal community. Using phylogenetic analyses, we found that Acanthoparyphium sp. is actually composed of at least 4 genetically distinct species, and that a cryptic species of Curtuteria occurs in addition to C. australis. Molecular data obtained for metacercariae dissected from cockle second intermediate hosts matched sequences obtained for Acanthoparyphium sp. A and C. australis rediae, respectively, but no other species. The various cryptic species of both Acanthoparyphium and Curtuteria also showed an extremely localized pattern of distribution: some species were either absent or very rare in Otago Harbour, but reached far higher prevalence in nearby sheltered inlets. This small-scale spatial segregation is unexpected as shorebird definitive hosts can disperse trematode eggs across wide geographical areas, which should result in a homogeneous mixing of the species on small geographical scales. Possible explanations for this spatial segregation of the species include sampling artefacts, local adaptation by first intermediate hosts, environmental conditions, and site fidelity of the definitive hosts.

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The systematics of the south-east Asian genus Fangensis Rambla (Opiliones:Cyphophthalmi:Stylocellidae)

Invertebrate Systematics ◽

10.1071/is05023 ◽

2005 ◽

Vol 19 (4) ◽

pp. 297 ◽

Cited By ~ 82

Author(s):

Peter J. Schwendinger ◽

Gonzalo Giribet

Keyword(s):

East Asian ◽

Original Description ◽

Distinct Species ◽

Molecular Data ◽

Ribosomal Genes ◽

The Other ◽

Morphological Data ◽

Southern Thailand ◽

New Material ◽

Three New Species

The hitherto monotypic opilionid genus Fangensis Rambla, 1994 is re-evaluated from new material collected in northern, western and southern Thailand. The original description of F. leclerci Rambla (type material not traceable) was based on specimens belonging to at least three distinct species. Fangensis leclerci is thus redefined and the binomen restricted to specimens from a cave in northern Thailand only. Three new species are described, F. spelaeus, sp. nov. and F. cavernarus, sp. nov. from two caves in western Thailand and F. insulanus, sp. nov. from forests on two islands in southern Thailand. Taxonomic characters are discussed and relationships among Fangensis species and between Fangensis and other cyphophthalmids are evaluated using morphological data and ~4 Kb of molecular data from three loci, two nuclear ribosomal genes and a mitochondrial coding gene. Overall, data indicate monophyly of Stylocellidae and morphological and ribosomal data suggest monophyly of Fangensis, which is in turn divided into two clades, one composed of the three species from northern and western Thailand and the other represented by the species from southern Thailand. Observations on mating in F. leclerci are provided.

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Distinction of Cladonia rei and C. subulata based on molecular, chemical and morphological characteristics

The Lichenologist ◽

10.1017/s0024282910000071 ◽

2010 ◽

Vol 42 (4) ◽

pp. 373-386 ◽

Cited By ~ 20

Author(s):

Christian DOLNIK ◽

Andreas BECK ◽

Daria ZARABSKA

Keyword(s):

North American ◽

Morphological Characteristics ◽

Distinct Species ◽

Molecular Data ◽

Molecular Methods ◽

Chemical Feature ◽

Dry Grasslands ◽

American Sample ◽

North American Sample

AbstractCladonia rei and Cladonia subulata are morphologically similar, but chemically different cup lichens of dry grasslands and nutrient-poor ruderal habitats. Recently, C. rei has been synonymized with C. subulata on the basis of combined morphological and chemical investigations. However, doubts remained due to a molecular divergent North American sample of C. rei compared to European C. subulata. To clarify the situation, using molecular methods, we analysed chemically different European samples of C. rei and C. subulata, as well as other morphologically or chemically similar Cladonia species. Molecular data show that European and North American samples of C. rei belong to the same clade, which is closely related to C. fimbriata and followed by a subclade with C. coniocraea and C. ochrochlora. The subclade of C. subulata appears to be distinct from C. rei. In concordance with molecular data, the presence of homosekikaic acid is the determining chemical feature for C. rei. In addition, C. humilis and C. innominata proved to be molecularly distinct species.

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A new combination in Thelypteridaceae

Phytotaxa ◽

10.11646/phytotaxa.132.1.7 ◽

2013 ◽

Vol 132 (1) ◽

pp. 64

Author(s):

Jaideep Mazumdar

Keyword(s):

Sri Lanka ◽

Endemic Species ◽

Distinct Species ◽

Molecular Data ◽

New Combination ◽

Generic Concept

Sledge (1981) described the fern Trigonospora obtusiloba Sledge (1981: 18) of Thelypteridaceae as a new endemic species from Sri Lanka. Fraser-Jenkins (2008: 595) suspected that this species was a probable synonym of Cyclosorus caudipinna (Ching) Panigrahi (1993: 66) but it differs from C. caudipinna in smaller size and lack of caudate pinnae apices (Sledge 1981). It can further be distinguished by its strongly dimorphic fronds, i.e., fertile fronds have narrower pinnae and longer stipes than sterile fronds. This is clearly evident in all specimens listed below and has not been reported from any other species of Cyclosorus subgenus Trigonospora (Holttum) Panigrahi (1991: 13). Since the opinion of Fraser-Jenkins (2008) is not supported, it is logical to maintain T. obtusiloba as a distinct species until further molecular data clarify its position. According to present generic concept of Thelypteridaceae (Christenhusz et al. 2011, Rothfels et al. 2012) T. obtusiloba should be transferred to Cyclosorus Link (1833: 128) and consequently a new combination under Cyclosorus is proposed here.

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