scholarly journals Molecular Correlation between Larval, Deutonymph and Adult Stages of the Water Mite Arrenurus (Micruracarus) Novus

Life ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 10 (7) ◽  
pp. 108
Author(s):  
Pedro María Alarcón-Elbal ◽  
Ricardo García-Jiménez ◽  
María Luisa Peláez ◽  
Jose Luis Horreo ◽  
Antonio G. Valdecasas

The systematics of many groups of organisms has been based on the adult stage. Morphological transformations that occur during development from the embryonic to the adult stage make it difficult (or impossible) to identify a juvenile (larval) stage in some species. Hydrachnidia (Acari, Actinotrichida, which inhabit mainly continental waters) are characterized by three main active stages—larval, deutonymph and adult—with intermediate dormant stages. Deutonymphs and adults may be identified through diagnostic morphological characters. Larvae that have not been tracked directly from a gravid female are difficult to identify to the species level. In this work, we compared the morphology of five water mite larvae and obtained the molecular sequences of that found on a pupa of the common mosquito Culex (Culex) pipiens with the sequences of 51 adults diagnosed as Arrenurus species and identified the undescribed larvae as Arrenurus (Micruracarus) novus. Further corroborating this finding, adult A. novus was found thriving in the same mosquito habitat. We established the identity of adult and deutonymph A. novus by morphology and by correlating COI and cytB sequences of the water mites at the larval, deutonymph and adult (both male and female) life stages in a particular case of ‘reverse taxonomy’. In addition, we constructed the Arrenuridae phylogeny based on mitochondrial DNA, which supports the idea that three Arrenurus subgenera are ‘natural’: Arrenurus, Megaluracarus and Micruracarus, and the somewhat arbitrary distinction of the species assigned to the subgenus Truncaturus.

PeerJ ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 9 ◽  
pp. e11848
Author(s):  
Gustavo Hassemer ◽  
Elliot M. Gardner ◽  
Nina Rønsted

High-throughput sequencing, when combined with taxonomic expertise, is a powerful tool to refine and advance taxonomic classification, including at the species level. In the present work, a new species, Plantago campestris, is described out of the P. commersoniana species complex, based on phylogenomic and morphological evidence. The main morphological characters that distinguish the new species from P. commersoniana are the glabrous posterior sepals and the slightly broader leaves. The new species is known from only three localities, all in natural high-elevation grasslands in Paraná and Santa Catarina states, southern Brazil. According to the IUCN criteria new species should be assessed as Endangered (EN). We present field photographs of P. campestris and related species, and we provide an identification key to the species previously included within the circumscription of P. commersoniana.


2014 ◽  
Vol 147 (4) ◽  
pp. 425-431 ◽  
Author(s):  
Brittney M. Hoemsen ◽  
Iain D. Phillips ◽  
Dale W. Parker ◽  
Aaron J. Bell ◽  
Jordyn A. Bergsveinson ◽  
...  

AbstractStreams draining the Cypress Hills support unique and understudied macroinvertebrate communities in Saskatchewan, Canada. Here, we report the discovery of a species of caddisfly new to the Cypress Hills and Saskatchewan,Neophylax splendensDenning (Trichoptera: Thremmatidae). Larvae were collected early in May 2012, and are found to enter pre-pupal diapause in mid-June until mid-September. Larvae were identified asN. splendensby morphological characters and verified with genetic analysis. Its occurrence strengthens the biogeographical link between the montane regions in British Columbia, Canada and Utah, United States of America with the southwest corner of Saskatchewan. This study highlights the importance of seasonal sampling, resolute species level identifications in biological surveys and the use of genetic analyses to obtain this level of identification.


Zootaxa ◽  
2010 ◽  
Vol 2648 (1) ◽  
pp. 45 ◽  
Author(s):  
PETER A. LARSEN ◽  
MARÍA R. MARCHÁN-RIVADENEIRA ◽  
ROBERT J. BAKER

Fruit-eating bats of the genus Artibeus are widely distributed across the Neotropics and are one of the most recently evolved assemblages of the family Phyllostomidae. Although the taxonomy and systematics of species of Artibeus has been the subject of an intense historical debate, the most current taxonomic arrangements recognize approximately eleven species within the genus. However, recent phylogenetic studies indicate that species diversity within South and Middle American populations of Artibeus is underestimated. South American populations referable to A. jamaicensis aequatorialis are of considerable interest because previous studies of mitochondrial DNA variation identified potential species level variation west of the Andes Mountains. In this study we use morphometric and genetic data (nuclear AFLPs) to investigate the taxonomic status of A. j. aequatorialis. Our results indicate that elevating aequatorialis to species level is appropriate based on statistically supported reciprocal monophyly in mitochondrial and nuclear datasets and diagnostic morphological characters. In light of our results, and of those presented elsewhere, we provide a revised classification of the genus.


2010 ◽  
Vol 6 ◽  
pp. 25-31 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jyoti P Gajurel ◽  
Krishna K Shrestha

About 170 species of Commelina are known from tropical and subtropical regions of the world. Nepal contributes 6 species of Commelina to the world flora. In the present work, taxonomy of all the six species of Commelina reported from Nepal (C. benghalensis, C. caroliniana, C. diffusa, C. maculata, C. paludosa and C. suffruticosa) was studied. Voucher specimens were collected from Central and Eastern Nepal, covering 14 districts. Morphological characters were studied from these collections. Palynological and anatomical characters were also used to see if they are taxonomically important to delimit the taxa within Commelina. Morphological characters seemed promising to delimit the taxa within Commelina. The key identifying characters at species level are modification in root, form of spathe, structure of leaves and seeds, shape of stomata and pollen. Palynological and anatomical characters were also useful, to some extent, in separating some species, but were not significant as compared to morphological data. Some specimens, close to C. benghalensis and C. caroliniana, showed very different characters. Thus further study is needed to confirm their taxonomic status. Key-words: anatomy; flora; morphological characters; palynology; voucher specimens.DOI: 10.3126/botor.v6i0.2907 Botanica Orientalis - Journal of Plant Science (2009) 6: 25-31


2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Matthias Seidel ◽  
Yûsuke N. Minoshima ◽  
Richard A. B. Leschen ◽  
Martin Fikácek

The New Zealand endemic beetle genus Saphydrus Sharp, 1884 (Coleoptera:Hydrophilidae:Cylominae) is studied in order to understand its phylogenetic position, species-level systematics, biology and distribution, and to reveal reasons for its rarity. The first complete genus-level phylogeny of Cylominae based on two mitochondrial (cox1, 16S) and two nuclear genes (18S, 28S) covering 18 of 19 genera of the subfamily reveals Saphydrus as an isolated lineage situated in a clade with Cylorygmus (South America), Relictorygmus (South Africa) and Eurygmus (Australia). DNA is used to associate two larval morphotypes with Saphydrus: one of them represents the larvae of S. suffusus Sharp, 1884; the other, characterised by unique characters of the head and prothorax morphology, is revealed as sister but not closely related to Saphydrus. It is described here as Enigmahydrus, gen. nov. with a single species, E. larvalis, sp. nov., whose adult stage remains unknown. Saphydrus includes five species, two of which (S. moeldnerae, sp. nov. and S. tanemahuta, sp. nov.) are described as new. Larvae of Enigmahydrus larvalis and Saphydrus suffusus are described and illustrated in detail based on DNA-identified specimens. Candidate larvae for Saphydrus obesus Sharp, 1884 and S. tanemahuta are illustrated and diagnosed. Specimen data are used to evaluate the range, altitudinal distribution, seasonality and population dynamics over time for all species. Strongly seasonal occurrence of adults combined with other factors (winter occurrence in S. obesus, occurrence at high altitudes in S. tanemahuta) is hypothesised as the primary reason of the rarity for Saphydrus species. By contrast, Enigmahydrus larvalis underwent a strong decline in population number and size since the 1970s and is currently known from a single, locally limited population; we propose the ‘nationally threatened’ status for this species. http://zoobank.org/urn:lsid:zoobank.org:pub:28D87163-29E8-418C-9380-262D3038023A


Zootaxa ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 4851 (1) ◽  
pp. 189-197
Author(s):  
ARTHUR ANKER ◽  
MANAL AL-KANDARI ◽  
SAMMY DE GRAVE

The status of the common intertidal snapping shrimp, Alpheus inopinatus Holthuis & Gottlieb, 1958, is discussed based on newly collected material from Kuwait. Alpheus inopinatus was previously confused with morphologically very similar species in the Alpheus lobidens De Haan, 1849 species complex, formerly identified as A. crassimanus Heller, 1862 and herein tentatively referred to as A. cf. lobidens. The material herein examined strongly supports the validity of A. inopinatus based on several morphological characters, as well as differences in the colour pattern, compared to other members of the A. lobidens complex. 


2007 ◽  
Vol 97 (4) ◽  
pp. 379-386 ◽  
Author(s):  
H.C. Zhang ◽  
G.X. Qiao

AbstractThe tribe Fordini is a fascinating group because of its complicated life history, primary host specificity and gall-forming characteristic. Different species produce galls with different morphology on different parts of the host plants. The EF-1α-based, COI-based and combined sequences-based phylogenetic trees with three algorithms MP, ML and Bayes all strongly suggest that Fordini is a monophyletic group with two clades corresponding to two subtribes, Fordina and Melaphidina, each also monophyletic. Some important morphological characters and primary host plants of aphids were mapped onto the phylogenetic tree to analyse the division of subtribes and to uncover at which level the aphids correspond to their primary hosts, Pistacia and Rhus. Results suggest that the division of subtribes in Fordini is closely related to host selection of aphids. The evolution of gall morphology and the probable driving force behind it in this tribe were also discussed. The Fordini aphids seem to have evolved towards a better ability to manipulate their host plant, induce strong sinks and gain high reproductive success. Galls in this tribe evolved mainly along two directions to attain this goal: (i) by enlarging the gall from small bag to spherical, even big cauliflower-like, and changing the galls' location or forming two galls in their life cycle (Fordina); (ii) by moving the gall position from midrib, petiole of the leaflet, and eventually to the common petiole of the compound leaf (Melaphidina).


2015 ◽  
Vol 45 (6) ◽  
pp. 710-720 ◽  
Author(s):  
Yili Guo ◽  
Zhijun Lu ◽  
Qinggang Wang ◽  
Junmeng Lu ◽  
Yaozhan Xu ◽  
...  

Accumulating evidence suggests that density dependence, whether at early or late life stages, is an important mechanism regulating plant population structure. However, the opposing effects of habitat heterogeneity and species-level variation might have confounded the prevalence of density dependence in natural forests. These compatible ideas were rarely considered simultaneously. In this study, we applied a spatial statistical technique to examine (i) the prevalence of density dependence at late life stages after controlling for habitat heterogeneity and (ii) the relationships between species traits and the strength of density dependence in a newly established, 25 ha subtropical mountain forest plot in central China. Of the 88 (75%) tree species analyzed, 66 were found to exhibit density dependence predominantly at very close distances among neighbors in the species-rich subtropical forest. In addition, the strength of density dependence was associated with species traits. Our findings identified strong density dependence among trees that had greater stature and were rarer. We concluded that density dependence was a prevalent mechanism for regulating the population structure of most tree species and both habitat heterogeneity and species-level variation played crucial roles in shaping the strength of density dependence in natural forests.


Phytotaxa ◽  
2017 ◽  
Vol 303 (3) ◽  
pp. 279
Author(s):  
V. S. HAREESH ◽  
A. JOE ◽  
P. E. SREEJITH ◽  
M. SABU

Musa velutina subsp. markkuana was published based on morphological characters. Present studies on anatomy of lamina, midrib, petiole, bract, fruit peel and seeds, palynology and micromorphology of seeds of M. velutina and M. velutina subsp. markkuana have revealed that the differences are strong enough to treat the subspecies to species level, M. markkuana stat. nov. Photomicrographs of all parts and comparison charts are provided.


Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document