Confirmation of Leptobrachella ventripunctata (Fei, Ye, and Li, 1990), based on molecular and morphological evidence in Thailand

Thailand is considered a global biodiversity hotspot that is known to harbour a striking diversity of endemic species. However, several research studies have determined that the level of amphibian diversity in the country has been significantly underestimated. The megophryid genus Leptobrachella Smith, 1925 is currently known to include 89 species that are primarily distributed throughout southern China and Southeast Asia; however, only seven species have been found in Thailand. Based on an integrative approach encompassing genetic and morphological analyses, we have concluded that the population identified from Chiang Rai Province of Thailand is conspecific with Leptobrachella ventripunctata (Fei, Ye, and Li, 1990). Importantly, this is the first confirmation record of this species, based on molecular and morphological evidence in Thailand. The discovery of this species reaffirms that the diversity within the genus has been underestimated with many species yet to be discovered. In addition, the findings of our study further highlight the lack of existing knowledge on amphibian taxonomy and an underestimation of the biodiversity that exists along these national border areas.

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Taxonomic assessment of the termite genus Neotermes (Isoptera: Kalotermitidae) in the Ryukyu-Taiwan Island arc, with description of a new species

Zootaxa ◽

10.11646/zootaxa.4604.3.10 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 4604 (3) ◽

pp. 549 ◽

Cited By ~ 3

Author(s):

TOSHIHISA YASHIRO ◽

YOKO TAKEMATSU ◽

NAOKI OGAWA ◽

KENJI MATSUURA

Keyword(s):

New Species ◽

Systematic Study ◽

Endemic Species ◽

Biodiversity Hotspot ◽

Island Arc ◽

Ryukyu Archipelago ◽

Termite Species ◽

Taiwan Island ◽

Global Biodiversity ◽

A New Species

The Ryukyu Archipelago of Japan is a recognized global biodiversity hotspot with many endemic species. However, our knowledge of the termite fauna of the Ryukyu Archipelago is insufficient. Here, we report a new species of endemic drywood termite (Kalotermitidae) from the Ryukyu Archipelago. Our systematic study of the genus Neotermes (Isoptera: Kalotermitidae) from the Ryukyu–Taiwan Island arc using molecular and morphological methods found that N. koshunensis had also been composed of a second cryptic species, N. sugioi sp. nov. These two species are distributed allopatrically in the Ryukyu–Taiwan Island arc, with the former only in Taiwan and the latter only in the Ryukyu Archipelago. Our discovery of a new drywood termite species from the Ryukyu Archipelago suggests that both morphological and molecular assessments of the species now considered to be distributed widely in the Ryukyu–Taiwan Island arc are needed to clarify the termite fauna of the Ryukyu Archipelago. [Species Zoobank registration: http://zoobank.org/urn:lsid:zoobank.org:pub:E8C9693A-E24F-445D-8445-320564565964]

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Tackling the Taxonomic Challenges in the Family Scoliidae (Insecta, Hymenoptera) Using an Integrative Approach: A Case Study from Southern China

Insects ◽

10.3390/insects12100892 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 12 (10) ◽

pp. 892

Author(s):

Zhen Liu ◽

Sheng-Jie Yang ◽

Yu-Yuan Wang ◽

Yan-Qiong Peng ◽

Hua-Yan Chen ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Cryptic Species ◽

Southern China ◽

Molecular Data ◽

Genetic Distances ◽

Integrative Approach ◽

Morphological Evidence ◽

Molecular Evidence ◽

The Family ◽

Coi Sequences ◽

Taxonomic Approach

Species of the family Scoliidae are larval parasitoids of scarabaeoid beetles and pollinators of various plants. Despite their great importance in pest biological control and plant pollination, the taxonomy and systematics of these parasitoids are far from clear. Some species of the family are extremely morphologically similar and difficult to identify, especially in males. In this study, an integrative taxonomic approach, combining morphology and molecular data, was used to discriminate the species of Scoliidae from southern China. In total, 52 COI sequences belonging to 22 morphospecies of 9 genera in two tribes were obtained. The COI sequences worked well for the identification of all the studied species, with intraspecific genetic distances generally less than 2%, while interspecific distances ranged between 5.3% and 20.8%. The delimitations of the problematic species and subspecies of Scolia and Megacampsomeris are well solved by COI sequences, suggesting that DNA barcoding could be a useful identification tool for Scoliidae. Based on both morphological and molecular evidence, we discovered one undescribed cryptic species of the polytypic species Solia (Discolia) superciliaris Saussure, 1864, five newly recorded species, i.e., Scolia (Discolia) sikkimensis Bingham, 1896, Sericocampsomeris flavomaculata Gupta and Jonathan, 1989, Megacampsomeris asiatica (Saussure, 1858), Megacampsomeris pulchrivestita (Cameron, 1902) and Megacampsomeris shillongensis (Betrem, 1928) and one pending subspecies of Scolia (Discolia) watanabei (Matsumura, 1912) from China. Our study indicates that such an integrative approach, combing both molecular and morphological evidence, is a potent tool to tackle the taxonomic challenges in the family Scoliidae, or even, in other diverse groups of Aculeata, of which sexual dimorphism and cryptic species are common.

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Mapping Biodiversity Patterns across Southeast Asia

Biodiversity Information Science and Standards ◽

10.3897/biss.3.37372 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 3 ◽

Author(s):

Alice Hughes

Keyword(s):

Southeast Asia ◽

Species Distributions ◽

Biodiversity Hotspot ◽

Spatial Mapping ◽

International Union ◽

The World ◽

Poor Understanding ◽

Global Biodiversity ◽

Initial Results ◽

Administrative Boundary

Southeast Asia represents a global biodiversity hotspot, and yet compared to much of the rest of the world we have a relatively poor understanding of the patterns of biodiversity and endemism, or even basic distributions for many taxa. Global maps such as the IUCN (International Union for the Conservation of Nature) species range maps often have major inaccuracies in the spatial mapping of species localities, which are particularly problematic around political administrative boundary regions, and make any form of spatial prioritization difficult or impossible. Here I show various approaches to mapping biodiversity across the landscape, including the mapping of both ecosystems with high levels of endemism, and databasing huge volumes of data as a basis for mapping out species distributions when combined with other forms of data, to map out diversity at numerous different taxonomic levels. I showcase the initial results of mapping for various taxa, and different ways of aggregating the data to better understand different facets of biodiversity. Additionally I discuss various approaches to developing spatial priorities for conservation across the region and the relative tradeoffs between each.

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Integrating Capabilities and Ecosystem Services Approaches to evaluate Indigenous connections with nature in a global biodiversity hotspot of Western Ghats, India

Global Ecology and Conservation ◽

10.1016/j.gecco.2021.e01546 ◽

2021 ◽

pp. e01546

Author(s):

M Balasubramanian ◽

Kamaljit K Sangha

Keyword(s):

Ecosystem Services ◽

Western Ghats ◽

Biodiversity Hotspot ◽

Global Biodiversity

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The biodiversity-wind energy-land use nexus in a global biodiversity hotspot

The Science of The Total Environment ◽

10.1016/j.scitotenv.2020.144471 ◽

2021 ◽

pp. 144471

Author(s):

Vassiliki Kati ◽

Christina Kassara ◽

Zoi Vrontisi ◽

Aristides Moustakas

Keyword(s):

Land Use ◽

Wind Energy ◽

Biodiversity Hotspot ◽

Global Biodiversity

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Meta-analysis reveals severe pollen limitation for the flowering plants growing in East Himalaya-Hengduan Mountains region

BMC Ecology ◽

10.1186/s12898-020-00322-6 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 20 (1) ◽

Author(s):

Xianfeng Jiang ◽

Yanping Xie

Keyword(s):

Confidence Interval ◽

Pollen Limitation ◽

Meta Analysis ◽

Flowering Plants ◽

Biodiversity Hotspot ◽

Clear Relationship ◽

Hengduan Mountains ◽

Independent Data ◽

The World ◽

Global Biodiversity

Abstract Background Pollen limitation occurs widely and has an important effect on flowering plants. The East Himalaya-Hengduan Mountains region is a global biodiversity hotspot. However, to our knowledge, no study has synthetically assessed the degree of pollen limitation in this area. The present study aims to reveal the degree of pollen limitation for the flowering plants growing on East Himalaya-Hengduan Mountains and to test whether the reproductive features or the elevation is closely correlated with the degree of pollen limitation in this area. Results We complied data from 76 studies, which included 96 species and 108 independent data records. We found that the flowering plants in this area undergo severe pollen limitation [overall Hedges’ d = 2.004, with a 95% confidence interval (1.3264, 2.6743)] that is much higher than that of the flowering plants growing in many other regions around the world. The degree of pollen limitation was tested to determine the correlation with the capacity for autonomous self-reproduction and with the pollination pattern (generalized vs. specialized pollination) of plants. In addition, we found a clear relationship between elevation and the degree of pollen limitation, which indicates that plants might undergo more severe pollen limitation in relatively high places. Conclusions This paper is the first to address the severe pollen limitation of the flowering plants growing in East Himalaya-Hengduan Mountains region. Moreover, we reveal the positive correlation between elevation and the degree of pollen limitation.

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