scholarly journals Phylogeny and evolution of habitat preference in Goniurosaurus (Squamata: Eublepharidae) and their correlation with karst and granite-stream-adapted ecomorphologies in species groups from Vietnam

2021 ◽  
Vol 71 ◽  
pp. 335-352
Author(s):  
L. Lee Grismer ◽  
Hai Ngoc Ngo ◽  
Shuo Qi ◽  
Ying-Yong Wang ◽  
Minh Duc Le ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Habitat Preference ◽  
Adaptive Response ◽  
Habitat Partitioning ◽  
Ancestral Condition ◽  
Extant Species ◽  
Mapping Analysis ◽  
Species Groups ◽  
Phylogeny And Evolution ◽  
Body Shapes ◽  
Character Mapping

Abstract Maximum likelihood (ML) and Bayesian inference (BI) analyses using two mitochondrial (16S and cyt b) and two nuclear (CMOS and RAG1) genes and 103 specimens recovered the first phylogenies of all 23 extant species of Goniurosaurus. The analyses strongly supported the recognition of four monophyletic species groups with identical inter-specific relationships within the kuroiwae, lichtenfelderi, and yingdeensis groups but discordant topologies at some nodes within the luii group. Both analyses recovered a polyphyletic G. luii with respect to G. kadoorieorum, and owing to the lack of diagnostic characters in the latter, it is considered a junior synonym of G. luii. A stochastic character mapping analysis of karst versus non-karst habitat preference suggested that karstic landscapes may have played a major role in the evolution and diversification of Goniurosaurus. A karst habitat preference is marginally supported as the most probable ancestral condition for Goniurosaurus as well as for the kuroiwae, luii, and yingdeensis groups. However, a non-karst habitat preference is marginally supported as the most probable ancestral condition for the lichtenfelderi group. Multivariate and univariate ecomorphological analyses of the karst-adapted G. catbaensis, G. huuliensis, and G. luii of the luii group and the granite-stream-adapted G. lichtenfelderii of the lichtenfelderi group demonstrated that their markedly statistically different body shapes may be an adaptive response that contributes to habitat partitioning in areas of northern Vietnam where they are nearly sympatric.

scholarly journals Karstic Landscapes Are Foci of Species Diversity in the World’s Third-Largest Vertebrate Genus Cyrtodactylus Gray, 1827 (Reptilia: Squamata; Gekkonidae)

Diversity ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (5) ◽  
pp. 183
Author(s):  
Lee Grismer ◽  
Perry L. Wood ◽  
Nikolay A. Poyarkov ◽  
Minh D. Le ◽  
Suranjan Karunarathna ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Species Diversity ◽  
Habitat Preference ◽  
Habitat Preferences ◽  
Legal Protection ◽  
Species Group ◽  
Additional Species ◽  
Mapping Analysis ◽  
Species Groups ◽  
Management And Conservation ◽  
Character Mapping

Karstic landscapes are immense reservoirs of biodiversity and range-restricted endemism. Nowhere is this more evident than in the world’s third-largest vertebrate genus Cyrtodactylus (Gekkonidae) which contains well over 300 species. A stochastic character mapping analysis of 10 different habitat preferences across a phylogeny containing 345 described and undescribed species recovered a karst habitat preference occurring in 25.0% of the species, whereas that of the other eight specific habitat preferences occurred in only 0.2–11.0% of the species. The tenth category—general habitat preference—occurred in 38.7% of the species and was the ancestral habitat preference for Cyrtodactylus and the ultimate origin of all other habitat preferences. This study echoes the results of a previous study illustrating that karstic landscapes are generators of species diversity within Cyrtodactylus and not simply “imperiled arks of biodiversity” serving as refugia for relics. Unfortunately, the immense financial returns of mineral extraction to developing nations largely outweighs concerns for biodiversity conservation, leaving approximately 99% of karstic landscapes with no legal protection. This study continues to underscore the urgent need for their appropriate management and conservation. Additionally, this analysis supports the monophyly of the recently proposed 31 species groups and adds one additional species group.

Paleobiology of the basal hydrochoerineCardiomysAmeghino, 1885 (Rodentia, Caviomorpha, late Miocene, South America) as inferred from its postcranial anatomy

2018 ◽  
Vol 92 (5) ◽  
pp. 911-919
Author(s):  
Adriana M. Candela ◽  
Nahuel A. Muñoz ◽  
César M. García-Esponda
Keyword(s):  
Late Miocene ◽  
Radial Head ◽  
Articular Surface ◽  
Late Pliocene ◽  
Mapping Analysis ◽  
Distal Articular Surface ◽  
Well Differentiated ◽  
Scientific Attention ◽  
Caviomorph Rodents ◽  
Character Mapping

AbstractExtinct Hydrochoerinae traditionally included within ‘Cardiomyinae’ (Cavioidea, Caviidae) are caviomorph rodents well represented in the late Miocene to late Pliocene of Argentina, but their paleobiology has received little scientific attention. The postcranium of these rodents is poorly known and has not been considered in morphofunctional or systematic studies. Here, we provide the first description of the postcranium of the basal hydrochoerineCardiomysAmeghino, 1885, based on a well-preserved specimen from the late Miocene of Central Argentina, and evaluate its paleobiological and systematic implications. A morphofunctional study and a character mapping analysis were performed. We concluded that most of its postcranial features are neither adaptations to a specialized cursoriality, as in some extant cavioids, nor major modifications associated with swimming, as in extant capybaras.Cardiomysexhibits several features (high humeral distal articular surface, perforated olecranon fossa, proximal portion of radius cranially located with respect to the ulna, subrectangular-shaped radial head with flattened ulnar facet, calcaneocuboid joint distally located with respect to the astragalonavicular joint) that allow us to interpret it as an ambulatory caviid. Among cavioids, some features ofCardiomysare more similar to those ofHydrochoerusBrisson, 1762 (lateral coronoid process reduced, humeral capitular tail well differentiated, capitular tail facet of the radial head well developed and relatively short craniodistally, plantar process of the navicular massive and short). Other postcranial features (relatively longer and more gracile third metatarsal and phalanges, straight caudal border of the ulna) suggest thatCardiomyswould have been a generalized hydrochoerine, as also indicated by its dental and cranial characters.

Phylogenetic patterns and ontogenetic origins of limb length variation in ecologically diverse lacertine lizards

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Gerardo A Cordero ◽  
Anastasiia Maliuk ◽  
Xenia Schlindwein ◽  
Ingmar Werneburg ◽  
Oleksandr Yaryhin
Keyword(s):  
Habitat Preference ◽  
Habitat Associations ◽  
Limb Length ◽  
Habitat Specialization ◽  
Length Variation ◽  
Heterogeneous Environments ◽  
Historical Contingency ◽  
Adaptive Diversification ◽  
Interspecific Differences ◽  
Extant Species

Abstract Limb length is intrinsically linked to function and, ultimately, fitness. Thus, it can co-evolve with habitat structure, as exemplified by tropical lizards in highly heterogeneous environments. But does lizard limb length respond in a similar manner during adaptive diversification in temperate zones? Here, we examine variation in habitat preference and limb length in lacertine lizards from the Palaearctic. We tested the following three hypotheses: (1) species of the Lacertini tribe descended from a generalist ancestor and subsequently underwent habitat specialization; (2) specialized ecological roles are associated with relative limb length in extant species; and (3) interspecific differences in limb length emerge in embryonic development. Our comparisons supported an ancestral ‘rocky’ or ‘generalist’ habitat preference, and phenotype–habitat associations were particularly supported when examining size-adjusted forelimb length in 69 species that represented all known Lacertini genera. Moreover, we revealed an elevated interlimb ratio in high-vegetation species, which might be linked to climbing performance in species with relatively longer forelimbs. Furthermore, embryonic limb variation was detected solely against an Eremiadini outgroup species. Instead, hind limb length differences within Lacertini originated in post-hatching ontogeny. The mechanisms that modulate limb growth are likely to be limited in Lacertini, because adaptive morphological change might mirror historical contingency and the ecological context wherein this clade diversified.

scholarly journals Complete mitogenome of Kashmir musk deer (Moschus cupreus) and its comparative phylogenetic relationships

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Bhim Singh ◽  
Kumudani Bala Gautam ◽  
Subhashree Sahoo ◽  
Ajit Kumar ◽  
Sandeep Kumar Gupta
Keyword(s):  
Ribosomal Rna ◽  
Musk Deer ◽  
Protein Coding ◽  
Gc Skew ◽  
Extant Species ◽  
Complete Mitogenome ◽  
Phylogeny And Evolution ◽  
Coding Control ◽  
Rna Genes ◽  
Insight Into

AbstractThe endangered Kashmir musk deer (Moschus cupreus) is native to the high altitudinal region of the Himalayas. In this study, we sequenced, annotated and characterized the complete mitogenome of M. cupreus to gain insight into the molecular phylogeny and evolution of musk deer. The mitogenome of M. cupreus, which is 16,354 bp long comprised 13 protein-coding genes (PCGs), 22 transfer RNA genes (tRNAs), two ribosomal RNA genes (rRNAs) and non-coding control region. The M. cupreus mitogenome composition was highly A+T biased 68.42%, and exhibited a positive AT skew (0.082) and negative GC skew (0.307). The phylogenetic analysis suggested that KMD is the most primitive extant species in the genus Moschus whereas Alpine musk deer (M. chrysogaster) and Himalayan musk deer (M. leucogaster) are closely related. This result confirmed the placement of M. cupreus within the monotypic family Moschidae of musk deer. This study provides a better understanding of lineage identification and musk deer evolution for further research.

Origin, diversity, and conservation of karst-associated Bent-toed Geckos (Genus Cyrtodactylus) in Myanmar (Burma)

2020 ◽  
Vol 66 (3-4) ◽  
pp. 202-208
Author(s):  
L. Lee Grismer ◽  
Wood Perry L. ◽  
Evan S.H. Quah ◽  
Myint Kyaw Thura
Keyword(s):  
Agricultural Development ◽  
Resource Extraction ◽  
Financial Returns ◽  
Site Specific ◽  
Mapping Analysis ◽  
Cement Manufacturing ◽  
Character Mapping ◽  
Karst Habitats

Fifty-eight percent of the 43 known species of the Bent-toed Geckos (Cyrtodactylus) from Myanmar are found only in karstic habitats in the Shan Plateau and Salween and Ayeyarwady basins. A stochastic character mapping analysis indicated that the occupation of karstic habitats evolved at least four times independently in Burmese lineages with both Sundaic and Indian origins. Karstic habitats not only serve as foci for speciation but are refugia for species extirpated from the surrounding forested habitats due to agricultural development. Despite the high levels of biodiversity and site-specific endemism in karstic habitats in Myanmar, they are some of the least protected ecosystems. The immense financial returns from unsustainable resource extraction (cement manufacturing) makes the challenge of legal karst conservation extremely difficult. Sadly, their continued exploitation for limestone shows no signs of abating. Until karst habitats in Myanmar are thoroughly investigated, a significant portion of this country’s herpetological diversity will remain underestimated and unprotected.

scholarly journals Description and ontogeny of a 40-million-year-old parasitic isopodan crustacean: Parvucymoides dvorakorum gen. et sp. nov.

PeerJ ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 9 ◽  
pp. e12317
Author(s):  
Serita Van der Wal ◽  
Mario Schädel ◽  
Boris Ekrt ◽  
Joachim T. Haug
Keyword(s):  
Developmental Stages ◽  
Morphological Characteristics ◽  
Single Species ◽  
Late Eocene ◽  
Fossil Specimen ◽  
Ontogenetic Stages ◽  
Extant Species ◽  
Polarised Light ◽  
Body Shapes ◽  
Insight Into

A collection of exceptionally well-preserved fossil specimens of crustaceans, clearly representatives of Isopoda, is presented here. Excavated from the late Eocene (approximately 40 million years ago) freshwater sediments of the Trupelník hill field site near Kučlín, Czech Republic, these specimens are preserved with many details of the appendages. The morphological characteristics of the fossils were documented using macro-photography with polarised light, as well as stereo imaging. These characteristics, especially including the trunk appendage morphology, were compared to those of related extant groups from different ontogenetic stages. All specimens are conspecific, representing a single species Parvucymoides dvorakorum gen. et sp. nov. Morphometric analysis of body shapes and sizes of the reconstructed fossils and related extant species were performed. These analyses provided insight into the ontogenetic stages of each reconstructed fossil specimen. In combination with the morphological assessment, the results indicate that the fossils represent at least two (possibly three) developmental stages, including immatures. The morphology of the appendages suggests that these fossils were parasites. The fossils are interpreted as either representatives of Cymothoidae or at least closely related to this group.

A revision of the family Syringogastridae (Diptera: Diopsoidea)

Zootaxa ◽  
2009 ◽  
Vol 1996 (1) ◽  
pp. 1-80 ◽  
Author(s):  
S. A. MARSHALL ◽  
M. BUCK ◽  
J. H. SKEVINGTON ◽  
D. GRIMALDI
Keyword(s):  
New Species ◽  
New World ◽  
Sister Group ◽  
South American ◽  
Fossil Species ◽  
Extant Species ◽  
The Family ◽  
Single Genus ◽  
Species Groups ◽  
Molecular Characters

The New World family Syringogastridae (Diptera, Acalyptratae) with the single genus Syringogaster is revised. Eleven new extant species are described in four newly recognized species groups to give a total of 20 extant species (S. brachypecta, S. apiculata and S. tenuipes in the rufa-group; S. atricalyx, S. figurata, S. plesioterga, and S. dactylopleura in the figurata-group; and S. nigrithorax, S. brunneina, S. sharkeyi and S. palenque in the brunnea-group; Marshall & Buck are the authors of all extant new species). The craigi-group includes two new fossil species, S. miocenecus Grimaldi and S. craigi Grimaldi, each described on the basis of a unique Miocene (ca. 17 myo) amber specimen from the Dominican Republic. Morphological and molecular characters are used to estimate phylogenetic relationships among species of Syringogastridae, and between Syringogastridae and related diopsids. The fossil species appear to form the sister group to the Central and South American figurata group, and reveal Antillean extinction of the family from earlier in the Tertiary.

Some aspects of the oogenesis of three species of clathrinid sponges (Calcarea, Porifera)

2015 ◽  
Vol 96 (2) ◽  
pp. 529-539 ◽  
Author(s):  
Emilio Lanna ◽  
Michelle Klautau
Keyword(s):  
Electron Microscopy ◽  
Light And Electron Microscopy ◽  
Population Level ◽  
Ancestral State ◽  
Stage Of Development ◽  
Mapping Analysis ◽  
The Individual ◽  
Phylogenetic Character ◽  
Character Mapping ◽  
Janeiro State

Although oogenesis is the best-known stage of development in sponges of the subclass Calcinea (Porifera, Calcarea), several aspects of this process await further investigation. In the present study, we examined by light and electron microscopy the oogenesis of three species of the order Clathrinida (Clathrina aurea, Borojevia aspina and B. brasiliensis) from the coast of Rio de Janeiro state (Brazil). Oogenesis in these species was a rare and not synchronized event, neither in the individual nor in the population level. Oocytes grew between the choanoderm and the pinacoderm. They did not form any special structure for nourishing the egg and phagocytosis of somatic cells was not observed. The vitellogenesis of B. aspina and B. brasiliensis was performed in a mixed pathway, while in C. aurea it was not possible to observe the vitellogenesis. In the Borojevias, the surrounding choanocytes provided small clear vesicles at the same time that oocytes modified phagosomes to produce fibrous yolk inclusions. The phylogenetic character mapping analysis indicated that egg development in the mesohyl is the ancestral state for Calcinea, while the ancestral condition of the vitellogenesis is still uncertain.

scholarly journals A revision of the genera and species of the Neotropical family Mesembrinellidae (Diptera: Oestroidea)

Zootaxa ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 4659 (1) ◽  
pp. 1-146 ◽  
Author(s):  
TERRY L. WHITWORTH ◽  
SOHATH YUSSEFF-VANEGAS
Keyword(s):  
Costa Rica ◽  
French Guiana ◽  
Dna Barcode ◽  
South American ◽  
Neighbor Joining ◽  
Type Specimens ◽  
Extant Species ◽  
The Family ◽  
Species Groups ◽  
First Time

The Neotropical family Mesembrinellidae is revised. A total of 53 valid, extant species are included in the family, including 15 described as new and 38 redescribed based on study of type and non-type material and of the literature. A total of 18 primary types were examined. An additional ca. 2300 specimens, belonging to 47 species, were studied in detail, including dissection and photographic documentation of terminalia, with many females illustrated for the first time. Keys to subfamilies, genera, species-groups and species are provided. Type specimens of six species housed in South American institutions could not be obtained for study, i.e., M. bequaerti Séguy, 1925 and the five recently described species M. andina (Wolff et al., 2014), M. carvalhoi (Wolff et al., 2013b), M. cordillera (Wolff & Ramos-Pastrana in Wolff et al., 2017), M. obscura (Wolff in Wolff et al., 2017) and Laneella patriciae (Wolff, 2013). We accept the synonymy, proposed by previous authors, of Eumesembrinella Townsend, 1931 with Mesembrinella Giglio-Tos, 1893. In addition, we synonymize the genera Albuquerquea Mello, 1967, Giovanella Bonatto in Bonatto & Marinoni, 2005, Henriquella Bonatto in Bonatto & Marinoni, 2005, Huascaromusca Townsend, 1918 and Thompsoniella Guimarães, 1977 with Mesembrinella Giglio-Tos, 1893, synn. nov., retaining three valid genera in the family: Laneella Mello, 1967, Mesembrinella and Souzalopesiella Guimarães, 1977. Laneella nigripes Guimarães, 1977 and Mesembrinella bellardiana Aldrich, 1922 are fixed as the type species of the genera Laneella Mello, 1967 and Mesembrinella Giglio-Tos, 1893, respectively, under Article 70.3 of the ICZN Code. We separate Mesembrinella into the following species-groups: M. latifrons (Mello, 1967), M. spicata Aldrich, 1925, M. bolivar (Bonatto in Bonatto & Marinoni, 2005), M. aeneiventris (Wiedemann, 1830), M. bicolor (Fabricius, 1805), and M. anomala (Guimarães, 1977). The following 15 new species are described: Laneella fusconitida Whitworth, sp. nov. from Costa Rica, Ecuador and Venezuela, Laneella fuscosquamata Whitworth, sp. nov. from Guatemala and Mexico, Laneella purpurea Whitworth, sp. nov. from Costa Rica, Mesembrinella bullata Whitworth, sp. nov. from Bolivia, Mesembrinella chantryi Whitworth, sp. nov. from French Guiana and Brazil, Mesembrinella epandrioaurantia Whitworth, sp. nov. from Venezuela, Mesembrinella guaramacalensis Whitworth, sp. nov. from Venezuela, Mesembrinella longicercus Whitworth, sp. nov. from Bolivia, Mesembrinella mexicana Whitworth, sp. nov. from Mexico, Mesembrinella nigrocoerulea Whitworth, sp. nov. from Costa Rica, Ecuador and Venezuela, Mesembrinella serrata Whitworth, sp. nov. from Peru, Mesembrinella velasquezae Whitworth, sp. nov. from Venezuela, Mesembrinella violacea Whitworth, sp. nov. from Costa Rica, Mesembrinella woodorum Whitworth, sp. nov. from Ecuador, and Mesembrinella zurquiensis Whitworth, sp. nov. from Costa Rica. Mesembrinella abaca Hall, 1948 is proposed as a junior synonym of Mesembrinella socors (Walker, 1861), syn. nov. Lectotypes are designated for Dexia randa Walker, 1849 (now Mesembrinella) and Mesembrinella pictipennis Aldrich, 1922. We analyze the most extensive DNA-barcode dataset for Mesembrinellidae to date, encompassing the three genera considered valid and including 188 sequences (178 new) from 35 species, with data for 23 species provided for the first time. The topology of the resulting Neighbor-Joining tree is mostly congruent with morphology; however, some species show considerable genetic variation that is not reflected by morphology. Finally, we include a corrigendum to the recent Zootaxa paper on Nearctic Calliphora Robineau-Desvoidy (Diptera: Calliphoridae) by Tantawi et al.

Phylogeny and evolution of the genus Ctenocolum Kingsolver & Whitehead (Coleoptera, Chrysomelidae, Bruchinae), with the description of three new species

2018 ◽  
Vol 50 (1) ◽  
pp. 1-35
Author(s):  
Daiara Manfio ◽  
Isaac Reis Jorge ◽  
Gael J. Kergoat ◽  
Cibele Stramare Ribeiro-Costa
Keyword(s):  
New Species ◽  
Phylogenetic Relationships ◽  
Morphological Characters ◽  
Type Locality ◽  
Ancestral State ◽  
Dorsal Process ◽  
Species Groups ◽  
Three New Species ◽  
Phylogeny And Evolution ◽  
State Estimations

The seed beetle genus Ctenocolum Kingsolver & Whitehead is peculiar because its preferred host Lonchocharpus Kunth (Fabaceae) is not preyed upon by other bruchine species. This study investigates the phylogenetic relationships and evolution of this genus and of its species groups, while providing the description of three new species and of the male of C. biolleyi Kingsolver & Whitehead. To infer phylogenetic relationships, a character matrix of 40 morphological characters was assembled and analysed using both parsimony and Bayesian inference. Ancestral state estimations of host plant use and biogeography analyses were also performed. A total of 22 species were examined: 16 Ctenocolum species (including the three new ones) and six outgroup bruchine species (from genera Caryedes Hummel, Meibomeus Bridwell, Pygiopachymerus Pic and Pachymerus Thunberg). All resulting trees support the monophyly of the genus Ctenocolum. Three synapomorphies characterize the genus: (i) head with frontal carina enlarged at base, (ii) male pygidium truncated apically, and (iii) lateral lobes of tegmen with dorsal process. The two known species groups are also recovered monophyletic in the parsimony analyses. The following three species are described: Ctenocolum inmaculatus Manfio & Ribeiro-Costa sp. nov. (Type locality: Venezuela, Guarico), which belongs to the group tuberculatum; Ctenocolum nigronotus Manfio & Ribeiro-Costa sp. nov. (Type locality: Porto Rico, Mayaguez) and C. pallidus Manfio & Ribeiro-Costa sp. nov. (Type locality: Republic of Guyana), which belong to the group podagricus. Finally, we present colored illustrations of dorsal patterns and male genitalia for these three new species and C. biolleyi in addition to an updated key for the genus Ctenocolum.

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