scholarly journals Designation of the neotype of Triatoma dimidiata (Latreille, 1811) (Hemiptera, Reduviidae, Triatominae), with full integrated redescription including mitogenome and nuclear ITS-2 sequences

ZooKeys ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 1076 ◽  
pp. 9-24
Author(s):  
Silvia Andrade Justi ◽  
Carolina Dale

The taxonomic status of Triatoma dimidiata (Latreille, 1811) is, by far, the most discussed within Triatominae. Molecular studies have recovered at least three independently evolving lineages in T. dimidiata across its range. The original description of T. dimidiata (as Reduvius dimidiatus) included few taxonomic characters, and no types were assigned. To define and describe the cryptic diversity within T. dimidiata sensu lato (s.l.), a neotype must be designated. For this purpose, all 199 specimens identified as T. dimidiata from the collections of the Smithsonian Institution – National Museum of Natural History and the American Museum of Natural History, ranging from Peru to Mexico, were studied. Only one specimen (from Tumbes, Peru) matched the combination of characters as listed in the original description, and it is herein formally designated as the neotype for T. dimidiata. The neotype is morphologically described and DNA sequences of its whole mitochondrial genome and the nuclear second internal transcribed spacer region (ITS2), commonly used in triatomine molecular systematics studies, are presented and compared to other publicly available sequences of T. dimidiata s.l. in GenBank. Our results suggest that T. dimidiata sensu stricto (s.s.) is somewhat rare and, therefore, unlikely to serve as a major vector of Chagas disease.

Author(s):  
Michael W. Hart ◽  
Maria Byrne ◽  
Sheri L. Johnson

Cryptic lineages were identified within a morphologically uniform group of sea stars distributed from Australia to Japan. Among eight populations, all of which have been referred to Patiriella pseudoexigua, we found seven unique mitochondrial DNA sequences clustered into four distinct lineages. These four lineages formed a monophyletic group in which sister clades were separated by small genetic distances but could be differentiated from each other on the basis of reproductive differences. The four lineages thus appear to be separate but very closely related species. Examination of reproduction in several Queensland populations revealed that one population (Statue Bay) consisted of hermaphroditic intragonadal brooders with live-born offspring while other populations (Townsville, Bowen, Airlie Beach) consisted of dioecious free-spawners with a planktonic larva. The brooded larvae from central Queensland populations closely resembled brooded embryos and larvae of a Japanese lineage, while the planktonic larvae from northern Queensland were similar to the original description of planktonic larvae from a Taiwan population. However, each of the viviparous lineages was more closely related to a lineage with planktonic larval development than the viviparous lineages were to each other. Patiriella pseudoexigua thus comprises at least four species with different reproductive phenotypes in which viviparous brooding appears to have evolved in parallel. Based on previous taxonomic work we propose the following names for these four lineages: the dioecious free-spawner from northern Queensland (including the P. pseudoexigua type locality) is P. pseudoexiguasensu stricto; the viviparous brooder from central Queensland is undescribed and here referred to as Patiriella sp. nov; the dioecious free-spawner from Taiwan is temporarily referred to as Patiriella sp. (a senior name for this species may be P. pentagonus); and the hermaphrodite brooder from Japan should be raised to specific status and referred to by the new combination P. pacifica.


Zootaxa ◽  
2008 ◽  
Vol 1685 (1) ◽  
pp. 67 ◽  
Author(s):  
IGNACIO DE LA RIVA ◽  
JUAN C. CHAPARRO ◽  
JOSÉ M. PADIAL

Between December 1899 and August 1900, H. H. Keays collected zoological specimens in Departamento Puno, southern Peru. He shipped to the American Museum of Natural History a series of amphibians purportedly obtained near Juliaca, a locality at 3824 m a.s.l., close to the Lake Titicaca. From this series, Noble (1921) described a tiny frog named as Sminthillus peruvianus. Until then, the genus Sminthillus Barbour and Noble contained only the small Cuban species S. limbatus (Cope), and the broad geographic gap between the two species, together with some morphological arguments, led Noble to consider this generic assignment as provisional. Later, Barbour (1930) erected the genus Noblella to accommodate S. limbatus, but he did not define nor diagnose the genus. Subsequently, Lynch (1971) synonymyzed Noblella with Eleutherodactylus Duméril and Bibron and, eventually (Lynch 1975), with Phrynopus Peters.


Zootaxa ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 4768 (4) ◽  
pp. 479-498
Author(s):  
MIREILLE BELLE MBOU OKASSA ◽  
DOLLON MBAMA NTABI ◽  
ARSENE LENGA

The purpose of this study was to identify the taxonomic status of several individuals belonging to the genus Euseius, collected from three host plants (cassava, okra, and chilli) in the Republic of the Congo, using morphometric and molecular analysis. For this, hierarchical ascending classification on principal component analysis was performed using morphological measurements from 21 and 22 individuals of E. fustis and Euseius sp., respectively, with the original description of Euseius neodossei considered. For molecular analysis, two DNA fragments were amplified and sequenced: the mitochondrial 12S rRNA and the nuclear ribosomal region ITSS. This integrative approach found that (1) morphological differences existed between the Euseius sp. and both E. neodossei and E. fustis, and (2) both mitochondrial DNA fragments showed a clear delineation between Euseius sp. and E. fustis. The results obtained highlight the value of using integrative taxonomy to improve the identification of species in under-sampled areas and the need to increase the number of DNA sequences deposited in GenBank database from this region. This is the first time that DNA sequences of mites from the Congo (Brazzaville) have been deposited in this database. 


Parasite ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 28 ◽  
pp. 69
Author(s):  
Lidiane Franceschini ◽  
Aline Aguiar ◽  
Aline Cristina Zago ◽  
Priscilla de Oliveira Fadel Yamada ◽  
Mariana Bertholdi Ebert ◽  
...  

Diversity of Creptotrema was investigated using morphological and molecular tools, including data for Creptotrema creptotrema (type-species). Three new species, parasites of Brazilian fishes, are described: Creptotrema conconae n. sp. (type-host, Imparfinis mirini Haseman), Creptotrema schubarti n. sp. (type-host, Characidium schubarti Travassos) and Creptotrema megacetabularis n. sp. (type-host, Auchenipterus osteomystax (Miranda Ribeiro)). The diagnosis of the genus was amended to include new features. The new species differ from each other mainly in terms of body shape, relative sucker size, and testes position. DNA sequences were obtained from Creptotrema spp. from Brazil, including 28S, ITS and COI. Genetic divergences among the new species and C. creptotrema varied from 2.1 to 5.2% (21–49 bp) for 28S, and 6.6 to 16.4% (21–45 bp) for COI. Phylogenetic analysis (28S) placed the newly generated DNA sequences of Creptotrema in a clade (Creptotrema clade sensu stricto) composed of C. creptotrema, the new species described herein, and all species previously described as Auriculostoma, revealing that Auriculostoma is best interpreted as a synonym of Creptotrema based on the principle of priority of zoological nomenclature. Creptotrema funduli, the single sequence of the genus previously available, was not grouped within the Creptotrema clade sensu stricto, suggesting the need for reevaluation of the taxonomic status of this species. Our results showed that Creptotrema represents a monophyletic genus of trematodes widely distributed across the Americas, which currently comprises 19 valid species of parasites of teleosts and anurans.


Zootaxa ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 4543 (2) ◽  
pp. 295
Author(s):  
PETER GEISSLER ◽  
ALEXANDER KUPFER

The species Lygosoma (Keneuxia) dubium was described by Franz Werner (1909) based on a single specimen from the Royal Natural History Cabinet (Königliches Naturalienkabinett) in Stuttgart, collection number 3651. According to the original description the specimen was collected by “Direktor Mayer” in Yokohama, Japan in 1897. Much later Nakamura & Ueno (1963) transferred the species to the Genus Dasia Gray, 1839, without further comments. Recently Uetz et al. (2018) questioned the type locality given by Werner (1909) and suggested that the name Lygosoma dubium is likely to be a synonym of Dasia grisea (Gray, 1845) referring to a personal comment of T. Hikida in 2014. However the actual taxonomic status of the species still remains unresolved. 


Zootaxa ◽  
2018 ◽  
Vol 4532 (2) ◽  
pp. 293
Author(s):  
S. PARADELL ◽  
J.N. ZAHNISER

                Linnavuori (1975) established the genus Clorindaia with the newly described species C. hecaloides Lv. designated as the type species of the genus. The genus currently includes five valid species, known from Brazil, Paraguay, and Argentina. C. hecaloides was described based on only one female specimen from Argentina, Formosa Prov., Clorinda. Linnavuori (1975) indicated that the holotype was deposited at the Museo de La Plata. However, extensive searches for the specimen at this institution and also at the American Museum of Natural History, at the Ohio State University Collection, and at US National Museum of Natural History have not recovered the specimen. Blocker & Fang (1992) also reported unsuccessful searches for the holotype and for a parasitized female specimen collected in Chile, reported by Linnavuori & DeLong (1977). Because the holotype appears to have been lost and because the description was based on a female which does not always provide unambiguous diagnosable characters at the species level in this group of leafhoppers, the identity of this species based on the original description unclear. 


2014 ◽  
Vol 41 (1) ◽  
pp. 113-123 ◽  
Author(s):  
Gary M. Fellers

Rollo Howard Beck (1870–1950) was a professional bird collector who spent most of his career on expeditions to the Channel Islands off southern California, the Galápagos Islands, South America, the South Pacific, and the Caribbean. Some of the expeditions lasted as long as ten years during which time he and his wife, Ida, were often working in primitive conditions on sailing vessels or camps set up on shore. Throughout these expeditions, Beck collected specimens for the California Academy of Sciences, the Museum of Vertebrate Zoology at Berkeley (California), the American Museum of Natural History, and the Walter Rothschild Museum at Tring, England. Beck was one of the premier collectors of his time and his contributions were recognized by having 17 taxa named becki in his honor. Of these taxa, Beck collected 15 of the type specimens.


2008 ◽  
Vol 12 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Anthony G Picciano ◽  
Robert V. Steiner

Every child has a right to an education. In the United States, the issue is not necessarily about access to a school but access to a quality education. With strict compulsory education laws, more than 50 million students enrolled in primary and secondary schools, and billions of dollars spent annually on public and private education, American children surely have access to buildings and classrooms. However, because of a complex and competitive system of shared policymaking among national, state, and local governments, not all schools are created equal nor are equal education opportunities available for the poor, minorities, and underprivileged. One manifestation of this inequity is the lack of qualified teachers in many urban and rural schools to teach certain subjects such as science, mathematics, and technology. The purpose of this article is to describe a partnership model between two major institutions (The American Museum of Natural History and The City University of New York) and the program designed to improve the way teachers are trained and children are taught and introduced to the world of science. These two institutions have partnered on various projects over the years to expand educational opportunity especially in the teaching of science. One of the more successful projects is Seminars on Science (SoS), an online teacher education and professional development program, that connects teachers across the United States and around the world to cutting-edge research and provides them with powerful classroom resources. This article provides the institutional perspectives, the challenges and the strategies that fostered this partnership.


Zootaxa ◽  
2007 ◽  
Vol 1546 (1) ◽  
pp. 1-14 ◽  
Author(s):  
GERGELY VÁRKONYI ◽  
ANDREW POLASZEK

The bethylid genus Foenobethylus Kieffer, 1913, unstudied for almost a century, is redescribed and assigned to the subfamily Pristocerinae based on a preliminary phylogenetic assessment. Four new species: F. bidentatus n. sp. (Brunei), F. elongatus n. sp. (Malaysia), F. emiliacasellae n. sp. (Thailand), and F. thomascokeri n. sp. (Malaysia) are described, based on males only, as females remain unrecognised in this genus. All specimens are deposited in the Department of Entomology, the Natural History Museum, London, U.K. The type species F. gracilis Kieffer (Philippines), although unrepresented by any traceable specimen, can be distinguished from these species based on the original description. A key to the five known species of Foenobethylus is provided.


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