Challenges for understanding lacewings: how to deal with the incomplete data from extant and fossil larvae of Nevrorthidae? (Neuroptera)

2020 ◽  
Vol 52 (2) ◽  
pp. 137-168
Author(s):  
Joachin T. Haug ◽  
Viktor Baranov ◽  
Mario Schädel ◽  
Patrick Müller ◽  
Carsten Gröhn ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Incomplete Data ◽  
Sister Group ◽  
Running Waters ◽  
Larval Stages ◽  
Confined Spaces ◽  
Extant Species ◽  
Trunk Segments

Within Neuroptera, the group of lacewings, the ingroup Nevrorthidae is special in several aspects: 1) the group may represent the sister group to all other neuropterans; 2) the group is quite species-poor with only 19 extant species known so far; 3) its representatives show a disjunct relict distribution; 4) it has very unusual appearing larvae. These larvae are very elongate, almost worm-shaped. Our overall knowledge of these larval forms is still very limited. We here review all known occurrences of extant larvae, amended by fossil larvae, all preserved in amber. So far there have been only 17 extant larval specimens of Nevrorthidae depicted in the literature. We also present new fossil larvae, with this reaching a total number of 16 known fossil larvae of Nevrorthidae. When plotting measured lengths, larvae cluster into more than three clusters. Also reconstructed size gains between these clusters indicate that Nevrorthidae might in fact develop through more than three larval stages, unlike other lacewings. A special subdivision of the trunk segments observed in many larvae indicates a specialisation for moving in confined spaces. Comparison of syn-inclusions and literature data make it likely that not all larvae lived in running waters, as previously assumed. Overall our knowledge remains rather limited, yet the data allow to draw some new conclusions about the life and evolution of these larval forms.

Review of Eohiodon (Teleostei: Osteoglossomorpha) from western North America, with a phylogenetic reassessment of Hiodontidae

1997 ◽  
Vol 71 (6) ◽  
pp. 1109-1124 ◽  
Author(s):  
Li Guo-Qing ◽  
Mark V. H. Wilson ◽  
Lance Grande
Keyword(s):  
North America ◽  
Sister Group ◽  
Sensu Stricto ◽  
Valid Species ◽  
Western North America ◽  
Extant Species ◽  
The Family ◽  
Fossil Records ◽  
Fossil Genus ◽  
Freshwater Teleosts

Review of recently collected material of Eohiodon from North America suggests that there are two valid species, E. rosei (Hussakof) and E. woodroffi Wilson. Eohiodon falcatus Grande is identical to E. woodruffi in known skeletal features and nearly all meristic features and is treated as a junior synonym of the latter. The fossil genus Eohiodon Cavender differs from Hiodon Lesueur, which is known from both fossil and extant species, in numerous meristic and osteological features. The caudal skeleton in Eohiodon is nearly identical to that in Hiodon.The traditionally accepted Notopteroidei, containing Lycopteridae, Hiodontidae, and Notopteridae, is a polypheletic group. The Asian fossil family Lycopteridae is not more closely related to Hiodontidae than it is to other taxa in the Osteoglossomorpha, but is sister to all other Osteoglossomorpha. The Hiodontiformes sensu stricto, including only the family Hiodontidae, is the sister-group of the Osteoglossiformes. This family is not more closely related to notopterids than to other taxa in Osteoglossiformes. The Notopteridae are most closely related to the Mormyroidea; together they and the fossil family Ostariostomidae constitute the sister-group of the Osteoglossoidei.Fossil records of Hiodontiformes sensu stricto and Notopteroidei indicate a widespread pre-Neogene biogeographic range of these freshwater teleosts, suggesting that extinction must have been involved in the Cenozoic evolution of these two osteoglossomorph sublineages.

scholarly journals Fungi of entomopathogenic potential in Chytridiomycota and Blastocladiomycota, and in fungal allies of the Oomycota and Microsporidia

IMA Fungus ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 12 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Agata Kaczmarek ◽  
Mieczysława I. Boguś
Keyword(s):  
Biological Control Agent ◽  
Sister Group ◽  
Control Agent ◽  
Scale Insects ◽  
Black Flies ◽  
Larval Stages ◽  
Phylogenetic Studies ◽  
Lady Beetles ◽  
Molecular Phylogenetic ◽  
The Relationship

AbstractThe relationship between entomopathogenic fungi and their insect hosts is a classic example of the co-evolutionary arms race between pathogen and target host. The present review describes the entomopathogenic potential of Chytridiomycota and Blastocladiomycota fungi, and two groups of fungal allies: Oomycota and Microsporidia. The Oomycota (water moulds) are considered as a model biological control agent of mosquito larvae. Due to their shared ecological and morphological similarities, they had long been considered a part of the fungal kingdom; however, phylogenetic studies have since placed this group within the Straminipila. The Microsporidia are parasites of economically-important insects, including grasshoppers, lady beetles, bumblebees, colorado potato beetles and honeybees. They have been found to display some fungal characteristics, and phylogenetic studies suggest that they are related to fungi, either as a basal branch or sister group. The Blastocladiomycota and Chytridiomycota, named the lower fungi, historically were described together; however, molecular phylogenetic and ultrastructural research has classified them in their own phylum. They are considered parasites of ants, and of the larval stages of black flies, mosquitoes and scale insects.

A new species of Protopsychoda Azar et al., 1999 from the Lower Cretaceous Lebanese amber (Diptera: Psychodidae)

2020 ◽  
Vol 3 (4) ◽  
pp. 352-356
Author(s):  
DANY AZAR ◽  
SIBELLE MAKSOUD
Keyword(s):  
New Species ◽  
Phylogenetic Relationships ◽  
Lower Cretaceous ◽  
Large Family ◽  
Sister Group ◽  
Sister Group Relationship ◽  
Separate Family ◽  
Extant Species ◽  
A New Species

Psychodidae Newman, 1834 is a large family of small, hairy nematoceran dipterans, comprising more than 2,600 described extant species. It is currently subdivided into seven subfamilies: Bruchomyiinae Alexander, 1920, Horaiellinae Enderlein, 1936, Phlebotominae Rondani, 1840, Psychodinae Newman, 1834, Sycoracinae Jung, 1954, Trichomyiinae Tonnoir, 1922, and the fossil subfamily Protopsychodinae Stebner et al., 2015. Some authors consider the group to consist of two families, i.e., Psychodidae and Phlebotomidae (Williams, 1993; Azar et al., 1999). This fact is founded only on the hematophagous and medically important aspects of the phlebotomines, nevertheless this arrangement is unfounded, because the phylogenetic relationships between the psychodid subfamilies remain unresolved, even if there is a possible sister-group relationship between the Phlebotominae and Psychodinae (Curler & Moulton, 2012). We consider recognizing phlebotomines as a separate family would necessitate also giving separate familial status to all the currently recognized subfamilies, which is not adopted here.

Ontogeny of the proetoid trilobite Stenoblepharum, and relationships of a new species from the Upper Ordovician of Argentina

1997 ◽  
Vol 71 (3) ◽  
pp. 419-433 ◽  
Author(s):  
Gregory D. Edgecombe ◽  
Brian D. E. Chatterton ◽  
Norberto E. Vaccari ◽  
Beatriz G. Waisfeld
Keyword(s):  
New Species ◽  
Life Cycle ◽  
Cladistic Analysis ◽  
Sister Group ◽  
San Juan ◽  
Upper Ordovician ◽  
Growth Series ◽  
Larval Stages ◽  
A New Species

Silicified material from the Early Caradoc part of the Las Aguaditas Formation in San Juan Province, Argentina, includes a nearly complete growth series for a new species of the tropidocoryphid Stenoblepharum Owens, 1973. Cladistic analysis of Stenoblepharum species indicates that S. astinii new species is most closely allied to the Early Caradoc S. strasburgense (Cooper, 1953) from Virginia. Chinese species of Stenoblepharum are sister group to a Baltic/Laurentian clade. A single adult-like protaspid stage occurs in the life cycle of S. astinii, closely resembling the protaspis of Decoroproetus. It is preceded by a non-adult-like first protaspid instar that appears to be characteristic of Proetoidea in general but contrasts markedly with the early larval stages of other taxa in Proetida.

SYNOPSIS OF THE NEOTROPICAL GENUS OZAENA OLIVIER: CLASSIFICATION AND RECONSTRUCTED EVOLUTIONARY HISTORY (COLEOPTERA: CARABIDAE: OZAENINI)

1990 ◽  
Vol 122 (5) ◽  
pp. 779-815 ◽  
Author(s):  
George E. Ball ◽  
Danny Shpeley
Keyword(s):  
South America ◽  
Sister Group ◽  
Structural Features ◽  
Character Evolution ◽  
Type Locality ◽  
Sister Taxon ◽  
Fore Tibia ◽  
Sensilla Basiconica ◽  
Extant Species ◽  
And Shifts

AbstractDescriptions and illustrations of structural features of adults, a key, and chorological data provide the basis for characterizing the genus Ozaena Olivier and classifying the 10 included species, two of which are new: O. maxi (type locality: Iracubo, CAYENNE), and O. manu (type locality: Manu National Park, Madre de Dios Province, PERU). With a geographical range that extends from ca. 30°S to 30°N in the New World, all species of Ozaena occur in cis-Andean South America, only two ranging farther north: O. dentipes Olivier, to Panama; and O. lemoulti Bänninger to southern Arizona, USA. A reconstructed phylogeny postulates the following: the genus Platycerozaena Bänninger as the sister-group of Ozaena, together these genera comprising the Ozaena genus-group; within Ozaena, the O. dentipes group as sister-taxon of the O. lemoulti + convexa groups; within the O. dentipes group, O. maxi as sister-taxon of O. linearis Bänninger + dentipes; within the O. lemoulti group, the sequence O. ecuadorica Bänn. (O. elavata Bänn. [O. lemoulti + martinezi Ogueta]); and within the O. convexa group, O. grossa Bänn. as sister-taxon of O. convexa Bänn. + manu. Character evolution involves losses, gains, and shifts, in about equal numbers. Convergence is relatively rare, involving only three of 35 characters. The predominant mode of character evolution is simple, with few examples of sequential changes sustained through several speciation events. Basic modifications in evolution of the ground-plan of the Ozaena genus-group include reduction or loss (for example, tactile sense organs, antennal cleaner of the fore tibia, and adhesive vestiture of the male fore tarsi), and enhancement or gain (for example, scale-like sensilla basiconica on pronotum and elytra, concentration of sensilla basiconica in groups on the antennomeres, particularly antennomere 11). Within Ozaena, many modifications to the antennae and mouthparts indicate the importance of these organs to evolution of the group.Based on phylogenetic relationships and the distribution pattern of the extant species, a reconstructed geographical history of Ozaena postulates the following: first, a vicariance event in South America separating the ancestral stock of Ozaena into a northern vicar that gave rise to the O. dentipes group, and a southern vicar that gave rise to the O. lemoulti and convexa groups; followed by cycles of range expansion and contraction that allowed for differentiation of successive stocks of species. The temporal range for these speciation events is estimated to extend over a period of about 12 million years, or from the latter part of the Miocene epoch to the Recent. The most recent speciation events are estimated to be of Pliocene age.Based on lack of differentiation of South American and Middle American representatives of O. dentipes and O. lemoulti respectively, and extent of range in Middle America, these two species are postulated to be relatively recent invaders of the latter area, with O. dentipes being the more recent to arrive.

scholarly journals Body-shape diversity in Triassic–Early Cretaceous neopterygian fishes: sustained holostean disparity and predominantly gradual increases in teleost phenotypic variety

2018 ◽  
Author(s):  
John Clarke ◽  
Matt Friedman
Keyword(s):  
Early Cretaceous ◽  
Body Shape ◽  
Sister Group ◽  
Late Triassic ◽  
Dominant Group ◽  
Geometric Morphometric ◽  
Extant Species ◽  
Aquatic Vertebrates ◽  
Almost All

Comprising Holostei and Teleostei, the ~32,000 species of neopterygian fishes are anatomically disparate and represent the dominant group of aquatic vertebrates today. However, the pattern by which teleosts rose to represent almost all of this diversity, while their holostean sister-group dwindled to eight extant species and two broad morphologies, is poorly constrained. A geometric morphometric approach was taken to generate a morphospace from more than 400 fossil taxa, representing almost all articulated neopterygian taxa known from the first 150 million years—roughly 60%—of their history (Triassic‒Early Cretaceous). Patterns of morphospace occupancy and disparity are examined to: (1) assess evidence for a phenotypically “dominant” holostean phase; (2) evaluate whether expansions in teleost phenotypic variety are predominantly abrupt or gradual, including assessment of whether early apomorphy-defined teleosts are as morphologically conservative as typically assumed; and (3) compare diversification in crown and stem teleosts. The systematic affinities of dapediiforms and pycnodontiforms, two extinct neopterygian clades of uncertain phylogenetic placement, significantly impact patterns of morphological diversification. For instance, alternative placements dictate whether or not holosteans possessed statistically higher disparity than teleosts in the Late Triassic and Jurassic. Despite this ambiguity, all scenarios agree that holosteans do not exhibit a decline in disparity during the Early Triassic‒Early Cretaceous interval, but instead maintain their Toarcian‒Callovian variety until the end of the Early Cretaceous without substantial further expansions. After a conservative Induan‒Carnian phase, teleosts colonize (and persistently occupy) novel regions of morphospace in a predominantly gradual manner until the Hauterivian, after which expansions are rare. Furthermore, apomorphy-defined teleosts possess greater phenotypic variety than typically assumed. Comparison of crown and stem teleost partial disparity indicates that, despite a statistically significant increase in crown teleost disparity between the Late Jurassic and earliest Cretaceous, stem teleosts remained important long-term contributors to overall teleost disparity during this time.

scholarly journals Ossicle development of the crinoid Florometra serratissima through larval stages

2017 ◽  
Vol 95 (3) ◽  
pp. 183-192 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ariane Comeau ◽  
Cory D. Bishop ◽  
Christopher B. Cameron
Keyword(s):  
Electron Microscopy ◽  
Scanning Electron Microscopy ◽  
Soft Tissues ◽  
Sister Group ◽  
Coralline Algae ◽  
Rapid Radiation ◽  
Larval Stages ◽  
Evolution And Development ◽  
Feather Star ◽  
Scanning Electron

Crinoids are the oldest living class of echinoderm and sister group to the remaining eleutherozoan clade and so are key to discussions on the evolution and development of the echinoderm skeleton. Here we present the intraspecific variation of ossicle development of the feather star Florometra serratissima (A.H. Clark, 1907) during its three larval stages: doliolaria, cystidean, and early pentacrinoid. To induce settlement, larvae were cultured on a sea table in glass bowls containing coralline algae. The soft tissues of 60 larvae were dissolved to isolate and to observe the ossicles with compound microscopy and scanning electron microscopy. From the late doliolaria stage to 56-day-old pentacrinoids, a total of four types of ossicle developed: oral plates, basal plates, columnar stalk ossicles, and an attachment disk. Occasionally, an additional plate was found under the basal plates, which may represent a vestigial infrabasal plate. The shape of the attachment disk was plastic to accommodate the substrate. Crinoid ossicle development is variable in size, shape, and number, and the timing of development is asynchronous; traits that may have contributed to the early rapid radiation and phenotypic disparity of echinoderms.

scholarly journals Distribution of Endogenous Retroviruses in Crocodilians

2009 ◽  
Vol 83 (19) ◽  
pp. 10305-10308 ◽  
Author(s):  
Weerachai Jaratlerdsiri ◽  
Clara J. Rodríguez-Zárate ◽  
Sally R. Isberg ◽  
Chandramaya Siska Damayanti ◽  
Lee G. Miles ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Phylogenetic Relationships ◽  
Sister Group ◽  
Endogenous Retroviruses ◽  
Future Studies ◽  
Extant Species

ABSTRACT Knowledge of endogenous retroviruses (ERVs) in crocodilians (Crocodylia) is limited, and their distribution among extant species is unclear. Here we analyzed the phylogenetic relationships of these retroelements in 20 species of crocodilians by studying the pro-pol gene. The results showed that crocodilian ERVs (CERVs) cluster into two major clades (CERV 1 and CERV 2). CERV 1 clustered as a sister group of the genus Gammaretrovirus, while CERV 2 clustered distantly with respect to all known ERVs. Interestingly, CERV 1 was found only in crocodiles (Crocodylidae). The data generated here could assist future studies aimed at identifying orthologous and paralogous ERVs among crocodilians.

scholarly journals Mass occurrence of small isopodan crustaceans in 100-million-year-old amber: an extraordinary view on behaviour of extinct organisms

PalZ ◽  
2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mario Schädel ◽  
Marie K. Hörnig ◽  
Matúš Hyžný ◽  
Joachim T. Haug
Keyword(s):  
New Genus ◽  
Complex Life Cycle ◽  
Suitable Host ◽  
Larval Stages ◽  
Mass Occurrence ◽  
Extant Species ◽  
Single Piece ◽  
Parasitic Lifestyle ◽  
Local Densities ◽  
A New Species

AbstractWithin Isopoda (woodlice and relatives), there are lineages characterised by a parasitic lifestyle that all belong to Cymothoida and likely form a monophyletic group. Representatives of Epicaridea (ingroup of Cymothoida) are parasitic on crustaceans and usually go through three distinct larval stages. The fossil record of Epicaridea is sparse and thus little is known about the palaeoecology and the origin of the complex life cycle of modern epicarideans. We present an assemblage of over 100 epicarideans preserved in a single piece of Late Cretaceous Myanmar amber. All individuals are morphologically similar to cryptoniscium stage larvae. The cryptoniscium stage usually constitutes the third and last larval stage. In modern representatives of Epicaridea, the cryptoniscium larvae are planktic and search for suitable host animals or adult females. These fossil specimens, though similar to some extant species, differ from other fossil epicaridean larvae in many aspects. Thus, a new species (and a new genus), Cryptolacruma nidis, is erected. Several factors can favour the preservation of multiple conspecific animals in a single piece of amber. However, the enormous density of epicarideans in the herein presented amber piece can only be explained by circumstances that result in high local densities of individuals, close to the resin-producing tree.

scholarly journals Resolving the phylogenetic position of Darwin's extinct ground sloth ( Mylodon darwinii ) using mitogenomic and nuclear exon data

2018 ◽  
Vol 285 (1878) ◽  
pp. 20180214 ◽  
Author(s):  
Frédéric Delsuc ◽  
Melanie Kuch ◽  
Gillian C. Gibb ◽  
Jonathan Hughes ◽  
Paul Szpak ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Charles Darwin ◽  
Sequence Data ◽  
Nuclear Data ◽  
Sister Group ◽  
Metagenomic Data ◽  
Phylogenetic Position ◽  
Target Sequence ◽  
Extant Species ◽  
Ground Sloth ◽  
Extinct Taxon

Mylodon darwinii is the extinct giant ground sloth named after Charles Darwin, who first collected its remains in South America. We have successfully obtained a high-quality mitochondrial genome at 99-fold coverage using an Illumina shotgun sequencing of a 12 880-year-old bone fragment from Mylodon Cave in Chile. Low level of DNA damage showed that this sample was exceptionally well preserved for an ancient subfossil, probably the result of the dry and cold conditions prevailing within the cave. Accordingly, taxonomic assessment of our shotgun metagenomic data showed a very high percentage of endogenous DNA with 22% of the assembled metagenomic contigs assigned to Xenarthra. Additionally, we enriched over 15 kb of sequence data from seven nuclear exons, using target sequence capture designed against a wide xenarthran dataset. Phylogenetic and dating analyses of the mitogenomic dataset including all extant species of xenarthrans and the assembled nuclear supermatrix unambiguously place Mylodon darwinii as the sister-group of modern two-fingered sloths, from which it diverged around 22 million years ago. These congruent results from both the mitochondrial and nuclear data support the diphyly of the two modern sloth lineages, implying the convergent evolution of their unique suspensory behaviour as an adaption to arboreality. Our results offer promising perspectives for whole-genome sequencing of this emblematic extinct taxon.

Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document