Integrative taxonomy of the stalk-eyed bug genus Chauliops (Heteroptera: Malcidae: Chauliopinae) reveals orogeny-driven speciation

Economically significant bean pests of the genus Chauliops are species rich in the areas surrounding the Qinghai–Tibet Plateau and provide an excellent system for speciation studies. Here, an integrative taxonomic approach, employing morphological analyses, population genetic methods, and multiple molecular species delimitation methods, was used to clarify the taxonomy of Chauliops in East and Southeast Asia. Four new species (Chauliops parahorizontalis Li & Bu, sp. nov., Chauliops albida Li & Bu, sp. nov., Chauliops bicoloripes Li & Bu, sp. nov., and Chauliops paraconica Li & Bu, sp. nov.) were described, which increases the number of Chauliops species in this area from six to 10; a key for Chauliops species is also provided. Phylogenetic analysis and divergence time estimation revealed that Chauliops was divided into four clades: Clade A (Chauliops bisontula + [Chauliops horizontalis + C. parahorizontalis sp. nov.]), Clade B (C. albida sp. nov. and C. bicoloripes sp. nov.), Clade C (Chauliops quaternaria and Chauliops zhengi), and Clade D (Chauliops fallax + [Chauliops conica + C. paraconica sp. nov.]). Two species diversification events of Chauliops estimated to have occurred 7–1 million years ago (Ma) and 25–13 Ma were detected. These speciation events were consistent with the two historical uplift events of the Qinghai–Tibet Plateau, suggesting that orogeny might have provided opportunities for the diversification of Chauliops species on the southeastern margin of the Qinghai–Tibet Plateau. Our findings show that population genetic analyses can be used to delimit related species and that orogeny is a key driver of species diversification on the southeastern margin of the Qinghai–Tibet Plateau.     

The systematics of Lobophora (Dictyotales,Phaeophyceae) in the western Atlantic and eastern Pacific oceans: eight new species

Lobophora is a common tropical to temperate genus of brown algae found in a plethora of habitats including shallow and deep‐water coral reefs, rocky shores, mangroves, seagrass beds, and rhodoliths beds. Recent molecular studies have revealed that Lobophora species diversity has been severely underestimated. Current estimates of the species numbers range from 100 to 140 species with a suggested center of diversity in the Central Indo‐Pacific. This study used three molecular markers (cox3, rbcL, psbA), different single‐marker species delimitation methods (GMYC, ABGD, PTP), and morphological evidence to evaluate Lobophora species diversity in the Western Atlantic and the Eastern Pacific oceans. Cox3 provided the greatest number of primary species hypotheses(PSH), followed by rbcL and then psbA. GMYC species delimitation analysis was the most conservative across all three markers, followed by PTP, and then ABGD. The most informative diagnostic morphological characters were thallus thickness and number of cell layers in both the medulla and the dorsal/ventral cortices. Following a consensus approach, 14 distinct Lobophora species were identified in the Western Atlantic and five in the Eastern Pacific. Eight new species from these two oceans were herein described: L. adpressa sp. nov., L. cocoensis sp. nov., L. colombiana sp. nov., L. crispata sp. nov., L. delicata sp. nov., L. dispersa sp. nov., L. panamensis sp. nov., and L. tortugensis sp. nov. This study showed that the best approach to confidently identify Lobophora species is to analyze DNA sequences (preferably cox3 and rbcL) followed by comparative morphological and geographical assessment.     

Morphology and molecules reveal two new species of Porites (Scleractinia,Poritidae) from the Red Sea and the Gulf of Aden

Two new reef coral species, Porites farasani sp. nov. and Porites hadramauti sp. nov. (Scleractinia, Poritidae), are described from the Red Sea and the Gulf of Aden. Porites farasani sp. nov. only occurs in the Farasan Islands in the southern Red Sea, while P. hadramauti sp. nov. has been collected in the Yemen Hadramaut region in the Gulf of Aden. Both species presented striking in situ differences with respect to other Porites species, and were characterized by small encrusting colonies and unusual polyp colouration. In order to test the genetic distinctiveness of P. farasani sp. nov. and P. hadramauti sp. nov. between each other and with respect to other representatives in the genus Porites, we investigated their evolutionary relationships with eight other morphological species of Porites occurring in the Red Sea and in the Gulf of Aden. Two DNA loci, the mitochondrial putative control region and the nuclear ribosomal ITS region, were sequenced, and three species delimitation approaches based on barcoding threshold (Automated Barcoding Gap Discovery) and coalescence theory (Poisson-Tree process, Generalized Mixed Yule Coalescent) were applied. Phylogenetic and species delimitation analyses were overall concordant, resolving P. farasani sp. nov. and P. hadramauti sp. nov. as two divergent but closely related lineages. Of the other morphologically defined Porites species, three were genetically differentiated (P. rus, P. columnaris and P. fontanesii), but five were genetically indistinguishable. The discovery of two regional endemics confirms the importance of the Red Sea and the Gulf of Aden as regions of high biodiversity and suggests the need for an integration of genome-wide molecular data with the re-evaluation of skeletal structures in the systematics of Porites.     

Taking the discovery approach in integrative taxonomy: decrypting a complex of narrow‐endemic Alpine harvestmen (Opiliones: Phalangiidae: Megabunus)

Species delimitation is fundamental for biological studies, yet precise delimitation is not an easy task, and every involved approach has an inherent failure rate. Integrative taxonomy, a method that merges multiple lines of evidence, can profoundly contribute to reliable alpha‐taxonomy and shed light on the processes behind speciation. In this study, we explored and validated species limits in a group of closely related Megabunus harvestmen (Eupnoi, Phalangiidae) endemic to the European Alps. Without a priori species hypotheses, we used multiple sources of inference, including mitochondrial and multilocus nuclear DNA, morphometrics and chemistry. The results of these discovery approaches revealed morphological crypsis and multiple new species within two of the five hitherto known species. Based on our analyses, we discussed the most plausible evolutionary scenarios, invoked the most reasonable species hypotheses and validated the new species limits. Building upon the achieved rigour, three new species, Megabunus cryptobergomas Muster and Wachter sp. nov., Megabunus coelodonta Muster and Steiner sp. nov., and Megabunus lentipes Muster and Komposch sp. nov., are formally described. In addition, we provide a dichotomous morphological key to the Megabunus species of the Alps. Our work demonstrates the suitability of integrative, discovery‐based approaches in combination with validation approaches to precisely characterize species and enabled us to implement nomenclatural consequences for this genus.     

Species delimitation in the Andean grasshopper genus Orotettix Ronderos & Carbonell (Orthoptera: Melanoplinae): an integrative approach combining morphological,molecular and biogeographical data

The reciprocal illumination nature of integrative taxonomy through hypothesis testing, corroboration and revision is a powerful tool for species delimitation as more than one source has to support the hypothesis of a new species. In this study, we applied an integrative taxonomy approach combining molecular and morphological data sets with distributional patterns to examine the level of differentiation between and within the grasshopper Orotettix species. Orotettix was described based on five valid species distributed in the Andes of Peru. In our study, initially a molecular‐based hypothesis was postulated and tested against morphological data and geographical patterns of distribution. Results from molecular and morphological analyses showed agreement among the species delimitation in Orotettix, and were also consistent with the geographical distribution. The analyses allowed us to delimit five new species for the genus ( O. lunatus sp. nov. , O . astreptos sp. nov. , O. colcaensis sp. nov. , O . paucartambensis sp. nov. and O . dichrous sp. nov. ) from the Eastern and Western Cordilleras of Peru. We also provide critical knowledge on the phylogenetic relationships and distribution of the genus and conduct a revision of Orotettix. © 2015 The Linnean Society of London     

Mesozoic Trachypachidae (Insecta: Coleoptera) from China

Abstract: Four well‐preserved beetles, attributed to Eodromeinae within Trachypachidae, are described from the Mesozoic of Inner Mongolia, China. Eodromeus robustus sp. nov., E. daohugouensis sp. nov. and Unda chifengensis sp. nov. are from the Middle Jurassic of Daohugou. The diagnostic characters for the two genera are revised, and all species of these genera are keyed. A new genus and species, Sinodromeus liutiaogouensis gen. nov., sp. nov., is described from the Lower Cretaceous Yixian Formation of Liutiaogou. The current fossil records of Trachypachidae from China are reviewed, and only five species (four described here) can be convincingly attributed to this family. The morphological disparity of Mesozoic Eodromeinae suggests that they evolved a broad spectrum of locomotory lifestyles.     

Taxonomy and molecular phylogeny of the Asian Paraleucophenga Hendel (Diptera,Drosophilidae)

This paper reports on nine Asian species of the genus Paraleucophenga, of which four are new to science: Paraleucophenga brevipenis sp. nov. , Paraleucophenga hirtipenis sp. nov. , Paraleucophenga longiseta sp. nov. , and Paraleucophenga tanydactylia sp. nov. We also report on a new synonym, Paraleucophenga shanyinensis Chen & Toda, 1994 syn. nov. A key to all of the species examined, based on morphological data, is provided, together with a ‘molecular’ key to seven Paraleudophenga species based on DNA sequence data of the mitochondrial NADH dehydrogenase subunit 2 (ND2) gene. The phylogenetic relationships among seven Paraleucophenga species are reconstructed based on DNA sequences of the mitochondrial ND2 gene, using two Leucophenga species as outgroups. © 2009 The Linnean Society of London, Zoological Journal of the Linnean Society, 2009, 155 , 615–629.     

Description of Crypsiphona tasmanica sp. nov. (Lepidoptera: Geometridae: Geometrinae), with notes on limitations in using DNA barcodes for delimiting species

External morphological differences were found between Tasmanian and mainland Australian specimens of what was previously considered a single species, the Redlined Geometrid, Crypsiphona ocultaria (Donovan). Examination of genitalia showed constant differences, suggesting that Tasmanian and mainland Australian populations represent distinct species. This hypothesis was tested using DNA sequences from the mitochondrial cytochrome oxidase subunit I (COI) gene and nuclear elongation factor 1-alpha (EF-1α) gene. Tasmanian Crypsiphona Meyrick populations were found to represent a distinct species, described here as C. tasmanica sp. nov. The results show that a phylogeny-based approach allows the delimitation of C. ocultaria (Donovan) and C. tasmanica sp. nov., but distance-based delimitation is problematic due to substantial overlap in intra- and interspecific genetic distances. Using nucleotide data in character-based species delimitations might be possible for discriminating between C. ocultaria and C. tasmanica , but our current knowledge does not allow the assignment of characters required for this purpose.     

An integrative approach to characterize cryptic species in the Thoracostoma trachygaster Hope, 1967 complex (Nematoda: Leptosomatidae)

Nematode diversity may seriously be underestimated when taking into account cryptic speciation. Thoracostoma trachygaster is commonly found in kelp holdfasts along the California coastline and was recently shown to consist of at least two distinct molecular clades (I and II). Here, we provide detailed morphological analysis of both clades, based on measurements taken from video vouchers of respectively eight and 16 individuals from the previous study, as well as 80 newly collected specimens from four Californian beaches. The latter were vouchered, measured, and then subjected to molecular analyses of the mitochondrial cytochrome oxidase c subunit I (COI) gene, and the ribosomal D2D3 and internal transcribed spacer (ITS) regions. This integrative approach shows that the three molecular clades are phylogenetically and morphologically distinct species, but a combination of morphological characters is needed to distinguish them. Two new species, Thoracostoma fatimae sp. nov. and Thoracostoma igniferum sp. nov. , are identified and described. The spicule length of T. fatimae sp. nov. is significantly shorter than that of T. trachygaster. Thoracostoma igniferum sp. nov. can be distinguished by the irregular posterior edge of the cephalic capsule and the two internal subdorsal tropis‐like projections in the wall of the cephalic capsule, which are lacking in T. fatimae sp. nov. and T. trachygaster. © 2012 The Linnean Society of London, Zoological Journal of the Linnean Society, 2012, 164 , 18–35.     

Species delimitation in annual killifishes from the Brazilian Caatinga,the Hypsolebias flavicaudatus complex (Cyprinodontiformes: Rivulidae): implications for taxonomy and conservation

The organisms investigated are members of the Hypsolebias flavicaudatus species complex; a clade of morphologically similar annual killifishes endemic to the semi-arid savannah of north-eastern Brazil in the São Francisco River basin, which is a tropical area under intensive process of habitat loss. A taxonomic revision was conducted combining two different approaches for species delimitation – a tree-based approach using mt-DNA (cytochrome b) and a character-based approach using morphological variation (colour patterns, fin morphology, meristic and morphometric data). Nine species are recognised, of which five are new species: H. flagellatus (Costa), H. flavicaudatus (Costa & Brasil), H. gilbertobrasili sp. nov., H. guanambi (Costa & Amorim), H. janaubensis (Costa), H. nitens sp. nov., H. pterophyllus sp. nov., H. radiseriatus sp. nov. and H. sertanejo sp. nov. On the basis of 17 years of field studies, preliminary conservation status assessments indicate that two species are highly threatened with extinction, at least one is endangered and another is vulnerable, whereas the others are not endangered. This result deeply contrasts with a previous assessment 10 years ago, when the whole H. flavicaudatus complex was considered as a single species of no conservation concern. Discrepancies in the assessment of conservation among closely related species living in similar habitats are a consequence of heterogeneous human occupation and disproportionate recent development throughout the São Francisco River basin.     

Species delimitation methods reveal cryptic diversity in the Hypnea cornuta complex (Cystocloniaceae,Rhodophyta)

The simple and convergent morphologies of many red algae make these species difficult to identify using traditional morphological characters. Many cryptic species have been described in recent years based on molecular datasets, and this has led to the application of an integrative taxonomy approach in species delimitation. Here, we performed several species delimitation methods (mBGD, ABGD, SPN, PTP, GMYCs and GMYCm) based on two different loci (COI-5P and rbcL) in species of the Hypnea cornuta complex. These methods were combined with morphological and phylogenetic data, extensive sampling, analysis of topotype material, and historically relevant herbarium samples. Our findings demonstrate that the groups morphologically assigned to H. cornuta and H. stellulifera consist of five different cryptic species. H. cornuta is a polyphyletic taxon composed of three well-separated lineages, thus requiring sequencing of type or topotype specimens to determine which one is Hypnea cornuta sensu stricto. We have revealed that the distribution of H. stellulifera is limited to Asia, while the Brazilian specimens initially assigned to this species were clarified as a new endemic species: Hypnea cryptica sp. nov. Our results indicated that only an integrative approach combining several lines of evidence, including morphology, nomenclature history, molecular data, biogeography and ecology can correctly solve the taxonomic status of widely distributed cryptic species.     

DNA sequences corroborate Soesiladeepakius as a non‐salticoid genus of jumping spiders: placement with lapsiines,phylogeny, and description of six new species (Araneae,Salticidae)

Species of the Amazonian jumping spider genus Soesiladeepakius Makhan are confirmed as non‐salticoids. Sequences of nuclear (28S, Actin) and mitochondrial (16S through NADH dehydrogenase subunit I, ‘16S‐ND1’) gene regions, analysed under parsimony and maximum likelihood, placed the genus within the lapsiines, closely related to Galianora Maddison. Additionally, six new species of this genus are herein described, namely Soesiladeepakius lyra sp. nov. , Soesiladeepakius retroversus sp. nov. , Soesiladeepakius arthrostylus sp. nov. , Soesiladeepakius gasnieri sp. nov. , Soesiladeepakius biarmatus sp. nov. , and Soesiladeepakius uncinatus sp. nov. , all from the Amazon region in Brazil. To test the monophyly of Soesiladeepakius within lapsiines, a cladistic analysis was carried out using a data matrix comprising 24 morphological characters scored for 12 taxa. The analysis resulted in two equally parsimonious trees of 29 steps. One of these trees is used to discuss the relationships among the species of Soesiladeepakius and character evolution. © 2012 The Linnean Society of London, Zoological Journal of the Linnean Society, 2012, 165 , 274–295.     

Integrative taxonomy of the stunt nematodes of the genera Bitylenchus and Tylenchorhynchus (Nematoda,Telotylenchidae) with description of two new species and a molecular phylogeny

Stunt nematodes are characterized by phenotypic plasticity, with overlapping morphology and morphometry leading to potential misidentification. Consequently, the application of integrative taxonomic approaches is useful to species delimitation based on a combination of different perspectives, e.g. morphology and DNA sequences. We conducted nematode surveys in cultivated and natural environments in Spain and the USA, from which we identified 18 known species of the family Telotylenchidae and two new taxa within the studied samples. These species were morphologically, morphometrically, and molecularly characterized. The results of light and scanning electron microscopic observations, and molecular and phylogenetic analysis also allowed two new species to be distinguished, described herein as B itylenchus hispaniensis sp. nov. and T ylenchorhynchus mediterraneus sp. nov. The phylogenetic analysis was carried out using molecular data from nuclear ribosomal DNA genes [D2–D3 expansion segments of the large ribosomal subunit (28S), internal transcribed spacer (ITS), and partial small ribosomal subunit (18S)]. We also provide here a test of alternative hypotheses that confirms the monophyly of both Tylenchorhynchus and Bitylenchus sensu Siddiqi's classification but does not support Fortuner & Luc's conceptual view of Tylenchorhynchus as a large genus. Ancestral state reconstructions of several diagnostic morphological characters using a maximum parsimony approach showed congruence in morphological and molecular evolution for stylet knob inclination and tail tip annulation. Our analysis emphasizes some of the problems related to the taxonomy and phylogeny of nematodes of Telotylenchinae. © 2014 The Linnean Society of London     

Systematics and biodiversity of Ophryotrocha (Annelida,Dorvilleidae) with descriptions of six new species from deep-sea whale-fall and wood-fall habitats in the north-east Pacific

Six new Ophryotrocha species are described from five whale-falls and two wood-falls off the southern Californian coast. Phylogenetic analyses based on the nuclear gene H3 and the mitochondrial genes COI and 16S using MrBayes and maximum likelihood analyses were performed on 40 dorvilleid taxa and one outgroup. Ophryotrocha batillus sp. nov. is morphologically identical to Ophryotrocha scutellus described from a shallow water whale-fall in the North Atlantic, although the two cryptic species differ genetically. Ophryotrocha langstrumpae sp. nov. is closely related in the molecular phylogenetic analyses to these two sibling species. Ophryotrocha flabella sp. nov. is similar to Ophryotrocha globopalpata, and although there are a few morphological differences, the genetic divergence is low between the two species. Ophryotrocha nauarchus sp. nov. is sexually dimorphic, with males having appendages on the first chaetiger. Ophryotrocha magnadentata sp. nov. and Ophryotrocha longicollaris sp. nov. are sister species in our molecular analyses, and together with O. nauarchus sp. nov. and O. flabella sp. nov. they fall within a clade that includes O. globopalpata and Exallopus jumarsi described from hydrothermal vents in the Pacific Ocean and Ophryotrocha longidentata from the shallow North Atlantic. Our results highlight the remarkable unknown diversity of deep-water habitats and the role of chemosynthetic ecosystems in the evolution of deep-sea life.     

The subgenus Ashima (Diptera,Drosophildae, Phortica) from China,with DNA barcoding and descriptions of three new species

In the present study, three new species found in Yunnan, Southwest China were described as members of the subgenus Phortica (Ashima): P. (A.) haba An & Chen, sp. nov., P. (A.) montipagana An & Chen, sp. nov. and P. (A.) qingsongi An & Chen, sp. nov. Barcode sequences (partial sequences of the mitochondrial COI gene) were collected from 61 specimens of 16 known and the above-mentioned three new Ashima species. The intra- and interspecific pairwise K-2P (Kimura two-parameter) COI distances were analysed and a phylogenetic tree was constructed based on the barcode sequences. Species delimitation in this subgenus was supported by integrating barcodes with morphological information, in particular for the three new species, considered to be cryptic species. In addition, the diversification of lineages in the subgenus Ashima was proposed to occur in southern China and adjacent areas, suggesting specific adaptation of Ashima species to the high plateau environments.

http://zoobank.org/urn:lsid:zoobank.org:pub:69A81D0E-5993-426D-9B59-A2AC5E52BD84     

Jenynsia lineata species complex,revision and new species description (Cyprinodontiformes: Anablepidae)

The Jenynsia lineata species complex comprises J. lineata from Montevideo, Uruguay and Jenynsia multidentata, from coastal basins of Brazil, Uruguay and Argentina up to 1200 m a.s.l. Taxonomic divisions within this group were tested using three different species delimitation methods, which found the two existing names to be synonyms and revealed a new cryptic species. Jenynsia darwini sp. nov. is distinguished from all congeners by having a unique combination of character states, including the shape of the dorsal postcleithrum (three times higher than wide v. less than two times higher than wide) and female colour pattern in the half of the caudal peduncle with rows of chromatophores segmented in unaligned spots (v. aligned spots forming lines). The new species also differs from J. lineata by having 26 nucleotide substitutions in the mitochondrial gene cytochrome c oxidase I (coI). Phylogenetic analysis of the genus based on morphological characters proposed by previous studies corroborates monophyly of the subgenera Plesiojenynsia and Jenynsia, with the new species being allocated to the subgenus Jenynsia as the sister group of J. lineata.     

Systematic review of the “Chromodoris quadricolor group” of East Africa,with descriptions of two new species of the genus Chromodoris Alder & Hancock, 1855 (Heterobranchia,Nudibranchia)

The similarities and variations in nudibranch species of the “Chromodoris quadricolor group” (Heterobranchia, Nudibranchia) have historically created identification problems among both nudibranch enthusiasts and experts. In this study, we combine molecular genetic analyses using one nuclear gene (histone h3) and two mitochondrial genes (cytochrome c oxidase subunit I and ribosomal 16S RNA) with morphological data to ameliorate the identification of specimens from this complex in East Africa. We include a detailed examination of polymorphisms within the group. As a result, Chromodoris boucheti is synonymized with Chromodoris lochi, and two new species are described, Chromodoris celinae sp. nov. and Chromodoris helium sp. nov. Chromodoris celinae sp. nov. is a common shallow water species that was previously misidentified as C. hamiltoni. Chromodoris helium sp. nov. is a species that appears to be restricted to depths below 30 m. This study agrees with previous research indicating the recent divergence of the genus Chromodoris.     

Anamorphic fungi from freshwater habitats in China: Dictyosporium tetrasporum and Exserticlava yunnanensis spp. nov., and two new records for Pseudofuscophialis lignicola and Pseudobotrytis terrestris

This article describes two new anamorphic fungi from freshwater habitats, Dictyosporium tetrasporum sp. nov. and Exserticlava yunnanensis sp. nov., based on morphological characters. Both species are illustrated with light micrographs and compared with similar taxa. Pseudofuscophialis lignicola and Pseudobotrytis terrestris are reported as new records from freshwater habitats.