Revision and phylogeny of the bee genus Paratetrapedia Moure,with description of a new genus from the Andean Cordillera (Hymenoptera,Apidae, Tapinotaspidini)

The bee genus Paratetrapedia represents a commonly collected group of bees and is especially diverse in forested areas of the Neotropics. Its taxonomy has remained poorly understood because of a lack of modern revisionary work and numerous species described as Tetrapedia whose type specimens have not been re‐examined in recent times. Here, a comprehensive study was carried out to review the taxonomy of the genus Paratetrapedia and to investigate cladistically the relationships amongst its species. Eighteen new species of Paratetrapedia are described, giving a total of 32 species in the genus. A phylogenetic analysis of the species of Paratetrapedia was carried out using 61 morphological characters for 41 terminal taxa. The phylogenetic results confirmed the monophyly of Paratetrapedia and allowed the recognition of five species groups: the lugubris, moesta, bicolor, lineata, and flavipennis groups. Nasutopedia gen. nov. , recognized as the sister group of Paratetrapedia and with its distribution restricted to the western forested portions of the Andean highlands, is proposed based on distinct morphology, its placement in the phylogenetic tree, and biogeographical patterns. Species of Paratetrapedia are especially diverse in the Amazon Forest; the eastern Brazilian Atlantic Forest contains four endemic species, and one species is endemic to the Cerrado of central Brazil. Paratetrapedia shows a biogeographical pattern similar to other Neotropical groups of bees and birds, with wide distribution and high diversity in lowland forests and whose sister taxon occurs on highlands of north‐western portions of the Andean cordillera. Identification keys for males and females of all species are provided, as well as distribution maps and illustrations of general external morphology and genitalia. © 2011 The Linnean Society of London, Zoological Journal of the Linnean Society, 2011, 162 , 351–442.     

Phenotypic evolution of an Atlantic Forest passerine (Xiphorhynchus fuscus): biogeographic and systematic implications

We studied the phenotypic variation of the Atlantic Forest passerine Xiphorhynchus fuscus (Aves: Dendrocolaptidae) with the broad aim of addressing whether the history and type of forest affected the evolution of endemic taxa. We also tested whether the different subspecies and genetic lineages of X. fuscus could be considered full species. We collected plumage and body size measurements and, in combination with genetic data, used multivariate tests to evaluate the working hypotheses. Our results, combined with previous biogeographic analyses, indicate that vicariant events have been important determinants in the evolution of phenotypic characters of X. fuscus, once genetic isolation was complete. Our analysis also suggests that forest heterogeneity and ecotones are important factors in the early evolution of Atlantic Forest taxa, perhaps via divergent selection. Forest instability during the Pleistocene was critical in the evolution of phenotypic traits. We confirm that the subspecies atlanticus should be considered a full species. Other lineages or populations are also phenotypically differentiated but we do not suggest considering them as full species. They share high levels of gene flow and are part of a continuous latitudinal cline of phenotypic variation. Our study suggests that not all the historic events in the Atlantic Forest that affected the evolution of genetic lineages also influenced the evolution of phenotypic characters in the same direction and intensity. Undoubtedly, natural selection played a major role in the evolution of Atlantic Forest organisms. © 2014 The Linnean Society of London, Biological Journal of the Linnean Society, 2014, 113 , 1047–1066.     

Resurrection in Carapa (Meliaceae): a reassessment of morphological variation and species boundaries using multivariate methods in a phylogenetic context

The taxonomy of the amphi‐Atlantic tree genus Carapa (Meliaceae) has long been controversial. Of the three species currently recognized in the genus, two are known to present substantial morphological variation that has been used in the past to distinguish several taxa, most of which are currently placed in synonymy. Here, a combination of field observations, univariate analyses of leaf, floral and seed characters and principal coordinate analyses of floral characters in the context of a molecular phylogenetic analysis was used to investigate the patterns of variation and delimit morphological species anew in the genus. These results support the recognition of 27 species in Carapa, of which 16 are previously described and 11 are new. In general, phylogenetically related species occurred in the same geographical area, but were morphologically distinct. © 2011 The Linnean Society of London, Botanical Journal of the Linnean Society, 2011, 165 , 186–221.     

Descriptions and phylogenetic relationships of a new genus and two new species of Oligo‐Miocene cormorants (Aves: Phalacrocoracidae) from Australia

Tertiary cormorant fossils (Aves: Phalacrocoracidae) from Late Oligocene deposits in Australia are described. They derive from the Late Oligocene – Early Miocene (26–24 Mya) Etadunna and Namba Formations in the Lake Eyre and Lake Frome Basins, South Australia, respectively. A new genus, Nambashag gen. nov. , with two new species ( Nambashag billerooensis sp. nov. , 30 specimens; Nambashag microglaucus sp. nov. , 14 specimens), has been established. Phylogenetic analyses based on 113 morphological and two integumentary characters indicated that Nambashag is the sister taxon to the Early Miocene Nectornis miocaenus of Europe and all extant phalacrocoracids. As Nambashag, Nectornis, and extant phalacrocoracids constitute a strongly supported clade sister to Anhinga species, the fossil taxa have been referred to Phalacrocoracidae. Sulids and Fregata were successive sister taxa to the Phalacrocoracoidea, i.e. phalacrocoracids + Anhinga. As phalacrocoracids lived in both Europe and Australia during the Late Oligocene and no older phalacrocoracid taxa are known, the biogeographical origin of cormorants remains unanswered. The phylogenetic relationships of extant taxa were not wholly resolved, but contrary to previous morphological analyses, considerable concordance was found with relationships recovered by recent molecular analyses. Microcarbo is sister to all other extant phalacrocoracids, and all Leucocarbo species form a well‐supported clade. © 2011 The Linnean Society of London, Zoological Journal of the Linnean Society, 2011, 163 , 277–314.     

Integrative taxonomy reveals cryptic Amazonian species of Pristimantis (Anura: Strabomantidae)

Hypotheses on the taxonomic status of two Bolivian Pristimantis with taxonomic problems are assessed by an integrative taxonomic approach that integrates three independent lines of evidence: external morphology, prezygotic reproductive barriers (advertisement calls) and reciprocal monophyly (phylogenetic analyses of partial 16S mtDNA sequences). Central Andean Bolivian populations previously assigned to either P. peruvianus or P. dundeei, and lowland Amazonian populations from southern Peru and northern Bolivia previously considered P. peruvianus do not correspond to these species. Indeed, multivariate analyses of qualitative and quantitative morphological and bioacoustic characters, and phylogenetic analyses support the hypothesis that they represent different, previously unknown, cryptic lineages. They are herein described as new species. The former is a sibling species of P. fenestratus that inhabits the Amazonian and semideciduous forests of the Andean foothills in central Bolivia. The latter is sibling to the Andean species P. danae and is parapatric to it in the Amazonian lowland forests and adjacent foothills of northern Bolivia, southern Peru and adjacent Brazil. Most species of Neotropical frogs, and especially Pristimantis, have been described by using external qualitative morphological characters only. An extended integrative taxonomic approach, as exemplified herein, may lead to the discovery of many other cryptic and sibling lineages that would increase the species numbers of tropical areas. © 2009 The Linnean Society of London, Zoological Journal of the Linnean Society, 2009, 155 , 97–122.     

Phylogeography of the marine isopod Stenosoma nadejda (Rezig, 1989) in North African Atlantic and western Mediterranean coasts reveals complex differentiation patterns and a new species

The transition zone between the Mediterranean and Atlantic basins has been extensively addressed in phylogeographical studies of marine species. However, biases exist towards the analysis of highly dispersive species, and there is a higher sampling effort in European coasts compared to North Africa. This may be hindering a detailed understanding of the historical and contemporary processes that shaped patterns of population genetic structure in the region. In the present study, we investigated the phylogeographical and phylogenetic patterns of mitochondrial cytochrome c oxidase subunit I sequences from a species with direct development and low dispersal abilities, Stenosoma nadejda (Rezig, 1989). The study area included 13 localities along the Atlantic and Mediterranean North African coasts, as well as the Alboran Sea. A new Stenosoma species, from the coasts of Algeria and Alboran Island, was discovered. For S. nadejda, phylogeographical analyses revealed three distinct clades: one in the Iberian Atlantic plus the Alboran Sea, one in the western Mediterranean, and another in the Atlantic coast of Africa. Haplotypes from the Alboran Island were more related to those from the western Mediterranean coast (east of the Almeria–Oran Front). Given the strong differentiation, it is probable that this species survived in multiple glacial refugia during the Pleistocenic glaciations. © 2011 The Linnean Society of London, Biological Journal of the Linnean Society, 2011, 104 , 419–431.     

Patterns of diversification in two species of short‐tailed bats (Carollia Gray, 1838): the effects of historical fragmentation of Brazilian rainforests

The small‐sized frugivorous bat Carollia perspicillata is an understory specialist and occurs in a wide range of lowland habitats, tending to be more common in tropical dry or moist forests of South and Central America. Its sister species, Carollia brevicauda, occurs almost exclusively in the Amazon rainforest. A recent phylogeographic study proposed a hypothesis of origin and subsequent diversification for C. perspicillata along the Atlantic coastal forest of Brazil. Additionally, it also found two allopatric clades for C. brevicauda separated by the Amazon Basin. We used cytochrome b gene sequences and a more extensive sampling to test hypotheses related to the origin and diversification of C. perspicillata plus C. brevicauda clade in South America. The results obtained indicate that there are two sympatric evolutionary lineages within each species. In C. perspicillata, one lineage is limited to the Southern Atlantic Forest, whereas the other is widely distributed. Coalescent analysis points to a simultaneous origin for C. perspicillata and C. brevicauda, although no place for the diversification of each species can be firmly suggested. The phylogeographic pattern shown by C. perspicillata is also congruent with the Pleistocene refugia hypothesis as a likely vicariant phenomenon shaping the present distribution of its intraspecific lineages. © 2011 The Linnean Society of London, Biological Journal of the Linnean Society, 2011, 102 , 527–539.     

Evolution of Dendrocolaptes platyrostris (Aves: Furnariidae) between the South American open vegetation corridor and the Atlantic forest

The open vegetation corridor of South America is a region dominated by savanna biomes. It contains forests (i.e. riverine forests) that may act as corridors for rainforest specialists between the open vegetation corridor and its neighbouring biomes (i.e. the Amazonian and Atlantic forests). A prediction for this scenario is that populations of rainforest specialists in the open vegetation corridor and in the forested biomes show no significant genetic divergence. We addressed this hypothesis by studying plumage and genetic variation of the Planalto woodcreeper Dendrocolaptes platyrostris Spix (1824) (Aves: Furnariidae), a forest specialist that occurs in both open habitat and in the Atlantic forest. The study questions were: (1) is there any evidence of genetic continuity between populations of the open habitat and the Atlantic forest and (2) is plumage variation congruent with patterns of neutral genetic structure or with ecological factors related to habitat type? We used cytochrome b and mitochondrial DNA control region sequences to show that D. platyrostris is monophyletic and presents substantial intraspecific differentiation. We found two areas of plumage stability: one associated with Cerrado and the other associated with southern Atlantic Forest. Multiple Mantel tests showed that most of the plumage variation followed the transition of habitats but not phylogeographical gaps, suggesting that selection may be related to the evolution of the plumage of the species. The results were not compatible with the idea that forest specialists in the open vegetation corridor and in the Atlantic forest are linked at the population level because birds from each region were not part of the same genetic unit. Divergence in the presence of gene flow across the ecotone between both regions might explain our results. Also, our findings indicate that the southern Atlantic forest may have been significantly affected by Pleistocene climatic alteration, although such events did not cause local extinction of most taxa, as occurred in other regions of the globe where forests were significantly affected by global glaciations. Finally, our results neither support plumage stability areas, nor subspecies as full species. © 2011 The Linnean Society of London, Biological Journal of the Linnean Society, 2011, 103 , 801–820.     

The tail tells the tale: taxonomy and biogeography of some Atlantic Chelidonura (Gastropoda: Cephalaspidea: Aglajidae) inferred from nuclear and mitochondrial gene data

Several western Atlantic species of Chelidonura have been described mainly based on differences in colour pattern. Sequence data from two mitochondrial [cytochrome oxidase I (COI), 16S] genes and a nuclear [histone 3 (H3)] gene have revealed that all colour forms previously recognized from across the Caribbean, Bahamas, and Bermuda belong to the same species, Chelidonura berolina. However, several specimens from the Bahamas are genetically and morphologically distinct and are herein described as a new species, Chelidonura normani sp. nov. Externally, C. normani can only be distinguished from C. berolina by the morphology of the posterior end of the body and not by colour pattern. Both C. berolina and C. normani are genetically and morphologically distinct from the eastern Atlantic species Chelidonura africana, but the split between C. berolina and C. normani predates the split between C. berolina and C. africana. All three species differ in their protoconch morphology, which suggests different developmental modes. Furthermore, all three species display a broad variation in colour pattern, which raises questions on the biological significance of colour in this group. The reasons for the divergence between C. berolina and C. normani remain unknown but could be related to the complex geological history of the western Atlantic. © 2011 The Linnean Society of London, Zoological Journal of the Linnean Society, 2011, 163 , 1077–1095.