Three new species of Bryconamericus (Ostariophysi: Characidae) from Colombia and a diagnosis for the genus

Three new fish species are described: Bryconamericus dahli from the basins of the Patia and Mira rivers; B. ichoensis from Chaparraido Creek, the upper Atrato River basin, and B. galvisi from upper Putumayo River. Bryconamericus dahli can be distinguished from other Bryconamericus species by body depth and the larger head. B. dahli is similar to B. caucanus, but can be distinguished by the number of anal fin rays, head width and maxilla. Bryconamericus ichoensis can be distinguished by its small size, absence of a spot on the caudal peduncle, and generally 27 to 30 anal fin rays. B. ichoensis may be closely related to B. multiradiatus, but can be distinguished by the number of unbranched rays in the dorsal, pectoral and pelvic fins, the number of predorsal scales, body depth, etc. Bryconamericus galvisi, can be distinguished from other species of Bryconamericus by its single peduncle spot, high branched anal fin ray, the lateral line scales count, and elongated body. This species is similar to B. caucanus and can be distinguished by the number of teeth on the maxilla and by the number of vertebrae. The genus Bryconamericus is a natural and valid group, which is related to Hemibrycon. Moreover the Knodus and Eretmobrycon are synonym of Bryconamericus.     

Wallinia chavarriae n. sp. (Trematoda: Macroderoididae) in Astyanax aeneus (Gunther, 1860) and Bryconamericus scleroparius (Regan, 1908) (Osteichthyes: Characidae) from the Area de Conservación Guanacaste,Costa Rica

Wallinia chavarriae n. sp. is described from the small-bodied characids Astyanax aeneus and Bryconamericus scleroparius in the Area de Conservación Guanacaste, northwestern Costa Rica. The species differs from W. valenciae in possessing an acetabulum that is smaller than the oral sucker and vitelline follicles that are ovoid or rounded rather than elongate and tubular. Detailed comparison between these 2 species is handicapped by the less than satisfactory condition of the type and only museum specimen of W. valenciae. Wallinia chavarriae and W. valenciae belong to a subfamily of trematodes, Walliniinae, that arguably includes Creptotrematina spp., Magnivitellum simplex, and possibly Margotrema. The morphology of walliniines suggests that they are macroderoidids, but a clearer understanding of their classification could be gained from their larval morphology or from molecular systematic studies. The host associations of a monophyletic Walliniinae would indicate diversification within 2 groups of freshwater fishes: the neotropical characids for species of Wallinia, Creptotrematina, and Magnivitellum and the endemic central Mexican goodeids for those of Margotrema. The biogeography and host associations of these parasites provide a system for studies of potential host switching and vicariance, involving the middle-American and neotropical regions.     

Phylogeography of the Buarremon brush-finch complex (Aves, Emberizidae) in Mesoamerica

The Buarremon brush-finches represent a complex suite of populations distributed in the montane New World Tropics from Mexico south to South America. Traditional taxonomic arrangements have separated populations of this genus into three species, based on plumage variation, although plumage patterns are well known to exhibit homoplasy. We present a first detailed phylogeographic and phylogenetic study, focused on Mesoamerican populations, and signal the existence of strong differentiation among populations with a clear geographic structure. We find well differentiated clades for (1) the Sierra Madre Oriental and Sierra Madre del Sur in Oaxaca, (2) western Mexican populations, including the B. brunneinucha populations in the Sierra Madre del Sur and B. virenticeps, (3) Sierra Madre Oriental and Sierra de los Tuxtlas, (4) northern Central America, (5) southern Central America, (6) middle Central America, and (7) South America. We demonstrate a lack of concordance with plumage patterns, and argue for several additional species to be recognized in the complex.     

Reconstructing the Timing and Dispersion Routes of HIV-1 Subtype B Epidemics in The Caribbean and Central America: A Phylogenetic Story

The Caribbean and Central America are among the regions with highest HIV-1B prevalence worldwide. Despite of this high virus burden, little is known about the timing and the migration patterns of HIV-1B in these regions. Migration is one of the major processes shaping the genetic structure of virus populations. Thus, reconstruction of epidemiological network may contribute to understand HIV-1B evolution and reduce virus prevalence. We have investigated the spatio-temporal dynamics of the HIV-1B epidemic in The Caribbean and Central America using 1,610 HIV-1B partial pol sequences from 13 Caribbean and 5 Central American countries. Timing of HIV-1B introduction and virus evolutionary rates, as well as the spatial genetic structure of the HIV-1B populations and the virus migration patterns were inferred. Results revealed that in The Caribbean and Central America most of the HIV-1B variability was generated since the 80 s. At odds with previous data suggesting that Haiti was the origin of the epidemic in The Caribbean, our reconstruction indicated that the virus could have been disseminated from Puerto Rico and Antigua. These two countries connected two distinguishable migration areas corresponding to the (mainly Spanish-colonized) Easter and (mainly British-colonized) Western islands, which indicates that virus migration patterns are determined by geographical barriers and by the movement of human populations among culturally related countries. Similar factors shaped the migration of HIV-1B in Central America. The HIV-1B population was significantly structured according to the country of origin, and the genetic diversity in each country was associated with the virus prevalence in both regions, which suggests that virus populations evolve mainly through genetic drift. Thus, our work contributes to the understanding of HIV-1B evolution and dispersion pattern in the Americas, and its relationship with the geography of the area and the movements of human populations.     

American Indian prehistory as written in the mitochondrial DNA: a review.

Native Americans have been divided into three linguistic groups: the reasonably well-defined Eskaleut and Nadene of northern North America and the highly heterogeneous Amerind of North, Central, and South America. The heterogeneity of the Amerinds has been proposed to be the result of either multiple independent migrations or a single ancient migration with extensive in situ radiation. To investigate the origin and interrelationship of the American Indians, we examined the mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) variation in 87 Amerinds (Pima, Maya, and Ticuna of North, Central, and South America, respectively), 80 Nadene (Dogrib and Tlingit of northwest North America and Navajo of the southwest North America), and 153 Asians from 7 diverse populations. American Indian mtDNAs were found to be directly descended from five founding Asian mtDNAs and to cluster into four lineages, each characterized by a different rare Asian mtDNA marker. Lineage A is defined by a HaeIII site gain at np 663, lineage B by a 9-bp deletion between the COII and tRNA(Lys) genes, lineage C by a HincII site loss at np 13259, and lineage D by an AluI site loss at np 5176. The North, Central, and South America Amerinds were found to harbor all four lineages, demonstrating that the Amerinds originated from a common ancestral genetic stock. The genetic variation of three of the four Amerind lineages (A, C, and D) was similar with a mean value of 0.084%, whereas the sequence variation in the fourth lineage (B) was much lower, raising the possibility of an independent arrival. By contrast, the Nadene mtDNAs were predominantly from lineage A, with 27% of them having a Nadene-specific RsaI site loss at np 16329. The accumulated Nadene variation was only 0.021%. These results demonstrate that the Amerind mtDNAs arose from one or maybe two Asian migrations that were distinct from the migration of the Nadene and that the Amerind populations are about four times older than the Nadene.     

A synopsis of Jacquinia (Theophrastaceae) in the Antilles and South America

Stål, B. 1995. A synopsis of Jacquinia (Theophrastaceae) in the Antilles and South America. — Nord. J. Bot. 15: 493–511. Copenhagen. ISSN 0107–055X.
The genus Jacquinia in the Antilles and South America is revised. Twenty-two native and one introduced species are recognised. In the Greater Antilles, 11 species (six endemic) occur in Cuba, eight in Hispaniola (two endemic), five in Jamaica (two endemic), and four in Puerto Rico (none endemic). Two species (none endemic) occur in the Lesser Antilles and five (four endemic) in South America. Eighteen species are native to the Antilles and of these one, J. arborea , is shared with Central America and one, J. amzillaris , is shared with South America. No species is shared between South and Central America. One new combination, J. frutescens , is made. Several species are illustrated and distribution maps for all species are presented. A key to the species in the Antilles and South America and an index to all combinations published in Jacquinia are provided.     

Biogeography of mutualistic fungi cultivated by leafcutter ants

Leafcutter ants propagate co‐evolving fungi for food. The nearly 50 species of leafcutter ants (Atta, Acromyrmex) range from Argentina to the United States, with the greatest species diversity in southern South America. We elucidate the biogeography of fungi cultivated by leafcutter ants using DNA sequence and microsatellite‐marker analyses of 474 cultivars collected across the leafcutter range. Fungal cultivars belong to two clades (Clade‐A and Clade‐B). The dominant and widespread Clade‐A cultivars form three genotype clusters, with their relative prevalence corresponding to southern South America, northern South America, Central and North America. Admixture between Clade‐A populations supports genetic exchange within a single species, Leucocoprinus gongylophorus. Some leafcutter species that cut grass as fungicultural substrate are specialized to cultivate Clade‐B fungi, whereas leafcutters preferring dicot plants appear specialized on Clade‐A fungi. Cultivar sharing between sympatric leafcutter species occurs frequently such that cultivars of Atta are not distinct from those of Acromyrmex. Leafcutters specialized on Clade‐B fungi occur only in South America. Diversity of Clade‐A fungi is greatest in South America, but minimal in Central and North America. Maximum cultivar diversity in South America is predicted by the Kusnezov–Fowler hypothesis that leafcutter ants originated in subtropical South America and only dicot‐specialized leafcutter ants migrated out of South America, but the cultivar diversity becomes also compatible with a recently proposed hypothesis of a Central American origin by postulating that leafcutter ants acquired novel cultivars many times from other nonleafcutter fungus‐growing ants during their migrations from Central America across South America. We evaluate these biogeographic hypotheses in the light of estimated dates for the origins of leafcutter ants and their cultivars.     

On the geographical distribution of the Juglandaceae

The present paper aims to discuss the geog raphical distribution of the Juglandaceae on the basis of unity of the phylogeny and the process of dispersal in the plants. The paper is divided into the following three parts: 1. The systematic positions and the distribution patterns of nine living genera in the family Juglandaceae (namely, Engelhardia, Oreomunnea, Alfaroa, Pterocarya, Cyclocarya, Juglans, Carya, Annamocarya and Platycarya) are briefly discussed. The evolutional relationships between the different genera of the Juglandaceae are elucidated. The fossil distribution and the geological date of the plant groups are reviewed. Through the analysis for the geographical distribution of the Juglandaceous genera, the distribution patterns may be divided as follows: A. The tropical distribution pattern a. The genera of tropical Asia distribution: Engelhardia, Annamocarya. b. The genera of tropical Central America distribution: Oreomunnea, Alfaroa. B. The temperate distribution pattern c. The genus of disjunct distribution between Western Asia and Eastern Asia: Pterocarya. d. The genus of disjunct distribution between Eurasia and America: Juglans. e. The genus of disjunct distribution between Eastern Asia and North America: Carya. f. The genera whose distribution is confined to Eastern Asia: Cyclocarya, Platycarya. 2. The distribution of species According to Takhtajan’s view point of phytochoria, the number of species in every region are counted. It has shown clearily that the Eastern Asian Region and the Cotinental South-east Asian Region are most abundant in number of genera and species. Of the 71 living species, 53 are regional endemic elements, namely 74.6% of the total species. The author is of the opinion that most endemic species in Eurasia are of old endemic nature and in America of new endimic nature. There are now 7 genera and 28 species in China, whose south-western and central parts are most abundant in species, with Province Yunnan being richest in genera and species. 3. Discussions of the distribution patterns of the Juglandaceae A. The centre of floristic region B. The centre of floristic regions is determined by the following two principles: a. A large number of species concentrate in a district, namely the centre of the majority; b. Species of a district can reflect the main stages of the systematic evolution of the Juglandaceae, namely the centre of diversity. It has shown clearly that the southern part of Eastern Asian region and the northern part of Continental South-east Asian Region (i.c. Southern China and Northern Indo-China) are the main distribution centre of the Juglandaceae, while the southern part of Sonora Region and Caribbean Region (i.c. South-western U.S.A., Mexico and Central America) are the secondary distribution centre. As far as fossil records goes, it has shown that in Tertiary period the Juglandaceae were widely distributed in northern Eurasia and North America, growing not only in Europe and the Caucasus but also as far as in Greenland and Alaska. It may be considered that the Juglandaceae might be originated from Laurasia. According to the analysis of distribution pattern for living primitive genus, for example, Engelhardia, South-western China and Northern Indo-China may be the birthplace of the most primitive Juglandaceous plants. It also can be seen that the primitive genera and the primitive sections of every genus in the Juglandaceae have mostly distributed in the tropics or subtropics. At the same time, according to the analysis of morphological characters, such as naked buds in the primitive taxa of this family, it is considered that this character has relationship with the living conditions of their ancestors. All the evidence seems to show that the Juglandaceae are of forest origin in the tropical mountains having seasonal drying period. B. The time of the origin The geological times of fossil records are analyzed. It is concluded that the origin of the Juglandaceae dates back at least as early as the Cretaceous period. C. The routes of despersal After the emergence of the Juglandaceous plant on earth, it had first developed and dispersed in Southern China and Indo-China. Under conditions of the stable temperature and humidity in North Hemisphere during the period of its origin and development, the Juglandaceous plants had rapidly developed and distributed in Eurasia and dispersed to North America by two routes: Europe-Greenland-North America route and Asia-Bering Land-bridge-North America route. From Central America it later reached South America. D. The formaation of the modern distribution pattern and reasons for this formation. According to the fossil records, the formation of two disjunct areas was not due to the origin of synchronous development, nor to the parallel evolution in the two continents of Eurasia and America, nor can it be interpreted as due to result of transmissive function. The modern distribution pattern has developed as a result of the tectonic movement and of the climatic change after the Tertiary period. Because of the continental drift, the Eurasian Continent was separated from the North American Continent, it had formed a disjunction between Eurasia and North America. Especially, under the glaciation during the Late Tertiary and Quaternary Periods, the continents in Eurasia and North America were covered by ice sheet with the exception of “plant refuges”, most plants in the area were destroyed, but the southern part of Eastern Asia remained practically intact and most of the plants including the Juglandaceae were preserved from destruction by ice and thence became a main centre of survival in the North Hemisphere, likewise, there is another centre of survival in the same latitude in North America and Central America. E. Finally, the probable evolutionary relationships of the genera of the Juglanda-ceae is presented by the dendrogram in the text.     

Current situation of Chagas disease in Central America

Chagas disease in Central America is known since 1913 when the first human case was reported in El Salvador. The other Central American countries reported their first cases between 1933 and 1967. On October 1997 was launched the Central American Initiative for Chagas Disease Control (IPCA). The objectives of this sub-regional Initiative are: (1) the elimination of Rhodnius prolixus in Central America; (2) the reduction of the domiciliary infestation of Triatoma dimidiata; and (3) the elimination of the transfusion transmission of Trypanosoma cruzi. Significant advancements being close to the elimination of R. prolixus in Central America and the control of the transfusion transmission has been a transcendent achievement for the sub-region. The main challenges that the IPCA will have in the close future are: developing effective strategies for control and surveillance of T. dimidiata; and surveillance of other emerging triatominae species like R. pallescens, T. nitida, and T. ryckmani.     

Clarification and review of Lepidopilum affine and L. grevilleanum (Callicostaceae)

Lepidopilum grevilleanum Mitt., long considered a synonym ofL. affine C. Müll., is a distinct and rare species of western Ecuador.Lepidopilum affine is widespread, presently known from the western and northern Amazon basin, Atlantic region of northern South America, and the Pacific coastal region of Central America. Several new synonyms are proposed forLepidopilum affine: L. allionii Broth.,L. ambiguum Broth.,L. antisanense Bartr.,L. mittenii C. Müll.,L. obtusulum C. Müll., andL. subobtusulum Broth.Lepidopilum pulcherrimum Steere is a synonym ofL. grevilleanum.     

Phytogeography of the trees of the Osa Peninsula,Costa Rica

A phytogeographic analysis of the distributions of 454 species of trees native to the Osa Peninsula in 22 families revealed that 4.8% of the species are endemic to the Osa Peninsula and the adjacent mainland of Costa Rica. However, nearly one-fourth of the species might be regionally endemic to Central-South Mesoamerica (Costa Rica, Nicaragua, and Panama). Our sample suggests that 53.6% of the species occur in some part of Mesoamerica and sometimes range into northwestern South America, and that 44.5% of the species have wide distributions throughout tropical America. There is a strong affinity with the flora of northwestern South America, with 46.2% of the species on the Osa also found there. In addition, 50.6% of the tree species on the Osa occur on both the Atlantic and Pacific slopes of Central America or, if they reach South America, are sometimes found on both sides of the Andes. Major contributions to the tree flora of the Osa have been made by species arriving in the Osa by 1) dispersal from South and North America to islands in proto Central America before the formation of a dry-land connection between the two continents, and 2) migration from South America and North America after the closure of the Panamanian isthmus was made. This analysis demonstrates the importance of the Osa as a regional refuge for protecting species with distributions limited to the Osa and parts of Panama, Costa Rica, or Nicaragua. The Osa is also important because it harbors the last expanse of tropical wet forest on the Pacific slope of Central America large enough to ensure the survival of the Central American populations of widely distributed plants and animals.     

Phylogeny of South American Bufo (Anura: Bufonidae) inferred from combined evidence

Despite the considerable research that has focused on the evolutionary relationships and biogeography of the genus Bufo, an evolutionary synthesis of the entire group has not yet emerged. In the present study, almost 4 kb of DNA sequence data from mitochondrial (12S, tRNA^Val, and 16S) and nuclear (POMC; Rag-1) genes, and 83 characters from morphology were analysed to infer a phylogeny of South American toads. Phylogenies were reconstructed with parsimony and maximum likelihood and Bayesian model-based methods. The results of the analysis of morphological data support the hypothesis that within Bufo , some skull characters (e.g. frontoparietal width), correlated with the amount of cranial ossification, are prone to homoplasy. Unique and unreversed morphological synapomorphies are presented that can be used to diagnose recognized species groups of South American toads. The results of all phylogenetic analyses support the monophyly of most species groups of South American Bufo . In most DNA-only and combined analyses, the South American (minus the B. guttatus and part of the ' B. spinulosus ' groups), North American, Central American, and African lineages form generally well-supported clades: ((((((((South America) (North America + Central America)) Eurasia) Africa) Eurasia) South America) West Indies) South America). This result confirms and extends prior studies recovering South American Bufo as polyphyletic. The biogeographical results indicate that: (1) The origin of Bufo predates the fragmentation of Gondwana; (2) Central and North American species compose the sister group to a large, 'derived' clade of South American Bufo ; and (3) Eurasian species form the sister group to the New World clade.  © 2006 The Linnean Society of London, Zoological Journal of the Linnean Society , 2006, 146 , 407–452.     

A synopsis of the sawflies (Hymenoptera: Symphyta) of America south of the United States: introduction, Xyelidae, Pamphiliidae, Cimbicidae, Diprionidae, Xiphydriidae, Siricidae, Orussidae, Cephidae

Abstract Eight families of Symphyta for the Western Hemisphere south of the United States are reviewed: Xyelidae (one genus, two species), Pamphiliidae (one genus, four species), Cimbicidae (five genera, nine species), Diprionidae (three genera, thirteen species), Xiphydriidae (four genera, seventeen species), Siricidae (six genera, nine species), Orussidae (five genera, twelve species), and Cephidae (one genus, one species). New taxa are Acantholyda nigrostigmata (Pamphiliidae); Zadiprionfalsus, Neodiprion bicolor, N.equalis, N.omosus (Diprionidae); Derecyrta circularis, Steirocephala lateralba (Xiphydriidae); Sirotremex, S.flammeus (Siricidae); and Ophrynopus depressatus, O.plaumanni (Orussidae). Lopesiana is a new name for Lopesia Conde (Cimbicidae). Three new combinations and six new synonyms are proposed. The Xyelidae, Pamphiliidae, Diprionidae, Siricidae and Cephidae are primarily northern groups with southern extensions into Mexico, Central America and/or Cuba. The Cimbicidae, Xiphydriidae and Orussidae are more generally distributed throughout the neotropics. Keys to families, genera and species are provided.     

Diversification of the arboreal mice of the genus Habromys (Rodentia: Cricetidae: Neotominae) in the Mesoamerican highlands

The arboreal mice of the genus Habromys (Rodentia: Cricetidae: Neotominae) are among the most poorly known Neotropical rodents. We investigated species-level phylogenetic relationships among the seven described Habromys species using 1331 aligned bases from the mitochondrial ND3 and ND4 regions. Sequences were obtained from 30 specimens of the seven known species of Habromys and we performed maximum parsimony, maximum likelihood, and Bayesian probabilities analyses. The monophyly of the genus Habromys within the Neotomines was verified. The northernmost H. simulatus is sister to the remaining species of the group; within the latter, the southernmost clade (Oaxaca to Central America) is sister to the Transmexican Volcanic Belt clade. Four major clades are clearly distinguished: H. simulatus from the Sierra Madre Oriental and the closely associated Sierra Mazateca; H. delicatulus and H. schmidlyi from the Transmexican Volcanic Belt; H. lepturus, H. chinanteco, and H. ixtlani from the northern Oaxacan highlands; and H. lophurus from Nuclear Central America. Within species, the analyses suggest that H. simulatus and H. lophurus are each composed by two different taxa.     

Cacao domestication I: the origin of the cacao cultivated by the Mayas

Criollo cacao (Theobroma cacao ssp. cacao) was cultivated by the Mayas over 1500 years ago. It has been suggested that Criollo cacao originated in Central America and that it evolved independently from the cacao populations in the Amazon basin. Cacao populations from the Amazon basin are included in the second morphogeographic group: Forastero, and assigned to T. cacao ssp. sphaerocarpum. To gain further insight into the origin and genetic basis of Criollo cacao from Central America, RFLP and microsatellite analyses were performed on a sample that avoided mixing pure Criollo individuals with individuals classified as Criollo but which might have been introgressed with Forastero genes. We distinguished these two types of individuals as Ancient and Modern Criollo. In contrast to previous studies, Ancient Criollo individuals formerly classified as 'wild', were found to form a closely related group together with Ancient Criollo individuals from South America. The Ancient Criollo trees were also closer to Colombian-Ecuadorian Forastero individuals than these Colombian-Ecuadorian trees were to other South American Forastero individuals. RFLP and microsatellite analyses revealed a high level of homozygosity and significantly low genetic diversity within the Ancient Criollo group. The results suggest that the Ancient Criollo individuals represent the original Criollo group. The results also implies that this group does not represent a separate subspecies and that it probably originated from a few individuals in South America that may have been spread by man within Central America.     

A review of the moth tribe Palyadini with the description of a new genus (Geometridae: Ennominae)

The tribe Palyadini Guenée is revised at the generic level. It includes about 115 described species, and occurs in tropical America with representatives from Florida to Argentina. There are six genera: Palyas Guenée, Phrygionis Hübner, Pityeja Herrich-Schäffer, Argyrotome Warren, Opisthoxia Hübner, and a new genus Ophthalmoblysis. Ophthalmophora Guenée and Argyroplutodes Warren are treated as junior synonyms of Opisthoxia. Checklists of the species-group names in each genus are included.