Phylogenetic reconsideration of Myrmekiaphila systematics with a description of the new trapdoor spider species Myrmekiaphila tigris (Araneae, Mygalomorphae, Cyrtaucheniidae, Euctenizinae) from Auburn, Alabama

The trapdoor spider genus Myrmekiaphila currently comprises 11 nominal species. A recent molecular phylogenetic evaluation of the group identified a number of problems with respect to how species and species groups were delineated by Bond and Platnick in their 2007 taxonomic revision of the genus. We report herein the discovery of a new species, Myrmekiaphila tigrissp. n. The phylogenetic position of the species is evaluated using a molecular phylogenetic approach based on a set of mtDNA markers. Our preferred phylogenetic hypothesis supports the recognition of a new species and further highlights the need to more carefully investigate species boundaries within the genus. These results further indicate that palpal bulb morphology is rapidly evolving and has likely been a contributing factor in rendering a number of species paraphyletic with respect to the molecular data.     

Molecular ecology, speciation, and evolution of the reef fish genus Anisotremus

Grunts (family Haemulidae) in the genus Anisotremus comprise 10 described species which occur predominantly on coral reefs and subtropical rocky reefs in the Neotropics of the Tropical Eastern Pacific the Caribbean and adjacent waters. In this study, the phylogenetic relationships for all described species were examined based on one mitochondrial gene (cytochrome b) and one nuclear marker (the first intron of the ribosomal protein S7). Closely related species of the genus Haemulon and the single representative of the genus Genyatremus, G. luteus were also included in the analysis, following the suggestion, based on morphological data, that they may be closely related to, or possibly placed within, Anisotremus. Two sweetlips, genus Plectorhinchus, which belong to the recognized sister subfamily Plectorhynchinae, were used as outgroups. Two species pairs in the ingroup genus Anisotremus are geminate species, which presumably diverged after the rise of the Isthmus of Panama, thus providing an internal molecular clock calibration. This allowed for a comprehensive evolutionary scenario for the genus. Our data were consistent with two independent allopatric speciation events (geminate species), and one likely sympatric speciation event. Our data were also consistent with the placement of Genyatremus and Haemulon within the genus Anisotremus, thus breaking its monophyletic status. As proposed for other coral reef species, Anisotremus seems to have colonized coral reefs from non-coral reef habitats. In addition, ancestral species seem to have been widespread, since species that are currently found in Brazilian and Pacific waters are basal on the phylogenetic tree. Finally, this study adds to the hypothesis of a secondary evolutionary center in the New World.     

Lobatiriccardia yunnanensis,sp. nov. (Metzgeriales,Aneuraceae) from Yunnan,China

Abstract

The genus Lobatiriccardia Furuki is reported as new to China, from the Dulong River valley, Gaoligong Shan range, Yunnan Province and this material is described as a new species endemic to China, Lobatiriccardia yunnanensis Furuki & D.G. Long, the fifth known species in the genus. The differences between the new species and the other members of the genus are enumerated, along with a key to all known species of Lobatiriccardia.     

Checklist of the species of the aseptate gregarine families Aikinetocystidae,Diplocystidae, Allantocystidae,Schaudinnellidae, Ganymedidae,and Enterocystidae

The genera and species in six families of the eugregarine suborder Aseptatorina Chakravarty, 1960, are reviewed and the presently accepted ones are listed: Aikinetocystidae Bhatia, 1930 (two genera and two species); Diplocystidae Bhatia, 1930 (one genus and eight species); Allantocystidae tocystidae Bhatia, 1930 (one genus and one species); Schaudinnellidae Poche, 1913 (one genus and one species); Ganymedidae Huxley, 1910 (one genus and one species); and Enterocystidae Codreanu, 1940 (one genus and eight species). A list of 22 synonyms and lapsi calami is also given. Species which might be of value in the biological control of disease vectors are indicated.     

Morphometric study of the genus Panstrongylus Berg, 1879 (Hemiptera, Reduviidae, Triatominae)

The subfamily Triatominae is actually represented by 137 species distributed among 6 tribes and 19 genera. Within this subfamily, the genus Panstrongylus, Berg 1879, is composed by 13 species widespread in sylvatic, peridomestic, and domestic habitats of Neotropical regions. These species are vectors of Chagas disease and consequently are found associated with its main hosts, such as birds and mammals. Interest in species of this genus has been increasing in the last few years. Reports of several authors indicate these Triatominae to invade and colonize houses, increasing their epidemiological significance. Morphometry was used in this study to investigate correlations among possible closely related species. We measured 224 specimens among 13 species through a set of metric variables of the head. The results indicated that the genus Panstrongylus seems to be homogeneous since 10 of the 14 species were shown to be closely related.     

Five new species of Triotemnus (Coleoptera, Curculionidae, Scolytinae) from Morocco and Yemen

Fivenew species of the genus Triotemnus from Morocco and Yemen are described. Triotemnus is a new genus of Scolytinae for the Yemen region. External morphology of the new species and all morphologically related species of the genus were studied. While the new species from Morocco are morphologically similar to the known species from the corresponding region, all three newly described species from Yemen, mainly two of them living in Socotra, are morphologically very different from all other known species of the genus. Geographical distribution and the probability of endemicity are discussed.     

Extreme gender flexibility: using a phylogenetic framework to infer the evolution of variation in sex allocation, phylogeography, and speciation in a genus of bidirectional sex changing fishes(Lythrypnus, Gobiidae)

The genus Lythrypnus is a group of marine gobies that exhibit extreme gender flexibility as bidirectional sex changers. The genus consists of 20 described species and several undescribed species that are distributed in the Americas. Five species have been characterized with respect to sex allocation and gonad morphology. The hormonal, morphological, and behavioral aspects of sex change have been studied extensively for one species, L. dalli. These data, however, have not been interpreted in an evolutionary context because a phylogenetic hypothesis has not previously been proposed for the genus Lythrypnus. We propose the first phylogenetic hypothesis for the genus based on molecular data from three mitochondrial genes (12s, ND2, and Cytb), one nuclear gene (Rag1) and one nuclear intron (S7). We also include three previously undescribed Lythrypnus species. Our results support the monophyly of the genus with L. heterochroma, an Atlantic species, as the basal taxon. After the divergence of L. heterochroma, there are two main clades, one comprised of species distributed in the Atlantic, the other comprised of species distributed in the Pacific. These data indicate an Atlantic origin for the genus, followed by divergence after the closure of the Isthmus of Panama. Our data also support the monophyly of three previously described species complexes, the L. rhizophora complex and L. dalli complex in the Pacific, and the L. mowbrayi complex in the Atlantic. We mapped patterns of sex allocation within this genus onto the fully resolved and supported topology, and found that sexual plasticity and gender flexibility is likely a synapomorphy for the genus. Overall our results create a well-supported framework to understand the phylogeography of the genus, and to interpret the evolution of sex allocation in Lythrypnus gobies.     

The genus Amphiporus Ehrenberg (Nemertea, Enopla, Monostiliferoidea)

The literature relating to the 145 nemertean species at one time or another included in the monostiliferoidean genus Amphiporus Ehrenberg, 1831 is reviewed. Because the designated type species, A. albicans , must be declared a nomen dubium , the status of the genus itself becomes uncertain. The 33 species which, at least in part, have previously been transferred to other genera are tabulated and the taxonomic status of the remaining forms is re-evaluated. Most are identified as nomina nuda, nomina dubia, species inquirendae or synonymous with other taxa, but one species, A. bimaculatus , is transferred to the genus Nipponnemertes .     

New Dalyelliidae (Platyhelminthes, Rhabditophora) from Buenos Aires Province, Argentina, and their stylet ultrastructure

Two new species of Dalyellidae, Dalyellia callvucurai n. sp. and Gieysztoria namuncurai n. sp., are described from temporary freshwater environments in central Buenos Aires Province, Argentina. The ultrastructure of the stylets of both species is also described. The new species of the genus Dalyellia is the second species of the genus found in the neotropics and the first whose stylet has been studied with scanning electron microscopy. Gieysztoria namuncurai n. sp. joins the seven species of the genus known in Argentina. The ultrastructural characteristics of the stylet place it in the Inaequales group, with complex stylets.     

污网蝽属记述及一新种描述(半翅目,网蝽科)

补充头刺、后胸臭腺和生殖节等特征后重新定义了东洋区特有属-污网蝽属,并确认该属单质.记述中国污网蝽属昆虫3种,其中狄氏污网蝽Ildefonsus distanti为新种,窄污网蝽Ildefonsus nexus Drake et Ruhoff为中国新纪录种.文中给出了污网蝽属名录及种类检索表.新种的模式标本保存于南开大学昆虫标本室.     

Phylogeny and zoogeography of three new species of the genus Hexabathynella (Crustacea, Malacostraca, Bathynellacea) from North America

Three new species of the genus Hexabathynella , H. otayana sp. n., H. hessleri sp. n. and H. muliebris sp. n., from North America are described. A comparison with previous studies results in the reevaluation of characters already known and the discovery of new constitutive characters. The distal spine of the mandibular spine row is regarded as a synapomorphy of the three new species and two previously known species, H. knoepffleri , H. minuta , which constitute a monophyletic group within the genus, the knoepffleri-group. The phylogenetic relationships between the five species are depicted with a cladogram. The setation on the uropodal exopod is shown to be not only a new unique character for the genus, but also a significant one in classifying its species. The presence of the ancestor species of the genus before the Triassic and dispersal during Mesozoic continental drift are assumed to explain the transatlantic occurrence of the knoepffleri-group and the distribution pattern of the other species.     

New species and records of Charisius Champion from Mexico and Central America (Coleoptera,Tenebrionidae, Alleculinae)

The species of the genus Charisius Champion, from Mexico and Central America are reviewed. The flightless genus Narses Champion, with one included species, N. subalatus Champion, is placed in synonymy with the genus Charisius. Four new species are described and illustrated, C. granulatus and C. punctatus (from Guatemala) and C. apterus and C. howdenorum (from Mexico). Charisius subalatus (Champion) is redescribed and illustrated. The species C. interstitialis Champion is placed in synonymy with C. zunilensis Champion. The genus is redescribed to include the four new species and N. subalatus. New distributional records are presented for all other species of the genus and a revised key is presented for identification of all the species of the genus.     

中国扁足瓢蜡蝉属订正及一新种记述(英文)

对瓢蜡蝉科Issidae扁足瓢蜡蝉属Neodurium Fennah进行了订正。记述中国扁足瓢蜡蝉属4种,包括1新种,钩扁足瓢蜡蝉Neodurium hamatum sp.nov.,提供了形态及雌雄性外生殖器等特征图。制作了本属分布于中国的7个种的分种检索表。钩扁足瓢蜡蝉,新种N.hamatum sp.nov.(图1~24)新种与Neodurium postfasciatum Fennah相近似,其区别主要在于:前翅有爪缝,但端部较模糊,肛节端部不弯曲,阳茎具1对钩状突起。新种模式标本保存在西北农林科技大学昆虫博物馆。正模♂,云南勐仑,2009-07-23,张磊采。副模1♀,云南勐仑,2009-07-12,张磊采。词源:新种种名据其阳茎具钩状突起而定名。     

Phylogenetic structure of the genera Flexibacter,Flexithrix, and Microscilla deduced from 16S rRNA sequence analysis

The 16S rDNA sequences of 40 strains of 17 species in the genus Flexibacter, 5 strains of 4 species in the genus Microscilla, and 1 strain of Flexithrix dorotheae, including all type strains of approved and validated species in these genera, were determined to reveal their phylogenetic relationships. The 16S rRNA sequence analysis demonstrated the extreme heterogeneity of the genera Flexibacter and Microscilla. The strains examined diverged into 24 distinct lines of descent (1 group included both flexibacteria and flexithrix, and 1 group included both flexibacteria and microscilla) that were remote from each other at the genus level or higher. Flexibacter strains were scattered across the cytophaga-flavobacteria-bacteroides phylum and divided into 20 phylogenetic groups, and the genus Microscilla was separated into 5 groups. Flexibacter flexilis, the type species of the genus Flexibacter, and Microscilla marina, the type species of the genus Microscilla, were isolated from other organisms in their respective genera. This means that each genus should be restricted to only the type species. Flexithrix dorotheae, the type species of the genus Flexithrix, clustered with Flexibacter aggregans. The heterogeneity was found not only within genera but also within species. Flexibacter aggregans, Flexibacter aurantiacus, Flexibacter flexilis, Flexibacter roseolus, Flexibacter tractuosus, and "Microscilla sericea" each contained phylogenetically distant strains. The taxonomic concept of the genera Flexibacter, Flexithrix, and Microscilla should be reorganized in accordance with the natural relationships revealed in this study.     

Discovery of the genus Meggoleus Townes, 1971 (Hymenoptera, Ichneumonidae, Tersilochinae) in Peru, with the description of two new species

The genus Meggoleus Townes, 1971 (Ichneumonidae, Tersilochinae) currently comprises two species, one from Brazil and one from Gabon. The genus is recorded from Peru for the first time, with a range extension of the type species, Meggoleus spirator Townes, 1971, and the discovery of two new species - Meggoleus fuscatussp. n. and Meggoleus pampahermosensissp. n. A key to the world's species is provided.     

A revision of the genus Camptocercus (Anomopoda, Chydoridae, Aloninae)

The genus Camptocercus is revised. Camptocercus streletskayae sp. n. is described from East Siberia. The status of other species is discussed on the basis of a standard set of morphological features, including the structure of the cephalic region, the post-abdomen and post-abdominal claw, the dorsal keel, denticles at the ventro-posterior angle of valve, and setae on the inner distal lobe of limb I. Geographical distribution of species of this genus is discussed. A key to the species of this genus is composed. This revised version was published online in July 2006 with corrections to the Cover Date.     

A new species of Halacarsantia Wolff, 1989 (Crustacea, Isopoda, Asellota, Santiidae) from Wistari Reef, southern Great Barrier Reef, Australia

Halacarsantia acutasp. n. is described from Wistari Reef, Capricorn Group, southern Great Barrier Reef, the first record of the genus from Australia. The new species differs from its congeners in having antenna flagellum composed of 8 articles; epipod apically acute, without setae, broad maxilliped endite and pereopod 1 basis with a short projection. A key to species of the genus is provided.     

Revision of the genus Phloeoditica Schedl - with description of two new genera and two new species in Phloeosinini (Coleoptera, Curculionidae, Scolytinae)

The genus Phloeoditica Schedl currently includes four species from Southeast Asia. These species vary substantially in important morphological characters and indicate the existence of multiple genera for these species. A revision based on morphological and in part molecular data resulted in the transfer of Phloeoditica setosa to Pseudoxylechinus the erection of a new genus Asiophilus for Phloeoditica phloeosinoides and a new species Asiophilus macropunctatus from Vietnam. Another new genus with affinities to Phloeoditica is described based on the new species Microditica uniseriata from Thailand. The new genera are included in a revised key to the tribe Phloeosinini.     

New evolutionary lineages, unexpected diversity, and host specificity in the parabasalid genus Tetratrichomonas

We studied morphological and molecular polymorphism of 53 Tetratrichomonas isolates obtained from amphibian, reptilian, mammalian hosts, and from a slug with the aid of protargol staining and analyses of ITS1-5.8S rRNA-ITS2, SSU rRNA, and alpha-tubulin gene sequences. The phylogenetic tree based on the concatenate of all sequences showed the monophyly of the genus Tetratrichomonas with respect to the genus Trichomonas. Our data suggest that two parabasalid genera, Pentatrichomonoides and Trichomonoides, may belong to the genus Tetratrichomonas. Tetratrichomonas isolates were divided into 16 robust host-specific and monophyletic groups that probably represent separate, mostly new, species. As only five Tetratrichomonas species were described from the examined host taxa so far, our study uncovered considerable species diversity within the genus. The wide host range, high level of species-specific host specificity, and newly revealed biodiversity make the genus Tetratrichomonas a valuable model for studying evolution of parasites.