Phylogeny and the fossil record of the Helophoridae reveal Jurassic origin of extant hydrophiloid lineages (Coleoptera: Polyphaga)

We performed a phylogenetic analysis focused on the hydrophiloid family Helophoridae (Coleoptera: Polyphaga) in order to test the phylogenetic position of selected Mesozoic fossils assigned to the Hydrophiloidea. The analysis is based on 92 characters of larvae and adults, and includes all extant subgenera of Helophorus and representatives of all other extant hydrophiloid families. Based on this analysis, we provide additional evidence for the monophyly of the helophorid lineage containing the families Helophoridae, Georissidae and Epimetopidae, as well as the first hypothesis on the phylogenetic relationships within Helophorus, revealing three main clades: Lihelophorus, Rhopalohelophorus and the clade of sculptured small subgenera; the subgenera Helophorus s.str., Gephelophorus, Trichohelophorus and Transithelophorus are recognized as paraphyletic or polyphyletic. Inclusion of fossil species in the analysis reveals the Mesozoic genera Hydrophilopsia Ponomarenko, Laetopsia Fiká?ek et al. (adult forms) and Cretotaenia Ponomarenko (larval form) as basal extinct clades of the helophorid lineage, the former genus Mesosperchus Ponomarenko as containing probable stem taxa of Helophorus and the former genus Mesohelophorus Ponomarenko as a member of the Helophorus clade containing extant sculptured subgenera. The extant subgenus Thaumhelophorus syn.nov. is synonymized with Rhopalohelophorus. Our results show that the family Helophoridae may be dated back to the late Jurassic (c. 150 Ma) and the extant clades of Helophorus back to the Early Cretaceous (c. 136 Ma). The basal groups of Helophorus and the supposed basal extinct lineages of the helophorid lineages are shown to be aquatic as adults. A single origin of trichobothria and ventral hydrophobic pubescence in the common ancestor of the Hydrophiloidea is hypothesized, indicating ancestral aquatic habits in the adult stage for the whole Hydrophiloidea.     

Biogeography of the Monimiaceae (Laurales): a role for East Gondwana and long‐distance dispersal,but not West Gondwana

Aim The biogeography of the tropical plant family Monimiaceae has long been thought to reflect the break‐up of West and East Gondwana, followed by limited transoceanic dispersal. Location Southern Hemisphere, with fossils in East and West Gondwana. Methods We use phylogenetic analysis of DNA sequences from 67 of the c. 200 species, representing 26 of the 28 genera of Monimiaceae, and a Bayesian relaxed clock model with fossil prior constraints to estimate species relationships and divergence times. Likelihood optimization is used to infer switches between biogeographical regions on the highest likelihood tree. Results Peumus from Chile, Monimia from the Mascarenes and Palmeria from eastern Australia/New Guinea form a clade that is sister to all other Monimiaceae. The next‐deepest split is between the Sri Lankan Hortonia and the remaining genera. The African Monimiaceae, Xymalos monospora, then forms the sister clade to a polytomy of five clades: (I) Mollinedia and allies from South America; (II) Tambourissa and allies from Madagascar and the Mascarenes; (III) Hedycarya, Kibariopsis and Leviera from New Zealand, New Caledonia and Australia; (IV) Wilkiea, Kibara, Kairoa; and (V) Steganthera and allies, all from tropical Australasia. Main conclusions Tree topology, fossils, inferred divergence times and ances‐tral area reconstruction fit with the break‐up of East Gondwana having left a still discernible signature consisting of sister clades in Chile and Australia. There is no support for previous hypotheses that the break‐up of West Gondwana (Africa/South America) explains disjunctions in the Monimiaceae. The South American Mollinedia clade is only 28–16 Myr old, and appears to have arrived via trans‐Pacific dispersal from Australasia. The clade apparently spread in southern South America prior to the Andean orogeny, fitting with its first‐diverging lineage (Hennecartia) having a southern‐temperate range. The crown ages of the other major clades (II–V) range from 20 to 29 Ma, implying over‐water dispersal between Australia, New Caledonia, New Zealand, and across the Indian Ocean to Madagascar and the Mascarenes. The endemic genus Monimia on the Mascarenes provides an interesting example of an island lineage being much older than the islands on which it presently occurs.     

Higher‐level phylogenetic affinities of the Neotropical genus Mastigodryas Amaral, 1934 (Serpentes: Colubridae), species‐group definition and description of a new genus for Mastigodryas bifossatus

Most Neotropical colubrid snakes belong to a single, well‐supported lineage. Relationships between the major constituents of this clade remain. Here, we explore the phylogenetic relationships of Mastigodryas and its affinities to other Neotropical colubrid genera by combining DNA and morphological data. Analyses demonstrate that the concatenation of multiple individuals into a single terminal can mask the detection of new taxa. Further, non‐random missing data and/or taxa in some empirical datasets can bias species tree analyses more than concatenation approaches. Our results place Mastigodryas in a strongly supported clade that includes Drymarchon, Rhinobothryum, Drymoluber, Simophis and Leptodrymus. Mastigodryas bifossatus is more closely related to species of Drymoluber and Simophis than to its congeners. Thus, we erect a new genus to accommodate it and recover a monophyletic Mastigodryas. We highlight the importance of the use of morphological characters to diagnose suprageneric clades by showing that some key external and hemipenial characteristics are phylogenetically informative.     

Multiple colonization of Madagascar and Socotra by colubrid snakes: evidence from nuclear and mitochondrial gene phylogenies

Colubrid snakes form a speciose group of unclarified phylogeny. Their almost cosmopolitan distribution could be interpreted as a product of plate-tectonic vicariance. We used sequences of the nuclear c-mos, the mitochondrial cytochrome b and the 16S rRNA genes in 41 taxa to elucidate the relationships between the endemic colubrid genera found in Madagascar and in the Socotra archipelago. The well-resolved trees indicate multiple origins of both the Malagasy and the Socotran taxa. The Malagasy genus Mimophis was nested within the Psammophiinae, and the Socotran Hemerophis was closely related to Old World representatives of the former genus Coluber. The remaining 14 genera of Malagasy colubrids formed a monophyletic sister group of the Socotran Ditypophis (together forming the Pseudoxyrhophiinae). Molecular-clock estimates place the divergence of Malagasy and Socotran colubrids from their non-insular sister groups into a time-frame between the Eocene and Miocene. Over-seas rafting is the most likely hypothesis for the origin of at least the Malagasy taxa. The discovery of a large monophyletic clade of colubrids endemic to Madagascar indicates a need for taxonomic changes. The relationship of this radiation to the Socotran Ditypophis highlights the potential of the Indian Ocean islands to act as an evolutionary reservoir for lineages that have become extinct in Africa and Asia.     

Out-of-Africa again: A phylogenetic hypothesis of the genus Charaxes (Lepidoptera: Nymphalidae) based on five gene regions

Despite the long popularity of Charaxes among collectors and researchers, their evolutionary history is largely unknown. The current and accepted species groupings and relationships within the genus are based exclusively on adult morphology and life histories. Here, we examine the monophyly and evolutionary affinities of the species-groups within the genus Charaxes and explore how they relate to members of their closest genera (Euxanthe, Polyura and Palla) using 4167 bp of sequence data from five (1 mitochondrial and 4 nuclear) gene regions. Within the proposed phylogenetic framework, we estimate ages of divergence within the genus and also reconstruct their historical biogeography. We included representatives of all known species-groups in Africa and Asia, all known species of Euxanthe and Palla and two exemplar species of Polyura. We found the genus Charaxes to be a paraphyletic group with regard to the genera Polyura and Euxanthe, contrary to the earlier assumption of monophyly. We found that 13 out of 16 morphologically defined species-groups with more than one species were strongly supported monophyletic clades. Charaxes nichetes is the sister group to all the other Charaxes. Polyura grouped with the Zoolina and Pleione species-groups as a well-supported clade, and Euxanthe grouped with the Lycurgus species-group. Our results indicated that the common ancestor of Charaxes diverged from the common ancestor of Palla in the mid Eocene (45 million years ago) in (Central) Africa and began diversifying to its extant members 15 million years later. Most of the major diversifications within the genus occurred between the late Oligocene and Miocene when the global climates were putatively undergoing drastic fluctuations. A considerable number of extant species diverged from sister species during the Pliocene. A dispersal–vicariance analysis suggests that many dispersal rather than vicariance events resulted in the distribution of the extant species. The genus Polyura and the Indo-Australian Charaxes are most likely the results of three independent colonizations of Asia by African Charaxes in the Miocene. We synonymize the genera Polyura (syn. nov.) and Euxanthe (syn. nov.) with Charaxes, with the currently circumscribed Charaxes subdivided into five subgenera to reflect its phylogeny.     

PHYLOGENY OF THE EUGLENALES BASED UPON COMBINED SSU AND LSU RDNA SEQUENCE COMPARISONS AND DESCRIPTION OF DISCOPLASTIS GEN. NOV. (EUGLENOPHYTA)1

A Bayesian analysis, utilizing a combined data set developed from the small subunit (SSU) and large subunit (LSU) rDNA gene sequences, was used to resolve relationships and clarify generic boundaries among 84 strains of plastid‐containing euglenophytes representing 11 genera. The analysis produced a tree with three major clades: a Phacus and Lepocinlis clade, a Discoplastis clade, and a Euglena, Colacium, Trachelomonas, Strombomonas, Monomorphina, and Cryptoglena clade. The majority of the species in the genus Euglena formed a well‐supported clade, but two species formed a separate clade near the base of the tree. A new genus, Discoplastis, was erected to accommodate these taxa, thus making the genus Euglena monophyletic. The analysis also supported the monophyly of Colacium, Trachelomonas, Strombomonas, Monomorphina, and Cryptoglena, which formed two subclades sister to the Euglena clade. Colacium, Trachelomonas, and Strombomonas, all of which produce copious amounts of mucilage to form loricas or mucilaginous stalks, formed a well‐supported lineage. Our analysis supported retaining Strombomonas and Trachelomonas as separate genera. Monomorphina and Cryptoglena formed two well‐supported clades that were sister to the Colacium, Trachelomonas, and Strombomonas clade. Phacus and Lepocinclis, both of which have numerous small discoid chloroplasts without pyrenoids and lack peristaltic euglenoid movement (metaboly), formed a well‐supported monophyletic lineage that was sister to the larger Euglena through Cryptoglena containing clade. This study demonstrated that increased taxon sampling, multiple genes, and combined data sets provided increased support for internal nodes on the euglenoid phylogenetic tree and resolved relationships among the major genera in the photosynthetic euglenoid lineage.     

Craniid brachiopods: aspects of clade structure and distribution reflect continental drift (Brachiopoda: Craniiformea)

We present maximum likelihood and Bayesian inference relative time‐tree analyses of aligned gene sequences from a worldwide collection of craniiform brachiopods belonging to two genera, Novocrania and Neoancistrocrania. Sequences were obtained from one mitochondrial and three nuclear‐encoded ribosomal RNA genes from varying numbers of specimens. Data‐exploration by network (splits) analyses indicates that each gene identifies the same divergent clades and (with one minor exception) the same inter‐clade relationships. Neoancistrocrania specimens were found only in the Pacific Ocean, near Japan, on the Norfolk and Chesterfield Ridges, and near the Solomon Islands. The Novocrania clades, in approximate order of increasing distance from the root comprise 1. a ‘Northern’ clade of animals collected in the NE. Atlantic, W. Mediterranean and Adriatic; 2. a ‘Tethyan’ clade comprising animals from the E. Mediterranean, Cape Verde islands and the Caribbean (Belize and Jamaica); 3. a ‘NE. Pacific’ clade containing animals from Vancouver Island and from localities near Japan and south of Taiwan; 4. a ‘Southern’ clade that contains two widely separated subclades, one from New Zealand and the other with an extraordinarily wide distribution, ranging from near Japan in the north to the Chesterfield Ridge and Solomon Islands in the West, and in the East to the Galapagos Islands, the coast of South America (Chile) and Richardson seamount (off South Africa) in the South Atlantic. To the South, members of this clade were found in the Weddell, Scotia and Bellinghausen Antarctic Seas. The root of the extant craniid radiation was previously found (by relaxed‐clock analysis) to lie on the branch connecting the two genera so that, in effect, the one clade of Neoancistrocrania serves to polarise evolutionary relationships within the several clades of Novocrania. As previously suggested, all results confirm that Neoancistrocrania is sister to the ‘Northern’ Novocrania clade, and this leads to a proposal that Neoancistrocrania represents one extreme of a wide range of variation in ancestral ventral valve mineralisation, speciation (～90 Ma) resulting from competitive exclusion in rapidly‐growing reef environments. To the extent possible, the identified molecular clades are correlated with named species of Novocrania. The reproductive and population biology of craniid brachiopods is not well known, but from available evidence they are considered to have low‐dispersal potential and, except in enclosed localities such as cold‐water fjords, to have small effective population sizes, features which are consistent with the observed divergent populations in well‐separated localities. Exceptionally slow craniid molecular (rDNA) evolution is suggested by the short branch of Novocrania where it has been used as an outgroup for large‐scale analyses of metazoans. Slow molecular evolution is also indicated by the existence of a distinct Tethyan clade, reflecting restricted dispersal at former times, and by the uniform, short, genetic distances and exceptionally wide geographical distribution of the Southern clade. Thus, the geographical distribution and phylogenetic divergence of craniid brachiopods is an example of phylotectonics, in which relationships revealed by phylogenetic analyses reflect opportunities for dispersal and settlement that were created by tectonic plate movements associated, in this case, with opening and closure of Tethys and the breakup of Gondwana. Molecular dating of craniid divergences and radiochemical dating of tectonic events thus illuminate one another. © 2014 The Linnean Society of London     

Molecular phylogeny of the Forcipulatacea (Asteroidea: Echinodermata): systematics and biogeography

We present a comprehensively sampled three‐gene phylogeny of the monophyletic Forcipulatacea, one of three major lineages within the crown‐group Asteroidea. We present substantially more Southern Hemisphere and deep‐sea taxa than were sampled in previous molecular studies of this group. Morphologically distinct groups, such as the Brisingida and the Zoroasteridae, are upheld as monophyletic. Brisingida is supported as the derived sister group to the Asteriidae (restricted), rather than as a basal taxon. The Asteriidae is paraphyletic, and is broken up into the Stichasteridae and four primary asteriid clades: (1) a highly diverse boreal clade, containing members from the Arctic and sub‐Arctic in the Northern Hemisphere; (2) the genus Sclerasterias; (3) and (4) two sister clades that contain asteriids from the Antarctic and pantropical regions. The Stichasteridae, which was regarded as a synonym of the Asteriidae, is resurrected by our results, and represents the most diverse Southern Hemisphere forcipulatacean clade (although two deep‐sea stichasterid genera occur in the Northern Hemisphere). The Labidiasteridae is artificial, and should be synonymized into the Heliasteridae. The Pedicellasteridae is paraphyletic, with three separate clades containing pedicellasterid taxa emerging among the basal Forcipulatacea. Fossils and timing estimates from species‐level phylogeographic studies are consistent with prior phylogenetic hypotheses for the Forcipulatacea, suggesting diversification of basal taxa in the early Mesozoic, with some evidence for more widely distributed ranges from Cretacous taxa. Our analysis suggests a hypothesis of an older fauna present in the Antarctic during the Eocene, which was succeeded by a modern Antarctic fauna that is represented by the recently derived Antarctic Asteriidae and other forcipulatacean lineages. © 2011 The Linnean Society of London, Zoological Journal of the Linnean Society, 2011, 162 , 646–660.     

An immunological assessment of the phylogenetic position of New World coral snakes

The New World coral snakes (micrurines), genera Micrurus and Micruroides have recently been seen as derived from a lineage of South American colubrids, rather than from a common lineage with Old World elapids and sea snakes as traditionally accepted. We compared serum albumins of representative coral snakes, Old World elapids, sea snakes, and neotropical colubrids immunologically. Phylogenetic analysis of the biochemical data unambiguously allies the micrurines with the family Elapidae as it is currently understood. Using the albumin molecular clock calibration derived from other terrestrial vertebrates. we suggest a late Oligocene-early Miocene separation between the New and Old World elapid lineages. This requires a movement of elapid stocks from Asia into North America, and supporting evidence for this model is derived from several paleontological sources. We suggest that a number of extant micrurine lineages have had long independent histories.     

Generic relationships among the baccate-fruited Amaryllidaceae (tribe Haemantheae) inferred from plastid and nuclear non-coding DNA sequences

Using sequences from the plastid trnL-F region and nrDNA ITS, we investigated the phylogeny of the fleshy-fruited African tribe Haemantheae of the Amaryllidaceae across 19 species representing all genera of the tribe. ITS and a combined matrix produce the most resolute and well-supported tree with parsimony analysis. Two main clades are resolved, one comprising the monophyletic rhizomatous genera Clivia and Cryptostephanus, and a larger clade that unites Haemanthus and Scadoxus as sister genera to an Apodolirion/Gethyllis subclade. One of four included Gethyllis species, G. lanuginosa, resolves as sister to Apodolirion with ITS. Relationships among the Clivia species are not in agreement with a previous published phylogeny. Biogeographic analysis using the divergence/vicariance method roots the tribe in Eastern South Africa, with several subsequent dispersals to the winter rainfall Western Cape region. Chromosomal change from an ancestral 2n=22 (characteristic of Clivia) is associated with each main clade. Reduction in number has occurred in all but Cryptostephanus, which has 2n=24 chromosomes. Increasing the sampling across all of the species in the tribe will allow a more detailed understanding of the biogeographic patterns inherent in the parsimony topology, which undoubtedly reflect Quaternary climatic changes in Southern Africa.     

A combined morphological and molecular phylogeny of the genus Chironius Fitzinger, 1826 (Serpentes: Colubridae)

Chironius is one of the most speciose genera of the South American colubrid snakes. Although the genus represents a well‐known radiation of diurnal racers, its monophyly, affinities with other Neotropical colubrid genera, and intrageneric relationships are open questions. Here, we present a phylogenetic analysis of Chironius based on a data matrix that combines one nuclear (c‐mos) and two mitochondrial (12S and 16S rRNA) genes with 37 morphological characters derived from scutellation, skull, and hemipenial features. Phylogenetic relationships were inferred using maximum parsimony (MP) and maximum likelihood (ML). Our combined morphological and molecular analyses strongly support the monophyly of the genus Chironius and its sister‐group relationship with a clade formed by the genera Dendrophidion and Drymobius. Phylogenetic relationships within the genus Chironius is still controversial, although five clades are retrieved with medium to strong support. © 2014 The Linnean Society of London     

Fossil grebes from the Truckee Formation (Miocene) of Nevada and a new phylogenetic analysis of Podicipediformes (Aves)

Podicipediformes is a cosmopolitan clade of foot‐propelled diving birds that, despite inhabiting marine and lacustrine environments, have a poor fossil record. In this contribution, we describe three new grebe fossils from the diatomite beds of the Late Miocene Truckee Formation (10.2 ± 0.2 Ma) of Nevada (USA). Two postcranial skeletons and an associated set of wing elements indicate that at least two distinct grebe species occupied the large, shallow Lake Truckee during the Miocene. Phylogenetic analysis of morphological data supports a basal divergence between a clade uniting the dabchicks (Tachybaptus, Limnodytes, Poliocephalus) and a clade uniting Podilymbus, Rollandia, Podiceps and Aechmophorus. Missing data, combined with a paucity of informative skeletal characters, make it difficult to place the Truckee grebes within either of these major clades. Given the weak projection of the cnemial crests compared with extant grebes, it also remains plausible that these specimens represent stem lineage grebes. Although more material is needed to resolve the phylogenetic position of the Truckee grebes, our analysis offers insight into the tempo of grebe evolution by placing the Miocene taxon Thiornis sociata within the dabchick clade. Thiornis sociata provides a minimum age calibration of 8.7 Ma for the basal divergence among dabchicks. Based on the recovery of a nonmonophyletic Tachybaptus and placement of the Western Hemisphere ‘Tachybaptus’ dominicus as the basal member of the otherwise exclusively Eastern Hemisphere dabchick clade, we resurrect the genus Limnodytes for this extant species (Limnodytes dominicus). Our results also nest the large, long‐necked Aechmophorus grebes within the genus Podiceps, as the sister taxon to Podiceps major.     

Molecular systematics and evolutionary history of catenotaeniid cestodes (Cyclophyllidea)

Phylogenetic relationships, evolutionary history and systematics of tapeworms of the family Catenotaeniidae were studied using nucleotide sequences of the partial 28S nuclear rDNA (ca. 1,500 bp) and mitochondrial 12S–16S DNA (ca. 820 bp) genes. The tapeworm material consists of 29 species, including type species of the genera Catenotaenia Janicki, 1904, Catenotaenioides Haukisalmi, Hardman and Henttonen, 2010, Pseudocatenotaenia Tenora, Mas‐Coma, Murai and Feliu, 1980, Skrjabinotaenia Akhumyan, 1946, Meggittina Lynsdale, 1953, and Hemicatenotaenia Tenora, 1977. The basal phylogenetic structure of the Catenotaeniidae remains unresolved, but it is shown that most of the catenotaeniids in Eurasia and Africa comprise a large clade represented by species of Catenotaenia, Catenotaenioides, Skrjabinotaenia and Meggittina, parasitizing murid, cricetid, nesomyid and sciurid rodents. The results suggest that the divergence and early radiation of this clade have occurred in murid rodents (represented by Apodemus spp. and Mus musculus in the present material) in western Eurasia, followed by colonization of Africa, most likely independently of the colonization of their murid hosts between these continents. There is very little evidence of cophylogeny between hosts and parasites, suggesting that host transfers have played a major role in the divergence of catenotaeniids. In Africa, catenotaeniids have radiated in other murid and nesomyid rodents, and later colonized Madagascar and recolonized Eurasia. The results also show that the subfamily Skrjabinotaeniinae (including Skrjabinotaenia and Meggittina) is monophyletic, but the Catenotaeniinae (including Catenotaenia, Catenotaenioides, Pseudocatenotaenia and Hemicatenotaenia) is clearly non‐monophyletic. In addition, the genera Catenotaenia and Skrjabinotaenia were both found to be non‐monophyletic. Based on the phylogenetic and morphological evidence, several taxonomical changes, mainly new combinations, are proposed. Overall, the present results suggest that the family Catenotaeniidae is in need of major systematic revision.     

Evolutionary Relationships Among Old World Fruitbats (Megachiroptera: Pteropodidae) Based on 12S rRNA, tRNA Valine, and 16S rRNA Gene Sequences

Old World fruitbats were divided into the cynopterine, epomophorine, rousettine, eonycterine, and notopterine sections by Knud Andersen (1912). Among these, the eonycterine and notopterine sections together comprise the subfamily Macroglossinae, which includes forms with specializations for nectarivory. Single-copy DNA hybridization data argue against the monophyly of four of Andersen's sections and further suggest paraphyly or polyphyly of the Macroglossinae. DNA hybridization data provide support for an endemic African clade that includes Megaloglossus (an eonycterine), Epomophorus (an epomophorine), and Lissonycteris (a rousettine). Analyses of mitochondrial 12S rRNA-tRNA valine gene sequences corroborate the African clade but provide less resolution than hybridization data for most branches on the pteropodid tree. Here, we report 11 new 16S rRNA sequences and analyze a mitochondrial data set that includes 12S rRNA, tRNA valine, and 16S rRNA for 18 pteropodid genera. Parsimony, minimum evolution, and maximum likelihood were all employed in phylogenetic analyses. The addition of 16S rRNA sequences to the mitochondrial data set resulted in increased support for several clades, including Macroglossus + Syconycteris, Cynopterus + Thoopterus, Rousettus + the endemic African clade, and Eonycteris + Rousettus + the endemic African clade. Statistical tests suggest that another endemic African genus, Eidolon, is dissociated from the African clade and represents an independent invasion into Africa. We constructed a molecular phylogenetic framework that incorporated clades that were strongly supported by both single-copy DNA hybridization and 12S rRNA-tRNA valine-16S rRNA sequences. Using this framework as a backbone phylogenetic constraint, we then analyzed a morphological data matrix for 34 pteropodid genera with parsimony. Results of this analysis suggest that other epomophorines and Myonycteris (a cynopterine) are also part of the endemic African clade.     

Rethinking the evolution of extant sub‐Saharan African suids (Suidae,Artiodactyla)

Gongora, J., Cuddahee, R. E., do Nascimento, F. F., Palgrave, C. J., Lowden, S., Ho, S. Y. W., Simond, D., Damayanti, C. S., White, D. J., Tay, W. T., Randi, E., Klingel, H., Rodrigues‐Zarate, C. J., Allen, K., Moran, C. & Larson, G. (2011). Rethinking the evolution of extant sub‐Saharan African suids (Suidae, Artiodactyla). —Zoologica Scripta, 40, 327–335. Although African suids have been of scientific interest for over two centuries, their origin, evolution, phylogeography and phylogenetic relationships remain contentious. There has been a long‐running debate concerning the evolution of pigs and hogs (Suidae), particularly regarding the phylogenetic relationships among extant Eurasian and African species of the subfamily Suinae. To investigate these issues, we analysed the mitochondrial and nuclear DNA sequences of extant genera of Suidae from Eurasia and Africa. Molecular phylogenetic analyses revealed that all extant sub‐Saharan African genera form a monophyletic clade separate from Eurasian suid genera, contradicting previous attempts to resolve the Suidae phylogeny. Two major sub‐Saharan African clades were identified, with Hylochoerus and Phacochoerus grouping together as a sister clade to Potamochoerus. In addition, we find that the ancestors of extant African suids may have evolved separately from the ancestors of modern day Sus and Porcula in Eurasia before they colonised Africa. Our results provide a revision of the intergeneric relationships within the family Suidae.     

Trans‐Atlantic,trans‐Pacific and trans‐Indian Ocean dispersal in the small Gondwanan Laurales family Hernandiaceae

Aim To investigate the historical biogeography of the pantropical flowering plant family Hernandiaceae (Laurales), which today comprises 62 species in five genera. Location Hernandiaceae occur in Africa (9 species), Madagascar (4), the Neotropics (25), Australia (3), southern China, Indochina, Malesia, and on numerous Pacific Islands (32). These numbers include two widespread species, Hernandia nymphaeifolia, which ranges from East Africa to the Ogasawara Islands and New Caledonia, and Gyrocarpus americanus, thought to have a pantropical range. Methods We sampled 37 species from all genera, the widespread ones with multiple accessions, for a chloroplast DNA matrix of 2210 aligned nucleotides, and used maximum likelihood to infer species relationships. Divergence time estimation relied on an uncorrelated‐rates relaxed molecular clock calibrated with outgroup fossils of Lauraceae and Monimiaceae. Results The deepest split in the family is between a predominantly African–Madagascan–Malesian lineage comprising Hazomalania, Hernandia and Illigera, and an African–Neotropical lineage comprising Gyrocarpus and Sparattanthelium; this split may be 122 (110–134) Myr old. The stem lineages of the five genera date back at least to the Palaeocene, but six splits associated with transoceanic range disjunctions date only to the Oligocene and Miocene, implying long‐distance dispersal. It is inferred that Hernandia beninensis reached the West African islands of São Tomé and Bioko from the West Indies or the Guianas; Hernandia dispersed across the Pacific; and Illigera madagascariensis reached Madagascar from across the Indian Ocean. Main conclusions The disjunct ranges and divergence times of sister clades in the Hernandiaceae are partly congruent with the break‐up of West Gondwana, but mostly with later transoceanic dispersal. An exceptional ability to establish following prolonged oceanic dispersal may be largely responsible for the evolutionary persistence of this small clade.     

Molecular phylogeny of the lionfish genera Dendrochirus and Pterois (Scorpaenidae, Pteroinae) based on mitochondrial DNA sequences

This study investigates the molecular phylogeny of seven lionfishes of the genera Dendrochirus and Pterois. MP, ML, and NJ phylogenetic analysis based on 964 bp of partial mitochondrial DNA sequences (cytochrome b and 16S rDNA) revealed two main clades: (1) “Pterois” clade (Pterois miles and Pterois volitans), and (2) “Pteropterus–Dendrochirus” clade (remainder of the sampled species). The position of Dendrochirus brachypterus either basal to the main clades or in the “Pteropterus–Dendrochirus” clade cannot be resolved. However, the molecular phylogeny did not support the current separation of the genera Pterois and Dendrochirus. The siblings P. miles and P. volitans are clearly separated and our results support the proposed allopatric or parapatric distribution in the Indian and Pacific Ocean. However, the present analysis cannot reveal if P. miles and P. volitans are separate species or two populations of a single species, because the observed separation in different clades can be either explained by speciation or lineage sorting. Molecular clock estimates for the siblings P. miles and P. volitans suggest a divergence time of 2.4–8.3 mya, which coincide with geological events that created vicariance between populations of the Indian and Pacific Ocean.     

A molecular phylogeny and generic rearrangement of the stapelioid Ceropegieae (Apocynaceae-Asclepiadoideae)

 Representatives of nearly all genera of the taxon-rich stem-succulent stapeliads and most of the few related, leafy genera were analyzed. Sequence data from two non-coding molecular markers (ITS region of nrDNA and trnT-L and trnL-F spacers as well as the trnL intron of cpDNA) support the traditional tribal affiliation of the genera, which form a monophyletic group. This monophylum breaks into a basal Neoschumannia/Anisotoma/Riocreuxia/Sisyranthus nk;clade, from which the core Ceropegieae are derived. The four Ceropegia species included are not monophyletic, and their relationship to Brachystelma changes depending on the marker studied. The stem succulent taxa fall in a number of well supported, but unresolved clades, the most prominent being the predominantly southern African clade comprising Orbea, Stapelia and some other genera. The most derived taxa of NE Africa, Duvaliandra and White-sloanea, are basal to this southern African clade. The other clades comprise the more basal genera of stem-succulent stapeliads, including the members of the Caralluma complex. Of the 17 genera accepted by Plowes for the Caralluma complex, seven are recognized: Caralluma, Apteranthes, Australluma, Boucerosia, Caudanthera, Desmidorchis and Monolluma. New combinations are proposed in 15 cases; Caralluma adscendens var. geniculata is raised to specific rank. Anomalluma is reinstated, and Pseudolithos mccoyi is transfered to it. A broadened concept for Orbea (incl. Angolluma and Orbeopsis) is recognized, but Orbeanthus is kept separate. The monotypic Ballyanthus, recently separated from Orbea, is nested within Duvalia. Piaranthus (incl. Huerniopsis) is monophyletic. The bitypic Notechidnopsis is reduced to the type species, N. tessellata, while N. columnaris is transferred to a new genus, Richtersveldia. Received February 25, 2002; accepted June 17, 2002 Published online: November 7, 2002 Address of the authors: Dr. Ulrich Meve (e-mail: ulrich.meve@uni-bayreuth.de) and Prof. Dr. Sigrid Liede (e-mail: sigrid.liede@uni-bayreuth.de), Universit?t Bayreuth, Lehrstuhl für Pflanzensystematik, Universit?tsstrasse 30, D-95440 Bayreuth, Germany.