Systematics, biogeography and conservation of Lactoridaceae

Lactoridaceae are a monotypic family confined to the Juan Fernandez (= Robinson Crusoe) Islands, Chile, an archipelago four million years old. Interest in the lone species, Lactoris fernandeziana, has increased in recent years due to its suspected role in early angiosperm evolution, as well as its endangered conservation status. Reports of fossil pollen of Lactoris (as Lactoripollenites) from deep sea sediments of Cretaceous age off the western coast of South Africa provide evidence for southern hemisphere occurrence of the family 70–90 million years ago. This age, plus trimerous symmetry and simple morphology of the flower with three tepals, six stamens and three nearly free carpels with laminar placentation, involve the family with hypotheses regarding evolution of early angiosperms, especially paleoherb and monocot divergences. Based on cladistic analyses with morphological and nucleotide data, recommended taxonomic placement of Lactoris is as a monotypic order, Lactoridales, allied most closely to Aristolochiales, and also near Piperales. Approximately 1000 individuals of Lactoris are believed to exist, and genetic variation within and among populations as measured by isozymes and RAPDs is low. This, in part, could be due to the self-compatibility and geitonogamous breeding system of this wind-pollinated species. More efforts at ex situ conservation should be attempted so that this important angiosperm family is maintained for future evolutionary studies.     

Systematics and biogeography of Indo-Pacific ground-doves

Ground-doves represent an insular bird radiation distributed across the Indo-Pacific. The radiation comprises sixteen extant species, two species believed to be extinct and six species known to be extinct. In the present study, we present a molecular phylogeny for all sixteen extant species, based on two mitochondrial markers. We demonstrate that the Gallicolumba as currently circumscribed is not monophyletic and recommend reinstalling the name Alopecoenas for a monophyletic radiation comprising ten extant species, distributed in New Guinea, the Lesser Sundas and Oceania. Gallicolumba remains the name for six species confined to New Guinea the Philippines and Sulawesi. Although our phylogenetic analyses fail to support a single origin for the remaining Gallicolumba species, we suspect that the addition of nuclear sequence data may alter this result. Because a number of ground-dove taxa have gone extinct, it is difficult to assess biogeographical patterns. However, the Alopecoenas clade has clearly colonized many remote oceanic islands rather recently, with several significant water crossings. The Gallicolumba radiation(s), on the other hand, is significantly older and it is possible that diversification within that group may in part have been shaped by plate tectonics and corresponding re-arrangements of land masses within the Philippine and Sulawesi region.     

Mitochondrial and nuclear phylogenies of Cervidae (Mammalia, Ruminantia): Systematics, morphology, and biogeography

The family Cervidae includes 40 species of deer distributed throughout the northern hemisphere, as well as in South America and Southeast Asia. Here, we examine the phylogeny of this family by analyzing two mitochondrial protein-coding genes and two nuclear introns for 25 species of deer representing most of the taxonomic diversity of the family. Our results provide strong support for intergeneric relationships. To reconcile taxonomy and phylogeny, we propose a new classification where the family Cervidae is divided in two subfamilies and five tribes. The subfamily Cervinae is composed of two tribes: the tribe Cervini groups the genera Cervus, Axis, Dama, and Rucervus, with the Père David's deer (Elaphurus davidianus) included in the genus Cervus, and the swamp deer (Cervus duvauceli) placed in the genus Rucervus; the tribe Muntiacini contains Muntiacus and Elaphodus. The subfamily Capreolinae consists of the tribes Capreolini (Capreolus and Hydropotes), Alceini (Alces), and Odocoileini (Rangifer + American genera). Deer endemic to the New World fall in two biogeographic lineages: the first one groups Odocoileus and Mazama americana and is distributed in North, Central, and South America, whereas the second one is composed of South American species only and includes Mazama gouazoubira. This implies that the genus Mazama is not a valid taxon. Molecular dating suggests that the family originated and radiated in central Asia during the Late Miocene, and that Odocoileini dispersed to North America during the Miocene/Pliocene boundary, and underwent an adaptive radiation in South America after their Pliocene dispersal across the Isthmus of Panama. Our phylogenetic inferences show that the evolution of secondary sexual characters (antlers, tusk-like upper canines, and body size) has been strongly influenced by changes in habitat and behaviour.     

Systematics, biogeography, and evolution of the Neotropical peacock basses Cichla (Perciformes: Cichlidae)

To investigate forces influencing diversification in Neotropical fishes, the phylogenetic relationships among species and populations of the cichlid genus Cichla were examined. Mitochondrial DNA was sequenced for 454 individuals of the 5 nominal Cichla species and several putative undescribed species. Phylogenetic analyses support the distinction of two major clades of Cichla. Clade A includes C. temensis and two undescribed species from the lower Amazonas and Xingu Rivers. Clade B includes C. orinocensis, C. monoculus, C. ocellaris. C, intermedia, and an undescribed species from the upper Madeira River. Species boundaries were relatively well-circumscribed for clade B, while incomplete lineage sorting was inferred for clade A. Three probable instances of introgression were observed, including a regional population of C. orinocensis from the Negro River that shows a history of introgression. Biogeographic patterns from Cichla are partially congruent with those seen in several other Neotropical fish clades, and the diversification of Cichla species is inferred to result from both vicariance and sympatric divergence.     

Systematics, cladistics and biogeography of the American genus Farrodes (Ephemeroptera: Leptophlebiidae: Atalophlebiinae)

Cladistic and biogeographic analyses of the genus Farrodes are presented. Two species groups are delineated within Farrodes: F. caribbianus and F. bimaculatus. Three species formerly placed in other genera– Thraulus caribbianus Traver, Thraulus roundsi Traver and Homothraulus maculatus (Needham & Murphy)–are transferred to Farrodes. The species of the F. caribbianus species group are revised. Three new species are described: F. savagei from Venezuela, F. maya and F. mexicanus from Mexico. Keys to separate the two species groups of Farrodes and the species of the F caribbianus species group are provided. Successive cladistic analyses were carried out on both adult and nymphal characters using Hennig86 and CLADOS. The matrix was composed of all available data (nymphal characters were missing for some species), from nymphal and adult stages separately and on taxa represented by both adult and nymphal characters. Species of the genera Simothraulopsis and Homothraulus (components of the Farrodes lineage) were included in the analyses, and Ecuaphkbia was used as the outgroup. Results of the four analyses are compatible. The historical biogeography of Farrodes , with a distribution from nordiern Argentina to southern Texas, is analysed using the program COMPONENT. Areas of endemism are established, and some of their relationships compared with those of other groups available in the literature.     

Systematics and biogeography of the jellyfish Aurelia labiata (Cnidaria: Scyphozoa)

The hypothesis that the common eastern North Pacific Aurelia is A. aurita is falsified with morphological analysis. The name Aurelia labiata is resurrected, and the species is redescribed, to refer to medusae differing from A. aurita by a suite of characters related to a broad and elongated manubrium. Specifically, the oral arms are short, separated by and arising from the base of the fleshy manubrium, and the planulae are brooded upon the manubrium itself, rather than on the oral arms. Aurelia aurita possesses no corresponding enlarged structure. Furthermore, the number of radial canals is typically much greater in A. labiata, and thus the canals often appear more anastomosed than in A. aurita. Finally, most A. labiata medusae possess a 16-scalloped bell margin, whereas the margin is 8-scalloped in most A. aurita. Separation of the two forms has previously been noted on the basis of allozyme and isozyme analyses and on the histology of the neuromuscular system. Partial 18S rDNA sequencing corroborates these findings. Three distinct morphotypes of A. labiata, corresponding to separate marine bioprovinces, have been identified among 17 populations from San Diego, California, to Prince William Sound, Alaska. The long-undisputed species A. limbata may be simply a color morph of A. labiata, or a species within a yet-unelaborated A. labiata species complex. The first known introduction of Aurelia cf. aurita into southern California waters is documented. Although traditional jellyfish taxonomy tends to recognize many species as cosmopolitan or nearly so, these results indicate that coastal species, such as A. labiata, may experience rapid divergence among isolated populations, and that the taxonomy of such species should therefore be scrutinized with special care.     

Systematics and biogeography of the genus Actenodia (Coleoptera: Meloidae: Mylabrini)

Abstract.  The genus Actenodia Laporte de Castelnau (Meloidae: Mylabrini) is revised. It includes 18 species distributed in the Mediterranean and Saharo-Arabian regions, and in eastern and southern Africa; A. carpanetoi sp.n. from Mozambique is described. The bionomics of the genus is summarized, according to a collection of records on phenology, elevation, habitat preference and host plants. A classification of the genus is proposed after a morphological cladistic analysis: one Afrotropical lineage clearly emerged with three distinct groups of species, whereas other taxa, all Palaearctic except A. mirabilis , remained unresolved. The analysis of the nuclear internal transcribed spacer 2 rDNA sequences of some Palaearctic and Afrotropical species supports the distinction of the Afrotropical lineage. The first instar larvae of two species, A. chrysomelina from southern Africa and A. denticulata from Arabia, are described for the first time and compared with two other Palaearctic species described previously; inferences from larval morphology are discussed. The adult morphology of all species is described briefly and illustrated, and a key to the species is provided, as well as locality data. Three new synonymies are proposed: A. extera Dvořák, 1993 syn.n. = A. septempunctata Baudi di Selve, 1878; A. sexpunctata Pic, 1948 syn.n . = A. curtula Fähraeus, 1870 ; A. unimaculata lanzai Kaszab, 1973 syn.n . = A. unimaculata Pic, 1908. The biogeography of the genus is discussed within the framework of a more general analysis of the disjunct distribution models.     

Systematics and cladistics of Megalostomis Chevrolat,and the biogeography of Clytrini (Coleoptera: Cryptocephalinae)

We present a cladistic analysis of the subtribe Megalostomina, a Neotropical group of ‘case‐bearer’ leaf beetles. A comparative study of the external and internal adult morphology of Clytrini was undertaken. New characters are described for the subtribe Megalostomina, from the internal sac of aedeagus, which provide a useful phylogenetic signal. More than 180 photographs illustrating the most important characters (74 characters and their respective states) used in the cladistic analysis are provided. The cladistic analysis of 57 terminal taxa and 95 characters was undertaken, under equal weights, and also using implied weights as a means to down‐weight homoplasious characters. We test the monophyly and explore intergeneric relationships of the subtribe Megalostomina, and reconstruct the relationships among the species of Megalostomis Chevrolat. The 42 species recognized can be assigned either to a group mostly containing species of North and Central America, or to a larger one of mostly South American species. Support is low, and the formal naming of groups is deferred pending a revision of all Megalostomina. We confirm the subgenera of Megalostomis of previous classifications are unnatural, and the following changes in the generic classification of the subtribe Megalostomina are proposed: Coleorozena Moldenke syn.n. of Coscinoptera Lacordaire; Coleothorpa Moldenke syn.n. of Coscinoptera Lacordaire; and Euryscopa (Coleoguerina) Moldenke syn.n. of Coscinoptera Lacordaire. Furthermore, six formerly recognized subgenera of Megalostomis are considered junior synonyms of Megalostomis Chevrolat: Megalostomis (Minturnia) Lacordaire syn.n. ; Megalostomis (Heterostomis) Lacordaire syn.n. ; Megalostomis (Scaphigenia) Lacordaire syn.n. ; Megalostomis (Snellingia) Moldenke syn.n. ; Megalostomis (Coleobyersa) Moldenke syn.n. ; and Megalostomis (Pygidiocarina) Moldenke syn.n. Thus, no subgenera are recognized within Megalostomis. Previous hypotheses on Clytrini biogeography were revisited in the light of new biogeographic and phylogenetic knowledge. We hypothesize an origin of Clytrini in tropical/subtropical Gondwana, when South America, Africa, Madagascar and India were connected. Changes in the configuration of the tectonic plates in the Cenozoic allowed the dispersal of Clytrina to the Palaearctic and Nearctic regions, and dispersion of Babiina and Megalostomina through the Nearctic region.     

Systematics and biogeography of Klasea (Asteraceae–Cardueae) and a synopsis of the genus

Klasea , traditionally treated as a section in Serratula , is now widely accepted at the generic level. A classification of the genus is presented here, accommodating the 46 species in ten sections based on nuclear ribosomal DNA external and internal transcribed spacer sequence data and morphology. New combinations for five species and ten subspecies are published, and a new hybrid species is described. The genus ranges from the Iberian Peninsula and north Africa through southern and eastern Europe, west and central Asia to the Himalayas, and the Far East of Russia and China. The ancestral area is in west Asia, most probably eastern Anatolia and northern and western Iran. In this region, representatives of all sections are present. The largest section Klasea diversified most likely in the mountains of central Asia. A key to all Klasea species is provided.  © 2006 The Linnean Society of London, Botanical Journal of the Linnean Society , 2006, 152 , 435–464.     

Systematics, phylogeny and biogeography of Anterastes (Orthoptera, Tettigoniidae, Tettigoniinae): evolution within a refugium

Çıplak, B. (2004). Systematics, phylogeny and biogeography of Anterastes (Orthoptera, Tettigoniidae, Tettigoniinae): evolution within a refugium. — Zoologica Scripta , 33 , 19–44.
The genus Anterastes , distributed in southeastern Europe and the western part of Anatolia, is revised based on previous materials and numerous specimens collected from new localities. A key to all species is presented. Two new species, A. antitauricus sp. n. and A. ucari sp. n. are described. Anterastes akdaghensis Ramme is placed in synonymy with A. babadaghi Uvarov. Cladistic analysis confirmed the monophyly of Anterastes . The relationships among the species of Anterastes are: A. uludaghensis  + (( A. serbicus  +  A. burri  +  A. antitauricus sp. n.) + ( A. anatolicus  +  A. tolunayi  + ( A. niger  + ( A. babadaghi  +  A. turcicus  +  A. ucari sp. n.)))). The biogeography of the genus shows a correlation with its phylogeny. It is assumed that the genus arose from an ancestral stock in northwestern Anatolia in the Pliocene and the later range of this ancestral population expanded and contracted under the effects of the ice ages (glacial and interglacial periods, respectively). It is postulated that speciation within the genus, suggested by phylogenetic analysis, might have occurred when the range of ancestral populations expanded during glacial periods and contracted in subsequent warm periods. The present species may be the product of relict populations remaining in refugia at higher altitudes with alpine or subalpine vegetation in southern Anatolia.     

Systematics,evolution, and biogeography of the Pliocene stem meline badger Ferinestrix (Carnivora: Mustelidae)

Ferinestrix vorax is an extinct mustelid carnivoran of enigmatic relationships, known from a partial mandible and femur collected from the 3.2‐ and 3.6‐Myr‐old deposits of Hagerman Fossil Beds National Monument, Idaho, USA. Here, we report Ferinestrix rapax sp. nov. based on 80 remains of skull and dentition from a 3.1–3.6‐Myr‐old deposit of Udunga, Transbaikal, Russia. We demonstrate that Ferinestrix is a stem genus of the badger subfamily Melinae. This genus is distinctly larger and more carnivorous than any other total‐clade meline. We show that Ferinestrix originated in Asia and immigrated to North America no later than at the early (Zanclean) to late (Piacenzian) Pliocene transition, and that the North American F. vorax and Asian F. rapax underwent parallel evolution toward increased carnivory. © 2013 The Linnean Society of London, Zoological Journal of the Linnean Society, 2013, 167 , 208–226.     

Systematics, speciation and biogeography of the dwarf chameleons (Brookesia; Reptilia, Squamata, Chamaeleontidae) of northern Madagascar

Brookesia dwarf chameleons, endemic to Madagascar, were surveyed at the following localities in northern Madagascar (north of 16°S): Montagne d'Ambre, Ankarana, Manongarivo, Tsaratanana, Marojejy and Masoala. A total of 15 species occur in this region. Six new species are described and five new synonyms are identified. The genus Brookesia , the most speciose chamaeleontid genus in Madagascar, contains 23 species.
Almost all the northern Brookesia species are restricted to rainforest and occupy a relatively narrow elevational range. Although the northern rainforests represent just one-third of the total rainforest and about 5% of the total island area, 65% of the Brookesia species occur in this region, and 52% are endemic to the northern rainforest. Five new biogeographic regions of the northern rainforest are identified based on centres of Brookesia endemicity: Montagne d'Ambre, Northwest, Tsaratanana, Northeast and East. Speciation is thought to have been facilitated in the north through geographic isolation, with the Tsaratanana mountain range and the dry forests south of Montagne d'Ambre forming barriers to dispersal, and the Tsaratanana mountains acting as a centre of isolation. The fragmented distribution of several Brookesia species of low altitude rainforest suggests a period in Madagascar's history when the climate was wetter and low altitude rainforest much more widespread.     

Systematics of the scimitar babblers (Pomatorhinus: Timaliidae): phylogeny,biogeography, and species‐limits of four species complexes

Monophyly of the scimitar babblers (Pomatorhinus, Xiphirhynchus: Timaliidae), traditionally defined by the characteristic of having long, curved bills, has been questioned by recent molecular phylogenetic results. We examined representatives of all scimitar babbler species complexes, including all distinct lineages of four complexes as well as several potential relatives, and corroborate that Xiphirhynchus and some species of Stachyris group within Pomatorhinus. Pomatorhinus species comprise three separate clades: larger scimitar babblers (Pomatorhinus hypoleucos, Pomatorhinus erythrogenys complexes); orange‐ and coral‐billed scimitar babblers (Pomatorhinus ochraceiceps, Pomatorhinus ferruginosus complexes); and small scimitar babblers (Pomatorhinus schisticeps, Pomatorhinus ruficollis, Pomatorhinus horsfieldii, Pomatorhinus montanus complexes). Additionally, at least two of the traditional species complexes are not monophyletic. Lineages of the ruficollis and schisticeps groups are intertwined, and P. montanus and P. horsfieldi group within the schisticeps complex. Upon revision of four traditional species complexes, P. hypoluecos, P. ferruginosus, P. schisticeps, and P. ruficollis (with 41 subspecies described in total), 27 distinct, independent lineages or phylogenetic species were distinguished. Two contrasting biogeographical patterns are evident in these groups: Sino‐Himalayan areas are either sister to south‐east Asian areas or are embedded within a clade of other Asian areas. The present study demonstrates the need for unraveling the confusion in traditional taxonomy to allow the study of complex biodiversity patterns in tropical Asia. © 2011 The Linnean Society of London, Biological Journal of the Linnean Society, 2011, 102 , 846–869.     

Systematics and biogeography of the Andean genusEriocnemis (Aves: Trochilidae)

Summary With 11 currently recognised species, the genusEriocnemis (Reichenbach, 1849) is one of the most diversified Andean trochilid groups occupying mainly open montane habitats such as the edges of cloud forest or páramos. On the basis of distributional and morphological patterns, this study highlights the geographical variation and biogeography of the taxon. Characteristics common to all these species are the greenish dorsal plumage, the conspicuous and mostly whitish tibial tufts, and a fairly pronounced tail bifurcation. With the help of plumage synapomorphies for a cladistic analysis (PAUP*), several species groups or superspecies can be distinguished: theE. vestitus group (incl.E. vestitus, E. godini, E. nigrivestis), theE. luciani group (incl.E. luciani, E. cupreoventris, E. sapphiropygia), and theE. alinae group (incl.E. alinae, E. mirabilis).E. glaucopoides, E. mosquera, andE. derbyi differ quite widely in morphology and ecological requirements from the other species. Three new subspecies are described,E. vestitus arcosi from southern Ecuador and northern Peru, andE. luciani baptistae from central and southern Ecuador. A previously overlooked specimen ofE. luciani from the Andes of Mérida represents the first species record for Venezuela, about 1100 km northeast of the main population range, and should be recognised taxonomically asE. luciani meridae, subsp. nov., on the basis of its unique plumage morphology and geographical separation. Additionally, the unique type ofE. ventralis (Salvin, 1891) is probably of hybrid origin (E. vestitus × cupreoventris). The genus may have evolved in the northern Andes, subsequently spreading southward and invading the central Andes. Its recent range and phylogenetic patterns indicate vicariance events as the major speciation factor inEriocnemis.In memoriam Dr. Luis F. Baptista (1941–2000)     

Systematics and biogeography of the subantarctic Leptusa (Coleoptera: Staphylinidae: Aleocharinae: Homalotini)

Leptusa atriceps and L. antarctica, flightess representatives of the nearly global genus Leptusa in the remote and widely distributed subantarctic islands, are taxonomically revised. Identity and the widely disjunct distribution of L. atriceps on Falkland, South Georgia, Marion, Crozet and Kerguelen Islands are confirmed. Leptusa antarctica is found to be a complex of five species restricted to the subantarctic islands of New Zealand. Two of these species, L. sparsepunctata and L. nesiotes are here reinstated from synonymy and two others, Leptusa insulae sp. nov. and Leptusa steeli sp. nov., are described as new to science. The monophyly of subantarctic Leptusa species united in the subgenus Halmaeusa was determined by a phylogenetic study of five exemplar homalotine genera and 17 representatives of Leptusa from South America and the Holarctic based on 76 adult morphological characters. Phylogenetic placement of Halmaeusa was not firmly established. Nanoglossa, a temperate South American subgenus of Leptusa was found as a possible sister group to Halmaeusa. The distribution of Halmaeusa species with two to four species that occur sympatrically on Campbell and Auckland Islands, and other species distributed across several remote islands, provides a framework for future biogeographic study of the subantarctic Leptusa.

http://www.zoobank.org/urn:lsid:zoobank.org:act:82509B9D-4BF6-47E1-B6F7-396ED193A0FA; http://www.zoobank.org/urn:lsid:zoobank.org:act:40A3D6FC-27FF-4070-88CA-1B519ABE760A