New species of Leptohyphidae (Insecta: Ephemeroptera) from Colombia with evidence of reproductive time segregation

Numbers of described families, genera, and species (as well as estimations of existing species) are given for all taxa which represent the Arachnida and Myriapoda world-wide and in Amazonia.     

Diversity and biogeographical relationships of the Australian cestode fauna

The Australian cestode fauna remains poorly documented with a total of 342 species recorded to date. The best-studied host groups are the elasmobranchs and the marsupials, but even in these groups, only 32 and 25% of known host species, respectively, have been examined for parasites. Overall, cestodes have been reported from only 5% of the known vertebrate species. Representatives of virtually all cestode orders and most of the cyclophyllidean families have been recorded from Australia. In spite of these deficiencies, some biogeographical patterns are discernible. In the elasmobranchs, a significant proportion of the known cestodes is endemic while other associations exist with eastern Pacific and Indo-west Pacific faunas. Also identifiable is a group of cosmopolitan species. The nematotaeniids of amphibians suggest Gondwanan affiliations, while the known proteocephalideans, parasitic in reptiles and amphibians, may represent an Asian invasion. Associations of the avian cestodes represent an unexplored but potentially rewarding avenue of biogeographical study. The cestodes of mammals include families with a Gondwanan distribution (Linstowiidae, Hymenolepididae) as well as those (Anoplocephalidae) with an apparent origin in southeast Asia. In addition, a number of genera of cyclophyllidean cestodes (Anoplotaenia, Dasyurotaenia) occurring in marsupials represent biogeographical challenges, not being accommodated within any of the known cestode families. The Australian cestode fauna therefore provides potentially outstanding opportunities for studies of the biogeographical relationships of a number of cestode groups.     

Phylogenetic affiliations of members of the heterogeneous lichen-forming fungi of the genus Lecidea sensu Zahlbruckner (Lecanoromycetes, Ascomycota)

The genus Lecidea Ach. sensu lato (sensu Zahlbruckner) includes almost 1200 species, out of which only 100 species represent Lecidea sensu stricto (sensu Hertel). The systematic position of the remaining species is mostly unsettled but anticipated to represent several unrelated lineages within Lecanoromycetes. This study attempts to elucidate the phylogenetic placement of members of this heterogeneous group of lichen-forming fungi and to improve the classification and phylogeny of Lecanoromycetes. Twenty-five taxa of Lecidea sensu lato and 22 putatively allied species were studied in a broad selection of 268 taxa, representing 48 families of Lecanoromycetes. Six loci, including four ribosomal and two protein-coding genes for 315- and 209-OTU datasets were subjected to maximum likelihood and Bayesian analyses. The resulting well supported phylogenetic relationships within Lecanoromycetes are in agreement with published phylogenies, but the addition of new taxa revealed putative rearrangements of several families (e.g. Catillariaceae, Lecanoraceae, Lecideaceae, Megalariaceae, Pilocarpaceae and Ramalinaceae). As expected, species of Lecidea sensu lato and putatively related taxa are scattered within Lecanoromycetidae and beyond, with several species nested in Lecanoraceae and Pilocarpaceae and others placed outside currently recognized families in Lecanorales and orders in Lecanoromycetidae. The phylogenetic affiliations of Schaereria and Strangospora are outside Lecanoromycetidae, probably with Ostropomycetidae. All species referred to as Lecidea sensu stricto based on morphology (including the type species, Lecidea fuscoatra [L.] Ach.) form, with Porpidia species, a monophyletic group with high posterior probability outside Lecanorales, Peltigerales and Teloschistales, in Lecanoromycetidae, supporting the recognition of order Lecideales Vain. in this subclass. The genus name Lecidea must be redefined to apply only to Lecidea sensu stricto and to include at least some members of the genus Porpidia. Based on morphological and chemical similarities, as well as the phylogenetic relationship of Lecidea pullata sister to Frutidella caesioatra, the new combination Frutidella pullata is proposed here.     

New species and distribution records of Clavulina (Cantharellales, Basidiomycota) from the Guiana Shield

Two new species of Clavulina Schroet. (Clavulinaceae, Cantharellales, Basidiomycota) and new distribution records for Clavulina amazonensis Corner and Clavulina sprucei (Berk.) Corner are described from the Pakaraima Mountains of Guyana, in the central Guiana Shield region. These fungi occur in rainforests dominated by ectomycorrhizal (ECM) trees of the leguminous genus Dicymbe (Fabaceae subfam. Caesalpinioideae). Macromorphological, micromorphological and habitat data are provided for each species. Nuclear ribosomal DNA sequences of the internal transcribed spacer region and 28S subunit were obtained for new species and from representative collections of C. amazonensis and C. sprucei. The two new species, Clavulina kunmudlutsa sp. nov. and Clavulina tepurumenga sp. nov., constitute important edible fungi for the Patamona Amerindians. Our specimens of C. sprucei represent the first reports of the species since 1853 as well as a range extension of nearly 1500 km, while sequence data from basidiomata as well as ECM roots suggest that this taxon consists of a cryptic species complex.     

四川大学江安校区鸟类调查

2007年9月～2008年8月,采用样线法对位于四川省成都市双流县四川大学江安校区的鸟类进行了调查,共记录到鸟类74种,其中留鸟占44.6%,冬候鸟占20.3%,夏候鸟占18.9%,旅鸟占14.9%;家麻雀、普通鸬鹚等2种为成都市区的鸟类新纪录;国家二级保护动物有长耳鸮、普通鵟2种;省级重点保护动物有小、普通鸬鹚、苍鹭等10种;白头鹎、红头长尾山雀、白颊噪鹛、树麻雀等4种为江安校区鸟类优势种,小白鹭、珠颈斑鸠、家鸽、家燕等12种为常见种.对不同生境的鸟类种类进行分析发现,植被受人为干扰较少的待建荒地的鸟类多样性指数最高,人工绿化带如草坪、灌丛、树林等次之,建筑区的鸟类多样性指数最低.     

The rise of yeast population genomics

Genome sequences of multiple individuals are essential to determine the forces shaping sequence variation as well as to understand the relationship between genotype and phenotype. Because of their wide ecological, geographical and genetic diversity, yeast species represent an ideal model system for population genomics. Recently, there has been a renewed interest in characterizing the genetic diversity within yeast species such as Saccharomyces cerevisiae and Saccharomyces paradoxus. Here, we review recent progress in the exploration of the intraspecific diversity using large collections of yeast isolates. These recent large-scale polymorphism surveys have increased our understanding of the population structures as well as the evolutionary history of the species. In addition, these resources represent a powerful framework for dissecting the relationship between genotype and phenotype.     

Speciation history of the North American funnel web spiders, Agelenopsis (Araneae: Agelenidae): phylogenetic inferences at the population-species interface

Intra- and interspecific relationships of 12 out of 13 described species as well as a potential new species in the spider genus Agelenopsis (Araneae: Agelenidae) were analyzed using sequence data from two mitochondrial genes, cytochrome oxidase I (COI) and 16S ribosomal RNA. Approximately half of the species examined formed well-supported monophyletic groups, whereas the rest of the species were part of well-supported monophyletic species groups. Rather than viewing cases where species were not identified as being monophyletic as poor taxonomy, these cases more likely represent recent speciation and offer insights into the process of speciation. The clade with the lowest levels of interspecific sequence divergence was found in eastern North America, whereas western species displayed much higher levels of interspecific divergence. These patterns appear to extend below the species level as well, with southwestern species exhibiting the highest levels of intraspecific sequence divergence and geographic structuring. The relationship between Agelenopsis and Barronopsis, a genus once considered a sub-genus of Agelenopsis, was also examined. The two genera are reciprocally monophyletic but more generic level sampling is needed to confirm an apparent sister relationship between the two.     

What's in a name: the taxonomic status of human head and body lice

Human head lice (Anoplura: Pediculidae: Pediculus) are pandemic, parasitizing countless school children worldwide due to the evolution of insecticide resistance, and human body (clothing) lice are responsible for the deaths of millions as a result of vectoring several deadly bacterial pathogens. Despite the obvious impact these lice have had on their human hosts, it is unclear whether head and body lice represent two morphological forms of a single species or two distinct species. To assess the taxonomic status of head and body lice, we provide a synthesis of publicly available molecular data in GenBank, and we compare phylogenetic and population genetic methods using the most diverse geographic and molecular sampling presently available. Our analyses find reticulated networks, gene flow, and a lack of reciprocal monophyly, all of which indicate that head and body lice do not represent genetically distinct evolutionary units. Based on these findings, as well as inconsistencies of morphological, behavioral, and ecological variability between head and body lice, we contend that no known species concept would recognize these louse morphotypes as separate species. We recommend recognizing head and body lice as morphotypes of a single species, Pediculus humanus, until compelling new data and analyses (preferably analyses of fast evolving nuclear markers in a coalescent framework) indicate otherwise.     

Phylogenies of the Frigatebirds (Fregatidae) and Tropicbirds (Phaethonidae), two divergent groups of the traditional order Pelecaniformes, inferred from mitochondrial DNA sequences

The frigatebirds (Fregatidae) and Tropicbirds (Phaethonidae) represent the most morphologically and behaviorally distinct members of the traditional Order Pelecaniformes. Using 1756bp of mitochondrial DNA sequence consisting of the 12S, ATPase-6, ATPase-8, and COI genes obtained from all extant species, we derive a completely resolved phylogeny for both groups. The inferred relationships among these species are robust to the method of phylogenetic estimation used, and all branches are well supported, in spite of the relatively recent radiation within the frigatebirds. The two families are not closely related either to each other, or to any other putative relatives (e.g., pelicans; Pelecanidae).     

Indicator species of broad-leaved oak forests in the eastern Iberian Peninsula

The degraded state, scattered distribution and substrate type of Quercus pyrenaica forests in eastern Spain make them a subject of particular interest, as well as a priority for conservation efforts. An extension of Dufrêne and Legendre's indicator value (IndVal) analysis was applied to one hundred relevés. This extension of the IndVal method allowed us, by considering the preference of species for combinations of relevé groups, to obtain those species that represent local, but also regional, characteristics (as a new practical use). Our objective was to identify the species that best indicate the main ecological features of these broad-leaved oak forests. The usefulness of our analysis was evidenced at two levels: local indicator species, showing the characteristic species of individual sites and including the presence of endemics in the area; and indicator species of combinations of two or more sites, reflecting the affinities or relationships between these scattered forests.Most singular forests showed a higher number of local indicator species. The indicator species of each site combination represent the main ecological traits shared by these groups – such as proximity to the coast, land uses or postglacial migration pathways – thereby defining their relationships. Indicator value analysis with site group combinations (Multipatt function) proved to be a useful tool for the identification of different species that could serve both to determine the local forest conservation status and aid in its preservation, as well as contributing to an understanding of the life history of larger territories.     

Molecular phylogenetics, karyotypic diversity, and partition of the genus Myotis (Chiroptera: Vespertilionidae)

Nucleotide sequences of the mitochondrial cytochrome b gene are reported from bats of the genus Myotis including species of the endemic southern African subgenus Cistugo, Myotis (Cistugo) sebrai and Myotis (Cistugo) lesueuri. We also examined Myotis annectans from Southeast Asia, and Myotis macropus from Australia. The two species of Cistugo and Myotis annectans represent the only species of Myotis to differ in chromosome number from the common 2n=44 found in >40 species. Our results show that the two species of Cistugo are more divergent from the other species of Myotis than several other well-recognized genera and we recommend elevating Cistugo to full generic rank. Myotis annectans groups well within Myotis, clustering with other Southeast Asian and Japanese species, and thus represents the only species of Myotis known to have diverged from the common 2n=44 karyotype. Myotis macropus clusters within a clade that includes Southeast Asian species.     

Yeasts associated with the New Zealand

New Zealand honeydew beech forests are the only natural ecosystem where large quantities of above-ground labile carbon are added year-round. Microbes can potentially play an important role in the flux of nutrients through food webs; because of their potential for specialisation to sugar-rich niches we tested for the presence of yeasts in the honeydew system. We found at least two abundant species (Hanseniaspora osmophila and Candida railenensis), as well as two species (Zygosaccharomyces cidri and Z. rouxii) likely present at lower frequencies. Only Candida railenensis is known to be associated with Nothofagus, but the other species are associated with fruits and winemaking/fermentation. These other species found in honeydew may be indigenous, but it is also possible that they represent microbial examples of invasive species and consequently add to the considerable list of human-introduced species that have invaded New Zealand?s ecosystem.     

Phylogenetic Relationships of Five Species of the Amphipod Genus Gammarus

The phylogenetic relationships of five amphipod species of the genus Gummarus: G. oceanicus, G. locusta, G. salinus, G. zaddachi and G. duebeni are presented based on starch gel electrophoresis of 12 enzymes determined by 17 loci. The five species separate into three groups: G. locusta and G. duebeni each represent a distinct group while G. oceanicus, G. salinus and G. zaddachi together form a third group. This grouping results when the number of diagnostic loci, as well as when genetic distance between species pairs, are considered. The results compare well with morphological and, to some extent, ecological data.     

New insights into and limitations of the molecular phylogeny in the taxon-rich land snail genus Montenegrina (Mollusca: Gastropoda: Clausiliidae)

Rock-dwelling gastropods are usually patchily distributed in limestone habitats, presumably have low active and passive dispersal ability and often represent narrow-ranged endemic taxa. Their current taxonomy is predominantly shell morphology based, and it remains unknown whether the morphologically differentiated and geographically separated populations represent phylogenetic clades. In this study, we analysed the hyperdiverse, terrestrial door snail genus Montenegrina. Based on the current taxonomy defined by shell morphology, it contains 29 species and 106 subspecies distributed in the Balkan region. The constructed phylogenetic tree using three mitochondrial markers was used to test whether it agrees with the current taxonomy. In this comprehensive tree, about half of the species and subspecies are monophyletic. Some of the paraphylies could be reasonably resolved by taxonomic changes; that is, some subspecies should be reassigned or raised to species level. Other incongruencies probably arose due to introgression even between distant clades. The histone genes turned out to be unsuitable for elucidating the phylogeny of Montenegrina. In the species-delimitation tests, considerably more molecular operational taxonomic units were delimited than the number of presently described species. The present data indicate that (a) shell morphology-based taxonomy and taxon recognition can be problematic in such a large and morphologically highly variable genus; (b) the potential error due to incomplete sampling presents a problem in a genus as variable as Montenegrina; (c) multi-locus analyses should be conducted to arrive at a better basis for species delimitation; and (d) integrative approaches including genetic as well as morphological/anatomical data from a comprehensive geographic sample are necessary.     

Biotechnological advances in the diagnosis of avian coccidiosis and the analysis of genetic variation in Eimeria

Coccidiosis is an intestinal disease of chickens caused by various species of protozoan parasites within the genus Eimeria. This disease has a major economic impact to growers and to the poultry industry world-wide. The diagnosis and genetic characterization of the different species of Eimeria are central to the prevention, surveillance and control of coccidiosis, particularly now given the major problems with wide-spread resistance of Eimeria species against anticoccidial drugs (coccidiostats) and the residue problems associated with these compounds. While traditional methods have had major limitations in the specific diagnosis of coccidiosis, there have been significant advances in the development of molecular-diagnostic tools. The present article provides a background on coccidiosis, reviews the main molecular methods which have been used and describes recent advances in the establishment of polymerase chain reaction (PCR)-coupled electrophoretic approaches for the specific diagnosis of coccidiosis as well as the genetic characterization of species of Eimeria. These biotechnological advances are considered to represent a significant step toward the improved prevention and control of this important disease of poultry.     

Representing species in reserves from patterns of assemblage diversity

Aim A positive relationship between assemblage diversity (AD) – equivalent to the biotic version of the environment diversity, ED, method – and species diversity has been reported. This being true, reserve networks with many different assemblages would be expected to represent more species than reserve networks including fewer and less different assemblages. This idea was tested using European species atlas distributions of terrestrial vertebrates and plants. It is asked whether: (1) maximizing AD within one group would represent species diversity of this group better than expected by chance; and (2) maximizing AD within one group would represent species diversity of other groups better than expected by chance. Location Europe. Methods Three ordination techniques (non‐metric multidimensional scaling, detrended correspondence analysis and correspondence analysis) are used to summarize patterns of compositional turnover within assemblages. p‐Median location‐allocation models are then calculated from ordination space to measure the degree of expected species representation within the group being sampled as well as the expected representation within other groups. Results are compared with near‐optimal solutions obtained with complementarity‐based algorithms and to a null model obtained by simulating selection of areas at random. Matrix correlation analysis was also performed to investigate broad patterns of covariation in compositional turnover of assemblages of species belonging to different taxonomic groups and these values were compared with correlation in species richness scores between groups. Results The AD model did not always represent more species of the group being sampled than expected by chance (P < 0.05). Results were independent of the method and taxonomic group considered. Effectiveness of AD within one group to represent species of other groups varied, but in most cases it was worse than using complementarity‐based algorithms as a surrogate strategy. Even when correlations indicated high coincidence between assemblages, taxonomic‐based surrogates did not always recover more species than expected by chance (P < 0.05). Main conclusions Results are discussed in the light of two possible explanations: (1) the AD model is based on unrealistic assumptions, namely that species have equal probability of having the centre of their distributions anywhere in ordination space and that species display unimodal, symmetrical, bell‐shaped response curves to gradients; (2) particular implementation of methods may be inadequate to summarize useful complementarity among assemblages, especially for restricted‐range species. We conclude that both arguments are likely to play a role in explaining results, but that opportunities exist to improve performance of existing surrogate strategies.     

Correspondence Analysis of species by environmental variable matrices

Abstract. Correspondence Analysis of species by environmental variables matrices is a relatively simple method for handling matrices which include many species and variables. If columns represent species and rows represent the states in which the environmental variables have been divided, each element of the matrix shows the number of releves in which the simultaneous occurrence of that species and that environmental variable state have been recorded. In this paper the use of the method for presence-absence data is considered. The method is appropriate for studies whose main purpose is to look for broad correlations between groups of environmental variables and groups of species. It is particularly useful for handling heterogeneous data sets including rare species and species-poor releves, a situation in which Correspondence Analysis and Canonical Correspondence Analysis are frequently complicated by the production of axes explaining the relationship between rare species and species-poor releves. Examples are presented with artificial data as well as with real data collected in the Mexican portion of the Chihuahuan Desert (Bolsón de Mapimi). It is shown for the Mapimi data that the method is robust to the partition of variables into different numbers of states.     

Conservation status of the two cryptic species of Hamatocaulis vernicosus (Bryophyta) in Sweden

Cryptic species are rarer than their combined, morphologically recognisable species. Each cryptic species may have its own habitat requirements and distribution, and each should be considered separately in biodiversity conservation. This investigation explores how well the two cryptic species of the wetland moss Hamatocaulis vernicosus (Mitt.) Hedenäs s.l., included in Annex II of the EU Habitat Directive, are safeguarded in existing protected sites in Sweden. Further, the northern distribution limit of the southern of the two cryptic species is explored. The distributions of the two cryptic species and their intraspecific variation are judged by the nuclear ITS1?+?2 and the two chloroplast markers rpl16 and trnL-trnF for a set of 89 specimens. The genetic differences between the two cryptic species are significant, but there are no differences between the protected and non-protected subsets within the respective species. The protected areas therefore represent these two species’ genetic variation well. The populations of both cryptic species appear stable, according to their genetic signals. One of the two cryptic species occurs almost throughout Sweden, whereas the other occurs only to the south of the southern limit of the southern boreal zone, except for two finds slightly further north in climatically mild areas.     

Molecular evidence for the interspecific relationships in Paeonia sect. Moutan: PCR-RFLP and sequence analysis of glycerol-3-phosphate acyltransferase (GPAT) gene

A portion (the big intron between exon 5 and 6, ca. 2 kb) of glycerol-3-phosphate acyltransferase (GPAT) gene of 15 wild tree peony accessions collected from 15 populations, which represent all the eight wild species in sect. Moutan, was analyzed using PCR-RFLP technique, and this portion of nine accessions, which represent also all the eight wild species, was sequenced for a better understanding of the interspecific relationships in this section. A reduced-median (RM) network of sect. Moutan was constructed with Network 3.0 computer program using the PCR-RFLP data obtained from the digestion experiments of 12 selected restriction enzymes. Both maximum parsimony (MP) and neighbor-joining (NJ) trees of sect. Moutan were constructed with PAUP*4.0 program using the sequences newly obtained in this study and from GenBank. As a result, a well resolved and highly supported gene tree of sect. Moutan (by bootstrap values) was obtained. The tree is basically in accordance with that constructed from morphological data. The phylogenetic relationships among species in sect. Moutan are discussed in detail.