Phylogenetic relationships among six vetigastropod subgroups (Mollusca, Gastropoda) based on 18S rDNA sequences

Complete 18S rDNA sequences were determined for 10 vetigastropods in order to investigate the phylogeny of Vetigastropoda, which is controversial. These sequences were analyzed together with published sequences for nine other vetigastropods and two nerites. With the two nerites as outgroups, the phylogeny was inferred by three analytical methods, neighbor-joining, maximum likelihood, and maximum parsimony. The 18S rDNA sequence data support the monophyly of four vetigastropod superfamilies, the Pleurotomarioidea, the Fissurelloidea, the Haliotoidea, and the Trochoidea. The present results yield the new branching order: (Pleurotomarioidea (Fissurelloidea ((Scissurelloidea, Lepetodriloidea) (Haliotoidea, Trochoidea)))) within the vetigastropod clade.     

Mitogenomics of Vetigastropoda: insights into the evolution of pallial symmetry

The nucleotide sequences of the complete or nearly complete mitochondrial (mt) genomes of seven vetigastropods were determined: Angaria neglecta (Angarioidea), Phasianella solida (Phasianelloidea), Granata lyrata (Seguenzioidea), Tegula lividomaculata and Bolma rugosa (Trochoidea), Diodora graeca (Fissurelloidea) and Lepetodrilus schrolli (Lepetodriloidea). While the mt genomes of the superfamilies Angarioidea, Phasianelloidea, Seguenzioidea and Trochoidea conform generally to the ancestral gene order of Vetigastropoda and Gastropoda, those of the superfamilies Fissurelloidea and Lepetodriloidea have suffered important rearrangements. The gene order of the mtDNA of Chrysomallon squamiferum, a representative of Neomphalina, was also analysed since it has been proposed to be closely related to Vetigastropoda, and showed a distinct arrangement. The reconstructed phylogenies recovered Neomphalina as a distinct gastropod lineage that is the sister group (only with moderate bootstrap support) of a clade including Vetigastropoda and Neritimorpha + Caeno‐gastropoda while the relative position of Heterobranchia and Patellogastropoda in the gastropod tree could not be determined definitively due to their long branches. Within the monophyletic Vetigastropoda, the superfamily Fissurelloidea was recovered as the sister group of two lineages, one including Lepetodriloidea as the sister group of Seguenzioidea + Halitoidea, the other including Phasianelloidea, Angarioidea and Trochoidea without resolved relationships. The long branches of Fissurelloidea were found to introduce significant tree instability in phylogenetic reconstruction. The new phylogeny supports that the loss of the right pallial gill occurred multiple times in vetigastropod evolution as previously suggested and that Phasianelloidea, Angarioidea and Trochoidea radiated from a common asymmetric (single‐gilled) ancestor that lived in the middle Palaeozoic.     

Molecular phylogeography of Apalone spinifera (Reptilia, Trionychidae)

The molecular evaluation of morphologically based species delimitations of many herpetofauna has improved the understanding of evolutionary processes and the rigor of conservation efforts. Previous evidence for a deep lineage divide between south-eastern + northern subspecies of the softshell turtle Apalone spinifera ( A. s. aspera  +  A. s. hartwegi  +  A. s. spinifera ) and western subspecies ( A. s. pallida  +  A. s. emoryi  +  A. s. guadalupensis ) was re-examined with a broader sampling using mitochondrial and nuclear markers. The south-eastern + northern clade and the western clade maintained mitochondrial reciprocal monophyly. We molecularly confirmed a geographical boundary between these two clades in Oklahoma, and developed a phylogeographical hypothesis that invokes stream capture. We evaluated whether these mitochondrial lineages represent distinct species by surveying these clades for divergence at the nuclear intron R35 and two nuclear genes, Cmos and recombination activating gene 1 (RAG-1). The nuclear loci showed no phylogenetic resolution and only the nuclear intron exhibited significant nearest neighbour statistics. Taken together, the nuclear data suggest that taxonomic elevation of the two mitochondrial clades would be currently unjustified.     

Phylogeography of a mountain lizard species: an ancient fragmentation process mediated by riverine barriers in the Liolaemus monticola complex (Sauria: Liolaemidae)

Liolaemus monticola is a mountain lizard species, with a widespread distribution from central Chile that displays several highly polymorphic chromosomal races. Our study determined the phylogeographic structuring and relationships among three chromosomal races of L. monticola in Chile. Mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) sequences of the cytochrome b gene were examined using the following phylogenetic methods: maximum parsimony, maximum likelihood, Bayesian inference and nested clade phylogeographic analyses (NCPAs). These methods revealed two major monophyletic clades (north and south) in the L. monticola species, with non-overlapping geographical locations separated by the Maipo and Yeso rivers (except one hybrid, from a zone of secondary contact). The NCPA showed that a past fragmentation process likely resulted in the separation of the two clades. The southern clade includes all samples of the 'Southern, 2 n  = 34' race; the northern clade is comprised of all remaining derived chromosomal races: the 'Northern, 2 n  = 38–40 and the Multiple Fission, 2 n  = 42–44' races. Our results support the hypothesis of a geographical and genetic split resulting from allopatric processes caused by riparian barriers acting over a long time period. The inferred biogeographical scenario shows that populations have moved from the south to the north using the Andean mountains as the primary corridor for dispersal.     

THE FINE STRUCTURE OF THE CTENIDIAL SENSE ORGANS (BURSICLES) OF VETIGASTROPODA (ZEUGOBRANCHIA, TROCHOIDEA) AND THEIR FUNCTIONAL AND PHYLOGENETIC SIGNIFICANCE

The fine-structure of the bursicles of members of all threesubgroups of Vetigastropoda (Fissurelloidea, Pleurotomarioidea,Trochoidea) is described. Specific sensory elements (paddlecilia) suggest a chemo-sensory function of the sense organs.This agrees with earlier physiological results which demonstratedthe role of bursicles in detecting predatory sea-stars. Similarpockets in the (secondary) gill-leaflets of the Pseudococculinidae,are not homologous with the bursicles. The lack of bursiclesin group-B hot-vent limpets and in Neomphalus excludes thesegroups from the Vetigastropoda. The bursicles are regarded asa synapomorphic character of the vetigastropod groups provingtheir evolutionary unity. (Received 13 June 1986;     

Another step towards understanding the slit‐limpets (Fissurellidae,Fissurelloidea, Vetigastropoda,Gastropoda): a combined five‐gene molecular phylogeny

Aktipis, S. W., Boehm, E. & Giribet, G. (2010). Another step towards understanding the slit‐limpets (Fissurellidae, Fissurelloidea, Vetigastropoda, Gastropoda): a combined five‐gene molecular phylogeny. —Zoologica Scripta, 40, 238–259. Fissurellids, commonly known as slit or keyhole limpets, are limpet‐shaped gastropods that typically possess a hole, slit or notch in their bilaterally symmetrical shells and usually occur on rocky marine substrates. Competing classifications for Fissurellidae have been circumscribed using various morphological characters such as radular, shell and mantle features; two to five different subfamilies have been recognized. Although fissurellid species are frequently included in larger vetigastropod phylogenies, relatively few phylogenetic studies of the group have been performed. This study presents a phylogenetic investigation of the relationships amongst slit‐limpets in the vetigastropod superfamily Fissurelloidea, representing the first molecular phylogeny of this clade. In this study, the monophyly of Fissurelloidea and Fissurellidae varied depending on the analytical method used, but clades compatible with the subfamilies Diodorinae and Fissurellinae were recovered with high bootstrap support in all analyses. Species traditionally classified in Emarginulinae formed two groups identified in this study as Hemitominae (Puncturella, Cranopsis and Hemitoma) and Emarginulinae sensu stricto (Emarginula, Montfortula, Tugali, Scutus and Nannoscutum), but Hemitominae was only monophyletic in the maximum likelihood analysis. The results of this study contradict traditional fissurellid classifications as well as theories about the evolution of key fissurellid shell characters. The placement of Puncturella, Cranopsis and Hemitoma sister to all remaining fissurellids suggests that the presence of an anteriorly placed foramen or notch is plesiomorphic, and that an anterior notch or slit evolved multiple times in Fissurellidae.     

Phylogeny of the Neuropterida (Insecta: Holometabola)

The Neuropterida, with about 6500 known species — living fossils in a way — at the base of the Holometabola (as a sister group of the Coleoptera), comprise Raphidioptera (about 210 species, two families), Megaloptera (about 300 species, two families) and Neuroptera (6000 species, 17 families). Megaloptera + Neuroptera is argued vs. the traditional Raphidioptera + Megaloptera. Raphidioptera are undisputedly monophyletic. Monophyly of Megaloptera is the operational hypothesis, although occasionally questioned. Sucking tubes of the larvae are the most spectacular autapomorphy of Neuroptera. The construction of larval head capsules indicates three evolutionary lines: Nevrorthiformia, and Myrmeleontiformia + Hemerobiiformia. Traditional Myrmeleontiformia is Psychopsidae + (Nemopteridae + (Nymphidae + (Myrmeleontidae + Ascalaphidae))), the present approach is (Psychopsidae + Nemopteridae) + all other Myrmeleontiformia. Hemerobiiformia are based on the ‘maxillary head’ concept. The ithonid clade Ithonidae/Rapismatidae + Polystoechothidae and the dilarid clade Dilaridae + (Mantispidae + (Rhachiberothidae + Berothidae)) are based on robust criteria. Other relationships remain unclear: Hemerobiidae + Chrysopidae (on similarity) and the ‘early offshoot’ concept of coniopterygidae (on autapomorphies) should not be perpetuated. Chysopidae + Osmylidae and (Hemerobiidae + (Coniopterygidae + Sisyridae)) + dilarid clade are discussed. Aquatic larvae, regarded as independent apomorphies of megaloptera and neuropteran Nevrorthidae and Sisyridae for a long time, are re‐interpreted as a synapomorphy of Megaloptera + Neuroptera and thus plesiomorphic within these groups. Terrestrial larvae (with cryptonephry to solve osmotic problems) are consequently apomorphic. Aquatic Sisyridae with cryptonephry of a single malpighian tubule, is conflicting, but larvae may have become secondarily aquatic, after a terrestrial intermezzo.     

The evolutionary process of bioluminescence and aposematism in cantharoid beetles (Coleoptera: Elateroidea) inferred by the analysis of 18S ribosomal DNA

Cantharoid beetles are distinctive for their leathery soft elytra and conspicuous color or bioluminescence, and many of the members are equipped with chemical defenses. Thus, the vivid coloration of Cantharidae and Lycidae and the bioluminescence in Lampyridae and Phengodidae appear to be aposematic signals. However, the evolutionary aspect of their aposematism is not well understood, because the classification of the families remains controversial. In this study, we performed molecular phylogenetic analyses of species from cantharoid families, based on nucleotide sequence comparisons of nuclear 18S ribosomal DNA. The results shows that the luminous species Rhagophthalmus ohbai, which had sometimes been classified in Lampyridae, is excluded from a lampyrid clade and associates with the taxa of Phengodidae. The molecular data also suggests that four major subfamilies of Cantharidae (Cantharinae, Chauliognathinae, Malthininae, and Silinae) form a clade. The six subfamilies of Lampyridae are grouped and classified into two sublineages: Amydetinae + Lampyrinae + Photurinae and Cyphonocerinae + Luciolinae +Ototretinae. Genera Drilaster and Stenocladius are the members of Ototretinae in Lampyridae. These results conform to traditional taxonomy but disagree with more recent cladistic analyses. Based on these findings, we propose an evolutionary process of bioluminescence and aposematism in cantharoids: the clades of Cantharidae, Lampyridae, Lycidae, and Phengodidae have evolved aposematic coloration; subsequently Lampyridae and Phengodidae acquired bioluminescence; and these four major cantharoid families achieved their current adaptive diversities.     

Phylogenetic structure of the Sphaeriinae, a global clade of freshwater bivalve molluscs, inferred from nuclear (ITS-1) and mitochondrial (16S) ribosomal gene sequences

The Sphaeriidae represent one of the primary molluscan radiations into freshwater environments. We have reconstructed phylogenetic relationships of the Sphaeriinae, a cosmopolitan sphaeriid subfamily, using variation in nuclear ribosomal first internal transcribed spacer (ITS-1) and mitochondrial large ribosomal subunit (16S) gene fragments. A total of 38 New World, Eurasian and Antipodean taxa were characterized, including all primary taxonomic groupings except for Neopisidium , and members of the sister clade Euperinae were employed as outgroups. Phylogenetic analyses of individual and combined (16S + ITS1) datasets all recovered a paraphyletic Pisidium and a derived clade of asynchronous brooding Sphaerium / Musculium taxa. Maximum parsimony as well as maximum likelihood analyses of combined data yielded largely congruent and well-resolved topologies, and robustly supported clades were utilized to revise current sphaeriine taxonomy. Instead of the traditionally accepted three cosmopolitan genera, Pisidium s.l. , Musculium , and Sphaerium , five major monophyletic lineages, Afropisidium , Odhneripisidium , Pisidium , Cyclocalyx and Sphaerium , were recognized at the generic level. In addition, a number of subgeneric level groups were recovered in Sphaerium : Herringtonium , Sphaerium s . s ., Sphaerinova , Amesoda , and Musculium , together with one unassigned species, S. transversum .     

The phylogenetic position of the Prolecithophora (Rhabditophora, 'Platyhelminthes')

Complete 18S ribosomal DNA (rDNA) sequences and partial 28S rDNA sequences from a selection of rhabditophoran taxa were obtained and used in combination with literature data to determine the phylogenetic position of the Prolecithophora and of two families sometimes included in the Prolecithophora, the Urastomidae and the Genostomatidae. The results are largely compatible with earlier molecular studies when supported clades are considered, and adjusting for the denser taxonomic sampling of this study. The position of the Proseriata is not compatible with the taxon Seriata, which is rejected. The Rhabdocoela excluding the Fecampiida and the Neodermata is monophyletic. The phylogenetic position of the Neodermata cannot be determined, but its placement is not compatible with the proposed taxa Revertospermata and Mediofusata Kornakova & Joffe, 1999, which are rejected. The Urastomidae and the Genostomatidae in all analyses group with the Fecampiida, and it is our recommendation that these taxa be included in the Fecampiida. The amended Fecampiida always group separately from the Prolecithophora sensu stricto , the Rhabdocoela, and the Neodermata. Our analyses reveal the existence of a strongly supported clade consisting of Prolecithophora + Tricladida + the amended Fecampiida, and we propose the name Adiaphanida for this clade. Tentatively the sister group of the Prolecithophora is a clade consisting of the Tricladida + amended Fecampiida.     

Phylogeography and species limits in the Gymnodactylus darwinii complex (Gekkonidae, Squamata): genetic structure coincides with river systems in the Brazilian Atlantic Forest

Phylogenetic analyses based on mtDNA cytochrome  b were performed in 42 lizards of the Gymnodactylus darwinii complex from three regions within Brazil's Atlantic Forest. Mainland regions and continental shelf islands in the south-eastern range and mainland areas from the north-east were sampled. The criteria of maximum parsimony (MP), maximum likelihood (ML) and Bayesian methods were explored, with the robustness for nodes assessed by bootstrapping (MP and ML) and posterior probabilities (Bayesian searches). By all methods, three distinctive phylogroups were recovered: a south-eastern clade (SE) and two clades from northern regions (NE₁ and NE₂). The pattern of genetic structure of the major clades coincided with the presence of river systems in the Atlantic Forest, and based on corrected genetic distances between those clades, divergence times were tentatively estimated using mtDNA rates calibrated for squamate reptiles. The putative role of Atlantic Forest rivers in generating differentiation is discussed. We present a hypothesis of species limits for G. darwinii , based on concordant lines of evidence including cytogenetic and mtDNA analyses. Two chromosome races (cytotype A, 2n = 38; and cytotype B, 2n = 40) had distributions concordant with clades SE and NE₁ + NE₂, respectively. These races are interpreted to be full species on the basis of a number of empirical criteria.  © 2005 The Linnean Society of London, Biological Journal of the Linnean Society , 2005, 85 , 13–26.     

Phylogeography of the North American red fox: vicariance in Pleistocene forest refugia

Fossil, archaeological, and morphometric data suggest that indigenous red foxes in North America were derived from vicariance in two disjunct refugia during the last glaciation: one in Beringia and one in the contiguous USA. To test this hypothesis, we conducted a phylogeographical analysis of the North American red fox within its presettlement range. We sequenced portions of the mitochondrial cytochrome b (354 bp) gene and D-loop (342 bp) from 220 historical red fox specimens. Phylogenetic analysis of the cytochrome b gene produced two clades that diverged c . 400 000 years before present ( bp ): a Holarctic and a Nearctic clade. D-loop analyses of the Nearctic clade indicated three distinct subclades (≥ 99% Bayesian posterior probability); two that were more recently derived (rho estimate c . 20 000 bp ) and were restricted to the southwestern mountains and the eastern portion of North America, and one that was older (rho estimate c . 45 000 bp ) and more widespread in North America. Populations that migrated north from the southern refugium following deglaciation were derived from the colonization of North America during or prior to the Illinoian glaciation (300 000–130 000 bp ), whereas populations that migrated south from the northern refugium represent a more recent colonization event during the Wisconsin glaciation (100 000–10 000 bp ). Our findings indicate that Nearctic clade red foxes are phylogenetically distinct from their Holarctic counterparts, and reflect long-term isolation in two disjunct forest refugia during the Pleistocene. The montane lineage, which includes endangered populations, may be ecologically and evolutionarily distinct.     

Systematics of dusky salamanders, Desmognathus (Caudata: Plethodontidae), in the mountain and Piedmont regions of Virginia and North Carolina, USA

We analysed mitochondrial (cytochrome  b ) nucleotide sequences, nuclear allozyme markers, and morphometric characters to investigate species boundaries and phylogenetic relationships among dusky salamanders ( Desmognathus ) in the southern Blue Ridge and adjacent Piedmont Physiographic Provinces of Virginia and North Carolina. Our results revealed four distinct mitochondrial DNA clades that are also characterized by distinct allozyme markers. One clade consists of sequences derived from populations distributed from New England to south-western Virginia that are referable to Desmognathus fuscus Rafinesque, 1820, although there is considerable sequence and allozyme divergence within this clade. A second clade consists of sequences derived from populations referable to Desmognathus planiceps Newman, 1955, a form that we resurrect from its long synonymy under D. fuscus . Desmognathus planiceps and D. fuscus also differ in mandibular tooth shape. Two other cytochrome  b sequences recovered from populations along the Blue Ridge escarpment in southern Virginia are quite divergent from those of the previous two clades, and these populations may represent yet another distinct species. Sequences from a population in the Brushy Mountains in the Piedmont of northern North Carolina are similar to those of Desmognathus carolinensis . Population groupings indicated by allozyme data generally correspond to the cytochrome  b clades. Cryptic diversity in Appalachian desmognathan salamanders clearly requires further study. © 2008 The Linnean Society of London, Zoological Journal of the Linnean Society , 2008, 152 , 115–130.     

The complete mitochondrial genome of a turbinid vetigastropod from MiSeq Illumina sequencing of genomic DNA and steps towards a resolved gastropod phylogeny

A need to increase sampling of mitochondrial genomes for Vetigastropoda has been identified as an important step towards resolving relationships within the Gastropoda. We used shotgun sequencing of genomic DNA, using an Illumina MiSeq, to obtain the first mitochondrial genome for the vetigastropod family Turbinidae, doubling the number of genomes for the species-rich superfamily Trochoidea. This method avoids the necessity of finding suitable primers for long PCRs or primer-walking amplicons, resulting in a timely and cost-effective method for obtaining whole mitochondrial genomes from ethanol-preserved tissue samples. Bayesian analysis of amino acid variation for all available gastropod genomes including the new turbinid mtgenome produced a well resolved tree with high nodal support for most nodes. Major clades within Gastropoda were recovered with strong support, with the exception of Littorinimorpha, which was polyphyletic. We confirm here that mitogenomics is a useful tool for molluscan phylogenetics, especially when using powerful new models of amino acid evolution, but recognise that increased taxon sampling is still required to resolve existing differences between nuclear and mitochondrial gene trees.     

Exploration of antigenic variation in gp120 from clades A through F of human immunodeficiency virus type 1 by using monoclonal antibodies.

The reactivities of a panel of 14 monoclonal antibodies (MAbs) with monomeric gp120 derived from 67 isolates of human immunodeficiency virus type 1 of clades A through F were assessed by using an antigen-capture enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. The MAbs used were all raised against gp120 or gp120 peptides from clade B viruses and were directed at a range of epitopes relevant to human immunodeficiency virus type 1 neutralization: the V2 and V3 loops, discontinuous epitopes overlapping the CD4-binding site, and two other discontinuous epitopes. Four of the five V3 MAbs showed modest cross-reactivity within clade B but very limited reactivity with gp120s from other clades. These reactivity patterns are consistent with the known primary sequence requirements for the binding of these MAbs. One V3 human MAb (19b), however, was much more broadly reactive than the others, binding to 19 of 29 clade B and 10 of 12 clade E gp120s. The 19b epitope is confined to the flanks of the V3 loop, and these sequences are relatively conserved in clade B and E viruses. In contrast to the limited reactivity of V3 MAbs, CD4-binding site MAbs were much more broadly reactive across clades, two of these MAbs (205-46-9 and 21h) being virtually pan-reactive across clades A through F. Another human MAb (A-32) to a discontinuous epitope was also pan-reactive. The CD4-binding site is strongly conserved between clades; but when considering the epitopes near the CD4-binding site, clade D gp120 appears to be the most closely related to clade B and clade E appears to be the least related. A tentative rank order for these epitopes is B/D-A/C-E/F. V2 MAbs reacted sporadically within and between clades, and no clear pattern was observable. While results from binding assays do not predict neutralization serotypes, they suggest that there may be antigenic subtypes related, but not identical, to the genetic subtypes.     

Impact of mountain chains, sea straits and peripheral populations on genetic and taxonomic structure of a freshwater turtle, Mauremys leprosa (Reptilia, Testudines, Geoemydidae)

Mauremys leprosa, distributed in Iberia and North‐west Africa, contains two major clades of mtDNA haplotypes. Clade A occurs in Portugal, Spain and Morocco north of the Atlas Mountains. Clade B occurs south of the Atlas Mountains in Morocco and north of the Atlas Mountains in eastern Algeria and Tunisia. However, we recorded a single individual containing a clade B haplotype in Morocco from north of the Atlas Mountains. This could indicate gene flow between both clades. The phylogenetically most distinct clade A haplotypes are confined to Morocco, suggesting both clades originated in North Africa. Extensive diversity within clade A in south‐western Iberia argues for a glacial refuge located there. Other regions of the Iberian Peninsula, displaying distinctly lower haplotype diversities, were recolonized from within south‐western Iberia. Most populations in Portugal, Spain and northern Morocco contain the most common clade A haplotype, indicating dispersal from the south‐western Iberian refuge, gene flow across the Strait of Gibraltar, and reinvasion of Morocco by terrapins originating in south‐western Iberia. This hypothesis is consistent with demographic analyses, suggesting rapid clade A population increase while clade B is represented by stationary, fragmented populations. We recommend the eight, morphologically weakly diagnosable, subspecies of M. leprosa be reduced to two, reflecting major mtDNA clades: Mauremys l. leprosa (Iberian Peninsula and northern Morocco) and M. l. saharica (southern Morocco, eastern Algeria and Tunisia). Peripheral populations could play an important role in evolution of M. leprosa because we found endemic haplotypes in populations along the northern and southern range borders. Previous investigations in another western Palearctic freshwater turtle (Emys orbicularis) discovered similar differentiation of peripheral populations, and phylogeographies of Emys orbicularis and Mauremys rivulata underline the barrier status of mountain chains, in contrast to sea straits, suggesting common patterns for western Palearctic freshwater turtles.     

Nocturnal swimming, aggregation at light traps, and mass spawning of scissurellid gastropods (Mollusca: Vetigastropoda)

Abstract. Thousands of minute scissurellid gastropods (Vetigastropoda: Scissurellidae) were observed and collected at floating light traps in Moorea, French Polynesia, where a mass spawning event occurred on November 11, 2002. More than 20,000 live snails were recovered from the traps, and epidemic spawning continued in the laboratory, where clouds of white sperm and red-orange eggs were broadcast into the water. No aggregations of this magnitude have been reported previously in vetigastropods, nor is the capacity for sustained swimming known from other vetigastropod taxa. Snails had emerged from a local benthic habitat of coral sand and swum through ≥2 m of water to reach the traps. Scanning electron micrographs of the ornate shells confirm the identity of the most abundant species as Scissurella spinosa , with lesser numbers of Sinezona plicata . Our observations indicate that scissurellids are not exclusively benthic and that they are not rare, even though they have seldom been collected and studied alive. Because little is known about the basic biology and anatomy of scissurellids and because their position within the basal Gastropoda is poorly resolved, we include information on the design and construction of inexpensive light traps to promote comparative investigation of other poorly known species.     

A phylogeny of the Tylototriton asperrimus group (Caudata: Salamandridae) based on a mitochondrial study: suggestions for a taxonomic revision

A phylogenetic hypothesis for the Asian newts of the Tylototriton asperrimus group was generated using data from two mitochondrial fragments including COI and the ND1-ND2 regions. Four distinct clades (A, B, C, D) were resolved with high nodal support within this monophyletic group. Clade A included T. asperrimus, T. hainanensis, T. notialis, "T. vietnamensis", and two unnamed salamander populations from Vietnam. Clade A, constituted the sister group of clades B + C. Newly identified clade C likely represents a new cryptic species. Clade C was the sister group of T. wenxianensis. The true T. vietnamensis exclusively constituted clade D. Our results bring into question some previous taxonomic decisions, and a revision is required. This study illustrates the necessity to include samples from type localities in taxonomic studies, and highlights the importance of fine-grained geographical sampling.     

Uncovering tropical diversity: six sympatric cryptic species of Blepharoneura (Diptera: Tephritidae) in flowers of Gurania spinulosa (Cucurbitaceae) in eastern Ecuador

Diversification of phytophagous insects is often associated with changes in the use of host taxa and host parts. We focus on a group of newly discovered Neotropical tephritids in the genus Blepharoneura , and report the discovery of an extraordinary number of sympatric, morphologically cryptic species, all feeding as larvae on calyces of flowers of a single functionally dioecious and highly sexually dimorphic host species ( Gurania spinulosa ) in eastern Ecuador. Molecular analyses of the mitochondrial cytochrome oxidase-I gene from flies reared from flowers of G. spinulosa reveal six distinct haplotype groups that differ by 7.2–10.1% bp (uncorrected pairwise distances; N  = 624 bp). Haplotype groups correspond to six distinct and well-supported clades. Members of five clades specialize on the calyces of flowers of a particular sex: three clades comprise male flower specialists; two clades comprise female flower specialists; the sixth clade comprises generalists reared from male and female flowers. The six clades occupy significantly different morphological spaces defined by wing pigmentation patterns; however, diagnostic morphological characters were not discovered. Behavioural observations suggest specific courtship behaviours may play a role in maintaining reproductive isolation among sympatric species. Journal compilation  © 2008 The Linnean Society of London, Biological Journal of the Linnean Society , 2008, 93 , 779–797. No claim to original US government works.