Towards a phylogenetic system of derelomine flower weevils (Coleoptera: Curculionidae)

Abstract. A revised phylogenetic classification for derelomine flower weevils (Coleoptera: Curculionidae: Curculioninae: Derelomini Lacordaire) is proposed, based on a cladistic analysis of 115 outgroup and ingroup taxa and 155 primarily morphological characters. The single most‐parsimonious cladogram (length = 271, consistency index = 65, retention index = 95) indicates that several genera must be excluded from the tribe, as they lack certain modifications of the mouthparts and a primary reproductive association with the inflorescences of palms. These include Araucarietus Kuschel, Eisingius Kuschel, and Planus Kuschel, new placements (now all Trypetidini); Euryscapoides Wibmer & O'Brien, new placement (Curculioninae incertae sedis); Neopsilorhinus Bovie, new placement (Erirhinidae: Erirhinini); and Pedetinus Faust, new placement (Eugnomini). Five subtribes are recognized within Derelomini. The oldest African and South American Derelomina have a carinate rostrum and lamellate dorsal scales. Grasidius Champion (previously Erirhinini) and Terires Champion (Storeini) are placed therein, new placements. Neoderelomus Hoffmann is nested within Derelomus Schoenherr, syn.n. , and its only species is therefore renamed as D. piriformis (Hoffmann), comb.n. The predominantly Asian Acalyptina are reduced from tribal status, stat.n. , to now be part of Derelomini, new placement. They are defined (inter alia) by truncate elytra. They also contain Eudela Pascoe and Eudelodes Zimmermann, new placements (previously Curculioninae incertae sedis). The New World Notolomina, subtr.n. , are distinguished by bifurcate maxillary lacinial teeth and other mouthpart characters. Andranthobius mariahelenae (Bondar) (formerly Derelomus), comb.n. , is added to this entity. Phyllotrogina, subtr.n. , are a very diverse and mostly Neotropical lineage. They have two‐segmented maxillary palps, a densely pubescent prosternum, and long macrosetae along the basal fifth of the posterior wing margin. Within the subtribe there are independent transitions to host plant associations with various dicots (Phyllotrox Schoenherr), Cyclanthaceae (e.g. Perelleschus Wibmer & O'Brien and Systenotelus Anderson & Gómez), and Araceae (Cyclanthura Franz). Their life history traits show related changes, including losses of the ability to pollinate, and more detrimental (herbivorous, seed‐predating) larval developments (e.g. Cotithene Voss). Phyllotrox tatianae (Bondar) (formerly Derelomus), comb.n. , is assigned to Phyllotrogina. Hypoleschus Fall is nested within Phyllotrox, syn.n. , and thereby the latter now contains P. atratus (Fall), comb.n. The Central American palm‐associated Androtrox Franz, gen.n. , is proposed to accommodate A. megalops (Champion) (formerly Phyllotrox), comb.n. , a species with large contiguous eyes and a set of mouthpart attributes convergently present in Andranthobius Kuschel (Notolomina) and Phyllotrox. The Neotropical Staminodeina, subtr.n. , with a labial prementum with two triangular projections and a large anal lobe on the wing, probably represent a young clade of weevils specialized to oviposit into the ephemeral staminodes of Cyclanthaceae inflorescences. The apparent phylogenetic sequence of the subtribes is (Derelomina ((Acalyptina, Staminodeina) (Notolomina, Phyllotrogina))), with a Juano‐ rhinini–Trypetidini clade as the most immediate outgroup, followed by various curculionine lineages. The revised system thus improves the taxonomy of derelomine weevils, and clarifies our understanding of their roles in the evolution of several tropical plant lineages – palms and cyclanths in particular.     

Ontogenetic and phylogenetic transformations of the ear ossicles in marsupial mammals

This study is based on the examination of histological sections of specimens of different ages and of adult ossicles from macerated skulls representing a wide range of taxa and aims at addressing several issues concerning the evolution of the ear ossicles in marsupials. Three-dimensional reconstructions of the ear ossicles based on histological series were done for one or more stages of Monodelphis domestica, Caluromys philander, Sminthopsis virginiae, Trichosurus vulpecula, and Macropus rufogriseus. Several common trends were found. Portions of the ossicles that are phylogenetically older develop earlier than portions representing more recent evolutionary inventions (manubrium of the malleus, crus longum of the incus). The onset of endochondral ossification in the taxa in which this was examined followed the sequence; first malleus, then incus, and finally stapes. In M. domestica and C. philander at birth the yet precartilaginous ossicles form a supportive strut between the lower jaw and the braincase. The cartilage of Paauw develops relatively late in comparison with the ear ossicles and in close association to the tendon of the stapedial muscle. A feeble artery traverses the stapedial foramen of the stapes in the youngest stages of M. domestica, C. philander, and Sminthopsis virginiae examined. Presence of a large stapedial foramen is reconstructed in the groundplan of the Didelphidae and of Marsupialia. The stapedial foramen is absent in all adult caenolestids, dasyurids, Myrmecobius, Notoryctes, peramelids, vombatids, and phascolarctids. Pouch young of Perameles sp. and Dasyurus viverrinus show a bicrurate stapes with a sizeable stapedial foramen. Some didelphids examined to date show a double insertion of the Tensor tympani muscle. Some differences exist between M. domestica and C. philander in adult ossicle form, including the relative length of the incudal crus breve and of the stapes. Several differences exist between the malleus of didelphids and that of some phalangeriforms, the latter showing a short neck, absence of the lamina, and a ventrally directed manubrium. Hearing starts in M. domestica at an age in which the external auditory meatus has not yet fully developed, the ossicles are not fully ossified, and the middle ear space is partially filled with loose mesenchyme. The ontogenetic changes in hearing abilities in M. domestica between postnatal days 30 and 40 may be at least partially related to changes in middle ear structures.     

SPLAT-OrB reveals competitive attraction as a mechanism of mating disruption in oriental beetle (Coleoptera: Scarabaeidae)

This study compared the efficacy of SPLAT-OrB, a new pheromone formulation for oriental beetle mating disruption that can be mechanically applied, with hand-applied plastic dispensers in commercial blueberry fields. Both formulations were tested at 2.5 and 5 g of the major sex pheromone component (Z)-7-tetradecen-2-one per hectare, and evaluated by measuring trap shut-down, mating success of caged females, and the number of grubs in sentinel blueberry pots baited with tethered females. All pheromone-treated plots had fewer male captures in traps and lower mating success of caged females compared with untreated plots. SPLAT-OrB, and plastic dispensers at the higher rate, also reduced the number of grubs in sentinel pots. To understand the mechanism of mating disruption in oriental beetle, males were observed approaching the pheromone sources in disrupted plots. In addition, male oriental beetle captures were quantified in plots treated with varying SPLAT-OrB dollop densities per ha. Consistent with predictions for competitive attraction, field observations revealed males approaching the pheromone source and male captures decreasing concavely with increasing dollop density. In a mark-release-recapture study, male oriental beetles responded to SPLAT-OrB dollops and plastic dispensers at least 60 m from the source. Additionally, SPLAT-OrB emitted pheromone that was attractive to male oriental beetles for >5 wk; however, emission rates and attraction dropped rapidly during the first 3-4 wk. This study demonstrates the feasibility of using SPLAT-OrB for oriental beetle mating disruption as an alternative to hand-applied plastic dispensers, and conclusively reveals that a principal mechanism is the competitive attraction of males.     

Wall-making behavior as a proximate mechanism to generate variation in larval competition in Callosobruchus maculatus (Coleoptera: Bruchidae)

Variation from contest to scramble in larval competition types was observed among laboratory lines derived from a geographic strain of Callosobruchus maculatus. In contest competition, only one adult can emerge from a small bean because the successful larva monopolizes resources. In scramble competition, however, multiple adults can emerge from the bean because larvae share resources. To explain the variation in competition types, we used six lines of the geographic strain to test the hypothesis that the larval competition type is determined by the larval behavior of building walls, which prevent larvae from interfering with each other, allowing multiple adults to emerge from a single bean. We also investigated the proportions of wall-making in contest-scramble hybrid lines to test whether the formation of a wall structure was genetically determined. Results support our hypothesis that wall-making behavior determines the type of larval competition within a geographic strain, and that the behavior is genetically determined. Scramble-type lines exhibited higher frequencies of wall-making than contest-type lines when two larvae of the same line infested a bean. Larval competition type and the tendency towards wall formation in contest-scramble hybrid lines ranged intermediate of parental lines. We concluded that the variation in larval competition type is determined by the variation in larval wall-making behavior among laboratory lines derived from the geographic strain. We will discuss the evolution of scramble-type larvae in C. maculatus based on our results.     

On the reconstruction of phylogenetic transformations. The origin of the arthropods

The conditions are outlined under which the body construction of annelids could have been transformed into that of arthropods. As an adaptation to a vagile life and an uptake of food by filtering particles from the sediment, the body was more and more flattened. Thus lateral protrusions, the subsequent pleurotergites, developed, and the parapodia were shifted to a more ventral position and could differentiate into the branched limbs typical for arthropods. This is the condition under which parts of the body wall were kept immobile, so that they could become sclerotized in the form of rigid plates.     

Short interspersed repetitive sequences as a phylogenetic tool

The review is dedicated to one of the most common classes of repetitive elements in eukaryotic genomes: short interspersed elements. Their structure, origin, and functioning in the genome are discussed. The variation and abundance of these neutral genomic markers make them a convenient and reliable tool for phylogenetic analysis. The main methods of such analysis are outlined, and the potential and limitations of this approach are illustrated by examples.     

A phylogenetic study of Dermestidae (Coleoptera) based on larval morphology

Abstract.  The results of a phylogenetic analysis of Dermestidae (Coleoptera) based on the morphology of immature stages are presented and implications for the classification of the family are discussed. The monophyly of (( Orphilus ) + (Dermestidae) + (Endecatomidae (Bostrichidae + Anobiidae))) is strongly supported. Dermestidae, excluding Orphilus Erichson, forms a monophyletic group. The phylogenetic position of the Orphilinae remains enigmatic. The hypothesized relationships of the remaining dermestid subfamilies are (Thorictinae (Dermestinae (Attageninae (Megatominae + Trinodinae)))). Phylogenetically informative morphological characters of larvae and pupae are illustrated and described. Character state transformations implied by the phylogenetic hypothesis are discussed. New morphological observations are provided, including the first records of the presence of gastric caeca in the larva of Dermestes L., and the first report of the number of Malpighian tubules and the number of abdominal ganglia in Dermestidae, Bostrichidae, Anobiidae, Nosodendridae and Derodontidae. The form of the mandibular base is described for the first time for Thylodriini Beal and Trinodini Beal. The fossil record and distribution of extant Dermestidae are discussed in the light of the phylogenetic hypothesis. The origin of the family is hypothesized to be in the Late Cretaceous.     

The use of a hydrophobic resin as a product reservoir in steroid transformations

Particles of the hydrophobic resin polydimethylsiloxane were found to preferentially accumulate steriods on the basis of their hydrophobicity. Thus, the resin selectively sorped the steroid products resulting from the transformation of diosgenin by Nocardia rhodochrous, with the result that higher yields of the later biotransformation product, 1-dehydrodiosgenone, and lower yields of the first product, diosgenone, were obtained than in the absence of resin. Furthermore, steroids accumulated by the resin were available for further biotransformation, so that a two-step reaction forming androstenes from a crude extract of furostanol glycosides (obtained from fenugreek seed) could be carried out. The first step involves deglycosylation and is catalyzed by Fusarium solani. In the presence of resin the water-insoluble diosgenin product becomes sorped to the resin and can be easily transferred to a second fermentation in which diosgenone, 1-dehydrodiosgenone, and androstenes were formed by Mycobacterium phlei. These compounds were completely accumulated by the resin at the end of the fermentation. This procedure is logistically more convenient than the conventional chemical process and illustrates the potential of biotechnological processes in which simultaneous reaction, product isolation, and product purification occur.     

Pichia pastoris as a host system for transformations.

We developed a methylotrophic yeast, Pichia pastoris, as a host for DNA transformations. The system is based on an auxotrophic mutant host of P. pastoris which is defective in histidinol dehydrogenase. As a selectable marker, we isolated and characterized the P. pastoris HIS4 gene. Plasmid vectors which contained either the P. pastoris or the Saccharomyces cerevisiae HIS4 gene transformed the P. pastoris mutant host. DNA transfer was accomplished by a modified version of the spheroplast generation (CaCl2-polyethylene glycol)-fusion procedure developed for S. cerevisiae. In addition, we report the isolation and characterization of P. pastoris DNA fragments with autonomous replication sequence activity. Two fragments, PARS1 and PARS2, when present on plasmids increased transformation frequencies to 10(5)/micrograms and maintained the plasmids as autonomous elements in P. pastoris cells.     

Ontogenetic and phylogenetic transformations of the vomeronasal complex and nasal floor elements in marsupial mammals

Histological sections and three-dimensional reconstructions of section-series were used to document the anatomy of the vomeronasal complex and other aspects of the ethmoidal region in representatives of 13 families and six orders of marsupial mammals, including for the first time Microbiotheria. The changes during growth of several features were examined in ontogenetic series. Marsupials are very conservative in comparison with eutherians regarding the vomeronasal complex. All have a vomeronasal organ and a nasopalatine duct, have no nasopalatine duct cartilage, have no (or just an incipient) palatine cartilage, and the overall construction of the nasal floor is uniform across species. Most features examined show a high degree of homoplasy (e.g. presence of glandular ridges, isolated dorsal process of the paraseptal cartilage), and their systematic value is confined to low taxonomic levels. Significant ontogenetic changes occur in features usually discussed in the systematic/taxonomic literature. Amongst the didelphids examined, Caluromys philander shows several autapomorphies. It is hypothesized that the opening of the VNO into the upper end of the nasopalatine duct was present in the marsupial groundplan. Most marsupials have a large and horizontal anterior transverse lamina, the plesiomorphic condition, which becomes oblique in diprotodontians. Some features are autapomorphies of well-supported monophyletic groups of marsupials, e.g. the conspicuous internasal communication of perameliformes and the 'tube-like' or ring-shaped paraseptal cartilage of vombatiformes. An outer bar joining the middle (and not the dorsal-most portion) of the paraseptal cartilage characterizes Australasian marsupials and Dromiciops, with the exclusion of perameliformes, and evolved independently in Caluromys philander.     

Aspartate-phobia of thermophiles as a reaction to deleterious chemical transformations

Prokaryotes growing at high temperatures have a high proportion of charged residues in their proteins to stabilize their 3D structure. By mining 175 disparate bacterial and archaeal proteomes we found that, against the general trend for charged residues, the frequency of aspartic acid residues decreases strongly as natural growth temperature increases. In search of the explanation, we hypothesized that the reason for such unusual correlation is the deleterious consequences of spontaneous chemical transformations of aspartate at high temperatures. Our subsequent statistical analysis supported this hypothesis. This finding reveals that organisms have likely adapted to high temperatures by minimizing the harmful consequences of spontaneous chemical transformations.     

Progressive sequence alignment as a prerequisitetto correct phylogenetic trees

A progressive alignment method is described that utilizes the Needleman and Wunsch pairwise alignment algorithm iteratively to achieve the multiple alignment of a set of protein sequences and to construct an evolutionary tree depicting their relationship. The sequences are assumed a priori to share a common ancestor, and the trees are constructed from difference matrices derived directly from the multiple alignment. The thrust of the method involves putting more trust in the comparison of recently diverged sequences than in those evolved in the distant past. In particular, this rule is followed: "once a gap, always a gap." The method has been applied to three sets of protein sequences: 7 superoxide dismutases, 11 globins, and 9 tyrosine kinase-like sequences. Multiple alignments and phylogenetic trees for these sets of sequences were determined and compared with trees derived by conventional pairwise treatments. In several instances, the progressive method led to trees that appeared to be more in line with biological expectations than were trees obtained by more commonly used methods.     

Some advantages and limitations of mitosis as a phylogenetic criterion

The advantages and disadvantages of mitosis as a phylogenetic character are discussed. Mitosis is suggested to be a good character on the grounds that it is universally applicable and that it reflects features of the basic organism since it is unlikely to have arisen through multiple endosymbiotic events. Since mitosis is an absolutely essential feature of the cell cycle it is subject to a great deal of evolutionary pressure and one would not expect a priori that relatively inefficient mitotic apparatuses would persist. It is suggested that supposedly primitive mitotic apparatuses are not inefficient and that the evidence that they are functionally different from those of higher organisms is largely negative electron microscopic evidence. This type of evidence is not very satisfactory since it can result from poor preservation and consequently it should be continually retested. Another weakness of mitosis as a phylogenetic criterion (shared with other essentially morphological criteria) is that there is no easy way to relate structural change with genetic change. Thus, while mitosis is a useful phylogenetic character, its usefulness is limited.     

Vacuolation in T-tubules as a model for tubular-vesicular transformations in biomembrane systems

This review outlines the basic properties of T-tubules in skeletal muscle cells, and the factors that govern reversible vacuolation in T-tubules under experimental conditions. Comparable membranous transformations, involving the plasma membrane or occurring intracellularly, in non-muscle cells are then considered. Finally, the mechanisms of similar transformations in various model membrane systems are discussed. In view of the similarities between reversible vacuolation in the T-system and membrane transformations occurring in a variety of non-muscle cells, it is suggested that reversible vacuolation in T-tubules may be regarded as a general model for tubular-vesicular transformations in biomembranes.     

Mitogenome of Coprophanaeus ensifer and phylogenetic analysis of the Scarabaeidae family (Coleoptera)

Several studies about the phylogenetic relationships of the Scarabaeinae subfamily (Coleoptera: Scarabaeidae) have been performed, but some phylogenetic uncertainties persist including the relationship and monophyly of different tribes and some genera. The aim of this study was to characterize the mitogenome of Coprophanaeus ensifer in order to establish its position within the Scarabaeidae family and to contribute to the resolution of some phylogenetic uncertainties. The mitogenome was sequenced on the Illumina HiSeq 4000, assembled using the Mitobim software and annotated in MITOS WebServer. The phylogenetic trees were reconstructed by Bayesian inference. The C. ensifer mitogenome is a molecule of 14,964 bp that contains the number and organization of the genes similar to those of most Coleoptera species. Phylogenetic reconstruction suggests monophyly of the tribe Phanaeini and supports the hypothesis that Coprini is a sister group of Phanaeini. The results also revealed the position of the tribe Oniticellini which is grouped with Onthophagini and Onitini. The geographic distribution of these species that form the most ancestral clade suggests with Scarabaeinae originated in Africa. Keywords: Dung beetle, mitochondrial genome, phylogenomics