Morphological phylogenetics of Puya subgenus Puya (Bromeliaceae)

Puya , a large genus mostly from South America, has been taxonomically divided into two subgenera: Puyopsis and Puya. The latter includes only eight species distributed mainly in Chile, extending to Argentina, Bolivia, and Peru. The species of subgenus Puya are recognized by the presence of a sterile apex of the inflorescence branches, whereas those of subgenus Puyopsis have fertile flowers all along the branches. The objectives of this article were to determine whether this diagnostic character was synapomorphic for subgenus Puya , and to explore the relationships between its species. Parsimony analyses were performed for 43 taxa and 93 morphological characters, 87 of which were discrete and six continuous. In the analysis that included all characters, a single most parsimonious tree was found that supported subgenus Puya by two synapomorphic character states, including the diagnostic character of a sterile inflorescence branch apex and a blooming pattern in which flowers open gradually from base to apex. The trees were better supported when the continuous characters were included. Further studies are suggested to resolve the infrageneric classification of Puya and the relationships of the species belonging to subgenus Puya .  © 2008 The Linnean Society of London, Botanical Journal of the Linnean Society , 2008, 156 , 93–110.     

Beetle evolution in the Asian highlands: insight from a phylogeny of the scarabaeid subgenus Serica (Coleoptera, Scarabaeidae)

Abstract.  The phylogeny of the species of the scarabaeid subgenus Serica (genus Serica MacLeay, 1819) was inferred from a parsimony analysis and the use of 117 morphological characters of adults. Successive weighting was employed to further evaluate the phylogenetic relationships, and the geographical changes in the distribution in certain lineages were explored. Four major lineages may be recognized from the strict consensus tree within the ingroup: (1) Calloserica ; (2) Gastroserica + Neoserica ; (3) Lasioserica ; and (4) Serica including the representatives of Taiwanoserica . Pachyserica proved to be monophyletic only after successive weighting based on the retention index. The taxa of Taiwanoserica are nested within the species of Serica . Consequently, Taiwanoserica ( stat.n. ) is ranked as a subgenus of Serica . The clade Serica (subgenus Serica ) comprised the majority of the species included in this study. Serica ( sensu stricto ) species of the Himalayas are a polyphyletic group. Several major younger clades of Serica ( sensu stricto ) are not restricted to just one geographical region, but cover widely distant ranges (such as the Himalaya and eastern Tibet). Dispersal is hypothesized multiple times from the Himalaya to eastern Tibet/Indochina and vice versa, and also between the Japanese islands and eastern Tibet. Several hypotheses are discussed for an important role of the entire Himalaya–south-eastern Tibet orogenic system for the evolution of the subgenus Serica . More recently, the progressive uplift of the Tibetan Plateau provided an efficient barrier to the westward dispersal of eastern Palaearctic species.     

Patterns of morphological evolution in Marmota (Rodentia, Sciuridae): geometric morphometrics of the cranium in the context of marmot phylogeny, ecology and conservation

Marmots are of great interest for both sociobiologists studying the evolution of mammal societies and conservationists trying to protect them from extinction. In contrast, their phylogeny and morphological evolution are poorly understood and studied. Recently, a phylogenetic analysis using cytochrome b provided the first reconstruction of marmot evolutionary history and suggested that a high level of sociality evolved at least twice independently in the two proposed marmot subgenera. A morphological analysis of the marmot mandible supported this subgeneric classification and showed interesting, and unexpected, patterns in the evolution of marmot skeletal characters. In the present study we investigated a more complex, and potentially informative structure, the ventral cranium. Geometric morphometric techniques were applied in the first analysis of cranial morphology including all marmot species. Three main phenetic groups were found, which reflect phylogeny (subgenus Petromarmota , and Palaearctic subgenus Marmota ) or geographical distribution (Palaearctic vs. Nearctic subgenus Marmota ). Convergence in skeletal characters due to size similarities, a common finding in the sciurid skeleton according to traditional morphological analyses, did not occur in the marmot ventral cranium. Despite a genetic distance between Marmota vancouverensis and Marmota caligata similar to that among different populations of the latter species, the Vancouver Island marmot had the most atypical ventral cranium in the subgenus Petromarmota . This finding confirmed results obtained with the mandible, and emphasized the uniqueness of M. vancouverensis and the usefulness of complementing molecular analyses with morphological studies for a thorough characterization of population divergence, and a careful planning of conservation strategies.  © 2004 The Linnean Society of London, Biological Journal of the Linnean Society , 2004, 82 , 385–407     

Phylogeny and infrageneric classification of Symplocos (Symplocaceae) inferred from DNA sequence data

Symplocos comprises ～300 species of woody flowering plants with a disjunct distribution between the warm-temperate to tropical regions of eastern Asia and the Americas. Phylogenetic analyses of 111 species of Symplocos based on the nuclear ribosomal internal transcribed spacer (ITS) region and the chloroplast genes rpl16, matK, and trnL-trnF yielded topologies in which only one of the four traditionally recognized subgenera (Epigenia; Neotropics) is monophyletic. Section Cordyloblaste (subgenus Symplocos; eastern Asia) is monophyletic and sister to a group comprising all other samples of Symplocos. Section Palura (subgenus Hopea; eastern Asia) is sister to a group comprising all other samples of Symplocos except those of section Cordyloblaste. Symplocos wikstroemiifolia (eastern Asia) and S. tinctoria (southeastern United States), both of subgenus Hopea, form a clade that groups with S. longipes (tropical North America) and the species of subgenus Epigenia. The remaining samples of subgenus Hopea (eastern Asia) form a clade. Section Neosymplocos (subgenus Microsymplocos; Neotropics) is well nested within a clade otherwise comprising the samples of section Symplocastrum (subgenus Symplocos; Neotropics). Section Urbaniocharis (subgenus Microsymplocos; Antilles) groups as sister to the clade comprising Symplocastrum and Neosymplocos. The data support the independent evolution of deciduousness among section Palura and S. tinctoria. The early initial divergence of sections Cordyloblaste and Palura from the main group warrants their recognition at taxonomic levels higher than those at which they are currently placed. An inferred eastern Asian origin for Symplocos with subsequent dispersal to the Americas is consistent with patterns from other phylogenetic studies of eastern Asian-American disjunct plant groups but contrary to a North American origin inferred from the earliest fossil occurrences of the genus.     

Molecular phylogeny of the speciose vole genus Microtus (Arvicolinae, Rodentia) inferred from mitochondrial DNA sequences

Voles of the genus Microtus represent one of the most speciose mammalian genera in the Holarctic. We established a molecular phylogeny for Microtus to resolve contentious issues of systematic relationships and evolutionary history in this genus. A total of 81 specimens representing ten Microtus species endemic to Europe as well as eight Eurasian, six Asian and one Holarctic species were sequenced for the entire cytochrome b gene (1140 bp). A further 25 sequences were retrieved from GenBank, providing data on an additional 23, mainly Nearctic, Microtus species. Phylogenetic analysis of these 48 species generated four well-supported monophyletic lineages. The genus Chionomys, snow voles, formed a distinct and well-supported lineage separate from the genus Microtus. The subgenus Microtus formed the strongest supported lineage with two sublineages displaying a close relationship between the arvalis species group (common voles) and the socialis species group (social voles). Monophyly of the Palearctic pitymyid voles, subgenus Terricola, was supported, and this subgenus was also subdivided into two monophyletic species groups. Together, these groupings clarify long-standing taxonomic uncertainties in Microtus. In addition, the "Asian" and the Nearctic lineages reported previously were identified although the latter group was not supported. However, relationships among the main Microtus branches were not resolved, suggesting a rapid and potentially simultaneous radiation of a widespread ancestor early in the history of the genus. This and subsequent radiations discernible in the cytochrome b phylogeny, show the considerable potential of Microtus for analysis of historical and ecological determinants of speciation in small mammals. It is evident that speciation is an ongoing process in the genus and that the molecular data provides a vital insight into current species limits as well as cladogenic events of the past.     

The European and eastern Nearctic fungus-gnats in the genus Ectrepesthoneura (Mycetophilidae)

Abstract. The validity and composition of Ectrepesthoneura Enderlein are discussed and it is contrasted with the related genus Tetragoneura Winnertz. The occurrence of mid-tibial sense organs in these genera and elsewhere in the subfamily Sciophilinae is considered. The European Ectrepesthoneura are revised and the secondary sexual characters of the male legs newly described. Two sgecies, E.pubescens (Zetterstedt ) = messaurensis Plassmann, syn.n. and E.colyeri sp.n., are added to the British list. The Nearctic species are discussed and the two eastern species dealt with fully: the male of E.bicolor (Coquillett) is newly recognized and Elaffooni sp.n. described. Some western Nearctic Tetragoneura probably belong correctly to Ectrepesthoneura but examination of types showed that T.quintana Cole, T.longicauda van Duzee and the eastern Nearctic T.pimpla Coquillett belong to Dziedzickia Johannsen in its present broad usage. The Palaearctic Ectrepesthoneura gracilis Edwards also probably has closer affinities with Dziedzickia than with its present assignment. The Japanese Ectrepesthoneura described by Sasakawa (1961) are excluded as they are probably Sciaridae.     

五味子属（五味子科）分类系统的初步修订

通过对前人提出的五味子属（五味子科）分类系统的点评,根据五味子属植物的33个形态性状及其性状分析,经过分支分析,提出一个新的五味子属分类系统：将五味子属分为五味子亚属和团蕊五味子亚属;将五味子亚属分为多蕊五味子组、少蕊五味子组、中华五味子组和五味子组。编排了分亚属、组和种的检索表,对每个种上分类等级均列出其模式、异名和代表种。     

Araucnephia iberaensis n. sp., a neotropical black fly with a peculiar distribution (Diptera-Simuliidae)

Araucnephia Wygodzinsky & Coscarón is a Neotropical black fly genus in which only one species from Central Chile is known. Another species has now been found in Corrientes province on the eastern side of the Iberá tropical swamps of Argentina, on the western border of the mountainous region of southern Brazil. This new species, A. iberaensis, is herein described and illustrated and information on its bionomics is recorded. It is an interesting species because previous to its discovery no black fly genus or subgenus from Central Chile region has been found in tropical areas, because these two regions are separated by the Monte and Pampas realms. Similarly, no Brazilian genus or subgenus has crossed the Andes mountains to Chile. A comparison with other Neotropical, Nearctic, Ethiopian (Afrotropical) and Australian Prosimuliini (sensu Crosskey & Howard) showed Araucnephia to be a valid taxon most closely related to Araucnephioides (sympatric in Chile). Araucnephia also shows great affinities with Lutzsimulium from Southeast Brazil and Argentina and Paracnephia from South Africa.     

Luthrobium (Tetartopeus): natural history, phylogeny and revision of the nearctic species (Coleoptera, Staphylinidae)

Abstract. The eleven species of Lathrobium subgenus Tetartopeus from the Nearctic Region are revised. Thirteen specific names are placed in synonymy, Lconvolutum sp.n. is described, and Deratopeus Casey is synonymized with Tetartopeus . A cladistic analysis suggests that Tetartopeus is monophyletic, and that five monophyletic species-groups are represented in the Nearctic Region.     

黄耆属簇毛黄耆亚属系统学研究

簇毛黄耆亚属以其柱头上具簇毛等形态特征与黄耆属其它类群相区别,约含49种（变种）。主要分布在青藏高原及其邻近地区,绝大多数种类分布于横断山区。本文基于形态特征和分支系统学方法分析亚属内种系发生关系。结果表明,49种（变种）可分为9组。其中双小苞组Sect.Bibracteolati含种类最多,是一个并系类群。借助于分支图,分析了6个较重要的鉴定特征的演化,习性,茎的着生方式,小苞片,果实形态,柱头具簇毛,果实膨胀状况等。最后作出了这个亚属的一个分类纲要。     

A revision of Ifloga in southern Africa, with comments on the northern hemisphere species

Ifloga in southern Africa is revised and comments are offered on the northern hemisphere species, I. spicata (together with I. rueppellii ) and I. obovata. Twelve species are recognized in southern Africa, two being described as new. Two natural groups, based on floral characters, are recognized and the rank of subgenus is proposed for these. Ifloga spicata, I. obovata, I. glomerata, I. anomala, I. thellungiana and I. molluginoides constitute subgenus Ifloga; I. verticillata, I. polycnemoides, I. paronychioides, I. Candida, I. ambigua, I. repens, I. pilulifera, I. decumbens , subgenus Trichogyne. A key to the species is provided. The morphology and phytogeography of the genus are discussed.     

Phylogenetic analysis of the Brazilian microendemic Paepalanthus subgenus Xeractis (Eriocaulaceae) inferred from morphology

Paepalanthus subgenus Xeractis (Eriocaulaceae) comprises 28 recognized species endemic to the Espinhaço Range, in Minas Gerais state, Brazil. Most species of the subgenus are restricted to small localities and critically endangered, but still in need of systematic study. The monophyly of the subgenus has already been tested, but only with a few species. Our study presents the first phylogenetic hypothesis within the group, based on morphology. A maximum parsimony analysis was conducted on a matrix of 30 characters for 30 terminal taxa, including all species of the subgenus and two outgroups. The biogeographical hypotheses for the subgenus were inferred based on dispersal–vicariance analysis (DIVA). The analysis provided one most‐parsimonious hypothesis that supports most of the latest published subdivisions (sections and series). However, some conflicts remain concerning the position of a few species and the relationships between sections. The distribution and origin(s) of microendemism are also discussed, providing the ground for conservation strategies to be developed in the region. © 2011 The Linnean Society of London, Botanical Journal of the Linnean Society, 2011, 167 , 137–152.     

A Study of the Evolutionary Relationships of Fundulus Topminnows (Teleostei: Fundulidae)

A hypothesis of the evolutionary relationships of thirty-fourspecies of Fundulus and their closer relatives is presented.The study is restricted to morphological characters which couldbe determined to be primitive or derived using the methods ofphylogenetic systematics. Following Parenti, a family Fundulidaeis recognized. It is composed of four genera of North Americankillifishes. (Cyprinodontidae as usually constitutedis polyphyletic.)No convincing characters demonstrate that Fundulus is a naturalgroup (a monophyletic group). However, all species of Fundulusshare four derived characters with Lucania. The sister group(closest genealogical relative) of Fundulus plus Lucania isa group composed of the genera Adinia and Leptolucania. Fourmonophyletic groups of Fundulus can be recognized based on sharedderived characters: (1) subgenus Fundulus (seven species excludingthree species placed in Fontinus); (2) subgenus Fonlinus (sixspecies); (3) subgenus Xensima (five species); and (4) subgenusZygonectes (thirteen species). Three species, F. (Plancterus)zebrinus, F. lima, and F. parvipinnis are of uncertain affinitieswithin the Lucania-Fundulus clade     

HISTORICAL BIOGEOGRAPHY OF THE HOLARCTIC: AREA RELATIONSHIPS, ANCESTRAL AREAS, AND DISPERSAL OF NON-MARINE ANIMALS

Abstract — Based on published phylogenies for 73 groups of Holarctic non-marine animals, interrelationships between the four Holarctic infraregions (western and eastern Nearctic, western and eastern Palearctic) are examined. The study includes analysis of resolved area cladograms, ancestral areas and dispersal indicated by cladistic subordinateness. Area relationships reflecting present continental configurations (Nearctic vs. Palearctic) dominate the material to the extent that one might speak of a general Holarctic area pattern. Paleocontinental (western Nearctic+eastern Palearctic, western Palearctic+eastern Nearctic) and disjunct patterns are relatively more frequent among groups of higher taxonomic rank. The western Nearctic seems to have played a bigger role than the other infraregions as a center of origin. Two computer programs for constructing resolved area cladograms, viz., COMPONENT 1.5 and COMPONENT 2.0, are compared. The three standard assumptions for biogeographical analysis are compared and arguments are presented in favour of Assumption 0.     

Evolution of host- and habitat association in the wood-feeding cockroach, Cryptocercus

Members of the cockroach genus Cryptocercus are subsocial insects that live in temperate forests and feed on decomposing logs. At present, seven species are recognized worldwide: four in the eastern USA, one in the western USA, and one each in Russia and China. Genetic variation within and among the Nearctic species has been characterized extensively in previous studies. However, whether there has been a corresponding divergence in the host and habitat association of Cryptocercus species is not known. Here, we report on differences in host and habitat association among six of the seven Cryptocercus species, estimated from field observations, elevation data, and land cover data. Our results indicated that the eastern and western USA species differ from one another in their distribution patterns, abundance, and habitat association. The eastern USA species are associated largely with deciduous forests, whereas the western USA and the Russian species are associated with evergreen forests. Thus, the eastern USA species, which are evolutionarily the most recent ones, have adapted to a different set of tree species relative to the basal species. There were also differences in the habitat association of the various species. Specifically, in the eastern USA, Cryptocercus darwini , evolutionarily the most recent species, occupied a habitat that is predominantly at low elevation [<400 m above sea level (ASL)] while all the other Nearctic species and the Russian species occupied a habitat that is at relatively higher elevations (>400 m ASL). Mapping of the above traits on a phylogenetic tree revealed that the evolutionary trend in Cryptocercus with regard to host and habitat association has been toward the utilization of low elevation habitats dominated by deciduous forests. © 2002 The Linnean Society of London, Biological Journal of the Linnean Society , 2002, 75 , 163–172.     

Perlesta ephelida, a new Nearctic stonefly species (Plecoptera, Perlidae)

A new Nearctic species of Perlidae (Insecta, Plecoptera), Perlesta ephelidasp. n., is described from the male, female, and egg stages. This species has been previously reported as, or confused with, Perlesta shubuta Stark from several central and eastern U.S. states. Perlesta ephelida is distinctive from Perlesta shubuta and other regional Nearctic congeners mainly according to male genitalic and egg characteristics. Perlesta ephelida is a widely-distributed eastern Nearctic species, whereas Perlesta shubuta appears to be restricted to a narrow latitudinal belt in the Gulf Coast region from Louisiana east conservatively to the Florida panhandle. The egg of Perlesta shubuta is depicted with scanning electron microscopy for the first time.     

Phylogenetics and evolution of the aphid genus Uroleucon based on mitochondrial and nuclear DNA sequences

The genus Uroleucon, and the related genus Macrosiphoniella, represent a large Tertiary radiation of aphids, with a total of about 300 species distributed throughout the world, primarily on host plant species in the family Asteraceae. A molecular phylogenetic study was conducted to identify major clades within Uroleucon and to address the cladistic validity of current subgeneric categories, the evolution of host plant associations, the age of origin, and intercontinental movements in this genus. The seventeen study species included members of the three major subgenera of Uroleucon, species from Europe and North America, one member of Macrosiphoniella, and two outgroups. Data consisted of DNA sequences for three mitochondrial regions and the nuclear gene EF1alpha, for a total of 4287 sites. Nodes supported strongly in both parsimony and maximum likelihood analyses suggest that: (1) Nearctic Uromelan are a monophyletic group branching near the base of the genus and not related to European Uromelan, (2) the New World subgenus Lambersius is possibly monophyletic but is not a tightly related group and is not closely related to other North American species, and (3) Nearctic members of subgenus Uroleucon are a closely related monophyletic group not allied with Nearctic Uromelan or Lambersius. Instead they represent a separate colonization by an Old World ancestor, as they are nested within a strongly supported clade containing European members of both subgenera Uroleucon and Uromelan. Neither of these subgenera is monophyletic. Molecular clock calculations, based on calibrations of mitochondrial divergences from other insects, suggest that Uroleucon + Macrosiphoniella is a relatively recent radiation, probably no more than 5–10 million years old. Although largely confined to Asteraceae, this clade did not radiate in parallel with its host plants. Rather, lateral movement between lineages of Asteraceae must have occurred repeatedly.     

POLLEN MORPHOLOGY AND PLANT TAXONOMY OF WHITE OAKS IN EASTERN NORTH AMERICA

An evaluation of possible approaches to fossil oak pollen identification utilized scanning electron microscopy to examine exine-surface features of 171 collections, representing 16 Quercus subgenus Lepidobalanus species and varieties of eastern North America. Twenty qualitative pollen morphological characters were defined and tabulated for each of 217 pollen grains. The data were subjected to cluster analysis and cluster diagrams were compared with published white oak taxonomy. Pollen morphology and plant taxonomy compared well in series of the subgenus Lepidobalanus due primarily to consistency of character presence and absence within species and varieties. Pollen morphology of white oaks appears to reflect plant systematics above the species level. Use of routine SEM analysis to identify series of white oaks among fossil pollen grains likely will yield valid results.     

Pollen morphology and fossil record of the feathery mistletoe family Misodendraceae

Misodendraceae is a small family of mistletoes in the order Santalales. Its distribution is restricted to the southern South American temperate forests. The family comprises the sole genus Misodendrum with eight species of hemiparasitic shrubs, mainly parasitising the southern beech Nothofagus. This contribution presents palynological evidence from seven species, using light microscopy and scanning electron microscopy. Pollen grains are consistently small, periporate and echinate, although differences in the length of echini and number and size of pores were noted. Pollen features can be used to distinguish groups of species and, in some cases, individual species. Cluster analysis of pollen characters differentiates two main groups: one includes M. brachystachyum, M. oblongifolium and M. quadriflorum; and the other includes M. gayanum, M. linearifolium, M. punctulatum and M. angulatum. Palynological results are compared with previous systematic studies of the family. The South American fossil pollen record is summarised and characters of the fossil pollen are analysed using UPGMA to test the relationships between extant and fossil species. Miocene pollen resulted similar to species of subgenus Angelopogon while Eocene pollen is disimilar to extant species of Misodendraceae.