The Gomphaeschninae (Odonata: Aeshnidae): new fossil genus, reconstructed phylogeny, and geographical history

ABSTRACT. Three new species of fossil Anisoptera (dragonflies) are reported from Tiffanian (Late Palaeocene) sediments of the Paskapoo Formation, near Red Deer, Alberta, Canada. The three species are all assigned to the new genus Alloaeschna , which is classified in the subfamily Gomphaeschninae.
Phylogenetic analysis of gomphaeschnine wing venation suggests that the subfamily is paraphyletic, with derived gomphaeschnines such as Boyeria and Linaeschna more closely related to the Brachytroninae and Aeshninae than are other gomphaeschnines. One of the most primitive gomphaeschnines, and the oldest fossil form, is the Jurassic Morbaeschna. Parallelism, convergence and reversal in the evolution of features of the wing venation is common.
The new genus Alloaeschna is at about the same evolutionary grade as the old-world genus Oligoaeschna and the new-world genus Gomphaeschna , and is one of the more primitive known members of the Gomphaeschninae. The new species are the first recorded Palaeocene gomphaeschnines and the oldest known gomphaeschnines from the Americas.
Several extant genera have fossil representatives on continents different from those on which they now survive, suggesting repeated crossing of land bridges and/or widespread ancestral species prior to the separation of the continents, and subsequent extinction leading to present relict distributions.     

A new genus, two new species and a new record of subfamily Cecidophyinae (Acari, Eriophyidae) from China

A new genus and two new species belonging to subfamily Cecidophyinae, namely Kyllocarus reticulatusgen.n., sp. n. infesting Lithocarpus brevicaudatus (Skan) Hay. (Fagaceae) and Gammaphytoptus schimaesp. n.infesting Schima superba Gardn. et Champ. (Theaceae) are described and illustrated. Both new species are vagrants on their respective host plants. Cecidophyes digephyrusKeifer, 1966 is newly recorded for China.     

Symbiotic Relationships of Legumes and Nodule Bacteria on Barro Colorado Island,Panama: A Review

New data on 129 bacterial isolates were analyzed together with prior samples to characterize community-level patterns of legume–rhizobial symbiosis on Barro Colorado Island (BCI), Panama. Nodules have been sampled from 24 BCI legume species in 18 genera, representing about one quarter of the legume species and one half of the genera on the island. Most BCI legumes associated exclusively with nodule symbionts in the genus Bradyrhizobium, which comprised 86.3% of all isolates (315 of 365). Most of the remaining isolates (44 of 365) belonged to the β-proteobacterial genus Burkholderia; these were restricted to two genera in the legume subfamily Mimosoideae. Multilocus sequence analysis indicated that BCI Bradyrhizobium strains were differentiated into at least eight lineages with deoxyribonucleic acid divergence of the same magnitude as found among currently recognized species in this bacterial genus. Two of these lineages were widely distributed across BCI legumes. One lineage was utilized by 15 host species of diverse life form (herbs, lianas, and trees) in 12 genera spanning two legume subfamilies. A second common lineage closely related to the taxon B. elkanii was associated with at least five legume genera in four separate tribes. Thus, BCI legume species from diverse clades within the family frequently share interaction with a few common lineages of nodule symbionts. However, certain host species were associated with unique symbiont lineages that have not been found on other coexisting BCI legumes. More comprehensive sampling of host taxa will be needed to characterize the overall diversity of nodule bacteria and the patterns of symbiont sharing among legumes in this community.     

A new genus and three new species of decapodiform cephalopods (Mollusca: Cephalopoda)

We describe here two new species of oegopsid squids. The first is an Asperoteuthis (Chiroteuthidae), and it is based on 18 specimens. This new species has sucker dentition and a funnel–mantle locking apparatus that are unique within the genus. The second new species is a Promachoteuthis (Promachoteuthidae), and is based on a unique specimen. This new species has tentacle ornamentation which is unique within the genus. We also describe a new genus and a new species of sepioid squid in the subfamily Heteroteuthinae (Sepiolidae) and it is based on four specimens. This new genus and species exhibits unique modifications of the arms in males.     

Nodulation response of woody Papilionoid species after inoculation with rhizobia and soil from Hawaii,Asia and North America

Among subfamilies in the Fabaceae, the capacity to form root nodules is most common in the Papilionoideae. Yet nodules have never been observed on species of Cladrastis, and there are conflicting reports of the capacity of species in the genus Styphnolobium to nodulate. Our objectives were to evaluate Styphnolobium japonicum (formerly Sophora japonica) and Cladrastis kentukea for the capacity to nodulate and to characterize any isolated rhizobia. N-deficient plants were inoculated with rhizobia chosen for their low host specificity or for their symbiotic potential with indigenous and introduced trees and shrubs of Sophora species in Hawaii, Japan and China. Soil samples from the root zones of mature S. japonicum, C. kentukea and other woody legumes, introduced or indigenous to Hawaii, Japan, China and the continental USA, also were used as inocula. Inoculation did not elicit nodulation of C. kentukea or S. japonicum, despite that N concentrations of shoots of S. japonicum (1.6%) and C. kentukea (1.5%) fell below the highest shoot N percentage that previously was associated with well-nodulated plants of Maackia amurensis (1.8%). In addition to these analyses, rhizobia were isolated from nodules on the roots of a tree reported to us as S. japonicum. Nine of the 10 isolates selected as representatives of similarity groups were capable of nodulating M. amurensis, which led to the identification of the putative S. japonicum as Maackia floribunda. We also found that broad-range Bradyrhizobium USDA 6, USDA 3384 and USDA 3456 induce nodules on R. pseudoacacia and M. amurensis, which were used as control species during inoculation trials with S. japonicum and C. kentukea. Our conclusion that S. japonicum and C. kentukea lack the capacity to nodulate is based on the most thorough analysis of the nodulation capacity of these species to date. Previous reports of nodulation of S. japonicum may have been due to inaccurate plant or nodule identification.     

Ehrendorferiana, a new genus of Neotropical jumping plant lice (Insecta: Hemiptera: Psylloidea) associated with conifers (Cupressaceae)

Ehrendorferiana and its two included new species, E. austrocedri (the type species) and E. fitzroyae, are diagnosed. The new genus is a member of the predominantly temperate Neotropical subfamily Aphalaroidinae (Psyllidae). Based on the absence of metabasitarsal spurs it forms a likely monophyletic group with Baccharopelma, Panisopelma and Russelliana. The absence or paucity of long dorsal or marginal setae on the wing pads and caudal plate suggests a probable sister-taxon relationship with Russelliana. Apart from two species of Triozidae from New Zealand on Podocarpaceae, Ehrendorferiana is unique within Psylloidea in its host association with conifers, viz. Austrocedrus and Fitzroya (both Cupressaceae).

See also Electronic Supplement at: http://www.senckenberg.de/odes/05-12.htm     

A remarkable new genus of Cretaceous dustywings (Neuroptera： Coniopterygidae)in amber from northern Myanmar

A new dustywing genus and species,namely Cretaconiopteryx grandis gen.& sp.nov.,from the mid-Cretaceous amber of Myanmar is herein described in the lacewing family Coniopterygidae.The new genus is distinguished from all other dustywing species by the combination of following morphological features:relatively large body-size,comparatively rich crossvenation,origin of RP+MA near wing base in both fore-and hindwing,forewing RA and RP terminally fused into a loop,and proximally zig-zagged forewing CuP.A new subfamily,Cretaconiopteryginae subfam,nov.,is erected based on this spectacular new genus.The new subfamily might represent the basalmost lineage of known coniopterygids.     

桂西北喀斯特常见豆科植物根瘤菌的遗传多样性

调查了桂西北喀斯特24种常见豆科植物的结瘤情况及特征,并从15种宿主植物上获得39份根瘤样品,提取根瘤基因组DNA,扩增16S rDNA和nifH基因,构建系统发育树,对根瘤菌遗传多样性进行了研究.结果表明: 有15种豆科植物是结瘤的,其中14种为蝶形花亚科,1种为含羞草亚科,而云实亚科未发现结瘤.一些本应结瘤的植物未发现根瘤,可能与喀斯特土壤的保水性差有关.BLAST和系统发育分析结果均显示,来源于多种豆科植物的根瘤菌均归属于慢生根瘤菌属,仅有2个亮叶崖豆藤样品的根瘤菌归属于中慢生根瘤菌属.在系统发育树上,来源于同一地点或同一宿主植物的根瘤序列均表现出一定的聚集性,说明共生根瘤菌的种类可能受宿主植物及所处生态环境的共同影响.     

Testing the trend towards specialization in herbivore-host plant associations using a molecular phylogeny of Tomoplagia (Diptera: Tephritidae)

Herbivorous insects are abundant and diverse and insect-host plant associations tend to be specialized and evolutionarily conserved. Some authors suggested that generalist insect lineages tend to become specialists, with host specialization leading to an evolutionary dead-end for the parasite species. In this paper, we have examined this tendency using a phylogenetic tree of Tomoplagia (Diptera: Tephritidae), a parasite of asteracean plants. We have tested the trend towards specialization in different hierarchical degrees of host specialization. The topology of the tree, the inference of ancestral hosts, and the lack of directional evolution indicated that specialization does not correspond to a phylogenetic dead-end. Although most Tomoplagia species are restricted to a single host genus, specialization does not seem to limit further host range evolution. This work emphasizes the advantages of the use of different levels of specialization and the inclusion of occasional hosts to establish a more detailed scenario for the evolution of this kind of ecological association.     

Patterns of host-plant choice in bees of the genus Chelostoma: the constraint hypothesis of host-range evolution in bees

To trace the evolution of host-plant choice in bees of the genus Chelostoma (Megachilidae), we assessed the host plants of 35 Palearctic, North American and Indomalayan species by microscopically analyzing the pollen loads of 634 females and reconstructed their phylogenetic history based on four genes and a morphological dataset, applying both parsimony and Bayesian methods. All species except two were found to be strict pollen specialists at the level of plant family or genus. These oligolectic species together exploit the flowers of eight different plant orders that are distributed among all major angiosperm lineages. Based on ancestral state reconstruction, we found that oligolecty is the ancestral state in Chelostoma and that the two pollen generalists evolved from oligolectic ancestors. The distinct pattern of host broadening in these two polylectic species, the highly conserved floral specializations within the different clades, the exploitation of unrelated hosts with a striking floral similarity as well as a recent report on larval performance on nonhost pollen in two Chelostoma species clearly suggest that floral host choice is physiologically or neurologically constrained in bees of the genus Chelostoma. Based on this finding, we propose a new hypothesis on the evolution of host range in bees.     

Molecular phylogeny of the entomopathogenic fungi of the genus Cordyceps (Ascomycota: Clavicipitaceae) and its evolutionary implications

Abstract Cordyceps is an endoparasite ascomycetous genus containing approximately 450 species with a diversity of insect hosts, traditionally included in the family Clavicipitaceae of Ascomycota. Establishing the relationships among species with a varied range of morphologies and hosts is of importance to our understanding of the phylogeny and co‐evolution of parasites and hosts in entomopathogenic ascomycetes. To this end, we used a combination of molecular index and morphological characters from 40 representative species to carry out comprehensive molecular phylogenetic analyses. Based on the phylogenetic tree, we used the program DISCRETE for inferring the rates of evolution and finding ancestral states of morphological character. The phylogenetic analyses revealed two important points. (i) Types of perithecia attached to stroma reflected an evolutionary trend in Cordyceps. The vertically immersed perithecia form was the ancestral state, superficial and obliquely immersed perithecia were derived characters, obliquely immersed was irreversible. Species with obliquely immersed perithecia were in a closely related group and were the derived group. (ii) A strong correlation between fungal relatedness and the microhabitat supported the hypothesis that the host jumps through commingling in soil microhabitats. Based on the results of these analyses, host switching explains the diversity of entomopathogenic fungi of the genus Cordyceps.     

Description of a new genus and two new species of Corioxenidae from Jordan (Insecta: Strepsiptera)

Abstract

Two new species of twisted-wing insects (Strepsiptera) of the family Corioxenidae, Proceroxenos jordanicus n.gen., n.sp., and Dundoxenos breviphlebos n.sp., are described from Jordan. Identification keys to the subfamilies of the Corioxenidae, the genera of the subfamily Uniclavinae, and the species of the genus Dundoxenos are provided. A list of all described species of Corioxenidae is given, including information on geographic distribution, and host species when available.     

Phylogeny of West AfricanCaryedon(Coleoptera: Bruchidae): Congruence between Molecular and Morphological Data

Seed beetles belonging to the Old World genusCaryedonfeed in the seeds of various Caesalpinioideae, Mimosoideae, and Combretaceae. In an attempt to resolve broad phylogenetic relationships within the genus, we obtained 332 base pair sequences of mitochondrial 12S ribosomal DNA and morphological data for the 16 West AfricanCaryedonspecies. Morphological characters were analyzed under maximum parsimony and sequences were compared under maximum parsimony, maximum likelihood, and neighbor joining. Using a partition homogeneity test, we determined that morphological and molecular data sets were combinable. Combined data were analyzed under maximum parsimony. Morphological and molecular trees were congruent at the species group level and total evidence analyses yielded the same topologies as molecular data with each of the three outgroups used. Four main terminal clades are recognized, each corresponding with a group of species generally feeding on the same host plant family, subfamily, genus, or species. The monophyly of legume feedingCaryedonis supported by both data sets, and Combretaceae feeders split in two monophyletic assemblages.     

Baltic amber Ibaliidae (Hymenoptera: Cynipoidea): a new genus with implications for the phylogeny and historical biogeography of the family

Abstract. The first definitive ibaliid wasp (Cynipoidea: Ibaliidae) is described and illustrated from a female preserved in middle Eocene (Lutetian) Baltic amber. Archaeibalia succinica Liu & Engel gen. et sp.n. is distinct from all other members of the family, cladistically placed as sister to all other Ibaliidae, and classified in its own subfamily, Archaeibaliinae Liu & Engel subfam.n. The genus was putatively a parasitoid of wood‐boring insects in hardwood trees. Given that the species is exceptionally rare in Baltic amber (a single individual) despite a habitat that would have placed it in immediate proximity with resin flows, the host of A. succinica was probably not living in the ‘Baltic amber tree’. The historical biogeography and evolution of ibaliids is reconsidered based on the present paleontological evidence.     

A new genus and a new species of lanternflies of the subfamily Cladyphinae (Homoptera,Fulgoridae)

Sclerodepsa granulosa gen. et sp. n., a new genus and a new species of lanternflies (Fulgoridae) of the subfamily Cladyphinae, is described from Brazil and Paraguay, based on the brachypterous adult and the 4th-instar larva (penultimate instar). Its relationship with Dichopterinae is confirmed, and its similarity to Issidae and Callscelldae is shown and discussed.     

Intergeneric phylogenetic relationships in catfishes of the Loricariinae (Siluriformes: Loricariidae), with the description of Fonchiiloricaria nanodon: a new genus and species from Peru

Recent investigations in the upper Río Huallaga in Peru revealed the presence of an intriguing species of the Loricariinae. To characterize and place this species within the evolutionary tree of the subfamily, a molecular phylogeny of this group was inferred based on the 12S and 16S mitochondrial genes and the nuclear gene F-reticulon4. The phylogeny indicated that this distinctive species was a member of the subtribe Loricariina. Given its phylogenetic placement, and its unusual morphology, this species is described as a new genus and new species of Loricariinae: Fonchiiloricaria nanodon. This new taxon is diagnosed by usually possessing one to three premaxillary teeth that are greatly reduced; lips with globular papillae on the surface; the distal margin of lower lip bearing short, triangular filaments; the premaxilla greatly reduced; the abdomen completely covered by plates, with the plates between lateral abdominal plates small and rhombic; a caudal fin with 14 rays; the orbital notch absent; five lateral series of plates; dorsal-fin spinelet absent; preanal plate present, large and solid, and of irregular, polygonal shape, the caudal peduncle becoming more compressed posteriorly for the last seven to 10 plates.     

Lysimachia septemfida(Primulaceae),a new species from Yunnan,China

A new species, Lysimachia septemfida(Primulaceae), from Yunnan(Southwest China) is described and illustrated. The new species exhibits several unusual characters in Lysimachia including lack of a corolla,7-merous flowers, leaves in whorls of 3 and distinct multicellular nodiferous hairs, which make it readily distinguishable from all other species in this genus. The diagnostic differences between this new species and its suppositive allies are given. In addition, the systematic placement of this new species is also discussed based on an ITS molecular tree.     

Ancestral state reconstruction for Dendroctonus bark beetles: evolution of a tree killer

While most bark beetles attack only dead or weakened trees, many species in the genus Dendroctonus have the ability to kill healthy conifers through mass attack of the host tree, and can exhibit devastating outbreaks. Other species in this group are able to successfully colonize trees in small numbers without killing the host. We reconstruct the evolution of these ecological and life history traits, first classifying the extant Dendroctonus species by attack type (mass or few), outbreaks (yes or no), host genus (Pinus and others), location of attacks on the tree (bole, base, etc.), whether the host is killed (yes or no), and if the larvae are gregarious or have individual galleries (yes or no). We then estimated a molecular phylogeny for a data set of cytochrome oxidase I sequences sampled from nearly all Dendroctonus species, and used this phylogeny to reconstruct the ancestral state at various nodes on the tree, employing maximum parsimony, maximum likelihood, and Bayesian methods. Our reconstructions suggest that extant Dendroctonus species likely evolved from an ancestor that killed host pines through mass attack of the bole, had individual larvae, and exhibited outbreaks. The ability to colonize a host tree in small numbers (as well as gregarious larvae and attacks at the tree base) apparently evolved later, possibly as two separate events in different clades. It is likely that tree mortality and outbreaks have been continuing features of the interaction between conifers and Dendroctonus bark beetles.