Phylogenetic implications of the mesosomal skeleton in Chalcidoidea (Hymenoptera, Apocrita) – tree searches in a jungle of homoplasy

2006 ◽  
Vol 20 (6) ◽  
pp. 615 ◽  
Author(s):  
Lars Krogmann ◽  
Lars Vilhelmsen

Results from a comparative anatomical study of the mesosomal skeleton of Chalcidoidea are presented. External and internal features are described and illustrated for 39 chalcidoid taxa, representing 16 families and 29 subfamilies. This is the most comprehensive morphological study ever conducted for the superfamily. The mesosoma was dissected, macerated and investigated using scanning electron microscopy. The mesothorax and metathorax contributed most of the phylogenetically relevant information. The metafurca is highly variable within Chalcidoidea but seems to be relatively constant at the subfamily level. One hundred and fifty-four morphological characters were scored and analysed cladistically. Outgroup species were chosen from six apocritan superfamilies: Stephanoidea, Ceraphronoidea, Cynipoidea, Platygastroidea, Proctotrupoidea and Mymarommatoidea. Some previously suggested chalcidoid relationships were retrieved: (1) Pteromalidae: Pteromalinae + Miscogasterinae + Panstenoninae; (2) Perilampidae + Eucharitidae; (3) Chalcididae + Leucospidae + Eurytomidae; (4) Eulophidae: Eulophinae + Tetrastichinae + Entedoninae; and (5) Eupelmidae + Encyrtidae. Mymarommatoidea renders Chalcidoidea paraphyletic in our analyses; however, the taxon sample is too restricted to provide a robust hypothesis. Three previously unreported putative autapomorphies of Chalcidoidea were revealed: (1) presence of an exposed, triangular or diamond-shaped prosternum; (2) presence of a percurrent mesopleural sulcus anteriorly terminating in the acropleuron; and (3) presence of paired metapectal plates lateral to the metafurca.

Phytotaxa ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 502 (2) ◽  
pp. 191-207
Author(s):  
SHIVANI KASHYAP ◽  
CHANDAN KUMAR SAHU ◽  
ROHIT KUMAR VERMA ◽  
LAL BABU CHAUDHARY

Due to large size and enormous morphological plasticity, the taxonomy of the genus Astragalus is very complex and challenging. The identification and grouping of species chiefly based on macromorphological characters become sometimes difficult in the genus. In the present study, the micromorphology of the seeds of 30 species belonging to 14 sections of Astragalus from India has been examined applying scanning electron microscopy (SEM) along with light microscopy (LM) to evaluate their role in identification and classification. Attention was paid to colour, shape, size and surface of seeds. The overall size of the seeds ranges from 1.5–3.2 × 0.8–2.2 mm. The shape of the seeds is cordiform, deltoid, mitiform, orbicular, ovoid and reniform. The colour of seeds varies from brown to blackish-brown to black. Papillose, reticulate, ribbed, rugulate and stellate patterns were observed on the seed coat surface (spermoderm) among different species. The study reveals that the seed coat ornamentations have evolved differently among species and do not support the subgeneric and sectional divisions of the genus. However, they add an additional feature to the individual species, which may help in identification in combination with other macro-morphological features.


2021 ◽  
Vol 9 (10) ◽  
pp. 1386-1393
Author(s):  
Jayshree Sandesh Thaware ◽  

Pollen is appropriately referred by some as Golden dust extremely valuable on account of their tremendous applications in science, industries and public health. No other plant part even though extremely tiny in size is packed with so much information and power. Similar to other plant parts, pollen characters are so varied that the classification system of plants can be built up entirely on the basis of pollen morphology.Palynology is the distinct branch of biology that deals with the dispersed microscopic tiny living and fossil entities including pollen grains, spores, algal and fungal fragments and others. An important aspect of Palynology is the Pollen morphology. The importance of Palynology in taxonomic and phylogenetic consideration of plants is well known. The changes occurring through hybridization and years of cultivation are reflected in pollen morphology. The scope and interest in the study of pollen morphology have widened with the advent of Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM) and with regards to unipalynous taxa particularly the understanding of finer morphology is of fundamental importance. SEM gives a correct understanding of exine surface as the electron photographs of the surface replica of the exine provides the exact picture of the ornamentation pattern. The variation in the pollen morphological characters helps in the classification of plant taxa and their assessment of their phylogenetic relationship. In the present investigation, the pollen morphological studies were carried out of some ethnomedicinal plants like Catharanthus roseus, Allamanda cathartica, Datura metel, Brassica juncea, Raphanus sativus and Cleome viscosa pollen grains by Scanning electron microscopy. All that they possess anticancer characteristics in common.


2013 ◽  
Vol 20 (1) ◽  
pp. 85-94 ◽  
Author(s):  
Huan-Fang Liu ◽  
Yun-Fei Deng ◽  
Jing-Ping Liao

Foliar trichomes of 21 species of the genus Croton L. from China have been examined using stereomicroscopy and scanning electron microscopy. Five trichome types characterized by their morphology are identified, viz., stellate, lepidote, simple, dendritic and appressed-rosulate. Only stellate trichome is observed in most species, with only six species that are found to maintain two or three trichome types. Trichome types and density are useful for species identification and sectional classification for Chinese species. Based on the trichome types and other morphological characters, 21 Chinese species are proposed to be placed in five sections. Croton crassifolius belongs to sect. Andrichnia; C. cascarilloides belongs to sect. Monguia; C. mangelong, C. kongensis, C. laevigatus and C. laniflorus belong to sect. Argyrocroton; C. lauioides, C. howii and C. damayeshu belong to sect. Adenophylli. The remaining Chinese Croton species might be placed into sect. Croton. A key for Chinese Croton species based on trichome morphology is provided.DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.3329/bjpt.v20i1.15468Bangladesh J. Plant Taxon. 20(1): 85-94, 2013 (June)


2018 ◽  
Vol 25 (2) ◽  
pp. 175-186 ◽  
Author(s):  
Changyoung Lee ◽  
Jinki Kim ◽  
Ashwini M. Darshetkar ◽  
Ritesh Kumar Choudhary ◽  
Sang-Hong Park ◽  
...  

Mericarp morphology of 24 taxa belonging to nine genera of the tribe Selineae (Family: Apiaceae) in Korea was studied by Scanning Electron Microscopy. UPGMA and NMDS analyses were performed based on 12 morphological characters. The mericarp surface characters like mericarp shape, rib number and shape, surface pattern, surface appendages and mericarp symmetry proved useful in distinguishing the genera of the tribe Selineae.


Zootaxa ◽  
2010 ◽  
Vol 2493 (1) ◽  
pp. 16 ◽  
Author(s):  
IVO DE SENA OLIVEIRA ◽  
ALFREDO HANNEMANN WIELOCH ◽  
GEORG MAYER

Based on the supposed quadrangular shape of the basal pieces of dorsal primary papillae, several species of the “Caribbean group” of the neotropical Peripatidae, including Macroperipatus acacioi and M. machadoi, were assigned to Macroperipatus. So far, the quadrangular shape of dermal papillae was confirmed only for M. torquatus, the type species of the genus. Previous observations revealed that the putatively quadrangular shape reported from other species of the “Caribbean group” might be a fixation artefact. Hence, detailed reinvestigations of all putative Macroperipatus species are required to clarify their taxonomy. In the present study, two species of the “Caribbean group”, M. acacioi and M. machadoi, are analyzed and redescribed, based on type material and topotype specimens collected at the corresponding type localities. The original descriptions of both species are complemented with data obtained from scanning electron microscopy, in addition to conventional morphological methods. The quadrangular bases of primary papillae are shown to be absent from M. acacioi and M. machadoi, thus suggesting that these two species are not closely related to M. torquatus. The new data instead suggest that these two species are representatives of Epiperipatus: E. acacioi comb. nov. and E. machadoi comb. nov.. The present study highlights the use of scanning electron microscopy for clarifying the taxonomy and phylogeny of the neotropical Peripatidae. It also reveals gaps in taxon sampling and problems regarding the ambiguous terminology of morphological characters used for describing the anatomy of peripatids. An attempt is made towards a consistent terminology for species (re)descriptions and studies of onychophoran anatomy and phylogeny.


2015 ◽  
Vol 58 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Sergio Escobar-Morales ◽  
David U. Hernández-Becerril

AbstractThe so-called unarmoured dinoflagellates are not a “natural” (phylogenetic) group but they lack thecal plates, share fragility and possess relatively few morphological characters that can be positively identified. This study depicts the species composition of unarmoured dinoflagellates collected from sites along the coasts of the Gulf of Mexico and the Mexican Pacific and includes their descriptions and illustrations. We identified a total of 25 species belonging to 13 genera and six families that were studied through various techniques using light and scanning electron microscopy. Seven new records for the Mexican Pacific are annotated here that include


2013 ◽  
Vol 5 (2) ◽  
pp. 201-208
Author(s):  
Pamela Murillo ◽  
Hugo Aguilar ◽  
Ethel Sanchez

Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) has been used as a tool to facilitate the morphological description of mites and to complement the information obtained from the light microscope. Unfortunately, several of SEM techniques used for soft-bodied mites such as Tyrophagus, have in many cases not shown the desired results. This investigation sought to develop an efficient procedure for preparing specimens of T. putrescentiae for SEM so that its major morphological characters could be observed and photographed. This species is the most important contaminant of tissue culture laboratories in Costa Rica. Seven methods were used to process the samples. The evaluated treatments showed differences in their ability to preserve the morphological structures of the specimens. The advantages and disadvantages of each treatment are discussed.  Mites processed using ethanol were the most viable option with method 3 being the procedure that showed the best results; this technique also reduced the time and costs of processing the specimens.KEY WORDSAcari, Acaridae, Tyrophagus putrescentiae, Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM), SEM techniques


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