A complete species phylogeny of the marine midge Pontomyia (Diptera:Chironomidae) reveals a cosmopolitan species and a new synonym

2014 ◽  
Vol 28 (3) ◽  
pp. 277 ◽  
Author(s):  
Danwei Huang ◽  
Peter S. Cranston ◽  
Lanna Cheng

Pontomyia (Diptera : Chironomidae) is an exclusively marine and flightless insect genus with four described species from the Indo-Pacific and one undescribed taxon known only by its larvae, pupal skins and females from the western Atlantic. A previous study of relationships among three of the Indo-Pacific species reported each of them to be monophyletic, with high genetic diversity within P. natans Edwards, 1926, the type species, and P. pacifica Tokunaga, 1932. The evolutionary affinities of the Australian endemic P. cottoni Womersley, 1937, which resembles P. natans, as well as the putative Atlantic species are hitherto undetermined. A complete molecular phylogeny of the genus based on two nuclear and two mitochondrial DNA markers indicates that P. cottoni and a Puerto Rican (Atlantic) larval population are nested within the P. natans clade. Furthermore, P. natans and P. cottoni are inseparable in all morphological characters used previously to distinguish them. Therefore, we synonymise P. cottoni with P. natans, syn. nov., whose known range now encompasses all three ocean basins after including the Puerto Rican population. This distribution warrants further investigation into the life history of Pontomyia, a midge with one of the shortest known adult lifespans among insects.

Zootaxa ◽  
2013 ◽  
Vol 3630 (3) ◽  
pp. 467-488 ◽  
Author(s):  
JOSEPH W. GOY ◽  
JOEL W. MARTIN

Microprosthema semilaeve, a fairly common spongicolid shrimp of reefal habitats in the Western Atlantic and Caribbean is redescribed and figured based on type material and an additional 78 specimens from the majority of its known zoogeographical range. It is distinguished from the Indo-Pacific species of M. validum and an undescribed species of Microprosthema with which it has been confused in the literature by a number of morphological characters. A new species of Microprosthema from deeper waters off the Dry Tortugas and closely related to M. inornatum Manning & Chace, 1990, is described and illustrated. Microprosthema jareckii Martin, 2002 is synonymized with M. manningi Goy & Felder, 1988. A key to the Western Atlantic species of Microprosthema is presented.


Zootaxa ◽  
2009 ◽  
Vol 2152 (1) ◽  
pp. 1-35 ◽  
Author(s):  
NETTA DORCHIN ◽  
MILES V. MCEVOY ◽  
TODD A. DOWLING ◽  
WARREN G. ABRAHAMSON ◽  
JOSEPH G. MOORE

Goldenrods (Solidago and Euthamia species) are common herbs in the eastern United States that support a large and diverse community of highly specific gall-inducing insects. The majority of these insects are gall midges, of which 16 described species are bud, leaf, stem, rhizome, or flower-head gallers belonging to the large genus Rhopalomyia Rübsaamen. The present work is a taxonomic revision of the goldenrod-associated Rhopalomyia species, which includes a key to the identification of species based on their galls and host plants and descriptions of diagnostic characters for all species. Rhopalomyia lanceolata Felt is designated as a new synonym for R. lobata Felt, and R. albipennis Felt and R. carolina Felt are designated as new synonyms for R. solidaginis Loew. Neotypes are designated for R. hirtipes Osten Sacken and R. solidaginis, and two new species are described—R. gina Dorchin n.sp. and R. guttata Dorchin n.sp. Descriptions include illustrations of galls, male and female morphological characters, and the first description of pupae, where available. New or additional detailed information is also provided on gall structure, phenology, and life history of the gall midges.


Zootaxa ◽  
2012 ◽  
Vol 3240 (1) ◽  
pp. 1 ◽  
Author(s):  
SERGEY A. BELOKOBYLSKIJ ◽  
ROBERT R. KULA

The Palearctic species of Braconidae with brachypterous, micropterous, or apterous modification are discussed. Thefollowing new species are described: Chremylus planispinus Belokobylskij (France, Algeria), Chremylus algecirasusBelokobylskij (Spain), Pambolus erogolus Belokobylskij (Mongolia), Pambolus ovchinnikovi Belokobylskij (Kyr-gyzstan), Hormius stauropolicus Belokobylskij (Russia (North Caucasus)), Bracon (Habrobracon) barbieriBelokobylskij (Algeria), and Panerema kamtshatica Belokobylskij (Russia (Kamchatka)). The following species are re-described: Heterospilus hemipterus (Thomson) (male and female), Chremylus pomonellae (Atanasov) (male, female andmacropterous form), Hormius minialatus Tobias (female), and Aleiodes (Chelonorhogas) hemipterus Marshall (male andfemale). Lituania brachyptera Jakimavicius, 1968 is a new synonym of Eurybolus hemipterus Thomson, 1892. Chremyluspomonellae (Atanasov), new combination, is transferred from Rhyssalus. Aleiodes hemipterus is placed in the subgenusChelonorhogas Enderlein. Asobara subalata (Zaykov & Fischer) is returned from Phaenocarpa Foerster. New distribu-tion records are reported for Ecphylus (Sactopus) caudatus Ruschka, H. hemipterus, Rhaconotus hispanicus Belokobyl-skij, Pambolus tricolor (Ruthe), Hormius minialatus Tobias, A. (C.) hemipterus, and Pseudopezomachus kasparyaniTobias. A key for identifying all Palearctic flightless cyclostome braconid species, and the genera in which they are placed,is provided. A discussion about the diversity, morphological characters, and natural history of wing size reduction, and possible reasons for flightlessness, is provided.


Zootaxa ◽  
2011 ◽  
Vol 2995 (1) ◽  
pp. 27 ◽  
Author(s):  
ODALISCA BREEDY ◽  
HECTOR M. GUZMAN

The genus Heterogorgia Verrill, 1868 is poorly known. Lack of good illustrations and clear definitions have historically led authors to assign or transfer species erroneously to it. The genus was established by Verrill for three eastern Pacific species, another was described by Breedy and Guzman in 2005, and the geographic distribution was extended with the discovery of a western Atlantic species described by Castro in 1990. Heterogorgia is characterised by colonies composed of a number of stout stems that branch laterally and irregularly and arise from a conspicuous spreading holdfast. Coenenchymal sclerites are mostly colourless spindles; anthocodiae have strong spindles arranged in collaret and points; and the calyces are prominently armed with whorls of strongly projecting thorns. To define Heterogorgia we examined original type material of all eastern Pacific and western Atlantic species described until now and reference specimens from recent expeditions along the eastern Pacific. Morphological characters are analysed and illustrated using scanning electron micrographs. Lectotypes are designated for H. tortuosa and H. verrucosa to establish their taxonomic status. We conclude that Heterogorgia is comprised of five valid species at present: Heterogorgia hickmani and H. verrucosa for the Galapagos Islands and Ecuador mainland; H. papillosa for Mexico; H. tortuosa and H. verrucosa for Costa Rica and Panama; and H. uatumani for Brazil and Bahamas. The genera Astromuricea, Bebryce, Echinogorgia and Psammogorgia are proposed for the western Pacific species that were historically misplaced in Heterogorgia. We recommend that regional biodiversity estimates and biogeography analyses consider the erroneous status of the species that are still listed as Heterogorgia within the data sets.


Zootaxa ◽  
2009 ◽  
Vol 2243 (1) ◽  
pp. 53-56 ◽  
Author(s):  
IVAN MARIN

The palaemonoid family Anchistioididae Borradaile, 1915 includes a single genus Anchistioides Paulson, 1875 with four known valid species: Anchistioides compressus Paulson, 1875 (type species), A. willeyi (Borradaile, 1899), A. australiensis (Balss, 1921) and A. antiguensis (Schmitt, 1924). Borradaile (1915) suggested two more species within the genus Amphipalaemon Nobili, 1901 (a junior synonym of Anchisitioides Paulson), Amphipalaemon gardineri Borradaile, 1915 (= Anchistioides gardineri) and Amphipalaemon cooperi Borradaile, 1915 (= Anchistioides cooperi) which were later synonomyzed with Anchisitioides willeyi by Gordon (1935), who also suggested their conspecificity with Anchistioides australiensis. At the present time, Anchistioides australiensis is a valid species (Bruce, 1971; Chace & Bruce, 1993) based on specific morphological features such as the presence of sharp postorbital tooth, oblique distal lamela of scaphocerite and sharply produced spines on posterodorsal angles of sixth abdominal somite (see Bruce, 1971: fig. 9). The other Indo-Pacific species, Anchistioides compressus and A. willeyi, can be clearly identified by specific form of scaphocerite, the presence of a well marked blunt postorbital tubercle in A. willeyi which is absent in A. compressus (e.g., Bruce, 1971) and the number of ventral rostral teeth (3-4 large ventral rostral teeth present in A. willeyi while up to 8 small ventral rostral teeth in A. compressus (Paulson, 1875; Gordon, 1935)). Anchistioides antiguensis is clearly separated geographically being known only from the tropical Western Atlantic and Caribbean region (Schmitt, 1924; Holthuis, 1951; Wheeler & Brown, 1968; Martinez-Iglesias, 1986; Markham et al, 1990; Ramos-Porto et al, 1998; Cardoso, 2006).


2020 ◽  
Vol 190 (2) ◽  
pp. 709-736
Author(s):  
Jae-Cheon Sohn ◽  
Shigeki Kobayashi ◽  
Yutaka Yoshiyasu

Abstract A northward trans-Wallacean radiation is demonstrated for Chrysorthenches, a member of the Orthenches group. Here we review Chrysorthenches and allied genera resulting in a generic transfer of Diathryptica callibrya to Chrysorthenches and two new congeners: C. muraseaeSohn & Kobayashisp. nov. from Japan and C. smaragdinaSohnsp. nov. from Thailand. We review morphological characters of Chrysorthenches and allied genera, and find polyphyly of Diathryptica and the association of the Orthenches-group with Glyphipterigidae. These findings were supported in a maximum likelihood phylogeny of DNA barcodes from ten yponomeutoids. We analysed 30 morphological characters for 12 species of Chrysorthenches, plus one outgroup, via a cladistic approach. The resulting cladogram redefined two pre-existing Chrysorthenches species-groups and identified one novel lineage: the C. callibrya species-group. We review the host associations between Chrysorthenches and Podocarpaceae, based on mapping the working phylogenies. Our review suggests that ancestral Chrysorthenches colonized Podocarpus and later shifted to other podocarp genera. Biogeographical patterns of Chrysorthenches show that they evolved long after the Podocarpaceae radiation. Disjunctive trans-Wallacean distribution of the C. callibrya species-group is possibly related to the tracking of their host-plants and the complicated geological history of the island-arc system connecting Australia and East Asia.


Open Medicine ◽  
2006 ◽  
Vol 1 (4) ◽  
pp. 392-398
Author(s):  
Kazima Bulayeva ◽  
John McGrath

AbstractWhile the season-of-birth effect is one of the most consistent epidemiological features of schizophrenia, there is a lack of consistency with respect to the interaction between season of birth and family history of schizophrenia. Apart from family history, measures related to consanguinity can be used as proxy markers of genomic heterogeneity. Thus, these measures may provide an alternate, indirect index of genetic susceptibility. We had the opportunity to explore the interaction between season of birth and measure of consanguinity in well-described genetic isolates in Daghestan, some of which are known for their relatively high prevalence of schizophrenia. Our previous population-genetic study showed Daghestan has an extremely high genetic diversity between the ethnic populations and a low genetic diversity within them. The isolates selected for this study include some with more than 200 and some with less than 100 generations of demographical history since their founding. Based on pedigrees of multiply-affected families, we found that among individuals with schizophrenia, the measure of consanguinity was significantly higher in the parents of those born in winter/spring compared to those born in summer/autumn. Furthermore, compared to summer/autumn born, winter/spring born individuals with schizophrenia had an earlier age-of-onset, and more prominent auditory hallucinations. Our results suggest that the offspring of consanguineous marriages, and thus those with reduced allelic heterogeneity, may be more susceptible to the environmental factor(s) underpinning the season-of-the effect in schizophrenia.


2021 ◽  
Vol 51 (4) ◽  
Author(s):  
Dominique N. Gallery ◽  
Michelle L. Green ◽  
Ilsa B. Kuffner ◽  
Elizabeth A. Lenz ◽  
Lauren T. Toth

AbstractIncreases in local and global stressors have led to major declines in coral populations throughout the western Atlantic. While abundances of other species have declined, however, the relative abundance of the mustard hill coral, Porites astreoides, has increased. Porites astreoides is relatively resilient to some stressors, and because of its mixed reproductive strategies, its populations often recover quickly following disturbances. The ability for P. astreoides to continue as a potential “winner” in western Atlantic reefs relies on maintaining sufficient genetic variation within populations to support acclimatization and adaptation to current and future environmental change. Without high genetic diversity and gene flow within the population, it would have limited capacity for adaptation and the species’ competitive advantages could be short-lived. In this study, we determined the genetic relatedness of 37 P. astreoides colonies at four shallow reefs along the offshore Florida Keys Reef Tract (FKRT), a region particularly hard-hit by recent disturbances. Using previously designed microsatellite markers, we determined the genetic diversity and connectivity of individuals among and between sites. Our results suggest that the FKRT likely contains a single, well-mixed genetic population of P. astreoides, with high levels of gene flow and evidence for larval migration throughout the region. This suggests that regional populations of P. astreoides likely have a higher chance of maintaining resilience than many other western Atlantic species as they face current and future disturbances.


Phytotaxa ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 498 (2) ◽  
pp. 87-103
Author(s):  
YOU-PAI ZENG ◽  
QIONG YUAN ◽  
QIN-ER YANG

Based on critical observations on herbarium specimens (including type material) and living plants in the wild from its type locality, we demonstrate that Thalictrum kangdingense, recently described from Kangding county in western Sichuan province, China, is readily distinguishable from T. xinningense by an array of morphological characters but is actually conspecific with T. megalostigma, a species with its type locality also in Kangding. We therefore reduce T. kangdingense to the synonymy of T. megalostigma herein. The morphological distinction between T. baicalense and T. megalostigma is also clarified.


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