A South American fossil relative of Phyllocladus: Huncocladus laubenfelsii gen. et sp. nov. (Podocarpaceae), from the early Eocene of Laguna del Hunco, Patagonia, Argentina

2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ana Andruchow-Colombo ◽  
Peter Wilf ◽  
Ignacio H. Escapa
Keyword(s):  
Climate Change ◽  
Phylogenetic Analysis ◽  
South America ◽  
Drought Tolerance ◽  
East Asian ◽  
Western Hemisphere ◽  
South American ◽  
Early Eocene ◽  
The Face ◽  
Historical Range

Huncocladus laubenfelsii gen. et sp. nov. is described from the early Eocene (52 million years old) Laguna del Hunco site in Patagonia, Argentina, on the basis of a compression fossil with cuticle remains. The taxon has several similarities with Phyllocladus, together with characters that are absent in extant Phyllocladus species but are otherwise typical of the enclosing scale-leaved clade. Consequently, Huncocladus is interpreted as a relative of Phyllocladus, possibly belonging to its stem group. This view is supported by a phylogenetic analysis of Podocarpaceae, which recovers Huncocladus as sister to Phyllocladus within the here-termed phyllocladoid clade (Phyllocladus + Huncocladus). Huncocladus laubenfelsii is the first macrofossil record of the phyllocladoid lineage in South America or anywhere in the western hemisphere, vastly extending its historical range and constituting an additional lineage shared between Eocene Patagonia and extant and extinct Australasian and South-east Asian rainforests. The disappearance of phyllocladoids from South America adds to the general extinction pattern described previously for southern hemisphere Podocarpaceae, associated with the family’s low drought tolerance in the face of climate change (i.e. aridification). Huncocladus is the oldest record of the phyllocladoids, and it represents a new reference point for temporal calibration and biogeographic inference for the evolution of conifers and Australasian rainforests.

scholarly journals South American Climate during the Early Eocene: Impact of a Narrower Atlantic and Higher Atmospheric CO2

2020 ◽  
Vol 33 (2) ◽  
pp. 691-706 ◽  
Author(s):  
Xiaojuan Liu ◽  
David S. Battisti ◽  
Rachel H. White ◽  
Paul A. Baker
Keyword(s):  
South America ◽  
Climate Model ◽  
Atmospheric Composition ◽  
South American ◽  
Early Eocene ◽  
Tropical Atlantic ◽  
State Changes ◽  
Climate Model Simulations ◽  
South American Climate ◽  
Tropical South America

AbstractThe Cenozoic climate of tropical South America was fundamental to the development of its biota, the most biodiverse on Earth. No previous studies have explicitly addressed how the very different atmospheric composition and Atlantic geometry during the early Eocene (approximately 55 million years ago) may have affected South American climate. At that time, the Atlantic Ocean was approximately half of its current width and the CO2 concentration of Earth’s atmosphere ranged from ~550 to ~1500 ppm or even higher. Climate model simulations were performed to examine the effects of these major state changes on the climate of tropical South America. Reducing the width of the Atlantic by approximately half produces significant drying relative to modern climate. Drying is only partly offset by an enhancement of precipitation due to the higher CO2 of the early Eocene. The main mechanism for drier conditions is simple. Low-level air crosses the tropical Atlantic from North Africa in much less time for a narrower Atlantic (2 days) than for the modern Atlantic (~6 days); as a result, much less water is evaporated into the air and thus there is far lower moisture imported to the continent in the Eocene simulation than in the modern control. The progressive wetting (during the mid- to late Cenozoic) of the Amazon due to the widening Atlantic and the rising Andes, only partly offset by decreasing CO2 values, may have been partly responsible for the accumulating biodiversity of this region.

Phylogenetic analysis of the South American sharpshooter genus Scopogonalia Young, 1977 (Insecta: Hemiptera: Cicadellidae), with implications for conservation

Zootaxa ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 4885 (4) ◽  
pp. 487-508
Author(s):  
AFONSO H. LEAL ◽  
ANTONIO J. CREÃO-DUARTE ◽  
GABRIEL MEJDALANI
Keyword(s):  
Phylogenetic Analysis ◽  
South America ◽  
Atlantic Forest ◽  
Northeastern Brazil ◽  
Female Genitalia ◽  
Colour Pattern ◽  
South American ◽  
Male And Female ◽  
Ecological Adaptations ◽  
The One

Scopogonalia is a leafhopper genus with 17 described species, all of them from South America. In this work, a phylogenetic analysis of the genus was conducted based on 59 morphological and colour pattern characters of head, thorax, abdomen, male and female genitalia. Analyses with equal weights resulted in 12 equally most parsimonious trees (length = 137) including a monophyletic Scopogonalia in all of them. An implied weights (k = 15) analysis recovered two trees, one of them equal to the one obtained with a single round successive weighting procedure, which was chosen for discussion. The trees support the existence of three main clades, which are here called Early Green Clade, Late Green Clade, and Yellow-Brown Clade. The origin and diversification of each clade is discussed under available biogeographical knowledge of South America. Little variation was observed in the female genitalia, but their characters were useful to reinforce the monophyly of the Yellow-Brown Clade, which we associate to ecological adaptations. This clade supports a past connection of the Cerrado biome and savannah enclaves in Amazonia and Atlantic Forest. This conclusion highlights the necessity of conserving this open vegetation environment inside the most fragmented portion of the Atlantic Forest, in northeastern Brazil. 

New and unusual host records for North American and South American spider wasps (Hymenoptera: Pompilidae)

Zootaxa ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 4891 (1) ◽  
pp. 1-112
Author(s):  
FRANK E. KURCZEWSKI ◽  
RICK C. WEST ◽  
CECILIA WAICHERT ◽  
KELLY C. KISSANE ◽  
DARRELL UBICK ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
United States ◽  
South America ◽  
Central America ◽  
North American ◽  
Western Hemisphere ◽  
South American ◽  
New Host ◽  
United States Mexico ◽  
First Time ◽  
Taxonomic Order

New and unusual host records for 133 species and subspecies of Pompilidae predominantly from the southwestern United States, Mexico, Central America, and South America are presented in modified taxonomic order. First-time species host records are given for Calopompilus Ashmead, Pepsis Fabricius, Hemipepsis Dahlbom, Priocnessus Banks, Entypus Dahlbom, Pompilocalus Roig-Alsina, Sphictostethus Kohl, Auplopus Spinola, Ageniella Banks, Eragenia Banks, Aporus Spinola, Poecilopompilus Ashmead, Tachypompilus Ashmead, Anoplius Dufour, Priochilus (Fabricius) and Notocyphus Smith. New host spider families are introduced for Calopompilus, Pepsis, Hemipepsis, Priocnessus, Entypus, Cryptocheilus Panzer, Priocnemis Schiødte, Auplopus, Ageniella, Eragenia, Aporus, Tachypompilus, Anoplius, Priochilus and Notocyphus. Eight host spider families are reported from the Western Hemisphere for the first time: Halonoproctidae (Notocyphus dorsalis dorsalis Cresson); Dipluridae (Pepsis pretiosa Dahlbom, P. montezuma Smith, P. infuscate Spinola, P. atripennis Fabricius, P. martini Vardy, Priocnessus vancei Waichert and Pitts); Nemesiidae (Pepsis pallidolimbata Lucas, P. viridis Lepeletier, P. spp., Pompilocalus hirticeps (Guérin), Sphictostethus gravesii (Haliday), S. striatulus Roig-Alsina, Priocnemis oregona Banks); Barychelidae (Eragenia sp.); Paratropididae (Pepsis stella Montet); Trechaleidae (Hemipepsis toussainti (Banks), Entypus unifasciatus cressoni (Banks), Tachypompilus ferrugineus (Say), Tachypompilus unicolor cerinus Evans, Priochilus gloriosum (Cresson); Desidae (Ageniella accepta (Cresson), Sphictostethus isodontus Roig-Alsina) and Selenopidae (Priochilus scrupulum (Fox), Tachypompilus erubescens (Taschenberg) or xanthopterus (Rohwer)). The first known host records for the rare South American pompilid genera Chirodamus (Lycosidae: Lycosa sp.) and Herbstellus (Nemesiidae: Diplothelopsis cf bonariensis Mello-Leitão) are presented. 

scholarly journals The youngest South American rhynchocephalian, a survivor of the K/Pg extinction

2014 ◽  
Vol 281 (1792) ◽  
pp. 20140811 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sebastián Apesteguía ◽  
Raúl O. Gómez ◽  
Guillermo W. Rougier
Keyword(s):  
Phylogenetic Analysis ◽  
New Species ◽  
New Zealand ◽  
South America ◽  
Late Cretaceous ◽  
South American ◽  
New Taxon ◽  
Northern Patagonia ◽  
Extinction Event ◽  
New Form

Rhynchocephalian lepidosaurs, though once widespread worldwide, are represented today only by the tuatara ( Sphenodon ) of New Zealand. After their apparent early Cretaceous extinction in Laurasia, they survived in southern continents. In South America, they are represented by different lineages of Late Cretaceous eupropalinal forms until their disappearance by the Cretaceous/Palaeogene (K/Pg) boundary. We describe here the only unambiguous Palaeogene rhynchocephalian from South America; this new taxon is a younger species of the otherwise Late Cretaceous genus Kawasphenodon . Phylogenetic analysis confirms the allocation of the genus to the clade Opisthodontia. The new form from the Palaeogene of Central Patagonia is much smaller than Kawasphenodon expectatus from the Late Cretaceous of Northern Patagonia. The new species shows that at least one group of rhynchocephalians not related to the extant Sphenodon survived in South America beyond the K/Pg extinction event. Furthermore, it adds to other trans-K/Pg ectotherm tetrapod taxa, suggesting that the end-Cretaceous extinction affected Patagonia more benignly than the Laurasian landmasses.

scholarly journals Regional Climate Modeling over South America: A Review

2013 ◽  
Vol 2013 ◽  
pp. 1-13 ◽  
Author(s):  
Silvina A. Solman
Keyword(s):  
Climate Change ◽  
South America ◽  
Climate Models ◽  
Climate Modeling ◽  
Regional Climate ◽  
Regional Climate Change ◽  
Regional Climate Models ◽  
Regional Climate Modeling ◽  
South American ◽  
Sensitivity Studies

This review summarizes the progress achieved on regional climate modeling activities over South America since the early efforts at the beginning of the 2000s until now. During the last 10 years, simulations with regional climate models (RCMs) have been performed for several purposes over the region. Early efforts were mainly focused on sensitivity studies to both physical mechanisms and technical aspects of RCMs. The last developments were focused mainly on providing high-resolution information on regional climate change. This paper describes the most outstanding contributions from the isolated efforts to the ongoing coordinated RCM activities in the framework of the CORDEX initiative, which represents a major endeavor to produce ensemble climate change projections at regional scales and allows exploring the associated range of uncertainties. The remaining challenges in modeling South American climate features are also discussed.

Bluetongue virus in South America: current status based on phylogenetic analysis

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Danilo Legisa ◽  
Maria José Dus Santos
Keyword(s):  
Phylogenetic Analysis ◽  
Maximum Likelihood ◽  
South America ◽  
Bluetongue Virus ◽  
Phylogenetic Analyses ◽  
Current Status ◽  
Accurate Information ◽  
South American ◽  
American Continent ◽  
Genetic Continuity

Bluetongue (BT) is an insect-borne disease affecting domestic and wild ruminants. Bluetongue virus (BTV) is the causative agent of the BT disease. BT outbreaks have been widely recorded worldwide. However, in the South American subcontinent, accurate information about the disease and molecular epidemiology is still lacking because little effort has been made to cover the region. This study comprises an exhaustive phylogenetic analysis including all BTV sequences available in databases and reports new Argentinean sequences for Seg 8 and Seg 9. Maximum-likelihood phylogenetic analyses were conducted for Seg 2, Seg 3, Seg 6, Seg 7, Seg 8, Seg 9 and Seg 10. Throughout the study, wide circulation and genetic continuity along the American continent were detected. Also, reassortment events are reported, and the historical virus introduction path into and through South America is suggested.

Ascaridoid nematodes of South American mammals, with a definition of a new genus

1982 ◽  
Vol 56 (3) ◽  
pp. 275-295 ◽  
Author(s):  
J. F. A. Sprent
Keyword(s):  
North America ◽  
South America ◽  
New Genus ◽  
East Asian ◽  
Host Record ◽  
Neotropical Region ◽  
South American ◽  
Inia Geoffrensis ◽  
Pteronura Brasiliensis ◽  
Definition Of

ABSTRACTAscaridoid nematodes occurring in South American mammals are divided into categories based on their possible origin. The affinities are discussed of five species so far known only from the Neotropical Region.Toxocara alienata(Rudolphi, 1819) is reported fromNasua rufa socialis, Procyon cancrivorus, andTayassus torquatus. The specimens fromT. torquatusare described and found most closely to resembleToxocara mackerrasaefrom south-east Asian and Australian rodents.Anisakis insignisfromInia geoffrensisis transferred back toPeritracheliusDiesing, 1851, on account of the structure of the lips and spicules.P. insignisis shown to exhibit remarkable convergence of lip structure withLagochilascaris turgidafromDidelphis marsupialis.Galeiceps longispiculum(Freitas & Lent, 1941) fromPteronura brasiliensisis confirmed as a species distinct fromG. cucullus(Linstow, 1899) andG. spinicollis(Baylis, 1923), butG. simiae(Mosgovoy, 1951) is considered to be a synonym ofG. spinicollis. An error in the host record ofG. spinicollisis corrected fromCercopithecus leucampyx kandtitoLutra maculicollis kivuana.Ascaris dasypodinaBaylis, 1922 from armadillos, includingCabassous unicinctusandTolypeutes matacos, is redescribed and placed in a new genusBairdascaris. The question is raised as to whether some species inLagochilascaris, Galeiceps, andToxocaramay have crossed directly by sea from Africa to South America, rather than entering via North America.

Electroborus brighti: the first Hylesinini bark beetle described from Dominican amber (Coleoptera: Curculionidae: Scolytinae)

2013 ◽  
Vol 145 (5) ◽  
pp. 501-508 ◽  
Author(s):  
Anthony I. Cognato
Keyword(s):  
Phylogenetic Analysis ◽  
New Species ◽  
South America ◽  
Bark Beetle ◽  
Evolutionary History ◽  
New World ◽  
New Genus ◽  
Morphological Characters ◽  
South American ◽  
Dominican Amber

AbstractElectroborus brighti, new genus, new species (Coleoptera: Curculionidae: Scolytinae) is described based on two specimens from Dominican amber, which represents the first Hylesinini found in Dominican amber. A phylogenetic analysis of 24 Hylesinini species and a Strombophorus Hagedorn species based on morphological characters suggests E. brighti is not related to the Neotropical genus Phloeoborus Erichson, but shares a close affinity to African Hylesinini genera. The discovery of this new genus adds to the evidence that tropical South America and Africa shared similar faunas throughout evolutionary history. Although many Old World taxa have become extinct in the New World, the existence of E. brighti among Recent faunas is a possibility, given that the South American and African scolytine faunas are relatively poorly studied.

Trends in Distance Education in South America

2011 ◽  
pp. 2146-2154
Author(s):  
Luis Barrera
Keyword(s):  
Distance Education ◽  
Developing Countries ◽  
North America ◽  
South America ◽  
Development Programme ◽  
Western Hemisphere ◽  
South American ◽  
Future Trends ◽  
Isthmus Of Panama ◽  
Nations Development

This article reviews the history, state of the art, and future trends in distance education, in South American countries, through an overview of the main experiences in the region. South America is in the western hemisphere, connected to Central and North America by the Isthmus of Panama. Twelve countries form this continent: Argentina, Bolivia, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Ecuador, Guyana, Paraguay, Peru, Suriname, Uruguay and Venezuela. As reported by the United Nations Development Programme (2007), all of them are developing countries, characterized by a difficult social reality as a result of political and economic crisis in the course of its history.

scholarly journals Two Late Cretaceous sauropods reveal titanosaurian dispersal across South America

2020 ◽  
Vol 3 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
E. Martín Hechenleitner ◽  
Léa Leuzinger ◽  
Agustín G. Martinelli ◽  
Sebastián Rocher ◽  
Lucas E. Fiorelli ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Phylogenetic Analysis ◽  
New Species ◽  
South America ◽  
Late Cretaceous ◽  
South American ◽  
Santo Domingo ◽  
Southern South America ◽  
Continental Scale ◽  
Nesting Site ◽  
La Rioja

Abstract South American titanosaurians have been central to the study of the evolution of Cretaceous sauropod dinosaurs. Despite their remarkable diversity, the fragmentary condition of several taxa and the scarcity of records outside Patagonia and southwestern Brazil have hindered the study of continental-scale paleobiogeographic relationships. We describe two new Late Cretaceous titanosaurians from Quebrada de Santo Domingo (La Rioja, Argentina), which help to fill a gap between these main areas of the continent. Our phylogenetic analysis recovers both new species, and several Brazilian taxa, within Rinconsauria. The data suggest that, towards the end of the Cretaceous, this clade spread throughout southern South America. At the same locality, we discovered numerous accumulations of titanosaurian eggs, likely related to the new taxa. With eggs distributed in three levels along three kilometres, the new site is one of the largest ever found and provides further evidence of nesting site philopatry among Titanosauria.

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