Using Historical Biogeography Models to Study Color Pattern Evolution

2019 ◽  
Vol 68 (5) ◽  
pp. 755-766 ◽  
Author(s):  
Chad M Eliason ◽  
Michael J Andersen ◽  
Shannon J Hackett

Abstract Color is among the most striking features of organisms, varying not only in spectral properties like hue and brightness, but also in where and how it is produced on the body. Different combinations of colors on a bird’s body are important in both environmental and social contexts. Previous comparative studies have treated plumage patches individually or derived plumage complexity scores from color measurements across a bird’s body. However, these approaches do not consider the multivariate nature of plumages (allowing for plumage to evolve as a whole) or account for interpatch distances. Here, we leverage a rich toolkit used in historical biogeography to assess color pattern evolution in a cosmopolitan radiation of birds, kingfishers (Aves: Alcedinidae). We demonstrate the utility of this approach and test hypotheses about the tempo and mode of color evolution in kingfishers. Our results highlight the importance of considering interpatch distances in understanding macroevolutionary trends in color diversity and demonstrate how historical biogeography models are a useful way to model plumage color pattern evolution. Furthermore, they show that distinct color mechanisms (pigments or structural colors) spread across the body in different ways and at different rates. Specifically, net rates are higher for structural colors than pigment-based colors. Together, our study suggests a role for both development and selection in driving extraordinary color pattern diversity in kingfishers. We anticipate this approach will be useful for modeling other complex phenotypes besides color, such as parasite evolution across the body.

2014 ◽  
Vol 12 (1) ◽  
pp. 61-70 ◽  
Author(s):  
Christian Andreas Cramer

Despite Panaqolus purusiensis being described nearly 80 years ago, very little is known about it. The taxon was described based on a single specimen. Researching collection catalogues has revealed two more specimens that were caught together along with the holotype but had subsequently been deposited in different museums. Recent collections, including one from the type locality, have made more specimens available. Examination of this new material reveals that this species has three distinct color patterns that are size dependent. Specimens with standard length (SL) less than 30 mm show a coloration common among various species of Panaqolus consisting of regular bands on the body, fins and head. Specimens from 30-90 mm SL have a specific color pattern with thinner bands and those larger than 90 mm SL have a uniformly dark body with only the fins continuing to show bands. The most similar species are P. changae, P. gnomus, P. maccus, and P. nocturnus.The first three can easily be distinguished by their coloration and by body proportions. Specimens of P. nocturnusof more than 90 mm SL however are nearly indistinguishable from P. purusiensisof the same size, making identification difficult.


2010 ◽  
Vol 8 (2) ◽  
pp. 255-264 ◽  
Author(s):  
Leandro M Sousa ◽  
André L. Netto-Ferreira ◽  
José L. O Birindelli

Two new species of Moenkhausia, one from the rio Tapajós and the other from the rio Xingu basins are described as apparently endemics of the Serra do Cachimbo. Both species, along with M. petymbuaba, share a distinct color pattern composed of large conspicuous dark blotches on the base of the body scales. Moenkhausia chlorophthalma, from rio Treze de Maio, a tributary to rio Curuá (rio Xingu basin), is distinguished by the presence of a proximal well delimited black area on the adipose fin and a green eye in life. Moenkhausia plumbea of the headwaters of tributaries of the rio Braço Norte, rio Tapajós basin is diagnosed by the presence of a dark longitudinal stripe across the eye and six branched pelvic-fin rays (vs. seven). Relationships of the new species with other Moenkhausia are discussed.


Author(s):  
Barbara K. Gold

This chapter discusses the metaphor of the martyr as athlete found both in the Passio Sanctarum Perpetuae et Felicitatis and in many early Christian writers such as Tertullian. It focuses on key images and elements in Perpetua’s fourth vision in which she “becomes male,” and the theological, philosophical, theoretical, and social contexts that reveal Perpetua’s role as a woman and the portrayal of her as an athlete. It discusses the traits of endurance [patientia in Cicero and hypomonê in Greek texts] and suffering that are manifested in martyr athletes such as Perpetua and Blandina and Augustine’s discussion of the body in connection with female martyrs.


Zootaxa ◽  
2018 ◽  
Vol 4461 (3) ◽  
pp. 438
Author(s):  
CARLOS AUGUSTO FIGUEIREDO ◽  
CRISTIANO R. MOREIRA

A new species, Poecilia (Pamphorichthys) akroa, is described from the Rio Tocantins drainage, Brazil. The new species differs from the remaining species of the genus by the possession of 10 or 11 pectoral-fin rays, entire preopercular ramus and posterior portion of the supraorbital ramus of the cephalic sensory system enclosed in canals, a faint longitudinal band along the body, a single gonapophysis, a homogeneous reticulate color pattern on sides of body, urogenital region of females heavily pigmented, distalmost segments of the anterior branch (4a) of the fourth gonopodial ray fused into an elongated segment turned anteriorly, subdistal segments of anterior branch (5a) of fifth gonopodial ray simple, without anterior (ventral) projections, dorsal fin with pigmentation at its distal portion and with a basal black blotch, and chromatophores more concentrated on the posterior margin of the mid-ventral scale series of the caudal peduncle and ventrolateral margin of the adjacent scales forming a series of rhombi posterior to anal fin. 


2017 ◽  
Vol 15 (3) ◽  
Author(s):  
Juliano Ferrer ◽  
Laura M. Donin

ABSTRACT A new species of Ituglanis associated to the grasslands of the Pampa biome is described from the rio Uruguai basin, southern Brazil. The new species is distinguished from its congeners by the low number of ribs and by a unique color pattern composed of an outer layer with scattered round black blotches equivalent in size to the eye circumference over a reddish brown background on the lateral surface of the body. We provide the genetic sequences of the mitochondrial gene Cytochrome c Oxydase subunit I (COI) for three of the paratypes and discuss aspects about the recent discovery of the new species.


2009 ◽  
Vol 7 (1) ◽  
pp. 1-9 ◽  
Author(s):  
José L. O. Birindelli ◽  
Heraldo A. Britski

A new species of Leporinus Agassiz is described from the rio Curuá, a tributary of the rio Iriri, rio Xingu basin, Serra do Cachimbo, Pará State, Brazil. The new species is diagnosed by the color pattern, which consists of eight to ten midlateral round dark blotches plus 20 to 40 smaller ones scattered over the body, dental formula 3/4, subinferior to inferior mouth, 37 to 38 lateral line scales, 4/3-4 transversal series of scales, and 12 circumpeduncular scale series. The new species most closely resembles L. octomaculatus and L. reticulatus from the upper Tapajós basin, and L. marcgravii and L. microphthalmus from the rio São Francisco and the rio Paranaíba, respectively. Based on recently collected specimens, L. reticulatus is re-diagnosed as having an allometric elongation of the snout.


2020 ◽  
Vol 720 ◽  
pp. 107-120
Author(s):  
Thomas Wesener

A new genus, Dichromatobolus gen. nov., belonging to the genus-rich mainly southern hemisphere family Pachybolidae of the order Spirobolida, is described based on D. elephantulus gen. et sp. nov., illustrated with color pictures, line drawings, and scanning electron micrographs. The species is recorded from the spiny bush of southwestern Madagascar. Dichromatobolus elephantulus gen. et sp. nov. shows an unusual color pattern, sexual dichromatism with males being red with black legs and females being grey. Males seem to be more surface active, as mainly males were collected with pitfall traps. Females mainly come from the pet trade. The body of this species is short and very wide, being only 8 times longer than wide in the males. Live observations show the species is a very slow mover, digging in loose soil almost as fast as walking on the surface. The posterior gonopods of Dichromatobolus gen. nov. are unusually simple and well-rounded, displaying some similarities to the genera Corallobolus Wesener, 2009 and Granitobolus Wesener, 2009, from which the new genus differs in numerous other characters, e.g., size, anterior gonopods and habitus. Despite several attempts with fresh tissue samples and different primers, molecular barcoding did not work for Dichromatobolus gen. nov. Any relationships to the other 15 genera of Pachybolidae indigenous to Madagascar remain unknown.


Zootaxa ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 4948 (2) ◽  
pp. 184-200
Author(s):  
REBECCA FRANCES BENTLEY ◽  
STEVEN GRANT ◽  
LUIZ FERNANDO CASERTA TENCATT

A new Corydoras is described from the Blanco and Ucayali river basins in Peru. The new species can be distinguished from its congeners by having the following features: (I) posterior margin of dorsal-fin spine with laminar serrations directed towards the origin of the spine; (II) a long, wide, arched, and continuous black stripe, which runs parallel to the dorsal profile of the body, extending at least from the region below anterior origin of dorsal fin to the anterior half of the ventral caudal-fin lobe; (III) a black stripe transversally crossing the eye, forming the typical mask-like blotch; mask clearly not fused to arched stripe in most specimens; some specimens with mask separated from arched stripe by a thin line around the suture between neurocranium (in the region composed by the posteroventral margin of parieto-supraoccipital plus the posterodorsal margin of the compound pterotic) and first dorsolateral body plate; (IV) posterior margin of pectoral-fin spine with laminar serrations directed towards the origin of the spine; (V) pointed snout, presenting a long mesethmoid, with anterior tip larger than 50% of the entire length of the bone; and (V) ventral surface of trunk covered by small, non-coalescent platelets. A discussion on the possible positive adaptive value of the arc-striped color pattern is also provided. 


Zootaxa ◽  
2011 ◽  
Vol 2913 (1) ◽  
pp. 27 ◽  
Author(s):  
MARTINA E. POCCO ◽  
GONZALO D. RUBIO ◽  
M. MARTA CIGLIANO

A new species of the romaleid grasshopper genus Zoniopoda Stål (Romaleidae: Romaleini) is described and illustrated from the Sierras Chicas of Córdoba Province, central Argentina. A cladistic analysis based on morphological characters indicates that the genus Zoniopoda constitutes a monophyletic group and that Zoniopoda serrana n. sp. must be assigned to Iheringi species group based on synapomorphies of the pronotum and body color. The new species is similar to Z. similis Bruner from Paraguay, Bolivia and Brazil, from which it can be distinguished by the color pattern of the body, shape of the pronotal dorso-median carina and characters of the male terminalia and epiphallus. This paper has been formatted with embedded links to images of the type specimen, maps based on georeferenced specimen data for the genus and an updated key to the species of Zoniopoda available on the Orthoptera Species File (OSF) online (http://orthoptera.speciesfile.org).


2020 ◽  
Vol 13 (4) ◽  
pp. 108-117
Author(s):  
Steven Reed ◽  
Richard K Simpson ◽  
Kevin J McGraw

Among the most ornate animal traits in nature are the angle-dependent (e.g. iridescent) structural colors of many fishes, damselflies, birds, beetles, and butterflies. Though we now have a solid understanding of the mechanisms that create angle-dependent coloration in several groups, we know little about whether pigmentary colors reflect light in an angle-dependent fashion or if similar or different mechanisms govern angle-dependent reflectance from pigmentary versus structural colors. Here for the first time we describe non-iridescent angle-dependent coloration from the tail and wing feathers of several parrot species (Aves: Psittaciformes). We employed a novel approach—by calculating chromatic and achromatic contrasts (in just noticeable differences, JNDs) of straight and angled measurements of the same feather patch—to test for perceptually relevant angle-dependent changes in coloration on dorsal and ventral feather surfaces. We found, among the 15 parrot species studied, significant angle dependence for seven of our eight feather JND parameters. We then measured micro-scale features on each side of feathers, including size and color of barbs and barbules, to attempt to predict interspecific variation in degree of angle-dependent reflectance. We found that barb height, plumage-color type (e.g. melanin, structural), and differences between barb-barbule coloration (measured using Euclidean distances) were the strongest predictors of angle-dependent coloration. Interestingly, there was no significant phylogenetic signal in any of the angle-dependence models tested. These findings deepen our views on the importance of microscopic feather features in the production of directional animal coloration, especially in tissues that are colored predominantly by pigments and appear to be statically colored.


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