scholarly journals Molecular phylogeny of the highly disjunct cliff water beetles from South Africa and China (Coleoptera: Aspidytidae)

2015 ◽  
Vol 176 (3) ◽  
pp. 537-546 ◽  
Author(s):  
Emmanuel F. A. Toussaint ◽  
Rolf G. Beutel ◽  
Jérôme Morinière ◽  
Fenglong Jia ◽  
Shengquan Xu ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
South Africa ◽  
Molecular Phylogeny ◽  
Water Beetles

Molecular phylogeny reveals strong biogeographic signal and two new species in a Cape Biodiversity Hotspot endemic mini-radiation, the pygmy geckos (Gekkonidae: Goggia)

Zootaxa ◽  
2017 ◽  
Vol 4312 (3) ◽  
pp. 449 ◽  
Author(s):  
MATTHEW P. HEINICKE ◽  
DILARA TURK ◽  
AARON M. BAUER
Keyword(s):  
South Africa ◽  
New Species ◽  
Molecular Phylogeny ◽  
Southern Africa ◽  
Mitochondrial Gene ◽  
Biodiversity Hotspot ◽  
External Morphology ◽  
Strongly Correlated ◽  
Allozyme Electrophoresis ◽  
Two New Species

The gekkonid genus Goggia includes eight described species of mostly small-bodied rock dwelling gecko endemic to the southwestern portion of southern Africa, in South Africa and extreme southern Namibia. Previous studies focused on Goggia have employed external morphology and allozyme electrophoresis, but no sequence-based molecular phylogeny of the group has been produced. We have generated a molecular phylogeny of Goggia including all named species and multiple individuals within each species, using sequences of the mitochondrial gene ND2 and nuclear genes RAG1 and PDC. The phylogeny depicts a basal divergence between eastern and western species of small-bodied Goggia, with additional divergences also showing structure strongly correlated with geography. Goggia lineata and G. rupicola are shown to be non-monophyletic, and examination of external morphology supports the distinctiveness of these lineages. We describe two new species to accommodate the southern lineages of “G. lineata” and “G. rupicola”: Goggia incognita sp. nov. and Goggia matzikamaensis sp. nov. Both new species are separated from their northern relatives by geographic barriers: the Knersvlakte plain for G. incognita sp. nov. and G. lineata, and the high Kamiesberg mountains for G. matzikamaensis sp. nov. and G. rupicola. The possible roles of geography, ecology, and climate in promoting diversification within Goggia are discussed. 

Molecular phylogeny and novel host associations of avian chewing lice (Insecta: Phthiraptera) from South Africa

2018 ◽  
Vol 44 (2) ◽  
pp. 289-304 ◽  
Author(s):  
Oona M. Takano ◽  
Gary Voelker ◽  
Daniel R. Gustafsson ◽  
Jessica E. Light
Keyword(s):  
South Africa ◽  
Molecular Phylogeny ◽  
Chewing Lice ◽  
Novel Host ◽  
Host Associations

scholarly journals Diversity and distribution of polyphagan water beetles (Coleoptera) in the Lake St Lucia system, South Africa

ZooKeys ◽  
2017 ◽  
Vol 656 ◽  
pp. 51-84 ◽  
Author(s):  
Matthew S. Bird ◽  
David T. Bilton ◽  
Renzo Perissinotto
Keyword(s):  
South Africa ◽  
Water Beetles

Water beetles from the Bokkeveld Plateau: a semi-arid hotspot of freshwater biodiversity in the Northern Cape of South Africa

Zootaxa ◽  
2017 ◽  
Vol 4268 (2) ◽  
pp. 191 ◽  
Author(s):  
DAVID T. BILTON
Keyword(s):  
South Africa ◽  
New Records ◽  
Freshwater Biodiversity ◽  
Succulent Karoo ◽  
Winter Rainfall ◽  
Water Beetles ◽  
Water Beetle ◽  
Northern Cape ◽  
Freshwater Fauna ◽  
Endemic Flora

The Bokkeveld Plateau in the Northern Cape of South Africa supports a complex transition zone between the fynbos and succulent karoo biomes on the margins of Namaqualand. A combination of regular winter rainfall, geology and strong rainfall gradients mean that the region supports a diverse and highly endemic flora. Recent sampling of aquatic beetles in the Bokkeveld demonstrates that this region also has a diverse freshwater fauna, including a number of apparent endemics. Five new species of Hydraenidae (Pterosthetops chrysomallus sp. nov., Parastetops porcellus sp. nov., Mesoceration castaneum sp. nov., M. chasmum sp. nov., and M. sabulosum sp. nov.) are described from the Bokkeveld, and new records provided for 68 other water beetle taxa recorded during recent fieldwork in the region, 28 of which are new to Northern Cape Province. Most of the newly described species are relatively common in the region, suggesting that additional taxa may remain undetected in this apparent hotspot of freshwater diversity.

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