The value of cytological criteria in distinguishing sponges at the species level: the example of the genus Polymastia

1994 ◽  
Vol 72 (5) ◽  
pp. 795-804 ◽  
Author(s):  
Nicole Boury-Esnault ◽  
Eduardo Hajdu ◽  
Michelle Klautau ◽  
Márcio Custodio ◽  
Radovan Borojević

We examined the value of using cytological criteria for sponge taxonomy within the well-defined genus Polymastia and redescribe the species Polymastia janeirensis comb.nov. Comparison of the anatomical, morphological, and skeletal characteristics of P. janeirensis with those of the 17 other known Atlantic species demonstrated that P. janeirensis is closely related to P. agglutinans and P. mammillaris. The study confirmed that the close relationship between P. janeirensis and P. mammillaris can also be recognized at the cytological level. We conclude that cytological criteria can be used for the identification of sponges at the species level, and that these criteria may provide useful information about phylogenetic relationships among sponges belonging to genera with many species and a wide geographical distribution.

2012 ◽  
Vol 12 (4) ◽  
pp. 125-129 ◽  
Author(s):  
Rafael Vieira Nunes ◽  
Marina Regina Frizzas ◽  
Fernando Zagury Vaz-de-Mello

Our aim was to characterize the Scarabaeinae fauna from a rupestrian field formation at APA de Cafuringa, DF, Brazil. We made seven samples between 2007 and 2009 using baited pitfall traps. We collected 602 individuals belonging to 27 species and 13 genera, of which 17 were identified at species level. The majority of species caught has wide geographical distribution in Brazil and South America and do not seem to be specialized in 'campo rupestre' formation. Two species, Canthidium marseuli and Canthon lamproderes have restricted geographical distribution, being present in the central Brazilian highlands. C. marseuli and C. lamproderes are probably restricted to rupestrian fields since they have been registered only for this formation in Brazil, which indicates that these species need attention in relation to the conservation of theirs populations and habitats.


Diversity ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (2) ◽  
pp. 47
Author(s):  
Eric Buffetaut ◽  
Delphine Angst

A large incomplete ostrich femur from the Lower Pleistocene of North China, kept at the Muséum National d’Histoire Naturelle (Paris), is described. It was found by Father Emile Licent in 1925 in the Nihewan Formation (dated at about 1.8 Ma) of Hebei Province. On the basis of the minimum circumference of the shaft, a mass of 300 kg, twice that of a modern ostrich, was obtained. The bone is remarkably robust, more so than the femur of the more recent, Late Pleistocene, Struthio anderssoni from China, and resembles in that regard Pachystruthio Kretzoi, 1954, a genus known from the Lower Pleistocene of Hungary, Georgia and the Crimea, to which the Nihewan specimen is referred, as Pachystruthio indet. This find testifies to the wide geographical distribution of very massive ostriches in the Early Pleistocene of Eurasia. The giant ostrich from Nihewan was contemporaneous with the early hominins who inhabited that region in the Early Pleistocene.


2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Bobby Lim-Ho Kong ◽  
Hyun-Seung Park ◽  
Tai-Wai David Lau ◽  
Zhixiu Lin ◽  
Tae-Jin Yang ◽  
...  

AbstractIlex is a monogeneric plant group (containing approximately 600 species) in the Aquifoliaceae family and one of the most commonly used medicinal herbs. However, its taxonomy and phylogenetic relationships at the species level are debatable. Herein, we obtained the complete chloroplast genomes of all 19 Ilex types that are native to Hong Kong. The genomes are conserved in structure, gene content and arrangement. The chloroplast genomes range in size from 157,119 bp in Ilex graciliflora to 158,020 bp in Ilex kwangtungensis. All these genomes contain 125 genes, of which 88 are protein-coding and 37 are tRNA genes. Four highly varied sequences (rps16-trnQ, rpl32-trnL, ndhD-psaC and ycf1) were found. The number of repeats in the Ilex genomes is mostly conserved, but the number of repeating motifs varies. The phylogenetic relationship among the 19 Ilex genomes, together with eight other available genomes in other studies, was investigated. Most of the species could be correctly assigned to the section or even series level, consistent with previous taxonomy, except Ilex rotunda var. microcarpa, Ilex asprella var. tapuensis and Ilex chapaensis. These species were reclassified; I. rotunda was placed in the section Micrococca, while the other two were grouped with the section Pseudoaquifolium. These studies provide a better understanding of Ilex phylogeny and refine its classification.


2018 ◽  
Vol 2018 ◽  
pp. 1-10
Author(s):  
D. Kosova-Maali ◽  
E. Bergeron ◽  
Y. Maali ◽  
T. Durand ◽  
J. Gonzalez ◽  
...  

This study aims at genetic characterization and phylogenetic relationships ofNocardia brasiliensisfocusing by using housekeepingrrs,hsp65,andsodAgenes.N. brasiliensisis the species responsible for 80% of cases of actinomycetoma, one form of cutaneous nocardiosis which occurs mainly in tropical regions reaching immunocompetent patients in which the disease can lead to amputation. We analyze 36 indigenous cases ofN. brasiliensisthat happened in France. Phylogenetic analysis targetingrrsgene showed no robustness at phylogenetic nodes level. However, the use of a concatenation ofhsp65andsodAgenes showed that the tested strains surprisingly ranked in 3 well-defined genotypes. Genotypes 2 and 3 were phylogenetically closer to each other and both diverged from genotype 1 sustained by a high bootstrap of 81%. This last genotype hosts all the cases of pulmonary forms (3), the sole cerebral form, and almost all the cases of immunocompromised patients (3 out of 4). Moreover, excepting one of them, all the strains belonging to this group present a susceptibility to imipenem which is not the case in the other genotypes that rarely count among them strains being susceptible to this drug. The haplotype diversity (Hd) ofhsp65(0.927) andsodA(0.885) genes was higher than that ofrrs(0.824). For this gene, we obtained 16 polymorphic sites whereas, forhsp65andsodAgenes, up to 27 and 29 were identified, respectively. This study reveals that these two genes have an important genetic discriminatory power for the evaluation of the intraspecies genetic variability ofN. brasiliensisand they may be useful for identification purposes at species level. This study also reveals the possible existence of a new species harbored by genotype 1.


Phytotaxa ◽  
2017 ◽  
Vol 317 (4) ◽  
pp. 297 ◽  
Author(s):  
OTÁVIO LUIS MARQUES DA SILVA ◽  
INÊS CORDEIRO

Within Astraea Klotzsch (1841: 194), Astraea lobata (Linnaeus 1753: 1005) Klotzsch (1841: 194) may be considered the most taxonomically complex species due to its wide geographical distribution and the several varieties that have been proposed for this species by Müller Argoviensis (1866, 1874). In his concept, Müller Argoviensis (1866) united under Croton lobatus Linnaeus (1753: 1005) plants with 3–5-partite leaves almost as long as the petioles, subulate stipules, the bracts not well developed and ovaries with varied indumentum. In De Candolles’s Prodromus, Müller Argoviensis (1866) recognized eight varieties, maintaining this concept in the Flora Brasiliensis (Müller Argoviensis 1874) with few modifications. Morphological characters and geographical distribution support the recognition of some of these varieties as species distinct from A. lobata. As part of an undergoing taxonomic revision of Astraea, these distinct taxa must be validly published for further studies on this genus. Therefore, in this note we propose these novelties with commentaries about morphology and geographic distribution, along with photos to illustrate them and lectotypifications when necessary.


2021 ◽  
Vol 12 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Nela Nováková ◽  
Jan Robovský

Abstract Background The behavioural repertoire of every species evolved over time and its evolution can be traced through the phylogenetic relationships in distinct groups. Cranes (family Gruidae) represent a small, old, monophyletic group with well-corroborated phylogenetic relationships on the species level, and at the same time they exhibit a complex and well-described behavioural repertoire. Methods We therefore investigated the evolution of behavioural traits of cranes in a phylogenetic context using several phylogenetic approaches and two types of trait scoring. The cranes exhibit more than a hundred behavioural displays, almost one third of which may be phylogenetically informative. Results More than half of the analysed traits carry a significant phylogenetic signal. The ancestor of cranes already exhibited a quite complex behavioural repertoire, which remained unchanged in Balearicinae but altered greatly in Gruinae, specifically by the shedding of traits rather than their creation. Trait scoring has an influence on results within the Gruinae, primarily in genera Bugeranus and Anthropoides. Conclusions Albeit the behavioural traits alone cannot be used for resolving species-level relationships within the Gruidae, when optimized on molecular tree, they can help us to detect interesting evolutionary transformations of behaviour repertoire within Gruiformes. The Limpkin (Aramus guarauna) seems to be the most enigmatic species and should be studied in detail for its behavioural repertoire, which may include some precursors of crane behavioural traits.


2012 ◽  
Vol 60 (6) ◽  
pp. 526 ◽  
Author(s):  
T. R. Kinge ◽  
A. M. Mih ◽  
M. P. A. Coetzee

Ganoderma is an important genus of the Polyporales in the tropics. Identification of tropical species has mainly been based on morphology, which has led to misidentification. This study aimed to elucidate the diversity and phylogenetic relationships of Ganoderma isolates from different hosts in Cameroon using morphological and molecular techniques. Analyses of basidiocarp morphology and the internal transcribed spacer and mitochondria small subunit were undertaken for 28 isolates from five plant species. The results show that the isolates belong to eight species. Three of the species were identified to species level; of these only G. ryvardense has been previously described from Cameroon while G. cupreum and G. weberianum are new records. The five remaining species did not match with any previously described species and have been designated as Ganoderma with different species affinities.


Zootaxa ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 4809 (3) ◽  
pp. 547-559
Author(s):  
RONG-JIAO ZHANG ◽  
CONG-LIN ZHAO ◽  
FEI-PENG WU ◽  
WEI-AN DENG

Considerable effort has been devoted to elucidating the phylogenetic relationships of tetrigides. However, there is still no commonly accepted phylogenetic hypothesis. Therefore, the phylogenetic relationships among some subfamilies remain unclear; e.g., Cladonotinae is a controversial group, in which the phylogenetic relationships between genera and the boundaries of some of the included genera are unclear, causing some of the taxa to be difficult to identify. Therefore, an in-depth phylogenetic analysis of Cladonotinae is urgently needed. In this study, a robust phylogenetic framework for the tetrigides was reconstructed based on the combined mitochondrial cytochrome oxidase subunit I (COI), 16S ribosomal RNA (16S rRNA), and nuclear 18S ribosomal RNA (18S rRNA) gene sequences of 25 species belonging to 16 genera of Tetrigoidea from China, which included 13 species from 8 genera of Cladonotinae. Phylogenetic inferences were performed using the combined dataset and Bayesian inference (BI) and Maximum Parsimony (MP) methods, and the phylogenetic tree of Cladonotinae was reconstructed. All inferences based on the results of the present study supported the Cladonotinae subfamily as a polyphyletic group; within the Cladonotinae subfamily, Tetradinodula, and Tuberfemurus were closely related to Tetriginae, while Austrohancockia and Gibbotettix showed a close relationship to the Scelimenidae subfamily. Additionally, a new genus and new species of the Cladonotinae subfamily are described and illustrated: Hainantettix Deng, gen. nov. and Hainantettix strictivertex Deng, sp. nov. 


Check List ◽  
2016 ◽  
Vol 12 (6) ◽  
pp. 2000 ◽  
Author(s):  
Luiz Gustavo de Almeida Pedroso ◽  
Fabio Akashi Hernandes

We present the results of our investigation of feather mites (Astigmata) associated with non-passerine birds in Brazil. The studied birds were obtained from roadkills, airport accidents, and from capitivity. Most ectoparasites were collected from bird specimens by washing. A total of 51 non-passerine species from 20 families and 15 orders were examined. Of them, 24 species were assessed for feather mites for the first time. In addition, 10 host associations are recorded for the first time in Brazil. A total of 101 feather mite species were recorded, with 26 of them identified to the species level and 75 likely representing undescribed species; among the latter samples, five probably represent new genera. These records allowed the first inference about the host and mite association of many species, as well as the first discussion about the geographical distribution of some feather mite taxa along the host distribution.


1990 ◽  
Vol 38 (5) ◽  
pp. 535 ◽  
Author(s):  
MN Hutchinson ◽  
SC Donnellan ◽  
PR Baverstock ◽  
M Krieg ◽  
S Simms ◽  
...  

The phylogenetic relationships of the Australian scincid lizards currently assigned to the genus Leiolopisma have been examined by quantitative micro-complement fixation (MC'F) comparisons of serum albumin. The results of these comparisons do not support the monophyly implicit in these species' current congeneric status, but suggest instead that the Australian species of Leiolopisma belong to several distinct phyletic lineages within the Eugongylus group. These findings are supported by several sets of non-biochemical characters, including features of scalation, osteology and karyotype. None of the Australian species shares a close relationship with the type-species of Leiolopisrna (L. telfairii), and so a new taxonomic arrangement is proposed which distributes them among the following genera: Bartleia, gen. nov. (jigurru); Bassiana, gen. nov. (duperreyi, platynotum and trilineata); Cautula, gen. nov. (zia); Niveoscincus, gen. nov. (coventryi, greeni, metallicus, microlepidotus, ocellatus, orocryptus, palfreymani and pretiosus); and Pseudemoia Fuhn, 1967 (baudini, entrecasteauxii Group 1; entrecasteauxii Group 2, rawlinsoni and spenceri). Preliminary comparisons suggest that other Leiolopisma species, from New Caledonia, Lord Howe I. and New Zealand, belong to phyletic lineages which are distinct from any of the Australian 'Leiolopisma' and from the type-species.


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