A new parrot taxon from the Yucatán Peninsula, Mexico—its position within genusAmazonabased on morphology and molecular phylogeny

PeerJ ◽

10.7717/peerj.3475 ◽

2017 ◽

Vol 5 ◽

pp. e3475

Author(s):

Tony Silva ◽

Antonio Guzmán ◽

Adam D. Urantówka ◽

Paweł Mackiewicz

Keyword(s):

Central America ◽

Yucatan Peninsula ◽

Strong Support ◽

Taxonomic Status ◽

Molecular Dating ◽

Morphometric Characters ◽

Interesting Insight ◽

Yucatán Peninsula ◽

Morphometric Analyses ◽

And Behavior

Parrots (Psittaciformes) are a diverse group of birds which need urgent protection. However, many taxa from this order have an unresolved status, which makes their conservation difficult. One species-rich parrot genus isAmazona, which is widely distributed in the New World. Here we describe a newAmazonaform, which is endemic to the Yucatán Peninsula. This parrot is clearly separable from otherAmazonaspecies in eleven morphometric characters as well as call and behavior. The clear differences in these features imply that the parrot most likely represents a new species. In contrast to this, the phylogenetic tree based on mitochondrial markers shows that this parrot groups with strong support withinA. albifronsfrom Central America, which would suggest that it is a subspecies ofA. albifrons. However, taken together tree topology tests and morphometric analyses, we can conclude that the new parrot represents a recently evolving species, whose taxonomic status should be further confirmed. This lineage diverged from its closest relative about 120,000 years ago and was subjected to accelerated morphological and behavioral changes like some other representatives of the genusAmazona. Our phylogenies, which are so far the most comprehensive forAmazonataxa enabled us to consider the most feasible scenarios about parrot colonization of the Greater and Lesser Antilles and Central America from South America mainland. The molecular dating of these migrations and diversification rate were correlated with climatic and geological events in the last five million years, giving an interesting insight into Amazon parrot phylogeography and their evolution in general.

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Typhliasina Whitley 1951, an unneeded replacement name for Typhlias Hubbs 1938 (Ophidiiformes: Dinematichthyidae)

Zootaxa ◽

10.11646/zootaxa.4319.2.6 ◽

2017 ◽

Vol 4319 (2) ◽

pp. 371

Author(s):

CHRISTOPHER SCHARPF

Keyword(s):

Central America ◽

New Genus ◽

Yucatan Peninsula ◽

Freshwater Fishes ◽

Junior Synonym ◽

New Genus And Species ◽

Yucatán Peninsula

Hubbs (1938) described Typhlias pearsei, representing both a new genus and species of blind cusk-eel (Ophidiiformes: Dinematichthyidae) from freshwater caves and sinkholes of the Yucatán peninsula of Mexico. Whitley (1951:67) proposed Typhliasina as a replacement name for Typhlias, citing a list of zoological names published by Neave (1950:284), but did not mention the taxon and author to which the putative senior homonym belonged. Cohen and Nielsen (1978:60) treated Typhliasina as a junior synonym of Ogilbia Jordan & Evermann 1898 in their provisional classification of the Ophidiiformes, wherein they mentioned that Typhlias Hubbs 1938 is preoccupied by Typhlias Bryce 1910 in rotifers. Typhlias Bryce 1910 has subsequently been given as the senior homonym in three important works: the FAO species catalog of ophidiiform fishes (Nielsen & Cohen 1999:134), Checklist of the Freshwater Fishes of South and Central America (Nielsen 2003:507), and a revisionary study (Møller et al. 2004:186) in which Typhliasina is resurrected from the synonymy of Ogilbia. However, a careful reading of Neave (1950) and Bryce (1910) reveals a fact that had apparently been overlooked: Typhlias Bryce 1910 is not an available name, but a lapsus for Typhlina Ehrenberg 1831.

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Phylogeography and morphometric variation in the Cinnamon Hummingbird complex: Amazilia rutila (Aves: Trochilidae)

Avian Research ◽

10.1186/s40657-021-00295-0 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 12 (1) ◽

Author(s):

Melisa Vázquez-López ◽

Nandadevi Córtes-Rodríguez ◽

Sahid M. Robles-Bello ◽

Alfredo Bueno-Hernández ◽

Luz E. Zamudio-Beltrán ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Central America ◽

Environmental Conditions ◽

Pacific Coast ◽

Yucatan Peninsula ◽

Southern Mexico ◽

Morphometric Variation ◽

Divergence Time Estimates ◽

Yucatán Peninsula ◽

The Pacific ◽

Over Time

Abstract Background The Mesoamerican dominion is a biogeographic area of great interest due to its complex topography and distinctive climatic history. This area has a large diversity of habitats, including tropical deciduous forests, which house a large number of endemic species. Here, we assess phylogeographic pattern, genetic and morphometric variation in the Cinnamon Hummingbird complex Amazilia rutila, which prefers habitats in this region. This resident species is distributed along the Pacific coast from Sinaloa—including the Tres Marías Islands in Mexico to Costa Rica, and from the coastal plain of the Yucatán Peninsula of Mexico south to Belize. Methods We obtained genetic data from 85 samples of A. rutila, using 4 different molecular markers (mtDNA: ND2, COI; nDNA: ODC, MUSK) on which we performed analyses of population structure (median-joining network, STRUCTURE, FST, AMOVA), Bayesian and Maximum Likelihood phylogenetic analyses, and divergence time estimates. In order to evaluate the historic suitability of environmental conditions, we constructed projection models using past scenarios (Pleistocene periods), and conducted Bayesian Skyline Plots (BSP) to visualize changes in population sizes over time. To analyze morphometric variation, we took measurements of 5 morphological traits from 210 study skins. We tested for differences between sexes, differences among geographic groups (defined based on genetic results), and used PCA to examine the variation in multivariate space. Results Using mtDNA, we recovered four main geographic groups: the Pacific coast, the Tres Marías Islands, the Chiapas region, and the Yucatán Peninsula together with Central America. These same groups were recovered by the phylogenetic results based on the multilocus dataset. Demography based on BSP results showed constant population size over time throughout the A. rutila complex and within each geographic group. Ecological niche model projections onto past scenarios revealed no drastic changes in suitable conditions, but revealed some possible refuges. Morphometric results showed minor sexual dimorphism in this species and statistically significant differences between geographic groups. The Tres Marías Islands population was the most differentiated, having larger body size than the remaining groups. Conclusions The best supported evolutionary hypothesis of diversification within this group corresponds to geographic isolation (limited gene flow), differences in current environmental conditions, and historical habitat fragmentation promoted by past events (Pleistocene refugia). Four well-defined clades comprise the A. rutila complex, and we assess the importance of a taxonomic reevaluation. Our data suggest that both of A. r. graysoni (Tres Marías Islands) and A. r. rutila (Pacific coast) should be considered full species. The other two strongly supported clades are: (a) the Chiapas group (southern Mexico), and (b) the populations from Yucatán Peninsula and Central America. These clades belong to the corallirostris taxon, which needs to be split and properly named.

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Hematoxylin: Mesoamerica’s Gift to Histopathology. Palo de Campeche (Logwood Tree), Pirates’ Most Desired Treasure, and Irreplaceable Tissue Stain

International Journal of Surgical Pathology ◽

10.1177/1066896918787652 ◽

2018 ◽

Vol 27 (1) ◽

pp. 4-14 ◽

Cited By ~ 2

Author(s):

Carlos Ortiz-Hidalgo ◽

Sergio Pina-Oviedo

Keyword(s):

Central America ◽

19Th Century ◽

Staining Method ◽

Yucatan Peninsula ◽

Late 19Th Century ◽

Dyeing Property ◽

Coastal City ◽

Yucatán Peninsula ◽

Gold Silver ◽

Hematoxylin And Eosin

Hematoxylin is a basic dye derived from the heartwood of Palo de Campeche ( Haematoxylum campechianum), the logwood tree native to Mexico and Central America. Haematoxylum means “bloodwood” in reference to its dark-red heartwood and campechianum refers to its site of origin, the coastal city of Campeche on the Yucatan Peninsula, Mexico. Hematoxylin is colorless but it turns into the color dye hematein after oxidation (ripening). The dyeing property of logwood was well-known to the natives of the Yucatan Peninsula before the arrival of the Spaniards who brought it to Europe shortly after the discovery of the Americas. An important trade soon developed related to growing and preparing hematoxylin for dyeing fabrics. Pirates discovered that one shipload of logwood was equivalent to a year’s value from any other cargo, and by 1563, more than 400 pirate vessels wandered the Atlantic Ocean and attacked Spanish galleons transporting gold, silver, and logwood from the Americas to Europe. Hematoxylin and eosin is a staining method that dates back to the late 19th century. In 1865 and 1891, Böhmer and Meyer, respectively, first used hematoxylin in combination with a mordant (alum). Later, with the use of anilines by Ehrlich, the repertoire of stains expanded rapidly resulting in the microscopic descriptions of multiple diseases that were defined by their stainable features. Today hematoxylin, along with eosin, remains the most popular stain in histology.

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A guide to the identification of subfossil chydorid Cladocera (Crustacea: Branchiopoda) from lake sediments of Central America and the Yucatan Peninsula, Mexico: part II

Journal of Paleolimnology ◽

10.1007/s10933-019-00102-3 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 63 (1) ◽

pp. 37-64 ◽

Cited By ~ 3

Author(s):

M. Wojewódka ◽

A. Y. Sinev ◽

E. Zawisza ◽

J. Stańczak

Keyword(s):

Lake Sediments ◽

Central America ◽

Yucatan Peninsula ◽

Yucatán Peninsula

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The development of Belizean archaeology

Antiquity ◽

10.1017/s0003598x00054946 ◽

1983 ◽

Vol 57 (219) ◽

pp. 19-27 ◽

Cited By ~ 5

Author(s):

Norman Hammond

Keyword(s):

Central America ◽

Yucatan Peninsula ◽

Maya Archaeology ◽

Yucatán Peninsula ◽

History Of ◽

The Government ◽

Spanish Explorers

The history of Maya archaeology generally can be divided into five successive periods (Hammond, 1982, 33–66): during the first two of these, the periods of the Spanish travellers (1524–1759) and the Spanish explorers (1759–1840), Belize remained unnoted, even during the visit of Stephens and Catherwood in October 1839 on their first expedition to Central America, and even though that visit stimulated an expedition from Belize City, led by Patrick Walker, ‘secretary of the government and holding besides such a list of offices as would make the greatest pluralist among us feel insignificant’ (Stephens, 1841, I, 14), in an attempt to beat Stephens to the ruins of Palenque on the far side of the Yucatan Peninsula (Pendergast, 1967).

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Subterranean Waters of Yucatán Peninsula, Mexico Reveal Epigean Species Dominance and Intraspecific Variability in Freshwater Ostracodes (Crustacea: Ostracoda)

Diversity ◽

10.3390/d13020044 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 13 (2) ◽

pp. 44

Author(s):

Laura Macario-González ◽

Sergio Cohuo ◽

Dorottya Angyal ◽

Liseth Pérez ◽

Maite Mascaró

Keyword(s):

18S Rdna ◽

Yucatan Peninsula ◽

Morphological Variability ◽

Biological Evolution ◽

Intraspecific Variability ◽

Abundant Species ◽

Species Dominance ◽

Yucatán Peninsula ◽

Morphometric Analyses ◽

Cypridopsis Vidua

The Yucatán Peninsula is a karstic region, rich in subterranean environments with a diverse crustacean stygobiont fauna. In order to gain insights into the biological evolution of the subterranean environments of this region, we evaluated the ostracode species composition of caves and cenotes in five independent sampling campaigns (2008, 2013, 2017–2019). Using morphometric analyses, we evaluated inter-population morphological variability; using molecular analysis based on mitochondrial COI and nuclear 18S rDNA, we evaluated genetic differentiation in selected species. The observed fauna is composed of 20 (epigean) species, presenting a lack of strict stygobionts. Morphometric analyses discriminated up to three morphotypes in each of the three most abundant species: Cytheridella ilosvayi, Alicenula sp. and Cypridopsis vidua. High intraspecific morphological variability was found either in shape or size. Phylogenetic analysis based on COI demonstrated the existence of three lineages on C. ilosvayi, with high support (>0.9). The 18S rDNA sequences were identical among individuals of different populations. A lack of congruence between the genetic markers precluded us from postulating speciation in subterranean environments. It is likely that Late Pleistocene—Early Holocene climate variation related to sea level and precipitation was forcing agent for epigean ostracode dominance in subterranean environments of the Peninsula.

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A guide to the identification of subfossil non-chydorid Cladocera (Crustacea: Branchiopoda) from lake sediments of Central America and the Yucatan Peninsula, Mexico: part I

Journal of Paleolimnology ◽

10.1007/s10933-020-00115-3 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 63 (4) ◽

pp. 269-282

Author(s):

M. Wojewódka ◽

A. Y. Sinev ◽

E. Zawisza

Keyword(s):

Lake Sediments ◽

Central America ◽

Yucatan Peninsula ◽

Yucatán Peninsula

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DNA barcoding and genetic diversity of phyllostomid bats from the Yucatan Peninsula with comparisons to Central America

Molecular Ecology Resources ◽

10.1111/j.1755-0998.2012.03125.x ◽

2012 ◽

Vol 12 (4) ◽

pp. 590-597 ◽

Cited By ~ 7

Author(s):

A. HERNÁNDEZ‐DÁVILA ◽

J. A. VARGAS ◽

N. MARTÍNEZ‐MÉNDEZ ◽

B. K. LIM ◽

M. D. ENGSTROM ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Genetic Diversity ◽

Dna Barcoding ◽

Central America ◽

Yucatan Peninsula ◽

Yucatán Peninsula

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Regional Climate Change in Southeast Mexico-Yucatan Peninsula, Central America and the Caribbean

Applied Sciences ◽

10.3390/app11188284 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 11 (18) ◽

pp. 8284

Author(s):

Mercedes Andrade-Velázquez ◽

Ojilve Ramón Medrano-Pérez ◽

Martín José Montero-Martínez ◽

Alejandro Alcudia-Aguilar

Keyword(s):

Climate Change ◽

Central America ◽

Southern Oscillation ◽

Yucatan Peninsula ◽

Regional Climate ◽

Study Region ◽

Entire Study ◽

Yucatán Peninsula ◽

The Caribbean ◽

Southeast Mexico

This study analyzes the mean, maximum, and minimum temperatures and precipitation trends in southeast Mexico-Yucatan Peninsula, Central America and the Caribbean regions. The Climate Research Unit (CRU) TS 4.01, with a spatial resolution of 0.5° × 0.5°, was the database used in this research. The trends of the four selected climate variables cover the period from 1960 to 2016. The results obtained show a clear and consistent warming trend, at a rate of about 0.01 °C/year for the entire study region. These results are consistent with some previous studies and the IPCC reports. While the trends of precipitation anomalies are slightly positive (~0.1 mm/year) for southeast Mexico-Yucatan Peninsula and almost the entire Caribbean, for Central America (CA) the trends are negative. The study also presents the correlation between temperatures and precipitation versus El Niño Southern Oscillation (ENSO), Pacific Decadal Oscillation (PDO), and Atlantic Multidecadal Oscillation (AMO) drivers, indicating global warming and frequency signals from the climate drivers. In terms of the near future (2015–2039), three Representative Concentration Pathways (RPC) show the same trend of temperature increase as the historical record. The RCP 6.0 has trends similar to the historical records for CA and southeast Mexico-Yucatan Peninsula, while the Caribbean corresponds to RCP 4.5. In terms of the far-future (2075–2099), RCP 6.0 is more ad-hoc for southeastern Mexico-Yucatan Peninsula, and RCP 8.5 corresponds to Central America. These results could help to focus actions and measures against the impacts of climate change in the entire study region.

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