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1. Molecular phylogenetics of Distephanus supports the recognition of a new tribe, Distephaneae (Asteraceae)

   https://doi.org/10.1093/botlinnean/boae025  

   Gostel, M_R; Loeuille, Benoit; Santana, Mariana_Henriques; Kelloff, Carol_L; Chan, Raymund; Giraldes_Simões, Ana_Rita; Larridon, Isabel; Funk, Vicki_A (May 2024, Botanical Journal of the Linnean Society)

   Abstract Distephanus Cass. comprises 43 distinctive species of shrubs and small trees that have been placed historically within the ironweed tribe, Vernonieae (Asteraceae). Using the most expansive sampling of Distephanus to date, this study aims to test the monophyly of this genus and facilitate its classification. Molecular phylogenetic analyses were conducted using four molecular markers from the nuclear and plastid genomes. These data also supported divergence dating analyses that were performed to understand the timing of diversification events within Distephanus and other related genera as well as ancestral area reconstruction analyses to infer the biogegraphic history of species diversity in this group. Results from this study indicate that, as currently circumscribed, Vernonieae is not monophyletic and that Distephanus is, in fact, sister to a clade that comprises Vernonieae and another tribe, Moquinieae, which only includes two species restricted to Brazil. On the basis of these findings, Distephanus is classified in a new tribe that we describe here, Distephaneae. This new tribe comprises 41 species of Distephanus that are easily distinguished from Moquinieae and Vernonieae based on the presence of florets with yellow corollas and trinervate leaves. 

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2. Morphology and molecular phylogenetics of the rockpens

   Ni, Ethan; Williams, Gary (October 2023, Society for the Advancement of Chicanos/Hispanics and Native Americans in Science - 2023 NDiSTEM)

   Previous research supports the idea that all sea pens anchor to soft sediment using a long, basal, peduncle. The discovery of several pennatulacean sea pen species (rockpens) with an adaptation to bind to rocky substrata alters this understanding. The evolutionary history of octocorals, including these sea pens, has long been poorly understood due to a slow rate of mitochondrial gene evolution and a consequent lack of phylogenetically informative molecular markers to distinguish species. The objective of this project is to analyze three species of rockpens (Calibelemnon francei, Anthoptilum gowlettholmesae, Anthoptilum sp. Alaska) and other octocorals to construct a phylogeny to better understand the evolutionary relationships between these taxa. Using preserved specimens from the California Academy of Sciences' Department of Invertebrate Zoology, the genes of ten octocoral species were analyzed. This project sequenced three protein-coding mitochondrial genes, ND2, ND6, and msh1, and phylogenetic tree construction and analysis were done using Geneious and R Studio. Additionally, SEM photographs of the sclerites were used to morphologically characterize the taxa. We hypothesize that all rockpens actually belong to the genus Anthoptilum and form a monophyletic clade with other species of the genus that do not inhabit rocky substrata. Future research will require investigating how other non-rock inhabiting species in the genus Anthoptilum are phylogenetically related to the rockpens. 

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3. Life history, distribution and molecular phylogenetics of the Upward‐Mouth Spikefish Atrophacanthus japonicus (Teleostei: Tetraodontiformes: Triacanthodidae)

   https://doi.org/10.1111/jfb.13923  

   Bemis, Katherine E.; Tyler, James C.; Arcila, Dahiana (March 2019, Journal of Fish Biology)

   Ninety‐six juvenile specimens (37–54 mm standard length;L_S) of the rarely collected Upward‐Mouth SpikefishAtrophacanthus japonicus(Triacanthodidae) were obtained from the stomachs of three Yellowfin TunaThunnus albacarescollected off Guam in the Mariana Islands in the central Pacific Ocean. These specimens extend the range ofA. japonicuseastward into Oceania. We review the systematic characters of the monotypic genusAtrophacanthusand present colour photographs of freshly collected specimens. The diet of the juvenile specimens ofA. japonicusconsisted of thecosome pteropods and foraminiferans. We present a range map ofA. japonicusbased on all known specimens and show that specimen size is related to whether specimens were collected in the pelagic zone or on the bottom. Our results support that, compared to all other Triacanthodidae,A. japonicushas an unusually extended pelagic larval and juvenile period, up to 54 mmL_S, before settling to the bottom as adults. Lastly, we provide a multilocus phylogeny addressing the phylogenetic placement ofAtrophacanthusbased on eight of 11 triacanthodid genera and six genetic markers. Our results reveal thatAtrophacanthusis the sister group ofMacrorhamphosodesand they provide new insights about the evolutionary history of the family. 

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4. Molecular phylogenetics of the avian feather louse Philopterus-complex (Phthiraptera: Philopteridae)

   https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ympev.2022.107556  

   Kolencik, Stanislav; Johnson, Kevin P.; Grant, Avery R.; Valim, Michel P.; Kuabara, Kamila M.D.; Weckstein, Jason D.; Allen, Julie M. (September 2022, Molecular Phylogenetics and Evolution)
5. Molecular phylogenetics and biogeography of the ambush bugs (Hemiptera: Reduviidae: Phymatinae).

   https://doi.org/https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ympev.2017.06.010  

   Masonick, P. (January 2017, Molecular phylogenetics and evolution)

   The ambush bugs (Heteroptera: Reduviidae: Phymatinae) are a diverse clade of predators known for their cryptic hunting behavior and morphologically diverse raptorial forelegs. Despite their striking appearance, role as pollinator predators, and intriguing biogeographic distribution, phylogenetic relationships within Phymatinae are largely unknown and the evolutionary history of the subfamily has remained in the dark. We here utilize the most extensive molecular phylogeny of ambush bugs to date, generated from a 3328 base pair molecular dataset, to refine our understanding of phymatine relationships, estimate dates of divergence (BEAST 2), and uncover historical biogeographic patterns (S-DIVA and DEC). This taxon set (39 species of Phymatinae and six outgroups) allowed reevaluation of the proposed sister group of Phymatinae and tribal-level relationships within the group, and for the first time proposes species-level relationships within Phymata Latreille, the largest genus of ambush bugs (∼109 spp.). Available evidence suggests that Phymata originated in the Neotropical region, with subsequent dispersals to the Nearctic and Palearctic regions. This study provides a framework for future research investigating the evolutionary history of ambush bugs, as well as ecological and microevolutionary investigations. 

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