The millipede genus Cherokia Chamberlin, 1949 is a monospecific taxon, with the type species Cherokia georgiana (Bollman, 1889). The last revision of the genus was made by Hoffman (1960) where he established three subspecies. Here we used molecular phylogenetics to assess the genus and evaluate whether it is a monophyletic group, and if the subspecies are each monophyletic. We included material from literature records and three natural history collections. Newly collected samples were obtained through a citizen science project. Morphological characters underlying subspecies groups—the shape of the paranota, body size, and coloration—were evaluated. A molecular phylogeny of the genus was estimated based on DNA sequences for seven gene loci, and a species delimitation analysis was used to evaluate the status of the subspecies. The documented geographical range of Cherokia in the United States was expanded to include a newly reported state record (Virginia) and about 160 new localities compared to the previously known range. Morphological characters, which included the shape of the paranota and body size that had been historically used to establish subspecies, showed clinal variation with a direct relationship with geographical distribution and elevation, but not with phylogeny. Coloration was highly variable and did not accord with geographymore »
This content will become publicly available on November 8, 2023
Phylogenetic analyses and species delimitation of Aconurella Ribaut (Hemiptera: Cicadellidae: Deltocephalinae: Chiasmini) in China based on molecular data
The grassland leafhopper genus Aconurella is widespread in the Old World. Species of this genus are difficult to identify by traditional morphological characters but the morphology-based species classification in this genus has not previously been tested using molecular data. This study analysed DNA sequence data from two mitochondrial genes (COI, 16S) and one nuclear gene (ITS2) to infer the phylogenetic relationships and status of five previously recognized Aconurella species and compare the performance of different molecular species-delimitation methods using single and multiple loci. The analysis divided the included haplotypes into five well-supported subclades, most corresponding to existing morphology-based species concepts. However, different molecular species delimitation methods (jMOTU, ABGD, bPTP, GMYC and BPP) yielded somewhat different results, suggesting the presence of between 4 and 8 species, sometimes lumping the haplotypes of Aconurella diplachnis and Aconurella sibirica into a single species or recognizing multiple putative species within Aconurella prolixa. Considering the different results yielded by various methods employing single loci, the BPP method, which combines data from multiple loci, may be more reliable for delimiting species of Aconurella. Our results suggest that the morphological characters previously used to identify these species are reliable and adequately reflect boundaries between genetically distinct taxa.
- Award ID(s):
- 1639601
- Publication Date:
- NSF-PAR ID:
- 10383093
- Journal Name:
- Zootaxa
- Volume:
- 5205
- Issue:
- 3
- Page Range or eLocation-ID:
- 281 to 296
- ISSN:
- 1175-5326
- Sponsoring Org:
- National Science Foundation
More Like this
-
-
Lobophora is a common tropical to temperate genus of brown algae found in a plethora of habitats including shallow and deep‐water coral reefs, rocky shores, mangroves, seagrass beds, and rhodoliths beds. Recent molecular studies have revealed thatLobophora species diversity has been severely underestimated. Current estimates of the species numbers range from 100 to 140 species with a suggested center of diversity in the Central Indo‐Pacific. This study used three molecular markers (cox 3,rbc L,psb A), different single‐marker species delimitation methods (GMYC ,ABGD ,PTP ), and morphological evidence to evaluateLobophora species diversity in the Western Atlantic and the Eastern Pacific oceans.Cox 3 provided the greatest number of primary species hypotheses(PSH), followed byrbc L and thenpsb A.GMYC species delimitation analysis was the most conservative across all three markers, followed byPTP , and thenABGD . The most informative diagnostic morphological characters were thallus thickness and number of cell layers in both the medulla and the dorsal/ventral cortices. Following a consensus approach, 14 distinctLobophora species were identified in the Western Atlantic and five in the Eastern Pacific. Eight new species from these two oceans were herein described:L. adpressa sp. nov.,L. cocoensis sp. nov.,L. colombiana sp. nov.,L. crispata sp. nov.,L. delicata sp. nov.,L. dispersa sp. nov.,L. panamensis sp. nov., andL. tortugensis sp. nov. This study showed that the best approach to confidently identifyLobophora species is to analyzeDNA sequences (preferablycox 3 andrbc L) followed by comparative morphologicalmore » -
Sosa-Calvo, Jeffrey (Ed.)Abstract Using genetic, morphological, and geographical evidence, we investigate the species-level taxonomy and evolutionary history of the Pseudomyrmex elongatulus group, a clade of ants distributed from southwestern United States to Costa Rica. Through targeted enrichment of 2,524 UCE (ultraconserved element) loci we generate a phylogenomic data set and clarify the phylogenetic relationships and biogeographic history of these ants. The crown group is estimated to have originated ~8 Ma, in Mexico and/or northern Central America, and subsequently expanded into southern Central America and the southwestern Nearctic. The P. elongatulus group contains a mix of low- and high-elevation species, and there were apparently multiple transitions between these habitat types. We uncover three examples of one species—of restricted or marginal geographical distribution—being embedded phylogenetically in another species, rendering the latter paraphyletic. One of these cases involves an apparent workerless social parasite that occurs sympatrically with its parent species, with the latter serving as host. This suggests a sympatric origin of the parasite species within the distribution range of its host. Species boundaries are tested using three molecular delimitation approaches (SODA, bPTP, BPP) but these methods generate inflated species estimates (26–46 species), evidently because of a failure to distinguish population structure from species differences.more »
-
Background Madagascar is famous for its extremely rich biodiversity; the island harbors predominantly endemic and threatened communities meriting special attention from biodiversity scientists. Continuing ongoing efforts to inventory the Malagasy ant fauna, we revise the species currently placed in the myrmicine genus Aphaenogaster Mayr. One species described from Madagascar, Aphaenogaster friederichsi Forel, is synonymized with the Palearctic A. subterranea Latreille syn. nov. This species is considered neither native to Madagascar nor established in the region. This revision focuses on the balance of species in the A. swammerdami group which are all endemic to Madagascar. Methods The diversity of the Malagasy Aphaenogaster fauna was assessed via application of multiple lines of evidence involving quantitative morphometric, qualitative morphological, and DNA sequence data. (1) Morphometric investigation was based on hypothesis-free Nest Centroid clustering (NC-clustering) combined with PArtitioning based on Recursive Thresholding (PART) to estimate the number of morphological clusters and determine the most probable boundaries between them. This protocol provides a repeatable and testable approach to find patterns in continuous morphometric data. Species boundaries and the reliability of morphological clusters recognized by these exploratory analyses were tested via confirmatory Linear Discriminant Analysis (LDA). (2) Qualitative, external morphological characteristics (e.g., shape, coloration patterns, setaemore »
-
Genetic analysis of historical museum collections presents an opportunity to clarify the evolutionary history of understudied primate groups, improve taxonomic inferences, and inform conservation efforts. Among the most understudied primate groups, slow and pygmy lorises (genera Nycticebus and Xanthonycticebus) are nocturnal strepsirrhines found in South and Southeast Asia. Previous molecular studies have supported five species, but studies using morphological data suggest the existence of at least nine species. We sequenced four mitochondrial loci, CO1, cytb, d-loop, and ND4, for a total of 3324 aligned characters per sample from 41 historical museum specimens for the most comprehensive geographic coverage to date for these genera. We then combined these sequences with a larger dataset composed of samples collected in Vietnam as well as previously published sequences (total sample size N = 62). We inferred phylogenetic relationships using Bayesian inference and maximum likelihood methods based on data from each locus and on concatenated sequences. We also inferred divergence dates for the most recent common ancestors of major lineages using a BEAST analysis. Consistent with previous studies, we found support for Xanthonycticebus pygmaeus as a basal taxon to the others in the group. We also confirmed the separation between lineages of X. pygmaeus frommore »
