skip to main content
US FlagAn official website of the United States government
dot gov icon
Official websites use .gov
A .gov website belongs to an official government organization in the United States.
https lock icon
Secure .gov websites use HTTPS
A lock ( lock ) or https:// means you've safely connected to the .gov website. Share sensitive information only on official, secure websites.


Title: Phylogenetic revision of Dennstaedtioideae (Dennstaedtiaceae: Polypodiales) with description of Mucura , gen. nov.
Abstract We undertook a molecular phylogenetic revision of hayscented ferns (Dennstaedtiaceae: Dennstaedtioideae) using four plastid markers. Our sampling represents ca. 40% of the extant diversity and includes the type species for each of the relevant segregate genera. We coded 18 discrete morphological characters which we used to find diagnosable clades. We show that Dennstaedtia is polyphyletic, with the majority of species forming three morphologically distinct clades, but its type ( D. flaccida ) is nested within Microlepia . As such, we support the conservation of Dennstaedtia with a new type, D. dissecta . Following our results, we develop a classification of four genera: Dennstaedtia , Microlepia , Mucura (gen. nov.) and Sitobolium . Beyond the inclusion of D. flaccida , we propose to maintain Microlepia with its current circumscription. Except for a single adventive species in the Neotropics, Microlepia is a Paleotropical genus of about 60 species diagnosed by their distinctive perispore ornamentation of rodlets, and by petioles that lack epipetiolar buds. Mucura is a Neotropical genus of two species that differ from all other Dennstaedtiaceae by the combination of dichotomously branching rhizomes, petioles that lack epipetiolar buds, marginal sori with both abaxial and adaxial indusia, and trilete spores with a unique perispore ornamentation. As defined here, Dennstaedtia is a pantropical genus of about 55 species recognized by having unbranched rhizomes, petioles bearing epipetiolar buds, and by often bearing proliferous buds upon the leaves. Sitobolium is a small clade of ca. five species distinguished by their relatively small leaves that have elongate catenate hairs. These hairs often bear a capitate non‐glandular terminal cell. In support of our classification, we provide a key to the eleven genera of Dennstaedtiaceae, and for the four genera of Dennstaedtioideae we provide morphological and geographic synopses, a list of constituent species, and necessary new combinations.  more » « less
Award ID(s):
2101884
PAR ID:
10444714
Author(s) / Creator(s):
; ; ; ; ; ;
Date Published:
Journal Name:
TAXON
Volume:
72
Issue:
1
ISSN:
0040-0262
Page Range / eLocation ID:
20 to 46
Format(s):
Medium: X
Sponsoring Org:
National Science Foundation
More Like this
  1. null (Ed.)
    Abstract Understanding diversity has been a pursuit in evolutionary biology since its inception. A challenge arises when sexual selection has played a role in diversification. Questions of what constitutes a ‘species’, homoplasy vs. synapomorphy, and whether sexually selected traits show phylogenetic signal have hampered work on many systems. Peacock spiders are famous for sexually selected male courtship dances and peacock-like abdominal ornamentation. This lineage of jumping spiders currently includes over 90 species classified into two genera, Maratus and Saratus. Most Maratus species have been placed into groups based on secondary sexual characters, but evolutionary relationships remain unresolved. Here we assess relationships in peacock spiders using phylogenomic data (ultraconserved elements and RAD-sequencing). Analyses reveal that Maratus and the related genus Saitis are paraphyletic. Many, but not all, morphological groups within a ‘core Maratus’ clade are recovered as genetic clades but we find evidence for undocumented speciation. Based on original observations of male courtship, our comparative analyses suggest that courtship behaviour and peacock-like abdominal ornamentation have evolved sequentially, with some traits inherited from ancestors and others evolving repeatedly and independently from ‘simple’ forms. Our results have important implications for the taxonomy of these spiders, and provide a much-needed evolutionary framework for comparative studies of the evolution of sexual signal characters. 
    more » « less
  2. Begonia fritschiana from Mindanao Island is described as a new species endemic to the Philippines. This is the latest addition to the species-rich Begonia section Baryandra. It resembles Begonia caramoanensis but is distinguished by the consistent obliquely ovate leaves with shorter petioles, lamina glaucous abaxially and with marginal hairs, mostly solitary to singly-branched inflorescences with shorter white-glandular hairs on the pedicels and peduncle, one of the outer tepals pink, and glabrous ovary and ovary wings. Begonia fritschiana is known only from the type locality with one population and less than 100 individuals. The area is not currently protected under the country’s National Integrated Protected Areas System by the Department of Environment and Natural Resources. Because of ongoing threats such as illegal logging, poaching, and over collection of biological resources, the single area of occurrence with estimated extent < 10 km2, and the small number of < 100 individuals, we recommend a classification of B. fritschiana as Critically Endangered. 
    more » « less
  3. Thelyphonida Blanchard, 1852, also known as vinegaroons or whip-scorpions, is a small arachnid order with 140 described species contained in a single family, Thelyphonidae Lucas, 1835. Despite being conspicuous and widely distributed across the tropics and subtropics on four continents, knowledge of the order has been slow to advance. Hypoctoninae Pocock, 1899, one of four subfamilies currently recognized and one of two represented in the New World, comprises five genera. Since its inception, Thelyphonellus Pocock, 1894 has remained the only hypoctonine genus occurring in South America, with only four species described prior to the present contribution. The first detailed morphological study and phylogenetic analysis of Thelyphonellus is presented herein. The morphological phylogenetic analysis—the first for Thelyphonida—includes all except one of the previously described species of Thelyphonellus in addition to two new species described herein; the species of Ravilops Víquez and Armas, 2005 (from the Caribbean island of Hispaniola); and the monotypic Old World genus Etienneus Heurtault, 1984 (from West Africa) scored for 45 morphological characters. A single, most parsimonious phylogenetic hypothesis revealed that Thelyphonellus is paraphyletic with respect to Ravilops. The New World Hypoctoninae comprises four clades with disjunct distributions and well supported by a combination of morphological characteristics, on the basis of which four genera, two of which are new, are recognized: Ravilops, with two species, endemic to Hispaniola; Thelyphonellus, herein restricted to Thelyphonellus amazonicus (Butler, 1872) and Thelyphonellus ruschii Weygoldt, 1979, occurring in Guyana, Suriname, French Guiana, and northern Brazil; Wounaan, gen. n., containing Wounaan vanegasae (Giupponi and Vasconcelos, 2008), comb. n. and Wounaan yarigui, sp. n. from Colombia; and Yekuana, gen. n., containing Yekuana venezolensis (Haupt, 2009), comb. n. and Yekuana wanadi, sp. n. from Venezuela. The two new species are described and illustrated. A key to the identification of the Neotropical genera of Hypoctoninae and a map plotting the known distribution of its species are also presented. 
    more » « less
  4. Abstract—The diverse and spectacular Hibisceae tribe comprises over 750 species. No studies, however, have broadly sampled across the dozens of genera in the tribe, leading to uncertainty in the relationships among genera. The non-monophyly of the genusHibiscusis infamous and challenging, whereas the monophyly of most other genera in the tribe has yet to be assessed, including the large genusPavonia.Here we significantly increase taxon sampling in the most complete phylogenetic study of the tribe to date. We assess monophyly of most currently recognized genera in the tribe and include three and thirteen newly sampled sections ofHibiscusandPavonia,respectively. We also include five rarely sampled genera and 137 species previously unsampled. Our phylogenetic trees demonstrate thatHibiscus, as traditionally defined, encompasses at least 20 additional genera. The status ofPavoniaemerges as comparable in complexity toHibiscus. We offer clarity in the phylogenetic placement of several taxa of uncertain affinity (e.g.Helicteropsis,Hibiscadelphus, Jumelleanthus,andWercklea). We also identify two new clades and elevate them to the generic rank with the recognition of two new monospecific genera: 1)BlanchardiaM.M.Hanes & R.L.Barrett is a surprising Caribbean lineage that is sister to the entire tribe, and 2)AstrohibiscusMcLay & R.L.Barrett represents former members ofHibiscus caesiuss.l.CraveniaMcLay & R.L.Barrett is also described as a new genus for theHibiscus panduriformisclade, which is allied toAbelmoschus. Finally, we introduce a new classification for the tribe and clarify the boundaries ofHibiscusandPavonia. 
    more » « less
  5. Abstract Spirotrichonymphea, one of the six classes of phylum Parabasalia, are characterized by bearing many flagella in spiral rows, and they occur exclusively in the guts of termites. Phylogenetic relationships among the 13 described genera are not well understood due to complex morphological evolution and a paucity of molecular data. One such understudied genus isSpironympha. It has been variously considered a valid genus, a subgenus ofSpirotrichonympha, or an “immature” life cycle stage ofSpirotrichonympha. To clarify this, we sequenced the small subunit rRNA gene sequences ofSpironymphaandSpirotrichonymphacells isolated from the hindguts ofReticulitermesspecies andHodotermopsis sjostedtiand confirmed the molecular identity ofH. sjostedtisymbionts using fluorescence in situ hybridization.Spironymphaas currently circumscribed is polyphyletic, with bothH. sjostedtisymbiont species branching separately from the “true”SpironymphafromReticulitermes. Similarly, theSpirotrichonymphasymbiont ofH. sjostedtibranches separately from the “true”Spirotrichonymphafound inReticulitermes. Our data supportSpironymphafromReticulitermesas a valid genus most closely related toSpirotrichonympha, though its monophyly and interspecific relationships are not resolved in our molecular phylogenetic analysis. We propose three new genera to accommodate theH. sjostedtisymbionts and two new species ofSpirotrichonymphafromReticulitermes. 
    more » « less