Biodiversity / Ecology / Botany / Zoology / Taxonomy / Phylogeny

Biometric analysis of the Arkhangelskiella group in the upper Campanian–Maastrichtian of the Stevns-1 borehole, Denmark: taxonomic implications and evolutionary trends

by Nicolas Thibault

Thibault, N., 2010. Geobios 43, 639-652

The taxonomy of the calcareous nannofossil Arkhangelskiella is revised using the results of a biometric analysis... more The taxonomy of the calcareous nannofossil Arkhangelskiella is revised using the results of a biometric analysis performed on 599 specimens from various stratigraphic levels throughout the upper Campanian–Maastrichtian of the Stevns-1 borehole, Denmark. Combined qualitative labelling and biometric measurements suggest that this genus comprises at least three distinct morphogroups in this stratigraphic interval, with possibly one additional morphotype. The results show that the descriptions formerly used for the erection of these groups as distinct species do not fit to their observed range in the coccolith length and in the rim width, and that the central opening is an important additional parameter allowing distinction between the different morphogroups. Biometric analysis shows, however, that the morphogroups are strongly overlapping on all measured parameters. Therefore, the three distinct variants of Arkhangelskiella cymbiformis (var. NT, var. N and var. W) formerly described by Varol (1989) are reintroduced and emended rather than using distinct species. In addition, a fourth variant is described, Arkhangelskiella cymbiformis var. SW. Using observed relationships between the parameters as well as stratigraphic ranges of these groups throughout the latest Cretaceous, evolutionary trends are outlined.

Phylogenetic Analysis of the Malaysian Rhinolopus and Hipposideros using mtDNA cytochrome b gene. PJTAS 34(2):281-294.

by M.T. Abdullah, PhD

Read Abdullah (2003)

The phylogenetic relationships among 10 species of Rhinolophus and 10 species of Hipposideros from Borneo and... more The phylogenetic relationships among 10 species of Rhinolophus and 10 species of Hipposideros from Borneo and Peninsular Malaysia were successfully inferred from the partial mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) cytochrome (cyt) b sequences. Of the 413 nucleotide positions examined, there were 171 positions (41.4%), of which 164 positions (95.9%) were parsimoniously informative. The phylogenetic trees reconstruction using neighbour-joining (NJ), unweighted maximum parsimony (MP) and maximum likelihood (ML) methods suggest the monophyletic clustering of these families. The interspecific relationships within Rhinolophidae were completely resolved, while those within Hipposideridae were not fully resolved, as supported by the low bootstrap values. Overall, the phylogenetic analysis using partial mtDNA cyt b gene was useful to discriminate these complicated taxa and successfully revealed the misidentification of several specimens before due to their similar morphologies.

Keywords: Cytochrome b, Hipposideros, mitochondrial DNA, phylogenetics, Rhinolophus

Preliminary Morphometric Analysis of Aethalops aequalis. 2012

by M.T. Abdullah, PhD

Read Vijaya et al. (2012)

Aethalops aequalis was previously recorded as a subspecies of A. alecto in Borneo. They are difficult to distinguish... more Aethalops aequalis was previously recorded as a subspecies of A. alecto in Borneo. They are difficult to distinguish by external morphology as Malaysian Aethalops species are similar in size. The objective of this study was to characterize the morphological differences within the Malaysian A. aequalis populations based upon the evaluation of seven selected populations in Borneo. To this end, 11 skull and 11 dental characters were examined and analyzed using SPSS software. Six of these characters were found to be polymorphic across populations, with CM1 being the strongest character in most of the extracted functions followed by IM1, both of which are dental characters that relate to the lower jaw length. Character CM1 was generally shorter in most of the Southwest Sarawak populations compared to the Northeast Sarawak and Sabah populations. Aethalops aequalis from Sabah and Sarawak possessed a single skull morphotype and mountain isolation is, or has not yet been a sufficient barrier to lead to morphological divergence. The body and skull sizes were not affected by altitude or elevations, with A. aequalis possessing a single morphotype in Malaysian Borneo. In conclusion, little morphological variation was detected within and among the different geographical populations of A. aequalis in Sabah and Sarawak. The few differences found are likely to have arisen via natural selection driven adaptation to the new environment.

Morphometrical Variations of Malaysian Hipposideros Species. 2012

by M.T. Abdullah, PhD

Read Vijaya et al (2012)

A study on the morphometrical variations among four Malaysian Hipposideros species was conducted using voucher... more A study on the morphometrical variations among four Malaysian Hipposideros species was conducted using voucher specimens deposited in Universiti Malaysia Sarawak (UNIMAS) Zoological Museum and the Department of Widlife and National Park (DWNP) Kuala Lumpur. Twenty two individuals from four species of Hipposideros ater, H. bicolor, H. cineraceus and H. dyacorum were morphologically measured, in which a total of 27 linear parameters of body, skull and dentals of each were appropriately recorded. The statistical data were later subjected to discriminant function analysis (DFA) and canonical variate analysis (CVA) using SPSS version 15.0 and unweighted pair-group method average (UPGMA) cluster analysis using Minitab version 14.4. The highest character loadings observed in Function l, Function 2 and Function 3 were the forearm length (FA), the third digit second phalanx length (D3P2L) and the palatal length (PL) with standardised canonical discriminant function coefficient values of 21.910, 5.770 and 5.095, respectively. These three characters were identified as the best diagnostic features for discriminating these closely related species of Hipposideros. Hence, this morphometric approach could be a promising tool as an alternative to the molecular
DNA analysis for identification of Chiroptera species.

A Predictive Model to Differentiate the Fruit Bats Cynopterus brachyotis and C. cf. brachyotis Forest (Chiroptera: Pteropodidae) from Malaysia Using Multivariate Analysis. 2012

by M.T. Abdullah, PhD

Read also Abdullah (2003)

Field discrimination of Cynopterus brachyotis and C. cf. brachyotis Forest (as designated by Francis 2008) in southern... more Field discrimination of Cynopterus brachyotis and C. cf. brachyotis Forest (as designated by Francis 2008) in southern Thailand, Peninsular Malaysia, and Borneo is problematic. These 2 forms are sympatric in this region but are confined to different habitat types: C. brachyotis inhabits open habitats, orchards, and agricultural areas, while C. cf. brachyotis Forest is confined to primary and old secondary forests. In this study, we attempted to develop prediction models to identify both C. brachyotis and C. cf. brachyotis Forest in this region based on multivariate statistics. Two predictive models were generated using a canonical discriminant function, and it was found that 5 characters can be used to accurately identify museum vouchers of C. brachyotis and C. cf. brachyotis Forest. Four characters are needed for field identification of these 2 forms of Cynopterus in southern Thailand, Peninsular Malaysia, and Borneo. A review of the current taxonomy and classification indicated that there is a need to describe the 6 existing forms of the C. brachyotis complex in the Indo-Malayan region. This will aid conservationists, field ecologists, and taxonomists in taxonomic- and conservation-related decisions about this species complex.

Birth of Sumatran rhinoceros

by M.T. Abdullah, PhD

First birth of Sumatran rhinoceros in captivity in Zoo Melaka First birth of Sumatran rhinoceros in captivity in Zoo Melaka

A new cryptic species of glassfrog (Centrolenidae: Nymphargus) from Reserva Las Gralarias, Ecuador

by Carl Hutter

Co-authored with Juan M. Guayasamin
Zootaxa 3257: 1–21 (4 Apr. 2012)
New Species: Nymphargus lasgralarias

We describe a new species of Nymphargus from Reserva Las Gralarias, in the montane forests of the Pacific versant of... more We describe a new species of Nymphargus from Reserva Las Gralarias, in the montane forests of the Pacific versant of the Andes of Ecuador. The new species, Nymphargus lasgralarias sp. nov., is nearly morphologically identical to sym- patric Nymphargus griffithsi (Goin 1961), with the exception of the following characters: (i) a gold colored iris with nu- merous small spots and lighter reticulation, (ii) absence of dark dorsal spotting, and (iii) a significantly larger body size. Additionally, we describe the vocalizations for N. griffithsi and N. lasgralarias. The call of N. lasgralarias sp. nov. is eas- ily distinguished from N. griffithsi through the following temporal and spectral characteristics: (i) calls are emitted in se- ries, (ii) waveform shape is always pulsed, (iii) significantly shorter call duration, and (iv) lower dominant frequency.

A molecular phylogenetic appraisal of the systematics of the Aglaopheniidae (Cnidaria: Hydrozoa, Leptothecata) from the north-east Atlantic and west Mediterranean

by Carlos Moura

Moura et al. (2012c). Zoological Journal of the Linnean Society, 164, 717–727.

The hydrozoan family Aglaopheniidae (Cnidaria) is widespread worldwide and contains some of the most easily... more The hydrozoan family Aglaopheniidae (Cnidaria) is widespread worldwide and contains some of the most easily recognizable hydroids because of their large colony size and characteristic microscopic structure. The systematics of the group has, however, been controversial and dedicated molecular analyses are lacking. We therefore analysed existing and new 16S rRNA sequences of Aglaopheniidae, in a total of 98 16S sequences corresponding to 25 putative species (25 nominal and three undescribed) from seven genera. The monophyly of the subfamilies Gymnangiinae and Aglaopheniinae, and tribes Aglaopheniini and Cladocarpini were not verified with 16S sequence data. The genera Gymnangium and Aglaophenia can only be considered valid if both Gymnangium gracicaule and Aglaophenia latecarinata are removed from their respective genera. The phenotypically similar Cladocarpus and Streptocaulus are probably monophyletic and clearly distinct genetically. The genus Lytocarpia may be polyphyletic. The nominal species Aglaophenia pluma, Aglaophenia tubiformis, and Aglaophenia octodonta are probably conspecific, as are also the species Aglaophenia acacia and Aglaophenia elongata. The 16S data revealed the existence of two potentially unnamed species of Aglaophenia respectively from the Azores and Madeira. The phylogeographical structure of the taxa with the greatest representation of haplotypes from the north-east Atlantic and Mediterranean, revealed the influence of Mediterranean waters in Madeira and the Azores, and gene flow between deep waters of the Mediterranean and Atlantic. The last glaciations in Europe may have caused genetic bottlenecks but also high intraspecific haplotype diversity. Finally, Macrorhynchia philippina was detected in samples from Madeira and possibly represents an invasive species.

Phylogeny of Animals: Genomes Have a Lot to Say

by Ferdinand Marlétaz

Wüster, W., S. Crookes, I. Ineich, Y. Mane, C.E. Pook, J.-F. Trape & D.G.Broadley (2007) The phylogeny of cobras inferred from mitochondrial DNA sequences: evolution of venom spitting and the phylogeography of the African spitting cobras (Serpentes: Elapidae: Naja nigricollis complex). Molecular Phylogenetics and Evolution 45: 437-453.

by Wolfgang Wüster

Pook, C.E., U. Joger, N. Stümpel & W. Wüster (2009) When continents collide: phylogeny, historical biogeography and systematics of the medically important viper genus Echis (Squamata: Serpentes: Viperidae). Molecular Phylogenetics and Evolution 53: 792-807.

by Wolfgang Wüster

Nomenclatural notes on the eurypterid family Carcinosomatidae

by James Lamsdell

Co-authored with Jason Dunlop, published in Zoosystematics and Evolution, 2012

The genus level systematics of the eurypterid family Carcinosomatidae (Chelicerata Eurypterida) is briefly reviewed,... more The genus level systematics of the eurypterid family Carcinosomatidae (Chelicerata Eurypterida) is briefly reviewed, with particular reference to some nomenclatural prob- lems associated with homonyms and their replacement names. Eusarcus scorpionis Grote & Pitt, 1875 is the type species of both Eusarcana Strand, 1942 and Paracarcinosoma Caster & Kjellesvig-Waering, 1964. Although Strand’s name has been comple- tely overlooked in the eurypterid literature, it remains the oldest available (and valid) name associated with Eusarcus scorpionis. It should be noted that Strand replaced a homonym under circumstances when this was not really necessary, but the Principle of Priority means that we are forced to reclassify three Paracarcinosoma species under his genus name as Eusarcana scorpionis (Grote & Pitt, 1875), Eusarcana acrocephala (Semper, 1898) and Eusarcana obesa (Woodward, 1868); all comb. nov.

Mezilaurus revolutifolia (Lauraceae), a new species from Brazilian Atlantic Forest

by Pedro Luís Rodrigues de Moraes

Flávio Macedo Alves, Vinicius Castro Souza, Pedro Luís Rodrigues de Moraes
Kew Bulletin 66(4): (2012)

A new species of Lauraceae, Mezilaurus revolutifolia F. M. Alves & P. L. R. Moraes from eastern Bahia, Brazil, is... more A new species of Lauraceae, Mezilaurus revolutifolia F. M. Alves & P. L. R. Moraes from eastern Bahia, Brazil, is described and illustrated. This is the second species of the genus known to be endemic to the Brazilian Atlantic forest as previously only M. navalium (Allemão) Taub. ex Mez was known from this region. M. revolutifolia is distinguished from all other species of the genus by its revolute and glabrous leaves and glabrous racemose inflorescences with glabrous flowers clustered at the tips of the lateral branches.

Notes and lectotypification of names based on Brazilian collections of Prince Maximilian of Wied

by Pedro Luís Rodrigues de Moraes

Pedro Luís Rodrigues de Moraes
Kew Bulletin 66(4): (2012).

In the course of reconstructing the Brazilian herbarium of Prince Maximilian of Wied, several species were found in... more In the course of reconstructing the Brazilian herbarium of Prince Maximilian of Wied, several species were found in the literature which need either correction or clarification. Problems include priority considerations, authority of species names, conflicting typifications and other errors. This paper reports 12 currently accepted species collected by Prince Maximilian in Brazil, commenting on their taxonomic status and nomenclature. Included are type specimens of Andromeda ambigua Schrad. (lecto and isolectotypes; = Agarista revoluta (Spreng.) Hook. f. ex Nied.), Andromeda crassifolia Nees (lecto and isolectotypes; = Agarista revoluta), Aphelandra marginata Nees & Mart. (lecto and isolectotypes), Aphelandra maximiliana (Nees) Benth. (lecto and isolectotypes), Ceiba ventricosa (Nees & Mart.) Ravenna (lectotype), Cinnamodendron axillare (Nees) Endl. ex Walp. (lecto and isolectotypes), Croton gnaphaloides Schrad. (lecto and isolectotype), C. klaenzei Müll. Arg. (holotype), Geissomeria nitida (Nees & Mart.) Nees & Mart. (lecto and isolectotypes), Nectandra squarrosa Nees var. pyrifolia Nees (lecto and isolectotypes; = Ocotea squarrosa (Nees) Mez), Ocotea squarrosa (lecto and isolectotypes), Pavonia semiserrata (Schrad.) Steud. (lecto and isolectotypes), Stenandrium serpens Nees (lecto and isolectotypes), Zollernia falcata Wied-Neuw. & Nees (lecto and isolectotypes; = Z. glabra (Spreng.) Yakovlev) and Z. splendens Wied-Neuw. & Nees (lectotype; = Z. glabra). Additionally, a new name, Aphelandra verrugensis P. L. R. Moraes, is proposed to replace Synandra amoena Schrad., which is the oldest name of the taxon currently known as Aphelandra ignea Nees.

The Neogene mollusc type material from the collection of Lodovico Foresti preserved in the “ Giovanni Capellini ” Museum of Geology of Bologna University , Italy

by Alessandro Ceregato

Ceregato A, Scarponi D, Della Bella G 2010. GeoActa 9, 53-65

Part of the Lodovico Foresti's (1829-1913) palaeo-malacological legacy is preserved in the G. Capellini Museum of... more Part of the Lodovico Foresti's (1829-1913) palaeo-malacological legacy is preserved in the G. Capellini Museum of Geology (MGGC) of Bologna University. The Foresti collection at MGGC consists of nearly 1500 Neogene and early Pleistocene molluscs representing 111 taxa, mainly from Emilia-Romagna foothills (Northern Italy). During our exa- mination we were able to trace various type series materials on which any information was assumed to be lost. Herein we document type series material of 11 species-group taxa and designate 9 lectotypes in order to ensure the name’s proper and consistent application. Furthermore, for each examined taxon, we report the original description along with comments on present day systematic position and general remarks.

57. NOTAS COROLÓGICAS PARA LA FLORA DE ANDALUCÍA

by Jose Luis Vivero

A new species of Vella L.(Brassicaceae) from the south‐eastern part of the Iberian Peninsula

by Jose Luis Vivero

A New Species and a New Combination in the Afroalpine Senecio NanusS. schultzii Complex (Asteraceae, Senecioneae)

by Jose Luis Vivero

Tales Dead Birds Tell: the historical and cultural context of early avian specimens in the biology collections of Randolph College

by Emily Smith

Nuclear versus mitochondrial DNA: evidence for hybridization in colobine monkeys

by Dirk Meyer

Published in BMC Evolutionary Biology 2011, 11:77 doi:10.1186/1471-2148-11-77

Background

Colobine monkeys constitute a diverse group of primates with major radiations in Africa and... more Background

Colobine monkeys constitute a diverse group of primates with major radiations in Africa and Asia. However, phylogenetic relationships among genera are under debate, and recent molecular studies with incomplete taxon-sampling revealed discordant gene trees. To solve the evolutionary history of colobine genera and to determine causes for possible gene tree incongruences, we combined presence/absence analysis of mobile elements with autosomal, X chromosomal, Y chromosomal and mitochondrial sequence data from all recognized colobine genera.

Results

Gene tree topologies and divergence age estimates derived from different markers were similar, but differed in placing Piliocolobus/Procolobus and langur genera among colobines. Although insufficient data, homoplasy and incomplete lineage sorting might all have contributed to the discordance among gene trees, hybridization is favored as the main cause of the observed discordance. We propose that African colobines are paraphyletic, but might later have experienced female introgression from Piliocolobus/Procolobus into Colobus. In the late Miocene, colobines invaded Eurasia and diversified into several lineages. Among Asian colobines, Semnopithecus diverged first, indicating langur paraphyly. However, unidirectional gene flow from Semnopithecus into Trachypithecus via male introgression followed by nuclear swamping might have occurred until the earliest Pleistocene.

Conclusions

Overall, our study provides the most comprehensive view on colobine evolution to date and emphasizes that analyses of various molecular markers, such as mobile elements and sequence data from multiple loci, are crucial to better understand evolutionary relationships and to trace hybridization events. Our results also suggest that sex-specific dispersal patterns, promoted by a respective social organization of the species involved, can result in different hybridization scenarios.