Article
Entomology
Gengyun Niu, Sijia Jiang, Ozgul Dogan, Ertan Mahir Korkmaz, Mahir Budak, Duo Wu, Meicai Wei
Summary: The study reports four complete sawfly mitogenomes and explores the phylogenetic placements of these species within the Tenthredinidae family. The results reveal a new subfamily Megabelesesinae and provide evidence for the monophyly of this group. The diversification of subfamilies appears to be related to colonization of flowering plants in the Early Cretaceous.
Article
Entomology
Xian Zhou, Yuejie Lei, Christopher H. Dietrich, Min Huang
Summary: Typhlocybinae is the second-largest subfamily in the leafhopper family Cicadellidae, consisting of approximately 6000 species. The subfamily has been divided into six tribes, with Typhlocybini and Zyginellini being distinguished based on hind wing venation. However, there is a lack of mitogenome sequences representative of major lineages of Typhlocybini for phylogenetic analysis. In this study, complete mitogenome sequencing and functional annotations were performed for 19 Typhlocybinae species, and the results confirm the synonymy of Zyginellini with Typhlocybini while revealing the correspondence between certain generic groups and monophyletic lineages.
Review
Zoology
Marie L. Verheye, Cedric D'Udekem D'Acoz
Summary: The highly distinctive Glade of giant species among Antarctic amphipods of the genus Eusirus, named 'crested Eusirus', includes two potential species complexes, the Eusirus perdentatus and Eusirus giganteus complexes, as well as the more distinctive Eusirus propeperdentatus. Molecular phylogenies and statistical parsimony networks were reconstructed, revealing that species diversity of crested Eusirus is underestimated, with DNA-based methods suggesting multiple putative species within the two complexes. The morphological analysis also identified a new species within the E. perdentatus complex, Eusirus pontomedon sp. nov.
ZOOLOGICAL JOURNAL OF THE LINNEAN SOCIETY
(2021)
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Marcele Laux, Renato R. M. Oliveira, Santelmo Vasconcelos, Eder S. Pires, Talvane G. L. Lima, Mayara Pastore, Gisele L. Nunes, Ronnie Alves, Guilherme Oliveira
Summary: Ipomoea is a widely distributed genus with importance beyond economic value. This study provides genetic data and insights into the systematic phylogenetic relationships of key Ipomoea species from Eastern Amazon. The results highlight the importance of new plastome assemblies in resolving inconsistencies and increasing statistical confidence, especially for South American clades of Ipomoea.
Article
Zoology
Emmanouela Karameta, Petros Lymberakis, Heinz Grillitsch, Cetin Ilgaz, Aziz Avci, Yusuf Kumluta, Kamil Candan, Philipp Wagner, Spyros Sfenthourakis, Panayiotis Pafilis, Nikos Poulakakis
Summary: Situated in the Eastern Mediterranean, the region offers an ideal setting to study the effects of palaeogeography, ecology, and long human presence on animal evolution. The study on Laudakia stellio reveals its high morphological variation and suggests that it represents three distinct evolutionary entities. The research also highlights the role of humans in shaping the present distribution patterns and the importance of specific areas as refugia and diversity hotspots.
ZOOLOGICAL JOURNAL OF THE LINNEAN SOCIETY
(2022)
Article
Fisheries
Paramasivam Kodeeswaran, Anil Mohapatra, Arulraj Dhinakaran, Thipramalai Thangappan Pillai Ajith Kumar, Kuldeep Kumar Lal
Summary: A new species of congrid eel, Ariosoma maurostigma, is described based on specimens collected from the Arabian Sea. The new species exhibits distinct characteristics such as dark mark on the eyes and unique patterns on the head, and is closely related to Ariosoma melanospilos and Ariosoma anale.
JOURNAL OF FISH BIOLOGY
(2022)
Article
Zoology
Tom C. L. Bridge, Peter F. Cowman, Andrea M. Quattrini, Victor E. Bonito, Frederic Sinniger, Saki Harii, Catherine E. Head, Julia Y. Hung, Tuikolongahau Halafihi, Teina Rongo, Andrew H. Baird
Summary: Molecular phylogenetics has revolutionized our understanding of coral taxonomy, systematics, and biogeography. In this study, we used targeted capture sequencing to investigate the relationships of a coral clade containing the widely distributed species Acropora tenuis. Our analysis revealed 11 distinct lineages within the clade, with only four corresponding to known species. We also described two new species and removed five previously recognized species. Our findings highlight the limitations of traditional morphological taxonomy and have important implications for the conservation and management of reef corals.
ZOOLOGICAL JOURNAL OF THE LINNEAN SOCIETY
(2023)
Article
Biology
Nicolas Mongiardino Koch, Ekin Tilic, Allison K. Miller, Josefin Stiller, Greg W. Rouse
Summary: Sea cucumbers are diverse echinoderms found in various marine environments. The phylogenetic relationships among neoholothuriid clades have been difficult to resolve. Through phylogenomic analysis, we obtained alternative resolutions for these relationships, all supported by strong evidence. However, we were unable to identify significant predictors for the observed topologies, indicating that neoholothuriid genomes may retain signals from multiple phylogenetic histories.
PROCEEDINGS OF THE ROYAL SOCIETY B-BIOLOGICAL SCIENCES
(2023)
Article
Zoology
John R. Grehan, Carlos G. C. Mielke, Joel Minet, Nikolai Ignatev, Ulf Buchsbaum, Dayong Xue
Summary: The genus Magnificus Yan, 2000 includes multiple species, with M. bouvieri, M. dirschi, M. miniatus, M. regius, and M. roseus being added in this study. The monophyly of this genus is supported by unique anatomical features in the tergosternal sclerite and male genitalia. Additionally, evidence suggests that Magnificus and other northern Eurasian genera form a larger monophyletic group based on shared structural characteristics in the male genitalia.
Article
Zoology
Yun Hsiao, Darren A. Pollock
Summary: Mycteridae is a small group of Tenebrionoidea, consisting of three subfamilies and over 180 species. This paper reconstructs the phylogeny of eurypine beetles based on morphological characters and investigates the evolution and relationships of Mycteridae. The results suggest that eurypine lineages likely evolved during the Late Mesozoic to Early Cenozoic. Additionally, two new genera and three new species are described from Australia, indicating a greater phylogenetic diversity of Mycteridae in Australia than previously thought.
ZOOLOGICAL JOURNAL OF THE LINNEAN SOCIETY
(2022)
Article
Biology
Aashaq Hussain Bhat, Swati Gautum, Aasha Rana, Ashok Kumar Chaubey, Joaquin Abolafia, Vladimir Puza
Summary: This study provides a detailed description of Oscheius siddiqii from Uttar Pradesh, India, based on morphological, morphometrical, and molecular characteristics. The taxonomic status of various Oscheius species is discussed, with proposed synonymisations. Phylogenetic analyses reveal relationships between different Oscheius species.
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Jesus A. Ballesteros, Carlos E. Santibanez-Lopez, Caitlin M. Baker, Ligia R. Benavides, Tauana J. Cunha, Guilherme Gainett, Andrew Z. Ontano, Emily V. W. Setton, Claudia P. Arango, Efrat Gavish-Regev, Mark S. Harvey, Ward C. Wheeler, Gustavo Hormiga, Gonzalo Giribet, Prashant P. Sharma
Summary: Deciphering the evolutionary relationships of Chelicerata has been challenging due to their ancient rapid radiation and elevated evolutionary rates in some lineages. Despite conflicting hypotheses, the monophyly of Arachnida is widely accepted. However, our analysis of high-quality genomic and transcriptomic data suggests the nested placement of horseshoe crabs within a paraphyletic Arachnida. We found that genes and sites that recover arachnid monophyly are noisy and have low information content. Additionally, combined analysis of morphological and molecular data supports the placement of merostomates within Arachnida, indicating convergence driven by terrestrial adaptations.
MOLECULAR BIOLOGY AND EVOLUTION
(2022)
Article
Zoology
Robert W. Sites
Summary: This study presents the first molecular-based phylogeny for a family of the true bug infraorder Nepomorpha, providing insights into the relationships among its constituent taxa. The results reveal Naucoridae to be a monophyletic group, but identify Cheirochelinae, Naucorinae, and certain genera as polyphyletic. Additionally, two distinct subfamily-level clades were recovered from Naucorinae, and the organization of Laccocorinae was revised to include four tribe-level groups.
ZOOLOGICAL JOURNAL OF THE LINNEAN SOCIETY
(2022)
Article
Zoology
M. Rosario Martin-Hervas, Leila Carmona, Kathe R. Jensen, Patrick J. Krug, Fabio Vitale, Juan Lucas Cervera
Summary: This study conducted an integrative study on the systematics and species diversity of the genus Elysia. By using molecular and morphological analyses, the presence of five recognized European Elysia species was confirmed, and a new species and a distinct species were identified. Additionally, some disputed species were found, and a tropical species was recorded for the first time along European coasts.
ZOOLOGICAL JOURNAL OF THE LINNEAN SOCIETY
(2023)
Article
Zoology
Michelle Klautau, Matheus Vieira Lopes, Gabriela Tavares, Thierry Perez
Summary: The study reveals a lack of knowledge regarding sponges in the Mascarene Islands ecoregion, with only three calcareous sponge species previously identified in La Reunion. Through limited sampling efforts, 11 new calcareous sponge species were discovered, representing a significant increase in species diversity for the region. The proposed synonymization of the order Murrayonida with Clathrinida suggests a reclassification in sponge taxonomy based on the findings of this and previous studies.
ZOOLOGICAL JOURNAL OF THE LINNEAN SOCIETY
(2022)