Redescription of Kalligramma haeckeli Walther, 1904 (Neuroptera: Kalligrammatidae), a Jurassic paleontological icon, allows the redefinition of Kalligrammatinae.

Skelton P, Smith A. 2002. Accompanying booklet written by Monks N. Cladistics: a practical primer on CD-ROM

Mesochorinae is a relatively small but widely distributed subfamily of Ichneumonidae, with most species occurring in the Neotropical Region. Currently, there are two classifications in use regarding mesochorine genera, causing numerous taxonomic conflicts. To resolve nomenclature conflicts, seven new replacement names and twelve new combinations are proposed for species now recognized as members of Mesochorus Gravenhorst. Herein the synonymy of Plectochorus Uchida and Stictopisthus Thomson with the genus Mesochorus s. lat. is reaffirmed, supported by the following shared character states: transverse subantennal carina partially or completely developed; supraclypeal area evenly convex, without median protrusion; clypeus not separated from supraclypeal area by depression or groove; and hind wing without vein Cu1b. An updated key to the World genera of Mesochorinae is also presented.

The species Beludzhia phylloteliptera Rohdendorf is redescribed from adult males and females as well as all larval instars collected in the United Arab Emirates. The morphology of the first instar larva is strikingly similar to that of Dolichotachina margi- nella (Wiedemann) and Phylloteles pictipennis Loew, all of which are here documented for the first time. These three generic repre- sentatives share several character states, which are probably plesiomorphic relative to the condition observed in other miltogrammine larvae, but the uniquely shaped, slender mouthhook, a cushion- or pad-like lobe behind the maxillary palpus (cheek organ), the antero-ventral segmental prolegs of the first instar larva, and the integumental warts of the third instar larvae, are shared character states not known from any other species of Sarcophagidae. Beludzhia Rohdendorf is therefore placed with Dolichotachina Ville- neuve and Phylloteles Loew in the tribe Phyllotelini.

Abstract: Material collected in 1969 by the CNRS‐MNHN expedition to Spitsbergen includes a new species ofGigantaspis,G. minima, which is the smallest known species of this genus. The revision ofGigantaspisleads to the inclusion ofZascinaspis laticephalaBlieck and Goujet in this genus. The phylogenetic analysis presented herein suggests thatGigantaspisis close toZascinaspis, as suggested by Blieck. Moreover, it is also close to generalized representatives of the Protaspididae. Their shared character states allow the definition of a possible ancestral morphotype for the Protaspididae.

A new species of the sand-dwelling catfish genus Ammoglanis is described from a marginal habitat of the lower Atabapo River, a left-bank blackwater tributary of the upper Orinoco River in Amazonas, Venezuela, adjacent to the border with Colombia. Ammoglanis natgeorum is distinguished from all congeners by trunk pigmentation pattern consisting of scattered ventral chromatophores concentrated around the anal-fin base and numerous additional meristic and anatomical characteristics. A. natgeorum is the second species of Ammoglanis described from the Orinoco River basin after Ammoglanis pulex, and several shared character states (e.g., eight total dorsal-fin rays, overall coloration pattern and presence of two finger-like papillae posterior to chin) suggest that it is more closely related to Ammoglanis obliquus (from the central Amazon basin) and A. pulex than to other congeners.

A new species of FlaviellusGordon and Skelley, 2007 (Coleoptera: Scarabaeidae: Aphodiinae: Aphodiini: Aphodiina) from the Yukon, Canada is described. Flaviellus consentaneus (LeConte, 1850), new combination, is transferred from the genus Melinopterus Mulsant, 1842 based on shared character states with the new species and other species of Flaviellus.

For much of their history, fossil apes retained many monkey-like features in posture and body structure. They also occupied a range of habitats, of which tropical forest was only a part, and there is evidence of increasing terrestriality in the fossil record as it is known at present (2019). In the early Miocene (18–20 million years ago, Ma), fossil apes were pronograde arboreal slow climbers, associated mainly with forest environments and deciduous woodland and with some indications of terrestrial behaviour, particularly the larger species. Their hands had long and opposable thumbs, and the phalanges were curved. In the early middle Miocene (15–16 Ma), apes were still monkey-like in body plan and posture and were associated almost entirely with non-forest, deciduous woodland habitats, with increasing evidence of terrestrial adaptations. Hand proportions remained the same. Towards the end of the middle Miocene (12 Ma), some fossil ape species had broadened chests, long clavicles, medial torsion of the humerus and re-positioning of the scapula to the back. These adaptations may have been linked with more upright posture, as in the living apes, but unlike them, the hand phalanges were short, robust and less curved, and the thumb remained long. Associated environments were deciduous woodland rather than forest. This body plan was retained in part in some later Miocene apes (10 Ma), some of which also had more elongated limbs and hands (thumb length not known), and hind limbs modified for greater flexibility, analogous with the orang utan. Associated environments were subtropical deciduous woodlands and subtropical evergreen laurophyllous woodland in southern Europe. Other late Miocene European apes had adaptations for living on the ground, and some of these also shared characters of the skull with orang utans. They are associated with more open deciduous woodland habitats. This body plan and environment were retained in the early hominin, Ardipithecus ramidus, but with a more robust postcranial skeleton and incipient bipedalism. Based on shared character states in fossil apes, living apes and early hominins, 27 characters are identified as probable attributes of the last common ancestor (LCA) of apes and humans. The likely environment of the LCA was tropical deciduous woodland with some evidence of more open habitats, and this remained unchanged in the transition from apes to early hominins.

Evaluation of the classification of Indian hares (Lepusnigricollis) into the genus Indolagus Gureev, 1953 (Leporidae, Lagomorpha)

Laccaria and Hydnangium typically undergo a postmeiotic mitotic nuclear division in basidiospores, basidia, or less commonly, in sterigmata resulting in eight nuclei. Basidiospores formed on tetrasterigmate basidia are binucleate, and those on bisterigmate basidia are tetranucleate in both genera. While Hydnangium and Laccaria likely comprise a monophyletic group—a hypothesis based on a number of shared characters—the presence of multinucleate basidiospores in several putative outgroups precludes using this shared character state as a justification for recognizing these two genera in a separate family, Hydnangiaceae, as had been proposed. Based on a review of the literature, the presence and location of postmeiotic mitotic divisions in basidia and basidiospores of Agaricales do not appear to be appropriate for assessing phylogenetic relationships among genera or families because of a high level of homoplasy.

A substantial portion of biodiversity has evolved through adaptive radiation. However, the effects of explosive speciation on species interactions remain poorly understood. Metazoan parasites infecting radiating host lineages could improve our knowledge because of their intimate host relationships. Yet limited molecular, phenotypic and ecological data discourage multivariate analyses of evolutionary patterns and encourage the use of discrete characters. Here, we assemble new molecular, morphological and host range data widely inferred from a species-rich lineage of parasites (Cichlidogyrus, Platyhelminthes: Monogenea) infecting cichlid fishes to address data scarcity. We infer a multimarker (28S/18S rDNA, ITS1, COI mtDNA) phylogeny of 58 of 137 species and characterize major lineages through synapomorphies inferred from mapping morphological characters. We predict the phylogenetic position of species without DNA data through shared character states, a morphological phylogenetic analysis, and a classification analysis with support vector machines. Based on these predictions and a cluster analysis, we assess the systematic informativeness of continuous characters, search for continuous equivalents for discrete characters, and suggest new characters for morphological traits not analysed to date. We also model the attachment/reproductive organ and host range evolution using the data for 136 of 137 described species and multivariate phylogenetic comparative methods (PCMs). We show that discrete characters not only can mask phylogenetic signals, but also are key for characterizing species groups. Regarding the attachment organ morphology, a divergent evolutionary regime for at least one lineage was detected and a limited morphological variation indicates host and environmental parameters affecting its evolution. However, moderate success in predicting phylogenetic positions, and a low systematic informativeness and high multicollinearity of morphological characters call for a revaluation of characters included in species characterizations.

A plesiomorphic middle Miocene thylacinid, Mutpuracinus archibaldi, closely resembles the early to middle Miocene dasyurid, Barinya wangala, in its possession of purportedly exclusive dasyurid characters: a closed alisphenoid tympanic bulla that contacted a periotic tympanic sinus; a deeply invasive internal jugular canal with a distinct posteroventral lip of the petrosal; and a rudimentary tubal foramen. These shared character states and many other structural similarities in the cranial base between Mutpuracinus and Barinya indicate shared ancestry, with the dentally more conservative Dasyuridae representing the plesiomorphic sister group to the Thylacinidae. Other Oligocene-Miocene thylacinid species in which the bony ear region is preserved (Badjcinus turnbulli, Nimbacinus dicksoni) show intermediate states between Mutpuracinus archibaldi and Thylacinus cynocephalus. These indicate that the states of the ear region of Thylacinus cynocephalus (small, posteriorly open alisphenoid tympanic wing, absence of petrosal tympanic process, alisphenoid surrounding primary foramen ovale), which resemble some South American didelphoid marsupials, are not primitive. They are secondarily derived states in which the alisphenoid tympanic wing and contacting processes are reduced.

In this paper,AngarotipulaSavchenko, 1961 (Diptera: Tipulidae) is redescribed and differentiated from other genera in Tipulidae and subgenera ofTipulaLinnaeus, 1758, where this taxon was previously placed.Angarotipula tumidicornis(Lundström, 1907) is synonymised withAngarotipula parrioides(Alexander, 1919) (new synonym), the latter is a junior synonym. A lectotype is designated forA.tumidicornis. The female and first instar ofAngarotipula illustris(Doane, 1901) and the pupa ofA. tumidicornisare described and illustrated for the first time. Keys to adults, larvae, and pupae of the two North American species are presented. A close relationship betweenAngarotipulaandPrionoceraLoew, 1844 is suggested based on shared character states.

We examined a group of seven morphologically similar species of the genus Pardosa to determine the reliability of morphological identification characters independently of additional specimen data, such as habitat and geography. Of the seven, four shared diagnostic character states with other species. These four species have areas of both sympatric and allopatric distribution. Specimens collected from allopatric areas, thus expected to contain only one species, were identified using only the morphology of the specimens, keeping the locality data hidden, and the reliability of the identifications was assessed. Identifications of the allopatric specimens resulted in a 32% success rate, indicating that the sole use of morphological characters did not work well for identification in this group. Reliance on geographical data to direct an identification would likely result in identification errors in areas of sympatry. As a result we conclude Pardosa tristis (Thorell 1877), P. prosaica Chamberlin and Ivie 1947 and P. dromaea (Thorell 1877), are new synonyms of Pardosa groenlandica (Thorell 1872).

A new genus of Gerridae, Floresiobates, is described from the island of Flores in the Lesser Sunda Islands of eastern Indonesia, with F. lattini n. sp. as the type species. Floresiobates is compared with Rheumatogonus Kirkaldy and Jucundus Distant, and these three genera are considered on the basis of various shared character states to be closely related. Illustrations of key characters and a distribution map are provided, accompanied by a discussion of the ecological setting in which the type series was collected, and a consideration of the biogeographic implications of this discovery.

Absolute criteria for evaluating cladistic analyses are useful, not only because cladistic algorithms impose structure, but also because applications of cladistic results demand some assessment of the degree of corroboration of the cladogram. Here, a means of quantitative evaluation is presented based on tree length. The length of the most‐parsimonious tree reflects the degree to which the observed characters co‐vary such that a single tree topology can explain shared character states among the taxa. This “cladistic covariation” can be quantified by comparing the length of the most parsimonious tree for the observed data set to that found for data sets with random covariation of characters. A random data set is defined as one in which the original number of characters and their character states are maintained, but for each character, the states are randomly reassigned to the taxa. The cladistic permutation tail probability, PTP, is defined as the estimate of the proportion of times that a tree can be found as short or shorter than the original tree. Significant cladistic covariation exists if the PTP is less than a prescribed value, for example, 0.05. In case studies based on molecular and morphological data sets, application of the PTP shows that: In the comparison of four different molecular data sets for orders of mammals, the sequence data set for alpha hemoglobin does not have significant cladistic covariation, while that for alpha crystallin is highly significant. However, when each data set was reduced to the 11 common taxa in order to standardize comparison, reduced levels of cladistic covariation, with no clear superiority of the alpha crystallin data, were found. Morphological data for these 11 taxa had a highly significant PTP, producing a tree roughly congruent with those for the three molecular sets with marginal or significant PTP values. Merging of all data sets, with the exclusion of the poorly structured alpha hemoglobin data, produced a data set with a significant PTP, and provides an estimate of the phylogenetic relationships among these 11 orders of mammals. In an analysis of lactalbumin and lysozyme DNA sequence data for four taxa, purine‐pyrimidine coding yields a data set with significant cladistic covariation, while other codings fail. The data for codon position 3 taken alone exhibit the strongest cladistic covariation. A data set based on flavonoids in taxa of Polygonum initially yields a significant PTP; however, deletion of identically scored taxa leaves no significant cladistic covariation. For mitochondrial DNA data on population genome types for four species of the crested newt, there is significant cladistic covariation for the set of all genome types, and among the five mtDNA genome types within one of the species. However, a conditional PTP test that assumes species monophyly shows that no significant cladistic covariation exists among the fur species for these data. In an application of the test to a group of freshwater insects, as preliminary to biological monitoring, individual subsets of the taxonomic data representing larval, pupal, and adult stages had non‐significant PTPs, while the complete data set showed significant cladistic structure.