Taxonomic signal in the calls of Turdus hauxwelli and T. fumigatus (Passeriformes: Turdidae) challenges the intergradation hypothesis and refines their distribution

Gyrodactylus is a small monogenean ectoparasite that lives on the skin and fins of most of the world's fish species. Gyrodactylus appears to be one of the most prevalent parasites of ornamental fish. The current study aimed to identify the species of one of the most species-rich genera of the monogenean flatworms (Gyrodactylus) in one of the popular ornamental fish (Astronotus ocellatus) in Iran. In the present study, Gyrodactylus species identification was made based on the morphometrical and molecular analysis. The morphometrical identification was performed using the measurements and drawings of opisthaptoral hard parts of the parasites. Molecular species analysis was utilized by polymerase chain reaction of a partial sequence of the 5.8S region of ribosomal DNA and partial sequence of internal transcribed spacer 2 of ribosomal DNA. Based on morphometrical analysis and sequencing, the Gyrodactylus specimens were described as Gyrodactylus cichlidarum. This is the first report of G. cichlidarum from oscar fish (Astronotus ocellatus).

Investigation of acoustic and visual features for pig cough classification

AimThe phylogeographical history of Neotropical species can be difficult to reconstruct because of superimposed Neogene and Quaternary histories, and because of taxonomic uncertainty. We analysed range‐wide genetic diversity in a widespread pioneer tree species, Jacaranda copaia (Aubl.) D. Don, to characterize phylogeographical structure, date the evolutionary relationships among lineages, and evaluate the role of dispersal and vicariance in establishing the present geographical range.LocationGuiana Shield; central, southern and western Amazon Basin; Chocó region; Central America.MethodsWe analysed nine nuclear simple sequence repeat loci (nuSSR), eight chloroplast SSRs (cpSSR), and two cpDNA intergenic sequences in 341 adult trees. Genetic differentiation at nuSSRs was inferred using Bayesian clustering. Dating of chloroplast lineage divergence was obtained using a range of published mutation rates and Bayesian coalescence analyses. Population divergence dating was performed using an isolation‐with‐migration model for eight loci (one cp sequence and seven nuSSRs).ResultsNuclear SSR variation identified three geographically overlapping clusters (nu‐1, nu‐2, nu‐3). Twelve cpDNA haplotypes were clustered into two haplogroups (cp‐1, cp‐2) with the central Amazon harbouring the highest diversity. Molecular dating analysis suggests that cpDNA haplotype diversification started around the end of the Pliocene (2.61 Ma on average), whereas population divergence was more recent and occurred during the mid‐Quaternary (point estimates between 357 and 436 ka).Main conclusionsThe genetic variation of J. copaia in the Neotropics was shaped mainly by Pleistocene events. Chloroplast diversity did not display the expected cis/trans Andean disjunction, indicating recent dispersal. Nuclear variation revealed that separate regions share a recent history, with a centre of diversity in the central Amazon Basin. The geographical pattern of diversity is congruent with the distribution of the two subspecies, J. copaia copaia and J. copaia spectabilis, and evidence of nuSSR admixture between the two taxa supports their classification as subspecies.

Molecular phylogenetic research on the octocoral-associated gastropod family Ovulidae is still in its infancy and, as a consequence, the relationships between subfamilies and genera are not well defined. Previous research on various ovulid genera has shown that their conchological characters are often too fluid when dealing with species delimitations. For this study, Ovulidae were collected in Indonesia and Malaysia, with some additional specimens obtained from Thailand and the Red Sea. Relationships between the Aclyvolvinae and other ovulid subfamilies were assessed using sequence data from two mitochondrial genes (cytochrome c oxidase subunit I (COI) and 16S rRNA); the dataset contained ovulid species (including type species) from the subfamilies Eocypraeinae, Ovulinae, Pediculariinae and Simniinae. The type species of the subfamilies Eocypraeinae and Sulcocypraeinae are fossils, and hence could not be included in the analyses. The phylogeny and systematics of the subfamily Aclyvolvinae were assessed based on four DNA gene regions (mitochondrial COI and 16S rRNA, and nuclear 28S rRNA and histone H3) and morphometric analyses. Shell morphological characters were analysed to help clarify species delimitations within the Aclyvolvinae. The results from the molecular analyses showed that the subfamilies Aclyvolvinae, Eocypraeinae and Simniinae are polyphyletic, whereas the Ovulinae and Pediculariinae appear to be monophyletic. Within the subfamily Aclyvolvinae, the type species of Hiatavolva, H. depressa, did not form a clade with the other species of Hiatavolva. Instead, H. rugosa and H. coarctata formed a clade that is sister to the clade comprising Aclyvolva lamyi, A. lanceolata and A. nicolamassierae, and are therefore now considered as belonging to the genus Aclyvolva. Aclyvolva lamyi and A. nicolamassierae were shown to be synonyms of A. lanceolata, and A. rugosa (n. comb.) is a synonym of A. coarctata (n. comb.). The genus Kuroshiovolva could not be retrieved in a fixed phylogenetic position within the Aclyvolvinae, nor did it cluster with H. depressa or Aclyvolva spp. Our morphometric analyses are in agreement with the results of the molecular analyses, and furthermore show that juvenile shells are morphologically significantly different from their adult conspecifics. Photographs of the type material of Ovulum lanceolatum, O. coarctatum, Neosimnia lamyi, Hiata rugosa and A. nicolamassierae are provided, and new information is given on the geographical distribution and host species of Aclyvolvinae. The subfamily Aclyvolvinae is redefined and now includes only A. lanceolata and A. coarctata. The genus Hiatavolva is now monotypic, containing only H. depressa, but the subfamily to which this genus belongs remains unclear. Kuroshiovolva is not part of the Aclyvolvinae, but its subfamily level placement is unclear.

The Praon dorsale–yomenae s.str. complex (Hymenoptera, Braconidae, Aphidiinae): Species discrimination using geometric morphometrics and molecular markers with description of a new species

Rhamdia quelen, Rhamdia branneri and Rhamdia voulezi are morphologically similar species that, until recently, were considered synonymous. Although R. quelen has wide distribution in the Neotropical region, R. branneri and R. voulezi are sympatric and endemic species of the Iguaçu River basin. We used an integrative approach, including morphometric and molecular data (barcodes DNA, COI gene), to assist in the identification and delimitation of these species. We also intended to investigate genetic contamination of the Paraná III and lower Iguaçu River basins, as silver catfish production has increased in southern Brazil, and accidental or occasional escapes to nature may pose risks to the genetic integrity of native populations. COI sequences and morphometric data were efficient in the characterization and differentiation of Rhamdia species and may be helpful tools in correctly identifying R. quelen, R. branneri and R. voulezi. Both morphometric and molecular analyses indicated the segregation of specimens into three groups. Although this separation coincided with the taxonomy and the collection site in the morphometric analyses, the taxonomic identification of most samples did not coincide with the molecular identification. This fact may be due to (i) incorrect morphological identification and/or (ii) escapes of pure species and/or interspecific hybrids from fish farms. The detection of COI haplotypes of R. quelen in the lower Iguaçu River, as well as COI haplotypes of R. branneri and R. voulezi in the Paraná III basin, combined with the morphometric and morphological characteristics of the specimens, reinforces the occurrence of hybrid specimens in these river basins. These results reveal the importance of characterizing species and interspecific hybrids of Rhamdia and the urgency to regulate aquaculture activities.

Acoustic speech features are associated with late-life depression and apathy symptoms: Preliminary findings.

Reptiles and amphibians are exceptional hosts for different ectoparasites, including mites and ticks. In this study, we investigated tick infestations on reptiles and amphibians trapped in Central Amazonia, and also assessed the presence of rickettsial infections in the collected ticks. From September 2016 to September 2019, 385 reptiles (350 lizards, 20 snakes, 12 tortoises, and three caimans) and 120 amphibians (119 anurans and one caecilian) were captured and examined for ectoparasites. Overall, 35 (10%) lizards, three (25%) tortoises and one (0.8%) toad were parasitized by ticks (124 larvae, 32 nymphs, and 22 adults). In lizards, tick infestation varied significantly according to landscape category and age group. Based on combined morphological and molecular analyses, these ticks were identified as Amblyomma humerale (14 larvae, 12 nymphs, 19 males, and one female), Amblyomma nodosum (three larvae, one nymph, and one female), and Amblyomma rotundatum (four larvae, three nymphs, and one female), and Amblyomma spp. (103 larvae and 16 nymphs). Our study presents the first records of A. nodosum in the Amazonas state and suggests that teiid lizards are important hosts for larvae and nymphs of A. humerale in Central Amazonia. Moreover, a nymph of A. humerale collected from a common tegu (Tupinambis teguixin) was found positive for Rickettsia amblyommatis, which agrees with previous reports, suggesting that the A. humerale-R. amblyommatis relationship may be more common than currently recognized.

Most patients with movement disorders have speech impairments resulting from sensorimotor abnormalities that affect phonatory, articulatory, and prosodic speech subsystems. There is widespread cross-discipline use of speech recordings for diagnostic and research purposes, despite which there are no specific guidelines for a standardized method. This review aims to combine the specific clinical presentations of patients with movement disorders, existing acoustic assessment protocols, and technological advances in capturing speech to provide a basis for future research in this field and to improve the consistency of clinical assessments. We considered 3 areas: the recording environment (room, seating, background noise), the recording process (instrumentation, vocal tasks, elicitation of speech samples), and the acoustic outcome data. Four vocal tasks, namely, sustained vowel, sequential and alternating motion rates, reading passage, and monologues, are integral aspects of motor speech assessment. Fourteen acoustic vocal speech features, including their hypothesized pathomechanisms with regard to typical occurrences in hypokinetic or hyperkinetic dysarthria, are hereby recommended for quantitative exploratory analysis. Using these acoustic features and experimental speech data, we demonstrated that the hyperkinetic dysarthria group had more affected speech dimensions compared with the healthy controls than had the hypokinetic speakers. Several contrasting speech patterns between both dysarthrias were also found. This article is the first attempt to provide initial recommendations for a standardized way of recording the voice and speech of patients with hypokinetic or hyperkinetic dysarthria; thus allowing clinicians and researchers to reliably collect, acoustically analyze, and compare vocal data across different centers and patient cohorts. © 2020 International Parkinson and Movement Disorder Society.

<p>In intracratonic South America, the origin of neotectonic activity and its impact on large Amazonian rivers have been of continuous research interest, but the available evidence has been only for extensional structures. This investigation focuses on a megascale (~60,000 km<sup>2</sup>) domal relief from central Amazonia (the Juruá dome). The main goal was to verify the relationship of this anomalous relief with a growing fold and determine the origin of the stress field within the context of Andean uplift along with the westward movement of the South American plate. The approach applied here is unprecedented for the Amazon lowlands. This is because it combines evidence of tectonic adjustments of river systems using morphostructural and morphometric analyses from remote sensing imagery, integrated with subsurface data consisting of gravity and magnetic maps, seismic reflection, and well logs. The Juruá dome consists of a broad, rounded, and smooth, convex relief, with altitudes generally not exceeding 110 m developed into Pleistocene-Holocene deposits. The drainage over the dome is arranged concentrically into a broad annular pattern with localized anomalous segments in the Solimões River and various Amazonian tributaries. The results revealed that the Juruá dome evidence the growth of a broad anticline. Non-linear slightly convex χ-profiles of many rivers that cross or contour the dome evidence transient rivers, consistent with a development under growth fold. The fold modified the course of several rivers within the domal relief area, including the Juruá River, which is entrenched along NE-striking faults that released the stress along the fold axis. NE- and NW-striking normal and reverse faults with flower structure geometries are abundant in subsurface and suggest deformation from strike-slip tectonics. Gravity and magnetic data revealed that the fold and many of its associated faults are deep-rooted into basement rocks. The geomorphological and structural data are collectively compatible with a long-term NW-trending maximum horizontal compressive stress-field that is driving basin inversion. This neotectonic activity can be linked to far-field stresses from the pushes from the Andean orogeny and the movement of the South American plate against the North Andean and Nazca plates. Thus, this study can expand our knowledge on the impact of far-field stresses in intracratonic settings transmitted from collisional and constructional tectonic plates. Detecting active folded reliefs in central Amazonia is a new approach that can help characterize the extension and source of compressive far-field stresses in intracratonic northern South America.</p>

Marine and freshwater populations of the red alga Bangia were sampled throughout most of the known geographic range in North America. Marine samples were obtained from the Pacific and Atlantic coasts, central Arctic, Gulf of Mexico, and the Virgin Islands. Freshwater samples came from populations in the Laurentian Great Lakes, St. Lawrence River, and Lake Simcoe. In addition, specimens from freshwater populations from Italy, England, and Ireland were included for comparison. DNA sequence analyses of the Rubisco spacer, rbcL gene, and 18S rRNA gene, plus morphometric analysis, were used to discern possible biogeographic and taxonomic trends. No correlation was detected between the molecular and morphological analyses; however, some trends were consistent among the three molecular analyses. For example, all the freshwater collections were nearly identical, indicating that a single lineage may exist in freshwater systems. In addition, the Virgin Islands sample was distinct from all others in both the rbcL and 18S rRNA gene sequences, but quite similar in morphology to those collections with small filament diameter. The Alaska sample clustered consistently with a primarily Atlantic clade with few sequence differences. This finding may indicate a transarctic invasion. Sequence analysis of the 18S rRNA gene yielded a previously unreported intron (in Bangia) located between helices 21 and 20′. All freshwater collections contained this intron, but it was present only in some marine collections. Considerable sequence divergence occurred among groups of collections in both the rbcL (0–16%) and 18S rRNA (0–10.6%) genes with little corresponding diversity in morphology. These values are higher than those reported previously for intergeneric, intrafamilial, or interfamilial comparisons in higher red algal taxa, but are consistent with those reported for the members of the Bangiales. Sequence analysis of the 18S rRNA gene of Bangia collections with six Porphyra species yielded a tree in which Porphyra is paraphyletic within Bangia. In addition, the molecular divergence appears to be quite low between the two genera.

Vocal repertoires of nonhuman animals and especially of terrestrial mammals are often characterized by their relatively small size of innate vocal types which can show considerable variation in acoustic structure. To understand the proximate and ultimate causes that shape the structure of acoustic communication systems in animals, an objective characterization of the vocal repertoire of a given species is critical, as it provides the foundation for comparative analyses among individuals, populations, and taxa. The common approach to characterize vocal repertoires is by using unsupervised clustering algorithms to identify call types and to define a repertoire's size. Progress in the field has been hampered by a lack of standard in methodology which can lead to an arbitrary decision about the size of a species' repertoire. To investigate whether this difficulty is based on the used methodology or whether it is intrinsic to the acoustic structure of a given repertoire, the major aim of my dissertation was to investigate and advance the available methods in the field. To do so, I focused on three main aspects of a vocal repertoire analysis: (1) how is the analysis affected by the input parameters, i.e. the acoustic features that are used; (2) how can we quantify the acoustic variation within and between different vocal types; (3) what is the impact of data set composition, i.e. the call recordings that are being used in the analysis. In the first part of my thesis, I re-analyzed recordings from wild chacma baboons (Papio ursinus) to test the impact of the number and type of acoustic features that are included in the analysis. To do this, I constructed data sets with the same 912 call exemplars but with a varying number of acoustic features to describe these calls. To this end, I had three data sets with 9, 38, and 118 acoustic features as well as a data set with 19 factors derived from a principal component analysis. By comparing and validating the resulting classifications of two clustering algorithms, namely k-means and hierarchical Ward's clustering, I could show that the data sets with a higher number of acoustic features lead to better clustering results than data sets with only a few features. I further showed that factors are not suited to cluster the chacma baboon's calls. None of the applied clustering algorithms gave strong support to a specific cluster solution. Since there was substantial acoustic variation within and between the different call types, I applied an approach based on fuzzy logic that we developed to describe the gradation within vocal repertoires and which provides a quantitative description of the gradation within the chacma baboon's repertoire. To investigate the impact of potential evolutionary forces that shape a species' communication system, comparative studies that quantify the differences in these systems between different species are necessary. In the second part of my thesis, I strove towards such a quantitative comparison by systematically comparing the vocal repertoire of the chacma baboon with the vocal repertoire of the Barbary macaque, Macaca sylvanus. I quantified the gradation within and between different call types of both species with an extended version of the fuzzy clustering approach that was used to characterize the chacma baboon's repertoire in the first part of this thesis. The analysis confirmed the findings of previous studies by showing that the repertoire of the Barbary macaque exhibits a significant larger amount of gradation within and between different call types. An important aspect of this method is that it allows the quantification of gradation irrespective of the number of call types by circumventing the problem to settle on one cluster solution when several solutions are largely equivalent. In the third part of my thesis, I investigated the influence of the data set composition that is used for the analysis of vocal repertoires. Specifically, I was interested in the effects of size- and arousal based differences in the recorded animals and their impact on clustering results. The differences in body size and arousal were simulated with a software-based model that simulates muscle characteristics of the larynx and vocal tract anatomy. With this model I created pseudo repertoires of three distinct baboon call types that varied in subglottic pressure levels (as a proxy of arousal-based differences) and vocal fold and vocal tract characteristics (size-based differences). The preliminary results show that whereas differences in subglottic pressure levels had a minor impact on the characteristics of vocal repertoires and all three call types can be clearly separated from each other, differences in body size can hamper classification and characterization of call types. In conclusion, I investigated several aspects that have to be taken into account when analyzing vocal repertoires. The composition of the data sets as well as the selection of acoustic features that are used in the analysis can both have a profound effect on the classification outcome and on cluster determination. To overcome the often arbitrary decision about a species repertoire size I developed a method that is useful to describe the gradation within and between different call types over several cluster solutions and therefore circumvents the problem to settle on one specific solution. In addition, the method allows a systematic comparison of different species' vocal repertoires, a prerequisite to investigate potential driving forces in signal evolution.

The molecular phylogeny of 12 species of Camponotus ants in Korea was examined using random amplified polymorphic DNA (RAPD) markers as inputs for an analysis of molecular variance (AMOVA) and cluster analysis to describe the relationships between species. For comparison, morphometric data (based on 10 morphological characters) were also gathered for phylogenetic analysis. Assessments of similarity between species were made, and the results of these assessments are compared for the molecular and morphological data sets. In the morphometric analysis, the following groups were identified: (i) C. atrox, C. kiusuensis, C. japonicus and C. concavus (93% similarity); (ii) C. sp. 1 (be diverging at 80% similarity); (iii) C. jejuensis, C. sp. 3, C. itoi, C. nawai and C. tokioensis (94.5% similarity); and (iv) C. nipponensis and C. quadrinotatus (94.5% similarity). Formica fusca was 73.5% similar to the 12 Camponotus species studied here. The group comprising C. nawai and C. tokioensis had the highest similarity index (97.36%), followed by the group comprising C. jejuensis and C. sp. 3 (95%), then C. atrox and C. kiusuensis (94.5%), and then C. nipponensis and C. quadrinotatus (93.5%). In the molecular analysis the following groups were identified: (i) C. atrox and C. jejuensis (30% similarity); (ii) C. concavus, C. japonicus and C. itoi (25% similarity); (iii) C. kiusuensis, C. nawai, C. sp. 3, C. nipponensis, C. quadrinotatus and C. sp. 1 (24% similarity); and (iv) C. tokioensis (be diverging at 23% similarity). The most closely related group in the molecular analysis was C. nawai and C. sp. 3 (75% similarity), followed by C. concavus and C. japonicus (50.5% similarity), then C. atrox and C. jejuensis (30%), and then C. quadrinotatus and C. sp. 1. Camponotus tokioensis was the least closely related to other species among the 12 species studied. Although C. jejuensis and C. tokioensis were found to be 93.6% similar on the basis of morphometric data, molecular data indicated only 23% similarity, the lowest similarity index between any two species considered here. Camponotus jejuensis has marked morphological similarities to C. tokioensis, but on the basis of molecular data gathered in the present study, we refute the proposal that they are synonyms or sister species.

The first molecular phylogenetic analysis of Balanorchis anastrophus (Paramphistomoidea: Balanorchiidae), a rumen fluke found in cattle in South Brazil.

Myxobolus planilizae n. sp. is described from the intestinal muscles of the largescale mullet Planiliza macrolepis from Cochin backwaters, Kerala, India. Host fishes inhabiting Cochin backwaters were collected using Chinese nets/gill nets. The morphometry and morphological studies were carried out using Nomarski differential interference contrast (DIC) optics, followed by molecular and phylogenetic analyses of the small subunit ribosomal DNA gene (SSU rDNA). Plasmodia small, pale white, and infect the muscles of the intestine; measured 0.13-0.22 (0.17) × 0.09-0.14 (0.13) mm. Mature myxospores pyriform in valvular view, and biconvex in sutural and apical views with a short anterior extension, and measured 7.45-8.75 (8.40) × 6.04-6.86 (6.25) µm. Shell valves with sutural ornamentations. Polar capsules two, equal, pyriform, measured 3.96-4.54 (4.45) × 2.22-2.94 (2.52) µm. Polar filament arranged in five coils, measured 24.41-34.44 (28.52) µm when extruded. In morphological and morphometric analysis, the present species exhibit remarkable variations from other species of the genus Myxobolus. In molecular analysis, the present species revealed the highest identity of 91.85% and divergence of 9.95% with related species, underlining its molecular uniqueness. In phylogenetic analysis, species of Myxobolus infecting mullets appeared as a separate clade and the present species was positioned distinctly with a high bootstrap value. Based on morphology, morphometry, and molecular and phylogenetic analyses, along with tissue/host specificities and geographic location, the present parasite is treated as new and is reported here as M. planilizae n. sp.