Visual documentation and biotopic distribution of opisthobranch species in the Akkum-Erdemli Region (Türkiye)

The deep-sea portunid crab Bathynectes maravigna, previously known from the Aegean Sea coast of Turkey, is reported for the first time from Mersin Bay on the Levantine Sea coast of Turkey. The record is based on three adult males and two adult females collected by trawling on a sandy bottom at depths between 300 and 450 m in Mersin Bay.

Our assessment of morphological diversity is influenced by morphological extremes and therefore depends on sample size (taxonomic richness). Rarefaction predicts the morphological diversity that would probably be observed in a sample of reduced size, thereby allowing both compensation for differences in sample size that may be strictly preservational, and analysis of diversity structure, that is, the relationship between morphological and taxonomic diversity. Middle and Late Cambrian trilobites exhibit a diversity structure characterized by many variations on a few morphological themes. In contrast, Middle and Late Ordovician trilobites occupy a larger range of morphospace per unit of species richness. Diversity structure in the Devonian is similar to that in the Middle and Late Ordovician, but the magnitude of morphological diversity is lower in the Devonian, as many fewer species are observed. For blastoids, different aspects of morphological diversity (range of morphospace occupied, number of character states possessed, and number of different regions in morphospace occupied) exhibit different relationships to taxonomic richness. In all cases Permian blastoids are characterized by a diversity structure in which morphological diversity per unit of taxonomic richness is greater than for Devonian blastoids. Changes in morphological diversity in fissiculate blastoids appear to reflect evolution of continuous variation in thecal morphology more than changes in the number of character states. Saunders and Swan's data on Namurian ammonoids illustrate some significant differences in diversity structure among stratigraphic levels, but many apparent differences in morphological diversity are consistent with the possibility that they reflect the sampling of different numbers of species from the same underlying diversity structure. Rarefaction curves are also presented for idealized increases and decreases in diversity, and these are compared to some of the observed changes in trilobites, blastoids, and ammonoids.

MEPS Marine Ecology Progress Series Contact the journal Facebook Twitter RSS Mailing List Subscribe to our mailing list via Mailchimp HomeLatest VolumeAbout the JournalEditorsTheme Sections MEPS 324:83-93 (2006) - doi:10.3354/meps324083 Influence of taxonomic resolution on multivariate analyses of arthropod and macroalgal reef assemblages Alastair J. Hirst1, 2,* 1School of Biological Sciences, Flinders University of South Australia, GPO Box 2100, Adelaide, South Australia, 5001, Australia 2Present address: Tasmanian Aquaculture and Fisheries Institute, University of Tasmania, Private Bag 49, Hobart, Tasmania 7000 *Email: ajhirst@utas.edu.au ABSTRACT: There are currently few recommendations regarding the taxonomic resolution required to sufficiently describe patterns of community structure among temperate rocky-reef invertebrate and macroalgal assemblages. Studies conducted in a range of other aquatic systems have indicated that there is a high degree of redundant information conveyed at the species level, in comparison to higher taxonomic levels. This has important implications for the design of many ecological studies in terms of the allocation of resources. This study examined the impact of taxonomic aggregation on the detection of multivariate patterns in faunal and macroalgal assemblage structure amongst temperate subtidal reef communities in southern Australia. I considered the level at which taxonomic aggregation led to the loss of resolution in multivariate patterns, impairing conclusions regarding assemblage patterns at the species level. This study found that the impact of taxonomic aggregation varied for faunal and macroalgal assemblages. While family-level identifications were sufficient to discriminate faunal assemblages to a degree comparable to species-level identifications, aggregation of macroalgal data to higher taxonomic levels was substantially less informative. Thus, whereas significant cost-savings can be achieved by identifying invertebrate taxa to family with little or no loss of information, the same is not true for macroalgal assemblages. Differences between faunal and algal assemblages were attributable in part to the distribution of species within higher taxa. In particular, the aggregation of macroalgal species belonging to the order Fucales (e.g. Sargassum, Cystophora etc.) resulted in impaired representation of assemblages in multivariate patterns, as a consequence of the diversity, dominance and wide distribution of this order within benthic macroalgal groups of southern Australia. KEY WORDS: Taxonomic resolution · Temperate rocky reef assemblages · Southern Australia · Amphipods · Fucoids · BVSTEP analysis Full text in pdf format PreviousNextExport citation RSS - Facebook - Tweet - linkedIn Cited by Published in MEPS Vol. 324. Online publication date: October 23, 2006 Print ISSN: 0171-8630; Online ISSN: 1616-1599 Copyright © 2006 Inter-Research.

The ecological, morphological, and physiological diversity of species in the Hawaiian silversword alliance is exceptional. The 28 species, which belong to the endemic genera Argyroxiphium, Dubautia, and Wilkesia, have a wide variety of geographical distributions and elevational ranges within the archipelago. They grow in habitats as varied as dry scrub and woodland, wet scrub and forest, cinder and lava, and bog. Ecological diversity is also evident among sympatric species. At a site of sympatry on the island of Hawaii, for example, D. ciliolata and D. scabra are restricted to different lava flows, even though individuals of the two species may grow within a meter of one another. The 28 species have growth forms as varied as rosette shrubs, shrubs, trees, and lianas. They have a wide range of leaf sizes and shapes, with the Dubautia species exhibiting significant variation in leaf turgor maintenance capacities. Morphological and physiological diversity is also evident among sympatric species. At a site of sympatry on the island of Maui, for example, A. sandwicense and D. menziesii exhibit different suites of morphological and physiological traits enabling them to cope with the severe environmental conditions. The patterns of diversity and the genomic relationships among the 28 species suggest that a variety of factors may have played important roles in their adaptive radiation. The Hawaiian silversword alliance is a premier example of adaptive radiation in plants (Carlquist, 1980; Carr et al., 1989). The alliance includes 28 species in three endemic genera: Argyroxiphium, Dubautia, and Wlilkesia (Carr, 1985). The species grow in a wide range of habitats and have a wide variety of growth forms. They are also closely related, as evidenced by the high frequency of spontaneous interspecific and intergeneric hybrids in nature, coupled with the ease of production of artificial hybrids in the laboratory (Carr & Kyhos, 1981, 1986). The detailed analysis of the hybrids and parental taxa using cytogenetic, electrophoretic, and molecular approaches has provided compelling evidence that the silversword alliance is a genetically cohesive group whose origin and diversification probably trace to a single colonizing ancestor (Baldwin et al., 1988; Carr et al., 1989). Our objective in this review is to provide insight into the ecological, morphological, and physiological diversity of species in the silversword alliance. With respect to ecological diversity, we compare the geographical distributions, habitats, and elevational ranges of the 28 species, then analyze the local distributions of several sympatric Dubautia species. With respect to morphological and physiological diversity, we compare the growth forms, leaf sizes, and leaf shapes of the 28 species, then examine the turgor maintenance capacities of the Dubautia species and the water and temperature balances of two sympatric Argyroxiphium and Dubautia species. Our primary theme is that the ' This paper is dedicated to Dr. Sherwin Carlquist in honor of his pioneering research on the Hawaiian silversword alliance. The research was supported by NSF Grant DEB-82064 11 and a gift from the Atlantic Richfield Foundation to the senior author. We thank Lani Stemmermann for invaluable companionship, botanical insight, and technical assistance in the field. We also thank the staff of Haleakala National Park, particularly R. Nagata and L. Loope, for critical logistical support, and J. Canfield and N. Friedman for generous photographic assistance. 2 Department of Ecology & Evolutionary Biology, University of Arizona, Tucson, Arizona 85721, U.S.A. < Department of Botany, University of Hawaii, Honolulu, Hawaii 96822, U.S.A. 4 Department of Plant & Soil Sciences, University of Maine, Orono, Maine 04469, U.S.A. Department of Botany, University of California, Davis, California 95616, U.S.A. ANN. MISSOURI BOT. GARD. 77: 64-72. 1990. This content downloaded from 152.1.161.146 on Thu, 27 Mar 2014 19:39:59 PM All use subject to JSTOR Terms and Conditions Volume 77, Number 1 Robichaux et al. 65 1990 Adaptive Radiation of Hawaiian Silversword Alliance

A recent molecular taxonomic study along the Chilean coast (18° S-53° S) described 18 candidate species of bladed Bangiales of which only two were formally described. Few studies focused on local genetic and morphological diversity of bladed Bangiales and attempted to determine their intertidal distribution in contrasting habitats, and none were performed in Chile. To delimit intertidal distributions of genetic species, 66 samples of bladed Bangiales were collected at Maitencillo (32° S) in four zones: a rocky platform, a rocky wall, and two boulders zones surrounded by sandy and rocky bottoms, respectively. These samples were identified based on sequences of the mitochondrial COI and chloroplast rbcL markers. We also collected 87 specimens for morphological characterization of the most common species, rapidly assessing their putative species identity using newly developed species-diagnostic (PCR-RFLP) markers. Eight microscopic and two macroscopic morphological traits were measured. We described and named three of four species that predominate in Maitencillo (including Pyropia orbicularis): Pyropia variabilis Zapata, Meynard, Ramírez, Contreras-Porcia, sp. nov., Porphyra luchea Meynard, Ramírez, Contreras-Porcia sp. nov., and Porphyra longissima Meynard, Ramírez, Contreras-Porcia, sp. nov. With the exception of Po. longissima restricted to boulders surrounded by sandy bottom, and a morphotype of Py. variabilis restricted to rocky walls, the other species/morphotypes have overlapping intertidal distributions. Except for Po. longissima, which is clearly differentiated morphologically (longest and thinnest blades), we conclude that morphology is not sufficient to differentiate bladed Bangiales. Our findings underscore the importance of refining our knowledge of intrinsic and environmental determinants on the distribution of bladed Bangiales.

Phyllodoce koreana was first described in 1985 in Gwangyang Bay, a semi-enclosed bay in Korea affected by significant organic input from the Seomjin River and dredging activities near the Gwangyang Port. Since then, this Korean endemic species has received limited attention in taxonomic and ecological studies. Phyllodoce koreana is known for its resilience to mild disturbances but is vulnerable to severe environmental changes. In this study, P. koreana specimens were collected from organically polluted Asian stalked tunicate aquaculture farms at eight sites in Jindong Bay, a location with environmental conditions similar to those of Gwangyang Bay, over the course of five sampling events from March to November. Both bays experience benthic hypoxia in summer due to elevated water temperatures and organic matter accumulation. Phyllodocid specimens were primarily collected in March and November 2023, non-hypoxic periods, suggesting potential seasonal adaptations to environmental fluctuations. The morphological features of the collected specimens were consistent with the original description of P. koreana, confirming their identification. Additionally, we reported previously overlooked morphological details, contributing to a more comprehensive taxonomic understanding of the species. We also present, for the first time, the complete mitochondrial genome of this species, comprising 15,559 bp, which provides essential genetic data for future taxonomic and phylogenetic studies. The phylogenetic analysis of protein-coding genes shows that, among 17 related polychaete species, P. koreana (family Phyllodocidae) is closely related to the family Goniadidae. Future research should expand our knowledge of polychaete taxonomy by integrating additional mitochondrial genomes and investigating the role of conserved gene synteny within Polychaeta.

In almost all North American literature, including in British Columbia, weedy Taraxacum species have been named as Taraxacum officinale F.H.Wigg and Taraxacum erythrospermum Andrz. ex Besser (or Taraxacum laevigatum DC.). This coarse taxonomic approach ignores great diversity in morphology, ecology, and geographical distributions among the exotic established species. Taxonomic refinement would facilitate floristics and ecological studies when exotic Taraxacum species are involved, and the taxonomy of native Taraxacum must first determine which are and which are not native species, which in turn requires knowledge of sectional identity of any specimen. Exotic Taraxacum specimens were identified to species and taxonomic sections using refined species and sectional concepts that align with taxonomic standards used in the native ranges of the species in Europe. Seven exotic sections and one informally named group are found to be present in British Columbia (Borea, Boreigena, Celtica, Erythrosperma, Hamata, Naevosa, Taraxacum, and the Taraxacum fulvicarpum group). The number of exotic Taraxacum species known to occur in British Columbia to date exceeds 100. A key to the exotic sections of British Columbia Taraxacum is presented and the sections are characterized. Species known to date are listed by their sectional placement. Notes are also presented on distinguishing native from exotic Taraxacum in British Columbia.

Exceptional ecological niche diversity, clear waters and unique divergent selection pressures have often been invoked to explain high morphological and genetic diversity of taxa within ancient lakes. However, it is possible that in some ancient lake taxa high diversity has arisen because these historically stable environments have allowed accumulation of lineages over evolutionary timescales, a process impossible in neighbouring aquatic habitats undergoing desiccation and reflooding. Here we examined the evolution of a unique morphologically diverse assemblage of thiarid gastropods belonging to the Melanoides polymorpha'complex' in Lake Malawi. Using mitochondrial DNA sequences, we found this Lake Malawi complex was not monophyletic, instead sharing common ancestry with Melanoides anomala and Melanoides mweruensis from the Congo Basin. Fossil calibrations of molecular divergence placed the origins of this complex to within the last 4 million years. Nuclear amplified fragment length polymorphism markers revealed sympatric M. polymorpha morphs to be strongly genetically differentiated lineages, and males were absent from our samples indicating that reproduction is predominantly parthenogenetic. These results imply the presence of Lake Malawi as a standing water body over the last million years or more has facilitated accumulation of clonal morphological diversity, a process that has not taken place in more transient freshwater habitats. As such, the historical stability of aquatic environments may have been critical in determining present spatial distributions of biodiversity.

Two indicators of pufferfish communities, catch per unit effort (CPUE) and catch per unit area (CPUA), were used with surveys of bottom trawl fishery to elucidate the level of the catch of each pufferfish species in the Mediterranean coasts of Turkey, comprising the Iskenderun Bay, Mersin Bay, and Antalya Bay. The surveys were conducted seasonally in 2019. The average rate of CPUE for Lagocephalus sceleratus, L. suezensis, L. spadiceus, and Torquigener flavimaculosus were 2.2, 0.8, 0.5, and 0.2 kg km-2, respectively that the highest CPUE values were in winter (8.0 kg km-2) for L. sceleratus and also lowest was in winter (0.08 kg km-2) for L. spadiceus. The highest and lowest CPUE values were at the depth of 20-50 m (2.7 kg km-2) for L. sceleratus and 50-80 m (0.08 kg km-2) for T. flavimaculosus, respectively. The highest CPUE values (3.5 kg km-2) were found at the sandy bottom for L. sceleratus, and the lowest one (0.01 kg km-2) was at the hardy-ground for T. flavimaculosus. The average annual CPUA of pufferfish species at the Iskenderun, Mersin, and Antalya bays was estimated as 15.6, 28.4, and 6.81 kg, respectively, with a mean value of 17.3 kg/day/boat. In multiple correspondence analysis, L. sceleratus showed a great contribution to CPUE and CPUA data. However, T. flavimaculosus revealed contribution, especially in catch numbers which were positively affected by precipitation. L. spadiceus, L. suezensis, and T. flavimaculosus were positively affected by depth, temperature, month, season, and bottom structure.

A new genus and species of fossil bat is described from New Zealand’s only pre-Pleistocene Cenozoic terrestrial fauna, the early Miocene St Bathans Fauna of Central Otago, South Island. Bayesian total evidence phylogenetic analysis places this new Southern Hemisphere taxon among the burrowing bats (mystacinids) of New Zealand and Australia, although its lower dentition also resembles Africa’s endemic sucker-footed bats (myzopodids). As the first new bat genus to be added to New Zealand’s fauna in more than 150 years, it provides new insight into the original diversity of chiropterans in Australasia. It also underscores the significant decline in morphological diversity that has taken place in the highly distinctive, semi-terrestrial bat family Mystacinidae since the Miocene. This bat was relatively large, with an estimated body mass of ~40 g, and its dentition suggests it had an omnivorous diet. Its striking dental autapomorphies, including development of a large hypocone, signal a shift of diet compared with other mystacinids, and may provide evidence of an adaptive radiation in feeding strategy in this group of noctilionoid bats.

BackgroundBiological diversity is a hot topic in current research, especially its observed decrease in modern times. Investigations of past ecosystems offer additional insights to help better understand the processes underlying biodiversity. The Cretaceous period is of special interest in this context, especially with respect to arthropods. During that period, representatives of many modern lineages appeared for the first time, while representatives of more ancient groups also co-occurred. At the same time, side branches of radiating groups with ‘experimental morphologies’ emerged that seemed to go extinct shortly afterwards. However, larval forms, with their morphological diversity, are largely neglected in such studies, but may provide important insights into morphological and ecological diversity and its changes in the past.ResultsWe present here a new fossil insectan larva, a larval lacewing, in Cretaceous amber, exhibiting a rather unusual, ‘experimental’ morphology. The specimen possesses extremely large (in relation to body size) mandibulo-maxillary piercing stylets. Additionally, the labial palps are very long and are subdivided into numerous elements, overall appearing antenniform. In other aspects, the larva resembles many other neuropteran-type larvae.ConclusionsWe provide a comparison that includes quantitative aspects of different types of neuropteran larvae to emphasise the exceptionality of the new larva, and discuss its possible relationships to known lineages of Neuroptera; possible interpretations are closer relationships to Dilaridae or Osmylidae. In any case, several of the observed characters must have evolved convergently. With this new find, we expand the known morphological diversity of neuropterans in the Cretaceous fauna.

Amphipods from the genus Niphargus represent an important part of the Western Palearctic subterranean fauna. The genus is morphologically diverse, comprising several distinct ecomorphs bound to microhabitats in the subterranean environment. The most impressive among them are “lake giants,” a series of massive, large‐bodied species. These range from morphologically distinct to morphologically cryptic taxa. We analysed the taxonomic structure of the Niphargus arbiter–Niphargus salonitanus species complex, belonging to “lake giants” from the Dinaric Karst (West Balkans), and assessed their phylogenetic, morphological and ecological diversity. Multilocus phylogeny suggested that the complex is monophyletic and nested within other cave lake ecomorphs. Unilocus and multilocus coalescence species delimitations indicated that the complex totals nine species. These species substantially overlap in morphology and cannot be unambiguously told apart without the use of molecular markers. An analysis of splitting events within a palaeogeological context, and modelling of environmental characteristics on the phylogeny unveiled a complex history of diversification. Part of this diversification might have been influenced by ecological divergence along the altitudinal gradient reaching from the Adriatic coast to inland Dinaric mountain chains and Poljes. Other splits coincide with the marine regression–transgression cycles during Pliocene. We describe Niphargus alpheus sp. n., Niphargus anchialinus sp. n., Niphargus antipodes sp. n., Niphargus arethusa sp. n., Niphargus doli sp. n., Niphargus fjakae sp. n. and Niphargus pincinovae sp. n., and by doing so hope to prompt their further research.

ABSTRACTBermudagrasses (Cynodon spp.) are genetically and morphologically diverse warm‐season species that are valuable for turf and forage. Diverse accessions of Cynodon are preserved in various germplasm banks in Asia, Europe, and the United States. However, the extent of genetic and ecological diversity within Australia has not been previously explored and characterized. To address this issue, a broad‐scale collection of Cynodon germplasm across Australia was recently conducted. A core collection was generated from this resource to optimize its utilization in breeding and research. Genetic diversity of 690 Cynodon accessions was characterized using 16 expressed sequence tag (EST)‐simple sequence repeat (SSR) markers. The mean number of alleles generated was 7.44 per marker. Genetic data was combined with passport, ploidy level, morphological, and experimental performance data to generate a core collection using a directed stratified sampling method. The core collection comprised 13% of the source germplasm and captured 96% of the allelic diversity. Redundancy within the core collection was avoided with all accessions representing unique genotypes. This core collection will facilitate the future use of Australian germplasm in Cynodon breeding, genomics, conservation, taxonomy, and phylogeographical research.

This paper describes the vegetative and reproductive morphology of Cabombaceae species in Brazil, discussing its strategies for survival in an aquatic habitat. Through studies in the field, in cultivation and in the herbarium, we examined the following species: Cabomba aquatica, C. caroliniana, C. furcata and C. haynesii. In cultivation, only C. aquatica, C. furcata and C. haynesii produced flowers. In those three species, the flowers opened during the day on two consecutive days, submerging during the night, although the stigmata of the first two were receptive only on the first day, their anthers dehiscing on the following day. The flowers of C. haynesii remained unreceptive on the first day of anthesis, the stigmata and anthers maturing only on the second day, at different times. Fruit developed when the flowers were submerged. The data provided here are useful for the identification of these species, as well as laying the groundwork for future taxonomic and ecological studies.

The Dolichens project provides the first dynamic inventory of the lichens of the Dolomites (Eastern Alps, Italy). Occurrence records were retrieved from published and grey literature, reviewed herbaria, unpublished records collected by the authors, and new sampling campaigns, covering a period from 1820 to 2022. Currently, the dataset contains 56,251 records, referring to 1,719 infrageneric taxa, reported from 1820 to 2022, from hilly to nival belts, and corresponding to about half of the species known for the whole Alpine chain. Amongst them, 98% are georeferenced, although most of them were georeferenced a posteriori. The dataset is available through the Global Biodiversity Information Facility (GBIF; https://www.gbif.org/es/dataset/cea3ee2c-1ff1-4f8e-bb37-a99600cb4134) and through the Dolichens website (https://italic.units.it/dolichens/). We expect that this open floristic inventory will contribute to tracking the lichen diversity of the Dolomites over the past 200 years, and providing the basis for future taxonomic, biogeographical, and ecological studies.