Broad Geographic Range Research Articles

Human biological variation and the "normal".

Anatomically modern human being is a relatively young species (~300 000 years old) with small amounts of genetic variation contained within them. The vast majority of its existence was spent in Eastern Africa, migration out of the region began around 100 000 YBP. Sub-Saharan African populations have the greatest amount of human genetic variation. However, migration allowed populations to accumulate genomic variation associated with living in the arctic, higher altitudes, disease resistance, living on high fat or starchy foods, surviving toxic arsenic-rich environments, lactase persistence, changing skin pigmentation, gaining thicker hair, and changing height and body mass index. Understanding these aspects of human evolution forces us to reconsider our notion of the "normal." Thus, normal for our species includes having dark melanic skin, brown eyes, and brown tightly curled hair. Derived features include lighter skin (~10000 YBP), blue eyes (~6000 YBP), and blond straight hair (~6000 YBP). Yet in reality, "normal" has no meaning for a species that inhabits such a broad geographic range. Natural selection and genetic drift have genetically differentiated human populations in ways that impact our morphological and physiological traits. The genomic differentiation is small and does not allow any unambiguous classification of human populations into biological races. Despite these now well-established facts of human variation, significant confusion associated with Eurocentric notions of the normal still persist in both the lay public and various professions such as biomedical research and clinical practice.

Fire and drought: Shifts in bark investment across a broad geographical scale for Neotropical savanna trees

Savanna tree communities occurring in confluence zones with other biomes likely experience different environmental pressures, resulting in shifts in the selection of individual traits, the combinations of such traits, and species composition. In seasonally dry fire-prone environments, plant survival is presumably associated with adaptive changes in bark properties related to fire protection and water storage. Here, we integrated the multiple functions of the bark to investigate whether different selective pressures could influence patterns of variation in bark structure and allocation across species in a broad geographical range. We measured thickness, density, and water content of the inner and outer bark in branches and the main stem of the 51 most abundant species in three savanna communities differing in climatic aridity, one located at the core region of Cerrado in Central Brazil and the other two at its periphery, in the transition zones with Amazonia and Atlantic forest biomes. We found no difference in outer bark thickness but markedly difference in inner bark thickness between the three plant communities. In the central region, where dry season is long and fire is frequent, branches and main stem showed thicker inner bark. Contrastingly, in the south periphery region, where dry season is short, species showed thinner inner bark in both branches and main stem. Species from the north periphery region, where mean annual precipitation is higher, but fire is frequent and the dry season is also long, showed similar main stem inner bark thickness, but thinner branch inner bark compared to core region species. Our findings support the idea that investing in inner bark thickness and bark moisture may be the most advantageous strategy in plant communities that suffer from high evaporative demand during a long period and are at a high risk of fire.

Broadscale Assessment of Groundhog (Marmota monax) Predictions of Spring Onset No Better than Chance

AbstractGroundhog Day is a widespread North American ritual that marks the onset of spring, with festivities centered around animals that humans believe have abilities to make seasonal predictions. Yet, the collective success of groundhog Marmota monax prognosticators has never been rigorously tested. Here, we propose the local climate-predicted phenology of early blooming spring plants (Carolina spring beauty, or Claytonia caroliniana, which overlaps in native range with groundhogs) as a novel and relevant descriptor of spring onset that can be applied comparatively across a broad geographical range. Of 530 unique groundhog-year predictions across 33 different locations, spring onset was correctly predicted by groundhogs exactly 50% of the time. While no singular groundhog predicted the timing of spring with any statistical significance, there were a handful of groundhogs with notable records of both successful and unsuccessful predictions: Essex Ed (Essex, Connecticut), Stonewall Jackson (Wantage, New Jersey), and Chuckles (Manchester, Connecticut) correctly predicted spring onset over 70% of the time. By contrast, Buckeye Chuck (Marion, Ohio), Dunkirk Dave (Dunkirk, New York), and Holland Huckleberry (Holland, Ohio) made incorrect predictions over 70% of the time. The two most widely recognized and long-tenured groundhogs in their respective countries—Wiarton Willie (Canada) and Punxsutawney Phil (United States)—had success rates of 54% and 52%, respectively, despite over 150 collective guesses. Using a novel phenological indicator of spring, this study determined, without a shadow of a doubt, that groundhog prognosticating abilities for the arrival of spring are no better than chance.

A case of availability bias for COVID-19 causing scrub typhus diagnostic errors.

Although patients with scrub typhus develop a maculopapular rash all over the body, patients with COVID-19may also show a similar rash. At the first visit, we did not fully inspect his trunk and extremities under his clothes. Although scrub typhus and COVID-19have some similar symptoms, an eschar is a characteristic symptom of the former, and careful inspection is important to distinguish between the diseases.

Cross-Hemisphere Study Reveals Geographically Ubiquitous, Plastic-Specific Bacteria Emerging from the Rare and Unexplored Biosphere.

ABSTRACTWhile it is now appreciated that the millions of tons of plastic pollution travelling through marine systems carry complex communities of microorganisms, it is still unknown to what extent these biofilm communities are specific to the plastic or selected by the surrounding ecosystem. To address this, we characterized and compared the microbial communities of microplastic particles, nonplastic (natural and wax) particles, and the surrounding waters from three marine ecosystems (the Baltic, Sargasso and Mediterranean seas) using high-throughput 16S rRNA gene sequencing. We found that biofilm communities on microplastic and nonplastic particles were highly similar to one another across this broad geographical range. The similar temperature and salinity profiles of the Sargasso and Mediterranean seas, compared to the Baltic Sea, were reflected in the biofilm communities. We identified plastic-specific operational taxonomic units (OTUs) that were not detected on nonplastic particles or in the surrounding waters. Twenty-six of the plastic-specific OTUs were geographically ubiquitous across all sampled locations. These geographically ubiquitous plastic-specific OTUs were mostly low-abundance members of their biofilm communities and often represented uncultured members of marine ecosystems. These results demonstrate the potential for plastics to be a reservoir of rare and understudied microbes, thus warranting further investigations into the dynamics and role of these microbes in marine ecosystems.IMPORTANCE This study represents one of the largest comparisons of biofilms from environmentally sampled plastic and nonplastic particles from aquatic environments. By including particles sampled through three separate campaigns in the Baltic, Sargasso, and Mediterranean seas, we were able to make cross-geographical comparisons and discovered common taxonomical signatures that define the plastic biofilm. For the first time, we identified plastic-specific bacteria that reoccur across marine regions. Our data reveal that plastics have selective properties that repeatedly enrich for similar bacteria regardless of location, potentially shifting aquatic microbial communities in areas with high levels of plastic pollution. Furthermore, we show that bacterial communities on plastic do not appear to be strongly influenced by polymer type, suggesting that other properties, such as the absorption and/or leaching of chemicals from the surface, are likely to be more important in the selection and enrichment of specific microorganisms.

Relating linguistic reconstructions of plant names in Berber to the archaeobotany of North Africa

The archaeobotany, and in particular the chronology of the introduction and spread of agriculture in North Africa is slowly become better known. Nonetheless, there are many controversies, in particular the extent to which finds of cultivated crops are imports as opposed to indicative of true agriculture. It would therefore be helpful to establish the extent to which the evidence from linguistics reflects the archaeobotany of the region. The principle language of North Africa today is Arabic, interleaved with Berber, especially in Morocco and Algeria. This is obviously a recent phenomenon, and present-day languages are palimpsests, with traces of earlier languages such as Phoenician and Latin marking the introduction of new crops and agricultural techniques. Berber poses a particular problem, as despite its broad geographical range, the languages are all extremely close to one another, suggesting a recent spread, and thus the presence of numerous substrate languages which have now disappeared.The paper reviews the linguistic evidence for the main crops grown in North Africa during the period since the introduction of agriculture and the potential link with the archaeobotany of the region. Terms for the following crops appear to be reconstructible to proto-Berber;Cerealsbarley, wheat, millet, cereal (general term)Pulsesfava bean, lentil, LathyrusVegetablesonion, carrotFruitsdate, grape, olive, figThe paper considers the construction of the North African cultigen repertoire from the viewpoint of borrowings from Punic, Latin, Ancient Egyptian, West African languages and Arabic.

Molecular diversity within the genus Laeonereis (Annelida, Nereididae) along the west Atlantic coast: paving the way for integrative taxonomy.

The polychaete genus Laeonereis (Annelida, Nereididae) occurs over a broad geographic range and extends nearly across the entire Atlantic coast of America, from the USA to Uruguay. Despite the research efforts to clarify its diversity and systematics, mostly by morphological and ecological evidence, there is still uncertainty, mainly concerning the species Laeonereis culveri, which constitutes an old and notorious case of taxonomic ambiguity. Here, we revised the molecular diversity and distribution of Laeonereis species based on a multi-locus approach, including DNA sequence analyses of partial segments of the cytochrome c oxidase subunit I (COI), 16S rRNA, and 28S rRNA genes. We examined Laeonereis specimens collected from 26 sites along the American Atlantic coast from Massachusetts (USA) to Mar del Plata (Argentina). Although no comprehensive morphological examination was performed between different populations, the COI barcodes revealed seven highly divergent MOTUs, with a mean K2P genetic distance of 16.9% (from 6.8% to 21.9%), which was confirmed through four clustering algorithms. All MOTUs were geographically segregated, except for MOTUs 6 and 7 from southeastern Brazil, which presented partially overlapping ranges between Rio de Janeiro and São Paulo coast. Sequence data obtained from 16S rRNA and 28S rRNA markers supported the same MOTU delimitation and geographic segregation as those of COI, providing further evidence for the existence of seven deeply divergent lineages within the genus. The extent of genetic divergence between MOTUs observed in our study fits comfortably within the range reported for species of polychaetes, including Nereididae, thus providing a strong indication that they might constitute separate species. These results may therefore pave the way for integrative taxonomic studies, aiming to clarify the taxonomic status of the Laeonereis MOTUs herein reported.

Culicoides imicola (Biting Midge)

The biting midge Culicoides imicola is a small, haematophagous fly that plays a key role in the biological transmission of viral diseases including bluetongue and African horse sickness (AHS) that inflict damage on both subsistence and intensive livestock as well as companion animals and wildlife. Within the subgenus Avaritia, the monophyletic Imicola group includes ten species, although cryptic diversity may hide the existence of additional species closely related to C. imicola. C. imicola has the broadest geographic range in the genus Culicoides, including most of the African continent, the Mediterranean basin and parts of southern Europe, the Middle East, India, and Southeast Asia to Taiwan.

Growth–reproduction trade‐off and fecundity regulate population stability in Amazon floodplain fishes

Abstract Understanding the factors that regulate temporal changes in population size is a core aspiration in ecology given the importance of population stability on the maintenance of species interactions, effects on local communities, the stability of ecosystems, and for biodiversity conservation. Understanding temporal trends in population size can support management practices as this may indicate demographic resilience for exploited species. Theoretical studies have long suggested that life‐history traits regulate population stability, but empirical support remains limited, especially for species‐rich environments. Additionally, harvesting has been suggested as an important factor increasing the fluctuation in the number of individuals in populations. In this study, we analysed population stability of 70 Amazonian floodplain fish species in relation to life‐history traits and the degree of fishing pressure. Our data covered a long time scale and broad geographical range of the Amazon floodplain. For that, we compiled datasets of two monitoring programmes, one comprising data from a single lake for 15 years and a second dataset with information from three floodplain lakes sampled over 5 years. The resulting geographical range spanned one of the most fished areas in the upper Amazon River, between the municipalities of Coari and Manaus, in the Brazilian Amazon. Temporal stability was measured as the coefficient of variation in species abundance. Population life‐history traits and the degree of fishing pressure were estimated at the species level. Population temporal stability had significant relationships with three life‐history traits: maximum body size, fecundity, somatic investment before sexual maturation (SIBSM), and the interaction of fecundity and SIBSM. Species with small body size, high fecundity, and low SIBSM displayed low stability; the opposite happened to species that invest highly in somatic tissue before the first reproduction and have large body size. Fishing pressure had no significant contribution to explaining population stability. However, the sampling technique employed and the set of species considered in the study do not represent main targets of fisheries. Here we stress the importance of life‐history traits in controlling an essential part of the population size variation in a complex and species‐rich fish assemblage in the Amazon floodplains. Our results highlight the importance of the trade‐off between growth and reproduction in controlling population stability and complement explanations on how life‐history functional traits underlie differences in population dynamics over time. Our results contribute to theoretical development and can be used to support fisheries and biological conservation management strategies. Specifically, our results point to the possibility of inferring demographic resilience based on life‐history information in the absence of high‐quality population data.

New anomalocaridids (Panarthropoda: Radiodonta) from the lower Cambrian Chengjiang Lagerstätte: Biostratigraphic and paleobiogeographic implications

Radiodonts are a morphologically and ecologically diverse clade of stem-group euarthropods that occupied numerous ecological niches in early animal ecosystems. Many Cambrian taxa are considered apex predators, primarily due to the possession of raptorial frontal appendage, though sweep and filter-feeding examples were also prevalent. Four major families have been distinguished including Anomalocarididae, whose elongate appendages consist of a series of podomeres bearing short endites. Studies of anomalocaridids have seen limited investigation in the Chengjiang Lagerstätte (Cambrian Stage 3) of China, despite the deposit being well-known for the diverse radiodont assemblage, and recently the putative anomalocaridid ‘Anomalocaris’ saron was reassigned to Tamisiocarididae. Here we present exceptionally preserved specimens of two new anomalocaridid taxa from Chengjiang. Lenisicaris lupata gen. et sp. nov. represents the first valid Chengjiang anomalocaridid taxon, characterized by bearing short endites lacking auxiliary spines on almost all its podomeres. A second taxon, Anomalocaris cf. canadensisWhiteaves, 1892, indicates a broad geographical range for this famous Burgess Shale species. With the help of this new information, we show that the family Anomalocarididae was widespread at low latitudes from Cambrian Stage 4 to the Guzhangian. The biogeographical patterns of anomalocaridids suggest a high dispersal capability in the larval form of anomalocaridids, and possible climatic control on their distribution. Furthermore, the known distribution of anomalocaridids in the well-documented soft-bodied biotas indicates that anomalocaridids were likely adapted to a broad spectrum of environments.

Song variation between sexes and among subspecies of New Zealand Fantail (Rhipidura fuliginosa)

ABSTRACT Variation in bird song occurs at many levels, including between sexes and among geographic regions. Variation can be due to differences in function, habitat, selection or drift. Quantifying when and where such differences occur provides insight into which of these drivers is most likely. Here we examine song variation, (a) between sexes and (b) among the three geographically isolated subspecies, of the New Zealand Fantail (Rhipidura fuliginosa), a monomorphic passerine native to New Zealand. We measured twelve temporal and frequency parameters from recorded songs based on buzz notes. Only maximum frequency in one of the three phrases showed a significant sex difference, although there were suggestions of other sex differences in some element-level parameters. Song characteristics differed notably among subspecies; North Island Fantails typically produced shorter songs, comprised shorter elements at higher frequencies and faster element rates, while the most isolated birds (Chatham Island population), sang longer, slower songs. South Island birds were intermediate and more variable. The similarity of male and female songs suggests song is used by both sexes for similar purposes, while selection pressures associated with different habitats or cultural drift may be responsible for the song differences observed among sub-species. Further research analysing vocalisations of both sexes across a broader geographical range is required to further our understanding of female song function and patterns of geographic variation.

A novel duplex qPCR assay for stepwise detection of multiple Perkinsea protistan infections of amphibian tissues.

Alveolate protists within the phylum Perkinsea have been found to infect amphibians across a broad taxonomic and geographic range. Phylogenetic analysis has suggested the existence of two clades of amphibian Perkinsea: a putatively non-pathogenic clade linked to asymptomatic infections of tadpoles in Africa, Europe and South America, and a putatively pathogenic clade linked to disease and mass mortality events of tadpoles in North America. Here, we describe the development of a duplex TaqMan qPCR assay to detect and discriminate between rDNA sequences from both clades of Perkinsea in amphibian tissues. The assay uses a single primer pair to target an 18S small subunit (SSU) ribosomal RNA (rRNA) gene region shared between the two clades, and two dual-labelled probes to target a region within this fragment that is diagnostic for each clade. This assay enables rapid screening for each of the two Perkinsea groups, allowing for detection, primarily of the phylogenetic group associated with disease outbreaks, and secondarily for the phylogenetic group with no current disease relationship identified. Incorporation of our novel qPCR assay into the routine surveillance of amphibian populations will allow for the assessment of the incidence of each protist clade, thereby providing an improved understanding of Perkinsea infection pervasiveness and a method to underpin future conservation planning.

From branch to bench: establishing wild spruce budworm populations into laboratory colonies for the exploration of local adaptation and plasticity

AbstractSpruce budworm, Choristoneura fumiferana (Clemens) (Lepidoptera: Tortricidae), is a destructive defoliator found throughout the Nearctic boreal forest. This pest has a broad geographic range and shows regional variation in key life history traits. These population differences may represent important adaptations to local environmental conditions and reflect underlying genetic diversity. Existing laboratory colonies of spruce budworm do not capture this regional variation, so we established five new spruce budworm colonies from across its range to explore regional adaptations among spruce budworm populations within common garden experiments. We present methods for establishing new spruce budworm laboratory colonies from wild populations. We describe the process of flushing, rearing, and disease screening used on these new populations to produce healthy disease-free laboratory stocks.

Descriptive epidemiology of rickettsial infections in Japan: Scrub typhus and Japanese spotted fever, 2007–2016

ObjectiveThis study aimed to describe the epidemiological and clinical characteristics of endemics of two rickettsial diseases, scrub typhus (ST) and Japanese spotted fever (JSF), in Japan. MethodsWe conducted a retrospective, descriptive epidemiological assessment of cases notified via national surveillance from 2007–2016. ResultsOver the 10-year period, 4185 ST and 1765 JSF cases were notified; of these, 20 (0.48%) cases of ST and 16 (0.91%) cases of JSF were fatal at the time of reporting. The elderly had higher notification rates and fatalities. While the annual number of ST notifications was stable and cases were reported from a broad geographic range, the number of JSF reports increased three-fold, expanding from the southwest to the east. The seasonality of ST varied by region and was more common during spring/summer in the north and autumn/winter in the south; 78% of cases occurred during autumn/winter, mainly in the southern region. Most of the fatal ST cases occurred in the spring/summer and occurred in the northern region. ConclusionOur analysis identified seasonal and regional variations in the distribution of rickettsiosis. These variations were most likely to be related to the ecology of the vectors and etiological agents. Knowing the recent epidemiological and clinical features of ST and JSF can support clinical diagnosis and guide preventative activities against these vector-borne diseases.

Using richness of native and non-native aquatic species along a climatic gradient to test the intermediate disturbance hypothesis

The intermediate disturbance hypothesis (IDH) has been thoroughly investigated, but much controversy has been found for supporting its assumptions, which rely largely on the nature of the disturbance, spatial scale, and biological predictors tested. In this paper, richness of native and non-native species along a suite of Neotropical aquatic ecosystems across a broad latitudinal and geographical range was used to test the IDH predictions. An extensive literature survey was performed to compile native species richness and the occurrence of several taxonomic groups listed as non-native for twenty-four coastal rivers and bays evenly distributed into three climatic zones (tropical, transitional, and subtropical). The climatic gradient was confirmed by NMDS and PERMANOVA, but IDH predictions were only significantly supported for native and total species richness in the coastal bays. The distribution patterns of non-native marine species showed a linear instead unimodal pattern of increase with latitudinal climatic gradient, but the responses are complex and dependent of many non-exclusive factors, such as the sampling effort per ecosystem and the potential interference of other disturbance gradients that should be further addressed to unravel the role of IDH for non-native species distribution.

Museum Genomics Illuminate the High Specificity of a Bioluminescent Symbiosis for a Genus of Reef Fish

Symbiotic relationships between bioluminescent bacteria and fishes have evolved multiple times across hundreds of fish taxa, but relatively little is known about the specificity of these associations and how stable they are over host generations. This study describes the degree of specificity of a bioluminescent symbiosis between cardinalfishes in the genus Siphamia and luminous bacteria in the Vibrio family. Primarily using museum specimens, we investigated the codivergence of host and symbiont and test for patterns of divergence that correlate with both biogeography and time. Contrary to expectations, we determined that the light organ symbionts of all 14 Siphamia species examined belong to one genetic clade of Photobacterium mandapamensis (Clade II), indicating that the association is highly specific and conserved throughout the host genus. Thus, we did not find evidence of codivergence among hosts and symbionts. We did observe that symbionts hosted by individuals sampled from colder water regions were more divergent, containing more than three times as many single nucleotide polymorphisms than the rest of the symbionts examined. Overall, our findings indicate that the symbiosis between Siphamia fishes and P. mandapamensis Clade II has been highly conserved across host taxa and over a broad geographic range despite the facultative nature of the bacterial symbiont. We also present a new approach to simultaneously recover genetic information from a bacterial symbiont and its vertebrate host from formalin-fixed specimens, enhancing the utility of museum collections.

Implications of genetic heterogeneity for plant translocation during ecological restoration.

Ecological restoration often requires translocating plant material from distant sites. Importing suitable plant material is important for successful establishment and persistence. Yet, published guidelines for seed transfer are available for very few species. Accurately predicting how transferred plants will perform requires multiyear and multi‐environment field trials and comprehensive follow‐up work, and is therefore infeasible given the number of species used in restoration programs. Alternative methods to predict the outcomes of seed transfer are valuable for species without published guidelines. In this study, we analyzed the genetic structure of an important shrub used in ecological restoration in the Southern Rocky Mountains called alder‐leaf mountain mahogany (Cercocarpus montanus). We sequenced DNA from 1,440 plants in 48 populations across a broad geographic range. We found that genetic heterogeneity among populations reflected the complex climate and topography across which the species is distributed. We identified temperature and precipitation variables that were useful predictors of genetic differentiation and can be used to generate seed transfer recommendations. These results will be valuable for defining management and restoration practices for mountain mahogany.

Novel Demodex detection method involving non-invasive sebum collection and next-generation sequencing.

IntroductionDemodex mites are common human ectoparasites found across a broad geographical range. They reside in pilosebaceous units of the skin and feed on sebum, epithelial and glandular cells. D. folliculorum is the more common mite, inhabiting the upper end of the pilosebaceous unit while D. brevis resides deeper in the skin and meibomian glands. Until now, Demodex mites have been obtained by various techniques such as skin scraping, cellophane tape, plucking eyelashes, and also by invasive biopsies.AimTo assess whether non-invasively collected sebum samples of patients suspected of rosacea or demodicosis are suitable for NGS DNA Demodex analysis.Material and methodsSuspicion of seborrheic dermatitis or rosacea was the inclusion criterion. The study group consisted of 20 males, 1 female, age: 33–83, median: 58. Nasal dorsum was moisturized and an adhesive strip was applied. DNA was isolated from the sebum and sequenced with the use of MiSeq® Reagent Kit v2 and MiSeq® System.ResultsOut of 7 patients who were positive by microscopy, 6 were found positive by NGS. Additional 4 patients were found positive only by NGS, adding to a total of ten. The NGS approach showed superior sensitivity compared to light microscopy (63% and 44%, respectively). In 3 patients, both Demodex species were identified by NGS.ConclusionsWe believe to have proven that it is possible to study Demodex mites by NGS with sebum as the input sample. Furthermore, it is possible to identify and distinguish Demodex folliculorum from D. brevis in individual patients.

A phylogeny for the Drosophila montium species group: A model clade for comparative analyses

The Drosophila montium species group is a clade of 94 named species, closely related to the model species D. melanogaster. The montium species group is distributed over a broad geographic range throughout Asia, Africa, and Australasia. Species of this group possess a wide range of morphologies, mating behaviors, and endosymbiont associations, making this clade useful for comparative analyses. We use genomic data from 42 available species to estimate the phylogeny and relative divergence times within the montium species group, and its relative divergence time from D. melanogaster. To assess the robustness of our phylogenetic inferences, we use 3 non-overlapping sets of 20 single-copy coding sequences and analyze all 60 genes with both Bayesian and maximum likelihood methods. Our analyses support monophyly of the group. Apart from the uncertain placement of a single species, D. baimaii, our analyses also support the monophyly of all seven subgroups proposed within the montium group. Our phylograms and relative chronograms provide a highly resolved species tree, with discordance restricted to estimates of relatively short branches deep in the tree. In contrast, age estimates for the montium crown group, relative to its divergence from D. melanogaster, depend critically on prior assumptions concerning variation in rates of molecular evolution across branches, and hence have not been reliably determined. We discuss methodological issues that limit phylogenetic resolution – even when complete genome sequences are available – as well as the utility of the current phylogeny for understanding the evolutionary and biogeographic history of this clade.

New distribution records of the genus Saga Charpentier, 1825 (Orthoptera: Tettigoniidae: Saginae) from Iraq.

Genus Saga Charpentier, 1825 along with four other genera (Clonia Stål, 1855; Cloniella Kaltenbach, 1971; Emptera Saussure, 1888 and Peringueyella Saussure, 1888) comprises the tettigoniid subfamily Saginae. These genera are distributed throughout three separated biogeographical zones; in the South-Southeast of Africa, genus Emptera in India and genus Saga in Palaearctic region (Kolics et.al., 2012 Şirin et.al., 2019). The predatory bush crickets of the genus Saga are the largest Palearctic orthopterans, with 16 species, of which ten inhabit Asia (Azerbaijan, Armenia, Caucasus, Turkey, Syria, Palestine, Lebanon, Jordan, Israel, Iran, and Iraq), the rest occur in Europe (one of them ranging to Western Siberia) (Kaltenbach, 1964, 1967, Bader Massa, 2001, Şirin et.al., 2019 Cigliano et al. 2020). Six of these species are endemic to Turkey (Saga beiri, S. capadocica, S. hakkarica, S. longicaudata, S. puella and S. rhodiensis) (Şirin et.al., 2019), while the six European taxa are (S. natoliae, S. pedo, S. campbelli, S. gracilis, S. hellenica and S. rammei) (Kolics et.al., 2012). In the East Mediterranean countries S. ledereri occur in Syria and Lebanon, S. ornata in Israel, Jordan, Lebanon, Palestine and Syria (Kaltenbach, 1964, 1967 Cigliano et al. 2020). Among the non-European Saga species, S. ephippigera has the broadest geographic range, extending from Israel, Jordan, Lebanon, Palestine and Syria to Turkey, Iraq, Iran, Caucasus, Transcaucasus and Karabagh, while S. syriaca is found in Syria, Lebanon, Turkey and Iraq (Kirby,1906, Kaltenbach, 1967, Bader Massa, 2001, Arsalan Candan, 2019, Şirin et.al., 2019 Cigliano et al. 2020).