Extent Of Distribution Research Articles

Ocean current patterns drive the worldwide colonization of eelgrass (Zostera marina).

Currents are unique drivers of oceanic phylogeography and thus determine the distribution of marine coastal species, along with past glaciations and sea-level changes. Here we reconstruct the worldwide colonization history of eelgrass (Zostera marina L.), the most widely distributed marine flowering plant or seagrass from its origin in the Northwest Pacific, based on nuclear and chloroplast genomes. We identified two divergent Pacific clades with evidence for admixture along the East Pacific coast. Two west-to-east (trans-Pacific) colonization events support the key role of the North Pacific Current. Time-calibrated nuclear and chloroplast phylogenies yielded concordant estimates of the arrival of Z. marina in the Atlantic through the Canadian Arctic, suggesting that eelgrass-based ecosystems, hotspots of biodiversity and carbon sequestration, have only been present there for ~243 ky (thousand years). Mediterranean populations were founded ~44 kya, while extant distributions along western and eastern Atlantic shores were founded at the end of the Last Glacial Maximum (~19 kya), with at least one major refuge being the North Carolina region. The recent colonization and five- to sevenfold lower genomic diversity of the Atlantic compared to the Pacific populations raises concern and opportunity about how Atlantic eelgrass might respond to rapidly warming coastal oceans.

Comparing Realized and Potential Distributions of the Species of Taurocerastinae (Coleoptera: Geotrupidae) to Examine the Relevance of Dispersal Limitations and Contemporary Environmental Factors

By compiling all available occurrence information for the three species of Taurocerastinae (Frickius costulatus Germain, 1897, Frickius variolosus Germain, 1897, and Taurocerastes patagonicus Philippi, 1866), their realized and their world potential distributions were predicted to estimate the role played by dispersal limitations and contemporary environmental factors in explaining their extant distributions. Variables related to productivity seemed to have a higher explanatory capacity for the distribution and spatial segregation of each species. The realized and potential distribution estimates suggest that these species occupy all South American territory with environmentally suitable conditions and that the contemporary distribution of taurocerastine species can be basically conditioned by their geographical isolation within the cold and cold-temperate regions of South America. However, environmental factors would be comparatively more relevant in the case of the apterous species, T. patagonicus, due to the small potential world area with environmentally favorable conditions.

Evolutionary Relationships and Range Evolution of Greenhood Orchids (Subtribe Pterostylidinae): Insights From Plastid Phylogenomics.

Australia harbours a rich and highly endemic orchid flora with over 90% of native species found nowhere else. However, little is known about the assembly and evolution of Australia’s orchid flora. Here, we used a phylogenomic approach to infer evolutionary relationships, divergence times and range evolution in Pterostylidinae (Orchidoideae), the second largest subtribe in the Australian orchid flora, comprising the genera Pterostylis and Achlydosa. Phylogenetic analysis of 75 plastid genes provided well-resolved and supported phylogenies. Intrageneric relationships in Pterostylis were clarified and monophyly of eight of 10 sections supported. Achlydosa was found to not form part of Pterostylidinae and instead merits recognition at subtribal level, as Achlydosinae. Pterostylidinae were inferred to have originated in eastern Australia in the early Oligocene, coinciding with the complete separation of Australia from Antarctica and the onset of the Antarctic Circumpolar Current, which led to profound changes in the world’s climate. Divergence of all major lineages occurred during the Miocene, accompanied by increased aridification and seasonality of the Australian continent, resulting in strong vegetational changes from rainforest to more open sclerophyllous vegetation. The majority of extant species were inferred to have originated in the Quaternary, from the Pleistocene onwards. The rapid climatic oscillations during the Pleistocene may have acted as important driver of speciation in Pterostylidinae. The subtribe underwent lineage diversification mainly within its ancestral range, in eastern Australia. Long-distance dispersals to southwest Australia commenced from the late Miocene onwards, after the establishment of the Nullarbor Plain, which constitutes a strong edaphic barrier to mesic plants. Range expansions from the mesic into the arid zone of eastern Australia (Eremaean region) commenced from the early Pleistocene onwards. Extant distributions of Pterostylidinae in other Australasian regions, such as New Zealand and New Caledonia, are of more recent origin, resulting from long-distance dispersals from the Pliocene onwards. Temperate eastern Australia was identified as key source area for dispersals to other Australasian regions.

Extinction risk assessment of the endemic terrestrial vertebrates in Mexico

An increasing number of species at risk raise concerns worldwide. While global assessments provide a comprehensive framework, national species conservation status is needed to provide specific policies. The IUCN Red List and the Mexican Norm (MER) methods were used to assign risk categories for 310 endemic species of terrestrial vertebrates at national and ecoregion levels. We used ecological niche models projected as species potential distributions, and refined species extant distributions including only remnant suitable habitat, to assess species risk assignments for Criterion A and B (IUCN Red List), and Criterion A, B, C, and D (MER). Of the total number of species, the IUCN Red List and MER report 71 and 155 species at risk, respectively. Our assessment assigned a risk category to 38 and 299 species, respectively. The discrepancies in the number of species between our proposal and the IUCN Red List and MER are striking and probably due to shortcomings of deficient information or expert opinion of species, standardization between methods, and the number and particular characteristics of criteria. Species occurring in the Mexican Transvolcanic Belt, the Great Plains and the Yucatan Peninsula ecoregions were at higher extinction risk than species occurring in the Mexican deserts, the Mexican High Plateau, the Southern Sierra Madre and the Western Sierra Madre ecoregions. Our proposal of using species potential and extant distributions models facilitates frequent species assessments, as conditions of risks fluctuate over time, and contributes to designing national and regional conservation programs of species and populations at risk.

An extended life time distribution: theory, properties and applications

This paper is an addition to the series of modification and improvement of the extant distributions which enable them to analyze the new emerging situations efficiently. We develop a new lifetime distribution by generalizing the Erlang truncated exponential distribution using the Topp Leone family of distributions. A comprehensive account of mathematical characteristics such as quantile function, moments, probability weighted moments, moment generating function, and probability generating function of the proposed distribution is presented. Some reliability measures such as hazard rate function, residual life function, and reversed residual life function are also provided. Several entropy measures including Reyni entropy, Tsallis entropy, cumulative Tsallis entropy, and dynamic cumulative Tsallis entropy are obtained. Besides, the extropy, residual extropy, and cumulative residual extropy are explored. The unknown parameters of the proposed distribution are estimated by using the maximum likelihood method. The stability of the model parameters is examined through the simulation study. The application of our proposed distribution is explained through three real-life examples and its performance is illustrated through its comparison with the competent existing distributions.

Cumulative habitat loss increases conservation threats on endemic species of terrestrial vertebrates in Mexico

Habitat loss is the main threat to biodiversity conservation worldwide, deteriorating areas with remnant suitable habitat and thus reducing species distribution ranges, and increasing the risk of local and regional population extirpations. We used ecological niche models projected as species potential distributions of endemic terrestrial vertebrates and quantified spatiotemporal cumulative habitat loss trajectories projected in species extant distributions, using land use and land cover vegetation maps (LULC) time series (1985, 1993, 2002, 2007, 2011, and 2014). Of a total of 996 species, only 311 species produced robust species potential distribution models. Significant differences in habitat loss in species extant distributions were observed from 1985 to 2002, which coincided with high national habitat loss rates. No significant differences were observed in the following LULC time series. According to the IUCN Red List, only 78 of our species are at risk. However, IUCN's criterion A only considers habitat loss in species extant distributions over the last 10 years, but if we consider the cumulative habitat loss from 1985 to 2014, 227 species lost >30% of their distribution. Thus, we suggest that the impact of cumulative habitat loss in species distributions should be considered when determining conservation threats. Furthermore, we analyzed the impact at each of Mexico's ecoregions, and found that habitat loss in species extant distributions appeared to be related to geographic locations of species distribution ranges rather than to the distribution area per se. Thus, we consider that assessing extinction risks at a local level is critical for future biodiversity conservation.

Tracking parallel adaptation of shell morphology through geological times in the land snail genusPupilla(Gastropoda: Stylommatophora: Pupillidae)

AbstractChanging environmental conditions force species either to disperse or to adapt locally either genetically or via phenotypic plasticity. Although limits of plasticity can be experimentally tested, the predictability of genetic adaptation is restricted due to its stochastic nature. Nevertheless, our understanding of evolutionary adaptation has been improving in particular through studies of parallel adaptation. Based on molecular phylogenetic inferences and morphological investigations of both recent and fossil shells we tracked the morphological changes in three land snails, Pupilla alpicola, Pupilla loessica and Pupilla muscorum. These species differ in habitat requirements as well as historical and extant distributions with P. alpicola and P. loessica being more similar to each other than to P. muscorum. Therefore, we hypothesized, that the three species reacted independently and individually to the conditions changing throughout the Pleistocene, but expected that changes within P. alpicola and P. loessica would be more similar compared to P. muscorum. Indeed, intraspecific shell shape differences across time were similar in P. alpicola and P. loessica, suggesting that similar niche shifts have led to similar transformations in parallel. In contrast, extant P. muscorum populations were practically identical in shape to their ancestors. They have probably tracked their ecological niches through time.

Transposable elements employ distinct integration strategies with respect to transcriptional landscapes in eukaryotic genomes.

Transposable elements (TEs) are ubiquitous DNA segments capable of moving from one site to another within host genomes. The extant distributions of TEs in eukaryotic genomes have been shaped by both bona fide TE integration preferences in eukaryotic genomes and by selection following integration. Here, we compare TE target site distribution in host genomes using multiple de novo transposon insertion datasets in both plants and animals and compare them in the context of genome-wide transcriptional landscapes. We showcase two distinct types of transcription-associated TE targeting strategies that suggest a process of convergent evolution among eukaryotic TE families. The integration of two precision-targeting elements are specifically associated with initiation of RNA Polymerase II transcription of highly expressed genes, suggesting the existence of novel mechanisms of precision TE targeting in addition to passive targeting of open chromatin. We also highlight two features that can facilitate TE survival and rapid proliferation: tissue-specific transposition and minimization of negative impacts on nearby gene function due to precision targeting.

Species richness in North Atlantic fish: Process concealed by pattern

AbstractAimPrevious analyses of marine fish species richness based on presence‐absence data have shown changes with latitude and average species size, but little is known about the underlying processes. To elucidate these processes we use metabolic, neutral and descriptive statistical models to analyse how richness responds to maximum species length, fish abundance, temperature, primary production, depth, latitude and longitude, while accounting for differences in species catchability, sampling effort and mesh size.DataResults from 53,382 bottom trawl hauls representing 50 fish assemblages.LocationThe northern Atlantic from Nova Scotia to Guinea.Time period1977–2013.MethodsA descriptive generalized additive model was used to identify functional relationships between species richness and potential drivers, after which nonlinear estimation techniques were used to parameterize: (a) a ‘best’ fitting model of species richness built on the functional relationships, (b) an environmental model based on latitude, longitude and depth, and mechanistic models based on (c) metabolic and (d) neutral theory.ResultsIn the ‘best’ model the number of species observed is a lognormal function of maximum species length. It increases significantly with temperature, primary production, sampling effort, and abundance, and declines with depth and, for small species, with the mesh size in the trawl. The ‘best’ model explains close to 90% of the deviance and the neutral, metabolic and environmental models 89%. In all four models, maximum species length and either temperature or latitude account for more than half of the deviance explained.Main conclusionsThe two mechanistic models explain the patterns in demersal fish species richness in the northern Atlantic almost equally well. A better understanding of the underlying drivers is likely to require development of dynamic mechanistic models of richness and size evolution, fit not only to extant distributions, but also to historical environmental conditions and to past speciation and extinction rates.

Impact of Habitat Loss and Mining on the Distribution of Endemic Species of Amphibians and Reptiles in Mexico

Mexico holds an exceptional diversity and endemicity of amphibian and reptile species, but several factors pose a threat to their conservation. Here, we produced ecological niche models for 179 Mexican endemic amphibian and reptile species and examined the impact of habitat loss and mining activities on their projected potential distributions, resulting in their extant distributions. We compared extant species distributions to the area required to conserve a minimum proportion of the species distribution. The combined impact of habitat loss and mining on extant species distribution was significantly higher than the impact of habitat loss alone. Only 40 species lost <30% of their distribution, while 83 species lost between 30–50%, 54 species lost between 50–80%, and 2 species lost more than 80% of their distribution. Furthermore, the size and configuration of the area required to conserve 20% of the extant species distributions changed considerably by increasing the number of fragments, with a potential increase in local population extirpations. Our study is the first to address the combined impact of habitat loss and mining on a highly vulnerable rich endemic species group, leading to a decrease in their potential distribution and a potential increase in the extinction risk of species.

Genotyping-by-sequencing (GBS), ITS and cpDNA phylogenies reveal the existence of a distinct Pyrenean/Cantabrian lineage in the European high mountain genus Homogyne (Asteraceae) and imply dual westward migration of the genus

Quaternary climatic oscillations have been a major factor in shaping plant diversity and distribution in the European Alpine System (EAS). Plants responded to these oscillations with repeated changes in their abundance and geographical distribution. However, oscillating shifts in geographical distribution have only rarely been reported in molecular analyses of genetic variation across the EAS. Homogyne, a genus endemic to the EAS, contains three species. While H. discolor and H. sylvestris are confined to the periphery of the Eastern Alps, H. alpina is widespread across the EAS. In phylogenetic reconstructions of a broad sample of Homogyne using DNA sequence data sets of the nuclear ribosomal internal transcribed spacer (ITS), plastid DNA (ndhF-rpl32, rpl32-trnL, psbA-trnH) and genotyping-by-sequencing (GBS), accessions of H. alpina from the Pyrenees and the Cantabrian Mts. form a clade which groups in conflicting positions. While the exact relationship of this Pyrenean/Cantabrian clade of H. alpina remains unclear, our data clearly imply that this clade is a lineage distinct from the remaining accessions of H. alpina (H. alpina s.str.). An ancestral area analysis unambiguously revealed the Eastern Alps as the ancestral area of the genus. Considering that relationships within H. alpina s.str. clearly illustrate East to West expansion, the identification of a Pyrenean/Cantabrian clade implies that westward expansion from an ancestral area in the Eastern Alps took place twice in the genus. Although the extant distributions of the Pyrenean/Cantabrian clade and H. alpina s.str. are mutually exclusive, plastid DNA evidence may imply past contact and hybridization between the two clades.

A North American stem turaco, and the complex biogeographic history of modern birds

BackgroundEarth’s lower latitudes boast the majority of extant avian species-level and higher-order diversity, with many deeply diverging clades restricted to vestiges of Gondwana. However, palaeontological analyses reveal that many avian crown clades with restricted extant distributions had stem group relatives in very different parts of the world.ResultsOur phylogenetic analyses support the enigmatic fossil bird Foro panarium Olson 1992 from the early Eocene (Wasatchian) of Wyoming as a stem turaco (Neornithes: Pan-Musophagidae), a clade that is presently endemic to sub-Saharan Africa. Our analyses offer the first well-supported evidence for a stem musophagid (and therefore a useful fossil calibration for avian molecular divergence analyses), and reveal surprising new information on the early morphology and biogeography of this clade. Total-clade Musophagidae is identified as a potential participant in dispersal via the recently proposed ‘North American Gateway’ during the Palaeogene, and new biogeographic analyses illustrate the importance of the fossil record in revealing the complex historical biogeography of crown birds across geological timescales.ConclusionsIn the Palaeogene, total-clade Musophagidae was distributed well outside the range of crown Musophagidae in the present day. This observation is consistent with similar biogeographic observations for numerous other modern bird clades, illustrating shortcomings of historical biogeographic analyses that do not incorporate information from the avian fossil record.

Phylogenetic relationships, biogeography and diversification of Coenonymphina butterflies (Nymphalidae: Satyrinae): intercontinental dispersal of a southern Gondwanan group?

AbstractThe origins, evolutionary history and diversification of the Australian butterfly fauna are poorly known and uncertain. Two competing hypotheses have been proposed to explain the occurrence of butterflies on this isolated continental landmass. The common view is that all Australian butterflies entered the continent relatively recently from the northern hemisphere via Southeast Asia and/or mainland New Guinea (i.e. northern dispersal origin hypothesis). The alternative view is that part or all of the Australian butterfly fauna ultimately evolved in remnant or Southern Gondwana when Australia was connected to South America through Antarctica (i.e. Southern Gondwanan origin hypothesis). However, robust phylogenies with strong support for monophyly are lacking for the majority of Australian endemic butterfly lineages, thereby precluding determination of their systematic relationships and hence their geographic origins. Here, we use molecular data to reconstruct phylogenetic relationships of the globally distributed butterfly subtribe Coenonymphina (Satyrinae: Satyrini). This group represents a major component of the butterfly fauna of the wider Australasian region, with 19 genera and 71 species endemic to the region. Dating estimates extrapolated from secondary calibration sources indicate that the subtribe arose c. 48 Ma (95% credibility interval, 52–42 Ma), and the crown group first diverged in the Eocene (c. 44 Ma, 95% credibility interval 51–37 Ma). Rapid speciation events subsequently followed around the Eocence–Oligocene boundary, resulting in a near‐hard polytomy comprising short basal branches with nodes that are difficult to resolve. Based on strongly supported phylogenetic relationships and estimates of divergence times, we conclude that the group probably had its origin in the fragment of Southern Gondwana consisting of Australia, Antarctica and South America. However, we are unable to rule out the northern dispersal scenario, particularly as Coenonymphina are closely related to a set of predominantly Asian lineages. Dispersal and extinction events following the final break‐up of Gondwana have played a pivotal role in shaping the extant distributions of the group.

Max-Linear Competing Factor Models

Models incorporating “latent” variables have been commonplace in financial, social, and behavioral sciences. Factor model, the most popular latent model, explains the continuous observed variables in a smaller set of latent variables (factors) in a matter of linear relationship. However, complex data often simultaneously display asymmetric dependence, asymptotic dependence, and positive (negative) dependence between random variables, which linearity and Gaussian distributions and many other extant distributions are not capable of modeling. This article proposes a nonlinear factor model that can model the above-mentioned variable dependence features but still possesses a simple form of factor structure. The random variables, marginally distributed as unit Fréchet distributions, are decomposed into max linear functions of underlying Fréchet idiosyncratic risks, transformed from Gaussian copula, and independent shared external Fréchet risks. By allowing the random variables to share underlying (latent) pervasive risks with random impact parameters, various dependence structures are created. This innovates a new promising technique to generate families of distributions with simple interpretations. We dive in the multivariate extreme value properties of the proposed model and investigate maximum composite likelihood methods for the impact parameters of the latent risks. The estimates are shown to be consistent. The estimation schemes are illustrated on several sets of simulated data, where comparisons of performance are addressed. We employ a bootstrap method to obtain standard errors in real data analysis. Real application to financial data reveals inherent dependencies that previous work has not disclosed and demonstrates the model’s interpretability to real data. Supplementary materials for this article are available online.

Avian higher level biogeography: Southern Hemispheric origins or Southern Hemispheric relicts?

AbstractA recent analysis of a comprehensive phylogenetic data set suggested Southern Hemispheric origins for various higher level taxa of neornithine (crown group) birds. These results contrast with hypotheses derived from the fossil record, with the occurrence of successively branching stem group representatives of many “Southern Hemispheric” bird groups in the early Cenozoic of Europe and North America suggesting relict extant distributions. However, a selective consideration of the fossil record and the merging of extant ranges may have resulted in a skewed picture of the past biogeographical history of birds. For future studies, it is proposed that multiple taxa of successively branching Northern Hemispheric stem group representatives are considered to narrow down the ancestral areas of the crown group representatives.

The oldest ‘amphipterygid’ damselfly of tropical affinities in the Paleocene of Menat (Zygoptera: Eucaloptera)

The new damselfly genus and species Valerea multicellulata is described from the Paleocene of Menat (France), a Lagerstatte with many fossil insects, plants and vertebrates with high paleontological value. Aquatic insects are very scarce in this outcrop, this damselfly being the fourth described Odonata. Its closest modern relatives belong to the Amphipterygidae or the Devadattidae, families with very narrow tropical extant distributions. This new fossil allows us to confirm the tropical affinities of the odonatan fauna of the Menat paleolake communities. It also shows that the amphipterygids were clearly more widespread during the Paleogene than today, probably in relation to the worldwide warm and equable climate in the Paleocene.http://zoobank.org/urn:lsid:zoobank.org:act:3F631097-DE0B-40FA8227-9C12F55DBAB4

The last Patagonian cycad,Austrozamiastockeyigen. et sp. nov., early Eocene of Laguna del Hunco, Chubut, Argentina

The cycads pose classic problems in evolutionary biogeography, owing to their far-flung extant distributions and the sparse fossil records of living genera. A noteworthy example is Tribe Encephalarteae of Family Zamiaceae, today consisting of Encephalartos (Africa) and the Australian genera Lepidozamia and Macrozamia. Numerous petrified trunks of Encephalarteae described from the Cretaceous of Patagonia, Antarctica, and India indicate far larger past distributions across Gondwana and subsequent extinctions. The only fossils close to the current range are Paleogene leaf fragments from Australia assigned to Lepidozamia and Macrozamia. Here, we report a large frond piece and several isolated leaflets of a compressed cycad, along with an associated spiny petiole, from the late-Gondwanan, 52.2 Ma Laguna del Hunco flora of Patagonia, Argentina. Austrozamia stockeyi gen. et sp. nov., has the novel combination of an Encephalartos-type leaf and Lepidozamia-type cuticle. The Australian Lepidozamia fossils, widely used for molecular clock calibrations, could also represent an extinct genus. Austrozamia stockeyi demonstrates survival of the Encephalarteae in Patagonia and presumably across Gondwana until its terminal phase, adding a striking new component to the growing list of South American plant extinctions associated with Antarctic separation and related climate changes.

Biogeographical history and coalescent species delimitation of Pacific island skinks (Squamata: Scincidae: Emoia cyanura species group)

AbstractAimA prevailing hypothesis for how Pacific islands organisms have obtained their extant distributions is that of a stepping‐stone model, in which populations originate from Papua New Guinea in the western Pacific and gradually disperse eastward. Here, we test this model using a spatiotemporal framework for Emoia cyanura and E. impar, two species within the Emoia cyanura species group (ECSG; Family: Scincidae). We further assess species limits within the group, utilizing novel coalescent methods.LocationPacific Islands.MethodsWe obtained DNA sequence data from one mitochondrial and three nuclear markers for 117 individuals, representing seven of the nine species within the ECSG. These data were analysed for concordance with the stepping‐stone model using estimation of population structure, divergence dates, and historical biogeographical range. To assess hypotheses of independent lineages within each widespread species, we also employed the Bayesian Phylogenetics & Phylogeography (BPP) program to define operational taxonomic units in *BEAST.ResultsPopulation structure analyses consistently found individuals from western island groups representing divergent populations, with central and eastern populations demonstrating minimal genetic variation. Phylogenetic hypotheses support a western origin for E. cyanura and E. impar, while biogeographical and divergence time estimations predict a recent and rapid expansion out of the western Pacific. The BPP and *BEAST analyses found evidence for five independent lineages within E. impar and five independent lineages within E. cyanura/E. pseudocyanura.Main conclusionsIn contrast to the expectations of a stepping‐stone model, E. cyanura and E. impar each exhibit the genetic signature of a rapid radiation during the mid to late Pleistocene, with evidence for newly identified lineages, mainly on western islands. Of these recovered lineages, we propose three to be elevated to species status. These findings expand our understanding of endemic Pacific biota, which are subject to conservation threats from human impacts and climate change.

Cafioquedus gularis Sharp, 1886 and other poorly understood Staphylinini: a review of the New Zealand fauna of the tribe with discussion of its potential for biogeography (Insecta: Coleoptera: Staphylinidae)

ABSTRACTThe formation of New Zealand's terrestrial biota is a subject where conclusions depend strongly on the properties of the focal organisms. Here, we bring the systematic knowledge of the New Zealand fauna of the very diverse rove beetle tribe Staphylinini closer to the level appropriate for biogeographic research. In particular, the hitherto puzzling New Zealand endemic genus Cafioquedus is considered a member of the Creophilus-complex (Staphylinina), while several other endemic species proved to be misidentifications of common introduced species. With these taxonomic updates, and taking into account the relative age and extant distributions of lineages that occur in New Zealand, we conclude the following: 1. the New Zealand Staphylinini are dominated (66%) by the endemic members of the subtribe Amblyopinina, which are likely Gondwanan paleoendemics; 2. species from the Creophilus- and Cafius-complexes (Staphylinina and Philonthina, respectively), are neoendemics (15%), possibly resulting from trans-oceanic colonisation; 3. human-transported adventive species (19%) form the notable, most recent and taxonomically heterogeneous component of the New Zealand fauna. Cafioquedus gularis Sharp, 1886 is redescribed. The following new combinations and synonymies are proposed: Philonthus longicornis Stephens, 1832 = Philonthus burrowsi (Broun, 1915), comb. nov., syn. nov.; Philonthus politus (Linnaeus, 1758) = Philonthus ohiaensis (Broun, 1923), syn. nov.; Philonthus umbratilis (Gravenhorst, 1802) = Philonthus insularis (Bernhauer and Schubert, 1916), syn. nov.; Sphingoquedius novaezeelandiae (Duvivier, 1883), comb. nov. = Sphingoquedius mannaiaensis (Cameron, 1945), comb. nov., syn. nov.; Quediomimus hybridus (Erichson, 1840), comb. nov. = Quediomimus taurus (Blackburn, 1888), comb. nov. = Quediomimus brookesi Cameron, 1948, syn. nov. A lectotype is designated for Philonthus insularis (Bernhauer and Schubert, 1916).

An Indian Ocean centre of origin revisited: Palaeogene and Neogene influences defining a biogeographic realm

AbstractAimThe biogeography and origins of the shallow marine fauna in the western and northern Indian Ocean are poorly known. Focusing on scleractinian corals, this study synthesizes evidence from extant biogeographical patterns, phylogenetics, plate tectonics and palaeoceanography to provide new support for a hypothesis on an Indian Ocean ‘centre of origin’ for shallow marine taxa.LocationThe western and northern Indian Ocean, from approximately 90°E westwards, including the Red Sea and Arabian Sea.MethodsSynthesis of primary observations and published literature.ResultsTen per cent of western and northern Indian Ocean coral species are endemic, with the genera Acropora, Anomastrea, Coscinaraea, Craterastrea, Ctenella, Gyrosmilia, Horastrea, Sclerophyllia, Siderastrea and Stylophora presenting evidence for deep and shallow evolutionary origins unique to the region. Evidence for origins in the Eocene Tethys Sea and Oligocene East Africa‐Arabian Province, the global hotspots of shallow tropical marine biodiversity in their time, is derived from the fossil record, clade age, presence of relict species, intra‐ and inter‐specific genetic diversity, Atlantic affinities and extant distributions. Evidence for Neogene origins in geologically active subregions of the Indian Ocean (Red Sea, Arabian Sea, Mascarene Islands) is derived from intra‐ and inter‐specific genetic diversity and endemism. The passive tectonic remnant margins of Gondwana (East Africa and Madagascar coasts), combined with prevailing ocean currents, are hypothesized to have provided a stable evolutionary refuge and region of species accumulation, perhaps since the Palaeogene.Main conclusionsThe evidence supports multiple ‘centres of origin’ for Indian Ocean corals, first in the Palaeogene Tethys Sea, then in the Neogene Red Sea, Arabian Sea and Mascarene Islands. The tectonically inactive East African and Madagascar coasts provide an evolutionary museum for old and new lineages, forming a second and phylogenetically distinct peak of global tropical scleractinian coral biodiversity in the Northern Mozambique Channel.