Extensive Geographic Range Research Articles

A history of multiple Denisovan introgression events in modern humans.

The identification of a new hominin group in the Altai mountains called Denisovans was one of the most exciting discoveries in human evolution in the last decade. Unlike Neanderthal remains, the Denisovan fossil record consists of only a finger bone, jawbone, teeth and skull fragments. Leveraging the surviving Denisovan segments in modern human genomes has uncovered evidence of at least three introgression events from distinct Denisovan populations into modern humans in the past. Each of them presents different levels of relatedness to the sequenced Altai Denisovan, indicating a complex relationship between these sister lineages. Here we review the evidence suggesting that several Denisovan populations, who likely had an extensive geographical range, were adapted to distinct environments and introgressed into modern humans multiple times. We further discuss how archaic variants have been affected by demographic history, negative and positive selection and close by proposing possible new lines of future research.

A fossil pinnate palm leaf (Arecaceae, subfam. Arecoideae) from Island Lagoon, in the arid zone of South Australia

ABSTRACT Fossil pinnate palm leaves (Arecaceae, subfam. Arecoideae) are described from the Eocene or Miocene Island Lagoon fossil site near Woomera in the arid zone of South Australia. These leaves are described as a new species, Phoenicites insula-lacuna and shown to share morphological similarities to the extant genus Archontophoenix (subtr. Archontophoenicinae), endemic to eastern Australia. This fossil record constitutes a significant temporal and geographic range extension for Archontophoenicinae and likely Archontophoenix. The presence in Australia of Archontophoenicinae as early as the Eocene or more likely Miocene, is in accordance with molecular analyses that propose dispersal of this clade into Australia from New Guinea, with subsequent dispersal from Australia to New Caledonia and divergence of the Archontophoenix and Chambeyronia lineages during this interval of time. Previously reported co-occurring myrtaceous woody fruits from Island Lagoon and proximal-coeval silcrete floras previously referred to Angophora, Callistemon, Eucalyptus, Melaleuca and fossils of other sclerophyllous taxa such as Banksia are consistent with this palm being part of a landscape mosaic with riparian rainforest that included mesic plants growing within wider sclerophyllous forest or woodland vegetation comparable to the eastern coastal zone of modern-day Australia and the modern range of Archontophoenix.

Four new species and two new records of deep-sea Amphipoda (Crustacea: Peracarida) from Potiguar Basin, north-eastern Brazil

ABSTRACT Deep-sea amphipods constitute an important part of the ocean benthos, although their species richness is far from fully known. During a survey of the project ‘Avaliação da Biota Bentônica e Planctônica na porção offshore das Bacias Potiguar e Ceará’ (BPOT), four new species and two new records of amphipods were reported from north-eastern Brazil. The material was collected by bottom trawl nets at depths from 150 to 2057 m in the Potiguar Basin. The species Adeliella debroyeri sp. n., Alexandrella cedrici sp. n., Epimeria colemani sp. n. and Tectovalopsis potiguara sp. n. are established based on morphological comparisons with their congeners, properly illustrated and discussed. We present the first record of the family Adeliellidae Lowry and Myers, 2017 and genus Adeliella Nicholls, 1938 for the South Atlantic Ocean and the first report of the family Stilipedidae from Brazil. The species Cyphocaris johnsoni Shoemaker, 1934 is herein first recorded from Brazil, providing a geographic and depth range extension, and Parandania boecki (Stebbing, 1888) is reported for the first time in the Rio Grande do Norte state. Additionally, identification keys are provided for global species of Adeliella, Tectovalopsis J.L. Barnard and Ingram, 1990, and Alexandrella Chevreux, 1911, and one for Atlantic species of Epimeria Costa in Hope, 1851. http://www.zoobank.org/urn:lsid:zoobank.org:pub:7DFBCE52-0E35-4933-AE61-9D8A42BE9B50

Geographical range extension of two penaeid shrimp Penaeus pulchricaudatus Stebbing, 1914 and Kishinouyepenaeopsis incisa (Wang & Liu in Liu & Wang, 1987) in Bangladesh waters

Shrimps are among the most intriguing groups within the Decapoda order. In Bangladesh, penaeid shrimps hold significant economic value as a major export commodity. This study aimed to analyze the morphometric and molecular characteristics of penaeid shrimps in Bangladesh. Two species of penaeid shrimp, Penaeus pulchricaudatus and Kishinouyepenaeopsis incisa were identified as new records in Bangladesh waters. A distinguishing feature of P. pulchricaudatus is its dark brown transverse bands that do not extend to the lower half of the carapace. The identification of these species was confirmed using both morphometric characteristics and DNA barcoding techniques. Two sequences were generated for these species utilizing the 16S rRNA gene marker. The findings reveal two new records of shrimp species in Bangladesh, expanding the known diversity of shrimp in the region and highlighting the presence of previously undocumented species. Dhaka Univ. J. Biol. Sci. 33(2): 111-117, 2024 (July)

Divergent lineages in a young species: The case of datilillo (Yucca valida), a broadly distributed plant from the Baja California Peninsula.

Globally, barriers triggered by climatic changes have caused habitat fragmentation and population allopatric divergence. Across North America, oscillations during the Quaternary have played important roles in the distribution of wildlife. Notably, diverse plant species from the Baja California Peninsula in western North America, isolated during the Pleistocene glacial-interglacial cycles, exhibit strong genetic structure and highly concordant divergent lineages across their ranges. A representative plant genus of the peninsula is Yucca, with Y. valida having the widest range. Although a dominant species, it has an extensive distribution discontinuity between 26° N and 27° N, suggesting restricted gene flow. Moreover, historical distribution models indicate the absence of an area with suitable conditions for the species during the Last Interglacial, making it an interesting model for studying genetic divergence. We assembled 4411 SNPs from 147 plants of Y. valida throughout its range to examine its phylogeography to identify the number of genetic lineages, quantify their genetic differentiation, reconstruct their demographic history and estimate the age of the species. Three allopatric lineages were identified based on the SNPs. Our analyses support that genetic drift is the driver of genetic differentiation among these lineages. We estimated an age of less than 1 million years for the common ancestor of Y. valida and its sister species. Habitat fragmentation caused by climatic changes, low dispersal, and an extensive geographical range gap acted as cumulative mechanisms leading to allopatric divergence in Y. valida.

Milkweed and floral resource availability for monarch butterflies (Danaus plexippus) in the United States

The global decline of pollinators, particularly insects, underscores the importance of enhanced monitoring of their populations and habitats. However, monitoring some pollinator habitat is challenging due to widespread species distributions and shifts in habitat requirements through seasons and life stages. The monarch butterfly (Danaus plexippus), a migratory insect pollinator that breeds widely throughout North America, presents a unique case study for testing a sampling framework to overcome these challenges. Monarchs exhibit discrete resource needs across life stages (e.g., larval requirement for milkweed, adult requirement for floral nectar), utilizing many land use types across their extensive geographic range during breeding and migration seasons. The Integrated Monarch Monitoring Program (IMMP) uses a standardized protocol with a generalized random tessellation stratified (GRTS) sampling design to gather spatially balanced and ecologically representative information on monarch habitats within the United States. The IMMP is applicable to various land use types and habitats used by breeding monarchs and may be extended to sites outside of the GRTS design to collect data on non-random sites of interest, such as legacy or conservation sites. Additionally, the IMMP’s modular design and publicly available training allows for broad participation, including involvement from community scientists. Here, we summarize habitat metrics (milkweed and floral resources) across 1,233 sites covering much of the monarch’s breeding range. We examine variation in milkweed density and floral resource availability on probabilistic (random) and non-probabilistic (convenience) samples and among land use types (site types). Additionally, we assess resource availability within core geographies for monarch breeding and migration, specifically within the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service’s Monarch Conservation Units (western, northern, and southern United States). Milkweed density, floral frequency, and floral richness were higher on non-random sites and in the North region. Among site types, milkweed density was highest on Rights-of-Way and Unclassified Grassland, while floral frequency was lowest on Rights-of-Way. The IMMP represents the first field-based habitat monitoring program of this scale for monarchs, yielding a robust dataset on monarchs and their habitats across their breeding range and offering a framework for surveying the habitat of insect species with diverse habitat requirements or widespread distributions.

New occurrences of mammals from McKay Reservoir (Hemphillian, Oregon)

Abstract Encompassing global cooling, the spread of grasslands, and biogeographic interchanges, the Hemphillian North American Land Mammal Age is an important interval for understanding the factors driving ecological and evolutionary change through time. McKay Reservoir near Pendleton, Oregon is a natural laboratory for analyses of these factors. It is remarkable for its small vertebrate fauna including rodents, bats, turtles, and lagomorphs, but also for its larger mammal fossils like camelids, rhinocerotids, canids, and felids. Despite the importance of the site, few revisions to its faunal list have been published since its original description. We expand on this description by identifying taxa not previously known from McKay Reservoir based on specimens collected during fieldwork and through reidentification of previously collected fossils. Newly identified taxa include the borophagine canid Borophagus secundus (Matthew and Cook, 1909), the camelids Megatylopus Matthew and Cook, 1909 and Pleiolama Webb and Meachen, 2004, a dromomerycid, and the equids Cormohipparion Skinner and MacFadden, 1977 and Pseudhipparion Ameghino, 1904. Specimens previously assigned to Neohipparion Gidley, 1903 and Hipparion de Christol, 1832 lack the features necessary to diagnose these genera, which are therefore removed from the site's faunal list. The presence of Borophagus secundus, Cormohipparion, and Pseudhipparion is especially important, because each occurrence represents a major geographic range extension. This refined understanding of the fauna lays the foundation for future studies of taphonomy, taxonomy, functional morphology, and paleoecology—potentially at the population, community, or ecosystem levels—at this paleobiologically significant Miocene locality.

Resurrection and redescriptions of nominal species previously regarded as synonyms of Thrissina mystax (Bloch and Schneider, 1801) (Teleostei: Clupeiformes: Engraulidae).

Examination of the original descriptions and available type specimens of nominal species previously regarded as synonyms of Thrissina mystax (Bloch and Schneider, 1801), and many non-type specimens representing an extensive geographic range, confirmed the validities of T. mystax, Thrissina porava (Bleeker, 1849), and Thrissina valenciennesi (Bleeker, 1866). Additionally, Engraulis poorawah Bleeker, 1872, a nominal species previously regarded as a junior synonym of T. mystax, is recognized as a junior synonym of Thrissina malabarica (Bloch, 1795). Diagnoses and detailed color descriptions are given for all of the valid species, in addition to clarification of their taxonomic histories, and neotype designation for T. porava. The phylogenetic relationships among 15 species of Thrissina (including T. porava and T. valenciennesi but not T. mystax) were reconstructed from the mitochondrial cytochrome oxidase I (COI) gene. T. porava and T. valenciennesi were not recovered as a monophyletic group, instead being divergent from each other and the other species of Thrissina by 12.4% and >11.7% mean uncorrected distances, respectively, confirming their reciprocal validity.

Mitochondrial and microbial diversity of the invasive mosquito vector species Culex tritaeniorhynchus across its extensive inter-continental geographic range.

Culex (Cx.) tritaeniorhynchus is an invasive mosquito species with an extensive and expanding inter-continental distribution, currently reported across Asia, Africa, the Middle East, Europe and now Australia. It is an important vector of medical and veterinary pathogens which cause significant morbidity and mortality in human and animal populations. Across regions endemic for Japanese encephalitis virus (JEV), Cx. tritaeniorhynchus is considered the major vector and has also been shown to contribute to the transmission of several other zoonotic arboviruses including Rift Valley fever virus (RVFV) and West Nile virus (WNV). In this study, we used laboratory vector competence experiments to determine if Cx. tritaeniorhynchus from a Southern European population were competent JEV vectors. We also obtained samples from multiple geographically dispersed Cx. tritaeniorhynchus populations from countries within Europe, Africa, Eurasia and Asia to perform phylogenetic analysis to measure the level of mitochondrial divergence using the cytochrome oxidase subunit 1 ( CO1) gene. We also undertook bacterial 16S rRNA gene amplicon sequencing to determine microbial diversity and used multi-locus sequence typing (MLST) to determine any evidence for the presence of strains of the naturally occurring endosymbiotic bacterium Wolbachia. Cx. tritaeniorhynchus from a Greek population were shown be be competent vectors of JEV with high levels of virus present in saliva. We found a signficant level of mitochondrial genetic diversity using the mosquito CO1 gene between geographically dispersed populations. Furthermore, we report diverse microbiomes identified by 16S rRNA gene amplicon sequencing within and between geographical populations. Evidence for the detection of the endosymbiotic bacteria Wolbachia was confirmed using Wolbachia-specific PCR and MLST. This study enhances our understanding of the diversity of Cx. tritaeniorhynchus and the associated microbiome across its inter-continental range and highlights the need for greater surveillance of this invasive vector species in Europe.

Phylogeography of a widespread Australian freshwater fish, western carp gudgeon (Eleotridae: Hypseleotris klunzingeri): Cryptic species, hybrid zones, and strong intra-specific divergences.

Despite belonging to the most abundant and widespread genus of freshwater fishes in the region, the carp gudgeons of eastern Australia (genus Hypseleotris) have proved taxonomically and ecologically problematic to science since the 19th century. Several molecular studies and a recent taxonomic revision have now shed light on the complex biology and evolutionary history that underlies this group. These studies have demonstrated that carp gudgeons include a sexual/unisexual complex (five sexual species plus an assortment of hemiclonal lineages), many members of which also co-occur with an independent sexual relative, the western carp gudgeon (H. klunzingeri). Here, we fill yet another knowledge gap for this important group by presenting a detailed molecular phylogeographic assessment of the western carp gudgeon across its entire and extensive geographic range. We use a suite of nuclear genetic markers (SNPs and allozymes) plus a matrilineal genealogy (cytb) to demonstrate that H. klunzingeri s.l. also displays considerable taxonomic and phylogeographic complexity. All molecular datasets concur in recognizing the presence of multiple candidate species, two instances of historic between-species admixture, and the existence of a natural hybrid zone between two of the three candidate species found in the Murray-Darling Basin. We also discuss the major phylogeographic patterns evident within each taxon. Together, these analyses provide a robust molecular, taxonomic, and distributional framework to underpin future morphological and ecological investigations on this prominent member of regional freshwater ecosystems in eastern Australia.

The geographic range extension of crowned jellyfish to the north-western Bay of Bengal

The geographic range extension of crowned jellyfish to the north-western Bay of Bengal

Review of Indo-West Pacific jawfishes (Opistognathus: Opistognathidae), with descriptions of 18 new species.

Sixty species of jawfishes (Opistognathus) from the Indo-West Pacific are reported in an updated review, including descriptions of 18 new species: Opistognathus albomaculatus n.sp., O. asper n.sp., O. aurolineatus n.sp., O. bathyphilus n.sp., O. biporus n.sp., O. challenger n.sp., O. erdmanni n.sp., O. flavidus n.sp., O. helvolus n.sp., O. hyalinus n.sp., O. megalops n.sp., O. microspilus n.sp., O. nigripinnis n.sp., O. parvus n.sp., O. pholeter n.sp., O. triops n.sp., O. vigilax n.sp., and O. wassi n.sp.. Species accounts are provided for each species, including illustrations or color photographs, complete synonymies, specimens examined (or appropriate citation if previously published in detail), diagnosis, comparisons, etymology, and distribution maps. Geographic range extensions are reported for a number of species. An identification key is given for all species and frequency tables of important characters are also provided. The taxonomic status of Opistognathus inornatus and O. rosenbergii annulatus are discussed in detail but not completely resolved pending unavailable molecular data. Geographic variation is also described for Opistognathus adelus, O. albomaculatus n.sp., O. castelnaui, O. margaretae, O. variabilis, and O. vigilax n.sp. Many species are known only from holotypes and others from single localities, indicating how much more remains to be known about these jawfishes.

Carbapenem-resistance worldwide: a call for action - correspondence.

Carbapenem-resistance worldwide: a call for action - correspondence.

New records and geographic range extension of Epilobocera capolongoi Pretzmann, 2000 (Decapoda: Brachyura: Epiloboceridae) in Cuba, with notes on its natural history and conservation

The natural history and conservation status of the West Indian endemic freshwater crabs of the genus Epilobocera are poorly known. Several species have restricted distributions and apparently specific ecological requirements, which make them particularly vulnerable to anthropogenic threats. Epilobocera capolongoi is known to occur exclusively in mountain streams and rivers above 300 m elevation in the Guamuhaya Massif, central Cuba. In addition to the publication with the original description, there is only one paper exclusively on this species, which reported it as being preyed upon by a heron and recorded it from some additional localities in the vicinity of Topes de Collantes, provinces of Cienfuegos and Sancti Spíritus. Epilobocera capolongoi is herein reported from Pico San Juan Ecological Reserve and Lomas de Banao Ecological Reserve, which expands its geographic range to about 60 km and its elevation to 1,000 m. The species was found living sympatric with the congeneric Epilobocera cubensis poliorcetes in Lomas de Banao Ecological Reserve, but apparently there exists some habitat segregation between them. Some phenotypic characters important to distinguish both species are described, some basic data on their natural history are provided, and an assessment of the conservation status of E. capolongoi following current IUCN criteria is made.

Glyptothorax (Teleostei: Sisoridae) from the Middle East: An Integrated Molecular and Morphological Insight into Its Taxonomic Diversity

The Glyptothorax species from the Middle East are taxonomically revised based on extensive geographic range and taxon sampling, tree topologies from mitochondrial COI and Cyt b and nuclear RAG2 markers (2532 bps), molecular species delimitation and genetic distance analyses of DNA sequences against morphometric and morphological characters. A majority-rule consensus based on conceptually different molecular species delimitation analyses combined with the Bayesian and maximum likelihood tree topologies considered all the name-bearing Iranian endemic clades of Glyptothorax, except for G. pallens (i.e., G. alidaeii, G. galaxias, G. hosseinpanahii, G. shapuri and G. silviae) as a single molecular entity. We also lent our years of experience to the morphology of Iranian Glyptothorax populations and tried to perceive consistent morphological differences, but without success. Therefore, based on this integrated molecular and morphological study, we treat G. alidaeii, G. galaxias, G. hosseinpanahii and G. shapuri as conspecific with G. silviae. Furthermore, our molecular and morphological results confirmed the first record of G. cous in Iranian waters. The species G. armeniacus, G. cous, G. daemon, G. kurdistanicus, G. pallens, G. silviae and G. steindachneri are considered as valid species.

New manipulation records of social wasps (Hymenoptera: Vespidae) behavior by the entomopathogenic Ophiocordyceps Petch (Hypocreales: Ophiocordycipitaceae) fungus

ABSTRACT The knowledge of entomopathogenic fungus in social wasps is limited, however, association appears to be more common than past thinking. In this study, we recorded the occurrence of eight social wasp species infected: Agelaia fulvofasciata, Agelaia testacea, Apoica cf. pallida, Polistes rufiventris, Polybia dimidiata, Polybia liliacea, Polybia striata, Synoeca virginea, Polistes (Aphanilopterus), and one Mischocyttarus (Mischocyttarus) morphotypes by Ophiocordyceps sphecocephala for the first, and added some new geographic range extension records for the already reported association of Ophiocordyceps humbertii for some locations in the Neotropics with a brief behavioral diagnosis of the species.

The Multi-Ocean Distribution of the Hadal Amphipod, Hirondellea dubiaDahl, 1959 (Crustacea, Amphipoda)

The hadal zone (depths > 6,000 m) comprises isolated features that host high degrees of endemism, with species inhabiting only a single feature or a group of adjacent features. The amphipod, Hirondellea dubia is an abundant scavenger at the hadal depths of the Kermadec, Tonga, and New Hebrides trenches in the Southwest Pacific Ocean, particularly at depths > 9,500 m. However, several records have hinted that H. dubia may not be restricted to the Southwest Pacific nor be exclusively hadal. Here, we present new records of H. dubia recovered by baited landers deployed to five hadal trenches during three expeditions and assess the geographic and vertical distribution of this species. To rule out the possibility of cryptic diversity, morphological taxonomy was paired with two mitochondrial markers (16S and COI) to test for species boundaries among the new and published molecular data using four delineation approaches (ABGD, CD-HIT, GMYC, and bPTP). We found H. dubia to be a single species and not restricted to the Southwest Pacific or hadal depths. This species’ geographic range extends from the Southwest Pacific to the Mariana Trench (Northwest Pacific), the Clarion-Clipperton Zone (Central Pacific), the South Sandwich Trench (Southern), and the Puerto Rico Trench (North Atlantic). This amphipod’s vertical range spans over half of the ocean’s total depth, between 4,700 and 10,817 m. This study presents an extraordinary geographic range extension to a species long considered endemic to a cluster of three Southwest Pacific trenches and shows a pan-oceanic distribution across extremely isolated hadal features.

New Distributional Records for 16 Mexican Leaf Beetle Species (Coleoptera: Chrysomeloidea)

In this short communication, I present new geographic range extensions for 16 leaf beetle species. All specimens examined are deposited in the Mexican collection “Colección Nacional de Insectos Dr. Alfredo Barrera Marín”, National Museum of Natural History, Mexico City.

Extending beyond Gondwana: Cretaceous Cunoniaceae from western North America.

Cunoniaceae are important elements of rainforests across the Southern Hemisphere. Many of these flowering plants are considered Paleo-Antarctic Rainforest Lineages that had a Gondwanan distribution since the Paleocene. Fossils of several modern genera within the family, such as Ceratopetalum, have indicated biogeographical connections between South America and Australia in the Cenozoic. Here, we report a dramatic geographical range extension for Ceratopetalum, and Cunoniaceae as a whole, based on two exceptionally preserved fossil winged fruits from Campanian (c. 82-80 Ma old) deposits on Sucia Island, Washington, USA. The fossils were studied using physical sectioning, light microscopy, micro-computed tomography scanning and multiple phylogenetic analyses. The fossil fruits share diagnostic characters with Ceratopetalum such as the presence of four to five persistent calyx lobes, a prominent nectary disk, persistent stamens, a semi-inferior ovary and two persistent styles. Based on morphological comparisons with fruits of extant species and support from phylogenetic analyses, the fossils are assigned to a new species Ceratopetalum suciensis. These fossils are the first unequivocal evidence of crown Cunoniaceae from the Cretaceous of North America, indicating a more complicated biogeographical history for this important Gondwanan family.

Genome Sequencing of a Gray Wolf from Peninsular India Provides New Insights into the Evolution and Hybridization of Gray Wolves.

The gray wolf (Canis lupus) is among the few large carnivores that survived the Late Pleistocene megafaunal extinctions. Thanks to their complex history of admixture and extensive geographic range, the number of gray wolf subspecies and their phylogenetic relationships remain poorly understood. Here, we perform whole-genome sequencing of a gray wolf collected from peninsular India that was phenotypically distinct from gray wolves outside India. Genomic analyses reveal that the Indian gray wolf is an evolutionarily distinct lineage that diverged from other extant gray wolf lineages ∼110 thousand years ago. Demographic analyses suggest that the Indian wolf population declined continuously decline since separating from other gray wolves and, today, has exceptionally low genetic diversity. We also find evidence for pervasive and mosaic gene flow between the Indian wolf and African canids including African wolf, Ethiopian wolf, and African wild dog despite their current geographical separation. Our results support the hypothesis that the Indian subcontinent was a Pleistocene refugium and center of diversification and further highlight the complex history of gene flow that characterized the evolution of gray wolves.