Extensive Geographic Range Research Articles

Natural hybridization between divergent lineages in a selfing hermaphroditic fish.

By definition, mating between individuals is infrequent in highly selfing organisms, and so too, therefore, hybridization should be rare between genetically divergent lineages in predominantly self-fertilizing species. Notwithstanding these expectations, here we report a remarkable case of natural hybridization between highly diverged phylogeographic lineages of the mangrove rivulus, a small killifish that reproduces predominantly by self-fertilization and typically is found as highly homozygous lines in most parts of its extensive geographical range. Two distinctive genetic lineages (Kryptolebias marmoratus and a 'Central clade' closely related to K. hermaphroditus) previously were not known in sympatry, but were found by us to co-occur on San Salvador, Bahamas. Genetic analyses of a mitochondrial and multiple nuclear markers determined the direction of a cross producing a hybrid fish. Furthermore, we show that this hybrid individual was viable, as it successfully reproduced by self-fertilization for two generations. Additional sampling of this population will be necessary to determine if backcrossing of hybrids to the parental lineages occurs in nature and to analyse whether such backcross progeny are viable. Application of the biological species concept (BSC) is traditionally difficult in clonally reproducing organisms. Our results show that although mangrove rivulus fish are mostly highly selfing in nature (resulting in isogenic, effectively clonal and homozygous progeny), classification within this taxonomic complex need not be incompatible with the BSC.

Geographic range extension of gastropods in the coast of Guerrero, Mexico

ABSTRACTThe rocky intertidal gastropods of the Marine Priority Region No. 32 (MPR 32) in the State of Guerrero are one of the most studied invertebrates, however, little is known about their diversity and distribution. Here we report 16 new records of gastropods collected at six sites of the rocky coast (MPR 32) located in the State of Guerrero, Mexico. These records represent extensions of distributional range for an assemblage of species in different geographical scales, of which two are new for Mexico, five for the Mexican Transitional Pacific, four for the State of Guerrero and five for the MPR 32. These new records reveal the need for increasing taxonomic and biogeographic studies on the marine diversity in Mexico, especially in the Mexican Transitional Pacific Ecoregion.

New information on morphology and molecular data of camallanid nematodes parasitising Xenopus laevis (Anura: Pipidae) in South Africa.

Three species of nematodes from the Camallanidae that are known to infect Xenopus laevis Daudin (Anura: Pipidae) were collected from several localities across South Africa. New data on morphology, partial 28S and cox1 genes, infection levels and distribution are presented herein. The most common species, Batrachocamallanus slomei Southwell et Kirshner, 1937, from the stomach and less often oesophagus, was found in eight localities. Camallanus kaapstaadi Southwell et Kirshner, 1937, also from the oesophagus, was found in two localities and C. xenopodis Jackson et Tinsley, 1995, from the intestine, at a single locality. New localities for both C. kaapstaadi and C. xenopodis provide a geographical range extension. Males of C. xenopodis are described for the first time herein. The existence of a left spicule in the males of both the species of Camallanus Railliet and Henry, 1915 is confirmed and measurements are provided. Although C. xenopodis is distinguished from C. mazabukae Kung, 1948 in the present study, we suggest greater sampling effort in other African amphibians to confirm the species status of the latter taxon. Finally, the new molecular data showed distant relationships between collected species of Camallanus and species parasitising fish and freshwater turtles.

Chelidoperca tosaensis, a new species of perchlet (Serranidae) from Japan and the Philippines, with geographic range extension of C. stella to the northwestern Pacific Ocean

Chelidoperca tosaensis is described as a new species based on 84 specimens from Japan and the Philippines taken from depths of 60–302 m. The species can be distinguished from all known congeners by having the following combination of characters: scale rows between lateral line and base of spinous dorsal fin 3; pored lateral-line scales 37–42 (modally 39); scale rows in longitudinal series 39–43 (modally 40); no longitudinal dark stripe or row of dark blotches on body side. The new species is additionally characterized by having a combination of numerous, scattered, yellow spots on dorsal and anal fins with red streak or cluster of reddish spots over bases of about 4–6th dorsal-fin spines; large ocellated red spot with pinkish white border present on membrane between opercular spines; pelvic fin with middle area yellow with whitish spine, and whitish first, second and fifth soft rays; caudal fin with about three transverse rows of yellow spots centrally and posteriorly, two fan-shaped rows of red blotches on basal third, and a pair of white blotches with a pair of yellow blotches between white blotches on the base. Diagnostic characters of Chelidoperca stella, previously known only from its type locality in the Andaman Sea, are updated based on 12 specimens from Taiwan, the Gulf of Tonkin, Vietnam and the Philippines. These specimens represent the first records of the species from the Pacific Ocean.

Host and geographic range extensions of Melanconiella, with a new species M. cornuta in China

Members of Melanconiella are opportunistic pathogens and endophytic fungi, and have been found to confined so far, on the collection of host family Betulaceae. Moreover, two fresh specimens associated with canker and dieback of Cornus controversa and Juglans regia collected in Shaanxi, China were found as distinct and new species of Melanconiella, based on morphological and multi-gene, combined, phylogenetic analyses (ITS, LSU, rpb2 and tef1-α). Results also revealed the host and geographic range extensions of this genus. Melanconiella cornuta sp. nov. is introduced with an illustrated account and differs from similar species in its host association and multigene phylogeny.

Astroloba robustaP.Reinecke ex Molteno, Van Jaarsv. & Gideon F.Sm. (Asphodelaceae: Alooideae), a new species from the Great Karoo, South Africa

Summary: Astroloba robusta P.Reinecke ex Molteno, Van. Jaarsv. & Gideon F.Sm. (Asphodelaceae: Alooideae) is described as a new species. This species occurs across an extensive geographical distribution range that spans the southern Great Karoo, where it occurs on shale flats and rocky undulating slopes. It is related to, but distinct from, A. foliolosa (Haw.) Uitewaal, which occurs further to the east. Astroloba robusta is immediately distinguished by its unique inflorescence with a robust peduncle, as well as its glossysurfaced leaves with whitish margins and keels, among other characters. It also flowers in winter (May–October, mainly in July and August), while A. foliolosa flowers over summer (August–March, mainly October–January).

First record of the smooth hammerhead shark (Sphyrna zygaena) in Saint Peter and Saint Paul Archipelago: range extension for the equatorial region

A smooth hammerhead shark ( Sphyrna zygaena ) was found in Saint Peter and Saint Paul Archipelago in May 2015. This is the first confirmed occurrence of a smooth hammerhead shark in an equatorial oceanic island and suggests a geographic range extension for the species.

First record of the genus Bungona (Harker 1957) (Ephemeroptera: Baetidae) and range extension of two species belonging to Bungona in India

Extensive collections of Baetidae in the Western Ghats, Central India and North-East India resulted in new record of the genus Bungona and two species formerly described in Sri Lanka and Borneo viz., Bungona (Centroptella) soldani (Muller-Liebenau 1980) and Bungona (Chopralla) pusilla (Muller-Liebenau 1984) respectively, thereby providing geographic range extension from Sri Lanka and Borneo to India.

First North Pacific records of the pointy nosed blue chimaera, Hydrolagus cf. trolli (Chondrichthyes: Chimaeriformes: Chimaeridae)

The occurrence of Hydrolagus cf. trolli is reported for the first time from the central and eastern North Pacific Ocean. This is a geographic range extension for this species, as it was previously only known to occur in the southern Pacific Ocean off of Australia, New Zealand, and New Caledonia.

First record on the occurrence of Ryukyua circularis (Pillai, 1954), a parasitic cymothoid (Crustacean: Isopoda) infesting the clupeid fish Amblygaster sirm (Walbaum) from Andaman Islands, India.

In the present study, occurrence of branchial parasitic cymothoid, Ryukyua circularis from the marine finfish, Amblygaster sirm is reported for the first time from Andaman Islands. Morphological characterization was carried out which confirmed the parasite as R. circularis. Molecular characterization using 28S rDNA revealed 443bp sequence which has been submitted to NCBI GenBank under the accession no. KX090447. Ten female and one male parasite (R. circularis) were collected from the branchial cavity of the individual host fishes (A. sirm). The displacement of gill filament and cavity formation in the gill chamber of the host fish was observed. The report of this species from Andaman Islands gives further information on its geographic range extension, since they are currently known from West coast of India and Thailand.

A comprehensive inventory of the Gulf of Alaska sponge fauna with the description of two new species and geographic range extensions.

Two new species, Hamacantha (Vomerula) cassanoi n. sp. and Prosuberites salgadoi n. sp., are described from the eastern Gulf of Alaska in the North Pacific Ocean. These are the first records of the genera Hamacantha and Prosuberites from Alaska. We also report two geographic range extensions for the region. Geodia japonica Sollas, 1888 was previously known only from Japan and is now recorded from the Gulf of Alaska. We also document the first record of Rhizaxinella cervicornis Thiele, 1898 from the Gulf of Alaska. Our comprehensive inventory of the sponge fauna of the Gulf of Alaska confirms the presence of 52 taxa with an additional 38 taxa suspected of occurring in the region. This is a much lower number of species than that recorded from neighbouring regions like the Aleutian Islands and British Columbia.

The extensive geographical range of several species ofTeloschistaceae: evidence from Russia

AbstractThe current view of the geographical ranges of lichens is often distorted by overly narrow or overly broad applications of names and by insufficient survey of most regions of the world. Here we present several cases where species ofTeloschistaceaeformerly thought to be limited to rather small territories in the western or eastern parts of Eurasia are in fact widespread in northern Eurasia. We support our findings with ITS nrDNA data in several new trees showing relationships in the generaAthallia,Calogaya,Caloplaca,FlavoplacaandGyalolechia. The widespread species have little in common, except that most of them reproduce both sexually and asexually, and we discuss the possible influence of the combined reproduction on geographical range.Calogaya bryochrysion,Calogaya saxicola,Gyalolechia epiphytaandGyalolechia ussuriensisare new combinations.Calogaya alaskensisis a younger synonym forC. bryochrysion. The generally arctic-alpineCalogaya bryochrysionalso occurs on the bark of solitary trees in dry parts of the Altai Mountains. The AustralianFlavoplaca cranfieldiiis a younger synonym ofF. flavocitrina.Gyalolechia epiphytahas been described numerous times, from different regions and substrata, asCaloplaca juniperi,C. laricina,C. tarani,Gyalolechia arizonicaandG. juniperina. The nameGyalolechia xanthostigmoideahas recently been used forG. epiphyta, but it represents a distinct taxon.Gyalolechia ussuriensisis closely related to and morphologically indistinguishable fromG. persimilis, but they have a different ecology and distribution and we regard them as distinct species.Caloplaca juniperinaTomin is lectotypified.

Patterns of morphological variation among populations of the widespread annual killifish Nothobranchius orthonotus are independent of genetic divergence and biogeography

Populations of annual killifish of the genus Nothobranchius occur in patchily distributed temporary pools in the East African savannah. Their fragmented distribution and low dispersal ability result in highly structured genetic clustering of their populations. In this study, we examined body shape variation in a widely distributed species, Nothobranchius orthonotus with known phylogeographic structure. We tested whether genetic divergence of major mitochondrial lineages forming two candidate species is congruent with phenotypic diversification, using linear and geometric morphometry analyses of body shape in 23 wild populations. We also conducted a common-garden experiment with two wild-derived populations to control for the effect of local environmental conditions on body shape. We identified different allometric trajectories for different mitochondrial lineages and candidate species in both sexes. However, in a principal components analysis of population-level body shape, the separation among mitochondrial lineages was incomplete. Higher similarity of mitochondrial lineages belonging to different candidate species than that of same candidate species prevented distinction of the two candidate species on the basis of body shape. Analysis at the individual level demonstrated that N. orthonotus express high intrapopulation variability, with major overlap among individuals from all populations. In conclusion, we suggest that N. orthonotus be considered as a single species with an extensive geographic range, strong population genetic structure and high morphological variability.

New geographic and altitudinal range extension of the rare Pristimantis divnae Lehr & von May, 2009 (Anura: Craugastoridae) in Peru

Pristimantis divnae is a nocturnal, semi-arboreal species found in lowland forests of southern Peru in the departments of Cusco, Madre de Dios and Puno. Here, we present a 382 km geographical range extension and the first record at 980 m elevation, increasing the known vertical distribution by 678 m. This is also the first record of this species from premontane forest, suggesting that habitat requirements of P. divnae are broader than originally anticipated.

Biodiversidad de los anfípodos bentónicos (Peracarida: Amphipoda) asociados a macroalgas de Puerto Progreso, Yucatán, México

Biodiversity, new species records, geographic distribution range extensions, and invasive species of benthic amphipods from Puerto Progreso, Yucatán, Mexico, were analyzed. A total of 39 species, belonging to 21 genus, 16 families, and 2 suborders Gammaridea and Corophiidea, were identified. The species Caprella equilibra Say, 1818, Dulichiella lecroyae Lowry and Springthorpe, 2007, Laticorophium baconi (Shoemaker, 1934), Lembos websteri Bate, 1857, Leucothoe ashleyae Thomas and Klebba, 2006, Leucothoe barana Thomas and Klebba, 2007, Leucothoe garifunae Thomas and Klebba, 2007, and Nasageneia yucatanensis Ledoyer, 1986, represented extensions of the previously reported geographic distribution into the southern Gulf of Mexico; also, the species Bemlos barnardi (Ortiz and Nazábal, 1988) represents a new record for the the gulf. Ampelisca schellenbergi, Ampithoe longimana and Monocorophium acherusicum were recognized as invasive species, and Ampithoe ramondi, Ericthonius brasiliensis, Plesiolembos rectangulatus and Stenothoe gallensis as potentially invasive species in this study. These results updated the checklist of benthic amphipods from the offshore Yucatán state continental shelf up to 62 species, whilst that from southern Gulf of Mexico increases to 94.

Rediscovery of the red-listed grass Isachne dimyloides (Poaceae: Micrairoideae) 130 years after type collection

This paper reports rediscovery of a rare grass Isachne dimyloides after a gap of 130 years since its type collection. The type locality of the species is the Darjeeling district of West Bengal, India and the collection was made by C.B. Clarke in the year 1884. The present collection was made in 2012 from Cachar district of Assam (India) which also indicates its geographic range extension from the Darjeeling foothills to the Assam floodplain. In this paper a description of the species, a key, and an illustration are provided to facilitate identification. Priority conservation is highly recommended for this rare species.

Crinoids of the stalked family Hyocrinidae (Echinodermata) collected by the USNS Eltanin in the Southern Ocean.

Rare species only known from one or a few specimens, mainly collected from abyssal and hadal zones in the Southern Ocean are represented in a collection of stalked crinoids attributed to the family Hyocrinidae (Crinoidea, Echinodermata). The species studied here include Belyaevicrinus latipinnulus Mironov & Sorokina, 1998, Feracrinus heinzelleri Bohn, 2012, Ptilocrinus brucei Vaney, 1908 and Thalassocrinus clausus Mironov & Sorokina, 1998. This collection, mainly collected during the 1960s USNS Eltanin cruises, is housed at the Smithsonian Institution National Museum of Natural History in Washington DC. A detailed study of this material using SEM observations of ossicle articular facets and pinnule architecture allows the emendation of species diagnoses, and a better description of intraspecific variation and of changes in characters through ontogeny. Geographical and depth range extension of species are reported. A gonad with submature ovocytes of 100-150 µm was exceptionally preserved at the base of a genital pinnule of P. brucei. This species likely has a lecithotrophic larval development.

Geographic distribution of Labidus coecus (Latr.) (Hymenoptera, Formicidae), a subterranean army ant

Labidus coecus (Latreille) (Hymenoptera, Formicidae) is a New World subterranean army ant with an extensive geographic range. We compiled and mapped >650 site records for L. coecus, documenting the earliest known report for 27 geographic areas (countries, US states, and major West Indian islands), including three for which there are no previously published records: Margarita, Tobago, and Trinidad. With the new records, L. coecus has now been reported from 20 countries in Central and South America (all except Chile), three West Indian islands (Margarita, Trinidad, and Tobago), and four US states (Arkansas, Louisiana, Oklahoma, and Texas). The range of L. coecus appears to be essentially continuous, from Buenos Aires, Argentina in the south (~34.6°S) to Delaware County, Oklahoma in the north (~36.6°N). The three West Indian islands with L. coecus populations are all continental shelf islands that were connected to South America during periods of lower sea levels a few thousand years ago, so L. coecus populations on these islands have only recently become isolated. Labidus coecus commonly nests in caves, a microhabitat that may allow it to live in regions with otherwise inhospitable climates. Although recent papers listed L. coecus as an exotic species in North America, we found no evidence that L. coecus is exotic to any part of its known range.

Distinguished Status Quo: The American Antarctic Quadrant after Submissions to the Commission on the Limits of the Continental Shelf

Submissions to the Commission on the Limits of the Continental Shelf (clcs) by countries claiming sovereignty in Antarctica confirm the resilience of the Antarctic status quo to legal challenges. Through this status quo, these submissions have not been hindered by differences among claimant countries and between them and countries not recognizing any claim in Antarctica. It is in the American Antarctic Quadrant—where Argentina, Chile and United Kingdom have overlapping claims—that the status quo achieves its most extensive geographic and normative range, covering an area and disputes south and north of latitude 60°, in particular disputes between Argentina and the United Kingdom; this determines also the alternatives available to Chile for filing its submission to the clcs by 2019.

Epidemiology of Japanese encephalitis in the Philippines: a systematic review.

BackgroundJapanese encephalitis virus (JEV) is an important cause of encephalitis in most of Asia, with high case fatality rates and often significant neurologic sequelae among survivors. The epidemiology of JE in the Philippines is not well defined. To support consideration of JE vaccine for introduction into the national schedule in the Philippines, we conducted a systematic literature review and summarized JE surveillance data from 2011 to 2014.MethodsWe conducted searches on Japanese encephalitis and the Philippines in four databases and one library. Data from acute encephalitis syndrome (AES) and JE surveillance and from the national reference laboratory from January 2011 to March 2014 were tabulated and mapped.ResultsWe identified 29 published reports and presentations on JE in the Philippines, including 5 serologic surveys, 18 reports of clinical cases, and 8 animal studies (including two with both clinical cases and animal data). The 18 clinical studies reported 257 cases of laboratory-confirmed JE from 1972 to 2013. JE virus (JEV) was the causative agent in 7% to 18% of cases of clinical meningitis and encephalitis combined, and 16% to 40% of clinical encephalitis cases. JE predominantly affected children under 15 years of age and 6% to 7% of cases resulted in death. Surveillance data from January 2011 to March 2014 identified 73 (15%) laboratory-confirmed JE cases out of 497 cases tested.SummaryThis comprehensive review demonstrates the endemicity and extensive geographic range of JE in the Philippines, and supports the use of JE vaccine in the country. Continued and improved surveillance with laboratory confirmation is needed to systematically quantify the burden of JE, to provide information that can guide prioritization of high risk areas in the country and determination of appropriate age and schedule of vaccine introduction, and to measure the impact of preventive measures including immunization against this important public health threat.