Holarctic Research Articles

Linking animal behaviour and tree recruitment: Caching decisions by a scatter‐hoarder corvid determine seed fate in a Mediterranean agroforestry system

Abstract Seed dispersal by scatter‐hoarder corvids is key for the establishment of important tree species from the Holarctic region such as the walnut (Juglans regia). However, the factors that drive animal decisions to cache seeds in specific locations and the consequences of these decisions on seed fate are poorly understood. We experimentally created four distinct, replicated habitat types in a Mediterranean agricultural landscape where the Eurasian magpie (Pica pica) is a common scatter hoarder: soft bare soil; compacted bare soil; compacted soil with a dense herbaceous cover; and soft linear bare soil made up of the irrigation furrows that separated the rest of the treatments. We also experimentally placed visual landmarks (stones, sticks and bunches of dry plants) to test if magpies use them to place seed caches. Walnut dispersal from feeders to the habitats was monitored by radiotracking and camera traps. A sowing experiment simulating natural caches tested the effect of caching type on seed germination and seedling emergence. Seed mass was controlled for the dispersal and sowing experiments. Magpies selected the two habitats with soft soil, and avoided the one with compacted soil, to cache nuts. Seed mass did not affect dispersal distance, germination or emergence; however, heavier seeds were cached more often under litter and in the habitat with herbaceous cover, whereas lighter seeds were more often buried in the soft bare soil habitat. Seed burial under soil or litter determined seed fate, as there was virtually no emergence from unburied nuts. There was no evidence of any effect of the visual landmarks. Synthesis. The consequences of seed caching for seedling early establishment are driven by a fine decision‐making process of the disperser. Magpies seemed to ponder the characteristics of the habitat and the seed itself to determine where and how to cache each nut. By doing so, magpies reinforced the quality of seed dispersal effectiveness, as they cached walnuts in locations that enhanced both seed survival and seedling emergence.

Mitochondrial and microsatellite data show close genetic relationships between Dibothriocephalus latus from South America (Argentina) and Europe (the Alpine lakes region).

The most frequent causative agent of diphyllobothriosis, a fish-borne parasitic zoonosis, is the broad fish tapeworm Dibothriocephalus latus distributed mainly throughout the Holarctic region. The larval stages of the tapeworm were also detected in native and introduced freshwater fish in several lakes in South America, particularly in the north-western Patagonia in Argentina. The main objective of the present study was to determine the genetic structure of D. latus from rainbow trout (Oncorhynchus mykiss), brown trout (Salmo trutta), and brook trout (Salvelinus fontinalis) from Gutiérrez Lake and Alicura Reservoir in Argentina using the sequences of three mitochondrial genes (cox1, cob, and nad3) and six polymorphic microsatellite loci. The results were compared with the corresponding molecular data of D. latus from Europe (Switzerland and Italy; the Alpine lakes region) and Asia (Siberia, Russia). Only one concatenated haplotype identical with the con-Ha1 specific for D. latus from the Alpine lakes region was detected in all individuals from Argentina. Three different alleles were detected in five out of six analysed microsatellite loci, indicating the presence of three sets of chromosomes. The same structure of microsatellite loci was recently observed in D. latus from Switzerland and Italy, in which triploidy was previously confirmed by cytogenetic study. The data on the mitochondrial genes, the allelic structure of microsatellite loci, and the principal coordinate analysis showed close genetic relationships between D. latus from Argentina and the Alpine lakes region, thus supporting the hypothesis of the European origin of the broad fish tapeworm from South America.

A New Tibetan Species of Bolitobius Leach (Coleoptera: Staphylinidae: Mycetoporinae)

The rove beetle genus Bolitobius Leach is represented by 21 species and two subspecies distributed in the Holarctic Region and the Himalaya. In this paper, Bolitobius lilizheni Yin and Hu, new species of the B. setiger group is described from Tibet, China, and is compared with, and distinguished from, related congeners. The new species is distinguished by the male sternite VIII possessing bristle fields fused at the base, in contrast to clearly separated fields in all other congeners of the group.

Analysis of the Holarctic Dictyoptera aurora Complex (Coleoptera, Lycidae) Reveals Hidden Diversity and Geographic Structure in Müllerian Mimicry Ring.

The elateroid family Lycidae is known for limited dispersal propensity and high species-level endemism. The red net-winged beetle, Dictyoptera aurora (Herbst, 1874), differs from all relatives by the range comprising almost the entire Holarctic region. Based on a five-marker phylogeny and 67 barcode entries (cox1-5' mtDNA) from the whole range, we recovered two genetically distinct species within traditionally defined D. aurora and resurrected the name D. coccinata (Say, 1835) as the oldest available synonym for Nearctic populations. Yet, no reliable morphological trait distinguishes these species except for minute differences in the male genitalia. D. coccinata is a monophylum resulting from a single Miocene dispersal event, ~15.8 million years ago, and genetic divergence implies long-term isolation by the Bering Strait. Far East Asian and west European populations are also genetically distinct, although to a lower extent. Two independent colonization events established the Fennoscandian populations after the last glacial maximum. Besides intrinsic factors, the high morphological similarity might result from stabilizing selection for shared aposematic signals. The rapidly accumulating barcode data provide valuable information on the evolutionary history and the origins of regional faunas.

Complete mitogenomes of Turkish tree squirrels, Sciurus anomalus and S. vulgaris, (Sciuridae: Rodentia: Mammalia) and their phylogenetic status within the tribe Sciurini

The genus Sciurus, a member of the family Sciuridae, is widely distributed in the Holarctic region. To better understand mitogenomic characteristics and to reveal internal phylogenetic relationships of the genus, 20 complete mitogenomes of Turkish tree squirrels were successfully sequenced for the first time, including 19 for S. anomalus (from 16,505 bp to 16,510 bp) and one for S. vulgaris (16,511 bp). The mitogenomes of two species were AT-biased. All tRNAs for two species displayed a typical clover-leaf structure, except for tRNASer(AGY). The tRNA Serine1 (S1)-GCT structure lacked the dihydrouridine (DHU) loop and stem. Based on mitogenomic dataset for phylogeny of Sciurinae, phylogenetic analyses (Bayesian Inference and Maximum Likelihood) did not support monophyly of Sciurus and proposed that S. anomalus, the most basal taxa in the Sciurini tribe, had at least five mitogenome lineages, which were also supported by network analysis. The dissimilarities among the five lineages of S. anomalus ranged from 0.0042 (0.42%) to 0.0062 (0.62%) using K2P sequence pairwise distances. In addition to this mitogenomic analysis result, phylogenetic analyses using the CYTB + D-loop dataset proposed the existence of at least nine lineages for S. anomalus, which was different than those of the previous studies. The current study proposed that the use of mitogenomic data for reconstructing the phylogeny of Turkey’s Sciurus holds an important value for revealing evolutionary relationships.

Holarctic Species in the Pluteus romellii Clade. Five New Species Described and Old Names Reassessed.

We studied the taxonomy of Pluteus romellii, and morphologically similar Holarctic species in the/romellii clade of section Celluloderma, using morphological and molecular data (nrITS, TEF1-α). Pluteus romellii is lectotypified and epitypified and accepted as an exclusively Eurasian species. Pluteus lutescens and P. pallescens are considered synonyms of P. romellii. Pluteus fulvibadius is accepted as a related, but separate, North American species. Five species in the/romellii clade are described as new to science: two from North America (P. austrofulvus and P. parvisporus), one from Asia (P. parvicarpus), one from Europe (P. siccus), and one widely distributed across the Holarctic region (P. vellingae). Basidioma size, pileus color, lamellae color, basidiospore size, hymenial cystidia shape and size, habitat and geographical distribution help separate the species described here, but in some instances only molecular data allows for confident identification. The current status of P. californicus, P. melleipes, P. romellii var. luteoalbus, P. splendidus, P. sternbergii and P. sulphureus is discussed.

A New Species of Limnephilus (Insecta: Trichoptera: Limnephilidae) from China, with Revision of the Genus Limnephilus on the Chinese Mainland.

Simple SummaryAs the most diverse genus in the family Limnephilidae, Limnephilus Leach, 1815 (194 extant species and 9 fossil species), has a wide distribution and a broad range of ecological tolerances among its species. Although it has a high species diversity in the Holarctic region, only 16 species have been recognized in China until now, of which 7 are endemic to China. In this study, a new species of the genus Limnephilus was found. The adult females, larvae, and pupae of this new species were associated with the adult males based on COI sequencing, and all the life stages except for the egg stage are described and illustrated. In addition, the biological and habitat information for this new species is provided. Furthermore, all of the Limnephilus species from the Chinese mainland are revised at the species group level, and diagnoses for species groups and species (keys of groups and species) are given, along with a distribution map.Fifty individuals of Limnephilus from the Qinghai Province, China, were examined, and their COI barcode sequences were extracted and analyzed. Forty individuals of Limnephilus from the Insect Collection of Nanjing Agricultural University (ICNAU), China, were examined, and photos of the male genitalia of four Limnephilus species are here presented. The males, females, larvae, and pupae of a new species, Limnephilus deqianensis n. sp., associated via COI barcode sequences, are described and illustrated. Ecological photos of the male, pupal case, and the habitat of the new species L. deqianensis n. sp. are also provided. Five species groups containing all seventeen Chinese Limnephilus species are revised. Diagnoses, keys, and a distribution map of them are provided. All of the sequences have been uploaded to GenBank. All specimens are deposited in the ICNAU, Nanjing, Jiangsu Province, P. R. China.

Rediscovery of Macroplea japana (Coleoptera: Chrysomelidae: Donaciinae), an aquatic leaf beetle once thought to be extinct in Japan

AbstractMacroplea japana (Jacoby, 1885) has not been collected in Japan since the 1960s and was thought to be locally extinct. Recently, we collected this species from submerged aquatic plants growing in the nearshore zone of Lake Biwa, Shiga Prefecture, where it had previously been recorded from the stomach contents of pochards in the 1950s. We conducted a molecular phylogenetic analysis to identify the phylogenetic position of the Japanese M. japana within the tribe Haemonini of the Holarctic region, which consists of Macroplea in Eurasia and Neohaemonia in North America. We found that M. japana specimens from Japan and China were genetically close to each other and distantly related to all other known Macroplea species from Asia and Europe, indicating the species identity of the Japanese and Chinese populations and the distinct species status of M. japana.

First records of three Pergamasinae species (Acari, Mesostigmata, Parasitidae) from Slovakia

We recorded three mite species, Pergamasus (Thenargamasus) instatutus Athias-Henriot, 1967, Pergamasus (Pergamasus) laminarius Witaliński, 1971 and Holoparasitus ampullaris Witaliński, 1994, from Slovakia for the first time. Mites of the genera Pergamasus Berlese, 1903 and Holoparasitus Oudemans, 1936 are predatory mites living mainly in a soil and a rotting organic matter of the Holarctic region with a centre of distribution in Europe. Till now, P. instatutus was recorded in Austria and Hungary, while P. laminarius and H. ampullaris were known only from Poland.

The King's Lace Bug Recaredus rex Distant, 1909 (Hemiptera: Heteroptera: Tingidae): Systematic Position, First Palaearctic and Afrotropical Records, and Ecological Niche Modelling.

Simple SummaryLace bugs (Tingidae) are known for their spectacular bodily appearance; the pronotum and hemelytra of the adult specimens are lacelike, with a delicate network of areolae that resemble lace. The species are phytophagous and always feed on a specific plant or groups of closely related plants. Therefore, they are recognised as mono- or oligophagous bugs, whose feeding activities may cause significant injury to plant pods and leaves. Lace bugs are distributed worldwide and reported in all continents except Antarctica. Although most of the lace bug species are distributed in a particular zoogeographical region, some genera are widely known from the Holarctic region. However, species with a Palaeotropical distribution are scarce. In this study, based on new records and ecological niche modelling, we indicate that Recaredus rex, one of the most enigmatic lace bugs, has a possible Palaeotropical distribution. Moreover, we hypothesise that R. rex is an oligo- or polyphagous species. In addition, the systematic position of the genus Recaredus is discussed.The systematic position and actual distribution of Recaredus rex, for a long time one of the most enigmatic lace bug genus and species, is very obscure because only the type specimen and three other individuals from India are known to date. In the present paper, we report the first records of R. rex from the Palaearctic region (Iran) and tropical Africa (Ghana). Based on the occurrence localities and climatic variables, we predict potentially useful ecological niches for this species using Maxent software. The areas with the best environmental conditions for R. rex indicated in our studies suggest its possible Palaeotropical distribution. Moreover, we regard these results as a good starting point for further searches for specimens of this species. This might help verify the hypothesis of the broad Palaeotropical distribution of R. rex and its oligo- or polyphagy. In addition, the lace bug genus Recaredus, based on the diagnostic characteristics provided for the tribe Acalyptaini, and the structure of aedeagus, is transferred from the tribe Ypsotingini to the Acalyptaini. A key to all genera currently included in the latter tribe is also provided.

Interpreting phylogenetic conflict: Hybridization in the most speciose genus of lichen-forming fungi

While advances in sequencing technologies have been invaluable for understanding evolutionary relationships, increasingly large genomic data sets may result in conflicting evolutionary signals that are often caused by biological processes, including hybridization. Hybridization has been detected in a variety of organisms, influencing evolutionary processes such as generating reproductive barriers and mixing standing genetic variation. Here, we investigate the potential role of hybridization in the diversification of the most speciose genus of lichen-forming fungi, Xanthoparmelia. As Xanthoparmelia is projected to have gone through recent, rapid diversification, this genus is particularly suitable for investigating and interpreting the origins of phylogenomic conflict. Focusing on a clade of Xanthoparmelia largely restricted to the Holarctic region, we used a genome skimming approach to generate 962 single-copy gene regions representing over 2 Mbp of the mycobiont genome. From this genome-scale dataset, we inferred evolutionary relationships using both concatenation and coalescent-based species tree approaches. We also used three independent tests for hybridization. Although different species tree reconstruction methods recovered largely consistent and well-supported trees, there was widespread incongruence among individual gene trees. Despite challenges in differentiating hybridization from ILS in situations of recent rapid radiations, our genome-wide analyses detected multiple potential hybridization events in the Holarctic clade, suggesting one possible source of trait variability in this hyperdiverse genus. This study highlights the value in using a pluralistic approach for characterizing genome-scale conflict, even in groups with well-resolved phylogenies, while highlighting current challenges in detecting the specific impacts of hybridization.

Analysis of the diversity and distributional patterns of coleopteran families on a global scale.

Invertebrates make up the majority of all living species on earth. Nevertheless, our understanding of the global distribution of terrestrial biodiversity and regional patterns therein has thus far been almost entirely based on vertebrate and vascular plant patterns. Here we try to provide some information on the global biogeography of the largest invertebrate order, the beetles (Coleoptera). We compile and analyse a database of beetle distributions, containing presence-absence data for 177 coleopteran families across 827 ecoregions. We map family richness and weighted endemism and find the highest values in the Neotropics and Southeast Asia, but also in the temperate northern hemisphere. Important centres of beetle family endemism include the western and southern parts of North America, Central America, temperate South America, Europe, South, Southeast and East Asia, and eastern Australia. A series of UPGMA cluster analyses were used to produce two global regionalisation maps. As analyses on the complete dataset failed to produce contiguous clusters, two sub-datasets were considered. The first one excluded widespread families and family-poor ecoregions, and the second was restricted to endemic-rich ecoregions. The clusters resulting from the first analysis are partly similar to vertebrate- and plant-based regionalisation schemes, with easily discernible and extensive Holarctic and Holotropical regions, but also include numerous smaller regions, mostly in the temperate parts of the southern Hemisphere (Andean, Patagonian, Matorral, New Guinean, New Caledonian, southern African), with Australia split between a tropical and a temperate/subtropical part. New Zealand is not analysed in this reduced dataset, but clusters with New Caledonia in the endemic-rich analysis, where further interesting subdivisions emerge (mainly in East Asia and western North America). We discuss these patterns in the light of coleopteran dispersal and the habitat requirements predominant across the coleopteran phylogeny, while considering the age of beetle families.

Multigene phylogeny of blister beetles (Coleoptera, Meloidae) reveals extensive polyphyly of the tribe Lyttini and allows redefining its boundaries

AbstractMeloidae is a beetle family with about 3000 species divided into three subfamilies and 16 tribes. Included is the tribe Lyttini containing 33 genera and about 400 species. However, the boundaries of Lyttini have proved hard to define since the systematics of this tribe have repeatedly changed. In this study, we investigated the phylogeny of Lyttini and tested for its monophyly based on a comprehensive molecular dataset of mitochondrial (COI and 16S) and nuclear (CAD and 28S) genes including 57 genera and 385 species representing most of the tribes of Meloidae. Further phylogenetic analyses were performed on a reduced taxon set (51 genera and 135 species covering 60% of the generic diversity of Lyttini) in order to maximize the number of loci and minimize missing data. Phylogenetic results strongly supported the monophyly of most of the tribes of the subfamily Meloinae, apart from Lyttini, which is split into 11 phylogenetically distinct lineages scattered throughout the tree. Based on these results, we restrict the tribe Lyttini to the genera Alosimus Mulsant, Lydus Dejan, Lytta Fabricius, Muzimes Mulsant & Rey and Oenas Latreille, all exclusive to the Holarctic region. The relationships among the remaining genera previously included in Lyttini and the other 10 lineages representing ‘non‐Lyttini’ tribes remain to be clarified. This study also provides a number of nomenclatural acts [including Pseudolytta n. stat.; Lytta (Taurilytta) n. subgen.; Lytta (Teratolytta) n.stat.; Mimovesperus resurrected; Denierella = Epicauta n.syn.; Psalydolytta = Epicauta n. syn.] and working hypotheses for future investigations on the systematics of Meloidae.

Folk medicines of Beşpare villages (Artvin-Turkey)

Bu çalışma, 2017-2020 yılları arasında, Artvin ili merkez ilçesine bağlı Beşpare Köyleri olarak bilinen Seyitler, Vezirköy, Ahlat, Varlık ve Salkımlı köylerinde, halk tarafından tıbbi ve aromatik amaçla kullanılan bitki türlerinin yöresel isimleri ve kullanımlarının belirlenmesi, ayrıca bahçelerde yetiştirilen meyve potansiyellerinin tespit edilmesi amacıyla yapılmıştır. Çalışma alanı, 190-3000 m yükseltiler arasında, 7.000 hektar yüzölçümüne sahiptir. Fitocoğrafik açıdan Holarktik bölgenin, Avrupa-Sibirya flora alanının, Öksin kesiminin, Kolşik altkesiminde yer almaktadır. Araştırma alanında, 120 kişiye uygulanan anket sonucunda; 39 familyaya ait 75 bitki türünün yöre halkı tarafından tıbbi ve aromatik amaçlarla kullanıldığı tespit edilmiştir. Anket sonuçları kullanılarak, bilgilendirici konsensüs (FIC-Factor informant consensus), geçerlilik düzeyi (FL-fidelity level) ve kullanım değeri (UV-use value) faktörü analiz edilmiştir. Araştırma alanında tıbbi ve aromatik amaçlarla kullanılan en fazla takson içeren familyalar sırasıyla; Rosaceae (8 takson), Asterecaeae (5 takson), Lamiaceae (4 takson), Apiaceae (4 takson)’dir.

New record of the genus Erannis Hübner, [1825] from India (Lepidoptera: Geometridae, Ennominae)

The genus Erannis Hübner, [1825] is typically known to be distributed in the Holarctic region. The present paper represents the first record of Erannis kashmirensis László, 2003 from India. The species was described from Pakistan and it was previously known exclusively from its type series collected in the NW Himalayas. A brief diagnosis of the habitus, genitalia and photographic illustrations of the species were provided for the validation of the record from India.

Biogeography and Diversification of Bumblebees (Hymenoptera: Apidae), with Emphasis on Neotropical Species

A detailed phylogeny of bumblebees is urgently needed to understand speciation and biogeographic diversification in the Neotropical region. We sequenced autosomal and mtDNA loci from nine Brazilian bumblebee species and compiled it with the data already available to obtain highly resolved phylogenetic trees with fossil-calibrated dates. The ancestral Bombus lineage was estimated to diversify between 47.08 and 34.27 million years ago (Ma) in the Holarctic region, but largely restricted to the eastern Old World. The Neotropical region was initially colonized in the Late Miocene, where bumblebee diversification was shown to be consistent with geologic and climatic events of the Late Cenozoic. Neotropical bumblebees likely originated from Nearctic lineages, which dispersed towards South America after 29 Ma.

A Fossil Humerus of Pliocene Alcidae (Aves: Charadriiformes) from the Fukagawa Group in Hokkaido, Japan

Alcidae (auks) is a family of wing-propelled diving Charadriiformes, which includes 24 extant species distributed in the Holarctic region. Here, we describe a fossil humerus of Pliocene Alcidae (approximately 4.5–3.5 Ma) from the Fukagawa Group in Hokkaido, Japan. Although this specimen is incomplete and the diagnostic characters of the specific genus are lacking, it shares similar characteristics with Uria, such as the size, dorsoventrally compressed humeral shaft, low and smooth crista deltopectoralis, and a nearly rectangular supracoracoideus scar. While several Alcidae fossils have been reported from the Miocene–Pleistocene deposits (23.0–0.0117 Ma) of the Eastern Pacific (i.e., Mexico and California, USA), little is known about fossils from the Western Pacific (i.e., Asia), most of which have been found from Pleistocene deposits (approximately 0.7–0.12 Ma). This study, reporting the first Pliocene Alcidae from the Western Pacific, implies that the Alcidae were already distributed in the Holarctic region during the early Pliocene.

Леонід Портенко (1896–1972) — знаний природник, учасник експедицій в Арктику та на Далекий Схід

A native of Cherkasy Oblast from the family of a Ukrainian surveyor. A world-class naturalist from Ukraine (who is mentioned manipulatively only as a Soviet→Russian zoologist). He began his career in Kyiv in institutions established by the Ukrainian People’s Republic. In 1918, L. Portenko wrote his first articles in Ukrainian and acted as a secretary for several Ukrainian societies. L. Portenko was one of the founders of the Ukrainian Zoological Society and the Ukrainian Zoological Journal. He had participated in expeditions to the Black Sea coast, Carpathians, Siberia, Arctic, and Far East. He was a talented ornithologist, mammalogist, zoogeographer, systematist, expert in museology and conservation, and a self-taught photographer and animal-artist. L. Portenko wintered at Dezhnev Cape and Wrangel Island (Arctic). He considered Dr. P. Sushkin (Kharkiv-Leningrad) and Dr. M. Menzbir (Leningrad) as his teachers. L. Portenko had spent near two-thirds of his life in the former Russian SFSR, and worked manly in the Zoological Institute (Leningrad). He was a doctor and a professor and authored over 170 scientific works, including several monographs. His students were from Ukraine, Russia, and Bulgaria. Among them was the talented ornithologist of the North—Dr. O. Kyshchynsky, who was the son of a Ukrainian who died in the Gulag. This essay examines also the Stalinist repressions in around L. Portenko. The Chukchi’s shrew and the Wrangel’s lemming were named to honour the scientist. Near forty species and subspecies of birds were described and named by Portenko, including some to honour the memory of famous scientists (B. Stegman, M. Menzbir, R. Hecker, etc.), and Chukchi Tayan. He became a classic scientist during his life. Dr. Portenko made a significant contribution to the study of zoogeographical zonation of Podillia (Ukraine) and he proved the unity of vertebrate fauna of the Circumarctic tundra. He justified the need to allocate the Holarctic zoogeographical region. L. Portenko donated dozens of books to the scientific library of the Institute of Zoology (Kyiv). Academician I. Pidoplichko was named by him as a countryman. The memory of Dr. Portenko is honoured in many scientific publications in Ukraine and abroad.

Phylogenetic Reassessment, Taxonomy, and Biogeography of Codinaea and Similar Fungi

The genus Codinaea is a phialidic, dematiaceous hyphomycete known for its intriguing morphology and turbulent taxonomic history. This polyphasic study represents a new, comprehensive view on the taxonomy, systematics, and biogeography of Codinaea and its relatives. Phylogenetic analyses of three nuclear loci confirmed that Codinaea is polyphyletic. The generic concept was emended; it includes four morphotypes that contribute to its morphological complexity. Ancestral inference showed that the evolution of some traits is correlated and that these traits previously used to delimit taxa at the generic level occur in species that were shown to be congeneric. Five lineages of Codinaea-like fungi were recognized and introduced as new genera: Codinaeella, Nimesporella, Stilbochaeta, Tainosphaeriella, and Xyladelphia. Dual DNA barcoding facilitated identification at the species level. Codinaea and its segregates thrive on decaying plants, rarely occurring as endophytes or plant pathogens. Environmental ITS sequences indicate that they are common in bulk soil. The geographic distribution found using GlobalFungi database was consistent with known data. Most species are distributed in either the Holarctic realm or tropical geographic regions. The ancestral climatic zone was temperate, followed by transitions to the tropics; these fungi evolved primarily in Eurasia and Americas, with subsequent transitions to Africa and Australasia.

New Cecidomyiidae from the Lowermost Eocene French amber (Diptera)

Two new Cecidomyiidae are added to the Lowermost Eocene Oise amber fauna: in the Lestremiini, Allarete patriciae sp. nov. and in the Winnertziini, Rhipidoxylomyia rasnitsyni sp. nov. Allarete is widely distributed in the Holarctic, Afrotropical, and Oriental regions, and Rhipidoxylomyia in the Palaearctic and Oriental regions, suggesting ancient origins, which would be confirmed by the present discoveries.