Laurasian Origin Research Articles

Molecular phylogeny and biogeography of the aquatic dance fly subfamily Clinocerinae (Diptera: Empididae)

AbstractThis study presents the first molecular phylogenetic analysis of the Clinocerinae, challenging the traditionally accepted monophyly of this subfamily. DNA was extracted from fresh and museum specimens representing all biogeographical regions. Maximum likelihood (ML) and Bayesian inference (BI) phylogenetic analyses were performed based on sequences from two mitochondrial genes, cytochrome c oxidase subunit I (COI) and cytochrome β, and three nuclear genes, carbomoylphosphate synthase domain of rudimentary, elongation factor‐1α and isocitrate dehydrogenase. Through molecular data and morphological examination, our results reveal a division within Clinocerinae, distinguishing ‘typical’ or Clinocerinae (s.s.) from several genera, specifically Afroclinocera Sinclair, Asymphyloptera Collin and Proagomyia Collin, possibly lending support for a reclassification of these genera outside Clinocerinae. Bergenstammia Mik is proposed as a junior synonym of Phaeobalia Mik, syn. n., and the following new combinations are recognized: Phaeobalia albanica (Wagner) comb. n., Phaeobalia aurinae (Pusch & Wagner) comb. n., Phaeobalia carniolica (Horvat) comb. n., Phaeobalia frigida (Vaillant) comb. n., Phaeobalia glacialis (Palaczyk & Słowińska) comb. n., Phaeobalia multiseta (Strobl) comb. n., Phaeobalia nudimana (Vaillant) comb. n., Phaeobalia nudipes (Loew) comb. n., Phaeobalia pulla (Vaillant & Wagner) comb. n., Phaeobalia pyrenaica (Vaillant & Vinçon) comb. n., Phaeobalia slovaca (Wagner) comb. n. and Phaeobalia thomasi (Vaillant & Vinçon) comb. n. Re‐evaluation of the genus Roederiodes resulted in the following new combinations: Clinocerella macedonicus (Wagner & Horvat) comb. n. and Clinocerella montenegrinus (Wagner & Horvat) comb. n. The origins of Clinocerinae (s.s.) are traced back to the Holarctic region, Laurasian origin, with a likely complex history of dispersal events into the Southern Hemisphere. Based on current knowledge, the greatest generic and species richness is confined to the Palaearctic Region. These findings provide valuable insights into the evolutionary relationships and distribution patterns of Clinocerinae (s.s.), challenging existing taxonomic classifications and shedding light on their historical biogeography.

Eurytemora gracilicauda (Copepoda: Calanoida) in the Russian Arctic

As a result of studying the populations of Eurytemora genus crustaceans from the internal reservoirs of the drainage basin of the White, Pechora Seas, the Lena deltas, Island of Wrangel and Kamchatka peninsula was set that the species Eurytemora gracilicauda is common along the entire northern border of Russian Eurasia. It was shown that the species distribution for populations from the rockpools of the Kandalaksha Bay of the White Sea, from Lake on Kashin Island in the Pechora Sea and from the Lena River Delta was sequentially along the coast of the Arctic. Studies are based on genetic (parts of CO1 and ITS1 genes) and morphological analyzes of the studied populations. The synonymy of the Kamchatka species E. kurenkovi and E. gracilicauda was confirmed by the morphological analysis. Variation coefficients (CV), calculated for the populations of females from the White Sea, the Lena River delta and from the Kamchatka do not exceed 10%, which indicates a low morphological variability of the species. The most widely represented in the genetic analysis, the White Sea population has a low level of genetic variability, which, together with significant tolerance to the fluctuations of salinity in the rockpools in which it lives, may indicate its recent introduction to the region. A phylogenetic reconstruction was not revealed reliable topology for the species E. gracilicauda. It was shown that E. gracilicauda is not related to the affinis group species. Molecular Clocks with use part of CO1 gene and paleontological calibration revealed the speciation of E. gracilicauda species on the Paleocene – Late Cretaceous boundary. We also can hypothesize a Laurasian origin of the Eurytemora genus.

WITHDRAWN: A maned theropod dinosaur from Gondwana with elaborate integumentary structures

Abstract Discoveries of dinosaurs with integumentary structures over the last few decades have revolutionised our understanding of the phylogenetic relationships between birds and dinosaurs as well as the origin and evolution of feathers. A remarkable number of dinosaurs have been discovered with a diverse range of preserved integumentary structures. Several of these dinosaurs are adorned with elaborate integumentary structures that have been linked to behaviours including thermoregulation, egg incubation, and sexual display. Among Theropoda, such elaborate structures have only been previously recorded within Maniraptoriformes. However, elaborate monofilamentous structures are also present in some small ornithischians. The majority of theropods preserving integumental structures come from the Upper Jurassic and Lower Cretaceous of China or the Upper Jurassic of southern Germany, and all are of Laurasian origin. Herein, we describe a new genus and species of compsognathid theropod from the Lower Cretaceous (Aptian) Crato Formation of Northeast Brazil, representing the first Gondwanan non-avian theropod with preserved filamentous integumentary structures. It is also the first non-maniraptoran possessing elaborate integumentary structures that were most likely used for display. These include slender monofilaments associated with the base of the neck, increasing in length along the dorsal thoracic region where they form an impressive mane, as well as a pair of elongate, ribbon-like structures likely emerging from the shoulder. Such elaborate integumentary structures are hitherto unknown in any other dinosaur, although superficially similar elongate display feathers emerge from the carpal region of the male standardwing bird-of-paradise (Semioptera wallacii).

Pythons in the Eocene of Europe reveal a much older divergence of the group in sympatry with boas.

Extant large constrictors, pythons and boas, have a wholly allopatric distribution that has been interpreted largely in terms of vicariance in Gondwana. Here, we describe a stem pythonid based on complete skeletons from the early-middle Eocene of Messel, Germany. The new species is close in age to the divergence of Pythonidae from North American Loxocemus and corroborates a Laurasian origin and dispersal of pythons. Remarkably, it existed in sympatry with the stem boid Eoconstrictor. These occurrences demonstrate that neither dispersal limitation nor strong competitive interactions were decisive in structuring biogeographic patterns early in the history of large, hyper-macrostomatan constrictors and exemplify the synergy between phylogenomic and palaeontological approaches in reconstructing past distributions.

Evolutionary dynamics of rDNA clusters on chromosomes of buthid scorpions (Chelicerata: Arachnida)

Abstract We examined the distribution of genes for major ribosomal RNAs (rDNA) on holokinetic chromosomes of 74 species belonging to 19 genera of scorpions from the family Buthidae using fluorescence in situ hybridization (FISH). Our analysis revealed differences between the two main evolutionary lineages within the family. The genera belonging to the ‘Buthus group’, with a proposed Laurasian origin, possess one pair of rDNA mainly in an interstitial position, with the only exceptions being the terminal location found in some Hottentotta and Buthacus species, possibly as a result of chromosome fissions. All the remaining buthid ‘groups’ possess rDNA found strictly in a terminal position. However, the number of signals may increase from an ancestral state of one pair of rDNA loci to up to seven signals in Reddyanus ceylonensis Kovařík et al., 2016. Despite the differences in evolutionary dynamics of the rDNA clusters between the ‘Buthus group’ and other lineages investigated, we found a high incidence of reciprocal translocations and presence of multivalent associations during meiosis in the majority of the genera studied. These phenomena seem to be typical for the whole family Buthidae.

A Laurasian origin for a pantropical bird radiation is supported by genomic and fossil data (Aves: Coraciiformes).

The evolution of pantropically distributed clades has puzzled palaeo- and neontologists for decades regarding the different hypotheses about where they originated. In this study, we explored how a pantropical distribution arose in a diverse clade with a rich fossil history: the avian order Coraciiformes. This group has played a central role in the debate of the biogeographical history of Neoaves. However, the order lacked a coherent species tree to inform study of its evolutionary dynamics. Here, we present the first complete species tree of Coraciiformes, produced with 4858 ultraconserved elements, which supports two clades: (1) Old World-restricted bee-eaters, rollers and ground-rollers; and (2) New World todies and motmots, and cosmopolitan kingfishers. Our results indicated two pulses of diversification: (1) major lineages of Coraciiformes arose in Laurasia approximately 57 Ma, followed by independent dispersals into equatorial regions, possibly due to tracking tropical habitat into the lower latitudes-the Coracii (Coraciidae + Brachypteraciidae) into the Afrotropics, bee-eaters throughout the Old World tropics, and kingfishers into the Australasian tropics; and (2) diversification of genera in the tropics during the Miocene and Pliocene. Our study supports the important role of Laurasia as the geographical origin of a major pantropical lineage and provides a new framework for comparative analyses in this charismatic bird radiation.

Correction to: Adrift across tectonic plates: molecular phylogenetics supports the ancient Laurasian origin of old limnic crangonyctid amphipods

Correction to: Adrift across tectonic plates: molecular phylogenetics supports the ancient Laurasian origin of old limnic crangonyctid amphipods

An additional new taxon belonging to the small Cretaceous lacewing family Babinskaiidae (Insecta: Neuroptera: Myrmeleontoidea) from the Burmese amber

Babinskaiidae is an extinct lacewing family of the superfamily Myrmeleontoidea. Hitherto, ten species of seven genera are described from the Lower and mid-Cretaceous periods. Here Pseudoneliana makarkini gen. et sp. nov., a new genus and species of Babinskaiidae from the mid-Cretaceous Burmese amber is characterized, described, illustrated and its taxonomic position discussed. Based on the known palaeo-distribution of the family in Brazil and Myanmar of Gondwanian origin, and Siberia of Laurasian origin, we suggest that this family appeared much earlier than the Barremian period, its oldest fossil record.

Adrift across tectonic plates: molecular phylogenetics supports the ancient Laurasian origin of old limnic crangonyctid amphipods

Crangonyctidae is a speciose and almost exclusively freshwater Holarctic family of amphipod crustaceans. Its members inhabit groundwater as well as epigean biotopes with groundwater connections, and often exhibit endemic, relict distributions. Therefore, it has been proposed that this poorly dispersing, yet intercontinentally distributed family must have ancient Mesozoic origins. Here, we test the hypothesis that Crangonyctidae originated before the final break-up of Laurasia at the end of the Cretaceous. We used molecular phylogenetic analyses based on mitochondrial and nuclear markers and incorporated six out of the seven recognized genera. We calculated divergence times using a novel calibration scheme based exclusively on fossils and, for comparison, also applied substitution rates previously inferred for other arthropods. Our results indicate that crangonyctids originated during the Early Cretaceous in a northerly temperate area comprising nowadays North America and Europe, supporting the Laurasian origin hypothesis. Moreover, high latitude lineages were found to be generally older than the ones at lower latitudes, further supporting the boreal origin of the group and its relict biogeography. The estimated substitution rate of 1.773% Ma−1 for the COI marker agrees well with other arthropod rates, making it appropriate for dating divergences at various phylogenetic levels within the Amphipoda. Furthermore, our extensive phylogeny reinforces the polyphyly of the intercontinental genera Crangonyx, Stygobromus, and Synurella, supports the monophyly of Bactrurus, and elucidates the position of Lyurella. We conclude that crangonyctids are an ideal model for testing continental-level vicariance hypotheses and should be in the focus of future phylogenomic studies.

Description of the first sclerogibbid wasp (Hymenoptera: Sclerogibbidae) from Burmese (Myanmar) amber and its phylogenetic significance

Sclerogibbid wasps (Hymenoptera: Chrysidoidea: Sclerogibbidae) are the obligate parasitoids of webspinners (Embiidina) in extant fauna; fossil sclerogibbids are very rare, while fossil webspinners are more abundant. Burmese amber is the oldest Lagerstätte where both diverse webspinners and sclerogibbids are found. In this paper, Sclerogibba cretacica sp. nov. is described from Late Cretaceous Burmese (Myanmar) amber. The new species, assigned to the extant genus Sclerogibba Riggio & De Stefani-Perez, 1888, is the fourth known fossil species of Sclerogibbidae and the first known fossil male of this family. Moreover, this is the first described sclerogibbid wasp from Burmese amber and the first known fossil species of Sclerogibba. Sclerogibba cretacica is similar to extant sclerogibbid wasps with a closed discoidal cell from South-East Asia, but differs in the shape of the discoidal cell and small number of antennomeres (19 only). The phylogenetic significance of this species is discussed. Evolutionary trends in the antennal polymorphism of sclerogibbid wasps since the Cretaceous are outlined. The records of fossil webspinners, their ancestors (Alexrasniidae) and sclerogibbids suggest a Laurasian origin of Sclerogibbidae. The genus Protosclerogibba Olmi, Marletta, Guglielmino & Speranza, 2016 is synonymized with Herpetosphex Arnold, 1940 (Pompilidae) and Protosclerogibba australis Olmi, Marletta, Guglielmino & Speranza, 2016 is synonymized with Herpetosphex staphylinoides Arnold, 1940 (new synonyms).http://zoobank.org/urn:lsid:zoobank.org:pub:8742C684-7937-401C-9958-C6106DB5C378

Phylogeny of the Eocene Aphalarinae (Hemiptera: Psylloidea) from Baltic amber, with description of a new species using X-ray micro-computed tomography scanning, and a new genus synonymy

A new Eocene species of Psylloidea is described from Baltic amber. Eogyropsylla pankowskii Ashe-Jepson & Ouvrard sp. nov., along with E. magna and E. parva, is micro- computed tomography (CT) scanned to produce three-dimensional reconstructions, facilitating the detailed description of its morphology, and updated descriptions of other members of Eogyropsylla. The thoracic structures are described in detail. Eogyropsylla pankowskii may be the first fossil psyllid found excreting honeydew. With the addition of this species, a phylogeny of Eogyropsylla is constructed using a discrete character matrix of morphological characters. These characters have been collected from the micro-CT scans, from direct observation, and from published literature for all known members of the genus. Parascenia weitschati Klimaszewski, 1997 appears wrongly classified in a separate genus based on male genitalia characters only, and we conclude that Parascenia Klimaszewski, 1997 is a junior synonym of Eogyropsylla Klimaszewski, 1993. Eogyropsylla now contains eight species, with Eogyropsylla weitschati comb. nov. being the only known male of the genus. The assignment of Eogyropsylla to Aphalarinae is confirmed. This genus branches basally in the aphalarine cladogram, as sister group to Colposcenia. The early evolution and Laurasian origin of the oldest known modern Psylloidea is discussed. This study demonstrates that micro-CT techniques are an invaluable tool for palaeontology and entomology.http://zoobank.org/urn:lsid:zoobank.org:pub:DAF44D3D-4C64-41E3-B525-E9E158302CC9

Increases in sampling support the southern Gondwanan hypothesis for the origin of dinosaurs

AbstractDinosaurs were ubiquitous in terrestrial ecosystems through most of the Mesozoic and are still diversely represented in the modern fauna in the form of birds. Recent efforts to better understand the origins of the group have resulted in the discovery of many new species of early dinosaur and their closest relatives (dinosauromorphs). In addition, recent re‐examinations of early dinosaur phylogeny have highlighted uncertainties regarding the interrelationships of the main dinosaur lineages (Sauropodomorpha, Theropoda and Ornithischia), and questioned the traditional hypothesis that the group originated in South Gondwana and gradually dispersed over Pangaea. Here, we use an historical approach to examine the impact of new fossil discoveries and changing phylogenetic hypotheses on biogeographical scenarios for dinosaur origins over 20 years of research time, and analyse the results in the light of different fossil record sampling regimes. Our results consistently optimize South Gondwana as the ancestral area for Dinosauria, as well as for more inclusive clades including Dinosauromorpha, and show that this hypothesis is robust to increased taxonomic and geographic sampling and divergent phylogenetic results. Our results do not find any support for the recently proposed Laurasian origin of dinosaurs and suggest that a southern Gondwanan origin is by far the most plausible given our current knowledge of the diversity of early dinosaurs and non‐dinosaurian dinosauromorphs.

Reclassification of Lamprotula rochechouartii as Margaritifera rochechouartiicomb. nov. (Bivalvia: Margaritiferidae) revealed by time-calibrated multi-locus phylogenetic analyses and mitochondrial phylogenomics of Unionoida

The family Margaritiferidae encompasses 12 valid species, which are distributed widely but disjunctively in the Northern Hemisphere. A lack of a well resolved and temporally calibrated phylogenetic framework of Margaritiferidae has made it difficult to discuss the evolutionary pattern and process. Phylogenetic relationships between five major clades, which were revealed in earlier studies, remain elusive and unresolved. Lamprotula rochechouartii has long been classified within the family Unionidae based on shell morphology, but our preliminary molecular study on this species made us hypothesize that it has an affinity with margaritiferids. Hence, five loci (COI, 16S, 18S, 28S and histone H3) were used to investigate the phylogenetic position of L. rochechouartii and intra-familial relationships within Margaritiferidae using various partitioning strategies. Moreover, two mitochondrial genomes were newly obtained to further resolve and validate the five-clade relationships within Margaritiferidae in a broad view of Unionoida evolution. Both five-gene and mitogenome datasets strongly advocated treating Lamprotula rochechouartii as Margaritifera rochechouartiicomb. nov. Maximum likelihood and Bayesian inference analyses using partitioned five-gene dataset resulted in various topologies, but five well-supported clades were obtained. The most probable cladistic relationships generated by five-gene dataset analyses were identical to subsequent whole mitogenome analyses except the position of M. monodonta. M. rochechouartii and M. laosensis had a well-supported sister relationship and formed a basal clade splitting from the rest of the family. Based on six reliable fossils, crown age of the extant Margaritiferidae was estimated during the Late Cretaceous at 88.3 Ma (95% HPD = 66.2–117.4). But we hypothesized a much earlier origin of this family due to the Permian stem age (mean = 257 Ma, 95% HPD = 230.0–296.0) and a high extinction rate in the whole order. Biogeographic scenarios supported a Laurasian origin of extant Margaritiferidae during the Late Cretaceous, and suggested that Asian margaritiferids may have had two origins, having either Asia (M. rochechouartii, M. laosensis) or North America (M. dahurica, M. laevis, and M. middendorffi) as ancestral. The newly added Margaritiferidae species M. rochechouartii expands our recognized distribution range of modern margaritiferids. Our results indicate that whole mitogenome sequences can be used to reconstruct robust phylogenetic relationships for freshwater mussels, especially with the help of adding M-type mitogenomes.

Evolutionary and paleobiological implications of Coleoptera (Insecta) from Tethyan-influenced Cretaceous ambers

The intense study of coleopteran inclusions from Spanish (Albian in age) and French (Albian–Santonian in age) Cretaceous ambers, both of Laurasian origin, has revealed that the majority of samples belong to the Polyphaga suborder and, in contrast to the case of the compression fossils, only one family of Archostemata, one of Adephaga, and no Myxophaga suborders are represented. A total of 30 families from Spain and 16 families from France have been identified (with almost twice bioinclusions identified in Spain than in France); 13 of these families have their most ancient representatives within these ambers. A similar study had previously only been performed on Lebanese ambers (Barremian in age and Gondwanan in origin), recording 36 coleopteran families. Few lists of taxa were available for Myanmar (Burmese) amber (early Cenomanian in age and Laurasian in origin). Coleopteran families found in Cretaceous ambers share with their modern relatives mainly saproxylic and detritivorous habits in the larval or adult stages, rather than wood-boring behavior. Fifteen of the coleopteran families occur in both the Lebanese and Spanish ambers; while only five are present in both Spanish and French. Considering the paleogeographic proximity and similarity of age of the Spanish and French ambers, the small number of taxa found in common at both areas is surprising. The ancient origin for the Lebanese and Spanish ambers, the paleogeography (including some barriers for terrestrial biota) and the local paleohabitats are factors that may explain the dissimilarity with the French specimens. Wildfires are believed to be a more likely cause of resin production during the Cretaceous than infestation by beetles. Current knowledge of the beetle species found in the Cretaceous ambers is introduced.

The hypothesis of the laurasian origin of iguanomorphan lizards in the light of new paleontological data

The hypothesis of the initial distribution of iguanomorphan (Iguanidae s.l.) lizards on the territory of the ancient continent Laurasia is represented for the first time in detail. It proposes the formation of two subcentres of geographic origin for this group. The first one is East Laurasia (Central Asia and South-East Asia), associated with an initial expantion of Phrynosomatoidea. The second is West Laurasia (North America), associated with the appearance of Iguanoidea. Refs 8. Figs 1.

Late Cretaceous (Maastrichtian) amphibians and squamates from northeastern Iberia

Maastrichtian biodiversity of medium- and large-sized terrestrial vertebrates is well known in Europe and, specifically, in the Iberian Peninsula. Regarding small-sized herpetofaunas (lissamphibians and squamates), only a few European sites have yielded a significant amount of fossils, and they are still poorly known from the Iberian Peninsula. Recent fieldwork carried out at several sites exposing the Tremp Formation (Southern Pyrenees) has revealed four new localities yielding microvertebrates. Two of them (L'Espinau and Serrat del Rostiar-1) are relatively diverse in herpetofauna, containing albanerpetontids, four different anurans (two different alytids, a pelobatid or gobiatid and a palaeobatrachid), as well as six types of squamates (including scincomorphs, iguanids, anguids and probably gekkotans). Most of these groups are shared with other Campanian-Maastrichtian localities from eastern Iberia although, in some cases, morphological differences might suggest the presence of new lower-level taxa (i.e., genera or species). Also remarkable is the presence of alytines and likely gekkotans that would represent the oldest records of these taxa in Europe and in the Iberian Peninsula, respectively. Taxa of Laurasian origin are common at the Serrat del Rostiar-1 and L'Espinau localities, while Gondwanan taxa are lacking in all cases. Evidence for Asian immigrants (i.e., alytines) is found amongst anurans. Some differences regarding the faunal composition could be explained by environmental factors (i.e., coastal wetlands vs. fluvial settings), although the possibility of taphonomic biases cannot be ruled out.

First fossil record of Caliscelidae (Hemiptera: Fulgoroidea): a new Early Miocene Dominican amber genus extends the distribution of Augilini to the Neotropics

A new extinct genus and new species, Quizqueiplana alexbrowni gen. et sp. nov. of the tribe Augilini Baker belonging to the family Caliscelidae Amyot & Serville (Hemiptera, Fulgoromorpha, Fulgoroidea), is described from Early Miocene Dominican amber. This is the first fossil record of this planthopper family and an unexpected occurrence of the tribe Augilini from the Neotropical region. Augilini are only known from extant taxa in South-East Asia and Madagascar, as shown in a checklist of taxa in the tribe with their distributions. Biogeographical consequences for the Augilini lineage, now with a so-called Gondwanian disjunction pattern, are discussed. Host-plant data suggest that ancestral Augilini fed on Bambusoideae. A Late Palaeocene Laurasian origin for the lineage with later dispersal events, or an older Indo-Malagasian lineage with an early vicariance and later dispersion events, remain two possible explanations of the origin of the Augilini.http://zoobank.org/urn:lsid:zoobank.org:pub:A5307860-2947-4EBA-BD12-E71E78CC535E

A review of the systematics and taxonomy of Pythonidae: an ancient serpent lineage

Here we review research over the past quarter century regarding the systematics and taxonomy of an ancient, popular and economically valuable group of snakes referred to as pythons (Serpentes, Pythonidae). All recent phylogenetic studies recognize the pythons as monophyletic; however, the phylogenetic relationships at supraspecific levels are conflicting, and many of the relationships recovered are paraphyletic. We identify several taxonomic changes as necessary to clarify supraspecific relationships and which resolve the issue of paraphyly recovered in several studies. Overall, our review of the phylogenetic systematics of pythons points to considerable incongruence among recovered relationships. Instances of paraphyly emerge, low node support is detected, and terminal taxa are unstable across phylogenetic hypotheses. We thus recognize that pythonid gene trees have been unable, for various reasons, to reveal the true species tree. This occurrence is not unexpected and can arise from incomplete taxon sampling, long-branch attraction and repulsion, homoplasy, ancestral polymorphism, and, more notably, the anomaly zone. These phenomena ultimately yield incomplete lineage sorting, or the failure of lineages to coalesce over evolutionary time. We discuss future directions to resolve these troubling issues. Without resolution, adaptive hypotheses about pythons will be limited, including hypotheses of geographic origin. Analyses that recover the clade Python as sister to the Indo-Australian clade are interpreted to support a Laurasian origin of Pythonidae. In contrast, a Gondwanan origin is supported when the Indo-Australian clade is recovered as basal to the Python clade. We describe the morphology of two recently proposed genera. Finally, we designate and describe the neotype for Morelia azurea and offer a list of the currently accepted python species and their taxonomy.

The complete mitochondrial genome of Temminck's ground pangolin (Smutsia temminckii; Smuts, 1832) and phylogenetic position of the Pholidota (Weber, 1904)

Temmincki's ground pangolin is primarily a nocturnal mammal belonging to the order Pholidota. The body is covered in hard overlapping scales and these animals find refuge in burrows, feeding only on termites and ants. In this study, the whole mtDNA of Temmincki's ground pangolin was sequenced and the phylogenetic position of Pholidota determined within Eutheria, using whole mtDNA sequences from various representative species. The results indicate that the whole mtDNA of Temmincki's ground pangolin is 16,559bp long and shared some similarities with the whole mtDNA of the back-bellied tree pangolin and the Chinese pangolin. Phylogenetic analysis indicate that the order Pholidota is closely related and share a recent common ancestor with the order Carnivora rather than with the ant/insect eating order Xenarthra and the group Afrotheria. A time measured phylogeny of Pholidota estimated a split from Carnivora at around 87mya, followed by a split of the African pangolins from their Asian counterparts such as the Chinese pangolin at around 47mya. This suggests a Laurasian origin and convergent evolution of the Pholidota with respect to Xenarthra and Afrotheria.

Climate effects on amphibian distributions depend on phylogenetic resolution and the biogeographical history of taxa

AbstractAimDisentangling the effects of climate and historical factors on biodiversity distribution remains a challenge for biogeographers. Here, we provide an analytical framework to discriminate the contributions of contemporary climate and the biogeographical history of taxa to the geographical distributions of phylogenetic lineages. Furthermore, we evaluate the constraint that the biogeographical history of clades exerts on the association between climate and clade distribution, i.e. the historical legacy of climatic effects. As a case study, we analysed the distributions of amphibian lineages across the Americas.LocationThe Americas.MethodsWe tallied the number of amphibian species per genus in each of 262 ecoregions. Each ecoregion was described by the composition of phylogenetic lineages using phylogenetic fuzzy weighting. The composition of amphibian genera and phylogenetic clades represented the distributions of shallow and deep phylogenetic nodes, respectively. We characterized each ecoregion by the biogeographical history of amphibian taxa and its current climate, whose influences on shallow and deep phylogenetic nodes were analysed using variation partitioning analysis.ResultsThe association between climate and the distributions of deep phylogenetic nodes showed a strong historical legacy, although the distribution of amphibian genera was mostly associated with climate. Hyloidea were associated with a Gondwanan origin and higher annual mean temperatures, whereas other clades (e.g. Caudata) were related to a Laurasian origin and higher temperature seasonality. Microhylidae were related to occurrence in the Early Jurassic in Gondwana and recent occurrence in the Neotropics.Main conclusionsBiogeographical patterns can be thought of as the net outcome of evolutionary, historical and ecological processes. Although temperature is likely to affect the ecology of amphibians, the effects of climate on the distributions of deep phylogenetic nodes were strongly constrained by the biogeographical history of clades. Nevertheless, local, climatically driven processes are likely to influence the distributions of shallow phylogenetic nodes. The historical biogeography of clades might help to explain the interplay between evolutionary and environmental processes in determining assembly patterns found elsewhere.