North American Genus Research Articles

Species ofAnillinusCasey (Coleoptera: Carabidae: Trechinae) Described from Brazil and their Relation to North American Representatives of the Genus

We investigated the taxonomic implications of two species of the anilline carabid genus Anillinus Casey described from Brazil, Anillinus minor Zaballos and Mateu and Anillinus magnus Zaballos and Mateu. Comparison of the aedeagus of A. minor to those of North American representatives of the genus led to the conclusion that A. minor should be placed in synonymy with A. steevesi Barr, new synonym, from the southeastern United States. Morphological details of the aedeagus of A. minor suggest affinities with the southern populations of A. steevesi from Georgia, Alabama, and Mississippi. Anillinus magnus is transferred to the North American genus Serranillus Barr, as Serranillus magnus (Zaballos and Mateu), new combination. Evaluation of the possible common origins of the two species represented by the Brazil-labeled specimens suggested that they were originally collected in northwestern Georgia, USA and subsequently mislabeled and described as “Brazilian” species. The type locality of A. steevesi at Cloudland Canyon State Park, Georgia and literature mention of an undescribed species of Serranillus from the same locality constitute strong circumstantial evidence in support of this conclusion.

Review of the genus Sinoe (Lepidoptera: Gelechiidae) with descriptions of two new species

Species of the North American genus Sinoe Chambers, 1873, are reviewed. A neotype for Anacampsis robiniella Fitch,1859, the type species of Sinoe, is designated, and the species is redescribed. A lectotype for S. fuscopalidella Chambers,1873 and a neotype for Gelechia robiniaefoliella Chambers, 1880, both junior synonyms of S. robiniella, are also desig-nated. Two new species, Sinoe chambersi sp. nov. and S. kwakae sp. nov. are described. Adults and male and female gen-italia are illustrated for the three recognized species. Keys to the species are given based on external characters and the genitalia of both sexes.

A continental-wide perspective: the genepool of nuclear encoded ribosomal DNA and single-copy gene sequences in North American Boechera (Brassicaceae).

74 of the currently accepted 111 taxa of the North American genus Boechera (Brassicaceae) were subject to pyhlogenetic reconstruction and network analysis. The dataset comprised 911 accessions for which ITS sequences were analyzed. Phylogenetic analyses yielded largely unresolved trees. Together with the network analysis confirming this result this can be interpreted as an indication for multiple, independent, and rapid diversification events. Network analyses were superimposed with datasets describing i) geographical distribution, ii) taxonomy, iii) reproductive mode, and iv) distribution history based on phylogeographic evidence. Our results provide first direct evidence for enormous reticulate evolution in the entire genus and give further insights into the evolutionary history of this complex genus on a continental scale. In addition two novel single-copy gene markers, orthologues of the Arabidopsis thaliana genes At2g25920 and At3g18900, were analyzed for subsets of taxa and confirmed the findings obtained through the ITS data.

The genus Artemisia (Asteraceae: Anthemideae) at a continental crossroads: Molecular insights into migrations, disjunctions, and reticulations among Old and New World species from a Beringian perspective

Artemisia is the largest genus (ca. 350–500+ spp.) in the tribe Anthemideae and is composed of ecologically, morphologically, and chemically diverse species that are found primarily throughout the Northern Hemisphere. Two major centers of diversity for the genus are located in Eurasia and western North America, but phytogeographic links connecting these two regions are observed all across the North Pacific Rim and adjacent areas in the Arctic, including many islands and archipelagos. Previous phylogenetic studies have helped to clarify major lineages and identify likely sister relationships, but many questions remain unanswered regarding the relationships and migration history of New and Old World species. Here we investigate the phylogenetics of Artemisia within a biogeographic context centered in the Beringian Region and offer new hypotheses concerning species relationships, migration history, and the likely role of reticulate evolution in the genus. Our sampling included many new taxa and emphasized multiple accessions of widespread species, species from proposed refugia, and species with disjunct/vicariant distributions. The ITS phylogeny contained 173 accessions (94 new and 79 from GenBank) and indicated that Artemisia is paraphyletic by the exclusion of several small Asian genera and the North American genus Sphaeromeria. Following a survey of thirteen chloroplast loci, phylogenies based on two plastid markers (psbA–trnH and rpl32–trnL spacers) were constructed with a reduced data set, and though largely consistent with the ITS topology, revealed several cases of possible introgression among New World and Beringian species. Our analysis reveals that North American Artemisia species have multiple origins, and that western North America has served as a source for some colonizing elements in eastern Asia and South America.

A review of the North American genus Epimartyria (Lepidoptera, Micropterigidae) with a discussion of the larval plastron.

The indigenous North American micropterigid genus Epimartyria Walsingham,1898 is revised. Three species are recognized, including Epimartyria auricrinella Walsingham, 1898 which occurs widely over much of the northeastern United States and Canada, a new species, Epimartyria bimaculella Davis & Landry from northwestern United States and Canada, and Epimartyria pardella (Walsingham, 1880) from northern California to northern Oregon. The larva of Epimartyria auricrinella is described in detail, supplemented with illustrations of the external structure of the larval integument. The larval plastron is described and illustrated for Epimartyria, and this is compared with the plastrons of Neomicropteryx Issiki, 1931 and Micropterix Hübner, 1825. COI barcode sequences show that the three species are genetically distinct, congruent with morphological differences. Marked haplotype divergence within some Epimartyria auricrinella populations appears to be unrelated to morphology, geography or phenology.

Thieves in the Night: Kleptoparasitism by Fireflies in the GenusPhoturisDejean (Coleoptera: Lampyridae)

Food theft is a common foraging strategy in birds, and many arthropods steal prey trapped by orb-weaving spiders. Some fireflies (Coleoptera: Lampyridae) within the North American genus Photuris Dejean (Coleoptera: Lampyridae) are specialist predators which actively hunt for and sequester chemical defenses (lucibufagins) from other fireflies. Here we present the first description of kleptoparasitic behavior by female Photuris fireflies, which we have observed stealing wrapped fireflies of the genus Photinus Laporte from spider webs. Photuris females thus appear capable of three distinct foraging strategies: hawking, aggressive flash mimicry, and kleptoparasitism. We discuss some factors that might have favored the evolution of kleptoparasitism by this specialist predator.

New synonymies and combinations in Argyrostrotis Hübner (Lepidoptera, Erebidae, Erebinae, Poaphilini)

After examining the type specimens of species in the eastern North American genus Argyrostrotis the number of known species in the genus is reduced from 10 to six through synonymy. A key to species is included along with illustrations of the adults and genitalia of each species. Three Neotropical species currently included in Argyrostrotis (Argyrostrotis eurysaces Schaus, 1914; Argyrostrotis quadrata Dognin, 1910; and Celiptera surrufula Dyar, 1913) are transferred to other genera as Argyrosticta eurysaces (Schaus, 1914), comb. n. [Noctuidae: Bagisarinae], Heterochroma quadrata (Dognin, 1910), comb. n. [Noctuidae: Amphipyrinae], and Ptichodis surrufula (Dyar, 1913), comb. n. [Erebidae: Erebinae: Euclidiini].

Fossil plotopterid seabirds from the Eo-Oligocene of the Olympic Peninsula (Washington State, USA): descriptions and functional morphology.

The plotopterids (Aves, Plotopteridae) were a group of extinct wing-propelled marine birds that are known from Paleogene-aged sediments (Eocene to Miocene), mostly around the Pacific Rim (especially Japan and the northwest coast of North America). While these birds exhibit a strikingly similar wing morphology to penguins (Spheniscidae), they also share derived characters with pelecaniform birds that are absent in penguins and exhibit apparently superficial similarities with auks (Alcidae: Charadriiformes). Despite quite an abundant fossil record, these birds have been little studied, and in particular their functional morphology remains little understood. Here we present osteological overviews of specimens from the northwest coast of Washington state (USA). We give an amended diagnosis for the well-represented North American genus, Tonsala Olson, 1980, describe a new large species, and examine the functional morphology of plotopterids showing that the ratio of humeral strength to femoral strength is quite low in one well-represented species Tonsala buchanani sp.nov., relative to both extant penguins and alcids. While the femoral strength of Tonsala buchanani is ‘penguin-grade’, its humeral strength is more ‘alcid-grade’. These results have implications for understanding the mode-of-locomotion of these extinct marine birds. Although not related to Spheniscidae, our descriptions and functional results suggest that Tonsala buchanani sustained similar loads in walking, but slightly lower humeral loads during swimming, than a modern penguin. This suggests a swimming mode that is more similar to living alcids, than to the highly-specialised locomotor strategy of living and fossil penguins.

Phylogenetic assessment and biogeographic analyses of tribe Peracarpeae (Campanulaceae)

Peracarpeae is a small tribe consisting of three genera: Homocodon, Heterocodon and Peracarpa, with a disjunct distribution between eastern Asia and western North America. Homocodon is endemic to southwestern China and was previously placed in the western North American genus Heterocodon. Our phylogenetic analysis using four plastid markers (matK, atpB, rbcL and trnL-F) suggests the polyphyly of Peracarpeae. Homocodon is sister to a clade consisting of the eastern Asian Adenophora, Hanabusaya and species of Campanula from the Mediterranean region and North America, rather than forming a clade with Heterocodon. Homocodon and its Eurasia relatives are estimated to have diverged in the early Miocene (16.84 mya, 95% HPD 13.35–21.45 mya). The eastern Asian Peracarpa constitutes a clade with the North American Heterocodon, Githopsis and three species of Campanula, supporting a disjunction between eastern Asia and North America in Campanulaceae. The Asian-North American disjunct lineages diverged in the early Miocene (16.17 mya, 95% HPD 13.12–20.9 mya). The biogeographic analyses suggest that Homocodon may be a relict of an early radiation in eastern Asia, and that Peracarpa and its closest North American relatives most likely originated from a Eurasian ancestor.

Revision and Phylogenetic Analysis of the North American Genus Slaterocoris Wagner with New Synonymy, the Description of Five New Species and a New Genus from Mexico, and a Review of the Genus Scalponotatus Kelton (Heteroptera: Miridae: Orthotylinae)

Abstract The North American genus Slaterocoris Wagner is revised and now contains 32 species. The new genus Josephinus is erected to accommodate three Mexican species, the type species, Slaterocoris reinhardi Carvalho and Schaffner, 1973, along with Scalponotatus albicornis Kelton, 1970, and Scalponotatus capitatus Kelton, 1970. Slaterocoris argenteoides, S. clavatus, S. elongatus, S. maculatus, and S. tanydexios from southern Mexico are described as new. The new combinations Slaterocoris punctatus (Distant, 1893) [Jornandes] and Slaterocoris subalbicans (Distant, 1893) [Jornandes] are proposed resulting in two subjective junior synonyms of Slaterocoris for the monotypic genera, Guerrerocoris Carvalho and China, 1959 and Amulacoris Carvalho and China, 1959, respectively. A review of the genus Scalponotatus Kelton, 1969, provides a new diagnosis and description of the genus and the type species, S. maturus Kelton, 1969, and a checklist of the nine species included in the newly conceived genus. Based on exa...

Conservation Genetics of a Critically Endangered Limpet Genus and Rediscovery of an Extinct Species

BackgroundA third of all known freshwater mollusk extinctions worldwide have occurred within a single medium-sized American drainage. The Mobile River Basin (MRB) of Alabama, a global hotspot of temperate freshwater biodiversity, was intensively industrialized during the 20th century, driving 47 of its 139 endemic mollusk species to extinction. These include the ancylinid limpet Rhodacmea filosa, currently classified as extinct (IUCN Red List), a member of a critically endangered southeastern North American genus reduced to a single known extant population (of R. elatior) in the MRB.Methodology/Principal FindingsWe document here the tripling of known extant populations of this North American limpet genus with the rediscovery of enduring Rhodacmea filosa in a MRB tributary and of R. elatior in its type locality: the Green River, Kentucky, an Ohio River Basin (ORB) tributary. Rhodacmea species are diagnosed using untested conchological traits and we reassessed their systematic and conservation status across both basins using morphometric and genetic characters. Our data corroborated the taxonomic validity of Rhodacmea filosa and we inferred a within-MRB cladogenic origin from a common ancestor bearing the R. elatior shell phenotype. The geographically-isolated MRB and ORB R. elatior populations formed a cryptic species complex: although overlapping morphometrically, they exhibited a pronounced phylogenetic disjunction that greatly exceeded that of within-MRB R. elatior and R. filosa sister species.Conclusions/Significance Rhodacmea filosa, the type species of the genus, is not extinct. It persists in a Coosa River tributary and morphometric and phylogenetic analyses confirm its taxonomic validity. All three surviving populations of the genus Rhodacmea merit specific status. They collectively contain all known survivors of a phylogenetically highly distinctive North American endemic genus and therefore represent a concentrated fraction of continental freshwater gastropod biodiversity. We recommend the establishment of a proactive targeted conservation program that may include their captive propagation and reintroduction.

Phylogenetic relationships of the rare Korean monotypic endemic genus Pentactina Nakai in the tribe Spiraeeae (Rosaceae) based on molecular data

The phylogenetic position of Pentactina Nakai, one of only six endemic genera in the Korean peninsula, has been elusive and difficult to determine due to inaccessibility of plant materials. In this paper, we were able to obtain material from the one and only living collection of Pentactina outside of its native range in North Korea and determined its phylogenetic relationship relative to the other genera within the tribe Spiraeeae (Rosaceae). This paper presents the first molecular phylogeny of the genus Pentactina using both nuclear ribosomal ITS regions as well as chloroplast DNA trnL-trnF intergenic spacers to conduct phylogenetic analyses (maximum parsimony and maximum likelihood) of the Spiraeeae. The ITS and combined data set trees suggest that Pentactina shares its most recent common ancestor with Petrophyton, a small western North American genus, while cpDNA suggests close relationships to Kelseya, Sibiraea, and Petrophyton. Therefore, based on the present molecular sequence data, we suggest that the rare Korean monotypic endemic genus Pentactina possibly has a close relationship with the small western North American genus Petrophyton, although receiving a weak support. In addition, our current study suggests that Pentactina is not part of the large genus Spiraea as previously hypothesized by Hutchinson. Pentactina possess combinations of several morphological features within the Spiraeeae such as an erect shrub habit, simple serrate leaves, and raceme inflorescences, and recognition as a distinct endemic genus in Korea is warranted.

Late Pliocene Glyptodontinae (Xenarthra, Cingulata, Glyptodontidae) of South and North America: Morphology and paleobiogeographical implications in the GABI

Abstract Knowledge of the main aspects of the Great American Biotic Interchange (GABI) concerning the glyptodontine Glyptodontidae (Xenarthra) is very scarce. A bidirectional dispersal process was recently proposed for this clade, with the presence of the North American genus Glyptotherium Osborn recognized in latest Pleistocene sediments of northern South America (Venezuela and Brazil). However, the earliest stages of this paleobiogeographical process remain poorly understood, mainly because of the limited fossil record on this clade in late Pliocene sediments. The goals of this contribution are: a) to present and describe the first record of a glyptodontine glyptodontid from the late Pliocene of northern South America, tentatively assigned to a new species of Boreostemma Carlini et al. Boreostemma ? sp. nov); and b) to analyze its paleobiogeographical implications with respect to the GABI. This new material was recovered from the San Gregorio Formation (late Pliocene, prior the GABI) in northern Venezuela, where it is represented by several osteoderms of the dorsal carapace. A comparison among the three known late Pliocene glyptodontine glyptodontids of a) southern South America Paraglyptodon b) northern South America Boreostemma and c) southern North America ( Glyptotherium ), reveals a series of shared characters between (b) and (c), not present in (a). The most important of these shared characters in (b) and (c) are: all the osteoderms present a great development of the central figure, which is always larger than the peripherals; the sulcus that delimits the central and peripheral figures is narrower and shallower; and all the osteoderms present are relatively thin. This evidence suggests that the lineage of Glyptodontinae which participated in the GABI and subsequently diversified in North America originated in northern South America. Moreover, the evident morphological differences between these glyptodontines with respect to the southern South American forms show a significant separation of both lineages since at least latest Miocene-early Pliocene.

Systematics of the spider genus Neoleptoneta Brignoli, 1972 (Araneae:Leptonetidae) with a discussion of the morphology and relationships for the North American Leptonetidae

A phylogenetic analysis of the spider genus Neoleptoneta Brignoli, 1972 is presented based on molecular sequence variation from three genes (mitochondrial cytochrome c oxidase subunit I, nuclear histone H3 and nuclear 28S rDNA) and including exemplars for all North American leptonetid genera except the ecribellate archoleptonetine Darkoneta. Analysis of concatenated data and independent genes using Bayesian, maximum likelihood and parsimony methods failed to recover Neoleptoneta as monophyletic. The genera Archoleptoneta, Appaleptoneta and Calileptoneta are monophyletic and a sister group relationship is supported between Appaleptoneta and Calileptoneta. Morphological data based on a survey of leptonetid genera using scanning electron and compound light microscopy are discussed and traced on the molecular phylogeny. Images for each North American leptonetine genus are provided, including comparison with Asian and European outgroups. Images of the incertae sedis species Leptoneta brunnea Gertsch, 1974 and Leptoneta sandra Gertsch, 1974 are provided and their generic placement is re-evaluated. Ancestral state reconstruction is used to assess patterns of cave evolution and shows that most species are descended from troglophilic ancestors and that troglobites have evolved at least nine times independently within the North American Leptonetidae. Neoleptoneta is relimited to include seven species restricted to central Mexico including N. bonita (Gertsch, 1974), N. capilla (Gertsch, 1971), N. delicata (Gertsch, 1971), N. limpida (Gertsch, 1974), N. rainesi (Gertsch, 1971) and N. reclusa (Gertsch, 1971) and to include Leptoneta brunnea, giving the new combination N. brunnea (Gertsch, 1974). The remaining species described in Neoleptoneta are placed in three new genera: (1) Chisoneta, gen. nov. from south-western Texas and Nuevo Leon, Mexico, including the four species C. chisosea (Gertsch, 1974), C. isolata (Gertsch, 1971), C. modica (Gertsch, 1974) and C. pecki (Gertsch, 1971), new combinations; (2) Ozarkia, gen. nov. from Arizona and New Mexico north-east to Arkansas, Alabama and Georgia, including the nine species O. alabama (Gertsch, 1974), O. apachea (Gertsch, 1974), O. archeri (Gertsch, 1974), O. arkansa (Gertsch, 1974), O. blanda (Gertsch, 1974), O. georgia (Gertsch, 1974), O. ivei (Gertsch, 1974), O. novaegalleciae (Brignoli, 1979) and O. serena (Gertsch, 1974), new combinations; and (3) Tayshaneta, gen. nov. from Texas south to Coahuila, Mexico, with the eleven species T. anopica (Gertsch, 1974), T. bullis (Cokendolpher, 2004), T. coeca (Chamberlin & Ivie, 1942), T. concinna (Gertsch, 1974), T. devia (Gertsch, 1974), T. furtiva (Gertsch, 1974), T. microps (Gertsch, 1974), T. myopica (Gertsch, 1974), T. paraconcinna (Cokendolpher & Reddell, 2001), T. uvaldea (Gertsch, 1974) and T. valverdae (Gertsch, 1974), new combinations. Leptoneta sandra Gertsch, 1974 cannot be placed in any North American, European or Asian genus and is thus transferred to the new genus Montanineta, gen. nov., giving the new combination Montanineta sandra (Gertsch, 1974).

A new species of Hadrobunus (Opiliones: Sclerosomatidae: Leiobuninae) from the southeastern United States

A new species of harvestman from the endemic North American genus Hadrobunus Banks, 1900 is described. The species, H. fusiformis, differs substantially from known USA species in both somatic and genital morphology, but the male resembles that of H. knighti from northern Mexico in having a long, narrow penis and posteriorly tapered opisthosoma.

Intrapopulation Variation in an Australian Population of the North American Thrips, Bagnalliella yuccae (Thysanoptera: Phlaeothripidae), a New Record from Australia

The genus Bagnalliella Karny is an endemic North American genus of Phlaeothripidae with 7 species associated with the New World plant genus Yucca; 2 Old World species currently placed in the genus are probably not congeneric. The number of sensoria on antennal segments III and IV has been used to distinguish the Bagnalliella species on Yucca, but an invasive population of Bagnalliella yuccae (Hinds) is reported here from Australia, at Brisbane, Queensland, in which the number of sensoria varied between individuals and even between left and right antennae of single individuals. These observations cast considerable doubt on the validity of some of the North American species of Bagnalliella. The Australian population was damaging young leaves of Yucca elephantipes, and indicates the ease with which thrips can be distributed by the horticultural trade.

Discovery of the upper dentition of Barbourofelis whitfordi (Nimravidae, Carnivora) and an evaluation of the genus in California

ABSTRACT The family Nimravidae is a group of cat-like carnivorans that evolved sabertooth forms in parallel to Felidae. The last records of nimravids are represented by species of the North American genus Barbourofelis. Fossils of Barbourofelis found in Clarendonian North American Land Mammal Age (NALMA) deposits of California represent the western-most occurrences of the genus. Here we describe new material of Barbourofelis whitfordi from the late Miocene Dove Spring Formation (12.5–8 Ma) of the northwestern Mojave Desert, southern California, including the first known saber and confirmed upper cheek dentition of the species. Consistent with the delayed canine eruption observed in other Barbourofelis species, the newly discovered permanent cheek teeth are associated with deciduous upper canines. The upper and lower third premolars of B. whitfordi are larger in size relative to the carnassials, and less reduced in cusp morphology than other Barbourofelis species. In this regard, p3 morphology and size in B. whitfordi resemble that of the Eurasian Sansanosmilus more so than its congeneric species. The known stratigraphic range of B. whitfordi within the Dove Spring Formation spans a two-million-year period from 10.5 to 8.4 Ma. Based on a distal humerus described in this study, the record of Barbourofelis in the Dove Spring Formation now extends to the Cl1–Cl2 boundary at ∼12 Ma. A comparison of known Barbourofelis in the United States revealed that the B. morrisi–B. loveorum–B. fricki sequence might represent a single anagenetic lineage, whereas B. whitfordi represents a side lineage contemporaneous with B. morrisi during much of the Clarendonian NALMA.

Revision of the North American Genera Tetracis Guenée and Synonymization of Synaxis Hulst with Descriptions of Three New Species (Lepidoptera: Geometridae: Ennominae)

The genus Synaxis is synonymized with Tetracis. The thirteen North American species in genus Tetracis (some formerly in Synaxis) are discussed, including descriptions of three new species from western North America: Tetracis australis, T. montanaria, T. pallidata. Two additional species, “Synaxis” triangulata and “S.” brunneilinearia are excluded. A key to species, descriptions, check list, illustrations of adults and genitalia, and distribution maps are included. The formerly presumed lost types of the taxa aurantiacaria, cervinaria, and jubararia were located and are illustrated.

Afrotropical and Nearctic genera of Odonata in the French Oligocene: biogeographic and paleoclimatic implications (Insecta: Calopterygidae, Aeshnidae)

New species of the genera Sapho and Epiaeschna are recorded in the Oligocene of Aix- en-Provence, Bouches-du-Rhône, France. Sapho legrandi n. sp. is the third fossil representative of this recent African genus and Epiaeschna pseudoheros n. sp. is the fifth fossil species of this recent North American genus. The fossil species Triaeschna gossi from the Eocene of England, Epacantha magnifica from the Late Oligocene of Kazakhstan, and Mediaeschna matutina from the Oligocene of China, are considered species of Epiaeschna and the three fossil genera Triaeschna Campion 1916, Mediaeschna Zhang 1989, and Epacantha Martynov 1929 are synonymized with Epiaeschna. The closely related genera Umma and Sapho inhabit warm humid forests of Western Africa. Their presence in two Oligocene deposits of France supports the hypothesis of a warm humid palaeoenvironment for Armissan (Aude, France), and Aix-en-Provence.

A new North American genus of Hetaeriinae (Coleoptera: Histeridae), with descriptions of six new species from the U. S. A. and Mexico

A new North American genus of Hetaeriinae (Coleoptera: Histeridae), with descriptions of six new species from the U. S. A. and Mexico