Synapomorphic Characters Research Articles

Integrative taxonomy of Gymnobela and Pontiothauma (Conoidea: Raphitomidae) from Australian waters provides more evidence of transoceanic distribution in deep-sea gastropods

ABSTRACT The deep-sea raphitomid genus Gymnobela Verrill, 1884 (Neogastropoda: Conoidea) has historically been a container for a multitude of raphitomid species, assigned to this genus almost exclusively based on shell characters. Consequently, the genus has become taxonomically inflated. However, a 2021 molecular study redefined Gymnobela and taxonomically revised the genus. Herein, we present an integrative taxonomic study that, mainly based on samples from Australian waters, further defines this problematic genus, as well as the closely related genus Pontiothauma E.A. Smith, 1895. An automatic barcode gap discovery (ABGD) analysis of three mitochondrial genes resulted in six primary species hypotheses (four in Gymnobela and two in Pontiothauma). We recognised morpho-anatomical and bathymetric/geographical characters distinct to all six and found available names for four; we name one new species, Pontiothauma transregna sp. n., but abstain from naming one presumably unnamed Pontiothauma due to a lack of well-preserved adult specimen material. We provide clear synapomorphic characters unique to both Gymnobela and Pontiothauma, notably those of the radula. Furthermore, we present the first evidence supported by molecular data of a transoceanic distribution among the raphitomids, namely in Gymnobela angulosa Sysoev, 1988. Additionally, we recognise non-molecular evidence that might indicate similarly wide distributions in Gymnobela agasizzi (Verrill and Smith, 1880), Gymnobela engonia Verrill, 1884 and Gymnobela frielei Verrill, 1885. Consequently, and to avoid taxonomic splitting, we herein advocate for wide-ranging investigation of worldwide material when conducting taxonomic studies on deep-sea conoideans, due to growing evidence of transoceanic distributions in the group. Finally, through an exhaustive search of worldwide repositories and the literature, and in conjunction with our molecular, morpho-anatomical and bathymetric/geographical data, we have reassigned 16 species from Gymnobela to other genera within the family Raphitomidae. http://www.zoobank.org/urn:lsid:zoobank.org:pub:14347001-685D-4DF3-83D7-970E94D43815

Evolution of vegetative morphoanatomical characters in Pabstiella (Pleurothallidinae: Orchidaceae)

The subtribe Pleurothallidinae encompasses approximately 48 genera, with Pabstiella standing out due to its 133 species, many of which are found in Brazil's Atlantic Forest. Molecular data strongly support the genus and its ten sections. However, only a few species have been anatomically described, and a comprehensive characterization of the genus for comparative purposes is still needed. Our study aimed to examine the main vegetative morphoanatomical characters of the root, stem, and leaves, and analyze their evolution based on the phylogeny of the genus. We analysed root, stem, and leaf samples from 57 species using light and scanning electron microscopy. We selected 35 characters and mapped them onto the molecular phylogeny. Pabstiella exhibits homogeneous leaf anatomy, with aquiferous tissue on both sides and chlorophyllous parenchyma in the middle, aligned with vascular bundles. The ramicaul anatomy displays a simple epidermis with primary or secondary walls, a simple to stratified hypodermis, a parenchymatous or aerenchymatous cortex, and a sheath of sclerenchyma surrounding the vascular bundles. The roots endovelamen cells are larger than those in the epivelamen, reticulated tilosomes of varying morphotypes, and giant cells in the cortex. Despite the common occurrence of homoplasy among vegetative traits, particularly in the leaves, our analyses revealed several synapomorphies for the genus. These include the presence of giant cells in the root cortex, endovelamen cells larger than those of the epivelamen, a specific distribution pattern of tilosomes, and 2–3 layers of aquifer tissue on the adaxial face of the leaf. Additionally, for the Pabstiella section, a lignified stem epidermis wall is a synapomorphic character state. Our findings demonstrate that vegetative morpho-anatomy is a useful diagnostic character for generic and infrageneric categories within the genus. When analysed from a phylogenetic perspective, it contributes to our comparative understanding of the genus.

Indel variation in the mitochondrial ND5 region supports monophyly of the tribe Hippoglossoidini (sensu Vinnikov et al. 2018) within the family Pleuronectidae

AbstractIndel (insertion–deletion) events observed in the genome represent irreversible mutational processes, making indel regions crucial characteristics for discussing phylogenetic relationships. The tribe Hippoglossoidini is a recently proposed taxonomic group based on the molecular phylogenetic analyses of both mitochondrial (mt) and nuclear DNA sequences. However, no synapomorphic characteristics have been identified within this tribe, either morphologically or molecularly. In the present study, we sequenced the ND5 region of mtDNA in the righteye flounder species and conducted interspecific comparisons. We found a 12 bp indel immediately upstream of the stop codon in the ND5 region. A comparative analysis of this region with outgroup species from the Paralichthyidae revealed that the indel was a unique insertion shared by the common ancestor of the Hippoglossoidini species, providing irreversible evidence to support the monophyly of this taxonomic group (synapomorphic characters).

Thaigardenia (Rubiaceae: Gardenieae), a new genus distributed from Thailand to South China

Identified as Gardenia over a century ago, three known species from Thailand to south China differ considerably from typical members of that genus, from which growth habits, aspects of branch architecture and corolla shape set them apart. They form a new genus, here named Thaigardenia, the species of which are scrambling to thicket-forming shrubs to sometimes treelets or small trees. They have typically unequal (asymmetric) development of each internode that offsets what began as opposite pairs of axillary buds (and potential axillary branches) from subtending leaf axils at the same level, and small infundibular corollas with insignificant tubular bases. In contrast, typical Gardenia are non-scrambling shrubs or trees, often have extra-axillary buds or branches that consistently continue to develop at the same level (i.e., remaining opposite); and showy hypocrateriform (salverform) corollas with elongate tubular bases. The unequal development of different sides of an internode that brings an initially opposite pair of axillary buds (branches) to different levels, so that they do not appear paired subsequently, is, as far as is known, unique and unknown in other Rubiaceae or opposite-leaved plants; this shared feature is a key synapomorphic character for species of the newly recognised genus.

The first adocid turtle in South Korea (Lower Cretaceous) and the early evolution of the Adocidae

An adocid turtle was collected from the Lower Cretaceous Hasandong Formation, representing the first occurrence of the Adocidae in South Korea. The specimens consist of moderately preserved hard shells (carapace and plastron) with a limb bone (humerus). They turned out to be a new taxon named Proadocus hadongensis, gen. et sp. nov., characterized by combining synapomorphic characters of adocids and primitive characters ancestrally retained from basal pantrionychians. The pattern of marginal scales extension and pygal shape are shared with Sinaspideretes wimani and Basilochelys macrobios, the basal pantrionychian taxa of the Late Jurassic–Early Cretaceous in Southeast Asia. A cladistic analysis places it as the most basal taxon in Adocidae. Such phylogenetic position of Proadocus involves important implications about the origin and early evolution of the Adocidae. First, Proadocus supports the Southeast Asian origin of this family. Secondly, a new paleobiogeographic analysis, including Proadocus in Korea, requests a new interpretation of the adocid diversification and dispersion in East Asia during the Early Cretaceous.

A new species of Acarnus Gray, 1867 (Porifera, Demospongiae, Acarnidae) from NE Brazil.

The synapomorphic character of the genus Acarnus Gray, 1867 is the presence of the cladotylote spicule. Acarnus has 27 valid species worldwide, including five species reported from the Brazilian coast: A. innominatus Gray, 1867, A. nicoleae van Soest, Hooper & Hiemstra, 1991, A. souriei (Lévi, 1952), A. radovani (Boury-Esnault, 1973) and A. toxeata Boury-Esnault, 1973. Here we will describe A. microxeatus sp. nov., whose diagnosis is the presence of smooth microxeas and acanthoxeas, new characters for the genus. We also provide a complete characterization of the skeletal architecture and spicule morphology of A. toxeata, with scanning electron microscopy image (SEM) of the spicule set.

What came first, the shark or the egg? Discovery of a new species of deepwater shark by investigation of egg case morphology.

Apristurus ovicorrugatus, a new species of deepwater catshark, is described from northwestern Australia. Unique egg cases belonging to an unknown species of Apristurus prompted a more detailed investigation of Apristurus specimens off northwestern Australia. One specimen previously identified as A. sinensis collected off Dampier Archipelago was found gravid with a single egg case. Removal of this egg case confirmed that this species was responsible for producing the unique egg cases previously recorded. The egg cases of this species have strong T-shaped longitudinal ridges on the dorsal and ventral surfaces which are unique in the genus Apristurus. The ridges most closely resemble those present in Bythaelurus canescens from South America, but are larger and always T-shaped. The holotype is closest morphologically to A. sinensis but differs in having a medium brown buccal cavity (vs. jet black), ridged egg cases (vs. smooth egg cases), fewer intestinal spiral valve turns and larger pectoral fins. The holotype is also similar, and closest on a molecular level, to A. nakayai with which it shares a unique synapomorphic character, the white shiny iris (apomorphic within the genus). A late-term embryo removed from an egg case superficially resembled the holotype except in having two parallel rows of enlarged dermal denticles on the dorsolateral predorsal surface. Recent nomenclatural changes to the genera Apristurus and Pentanchus are discussed and challenged. This study highlights the important contribution that egg case morphology has on oviparous elasmobranch taxonomy.

Litthabitellidae: a new family of the Truncatelloidea (Mollusca: Caenogastropoda)

ABSTRACT The gastropod genus Litthabitella Boeters, 1970, type species L. chilodia Westerlund, 1886, inhabits mainly freshwater springs in the coastal regions of the Balkan Peninsula from Greece to Slovenia, southern Italy and the Ionian Islands. These snails are minute and show several synapomorphic character states, such as: broadly ovate osphradium, gonopore deep inside the mantle cavity, thickened circular oviduct, distal termination of the penis wide with a sharp and short lateral filament and two flat, cockscomb-like, four-folded lobes. These characters justify a family rank for the taxon. Three molecular loci – mitochondrial cytochrome oxidase subunit I, nuclear 18S and histone H3 – also confirm the distinctiveness of the Litthabitellidae fam. nov. Analysis of molecular data indicates an estimated time of origin in the Late Miocene (Tortonian) and supports its position as the sister clade of the Hydrobiidae. The shells, protoconchs, radulae, operculum, some histology, female reproductive organs and penis are herein illustrated and described. Molecular data presented for 10 studied populations, confirmed partly by morphological characters, indicate four distinct taxa of species rank. Three species are described: Litthabitella aquaadcrucem sp. nov., Litthabitella cetinensis sp. nov. and Litthabitella levkadensis sp. nov. http://www.zoobank.org/urn:lsid:zoobank.org:pub:A8E1F6A7-EEAE-4B8D-A82D-19A7144283C6 http://www.zoobank.org/urn:lsid:zoobank.org:pub:2ABE7402-A94B-4289-BD15-E98F5C147B2E http://www.zoobank.org/urn:lsid:zoobank.org:pub:10089647-36C6-4773-8E7F-AA0D5BB02833 http://www.zoobank.org/urn:lsid:zoobank.org:pub:714ABC27-992E-454F-B8A6-1006A5BD7D2A

Genome-wide and expression analyses of MADS-box genes in the tetraploid Coffea arabica L. and its diploid parental subgenomes

MADS-box is a family of transcription factors widely found in different kingdoms and essential for plant development. Understanding the evolution and functioning of such genes in developmental processes is essential to develop more adapted crops and guarantee food production. However, genome-wide analyses of MADS-box genes are poorly explored in tropical perennial species with complex phenological cycles and floral synapomorphic characters, such as Coffea sp. Moreover, Coffea arabica L. is unique in its genre being the only autogamous and tetraploid species, formed from the hybridization of the parental diploid genomes C. canephora and C. eugenioides, offering an opportunity to study recent ploidization and functionalization events. Here, we identified a total of 102 MADS-box unigenes in Coffea sp., being 81 unpublished. They were classified into Type I and II proteins (MIKC* and MIKCC), 42 and 60 respectively, and categorized in the currently described subgroups. A chromosomal map revealed an irregular distribution and low positional variation of genes between homologous parental chromosomes. Gene structure analysis showed higher similarity for genes closely related, but a variable number of introns and its lengths between distant ones. Next, in order to provide functional insights, we determined the expression profiles of these genes in RNA-Seq libraries of different coffee tissues. Transcripts relative to Type II proteins presented a broader expression pattern than Type I, with low expression values and restricted to specific libraries. Thus, our work contributed to elucidating the evolutionary history of MADS-box genes in Rubiaceae, providing perspectives to functional studies and useful to direct breeding programs.

Taxonomic review of the genus Stenocaris Sars (Copepoda, Harpacticoida, Cylindropsyllidae), with (re)descriptions of two Stenocaris species from the Far East.

The taxonomic concept of the genus Stenocaris Sars, 1909 is uncertain because none of the synapomorphies for the species of Stenocaris are defined. Detailed comparison of previous records of Stenocaris minor (T. Scott, 1892) from different localities reveals that this species represents a species complex composed of two species, S. minor s. str. and S. minor sensu Cottarelli & Venanzetti, 1989. Because the latter species has fundamental differences in the nature of the fifth leg in females and the sexual dimorphism of the second leg in males, we propose a new species for S. minor sensu Cottarelli & Venanzetti, 1989, S. figaroloensis sp. nov. We also suggest that S. minor sensu Apostolov, 1971, S. minor sensu Marinov, 1971, and S. minor sensu Apostolov & Marinov, 1988 from the Black Sea and S. minor sensu Wilson, 1932 from North America should be relegated to species inquirenda in the genus. Taxonomic review of the morphology of all Stenocaris species indicated that the generic concept must be restricted to accommodate S. minor s. str., S. gracilis Sars, 1909, S. intermedia Itô, 1972, S. figaroloensis sp. nov., and the South Korean new species, S. marcida sp. nov., based on the synapomorphic condition of the confluent fifth leg in males. As a result of our analysis, two Stenocaris species, S. baltica Arlt, 1983 and S. pygmaea Noodt, 1955, are transferred to the genus Vermicaris Kornev & Chertoprud, 2008 as V. baltica (Arlt, 1983) comb. nov. and V. pygmaea (Noodt, 1955) comb. nov. based on the synapomorphic characters of a reduced condition of the second and fifth legs. Additionally, S. arenicola Wilson, 1932 and S. kliei (Kunz, 1938) are allocated to a new genus, Huysicaris gen. nov., mainly characterized by obvious caudal rami with a recurved dorsal spinous process and convex inner margins, as H. arenicola (Wilson, 1932) comb. nov. and H. kliei (Kunz, 1938) comb. nov. A marine interstitial harpacticoid collected from the subtidal substrate off Dok-do Island in the East Sea of South Korea is proposed as S. marcida sp. nov. and the distribution of S. intermedia, originally known from its type locality in Japanese waters only, is extended to the East Sea of Korea and Russia. We provide their detailed descriptions and illustrations and discuss the morphological characters supporting their identities.

New species of Farlowella (Siluriformes: Loricariidae) from the rio Tapajós basin, Pará, Brazil

Abstract A new species of stick-catfish Farlowella is described from streams of the lower rio Tapajós drainage, in Pará State, northern Brazil. The new species is distinguished from all congeners by a naked gular region (vs. gular region with plates) and from most congeners by the presence of five lateral series of plate rows on anterior region of body (vs. four). The new species shows variation in the series of abdominal plates and a discussion on the variation of abdominal plates within Farlowella is made and comments on synapomorphic characters in Farlowellini.

Toward a New Classification of Planthoppers Hemiptera Fulgoromorpha: 1. What Do Fulgoridiidae Really Cover?

The basal classification of planthoppers (Hemiptera Fulgoromorpha) is revised. The wrinkled ambient vein (appendix) on the fore wing is given as an apomorphic character for the Fulgoromorpha for which the Pennsylvanian, Moscovian genus Aviorrhyncha (310 Mya), Aviorrhynchidae, is the oldest representative to date. All other planthopper taxa belong to the informal eucixioidean lineage. Coleoscytoidea and Surijokocixiioidea are downgraded to the family level. Permian genus Reticulocicada is formally transferred from Hemiptera incertae sedis to Coleoscytidae. Fulgoridiidae are reviewed and upgraded to superfamily Fulgoridioidea superfam. nov. Superfamilies Fulgoroidea stat. nov. includes all extant families, except families Cixiidae, Delphacidae, and Lalacidae grouped into Cixioidea superfam. nov., while Jubisentidae, Mimarachnidae, Neazoniidae and Perforissidae remain incertae sedis families in the eucixioidean lineage. Rather than being seen as a “stratigraphic taxon” (e.g., all Jurassic planthoppers belong to Fulgorididiidae), monophyly of Fulgoridioidea is confirmed, based on a complex synapomorphic character: posterior branches of the CuA aligned in series along the CuP, arising from two successive prenodal nodes, and whose anterior branches emerge distinctly anteriorly. Accordingly, the taxonomic composition of Fulgoridioidea includes: 1) Fulgoridiidae (restricted to genera Cixiites, Eofulgoridium, Stonymetopus, Fulgoridium (type genus) and Valvifulgoria, 2) the already described families: Jurassic Qiyangiricaniidae, Triassic Szeiinidae, mid-Cretaceous taxa Dorytocidae, Inoderbidae, Katlasidae; 3) several incertae sedis genera transferred from Perforissidae: Aafrita, Aonikenkissus, Foveopsis, Iberofoveopsis, Lanlakawa, aberrant paratype specimen of Tsaganema oshanini, and genus Aulieezidium excluded from Fulgoridiidae, and 4) the Eocene taxa Weiwoboidae and genus Emiliana transferred from Tropiduchidae. In reverse, genera Compactofulgoridium, Conofulgoridium, Fenghuangor, Fulgoridiella, Fulgoridulum, Fulgoropsis, Margaroptilon, Metafulgoridium, Parafulgoridium, Procercofulgoridium, Productofulgoridium and Tetrafulgoria, are excluded from Fulgoridiidae and transferred to eucixioidean lineage incertae sedis.

Revision of Afrotropical Udea Guenée in Duponchel, 1845, with description of five new species of the U. ferrugalis (Hübner, 1796) group (Lepidoptera, Crambidae, Spilomelinae)

TheUdeaspecies (currently six) present in the Afrotropical realm are revised based on adults.Phlyctaenia epicoenaMeyrick, 1937syn. nov.is found to be identical withU. ferrugalis(Hübner, 1796).Udea delineatalis(Walker in Melliss 1875) andU. hageniViette, 1952 are redescribed. In addition, five species ofUdeaare described as new to science:U. kirinyagaMallysp. nov.from Mount Kenya in Kenya,U. nicholsaeMallysp. nov.,U. meruensisMallysp. nov.andU. momellaMallysp. nov., all three from Mount Meru in Tanzania, andU. namaquanaKarisch & Mallysp. nov.from South Africa. A phylogenetic analysis based on morphological data and mitochondrial COI as well as the nuclear wingless gene, where available, places the new species in theU. ferrugalisspecies group, which also comprisesU. ferrugalisas well asU. delineatalisfrom the oceanic island of St. Helena. Another island endemic,Udea hagenifrom Tristan da Cunha, is found to be a member of theU. numeralisgroup, as sister toU. numeralis. An additional synapomorphic character of the genitalia is recognised for theU. ferrugalisgroup.Udea infuscalis(Zeller, 1852) andU. melanostictalis(Hampson in Poulton 1916) are misplaced inUdeaand transferred to Pyraustinae, asLirabotys infuscaliscomb. nov.andAchyra melanostictaliscomb. nov., respectively. Adults, tympanic organs, and genitalia of both sexes, where available, are illustrated. A checklist summarises the now eight AfrotropicalUdeaspecies.

A taxonomic review of the vampire catfish genus Paracanthopoma Giltay, 1935 (Siluriformes, Trichomycteridae), with descriptions of nine new species and a revised diagnosis of the genus

A taxonomic revision is presented of the genus Paracanthopoma, probably the least-known vandelliine genus at present. The work is based on most of the material available in museums worldwide and includes a major expansion in the knowledge about the genus. Paracanthopoma is circumscribed as a monophyletic group on the basis of nine putatively synapomorphic characters. Evidence is provided for Paracanthopoma and Paravandellia as sister groups and the two genera are comparatively diagnosed. A total of 13 species are recognized in Paracanthopoma, of which nine are new and one is transferred from Paravandellia: Pc. ahriman, new species, Pc. alleynei (Henschel et al., 2021), Pc. carrapata, new species, Pc. cangussu Henschel et al., 2021, Pc. capeta, new species, Pc. daemon, new species, Pc. irritans, new species, Pc. malevola, new species, Pc. parva Giltay, 1935, Pc. saci Dagosta & de Pinna, 2021, Pc. satanica, new species, Pc. truculenta, new species, and Pc. vampyra, new species. Different species display a high degree of phenotypic divergence and are diagnosed on the basis of traditional as well as new morphological characters of both external and internal anatomy. Geographical distributions are mapped for each species and an identification key is provided. Preliminary evidence suggests the existence of four main subclades within Paracanthopoma. The first one includes Pc. ahriman, Pc. cangussu, and Pc. irritans. A second subclade comprises Pc. carrapata, Pc. daemon, Pc. parva, and Pc. truculenta. A third clade includes Pc. malevola and Pc. satanica and a fourth comprises Pc. alleynei and Pc. vampyra. The last clade lacks some putative synapomorphies of all other members of Paracanthopoma and seems to be the sister group to the rest of the genus. Relationships of Pc. capeta and Pc. saci are not as clear, but some evidence exists for the former being related to the first subclade and the latter to the second subclade.

Making sense of the taxonomy of the most commercially important shrimps Penaeus Fabricius, 1798 s. l. (Crustacea: Decapoda: Penaeidae), a way forward

Members of Penaeus s.l. are the most economically important shrimps, but there has been substantial confusion on their classification over the last few decades. In this study, we reconstructed a robust molecular phylogeny for these shrimps based on the most extensive dataset to date in terms of the number of molecular markers (four nuclear and three mitochondrial) and taxon coverage (31 of 32 known species in Penaeus s.l.). Two of the six genera proposed for Penaeus s.l. were revealed to be paraphyletic. Moreover, none of the morphological characters generally used for separating the species groups are synapomorphic or evolutionarily informative. As synapomorphic characters have yet to be discovered for all the main clades within Penaeus s.l., it is appropriate to retain these shrimps in a single genus to reflect their evolutionary relationships in terms of integrated taxonomy. A single genus classification scheme is also the least disruptive to the taxonomic names of these very important commercial shrimps.

Complete Nucleotide Sequence of the Mitogenome of Tapinoma ibericum (Hymenoptera: Formicidae: Dolichoderinae), Gene Organization and Phylogenetics Implications for the Dolichoderinae Subfamily.

The ant Tapinoma ibericum Santschi, 1925 is native to the Iberian Peninsula. This species, as well as other species from the Tapinoma nigerrimum complex, could form supercolonies that make these species potentially invasive and could give rise to pests. Recently a mature colony from this species has been found in the Isle of Wight (United Kingdom). Mitogenomes have been used to study the taxonomy, biogeography and genetics of species, improving the development of strategies against pest invasion. However, the number of available mitogenomes from the subfamily Dolichoderinae is still scarce and only two of these mitogenomes belong to Tapinoma species. Herein, the complete mitogenome of T. ibericum is presented in order to increase the molecular information of the genus. The T. ibericum mitogenome, retrieved by Next-Generation Sequencing data, is 15,715 bp in length. It contains the typical set of 13 protein-coding genes, 2 ribosomal RNA genes, 22 transfer RNAs and the A + T-rich control region. Comparisons of the T. ibericum mitogenome with other dolichoderine mitogenomes revealed the existence of four gene rearrangements in relation with the ancestral insect mitogenome. One of these rearrangements, involving the tRNA-Ile, tRNA-Gln and tRNA-Met genes, was found in most of the analyzed ant mitogenomes. Probably this rearrangement was an ancestral or plesiomorphic character in Formicidae. Interestingly, another rearrangement that affects to tRNA-Trp, tRNA-Cys and tRNA-Tyr genes was found only in Tapinoma species. This change could be a synapomorphic character for the genus Tapinoma, and could be used as a phylogenetic marker. Additionally, a phylogenetic analysis was performed using the protein-coding gene sequences from available Dolichoderinae mitogenomes, as well as mitogenomes from representative species from other Formicidae subfamilies. Results support the monophyletic nature of the genus Tapinoma placing it within the same clade as the rest of Dolichoderinae species.

A new species of Procanace Hendel from the Philippines (Diptera: Canacidae: Canacinae).

A new species of surf flies (Canacidae: Canacinae) is described and illustrated based on four specimens (1 , 3 ) collected by Dr. Amnon Freidberg in the Philippines. Some peculiarities of the postabdominal structures, especially those of the male terminalia, suggest a fairly close affinity with two other congeneric species, namely Procanace townesi Wirth, 1951, and P. cogani Mathis, 1988, having a disjointed distribution, Marshall Islands and Seychelles, respectively. It is further suggested that these affinities should arguably be regarded as synapomorphic character states in the groundplan of the genus.

Molecular phylogenetics of the Clupeiformes based on exon-capture data and a new classification of the order

The Clupeiformes, including among others herrings, anchovies, shads and menhadens are ecologically and commercially important, yet their phylogenetic relationships are still controversial. Previous classification of Clupeiformes were based on morphological characters or lack of synapomorphic characters. More recent studies based on molecular data as well as new morphological evidence are keeping challenging their phylogenetic relations and there is still no consensus on many interrelationships within the Clupeiformes. In this study, we collected nuclear sequence data from 4,434 single-copy protein coding loci using a gene-capture method. We obtained a robust phylogeny based on 1,165 filtered loci with less than 30 % missing data. Our major findings include: 1) reconfirmation of monophyly of the Clupeiformes, that is, Denticipitidae is sister to all other clupeiforms; 2) the polyphyletic nature of dussumieriids and early branching of Spratelloididae from all other clupeoids were confirmed using datasets curated for less missing data and more balanced base composition in the respective taxa. The next branching clade is the monophyletic Engraulidae. Pristigasteridae also is monophyletic, but it was nested in the previously defined “Clupeidae”. Within Pristigasteridae there is no support for monophyletic Pelloninae. Chirocentrus is close to Dussumieria and not to engraulids. The miniaturized Sundasalanx is placed close to the ehiravine Clupeonella, however, with a relatively deep split. The genus Clupea, is not part of the diverse “Clupeidae”, but part of a clade containing additionally Sprattus and Etrumeus. Within the crown group clades, Alosidae and Dorosomatidae are retrieved as sister clades. Based on new fossil calibration points, we found that major lineages of the clupeiforms diverged in the late Cretaceous and early Paleogene. The extinction event at the end of the Cretaceous may have created ecological niches, which could have fueled the diversification of clupeiform fishes. Based on the strong evidence of the present study, we propose an updated classification of Clupeiformes consisting of ten families: Denticipitidae; Spratelloididae; Engraulidae (Engraulinae + Coiliinae); Clupeidae; Chirocentridae; Dussumieriidae; Pristigasteridae; Ehiravidae; Alosidae, Dorosomatidae.

Immature stages and new host plant records for four satyrine species feeding on herbaceous bamboos in southeastern Peru (Lepidoptera: Nymphalidae: Satyrinae: Satyrini).

We here document the immature stages of three euptychiine butterflies, Nhambikuara mima (Butler, 1867), Splendeuptychia furina (Hewitson, 1862), and Paryphthimoides brixius (Godart, [1824]), all found feeding on a species of herbaceous bamboo, Taquara micrantha (Kunth) I.L.C.Oliveira R.P.Oliveira (Poaceae: Bambusoideae: Olyreae) in Madre de Dios, Peru. This study is the first to report the life history of these three taxa with their natural host plant. We provide illustrations of immatures, head capsules, and the host plant for each of these three species. The immature morphology of these taxa supports recent generic arrangements of these three species in comparison with their close relatives, namely Splendeuptychia furina to Nhambikuara mima and Paryphthimoides brixius to Paryphthimoides terrestris (Butler, 1867), a species documented in our successive study. Thus, the present study includes taxonomic implications based on immature stages by discovering putative synapomorphic characters of larvae and pupae. These pairs of closely related species occur in micro-sympatry at the study site in southeastern Peru, and our observations possibly suggest niche partitioning between sibling species. Additionally, we report two herbaceous bamboo species, Olyra latifolia L. and Taquara micrantha (Kunth) I.L.C.Oliveira R.P.Oliveira as the first known natural host plants for Magneuptychia harpyia (C. Felder R. Felder, 1867).

On the origin of TSAR: morphology, diversity and phylogeny of Telonemia.

Telonemia is a poorly known major phylum of flagellated eukaryotes with a unique combination of morphological traits. Phylogenomics recently revealed the phylogenetic position of telonemids as sister to SAR, one of the largest groups of eukaryotes, comprising Stramenopiles, Alveolata and Rhizaria. Due to this key evolutionary position, investigations of telonemids are of critical importance for elucidating the origin and diversification of an astounding diversity of eukaryotic forms and life strategies. To date, however, only two species have been morphologically characterized from Telonemia, which do not represent this genetically very diverse group. In this study, we established cultures for six new telonemid strains, including the description of five new species and a new genus. We used these cultures to update the phylogeny of Telonemia and provide a detailed morphological and ultrastructural investigation. Our data elucidate the origin of TSAR from flagellates with complex morphology and reconstruction of the ancestral structure of stramenopiles, alveolates and rhizarians, and their main synapomorphic characters. Since telonemids are a common component of aquatic environments, the features of their feeding, behaviour and ecological preferences observed in clonal cultures and the results of global metabarcoding analysis contribute to a deeper understanding of organization of microbial food webs.