Mitochondrial 16S rRNA sequence variations and phylogeny of the Chinese sisorid catfishes

Partial sequences of mitochondrial 16S rRNA gene were obtained by PCR amplification for comparisons among nine species of glyptosternoid fishes and six species of non-glyptosternoids representing 10 sisorid genera. There are compositional biases in the A-rich unpaired regions and G-rich paired regions. A-G transitions are primarily responsible for the Ts/Tv bias in unpaired regions. The overall substitution rate in unpaired regions is almost two times higher than that in the paired regions. Saturation plots at comparable levels of sequence divergence demonstrate no saturation effects. Phylogenetic analyses using both maximum likelihood and Bayesian methods support the monophyly of Sisoridae. Chinese sisorid catfishes are composed of two majorlineages, one represented by (Gagata (Bagarius, Glyptothorax)) and the other by “glyptosternoids Pseudecheneis“. The glyptosternoids may not be a monophyletic group. A previous hypothesis referring to Pseudecheneis as the sister group of monophyletic glyptosternoids, based on morphological evidence, is not supported by the molecular data. Pseudecheneis is shown to be a sister taxon of Glaridoglanis. Pareuchiloglanis might be paraphyletic with Pseudexostoma and Euchiloglanis. Our results also support the hypothesis that Pareuchiloglanis anteanalis might be considered as the synonyms of Pareuchiloglanis sinensis, and genus Euchiloglanis might have only one valid species, Euchiloglanis davidi.     

Phylogeny of higher taxa of hexapoda according to 12sRNA sequences

The phylogenetic relationship of Hexapoda has been debated for a long time, which will be resolved mainly depending on the settlement of monophyly, affinities and interrelationships among Protura, Collembola and Diplura. Mitochondrial 12sRNA gene about 355 bp fragments from one proturan species, two collembolan species, two dipluran species and one oribatid species were sequenced. The Kimura 2-parameter distances were calculated and a series of molecular phylogenetic trees were reconstructed by using the N-J method, from which the following points were drawn: (ⅰ) Protura and Collembola compose a monophyletic group representing absent-cerci; (ⅱ) Diplura is not a monophyletic group, in which Campodeoid with filiform cerci belongs to a clade and Japygoid with pincer cerci and Ectognatha compose another clade, that is, Insecta s. str. stemmed from Japygoid. So it would be suggested that the phylogenetic relationship of Hexapoda is [Parainsecta (Collembola + Protura) +Campodeoid +Insecta (Japygoid + Ectognatha)].     

Speciation of the genus Arthricocephalus Bergeron, 1899 (Trilobita) from the late Early Cambrian and its stratigraphic significance

The genus Arthricocephalus Bergeron, 1899 is revised, and Halipanktos Balker & Peel, 1997 is suggested here as a senior synonym. The subgenus Arthricocephalus (Arthricocephalites) Chien & Lin in Lu et al., 1974 is considered as a separate genus. Of the 20 previously assigned species of Arthricocephalus (Arthricocephalus) Bergeron, 1899, Arthricocephalus (Arthricocephalites) Chien & Lin in Lu et al., 1974, Arthricocephalus (Euarthricocephalus) Ju, 1983 are lumped into eight species. The speciation trend of Arthricocephalus and Arthricocephalites is demonstrated based on their stratigraphic occurrences. It not only enhances the resolution of the biostatigraphic zonation in the uppermost Lower Cambrian, but also represents a potential candidate to define the Duyunian stage. The base of the stage is suggested at the first appearance datum (FAD) of Arthricocephalus chauveaui Bergeron, 1899 within the evolutionary lineage from Ar. jiangkouensis Yin in Yin & Li,1978 to Ar. chauveaui in a global scale.     

Speciation of the genus Arthricocephalus Bergeron, 1899 (Trilobita) from the late Early Cambrian and its stratigraphic significance

The genus Arthricocephalus Bergeron, 1899 is revised, and Halipanktos Balker & Peel, 1997 is suggested here as a senior synonym. The subgenus Arthricocephalus (Arthricocephalites) Chien & Lin in Lu et al., 1974 is considered as a separate genus. Of the 20 previously assigned species of Arthricocephalus (Arthricocephalus) Bergeron, 1899, Arthricocephalus (Arthricocephalites) Chien & Lin in Lu et al., 1974, Arthricocephalus (Euarthricocephalus) Ju, 1983 are lumped into eight species. The speciation trend of Arthricocephalus and Arthricocephalites is demonstrated based on their stratigraphic occurrences. It not only enhances the resolution of the biostatigraphic zonation in the uppermost Lower Cambrian, but also represents a potential candidate to define the Duyunian stage. The base of the stage is suggested at the first appearance datum (FAD) of Arthricocephalus chauveaui Bergeron, 1899 within the evolutionary lineage from Ar. jiangkouensis Yin in Yin & Li,1978 to Ar. chauveaui in a global scale.     

Investigations into the perplexing interrelationship of the Genus Takifugu Abe, 1949 (Tetraodontiformes, Tetraodontidae)

The phylogenetic relationships within the genus Takifugu Abe, 1949 (Tetraodontiformes, Tetraodonti- dae) remain unresolved. Because of the use of Takifugu as model organisms, the resolution of these relationships is crucial for the interpretation of evolutionary trends in biology. Pufferfishes of this ge- nus are comprised of a comparatively small number of species and are mainly distributed along the coastal region of the western part of the Sea of Japan and the coastline of China. Mitochondrial gene sequences were employed to test the phylogenetic hypotheses within the genus. Seventeen species of the genus were examined. Molecular phylogenetic trees were constructed using the maximum parsi- mony, neighbor-joining, maximum likelihood and Bayesian methods. Our hypothesis of internal relationships within the genus differs from previous hypotheses. Our results indicate that (1) the genus Takifugu is a monophyletic assemblage; (2) the genus is divided into 6 subgroups based on the mo- lecular data; and (3) there is low genetic diversity among the species within this genus. In addition, speciation within Takifugu appears to be driven by hybridization and isolation by distribution. Our re- sults also suggested that the taxonomy in the genus should be clarified based on both molecular and morphological data.     

New dragonflies (Insecta: Odonata: Gomphaeschnidae) from the Yixian Formation in Inner Mongolia, China

Two fossil dragonflies from the Upper Jurassic to Lower Cretaceous Yixian Formation in Liutiaogou Village, Ningcheng County, Inner Mongolia, China are described and illustrated. They are assigned to two new genera and species, i.e., Sophoaeschna frigida gen. et sp. nov. and Falsisophoaeschna generalis gen. et sp. nov. within the family Gomphaeschnidae Tillyard & Fraser, 1940. This is the first report of Odonata from Yixian Formation in Inner Mongolia and the second record of fossil Gomphaeschnidae from China.     

Shenzhousia qilianshanensis gen. et sp. nov. (Protodonata, Meganeuridae), a giant dragonfly from the Upper Carboniferous of China

A new dragonfly of family Meganeuridae Shenzhousia qilianshanensis gen. et sp. nov., discovered from Ningxia Hui Autonomous Region in North China, is described in the present paper. It has an estimated wingspan of about 450?500 mm and may be the largest fossil insect in Late Carboniferous Namurian Stage discovered by far. The new species is referred to Meganeuridae because of the presence of the characteristic oblique vein between anterior branch of radius (RA) and posterior branch of radius (RP) near the base of RP2. It differs from other genera within the family in the following characteristics: Precostal area short and not extending to the midwing; posterior branch of subcostal vein short, merging into costal vein near the level of originating point of IR₂; RP forking earlier than anterior branch of media basally; RP_1＋2 and RP_3＋4 parallel and close to each other for a long distance, and then diverge gradually surpass midwing.     

New fossil ommatid (Coleoptera: Archostemata: Ommatidae) from Jehol Biota of western Liaoning, China

In this paper one new genus and one new species of fossil ommatid, Odontomma trachylaena gen. et sp. nov., is described and illustrated from the Late Jurassic or Early Cretaceous Yixian Formation of western Liaoning, China. Based on wide epipleural space of elytron with several rows of cells, the new taxa is attributed to tribe Brochocoleini of Ommatidae and compared with genus Brochocoleus. Due to the fact that most other Chinese Mesozoic ommatids are not complete, the complete preservation of the new specimens reported here enabled us to determine the characteristics of the body of these ancient ommatid. Moreover, based on the well-preserved individual of this new genus, we may suppose the affinities of the new species with extant and extinct groups.     

Systematic position of Myrtama Ovcz. ＆ Kinz. based on morphological and nrDNA ITS sequence evidence

Myrtama is a genus named from Myricaria elegans Royle in the 1970＇s in terms of its morphological peculiarities. The establishment of this genus and its systematic position have been disputed since its inception. ITS sequences from 10 species of Tamaricaceae are reported, and analyzed by PAUP 4.0b8 and Bayesian Inference to reconstruct the phylogenies. A single ITS tree is generated from maximum parsimony and MrBayes analyses, respectively. The molecular data set shows strong support for Tamarix and Myricaria as monophyletic genera, and Myrtama as a sister group to the genus Myricaria. Based on morphological differences, a single morphological tree is also generated, in which two major lineages existed but Myrtama is a sister group to Tamarix, rather than Myricaria. The evidence from DNA sequences and morphological characters supports that Myicaria elegans should be put into neither Myricaria nor Tamarix, but kept in its own monotypic genus.     

Phylogeny and divergence of Chinese Angiopteridaceae based on chloroplast DNA sequence data （rbcL and trnL-F）

Marattioid ferns are an ancient lineage of primitive vascular plants that first appeared in the middle Carboniferous. Extant members are almost exclusively restricted to tropical regions, and the spe- cies-rich family Angiopteridaceae are limited in their distribution to the eastern hemisphere; relation- ships within the group are currently vague. Here the phylogenetic relationship between Angiopteris Hoffm. and Archangiopteris Christ et Gies. was evaluated based on the sequence analysis of chloro- plast rbcL gene and trnL-F intergenic spacer with MEGA2 and MrBayes v3.0b4. On the basis of the phy- logenetic pattern and fossil record, we further estimated the divergence time for the two genera. The phy- logenetic trees revealed that all species of Angiopteris and Archangiopteris in this study formed a monophyletic group with strong statistical support, but the relationship between the two genera re- mained unresolved based on individual sequence analysis. On the other hand, the sequence analyses of combined data set revealed that Archangiopteris species diverged first, indicating that Archangiop- teris may not be a direct derivative as traditionally assumed. The clade of Angiopteris and Archan- giopteris appears to have diversified in the late Oligocene (≈26 Ma) based on the molecular estimate. Thus, the evolutionary history of extant Angiopteris and Archangiopteris has been characterized by ancient origin and recent diversification, and these groups are not relic and endangered lineages as traditionally considered.     

基于16S rRNA和POMC基因序列的中国北方林蛙属动物系统发生关系

基于16S rRNA和POMC基因部分序列研究了中国北方林蛙属动物的系统发生关系.利用ClustalX软件对序列进行对位排列后,长度为1148bp,内群变异位点259,简约位点110.利用MP法、ML法和BI法构建系统进化树,结果显示林蛙属物种构成单系群,其中东北种群聚为一支,中国林蛙聚为一支,支持东北林蛙为有效物种.桓仁林蛙和核型为2n=26的林蛙属物种聚为一支,因此不支持核型为2n=24的林蛙形成单系群.桓仁林蛙、昆嵛林蛙、黑龙江林蛙单独聚为一支,表明三者之间的亲缘关系较近.     

基于16S rRNA序列的鳃金龟亚科5族种类的系统发育关系

测定了鳃金龟亚科部分种类的线粒体16SrRNA部分序列,运用MEGA 4.0、PAUP*4.0b10和MrBayes等软件,对5个族29个代表种的序列变异和系统关系进行了研究.序列变异分析结果显示:绢金龟族Sericini、哦鳃金龟族Hopliini、鳃金龟族Melolonthini的族内遗传距离分别为7.7%,11.3%,10.6%,族间遗传距离在12.6%～19.2%.最大似然树(ML)和贝叶斯树(BI)结果表明,所有种类分别聚集在所属的族下,哦鳃金龟族、绢金龟族分别为单系.齿爪鳃金龟属Holotrichia、云鳃金龟属Polyphylla、胸突鳃金龟属Hoplosternus、Hilyotrogus、双绺鳃金龟属Amphimallon、Hoplochelus、婆鳃金龟属Brahmina和皱鳃金龟属Trematodes聚在鳃金龟族分支下,没有形成明显的根鳃金龟族Rhizotrogini分支.齿爪鳃金龟属的非单系性与前人研究结果一致.皱鳃金龟属Trematodes和婆鳃金龟属Brahmina的代表种为姐妹种.绢金龟族的绢金龟属Serica和玛绢金龟属Maladera多数种类聚在本属分支下.证明16SrRNA序列可探讨鳃金龟亚科高级阶元的系统发育关系.     

金缕梅亚科ITS序列分析及其系统发育初探

对金缕梅亚科部分植物的细胞核核糖体ＤＮＡＩＴＳ区（含５８Ｓ）序列进行分析,并构建分子系统树．结果表明：金缕梅亚科是单系类群;金缕梅族为多系类群,木属是本研究中金缕梅亚科内分化最早的一支,而金缕梅属与弗特吉族关系密切;蚊母树族、狭义的弗特吉族均不形成单系分支,支持蚊母树族与弗特吉族合并;秀柱花属是牛鼻栓属的姐妹群,支持将牛鼻栓属并入秀柱花族     

Bayesian mixed models and divergence time estimation of Chinese cavefishes （Cyprinidae： Sinocyclocheilus）

The genus Sinocyclocheilus is distributed in Yun-Gui Plateau and its surrounding region only, within more than 10 cave species showing different degrees of degeneration of eyes and pigmentaUon with wonderful adaptations. To present, published morphological and molecular phylogenetic hypotheses of Slnocyclocheilus from prior works are very different and the relationships within the genus are still far from clear. We obtained the sequences of cytochrome b （cyt b） and NADH dehydrogenase subunlt 4 （ND4） of 34 species within Sinocyclocheilus, which represent the most dense taxon sampling to date. We performed Bayesian mixed models analyses with this data set. Under this phylogenetic framework, we estimated the divergence times of recovered clades using different methods under relaxed molecular clock. Our phyloegentic results supported the monophyly of Sinocyclocheilus and showed that this genus could be subdivided into 6 major clades. In addition, an earlier finding demonstrating the polyphyletlc of cave species and the most basal position of S. jii was corroborated. Relaxed divergence-time estimation suggested that Sinocyclocheilus originated at the late Miocene, about 11 million years ago （Ma）, which is older than what have been assumed.     

Phylogenetic positions of some genera and species of the family Buccinidae (Gastropoda: Mollusca) from China based on ribosomal RNA and COI sequences

A phylogenetic analysis of members of the family Buccinidae was conducted using 18S rRNA gene, 28S rRNA gene and the mitochondrial cytochrome oxidase Ⅰ gene. We studied 18 species of Buccinidae that belong to eight different genera and inhabit the China coastal seas. We analyzed the patterns of divergence between an outgroup and basal ingroup taxa, the monophyly of the genus Neptunea, and the position of one unnamed species within the Buccinidae. A phylogenetic tree (neighbor-joining (NJ) method) was reconstructed based on the sequences of 18S rRNA, 28S rRNA and COI, with Rapana venosa as outgroup. The NJ tree indicated that the 18 species could be divided into five groups. The genus Buccinum was monophyletic, whereas Neptunea was shown to be paraphyletic since it included Siphonalia subdilatata and Neptunea sp., a new species. This novel species otherwise clustered consistently with Neptunea cumingi in three other phylogenetic trees, showing a low genetic distance and divergence percentage of sequences belonging to the genus Neptunea. A smaller genetic distance and a smaller difference of 18S rRNA, 28S rRNA and COI sequences between Neptunea cumingii and Neptunea arthritica cumingii confirmed them to be the same species.     

Asian origin for Polystichum （Dryopteridaceae） based on rbcL sequences

Chloroplast rbcL sequences of 60 species of Polystichum sensu lato (s.l.), including 23 new sequences from southwest China, were used to assess the phylogenetic relationships within the genus. On the basis of estimated evolution rate of rbcL gene and the genetic distance data that passed relative-rate tests, we further estimated the divergence times between some clades of the genus. The phylogenetic relationships were inferred using the neighbor-joining and maximum-parsimony methods, both methods producing trees with completely congruent topology. These trees reveal that all species of Polystichum s.l. in this study (including Cyrtomium and Cyrtomidictyum) form a monophyletic group. The basal split in Polystichum s.l. separates a clade with all Asian members from a clade containing other species from all over the world. The phylogenetic and divergence time estimation results lead us to suggest that Polystichum s.l. originated in Asia in the late Late Cretacous (≈76 Ma) and migrated into other places in the world in early Eocene(≈46 Ma).     

Mitochondria1 cytochromeb sequences variation of Protura and molecular systematics of Apterygota

Mitochondrial cytochromeb genes of about 450 bp fragments from 3 proturan species, 5 collembolan species and 2 dipluran species have been sequenced. The number of nucleotide substitutions and Kimura 2-parameter distances have also been calculated, and a series of molecular phylogenetic trees reconstructed by using parsimony and distance methods. The proturan, collembolan and dipluran species have evolved monophyletic groups. The results suggest that Protura and Collembola are sister groups, while Diplura is more or less demonstrating a closer phylogenetic relationship to the pterygotan insects. The phylogeny and their systematic position of protura and other groups are also discussed.     

滇西二高温温泉中Thermus高温菌的16S rRNA

 通过对滇西二温泉纯培养和免培养法获得的Thermus菌株序列进行16SrDNA系统发育及16SrRNA二级结构比较,发现二温泉中至少存在Thermus属的2个潜在新种,它们在系统发育树上形成1个独立的地理簇群分支,它们的16SrRNAhelix10二级结构也与其它地区的Thermus属菌株不同,形成明显的地域进化特征.