Genetic and morphometric variation of the Blackcap (Sylvia atricapilla) on the Azores Archipelago reveals a recent range expansion

ABSTRACT

The Blackcap, Sylvia atricapilla, is one of the few passerine species that breeds in all the Macaronesian archipelagos. The sedentary habits of these populations contrast with the migratory populations from the Western Europe. However, little is known for Azorean populations. We assessed the phylogeography of populations from the Azores based on sequences of two mitochondrial genes and one nuclear gene in the Z-chromosome. We also analysed differences in eight morphometric characters from a total of 282 Blackcaps from all the Azores islands. Our results suggest the occurrence of historical and/or current gene flow among birds from all the islands. Blackcaps from the Azores are close relatives of those from Madeira and Portugal, indicating a recent range expansion to the Azores in the last 0.1 million years. The analysis of morphometric data showed a high morphological diversity among and within the islands, probably related to ecological traits.     

The identity of Orius tantillus (Motschulsky) and notes on other Oriental Anthocoridae (Hemiptera,Heteroptera)

Abstract

Studies on the biology of Toxoptera aurantii (Boy.) showed that populations of the aphid contain females only, and that reproduction is parthenogenetic and viviparous and occurs exclusively on the undersurface of flush leaves. The aphid is described and a key is drawn for the various instars. The development of the aphid is temperature-dependent but at the optimum temperature it takes 6 days to become adult. The incidence of alates in populations is influenced both by high aphid density and leaf age.     

Genetic diversity in the Carabodes marginatus species group (Acarida,Oribatida, Carabodidae) as inferred from allozymes

Ten populations representing four species of the ‘Carabodes marginatus’ group, as C. marginatus, C. affinis, C. quadrangulus and C. montanus from central Italy have been studied for genetic variation at 16 enzymatic loci by electrophoresis. Morphotypes close to C. marginatus but easily distinguishable by the shorter marginal notogastral setae were also included in the analysis to evaluate their systematic status. Carabodes arduinii, a very different species from the ‘coriaceus’ group, was employed as an out-group. Phylogenetic relationships among different species were studied and inferred data demonstrated that cladogenetic events occurred, even though rates of molecular and morphological evolution do not correlate. Morphotypes related to C. marginatus were genetically very close to the type specimens, but a different pattern of allele frequency was observed in sympatric populations of the two setal forms. Possible explanations for this finding are suggested in relation to historical processes. The rate of gene flow among populations of the two morphs was estimated by both Wright's F _st and Slatkin's Nm methods. These two different procedures yielded contradictory results.     

Genetic differentiation and gene flow of Porcellionides pruinosus (Crustacea: Isopoda: Oniscidea) in Tunisia

Iso-enzymatic polymorphism analysis was carried out on Tunisian populations of Porcellionides pruinosus to clarify their confused taxonomic status, previously revealed by reproductive and morphological approaches. Seventeen allozyme loci were studied, using horizontal starch gel electrophoresis, in 230 adult specimens belonging to nine populations of P. pruinosus located in north, central and south Tunisia, to assess the levels of their intra-genetic and inter-genetic diversity, and to analyse their genetic structure. Our results indicate a low genetic variability with a polymorphism ratio ranging from 29.4% in Tabarka to 47.1% in the Garat Nâam and Raccada populations, and the mean number of alleles per locus was estimated at 1.51 ± 0.15. The direct-count of heterozygosity ranged between 8.1% and 15%. Substantial estimates of demic structuring were found at the total population (F_ST = 0.198), with a generalized and significant heterozygote deficiency detected in every population (with a mean value for all populations of F_IS = 0.372). Genetic distances between the studied populations were low, indicating that they belong to the same species. Nevertheless, the genetic analyses showed the divergence of the population of Tabarka from all the other studied populations, with the lowest mean gene flow, 0.58, and the highest mean genetic distance, (0.182) obtained also by the morphological and reproductive approaches.     

New damselfly hosts and species identification of an aquatic parasitoid Hydrophylita emporos (Hymenoptera: Trichogrammatidae) in Taiwan

ABSTRACT

The host–parasitoid relationship and species identity of aquatic parasitoids of two damselflies Coeliccia cyanomelas (Platycnemididae) and Psolodesmus mandarinus dorothea (Calopterygidae) from Fushan and Lienhuachih in Taiwan were studied using morphological characters and DNA barcoding sequences. The parasitoids reared from the damselflies’ eggs, and the field-collected parasitoids, were morphologically identified as Hydrophylita emporos (Trichogrammatidae), a recently described parasitoid of the damselfly P. m. mandarinus from Northern Taiwan. The CO1 (cytochrome c oxidase I) gene tree supported the identification as H. emporos, as well as all parasitoid samples from C. cyanomelas, P. m. dorothea and P. m. mandarinus. The sampled H. emporos populations did not differ genetically despite their different host associations. However, some genetic differences were found between H. emporos populations from Northern and Central Taiwan, indicating that the dispersal of H. emporos may be limited by geographical distances. Our results suggest that H. emporos can parasitise not only closely related sister subspecies, P. m. mandarinus and P. m. dorothea, but also phylogenetically distant species of another damselfly family, C. cyanomelas. This is the first record of multiple damselfly hosts for the aquatic parasitoid genus Hydrophylita. This finding implies that the host range of H. emporos and congeneric species may be broader than previously thought.     

LIX.—Description of a species of Palæmon from near Sydney,probably either a new species or the adult form of Palæmon (Eupalæmon) danæ, Heller

Summary

Plagues of small mammals in Australia are nearly confined to rodents, both native and introduced. Only in the arid regions do small marsupials reach plague numbers.

Records of plagues have been found as early as 1845, but in many of them there is insufficient information to identify the species involved.

Plagues can develop under three main conditions, namely (a) when species are introduced into new environments, (b) in the artificial environment of crop plants, and (c) in the natural environment.

There are records of the introduced Rattus rattus forming plagues. On colonizing Lord Howe Island in 1918 the species built up to plague numbers in two years. On other islands the species is likely to have built up large populations also. Of various reported plagues on the Australian mainland, Rattus rattus has been identified definitely on only one occasion, in western New South Wales in 1887. There are earlier reports of the introduced rats and mice occurring in large numbers in unsettled areas, but it seems more likely that the animals were native species, wrongly identified, than introduced species which had spread into the areas concerned.

Two groups of species build up to plague numbers in the artificial environment of crop plants. These are Rattus conatus and some other native species which infest sugar-cane in Queensland, and Mus musculus which often infests wheatfields but also forms plagues in other habitats. Both groups infect the crop from a neighbouring natural habitat. Detailed ecological studies have been carried out on both these types of infestation. Reports of dispersal of plagues of Mus musculus need investigation.

Mus musculus can form plagues over a wide range of habitats, from the arid regions of central Australia to the high rainfall areas of tropical Queensland. The status of the form inhabiting the arid regions needs study.

The arid regions of Australia provide a special environment in which live a number of species of small mammals, both eutherians (rodents) and marsupials. In this habitat breeding occurs when there is a sufficient rainfall, and is not regulated at its extremes by an annual climatic cycle. Some of the riverine lands within the region receive drainage from outside, and this modifies the relationship with rainfall in the Lake Eyre Basin particularly. Under favourable conditions several species of the small mammals can build up to plague numbers. In this they appear to differ markedly from the small mammals of other deserts of the world. The special features of the Australian arid environment which allow this are unknown.

Plagues of Rattus villosissimus are generated in the tablelands to the south of the Gulf of Carpentaria, and hordes of the rodents disperse in large numbers, mostly moving out of the home territory along the course of rivers draining it to the south, and sometimes also to the north. The little information available concerning the populations suggests similarities with the cyclic changes which take place in populations of voles and lemmings in the northern hemisphere. There is no good information about the period of recurrence of the plagues, present records showing a range from three to seventeen years.

The little information available about the plagues of small mammals in Australia suggests parallels with such plagues elsewhere. The common factors are a small size, an herbivorous (? or insectivorous) diet, a high reproductive potential and a polymorphism which permits quick adaptation to the different population structures found under different population densities.     

Terellia fuscicornis (Diptera: Tephritidae): biological and morphological adaptation on artichoke and milk thistle

The biology, morphology, and genetics of Terellia fuscicornis on cultivated artichoke and its new recorded host, Silybum marianum, are examined. Morphometrically, the two host‐associated populations were distinct. Except for egg length, all immature stages of the artichoke‐associated population were larger. Principal component analysis, based on head and wing measurements, showed that the adults from both populations clustered into two groups, with the adults reared from artichoke being larger. The ovipositor was significantly longer and blunter in the artichoke‐associated females, reflecting the larger flower heads exploited. Male terminalia measurements showed significant differences between the two populations. Several differences in courtship behaviour were detected between the two populations. Although the two populations show allochronic isolation, sequencing of two mitochondrial genes, ND1 and COI, and one nuclear gene, 18S, revealed no genetic differences between the two populations.     

Morphological reply to a DNA call: a new cryptic species of Hydraena from western Europe,with a complete overview of the Hydraena gracilis complex (Coleoptera: Hydraenidae: “Haenydra” lineage)

Recent molecular analyses revealed unexpected genetic variability within Hydraena gracilis, one of the most common and widespread European moss beetles, belonging to the West Palaearctic endemic “Haenydra” lineage. For this taxon, molecular data univocally evidenced two distinct clades, the first one including populations from the Iberian Peninsula, and the second including populations from central and eastern Europe. Aedeagal morphology of H. gracilis was further investigated, finally demonstrating the actual existence of a new cryptic species of the H. gracilis complex in Portugal, Spain and the French Pyrenees. The geographical range of the true H. gracilis was consequently revised. Finally, dichotomous keys for males of all species belonging to the H. gracilis complex, and for males of all the Iberian “Haenydra” species, are also supplied.     

Repeated sampling adds to the genetic diversity of Lepidochelys olivacea (Eschscholtz 1829) olive ridley sea turtle

ABSTRACT

First sampled in the late 1990s, Campamento Tortuguero La Gloria, in Jalisco, Mexico, was resampled for olive ridley sea turtle (Lepidochyles olivacea Eschscholtz) diversity 10 years later. A comparison with all previously reported mitochondrial sequences revealed that these new samples added to the known genetic diversity for this species, and revealed unexpectedly high genetic diversity among turtles nesting on this beach. The results highlight the importance of systematic resampling in known nesting rookeries to verify the genetic diversity of study populations. Three new olive ridley haplotypes are reported, all more closely related to Baja Californian haplotypes than to Australian haplotypes. Significant genetic divergence is reported within populations, within ocean basins (Atlantic, Pacific, Indian and Indo-Pacific), and between ocean basins. Furthermore, this is the first study that integrates satellite tagging data to demonstrate diverse post-nesting migration patterns of turtles with identical haplotypes, and it demonstrates flexibility in post-nesting migratory behaviour for olive ridley sea turtles of the same genetic provenance.     

Comparison of distribution and habitat characteristics between an endemic and a wide-ranging cryptic species of Peromyscus on the Baja California Peninsula

Peromyscus eva and Peromyscus fraterculus are 2 morphologically similar species of the Peromyscus eremicus group occurring on the Baja California Peninsula. Due to the similarity between these 2 species, their ranges have been greatly confused; consequently, the specific habitat characteristics for each group are not well known. The goal of this study was to assess distribution ranges and characteristics of preferred habitats for P. eva and P. fraterculus in more detail. We identified taxonomy of individuals by evaluating genetic patterns produced by restriction fragment length polymorphisms (RFLPs). We evaluated the banding pattern generated by Alu I and Bam HI restriction enzymes in an 850-bp cytochrome b fragment. Consistent differences in number and size of fragments allowed for discrimination of individuals to species. The heterogeneity and evenness indexes showed that the microhabitat of P. fraterculus contained less-diverse soil types and is more homogeneous than the microhabitat of P. eva. In the state of Baja California Sur, P. eva occurs exclusively in the flat areas along the Pacific coast from the Vizcaino Desert to the south, including Margarita Island, with one small population in the Loreto area adjacent to Carmen Island. The habitats occupied by P. eva were heterogeneous (areas with friable, soft sandy soil and a low percentage of small stones). Peromyscus fraterculus occurs mostly in Baja California Norte, with some populations distributed in Baja California Sur, particularly in the western areas of the Vizcaino Desert along the mountain range, in the gulf side of the peninsula south of the city of La Paz, and in a small area on the eastern side of Sierra de Las Cruces. This species was mostly found on hard soil with high medium-size stone content.     

Decapod Crustacea from the International Indian Ocean Expedition (Larval and post-larval stages of Parapenaeus Smith (Penaeinae)

Summary

Developmental stages of Parapenaeus investigatoris Alcock and Anderson from second protozoea to late post-larva and an incomplete series of P. longipes Alcock and P. fissurus (Bate) are described and figured. Important generic characters of the larvae of Parpaenaeus are two pairs of supra-orbital spines in the protozoeae, a strong hepatic spine, a long dorsomedian spine on the third abdominal segment, ventromedian spines on the anterior abdominal segments and sometimes on the last thoracic segment, a pair of dorsolateral spines on the fifth and sixth abdominal segments and a median spine on the telson.

The species recorded are widely distributed in the northern Indian Ocean, particularly in the Bay of Bengal, but only two specimens were taken south of the Equator and few in the more open parts of the ocean.     

A new,sibling, tree frog from Jerusalem (Amphibia: Anura: Hylidae)∗

A new, sibling, species of tree frog of the Hyla arborea group is described from Jerusalem and the adjacent Judean hills. Hyla heinzsteinitzi sp. n. differs from the sympatric common H. savignyi of the Middle East in head shape, as the head is relatively wider and the snout more truncate; in call structure, as in each segment of its advertisement call the energy peaks abruptly near the segment's onset; and in colouration, as its dark lateral band is highly disrupted. In at least one of the H. heinzsteinitzi populations the frogs' green‐phase colour is turquoise rather than green. The distinction of the two species is demonstrable by Principal Coordinate Analysis. Hyla heinzsteinitzi seems to be endemic to a small area within the range of distribution of H. savignyi; here the two are sympatric and at least sometimes apparently syntopic. The ecological relations of the two are unknown. The new species is probably endangered.     

Geographical distribution,ecology and cyanogenesis polymorphism in Lotus corniculatus L./Lotus alpinus (DC) Schleicher from South-west France

Chromosome numbers and cyanogenesis were studied in 22 French populations of Lotus corniculatus/L. alpinus from the South-west Alps. L. corniculatus with 2n = 24 and L. alpinus with 2n = 12 proved to be polymorphic for cyanogenesis. The highest frequencies of HCN + individuals were generally found upon carbonate, in open vegetation and at high altitude. However, populations studied from various substrata in the upper valley of the Var consistently comprised fewer cyanogenic plants than the colonies occurring further to the south. The authors suggest that this distribution pattern might be influenced by the occurrence of ancestral populations of L. alpinus at Mount Ventoux and the Mountain of Lure.     

Revisiting the saproxylic beetle ‘Propomacrus cypriacus Alexis & Makris, 2002’ (Coleoptera: Euchiridae) using molecular,morphological and ecological data

Propomacrus cypriacus a saproxylic beetle endemic to Cyprus, was described as a species distinct from P. bimucronatus on the basis of a few morphological characters and has been evaluated as Critically Endangered by IUCN, as it depends on veteran trees and has a restricted distribution. Herein we explored the distribution, ecology, morphology and genetic variation of the populations from Cyprus, and we attempted a phylogenetic analysis including related species based on two mitochondrial and one nuclear DNA markers. We also used published mtDNA divergence rates to date cladogenetic events. Despite extensive sampling, we found only a small number of individuals, adding a few additional localities to the known distribution of the species, and we identified two more host species to those previously reported. Morphological examination showed that only the form of male protibiae differs consistently in Cyprus populations compared to those of P. bimucronatus from Turkey and the Lebanon. Nevertheless, genetic analyses do not support a distinct species status for populations from Cyprus, which should instead be considered as a subspecies of P. bimucronatus. Morphological and ecological data further support this conclusion. Cyprus populations have diverged from nearby continental ones in mid to late Pleistocene.     

Western Arabian Gulf Echinoderms in high salinity waters and the occurrence of dwarfism

Summary

High salinity appears to have a limiting effect on the echinoderm fauna and other biota of the Arabian Gulf. However, two ophiuroids (Amphipholis squamata and Amphiura fasciata) and one holothurian (Leptosynapta chela) were recorded in areas of high salinity (52–55‰.), and two asteroids (Astropecten polyacanthus phragmorus and Asterina burtoni) were present in lagoons where salinities reach 60‰. The latter may represent a new record for salinity tolerance by echinoderms in the wild. High salinity populations of both asteroids are characterized by stunted individuals.     

Target-enriched DNA sequencing from historical type material enables a partial revision of the Madagascar giant stream frogs (genus Mantidactylus)

ABSTRACT

The subgenus Mantidactylus is a group of frogs endemic to Madagascar, including the largest anuran species on the island. Although these frogs are common and widely distributed, their taxonomy remains unclear. Two species are currently recognised, M. grandidieri and M. guttulatus, with another available name, Rana pigra, considered to be a synonym of M. grandidieri. However, molecular studies have suggested the presence of several cryptic species within the group. Additionally, due to the lack of prominent morphological features, allocating the available names to evolutionary lineages has proven challenging. In the present study, we take a first step towards solving these problems by using fragments of the 16S mitochondrial gene and RAG1 nuclear gene from all over the range of the subgenus to describe its genetic diversity. We also use a newly designed target enrichment laboratory protocol to sequence three mitochondrial fragments from five name-holding museum specimens (as old as 120 years) in order to determine to which lineages the existing names should be applied. The study of the 16S mitochondrial gene revealed 7 geographically separated lineages, distinct enough to be considered candidate species. Out of the five museum specimens analysed, four successfully yielded DNA sequences and could be attributed to one of the aforementioned lineages. Therefore, the name Mantidactylus grandidieri should be applied to the populations from North-Eastern Madagascar, while M. guttulatus refers to populations from inland localities along the Eastern coast of the island. On the other hand, the holotype of Rana pigra did not yield enough genetic material to allow definitive identification. While our data were not sufficient to assess the status of the four lineages distributed along the Eastern coast, the populations from North-Western Madagascar were highly distinct on both the mitochondrial and nuclear markers. We thus describe them as a new species, M. radaka sp. nov.

http://www.zoobank.org/urn:lsid:zoobank.org:pub:1EDDAF0D-FE37-490A-B09E-E136A0C5CB35