Evolutionary associations between sand seatrout (Cynoscion arenarius) and silver seatrout (C. nothus) inferred from morphological characters, mitochondrial DNA, and microsatellite markers

The evolutionary associations between closely related fish species, both contemporary and historical, are frequently assessed by using molecular markers, such as microsatellites. Here, the presence and variability of microsatellite loci in two closely related species of marine fishes, sand seatrout (Cynoscion arenarius) and silver seatrout (C. nothus), are explored by using heterologous primers from red drum (Sciaenops ocellatus). Data from these loci are used in conjunction with morphological characters and mitochondrial DNA haplotypes to explore the extent of genetic exchange between species offshore of Galveston Bay, TX. Despite seasonal overlap in distribution, low genetic divergence at microsatellite loci, and similar life history parameters of C. arenarius and C. nothus, all three data sets indicated that hybridization between these species does not occur or occurs only rarely and that historical admixture in Galveston Bay after divergence between these species was unlikely. These results shed light upon the evolutionary history of these fishes and highlight the genetic properties of each species that are influenced by their life history and ecology.

Effect of gamma-ray radiation on physiological, morphological characters and chromosome aberrations of minitubers in Solanum tuberosum L.

Purpose: To investigate the effects of gamma-ray radiation on the physiological, morphological characters and chromosome aberrations of minitubers. Materials and methods: Minitubers of one potato cultivar, 'Shepody', were irradiated with 8 doses of gamma-rays (0, 10, 20, 30, 40, 50, 60, 70 and 80 Gy [Gray]) to investigate the effects of radiation on emergence ability, plant height and root length, morphological variations, chromosome aberrations, M-1 (first generation mutants) tuber number and size of minituber plants. Results: Compared with the non-irradiated controls, the whole period of emergence was prolonged by 10-15 days for minitubers treated with gamma-ray radiation, but low doses of radiation (10, 20 and 30 Gy) promoted the emergence percentage of minitubers. With an increase in radiation dose, the emergence percentage, plant height and root length of minituber plants were significantly inhibited at 40 and 50 Gy. No emergence occurred at 60 Gy and higher doses. After radiation, a series of morphological variations and chromosome aberrations appeared in minituber plants. Radiation with 20 Gy promoted tuber formation, and the average number and diameter of M-1 tubers per plant were significantly increased over the control by 71% and 34%, respectively. Conclusion: Low doses of radiation (10-30 Gy) might be used as a valuable parameter to study the improvement of minitubers by gamma-ray radiation treatment.

Molecular Phylogenies Support Homoplasy of Multiple Morphological Characters Used in the Taxonomy of Heteroscleromorpha (Porifera: Demospongiae)

Sponge classification has long been based mainly on morphocladistic analyses but is now being greatly challenged by more than 12 years of accumulated analyses of molecular data analyses. The current study used phylogenetic hypotheses based on sequence data from 18S rRNA, 28S rRNA, and the CO1 barcoding fragment, combined with morphology to justify the resurrection of the order Axinellida Lévi, 1953. Axinellida occupies a key position in different morphologically derived topologies. The abandonment of Axinellida and the establishment of Halichondrida Vosmaer, 1887 sensu lato to contain Halichondriidae Gray, 1867, Axinellidae Carter, 1875, Bubaridae Topsent, 1894, Heteroxyidae Dendy, 1905, and a new family Dictyonellidae van Soest et al., 1990 was based on the conclusion that an axially condensed skeleton evolved independently in separate lineages in preference to the less parsimonious assumption that asters (star-shaped spicules), acanthostyles (club-shaped spicules with spines), and sigmata (C-shaped spicules) each evolved more than once. Our new molecular trees are congruent and contrast with the earlier, morphologically based, trees. The results show that axially condensed skeletons, asters, acanthostyles, and sigmata are all homoplasious characters. The unrecognized homoplasious nature of these characters explains much of the incongruence between molecular-based and morphology-based phylogenies. We use the molecular trees presented here as a basis for re-interpreting the morphological characters within Heteroscleromorpha. The implications for the classification of Heteroscleromorpha are discussed and a new order Biemnida ord. nov. is erected.

Additional morphological characters and a new host for Aceria gymnoscuta Navia & Flechtmann (Acari, Eriophyidae)

Fundação de Amparo à Pesquisa do Estado de São Paulo (FAPESP)

Larval stages of Stenocionops furcatus (Olivier, 1791) (Decapoda : Brachyura : Majoidea) and a reappraisal of larval morphological characters for Mithracidae

Stenocionops furcatus is a spider crab found in the western Atlantic, from Georgia, USA to Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil, on sand, coral, rocks or mud bottoms from the intertidal zone to 180 m. We describe all laboratory-reared larval stages of S. furcatus obtained from the northern coast of São Paulo State, Brazil, and compare our data with existing larval descriptions for the genus and other mithracids. The larval development of S. furcatus consists of two zoeal stages and one megalopa. The durations of the first and second zoeal stage were similar to4 and 5 days respectively, the megalopa appearing 10-18 days after hatching. Our results show that the zoeae of S. furcatus differ from those of other Mithracidae by possessing four setae on the proximal lobe of the coxal endite of the maxilla, instead of five, and by the presence of mid-dorsal setae on the third abdominal somite in the second zoeal stage, which are lacking in other mithracids. Larval descriptions for Stenocionops in two previous publications were attributed to the subspecies S. furcatus coelatus from the Caribbean. Larvae from Brazilian waters closely resemble one of these accounts, suggesting that this taxon extends beyond the West Indies and that the other description represents larvae of S. furcatus furcatus. Additional morphological details, not available previously, are provided.

Morphological characters and karyology of Miogryllus piracicabensis Piza (Orthoptera: Gryllidae)

O gênero Miogryllus inclui um número considerável de espécies, sendo que a maioria delas ainda não está descrita. A quantidade de detalhes morfológicos sobre as espécies conhecidas nem sempre é suficiente para seu reconhecimento, faltando dados sobre as estruturas fálicas e da pars stridens, bem como aqueles referentes à cariologia. O presente trabalho tem o propósito de suprir tal situação para o caso de M. piracicabensis.

Phylogeny of Celastraceae Subfamily Salacioideae and Tribe Lophopetaleae Inferred from Morphological Characters and Nuclear and Plastid Genes

The phylogeny of Celastraceae subfamily Salacioideae (ca. 255 species in the Old and New World tropics) and tribe Lophopetaleae (ca. 29 species in southern Asia and the Austral-Pacific) was inferred using morphological characters together with plastid (matK, trnL-F) and nuclear (ITS and 26S rDNA) genes. Brassiantha, a monotypic genus endemic to New Guinea, is inferred to be more closely related to the clade of Dicarpellum (New Caledonia) and Hypsophila (Queensland, Australia) than it is to Hippocrateoideae or Salacioideae. This unambiguously supported resolution indicates that a nectary disk positioned outside the stamens has been convergently derived in these two lineages. The clade of Kokoona and Lophopetalum is resolved as more closely related to Breria and Elaeodendron than it is to Hippocrateoideae or Salacioideae. Sarawakodendron, a monotypic genus endemic to Borneo, is resolved as sister to Salacioideae. Salacioideae are inferred to have an Old World origin that was followed by a single successful radiation within Central and South America. We infer that capsular fruits are primitive within the clade of Hippocrateoideae + Sarawakodendron + Salacioideae, with berries a synapomorphy for Salacioideae. Based on the resolution of Sarawakodendron as sister to Salacioideae, we hypothesize that the filaments of Sarawakodendron arils are homologous to the spiral filaments in the mucilagenous pulp of Salacioideae.

Phylogeny of Celastraceae subfamily Hippocrateoideae inferred from morphological characters and nuclear and plastid loci

Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico (CNPq)

Congruence of fatty acid methyl ester profiles and morphological characters of arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi in Gigasporaceae.

Arbuscular mycorrhizal (AM) fungi (Order Glomales, Class Zygomycetes) are a diverse group of soil fungi that form mutualistic associations with the roots of most species of higher plants. Despite intensive study over the past 25 years, the phylogenetic relationships among AM fungi, and thus many details of evolution of the symbiosis, remain unclear. Cladistic analysis was performed on fatty acid methyl ester (FAME) profiles of 15 species in Gigaspora and Scutellospora (family Gigasporaceae) by using a restricted maximum likelihood approach of continuous character data. Results were compared to a parsimony analysis of spore morphological characters of the same species. Only one tree was generated from each character set. Morphological and developmental data suggest that species with the simplest spore types are ancestral whereas those with complicated inner wall structures are derived. Spores of those species having a complex wall structure pass through stages of development identical to the mature stages of simpler spores, suggesting a pattern of classical Haeckelian recapitulation in evolution of spore characters. Analysis of FAME profiles supported this hypothesis when Glomus leptotichum was used as the outgroup. However, when Glomus etunicatum was chosen as the outgroup, the polarity of the entire tree was reversed. Our results suggest that FAME profiles contain useful information and provide independent criteria for generating phylogenetic hypotheses in AM fungi. The maximum likelihood approach to analyzing FAME profiles also may prove useful for many other groups of organisms in which profiles are empirically shown to be stable and heritable.

Identifying and discriminating among lucerne cultivars using plant morphological characters

The use of morphological data obtained from field (plot test) and glasshouse trials to identify and discriminate among four Iranian and two New Zealand lucerne (Medicago sativa L.) cultivars was investigated, following guidelines established by the International Union for the Protection of New Varieties of Plants (UPOV) for cultivar registration and the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) for seed certification. Data were collected for terminal leaflet length, width and ratio, angle of stem growth, date of first flowering, stem height at first flowering, flower colour, cutting recovery height, and disease scores. None of these characters were sufficient to identify or discriminate among the six cultivars. The results indicate a need to find cost-effective and efficient laboratory techniques to enhance the assessment of distinctness of lucerne cultivars (UPOV) and for determining cultivar purity for lucerne seed certification (OECD).

Delimitation of the Segregate Genera of Maytenus s. l. (Celastraceae) Based on Morphological and Molecular Characters

Maytenus s. l. (including Gymnosporia) is a morphologically diverse genus of about 300 species that is widely distributed in the tropics and subtropics of both the Old and New Worlds. Its delimitation has been extensively debated and despite the segregation of Gymnosporia, Maytenus s. s. remains a heterogeneous, polyphyletic group. To delimit natural segregate genera we increased taxon sampling and generated sequences from two nuclear gene regions (ITS and 26S rDNA) and two plastid loci (matK and trnL-F) to analyze together with morphological characters. Both Moya and Tricerma were found to be nested within the New World Maytenus and are recognized as synonyms of Maytenus s. s.. In contrast, the three New World species of Gymnosporia are recognized as a new genus that is closely related to Gyminda. Haydenia is erected for these three species: H. gentryi, H. haberiana, and H. urbaniana. One or more previously proposed or novel genera are required to accommodate the systematically difficult African Maytenus. Putterlickia, and most likely Gloveria, are nested within Gymnosporia and should be synonymized with that genus. New binomials are required for four Chinese and one Rapan species of Gymnosporia that have been previously treated only as Maytenus: Gymnosporia austroyunnanensis, G. confertiflora, G. dongfangensis, G. guangxiensis, and G. pertinax. Austral-Pacific Maytenus are transferred to Denhamia, requiring eight new binomials: Denhamia bilocularis, D. cunninghamii, D. cupularis, D. disperma, D. fasciculiflora, D. ferdinandii, D. fournieri, and D. silvestris. Existing intrageneric classifications of Gymnosporia and Maytenus s. s. were not supported in their entirety. Gymnosporia is inferred to have had an African origin followed by dispersals to Madagascar, southeast Asia and the Austral-Pacific.

Utility of COI, CAD and morphological data for resolving relationships within the genus Sarcophaga (sensu lato) (Diptera: Sarcophagidae) : a preliminary study

Currently there are ~3000 known species of Sarcophagidae (Diptera), which are classified into 173 genera in three subfamilies. Almost 25% of sarcophagids belong to the genus Sarcophaga (sensu lato) however little is known about the validity of, and relationships between the ~150 (or more) subgenera of Sarcophaga s.l. In this preliminary study, we evaluated the usefulness of three sources of data for resolving relationships between 35 species from 14 Sarcophaga s.l. subgenera: the mitochondrial COI barcode region, ~800. bp of the nuclear gene CAD, and 110 morphological characters. Bayesian, maximum likelihood (ML) and maximum parsimony (MP) analyses were performed on the combined dataset. Much of the tree was only supported by the Bayesian and ML analyses, with the MP tree poorly resolved. The genus Sarcophaga s.l. was resolved as monophyletic in both the Bayesian and ML analyses and strong support was obtained at the species-level. Notably, the only subgenus consistently resolved as monophyletic was Liopygia. The monophyly of and relationships between the remaining Sarcophaga s.l. subgenera sampled remain questionable. We suggest that future phylogenetic studies on the genus Sarcophaga s.l. use combined datasets for analyses. We also advocate the use of additional data and a range of inference strategies to assist with resolving relationships within Sarcophaga s.l.

Revision of the scolopendrid centipede digitipes Attems, 1930, from India (Chilopoda: Scolopendromorpha): reconciling molecular and morphological estimates of species diversity

Recent work on molecular phylogenetics of Scolopendridae from the Western Ghats, Peninsular India, has suggested the presence of six cryptic species of the otostigmine Digitipes Attems, 1930, together with three species described in previous taxonomic work by Jangi and Dass (1984). Digitipes is the correct generic attribution for a monophyletic group of Indian species, these being united with three species from tropical Africa (including the type) that share a distomedial process on the ultimate leg femur of males that is otherwise unknown in Otostigminae. Second maxillary characters previously used in the diagnosis of Digitipes are dismissed because Indian species do not possess the putatively diagnostic character states. Two new species from the Western Ghats that correspond to groupings identified based on monophyly, sequence divergence and coalescent analysis using molecular data are diagnosed based on distinct morphological characters. They are D. jangii and D. periyarensis n. spp. Three species named by Jangi and Dass (Digitipes barnabasi, D. coonoorensis and D. indicus) are revised based on new collections; D. indicus is a junior subjective synonym of Arthrorhabdus jonesii Verhoeff, 1938, the combination becoming Digitipes jonesii (Verhoeff, 1938) n. comb. The presence of Arthrorhabdus in India is accordingly refuted. Three putative species delimited by molecular and ecological data remain cryptic from the perspective of diagnostic morphological characters and are presently retained in D. barnabasi, D. jangii and D. jonesii. A molecularly-delimited species that resolved as sister group to a well-supported clade of Indian Digitipes is identified as Otostigmus ruficeps Pocock, 1890, originally described from a single specimen and revised herein. One Indian species originally assigned to Digitipes, D. gravelyi, deviates from confidently-assigned Digitipes with respect to several characters and is reassigned to Otostigmus, as O. gravelyi (Jangi and Dass, 1984) n. comb.