Search results for "Molecular phylogenetics."

Molecular systematics of aphids (Homoptera: Aphididae): new insights from the long-wavelength opsin gene.

2004

Viviparous aphids (Aphididae) constitute a monophyletic group within the Homoptera with more than 4000 extant species worldwide but higher diversity in temperate regions. Several aspects of their biology account for attention paid to this group of insects. Their plant-sap-sucking way of feeding with many species transmitting viruses to crop plants has important implications on crop management strategies. Cyclical parthenogenesis associated in many groups to host alternation and elaborate polyphenisms is of special interests for evolutionists. Finally, the ancient association of most aphid species with intracellular endosymbiotic bacteria (Buchnera sp.) has also received much attention from …

Morphological evolution and ecological diversification of the forest-dwelling poppies (Papaveraceae: Chelidonioideae) as deduced from a molecular phy…

1999

Sequences of the ITS region of nrDNA were analyzed for the seven genera of Papaveraceae subf. Chelidonioideae s.str. Three major clades can be recognized. These are 1.Chelidonium/Hylomecon/Stylophorum, 2.Eomecon/Sanguinaria, and 3.Bocconia/Macleaya. The monophyly of genera in the first of these three clades is doubtful, and clades two and three are sister to each other. Use of the ITS phylogeny of the subfamily to trace its morphological and ecological evolution shows that morphological change is concentrated in theBocconia/Macleaya clade, and probably related to the evolution of wind-pollination from insect-pollination in these two genera after habitat shift.

Molecular phylogeny of Iberian Fordini (Aphididae: Eriosomatinae): implications for the taxonomy of generaFordaandParacletus

2009

Mediterranean representatives of the galling aphid tribe Fordini (Hemiptera: Aphididae: Eriosomatinae) are usually grouped under the subtribe term Fordina. Aphids within Fordina display two-year life cycles, alternating between Pistacia shrubs, where they induce conspicuous galls, and roots of Poaceae species. The high number of morphs present in a given species, the lack of knowledge of the complete cycle in some species, and the similarity between homologous morphs observed in different species pose many taxonomic problems in this group. We present results of a survey to elucidate the phylogenetic relationships among Fordini species present in the Iberian Peninsula and the Canary Islands.…

Species identification of the psammophilous tenebrionid beetles Phaleria acuminata Juster, 1852 and Phaleria bimaculata (Linnaeus, 1767) from central…

2013

Dominating global arid environments, from desert to coastal dunes, most Tenebrionidae are highly specific in their habitat preferences and display limited dispersal potential, thus exhibiting a remarkable degree of regional genetic and morphological differentiation. The tenebrionid genus Phaleria is speciose and widely distributed, with P. acuminata and P. bimaculata having a wide Mediterranean distribution, with numerous morphological differentiations at population level, often described as different taxa of doubtful taxonomical significance. In order to investigate the variability of the central Mediterranean populations of P. bimaculata and P. acuminata and to compare the results obtaine…

Towards a complete phylogeny of African Melastomateae : systematics of Dissotis and allies (Melastomataceae)

2020

Remarkable ancient divergences amongst neglected lorisiform primates

2015

Lorisiform primates (Primates: Strepsirrhini: Lorisiformes) represent almost 10% of the living primate species and are widely distributed in sub-Saharan Africa and South/South-East Asia; however, their taxonomy, evolutionary history, and biogeography are still poorly understood. In this study we report the largest molecular phylogeny in terms of the number of represented taxa. We sequenced the complete mitochondrial cytochrome b gene for 86 lorisiform specimens, including ∼80% of all the species currently recognized. Our results support the monophyly of the Galagidae, but a common ancestry of the Lorisinae and Perodicticinae (family Lorisidae) was not recovered. These three lineages have ea…

Disentangling composite colour patterns in a poison frog species

2008

A phylogenetic approach was performed to infer whether variation in conspicuous colour-patterns of a poison frog (Dendrobatidae: Dendrobates tinctorius) has evolved neutrally or under selection. Colour and pattern were split into components that were separately analysed and subsequently re-grouped via principal component analysis. This revealed four different ‘displayed’ factors on the dorsal and lateral views versus one ‘concealed’ factor on the ventral view. Based on the assumption that current patterns of trait variation contain information about the evolutionary history of the phenotype, we correlated these trait components to a neutrally evolving gene fragment (cytochrome b). The conce…

Zschokkella hildae Auerbach, 1910: phylogenetic position, morphology, and location in cultured Atlantic cod.

2010

Abstract The myxozoan Zschokkella hildae Auerbach, 1910, was detected with a prevalence of 100% in cultured Atlantic cod, Gadus morhua L. aged 1+ from a culture facility on the west coast of Scotland. Sporogonic stages of Z. hildae, plasmodia producing 2–5 mature spores, were located predominantly in the collecting ducts and ureters of the kidney, and spores were present in the urine collected from the bladder. Less frequently, plasmodia were detected in the interstitial tissue of the kidney. The parasite prevalence in cultured fish was considerably higher than reported in wild fish but no obvious signs of pathology were detected. SSU rDNA sequencing and phylogenetic analysis showed that Z.…

Independent host switching events by digenean parasites of cetaceans inferred from ribosomal DNA

2015

Cetaceans harbour a unique fauna of digeneans whose origin and relationships have sparked considerable debate during recent decades. Disparity in the species reported indicates that they do not share close affinities, but their unusual morphology has made their taxonomic identities and phylogenetic positions uncertain. Here we use sequence data to investigate the phylogenetic relationships of the main species of flukes infecting cetaceans. We sequenced the 18S, 28S and internal transcribed spacer 2 rDNA of digenean species representing all known families reported from cetaceans: Braunina cordiformis (Brauninidae), Ogmogaster antarcticus (Notocotylidae), Pholeter gastrophilus (Heterophyidae)…

Molecular Phylogeny of Tintinnid Ciliates (Tintinnida, Ciliophora)

2012

We investigated the phylogeny of tintinnids (Ciliophora, Tintinnida) with 62 new SSU-rDNA sequences from single cells of 32 marine and freshwater species in 20 genera, including the first SSU-rDNA sequences for Amphorides, Climacocylis, Codonaria, Cyttarocylis, Parundella, Petalotricha, Undella and Xystonella, and 23 ITS sequences of 17 species in 15 genera. SSU-rDNA phylogenies suggested a basal position for Eutintinnus, distant to other Tintinnidae. We propose Eutintinnidae fam. nov. for this divergent genus, keeping the family Tintinnidae for Amphorellopsis, Amphorides and Steenstrupiella. Tintinnopsis species branched in at least two separate groups and, unexpectedly, Climacocylis branc…