The subfamily Metriorrhynchinae is the most species-rich clade of Lycidae (Coleoptera). A recent proposal suggests that the Erotinae is a sister group of the Metriorrhynchinae. Within the Metriorrhynchinae, evidence is presented for the monophyly of the Conderini and Metriorrhynchini and their sister group position. The Trichalina, Hemiconderina and Metriorrhynchina form the tribe Metriorrhynchini. The relationships between the basal lineages of this group are poorly understood. Several clades are distinguished within the Metriorrhynchina, but there is only weak evidence supporting a relationships between them. The distribution of individual clades is discussed. Carathrix Kleine, 1926 (= Pseudodontocerus Pic, 1921), Dilolycus Kleine, 1926 (= Metriorrhynchus Gemminger et Harold, 1869), Flabelloporrostoma Pic, 1923 (= Metriorrhynchus Gemminger et Harold, 1869), Rossioptera Kasantsev, 1988 (= Xylobanellus Kleine, 1930), Samanga Pic, 1921 (= Broxylus C.O. Waterhouse, 1879), Strophicus C. O. Waterhouse, 1879 (= Enylus C.O. Waterhouse, 1879), and Tapromenoeus Bocak et Bocakova, 1989 (= Prometanoeus Kleine, 1925) are proposed as junior synonyms. Pseudosynchonnus Pic, 1922 is transferred to the Erotinae (Taphini) and Pseudosynchonnus Pic, 1922, Protaphes Kleine, 1926, and Parapyropterus Kleine, 1926 are proposed to be junior subjective synonyms of Lycoprogenthes Pic, 1915. Redescriptions of Metriorrhynchinae genera and a key to genera are provided.
Ant-like stone beetles (Coleoptera: Scydmaenidae) include more than 4,850 described species in about 90 genera maintained as a separate cosmopolitan family since 1815. Recent authors have hypothesised that Scydmaenidae might be rooted deep inside rove-beetles (Staphylinidae). To test this hypothesis we analysed 206 parsimoniously informative larval and adult morphological characters scored for 38 taxa. Strict consensus topologies from the shortest trees in all 12 analyses consistently placed Scydmaenidae as sister to (Steninae + Euaesthetinae) in a monophyletic Staphylinine Group (with or without Oxyporinae). The single fully resolved and most consistently supported topology maintains a monophyletic Staphylinine Group consisting of Oxyporinae + (Megalopsidiinae + (("Scydmaenidae" + (Steninae + Euaesthetinae)) + (Leptotyphlinae + (Pseudopsinae + (Paederinae + Staphylininae))))); Solierius lacks larval data and is ambiguously placed within the Group. Eight analyses of variably aligned 18S rDNA data for 93 members of Staphylinoidea under parsimony, neighbour-joining and Bayesian approaches were markedly inconsistent, although partly congruent with the Scydmaenidae + (Steninae + Euaesthetinae) hypothesis. Our results strongly suggest that ant-like stone beetles do not form an independent family, but are morphologically modified members of Staphylinidae and, consequently, should be treated as a 32nd recent subfamily within the megadiverse Staphylinidae sensu latissimo. Formal taxonomic acts are: Scydmaeninae Leach, 1815, status novus (= Scydmaenidae Leach, 1815); Scydmaenitae Leach, 1815, status novus (= Scydmaeninae Leach, 1815); Mastigitae Fleming, 1821, status novus (= Mastiginae Fleming, 1821); Hapsomelitae Poinar & Brown, 2004, status novus (= Hapsomelinae Poinar & Brown, 2004). The family Staphylinidae sensu latissimo becomes the largest in Coleoptera and in the whole of the Animal Kingdom, with 55,440 described species (extant plus extinct), thus surpassing Curculionidae with an estimated 51,000 described species.
Tibetan macaques (Macaca thibetana) are a threatened primate species endemic to China. The current taxonomy of the species is based on external morphological and anatomical variations. To further understand the intraspecific variation and relationships among populations, we analyzed 44 mitochondrial DNA control region sequences (475 bp fragment) from individuals across the species range. Results revealed 11 major haplotypes with a high nucleotide diversity (0.792), but nucleotide diversity within haplotype lineages was only 0.042. Neighbor-joining phylogenetic analyses indicated support for four distinct haplotype clades corresponding to regional groups consistent with the recognized subspecies M .t. thibetana, M. t. guizhonensis, M. t. huangshanensis and M. t. pullus. As a result of regional geographic variation and genetic differences, we recommend the four subspecies should be considered different management units for conservation efforts.
The Microsporidia are a group of obligate intracellular parasites, now thought to be derived fungi. Presented here is a comparative small subunit rDNA (ssrDNA) analysis of 125 species of Microsporidia (sequences obtained from GenBank). This analysis shows that groups or clades are formed based largely on habitat and host. This result is supported by comparative molecular analyses of the past decade, and indicates that structural and ultrastructural characters are unreliable for distinguishing among higher-level microsporidian taxa. Our findings indicate the presence of five major clades of Microsporidia which group according to habitat. We present three new classes of Microsporidia based on natural phylogenetic groupings as illustrated by the ssrDNA analysis: Aquasporidia, Marinosporidia and Terresporidia. The names of the proposed classes reflect the habitat of each group. The class Aquasporidia, found primarily in freshwater habitats, is a paraphyletic group consisting of three clades. The Marinosporidia are found in hosts of marine origin and the Terresporidia are primarily from terrestrial environments.
A list of myxozoan genera is presented in the current taxonomical scheme. These genera are defined; their type species and most important pathogens along with their hosts are listed. Simultaneously, definitions of actinospore stages representing sexual stages of the myxosporean life cycle are given; altogether, 17 actinospore collective groups with 180 types have been described. Life cycles of the two classes of the phylum Myxozoa, Malacosporea and Myxosporea, are briefly outlined with specification of the appropriate terms. Up to now, 4 malacosporean and 2,180 myxosporean species assigned to a total of 62 genera, have been established. The surviving classification of myxosporeans, based on spore morphology, is discussed in the context of the still fragmentary data resulting from SSU rDNA sequence analyses. The main task for the future is a rigorous, detailed morphological description combined with molecular techniques in establishment of new species and in revision of the existing ones. Establishment of a classification acceptable from morphological, biological and phylogenetical viewpoints is necessary.
As a part of ongoing cytogenetic studies on the bug family Nabidae (Heteroptera), the karyotypes and meiotic patterns of male Nabis (Aspilaspis) viridulus Spinola, 1837, N. (A.) indicus (Stål, 1873) (subfamily Nabinae) and Prostemma guttula (Fabricius, 1787) (subfamily Prostemmatinae) are described.
N. viridulus and N. indicus differ from P. guttula in their chromosome numbers, which are 2n = 32 + XY and 2n = 26 + XY, respectively, and behaviour of the sex chromosomes in male meiosis, which, respectively, show "distance pairing" and "touch-and-go pairing" in spermatocyte metaphase II. The karyotype of 2n = 34 and "touch-and-go pairing" are considered to be plesiomorphic characters in Nabidae. The evolutionary mechanisms that might underlie different chromosome numbers, the taxonomic significance of karyotype variation and the distribution of meiotic patterns in the family, are discussed.
The sterrhine loopers Timandra griseata and T. comae have been treated as distinct species since 1994. However, morphological differences between the taxa are minor and therefore their status has often been disputed. Here, we present a molecular phylogenetic study, which separates T. griseata and T. comae into different clades. Altogether, 43 Timandra specimens from eight European countries were studied. The phylogeny is based on a comparative sequence analysis of mitochondrial genes coding for the cytochrome C oxidase subunit I (COI) and NADH dehydrogenase subunit 1 (ND1). Nevertheless, a single individual of both species was assigned to the "wrong" clade. The symplesiomorphy of T. griseata and T. comae is considered to be a result of introgressive hybridization. Conditions that could lead to the hybridization of T. griseata and T. comae are discussed, as well as the likely distribution history of these taxa in Northern Europe. Results of the current analysis are in favour of retaining the species status of T. griseata and T. comae.
Small subunit rRNA sequences were obtained from 38 representatives mainly of the nematode orders Spirurida (Camallanidae, Cystidicolidae, Daniconematidae, Philometridae, Physalopteridae, Rhabdochonidae, Skrjabillanidae) and, in part, Ascaridida (Anisakidae, Cucullanidae, Quimperiidae). The examined nematodes are predominantly parasites of fishes. Their analyses provided well-supported trees allowing the study of phylogenetic relationships among some spirurine nematodes. The present results support the placement of Cucullanidae at the base of the suborder Spirurina and, based on the position of the genus Philonema (subfamily Philoneminae) forming a sister group to Skrjabillanidae (thus Philoneminae should be elevated to Philonemidae), the paraphyly of the Philometridae. Comparison of a large number of sequences of representatives of the latter family supports the paraphyly of the genera Philometra, Philometroides and Dentiphilometra. The validity of the newly included genera Afrophilometra and Caranginema is not supported. These results indicate geographical isolation has not been the cause of speciation in this parasite group and no coevolution with fish hosts is apparent. On the contrary, the group of South-American species of Alinema, Nilonema and Rumai is placed in an independent branch, thus markedly separated from other family members. Molecular data indicate that the skrjabillanid subfamily Esocineminae (represented by Esocinema bohemicum) should be either elevated to the rank of an independent family or Daniconematidae (Mexiconema africanum) should be decreased to Daniconematinae and transferred to the family Skrjabillanidae. Camallanid genera Camallanus and Procamallanus, as well as the subgenera Procamallanus and Spirocamallanus are confirmed to be paraphyletic. Paraphyly has also been found within Filarioidea, Habronematoidea and Thelazioidea and in Cystidicolidae, Physalopteridae and Thelaziidae. The results of the analyses also show that Neoascarophis, Spinitectus and Rhabdochona are monophyletic, in contrast to the paraphyletic genus Ascarophis. They further confirm the independence of two subgenera, Rhabdochona and Globochona, in the genus Rhabdochona. The necessity of further studies of fish-parasitizing representatives of additional nematode families not yet studied by molecular methods, such as Guyanemidae, Lucionematidae or Tetanonematidae, is underscored.
The genus Dasytricheta Bernhauer, 1943 is redefined. The genus Pyromecroma Cameron, 1945 is considered a new synonym of Dasytricheta. Eleven valid species are recognised in the genus: Dasytricheta spectabilis Bernhauer, 1943 (the type species of Dasytricheta), D. funesta (Broun, 1912) comb. n. (the type species of Pyromecroma, originally described in Myrmecopora Saulcy, 1864), and nine species described as new: Dasytricheta haastiana sp. n., D. hookeriana sp. n., D. intermedia sp. n., D. kapuniana sp. n., D. mahitahiana sp. n., D. periana sp. n., D. shotoveriana sp. n., D. testacea sp. n. and D. waihoana sp. n. The taxa are diagnosed, keyed and illustrated. The phylogeny of Dasytricheta is analysed using cladistic methods. The systematic position of Dasytricheta within the Aleocharinae is discussed.
The box tree moth, Cydalima perspectalis (Walker, 1859) comb. n., is native to India, China, Korea, Japan and the Russian Far East. Its larvae are a serious pest of different species of Buxus. Recently, C. perspectalis was introduced into Europe and first recorded from Germany in 2006. This species has been placed in various spilomeline genera including Palpita Hübner, 1808, Diaphania Hübner, 1818, Glyphodes Guenée, 1854 and the monotypic Neoglyphodes Streltzov, 2008. In order to solve this nomenclatural confusion and to find a reasonable and verifiable generic placement for the box tree moth, the morphology of the above mentioned and some additional spilomeline taxa was investigated and their phylogeny analysed. The results show that C. perspectalis belongs to a monophylum that includes three of the genera in which it was previously placed: Glyphodes, Diaphania and Palpita. Within this monophylum, it is closely related to the Asian Cydalima Lederer, 1863. As a result of this analysis, Sisyrophora Lederer, 1863 syn. rev. and Neoglyphodes Streltzov, 2008 syn. n. are synonymised with Cydalima Lederer, 1863, and five species are transferred to this genus: Cydalima capriniodes (Hampson, 1912) (Glyphodes) comb. n., Cydalima decipiens (Hampson, 1912) (Glyphodes) comb. n., Cydalima joiceyi (Janse, 1924) (Margaronia) comb. n., Cydalima perspectalis (Walker, 1859) (Phakellura) comb. n. and Cydalima pfeifferae (Lederer, 1863) (Sisyrophora) comb. rev.