The genus
The genus
During the present study species boundaries we examined in the freshwater crab species complex (comprising Potamonautes clarus Krauss, 1843 and P. depressus Gouws, Stewart and Coke, 2000). DNA sequence data from three mitochondrial loci and one nuclear locus were used for additional specimens sampled along the Drakensberg Mountains, KwaZulu-Natal province, South Africa. Phylogenetic analyses using Bayesian Inference and Maximum Likelihood platforms incorporating additional sample localities using a total evidence DNA sequence dataset revealed the presence of a monophyletic Drakensberg Mountain group comprised of four main clades. Clade A comprised specimens from Impendle, Karkloof Nature Reserve, Injisuthi and Dargle Forest was sister to clade B. The latter clade comprised specimens from Ngome Forest sister to P. clarus (from Oliviershoek Pass, and Gudu falls) sister to Paardeplaats Nature Reserve. Clade (B) was sister to P. baziya Daniels, Marais, Barnes & Gouws, 2021 (clade C) that was sister to the remainder of clade D that comprised specimens from Himeville, Bushmans Nek, Rougham, Vergelegen Nature Reserve, Coleford Nature Reserve, Sani Pass and Garden Castle Nature Reserve. Clade A, was collected closest to the type locality in the near eastern Drakensberg Mountains and is here designated P. depressus s.s., while specimens from Ngome forest and Paardeplaats Nature Reserve are designated as P. ngomiensis sp. nov., and P. paardeplaatsie sp. nov., respectively, while the clade from the southern Drakensberg Mountains (clade D) is here designated as P. drakensbergie sp. nov., and sister to P. baziya. Divergence time estimation revealed Pliocene/Pleistocene cladogenesis. Climatic ameliorations are recognised as the main driver of speciation in the species complex. The three new potamonautid freshwater crab species are herein described and a neotype is designated for P. depressus s.s. to stabilise the taxonomy of the species.
Recent phylogenomic studies have indicated that Aphanipathidae is not monophyletic, necessitating a reassessment of familial boundaries and generic placement within Antipatharia. Here, we aim to revise Aphanipathidae using an integrated phylogenomic and morphological framework. A new family of black corals, Pteridopathidae fam. nov. (Cnidaria: Anthozoa: Antipatharia), is established for five genera (Pteridopathes, Elatopathes, Tetrapathes, Distichopathes, and Asteriopathes) formerly referred to the family Aphanipathidae. The new family is recognized based on ultraconserved-element molecular data, forming a monophyletic group sister to Stylopathidae + Myriopathidae, with the remaining examined Aphanipathidae species forming four distinct lineages, two within Antipathidae, one sister group to Antipathidae, and one sister group to all families excluding Leiopathidae. Morphologically, all species in the new family are pinnulate, have tubercles on the surface of their spines, and polypar spines are subequal or anisomorphic (unequal heights around locations where polyps occur), which together are unlike all nominal families in the order. Prior to this taxonomic revision, Aphanipathidae was the only family that included both pinnulate and not-pinnulate species. In this revision, the new family gathers all the pinnulate genera formerly referred to Aphanipathidae; and we emend the Aphanipathidae diagnosis to include species that are strictly not-pinnulate. This revision helps resolve the paraphyletic relationship of Aphanipathidae with respect to other antipatharian families, and provides a phylogenetically informed framework for future revisions.
Among the six bee families recorded from the African continent, Melittidae is a species-poor group that includes the pantaloon bees of the genus Dasypoda Latreille. Using an integrative approach combining morphological examination and phylogenomic analysis based on Ultraconserved Elements (UCEs), we describe and diagnose a new species, D. (Heterodasypoda) rosaella Ghisbain & Wood sp. nov., from Morocco and Tunisia. This species has been historically misidentified as the European species D. (Heterodasypoda) albimana Pérez, 1905. We designate a sequenced neotype for the closely related D. albimana from southern France, facilitating comparisons with D. (Heterodasypoda) rosaella sp. nov. and D. (Heterodasypoda) michezi Radchenko, 2017. To further clarify the taxonomy of the genus, we confirm that D. (Heterodasypoda) bolivari Quilis is a junior synonym of D. (Heterodasypoda) albimana, and retain D. (Dasypoda) panzeri Spinola, 1838 as a junior synonym of D. (Dasypoda) hirtipes (Fabricius, 1793), although issues with the lectotype designation obscure the terra typica, excluding this species from Egypt's fauna. We finally present an updated checklist and key of African Dasypoda, comprising 13 species, including six endemics. Our findings refine our understanding of African Dasypoda diversity and underscore the need for integrative taxonomic approaches in resolving cryptic species complexes.
The wishbone spiders of the genus Aname L. Koch, 1873 are highly diverse mygalomorph spiders with an extremely widespread distribution across continental mainland Australia. In this study we use an integrative approach, providing morphological and molecular data combined with natural history information, to address a taxonomic knowledge shortfall in the Northern Jarrah Forest subregion of south-western Western Australia. We here report the presence of at least two different clades in the area: the pulchella group and the mainae group. We describe six new species for the region, belonging to the newly defined 'A. spicata-complex' of the pulchella group: A. crassitibia sp. nov., A. inexpecta sp. nov., A. minuta sp. nov., A. reliquia sp. nov., A. spicata sp. nov. and A. trapezoidalis sp. nov. We also designate A. fuscocincta Rainbow & Pulleine, 1918 as a nomen dubium, the holotype being an unidentifiable juvenile. These findings expand our understanding of the diversity and distribution of Aname in the south-western Australian biodiversity hotspot and serve as a foundation for future, more comprehensive studies in the region. Given the ongoing resource extraction activities in the area, this work will also be important for environmental monitoring and conservation purposes. ZooBank: urn:lsid:zoobank.org:pub:961BFB99-5FCA-4ADA-B55F-7AAB947BBEAA.
Since the Eocene the Australian continent has experienced a long history of climatic and biotic change, resulting in evolutionary diversification among numerous old endemic lineages. Spiny trapdoor spiders of the family Idiopidae are one such group, with previous evidence for three independent incursions into the Australian arid zone from temperate mesic ancestors, leading to subsequent range expansion and diversification in those lineages. One of these arid zone incursions occurred in the genus Blakistonia Hogg, 1902, which ranges widely across much of southern, central and temperate mainland Australia. In this study, we undertake a phylogenetic analysis of Blakistonia to elucidate the interrelationships among species and the timing of diversification across Australia. We employ a broader sampling of taxa relative to previous studies, and a seven-gene molecular dataset to generate the largest multi-locus phylogeny of the genus to date, thus building upon previous revisionary works and continent-wide biogeographic studies of other mygalomorph spider genera. We recover three major clades within Blakistonia, one monotypic clade restricted to the temperate mesic zone, and two diverse clades widely distributed through transitional and arid regions of southern Australia. Diversification of arid-adapted clades commenced in the late Miocene, commensurate with the climatic expansion of the arid zone during the Miocene and Plio-Pleistocene.
The Australian wishbone spider genus Aname is perhaps the most diverse mygalomorph spider genus in the world, with an estimated 300 species distributed across the Australian mainland. In this study, we use extensive morphological and molecular datasets to revise the 'mellosa-complex', a clade of Western Australian species that are recognisable due to their distinctive morphology and characteristic 'hooded' burrow entrances. We delimit 25 species, including the nominal species A. mellosa Harvey, Framenau, Wojcieszek, Rix & Harvey, 2012, and 24 newly described species: A. amabilis sp. nov., A. arenicosta sp. nov., A. auromellosa sp. nov., A. boreoarca sp. nov., A. charlesdarwini sp. nov., A. cowani sp. nov., A. dimissa sp. nov., A. eowilsoni sp. nov., A. eurarca sp. nov., A. geminata sp. nov., A. isabelae sp. nov., A. jillae sp. nov., A. kaii sp. nov., A. nacta sp. nov., A. primarena sp. nov., A. prospecta sp. nov., A. sangeri sp. nov., A. senticosa sp. nov., A. simplex sp. nov., A. tacenda sp. nov., A. taracta sp. nov., A. terminata sp. nov., A. wanjarri sp. nov. and A. zephyrarca sp. nov. The mellosa-complex is endemic to xeric habitats north of the mulga-eucalypt line in Western Australia and comprises three distinct clades with largely non-overlapping distributions: the amabilis species-group, the charlesdarwini species-group and the mellosa species-group. Species in this complex, particularly those in the mellosa species-group, are morphologically cryptic. To ensure accurate identification, we provide molecular diagnoses and sequence data for all 23 species for which nucleotide data are available, totalling 429 sequenced specimens across the entire complex. These findings expand our understanding of the diversity and distributions of Aname species in Western Australia and, given the occurrence of many taxa in the resource-rich Pilbara bioregion, will be important for accurate Environmental Impact Assessments (EIAs). ZooBank: urn:lsid:zoobank.org:pub:B06C4B97-BC71-46B4-840D-A7D78C393F99.
Even though it is one of the most studied marine regions in the world, the biodiversity of the Mediterranean Sea is still incompletely characterised. In this study, we explore the taxonomy and evolutionary history of the porcelain crab genus Pisidia in the Atlanto-Mediterranean Province, where it has undergone a complex taxonomic history resulting in identification confusion and synonymisation. Through an integrated study using a multilocus phylogeny based on two mitochondrial genes and three nuclear genes, haplotype networks, alongside a morphological analysis and 3-D renderings of micro-CT X-ray images, we investigate the diversification patterns of species complexes in the region. As a result, we have identified five distinct lineages that correspond to presumed species of Pisidia in the eastern Atlantic and the Mediterranean, each well-differentiated by both molecular and morphological characteristics. Our time-divergence analyses suggest that interspecific diversification occurred during the Miocene, whereas intraspecific diversification took place during the Pleistocene. Paleoclimatic and paleogeographic events, such as the Messinian Salinity Crisis and the Pleistocene glacial cycles, played a significant role in the evolution of Pisidia in the Mediterranean and East Atlantic. Additionally, we found species sympatry in several locations in the western Mediterranean, which may explain the long-standing taxonomic debate arising from the coexistence of morphologically distinct species that were previously assumed to be conspecific.
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