Massimo Delfino, Brigette F Cohen, Romala Govender, Pippa Haarhoff, Loredana Macaluso, Liana Marino, Thalassa Matthews, Lukardis C M Wencker, Marco Pavia
{"title":"Towards the origin of South African tortoises: a new Chersina species from the Early Pliocene fossil site of Langebaanweg","authors":"Massimo Delfino, Brigette F Cohen, Romala Govender, Pippa Haarhoff, Loredana Macaluso, Liana Marino, Thalassa Matthews, Lukardis C M Wencker, Marco Pavia","doi":"10.1093/zoolinnean/zlae146","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1093/zoolinnean/zlae146","url":null,"abstract":"South Africa is currently home to a highly diverse tortoise assemblage whose evolutionary history has been investigated mostly as a result of molecular studies. The fossil record is of little help because the remains of extant taxa are relatively recent, and only three extinct species, of uncertain relationships, have been described so far. An Early Pliocene extinct species of the currently monotypic genus Chersina, still inhabiting South Africa, was reported at the fossil-rich site of Langebaanweg more than 50 years ago but never formally described. Here we erect and describe the extinct species Chersina langebaanwegi sp. nov. on the basis of abundant material that provides information on its morphological variation. The referral of the new species to the genus Chersina is supported by phylogenetic analysis which includes the Malagasy ploughshare tortoise, sharing the presence of a single gular shield covering a very long gular protrusion with Chersina spp. and a domed shell with C. langebaanwegi sp. nov. The material from Langebaanweg represents the oldest fossil evidence of this genus. It significantly post-dates the branching of Chersina from its sister taxon Chersobius, but pre-dates the presumed split of the extant lineages of Chersina angulata as estimated on molecular basis.","PeriodicalId":49333,"journal":{"name":"Zoological Journal of the Linnean Society","volume":"32 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":2.8,"publicationDate":"2024-11-14","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142637637","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"生物学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Charalampos Kevrekidis, Timo Moritz, Alexander F Cerwenka, Elena Bauer, Bettina Reichenbacher
{"title":"Uncovering the relationships among herring-like fossils (Clupei: Teleostei): a phylogenetic analysis","authors":"Charalampos Kevrekidis, Timo Moritz, Alexander F Cerwenka, Elena Bauer, Bettina Reichenbacher","doi":"10.1093/zoolinnean/zlae115","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1093/zoolinnean/zlae115","url":null,"abstract":"Research interest in the diversity and evolutionary history of herring-like fossils (subcohort Clupei) has increased in recent decades. However, little is known about the relationships between fossils assigned to Clupei, particularly those that are demonstrably related to extant herring-like members of the order Clupeiformes. To help bridge this gap, we present a new morphological phylogeny that includes representatives of all major clupeiform lineages. The data matrix consists of 192 characters, drawn from 79 extant and 37 fossil taxa and selected to be readily identifiable in fossils. Most clupeiform families are recovered as monophyletic, and their interrelationships are generally compatible with previous morphological hypotheses. The phylogenetic positions of six fossil clupeiform taxa are resolved, as the results of all analyses (unconstrained/constrained parsimony and Bayesian inference) are consistent. Twenty-one fossil taxa are incertae sedis, including two species of Ellimmichtyiformes, which are recovered as Clupeoidei in the parsimony analyses. The relationships of the rest of the fossils are interpreted with varying degrees of certainty. The evolution of key morphological characters is discussed in light of the new results, and four fossil taxa are proposed as calibration points for future dating studies.","PeriodicalId":49333,"journal":{"name":"Zoological Journal of the Linnean Society","volume":"2 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":2.8,"publicationDate":"2024-11-09","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142597786","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"生物学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Mandibular, hyoid, and hypobranchial musculature in skates (Chondrichthyes: Batoidea: Rajiformes): revised terminology and phylogenetic implications","authors":"Karla D A Soares","doi":"10.1093/zoolinnean/zlae134","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1093/zoolinnean/zlae134","url":null,"abstract":"About 300 valid species are classified within the order Rajiformes, the largest group of chondrichthyans. The monophyly of this order is highly supported by morphological and molecular inferences, but little is known about the mandibular, hyoid, and hypobranchial muscles of its members. This study aims to describe and illustrate the morphological variation in mandibular, hyoid, and hypobranchial muscles among rajiforms, review their terminology and discuss the phylogenetic and functional implications of conditions observed. Twenty-two ethanol-preserved specimens belonging to 19 of the 36 skate genera currently considered valid were manually dissected. Nine new characters are proposed and tested cladistically. The main differences observed are the relative width of muscle units of the levator palatoquadrati, insertion point and extension of the intermanibularis posterior, relative position of the facialis nerve and the levator hyomandibularis muscle, origin and insertion of the coracomandibularis, extension of the coracohyomandibularis, and occurrence of the preorbitalis medialis and intermandibularis anterior. When analysed together with other morphological features, muscle characters have shown to play a key role in the understanding of interrelationships among skates. Nevertheless, additional studies are needed to improve our knowledge of rajiform systematics and the functionality of mandibular, hyoid, and hypobranchial muscles.","PeriodicalId":49333,"journal":{"name":"Zoological Journal of the Linnean Society","volume":"9 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":2.8,"publicationDate":"2024-11-08","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142597788","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"生物学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Adaptation and innovation in darter fish cranial musculature (Etheostomatinae: Percidae): insights from diceCT","authors":"J H Arbour, S Ramazan, S Clark","doi":"10.1093/zoolinnean/zlae135","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1093/zoolinnean/zlae135","url":null,"abstract":"Fish skulls are often highly kinetic, with multiple linkage and lever systems powered by a diverse suite of muscles. Comparative analysis of the evolution of soft-tissue structures in the fish skull is often limited under traditional approaches, while new imaging techniques like diceCT (diffusible iodine-based contrast-enhanced computed tomography) allow for high-resolution imaging of muscles in situ. Darters (Percidae: Etheostomatinae) are a diminutive and species-rich clade of lotic freshwater fishes, which show diverse head shapes believed to be associated with different foraging strategies. We used diceCT to sample all major cranial adductors and abductors responsible for movement of the jaw, hyoid, operculum, and suspensorium from 29 species. We applied comparative phylogenetic approaches to analyse the evolutionary trends in muscle size across the clade. We found two major patterns: (i) darter cranial muscles show fundamental trade-offs relating to investment in musculature, as well as buccal expansion vs. biting attributes; early divergence in muscle size appears to be associated with shifts in habitat use and foraging; (ii) darter adductor mandibulae show high variation in architecture (fibre orientation, divisions). This study highlights how new imaging techniques can provide novel insights into the anatomy of even well-sampled/represented clades.","PeriodicalId":49333,"journal":{"name":"Zoological Journal of the Linnean Society","volume":"20 7 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":2.8,"publicationDate":"2024-11-06","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142594712","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"生物学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Gernot K Englmaier, Radim Blažek, Holger Zimmermann, Veronika Bartáková, Matej Polačik, Jakub Žák, Deogratias P Mulokozi, Cyprian Katongo, Heinz H Büscher, Lwabanya Mabo, Stephan Koblmüller, Anja Palandačić, Martin Reichard
{"title":"Revised taxonomy of Synodontis catfishes (Siluriformes: Mochokidae) from the Lake Tanganyika basin reveals lower species diversity than expected","authors":"Gernot K Englmaier, Radim Blažek, Holger Zimmermann, Veronika Bartáková, Matej Polačik, Jakub Žák, Deogratias P Mulokozi, Cyprian Katongo, Heinz H Büscher, Lwabanya Mabo, Stephan Koblmüller, Anja Palandačić, Martin Reichard","doi":"10.1093/zoolinnean/zlae130","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1093/zoolinnean/zlae130","url":null,"abstract":"Synodontis Cuvier, 1816 is a species-rich group of African catfishes. Prior to this analysis, 13 species of Synodontis were recognized from Lake Tanganyika and its tributaries, composing the only extant lacustrine radiation of the genus, with a unique origin of obligate brood parasitism among all fishes. Species differentiation and phylogenetic relationships of this group remained largely unresolved. Herein, the taxonomy of Synodontis in the Lake Tanganyika basin is revised, including redescriptions of all species and an updated identification key. Genetic (mitochondrial and nuclear genomic markers) and morphological data suggest a lower species diversity than previously recognized, supporting the distinction of 10 Synodontis species in the lake basin. Based on our findings, we recognize Synodontis grandiops, Synodontis ilebrevis, and Synodontis lucipinnis as junior synonyms of Synodontis multipunctatus, Synodontis polli, and Synodontis petricola, respectively. No recent material of Synodontis dhonti and Synodontis tanganyicae (with Synodontis lacustricolus as a synonym) was available. Morphometric/meristic data suggest their close relationship to Synodontis granulosus. Sequencing of historical specimens inferred S. tanganyicae as sister to S. granulosus but with a 1.7% divergence based on mitochondrial data. In contrast to previous studies, phylogenomic data support the lacustrine assemblage of Synodontis in Lake Tanganyika as monophyletic.","PeriodicalId":49333,"journal":{"name":"Zoological Journal of the Linnean Society","volume":"69 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":2.8,"publicationDate":"2024-11-06","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142594747","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"生物学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Sarp Kaya, Ebru Ceren Fidan, Merve Küçükyetim, Davut Ümit Şirin
{"title":"Species level hidden diversity within morphospecies: Anatolia-based evolution and cryptic species diversity in the Simulium (Wilhelmia) equinum species group (Diptera: Simuliidae)","authors":"Sarp Kaya, Ebru Ceren Fidan, Merve Küçükyetim, Davut Ümit Şirin","doi":"10.1093/zoolinnean/zlae066","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1093/zoolinnean/zlae066","url":null,"abstract":"Cryptic species are black boxes of taxonomy and need to be addressed with an integrative taxonomic approach. Simulium (Diptera: Simuliidae) may contain a substantial amount of cryptic species diversity due to its large cross-continental distribution and habitat-based canalization in taxonomic characters. Except for Simulium sergenti, the following six species Simulium equinum, Simulium paraequinum, Simulium pseudequinum, Simulium turgaicum, Simulium balcanicum, and Simulium lineatum are the most widely distributed species of the subgenus Wilhelmia in the Palearctic region. However, the conspecific diversity and evolutionary history of these species are not yet well understood. In this study, therefore, we used mitochondrial COI and nuclear ITS1-2 sequences to perform species delimitation tests, and demographic and phylogeographic analyses to understand candidate species and evolutionary history of the seven species. While our results did not support the species status of S. balcanicum, S. turgaicum, and S. lineatum, it did suggest several candidate species within S. equinum and S. pseudequinum. Molecular clock analysis revealed that significant branching events occurred in the Pliocene, and demographic fluctuations in the populations occurred intensely during the Pleistocene. Overall, the results indicated that Anatolia has served as a significant refugium for ancestral haplotypes, and it is an important dispersal corridor between the eastern and western Palearctic for Wilhelmia species.","PeriodicalId":49333,"journal":{"name":"Zoological Journal of the Linnean Society","volume":"87 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":2.8,"publicationDate":"2024-11-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142563094","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"生物学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Maciej Karpowicz, Dmitry Karabanov, Magdalena Świsłocka-Cutter, Łukasz Sługocki, Elizabeth A Whitmore-Stolar, Joseph K Connolly, James M Watkins, Alexey A Kotov
{"title":"A rapid and parallel Late Pleistocene/Holocene morphological radiation in a predaceous planktonic water flea: the case of Bythotrephes (Cladocera: Cercopagididae)","authors":"Maciej Karpowicz, Dmitry Karabanov, Magdalena Świsłocka-Cutter, Łukasz Sługocki, Elizabeth A Whitmore-Stolar, Joseph K Connolly, James M Watkins, Alexey A Kotov","doi":"10.1093/zoolinnean/zlae132","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1093/zoolinnean/zlae132","url":null,"abstract":"The predatory cladoceran Bythotrephes is one of North America’s most successful and impactive invasive species in freshwater plankton communities. The taxonomic status of the genus Bythotrephes Leydig, 1860 (Crustacea: Cladocera: Cercopagididae) has remained unclear and a subject of intensive debate for over 150 years. We applied an integrative taxonomy approach with multi-gene analysis (mitochondrial COI and 12S genes, and nuclear 18S and 28S genes) on 80 individuals (representing at least four morphospecies) from various regions spanning the genus distribution (North America, Europe, and Asia) to resolve the taxonomic status of species within Bythotrephes. The results of our study strongly support the hypothesis of a single species—Bythotrephes longimanus Leydig, 1860, and ecological morphs should be accepted as junior synonyms. Our work also elucidates the very recent radiation of Bythotrephes, which may have begun rapidly and parallel during the Late Pleistocene, or even after the last glaciation. Finally, we provide a comprehensive biogeographic reconstruction of Bythotrephes dispersal within the Holarctic realm. Europe likely served as a dispersal centre for Bythotrephes from where they spread relatively recently (possibly, less than 10 kyr) and we distinguish five possible dispersal events in its evolutionary history.","PeriodicalId":49333,"journal":{"name":"Zoological Journal of the Linnean Society","volume":"91 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":2.8,"publicationDate":"2024-11-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142561877","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"生物学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Sonia Gabriela Hernández-Ávila, Christopher W Hoagstrom, Wilfredo A Matamoros
{"title":"Historical biogeography of North American killifishes (Cyprinodontiformes) recapitulates geographical history in the Gulf of México watershed","authors":"Sonia Gabriela Hernández-Ávila, Christopher W Hoagstrom, Wilfredo A Matamoros","doi":"10.1093/zoolinnean/zlae105","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1093/zoolinnean/zlae105","url":null,"abstract":"We analysed phylogenetic relationships within a major clade of Cyprinodontiformes (Teleostei) that includes five families of North American killifishes. We used DNA sequences from five genes for 130 species, with four fossil calibrations and three secondary calibrations, to generate a time-calibrated phylogeny. We estimated diversification rates, ancestral areas, and ancestral habitats for each node. Findings were interpreted within a detailed biogeographical synthesis. The results indicate that the clade arose in the Eocene along the Gulf of México coast. The speciation rate was uniform through time, except for acceleration in Cyprinodontidae after ~10.9 Mya. In other families, neither viviparity nor marine-to-freshwater transition was associated with accelerated speciation. Sea-level fluctuations might have created a speciation pump by stimulating cycles of dispersal and vicariance along the coast. Diversification also included many cases of inland immigration from coastal ancestors. For upland lineages, ancient river drainages accord with lineage distributions, including enigmatic disjunctions in Goodeidae and Fundulus. Diversification in uplands occurred via barrier displacement within alluvial or tectonically active landscapes. Killifishes also display high environmental tolerance and persist within harsh, peripheral environments unsuitable for most other fishes. Hence, a combination of clade antiquity, adaptability, dynamic geography, and persistence can explain the living diversity of New World killifishes.","PeriodicalId":49333,"journal":{"name":"Zoological Journal of the Linnean Society","volume":"34 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":2.8,"publicationDate":"2024-10-26","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142490403","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"生物学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Juan C Rando, Harald Pieper, Fernando Pereira, Enric Torres-Roig, Josep Antoni Alcover
{"title":"Petrel extinction in Macaronesia (North-East Atlantic Ocean): the case of the genus Pterodroma (Aves: Procellariiformes: Procellariidae)","authors":"Juan C Rando, Harald Pieper, Fernando Pereira, Enric Torres-Roig, Josep Antoni Alcover","doi":"10.1093/zoolinnean/zlae123","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1093/zoolinnean/zlae123","url":null,"abstract":"The Late Quaternary fossil record indicates that formerly in the North Atlantic volcanic Macaronesian archipelagos (Azores, Madeira, Selvagens, Canary Islands, and Cape Verde) there was a higher avian diversity, including numerous now extinct species. Currently, only three gadfly petrels (genus Pterodroma) remain in two archipelagos: the Fea’s petrel, Pt. feae, in Cape Verde (islands of Santiago, Fogo, Santo Antão, and São Nicolau); the Zino’s petrel of Madeira, Pt. madeira, on the island of Madeira; and the Desertas petrel, Pt. deserta, on the islet of Bugio (Desertas Islands, Madeira Archipelago). Herein we describe the former distribution of the genus in Macaronesia based on the palaeontological record. However, the original specific diversity cannot be accurately established through the biometry of their fossil bones but the fossil record of Pterodroma in Macaronesia indicates: (i) its former presence in all Macaronesian archipelagos; (ii) the extinction of at least 16 island populations (73% of its original distribution on these islands); and (iii) the extinction of, at least, one species from Azores, here named Pterodroma zinorum sp. nov.. Radiocarbon dates indicate than this species was still alive at sometime among 1104 and 1672 CE, documenting its extinction in the last millennium.","PeriodicalId":49333,"journal":{"name":"Zoological Journal of the Linnean Society","volume":"8 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":2.8,"publicationDate":"2024-10-25","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142489639","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"生物学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Hannah M Wood, Siddharth Kulkarni, Martín J Ramírez, Nikolaj Scharff
{"title":"Phylogeny and biogeography support ancient vicariance and subsequent dispersal out of Africa in Palpimanidae spiders (Araneae)","authors":"Hannah M Wood, Siddharth Kulkarni, Martín J Ramírez, Nikolaj Scharff","doi":"10.1093/zoolinnean/zlae129","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1093/zoolinnean/zlae129","url":null,"abstract":"The Palpimanidae are one of five extant Palpimanoidea families that occur mainly in South America and Africa, although there are lineages in Madagascar, islands of the Indian Ocean, and parts of Asia. Here we examine the role of plate tectonics in shaping the distribution of Palpimanidae. We perform molecular sequencing via target enrichment, which makes use of fragmented DNA, because most specimens are stored in natural history museum collections and were not properly preserved for molecular sequencing. We perform phylogenetic analysis, divergence dating, and ancestral range reconstructions to assess whether continental vicariance shaped the evolution of Palpimanidae. We also examine evolution of eye loss via ancestral character reconstruction. We report the first Palpimanidae phylogeny based on genomic data that samples the majority of Chediminae genera. Results suggest that Palpimanidae originated in the Triassic, with diversification spanning the Jurassic to the Cretaceous. Vicarance played a role in early diversification, with later range expansion out of Africa. Based on morphology and phylogenetic analysis, Sceliraptor is synonymized with Sarascelis, Sceliscelis is synonymized with Scelidocteus, and the new genus and species Sitamacho tao gen. nov., sp. nov. is described, with three species transferred from Hybosida.","PeriodicalId":49333,"journal":{"name":"Zoological Journal of the Linnean Society","volume":"14 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":2.8,"publicationDate":"2024-10-21","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142486613","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"生物学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}