Zoologica Scripta (Zoolog Scripta)

Publications in this journal

• Article: Phylogeny of Chaetonotidae and other Paucitubulatina (Gastrotricha: Chaetonotida) and the colonization of aquatic ecosystems

  Tobias Kånneby, M. Antonio Todaro, Ulf Jondelius
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  ABSTRACT: Kånneby, T., Todaro, M. A., Jondelius, U. (2012). Phylogeny of Chaetonotidae and other Paucitubulatina (Gastrotricha: Chaetonotida) and the colonization of aquatic ecosystems. —Zoologica Scripta, 42, 88–105. Chaetonotidae is the largest family within Gastrotricha with almost 400 nominal species represented in both freshwater and marine habitats. The group is probably non-monophy- letic and suffers from a troubled taxonomy. Current classification is to a great extent based on shape and distribution of cuticular structures, characters that are highly variable. We present the most densely sampled molecular study so far where 17 of the 31 genera belonging to Chaetonotida are represented. Bayesian and maximum likelihood approaches based on 18S rDNA, 28S rDNA and COI mtDNA are used to reconstruct relationships within Chaetonotidae. The use of cuticular structures for supra-specific classification within the group is evaluated and the question of dispersal between marine and freshwater habitats is addressed. Moreover, the subgeneric classification of Chaetonotus is tested in a phylogenetic context. Our results show high support for a clade containing Dasydytidae nested within Chaetonotidae. Within this clade, only three genera are monophyletic fol- lowing current classification. Genera containing both marine and freshwater species never form monophyletic clades and group with other species according to habitat. Marine mem- bers of Aspidiophorus appear to be the sister group of all other Chaetonotidae and Das- ydytidae, indicating a marine origin of the clade. Halichaetonotus and marine Heterolepidoderma form a monophyletic group in a sister group relationship to freshwater species, pointing towards a secondary invasion of marine environments of these taxa. Our study highlights the problems of current classification based on cuticular structures, char- acters that show homoplasy for deeper relationships.
  Zoologica Scripta 01/2013; 42:88-105.
• Article: Molecular phylogenetics of the burrowing crayfish genus Fallicambarus (Decapoda: Cambaridae)

  Benjamin J. Ainscough, Jesse W. Breinholt, Henry W. Robison, Keith A. Crandall
  Zoologica Scripta 01/2013; 42(3):306-316.
• Article: Molecular phylogeny of the Helicodontidae and Trissexodontidae (Gastropoda).

  Benjamín J. Gómez-Moliner, M. Arantzazu Elejalde, José R. Arrébola, Ana I. Puente, Alberto Martínez-Ortí, María J. Madeira
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  ABSTRACT: In this study, we present a molecular phylogeny of the Trissexodontidae and Helicodontidae obtained by means of Maximum Parsimony, Neighbor Joining, Maximum Likelihood and Bayesian analyses of DNA sequences. Nearly 3 KB of sequence data of two mitochondrial genes (COI, 16S rDNA) and the nuclear rRNA gene cluster including ITS-1, the 3¢end of the 5.8S gene, the complete ITS-2 region and 5¢ end of the large subunit 28S were used to reconstruct the phylogeny of these two families. Monophyly of Trissexodontidae and Helicodontidae at the family level is well supported. A new classification of the genera in the Trissexodontidae is proposed. It includes two subfamilies: Gittenbergeriinae (monotypic for Gittenbergeria turriplana) and Trissexodontinae. The latter includes three strongly supported tribes: (i) Trissexodontini, including Mastigophallus, Trissexodon, Oestophorella and Suboestophora; (ii) Oestophorini, with Oestophora; and (iii) Caracollinini, with Caracollina Gasulliella, Gasullia and Hatumia. The polytypic Oestophora and Suboestopho- ra are recovered as two monophyletic genera. The anatomy of the auxiliary copulatory organs of the reproductive system is coherent with the new taxonomic interpretation of the Trissexodontidae. Further work, including some more taxa is needed to delimitate subfamilies within Helicodontidae. Finally, the addition of some sequences of other Helicoidea shows that the genus Ciliella is not closely related to Trissexodontidae, being grouped within the Hygromiidae, instead.
  Zoologica Scripta 10/2012;
• Article: Out of the Bassian province: historical biogeography of the Australasian platycercine parrots (Aves, Psittaciformes)

  Manuel Schweizer, Marcel Güntert, Stefan T. Hertwig
  Zoologica Scripta 09/2012; 42(1):13-27.
• Article: Integrative taxonomy and conservation of cryptic beetles in the Mediterranean region (Hydrophilidae)

  PAULA ARRIBAS, CARMELO ANDUJAR, DAVID SANCHEZ-FERNANDEZ, PEDRO ABELLAN, ANDRES MILLAN
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  ABSTRACT: Because biodiversity inventory forms the basis for the effective conservation of species and habitats, there is an imperative need to discover and describe new species. A significant part of presently unknown biodiversity is constituted by cryptic species complexes, where traditional taxonomy usually fails due to a lack of clear taxonomic characters in the external structures of specimens. Integrative taxonomy offers a powerful tool to shed light on this part of encrypted biodiversity, combining multiple operational criteria in an evolutionary context in order to delineate species boundaries. The present study used an integrative approach to explore the species boundaries in a water beetle complex (Enochrus falcarius species complex) inhabiting saline streams, a rare and threatened habitat across the Mediterranean region. First, hypotheses about the candidate species on the basis of phylogenetic analyses and biogeographical information were proposed. Second, lineage divergence was evaluated between candidate species using (i) molecular cluster delimitation, (ii) morphometry (both linear body morphometrics and pronotum outlines) and (iii) ecological niche similarity estimates. We found divergence between candidate species on the basis of molecular, biogeographical and niche information, and consequently, four species were delimited within the E. falcarius complex (i.e. Enochrus jesusarribasi sp. n., Enochrus blazquezae sp. n., Enochrus risii sp. n. and Enochrus falcarius), despite the fact that they showed high morphological similarity. Enochrus falcarius, as previously considered, had not been proposed to be of conservational concern, because until now, it had been regarded as a single broadly distributed species in the Mediterranean region. However, the four entities here delimited within this species complex displayed characteristics that categorised them as vulnerable taxa. Hence, these results show how applying integrative taxonomy approaches and rapid vulnerability assessments to lineages from threatened habitats with the potential to comprise cryptic diversity could become a fundamental tool for biodiversity conservation, driving the discovery of cryptic species and consequently the modification of previous, inadequately evaluated vulnerability categorisations.
  Zoologica Scripta 05/2012;
• Article: Orobothriurus (Scorpiones: Bothriuridae) phylogeny, Andean biogeography, and the relative importance of genitalic and somatic characters

  Camilo I. Mattoni, José A. Ochoa, Andrés A. Ojanguren Affilastro, Lorenzo Prendini
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  ABSTRACT: Mattoni, C.I., Ochoa, J.A., Ojanguren Affilastro, A.A. & Prendini, L. (2012) Orobothriurus (Scorpiones: Bothriuridae) phylogeny, Andean biogeography, and the relative importance of genitalic and somatic characters. —Zoologica Scripta, 41, 160–176.The genus Orobothriurus Maury, 1976 (Bothriuridae Simon, 1880) displays an Andean pattern of distribution, most of its species occurring at high altitudes (over 2000–2500 m to a maximum altitude record of 4910 m) from central Peru to Argentina. The recent discovery of several new species and the uncertain phylogenetic position of Orobothriurus lourencoi Ojanguren Affilastro, 2003, required a reanalysis of Orobothriurus phylogeny. Thirty bothriurid taxa, including all species of Orobothriurus and Pachakutej Ochoa, 2004, were scored for 65 morphological characters and analysed with parsimony under equal and implied weighting. The resulting topology justifies the establishment of a new genus, RumikiruOjanguren Affilastro et al., in press, for O. lourencoi and a closely related, new species, Rumikiru atacamaOjanguren Affilastro et al., in press. It also offers new insights about the phylogeny and biogeography of Orobothriurus and related genera. Characters from the male genitalia (i.e. hemispermatophore), comprising approximately 26% of the morphological matrix, were found to be less homoplastic than those from somatic morphology, contradicting suggestions that genitalia are uninformative or potentially misleading in phylogenetic studies.
  Zoologica Scripta 02/2012; 41(2):160 - 176.
• Article: Advances in molecular systematics of the gastropod superfamily Trochoidea.

  S. T. Williams
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  ABSTRACT: The gastropod superfamily Trochoidea Rafinesque, 1815 is comprised of a diverse range of species, including large and charismatic species of commercial value as well as many small or enigmatic taxa that are only recently being represented in molecular studies. This study includes the first sequences for rarely collected species from the genera Gaza Watson, 1879, Callogaza Dall, 1881, Antimargarita Powell, 1951 and Kaiparathina Laws, 1941. There is also greater taxon sampling of genera that have proved difficult to place in previous phylogenetic analyses, like Tectus Montfort, 1810, Tegula Lesson, 1832, Margarites Gray, 1847, Margarella Thiele, 1893 and trochoid skeneimorphs. There is also greater sampling of poorly represented families Solariellidae and Liotiidae. Bayesian analysis of combined gene data sets based on four (28S, 12S, 16S and COI) or five genes (plus 18S) suggests that there are eight, possibly nine families in Trochoidea including the families Margaritidae and Tegulidae, which are recognized for the first time at familial rank. Other trochoidean families confirmed are Calliostomatidae, Liotiidae, Skeneidae, Solariellidae, Trochidae and Turbinidae. A clade including Cittarium and the commercially important genera Rochia and Tectus may represent a possible ninth family, but this is not formally recognized or described here and awaits confirmation from further studies. Relationships among families were not generally well supported except in the 5-gene tree. In the 5-gene tree, Turbinidae, Liotiidae, Tegulidae, Cittarium, Rochia and Tectus form a well-supported clade consistent with the previous molecular and morphological studies linking these groups. This clade forms another well-supported clade with Margaritidae and Solariellidae. Trochidae is sister to Calliostomatidae with strong support. Subfamilial relationships within Trochidae are consistent with recent molecular studies, with the addition of one new subfamily, Kaiparathininae Marshall 1993 (previously a tribe). Only two subfamilies are recognized within Turbinidae, both with calcareous opercula: Prisogasterinae and Turbininae. Calliostomatidae includes a new subfamily Margarellinae. Its assignment to Calliostomatidae, although well supported by molecular evidence, is surprising considering morphological evidence.
  Zoologica Scripta 01/2012; 41:571–595.
• Article: Phylogeny of woodcreepers of the genus Lepidocolaptes (Aves, Furnariidae), a widespread Neotropical taxon

  ENRIQUE ARBELÁEZ-CORTÉS, ADOLFO G. NAVARRO-SIGÜENZA, JAIME GARCÍA-MORENO
  Zoologica Scripta 01/2012; 41:363–373.