
Nicole L. GunterQueensland Museum
Nicole L. Gunter
PhD
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109
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Introduction
Additional affiliations
June 2018 - February 2019
September 2014 - present
August 2009 - January 2013
Publications
Publications (109)
In this study, we utilize both morphological and molecular data of Australasian dung beetles to establish Rhytomus Génier & Saxton, new genus. Using ultra-conserved element (UCE) data, we reconstruct the relationships between Rhytomus and related genera within the Australasian endemic clade. We provide a comprehensive revision for all mainland New...
Although several methods exist for extracting and sequencing historical DNA originating from dry-preserved insect specimens deposited in natural history museums, no consensus exists as to what is the optimal approach. We demonstrate that a customized, low-cost archival DNA extraction protocol (∼€10 per sample), in combination with Ultraconserved El...
Adaptive zones are defined as ecological opportunities for lineages to diversify. Cucujoid beetles provide a unique system to investigate adaptive zones, specifically the interplay between factors that may predict diversity and mechanisms such as competition that may limit diversification. Using a taxon-rich, time-calibrated phylogeny of cucujoid b...
Decaying wood, while an abundant and stable resource, presents considerable nutritional challenges due to its structural rigidity, chemical recalcitrance, and low nitrogen content. Despite these challenges, certain insect lineages have successfully evolved saproxylophagy (consuming and deriving sustenance from decaying wood), impacting nutrient rec...
A new species from the genus Cephalodesmius Westwood (Coleoptera: Scarabaeidae: Scarabaeinae) is described from the Cental Mackay Coast bioregion, Queensland extending the northern range of the genus. Cephalodesmius carminya Ebert & Gunter new species is known from two localities in the Pine Mountain, Carminya Forest Reserve and 2.5 km west of Eung...
Decaying wood, while an abundant and stable resource, presents considerable nutritional challenges due to its structural rigidity, chemical recalcitrance, and low nitrogen content. Despite these challenges, certain insect lineages have successfully evolved saproxylophagy (consuming and deriving sustenance from decaying wood), impacting nutrient rec...
Although several methods exist for extracting and sequencing historical DNA originating from drypreserved insect specimens deposited in natural history museums, no consensus exists as to what is the optimal approach. We demonstrate that a customized, low-cost archival DNA extraction protocol (∼ €10 per sample), in combination with Ultraconserved El...
Tailoring ultraconserved element (UCE) probe set design to focal taxa has been demonstrated to improve locus recovery and phylogenomic inference. However, beyond conducting expensive in vitro testing, it remains unclear how best to determine whether an existing UCE probe set is likely to suffice for phylogenomic inference or whether tailored probe...
Scarab beetles (Scarabaeidae) are a diverse and ecologically important group of angiosperm-associated insects. As conventionally understood, scarab beetles comprise two major lineages: dung beetles and the phytophagous Pleurosticti. However, previous phylogenetic analyses have not been able to convincingly answer the question whether or not the two...
This protocol can be used to dry specimens from natural history collections to obtain DNA for UCE-seq.
This protocol can be used to dry specimens from natural history collections to obtain DNA for UCE-seq. The protocol follows the guanidine treatment protocol by Straube et al. (2021), if applying this protocol cite and read the corresponding references from the References section.
Scarab beetles (Scarabaeidae) are a diverse and ecologically important group of angiosperm-associated insects. As conventionally understood, scarab beetles comprise two major lineages: dung beetles and the phytophagous Pleurosticti. However, previous phylogenetic analyses have not been able to convincingly answer the question whether or not the two...
The origin of the dung-feeding habits in dung beetles (Coleoptera: Scarabaeinae) is debatable. According to traditional views, the evolution of dung beetles (Coleoptera: Scarabaeinae) and their feeding habits are largely attributed to mammal dung. In this paper, we challenge this view and provide evidence that many dung beetle communities are actua...
Tailoring ultraconserved element (UCE) probe set design to focal taxa has been demonstrated to improve locus recovery and phylogenomic inference. However, beyond conducting expensive in vitro testing, it remains unclear how best to determine whether an existing UCE probe set is likely to suffice for phylogenomic inference, or if tailored probe desi...
According to traditional views, the evolution of dung beetles (Coleoptera: Scarabaeinae) and their feeding habits are largely attributed to mammal dung. In this paper, we challenge this view and provide evidence that many dung beetle communities are actually associated with the dung of reptiles and birds (= Sauropsida). In turn, this indicates that...
The monotypic genus Oficanthon Paulian, 1985 (Coleoptera: Scarabaeidae: Scarabaeinae) is treated as a junior synonym of the genus Lepanus Balthasar, 1966, and L. mirabilis (Paulian, 1985), new combination is proposed for Oficanthon mirabilis Paulian, 1985. Both morphological and molecular evidence support this synonymy. Morphological evidence furth...
This publication is the third part of an ongoing revision of Australian species of the genus Lepanus (Coleoptera: Scarabaeidae: Scarabaeinae) and revises three species groups. Keys to species within the L. ustulatus, L. storeyi, and L. nitidus species groups are provided and eight new species are described. Within the L. ustulatus species group, L....
This publication is part in an ongoing revision of the Australian species of the genus Lepanus Balthasar, 1966 (Coleoptera: Scarabaeidae: Scarabaeinae) and revises the three species groups with simple pygidia. Keys to species within the L. australis Matthews, 1974, L. monteithi Matthews, 1974, and L. villosus Matthews, 1974 species groups are provi...
Lepanus Balthasar, 1966 (Coleoptera: Scarabaeidae: Scarabaeinae) is one of the most diverse genera of dung beetles in Australasia and includes large numbers of undescribed species. This publication is the first part in an ongoing revision of the Australian members of this genus and outlines ten informal species groups. Fourteen new species that are...
The first thorough molecular phylogeny of the superfamily Cleroidea, represented by 377 taxa, and the first with an emphasis on Trogossitidae, was undertaken. Maximum likelihood and Bayesian analyses were performed on a four‐gene dataset (18S, 28S, cox1, cytb) of 395 taxa (along with 18 outgroups), including all 16 currently recognized families of...
Hydrophilidae (water scavenger beetles) is well known as an aquatic beetle family; however, it contains ca. 1,000 secondarily terrestrial species derived from aquatic ancestors. The New Zealand endemic genus Rygmodus White is a member of the hydrophilid subfamily Cylominae, which is the early-diverging taxon of the largest terrestrial lineage (Cylo...
Tetralobinae is a distinct click-beetle lineage containing 78 species in seven genera. Adults are large-bodied, and larvae live in termite nests and are grub-like unlike typical elaterid wireworms. Their taxonomic position in the Elateridae has been unstable and they were treated either as a separate elaterid subfamily or a tribe within Agrypninae....
The evolution of dung beetles remains contentious with two hypotheses reflecting Cretaceous and Paleogene origins driven by different methods. We explore biogeographic evidence and phylogeographic origins against vicariance and dispersal scenarios that attribute to the four elements of the Australian fauna using a multi-gene approach. Maximum-likel...
A complex of small scarabaeine dung beetles related to Lepanus Balthasar, 1966 (Coleoptera: Scarabaeidae: Scarabaein- ae) is described, based on morphological and molecular characters. There are two new genera, six new species, and seven new combinations, including the transfer of one species to a pre-existing genus, as follows. Matthewsius Gunter...
Elateridae represents one of the largest families within Coleoptera, yet their interrelationships remain under-investigated. Molecular data are missing for most lineages, especially for the species-poor suprageneric taxa. In this study, we investigated the limits and phylogenetic position of Pityobiinae sensu Calder (1996), a group of several small...
The evolutionary success of beetles and numerous other terrestrial insects is generally attributed to co-radiation with flowering plants but most studies have focused on herbivorous or pollinating insects. Non-herbivores represent a significant proportion of beetle diversity yet potential factors that influence their diversification have been large...
The phylogeny of Scarabaeoidea.
The phylogenetic tree is based on a partitioned 5 gene, 450- taxon Bayesian analysis. Posterior probability clade support values indicated at nodes >0.5.
(PDF)
Bayesian chronograms.
Comparison of dated chronograms for four calibration schemes analyzed in MCMCTree.
(PDF)
TESS analysis settings.
Penalized likelihood (PL) output from r8s, Bayesian output from MCMCTree. Sampling fraction (rho) is calculated from the number tips at the corresponding cut time and compared to the predicted diversity calculated using Method of Moments [48]. The most recent 45 or 50 Ma were excluded to minimize effect of limited species le...
Penalized Likelihood chronograms.
Comparison of dated chronograms for seven calibration schemes analyzed in r8s.
(PDF)
TESS outputs.
TESS outputs identifying rates and shifts in speciation or extinction, and significant mass-extinction events through time for (A) Pleurosticti (B) Scarabaeinae. Analyses CS2, CS3 and CSiii were examined using output trees from penalized likelihood and Bayesian divergence dating analyses. Posterior mean is represented by a solid bold...
Larval morphology of the monotypic rygmodine genera Anticura Spangler, 1979 from Chile and Cylomissus Broun, 1903 from New Zealand is described, based on field-collected larvae associated with adults and authenticated by CO1 and 18S DNA sequences. General morphology and chaetotaxy of the head capsule is described and illustrated for all three insta...
With over 60 000 described species in approximately 5800 genera, weevils (Curculionoidea) represent one of the most diverse and species-rich superfamilies of eukaryotes on the planet. Recent attempts to resolve the phylogeny of family-group taxa in weevils using morphological, molecular or combined data sets have produced vastly different patterns...
We compared species-level entities recovered using distance, tree-based, and DNA-character based methods with morphologically defined species in poorly dispersing lyponiine net-winged beetles. The phylogenetic relationships were investigated using the cytochrome c oxidase 1–2 mtDNA fragment. We identified 31 species using a morphology-based concept...
Adult morphology of the genera Tormus Sharp, 1884 and Afrotormus Hansen, 1999, endemics of New Zealand and South Africa respectively, is examined and illustrated. The larval morphology of Tormus is also reviewed. Both adult and larval morphology supports the hypothesis of close relationship between these genera and Paracymus Thomson, 1867 of the tr...
We provide the first molecular phylogeny of the clerid lineage (Coleoptera: Cleridae, Thanerocleridae) within the superfamily Cleroidea to examine the two most recently proposed hypotheses of higher level classification. Phylogenetic relationships of checkered beetles were inferred from approximately ∼5000 nt of both nuclear and mitochondrial rDNA...
The genus Servaea Simon 1887 is revised and redefined. Descriptions and identification keys are provided to the following six species, of which three are described as new: Servaea incana (Karsch 1878), Servaea narraweena n. sp., Servaea melaina n. sp., Servaea spinibarbis Simon 1909, Servaea villosa (Keyserling 1881) and Servaea zabkai n. sp. The t...
Horelophus walkeri Orchymont, 1913, the single representative of the enigmatic hydrophilid subfamily Horelophinae, is redescribed and illustrated based on recently collected specimens and its external morphology is briefly compared with other groups of Hydrophilidae. The species is hygropetric, inhabiting the spray zone and still waters along strea...
Five novel species, Auerbachia scomberoidi n. sp., Auerbachia chaetodoni n. sp., Auerbachia caranxi n. sp., Coccomyxa colurodontidis n. sp. and Coccomyxa gobiodoni n. sp. are described from the gall bladders of marine teleosts. These species descriptions provide the first record of Auerbachia from Australian waters. Each species is characterized mo...
Four new species of Ceratomyxa Thélohan, 1892 are described from the gall bladders of fishes collected off Lizard Island, Australia. These species are characterised using a combination of morphometric and molecular data. Ceratomyxa bartholomewae sp. n. is described from Hyporhamphus dussumieri (Valenciennes) (family Hemirhamphidae); C. koieae sp. n...
A revision of Leptotheca Thélohan, 1895 is presented. The boundaries that separate Leptotheca from Ceratomyxa Thélohan, 1892 and Sphaerospora Thélohan, 1892 are vague and have been highlighted as an area of concern within myxosporean classification. A survey of the literature revealed 63 species that are currently assigned to Leptotheca and a furth...
The genus Ceratomyxa Thélohan, 1892 is one of the largest myxozoan genera, the species of which almost always infect the gall bladder of marine teleosts. Although there are over 180 species known globally, prior to this study only three had been described from Australia. This study explores the systematics, host specificity and species richness of...
The genus Ceratomyxa (Myxozoa: Myxosporea: Bivalvulida) contains parasites that typically infect the gall bladders of marine teleosts. Species of this genus have also been recorded from elasmobranchs, while the best known species (Ceratomyxa shasta) is a systemic pathogen of fresh water salmonid fishes. Here we characterise 10 new species of Cerato...
Ceratomyxa spp. from the gall-bladder of five members of the family Serranidae were examined for their taxonomic identity. This paper describes seven new ceratomyxid species, i.e. C. brayi n. sp. and C. whippsi n. sp from Cephalopholis boenak (Bloch); C. cutmorei n. sp. from Epinephelus fasciatus (Forsskål); C. gleesoni n. sp. from Plectropomus leo...
Bivalvulidan parasites from the gall bladder of 31 species of damselfishes (family Pomacentridae) were examined for their taxonomic identity and their relatedness to other species of myxozoans. This paper describes 11 novel ceratomyxid species and a novel Myxidium sp. Each species is characterized morphologically and small subunit (SSU) rDNA sequen...
Ceratomyxid parasites from the gall bladder of fishes from the family Labridae were examined for their taxonomic identity and their relatedness to other species of myxozoans. This paper describes four novel species Ceratomyxa choerodonae n. sp. from Choerodon cyanodus; Ceratomyxa cheilinae n. sp. from Cheilinus chlorourus; Ceratomyxa oxycheilinae n...