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Taxonomic Advances Driven By The Genomic Analysis Of Butterflies, Jing Zhang, Qian Cong, Jinhui Shen, Leina Song, Nick V. Grishin Feb 2024

Taxonomic Advances Driven By The Genomic Analysis Of Butterflies, Jing Zhang, Qian Cong, Jinhui Shen, Leina Song, Nick V. Grishin

The Taxonomic Report of the International Lepidoptera Survey

This study presents new findings based on a large-scale analysis of butterfly genomic sequences. Focusing on species identification through comparative genomics, we define subspecies as populations differentiated to a lesser extent than distinct species ("species in the making"). Additionally, we propose further adjustments to the current butterfly classification. As a result, 3 subgenera, 12 species, and 4 subspecies are described as new. New subgenera are (type species in parenthesis): Hyalaus Grishin, subgen. n. (Papilio epidaus E. Doubleday, 1846) of Eurytides Hübner, [1821] (Papilionidae Latreille, [1802]) and Astria Grishin, subgen. n. (Lycaena astraea Freyer, 1851) of Glaucopsyche Scudder, 1872 …


Genomic Analysis Reveals New Species And Subspecies Of Butterflies, Jing Zhang, Qian Cong, Jinhui Shen, Leina Song, Nick V. Grishin Dec 2023

Genomic Analysis Reveals New Species And Subspecies Of Butterflies, Jing Zhang, Qian Cong, Jinhui Shen, Leina Song, Nick V. Grishin

The Taxonomic Report of the International Lepidoptera Survey

Large-scale genomic sequencing of butterfly taxa reveals new findings that are presented here. While we focus on detecting species by comparative genomics and define subspecies as groups of populations genetically differentiated from each other but not as strongly as species (that is, subspecies as species in the making), we report other adjustments to butterfly classification. As a result, 4 subgenera, 11 species, and 6 subspecies are proposed as new. New subgenera are: Rapis Grishin, subgen. n. (type species Papilio rapae Linnaeus, 1758, genus Pieris Schrank, 1801) in Pieridae Swainson, 1820 and Callitera Grishin, subgen. n. (type species Eurygona? pulcherrima …


Genomics-Based Taxonomic Rearrangement Of Achlyodini And Carcharodini (Lepidoptera: Hesperiidae: Pyrginae), Jing Zhang, Qian Cong, Jinhui Shen, Leina Song, Nick V. Grishin Dec 2023

Genomics-Based Taxonomic Rearrangement Of Achlyodini And Carcharodini (Lepidoptera: Hesperiidae: Pyrginae), Jing Zhang, Qian Cong, Jinhui Shen, Leina Song, Nick V. Grishin

Insecta Mundi

Genomic analysis of Pyrginae Burmeister, 1878 (Lepidoptera: Hesperiidae Latreille, 1809) with an emphasis on the tribes Achlyodini Burmeister, 1878 and Carcharodini Verity, 1940 reveals many incon­sistencies between the resulting phylogeny and the current classification. These problems are corrected by proposing new taxa, changing the ranks of others, or synonymizing them, and transferring species between genera. As a result, five subtribes, one genus, 20 subgenera, and one species are proposed as new: Cyclo­semiina Grishin, new subtribe (type genus Cyclosemia Mabille, 1878), Ilianina Grishin, new subtribe (type genus Iliana E. Bell, 1937), Nisoniadina Grishin, new subtribe (type genus Nisoniades Hübner, [1819]), …


Butterfly Classification And Species Discovery Using Genomics, Jing Zhang, Qian Cong, Jinhui Shen, Leina Song, Nick V. Grishin Oct 2023

Butterfly Classification And Species Discovery Using Genomics, Jing Zhang, Qian Cong, Jinhui Shen, Leina Song, Nick V. Grishin

The Taxonomic Report of the International Lepidoptera Survey

Genomic sequencing of worldwide butterfly fauna followed by phylogenetic analysis of protein-coding genes informs butterfly classification throughout the taxonomic hierarchy, from families to species. As a rule, we attribute the same taxonomic rank to more prominent clades of comparable divergence (that is, at the same level in the tree). For species delimitation, we use criteria based on relative genetic differentiation and the extent of gene exchange between populations. We analyze the current taxonomic classification of butterflies in the light of genomic phylogenies and encounter clades that correspond to yet unnamed taxa. As a result, 11 tribes, 33 subtribes, 2 genera, …


Taxonomic Discoveries Enabled By Genomic Analysis Of Butterflies, Jing Zhang, Qing Cong, Jinhui Shen, Leina Song, Riley J. Gott, Pierre Boyer, Crispin S. Guppy, Steve Kohler, Gerardo Lamas, Paul A. Opler, Nick V. Grishin Oct 2022

Taxonomic Discoveries Enabled By Genomic Analysis Of Butterflies, Jing Zhang, Qing Cong, Jinhui Shen, Leina Song, Riley J. Gott, Pierre Boyer, Crispin S. Guppy, Steve Kohler, Gerardo Lamas, Paul A. Opler, Nick V. Grishin

The Taxonomic Report of the International Lepidoptera Survey

The comparative genomics of butterflies yields additional insights into their phylogeny and classification that are compiled here. As a result, 3 genera, 5 subgenera, 5 species, and 3 subspecies are proposed as new, that is, in Hesperiidae: Antina Grishin, gen. n. (type species Antigonus minor O. Mielke, 1980), Pompe Grishin and Lamas, gen. n. (type species Lerema postpuncta Draudt, 1923), and Curva Grishin, gen. n. (type species Moeris hyagnis Godman, 1900); in Lycaenidae: Fussia Grishin, subgen. n. (type species Polyommatus standfussi Grum-Grshimailo, 1891) and Pava Grishin, subgen. n. (type species Thecla panava Westwood, 1852); in Hesperiidae: Monoca Grishin, subgen. n. …


Checking The Checkered Taxonomy Of Plötz's Checkered Skippers (Hesperiidae: Pyrgini), Jing Zhang, Qing Cong, John M. Burns, Nick V. Grishin May 2022

Checking The Checkered Taxonomy Of Plötz's Checkered Skippers (Hesperiidae: Pyrgini), Jing Zhang, Qing Cong, John M. Burns, Nick V. Grishin

The Taxonomic Report of the International Lepidoptera Survey

We present an analysis of the names proposed by Carl Plötz in 1884 for the New World species in the genus Pyrgus Hübner, [1819] facilitated by the genomic sequencing of extant primary type specimens comparatively with a larger sample of more recently collected specimens of these species and their relatives. The changes to nomenclature suggested here are only caused by the identity of primary type specimens as revealed by their phenotypes or though genomic sequencing. All neotypes are designated to stabilize nomenclature in agreement with the current usage of these names, which in unison agrees best with the information available …


Genomics-Guided Refinement Of Butterfly Taxonomy, Jing Zhang, Qian Cong, Jinhui Shen, Paul A. Opler, Nick V. Grishin May 2021

Genomics-Guided Refinement Of Butterfly Taxonomy, Jing Zhang, Qian Cong, Jinhui Shen, Paul A. Opler, Nick V. Grishin

The Taxonomic Report of the International Lepidoptera Survey

Continuing with comparative genomic exploration of worldwide butterfly fauna, we use all proteincoding genes as they are retrieved from the whole genome shotgun sequences for phylogeny construction. Analysis of these genome-scale phylogenies projected onto the taxonomic classification and the knowledge about butterfly phenotypes suggests further refinements of butterfly taxonomy that are presented here. As a general rule, we assign most prominent clades of similar genetic differentiation to the same taxonomic rank, and use criteria based on relative population diversification and the extent of gene exchange for species delimitation. As a result, 7 tribes, 4 subtribes, 14 genera, and 9 subgenera …


Genomic Evidence Suggests Further Changes Of Butterfly Names, Jing Zhang, Qian Cong, Jinhui Shen, Pal A. Opler, Nick V. Grishin Nov 2020

Genomic Evidence Suggests Further Changes Of Butterfly Names, Jing Zhang, Qian Cong, Jinhui Shen, Pal A. Opler, Nick V. Grishin

The Taxonomic Report of the International Lepidoptera Survey

Further genomic sequencing of butterflies by our research group expanding the coverage of species and specimens from different localities, coupled with genome-scale phylogenetic analysis and complemented by phenotypic considerations, suggests a number of changes to the names of butterflies, mostly those recorded from the United States and Canada. Here, we present evidence to support these changes. The changes are intended to make butterfly classification more internally consistent at the genus, subgenus and species levels. That is, considering all available evidence, we attempt to assign similar taxonomic ranks to the clades of comparable genetic differentiation, which on average is correlated with …


Review Of Species Of Anelaphus Linsley And Its New Synonym Gymnopsyra Linsley From The United States And Canada With Description Of A New Species, Synonymies, Distributional Notes And An Illustrated Identification Key (Coleoptera: Cerambycidae: Elaphidiini), Steven W. Lingafelter Sep 2020

Review Of Species Of Anelaphus Linsley And Its New Synonym Gymnopsyra Linsley From The United States And Canada With Description Of A New Species, Synonymies, Distributional Notes And An Illustrated Identification Key (Coleoptera: Cerambycidae: Elaphidiini), Steven W. Lingafelter

Insecta Mundi

A review and illustrated key to Anelaphus Linsley, 1936 (Coleoptera: Cerambycidae: Elaphidiini) of the United States and Canada is provided, along with taxonomic and distributional notes. Gymnopsyra Linsley, 1937, is a new synonym of Anelaphus. Gymnopsyra chemsaki Linsley, 1963 is a new synonym of Gymnopsyra magnipunctatus (Knull, 1934). Anelaphus hoferi (Knull, 1934) and Anelaphus tuckeri (Casey, 1924) are new synonyms of Anelaphus simile (Schaeffer, 1908). Anelaphus parallelus (Newman, 1840), An­elaphus rusticus (LeConte, 1850), and Anelaphus davisi Skiles, 1985 are new synonyms of Anelaphus villosus (Fabricius, 1792). Anelaphus aspera (Knull, 1962), Anelaphus bupalpa (Chemsak, 1991), and Anelaphus mag­nipunctatus (Knull, 1934) …


Taxonomic Revision Of The Western Hemisphere Checkered Beetle Genus Axina Kirby (Coleoptera: Cleridae: Clerinae), Weston Opitz Sep 2020

Taxonomic Revision Of The Western Hemisphere Checkered Beetle Genus Axina Kirby (Coleoptera: Cleridae: Clerinae), Weston Opitz

Insecta Mundi

The New World genus Axina Kirby (Coleoptera: Cleridae) is revised for the first time. Thirty-two new species are described: Axina acutipennis, A. adelosa, A. atmis, A. bahia, A. bella, A. brunnea, A. chiasta, A. furcula, A. heveli, A. ignota, A. klisis, A. latilinea, A. lobispinula, A. luzia, A. macilenta, A. megaspina, A. minas, A. ochra, A. oligocheia, A. ordinis, A. …


South American Coccinellidae (Coleoptera), Part Xx: Systematic Revision Of South American Calloeneis Grote (Cryptognathini), Robert D. Gordon, Guillermo González F., Guy A. Hanley May 2020

South American Coccinellidae (Coleoptera), Part Xx: Systematic Revision Of South American Calloeneis Grote (Cryptognathini), Robert D. Gordon, Guillermo González F., Guy A. Hanley

Insecta Mundi

Species of Calloeneis Grote (Coleoptera: Coccinellidae) are discussed, and a key to all recognized species is provided. New species described are C. alexandra, C. angelica, C. blanca, C. bennetti, C. bethany, C. brooke, C. francis, C. jacquelin, C. johnnie, C. kara, C. krista, C. leticia, C. lynne, C. robyn, C. marianne, C. myra, C. rosalie, C. roxanne and C. sheri, all authored by Gordon and Hanley.


Changes To North American Butterfly Names, Jing Zhang, Qian Cong, Jinhui Shen, Paul A. Opler, Nick V. Grishin Nov 2019

Changes To North American Butterfly Names, Jing Zhang, Qian Cong, Jinhui Shen, Paul A. Opler, Nick V. Grishin

The Taxonomic Report of the International Lepidoptera Survey

We obtained and analyzed whole genome shotgun sequences of all 845 species of butterflies recorded from Canada and the United States. Genome-scale phylogenetic trees constructed from the data reveal several nonmonophyletic genera and suggest improved classification of species included in these genera. Here, these changes are formalized and 2 subgenera are described: Amblyteria Grishin, subgen. n. (type species Goniloba exoteria Herrich-Schäffer, 1869, parent genus Amblyscirtes Scudder, 1872), and Coa Grishin, subgen. n. (type species Hesperia baracoa Lucas, 1857, parent genus Polites Scudder, 1872). Furthermore, we resurrect 3 genera and 2 subgenera from synonymy, change the rank of 6 currently used …


Coral Reef Change Detection In Remote Pacific Islands Using Support Vector Machine Classifiers, Justin J. Gapper, Hesham El-Askary, Erik Linstead, Thomas Piechota Jun 2019

Coral Reef Change Detection In Remote Pacific Islands Using Support Vector Machine Classifiers, Justin J. Gapper, Hesham El-Askary, Erik Linstead, Thomas Piechota

Mathematics, Physics, and Computer Science Faculty Articles and Research

Despite the abundance of research on coral reef change detection, few studies have been conducted to assess the spatial generalization principles of a live coral cover classifier trained using remote sensing data from multiple locations. The aim of this study is to develop a machine learning classifier for coral dominated benthic cover-type class (CDBCTC) based on ground truth observations and Landsat images, evaluate the performance of this classifier when tested against new data, then deploy the classifier to perform CDBCTC change analysis of multiple locations. The proposed framework includes image calibration, support vector machine (SVM) training and tuning, statistical assessment …


Expanded Phenotypic Diagnoses For 24 Recently Named New Taxa Of Hesperiidae (Lepidoptera), Nick V. Grishin Mar 2019

Expanded Phenotypic Diagnoses For 24 Recently Named New Taxa Of Hesperiidae (Lepidoptera), Nick V. Grishin

The Taxonomic Report of the International Lepidoptera Survey

Expanded diagnoses by phenotypic characters for the 24 new taxa named in the article "Genomes of skipper butterflies reveal extensive convergence of wing patterns" by Li, W., Cong, Q., Shen, J., Zhang, J., Hallwachs, W., Janzen, D.H. and Grishin, N.V., 2019 and published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America on March 15, 2019 are provided and illustrated. More detailed diagnoses will help identifying these phylogenetic groups by their wing patterns and shapes and other morphological characters including the structures of antennae and genitalia using this single publication, instead of obtaining the …


New Tribes, Overview And Checklist Of Neotropical Cladonotinae (Orthoptera: Caelifera: Tetrigidae), Daniela Santos Martins Silva, Oscar J. Cadena-Castañeda, Marcelo Ribeiro Pereira, Fernando Campos De Domenico, Carlos Frankl Sperber Jan 2019

New Tribes, Overview And Checklist Of Neotropical Cladonotinae (Orthoptera: Caelifera: Tetrigidae), Daniela Santos Martins Silva, Oscar J. Cadena-Castañeda, Marcelo Ribeiro Pereira, Fernando Campos De Domenico, Carlos Frankl Sperber

Insecta Mundi

The Cladonotinae (Orthoptera: Caelifera: Tetrigidae) are a peculiar tetrigid taxon characterized by a relatively widened fascial carina on the frontal costa. This group currently has a doubtful taxonomic status since this is the only character shared by its members. Here, we provide an overview of the Cladonotinae reported from the Neotropical region (29 species, three of them fossils), based on the morphological examination of the specimens housed at several museums. We show that Neotropical Cladonotinae share more characteristics, which strengthen its taxonomic status, and propose two new tribes: Choriphyllini n. trib. and Mucrotettigini n. trib. We propose the new combination …


Quantitative Spatial Upscaling Of Categorical Data In The Context Of Landscape Ecology: A New Scaling Algorithm, Daniel Gann Jun 2018

Quantitative Spatial Upscaling Of Categorical Data In The Context Of Landscape Ecology: A New Scaling Algorithm, Daniel Gann

FIU Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Spatially explicit ecological models rely on spatially exhaustive data layers that have scales appropriate to the ecological processes of interest. Such data layers are often categorical raster maps derived from high-resolution, remotely sensed data that must be scaled to a lower spatial resolution to make them compatible with the scale of ecological analysis. Statistical functions commonly used to aggregate categorical data are majority-, nearest-neighbor- and random-rule. For heterogeneous landscapes and large scaling factors, however, use of these functions results in two critical issues: (1) ignoring large portions of information present in the high-resolution grid cells leads to high and …


New Classification Of The Dictyostelids, Sanea Sheikh, Mats Thulin, James C. Cavender, Ricardo Escalante, Shin-Ichi Kawakami, Carlos Lado, John C. Landolt, Vidyanand Nanjundiah, David C. Queller, Joan E. Strassmann, Frederick W. Spiegel, Steven L. Stephenson, Eduardo M. Vadell, Sandra L. Baldauf Feb 2018

New Classification Of The Dictyostelids, Sanea Sheikh, Mats Thulin, James C. Cavender, Ricardo Escalante, Shin-Ichi Kawakami, Carlos Lado, John C. Landolt, Vidyanand Nanjundiah, David C. Queller, Joan E. Strassmann, Frederick W. Spiegel, Steven L. Stephenson, Eduardo M. Vadell, Sandra L. Baldauf

Biology Faculty Publications & Presentations

Traditional morphology-based taxonomy of dictyostelids is rejected by molecular phylogeny. A new classification is presented based on monophyletic entities with consistent and strong molecular phylogenetic support and that are, as far as possible, morphologically recognizable. All newly named clades are diagnosed with small subunit ribosomal RNA (18S rRNA) sequence signatures plus morphological synapomorphies where possible. The two major molecular clades are given the rank of order, as Acytosteliales ord. nov. and Dictyosteliales. The two major clades within each of these orders are recognized and given the rank of family as, respectively, Acytosteliaceae and Cavenderiaceae fam. nov. in Acytosteliales, and Dictyosteliaceae …


Two Boundaries Separate Borrelia Burgdorferi Populations In North America, Gabriele Margos, Jean I. Tsao, Santiago Castillo-Ramirez, Yvette A. Girard, Anne G. Hoen Jun 2012

Two Boundaries Separate Borrelia Burgdorferi Populations In North America, Gabriele Margos, Jean I. Tsao, Santiago Castillo-Ramirez, Yvette A. Girard, Anne G. Hoen

Dartmouth Scholarship

Understanding the spread of infectious diseases is crucial for implementing effective control measures. For this, it is important to obtain information on the contemporary population structure of a disease agent and to infer the evolutionary processes that may have shaped it. Here, we investigate on a continental scale the population structure of Borrelia burgdorferi, the causative agent of Lyme borreliosis (LB), a tick-borne disease, in North America. We test the hypothesis that the observed d population structure is congruent with recent population expansions and that these were preceded by bottlenecks mostly likely caused by the near extirpation in the 1900s …


Barcoding Of Arrow Worms (Phylum Chaetognatha) From Three Oceans: Genetic Diversity And Evolution Within An Enigmatic Phylum, Robert M. Jennings, Ann Bucklin, Annelies Pierrot-Bults Apr 2010

Barcoding Of Arrow Worms (Phylum Chaetognatha) From Three Oceans: Genetic Diversity And Evolution Within An Enigmatic Phylum, Robert M. Jennings, Ann Bucklin, Annelies Pierrot-Bults

Biology Faculty Publication Series

Arrow worms (Phylum Chaetognatha) are abundant planktonic organisms and important predators in many food webs; yet, the classification and evolutionary relationships among chaetognath species remain poorly understood. A seemingly simple body plan is underlain by subtle variation in morphological details, obscuring the affinities of species within the phylum. Many species achieve near global distributions, spanning the same latitudinal bands in all ocean basins, while others present disjunct ranges, in some cases with the same species apparently found at both poles. To better understand how these complex evolutionary and geographic variables are reflected in the species makeup of chaetognaths, we analyze …


A Simplified Key For Assessing The Ecological Significance Of On-Farm Bush Remnants In The Wheatbelt, F Mollemans Mar 1993

A Simplified Key For Assessing The Ecological Significance Of On-Farm Bush Remnants In The Wheatbelt, F Mollemans

Agriculture reports

Many farms today still contain areas of natural bush, yet there is little knowledge about the condition and value of this bush. There is also a wider interest by farmers in this bush because of its perceived value in assisting to combat on-farm salinity, and for diverse other reasons. As a response to the general interest by farmers and others in on-farm bush, a key, produced for use in a remnant vegetation survey of the southern wheatbelt (Mollemans,1992), and which may be used to assess the value of on-farm bush, is being reproduced here.