Life Sciences Commons^™

Photography-Based Taxonomy Is Inadequate, Unnecessary, And Potentially Harmful For Biological Sciences, Luis M. P. Ceríaco, Eliécer E. Gutiérrez, Alain Dubois, Rafael O. De Sá, Et Al.

Biology Faculty Publications

The question whether taxonomic descriptions naming new animal species without type specimen(s) deposited in collections should be accepted for publication by scientific journals and allowed by the Code has already been discussed in Zootaxa (Dubois & Nemésio 2007; Donegan 2008, 2009; Nemésio 2009a–b; Dubois 2009; Gentile & Snell 2009; Minelli 2009; Cianferoni & Bartolozzi 2016; Amorim et al. 2016). This question was again raised in a letter supported by 35 signatories published in the journal Nature (Pape et al. 2016) on 15 September 2016. On 25 September 2016, the following rebuttal (strictly limited to 300 words as per …

A New Species Of Psalidognathus Gray, 1831 From Peru (Coleoptera: Cerambycidae: Prioninae), Taketsune Noguchi, Antonio Santos-Silva

Insecta Mundi

Psalidognathus antonkozlovi (Coleoptera: Cerambycidae: Prioninae), a new species from Peru, is described and illustrated. The new species is included in a previous key.

Currently, Psalidognathus Gray, 1831 encompasses 10 species distributed from Costa Rica to northern South America (Monné 2016). The species can be included in two groups: the “modestus” group, species without a spine at the apex of the basal antennomeres; and the “friendii” group, species with a spine at the apex of the basal antennomeres. Santos-Silva and Komiya (2012) published a provisional study of the species of the “modestus” group, considering seven species in it. The key to …

Phylogeny, Systematics And Biogeography Of Short-Tailed Opossums (Didelphidae: Monodelphis), Silvia E. Pavan

Dissertations, Theses, and Capstone Projects

Short-tailed opossums (genus Monodelphis) comprise the most species-rich genus of New World marsupials, with 25 currently recognized species. Monodelphis comprise small, terrestrial species collectively widespread in South America, which makes the group potentially informative about biogeographic processes that have shaped the continental fauna. The genus exhibits striking variation in several phenotypic characters, notably pelage coloration, behavior, and reproductive strategies. This diversity is unique among Neotropical marsupials, and makes the group particularly interesting to investigate the evolution and the adaptive significance of phenotypic trait variation. Despite this potential, missing knowledge on phylogeny and basic taxonomy precludes broader studies on evolution …

Taxonomic Supplement (2001 To 2015) To The Catalogue Of New Zealand Carabidae (Insecta: Coleoptera), André Larochelle, Marie-Claude Larivière

Insecta Mundi

A supplement to the “Carabidae (Insecta: Coleoptera): catalogue” published by Larochelle and Larivière (2001; Fauna of New Zealand 43), is provided. A total of 99 genera and 547 species and subspecies belonging to 21 tribes and 8 subfamilies of Carabidae (including Cicindelini and Rhysodini), is recorded for New Zealand. Endemism is high, with 93% of the species and subspecies as well as 62% of the genera recorded from this country only. Changes to the 2001 catalogue are documented. The synonymy and type locality of taxa described between 2001 and 2015 are also provided.

Provisional Revision Of The Genus Epimelitta Bates, 1870 And Associated Genera, With A Brief Synopsis Of The Genus Acorethra Bates, 1873 (Coleoptera, Cerambycidae), Robin O.S. Clarke

Insecta Mundi

Abstract. Epimelitta Bates, 1870 (Coleoptera, Cerambycidae) is redescribed with two species: Epimelitta scoparia (Klug, 1825) and Epimelitta rufiventris Bates, 1870; Epimelitta meliponica Bates, 1870 syn. nov. and Epimelitta acutipennis Fisher, 1947 syn. nov. are considered junior synonyms of E. scoparia. Exepimelitta gen. nov. is described with five species: Exepimelitta mimica (Bates, 1873), Ex. nigerrima (Bates, 1892), Ex. consobrina (Melzer, 1931) (= Epimelitta nigerrima var. flavipubescens Fisher, 1947, syn. nov.), Ex. lestradei (Peñaherrera-Leiva and Tavakilian, 2003) and Ex. windsori sp. nov. Charisia Champion, 1892 is revalidated and redescribed with six species: Charisia euphrosyne (Newman, 1840), C. mneme (Newman, 1841), …

Shifts In Myxomycete Community Structure In Selected Microhabitats Across Nutrient Treatments In A Lowland Tropical Forest Of Panama, Laura M. Walker

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Myxomycetes (plasmodial slime molds) are abundant amoeboid predators of bacteria and other microorganisms. They are found worldwide, largely in association with decaying plant material in terrestrial habitats. Their consumption of bacterial prey puts microbial predators such as myxomycetes in a key position in various ecosystem processes wherein they help regulate the flow of nutrients (e.g., N and C) through the ecosystem. The importance of microbial predators in nutrient cycling and plant productivity is well established. Given the extent to which tropical ecosystems influence global nutrient fluxes, along with the ecologically significant role that myxomycetes play in these processes, there is …

Description Of Mesocriconema Ericaceum N. Sp. (Nematoda: Criconematidae) And Notes On Other Nematode Species Discovered In An Ericaceous Heath Bald Community In Great Smoky Mountains National Park, Usa, Thomas O. Powers, Peter Mullin, Rebecca Higgins, Timothy Harris, Kirsten S. Powers

Department of Plant Pathology: Faculty Publications

A new species of Mesocriconema and a unique assemblage of plant-parasitic nematodes was discovered in a heath bald atop Brushy Mountain in Great Smoky Mountains National Park. Mesocriconema ericaceum n. sp., a species with males, superficially resembles M. xenoplax. DNA barcoding with the mitochondrial COI gene provided evidence of the new species as a distinct lineage. SEM revealed significant variability in arrangement of labial submedian lobes, plates, and anterior and posterior annuli. Three other nematodes in the family Criconematidae were characterized from the heath bald. Ogma seymouri, when analyzed by statistical parsimony, established connections with isolates from north-eastern Atlantic …

Trox Paulseni (Coleoptera: Trogidae), A New Species From Nebraska And Kansas, Usa, Brett C. Ratcliffe

Insecta Mundi

Trox paulseni Ratcliffe, new species (Coleoptera: Trogidae), is described from Nebraska and Kansas, USA. A description, diagnosis to separate it from Trox hamatus Robinson (its closest congener), distribution, and illustrations are provided.

Using Morphometrics To Evaluate Taxonomic Relationships In Eleocharis Tenuis (Cyperaceae), Lane D. Gibbons

Masters Theses, 2010-2019

North America is host to multiple complex taxa, and unresolved relationships in the genus Eleocharis (Cyperaceae). Of noteworthy significance, are lasting taxonomic uncertainties involving plants referable to E. tenuis (var. tenuis, var. verrucosa, and var. pseudoptera) of the E. tenuis species complex. Morphology of E. tenuis is traditionally recognized as being widely variable, and intermediate among taxa along a broad geographic gradient. Cytological and morphometric data however, indicate that the varieties of E. tenuis are unique in cytology, and are consistently delimited by five morphological characters. Furthermore, this study shows that cytological data correlates with unique morphological …

Integrative Taxonomy Of North American Torrent Mites (Parasitengona: Torrenticolidae: Torrenticola), Jon Ray Fisher

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Mites are notorious for being under-studied and incomplete knowledge of distribution, life-history, and morphology are commonplace. They typically gain attention through the relatively few pest species that plague our crops, pets, or bodies. Despite representing a successful radiation with an estimated 3–5 million species, relatively few mite lineages attract research attention from non-acarologists. However, the largest radiation of all mites—Parasitengona—has potential to bridge the gap between specialists and non-specialists. Parasitengona are the butterflies of the mite world. Obvious are the bright red mites searching for pollen on concrete, or the large, furry velvet mites coming out to mate after spring …

Taxonomics – Next Generation Taxonomists, Ana Sofia Reboleira

Ana Sofia P.S. Reboleira

Dna Barcoding And Taxonomy: Dark Taxa And Dark Texts, Roderic D. M. Page

Harold W. Manter Laboratory: Library Materials

Both classical taxonomy and DNA barcoding are engaged in the task of digitizing the living world.Much of the taxonomic literature remains undigitized. The rise of open access publishing this century and the freeing of older literature from the shackles of copyright have greatly increased the online availability of taxonomic descriptions, but much of the literature of the mid- to late- twentieth century remains offline (‘dark texts’). DNA barcoding is generating a wealth of computable data that in many ways are much easier to work with than classical taxonomic descriptions, but many of the sequences are not identified to species level. …

Comparing Apples And Oranges?: Next Generation Sequencing And Its Impact On Microbiome Analysis, Roy D. Sleator, Aisling O'Driscoll, Et. Al.

Department of Biological Sciences Publications

Rapid advancements in sequencing technologies along with falling costs present widespread opportunities for microbiome studies across a vast and diverse array of environments. These impressive technological developments have been accompanied by a considerable growth in the number of methodological variables, including sampling, storage, DNA extraction, primer pairs, sequencing technology, chemistry version, read length, insert size, and analysis pipelines, amongst others. This increase in variability threatens to compromise both the reproducibility and the comparability of studies conducted. Here we perform the first reported study comparing both amplicon and shotgun sequencing for the three leading next-generation sequencing technologies. These were applied to …

Morphological And Molecular Characterization Of Gracilacus Wuae N. Sp. (Nematoda: Criconematoidea) Associated With Cow Parsnip (Heracleum Maximum) In Ontario, Canada, Qing Yu, Weimin Ye, Thomas O. Powers

Department of Plant Pathology: Faculty Publications

Gracilacus wuae n. sp. from soil associated with cow parsnip in Ontario, Canada is described and illustrated. Morphologically, females have a long stylet ranging from 80 to 93 mmlong, the lip region not offset from the body contour, without lateral lips but with large and flat submedian lobes, the mouth opening slit-like elongated laterally and surrounded by lateral flaps, the excretory pore is anterior to the knobs of the stylet; males without stylet and the pharynx degenerated. The fourth-stage juveniles lack a stylet, the pharynx degenerated, and can be differentiated into preadult females and males based on the position of …

A New Species Of Ancognatha Erichson (Coleoptera: Scarabaeidae: Dynastinae: Cyclocephalini) From Peru, With Distributions Of Peruvian Ancognatha Species, Luis Figueroa, Brett Ratcliffe

Department of Entomology: Faculty Publications

A new species of Peruvian Ancognatha Erichson, 1847 (Coleoptera: Scarabaeidae: Dynastinae: Cyclocephalini) is described. A description, diagnosis, distribution, and illustrations of the new species are provided. Locality records and distribution maps for Ancognatha species occurring in Peru are given.

Se describe una nueva especie peruana de Ancognatha Erichson, 1847 (Coleoptera: Scarabaeidae: Dynastinae: Cyclocephalini). Se proporciona una descripción, diagnóstico, distribución e ilustraciones de la nueva especie. Se proveen localidades de captura y mapas de distribución para las especies de Ancognatha registradas en Perú.

Four New Records Of Plant Parasitic Nematodes From Iran, Somaye Alvani, Esmat Mahdikhani Moghaddam, Hamid Rouhani, Abbas Mohammadi

Turkish Journal of Zoology

In order to identify the plant parasitic nematodes associated with Berberis vulgaris, 130 soil samples were collected from the rhizosphere of this plant in the South Khorasan Province of Iran during 2012-2014. Among the identified species, four species, Merlinius acuminatus, Geocenamus dobroticus, Paratylenchus vandenbrandei, and Criconemoides morgensis, are new records for the Iranian nematode fauna.

Current Disposition Of Earwigflies, Merope Tuber Newman And Austromerope Poultoni Killington (Mecoptera: Meropeidae), In The Florida State Collection Of Arthropods, James C. Dunford, Louis A. Somma, David Serrano

Insecta Mundi

We provide the current holdings of Meropeidae in the Florida State Collection of Arthropods (FSCA). To date, FSCA holds a well-curated collection of extant meropeids representing 17 U.S. states and Western Australia (n = 316 Merope tuber Newman, five Austromerope poultoni Killington). Merope tuber records from Vermont, Texas, and South Carolina are published here for the first time. A total of 298 pinned M. tuber and four pinned A. poultoni; six M. tuber specimens preserved in 95% ethanol; and 12 M. tuber and one A. poultoni sputter-coated with gold-palladium for SEM are available for researchers interested in studying this unique …

Two New Vaejovis C.L. Koch 1836 From Highlands Of The Sierra Madre Occidental, Durango, Mexico (Scorpiones, Vaejovidae), W. David Sissom, Matthew R. Graham, Taylor G. Donaldson, Robert W. Bryson

Insecta Mundi

Two new species of the mexicanus group of Vaejovis C.L. Koch are described from the Madrean pine-oak forests of the Sierra Madre Occidental in the state of Durango, Mexico. These species, Vaejovis sierrae sp. nov. and Vaejovis mcwesti sp. nov., are distinguished from each other and the only other species of the mexicanus group known from this mountain range, Vaejovis montanus Graham and Bryson, by morphometrics, carinal development of the pedipalps, granulation of the metasoma, and body size. A key to the species of the mexicanus group from the Sierra Madre Occidental is provided.

Two New Species Of South American Glaresidae (Coleoptera: Scarabaeoidea), M. J. Paulsen

Department of Entomology: Faculty Publications

Two new species of South American Glaresidae (Coleoptera: Scarabaeoidea) are described: Glaresis smithi Paulsen, new species from Argentina, and Glaresis mondacai Paulsen, new species from Chile and Peru. The species are compared to their closest congener, Glaresis fritzi Martínez et al., and a key is provided for the known South American species of the genus Glaresis Erichson.

Two New Species Of Geosesarma De Man, 1892 (Crustacea: Brachyura: Sesarmidae) From Palawan, The Philippines, Hendrik Freitag, Marivene Manuel-Santos, Peter K.L Ng

Biology Faculty Publications

Two new and relatively large species of semi-terrestrial sesarmid crabs of the genus Geosesarma De Man, 1892, are described from Palawan Island, Philippines. They are distinguishable from congeners by the characteristic structure of their carapace, chelipeds, ambulatory legs and male first gonopods. Aspects of their ecology are briefly discussed

Two New Eburiini From Mexico (Coleoptera, Cerambycidae, Cerambycinae), Stéphane Le Tirant, Antonio Santos-Silva

Insecta Mundi

Two new species of Eburiini (Coleoptera, Cerambycidae, Cerambycinae) are described from Mexico (Guerrero): Susuacanga boteroi; and Eburia (Eburia) girouxae. Both are included in previous keys.

World Checklist Of Hornworts And Liverworts, Lars Söderström, Anders Hagborg, Matt Von Konrat, Sharon Bartholomew-Began, David Bell, Laura Briscoe, Elizabeth Brown, D. Christine Cargill, Denise P. Costa, Barbara J. Crandall-Stotler, Endymion D. Cooper, Gregorio Dauphin, John J. Engel, Kathrin Feldberg, David Glenny, S. Robbert Gradstein, Xiaolan He, Jochen Heinrichs, Jörn Hentschel, Anna Luiza Ilkiu-Borges, Tomoyuki Katagiri, Nadezhda A. Konstantinova, Juan Larraín, David G. Long, Martin Nebel, Tamás Pócs, Felisa Puche, Elena Reiner-Drehwald, Matt A.M. Renner, Andrea Sass-Gyarmati, Alfons Schäfer-Verwimp, José Gabriel Segarra Moragues, Raymond E. Stotler, Phiangphak Sukkharak, Barbara M. Thiers, Jaime Uribe, Jiří Váňa, Juan Carlos Villarreal, Martin Wigginton, Li Zhang, Rui-Liang Zhu

Biology Faculty Publications

A working checklist of accepted taxa worldwide is vital in achieving the goal of developing an online flora of all known plants by 2020 as part of the Global Strategy for Plant Conservation. We here present the first-ever worldwide checklist for liverworts (Marchantiophyta) and hornworts (Anthocerotophyta) that includes 7486 species in 398 genera representing 92 families from the two phyla. Th e checklist has far reaching implications and applications, including providing a valuable tool for taxonomists and systematists, analyzing phytogeographic and diversity patterns, aiding in the assessment of floristic and taxonomic knowledge, and identifying geographical gaps in our understanding of …

Cockroaches (Blattodea) Of Southern Louisiana: Morphology, Diversity, And Life Histories, Forest Brady Huval

LSU Master's Theses

The state of Louisiana has both temperate and subtropical climates and includes six ecoregions. Two ecoregions in south-central Louisiana were surveyed for members of the order Blattodea to better describe the diversity, life histories, and taxonomy of adult and nymphal cockroaches. Blattodea, excluding the newly included epifamily Termitoidae, is an understudied order of insects in spite of the importance species that are infamous peridomestic pest. The order Blattodea currently contains 9 families comprising of 460 genera. There are approximately 7570 described species 4641 of which are cockroaches and 2929 are termites. Complete information on life histories lacks for the majority …

New Species Of Neocompsa And Tropidion From Bolivia (Coleoptera: Cerambycidae: Cerambycinae: Neoibidionini), James E. Wappes, Antonio Santos-Silva

Insecta Mundi

Two Neoibidionini from Bolivia are described as new: Neocompsa schneppi sp. nov. and Tropidion

nancyae sp. nov. The new species are compared to closely related species and previous keys by Martins and Galileo

(2007, 2009) are modifi ed to include them. Illustrations of dorsal, ventral and lateral habitus, as well as head

structures are included for both species. Comments are also included on color and pattern variation of each species.

A New Species Of Paradiscopus Schwarzer (Coleoptera: Cerambycidae: Lamiinae: Acanthoderini) From Costa Rica, Josef Vlasak

Insecta Mundi

Paradiscopus monteverdensis Vlasak, new species (Coleoptera: Cerambycidae) is described from Costa Rica. The new species is illustrated and a key is provided to Paradiscopus species

Two New Records And A Confirmation For The Vascular Flora Of Turkey, Hasan Yildirim, Yusuf Altioğlu, Ri̇yat Gül, Meli̇ha Gemi̇ci̇

Turkish Journal of Botany

Campanula raddeana Trautv. (Campanulaceae), based on samples collected from Çıldır (A9 Ardahan), and Galatella cretica Gand. (Asteraceae), based on samples collected from Marmaris (C1 Muğla), were recorded as new findings for the Flora of Turkey. In addition, Silene samia Melzh. & Christod. (Caryophyllaceae) was confirmed in Turkey based on samples from four localities in southwest Anatolia. Detailed descriptions, locality information, and distribution maps of the cited taxa were also given in the present study.

Der Mönchsgeier Aegypius Monachus (L., 1766) Und Seine Mallophagen (Insecta, Phthiraptera) In Der Mongolei = Cinereous Vulture Aegypius Monachus (L., 1766) And Its Chewing Lice (Insecta, Phthiraptera) In Mongolia, Eberhard Mey, Michael Stubbe, Davaa Lchagvasuren, Annegret Stubbe

Erforschung biologischer Ressourcen der Mongolei / Exploration into the Biological Resources of Mongolia, ISSN 0440-1298

During a series of studies on the population, ecology, and biology of the Cinereous Vulture in Mongolia, fully feathered nestlings of the species from 9 nests were examined, without the use of chemical methods, for Mallophaga infestation from 2010 to 2015. The collection resulted in several first records for Mongolia of three species: Laemobothrion vulturis (J. C. FABRICIUS, 1775) sensu lato (Amblycera, Laemobothriidae), Neocolpocephalum aegypii (TENDEIRO, 1989) (Amblycera, Menoponidae s. l.) sp. inq., and Falcolipeurus quadripustulatus (BURMEISTER, 1838) (Ischnocera, Philopteridae s. l.). Despite being expected, there has still been no record of Agypoecus brevicollis (BURMEISTER, 1838) in Mongolia.

Chewing louse …

Key To The Bat Fleas Of Mongolia, Ingo Scheffler

Erforschung biologischer Ressourcen der Mongolei / Exploration into the Biological Resources of Mongolia, ISSN 0440-1298

Fleas of the family Ischnopsyllidae belong to the common bat ectoparasites. The current taxonomic status of these insects in Mongolia includes seven species for which we provide a determination key.

Notes On Some Species Of Myzomorphus Sallé, 1850 (Coleoptera, Cerambycidae, Prioninae, Anacolini), Amoret Spooner, Antonio Santos-Silva

Insecta Mundi

Notes on the type of Myzomorphus quadripunctatus (Gray, 1831) are provided, and a lectotype is designated for the species. The holotype male of M. poultoni Lameere, 1912, along with a second male, are figured for the first time, and compared with M. gounellei Lameere, 1912. Notes on Myzomorphus amabilis (Tippmann, 1960) and a key to known males of Myzomorphus are also provided.

A New Species Of Octotapnia Galileo And Martins, 1992 From French Guiana (Coleoptera, Cerambycidae, Lamiinae), Pierre-Henri Dalens

Insecta Mundi

Octotapnia persona sp. nov. (Coleoptera, Cerambycidae, Lamiinae) is described from French Guiana and illustrated. The key for species of Octotapnia is updated.