Evolution Commons^™

A Multi-Gene Molecular Systematic Study Of The Kickxellomycotina, Including The Examination Of Two New Genes (Mcm7 And Tsr1) For Phylogenetic Inference, Eric Dennis Tretter

Boise State University Theses and Dissertations

Kickxellomycotina is a recently described subphylum of Fungi defined by the presence of a unique disciform septal pore with a lenticular plug. The relationship between members of the group has proven difficult to resolve with traditional methods due to the degree of morphological and ecological variation among taxa within the clade. Furthermore, existing phylogenetic studies have lacked either the taxonomic coverage or had insufficient phylogenetic resolution to reveal the evolutionary history of the group.

In chapter one, I investigate the phylogenetic utility of two single-copy protein-coding genes, MCM7 and TSR1, to improve phylogenetic resolution within the clade. Suitable primers were …

Predation And Behavioral Plasticity In Green Swordtails: Mate Choice In Females And Exploratory Behavior In Males, Andrew J. Melie

School of Biological Sciences: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

Two studies were carried out with green swordtails, Xiphophorus helleri, to investigate the effect of predation on swordtail behavior, and to determine how behavioral plasticity operates in both a mate choice and an anti-predator context. Male green swordtails vary in colorful conspicuous traits, e.g. the colorful dorsal fin and sword. Female swordtails have a preexisting bias for males with a sword, and prefer long-sworded males to short-sworded males, but this preference is plastic. The first study examined predator-related plasticity in the behavior of males differing in size. Smaller males showed greater behavioral plasticity; they were more active in the …

The Effects Of Starvation Selection On Drosophila Melanogaster Life History And Development, Lauren A. Reynolds

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

In nature, animals may endure periods of famine to complete their life cycles. Starvation stress will increase in populations as climates around the world change. To predict how populations may respond to such a stress, laboratory experimentation becomes essential. The evolutionary process of adaptation, its innovations and their trade-offs, can be studied in populations experiencing starvation stress. For this purpose outbred populations ofDrosophila melanogasterwere selected for starvation resistance in the laboratory.

After 60+ generations of starvation selection the starvation-selected flies have gone from surviving 2-3 days without food to 12-14 days without food. How this amazing feat of resistance is …

Etudes On Iurids, Vi. Further Revision Of Calchas Birula, 1899 (Scorpiones: Iuridae), With A Description Of A New Genus And Two New Species., Ersen Aydın Yağmur, Michael E. Soleglad, Victor Fet, František Kovařík

Euscorpius

Several new Calchas populations are studied from Turkey, including specimens from Hakkari Province, which borders the northern edge of Iraq. A new genus, Neocalchas, gen. nov., and two new species, Calchas anlasi, sp. nov. and C. kosswigi, sp. nov., are described. The two genera, Calchas and Neocalchas, are diagnosed by their hemispermatophore structure, chelal finger dentition, telson morphometrics and setation, and trichobothrial topology of the pedipalp chela. Genus Calchas Birula, 1899 includes four species: C. anlasi, sp. nov., C. birulai, C. kosswigi, sp. nov., and C. nordmanni; genus …

Spontaneous Male Death And Monogyny In The Dark Fishing Spider Dolomedes Tenebrosus Hentz, 1843 (Araneae, Pisauridae), Steven K. Schwartz

School of Biological Sciences: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

Male animals typically attempt to mate with multiple females in order to increase their reproductive success. In some species, however, males instead invest in fertilizing the eggs of a single female. Monogyny (male monogamy) is found in a diverse assemblage of taxa, and recent theoretical work reveals that a male-biased sex ratio can favor the evolution of this relatively rare mating system. We integrate this theoretical framework with field observations and laboratory experiments involving the sexually size dimorphic fishing spider, Dolomedes tenebrosus. Results from mating trials revealed a novel form of self-sacrifice behavior where males spontaneously die when they …

The First Molecular Phylogeny Of Buthidae (Scorpiones), Victor Fet, Benjamin Gantenbein, Alexander Gromov, Graeme Lowe, Wilson R. Lourenço

Euscorpius

The first partial phylogeny of family Buthidae (17 genera) is presented, based on molecular data (16S rRNA mitochondrial DNA). The strong support for a monophyletic Old World group of 13 genera (mainly Palearctic desert forms) is demonstrated, while representative genera from Madagascar (Grosphus) and Southeast Asia (Lychas) group outside, as well as New World genera Centruroides and Rhopalurus. A very strong support is observed for the first time for three groups of Old World genera: (a) Compsobuthus, Mesobuthus, Liobuthus, Kraepelinia; (b) Hottentotta, Buthacus; (c) Orthochirus, Anomalobuthus. Phylogenetic …

Morphology Analysis Supports Presence Of More Than One Species In The “Euscorpius Carpathicus” Complex (Scorpiones: Euscorpiidae), Victor Fet, Michael E. Soleglad

Euscorpius

We investigate a number of scorpion populations from southern and central Europe, commonly classified under a “catch-all” name of Euscorpius carpathicus (L., 1767). This species includes a high number of described subspecies but its composition is not resolved. The detailed morphology analysis in the present paper includes a number of new characters, in particular individually mapped external patellar accessory trichobothria. It suggests that several clearly separated lineages are present. E. carpathicus (L.) is restricted here to geographically marginal populations from Romania (terra typica), which exhibit loss of one trichobothrium in the patellar series em (= 3). Another lineage (Austria, Croatia, …

Two New Andean Species Of Brachistosternus Pocock (Scorpiones: Bothriuridae), Jose A. Ochoa, Louis E. Acosta

Euscorpius

Two new Andean species of the genus Brachistosternus Pocock from southern Peru and northern Chile are described: B. titicaca sp. n. from the Titicaca basin (Departamento Puno, Peru), at 3850-3900 m, and B. quiscapata sp. n. from Departamento Tacna (Peru) and Provincia Arica (Chile), at 3100-3400 m. Both species belong to the subgenus Brachistosternus (Leptosternus) Maury. They are related to the Argentinean species B. (L.) intermedius Lönnberg and B.(L.) montanus Roig Alsina. Comparisons between these four species are provided, including a combination of characters: length/width ratio of metasomal segment V, number of setae of metasomal segment V and tarsus III, …

Etudes On Iurids, V. Further Revision Of Iurus Thorell, 1876 (Scorpiones: Iuridae), With A Description Of A New Genus And Two New Species, Michael E. Soleglad, Victor Fet, František Kovařík, Ersen Aydın Yağmur

Euscorpius

Iurus populations from the Aegean area are studied, including the Greek islands of Crete, Karpathos, Kythira, Rhodes, and Samos. A new genus, Protoiurus gen. nov., and two new species, Protoiurus rhodiensis sp. nov. and P. stathiae sp. nov., are described. The two genera, Iurus and Protoiurus, are diagnosed by their hemispermatophore structure; a cladistic analysis based on this structure is presented. Genus Iurus Thorell, 1876 includes three species: I. dekanum, I. dufoureius, and I. kinzelbachi; genus Protoiurus includes five species: P. asiaticus comb. nov., P. kadleci comb. nov., P. kraepelini comb. nov., P. rhodiensis sp. nov., and P. …

Euscorpiops Neradi Sp. N. From Thailand (Scorpiones: Euscorpiidae: Scorpiopinae), František Kovařík, Jana Plíšková, František Šťáhlavský

Euscorpius

Euscorpiops neradi sp. n. from Thailand is described and compared with other species of the genus Euscorpiops Vachon, 1980. It is the smallest species of the genus, with total length about 25 mm in both sexes. In E. neradi sp. n. external trichobothria on the patella number 16 (5 eb, 2 esb, 2 em, 3 est, 4 et) and ventral trichobothria on the patella number 6. Pedipalp fingers are flexed in males and straight in females.

Alloscorpiops Citadelle Sp. N. From Thailand (Scorpiones: Euscorpiidae: Scorpiopinae)., František Kovařík

Euscorpius

Alloscorpiops citadelle sp. n. from Thailand is described and compared with A. anthracinus (Simon, 1887). A. citadelle sp. n. is characterized mainly by a higher number of trichobothria on the patella, which has 29–34 external (23–24 in A. anthracinus) and 19–21 ventral (15–19 in A. anthracinus) trichobothria.

Evolution Of Scorpion Orthobothriotaxy: A Cladistic Approach, Michael E. Soleglad, Victor Fet

Euscorpius

This study presents a cladistic analysis of the derivation of orthobothriotaxic patterns in scorpions. Included in this analysis are the original three orthobothriotaxic patterns defined by Vachon (1972, 1974), the pattern of the unique scorpion Pseudochactas ovchinnikovi Gromov, 1998, and two trichobothrial patterns of fossil scorpions, the Upper Carboniferous palaeopisthacanthids and the Lower Cretaceous archaeobuthids. An overview of all fossil scorpion material where trichobothria are reported is presented in detail. The approach used in this analysis is to model the existence of an individual trichobothrium, adopting the ‘absence of’, ‘petite size’ and ‘full size’ as incremental stages of a trichobothrium’s …

Contributions To Scorpion Systematics. I. On Recent Changes In High-Level Taxonomy, Victor Fet, Michael E. Soleglad

Euscorpius

Prendini & Wheeler (2005) criticized the methods of phylogenetic analyses by Soleglad, Fet, and their coauthors, and executed an unprecedented taxonomic action: without analyzing any of these taxa, they performed a wholesale synonymization of four parvorders, eight superfamilies, one family, 11 subfamilies, eight tribes, two subtribes, and three genera (in total, 37 taxa) of scorpions, and made other taxonomic changes. No alternative new classification has been proposed (instead, they revert to a previous classification), and no results of original work on this subject by Prendini & Wheeler (2005) have been presented. Here, we reverse all taxonomic changes performed by Prendini …

Melanin Concentration Gradients In Modern And Fossil Feathers, Daniel J. Field, Liliana D’Alba, Jakob Vinther, Samuel M. Webb, William Gearty, Matthew D. Shawkey

School of Biological Sciences: Faculty Publications

In birds and feathered non-avian dinosaurs, within-feather pigmentation patterns range from discrete spots and stripes to more subtle patterns, but the latter remain largely unstudied. A ,55 million year old fossil contour feather with a dark distal tip grading into a lighter base was recovered from the Fur Formation in Denmark. SEM and synchrotron-based trace metal mapping confirmed that this gradient was caused by differential concentration of melanin. To assess the potential ecological and phylogenetic prevalence of this pattern, we evaluated 321 modern samples from 18 orders within Aves. We observed that the pattern was found most frequently in distantly …

Etudes On Iurids, Ii. Revision Of Genus Calchas Birula, 1899, With The Description Of Two New Species (Scorpiones: Iuridae), Victor Fet, Michael E. Soleglad, František Kovařík

Euscorpius

The relict, phylogenetically important scorpion genus Calchas Birula, 1899 (Iuridae) remained monotypic since its description. Its sole species, Calchas nordmanni Birula, 1899, was known only from northeastern Turkey until Kinzelbach (1980) published first records from southern and southeastern Turkey. A few more localities have been reported from Turkey; the species was also found on two Greek islands, Samos and Megisti. We analyzed significant material (63 specimens, including a previously unpublished large series from Naturhistorisches Museum Wien), and concluded that three distinct, disjunct species exist rather than one widespread species as previously thought. Two new species are described: Calchas birulai sp. …

Ecological Niche Modeling Of Two Scorpion Species Mesobuthus Eupeus (C. L. Koch, 1839) And M. Phillipsii (Pocock, 1889) From The Iranian Plateau And Zagros Region (Arachnida: Scorpiones), Omid Mirshamsi

Euscorpius

Ecological niche modeling has allowed several advances in the process of species delimitation. In the present study, I used this method to evaluate the climatic divergence between two scorpion species, Mesobuthus eupeus and M. phillipsii. The ecological niche models (ENMs) were created based on presence-only data with the maximum entropy method. The created models, results of spatial analysis (PCA and Hotelling discriminant), and an identity test suggested that the divergence between these two species is associated with significant divergence in their ecological niches. The results of this study provide additional support for the taxonomic validity the studied species.

A New Species Of Tityus C. L. Koch, 1836 (Scorpiones: Buthidae) From Dominican Amber, Wilson R. Lourenço

Euscorpius

Tityus azari sp. n., a new species of fossil scorpion belonging to the genus Tityus C. L. Koch, 1836 is described based on a specimen in amber from the Dominican Republic. Although the new species can be associated with the extant fauna of the Neotropical region, it presents some particular morphological features such as the presence of sharp denticles on the edge of pedipalp fingers. Due to the incompleteness of the specimen it cannot be assigned to any precise extant subgenera. Once again, this discovery attests to a considerable degree of diversity in the Dominican amber-producing forests.

The Cretaceous Scorpion Genus, Archaeobuthus, Revisited (Scorpiones: Archaeobuthidae), Chris Baptista, Jorge A. Santiago-Blay, Victor Fet, Michael E. Soleglad

Euscorpius

No abstract provided.

The Scorpions Of Hainan Island, China (Arachnida: Scorpiones), Zhi-Yong Di, Zhi-Jian Cao, Ying-Liang Wu, Lin Zhu, Hui Liu, Wen-Xin Li

Euscorpius

The redescriptions and illustrations of three species, Isometrus (Isometrus) maculatus (DeGeer, 1778), Lychas mucronatus (Fabricius, 1798) (Buthidae), and Liocheles australasiae (Fabricius, 1775) (Hemiscorpiidae) from Hainan Island, China are presented. Distribution data and updated key of Hainan scorpions are provided.

Review Of The Subgenus Pandinurus Fet, 1997 With Descriptions Of Three New Species (Scorpiones, Scorpionidae, Pandinus)., František Kovařík

Euscorpius

Pandinus (Pandinurus) awashensis sp. n. from Ethiopia, P. (P.) somalilandus sp. n. from Somaliland, and P. (P.) lowei sp. n. from Democratic Republic of Congo are described and compared with other species of the subgenus. P. (P.) sudanicus Hirst, 1911 stat. n. previously considered a synonym of P. (P.) magrettii Borelli, 1901 is recognized as a valid species. New data on taxonomic characters and distribution of the subgenus Pandinurus are presented. Also presented are a map of distribution, photos of the localities and a key to species using hitherto unpublished characters of the tarsomere spination formula and sexual …