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Here we describe 18 new species of the Marattialean genus Danaea: D. alba, D. ampla, D. antioquiana, D. elongata, D. kessleri and D. panamensis (all in D. subg. Danaea); D. dilatata and D. opaca (in D. subg. Arthrodanaea); and D. andina, D. cuspidopsis, D. erosa, D. nasua, D. peruviana, D. polypinna, D. pumila, D. robbinmoranii, D. ubatubensis, and D. velona (in D. subg. Holodanaea). We provide illustrations, maps of geographical distribution, and nomenclatural notes for the new species. We also lectotypify the name D. media and propose that its recent resurrection was a mistake: both D. media and D. elata are synonyms of D. nodosa, which is widespread in Central America and the Greater Antilles; we find that D. pterorachis is a valid name applicable to the Costa Rican material that has been referred to D. media. We consider D. sellowiana and D. nigrescens as distinct species and these names applicable to D. subg. Danaea material from the Brazilian Atlantic Forest and Amazonia, respectively, and we also lectotypify the name D. nigrescens here. We accept D. cuspidata and D. betancurii as species distinct from D. moritziana. Evolutionary relationships and an identification key for the 79 species we currently recognize in Danaea are published in a parallel paper (Keskiniva & al. 2024). Citation: Keskiniva V. & Tuomisto H. 2024: Danaea (Marattiaceae) keeps diversifying, part 1: eighteen new species. – Willdenowia 53: 173–228 Version of record first published online on 22 January 2024. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The paper aims to study intragroup variation inside the two pre-Columbian Cuban populations: the aceramic Archaic and the ceramic Taino groups, based on their cranial morphology. The latter applied artificial cranial deformation to all its members, so the groups are referred to as "non-deformed" and "deformed" samples here. Studies across different disciplines suggest evidence of cultural and biological diversity inside the non-deformed group, while local variations of applying the deforming device can be responsible for shape variation across the deformed group. Cranial metrics and non-metric cranial traits of the 92 crania of Cuban origin were analyzed, although the sample size varied between the analyses due to the incompleteness of the crania. Geometric morphometrics was applied to the deformed crania to study the shape variation across the sample. Three deformed crania from the Dominican Republic were analyzed together with the deformed Cuban sample to test the variability of the practice between the islands. Principal component analysis and the Mantel test did not reveal any geographic differences in the cranial metric traits. No morphological differences associated with the antiquity of materials could be seen either based on the available data. The principal component analysis of the Procrustes coordinates of the cranial vault outline in the lateral norm revealed continuous variability of cranial shapes from the ones with more flattened frontal and occipital bones to the more curved outlines, which is probably explained by individual variation. Non-metric traits variation revealed bilateral asymmetry in the expression of the occipito-mastoidal ossicles among the deformed crania. In conclusion, the study did not support assumptions about morphological diversity inside the studied samples or proved the impossibility of available craniological data to reflect possible intragroup differentiation at the moment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Archaeometry is the property of Wiley-Blackwell and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Cryptofaunal nematodes, those living on the hard substrate of the coral reefs, are largely unknown in terms of diversity and assemblage structure. We described nematode assemblages at seven sites spanning about 200 km along Jardines de La Reina, a well-preserved reef system in the Greater Antilles. We identified about 3000 nematodes, mostly of the families Desmodoridae and Chromadoridae; the most abundant species were Croconema cinctum, Desmodora communis, and Euchromadora vulgaris. The regional richness was moderate with 70 observed species (0.95 confidence interval: 65–75 species) and 75 extrapolated species (0.95 CI: 68–83 species). This richness was lower than in other reef biotopes, maybe reflecting evolutionary constraints due to interactions with stony corals. The local expected richness at 100 individuals was similar among sites, with a median of 26 species (0.95 CI: 20–34 species), and likely caused by diversification rate and evolutionary time acting at the same pace on populations. The taxonomic β-diversity was high and without differences among sites (median: 0.85; 0.95 CI: 0.33–1), probably due to significant substrate heterogeneity at 10-cm scale. The prevalence of replacement over richness difference suggests that local processes (e.g., environmental filtering and competition) contribute more to β-diversity than niche availability, which would be largely similar across the reef terraces. Contrary to our expectations, no gradient of assemblage structure occurred, nor significant effect of benthic cover on nematodes. However, nematode functional structure showed a conservative set of biological traits reflecting adaptations to hydrodynamic regime: armed oral cavity/intermediate colonizing capability/ornamented cuticles/conical tail. Our results provide insights about the taxonomic and functional diversity of nematodes and highlight the vast knowledge gaps about the processes ruling the meiofauna community structure in coral reefs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In the present paper, the taxonomic status of several Hispaniolan members of the genus Tityus C. L. Koch, 1966 is revised after examination of almost all primary types and abundant supplementary material. This resulted in six new synonymies, which involve both extant and fossil species. The extant taxa herein synonymized are Tityus anasilviae Armas et Abud, 2004 under Tityus ottenwalderi Armas, 1999, Tityus bahoruco Teruel et Armas, 2006 under Tityus crassimanus (Thorell, 1876), Tityus ebanoverde Armas, 1999 under Tityus elii Armas et Marcano, 1992, and Tityus septentrionalis Armas et Abud, 2004 under Tityus portoplatensis Armas et Marcano, 1992. The fossil taxa herein synonymized are Tityus azari Lourenço, 2013† and Tityus (Brazilotityus) hartkorni Lourenço, 2009†, both under Tityus geratus Santiago-Blay et Poinar, 1988†. Updated distribution maps are given for all extant senior synonyms. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Jamaican species of the uraniid subfamily Epipleminae have been poorly studied. Only two species, a Calizzia and an Erosia, have been documented from Jamaica in recent species lists. Eight genera are now recognized from Jamaica from the present study. Records of Epipleminae from Florida and the Greater Antilles are tabulated. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Journal of Field Ornithology is the property of Resilience Alliance and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Despite the intensifying interest in flash drought both within the United States and globally, moist tropical landscapes have largely escaped the attention of the flash drought community. Because these ecozones are acclimatized to receiving regular, near-daily precipitation, they are especially vulnerable to rapid-drying events. This is particularly true within the Caribbean Sea basin where numerous small islands lack the surface and groundwater resources to cope with swiftly developing drought conditions. This study fills the tropical flash drought gap by examining the pervasiveness of flash drought across the pan-Caribbean region using a recently proposed criterion based on the evaporative demand drought index (EDDI). The EDDI identifies 46 instances of widespread flash drought "outbreaks" in which significant fractions of the pan-Caribbean encounter rapid drying over 15 days and then maintain this condition for another 15 days. Moreover, a self-organizing maps (SOM) classification reveals a tendency for flash drought to assume recurring typologies concentrated in one of the Central American, South American, or Greater Antilles coastlines, although a simultaneous, Caribbean-wide drought is never observed within the 40-yr (1981–2020) period examined. Furthermore, three of the six flash drought typologies identified by the SOM initiate most often during Phase 2 of the Madden–Julian oscillation. Collectively, these findings motivate the need to more critically examine the transferability of flash drought definitions into the global tropics, particularly for small water-vulnerable islands where even island-wide flash droughts may only occupy a few pixels in most reanalysis datasets. Significance Statement: The purpose of this study is to understand if flash drought occurs in tropical environments, specifically the Caribbean. Flash droughts represent a quickly evolving drought, which have particularly acute impacts on agriculture and often catch stakeholders by surprise as conditions evolve rapidly from wet to dry conditions. Our results indicate that flash droughts occur with regular periodicity in the Caribbean. Expansive flash droughts tend to occur in coherent subregional clusters. Future studies will further investigate the drivers of these flash droughts to create early warning systems for flash drought. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Indo-Hispanic interaction is an essential issue in the colonial period in the Caribbean, but its study is currently marginalized as an offshoot of pre-Columbian archaeology. This state of affairs denies the indigenous contribution to the past and present ethnocultural composition of the region and privileges a colonial approach in scholarship. This paper reviews important aspects of the history of archaeological research on contact and colonial interaction in the Greater Antilles and its theoretical underpinnings. It also presents two recent archaeological case studies that show different facets of the interaction processes using new methodological approaches: El Cabo, Dominican Republic, with evidence of early contact, and El Chorro de Maíta, Cuba, a context of interethnic interaction under colonial conditions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper overviews the twin epidemics of HIV/AIDS and alcohol use in the Caribbean (specifically the countries and territories included in the Greater and Lesser Antilles and Bahamas), and potential linkages between drinking and risky sexual behavior. Highlighting the needs for research and intervention identified by Caribbean social workers, educators, health care providers, and government officials, we suggest ways social workers both in the Caribbean and abroad can contribute to exploring the co-morbidity of alcohol use and risk for sexual HIV transmission. Data addressing the potential link between alcohol use and risky sexual behaviors are urgently needed to inform prevention and intervention policies and programs at the national and regional level. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Through analysis of fossil records, the aim of this paper is to show that fossil representatives of at least three land-mammal clades (pitheciine atelid primates, heteropsomyine echimyid rodents, and megalonychid phyllophagan xenarthrans) that once lived in the Greater Antilles are as old as, if not older than,‘first’ occurrences of these same groups on the South American mainland.Greater Antilles, South America, Antarctic Peninsula.Analysis of Cenozoic land-mammal fossil records for the three areas.Comparison reveals an interesting similarity to the Tertiary vertebrate palaeontological record for the Antarctic Peninsula (Seymour Island), in the sense that the latter also includes early (Eocene) representatives of some typical‘South American’ groups (e.g. meridiungulates, sloths, certain marsupial groups).Given how limited the Antillean and Antarctic records are in quantity and quality, it seems unlikely that these‘first’ appearances have much bearing on real origins (basal divergences). Rather, it suggests that the fossil basis for interpreting the origin and earliest diversification of‘South American’ clades during the latest Cretaceous/early Cenozoic is probably even scantier than generally realized. In particular, the Antillean record strengthens arguments that some crown-group continental lineages are considerably older than fossil evidence currently allows– a point increasingly (if unevenly) supported by molecular studies of many of the same clades. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Understanding the geographic linkages among populations across the annual cycle is an essential component for understanding the ecology and evolution of migratory species and for facilitating their effective conservation. While genetic markers have been widely applied to describe migratory connections, the rapid development of new sequencing methods, such as low‐coverage whole genome sequencing (lcWGS), provides new opportunities for improved estimates of migratory connectivity. Here, we use lcWGS to identify fine‐scale population structure in a widespread songbird, the American Redstart (Setophaga ruticilla), and accurately assign individuals to genetically distinct breeding populations. Assignment of individuals from the nonbreeding range reveals population‐specific patterns of varying migratory connectivity. By combining migratory connectivity results with demographic analysis of population abundance and trends, we consider full annual cycle conservation strategies for preserving numbers of individuals and genetic diversity. Notably, we highlight the importance of the Northern Temperate‐Greater Antilles migratory population as containing the largest proportion of individuals in the species. Finally, we highlight valuable considerations for other population assignment studies aimed at using lcWGS. Our results have broad implications for improving our understanding of the ecology and evolution of migratory species through conservation genomics approaches. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Little is known of the migratory ecology and population genetics of the lyside sulphur butterfly Kricogonia lyside (Godart) (Pieridae: Coliadinae). Mass migrations involving huge numbers of these butterflies have long been known to occur in the southern USA, Mexico and Greater Antilles, but these reports have been based mainly on chance encounters. A review of the limited literature on migrations of K. lyside in North America is presented here, together with results from field observations of a recent mass migration in north-western Mexico. Overall, these data confirm that migrations of K. lyside are often unidirectional, but can change direction over relatively short time periods, and are most probably 'triggered' by substantial rainfall following a prolonged dry period. Several important questions on these enigmatic migrations, however, including, but not limited to, location of source populations, ultimate destinations, numbers of individuals involved and purpose, remain to be answered. Analysis of mitochondrial DNA barcodes revealed that genetic diversity of the cytochrome c oxidase subunit I (COI) gene is much higher in K. lyside than that seen in the long-distance migrating nymphalid butterflies, the monarch (Danaus plexippus) and painted lady (Vanessa cardui), and that a large historical population expansion occurred during the mid-Pleistocene. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

While the theory of micro-evolution by natural selection assigns a crucial role to competition, its role in macroevolution is less clear. Phylogenetic evidence for a decelerating accumulation of lineages suggests a feedback of lineage diversity on diversification. However, does this feedback only occur between close relatives, or do distant relatives also influence each other's diversification? In other words: are there phylogenetic limits to this diversity-dependence? Islands form ideal systems to answer these questions because their boundedness facilitates an overview of all potential competitors. The DAISIE (Dynamic Assembly of Island biota through Speciation Immigration and Extinction) framework allows for testing the presence of diversity-dependence on islands given phylogenetic data on colonization and branching times. The current inference models in DAISIE assume that this diversity-dependence only applies within a colonizing clade, i.e. all mainland species can colonize and diversify independently from one another. We term this clade-specific (CS) diversity-dependence. Here we introduce a new DAISIE model that assumes that diversity-dependence applies to all island species of a taxonomic group regardless of their mainland ancestry, i.e. diversity-dependence applies both to species within the same clade and between different clades established by different mainland species. We call this island-wide (IW) diversity-dependence. We present a method to compute a likelihood for this model given phylogenetic data on colonization and branching events and use likelihood ratio bootstrapping to compare it to the likelihood of the CS model in order to overcome biases known for standard model selection. We apply it to the diversification of Eleutherodactylus frogs on Hispaniola. Across the Greater Antilles archipelago, this radiation shows repeated patterns of diversification in ecotypes that are similar across clades. This could be suggestive of overlapping niche space and hence between-clade interactions, i.e. IW diversity-dependence. But it could also be suggestive of only within-clade interactions because between-clade interactions would have blocked the same ecotype from re-appearing. We find that the CS model fits the data much better than the IW model, indicating that different colonizations while resulting in similar ecotypes, are sufficiently distinct to avoid interacting strongly. We argue that non-overlapping distributions between clades (both spatially and in terms of ecotypes) cannot be used as evidence of CS diversity-dependence, because this pattern may be a consequence of IW diversity-dependence. By contrast, by using phylogenetic data rather than distributional data our method does allow for inferring the phylogenetic limits to diversity-dependent diversification. We discuss possibilities for future extensions and applications of our modelling approach. [Adaptive radiation; birth-death model; Caribbean; diversity-dependence; Eleutherodactylus; island biogeography.] [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The GAARlandia hypothesis has produced vigorous debate among biologists regarding whether now-submerged landforms that existed in the Caribbean region during the late Paleogene might have acted as a barrier for marine organisms and as a bridge for terrestrial biotas migrating from South America into the Greater Antilles. This concept derived from the hypothesized emergence history of the Aves Ridge. In the quarter century since GAARlandia was first proposed, new paleontological, geological and geophysical information has greatly extended the database available. Here we reaffirm that GAARlandia was a positive topographic feature from middle Eocene, and was exposed above sea level between late Eocene and early Oligocene when it facilitated biotic colonization of the northern Greater Antilles and their satellite islands, whether as a series of closely spaced islands or as a continuous peninsula projecting from northeastern South America along the crown of the rise. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Phylogenetic analyses show that a group of species of Miconia (Melastomataceae: Miconieae) from the Greater Antilles all form a clade. They share the presence of backward-deflexed filaments with the entire androecium turning pink to red after anthesis and placentation reduced axile to basal. Additionally, many of these species are deciduous, and have fruits with few and relatively large seeds. These species have until recently been recognized in Calycogonium, Miconia, Ossaea and Pachyanthus. The group is composed of 14 species, two from Puerto Rico and 12 from Cuba, including the newly described M. matosiana. We formally describe this clade as M. sect. Liogieria and provide a revision of its species, including an identification key, descriptions, maps and photographs or illustrations for all of them. Twelve names are typified: Calycogonium clidemioides Griseb., C. rosmarinifolium Griseb., Charianthus obliquus Griseb., Graffenrieda obtusa Griseb., Miconia baracoensis Urb., M. cerasiflora Urb., M. cerasiflora var. setulifera Urb., M. confusa Cogn., M. obtusa f. glabrior Urb., M. pachyphylla Cogn., M. thomasiana DC. and M. vernicosa Naudin. Citation: Bécquer E. R., Bochorny T., Gavrutenko M. & Michelangeli F. A. 2022: A revision of the "basal-axile placentation clade" of Miconieae the newly erected Miconia sect. Liogieria (Melastomataceae: Miconieae) from the Greater Antilles. – Willdenowia 52: 387–432. Version of record first published online on 31 December 2022 ahead of inclusion in December 2022 issue. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The widespread Neotropical genus Melocactus of approximately 42 currently recognized species, is most diverse in eastern Brazil and the Greater Antilles, especially Cuba. Species delimitation is notoriously problematic in the group, although this is due in part to a lack of detailed systematic studies, as well as a severely cluttered nomenclatural history. To date, no comprehensive phylogenetic hypotheses have been generated for the clade, although some population genetic and morphological studies exist. We generated the largest phylogenetic dataset of Melocactus to date based on plastome data derived from a genome‐skimming approach for 26 taxa, which provided a framework for understanding species limits and relationships among Caribbean species. Our time‐calibrated phylogeny revealed a mid‐Pleistocene origin for Melocactus, and we resolved three major clades, a Cuban clade, a mostly South American clade, and a widespread Caribbean clade, which also included some South American taxa. Our topology recovered the Cuban clade as sister to the rest of the species, although this placement was poorly supported, and several other Cuban species are scattered throughout the rest of the tree. Biogeographic analyses suggested multiple dispersal events from South America leading to the current diversity on Cuba, as well as other parts of the Antilles. Based on our phylogenetic results, previous hypotheses of species numbers and relationships in the Caribbean generated solely on morphology have, in some cases, been greatly underestimated. Our study shows that plastome data are effective for resolving clades and species limits in Melocactus, although future work will need to include broader sampling and larger datasets to fully resolve relationships in this complicated group of cacti. We describe one new cryptic species for Cuba, Melocactus santiagoensis sp. nov., and provide a new combination (Melocactus lagunaensis comb. & stat. nov.), based on our phylogenetic results and morphological data and typify numerous names in the genus. The genus Melocactus is another striking example of the exceptional diversity that has been generated in the poorly studied, seasonally dry tropical forest of the Greater Antilles. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In the Greater Antilles, certain animal taxa that have long been theorized to have been managed by indigenous peoples prior to AD1492, the main candidates being a group of endemic caviomorph rodents known as hutias (Capromyinae). This isotopic study investigates the paleodiets of several species of endemic rodents from three late precolonial sites in the northern Dominican Republic: El Flaco (cal. ad 990–1452), El Carril (cal. ad 1030–1262), and La Entrada (cal. ad 840–900) to assess whether human influence over animal diets can be determined. We examined bone collagen carbon (δ13Cco) and nitrogen (δ15N) and tooth enamel carbon (δ13Cen) isotope values of three species of hutias, Isolobodon portoricensis, Isolobodon montanus, and Plagiodontia aedium, alongside edible rat (Brotomys sp.), and domestic guinea pig (Cavia porcellus). To estimate dietary source contributions, we employed a Bayesian dietary mixing model (FRUITS v.3.0) and ran three different permutations to assess the relative contributions of C3 or C4/CAM plants. The addition of an extra 79 wild C3 and 40 wild C4/CAM plant species' isotope values from published sources to an established isotopic foodweb for the Caribbean region enabled us to discriminate between wild and domestic C3 and C4/CAM plant food sources in two of these models. Our results provide evidence of the significant consumption of domestic C4/CAM plants by some animals. This likely represents maize (Zea mays) consumption, which is known to have been ubiquitously cultivated by indigenous peoples in the region. This is particularly the case for I. portoricensis, as FRUITS modeling suggests that a few individuals consumed C4/CAM plants well beyond their expected natural diets as determined from feeding studies of extant hutia species. This may indicate human influence over endemic rodent diets due to niche construction activities such as horticultural practices and may reflect either opportunistic feeding on human produce or the purposeful supplementation of hutia diets by humans. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

From major political developments to the lived experience of relatively ordinary Spaniards, Indigenous people, and Afro-descendants, Altman has provided a thorough account of life and society in the early Spanish Caribbean. In Chapter 6, Altman states that "notwithstanding the growing progeny from Spanish-Indigenous marriages and nonmarital unions, the term I mestizo i almost never appears in the documents of this period" (184). Though seemingly simple, the question is difficult to answer, particularly because, as Altman admits, the nature of the available sources complicates the task of recovering the lived experience of Indigenous people and Afro-descendants. [Extracted from the article]

Paedomorphosis is a heterochronic syndrome in which adult individuals display features of their immature forms. In beetles, this phenomenon occurs widely in the superfamily Elateroidea, including the net-winged beetles (Lycidae), and, due to the usual flightlessness of paedomorphic females, it is hypothesized to cause speciation rates higher than in non-paedomorphic lineages. However, some fossils of paedomorphic lycids do not support this with palaeobiological data. Discovery of new Lycidae fossils attributed to the West Indian extant paedomorphic genus Cessator Kazantsev in the Dominican amber also suggests morphological stasis within this genus in the Greater Antilles. We describe Cessator anachronicus Ferreira and Ivie, sp. nov. based on adult males, as well as the first ever recorded fossil net-winged beetle larva of the same genus. We propose that the relatively young age of the studied fossils combined with the stable conditions in the forest floor of the Greater Antilles through the last tens of million years could explain the exceptionally conserved morphology in the net-winged beetles affected by the paedomorphic syndrome. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Greater Antilles islands of Cuba, Hispaniola, Puerto Rico and Jamaica plus the Virgin Islands host fragments of the fossil convergent margin that records Cretaceous subduction (operated for about 90 m.y.) of the American plates beneath the Caribbean plate and ensuing arc‐continent collision in Late Cretaceous‐Eocene time. The "soft" collision between the Greater Antilles Arc (GAA) and the Bahamas platform (and the margin of the Maya Block in western Cuba) preserved much of the convergent margin. This fossil geosystem represents an excellent natural laboratory for studying the formation and evolution of an intra‐oceanic convergent margin. We compiled geochronologic (664 ages) and geochemical data (more than 1,500 analyses) for GAA igneous and metamorphic rocks. The data was classified with a simple fourfold subdivision: fore‐arc mélange, fore‐arc ophiolite, magmatic arc, and retro‐arc to inspect the evolution of GAA through its entire lifespan. The onset of subduction recorded by fore‐arc units, together with the oldest magmatic arc sequence shows that the GAA started in Early Cretaceous time and ceased in Paleogene time. The arc was locally affected (retro‐arc region in Hispaniola) by the Caribbean Large Igneous Province (CLIP) in Early Cretaceous and strongly in Late Cretaceous time. Despite multiple biases in the database presented here, this work is intended to help overcome some of the obstacles and motivate systematic study of the GAA. Our results encourage exploration of offshore regions, especially in the east where the forearc is submerged. Offshore explorations are also encouraged in the south, to investigate relations with the CLIP. Key Points: We present an overview of the magmatism and metamorphism of the entire Greater Antilles Arc (GAA) convergent margin systemProminent age interval from 95 to 60 Ma might relate to strong thermal/metamorphic events associated with the Caribbean Large Igneous ProvinceImmobile trace element geochemical data show that the GAA is dominated by mafic igneous rocks [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The investigation of social inequality in the Caribbean mainly has focused on the larger islands of the Greater Antilles where ethnohistoric records and monumental architecture form the basis for analysis of precolumbian complex societies. This paper presents evidence for status differentiation in the Lesser Antilles on the small island of Anguilla within a deposit at the Sandy Hill site and evaluates associated archaeofauna for evidence of rank-based differences in food consumption. It hen compared with three other sites, the higher density of status-related artifacts and higher densities of food remains at the Sandy Hill site arc interpreted as the result of feasting. No evidence for inequality is observed in patterns of food consumption. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: The Atlantic Meridional Overturning Circulation (AMOC) is an integral part of the circulation in the Atlantic Ocean. The AMOC is typically characterized by the meridional streamfunction, which is also an indicator of the thermohaline circulation. This paper explores the mean state and long-term variability of the Atlantic meridional streamfunction and Atlantic meridional heat transport from six multidecadal ocean reanalysis. Statistics based on the meridional overturning streamfunction and the meridional heat transport are computed in the same manner across the products, and analyzed. The maximum streamfunction values in the Atlantic are located between 35°N and 50°N for the various ocean reanalyses. The Atlantic heat transport is greater between the Greater Antilles (at about 20°N) and 25°N, similar to the observations. The streamfunction and heat transport have stronger seasonality in the deep tropics. In the North Atlantic the annual harmonic of the streamfunction has greater amplitude in July between 40°N and 50°N. Even though there are differences in the mean strength of the streamfunction and the heat transport, there are robust similarities in their seasonal cycle across ocean reanalyses. Furthermore, although the year-to-year variability of the meridional heat transport is not consistent across products, there are other aspects that are consistent. The relationship between streamfunction and meridional heat transport at 30°N (i.e., in the northern hemisphere) shows greater consistency than that between streamfunction and meridional heat transport at 30°S (i.e., in the southern hemisphere). Also, even though the North Atlantic sea surface temperature (SST) anomalies are greatly consistent, their relationship with the meridional streamfunction is disparate. However, the relationship between North Atlantic SST anomalies and meridional heat transport shows some consistency with respect to the meridional profile. The greater numbers of temperature data assimilated may help in constraining the meridional heat transport more than the streamfunction, thereby indicating the meridional heat transport to be an important field to analyze with respect to observed changes in the AMOC. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Choosing among types of genomic markers to be used in a phylogenomic study can have a major influence on the cost, design, and results of a study. Yet few attempts have been made to compare categories of next-generation sequence markers limiting our ability to compare the suitability of these different genomic fragment types. Here, we explore properties of different genomic markers to find if they vary in the accuracy of component phylogenetic trees and to clarify the causes of conflict obtained from different data sets or inference methods. As a test case, we explore the causes of discordance between phylogenetic hypotheses obtained using a novel data set of ultraconserved elements (UCEs) and a recently published exon data set of the cichlid tribe Heroini. Resolving relationships among heroine cichlids has historically been difficult, and the processes of colonization and diversification in Middle America and the Greater Antilles are not yet well understood. Despite differences in informativeness and levels of gene tree discordance between UCEs and exons, the resulting phylogenomic hypotheses generally agree on most relationships. The independent data sets disagreed in areas with low phylogenetic signal that were overwhelmed by incomplete lineage sorting and nonphylogenetic signals. For UCEs, high levels of incomplete lineage sorting were found to be the major cause of gene tree discordance, whereas, for exons, nonphylogenetic signal is most likely caused by a reduced number of highly informative loci. This paucity of informative loci in exons might be due to heterogeneous substitution rates that are problematic to model (i.e. computationally restrictive) resulting in systematic errors that UCEs (being less informative individually but more uniform) are less prone to. These results generally demonstrate the robustness of phylogenomic methods to accommodate genomic markers with different biological and phylogenetic properties. However, we identify common and unique pitfalls of different categories of genomic fragments when inferring enigmatic phylogenetic relationships. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Caribbean Sea was a conduit for human mobility and the exchange of goods and ideas during the whole of its pre-colonial history. The period cal. AD 1000-1800, covering the Late Ceramic Age and early colonial era, represents an archaeologically understudied time during which the Lesser Antilles came under increasing influence from the Greater Antilles and coastal South America and participated in the last phase of indigenous resistance to colonial powers. This article summarizes the results of the Island Network project, supported by the Netherlands Organisation for Scientific Research (NWO) in which a multi-disciplinary set of archaeological, archaeometric, geochemical, GIS, and network science methods and techniques have been employed to disentangle this turbulent era in regional and global history. These diverse approaches reveal and then explore multi-layered networks of objects and people and uncover how Lesser Antillean communities were created and transformed through teaching, trade, migration, movement, and exchange of goods and knowledge. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Studies of the biogeography of the West Indies are numerous but not all taxonomic groups have received the same attention. Many of the contributions to this field have historically focused on terrestrial vertebrates from a perspective closely linked to the classical theory of island biogeography. However, some recent works have questioned whether some of the assumptions of this theory are too simplistic. In this review, we compiled information about the West Indies biogeography based on an extensive and rigorous literature search. While we offer some background of the main hypotheses that explain the origin of the Caribbean biota, our main purpose here is to highlight divergent diversification patterns observed in terrestrial versus aquatic groups of the West Indian biota and also to shed light on the unbalanced number of studies covering the biogeography of these groups of organisms. We use an objective method to compile existing information in the field and produce a rigorous literature review. Our results show that most of the relevant literature in the field is related to the study of terrestrial organisms (mainly vertebrates) and only a small portion covers aquatic groups. Specifically, livebearing fishes show interesting deviations from the species‐area relationship predicted by classical island biogeography theory. We found that species richness on the Greater Antilles is positively correlated with island size but also with the presence of elevations showing that not only island area but also mountainous relief may be an important factor determining the number of freshwater species in the Greater Antilles. Our findings shed light on mechanisms that may differently drive speciation in aquatic versus terrestrial environments suggesting that ecological opportunity could outweigh the importance of island size in speciation. Investigations into freshwater fishes of the West Indies offer a promising avenue for understanding origins and subsequent diversification of the Caribbean biota. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Aim: The Progression Rule, that older lineages inhabit older islands and colonize newer ones as they emerge, has seldom been tested in the Caribbean due to its geological complexity. Here, we use the conifer genus Podocarpus to explore this hypothesis. We infer the evolutionary history, biogeography, and diversification rates of this genus under a hypothesis testing framework. Location: The Caribbean archipelago (Antilles). Taxon: Podocarpus (Podocarpaceae). Methods: We present the most comprehensive sampling for Caribbean Podocarpus to date in a Bayesian dated phylogenetic tree using a genotyping by sequencing DNA matrix of 67,589 bp. We inferred ancestral ranges and inter‐island divergence patterns using several models available. We explored diversification rates associated with island colonization, and checked for diversification rate shifts in the phylogeny. Results: Caribbean Podocarpus is the result of colonization from the Andes during the Eocene to Oligocene (c. 45–31 Ma). Lesser Antillean species originated during the Oligocene from the Andes or the Greater Antilles, depending on the model of choice. Vicariance can explain the divergence of Cuban and Hispaniolan species, with subsequent dispersals into Jamaica. Despite the availability of new habitat opportunities, which might promote cladogenesis, insular Podocarpus did not show higher diversification rates than continental taxa. Main conclusions: The conditions for progression rule were not met because colonization of younger islands (Lesser Antilles) occurred from the continent, or because suitable habitat in the partially emerged younger islands was likely present at the time older islands (Greater Antilles) were colonized. An improved palaeogeographical knowledge of the Caribbean will allow testing this hypothesis in multiple lineages. Our finding that diversification rates did not increase with island colonization might be common in other Caribbean lineages. Genotyping by sequencing proved promising to reveal complex historical assembly processes of vicariance and dispersal at a fine phylogenetic scale. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We redescribe the Cuban endemic monotypic skipper genus Holguinia Evans and assess its phylogenetic position. Based on a 5640 bp dataset consisting of one mitochondrial and eight nuclear genes, we recovered Holguinia as a member of the Hesperiina, one of the subtribes of the mostly Neotropical Hesperiini, the largest tribe within the subfamily Hesperiinae. The ancestor of Holguinia split from continental relatives ∼15 Ma and likely reached the proto Cuban islands by dispersal over water. The genus seems to be one of the oldest Hesperiini lineages of our sampling and is not closely related to the other genera inhabiting the islands. Holguinia is also quite distinctive in its morphology. The underside of wings splashed with bright emerald scaling is unique among the Hesperiidae and the long ductus bursae of the female genitalia easily distinguish this genus from its close relatives. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Aim: Tropical America, including the Tropical Eastern Pacific and the Caribbean Sea, presents a high level of marine biodiversity, but its fish fauna has been poorly documented. In early studies marine species distributions were interpreted based on tectonic activity during the late Cenozoic, while more recent studies have highlighted a link with the present‐day environment. Here, we described the assemblage richness and composition of fishes in Tropical America and related these properties to both the past evolution of marine environmental conditions and current environmental gradients. Location: Tropical America. Taxon: Demersal and benthic fishes. Methods: We mapped the distribution of 2,216 demersal and benthic fish species of Tropical America using existing occurrence data. We computed three assemblage indicators: species richness, composition and nestedness, which we explained by environmental gradients. We linked compositional distance to environmental differences using distance‐based redundancy analysis, species richness and nestedness using a generalized linear model. We ran simulations of a mechanistic model in which three processes determine the spatial dynamics of biodiversity: speciation, dispersal and extinction. This model yielded estimates for species assemblage properties following palaeogeographic changes in the region that shaped the current coastal habitat configuration. Results: Fish species richness in Tropical America peaks around the Florida Peninsula, Bahamas and Greater Antilles. Fish composition varies along a depth gradient, between the Tropical Eastern Pacific and the Caribbean Sea, and forms distinct domains within the Caribbean region. The nestedness component of β‐diversity is lower in shallower assemblages, especially those along the outer section of the Greater Caribbean. Species richness and nestedness are partly explained by current environmental conditions, but model simulations illustrate how this may be further explained by the tectonic history of the region. Main conclusions: Species richness peaks in the Greater Caribbean, coinciding with generally favourable current environmental conditions for demersal and benthic fishes. The high species richness and the low nestedness of fish assemblages in the Cuba region are compatible with the results of palaeo‐environmental changes that have occurred in that area. Effects of the plate tectonic history might still be present in the organization of fish fauna in this region. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Comparing distributional information derived from fossils with the modern distribution of species, we summarize the changing bird communities of the Bahamian Archipelago across deep ecological time. While our entire dataset consists of 7,600+ identified fossils from 32 sites on 15 islands (recording 137 species of resident and migratory birds), we focus on the landbirds from four islands with the best fossil records, three from the Late Pleistocene (~25 to 10 ka [1,000 y ago]) and one from the Holocene (~10 to 0 ka). The Late Pleistocene sites feature 51 resident species that have lost one or more Bahamian populations; 29 of these species do not occur in any of the younger Holocene sites (or in the Bahamas today). Of these 29 species, 17 have their closest affinities to species now or formerly living in Cuba and/or North America. A set of 27 species of landbirds, most of them extant somewhere today, was more widespread in the Bahamas in the prehistoric Holocene (~10 to 0.5 ka) than they are today; 16 of these 27 species were recorded as Pleistocene fossils as well. No single site adequately captures the entire landbird fauna of the combined focal islands. Information from all sites is required to assess changes in Bahamian biodiversity (including endemism) since the Late Pleistocene. The Bahamian islands are smaller, flatter, lower, and more biotically depauperate than the Greater Antilles, resulting in more vulnerable bird communities. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Intriguing latest Eocene land-faunal dispersals between South America and the Greater Antilles (northern Caribbean) has inspired the hypothesis of the GAARlandia (Greater Antilles Aves Ridge) land bridge. This landbridge, however, should have crossed the Caribbean oceanic plate, and the geological evolution of its rise and demise, or its geodynamic forcing, remain unknown. Here we present the results of a land-sea survey from the northeast Caribbean plate, combined with chronostratigraphic data, revealing a regional episode of mid to late Eocene, trench-normal, E-W shortening and crustal thickening by ~25%. This shortening led to a regional late Eocene-early Oligocene hiatus in the sedimentary record revealing the location of an emerged land (the Greater Antilles-Northern Lesser Antilles, or GrANoLA, landmass), consistent with the GAARlandia hypothesis. Subsequent submergence is explained by combined trench-parallel extension and thermal relaxation following a shift of arc magmatism, expressed by a regional early Miocene transgression. We tentatively link the NE Caribbean intra-plate shortening to a well-known absolute and relative North American and Caribbean plate motion change, which may provide focus for the search of the remaining connection between 'GrANoLA' land and South America, through the Aves Ridge or Lesser Antilles island arc. Our study highlights the how regional geodynamic evolution may have driven paleogeographic change that is still reflected in current biology. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Myrtaceae are a large family of trees and shrubs, including ca. 2500 species within the predominantly Neotropical and taxonomically problematic tribe Myrteae. Nearly 500 species of Myrteae are endemic to the Caribbean Islands Biodiversity Hotspot, but few have been represented in phylogenetic systematic studies to date. The major goals of this survey are to identify the main lineages of Myrteae present in the Greater Antilles and potential clades for further investigation. Specific objectives are to evaluate the monophyly and placement of the following: (1) the three genera of Myrtaceae considered endemic to the Caribbean Islands (Calyptrogenia, Hottea, Mitranthes); (2) Calycolpus and Pseudanamomis sensu Bisse; and (3) Greater Antillean species of Plinia. To accomplish these aims, species of Myrtaceae representing all genera native to the Greater Antilles were sampled from across the region for placement within previously established phylogenetic frameworks for Myrteae and the large genus Eugenia. In total, 160 terminal taxa of Myrtaceae (89 Caribbean Islands endemics) were analyzed for this study. Phylogenetic inference was conducted by maximum parsimony and Bayesian methods on alignments of DNA sequence data from one nuclear (ITS) and three chloroplast (psbA‐trnH, ndhF‐rpl32, trnL‐trnF) regions. Results of both types of analysis were congruent with each other and with the major clades recovered in previous studies, but some conflict was observed between nuclear and chloroplast regions involving congeneric species. Calycorectes (= Hottea) ekmanii from eastern Cuba was found to be closely related to Calycolpus within subtribe Myrtinae. Subtribes Myrciinae, Pliniinae, Pimentinae (Pimenta and Psidium groups) and Eugeniinae contained other Greater Antillean species. Sampled species of Plinia from Cuba emerged within Myrciaria, and Mitranthes was found to be non‐monophyletic. All sampled species of Eugenia endemic to the Caribbean fell within E. sect. Excelsae (including Calycolpus sensu Bisse), E. sect. Racemosae and E. sect. Umbellatae except for E. cycloidea, which was associated with the Old World species of E. sect. Jossinia. Within Eugenia sect. Umbellatae, Caribbean species formed two major clades, designated C1 and C2, containing species of Calyptrogenia and Hottea from southern Hispaniola, a polyphyletic Pseudanamomis sensu Bisse and the Lathberry Clade, a novel group of Eugenia species centered in Puerto Rico and the Virgin Islands. Calyptrogenia and Hottea species from southern Hispaniola are transferred to Eugenia along with Pseudanamomis nipensis, while Mitranthes species are transferred to Myrcia. Two additional combinations are made within Eugenia and Pimenta in accordance with the results, and lectotypes are designated as appropriate. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Heat‐flow in the Caribbean is poorly known and generally low in the major basins and the Greater Antilles arc, but with some high values in active zones, like in the Cayman trough or in the Lesser Antilles Arc. Here we present new heat‐flow data for offshore Haiti, which is part of the Greater Antilles arc. We obtain new heat‐flow estimates from in situ measurements and Bottom Simulating Reflector (BSR). Both methods suggest a regionally low heat‐flow, respectively 46 ± 7 and 44 ± 12 mW/m2, with locally high values exceeding 80 mW/m2. The high heat‐flow values are generally located near faults, and could be related to fluid circulations. Our study confirms a low heat‐flow pattern at the scale of the Caribbean but points out the existence of local‐scale variability with high heat‐flow along the northern faults of the Caribbean region. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: The immense geologic and ecological complexity of the Caribbean has created a natural laboratory for interpreting when and how organisms disperse through time and space. However, competing hypotheses compounded with this complexity have resulted in a lack of unifying principles of biogeography for the region. Though new data concerning the timing of geologic events and dispersal events are emerging, powerful new analytical tools now allow for explicit hypothesis testing. Arthropods, with varying dispersal ability and high levels of endemism in the Caribbean, are an important, albeit understudied, biogeographic model system. Herein, we include a comprehensive analysis of every publicly available genetic dataset (at the time of writing) of terrestrial Caribbean arthropod groups using a statistically robust pipeline to explicitly test the current extent of biogeographic hypotheses for the region. Results: Our findings indicate several important biogeographic generalizations for the region: the South American continent is the predominant origin of Caribbean arthropod fauna; GAARlandia played a role for some taxa in aiding dispersal from South America to the Greater Antilles; founder event dispersal explains the majority of dispersal events by terrestrial arthropods, and distance between landmasses is important for dispersal; most dispersal events occurred via island hopping; there is evidence of 'reverse' dispersal from islands to the mainland; dispersal across the present-day Isthmus of Panama generally occurred prior to 3 mya; the Greater Antilles harbor more lineage diversity than the Lesser Antilles, and the larger Greater Antilles typically have greater lineage diversity than the smaller islands; basal Caribbean taxa are primarily distributed in the Greater Antilles, the basal-most being from Cuba, and derived taxa are mostly distributed in the Lesser Antilles; Jamaican taxa are usually endemic and monophyletic. Conclusions: Given the diversity and deep history of terrestrial arthropods, incongruence of biogeographic patterns is expected, but focusing on both similarities and differences among divergent taxa with disparate life histories emphasizes the importance of particular qualities responsible for resulting diversification patterns. Furthermore, this study provides an analytical toolkit that can be used to guide researchers interested in answering questions pertaining to Caribbean biogeography using explicit hypothesis testing. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Epigenetic changes can provide a pathway for organisms to respond to local environmental conditions by influencing gene expression. However, we still know little about the spatial distribution of epigenetic variation in natural systems, how it relates to the distribution of genetic variation and the environmental structure of the landscape, and the processes that generate and maintain it. Studies examining spatial patterns of genetic and epigenetic variation can provide valuable insights into how ecological and population processes contribute to epigenetic divergence across heterogeneous landscapes. Here, we perform a comparative analysis of spatial genetic and epigenetic variation based on 8,459 single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) and 8,580 single methylation variants (SMVs) from eight populations of the Puerto Rican crested anole, Anolis cristatellus, an abundant lizard in the adaptive radiations of anoles on the Greater Antilles that occupies a diverse range of habitats. Using generalized dissimilarity modelling and multiple matrix regression, we found that genome‐wide epigenetic differentiation is strongly correlated with environmental divergence, even after controlling for the underlying genetic structure. We also detected significant associations between key environmental variables and 96 SMVs, including 42 located in promoter regions or gene bodies. Our results suggest an environmental basis for population‐level epigenetic differentiation in this system and contribute to better understanding how environmental gradients structure epigenetic variation in nature. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Cuba, the largest island in the Greater Antilles, hosts a high diversity of native squamate reptiles and is characterized by a complex geological history. The island has undergone repeated submergence and emergence, positioned on the dynamic border between the Caribbean and North American tectonic plates. Here, we infer current areas of endemism on Cuba based on squamate distributions using standard parsimony analysis of endemism under the "areas of endemism as individuals" hypothesis. We diagnose 29 areas of endemism, 14 of which are nested within other areas of endemism, from 52 squamate taxa. We suspect the current biotic pattern is a composite view of layered histories, and we summarize the geological history of the island to contemplate historical periods that left stronger marks on squamate distributions than others. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Neotropical tribe Dorynotini is characterized by a conspicuous tubercle or spine adorning the elytra, which, along with a few other characters, has been used to differentiate its recognized five genera and two subgenera. However, relationships among these taxa and the evolutionary origin of the pronounced tubercle remain speculative. Here we present the first total-evidence phylogenetic reconstruction of Dorynotini to investigate the homology and evolution of the elytral tubercle. Our analyses are based on 89 discrete morphological characters and DNA sequence data from three gene regions. Phylogenetic relationships were inferred using Bayesian inference, maximum likelihood and maximum parsimony. Our analyses support the respective monophyly of Dorynotini and its genera and subgenera, except the paraphyletic Dorynota s.s. Species endemic to the Greater Antilles form a clade with three distinct morphotypes. Omoteina aculeata (Boheman, 1854) nov. comb. is transferred from the genus Dorynota, and Paratrikona Spaeth, 1923 nov. syn. is found to be congeneric with Omoteina Chevrolat, 1836. The spiniform projection is found to be plesiomorphic within Dorynotini and convergently reduced/lost in different lineages of the tribe. Some morphological characters defining dorynotine taxa are homoplastic, requiring re-evaluation guided by molecular analyses for more accurate classification and an improved understanding of taxon evolution. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article discusses that in the Greater Antilles, there are 15 species of the insectivorous genus Pinguicula L., a comparatively small genus within the flora of the Greater Antilles. It mentions at some locations, plants are endangered or have destroyed by human activities such as mining, road building and construction or by climatic events such as hurricanes; and also mentions the sources of information were the large number of specimens collected as part of the Herbarium Flora de Cuba.

Ida Altman writes explicitly against this tradition, giving us a synthetic account of the first six decades of Spanish settlement in the Greater Antilles. Isabel de Maraver's household was multiethnic - containing Spanish settlers, enslaved Africans, and Indigenous people in various states of dependency. Ida Altman, I Life and Society in the Early Spanish Caribbean: The Greater Antilles, 1493-1550 i . [Extracted from the article]

The systematics and the phylogenetic position of the Caribbean representatives of Phaenonotum Sharp (Coleoptera: Hydrophilidae) are investigated to understand the composition of the Caribbean fauna and its origin. Phylogenetic analysis based on mitochondrial and nuclear genes has revealed the Caribbean species to be situated in three deeply nested clades, inferring multiple colonization of Caribbean islands from the continent. Time-tree analysis and BioGeoBEARS analyses of ancestral ranges estimated the oldest clade, consisting of wingless single-island endemics of Cuba (P. delgadoi), Jamaica (P. ondreji sp. nov.) and Hispaniola (P. laterale sp. nov.), to have diverged c. 46.6 Mya from the South American ancestor and subsequently colonizing the Caribbean most likely via the GAARlandia land bridge connecting South America with the Greater Antilles. The remaining three Caribbean species, including the Puerto Rican endemic, P. borinquenum sp. nov., are of more recent (Miocene to Pliocene) origin and colonized the Greater Antilles by over-water dispersal. All the Caribbean species are illustrated and diagnosed, and three new species are described. The genus Phaenonotum, excluding P. caribense Archangelsky, is confirmed as a monophylum. We demonstrate that species-level taxonomy of Phaenonotum is difficult to solve by morphology alone and ideally requires the combination of morphology and molecular markers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Recent evidence suggests that morphological divergence of the American crocodile ( Crocodylus acutus) occurred in Greater Antilles under conditions of prolonged isolation and hybridization with the Cuban crocodile ( C. rhombifer). We investigated morphological diversity in C. acutus in the coastal zone of the Yucatán Peninsula, where isolation and hybridization have also been reported. We compared the relationships among various morphological traits between insular and coastal populations. Our results suggest morphological diversity in the region, which is possibly related to population isolation and mechanical constraints imposed by differences in diet. A broad-snouted morphotype appears typical of island populations. Hybridization could also cause morphological variation, but its importance in this case remains to be confirmed. Sexual dimorphism of the American crocodile in the region appears to be less pronounced than for other crocodilians. We also provide population-specific size estimation models for two populations (Banco Chinchorro and Cozumel) to improve future monitoring. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The fall armyworm (Spodoptera frugiperda, J.E. Smith) is a noctuid moth that is a major and ubiquitous agricultural pest in the Western Hemisphere. Infestations have recently been identified in several locations in Africa, indicating its establishment in the Eastern Hemisphere where it poses an immediate and significant economic threat. Genetic methods were used to characterize noctuid specimens infesting multiple cornfields in the African nation of Togo that were tentatively identified as fall armyworm by morphological criteria. Species identification was confirmed by DNA barcoding and the specimens were found to be primarily of the subgroup that preferentially infests corn and sorghum in the Western Hemisphere. The mitochondrial haplotype configuration was most similar to that found in the Caribbean region and the eastern coast of the United States, identifying these populations as the likely originating source of the Togo infestations. A genetic marker linked with resistance to the Cry1Fa toxin from Bacillus thuringiensis (Bt) expressed in transgenic corn and common in Puerto Rico fall armyworm populations was not found in the Togo collections. These observations demonstrate the usefulness of genetic surveys to characterize fall armyworm populations from Africa. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The first morphotectonic model of the Greater Antilles is presented. The model is adjusted to the current dynamics between the Caribbean and North American plates. It is mainly elaborated by Rantsman's methodology. We determined 2 megablocks, 7 macroblocks, 42 mesoblocks, 653 microblocks and 1264 nanoblocks. They constitute a set of active blocks under rotation, uplifting and tilting movements. A total of 11 active knots of faults and 8 cells are the main articulation areas. The largest seismogenetic structures in the Northern Caribbean are an array of the active fault segments. The majority of them are in the Caribbean-North American Plate Boundary Zone, the Hispaniola has the most complex neotectonic structure-associated with the central axis of the morphotectonic deformations in the region. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Two new scorpion species of the family Buthidae are described herein: Microtityus vieques sp. n. (a member of the subgenus Parvabsonus Armas, 1974) and Tityus alejandroi sp. n. (belonging to the "quisqueyanus" species-group). Both were collected from pitfall traps in the Puerto Rican satellite island of Vieques, in the Greater Antilles, and the former represents the first official record of the occurrence there of the gens Microtityus Kjellesvig-Waering, 1966. As expected, the new species have their closest relatives in Puerto Rico. Fully illustrated descriptions and detailed comparisons are provided. Additionally, two other Puerto Rican species of Tityus currently not assigned to any group are herein formally transferred to the "quisqueyanus" species group: Tityus angelesae Santiago-Blay, 2009 and Tityus juliorum Santiago-Blay, 2009. After this contribution, the scorpion fauna of Puerto Rico is now composed of 19 species. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The first phylogenetic analysis of the genera Passipassalus and Paxillus is presented. We studied all species of these two genera, including Passipassalus nukak sp. nov., Paxillus amati sp. nov., Paxillus inca sp. nov., Paxillus martinezi sp. nov., and Paxillus akatanga sp. nov. A morphological matrix with 40 characters was analyzed employing maximum parsimony. Nine species from other genera of Passalini (.Ameripassalus, Passalus, Spasalus, and Ptichopus) were included. A single most-parsimonious tree was found with three polytomies caused by collapsing zero-length branches. Two species of Paxillus were grouped with Passipassalus buhrnheimi Fonseca and Reyes-Castillo (Passipassalus macrocerus (Reyes-Castillo and Fonseca) n. comb, and Passipassalus corniculatus (Fonseca, Gouveia and Fernandez) n. comb.). The remaining species of Paxillus constitute a monophyletic group divided in two clades that we called the Leachi and Forsten species groups. The transfer of two species from Paxillus to Passipassalus makes mandatory the redescription and redelimitation of these two genera. Likewise, reviewing the morphological characters, we found that the lacinia, a traditional character employed to delimit Paxillus, is bidentate in all species of Forsteri group. Our results suggest an early separation of the ancestors of Paxillus and Passipassalus within Passalini, and agree with observations by other authors about the paleoendemism of Paxillus in the Greater Antilles. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Aedes mediovittatus mosquitoes are found throughout the Greater Antilles in the Caribbean and often share the same larval habitats with Ae. Aegypti, the primary vector for dengue virus (DENV). Implementation of vector control measures to control dengue that specifically target Ae. Aegypti may not control DENV transmission in Puerto Rico (PR). Even if Ae. Aegypti is eliminated or DENV refractory mosquitoes are released, DENV transmission may not cease when other competent mosquito species like Ae. Mediovittatus are present. To compare vector competence of Ae. Mediovittatus and Ae. Aegypti mosquitoes, we studied relative infection and transmission rates for all four DENV serotypes. Methods: To compare the vector competence of Ae. Mediovittatus and Ae. Aegypti, mosquitoes were exposed to DENV 1–4 per os at viral titers of 5–6 logs plaque-forming unit (pfu) equivalents. At 14 days post infectious bloodmeal, viral RNA was extracted and tested by qRT-PCR to determine infection and transmission rates. Infection and transmission rates were analyzed with a generalized linear model assuming a binomial distribution. Results: Ae. Aegypti had significantly higher DENV-4 infection and transmission rates than Ae. mediovittatus. Conclusions: This study determined that Ae. Mediovittatus is a competent DENV vector. Therefore dengue prevention programs in PR and the Caribbean should consider both Ae. Mediovittatus and Ae. Aegypti mosquitoes in their vector control programs. Author Summary: Dengue is a potentially life-threatening tropical disease caused by four serotypes of virus, dengue virus 1, -2, -3, and -4. Worldwide, as many as 390 million people become infected with dengue virus each year after being bitten by infectious Aedes mosquitoes. Unfortunately, there is no commercially available vaccine to prevent dengue; so, dengue prevention is attempted by controlling Aedes mosquitoes. Since the Aedes aegypti mosquito is responsible for most dengue virus infections worldwide, most dengue control efforts target this mosquito. However, Aedes mediovittatus, a common mosquito in the Caribbean, may also transmit dengue virus in Puerto Rico. Our goal was to compare dengue virus transmission by Aedes mediovittatus and Aedes aegypti mosquitoes for four serotypes of dengue virus. In the laboratory, we exposed Aedes mediovittatus and Aedes aegypti mosquitoes with dengue virus-1–4. We found that similar numbers of Aedes mediovittatus and Aedes aegypti mosquitoes became infected with dengue virus-1–3, but differed in dengue virus 4 infection rates. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

ABSTRACT Puerto Rico and the surrounding islands rest on the eastern fringe of the Caribbean's Greater Antilles, located less than 100 miles northwest of the Lesser Antilles. Puerto Ricans are genetic descendants of pre-Columbian peoples, as well as peoples of European and African descent through 500 years of migration to the island. To infer these patterns of pre-Columbian and historic peopling of the Caribbean, we characterized genetic diversity in 326 individuals from the southeastern region of Puerto Rico and the island municipality of Vieques. We sequenced the mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) control region of all of the samples and the complete mitogenomes of 12 of them to infer their putative place of origin. In addition, we genotyped 121 male samples for 25 Y-chromosome single nucleotide polymorphism and 17 STR loci. Approximately 60% of the participants had indigenous mtDNA haplotypes (mostly from haplogroups A2 and C1), while 25% had African and 15% European haplotypes. Three A2 sublineages were unique to the Greater Antilles, one of which was similar to Mesoamerican types, while C1b haplogroups showed links to South America, suggesting that people reached the island from the two distinct continental source areas. However, none of the male participants had indigenous Y-chromosomes, with 85% of them instead being European/Mediterranean and 15% sub-Saharan African in origin. West Eurasian Y-chromosome short tandem repeat haplotypes were quite diverse and showed similarities to those observed in southern Europe, North Africa and the Middle East. These results attest to the distinct, yet equally complex, pasts for the male and female ancestors of modern day Puerto Ricans. Am J Phys Anthropol 155:352-368, 2014. © 2014 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Taíno term and concept has traditionally been used as a designation of some form of cultural identity for the groups that occupied the Greater Antilles at the time of contact. This perspective assumes that these groups shared a cultural background because of a common ancestry. However, this position has been questioned in recent years, and many problems with the concept have been brought to light. This article presents the history of the concept and discusses three recent studies that have proposed new ways to approach the problem. It ends by presenting the implications of this new perspective for future research, their limitations, how they may be misapplied, and to what extent they are applicable in different situations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Island biogeographers have long sought to elucidate the mechanisms behind biodiversity genesis. The Caribbean presents a unique stage on which to analyze the diversification process, due to the geologic diversity among the islands and the rich biotic diversity with high levels of island endemism. The colonization of such islands may reflect geologic heterogeneity through vicariant processes and/ or involve long-distance overwater dispersal. Here, we explore the phylogeography of the Caribbean and proximal mainland spiny orbweavers (Micrathena, Araneae), an American spider lineage that is the most diverse in the tropics and is found throughout the Caribbean. We specifically test whether the vicariant colonization via the contested GAARlandia landbridge (putatively emergent 33–35 mya), long-distance dispersal (LDD), or both processes best explain the modern Micrathena distribution. We reconstruct the phylogeny and test biogeographic hypotheses using a 'target gene approach' with three molecular markers (CO1, ITS-2, and 16S rRNA). Phylogenetic analyses support the monophyly of the genus but reject the monophyly of Caribbean Micrathena. Biogeographical analyses support five independent colonizations of the region via multiple overwater dispersal events, primarily from North/Central America, although the genus is South American in origin. There is no evidence for dispersal to the Greater Antilles during the timespan of GAARlandia. Our phylogeny implies greater species richness in the Caribbean than previously known, with two putative species of M. forcipata that are each single-island endemics, as well as deep divergences between the Mexican and Floridian M. sagittata. Micrathena is an unusual lineage among arachnids, having colonized the Caribbean multiple times via overwater dispersal after the submergence of GAARlandia. On the other hand, single-island endemism and undiscovered diversity are nearly universal among all but the most dispersal-prone arachnid groups in the Caribbean. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Species-rich adaptive radiations typically diversify along several distinct ecological axes, each characterized by morphological, physiological, and behavioral adaptations. We test here whether different types of adaptive traits share similar patterns of evolution within a radiation by investigating patterns of evolution of morphological traits associated with microhabitat specialization and of physiological traits associated with thermal biology in Anolis lizards. Previous studies of anoles suggest that close relatives share the same 'structural niche' (i.e., use the same types of perches) and are similar in body size and shape, but live in different 'climatic niches' (i.e., use habitats with different insolation and temperature profiles). Because morphology is closely tied to structural niche and field active body temperatures are tied to climatic niches in Anolis, we expected phylogenetic analyses to show that morphology is more evolutionarily conservative than thermal physiology. In support of this hypothesis, we find (1) that thermal biology exhibits more divergence among recently diverged Anolis taxa than does morphology; and (2) diversification of thermal biology among all species often follows diversification in morphology. These conclusions are remarkably consistent with predictions made by anole biologists in the 1960s and 1970s. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]