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The Lower Triassic fossil record of brittle stars is relatively rich, yet most records published to date are based on poorly preserved or insufficiently known fossils. This hampers exhaustive morphological analyses, comparison with recent relatives or inclusion of Early Triassic ophiuroid taxa in phylogenetic estimates. Here, we describe a new ophiuroid from the Lower Triassic of Nevada, preserved as phosphatized skeletal parts and assigned to the new taxon Ophiosuperstes praeparvus gen. et sp. nov Maxwell, V. & Pruss. S.B. This unusual preservation of the fossils allowed for acid-extraction of an entire suite of dissociated skeletal parts, including lateral arm plates, ventral arm plates, vertebrae and various disk plates, thus unlocking sufficient morphological information to explore the phylogenetic position of the new taxon. Bayesian phylogenetic inference suggests a basalmost position of O. praeparvus within the Ophintegrida, sister to all other sampled members of that superorder. The existence of coeval but more derived ophiuroids suggests that O. praeparvus probably represents a member of a more ancient stem ophintegrid group persisting into the Early Triassic.

The new ‘suborder’ Cephalozygoptera was recently proposed for three fossil families of damselfly-like Odonata, on the basis of three characters of the head. Here we show, thanks to counter-examples of the presence of these characters in compression fossils of genuine Zygoptera, that these ‘characters’ do not exist in reality but are due to deformations and compression of the heads, a very frequent phenomenon in the fossil record of the whole superorder Odonatoptera. Furthermore, these alleged characters would have to have been regarded as symplesiomorphies, insufficient to support a new clade. Consequently, we consider the Cephalozygoptera as unfounded, to be rejected in the current state of knowledge. A new phylogenetic analysis of the whole clade Panodonata would be welcome. We also discuss the position of some previously described fossils: the Paleocene genus Valerea is restored in the Epallagidae (Euphaeidae), and the two Burmese amber genera Electrodysagrion and Palaeodysagrion are restored in the family Dysagrionidae.

The Carboniferous was a period of high diversification of the polyneopteran insects of the superorder Archaeorthoptera (so-called ‘orthopteroid’ insects) (see Fossilworks site at http://fossilworks.org/bridge.pl?a=home). Some of the Late Carboniferous outcrops are very rich (Mazon Creek in North America, Commentry in France). The Konservat-Lagerstätte of Avion (Northern France) is especially rich for a Moscovian outcrop, with no less than six described genera and species: Aviogramma gracilis Prokop et al., 2014, Aviocladus pectinatus Prokop et al., 2014, Aviohapaloptera bethouxi Prokop et al., 2014, Aviologus duquesnei Coty et al., 2014, Cacurgus avionensis Schubnel et al., 2020, and cf. Tococladus sp. (Coty et al., 2014; Prokop et al., 2014; Schubnel et al., 2020). Here we describe a new genus and species, the first representative of the Carboniferous family Eoblattidae Handlirsch, 1906 from this outcrop, on the basis of a forewing.

The Late Palaeozoic insect order Caloneurodea Handlirsch, 1907 is a rather small clade in the superorder Archaeorthoptera Béthoux & Nel, 2002 (Béthoux et al., 2003), several representatives have been recently described from Portugal, France, China, and Russia (see Dvořák et al., 2021 and references herein). The body structures of these insects are poorly known and the majority of genera and species are based on isolated wings. Also the majority of genera and species are Permian and latest Carboniferous. With two genera and species recorded from the Moscovian of the Pas-de-Calais Basin, this area is of great interest to estimate the diversity of this order during the early Pennsylvanian (Pruvost, 1919; Prokop et al., 2014). Here we describe the second genus and species from the Avion locality, which has already given Aviogramma gracilis Prokop et al., 2014. This discovery further confirms the very important richness and diversity of the fossil entomofauna of the slag heap of Avion (Nel et al., 2013).

It has been established that among all organs and systems of pulmonate mollusks only the shell and the elements of the reproductive tract are subjects of reduction changes. It has been noted that a reduction of the shell in different branches of the Pulmonata subclass (mainly within the superorder Stylommatophora) has occurred repeatedly (at least 20 times). Reduction of accessory organs of the reproductive tract occurred either by one-step mutations, or gradually, in a chain of generations. A likely cause for the emergence of accessory organs is the creation of isolating mechanisms preventing introgression. It is assumed that, during evolution, morphological isolating mechanisms are replaced by less energy-consuming ethological, biochemical, and physiological mechanisms that stimulate the reduction of the accessory organs of the reproductive tract.

This study aims at developing SuperOrder, an order recommendation system for outpatient clinics. Using the electronic health record data available at midnight, SuperOrder predicts the order contents for each upcoming appointment on a daily basis. A two-level prediction framework is proposed. At the base-level, the predictions are produced by aggregating three machine learning methods. The meta-level predictions are generated by integrating the base-level predictions with the order co-occurrence network. We used the retrospective data between 1 April 2014 and 31 March 2015 in pulmonary clinics from five hospital sites within a large rural health care facility in Pennsylvania to test the feasibility. With a decrease of 6 per cent in the precision, the improvement of the recall at the meta-level is approximately 20 per cent from the base-level. This demonstrates that the proposed order co-occurrence network helps in increasing the performance of order predictions. The implementation will bring a more effective and efficient way to place outpatient orders.

The superorder Rhabdomoplea is established for copepods belonging to the order Thaumatopsylloida. Apomorphies for Rhabdomoplea are an adult prosome, including thoracic somites 1-4, complete at copepodid I, development of the posterior articulation of thoracic somite 7 of males delayed to copepodid IV and of abdominal somite 1 delayed to copepodid V, and absence of a posterior articulation of abdominal somites 2-3 forming with the anal somite a rod-like somite complex as part of the urosome. Rhabdomoplea appears to be the earliest branch of copepods because only thoracic somites 1-4 are broad throughout copepodid development, and thoracic somites 5 and 6 remain narrow. On podopleans and gymnopleans thoracic somite 5 is transformed from the anterior narrow somite to the posterior broad somite during the moult to copepodid II. On gymnopleans thoracic somite 6 also is transformed from the anterior narrow somite to the posterior broad somite but during the moult to copepodid III. Thus rhabdomopleans differ from podopleans in their body architecture as much as podopleans differ from gymnopleans. An alternative and traditional phylogeny that posits gymnopleans as the earliest branch of copepods requires reversal of these two transformations during copepod evolution; this hypothesis is not favoured here because the parsimonious hypothesis of direct, progressive transformations seems reasonable and plausible.

A new genus and species, Glanomerope virgoferroa gen. et sp. nov., the first Permian record of a scorpionfly from Germany, is described from the Niedermoschel black shale, Meisenheim Formation, Lower Rotliegend of the Saar-Nahe basin. It is assigned to the Protomeropidae, the oldest known family of the holometabolous superorder Panorpida, ranging from the Bashkirian-Moscovian (Late Carboniferous) to the Roadian. It confirms that this family was very diverse in Central Europe during the Early Permian. Protomeropidae possibly became extinct in the course of major climatic changes that progressively affected the supercontinent Pangea after the Artinskian, although generally these changes seem to have more severely affected some other insects such as the palaeopteran Dictyoneuridae than holometabolous groups.

Since 1758 cockroaches have been collected and described from Egypt by several authors. The relationships within the superorder Dictyoptera have been debated in the literature. The Egyptian cockroaches of the family Ectobiidae (Blattodea) are reviewed. Five species in five genera are recognised, including Blattella germanica, Chorisia reducta, Phyllodromica nilotica, Supella longipalpa and Matabeli natreitlina. Gene sequence of 28s ribosomal RNA is provided for Chorisia reducta (Walker) for the first time. The PCR product was found to be about 512 bp long, after sequencing this result aligned with the GenBank data then constructing the phylogenetic tree by using Mega 0.6 program. Colour images, specimens examined and distributions are given for each species.

Made available in DSpace on 2020-12-10T19:54:54Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 0 Previous issue date: 2020-03-01 NSF Fundação de Amparo à Pesquisa do Estado de São Paulo (FAPESP) Target enrichment of conserved nuclear loci has helped reconstruct evolutionary relationships among a wide variety of species. While there are preexisting bait sets to enrich a few hundred loci across all fishes or a thousand loci from acanthomorph fishes, no bait set exists to enrich large numbers (>1,000 loci) of ultraconserved nuclear loci from ostariophysans, the second largest actinopterygian superorder. In this study, we describe how we designed a bait set to enrich 2,708 ultracon served nuclear loci from ostariophysan fishes by combining an existing genome assembly with low coverage sequence data collected from two ostariophysan lineages. We perform a series of enrichment experiments using this bait set across the ostariophysan tree of life, from the deepest splits among the major groups (> 150 Ma) to more recent divergence events that have occurred during the last 50 million years. Our results demonstrate that the bait set we designed is useful for addressing phylogenetic questions from the origin of crown ostariophysans to more recent divergence events, and our in silico results suggest that this bait set may be useful for addressing evolutionary questions in closely related groups of fishes, like Clupeiformes. Louisiana State Univ, Dept Biol Sci, Baton Rouge, LA 70803 USA Louisiana State Univ, Museum Nat Sci, Baton Rouge, LA 70803 USA Univ Tennessee, Dept Biol Geol & Environm Sci, Chattanooga, TN 37403 USA Oregon State Univ, Dept Fisheries & Wildlife, Corvallis, OR 97331 USA Cornell Univ, Cornell Lab Ornithol, Museum Vertebrates, Ithaca, NY 14850 USA Univ Estadual Paulista, Inst Biociencias, Dept Morfol, BR-18618689 Botucatu, SP, Brazil Univ Louisiana Lafayette, Dept Biol, Lafayette, LA 70503 USA Univ Estadual Paulista, Inst Biociencias, Dept Zool, Botucatu, SP, Brazil Univ Calif Los Angeles, Dept Ecol & Evolutionary Biol, Los Angeles, CA 90095 USA Univ Estadual Paulista, Inst Biociencias, Dept Morfol, BR-18618689 Botucatu, SP, Brazil Univ Estadual Paulista, Inst Biociencias, Dept Zool, Botucatu, SP, Brazil NSF: DEB-1242267 NSF: DEB-1257898 NSF: DEB-1354149 FAPESP: 14/26508-3 FAPESP: 16/11313-8 FAPESP: 14/05051-5 FAPESP: 14/06853-8

Made available in DSpace on 2020-12-12T02:38:21Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 0 Previous issue date: 2020-09-01 Fundação de Amparo à Pesquisa do Estado de São Paulo (FAPESP) Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico (CNPq) The superorder Xenarthra consists of sloths, anteaters and armadillos, mammals originated from South America and currently distributed from the south of North America to the south of South America. The present study aimed to investigate the occurrence and genetic diversity of Bartonella spp. in blood and spleen samples from free-living Xenarthra mammals in the states of São Paulo (SP), Mato Grosso do Sul (MS), Rondônia (RO) and Pará (PA). Based on a quantitative real-time PCR (qPCR) assay, a Bartonella spp. nuoG gene fragment was detected in 1.51% (5/330) of the samples: 4 six-banded armadillos (Euphractus sexcinctus) sampled in the MS and 1 southern tamandua (Tamandua tetradactyla) sampled in the PA. Eight sequences (5 ftsZ, 2 gltA and 1 rpoB) were obtained in the conventional PCR assays. In both phylogenetic analyses based on Bayesian and distance (SplitsTree) methods, the obtained ftsZ, gltA and rpoB sequences were positioned in a distinct clade, but related to B. washoensis. The analysis of SplitsTree and genotype networks based on B. washoensis sequences from several hosts from various localities of the world showed that the sequences of the present study were allocated in a group separated from the other sequences, indicating that they probably originated from median vectors and large numbers of mutational events. Additionally, the analyses performed by BLAST showed low percentages of identities of the sequences obtained in the present study when compared to those previously deposited in GenBank. Therefore, we propose a new Candidatus to Bartonella occurring in Xenarthra in Brazil. The present study was the first to report the occurrence of Bartonella sp. in mammals of the superorder Xenarthra in the world, and it was the first to describe a new Candidatus related to B. washoensis in Brazil. Faculdade de Ciências Agrárias e Veterinárias Universidade Estadual Paulista UNESP Instituto de Ciências Biomédicas Universidade de São Paulo ICAS – Instituto de Conservação de Animais Silvestres – Projeto Bandeiras e Rodovias Faculdade de Ciências Agrárias e Veterinárias Universidade Estadual Paulista UNESP FAPESP: 2018/02753-0 FAPESP: 2018/13838-6 CNPq: 302420/2017-7

High-throughput DNA methods hold great promise for phylogenetic analysis of lineages that are difficult to study with conventional molecular and morphological approaches. The mites (Acari), and in particular the highly diverse soil-dwelling lineages, are among the least known branches of the metazoan Tree-of-Life. We extracted numerous minute mites from soils in an area of mixed forest and grassland in southern Iberia. Selected specimens representing the full morphological diversity were shotgun sequenced in bulk, followed by genome assembly of short reads from the mixture, which produced >100 mitochondrial genomes representing diverse acarine lineages. Phylogenetic analyses in combination with taxonomically limited mitogenomes available publicly resulted in plausible trees defining basal relationships of the Acari. Several critical nodes were supported by ancestral-state reconstructions of mitochondrial gene rearrangements. Molecular calibration placed the minimum age for the common ancestor of the superorder Acariformes, which includes most soil-dwelling mites, to the Cambrian–Ordovician (likely within 455–552 Ma), whereas the origin of the superorder Parasitiformes was placed later in the Carboniferous-Permian. Most family-level taxa within the Acariformes were dated to the Jurassic and Triassic. The ancient origin of Acariformes and the early diversification of major extant lineages linked to the soil are consistent with a pioneering role for mites in building the earliest terrestrial ecosystems., This research was funded by the NHM Biodiversity Initiative and the CGL2015-66192-R and CGL2015-74178-JIN projects. PA was supported by the Royal Society UK (Newton International Program) and the Spanish Ministry of Economy and Competitiveness (Juan de la Cierva Formación); BL by the NHM Biodiversity Initiative and French Labex Agro-CeMEB-NUMEV

For the first time, the authors analyzed representation of the superorder Lilianae in the scientific herbarium of the largest university of the Republic of Kazakhstan, Al-Farabi Kazakh National University. Of the five orders, 13 families, 46 genera and 304 species of Lilianae known in Kazakhstan, the herbarium keeps specimens from 11 families, 30 genera and 146 species. Thus, 84.5 % of the families, 65.2 % of the genera and 47.7 % of the species of Lilianae are represented in the herbarium. Most of the specimens were collected in the first half of the XX century. Among the collectors there are famous florists, geobotanists, and natural resource scientists including Members of the Russian Academy of Sciences N.V. Pavlov and B.A. Bykov, and well known botanistsV.P. Goloskokov, L.F. Demidovskaya, L.A. Demchenko V.S. Kornilov, V.P. Mikhailova, N.T. Ageeva and many others. The absence in the herbarium of specimens representing more than ten genera and half of the species of Lilianae draws attention to the need to continue scientific work and to increase collecting effort through targeted field work.

The last 25 years of phylogenetic investigation into the three orders constituting the superorder Neuropterida—Raphidioptera, Megaloptera, and Neuroptera—have brought about a dramatic revision in our understanding of the evolution of lacewings, snakeflies, dobsonflies, and their diverse relatives. Phylogenetic estimations based on combined analyses of diverse data sources, ranging from adult and larval morphology to full mitochondrial genomic DNA, have begun to converge on similar patterns, many times in accordance with hypotheses put forth by Cyril Withycombe nearly a century ago. These data, in combination with information from the fossil record, have given a revised perspective on the historical evolution and classification of Neuropterida, necessitating an overhaul of their organization and providing focus and insight on fruitful future efforts for neuropterology.

The wings of insects are one of their most prominent features and embody numerous characters and modifications congruent with the variety of their lifestyles. However, despite their evolutionary relevance, homology statements and nomenclature of wing structures remain understudied and sometimes confusing. Early studies on wing venation homologies often assumed Neuropterida (the superorder comprising the orders Raphidioptera, Megaloptera, and Neuroptera: snakeflies, alderflies and dobsonflies, and lacewings) to be ancient among Pterygota, and therefore relied on their pattern of venation for determining groundplans for insect wing venation schemata and those assumptions reciprocally influenced the interpretation of lacewing wings. However, Neuropterida are in fact derived among flying insects and thus a reconsideration of their wings is crucial. The identification of the actual wing venation of Neuropterida is rendered difficult by fusions and losses, but these features provide systematic and taxo...

Joseph L. Lacroix proposed a total of 68 names for the superorder Neuropterida: the great majority (n = 53) are within the Chrysopidae, and the remaining (n = 15) are dispersed among five other families. Two of the names are for chrysopid genera – Chrysacanthia Lacroix 1923 and Peyerimhoffina Lacroix 1920, both of which persist as valid today. Most, if not all, of the types for Lacroix's names are believed, without confirmation, to have been deposited in the Museum national d'Histoire naturelle, Paris (MNHN). In this report, we list all of the species-level and subspecific names that Lacroix proposed for Neuropterida, and we summarize the published information on the name-bearing type(s) and the current taxonomic status for each. Then, we report on our efforts to locate and catalog the types in the MNHN, with an emphasis on Chrysopidae. We found types in the MNHN for 17 of the 21 chrysopid species-level names, and for 17 of the 30 subspecific names. Here, we designate nine new species-level lecto...

Locustoblattina segmentata gen. et sp. nov. and L. marginata gen. et sp. nov., new members of the family Mesorthopteridae (Eoblattida) are described from the Middle Triassic of the Madygen locality (Ladinian Stage of the Kyrgyzstan). New members of the Alexarasniidae (Embiida), Alexarasnia limbata Aristov, sp. nov. and Nestorembia shcherbakovi sp. nov., are described from the Upper Permian Isady locality in the Vologda Region and the Madygen locality, respectively. Parastenaropodites fluxa Storozhenko, 1996 (Mesorthopteridae) is redescribed from Madygen. The origin of webspinners from within the Permian eoblattids and the composition of the superorder Blattidea are discussed.

Ostariophysi is a superorder of bony fishes including more than 10,300 species in 1100 genera and 70 families. This superorder is traditionally divided into five major groups (orders): Gonorynchiformes (milkfishes and sandfishes), Cypriniformes (carps and minnows), Characiformes (tetras and their allies), Siluriformes (catfishes), and Gymnotiformes (electric knifefishes). Unambiguous resolution of the relationships among these lineages remains elusive, with previous molecular and morphological analyses failing to produce a consensus phylogeny. In this study, we use over 350 ultraconserved element (UCEs) loci comprising 5 million base pairs collected across 35 representative ostariophysan species to compile one of the most data-rich phylogenies of fishes to date. We use these data to infer higher level (interordinal) relationships among ostariophysan fishes, focusing on the monophyly of the Characiformes-one of the most contentiously debated groups in fish systematics. As with most previous molecular studies, we recover a non-monophyletic Characiformes with the two monophyletic suborders, Citharinoidei and Characoidei, more closely related to other ostariophysan clades than to each other. We also explore incongruence between results from different UCE data sets, issues of orthology, and the use of morphological characters in combination with our molecular data. [Conserved sequence; ichthyology; massively parallel sequencing; morphology; next-generation sequencing; UCEs.].

The orientation of the semicircular canals of the inner ear in the skull of vertebrates is one of the determinants of the capacity of this system to detect a given rotational movement of the head. Past functional studies on the spatial orientation of the semicircular canals essentially focused on the lateral semicircular canal (LSC), which is supposedly held close to horizontal during rest and/or alert behaviors. However, they generally investigated this feature in only a few and distantly related taxa. Based on 3D-models reconstructed from µCT-scans of skulls, we examined the diversity of orientations of the LSC within one of the four major clades of placental mammals, that is, the superorder Xenarthra, with a data set that includes almost all extant genera and two extinct taxa. We observed a wide diversity of LSC orientations relative to the basicranium at both intraspecific and interspecific scales. The estimated phylogenetic imprint on the orientation of the LSC was significant but rather low within the superorder, though some phylogenetic conservatism was detected for armadillos that were characterized by a strongly tilted LSC. A convergence between extant suspensory sloths was also detected, both genera showing a weakly tilted LSC. Our preliminary analysis of usual head posture in extant xenarthrans based on photographs of living animals further revealed that the LSC orientation in armadillos is congruent with a strongly nose-down head posture. It also portrayed a more complex situation for sloths and anteaters. Finally, we also demonstrate that the conformation of the cranial vault and nuchal crests as well as the orientation of the posterior part of the petrosal may covary with the LSC orientation in Xenarthra. Possible inferences for the head postures of extinct xenarthrans such as giant ground sloths are discussed in the light of these results.

Resolving the interordinal relationships in the mammalian superorder Laurasiatheria has been among the most intractable problems in higher-level mammalian systematics, with many conflicting hypotheses having been proposed. The present study collected three different sources of genome-scale data with comprehensive taxon sampling of laurasiatherian species, including two protein-coding datasets (4,186 protein-coding genes for an amino acid dataset comprising 2,761,247 amino acid residues and a nucleotide dataset comprising 5,516,340 nucleotides from 1st and 2nd codon positions), an intronic dataset (1,210 introns comprising 1,162,723 nucleotides) and an ultraconserved elements (UCEs) dataset (1,246 UCEs comprising 1,946,472 nucleotides) from 40 species representing all six laurasiatherian orders and 7 non-laurasiatherian outgroups. Remarkably, phylogenetic trees reconstructed with the four datasets using different tree-building methods (RAxML, FastTree, ASTRAL and MP-EST) all supported the relationship (Eulipotyphla, (Chiroptera, ((Carnivora, Pholidota), (Cetartiodactyla, Perissodactyla)))). We find a resolution of interordinal relationships of Laurasiatheria among all types of markers used in the present study, and the likelihood ratio tests for tree comparisons confirmed that the present tree topology is the optimal hypothesis compared to other examined hypotheses. Jackknifing subsampling analyses demonstrate that the results of laurasiatherian tree reconstruction varied with the number of loci and ordinal representatives used, which are likely the two main contributors to phylogenetic disagreements of Laurasiatheria seen in previous studies. Our study provides significant insight into laurasiatherian evolution, and moreover, an important methodological strategy and reference for resolving phylogenies of adaptive radiation, which have been a long-standing challenge in the field of phylogenetics.

Just one superorder of insects is known to possess a neuronal network that mediates extremely rapid reactions in flight in response to changes in optic flow. Research on the identity and functional organization of this network has over the course of almost half a century focused exclusively on the order Diptera, a member of the approximately 300-million-year-old clade Holometabola defined by its mode of development. However, it has been broadly claimed that the pivotal neuropil containing the network, the lobula plate, originated in the Cambrian before the divergence of Hexapoda and Crustacea from a mandibulate ancestor. This essay defines the traits that designate the lobula plate and argues against a homologue in Crustacea. It proposes that the origin of the lobula plate is relatively recent and may relate to the origin of flight.

There are 96 skulls of 18 species from 12 genera and 5 families of Ungulata in Prof. O. Brauner’s collection deposited in the Museum. The collection had been formed between 1900 and the late 1930s and mostly originates from Askania-Nova, where the collector had been working for a long time. This is where a skull of a female Przhewalsky horse originates from, whose parents were trapped in Mongolia, as well as skulls of two female bison, one of which was obtained from Bialowieska Puscha. Among interesting items are also skulls of domestic animals: nine skulls of horses of nomad nations, 7 horse and 1 cow skull from archeological excavations, one or two skulls of the Ukrainian grey cattle (currently rare) and 29 skulls of five sheep breeds. This craniological collection is one of the oldest in Ukraine and it has high scientific value. The full checklist of the collection with original label data and information on its current condition is provided. All skulls are glued and stored in a separate room.

Premise of research. Despite an increase in interest in the fossil record of bryophytes (i.e., liverworts, hornworts, and mosses), the biology and taxonomy of these organisms remain understudied and, at times, elusive. In the pre-Cenozoic, especially, few taxonomically informative moss fossils are known. From this perspective, the anatomically preserved Apple Bay flora of Vancouver Island holds a wealth of Cretaceous moss diversity that, until very recently, has remained unexplored.Methodology. Fossils are preserved anatomically in carbonate concretions and studied in serial sections prepared using the cellulose acetate peel technique.Pivotal results. Krassiloviella limbelloides gen. et sp. nov., defined by tricostate homocostate leaves and much-branched stems, is a new addition to the pleurocarpous moss family Tricostaceae (superorder Hypnanae).Conclusions. Krassiloviella limbelloides is the second bryophyte described as a result of ongoing studies of the Early Cretaceous Apple Bay flora of Vancouver Isl...

The general trends of evolutionary transformations in the male copulatory apparatus of the lower ditrysian Lepidoptera, family Gelechiidae, on the base of functional morphological analysis are similar to those in the order Trichoptera. Evolution of the genitalia in both groups was directed to improvement of efficiency of mating mechanisms. It is found that one of the general trends in trichopterans, reduced of gonopods, corresponds to the main direction of valvae transformation in lower ditrysian moths Gelechiidae. These structures, being of importance in grasping the female in other groups of Lepidoptera, lost this function in some genera and they completely disappeared in most advanced groups of gelechiid moths. That phenomenon is associated with transformations of other structures in copulatory apparatus, which functionally compensate for the lack of valvae. Such functional analogues are found in the course of comparative morphological analysis of the male genitalia in both groups. Similar changes and similar traits of the genital appendages in both groups, trichopterans and lower ditrysian lepidopterans, can be considered as evidence of parallel evolution. The possible parallelisms as indicators of common evolutionary trends in transformation of copulatory apparatus within the two lineages, Trichoptera and Lepidoptera, having a common ancestor, are discussed.

Animals exposed to hypoxia, triggers a physiological response via Hypoxia Inducible Factors (HIF1). In this study, we have evidenced the existence of genetic events that caused the loss of most of the bHLH domain in HIF1A proteins borne by Alpaca and other members of the Cetartiodactyla superorder. In these truncate domains, some stop codons are found at identical nucleotide positions in both, Artiodactyls and Cetaceans, indicating that mutations originating the truncated domains occurs before their divergence about 55 million years ago. The relevance of this findings for adaptation of Alpacas to hypoxia of high altitude conditions are discussed.

The Acari (mites) is currently interpreted to consist of two superorders. In contrast to the relatively rich history of the mite superorder Acariformes, fossils of the Parasitiformes are extremely rare. This is especially true of the most diverse order, Mesostigmata, with only nine families recorded, including four named species, having been described so far. As part of a wider effort to clarify the diversity of Baltic amber Mesostigmata the historically oldest fossil, Sejus bdelloides Koch and Berendt, 1854, is re-examined. While clearly a mite, it is not a mesostigmatan, but a member of the Prostigmata (Acariformes), referable to the Anystina. Thus of the three main mesostigmatan lineages currently recognised both Sejida and Trigynaspida lack a fossil record. Monogynaspida can be traced with confidence back to the Eocene (ca. 44 - 49 Ma).

A contrast radiographic study of pectoral fin venous drainage in rays shows it to be morphologically conservative across the batoids studied. In all species examined, ventral propterygial and mesopterygial veins drain the anterior and posterior lobes of the fin, respectively. Variation in the central connections of these vessels enables the identification of four major patterns of drainage. A fifth pattern consists of additional veins that drain the central region of the fin between the zones drained by the pro- and mesopterygial veins. There is a significant, positive association between the numbers of brachial veins present and the dimensions (in numbers of radial cartilages) of the central, basal region of the fin. There is also an association between the types of patterns present and the dimensions of the propterygial and metapterygial basal cartilages.

The present work consists of an anatomical comparison of the branchial musculature of galeomorph groups in order to search for evidence that could indicate possible phylogenetically relevant patterns, especially related to the Heterodontiformes and other families within the orders of Galeomorphi. Previous studies based on other muscle complexes have contributed with information that helped to address thoses questions (Datavo & Vari, 2014; Soares & Carvalho, 2013a,b). Nine branchial muscles of 44 species among all galeomorph orders, 13 species from two of the five recognized squalomorph shark orders (Squaliformes and Hexanchiformes) and one batoidean were observed, totalizing 57 species. The results indicate a highly conserved anatomy on this anatomical complex, possibly indicating a conservative generalized condition at both chondrichthyan and gnathostomes level. The most informative muscles in this context were the m. trapezius, the m. adductores arcuum branchialium, the m. coracobranchiales, especially the portion associated with the last branchial arch, and the m. arcuales dorsalis. The other five muscles have little to no variation among different groups. The analysis of the muscular patterns indicates that lamniforms and carcharhiniforms are sister-groups and Orectolobiforms and Heterodontiforems are sister-groups, supported by the m. trapezius having a single ramus and absence of the insertion onto the epibranchial only in Orectolobiformes and Heterodontformes, as well as the fifth m. coracobranchialis has its fibers oriented forward, when opposed to two rami in the m. trapezius in all other orders and fibers of the fifth m. coracobranchialis either upwards or obliquely organized. Regarding carcharhiniform and lamniform relatioships, the muscles that provide evidence are the presence of a second ramus on the fifth m. coracobranchialis, with a single ramus in all other orders, the crescent shape of the m. adductores arcuum branchialium, with triangular shape in other groups, and the presence of a raphe between the antimeres of the m. constrictores branchiales superficiales, which are triangular outside this group. Also, it was found support for the division of shark groups between Galeomorphi and Squalomorphi with the presence of a posterior ramus on the m. arcuales dorsalis in squalomorph sharks O presente trabalho consiste em uma comparação anatômica da musculatura branquial em Galeomorphi visando determinar se há possíveis padrões que indiquem proximidades filogenéticas, especialmente relacionados com a ordem Heterodontiformes e outras famílias de ordens dentro de Galeomorphi. A análise de musculatura já se provou de grande ajuda para identificar estas questões. Foram observados nove músculos em 44 espécies de todas as ordens Galeomorphi, 13 espécies em duas das cinco ordens de tubarões Squalomorphi (Squaliformes e Hexanchiformes) e um exemplar de Batoidea, totalizando 57 espécies. Os resultados indicam que este complexo anatômico é extremamente conservado e generalizado. Os músculos mais informativos neste contexto foram m. trapezius, m. adductores arcuum branchialium, m. coracobranchiales, em especial o músculo associado ao último arco, e m. arcuales dorsales. Outros músculos apresentam variações em poucos ou nenhum grupo. A análise dos padrões das musculaturas indica que Lamniformes é grupo-irmão de Carcharhiniformes e Orectolobiformes é grupo-irmão de Heterodontiformes, indicando este relacionamento próximo entre Orectolobiformes e Heterodontiformes a morfologia do m. trapezius, mais maciço e sem divisões, características restritas a ambas as ordens, e as fibras do quinto m. coracobranchialis são direcionadas para a frente, enquanto que se dirigem para cima ou obliquamente em outros grupos. Indicam um relacionamento entre Carcharhinformes e Lamniformes a presença de dois ramos no quinto m. coracobranchialis, a forma de meia lua do m. adductores arcuum branchialium e a presença de uma rafe entre os antímeros do m. constrictores branchiales superficiales, todas características restritas a representantes dessas ordens. Também foi encontrado suporte para a divisão de tubarões em Galeomorphi e Squalomorphi. Esta divisão é indicada principalmente pela presença do ramo posterior do m. arcuales dorsales em tubarões do grupo Squalomorphi

Based on a total of 14 inclusions from Burmese amber the new insect order Tarachoptera is established. The family Tarachocelidae previously described from Burmese amber and then placed in Amphiesmenoptera incertae sedis is assigned to this new order. The genus Kinitocelis gen. nov. is established to accommodate three new fossil species: K. hennigi spec. nov., K. divisinotata spec. nov. and K. brevicostata spec. nov. The new genus differs from Tarachocelis gen. nov. by the absence of androconial scales on the wings and the loss of Cu2 in the forewings. The species are described in detail and the critical characters are illustrated by line drawings and photos. Both males and females were described. The species can be distinguished by traits in the wing venation. The new order Tarachoptera is placed in the superorder Amphiesmenoptera based on the presence of seven amphiesmenopteran apomorphies and nine tarachopteran apomorphies. Apomorphic characters of Trichoptera and Lepidoptera could not be disclosed, which suggests an independent origin and evolution from an amphiesmenopteran ancestor which was not the ancestor of the Trichoptera-Lepidoptera clade. The species of Tarachoptera are tiny insects with a wing span of 2.3–4.5 mm but highly specialized according to their aberrant morphology. Aspects of the presumed life history of the adults were deduced from some of the derived morphological traits that could be interpreted as adaptations to a highly structured micro-environment.

International audience; he present paper describes a disarticulated skull of Allqokirus australisMarshall & Muizon, 1988, a basal sparassodont (Metatheria, Mammalia) from the early Palaeocene (c. 65 Ma.) of Tiupampa (Bolivia). The specimen includes the rostrum and palate with right premaxilla, both maxillae, left lacrimal, palatines and most upper teeth. The second largest element includes the frontals, the left squamosal, the parietals, the supraoccipital, the basisphenoid, the presphenoid, the alisphenoid, and part of the pterygoids. The nasals, basioccipital and exoccipitals are missing. Other elements are the left petrosal, the right jugal and squamosal, and both dentaries. The elements of the specimen allow for a good reconstruction of the skull, which is thoroughly described and compared to that of other sparassodonts and to the Tiupampa pucadelphyids, Pucadelphys and Andinodelphys. The dental morphology of Allqokirus australis is extremely similar to that of Patene simpsoni from the early Eocene of Itaboraí (Brazil) and presents distinct (although incipient) carnivorous adaptations. Furthermore, some characters of the ear region (e.g. medial process of the squamosal, deep groove for the internal carotid artery at the ventral apex of the petrosal) are also present in most other sparassodonts and in the pucadelphyids from the same locality. A parsimony analysis performed on the basis of a data matrix of 364 characters and 38 taxa placed Allqokirus in a sparassodont clade (the Mayulestidae) that also included Mayulestes and Patene. This family constitutes the sister group of all other sparassodonts. Our analysis also retrieved a large clade composed of the sparassodonts and the pucadelphyids, formally named Pucadelphyda n. superord. This superorder represents the large metatherian carnivorous radiation of the Tertiary of South America, which is first known at Tiupampa, and which started to diversify probably slightly earlier, during the late Cretacous in South America. So far, no representative of Pucadelphyda has been discovered in North America. At Tiupampa, Allqokirus and Mayulestes are the largest metatherians of the fauna and they fill the predaceous mammalian ecological niche. They are the earliest representatives of Sparassodonta, a successful metatherian carnivorous radiation which persisted in South America until the late Pliocene, i.e., during more than 63 Ma.

Based on differences in the siphuncular structures, the subclass Nautiloidea is divided into two new superorders: Nautilosiphonata and Calciosiphonata. The first superorder is characterized by the nautilus-type of connecting rings, and the second superorder by calcified-perforate type of the connecting rings. A new order Cyrtocerinida is erected for the families Bathmoceratidae, Cyrtocerinidae and Eothinoceratidae, previously included in the order Ellesmeroceratida. The siphuncular structure in the Ordovician nautiloid Bathmocerasholmi n. sp. is described. It is characterized by (1) connecting rings that are composed of an outer, calcareous, spherulitic–prismatic layer and an inner, fibrous, chitinous layer, and (2) prominent siphuncular ridges that originate from the inner surfaces of the connecting rings. The structure of the siphuncular ridges in Bathmoceras is compared with that of the actinosiphonate lamellae in the Silurian oncocerid nautiloid Octamerella. No funding indicated.

We test the hypothesis that conochilid rotifers represent an independent family-level taxon within Superorder Gnesiotrocha, by analysing their phylogenetic position based on the 18S rDNA sequence of a large number of representatives of this taxon and its putative relatives. Both Bayesian and maximum likelihood analysis confirm a monophyletic clade of all gnesiotrochans with strong branch supports. Within Gnesiotrocha, Conochilidae form a strongly supported clade with representatives of all but some genera of Flosculariidae. These results refute Conochilidae as separate family-level taxon within Gnesiotrocha. This finding is also supported by a phylogenetic analysis using morphology, in particular new observations on trophi morphology. Conochilid rotifers are likely specialized Flosculariidae, which evolved to a planktonic lifestyle and reduction of coloniality within the group, in contrast to other Flosculariidae. Furthermore, our analysis reveals that two genera of Flosculariidae, Beachampia and Limnias, form a single, strongly supported clade in a sister-group relation to a clade consisting of representatives of Order Collothecacea. The present results, both regarding position of the conochild rotifers and of two genera of Flosculariidae, highlight the need for a more extensive analysis of relationships within Gnesiotrocha.

Graphical Abstract, Highlights • The history of wildlife parasitology in South Africa, and to some extent southern Africa, is reviewed. • A brief overview of the early years, starting in the 1890s, is included. • Systematic attempts to study the parasite fauna of each game species since 1970s. • The main findings on protozoan, arthropod and helminth parasites are presented., The history of wildlife parasitology in South Africa, and to some extent southern Africa, is reviewed, giving a brief overview of the early years and following its development from the founding of the Onderstepoort Veterinary Institute in 1908 until the turn of the century. An emphasis is placed on game species. The main findings on protozoan parasites, including those of carnivores, are presented, starting in the 1890s and leading up to the first decade of the 21st century. Important developments with regard to the studies of arthropod and helminth parasites took place during a period of three decades, starting from the 1970s. Because of the sheer volume of work done by parasitologists during this time, this particular part of the overview concentrates on South African authors or authors working in South Africa at the time, and is limited to hosts that are members of the order Perissodactyla and the superorder Cetartiodactyla.

The study was carried out in order to determine the species of the superorder Neuropterida in the Protected Area Jasen, Central Macedonia. In July 2011, insect net sampling was used to obtain the Neuropterida from various habitats in the area. A total of 44 species from 10 families were determined, and 17 of these species were new records for the Macedonian fauna. Notes on ecology and altitudinal distribution of the Neuropterida in the area are also provided.

The genetype of Chlamydoselachus anguineus from Australian waters is described using the whole mitochondrial genome obtained from Illumina NGS technology. Total length of the mitogenome is 17 313 bp, consisting of 2 rRNAs, 13 protein-coding genes, 22 tRNA genes and 2 non-coding regions thus updating the previously available mitogenome for this species. The phylogenomic reconstruction comprising all available species of Superorder Squalomorphi supports the inclusion of C. anguineus in a divergent clade inside Order Hexanchiformes. Phyletic relationships inferred from the whole mitochondrial genomes are in agreement with traditional taxonomy. The low divergence between C. anguineus genomes (>99.9% genetic identity) is consistent with a widespread population in the west Pacific Ocean.

The genus Koiulus gen. nov. and its type-species, Koiulus interruptus gen. et sp. nov., are described from the Russian Far East. The new genus is compared with other genera of Mongoliulidae, in particular with Ussuriiulus Golovatch, 1980, also from the Russian Far East, with which it shares the absence of ozopores from individual body rings distributed along the body, a condition so far otherwise unknown in the superorder Juliformia. A synoptic table of genera and a list of species of Mongoliulidae are presented.

The clade Triadophlebiomorpha represents a morphological ‘link’ between the Paleozoic griffenflies (Meganisoptera) and the modern taxa. Nevertheless they are relatively poorly known in the body structures and paleobiogeography. The Triassic dragonfly is extremely rare in China with only one previously recorded. A new family, Sinotriadophlebiidae Zheng, Nel et Zhang fam. nov., for the genus and species Sinotriadophlebia lini Zheng, Nel et Zhang gen. et sp. nov., is described from the Upper Triassic Baijiantan Formation of Xinjiang, northwestern China. It is the second Chinese Triassic odonatopteran and the second largest Mesozoic representative of this superorder in China. The discovery provides new information for the clade Triadophlebiomorpha during the Late Triassic and expands its distribution and diversity in Asia. The find reflects a close relationship between the two Triassic entomofaunas from Kyrgyzstan and the Junggar Basin, and provides a Carnian age constraint on the lowermost part of the Baijiantan Formation.

If we stepped out of a time machine 65 million years ago, at the end of the Cretaceous period, we would find ourselves in a completely unfamiliar world. The seas would be warm and placid, Antarctica would be covered in forest, there would be no Atlantic or Pacific oceans, and Europe would be just one big archipelago. We would be hard pushed to tell herbivores from carnivores and completely unable to point to the ancestors of the shrews or the whales. All these mammals looked pretty much the same, as they were all members of the superorder of Laurasiatheria—one of the four main branches of the mammalian family tree. Amongst these creatures were those that would one day become bats, but since there are no fossil records from them, we have no idea what they might have looked like.

The original types of seven cirripede taxa recorded between 1885 and 1887 by J. Kafka and A. Fritsch et J. Kafka are redescribed and reillustrated. These stalked (scalpellomorph) and sessile (brachylepadomorph) species include ‘Scillaelepas’ conica (REUSS, 1844), Titanolepas tuberculata (DARWIN, 1851), Cretiscalpellum glabrum (ROEMER, 1841), Cretiscalpellum striatum (DARWIN, 1851), Arcoscalpellum angustatum (GEINITZ, 1843), Arcoscalpellum maximum (J. DE C. SOWERBY, 1829) and Brachylepas fallax (DARWIN, 1851). Information on the palaeoecology and taphonomy of these cirripedes in the Bohemian Cretaceous Basin (the Czech Republic) has been added. ■ Scalpellomorpha, Brachylepadomorpha, Cretaceous, taxonomy Received February 27, 2014 Issued December 2014 Subclass: Cirripedia BURMEISTER, 1834 Superorder: Thoracica DARWIN, 1854 Order: Scalpelliformes BUCKERIDGE ET NEWMAN, 2006 Family: Calanticidae ZEVINA, 1978 Genus: Scillaelepas SEGUENZA, 1876 (s. lat.) ‘Scillaelepas’ conica (REUSS, 1844)

The article discusses a vertebra and a small shark tooth found in the Miocene Govce sandstone near Govce west of Laško in central Slovenia. The vertebra belongs to a shark of the superorder Galeomorphii but we could not determine it with greater precision. The small tooth was assigned to Carcharias cf. taurus Rafinesque, 1810. The nannofossils in the sample are scarce and did not allow dating at biozone precision.

The superorder Galeomorph comprises the orders Heterodontiformes, Orectolobiformes, Lamniformes, and Carcharhiniformes. Recent morphological and molecular support that it is a monophyletic taxon. The phyletic relationship within the Galeomorphi are also well resolved. However, only few morphological characters of the mandibular and hyoid muscles have been employed, and a detailed description of these muscles and their variations may contribute new interpretations of homology and to the discussion of different hypothesis of intrarelationships. This paper provides a detailed description of mandibular and hyoid arch muscles in galeomorph sharks, within a comparative elasmobranch framework, with the objective to discuss putative homologies that may elucidate our understanding of galeomorph evolution. Twenty-eight galeomorph species were dissected, described, illustrated and compared with other elasmobranchs and with data from the literature. The Galeomorphi are supported as monophyletic by presenting the m. levator labii superioris attached directly to the neurocranium, different from the attachment through a tendon in basal squalomorphs. Heterodontiformes and Orectolobiformes share particular variations in the position and insertion of the m. levator labii superioris and the presence of a well-defined m. levator hyomandibulae. Lamniformes and Carcharhiniformes show similar patterns in the position and attachment of the m. levator labii superioris, subdivision of the m. adductor mandibulae, and the presence of an almost indivisible m. levator hyomandibulae and m. constrictor hyoideus dorsalis, similar to the condition, albeit independently, in basal squalomorphs. No specific mandibular or hyoid arch muscle character was found to support the clade composed of Orectolobiformes, Lamniformes, and Carcharhiniformes, as advocated by recent phylogenetic analyses. J. Morphol. 274:1111–1123, 2013. © 2013 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

Multiple scars of shell muscles in the body chamber are characterized in five Palaeozoic nautiloid orders: Ellesmerocerida, Oncocerida, Tarphycerida, Discosorida and Ascocerida. The number of the scars is highly variable, from about 5 pairs in tarphycerids to about 60 pairs in ascocerids. The shell muscles that were attached to the scars in ellesmerocerids, oncocerids, dicosorids and ascocerids are here interpreted as the longitudinal mantle muscles and not as the head/funnel muscles. The interpretation of the multiple scars in tarphycerids is still unclear. In all five orders, the connecting ring structure is of the Nautilus type. The outer spherulitic-prismatic layer of the connecting ring is much thicker than that of the layer in Nautilus. It is highly porous in ellesmerocerids, oncocerids and tarphycerids and similar to that in Nautilus, but less porous and more dense in discosorids and ascocerids. The inner fibrous-organic layer of the connecting ring in all five orders is not preserved, but it has p...

This catalogue lists the materials of marine mammals housed in the Mammalogical collection of Museo de La Plata. This contribution is an update of the unpublished catalogue made by R. Bastida, J.B. Desojo, and L.H. Soibelzon in 1997. It includes all the specimens deposited in this collection, belonging to the superorder Cetartilodactyla, order Cetacea, suborders Mysticeti and Odontoceti, the order Carnivora, suborder Caniformia, and the order Sirenia. The Mammalogical collection of the División Zoología Vertebrados of Museo de la Plata holds 185 specimens of 37 species of marine mammals., El presente catálogo lista los materiales de mamíferos marinos depositados en la colección de Mastozoología del Museo de La Plata. Esta contribución es una actualización del catálogo inédito realizado por R. Bastida, J.B. Desojo y L.H. Soibelzon en 1997. Se incluyen todos los materiales del superorden Cetartilodactyla, orden Cetacea, subórdenes Mysticeti y Odontoceti, orden Carnivora, suborden Caniformia y orden Sirenia. La colección de Mastozoología de la División Zoología Vertebrados del Museo de La Plata cuenta con 185 especímenes referidos a 37 especies de mamíferos marinos., Facultad de Ciencias Naturales y Museo

The clade Paenungulata, which is part of the mammalian superorder Afrotheria, comprises three morphologically diverse extant orders: the Sirenia (manatees and dugongs), the Proboscidea (elephants),...

Rajidae family is one of the most diverse families within Batoidea superorder with more of 220 described species, of which many skates are particularly vulnerable to overfishing. This fact makes IUCN (International Union for Conservation of Nature) Red List of Threatened Species contains 209 of these skate species. The main marketing formats of these species are fresh and frozen wings. This makes impossible their identification on the basis of their morphological characters. For these reasons, in the present study a method for genetic identification of different skate species has been developed. The technique is based on sequencing of a fragment of 555 bp from amplified DNA, COI (Cytochrome Oxidase subunit 1) gene, by PCR and subsequent phylogenetic analysis (FINS: Forensically Informative Nucleotide Sequencing). The technique allows the genetic identification of more than 40 skate species in skate products. The main novelty of this work lies in the fact that up to now there is no work about the genetic identification that includes so many skate species. Therefore, this molecular tool is appropriate to clarify questions related with the correct labeling of skate commercial products, the traceability of raw materials, and the control of imported skates, and also can be applied to questions linked to the control of skate fisheries.

espanolSe presenta una clave taxonomica para reconocer las especies chilenas de los tiburones del Superorden Squalomorphi, agrupadas en 16 familias: Hexanchidae, Chlamydoselachidae, Rhincodontidae, Pseudocarchariidae, Lamnidae, Cetorhinidae, Alopiidae, Scyliorhinidae, Triakidae, Carcharhinidae, Sphyrnidae, Dalatiidae, Centrophoridae, Squalidae, Echinorhinidae y Squatinidae. Para cada una de las 56 especies consideradas se indica la distribucion geografica. EnglishA taxonomic key to identify the Chilean species of the shark Superorder Squalomorphi, grouped in 16 families is presented. The families are: Hexanchidae, Chlamydoselachidae, Rhincodontidae, Pseudocarchariidae, Lamnidae, Cetorhinidae, Alopiidae, Scyliorhinidae, Triakidae, Carcharhinidae, Sphyrnidae, Dalatiidae, Centrophoridae, Squalidae, Echinorhinidae and Squatinidae. For the 56 currently considered species, the geographic distribution is indicated.