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The Leptopilina Förster, 1869 of the Western Palearctic, and an updated list of the world species (Hymenoptera, Figitidae, Eucoilinae)
No full textThe genus Leptopilina comprises species of parasitoid wasps that primarily attack early instar larvae of drosophilid species, some of which are well-known agricultural or nuisance pests. To unravel host-parasitoid interactions and to use parasitoids effectively in biological control, the correct taxonomic assignment is of crucial importance. In the course of the German Barcode of Life III: Dark Taxa (GBOL III: Dark Taxa) project, we assembled specimens of all seven species of Leptopilina of the Western Palearctic. Using CO1 barcode sequence analyses and morphological examination allows us to evaluate species limits in an integrative approach, to provide extended species diagnoses as well as an updated key to the species of the Western Palearctic. This work also summarizes current knowledge on Western Palearctic Leptopilina species, including their distribution, population parameters, habitats, flight periods, and hosts. We provide the first country records of three Leptopilina species for Belgium, including the non-native L. japonica, propose two species level synonymies and move one Western Palearctic species out of Leptopilina. Finally, to facilitate taxonomic research on Leptopilina in lesser-known regions, we provide a list of non-Western Palearctic species, including the moving of 13 species into Leptopilina. These changes also result in two new generic synonymies. In conclusion, Western Palearctic Leptopilina can be clearly diagnosed both morphologically and molecularly. Comparable ease of identification and cultivation, as well as the economic interest in potent biological control agents against drosophilid pests make them ideal organisms for basic and applied research
Ny bestämningsnyckel till stekelfamiljer med en reviderad klassificering inom Chalcidoidea
No full textIn December 2024, a digital identification key and associated taxon descriptions for Swedish Hymenopteran families was published in the web application Artfakta (https://artfakta.se/ taxa/3000186/artnycklar). The key is based on the Hymenoptera part of the book “Insekter – en fälthandbok” by Douwes, Hall, Hansson and Sandhall (2004, second edition), but it has been updated and adapted to the current family division. Thus, it includes several small hymenopterans that have relatively recently been defined as new families or reported from Sweden for the first time, e.g. within Chalcidoidea (Pteromalidae s.lat. and Chrysolampidae), Trigonalyoidea (Trigonalyidae) and Cynipoidea (Diplolepididae). The new families within Chalcidoidea can be reached via the family key, but there is also a separate identification key to these families available in Artfakta and in this article.
West Palaearctic species of Euura Newman, 1837 (Hymenoptera, Tenthredinidae)
No full textExcluding 102 species of the previously revised West Palaearctic species groups of Euura Newman, 1837 (gall-making groups, 84 species; amentorum group, 8 species; bergmanni group, 8 species; and oligospila group, 2 species), we treat here the remaining 164 West Palaearctic species of the genus. 145 new synonymies are proposed (one in Platycampus, one in Nematus, two in Pristiphora, and the rest in Euura: see Table 4 for details). 153 lectotypes are designated (see Table 4). Four nominal species are reinstated (valid name in square brackets): Pteronidea fuscarima Benson, 1933 [E. fuscarima (Benson, 1933) comb. nov.], P. fuscodorsata Lindqvist, 1949 [Euura fuscodorsata (Lindqvist, 1949) comb. nov.], Pachynematus perkioemaekii Lindqvist, 1960 [E. perkioemaekii (Lindqvist, 1960) comb. nov.], and Pontania poppii Konow, 1904 [Euura poppii (Konow, 1904) comb. nov.]. Euura tiliae (Zinovjev, 1998) comb. nov. and E. wuyishanica (Wei, 2003) comb. nov. are transferred from Nematus. Euura memoriakaszabi (Haris, 2002) comb. nov. is transferred from Pristiphora. Five new species are described: Euura halo Prous, Liston & Mutanen sp. nov., E. histriato Prous, Liston & Mutanen sp. nov., E. minivittata Prous & Mutanen sp. nov., E. polepso Prous & Mutanen sp. nov., and E. serela Prous & Mutanen sp. nov. Euura telos Liston & Prous nom. nov. (an East Palaearctic species) is proposed for Amauronematus terminalis Malaise, 1931, a secondary homonym of Pontania terminalis Marlatt, 1896 [Euura terminalis (Marlatt, 1896)]. Three treated putative species based on single males (E. bergmanni and E. clitellata group) and a female (E. bipartita group) remain unidentified pending further research. An identification key is provided to separate the genus Euura from the other similar genera. Host plants are now known for 80% (132) of the treated species (88% for all West Palaearctic Euura). Genetic data (at least mitochondrial COI and nuclear NaK and POL2) are reported for 91% (151) of the treated species. The genetic data were obtained with Sanger and Nanopore sequencing. In numerous cases, identification of one sex of a species remains difficult using morphological characters but is clear when using genetic data. In a few cases, however, identification based on morphology is reliable, while support from available genetic data is weak. Often, large morphological and genetic variability makes species delimitation ambiguous. Within-species genetic diversity, as estimated from diploid females (i.e., within-individual genetic diversity, which is an underestimate of within-species diversity), is large in Euura, on average with 0.3% divergence between the haplotypes (max 1.4%), while between-species divergence for a given species group is often only slightly higher (on average varies between 0.5–2.1%). Strong mito-nuclear discordance is observed within most species groups, but in some cases even between species groups. Over 50% of the species cannot be reliably identified based on mitochondrial COI barcodes. While nuclear DNA is significantly more congruent with morphology, identification of about 15% of the species can be ambiguous due to large genetic variability. Remarkably, two or more apparently functional COI variants are frequently observed within the same individual, with variants diverging by up to 9.6% in Euura lappo (for the 658 bp barcoding region).Swedish Nematinae Project (Tenthredinidae, Symphyta
Hälsa, sjukdomar och dödsorsaker hos marina däggdjur 2024 : Resultat från obduktion och provtagning av marina däggdjur som undersökts på SVA
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Eocene and Oligocene ceriantharian tubes
No full textThree fossil tube fragments from middle Eocene to late Oligocene strata in western Washington State, USA, are here interpreted as those of ancient Ceriantharia (Hexacorallia, Cnidaria). The tube fragments are 3–6 mm in diameter, up to 60 mm long, and the surfaces show an overlapping, fibrous knitted pattern. This surface pattern resembles that of the extant ceriantharid Cerianthus membranaceus. One specimen has numerous benthic foraminiferans associated with, and apparently even embedded in, the tube wall, analogous to some extant Ceriantharia. These fossils likely represent the first fossil Ceriantharia and indicate that their present-day mode of tube construction using ptychocysts was established at latest by the middle Eocene
A new leaf species of Proteaceae and other Gondwanan elements from the early Paleogene Lota–Coronel flora of south–central Chile
No full textLeaf fossils collected in 1908 from the Arauco–Concepción Coal Measures of Chile (the Lota–Coronel flora) during a Swedish expedition to southern South America are formally assigned to the important Gondwanan family Proteaceae as Proteaceaefolia araucoensis R.J.Carp. & McLoughlin gen. nov., sp. nov. This is the oldest South American record of macrofossils that can be assigned to Proteaceae with confidence due to the likelihood of the age dating to the latest Paleocene. The fossils lack cuticle but the large, lobed and minutely toothed form is consistent only with extant species of the subfamily Grevilleoideae (notably, Orites excelsus R.Br.) that are confined to eastern Australian rainforests. A new assessment of the Swedish Lota–Coronel collection and review of previous palynological and macrofossil studies, also provide evidence of the strong biogeographic connection that existed between southern South America and Australasia during the early Paleogene, and contradict a traditional view that several Chilean floras of this age consist wholly or largely of Neotropical taxa. Notable austral taxa include Casuarinaceae (as abundant pollen), diverse Podocarpaceae (as both foliage and pollen) and likely Cunoniaceae (leaves). No taxa with clearly Neotropical nearest living relatives have been found to date, but previous conclusions for a warm and very wet early Paleogene climate are supported
Extremely high alkalinity due to dissolution of Mg-rich phyllosilicate in the hemipelagic sediments of the Ulleung Basin (East/Japan Sea): stable Si isotopic evidence and reactive transport modeling
No full textReticulate and Hybrid Speciation is Promoted by Environmental Instability in an Indo‐Pacific Species Complex of Whistlers (Aves: Pachycephala )
No full textGenomic studies have revealed introgressive hybridisation as a common phenomenon across the tree of life, particularly among young radiations. As incipient speciation tends to be induced by vicariance events, it is assumed that introgressive hybridisation is more frequent in young radiations in which allopatrically distributed species have a high probability of coming into secondary contact. In this study, we use whole genomic data to investigate spatio-temporal introgression patterns in a songbird radiation that has colonised a highly dynamic island region in the Indo-Pacific. Some taxa within this radiation have colonised remote oceanic islands whereas others occur on landmasses and islands in the Sahul region that were periodically connected during Pleistocene periods of lower sea levels. Our results show that introgressive hybridisation has been pervasive within this young radiation, despite prominent plumage differences between taxa. Geographical proximity has been an important factor for hybridisation and we further find that species occupying islands in the environmentally unstable Sahul region exhibit particularly high signatures of introgressive hybridisation. Yet, one species appears to have been shielded from hybridisation, perhaps due to specific ecological specialisations. Finally, we identify a hybrid species on an island where two oceanic radiations meet. Our results also caution against relying solely on analyses that only detect asymmetric introgression when examining systems with complex introgression histories. Collectively, our results support a growing body of literature that suggests that reticulate speciation is more common than previously thought. This has implications for our understanding of species formation and their persistence through time
Origins and diversity of Greenland’s Qimmit revealed with genomes of ancient and modern sled dogs
No full textThe Qimmeq (Greenland sled dog) has worked continuously with the Inuit in Greenland for more than 800 years. However, they now face drastic population declines caused by climate change, urbanization, and competition from snowmobiles. This study sequenced 92 modern and ancient genomes to investigate how centuries of isolation shaped the regional Qimmeq populations and the impact of European contact. We found distinct regional populations and evidence for two migrations of dogs into Greenland with the Inuit from Canada. Furthermore, we found that there is minimal European ancestry in present day Qimmit and limited recent inbreeding despite low heterozygosity. These insights are critical for conservation efforts aimed at preserving the Qimmit amid environmental changes and cultural transitions