RESUMO
Ants in the genera Anochetus and Odontomachus belong to one of the largest clades in the subfamily Ponerinae, and are one of four lineages of ants possessing spring-loaded "trap-jaws." Here we present results from the first global species-level molecular phylogenetic analysis of these trap-jaw ants, reconstructed from one mitochondrial, one ribosomal RNA, and three nuclear protein-coding genes. Bayesian and likelihood analyses strongly support reciprocal monophyly for the genera Anochetus and Odontomachus. Additionally, we found strong support for seven trap-jaw ant clades (four in Anochetus and three in Odontomachus) mostly concordant with geographic distribution. Ambiguity remains concerning the closest living non-trap-jaw ant relative of the Anochetus+Odontomachus clade, but Bayes factor hypothesis testing strongly suggests that trap-jaw ants evolved from a short mandible ancestor. Ponerine trap-jaw ants originated in the early Eocene (52.5Mya) in either South America or Southeast Asia, where they have radiated rapidly in the last 30million years, and subsequently dispersed multiple times to Africa and Australia. These results will guide future taxonomic work on the group and act as a phylogenetic framework to study the macroevolution of extreme ant mouthpart specialization.
Assuntos
Formigas/classificação , África , Animais , Formigas/genética , Sudeste Asiático , Austrália , Teorema de Bayes , Citocromos b/classificação , Citocromos b/genética , Citocromos b/metabolismo , Variação Genética , Filogenia , Filogeografia , RNA Ribossômico 28S/classificação , RNA Ribossômico 28S/genética , RNA Ribossômico 28S/metabolismo , América do SulRESUMO
Different diversification scenarios have been proposed to explain the origin of extant biodiversity. However, most existing meta-analyses of time-calibrated phylogenies rely on approaches that do not quantitatively test alternative diversification processes. Here, I highlight the shortcomings of using species divergence ranks, which is a method widely used in meta-analyses. Divergence ranks consist of categorizing cladogenetic events to certain periods of time, typically to either Pleistocene or to pre-Pleistocene ages. This approach has been claimed to shed light on the origin of most extant species and the timing and dynamics of diversification in any biogeographical region. However, interpretations drawn from such method often confound two fundamental questions in macroevolutionary studies, tempo (timing of evolutionary rate shifts) and mode ("how" and "why" of speciation). By using simulated phylogenies under four diversification scenarios, constant-rate, diversity-dependence, high extinction, and high speciation rates in the Pleistocene, I showed that interpretations based on species divergence ranks might have been seriously misleading. Future meta-analyses of dated phylogenies need to be aware of the impacts of incomplete taxonomic sampling, tree topology, and divergence time uncertainties, as well as they might be benefited by including quantitative tests of alternative diversification models that acknowledge extinction and diversity dependence.
Assuntos
Biodiversidade , Evolução Biológica , Borboletas/fisiologia , Simulação por Computador , Animais , América Central , Extinção Biológica , Especiação Genética , México , Filogenia , América do SulRESUMO
The so-called "Taygetis clade" is a group of exclusively Neotropical butterflies classified within Euptychiina, one of the largest subtribes in the subfamily Satyrinae. Since the distribution of the ten genera belonging to this group ranges throughout the entire Neotropics, from lowlands to lower montane habitats, it offers a remarkable opportunity to study the region's biogeographic history as well as different scenarios for speciation in upland areas. We inferred a robust and well-sampled phylogeny using DNA sequences from four genes (4035 bp in total) using maximum parsimony and Bayesian inference. We estimated divergence times using the Bayesian relaxed clock method calibrated with node ages from previous studies. Ancestral ranges of distribution were estimated using the dispersal-extinction-cladogenesis (DEC) model as implemented in the program Lagrange. We propose several taxonomic changes and recognize nine well-supported natural genera within the "Taygetis clade": Forsterinaria (subsuming Guaianaza syn. nov.), Parataygetis, Posttaygetis, Harjesia (excluding Harjesia griseola and Harjesia oreba), Pseudodebis (including Taygetomorpha syn. nov.,), Taygetina (subsuming Coeruleotaygetis syn. nov., Harjesia oreba comb. nov., Taygetis weymeri comb. nov. and Taygetis kerea comb. nov.), Taygetis (excluding Taygetis ypthima, Taygetis rectifascia, Taygetis kerea and Taygetis weymeri), and two new genera, one containing Harjesia griseola, and the other Taygetis ypthima and Taygetis rectifascia. The group diversified mainly during late Miocene to Pliocene, coinciding with the period of drastic changes in landscape configuration in the Neotropics. Major dispersals inferred from the Amazon basin towards northwestern South America, the Atlantic forests and the eastern slope of the Andes have mostly shaped the evolution and diversification of the group. Furthermore, expansion of larval dietary repertoire might have aided net diversification in the two largest genera in the clade, Forsterinaria and Taygetis.
Assuntos
Borboletas/classificação , Especiação Genética , Filogenia , Animais , Teorema de Bayes , Borboletas/genética , Núcleo Celular/genética , DNA Mitocondrial/genética , Genes de Insetos , Análise de Sequência de DNA , América do SulRESUMO
Three new species and a new subspecies of Calisto Hübner are described from Cuba, Calisto torrei sp. n. Núñez, Calisto dissimulatum sp. n. Núñez, Calisto aquilum sp. n. Núñez, and Calisto aquilum occidentalis ssp. n. Núñez. The immature stages of C. torrei and C. dissimulatum are also described. Notes on the distribution and biology of the species are given. All Cuban and Bahamian taxa form a monophyletic group which seems to have originated in northeastern Cuba spreading later to the west. DNA sequence data also allowed to recognize both Bahamian taxa, Calisto sibylla and Calisto apollinis stat. n., as distinct species, and to synonymize Calisto herophile parsonsi syn. n. under Calisto herophile.