Diversity and distribution models of horse flies (Diptera : Tabanidae) from Ecuador

Worldwide information about Tabanidae is biased toward taxonomical research, which has been the main source of diversity data for this group of flies. In Ecuador, studies on horse flies have been irregular since the first descriptions of three Andean specimens in 1848. Catalogues, checklists and collections in national museums demonstrate that despite its size, Ecuador is at present the richest country in number of tabanids species in the Neotropics after Brazil, Colombia and Mexico, and has one of the highest numbers of species per unit area. The tabanofauna is predominantly shared with Colombia (62.6%), Peru (47%), Brazil (35.9%), Panama (35.4%), and Venezuela (30.3%) that have biogeographic areas in common with Ecuador. Endemism rate of this group is around 12.6%, with Diachlorus, Dicladocera, Esenbeckia, Eristalotabanus (monotypic), and Leucotabanus genera as the most representatives. We add new records of Tabanidae for the country. The genus Hemichrysops was recorded for first time. The number of species in Ecuador now totals 198. A catalogue of all Ecuadorian species is compiled with a localities-gazetteer. We also present and discuss for the first time, the distribution of well known horse flies species (Chrysops varians var. tardus, Dicladocera macula and Fidena rhinophora) using georeferenced localities and niche modelling analyses

The Capixaba ant species inventory is far from complete: A local scale assessment of the ants (Formicidae) reveals the importance of diversity studies and entomological collections

The Atlantic Forest is the third largest biome in Brazil, the most sampled, and has the second highest diversity of ant species described. However, these data are spatially very heterogeneous, with the central region of the Atlantic Forest being better sampled. There is a visible gap from the south of Bahia to the north of Rio de Janeiro, comprising the entire state of Espírito Santo. Knowing this biodiversity gap, in this work, we list the ant fauna (Hymenoptera, Formicidae) deposited in the Coleção Entomológica of the Reserva Natural Vale (CERNV), located in the municipality of Linhares, Espírito Santo. The CERNV has 143 ants collected from August 1984, belonging to 63 species, 29 genera, and eight subfamilies. Of the 143 records, 94 are ant workers (66%), 27 queens (19%), and 22 males (15%). Seventy three percent of the ant workers are identified, 52% of queens and 36% of males. The species with the most individuals deposited are Camponotus sp. (15 records), Eciton burchellii (8), Atta sexdens (7), Neoponera villosa (7), and Solenopsis sp. (6). Among the identified ants, 12 species were recorded for the first time in the state of Espírito Santo, Brazil. The collection still holds workers (and probably unidentified males) of a species considered endangered, Dinoponera lucida. We can observe the importance of biological collections for the knowledge of biodiversity, local and regional since species are recorded for the first time in a state whose biome is widely studied, helping to fill in Linnean and Wallacean shortfalls

Checklist of the dipterofauna (Insecta) from Roraima, Brazil, with special reference to the Brazilian Ecological Station of Maracá

Roraima is a Brazilian state located in the northern portion of the Amazon basin, with few studies regarding its biodiversity. The Ecological Station of Maracá (Brazil, state of Roraima) harbors the third largest Brazilian pluvial island and is composed of a transitional landscape of savanna and Amazon rainforest components. Despite its ecological importance and strategic localization, few studies covered the dipterofauna of this locality. An updated checklist addressing 41 families of true flies (Diptera) occurring in Roraima is presented based on the literature and the specimens collected during a field expedition that occurred in 2015. This checklist brings several improvements such as new records of 165 taxa to the state of Roraima, 29 taxa to Brazil, and 259 morphotypes, mostly likely representing undescribed species

Tabanus Linnaeus, 1758 (Diptera: Tabanidae): análise filogenética com ênfase nas espécies neotropicais e taxonomia do grupo de espécies relacionadas à Tabanus trivittatus Fabricius

In chapter one is employed a phylogenetic analysis of the widespread genus Tabanus Linnaeus. The genus possess great species richness (ca. 1350 valid species) and its non-monophyletic status has already been suggested by several authors, however, no modern phylogenetic methods have been used to address the relationships of the genus with a comprehensive sample. Anchored enrichment was used to acquire 193 loci for phylogenomic analysis of 35 Tabanus species. Additionally a morphological matrix for 88 terminal taxa was built from internal and external characters. Both molecular and morphological datasets sustain the aphyly of Tabanus with a Neotropical origin for the Tabanini tribe. Based on these results three new genera endemic to the Neotropic are proposed - Chephalogongylus gen.n, Rhinoderus gen.n., Tapirotabanus gen. n., - and revalidate on genus - Chelotabanus stat. rev. A subsample of the phylogenomic dataset was used to estimate the divergence times for the Tabanus group with origin during the Paleocene/Eocene boundary, and diversification of some of the new Neotropical genera with amazonian distribution, during the Miocene. In chapter two the group of species related to Tabanus trivittatus which include horse flies with striped abdomens and partially bare, inflated, subcallus is revised. Five new species are described raising the number of valid species from 15 to 20, four of which occur in Brazil: T. albocapilus sp. n., T. dorsorufus sp. n., T. mackerrasi sp. n., T. macrocerus sp. n. and one that occur in Brazil, Bolivia and Peru: T. noncallosus sp. n. The keys from Fairchild (1976) are modified for both sexes and the female terminalia briefly discussed.No capítulo um foi realizada a filogenética de Tabanus Linnaeus. O gênero possui grande riqueza de espécies (cerca de 1350 espécies válidas) e seu status não monofilético já foi sugerido por diversos autores, apesar de nenhum método filogenético ter sido utilizado para abordar as relações do gênero com uma amostragem abrangente. Anchored Hybrid Enrichment foi utilizado para adquirir 193 loci para análise filogenômica de 35 espécies de Tabanus. Além disso, uma matriz morfológica para 88 táxons terminais foi construída a partir de caracteres internos e externos. Os conjuntos de dados moleculares e morfológicos sustentam a afilia de Tabanus com uma origem Neotropical para a tribo Tabanini. Com base nesses resultados, são propostos três novos gêneros endêmicos ao Neotrópico - Cephalogongylus gen.n, Rhinoderus gen.n., Tapirotabanus gen. n., - e a revalidação de um gênero - Chelotabanus stat. rev. Utilizando uma subamostra da matriz filogenômica, também foi possível estimar os tempos de divergência para o grupo Tabanus, que se originou durante o limite entre o Paleoceno e o Eoceno, com diversificação de alguns dos novos gêneros neotropicais com distribuição amazônica, durante o Mioceno. No capítulo dois, é revisado o grupo de espécies relacionadas a Tabanus trivittatus, que inclui mutucas com abdômen listrado, subcalo inflado e sem pruinosidade. São descritas cinco novas espécies elevando o número de espécies válidas de 15 para 20, quatro das quais ocorrem no Brasil: T. albocapillus sp. n., T. dorsorufus sp. n., T. mackerrasi sp. n., T. macrocerus sp. n. e uma que ocorre no Brasil, Bolívia e Peru: T. noncallosus sp. n. Também modificamos as chaves de Fairchild (1976) para ambos os sexos e discutimos brevemente a terminália feminin

Entomological Collections Network, Annual Meeting, Orlando FL, USA. 23-24 September 2016

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Biodiversity of Insects in the Amazon: survey of social wasps (Vespidae: Polistinae) in Amazon rainforest areas in Amazonas state, Brazil

The thematic network ‘Biodiversity of Insects in the Amazon’ is the first network among researchers of the Brazilian Amazon in terms of the increase of knowledge and provision of subsidies for the conservation of Amazonian biodiversity, focusing on insects, and disseminate this knowledge to different sectors of society. In this way, expeditions to six localities in the Amazonas State were carried out and we present here the results for social wasps (Vespidae: Polistinae). We used two modified Malaise traps combined with two suspended traps from July 2016 to June 2017. A total of 140 species and 20 genera were collected: 92 species and 18 genera in ZF-2-Manaus area, where the greatest diversity was recorded, followed by Tefé (73 species, 16 genera), Careiro-Castanho (72 species, 17 genera), Novo Airão (71 species, 16 genera), Presidente Figueiredo (62 species, 16 genera), and Ipixuna (58 species, 17 genera). Metapolybia rufata Richards, 1978 and Polybia diguetana du Buysson, 1905 were new records for Brazil, and other six species were first records for Amazonas state. The results indicate that further investigations should significantly increase the species diversity of wasps in the Amazon region and add more information to the knowledge of Polistinae diversity

Species-specific ecological niche modelling predicts different range contractions for Lutzomyia intermedia and a related vector of Leishmania braziliensis following climate change in South America.

BACKGROUND: Before 1996 the phlebotomine sand fly Lutzomyia neivai was usually treated as a synonym of the morphologically similar Lutzomyia intermedia, which has long been considered a vector of Leishmania braziliensis, the causative agent of much cutaneous leishmaniasis in South America. This report investigates the likely range changes of both sand fly species in response to a stabilisation climate change scenario (RCP4.5) and a high greenhouse gas emissions one (RCP8.5). METHODS: Ecological niche modelling was used to identify areas of South America with climates currently suitable for each species, and then the future distributions of these climates were predicted based on climate change scenarios. Compared with the previous ecological niche model of L. intermedia (sensu lato) produced using the GARP algorithm in 2003, the current investigation modelled the two species separately, making use of verified presence records and additional records after 2001. Also, the new ensemble approach employed ecological niche modelling algorithms (including Maximum Entropy, Random Forests and Support Vector Machines) that have been widely adopted since 2003 and perform better than GARP, as well as using a more recent climate change model (HadGEM2) considered to have better performance at higher resolution than the earlier one (HadCM2). RESULTS: Lutzomyia intermedia was shown to be the more tropical of the two species, with its climatic niche defined by higher annual mean temperatures and lower temperature seasonality, in contrast to the more subtropical L. neivai. These different latitudinal ranges explain the two species' predicted responses to climate change by 2050, with L. intermedia mostly contracting its range (except perhaps in northeast Brazil) and L. neivai mostly shifting its range southwards in Brazil and Argentina. This contradicts the findings of the 2003 report, which predicted more range expansion. The different findings can be explained by the improved data sets and modelling methods. CONCLUSIONS: Our findings indicate that climate change will not always lead to range expansion of disease vectors such as sand flies. Ecological niche models should be species specific, carefully selected and combined in an ensemble approach

Venifurca, a new genus of neotropical Doryctinae (Hymenoptera: Braconidae), and its phylogenetic placement

A new genus belonging to the braconid wasp subfamily Doryctinae, Venifurca gen. n., is described containing one species, Venifurca leiosoma sp. n. The new genus is morphologically similar to Johnsonius Marsh and Semirhytus Szépligeti. A phylogenetic analysis based on one nuclear (28S) and one mitochondrial (COI) gene marker supported the close affinity of these three genera + Bolivar Zaldívar-Riverón & Rodríguez-Jiménez and Parallorhogas Marsh. All these genera are mainly characterized by having vein m-cu of the hind wing slightly curved distally. Copyright © 2016 Sian de Souza Gadelha et al

Calliphoridae (Diptera) do noroeste da América do Sul: diversidade, distribuição e código de barras genético

The blow fly fauna of Northwest South America was studied based in three main approaches: 1. Local diversity of assemblages; 2. geographical distribution of their species; and 3. efficacy of short DNA sequences (Mini barcode) to identify their species. In order to study the patterns of species richness, abundance and dominance of local assemblages, three scenarios were chosen: the Amazonian interfluvial region; an altitudinal gradient in the Andean belt and the Páramo ecosystem. By the other hand, the geographical information of 13.474 specimens belonging to 28 species, deposited in eleven entomological collection of Brazil, Colombia, Ecuador and Venezuela was retrieved. Based on this data, it was possible to make a preliminary regionalization into six natural divisions: Amazon, Andes, Caribbean, Orinoquia, Pacific and Tepuyan region. It was also possible to identify preliminary patterns of geographical distribution and classify the blow fly species according to the biographic origin as follow: Tropical (25 spp); Temperate (4 spp) and Introduced (4spp). According to the altitudinal distribution, 17 species come from lowlands; 27 of montane and 8 of high elevations. Finally according to the level of synanthropy: 14 species were asynanthropic; 13 hemisynanthropic and 14 eusynanthropic. We recovered short mitochondrial DNA sequences (Mini barcodes of 317bp) from 143 specimens of thirty Neotropical species. This molecular marker allow the species identification of Calliphora, Chrysomya, Cochliomyia, Compsomyiops, Sarconesia, and Hemilucilia. However, it was not suitable for the correct identification of Lucilia species. In addition, we recovered genetic information from old preserved specimens deposited in museums for up to 57 year. The global diversity patterns together with the local assemblages assessed demostrated that the existence of an altitudinal gradient affects the composition of the blow fly fauna in the region. Being the most diverse assemblages, those located at intermediate elevations and the less diverse the perennial páramo ecosystem. The noticeable sensibility of blow flies to anthropized environments, the relative low number of species and their ubiquity, together with their relatively stable taxonomy, makes this group of flies as an ideal indicator of the level of human influence in environments of Northwest South America.Estudou-se a fauna de Calliphoridae (Diptera) na região noroeste da América do Sul, abordando três aspectos principais: 1. Diversidade local das assembleias; 2. Distribuição geográfica das espécies; e 3. Uso de sequências de DNA na identificação genética das espécies. Para estudar os padrões de diversidade local e avaliar os padrões de riqueza, abundância e dominância foram escolhidos três cenários: o interflúvio amazônico, o gradiente altitudinal nos Andes Colombianos e o ecossistema de Páramo andino. Além disso, foi compilada a informação geográfica de 13.474 espécimes de 28 espécies, depositados em onze coleções entomológicas localizadas no Brasil, Colômbia, Equador e Venezuela. Com base nessa informação foi possível dividir a área de estudo em seis regiões naturais: Amazônia, Andes, Caribe, Orinoquia, Pacífica e Tepuiana. Também foi possível identificar padrões preliminares de distribuição espacial e classificar a fauna de califorídeos segundo a origem biogeográfica: espécies tropicais (25 spp.) temperadas (4 spp.) e introduzidas (4 spp.); segundo a distribuição altitudinal: espécies de terras baixas (17 spp.), espécies de montanha (27 spp.) e espécies de altas elevações (8 spp.) e segundo o grau de sinantropia em espécies assinantrópicas (14 spp.), hemissiantrópicas (13 spp.) e sinantrópicas (14 spp.). Finalmente, foram fornecidas as sequências curtas de DNA mitocondrial com 317 pares de bases (mini-barcode) para trinta espécies, possibilitando a identificação molecular das de Calliphora, Chrysomya, Cochliomyia, Compsomyiops, Sarconesia e Hemilucilia. Contudo, o marcador escolhido não foi adequado para identificar as espécies de Lucilia. Além disso, foram recuperadas as sequências genéticas de exemplares antigos depositados em coleções por até 57 anos. Os padrões de diversidade global e os encontrados em cada assembleia avaliada demostraram que a existência de um gradiente altitudinal afeta a composição da fauna de Califorídeos. Foi demostrado que as elevações intermediarias andinas são as mais ricas em espécies e que os Paramos andinos são pobres em califorídeos. A evidente sensibilidade dos Calliphoridae aos ambientes antropogênicos, seu número baixo de espécies e sua taxonomia relativamente estável faz deste um grupo ideal para utilização como indicador de ambientes antropisádos na região norte da América do Sul

Are publications on zoological taxonomy under attack?

Taxonomy is essential to biological sciences and the priority field to be supported in face of the biodiversity crisis. The industry of scientific publications has made extensive use of bibliometric indexes, resulting in distortions to institutions, organizations, and researchers, such as the side effect known as Journal Impact Factor (JIF) mania. Inadequacies of the most widely used bibliometric indexes from giant companies Clarivate™ (InCites™) and RELX™ Elsevier B.V. (Scopus®) to assessment of the relevance of taxonomic publications were considered as one of the impediments for the progress of this field. Recently, Clarivate suppressed the mega-journal Zootaxa, focused on taxonomy, from Journal Citation Reports (JCR), a database with 12,000 periodicals. Zootaxa suppression, together with other 32 journals, was based on an unusual high proportion of self-citations. Suppressed journals would thus not receive a value of JIF for 2020. A prompt reaction from the scientific community against the suppression of Zootaxa took place and, accordingly, Clarivate announced its reinstatement. This situation exposed many persistent myths and misuses of bibliometric indexes. The goal of this study is to shed light on the impacts of bibliometric indexes to the taxonomic field and on underlying aspects of the suppression of Zootaxa. Our major question is whether the suppression of any journal from JIF can really affect the production in the taxonomic field. We explored data metrics from the JCR (Web of Science Core Collection™) for 2010–2018 of the top ten zoological journals (eight are included in JCR) in the number of new taxa and journals focused on or regularly publishing taxonomic studies, totaling 123 journals. Zootaxa shows higher levels of self-citations than similar journals. We consider that two possible explanations provided for the high number of self-citations, i.e., Zootaxa’s scope on taxonomy and the fact that it is a mega-journal, are inadequate. Instead, putative explanations are related to the “Zootaxa phenomenon,” a sociological bias that includes visibility, and potential harmful myths that portray Zootaxa as the unique journal that publishes taxonomic studies with an inviting JIF value. Menaces to taxonomy as a science come from many sources and the low bibliometric values of its journals are only one of the factors that contribute for establishing the so-called taxonomic impediment. We suggest rejection of bibliometric indexes, including JIF, instead of considering them when convenient. Taxonomists as a community, instead of being deeply focused on journal metrics endorsing the villainy of bibliometric policies imposed by dominant companies, should be engaged with renewed strength in actions directly connected to the development and promotion of this science