Molecular data from the holotype of the enigmatic Bornean Black Shrew, Suncus ater Medway, 1965 (Soricidae, Crocidurinae), place it in the genus Palawanosorex

Although Borneo has received more attention from biologists than most other islands in the Malay Archipelago, many questions regarding the systematic relationships of Bornean mammals remain. Using next-generation sequencing technology, we obtained mitochondrial DNA sequences from the holotype of Suncus ater, the only known specimen of this shrew. Several shrews collected recently in Sarawak are closely aligned, both morphologically and mitochondrially, with the holotype of S. ater. Phylogenetic analyses of mitochondrial sequences indicate that the S. ater holotype and new Sarawak specimens do not belong to the genus Suncus, but instead are most closely related to Palawanosorex muscorum. Until now Palawanosorex has been known only from the neighboring Philippine island of Palawan. Additional sequences from nuclear ultra-conserved elements from the new Sarawak specimens strongly support a sister relationship to P. muscorum. We therefore transfer ater to Palawanosorex. The new specimens demonstrate that P. ater is more widespread in northern Borneo than previously recorded. Continued sampling of Bornean mammal diversity and reexamination of type material are critical in understanding the evolutionary history of the biologically rich Malay Archipelago

Conservation Genetics of the Philippine Tarsier: Cryptic Genetic Variation Restructures Conservation Priorities for an Island Archipelago Primate

Acknowledgments We thank the Philippine Department of Environment and Natural Resources for facilitating research, sample collection, and export permits (in particular T. M. Lim, C. Custodio, J. deLeon, and A. Tagtag) necessary for this and related research. Sampling protocols were approved by the University of Kansas Animal Care and Use Committee (IACUC 158-01 to RMB) and protocols to capture, sedate, and harvest ear biopsies from wild tarsiers were approved by the Dartmouth Animal Care and Use Committee (IACUC 10-11-12 and 11-06-06AT to NJD). Thanks are due to J. Quilang for assistance with data and comments on the manuscript. We thank N. Antoque, J. Cantil, and V. Yngente for assistance in the field and anonymous reviewers for comments on previous versions of the manuscript.Author Contributions Conceived and designed the experiments: RMB JAW CDS JAE MS MLD ACD. Performed the experiments: RMB MRMD LVD INA JAE NJD PSO AL MLD ACD CDS. Analyzed the data: KVO AJB CDS. Contributed reagents/materials/analysis tools: RMB KVO AJB CDS JAE LVD GLM. Wrote the paper: RMB JAW CDS JAE MS GLM. Obtained permission and executed field surveys: RMB MRMD LVD MS INA JAE NJD PSO GLM AL MLD ACD CDS.Establishment of conservation priorities for primates is a particular concern in the island archipelagos of Southeast Asia, where rates of habitat destruction are among the highest in the world. Conservation programs require knowledge of taxonomic diversity to ensure success. The Philippine tarsier is a flagship species that promotes environmental awareness and a thriving ecotourism economy in the Philippines. However, assessment of its conservation status has been impeded by taxonomic uncertainty, a paucity of field studies, and a lack of vouchered specimens and genetic samples available for study in biodiversity repositories. Consequently, conservation priorities are unclear. In this study we use mitochondrial and nuclear DNA to empirically infer geographic partitioning of genetic variation and to identify evolutionarily distinct lineages for conservation action. The distribution of Philippine tarsier genetic diversity is neither congruent with expectations based on biogeographical patterns documented in other Philippine vertebrates, nor does it agree with the most recent Philippine tarsier taxonomic arrangement. We identify three principal evolutionary lineages that do not correspond to the currently recognized subspecies, highlight the discovery of a novel cryptic and range-restricted subcenter of genetic variation in an unanticipated part of the archipelago, and identify additional geographically structured genetic variation that should be the focus of future studies and conservation action. Conservation of this flagship species necessitates establishment of protected areas and targeted conservation programs within the range of each genetically distinct variant of the Philippine tarsier.Support for fieldwork was provided by the University of Kansas Biodiversity Institute and Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology (to RMB, CDS, and JAE), the National Geographic Society (NGS 8446-08 to RMB, JAW, MS and INA), funds from the Primate Action Fund (to MS), Ewha Womans University (Ewha Global Top5 Grant 2013 to MS), the David and Lucile Packard Foundation (Fellowship in Science and Engineering no. 2007-31754, to NJD), and U.S. National Science Foundation (DEB 0743491 to RMB). The funders had no role in study design, data collection and analysis, decision to publish, or preparation of the manuscript.Yeshttp://www.plosone.org/static/editorial#pee

Species' geographic distributions through time: Playing catchup with changing climates

This is the author's accepted manuscript.Species’ ranges are often treated as a rather fixed characteristic, rather than a fluid, ever-changing manifestation of their ecological requirements and dispersal abilities. Paleontologists generally have had a more flexible point of view on this issue than neontologists, but each perspective can improve by appreciating the other. Here, we provide an overview of paleontological and neontological perspectives on species’ geographic distributions, focusing on what can be learned about historical variations in distributions. The cross-disciplinary view, we hope, offers some novel perspectives on species-level biogeography

Photography-based taxonomy is inadequate, unnecessary, and potentially harmful for biological sciences

The question whether taxonomic descriptions naming new animal species without type specimen(s) deposited in collections should be accepted for publication by scientific journals and allowed by the Code has already been discussed in Zootaxa (Dubois & Nemésio 2007; Donegan 2008, 2009; Nemésio 2009a–b; Dubois 2009; Gentile & Snell 2009; Minelli 2009; Cianferoni & Bartolozzi 2016; Amorim et al. 2016). This question was again raised in a letter supported by 35 signatories published in the journal Nature (Pape et al. 2016) on 15 September 2016. On 25 September 2016, the following rebuttal (strictly limited to 300 words as per the editorial rules of Nature) was submitted to Nature, which on 18 October 2016 refused to publish it. As we think this problem is a very important one for zoological taxonomy, this text is published here exactly as submitted to Nature, followed by the list of the 493 taxonomists and collection-based researchers who signed it in the short time span from 20 September to 6 October 2016

Crocidura mdumai Stanley & Hutterer & Giarla & Esselstyn 2015, SP. NOV.

CROCIDURA MDUMAI SP. NOV. (FIGS 7, 9, 13; TABLES 3, 4, 6) Holotype: FMNH 211323, an adult male with slightly worn molars (age class II; see Methods and Materials), prepared as a round skin, skull and body embalmed in formalin and now in 70% ethanol, and frozen tissue (liver); collected by M. J. Munissi (original field number W.T.S. 10842). The condition of the skin, skull and preserved post-cranial body are good. Paratypes: We designate as paratypes three females and four males, FMNH 211131, 211132, 211134, 211322, 211327, 211328 and 211332, all collected at two localities on the Ngorongoro Crater rim in 2010 (see Type locality). All paratypes are preserved as skins, skulls and fluid-preserved post-cranial bodies, with the exception of FMNH 211134, which is preserved as a skin, skull and post-cranial skeleton. See Appendix for additional specimens examined. 4.60; BW: 6.25; NW: 2.00; GW: 9.75; HBC: 6.46; I 3 -W: 0.70; CW: 0.76; M 3 -L: 1.39; M 3 -W: 0.67; MP: 0.94; MI: 13.26; LTR: 8.42. Diagnosis: Crocidura mdumai is a medium-sized, but robust shrew with a head and body length of 76– 91 mm, tail of 52–65 mm and mass of 7.3–9.6 g (Table 3). It is smaller than any of the other species of this study, except for C. newmarki. It is the smallest of any of the specimens with low levels of pilosity on the tail (Table 6). There is low pilosity on the proximal 43% of the tail (which is 70% of the length of head and body and slightly bicoloured). The long bristles (4 mm) at the base of the tail are translucent; the rest of the tail is covered in short, dark brown applied hairs. The dark brown pelage of the dorsum contrasts slightly with the dark grey of the venter. The hairs of the back are 5 mm in length. The dorsal surfaces of both the front and the back feet are paler than the rest of the body. The longest vibrissae emanating from the snout are 19 mm in length. The skull is smaller and rounder with less angular anterior corners of the braincase than in those of any of the other species considered in this study (Fig. 13; Table 4). The lateral profile of the skull exhibits a depression between the braincase and the rostrum, which has a slightly rounded lateral profile. The first upper incisor is short and slender (Figs 9, 13), and the upper canine is longer and broader than the third upper incisor. Type locality: Tanzania, Arusha Region, Ngorongoro District, Ngorongoro Conservation Area, Ngorongoro Crater rim, near Pongo Ranger Post, 3.24407°S, 35.64040°E, 2064 m a.s.l. Paratypes were collected at this locality (FMNH 211322, 211327, 211328, 211332) and: Tanzania, Arusha Region, Ngorongoro District, Ngorongoro Conservation Area, Ngorongoro Crater rim, near Lamala Gate, 3.14255°S, 35.68669°E, 2372 m a.s.l. (FMNH 211131, 211132, 211134).Published as part of Stanley, William T., Hutterer, Rainer, Giarla, Thomas C. & Esselstyn, Jacob A., 2015, Phylogeny, phylogeography and geographical variation in the Crocidura monax (Soricidae) species complex from the montane islands of Tanzania, with descriptions of three new species, pp. 185-215 in Zoological Journal of the Linnean Society (Zool. J. Linn. Soc.) (Zool. J. Linn. Soc.) 174 (1) on pages 205-206, DOI: 10.1111/zoj.12230, http://zenodo.org/record/533739