42 research outputs found

    \u3ci\u3eTomoxia bucephala\u3c/i\u3e A. Costa (Coleoptera: Mordellidae), a Palearctic tumbling flower beetle established in North America

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    Tomoxia bucephala A. Costa (Coleoptera: Mordellidae), a Palearctic tumbling flower beetle native to Europe, Asia, and northernmost Africa, is now known from North America. The first known occurrences were in 2015 in Essex and Union counties, New Jersey, U.S.A. and in 2019 in Passaic County, New Jersey, all in the New York City metropolitan area. An additional collection documents the species in 2016 from Allegheny County, Pennsylvania, in the Pittsburgh metropolitan area. The multiple occurrences, the large distance between those in New Jersey and Pennsylvania, and multiple detections in natural areas indicate T. bucephala is established in North America and apparently invasive. Several morphological features differenti­ate T. bucephala from the two congeners native to North America, T. inclusa LeConte and T. lineella LeConte, especially coloration patterns of elytral and pronotal vestiture, and coloration of antennae and front legs. This is the first report of a non-native mordellid species established in North America. Tomoxia bucephala does not appear to pose a significant direct economic threat in North America since it feeds in decaying trees. However, T. bucephala occurrences are within the geographic ranges of T. inclusa and T. lineella, and the biology of T. bucephala is similar to these other Tomoxia species. Thus, T. bucephala likely will expand its range within North America, with probable ecological impact on communities of native saproxylic beetles, especially T. lineella and T. inclusa

    Allozyme variation and genetic relationships among species in the Carex willdenowii complex (Cyperaceae)

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    Peer Reviewedhttps://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/142149/1/ajb20546.pd

    Phylogeny and Biogeography of the Carnivorous Plant Family Sarraceniaceae

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    The carnivorous plant family Sarraceniaceae comprises three genera of wetland-inhabiting pitcher plants: Darlingtonia in the northwestern United States, Sarracenia in eastern North America, and Heliamphora in northern South America. Hypotheses concerning the biogeographic history leading to this unusual disjunct distribution are controversial, in part because genus- and species-level phylogenies have not been clearly resolved. Here, we present a robust, species-rich phylogeny of Sarraceniaceae based on seven mitochondrial, nuclear, and plastid loci, which we use to illuminate this family's phylogenetic and biogeographic history. The family and genera are monophyletic: Darlingtonia is sister to a clade consisting of Heliamphora+Sarracenia. Within Sarracenia, two clades were strongly supported: one consisting of S. purpurea, its subspecies, and S. rosea; the other consisting of nine species endemic to the southeastern United States. Divergence time estimates revealed that stem group Sarraceniaceae likely originated in South America 44–53 million years ago (Mya) (highest posterior density [HPD] estimate = 47 Mya). By 25–44 (HPD = 35) Mya, crown-group Sarraceniaceae appears to have been widespread across North and South America, and Darlingtonia (western North America) had diverged from Heliamphora+Sarracenia (eastern North America+South America). This disjunction and apparent range contraction is consistent with late Eocene cooling and aridification, which may have severed the continuity of Sarraceniaceae across much of North America. Sarracenia and Heliamphora subsequently diverged in the late Oligocene, 14–32 (HPD = 23) Mya, perhaps when direct overland continuity between North and South America became reduced. Initial diversification of South American Heliamphora began at least 8 Mya, but diversification of Sarracenia was more recent (2–7, HPD = 4 Mya); the bulk of southeastern United States Sarracenia originated co-incident with Pleistocene glaciation, <3 Mya. Overall, these results suggest climatic change at different temporal and spatial scales in part shaped the distribution and diversity of this carnivorous plant clade

    Protecting stable biological nomenclatural systems enables universal communication: A collective international appeal.

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    peer reviewedThe fundamental value of universal nomenclatural systems in biology is that they enable unambiguous scientific communication. However, the stability of these systems is threatened by recent discussions asking for a fairer nomenclature, raising the possibility of bulk revision processes for "inappropriate" names. It is evident that such proposals come from very deep feelings, but we show how they can irreparably damage the foundation of biological communication and, in turn, the sciences that depend on it. There are four essential consequences of objective codes of nomenclature: universality, stability, neutrality, and transculturality. These codes provide fair and impartial guides to the principles governing biological nomenclature and allow unambiguous universal communication in biology. Accordingly, no subjective proposals should be allowed to undermine them

    Tetrapterys arcana

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    Angiosperm

    Byrsonima crassifolia

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    Angiosperm

    Byrsonima crassifolia

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    Angiosperm

    Byrsonima crassifolia

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    Angiosperm

    Tetrapterys tinifolia

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    Angiosperm
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