Phylogeography of Scarabaeus (Pachysoma) Macleay (Scarabaeidae: Scarabaeinae)

Scarabaeus (Pachysoma) consists of 13 flightless dung beetle species endemic to the arid west coast of southern Africa. Scarabaeus (Pachysoma) are unique in their feeding and foraging habits, in that they randomly search for dry dung/detritus which, when found, is dragged forwards, and buried in a pre-constructed holding chamber, as opposed to the convention of rolling it backwards. This action is repeated to provision the chamber after which the nest is expanded to below the moisture line to allow the stored food to re-hydrate. Poor vagility, taxonomic contention - seen in Scarabaeus taxonomy - and conservation concern, made Scarabaeus (Pachysoma) an ideal group of beetles to study both the phylogenetics and potential influences that anthropogenic and environmental changes have had on structuring the species and populations thereof. Both molecular and morphological data were used as individual datasets and combined in a total evidence approach. Biogeographic inferences were made based on recent detailed Namib biogeography and the ages of the species were estimated using the molecular clock method. A phylogeographic study was done on three of the species of Scarabaeus (Pachysoma) – S. (P.) hippocrates, S. (P.) gariepinus and S. (P.) denticollis - that had previously shown south-north morphological clinal variation. Lastly, an attempt was made to isolate microsatellite loci for Scarabaeus, in the hope of characterising genetic diversity within and between populations of the same species. Scarabaeus (Pachysoma) was found to be monophyletic within Scarabaeus and was therefore classified as a derived subgenus thereof. Morphologically Scarabaeus (Pachysoma) was shown to have 13 species while at a molecular level strong resolution for 11 of the 13 was obtained. S. (P.) hippocrates and S. (P.) glentoni formed a species complex the hippocrates/glentoni complex. The combined phylogenetic tree showed good overall support for all 13 species. Both the morphological and molecular data partition phylogenies show congruence with the combined phylogeny, lending support for combining datasets. Scarabaeus (Pachysoma) appears to have arisen 2.9 million years ago. The formation of advective fog is a consistent water source for Desert dwelling organisms and appears to be associated with Scarabaeus (Pachysoma) radiation into inhospitable areas. Analysis of gene flow revealed large amounts of south-north movement, lending support for movement of psammophilous taxa with their substratum, the barchan dune. Population demographics of the three species, S. (P.) hippocrates, S. (P.) gariepinus and S. (P.) denticollis, chosen for this study differed greatly except in areas of geographic similarity. Major rivers appear to have acted as gene barriers, allowing for distinct genetic entities to be identified within the three species. Phylogeographic partitioning was supported by an AMOVA analysis. All three species were shown to have undergone historical population expansion dating back to the Pleistocene era. Nested Clade Analysis indicated that allopatric speciation; isolation by distance and continuous range expansion could be the factors having affected overall population structure. Recent events show that human induced factors, environmental barriers and reduced vagility have influenced the species population structure. Four potentially polymorphic loci were isolated for Scarabaeus using the FIASCO protocol. Identification of at least one additional locus is needed in order to obtain statistical significance for future studies directed at uncovering recent population dynamics.Thesis (PhD (Entomology))--University of Pretoria, 2007.Zoology and Entomologyunrestricte

Phylogeny of the African ball-rolling dung beetle genus Epirinus Reiche (Coleoptera : Scarabaeidae : Scarabaeinae)

Recent phylogenetic analyses have pointed to the dung beetle genus Epirinus as the putative African ancestral roller group. Consequently, we tested the roller status of species in the genus with observational studies and constructed a molecular phylogeny based on partial sequences of two mitochondrial and two nuclear genes for 16 of 29 species. Tested species were confirmed to be dung rollers. Monophyly of the genus was confirmed, lending support to the synonymy of the wingless genus Endroedyantus with Epirinus. Moreover, the phylogenetic hypothesis was found to have a similar topology with a previously published one based on morphological data. A combined molecular/morphology analysis showed congruence between the molecular and morphological datasets. The loss of flight in some species and estimated divergence dates within Epirinus are discussed.http://www.publish.csiro.au/?nid=120ab201

A molecular phylogeny of the African Scarabaeinae (Coleoptera: Scarabaeidae)

Dung beetles of the subfamily Scarabaeinae have a worldwide distribution, with the Afrotropical region, the putative origin of the diversification of Scarabaeinae, having the richest diversity. We use partial sequences from two ribosomal (16S, 28S) and two protein coding genes (COI, CAD) to examine the relationships among 55 genera, representing more than half of the genera in the region. Taxa were sampled to maximize representation of dung beetle morphological and ecological diversity in all nine tribes that occur in Africa. We estimated the divergence times of the tribes to determine relative ages. The phylogenetic hypothesis of tribal and generic relationships was found to largely concur with that of a recent molecular study done at a global scale, suggesting earliest diverging lineages which are quite distinct from the ones traditionally recognized. Thus recent calls for a new classification for Scarabaeinae are supported. We suggest possible changes to the classification, corroborate the likely African origin of the subfamily and provide support for fungus-feeding as the most likely ancestral feeding habit in the Scarabaeinae.An NRF grant was awarded to CHS.http://www.arthropod-systematics.deam201

Colophon larvae : descriptions and phylogenetic implications

The aim of the Colophon larval study was to enable researchers to identify the species found in the field; to use larvae as an alternative for adults in molecular studies; to comment on possible phylogenetic information that may contribute to the sub-familial placement of the genus; and to obtain habitat preference data. To achieve this, larvae of four Colophon species were examined and their main diagnostic morphological characters identified. Larvae live in a fairly homogeneous micro-habitat of moist, humus-rich soil in protected places such as under rocky overhangs and amongst the roots and tussocks of Restionaceae. Colophon larvae show small inter-specific differences and larval characters contributed little equivocal information from which phylogenetic support for family placement could be deduced. Apparendy, as with many scarabaeoid groups (Trogidae, Scarabaeidae), larval morphology may not have diversified much from the basal ground-plan and it remains for other (adult) phylogenetically significant morphological characters or DNA to provide more clarity on Colophons subfamilial placement.http://booksandjournals.brillonline.com/content/journals/1876312xhb201

A remarkable teratological case for Eucymatodera parva Schenkling, 1908 (Cleridae : Tillinae) from Namibia

Teratology can be defined as the study of the causes producing abnormalities, malformations or defects of the physical development (Ujházy et al. 2012). Teratological examples have been described in almost all animal groups, including insects (Ferrer et al. 2014). The importance of reporting teratological events in insects has been discussed by Glasgow (1925), Cockayne (1937) and Savini & Furth (2004). Glasgow (1925) stated that insect malformations should be documented to make these cases available to investigators who may have a special interest in such events. Cockayne (1937) mentioned that, even if the observed teratologies do not represent something novel, it seems desirable to publish these descriptions accompanied by plates illustrating the nature of the abnormality. Savini&Furth (2004) in their discussion of malformations in Coleoptera, stressed the importance of recording insect abnormalities, indicating that, in some cases, these abnormalities offer valuable information about the influence of environmental conditions during insect development.http://www.journals.co.za/content/journal/entohttp://www.entsocsa.co.za/Publications.htm2020-03-01am2018Zoology and Entomolog

On Afromantispa and Mantispa (Insecta, Neuroptera, Mantispidae) : elucidating generic boundaries

Werner Strümpher is thanked for his valuable and critical comments on the manuscript. We would also like to extend our gratitude to Johan Saayman for his enthusiasm and willingness to help with the photography, as well as Morgan Trimble for some of the photos used in this publication. Mervyn Mansell is thanked for his willingness to discuss and for his meaningful advice. We are also grateful for all the staff of SANC, MRAC and ZMB who helped with the curation and lending of specimens.The genus Afromantispa Snyman & Ohl, 2012 was recently synonymised with Mantispa Illiger, 1798 by Monserrat (2014). Here morphological evidence is presented in support of restoring the genus Afromantispa stat. rev. to its previous status as a valid and morphologically distinct genus. Twelve new combinations (comb. n.) are proposed as species of Afromantispa including three new synonyms.The National Research Foundationhttp://zookeys.pensoft.net/am201

On Afromantispa and Mantispa (Insecta, Neuroptera, Mantispidae) : elucidating generic boundaries

The genus Afromantispa Snyman & Ohl, 2012 was recently synonymised with Mantispa Illiger, 1798 by Monserrat (2014). Here morphological evidence is presented in support of restoring the genus Afromantispa stat. rev. to its previous status as a valid and morphologically distinct genus. Twelve new combinations (comb. n.) are proposed as species of Afromantispa including three new synonyms.Werner Strümpher is thanked for his valuable and critical comments on the manuscript. We would also like to extend our gratitude to Johan Saayman for his enthusiasm and willingness to help with the photography, as well as Morgan Trimble for some of the photos used in this publication. Mervyn Mansell is thanked for his willingness to discuss and for his meaningful advice. We are also grateful for all the staff of SANC, MRAC and ZMB who helped with the curation and lending of specimens.The National Research Foundationhttp://zookeys.pensoft.net/am201

Microsatellite repeat motif and amplicon length affect amplification success of degraded faecal DNA

Degradation reduces DNA quality and quantity in faecal samples and leads to low amplification success. We investigated the influence of repeat motif and amplicon length by comparing the amplification success of five dinucleotide, five tetranucleotide, and two compound microsatellite markers for African elephant (Loxodonta africana) faecal DNA samples. We found that both repeat motif and amplicon length influenced amplification success, and suggest the use of simple microsatellite markers containing alleles with small amplicon sizes to maximise amplification success of degraded DNA.The Conservation Ecology Research Unit team, the International Fund for Animal Welfare, the Zambian Wildlife Authority, the Department of Wildlife and National Parks (Botswana), Elephants Without Borders, and the Conservation Foundation (Zambia).http://link.springer.com/journal/126862015-09-30hj201