A Combined Molecular and Morphological Approach to Explore the Higher Phylogeny of Entimine Weevils (Coleoptera: Curculionidae), with Special Reference to South American Taxa

The Entiminae are broad-nosed weevils constituting the most diverse subfamily of Curculionidae, with over 50 tribes. We performed Bayesian and Maximum Parsimony combined phylogenetic analyses with the main objective of testing higher-level relationships and the naturalness of the major Neotropical and Southern South American (Patagonia and Andes) tribes, including some members from other regions. We compiled a data matrix of 67 terminal units with 63 Entiminae species, as well as four outgroup taxa from Cyclominae, by 3522 molecular (from nuclear 18S rDNA and 28S rDNA, and mitochondrial 16S rDNA and COI gene sequences) and 70 morphological characters. The resulting trees recover a clade Entiminae with a monophyletic Cylydrorhinini and Premnotrypes branching off early. The tree resulting from parsimony analysis shows a clade of Leptopiini from the Australian region and another clade including taxa mainly distributed in the Palaearctic and Neotropical regions, but in the Bayesian tree the South American and Australian Leptopiini are grouped together. The mainly Palaearctic Entiminae (e.g., Brachyderini, Laparocerini, Otiorhynchini, Peritelini, Polydrusini, Phyllobiini and Sciaphylini) form a subclade separated from Southern Hemisphere taxa. Among the latter, the well-supported Naupactini are the sister group of the South American Tanymecini, excluding Platyaspistes, herein transferred to Leptopiini (new placement). Another well-justified clade is Eustylini–Geonemini, which also includes the enigmatic Galapagonotus, and the genus Artipus, thus corroborating its recent exclusion from Naupactini

Morphological and molecular identification of the invasive Xylosandrus crassiusculus (Coleoptera: Curculionidae: Scolytinae) and its South American range extending Into Argentina and Uruguay

The occurrence of the exotic “granulate ambrosia beetle” Xylosandrus crassiusculus (Motschulsky) in Argentina and Uruguay is reported for the first time, documenting expansion in South America. Morphological characters are provided to allow distinction of this species from other similar ambrosia beetles. Molecular identification was also done on the basis of the 5′ region of the mitochondrial cytochrome c oxidase I (COI) gene, obtained from a specimen from Argentina and compared with available “barcode” sequences in public databases. Phylogenetic analyses, via maximum likelihood and parsimony, were performed using COI sequences from 17 terminals, including 14 sequences of X. crassiusculus from different continents plus other Xylosandrus and Cnestus species as outgroups. Results from the sequence analyses confirm the identity of X. crassiusculus. The specimen from Argentina and the two sampled from United States showed no differences in their COI sequences. Further studies are needed, on the genetic variation through the native and introduced ranges of the granulate ambrosia beetle, to ascertain the source/s of origin of this biological invasion in the Americas. The present paper reports the expansion of this exotic species in South America into Argentina and Uruguay.Fil: Landi, Lucas. Instituto Nacional de Tecnología Agropecuaria (INTA). Instituto de Recursos Biológicos; ArgentinaFil: Gómez, Demian. INIA Tacuarembó; UruguayFil: Braccini, Celina Laura. Instituto Nacional de Tecnología Agropecuaria (INTA). Instituto de Recursos Biológicos; ArgentinaFil: Pereyra, Vanina A. Universidad Nacional de La Plata. Facultad de Ciencias Naturales y Museo. División Entomología: ArgentinaFil: Smith, Sarah M. Michigan State University. Department of Entomology; Estados UnidosFil: Marvaldi, Adriana E. Universidad Nacional de La Plata. Facultad de Ciencias Naturales y Museo. División Entomología: Argentin

Introduction and Establishment of Pissodes castaneus (Coleoptera: Curculionidae) in the Andean Patagonia of Argentina

International audienceThe pine weevils that occur in plantations of Pinus spp. in Andean Patagonia of Argentina belong to the species Pissodes castaneus (De Geer), a Eurasian endemic species, according to the identification based on molecular and morphological characters. Sequences of the mitochondrial Cytochrome oxidase subunit I and nuclear genes (28 S rDNA and ITS2) were obtained for individuals of 13 afforestations, covering the entire distribution area of the established populations in the Andean Patagonia of Argentina. Sequence comparison with representative species of the genus (European, North American, and Chinese species) shows that Patagonian specimens are conspecific to those of P. castaneus sequenced from Europe. Phylogenetic analyses indicate that all terminals from Patagonia form a monophyletic unit without evident subclades, eliminating the possibility of existence of more than one species of Pissodes Germar in this area, including cryptic ones. Moreover, the very low genetic divergence between the Patagonian populations suggests that it is plausible that P. castaneus was introduced into Patagonia from just one location. Mitochondrial DNA analysis shows that Patagonian terminals group together with a French haplotype and are clearly separated from other P. castaneus individuals represented in our sample, and reveal that established populations in Andean Patagonia originated via a limited introduction.Los gorgojos del pino presentes en plantaciones de Pinus spp. en la Patagonia andina de Argentina pertenecen a la especie Pissodes castaneus (De Geer), una especie endémica de Eurasia, de acuerdo a la identificación basada en caracteres moleculares y morfológicos. Se obtuvieron secuencias del gen mitocondrial Citocromo oxidasa subunidad I y de dos genes nucleares (28 S ADNr y ITS2), para individuos de 13 plantaciones, cubriendo toda el área de distribución de las poblaciones establecidas en la Patagonia andina de Argentina. La comparación de estas secuencias con aquellas de especies representativas del género (especies de Europa, América del Norte y China), muestra que los especímenes de la Patagonia son conespecíficos con los de P. castaneus de Europa. Los análisis filogenéticos muestran que todos los terminales de la Patagonia forman una unidad monofilética sin subclados evidentes, descartando la posibilidad de que exista más de una especie de Pissodes Germar en esta área, incluyendo especies crípticas. Más aún, la baja divergencia genética entre las poblaciones patagónicas sugiere que es posible que P. castaneus haya sido introducida en la Patagonia desde una única localidad. Los análisis con ADN mitocondrial muestran que los terminales de Patagonia se agrupan junto a un haplotipo francés y están claramente separados de otros individuos de P. castaneus representados en la muestra, y revelan que una introducción limitada dio origen a las poblaciones establecidas en la Patagonia andina