A new study from the parasitology lab (Dr. Caira): Marques, F. P. & J. N. Caira, J. N. 2016. Pararhinebothroides-neither the sister-taxon of Rhinebothroides nor a valid genus. The Journal of Parasitology 102: 249-259. pdf

 

The abstract reads: The genus Pararhinebothroides was established for a species of cestode (Parahinebothroides hobergi) found parasitizing the Tumbes round stingray, Urobatis tumbesensis (McEachran & Chirichigno), in the inshore Pacific waters in the Gulf of Guayaquil, Ecuador. Its apparent affinities with the freshwater endemic genus Rhinebothroides were considered evidence to support the long-standing, yet controversial, biogeographical hypothesis that freshwater stingrays of the family Potamotrygonidae derived from a Pacific marine ancestor during the Cretaceous Period before the uplifting of the Andes. Here, we re-evaluate the phylogenetic and taxonomic status of P. hobergi based on examination of the available type material and newly collected material from the type host near the type locality. The new material allowed the description of tegumental structures using scanning electron microscopy and the generation of a hypothesis for the phylogenetic position of the species based on molecular data for the first time. Morphological investigations revealed that P. hobergi shares all the diagnostic features of the most recent concept of Anthocephalum, including the previously overlooked presence of bothridial apical suckers. Phylogenetic analyses based on partial 28S rDNA (D1–D3) and complete 18S rDNA sequence data for 4 specimens of P. hobergi, 45 species of other rhinebothriideans, and 5 non-rhinebothriidean outgroup species provided unequivocal support for the transfer of P. hobergi to Anthocephalum. Since this is the type and only species of the genus, Pararhinebothroides is considered a junior synonym of Anthocephalum, and Anthocephalum hobergi n. comb. is redescribed. Furthermore, our results reveal Rhinebothroides and Anthocephalum to be only distantly related among the Rhinebothriidea. Not only do our results confirm reservations expressed earlier about the affinities of P. hobergi, but they also substantially challenge inferences drawn previously about the biogeographical history of potamotrygonid stingrays based on parasitological data.

Progress in our understanding of the relationships within the “potato-clade” are presented and co-authored by Dr. Gregory Anderson in: Tepe E.J., G.J. Anderson, D.M. Spooner & L. Bohs. 2016. Relationships among wild relatives of the tomato, potato, and pepino. Taxon 65: 262–276. (pdf)

Some of the specimens studied are deposited in the BRC herbarium.

The abstract reads: With ca. 200 species, the informally named Potato clade represents one of the larger subgroups of the estimated 1500 species of Solanum. Because its members include the potato (S. tuberosum), tomato (S. lycopersicum), and pepino (S. muricatum), it is the most economically important clade in the genus. These crop species and their close relatives have been the focus of intensive research, but relationships among major lineages of the Potato clade remain poorly understood. In this study, we use sequences from the nuclear ITS and waxy (GBSSI), and plastid trnT–trnF and trnS–trnG to estimate a phylogeny and further explore relationships within the Potato clade. With increased sampling over past studies, the Potato clade emerges as a strongly supported clade and comprises 12–13 subclades which, for the most part, correspond to traditionally recognized sections. Solanum sect. Regmandra is sister to the rest of the lineages of the Potato clade which are, in turn, organized into two major subclades: (1) sections Anarrhichomenum, Articulatum, Basarthrum, Etuberosum, Juglandifolia, Lycopersicoides, Lycopersicon, and Petota, and (2) sections Herpystichum and Pteroidea. As in all other studies including these groups, sections Etuberosum, Juglandifolia, Lycopersicoides, Lycopersicon, and Petota form a strongly supported clade. Solanum oxycoccoides, a high-elevation species endemic to north-central Peru, was tentatively assigned to several groups within Solanum based on morphological evidence, but instead the species represents an independent lineage within the Potato clade, sister to the first major subclade. A key to the sections of the Potato clade is provided.

Chris Martine, a Ph.D. student of Greg Anderson and currently a professor at Bucknell, described a new species in the genus Solanum:

Martine, C. T., J. Cantley, E. Frawley, A. Butler & I. Jordan-Thaden. 2016. New functionally dioecious bush tomato from northwestern Australia, Solanum ossicruentum, may utilize “trample burr” dispersal. PhytoKeys 63: 19–29.

Noteworthy is that naming the new species involved a group of 150 middle school students. Several of the specimens referred to his paper are deposited in the BRC herbarium. The paper is:

The abstract reads: A new Australian species of functionally dioecious bush tomato of Solanum subgenus Leptostemonum is described. Solanum ossicruentum Martine & J.Cantley, sp. nov., is thought to be allied with members of the problematic “Dioicum Complex” lineage, but differs in its short silvery indumentum, long calyx lobes, larger stature, and an unusual fruit morphology that may represent “trample burr” seed dispersal. The species occurs in a range extending from the eastern Kimberley in Western Australia to far northwestern Northern Territory and has been recognized for decades as a variant of S. dioicum W.Fitzg. Specimens of this species were previously referred to by D.E. Symon and others as Solanum dioicum ‘Tanami.’ Ex situ crossing studies and SEM images of inaperturate pollen grains produced in morphologically hermaphrodite flowers indicate that this taxon is functionally dioecious. The scientific name was chosen with the help of 150 seventh grade life science students from Pennsylvania, USA.

Calyptophractus retusus, or the Greater fairy Armadillo, is known from five collections in North America, and one of these in housed in our mammal collection, an awareness acquired following of the release of the database of our holdings via VertNet.
For more info on this and related species see:
DELSUC, F., SUPERINA, M., TILAK, M.-K., DOUZERY, E. J. P. & HASSANIN, A. 2012. Molecular phylogenetics unveils the ancient evolutionary origins of the enigmatic fairy armadillos. Molecular Phylogenetics and Evolution 62(2):673-680.

Just published: Jensen, K., J.N. Caira, J.J. Cielocha, D.T.J. Littlewood & A, Waeschenbach. 2016. When proglottids and scoleces conflict: phylogenetic relationships and a family-level classification of the Lecanicephalidea (Platyhelminthes: Cestoda). International Journal for Parasitology 46: 291–310. pdf

 

The abstract reads: This study presents the first comprehensive phylogenetic analysis of the interrelationships of the morphologically diverse elasmobranch-hosted tapeworm order Lecanicephalidea, based on molecular sequence data. With almost half of current generic diversity having been erected or resurrected within the last decade, an apparent conflict between scolex morphology and proglottid anatomy has hampered the assignment of many of these genera to families. Maximum likelihood and Bayesian analyses of two nuclear markers (D1–D3 of lsrDNA and complete ssrDNA) and two mitochondrial markers (partial rrnL and partial cox1) for 61 lecanicephalidean species representing 22 of the 25 valid genera were conducted; new sequence data were generated for 43 species and 11 genera, including three undescribed genera. The monophyly of the order was confirmed in all but the analyses based on cox1 data alone. Sesquipedalapex placed among species of Anteropora and was thus synonymized with the latter genus. Based on analyses of the concatenated dataset, eight major groups emerged which are herein formally recognised at the familial level. Existing family names (i.e., Lecanicephalidae, Polypocephalidae, Tetragonocephalidae, and Cephalobothriidae) are maintained for four of the eight clades, and new families are proposed for the remaining four groups (Aberrapecidae n. fam., Eniochobothriidae n. fam., Paraberrapecidae n. fam., and Zanobatocestidae n. fam.). The four new families and the Tetragonocephalidae are monogeneric, while the Cephalobothriidae, Lecanicephalidae and Polypocephalidae comprise seven, eight and four genera, respectively. As a result of their unusual morphologies, the three genera not included here (i.e., Corrugatocephalum, Healyum and Quadcuspibothrium) are considered incertae sedis within the order until their familial affinities can be examined in more detail. All eight families are newly circumscribed based on morphological features and a key to the families is provided. Aspects of morphological evolution and host associations are discussed in a phylogenetic context for each family and for the order as a whole. Lecanicephalidean genera lacking apical structures were confirmed as the earliest diverging lineages. Proglottid anatomy was determined to be much more conserved and indicative of phylogenetic affinities than scolex morphology. Collectively, the Lecanicephalidea parasitize three of the four orders of Batoidea—their almost exclusive absence from skates (Order Rajiformes) appears to be real; only a few records from sharks exist. At the family level, the breadth of host associations is correlated with taxonomic diversity of the family. The degree to which factors such as intermediate host use or host specificity at any stage in the life-cycle shape these patterns is currently unknown.

The recent award by NSF in support of the unique Army Ant Guests collection assembled by Carl and Marian Rettenmeyer over 50 years and now housed in the Biodiversity Research Collection is featured in UCONN Today.

Read a conversation with Matt Opel entitled “Cultivating an Interest: A Look at UConn’s greenhouses” that appeared in the Daily Campus.

 

 

On Thursday 4/15, EEB held a reception to celebrate the legacy of Ralph M. Wetzel.  Attendees included Wetzel family members, friends, former students, and EEB faculty members and students.  The event included remarks by Director of the Vertebrate Collections Eric Schultz (who emphasized how the Ralph M. Wetzel Fund has played an important role in supporting the student research), Bob Dubos (who had been a student of Wetzel’s and who played a critical role in discovery of the Chacoan peccary), Greg Anderson (who had been a young faculty member when Wetzel was on faculty), and Holly Brown (who designed a display case that highlights the mammals in the Biodiversity Research Collection, and Wetzel’s contribution to it).  In this picture, Wetzel’s children Neal, Erica and Chris Wetzel stand in front of the display case.  The reception was followed by a viewing of hummingbird videos by Alejandro Rico-Guevara, a recipient of Wetzel funds, and a research presentation by Phil Myers (emeritus faculty at University of Michigan), who had been a colleague of Wetzel’s and was a coauthor on the paper describing the Peccary’s rediscovery.

Following an interview of Dr. Jane O’Donnell by the Associated Press about the award by the National Science Foundation to insure the preservation of the Carl and Marian Rettenmeyer Army Ant Guest collection in the Biodiversity Research Collection, the story hit the web. The award has been featured by various news outlets such as: Hartford Courant, New Haven Register, WNPR, WTHN, New York Times, Washington Times, San Francisco Gate, Richmond Times, KDWN, Cortez Journal, Access WDUN, News channel 10, KCTV5, Yahoo & bigstory.ap.

US News headline reads: The University of Connecticut will give the public access to decades of work by a biologist and his wife who collected more than 2 million army ants and other critters during expeditions to the jungles of Central and South America.

Also listen to the interview of Jane O’Donnell by WHSU.