Minelli-Et-Al(Eds)

Total Page:16

File Type:pdf, Size:1020Kb

Minelli-Et-Al(Eds) ZOOTAXA 1950 Updating the Linnaean Heritage: Names as Tools for Thinking about Animals and Plants ALESSANDRO MINELLI, LUCIO BONATO & GIUSEPPE FUSCO (EDS) Magnolia Press Auckland, New Zealand ALESSANDRO MINELLI, LUCIO BONATO & GIUSEPPE FUSCO (EDS) Updating the Linnaean Heritage: Names as Tools for Thinking about Animals and Plants (Zootaxa 1950) 163 pp.; 30 cm. 5 Dec. 2008 ISBN 978-1-86977-297-0 (paperback) ISBN 978-1-86977-298-7 (Online edition) FIRST PUBLISHED IN 2008 BY Magnolia Press P.O. Box 41-383 Auckland 1346 New Zealand e-mail: [email protected] http://www.mapress.com/zootaxa/ © 2008 Magnolia Press All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored, transmitted or disseminated, in any form, or by any means, without prior written permission from the publisher, to whom all requests to reproduce copyright material should be directed in writing. This authorization does not extend to any other kind of copying, by any means, in any form, and for any purpose other than private research use. ISSN 1175-5326 (Print edition) ISSN 1175-5334 (Online edition) Zootaxa 1950: 3–4 (2008) ISSN 1175-5326 (print edition) www.mapress.com/zootaxa/ ZOOTAXA Copyright © 2008 · Magnolia Press ISSN 1175-5334 (online edition) Updating the Linnaean Heritage: Names as Tools for Thinking about Animals and Plants ALESSANDRO MINELLI FLS, LUCIO BONATO & GIUSEPPE FUSCO (EDS) Department of Biology, University of Padova, Via Ugo Bassi 58B, I 35131 Padova, Italy Email: [email protected], [email protected], [email protected] Table of contents 4 Preface ALESSANDRO MINELLI FLS, LUCIO BONATO, GIUSEPPE FUSCO (ITALY) 5 Actual usage of biological nomenclature and its implications for data integrators; a national, regional and global perspective CHARLES HUSSEY (UK), YDE DE JONG (THE NETHERLANDS), DAVID REMSEN (DENMARK) 9 The Linnean foundations of zoological and botanical nomenclature OTTO KRAUS (GERMANY) 21 Zoological vs. botanical nomenclature: a forgotten ‘BioCode’ experiment from the times of the Strickland Code ALESSANDRO MINELLI (ITALY) 39 ZooBank: developing a nomenclatural tool for unifying 250 years of biological information RICHARD L. PYLE (USA) & ELLINOR MICHEL (UK) 51 Phylogenetic hypotheses, taxa and nomina in zoology ALAIN DUBOIS (FRANCE) 87 Anatomical nomenclature: homology, standardization and datasets GREGORY D. EDGECOMBE (UK) 96 Morphological nomenclature, between patterns and processes: segments and segmentation as a paradig- matic case GIUSEPPE FUSCO (ITALY) 103 Plant structure ontology: how should we label plant structures with doubtful or mixed identities? BRUCE K. KIRCHOFF (USA), EVELIN PFEIFER (SWITZERLAND), ROLF RUTISHAUSER (SWITZER- LAND) 123 Learning from Linnaeus: towards developing the foundation for a general structure concept for morpho- logy LARS VOGT (GERMANY) 153 Principles for a names-based cyberinfrastructure to serve all of biology DAVID J. PATTERSON (USA), SARAH FAULWETTER (GREECE), ALEXEY SHIPUNOV (USA) 3 Preface In December 2007, Zootaxa celebrated the tercentenary of the birth of Linnaeus with an important collection of 30 articles published as volume 1668 under the title Linnaeus Tercentenary: Progress in Invertebrate Taxonomy. Now, in December 2008, Zootaxa publishes another thematic collection, as a contribution to celebrate the 250th anniversary of the publication of the X edition of Systema Naturae, the Linnaean work that represents the starting point of current scientific nomenclature in zoology. The present issue is based on the papers presented at an international meeting held at the University of Padova, Italy, in cooperation with the Linnean Society of London. During the two-day meeting (29–30 May 2008), thirty scientists from seven countries discussed from different perspectives the current role of nomen- clature in communicating science. The subject matter was not limited to names for species and higher taxa, but also included anatomical nomenclature and the relationships between names, theory, and generation of questions on development and evolution. A substantial selection of the papers presented at the meeting is published in this volume of Zootaxa, together with three additional articles written by some participants other than invited speakers, also dealing with the same range of topics as those formally presented in Padova. The editors are most grateful to the Linnean Society of London for its generous support in the preparation and realization of the meeting and to Zootaxa for not less generously hosting in its pages a collection from which we hope there will be scope for stimulating further discussion. Alessandro Minelli FLS, Lucio Bonato and Giuseppe Fusco 4 · Zootaxa 1950 © 2008 Magnolia Press MINELLI ET AL. Zootaxa 1950: 5–8 (2008) ISSN 1175-5326 (print edition) www.mapress.com/zootaxa/ ZOOTAXA Copyright © 2008 · Magnolia Press ISSN 1175-5334 (online edition) Actual usage of biological nomenclature and its implications for data integrators; a national, regional and global perspective* CHARLES HUSSEY1, YDE DE JONG2 & DAVID REMSEN3 1Natural History Museum, Cromwell Road, London SW7 5BD UK. E-mail: [email protected] 2University of Amsterdam, P.O. Box 94766, NL-1090 GT, Amsterdam, The Netherlands. E-mail: [email protected] 3Global Biodiversity Information Facility, Universitetsparken 15, DK-2100 Copenhagen, Denmark. E-mail: [email protected] * In: Minelli, A., Bonato, L. & Fusco, G. (eds) Updating the Linnaean Heritage: Names as Tools for Thinking about Animals and Plants. Zootaxa, 1950, 1–163. Abstract Biological names play an important role in resource identification and as anchors for all sorts of associated information. This is borne out in ever-expanding online resources but the ways in which names are stored and presented give rise to challenges and pitfalls that can lead to missed or misinterpreted information. These resources must serve a variety of users and keep abreast of changes in nomenclature and systematics. Observations on the use of biological names are pre- sented and some solutions to the challenges are offered. Key words: Biodiversity, Digital data bases, Nomenclators Accurate identification of organisms and correct use of biological names is essential in order to apply correct measures in the fields of conservation and to control pest and disease causing organisms. As has been pointed out by Grimaldi and Engel (2005) “All accumulated information of a species is tied to a scientific name, a name that serves as a link between what has been learned in the past and what we today add to the body of knowledge”. While the veracity of the statement holds true, the nature of taxonomy and nomenclature present significant obstacles to taking advantage of this universal link between a taxon name and the accumulated information. Efforts to mobilise biodiversity information have now yielded significant online resources, and these are set to grow enormously in the future. The Internet is revolutionising accessibility but also creates its own set of obstacles to discovery and retrieval of information based on taxonomic names. At the time of writing, the Global Biodiversity Information Facility network (http://www.gbif.org) has mobilized nearly 150 million col- lection and observation records from nearly 3,000 individual datasets. The Biodiversity Heritage Library (http://www.biodiversitylibrary.org) has recently passed the 7 million page mark toward its goal of digitizing an estimated 2–3 million publications relating to species. The National Center for Biotechnology Information (http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov) stores tens of millions of gene sequence relating to more than three hundred thousand taxa. The Biodiversity Information Standards (http://www.tdwg.org) website lists 592 different biodiversity informatics projects, all of which are mobilizing, serving, integrating and exchanging species information. Each of these resources shares a common dependence on taxon names to provide the species context to the associated information. There are also numerous information resources relating to the compilation and reconciliation of taxon names. The authors have each been engaged in long-term projects that involve collating lists of taxonomic Accepted by A. Minelli: 24 Oct. 2008; published: 5 Dec. 2008 5 names from disparate sources and making these accessible through the Internet (National Biodiversity Net- work Species Dictionary http://www.nhm.ac.uk/nbn, Nature Navigator http://www.nhm.ac.uk/naturenaviga- tor, Fauna Europaea http://www.faunaeur.org, GBIF Electronic Catalogue of Names http://www.gbif.org/ prog/ecat, uBio http://www.ubio.org). In our experience, taxon names present a range of challenges that must be addressed in order to realize their potential as useful data discovery devices. Among the most fundamental are conceptual separations that tend to be blurred and can hinder communications. In particularly there is little appreciation of the difference between taxonomy and nomenclature. This impacts upon concepts as simple as what is meant by the term “correctness” as it relates to taxon names or as fundamental as the term “name” itself. All taxa are referred to by a name but not all names refer to currently recognized taxa. A “correct name” in the taxonomic sense may refer to the valid or accepted name for a taxon, whilst in the nomenclatural sense it may refer to the fitness of the name relative to the codes of nomenclature. The scope of a name can change over time, as the result of improved knowledge, or through differing opinions amongst experts.
Recommended publications
  • Archiv Für Naturgeschichte
    ZOBODAT - www.zobodat.at Zoologisch-Botanische Datenbank/Zoological-Botanical Database Digitale Literatur/Digital Literature Zeitschrift/Journal: Archiv für Naturgeschichte Jahr/Year: 1905 Band/Volume: 71-2_2 Autor(en)/Author(s): Lucas Robert Artikel/Article: Arachnida für 1904. 925-993 © Biodiversity Heritage Library, http://www.biodiversitylibrary.org/; www.zobodat.at Arachnida fiir 1904. Bearbeitet von Dr. Robert Lucas. A. Publikationen (Autoren alphabetisch). d'Agostino, A. P. Prima nota dei Ragni deU'Avelliiiese. Avellino 1/8 4 pp. Banks, Nathan (1). Some spiders and mites from Bermuda Islands. Trans. Connect. Acad. vol. XI, 1903 p. 267—275. — {%), The Arachnida of Florida. Proc. Acad. Philad. Jan. 1904 p. 120—147, 2 pls. (VII u. VIII). — (3). Some Arachnida from CaUfornia. Proc. Californ. Acad. III No. 13. p. 331—374, pls. 38—41. — (4). Arachnida (in) Alaska; from the Harriman Alaska Ex- pedition vol. VIII p. 37—45, 11 pls. — Abdruck der Publikation von 1900 aus d. Proc. Washington Acad. vol. II p. 477—486. Berthoumieu, L' Abbe. Revision de l'entomologie dans 1' Antiquite. Arachnides p. 197—200 (Chelifer, Scorpiones, Galeodes, Aranea, Ixodes, Tyroglyphus et Cheyletus). Eev. Sei. Bourbonnais 1904, p. 167. Bolton, H. The Palaeontology of the Lancashire Goal Measures. Manchester. Mus. Owens Coli. Publ. 50. Mus. Handb. p. 378—415. — Abdruck aus Trans. Manchester geol. min. Soc. vol. 28. Brown, Rob. (I). Rectifications tardives mais necessaires. Proc- verb. Soc. Linn. Bordeaux, vol. 59 p. LXVIII—LXX. — Auch über Arachniden. Calman, W. T. Arachnida in Zool. Record for 1903 vol. XL. XI 47 pp. Cambridge, F. 0. Pickard. 1901. Further Contributions towards the Knowledge of the Arachnida of Epping Forest.
    [Show full text]
  • Free Social Media Monitoring Tool ² Setup Guide
    Free Social Media Monitoring Tool ² Setup Guide Overview: If you are looking for an overview before you actually start, please go thought my blog for a basic idea on how the tool works. Setting up: The setup process consists of two main steps. First, fetching the RSS feeds and second, adding it to the RSS reader (Google Reader) and organizing it for easy reference. Step 1: Fetching RSS Feeds from different kinds of social networking websites 1. Blogs 1.1. Go to http://blogsearch.google.com/ 1.2. Enter the search term and hit ´Search Blogsµ (Tip: the search term can be your brand name, product, services or competitor·s brand) 1.3. Copy the Atom feed URL and save it 2. Forums 2.1. Go to http://www.google.com/alerts/ 2.2. Enter the search term 2.3. Select ´Discussionµ as type 2.4. Select email length ´50µ 2.5. Deliver to ´Feedµ 2.6. Hit ´Create Alertµ 2.7. Copy the Feed URL and save it 3. Video Websites 3.1. Go to http://www.google.com/alerts/ 3.2. Enter the search term 3.3. Select ´Videoµ as type 3.4. Select email length ´50µ 3.5. Deliver to ´Feedµ 3.6. Hit ´Create Alertµ 3.7. Copy the Feed URL and save it 4. News 4.1. Go to http://news.google.com/ 4.2. Enter the search term and hit ´Search Newsµ 4.3. Copy the RSS feed URL and save it 5. Twitter 5.1. Go to http://twitter.com/ and login 5.2.
    [Show full text]
  • Amphibian Alliance for Zero Extinction Sites in Chiapas and Oaxaca
    Amphibian Alliance for Zero Extinction Sites in Chiapas and Oaxaca John F. Lamoreux, Meghan W. McKnight, and Rodolfo Cabrera Hernandez Occasional Paper of the IUCN Species Survival Commission No. 53 Amphibian Alliance for Zero Extinction Sites in Chiapas and Oaxaca John F. Lamoreux, Meghan W. McKnight, and Rodolfo Cabrera Hernandez Occasional Paper of the IUCN Species Survival Commission No. 53 The designation of geographical entities in this book, and the presentation of the material, do not imply the expression of any opinion whatsoever on the part of IUCN concerning the legal status of any country, territory, or area, or of its authorities, or concerning the delimitation of its frontiers or boundaries. The views expressed in this publication do not necessarily reflect those of IUCN or other participating organizations. Published by: IUCN, Gland, Switzerland Copyright: © 2015 International Union for Conservation of Nature and Natural Resources Reproduction of this publication for educational or other non-commercial purposes is authorized without prior written permission from the copyright holder provided the source is fully acknowledged. Reproduction of this publication for resale or other commercial purposes is prohibited without prior written permission of the copyright holder. Citation: Lamoreux, J. F., McKnight, M. W., and R. Cabrera Hernandez (2015). Amphibian Alliance for Zero Extinction Sites in Chiapas and Oaxaca. Gland, Switzerland: IUCN. xxiv + 320pp. ISBN: 978-2-8317-1717-3 DOI: 10.2305/IUCN.CH.2015.SSC-OP.53.en Cover photographs: Totontepec landscape; new Plectrohyla species, Ixalotriton niger, Concepción Pápalo, Thorius minutissimus, Craugastor pozo (panels, left to right) Back cover photograph: Collecting in Chamula, Chiapas Photo credits: The cover photographs were taken by the authors under grant agreements with the two main project funders: NGS and CEPF.
    [Show full text]
  • Multi-National Conservation of Alligator Lizards
    MULTI-NATIONAL CONSERVATION OF ALLIGATOR LIZARDS: APPLIED SOCIOECOLOGICAL LESSONS FROM A FLAGSHIP GROUP by ADAM G. CLAUSE (Under the Direction of John Maerz) ABSTRACT The Anthropocene is defined by unprecedented human influence on the biosphere. Integrative conservation recognizes this inextricable coupling of human and natural systems, and mobilizes multiple epistemologies to seek equitable, enduring solutions to complex socioecological issues. Although a central motivation of global conservation practice is to protect at-risk species, such organisms may be the subject of competing social perspectives that can impede robust interventions. Furthermore, imperiled species are often chronically understudied, which prevents the immediate application of data-driven quantitative modeling approaches in conservation decision making. Instead, real-world management goals are regularly prioritized on the basis of expert opinion. Here, I explore how an organismal natural history perspective, when grounded in a critique of established human judgements, can help resolve socioecological conflicts and contextualize perceived threats related to threatened species conservation and policy development. To achieve this, I leverage a multi-national system anchored by a diverse, enigmatic, and often endangered New World clade: alligator lizards. Using a threat analysis and status assessment, I show that one recent petition to list a California alligator lizard, Elgaria panamintina, under the US Endangered Species Act often contradicts the best available science.
    [Show full text]
  • ISCRAM2005 Conference Proceedings Format
    Yee et al. The Tablecast Data Publishing Protocol The Tablecast Data Publishing Protocol Ka-Ping Yee Dieterich Lawson Google Medic Mobile [email protected] [email protected] Dominic König Dale Zak Sahana Foundation Medic Mobile [email protected] [email protected] ABSTRACT We describe an interoperability challenge that arose in Haiti, identify the parameters of a general problem in crisis data management, and present a protocol called Tablecast that is designed to address the problem. Tablecast enables crisis organizations to publish, share, and update tables of data in real time. It allows rows and columns of data to be merged from multiple sources, and its incremental update mechanism is designed to support offline editing and data collection. Tablecast uses a publish/subscribe model; the format is based on Atom and employs PubSubHubbub to distribute updates to subscribers. Keywords Interoperability, publish/subscribe, streaming, synchronization, relational table, format, protocol INTRODUCTION After the January 2010 earthquake in Haiti, there was an immediate need for information on available health facilities. Which hospitals had been destroyed, and which were still operating? Where were the newly established field clinics, and how many patients could they accept? Which facilities had surgeons, or dialysis machines, or obstetricians? Aid workers had to make fast decisions about where to send the sick and injured— decisions that depended on up-to-date answers to all these questions. But the answers were not readily at hand. The U. S. Joint Task Force began a broad survey to assess the situation in terms of basic needs, including the state of health facilities. The UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) was tasked with monitoring and coordinating the actions of the many aid organizations that arrived to help.
    [Show full text]
  • Froglog95 New Version Draft1.Indd
    March 2011 Vol. 95 FrogLogwww.amphibians.org News from the herpetological community The new face of the ASG “Lost” Frogs Red List The global search Updating South comes to an end. Africas Red Where next? Lists. Page 1 FrogLog Vol. 95 | March 2011 | 1 2 | FrogLog Vol. 95 | March 2011 CONTENTS The Sierra Caral of Guatemala a refuge for endemic amphibians page 5 The Search for “Lost” Frogs page 12 Recent diversifi cation in old habitats: Molecules and morphology in the endangered frog, Craugastor uno page 17 Updating the IUCN Red List status of South African amphibians 6 Amphibians on the IUCN Red List: Developments and changes since the Global Amphibian Assessment 7 The forced closure of conservation work on Seychelles Sooglossidae 8 Alien amphibians challenge Darwin’s naturalization hypothesis 9 Is there a decline of amphibian richness in Bellanwila-Attidiya Sanctuary? 10 High prevalence of the amphibian chytrid pathogen in Gabon 11 Breeding-site selection by red-belly toads, Melanophryniscus stelzneri (Anura: Bufonidae), in Sierras of Córdoba, Argentina 11 Upcoming meetings 20 | Recent Publications 20 | Internships & Jobs 23 Funding Opportunities 22 | Author Instructions 24 | Current Authors 25 FrogLog Vol. 95 | March 2011 | 3 FrogLog Editorial elcome to the new-look FrogLog. It has been a busy few months Wfor the ASG! We have redesigned the look and feel of FrogLog ASG & EDITORIAL COMMITTEE along with our other media tools to better serve the needs of the ASG community. We hope that FrogLog will become a regular addition to James P. Collins your reading and a platform for sharing research, conservation stories, events, and opportunities.
    [Show full text]
  • Comparative Osteology and Evolution of the Lungless Salamanders, Family Plethodontidae David B
    COMPARATIVE OSTEOLOGY AND EVOLUTION OF THE LUNGLESS SALAMANDERS, FAMILY PLETHODONTIDAE DAVID B. WAKE1 ABSTRACT: Lungless salamanders of the family Plethodontidae comprise the largest and most diverse group of tailed amphibians. An evolutionary morphological approach has been employed to elucidate evolutionary rela­ tionships, patterns and trends within the family. Comparative osteology has been emphasized and skeletons of all twenty-three genera and three-fourths of the one hundred eighty-three species have been studied. A detailed osteological analysis includes consideration of the evolution of each element as well as the functional unit of which it is a part. Functional and developmental aspects are stressed. A new classification is suggested, based on osteological and other char­ acters. The subfamily Desmognathinae includes the genera Desmognathus, Leurognathus, and Phaeognathus. Members of the subfamily Plethodontinae are placed in three tribes. The tribe Hemidactyliini includes the genera Gyri­ nophilus, Pseudotriton, Stereochilus, Eurycea, Typhlomolge, and Hemidac­ tylium. The genera Plethodon, Aneides, and Ensatina comprise the tribe Pleth­ odontini. The highly diversified tribe Bolitoglossini includes three super­ genera. The supergenera Hydromantes and Batrachoseps include the nominal genera only. The supergenus Bolitoglossa includes Bolitoglossa, Oedipina, Pseudoeurycea, Chiropterotriton, Parvimolge, Lineatriton, and Thorius. Manculus is considered to be congeneric with Eurycea, and Magnadig­ ita is congeneric with Bolitoglossa. Two species are assigned to Typhlomolge, which is recognized as a genus distinct from Eurycea. No. new information is available concerning Haptoglossa. Recognition of a family Desmognathidae is rejected. All genera are defined and suprageneric groupings are defined and char­ acterized. Range maps are presented for all genera. Relationships of all genera are discussed.
    [Show full text]
  • Osteological Variation Among Extreme
    Central Washington University ScholarWorks@CWU All Faculty Scholarship for the College of the Sciences College of the Sciences 6-10-2015 Osteological Variation among Extreme Morphological Forms in the Mexican Salamander Genus Chiropterotriton (Amphibia: Plethodontidae): Morphological Evolution And Homoplasy David M. Darda David B. Wake Follow this and additional works at: https://digitalcommons.cwu.edu/cotsfac Part of the Ecology and Evolutionary Biology Commons RESEARCH ARTICLE Osteological Variation among Extreme Morphological Forms in the Mexican Salamander Genus Chiropterotriton (Amphibia: Plethodontidae): Morphological Evolution And Homoplasy David M. Darda1*, David B. Wake2 1 Department of Biological Sciences, Central Washington University, Ellensburg, Washington, United States of America, 2 Department of Integrative Biology and Museum of Vertebrate Zoology, University of California, Berkeley, California, United States of America * [email protected] Abstract Osteological variation is recorded among and within four of the most distinctive species of the Mexican salamander genus Chiropterotriton. Analysis of the data is consistent with the OPEN ACCESS monophyletic status of the genus and documents previously unrecorded intraspecific and Citation: Darda DM, Wake DB (2015) Osteological interspecific variation. Most of the recorded variation involves qualitative and quantitative Variation among Extreme Morphological Forms in the proportional differences, but four fixed differences constitute autapomorphic states that af- Mexican Salamander Genus Chiropterotriton firm and diagnose some species (C. dimidiatus, C. magnipes). Osteological variation in 15 (Amphibia: Plethodontidae): Morphological Evolution characters is analyzed with respect to predictions generated from four hypotheses: 1) phy- And Homoplasy. PLoS ONE 10(6): e0127248. doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0127248 logeny, 2) adaptation to specific habitats (the four species include cave-dwelling, terrestrial, and arboreal forms), 3) size-free shape, and 4) size.
    [Show full text]
  • Pseudoeurycea Naucampatepetl. the Cofre De Perote Salamander Is Endemic to the Sierra Madre Oriental of Eastern Mexico. This
    Pseudoeurycea naucampatepetl. The Cofre de Perote salamander is endemic to the Sierra Madre Oriental of eastern Mexico. This relatively large salamander (reported to attain a total length of 150 mm) is recorded only from, “a narrow ridge extending east from Cofre de Perote and terminating [on] a small peak (Cerro Volcancillo) at the type locality,” in central Veracruz, at elevations from 2,500 to 3,000 m (Amphibian Species of the World website). Pseudoeurycea naucampatepetl has been assigned to the P. bellii complex of the P. bellii group (Raffaëlli 2007) and is considered most closely related to P. gigantea, a species endemic to the La specimens and has not been seen for 20 years, despite thorough surveys in 2003 and 2004 (EDGE; www.edgeofexistence.org), and thus it might be extinct. The habitat at the type locality (pine-oak forest with abundant bunch grass) lies within Lower Montane Wet Forest (Wilson and Johnson 2010; IUCN Red List website [accessed 21 April 2013]). The known specimens were “found beneath the surface of roadside banks” (www.edgeofexistence.org) along the road to Las Lajas Microwave Station, 15 kilometers (by road) south of Highway 140 from Las Vigas, Veracruz (Amphibian Species of the World website). This species is terrestrial and presumed to reproduce by direct development. Pseudoeurycea naucampatepetl is placed as number 89 in the top 100 Evolutionarily Distinct and Globally Endangered amphib- ians (EDGE; www.edgeofexistence.org). We calculated this animal’s EVS as 17, which is in the middle of the high vulnerability category (see text for explanation), and its IUCN status has been assessed as Critically Endangered.
    [Show full text]
  • Assessing Environmental Variables Across Plethodontid Salamanders
    Lauren Mellenthin1, Erica Baken1, Dr. Dean Adams1 1Iowa State University, Ames, Iowa Stereochilus marginatus Pseudotriton ruber Pseudotriton montanus Gyrinophilus subterraneus Gyrinophilus porphyriticus Gyrinophilus palleucus Gyrinophilus gulolineatus Urspelerpes brucei Eurycea tynerensis Eurycea spelaea Eurycea multiplicata Introduction Eurycea waterlooensis Eurycea rathbuni Materials & Methods Eurycea sosorum Eurycea tridentifera Eurycea pterophila Eurycea neotenes Eurycea nana Eurycea troglodytes Eurycea latitans Eurycea naufragia • Arboreality has evolved at least 5 times within Plethodontid salamanders. [1] Eurycea tonkawae Eurycea chisholmensis Climate Variables & Eurycea quadridigitata Polygons & Point Data Eurycea wallacei Eurycea lucifuga Eurycea longicauda Eurycea guttolineata MAXENT Modeling Eurycea bislineata Eurycea wilderae Eurycea cirrigera • Yet no morphological differences separate arboreal and terrestrial species. [1] Eurycea junaluska Hemidactylium scutatum Batrachoseps robustus Batrachoseps wrighti Batrachoseps campi Batrachoseps attenuatus Batrachoseps pacificus Batrachoseps major Batrachoseps luciae Batrachoseps minor Batrachoseps incognitus • There is minimal range overlap between the two microhabitat types. Batrachoseps gavilanensis Batrachoseps gabrieli Batrachoseps stebbinsi Batrachoseps relictus Batrachoseps simatus Batrachoseps nigriventris Batrachoseps gregarius Preliminary results discovered that 71% of the arboreal species distribution Batrachoseps diabolicus Batrachoseps regius Batrachoseps kawia Dendrotriton
    [Show full text]
  • 1 Southeastern Us Coastal Plain
    1 In Press: 2000. Chapter XX. Pages __-__ in Richard C. Bruce, Robert J. Jaeger, and Lynn D. Houck, editors. The Biology of the Plethodontidae. Plenum Publishing Corp., New York, N. Y. SOUTHEASTERN U. S. COASTAL PLAIN HABITATS OF THE PLETHODONTIDAE: THE IMPORTANCE OF RELIEF, RAVINES, AND SEEPAGE D. BRUCE MEANS Coastal Plains Institute and Land Conservancy, 1313 N. Duval Street, Tallahassee, FL 32303, USA 1. INTRODUCTION Because the Coastal Plain is geologically and biologically a very distinct region of the southeastern United States -- the southern portion having a nearly subtropical climate -- the life cycles, ecology, and evolutionary relationships of its plethodontid salamanders may be significantly different from plethodontids in the Appalachians and Piedmont. Little attention has been paid, however, to Coastal Plain plethodontids. For instance, of the 133 scientific papers and posters presented at the four plethodontid salamander conferences held in Highlands, North Carolina, since 1972, only three (2%) dealt with Coastal Plain plethodontids. And yet, while it possesses fewer total species than the Appalachians and Piedmont, the Coastal Plain boasts of slightly more plethodontid diversity at the generic level. The genera Phaeognathus, Haideotriton, and Stereochilus are Coastal Plain endemics, whereas in the Appalachians and Piedmont Gyrinophilus is the only endemic genus unless one accepts Leurognathus apart from Desmognathus. In addition, Aneides is found in the Appalachians and not the Coastal Plain, but the genus also occurs in the western U. S. All the rest of the plethodontid genera east of the Mississippi River are shared by the Coastal Plain with the Appalachians and Piedmont. Geographically, the Coastal Plain includes Long Island in New York, and stretches south from the New Jersey Pine Barrens to include all of Florida, then west to Texas (Fig.
    [Show full text]
  • Amphibian Diversity and Threatened Species in a Severely Transformed Neotropical Region in Mexico
    RESEARCH ARTICLE Amphibian Diversity and Threatened Species in a Severely Transformed Neotropical Region in Mexico Yocoyani Meza-Parral, Eduardo Pineda* Red de Biología y Conservación de Vertebrados, Instituto de Ecología, A.C., Xalapa, Veracruz, México * [email protected] Abstract Many regions around the world concentrate a large number of highly endangered species that have very restricted distributions. The mountainous region of central Veracruz, Mexico, is considered a priority area for amphibian conservation because of its high level of ende- mism and the number of threatened species. The original tropical montane cloud forest in OPEN ACCESS the region has been dramatically reduced and fragmented and is now mainly confined to ra- Citation: Meza-Parral Y, Pineda E (2015) Amphibian vines and hillsides. We evaluated the current situation of amphibian diversity in the cloud Diversity and Threatened Species in a Severely forest fragments of this region by analyzing species richness and abundance, comparing Transformed Neotropical Region in Mexico. PLoS assemblage structure and species composition, examining the distribution and abundance ONE 10(3): e0121652. doi:10.1371/journal. pone.0121652 of threatened species, and identifying the local and landscape variables associated with the observed amphibian diversity. From June to October 2012 we sampled ten forest frag- Academic Editor: Stefan Lötters, Trier University, GERMANY ments, investing 944 person-hours of sampling effort. A total of 895 amphibians belonging to 16 species were recorded. Notable differences in species richness, abundance, and as- Received: May 22, 2014 semblage structure between forest fragments were observed. Species composition be- Accepted: November 11, 2014 tween pairs of fragments differed by an average of 53%, with the majority (58%) resulting Published: March 23, 2015 from species replacement and the rest (42%) explained by differences in species richness.
    [Show full text]