Chromosomes as Barcodes: Discovery of a New Species of Black Fly (Diptera: Simuliidae) from California, USA

Adler, Peter H.; Huang, Shaoming

doi:10.3390/insects13100903

Cited by 3 publications

(1 citation statement)

References 42 publications

(55 reference statements)

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“…The banding patterns of the giant polytene chromosomes have been instrumental in revealing hidden biodiversity and evolutionary relationships in the family Simuliidae, and because they are typically unique to a species, they have been used analogously to a barcode in the description of numerous new species of black flies in conjunction with morphological and molecular analyses [ 19 ]. The giant chromosomes of more than 570 species of black flies have been described [ 20 ], facilitating comparative studies.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

North African Endemism: A New Species of Black Fly (Diptera: Simuliidae) from the Djurdjura Mountains of Algeria

Adler,

Haouchine,

Belqat

et al. 2024

Insects

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Discoveries of endemic species highlight areas of biogeographic and conservation interest. Endemic species, however, are often morphologically disguised as more common and widespread species. The larval polytene chromosomes revealed a new species of black fly, Prosimulium fungiforme, from the Djurdjura Mountains of northern Algeria, and its female, male, pupa, and larva are described. The species is chromosomally unique; none of its 11 chromosomal rearrangements are shared with other species. Although the new species structurally resembles Prosimulium rufipes (Meigen) with which it previously has been confused, it can be distinguished from all other known species of Prosimulium in the Western Palearctic based on at least one character in each described life stage. Symbiotic organisms included two species of microsporidia, at least one of which is probably undescribed, one unknown protozoan pathogen novel in simuliids, and the trichomycete fungus Harpella melusinae Léger and Duboscq. Associated simuliid species included at least one new species of the genus Helodon. The new species of Prosimulium is tentatively considered endemic to the mountains of northern Algeria but might be expected in the mountains of eastern Morocco and northern Tunisia and perhaps in Sicily. If its endemic status holds, it would be the only nominal species of black fly unique to Algeria.

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Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

North African Endemism: A New Species of Black Fly (Diptera: Simuliidae) from the Djurdjura Mountains of Algeria

Adler,

Haouchine,

Belqat

et al. 2024

Insects

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Aquatic invertebrate mandibles and sclerotized remains in Quaternary lake sediments

Courtney-Mustaphi,

Steiner,

von Fumetti

et al. 2023

J Paleolimnol

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Subfossil remains of aquatic invertebrates found in lacustrine sediments are useful paleoenvironmental indicators. Strongly scleroticized chitinous body parts from the exoskeleton or exuviae from invertebrates are often the most resistant to degradation during syn- and post-depositional processes. Invertebrate mandibles and body parts that superficially resemble mandibles, such as claw-like appendages and pygopodia, are frequently found in sieved Quaternary lacustrine, palustrine, and deltaic sediments. Guides, catalogs and atlases have been published that are well suited for the identification of subfossil remains for several invertebrate groups, such as chironomids, cladocerans, and ostracods, among others. However, aquatic invertebrate remains of several ecologically important invertebrate groups continue to be underused in paleoenvironmental studies, in part, because there are few visual keys or other documentation sources (e.g. descriptions, catalogs or atlases) that increase awareness and facilitate identification. Here we present sets of digital photomicrographs of pre-identified aquatic invertebrate specimens collected from streams, lakes and ponds that have been chemically cleared to preserve structures that are observed in subfossil remains in sieved sediment samples, commonly the > 100 μm size fractions. In addition, we present examples of these structures from Quaternary lake-sediment samples and cite the dispersed literature that demonstrate that these remains are preserved and remain identifiable in the fossil record. We document mandibles from several taxonomic groups that include Crustacea: Amphipoda, Isopoda, Ostracoda, and Notostraca; and Insecta orders: Coleoptera, Diptera, Ephemeroptera, Hemiptera, Odonata, Lepidoptera, Megaloptera, Plecoptera, and Trichoptera. The compilation of microphotographs also includes pygopodia and claw appendages of Plecoptera and Trichoptera, with additional images of other common invertebrate mouthpart and head remains. We describe several types of fossilizing structures that are, to our knowledge, not previously described in the paleoecological literature (e.g. mandibles of amphipods or plecopterans) but also show that some structures are considerably more variable than expected based on available descriptions, such as the mandibles of Ephemeroptera or Trichoptera, and that these can potentially be separated into different morphotypes useful for identification of subfossil material. We also discuss the potential of analyzing and interpreting the additional remains together with the remains of more commonly analyzed invertebrate groups (e.g. Chironomidae) to contribute to paleoenvironmental interpretations, which will allow assessments of functional groups (e.g. predators, shredders, grazers) or habitat types (e.g. littoral, profundal or lotic environments) that aquatic invertebrate remains originate from.

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The Biodiversity of Blackflies (Diptera: Simuliidae) in Brazil: New Distribution Records and Updated Checklist

Molina,

Aranda,

Chimes

2024

Neotrop Entomol

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Chromosomes as Barcodes: Discovery of a New Species of Black Fly (Diptera: Simuliidae) from California, USA

Cited by 3 publications

References 42 publications

North African Endemism: A New Species of Black Fly (Diptera: Simuliidae) from the Djurdjura Mountains of Algeria

North African Endemism: A New Species of Black Fly (Diptera: Simuliidae) from the Djurdjura Mountains of Algeria

Aquatic invertebrate mandibles and sclerotized remains in Quaternary lake sediments

The Biodiversity of Blackflies (Diptera: Simuliidae) in Brazil: New Distribution Records and Updated Checklist

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