Revision of the New World and south-east Asian Vatellini (Coleoptera: Dytiscidae: Hydroporinae) and phylogenetic analysis of the tribe

Abstract

Members of the tribe Vatellini occurring in the New World and south-east Asia are revised. A cladistic analysis of the tribe is presented including all New World and south-east Asian species and several species of African Derovatellus Sharp. The results indicate that Mesovatellus Trémouilles is nested within Derovatellus , that Vatellus Aubé is nested within Macrovatellus Sharp, and that D . ( Varodetellus ) Biström and Derovatellus are not mutually monophyletic. Therefore, the following genus-group synonymies are formally recognized; Mesovatellus and D . ( Varodetellus ) = Derovatellus ( syn. nov. ) and Macrovatellus = Vatellus ( syn. nov. ). Derovatellus floridanus is elevated from status as a synonym or subspecies of D. lentus (Wehncke) to species status ( stat. nov. ). The following eight new species are described: Derovatellus roosevelti , D. spangleri , Vatellus drymetes , V. amae , V. annae , V. pilacaudus , V. wheeleri and V. maculosus . The following species-group synonymies are formally recognized: Derovatellus ibarrai Spangler 1966 = D. floridanus Fall, 1932 ( syn. nov. ); and Macrovatellus rudis Sharp, 1882 and M. marginalis Sharp, 1882 = Vatellus lateralis (Sharp, 1882) ( syn. nov. ). A detailed revision of the morphology of members of the tribe is presented along with the description of an abdominal gland system (the ' speleum ') that is a synapomorphy for the Vatellini. Keys to species and type information, diagnoses, descriptions, distributions and phylogenetic information are provided for each extant New World and south-east Asian species in the tribe.

Higher‐level phylogeny of diving beetles (Coleoptera: Dytiscidae) based on larval characters

“…There is a general agreement in recognizing Vatellini as a natural group (e.g. Miller, , ; Michat & Torres, , ; Miller et al ., ; Ribera et al ., ). In our study, this tribe is recovered as monophyletic with strong support (Fig.…”

Unveiling the Diversification Dynamics of Australasian Predaceous Diving Beetles in the Cenozoic

“…We computed a matrix in which each species was coded as present or absent for each area considered in the analyses (Appendix 1). The choice of temporal constraints and dispersal rates between the discrete distribution ranges was based on paleogeographic and paleoclimatic data (Drexel et al 1995;Hall 2002Hall , 2011Hope et al 2004;Miller 2005;Martin 2006;Byrne et al 2008Byrne et al , 2011. In order to account for landmass movements and area heterogeneity through time, we defined three time slices spanning the past 30 Ma with the first ranging from 30 Ma to 15 Ma (corresponding to a tropical Australia), the second from 15 Ma to 2.59 Ma (representing the Australian aridification) and the last from 2.59 Ma to present (for the Quaternary climate change) (see Appendix 4 for rationales on the choice of time slices).…”

Phylogeny and classification of whirligig beetles (Coleoptera: Gyrinidae): relaxed‐clock model outperforms parsimony and time‐free Bayesian analyses

“…Currently there is no comprehensive comparison of the internal female genital structures across Gyrinidae based on cleared structures. The internal female genital system has proven to be very useful in other groups of Hydradephaga (especially Dytiscidae) for phylogenetics and species level taxonomy (Miller, 2001, 2005; Bergsten & Miller, 2005). This project seeks to propose homologies in female genitalia across Gyrinidae, standardize terminology, and make available characters potentially useful for phylogenetics and taxonomy within the family.…”