Ricerc@Sapienza

Acanthophyllum squarrosum and two closely related species, A. heratense and A. laxiusculum (Caryophyllaceae), form a complex that covers parts of subalpine steppes of the Irano-Turanian (IT) region. In this study, we explored the genetic structure and phylogeography of this complex based on partial sequences of two chloroplasts (psbA–trnH and rpl32–trnL (UAG)) and two nuclear (EST24 and nrITS) DNA regions. We analysed 80 individuals from eight populations and detected 12 chloroplast haplotypes, 16 and eight nuclear alleles in EST24 and nrITS sequences, respectively.

The 24 members of the Euro-Asiatic genus Thymogethes are highly specialized pollen beetles associated as larvae with flowers of Lamiaceae Nepetoideae. All members of the genus were analyzed in within the framework of an integrative taxonomy approach, which was aimed to reconstruct the phylogenetic relationships, as well as the possible pattern of evolution of their larval-host-plant association.

Neotropical cichlids include hundreds of species whose taxonomy has benefited of molecular phylogeny and whose karyotype evolution has been related to the amount and distribution of different classes of repetitive sequences. This study provides the first integrative molecular (cytochrome c oxidase subunit 1 and 16S sequences) and cytogenetic analyses of wild samples of the green terror Andinoacara rivulatus, a cichlid naturally distributed in Ecuador and spread throughout the world as an aquarium pet.

Aim: To evaluate how environment and evolutionary history interact to influence global patterns of mammal trait diversity (a combination of 14 morphological and life-history traits). Location: The global terrestrial environment. Taxon: Terrestrial mammals. Methods: We calculated patterns of spatial turnover for mammalian traits and phylogenetic lineages using the mean nearest taxon distance. We then used a variance partitioning approach to establish the relative contribution of trait conservatism, ecological adaptation and clade specific ecological preferences on global trait turnover.

Calyptrates are a megadiverse, actively radiating, group of dipterans, which are widely spread and abundant in nearly all terrestrial environments. Despite huge diversity and economic importance, their phylogeny is far from resolved. Recent attempts employing few taxa seem converging in retrieving monophyly for most of the families and subfamilies, but deep relationships among these, especially for those of the oestroid clade (blow flies and relatives), are labile when not changing.

Myrmeleontiformia are an ancient group of lacewing insects characterized by predatory larvae with unusual morphologies and behaviours. Mostly soil dwellers with a soft cuticle, their larvae fossilize only as amber inclusions, and thus their fossil record is remarkably sparse. Here, we document a disparate assemblage of myrmeleontiform larvae from the mid-Cretaceous amber (99 Ma) of Myanmar, evidence of a considerable diversification. Our cladistic analysis integrating extant and extinct taxa resolves the fossils as both stem- and crown-groups.

Three new species of Rhinophoridae (Aporeomyia elaphocera sp. nov., Baniassa pennata sp. nov. from the Oriental Region, and Phyto mambilla sp. nov. from the Afrotropical Region) are described, illustrated and compared with congeners. Genus-level aliation of the new species is based on a morphology-based phylogeny, preliminarily accepting a paraphyletic Phyto Robineau-Desvoidy awaiting incorporation of molecular data. Keys to the species of the genus Aporeomyia Pape & Shima as well as to the Afrotropical species of the genus Phyto Robineau-Desvoidy are given.

1. Levels of endemism are usually expressed as percentage of endemics among all species recorded in a given area. Endemism levels also vary among taxa, yet inter-taxon variation in endemism levels has received much less attention. 2. We used the Italian tenebrionids to investigate how endemism levels vary among different but related lineages.

Calyptrate flies include about 22,000 extant species currently classified into Hippoboscoidea (tsetse, louse, and bat flies), the muscoid grade (house flies and relatives) and the Oestroidea (blow flies, bot flies, flesh flies, and relatives). Calyptrates are abundant in nearly all terrestrial ecosystems, often playing key roles as decomposers, parasites, parasitoids, vectors of pathogens, and pollinators. For oestroids, the most diverse group within calyptrates, definitive fossils have been lacking.

Processionary moths belong to a group of about 100 species well known for their social behaviour and their urticating systems. The genus Thaumetopoea s.l. includes about 15 species and has been divided into three genera (Helianthocampa, Thaumetopoea s.s., and Traumatocampa) in the last revision, based on key morphological features of the adults and on the host plants of the larvae. We performed a total evidence approach to resolve the phylogeny of the genus Thaumetopoea s.l., analysing all valid taxa included in this group, plus a broad array of close relatives.