@article {1329, title = {Don{\textquoteright}t forget the vertical dimension: assessment of distributional dynamics of cave-dwelling invertebrates in both ground and parietal microhabitats}, journal = {Subterranean Biology}, volume = {40}, year = {2021}, month = {14/10/2021}, pages = {43-63}, abstract = {

Biological studies on factors shaping underground communities are poor, especially those considering simultaneously organisms with different degrees of adaptation to cave life. In this study, we assessed the annual dynamics and use of both horizontal and vertical microhabitats of a whole community with the aim of understanding whether cave-dwelling organisms have a similar distribution among vertical and ground-level microhabitats and to find out which microhabitat features influence such distribution. We monthly assessed from 2017 to 2018, by direct observation combined with quadrat sampling method on the ground and transects on the walls, richness and abundance of 62 cave-dwelling species in a cave of Northern Italy. Environmental factors such as light intensity, temperature, relative humidity and mineralogical composition of the substrates were measured during each monitoring session, influencing the dynamics of the whole community and revealing significant differences between ground and wall microhabitats. A gradient of variation of the species assemblages occurred from the entrance toward inner areas, however, evidence that the dynamics of the walls are very different from those occurring at the ground independent from the distance from the surface are shown. Biodiversity indices highlighted sampling area diversity and a discrete total cave fauna biodiversity with the highest values found near the entrance and the lowest in the inner part of the cave.

}, keywords = {cave biodiversity, cave community, environmental drivers, subterranean biology, subterranean environment}, issn = {1314-2615, 1768-1448}, doi = {https://doi.org/10.3897/subtbiol.40.71805}, url = {https://subtbiol.pensoft.net/article/71805/}, author = {Balestra, Valentina and Lana, Enrico and Carbone, Cristina and De Waele, Jo and Manenti, Raoul and Galli, Loris} } @article {1170, title = {Centipede assemblages (Chilopoda) in high-altitude landforms of the Central-Eastern Italian Alps: diversity and abundance}, journal = {Rendiconti Lincei. Scienze Fisiche e Naturali}, volume = {31}, year = {2020}, month = {31/08/2020}, pages = {1071-1087}, abstract = {

Centipedes (Chilopoda) are widespread and abundant predators in several kind of habitats, from forests to caves. Very few quantitative data are currently available for alpine habitats, specifically those located at high-altitudes. In this paper, we analysed data on centipedes collected by pitfall traps on different high-altitude landforms of the Central-Eastern Italian Alps, specifically on rock glaciers, debris-covered glaciers, glacier forelands, stable slopes, and scree slopes. We investigated the species richness and abundance (activity density) of individuals in each landform and the relationships between species occurrence and environmental variables in the investigated landforms. The obtained results highlighted non-significant differences in species richness between the landforms, but significant differences in individual abundance and species distribution. Soil organic matter, soil gravel percentage and altitude resulted the main variables affecting the species distribution; a clear preference for landforms located near the treeline was highlighted. Lithobius lucifugus resulted the dominant and most common species as well as the only species able to colonise debris-covered glaciers.

}, keywords = {Chilopods, Debris-covered glaciers, mountains, Organic matter, Rock glaciers, Scree slopes}, issn = {2037-4631}, doi = {10.1007/s12210-020-00952-4}, url = {http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/s12210-020-00952-4}, author = {Gobbi, Mauro and Caccianiga, Marco and Compostella, Chiara and Zapparoli, Marzio} } @article {427, title = {Diversity and evolution of the P450 family in arthropods}, journal = {Insect Biochemistry and Molecular Biology}, volume = {127}, year = {2020}, month = {22/10/2020}, pages = {1-22}, abstract = {

The P450 family (CYP genes) of arthropods encodes diverse enzymes involved in the metabolism of foreign compounds and in essential endocrine or ecophysiological functions. The P450 sequences (CYPome) from 40 arthropod species were manually curated, including 31 complete CYPomes, and a maximum likelihood phylogeny of nearly 3000 sequences is presented. Arthropod CYPomes are assembled from members of six CYP clans of variable size, the CYP2, CYP3, CYP4 and mitochondrial clans, as well as the CYP20 and CYP16 clans that are not found in Neoptera. CYPome sizes vary from two dozen genes in some parasitic species to over 200 in species as diverse as collembolans or ticks. CYPomes are comprised of few CYP families with many genes and many CYP families with few genes, and this distribution is the result of dynamic birth and death processes. Lineage-specific expansions or blooms are found throughout the phylogeny and often result in genomic clusters that appear to form a reservoir of catalytic diversity maintained as heritable units. Among the many P450s with physiological functions, six CYP families are involved in ecdysteroid metabolism. However, five so-called Halloween genes are not universally represented and do not constitute the unique pathway of ecdysteroid biosynthesis. The diversity of arthropod CYPomes has only partially been uncovered to date and many P450s with physiological functions regulating the synthesis and degradation of endogenous signal molecules (including ecdysteroids) and semiochemicals (including pheromones and defense chemicals) remain to be discovered. Sequence diversity of arthropod P450s is extreme, and P450 sequences lacking the universally conserved Cys ligand to the heme have evolved several times. A better understanding of P450 evolution is needed to discern the relative contributions of stochastic processes and adaptive processes in shaping the size and diversity of CYPomes.

}, keywords = {Detoxification, Ecdysteroid metabolism, Gene clusters, Orthologous groups, P450 Evolution}, issn = {0965-1748}, doi = {10.1016/j.ibmb.2020.103490}, url = {https://linkinghub.elsevier.com/retrieve/pii/S096517482030179X}, author = {Dermauw, Wannes and Van Leeuwen, Thomas and Feyereisen, Ren{\'e}} } @article {421, title = {Phylogeny of Lithobiidae Newport, 1844, with emphasis on the megadiverse genus Lithobius Leach, 1814 (Myriapoda, Chilopoda)}, journal = {Cladistics}, year = {2020}, month = {04/11/2020}, pages = {1-23}, abstract = {

Phylogenetic analyses based on molecular and morphological data were conducted to shed light on relationships within the mostly Palaearctic/Oriental centipede family Lithobiidae, with a particular focus on the Palaearctic genus Lithobius Leach, 1814 (Lithobiidae, Lithobiomorpha), which contains \>500 species and subspecies. Previous studies based on morphological data resolved Lithobius as nonmonophyletic, but molecular-based phylogenetic analyses have until now sampled few species. To elucidate species inter-relationships of the genus, test the validity of its classification into subgenera, and infer its relationships with other Lithobiidae, we obtained molecular data (nuclear markers: 18S rRNA, 28S rRNA; mitochondrial markers: 16S rRNA, COI) and 61 morphological characters for 44 species of Lithobius representing four of its eight subgenera and nine other representatives of Lithobiidae. The data were analyzed phylogenetically using maximum-likelihood, parsimony and Bayesian inference. This study suggests that (i) a close relationship between L. giganteus and the pterygotergine Disphaerobius loricatus highlighted in recent morphological analyses is also strongly supported by molecular data, and Pterygoterginae is formally synonymized with Lithobiinae; (ii) the Oriental/Australian genus Australobius is consistently resolved as sister group to all other sampled Lithobiidae by the molecular and combined data; (iii) the subfamily Ethopolyinae may be paraphyletic; (iv) the genus Lithobius is nonmonophyletic; (v) the subgenera Lithobius, Sigibius and Monotarsobius are nonmonophyletic and should not be used in future taxonomic studies; and (vi) there are instances of cryptic species and cases in which subspecies should be elevated to full species status, as identified for some European taxa within Lithobius.

}, issn = {0748-3007}, doi = {10.1111/cla.12431}, url = {https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/cla.12431}, author = {Ganske, Anne-Sarah and Vahtera, Varpu and D{\'a}nyi, L{\'a}szl{\'o} and Edgecombe, Gregory D. and Akkari, Nesrine} } @article {419, title = {Four myriapod relatives {\textendash} but who are sisters? No end to debates on relationships among the four major myriapod subgroups}, journal = {BMC Evolutionary Biology}, volume = {20}, year = {2020}, month = {04/11/2020}, pages = {1-15}, abstract = {

Background: Phylogenetic relationships among the myriapod subgroups Chilopoda, Diplopoda, Symphyla and Pauropoda are still not robustly resolved. The first phylogenomic study covering all subgroups resolved phylogenetic relationships congruently to morphological evidence but is in conflict with most previously published phylogenetic trees based on diverse molecular data. Outgroup choice and long-branch attraction effects were stated as possible explanations for these incongruencies. In this study, we addressed these issues by extending the myriapod and outgroup taxon sampling using transcriptome data.

Results: We generated new transcriptome data of 42 panarthropod species, including all four myriapod subgroups and additional outgroup taxa. Our taxon sampling was complemented by published transcriptome and genome data resulting in a supermatrix covering 59 species. We compiled two data sets, the first with a full coverage of genes per species (292 single-copy protein-coding genes), the second with a less stringent coverage (988 genes). We inferred phylogenetic relationships among myriapods using different data types, tree inference, and quartet computation approaches. Our results unambiguously support monophyletic Mandibulata and Myriapoda. Our analyses clearly showed that there is strong signal for a single unrooted topology, but a sensitivity of the position of the internal root on the choice of outgroups. However, we observe strong evidence for a clade Pauropoda+Symphyla, as well as for a clade Chilopoda+Diplopoda.

Conclusions: Our best quartet topology is incongruent with current morphological phylogenies which were supported in another phylogenomic study. AU tests and quartet mapping reject the quartet topology congruent to trees inferred with morphological characters. Moreover, quartet mapping shows that confounding signal present in the data set is sufficient to explain the weak signal for the quartet topology derived from morphological characters. Although outgroup choice affects results, our study could narrow possible trees to derivatives of a single quartet topology. For highly disputed relationships, we propose to apply a series of tests (AU and quartet mapping), since results of such tests allow to narrow down possible relationships and to rule out confounding signal.

}, keywords = {Arthropod phylogeny, conflict, Confounding signal, Internal rooting, Phylogenetics, phylogenomics, Quartet topology, RNA-Seq, Transcriptomes}, issn = {1471-2148}, doi = {10.1186/s12862-020-01699-0}, url = {https://bmcevolbiol.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1186/s12862-020-01699-0}, author = {Szucsich, Nikolaus U. and Bartel, Daniela and Blanke, Alexander and B{\"o}hm, Alexander and Donath, Alexander and Fukui, Makiko and Grove, Simon and Liu, Shanlin and Macek, Oliver and Machida, Ryuichiro and Misof, Bernhard and Nakagaki, Yasutaka and Podsiadlowski, Lars and Sekiya, Kaoru and Tomizuka, Shigekazu and Von Reumont, Bj{\"o}rn M. and Waterhouse, Robert M. and Walzl, Manfred and Meng, Guanliang and Zhou, Xin and Pass, G{\"u}nther and Meusemann, Karen} } @article {274, title = {The complete mitochondrial genome sequence of Scolopendra mutilans L. Koch, 1878 (Scolopendromorpha, Scolopendridae), with a comparative analysis of other centipede genomes}, journal = {ZooKeys}, volume = {925}, year = {2020}, month = {08/04/2020}, pages = {73-88}, abstract = {

Scolopendra mutilans L. Koch, 1878 is an important Chinese animal with thousands of years of medicinal history. However, the genomic information of this species is limited, which hinders its further application. Here, the complete mitochondrial genome (mitogenome) of S. mutilans was sequenced and assembled by next-generation sequencing. The genome is 15,011 bp in length, consisting of 13 protein-coding genes (PCGs), 14 tRNA genes, and two rRNA genes. Most PCGs start with the ATN initiation codon, and all PCGs have the conventional stop codons TAA and TAG. The S. mutilans mitogenome revealed nine simple sequence repeats (SSRs), and an obviously lower GC content compared with other seven centipede mitogenomes previously sequenced. After analysis of homologous regions between the eight centipede mitogenomes, the S. mutilans mitogenome further showed clear genomic rearrangements. The phylogenetic analysis of eight centipedes using 13 conserved PCG genes was finally performed. The phylogenetic reconstructions showed Scutigeromorpha as a separate group, and Scolopendromorpha in a sister-group relationship with Lithobiomorpha and Geophilomorpha. Collectively, the S. mutilans mitogenome provided new genomic resources, which will improve its medicinal research and applications in the future.

}, keywords = {Chilopoda, Chinese medicinal materials, mitogenome, Scolopendra mutilans}, issn = {1313-2989}, doi = {10.3897/zookeys.925.47820}, url = {https://zookeys.pensoft.net/article/47820/}, author = {Hu, Chaoyi and Wang, Shuaibin and Huang, Bisheng and Liu, Hegang and Xu, Lei and Hu, Zhigang and Liu, Yifei} } @article {241, title = {Japanesische Arachniden und Myriapoden}, journal = {Verhandlungen der kaiserlich-k{\"o}niglichen zoologisch-botanischen Gesellschaft in Wien}, volume = {27}, year = {1878}, pages = {735-798}, url = {https://www.biodiversitylibrary.org/page/42882269}, author = {Ludwig Carl Christian Koch} }