Sistemática

Bryophytes are considered as a key group in the land transition of photosynthetic life. Besides their relative structural simplicity, they possess some unique characters in the land line, namely, the extreme simplification of their sporophyte phase, which is always monosporangiate, and permanently associated to the gametophyte, most generally

A B S T R A C T Excavations on the Zhokhov Island yielded a small but meaningful collection of Early Holocene canine faunal remains (MNI = 13). To clarify the morphological characteristics of the Zhokhov dogs' skulls, they were compared to the modern skulls of the Eastern Siberian wolves. This analysis shows, that around 9000 years ago a fully formed, as a species, domesticated dog was present at the Zhokhov site and used by the inhabitants of the area while hunting and as a draft animal. Presence of a developed form of dog sledding has been securely established for this culture. The Zhokhov site osteological dog remains analysis showed that the comparison of two proportional ratios (the ratio of skull height in the cranial region to total skull length and the ratio of snout height at Рm1 – Рm2 to total skull length) is a universal and reliable criterion for distinguishing wolf skulls from wolf-like dog skulls. This method prevents the influence of any single measurement on the identification of any individual as a dog or a wolf. We propose to name them indices DD1 and DD2, accordingly (for Dog Domestication). We also show that a sled dog and hunting dog standard existed, which significantly changes the current ideas about the timing of specialized dog breed formation via directed selection. Full completion of this process marks the third stage of domestication. Two earlier stages precede it in time and space (natural selection via the feeding behavior within specific ecological niche, formed by the human activity, followed by artificial selection based on the animal's ability to be tamed). We suggest that sled dogs could have been used in Siberia around 15,000 years ago.

La biología ha definido la biodiversidad como la variedad y variabilidad de los seres vivos y de los ecosistemas que integran. Los componentes de la diversidad biológica se organizan en tres niveles: el de los genes, que constituyen las bases moleculares de la herencia; el de las especies, que son conjuntos de organismos afines capaces de reproducirse entre sí; y el de los ecosistemas, que son complejos funcionales formados por los organismos y el medio físico en el que habitan. La biodiversidad es el resultado de un proceso que comenzó hace 3.500 millones de años, cuando en las aguas de un mar primitivo empezaron a formarse moléculas complejas capaces de autoduplicarse. Todos los seres que hoy viven en la Tierra comparten esa misteriosa herencia molecular. En las últimas décadas numerosas especies de plantas y animales desaparecen de la faz de la tierra, a un ritmo tal que a fines del siglo XXI habrán desaparecido 2/3 de todas las especies. Dada la gravedad del problema está justificado reflexionar acerca de esta pérdida y sus consecuencias como espejos de nuestra época y relacionarlas con las tareas de la sistemática biológica y la educación.

Sánchez-Rojas, G. & A. Rojas-Martínez (2007) Tópicos en Sistemática, Biogeografía, Ecología y Conservación de Mamíferos. Universidad Autónoma del Estado de Hidalgo. 217 pp. ISBN 970-769-097-6.
Esta publicación es producto del esfuerzo conjunto de 30 autores provenientes de 13 instituciones que incluyen universidades públicas e institutos de investigación nacional e internacional. El punto focal de los
trabajos son los mamíferos, pero en todos se buscó explicar de manera detallada los diferentes conceptos de los temas tratados en cada capítulo. El primero es una revisión sobre las regiones bioeográficas basado en la distribución de los mamíferos en México; el segundo trabajo se aboca en el papel que los cromosomas pueden tener en la sistemática de Peromyscus maniculatus; el tercero utiliza directamente secuencias de ADN para investigar las relaciones filogenéticas en los lagomorfos; el cuarto revela la importancia del conocimiento sistemático de las especies en su conservación; el quinto menciona algunos avances en biología molecular que se han logrado utilizando a Liomys pictus como modelo; el sexto es una revisión sobre los micro satélites en los murciélagos mexicanos; el séptimo aborda el estudio de la diversidad a escala del paisaje usando el ensamble de murciélagos en una zona tropical, el octavo muestra el papel preponderante que los murciélagos pueden tener en la regeneración de los paisajes severamente fragmentados en los trópicos mexicanos; el noveno describe lo que es una metapoblación utilizando al venado bura como modelo; el décimo muestra los patrones de diversidad de los mamíferos en tres gradientes que abarcan toda Norteamérica; el undécimo es una revisión del papel de los mamíferos en el proceso de la dispersión de las semillas; el duodécimo es una
visión muy personal sobre la biología de una de las especies más preciadas como trofeo cinegético el borrego cimarrón; el decimotercero es un estudio sobre las nutrias en el río Ayuquila; el decimocuarto es un trabajo que describe un enfoque de desarrollo sustentable mediante la utilización de los ungulados como animales de caza, y finalmente en el decimoquinto mediante el enfoque de la complementariedad establece prioridades de conservación utilizando como modelo a la familia de los carnívoros. El libro es sin duda un producto directo de la reunión que cada dos años organiza
Asociación Mexicana de Mastozoología A. C., donde se dieron los primeros pasos para que este fuera una realida

Se realizó la determinación de las tortugas del género Trachemys del Laboratorio de Herpetología de la FES Iztacala. Se midió el largo, ancho y alto del caparazón y se tomaron fotografías de cada individuo en plano dorsal, ventral, lateral y frontal. Se procedió a determinar a cada uno de los individuos con la ayuda de claves dicotómicas del género, prestando especial atención a: franjas de la cabeza, cuello y patas, coloración y patrón de ocelos del caparazón y plastrón y caracteres sexuales secundarios. Se inventarió un total de 121 individuos pertenecientes al género Trachemys en el laboratorio: 75 pertenecientes a T. scripta elegans, 25 a T. venusta venusta, 10 a T. venusta cataspila, dos a T. ornata y nueve indeterminadas.

Macrourids are among the most abundant and diverse demersal fishes in all deep oceans, including the Southwestern Brazilian continental slope. Although not targeted by Brazilian fisheries, they suffer impact similar than the target species, being among the most discarded fishes by deep bottom trawling.
Trophic Ecology: Data from research surveys and commercial fishing were used to analyze the trophic ecology of four species inhabiting the upper slope of southern Brazil: Coelorinchus marinii, Malacocephalus occidentalis, M. laevis and Lucigadus ori. For the two abundant ones, ontogenetic changes, seasonal variations, intra- and interspecific dietary overlap, parasite fauna and aspects of functional morphology are also described. C.marinii had an extremely diverse diet, preying infauna, epifauna, plankton, necton and carcasses.
M.occidentalis fed on larger and nektonic prey, but also included crabs and carcasses in the diet. Both species showed ontogenetic shifts and seasonal variations in diet composition, both leading to changes in intra- and interspecific diet overlap patterns. Species showed quite distinct feeding anatomy and proportions of body with mouth size, reflecting on feeding strategies. There was little interspecific food overlap. In most cases when the diet was more similar there was a spatial segregation. The coexistence of these species appears to be facilitated by the development of different functional morphologies and feeding strategies. A considerable portion of the diet of these species is due to the consumption of carcasses of pelagic and mesopelagic organisms, and even insects, bypassing the benthic trophic web. Conservative (minimum) estimates of the mean weight
of carcasses in diet ranged from 3 to 20%, increasing with the size of the predators and towards deeper waters. C.marinii showed a lower consumption of carcasses and a high proportion of mesopelagic fishes and cephalopods, however, the analysis of the feeding morphology and prey size leads to believe that most of these two groups of prey were consumed as carcasses. This source of food bypass the detritus food chains and connect the concentrations of macrourids to fluctuations in the abundance of epi and mesopelagic organisms and to oceanographic processes that increase their concentration and mortality (e.g. mesoscale anticyclonic eddies).

Distribution, Biomass and Oceanography: Data from two seasonal bottom trawl surveys were used to provide information on distribution, abundances, densities, sizecomposition and biomass estimates for seven species: Coelorinchus marinii, Malacocephalus occidentalis, M. laevis, Lucigadus ori, Hymenocephalus billsam, Ventrifossa macropogon and V. mucocephalus. The total biomass was estimated in 5.5 and 8.3 kt respectively in winter-spring and summer-autumn. C.marinii and M.occidentalis comprised 98% of the biomass. For these two abundant species, surface maps were made with spawning areas, feeding index, sex and immature/mature ratios, and were related to
oceanographic processes, providing insights on strategies and important processes regulating distribution and abundance patterns. Both species showed a marked seasonal variation in the extent and location of spawning areas. Most C.marinii females were mature (90%), suggesting an early maturation during pelagic phase and acquiring demersal habit just prior the onset of maturation, while M.occidentalis showed few matures females and settle to bottom well before maturity. Temperature rather than depth seems to be the main factor regulating the batimetric distribution of both species. We describe three processes responsible for distribution and abundance patterns found in these species. Different patterns of spatial segregation were found in both species, related with depth, sex and maturity. It is suggested that areas with high biomass Macrouridae (scavengers) are induced by zones of occurrence semi-permanent mesoscale processes (e.g. eddies). These processes increase productivity and enable large biomass of short-lived organisms found in the upper layers, and also increase the concentration, mortality and availability of carcasses, favoring scavenger predators. These processes may be responsible for inconsistencies in biomass of megafauna and macrofauna found in some studies, where biomass of megafauna was of the same order of magnitude or larger than macrofauna, contradicting the Eltonian principle. It is suggested that future studies attempt to relate mesoscale processes with the biomass of potential short-lived prey in surface waters and higher biomass of scavengers. This work highlights the importance of the study of ocean dynamics, combining biological and oceanographic observations, trying to understand the role of mesoscale physical processes on the distribution and abundance patterns of species.

Resumen: Hace más de 20 años, se publicó el trabajo de Cronin y sus colaboradores titulado Tempo and mode in hominid evolution, como respuesta al artículo de Gould y Eldredge de 1977, en el que se afirmaba que la evolución humana es un buen ejemplo de equilibrio puntuado. El trabajo de Cronin et alii marcó un hito en los estudios teóricos de evolución humana; pero a la luz de los nuevos fósiles incorporados en el árbol hominino en estas 2 décadas se ha-ce necesaria una revisión. En este trabajo revisamos la sistemática y proponemos una filogenia para los homininos pliopleistocénicos y, basándonos en estos 2 postulados, discutimos el tiempo y el modo de la evolución de este grupo.

Abstract: More than twenty years ago the work of Cronin et alii, titled Tempo and mode in hominid evolution, was published as an answer to the paper of Gould and Eldredge published in 1977 in wich it was affirmed that human evolution is a good exemple of punctuated equilibria. The work of Cronin et alii marked a milestone in the theorical studies of human evolution; however, considering the new the new fossils incorporated to the hominine tree in the last two decades, a new revision is necessary. In this work we reviewed the systematic and propose a phylogeny for the Pliopleistocenic hominine and according with these two postulates, we discusse about wen and how was this group evolution.

ABSTRACT
This paper is the first record of Pomadasys ramosus in Ceará State coast, Brazil. Fish of this species present pisciforme
shape, prolongated, and compressed laterally body, such as all species of the Haemulidae family. The P. ramosus especimen described
in this paper was collected in the Acaraú River estuary (02º52’15.8"S - 40º07’47.2"W). The individual was captured at 7,5 m depth
inside the estuary. A monofilament polyamid gillnet with 8 cm between meshes was used for the catch. Previous to this work, only
five records for such species were available in Brazilian states: two in Alagoas, two in São Paulo and one in Rio de Janeiro. The
present work supports the idea that P. ramosus is distributed from the Antillean Islands to Rio de Janeiro State, Brazil, and fills
a gap its occurrence area.

This paper is the second step in a process that aims to asses biodiversity of land and freshwater
molluscs fauna of Mount Circeo (Latium, Italy). Forty species of land and freshwater molluscs
are listed, three more than in the previous work. A species of Oxychilus Fitzinger, 1833 and
two species of Limax Linnaeus, 1758 remain undetermined, to date. The presence of Pleurodiscus
balmei balmei (Potiez et Michaud, 1838) and Siciliaria gibbula honii (O. Boettger,
1879) are confirmed and this is the known northern limit of their distribution areas in Italy.
Moreover, the presence of some species of biogeographical interest has allowed us to formulate
some hypotheses on the origin of this fauna, in the light of the most recent theories on the
formation of the Italian peninsula.

The examination of specimens of the Coccinellidae family, deposited in the Entomological Collection of the National University San Antonio Abad del Cusco, Peru, allowed determining the presence of 7 species of the genus Cycloneda Crotch 1871: Cycloneda marcapatae Bustamante, Oroz & Cosio 2009, Cycloneda vandenbergae González, Bustamante & Oróz 2008, Cycloneda andresi Oroz, Bustamante & Cosio 2009, Cycloneda dieguezi González 2018, Cycloneda arcula (Erichson 1847), Cycloneda ecuadorica (Timberlake 1943), and Cycloneda sanguinea (Linnaeus 1763). The species are present in 35 localities, of 24 districts, in 10 provinces of the department of Cusco, occupying an altitude range that ranges from 800 meters above sea level (Sahuayaco, Echarate, La Convención), to 5,230 meters above sea level (Pucacocha, Ausangate,
Quispicanchi). For each species, a diagnosis, distribution, comments on its biology, photographs of its habitus, and photomicrographs of the genital tract are presented.

Se registra y documenta el género Larnax Miers para Bolivia. Se describe e ilustra en detalle a L. subtriflora (Ruiz & Pav.) Miers, especie tipo del género. Además, se incluyen datos sobre su fenología, ecología, usos y estado de conservación. Por último, se precisa la distribución geográfica de esta especie para Perú y Bolivia.

The Late Triassic rhynchocephalian Clevosaurus latidens Fraser, 1993 is known from the fissure deposits of Cromhall Quarry, England. Many studies have questioned its referral to the genus Clevosaurus Swinton, 1939 and some phylogenetic analyses suggest a close relationship with herbivorous rhynchocephalians. We re-examine the type specimens and referred material of C. latidens to elucidate its taxonomic identity. Additionally, we provide new phylogenetic analyses of the Rhynchocephalia using both parsimony and Bayesian approaches. Our taxonomic review and both phylogenetic analyses reveal that C. latidens is not referable to Clevosaurus, but represents a new genus. We reassess C. latidens and provide an amended diagnosis for Fraserosphenodon new genus. Both parsimony and Bayesian analyses recover similar topologies and we propose formal names for two higher clades within Rhynchocephalia: Eusphenodontia new infraorder and Neosphenodontia new clade.UUID: http://zoobank.org/65f29bd1-47...

The taxonomy of the genus Campylorhamphus Bertoni, 1901 is still uncertain, with many inconsistent evolutionary patterns implied by current taxonomy. A re-analysis of the type-series of Campylorhamphus procurvoides successor Todd, 1948 revealed that the holotype is indistinguishable from Campylorhamphus trochilirostris notabilis Zimmer, 1934, while the paratypes belonged either to the latter taxon or to a second already named taxon (Campylorhamphus trochilirostris snethlageae Zimmer, 1934), and a third and yet undescribed taxon allied to Campylorhamphus procurvoides. Here, we present statistical analyses of morphological data supporting the synonymization of C. p. successor into C. t. notabilis, the name with priority. Our findings resolve the long-standing controversy related to the distribution of Campylorhamphus procurvoides populations in the várzea habitats of the lower Amazon River.