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Male Genitalia (male + genitalia)
Selected AbstractsLinear Epidermolytic Verrucous Epidermal Nevus of the Male GenitaliaPEDIATRIC DERMATOLOGY, Issue 4 2007EVREN SARIFAKIOGLU M.D. No abstract is available for this article. [source] Phenotypic and genetic variation in male genitalia in the seedbug, Lygaeus equestris (Heteroptera)BIOLOGICAL JOURNAL OF THE LINNEAN SOCIETY, Issue 2 2009SAHRAN L. HIGGINS Male genitalia evolve through sexual selection and, in insects, tend to show negative static allometry, low phenotypic variation, and are usually relatively small. Much less is known about the genetic variation and heritability of male genitalia. Additionally, in instances where the intromittent organ is greatly elongated, it is unclear whether typical patterns of genital scaling and variation also apply. In the present study, we investigated the allometry, variation, and heritability of male genital length in the seedbug, Lygaeus equestris, a species with a greatly elongated intromittent organ (i.e. almost as long as male body size). We found that genital length was negatively allometric, in spite of its great length, and was no more variable than nongenital traits. Additionally, genital length was significantly heritable and had considerable evolvability. © 2009 The Linnean Society of London, Biological Journal of the Linnean Society, 2009, 98, 400,405. [source] The male postabdomen of Stolotermes inopinus: a termite with unusually well-developed external genitalia (Dictyoptera: Isoptera: Stolotermitinae)ACTA ZOOLOGICA, Issue 2 2000Klaus-Dieter Klass Abstract Klass, K.-D., Thorne, B. L. and Lenz, M. 2000. The male postabdomen of Stolotermes inopinus: a termite with unusually well-developed external genitalia (Dictyoptera: Isoptera: Stolotermitinae). ,Acta Zoologica (Stockholm) 81: 121,130 Stolotermes inopinus has large external male genitalia (phallic lobe), which contrast with the small genital papillae or lack of external genitalia of other Isoptera. As in the genital papilla of Mastotermesdarwiniensis, a ventral sclerite pair is present, the gonopore is located ventroterminally on the phallic lobe, and the genital area is entirely symmetrical , suggesting that this may be the groundplan condition of Isoptera. The relations of the phallic lobe to surrounding components like the subgenital plate, paraprocts, and certain muscles and nerves indicate that the lobe of S. inopinus is homologous with the phallomeres of other Dictyoptera. The bilateral symmetry and simple structure, however, are in strong contrast to the asymmetry and high complexity found in male genitalia of Blattaria and Mantodea. The postabdominal nervous system of S. inopinus resembles that of the cockroach Periplaneta americana. Indications are given that the Stolotermitinae are related to the Kalotermitidae, Rhinotermitidae, and Termitidae rather than to the Termopsinae. [source] Lispe patellitarsis Becker (Diptera: Muscidae) new to KoreaENTOMOLOGICAL RESEARCH, Issue 4 2009Sang Jae SUH Abstract Lispe patellitarsis Becker is identified for the first time in Korea. Diagnoses and illustrations of the habitus and male genitalia are given. [source] New record of Compsidolon elaegnicola Yasunaga (Hemiptera: Miridae) from KoreaENTOMOLOGICAL RESEARCH, Issue 4 2009Young Jae CHO Abstract In this paper, two Korean Compsidolon species, C. salicellum (Herrich-Schaeffer) and C. elaegnicola Yasunaga, were treated. Of these, C. elaegnicola Yasunaga, 1999, which was previously known only from Japan, is reported from Korea for the first time and diagnosed. A dorsal habitus image and illustrations of the male genitalia are provided. [source] A New Record of Larerannis miracula (Prout) from Korea (Lepidoptera, Geometridae)ENTOMOLOGICAL RESEARCH, Issue 1 2005Sei-Woong CHOI ABSTRACT An ennomine species, Larerannis miracula (Prout, 1929), is newly recorded from Korea. Description of the adult and life history and illustration of male genitalia are provided. [source] A New Record of Pterotocera ussurica Djakonov (Lepidoptera, Geometridae) from KoreaENTOMOLOGICAL RESEARCH, Issue 2 2003Yoo-Hang SHIN ABSTRACT One species of the genus Pterotocera Staudinger, P. ussurica Djakonov, is first recorded from Korea. Description of adult and illustration of male genitalia are provided. Based on the previous and the present works, there are 22 winter geometrid moths in Korea. [source] Naturally occurring egg parasitoids of the genus Trichogramma (Hymenoptera: Trichogrammatidae) in a pomegranate orchard in TunisiaENTOMOLOGICAL SCIENCE, Issue 1 2010Ines KSENTINI Abstract Four Trichogramma species were found in a pomegranate orchard in Gabès, an arid region of Tunisia, from parasitized eggs of Ectomyelois ceratoniae Zeller (Lepidoptera: Pyralidae), an economically important insect pest. Identification based on assessment of male genitalia and internal transcribed spacer 2 (ITS2) sequences showed that they were T. bourarachae Pintureau and Babault, 1988, T. oleae Voegelé and Pointel, 1979, T. cacoeciae Marchal, 1927 and T. evanescens Westwood, 1833. Trichogramma evanescens is reported for the first time in Tunisia. Trichogramma cacoeciae was the largely dominant species in the analyzed samples, whereas T. bourarachae was present in a minor portion of 1.38%. The implications of these results for attempts at controlling E. ceratoniae are discussed. [source] Notes on two species of the subgenus Lyrothorax Chaudoir (Coleoptera: Carabidae; genus Pterostichus), Pterostichus amagisanus Tanaka and Ishida and Pterostichus fujitai Tanaka and IshidaENTOMOLOGICAL SCIENCE, Issue 2 2009Kôji SASAKAWA Abstract Two species of the subgenus Lyrothorax Chaudoir (Coleoptera: Carabidae; genus Pterostichus), Pterostichus amagisanus Tanaka and Ishida and Pterostichus fujitai Tanaka and Ishida, were revised based on the male endophallus (inner sac everted from aedeagus). P. amagisanus was newly recorded based on a single male from Kyushu, southwest Japan, far from its known distribution (Honshu; the Fuji-Hakone-Izu volcano area), although additional materials are necessary to confirm this record. Despite a highly disjunct distribution, no conspicuous difference was recognized in either external or genital characters between the materials from Honshu and Kyushu. The nominal species P. fujitai was separated into two species, P. fujitai (Honshu) and Pterostichus eoyoritomus sp. nov. (Shikoku; type locality: Mount Jingayama); these two species have some significant differences in the endophallic structures. Character states in male genitalia suggest a sister relationship between P. eoyoritomus sp. nov. and Pterostichus yoritomus Bates. [source] Revision of the genus Stichillus Enderlein of Japan (Diptera: Phoridae)ENTOMOLOGICAL SCIENCE, Issue 1 2004Hiroto NAKAYAMA Abstract The genus Stichillus in Japan is revised. Three species are recognized: S. japonicus (Matsumura), S. spinosus Liu and Chou and S. cylindratus sp. nov. Stichillus brunneicornis Beyer is excluded from the Japanese fauna. These Japanese species are described and keyed. The male genitalia and the female terminalia are illustrated. Some unique characters of the male genitalia in the genus are reported, and morphology of the male genitalia and the female terminalia is discussed. [source] HAVE MALE AND FEMALE GENITALIA COEVOLVED?EVOLUTION, Issue 9 2005A PHYLOGENETIC ANALYSIS OF GENITALIC MORPHOLOGY AND SEXUAL SIZE DIMORPHISM IN WEB-BUILDING SPIDERS (ARANEAE: ARANEOIDEA) Abstract Sexual size dimorphism (SSD) can strongly influence the evolution of reproductive strategies and life history. If SSD is extreme, and other characters (e.g., genitalic size) also increase with size, then functional conflicts may arise between the sexes. Spiders offer an excellent opportunity to investigate this issue because of their wide range of SSD. By using modern phylogenetic methods with 16 species of orb-weaving spiders, we provide strong evidence for the "positive genitalic divergence" model, implying that sexual genitalic dimorphism (SGD) increases as SSD increases. This pattern is supported by an evolutionary mismatch between the absolute sizes of male and female genitalia across species. Indeed, our findings reveal a dramatic reversal from male genitalia that are up to 87X larger than female genitalia in size-monomorphic species to female genitalia that are up to 2.8X larger in extremely size-dimorphic species. We infer that divergence in SGD could limit SSD both in spiders, and potentially in other taxa as well. Further, male and female body size, as well as male and female genitalia size, are decoupled evolutionarily. Finally, we show a negative scaling (hypoallometry) of male and female genitalic morphology within sexes. Evolutionary forces specific to each sex, such as larger female size (increased fecundity) or smaller male size (enhanced mate-searching ability), may be balanced by stabilizing selection on relative genitalic size. [source] TWO NEW SPECIES OF SUBGENUS CALCEORHOPALUM TSUNEKI FROM CHINA (HYMENOPTERA: SPHECIDAE)INSECT SCIENCE, Issue 1 2000LI Qiang Abstract, Two new species of the subgenus Calceorhopalum Tsuneki of the genus Rhopalum Stephens are described. The new species, Rhopalum (Calceorhopalum) odontodorsale sp. nov. from Sichuan and Guizhou Province, is similar to R. (C.) spinicollum Tsuneki, but can be distinguished from the latter in the shape of clypeus, vertex with denser and larger punctures, anterior lateral corner of collar with a small tooth, tarsomere I of fore legs rather broad in male, and the shape of male genitalia. Holotype (,) is deposited in the Insect Collections of Institute of Zoology, Chinese Academy of Sciences. Paratypes (9 ,, 14 2 2) are deposited in the Insect Collections of Institute Zoology, Chinese Academy of Sciences and the Insect Collections of Zhejiang Agricultural University separately. The other new species, Rhopalum (Calceorhopalum) rubigabdominale sp. nov. from Sichuan Province, is similar to R (C.) spinicollum Tsuneki also, but can be distinguished from the latter by the characters of the vertex concave, anterior lateral comer of collar rounded, posterior lateral corner of propleuron with a coarse and long tooth, prepectus with blunt comer medially, head and thorax with denser and larger punctures, abdomen yellowish or reddish brown, and the shape of male genitalia. Holotype (,) and paratypes (3,,) are kept in the Insect Collections of Institute Zoology, Chinese Academy of Sciences. [source] Median raphe cyst in the scrotum, mimicking a serous borderline tumor, associated with cryptorchidism after orchiopecxyINTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF UROLOGY, Issue 12 2004NOBORU HARA Abstract, Median raphe cyst (MRC) is a benign lesion occurring predominantly in the ventral surface of the penises of young men and is an embryological developmental anomaly of the male genitalia. Serous borderline tumors (SBT) are found most frequently in the female ovary and only several cases with SBT of the male genitalia have been reported. We describe a case of MRC with features of SBT, which appeared in the scrotum of a 9-year-old boy after orchiopexy and was associated with surgery for cryptorchidism. The cyst arose on the right testicular tunica and consisted of cystic components with intracystic papillae lined by stratified epithelial cells, some of which showed mild cytological atypia and sporadic mitosis. These epithelial cells expressed CA 125, CA 19-9, carcinoembryonic antigen, estrogen receptor and progesterone receptor. Although no cases of MRC with characteristics of SBT in association with the rete testis has been described, the current report gives additional information for follow-up of cryptorchidism. [source] Sexually antagonistic coevolution in insects is associated with only limited morphological diversityJOURNAL OF EVOLUTIONARY BIOLOGY, Issue 3 2006W. Eberhard Abstract Morphological traits involved in male,female sexual interactions, such as male genitalia, often show rapid divergent evolution. This widespread evolutionary pattern could result from sustained sexually antagonistic coevolution, or from other types of selection such as female choice or selection for species isolation. I reviewed the extensive but under-utilized taxonomic literature on a selected subset of insects, in which male,female conflict has apparently resulted in antagonistic coevolution in males and females. I checked the sexual morphology of groups comprising 500,1000 species in six orders for three evolutionary trends predicted by the sexually antagonistic coevolution hypothesis: males with species-specific differences and elaborate morphology in structures that grasp or perforate females in sexual contexts; corresponding female structures with apparently coevolved species-specific morphology; and potentially defensive designs of female morphology. The expectation was that the predictions were especially likely to be fulfilled in these groups. A largely qualitative overview revealed several surprising patterns: sexually antagonistic coevolution is associated with frequent, relatively weak species-specific differences in males, but male designs are usually relatively simple and conservative (in contrast to the diverse and elaborate designs common in male structures specialized to contact and hold females in other species, and also in weapons such as horns and pincers used in intra-specific battles); coevolutionary divergence of females is not common; and defensive female divergence is very uncommon. No cases were found of female defensive devices that can be facultatively deployed. Coevolutionary morphological races may have occurred between males and females of some bugs with traumatic insemination, but apparently as a result of female attempts to control fertilization, rather than to reduce the physical damage and infections resulting from insertion of the male's hypodermic genitalia. In sum, the sexually antagonistic coevolution that probably occurs in these groups has generally not resulted in rapid, sustained evolutionary divergence in male and female external sexual morphology. Several limitations of this study, and directions for further analyses are discussed. [source] Mating biology of the leaf-cutting ants Atta colombica and A. cephalotesJOURNAL OF MORPHOLOGY, Issue 10 2006Boris Baer Abstract Copulation behavior has often been shaped by sexually selected sperm competition or cryptic female choice. However, manipulation of previously deposited ejaculates is unknown in the social Hymenoptera and the degree to which sperm competes after insemination or is actively selected by females has remained ambiguous. We studied the mating process in the leaf-cutting ants Atta colombica and A. cephalotes, which belong to one of the few derived social insect lineages where obligate multiple mating has evolved. As copulations often occur at night and in remote places, direct observations were impossible, so we had to reconstruct the sequential copulation events by morphological analysis of the male and female genitalia and by tracking the process of sperm transfer and sperm storage. We show that Atta male genitalia have two external rows of spiny teeth, which fit into a specialized pouch organ in the female sexual tract. Reconstruction of the sperm storage process indicated that sperm is transferred to the spermatheca during or immediately after ejaculation and without being mixed with sperm and seminal fluids from other males. A convergent mechanism of direct sperm transfer to the spermatheca of queens is known from two species of dwarf honeybees. Direct sperm transfer may restrict female control over the sperm storage process and the number of males that contribute to the stored sperm. J. Morphol. © 2006 Wiley-Liss, Inc. [source] Extreme body size variability in the golden silk spider (Nephila edulis) does not extend to genitaliaJOURNAL OF ZOOLOGY, Issue 1 2000Gabriele Uhl Abstract Nephila edulis is a spider with large body size variability in males and females. Genital characters show negative allometric values compared to somatic characters. In males, the embolus (the most important structure for sperm transfer) had a significantly lower coefficient of variation than body size. This suggests that male genitalia are under stabilizing selection favouring intermediate size. Female N. edulis showed a trend similar to males regarding allometric values in genitalia. In females, however, the variation coefficient in a specific genital character crucial for successful copulation did not differ from that of indicators for overall body size. This suggests that in Nephila the genitalia of the females experience less stabilizing selection than those of the males. In male and female genitalia, the mode of selection seems to cause developmental instability not in degrees of fluctuating asymmetry but in the degree of data scatter which indicates a lower coefficient of determination. [source] Taxonomy and biogeography of Central European Kybos (Insecta, Hemiptera, Cicadellidae)MITTEILUNGEN AUS DEM MUSEUM FUER NATURKUNDE IN BERLIN-DEUTSCHE ENTOMOLOGISCHE ZEITSCHRIFT, Issue 1 2009Roland Mühlethaler Abstract The Central European species of the taxonomically difficult Holarctic typhlocybine genus Kybos are revised. Currently it is impossible to identify females and nymphs. In addition the otherwise diagnostic shape of the male genitalia is linked by intermediates in some morphologically similar nominal species. The second important diagnostic structure, the male sound apodemes, is not yet fully developed in teneral males, a fact which was not sufficiently taken into consideration by some authors. The present study evaluates the morphological variation of the male genitalia and sound apodemes. Females and nymphs are investigated for taxonomically relevant characters. The study did not yield previously unknown characters particularly for the females and nymphs but suggested that the variation of the male genitalia has previously been underestimated. For this reason K. perplexus Ribaut, 1952 and K. paraltaicus Orosz, 1996 are synonymised with K. strigilifer (Ossiannilsson, 1941) (new synonymies). The base of the female ovipositor is variable within Kybos and separates species groups but does not diagnose species. Nymphs vary in leg dimensions and colour forming the same species groups as the female genitalia but, again, do not diagnose species. In the cladistic analysis the female genital characters make the most important contribution to tree structure whereas the male genitalia are of less importance, contrary to species diagnoses. It is interesting to note that the cladogram comprises a monophyletic group of Betulaceae feeders. (© 2009 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim) [source] DNA barcode discovers two cryptic species and two geographical radiations in the invasive drosophilid Zaprionus indianusMOLECULAR ECOLOGY RESOURCES, Issue 3 2008AMIR YASSIN Abstract Comparing introduced to ancestral populations within a phylogeographical context is crucial in any study aiming to understand the ecological genetics of an invasive species. Zaprionus indianus is a cosmopolitan drosophilid that has recently succeeded to expand its geographical range upon three continents (Africa, Asia and the Americas). We studied the distribution of mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) haplotypes for two genes (CO-I and CO-II) among 23 geographical populations. mtDNA revealed the presence of two well-supported phylogenetic lineages (phylads), with bootstrap value of 100%. Phylad I included three African populations, reinforcing the African-origin hypothesis of the species. Within phylad II, a distinct phylogeographical pattern was discovered: Atlantic populations (from the Americas and Madeira) were closer to the ancestral African populations than to Eastern ones (from Madagascar, Middle East and India). This means that during its passage from endemism to cosmopolitanism, Z. indianus exhibited two independent radiations, the older (the Eastern) to the East, and the younger (the Atlantic) to the West. Discriminant function analysis using 13 morphometrical characters was also able to discriminate between the two molecular phylads (93.34 ± 1.67%), although detailed morphological analysis of male genitalia using scanning electron microscopy showed no significant differences. Finally, crossing experiments revealed the presence of reproductive barrier between populations from the two phylads, and further between populations within phylad I. Hence, a bona species status was assigned to two new, cryptic species: Zaprionus africanus and Zaprionus gabonicus, and both were encompassed along with Z. indianus and Zaprionus megalorchis into the indianus complex. The ecology of these two species reveals that they are forest dwellers, which explains their restricted endemic distribution, in contrast to their relative cosmopolitan Z. indianus, known to be a human-commensal. Our results reconfirm the great utility of mtDNA at both inter- and intraspecific analyses within the frame of an integrated taxonomical project. [source] Select spinal lesions reveal multiple ascending pathways in the rat conveying input from the male genitaliaTHE JOURNAL OF PHYSIOLOGY, Issue 7 2010C. H. Hubscher The specific white matter location of all the spinal pathways conveying penile input to the rostral medulla is not known. Our previous studies using rats demonstrated the loss of low but not high threshold penile inputs to medullary reticular formation (MRF) neurons after acute and chronic dorsal column (DC) lesions of the T8 spinal cord and loss of all penile inputs after lesioning the dorsal three-fifths of the cord. In the present study, select T8 lesions were made and terminal electrophysiological recordings were performed 45,60 days later in a limited portion of the nucleus reticularis gigantocellularis (Gi) and Gi pars alpha. Lesions included subtotal dorsal hemisections that spared only the lateral half of the dorsal portion of the lateral funiculus on one side, dorsal and over-dorsal hemisections, and subtotal transections that spared predominantly just the ventromedial white matter. Electrophysiological data for 448 single unit recordings obtained from 32 urethane-anaesthetized rats, when analysed in groups based upon histological lesion reconstructions, revealed (1) ascending bilateral projections in the dorsal, dorsolateral and ventrolateral white matter of the spinal cord conveying information from the male external genitalia to MRF, and (2) ascending bilateral projections in the ventrolateral white matter conveying information from the pelvic visceral organs (bladder, descending colon, urethra) to MRF. Multiple spinal pathways from the penis to the MRF may correspond to different functions, including those processing affective/pleasure/motivational, nociception, and mating-specific (such as for erection and ejaculation) inputs. [source] Studies on eriophyoid mites (Acari: Eriophyoidea) of Australia: A new genus and seven new species associated with tea trees, Melaleuca spp. (Myrtaceae)AUSTRALIAN JOURNAL OF ENTOMOLOGY, Issue 3 2003Danuta K Knihinicki Abstract One new genus and seven new species of eriophyoid mites from Australia are described and illustrated. Scutalophus mallacootensis gen. and sp. n., Calepitrimerus maddoxi sp. n., Aculus campbelli sp. n. and Phyllocoptes ballinensis sp. n. are all free-living vagrants on Melaleuca alternifolia, an important essential oil crop in which Eriophyes melaleucae (Keifer) severely distorts the new growth. A redescription of E. melaleucae is supplemented with an illustration of the male genitalia. In addition, C. maddoxi sp. n. occurs on Melaleuca linariifolia in association with E. melaleucae. Scutalophus mallacootensis gen. and sp. n. also inhabits Melaleuca armillaris along with Eriophyes armillaris sp. n. Eriophyes quinquenerviae sp. n. forms round, pepper-shot galls on foliage of Melaleuca quinquenervia and Eriophyes leucadendrae sp. n. builds elongated, ridge-like galls on leaves of Melaleuca leucadendra. [source] Australian species of Anachloris Meyrick (Lepidoptera: Geometridae: Larentiinae): taxonomy, musculature of the male genitalia and systematic positionAUSTRALIAN JOURNAL OF ENTOMOLOGY, Issue 3 2001Olga Schmidt Abstract The genus Anachloris Meyrick, containing the species A. subochraria (Doubleday) and A. uncinata (Guenée) is reviewed, and a new species A. tofocolorata sp. n. is described and illustrated. Keys to species and distribution maps, as well as information about the biology of A. uncinata, are provided. The skeletomuscular system of the male genitalia and the structure of the female genitalia of Hydriomena impluviata (Denis and Schiffermüller) from Europe are compared with those of A. subochraria and A. uncinata from Australia, suggesting that Anachloris does not belong to the tribe Hydriomenini. Additional study is necessary to establish its tribal position. [source] Satyrinae butterflies from Sardinia and Corsica show a kaleidoscopic intraspecific biogeography (Lepidoptera, Nymphlidae)BIOLOGICAL JOURNAL OF THE LINNEAN SOCIETY, Issue 1 2010LEONARDO DAPPORTO The Mediterranean islands of Sardinia and Corsica are known for their multitude of endemics. Butterflies in particular have received much attention. However, no comprehensive studies aiming to compare populations of butterflies from Sardinia and Corsica with those from the neighbouring mainland and Sicily have been carried out. In the present study, the eleven Satyrinae species inhabiting Sardinia and Corsica islands were examined and compared with continental and Sicilian populations by means of geometric morphometrics of male genitalia. Relative warp computation, discriminant analyses, hierarchical clustering, and cross-validation tests were used to identify coherent distributional patterns including both islands and mainland populations. The eleven species showed multifaceted distributional patterns, although three main conclusions can be drawn: (1) populations from North Africa and Spain are generally different from those belonging to the Italian Peninsula; (2) populations from Sardinia and Sicily often resemble the North Africa/Spain ones; Corsica shows transitional populations similar to those from France; and (3) sea barriers represent filters to dispersal, although their efficacy appears to be unrelated to their extension. Indeed, the short sea straits between Sardinia and Corsica and between Sicily and the Italian Peninsula revealed a strong effectiveness with respect to preventing faunal exchanges; populations giving onto sea channels between Corsica and Northern Italy and between Sicily and Tunisia showed a higher similarity. A comparison of island and mainland distributions of the eleven taxa have helped to unravel the complex co-occurrence of historical factors, refugial dynamics, and recent (post-glacial) dispersal with respect to shaping the populations of Mediterranean island butterflies. © 2010 The Linnean Society of London, Biological Journal of the Linnean Society, 2010, 100, 195,212. [source] Phenotypic and genetic variation in male genitalia in the seedbug, Lygaeus equestris (Heteroptera)BIOLOGICAL JOURNAL OF THE LINNEAN SOCIETY, Issue 2 2009SAHRAN L. HIGGINS Male genitalia evolve through sexual selection and, in insects, tend to show negative static allometry, low phenotypic variation, and are usually relatively small. Much less is known about the genetic variation and heritability of male genitalia. Additionally, in instances where the intromittent organ is greatly elongated, it is unclear whether typical patterns of genital scaling and variation also apply. In the present study, we investigated the allometry, variation, and heritability of male genital length in the seedbug, Lygaeus equestris, a species with a greatly elongated intromittent organ (i.e. almost as long as male body size). We found that genital length was negatively allometric, in spite of its great length, and was no more variable than nongenital traits. Additionally, genital length was significantly heritable and had considerable evolvability. © 2009 The Linnean Society of London, Biological Journal of the Linnean Society, 2009, 98, 400,405. [source] Hierarchical comparative analysis of genetic and genitalic geographical structure: testing patterns of male and female genital evolution in the scarab beetle Phyllophaga hirticula (Coleoptera: Scarabaeidae)BIOLOGICAL JOURNAL OF THE LINNEAN SOCIETY, Issue 1 2009MAXI POLIHRONAKIS It is generally accepted that genitalia are among the fastest evolving characters in insects and that selection on these structures may increase speciation rates in groups with polygamous mating systems. If selection is causing genitalic divergence between or among populations of a species, one prediction is that geographical structure of genitalic morphology would be in place before genetic structure of a rapidly evolving neutral marker. The current study tests this hypothesis in the geographically widespread scarab beetle Phyllophaga hirticula by evaluating whether standing variation in male and female genitalia is more or less geographically structured than a mitochondrial genetic marker. Geographical structure of mitochondrial (mt)DNA and male and female genitalic shape were analysed using analysis of variance, multivariate analysis of variance, Mantel tests, and tests of spatial autocorrelation. The results show that, although female genitalia are more geographically structured than mtDNA, male genitalia are not. This pattern suggests that selection on female genitalic variation may be causing divergence of these structures among populations. © 2009 The Linnean Society of London, Biological Journal of the Linnean Society, 2009, 96, 135,149. [source] Three New Stoneflies (Insecta: Plecoptera) from the Yixian Formation of Liaoning, ChinaACTA GEOLOGICA SINICA (ENGLISH EDITION), Issue 2 2008LIU Yushuang Abstract: Three new genera and species Archaeoperla rarissimus gen. et sp. nov. (Perlidae), Liaotaenionema tenuitibia gen. et sp. nov. (Taeniopterygidae) and Parvinemoura parvus gen. et sp. nov. (?Nemouridae) are described and illustrated. All of them were collected from Yixian Formation of the western Liaoning, China. Hitherto, A. rarissimus is the oldest species possessing typical characters of Perlidae; the finding of L. tenuitibia indicates taeniopterygids once lived in the northeastern China in the late Mesozoic, but frequent volcanic activities, climate changes, or other environmental changes might have resulted in the disappearance of Taeniopterygidae in northern China after Mesozoic. Ancestral groups of Nemouridae have been abundant from Middle Jurassic, and male genitalia of P. parvus gen. et sp. nov. has been developed and similar to extant Nemouridae in the late Mesozoic. The stonefly fossils found from Yixian Formation are not divers at the species level, but rich at the family level. The diversity of stonefly implies different microclimate existed in the northeastern China at that time. A large old lacustrine basin existed in the western Liaoning, surrounded by hygrophilous plants on swampland and lake shore, warm and humid; tall arbor and boscage on the hillside nearby, mild and dry; mountains in the distance, rivulets running among the mountains, cool and wet. Many insects, prefer cool climate (e.g. stonefly, raphidiopterans, et al.), lived in the mountains with rivulets. [source] Phylogeny of the Thylacosterninae (Coleoptera, Elateridae)CLADISTICS, Issue 2 2009Varpu Vahtera The phylogeny of the Elateridae subfamily Thylacosterninae was studied using morphological characters and mitochondrial 16S rDNA sequences. Five monophyletic groups were recovered: the Asian Cussolenis, the American Pterotarsus, Balgus and Thylacosternus, and the African "Cussolenis", which is described here as Lumumbaia new genus Muona & Vahtera (type-species Cussolenis attenuatus Fleutiaux, 1925). The following new combinations are made: Lumumbaia africanus (Fleutiaux, 1897) [Soleniscus], Lumumbaia praeustus (Fleutiaux, 1926) [Cussolenis], Lumumbaia nigripes (Fleutiaux, 1926) [Cussolenis], Lumumbaia robustus (Fleutiaux, 1925) [Cussolenis], Lumumbaia attenuatus (Fleutiaux, 1925) [Cussolenis] and Lumumbaia notabilis (Fleutiaux, 1926) [Cussolenis]. A key to the genera of the subfamily is provided. The data were efficient in recovering generic limits within the group. At species level the mitochondrial 16S rDNA data seemed to work unpredictably, either agreeing or not with traditional species-level limits based on male genitalia and body structure. The evolution of bioluminescence is optimized as a feature originating in the ancestors of clicking elateroids. © The Willi Hennig Society 2009. [source] | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||