Guilherme C. Ribeiro

Neat and clear: 700 species of crane flies (Diptera: Tipulomorpha) link southern South America and Australasia

A biogeographical analysis of crane flies (Diptera, Tipulomorpha) in the southern hemisphere is used to test if their distribution patterns provide evidence of biogeographical homology (shared history) in the South Pacific. Crane fly distributions are interpreted in light of patterns of endemism and diversity and published phylogenetic studies. A panbiogeographical approach, assuming that repeating distribution patterns strongly suggest the existence of past connections between the areas (biogeographical homology), is used. A clear pattern is revealed in which crane fly taxa shared between southern South America, New Zealand and Australia are restricted to that region. Thirty genera and subgenera, together comprising about 700 species, occur in both South America and Australasia and only in these areas. This distribution defines the limits of the South Pacific Track, a standard biogeographical pattern displayed by many taxa, including the southern beeches (Nothofagus). Although the distribution of some taxa spans the entire track, others are present in parts of the areas only, forming a nested set of distributions. Within the surveyed genera and subgenera, all individual species are endemic to one single region or continent, suggesting vicariance as the main process behind crane fly disjunctions in this part of the world. The nested set of distribution patterns could be explained by extinctions in areas where taxa were present previously. Alternatively, it may indicate historical absences and the existence of a heterogeneous set of ancestral distributional ranges. ‘Gondwanan’ may not be the best term for the observed disjunctions, which should be labelled as trans‐Pacific instead. Recent molecular estimates of divergence times suggest a Permian origin of the earliest extant Diptera lineages such as the Tipulomorpha, followed by fast radiation in the Triassic. Although the differentiation of some crane fly groups occurring in the region may have been driven by recent Mesozoic and Cenozoic events of continental breakup, as least part of the fauna may have evolved allopatrically in response to older events. This may explain the overlapping distribution of subgenera in large genera such as Gynoplistia.

On typeless species and the perils of fast taxonomy

C H A R L E S M O R P H Y D . S A N T O S 1, D A L T O N S . A M O R I M 2, B R U N A K L A S S A 1, D I E G O A . F A C H I N 2, S I L V I O S . N I H E I 3, C L A U D I O J . B . D E C A R VA L H O 4, R A F A E L A L . F A L A S C H I 5, C Á T I A A . M E L L O P A T I U 6, M Á R C I A S . C O U R I 6, S A R A H S . O L I V E I R A 7, V E R A C . S I L VA 8, G U I L H E R M E C . R I B E I R O 1, R E N A T O S . C A P E L L A R I 9 and C A R L O S J O S É E . L A M A S 5

The world's biogeographical regions revisited: global patterns of endemism in Tipulidae (Diptera)

This paper explores the distributional data of 4,224 Tipulidae (Insecta: Diptera) species to search for endemism patterns in a worldwide scale and to test the extent to which the global patterns of endemism of the group fit into previously proposed regionalization schemes, particularly Wallaces system and recent revisions of it. Large scale areas of endemism are assessed using the grid-based method implemented in VNDM. VNDM depends on the prior definition of the grid size for analysis, but a criterion for choosing beforehand a particular grid size is not clear. The same holds for the choice of the level of similarity in species composition selected for the calculation of consensus areas. In our study, we developed a methodological approach that helped defining objective criteria for choosing suitable values for these critical variables. Large-scale areas of endemism around the globe are identified and ranked according to endemicity levels: 1--West Palaearctic, 2--Nearctic, 3--East Palaearctic-Oriental, 4--West North America, 5--Australia, 6--Neotropical, 7--Sub-Saharan Africa, 8--Palaearctic, and 9--Middle East. Our main conclusion is that there are still some limitations in applying biogeographical classifications proposed mostly on the basis of vertebrate distribution to other taxonomic groups, such as the Tipulidae. While there is a general congruence of the broad-scale areas of endemism of tipulids with previously proposed regionalization schemes, for some areas, the sharpness of boundaries between traditional regions is not so acute, due to a great level of overlap of part of its biotic elements.

Mesozoic fossils and the phylogeny of Tipulomorpha (Insecta: Diptera)

Tipulomorpha are known back to the Triassic but are very rare in the fossil record of that period. The oldest tipuloid genus, Archilimonia Krzemiński & Krzemińska, 2003, is redescribed based on the type and a new species from the Middle Triassic (early Anisian, 242–247 Ma) of the northern Vosges Mountains, NE France. Male terminalia of Triassic Tipulomorpha are described for the first time: a terminal gonostylus divided into a fleshy setose clasper and a lobe in Archilimonia grauvogeliana sp. nov. The systematic position of Archilimonia is investigated based on morphological characters of both extant and extinct taxa of Tipulomorpha and other infraorders. Our cladistic analysis is congruent with the family-level relationships recovered by the most recent phylogenetic studies of Tipulomorpha, and the position of some extinct taxa is discussed. The divided gonostylus is considered a synapomorphy of Tipuloidea except Pediciidae, so in our analyses we place Archilimonia between Pediciidae and other Tipuloidea (Limoniidae + (Tipulidae + Cylindrotomidae), with two other Triassic tipuloid genera (Mabelysia and Metarchilimonia). The family Tipulidae including the Mesozoic genus Tipunia is monophyletic, so Tipulidae has existed since the Late Jurassic. http://zoobank.org/urn:lsid:zoobank.org:pub:4C0BA500-A928-4C83-ABE1-8B42BB01A803

A non-destructive enzymatic method to extract DNA from arthropod specimens: Implications for morphological and molecular studies

There is a growing necessity to integrate morphological and genetic studies. This paper proposes a new technique that allows DNA extraction of arthropods while still keeping intact the entire morphology of the specimens. The technique uses Proteinase K to dissolve protein tissues and preserve the chitinous exoskeleton of specimens. The method is fast, cheap, non-toxic, and allows for good morphological preparations of specimens retaining much of their tridimensional structure. The methodology works fine with specimens preserved in different kinds of media, such as for dry (pinned) specimens, and specimens preserved in Ethanol. In addition, it allows the extraction of DNA from fresh specimens, as well as from specimens preserved for a long time. The technique works well for morphological studies alone, but allows the generation of an associated genomic library at an individual-scale. Among the advantages of the new technique is the possibility of extracting DNA from the entire specimen (necessary for the study of diseases transmitted by arthropod vectors), while still keeping the morphology intact for correct taxonomic identification. In addition, in comparison with methods that extract DNA from small tissue samples (e.g., from legs or wings), the method allows for the extraction of a larger amount of DNA and is better suited for small specimens.

Phylogenetic analysis of the genus Lensia (Cnidaria, Hydrozoa, Siphonophora), based on the species morphology

Siphonophores are poorly studied despite their abundance and ecological importance in marine ecosystems. The genus Lensia Totton, 1932 contains the highest number of species within Siphonophora, but systematic studies of these organisms are scarce in the literature. This study presents a phylogenetic analysis for fifteen species of Lensia based on morphological data. The material for this study was obtained during two oceanographic campaigns made along the southeastern Brazilian coast. A total of twenty two characters of the anterior nectophore morphology were scored. The shortest trees were searched using parsimony (under different weighting regimes). All analyses provided the same topology: (M. kochi (D. dispar + D. bojani) (L. leloupi (L. havock (L. conoidea (L. subtilis; L. meteori; L. hardy; L. fowleri; (L. subtiloides (L. hotspur; L. cossack; L. campanella)); (L. multicristata (L. hunter (L. lelouveteau + L. grimaldii))). The monophyly of the genus Lensia is supported by the hydroecium measuring up to 1/4 the height of the nectosac.

FAMILIES TIPULIDAE AND LIMONIIDAE

A catalogue of the Colombian crane flies (Tipulomorpha, families Tipulidae and Limoniidae) is provided, based on updated information from the Catalogue of the Crane flies of World, with additional data on the geographical distribution of the species in Colombia taken from the primary literature. A total of 131 valid species are recorded for Colombia, 38 in the family Tipulidae and 93 in the family Limoniidae.

Strategic Spatial Planning and Environmental Management: the Impact of Guanabara Bay Cleaning Programme in Rio de Janeiro

This paper examines a prominent example of planning for sustainable development in Rio de Janeiro, namely the Guanabara Bay Cleaning Program. The paper examines the role of the Guanabara Bay Cleaning Program against the background of socio-economic and spatial trends in the last decade, identifying patterns of segregation and polarization on these levels. Beyond the fact that such patterns follow urban development tendencies under the impact of globalization which also have been documented elsewhere, we are interested here in looking at how the Guanabara Bay Cleaning Program has contributed to reinforce existing trends of spatial and socio-economic segregation through the way in which sanitation infrastructure has been implemented in different areas of the city. In order to do that, we look here at two neighborhoods located on opposite sides of the same, heavily polluted Guanabara Bay. The first is Icarai, a high-income area where the beach, despite being polluted and being closed for bathing for many years, has remained a recreational amenity. The second is Mare Complex, a low-income community which has been closed off from the bay by series of urban interventions, such as the free-way containing the main traffic towards Rio de Janeiro International Airport. The Guanabara Bay Cleaning Program interventions in both areas have contributed to perpetuate and reinforce existing patterns of spatial segregation, both between neighborhoods of different socio-economic status and between such neighborhoods and potential environmental amenities.

Intra-metropolitan Inequalities InRio De Janeiro And The Guanabara BayCleaning Programme

This paper investigates the impact of the Guanabara Bay Cleaning Programme (GBCP) on the urban development process of the Rio de Janeiro Metropolitan Area. Based on the magnitude of the budget of the programme (US

New Leptotarsus from the Early Cretaceous of Brazil and Spain: the oldest members of the family Tipulidae (Diptera)

860.5 million) and its relevance to the improvement of the life quality of urban dwellers, the main focus of this paper is on the role of GBCP in the context of the Rio de Janeiro urban trends and intra-metropolitan inequality dynamics. We present here an analysis of GBCP’s role in Rio de Janeiro’s current urban development process, identifying its influences on the dynamics of socioenvironmental inequalities. It can be affirmed that the GBCP plays an important role in improving the existing infrastructure of low-income areas in the Rio de Janeiro, but on the other hand several management and implementation problems counteract its positive impact and contribute to reaffirm the current spatial segregated pattern.