The two widespread ostracod genera Cypria Zenker, 1854 and Physocypria Vávra, 1897 are traditiona... more The two widespread ostracod genera Cypria Zenker, 1854 and Physocypria Vávra, 1897 are traditionally distinguished based on the presence or absence of tubercles on the right valve margin. However, recent research based on soft body parts has uncovered new cryptic genera within Cypria and Physocypria. Following this line of research, a new Cyclocyprididae genus and species, Vizcainocypria viator gen. nov. sp. nov., is here described from individuals collected in rice fields and wetlands of the Iberian Peninsula. Vizcainocypria is compared with Cypria, Physocypria, Dentocypria Savatenalinton, 2017, Keysercypria Karanovic, 2011, Brasilocypria Almeida et al., 2023, and Claudecypria Almeida et al., 2023 based on morphological evidence. Besides the presence or absence of tubercles on the right valve, these genera can be distinguished according to their mandibular palp, second thoracopod, caudal ramus, and male hemipenis. Molecular analyses using mitochondrial (COX1), and nuclear (28S rDNA) genes provide further support for the differentiation of Cypria, Dentocypria, Physocypria and Vizcainocypria gen. nov. The present study highlights the importance of using an integrative taxonomy approach, combining shell and soft-body parts morphology and molecular data, to characterize the rich diversity of freshwater ostracods.
Genus<i> Cypris</i> O. F. Müller, 1776<b> Diagnosis (after Martens 1990, Meisch... more Genus<i> Cypris</i> O. F. Müller, 1776<b> Diagnosis (after Martens 1990, Meisch 2000 and Karanovic 2012).</b> Valves with the anterior selvage largely displaced inwards. LV anteriorly with a well-developed inner list. LV with an additional inner list. RV with a lip-like anteroventral margin. LV overlapping the RV posteriorly and ventrally. Walking leg (L6) 4-segmented; basal segment (protopod) with a d 1 -seta<i> c.</i> 2-3x as long as the d 2 setae. Caudal rami slender.<b> Distribution.</b> Distributed worldwide, but highest species richness found in the Afrotropical and Oriental regions ( Meisch<i> et al</i>. 2019).
<i> Cypris pretusi</i> Mesquita-Joanes, Aguilar-Alberola, Palero &amp; Rueda sp. ... more <i> Cypris pretusi</i> Mesquita-Joanes, Aguilar-Alberola, Palero &amp; Rueda sp. nov. ( Figs. 5–7)<b> Type locality.</b> Rambla de Orduña, a tributary of Palància river, El Toro municipality, Castelló Province, Spain ( Table 1).<b> Type material. Holotype:</b> A female from Rambla Orduña, with soft parts mounted on a microscope slide in Hydromatrix®. Valves, coated for SEM, stored in a micropalaeontological slide (MUVHNZY0005).<b> Paratypes:</b> Three females (MUVHNZY0006, MUVHNZY0007, MUVHNZY0008) from Bassa s'Enclusa, Minorca. Soft parts mounted on microscope slides in either Hydromatrix ® or glycerin, and valves stored dry in micropaleontological slides. Three more females from Bassa s'Enclusa<i> in toto</i> in ethanol in a small vial (MUVHNZY0009), and other three females<i> in toto</i> from R. Orduña in a micropaleontological slide (MUVHNZY0010).<b> Repository:</b> The holotype and all paratypes are deposited in the Museum of Natural History of the University of Valencia ( MUVHN), Burjassot, Spain. Other individuals from the same sites as the holotype and paratypes and from additional sites ( Table 1) are stored in the ostracod collection of F. Mesquita at the "Cavanilles" Institute of Biodiversity and Evolutionary Biology of the University of Valencia, Paterna, Spain.<b> Derivation of name.</b> Specific epithet dedicated to Dr. Joan Lluís Pretus (Dep. Ecology, Univ. of Barcelona), who collected the samples from s'Albufera des Grau. We dedicate this species to him, not only because of providing the samples, but also for his dedication to the knowledge and preservation of aquatic environments and their inhabitants.<b> Abbreviated diagnosis.</b> Intermediate-sized (~ 1.9 mm long) species of the genus<i> Cypris.</i> Cp subovate in dorsal view, relatively elongated and slender compared to other members of the genus. Posterior margin of valves with a row of small subequal denticles. Frontal edge of the Cp beak-shaped, without conspicuous spines. Swimming setae on the An2 not reaching the tips of the terminal claw [...]
FIGURE 8. Maximum Likelihood tree inferred using the Hasegawa-Kishino-Yano model on the COX1 alig... more FIGURE 8. Maximum Likelihood tree inferred using the Hasegawa-Kishino-Yano model on the COX1 alignment data. Bootstrap support values (percentage of trees in which the associated taxa clustered together) larger than 80 are shown next to the branches. The tree is drawn to scale, with branch lengths measured in the number of substitutions per site. Pictures: C. pubera, SEM figure of RV (inner view) from R. Ebo (Zamora et al. 2005b); C. triaculeata, photograph of individual BOLD:SAOST070- 08.COI-5P (Genbank code MG310480); C. pretusi sp. nov., individual from Bejís (sampled 15th of March 2019; Table 1); C. bispinosa, individual from Benirrama pond (mud culture, June 2019).
FIGURE 6. Details of the antennula (An1), antenna (An2), and mandibula (Md) of C. pretusi sp. nov... more FIGURE 6. Details of the antennula (An1), antenna (An2), and mandibula (Md) of C. pretusi sp. nov. All drawings from individual MUVHNZY0005, except branchial plate of Md and Ro (MUVHNZY0006).
FIGURE 5. Scanning electron micrographs (A-K) and drawings (L–N) of shells and valves of Cypris p... more FIGURE 5. Scanning electron micrographs (A-K) and drawings (L–N) of shells and valves of Cypris pretusi sp. nov. A–B: dorsal (A) and ventral (B) view of whole specimens from R. Palància (A: MUVHNZY0000, B: MUVHNZY0001). C: dorsal view of a specimen from Minorca (MUVHNZY0002). D–E: Inner view of left (D) and right (E) valves of specimen MUVHNZY0005 from R. Palància. F–G: Inner views of left (F) and right (G) valves of a specimen MUVHNZY0003 from Minorca. H–I: Outer views of right (H) and left (I) valves of a specimen MUVHNZY0004 from Minorca. J: detail of anteroventral part of a female (MUVHNZY0001). K: detail of postero-ventral part of a female (MUVHNZY0001) showing the apparent denticles, larger and less numerous in the right valve. L–N: drawings of left (L) and right (M) valve, and detail of the posterior edge of right valve (N) of a specimen (MUVHNZY0008) from Minorca. Small scale below M=500 µm for A–I, L and M, larger scale=500 µm for N. Scale for J–K indicated as=100 µm.
FIGURE 3. Top part of page 635 of Linnaeus' (1758) Systema naturae, where he replaces the ost... more FIGURE 3. Top part of page 635 of Linnaeus' (1758) Systema naturae, where he replaces the ostracod name Monoculus concha pedata by the new Monoculus conchaceus, referring to his Fauna svecica code Fn Svec. 1185 (see Figs. 1–2)
FIGURE 2. Top of page 68 of Linnaeus' (1748) Systema naturae, naming the first ostracod Monoc... more FIGURE 2. Top of page 68 of Linnaeus' (1748) Systema naturae, naming the first ostracod Monoculus concha pedata, and referring to his Fauna svecica code Fn. 1185 (see Fig. 1)
The metacommunity concept provides a theoretical framework that aims at explaining organism distr... more The metacommunity concept provides a theoretical framework that aims at explaining organism distributions by a combination of environmental filtering, dispersal and drift. With the development of statistical tools to quantify and partially isolate the role of each of these processes, empirical metacommunity studies have multiplied worldwide. However, few works attempt a multi-taxon approach and even fewer compare two distant biogeographical regions using the same methodology. Under this framework, we tested the expectation that temperate (mediterranean-climate) pond metacommunities would be more influenced by environmental and spatial processes than tropical ones, because of stronger environmental gradients and greater isolation of waterbodies.We surveyed 30 tropical and 32 mediterranean temporary ponds from Costa Rica and Spain, respectively, and obtained data on 49 environmental variables (including limnological, hydrogeomorphological, biotic, climatic, and landscape variables). W...
Abstract The processes behind the heterogeneous distribution of species involve a combination of ... more Abstract The processes behind the heterogeneous distribution of species involve a combination of environmental and spatial effects. In the spatial context, stream networks constitute appropriate systems to compare the relative importance of two dispersal modes in aquatic organisms: overland and watercourse dispersal. In the present study, we analyzed the distribution of ostracod species in a river network in the eastern Iberian Peninsula, with variation partitioning between environmental and spatial factors, using Moran and Asymmetric Eigenvector Maps (MEMs, AEMs) as spatial variables. Our aims were to determine the relative importance of environmental and spatial control and to compare the importance of overland and watercourse dispersal for species distribution of passively-dispersing aquatic organisms. Our results suggest that watercourse was the most important dispersal mode, favoring mass-effects. The role of species sorting was significant and related to temperature, stream width and water quality, measured as a biotic index (IBMWP). These results stress the major importance of connectivity, besides niche-related factors, in structuring riverine communities of passively-dispersing aquatic organisms.
Entre 2017 y 2018 se realizó un estudio limnológico de 30 lagunas temporales de Costa Rica. Entre... more Entre 2017 y 2018 se realizó un estudio limnológico de 30 lagunas temporales de Costa Rica. Entre otros organismos, se estudiaron las esponjas de agua dulce (Porifera: Spongillidae), en cuya distribución se centra el presente estudio. De las muestras se aislaron 15 552 gémulas de esponjas repartidas en 21 localidades de la provincia de Guanacaste. Este material se obtuvo a lo largo de seis campañas de muestreo efectuadas entre mayo de 2017 y diciembre de 2018. Las especies de esponjas identificadas fueron Radiospongilla crateriformis (Potts, 1882), Corvoheteromeyenia heterosclera (Ezcurra de Drago, 1974), Tubella variabilis Bonetto & Ezcurra de Drago, 1973 y Ephydatia fluviatilis (Linnaeus, 1759) con nuevas localidades. Se recolectaron las cuatro especies juntas en una laguna denominada “El Sitio” y se citan dos nuevas localidades de T. variabilis en “Sainalosa” y “El Sitio” junto con Ephydatia fluviatilis y Corvoheteromeyenia heterosclera en la primera, ambas lagunas localizadas en...
Haematophagous insects cause major economic losses by both direct damage and the transmission of ... more Haematophagous insects cause major economic losses by both direct damage and the transmission of pathogens. However, the biting Diptera species in the Caribbean region have been poorly documented. During 2021, CDC downdraft suction traps with UV light were employed to assess both the species occurrence and blood meal sources across three different habitats in the Dominican Republic. Eighteen species of mosquitoes (n = 274), six species of Culicoides (n = 803), two black fly species (n = 2), and one species of muscid fly (n = 25) were identified at species-level by morphology and/or molecular phylogenetic approaches based on the mitochondrial cytochrome c oxidase subunit 1 (COI). Engorged mosquito (n = 5) and Culicoides (n = 28) females showed host preferences derived exclusively from mammals (cows and pigs), except Culex species containing the blood of chickens. Our study provides new records of the Diptera Dominican catalogue (Culex salinarius for the Greater Antilles, Culicoides j...
espanolDurante el desarrollo de un curso sobre la evaluacion de la calidad biologica de las aguas... more espanolDurante el desarrollo de un curso sobre la evaluacion de la calidad biologica de las aguas continentales en Leon (Nicaragua), se reco - lectaron ejemplares de la esponja de agua dulce Radiospongilla crateriformis (Potts, 1882) (Porifera: Spongillidae), la cual se cita aqui por primera vez para el pais. Los muestreos se realizaron du - rante la tercera semana de enero de 2016 en el rio Los Aposentos. Este circula dentro del recinto del Jardin Botanico Ambiental (JBA- UNAN-Leon). Se aportan datos sobre la autoecologia de los ejem - plares recolectados y se discuten ciertas diferencias morfologicas con respecto a otras citas en paises cercanos. EnglishIn the framework of a field course on water quality assessment in Leon (Nicaragua), we collected specimens of the freshwater sponge Radiospongilla crateriformis (Potts, 1882) (Porifera: Spon - gillidae), which is herein cited for the first time for this country. Samples were obtained during the third week of January 2016 from river...
The two widespread ostracod genera Cypria Zenker, 1854 and Physocypria Vávra, 1897 are traditiona... more The two widespread ostracod genera Cypria Zenker, 1854 and Physocypria Vávra, 1897 are traditionally distinguished based on the presence or absence of tubercles on the right valve margin. However, recent research based on soft body parts has uncovered new cryptic genera within Cypria and Physocypria. Following this line of research, a new Cyclocyprididae genus and species, Vizcainocypria viator gen. nov. sp. nov., is here described from individuals collected in rice fields and wetlands of the Iberian Peninsula. Vizcainocypria is compared with Cypria, Physocypria, Dentocypria Savatenalinton, 2017, Keysercypria Karanovic, 2011, Brasilocypria Almeida et al., 2023, and Claudecypria Almeida et al., 2023 based on morphological evidence. Besides the presence or absence of tubercles on the right valve, these genera can be distinguished according to their mandibular palp, second thoracopod, caudal ramus, and male hemipenis. Molecular analyses using mitochondrial (COX1), and nuclear (28S rDNA) genes provide further support for the differentiation of Cypria, Dentocypria, Physocypria and Vizcainocypria gen. nov. The present study highlights the importance of using an integrative taxonomy approach, combining shell and soft-body parts morphology and molecular data, to characterize the rich diversity of freshwater ostracods.
Genus<i> Cypris</i> O. F. Müller, 1776<b> Diagnosis (after Martens 1990, Meisch... more Genus<i> Cypris</i> O. F. Müller, 1776<b> Diagnosis (after Martens 1990, Meisch 2000 and Karanovic 2012).</b> Valves with the anterior selvage largely displaced inwards. LV anteriorly with a well-developed inner list. LV with an additional inner list. RV with a lip-like anteroventral margin. LV overlapping the RV posteriorly and ventrally. Walking leg (L6) 4-segmented; basal segment (protopod) with a d 1 -seta<i> c.</i> 2-3x as long as the d 2 setae. Caudal rami slender.<b> Distribution.</b> Distributed worldwide, but highest species richness found in the Afrotropical and Oriental regions ( Meisch<i> et al</i>. 2019).
<i> Cypris pretusi</i> Mesquita-Joanes, Aguilar-Alberola, Palero &amp; Rueda sp. ... more <i> Cypris pretusi</i> Mesquita-Joanes, Aguilar-Alberola, Palero &amp; Rueda sp. nov. ( Figs. 5–7)<b> Type locality.</b> Rambla de Orduña, a tributary of Palància river, El Toro municipality, Castelló Province, Spain ( Table 1).<b> Type material. Holotype:</b> A female from Rambla Orduña, with soft parts mounted on a microscope slide in Hydromatrix®. Valves, coated for SEM, stored in a micropalaeontological slide (MUVHNZY0005).<b> Paratypes:</b> Three females (MUVHNZY0006, MUVHNZY0007, MUVHNZY0008) from Bassa s'Enclusa, Minorca. Soft parts mounted on microscope slides in either Hydromatrix ® or glycerin, and valves stored dry in micropaleontological slides. Three more females from Bassa s'Enclusa<i> in toto</i> in ethanol in a small vial (MUVHNZY0009), and other three females<i> in toto</i> from R. Orduña in a micropaleontological slide (MUVHNZY0010).<b> Repository:</b> The holotype and all paratypes are deposited in the Museum of Natural History of the University of Valencia ( MUVHN), Burjassot, Spain. Other individuals from the same sites as the holotype and paratypes and from additional sites ( Table 1) are stored in the ostracod collection of F. Mesquita at the "Cavanilles" Institute of Biodiversity and Evolutionary Biology of the University of Valencia, Paterna, Spain.<b> Derivation of name.</b> Specific epithet dedicated to Dr. Joan Lluís Pretus (Dep. Ecology, Univ. of Barcelona), who collected the samples from s'Albufera des Grau. We dedicate this species to him, not only because of providing the samples, but also for his dedication to the knowledge and preservation of aquatic environments and their inhabitants.<b> Abbreviated diagnosis.</b> Intermediate-sized (~ 1.9 mm long) species of the genus<i> Cypris.</i> Cp subovate in dorsal view, relatively elongated and slender compared to other members of the genus. Posterior margin of valves with a row of small subequal denticles. Frontal edge of the Cp beak-shaped, without conspicuous spines. Swimming setae on the An2 not reaching the tips of the terminal claw [...]
FIGURE 8. Maximum Likelihood tree inferred using the Hasegawa-Kishino-Yano model on the COX1 alig... more FIGURE 8. Maximum Likelihood tree inferred using the Hasegawa-Kishino-Yano model on the COX1 alignment data. Bootstrap support values (percentage of trees in which the associated taxa clustered together) larger than 80 are shown next to the branches. The tree is drawn to scale, with branch lengths measured in the number of substitutions per site. Pictures: C. pubera, SEM figure of RV (inner view) from R. Ebo (Zamora et al. 2005b); C. triaculeata, photograph of individual BOLD:SAOST070- 08.COI-5P (Genbank code MG310480); C. pretusi sp. nov., individual from Bejís (sampled 15th of March 2019; Table 1); C. bispinosa, individual from Benirrama pond (mud culture, June 2019).
FIGURE 6. Details of the antennula (An1), antenna (An2), and mandibula (Md) of C. pretusi sp. nov... more FIGURE 6. Details of the antennula (An1), antenna (An2), and mandibula (Md) of C. pretusi sp. nov. All drawings from individual MUVHNZY0005, except branchial plate of Md and Ro (MUVHNZY0006).
FIGURE 5. Scanning electron micrographs (A-K) and drawings (L–N) of shells and valves of Cypris p... more FIGURE 5. Scanning electron micrographs (A-K) and drawings (L–N) of shells and valves of Cypris pretusi sp. nov. A–B: dorsal (A) and ventral (B) view of whole specimens from R. Palància (A: MUVHNZY0000, B: MUVHNZY0001). C: dorsal view of a specimen from Minorca (MUVHNZY0002). D–E: Inner view of left (D) and right (E) valves of specimen MUVHNZY0005 from R. Palància. F–G: Inner views of left (F) and right (G) valves of a specimen MUVHNZY0003 from Minorca. H–I: Outer views of right (H) and left (I) valves of a specimen MUVHNZY0004 from Minorca. J: detail of anteroventral part of a female (MUVHNZY0001). K: detail of postero-ventral part of a female (MUVHNZY0001) showing the apparent denticles, larger and less numerous in the right valve. L–N: drawings of left (L) and right (M) valve, and detail of the posterior edge of right valve (N) of a specimen (MUVHNZY0008) from Minorca. Small scale below M=500 µm for A–I, L and M, larger scale=500 µm for N. Scale for J–K indicated as=100 µm.
FIGURE 3. Top part of page 635 of Linnaeus' (1758) Systema naturae, where he replaces the ost... more FIGURE 3. Top part of page 635 of Linnaeus' (1758) Systema naturae, where he replaces the ostracod name Monoculus concha pedata by the new Monoculus conchaceus, referring to his Fauna svecica code Fn Svec. 1185 (see Figs. 1–2)
FIGURE 2. Top of page 68 of Linnaeus' (1748) Systema naturae, naming the first ostracod Monoc... more FIGURE 2. Top of page 68 of Linnaeus' (1748) Systema naturae, naming the first ostracod Monoculus concha pedata, and referring to his Fauna svecica code Fn. 1185 (see Fig. 1)
The metacommunity concept provides a theoretical framework that aims at explaining organism distr... more The metacommunity concept provides a theoretical framework that aims at explaining organism distributions by a combination of environmental filtering, dispersal and drift. With the development of statistical tools to quantify and partially isolate the role of each of these processes, empirical metacommunity studies have multiplied worldwide. However, few works attempt a multi-taxon approach and even fewer compare two distant biogeographical regions using the same methodology. Under this framework, we tested the expectation that temperate (mediterranean-climate) pond metacommunities would be more influenced by environmental and spatial processes than tropical ones, because of stronger environmental gradients and greater isolation of waterbodies.We surveyed 30 tropical and 32 mediterranean temporary ponds from Costa Rica and Spain, respectively, and obtained data on 49 environmental variables (including limnological, hydrogeomorphological, biotic, climatic, and landscape variables). W...
Abstract The processes behind the heterogeneous distribution of species involve a combination of ... more Abstract The processes behind the heterogeneous distribution of species involve a combination of environmental and spatial effects. In the spatial context, stream networks constitute appropriate systems to compare the relative importance of two dispersal modes in aquatic organisms: overland and watercourse dispersal. In the present study, we analyzed the distribution of ostracod species in a river network in the eastern Iberian Peninsula, with variation partitioning between environmental and spatial factors, using Moran and Asymmetric Eigenvector Maps (MEMs, AEMs) as spatial variables. Our aims were to determine the relative importance of environmental and spatial control and to compare the importance of overland and watercourse dispersal for species distribution of passively-dispersing aquatic organisms. Our results suggest that watercourse was the most important dispersal mode, favoring mass-effects. The role of species sorting was significant and related to temperature, stream width and water quality, measured as a biotic index (IBMWP). These results stress the major importance of connectivity, besides niche-related factors, in structuring riverine communities of passively-dispersing aquatic organisms.
Entre 2017 y 2018 se realizó un estudio limnológico de 30 lagunas temporales de Costa Rica. Entre... more Entre 2017 y 2018 se realizó un estudio limnológico de 30 lagunas temporales de Costa Rica. Entre otros organismos, se estudiaron las esponjas de agua dulce (Porifera: Spongillidae), en cuya distribución se centra el presente estudio. De las muestras se aislaron 15 552 gémulas de esponjas repartidas en 21 localidades de la provincia de Guanacaste. Este material se obtuvo a lo largo de seis campañas de muestreo efectuadas entre mayo de 2017 y diciembre de 2018. Las especies de esponjas identificadas fueron Radiospongilla crateriformis (Potts, 1882), Corvoheteromeyenia heterosclera (Ezcurra de Drago, 1974), Tubella variabilis Bonetto & Ezcurra de Drago, 1973 y Ephydatia fluviatilis (Linnaeus, 1759) con nuevas localidades. Se recolectaron las cuatro especies juntas en una laguna denominada “El Sitio” y se citan dos nuevas localidades de T. variabilis en “Sainalosa” y “El Sitio” junto con Ephydatia fluviatilis y Corvoheteromeyenia heterosclera en la primera, ambas lagunas localizadas en...
Haematophagous insects cause major economic losses by both direct damage and the transmission of ... more Haematophagous insects cause major economic losses by both direct damage and the transmission of pathogens. However, the biting Diptera species in the Caribbean region have been poorly documented. During 2021, CDC downdraft suction traps with UV light were employed to assess both the species occurrence and blood meal sources across three different habitats in the Dominican Republic. Eighteen species of mosquitoes (n = 274), six species of Culicoides (n = 803), two black fly species (n = 2), and one species of muscid fly (n = 25) were identified at species-level by morphology and/or molecular phylogenetic approaches based on the mitochondrial cytochrome c oxidase subunit 1 (COI). Engorged mosquito (n = 5) and Culicoides (n = 28) females showed host preferences derived exclusively from mammals (cows and pigs), except Culex species containing the blood of chickens. Our study provides new records of the Diptera Dominican catalogue (Culex salinarius for the Greater Antilles, Culicoides j...
espanolDurante el desarrollo de un curso sobre la evaluacion de la calidad biologica de las aguas... more espanolDurante el desarrollo de un curso sobre la evaluacion de la calidad biologica de las aguas continentales en Leon (Nicaragua), se reco - lectaron ejemplares de la esponja de agua dulce Radiospongilla crateriformis (Potts, 1882) (Porifera: Spongillidae), la cual se cita aqui por primera vez para el pais. Los muestreos se realizaron du - rante la tercera semana de enero de 2016 en el rio Los Aposentos. Este circula dentro del recinto del Jardin Botanico Ambiental (JBA- UNAN-Leon). Se aportan datos sobre la autoecologia de los ejem - plares recolectados y se discuten ciertas diferencias morfologicas con respecto a otras citas en paises cercanos. EnglishIn the framework of a field course on water quality assessment in Leon (Nicaragua), we collected specimens of the freshwater sponge Radiospongilla crateriformis (Potts, 1882) (Porifera: Spon - gillidae), which is herein cited for the first time for this country. Samples were obtained during the third week of January 2016 from river...
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