Vertical stratification of insect abundance and species richness in an Amazonian tropical forest.

Tropical forests are among the most biodiverse biomes on the planet. Nevertheless, quantifying the abundance and species richness within megadiverse groups is a significant challenge. We designed a study to address this challenge by documenting the variability of the insect fauna across a vertical canopy gradient in a Central Amazonian tropical forest. Insects were sampled over two weeks using 6-m Gressitt-style Malaise traps set at five heights (0 m-32 m-8 m intervals) on a metal tower in a tropical forest north of Manaus, Brazil. The traps contained 37,778 specimens of 18 orders of insects. Using simulation approaches and nonparametric analyses, we interpreted the abundance and richness of insects along this gradient. Diptera, Hymenoptera, and Coleoptera had their greatest abundance at the ground level, whereas Lepidoptera and Hemiptera were more abundant in the upper levels of the canopy. We identified species of 38 of the 56 families of Diptera, finding that 527 out of 856 species (61.6%) were not sampled at the ground level. Mycetophilidae, Tipulidae, and Phoridae were significantly more diverse and/or abundant at the ground level, while Tachinidae, Dolichopodidae, and Lauxaniidae were more diverse or abundant at upper levels. Our study suggests the need for a careful discussion of strategies of tropical forest conservation based on a much more complete understanding of the three-dimensional distribution of its insect diversity.

BuM 2.0: Software for online generation of matrices for Brooks Parsimony Analysis.

Brooks Parsimony Analysis is a cladistic biogeographic method that aims to extract biogeographic information from phylogenetic trees, depicting from a group of cladograms a general pattern of relationships among the areas the taxa inhabit. We present here BuM 2.0, an online framework to automatically create matrices for Brooks Parsimony Analysis (BPA) using Baum Ragans algorithm for Matrix Representation with Parsimony.

Systematics of the genus Maietta Alexander with description of three new species (Diptera: Tipulomorpha: Limoniidae).

The Neotropical genus Maietta Alexander (Diptera: Limoniidae), endemic to Southern South America (Chile), is revised. Three new species, M. dextra sp. n., M. edwardsi sp. n. and M. sinistra sp. n., are described and illustrated. An identification key is provided for all species. The phylogenetic relationships of the species are investigated in a cladistic analysis, resulting in one single most parsimonious cladogram with the topology ((M. squamigera + M. dextra sp. n.) (M. edwardsi sp. n. (M. trimedia + M. sinistra sp. n.))).

Building combined MRP-matrices with BuM, an automated web-tool.

The most common methods for combining different phylogenetic trees with uneven but overlapping taxon sampling are the Matrix Representation with Parsimony (MRP) and consensus tree methods. Although straightforward, some steps of MRP are time-consuming and risky when manually performed, especially the preparation of the matrix representations from the original topologies, and the creation of the single matrix containing all the information of the individual trees. Here we present Building MRP-Matrices (BuM), a free online tool for generating a combined matrix, following Baum and Ragan coding scheme, from files containing phylogenetic trees in parenthetical format.

Systematics of the genus Aphrophila Edwards with description of fifteen new species (Diptera: Tipulomorpha: Limoniidae).

The genus Aphrophila (Diptera: Limoniidae) is revised. All previously described species are redescribed and illustrated, along with fifteen new species. From the Campbell Island (New Zealand): A. whakapapa sp. n.; from Argentina: A. argentina sp. n., A. huahua sp. n. and A. peuma sp. n.; from Chile: A. aequalitas sp. n., A. alexanderi sp. n., A. dentata sp. n., A. dupla sp. n., A. edwardsi sp. n., A. minuscula sp. n., A. penta sp. n., A. regia sp. n., A. serra sp. n., A. sperancae sp. n. and A. vulcania sp. n. Identification key is provided for all the valid species. A phylogenetic analysis was made which resulted in one single most parsimonious tree with five main groups, classified into five subgenera: A. (Aphrophila) Edwards, A. (Magnodonta) subg. n., A. (Spinalia) subg. n., A. (Sirena) subg. n., A. (Zelandica) subg. n. In order to uncover the biogeographical pattern of the distribution of the species in terms of area relationships, a Paralogy-free subtree analysis was performed, which resulted in the following areagram: ((Campbell Is. + S. America) + New Zealand).

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.

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.

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 Wallace's 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.