Diversification of the mygalomorph spider genus Aname (Araneae: Anamidae) across the Australian arid zone: Tracing the evolution and biogeography of a continent-wide radiation.

The assembly of the Australian arid zone biota has long fascinated biogeographers. Covering over two-thirds of the continent, Australia's vast arid zone biome is home to a distinctive fauna and flora, including numerous lineages which have diversified since the Eocene. Tracing the origins and speciation history of these arid zone taxa has been an ongoing endeavour since the advent of molecular phylogenetics, and an increasing number of studies on invertebrate animals are beginning to complement a rich history of research on vertebrate and plant taxa. In this study, we apply continent-wide genetic sampling and one of the largest phylogenetic data matrices yet assembled for a genus of Australian spiders, to reconstruct the phylogeny and biogeographic history of the open-holed trapdoor spider genus Aname L. Koch, 1873. This highly diverse lineage of Australian mygalomorph spiders has a distribution covering the majority of Australia west of the Great Dividing Range, but apparently excluding the high rainfall zones of eastern Australia and Tasmania. Original and legacy sequences were obtained for three mtDNA and four nuDNA markers from 174 taxa in seven genera, including 150 Aname specimen terminals belonging to 102 species-level operational taxonomic units, sampled from 32 bioregions across Australia. Reconstruction of the phylogeny and biogeographic history of Aname revealed three radiations (Tropical, Temperate-Eastern and Continental), which could be further broken into eight major inclusive clades. Ancestral area reconstruction revealed the Pilbara, Monsoon Tropics and Mid-West to be important ancestral areas for the genus Aname and its closest relatives, with the origin of Aname itself inferred in the Pilbara bioregion. From these origins in the arid north-west of Australia, our study found evidence for a series of subsequent biome transitions in separate lineages, with at least eight tertiary incursions back into the arid zone from more mesic tropical, temperate or eastern biomes, and only two major clades which experienced widespread (primary) in situ diversification within the arid zone. Based on our phylogenetic results, and results from independent legacy divergence dating studies, we further reveal the importance of climate-driven biotic change in the Miocene and Pliocene in shaping the distribution and composition of the Australian arid zone biota, and the value of continent-wide studies in revealing potentially complex patterns of arid zone diversification in dispersal-limited invertebrate taxa.

A systematic revision of Draculoides (Schizomida: Hubbardiidae) of the Pilbara, Western Australia, Part I: the Western Pilbara.

The schizomid fauna of mainland Australia currently comprises 60 species within seven named genera, of which five are endemic to the continent: Attenuizomus Harvey, 2000, Brignolizomus Harvey, 2000, Draculoides Harvey, 1992, Julattenius Harvey, 1992, Notozomus Harvey, 2000. Most Australian schizomids have been described from eastern and northern Australia, but there is also a significant subterranean fauna that has been found in hypogean habitats in the semi-arid Pilbara region of Western Australia. The vast majority of these species can be assigned to the genus Draculoides and this study is the first in a proposed series to revise this highly diverse genus. We treat the species found in the western Pilbara region, which includes 13 new species and 13 previously named species, using morphological characters and multi-locus sequence data. We also incorporate a molecular "mini-barcode" approach for COI, 12S and ITS2 to diagnose the new species. The new species are named: Draculoides akashae Abrams and Harvey, n. sp., D. belalugosii Abrams and Harvey, n. sp., D. carmillae Abrams and Harvey, n. sp., D. christopherleei Abrams and Harvey, n. sp., D. claudiae Abrams and Harvey, n. sp., D. immortalis Abrams and Harvey, n. sp., D. karenbassettae Abrams and Harvey, n. sp., D. mckechnieorum Abrams and Harvey, n. sp., D. minae Abrams and Harvey, n. sp., D. noctigrassator Abrams and Harvey, n. sp., D. nosferatu Abrams and Harvey, n. sp., D. piscivultus Abrams and Harvey, n. sp. and D. warramboo Abrams and Harvey, n. sp. We also provide the first descriptions of males of D. anachoretus (Harvey, Berry, Edward and Humphreys, 2008) and D. gnophicola (Harvey, Berry, Edward and Humphreys, 2008). All of the new species are subterranean-dwelling, short-range endemic species that occur in regions subject to mining activities, rendering them of high conservation significance.

Scratching the surface of subterranean biodiversity: Molecular analysis reveals a diverse and previously unknown fauna of Parabathynellidae (Crustacea: Bathynellacea) from the Pilbara, Western Australia.

Like other crustacean families, the Parabathynellidae is a poorly studied subterranean and aquatic (stygobiontic) group in Australia, with many regions of available habitat having not yet been surveyed. Here we used a combined approach of molecular species delimitation methods, applied to mitochondrial and nuclear genetic data, to identify putative new species from material obtained from remote subterranean habitats in the Pilbara region of Western Australia. Based on collections from these new localities, we delineated a minimum of eight and up to 24 putative new species using a consensus from a range of molecular delineation methods and additional evidence. When we placed our new putative species into the broader phylogenetic framework of Australian Parabathynellidae, they grouped with two known genera and also within one new and distinct Pilbara-only clade. These new species significantly expand the known diversity of Parabathynellidae in that they represent a 22% increase to the 109 currently recognised species globally. Our investigations showed that sampling at new localities can yield extraordinary levels of new species diversity, with the majority of species showing likely restricted endemic geographical ranges. These findings represent only a small sample from a region comprising less than 2.5% of the Australian continent.

Open-holed trapdoor spiders of the genus Teyl (Mygalomorphae: Nemesiidae: Anamini) from Western Australia's Pilbara bioregion: a new species and expanded phylogenetic assessment.

The open-holed trapdoor spiders of the genus Teyl Main, 1975 from the Pilbara bioregion of Western Australia are investigated. A single endemic species from the southern Pilbara, T. heuretes sp. nov., is newly described, representing the northern-most occurrence of the genus in Australia. Legacy molecular data for Australian Nemesiidae, along with newly generated sequences for all described species of Teyl known from Western Australia, are analysed using Maximum Likelihood methods, providing molecular data for T. heuretes and an expanded phylogenetic assessment of the genus.

The millipede genus Antichiropus (Diplopoda: Polydesmida: Paradoxosomatidae), part 3: species of the Pilbara bioregion of Western Australia.

The species of the millipede genus Antichiropus Attems, 1911 found in the Pilbara region of Western Australia are reviewed, and 33 new species are described. The new species are: A. anguinus Car, n. sp., A. antius Car, n. sp., A. apricus Car, n. sp., A. cirratus Car, n. sp., A. confragus Car, n. sp., A. cristatus Car, n. sp., A. cucumeraceous Car, n. sp., A. cunicularis Car, n. sp, A. echinus Car, n. sp., A. filiolus Car, n. sp., A. forcipatus Car, n. sp., A. georginae Car, n. sp., A. gibbus Car, n. sp., A. hystricosus Car, n. sp., A. julianneae Car, n. sp., A. literulus Car, n. sp., A. lucyae Car, n. sp., A. nicholasi Car, n. sp., A. nimbus Car, n. sp., A. patriciae Car, n. sp., A. pendiculus Car, n. sp., A. picus Car, n. sp., A. procerus Car, n. sp., A. quaestionis Car, n. sp., A. rupinus Car, n. sp., A. salutus Car, n. sp., A. servulus Car, n. sp., A. simmonsi Car, n. sp., A. sloanae Car, n. sp., A. spathion Car, n. sp., A. uvulus Car, n. sp., A. verutus Car, n. sp. and A. vindicatus Car, n. sp.. The number of described Antichiropus species now stands at 72. Two species (A. julianneae Car, n. sp. and A. pendiculus Car, n. sp.) lack one diagnostic feature of the genus, namely a solenomere process, but are included here because they conform to the genus definition in all other characters. We also obtained sequence data from four mitochondrial genes (cytochrome c oxidase subunit 1 [COI], cytochrome c oxidase subunit 3 [COIII], cytochrome B [CytB], and 12S rRNA [12S]), and one nuclear gene (28S rRNA [28S]) for 19 species. Three main clades were recovered: one in the northern Pilbara, one in the southern Pilbara, and one just outside the south-western margin of the Pilbara.

Too hot to handle: Cenozoic aridification drives multiple independent incursions of Schizomida (Hubbardiidae) into hypogean environments.

The formation of the Australian arid zone, Australia's largest and youngest major biome, has been recognized as a major driver of rapid evolutionary radiations in terrestrial plants and animals. Here, we investigate the phylogenetic diversity and evolutionary history of subterranean short-tailed whip scorpions (Schizomida: Hubbardiidae), which are a significant faunal component of Western Australian hypogean ecosystems. We sequenced two mitochondrial (12S, COI) and three nuclear DNA markers (18S, 28S, ITS2) from ∼600 specimens, largely from the genera Draculoides and Paradraculoides, including 20 previously named species and an additional 56 newly identified operational taxonomic units (OTUs). Phylogenetic analyses revealed a large and rapid species radiation congruent with Cenozoic aridification of the continent, in addition to the identification of a new genus in Western Australia and the first epigean schizomid from the Pilbara. Here, we also synonymise Paradraculoides with Draculoides (new synonymy), due to paraphyly and a lack of reliable characters to define the two genera. Our results are consistent with multiple colonisations of the subterranean realm from epigean ancestors as their forest habitat fragmented and retracted, with ongoing fragmentation and diversification of lineages underground. These findings illustrate the remarkable diversity and high incidence of short-range endemism of Western Australia's subterranean fauna, which has important implications for identifying and managing short-range endemic subterranean fauna. They also highlight the advantages of including molecular data in subterranean fauna surveys as all specimens can be utilized, regardless of sex and life stage. Additionally, we have provided the first multi-gene phylogenetic framework for Australian schizomids, which will enable researchers and environmental consultants to identify new taxa or align them to existing lineages.

Molecular systematics of the Kakaducarididae (Crustacea: Decapoda: Caridea).

The systematic relationships of the freshwater shrimp family, Kakaducarididae, were examined using mitochondrial and nuclear DNA sequences. Combined nuclear (18S rDNA, 28S rDNA, Histone) and mitochondrial (16S rDNA) analyses placed the kakaducaridid genera, Kakaducaris and Leptopalaemon, as a strongly supported clade within the Palaemonidae, in a close relationship with the genus Macrobrachium. Monophyly of the Australian Kakaducarididae was strongly supported by the molecular data. Estimated net divergence times between Kakaducaris and Leptopalaemon using mitochondrial 16S rDNA equate to a late Miocene/Pliocene split. Within Leptopalaemon, each locality was distinct for mitochondrial COI haplotypes, suggesting long-term isolation or recent genetic bottlenecks, a lack of contemporary gene flow amongst sites and a small Ne. Mitochondrial groupings within Leptopalaemon were largely congruent with several previously recognised morphotypes. Estimated net divergence times between L. gagadjui and the new Leptopalaemon morphotypes equate to a split in the late Pliocene/early Pleistocene. The hypothesis that the Kakaducarididae is comprised of relict species in specialised ecological niches is not supported by the molecular data, which instead suggest a relatively recent origin for the group in northern Australia, sometime in the late Miocene or Pliocene.