DOI: 10.3897/zse.101.146587

Authors: Min Liu, Jiangni Li, Yufeng Zhang, Nonillon M. Aspe, Donghui Wu, Huifeng Zhao, Guo Zheng

Abstract: The earthworm genus Drawida Michaelsen, 1900, has remained taxonomically and biogeographically unclear in China, with only one species described, D. ganini Zhang & Wu, 2021, which belongs to the D. ghilarovi Gates, 1969 species complex. Here, a new species, D. yanbianensis Liu & Zhao, sp. nov., is described from Northeast China based on both morphological characters and molecular data. The new species is characterized by having a single pair of female pore slits on segment XII, a clitellum spanning five segments (X−XIV), a short body length (45.8–78 mm), having large and oval-shaped spermathecal ampulla with long coiled ducts, and having ovisacs from the ovary chamber on XI extending to XV. The new species status is supported with molecular data using the mitochondrial COI gene and four nuclear genes. The phylogenetic analysis shows that the new species is clustered with D. ghilarovi with a COI K2P genetic distance from the other species ranging from 12.4% to 20.9%. This study contributes to a deeper understanding of the evolution and distribution of the D. ghilarovi species complex and expands the known diversity within the genus Drawida.

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DOI: 10.3897/zse.100.125246

Authors: Dan Fu, Lijuan Liu, Ying Cheng, Haodong Chen, Yufa Luo

Abstract: The wolf spider Pardosa astrigera L. Koch, 1878, an important biological control agent for pests in agriculture, is widely distributed in various ecosystems across East Asia. This study used mitochondrial DNA and aimed to provide an in-depth understanding of population genetic structure and evolutionary history throughout the species. Mitochondrial gene sequences from 107 samples of P. astrigera from 25 East Asian populations were used for genetic analyses. Our data revealed an asymmetric phylogeographic distribution in two sympatric lineages (1–2) of P. astrigera in continental East Asia. The spatio-temporal pattern of two mitotypes of P. astrigera in this region gives strong support for a Northeast Asian origin during the late Pleistocene (~1.69 million years ago) and the population expansion time of ~74,340 (58,832–104,236) years ago (during the last glacial period) and dual colonization around East Asia from two directions: from North to South and from East to West. Our phylogeographic results suggested that Pleistocene climate oscillations with subsequent fragmentation events and secondary contacts were the major impact factors of the diversification, geographic distribution, and expansion patterns of P. astrigera, and human activities and ballooning probably accelerated its recent dispersal.

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DOI: 10.3897/zse.96.49225

Authors: Marcus Bevilaqua

Abstract: Figures for scientific publications go through various stages from the planning, to the capturing of images, to the production of finished figures for publication. This guide is meant to familiarise the reader with the main image-editing software used by professional photographers. The guide’s focus is on digital photo editing and the production of figures using Adobe Photoshop to produce publication-quality figures for scientific publications. This guide will be of fundamental use for the academic public, especially taxonomists and others who work with images. Besides, it should be useful for anyone interested in becoming familiar with the basic tools of image editing.

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DOI: 10.3897/zse.94.28099

Authors: Aftab Ali Shah, Mushtaq Ahmad, Taqweem Ul-Haq

Abstract: MicroRNAs (miRNAs) are a group of small RNA molecules which act as negative regulators of gene expression by controlling post-transcriptional regulation through binding to their corresponding mRNAs. Due to their small size, their nucleotide compositions are expected to be similar, but until now, the extent of similarity has not been reported in humans and their six phylogenetically closely related members of hominids. The present study allows direct comparison among six members of hominid species (Homo sapiens, Gorilla gorilla, Pan paniscus, Pongo pygmaeus, Pan troglodytes and Symphalangus syndactylus) in terms of their miRNA repertoire, their evolutionary distance to human, as well as, the categorization of identical species-specific miRNAs. For this purpose, a total of 2694, 370, 157, 673, 590 and 10 mature miRNA sequences of Homo sapiens, Gorilla gorilla, Pan paniscus, Pongo pygmaeus, Pan troglodytes and Symphalangus syndactylus respectively were retrieved from miRbase 22. A total of 12, 4, 4 and 3 conserved clusters with identical miRNA sequences that belong to the same gene families were found in Homo sapiens, Gorilla gorilla, Pongo pygmaeus, Pan troglodytes respectively by neighbor-joining method using MEGA7 software. Interestingly, cross-species comparison has also shown a set of conserved identical miRNA sequences. Homologs of human mature miRNAs with 100% sequence identity are expected to have similar functions in the studied primates. Further in-vitro study is required to investigate common targets for identical miRNAs in the studied primates.

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