A review of Nearctic Lathrobium (Coleoptera, Staphylinidae), with revision and descriptions of new flightless species from the mountains of the southeastern U.S.

Species of the genus Lathrobium Gravenhorst (Coleoptera: Staphylinidae: Paederinae) from North America north of Mexico are reviewed and 41 species are recognized. Morphology and mitochondrial COI sequence data were used to guide species designations in three flightless lineages endemic to the southern Appalachian Mountains, a biologically diverse region known for cryptic diversity. Using a combination of phylogeny, algorithm-based species delimitation analyses, and genitalic morphology, five new cryptic species are described and possible biogeographic scenarios for their speciation hypothesized: L.balsamense Haberski & Caterino, sp. nov., L.camplyacra Haberski & Caterino, sp. nov., L.islae Haberski & Caterino, sp. nov., L.lividum Haberski & Caterino, sp. nov., L.smokiense Haberski & Caterino, sp. nov. Five additional species are described: L.absconditum Haberski & Caterino, sp. nov., L.hardeni Haberski & Caterino, sp. nov., L.lapidum Haberski & Caterino, sp. nov., L.solum Haberski & Caterino, sp. nov., and L.thompsonorum Haberski & Caterino, sp. nov. Two species are transferred from Lathrobium to Pseudolathra Casey: Pseudolathraparcum (LeConte, 1880), comb. nov. and Pseudolathratexana (Casey, 1905), comb. nov. Twenty-six names are reduced to synonymy. Lectotypes are designated for 47 species. Larvae are described where known, and characters of possible diagnostic value are summarized. Species diagnoses, distributions, illustrations of male and female genitalia, and a key to Lathrobium species known from the Nearctic region (including several introduced species) are provided.

Mitochondrial Genomes Assembled from Non-Invasive eDNA Metagenomic Scat Samples in Critically Endangered Mammals.

The abundance of many large-bodied vertebrates, both in marine and terrestrial environments, has declined substantially due to global and regional climate stressors that define the Anthropocene. The development of genetic tools that can serve to monitor population's health non-intrusively and inform strategies for the recovery of these species is crucial. In this study, we formally evaluate whether whole mitochondrial genomes can be assembled from environmental DNA (eDNA) metagenomics scat samples. Mitogenomes of four different large vertebrates, the panda bear (Ailuropoda melanoleuca), the moon bear (Ursus thibetanus), the Java pangolin (Manis javanica), and the the North Atlantic right whale (Eubalaena glacialis) were assembled and circularized using the pipeline GetOrganelle with a coverage ranging from 12x to 480x in 14 out of 18 different eDNA samples. Partial mitochondrial genomes were retrieved from three other eDNA samples. The complete mitochondrial genomes of the studied species were AT-rich and comprised 13 protein coding genes, 22 transfer RNA genes, two ribosomal RNA genes, and a putative D-loop/control region. Synteny observed in all assembled mitogenomes was identical to that reported for specimens of the same and other closely related species. This study demonstrates that it is possible to assemble accurate whole mitochondrial chromosomes from eDNA samples (scats) using forthright bench and bioinformatics workflows. The retrieval of mitochondrial genomes from eDNA samples represents a tool to support bioprospecting, bio-monitoring, and other non-intrusive conservation strategies in species considered 'vulnerable', 'endangered', and/or 'critically endangered' by the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species.