Mitogenomes of historical type specimens unravel the taxonomy of sportive lemurs (Lepilemur spp.) in Northwest Madagascar.

Accurate information on name-bearing types, including corresponding type localities, is essential for proper taxonomy. However, such geographic information is often missing or unreliable. The localities of type specimens collected 100-200 years ago can be difficult to trace due to changes in local names or simple inaccuracies. Such a case can be found for the gray-backed sportive lemur (Lepilemur dorsalis), with its type locality imprecisely fixed as Northwest Madagascar. In recent years, eight species have been newly described for the Inter-River-Systems (IRSs) of this region, however the designation of L. dorsalis remains controversial due to a lack of a precise type locality. Here, we sequenced the complete mitochondrial genomes (mitogenomes) of type specimens of L. dorsalis and L. grandidieri, which is currently recognized as a synonym of L. dorsalis and compared their sequences with those of samples of known provenance from different IRSs. Results showed that the two type specimens of L. dorsalis and L. grandidieri had identical mitogenome sequences and clustered closely with samples collected in IRS V, indicating that the type locality could be fixed to IRS V. Consequently, L. dorsalis occurs in IRS V, and L. grandidieri and L. mittermeieri are junior synonyms of L. dorsalis. This finding demonstrates the value of type specimens for clarifying phylogeographic and taxonomic questions and clarifies the taxonomy of sportive lemurs in Northwest Madagascar.

Convergent evolution of forelimb-propelled swimming in seals.

Modern pinnipeds (true and eared seals) employ two radically different swimming styles, with true seals (phocids) propelling themselves primarily with their hindlimbs, whereas eared seals (otariids) rely on their wing-like foreflippers.1,2 Current explanations of this functional dichotomy invoke either pinniped diphyly3-5 or independent colonizations of the ocean by related but still largely terrestrial ancestors.6-8 Here, we show that pinniped swimming styles form an anatomical, functional, and behavioral continuum, within which adaptations for forelimb swimming can arise directly from a hindlimb-propelled bauplan. Within phocids, southern seals (monachines) show a convergent trend toward wing-like, hydrodynamically efficient forelimbs used for propulsion during slow swimming, turning, bursts of speed, or when initiating movement. This condition is most evident in leopard seals, which have well-integrated foreflippers with little digit mobility, reduced claws, and hydrodynamic characteristics comparable to those of forelimb-propelled otariids. Using monachines as a model, we suggest that the last common ancestor of modern seals may have been hindlimb-propelled and aquatically adapted, thus resolving the apparent contradiction at the root of pinniped evolution.

Mitogenomic phylogeny of the Asian colobine genus Trachypithecus with special focus on Trachypithecus phayrei (Blyth, 1847) and description of a new species.

Trachypithecus, which currently contains 20 species divided into four groups, is the most speciose and geographically dispersed genus among Asian colobines. Despite several morphological and molecular studies, however, its evolutionary history and phylogeography remain poorly understood. Phayre's langur ( Trachypithecus phayrei) is one of the most widespread members of the genus, but details on its actual distribution and intraspecific taxonomy are limited and controversial. Thus, to elucidate the evolutionary history of Trachypithecus and to clarify the intraspecific taxonomy and distribution of T. phayrei, we sequenced 41 mitochondrial genomes from georeferenced fecal samples and museum specimens, including two holotypes. Phylogenetic analyses revealed a robustly supported phylogeny of Trachypithecus, suggesting that the T. pileatus group branched first, followed by the T. francoisi group, and the T. cristatus and T. obscurus groups most recently. The four species groups diverged from each other 4.5-3.1 million years ago (Ma), while speciation events within these groups occurred much more recently (1.6-0.3 Ma). Within T. phayrei, we found three clades that diverged 1.0-0.9 Ma, indicating the existence of three rather than two taxa. Following the phylogenetic species concept and based on genetic, morphological, and ecological differences, we elevate the T. phayrei subspecies to species level, describe a new species from central Myanmar, and refine the distribution of the three taxa. Overall, our study highlights the importance of museum specimens and provides new insights not only into the evolutionary history of T. phayrei but the entire Trachypithecus genus as well.

DIFFUSE IDIOPATHIC SKELETAL HYPEROSTOSIS IN CAPTIVE GORILLAS (GORILLA SPP.): APPEARANCES AND DIAGNOSIS.

Diffuse idiopathic skeletal hyperostosis (DISH) is a disorder of unknown cause, in which new bone forms in soft tissues attached to the skeleton. Originally described in humans, in whom it is quite common, it is usually asymptomatic. New bone may completely bridge across joints, especially in the spine. However, it can be difficult to distinguish from diseases such as spondyloarthritis and spondylosis. With safer and increased use of radiography in diagnosis, the unfamiliar skeletal changes of asymptomatic DISH may now be coincidentally revealed during investigation of other disorders and result in misdiagnosis and unnecessary treatment. There have been case reports of its occurrence in great apes, but this is the first study to illustrate its appearances in a series of 11 skeletons of western and eastern lowland gorillas (Gorilla gorilla gorilla and Gorilla beringei graueri) from zoos in Europe and the United States. The study combines a review of available clinical and postmortem records with examination of the skeletons and radiologic investigation, such as computed tomography (CT). The results indicate that the disorder is probably common in older (>30 yr) captive gorillas, but that it is asymptomatic. It was not symptomatic during life in any of these animals. Several cases had unexpected features, such as extensive involvement of the thorax and extra-articular sacroiliac and tibiofibular joint fusions that are not typical in humans. By illustrating these skeletons, the study should aid differentiation of DISH from spondylosis (syn spondylosis deformans) and spondyloarhritis. It illustrates those features that are atypical of human DISH. CT scanning is valuable in such cases for examining diagnostically important areas such as sacroiliac joints. Increased awareness of DISH should help with understanding its cause, both in gorillas and humans.

Hidden in plain sight: reassessment of the pig-footed bandicoot, Chaeropus ecaudatus (Peramelemorphia, Chaeropodidae), with a description of a new species from central australia, and use of the fossil record to trace its past distribution.

The Pig-footed Bandicoot, Chaeropus ecaudatus, an extinct arid-adapted bandicoot, was named in 1838 based on a specimen without a tail from the Murray River in New South Wales. Two additional species were later named, C. castanotis and C. occidentalis, which have since been synonymised with C. ecaudatus. Taxonomic research on the genus is rather difficult because of the limited material available for study. Aside from the types of C. castanotis and C. occidentalis housed at the Natural History Museum in London, and the type of C. ecaudatus at the Australian Museum in Sydney, there are fewer than 30 other modern specimens in other collections scattered around the world. Examining skeletal and dental characters for several specimens, and using a combination of traditional morphology, morphometrics, palaeontology and molecular phylogenetics, we have identified two distinct species, C. ecaudatus and C. yirratji sp. nov., with C. ecaudatus having two distinct subspecies, C. e. ecaudatus and C. e. occidentalis. We use palaeontological data to reconstruct the pre-European distribution of the two species, and review the ecological information known about these extinct taxa.

Convergent evolution of an extreme dietary specialisation, the olfactory system of worm-eating rodents.

Turbinal bones are key components of the mammalian rostrum that contribute to three critical functions: (1) homeothermy, (2) water conservation and (3) olfaction. With over 700 extant species, murine rodents (Murinae) are the most species-rich mammalian subfamily, with most of that diversity residing in the Indo-Australian Archipelago. Their evolutionary history includes several cases of putative, but untested ecomorphological convergence, especially with traits related to diet. Among the most spectacular rodent ecomorphs are the vermivores which independently evolved in several island systems. We used 3D CT-scans (N = 87) of murine turbinal bones to quantify olfactory capacities as well as heat or water conservation adaptations. We obtained similar results from an existing 2D complexity method and two new 3D methodologies that quantify bone complexity. Using comparative phylogenetic methods, we identified a significant convergent signal in the rostral morphology within the highly specialised vermivores. Vermivorous species have significantly larger and more complex olfactory turbinals than do carnivores and omnivores. Increased olfactory capacities may be a major adaptive feature facilitating rats' capacity to prey on elusive earthworms. The narrow snout that characterises vermivores exhibits significantly reduced respiratory turbinals, which may reduce their heat and water conservation capacities.

Twentieth century occurrence of the Long-Beaked Echidna Zaglossus bruijnii in the Kimberley region of Australia.

The monotreme genus Zaglossus, the largest egg-laying mammal, comprises several endangered taxa today known only from New Guinea. Zaglossus is considered to be extinct in Australia, where its apparent occurrence (in addition to the large echidna genus Megalibgwilia) is recorded by Pleistocene fossil remains, as well as from convincing representations in Aboriginal rock art from Arnhem Land (Northern Territory). Here we report on the existence and history of a well documented but previously overlooked museum specimen (skin and skull) of the Western Long-Beaked Echidna (Zaglossus bruijnii) collected by John T. Tunney at Mount Anderson in the West Kimberley region of northern Western Australia in 1901, now deposited in the Natural History Museum, London. Possible accounts from living memory of Zaglossus are provided by Aboriginal inhabitants from Kununurra in the East Kimberley. We conclude that, like Tachyglossus, Zaglossus is part of the modern fauna of the Kimberley region of Western Australia, where it apparently survived as a rare element into the twentieth century, and may still survive.