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4,391 results for “cryptic”

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Data from: Cryptic petal colouration decreases floral apparency and herbivory in nocturnally closing daisies

1. Floral apparency is shaped by both mutualistic and antagonistic interactions that can act in opposing ways. Pollinators are expected to select for more visually apparent flowers, but this likely trades off against the potentially severe fitness costs of damage to apparent flowers by floral herbivores. One way in which flowers that close during parts of the day might circumvent this trade-off, is by evolving less visible lower petal surfaces that are inconspicuous to herbivores when flowers are closed. 2. Here we used visual system modelling and herbivory experiments to test whether petal surfaces that are exposed when flowers are closed are cryptically coloured. We collected lower and upper petal surface spectra for 77 Asteraceae species from Namaqualand, South Africa. This included closing species that expose their lower petal surfaces for 5 to 6 daylight hours, and non-closing species that do not expose their lower surfaces. We used these contrasting groups to test the expectation of reduced conspicuousness of lower petal surfaces in closing, but not non-closing species. 3. By modelling reflectance spectra of petal surfaces against a green leaf background in various visual systems we showed 1) that conspicuousness of upper petal surfaces to pollinators and various herbivores were strongly correlated, suggesting the potential for fitness trade-offs between attracting mutualists and antagonists to open flowers, 2) that closing species' lower petal surfaces were less visible to herbivores against a leaf background than those of non-closing species, and 3) that closing species had larger differences between upper and lower petal surface colouration than non-closing species. Behavioural experiments with tortoise herbivores demonstrated that flowers are easily detected when upper surfaces are exposed, but that tortoises were unable to distinguish lower petal surfaces against a leaf background, resulting in reduced flower herbivory. 4. These results are consistent with selection by herbivores for cryptic colouration of lower petal surfaces, and divergence of colouration between lower and upper petal surfaces in species with closing flowers. Visual crypsis of flowers may be an effective anti-herbivory strategy during times when pollinators are inactive, and provides an alternative to chemical defence, which often involves costs to pollination.

opencc-zeroSep 2019View details →
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Data from: Six new cryptic species of Xylodonta Becker, 2014 (Notodontidae: Nystaleinae) from Costa Rica

The genus Xylodonta Becker (Notodontidae, Nystaleinae) is reviewed for Costa Rica based on 1,571 reared and wild-collected specimens. Eleven species are recorded, of which six are newly described: Xylodonta markvanputteni Chacón, Xylodonta patrickgoodwilliei Chacón, Xylodonta scottmilleri Chacón, Xylodonta andrewrusselli Chacón, Xylodonta robertodelgadoi Chacón, and Xylodonta billhaberi Chacón. Xylodonta terrena (Schaus, 1892) and Xylodonta xylinata (Walker, 1865) are redescribed and Xylodonta angustipennis (Schaus, 1911), Xylodonta rufitincta (Dyar, 1913), and Xylodonta guarana (Schaus, 1892) are discussed. Adults and genitalia are illustrated. Species are described and diagnosed through their distinctive COI barcodes, genital morphology and life histories. Xylodonta adults and caterpillars, and their foodplants in Área de Conservación Guanacaste (ACG) in northwestern Costa Rica, are reviewed. Larvae of four species are illustrated.

opencc-zeroDec 2016View details →
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Data from: Genetics, morphology and ecology reveal a cryptic pika lineage in the Sikkim Himalaya

Asian pika species are morphologically ∼similar and have overlapping ranges. This leads to uncertainty and species misidentification in the field. Phylogenetic analyses of such misidentified samples leads to taxonomic ambiguity. The ecology of many pika species remains understudied, particularly in the Himalaya, where sympatric species could be separated by elevation and/or substrate. We sampled, measured, and acquired genetic data from pikas in the Sikkim Himalaya. Our analyses revealed a cryptic lineage, Ochotona sikimaria, previously reported as a subspecies of O. thibetana. The results support the elevation of this lineage to the species level, as it is genetically divergent from O. thibetana, as well as sister species, O. cansus (endemic to central China) and O. curzoniae (endemic to the Tibetan plateau). The Sikkim lineage diverged from its sister species' about 1.7–0.8 myr ago, coincident with uplift events in the Himalaya. Our results add to the recent spate of cryptic diversity identified from the eastern Himalaya and highlight the need for further study within the Ochotonidae.

opencc-zeroDec 2015View details →
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Data from: Molecular phylogenetics and microsatellite analysis reveals cryptic species of speckled dace (Cyprinidae: Rhinichthys osculus) in Oregon's Great Basin

Speckled dace (Rhinichthys osculus) is a small cyprinid that occurs throughout western North America and is the most commonly occurring fish in Oregon. Because of the high genetic and morphological variation in this species across its range, it has been referred to as a species complex; however, no revision to its taxonomy has occurred since 1984. Here, the phylogenetics and population genetics of speckled dace are examined throughout Oregon's Great Basin to describe genetic variation and infer the geographic boundaries between distinct taxonomic entities and populations. We tested the validity of a putative subspecies, Foskett Spring speckled dace, that occurs in a single spring within Warner Valley in Southeast Oregon and is listed Federally as threatened. Dace were collected from Foskett Spring and all surrounding basins containing speckled dace (Warner, Goose Lake, Lake Abert, Silver Lake, and Malheur), as well as Stinking Lake Spring (located within Malheur), created phylogenetic trees from mitochondrial ND2 and nuclear S7 sequence data, and genotyped eight microsatellite loci for population-level analyses. Three highly divergent clades warrant species-level status: Malheur stream dace, Stinking Lake Spring dace, and dace from the other four basins combined. Although Foskett Spring dace were not monophyletic, substantial population structure occurs at the basin-level and separates Foskett Spring dace from other dace in the surrounding Warner Valley. Thus, we recommend ESU status for the isolated population of speckled dace in Foskett Spring. The high, previously unrecognized, taxonomic diversity within this region indicates a need for a range-wide phylogeographic study of speckled dace and an investigation of the morphological distinctiveness of the putative new species.

opencc-zeroDec 2013View details →
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Data from: Species delimitation with gene flow: a methodological comparison and population genomics approach to elucidate cryptic species boundaries in Malaysian Torrent Frogs

Accurately delimiting species boundaries is a non-trivial undertaking that can have significant effects on downstream inferences. We compared the efficacy of commonly-used species delimitation methods (SDMs) and a population genomics approach based on genome-wide single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) to assess lineage separation in the Malaysian Torrent Frog Complex currently recognized as a single species (Amolops larutensis). First, we used morphological, mitochondrial DNA and genome-wide SNPs to identify putative species boundaries by implementing non-coalescent and coalescent-based SDMs (mPTP, iBPP, BFD*). We then tested the validity of putative boundaries by estimating spatiotemporal gene flow (fastsimcoal2, ABBA-BABA) to assess the extent of genetic isolation among putative species. Our results show that the A. larutensis complex runs the gamut of the speciation continuum from highly divergent, genetically isolated lineages (mean Fst = 0.9) to differentiating populations involving recent gene flow (mean Fst = 0.05; Nm > 5). As expected, SDMs were effective at delimiting divergent lineages in the absence of gene flow but overestimated species in the presence of marked population structure and gene flow. However, using a population genomics approach and the concept of species as separately evolving metapopulation lineages as the only necessary property of a species, we were able to objectively elucidate cryptic species boundaries in the presence of past and present gene flow. This study does not discount the utility of SDMs but highlights the danger of violating model assumptions and the importance of carefully considering methods that appropriately fit the diversification history of a particular system.

opencc-zeroDec 2016View details →
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Data from: Cryptic lineages in the Wolf Cardinalfish living in sympatry on remote coral atolls

Coral reef health and biodiversity is under threat worldwide due to rapid climate change. However, much of the inter- and intra-specific diversity of coral reefs are undescribed even in well studied taxa such as fish. Delimiting previously unrecognised diversity is important for understanding the processes that generate and sustain biodiversity in coral reef ecosystems and informing strategies for their conservation and management. Many taxa that inhabit geographically isolated coral reefs rely on self-recruitment for population persistence, providing the opportunity for the evolution of unique genetic lineages through divergent selection and reproductive isolation. Many such lineages in corals and fish are morphologically similar or indistinguishable. Here, we report the discovery and characterisation of cryptic lineages of the Wolf Cardinalfish, Cheilodipterus artus, from the coral atolls of northwest Australia using multiple molecular markers from mitochondrial (CO1 and D-loop) and nuclear (microsatellites) DNA. Concordant results from all markers identified two highly divergent lineages that are morphologically cryptic and reproductively isolated. These lineages co-occurred at daytime resting sites, but the relative abundance of each lineage was strongly correlated with wave exposure. It appears, therefore, that fish from each lineage are better adapted to different microhabitats. Such cryptic and ecologically based diversity appears to be common in these atolls and may well aid resilience of these systems. Our results also highlight that underwater surveys based on visual identification clearly underestimate biodiversity, and that a taxonomic revision of the Cheilodipterus genus is necessary.

opencc-zeroDec 2017View details →
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Data from: Reinstatement, redescription, and emending of Spiranthes triloba (Orchidaceae): solving a 118 year old cryptic puzzle

Spiranthes (Orchidaceae) is a primarily North American genus that has traditionally presented numerous taxonomic challenges. Many species display marked intra-species morphological variation and/or inter-species morphological similarities, such that cryptic speciation may be common. Molecular phylogenetic, morphological, field, and herbarium research concerning the delimitation of Spiranthes odorata necessitates the reinstatement and redescription of Spiranthes triloba, a name alternately synonymized under Spiranthes cernua and Spiranthes odorata for more than a century. While lost under synonymy, plants matching the morphology of Spiranthes triloba were ambiguously described as Spiranthes ×itchetuckneensis and Spiranthes ×folsomii, and these are here synonymized. Although the species has a descriptive specific epithet, the labellum of the holotype is decidedly not tri-lobed; Spiranthes triloba is redescribed and emended here so as to reflect its actual morphology. Spiranthes triloba is restricted to frequently burned calcareous prairies and flatwoods of Florida, and likely warrants protection at the state level. A key is provided to distinguish this species from other Spiranthes found in Florida, and a lectotype is designated for S. ×folsomii.

opencc-zeroDec 2016View details →
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Data from: Transparency improves concealement in cryptically coloured moths

<p>Predation is a ubiquitous and strong selective pressure on living organisms. Transparency is a predation defence widespread in water but rare on land. Some Lepidoptera display transparent patches combined with already cryptic opaque patches. A recent study showed that transparency reduced detectability of aposematic prey with conspicuous patches. However, whether transparency has any effect at reducing detectability of already cryptic prey is still unknown. We conducted field predation experiments with free avian predators where we monitored and compared survival of a fully opaque grey artificial form (cryptic), a form including transparent windows and a wingless artificial butterfly body. Survival of the transparent forms was similar to that of wingless bodies and higher than that of fully opaque forms, suggesting a reduction of detectability conferred by transparency. This is the first evidence that transparency decreases detectability in cryptic terrestrial prey. Future studies should explore the organization of transparent and opaque patches in animals and their interplay on survival, as well as the costs and other potential benefits associated with transparency on land.</p>

opencc-zeroDec 2019View details →
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Data from: Cryptic choice of conspecific sperm controlled by the impact of ovarian fluid on sperm swimming behaviour

Despite evidence that variation in male-female reproductive compatibility exists in many fertilization systems, identifying mechanisms of cryptic female choice at the gamete level has been a challenge. Here, under risks of genetic incompatibility through hybridization, we show how salmon and trout eggs promote fertilization by conspecific sperm. Using in vitro fertilization experiments that replicate the gametic micro-environment, we find complete inter-fertility between both species. However, if either species' ova were presented with equivalent numbers of both sperm types, conspecific sperm gained fertilization precedence. Surprisingly, the species' identity of the eggs did not explain this cryptic female choice, which instead was primarily controlled by conspecific ovarian fluid, a semi-viscous, protein-rich solution which bathes the eggs and is released at spawning. Video-analyses revealed that ovarian fluid doubled sperm motile lifespan, and straightened swimming trajectory, behaviours allowing chemoattraction up a concentration gradient. To confirm chemoattraction, cell migration tests through membranes containing pores that approximated to the egg micropyle showed that conspecific ovarian fluid attracted many more spermatozoa though the membrane, compared with heterospecific fluid or water. These combined findings together identify how cryptic female choice can evolve at the gamete level and promote reproductive isolation, mediated by a specific chemoattractive influence of ovarian fluid on sperm swimming behaviour.

opencc-zeroDec 2012View details →
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Data from: The extent and meaning of hybridization and introgression between Siberian spruce (Picea obovata) and Norway spruce (Picea abies): cryptic refugia as stepping stones to the west?

Boreal species were repeatedly exposed to ice ages and went through cycles of contraction and expansion while sister species alternated periods of contact and isolation. The resulting genetic structure is consequently complex, and demographic inferences are intrinsically challenging. The range of Norway spruce (Picea abies) and Siberian spruce (Picea obovata) covers most of northern Eurasia; yet their geographical limits and histories remain poorly understood. To delineate the hybrid zone between the two species and reconstruct their joint demographic history, we analysed variation at nuclear SSR and mitochondrial DNA in 102 and 88 populations, respectively. The dynamics of the hybrid zone was analysed with approximate Bayesian computation (ABC) followed by posterior predictive structure plot reconstruction and the presence of barriers across the range tested with estimated effective migration surfaces. To estimate the divergence time between the two species, nuclear sequences from two well-separated populations of each species were analysed with ABC. Two main barriers divide the range of the two species: one corresponds to the hybrid zone between them, and the other separates the southern and northern domains of Norway spruce. The hybrid zone is centred on the Urals, but the genetic impact of Siberian spruce extends further west. The joint distribution of mitochondrial and nuclear variation indicates an introgression of mitochondrial DNA from Norway spruce into Siberian spruce. Overall, our data reveal a demographic history where the two species interacted frequently and where migrants originating from the Urals and the West Siberian Plain recolonized northern Russia and Scandinavia using scattered refugial populations of Norway spruce as stepping stones towards the west.

opencc-zeroDec 2015View details →
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Data from: Adaptation to a novel family environment involves both apparent and cryptic phenotypic changes

Cryptic evolution occurs when evolutionary change is masked by concurrent environmental change. In most cases, evolutionary changes in the phenotype are masked by changing abiotic factors. However, evolutionary change in one trait might also be masked by evolutionary change in another trait, a phenomenon referred to as evolutionary environmental deterioration. Nevertheless, detecting this second type of cryptic evolution is challenging and there are few compelling examples. Here, we describe a likely case of evolutionary environmental deterioration occurring in experimental burying beetle (Nicrophorus vespilloides) populations that are adapting to a novel social environment that lacks post-hatching parental care. We found that populations rapidly adapted to the removal of post-hatching parental care. This adaptation involved clear increases in breeding success and larval density (number of dispersing larvae produced per gram of breeding carcass), which in turn masked a concurrent increase in the mean larval mass across generations. This cryptic increase in larval mass was accomplished through a change in the reaction norm that relates mean larval mass to larval density. Our results suggest that cryptic evolution might be commonplace in animal families, because evolving trophic and social interactions can potentially mask evolutionary change in other traits, like body size.

opencc-zeroDec 2016View details →
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Data from: Dwarf brooder versus giant broadcaster: combining genetic and reproductive data to unravel cryptic diversity in an Antarctic brittle star

Poecilogony, or multiple developmental modes in a single species, is exceedingly rare. Several species described as poecilogenous were later demonstrated to be multiple (cryptic) species with a single developmental mode. The Southern Ocean is known to harbor a high proportion of brooders (Thorson's Rule) but with an increasing number of counter examples over recent years. Here we evaluated poecilogony versus crypticism in the brittle star Astrotoma agassizii across the Southern Ocean. This species was initially described from South America as a brooder before some pelagic stages were identified in Antarctica. Reproductive and mitochondrial data were combined to unravel geographic and genetic variation of developmental modes. Our results indicate that A. agassizii is composed of seven well supported and deeply divergent clades (I: Antarctica and South Georgia; II: South Georgia and Subantarctic locations including Kerguelen, Patagonian shelf, and New Zealand; III-VI-VII: Patagonian shelf, IV-V: South Georgia). Two of these clades demonstrated strong size dimorphism when in sympatry and can be linked to differing developmental modes (Clade V: dwarf brooder versus Clade I: giant broadcaster). Based on their restricted geographic distributions and on previous studies, it is likely that Clades III-VI-VII are brooders. Clade II is composed of different morphological species, A. agassizii and A. drachi, the latter originally used as the outgroup. By integrating morphology, reproductive and molecular data we conclude that the variation identified in A. agassizii is best described as crypticism rather than poecilogony.

opencc-zeroDec 2018View details →
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Data from: Strong selection against hybrids maintains a narrow contact zone between morphologically cryptic lineages in a rainforest lizard

Phenotypically cryptic lineages comprise an important yet understudied part of biodiversity; in particular, we have much to learn about how these lineages are formed and maintained. To better understand the evolutionary significance of such lineages, we studied a hybrid zone between two morphologically-cryptic phylogeographic lineages in the rainforest lizard, Lampropholis coggeri. Analyzing a multilocus genetic dataset through cline inference, individual-based methods and population measures of disequilibrium and using simulations to explore our genetic results in context of theoretical expectations, we inferred the processes maintaining this hybrid zone. We find that these lineages meet in a hybrid zone that is narrow (~400 m) relative to inferred dispersal rate. Further, the hybrid zone exhibits substantial genetic disequilibrium and sharply coincident and largely concordant clines. Based on our knowledge about the region's biogeography, the species' natural history, and our simulation results, we suggest that strong selection against hybrids structures this system. As all clines show a relatively narrow range of introgression, we posit that this hybrid zone might not yet be in equilibrium. Nonetheless, our results clearly show that phylogeographic lineages can evolve substantial reproductive isolation without concomitant morphological diversification, suggesting that such lineages can constitute a significant component of evolutionary diversity.

opencc-zeroDec 2010View details →
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Data from: Evaluating multilocus Bayesian species delimitation for discovery of cryptic mycorrhizal diversity

The increasing availability of DNA sequence data enables exciting new opportunities for fungal ecology. However, it amplifies the challenge of how to objectively classify the diversity of fungal sequences into meaningful units, often in the absence of morphological characters. Here, we test the utility of modern multilocus Bayesian coalescent-based methods for delimiting cryptic fungal diversity in the orchid mycorrhiza morphospecies Serendipita vermifera. We obtained 147 fungal isolates from Caladenia, a speciose clade of Australian orchids known to associate with Serendipita fungi. DNA sequence data for 7 nuclear and mtDNA loci were used to erect competing species hypotheses by clustering isolates based on: (a) ITS sequence divergence, (b) Bayesian admixture analysis, and (c) mtDNA variation. We implemented two coalescent-based Bayesian methods to determine which species hypothesis best fitted our data. Both methods found strong support for eight species of Serendipita among our isolates, supporting species boundaries reflected in ITS divergence. Patterns of host plant association showed evidence for both generalist and specialist associations within the host genus Caladenia. Our findings demonstrate the utility of Bayesian species delimitation methods and suggest that wider application of these techniques will readily uncover new species in other cryptic fungal lineages.

opencc-zeroDec 2016View details →
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Data from: Global biodiversity assessment and hyper-cryptic species complexes: more than one species of elephant in the room?

Several recent estimates of global biodiversity have concluded that the total number of species on Earth lies near the lower end of the wide range touted in previous decades. However, none of these recent estimates formally explore the real 'elephant in the room', namely, what proportion of species are taxonomically invisible to conventional assessments, and thus, as undiagnosed cryptic species, remain uncountable until revealed by multi-gene molecular assessments. Here we explore the significance and extent of so-called 'hyper-cryptic' species complexes, using the Australian freshwater fish Galaxias olidus as a proxy for any organism whose taxonomy ought to be largely finalized when compared to those in little-studied or morphologically undifferentiated groups. Our comprehensive allozyme (838 fish for 54 putative loci), mtDNA (557 fish for 605bp of cytb), and morphological (1963–3389 vouchers for 17–58 characters) assessment of this species across its broad geographic range revealed a 1500% increase in species-level biodiversity, and suggested that additional taxa may remain undiscovered. Importantly, while all 15 candidate species were morphologically diagnosable a posteriori from one another, single-gene DNA barcoding proved largely unsuccessful as an a priori method for species identification. These results lead us to draw two strong inferences of relevance to estimates of global biodiversity. First, hyper-cryptic complexes are likely to be common in many organismal groups. Second, no assessment of species numbers can be considered 'best practice' in the molecular age unless it explicitly includes estimates of the extent of cryptic and hyper-cryptic biodiversity.

opencc-zeroDec 2013View details →
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Data from: Integrative taxonomy resolves the cryptic and pseudo-cryptic Radula buccinifera complex (Porellales: Jungermanniopsida), including two reinstated and five new species

Molecular data from three chloroplast markers resolve individuals attributable to Radula buccinifera in six lineages belonging to two subgenera, indicating the species is polyphyletic as currently circumscribed. All lineages are morphologically diagnosable, but one pair exhibits such morphological overlap that they can be considered cryptic. Molecular and morphological data justify the re-instatement of a broadly circumscribed ecologically variable R. strangulata, of R. mittenii, and the description of five new species. Two species Radula mittenii Steph. and R. notabilis sp. nov. are endemic to the Wet Tropics Bioregion of north-east Queensland, suggesting high diversity and high endemism might characterise the bryoflora of this relatively isolated wet-tropical region. Radula demissa sp. nov. is endemic to southern temperate Australasia, and like R. strangulata occurs on both sides of the Tasman Sea. Radula imposita sp. nov. is a twig and leaf epiphyte found in association with waterways in New South Wales and Queensland. Another species, R. pugioniformis sp. nov., has been confused with Radula buccinifera but was not included in the molecular phylogeny. Morphological data suggest it may belong to subg. Odontoradula. Radula buccinifera is endemic to Australia including Western Australia and Tasmania, and to date is known from south of the Clarence River on the north coast of New South Wales. Nested within R. buccinifera is a morphologically distinct plant from Norfolk Island described as R. anisotoma sp. nov. Radula australiana is resolved as monophyletic, sister to a species occurring in east coast Australian rainforests, and nesting among the R. buccinifera lineages with strong support. The molecular phylogeny suggests several long-distance dispersal events may have occurred. These include two east-west dispersal events from New Zealand to Tasmania and south-east Australia in R. strangulata, one east-west dispersal event from Tasmania to Western Australia in R. buccinifera, and at least one west-east dispersal from Australia to New Zealand in R. australiana. Another west-east dispersal event from Australia to Norfolk Island may have led to the budding speciation of R. anisotoma. In contrast, Radula demissa is phylogeographically subdivided into strongly supported clades either side of the Tasman Sea, suggesting long distance dispersal is infrequent in this species.

opencc-zeroDec 2012View details →
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Data from: Restriction-site-associated DNA sequencing reveals a cryptic viburnum species on the North American coastal plain

Species are the starting point for most studies of ecology and evolution, but the proper circumscription of species can be extremely difficult in morphologically variable lineages, and there are still few convincing examples of molecularly-informed species delimitation in plants. We focus here on the Viburnum nudum complex, a highly variable clade that is widely distributed in eastern North America. Taxonomic treatments have mostly divided this complex into northern (V. nudum var. cassinoides) and southern (V. nudum var. nudum) entities, but additional names have been proposed. We used multiple lines of evidence, including RADseq, morphological, and geographic data, to test how many independently evolving lineages exist within the V. nudum complex. Genetic clustering and phylogenetic methods revealed three distinct groups—one lineage that is highly divergent, and two others that are recently diverged and morphologically similar. A combination of evidence that includes reciprocal monophyly, lack of introgression, and discrete rather than continuous patterns of variation supports the recognition of all three lineages as separate species. These results identify a surprising case of cryptic diversity in which two broadly sympatric species have consistently been lumped in taxonomic treatments. The clarity of our findings is directly related to the dense sampling and high quality genetic data in this study. We argue that there is a critical need for carefully sampled and integrative species delimitation studies to clarify species boundaries even in well-known plant lineages. Studies following the model that we have developed here are likely to identify many more cryptic lineages and will fundamentally improve our understanding of plant speciation and patterns of species richness.

opencc-zeroDec 2017View details →
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Data from: How diverse is Mitopus morio? Integrative taxonomy detects cryptic species in a small-scale sample of a widespread harvestman

Mitopus morio is a widespread harvestman species occurring in most of Europe and in moderate and cold-moderate zones of Asia and North America. The species is characterized by extreme variability in body size and leg length. As leg length is correlated with habitat temperature, M. morio has been considered as an example of Allen's rule. Recently, observations for a single location in Tyrol, Austria, indicated the absence of mating between short- and long-legged individuals. This study examines for signs of putative cryptic species in M. morio using an integrative approach that combines mating trials, amplified fragment length polymorphism whole-genome scans, mitochondrial sequences and morphometrics. The mating trials did not corroborate the initial hypothesis of a reproductive barrier associated with leg size. Both types of genetic data revealed the existence of three distinct groups, in line with the mating results but largely unrelated to leg morphology and geographical origin of specimens. Morphometric characters supporting the findings of the other disciplines were identified using a supervised approach. We infer from all data together the existence of strongly diverged cryptic lineages among the analysed individuals, cautiously interpret them as three sympatric species and conclude that in these harvestmen Allen's rule applies at different levels. Due to the unexpected amount of differentiation found within a geographical scale very small compared with the distribution of M. morio, we suggest a thorough revision of the genus prior to formal taxonomic changes. Our case study underlines the general applicability of the integrative taxonomic protocol used and highlights the relevance of several rationales implemented in the protocol.

opencc-zeroDec 2012View details →
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Data from: Phylogenetic and population genetic analyses of Phaeosphaeria nodorum and its close relatives indicate cryptic species and an origin in the Fertile Crescent

The origin of the fungal wheat pathogen Phaeosphaeria nodorum remains unclear despite earlier intensive global population genetic and phylogeographical studies. We sequenced 1,683 bp distributed across three loci in 355 globally distributed Phaeosphaeria isolates, including 74 collected in Iran near the center of origin of wheat. We identified nine phylogenetically distinct clades, including two previously unknown species tentatively named P1 and P2 collected in Iran. Coalescent analysis indicates that P1 and P2 are sister species of P. nodorum and the other Phaeosphaeria species identified in our analysis. Two species, P. nodorum and P. avenaria f. sp. tritici 1 (Pat1), comprised ∼85% of the sampled isolates, making them the dominant wheat-infecting pathogens within the species complex. We designed a PCR-RFLP assay to distinguish P. nodorum from Pat1. Approximately 4% of P. nodorum and Pat1 isolates showed evidence of hybridization. Measures of private allelic richness at SSR and sequence loci suggest that the center of origin of P. nodorum coincides with its host in the Fertile Crescent. We hypothesize that the origin of this species complex is also in the Fertile Crescent, with four species out of nine found exclusively in the Iranian collections.

opencc-zeroDec 2011View details →
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Data from: DNA barcoding survey of anurans across the Eastern Cordillera of Colombia and the impact of the Andes on cryptic diversity

Colombia hosts the second highest amphibian species diversity on Earth, yet its fauna remains poorly studied, especially using molecular genetic techniques. We present the results of the first wide-scale DNA barcoding survey of anurans of Colombia, focusing on a transect across the Eastern Cordillera. We surveyed 10 sites between the Magdalena Valley to the west and the eastern foothills of the Eastern Cordillera, sequencing portions of the mitochondrial 16S ribosomal RNA and cytochrome oxidase subunit 1 (CO1) genes for 235 individuals from 52 nominal species. We applied two barcode algorithms, Automatic Barcode Gap Discovery and Refined Single Linkage Analysis, to estimate the number of clusters or "unconfirmed candidate species" supported by DNA barcode data. Our survey included ~7% of the anuran species known from Colombia. While barcoding algorithms differed slightly in the number of clusters identified, between three and ten nominal species may be obscuring candidate species (in some cases, more than one cryptic species per nominal species). Our data suggest that the high elevations of the Eastern Cordillera and the low elevations of the Chicamocha canyon acted as geographic barriers in at least seven nominal species, promoting strong genetic divergences between populations associated with the Eastern Cordillera.

opencc-zeroDec 2014View details →

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Allen Brain Atlas

Allen Brain Atlas is an Allen Institute collection of brain map atlases, datasets, APIs, and analysis tools covering mouse, human, and non-human primate brain resources.

allen-brain-atlas
neuroscienceopenDocumentation, web resources, and API references are available online.
Last verified 2026-04-30Open record

Annotated Behaviour and Observability Dataset (ABODe)

ABODe is a University of Edinburgh DataShare dataset for behavior classification in group-housed mice using home-cage video, identities, bounding boxes, ground-plate positions, and annotator labels.

abode-home-cage
behavioral-neuroscienceopenThe DataShare record exposes download links for annotations, documentation, license text, and the zipped per-snippet data directory.
Last verified 2026-04-30Open record

DANDI Archive for NWB datasets

DANDI is a BRAIN Initiative archive for publishing and sharing neurophysiology data, including electrophysiology, optophysiology, and behavioral data packaged as NWB and related standards.

dandi-nwb
electrophysiologyopenPublished Dandiset metadata and archive endpoints are available through the production DANDI API.
Last verified 2026-04-30Open record

International Brain Laboratory public data

The International Brain Laboratory public data releases expose standardized mouse decision-making experiments, including Neuropixels recordings, widefield calcium imaging, behavior, and session metadata accessed through the ONE API.

ibl
behavioral-neuroscienceopenPublic sessions can be searched and loaded from the IBL public data server through ONE.
Last verified 2026-04-29Open record

OpenNeuro

OpenNeuro is a free, open platform for sharing neuroimaging datasets, with public search, dataset pages, and download paths for web, S3, DataLad, and the OpenNeuro CLI.

openneuro
neuroscienceopenPublished datasets are available on demand over the internet.
Last verified 2026-04-29Open record

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