In or out-of-Madagascar?--Colonization patterns for large-bodied diving beetles (Coleoptera: Dytiscidae)

Ancestral African Bats Brought Their Cargo of Pathogenic Leptospira to Madagascar under Cover of Colonization Events

Madagascar is home to an extraordinary diversity of endemic mammals hosting several zoonotic pathogens. Although the African origin of Malagasy mammals has been addressed for a number of volant and terrestrial taxa, the origin of their hosted zoonotic pathogens is currently unknown. Using bats and Leptospira infections as a model system, we tested whether Malagasy mammal hosts acquired these infections on the island following colonization events, or alternatively brought these bacteria from continental Africa. We first described the genetic diversity of pathogenic Leptospira infecting bats from Mozambique and then tested through analyses of molecular variance (AMOVA) whether the genetic diversity of Leptospira hosted by bats from Mozambique, Madagascar and Comoros is structured by geography or by their host phylogeny. This study reveals a wide diversity of Leptospira lineages shed by bats from Mozambique. AMOVA strongly supports that the diversity of Leptospira sequences obtained from bats sampled in Mozambique, Madagascar, and Comoros is structured according to bat phylogeny. Presented data show that a number of Leptospira lineages detected in bat congeners from continental Africa and Madagascar are imbedded within monophyletic clades, strongly suggesting that bat colonists have indeed originally crossed the Mozambique Channel while infected with pathogenic Leptospira.

The aquatic Adephaga of the Makay, central-western Madagascar, with description of two new diving beetle species (Coleoptera, Gyrinidae, Haliplidae, Noteridae, Dytiscidae)

Water beetles of the families Gyrinidae, Haliplidae, Noteridae, and Dytiscidae (aquatic Adephaga) of the Makay in central-western Madagascar were surveyed in three campaigns during the years 2016-2018. A total of 74 species was collected from 62 sampling sites, all except one being newly recorded from the Makay. Copelatusmalavergnorum sp. nov. (irinus group) and C.zanabato sp. nov. (erichsonii group) (Dytiscidae, Copelatinae) are described and their habitus and male genitalia are illustrated. A systematic account is given, including description of habitat preferences for each species. Analyses of species composition and dominance, species diversity and endemism highlighted the strong singularity of the aquatic Adephaga fauna inhabiting the sandstone massif of inner Makay (notably with several local endemic dytiscids) with respect to its peripheral lowlands. These comparisons were also performed between groups of sites categorised according to vegetation context (forested, semi-forested, non-forested). Rather unexpectedly, inner Makay although well-preserved and little deforested has relatively low endemism level and low species diversity (H₁ Hill number twice lower than in the geographically close and geologically similar massif of Isalo). Species diversity was higher in the deforested and man-impacted peripheral sites, which yielded a rich contingent of western Madagascar lowland species including a few undescribed or rarely observed dytiscids.

Extinct before discovered? Epactoidesgiganteus sp. nov. (Coleoptera, Scarabaeidae, Scarabaeinae), the first native dung beetle to Réunion island

We describe a new species of dung beetle, Epactoidesgiganteussp. nov., from a single female specimen allegedly collected in the 19^th century on Réunion island and recently found at the Muséum national d’Histoire naturelle, Paris. This species differs from other species of Epactoides by larger size and a set of other distinctive morphological characters. Epactoidesgiganteussp. nov. is the first native dung beetle (Scarabaeinae) of Réunion, and its discovery expands the known area of distribution of the genus Epactoides, which was hitherto believed to be endemic to Madagascar. Like other taxa from Madagascar and peripheral islands (e.g., Comoro, Seychelles, Mascarenes), E.giganteussp. nov. may have reached Réunion by over-water dispersal. Given the rapid loss of biodiversity on Réunion island and the fact that no additional specimens were re-collected over the last two centuries, it is very likely that E.giganteussp. nov. has gone extinct. However, we have unconfirmed evidence that the holotype of E.giganteussp. nov. might be a mislabeled specimen from Madagascar, which would refute the presence of native dung beetles on Réunion. We discuss both hypotheses about the specimen origin and assess the systematic position of E.giganteussp. nov. by examining most of the described species of Madagascan Epactoides. Additionally, we provide a brief overview of the dung beetle fauna of Mascarene Archipelago.

A phylogenetic and taxonomic assessment of Afrotropical Micracidini (Coleoptera, Scolytinae) reveals a strong diversifying role for Madagascar

Afrotropical bark beetle genera in the tribe Micracidini are revised and an identification key provided. The new classification is based on phylogenetic analyses of five molecular markers (COI, EF-1α, 28S, PABP1, CAD) in combination with morphological characters. Five new genera are erected and one genus synonymized, resulting in a total of 11 valid genera: Lanurgus Eggers, 1920, Traglostus Schedl, 1938, Pseudomicracis Eggers, 1920 (=Saurotocis Wood, 1984 syn. nov.), Phloeocurus Wood, 1984, Afromicracis Schedl, 1959, Dendrochilus Schedl, 1959, Neomicracis Jordal gen. nov., Leiomicracis Jordal gen. nov., Diplotrichus Jordal gen. nov., Pseudolanurgus Jordal gen. nov., Microlanurgus Jordal gen. nov. The following new species are described to be included in the new genera: Leiomicracis aurea Jordal sp. nov., Neomicracis squamigera Jordal sp. nov., both from Tanzania, and Microlanurgus bicolor Jordal sp. nov. and Microlanurgus ater Jordal sp. nov., from Madagascar. The following new synonyms and new combinations are proposed: Afromicracis dubius (Schedl, 1950) (=Afromicracis angolensis Schedl, 1962 syn. nov.), Afromicacis elongatulus (Schedl, 1977) comb. nov.,Afromicracis jasminiae (Schedl 1957) comb. nov. (=Dendrochilus mikaniae Schedl 1957 syn. nov.), Afromicracis robustus (Schedl 1957) comb. nov. (=Dendrochilus arundinarius Schedl 1957 syn. nov., =Hypothenemus bambusae Browne, 1970 syn. nov., =Dendrochilus filum Schedl, 1977 syn. nov.) (all from Dendrochilus), Afromicracis setifer (Schedl 1957) comb. nov. (Mimiocurus), Lanurgus longipilis (Schedl, 1958) comb. nov., Lanurgus pubescens (Schedl, 1961) comb. nov. (both from Traglostus), Diplotrichus catenatus (Schedl, 1953) comb. nov.,Diplotrichus elongatus (Schedl, 1950) comb. nov.,Diplotrichus euphorbia (Schedl, 1961) comb. nov.,Diplotrichus gracilis (Schedl, 1958) comb. nov.,Diplotrichus minor (Schedl, 1950) comb. nov (=Lanurgus frontalis Schedl, 1953 syn. Nov.), Diplotrichus obesus (Schedl, 1953) comb. nov., Diplotrichus pygmaeus (Schedl, 1965) comb. nov., Diplotrichus rugosipes (Schedl, 1961) comb. nov., Diplotrichus subdepressus (Schedl, 1965) comb. nov., Diplotrichus widdringtoniae (Schedl, 1962) comb. nov. (all from Lanurgus), Diplotrichus ignotus (Schedl, 1965) comb. nov. (Pseudomicracis), Pseudolanurgus harunganae (Schedl, 1961) comb. nov. (=Lanurgus cribrellus Schedl, 1965 syn. nov.), Pseudolanurgus bugekeae (Schedl, 1957) comb. nov. (both from Pseudomicracis), Pseudolanurgus minutissimus (Schedl, 1961) comb. nov. (Lanurgus), Pseudomicracis dispar (Schedl, 1961) comb. nov., Pseudomicracis tomicoides (Schedl, 1961) comb. nov. (both from Saurotocis). The following taxa were transferred to genera in other tribes: Acanthotomicus intermedius (Schedl, 1977) comb. nov., Xylocleptes villiersi (Lepesme, 1942) comb. nov. (both from Dendrochilus); Eidophelus agnathus (Schedl, 1942) comb. nov., and Eidophelus ciliatipennis (Schedl, 1979) comb. nov. (all from Miocryphalus). The following five species were included in Karlseniusgen. nov. (Trypophloeini): Karlsenius klainedoxae (Schedl, 1957) comb. nov., Karlsenius nitidum (Schedl, 1965) comb. nov., Karlsenius nigrinum (Schedl, 1957) comb. nov., and Karlsenius attenuatus (Eggers, 1935) comb. nov. (from Miocryphalus), and Karlsenius ghanaensis (Schedl, 1977) comb. nov. (from Eidophelus). A time-tree and biogeographical analysis suggested that Madagascar was colonized only once in Micracidini, from East Africa soon after the origin of the tribe in late Cretaceous. Multiple re-colonisations from Madagascar to the mainland have contributed to further diversification of a tribe which is otherwise highly restricted in geographical distribution.

Water Beetles as Models in Ecology and Evolution

Beetles have colonized water many times during their history, with some of these events involving extensive evolutionary radiations and multiple transitions between land and water. With over 13,000 described species, they are one of the most diverse macroinvertebrate groups in most nonmarine aquatic habitats and occur on all continents except Antarctica. A combination of wide geographical and ecological range and relatively accessible taxonomy makes these insects an excellent model system for addressing a variety of questions in ecology and evolution. Work on water beetles has recently made important contributions to fields as diverse as DNA taxonomy, macroecology, historical biogeography, sexual selection, and conservation biology, as well as predicting organismal responses to global change. Aquatic beetles have some of the best resolved phylogenies of any comparably diverse insect group, and this, coupled with recent advances in taxonomic and ecological knowledge, is likely to drive an expansion of studies in the future.

Biogeography of the Malagasy Celastraceae: Multiple independent origins followed by widespread dispersal of genera from Madagascar

Of the 97 currently recognized genera of Celastraceae, 19 are native to Madagascar, including six endemics. In this study we conducted the most thorough phylogenetic analysis of Celastraceae yet completed with respect to both character and taxon sampling, and include representatives of five new endemic genera. Fifty-one new accessions, together with 328 previously used accessions of Celastrales, were sampled for morphological characters, two rDNA gene regions, and two plastid gene regions. The endemic Malagasy genera are resolved in two separate lineages-Xenodrys by itself and all other endemic genera in a clade that also includes four lineages inferred to have dispersed from Madagascar: Brexia madagascariensis (Mascarene Islands, coastal Africa), Elaeodendron (West Indies, Africa to New Caledonia), and Pleurostylia (Africa to New Caledonia). Of the 12 extant Malagasy Celastraceae lineages identified, eight are clearly of African origin. The origins of the remaining four lineages are less clear, but reasonable possibilities include America, Eurasia, Africa, southern India, Malesia, and Australia. Based on 95% credible age intervals from fossil-calibrated molecular dating, all 12 extant Malagasy Celastraceae lineages appear to have arisen following dispersal after the separation of Madagascar from other landmasses within the last 70 million years.