A Cladistic Analysis on the Genera of Tinginae (Hemiptera:Heteroptera:Tingidae) from Northern China

In the present paper,the cladistics method is used to analyze the phylogenetic relationship of 16 genera of Tinginae (Hemiptera:Heteroptera:Tingidae) from northern China. 33 characters with 88 states were chosen based on the morphological comparison. The character matrix was formed through ingroup and outgroup analysis and computed using the computer programs MacClad (version 3 0 1), AutoDecay (version 3 0), PAUP (version 3 1 1) and Hennig 86 (version 1 5),and the same most parsimonious tree and Nelson consensus cladogram were obtained from both computation to explain the phylogenetic relationship among the genera (L=118,CI=0 454,RI=0 529). We categorized these genera involved in the analysis phylogenetically into 6 groups according to the results. They are Agramma group,Leptoypha group,Dictyla group,Catoplatus group,Physatocheila group and Derephysia group. The phylogenetic relationship among the involved genera is presented as (((((Derephysia group=( Lasiacantha ,( Acalypta ,( Galeatus ,( Dictyonota ,( Derephysia,Sphaerista ))))),Physatocheila group =(( Elasmotropis,Tingis ),(( Oncochila,Cochlochila ), Physatocheila ))),Catoplatus group= Catoplatus ),Dictyla group=( Monosteira,Dictyla )),Leptoypha group= Leptoypha ),Agramma group= Agramma ). These groups will not be regarded as higher classific taxa until more genera and data are available and further analysis are carried out.

ANALYSIS OF EVOLUTIONARY RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN ASTASIA LONGA AND EUGLENA GRACILIS BY USING RAPD TECHNIQUE AND CLADISTIC ANALYSIS

Although both Astasia longa and Euglena gracilis belong to different genera, they share many morphological characters except that A. longa has no chloroplast. In the 1940’s, on the basis of the finding that in darkness or upon addition of some chemicals, E. gracilis would fade reversibly or irreversibly, some scholars hypothesised that A. longa evolved from E. gracilis by losing chloroplast. The authors’ use of RAPD and cladistic analyses in a study on the evolutionary relationship between A .longa and E. gracilis showed that the A. longa ’s relationship with E. gracilis was closer than that with other green euglenoids. This proves the hypothesis that A. longa evolved from E. gracilis is reasonable. The results of this study suggest that saprophytic colorless euglenoids were transformed from green euglenoids by losing their choroplasts.

A new species of Friesea(Collembola:Neanuridae) from Hebei Province, North China and a cladistic analysis

Friesea incognita sp. nov. is described from China. This new species is characterized by the combination of: 2 + 2 eyes, no capitate tenent hairs on tibiotarsi, three anal spines, furcula without mucro and dens with 3 setae. Total dorsal and ventral chaetotaxy of the new species is given. A revised key for identification of the species of this genus with 2 + 2 eyes is given. Forty-seven characters of antennal sensilla, eyes and body chaetotaxy are chosen for the cladistic analysis performed for 18 species of this genus, including 12 with 2+2 eyes. Results indicate the new species F. incognita seems to be related to F. nauimetztli from Mexico. The phylogenetic relationships of the species are not well resolved due to the presence of many homoplasies among different species that adapt to a similar soil habitat.

Morphological Phylogeny of the Water Snake Subfamily Homalopsinae (Serpent: Colubridae)

The morphological phylogeny of the water snake subfamily Homalopsinae, containing 10 genera, of which seven are monotypic, was not reported up until now. Here fourteen morphological characters were selected for the cladistic analysis. Using software Hennig 86, two phylogenetic trees were inferred and the results showed that the subfamily Homalopsinae was divided into two groups. Compared with the molecular phylonenetic tree of Voris et al （2002）, the genera Gerarda and Fordonia are sister groups in both studies; both studies also yielded the same monophyletic lineage, which contained three genera （Cerberus ＋ Erpeton ＋ Homalopsis ）. However, the position of the genus Cantoria is distinctly different with the study of Voris et a1（2002）.

Phylogeny of Devonian Lycopsids Inferred from Bayesian Phylogenetic Analyses

To investigate the phylogeny of early lycopsids,cladistic analyses using both parsimony and Bayesian approaches are presented,with a data matrix of 33 morphological characters across 25 taxa. The resulting parsimony and Bayesian trees showed overall similarities in tree topologies.In the Bayesian tree,the Protolepidodendrales and the heterosporous lycopsids are recognized as two monophyletic groups,and within the latter group,the Isoetales sensu lato forms a subclade.This topology implies that the acquisition of a ligulate character evolved twice in the lycopsids,once in the protolepidodendralean Leclercqia Banks et al.,and once in the heterosporous lycopsid clade. Phylogenetic positions of several lycopsid plants previously reported from the Mid-Upper Devonian of South China,which have uncertain ordinal affinities,were estimated by the cladistic analyses;cf. Longostachys Xue et Hao,Longostachys Zhu et al.,Monilistrobus Wang et Berry,and Yuguangia Hao et al.fall well within the Isoetales clade,as earliest members of this order,while Minostrobus Wang and Wuxia Berry et al.are nested within the basal part of the heterosporous lycopsids.Bayesian analyses are a very useful approach in systematic studies and can be applied in analyzing paleobotanical data sets as well.