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Axel L Schoenhofer
Post doc
San Diego State University
Evolutionary Biology
San Diego, CA, San Diego County
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| Deep phylogenetic divergences in the harvestman genus Sabacon (Opiliones, Dyspnoi), with insights into Holarctic biogeography. |
| Author(s) |
Axel L Schoenhofer, Maureen McCormack, Jochen Martens, Nobuo Tsurusaki, Marshal Hedin |
| Info |
Talk category:
Systematics |
| Abstract |
Within the harvestman clade Dyspnoi, Nemastomatidae and Sabaconidae are present on all northern continents (i.e., north America, northern Asia and Europe), while other Dyspnoi families are restricted to two or fewer northern continents. Geographically widespread genera are rare in Dyspnoi, reflecting their poor dispersal abilities - an exception is the genus Sabacon, which is present on all three northern continents. A multigenic molecular phylogenetic analysis of Sabacon reveals several strongly supported biogeographic connections. For example, species from the eastern United States show connections to both Asia and Europe. Western US species only display Asian affinities, but on different time scales, pointing to repeated vicariance events over time. Taxonomic literature indicates that genetic clades correspond to morphologically distinct lineages that differ especially in genital morphology. At the regional level (e.g., western US, eastern US), our data suggests the presence of many cryptic species; denser geographic sampling and the collection of adult males is needed to further explore this diversity. |
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