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Echimyidae is one of the most speciose and ecologically diverse rodent families in the world, occupying a wide range of habitats in the Neotropics. However, a resolved phylogeny at the genus-level is still lacking for these 22 genera of South American spiny rats, including the coypu (Myocastorinae), and 5 genera of West Indian hutias (Capromyidae) relatives. Here, we used Illumina shotgun sequencing to assemble 38 new complete mitogenomes, establishing Echimyidae, and Capromyidae as the first major rodent families to be completely sequenced at the genus-level for their mitochondrial DNA. Combining mitogenomes and nuclear exons, we inferred a robust phylogenetic framework that reveals several newly supported nodes as well as the tempo of the higher level diversification of these rodents. Incorporating the full generic diversity of extant echimyids leads us to propose a new higher level classification of two subfamilies: Euryzygomatomyinae and Echimyinae. Of note, the enigmatic Carterodon displays fast-evolving mitochondrial and nuclear sequences, with a long branch that destabilizes the deepest divergences of the echimyid tree, thereby challenging the sister-group relationship between Capromyidae and Euryzygomatomyinae. Biogeographical analyses involving higher level taxa show that several vicariant and dispersal events impacted the evolutionary history of echimyids. The diversification history of Echimyidae seems to have been influenced by two major historical factors, namely (1) recurrent connections between Atlantic and Amazonian Forests and (2) the Northern uplift of the Andes.

Background The transmission of malaria in the extra-Amazonian regions of Brazil, although interrupted in the 1960s, has persisted to the present time in some areas of dense Atlantic Forest, with reports of cases characterized by particular transmission cycles and clinical presentations. Bromeliad-malaria, as it is named, is particularly frequent in the state of Espírito Santo, with Plasmodium vivax being the parasite commonly recognized as the aetiologic agent of human infections. With regard to the spatial and temporal distances between cases reported in this region, the transmission cycle does not fit the traditional malaria cycle. The existence of a zoonosis, with infected simians participating in the epidemiology, is therefore hypothesized. In the present study, transmission of bromeliad-malaria in Espírito Santo is investigated, based on the complete mitochondrial genome of DNA extracted from isolates of Plasmodium species, which had infected humans, a simian from the genus Allouata , and Anopheles mosquitoes. Plasmodium vivax/simium was identified in the samples by both nested PCR and real-time PCR. After amplification, the mitochondrial genome was completely sequenced and compared with a haplotype network which included all sequences of P. vivax/simium mitochondrial genomes sampled from humans and simians from all regions in Brazil. Results The haplotype network indicates that humans and simians from the Atlantic Forest become infected by the same haplotype, but some isolates from humans are not identical to the simian isolate. In addition, the plasmodial DNA extracted from mosquitoes revealed sequences different from those obtained from simians, but similar to two isolates from humans. Conclusions These findings strengthen support for the hypothesis that in the Atlantic Forest, and especially in the state with the highest frequency of bromeliad-malaria in Brazil, parasites with similar molecular backgrounds are shared by humans and simians. The recognized identity between P. vivax and P. simium at the species level, the sharing of haplotypes, and the participation of the same vector in transmitting the infection to both host species indicate interspecies transference of the parasites. However, the intensity, frequency and direction of this transfer remain to be clarified.

Here, the main goal is to assess natural infections of Plasmodium spp. in anophelines in a forest reserve from the same region where we previously found a surprisingly high rate (5.2%) of plasmodia infections (n = 25) in Kerteszia mosquitoes (N = 480) on the slopes of Serra do Mar, Atlantic Forest, Brazil. The mosquito collection sampling was carried out at the Legado das Águas Forest Reserve using CDC light traps and Shannon traps at night (5–10 pm) in 3-day collections in November 2021 and March, April, May, and November 2022. The captured specimens were morphologically identified at the species level and had their genomic DNA extracted in pools of up to 10 mosquitoes/pool. Each pool was tested using 18S qPCR and cytb nested PCR plus sequencing. A total of 5301 mosquitoes, mostly belonging to the genus Kerteszia (99.7%), were sampled and sorted into 773 pools. Eight pools positive for Plasmodium spp. were identified: four for Plasmodium spp., one for P. vivax or P. simium, one for P. malariae or P. brasilianum, and two for the P. falciparum-like parasite. After Sanger sequencing, two results were further confirmed: P. vivax or P. simium and P. malariae or P. brasilianum. The minimum infection rate for Kerteszia mosquitoes was 0.15% (eight positive pools/5285 Kerteszia mosquitoes). The study reveals a lower-than-expected natural infection rate (expected = 5.2% vs. observed = 0.15%). This low rate relates to the absence of Alouatta monkeys as the main simian malaria reservoir in the studied region. Their absence was due to a significant population decline following the reemergence of yellow fever virus outbreaks in the Atlantic Forest from 2016 to 2019. However, this also indicates the existence of alternative reservoirs to infect Kerteszia mosquitoes. The found zoonotic species of Plasmodium, including the P. falciparum-like parasite, may represent a simian malaria risk and thus a challenge for malaria elimination in Brazil.

Based on recently collected material, the Camponotus kiesenwetteri group is redefined, and its members known from the Aegean region are diagnosed. Camponotus schulzi sp. nov. is described from İzmir Province, Turkey. Camponotus nadimi Tohmé, 1969 syn. nov. is proposed as a junior synonym of Camponotus libanicus André, 1881 and Camponotus kiesenwetteri cyprius Emery, 1920 syn. nov. as a junior synonym of Camponotus kiesenwetteri (Roger, 1859). A key to workers of species of the C. kiesenwetteri group is provided. Niche modeling analyses are used to account for species habitat suitability across the Aegean region.

In the south and southeast regions of Brazil, cases of malaria occur outside the endemic Amazon region near the Atlantic Forest in some coastal states, where Plasmodium vivax is the recognized parasite. Characteristics of cases and vectors, especially Anopheles (Kerteszia) cruzii, raise the hypothesis of a zoonosis with simians as reservoirs. The present review aims to report on investigations of the disease over a 23-year period. Two main sources have provided epidemiological data: the behavior of Anopheles vectors and the genetic and immunological aspects of Plasmodium spp. obtained from humans, Alouatta simians, and Anopheles spp. mosquitoes. Anopheles (K.) cruzii is the most captured species in the forest canopy and is the recognized vector. The similarity between P. vivax and Plasmodium simium and that between Plasmodium malariae and Plasmodium brasilianum shared between simian and human hosts and the involvement of the same vector in the transmission to both hosts suggest interspecies transfer of the parasites. Finally, recent evidence points to the presence of Plasmodium falciparum in a silent cycle, detected only by molecular methods in asymptomatic individuals and An. (K.) cruzii. In the context of malaria elimination, it is paramount to assemble data about transmission in such non-endemic low-incidence areas.

Here we present new records of the mouse opossum Marmosa (Stegomamosa) lepida (Thomas, 1888) collected in the recently flooded region of the Xingu River during the construction of the Belo Monte hydropower dam in the state of Pará, Brazil. This taxon is rarely captured, and it has often been misidentified as other similar genera of arboreal marsupials, such as Gracilinanus. Our specimens were identified morphologically and genetically using partial DNA of the mitochondrial cytochrome b gene. The new records increase the known distribution by about 250 km to the southeast.

Ensuring the effectiveness of protected areas (PAs) has become a top-priority conservation action. Without management plans to define clear conservation goals and actions, PAs risk failing to protect biodiversity. Yet, management plans are insufficiently detailed or absent for several PAs worldwide. Although biodiversity knowledge is a cornerstone to guide the creation of PAs, we still lack information on its impact on long-term management. Thus, to better understand how biodiversity inventories might bias the management of protected areas, we investigate how these plans relate to the number of threatened species in PAs. Thus, we mapped 10,407 records corresponding to 1,395 threatened flora species in 863 PAs of the Brazilian Atlantic Forest under different jurisdictions and found that PAs with management plans hold twice the number of threatened flora species than those without such plans. Additionally, we found no support for the idea that larger PAs or those under higher anthropic pressure are more likely to have management plans, suggesting that management plans represent a proxy for the attention that PAs receive that goes far beyond necessity. We suggest two major reasons for this result. First, better-studied PAs are more likely to receive public funds to establish their management plans. Second, PAs with management plans and well-defined conservation goals may attract more studies. Both reasons may act synergistically, and we provide guidance on how managers and scientists should overcome these biases.

The forest refuge hypothesis (FRH) has long been a paradigm for explaining the extreme biological diversity of tropical forests. According to this hypothesis, forest retraction and fragmentation during glacial periods would have promoted reproductive isolation and consequently speciation in forest patches (ecological refuges) surrounded by open habitats. The recent use of paleoclimatic models of species and habitat distributions revitalized the FRH, not by considering refuges as the main drivers of allopatric speciation, but instead by suggesting that high contemporary diversity is associated with historically stable forest areas. However, the role of the emerged continental shelf on the Atlantic Forest biodiversity hotspot of eastern South America during glacial periods has been ignored in the literature. Here, we combined results of species distribution models with coalescent simulations based on DNA sequences to explore the congruence between scenarios of forest dynamics through time and the genetic structure of mammal species cooccurring in the central region of the Atlantic Forest. Contrary to the FRH predictions, we found more fragmentation of suitable habitats during the last interglacial (LIG) and the present than in the last glacial maximum (LGM), probably due to topography. We also detected expansion of suitable climatic conditions onto the emerged continental shelf during the LGM, which would have allowed forests and forest-adapted species to expand. The interplay of sea level and land distribution must have been crucial in the biogeographic history of the Atlantic Forest, and forest refuges played only a minor role, if any, in this biodiversity hotspot during glacial periods.

The delineation of zoogeographic regions is essential for understanding the evolution of biodiversity. Madagascar, characterized by high levels of endemism and habitat diversity, presents unique challenges and opportunities for such studies. Traditional global zoogeographic classifications, largely based on vertebrates, may overlook finer‐scale patterns of diversity. This study employs comprehensive ant distribution and phylogenomic datasets to propose a refined zoogeographic model for Madagascar. Utilizing phylogenetic Simpson's turnover, we identified three primary regions – Eastern, Northern, and Western – each characterized by distinct environmental and phylogenetic profiles. Further subdivision revealed nine subregions, reflecting variations in elevation, net primary productivity, and terrain ruggedness. Our findings highlight the importance of topographical and environmental barriers in shaping phylogenetic diversity and endemism. Notably, we observed significant phylogenetic clustering in lowland areas and distinct differences in net primary productivity and elevation across regions. This study underscores the value of integrating phylogenetic data in zoogeographic analyses and provides a nuanced framework for investigating biodiversity patterns in Madagascar, offering insights into the processes driving speciation and endemism on the island.

Priolepis (Gobiidae) is a genus of cryptobenthic fishes with a cosmopolitan distribution in tropical oceans. In the Atlantic, it is represented by P. ascensionis, P. dawsoni, P. hipoliti, and P. robinsi. With the exception of the latter, these species have their distribution limited by known biogeographic barriers signaling allopatric origins. In the present study, we used phylogenetic/phylogeographic approaches to uncover the evolutionary history of Priolepis in the Atlantic by testing three hypotheses: (i) The closure of the Tethyan Passage gave rise to a monophyletic Atlantic lineage; (ii) The formation of the Amazon Barrier divided the species into southwestern and northwestern Atlantic lineages; and (iii) Dispersal from Brazil across the Mid-Atlantic Barrier gave rise to the Santa Helena and Ascension Islands lineage. Neither hypothesis was refuted by our results. Phylogenies recovered the monophyly of the Atlantic Priolepis clade and its isolation from the Western Indian/Pacific Ocean ~ 16.9 million years ago. A few million years later (14-10 Mya), the emergence of the Amazon Barrier divided Priolepis into a southwestern and a northwestern ancestral. The closure of the Isthmus of Panama, as well as Pliocene and Pleistocene climatic variations, had an important influence on the formation of the different lineages within P. dawsoni, and P. hipoliti. During the Pleistocene, the occupation of the Vitoria-Trindade chain may have favored dispersal to the Mid-Atlantic islands, influencing the origin of P. ascensionis. Our results also highlight the great ability of P. dawsoni and P. hipoliti to maintain connectivity between remote areas and different habitats, a singular pattern among Brazilian cryptobenthic fishes.