We investigate the factors that may have shaped the current distribution of the tribe Epactoidini trib. The divergence between Epactoides and its sister is dated to 32.3 Ma, while the crown age for the genus Ochicanthon is dated to 27 Ma. Bayesian divergence time estimates and ancestral range reconstructions indicate an African origin of the crown group of the tribe Epactoidini trib. The disjunct distribution of our focal clade is unusual within the subfamily Scarabaeinae. Grebennikovius is recovered as sister to Epactoides, while Ochicanthon emerges as sister to them both. Our analyses corroborate previous hypotheses of monophyly of the group, which is here described as new tribe Epactoidini trib. We combine morphology and molecular dataset to reconstruct the phylogenetic relationships between these taxa. The dung beetle genera Grebennikovius Mlambo, Scholtz & Deschodt, Epactoides Olsouffief and Ochicanthon Vaz‐de‐Mello are distributed in Tanzania, Madagascar and Réunion, and the Oriental region, respectively. Paleotropical clades with largely disjunct distributions are ideal models for biogeographic reconstructions.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |