Capelatus prykei gen. et sp.n. (Coleoptera: Dytiscidae: Copelatinae) – a phylogenetically isolated diving beetle from the Western Cape of South Africa

Abstract

Capelatus prykei gen. et sp.n., a distinctive new lineage of copelatine diving beetle, is described from the greater Cape Town area of the Western Cape Province, South Africa, on the basis of both morphological and molecular data. The genus‐level phylogeny of Copelatinae is reconstructed using a combination of nuclear and mitochondrial DNA regions, demonstrating that Capelatus gen.n. has no close relatives within the Afrotropical region, instead forming a clade with the Palaearctic Liopterus and largely Australasian Exocelina. Capelatus gen.n. apparently represents a striking example of a phylogenetically isolated Cape lineage, which also appears to be narrowly endemic and endangered by ongoing habitat loss.

Mosaic patterns of diversification dynamics following the colonization of Melanesian islands

“…We supplemented the datasets of Balke et al 27 28 , Toussaint et al 26 and Bilton et al 39 with additional specimens and gene coverage and assembled a comprehensive dataset of 96 described and 68 undescribed Exocelina species ( Supplementary Table S3 ). Total genomic DNA was extracted from whole beetles kept in 96% ethanol using a DNeasy kit (Qiagen, Hilden, Germany).…”

The importance of museum collections in determining biodiversity patterns, using a freshwater mussel Unio caffer (Krauss 1848) as an example

“…However, based on adult shell morphology and Background: Two recent distributional maps of the African freshwater mussel Unio caffer (Krauss 1848) in South Africa represented an incomplete picture compared to the records held by the national museums. (Bilton et al 2015). Several other taxa also support this distribution pattern (see Bologna et al 2008).…”

Deeper knowledge of shallow waters: reviewing the invertebrate fauna of southern African temporary wetlands

“…Whereas the Noteridae are largely permanent water inhabitants, a number of Dytiscidae are temporary pond specialists, and others are found there occasionally or temporarily as adults. Canthyporus species occur across a spectrum of freshwater habitats, including seepages, streams and ponds, both permanent and temporary (Biström & Nilsson, 2006;Bilton et al, 2015). This genus is particularly diverse in the Cape, where most of its species are endemic.…”

“…Species of the genus Rhantus can also be found in vegetated temporary ponds, as both adults and presumed larvae, as can the phylogenetically isolated Cape endemic Caperhantus cicurius (Fabricius, 1787) (Bilton, 2017). The Critically Endangered Cape endemic Capelatus prykei Turner & Bilton 2015 has been found in vernal pools on the Cape Flats (Bilton et al, 2015).…”