Molecular phylogeny and systematics of bald uakaris, genus Cacajao (Primates: Pitheciidae), with the description of a new species.

Bald uakaris, genus Cacajao, are Amazonian primates currently classified as one species and four subspecies based on the patterns of pelage coloration. In this study, we test if their current taxonomy is represented by the phylogenetic relationship of the main lineages retrieved from molecular data. We included, for the first time, all bald uakari taxa in a mitochondrial (cytochrome b) and genome-wide (ddRAD) phylogenetic analyses.

Molecular and biochemical basis for the loss of bioluminescence in the dinoflagellate along the west coast of the USA.

The globally distributed heterotrophic dinoflagellate (Macartney) Kofoid & Swezy is well known for its dense blooms and prominent displays of bioluminescence. Intriguingly, along the west coast of the USA its blooms are not bioluminescent. We investigated the basis for the regional loss of bioluminescence using molecular, cellular and biochemical analyses of isolates from different geographic regions.

First record of the marbled ray, (Elasmobranchii: Dasyatidae), from Greece (central Aegean Sea).

Background: Currently, seven dasyatid species have been described in the Mediterranean Sea: , , , , , and . Papaconstantinou (2014) listed four species of Dasyatidae occurring in Greece (, , and ; the latter was a case of misidentification and it is currently identified as , according to genetic analysis). However, the marbled stingray () was not amongst them.

Stable species boundaries despite ten million years of hybridization in tropical eels.

Genomic evidence is increasingly underpinning that hybridization between taxa is commonplace, challenging our views on the mechanisms that maintain their boundaries. Here, we focus on seven catadromous eel species (genus Anguilla) and use genome-wide sequence data from more than 450 individuals sampled across the tropical Indo-Pacific, morphological information, and three newly assembled draft genomes to compare contemporary patterns of hybridization with signatures of past introgression across a time-calibrated phylogeny. We show that the seven species have remained distinct for up to 10 million years and find that the current frequencies of hybridization across species pairs contrast with genomic signatures of past introgression.

Spatio-temporal genetic tagging of a cosmopolitan planktivorous shark provides insight to gene flow, temporal variation and site-specific re-encounters.

Migratory movements in response to seasonal resources often influence population structure and dynamics. Yet in mobile marine predators, population genetic consequences of such repetitious behaviour remain inaccessible without comprehensive sampling strategies. Temporal genetic sampling of seasonally recurring aggregations of planktivorous basking sharks, Cetorhinus maximus, in the Northeast Atlantic (NEA) affords an opportunity to resolve individual re-encounters at key sites with population connectivity and patterns of relatedness.