Publications by authors named "Siddharth S Kulkarni"

Within the arachnids, chromosome-level genome assemblies have greatly accelerated the understanding of gene family evolution and developmental genomics in key groups, such as spiders (Araneae), mites and ticks (Acariformes and Parasitiformes). Among other poorly studied arachnid orders that lack genome assemblies altogether are the clade Pedipalpi, which is comprised of three orders that form the sister group of spiders, which diverged over 400 Mya. We close this gap by generating the first chromosome-level assembly from a single specimen of the vinegaroon Mastigoproctus giganteus (Uropygi).

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Article Synopsis
  • Scientists study the tree of life, where some smaller groups of creatures, called clades, don't have many relatives left and look very old, like living fossils.
  • A special group called Amblypygi, or whip spiders, has been around for a long time, but only one of its relatives is still alive today, and it hasn't been seen since 1899.
  • A recent discovery of a new whip spider species in Colombia helped scientists create a family tree for these spiders and showed that finding more ancient species is important for understanding how living things are related.
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The systematics of the arachnid order Solifugae have been an enigma, owing to challenges in interpreting morphology, a paucity of molecular phylogenetic studies sampling across the group, and a dearth of taxonomic attention for many lineages. Recent work has suggested that solifuge families largely exhibit contiguous distributions and reflect patterns of vicariance, with the exception of three families: Melanoblossidae, Daesiidae and Gylippidae. Morphological studies have cast doubt on their existing circumscriptions and the present composition of these taxa renders their distributions as disjunct.

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Article Synopsis
  • Advanced sequencing technologies have significantly improved our understanding of higher-level relationships among arthropods, but some groups, especially those in hidden habitats, still present challenges.
  • The Solifugae, or "camel spiders," remain the only order of chelicerates without a clear phylogeny due to difficulties in accessing key morphological traits and limited molecular research.
  • A new phylogenomic study utilizing ultraconserved elements has successfully clarified solifuge relationships, revealing two main groups of New World taxa within a broader Paleotropical context, and suggesting that divergence among families occurred mostly before the Paleogene-Cretaceous extinction, influenced by continental shifts.
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High throughput sequencing and phylogenomic analyses focusing on relationships among spiders have both reinforced and upturned long-standing hypotheses. Likewise, the evolution of spider webs-perhaps their most emblematic attribute-is being understood in new ways. With a matrix including 272 spider species and close arachnid relatives, we analyze and evaluate the relationships among these lineages using a variety of orthology assessment methods, occupancy thresholds, tree inference methods and support metrics.

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The male sex of Tyloridasataraensis Kulkarni, 2014 is described based on specimens from the type locality. The distinguishing characters from its closest species Tyloridaventralis (Thorell, 1877) are detailed. An interesting behaviour of going underwater by T.

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