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First record of the schizomid Stenochrus portoricensis (Schizomida: Hubbardiidae) in Poland, with DNA barcode data

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Krzysztof Zawierucha at Adam Mickiewicz University
Krzysztof Zawierucha
Paweł Szymkowiak at Adam Mickiewicz University
Paweł Szymkowiak
Miroslawa Dabert at Adam Mickiewicz University
Miroslawa Dabert
Mark Stephen Harvey at Western Australian Museum
Mark Stephen Harvey
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Abstract and Figures

Several specimens of the tropical schizomid Stenochrus portoricensis Chamberlin, 1922 (family Hubbardiidae) were found in the Poznan Palm House, representing the first record of micro-whip scorpions (Schizomida) from Poland. Stenochrus portoricensis is an alien species in temperate climates, and has been accidentally introduced to greenhouses via potted plants. Its parthenogenetic lifestyle allows for the easy transfer of populations to new locations and the successful founding of new colonies. New DNA sequence data for Stenochrus portoricensis are presented, which comprise a fragment of the cytochrome c oxidase subunit I gene (DNA barcode sequence) from mitochondrial DNA, and a fragment of the 28S rRNA gene (D1-D3 regions) from nuclear DNA.
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357
http://journals.tubitak.gov.tr/zoology/
Turkish Journal of
Zoology Turk J Zool
(2013) 37: 357-361
© TÜBİTAK
doi:10.3906/zoo-1210-9
First record of the schizomid Stenochrus portoricensis
(Schizomida: Hubbardiidae) in Poland, with DNA barcode data
Krzysztof ZAWIERUCHA1, Paweł SZYMKOWIAK1,*, Miroslawa DABERT2, Mark Stephen HARVEY3
1
Department of Animal Taxonomy and Ecology, Faculty of Biology, Adam Mickiewicz University, Umultowska 89, 61-614 Poznań, Poland
2
Molecular Biology Techniques Laboratory, Faculty of Biology, Adam Mickiewicz University, Umultowska 89, 61-614 Poznań, Poland
3
Department of Terrestrial Zoology, Western Australian Museum, Welshpool DC, Western Australia 6986, Australia
* Correspondence: pawel.szymkowiak@amu.edu.pl
1. Introduction
Many dierent types of arachnids have successfully
dispersed to new locations around the globe via passive
associations with humans. e majority of these successful
introductions result from their predatory lifestyle and
their predominance in terrestrial habitats (Nedvĕd et
al., 2011). Some species are able to become acclimatized
to their new situation and live in natural or seminatural
environments. Others, however, cannot survive without
environmental conditions that mimic their original habitat,
of which greenhouses represent the most obvious example.
Greenhouses create adequate conditions (temperature,
light, moisture, and soil) and protected habitats for the
acclimatization of alien species. Moreover, in the absence
of natural enemies and pathogens, alien species are capable
of developing and spreading successfully (Teodorescu and
Matei, 2010). Among 3805 species of known arachnids
inhabiting natural environments in Poland, only 10 are
considered to be alien species (Głowaciński and Pawłowski,
2010). e rst comprehensive studies of the alien arachnids
(including only Acari) of greenhouses in Poland took place
in upper Silesia. Skubała et al. (2001) revealed that only
13% of the detected mites (Oribatida) were alien species. In
contrast, approximately 50% of the ptyctimous mites in the
Poznań Palm House were alien (Niedbała, 2010).
e Palm House in Poznań was founded in 1910–1911.
e plant collection contains more than 1000 species.
At present, the Palm House is divided into 9 pavilions
where representatives of dierent groups of vegetation are
displayed (e.g., tropical, subtropical, temperate, aquatic).
Specimens of Stenochrus portoricensis were found in
pavilions with tropical rainforest undergrowth vegetation.
e plants in the Palm House have been imported from
other greenhouses located in Poland, as well as from
the Netherlands, Germany, and from natural habitats
elsewhere, e.g., Copernicia macroglossa H. Wendl. ex
Becc. from Cuba. e rst studies on the invertebrate
fauna of the Poznań Palm House were performed in
1932 by Moszyński and Urbański, whose ndings were
extended by other researchers. e studies focused on
fauna in general (Urbański, 1950; Brzezińska, 1952),
on soil fauna (Michalak, 2006), and on individual taxa:
Isopoda (Urbański, 1947), Formicidae (Pisarski, 1957),
Araneae and Opiliones (Woźniczko, 1966), Turbellaria
and Nemeritini (Kolasa, 1973), aquatic Oligochaeta
(Legeżyński, 1974), and ptyctimous mites (Niedbała,
2010). Additionally, Wiśniewski and Hirschmann (1991a,
1991b) described 3 new species of mites. Although 12
papers on the invertebrate fauna of the Poznań Palm
House have been published so far, our knowledge of the
biodiversity of the greenhouses in general is still very poor.
Abstract: Several specimens of the tropical schizomid Stenochrus portoricensis Chamberlin, 1922 (family Hubbardiidae) were found in
the Poznań Palm House, representing the rst record of micro-whip scorpions (Schizomida) from Poland. Stenochrus portoricensis is an
alien species in temperate climates, and has been accidentally introduced to greenhouses via potted plants. Its parthenogenetic lifestyle
allows for the easy transfer of populations to new locations and the successful founding of new colonies. New DNA sequence data for
Stenochrus portoricensis are presented, which comprise a fragment of the cytochrome c oxidase subunit I gene (DNA barcode sequence)
from mitochondrial DNA, and a fragment of the 28S rRNA gene (D1–D3 regions) from nuclear DNA.
Key words: Micro-whip scorpions, alien species, articial habitat, greenhouse, introduced animals, DNA barcode, COI, 28S rDNA
Received: 11.10.2012 Accepted: 19.01.2013 Published Online: 29.04.2013 Printed: 29.05.2013
Research Article
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ZAWIERUCHA et al. / Turk J Zool
During further investigations into the invertebrate fauna
of the Palm House, several specimens of schizomids were
found amongst leaf litter and rotting wood. Schizomida,
also known as micro-whip scorpions, are small arachnids
mainly inhabiting the tropical and subtropical regions
of the world (Reddell and Cokendolpher, 1995; Harvey,
2003; Beccaloni, 2009). Currently, the order contains 286
species in 53 genera (updated from Harvey, 2003, 2007),
but only 3 species have been reported from Europe, and all
3 represent exotic introductions. Schizomus crassicaudatus
(O.P. Cambridge, 1872) was originally described from Sri
Lanka and later recorded from greenhouses in the Muséum
national d’Histoire naturelle, Paris, France (Simon, 1896).
Zomus bagnallii (Jackson, 1908) was originally described
from greenhouses in the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew,
England (Jackson, 1908), and has since been found to
be widespread throughout the Indo-Pacic region (e.g.,
Reddell and Cokendolpher, 1995; Harvey, 2001, 2010;
Villarreal, 2010). Stenochrus portoricensis Chamberlin,
1922 is widespread throughout tropical North and South
America, ranging from Florida to southeastern Brazil (e.g.,
Rowland and Reddell, 1980; Reddell and Cokendolpher,
1995; Harvey, 2003; Santos et al., 2008), with populations
also recorded from the Canary Islands, United Kingdom,
and the Czech Republic (Cloudsley-ompson, 1949;
Oromi and Martin, 1992; Reddell and Cokendolpher,
1995; Korenko et al., 2009; Sentenská and Líznarová,
2010). Jackson (1910) reported on an apparently new
species of schizomid from a hothouse in Penrith, northern
England, the identity of which has not yet been conrmed.
It is likely to also be a population of S. portoricensis.
e specimens collected in Poznań represent the rst
record of the order Schizomida from Poland. Apart from
recording their presence, we also report on newly obtained
mitochondrial and nuclear molecular sequence data of S.
portoricensis.
2. Materials and methods
2.1. Materials
Twenty-four specimens of S. portoricensis were collected
from soil, wood, and leaf litter by handpicking, sieving, and
Barber pitfall sampling in 3 pavilions containing tropical
vegetation in the Poznań Palm House. All specimens were
preserved in 75% ethanol, and are now deposited in the
Department of Animal Taxonomy and Ecology, Adam
Mickiewicz University, Poznań, Poland (AMUP), and the
Western Australian Museum, Perth, Australia (WAM).
2.2. Molecular methods
We selected the 3 best preserved specimens from which
to obtain sequence data. Total genomic DNA was
extracted from the specimens using a nondestructive
method, as described by Dabert et al. (2008). A 681-bp
fragment of the mitochondrial cytochrome c oxidase
subunit I (COI) gene was amplied with primers bcdF01
(5’-CATTTTCHACTAAYCATAARGATATTGG-3’) and
bcdR04 (5’-TATAAACYTCDGGATGNCCAAAAAA-3’)
(Dabert et al., 2010); an 850-bp fragment of the nuclear
28S rDNA was amplied with primers 28SF0001
(5’-ACCCVCYNAATTTAAGCATAT-3’) and 28SR0990
(5’-CCTTGGTCCGTGTTTCAAGAC-3’) (Mironov et al.,
2012). PCRs were carried out in 5-µL reaction volumes
containing 2.5 µL Type-it Microsatellite PCR Kit (Qiagen,
Hilden, Germany), 0.25 µM of each primer, and 1 µL of
DNA template, using a thermocycling prole of 1 cycle of
5 min at 95 °C followed by 35 steps of 30 s at 95 °C, 90 s at
50 °C, 1 min at 72 °C, with a nal step of 5 min at 72 °C.
Aer amplication, the PCRs were diluted with 10 µL of
water, and 5 µL of the diluted PCR reaction was analyzed
by electrophoresis on a 1% agarose gel. e amplicons
were directly sequenced in the forward direction by using
1 µL of the PCR reaction and 50 pmol of sequencing
primer. Sequencing was performed with a BigDye
Terminator (v. 3.1) on an ABI Prism 3130XL Analyzer
(Applied Biosystems). Contigs were aligned and manually
assembled in ChromasPro v. 1.32 (Technelysium Pty,
Ltd.), and converted to amino acids in GeneDoc v. 2.7.000
(Nicholas and Nicholas, 1997). e resulting sequences
were compared with the GenBank database (blast.ncbi.
nlm.nih.gov) using the blastn and discontiguous megablast
programs (Zhang et al., 2000).
3. Results
Stenochrus portoricensis Chamberlin, 1922
(Figures 1, 2, 3)
Stenochrus portoricensis Chamberlin, 1922: 11–12.
Schizomus antilus Hilton, 1933: 91–92 (synonymized
by Rowland and Reddell, 1980: 14).
Schizomus cavernicolens Chamberlin and Ivie, 1938:
102, gures 4–7 (synonymized by Rowland and Reddell,
1977: 87).
1000 µm
Figure 1. Stenochrus portoricensis dorsal view.
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ZAWIERUCHA et al. / Turk J Zool
Schizomus oridanus Muma, 1967: 18–20, gures 13–
15 (synonymized by Rowland and Reddell, 1977: 87).
Schizomus longimanus Rowland, 1971: 119–120,
gures 4–6, 17 (synonymized by Rowland and Reddell,
1977: 87).
Schizomus loreto Armas, 1977: 5–7, gures 3, 4a–d
(synonymized by Armas, 1989: 23).
Full synonymy to 2002 can be found in Harvey, 2003:
125.
Specimens examined: POLAND: Poznań Palm House
(pavilions: V, VI, and VIII), January–April 2012, 18
specimens (11 females and 7 juveniles) in AMUP and 6
specimens (1 female and 5 juveniles) in WAM.
Diagnosis: Stenochrus portoricensis diers from all
other species of the genus, except S. davisi (Gertsch, 1940),
S. guatemalensis (Chamberlin, 1922), S. leon Armas,
1995, S. mexicanus (Rowland, 1971), S. mulaiki (Gertsch,
1940), S. palaciosi (Reddell and Cokendolpher, 1986), S.
pecki (Rowland, 1973), and S. reddelli (Rowland, 1971),
by the presence of only 2 pairs of dorsal propeltidial setae.
Females can be distinguished from those of these species
by the heavily sclerotized median spermathecae, which are
visible through the cuticle of sternite II, and males by seta
dm4 of the agellum being situated on approximately the
same level as dl1 (Rowland and Reddell, 1980; Reddell and
Cokendolpher, 1986; Armas, 1995).
Sequence data: We sequenced a 681-bp fragment of
the mitochondrial cytochrome c oxidase subunit I (COI)
gene (DNA barcode region chosen by the Consortium
for the Barcode of Life, http://barcoding.si.edu) and an
850-bp fragment of the nuclear 28S rDNA, including
the hypervariable D1–D3 regions of 3 females of S.
portoricensis (GenBank Acc. numbers JX280413–15,
JX280416, respectively). No intraspecic variation was
found in the COI nucleotide sequences, and no frame
shi was observed aer conversion of these sequences into
amino acids. Sequence data for S. portoricensis have been
previously reported for several gene regions (e.g., Giribet
and Ribera, 2000; Giribet et al., 2002; Regier et al., 2010),
but our data represent the rst records of DNA barcodes for
this species: a fragment of COI from mitochondrial DNA,
and hypervariable regions D1–D3 from 28S ribosomal
RNA gene. e sequences generated for S. portoricensis
showed nucleotide identities higher than 80% (COI)
and 90% (28S rDNA) compared to the other schizomid
sequences published in GenBank. One or both of these
genes have been obtained for other schizomids including
Hubbardia pentapeltis Cook, 1899 (Giribet et al., 2002),
Bamazomus sp., Brignolizomus woodwardi (Harvey, 1992),
Draculoides spp. and Paradraculoides spp. (Harvey et al.,
2008), and an unidentied schizomid (Arabi et al., 2012).
4. Discussion
e specimens of S. portoricen sis recorded from the Poznań
Palm House represent the rst record of this species
from Poland, and one of the few records of Schizomida
from Europe. Previous records include populations from
the Canary Islands (Oromi and Martin, 1992), United
Kingdom (Cloudsley-ompson, 1949; Reddell and
Cokendolpher, 1995), and the Czech Republic (Korenko
et al., 2009; Sentenská and Líznarová, 2010). While the
Canary Island population seems to be free-living in natural
ecosystems, the other records are conned to hothouses
and other articial habitats.
While many populations of S. portoricensis consist only
of females and juveniles, populations with adult males have
been reported from southern Mexico (Campeche, Chiapas,
and Yucatán states), Guatemala, Cuba, Dominican
1000 µm
Figure 2. Stenochrus portoricensis lateral view.
100 µm
Figure 3. Flagellum of Stenochrus portoricensis.
360
ZAWIERUCHA et al. / Turk J Zool
Republic, and Puerto Rico (Armas, 1977; Rowland
and Reddell, 1980; Reddell and Cokendolpher, 1995).
Like the European and Brazilian populations, it seems
likely that many other populations represent accidental
introductions, presumably originally stemming from a
bisexual Central American source. e lack of males from
most populations led Reddell and Cokendolpher (1995) to
suggest that S. portoricensis is a facultative parthenogen.
A parthenogenetic lifestyle would also allow for the easy
transfer of populations to new locations as only single
female individuals, either adult or immature, would be
needed to found new colonies.
e occurrence of S. portoricensis in Poznań is likely
to have begun with soil and litter of plants introduced
into the Palm House from external sources, similar to
the hypothesis suggested by Tourinho and Kury (1999)
and Kobelt and Nentwig (2008), who claimed that alien
arachnids are most probably introduced with garden plants
and container shipments. Greenhouses constitute isolated,
inland islands for introduced local populations, and a
study using molecular data focusing on migration routes
of this species within Europe may prove benecial. e
molecular data presented in this paper of S. portoricensis
is a rst step in this process.
Acknowledgments
We wish to express our sincere thanks to members of the
Student Naturalist Society (Invertebrate Section) of Adam
Mickiewicz University for their assistance in the collection
of specimens. We also thank Michał Śmiłowski and the
sta of the Poznań Palm House for their kindness and
support during the collection of the samples. e present
study was partially supported by the Polish MSHE grant
No. N N303 017937.
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... Two datasets were created for the study. The first dataset, used to test the monophyly and phylogenetic placement of S. portoricensis, included sequences from 66 samples, twelve of which were included in Clouse et al. (2017), one in Zawierucha et al. (2013), and 22 in Monjaraz-Ruedas et al. (2020), in addition to sequences newly generated from 31 samples ( Table 1). The second dataset, used for phylogeographic analyses of S. portoricensis, comprised sequences from 50 samples (Table 1). ...
... The COI dataset was the most complete of the four loci, with only one sequence missing, followed by the 28S, with eight sequences missing. Most of the missing data was concentrated in the 12S and ITS loci, with 13 and 14 sequences missing, respectively, due to the inclusion of sequences from previous studies which omitted some of the loci used in the present study, but added otherwise unavailable localities (Zawierucha et al. 2013, Clouse et al. 2017). The aligned ITS, 28S, 12S, and COI sequences were concatenated using Mesquite ver. ...
World Travelers: Parthenogenesis and Ecological Tolerance Enable Multiple Colonization Events by the Widespread Short-Tailed Whipscorpion, Stenochrus portoricensis (Schizomida: Hubbardiidae)
Article
  • Jan 2022
Whereas morphology remains a powerful tool for the diagnosis and description of short-tailed whip scorpions, or schizomids (Order Schizomida Petrunkevitch, 1945), especially when adults of both sexes are available, the systematics of some schizomid taxa is difficult to resolve due to a lack of characters in these morphologically conserved arachnids. Stenochrus portoricensis Chamberlin, 1922, defined on a single character of the female spermathecae, is the most widespread schizomid in the New World. Numerous records in the Neotropics, from the southern United States to Brazil, throughout the Caribbean, and further afield, including the Galapagos Islands and Europe, raise the question as to whether S. portoricensis is indeed a single widespread species or a complex of multiple species with conserved morphology? The present study uses a multilocus dataset and the broadest geographical sample currently available to address the phylogeography of S. portoricensis with molecular divergence dating and ancestral area reconstruction of all currently known species of Stenochrus Chamberlin, 1922. Analyses recovered S. portoricensis as paraphyletic. Two species previously synonymized are revalidated and transferred to Stenochrus. Population structure analyses recovered the remaining samples of S. portoricensis as a single monophyletic species with low genetic divergence and comprising two subclades. Ancestral area reconstruction suggests a Mesoamerican origin for Stenochrus, which contains a widespread species, recently introduced to multiple localities. Introductions to Europe and the Caribbean occurred from a single clade in the Yucatán Peninsula, Mexico, within which genetic divergence is minimal, confirming the hypothesis of multiple independent introductions with successful colonization facilitated by parthenogenetic reproduction.
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... Based on the collected data, we know that quite probably most species/specimens were accidentally imported to hobbyists' collections with plant material (probably both on plant surfaces and in the substrate in which plants were kept). Although the amount of data from vivarium collections is rather limited, there are other numerous examples of such accidental ''hitchhikers'' in the case of plants grown in greenhouses (e.g., Korkós et al., 2002;Kaszuba & Stworzewicz, 2008;Boros & Dózsa-Farkas, 2008;Leiss, Reischütz & Reischütz, 2008;Horsák, Juřičkova & Picka, 2013;Evangelista et al., 2013;Zawierucha et al., 2013);or aquaria (e.g.: Duggan, 2010;Patoka et al., 2015). In the case of different taxonomic groups studied before, plants and container shipments were known as the most important source of alien terrestrial invertebrates, including e.g.: mites (Kobelt & Nentwig, 2008), spiders (Niedbała, 2010;Zawierucha et al., 2013), land planarians (Ogren, 1985;Mather & Christensen, 1992;Hogan & Dunne, 1996;Winsor, Johns & Barker, 2004;Justine et al., 2014), snails (Robinson, 1999;Cowie, 2005;Dvořak & Kupka, 2007;Głowaciński et al., 2011;Von Proschwitz et al., 2017), diplopods (Stoev, 2004) or oligochaetes (Boros & Dózsa-Farkas, 2007;Boros, 2011). ...
... Although the amount of data from vivarium collections is rather limited, there are other numerous examples of such accidental ''hitchhikers'' in the case of plants grown in greenhouses (e.g., Korkós et al., 2002;Kaszuba & Stworzewicz, 2008;Boros & Dózsa-Farkas, 2008;Leiss, Reischütz & Reischütz, 2008;Horsák, Juřičkova & Picka, 2013;Evangelista et al., 2013;Zawierucha et al., 2013);or aquaria (e.g.: Duggan, 2010;Patoka et al., 2015). In the case of different taxonomic groups studied before, plants and container shipments were known as the most important source of alien terrestrial invertebrates, including e.g.: mites (Kobelt & Nentwig, 2008), spiders (Niedbała, 2010;Zawierucha et al., 2013), land planarians (Ogren, 1985;Mather & Christensen, 1992;Hogan & Dunne, 1996;Winsor, Johns & Barker, 2004;Justine et al., 2014), snails (Robinson, 1999;Cowie, 2005;Dvořak & Kupka, 2007;Głowaciński et al., 2011;Von Proschwitz et al., 2017), diplopods (Stoev, 2004) or oligochaetes (Boros & Dózsa-Farkas, 2007;Boros, 2011). In addition, only in the case of two (or three) taxa, springtail Coecobrya tenebricosa and isopods Trichorhina tomentosa, as well as Trichorhina sp.1, their presence in terraria is directly connected with the use of those invertebrates as a regular food source for poison dart frogs (Lötters et al., 2007;McMonigle, 2013;Steinmann & Van der Lingen, 2013). ...
Undesirable immigrants: hobbyist vivaria as a potential source of alien invertebrate species
Article
Full-text available
  • Sep 2019
Background. Small size and large diversity of adaptations make invertebrates a group of animals which can be easily transported by different human activities. Many species can travel as “hitchhikers” with plant material (both on plant surfaces and in the soil), including plants used for decoration in vivaria. Vivaria are often tropical in nature environments, with high temperatures and humidity, suitable for invertebrates from tropical regions. Although many of such invertebrates cannot survive in temperate regions where harsh weather conditions are present, it is also known that some can successfully acclimatise. As a result, their negative impact on local flora and fauna cannot be excluded. Material and methods. Terrestrial invertebrates were collected in several cities of Poland from tropical vivaria where poison dart frogs (Dendrobatidae) and/or orchids (Orchidaceae) were kept by hobbyists. Collecting of the material was preceded by a simple questionnaire placed on the biggest Polish forum devoted to poison dart frogs. Moreover, we contacted some Polish wholesalers offering tropical invertebrates (Isopoda and Collembola), used as the food source for frogs, hoping to receive information about locations where those invertebrates were delivered, over the period of one year. We obtained mtDNA barcodes using the COI marker (cytochrome c oxidase subunit I gene) for seven potential morphospecies. Results. In total, 12 taxa classified as Turbellaria, Annelida, Gastropoda, Isopoda, Diplopoda, Chilopoda and Collembola were collected and preserved in pure ethanol. We collected material and/or information from 65 locations, including 56 cities to which exotic isopods and springtails were sold by wholesalers over the period of nine months (average number per month = 18 cities). We obtained 18 COI sequences which were assigned to 7 BINs and thus confirmed identification of seven species. The results indicate that the number of species transported with exotic plants is not small and can be observed regularly. Species noted as “hitchhikers” on plant structures and/or as inhabitants of soil in plant pots, originally came from South and Central America, Africa, Asia and possibly from North America or Southern Europe. Three taxa were noted for the first time from Poland, including Rhynchodemus sylvaticus (Rhynchodemidae), Trichorhina sp.1 (Platharthridae), and Guppya gundlachi (Euconulidae). Discussion. The presented study clearly shows that an exotic hobby such as keeping tropical poison dart frogs and/or orchids may promote fast and uncontrolled dispersion of a high number of invertebrates classified in different taxonomical groups. Plant material (green elements of plants and the soil in which they are planted) used in vivaria can be an important source of such animals.
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... Regardless of the type of greenhouse, many animals species (both local and foreign) could have been brought in a random and uncontrolled manner together with the plants, seeds, soil, litter and other components of the exhibitions (e.g., Kolicka et al. 2015). Palm houses provide these accidentally introduced organisms with specific conditions for colonisation and habitation that are different from outside anthropic habitats, e.g., municipal parks or squares (e.g., Duggan & Duggan 2011;Zawierucha et al. 2013). Due to the high temperatures and humidity kept at a constant level, they create favourable conditions for the formation of stable and numerous populations of invertebrates which function in an unchanged form for many years (e.g., Kolicka et al. 2013). ...
... Due to the high temperatures and humidity kept at a constant level, they create favourable conditions for the formation of stable and numerous populations of invertebrates which function in an unchanged form for many years (e.g., Kolicka et al. 2013). Because of that, palm houses and greenhouses are often regarded as ʻtropical islandsʼ in a moderate climate (e.g., Zawierucha et al. 2013). These ʻislandsʼ, as habitats that are distant and isolated from their natural counterparts and other greenhouses, could be a perfect place for research on newly introduced, alien communities of species and the new areas they occupy as well as on variability within and among isolated populations separated from their source habitats. ...
Gastrotricha – not only in sediments: new epiphytic species of Chaetonotida from the Jubilee Greenhouse of the Botanical Garden in Kraków
Article
Full-text available
  • Apr 2019
Although Gastrotricha have previously been recorded in bottom sediments of greenhouses as well as in micro-reservoirs of Bromeliaceae, palm houses provide a more specific microhabitat for these animals that often originate from different regions of the world. This paper presents an investigation of gastrotrich assemblages associated with aquatic plants. Eight species of the epiphytic chaetonotids were found in the Jubilee Greenhouse of the Botanical Garden in Kraków (Poland), including three species new to science, Chaetonotus (Chaetonotus) invitatus sp. nov., C. (Hystricochaetonotus) horridus sp. nov. and C. (H.) inaequabilis sp. nov. Two other species are new to Poland, C. (C.) paucisquamatus Kisielewski, 1991 and C. (Zonochaeta) cestacanthus Balsamo, 1990, both recorded here for the first time outside their terra typica. These observations confirm that greenhouses and palm houses provide many ecological niches and favourable conditions for the development of a number of unintentionally introduced species which cannot be found outside their original climate conditions.
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... First described in the West Indies, Stenochrus portoricensis has been reported worldwide (Fig. 2), including several localities in Europe, e.g., Canary Islands (Martín & Oromí, 1984;Oromí & Martín, 1992), Spain (Barranco et al., 2014), Czech Republic (Korenko et al., 2009), Germany (Armas & Rehfeldt, 2015;Lauterbach et al., 2020), Slovakia (Christophoryová et al., 2013), England (Cloudsley-Thompson, 1949, Switzerland (Krajcovicova et al., 2021), and Poland (Zawierucha et al., 2013). Most of those records consisted of specimens collected from greenhouses, suggesting that the specimens may have been transported along with soil or cultivated pot plants (Monjaraz-Ruedas et al., 2022). ...
First record of invasive Stenochrus portoricensis Chamberlin, 1922 (Arachnida: Schizomida: Hubbardiidae) from the Southern region of Brazil
Article
Full-text available
  • Nov 2023
Herein we report for the first time a schizomid for the Southern region of Brazil, Stenochrus portoricensis Chamberlin, 1922 (Schizomida: Hubbardiidae), found in association with termite nests. This is the southernmost record of any schizomid for the Neotropical region. We hypothesize that the species was recently introduced by the sudden population growth of Florianópolis – along with the intense touristic activity – which might have contributed to the inadvertent transportation of this species.
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... However, S. portoricensis is not restricted to Central America, North America, and the Antilles since it is also widely distributed across many countries in two additional continents: Europe and South America. In Europe, this species appears to be common among greenhouses, as reported from many countries (e.g., Czech Republic, England, Germany, Poland, Slovakia, Switzerland, and Spain) (Reddell & Cokendolpher, 1995;Blick, 2006;Christophoryová et al., 2013;Zawierucha et al., 2013;Barranco et al., 2014;Armas & Rehfeldt, 2015;Lauterbach et al., 2020;Krajčovičová et al., 2021). On the other hand, in South America, this species has been recorded from three countries: Ecuador (Galapagos Islands, Guayaquil in mainland Ecuador), Brazil, and Colombia (World Schizomida Catalog, 2022). ...
The alien species Stenochrus portoricensis (Schizomida: Hubbardiidae): decreasing the Wallacean shortfall in the New World
Article
Full-text available
  • Apr 2023
  • IHERINGIA SER ZOOL
The widely distributed species, Stenochrus portoricensis Chamberlin, 1922, is recorded for the first time from Costa Rica and Venezuela, and new occurrences from Brazil and Colombia are presented. Morphology of spermathecae from 14 localities is compared and illustrated. The need for studies to evaluate the potential status as an invasive species of S. portoricensis is commented on and a distribution map of the species in southern Central America and South America is given. KEYWORDS Dry Tropical Forest; Hubbardiinae; invasive species; new records; neotropics
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... Greenhouses can also be a useful source of knowledge about tropical invertebrates. For example, the knowledge of alien taxa distribution within greenhouses may be helpful in collecting individuals to conduct research on their biology or in preparing DNA barcode sequences (Scott-Brown et al. 2018, Zawierucha et al. 2013. ...
Greenhouses -urban biodiversity hotspot of alien Oribatida (Acari) species
Article
Full-text available
  • Oct 2020
Palm houses and other greenhouses, due to maintaining constant temperature and humidity, allow the cultivation in Europe of plants from different parts of the world, even from tropical regions. However, sometimes they are also a habitat for alien species of spiders, mites, insect, etc. These animals have been introduced accidentally with contaminated plants, seeds, seedlings, soil and thanks to stable conditions maintained in greenhouses, they may colonize these places. Example of arthropods, of which even tropical species occur in several greenhouses, are oribatid mites-minute saprophagous arachnids that mostly inhabit soil. In Europe they are represented by about 2,000 species, while worldwide-over 10,000 taxa were described. The aim of this research was to investigate the selected greenhouses for the biodiversity of oribatid mites and the presence of non-native species. In total, 49 taxa were recorded, including 23 alien species (for example, a Neotropical taxon Galumna hamifer, or Oriental Suctobelbella parallelodentata). These results confirm that greenhouses are the places of occurrence of many alien oribatid species. The obtained results may be used in future research on the biology of poorly known tropical mites.
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... One of these, Stenochrus portoricensis Chamberlin, 1922, is a cosmopolitan species initially described from Mexico and the Caribbean, but also found in North, Central and South America (Reddel & Cokendolpher 1995;Santos et al. 2008). Moreover, this species has also been recorded in European countries such as England, Slovakia, and Poland (Cloudsley-Thompson 1949;Christophoryová et al. 2013;Zawierucha et al. 2013). In Brazil, S. portoricensis has been recorded in several states (Souza & Lira, 2015;Gallão, Bichuette & Giupponi 2015), in anthropized areas close to Atlantic Forest patches and urban regions (Tourinho & Kury 1999;Santos, Ferreira & Buzatto 2008;Kury et al. 2010). ...
Stenochrus portoricensis (Arachnida: Schizomida) living in a nest of the fire ant Solenopsis saevissima (Hymenoptera: Formicidae) in the Atlantic Forest, Brazil
Article
  • Aug 2019
Schizomida is an arachnid order widely distributed in tropical and subtropical regions, commonly found in humid and warm environments such as leaf litter, on the underside of rocks, and in caves. Stenochrus portoricensis has been observed in association with termite and ant nests. In this study, we report for the first time S. portoricensis living within a nest of the fire ant Solenopsis saevissima. This new interaction triggers interest in the mechanisms used by the schizomid to deceive and be undetected by fire ants, as well as the potential advantages for the schizomid in living within Solenopsis nests.
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Strumigenys emmae (EmEry, 1890) (Hymenoptera: Formicidae) in Poland - first record of this pantropic ant species from Europe with remarks on its biology
Article
Full-text available
  • May 2022
The pantropic ant species Strumigenys emmae (Emery, 1890) was found in Poland and Europe for the first time. Two workers were shifted from humid soil in greenhouse in Poznań, Poland. This species coexists with two other tramp ant species - Hypoponera ergatandria (Forel, 1893) and Tetramorium insolens (SMith, 1861) in the same pavilion, as well as with one species native to Poland - Lasius niger (Linnaeus, 1758), which occasionally forages and nests in the building. Ethological assays with all four species were performed and their possible interactions are discussed. Number of tramp ant species found indoors in Poland is raised to 7 and total number of ant species recorded from the country is raised to 108.
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Stenochrus portoricensis neu für Nordrhein-Westfalen, mit Anmerkungen zur Verbreitung und Habitaten weiterer eingeschleppter Zwerggeißelskorpionarten in Europa (Arachnida: Schizomida)
Article
Full-text available
  • Sep 2020
Abstract. Stenochrus portoricensis new to North Rhine-Westphalia (Germany), with notes on distribution and habitats of other alien short-tailed whipscorpion species in Europe (Arachnida: Schizomida). Records of the short-tailed whipscorpion Stenochrus portoricensis Chamberlin, 1922 (Schizomida: Hubbardiidae) from greenhouses in North Rhine-Westphalia are presented together with detailed diagnostic drawings of the species. Stenochrus portoricensis is native to southern North America and the Caribbean and is the most commonly introduced species of Schizomida in Europe. In Germany the species has only been recorded previously from Hesse. A review of all introduced schizomid records in Europe reveals that S. portoricensis is currently the only species that occupies habitats outside of greenhouses. Zusammenfassung. Es werden Funde des Zwerggeißelskorpions Stenochrus portoricensis Chamberlin, 1922 (Schizomida: Hubbardiidae)aus Warmhäusern in Nordrhein-Westfalen, zusammen mit Zeichnungen der diagnostischen Merkmale dieser Art, präsentiert. Stenochrusportoricensis stammt ursprünglich aus dem südlichen Nordamerika sowie der Karibik und ist die am häufigsten nach Europa verschleppte Art der Schizomida. In Deutschland ist sie bislang nur aus Warmhäusern in Hessen bekannt. Eine Zusammenfassung der Funde allereingeschleppten Zwerggeißelskorpionarten in Europa zeigt zudem, dass bisher nur S. portoricensis außerhalb von Gewächshäusern vorkommt.
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The Arachnid Order Schizomida In The Brazilian Atlantic Forest: A New Species Of Rowlandius And New Records Of Stenochrus Portoricensis (Schizomida: Hubbardiidae)
Article
Full-text available
  • Aug 2008
Two species of hubbardiid microwhipscorpions (Schizomida: Hubbardiidae) are recorded from the Brazilian Atlantic Forest. Rowlandius linsduarteae sp. nov. is described and illustrated based on specimens from Mata do Buraquinho forest reserve, João Pessoa, state of Paraíba, northeastern Brazil. This species is apparently related to Rowlandius sul Cokendolpher & Reddell 2000, the only species of the genus known from continental South America, and represents new evidence of a biogeographic relationship between Amazonia and the northeastern Brazilian Atlantic Forest. Stenochrus portoricensis Chamberlin, a widely distributed species, is newly recorded from the states of São Paulo and Bahia, respectively, in southeastern and northeastern Brazil. The latter record refers to several female specimens associated with abandoned arboreal termite nests in a cocoa plantation.
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A new feather mite species of the genus Proctophyllodes Robin, 1877 (Astigmata: Proctophyllodidae) from the Long-tailed Tit Aegithalos caudatus (Passeriformes: Aegithalidae)-morphological description with DNA barcode data
Article
Full-text available
  • Apr 2012
A new feather mites species, Proctophyllodes valchukae sp. n., is described from the Long-tailed Tit, Aegithalos caudatus (Linnaeus, 1758) (Passeriformes: Aegithalidae), captured in the Primoriye (Russian Far East). The new species belongs to the tricetratus species group and is most closely related to P. stachyris Atyeo et Braasch, 1966. For the first time for feather mites the standard morphological description is supplemented by sequence data of the mitochondrial cytochrome c oxidase subunit I gene fragment (COI) and nuclear D2 region of 28S rDNA
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Oribatid mite fauna of greenhouses in Upper Silesia, Poland
Article
Full-text available
  • Jan 2001
Oribatid mites occurring in greenhouses in Gliwice and Sosnowiec (Upper Silesia) from different vegetation types (tropical, cultivated, desertic, temperate ones) were investigated. In total 1715 oribatids, representing 58 species, were collected. The oribatid fauna was accidentally established as a result of using soil from different sources. The oribatid mite communities were poorly developed. Differences in the structure of oribatid communities were not significant. Furthermore, relationships between oribatids and specific plant species were not revealed for most oribatids. Eight rare species arriving by passive transport were collected.
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Contribution to the knowledge of ptyctimous mites (Acari, Oribatida) in the Palm House in Poznań
Article
Full-text available
  • Dec 2010
Contribution to the knowledge of ptyctimous mites (Acari, Oribatida) in the Palm House in Poznań In soil samples from the Palm House (Palmiarnia) in Poznań city, six alien and six native mite species of the ptyctimous were found. Nearly half of them are semicosmopolitan but two of them are not native to Europe. One of the species, Phthiracarus phoxos Niedbała 2004, is endemic to Cuba. Supposedly the wellbeing of the exotic fauna depends on the presence of exotic soil and careful addition of native soil.
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The Schizomida (Arachnida) of the Seychelle Islands
Article
Full-text available
  • Oct 2001
The schizomid fauna of the Seychelles is reviewed and the following taxa are recognised: Apozomus gerlachi, sp. nov., Bamazomus aviculus, sp. nov., Mahezomus apicoporus, sp. nov., Anepsiozomus sobrinus, sp. nov., Ovozomus similis (Hirst), Secozomus latipes (Hansen) and Zomus bagnallii (Jackson). Four new genera are recognised, each represented by a single species: Mahezomus, gen. nov. (type species M. apicoporus, sp. nov.); Anepsiozomus, gen. nov. (type species A. sobrinus, sp. nov.); Ovozomus, gen. nov. (type species Schizomus similis Hirst); and Secozomus, gen. nov. (type species Schizomus latipes Hansen). Three species of Schizomus described from Madagascar are transferred to Bamazomus: B. madagassus (Lawrence), comb. nov., B. milloti (Lawrence), comb. nov. and B. vadoni (Lawrence), comb. nov. Problems in the systematics of the subfamily Hubbardiinae are explored, especially with regard to the high number of genera currently recognised. Biogeographic patterns of the arachnid fauna of the Seychelles are briefly explored, and a list of the Scorpiones, Pseudoscorpiones, Amblypygi, Schizomida and Palpigradi is included.
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The smaller arachnid orders: Diversity, descriptions and distributions from Linnaeus to the present (1758 to 2007)
Article
Full-text available
  • Dec 2007
  • ZOOTAXA
An overview of the systematics of smaller arachnid orders (Opilioacariformes, Ricinulei, Palpigradi, Uropygi, Amblypygi, Schizomida, Solifugae and Pseudoscorpiones) is provided, along with data on numbers of recognized families, genera and species for each group. The micro-diverse orders, Opilioacariformes (1 family, 9 genera, 19 species), Ricinulei (1 family, 3 genera, 55 species), Palpigradi (2 families, 6 genera, 78 species), Uropygi (1 family, 16 genera, 103 species), Amblypygi (5 families, 17 genera, 136 species) and Schizomida (2 families, 34 genera, 205 species), are amongst the smallest of all terrestrial arthropod orders. The meso-diverse orders, Solifugae (12 families, 140 genera, 1,087 species) and Pseudoscorpiones (24 families, 425 genera, 3,239 species) - along with the Scorpiones (1,279 species) and Opiliones (c. 6,000 species) which are not dealt with in this contribution - are dwarfed by the three mega-diverse arachnid orders, Araneae (c. 36,000 species), Parasitiformes and Acariformes (with a combined total of c. 48,000).
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A Review of Arthropod Phylogeny: New Data Based on Ribosomal DNA Sequences and Direct Character Optimization
Article
  • Jun 2000
Ribosomal gene sequence data are used to explore phylogenetic relationships among higher arthropod groups. Sequences of 139 taxa (23 outgroup and 116 ingroup taxa) representing all extant arthropod 'classes' except Remipedia and Cephalocarida are analyzed using direct character optimization exploring six parameter sets. Parameter choice appears to be crucial to phylogenetic inference. The high level of sequence heterogeneity in the 18S rRNA gene (sequence length from 1350 to 2700 bp) makes placement of certain taxa with 'unusual' sequences difficult and underscores the necessity of combining ribosomal gene data with other sources of information. Monophyly of Pycnogonida, Chelicerata, Chilopoda, Chilognatha, Malacostraca, Branchiopoda (excluding Daphnia), and Ectognatha are among the higher groups that are supported in most of the analyses. The positions of the Pauropoda, Symphyla, Protura, Collembola, Diplura, Onychophora, Tardigrada, and Daphnia are unstable throughout the parameter space examined.
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