In the rainforests of Papua New Guinea, where arboreal tree kangaroos, vibrant birds-of-paradise and ornate birdwings hog the limelight with their charismatic presence, teeny-tiny, leaf litter-eating land snails don’t always stand a chance to vie for scientific attention. Although land snail shells hold an essential place in PNG’s culture as jewelry and adornments in ceremonial […]
The geologically-complex Indo–Australian–Melanesian archipelago (IAMA) hosts extraordinarily high levels of species richness and endemism and has long served as a natural laboratory for studying biogeography and evolution. Nonetheless, its geological history and the provenance and evolution of its biodiversity remain poorly understood. Here, we provide a geological scenario for the IAMA informed by a time-calibrated molecular phylogeny of 1006 species of Trigonopterus weevils – an exceptionally diverse radiation of regionally-endemic flightless beetles. Moreover, we performed a statistical biogeographic analysis and examined timing and patterns in the accumulation of lineages residing in a priori-defined geographic units comprising the IAMA. We estimate that Trigonopterus originated in Australia during the early Paleogene. Subsequent rapid diversification in the area of the present-day Papuan Peninsula suggests the presence of proto-Papuan islands by the middle Eocene; the New Gu
Explaining the geological history of Indonesia using beetle evolution phys.org - get the latest breaking news, showbiz & celebrity photos, sport news & rumours, viral videos and top stories from phys.org Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.
An East Boston Memorial Day Story – East Boston Times-Free Press eastietimes.com - get the latest breaking news, showbiz & celebrity photos, sport news & rumours, viral videos and top stories from eastietimes.com Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.