Larry Jiménez-Ferbans | Universidad del Magdalena (original) (raw)

Papers by Larry Jiménez-Ferbans

Currently, most authors gave up on justifying the choice of a single optimality criterion in phyl... more Currently, most authors gave up on justifying the choice of a single optimality criterion in phylogenetics. Instead, they frequently apply as many methods as feasible as an unofficial means to tackle the question of the uncertainty inherent to tree reconstruction. For example, we reviewed recent volumes of the journal Molecular Phylogenetics and Evolution (volumes 94–115) and observed that 311 of 545 articles used this informal strategy (i.e., more than one method). However, only two articles attempted to justify this approach, both stating that convergence provides some measure of robustness. Neither offered any references or supporting evidence for that claim. This should not be surprising since older but similar reviews have noticed a comparable pattern. Nevertheless, we interpret this pattern differently. While others have asserted that the frequent convergence in the literature (which in our case is reported in 295 of 311 publications) is an indication of the futility of comparing methods, we hypothesize it could be an indication of publication bias. Using 117 empirical cladograms, we simulated nine alignments per tree and performed 100 tree search experiments per dataset using parsimony, maximum likelihood, and posterior probability. We designed alignment simulations to improve the retention index in comparison to the original matrix and facilitate convergency. Still, the vast majority of results were divergent by measures of the match-split distance of unrooted binary trees. These results suggest that convergency may be rare and that it is a poor indicator of the distance between the results and the original tree. Furthermore, we analyzed our data under the light of Bayesian theory to argue that the comparison of opposing optimality criteria can, at least under certain experimental conditions, increase the false discovery rate in phylogenetics.

Caldasia, Aug 18, 2023

This is a tribute to the memory of Germán Amat García's memory by some of his students, who wante... more This is a tribute to the memory of Germán Amat García's memory by some of his students, who wanted to remember the most memorable moments and praise his contribution to entomology in Colombia and his valuable contributions as a professor, researcher, and director. His teaching work for more than 30 years was a legacy for numerous undergraduate and graduate students and contributed to the training of several Colombian entomologists. As a researcher, he published more than 70 research and scientific articles, fourteen books and more than 20 book chapters mainly focused on entomology, but also on the history of science in Colombia. His enthusiasm and passion for coleopterology and his great charisma will be part of the memories of all his students, colleagues, and friends.

ZooKeys, Sep 11, 2023

Bess beetles (Passalidae) are a subsocial family of Coleoptera with approximately 1000 known spec... more Bess beetles (Passalidae) are a subsocial family of Coleoptera with approximately 1000 known species of saproxylophagous diet and pantropical distribution, with few extratropical species. Because of their high levels of endemism (especially in mountains), feeding habits, and complex subsociability; Passalidae is considered an excellent biological subject for taxonomic, biogeographical, and evolutionary studies. Colombia is the richest country with more than 118 recorded species of Passalidae, most of the species being related to humid and mountain areas. Colombia's Caribbean region constitutes the northern portion of the country, extending for more than 130,000 km 2 and includes four of the eight biogeographical provinces of Colombia. Since the 2000s this region has been the subject of systematic surveys for Passalidae; as a result, 18 passalid species have been recorded to date. After new explorations and review of entomological collections, the knowledge of the passalid fauna for the region is updated, recording 28 species (8 new records, 2 new species) for which are provided species diagnoses, photographs, and a taxonomic key. The dry plain, characteristic of the lowlands, is dominated by widely distributed species such as Passalus punctiger and Passalus interstitialis, while the mountainous systems provide species of more restricted distributions, some of them endemic to the Colombian Caribbean.

Zenodo (CERN European Organization for Nuclear Research), Jul 13, 2022

Zenodo (CERN European Organization for Nuclear Research), Sep 30, 2020

Passalidae (Coleoptera: Scarabaeoidea) are saproxylophagous beetles that live and feed inside dec... more Passalidae (Coleoptera: Scarabaeoidea) are saproxylophagous beetles that live and feed inside decaying wood. Passalid diversity and biogeography are relatively well-established at the tribal-level, particularly in the New World. However, a robust phylogenetic framework to test the current taxonomic status of the generic groups in the family is lacking. In the New World, Passalidae is represented by the tribes Passalini and Proculini. To test the monophyly of Proculini and Passalini and reconstruct relationships among the New World genera, we used DNA sequences from three genes along with data from 57 morphological characters. Our taxon sampling included 25 of the 26 genera of New World Passalidae across their entire geographic range (The United States of America to Argentina). We recovered Proculini and Passalini as reciprocally monophyletic sister groups. The genus Passalus was rendered polyphyletic by the other four genera of Passalini included in our analyses. The genera of Proculini were mostly monophyletic, except for Odontotaenius, Petrejoides, Popilius, Pseudacanthus, and Vindex. Based on our phylogenetic results and analyses of morphological data, we suggest transferring three species from Petrejoides to Chondrocephalus (Chondrocephalus guatemalae [Reyes-Castillo & Schuster, 1983] comb.n., Chondrocephalus pokomchii [Schuster, 1981] comb.n., and Chondrocephalus reyesi [Schuster, 1988] comb.n.), and one species, Pseudoarrox caldasi Reyes-Castillo & Pardo-Locarno, 1995 comb.n., back from Petrejoides to Pseudoarrox. The genus Passalus and the non-monophyletic genera of Proculini require extensive systematic revision.

Revista Brasileira De Entomologia, Jul 1, 2016

A new species, Aulacocyclus yorkensis sp. nov., is described from Cape York Peninsula, Australia.... more A new species, Aulacocyclus yorkensis sp. nov., is described from Cape York Peninsula, Australia. This species is similar to A. teres Percheron, these two being the largest Aulacocyclus in Australia, but they can be distinguished by the shape of the central tubercle and the pattern of pubescence on the mentum and metasternum. Additionally, illustrations of the new species and a key to the identification of the species of Aulacocyclus of Australia are provided.

Acta zoológica mexicana, Dec 1, 2012

Passalus (Pertinax) unimagdalenae sp. n. is described and illustrated as a mountain species distr... more Passalus (Pertinax) unimagdalenae sp. n. is described and illustrated as a mountain species distributed between 1560 and 2309 masl in the

Neotropical Entomology, Sep 21, 2022

Brachypterism is a common condition cited in passalid beetles, mainly associated to species with ... more Brachypterism is a common condition cited in passalid beetles, mainly associated to species with strictly montane distributions. In the New World Passalids, brachypterism has been reported especially in the tribe Proculini, for which almost all genera have brachypterous species; meanwhile, in Passalini, the other Netropical tribe, it has been cited only for the genus Passalus, mainly in the subgenus Passalus (Passalus). Here we present a commented list of the brachypterous species of the subgenus Passalus (Pertinax); we redescribed Passalus gravelyi Moreira, P. quitensis (Kaup), P. striatissimus Luederwaldt, and P. sulcifrons (Kuwert) and describe a new species from

Caldasia, 2009

La familia Passalidae es un grupo de coleópteros de aproximadamente 680 especies descritas. Las e... more La familia Passalidae es un grupo de coleópteros de aproximadamente 680 especies descritas. Las especies de esta familia se distribuyen principalmente en las zonas tropicales y templado-húmedas del mundo, con preferencia hacia a los ambientes húmedos. Son insectos subsociales, cuyo ciclo biológico transcurre en el interior de troncos en descomposición, de los que se alimentan, permitiendo la incorporación rápida de la materia orgánica en los ciclos de nutrientes; así mismo, algunas especies viven en el detritus de hormigas cortadoras de hojas. En Colombia se han registrado unas 65 especies, distribuidas desde los bosques húmedos lluviosos, pluviales y secos de las zonas bajas hasta los bosques montanos, con un límite altitudinal superior que se acerca a los 3000m. En los últimos años se han realizado un importante número de trabajos relacionados con esta familia; sin embargo, éstos se han centrado en ambientes húmedos y son pocos los trabajos referidos a ecosistemas secos. Así mismo, la exploración de algunas zonas del país, como la región Caribe, es todavía muy incipiente, siendo escaso el conocimiento que se tiene de estos organismos para esta región. En el presente trabajo se explora la fauna de pasálidos del Caribe colombiano, con el fi n de contribuir a su conocimiento taxonómico, biogeográfi co y sistemático. Para ello se muestrearon 21 localidades de cuatro zonas (Sierra Nevada de Santa Marta, Parque Nacional Natural Tayrona, Serranía del Perijá y Sabanas del departamento de Córdoba); en cada localidad se revisaron aproximadamente 30 troncos en estado medio de descomposición. La pasalidofauna del Caribe colombiano está compuesta de dos tribus, seis géneros y 18 especies. Passalini es la tribu más diversifi cada con 12 especies, en tanto que Proculini posee seis especies. El género Passalus es el de mayor riqueza en especies en la región (nueve especies, con representantes de los subgéneros Mitrorhinus, Pertinax y Passalus). En la tribu Proculini, Popilius es el género con mayor número de especies (3). Popilius erotylus representa el primer registro para Colombia.

Insects, Jun 28, 2019

Mexico has the third highest diversity of passalid beetles in the World. Here we describe Tonantz... more Mexico has the third highest diversity of passalid beetles in the World. Here we describe Tonantzin new genus, a new monotypic genus, potentially endemic to the mountains of central Mexico. The new genus is diagnosed by a new configuration of characters from the mesofrontal structure (MFS) in addition to other characters. The MFS in Passalidae has been treated either as a composite complex character or a combination of individual characters. Using a broad taxonomic sample within Proculini, we discuss the taxonomic and systematic implications of the MFS for the tribe. We define the MFS type tepetl. Given the importance of the MFS for passalid taxonomy we propose a new delimitation of the structure using boundaries based on internal and external head structures. We argue that the treatment of the MFS as a complex character better captures the nature of this structure but we ultimately find a need to standardize the way in which this structure is described in the taxonomic literature and used in phylogenetic analyses.