Rodolpho Menezes | Universidade de São Paulo (original) (raw)
Papers by Rodolpho Menezes
Neotropical Social Wasps
Karyological features are useful characters for evolutionary and taxonomic studies. Moreover, cyt... more Karyological features are useful characters for evolutionary and taxonomic studies. Moreover, cytogenetic analyses are important tools for understanding the genomic organization of any species. However, within Vespidae, there is a paucity of cytogenetic studies, especially for Neotropical social wasps as a whole. Despite that, the group exhibits a high chromosomal diversity within a chromosomal interspecific variation from n = 5 to n = 34. The karyological features of Neotropical social wasps are reviewed and future directions for cytogenetic research are given.
Biological Journal of The Linnean Society, 2021
The impact of the broad disjunction between Amazonia and the Atlantic Forest on biodiversity has ... more The impact of the broad disjunction between Amazonia and the Atlantic Forest on biodiversity has been the theme of several discussions in recent decades. Here, we evaluate the effects of dependence on humid environments and the role of historical factors on the level, distribution and structuring of genetic variation in widely distributed Neotropical insects. For such, we test whether climatically stable zones (i.e. refuges) in both Amazonia and the Atlantic Forest concentrate higher genetic diversity in the social paper wasps Angiopolybia pallens and Synoeca surinama. We found that historical events have avoided the interchange of A. pallens between both rainforests at least since the Early Pliocene and that ancient colonization in north-western Amazonia and the Bahia refuge significantly predicts genetic diversity in populations of this species. Conversely, the split between the Atlantic Forest and remaining western populations of S. surinama is more recent (Plio-Pleistocene); thi...
Cuticular hydrocarbons perform multiple functions in insects such as protecting against desiccati... more Cuticular hydrocarbons perform multiple functions in insects such as protecting against desiccation and pathogenic infection, and signaling interactions. Evaluation of cuticular hydrocarbon (CHC) profiles of insects is commonly performed by extraction using a nonpolar solvent such as hexane. Specimens intended for CHC analysis are ideally handled by avoiding contact with solvents such as ethanol. However, insects are frequently stored in ethanol after collection, especially if intended for molecular analysis. To determine if it is possible that chemical compounds in the cuticles of specimens can withstand previous exposure to ethanol, we evaluated the efficiency of CHC extraction from specimens preserved in 95% ethanol. We extracted cuticular compounds from specimens of the social wasp Polybia paulista (Ihering) with no contact with ethanol solvents and compared them with those from specimens stored in 95% ethanol. We analyzed chemical composition from wasps and the 95% ethanol in w...
Phenotypic characters are traditionally the main information for species discrimination in taxono... more Phenotypic characters are traditionally the main information for species discrimination in taxonomic studies of invertebrates. However, the presence of interand intraspecific polymorphism makes it difficult to identify species in many groups such as Neotropical social wasps. Herein, we examined different sources of biological information such as adult morphology, male genitalia, nest architecture, and genetic data applying an integrative taxonomic approach to study pinned museum specimens belonging to the social wasp genus Pseudopolybia de Saussure, 1863. Based on multiple independent lines of evidence, we described a new Neotropical swarm-founding social wasp, Pseudopolybia cryptica sp. n. Moreover, we proposed a phylogenetic hypothesis for Pseudopolybia including this new species. Our taxonomic findings applying an integrative approach reinforce that the social wasp diversity in the Neotropics may be underestimated due to morphological similarity.
Phenotypic characters are traditionally the main information for species discrimination in taxono... more Phenotypic characters are traditionally the main information for species discrimination in taxonomic studies of invertebrates. However, the presence of inter-and intraspecific polymorphism makes it difficult to identify species in many groups such as Neotropical social wasps. Herein, we examined different sources of biological information such as adult morphology, male genitalia, nest architecture, and genetic data applying an integrative taxonomic approach to study pinned museum specimens belonging to the social wasp genus Pseudopolybia de Saussure, 1863. Based on multiple independent lines of evidence, we described a new Neotropical swarm-founding social wasp, Pseudopolybia cryptica sp. n. Moreover, we proposed a phylogenetic hypothesis for Pseudopolybia including this new species. Our taxonomic findings applying an integrative approach reinforce that the social wasp diversity in the Neotropics may be underestimated due to morphological similarity.
Journal of Evolutionary Biology
Annals of the Entomological Society of America
Evolutionary processes related to climatic changes and ecological factors, such as microhabitat a... more Evolutionary processes related to climatic changes and ecological factors, such as microhabitat affinities and food specialization, can be important contributors to phylogeographic discordance between codistributed and related species. Here, we evaluate the evolutionary histories of two cactophilic and codistributed Drosophila species (Diptera: Drosophilidae) from South America, Drosophila antonietae and Drosophila meridionalis, where they use mainly Cereus hildmaniannus (Cactoideae: Cereeae) as host, using mitochondrial DNA sequences and species distribution modeling. The diversification of both species was estimated during the Pleistocene. For both species, the distribution of suitable areas through the Last Glacial period to the present showed a similar dynamic from Andes Valley through east and through the Paraná-Paraguay river basin to the Atlantic coastline. The current distribution of D. antonietae was influenced by demographic expansion and putative migration route from nort...
Sociobiology, Oct 2, 2018
New Records and Potential Distribution of the Ant Gracilidris pombero Wild & Cuezzo (Hymenoptera:... more New Records and Potential Distribution of the Ant Gracilidris pombero Wild & Cuezzo (Hymenoptera: Formicidae) Introduction Gracilidris pombero Wild & Cuezzo, 2006 is the only extant species of the Dolichoderinae ant genus Gracilidris Wild & Cuezzo, 2006. The natural history of this species is poorly known but previous studies indicate that colonies are relatively small (Wild & Cuezzo, 2006). This ant builds its nest in the ground, and foraging is predominantly or strictly nocturnal, which may explain why G. pombero is poorly represented in entomological collections (Wild & Cuezzo, 2006). The species was described based on workers collected in a few localities in Paraguay, Argentina and the central and northeastern regions of Brazil (Wild & Cuezzo, 2006; Guerrero & Sanabria, 2011). More recently, G. pombero
Journal of Evolutionary Biology
Journal of Hymenoptera Research, 2015
Discussions regarding Polistinae biogeography in the last two decades rarely associated current p... more Discussions regarding Polistinae biogeography in the last two decades rarely associated current patterns of distribution with environmental changes. This well-known and very diverse group of insects is highly endemic in the Neotropics, but environmental factors influencing the enormous biological diversity in the region are not well established. Exploring evidence on the two main hypotheses concerning the origins and early colonization processes of paper wasps we position in favor of the Gondwanan hypothesis and discuss change-promoter processes in the Neotropics whose effects might have altered the distributions and facilitated the speciation of Polistinae in the region. Furthermore, based on recent advances in biogeography, mostly in the integration of ecological and evolutionary information, we highlight directions for future biogeographical research within the group.
PloS one, 2015
The Neotropical Region harbors high biodiversity and many studies on mammals, reptiles, amphibian... more The Neotropical Region harbors high biodiversity and many studies on mammals, reptiles, amphibians and avifauna have investigated the causes for this pattern. However, there is a paucity of such studies that focus on Neotropical insect groups. Synoeca de Saussure, 1852 is a Neotropical swarm-founding social wasp genus with five described species that is broadly and conspicuously distributed throughout the Neotropics. Here, we infer the phylogenetic relationships, diversification times, and historical biogeography of Synoeca species. We also investigate samples of the disjoint populations of S. septentrionalis that occur in both northwestern parts of South America through Central American and the Brazilian Atlantic rainforests. Our results showed that the interspecific relationships for Synoeca could be described as follows: (S. chalibea + S. virginea) + (S. cyanea + (S. septentrionalis/S. surinama)). Notably, samples of S. septentrionalis and S. surinama collected in the Atlantic Fo...
The progression rule principle is based on the relation between centers of origin and basal forms... more The progression rule principle is based on the relation between centers of origin and basal forms, and the prediction that recently colonized areas are where novelties commonly occur. Using this concept as the null hypothesis, the aim of the present study was to test whether intuitive predictions of this model are confirmed in the Neotropical paper wasps, a group fairly studied through phylogenetic frameworks. The analyses consisted of a careful review of the distribution of different wasps of the subfamily Polistinae with available phylogenies and the association of this information with colonization routes. This procedure allowed the determination of a two-step colonization process in the Neotropical region based on the progression rule principle, for which the round-trip hypothesis is proposed. The first route (east to west) is seen in a small group of Polistes. This route is rare but strengthens the arising of paper wasps in the Americas in a Gondwanan scenario. The second route (west to east) is remarkably repeated in several other lineages. Thus, the northwestern Neotropics, mainly Amazon Forest, is proposed as the major center of origins for living Neotropical Polistinae and the round-trip hypothesis may explain both earlier and later colonization routes of the paper wasps analyzed.
The aim of this study was to record the parasitoid species found in social wasps nests sampled in... more The aim of this study was to record the parasitoid species found in social wasps nests sampled in different localities in Brazil. We sampled nests of Mischocyttarus cassununga, Mischocyttarus consimilis, Mischocyttarus imitator, Polistes canadensis, Polistes cinerascens, Polistes versicolor, Angiopolybia pallens, Leipomeles spilogastra, Polybia jurinei and two indeterminate species of Mischocyttarus. Thus, we observed that nests of M. cassununga, M. imitator and Mischocyttarus (Phi) sp.1 were parasitized by Toechorychus guarapuavus (Ichneumonidae) and nests of M. consimilis, M. imitator and Mischocyttarus sp.2 were parasitized by Toechorychus fluminensis (Ichneumonidae). Nests of P. versicolor and P. cinerascens were parasitized by Elasmus polistis (Eulophidae) and nest of P. canadensis was parasitized by Simenota depressa (Trigonalidae); nest of A. pallens and L. spilogastra, was infested by Brachymeria sp.1 and Brachymeria sp.2 (Chalcididae), respectively. Nests of M. cassununga and Polybia jurinei were parasitized by Megaselia scalaris (Phoridae).
Discussions regarding Polistinae biogeography in the last two decades rarely associated current p... more Discussions regarding Polistinae biogeography in the last two decades rarely associated current patterns of distribution with environmental changes. This well-known and very diverse group of insects is highly endemic in the Neotropics, but environmental factors influencing the enormous biological diversity in the region are not well established. Exploring evidence on the two main hypotheses concerning the origins and early colonization processes of paper wasps we position in favor of the Gondwanan hypothesis and discuss change-promoter processes in the Neotropics whose effects might have altered the distributions and facilitated the speciation of Polistinae in the region. Furthermore, based on recent advances in bioge- ography, mostly in the integration of ecological and evolutionary information, we highlight directions for future biogeographical research within the group.
The Neotropical Region harbors high biodiversity and many studies on mammals, reptiles, amphibian... more The Neotropical Region harbors high biodiversity and many studies on mammals, reptiles, amphibians and avifauna have investigated the causes for this pattern. However, there is a paucity of such studies that focus on Neotropical insect groups. Synoeca de Saussure, 1852 is a Neotropical swarm-founding social wasp genus with five described species that is broadly and conspicuously distributed throughout the Neotropics. Here, we infer the phylo- genetic relationships, diversification times, and historical biogeography of Synoeca species. We also investigate samples of the disjoint populations of S. septentrionalis that occur in both northwestern parts of South America through Central American and the Brazilian At- lantic rainforests. Our results showed that the interspecific relationships for Synoeca could be described as follows: (S. chalibea+ S. virginea) + (S. cyanea + (S. septentrionalis/S. suri- nama)). Notably, samples of S. septentrionalis and S. surinama collected in the Atlantic For- est were interrelated and may be the result of incomplete lineage sorting and/or mitochondrial introgression among them. Our Bayesian divergence dating analysis re- vealed recent Plio-Pleistocene diversification in Synoeca. Moreover, our biogeographical analysis suggested an Amazonian origin of Synoeca, with three main dispersal events sub- sequently occurring during the Plio-Pleistocene.
Neotropical Social Wasps
Karyological features are useful characters for evolutionary and taxonomic studies. Moreover, cyt... more Karyological features are useful characters for evolutionary and taxonomic studies. Moreover, cytogenetic analyses are important tools for understanding the genomic organization of any species. However, within Vespidae, there is a paucity of cytogenetic studies, especially for Neotropical social wasps as a whole. Despite that, the group exhibits a high chromosomal diversity within a chromosomal interspecific variation from n = 5 to n = 34. The karyological features of Neotropical social wasps are reviewed and future directions for cytogenetic research are given.
Biological Journal of The Linnean Society, 2021
The impact of the broad disjunction between Amazonia and the Atlantic Forest on biodiversity has ... more The impact of the broad disjunction between Amazonia and the Atlantic Forest on biodiversity has been the theme of several discussions in recent decades. Here, we evaluate the effects of dependence on humid environments and the role of historical factors on the level, distribution and structuring of genetic variation in widely distributed Neotropical insects. For such, we test whether climatically stable zones (i.e. refuges) in both Amazonia and the Atlantic Forest concentrate higher genetic diversity in the social paper wasps Angiopolybia pallens and Synoeca surinama. We found that historical events have avoided the interchange of A. pallens between both rainforests at least since the Early Pliocene and that ancient colonization in north-western Amazonia and the Bahia refuge significantly predicts genetic diversity in populations of this species. Conversely, the split between the Atlantic Forest and remaining western populations of S. surinama is more recent (Plio-Pleistocene); thi...
Cuticular hydrocarbons perform multiple functions in insects such as protecting against desiccati... more Cuticular hydrocarbons perform multiple functions in insects such as protecting against desiccation and pathogenic infection, and signaling interactions. Evaluation of cuticular hydrocarbon (CHC) profiles of insects is commonly performed by extraction using a nonpolar solvent such as hexane. Specimens intended for CHC analysis are ideally handled by avoiding contact with solvents such as ethanol. However, insects are frequently stored in ethanol after collection, especially if intended for molecular analysis. To determine if it is possible that chemical compounds in the cuticles of specimens can withstand previous exposure to ethanol, we evaluated the efficiency of CHC extraction from specimens preserved in 95% ethanol. We extracted cuticular compounds from specimens of the social wasp Polybia paulista (Ihering) with no contact with ethanol solvents and compared them with those from specimens stored in 95% ethanol. We analyzed chemical composition from wasps and the 95% ethanol in w...
Phenotypic characters are traditionally the main information for species discrimination in taxono... more Phenotypic characters are traditionally the main information for species discrimination in taxonomic studies of invertebrates. However, the presence of interand intraspecific polymorphism makes it difficult to identify species in many groups such as Neotropical social wasps. Herein, we examined different sources of biological information such as adult morphology, male genitalia, nest architecture, and genetic data applying an integrative taxonomic approach to study pinned museum specimens belonging to the social wasp genus Pseudopolybia de Saussure, 1863. Based on multiple independent lines of evidence, we described a new Neotropical swarm-founding social wasp, Pseudopolybia cryptica sp. n. Moreover, we proposed a phylogenetic hypothesis for Pseudopolybia including this new species. Our taxonomic findings applying an integrative approach reinforce that the social wasp diversity in the Neotropics may be underestimated due to morphological similarity.
Phenotypic characters are traditionally the main information for species discrimination in taxono... more Phenotypic characters are traditionally the main information for species discrimination in taxonomic studies of invertebrates. However, the presence of inter-and intraspecific polymorphism makes it difficult to identify species in many groups such as Neotropical social wasps. Herein, we examined different sources of biological information such as adult morphology, male genitalia, nest architecture, and genetic data applying an integrative taxonomic approach to study pinned museum specimens belonging to the social wasp genus Pseudopolybia de Saussure, 1863. Based on multiple independent lines of evidence, we described a new Neotropical swarm-founding social wasp, Pseudopolybia cryptica sp. n. Moreover, we proposed a phylogenetic hypothesis for Pseudopolybia including this new species. Our taxonomic findings applying an integrative approach reinforce that the social wasp diversity in the Neotropics may be underestimated due to morphological similarity.
Journal of Evolutionary Biology
Annals of the Entomological Society of America
Evolutionary processes related to climatic changes and ecological factors, such as microhabitat a... more Evolutionary processes related to climatic changes and ecological factors, such as microhabitat affinities and food specialization, can be important contributors to phylogeographic discordance between codistributed and related species. Here, we evaluate the evolutionary histories of two cactophilic and codistributed Drosophila species (Diptera: Drosophilidae) from South America, Drosophila antonietae and Drosophila meridionalis, where they use mainly Cereus hildmaniannus (Cactoideae: Cereeae) as host, using mitochondrial DNA sequences and species distribution modeling. The diversification of both species was estimated during the Pleistocene. For both species, the distribution of suitable areas through the Last Glacial period to the present showed a similar dynamic from Andes Valley through east and through the Paraná-Paraguay river basin to the Atlantic coastline. The current distribution of D. antonietae was influenced by demographic expansion and putative migration route from nort...
Sociobiology, Oct 2, 2018
New Records and Potential Distribution of the Ant Gracilidris pombero Wild & Cuezzo (Hymenoptera:... more New Records and Potential Distribution of the Ant Gracilidris pombero Wild & Cuezzo (Hymenoptera: Formicidae) Introduction Gracilidris pombero Wild & Cuezzo, 2006 is the only extant species of the Dolichoderinae ant genus Gracilidris Wild & Cuezzo, 2006. The natural history of this species is poorly known but previous studies indicate that colonies are relatively small (Wild & Cuezzo, 2006). This ant builds its nest in the ground, and foraging is predominantly or strictly nocturnal, which may explain why G. pombero is poorly represented in entomological collections (Wild & Cuezzo, 2006). The species was described based on workers collected in a few localities in Paraguay, Argentina and the central and northeastern regions of Brazil (Wild & Cuezzo, 2006; Guerrero & Sanabria, 2011). More recently, G. pombero
Journal of Evolutionary Biology
Journal of Hymenoptera Research, 2015
Discussions regarding Polistinae biogeography in the last two decades rarely associated current p... more Discussions regarding Polistinae biogeography in the last two decades rarely associated current patterns of distribution with environmental changes. This well-known and very diverse group of insects is highly endemic in the Neotropics, but environmental factors influencing the enormous biological diversity in the region are not well established. Exploring evidence on the two main hypotheses concerning the origins and early colonization processes of paper wasps we position in favor of the Gondwanan hypothesis and discuss change-promoter processes in the Neotropics whose effects might have altered the distributions and facilitated the speciation of Polistinae in the region. Furthermore, based on recent advances in biogeography, mostly in the integration of ecological and evolutionary information, we highlight directions for future biogeographical research within the group.
PloS one, 2015
The Neotropical Region harbors high biodiversity and many studies on mammals, reptiles, amphibian... more The Neotropical Region harbors high biodiversity and many studies on mammals, reptiles, amphibians and avifauna have investigated the causes for this pattern. However, there is a paucity of such studies that focus on Neotropical insect groups. Synoeca de Saussure, 1852 is a Neotropical swarm-founding social wasp genus with five described species that is broadly and conspicuously distributed throughout the Neotropics. Here, we infer the phylogenetic relationships, diversification times, and historical biogeography of Synoeca species. We also investigate samples of the disjoint populations of S. septentrionalis that occur in both northwestern parts of South America through Central American and the Brazilian Atlantic rainforests. Our results showed that the interspecific relationships for Synoeca could be described as follows: (S. chalibea + S. virginea) + (S. cyanea + (S. septentrionalis/S. surinama)). Notably, samples of S. septentrionalis and S. surinama collected in the Atlantic Fo...
The progression rule principle is based on the relation between centers of origin and basal forms... more The progression rule principle is based on the relation between centers of origin and basal forms, and the prediction that recently colonized areas are where novelties commonly occur. Using this concept as the null hypothesis, the aim of the present study was to test whether intuitive predictions of this model are confirmed in the Neotropical paper wasps, a group fairly studied through phylogenetic frameworks. The analyses consisted of a careful review of the distribution of different wasps of the subfamily Polistinae with available phylogenies and the association of this information with colonization routes. This procedure allowed the determination of a two-step colonization process in the Neotropical region based on the progression rule principle, for which the round-trip hypothesis is proposed. The first route (east to west) is seen in a small group of Polistes. This route is rare but strengthens the arising of paper wasps in the Americas in a Gondwanan scenario. The second route (west to east) is remarkably repeated in several other lineages. Thus, the northwestern Neotropics, mainly Amazon Forest, is proposed as the major center of origins for living Neotropical Polistinae and the round-trip hypothesis may explain both earlier and later colonization routes of the paper wasps analyzed.
The aim of this study was to record the parasitoid species found in social wasps nests sampled in... more The aim of this study was to record the parasitoid species found in social wasps nests sampled in different localities in Brazil. We sampled nests of Mischocyttarus cassununga, Mischocyttarus consimilis, Mischocyttarus imitator, Polistes canadensis, Polistes cinerascens, Polistes versicolor, Angiopolybia pallens, Leipomeles spilogastra, Polybia jurinei and two indeterminate species of Mischocyttarus. Thus, we observed that nests of M. cassununga, M. imitator and Mischocyttarus (Phi) sp.1 were parasitized by Toechorychus guarapuavus (Ichneumonidae) and nests of M. consimilis, M. imitator and Mischocyttarus sp.2 were parasitized by Toechorychus fluminensis (Ichneumonidae). Nests of P. versicolor and P. cinerascens were parasitized by Elasmus polistis (Eulophidae) and nest of P. canadensis was parasitized by Simenota depressa (Trigonalidae); nest of A. pallens and L. spilogastra, was infested by Brachymeria sp.1 and Brachymeria sp.2 (Chalcididae), respectively. Nests of M. cassununga and Polybia jurinei were parasitized by Megaselia scalaris (Phoridae).
Discussions regarding Polistinae biogeography in the last two decades rarely associated current p... more Discussions regarding Polistinae biogeography in the last two decades rarely associated current patterns of distribution with environmental changes. This well-known and very diverse group of insects is highly endemic in the Neotropics, but environmental factors influencing the enormous biological diversity in the region are not well established. Exploring evidence on the two main hypotheses concerning the origins and early colonization processes of paper wasps we position in favor of the Gondwanan hypothesis and discuss change-promoter processes in the Neotropics whose effects might have altered the distributions and facilitated the speciation of Polistinae in the region. Furthermore, based on recent advances in bioge- ography, mostly in the integration of ecological and evolutionary information, we highlight directions for future biogeographical research within the group.
The Neotropical Region harbors high biodiversity and many studies on mammals, reptiles, amphibian... more The Neotropical Region harbors high biodiversity and many studies on mammals, reptiles, amphibians and avifauna have investigated the causes for this pattern. However, there is a paucity of such studies that focus on Neotropical insect groups. Synoeca de Saussure, 1852 is a Neotropical swarm-founding social wasp genus with five described species that is broadly and conspicuously distributed throughout the Neotropics. Here, we infer the phylo- genetic relationships, diversification times, and historical biogeography of Synoeca species. We also investigate samples of the disjoint populations of S. septentrionalis that occur in both northwestern parts of South America through Central American and the Brazilian At- lantic rainforests. Our results showed that the interspecific relationships for Synoeca could be described as follows: (S. chalibea+ S. virginea) + (S. cyanea + (S. septentrionalis/S. suri- nama)). Notably, samples of S. septentrionalis and S. surinama collected in the Atlantic For- est were interrelated and may be the result of incomplete lineage sorting and/or mitochondrial introgression among them. Our Bayesian divergence dating analysis re- vealed recent Plio-Pleistocene diversification in Synoeca. Moreover, our biogeographical analysis suggested an Amazonian origin of Synoeca, with three main dispersal events sub- sequently occurring during the Plio-Pleistocene.