Agnaridae

Abstract: Porcellionidae is one of the richest families of Oniscidea globally distributed but we still lack a comprehensive and robust phylogeny of the taxa that are assigned to it. Employing five genetic markers (two mitochondrial and three nuclear) we inferred phylogenetic relationships among the majority of Porcellionidae genera. Phylogenetic analyses conducted via Maximum Likelihood and Bayesian Inference resulted in similar tree topologies. The mtDNA genes cytochrome oxidase I (COI) and 16s rRNA (16s) were used for clade dating using previously published mutation rates. Our results provide evidence against the monophyly of both Porcellionidae and the largest genus of the family Porcellio. These results are compared to previous published work based on morphological evidence. The genera Leptotrichus and Brevurus are not grouped with the rest of Porcellionidae whereas Agnaridae are grouped with part of Porcellionidae. Armadillidium and Schizidium (Armadillidiidae) occupy a basal position on the phylogenetic tree. Even though the African genera Tura and Uramba (distributed in East Africa) are grouped together there is no general geographical pattern in other sub-clades. Additional taxonomic issues that arise in this work such as the assignment of the recently described genus Levantoniscus, arealso discussed. The status of Porcellionidae should be further revised and morphological characters traditionally used in Oniscidea taxonomy should be reconsidered in view of molecular evidence. The origin of the monophyletic clade within Porcellionidae as indicated in the present work is dated back to the Oligocene (~32 mya).

Abstract: A new species of woodlice, Protracheoniscuspokarzhevskii Gongalsky & Turbanov, sp. n. is described from Kalmykia, NE Pre-Caspian region, Russia. Protracheoniscuskryszanovskii Borutzky, 1957 from the same area is also redescribed. Diagnostic features of these species as well as affinities within the genus are provided and discussed.

Abstract: The phylogenetic relations between the families of Crinocheta (Isopoda, Oniscidea) are analysed. For each family, a description of a representative species, a reconstruction of the groundpattern (if possible), an estimation of species number and the geographic distribution are given. The morphological data were interpreted according to the method of Phylogenetic Systematic. The “Scyphacidae”, “Philosciidae”, “Dubioniscidae”, “Platyarthridae”, “Trachelipodidae”, and “Porcellionidae” proved to be paraphyla. The “Scyphacidae” were split into the monophyla Detonidae, Scyphacidae s.str. and Alloniscidae, the latter belonging in the Oniscoidea. In the cladogram, the following taxa branch off successively: Olibrinidae, Detonidae, Scyphacidae s.str., Alloniscidae, then follows an unresolved trifurcation between Taxon 3 (including “Philosciidae”, Halophilosciidae, Scleropactidae), Stenoniscidae and Taxon 4 (all others). The Taxon 4 splits into Rhyscotidae and Taxon 6, the latter consists of Squamiferaee and Taxon 7. Within the latter, the resolution is low; a sistergroup relation between Armadillidae and Eubelidae can be assumed, a close affinity of Bathytropidae and Tendosphaeridae seems possible, the “Trachelipodidae” were split into the monophyletic Agnaridae, and the probably still paraphyletic “Trachelipodidae” s.str., The “Porcellionidae” are paraphyletic with respect to the Armadillidiidae. Some data on the biogeography of several taxa are discussed in the context of their phylogenetic relations.