Mitogenomes represent useful tools for investigating the phylogeny of many metazoan clades. Regarding Collembola, use mitogenomics has already shown promising results, but few published works include sufficient taxon sampling to study its evolution and systematics on a broader scale. Here, we present phylogenetic based mitogenomes 124 species from 24 subfamilies, 16 families, four orders—one mo...

This study combined nearly complete 28S and 18S rRNA gene sequences (>4100 nt long) to investigate the phylogenetic relationships of basal hexapods (Protura, Collembola, and Diplura). It sequenced more 28S genes, to expand on a previous study from this lab that used 18S plus only a tiny part of the 28S gene. Sixteen species of basal hexapods, five insects, six crustaceans, two myriapods, and tw...

The endosymbiont Wolbachia has been detected in a few parthenogenetic collembolans sampled in Europe and America, including three species of Poduromorpha, two species of Entomobryomorpha, and two species of Neelipleona. Based on 16S rRNA and ftsZ gene sequences, most of the Wolbachia infecting parthenogenetic collembolans were characterized as members of supergroup E and showed concordant phylo...

Recognition is growing that besides ungulates, small vertebrate and invertebrate herbivores are important drivers of grassland functioning. Even though soil microarthropods play key roles in several soil processes, effects of herbivores-especially those of smaller body size-on their communities are not well understood. Therefore, we progressively excluded large, medium and small vertebrate and ...

This study combined complete 18S with partial 28S ribosomal RNA gene sequences ( approximately 2,000 nt in total) to investigate the relations of basal hexapods. Ten species of Protura, 12 of Diplura, and 10 of Collembola (representing all subgroups of these three clades) were sequenced, along with 5 true insects and 8 other arthropods, which served as out-groups. Trees were constructed with ma...

The first species of the genus Triacanthella to be recorded from Africa is described. Triacanthella madibasp. n. belongs to the Southern Hemisphere group of the genus. It is morphologically closely related to Triacanthella vogeli Weiner & Najt, 1997 from Chile, and appears to be a gondwanian relict. The new species is also the first Triacanthella recorded from a guano habitat.