Papers by Allan Smith-Pardo
The Coleopterists Bulletin, 2024
BioOne Complete (complete.BioOne.org) is a full-text database of 200 subscribed and open-access t... more BioOne Complete (complete.BioOne.org) is a full-text database of 200 subscribed and open-access titles in the biological, ecological, and environmental sciences published by nonprofit societies, associations, museums, institutions, and presses.
Frontiers- Insect Science, 2024
We present a short review of the biology, diagnostic characteristics, and invasiveness of the Ori... more We present a short review of the biology, diagnostic characteristics, and invasiveness of the Oriental hornet, Vespa orientalis. We also performed an analysis of the shape of the forewings (geometric morphometrics) of different geographic groups along their native distribution and their potential geographical distribution using the MaxEnt entropy modeling. Our results show a wide potential expansion range of the species, including an increase in environmentally suitable areas in Europe, Asia, and Africa but more especially the Western Hemisphere, where the species was recently introduced. The geometric morphometric analysis of the forewings shows that there are three different morphogroups: one distributed along the Mediterranean coast of Europe and the Middle East (MEDI), another along the Arabian Peninsula and Western Asia but excluding the Mediterranean coast (MEAS), and one more in northern Africa north of the Sahara and south of the Mediterranean coast (AFRI), all of which show differences in their potential distribution as a result of the pressure from the different environments and which will also determine the capacity of the different morphogroups to successfully invade new habitats.
BMC Informatics, 2024
Honey bees are the principal commercial pollinators. Along with other
arthropods, they are increa... more Honey bees are the principal commercial pollinators. Along with other
arthropods, they are increasingly under threat from anthropogenic factors such as the incursion of invasive honey bee subspecies, pathogens and parasites. Better tools are needed to identify bee subspecies. Genomic data for economic and ecologically important organisms is increasing, but in its basic form its practical application to address ecological problems is limited.
We introduce HBeeID a means to identify honey bees. The tool utilizes
a knowledge‑based network and diagnostic SNPs identiied by discriminant analysis of principle components and hierarchical agglomerative clustering. Tests of HBeeID showed that it identiies African, Americas‑Africanized, Asian, and European honey bees with a high degree of certainty even when samples lack the full 272 SNPs of HBeeID. Its prediction capacity decreases with highly admixed samples.
HBeeID is a high‑resolution genomic, SNP based tool, that can be used
to identify honey bees and screen species that are invasive. Its flexible design allows for future improvements via sample data additions from other localities.
MEFLG Bulletin- Boletin del Museo Entomologico Francisco Luis Gallego, 2024
Geometric morphometry is an analytical method used to identify insect species, with proven utilit... more Geometric morphometry is an analytical method used to identify insect species, with proven utility in cases where morphological variability is scarce or cryptic. This approach was used in this work for the morphological discrimination of bees of the genus Eufriesea (Hymenoptera: Apidae). Variability was evaluated at three levels: between species, males and females of the same species, and between morphologically very similar species.
The coordinates of 23 landmarks were studied using tpsDIG v2.31 software, located at the intersection of the veins in the right anterior wing of 197 specimens taxonomically determined in 16 species. The specimens used belong to 4 entomological museums in the country (Museo Entomológico Francisco Luis Gallego, Medellín, Colección Entomológica de la Universidad de Antioquia, Medellín Museo de Historia Natural, Florencia, Colección Entomológica Universidad del Quindío, Armenia). Using a Principal Component Analysis (PCA) and a Canonical Variables Analysis (CVA) carried out with MorphoJ v1.07a software, significant differences were found at all levels when a minimum number of 5 specimens per species was used. The differentiation between the very similar species and the consistency in the levels of variation suggests geometric morphology as a useful tool in studies of this genus of bees
that is important in the pollination of orchids and ecosystem conservation.
Academia Biology, Aug 28, 2024
A geometric morphometrics (GMM) approach was applied to explore if pronotum shape can be used for... more A geometric morphometrics (GMM) approach was applied to explore if pronotum shape can be used for genus-level identification in adult Phlaeothripinae. To do that, a multitude of digital images and illustrations of different genera of phytophagous phlaeothripine thrips were examined to compare their pronotum shape for genera that contain more than 20 species, which are known to feed on plants, as well as those that have been intercepted at U.S. ports of entry coming from other countries. Statistically significant differences in the pronotum shape were found between most of the examined genera, making GMM a viable tool for genus-level identification of adults of most species-rich, phytophagous genera of Phlaeothripinae.
Diversity, 2024
This article is an open access article distributed under the terms and conditions of the Creative... more This article is an open access article distributed under the terms and conditions of the Creative Commons Attribution (CC BY
Scientific Reports, 2024
The northern giant hornet Vespa mandarinia (NGH) is a voracious predator of other insect species,... more The northern giant hornet Vespa mandarinia (NGH) is a voracious predator of other insect species, including honey bees. NGH’s native range spans subtropical and temperate regions across much of east and southeast Asia and, in 2019, exotic populations of the species were discovered in North America. Despite this broad range and invasive potential, investigation of the population genomic structure of NGH across its native and introduced ranges has thus far been limited to a small number of mitochondrial samples. Here, we present analyses of genomic data from NGH individuals collected across the species’ native range and from exotic individuals collected in North America. We provide the first survey of whole-genome population variation for any hornet species, covering this species’ native and invasive ranges, and in doing so confirm likely origins in Japan and South Korea for the two introductions. We additionally show that, while this introduced population exhibited strongly elevated levels of inbreeding, these signatures of inbreeding are also present in some long-standing native populations, which may indicate that inbreeding depression alone is insufficient to prevent the persistence of NGH populations. As well as highlighting the importance of ongoing monitoring and eradication efforts to limit the spread of this species outside of its natural range, our data will serve as a foundational database for future genomic studies into introduced hornet populations.
Zootaxa, Sep 5, 2016
This paper describes two new species of bees of the genus Neocorynura Schrottky from Guatemala. A... more This paper describes two new species of bees of the genus Neocorynura Schrottky from Guatemala. A taxonomic key to all five known species of the genus in Guatemala is provided and the male of N. centroamericana is described for the first time.
Annals of The Entomological Society of America, Jun 26, 2019
The findings and conclusions in this publication have not been formally disseminated by the U.S. ... more The findings and conclusions in this publication have not been formally disseminated by the U.S. Department of Agriculture and should not be construed to represent any Agency determination or policy. Mention of trade names or commercial products in this publication is solely for the purpose of providing specific information and does not imply recommendation or endorsement by the U.S. Department of Agriculture. USDA is an equal opportunity provider and employer.
Acta Zoologica Cracoviensia, Dec 1, 2005
A case of probable mimicry in two species of bees in the genus Neocorynura (Neocorynura rufa MICH... more A case of probable mimicry in two species of bees in the genus Neocorynura (Neocorynura rufa MICHENER, 1954 and N. panamensis ENGEL, 1997) is described; diagnostic characters and a key to separate the species of Central American bees with black-red (aposematic) pattern of coloration are also provided. The phylogeny of selected species groups and the evolution of different mimicries in the genus are discussed.
Zenodo (CERN European Organization for Nuclear Research), Dec 31, 2010
A review of the species of the bee genus Neocorynura occurring in Argentina and Paraguay is provi... more A review of the species of the bee genus Neocorynura occurring in Argentina and Paraguay is provided. Four new species are described: Neocorynura tangophyla, Neocorynura gaucha, Neocorynura guarani, and Neocorynura sophia. The name Neocorynura pseudobaccha (Cockerell) is resurrected, it had previously been synonymized under Neocorynura jucunda (Smith). In total, eight species are known to occur in these two countries. Even though six additional species of Neocorynura have been considered to also be distributed in Argentina and Paraguay, their dubious occurrence in these countries may be due to imprecise information in the primary references or to collection data (specimen’s deposition). No specimens of such species were available in any of the collections consulted for this taxonomic study. Comments on the systematics and biogeography (including new distribution records), as well as species identification keys, are presented.
We establish a new genus for an unusual species of Peruvian calliopsine bees (Panurginae: Calliop... more We establish a new genus for an unusual species of Peruvian calliopsine bees (Panurginae: Calliopsini) that was initially reported in the literature as an undescribed species of Spinoliella Ashmead that purportedly expanded the range of the latter genus beyond Argentina and Chile. Although the new genus superficially resembles Spinoliella, it is easily distinguished by a unique combination of characters in both sexes but particularly in the male hidden metasomal sterna and genitalia. A cladistic analysis of 82 adult external morphological characters including all species of Spinoliella, as well as species of the remaining genera of Calliopsini, suggests that this group is sister to a clade consisting of Spinoliella and Callonychium Brèthes. We describe and illustrate Xeranthrena imponticula Gonzalez and Engel, new genus and species, from males and females collected in xeric areas along the Pacific slopes of the Peruvian Andes. In addition, the phylogenetic study suggests two well-defined clades within Spinoliella and corresponding to the previously recognized subgenera, although we do not advocate for their reinstatement. We briefly discuss new putative synapomorphies for Spinoliella and, building upon prior revisionary work, we describe and figure five new species: Spinoliella aidae Gonzalez, Smith-Pardo, and Engel, new species; S. confusa Gonzalez and Engel, new species; S. propinqua Gonzalez and Engel, new species; S. packeri Gonzalez and Engel, new species; and S. polita Gonzalez and Engel, new species. In addition, we synonymize S. karhadra Rodríguez, Toro, and Ruz under S. rufiventris Toro and Ruz (new synonymy). We provide new geographical and floral records, an identification keys to all 17 recognized species of Spinoliella, and updated key to the genera of Calliopsini.
Studies on Neotropical Fauna and Environment, Jul 23, 2009
The joannisi and seeleyi groups of Neocorynura are rarely collected bees found at high altitudes ... more The joannisi and seeleyi groups of Neocorynura are rarely collected bees found at high altitudes (≥2000 m) in the Andes from Venezuela to Peru. We review the species of the joannisi group and provide new geographical records and taxonomic comments for the species of the ...
Ecology and Evolution, Dec 1, 2014
HAL is a multidisciplinary open access archive for the deposit and dissemination of scientific re... more HAL is a multidisciplinary open access archive for the deposit and dissemination of scientific research documents, whether they are published or not. The documents may come from teaching and research institutions in France or abroad, or from public or private research centers. L'archive ouverte pluridisciplinaire HAL, est destinée au dépôt et à la diffusion de documents scientifiques de niveau recherche, publiés ou non, émanant des établissements d'enseignement et de recherche français ou étrangers, des laboratoires publics ou privés.
Journal of Advanced Research
Revista de la Academia Colombiana de Ciencias Exactas, Físicas y Naturales, 2021
In this paper, we present an update of the information concerning the genus Eufriesea for Colombi... more In this paper, we present an update of the information concerning the genus Eufriesea for Colombia. We describe the female Eufriesea dressleri (Kimsey, 1977), the only female of the elegans group not yet described. A taxonomic key is proposed for its identification and the range of distribution of Ef. dressleri, Eufriesea concava, Eufriesea magretti, and Eufriesea pulchra is extended for Colombia including new altitudinal records.
This dataset contains site-level summaries of more than 1.6 million samples from 78 countries rep... more This dataset contains site-level summaries of more than 1.6 million samples from 78 countries representing over 28,000 species, collated from existing spatial comparisons of local-scale biodiversity exposed to different intensities and types of anthropogenic pressures, from terrestrial sites around the world. The underlying database is being assembled as part of the [PREDICTS project](http://www.predicts.org.uk) - Projecting Responses of Ecological Diversity In Changing Terrestrial Systems. A complete description of the data is given in [http://dx.doi.org/10.1002/ece3.1303](http://dx.doi.org/10.1002/ece3.1303).
Southwestern Entomologist, 2021
Abstract. Introduced hornets increase natural enemies and stress factors detrimental to honey bee... more Abstract. Introduced hornets increase natural enemies and stress factors detrimental to honey bees, Apis mellifera L. Hornets are slightly bigger than honey bee drones, the largest member of A. mellifera colonies, offering a possibility of excluding hornets from entering hives because of their larger size. Using screen with an appropriate size of holes allowed free flow of honey bees and may impede the passage of larger predators, including hornets. Metal screens with 0.74 cm holes were installed in eight honey bee hives, using eight colonies without screens for comparison. Colonies with screens produced significantly more honey than did colonies without screens, and no differences were found in the accumulation of pollen or presence of brood between colonies with or without screens. Results indicated the screens were not detrimental to reproduction and honey production by the colonies, but had a beneficial side effect on colony fitness, probably my reducing robbing. Vespa crabro from preserved museum specimens were as small as 0.64 cm at its widest dimension, V. velutina 0.70 cm, while V. mandarinia might not pass through a screen hole smaller than 1.1 cm. Honey bee drones had a maximum metathorax width of 0.6 cm, suggesting that mesh with a hole size slightly larger than 0.60 cm might be appropriate to exclude these hornet species without decreasing productive and reproductive parameters of honey bee colonies. Resumen. Los avispones introducidos aumentan la lista de enemigos naturales y factores de estrés que afectan negativamente a las colonias de abejas Apis mellifera L. Los avispones son un poco más grandes que los zánganos, los miembros más voluminosos en las colonias de A. mellifera, lo que ofrece la posibilidad de prevenir la entrada de avispones a las colonias debido a su mayor tamaño, por lo que la utilización de una malla de hoyos del tamaño apropiado puede permitir el flujo de abejas e impedir el paso de depredadores más grandes. Se instalaron mallas con hoyos de 0.74 cm en ocho colmenas, usando otras ocho colonias sin malla como comparación. Las colonias a las que se les instaló la malla produjeron significativamente más miel que las colmenas sin malla. No se encontraron diferencias significativas en la acumulación de polen, o la cantidad de cría entre las colonias con o sin malla. Estos resultados indican que las mallas no tienen efecto negativo en la reproducción de las colonias ni en la producción de miel, y pueden proveer un efecto positivo en el fitness de las colonias al reducir el robo de miel entre ellas. Usando especímenes de museos reportamos que V. crabro puede ser tan pequeño como 0.64 cm en su dimensión más grande, V. velutina 0.70 cm, mientras que V. mandarinia tal vez no pueda pasar a través de un agujero de 1.1 cm. Los zánganos tienen una dimensión máxima en el metathorax de 0.6 cm, lo que sugiere que una malla con hoyos un poco mayores a 0.6 cm puede funcionar para excluir a estos avispones sin disminuir los parámetros productivos y reproductivos de las colonias de abejas melíferas.
Diversity and Distributions, 2016
AimUnderstanding the impact of land use change within assemblages is fundamental to mitigation po... more AimUnderstanding the impact of land use change within assemblages is fundamental to mitigation policies at local and regional scale. Here, we aim to quantify how site‐level terrestrial assemblages are responding to land use change in Colombia a mega‐diverse country and to project future biodiversity under different scenarios of land use change associated with climate change policies.LocationColombia (northern South America).MethodsWe collated original biodiversity data from 17 publications (285 sites) that examined how human impact affects terrestrial biodiversity in Colombia. From each site we estimated compositional intactness (i.e. compositional similarity to undisturbed sites). We fitted generalized linear mixed‐effects models to estimate how these measures of local biodiversity vary across land use habitats. Using space‐for‐time substitution, we applied our estimates to hindcast biodiversity changes since 1500 and project future changes under climate change policies of the four...
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Papers by Allan Smith-Pardo
arthropods, they are increasingly under threat from anthropogenic factors such as the incursion of invasive honey bee subspecies, pathogens and parasites. Better tools are needed to identify bee subspecies. Genomic data for economic and ecologically important organisms is increasing, but in its basic form its practical application to address ecological problems is limited.
We introduce HBeeID a means to identify honey bees. The tool utilizes
a knowledge‑based network and diagnostic SNPs identiied by discriminant analysis of principle components and hierarchical agglomerative clustering. Tests of HBeeID showed that it identiies African, Americas‑Africanized, Asian, and European honey bees with a high degree of certainty even when samples lack the full 272 SNPs of HBeeID. Its prediction capacity decreases with highly admixed samples.
HBeeID is a high‑resolution genomic, SNP based tool, that can be used
to identify honey bees and screen species that are invasive. Its flexible design allows for future improvements via sample data additions from other localities.
The coordinates of 23 landmarks were studied using tpsDIG v2.31 software, located at the intersection of the veins in the right anterior wing of 197 specimens taxonomically determined in 16 species. The specimens used belong to 4 entomological museums in the country (Museo Entomológico Francisco Luis Gallego, Medellín, Colección Entomológica de la Universidad de Antioquia, Medellín Museo de Historia Natural, Florencia, Colección Entomológica Universidad del Quindío, Armenia). Using a Principal Component Analysis (PCA) and a Canonical Variables Analysis (CVA) carried out with MorphoJ v1.07a software, significant differences were found at all levels when a minimum number of 5 specimens per species was used. The differentiation between the very similar species and the consistency in the levels of variation suggests geometric morphology as a useful tool in studies of this genus of bees
that is important in the pollination of orchids and ecosystem conservation.
arthropods, they are increasingly under threat from anthropogenic factors such as the incursion of invasive honey bee subspecies, pathogens and parasites. Better tools are needed to identify bee subspecies. Genomic data for economic and ecologically important organisms is increasing, but in its basic form its practical application to address ecological problems is limited.
We introduce HBeeID a means to identify honey bees. The tool utilizes
a knowledge‑based network and diagnostic SNPs identiied by discriminant analysis of principle components and hierarchical agglomerative clustering. Tests of HBeeID showed that it identiies African, Americas‑Africanized, Asian, and European honey bees with a high degree of certainty even when samples lack the full 272 SNPs of HBeeID. Its prediction capacity decreases with highly admixed samples.
HBeeID is a high‑resolution genomic, SNP based tool, that can be used
to identify honey bees and screen species that are invasive. Its flexible design allows for future improvements via sample data additions from other localities.
The coordinates of 23 landmarks were studied using tpsDIG v2.31 software, located at the intersection of the veins in the right anterior wing of 197 specimens taxonomically determined in 16 species. The specimens used belong to 4 entomological museums in the country (Museo Entomológico Francisco Luis Gallego, Medellín, Colección Entomológica de la Universidad de Antioquia, Medellín Museo de Historia Natural, Florencia, Colección Entomológica Universidad del Quindío, Armenia). Using a Principal Component Analysis (PCA) and a Canonical Variables Analysis (CVA) carried out with MorphoJ v1.07a software, significant differences were found at all levels when a minimum number of 5 specimens per species was used. The differentiation between the very similar species and the consistency in the levels of variation suggests geometric morphology as a useful tool in studies of this genus of bees
that is important in the pollination of orchids and ecosystem conservation.