A high polyploidEleocharis uniglumis S.L. (Cyperaceae) from Central and Southeastern Europe

Chromosome counts and morphological measurements were carried out onEleocharis uniglumis s. 1. samples from nine populations in Slovakia, Hungary, Austria and Croatia. A high polyploidEleocharis uniglumis s.l. (2n=71–88) was found on halophilous sites: in western Slovakia (Svätojurský ?úr near Bratislava; 2n=71–78), on the Hungarian and Austrian shores of Lake Neusiedlersee (Hungary: Hidegség; Austria: Tadten, St. Andrä am Zicksee; 2n=71–82), and on the Croatian island of Krk, (shores of Lake Jezero and Lake Ponikve; 2n=80–88). These high polyploid populations have the same ploidy level asE. uniglumis subsp.sterneri, described as endemic to the islands of Öland and Gotland. Morphological similarities between the high polyploids and subsp.sterneri were found both in quantitative features correlated with ploidy level (stomatal length, anther length and fertile glume length) and in other characters (number of perianth bristles, broad sterile glume margins). Differences were detected in the receptacle density and in the length of perianth bristles compared to the length of the achene. Intermediate somatic chromosome numbers 2n=60–70, corresponding to Scandinavian hybrids betweenE. uniglumis subsp.uniglumis andE. uniglumis subsp.sterneri, were found near Neusiedlersee (Austria: Apetlon, Tadten; Hungary: Hidegség, Hegykö). These (karyologically intermediate) plants have intermediate stomatal lengths. In other features they are similar to the Central European high polyploids.Eleocharis uniglumis subsp.uniglumis (2n=46) was found here as well (Hungary: Fert?rákos).     

Chromosome numbers and DNA ploidy levels of selected species ofHieracium s.str. (Asteraceae)

Chromosome numbers and /or ploidy levels are reported for 44 species and subspecies ofHieracium s.str. from the following European countries: Andorra, Austria, Bulgaria, Czech Republic, France, Italy, Montenegro, Serbia, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland and Ukraine. The chromosome numbers/DNA ploidy levels ofH. bocconei (2n ～ 4x),H. bupleuroides subsp.leviceps (2n = 27),H. caesioides subsp.caesioides (2n = 27),H. basifolium (H. caesium agg., 2n = 36),H. plumbeum (H. caesium agg., 2n = 36),H. glaucum subsp.nipholepium (2n= 27),H.gouanii (2n = 18),H. gymnocerinthe (2n = 27),H. ramondii (2n = 27),H. recoderi (2n = 18),H. stelligerum (2n = 18), andH. tomentosum (2n = 18, 2n ～ 2x, 2n ～ 3x) were determined for the first time. New ploidy levels are reported forH. cerinthoides s.str. (2n = 27),H. humile (2n = 36), andH. tommasinianum (2n = 27).     

Chromosome number variability in central european members of the<Emphasis Type="Italic">Festuca ovina</Emphasis> and<Emphasis Type="Italic">F. pallens</Emphasis> groups (sect.<Emphasis Type="Italic">Festuca</Emphasis>)

Chromosome numbers for 98 plants ofF. pallens, 19 ofF. psammophila, F. belensis andF. vaginata, and 44 ofF. ovina (originating from Austria, the Czech Republic, Germany, Slovakia and Latvia) are given. In addition to theF. ovina andF. pallens groups, chromosome counts for the following taxa are also reported:F. alpestris (2n=14) reported for the first time in this work,F. amethystina subsp.amethystina (2n=28),F. brevipila (2n=42),F. cinerea (2n=28),F. rupicola subsp.rupicola (2n=42) andF. versicolor subsp.versicolor (2n=14).InF. pallens, two ploidy levels (2n=2x=14+0-1B, 2n=4x=28+0-1B) as well as two natural triploid plants (2n=21+0-1B), were found. In addition to the fourF. pallens types that have been distinguished in Austria, one new tetraploid type (F. pallens “scabrifolia”) from the Czech Republic and Germany is reported and its taxonomy is discussed. The distributions of the Oberösterreich-Niederösterreich and Pannonisches-HügellandF. pallens types outside of Austria are documented.Only the diploid chromosome number (2n=14) was found inF. psammophila andF. vaginata. Chromosome numbers forF. psammophila subsp.muellerstollii andF. belensis (both 2n=14) were determined here for the first time. Two ploidy levels, 2n=14+0-5B corresponding toF. ovina subsp.ovina and 2n=28 corresponding toF. ovina subsp.guestphalica andF. cf.duernsteinensis were confirmed inF. ovina. Differences in chromosome structure (simple and multiple secondary constrictions) betweenF. pallens as opposed toF. psammophila andF. vaginata are discussed. A complete survey of published chromosome counts for Central European species from theF. ovina andF. pallens groups is included.     

Chromosome numbers within the genusBolboschoenus in Central Europe

Two chromosome numbers n=54, n=55 were found inBolboschoenus plants studied from Central Europe (Czech Republic, Slovakia, Hungary, Poland) and coastal regions of Europe (the Netherlands, Sweden). The number n=55 is typical forB. maritimus subsp.maritimus with narrow fruits and mostly also forB. maritimus subsp.compactus; the number n=54 characterizesB. planiculmis auct. The morphological type ofB. maritimus subsp.maritimus with wide fruits represents a stable taxon occurring in freshwater habitats throughout Europe. Its variation in chromosome numbers (both n=54, n=55) indicates a possible hybrid origin, probably resulting from hybridization betweenB. maritimus subsp.maritimus with narrow fruits andB. planiculmis auct. Spontaneous hybridization betweenBolboschoenus taxa in the regions with mixed populations may explain the origin of the intermediate morphological and anatomical characters of plants from some localities and the deviations in chromosome numbers.     

Contribution to the occurrence and former distribution of Tephroseris palustris (Compositae) in the Central Europe

Tephroseris palustris (syn. Senecio palustris) is a circumboreal species with large distribution range. The European part of the recent distribution area extends southwards to central France, Germany, Poland, and Ukraine, while in Great Britain, Czech Republic, Hungary, Slovakia, and Romania, T. palustris has been treated as extinct species. The southern boundary of its distribution in Poland does not reach the Carpathian territory. Herbarium specimens, formerly collected in Czech Republic, were found, however, all Czech localities are extinct. No herbarium specimens confirming the old literature data from Slovakia, Hungary, and Romania have been found. Some herbarium specimens coming from this area, and declared as T. palustris (S. palustris), in fact, refer to Senecio paludosus L. Contrary to previous nomenclature review (Jeffrey & Chen 1984), the name Tephroseris palustris (L.) Rchb. seems to be correct (Reichenbach Fl. Saxon.: 146, 1842).     

A new cytotype of Jacobaea vulgaris (Asteraceae): frequency,morphology and origin

Jacobaea vulgaris subsp. vulgaris (syn. Senecio jacobaea subsp. jacobaea) constitutes an intricate polyploid complex distributed in Europe. Four cytotypes have been reported in this species, three with euploid (diploid, tetraploid and octoploid; 2n=20, 40 and 80) and one with aneuploid (2n=32) chromosome numbers. Here we report that the diploid chromosome number (2n=20) reported from Bulgaria is due to misidentification with Jacobaea aquatica. On the other hand, we have discovered a new, hexaploid (2n=6x=60) cytotype within J. vulgaris subsp. vulgaris using flow cytometry. The new cytotype occurs within four sympatric populations of otherwise tetraploid and octoploid plants in Pannonia (one locality in the eastern Czech Republic and two localities in southwestern Slovakia) and in Podillya (one locality in western Ukraine). The frequency of hexaploid individuals within 76 studied populations is very low (only 10 of 693 analysed plants), and hexaploids probably represent hybrids between tetraploid and octoploid plants. Three mixed populations with hexaploid plants were subjected to detailed morphological and pollen fertility analyses. Multivariate morphometric analysis reveals partial separation of tetraploid and octoploid plants, whereas hexaploid individuals are similar in morphology to octoploids. In comparison with tetraploids, octoploids and hexaploids exhibit slightly longer ray florets, involucral bracts and tubular florets and more hairy outer achenes. Hexaploid plants display larger pollen grains and lower pollen fertility compared to tetraploids and octoploids.     

Molecular analyses of Erwinia amylovora strains isolated in Russia,Poland, Slovenia and Austria describing further spread of fire blight in Europe

Fire blight, a bacteriosis of apple and pear, was assayed with molecular tools to associate its origin in Russia, Slovenia and south-eastern Austria with neighboring countries. The identification of all investigated strains was confirmed by MALDI-TOF mass spectroscopy except one. Independent isolation was verified by the level of amylovoran synthesis and by the number of short sequence DNA repeats in plasmid pEA29. DNA of gently lysed E. amylovora strains from Russia, Slovenia, Austria, Hungary, Italy, Spain, Croatia, Poland, Central Europe and Iran was treated with restriction enzymes XbaI and SpeI to create typical banding patterns for PFGE analysis. The pattern Pt2 indicated that most Russian E. amylovora strains were related to strains from Turkey and Iran. Strains from Slovenia exhibited patterns Pt3 and Pt2, both present in the neighboring countries. Strains were also probed for the recently described plasmid pEI70 detected in Pt1 strains from Poland and in Pt3 strains from other countries. The distribution of pattern Pt3 suggests distribution of fire blight from Belgium and the Netherlands to Central Spain and Northern Italy and then north to Carinthia. The PFGE patterns indicate that trade of plants may have introduced fire blight into southern parts of Europe proceeded by sequential spread.     

Ploidy variation in the group ofMyosotis palustris andM. laxa in the Czech Republic and Slovakia

In 74 natural populations of theMyosotis palustris andM. laxa groups from former Czechoslovakia three euploid and one aneuploid cytotypes were found that belong to the following species:M. nemorosa Besser, 2n=22,M. palustris (L.)Nath. em.Reichenb. inSturm, 2n=66,M. laxiflora Reichenb., 2n=66,M. radicans Opiz, 2n=66(64),M. brevisetacea (Schuster) Holub, 2n=66(64), andM. caespitosa C.F. Schultz, 2n=88. With the exception ofM. nemorosa, the chromosome numbers are published for the first time for the Czech Republic. The chromsome numbers, 2n=66, 2n=64 are found inM. brevisetacea, are new for the literature. The correlation between pollen size and ploidy level has been studied as well, and statistically significant differences were found between cytotypes belonging to different ploidy levels.     

Serpentine and polyploid differentiation withinGalium pumilum agg. (Rubiaceae) in Eastern C. Europe

The local differentiation of a model group,Galium pumilum agg., was studied in serpentine versus non-serpentine habitats in the Czech Republic and adjacent regions in Austria, Germany and Poland. Serpentine habitats form ecologically distinct islands within the landscape; local micro-evolutionary processes may be important there, both because of small population sizes and the strong selection effects of the metal-rich soils. TheGalium pumilum agg. is a group of taxa showing typical karyological and ecological differentiation; the following species and cytotypes were studied:Galium pumilum Murray (2n=8x=88),G. valdepilosum Heinr. Braun (2n=2x=22, 2n=4x=44),G. sudeticum Tausch (2n=4x=44) andG. austriacum Jacq. (2n=4x=44). The karyological and taxonomic investigation showed that serpentine versus non-serpentine habitats do not play an important role in the differentiation of the species studied. (1) The examined populations ofG. pumilum Murray were homogeneous in chromosome numbers, belonging to the octoploid (2n=88) cytotype only. (2)G. valdepilosum consists of two cytotypes. Both of them occur on and off serpentine sites, but they show pronounced East-West distributional difference. (3)G. sudeticum occupies special localities on serpentine in western Bohemia, which are geographically isolated from its nearest localities in the Krkono?e Mts. The plants coming from both localities belong to the tetraploid cytotype. (4) A highly polyploid plant (2n=12x=ca. 132) from theG. pumilum group was found on serpentine. From the methodological point of view, pollen size turned out to be reliable only for distinguishing octoploids from diploids and tetraploids, but it is less suitable for separating the latter two ploidy levels. The occurrence ofG. austriacum is reported for the Czech Republic for the first time with certainty. This record extends the known distribution area ofG. austriacum in the NW direction.     

Chromosome observations on some eastern North American Eleocharis (Cyperaceae)

Chromosome numbers are reported forEleocharis obtusa var.ellipsoidalis (2n = 10),E. obtusa var.peasei (2n =10),E. engelmannii (2n =10),E. olivacea f.olivacea (2n = 20),E. olivacea f.reductiseta (2n = 20),E. flavescens (2n = 30),E. tenuis var.verrucosa (2n = 20),E. tenuis var.tenuis (2n = 24),E. tenuis var.pseudoptera (2n = 39), a possible hybrid betweenE. tenuis var.pseudoptera and var.tenuis (2n = ca. 34 & 68),E. intermedia (2n = 22),E. tuberculosa (2n = 30),E. smallii (2n = 36), andE. ambigens (2n = 46). Noticeable chromosome size differences inE. tenuis, E. smallii, andE. ambigens are consistent with size differences previously reported by other authors. Variable meiotic pairing configurations were observed inE. flavescens, E. intermedia, andE. tenuis. Chromosome data help verify taxonomic relationships of some taxa and indicate the need for further investigation of others.     

The distribution of Athetis lepigone and prediction of its potential distribution based on GARP and MaxEnt

Athetis lepigone (Möschler) is a new agronomic pest which has caused serious damages to summer maize in China. In order to effectively monitor it, it is necessary to carry‐out a worldwide investigation on its potential geographical distribution. In this study, we give two ecological niche models, Genetic Algorithm for Rule‐set Production and Maximum Entropy (MaxEnt), to predict the potential geographical distribution of A. lepigone. The results indicate that the suitable areas for A. lepigone are mainly in China (Beijing, Tianjin, central and southern Hebei, northern Jiangsu, Shandong, most of Henan, northern Anhui, central and southern Shanxi, central and southern Shaanxi, small parts of north‐west in Hubei, eastern Gansu, parts of Ningxia, western of Xinjiang and Dandong, and Liaoning) and other Asian countries (South Korea, North Korea and Japan). Parts of Europe (south‐western Russia, Ukraine, Moldova, Romania, Hungary, Bulgaria, Slovenia, and Croatia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Serbia, parts of Austria, western Poland, the Czech Republic, Germany, northern Italy, Denmark, western Lithuania, Latvia, Estonia, southern Finland and Sweden) are also highly suitable for A. lepigone. In addition, in the states of the USA including Michigan, New York, Chicago, Missouri, Ohio, Illinois and Indiana are also favourable for its occurrence although till now no reports about of this species has been recorded. A jackknife test in MaxEnt showed that the mean temperature of the driest quarter was the most important environmental variable affecting the distribution of this pest.     

Karyo-taxonomic study of the genus<Emphasis Type="Italic">Pseudolysimachion</Emphasis> (<Emphasis Type="Italic">Scrophulariaceae</Emphasis>) in the Czech Republic and Slovakia

Flow cytometry was used to determine ploidy levels in the Czech and Slovak taxa of the genusPseudolysimachion (W.D.J. Koch)Opiz (=Veronica auct. p.p.,Scrophulariaceae). In total, 123 populations from the Czech Republic, Slovakia, Ukraine (one locality), Austria (one locality) and Hungary (one locality) were analyzed. InP. maritimum (L.)Á. Löve etD. Löve andP. spicatum (L.)Opiz, two cytotypes were found: diploid (2n=2x=34) and tetraploid (2n=4x=68). In both species the tetraploid cytotype predominated (P. maritimum: 41 tetraploid populations out of 45;P. spicatum: 57 tetraploid populations out of 58). The two cytotypes ofP. maritimum have no taxonomic significance because ploidy level is not obviously correlated with morphology, distribution pattern or ecology. Tetraploid populations ofP. spicatum belong to two morphologically different subspecies, subsp.spicatum and subsp.fischeri Trávní?ek. The diploid cytotype (one population only) should be provisionally classified as a third subspecies ofP. spicatum, which is morphologically similar to the Asian subsp.porphyrianum (Pavlov)Trávní?ek. Only diploid plants (2n=2x=34) ofP. orchideum (Crantz)Wraber were found; all 13 populations that were analyzed belong toP. orchideum s.str. One diploid population sample ofP. spurium subsp.foliosum (Waldst. etKit.)Holub (2n=2x=34) and one tetraploid sample ofP. incanum subsp.pallens (Host)Trávní?ek (2n=4x=68) were also analyzed. In addition, three tetraploid populations of hybrid origin were investigated:P. maritimum ×P. spicatum subsp.spicatum (one population) andP. maritimum ×P. spurium subsp.foliosum (two populations). While hybrid plants ofP. maritimum ×P. spicatum arose from tetraploid parental species, plants ofP. maritimum ×P. spurium probably resulted from a cross between tetraploidP. maritimum and diploidP. spurium. The putative origin and evolutionary importance of polyploids in thePseudolysimachion are discussed.     

Mycobacterium avium Subspecies paratuberculosis Cultured from Locally and Commercially Pasteurized Cow's Milk in the Czech Republic

Between November 2002 and April 2003, 244 bottles and cartons of commercially pasteurized cow's milk were obtained at random from retail outlets throughout the Czech Republic. During the same period, samples of raw milk and of milk that was subsequently subjected to a minimum of 71.7°C for 15 s in a local pasteurization unit were also obtained from two dairy herds, designated herds A and B, with low and high levels, respectively, of subclinical Mycobacterium avium subsp. paratuberculosis infection, and from one herd, herd C, without infection. Infection in individual cows in each herd was tested by fecal culturing. Milk samples were brought to the Veterinary Research Institute in Brno, Czech Republic, processed, inoculated onto Herrold's egg yolk slants, and incubated for 32 weeks. Colonies were characterized by morphology, Ziehl-Neelsen staining, mycobactin J dependency, and IS900 PCR results. M. avium subsp. paratuberculosis was cultured from 4 of 244 units (1.6%) of commercially pasteurized retail milk. M. avium subsp. paratuberculosis was also cultured from 2 of 100 (2%) cartons of locally pasteurized milk derived from infected herds A and B and from 0 of 100 cartons of milk from uninfected herd C. Raw milk from 1 of 10 (10%) fecal culture-positive cows in herd A and from 13 of 66 (19.7%) fecal culture-positive cows in herd B was culture positive for M. avium subsp. paratuberculosis. These findings confirm that M. avium subsp. paratuberculosis is present in raw milk from subclinically infected dairy cows. The culture of M. avium subsp. paratuberculosis in the Czech Republic from retail milk that had been pasteurized locally or commercially to the required national and European Union standards is in agreement with similar research on milk destined for consumers in the United Kingdom and the United States and shows that humans are being exposed to this chronic enteric pathogen by this route.     

Chromosome number and DNA ploidy level reports from Central Europe — 3

Third part of chromosome number and DNA ploidy level reports from Central Europe comprising whole Carpatho-Pannonian region includes the data for following taxa: Scilla bifolia s. str. (2n = 18), S. bifolia agg. (2n = 36, 54), S. drunensis subsp. drunensis (2n = 36), S. drunensis subsp. buekkensis (2n = 36), S. kladnii (2n = 18) and S. vindobonensis (2n = 18) by J. Kochjarová from Austria, Slovakia and the Czech Republic (nos. 27–32); Campanula macrostachya (2n = ca 32) and Erysimum diffusum (2n = 14, 28) by E. Michalková from Hungary (nos. 33–34). Original unpublished reports should be sent to the editor on following address: patrik.mraz@upjs.sk. For further details and arrangements of reports see the first part (Mráz 2005). Previous parts of the reports were published in 2005 and 2006 (Mráz 2005, 2006).     

A taxonomic study of theVaccinium sect.Oxycoccus (Hill) W.D.J. Kock (Ericaceae) in the Czech Republic and adjacent territories

The ploidy level of plants of theVaccinium sect.Oxycoccus (Hill)W.D.J. Koch sampled in the Czech Republic, Germany, Austria and Poland was determined by chromosome counting and/or by flow cytometry. Forty-five characters were measured and scored in the morphometric analysis. Principal component analysis, cluster analysis, canonical discriminant analysis and classificatory discriminant analysis were used in the statistical analyses. Diploid (2n=24), tetraploid (2n=48) and hexaploid (2n=72) populations were confirmed and a new ploidy level — pentaploid hybrid plants (2n=60) — was revealed. Results of the multivariate morphometric analysis support the separation of the two native species. DiploidV. microcarpum (Turcz. exRupr.)Schmalh. differs from the polyploids by smaller size of petals, shorter style and stamens (stamens have long filaments and short anthers), glabrous pedicels, mostly solitary flowers, earlier flowering and by occurrence predominantly inPolytrichum strictum tufts. The low taxonomic significance of some features often used in keys for their separation (shape of fruits, insertion of prophylla, pubescence of filaments) was confirmed.V. oxycoccos L. includes three ploidy levels. The hexaploids represent the most abundant ploidy level in the area studied. They show a slightly bigger size of petals, longer bracts, prophylla, style, sepal tips and wider seeds in comparison with the tetraploids. Pentaploid cranberries are hitherto known only from the Czech Republic. They differ particularly in the low proportion of fully-developed tetrads.     

Allocaeculus sandbergensis sp. n. (Acari: Caeculidae), a new prostigmatid mite from Slovakia

In January and in May 2012 three individuals (two adults and one nymph) from the genus Allocaeculus (family Caeculidae) were found in the area of the National nature reserve Devínska Kobyla near Sandberg (SW Slovakia). This mite family has not been recorded in Slovakia yet. Data about its nearest occurrence come from the Czech Republic and Austria. Based on the specimens, Allocaeculus sandbergensis sp. n. is described.     

Description and molecular characteristics of Morishitium polonicum malayense Urabe,Nor Hashim & Uni,n. subsp. (Trematoda: Cyclocoelidae) from the Asian glossy starling,Aplonis panayensis strigata (Passeriformes: Sturnidae) in Peninsular Malaysia

We describe Morishitium polonicum malayense n. subsp. from Asian glossy starlings (Aplonis panayensis strigata) (Horsfield, 1821) (Passeriformis: Sturnidae) caught in Malaysia. The trematodes had parasitized the air sacs and the thoracic and body cavities of 40 out of 67 (59.7%) birds examined. The specimens each had an oral sucker, a postpharyngeal genital pore, and tandem testes, but lacked a ventral sucker. The morphological characteristics of our specimens were similar to those of M. polonicum polonicum (Machalska, 1980) from Poland. However, the anterior extremity of vitelline follicles of the present specimens sometimes extended to the level of pharynx. The oral sucker width, oral sucker width/pharynx width ratio, and intertesticular space metrics differed from those of M. p. polonicum. The maximum-likelihood trees based on the cytochrome c oxidase subunit I (COI) and the internal transcribed spacer 2 (ITS2) sequences indicated that the species from the present study formed a sister group with M. p. polonicum from the Czech Republic. The p-distances of COI and ITS2 sequences between the present specimens and M. p. polonicum from the Czech Republic were 6.9–7.5% and 0.6%, respectively. These genetic divergences indicate the border for intra- or interspecific variation of digeneans. The definitive host species and geographical distribution of the current specimens were distinct from those of M. p. polonicum from Europe. We thus concluded that the present specimens are ranked as a new subspecies of M. polonicum, namely M. polonicum malayense n. subsp.     

Eurytholia plates (Problematica) from the late Silurian of the Austrian Carnic Alps

A small fauna of phosphatic plates of the enigmatic organism Eurytholia bohemica [Ferretti A., Serpagli E., ?torch P., 2006. Problematic phosphatic plates from the Silurian-Early Devonian of Bohemia, Czech Republic. Journal of Paleontology 80 1026–1031.], is described for the first time from upper Silurian beds of Austria. Other known Silurian occurrences of this taxon were restricted to Bohemian localities even if the genus had been previously reported from several Ordovician outcrops. The extension of E. bohemica from the microcontinent of Perunica to that of Carnica suggests that Eurytholia was not an uncommon constituent of Silurian fauna, at least at intermediate latitudes in the southern hemisphere.     

Floral scent of Eleocharis elegans (Kunth) Roem. & Schult. (Cyperaceae)

The inflorescences of Eleocharis elegans and Eleocharis sellowiana were investigated by dynamic headspace/GC–MS for the presence of volatiles. No floral volatile was detected in the inconspicuous inflorescences of E. sellowiana but various floral volatiles were produced by the showy inflorescences of E. elegans. The results are discussed in their ecological and evolutionary context.     

Detection of Mycobacterium avium subsp. paratuberculosis in Retail Cheeses from Greece and the Czech Republic

We investigated the presence of Mycobacterium avium subsp. paratuberculosis in retail cheeses from Greece and the Czech Republic. We found that 31.7% and 3.6% of our samples reacted positive by PCR and culture, respectively. Consumption of these cheeses is likely to result in human exposure to M. avium subsp. paratuberculosis, albeit at a low level for viable cells.