Four new species of Cavendishia (Ericaceae: Vaccinieae) from Costa Rica

Cavendishia osaënsis Luteyn & J. F. Morales, C. linearifolia Luteyn & J. F. Morales, C. herrerae Luteyn & J. F. Morales, and C. luteynii J. F. Morales are newly described based on recent collections from Costa Rica. Relationships within Cavendishia are discussed, and Cavendishia osaënsis and C. linearifolia are illustrated.     

New species,new records,and neotypification of some Mesoamerican Ericaceae

Cavendishia davidsei Luteyn,Cavendishia gomezii Luteyn, andCavendishia limonensis Luteyn are described as new and their relationships are discussed;C. davidsei andC. limonensis are illustrated.Cavendishia chiriquiensis var.chiriquiensis and var.bullata, Sphyrospermum ellipticum, Themistoclesia horquetensis, and the genusAnthopterus (A. revolutus) are newly reported from Costa Rica;Orthaea brachysiphon is newly reported from Mexico. Belize, and Honduras;Pernettya prostrata is reported here from Honduras; andThemistoclesia costaricensis is verified from Panama.Cavendishia glutinosa (=C. endresii) andEmpedoclesia brachysiphon (=Orthaea brachysiphon) are neotypified.     

New variety and nomenclatural changes in neotropical Gaultheria (ericaceae)

Gaultheria sclerophylla var.hirsuta Luteyn from Ecuador is described, illustrated, and discussed, and the following new combinations are validated:Gaultheria buxifolia var.elassantha (A. C. Smith) Luteyn,G. buxifolia var.secunda (E. J. Remy) Luteyn,G. lanigera var. rufolanata (Sleumer) Luteyn,G. strigosa var.revoluta (A. C. Smith) Luteyn,G. eriophylla var.mucronata (E. J. Remy) Luteyn,G. alnifolia var.grata (A. C. Smith) Luteyn,G. serrata (Vell. Conc.) Sleumer ex Kinoshita-Gouvêa.     

Notes on neotropical vaccinieae (Ericaceae). VI. New species from the cordillera vilcabamba and adjacent Eastern Peru

Thibaudia dudleyi var.dudleyi and var.pseudostellata,Demosthenesia cordifolia,D. oppositifolia, andD. vilcabambensis from the Cordillera Vilcabamba, andCavendishia sirensis from the Cerros del Sira in eastern Peru are described and illustrated. The Cordillera Vilcabamba seems to be the center of distribution for the genusDemosthenesia.     

Notes on neotropical vaccinieae (Ericaceae) VII. Novelties from Ecuador

Four new Ericaceae are described from the Andes of Ecuador:Cavendishia lebroniae,Ceratostema megabracteatum,Orthaea fimbriata, andSphyrospermum boekei.     

Gaultheria steyermarkii (Ericaceae): A new endemic to Cerro Turimiquire,Venezuela

Gaultheria steyermarkii Luteyn, from the isolated Cerro Turimiquire, Venezuela, is described, illustrated, and its relationships toG. buxifolia andG. anastomosans are discussed.     

A new subspecies and new combinations in Comarostaphylis (Ericaceae)

Comarostaphylis spinulosa subsp.glandulifera is described from the mountains of Oaxaca and Puebla, Mexico. Four new combinations inComarostaphylis are also made:C. arbutoides subsp.costaricensis, C. discolor subsp.rupestris, C. polifolia subsp.minor, andC. spinulosa.Arctostaphylos glabrata, A. rupestris, andA. spinulosa are lectotypified and the status ofC. polifolia is discussed.     

Rubiacearum Americanarum Magna Hama Pars XXXII. New Species and a New Combination in Coussarea (Coussareeae) from Western South America

The Neotropical genus Coussarea is species-rich and widely distributed but not well known. Seven new species are described here, documented mainly by recent botanical exploration: C. acrensis is found in western Brazil, C. boliviensis and C. mexiae in the mountains of northwestern Bolivia, and C. camposiana, C. maranonensis, C. pseudopilosula, and C. vasqueziana in Peru. The new combination C. insolita is based on Rudgea insolita from Colombia.     

A new name and new combinations in Campomanesia and Pimenta (Myrtaceae)

One new name is proposed and eleven new combinations are made inCampomanesia andPimenta. Lectotypes are selected forC. eugenioides var.desertorum, C. phaea, andP. racemosa var.hispaniolensis, var.ouza, and var.terebinthina.     

Combination of 1,4-naphthoquinone with benzothiazoles had selective algicidal effects against harmful algae

A series of naphthoquinone-benzothiazole conjugates were synthesized as algicides, and their efficacies against harmful algal blooming species, such as Chattonella marina, Heterosigma akashiwo and Cochlodinium polykrikoides, were examined. The introduction of substituted benzothiazole at the C2 position of 1,4-naphthoquinone (compounds 1–9) resulted in higher algicidal activity against C. polykrikoides than the C6 conjugates (compounds 10–20). On the other hand, of the C6 conjugates, compounds 11 and 12 exhibited better algicidal activity against H. akashiwo, C. marina, and C. polykrikoides than the C2 conjugates. Further structure-activity analysis indicated that a replacement of the methoxy groups with hydroxyl groups (compounds 21–26) decreased the algicidal activity significantly. Among the various synthetic naphthoquinonebezothiazole conjugates tested, compound 12 was found to affect the most significant decrease in the level of C. polykrikoides growth, with an IC₅₀ of 0.19 μM. Compound 11 was found to be the most potent inhibitor against H. akashiwo and C. polykrikoides, with IC₅₀ values of 0.32 and 0.12 μM, respectively. Overall, these results highlight a possible method for controlling and inhibiting red tide forming algae using NQ derivatives.     

New combinations in Hawaiian Chamaesyce (Euphorbiaceae)

Chamaesyce is accepted at the genus level for the Hawaiian taxa. The following new combinations are made:C. celastroides var.laehiensis, C. celastroides var.tomentella, C. rockii var.grandifolia, C. skottsbergii var.vaccinioides, andC. sparsiflora.     

New taxa and nomenclatural changes in arceuthobium (viscaceae)

The following new taxa are recognized inArceuthobium: subgeneraArceuthobium andVaginata; sectionsVaginata, Campylopoda, andMinuta; seriesCampylopoda,Rubra, andStricta; speciesA. apachecum,A. californicum,A. guatemalense,A. hondurense, andA. pini; new formae spécialesA. abietinum f. sp.concoloris,A. abietinum f. sp.magnificae. New combinations:A. abietinum (Engelm.) Hawksworth & Wiens, andA. microcarpum (Engelm.) Hawksworth & Wiens.     

Relating normal vibrational modes to local vibrational modes: benzene and naphthalene

Local vibrational modes can be directly derived from normal vibrational modes using the method of Konkoli and Cremer (Int J Quant Chem 67:29, 1998). This implies the calculation of the harmonic force constant matrix F ^q (expressed in internal coordinates q) from the corresponding Cartesian force constant matrix f ^x with the help of the transformation matrix U?=?WB ^?(BWB ^?)^?1 (B: Wilson’s B-matrix). It is proven that the local vibrational modes are independent of the choice of the matrix W. However, the choice W?=?M ^?1 (M: mass matrix) has numerical advantages with regard to the choice W?=?I (I: identity matrix), where the latter is frequently used in spectroscopy. The local vibrational modes can be related to the normal vibrational modes in the form of an adiabatic connection scheme (ACS) after rewriting the Wilson equation with the help of the compliance matrix. The ACSs of benzene and naphthalene based on experimental vibrational frequencies are discussed as nontrivial examples. It is demonstrated that the local-mode stretching force constants provide a quantitative measure for the C–H and C–C bond strength.     

Generic delimitations of Central American Bignoniaceae

Generic delimitations in the Bignoniaceae are discussed, a number of Central American genera are reduced to synonymy, and a new genusPseudocatalpa is proposed. Generic mergers includeLevya withCydista, Saldanhaea withCuspidaria, Doxantha withMacfadyena, Pseudocalymma withPachyptera, andPhaedranthus withDistictis. New combinations necessitated by these mergers include the following:Arrabidaea costaricensis (Kränzl.) Gentry,A. pubescens (L.) Gentry,Cuspidaria floribunda (DC.) Gentry,C. weberbaueri (Spr.) Gentry,Cydista aequinoctialis var.hirtella (Benth.) Gentry,Distictis buccinatoria (DC.) Gentry,Macfadyena unguiscati (L.) Gentry,Melloa quadrivalvis (Jacq.) Gentry,Pachyptera alliacea (Lam.) Gentry,P. hymenaea (DC.) Gentry,P. kerere var.incarnata (Aubl.) Gentry,P. standleyi (Steyerm.) Gentry, andPseudocatalpa caudiculata (Standl.) Gentry. In addition, the fruits of several species are described for the first time, and their taxonomic significance is discussed.     

New genera and species of ericaceae (Vaccinieae) from Costa Rica and Panama

Two new monotypic genera,Didonica andUtleya, are described, withD. pendula from Panama andU. costaricensis from Costa Rica.Disterigma trimera (Panama),D. utleyorum (Costa Rica, Panama, Colombia, and Ecuador),Lateropora santafeensis (Panama),Lysiclesia panamensis (Panama),Macleania talamancensis (Costa Rica),Themistoclesia costaricensis (Costa Rica) andT. horquetensis (Panama),Vaccinium costaricense andV. orosiense (both from Costa Rica) and V.jefense (Panama) are all described as new. New combinations are provided for the PanamanianVaccinium floccosum (=Symphysia floccosa) and the West IndianVaccinium racemosum (=Symphysia racemosa). Keys are provided for the Central American species ofDisterigma andThemistoclesia, the species ofLateropora andLysiclesia, and the Costa Rican and Panamanian species ofVaccinium. Six new species are illustrated.     

Orthologs and paralogs - we need to get it right

A response to Homologuephobia, by Gregory A Petsko, Genome Biology 2001 2:comment1002.1-1002.2, to An apology for orthologs - or brave new memes by Eugene V Koonin, Genome Biology 2001, 2:comment1005.1-1005.2, and to Can sequence determine function? by John A Gerlt and Patricia C Babbitt, Genome Biology 2000, 1:reviews0005.1-0005.10.