Karyological notes on three weevil species from Armenia (Coleoptera, Curculionidae, Cleoninae)

Karyological studies were carried out on three Armenian weevil species from the subfamily Cleoninae. The following chromosome numbers were found in individual species: 2n = 38, n Male = 18 + Xyp in Menecleonus anxius (Gyllenhal, 1824), 2n = 40, n Male = 19 + Xyp in Conorhynchus nigrivittis (Pallas, 1781) and 2n = 44, n Male = 21 + Xyp in Lixus iridis Olivier, 1807. The heterochromosomes of all the examined species form, in the first meiotic metaphase, a typical parachute bivalent.     

Two new species of Larinus Dejean from North Africa (Coleoptera: Curculionidae), with a key to the striped Larinus (s.str.)

Two new sibling species, Larinus synthesys n. sp. from Algeria, and Larinus boroveci n. sp. from Algeria and Morocco, are described. Both species are tentatively assigned to the subgenus Larinus based on resemblance to species having longitudinal stripes on the elytra and rostrum. L. synthesys n. sp. is the smallest species in Larinus (s. str.) and is closely related to L. boroveci n. sp. The lectotype of Larinus cardopatii Lucas, 1847 is designated and redescribed. An illustrated key to the striped Larinus (s. str.) is given.     

On the distribution and ecology of some lixine species (Coleoptera, Curculionidae). V. Genus Lixus F., Subgenera Lixus F., Ortholixus Reitt., Compsolixus Reitt., and Callistolixus Reitt.

Habitats, phenology, food plants of adults and larvae, feeding, mating and egg-laying, the development of the larvae and pupae, and the natural enemies of Lixus paraplecticus L., L. elegantulus Boh., L. angustus Hbst., L. albomarginatus Boh., L. linnei Faust, and L. cylindrus F. were studied. Data on the geographic distribution, conservation, and economic importance of these species are given.     

Systematics of Sitonini (Coleoptera: Curculionidae: Entiminae), with a hypothesis on the evolution of feeding habits

Abstract A new classification of Sitonini Gistel into ten genera is proposed, derived from a phylogenetic analysis based on morphology. Two subgenera of Sitona, Charagmus and Coelositona, are promoted to genus level. Sitona is restricted to the former nominotypical subgenus and redefined using apomorphies, and several species previously included in it are transferred to the genus Coelositona González. The species composition of the genus Charagmus Schönherr is unchanged. Andrion gen.n. is described (type species: Curculio regensteinensis Herbst, 1794). Catachaenus Schönherr, 1840 is synonymized with Eugnathus Schönherr, 1834 ( syn.n. ). Homalorhinus lutosus Hochhuth, 1847 is removed from Sitonini. The relationships represented by the new classification correspond with the evolution of Fabaceae (Leguminosae), mostly with the group of ‘temperate herbaceous tribes’ or Hologalegina. This group is divided into the sister clades, Loteae s.l. and IRLC (inverted repeat‐lacking clade) – a clade well defined by the loss of a structural mutation in the genome of the chloroplast. Andrion does not feed on Hologalegina. Charagmus and Coelositona feed on species of Loteae s.l., whereas members of the genus Sitona feed on species in IRLC. This ability to feed on IRLC plants seems to have been a key trait that enabled the radiation of Sitona into more than 100 species. A key to the genera of Sitonini and illustrations of important morphological features are provided. A new structure is described from the internal sac, the ‘hamuli’. The variability of hamuli between the species of Sitonini is an important new tool in the taxonomy of this tribe. New combinations: Eugnathus circulus (Eydoux & Souleyet, 1839), E. mangarinicus ( Voss, 1925 ), E. scintillans (Pascoe, 1874), E. sulcifrons ( Heller, 1934 ), Charagmus gressorius (Fabricius, 1792), Ch. intermedius Küster, 1847, Ch. griseus (Fabricius, 1775), Ch. cachectus Gyllenhal, 1834, Ch. stierlini Reitter, 1903 , Ch. variegatus (Fåhraeus, 1840), Coelositona ribesi ( González, 1971 ), C. cambricus (Stephens, 1831), C. cinerascens (Fåhraeus, 1840), C. limosus (Rossi, 1792), C. ocellatus (Küster, 1849), C. latipennis (Gyllenhal, 1834), C. puberulus ( Reitter, 1903 ), C. villosus (Allard, 1869), Andrion regensteinense (Herbst, 1794) and Anemeroides lutosus (Hochhuth, 1847).     

New species,new genera,and new records in Cerambycidae from Peru (Coleoptera)

Three new species and two new genera of longhorn beetles are described from Peru: Cosmoplatus polis n. sp. (Pteroplatini), Hemilocallia grishami n. gen., n. sp. (Calliini) and Arabela ramirezi n. gen., n. sp. (Hemilophini). Esmeralda laetifica Bates, 1869 (Prioninae), Stratone transversalis (Chevrolat, 1862) (Cerambycinae), Gymnocerina cratosomoides (Bates, 1862) (Lamiinae), and Trachysomus verrucosus (Olivier, 1795) (Lamiinae) are new records for Peru.     

A new species of the weevil genus <Emphasis Type="Italic">Otiorhynchus</Emphasis> germ., subgenus <Emphasis Type="Italic">Dibredus</Emphasis> Rtt. (Coleoptera,Curculionidae: Entiminae), from Southeastern Turkey

Otiorhynchus schuberti sp. n. (subgenus Dibredus Reitter, 1912) is described from Kahramanmara? Province in Southeastern Turkey. It is closely related to O. nudiformis Reitter, 1914 and, less closely, to O. rufimanus Hochhuth, 1847, but differs from both in a small bidentate tooth on the fore femur.     

Flat-faced longhorn beetles (Coleoptera: Cerambycidae: Lamiinae) from the Neotropical region: new species from Ecuador,nomenclatural changes and notes

Summary

The differences between Anisopodus White, 1853 and Hyperplatys Haldeman, 1847 are discussed and the gender of the latter is corrected. Notes on Hyperplatys pusillus (Bates, 1863) are provided. Hyperplatys nigrisparsus is considered a new rank for H. pusillus nigrisparsus (Bates, 1885). This species is newly recorded from Brazil (Amazonas). Alcidion laetulum Bates, 1880 (currently Nealcidion laetulum), Alcidion costatum Monné & Martins, 1976 (currently Nealcidion costatum), and Nealcidion murinum Monné, 1998, are synonymized with Alcidion bispinum Bates, 1863 (currently Nealcidion bispinum). Anisopodus melzeri Gilmour, 1965 is transferred to Hyperplatys with a new record from the Brazilian state of Mato Grosso do Sul. Notes on a second specimen of Confluentia colombiana (Gilmour, 1950) are provided. Three new species are described from Ecuador: Nealcidion kayi n. sp. (Acanthocinini), Hyperplatys pichinchensis n. sp. (Acanthocinini) and Confluentia quijos n. sp. (Colobotheini).     

The Neotropical genera of Acanthocinini Blanchard, 1845 (Coleoptera: Cerambycidae: Lamiinae) with the third antennomere modified

The genera of Acanthocinini which have males with antennomere III modified are discussed and redefined, a key to identify them is provided. Additionally, Alcathousites Gilmour, 1962 is proposed as a junior synonym of Xenocona Gilmour, 1960, and the following five new combinations are proposed: Xenocona asperipennis (Fairmaire & Germain, 1859) n. comb.; X. forsteri (Tippmann, 1960) n. comb.; X. penicillata (Monné, 1990) n. comb.; X. senticosa (Monné & Martins, 1976) n. comb.; and X. superstes (Erichson, 1847) n. comb. Moreover, a new species from Colombia (Huila) is described and illustrated, Xenocona antonkozlovi n. sp., and the male of X. penicillata is illustrated for the first time.     

A taxonomic revision, biology and morphology of immature stages of the Entedon sparetus species group (Hymenoptera: Eulophidae), egg-larval endoparasitoids of weevils (Coleoptera: Curculionidae)

The sparetus-group of Entedon is revised. Six species are recognized for the group, including one new species, E. lucasi Gumovsky sp. n., which is described from Algeria. All species are either diagnosed or described, and illustrated, and new distribution records are provided. An illustrated dichotomous key to all species of the group is given. Biology of two species, E. thomsonianus Erd?s and E. sparetus Walker, is studied in detail: both species proved to be egg-larval parasitoids of stem-boring weevils, Lixus cardui Olivier on the scotch thistle Onopordum acanthium and Gymnetron asellus (Gravenhorst) on mullein Verbascum sp., respectively. The morphology of larval stages and peculiarities of parasitoid-host relationships are described. Possible benefits of egg-larval parasitism for Entedon species are discussed.     

Assessing the damage potential of the stem-boring weevil Lixus aemulus for the biological control of Chromolaena odorata

In a damage trial in pots, Lixus aemulus, a stem-boring weevil imported from Brazil, caused 66.6% mortality of the stems and reduced the dry mass of infested Chromolaena odorata stems by 46.6%. There was a 94.4% reduction in the number of achenes produced on the infested branches. These results indicate that L. aemulus has potential to have impact as a biological control agent of C. odorata.     

Revision of the southern African genus Macroderes Westwood (Coleoptera: Scarabaeidae: Scarabaeinae)

The southern African genus Macroderes Westwood is revised. Six new species, M. amplior n. sp., M. minutus n. sp., M. endroedyi n. sp., M. namakwanus n. sp., M. foveatus n. sp., and M. cornutus n. sp., are described.The neotype of M. bias (Olivier) is designated.Two new synonymies are established: M. pilula Sharp is a junior synonym of M. bias (Olivier), and M. westwoodi Preudhomme de Borre is a junior synonym of M. undulatus Preudhomme de Borre. A key to species and notes on biology and distribution are given.     

Lixus cribricollis [Col.: Curculionidae] for biological control of the weedsEmex spp. andRumex crispus in Australia

The biology and host specificity of a colony ofLixus cribricollis Boheman originating in Morocco were studied in quarantine in Australia.L. cribricollis adults are long lived, have an aestivation and are univoltine.Rumex crispus L.,Emex australis Steinheil andE. spinosa (L.)Campdera were shown to be the only satisfactory hosts of 40 species of plants from 17 families that were exposed to sexually mature adults ofL. cribricollis. Normal feeding and occasional oviposition were observed on some other plants within the same family,Polygonaceae, including the minor crops rhubarb and buckwheat, but almost invariably larvae died in the 1st instar. It was concluded thatL. cribricollis may be a useful biological control agent for the weedsR. crispus, E. australis andE. spinosa and that establishment of this weevil in Australia would be without risk to non-target plants.     

<Emphasis Type="Italic">Allassogonoporus dromiciops</Emphasis> n. sp. (Digenea: Allassogonoporidae) from <Emphasis Type="Italic">Dromiciops gliroides</Emphasis> (Marsupialia: Microbiotheriidae) in Patagonia,Argentina

A new species of Allassogonoporus Olivier, 1938, from a naturally infected specimen of Dromiciops gliroides, is described. Adults of A. dromiciops n. sp. were recovered from the small intestine. This new species can be distinguished from all other species of the genus by having: the largest body and eggs, a lobed testes and ovary, a Y-shaped excretory vesicle and vitelline follicles beginning at the level of the posterior margin of the oral sucker. This is the first record of a species of Allassogonoporus in South America and the first record of a digenean parasitising D. gliroides.     

Five New Species of Henneguya (Protozoa: Myxosporida) from Ictalurid Fishes*

SYNOPSIS. Four new species of Henneguya (myxosporidan) are described from Ictalurus punctatus Rafinesque (channel catfish). They are as follows: Henneguya postexilis sp. n. and Henneguya longicauda sp. n. from the gills; Henneguya adiposa sp. n. from the adipose fin; and Henneguya diversis sp. n. from the liver, kidney, connective tissue of muscles and fins, and tumor-like external growths. Henneguya pellis sp. n. is described from the dermis of Ictalurus furcatus (LeSueur) (blue catfish). The development stages of all described species are discussed. Henneguya exilis Kudo was found on the gills of one I. punctatus; notes on its spore characteristics are presented.     

Plesiochorus irwinorum n. sp. (Trematoda: Gorgoderidae) from the urinary bladder of the hawksbill turtle,Eretmochelys imbricata (Testudines: Cheloniidae), off the east coast of Australia

Plesiochorus Looss, 1901 is a genus of Gorgoderidae infecting the urinary bladders of marine turtles globally. Currently, just two morphologically similar species are recognised, Plesiochorus cymbiformis (Rudolphi, 1819) Looss, 1901 and Plesiochorus elongatus Pigulevsky, 1953, which have been distinguished by molecular data and subtle morphological differences. Here we describe a new species, Plesiochorus irwinorum n. sp., infecting hawksbill turtles (Eretmochelys imbricata (L.)), which is primarily distinguished from the other two species of Plesiochorus on the basis of ITS2, cox1 and 28S sequence data. Morphometric data for specimens examined during this study overlap between P. cymbiformis and P. irwinorum n. sp. for every measured feature, rendering them functionally cryptic. However, principal components analysis clearly distinguishes the two species. Additionally, we report new specimens of P. cymbiformis, and provide new sequence data for specimens from Australian loggerhead (Caretta caretta (L.)) and hawksbill turtles. There is little understanding of the host-specificity or geographical distribution of the three species of Plesiochorus, and it remains possible that some of the previously reported sequences have been attributed to the wrong species.

     

Unexpected Regularity in Swimming Behavior of Clausocalanus furcatus Revealed by a Telecentric 3D Computer Vision System

Planktonic copepods display a large repertoire of motion behaviors in a three-dimensional environment. Two-dimensional video observations demonstrated that the small copepod Clausocalanus furcatus, one the most widely distributed calanoids at low to medium latitudes, presented a unique swimming behavior that was continuous and fast and followed notably convoluted trajectories. Furthermore, previous observations indicated that the motion of C. furcatus resembled a random process. We characterized the swimming behavior of this species in three-dimensional space using a video system equipped with telecentric lenses, which allow tracking of zooplankton without the distortion errors inherent in common lenses. Our observations revealed unexpected regularities in the behavior of C. furcatus that appear primarily in the horizontal plane and could not have been identified in previous observations based on lateral views. Our results indicate that the swimming behavior of C. furcatus is based on a limited repertoire of basic kinematic modules but exhibits greater plasticity than previously thought.     

New species of Alaus Eschscholtz, 1829 (Coleoptera: Elateridae,Agrypninae, Hemirhipini)

Four new species of Alaus Eschscholtz, 1829 are described: A. cinnamomeus n. sp., A. latlpennls n. sp., A. serlceus n. sp. and A. thoracopunctatus n. sp. Three species removed from Chalcolepldlus Eschscholtz, 1829, are transferred to this genus: A. allcll (Pjatakowa, 1941) n. comb., A. haroldl (Candèze, 1878) n.comb. and A. unlcus (Fleutiaux, 1910) n. comb. The characters of external morphology of these seven species and male and female genitalia, when available, are described and illustrated. An identification key for all species of the genus is included: A. allcll (Pjatakowa, 1941) n. comb., A. calcarlpllosus Casari, 1996, A. cinnamomeus n. sp., A. haroldl (Candèze, 1878) n. comb., A. latlpennls n. sp., A. lusclosus (Hope, 1832), A. melanops Leconte, 1863, A. myops (Fabricius, 1801), A. nobllls Sallé, 1855, A. oculatus (Linnaeus, 1758), A. patrlclus (Candèze, 1857), A. plebejus Candèze, 1874, A. serlceus n. sp., A. thoracopunctatus n. sp., A. tricolor (Olivier, 1790), A. unlcus (Fleutiaux, 1910) n. comb., A. veracruzanus Casari, 1996 and A. zunianus Casey, 1893.     

Notes on <Emphasis Type="Italic">Lepraria</Emphasis> s.l. (Lecanoromycetes,Ascomycota) in North America: New species,new reports,and preliminary keys

Six new species of Lepraria are described from North America: L. barbatica, L. cryophila, L. disjuncta, L. moroziana, L. terricola, and L. xanthonica. Lepraria torii is discussed and its range extended to include boreal eastern North America. Lepraria aurescens is reported as new to North America from Florida. Preliminary keys to the genus in North America are presented.