Morphological phylogenetics of Puya subgenus Puya (Bromeliaceae)

Puya , a large genus mostly from South America, has been taxonomically divided into two subgenera: Puyopsis and Puya. The latter includes only eight species distributed mainly in Chile, extending to Argentina, Bolivia, and Peru. The species of subgenus Puya are recognized by the presence of a sterile apex of the inflorescence branches, whereas those of subgenus Puyopsis have fertile flowers all along the branches. The objectives of this article were to determine whether this diagnostic character was synapomorphic for subgenus Puya , and to explore the relationships between its species. Parsimony analyses were performed for 43 taxa and 93 morphological characters, 87 of which were discrete and six continuous. In the analysis that included all characters, a single most parsimonious tree was found that supported subgenus Puya by two synapomorphic character states, including the diagnostic character of a sterile inflorescence branch apex and a blooming pattern in which flowers open gradually from base to apex. The trees were better supported when the continuous characters were included. Further studies are suggested to resolve the infrageneric classification of Puya and the relationships of the species belonging to subgenus Puya .  © 2008 The Linnean Society of London, Botanical Journal of the Linnean Society , 2008, 156 , 93–110.     

Psephellus turcicus sp. nov. (Asteraceae), a new chasmophyte species from central Anatolia, Turkey

A new species, Psephellus turcicus A.Duran & Hamzaoğlu (Asteraceae) in sect. Psephelloidei (Boiss.) Wagenitz & Hellwig is described and illustrated from Anatolia, Turkey. The species grows on limestone crevices in Kazankaya Canyon (A5 Yozgat) in central Anatolia. A neo-endemic confined to Kazankaya Canyon, it is closely related to Psephellus psephelloides (Freny & Sint.) Wagenitz. Diagnostic morphological characters from closely similar taxa are discussed, and arranged in a key of Turkish similar Psephellus Cass. The ecology, biogeography and conservation status of the species are also presented. Achene surface morphology of P. turcicus and P. psephelloides are examined by SEM. The geographical distribution of the new species and other related species is mapped.  © 2005 The Linnean Society of London, Botanical Journal of the Linnean Society , 2005, 148 , 495–500.     

A taxonomic revision of Crambe section Dendrocrambe (Brassicaceae)

As part of a recent revision of the genus Crambe , based on the morphological study of herbarium and cultivated material, the systematics of section Dendrocrambe DC. are reviewed here. Section Dendrocrambe (including monospecific section Rhipocrambe Svent.) is considered to comprise 14 species, all endemic to Macaronesian archipelagoes: 13 in the Canary Islands and one in the Madeira Islands. Crambe feuilleei A. Santos and C. gomerae subsp. hirsuta Prina are described here, C. fruticosa subsp. pinnatifida (Lowe) Prina & Mart.-Laborde is proposed as a new status, and a key for the identification of all taxa, as well as maps with localities of collection, are provided.  © 2008 The Linnean Society of London, Botanical Journal of the Linnean Society, 2008, 156 , 291–304.     

Allopolyploid origin of Cardamine silana (Brassicaceae) from Calabria (southern Italy): karyological, morphological and molecular evidence

Endemic Cardamine silana from Calabria (southern Italy) previously reported to be related to C. raphanifolia was found to be hexaploid. Morphological characters and AFLP data were analysed to evaluate the degree of differentiation of C. silana from closely related taxa and to find parental taxa of this polyploid. Cardamine apennina from the C. pratensis group was examined as one putative parent, as indicated in previous studies of nuclear ITS sequences, along with other related taxa based on both cpDNA and ITS sequences. Both multivariate morphometric analyses of quantitative characters and evaluation of qualitative morphological characters showed: (1) closest position of C. silana to two diploids: C. acris from the Balkan Peninsula and C. apennina from Central Italy; (2) good extent of morphological separation of C. silana from related taxa; and (3) within C. acris subspecies, C. acris ssp. vardousiae from Central Greece as closest to C. silana . Neighbour-joining tree and PCoA ordinations of AFLP data, as well as patterns of AFLP bands sharing, corroborated results of multivariate morphometrics. This evidence supports an allopolyploid origin of C. silana , with C. apennina and C. acris as parental taxa. Its origin may be dated to Pleistocene glacial events, because of the presumably wider geographical distributions of its parental taxa during more humid periods at that time.  © 2005 The Linnean Society of London, Botanical Journal of the Linnean Society , 2005, 148 , 101–116.     

Not so rare snakes: a revision of the Geophis sieboldi group (Colubridae: Dipsadinae) in lower Central America and Colombia

The Geophis sieboldi species group is composed of 16 currently recognized species distributed from Mexico to Colombia. Within this group, snakes of populations referred to the Geophis brachycephalus complex of lower Central America and Colombia display a remarkable polychromatism and the systematic status of these and other populations is problematic. The present study provides an analysis, including multivariate techniques, of variation in scalation, coloration, relative tail length and hemipenes to clarify the specific allocation of the populations belonging to this clade. Our results confirm the validity of three previously described taxa, namely G. brachycephalus , G. nigroalbus and G. talamancae , with reassignments of several populations previously referred to G. brachycephalus . In addition we recognize as a new species a suite of western Panama Geophis previously of uncertain status. We further provide a review of all other members of the G. sieboldi group in lower Central America and Colombia based on material obtained since the last revision of the group. Basic synonymies, diagnostics and known distributions are included for the treated taxa. Dietary guild, possible venomous coral snake mimicry and distributional anomalies for the group are discussed.  © 2008 The Linnean Society of London, Zoological Journal of the Linnean Society , 2008, 153 , 561–599.     

The two-horned chamaeleons of East Africa

There have been numerous attempts to resolve the taxonomy of the two-horned chamaeleons of East Africa. However, the high levels of intraspecific variation and reported sympatry of morphologically distinct taxa indicate that their current classification is unsatisfactory. Tissue samples were collected from specimens from most mountain massifs (excluding the Nguu) where two-horned chamaeleons are known to occur and were used to sequence partial 12S and 16S rRNA, as well as ND2 mtDNA genes. These specimens and further museum material were used to review morphological variation and to define discriminating characters for each taxon. Phylogenetic analyses of gene sequences show clear genetic divergence between allopatric populations, although two lineages occur in sympatry in the East Usambara Mountains, and is supported by divergent morphology. In light of these results a formal revision of the taxonomy of all East African two-horned chamaeleons is proposed and seven species are recognized ( Kinyongia boehmei , K. fischeri , K. matschiei , K. multituberculata , K. tavetana , K. uluguruensis and K. vosseleri ). These taxa form a monophyletic group except for K. uluguruensis , which seems to be more closely related to one-horned species. Most of these taxa have been previously described and subsequently reduced to synonyms. Two other previously described two-horned taxa are not recognized as valid: Chamaeleo tornieri is considered species inquiriendae , and C. fischeri werneri is placed in synonymy with K. multituberculata . A dichotomous key is provided for the identification of these taxa and some aspects of their conservation, ecology and evolutionary origins are also discussed.  © 2008 The Linnean Society of London, Zoological Journal of the Linnean Society , 2008, 152 , 367–391.     

Systematics and biogeography of the New World species of Trichadenotecnum Enderlein (Insecta: Psocodea: 'Psocoptera': Psocidae)

The taxonomy of the New World species of the genus Trichadenotecnum is revised. A total of 44 species, including 29 new species, were treated. These species are classified into 12 monophyletic species groups, eight of them newly proposed here. Two species previously assigned to Trichadenotecnum , T. pichincha New & Thornton and T. sylvaticum Turner, are recognized as not belonging to this genus. Phylogenetic relationships among 16 previously and presently proposed species groups are estimated based on a data matrix of 58 morphological characters. Trees from these analyses support monophyly of Trichadenotecnum and the proposed species groups. The New World species were divided into three major clades. Based on the phylogenetic hypothesis and distributional pattern of the species groups, the biogeographical history of the New World Trichadenotecnum is discussed.  © 2008 The Linnean Society of London, Zoological Journal of the Linnean Society , 2008, 153 , 651–723.     

Molecular evidence for repeated hybridization events involved in the origin of the genus × Crepidiastrixeris (Asteraceae) using RAPDs and ITS data

We investigated the hybrid origin of × Crepidiastrixeris denticulato-platyphylla using RAPDs and ITS sequence data. The putative parents Paraixeris denticulata and Crepidiastrum platyphyllum represent separate species, irrespective of geographical origin. The occurrence of species specific RAPD markers from P. denticulata and C. platyphyllum in × C. denticulato-platyphylla established unambiguously a hybrid origin between the two taxa. This was in line with the occurrence of a combination of morphological characters such as plant habit and floret numbers. The parent taxa differed from each other by 7 nucleotide substitutions and 2 indel events in the ITS region. The hybrids showed sequence additivity and most likely represent F₁ plants, with the exception of two plants which were of possible F₂ origin, possessing either the ITS sequences of one parent only, or one predominant ITS type. The hybrids occurred in two out of three localities where the parents occurred sympatrically. This fact, together with the short life-span of the plants, suggests that × C. denticulato-platyphylla exists as a result of repeated, frequent hybridization between the parent species.  © 2006 The Linnean Society of London, Botanical Journal of the Linnean Society , 2006, 151 , 333–343.     

A new species of Betula section Betulaster (Betulaceae) from China

A new species of Betulaceae, Betula fujianensis , is described and illustrated from Luoboyan Reserve, Fujian Province, south-eastern China. Betula fujianensis is distributed in subtropical evergreen and deciduous broad-leaved mixed forest at elevations above 500 m, mostly as scattered individuals and occasionally as populations alone or with B. luminifera . Betula fujianensis belongs to section Betulaster and differs from other species in general morphology and phenology. A key to all species currently recognized in this section is presented, and the relationships between the new species and its closely related taxa are discussed.  © 2008 The Linnean Society of London, Botanical Journal of the Linnean Society , 2008, 156 , 523–528.     

Taxonomic notes on the genus Crataegus (Rosaceae) in Turkey

The Turkish Crataegus taxa were investigated using morphological, palynological, and anatomical characters. A new series ( Crataegus Section Crataegus Series Peshmenia ), two new species ( Crataegus peshmenii and Crataegus christensenii ), and one variety ( Crataegus rhipidophylla var. kutahyaensis ) are described. Furthermore, Crataegus  ×  browicziana has been assigned to Crataegus rhipidophylla with a new status. Illustrations of the described taxa and their distribution map are also given. The lectotype for Crataegus yaltirikii is designated here.  © 2007 The Linnean Society of London, Botanical Journal of the Linnean Society , 2007, 155 , 231–240.     

Astragalus bahcesarayensis (Leguminosae-Papilionoideae), a new species of section Alopecuroidei DC. from Turkey

Astragalus bahcesarayensis H. Akan, M. Fırat & M. Ekici (Leguminosae-Papilionoideae) from Turkey is described and illustrated. It is compared with A. dipsaceus Bunge and A. panduratus Bunge. The geographical distributions of the new species and related species are mapped.  © 2008 The Linnean Society of London, Botanical Journal of the Linnean Society , 2008, 156 , 439–444.     

Taxonomic relevance of the gametophytic generation in a strictly rupicolous fern group: Asplenium seelosii s.l.

The systematics of the Asplenium seelosii complex has been debated for a long time. This complex includes strictly rupicolous plants that live on limestone cliffs mainly in the mountains of south-west Europe: the Alps, the Pyrenees, and several mountain ranges of the eastern Iberian Peninsula. The disjunct distribution of its populations and several morphological characters, i.e. leaf indumentum and the structure of the perispore, have been used to distinguish two species and up to four subspecies. The goal of this study was to determine whether the characters of the gametophytic generation and young sporophytes can contribute to the recognition of the proposed taxa. The analysis of all of these characters together differentiated two groups that correspond to the established species, A. seelosii and A. celtibericum , but not enough differences were found to separate the subspecies in each of them.  © 2006 The Linnean Society of London, Botanical Journal of the Linnean Society , 2006, 151 , 375–386.     

A new species of Arabis (Brassicaceae) from inner Anatolia

A new species of Arabis L., A. erikii Mutlu sp. nov. , is described and illustrated. The species is restricted to inner Anatolia, south-west of Sivas. It grows on steppes. Diagnostic morphological characters are given for discrimination from the most similar taxa.  © 2004 The Linnean Society of London, Botanical Journal of the Linnean Society , 2004, 145 , 251–256.     

Geographical variation and diversification in the flightless leaf beetles of the Chrysolina angusticollis species complex (Chrysomelidae, Coleoptera) in northern Japan

Geographical variation and differentiation of flightless leaf beetles of the Chrysolina angusticollis species complex were analysed. Nine morphological groups were recognized on the basis of metric characters relating to body size, shape of hind wing and shape of male genitalia, and binary characters relating to females' elytral surface and larval pubescence. The nine groups were essentially parapatric or allopatric to each other. Five groups occupied a continuous geographical range each, whereas another four groups were disjunctively distributed. Morphometric distance and geographical distance between populations were significantly correlated. Analyses based on 13 allozyme loci demonstrated that six out of the nine morphological groups were further divided into more than one genetically distinct group each. Genetic similarity between populations was significantly correlated with morphometric similarity and geographical closeness. Disjunctively distributed populations of a single morphological group more often resembled geographically adjacent populations of different morphological groups than geographically remote populations of the same group. In a morphological group that occupied a wide continuous range, remote populations substantially differed genetically from each other. The results suggest that there exist at least 19 morphologically and/or genetically differentiated units in the C. angusticollis complex in northern Japan. The C. angusticollis complex is likely a superspecies composed of a number of semispecies. We postulate that the diversification of this species complex might have resulted from the repeated range contraction and expansion during the ice ages. Movement of tension zones that separate two adjacent forms might contribute to enhance their geographical differentiation.  © 2008 The Linnean Society of London, Biological Journal of the Linnean Society , 2008, 93 , 557–578.     

Comparative morphology of leaf epidermis of Salix (Salicaceae) with special emphasis on sections Lindleyanae and Retusae

The sections Lindleyanae C.K. Schneid. and Retusae A. Kern. are two unique taxa of Salix . Although the former is distributed in the Himalayas and in south-west China's Hengduan Mountains, and the latter in the Arctic–Alpine region, they share similar phenotypic characters. To elucidate their relationships, some representative species were selected and their leaf epidermal characters were examined. Most Salix species had broadly similar leaf epidermal cell characteristics, but Lindleyanae and Retusae shared an anomocytic type of stomatal apparatus, which differed greatly from other taxa in Salix . It is unclear whether this epidermal similarity is indicative of similar environments or a single phylogenetic origin. Within the family Salicaceae, cyclocytic stomata were present in Chosenia , but absent from Populus and Salix , partly supporting the separation of Chosenia from Salix as an independent genus. Within single Salix species, obscure interspecific phenotypes could be identified by the shape of the epidermal cells, the presence or absence of stomata on the adaxial or abaxial sides, and the shape of the anticlinal walls. Stomatal size and density in Salix varied in response to environmental factors, and was of little diagnostic value in the separation of the species.  © 2008 The Linnean Society of London, Botanical Journal of the Linnean Society , 2008, 157 , 311–322.     

Dendrobium wangliangii (Orchidaceae), a new species belonging to section Dendrobium from Yunnan, China

Dendrobium wangliangii G. W. Hu, C. L. Long & X. H. Jin, a new species from the north of the Yunnan Province in China is described and illustrated. The morphological differences between the new species and the related species, Dendrobium flexicaule , and its endangered status are discussed.  © 2008 The Linnean Society of London, Botanical Journal of the Linnean Society , 2008, 157 , 217–221.     

Cuticle micromorphology of leaves of Pinus (Pinaceae) from North America

Cuticle micromorphology of 31 taxa of Pinus from North America was studied with scanning electron microscopy. Twenty-eight characters, 21 from the inner cuticle and seven from the outer cuticle, were described in detail. These characters have value either for infrageneric classification or for identifying individual taxa. Ten characters were diagnostic for subgenera. Numbers 1−5 relate to the epidermal cells: (1) periclinal wall texture; (2) degree of development; (3) shape of anticlinal walls; (4) shape of apex of anticlinal walls; (5) cuticular continuity. Numbers 6 and 7 relate to the subsidiary cells: (6) lateral texture; (7) groove on the inner surface. Numbers 8−10 relate to the Florin ring: (8) degree of development of the ridge; (9) furrow; (10) groove. Pinus resinosa , belonging to Pinus section Pinus , was clearly distinguished from both the other species and subsection by the tapering and oblique end wall and markedly developed anticlinal walls of the epidermal cells. The cuticular features of P. albicaulis belonging to Parrya subsection Cembrae have a cuticular pattern typical of the species of subgenus Strobus . The subsectional delimitation based on cuticular features did not show a clear resolution even though the taxa might be individually distinct based on the combination of characters examined.  © 2004 The Linnean Society of London, Botanical Journal of the Linnean Society, 2004, 144 , 303−320.     

Polyploidy in Aconitum subgenus Lycoctonum (Ranunculaceae)

Chromosome numbers and morphology in 22 populations belonging to 11 taxa of Aconitum subgenus Lycoctonum (Ranunculaceae) from China were studied. Some taxa were diploid, with 2 n  = 16, but four species and two varieties were found to be tetraploid, with 2 n  = 32. They are concentrated in the Hengduan Mountains region in south-west China, indicating that polyploidy could have played an important role in the speciation of the subgenus in this region, one of the areas of the world with a high concentration of endemic species. The relationships of some of the species are discussed.  © 2006 The Linnean Society of London, Botanical Journal of the Linnean Society , 2006, 150 , 343–353.