Description of a New Helicopsyche Species from China (Trichoptera: Helicopsychidae)

Helicopsyche zhejiangensis sp. n. from southeastern China is described and figured, representing the first record of this family in China. The species has a general resemblance with Helicopsyche species known from the Oriental Region, and the East Palaearctic species Helicopsyche coreana Mey from North Korea.     

New insights on diversity,morphology and distribution of Culicoides Latreille 1809 (Diptera: Ceratopogonidae) from Northeast Spain

The present work provides an improvement on the knowledge of the diversity, morphology and distribution of Culicoides species in Catalonia (NE Spain). Data derived from morphology and sequencing allowed to detect the presence of 13 species non previously found in the surveillance area, updating the number of species recorded in Catalonia up to 53. Of special interest among the newly recorded species are: 1) C. yemenensis, new record for Europe, 2) C. coluzzii and C. sejfadinei, being new records for the Iberian Peninsula, and 3) C. pseudopallidus which is new record for Spain. Regarding the current distribution of Culicoides species, two eco-zones were detected in the region, the first eco-zone had species with typical northern Palaearctic (European) distribution whereas the second had species with typical southern Palaearctic (African) distribution, which were apparently influenced by mean high temperature of the warmest month and annual precipitation rate.     

First record of the genus Adelphocorisella Miyamoto and Yasunaga (Hemiptera: Miridae) from Korea

Adelphocorisella lespedezae Miyamoto and Yasunaga, 1993 , which was previously known only from Japan, is reported from Korea for the first time and diagnosed. An image of its dorsal habitus as well as illustrations of the male genitalia are provided. The discovery of the mirid species also represents the first distributional record in Korea as well as the continental Palaearctic Region for the genus Adelphocorisella Miyamoto and Yasunaga, 1993 .     

Phylogeny and biogeography of Coenonympha butterflies (Nymphalidae: Satyrinae) – patterns of colonization in the Holarctic

Abstract We studied the historical biogeography of a group of butterflies in the Holarctic region belonging to the genus Coenonympha (Nymphalidae: Satyrinae: Coenonymphina), based on a phylogenetic hypothesis estimated from three genes. The genus is distributed mainly in the Palaearctic region, with two species extending into the Nearctic region. The tree is generally well supported and shows that Coenonympha is paraphyletic with respect to Lyela ( syn.n. ) and Triphysa ( syn.n. ), and we hence synonymize the latter two with Coenonympha. Within Coenonympha we identify three species groups, the tullia, glycerion and hero groups. The North American tullia exemplars are not sister to the Eurasian ones. A diva analysis indicates that the ancestor of the group was present in the Central Palaearctic or Central Palaeartic + Western Palaearctic or Central Palaearctic + Eastern Palaearctic. We conclude that the most likely origin of extant members of Coenonympha was in the Central Asian mountains. The tullia and hero groups started diverging in Europe following dispersal into the region. There have been two independent colonizations into Africa. The drying up of the Mediterranean during the Messinian period probably played an important role, allowing colonization into the Mediterranean islands and Africa.     

Mammal distributions in the western Mediterranean: the role of human intervention

The natural distribution of the 17 non-flying mammal species occurring wild in both the Maghreb (north-west Africa) and Iberia (south-west Europe) is considered. It is concluded that only four species – Red Fox Vulpes vulpes, Wild Boar Sus scrofa, Wild Cat Felis silvestris and Otter Lutra lutra – are native to both regions, while another three – Red Deer Cervus elaphus, Brown Bear Ursus arctos and Aurochs Bos primigenius – were native to North Africa until the mid-Holocene but have probably died out naturally. Algerian Hedgehog Atelerix algirus, Barbary Ape Macaca sylvanus, Genet Genetta genetta and Egyptian Mongoose Herpestes ichneumon are widely accepted as introductions to Europe from North Africa. The remaining six species, and Red Deer now found in Africa, were also probably introduced – Rabbit Oryctolagus cuniculus, Weasel Mustela nivalis, Wood Mouse Apodemus sylvaticus and Lesser White-toothed Shrew Crocidura russula from Europe to Africa; Algerian Mouse Mus spretus from Africa to Europe; Savi’s Pygmy Shrew Suncus etruscus perhaps from the eastern Mediterranean to both Iberia and the Maghreb. There are two Maghrebi species which, although not found in Europe, are more closely related to Palaearctic than to Afrotropical species: Garden Dormouse Eliomys melanurus, probably native to north-west Africa, although possible augmentation of the natural population cannot be ruled out, and Whitaker’s Shrew Crocidura whitakeri, a North African endemic. Removal of so many species of European provenance from the list of mammals native to north-west Africa should not be considered to weaken its position as part of the Palaearctic zoogeographical region. Bats and other, non-mammalian, taxa illustrate the clear faunal relationship between the Maghreb and south-west Europe, whilst emphasizing its distinction from subsaharan Africa.     

Systematics and biogeography of the genus Actenodia (Coleoptera: Meloidae: Mylabrini)

Abstract.  The genus Actenodia Laporte de Castelnau (Meloidae: Mylabrini) is revised. It includes 18 species distributed in the Mediterranean and Saharo-Arabian regions, and in eastern and southern Africa; A. carpanetoi sp.n. from Mozambique is described. The bionomics of the genus is summarized, according to a collection of records on phenology, elevation, habitat preference and host plants. A classification of the genus is proposed after a morphological cladistic analysis: one Afrotropical lineage clearly emerged with three distinct groups of species, whereas other taxa, all Palaearctic except A. mirabilis , remained unresolved. The analysis of the nuclear internal transcribed spacer 2 rDNA sequences of some Palaearctic and Afrotropical species supports the distinction of the Afrotropical lineage. The first instar larvae of two species, A. chrysomelina from southern Africa and A. denticulata from Arabia, are described for the first time and compared with two other Palaearctic species described previously; inferences from larval morphology are discussed. The adult morphology of all species is described briefly and illustrated, and a key to the species is provided, as well as locality data. Three new synonymies are proposed: A. extera Dvořák, 1993 syn.n. = A. septempunctata Baudi di Selve, 1878; A. sexpunctata Pic, 1948 syn.n . = A. curtula Fähraeus, 1870 ; A. unimaculata lanzai Kaszab, 1973 syn.n . = A. unimaculata Pic, 1908. The biogeography of the genus is discussed within the framework of a more general analysis of the disjunct distribution models.     

THE INUNDATION ZONE OF THE NIGER AS AN ENVIRONMENT FOR PALAEARCTIC MIGRANTS

Of at least 350 species so far recorded within the boundaries of the Niger Inundation Zone, no less than 108 (31%) are wholly or partially of Palaearctic origin. Five main habitats are recognized in the region: wetland, hygrophilous grassland, transition zone, non-flooded areas and aerial. The habitats, the Palaearctic migrants and their possible Ethiopian competitors are described and discussed. The annual Niger flood regime enables Palaearctic waterbirds to find suitable habitats somewhere within the region during all seasons, but most widely during the autumn and winter months of the flood recession. Non-aquatic species inhabiting flood plain grassland are scarce during the Palaearctic autumn, when the growth of vegetation reaches its maximum, becoming commoner and more diverse during the winter months. Wetland warblers of the genera Acrocephalus and Locustella have not been recorded on autumn passage. It is suggested that in some years at least, these and other trans-Saharan migrants from the West Palaearctic overfly the Sahelian latitudes of mid-West Africa. Species inhabiting the transition zone (which increases in area during years of below average rains and floods) are most in evidence at the end of the winter period and during the spring hot dry season, prior to northward trans-Saharan migration. Habitats and species encountered in the non-flooded areas are similar to those recorded in the Sahel zone elsewhere in West Africa. Aerial habitat is utilized by Common Swifts arriving en masse in early August, at the maximum development of the south-westerly monsoon airstream. Several aquatic species and the first few trans-Saharan migrants also occur during the summer rainy season. Some species (e. g. Whiskered Tern, Lesser Kestrel, Turtle Dove, Short-toed Lark and Sand Martin) are most numerous during the late winter and spring hot seasons, when conditions provided by the Inundation Zone may be more suitable for pre-migration feeding than in other parts of the Sahel zone. As yet there is virtually no information available to determine any effects that drought seasons or flood variation may have on the migrant populations.     

Syntopic occurrence of new species ofPolystoma andMetapolystoma (Monogenea: Polystomatidae) inPtychadena porosissima in South Africa

Polystoma sodwanensis n. sp. andMetapolystoma porosissimae n. sp. are described as new species of the Polystomatidae parasitic in the urinary bladder of adultPtychadena porosissima collected in northern Natal, South Africa. Of 26 frogs examined, 11 host individuals were infected with one of the two parasite species, while in five both parasite species occurred. This is the first record of two different genera of polystomatids occurring together in one host species and the first record ofMetapolystoma in South Africa. The exceptional nature of the reported double infection is discussed in terms of host specificity within the Polystomatidae. Relevant information is given on the ecology and distribution of the host,Ptychadena porosissima.To whom correspondence should be addressed.     

Patterns of formation of the flea (Siphonaptera) fauna in the Caucasus

Fleas of the Caucasus belong to 155 species of 40 genera, constituting 17% and 43% of the species and generic composition of the Palaearctic fauna, respectively. The Caucasian fauna includes 23 endemic species but no endemic genera or subgenera. In the number of species, the Caucasian fauna is similar to that of the Mediterranean Subregion and is significantly poorer than the faunas of the Euro-Siberian (by 2.2 times) and Irano-Turanian (by 1.7 times) Subregions. Based on taxonomic diversity, we can propose a hypothesis on the West and East Palaearctic sources of the Caucasian fauna. The West Palaearctic source has determined the distribution of pulicomorph fleas of the families Pulicidae and Coptopsyllidae from Africa, on the one hand, and of fleas of the genera Ctenopthalmus and Palaeopsylla from Europe, on the other hand. Fleas of the Holarctic genera, such as Ceratophyllus and Megabothris, entered the Caucasus by the north Asian route; fleas of the genera Neopsylla, Rhadinopsylla, and Hystrichopsylla migrated to the Caucasus from east and central Asia by the south Asian route, through Middle and Western Asia.     

Modern classification and distribution of the family Issidae Spinola (Homoptera,Auchenorrhyncha: Fulgoroidea)

The modern classification of the family Issidae s. str. is presented according to which the family consists of 3 tribes: Issini, Hemisphaeriini, and Parahiraciini and comprises a total of 994 species and subspecies in 159 genera. The largest tribe, Issini, is distributed worldwide and comprises 129 genera with 755 species and subspecies. The tribes Hemisphaeriini and Parahiraciini are much smaller and mostly distributed in the Indo-Malayan Realm with some taxa also present in the Eastern Palaearctic and the Oceania. The tribe Hemisphaeriini consists of 15 genera with 187 species and subspecies while Parahiraciini includes 14 genera with 38 species. The Palaearctic and Indo-Malayan Realms have the richest faunas of Issidae. In contrast, Equatorial Africa has a very poor fauna of the family, whereas the Australian fauna is still almost undescribed. Chimetopon camerunensis Schmidt is recorded for the first time from Central African Republic and Gabon, and Sarima erythrocyclos Fennah, from Taveuni Island (Fiji).     

Dialipsis villahermosae Humala & Selfa n. sp. (Hymenoptera: Ichneumonidae), the second European species of the genus,with biological notes and a key of Palaearctic species

The small genus Dialipsis Förster 1869 (Hymenoptera: Ichneumonidae) includes two known species, of which one is common in Central and Northern Europe. Here we describe the male and female of a new species, Dialipsis villahermosae Humala & Selfa, which was reared from mushrooms collected in Eastern Spain. The host fungus gnat, Mycetophila blanda Winnertz, is a new record for the whole genus, while the rate of parasitism seems very low. Based on environmental data of the collection localities and data available for other two species it is suggested that Dialipsis species occur preferably in cool temperatures habitats. A key of identification of the two known Palaearctic species is provided. D. villahermosae n. sp. differs from D. exilis Förster 1871 in the morphology of the first tergite, referred to the presence of dorsal keels and angle between petiole and postpetiole, and in the convexity of temples.     

7. GENERAL NOTES

Hockey, P. A. R., Brooke, R. K., Cooper, J., Sinclair, J. C. &; Tree, A. J. 1986. Rare and vagrant scolopacid waders in southern Africa. Ostrich 57: 37–55.

Records of rare scolopacid waders in southern Africa are reviewed. 374 records of 15 species are accepted: seven of four Nearctic species. 51 of four Holarctic species and 316 of seven Palaearctic species. Their spatial and temporal (year and season) occurrence is analysed and their habitat requirements in southern Africa are described.     

Migration patterns and habitat use by passerine and near-passerine migrant birds in eastern Africa

Palaearctic migrant passerines and near-passerines which visit eastern Africa can be divided into six groups based on the latitude of their final wintering area. Species wintering further north in Africa tend (a) to breed in more southern parts of the Palaearctic, (b) to prefer drier habitats and (c) to feed more from the ground than those wintering further south. Many species use quite narrow passage routes through eastern Africa and, for some species, passage is centred further east in spring than in autumn. Southward migration can take more than 4 months from the Palaearctic breeding grounds and many birds stopover in the northern tropics from September to November. By contrast, the return migration takes only about 6 weeks. The timing and strategy of migration within Africa can be broadly related to seasonal patterns of rainfall and vegetation.     

中国福利祝蛾属研究及新种记述(鳞翅目:祝蛾科)

福利祝蛾属Frisilia在中国已记载2种,本文记述2新种,安宁福利祝蛾F.anningensissp．nov．和条斑福利祝蛾F．siriapunctatasp．nov．及一新纪录种,黄福利祝蛾F．homochloraMeyrick,至此我国的福利祝蛾达5种。文中对属征作了综述,并编制了分种检索表。模式标本保存在中国科学院动物研究所。     

First Record of the Peritrich Trichodina diaptomiBasson and Van As, 1991 (Protozoa: Ciliophora) on a South American Calanoid Notodiaptomus deitersi (Poppe, 1890) (Crustacea: Copepoda)

ABSTRACT. The ciliate Trichodina was recorded on the calanoid Notodiaptomus deitersi in a shallow, eutrophic reservoir, located in the centre‐west of Brazil. The species was confirmed as Trichodina diaptomi, a species widely distributed in Europe, Africa, Asia and Australia. It was observed moving freely over the carapace of the copepod, and using its adhesive disc. This is the first record for the species in the Americas.     

Origins of Horseshoe Bats (Rhinolophus, Rhinolophidae) in Southern Africa: Evidence from Allozyme Variability

Morphological analyses indicate that horsehose bats in the genus Rhinolophus constitute a monophyletic group which most likely originated in southeastern Asia but which presently inhabits Oriental, Australian, Palaearctic, and Ethiopian zoogeographical provinces. Ten species occur in southern Africa, but it is uncertain which species represent dispersals from Eurasia through North Africa and which have resulted from speciation in Africa. Analyses of 34 allozyme encoding loci in these 10 species and in 2 southern African species of leafnose bats in the sister genus Hipposideros reveal the presence of at least three lineages of Rhinolophus in southern Africa. One lineage includes R. clivosus, R. darlingi, R. fumigatus, and R. hildebrandtii, all of which, except R. clivosus, are endemic to sub-Saharan Africa. Rhinolophus blasii is genetically allied with, but distinct from this group, and appears to be a recent migrant from another lineage centered on the Mediterranean. A third lineage, including at least R. capensis, R. denti, R. simulator, and R. swinnyi, is endemic to sub-Saharan Africa. The phylogenetic position of R. landeri is uncertain, most likely because of the small sample size used to estimate allelic frequencies for this species. The biochemical genetic definitions of these lineages largely agree with previous morphological analyses of Rhinolophus species. Divergences between species within two lineages (R. clivosus, R. darlingi, R. fumigatus, and R. hildebrandtii; and R. capensis, R. denti, R. simulator, and R. swinnyi) appear to reflect two bursts of speciation in the Plio-Pleistocene period within Africa.     

Birds from the Far East in Central Europe: a test of the reverse migration hypothesis

Every year birdwatchers throughout Europe record the arrival of a considerable number of vagrants from the eastern Palaearctic. We analysed the occurrence of such vagrants in Central Europe of the genera Phylloscopus, Turdus and Zoothera in Central Europe. Our results revealed that the occurrence of a species depended on total population size, but not on body size. Furthermore, the occurrence of species in Central Europe increased with distance between the breeding range and wintering range, but the distance between the breeding range and Europe had no effect. These results indicate that the migratory restlessness of species determines whether an East Asian species arrives in Europe. Overall, our data support the hypothesis that the migratory program determines vagrancy.     

New piophilid in town: the first Palaearctic record of Piophila megastigmata and its coexistence with Piophila casei in central Spain

The genus Piophila Fallén (Diptera: Piophilidae) is known from only two species: Piophila casei (L.) is a major pest, a cosmopolitan species and is commonly used as a forensic indicator, whereas Piophila megastigmata McAlpine has until now only been recorded in a natural environment in South Africa. The present work reports the first occurrence of P. megastigmata in the Palaearctic region from specimens collected by carrion‐baited traps throughout different natural habitats of central Spain. Furthermore, the species was also collected with P. casei on corpses of domestic pigs used in a carrion succession study in a periurban habitat in central Spain. Both species occurred on carrion in different seasons, but P. megastigmata was more abundant than P. casei in autumn, arriving earlier at the carcasses and persisting for a longer period. The contrary pattern was observed in spring. The presence of P. megastigmata in different localities in central Spain and its coexistence with P. casei in a periurban habitat make it a potentially useful new tool for legal medicine in Europe; thus this species must be considered in forensic entomology studies.     

Human evolution

The common ancestor of modern humans and the great apes is estimated to have lived between 5 and 8 Myrs ago, but the earliest evidence in the human, or hominid, fossil record is Ardipithecus ramidus, from a 4.5 Myr Ethiopian site. This genus was succeeded by Australopithecus, within which four species are presently recognised. All combine a relatively primitive postcranial skeleton, a dentition with expanded chewing teeth and a small brain. The most primitive species in our own genus, Homo habilis and Homo rudolfensis, are little advanced over the australopithecines and with hindsight their inclusion in Homo may not be appropriate. The first species to share a substantial number of features with later Homo is Homo ergaster, or ‘early African Homo erectus’, which appears in the fossil record around 2.0 Myr. Outside Africa, fossil hominids appear as Homo erectus-like hominids, in mainland Asia and in Indonesia close to 2 Myr ago; the earliest good evidence of ‘archaic Homo’ in Europe is dated at between 600–700 Kyr before the present. Anatomically modern human, or Homo sapiens, fossils are seen first in the fossil record in Africa around 150 Kyr ago. Taken together with molecular evidence on the extent of DNA variation, this suggests that the transition from ‘archiac’ to ‘modern’ Homo may have taken place in Africa.