Proetide trilobites from the Cystoid Limestone (Ashgill) of NW Spain,and the suprageneric classification of related forms

Few trilobites of the Order Proetida have been reported from the Ordovician»Selenopeltis Province«. Herein four species from the Ashgill Cystoid Limestone of the eastern Iberian Chains, NW Spain, are described and assigned to the generaRadnoria, Harpidella, Panarchaeogonus andRorringtonia. Two species,Radnoria carlsi andRorringtonia lenis, are new, and the others are described under open nomenclature. In the appendix, classification of Proetida belonging to the Aulacopleuridae, Brachymetopidae and the new family Rorringtoniidae is discussed, and all are included in the superfamily Aulacopleuracea.     

Characterization of the placoderm (Gnathostomata) assemblage from the tetrapod‐bearing locality of Strud (Belgium,upper Famennian)

The placoderm fauna of the late Famennian tetrapod‐bearing locality of Strud, Belgium, is studied on the basis of historical and newly collected material. It includes the previously described antiarch Grossilepis rikiki, the groenlandaspidid Turrisaspis strudensis sp. nov. and the actinolepidoideid Phyllolepis undulata. P. undulata is thoroughly described and joins the list of the valid Phyllolepis species confidently diagnosed. A morphometrical analysis performed on the centronuchal and anterior ventrolateral plates of the Phyllolepis material demonstrates that there is only one species of Phyllolepis in Belgium (thus, Phyllolepis konincki becomes a junior synonym of P. undulata), that P. rossimontina (Pennsylvania) is a synonym of P. undulata and that the unity of the genus Phyllolepis is strongly supported, although the characterization of several species within this genus is blurred. The strong resemblance between the faunal compositions in Strud and Red Hill (Pennsylvania, USA) suggests important faunal exchanges between these regions of the Euramerica landmass.     

Species boundaries in the Himantura uarnak species complex (Myliobatiformes: Dasyatidae)

Samples of the ‘Himantura uarnak’ species complex (H. leoparda, H. uarnak, H. undulata under their current definitions), mostly from the Coral Triangle, were analyzed using nuclear markers and mitochondrial DNA sequences. Genotypes at five intron loci showed four reproductively isolated clusters of individuals. The COI sequences showed four major mitochondrial lineages, each diagnostic of a cluster as defined by nuclear markers. No mitochondrial introgression was detected. The average Kimura-2 parameter nucleotide distance separating clades was 0.061–0.120 (net: 0.055–0.114), while the distance separating individuals within a clade was 0.002–0.008. Additional, partial cytochrome-b gene sequences were used to link these samples with previously published sequences of reference specimens of the three nominal species. One of the clusters was identified as H. undulata and another one, as H. uarnak, while two cryptic species were uncovered within the recently-described H. leoparda, challenging the current morphology-based taxonomy of species within the H. uarnak species complex.     

Review of the Parasa undulata (Cai, 1983) species group with the first conifer-feeding larva for Limacodidae and descriptions of two new species from China and Taiwan (Lepidoptera,Limacodidae)

Although the caterpillars are well-known for the stings and magnificent coloration, the systematics of Limacodidae is historically neglected and chaotic due to the difficulty in matching the larval with adult stages as well as the very conservative and convergent adult morphology. One of the biggest taxonomic problems surrounds a collective group from Southeastern Asia, termed the “green limacodid moths”, which harbours at least 90 species placed in the genus Parasa Walker, 1859 and 14 “subunits”. The P. undulata group was previously composed of 3 species from China and Taiwan, and characterized only by wing pattern. This species group is extensively studied herein with two new species described, i.e. P. viridiflamma sp. n. (Taiwan) and P. minwangi sp. n. (S. China), and discovery of female genitalia of three species, presenting new phylogenetic insights in this potentially paraphyletic genus. In addition, one limacodid larva was found to be feeding exclusively on Picea (Pinaceae) in Taiwan. Its identity, Parasa pygmy Solovyev, 2010 in P. undulata group, is confirmed through matching its COI sequence to the adult. This discovery is also biologically significant because the previous known host breadth of Parasa was of polyphagy on various angiosperm plant families. This case, therefore, represents the first record of conifer-feeding behavior in this family as well as the first of specialized herbivory in the genus. Meanwhile, the background match between Picea leaves and larval coloration is shared with other Picea-feeding insects. This phenomenon is worth of further investigation in the aspect of convergent evolution of crypsis associated with a particular plant.     

Taxonomic status of cestodes of the genus Paracaryophyllaeus Kulakowskaja, 1961 (Caryophyllidea: Caryophyllaeidae)

A taxonomic revision of cestodes of the genus Paracaryophyllaeus Kulakowskaja, 1961, parasites of cobitid fishes, has been performed. Three species (Paracaryophyllaeus gotoi (Motomura, 1927), P. kulakowskae sp. n., and P. misgurni sp. n.) are considered valid species; two are described as new species. P. dubininorum Kulakowskaja, 1961 is a young synonym of P. gotoi. The taxonomic status for P. gotoi sensu Scholz, 1989, P. gotoi sensu Scholz et al., 2001, and Paracaryophyllaeus sp. 1 and Paracaryophyllaeus sp. 2 (described in present work) needs specification.     

A revision of the Chinese Gasteruptiidae (Hymenoptera,Evanioidea)

The Chinese fauna of the family Gasteruptiidae is revised, keyed and fully illustrated for the first time. Only one genus of this family, Gasteruption Latreille, 1796, is recorded from China. In total 28 valid species of the genus Gasteruption are recognized. Six species are new to science (Gasteruption angulatum sp. n., Gasteruption assectoides sp. n., Gasteruption coloratum sp. n., Gasteruption latitibia sp. n., Gasteruption sinepunctatum sp. n. and Gasteruption strigosum sp. n.) and eight species are reported new for China (Gasteruption bimaculatum Pasteels, 1958, Gasteruption birmanense Pasteels, 1958, Gasteruption dimidiatum Semenov, 1892, Gasteruption formilis Alekseev, 1995, Gasteruption subhamatum Pasteels, 1958, Gasteruption tonkinense Pasteels, 1958, Gasteruption tournieri Schletterer, 1885, Gasteruption transversiceps Pasteels, 1958). Three new synonyms are proposed: Gasteruption curiosum Pasteels, 1958, of Gasteruption amoyense Pasteels, 1958; Gasteruption sinense var. minus Kieffer, 1924, with Gasteruption japonicum Cameron, 1888,and Gasteruption sinense Kieffer, 1924, of Gasteruption sinarum Kieffer, 1911. Lectotypes are designated for Gasteruption corniculigerum Enderlein, 1913, Gasteruption sinense Kieffer, 1924, and Gasteruption transversiceps Pasteels, 1958. Gasteruption bihamatum Kieffer, 1911, previously reported from South China, is a South American species.     

Quelques Ustilaginales de l'Andalousie (Espagne)

A list of 14 species of Ustilaginales collected in Andalucia is presented. The records of 12 of those species are new provincial reports and the other two, Sporisorium puellare and Urocystis irregularis, are reported for the first time for the Iberian Peninsula.     

Rearing trials of Halla parthenopeia under laboratory conditions (Polychaeta: Oenonidae)

A small scale attempt to maintain and rear the worm Halla parthenopeia in laboratory conditions was conducted. Five bivalve species (Paphia undulata, Cerastoderma glaucum, Venerupis pullastra, Ruditapes decussata, and Gafrarium pectinatum) were used to investigate preferred food item, feeding rate and growth of the worm. Hallaparthenopeia are capable of using different types of clams, although they grew better with Paphia undulata and C.glaucum as food items. The highest average daily predation rates in case of P. undulata as a prey were 1.73, 2.13 and 2.57 individuals per predator per day for small, medium and large groups of H. parthenopeia, respectively. The daily predation rate on C. glaucum was low with an average: 0.50, 0.63 and 0.73 individuals per predator per day for the small, medium and large worm groups, respectively. The daily growth rate of H. parthenopiea increased when it was fed P. undulata (average: 0.083, 0.071 and 0.038 g/day for small, medium and large worm groups respectively), compared to an average of 0.044, 0.034 and 0.020 g/day for small, medium and large worm groups, respectively, when worms were fed with C. glaucum. The biochemical composition of three different sizes of the worm was also determined. Protein was the highest biochemical constituent with an average of 51% of the dry weight, followed by lipids with an average of 25.88% of the dry weight; meanwhile carbohydrate was present at an average of 20.72%. Our findings indicate that growth of H. parthenopeia can be improved when fed with a suitable prey item and suggest that it is feasible to successfully culture this protein-rich worm in captivity.     

The Iberian record of the puma-like cat Puma pardoides (Owen, 1846) (Carnivora,Felidae)

Fossil puma-like cats (Puma pardoides) are recorded from several Late Pliocene to Early Pleistocene Eurasian localities, but the interpretation of the phylogenetic relationships between them and the extant puma (Puma concolor) remains controversial. In the past, extinct puma-like cats have been classified into several genera and species, and a close relationship with both pumas (Puma concolor) and snow leopards (Uncia uncia) has been suggested. Here, we describe the fossil remains of puma-like cats from the Iberian Peninsula. These remains (from the localities of La Puebla de Valverde, Cueva Victoria and Vallparadís) cover the whole known chronological distribution of this species in Eurasia. Although there are dentognathic similarities with U. uncia, the Iberian remains of P. pardoides most closely resemble the extant P. concolor. It is concluded that P. pardoides is closely related to living pumas, which supports a likely Eurasian origin of the puma lineage.     

Paroniceratinae (Ammonoidea, Hildoceratidae) del Toarciense en las Cordilleras Ibérica y Cantábrica (España)

The Paroniceratinae constitute a group widely recorded in the Tethys realm. However, they represent alone a small part, less than 1%, of the ammonoidea obtained in Toarcian sediments from the regions located at the east of the Iberian Plateau (Iberian Range). The values are yet smaller in the northern regions (Cantabrian Range) and in the west (Portugal), and show a sporadic presence in the Betics Ranges. In this study, the biostratigraphical distribution and the biochronostratigraphical position of the recorded species in the more representative expanded sections of Spain are checked and compared with those of other areas of the NW Europe bioprovinces and of the Tethys. The obtained specimens from Frechiella: F. subcarinata (Young and Bird), F. helenae Renz, F. venantii (Catullo), F. kammerkarensis (Stolley) and F. cf. octaviae Renz are described and figured, all of them proceeding from sediments of the Bifrons Zone in the Iberian Range, as well as those of Paroniceras: P.sternale (d’Orbigny) and P.helveticum Renz, and Oxyparoniceras: O. (O.) cf. telemachi (Renz), O. (O.) buckmani (Bonarelli), O. (N.) cf. undulosum (Monestier), O. (N.) cf. morbiense (Renz) and O. (N.) cf. brocardi Rulleau, Bécaud and Neige, proceeding from sediments of the interval between the Bifrons Zone (Semipolitum Subzone) and the Insigne Zone (Insigne Subzone), in the Iberian and Cantabrian Ranges. The Frechiella and Oxyparoniceras species are developed and recorded in the Iberian Plateau margins during the Bifrons Zone and the Insigne Zone, respectively, during the same intervals than the transgressive maxima of the LJ3 and LJ4 second order cycles recognized in all the studied area, while Paroniceras species make it during the Variabilis Zone, that concur with the final regressive stage of the LJ3 cycle.     

A New Coastal Species of Limonium (Plumbaginaceae) from Southeastern Spain

A new species, Limonium scopulorum (Plumbaginaceae), is described from the maritime cliffs of Alicante province, Spain (southeastern part of the Iberian Peninsula). This new taxon belongs to the group of Limonium delicatulum, which is highly diversified in the Mediterranean territories of the Iberian Peninsula. It is related to the Balearic species L. biflorum, though several leaf, floral and chromosomal features warrant its easy recognition. Molecular divergence, shown in previous studies, also supports its separate treatment. Major affinities and differences with other related taxa are discussed. Moreover, morphological, ecological, chorological, biogeographic features of the new taxon are discussed, and its conservation status is reported. An identification key is provided for Spanish taxa of the Limonium delicatulum group.     

Lichenized species of Omphalina (Tricholomataceae) in the Iberian Peninsula

Abstract:A taxonomic revision of the lichenized species of the genus Omphalina in the Iberian Peninsula is presented, based upon fungal and lichen herbarium material, as well as on fresh collections. Relevant morphological and ecological features are discussed and a diagnostic key is provided. Four lichenized species, O. ericetorum, O. hudsoniana, O. meridionalis and O. velutina, are recognized. A squamulose vegetative thallus (Coriscium -type) is present only in O. hudsoniana, while the other three species form a thallus of hyphal globules (Botrydina -type). Anatomical features of the vegetative thallus cannot be used to distinguish between these last three species. Whilst O. hudsoniana is known only from the montane belt of the Eurosiberian Region and O. meridionalis seems to be restricted to the Mediterranean Region, living in more or less humid sites of the Supramediterranean belt, the other two species, O. ericetorum and O. velutina, are widespread.     

The geographical distribution and (palaeo)ecology of Selenopemphix undulata sp. nov., a new late Quaternary dinoflagellate cyst from the Pacific Ocean

Detailed palynological studies in the northeast (NE) Pacific, Strait of Georgia (BC, Canada), southeast (SE) Pacific and northwest Pacific (Dongdo Bay, South Korea) resulted in the recognition of the new dinoflagellate cyst species Selenopemphix undulata sp. nov. This species is restricted to cool temperate to sub-polar climate zones, where it is found in highest relative abundances in highly productive non- to reduced upwelling regions with an annual mean sea-surface temperature (aSST) below 16 °C and an annual mean sea-surface salinity (aSSS) between 20 and 35 psu. Those observations are in agreement with the late Quaternary fossil records from Santa Barbara Basin (ODP 893; 34°N) and offshore Chile (ODP 1233; 41°S), where this species thrived during the last glacial. This period was characterised by high nutrient availability and the absence of species favouring upwelling conditions. The indirect dependence of S. undulata sp. nov. abundances on nutrient availability during reduced or non-upwelling periods is expressed by the synchronous fluctuations with diatom abundances, since the distribution and growth rates of the latter are directly related with the availability of macronutrients in the surface waters.     

A new dugong species (Sirenia,Dugongidae) from the Eocene of Catalonia (NE Iberian Peninsula)

A new stem dugongid species, Prototherium ausetanum sp. nov. (Dugongidae, Halitheriinae), is described based on a cranium from the middle Eocene of Mas Vilageliu (Tona, NE Iberian Peninsula). The new species displays a combination of features that enables its distinction from other halitheriines, including Prototherium veronense (type species of the genus), Prototherium? intermedium (which likely belongs to a different genus), and Prototherium? montserratense (here considered a nomen dubium), as well as Eotheroides spp. In overall morphology (e.g., dolichocephaly) the new species more closely resembles species previously included in Prototherium. However, a cladistic analysis based on craniodental features recovers the new species as the sister taxon of Eotheroides aegyptiacum (type species of this genus), further constituting a polytomy with P. veronense, Eotheroides lambondrano and the remaining Halitheriinae. Our analysis further indicates that P.? intermedium is more derived than other species of Prototherium, but it does not conclusively resolve the phylogenetic relationships between the included species of Prototherium and Eotheroides. A deeper taxonomic revision of these two genera would be required in order to better resolve the phylogeny of early dugongids.     

Circanota: a new genus of Sparganothini from the Neotropics,and its two new species (Lepidoptera,Tortricidae)

Circanota, new genus, and its two new species, Circanota undulata sp. n. (type species), from Costa Rica and Panama, and Circanota simplex sp. n., from Panama and Ecuador, are described and illustrated. Although superficially similar to some species of Platynota Clemens, 1860, Circanota appears to be more closely related to members of a putative clade within Sparganothini defined by a slender crescent-shaped signum in the corpus bursae of the female genitalia. The most conspicuous autapomorphy for Circanota is the strongly undulate costa of the male and female forewing. Barcode sequence data (i.e., cytochrome oxidase I) from Circanota undulata (n = 12) form a tight cluster with exceedingly limited genetic divergence (less than 0.1%); specimens of Circanota simplex have not been sequenced. In neighbor-joining trees based on COI, Circanota is portrayed nearest Sparganothoides, which is consistent with morphological evidence.