Some new Darwin vascular plant specimens from the Beagle voyage

This paper reports 24 newly discovered specimens of 21 species made by Charles Darwin in Argentina, Australia, Brazil, Chile, Ecuador and Uruguay while on the 1831–1836 voyage of HMS Beagle. They have been found in Cambridge University Herbarium and the herbaria of the Missouri Botanical Garden, Natural History Museum, London, New York Botanical Garden and the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew, since the earlier publications of Porter. Included are type specimens of Calceolaria darwinii (isotype; = C. uniflora), Cuscuta gymnocarpa (holotype and isotypes), C. sandwichiana var. mimosae (isolectotypes = C. gymnocarpa), Ephedra frustillata (lectotype and isolectotypes), Ourisia breviflora (isolectotype), Polypodium paleaceum (syntype?; = Ctenitis sloanei) and Urera gaudichaudiana (holotype; = Laportea aestuans). © 2009 The Linnean Society of London, Botanical Journal of the Linnean Society, 2009, 159 , 12–18.     

Do tracheid microstructure and the presence of minute crystals link Nymphaeaceae,Cabombaceae and Hydatellaceae?

Original scanning electron microscopy (SEM) observations are presented for stems of Brasenia schreberi and Cabomba caroliniana of Cabombaceae and three species of Trithuria of Hydatellaceae. End walls of stem tracheids of Brasenia have the same peculiar microstructure that we have reported in Barclaya, Euryale, Nuphar, Nymphaea (including Ondinea) and Victoria of Nymphaeaceae. This feature unites Cabombaceae with Nymphaeaceae. The minute rhomboidal crystals on the surfaces of stellate parenchyma cells of Brasenia reported by Solereder (1906. Oxford: University Press), but not noticed since, are figured. They are like the minute crystals of the often‐mentioned astrosclereids of Nymphaeaceae. Neither of these two features has been observed in Hydatellaceae. If the absence of these two features can be confirmed, the reason may be more related to ecology, development, habit and anatomical organization than to degree of phylogenetic relationship as shown by molecular studies. Anatomical observations on the stem anatomy of Trithuria are offered on the basis of paraffin sections prepared for a paper by Cheadle & Kosakai (1975. American Journal of Botany 62: 1017–1026); that study is notable for a discrepancy between an illustration of a specialized vessel element on the one hand and tabular data indicating long scalariform perforation plates on the other. Long scalariform perforation plates are mostly found in scalariformly pitted vessels of monocots, whereas the tracheary elements of Trithuria mostly have helical or annular thickenings. We were unable to demonstrate the presence of vessels in Hydatellaceae. © 2009 The Linnean Society of London, Botanical Journal of the Linnean Society, 2009, 159 , 572–582.     

A summary of fossil records for Arecaceae

Of all monocotyledons the Arecaceae displays by far the richest fossil record, and there is an extensive literature. The earliest unequivocal fossil palm material probably dates from the early to mid Late Cretaceous (Turonian > Coniacian > Santonian). The records are geographically widespread and comprise a wide range of organs: leaves, cuticles, stems, rhizomes, roots, fruits, seeds, endocarps, rachillae, peduncles, inflorescences, individual flowers and pollen. For some of these organs records are rare while for others, such as leaves, stems and pollen, records are abundant. However, fossil material often lacks sufficient diagnostic detail to allow reasonable association with living palm taxa beyond, or even to, subfamilial level. Nevertheless, many fossil genera and numerous species have been described. A brief survey of palm fossil records is presented, and their taxonomy and morphological limitations are considered. © 2006 The Linnean Society of London, Botanical Journal of the Linnean Society , 2006, 151 , 39–67.     

New Aegisthidae (Copepoda: Harpacticoida) from western Pacific cold seeps and hydrothermal vents

Hyperbenthic harpacticoid samples from Japanese hydrothermal vents in the Okinawa Trough and cold seep sites in Sagami Bay were examined and resulted in the discovery of four new species belonging to three new genera of Aegisthidae (Copepoda: Harpacticoida). Females of Nudivorax todai gen. et sp. nov. possess a large area of flexible integument between the cephalosome and the first pedigerous somite which is suggestive of a gorging feeding strategy. Main diagnostic characters separating the new genus from other Aegisthidae are provided by the unusually short caudal rami, the complete lack of intcgumcntal surface lamellae, and the presence in the male of a linear array of pores along the rostral margin which appears to be sensory in function. Scabrantenna yooi gen. et sp. nov. displays several similarities with Aegisthus aculeatus Giesbrecht, 1891 but is highly distinctive in its male morphology which includes extremely atrophied mouthparts and a unique prehensile antenna. Jamstecia terazakii gen. et sp. nov. is only known from a single female caught in the Okinawa Trough. Jamstecia gen. nov. is most closely related to Andromastax Conroy-Dalton & Huys, 1999 but can be distinguished on the basis of the elongate antennules, the antennary morphology, the absence of lateral spinous processes on the cephalosome and swimming legs 2–4, and differences in the mandibular palp and armature of the maxilliped. Andromastax cephaloceratus sp. nov. differs from the type species A. muricatus Conroy-Dalton & Huys, 1998 primarily in the presence of long spinous processes on the cephalosome and the absence of the inner seta on the female P5.     

Molecular evidence using enzyme and RAPD markers for sympatric evolution in British species of Tetramesa (Hymenoptera: Eurytomidae)

Some species of the insect genus Tetramesa (Hymenoptera: Eurytomidae), which has a world‐wide distribution, are morphologically very similar, both in the adult and larval stages. In the British Isles, there are 37 recorded species, all of which feed on grasses as larvae and are largely host specific. Some form galls on their hosts; others do not. We used a range of enzyme and random amplified polymorphic DNA (RAPD) markers to investigate a complex of five cryptic species occurring sympatrically in the UK, collected from seven sites in mainland England and Wales: T. calamagrostidis (von Schlechtendal), T. longicornis (Walker) and T. petiolata (Walker) infesting different grass hosts, and T. hyalipennis (Walker) s.l. comprising two‐host adapted forms (labelled 1 and 2) reared from the grasses Elymus repens and E. farctus, respectively. Nine soluble enzyme systems (some known to be polymorphic in other insects) and 37 RAPD primers allowed taxonomic separation of the species. However, whilst RAPD markers were able to discriminate between the two host‐adapted forms of T. hyalipennis, enzyme markers (producing phenotypic profiles in the absence of genetic crosses) could not. Upon calculating genetic distances for the RAPD data from which a cladogram of Euclidean distances (relatedness) was produced along with multivariate analysis of the data, T. longicornis was shown to be the most ‘basal’ species, and most related to T. hyalipennis s.l.; T. calamagrostidis and T. petiolata were found to be more distantly related to these species but most closely related to each other. The two forms of T. hyalipennis s.l. appear to be the most closely related of any of the species investigated, probably diverging the most recently. From this data, and since the populations examined were all sympatric without obvious physical barriers to reproduction, it can be concluded that some degree of sympatric evolution has occurred, most obviously in the case of the host‐adapted forms of T. hyalipennis. If so, this complex of species could be another rare example of sympatric speciation in insects. Further research using more sophisticated molecular markers such as microsatellites, amplified fragment length polymorphic markers (AFLPs) and DNA sequencing (e.g. of mtDNA and ribosomal DNA regions), in conjunction with behavioural studies, are required to further elucidate this interesting species group. © 2004 The Linnean Society of London, Biological Journal of the Linnean Society, 2004, 83 , 509–525.     

Polyploidy in invasive plant species of Singapore

Singapore is a recognized global hotspot for invasive species and many introduced plant species have become major weeds there. Some of the common invasive taxa, such as Asystasia gangetica ssp. micrantha , Mimosa pigra , Neptunia plena , Panicum maximum , and Urochloa mutica , are spread over large areas and dominate the indigenous flora in some habitats. In a study aimed at understanding the relationship between polyploidy and invasiveness, we show that all the investigated invasive taxa are polyploids. A. gangetica ssp. micrantha , N. plena , and P. maximum vary in chromosome number and ploidy level across the world, but we recorded only one chromosome count for each of these species in Singapore. Similarly, the cytology of M. pigra and U. mutica also revealed that these species are polyploid, each with only one chromosome number across all populations. The results indicate that one polyploid line in each of these species has been selected favourably and has become invasive. We also show that all the species exhibit normal male meiosis and possess high percentages of pollen fertility. Based on the present study and an analysis of previously reported ploidy levels, we suggest that these taxa are probably of allopolyploid origin. We conclude that polyploidy and an effective reproductive system are a perfect mix for successful invasion by these species in Singapore.  © 2006 The Linnean Society of London, Botanical Journal of the Linnean Society , 2006, 151 , 395–403.     

Systematics of the Miocene–Recent bryozoan genus Pentapora (Cheilostomata)

The four existing species of the ascophoran bryozoan Pentapora Fisher, 1807 are revised, and two new fossil species are introduced: Pentapora lacryma sp. nov. from the Pliocene Coralline Crag Formation of Suffolk, and Pentapora clipeus sp. nov. from the Pliocene of Emilia, Italy. The Arctic species Pentapora boreale Kuklinski & Hayward possesses a lyrula, does not belong in Pentapora, and is a junior synonym of Raymondcia rigida (Lorenz). The morphology of the autozooids is relatively uniform within the genus, and the main distinguishing characters are those of the ovicells and, particularly, the giant avicularia that are developed sporadically in all species apart from Pentapora foliacea, popularly known as ‘Ross coral’. A phylogenetic analysis based on skeletal characters returned a single shortest tree in which the three species of Pentapora from the North Atlantic (P. foliacea, Pentapora pertusa, and P. lacryma sp. nov. ) form a clade crownward of the three basal species from the Mediterranean (Pentapora ottomulleriana, Pentapora fascialis, and P. clipeus sp. nov. ). © 2010 The Linnean Society of London, Zoological Journal of the Linnean Society, 2010, 160 , 17–39.     

Eocene handfishes from Monte Bolca,with description of a new genus and species,and a phylogeny of the family Brachionichthyidae (Teleostei: Lophiiformes)

The family Brachionichthyidae, commonly known as the handfishes, is a small group of lophiiform fishes, the living species of which are restricted in distribution mostly to shallow temperate and subtropical waters of Tasmania and southern and eastern Australia. Despite their narrow present‐day distribution, and the extreme rarity of lophiiforms in the fossil record, handfishes are well represented in the Eocene of Monte Bolca, Italy. A revision of the known fossil material shows the presence of two fossil species in two monotypic genera, ?Histionotophorus and ? Orrichthys gen. nov. Diagnoses of the family Brachionichthyidae, the two fossil genera, as well as two recognized extant genera Brachionichthys and Sympterichthys are provided. An osteological analysis of ?Histionotophorus bassani revealed many new features as well as reinterpretations of some previously described skeletal parts. A phylogenetic analysis of brachionichthyid genera and representatives of the antennarioid families Antennariidae, Tetrabrachiidae, and Lophichthyidae, using 36 morphological characters, strongly supported monophyly of brachionichthyids and antennarioids, the former taxon representing the sister group of the other families of the latter. Within the Brachionichthyidae, the two extant genera Brachionichthys and Sympterichthys form a species pair, as do the extinct genera ?Histionotophorus and ? Orrichthys gen. nov. Biogeographical considerations suggest that the present geographical range of handfishes can be considered a residual distribution of a temporally and spatially dynamic range shift. © 2010 The Linnean Society of London, Zoological Journal of the Linnean Society, 2010, 160 , 621–647.