Taxonomic revision of the genus Jassidophaga Aczél (Diptera: Pipunculidae) in Korea

In this paper, three Korean species of the big‐head fly, genus Jassidophaga Aczél were treated: J. chiiensis (Ouchi), J. pala (Morakote) and J. villosa (Roser). Of these, J. pala is reported in Korea for the first time. A key to Korean species and photographs on external features are given.     

A new species of saw‐scaled viper of the Echis coloratus complex (Ophidia: Viperidae) from Oman,Eastern Arabia

A study of 353 museum specimens of the Echis coloratus complex from its entire range of distribution revealed an undescribed species in the United Arab Emirates and northern Oman. The results of UPGMA clustering and principal coordinate analysis of 138 male and 142 female specimens yielded for both sexes two major clusters, one with specimens from the UAE and northern Oman and one from southern and western Arabia, the Levant and Egypt. The new species has a longer tail with higher subcaudal counts; the lower prenasal scale is often missing and the upper prenasal is frequently fused with the nasal; the subnasal is often missing or fused with the nasal. The gular scales between the chin‐shield and the preventrals are round or only slightly elongate, not elongate as in Echis coloratus, and their number is higher. Other differences in characters of the gular area indicate a different scale structure of the ventral surface of the head. The new species is allopatric or parapatric with E. coloratus, but sympatric with Echis carinatus sochureki.     

The colonisation of experimental ponds by Chironomidae (Diptera)

The colonisation and succession of chironomids in a newly‐dug gravel pit habitat was investigated using replicate experimental ponds sampled during the summers of 1977 and 1978. In 1977 larvaeand emerging adults were collected, whilst in 1978 only adults were sampled. Benthic sampling showed the larval communities to be predominated by Chironomus spp. whilst trapping of adults showed that this group accounted for only 4% of the emergence. This difference is attributed to the selective retention of the larger Chironomus larvae by the sieve used to screen benthos samples. The pioneer chironomid communities in the ponds are compared using similarity and diversity indices on adult emergence data. These showed that the pond communities were remarkably uniform in 1977, the first year of their existence, due to the predominance of Tanytarsus gracilentus. In 1978 the communities were much more variable. The community structure changed within the two years, with equitability increasing rapidly to that characteristic of a much more mature habitat. These successional changes are attributed to a reduction in uniformity of the habitat resulting from the growth of aquatic macrophytes.     

Milnesium berladnicorum sp. n. (Eutardigrada,Apochela, Milnesiidae), a new species of water bear from Romania

In a lichen sample collected from a tree in Bârlad town (Vaslui County, Romania), a new tardigrade species belonging to the genus Milnesium (granulatum group) was found. Milnesium berladnicorum sp. n. is most similar (in the type of dorsal sculpture) to Milnesium beasleyi Kaczmarek et al., 2012 but differs from it mainly by having a different claw configuration and some morphometric characters. Additionally, the new species differs from other congeners of the granulatum group by the different type of dorsal sculpture, claw configuration and some morphometric characters.     

Editorial note

Phylogenetic analyses of the Dasyaceae based on sequence analysis of the large subunit of ribulose-1,5-bisphosphate carboxylase/oxygenase (rbcL) and 42 morphological characters are presented. Comparative sequence analysis confirms the general view of the Ceramiaceae as a primitive, paraphyletic group giving rise to the Rhodomelaceae, Delesseriaceae and Dasyaceae within the monophyletic Ceramiales. On the basis of both data sets, the Heterosiphonia-like genera (Heterosiphonia, Colacodasya and Dasyella) are the most primitive members of the Dasyaceae, whereas the Dasya-like genera (Dasya, Pogonophorella, Eupogodon and Rhodoptilum) and Thuretia and Dictyurus are of more recent origin. On the basis of morphological data only, Thuretia and Dictyurus form a sister group to Heterosiphonia, and Eupogodon is monophyletic whereas Dasya and Heterosiphonia are not. Primary radial symmetry has arisen once in the Dasya clade but is secondarily obscured in some species by heavy, asymmetrical cortication that gives the appearance of bilateral symmetry. This is illustrated by species of Eupogodon and Rhodoptilum.     

The myriapodological legacy of Victor Ivanovich Motschoulsky (1810–1871)

The little that remains of Motschoulsky’s myriapodological legacy in the collection of Moscow’s Zoological Museum proves to be of very limited value. Only one species of Diplopoda described by Motschoulsky, the Caucasian Hirudisoma roseum (Victor, 1839), is still in use, yet requiring a neotype designation, whereas the remaining few myriapod names he proposed are either nomina dubia or nomina nuda. The former include Scolopendra pentagramma Motschoulsky, 1866 (Chilopoda, Scolopendromorpha, Scolopendridae) and Strongylosoma carinulatum Motschoulsky, 1866 (Diplopoda, Polydesmida, Paradoxosomatidae), both from Japan, as well as Julus costulatus Motschoulsky, 1851 (Diplopoda, Callipodida, Schizopetalidae?), from Montenegro, because their type material is either inadequate or missing.     

Taxonomic review of the lace bug genus Omoplax (Hemiptera: Heteroptera: Tingidae) endemic to “Oriental Galapagos” (the Ogasawara Islands,Japan) with the description of its new allied genus and species

In this study, we revise the lace bugs (family Tingidae) from the Ogasawara Islands, Japan (also known as the “Oriental Galapagos”). Three species belonging to two endemic genera are recognized: Acanthomoplax tomokunii gen. et sp. nov. , Omoplax desecta (Horváth, 1912), and O. majorcarinae Guilbert, 2001. A key to species is provided to facilitate the identification of Ogasawaran lace bugs.     

Revision of Australian Matini diving beetles based on morphological and molecular data (Coleoptera,Dytiscidae, Matinae), with description of a new species

Morphological characters and mitochondrial DNA sequence data were used to revise the Australian diving beetles in the genera Allomatus Mouchamps, 1964 and Batrachomatus Clark, 1863. As a result of these studies Allomatus syn. n. is synonymised with Batrachomatus, and Allomatus nannup Watts, 1978 from SW Australia and Allomatus wilsoni Mouchamps, 1964 from SE Victoria are transferred to Batrachomatus. The four Australian Matini species knownso far are re-described, and Batrachomatus larsoni sp. n. from the Windsor Tableland in NE Queensland is described. After more than 40 years Batrachomatus wilsoni has been re-discovered in two rivers in Victoria. We delineate the species using traditionally employed morphological structures such as in the male genitalia and body size, shape and colour pattern, as well as mitochondrial cox1 sequence data for 20 individuals. Important species characters (median lobes, parameres and colour patterns) were illustrated. We provide an identification key and outline distribution and habitat preferences of each species. All Australian Matini are lotic, inhabiting permanent and intermittent streams, creeks and rivers.     

Description of two new species of the leafhopper subgenus Pediopsoides (Pediopsoides) (Hemiptera,Cicadellidae, Macropsinae) from Guangxi Province,Southern China

Two new species of the Macropsinae leafhopper subgenus Pediopsoides (Pediopsoides) Matsumura, 1912, Pediopsoides (Pediopsoides) damingshanensis Li, Dai & Li, sp. n. and Pediopsoides (Pediopsoides) tishetshkini Li, Dai & Li sp. n., are described and illustrated from Guangxi Province of southern China. A key to males is provided to distinguish the species of the subgenus along with a map showing the distribution of the new species.     

Open exchange of scientific knowledge and European copyright: The case of biodiversity information

Background. The 7^th Framework Programme for Research and Technological Development is helping the European Union to prepare for an integrative system for intelligent management of biodiversity knowledge. The infrastructure that is envisaged and that will be further developed within the Programme “Horizon 2020” aims to provide open and free access to taxonomic information to anyone with a requirement for biodiversity data, without the need for individual consent of other persons or institutions. Open and free access to information will foster the re-use and improve the quality of data, will accelerate research, and will promote new types of research. Progress towards the goal of free and open access to content is hampered by numerous technical, economic, sociological, legal, and other factors. The present article addresses barriers to the open exchange of biodiversity knowledge that arise from European laws, in particular European legislation on copyright and database protection rights.We present a legal point of view as to what will be needed to bring distributed information together and facilitate its re-use by data mining, integration into semantic knowledge systems, and similar techniques. We address exceptions and limitations of copyright or database protection within Europe, and we point to the importance of data use agreements. We illustrate how exceptions and limitations have been transformed into national legislations within some European states to create inconsistencies that impede access to biodiversity information.Conclusions. The legal situation within the EU is unsatisfactory because there are inconsistencies among states that hamper the deployment of an open biodiversity knowledge management system. Scientists within the EU who work with copyright protected works or with protected databases have to be aware of regulations that vary from country to country. This is a major stumbling block to international collaboration and is an impediment to the open exchange of biodiversity knowledge. Such differences should be removed by unifying exceptions and limitations for research purposes in a binding, Europe-wide regulation.