The emissary foramina: Their value in platyrrhine systematics

A discriminant analysis was performed on 226 ceboid skulls using data on emissary foramina size and shape. The purposes of the study are to 1) measure the success with which these discriminating variables can distinguish among platyrrhine genera and 2) derive a set of classification functions which will permit the classification of new cases with unknown group membership (i.e., fossil skulls). This technique is able to correctly classify 80% of the 226 ceboid skulls. Support is given to the allocation of Chiropotes, Cacajao, and Pithecia into one morphologically unified subfamily, Pitheciinae. Alouatta, Ateles, and Lagothrix also share many similarities in emissary foramina size and shape and their inclusion into one subfamily, Atelinae, is probably warranted. The distinctiveness of Cebus in these same morphological features is apparent. Possibilities for extending this procedure to study fossil lineages in platyrrhines are discussed.     

The South American radiation of Jerrybuccinum (Gastropoda,Buccinidae), with a new deep-water species from Chile

A new deep water species from off the Chilean coast, Jerrybuccinum kantori sp. n., is described. The animal is equipped with a large statocyst. Kryptos explorator Fraussen & Sellanes, 2008 from off Concepción is found to be congeneric and transferred to the genus Jerrybuccinum. Differences in size and sculpture serve to distinguish the new species from J. explorator. Both Chilean species are associated with methane seep or low oxygen environments. They are compared with J. malvinense Kantor & Pastorino, 2009 and two still unnamed species from the Falkland Plateau.     

Methodologies for Surveying Herpetofauna Mortality on Rural Highways

Abstract: Road mortality can contribute to local and regional declines in amphibian and reptile populations. Thus, there is a need to accurately and efficiently identify hotspots of road-mortality for hazard assessment and mitigation. In 2002, we conducted walking and driving surveys throughout an extensive rural highway network in northern New York, USA, to evaluate survey methods and to quantify spatial and temporal patterns of herpetofauna road-mortality. In 2004, we repeated the surveys at a subset of locations to quantify interannual repeatability. Reptile and amphibian species had different peak periods of road-mortality because they differed in the causes of movements that resulted in crossings. Spatial locations of herpetofauna road-mortality were concentrated at a limited number of hotspots. Hotspots overlapped across species and were located at consistent locations across years. Results of walking and driving surveys were highly repeatable among survey teams, but driving surveys underestimated the density of road-mortality because many animals were missed. Detection failure was higher in some taxa (e.g., frogs) than others (e.g., turtles). Our results indicate that it is possible to design a valid, efficient methodology for locating hotspots of reptile and amphibian road-mortality along a road network and, thus, pinpoint priority sites for mitigation.     

Phylogeny of the cuckoo genus Coccyzus (Aves: Cuculidae): A test of monophyly

Coccyzus comprises nine species of New World cuckoos (Aves: Cuculidae) that breed from southern Canada to central South America. The phylogeny of this genus was reconstructed using 2490 base pairs of the mitochondrial genes cytochrome oxidase II and III, and cytochrome b. Maximum likelihood, maximum parsimony, and Bayesian inference approaches produced similar topologies in which Coccyzus, as currently classified, is polyphyletic. Topological‐constraint analyses demonstrated that trees resulting from this study were significantly better than those derived from conventional classifications. Furthermore, results support paraphyly of Piaya, another genus of New World cuckoos. These conclusions reflect some early classifications of these genera and support the resurrection of Micrococcyx to house the ash‐coloured (Coccyzus cinereus) and dwarf (C. pumilus) cuckoos, and Coccycua for the little cuckoo (Piaya minuta).     

A new subgenus and species of Alloscorpiops Vachon, 1980 from Laos (Scorpiones,Euscorpiidae, Scorpiopinae); implications for the taxonomy of the group

Alloscorpiops (Laoscorpiops) calmonti subgen. n., sp. n., belonging to the family Euscorpiidae Laurie, is described on the basis of single female specimen collected in the Pathoumphone District of southern Laos. This new scorpion taxon may represent yet another endemic element for the fauna of Laos. The new subgenus is characterized by a previously unknown and possible unique trichobothrial pattern.     

Phylogenetic relationship of four new species related to southwestern Sichuan Fagopyrum based on morphological and molecular characterization

Background and aimsRecently, four wild Fagopyrum species, Fagopyrum crispatifolium J. L. Liu, Fagopyrum pugense T. Yu, Fagopyrum qiangcai D. Q. Bai and Fagopyrum wenchuanense J. R. Shao, have been identified and described based on their morphological characters. This study investigates the phylogenetic relationship, nucleotide sequence polymorphisms of internal transcribed spacers (ITSs) and the maturase K (matK) gene within four wild species related to western Sichuan buckwheat. F. wenchuanense is closely related to Fagopyrum gracilipes while F. qiangcai is closely related to Fagopyrum esculentum based on their morphological differences. However, F. wenchuanense is more closely related to Fagopyrum cymosum and F. qiangcai is closer to Fagopyrum lineare and Fagopyrum leptopodum from the viewpoint of the ITS, and matK analysis. In addition, F. gracilipes is closer to F. pugense and Fagopyrum crispatofolium than to F. qiangcai. F. wenchuanense belongs to the cymosum group, while F. qiangcai, F. pugense and F. crispatifolium are classified into the urophyllum group based on their morphological and molecular analysis. Conducting morphological and molecular studies provide a better understanding of evolutionary mechanisms and genetic relationships of cultivated and wild buckwheat in western Sichuan, China.     

A new species of Aprostocetus Westwood (Hymenoptera: Eulophidae), parasitizing mango leaf gall midge (Diptera: Cecidomyiidae), from India

A new species of Aprostocetus doonensis Singh sp. nov. is described from northern India. The new species is a parasitoid of mango leaf gall midge, Procontarinia mangiferae (Felt) (Diptera: Cecidomyiidae). Some observations on biology and parasitization rate are also given.