The eutrophication of shallow coastal lakes in Southwest England — understanding and recommendations for restoration,based on palaeolimnology,historical records,and the modelling of changing phosphorus loads

Palaeolimnological studies of sediments from Slapton Ley and Loe Pool, two coastal freshwater lakes in Southwest England, show that in the period since 1945, they have been eutrophicated by nutrient inputs from intensification of agriculture, but also from sewage effluent. Two simple models have been used to identify the main sources of catchment outputs, and in the case of Slapton Ley, to evaluate historical changes in land use, and their likely effect on lake trophic status.Restoration strategies may also be evaluated using the same models. They suggest that in order to reduce loads on either lake to within OECD permissible limits, not only will all sewage inputs need to be prevented, and non-phosphate detergents used, but also losses from agricultural land must be reduced. This could take the form of the keeping of fewer cattle (the main source of organic nitrogen and phosphorus in both catchments), or the zoning of the respective catchments so that steep slopes close to riparian zones are not used, as at present, for the grazing of livestock.A better option, however, would appear to be the establishment along most of the rivers draining into these lakes, of buffer strips of woodland at least 15 m wide. According to the models, this measure, along with treatment or diversion of sewage effluent, would reduce phosphorus loads upon the lakes to within acceptable limits.     

Chewing lice from high‐altitude and migrating birds in Yunnan,China, with descriptions of two new species of Guimaraesiella

In total, 366 birds representing 55 species in 24 families and eight orders, were examined for chewing lice (Phthiraptera: Amblycera, Ischnocera) in two high‐altitude localities in Yunnan Province, China. In Ailaoshan, almost all of the birds examined were resident passeriforms, of which 36% were parasitized by chewing lice. In Jinshanyakou, most birds were on migration, and included both passerine and non‐passerine birds. Of the passerine birds caught in Jinshanyakou, only one bird (0.7%) was parasitized by chewing lice. The prevalence of Myrsidea and Brueelia‐complex lice on birds caught in Ailaoshan was higher than in previous reports. Of the chewing lice identifiable to species level, three represent new records for China: Actornithophilus hoplopteri (Mjöberg, 1910), Maculinirmus ljosalfar Gustafsson & Bush, 2017 and Quadraceps sinensis Timmermann, 1954. In total, 17 new host records are included, of which we describe two as new species in the Brueelia‐complex: Guimaraesiella (Cicchinella) ailaoshanensis sp. nov. ex Schoeniparus dubius dubius (Hume, 1874) and G. (C.) montisodalis sp. nov. ex Fulvetta manipurensis tonkinensis Delacour & Jabouille, 1930. This published work has been registered in ZooBank, http://zoobank.org/urn:lsid:zoobank.org:pub:9FC3D8EE‐2CED‐4DBE‐A1DB‐471B71260D27 .     

Bats of Lithuania: distribution, status and protection

The Lithuanian bat fauna includes 14 species. Myotis daubentoni, Pipistrellus nathusii, Plecotus auritus and Eptesicus serotinus are the most abundant and widespread species, although recently P. auritus has disappeared from some hibernacula. There are still abundant populations of Myotis nattereri, Myotis brandti and Barbastella barbastellus in hibernacula, while their status in summer is unknown. Myotis dasycneme is probably very rare and endangered. The status of Myotis mystacinus and Nyctalus leisleri is not clear, but they are most likely very rare because very few specimens have been found. So far little is known about status of Nyctalus noctula, Pipistrellus pipistrellus, Eptesicus nilssoni and Vespertilio murinus because these species are common only during autumn bat migration along the Baltic Sea coast. Two other species, Myotis bechsteini and Rhinolophus hipposideros, have been rejected from the list of bats of Lithuania, because old references to records of these species were not reliable. From what is currently known it seems that: (i) the northern limits of distribution of B. barbastellus and E. serotinus reach the middle of Lithuania between 55°N and 56°N, which may also be the southern limit of abundance of E. nilssoni; (ii) the wintering site with the largest numbers of bats in Lithuania is the vaults of Kaunas fortress, where every year eight species are found hibernating in numbers estimated as follows: M. daubentoni 400–500, M. nattereri 200–300, M. brandti 80–100, B.barbastellus 200–300, P. auritus 40–60, M. dasycneme 15–20 and a few E. serotinus and E. nilssoni. In Lithuania nine bat species have been protected by law since 1991, as species included in the Red Data Book. Also 11 bat reserves have been designated in Kaunas fortress to protect the most important hibernation sites in Lithuania.     

The first record for Melittobia australica Girault in New Zealand and new host records for Melittobia (Eulophidae)

Abstract

Melittobia australica Girault is a new record for New Zealand and from Vespula spp. In the Wellington district, M. australica was found in an embryo colony of the German wasp Vespula germanica (Fabricius) and in pupae of the mason wasp Pison spinolae Shuckard in 1980 and 1981 respectively. Melittobia was recorded in nests of P. morosum Smith in Canterbury, New Zealand in 1976 and 1977. The original sources of M. australica were considered.

The validity of the earliest record of Melittobia in a social wasp host is reconsidered. It is concluded Melittobia has been underated as a parasite of social wasps.     

New data on the Paederus biacutus species group from mainland China (Coleoptera,Staphylinidae, Paederinae)

Paederus jianyueae Peng & Li, sp. n. (Zhejiang: Qingliangfeng) is described and illustrated. Additional records of P. biacutus Li, Zhou & Solodovnikov, 2014 and P. parvidenticulatus Li, Zhou & Solodovnikov, 2014 are reported.     

A new lacazelline species (Brachiopoda,Recent) from the Maldive Islands,Indian Ocean

A new lacazelline brachiopod species is described from reef caves in the outer reef slope zone off Addu and South Male atolls in the Maldive Islands, Indian Ocean. Based on anatomical features of the soft parts, shell morphology and shell microstructure the new taxon is assigned to the genus Ospreyella Lüter and Wörheide 2003 in the subfamily Lacazellinae of the family Thecideidae. This new species, here named O. maldiviana and representing the first occurrence of the genus in the Indian Ocean, is compared with the type species O. depressa Luter from Osprey Reef, Coral Sea, Australia. Comparisons are made between Ospreyella (now two species) and the other extant lacazelline genera Lacazella Munier‐Chalmas (three species) and Pajaudina Logan (one species).     

Phylogeny, speciation and species turnover. The case of the Mediterranean gastropods of genus Cyclope Risso, 1826

The genus Cyclope Risso, 1826 (family Nassariidae) has appeared in the fossil record since the Pliocene. Although it is still found today, the teleoconch morphology has never undergone modification, despite the fact that the protoconch morphologies of fossils (multispiral) and living forms (paucispiral) are different. They vary in their embryological and larval development and, hence, are two different species: C. migliorinii (Bevilacqua, 1928), the fossil species, and C. neritea (Linnaeus, 1758), the living species. We discuss the morphologic modifications in the evolution of this genus: the speciation that leads to its appearance and the speciation driving the Pliocene species to the living one. The order and the direction of these changes are based on phylogenetic analysis. No intermediate forms have been found showing a gradual morphological change that could have been worked by natural selection. Our analysis takes as the origin of the morphological novelties the genetic modifications in the ontogenetic processes which resulted in rapid and important phenotypic changes. Both speciation processes are sympatric cladogenetic. The changes that determine the appearance of the genus affect only the teleoconch, not the larval development. The modifications that lead from one species to the other, within the genus Cycope, affect the larval development exclusively. This points to a certain disconnection between the development of the embryo-larval phase and the young-adult formation, such that evolutionary processes could have occurred independently in different ontogenetic stages. The influence of larval ecology in relation to extinction of the ancestor and persistence of the derived species is also analysed. We hypothesize that climatic fluctuations may have affected the planktonic larvae of the fossil species, driving it to extinction. The living species, developing without the planktonic phase, would have resisted these climatic changes. We consider that the mechanisms described as drivers of the evolution of this genus can be of more general validity in prosobranch gastropods.     

Densitometry from digitized images of X-radiographs: Methodology for measurement of coral skeletal density

Skeletons of massive coral colonies contain annual density bands that are revealed by X-radiography of slices cut along growth axes. These bands allow measurement of skeletal growth parameters such as annual extension rate and annual calcification rate. Such measurements have been important in understanding coral growth, in assessing environmental impacts and in recovering proxy environmental information. Measurements of coral calcification rate from annual density banding require measurements of skeletal density along tracks across skeletal slices and, until now, such density measurements have depended upon specialized and expensive equipment. Here, we describe a straightforward, inexpensive and accurate technique for measuring skeletal density from digitized images of X-radiographs of coral skeletal slices. An aragonitic step-wedge was included in each X-radiograph of a coral slice together with two aluminium bars positioned along the anode-cathode axis. Optical density was measured along tracks across the X-ray images of these different objects. The aragonite step-wedge provided a standard for converting optical density to skeletal density. The aluminium bars were used to correct for the heel effect—a variation in the intensity of the X-ray beam along the anode-cathode axis that would, otherwise, introduce large errors into measurements of skeletal density. Exposure was found to vary from X-radiographs to X-radiograph, necessitating the inclusion of the calibration standards in each X-radiograph of a coral slice. Results obtained using this technique compared well with results obtained by direct gamma densitometry of skeletal slices.     

First records of soil ciliates (Protozoa, Ciliophora) from classes Prostomea, Nassophorea, Spirotrichea, and Colpodea in Slovakia

In total, seven ciliate species were recorded in leaf-litter, moss and soil from a variety of sites in Slovakia for the first time: Chilophrya terricola Foissner, 1984; Holostichides typicus (Song et Wilbert, 1988) Eigner, 1994; Keronella gracilis Wiackowski, 1985; Notoxoma parabryophryides Foissner, 1993; Parafurgasonia sorex (Penard, 1922) Foissner et Adam, 1981; Paragonostomum multinucleatum Foissner, Agatha et Berger, 2002, and Territricha stramenticola Berger et Foissner, 1988. The paper deals with their distribution, ecology, and comparison with similar species. The shape and nuclear variants of Paragonostomum multinucleatum are presented and populations of P. multinucleatum and T. stramenticola are morphometrically characterized.     

西藏和云南槭树科新资料

作者在编写Flora of China槭树科的过程中,整理鉴定大量的标本,发现两个西藏分布新记录种以及一个中国分布新记录变种,现记载如下。