Ultrastructural Investigation of the Integument of Tubiluchus philippinensis (Priapulida, Tubiluchidae)

The integument of Tubiluchus philippinensis van der Land, 1984 has been investigated by means of scanning and transmission electron microscopy. The ultrastructure of the cuticle corresponds principally to what has been found in Priapulidae. The tumuli are mere cuticular thickenings. Setae, tubuli, flosculi and scalids are receptor organs. Tubuli additionally serve a second function: they produce a secretion. The male genital area is equipped with various receptor organs, the internal morphology of which has been described. All receptor cells are characterized by apical cilia, which may be surrounded by a circlet of microvilli. They sometimes bear a rather complicated rootlet apparatus.     

Systematic revision of Hoggicosa Roewer, 1960, the Australian ‘bicolor’ group of wolf spiders (Araneae: Lycosidae)

The Australian wolf spider genus Hoggicosa Roewer, 1960 with the type species Hoggicosa errans (Hogg, 1905) is revised to include ten species: Hoggicosa alfi sp. nov. ; Hoggicosa castanea (Hogg, 1905) comb. nov. (= Lycosa errans Hogg, 1905 syn. nov. ; = Lycosa perinflata Pulleine, 1922 syn. nov. ; = Lycosa skeeti Pulleine, 1922 syn. nov. ); Hoggicosa bicolor (McKay, 1973) comb. nov. ; Hoggicosa brennani sp. nov. ; Hoggicosa duracki (McKay, 1975) comb. nov. ; Hoggicosa forresti (McKay, 1973) comb. nov. ; Hoggicosa natashae sp. nov. ; Hoggicosa snelli (McKay, 1975) comb. nov. ; Hoggicosa storri (McKay, 1973) comb. nov. ; and Hoggicosa wolodymyri sp. nov. The Namibian Hoggicosa exigua Roewer, 1960 is transferred to Hogna, Hogna exigua (Roewer, 1960) comb. nov. A phylogenetic analysis including nine Hoggicosa species, 11 lycosine species from Australia and four from overseas, with Arctosa cinerea Fabricius, 1777 as outgroup, supported the monophyly of Hoggicosa, with a larger distance between the epigynum anterior pockets compared to the width of the posterior transverse part. The analysis found that an unusual sexual dimorphism for wolf spiders (females more colourful than males), evident in four species of Hoggicosa, has evolved multiple times. Hoggicosa are burrowing lycosids, several constructing doors from sand or debris, and are predominantly found in semi‐arid to arid regions of Australia. © 2010 The Linnean Society of London, Zoological Journal of the Linnean Society, 2010, 158 , 83–123.     

Temperature cues phenological synchrony in ant‐mediated seed dispersal

Species‐specific climate responses within ecological communities may disrupt the synchrony of co‐evolved mutualisms that are based on the shared timing of seasonal events, such as seed dispersal by ants (myrmecochory). The spring phenology of plants and ants coincides with marked changes in temperature, light and moisture. We investigate how these environmental drivers influence both seed release by early and late spring woodland herb species, and initiation of spring foraging by seed‐dispersing ants. We pair experimental herbaceous transplants with artificial ant bait stations across north‐ and south‐facing slopes at two contrasting geographic locations. This use of space enables robust identification of plant fruiting and ant foraging cues, and the use of transplants permits us to assess plasticity in plant phenology. We find that warming temperatures act as the primary phenological cue for plant fruiting and ant foraging. Moreover, the plasticity in plant response across locations, despite transplants being from the same source, suggests a high degree of portability in the seed‐dispersing mutualism. However, we also find evidence for potential climate‐driven facilitative failure that may lead to phenological asynchrony. Specifically, at the location where the early flowering species (Hepatica nobilis) is decreasing in abundance and distribution, we find far fewer seed‐dispersing ants foraging during its fruit set than during that of the later flowering Hexastylis arifolia. Notably, the key seed disperser, Aphaenogaster rudis, fails to emerge during early fruit set at this location. At the second location, A. picea forages equally during early and late seed release. These results indicate that climate‐driven changes might shift species‐specific interactions in a plant–ant mutualism resulting in winners and losers within the myrmecochorous plant guild.     

Systematic review of a new orb‐weaving spider genus (Araneae: Araneidae), with special reference to the Australasian‐Pacific and South‐East Asian fauna

The Australasian‐Pacific and South‐East Asian species of the new orb‐weaving spider genus Plebs with Plebs eburnus (Keyserling, 1886) as type species are revised. Following this study, Plebs includes a total of 22 species of which seven are here described new. Seven species are found in Australia, two in the Pacific region (New Caledonia, Vanuatu), and two in South‐East Asia (Papua New Guinea, The Philippines). Eleven Asian species are transferred to the new genus. Plebs represent comparatively small orb‐weaving spiders of c. 1.2–15.0 mm body length with a slightly elongated abdomen and humeral (shoulder) humps. Males of most species have two to three stout setae on the ventral side of their fourth coxae. Male pedipalps are characterized by the presence of a single macroseta on the patella, the presence of a paramedian apophysis as basal extension of the conductor, and an apical tegular protrusion. The female epigyne has a scape that is generally much longer than wide. It does not have a terminal pocket and is frequently broken off in a number of species. A phylogenetic analysis of 15 species of Plebs (those for which both sexes are known), 13 Australian/Pacific orb‐weaving spider species representing the most commonly collected clades with paramedian apophysis, three species of Nearctic Eriophora Simon, 1864, and Araneus diadematus Clerck, 1758, as outgroup, identified a single synapomorphy of Plebs based on 35 morphological and three behavioural characters: a distinct, inverted U‐shaped light pattern on the ventral side of the abdomen with two additional white spots anterolateral to the spinnerets. This analysis recovered a monophyletic clade of all Asian Plebs, suggesting a single colonization event of the genus that putatively originated in Australia. Most Plebs species appear to be active during the day. They build a regular orb‐web with vertical stabilimentum in grass and low shrubs. © 2012 The Linnean Society of London, Zoological Journal of the Linnean Society, 2012, 166 , 279–341.     

Spatio-temporal population genetics of the Danish pine marten (Martes martes)

A spatio-temporal study of genetic variation in the Danish pine marten ( Martes martes ) populations from the Jutland peninsula and from the island of Sealand was performed using 11 microsatellite markers. Samples obtained from 1892 to 2003 were subdivided into historical (prior to 1970) and recent (from 1970) groups. As compared with the historical samples, there was a significant loss of genetic variation in the recent Jutland population, but not in Sealand. Effective population sizes were estimated using Bayesian-based software (TMVP). Historical effective population sizes were 5897 (90% highest probability density, HPD, limits: 1502–6849) in Jutland and 1300 (90% HPD limits: 224–5929) in Sealand, whereas recent effective population sizes were 14.7 (90% HPD limits: 10.9–23.5) in Jutland and 802 (90% HPD limits: 51.8–5510) in Sealand. Significant genetic differentiation ( F _ST) was found between the two historical samples, between the two recent samples, and between the historical and the recent sample in Jutland; whereas the F _ST value between the historical and the recent sample in Sealand was not significant. The significant genetic differentiation between the historical and the recent samples indicates changes in the genetic compositions over time, and the higher F _ST values between the two recent samples, as compared with the two historical samples, indicates that the populations in Sealand and Jutland have drifted apart within a short time span. No deviation from Hardy–Weinberg equilibrium was found within populations, indicating no further substructuring.  © 2008 The Linnean Society of London, Biological Journal of the Linnean Society , 2008, 93 , 457–464.     

Contributions of Comparative Ultrastructural Research to Problems of Invertebrate Evolution

The contributions of ultrastructural research to the elucidationof invertebrate evolution are discussed by means of a numberof selected examples. Studies of the fine structure of the integumentof Aschelminthes and Platyhelminthes illustrate the method ofinterpretation. In addition, the following subjects and theirsignificance for phylogeny are treated: annelid setae, sensillaof Pentastomida, choanocyte-like cells, epitheliomuscular cells,podocytes, gills of Polychaeta and lungs of Decapoda, and spermatozoa