Four new species of southern African octocorals (Cnidaria: Alcyonacea), with a further diagnostic revision of the genus Alcyonium Linnaeus, 1758

Four new species of soft corals are described from the shallow sublittoral of southern Africa. Three of the species are referable to the genus Alcyonium Linnaeus, 1758 (family Alcyoniidae), although two of these possess growth forms that are atypical for most members of the genus. A revised diagnosis of the genus is therefore included. A new species in the family Nephtheidae is also described, this being referable to the genus Capnella Gray, 1869. All four species are from the region between the Cape of Good Hope Peninsula and the eastern Cape Province of South Africa. This is the region of the Agulhas Bank, an austroafrican biogeographic region that shows a high incidence of endemism with respect to the marine invertebrate fauna.     

Distribution patterns of the Diaptomidae (Calanoida: Copepoda) in southern Africa

All freshwater calanoids in southern Africa belong to the family Diaptomidae of which there are two subfamilies, the Paradiaptominae (Lovenula, Paradiaptomus and Metadiaptomus) and Diaptominae (Tropodiaptomus and Thermodiaptomus). The Paradiaptominae are endemic to Africa, while the Diaptominae have one endemic African genus Thermodiaptomus, and the other genus Tropodiaptomus, occurs in other parts of the world as well as Africa. Knowledge of distribution of the Diaptomidae has been hampered by incomplete taxonomic knowledge and lack of co-ordination of available information. Distribution patterns of 19 described species and 11 new species confirm that the majority of species have a limited distribution, and that the Paradiaptominae are arid-adapted and belong to temporary pool communities. Six species are endemic to coastal pans and vleis of the western and southern Cape Province. Only those species with a wider distribution have been recorded as colonising man-made lakes. The four Lovenula species are predators and often co-exist with a Metadiaptomus species as prey. Synapomorphies of widely separated species of the Paradiaptominae, provide interesting insights into how their evolution may have been governed by vicariance, dispersal and palaeoenvironments of the African continent.     

Interbreeding versus morphological and ecological differentiation in Mediterranean Diamysis (Crustacea,Mysidacea), with description of four new taxa

Hybridization experiments in the laboratory, performed until the F1 free-living juvenile stage, showed failure of embryonic development in crossbreedings between certain populations of mysids from meso- to metahaline waters of the Mediterranean that were previously lumped together under the name Diamysis bahirensis (G. O. Sars). Western Mediterranean populations did not successfully crossbreed with those from the eastern basin and vice versa. This is consistent with the W-E morphological differentiation in this genus and with different salinity affinities of the western as compared to the eastern forms. From the study of type material, the diagnosis of D. bahirensis is redefined to populations in the SW-Mediterranean showing large spiniform projections of the sixth pleonite, flanking the telson, and numerous small fringes on the posterior margin of the male carapace. Crossbreeding was unsuccessful with populations of D. mesohalobia n. sp. in the E-Mediterranean, which show smooth posterior margin of the carapace in both sexes and distally pectinate paradactylary setae on certain pereiopods, at least in females. Within this species, three morphotypes with different salinity affinities in nature are distinguished; as they showed successful laboratory interbreeding under mesohaline conditions, the taxa, therefore, are defined at subspecific level (D. mesohalobia mesohalobia, D. mesohalobia gracilipes n. ssp., D. mesohalobia heterandra n. ssp.). Populations of these three subspecies failed to crossbreed with a W-Mediterranean (NE-Tyrrhenian) population of D. lagunaris n. sp., which is characterized by a smooth carapace in both sexes, cuticular `windows' on the eyestalks, and rounded projections of the sixth pleonite. In D. lagunaris, D. mesohalobia mesohalobia and D. mesohalobia gracilipes, survival of brood pouch larvae in the laboratory was higher under mesohaline compared with euhaline conditions. This along with biomineralogical and morphological similarities of the statoliths with fossil representatives from Miocene deposits of the brackish Paratethys, suggest a brackish water origin, even in euhalobiontic forms that may have immigrated into the sea from low salinity environments. A key to the 10 species and two subspecies in this genus is given.     

Mytilus galloprovincialis Lmk. in Southern Africa

The Mediterranean mussel, Mytilus galloprovincialis Lmk. has been identified on the west coast of southern Africa using morphological and biochemical-genetic comparisons with samples of “pure” M. edulis L. from Denmark and M. galloprovincialis from the Mediterranean coast of Spain. Our results show that the southern African Mytilus more closely resembles M. galloprovincialis in anterior adductor, posterior adductor and hinge size. It also has a more ventrally located maximal shell width like the Mediterranean mussel. The electrophoretic examination of 23 proteins showed that many alleles diagnostic for M. galloprovincialis appeared in the southern African Mytilus. Nei's genetic distance between the southern African Mytilus and M. galloprovincialis was 0.010 ± 0.004 and the average genetic distance between these samples and M. edulis was 0.162 ± 0.077.The presence of M. galloprovincialis in southern Africa could be explained by biogeographic dispersal along the west coast of Africa during Pleistocene cooling, or by a recent inadvertant or intentional introduction by man. To test these two hypotheses, we examined ≈750 mussel shells collected from Koi-san middens and ≈350 shells from a raised-beach deposit all located on the west coast of Cape Province, South Africa. The ages of these deposits range from 1500 yr to 120000 yr and pre-date the arrival of Europeans to the Cape. This examination did not reveal any shells of Mytilus. We, therefore, conclude that the introduction of M. galloprovincialis to southern Africa was a recent event. We suggest that, since the first confirmed reference to Mytilus in southern Africa was made from a 1972 collection, the introduction occurred within the last two decades.     

A preliminary account of patterns of endemism in Namibia's Sperrgebiet – the succulent karoo

Aim This study investigated spatial patterns of endemism in the flora of Namibia's succulent karoo in order to generate information for conservation planning. Location The study area, the Sperrgebiet, comprises the majority of Namibia's portion of the succulent karoo biome which is the south‐west corner of the country. This is an arid area that has been off limits to public access, farming and tourism for nearly a century due to restrictions imposed by the diamond industry. Methods Based on existing distribution records, areas of high concentrations of endemic plants were identified using numbers of endemics and weighted endemics according to area of occupancy. The resolution of the available data was quarter degree squares (15‐min intervals of latitude and longitude grids). Results At the scale of this study straight numbers of endemics generated similar results to the endemics weighted according to area of occupancy, which gives sparsely distributed species a higher weighting. Based on the current distribution records, 17.7% (184 species) of the Sperrgebiet's spermatophyte flora is endemic. The ‘hotspots of endemism’ comprised from north to south: Lüderitz‐Kowisberge, Klinghardt Mountains, Aurusberge‐Heioab, Witpütz, Skorpion and Obib‐Schakalsberge. Taking also areas into account that stand out because of their high proportion of local endemics, this adds Grillental and the central coastal area from Pomona to Baker's Bay to the areas of importance for plant endemism. Main conclusions The Sperrgebiet's endemic flora is special in taxonomic composition in that it does not present a subset of the total flora of this area, but shows a remarkably high representation of the families Mesembryanthemaceae and Liliaceae (sensu lato). Compared with other arid areas, the level of endemism in the Sperrgebiet is high, but not compared with the succulent karoo in general or other hotspots in the succulent karoo biome, such as the Richtersveld. The proportion of local endemics (13.5%) is high compared with some endemism hotspots in southern Africa. Hotspots of plant endemism provide an important tool to contribute to conservation planning studies. This study also highlighted the importance of centralized data bases without which these analyses would not have been possible. Further plant collecting is required to fill presently data‐deficient areas and studies at a finer spatial resolution taking habitat requirements into account are needed to elucidate some of the factors contributing to plant endemism in this area.     

中国荞麦属植物分类学的修订

荞麦是一种蓼科(Polygonaceae family)荞麦属(Fagopyrum Mill)的古老作物,在全世界,尤其是东亚及东欧地区广泛种植。数千年以来,荞麦都是中国凉山等高海拔地区的主要粮食作物,其营养丰富,其中富含的芦丁等生物活性成分还具有抗氧化、抗肿瘤的功效。荞麦的栽培种甜荞和苦荞已经被广泛传播,但野生荞麦却只在特定区域分布。中国西南地区,包括四川、云南、贵州各省以及西藏自治区,是公认的世界荞麦属植物的起源中心、分布中心和多样化中心,荞麦种质资源非常丰富。目前已有文献报导的荞麦属植物超过20种,其绝大多数已在中国西南地区被发现,该地区的地理环境非常复杂,孕育了极具多样性的野生荞麦资源。但截至目前,这些已报导的种还没有经过科学的归类,同种异名的现象比较严重,本研究团队从2004年至今,在中国西南地区进行了多年多次的野外考察和标本采集工作,并在室内进行花和果实的解剖观察,获得了大量的荞麦属植物分类学数据。基于这些数据和荞麦染色体数量分析,经馆藏标本和模式照片的对比,并综合国内外相关文献,对中国荞麦属植物进行了分类学修订,将产自中国的荞麦属28个种归并为21个:即将Fagopyrum megaspartanium Q. F.Chen,F. pilus Q. F. Chen并入F. cymosum (Trrev)Meisn作为异名;F. pleioramosum Ohnishi,F. wenchuanense J.R.Shao并入F.caudatum (Samuelsson) A. J. Li作为异名;F. callianthum Ohnishi并入F.qiangcai D.Q.Ba作为异名;F. zuogongense Q.F.Chen并入F. homotropicum Ohnishi作为异名;F. longzhoushanense J.R.Shao并入F. pugense T.Yu作为异名。重新制定了21个种的分种检索表。本文将有助于重新认识荞麦属植物的进化地位,并为后续进一步探究属中各个种的亲缘关系奠定了基础。     

Revision of the Paridris nephtaspecies group (Hymenoptera, Platygastroidea, Platygastridae)

The Paridris nephta group is revised (Hymenoptera: Platygastridae). Fifteen species are described, 14 of which are new: Paridris atroxTalamas, sp. n.(Yunnan Province, China), Paridris bununTalamas, sp. n.(Taiwan), Paridris ferusTalamas, sp. n.(Thailand), Paridris kagemonoTalamas, sp. n.(Japan), Paridris minatorTalamas, sp. n.(Laos, Thailand), Paridris mystaxTalamas, sp. n.(Laos, Thailand), Paridris nephta(Kozlov) (Japan, North Korea, South Korea, Far Eastern Russia), Paridris nilakaTalamas, sp. n.(Thailand), Paridris reptilisTalamas, sp. n.(Taiwan), Paridris rugulosusTalamas, sp. n.(Laos, Vietnam), Paridris solarisTalamas, sp. n.(Laos, Thailand, Vietnam), Paridris teresTalamas, sp. n.(Vietnam), Paridris toketokiTalamas, sp. n.(Taiwan), Paridris verrucosusTalamas, sp. n.(Guangdong Province, China), Paridris yakTalamas, sp. n.(Thailand).     

福建省两栖、爬行动物更新名录

区域物种编目及适时更新是生物多样性研究和保护实践的必要前提。本文基于福建省全省网格化的野外调查, 并整合文献资料(截至2021年12月), 更新了该省现生本土两栖、爬行动物名录。本名录共收录两栖动物2目9科29属55种、爬行动物2目25科72属126种。其中, 分别有4种两栖动物和2种爬行动物是福建省特有种; 24种两栖动物和18种爬行动物的模式产地位于福建省。与《福建省两栖动物区系及地理区划》和《福建省爬行动物区系及地理区划》的物种名录相比, 本名录新增物种22种, 删除8个物种, 修订64个物种的名称。有6种爬行动物被列为国家I级重点保护动物, 分别有5种两栖动物和25种爬行动物被列为II级保护动物。10种两栖动物被《中国生物多样性红色名录•脊椎动物(第四卷): 两栖动物》评估为受胁物种(2种极危, 1种濒危, 7种易危, 分别占两栖动物物种数的3.64%、1.82%和12.73%); 41种爬行动物被《中国生物多样性红色名录•脊椎动物(第三卷): 爬行动物》评估为受胁物种(11种极危, 15种濒危, 15种易危, 分别占物种数的8.73%、11.90%和11.90%)。