A new species of Hemibrycon (Characiformes,Characidae) from the upper San Juan River drainage,Pacific versant,Colombia

Hemibrycon sanjuanensis, new species, is described from the upper San Juan River drainage, Pacific versant, Colombia. It is distinguished from Hemibrycon boquiae, Hemibrycon brevispini, Hemibrycon cairoense, Hemibrycon colombianus, Hemibrycon mikrostiktos, Hemibrycon metae, Hemibrycon palomae, Hemibrycon rafaelense and Hemibrycon tridens by the presence of a circular or oblong humeral spot that is located two scales posterior to the opercle (vs. 3–4 scales in Hemibrycon palomae, Hemibrycon rafaelense, Hemibrycon brevispini and Hemibrycon cairoense, and 0–1 scales, in Hemibrycon metae and Hemibrycon boquiae). It further differs from Hemibrycon colombianus in having a round or oblong humeral spot (vs. rectangular). It differs from Hemibrycon beni, Hemibrycon dariensis, Hemibrycon divisorensis, Hemibrycon helleri, Hemibrycon huambonicus, Hemibrycon inambari, Hemibrycon jabonero, Hemibrycon jelskii, Hemibrycon mikrostiktos, Hemibrycon polyodon, Hemibrycon quindos, Hemibrycon raqueliae, Hemibrycon santamartae, Hemibrycon surinamensis, Hemibrycon taeniurus, Hemibrycon tridens, and Hemibrycon yacopiae in having melanophores on the posterior margins of the scales along the sides of body (vs. lacking melanophores on margins of scales along entire length of the sides of body). The new species differs from all congeners mentioned above in having, among other features, six teeth in the outer premaxillary row arranged in a straight line (vs. five or fewer teeth not arranged in straight line except Hemibrycon cairoense with two to six teeth in the outer premaxillary row).     

Occurrence of species of the genus Pityophthorus Eichhoff (Coleoptera,Curculionidae, Scolytinae) in?the?province of Quebec,Canada

Twig beetles in the genus Pityophthorus Eichhoff, 1864 include more than 300 species worldwide, with maximum diversity in tropical and subtropical regions. To date, approximately 50 species of Pityophthorus have been recorded in Canada, and these species are associated mainly with coniferous trees. Since 1981, no comprehensive study on this difficult taxonomic group has been conducted in Quebec, Canada, most likely due to their limited significance as forest pests. Based on data gathered from five years of field sampling in conifer seed orchards and compiled from various entomological collections, the distribution of Pityophthorus species in Quebec is presented. Approximately 291 new localities were recorded for the Pityophthorus species. Five species-group taxa, namely Pityophthorus puberulus (LeConte, 1868), Pityophthorus pulchellus pulchellus Eichhoff, 1869, Pityophthorus pulicarius (Zimmermann, 1868), Pityophthorus nitidus Swaine, 1917,and Pityophthorus cariniceps LeConte&Horn, 1876 were the most widespread. In contrast, Pityophthorus consimilis LeConte, 1878, Pityophthorus intextus Swaine, 1917, Pityophthorus dentifrons Blackman, 1922, Pityophthorus ramiperda Swaine, 1917, and Pityophthorus concavus Blackman, 1928 display a notably limited distribution. In addition, the first distribution records of Pityophthorus intextus and Pityophthorus biovalis Blackman, 1922 are furnished, and the subspecies Pityophthorus murrayanae murrayanae Blackman, 1922is reported from Quebec for the second time. Moreover, distribution maps are provided for all Pityophthorus species recorded in the province of Quebec.     

Integrative taxonomy reveals a new species of Callisto (Lepidoptera,Gracillariidae) in the Alps

Europe has one of the best-known Lepidopteran faunas in the world, yet many species are still being discovered, especially in groups of small moths. Here we describe a new gracillariid species from the south-eastern Alps, Callisto basistrigella Huemer, Deutsch & Triberti, sp. n. It shows differences from its sister species Callisto coffeella in morphology, the barcode region of the cytochrome c oxidase I gene and the nuclear gene histone H3. Both Callisto basistrigella and Callisto coffeella can co-occur in sympatry without evidence of admixture. Two Callisto basistrigella specimens show evidence of introgression. We highlight the importance of an integrative approach to delimit species, combining morphological and ecological data with mitochondrial and nuclear sequence data. Furthermore, in connection with this study, Ornix blandella Müller-Rutz, 1920, syn. n. is synonymized with Callisto coffeella (Zetterstedt, 1839).     

Three new species of woodlizards (Hoplocercinae,Enyalioides) from northwestern South America

The discovery of three new species of Enyalioides from the tropical Andes in Ecuador and northern Peru is reported. Enyalioides altotambo sp. n. occurs in northwestern Ecuador and differs from other species of Enyalioides in having dorsal scales that are both smooth and homogeneous in size, a brown iris, and in lacking enlarged, circular and keeled scales on the flanks. Enyalioides anisolepis sp. n. occurs on the Amazonian slopes of the Andes in southern Ecuador and northern Peru and can be distinguished from other species of Enyalioides by its scattered, projecting large scales on the dorsum, flanks, and hind limbs, as well as a well-developed vertebral crest, with the vertebrals on the neck at least three times higher than those between the hind limbs. Enyalioides sophiarothschildae sp. n. is from the Amazonian slopes of the Cordillera Central in northeastern Peru; it differs from other species of Enyalioides in having caudal scales that are relatively homogeneous in size on each caudal segment, a white gular region with a black medial patch and several turquoise scales in males, as well as immaculate white labials and chin. A molecular phylogenetic tree of 18 species of hoplocercines is presented, including the three species described in this paper and Enyalioides cofanorum, as well as an updated identification key for species of Hoplocercinae.     

Fishborne Trematode Metacercariae Detected in Freshwater Fish from Vientiane Municipality and Savannakhet Province, Lao PDR

Freshwater fish from Vientiane Municipality and Savannakhet Province, Lao PDR were examined by the muscle compression and artificial digestion methods to know the infection status with trematode metacercariae. In the fish from Savannakhet, 2 species of metacercariae, Opisthorchis viverrini and Haplorchis taichui, were detected. O. viverrini metacercariae were found in 6 species of fish, Puntius brevis, Hampala dispar, Esomus metallicus, Mystacoleucus marginatus, Puntioplites falcifer, and Cyclocheilichthys armatus. H. taichui metacercariae were detected in 3 species of fish, P. brevis, P. falcifer, and M. marginatus. In the fish from Vientiane, 4 species of metacercariae, O. viverrini, H. taichui, Haplorchis yokogawai, and Centrocestus formosanus, were detected. Among them, O. viverrini metacercariae were found in 7 species of fish, Onychostoma elongatum, C. armatus, H. dispar, P. brevis, Cyclocheilichthys repasson, Osteochilus hasseltii, and Hypsibarbus lagleri. The metacercariae of H. taichui were detected in 6 species of fish, C. repasson, O. elongatum, C. armatus, H. dispar, Labiobarbus leptocheila, and Cirrhinus molitorella. The metacercariae of H. yokogawai were found in 9 species of fish, C. repasson, O. elongatum, C. armatus, H. dispar, Labiobarbus leptocheila, O. hasseltii. C. molitorella, Hypsibarbus wetmorei, and H. lagleri. The metacercariae of C. formosanus were detected in 4 species of fish, C. repasson, P. brevis, O. hasseltii, and C. molitorella. From these results, it is confirmed that fishborne trematode metacercariae, i.e. O. viverrini, H. taichui, H. yokogawai and C. formosanus, are prevalent in various species of freshwater fish from Savannakhet Province and Vientiane Municipality, Lao PDR.     

Revision of the planthopper genus Nycheuma Fennah (Hemiptera,Fulgoromorpha, Delphacidae)

Chinese species in the genus Nycheuma Fennah, 1964a (Hemiptera: Fulgoromorpha: Delphacidae: Delphacinae: Delphacini) are revised to include three species: Nycheuma cognatum (Muir, 1917), Nycheuma dimorpha (Matsumura, 1910) and Nycheuma nilotica Linnavuori, 1973. Nycheuma coctum Yang, 1989 is placed in synonymy with Nycheuma nilotica Linnavuori, 1973. Nycheuma dimorpha (Matsumura, 1910) is newly recorded from China. The generic characteristics are redefined. The main morphological characters, male genitalia of 3 species are described or redescribed and illustrated. A key to Chinese species in the genus is provided.     

Differences in life-history and ecological traits between co-occurring Panulirus spiny lobsters (Decapoda,Palinuridae)

Coexistence of closely related species may be promoted by niche differentiation or result from interspecific trade-offs in life history and ecological traits that influence relative fitness differences and contribute to competitive inequalities. Although insufficient to prove coexistence, trait comparisons provide a first step to identify functional differences between co-occurring congeneric species in relation to mechanisms of coexistence. Here, a comparative review on life history and ecological traits is presented for two pairs of co-occurring species of spiny lobsters in the genus Panulirus: Panulirus gracilis and Panulirus inflatus from the Eastern Central Pacific region, and Panulirus argus and Panulirus guttatus from the Caribbean region. Panulirus gracilis and Panulirus inflatus have similar larval, postlarval, and adult sizes and a similar diet, but differ in degree of habitat specialization, fecundity, and growth rate. However, little is known on behavioral traits of these two species that may influence their competitive abilities and susceptibility to predators. The more abundant information on Panulirus argus and Panulirus guttatus shows that these two species differ more broadly in degree of habitat specialization, larval, postlarval and adult sizes, diet, fecundity, growth rate, degree of sociality, defense mechanisms, susceptibility to predators, and chemical ecology, suggesting a greater degree of niche differentiation between Panulirus argus and Panulirus guttatus than between Panulirus gracilis and Panulirus inflatus. Whether the substantial niche differentiation and apparent interspecific trade-offs between Panulirus argus and Panulirus guttatus relative to Panulirus gracilis and Panulirus inflatus reflect an earlier divergence of the former pair of species in the evolution of the genus constitutes an intriguing hypothesis. However, whether or not post-divergence evolution of each species pair occurred in sympatry remains uncertain.     

Description of third instar larvae of Ceratitis fasciventris,C. anonae,C. rosa (FAR complex) and C. capitata (Diptera,Tephritidae)

Third instar larvae of members of the Ceratitis FAR complex, including Ceratitis fasciventris (Bezzi), Ceratitis anonae Graham, and Ceratitis rosa Karsch are described and compared with those of Ceratitis capitata (Wiedemann). Diagnostic characters, such as presence vs. absence of a secondary tooth on the mandibles, previously used to separate Ceratitis capitata from Ceratitis rosa, are shown to vary in each species. Significant variation in diagnostic morphological characters among populations of Ceratitis rosa from east and south Africa is documented; however, the differences are not simply congruent with the R1 and R2 designations based on other studies. Quantitative measures of numerous morphological characters are consistently smaller in the larvae of Ceratitis fasciventris and distinguish them from other species of the FAR complex. Larvae of Ceratitis capitata can be distinguished from those of the FAR complex by characters such as absence of accessory plates of the oral ridges, the shape of the anterior spiracle, and the pattern of dorsal spinules. Previous studies indicated that absence of accessory lobes separate the genus Ceratitis from Bactrocera, but this is shown to be incorrect, as accessory lobes are in fact present in several species of Ceratitis.     

Thysanoptera of Bulgaria

The present checklist includes data on the species composition, geographic distribution and feeding preferences of thrips species in Bulgaria. In total, 155 species in 48 genera are listed. Of these, 125 species belong to suborder Terebrantia and include 103 species of 33 genera in family Thripidae, 14 species of two genera in Aeolothripidae, seven species of two genera in Melanthripidae and one species in Fauriellidae. In suborder Tubulifera, 30 species of 10 genera in the single family Phlaeothripidae are listed. Of the 155 Bulgarian thrips species, 87.7% are phytophagous, 4.5% are obligate predators, 5.8% are mycophagous and 1.9% are with unknown feeding preferences. Fourteen pest species are listed for Bulgaria, of which Frankliniella occidentalis, Thrips tabaci and Haplothrips tritici are of economic importance. The list provides detailed information on the horizontal and vertical distribution of Thysanoptera in 5 regions and 45 subregions of Bulgaria. The present paper also includes an evaluation of the biodiversity of Thysanoptera and the extent to which each region of the country has been studied.     

Resolution of taxonomic problems in Australian Harpalini,Abacetini, Pterostichini,and Oodini (Coleoptera,Carabidae)

Taxonomic changes are made for several problematic Australian Carabidae in the tribes Harpalini, Abacetini, Pterostichini, and Oodini. Examination of types resulted in the synonymy of Veradia Castelnau, 1867 with Leconomerus Chaudoir, 1850; Nelidus Chaudoir, 1878, Feronista Moore, 1965, and Australomasoreus Baehr, 2007 with Cerabilia Castelnau, 1867; and newly combining Fouquetius variabilis Straneo, 1960 in the genus Pediomorphus Chaudoir, 1878; Australomasoreus monteithi Baehr, 2007 in the genus Cerabilia Castelnau, 1867; and Anatrichis lilliputana W.J. Macleay, 1888 in the genus Nanodiodes Bousquet, 1996. Cuneipectus Sloane, 1907 is placed in Pterostichini Bonelli, 1810, which is a senior synonym of Cuneipectini Sloane, 1907.     

The caddisfly fauna (Insecta, Trichoptera) of the rivers of the Black Sea basin in Kosovo with distributional data for some rare species

Adult caddisflies were collected from 12 stations in the Black Sea basin in Kosovo using UV light traps. Sixty-five of the seventy-six species reported in this paper are first records for the Kosovo caddisfly fauna. The unexpected discovery of several species during this investigation: Agapetus delicatulus McLachlan, 1884, Psychomyia klapaleki Malicky, 1995, Tinodes janssensi Jacquemart, 1957, Hydropsyche emarginata Navas, 1923, Drusus botosaneanui Kumanski, 1968, Potamophylax rotundipennis (Brauer, 1857), Potamophylax schmidi Marinković-Gospodnetić, 1970, Ceraclea albimacula (Rambur, 1842), Helicopsyche bacescui Orghidan & Botosaneanu, 1953, Adicella filicornis (Pictet, 1834), Beraea maurus (Curtis, 1834) and Beraeamyia hrabei Mayer, 1937 illustrates that collections from poorly investigated areas in Europe will almost certainly revise the existing knowledge on the distribution of these and other species.     

Genetic analysis of purple adenine (ad-3) mutants induced by methyl methanesulfonate in Neurospora crassa

The mutagenicity of methyl methanesulfonate (MMS) was studied in a genetically marked two-component heterokaryon of Neurospora crassa. Types of genetic alterations detectable in this system are (I) point mutations in the ad-3A and ad-3B loci; (2) multilocus (chromosome) deletions in the ad-3 region, and (3) recessive lethal mutations in the whole genome. Study of the inactivation kinetics of the heterokaryotic and homokaryotic conidial fractions has made it possible to distinguish between nuclear and cytoplasmic inactivation.Forward mutations in the ad-3 region induced by MMS in the heterokaryotic fraction of conidia were obtained by a direct method with the following results: (I) The overall ad-3 forward mutation frequency increases in proportion to the 1.91 power of the concentration of MMS. (2) The forward mutation frequency of point mutations at the ad-3A and ad-3B loci increases in proportion to the 1.68 power of the concentration. (3) The forward mutation frequency of chromosome deletions in the ad-3 region increases more than exponentially with increasing concentrations of MMS. (4) After treatment for 300 min with 20 mM MMS, 15.5% of the ad-3 mutations are multilocus deletions. Tests for genotype and allelic complementation of the point mutations showed that (I) the ratio between ad-3B and ad-3A mutants was 1.75, (2) 52.1% of the ad-3B mutants showed allelic complementation, with 39.2% non-polarized and 12.9% polarized complementation patterns and 47.9% noncomplementing mutants, and (3) both the ratio between point mutations in the ad-3A and ad-3B loci and the spectrum of complementation patterns among the ad-3B mutants were independent of MMS concentration.     

Generation of protection against Francisella novicida in mice depends on the pathogenicity protein PdpA,but not PdpC or PdpD

Previous results suggest that mutations in most genes in the Francisella pathogenicity island (FPI) attenuate the bacterium. Using a mouse model, here we determined the impact of mutations in pdpA, pdpC, and pdpD in Francisella novicida on in vitro replication in macrophages, and in vivo immunogenicity. In contrast to most FPI genes, deletion of pdpC (FnΔpdpC) and pdpD (FnΔpdpD) from F. novicida did not impact growth in mouse bone-marrow derived macrophages. Nonetheless, both FnΔpdpC and FnΔpdpD were highly attenuated when administered intradermally. Infected mice produced relatively normal anti-F. novicida serum antibodies. Further, splenocytes from infected mice controlled intramacrophage Francisella replication, indicating T cell priming, and mice immunized by infection with FnΔpdpC or FnΔpdpD survived secondary lethal parenteral challenge with either F. novicida or Francisella tularensis LVS. In contrast, deletion of pdpA (FnΔpdpA) ablated growth in macrophages in vitro. FnΔpdpA disseminated and replicated poorly in infected mice, accompanied by development of some anti-F. novicida serum antibodies. However, primed Th1 cells were not detected, and vaccinated mice did not survive even low dose challenge with either F. novicida or LVS. Taken together, these results suggest that successful priming of Th1 cells, and protection against lethal challenge, depends on expression of PdpA.     

Systematics of the family Plectopylidae in Vietnam with additional information on Chinese taxa (Gastropoda,Pulmonata, Stylommatophora)

Vietnamese species from the family Plectopylidae are revised based on the type specimens of all known taxa, more than 600 historical non-type museum lots, and almost 200 newly-collected samples. Altogether more than 7000 specimens were investigated. The revision has revealed that species diversity of the Vietnamese Plectopylidae was previously overestimated. Overall, thirteen species names (anterides Gude, 1909, bavayi Gude, 1901, congesta Gude, 1898, fallax Gude, 1909, gouldingi Gude, 1909, hirsuta Möllendorff, 1901, jovia Mabille, 1887, moellendorffi Gude, 1901, persimilis Gude, 1901, pilsbryana Gude, 1901, soror Gude, 1908, tenuis Gude, 1901, verecunda Gude, 1909) were synonymised with other species. In addition to these, Gudeodiscus hemmeni sp. n. and Gudeodiscus messageri raheemi ssp. n. are described from north-western Vietnam. Sixteen species and two subspecies are recognized from Vietnam. The reproductive anatomy of eight taxa is described. Based on anatomical information, Halongella gen. n. is erected to include Plectopylis schlumbergeri and Plectopylis fruhstorferi. Additionally, the genus Gudeodiscus is subdivided into two subgenera (Gudeodiscus and Veludiscus subgen. n.) on the basis of the morphology of the reproductive anatomy and the radula. The Chinese Gudeodiscus phlyarius werneri Páll-Gergely, 2013 is moved to synonymy of Gudeodiscus phlyarius. A spermatophore was found in the organ situated next to the gametolytic sac in one specimen. This suggests that this organ in the Plectopylidae is a diverticulum. Statistically significant evidence is presented for the presence of calcareous hook-like granules inside the penis being associated with the absence of embryos in the uterus in four genera. This suggests that these probably play a role in mating periods before disappearing when embryos develop. Sicradiscus mansuyi is reported from China for the first time.     

A new species of Liolaemus related to L. nigroviridis from the Andean highlands of Central Chile (Iguania,Liolaemidae)

The Liolaemus nigroviridis group is a clade of highland lizards endemic to Chile. These species are distributed from northern to central Chile, and currently there are no cases of sympatric distribution. This study describes a new species, Liolaemus uniformis sp. n., from this group, and provides a detailed morphological characterization and mitochondrial phylogeny using cytochrome-b. Liolaemus uniformis was found in sympatry with Liolaemus nigroviridis but noticeably differed in size, scalation, and markedly in the color pattern, without sexual dichromatism. This new species has probably been confused with Liolaemus monticola and Liolaemus bellii, both of which do not belong to the nigroviridis group. The taxonomic issues of this group that remain uncertain are also discussed.