Three new records of Epyrinae (Hymenoptera: Bethylidae) from Korea,with a description of male of the genus Allobethylus

Allobethylus tomoae Terayama, Cephalonomia tarsalis (Ashmead) and Laelius yamatonis Terayama of Epyrinae are recorded for the first time from Korea. Allobethylus tomoae Terayama, C. tarsalis (Ashmead) and L. yamatonis Terayama are redescribed based on Korean specimens with the biometric measurement data for each species. The genera Allobethylus and Laelius are newly recorded from Korea. Male of Allobethylus is discovered for the first time.     

A new species and a new record of Helicomyces from Taiwan

Helicomyces geniculatus sp. nov. from decaying wood submerged in a freshwater stream at Juchi Town of Alishan area, Chiayi County, Taiwan, is described and illustrated. It differs from other Helicomyces species in having geniculate conidiophores arising from repent hyphae and also borne on erect setae. Abundant stalked sclerotia were also found in this species. Helicomyces torquatus is described in this paper as a new record for Taiwan, with new observation. The phylogenetic relationship of H. geniculatus, H. torquatus, and related taxa were sought by comparing the sequences of their ITS barcode of the nuc rDNA. A synopsis of the 13 accepted Helicomyces species is given.     

Floral traits and isolation of three sympatric Aquilegia species in the Qinling Mountains, China

Floral isolation has been considered to be an important reproductive mechanism governing the species diversification in many genera. In a classic example Aquilegia, sympatric species from North America with diverse floral traits are generally associated with specialized pollinators that prohibit interspecific hybridization. It remains unclear whether species diversification in the genus from Eurasia is also maintained by floral isolation. We investigated floral phenology, floral characteristics and pollinators in three sympatric Aquilegia species (A. ecalcarata, A. incurvata and A. yabeana) in the Qinling Mountains, Shanxi Province, China from 2001 to 2005. The spurless A. ecalcarata flowers earlier than the other two species with nectar spurs but their floral phenology overlaps. Major pollinators of A. ecalcarata are syrphid flies while bumblebees are major for A. incurvata and A. yabeana. Therefore our observations confirm that mechanical isolation through differential pollinators could contribute reproductive isolation between spurless and spurred species, as demonstrated by studies from North America. Whether floral isolation plays a major role in the reproductive isolation between two spurred species (A. incurvata and A. yabeana), however, remains to be seen. Further studies are required to quantify the potential role of geographical isolation because they occupy different habitats.     

New species of the genus Chelopistes (Ischnocera: Philopteridae) from Pakistan

A new species of Chelopistes Kéler from common turkey fowl Meleagris gallopavo L. from Karachi, Pakistan is described in detail with reference to morphology and genitalia. The new species is also compared with its closest known ally, Chelopistes meleagridis, a common cosmopolitan parasite previously described from common turkey fowl.     

A new species of theLuzula campestris-multiflora complex in Central Europe

A new species (tetraploid with 2n=24) of the groupLuzula campestris-multiflora is described from Czechoslovakia. The species also occurs in Hungary and Germany.     

Buellia laurocanariensis,a new species from the Canary Islands

Abstract:A new corticolous species of Buellia is described from La Palma and La Gomera (Canary Islands). It is mainly characterized by its strongly ornamented, (1–2)–3-septate ascospores with apical and septa thickenings, which follow an ascospore-ontogeny of type B, and its chemistry. The new species is compared with the relatedBuellia lauricassiae (Fée) Müll. Arg. and B. lauricassiaeoides Aptroot. Illustrations of the ascospores of B. laurocanariensis and B. lauricassiaeoides are presented. A habit photograph of the new species is also provided.     

Taxonomy of the genus Ectopioglossa Perkins from China,with two new species and an updated key to the Oriental species (Hymenoptera: Vespidae: Eumeninae)

A total of five species of the genus Ectopioglossa is reviewed from China, of which two new species are described and illustrated. These two new species are Ectopioglossa trimacula sp. nov. and E. convexa sp. nov., collected from Guangxi and Yunnan, China, respectively. Among other three nomial species, E. sublaevis (Smith, 1857) is new to China. An updated key to the Oriental species is also provided.     

Rapid and accurate species and genomic species identification and exhaustive population diversity assessment of Agrobacterium spp. using recA-based PCR

Agrobacteria are common soil bacteria that interact with plants as commensals, plant growth promoting rhizobacteria or alternatively as pathogens. Indigenous agrobacterial populations are composites, generally with several species and/or genomic species and several strains per species. We thus developed a recA-based PCR approach to accurately identify and specifically detect agrobacteria at various taxonomic levels. Specific primers were designed for all species and/or genomic species of Agrobacterium presently known, including 11 genomic species of the Agrobacterium tumefaciens complex (G1-G9, G13 and G14, among which only G2, G4, G8 and G14 still received a Latin epithet: pusense, radiobacter, fabrum and nepotum, respectively), A. larrymoorei, A. rubi, R. skierniewicense, A. sp. 1650, and A. vitis, and for the close relative Allorhizobium undicola. Specific primers were also designed for superior taxa, Agrobacterium spp. and Rhizobiaceace. Primer specificities were assessed with target and non-target pure culture DNAs as well as with DNAs extracted from composite agrobacterial communities. In addition, we showed that the amplicon cloning-sequencing approach used with Agrobacterium-specific or Rhizobiaceae-specific primers is a way to assess the agrobacterial diversity of an indigenous agrobacterial population. Hence, the agrobacterium-specific primers designed in the present study enabled the first accurate and rapid identification of all species and/or genomic species of Agrobacterium, as well as their direct detection in environmental samples.     

Lepidoderma cristatosporum, a new species of myxomycete from Australia

A new species of myxomycete, Lepidoderma cristatosporum, is described from Australia. This species is represented by material collected on subantarctic Macquarie Island. Photographs of fruiting bodies and morphological features as observed under light microscopy are provided, along with micrographs of spore ornamentation as observed by scanning electron microscopy. In addition, the new species is compared with other taxa belonging to the genera Lepidoderma and Diderma, especially with the type material of Lepidoderma crustaceum, a very similar species, and Diderma ochraceum and D. sauteri, two species also muscicolous, for which microphotographs are provided.     

New and reconsidered species of tropical American Melastomataceae

Two species of berry-fruited Melastomataceae are described as new: Blakea unguiculata from the Caribbean lowlands of Panama, and Miconia mcphersonii from the Caribbean lowlands of Panama and lowland forests on the western slope of the Cordillera Occidental of Colombia. Discussions, distributional data, diagnostic illustrations, and a conservation assessment are provided for each of the new species. Meriania hoyosii, comb. nov. and M. compressicaulis , nom. nov. are proposed to effect the transfer of two species of Adelobotrys (A. hoyosii and A. panamensis respectively) to the genus Meriania. A revised key to the Mesoamerican species of Meriania is also provided.     

New and interesting species ofEmericella from Brazilian soil

Among the ascomycete isolates from soil and armadillo dung collected in São Paulo State, Brazil, a new species ofEmericella, E. montenegroi and a new variety ofE. rugulosa, E. rugulosa var.Iazulina are described and illustrated.Emericella montenegroi differs from the other known species of the genus in having ascospores with an incompletely reticulate or ribbed ornamentation on the convex walls.Emericella rugulosa var.Iazulina differs from the type variety in having blue to violet color of ascospores. Isolations ofE. corrugata andE. foveolata are also reported as a South American record. A synoptic key to all accepted species of the genus is provided.     

Review of Indian species of Monoceromyia Shannon (Diptera: Syrphidae) with description of two new species

Flower fly species of the genus Monoceromyia Shannon (Diptera: Syrphidae) in India are reviewed and two new species, M. flavoscutata Sankararaman, Anooj and Mengual, sp. nov. and M. nigra Sankararaman, Anooj and Mengual, sp. nov., are described from Tamil Nadu and Arunachal Pradesh (India), respectively. A new synonym is proposed: M. multipunctata (Hull, 1941) is synonymised under M. polistoides (Brunetti, 1923). Moreover, lectotypes are designated for Ceria patricia Brunetti, 1923 and Ceria tredecimpunctata Brunetti, 1923. An identification key to the Indian Monoceromyia species is also provided.     

Rinodina turfaceoides,a new corticolous,blastidiate species from the Iberian Peninsula

Abstract:A new corticolous lichen, Rinodina turfaceoides, is described from the Serra de Estrela (Portugal). It is characterized mainly by the blastidiate thallus, large apothecia covered by a thick, yellow-orange pruina, large Physcia -type ascospores and chemistry. The new species is compared with the closely related but mainly muscicolous, R. turfacea, as well as with other corticolous Rinodina species with vegetative propagules, including R. colobinoides and R. disjuncta. Habit photographs of the new species and illustrations of its ascospores are also provided.     

Arcobacter molluscorum sp. nov., a new species isolated from shellfish

Nineteen bacteria isolates recovered from shellfish samples (mussels and oysters) showed a new and specific 16S rDNA-RFLP pattern with an Arcobacter identification method designed to recognize all species described up to 2008. These results suggested that they could belong to a new species. ERIC-PCR revealed that the 19 isolates belonged to 3 different strains. The sequence of the 16S rRNA gene of a representative strain (F98-3^T) showed 97.6% similarity with the closest species Arcobacter marinus followed by Arcobacter halophilus (95.6%) and Arcobacter mytili (94.7%). The phylogenetic analysis with the16S rRNA, rpoB, gyrB and hsp60 genes placed the shellfish strains within the same cluster as the three species mentioned (also isolated from saline habitats) but they formed an independent phylogenetic line. The DDH results between strain F98-3^T and A. marinus (54.8% ± 1.05), confirmed that it represents a new species. Several biochemical tests differentiated the shellfish isolates from all other Arcobacter species. Although the new species was different from A. mytili, they shared not only the same habitat (mussels) but also the characteristic of being so far the only Arcobacter species that are simultaneously negative for urea and indoxyl acetate hydrolysis. All results supported the classification of the shellfish strains as a new species, for which the name Arcobacter molluscorum sp. nov. with the type strain F98-3^T is proposed (=CECT 7696^T = LMG 25693^T).     

Acacia gum exudates from species of the series gummiferae

An analytical study of the gum exudates from the African species Acacia ehrenbergiana (three specimens), A.xanthophloea (two specimens), A.hockii and A.sieberana var.villosa, and of the Australian species A.calcigera, has been made. There are now 19 species within the series Gummiferae Benth. for which gum parameters are available; of these, only A. ehrenbergiana gum displays a slightly negative optical rotation. The data for the three gum specimens from A. ehrenbergiana give a further example of the extent to which the gum from different trees of one particular species can vary in composition. The data for A.sieberana var. villosa gum are compared with the values established previously for subsp. sieberana; the differences between varieties of one species are similar in extent to those established for some subspecies. Although A. xanthophloea, A. hockii, A. ehrenbergiana, A. seyal and A. karroo are regarded as being very closely related botanically, the values for some of their analytical parameters differ considerably and strongly support the view that it is correct to retain them as distinct species.     

Steroidal sapogenins from leaves of Agaveae species

The steroidal sapogenins yielded by the leaves of 34 species and 1 cultivar of Agave, 1 species of Beschorneria, 1 species of Doryanthes and 3 species of Furcraea have been studied. Steroidal sapogenins were found in extracts of most of the species examined. Smilagenin, sarsasapogenin, diosgenin, yamogenin, tigogenin, neotigogenin, gloriogenin, gentrogenin, hecogenin, sisalagenin, 9-dehydrohecogenin and gitogenin were detected. Gloriogenin was found only in A. ghiesbrechtii, yamogenin in A. horrida and A. rigidissima, neo-tigogenin in A. horrida and A. toneliana and gitogenin in A. filifera, F. cabua, F. gigantea and F. selloa cv marginata. The highest yield of smilagenin was obtained from both A. haynaldii and A. rigidissima, of sarsasapogenin from A. attenuata, of diosgenin from A. ellemeetiana, of tigogenin from A. haynaldii and of hecogenin from F. cabua.     

Two new species of Antispila Hübner (Lepidoptera: Adeloidea: Heliozelidae) associated with Hydrangea (Hydrangeaceae) from China

The genus Antispila Hübner, [1825] is poorly recorded from China. Two new Antispila species, A. longcangensis, sp. nov. and A. emeishanensis, sp. nov. feeding on Hydrangeaceae, are described from Sichuan, China. The adult male and female, genitalia and venation of both species are illustrated. Diagnostic characters of these species are compared with other described Antispila species from China. DNA barcodes sequences of the two new species are also provided.     

Ultrastructural characterization of Anaerobiospirillum succiniciproducens and its differentiation from Campylobacter species

The anaerobic spiral-shaped bacterium Anaerobiospirillum succiniciproducens was isolated from the blood of an AIDS patient for the first time in Europe. Electron-microscopical methods, especially negative staining, allowed rapid morphological classification and differentiation from Campylobacter species. While A. succiniciproducens revealed lophotriche flagellation all the investigated Campylobacter species showed monotriche flagellation. The cell diameter of A. succiniciproducens was at least double that of the investigated Campylobacter species. Other ultrastructural features, such as a ring-like structure underneath the flagellar area and fibrils arranged parallel along the axis, were also specific to A. succiniciproducens.     

A new species of Monoliropus Mayer, 1903 (Crustacea,Amphipoda, Caprellidae) from Korean waters

A new species of the genus Monoliropus belonging to the family Caprellidae was collected from the Yellow Sea, Korea. The new species differs from Monoliropus agilis Mayer, 1903, Monoliropus kazemii Momtazi & Sari, 2013, and Triprotella amica Arimoto, 1970 as follows: 1) gnathopod 1 subrectangular; 2) pereonites 2–3 with acute triangular processes anterolaterally; 3) mandibular palp, apical article with four simple setae subdistally. The new species is fully illustrated and extensively compared with related species. This is the first record of the genus Monoliropus from Korean waters. A key to Monoliropus species is also given.