New species of Acizzia Heslop-Harrison (Hemiptera: Psyllidae) from Australian mistletoe (Loranthaceae)

Three new species of Acizzia are described from Australian mistletoe (Loranthaceae: Amyema spp.). These are: A. loranthacae sp. n., A. amyemae sp. n. and A. pendulae sp. n. They are characterised by: male proctiger with prominent posterior lobe; antenna 1.9–2.9 times width of head; forewing with costal break and pterostigma, with pattern in A. amyemae and A. pendulae but not in A. loranthacae ; and female proctiger simple in A. amyemae and A. pendulae but with prominent dorso-apical process in A. loranthacae . The Loranthaceae is a new host family record for Acizzia . Given the probable radiation of Acizzia on mimosaceous hosts, its occurrence on eucalypt-inhabiting mistletoe, yet its apparent absence from mistletoes on Acacia, is discussed.     

Systematics and biology of Penthaleus tectus sp. n. (Acari: Penthaleidae), a recently discovered pest of grain crops in eastern Australia

Abstract  A new species of pest mite, Penthaleus tectus sp. n. (Acari: Penthaleidae) is described from south-eastern Australia, where it attacks several grain crops including wheat, in which it can cause significant damage. It has previously been confused with the blue oat mite Penthaleus major (Dugès). Penthaleus tectus differs from P. major morphologically and genetically, and in geographical distribution, response to pesticides, and the timing of diapause. Previous records of ' P. major ' from Australia and other countries probably include a mixture of several species. Penthaleus minor (Canestrini) is recorded from South Africa for the first time.     

Two new egg parasitoids (Hymenoptera: Encyrtidae) of the wood borer Agrianome spinicollis (Macleay) (Coleoptera: Cerambycidae), a pest of pecans in eastern Australia

Abstract Baeoanusia xanthopleuron sp. n. and Avetianella coombsi sp. n. (Hymenoptera: Encyrtidae) are described from New South Wales and Queensland. Photomicrographs are provided to illustrate morphological characters of both species, and their systematic position is discussed on the basis of their morphology and biology. Both species are egg parasitoids of the wood borer Agrianome spinicollis (Macleay), an important pest of pecans in eastern Australia.     

不同寄主植物对马铃薯甲虫的引诱作用

随着马铃薯甲虫不断扩展其分布范围,其对寄主的适应性也在发生变化。在我国,马铃薯甲虫的主要寄主植物是马铃薯、茄子、番茄和天仙子。为进一步明确马铃薯甲虫对不同寄主植物的嗜食程度,研究了以上4种寄主植物对马铃薯甲虫的引诱作用,以及取食量的影响,同时进行了田间寄主选择性的调查。选择性试验结果表明:不同寄主植物对马铃薯甲虫的引诱作用差异显著,其中马铃薯、天仙子引诱作用显著高于茄子和番茄;取食量研究结果表明:马铃薯甲虫各龄期对不同寄主24 h取食量的大小依次为:马铃薯>茄子>天仙子>番茄;1—2龄幼虫取食量小,3—4龄幼虫及成虫暴食寄主叶片,是马铃薯甲虫造成危害的主要阶段。     

A comparative genetic linkage map of eggplant (Solanum melongena) and its implications for genome evolution in the solanaceae

A molecular genetic linkage map based on tomato cDNA, genomic DNA, and EST markers was constructed for eggplant, Solanum melongena. The map consists of 12 linkage groups, spans 1480 cM, and contains 233 markers. Comparison of the eggplant and tomato maps revealed conservation of large tracts of colinear markers, a common feature of genome evolution in the Solanaceae and other plant families. Overall, eggplant and tomato were differentiated by 28 rearrangements, which could be explained by 23 paracentric inversions and five translocations during evolution from the species' last common ancestor. No pericentric inversions were detected. Thus, it appears that paracentric inversion has been the primary mechanism for chromosome evolution in the Solanaceae. Comparison of relative distributions of the types of rearrangements that distinguish pairs of solanaceous species also indicates that the frequency of different chromosomal structural changes was not constant over evolutionary time. On the basis of the number of chromosomal disruptions and an approximate divergence time for Solanum, approximately 0.19 rearrangements per chromosome per million years occurred during the evolution of eggplant and tomato from their last ancestor. This result suggests that genomes in Solanaceae, or at least in Solanum, are evolving at a moderate pace compared to other plant species.     

Three new species from the subfamily Phyllocoptinae (Acari,Trombidiformes, Eriophyidae) in Iran

Three new eriophyid species (Phyllocoptinae), Shevtchenkella denticulata sp. n., Notallus pestehae sp. n. and Echinacrus ruthenicus sp. n., were described from Eryngium thyrsoideum Boiss. (Apiaceae), Pistacia vera L. (Anacardiaceae) and Lycium ruthenicum Murray (Solanaceae), respectively. All the three new species were collected from southwest of the East Azerbaijan province, Iran in 2011. It is the first record of an eriophyoid mite collected from E. thyrsoideum and L. ruthenicum and the first record of Notallus from Anacardiaceae plant family.     

Rotifera from Western Australian wetlands with descriptions of two new species

The rotifer fauna of 100 fresh and saline wetlands of southwest Western Australia is documented. A systematic list of 83 recorded taxa is given, with eleven new records for the continent and two new species (Brachionus pinneenaus n. sp. and Lecane boorali n. sp.) described and figured. Species assemblages are distinct from those of eastern Australia, with predominant taxa halophilous or indicative of ephemeral waters. Evolutionary and biogeographical relationships of the Western Australian rotifers are considered.     

Biology and host range of Platyphora semiviridis, a leaf beetle evaluated as a potential biological control agent for Solanum mauritianum in South Africa

The South American tree Solanum mauritianum is a major environmental weed in the high-rainfall regions of South Africa and has been targeted for biological control. Potential agents included five species of the genus Platyphora, which were imported from South America in 1994. Platyphora species associated with Solanaceae reputedly have very specific habitat requirements and host plant preferences in the field. Despite this, host-specificity tests on one species, Platyphora semiviridis, revealed a broad physiological host range. Although laboratory tests showed that P. semiviridis is confined to Solanum species and cannot survive on solanaceous crops outside that genus, it developed on potato and cultivated eggplant (aubergine) as well as on 10 native South African Solanum species. With few exceptions, there were no consistent differences in survival and duration of development on these compared with S. mauritianum. Furthermore, at least six of these non-target species, including potato and eggplant, supported breeding colonies of the beetles in cages. During choice tests in both small and larger cages, P. semiviridis avoided potato but did not consistently discriminate between S. mauritianum, eggplant and six native solanums for larviposition. Despite these findings, P. semiviridis has never been recorded on either potato or eggplant in South America, where it was only observed to feed on S. mauritianum. Although there are several reasons why P. semiviridis is unlikely to attack non-target Solanum species in the field, it will not be released in South Africa because there are other imported agents which have displayed narrower physiological host ranges and which may be more effective.     

Biology, host specificity and risk assessment of the leaf-mining flea beetle, Acallepitrix sp. nov., a candidate agent for the biological control of the invasive tree Solanum mauritianum in South Africa

The South American tree Solanum mauritianum, a major environmentalweed in the high-rainfall regions of SouthAfrica, has proved to be a difficult target forbiological control. Artificially expanded hostranges of candidate agents during quarantinehost-specificity tests, have resulted in therelease of only one agent species which has sofar had a negligible impact on the weed. Thenecessity for additional agents resulted in theimportation of a leaf-mining flea beetle, anunidentified species of Acallepitrix,from Brazil in 1997. No-choice tests inquarantine showed that potential host plantsare confined to the genus Solanum.Although several non-target plants, includingcultivated eggplant (aubergine) and some nativeSouth African Solanum species, sustainedfeeding, oviposition and the development oflarval leaf mines, most of these were inferiorhosts. These results were confirmed by pairedchoice tests, where Acallepitrix sp. nov.displayed significant feeding and ovipositionpreferences for S. mauritianum and where,with few exceptions, more larval leaf mineswere initiated on S. mauritianum.Interpretation of the host-specificity testswas facilitated by a risk assessment matrixwhich suggested that the risk of feeding andoviposition on non-target Solanum plants,including eggplant cultivations, was relativelylow. These and other considerations, such asthe lack of evidence of damage inflicted oncultivated Solanaceae in South America, suggestthat Acallepitrix sp. nov. could beconsidered for release against S. mauritianum in South Africa. However, the results of the host-specificity tests remain ambiguous and until more compelling evidence is obtained from field surveys and open-field trials in Brazil, an application for permission to release the flea beetle in South Africa will not be considered.     

Gallilichus jonesi sp. n. (Acari: Ascouracaridae): A new species of feather mite from the quills of the Australian brush-turkey (Aves: Megapodiidae)

Adults, nymphs, larvae and eggs of Gallilichus jonesi sp. n. are described. These mites inhabit the quills of large wing and tail feathers of the megapode Alectura lathami Gray, where they appear to consume the spongy medulla inside the quill. This is the first record of Gallilichus for Australia, and the first observation of quill mites associated with the Megapodiidae. Two nymphal morphologies of G. jonesi were observed and are presumed to represent male and female, but because pharate adults were not found, definitive assignment of morphs to sexes was not possible. The only other species in the genus Gallilichus occurs in the feathers of domestic chickens. The implications of these host-associations for elucidating relationships between the megapodes and other galliform birds are discussed.     

The SOL Genomics Network: a comparative resource for Solanaceae biology and beyond

The SOL Genomics Network (SGN; http://sgn.cornell.edu) is a rapidly evolving comparative resource for the plants of the Solanaceae family, which includes important crop and model plants such as potato (Solanum tuberosum), eggplant (Solanum melongena), pepper (Capsicum annuum), and tomato (Solanum lycopersicum). The aim of SGN is to relate these species to one another using a comparative genomics approach and to tie them to the other dicots through the fully sequenced genome of Arabidopsis (Arabidopsis thaliana). SGN currently houses map and marker data for Solanaceae species, a large expressed sequence tag collection with computationally derived unigene sets, an extensive database of phenotypic information for a mutagenized tomato population, and associated tools such as real-time quantitative trait loci. Recently, the International Solanaceae Project (SOL) was formed as an umbrella organization for Solanaceae research in over 30 countries to address important questions in plant biology. The first cornerstone of the SOL project is the sequencing of the entire euchromatic portion of the tomato genome. SGN is collaborating with other bioinformatics centers in building the bioinformatics infrastructure for the tomato sequencing project and implementing the bioinformatics strategy of the larger SOL project. The overarching goal of SGN is to make information available in an intuitive comparative format, thereby facilitating a systems approach to investigations into the basis of adaptation and phenotypic diversity in the Solanaceae family, other species in the Asterid clade such as coffee (Coffea arabica), Rubiaciae, and beyond.     

中国茄属一新归化种——羽裂叶龙葵

报道了中国茄科茄属的一新记录种——羽裂叶龙葵（Solanum triflorum Nutt.）。该种具有独特的匍匐习性,叶片通常为羽状深裂且稍肉质,花冠呈星芒状,花药细长,在花序轴的顶端通常具一枚叶状小苞片,与国内记载的茄属其他物种区别明显。该种为泛热带分布,原产于美洲,归化于欧洲、南非和澳大利亚,近年来在中国内蒙古自治区亦有归化。     

A survey of the helminths of Rattus sordidus,the canefield rat,together with a description of Ancistronema coronatum n. g., n. sp. (Nematoda: Chabertiidae)

The digestive systems of 86 canefield rats from Ingham, Queensland were examined for parasites. One species of cestode and seven species of nematode were found, all but one being new host records. The helminth community was characterised in terms of core, secondary and satellite species. No core species were identified, but Nippostrongylus typicus and Odilia emanuelae were identified as secondary species. All other species were identified as satellite species. The strongyloid nematode Ancistronema coronatum n. g., n. sp. is described. Ancistronema differs from other genera in the Chabertiidae in having a short buccal capsule and in the number and shape of the elements of the internal and external leaf crowns. This is the first record of a strongyle from Australian rodents. It is postulated that it came into Australia with ancestral Rattus sp. hosts which colonised Australia from Indonesia less than a million years ago.     

Sampling and interpretation of psyllid nymph counts in potatoes

Development of effective management practices for insect pests relies heavily on sampling methods to accurately detect and quantify emerging populations. Herein we describe a novel method to extract and count nymphs of potato psyllid, Bactericera cockerelli (?ulc) (Hemiptera: Triozidae), from leaves in commercial fields of potato, Solanum tuberosum L. (Solanaceae). The proposed sampling method (referred to as the leaf washing method, LWM) consists of: (1) immersing samples of infested leaves in cold water to remove dust and sand; (2) immersing leaves in >85 °C water for 5 s; (3) extracting psyllid nymphs from heated water by passing it through a sampling unit composed of a funnel with a fine mesh‐organza fabric inside and attached to a vacuum pump; and (4) removing organza fabric and count psyllid nymphs under a stereoscope. With five sampling units operating simultaneously, one person is able to process and count immatures from about 400 leaf samples in two normal work days. As examples of applications, the LWM was used to characterize: (1) the vertical distribution of potato psyllid nymphs in the potato canopy; and (2) the spatio‐temporal distribution of potato psyllid nymphs in three potato varieties. Using LWM, we showed that psyllid nymphs were most predominant in the middle portion of the canopy and that spatio‐temporal distributions of nymphs varied among potato varieties.     

First record of the genus Brachygaster Leach (Hymenoptera: Evaniidae) from Australia with the description of a new species

Abstract  Brachygaster murrayorum sp. n., a new species of evaniid ensign wasp, is described from northern Queensland. This is the first record of Brachygaster Leach in Australia and represents a significant range extension from Singapore, its previous closest occurrence.     

First record of Fergusoninidae (Diptera: Schizophora) outside Australia: a new species of Fergusonina on Syzygium in India

Abstract. Adults, larvae and galls of Fergusonina syzygii sp.n. are described and illustrated from material collected on jaman plum, Syzygium cumini (L.), at Hyderabad (A.P.), India, by R. C. Joshi in 1978–79. This seems to be the first record of a fergusoninid fly outside Australia and on a host plant other than Eucalyptus. The symbiotic nematode, Fergusobia Currie, was present in galls of F.syzygii and is also recorded outside Australia for the first time.     

New species of Mycosphaerella from Myrtaceae in plantations and native forests in eastern Australia

The majority of Mycosphaerella species from eucalypts (Eucalyptus, Corymbia and Angophora) in Australia have been recorded only from trees growing in plantations. This illustrates a bias in research in the past two decades toward commercial enterprise, and it emphasises a lack of understanding of the occurrence of these important fungi under natural conditions. Surveys of foliar fungi in native forests in eastern Australia, as well as adjacent plantations, thus have been initiated in recent years. In this study we describe four new species of Mycosphaerella from Eucalyptus spp. as well as other Myrtaceae. Mycosphaerella tumulosa sp. nov. (anamorph: Pseudocercospora sp.) was found on more than seven species of Eucalyptus and Corymbia in native forests and plantations in northeastern New South Wales and southeastern Queensland and appears to be relatively common, although not damaging to these trees. Mycosphaerella multiseptata sp. nov. was recorded from several locations on species of Angophora in native forests and amenity plantings. Mycosphaerella pseudovespa sp. nov. was found in one location in native forest on E. biturbinata. The first species of Mycosphaerella to be described from Syncarpia, M. syncarpiae sp. nov., was found in native forests in numerous locations from Sydney through to northeastern New South Wales and appears to be relatively common.     

Phylogeographic relationships among Asian eggplants and new perspectives on eggplant domestication

The domestication history of eggplant (Solanum melongena L.) has long been debated, with studies unable to narrow down where domestication occurred within a broad region of tropical Asia. The most commonly hypothesized region is India, however China has an equally old written record of eggplant use dating ca. 2000 years before present. Both regions have a high diversity of landraces and populations of putatively wild eggplant: Solanum incanum L. in India and Solanum undatum Lam. in SE Asia. An additional complication is that there is taxonomic confusion regarding the two candidate progenitors. Here, we synthesize historic, morphologic, and molecular data (nrITS sequence and AFLP) to interpret the phylogeographic relationships among candidate progenitors and Asian eggplant landraces in order to test theories of domestication. A minimum of two domestication events is supported: one in India and one in southern China/SE Asia. Results also support separate domestication of S. melongena subsp. ovigerum, a group of morphologically distinct eggplants found in SE Asia, and suggest Asian S. incanum and S. undatum may not be genetically distinct. Routes of the spread of eggplant cultivation throughout Asia are proposed, and evolutionary relationships among allied species are discussed.