A new species of ferret-badger, Genus Melogale, from Vietnam

Ferret-badgers, genus Melogale, are distributed in the Indochinese region, Java, Bali and NE-Borneo. There are currently four species described each having very similar phenotypes. In March 2005, a living ferret-badger of a different phenotype was confiscated by rangers from Cuc Phuong National Park, Vietnam. This individual died and the carcass was not preserved. In January 2006, a newly deceased individual of the same phenotype was found at the Endangered Primate Rescue Center, Cuc Phuong National Park. Due to several different characteristics these individuals vary greatly from the current species. Thus, we describe an additional species, M. cucphuongensis sp. nov. from northern Vietnam, which occurs sympatrically with M. moschata and M. personata, but differs from both species clearly in skull morphology and other features.Based on a 423 bp-long fragment of the mitochondrial cytochrome b gene, M. cucphuongensis sp. nov. is a member of the genus Melogale and represents a sister lineage to a clade consisting of M. personata and M. moschata.     

Fruiting phenology of palms and trees in an Atlantic rainforest land-bridge island

Tropical forests show periods of scarcity and high fruit production in the same year and/or between years. Palms are an important component of Neotropical rainforests and a significant food resource for several frugivores. Therefore, their role as keystone resource may be exacerbated in highly impoverished areas. In Anchieta Island, São Paulo/Brazil, human settlements have modified and impoverished the forest, mainly through overharvesting and the introduction of exotic plants and several mammal species. We assessed the offer of fruits consumed by vertebrate frugivores at this island, the vegetation of which is belonging to the Brazilian Atlantic rainforest. We compared whether the fruiting patterns and fruit fall differ between palms and trees, and discuss the importance of palms as a food resource for frugivores and the implications for Anchieta Island conservation. Phenological patterns were seasonal for both trees and palms; however, the times of fruiting occurrence differed. Fruit fall biomass was at least twice lower than reported for other Atlantic rain forests and was also different between trees and palms. Palms contributed more than 80% of the overall fruit fall biomass. Palms may constitute an alternative food resource in periods of low fruit availability, although they do not provide resources for the entire assemblage of vertebrate frugivores. Energy-rich fruits, such as those produced by palms, may play an important role in the maintenance of frugivore populations in isolated, disturbed environments with a high density of vertebrate frugivores, low diversity of fruiting species and fruit biomass such as those found on Anchieta Island.     

Four powdery mildew species with catenate conidia infect Galium: molecular and morphological evidence

The Erysiphaceae are a group of obligately biotrophic fungi that cause powdery mildew disease of angiosperms. Due to their inability to be cultured on artificial media, the taxonomy of the Erysiphaceae has generally been based on the morphological characteristics of fresh and herbarium specimens. Thus, several morphological species with wide host ranges have long been maintained in this family, even though they clearly consist of several biological species. Erysiphe galii has been known as a powdery mildew of Galium spp. Recently, the former E. galii var. galii has been reassessed as Neoerysiphe galii and E. galii var. riedliana as Golovinomyces riedlianus, along with a taxonomic revision of the generic concept of the Erysiphaceae. The present study was conducted to evaluate the validity of the taxonomic revision of the two varieties of E. galii. During the course of this study, we found that the Galium powdery mildews consist of at least four different species, viz. Neoerysiphe galii, Golovinomyces orontii, G. riedlianus, and an unknown species collected in Argentina. The latter species is described as a new species, Golovinomyces calceolariae. The three species belonging to Golovinomyces are morphologically very similar to each other, i.e. the discrimination between them is rather difficult. The morphological differences of the three Golovinomyces species of Galium are discussed.     

Oxidative stress does not influence carotenoid mobilization and plumage pigmentation

Oxidative stress has been suggested to create a link between 'good genes' and carotenoid coloration via an allocation conflict between external pigmentation and internal antioxidant functions. However, although carotenoid displays have been extensively investigated, there are no experimental tests of the antioxidant efficiency of carotenoids in vivo. We induced oxidative stress in a small passerine (the great tit, Parus major) under both carotenoid deprivation and supplementation, and investigated the effect on carotenoid mobilization (i.e. plasma) and allocation (i.e. deposition in feather incorporation and liver storage). We found no effects of the stressor on either mobilization or allocation of carotenoids. These results reject the previously suggested superior role of carotenoid's function as antioxidant in vivo with important implications for signal content and honesty.     

Song discrimination by nestling collared flycatchers during early development

Pre-zygotic isolation is often maintained by species-specific signals and preferences. However, in species where signals are learnt, as in songbirds, learning errors can lead to costly hybridization. Song discrimination expressed during early developmental stages may ensure selective learning later in life but can be difficult to demonstrate before behavioural responses are obvious. Here, we use a novel method, measuring changes in metabolic rate, to detect song perception and discrimination in collared flycatcher embryos and nestlings. We found that nestlings as early as 7 days old respond to song with increased metabolic rate, and, by 9 days old, have increased metabolic rate when listening to conspecific when compared with heterospecific song. This early discrimination between songs probably leads to fewer heterospecific matings, and thus higher fitness of collared flycatchers living in sympatry with closely related species.     

Three new species and two new combinations in the Aizoaceae from the Western and Northern Cape of South Africa

Three new species of Aizoaceae from the Western Cape are described. Octopoma tanquanum Klak and Vlokia montana Klak are dwarf shrubby or mat-forming succulents which belong to the Ruschieae in the Ruschioideae. Mesembryanthemum knolfonteinense Klak of the Mesembryanthemoideae is a geophyte. Octopoma tanquanum inhabits relatively low lying arid areas within the Tanqua Karoo and the Little Karoo and is thought to be closely allied to the two species of Octopoma found in the Little Karoo. Both V. montana and M. knolfonteinense grow at relatively high altitudes within the fynbos biome. In addition, Ruschia littlewoodii L.Bolus is transferred to Phiambolia, and two new combinations are made in Antimima for Ruschia hexamera L.Bolus and Ruschia radicans L.Bolus.     

A Xenopus tropicalis oligonucleotide microarray works across species using RNA from Xenopus laevis

Microarrays have great potential for the study of developmental biology. As a model system Xenopus is well suited for making the most of this potential. However, Xenopus laevis has undergone a genome wide duplication meaning that most genes are represented by two paralogues. This causes a number of problems. Most importantly the presence of duplicated genes mean that a X. laevis microarray will have less or even half the coverage of a similar sized microarray from the closely related but diploid frog Xenopus tropicalis. However, to date, X. laevis is the most commonly used amphibian system for experimental embryology. Therefore, we have tested if a microarray based on sequences from X. tropicalis will work across species using RNA from X. laevis. We produced a pilot oligonucleotide microarray based on sequences from X. tropicalis. The microarray was used to identify genes whose expression levels changed during early X. tropicalis development. The same assay was then carried out using RNA from X. laevis. The cross species experiments gave similar results to those using X. tropicalis RNA. This was true at the whole microarray level and for individual genes, with most genes giving similar results using RNA from X. laevis and X. tropicalis. Furthermore, the overlap in genes identified between a X. laevis and a X. tropicalis set of experiments was only 12% less than the overlap between two sets of X. tropicalis experiments. Therefore researchers can work with X. laevis and still make use of the advantages offered by X. tropicalis microarrays.