Le genre Dionide Barrande, 1847 (Trilobite)dans l'Ordovicien du Massif Armoricain et du Portugal

A new species of DionideBarrande, Dionide mareki nov. sp., is described from siltstones of Llandeilo age in the Armorican Massif and north Portugal. The known geographical distribution of this species presents new evidence for the strong palaeobiogeographical relationship, during the Llandeilo, between the Valongo district (near Porto) and the Martigné-Ferchaud and Saint-Julien-de-Vouvantes synclinoriums south of Rennes.     

竹亚科系统学和生物地理学研究进展及存在的问题

对近年来在竹亚科作为一个单系类群的界定、其系统位置的确定、内部系统演化趋势以及地理分布和起源方面研究所取得的进展进行了评述。竹亚科作为一个单系类群仅包括了木本的竹族（Bambuseae)和一个草本的莪利竹族（Olyreae),其中莪利竹族分布在新几内亚的伊里安竹（Buergersiochloa)处于Olyreae最基部。禾本科12个亚科中除了3个亚科为基部类群以外,其余9个亚科分成PACCAD（包括黍亚科,狭义的芦竹亚科,广义的虎尾草亚科,假淡竹叶亚科,三芒草亚科和扁芒草亚科）和BOP单系分支（包括竹亚科,稻亚科和早熟禾亚科）。在BOP支中,竹亚科与早熟禾亚科相近缘,共同组成稻亚科的姐妹群。竹亚科分成草本和木本两个单系类群,木本竹子又分成热带和温带支系,热带支系进一步分成新世界热带和旧世界热带两个单系类群。从现有的化石证据和基部类群的地理分布推断,竹亚科很可能起源于晚白垩纪的冈瓦纳古陆。最后,本文就竹亚科研究尚存在的问题做了初步探讨。     

A phylogenetic analysis of the major groups of catfishes (Teleostei: Siluriformes) using rag1 and rag2 nuclear gene sequences

Higher-level relationships among catfishes were investigated by parsimony, maximum likelihood and Bayesian analyses of two nuclear genes across 110 catfish species representing 36 of 37 families and Conorhynchos (family incertae sedis). Analysis of 3660 aligned base pairs from the rag1 and rag2 genes confirms monophyly of Siluriformes, of most siluriform families and of a number of multifamily groups, some recognized, some novel. South American Loricarioidei are recovered as the sistergroup to other catfishes which are divided into Diplomystidae and Siluroidei. This result contrasts with the prevailing hypothesis that Diplomystidae is the sister to all other catfishes. Monophyly of Siluroidei is supported by rag data including a unique three-codon deletion from rag1. Deep within Siluroidei are 12 large, strongly supported groups with poorly resolved interrelationships. Five are single families: Cetopsidae, Plotosidae, Chacidae, Siluridae and Pangasiidae. Four others are monophyletic taxa ranked here as superfamilies: Clarioidea (Clariidae, Heteropneustidae), Arioidea (Ariidae, Anchariidae), Pimelodoidea (Pimelodidae, Pseudopimelodidae, Heptapteridae, Conorhynchos), Ictaluroidea (Ictaluridae, Cranoglanididae). South American Doradoidea (Doradidae, Auchenipteridae) and Aspredinidae are a sistergroup pair. Sisoroidea (without Aspredinidae), Ailia+Laides, Horabagridae, and Bagridae (without Rita) form a large, predominantly Asian clade, "Big Asia." Mochokidae, Malapteruridae, Amphiliidae, Claroteidae, and African schilbids are united as a species-rich African clade, "Big Africa." The three large continental clades, "Big Asia," "Big Africa" and Neotropical Loricarioidei suggest a prevalence of intracontinental diversification of catfishes. South America is the home of the Gymnotiformes, putative sistergroup of catfishes, plus two of the deepest siluriform clades, Loricarioidei and Diplomystidae, thus suggesting an ancient siluriform presence if not origin there. The rag phylogeny does not identify any African-South American catfish clade. The well-known African-Asian relationships within families Clariidae and Bagridae are confirmed, as is the recently found North American-Asian relationship between Ictaluridae and Cranoglanididae.     

New material of Pleistocene cats (Carnivora, Felidae) from Southern South America, with comments on biogeography and the fossil record

In this paper the systematic position and age of several Pleistocene cat remains found in southern South American are studied, in an attempt to more fully document the scarce record of the group and clear up their obscure Quaternary history. The fossils are compared with a large sample of recent specimens by means of qualitative and quantitative characters, as well as multivariate methods (discriminant analysis). The age of previous records is restricted using recent chronostratigraphic and biostratigraphic studies. Ly. colocolo is recorded in the late Ensenadan (0.78-0.5 Ma BP) and Bonaerian/Lujanian (0.5 Ma-8.5 Ka BP) ages of the Pampean Region (Argentina) and in the late Pleistocene or Holocene of Tierra del Fuego (Chile). An incomplete hemimandible found in the Bonaerian of the Pampean Region is referred to cf. Herpailurus and could be the earliest record of this lineage. Two other remains could belong to On. geoffroyi, but their incompleteness and some differences prevent their assignation to this recent species. The age of “Felis” vorohuensis is restricted to the late Ensenadan. The fossil record of the Ocelot Lineage is very fragmentary, but it is at least as old as late Ensenadan. Taphonomic biases are responsible for this poor fossil record and this fact could partially explain the hiatus with respect to the timing estimated by molecular divergence. The combination of data suggests that Ly. colocolo, On. guigna, On. geoffroyi and Oreailurus jacobita speciated in South America, supporting previous opinions. If the molecular divergence dates are right the recent diversity of this group could be explained by a minimum of five to six immigrations.     

Presence du genre Simoedosaurus (Reptilia,Choristodera) en Amerique du Nord

The genus Simoedosaurus, whose distinction from Champsosaurus has recently been proven in Europe, exists also in the Clarkforkian of North America: four specimens in the Collection of Princeton University provide the evidence. This genus can be added to the already long list of forms common to the two continents at the beginning of the Eocene, which attests to the ease of migration from one to the other at this time.     

Genetic and morphologic variation of the Pecos assiminea,an endangered mollusk of the Rio Grande region,United States and Mexico (Caenogastropoda: Rissooidea: Assimineidae)

Assiminea pecos is an endangered species of amphibious gastropod that occupies four widely separated portions of the Rio Grande region in the southwestern United States (Pecos River basin) and northeastern Mexico (Cuatro Cienegas basin). Our statistical and discriminant function analyses of shell variation among the disjunct populations of this species indicate that Mexican specimens differ in their morphometry from those of the United States and can be diagnosed by several characters. We also analyzed variation in the mitochondrial genome by sequencing 658 bp of mitochondrial COI from populations of A. pecos, representatives of the other three North American species of Assiminea, and several outgroups. Our results indicated substantial divergence of the Mexican population of A. pecos, which was consistently depicted as a monophyletic unit nested within or sister to the shallowly structured group comprised of American members of this species. Consistent with our findings, we describe the Mexican population as a new species, which is provisionally placed in the large, worldwide genus Assiminea pending further study of the phylogentic relationships of the North American assimineids. Our molecular data suggest that the Rio Grande region assimineids, which are among the few inland members of the otherwise estuarine subfamily Assimineinae, diverged from coastal progenitors in the late Miocene, with subsequent Pleistocene vicariance of Mexican and American species perhaps associated with development of the modern, lower course of the Rio Grande. Handling editor: K. Martens     

Phoceana pliocenicaespece fossile du genre Phoceana (Bryozoa cheilostomata)

The genus Phoceana JULLIEN and CALVET was recorded only from the recent North Atlantic and the MediterraneanSea. We discovered a fossil species in the Lower Pliocene from southern Spain.     

Les Colubridae (Reptilia,Serpentes) du Neogene francais. Le probleme des especes du Miocene de Sansan (Gers)

Thus far, four colubrid snakes from the French Neogene have been named. Three of them, that come from the Miocene of Sansan (Gers), are revised. Scaptophis miocenicus is probably not a miocene fossil, it is considered a nomen dibium. The species sansaniensis LARTET is referred to the genus Natrix and the species pouchetii DE ROCHEBRUNE is transfered to Coluber.     

Xanthones et C-glucosides flavoniques du genre Gentiana (section Cyclostigma)

Xanthones with a uniform 1,3,7,8-oxidation pattern, the C-glycosides isoorientin and isovitexin, and in some cases mangiferin, were isolated from the aerial parts of G. nivalis, G. brachyphylla, G. favrati, G. rostani, G. utriculosa and G. schleicheri Kunz. The distribution of these compounds within the section Cyclostigma is given. Comparison of phenolic patterns in other sections of Gentiana is made.     

Le genre leptaenopyxis (brachiopoda,leptaenidae) dans le Devonien du Massif Armoricain (France)

The study of genus LeptaenopyxisHavlicek, 1963 in the Lower Devonian from Armorican Massif allows to recognize four species: Leptaenopyxis kerfornei n. sp., Leptaenopyxis cf. bouei (Barrande), Leptaenopyxis sp. 1 and Leptaenopyxis sp. 2. These species were described, until now, under specific name boueiBarrande, 1848. From this study it follows some biostratigraphical and palaeobiogeographical results for the Armorican Massif and its relations with surrounding areas during Lower Devonian time.     

Xanthones et C-glucosides flavoniques du genre Gentiana (sous-genre Gentianella)

Xanthones with 1,3,5,8 or 1,3,4,5,8-oxidation pattern, the C-glucosides mangiferin, isoorientin and swertisin, were isolated from the aerial parts of G. germanica and G. ramosa. The distribution of these compounds within the subgenus Gentianella is given. Phenolic patterns in Gentiana and in Swertia are compared.     

Revision du genre Vesperus Dejean 1821 (Coleoptera: Cerambycidae)

Deux néotypes et deux lectotypes sont désignés dans cette révision du genre Vesperus Dejean. Pour chacune des 16 espèces connues, la morphologie des deux sexes est décrite, l’appareil génital mâle figure, la biologies et la répartition géographique commentées; le tout complété par une clef des espèces et sous-espèces du genre.     

Les affinites du genre Apringia(Brachiopodes Rhynchonellacea du Toarcien)

In view of its internal caracters (no septalium and prefalcifer type crura) Apringia sp. from the upperToarcian of Morocco (oriental Hight Atlas) shows more affinities for the family Pugnacidae than for the Rhynchonellidae one.     

On the Middle Miocene avifauna of Maboko Island,Kenya

The Middle Miocene sediments of Maboko Island (Lake Victoria) in western Kenya yielded numerous avian bones, which remained, however, little studied. The significance of this material is shown by the recent identification of an opisthocomiform bird. In the present study, further avian remains from Maboko Island are described. Most of the specimens belong to aquatic or semi-aquatic groups, of which some are closely related to taxa known from Early and Middle Miocene European avifaunas, that is, Nectornis cormorants (N. africanus nov. sp.) and Laricola-like Laromorphae. The fossil material also includes Ciconiidae (cf. Ciconia), Pelecanidae, Phoenicopteridae (Leakeyornis aethiopicus), Musophagidae, and a species of Ardeidae, which closely resembles the taxon Pikaihao from the Early Miocene of New Zealand. Some avian remains from Maboko Island belong to higher-level taxa unknown from the Middle Miocene of Europe. The occurrence of a giant Jacanidae (?Nupharanassa mabokoensis nov. sp.) is of particular interest, because these are globally absent in extant avifaunas and were previously only known from the Late Eocene/Early Oligocene of Egypt. Further unknown from contemporaneous European sites are small representatives of Jacanidae, Bucerotidae, and Alcedinidae, with the fossils of the latter two taxa being among the earliest published records of their respective groups. Several of the taxa that are common in contemporaneous European avifaunas have not been found in Maboko, and in spite of less pronounced climatic differences, Middle Miocene Afrotropical avifaunas already appear to have been distinct from contemporaneous European ones.     

A molecular phylogenetic analysis of the "true thrushes" (Aves: Turdinae)

The true thrushes (Passeriformes: Muscicapidae, subfamily Turdinae) are a speciose and widespread avian lineage presumed to be of Old World origin. Phylogenetic relationships within this assemblage were investigated using mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) sequence data that included the cytochrome b and ND2 genes. Our ingroup sampling included 54 species representing 17 of 20 putative turdine genera. Phylogenetic trees derived via maximum parsimony and maximum likelihood were largely congruent. Most of the Turdine taxa sampled can be placed into one of six well supported clades. Our data indicate a polyphyletic Zoothera which can be divided into at least two (Afro-Asian and Austral-Asian) main clades. The genus Turdus, as presently recognized, is paraphyletic but forms a well supported clade with the addition of three mostly monotypic genera (Platycichla, Nesocichla, and Cichlherminia). We identify an exclusively New World clade that includes a monophyletic Catharus, Hylocichla, Cichlopsis, Entomodestes, Ridgwayia, and Ixoreus. Members of the morphologically and behaviorally distinct genera Sialia, Myadestes, and Neocossyphus unexpectedly form a basal clade. Using multiple outgroup choices, we show that this group is distantly related, but unequivocally the sister group to the remaining Turdines sampled. The Turdinae appear to be a relatively old songbird lineage, originating in the mid to late Miocene. If the Turdinae are indeed Old World in origin, our data indicate a minimum of three separate invasions of the New World.