A new species of Oxalis section Corniculatae (Oxalidaceae) from the Balearic islands

A new species, Oxalis ferae Llorens, Gil & Cardona (Oxalidaceae) from the Balearic islands (Spain) is described and illustrated. It is considered to be endemic to Mallorca. The morphological differences between the more closely related taxa of Oxalis section Corniculatae are discussed. IUCN threatened category and observations on the ecology of the populations are noted.  © 2005 The Linnean Society of London, Botanical Journal of the Linnean Society , 2005, 148 , 489–493.     

A new species of Ornithogalum (Liliaceae) from South Anatolia, Turkey

Ornithogalum chetikianum Uysal, Ertugrul & Dural sp. nov. (Liliaceae) is described and illustrated from Anatolia, Turkey. The species grows on alpine steppe and stony places in Bozkır (C4 Konya province) in South Anatolia. It is closely related to O. nutans L. and O. demirizianum Malyer & M.Koyuncu, an endemic confined to South Anatolia. Diagnostic morphological characters are discussed. Notes are also presented on the ecology, biogeography and conservation status of the new species.  © 2005 The Linnean Society of London, Botanical Journal of the Linnean Society , 2005, 148 , 501–504.     

The 'fabrosaurid' ornithischian dinosaurs of the Upper Elliot Formation (Lower Jurassic) of South Africa and Lesotho

The Upper Elliot Formation of South Africa and Lesotho contains the world's most diverse fauna of early Jurassic ornithischian dinosaurs. Nevertheless, despite four decades of work on this fauna there remains significant taxonomic confusion and many important specimens remain undescribed. A review of the non-heterodontosaurid ('fabrosaurid') ornithischians of the Upper Elliot Formation is presented, following re-examination of all known ornithischian material from the Elliot Formation. ' Fabrosaurus australis' is based upon a single undiagnostic dentary, and is here considered a nomen dubium . Lesothosaurus diagnosticus is considered to be valid and is rediagnosed based upon a unique combination of plesiomorphic and derived characteristics. Stormbergia dangershoeki gen. et. sp. nov. is described from three partial skeletons including numerous postcranial material. Stormbergia dangershoeki is significantly larger than previously described Elliot Formation ornithischians, and can be recognized on the basis of a unique combination of characters, the most important of which is the possession of a distinctive tab-shaped obturator process on the ischium. A preliminary systematic analysis is presented, the results of which differ significantly from other recent ornithischian phylogenies.  © 2005 The Linnean Society of London, Zoological Journal of the Linnean Society , 2005, 145 , 175–218.     

Geographical variation and diversification in the flightless leaf beetles of the Chrysolina angusticollis species complex (Chrysomelidae, Coleoptera) in northern Japan

Geographical variation and differentiation of flightless leaf beetles of the Chrysolina angusticollis species complex were analysed. Nine morphological groups were recognized on the basis of metric characters relating to body size, shape of hind wing and shape of male genitalia, and binary characters relating to females' elytral surface and larval pubescence. The nine groups were essentially parapatric or allopatric to each other. Five groups occupied a continuous geographical range each, whereas another four groups were disjunctively distributed. Morphometric distance and geographical distance between populations were significantly correlated. Analyses based on 13 allozyme loci demonstrated that six out of the nine morphological groups were further divided into more than one genetically distinct group each. Genetic similarity between populations was significantly correlated with morphometric similarity and geographical closeness. Disjunctively distributed populations of a single morphological group more often resembled geographically adjacent populations of different morphological groups than geographically remote populations of the same group. In a morphological group that occupied a wide continuous range, remote populations substantially differed genetically from each other. The results suggest that there exist at least 19 morphologically and/or genetically differentiated units in the C. angusticollis complex in northern Japan. The C. angusticollis complex is likely a superspecies composed of a number of semispecies. We postulate that the diversification of this species complex might have resulted from the repeated range contraction and expansion during the ice ages. Movement of tension zones that separate two adjacent forms might contribute to enhance their geographical differentiation.  © 2008 The Linnean Society of London, Biological Journal of the Linnean Society , 2008, 93 , 557–578.     

A new choristodere (Reptilia: Diapsida) from the Lower Cretaceous of western Liaoning Province, China, and phylogenetic relationships of Monjurosuchidae

The publication of the scientific name Monjurosuchus splendens in 1940 documented the first tetrapod fossil of the later world-renowned Jehol Biota. For more than half a century since this discovery, however, Monjurosuchus has remained as a monotypic genus of the family Monjurosuchidae, and the relationships of the family with choristoderes have not been correctly recognized until quite recently. In this paper, a new monjurosuchid is named and described based on a nearly complete skull and postcranial skeleton from the Early Cretaceous Chiufotang Formation exposed near Chaoyang, western Liaoning Province, China. This new material documents the first occurrence of monjurosuchid choristoderes outside the type Lingyuan area, and extends the geological range of the family from the Yixian Formation to the younger Chiufotang Formation. Cladistic analyses were conducted with inclusion of monjurosuchids, and the results support the placement of the family Monjurosuchidae as a primitive clade outside the Neochoristodera. A new classification scheme is proposed for choristoderes on the basis of the recovered phylogenetic framework of the group.  © 2005 The Linnean Society of London, Zoological Journal of the Linnean Society , 2005, 145 , 427–444.     

Morphological analysis, phylogenies and classification in Velloziaceae

A morphological (non-molecular) cladistic analysis of the Velloziaceae is presented. The terminal taxa are 47 species of Velloziaceae plus four taxa as outgroups: Acanthochlamys bracteata (Acanthochlamydaceae), Encholirium scrutor (Bromeliaceae), Thoracocarpus bissectus (Cyclanthaceae) and Pandanus racemosus (Pandanaceae). The species of Velloziaceae sampled represent a significant proportion of the morphological diversity of the family, including all recognized genera and sections. The analysis revealed two major groups within Velloziaceae, supported mainly by stomata, vascular bundles in the pedicel, aquiferous tissues, filaments, anthers, pollen, stigma, seeds, ploidy and chemical characters. Comparison between this and the previous phylogenetic hypotheses for Velloziaceae, together with the two conflicting current classifications, suggests that there is incompatibility concerning the support of current genera and sections. The only three groups supported in all phylogenies are Barbacenioideae sensu Menezes (= Barbacenia sensu Smith & Ayensu), Xerophyta sect. Barbacenioides and Xerophyta sect. Xerophyta sensu Smith & Ayensu.  © 2005 The Linnean Society of London, Botanical Journal of the Linnean Society , 2005, 148 , 157–173.     

Bauhinia larsenii, a fossil legume from Guangxi, China

Fossil leaves and a branch with a leaf and a pod attached have been discovered from Ningming County, Guangxi Autonomous Region, China, and are described as Bauhinia larsenii sp. nov. (Leguminosae: Cercideae). The strata from which the Bauhinia fossils were collected, namely the Ningming Formation, were dated as Late Eocene–Oligocene based on a combination of pollen, fauna and flora. The affinity of the new species to Bauhinia section Micralvesia subsection Viridescentes species is also discussed.  © 2005 The Linnean Society of London, Botanical Journal of the Linnean Society , 2005, 147 , 437–440.     

A new species of Acantholimon Boiss. sect. Glumaria Boiss. (Plumbaginaceae) from Elazığ, Turkey

A new species, Acantholimon evrenii sp. nov. is described and illustrated for the first time in sect. Glumaria from Turkey. The species is confined to B7 Elazığ in East Anatolia where it grows on rocky mountain steppes. The diagnostic morphological characters from closely related species are given, along with a discussion dealing with its taxonomic relationship. Its conservation status is indicated. A revised key is also provided for the Acantholimon species with heterophyllous leaves, two or more flowered and four or more bracteated spikelets.  © 2005 The Linnean Society of London, Botanical Journal of the Linnean Society , 2005, 149 , 351–356.     

Hesperis turkmendaghensis (sect. Hesperis) (Cruciferae/Brassicaceae), a new species from the Central Anatolia region, Turkey

Hesperis turkmendaghensis A.Duran & A.Ocak sp. nov. (Cruciferae) is described and illustrated from Anatolia, Turkey. The species grows under mixed forest, open forest and shady slopes in Türkmen Dağı (B3 Eskişehir) in Central Anatolia. It is closely related to H. matronalis L. ssp. matronalis , an endemic confined to Central Anatolia. Diagnostic morphological characters are discussed. Notes are also presented on its ecology, biogeography and conservation status. In addition, the pollen characteristics and seed coat surface of H. turkmendaghensis and H. matronalis are examined by SEM.   © 2005 The Linnean Society of London, Botanical Journal of the Linnean Society , 2005, 147 , 239–247.     

The diversity and biogeography of koa-finches (Drepanidini: Rhodacanthis), with descriptions of two new species

All known populations of koa-finches, genus Rhodacanthis , became extinct in the Holocene epoch. Two new species are described here from Quaternary fossil sites in the Hawaiian Islands. One new species, from Kauai and Maui, is roughly the size of the historically known greater koa-finch ( R. palmeri ) but differs in having a more robust skull and in bill morphology. The second new species, from Oahu and Maui, is similar in size to the lesser koa-finch ( R. flaviceps ) but closer to R. palmeri in qualitative osteological traits. The two species of koa-finches known historically from the island of Hawaii are distinct in osteology from the fossil koa-finches on the older Hawaiian islands, indicating that at least two of the four known speciation events in the genus took place within approximately the past 500 kyr. However, the similarity of maxillae from Pleistocene and Holocene sites on Oahu suggests that the Oahu population maintained morphological stasis through the climate changes of the late Quaternary. The evidence that speciation occurred on the youngest island in the archipelago suggests that the process of community assembly on newly emergent Hawaiian landscapes was a stimulus to evolutionary diversification in Rhodacanthis .  © 2005 The Linnean Society of London, Zoological Journal of the Linnean Society , 2005, 144 , 527–541.     

Psephellus turcicus sp. nov. (Asteraceae), a new chasmophyte species from central Anatolia, Turkey

A new species, Psephellus turcicus A.Duran & Hamzaoğlu (Asteraceae) in sect. Psephelloidei (Boiss.) Wagenitz & Hellwig is described and illustrated from Anatolia, Turkey. The species grows on limestone crevices in Kazankaya Canyon (A5 Yozgat) in central Anatolia. A neo-endemic confined to Kazankaya Canyon, it is closely related to Psephellus psephelloides (Freny & Sint.) Wagenitz. Diagnostic morphological characters from closely similar taxa are discussed, and arranged in a key of Turkish similar Psephellus Cass. The ecology, biogeography and conservation status of the species are also presented. Achene surface morphology of P. turcicus and P. psephelloides are examined by SEM. The geographical distribution of the new species and other related species is mapped.  © 2005 The Linnean Society of London, Botanical Journal of the Linnean Society , 2005, 148 , 495–500.     

Comparative morphology of seeds of four closely related species of Aristolochia subgenus Siphisia (Aristolochiaceae, Piperales)

The primary purpose of this study was to determine whether morphological divergence has occurred in seeds of species in a subclade of Aristolochia subgenus Siphisia . Thus, we compared seed mass, surface area, and wings (presence or absence), embryo shape and state, and embryo length to seed length (E:S) ratio in A. californica Torr., endemic to California, A. macrophylla Lamk. and A. tomentosa Sims of eastern USA, and A. manshuriensis Komarov of eastern Asia. We also compared capsule length and number of seeds per capsule in the three US species. All four species have linear, underdeveloped embryos, but for the other morphological features statistically significant differences occurred among the taxa. However, none of the seed morphological features differed between the eastern North American species A. macrophylla and its eastern Asian sister species A. manshuriensis.   © 2005 The Linnean Society of London, Botanical Journal of the Linnean Society , 2005, 148 , 433–436.     

A new species of Selaginella from Hainan Island, China, with a key to the Hainan species

Selaginella hainanensis X.C.Zhang & Noot. sp. nov. , a new species from Hainan Island, South China, is described and illustrated. Diagnostic notes and a key to the species distributed in Hainan are also provided.  © 2005 The Linnean Society of London, Botanical Journal of the Linnean Society , 2005, 148 , 323–327.     

Mimicry vs. similarity: which resemblances between brood parasites and their hosts are mimetic and which are not?

Mimicry is one of the most conspicuous and puzzling phenomena in nature. The best-known examples come from insects and brood parasitic birds. Unfortunately, the term 'mimicry' is used indiscriminately and inconsistently in the brood parasitic literature despite the obvious fact that similarities of eggs, nestlings and adults of brood parasites to their hosts could result from many different processes (phylogenetic constraint, predation, intraspecific arms-races, vocal imitation, exploitation of pre-existing preferences, etc.). In this note I wish to plead for a more careful use of the term. I review various processes leading to a similarity between propagules (both eggs and nestlings) of brood parasites and their hosts and stress that: (1) mimetic and non-mimetic similarities should be differentiated, (2) a mere similarity of host and parasite propagules provides no evidence for mimicry, (3) mimicry is more usefully understood as a (coevolutionary) process rather than an appearance, and (4) mimicry terminology should reflect the process which led to mimetic similarity. Accepting the mimicry hypothesis requires both the experimental approach and rejection of alternative hypotheses explaining similarities of host and parasite propagules.  © 2005 The Linnean Society of London, Biological Journal of the Linnean Society , 2005, 84 , 69–78.     

Morphological and ecological convergence in two natricine snakes

Similar morphologies between species may be due to shared ancestry or convergent evolution . Understanding instances of morphological and ecological convergence is central to evolutionary ecology because they help us understand the fit between organism and environment. Two species of stream-dwelling natricine snakes, Thamnophis rufipunctatus and Nerodia harteri present a model system for studying ecological and morphological convergence and adaptation. The species are allopatric and both live in shallow riffles in streams and forage visually for fish. We studied morphological similarity, trait evolution and functional significance of ecologically relevant traits in these and related species, and used mitochondrial DNA sequences for the ND4 gene to estimate their phylogenetic relationships. Character mapping of head length and head width supported the hypothesis of independent evolution of head shape in T .  rufipunctatus and N .  harteri . The elongate snout is a derived trait in these two taxa that is associated with reduced hydrodynamic drag on the snakes' heads when in a swift current, compared to other species with the ancestral blunt snout. We hypothesize that lower hydrodynamic drag facilitates prey capture success in these species that are known to forage by holding their position in currents and striking at fish prey. The elongate snout morphology has also resulted in a diminished binocular vision field in these snakes, contrary to the hypothesis that visually orientated snakes should exhibit relatively greater binocular vision. Convergent evolution of the long snout and reduced hydrodynamic drag in T. rufipunctatus and N. harteri are consistent with the hypothesis that the long snout is an adaptation to foraging in a swift current.  © 2005 The Linnean Society of London, Biological Journal of the Linnean Society , 2005, 85 , 363–371.     

A new species of Ferula (Apiaceae) from South Anatolia, Turkey

Ferula coskunii H. Duman & M. Sağıroğlu sp. nov. from the Amanos Mountains (C6: Hatay-Turkey) is described and illustrated. It is closely related to F. drudeana Korovin, from which it differs mainly in habit, basal leaves, stem and mericarp features.  © 2005 The Linnean Society of London, Botanical Journal of the Linnean Society , 2005, 147 , 357–361.     

A revision and phylogenetic analysis of Stapeliopsis (Apocynaceae)

A survey of morphological characters is carried out for Stapeliopsis . The information obtained from this is combined with molecular data from the plastid trn L-F DNA region and ITS1 of the nuclear encoded 18S−26S rRNA cistron, to obtain a hypothesis of the evolutionary relationships among the species. It is shown that Stapeliopsis is monophyletic in a combined molecular and morphological analysis. Stapeliopsis is sister to a clade containing Huernia , Orbea and Tromotriche . The species of Stapeliopsis group into two clades. One contains S. khamiesbergensis , S. neronis and S. urniflora , and this is highly supported. The remaining species fall into an unsupported clade in which S. exasperata is sister to the others. The genera Hermanschwartzia Plowes and Neopectinaria Plowes are rejected. It is shown that a synapomorphy for Stapeliopsis is the laterally flattened inner corona-lobes, which touch the anthers only at their bases. Eight species of Stapeliopsis are recognized, with no subgeneric divisions.  © 2005 The Linnean Society of London, Botanical Journal of the Linnean Society , 2005, 148 , 125–155.     

The stomatal apparatus of Lycopodium japonicum and its bearing on the stomata of the Devonian lycophyte Drepanophycus spinaeformis

The structure of the stomatal apparatus of the leaf of Lycopodium japonicum Thumb was studied using epidermal macerations, sections and scanning electron microscopy. The stomatal apparatus of L. japonicum consists of two large guard cells and pore, and is anomocytic. Based on light microscopy, the impression from epidermal macerations that there were two small guard cells surrounded by two, large, similarly shaped, subsidiary cells (paracytic) derives from a pronounced elliptical cuticular ledge on the surface of the guard cells surrounding a thickened circumporal area. A similar appearance is characteristic of cuticle preparations of the Devonian lycophyte Drepanophycus spinaeformis Göppert. We therefore conclude, as did W.H. Lang over 70 years ago, that the stomata of the early lycophyte were also anomocytic, as were those of a second species of Drepanophycus , D. qujingensis Li & Edwards.  © 2005 The Linnean Society of London, Botanical Journal of the Linnean Society , 2005, 149 , 209–216.