A contribution to the knowledge of the weevils of the subgenus Nubidanus Rtt., allied to Otiorhynchus impexus Schh. (Coleoptera, Curculionidae)

Results of the investigation of the subgenus Nubidanus Rtt. (sensu Reitter) of the genus Otiorhynchus are reported. The impexus species-group of the subgenus Nubidanus comprises 5 species from the Caucasus: O. impexus, O. juvenilis, O. poricollis, O. jarpachlinus, and O. hajastani. Morphological diagnoses and detailed distribution patterns of the species are given. Lectotypes of O. poricollis and O. jarpachlinus are designated. A new synonymy is established: O. poricollis Schoenherr, 1832 = O. breviusculus Stierlin, 1875, syn. n. Variants of the genesis scenario of the impexus species-group in the eastern part of the Caucasus are discussed.     

Divergence of genomic DNA in species of the subgenus Camptochironomus (Diptera, Chironomidae) differing in their cytogenetic similarity levels

The variation and divergence of genomic DNA in four species of the subgenus Camptochironomus (C. tentans, C. dilutus, C. pallidivittatus, and C. setivalva) differing in the level of their cytological similarity were analyzed using the RAPD (Randomly Amplified Polymorphic DNA) method. A high level of variation in the RAPD markers was found in the species studied. Genetic distances (GD) were assessed between natural C. tentans populations, between different species of the camptochironomus sibling species group (C. tentans, C. dilutus, and C. pallidivittatus), and between these species and C. setivalva which is outside this sibling species group. The GD values obtained characterize the levels of genomic differentiation among natural populations (GD = 0.248), among sibling species (GD = 0.635), and between incipient species (GD = 0.784) of the subgenus Camptochironomus. The degree of genomic DNA divergence between sibling and incipient species in the subgenus Camptochironomus was found to be lower than that in the genus Chironomus. The rate of genomic DNA divergence appears to be lower than the rate of chromosomal divergence in species of the subgenus Camptochironomus.     

Studies in the cyperaceae of Thailand

Ten species ofCarex and one species ofKobresia from Thailand are taxonomically discussed, and some new range extensions into Thailand are noted. Described as new areCarex subinclinata andC. thailandica, both belonging to the sectionIndicae, andC. speciosa ssp.latifolia of the sectionRadicales. Two new combinations proposed areCarex helferi ssp.mapanifolia, andC. speciosa ssp.platyrhina.     

Three new species of Dalechampia (Euphorbiaceae) from Brazil

Dalechampia fernandesii, from Ceará, belongs to sectionTiliifoliae and is related toD. affinis andD. tiliifolia.Dalechampia armbrusteri, of subsectionDalechampia, from Bahia, is close toD. brownsbergensis of Suriname but has well developed resiniferous bractlets.Dalechampia viridissima, from Bahia and Espírito Santo, is an isolated species with the 3-lobed leaves of species in sectionDalechampia subsectionDalechampia but the reduced indumentum and greenish bracts of species in sectionTriphyllae.     

Leaf flavonoid glycosides as chemosystematic characters in Ocimum

Thirty-one accessions of nine species belonging to three subgenera of Ocimum (basil, family Lamiaceae) were surveyed for flavonoid glycosides. Substantial infraspecific differences in flavonoid profiles of the leaves were found only in O. americanum, where var. pilosum accumulated the flavone C-glycoside, vicenin-2, which only occurred in trace amounts in var. americanum and was not detected in cv. Sacred. The major flavonoids in var. americanum and cv. Sacred, and also in all other species investigated for subgenus Ocimum, were flavonol 3-O-glucosides and 3-O-rutinosides. Many species in subgenus Ocimum also produced the more unusual compound, quercetin 3-O-(6″-O-malonyl)glucoside, and small amounts of flavone O-glycosides. The level of flavonol glycosides produced was reduced significantly in glasshouse-grown plants, but levels of flavone glycosides were unaffected. A single species investigated from subgenus Nautochilus, O. lamiifolium, had a different flavonoid glycoside profile, although the major compound was also a flavonol O-glycoside. This was identified as quercetin 3-O-xylosyl(1‴→2″)galactoside, using NMR spectroscopy. The species investigated from subgenus Gymnocimum, O. tenuiflorum (=O. sanctum), was characterised by the accumulation of flavone O-glycosides. These were isolated, and identified as the 7-O-glucuronides of luteolin and apigenin. Luteolin 5-O-glucoside was found in all nine species of Ocimum studied, and is considered to be a key character for the genus.     

Chromosome numbers of Orthocarpus and related monotypic genera (Scrophulariaceae: Subtribe castillejinae)

A chromosome number ofn=12 is reported for the three monotypic genera of subtribe Castillejinae:Clevelandia beldingii, Gentrya racemosa, andOpicopephalus angustifolius. Chromosome numbers ofOrthocarpus correspond mostly with current infrageneric classification. SubgenusTriphysaria hasn=11.Orthocarpus sectionsCastillejoides andCordylanthoides, which are closely related toCastilleja (x=12) and the three monotypic genera above, haven=12 with aneuploid reductions ton=10 inO. linearilobus andn=11 inO. lacerus (a species also withn=12). Tetraploids are found in two species.O. brevistylus (n=24) andO. hispidus (n=12, 24). The polyploid.O. laciniatus (n=36, 48) of Peru is postulated to be of hybrid origin between a species ofCastilleja andOrthocarpus attenuatus. SubgenusOrthocarpus sectionOrthocarpus, which hasn=14 in all species except.O. bracteosus (n=15), stands apart both morphologically and in chromosome number from the remainder of the genus.     

Extensive Hybridization and Introgression between Melastoma candidum and M. sanguineum

Natural hybridization can lead to various evolutionary outcomes in plants, including hybrid speciation and interspecific gene transfer. It can also cause taxonomic problems, especially in plant genera containing multiple species. In this study, the hybrid status of Melastoma affine, the most widespread taxon in this genus, and introgression between its putative parental species, M. candidum and M. sanguineum, were assessed on two sites, Hainan and Guangdong, using 13 SSR markers and sequences of a chloroplast intergenic spacer. Bayesian-based STRUCTURE analysis detected two most likely distinct clusters for the three taxa, and 76.0% and 73.9% of the morphologically identified individuals of M. candidum and M. sanguineum were correctly assigned, respectively. 74.5% of the M. affine individuals had a membership coefficient to either parental species between 0.1 and 0.9, suggesting admixture between M. candidum and M. sanguineum. Furthermore, NewHybrids analysis suggested that most individuals of M. affine were F2 hybrids or backcross hybrids to M. candidum, and that there was extensive introgression between M. candidum and M. sanguineum. These SSR data thus provides convincing evidence for hybrid origin of M. affine and extensive introgression between M. candidum and M. sanguineum. Chloroplast DNA results were consistent with this conclusion. Much higher hybrid frequency on the more disturbed Guangdong site suggests that human disturbance might offer suitable habitats for the survival of hybrids, a hypothesis that is in need of further testing.     

Larval settlement preferences of Acropora palmata and Montastraea faveolata in response to diverse red algae

Settlement specificity can regulate recruitment but remains poorly understood for coral larvae. We studied larvae of the corals, Acropora palmata and Montastraea faveolata, to determine their rates of settlement and metamorphosis in the presence of ten species of red algae, including eight species of crustose coralline algae, one geniculated coralline and one encrusting peyssonnelid. Twenty to forty percent of larvae of A. palmata settled on coralline surfaces of Hydrolithon boergesenii, Lithoporella atlantica, Neogoniolithon affine, and Titanoderma prototypum, whereas none settled and metamorphosed on Neogoniolithon mamillare. Larvae of M. faveolata had 13–25 % settlement onto the surface of Amphiroa tribulus, H. boergesenii, N. affine, N. munitum, and T. prototypum, but had no settlement on the surface of N. mamillare, Porolithon pachydermum, and a noncoralline crust Peyssonnelia sp. Some of these algal species were common on Belizean reefs, but the species that induced the highest rates of larval settlement and metamorphosis tended to be rare and primarily found in low-light environments. The shallow coral, A. palmata, and the deeper coral, M. faveolata, both had increased larval settlement rates in the presence of only a few species of red algae found at deeper depths suggesting that patterns of coral distribution can only sometimes be related to the distribution of red algae species.     

A cyto-evolutional study of Campanumoea Blume (Campanulaceae) and a possible pathway for secondary karyotype formation

Campanumoea is a small genus in the family Campanulaceae, with species divided into sections Campanumoea and Cyclocodon. Sixteen accessions from Campanumoea and related genera native to China were used to study their karyotype. The results showed that chromosome characteristics were different between the two sections. For Campanumoea, the karyotypic formula was 2n = 2X = 2m + 12sm + 2st = 16,3A and for Cyclocodon it was 2n = 2X = 6m + 12sm = 18,3B. These data, combined with chromosomal length characteristics, support the restoration of section Cyclocodon as a genus. However, the incorporation of section Campanumoea into Codonopsis requires more evidence. Comparison of chromosomal length and haploid set length revealed that chromosomal segment rearrangements occurred within sections of Campanumoea and between genera, with the difference within sections being greater than that between genera. Therefore, chromosomal segment rearrangements are present in Campanulaceae, implying that chromosomal segment rearrangement plays an important role in the evolution of diversity in Campanulaceae. By comparing the chromosomal characteristic in section Campanumoea and the genus Adenophora, we concluded that the secondary chromosome type such as n = 17, 18 would be derived by autopolyploidization of n = 9, and by chromosome fusion.     

Contribution to the knowledge of the weevil genus Otiorhynchus (Coleoptera, Curculionidae) from northeastern Turkey and Transcaucasia

Otiorhynchus (Podonebistus) korotyaevi sp. n., (Proremus) karsavurani sp. n., and O. (Proremus) temeli sp. n. from northeastern Turkey are described. O. kirschi is transferred from the genus Simo (= Homorhythmus) to the genus Otiorhynchus (subgenus Proremus); O. madari, from the genus Cirrorhynchus to the genus Otiorhynchus (subgenus Motilacanus); and O. kataevi, from the subgenus Nilepolemis to the subgenus Otismotilus. New data on the morphology and distribution of O. cataphractus, O. latinasus, O. terrifer, O. pipitzi, O. angustifrons, O. jarpachlinus, and O. sculptirostris are given. Lectotypes of O. lederi, O. erivanensis, O. diotus, O. terrifer, O. kirschi, and O. madari are designated.     

Volatile constituents and antimicrobial activities of nine South African liverwort species

The volatile constituents of nine liverworts species (Asterella marginata, Dumortiera hirsuta, Fossombronia swaziensis, Marchantia pappeana, Marchantia polymorpha subsp. ruderalis, Pallavicinia lyellii, Plagiochasma rupestre, Riccia albolimbata and Symphyogyna podophylla) from South Africa were determined by gas chromatography. Where possible the volatile constituents identified were compared to those reported for the same species from other countries. Among the analysed liverworts, the chemical compositions of A. marginata, F. swaziensis, M. pappeana, and R. albolimbata are reported for the first time. Each of the analysed liverwort species produced its own characteristic components. Thujopsanes, chamigranes and cuparanes were found to be the most characteristic components of M. polymorpha subsp. ruderalis. The presence of dumortane-type sesquiterpenoids in D. hirsuta indicated that this species is similar in chemistry to an Argentinean sample. This is one of only a handful of reports on the presence of this sesquiterpene-type in liverworts. Simple thallose liverworts, S. podophylla and P. lyellii, were characterized by the presence of labdane-type diterpenoids. In addition, the antimicrobial activities of chloroform:methanol (1:1) extracts of the liverworts were evaluated against several important human pathogens using the serial dilution assay. Four of the liverwort species were active against Pseudomonas aeruginosa with MIC values ranging from 0.50 to 1.0 mg/mL. Some activity (MIC value of 1.0 mg/mL) was also recorded for the crude extracts of P. lyellii and M. pappeana against Escherichia coli. The extract of S. podophylla displayed the best activity towards the yeast Cryptococcus neoformans (MIC = 1.0 mg/mL). Although approximately 300 liverwort species occur in southern Africa, a Scopus search confirmed that this is the first report of the volatile profiles and biological properties of species from the region.     

Sesquiterpene lactones and systematics of the genus Artemisia

The sesquiterpene lactones isolated from species in the genus Artemisia have been reviewed in an attempt to better understand the phylogeny and systematics of the four sections (subgenera), Abrotanum, Absinthium, Dracunculus and Seriphidium, proposed by Besser in 1829. The absence of hair on the receptacle is the only morphological characteristic separating species of Abrotanum from the species of Absinthium. There are no chemical characteristics segregating the species in these two subgenera since both produce eudesmanolides and guaianolides that are identical or biosynthetically similar. This suggests that the two subgenera could be combined into one (Artemisia) as proposed by Poljakov. The subgenus Seriphidium is composed of two geographical groups, one in the Old World and the other in the New World. The Old World species almost exclusively produce sesquiterpene lactones in the eudesmanolide class whereas the New World species (section Tridentatae) produce eudesmanolides and guaianolides, many of the latter being identical or structurally related to the sesquiterpene lactones in New World Abrotanum species. The chemical data in conjunction with geographic distributions suggest that the subgenus Seriphidium is polyphyletic and that the section Tridentatae originated from Abrotanum. Consequently, the Tridentate should be recognized as a subgenus separate and distinct from the Old World Seriphidium. There was insufficient information from the subgenus Dracunculus for interpretation.     

Alkaloid profiles of Dermatophyllum arizonicum,Dermatophyllum gypsophilum,Dermatophyllum secundiflorum,Styphnolobium affine,and Styphnolobium japonicum previously classified as Sophora species

Sophora arizonica, Sophora gypsophila, Sophora secundiflora, Sophora affinis, and Sophora japonica were recently reclassified as Dermatophyllum arizonicum, Dermatophyllum gypsophilum, Dermatophyllum secundiflorum, Styphnolobium affine, and Styphnolobium japonicum, respectively. Some legumes of the sub family Papilionoideae including Sophora species are reported to contain a variety of quinolizidine alkaloids. The quinolizidine alkaloid profiles of D. arizonicum, D. gypsophilum, D. secundiflorum, S. affine, and S. japonicum were investigated qualitatively and quantitatively using field collections and herbarium specimens throughout their range of geographical distribution for the native species. This is the first report of the alkaloid profiles of D. arizonicum and D. gypsophilum. Alkaloid profiles of the other species were compared to previous reports. The Dermatophyllum species contain quinolizidine alkaloids, and the teratogen anagyrine (11), while the Styphnolobium species do not contain quinolizidine alkaloids. The chemotaxonomic data are consistent with the reclassification of each species.     

Cytological characterization of Vicia oroboides Wulfen in Jacq

Vicia oroboides, a rare taxon belonging to section Atossa of subgenus Vicia, was recovered and analysed by means of cytological and karyological methods with the aim of both characterising this species and integrating our knowledge on phylogeny of subgenus Vicia. Automated karyotype analysis and nuclear DNA content have been determined after Feulgen’s reaction; chromosome banding was performed by fluorochrome staining to evidence heterochromatic blocks along the chromosome complement. The chromosome number is in line with the values of the species of section Atossa; the GC- and AT-rich sites were identified by CMA and DAPI staining. Karyomorphological parameters, based on symmetry indices, provide information about the phylogenetic position of this species inside the subgenus Vicia. DNA content is reported for the first time.     

Allozyme characterisation of four Mediterranean evergreen oak species

Polymorphism at 11 enzyme loci was used to compare the four evergreen oak species of the Mediterranean Basin and to establish their taxonomical relationships. As a comparison, two evergreen oak species from Tibet, located in the primary distribution area of evergreen oaks, were analysed at the same loci. Cladistic analyses led to the separation of a cluster of four species, namely the three Mediterranean Q. ilex, Q. coccifera and Q. alnifolia and the Tibetan Q. aquifolioides. The other Tibetan species, Q. semicarpifolia, and Q. suber, from the Western Mediterranean Basin, were very distinct genetically from the four other species. These results were not consistent with previous taxonomical treatment, based on morphology alone, which classified Q. ilex and Q. coccifera in “ilex group” (=subgenus Sclerophyllodrys O. Schwartz), and the other four species in “cerris group” (subgenus Cerris, according to Schwartz). Allozyme variation has thus provided useful information to clarify the taxonomy of evergreen oaks.     

A new species of Castilleja (Orobanchaceae) from the central Sierra Madre Occidental, Mexico, and an annotated key to the Castilleja species of that region

Castilleja holmgrenii is described from several collections made in the Sierra Madre Occidental in southeast Sinaloa and adjacent southwest Durango, Mexico. The new species is a member of subgenus and sectionCastilleja. This apparently rare species is presently known from two small, geographically restricted populations. Also provided are a list of theCastilleja species of this region with notes on their status and distribution, a key for their identification, and nomenclatural and taxonomic notes concerning some of the species.     

Brood Parasitism in Two Species of Spider Wasps (Hymenoptera: Pompilidae, Dipogon), with Notes on a Novel Reproductive Strategy

A trap-nesting study provided the first documentation of brood parasitism in Dipogon nagasei and in D. iwatai. Dipogon nagasei was found to brood parasitize D. sperconsus, D. conspersus, D. inconspersus, and D. bifasciatus. Dipogon iwatai brood parasitized D. sperconsus, D. conspersus, D. romankovae, and Auplopus carbonarius. Both brood parasitic species are with the subgenus Nipponodipogon, whereas all five Dipogon hosts are in the subgenus Deuteragenia. Comparison of their ecological features revealed that brood parasitism in D. nagasei is considerably more derived than in D. iwatai. Of particular note is the fact that in D. nagasei the female routinely lays up to five eggs on a single host spider, all of which develop into adult wasps without larval cannibalism; almost all Pompilidae previously studied lay only one egg on a host spider.     

Chaetoceros sumatranus,a member of Chaetoceros section Coarctati,sect. nov. (Bacillariophyceae)

During different surveys of phytoplankton in the Gulf of California, along the coasts of Baja California, the Gulf of Tehuantepec, and the Mexican Caribbean Sea, new records of diatoms have been made and new species (mainly of the genus Chaetoceros) have been described. This study shows that the planktonic diatom Chaetoceros sumatranus, a rather rare tropical to subtropical taxon, is a typical species of the subgenus Chaetoceros (syn.: Phaeoceros) with robust cells forming chains, thick setae, reduced apertures and small, rounded chloroplasts in cells and setae. Additionally, the species exhibits other singular characteristics, such as heteropolarity of chains, distinct bases of the setae and a pattern of several rimoportulae in every valve of the chain. These features indicate that C. sumatranus is a species closely related to C. coarctatus. Both C. coarctatus and C. sumatranus are considered to be members of the recently proposed section Coarctati (Coarctata), within the subgenus Chaetoceros. The taxonomic relationships of the two species is analyzed, and a formal Latin diagnosis of the section Coarctati is also given.     

Diversity and Systematics of Schizomavella Species (Bryozoa: Bitectiporidae) from the Bathyal NE Atlantic

Eight NE Atlantic and Mediterranean species, which were originally assigned to the genus Schizoporella (Family Schizoporellidae) when introduced, are redescribed and stabilized by typification. Seven of these species are transferred to the bitectiporid genus Schizomavella: S. fischeri, S. glebula, S. neptuni, S. obsoleta, S. richardi, S. triaviculata, and S. triaviculata var. paucimandibulata, which is here raised to species rank. The eighth species, Schizoporella fayalensis, is transferred to the lanceoporid genus Stephanotheca. Schizomavella obsoleta and S. glebula are considered junior subjective synonyms of S. fischeri and S. richardi, respectively. Two new species are described: Schizomavella rectangularis n. sp. from the Strait of Gibraltar, and Schizomavella phterocopa n. sp. from the Great Meteor Bank. A new subgenus, Calvetomavella n. subgen. is established as a result of a phylogenetic analysis based on morphological characters; it includes S. neptuni, S. triaviculata, S. paucimandibulata and S. phterocopa n. sp., together with Schizomavella discoidea and Schizomavella noronhai. The rest of the species remain in the nominotypical subgenus Schizomavella.