Qualitative examination of diatom diversity in black fly (Diptera: Simuliidae) gut contents across a mortality gradient after exposure to Bacillus thuringiensis subsp. israelensis de Barjac, 1978

While Bacillus thuringiensis subsp. israelensis de Barjac, 1978 de Barjac, H. (1978), ‘Une Nouvelle Variété de Bacillus thuringiensis Très Toxique Pour les Moustiques: B. thuringiensis var. israelensis Sérotype H14’, Comptes Rendus de l'Académie des Sciences de Paris 286D, 797–800. [Google Scholar] (Bti) is generally effective in reducing Simulium Latreille, 1802 Latreille, P.A. (1802–1803), Histoire Naturelle, Générale et Particulière des Crustacés et des insectes (Vol. 3), Paris: F. Dufart. [Google Scholar] pest levels, impaired toxicity has been identified. Diatoms are typically abundant in Simulium larval gut contents and thought to affect feeding behaviour and/or Bti ingestion. We sought to determine diatom composition in larval Simulium gut contents and periphyton in relation to mortality subsequent in situ Bti application across three stream reaches. Generally, lower larval mortality after Bti exposure was associated with comparatively greater diatom diversity inside gut contents, corresponding with an inverse relationship between periphyton diatom diversity and larval mortality across our study reaches. High profile diatoms inside gut contents were positively correlated with mortality, suggesting microbial morphology may affect Bti efficacy. Diatoms inside live larval guts were most similar to periphyton which indicates that these larvae may have been feeding less on lower quality detrital material and/or exhibiting comparatively greater benthic feeding.     

Revision of the Clytra subfasciata species group (Coleoptera: Chrysomelidae: Cryptocephalinae: Clytrini)

The Clytra subfasciata species group is proposed, to comprise Clytra subfasciata Lacordaire, 1848 Lacordaire, J. T. (1848): Monographie des coléoptères subpentamères de la famille des phytophages. Tome second. Mémoires de la Société Royale des Sciences de Liége, 5, 1–890 pp. [Google Scholar], C. hajeki Medvedev &; Kantner, 2002 Medvedev, L. N., &; Kantner, F. (2002): Some new and poorly know Clytrinae (Coleoptera, Chrysomelidae) of the Old World. Entomologica Basiliensia, 24, 259–269. [Google Scholar] and C. kadleci sp. n. (Yemen). The species of the group are characterised by the peculiar shape of the aedeagus, with a dorsal plate separated from the rest of aedeagus by a deep narrow slit. Colour photographs of habitus and drawings of genitalia are provided for all three species.

http://www.zoobank.org/urn:lsid:zoobank.org:pub:F6706A76-CD49-4A5A-A109-A6E6C23514A5     

Cryptic diversity among the achaetous Marionina (Annelida,Clitellata, Enchytraeidae)

This study investigates the diversity and taxonomy of a mainly marine group of species lacking chaetae currently assigned to the genus Marionina. This achaetous group includes four nominal species: M. achaeta (Hagen, 1954 Hagen, G. 1954. Michaelsena achaeta nov. sp., ein neuer mariner Oligochaet aus der Kieler Bucht. Faunistische Mitteilungen aus Norddeutschland, 1: 12–13.  [Google Scholar]), M. achaeta sensu Lasserre, 1964 Lasserre, P. 1964. Notes sur quelques oligochètes Enchytraeidae présents dans les plages du Bassin d’Arcachon. Procés-Verbaux des Séances de la Société Linnéenne de Bordeaux, 101: 87–91.  [Google Scholar], M. nevisensis Righi & Kanner, 1979 Righi, G. and Kanner, E. 1979. Marine Oligochaeta (Tubificidae and Enchytraeidae) from the Caribbean Sea. Studies of the Fauna of Curaçao and other Caribbean Islands, 58: 44–68.  [Google Scholar] and M. arenaria Healy, 1979 Healy, B. 1979a. Marine fauna of County Wexford. 1 – Littoral and brackishwater Oligochaeta. The Irish Naturalists' Journal, 19: 418–422.  [Google Scholar]. As Lasserre's (1964 Lasserre, P. 1964. Notes sur quelques oligochètes Enchytraeidae présents dans les plages du Bassin d’Arcachon. Procés-Verbaux des Séances de la Société Linnéenne de Bordeaux, 101: 87–91.  [Google Scholar]) M. achaeta appears to be morphologically different from its (then) senior homonym M. achaeta (Hagen, 1954 Hagen, G. 1954. Michaelsena achaeta nov. sp., ein neuer mariner Oligochaet aus der Kieler Bucht. Faunistische Mitteilungen aus Norddeutschland, 1: 12–13.  [Google Scholar]), the replacement name M. nothachaeta nom. nov. is proposed for it. We studied the genetic and morphological diversity of achaetous specimens of Marionina collected in Florida, the Great Barrier Reef, New Caledonia, Sweden, England and the Bahamas. The collection localities are almost all supralittoral and often brackish-water habitats. Parts of the mitochondrial genes 12S, 16S, COI and the nuclear genes 18S, 28S and ITS were analysed to assess the genetic variation and phylogeny of the achaetous Marionina species. The molecular data reveal one monophyletic group of 11 separately evolving lineages, and between these lineages, K2P distances in the barcoding gene COI vary between 5.4 and 25.0%. On a morphological basis, the lineages could be assigned to seven different groups (morphotypes), of which only two could be identified as described nominal taxa: M. nevisensis s. lat. (several lineages) and M. nothachaeta. Since the former taxon appears to be a complex of cryptic species around the world and the original type material no longer exists, a neotype from the Caribbean was designated for M. nevisensis s. str. The remaining achaetous lineages represent five morphologically distinct species that are left unnamed, awaiting finer morphological scrutiny and detailed comparisons with new collections of M. achaeta and M. arenaria. Summing up, the group of achaetous Marionina now seems to contain up to 13 different species, seven of which are yet to be formally described and named.     

Early Oligocene Mammal Tracks from Southeastern France

Two new sites with mammalian footprints in the early Oligocene of southeastern France are described here. They represent one of the best preserved and more numerous record of tracks and trackways in the world with more than 320 ichnites. Many of those are arranged in trackways and sometimes show pes-manus impressions, a quite rare feature in mammalian ichnology. The ichnotaxonomic study indicates the presence of perissodactyls tracks referred to as Rhinoceripeda voconcense (Demathieu et al., 1984 Demathieu, G., Ginsburg, L., Guérin, C. and Truc, G. 1984. Etude paléontologique, ichnologique et paléoécologique du gisement oligocène de Saignon (bassin d’Apt, Vaucluse). Bulletin du Museum National d’Histoire Naturelle, Paris, 6: 153–183.  [Google Scholar]), artiodactyls footprints referred to as Megapecoripeda velox (Demathieu et al., 1984 Demathieu, G., Ginsburg, L., Guérin, C. and Truc, G. 1984. Etude paléontologique, ichnologique et paléoécologique du gisement oligocène de Saignon (bassin d’Apt, Vaucluse). Bulletin du Museum National d’Histoire Naturelle, Paris, 6: 153–183.  [Google Scholar]) and a carnivore footprint referred to as Bestiopeda sp. Vialov (1966) Vialov, O. S. 1966. Sledy zhiznedeyatelnosti organizmow i ikh paleontologicheskoe znachenie. Naukova Dumka, : 219 (in Russian) [Google Scholar]. They can be attributed to early Rhinocerotids, Lophiomerycids and/or Entelodonts and Mustelid-like carnivore, respectively. This study also aims at homogenizing the ichnotaxonomy used for mammal tracks where several genera were erected without a full review of the literature. All this taken together reveals a rich mammalian ichnofauna at a time period when no other fossils of mammals are known in the area and represents a good opportunity to provide state-of-the-art concerning the worldwide known sites that yielded mammalian footprints.     

The genera Stegastopsis Kraatz, 1865 and Orostegastopsis Koch, 1962 with description of O. planioculata sp. n. from Oman (Coleoptera: Tenebrionidae: Tentyriini)

The first Asian member of Orostegastopsis Koch, 1962 Koch, C. (1962): Vierter taxonomischer Beitrag zur Kenntnis der Tenebrioniden Somalias: Über die von Prof. G. Scortecci 1953 und 1957 in der Migiurtinia-Provinz gesammelten Arten. 1. Teil. Atti della Società Italiana di Scienze Naturali, 51, 237–270. [Google Scholar] is described and figured: O. planioculata sp. n., which can be easily distinguished from the two Somalian species O. scorteccii Koch, 1962 Koch, C. (1962): Vierter taxonomischer Beitrag zur Kenntnis der Tenebrioniden Somalias: Über die von Prof. G. Scortecci 1953 und 1957 in der Migiurtinia-Provinz gesammelten Arten. 1. Teil. Atti della Società Italiana di Scienze Naturali, 51, 237–270. [Google Scholar] and O. kaszabi (Bremer, 1985 Bremer, H. J. (1985): Eine neue Stegastopsis-Art (Coleopt., Tenebrionidae, Tentyriini) aus Somalia. Entomologische Blätter, 81, 59–61. [Google Scholar]) comb. nov. by the shallow eyes. According to the shape of the clypeus, Stegastopsis kaszabi Bremer, 1985 Bremer, H. J. (1985): Eine neue Stegastopsis-Art (Coleopt., Tenebrionidae, Tentyriini) aus Somalia. Entomologische Blätter, 81, 59–61. [Google Scholar] is transferred from the genus Stegastopsis Kraatz to the genus Orostegastopsis Koch as was already indicated by Bremer (1985 Bremer, H. J. (1985): Eine neue Stegastopsis-Art (Coleopt., Tenebrionidae, Tentyriini) aus Somalia. Entomologische Blätter, 81, 59–61. [Google Scholar]) who treated Orostegastopsis as a subgenus of Stegastopsis: Orostegastopsis kaszabi (Bremer, 1985 Bremer, H. J. (1985): Eine neue Stegastopsis-Art (Coleopt., Tenebrionidae, Tentyriini) aus Somalia. Entomologische Blätter, 81, 59–61. [Google Scholar]) comb. nov. Keys to the species of Stegastopsis and Orostegastopsis are given.     

The expression of aggression in the dobsonflies Corydalus magnus Contreras-Ramos, 1998 and Platyneuromus soror (Hagen, 1861) (Megaloptera: Corydalidae)

The expression of aggression in Megaloptera has received little attention, specifically for the adults of the subfamily Corydalinae. Among the New World species of Corydalinae, it is not known if aggression is triggered and expressed in the same way. Since two genera, Corydalus Latreille, 1802 Latreille, P.A. (1802), Histoire naturelle, générale et particulière des Crustacés et des Insectes. Ouvrage faisant suite aux ouvres de Leclerc Buffon et partie du cours complete d’Histoire naturelle rédigé par C.S. Sonnini, membre de plusieurs sociétés savantes. Vol. 3, Paris: F. Dufart. [Google Scholar] and Platyneuromus Weele, 1909 Weele, H.W. van der. (1909), ‘New Genera and Species of Megaloptera Latr.’, Notes from the Leyden Museum, 30, 249–253. [Google Scholar] have different courtship strategies, the effect of the social environment in the expression of aggression in two species of those genera, Corydalus magnus Contreras-Ramos, 1998 Contreras-Ramos, A. (1998), Systematics of the Dobsonfly genus Corydalus Latreille (Megaloptera: Corydalidae), Lanham, MD: Thomas Say Monographs, Entomological Society of America. [Google Scholar] and Platyneuromus soror (Hagen, 1861 Hagen, H.A. (1861), Synopsis of the Neuroptera of North America, with a List of the South American Species. Washington, DC: Smithsonian Institution.[Crossref] , [Google Scholar]), is examined here and compared with the known data in Corydalus bidenticulatus Contreras-Ramos, 1998 Contreras-Ramos, A. (1998), Systematics of the Dobsonfly genus Corydalus Latreille (Megaloptera: Corydalidae), Lanham, MD: Thomas Say Monographs, Entomological Society of America. [Google Scholar]. Our results suggest that the triggering of aggressive behaviours in the three species is similar. The decision of whether or not to fight is affected by their social environment: a male is aggressive against other males only when a female is present. Furthermore, the intensity of aggression does not differ among the three species. The behavioural observations support the idea that the mandibles of Corydalus males are used as weapons in male-male competition and during the courtship, but the post-ocular flanges of P. soror males are not involved in male-male competition (they use their short mandibles to bite). Conversely, data show that such a feature might act as a signal trait for female choice.     

The shallow marine placodont Cyamodus of the central European Germanic Basin: its evolution,paleobiogeography and paleoecology

The oldest record of Cyamodus is a skull of Cyamodus tarnowitzensis (Gürich 1884, Zt dt Geol Ges. 36:125–144) from Pelsonian shallow marine deposits. During the middle Illyrian, placodonts disappeared from the Germanic Basin. With renewed upper Illyrian transgression, Cyamodus rostratus (Münster 1839, Über einige ausgezeichnete fossile Fischzähne aus dem Muschelkalk bei Bayreuth. Birner, Bayreuth, p. 14) appeared which was found in terebratulid shell-rich shallow marine deposits. Abundant remains of Cyamodus muensteri (Agassiz 1839), traditionally referred to as Cyamodus hildegardis and here synonymised with C. muensteri, have been reported from the upper Illyrian/middle Fassanian. Skeletal remains of this species are from the Grenzbitumenzone of the Monte San Giorgio lagoons. The youngest species, Cyamodus kuhnschnyderi (Nosotti and Pinna 1993 Nosotti, S and Pinna, G. 1993. Cyamodus kuhnschnyderi n. sp. novelle espèce de Cyamodontidae (Reptilia, Placodontia) du Muschelkalk supérieur allemande. Compt Rend Acad Sci Paris, 317: 847–850.  [Google Scholar], Compt Rend Acad Sci Paris. 317:847–850), has been found in the upper Fassanian/lower Longobardian of the southern Germanic Basin or Burgundian Gate when marine facies in the Germanic Basin had nearly disappeared. These successive species provide evidence of monophylogenetic development with a trend towards anterior upper and lower jaw teeth reduction, along with a shortening of the rostrum, over an interval of five million years (243–238 Ma). This evolutionary trend most probably reflects adaptation to specialised feeding on seaplants. The Cyamodus osteoderm carapace was not fused to the vertebral column, and appears to have been primarily a body enhancement that produced neutral or negative buoyancy to facilitate long-period diving.     

The genus Antillophos Woodring, 1928 (Gastropoda: Buccinidae) from the China seas,with description of a new species

The species of genus Antillophos Woodring, 1928 Woodring, W.P. (1928) Miocene Mollusks from Bowden, Jamaica. 2. Gastropods and Discussion of Results. Contributions to the Geology and Paleontology of the West Indies. Carnegie Institute of Washington, Washington D.C. [Google Scholar] from the China seas are studied. Six species, Antillophos liui n. sp., Antillophos lucubratonis Fraussen & Poppe, 2005 Fraussen, K. & Poppe, G.T. (2005) Revision of Phos and Antillophos (Buccinidae) from the Central Philippines. Visaya 1, 76–115. [Google Scholar], Antillophos monsecourorum Fraussen & Poppe, 2005 Fraussen, K. & Poppe, G.T. (2005) Revision of Phos and Antillophos (Buccinidae) from the Central Philippines. Visaya 1, 76–115. [Google Scholar], Antillophos pyladeum (Kato, 1995 Kato, S. (1995) Discussion of the genus Phos. Hitaciobi 70, 15–20. [Google Scholar]), Antillophos roseatus (Hinds, 1844 Hinds, R.B. (1844) Mollusca. In: Hinds, R.B. (Ed.) The Zoology of the Voyage of H.M.S. Sulphur During the years 1836–1842. 2. Smith, Elder and Co., London, pp. 1–72. [Google Scholar]) and Antillophos sp., are described and illustrated.

http://zoobank.org/urn:lsid:zoobank.org:pub:51481997-A841-4F37-8E15-B753DC99CB4D     

A revision of fossil eagle owls (Aves: Strigiformes: Bubo) from Europe and the description of a new species,Bubo ibericus,from Cal Guardiola (NE Iberian Peninsula)

The European fossil record of eagle owls, genus Bubo Duméril 1806 Duméril AMC. 1806. Zoologie Analytique, ou Méthode Naturelle de Classification des Animaux, rendue plus Facile à l’Aide de Tableaux Synoptiques. Paris: H. L. Perronneau. [Google Scholar], is thought to extend back into the Miocene, but records of Bubo before the Middle Pleistocene are scarce and mainly constituted by non-diagnostic or fragmentary specimens. Apart from a number of fossil species of Bubo of uncertain validity, i.e. Bubo? florianae Kretzoi 1957 Kretzoi M. 1957. Bird remains from the Hipparion-fauna of Csákvár. Aquila. 63:239–248. [Google Scholar], Bubo lignitum Giebel 1860 Giebel CG. 1860. Zur Fauna der Braunkohlen Formation von Rippersroda in Thüringen. Zeitschrift für die Gesammten Naturwissenschaften. 16:147–153. [Google Scholar], and Bubo perpastus (Ballman 1976 Ballmann P. 1976. Fossile Vögel aus dem Neogen der Halbinsel Gargano (Italien). Zweiter Teil Scripta Geol. 38:1–59. [Google Scholar]), most fossil Bubo material is unassigned to species or assigned to the extant Bubo bubo (Linnaeus 1758) on the basis of size, especially for Early Pleistocene records. Given the ambiguity about the validity of the earliest records, here we revise the pre-Middle Pleistocene fossil record of Bubo in Europe. Our results indicate that, in Europe, Bubo is first recorded in the Late Pliocene/Early Pleistocene of Italy. By the Early Pleistocene, three taxa can be distinguished: Bubo ibericus sp. nov. from Cal Guardiola (Spain), Bubo sp. nov. indet. from Soave Cava Sud (Italy) and Bubo sp. from various sites across Europe. By the Middle Pleistocene, Eurasian environments experienced a substantial increase in severity and duration of glacial periods which might have led to the replacement of extinct species of Bubo by the recent B. bubo and Bubo scandiacus.     

Going going gone: the loss of a reef building gastropod (Mollusca: Caenogastropoda: Vermetidae) in the southeast Mediterranean Sea

A new harvestman species, Rilaena artvinensis sp. n. (Opiliones: Phalangiidae), is described and illustrated based on males collected in north-eastern Anatolia, Turkey. The new species is similar to R. buresi (?ilhavý, 1965 ?ilhavý, V. (1965): Die Weberknechte der Unterordnung Eupnoi aus Bulgarien; zugleich eine Revision europäischer Gattungen der Unterfamilien Oligolophinae und Phalangiinae (Arachnoidea, Opilionidea). Acta Entomologica Bohemoslovaca, 62, 369–406. [Google Scholar]) and R. lenkoranica Snegovaya, 2007 Snegovaya, N. Y. (2007): Two new harvestman species from Lenkoran, Azerbaijan (Arachnida: Opiliones: Phalangiidae). Bulletin of the British Arachnological Society, 14, 88–92. [Google Scholar]. The differences between these species are elaborated.

http://www.zoobank.org/urn:lsid:zoobank.org:pub:A53452BB-A85D-4BE8-8A6B-D0FC3421AFE3     

A Supposed Eupelycosaur Body Impression from the Early Permian of the Intra-Sudetic Basin,Poland

We describe a new specimen of a supposed Paleozoic tetrapod body impression from the Lower Permian S?upiec Formation in the Intra-Sudetic Basin, Poland. The size, integument morphology of belly and part of tail imprints, and the morphology of a well-preserved pes track diagnose the specimen and readily distinguish it from other described specimens of body impressions of Paleozoic tetrapods. The eupelycosaur identity of this new specimen is based on the identification of the footprint Dimetropus leisnerianus (Geinitz, 1863 Geinitz, H. B. 1863. Beiträge zur Kenntnis der organischen Überreste in der Dyas (oder permischen Formation zum Theil) und über den Namen Dyas. Neues Jahrbuch für Mineralogie, Geologie und Paläontologie, : 385–398.  [Google Scholar]), which is connected with the inferred body imprint. The morphology of integument impressions indicates the presence of the various-sized square or rectangular-shaped scales on the bottom part of the belly and tail of this eupelycosaurid trackmaker.     

A new species of Micragasma J. Sahlberg, 1900 (Coleoptera: Hydraenidae) from Crete

We describe a new species of Micragasma J. Sahlberg, 1900 (Coleoptera, Hydraenidae), which is here treated as a subgenus of Ochthebius Leach, 1815 Leach, W.E. (1815), ‘Entomology’, in The Edinburgh Encyclopaedia (Vol. 9), ed. D. Brewster, Balfour: Edinburgh, pp. 57–172. [Google Scholar]. The new species, O. (Micragasma) minoicus sp. n., was found at the margins of a coastal rockpool in the island of Crete. The species differs from the other two known species of Micragasma in both external and genital characters, but shares with them the presence of small setiferous tubercles on the surface of the head, pronotum and elytra, and a strong medial gibbosity on the head. In some characters, such as the structure and shape of the aedeagus, O. (M.) minoicus sp. n. is similar to other species of the genus Ochthebius, in particular of the subgenus Cobalius Rey, 1886 Rey, C. (1886), ‘Histoire naturelle des coléoptères de France (suite)’, Annales de la Société Linnéenne de Lyon, 32, 1–187, pl. 1–2.[Crossref] , [Google Scholar], typical of coastal rockpools.

http://zoobank.org/urn:lsid:zoobank.org:act:BCEAE1EE-7C5E-4017-A753-559738221502     

Redescription of the eubriine genus,Falsodrupeus Pic, 1949 with a description of a new species (Coleoptera: Psephenidae: Eubriinae)

The genus Falsodrupeus Pic, 1949 Pic, M. 1949. ‘Nouveaux Coléoptères de Madagascar’. Mémoires de I'Institut Scientifique de Madagascar, Tananarive (A), 3: 341–345.  [Google Scholar] is redescribed and a new species, F. barclayi sp. nov., is added. The antennae, maxillary and labial palps, and aedeagus are illustrated, and an updated key to the genera of Eubriinae is provided.     

Description of a new Aelurillus species from Khorasan province of Iran,with comments on A. concolor Kulczyński, 1901 (Araneae: Salticidae)

A new species Aelurillus khorasanicus sp.n. (♂♀) is described from north-east Iran. Aelurillus muganicus Dunin, 1984 Dunin, P. M. (1984): Fauna and ecology of spiders (Aranei) of Apsheron Peninsula [in Russian]. pp. 45–60. In: Utochkin, A. S. et al. (eds.), Fauna i ekologiya paukoobraznykh. Perm: PGU Press. [Google Scholar] is synonymised with A. concolor Kulczyński, 1901 Kulczyński, W. (1901): Arachnoidea. pp. 311–369. In: Horvath, G. (ed.), Zoologische Ergebnisse der dritten asiatischen Forschungsreise des Grafen Eugen Zichy. Volume 2. Budapest. [Google Scholar]. A distribution map of the two species is provided.