Contribution to the knowledge of the savanna and forb-rich communities of Pinar del Rio Province (Cuba)

Phytosociological analysis of savanna and forb-rich communities in the Pinar del Rio Province was done in the area of Remates de Guane; one locality lies on the seashore in the western part of the province. Altogether six associations were distinguished. Five of them, viz.Sclerio curtissii-Centelletum erectae, Schultezio guianensis-Rhynchosporetum fascicularis, Cassio diphyllae-Hypericetum stypheloidis, Polygalo squamifoliae-Dichromenetum seslerioidis andPhyllantho juncei-Aristidetum, all newly described in this paper, are classified into the order ofAcoelorapho-Colpothrinacetalia Bal.-Tul. inBal.-Tul. etCapote 1985 with two alliances. One association, thePaspalo debilis-Asteretum grisebachii Bal.-Tul. etCapote 1992, was put into the order ofAsteretalia grisebachii Bal.-Tul. inBal.-Tul. etCapote 1992 with one alliance bound to inland moving dunes. The plant composition reflects soil quality, above all the water regime. Very interesting is the presence of theByrsonimo crassifoliae-Andropogonetalia teneris-species in the association ofPolygalo-Dichromeneteum seslerioidis indicating the rich presence of stones in the upper part of the soil profile.     

Phytosociological characteristics of theRondeletio correifoliae-Andropogonetum multinervosi ass. nova (Sierra de la Siguanea,Isla de la Juventud,Cuba)

The contribution deals with the phytocenological analysis of theRondeletio correifoliae-Andropogonetum multinervosi, an endemic savanna association occuring on the Siguanea Hills (Sierra de la Siguanea) near the Colony Hotel.     

Contribution to the phytosociological characteristics of the Yaguaramas savanna (Cienfuegos Province,Cuba)

The contribution presents phytosociological analyses of the savanna vegetation of Yaguaramas belonging to the classCuratello-Byrsonimetea Borhidi 1979. According to the plant composition, the plant communities under study belong to the orderByrsonimo crassifoliae-Andropogonetalia teneris Bal.-Tul. ordo nov., where two alliances were distinguished, namely theGuillemineo brittonii-Aristidion refractae Bal.-Tul. all. nov. and theByrsonimo crassifoliae-Andropogonion teneris Bal.-Tul. all. nov. The associationsSclerio interruptae-Rhynchosporetum subimberbis Bal. Tul. ass. nov., andPolygalo omissae-Andropogonetum diodontis Bal.-Tul. ass. nov. (both endemic) were classified in the former alliance while the associationByrsonimo crassifoliae-Andropogonetum teneris Bal.-Tul. ass. nov. is a representative of the latter. The following subassociations were distinguished: theSclerio interruptae-Rhynchosporetum subimberbis utricularietosum fimbriatae Bal.-Tul. subass. nov., theByrsonimo crassifoliae-Andropogonetum teneris typicum Bal.-Tul. subass. nov., and theByrsonimo-Andropogonetum sclerietosum interruptae Bal.-Tul. subass. nov.     

Contribution to the knowledge of Galumnoidea (Acari,Oribatida) of Cuba

An annotated checklist of identified oribatid mites of the superfamily Galumnoidea collected from Cuba, including ten species from four genera and two families, is provided. Galumna flabellifera Hammer, 1958, Pergalumna bifissurata Hammer, 1972, Pergalumna bryani (Jacot, 1934), Pergalumna decorata Balogh & Mahunka, 1977 and Galumnopsis secunda Sellnick, 1923 are recorded for the first time in the Cuban fauna. A new species of Pergalumna, Pergalumna cubaensis sp. n., is described; it is morphologically similar to Pergalumna decorata Balogh & Mahunka, 1977, but differs from the latter by the larger body size, heavily granulated prodorsum and well-developed interlamellar setae. The adult of Allogalumna cubana Balogh & Mahunka, 1979 is redescribed.     

Living and dead belowground biomass and its distribution in some savanna communities in Cuba

Fiala K. etHerrera R. (1988): Living and dead belowground biomass and its distribution in some savanna communities in Cuba.—Folia Geobot. Phytotax., Praha, 23: 225–237.— The paper sums up the first results obtained from the study of belowground biomass estimated in natural and anthropic savanna communities in different regions of Cuba at the end of the 1984 rainy season. The percentage of living roots in total root biomass of natural savannas was lower (34–50%) than that in the anthropic savanna stands (68–74%). The total belowground biomass in three savanna stands ranged from 1,073 to 1,257 g. m^?2. In the natural savanna stands 433 to 517 g. m^?2 of living belowground biomass was found, which was less than in the anthropic savanna stand (745 g. m^?2). In all the savanna stands studied, more than 80% of both the total and living belowground biomass were found in the upper 0–0.2 m soil layer. The share of the living biomass in the belowground plant organs varied from 71 to 79%.     

Contribution à la cytotaxonomie de l'Amelanchier ovalis Medikus (Rosaceae)

L'espèce Amelanchier ovalis Medikus (Syn. Mespilus amelanchier L.), largement distribuée en Europe, comprend une race diplode (2 n = 34) et une race tétraplode (2 n = 68). Celles-ci diffèrent l'une de l'autre par des caractères quantitatifs (taille des feuilles, longuer des pédicelles, des pétales et des graines). Le nom A. ovalis est typifié ici-même par un specimen (L.H. 646.11) de l'Herbier de Linné qui représents le cytotype diplode. Le cytotype tétraplode est nommé ici: A. ovalis subsp. embergeri Favarger et Stearn. Les caractères cytologiques, la distribution et la nomenclature des deux sous-espèces sont discutés.     

Soil diatom communities from Ile de la Possession (Crozet,sub-Antarctica)

An ecological study of soil diatoms on Ile de la Possession (Crozet Archipelago, sub-Antarctica) was carried out during the austral summer of 1998/1999. Both diatom and chemistry data were collected. A highly diverse diatom flora of 230 taxa, belonging to 39 genera were identified from 104 samples. Several of them are considered to be new. The most abundant genera were Diadesmis, Achnanthes and Pinnularia. Principal Component Analysis (PCA) was used to classify the samples based on their chemical characteristics. Moisture and nutrients were the main factors separating three groups of samples: dry fellfield soils, soils influenced by marine animals and mesic valley soils. Species assemblages correspond well with this division. Forward Selection with Monte Carlo permutations was used to reduce the number of significant variables. The analysis selected moisture, phosphate and sulphate concentrations. Based on the analysis, the same three groups of the PCA were found. Weighted averaging and calibration were used to develop a statistical transfer function to infer the moisture content of soils from the diatom assemblages.     

Contribution to the knowledge of Diptera (Insecta) parasitizing on birds

Data on the species composition and biology of Diptera, parasitizing on 11 bird species, including Passer montanus, Passer domesticus, Parus coeruleus, Parus major, Corvus frugilegus, Corvus cornix, Sturnus vulgaris, Emberiza citronella, Jynx torquilla, Anthus trivialis, and Crex crex, are given. Biological features of Protocalliphora azurea, Carnus hemapterus, Coboldia fuscipes, and Ornithomyia avicularia are discussed.     

Influence of Diadema antillarum populations (Echinodermata: Diadematidae) on algal community structure in Jardines de la Reina, Cuba

The 1983-1984 mass mortality of Diadema antillarum produced severe damages on Caribbean reefs contributing to substantial changes in community structure that still persist. Despite the importance of Diadema grazing in structuring coral reefs, available information on current abundances and algal-urchin interactions in Cuba is scarce. We analyzed spatial variations in Diadema abundance and its influence on algal community structure in 22 reef sites in Jardines de la Reina, in June/2004 and April/2005. Urchins were counted in five 30 x 2m transects per site, and algal coverage was estimated in randomly located 0.25m side quadrats (15 per site). Abundances of Diadema were higher at reef crests (0.013-1.553 ind/m2), while reef slope populations showed values up to three orders of magnitude lower and were overgrown by macroalgae (up to 87%, local values). Algal community structure at reef slopes were dominated by macroalgae, especially Dictyota, Lobophora and Halimeda while the most abundant macroalgae at reef crests were Halimeda and Amphiroa. Urchin densities were negatively and positively correlated with mean coverage of macroalgae and crustose coralline algae, respectively, when analyzing data pooled across all sites, but not with data from separate habitats (specially reef crest), suggesting, along with historical fish biomass, that shallow reef community structure is being shaped by the synergistic action of other factors (e.g. fish grazing) rather than the influence of Diadema alone. However, we observed clear signs of Diadema grazing at reef crests and decreased macroalgal cover according to 2001 data, what suggest that grazing intensity at this habitat increased at the same time that Diadema recruitment began to be noticeable. Furthermore, the excessive abundance of macroalgae at reef slopes and the scarcity of crustose coralline algae seems to be due by the almost complete absence of D. antillarum at mid depth reefs, where local densities of this urchin were predominantly low.     

Contribution to the knowledge of the Ichneumonidae (Hymenoptera) fauna of Turkey

This study is based upon material of the family Ichneumonidae collected from Erzurum and Tunceli provinces of Turkey between 2011 and 2012. 64 species in 49 genera of the family Ichneumonidae were recorded. Among them, Alloplasta tomentosa (Gravenhorst, 1829), Lissonota (Lissonota) accusator (Fabricius, 1793), Dusona nidulator (Fabricius, 1804), Olesicampe fulviventris (Gmelin, 1790), Olesicampe proterva (Brischke, 1880), Olesicampe radiella (Thomson, 1885), Aptesis nigrocincta (Gravenhorst, 1815), Cryptus moschator (Fabricius, 1787), Pleolophus brachypterus (Gravenhorst, 1815), Hadrodactylus flavofacialis Horstmann, 2000, Lagarotis semicaligata (Gravenhorst, 1820), Coelichneumon (Coelichneumon) consimilis (Wesmael, 1845), Hoplismenus axillatorius (Thunberg, 1822) and Eridolius pictus (Gravenhorst, 1829) are new to the Turkish fauna. A short zoogeographic characterisation is given for each species.     

Contribution to the knowledge of the Fauna and systematics of the Stenopelmatoidea (Orthoptera) of Indochina and some other territories: X

A new genus, 26 new species, and 2 new subspecies of the Rhaphidophorinae (Rhaphidophoridae) from the Indo-Malayan Region and the nearest islands are described. These species and subspecies belong to the genera Eurhaphidophora Gor., Neorhaphidophora Gor., Diarhaphidophora gen. n., Stonychophora Karny, and to the first group of the genus Rhaphidophora A.-Serv.     

Contribution a l'etude des ceintures de vegetation d'une lagune continentale du nord de la tunisie (lac ischkeul)

For all stations, we established a sharing in space and time (according to abondance-dominance test) and we tried to represent the relative importance, by quadrats, for Angiosperms. We display the vegetal zonation in the side of the lagoon. The terrestrial species are distributed especially along the winter inundation fringe and the species of salty soils in the summer waterside fringe. In the intermediate zone are located species which can stand more water and more salinity.

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Laboratoire de Biologie Végétale, E.N.S., TUNIS