Brachyceran Diptera (Insecta) in Cretaceous ambers, Part IV, Significant New Orthorrhaphous Taxa

Thirteen species of basal Brachycera (11 described as new) are reported, belonging to nine families and three infraorders. They are preserved in amber from the Early Cretaceous (Neocomian) of Lebanon, Albian of northern Spain, upper Albian to lower Cenomanian of northern Myanmar, and Late Cretaceous of New Jersey USA (Turonian) and Alberta, Canada (Campanian). Taxa are as follows, with significance as noted: In Stratiomyomorpha: Stratiomyidae (Cretaceogaster pygmaeus Teskey [2 new specimens in Canadian amber], Lysistrata emerita Grimaldi & Arillo, gen. et sp. n. [stem-group species of the family in Spanish amber]), and Xylomyidae (Cretoxyla azari Grimaldi & Cumming, gen. et sp. n. [in Lebanese amber], and an undescribed species from Spain). In Tabanomorpha: Tabanidae (Cratotabanus newjerseyensis Grimaldi, sp. n., in New Jersey amber). In Muscomorpha: Acroceridae (Schlingeromyia minuta Grimaldi & Hauser, gen. et sp. n. and Burmacyrtus rusmithi Grimaldi & Hauser gen. etsp. n., in Burmese amber, the only definitive species of the family from the Cretaceous); Mythicomyiidae (Microburmyia analvena Grimaldi & Cumming gen. et sp. n. and Microburmyia veanalvena Grimaldi & Cumming, sp. n., stem-group species of the family, both in Burmese amber); Apsilocephalidae or near (therevoid family-group) (Kumaromyia burmitica Grimaldi & Hauser, gen. et sp. n. [in Burmese amber]); Apystomyiidae (Hilarimorphites burmanica Grimaldi & Cumming, sp. n. [in Burmese amber], whose closest relatives are from the Late Jurassic of Kazachstan, the Late Cretaceous of New Jersey, and Recent of California). Lastly, two species belonging to families incertae sedis, both in Burmese amber: Tethepomyiidae (Tethepomyia zigrasi Grimaldi & Arillo sp. n., the aculeate oviscapt of which indicates this family was probably parasitoidal and related to Eremochaetidae); and unplaced to family is Myanmyia asteiformia Grimaldi, gen. et sp. n., a minute fly with highly reduced venation. These new taxa significantly expand the Mesozoic fossil record of rare and phylogenetically significant taxa of lower Brachycera.     

Phylogeny and classification of Corylophidae (Coleoptera: Cucujoidea) with descriptions of new genera and larvae

Abstract Phylogenetic relationships within the family Corylophidae were investigated. Twenty ingroup taxa and six outgroups were included in a cladistic analysis, based on 48 characters derived from adult and larval morphology. Phylogenetic analysis confirms that Corylophidae are monophyletic within the superfamily Cucujoidea and may be subdivided into two subfamilies: the Australian Periptycinae and the cosmopolitan Corylophinae containing 10 tribes: Foadiini trib.n. , Cleidostethini, Aenigmaticini, Parmulini, Sericoderini, Peltinodini, Orthoperini, Corylophini, Teplinini and Rypobiini. All currently recognized family‐group taxa are thoroughly diagnosed, and keys to their identification based on adults and larvae are provided. Two new genera and three species are described: Weirus gen.n ., containing only W. tozer sp . n . (Australia: Queensland), and Stanus gen.n. , with the two species S. bowesteadi sp.n . (New Zealand) and S. tasmanicus sp.n. (Tasmania). The larvae of Pakalukodes bimaculatus?lipiński et al. from Queensland and of Stanus bowesteadi sp.n. from New Zealand are described and illustrated for the first time.     

Phylogeny of the highly divergent zoanthid family Microzoanthidae (Anthozoa,Hexacorallia) from the Pacific

Fujii, T. & Reimer, J. D. (2011). Phylogeny of the highly divergent zoanthid family Microzoanthidae (Anthozoa, Hexacorallia) from the Pacific. —Zoologica Scripta, 40, 418–431. In this study, one new family, one new genus and two new species of zoanthids from rubble zones spanning the temperate, subtropical and tropical Pacific Ocean are described. Two new species are described, Microzoanthus occultus sp. n. and Microzoanthus kagerou sp. n., both belonging to the new genus Microzoanthus and new family Microzoanthidae, and they can be clearly distinguished both morphologically and genetically from each other and other zoanthids by their very small size, reduced or absent stolon, habitat usually on the bottom side of rubble zone rocks, and divergent and distinct DNA (cytochrome oxidase subunit I, mitochondrial 16S ribosomal DNA, internal transcribed spacer region of ribosomal DNA) sequences. The phylogenetic analyses clearly show Microzoanthidae fam. n. to be genetically far different from all other hexacorallians at the order level, but the macrocnemic arrangement of mesenteries and other morphological characters (colonial specimens with narrow stolons, two rows of tentacles sand encrustation) clearly place these specimens within the order Zoantharia. This study demonstrates how it is highly likely the existence of many marine invertebrate taxa remains overlooked, and that widely distributed groups such as Microzoanthidae fam. n. remain to be discovered.     

A new semi-terrestrial nemertean from California

A new species of semi-terrestrial monostiliferous hoplonemertean from California, Pantinonemertes californiensis sp. nov., is described and illustrated. The genus Pantinonemertes, transitional between marine and terrestrial habitats, provides evidence for one evolutionary line towards the colonization of land by nemerteans.     

New contributions to the flora of Myanmar I

In this study, we describe several new taxa belonging to the flora of Myanmar. One new family, Polyosmaceae (Polyosma wallichii Benn.) is recorded. Over ten new genera are recorded for the first time, including Amentotaxus Pilger (Taxaceae), Hydrobryopsis Engler (Podostemaceae), Cyrtosia Blume and Biermannia King & Pantling (Orchidaceae), Eleutharrhena Forman and Haematocarpus Miers (Menispermaceae), Craigia W.W. Smith & W.E. Evans (Malvaceae), Amblyanthopsis Mez (Primulaceae), Huodendron Rehder and Rehderodendron Hu (Styracaceae), Platea Blume (Metteniusaceae), Achyrospermum Blume (Lamiaceae), Christisonia Gardner (Orobanchaceae). In addition, five new species are described and illustrated: Tupistra natmataungensis Y.H. Tan & H.B. Ding, Biermannia burmanica Y.H. Tan & Bin Yang, Impatiens megacalyx Y.H. Tan & H.B. Ding, Amblyanthopsis burmanica Y.H. Tan & H.B. Ding, Platea kachinensis Y.H. Tan & H.B. Ding. The distribution, ecology, phenology, and conservation status of these new species are also described.     

Espéces affines microsympatriques chez Puellina (Bryozoa, Cheilostsmata) et description d'espèces nouvelles

The existence of microsympatry (close coexistence in microhabitats) allows morphologically very similar forms belonging to intraspecifically highly variable taxa to be distinguished by consistent microanatomical characteristics at the specific level. Four pairs of closely related species of Puellina Jullien (Bryozoa, Cheilostomata, Cribrimorpha), microsympatric in the Mediterranean Sea to different degrees according to the magnitude of their coexistence, are considered at the systematic, ecological and biogeographic levels. P . ( Cribrilaria ) innominata (Couch) coexists with: (1) P . ( C .) picardi sp. n., in a wide range of littoral and deep habitats; (2) P . ( C .) hincksi (Friedl), in ecological transition zones within sciaphilic littoral communities. P . ( Glabrilaria ) pedunculata Gautier, an apparently Mediterranean endemic with a wide depth range, coexists with: (1) P . ( G .) orientalis orientalis sp. et ssp.n., in deep hard bottoms of the eastern Mediterranean, two other subspecies, P . ( G .) orientalis azorensis ssp.n. and P . ( G .) orientalis lusitanica ssp.n., being distributed in the near Atlantic; (2) P . ( G .) corbula Bishop & Househam, recently described from the English Channel, in cryptic littoral microhabitats of the northwestern Mediterranean.     

Novel green algal isolates from the Egyptian hyper‐arid desert oases: a polyphasic approach with a description of Pharao desertorum gen. et sp. nov. (Chlorophyceae,Chlorophyta)

The biodiversity of terrestrial algae is still grossly understudied, and African deserts in particular are barely touched in this respect. Here, four coccoid green algae from oases in the Western Desert of Egypt were characterized using a combination of morphotaxonomic, ecological and 18S rDNA data, with additional carotenoid and lipid analyses for two of the strains. Three strains were identified as affiliated with known taxa: Mychonastes sp., Asterarcys sp. (first report of this genus from a desert soil), and Stichococcus cf. deasonii. The fourth strain is proposed to represent a new cryptic genus Pharao gen. nov., with the type species P. desertorum sp. nov. The new taxon is sister to the clade of uncharacterized North American desert strains of Radiococcaceae (Chlorophyceae, Chlorophyta). The pigment profile of P. desertorum gen. et sp. nov. revealed carotenoids and chlorophylls typical of green algae. Bioorganic analysis showed a complex lipidome based on phospho‐ (PC), galacto‐ (MGDG and DGDG), betaine‐ (DGTS), and sulfoquinovosyl‐ (SQDG) membrane lipids, besides significant amounts of storage neutral lipids such as diacyl‐ (DAG) and triacylglycerols (TAG). The presence of saturated alkyl chains within all the membrane lipid classes in P. desertorum and Asterarcys sp. appears to reflect the need to maintain membrane fluidity and viscosity. In summary, African deserts likely still harbor new taxa to be described, and lipidomic analyses of such taxa may provide clues about their ability to survive in the extremely harsh desert habitats.     

An approximation to the phylogeny of Sclerotinia and related genera

Phylogenies are constructed based on nuclear ribosomal internal transcribed spacer (ITS) DNA sequences from an ingroup consisting of 50 isolates representing 24 species of the discomycete family Sclerotiniaceae and an outgroup consisting of five related taxa of the same family. The ingroup taxa are: three Botrytis spp., two Botryotinia spp., one Ciborinia sp., one Dumontinia sp., one Grovesinia sp., six Myriosclerotinia spp., nine Sclerotinia spp. and one Sclerotium sp. The outgroup taxa are: one Ciboria sp., one Encoelia sp. and three Monilinia spp. The type species is included for all taxa except for Ciborinia and Encoelia. Several of the included taxa are important plant pathogens. The resulting phytogenies are discussed with regard to morphology, life history and taxonomy. A suspected relationship between Sclerotinia borealis and S. tetraspora , and Myriosclerotinia is rejected, while a suspected relationship between Ciborinia ciborium and Myriosclerotinia is strongly supported. Sclerotinia ulmariae , previously synonymized with Dumontinia tuberosa , is reinstated as an independent species of Dumontinia. Two new combinations, Dumontinia ulmariae and Myriosclerotinia ciborium , are proposed. The imperfectly known taxon Sclerotium cepivorum seems most closely related to Dumontinia. We conclude that Dumontinia , and Myriosclerotinia , as currently conceived, are monophyletic, and that Botryotinia along with Botrytis anamorphs probably also constitute a monophyletic lineage. The genus Sclerotinia is probably polyphyletic and characterized by symplesiomorphies rather than synapomorphies. Two putatively new taxa, Sclerotinia sp. 1, and Sclerotinia sp.2 are most closely related to S. minor, S. sclerotiorum and S. trifoliorum , and to S. borealis , respectively.     

The west Mediterranean orophilous taxa of Sideritis L. (Lamiaceae): a new species of subsection Hyssopifolia from south-eastern Spain

Orophilous taxa of Sideritis sect. Sideritis (Lamiaceae) are rare, although highly diversified in south-eastern Spain. Most of them belong to subsections Hyssopifolia and Fruticulosa and show very reduced distribution areas in the summits of the highest Betic mountains. The inaccessibility of their habitats has meant that many of them have been described only within the last twenty years. In this context, a new species Sideritis tugiensis is described in subsection Hyssopifolia , from the Oromediterranean summits of Sierra de Segura (south-eastern Spain). It is a woody, cushion-shaped plant, resembling both S. carbonellis Socorro (subsect. Hyssopifolia) and S. glacialis Boiss., s.l. (subsect. Fruticulosa) , though important morphological divergences warrant recognition at species rank. Data on morphology, ecology and chorology of the new species are reported, and affinities and differences with regard to close taxa from other subsections are presented. Evolutionary trends in the whole aggregate are briefly discussed.     

Colonisation of Heliconia caribaea by aquatic invertebrates: resource and microsite characteristics

Abstract.  1. Colonisation of ephemeral aquatic habitats via oviposition by invertebrates may be influenced by a variety of factors, such as the quality of aquatic habitat and the characteristics of the surrounding terrestrial environment. The water-holding bracts of Heliconia caribaea , a subtropical herb that produces ephemeral aquatic habitats, are colonised by a variety of aquatic invertebrates. To date, no experiments have been conducted to identify the cues that affect colonisation patterns via oviposition selection in Heliconia .
2. Artificial bracts were used to assess the influence of two types of resources found in bracts (plant produced carbohydrates and terrestrial snail faeces) on oviposition site-selection by invertebrate taxa via a replicated factorial design at four locations in the Luquillo Experimental Forest of Puerto Rico, U.S.A. Eleven microsite characteristics thought to affect oviposition were measured for each experimental container.
3. Most taxa responded in a minor way to microsite characteristics, whereas site selection by the most numerically dominant groups (e.g. Syrphidae) were influenced principally by resources within artificial bracts. Overall, the greatest response by particular taxa was to the presence of snail faeces. At the community level, total abundance, richness, and evenness of invertebrates increased with increasing biomass of faeces. Variation in sugar produced a more complex response.
4. In general, the terrestrial matrix surrounding these aquatic habitats was only a secondary determinant of population and community attributes; the principal factor affecting site selection was the quality of the aquatic habitat.     

Mammalian community structure in lowland, tropical Peru, as determined by removal trapping

Amazonian lowland rain forests are complex three-dimensional formations consisting of a variety of arboreal and terrestrial habitats. The small mammal faunas, particularly of arboreal habitats, are poorly studied, and field research generally has been limited to a few faunal inventories. We sampled the terrestrial and arboreal small mammal fauna in two floodplain forest study zones at Reserva Cuzco Amazonico, southeastern Peru, by removal trapping for 12 consecutive days in dry (June-July 1989) and rainy seasons (January-February 1990). Nineteen taxa of marsupials and rodents were captured. Small mammals were more abundant in the rainy season than in the dry season, but the relative proportions of the 11 most abundant species remained stable between seasons and study zones. Most species showed no decline in capture rates through the 12-day period, indicating that either population densities were high or animals were quite mobile. The small mammal fauna exhibited strong vertical stratification; among the 11 most abundant species, four exhibited strong biases toward terrestrial and five toward above-ground captures. The distinct arboreal small mammal community is grossly underrepresented if traps are placed only at ground level.     

Australian Assassins, Part III: A review of the Assassin Spiders (Araneae, Archaeidae) of tropical north-eastern Queensland

The assassin spiders of the family Archaeidae from tropical north-eastern Queensland are revised, with eight new species described from rainforest habitats of the Wet Tropics bioregion and Mackay-Whitsundays Hinterland: Austrarchaea griswoldi sp. n., Austrarchaea hoskini sp. n., Austrarchaea karenae sp. n., Austrarchaea tealei sp. n., Austrarchaea thompsoni sp. n., Austrarchaea wallacei sp. n., Austrarchaea westi sp. n. and Austrarchaea woodae sp. n. Specimens of the only previously described species, Austrarchaea daviesae Forster & Platnick, 1984, are redescribed from the southern Atherton Tableland. The rainforests of tropical eastern Queensland are found to be a potential hotspot of archaeid diversity and endemism, with the region likely to be home to numerous additional short-range endemic taxa. A key to species complements the taxonomy, with maps, natural history information and conservation assessments provided for all species.     

Two new species of Stivalius (Siphonaptera--Pygiopsyllidae--Pygiopsyllinae) from Indonesia

The fleas, S. meridionalis n. sp. from Timor and S. franciscae n. sp. from Sulawesi, Indonesia are described and illustrated. S. meridionalis was collected in Central Timor (Timor Tengah) at elevations between 930 m and 1,520 m, mainly from the murine rodent Rattus tanezumi, although one specimen was recovered from a house shrew, Suncus murinus. S. franciscae was collected in Central Sulawesi (Sulawesi Tengah) at known elevations between 950 m and 2,255 m from six species of native endemic murine rodents, especially Rattus hoffmanni, and from two species of commensal murine rodents. One specimen of S. franciscae was also collected from the native endemic murine Paruromys dominator in North Sulawesi (Sulawesi Utara) at 1,780 m. These two new flea species are compared with the previously described taxa included in the genus Stivalius sensu stricto.     

Genetic and morphological evidence for substantial hidden biodiversity in a freshwater crayfish species complex

North America is a center of biodiversity for freshwater crayfish, with >300 described species, mostly in the family Cambaridae. However, the phylogenetic and phylogeographic relationships among these taxa are poorly understood, despite their ubiquitous occurrence in North American freshwater habitats. Here, we target the geographically widespread Orconectesvirilis and its sister taxa for genetic and morphological investigation. We used sequence data from two mitochondrial genes (16S rRNA and cytochrome oxidase I) and from one nuclear gene (glyceraldehyde-3-phosphate dehydrogenase), as well as morphological data from the male gonopod, to gain insights into phylogenetic relationships among individuals collected in the northeastern United States, where this taxon is considered to be invasive, and from Kansas. Our data reveal evidence for three cryptic species in our collections, in addition to O.virilis sensu stricto; all four clades are separated by both mitochondrial and nuclear sequence data. In addition, two of the newly discovered species, O.sp. nov. A and O.sp. nov. B, are distinguishable from O.virilis by significant differences in gonopod morphology (no data on gonopod morphology were available for O.sp. nov. C). O.sp. nov. A was collected at numerous sites in Massachusetts; additional sampling is required to determine if this species is native to New England. Two other taxa, O.sp. nov. B and O.sp. nov. C, were both collected from sites in eastern Kansas, and historically have probably been considered to be O.nais. In summary, this investigation indicates that this species complex may harbor a great deal of unknown biodiversity over the rest of its described range, and suggests that further attention to the phylogenetics and phylogeography of North American crayfishes may yield interesting insights into the evolution of biodiversity.     

Two new species of fleas from Chile and Argentina(Insecta-Siphonaptera: Stephanocircidae and Rhopalopsyllidae) and raising of a new sub-genus of Plocopsylla Jordan, 1931

A new subgenus of Plocopsylla is raised, Schrammapsylla Beaucournu and Ménier from the entire group B of Schramm & Lewis, 1988 and two new fleas from Chile and Argentina are described: Plocopsylla (S.) muruai n. sp. Beaucournu and Gallardo and Ectinorus (E.) mimacydis n. sp. Beaucournu and Gallardo. These two taxa are only known by the male sex.     

Interstitial Dorvilleidae (Annelida, Polychaeta) from Europe, Australia and New Zealand

Four dorvilleid species new to science are described from intertidal and subtidal sandy sediments. For three of them new genera are erected: Coralliotrocha natans gen. et sp.n., Microdorvillea otagensis gen. et sp.n. and Pusillotrocha Åkessoni gen. et sp.n. One species represents the first record of the genus Pettiboneia from Australia, P. australiensis sp.n. Ophryotrocha minuta Levi, 1954 redescribed from Helgoland is transferred to a different genus, Arenotrocha gen.n. The present taxa belong to a morphological series of species with an increasing degree of neoteny in the family Dorvilleidae.     

Comparative leaf anatomy of the Penaeaceae and its ecological Implications

The leaf anatomy of species representing all seven genera of the Penaeaceae was studied by light and scanning electron microscopy. Due to variability and inconsistency, leaf anatomical characters are not regarded as particularly useful for systematics within or among genera in this family. Across the family, a number of taxa exhibit a trend towards amphistomatous, isobilateral leaves, generally associated with increased leaf thickness and amount of palisade mesophyll. This trend is not apparent in closely related families, e.g. Alzateaceae, Cryp-teroniaceae, Oliniaceae and Rhynchocalycaceae. Most species are found in comparatively mesic habitats and it is difficult to postulate primary xeromorphic trends in leaf anatomy. The sclerophylly encountered across the family as a whole is likely to be related to paucity of soil nutrients rather than a response to water stress.     

Isolation of novel ultramicrobacteria classified as actinobacteria from five freshwater habitats in Europe and Asia

We describe the first freshwater members of the class Actinobacteria that have been isolated. Nine ultramicro-size (<0.1 microm(3)) strains were isolated from five freshwater habitats in Europe and Asia. These habitats represent a broad spectrum of ecosystems, ranging from deep oligotrophic lakes to shallow hypertrophic lakes. Even when the isolated strains were grown in very rich media, the cell size was <0.1 microm(3) and was indistinguishable from the cell sizes of bacteria belonging to the smaller size classes of natural lake bacterioplankton. Hybridization of the isolates with oligonucleotide probes and phylogenetic analysis of the 16S rRNA gene sequences of the isolated strains revealed that they are affiliated with the class Actinobacteria and the family Microbacteriaceae. The previously described species with the highest levels of sequence similarity are Clavibacter michiganensis and Rathayibacter tritici, two phytopathogens of terrestrial plants. The 16S rRNA gene sequences of the nine isolates examined are more closely related to cloned sequences from uncultured freshwater bacteria than to the sequences of any previously isolated bacteria. The nine ultramicrobacteria isolated form, together with several uncultured bacteria, a diverse phylogenetic cluster (Luna cluster) consisting exclusively of freshwater bacteria. Isolates obtained from lakes that are ecologically different and geographically separated by great distances possess identical 16S rRNA gene sequences but have clearly different ecophysiological and phenotypic traits. Predator-prey experiments demonstrated that at least one of the ultramicro-size isolates is protected against predation by the bacterivorous nanoflagellate Ochromonas sp. strain DS.     

Phlebotomine sandflies from Madagascar (Diptera: Psychodidae). VI--A new subgenus (Vattieromyia) including three new species: Sergentomyia (V.) sclerosiphon, S. (V.) namo and S. (V.) anka

Three new species of Phlebotomine sandflies belonging to the genus Sergentomyia Fran?a & Parrot are described from Madagascar: Sergentomyia sclerosiphon n. sp. S. namo n. sp. and S. anka n. sp. The taxa are created on the basis of the morphology of females. The males of S. sclerosiphon n. sp. and of S. anka n. sp. have been associated to the females according to the homologies of a fragment of the mtDNA cytochrome b sequences. The original morphology of the spermathecae and the sclerification of a part of the individual spermathecal ducts allow the creation of a new subgenus, Vattieromyia subg. nov., which includes these three new species.