Notes on freshwater red algae from West Malaysia

This paper deals with a collection of freshwater red algae from Peninsular Malaysia. Five species and one variety of them,Ballia pinnulata, Batrachospermum beraense, B. cylindrocellulare, B. tortuosum, Caloglossa ogasawaraensis var.latifolia andTuomeya gibberosa are described here as new taxa and the other three species,Batrachospermum vagum, Hildenbrandia rivularis andSirodotia delicatula are recorded here for the first time from Malaysia. This is a part of the studies of Lake Bera in the IBP Joint Programme between Malaysia and Japan, supported by the Japan Society for the Promotion of Science.     

Balliella,a new genus of ceramiaceae (Rhodophyta)

Detailed studies of various aspects of the morphology and reproduction ofAntithamnion subcorticatum Itono andAntithamnion crouanioides Itono show that these species are incorrectly referred to as the genusAntithamnion. To include these species, a new genus,Balliella, is proposed. In addition, some other algae possibly referable to this genus are briefly discussed. The genusBalliella is here recognized as a member of the new tribeDelesseriopsieae which is most nearly related to the tribe Antithamnieae in the Ceramiaceae. The tribe Delesseriopsieae is now recognized to include the two genera, i.e.,Delesseriopsis andBalliella.     

The genus Cycas (Cycadaceae) in Thailand

The genusCycas is revised for Thailand. Ten species are enumerated, five of them described as new (C. chamaoensis, C. clivicola, C. litoralis, C. nongnoochiae, C. tansachana), with one new subspecies (C. clivicola subsp.lutea). The species are placed within an infrageneric classification previously outlined. Distributions of the taxa are mapped, eight of the species are illustrated, and a key to species is provided. Previous records ofC. circinalis andC. rumphii from Thailand (here not regarded as indigenous in Thailand) are discussed.     

A revision of Salvia sect. Ekmania (Lamiaceae)

A taxonomic treatment ofSalvia sect.Ekmania, a group of tall shrubs endemic to the Caribbean island of Hispaniola, is provided. Morphology, phenology, pollination biology, habitats, and distributions are discussed. Species boundaries are examined using phenetic analysis of morphological data. Eight species are here accepted as belonging to the section. Two recently described species,S. lavendula andS. paryskii, are considered for inclusion in the section, but only the latter appears to be a member.Salvia lachnaiclada andS. ottoschulzii are treated as conspecific.Salvia bahorucona is recognized as a distinct species.     

Revision of the genusPandanus stickman,part 45 newPandanus species (Pandanaceae) from New Caledonia

To the 20 species and varieties of previously known in New Caledonia, there are here described and added three more species, one each in the sectionsBernardia, Lophostigma, andVeillonia.     

Four new species Of Mexican Castilleja (subgenus Castilleja,Scrophulariaceae) and their relatives

Castilleja subgenusCastilleja in the northern half of Mexico consists of nine species, which are treated here. The subgenus is characterized by a conspicuously colored calyx that is much more deeply cleft in front (abaxially) than in back (adaxially).Castilleja rhizomata,C. linifolia,C. mcvaughii, andC. pterocaulon are described as new, and are illustrated and mapped. The first three are compared toC. patriotica and C.tenuiflora, their closest relatives in the Tenuiflorae group, and the fourth is compared toC. ortegae, with which it constitutes the Ortegae group.Castilleja roei andC. tenuifolia of the Epichroma group are included in order to complete the census of subgenusCastilleja as encountered in the region of the new species. A key to the nine species of subgenusCastilleja from the northern half of Mexico is provided.     

A phylogenetic analysis of anaerobic eubacteria capable of synthesizing acetate from carbon dioxide

Acetobacterium woodii, Acetogenium kivui, Clostridium aceticum, C. acidiurici, C. cylindrosporum, C. formicoaceticum, C. thermoaceticum, Eubacterium limosum, andPeptococcus glycinophilus were characterized by oligonucleotide cataloging of their 16S ribosomal RNA to determine whether the ability to synthesize acetate from CO₂ is a phylogenetic trait. The ability to synthesize acetate from CO₂ apparently is not a valid phylogenetic marker. TheEubacterium andPeptococcus species examined here are less related to other species in their genera than they are to different species ofClostridium. TheEubacterium species examined here show little relatedness to the genusPropionibacterium. The acetogenic eubacteria belong to the phylogenetic group defined basically by the Gram-positive sporeforming anaerobes.     

The effect of pH upon the photosynthesis of littoral marine algae

Summary The photosynthetic rates of a number of littoral marine algae were determined over a pH range from 8.1 to 10.3, employing the Winkler technique to measure evolved oxygen. In a large number of red, brown and green algae, the rate fell to a low value, or to complete inhibition, at pH 9.5 and higher. This indicates, in conformity with general permeability theory, that the HCO₃ ^}-ion cannot readily penetrate the cells, and is hence not available for photosynthesis.However, in two genera of coralline red algae (Bossea andCorallina) photosynthesis persists up to pH 10 or higher (though at a considerably reduced rate). This can be interpreted as due to utilization of the HCO₃ ^}-ion (though probably not the CO₃=ion). But several other non-coralline red algae (Centroceras, Botryocladia andGastroclonium), as well as the brown algaPelvetia (and possiblyFucus), and the green algaeUlva andEnteromorpha display this same ability.Thus the utilization of HCO₃ ^}-ion cannot alone be ascribed as the cause of calcium carbonate deposition, since several other non-calcareous algae have this same power. The utilization of HCO₃ ^}-at least permits calcification, however. The question might be reversed, to ask whyUlva, Enteromorpha. Pelvetia and several red algae are not calcified. Some cell wall property may be involved.     

A monograph ofAgathis

This first study of the whole genusAgathis makes use of recent local revisions of the New Caledonian and Australian species which are all maintained. The male cone is shown to have most of the taxonomically useful variation, and this confirms the findings of two partial revisions centred on Indonesian species. Thirteen species are recognized, two of which have two subspecies. New Caledonia has five, and Australia three, sympatric species. Otherwise the species are allopatric except for a few populations of central MalesianA. dammara within the range of west MalesianA. borneensis. One of these montane populations is the distinctiveA. dammara subsp.flavescens of Malaya, formerly a full species.Two groups and three individually distinctive species can be recognized on microsporophyll characters. The larger, group B, comprizes eight species,A. australis (New Zealand),A. corbassonii, A. lanceolata andA. montana (New Caledonia),A. macrophylla (Melanesian islands and includingA. obtusa andA. vitiensis),A. atropurpurea (Australia),A. dammara (mainly central Malesia) andA. borneensis (west Malesia); both the last have long synonymies. The smaller species, group (A), comprizesA. microstachya (Australia) andA. labillardieri (west New Guinea and the Sepik basin). The individually distinctive species areA. moorei andA. ovata of New Caledonia andA. robusta of Australia with its new subspeciesnesophila, described here, of eastern New Guinea and New Britain.     

Agouticarpa, a new neotropical genus of Tribe Gardenieae (Rubiaceae)

Agouticarpa, a new genus of the informalAlibertia group (Rubiaceae), is described and illustrated. It comprises six species, and occurs from Costa Rica to Bolivia. Three species are here described as new:Agouticarpa grandistipula, A. hirsuta, andA. velutina. Additionally, three new combinations are made:A. curvifolia andA. williamsii (previously inGenipa) andA. isernii (previously inAlibertia). Agouticarpa is characterized by being dioecious, having elliptic to abovate, membranaceous stipules, male flowers in a branched dichasial or thyrse-like inflorescence, a poorly developed cup-shaped calyx, pollen grains with 3–7 apertures, and large globose fruits.     

A phylogenetic analysis ofAcetobacterium woodii,Clostridium barkeri,Clostridium butyricum,Clostridium lituseburense,Uubacterium limosum,andEubacterium tenue

Acetobacterium woodii, Butyribacterium rettgeri, Clostridium barkeri, Clostridium butyricum, Clostridium lituseburense, Eubacterium limosum, andEubacterium tenue have been characterized by oligonucleotide cataloging of their 16S ribosomal RNAs.A. woodii, C. barkeri, andE. limosum form a related group.C. lituseburense andE. tenue are highly related. As previously reported,E. limosum andB. rettgeri are synonymous. TheEubacterium species examined here are less related to each other than they are to different species ofClostridium. Mol% G+C of DNA and murein composition support the 16S ribisomal RNA data. These findings question the validity of current taxonomic distinctions for these Gram-positive anaerobes.     

The flavonoids in leaves of diploidTriticum species (Gramineae)

Leaf flavonoids have been identified in seven species ofTriticum, all of which have been considered at one time as putative parents of the cultivated tetraploid and hexaploid wheats. The major constituents are apigenin- and luteolin-based glycosylflavones, some of which contain various O-glycosidic attachments at the 6-position. Four tricin glycosides are present in minor amount, as is free tricin. The flavonoid patterns link togetherT. searsii, T. speltoides andT. squarrosa, on the one hand, andT. monococcum, T. boeoticum, T. thaoudar andT. urartu, on the other. These results indicate that the first three taxa are more likely to be diploid ancestors to the hexaploidT. aestivum than the latter four species.     

The genus Dyschoriste (Acanthaceae) in Bolivia and Argentina

Recent field work in Bolivia has resulted in the recognition of new species ofDyschoriste (Acanthaceae). These novelties are introduced here for the convenience of other taxonomists prior to the publication of a treatment of the Acanthaceae of Bolivia. Three new Bolivian and one new Argentinean species ofDyschoriste,D. axillaris, D. boliviana, D. ceciliae, andD. prostrata are described, illustrated, and compared to their closest relatives.     

A revised polytomous key for the identification of species of the genusXiphinema Cobb, 1913 (Nematoda: Longidoridae) with exclusion of theX. americanum-group: Supplement 2

Thirty-one species and one subspecies have been described since publication of the first supplement to the polytomous key toXiphinema spp. (see Loof & Luc, 1993). Of these, 11 species belonging to the X. americanum-group are not considered here. Of the 20 remaining species, 13 are considered valid, for which identification codes are given. Three species were described earlier, but had not come to authors' notice; two of them,X. chothecolla andX. clavatus (sic) have already been synonymised withX. radicicola (see Luc & Loof, 1993); codes are given for the third species,X. codiaei. Xiphinema adenohystherum, X. cohni, X. macrogastrum, X. nuragicum andX. sphaerocephalum were considered junior synonyms ofX. pyrenaicum by Baujardet al. (1996);X. hunaniense is considered a junior synonym ofX. radicicola andX. hispanum ofX. aceri. Changes in the group and/or identification codes are made forX. aceri, X. barense, X. dentatum, X. diversicaudatum, X. filicaudatum filicaudatum, X. globosum, X. hardingi, X. paritaliae (= X. dolosum), X. paulistanum, X. pyrenaicum andX. transkeiense. The specific nameX. swarti is emended toX. swartae. Information is given for computerisation of the key.     

Permophricodothyris Pavlova, 1965 (Brachiopoda, Spiriferida) from the Permian of South China: its morphology, biostratigraphy and distribution

A study of both silicified and nonsilicified specimens of Permian reticularioid brachiopods from South China suggests thatPermophricodothyris, a genus previously rarely reported from China, is actually very common and abundant in the Middle and especially Upper Permian of South China. This study also clarifies, for the first time, that many of the reticularioid brachiopod species previously described asSquamularia in fact belong toPermophricodothyris. The new data presented in this paper also allows a critical evaluation ofPermophricodothyris in relation to its closest allies:Phricodothyris, Squamularia, Bullarina andNeophricodothyris. The revision reveals that a total of 18Permophricodothyris species are present in the Middle and Upper Permian of South China, with only one species,P. squamularioides, having survived the Permian-Triassic mass extinction. Two species,P. grandis (Chao) andP. guangxiensis Han, Zhou & Wang, are redescribed here, providing critical new information on the morphology and taxonomy of these species.     

Ubiquinone system,GC contents and cellular fatty acid composition of species of the form-genusMalbranchea andCoccidioides immitis for chemotaxonomic study

Ubiquinone system, GC contents and cellular fatty acid (CFA) composition were analyzed as criteria for chemotaxonomy ofMalbranchea species andCoccidioides immitis, which are suggested to be phylogenetically related. Based on the major ubiquinone,Malbranchea spp. were divided into two groups, of which one group possessed the same major ubiquinone asC. immitis. Similar GC contents and CFA profiles were obtained for the species ofMalbranchea andC. immitis. On the basis of these criteria the relationships between the fungi are discussed.     

A survey of C-band patterns in chromosomes ofLilium (Liliaceae)

C-band patterns are described for 20Lilium spp. distributed across six sections. All species have a similar basic karyotype (n = 12) but C-bands differ markedly between them. The patterns are characterized by a dispersed scattering of thin intercalary bands as well as centric and NOR bands. Only one species,L. canadense, shows a clear equilocal pattern with intercalary C-bands occurring proximally in all of the longer chromosome arms. Comparing species, similar patterns are revealed forL. regale andL. sulphureum, forL. formosanum andL. longiflorum (all in sect.Leucolirion) and to a lesser extent forL. hansonii, L. martagon, andL. tsingtauense (sect.Martagon). The pattern forL. henryi (previously classed in sect.Sinomartagon) matches those ofL. regale andL. sulphureum quite well and its transfer to sect.Leucolirion is proposed. This is consistent with results from interspecies hybrids betweenL. henryi andL. regale (and related species) which are reportedly fertile. No other clear similarities in C-band patterns were seen across species. It seems that C-band patterns change rapidly inLilium and hence their usefulness in classification will be restricted to identifying closely related species.Dedicated to Prof.D. G. Catcheside on the 80th anniversary of his birth.     

A new species of Illicium subsection Parviflora (Illiciaceae) from the Massif de la Hotte, Haiti

Illicium hottense, a new species, is here described from the floristically diverse Massif de la Hotte of southern Haiti. It is compared to related species, especiallyI. ekmanii, with which it has previously been confused.Illicium hottense andI. ekmanii are members ofIllicium subsectionParviflora, a group that comprises four species, all endemic to peninsular Florida (I. parviflorum) or the Greater Antilles: Cuba (I. cubense) and Hispaniola (I. ekmanii, andI. hottense). The subsection is characterized by its distinctive laminar-carnose, ovoid stamens; all have trisyncolpate pollen.Illicium hottense is similar toI. ekmanii andI. parviflorum in having flowers with ten to thirteen carpels and six to less commonly eight stamens, but differs from both in its strongly papillose outer tepals and consistently acute leaves. In addition, its leaves lack the strong anise fragrance ofI. parviflorum. Finally, molecular data provide support for recognizingI. hottense as a species distinct fromI. ekmanii.