Seasonal changes in the content of photosynthetic pigments in perennial grasses of cryolithic zone

Seasonal changes in the content of photosynthetic pigments and their ratio were studied in perennial gramineous (Psathyrostachys juncea Tzvel., Elymus sibiricus L., Bromopsis inermis Leys) and equisetaceous (Equisetum variegatum Schleich. ex Web., E. scirpoides Michx.) plants grown under conditions of cryolithic zone in Central and North-East Yakutia (the Pole of Cold). Simultaneously with growth in chlorophyll (Chl) content in all the studied species of perennial grasses of Central Yakutia, a considerable increase in the content of carotenoids (Car) of the xanthophyll cycle (XC) pigments was observed with the beginning of autumn temperature fall. Similar dependence was found in horsetails of the Pole of Cold region: the content of Car was increased by 1.2–3.0 times comparing to the summer values, whereas at the same time the concentration of oxygen-containing forms increased and the ratio of Chl to xanthophylls and Car decreased. In general, horsetails had typically a lower content of Chl and Car, which was determined not only by extremely harsh climatic conditions of the region but also by specific characteristics of Equisetaceae plants. Closer to winter time, the formation of secondary Car, rhodoxanthin, was also observed in the studied horsetail species. In this case, rhodoxanthin presumably plays more important antioxidant role than XC, which can not operate at constantly low temperatures. The obtained data suggest that one of the characteristics of cold hardening of perennial grasses under conditions of cryolithic zone of Yakutia is, presumably, the high level of primary, as well as secondary, Car with most profound antioxidant properties.     

Woody plants of Yakutia and low-temperature stress

Physiological and biochemical features of woody plants (Pinus sylvestris L. and Betula platyphylla Sukacz.) during transition from vegetative to frost-resistant state under conditions of extremely severe climate of Yakutia were studied. In P. sylvestris such transition was accompanied by a decrease in the content of chlorophylls long before first frosts and by an increase in the proportion of Xanth and simultaneous decrease in the content of β-carotene in needles during the first and second phases of hardening. In the period of preparation to dormancy, overwintering organs of both P. sylvestris (needles) and B. platyphylla (buds) accumulated the two groups of major dehydrins, with low mol wts of 15–21 kD and middle mol wts of 66–141 kD. Simultaneously, low temperature led to a great increase in the content of polyunsaturated fatty acids (FAs) in lipids of P. sylvestris needles and B. platyphylla buds, primarily linoleic acid and also eicosenoic FAs differing in the extent of desaturation. Observed qualitative and quantitative changes in pigments, total proteins, dehydrins, and FAs during autumn hardening of P. sylvestris and B. platyphylla plants presume their important role in the development of resistance of these tree species to low-temperature stress (down to −60°C) in the cryolithic zone of Yakutia.     

Contribution to the fauna of mollusk-eating marsh flies (Diptera,Sciomyzidae) of Yakutia

A total of 38 species belonging to 14 genera and 2 tribes of the family Sciomyzidae were recorded from Yakutia. Among these species, 23, 6, and 8 species were recorded from Yakutia, eastern Siberia, and Siberia, respectively, for the first time. The fauna of Central Yakutia, comprising 33 species, is examined best of all. The range diversity of investigated sciomyzids is classified into 13 types. Species with Holarctic and trans-Eurasian ranges constitute the largest groups comprising 12 species each. Colobaea punctata, Ilione albiseta, Pherbellia brunnipes, and Sepedon sphegea are very abundant. The species composition of the Yakut fauna noticeably differs from neighboring faunas of the Russian Far East, Mongolia, and Alaska, but the generic composition of these faunas is more similar. The Yakut fauna of the Sciomyzidae is intermediate between the fauna of Mongolia and the faunas of the Russian Far East and Alaska. The fraction of marsh flies in dipteran assemblages of meadow cenoses is usually small, but their abundance in some years grows significantly. The population density of marsh flies in the valleys of large rivers is higher in comparison with that found in isolated alas hollows in the plakors (= euclimatopes). Analysis of the trophic associations of the larvae of the Yakut sciomyzids has revealed 5 out of the 7 groups known in the family.     

Contribution to the fauna of blackflies of the tribe Simuliini (Diptera: Simuliidae) of the Sakha Republic (Yakutia)

The data on the fauna of blackflies of the tribe Simuliini (Diptera: Simuliidae) of the Sakha Republic (Yakutia) comprising the available literature, collections of the Zoological Institute of the Russian Academy of Sciences, and new material collected in Yakutia were analyzed. Three new species were recorded in the fauna of Yakutia: Archesimulium polare Rubzov, 1940, A. splendidum Rubzov, 1940, and A. tumulosum Rubzov, 1956. Distribution of 11 species was clarified. Processing of the collected material confirmed the presence of 9 blackfly species previously known from Yakutia. On the whole, the blackfly fauna of the region comprises 27 species.     

Evaporation effects as reflected in freshwaters and ostracod calcite from modern environments in Central and Northeast Yakutia (East Siberia,Russia)

Taxonomical and geochemical investigations on freshwater ostracods from 15 waters in Central and Northeast (NE) Yakutia have been undertaken in order to estimate their potential usefulness in palaeoenvironmental reconstructions based on regional fossil records. Higher variability in environmental factors such as pH, electrical conductivity, and ionic content was observed in thermokarst-affected lakes in Central Yakutia than in NE Yakutia lakes. Species diversity of freshwater ostracods reached up to eight taxa per lake, mostly dominated by Candona weltneri Hartwig 1899, in Central Yakutia, whereas in NE Yakutian waters the diversity was lower and Candona muelleri jakutica Pietrzeniuk 1977 or Fabaeformiscandona inaequivalvis (Sars 1898) had highest frequencies. Coupled analyses of stable isotopes (δ¹⁸O, δ¹³C) and element ratios (Sr/Ca, Mg/Ca) were performed on both host waters and ostracod calcite, aiming to estimate the modern relationships. Correlations between host waters and ostracod calcite of single species were found for δ¹⁸O, δ¹³C and Sr/Ca and Mg/Ca ratios. The relationships between δ¹⁸O, Mg/Ca and Sr/Ca ratios and electrical conductivity (salinity) as an expression of solute concentrations in the waters mainly controlled by evaporation are more complicated but evident, and may be useful in future interpretation of geochemical data from fossil Siberian ostracods. Handling editor: K. Martens     

A new species and rare species of the genus <Emphasis Type="Italic">Campsicnemus</Emphasis> Walker (Diptera,Dolichopodidae) in the Russian fauna

A new species of the genus Campsicnemus Walker (C. bagachanovae Grichanov et Volfov, sp. n.) is described from Yakutia. New records of C. pusillus (Meigen, 1824) and C. varipes Loew, 1859 are given.     

Phylogenetic revision of Bonjeania Irwin & Lyneborg (Diptera: Therevidae)

The endemic Australian genus Bonjeania Irwin & Lyneborg is revised. Seven species are described as new: B. angelikae sp.n., B. clamosis sp.n., B. dynastis sp.n., B. flavofemoralis sp.n., B. irwinae sp.n., B. orphne sp.n. and B. trilineata sp.n. Three species, B. actuosa (White), B. nitidifrons (Macquart) and B. segnis (White), are redescribed. All species of Bonjeania were compared in a cladistic analysis with Agapophytus albobasalis Mann and five exemplars of the speciose sister genus Parapsilocephala Kröber, and the phylogenetic relationships of Bonjeania discussed. The male genitalic musculature of B. clamosis sp.n. is described and figured, and discussed with respect to previous studies on other Therevidae.     

New data on the water mite fauna (Acari,Hydrachnidia, Halacaroidea) of the Sakha Republic (Yakutia)

Examination of the water mite collection made by the authors in the territory of the Sakha Republic (Yakutia) in 2006 has revealed 43 mite species of the phalanx Hydrachnidia, belonging to 19 genera and 12 families, 1 species of the phalanx Trombidia, and 2 freshwater species of the superfamily Halacaroidea, belonging to 2 genera and 1 family. All the species registered, except for two species of the phalanx Hydrachnidia (Mixobates processifer and Lebertia porosa), were recorded in the Sakha Republic for the first time. The species Aturus miyashitai Uchida, 1934 and A. parapilosus Kim et Chung, 1993 (Hydrachnidia) and the family Johnstonianidae Thor, 1935 (Trombidia) are new for the Russian fauna. The female of A. parapilosus is described for the first time.     

The Horsefly Fauna (Diptera,Tabanidae) of Yakutia

The literature on the fauna of the family Tabanidae (Diptera) of Yakutia is analyzed. The distribution of 37 species of horseflies over 7 natural regions of Yakutia is considered. Seven taxa of horseflies previously known by erroneous records are excluded from the fauna of Yakutia.

     

Occurrence and chemical diversity of the genus Bryoria in the Sučí Potok Valley, Veporské Vrchy Mountains (Central Slovakia)

Four species of the genus, Bryoria were found in the Sučí Potok Valley: B. capilaris (Ach.) Brodo & D. Hawksw., B. fuscescens (Gyeln.) Brodo & D. Hawksw., B. implexa (Hoffm.) Brodo & D. Hawksw., B. nadvornikiana (Gyeln.) Brodo & D. Hawksw. The most common species in the valley was B. implexa. Four chemotypes of this lichen were recognized.     

Taxonomic contributions to Hapalidiales (Corallinophycidae,Rhodophyta): Boreolithothamnion gen. nov., Lithothamnion redefined and with three new species and Roseolithon with new combinations

Phylogenetic analyses of rbcL gene sequences and of concatenated rbcL, psbA, and nuclear SSU rRNA gene sequences resolved the generitype of Lithothamnion, L. muelleri, in a clade with three other southern Australian species, L. kraftii sp. nov., L. saundersii sp. nov., and L. woelkerlingii sp. nov. Cold water boreal species currently classified in Lithothamnion and whose type specimens have been sequenced are transferred to Boreolithothamnion gen. nov., with B. glaciale comb. nov. as the generitype. The other species are B. giganteum comb. nov., B. phymatodeum comb. nov., and B. sonderi comb. nov., whose type specimens are newly sequenced, and B. lemoineae comb. nov., B. soriferum comb. nov., and B. tophiforme comb. nov., whose type specimens were already sequenced. Based on rbcL sequences from the type specimens of Lithothamnion crispatum, L. indicum, and L. superpositum, each is recognized as a distinct species and transferred to the recently described Roseolithon as R. crispatum comb. nov., R. indicum comb. nov., and R. superpositum com. nov., respectively. To correctly assign species to these three genera based only on morpho-anatomy, specimens must have multiporate conceptacles and some epithallial cells with flared walls. The discussion provides examples demonstrating that only with phylogenetic analyses of DNA sequences can the evolution of morpho-anatomical characters of non-geniculate corallines be understood and applied at the correct taxonomic rank. Finally, phylogenetic analyses of DNA sequences support recognition of the Hapalidiales as a distinct order characterized by having multiporate tetra/bisporangial conceptacles, and not as a suborder of Corallinales whose tetra/bisporangial conceptacles are uniporate.     

Grassflies (Diptera, Chloropidae) in the middle Lena valley (Central Yakutia)

Sixty-one species of grassflies (Diptera, Chloropidae) have been found in the meadows in the middle Lena valley, Central Yakutia. Differences between the grassfly taxocenoses of different parts of the valley depend on specific features of a particular plant community. The dominant and subdominant chloropid species are distinguished. The differences of the riparian fauna from the complexes inhabiting the alases in Yakutia are shown. Six species of grassflies are recorded for Yakutia for the first time, all of them belonging to the subfamily Oscinellinae: Polyodaspis ruficornis Macquart, Tricimba cincta Meigen, Aphanotrigonum trilineatum Meigen, Trachysiphonella scutellata v. Roser, Rhopalopterum anthracinum Meigen, and Rh. fasciolum Meigen     

Identification of species in tribe Brassiceae by dot-blot hybridization using species-specific ITS1 probes

Simple, reliable methods for identification of species are required for management of many species and lines in a plant gene bank. Species-specific probes were designed from published sequences of the ITS1 region in rDNA of 16 species in Brassica and its related genera, and used as probes for dot-blot hybridization with plant genomic DNA. All the probes detected species-specific signals at dot-blots of genomic DNAs of the 16 species in Brassica, Diplotaxis, Eruca, and Raphanus. Signals of the Brassica digenomic species in the U’s triangle, i.e., B. napus, B. juncea, and B. carinata, were detected by the probes of their parental monogenomic species, i.e., B. rapa, B. nigra, and B. oleracea. The probe for B. oleracea showed signals of B. balearica, B. cretica, B. incana, B. insularis, and B. macrocarpa, which have the C genome as B. oleracea. Eruca vesicaria DNA was detected by the probe for E. sativa, which has been classified as a subspecies of E. vescaria. DNA of leaf tissue extracted by an alkaline solution and seed DNA prepared by the NaI method can be used directly for dot-blotting. Misidentification of species was revealed in 20 accessions in the Tohoku University Brassica Seed Bank. These results indicate dot-blot hybridization to be a simple and efficient technique for identification of plant species in a gene bank.     

Effects of waterlogging on growth and some physiological parameters of four Brassica species

Waterlogging tolerance of four Brassica species, Brassica campestris L., B. carinata A. Br., B. juncea (L.) Czern and Coss., and B. napus L. was assessed after 4 weeks growth in greenhouse at two waterlogging treatments, unflooded control soil, and fully waterlogged soil.Shoot fresh and dry biomass, in both mean and relative terms, was highest in B. juncea and lowest in B. napus at waterlogging treatment. B. carinata was as good as B. juncea in mean shoot fresh and dry matter but it had almost same relative shoot fresh matter as that in B. campestris, but was second highest in relative shoot dry weight.Waterlogging treatment caused a marked reduction in chlorophyll content in all four species but the species difference was not evident. However, B. juncea and B. napus had lower relative total chlorophyll than the other species.A marked increase in soluble protein content of B. juncea and a significant increase in total amino acids in B. carinata was observed under waterlogged conditions as compared to the other species.At the waterlogging regime, an increase in iron content in both shoots and roots was observed in all four species. B. juncea accumulated lower amount of iron in both shoots and roots as compared to the other species, whereas B. carinata had also lower iron in the roots. The species did not differ for shoot manganese content but B. carinata had significantly higher manganese in the roots as compared to the other species.     

The genusBrachydesmiella from submerged wood in the tropics, including a new species and a new combination

During studies of fungi occurring on wood submerged in freshwater streams in the tropics, five species ofBrachydesmiella, namely,B. anthostomelloidea, B. biseptata, B. caudata, B. orientalis comb. nov., andB. verrucosa sp. nov., were collected. There are described and illustrated from natural substrata, wooden test blocks, and from pure culture, based mainly on collections made in Thailand.Brachydesmiella verrucosa differs from the other four species in having 3-celled, coarsely verrucose, ampoule-shaped conidia, with a long, thin, cylindrical, verruculose apical cell. A key toBrachydesmiella species is provided.     

New moth flies (Diptera: Psychodidae: Psychodinae) from Turkey

Specimens of moth flies (Diptera: Psychodidae: Psychodinae) were sampled in southwest Anatolia and the European part of Turkey between 2003 and 2009. Samples contained nine species new to science: Ulomyia asiaminorica sp. n., Pneumia pellucida sp. n., Berdeniella turcica sp. n., B. aktashi sp. n., Clytocerus thracicus sp. n., Jungiella afyonica sp. n., J. geniculatoides sp. n., J. barlasi sp. n., and Telmatoscopus remotus sp.n. The new species are described and illustrated. Distributional data for a total of 45 species are provided. 63 species of Psychodinae are now known to occur in Turkey.     

Bewsiella Domrow (Acarina: Mesostigmata): a revision and the description of new species

The genus Bewsiella is considered to comprise a considerable number of species, despite having been regarded as monotypic. The structure of the male spermadactyl is proposed as a key character for separating congeneric species. This character seems likely to bear phylogenetic information on both the mites themselves and their hosts. Since the male of Bewsiella fledermaus Domrow, the type-species, has not been found, it is impossible to define the morphology of this species based on both sexes. Consequently, all mites that share many characters with the female of B. fledermaus are placed in a B. fledermaus species group. B. aelleni (Till) is considered as a valid species and both sexes and the protonymph are redescribed and illustrated. B. nycteris n. sp., B. emballonuris n. sp., B. cloeotis n. sp., B. haradai n. sp. and B. coelopos n. sp. are described and illustrated. The genus Bewsiella was originally allocated to the family Laelapidae and later transferred to the family Macronyssidae. Recently, the genus was returned to the Laelapidae, and some evidence supporting this action was obtained during the present study, but further studies are required for confirmation.     

A new species of the genus Pediasia (Lepidoptera, Crambidae) from Central Yakutia

A new species of the pyralid moth, Pediasia sinevi Shodotova et Bolshakov, sp. n., is described from Central Yakutia (locus typicus—Bestyakh). This species is very similar to P. jucundella (Herrich-Schäffer, 1847) in color and pattern of the wings and also similar to P. truncatella (Zetterstedt, 1839) in the structure of the male genitalia. The holotype and paratype are deposited at the Zoological Institute, Russian Academy of Sciences (St. Petersburg).