Arceuthobium (Viscaceae) in Mexico and Guatemala: Additions and range extensions

Three new dwarf mistletoes are described:Arceuthobium globosum subsp.grandicaule (Mexico and Guatemala),A. aureum subsp.aureum (Guatemala) andA. aureum subsp.petersonii (Chiapas, Mexico).Arceuthobium guatemalense is recorded for the first time in Mexico. Significant range extensions are recorded forA. abietisreligiosae, A. divaricatum,A. gillii subsp.nigrum, andA. rubrum. New hosts are reported for several taxa. Nineteen members of the genus are presently known from Mexico, and three (possibly four) from Guatemala. Chromosome counts are reported for the first time for 3 taxa.     

A new key for the species of Ateuchus Weber (Coleoptera: Scarabaeidae: Scarabaeinae) occurring in Mexico,with a description of the first North American inquiline species from a rodent burrow (Rodentia: Geomydae) and new distribution records

The first Ateuchus Weber (Scarabaeinae) species, A. tuza sp. nov., from a rodent burrow from North America is described. Diagnostic characters are presented; photographs of an adult male and illustrations of male genitalia are included. A key for all known Mexican Ateuchus Weber species is provided. Ateuchus hornai (Balthasar) is revalidated. New distribution records from Mexico and Central America are reported.     

Population genetics and recent colonization history of the invasive drosophilid Zaprionus indianus in Mexico and Central America

Zaprionus indianus, also known as the African fig fly, is an invasive pest of a variety of commercial and native fruit. The species was first reported in Brazil in 1999, but has established itself in much of the New World within the last 10–15 years. We used nucleotide sequences from a segment of the mitochondrial cytochrome c oxidase subunit I (COI) gene to examine haplotype relationships, population structure, and infer the colonization history of Z. indianus in Mexico and Panama. Construction of a haplotype network showed that six COI haplotypes, obtained from flies collected at six localities in Mexico and one in Panama, clustered into three distinct clades. Clade composition was generally consistent in flies from Panama to northwestern Mexico, and analysis of molecular variance indicated no significant structure among populations. Three of the six haplotypes from Mexico and Panama were identical to previously reported haplotypes from Brazil. None of the six haplotypes, however, were shared with previously reported haplotypes from potential source populations in the Old World. The results of our genetic analysis suggest that the invasion of Z. indianus into Central America and Mexico most probably includes a northward migration of individuals from Brazil, with the possibility of at least one additional introduction of Z. indianus to the New World. Additional sequence data from potential source populations in the Old World will be required to confidently determine the number of introductions of Z. indianus into the New World, and to identify the geographic source.     

Sporothrix globosa,a pathogenic fungus with widespread geographical distribution

Sporothrix globosa, reported from the USA, Europe, and Asia, is a recently described pathogenic species morphologically similar to Sporothrix schenckii. In this study, the phylogenetic affinities of 32 clinical and environmental isolates morphologically identified as S. schenckii, from Mexico, Guatemala, and Colombia, were assessed by cladistic analysis of partial sequences of the calmodulin gene using the maximum parsimony and neighbor-joining methods. The study revealed that one out of 25 isolates from Mexico (4%), one out of three isolates from Guatemala (33.3%), and two out of four isolates from Colombia (50%) belonged to S. globosa, while the other isolates belonged to S. schenckii sensu stricto. This is the first record of S. globosa from Mexico, and Central and South America.     

First Molecular Characterization of Colletotrichum sp. and Fusarium sp. Isolated from Mangrove in Mexico and the Antagonist Effect of Trichoderma harzianum as an Effective Biocontrol Agent

The aim of this study was to characterize potential fungal species affecting mangrove species in Mexico. The phytopathogens were identified based on morphological and molecular characteristics using internal transcribed spacer (ITS1/ITS4) primers then sequenced and compared with the other related sequences in GenBank (NCBI). Three fungal species were identified as Colletotrichum queenslandicum (Weir and Johnst, 2012) from black mangrove (Avicennia germinans); Colletotrichum ti (Weir and Johnst, 2012) from white mangrove (Laguncularia racemosa) and buttonwood mangrove (Conocarpus erectus); Fusarium equiseti (Corda) from red mangrove (Rhizophora mangle). In addition, C. ti and F. equiseti were identified from mango Mangifera indica L. sampled close by the mangrove area. This study provides first evidence of anthracnose on four mangrove species caused by Colletotrichum and Fusarium species in the “Términos” coastal lagoon in Campeche State southern Mexico. This is the first time that C. queenslandicum and C. ti are reported in Mexico. F. equiseti has not been reported affecting M. indica and R. mangle until the present work. Little is known regarding fungal diseases affecting mangroves in Mexico. These ecosystems are protected by Mexican laws and may be threatened by these pathogenic fungus. This is the first report of the effect of Trichoderma harzianum TRICHO-SIN as an effective biological control against of Colletotrichum and Fusarium species.     

Rediscovery of Polypodium calirhiza (Polypodiaceae) in Mexico

This study addresses reported discrepancies regarding the occurrence of Polypodium calirhiza in Mexico. The original paper describing this taxon cited collections from Mexico, but the species was omitted from the recent Pteridophytes of Mexico. Originally treated as a tetraploid cytotype of P. californicum, P. calirhiza now is hypothesized to have arisen through hybridization between P. glycyrrhiza and P. californicum. The tetraploid can be difficult to distinguish from either of its putative parents, but especially so from P. californicum. Our analyses show that a combination of spore length and abaxial rachis scale morphology consistently distinguishes P. calirhiza from P. californicum, and we confirm that both species occur in Mexico. Although occasionally found growing together in the United States, the two species are strongly allopatric in Mexico: P. californicum is restricted to coastal regions of the Baja California peninsula and neighboring Pacific islands, whereas P. calirhiza grows at high elevations in central and southern Mexico. The occurrence of P. calirhiza in Oaxaca, Mexico, marks the southernmost extent of the P. vulgare complex in the Western Hemisphere.     

Caribbean Lower Tithonian ammonites from central-east Mexico

Imlay's ammonite species Paradontoceras butti and Paradontoceras antilleanum are first reported from central-east Mexico under precise stratigraphic control. Mexican and Cuban ammonites referred to these species have been studied and proved to have been gathered from a relatively limited area within the southern paleomargin of the north American Plate, which embraces eastern Mexico and north-western Cuba. The palaeontological examination, the multivariate analysis conducted on Mexican and Cuban data, the precise biostratigraphic and biogeographic control support the reinterpretation of Imlay's species P. antilleanum and P. butti. The latter has been designated the single, valid nominal species-level taxon which comprises the two species proposed by Imlay. The new genus Housaites has been created since the taxon Butticeras Houša is not available for taxonomic nomenclature. Housaites butti (Imlay) is upper Lower Tithonian (Semiforme/Verruciferum Zone of the Tethyan standard) in Mexico. The stratigraphic range in Cuba is not conclusively known.     

Description of a New Species of Neoadoxoplatys and Immature Stages of Neoadoxoplatys saileri Kormilev (Heteroptera: Pentatomidae) Associated with Bamboo

Neoadoxoplatys thomasi is described as a new species from Mexico and Venezuela. The immature stages of Neoadoxoplatys saileri Kormilev are presented for the first time. Immature stages are described and illustrated, some bamboo species of Guadua are recorded as hosts, distributional records in Mexico are also included; scanning electron micrographs of the eggs of N. saileri are provided. A key to separate the four known species of Neoadoxoplatys is included.     

Karnal bunt: A minor disease that is now a threat to wheat

Karnal bunt of wheat, caused byNeovossia indica (Mitra) Mundkur, was first reported in 1931 from Northwestern India in experimental plantings. For many years it was a minor disease found only in Northwestern India. During the 1969–70 crop season it was unusually widespread in Northwest India and since 1974–75 Karnal bunt has been distributed throughout Northern India from West Bengal to the western border. Seed lots with more than 50% of the kernels infected have been collected from farm threshing sites. The disease is now established in Afghanistan, Iraq, Pakistan and Mexico and has been intercepted in India in wheat seed that was shipped from Lebanon and Syria. The increased geographic distribution of Karnal bunt may be due to the development and wide distribution of wheat cultivars that were more susceptible than the older wheats that were grown in India prior to 1969–70. Resistance to Karnal bunt has been reported in several Indian wheats but most cultivars are susceptible. Hexachlorobenzene and cyano (methylmercuric) guanidine each prevented germination of teliospores ofN. indica in tests in Mexico.     

A new type of test wall in the Late Cretaceous (Late Santonian-Campanian) heterohelicid planktic foraminifera

The first Cretaceous serial planktic foraminifer (family Heterohelicidae Cushman, 1927) with simple-ridged test wall is reported from the uppermost Santonian-lower Campanian sediments of the Deep Sea Drilling Project Site 463 (Mid-Pacific Mountains, equatorial Central Pacific). Hendersonites pacificus n. sp. is characterized by the reduced ornamentation over the last pairs of chambers and strong peripheral costae lining the periphery with test wall flexure. This species evolved from H. carinata (Cushman, 1938) of the upper Santonian-Campanian, a frequently reported species from the Atlantic Ocean, Gulf of Mexico and Western Tethyan Realm.     

A new species of Odaginiceps Fiers, 1995 (Copepoda, Harpacticoida, Tetragonicipitidae) from the Mediterranean coast of Turkey

Male and female of Odaginiceps korykosensis sp. n. (Copepoda, Harpacticoida, Tetragonicipitidae), collected in the intertidal zone of Kızkalesi beach along the Mediterranean coast of Turkey (Mersin Province), are described. The new species is the fifth member of the genus and can easily be distinguished from the other species by the presence of four setae/spines on the second endopodal segment of P4 and by the structure of the caudal rami. Previously, representatives of the genus Odaginiceps have been reported from Gulf of Mexico, off Bermuda and Kenya. Odaginiceps korykosensis sp. n. is the first record of the genus in the Mediterranean Sea.     

Genome Sequences of Burkholderia sp. Strains CCGE1002 and H160, Isolated from Legume Nodules in Mexico and Brazil

The genome sequences of Burkholderia sp. strains CCGE1002 from Mexico and H160 from Brazil, isolated from legume nodules, are reported. Their gene contents in relation to plant-microbe interactions and xenobiotic degradation are discussed.     

First report of Gogia (Eocrinoidea, Echinodermata) from the Early-Middle Cambrian of Sonora (Mexico), with biostratigraphical and palaeoecological comments

The blastozoan echinoderm genus Gogia is reported for the first time in the Early and the Middle Cambrian of Mexico. Reports in different members of the section of San José de Gracia (Sonora State, northwestern Mexico) extend the palaeogeographical range of the genus to the South Laurentia, and the stratigraphic range of Gogia granulosa to the whole first half of middle Middle Cambrian. Isolated plates occur in rocks deposited in detrital inner platform and complete specimens, in carbonate outer platform, confirming their ability to live in diverse environments. Their presence in these different environments through the Early-Middle Cambrian on Laurentia agrees with the onshore-offshore expansion of echinoderms during Cambrian.     

Corals,molluscs, and paleogeography of late Jurassic strata of the Cerro Pozo Serna,Sonora, Mexico

Jurassic strata of late Oxfordian to early Kimmeridgian age are reported from the Cerro Pozo Serna, northwest-central Sonora, Mexico. The presence of these marine strata greatly alters previous paleogeographic reconstructions of the Tethyan embayment in this area. Approximately 60% of the Sonorian molluscan fauna has been previously reported from Jurassic horizons in the Gulf of Mexico and west Texas regions. The remainder of the molluscs have previously been reported from either the western interior United States or Canada. The Pozo Serna faunas seem to be zoogeographically transitional between communities present in the southern North American Tethyan realm and regions within the central North American Tethyan realm. Additionally, the Pozo Serna fauna greatly resembles contemporaneous communities reported from the Jurassic of Morocco. Corals from the Sonorian Jurassic prove to be, in large part, conspecific with well-known central European and Algerian reef-building species. The scleractinian Lepidophylliopsis gen. nov. and Macgeopsis sonorensis sp. nov. are described from central Sonora.     

Geographical distribution of the Aedes Triseriatus Group (Diptera: Culicidae) in Mexico

Aedes brelandi Zavortink is reported for the first time outside of the United States, where it has been found in northern and central parts of Mexico. Ae. triseriatus (Say) is reported in northern and central Mexico and Ae. zoosophus Dyar and Knab is recorded in southern Mexico. Collection records for these species in northern, central, and southern Mexico showing the current distribution of the Aedes Triseriatus Group are included.     

Systematic status and first description of male of Dujardinia cenotae Pearse, 1936 [= Hysterothylacium cenotae (Pearse, 1936) Moravec et al., 1995] (Nematoda: Anisakidae)

A new collection of adult anisakid nematodes from the intestine of the catfish Rhamdia guatemalensis from two cenotes (= sinkholes) and a cave in the Yucatan Peninsula, southeastern Mexico, has shown that they are conspecific with those inadequately described as Dujardinia cenotae Pearse, 1936. The female is redescribed and the male is described for the first time. The morphology of this species shows that it belongs to the genus Hysterothylacium. This is the only Hysterothylacium species recorded from freshwater fishes in Mexico and it may well be endemic to cenotes and caves of the Yucatan Peninsula.     

Edible Lepidoptera in Mexico: Geographic distribution, ethnicity, economic and nutritional importance for rural people

In this paper, we reported the butterflies and moths that are consumed in Mexico. We identified 67 species of Lepidoptera that are eaten principally in their larval stage in 17 states of Mexico. These species belong to 16 families: Arctiidae, Bombycidae, Castniidae, Cossidae, Geometridae, Hepialidae, Hesperiidae, Lasiocampidae, Noctuidae, Nymphalidae, Papilionidae, Pieridae, Pyralidae, Saturniidae, Sesiidae, and Sphingidae. Saturniidae, Pieridae, Noctuidae and Nymphalidae were the more species consumed with 16, 11, 9, and 8 species, respectively. The genera with the largest numbers of species were: Phassus, Phoebis, Hylesia and Spodoptera, with three species. Their local distribution, corresponding to each state of Mexico, is also presented.     

Microsymbionts of Phaseolus vulgaris in acid and alkaline soils of Mexico

In order to investigate bean-nodulating rhizobia in different types of soil, 41 nodule isolates from acid and alkaline soils in Mexico were characterized. Based upon the phylogenetic studies of 16S rRNA, atpD, glnII, recA, rpoB, gyrB, nifH and nodC genes, the isolates originating from acid soils were identified as the phaseoli symbiovar of the Rhizobium leguminosarum-like group and Rhizobium grahamii, whereas the isolates from alkaline soils were defined as Ensifer americanum sv. mediterranense and Rhizobium radiobacter. The isolates of “R. leguminosarum” and E. americanum harbored nodC and nifH genes, but the symbiotic genes were not detected in the four isolates of the other two species. It was the first time that “R. leguminosarum” and E. americanum have been reported as bean-nodulating bacteria in Mexico. The high similarity of symbiotic genes in the Rhizobium and Ensifer populations showed that these genes had the same origin and have diversified recently in different rhizobial species. Phenotypic characterization revealed that the “R. leguminosarum” population was more adapted to the acid and low salinity conditions, while the E. americanum population preferred alkaline conditions. The findings of this study have improved the knowledge of the diversity, geographic distribution and evolution of bean-nodulating rhizobia in Mexico.