A new multiflorous species of Leymus (Poaceae: Triticeae) from western China

A new species of Leymus section Racemosus, L. pluriflorus L.B.Cai & T.L.Zhang, is described and illustrated. It grows in the eastern part of Qinghai Province and the southern part of Gansu Province, China. It most closely resembles L. crassiusculus L.B.Cai, from which it differs in having longer rachis internodes, some pedicellate spikelets, more florets per spikelet, glabrous lemmas, shorter paleas and shorter anthers. It differs from all other Chinese species taxa in Leymus with regard to the large number (8–12) of florets in its spikelets, and from all species of Leymus in adjacent countries in having three to four spikelets per node. © 2009 The Linnean Society of London, Botanical Journal of the Linnean Society, 2009, 159 , 343–348.     

Centotheca ganeshaiahiana sp. nov. (Poaceae) from Andaman and Nicobar Islands,India

Centotheca ganeshaiahiana M. V. Ramana, Alok Chorghe, Prasanna & Sanjappa, a new species from Saddle Peak National Park, north Andaman, Andaman and Nicobar Islands, India is described and illustrated. It is closely allied to C. uniflora Swallen, a Vietnamese species, but differs mainly in shorter culms, leaf blades and inflorescences, longer pedicels, spikelets with 2 fertile florets and lemmas with bulbous based hairs.     

Sundapolystoma chalconotae n. g., n. sp. (Monogenea: Polystomatidae) from Rana chalconota (Schlegel) of Peninsular Malaysia

Sundapolystoma chalconotae. n. g., n. sp. (Polystomatidae, Polystomatinae) is proposed for a new polystomatid from the urinary bladder of Rana chalconota (Schlegel) in Peninsular Malaysia. This is the first species of polystomatid to be described from the amphibians of Peninsular Malaysia and the second for the Southeast Asian region. This new genus, as exemplified by S. chalconotae, differs from other polystomatids, and in particular Parapolystoma Ozaki, 1935 (P. bulliense (Johnston, 1912) Ozaki, 1935 and P. johnstoni Pichelin, 1995), in having a tubular uterus and a single diffuse testis. P. crooki Vande Vusse, 1976 is similar to S. chalconotae in having a similar type of uterus and testis, and is re-assigned as Sundapolystoma crooki (Vande Vusse, 1976) n. comb. S. chalconotae differs from S. crooki in having anchors with a longer outer root rather than a longer inner root and 7-8 genital spines compared to 9-13 in S. crooki.     

Rotala pseudojuniperina sp. nov. (Lythraceae) from India

A new species, Rotala pseudojuniperina, is described and illustrated. It grows in a seasonal pond on a high altitude lateritic plateau ecosystem of the northern Western Ghats, India. It resembles the African species R. juniperina in having trimerous flowers, but differs in longer sepal appendages, ovoid capsule and ellipsoid seeds. Amongst the Indian species, R. pseudojuniperina shows affinities towards R. densiflora but differs in trimerous flowers, ovoid capsule and longer and ellipsoid seeds.     

Tropaeolum sparrei sp. nov. (Tropaeolaceae) from western Ecuador

A new species, Tropaeolum sparrei Ståhl (Tropaeolaceae), is described from submontane cloud forest habitat in western Ecuador. It differs from T. papillosum Hughes (the species it resembles most) by having thinner, tomentose stems, smaller, glabrous or subglabrous leaves with the petiole inserted relatively closer to the lower leaf margin, and flowers with uniformly coloured and straight calyx spurs. In leaf shape it is also similar to T. repandum Heilborn, from which it differs in its larger flowers with entirely black petals and blue anthers.     

Tormopsolus attenuatus n. sp. (Digenea: Acanthocolpidae) from Seriola hippos (Perciformes: Carangidae), Western Australia,with some observations on the relationships in the genus

A new acanthocolpid, Tormopsolus attenuatus n. sp., is described from the carangid Seriola hippos from waters off the coast of SW Australia. A cladistic analysis of the genus using 31 morphological and metrical characters indicates that the closest species is T. asiatica Parukhin, 1976 status amend. (previously T. orientalis asiatica). T. attenuatus differs from T. asiatica in its smaller overall dimensions, more attenuated outline, relatively shorter post-testicular region, vitelline interruption at the level of the ovary, papillae on the oral sucker and, possibly, much longer genital atrium. Other similar species, T. orientalis Yamaguti, 1934 and T. medius Reimer, 1983, differ in having interruptions of the vitelline fields at the level of both testes and at the level of the ovary.     

Hemiboea lutea sp. nov. (Gesneriaceae) from Guangxi,China

Hemiboea lutea F. Wen, G. Y. Liang & Y. G. Wei, a new species in Gesneriaceae is described and illustrated from Guangxi, China. It differs from the similar species H. cavaleriei by having sessile or subsessile leaves, longer peduncles (6–10 cm), spheroidal or triangular‐spheroidal subinvolucre, 5‐divided calyx with lobes fused for 1/3 of their length, revolute and uncinate apex of calyx lobes, larger bright yellow corolla (5–7 cm long), longer staminodes with indistinctively uncinate anther and longer pistil (3.5–3.7 cm).     

Alyssum kaynakiae sp. nov. (sect. Gamosepalum,Brassicaceae) from southwest Anatolia,Turkey

A new species, Alyssum kaynakiae Y?lmaz, is described from southwest Anatolia, Turkey. The new species belongs to Alyssum sect. Gamosepalum (Hausskn.) T. R. Dudley. Alyssum kaynakiae is closely related to A. niveum T. R. Dudley, but differs by its biennial life form, longer ascendent stems, not imbricated linear cauline leaves and equally inflated fruits.     

Trigonotis jiaochengensis sp. nov. (Boraginaceae) from Shanxi,China

Trigonotis jiaochengensis Q. R. Liu & R. Y. Yan, a new species from Shanxi, China, is described and illustrated here. It is similar to T. peduncularis in having multiple diffuse stems, ovate to elliptic leaf blades, scorpioid cyme with only basal bracts and trigonous‐tetrahedral nutlets, but differs in having slender pedicels that are 5.2–18.4 mm long (vs clavate pedicels 1.5–4.8 mm in T. peduncularis), smooth nutlets with a short carpophore and a flat bottom (vs verrucose nutlets with a long carpophore and convex bottom in T. peduncularis). Morphological characters, including pollen and nutlets, with illustrations, diagnostic comparisons and habitat, are presented.     

Thladiantha tomentosa (Cucurbitaceae) comb. nov. from southwestern China

In this paper, we propose that Thladiantha cordifolia (Blume) Cogn. var. tomentosa A. M. Lu & Z. Y. Zhang should be recognized at species rank as Thladiantha tomentosa (A. M. Lu & Z. Y. Zhang) W. Jiang & H. Wang. This species is similar to T. cordifolia and T. angustisepala W. J. de Wilde & Duyfjes, from which it differs mainly by having ovate bracts, linear sepals, and ellipsoidal, rostrate, ribbed verrucose fruits.     

Tinocladia sanrikuensis sp. nov. (Ectocarpales s.l., Phaeophyceae) from Japan

The new species Tinocladia sanrikuensis sp. nov. H.Kawai, K.Takeuchi & T.Hanyuda (Ectocarpales s.l., Phaeophyceae) is described from the Pacific coast of the Tohoku region, northern Japan based on morphology and DNA sequences. The species is a spring–summer annual growing on lower intertidal to upper subtidal rocks and cobbles on relatively protected sites. T. sanrikuensis has a slimy, cylindrical, multiaxial erect thallus, slightly hollow when fully developed, branching once to twice, and resembles T. crassa in gross morphology. The erect thalli are composed of a dense medullary layer, long subcortical filaments, and assimilatory filaments of 11–35 cells, up to 425 μm long and curved in the upper portion. Unilocular zoidangia are formed on the basal part of assimilatory filaments. The species is genetically most closely related to T. crassa and has the same basic thallus structures but differs in having thinner and longer assimilatory filaments. DNA sequences of the mitochondrial cox1 and cox3, chloroplast atpB, psaA, psbA and rbcL genes support the distinctness of this species.     

Burmannia bengkuluensis sp. nov. (Burmanniaceae) from Sumatra

A new species of Burmannia (Burmanniaceae), Burmannia bengkuluensis Tsukaya et Daernadi, discovered in a swamp adjacent to Bengkulu Airport, Sumatra, Indonesia, is described. It has poorly developed photosynthetic leaves and resembles B. ledermannii Jonker, described from a specimen collected in Palau, in having poorly developed leaves, narrowly 3‐winged erect flowers, and in particular, funnel‐shaped anthers, but differs in having dark purple flowers, longer outer perianth lobes, well‐developed, fan‐shaped inner perianth lobes, and a thick and short style. Sequence data on genomic DNA regions covering ITS1 and ITS2 are also provided.     

Limonium cedrorum sp. nov. (Plumbaginaceae) from Lebanon

Limonium cedrorum Domina & Ramondo, a new species belonging to the L. palmare aggr., is described and illustrated from the inland near Becharre (Lebanon). Its relationships with morphologically close taxa are discussed. Limonium cedrorum differs from L. sieberi and L. postii mainly by looser inflorescences and larger flowers. It differs from L. galilaeum by longer outer bract and longer scale below the first inflorescence branch, few sterile branches, thicker base of the inflorescence and denser spikes, and from L. graecum by the shape of the inflorescence, longer basal internodes and the shape of the calyx.     

Hoya longipedunculata sp. nov. (Apocynaceae,Asclepiadoideae) from Quang Nam,central Vietnam

A new species, Hoya longipedunculata (Apocynaceae, Asclepiadoideae), discovered in Quang Nam Province in central Vietnam is described and illustrated. It is morphologically similar to H. fusca, but differs by having a weak and shorter stem, thin leaf blade, umbel‐like inflorescence, longer hairy peduncle and long pedicel, as well as broad, narrowly‐ovate to triangular sepals, and wider, white opalescent (sometime abaxially with purple tint) corolla with strongly reflexed segments.     

Trachycarpus ravenii sp. nov. (Arecaceae,Corypheae) from central Laos

A new species Trachycarpus ravenii discovered in Kasi district, Vientiane province of central Laos is described and illustrated. Morphologically, it is closest to T. oreophilus and T. princeps, but differs by having a shorter stem of mature plants; glabrous, dull green petiole; almost circular leaf blade, waxy bluish–white abaxially; narrow leaf segments with narrow free lobes densely adpressed to each other, as well as in oblique‐round apices of median leaf segments.     

Thottea sasidharaniana sp. nov. (Aristolochiaceae) from Peninsular India

Thottea sasidharaniana (Aristolochiaceae), a new species from the southern part of the Western Ghats, India is described and illustrated. The new species is phenotypically close to the Indian species T. dinghoui. However, it differs from the latter in its ovate and glossy leaves, larger bracts, uniseriate stamens, 6 anthers, short and pubescent filaments and fewer seeds per fruits. It resembles T. tomentosa in having 6 distinct anthers, but the non‐urceolate flowers and the inflorescence architecture distinguish T. sasidharaniana from T. tomentosa. The latter species is distributed from Bangladesh, India (i.e. Andaman and Nicobar Islands, Assam, Manipur), Thailand, Malaysia, Java, Sumatra to the Philippines.     

Pleurospermum tripartitum sp. nov. (Umbelliferae) from western Yunnan,China

Pleurospermum tripartitum Pu, R. Li & H. Li, a new species of Umbelliferae from western Yunnan, China, is described and illustrated. It is closely similar to P. macrochlaenum K. T. Fu & Y. C. Ho, but differs by having unbranched stem, conspicuous calyx teeth, and white petals.     

Morphology and Infraciliature of Trochiliopsis australis N. Sp., Pelagohalteria viridis (Fromentel, 1876) N. G., N. Comb., and Strobilidium lacustris N. Sp. (Protozoa,Ciliophora)1

Three ciliate species from Australia and Norway were examined by silver impregnation, biometry, and scanning electron microscopy. Trochiliopsis australis n. sp. (order Nassulida, family Microthoracidae) differs from the single other known species of the genus, T. opaca, by its prominent ridges on the left side, the distinctly longer anterior segment of somatic kinety 2, and by the doubled total number of kinetosomes. Pelagohalteria n. g. (order Oligotrichida, family Halteriidae) differs from Halteria by the structure of the bristle complexes, which are composed of a vertically and a horizontally oriented row of kinetosomes. Two Halteria species belong to the new genus: P. viridis (Fromentel, 1876) n. comb., which is redescribed here, and P. cirrifera (Kahl, 1935) n. comb. Strobilidium lacustris n. sp. (order Oligotrichida, family Strobilidiidae) differs from its nearest relative, S. velox, by the smooth pellicle, the absence of symbiotic green algae, and by its larger size.     

Maclurochloa tonkinensis sp. nov. (Poaceae: Bambusoideae) from Vietnam

Maclurochloa K. M. Wong (Gramineae: Bambusoideae) is a genus of clambering bamboos with dry caryopses. It was thought to be monotypic in Peninsular Malaysia, but here we report one more species from Vietnam which is new to science: Maclurochloa tonkinensis H. N. Nguyen et V. T. Tran sp. nov. Maclurochloa tonkinensis is most similar to M. montana (Ridl.) K. M. Wong from which differs mainly by having internodes 50–58 × 3.0–3.5 cm and culm leaves with auriculate sheaths and erect blade.