Nothotalisia, a new genus of Picramniaceae from tropical America

A new genus of Picramniaceae from tropical America, Nothotalisia, is described. Of the three species in the genus, N. piranii and N. cancellata, are new to science. The third, N. peruviana, was originally described as Talisia peruviana in the Sapindaceae. The genus and all three species are described, illustrated, and distinguished by means of a key.     

Review of the neotropical endemics Burmeistera, Centropogon, and Siphocampylus (Campanulaceae: Lobelioideae), with description of 18 new species and a new section

Burmeistera, Centropogon, and Siphocampylus together comprise more than 500 species endemic to the Neotropics, Current knowledge of these genera is unsatisfactory, with much diversity yet to be described. Over the past seven years, one out of every 28 specimens received for identification has represented a new species, many characterized by unique or unusual character states. Siphocampylus smilax (Bolivia) is unique in the genus in its parallelodromous leaf venation and extra-floral nectaries. Centropogon dianae (Peru) cannot be accommodated in any recognized infrageneric taxon, and a new section, Centropogon sect. Niveopsis, is proposed for it. The flowers of C. steinii (Ecuador) are the smallest known in the genus, while C. connatilobatus (Venezuela) is the first species to combine arbusculiform pubescence and connate calyx lobes. Burmeistera venezuelensis is only the second species of the genus known to occur in Venezuela and the first to be endemic; similarly, Centropogon wilburii is only the third species of Centropogon known from Mexico and the first to be endemic to that country. Additional novelties are also described.     

Revision of the plant bug genus Xenocylapus Bergroth (Hemiptera: Heteroptera: Miridae: Cylapinae), with a description of Henryfulvius gracilis – a new cylapine genus and species from Ecuador

The genus Xenocylapus Bergroth, 1922 is revised. Nine new species, Xenocylapus aculeatus sp. nov., X. aquilonius sp. nov., X. bicolor sp. nov., X. globulus sp. nov., X. heissi sp. nov., X. panamaensis sp. nov., X. serrulatus sp. nov., X. tenuis sp. nov., and X. waorani sp. nov., are described from Brazil, Honduras, Mexico, and Panama. New genus and species Henryfulvius gracilis gen. nov., sp. nov. is described from Ecuador. Illustrations of the male genitalia, color photographs of dorsal and lateral views of the adult of most species, scanning electron micrographs of selected structures of X. tenuis, and keys to species of the genus Xenocylapus are provided.     

Revision of the genus Adorodocia Brenske 1893 (Coleoptera: Scarabaeoidea: Rutelinae: Adoretini) endemic to Madagascar

Summary. The Adoretini of the Malagasy endemic genus Adorodocia Brenske 1893 is revised. Fourteen new species and one new subspecies are described and compared with their most closely related species: A. constricta n. sp., A. cuccodoroi n. sp., A. flava n. sp., A. liliae n. sp., A. marginata n. sp., A. peyrierasi n. sp., A. pseudoconstricta n. sp., A. pseudoflava n. sp., A. pseudostrigata n. sp., A. recta n. sp., A. robusta n. sp., A. sogai n. sp., A. vadoni n. sp., A. viettei n. sp. and A. vittaticollis flavipes n. ssp. The synonymy between Adoretus strigatus Waterhouse 1878, and Pseudadorodocia aenigma Arrow 1901, is confirmed. Thus, based on the results of this study, the genus Adorodocia includes 16 species, and one of them is represented by two subspecies. Diagnostic characters to separate the species in the genus deal mostly with the shape of parameres, color of body and legs, shape of pronotum and female eighth tergite, setation of pronotum and elytra. Key to species, diagnoses and distribution for each species are provided. Endophallus and female genitalia are illustrated for the first time for this genus.     

A monograph of <Emphasis Type="Italic">Ascogrammitis</Emphasis>, a new genus of grammitid ferns (Polypodiaceae)

This paper describes Ascogrammitis, a new genus of grammitid ferns formerly combined under Terpsichore. Seventeen species are recognized, including five new ones: A. clavigera, A. colombiensis, A. loxensis, A. oxapampensis, and A. tungurahuae. New combinations are made for A. alan-smithii, A. anfractuosa, A. angustipes, A. athyrioides, A. clathrata, A. cuencana, A. david-smithii, A. dilatata, A. nana, A. pichinchae, A. pichinchensis, A. stuebelii, and a lectotype is chosen for Polypodium induens. A key is provided to distinguish the species, and illustrations are provided for 12 species. The genus occurs primarily in neotropical cloud forests, with the greatest diversity in the Andes. Ascogrammitis is one of two monophyletic groups of grammitid ferns that are consistently associated with Acrospermum, an epibiotic bitunicate ascomycete that produces black clavate fruiting bodies.     

New monogeneans from the bathydemersal southern African endemic catshark,Holohalaelurus regani (Gilchrist, 1922)

The catshark genus Holohalaelurus Fowler is currently represented by five species distributed off the southern and eastern parts of the African coast. Very few parasitological records exist for any of these five species, representing a significant knowledge gap. We report the first monogenean species from the bathydemersal species Holohalaelurus regani (Gilchrist): a new species of Microbothriidae Price, 1936, Leptomicrobothrium holohalaelure n. sp. from the dorsal skin surface, and a new species of Hexabothriidae Price, 1942 representing a new genus, Scyliorhinocotyle narvaezae n. gen., n. sp., from the gill lamellae. Both monogenean records represent the first for any member of the catshark genus Holohalaelurus. Previously we focused on the identification of monogenean taxa of emerging veterinary importance for public aquaria. We now begin a focused effort to document a generally unexplored monogenean biodiversity from diverse marine habitats off South Africa.

     

Pselaphotumulus,a new genus of pselaphine endemic to New Zealand (Coleoptera: Staphylinidae: Pselaphinae: Pselaphitae)

ABSTRACT

Pselaphotumulus Owens and Carlton, gen. nov., is described as the sixth genus in the tribe Pselaphini known from New Zealand. Three new species are described: Pselaphotumulus aorerei, sp. nov., Pselaphotumulus dubius, sp. nov. and Pselaphotumulus unus, sp. nov.. Three species, Pselaphus cavelli (Broun 1893), Pselaphus oviceps (Broun 1917) and Pselaphus urquharti (Broun 1917) are transferred to Pselaphotumulus, nov. combs. Lectotypes from type series in the New Zealand Broun Collection (Natural History Museum, London) are designated for these three species. Habitus photographs, distributional maps and line drawings of diagnostic characters are provided for each species. A key to species is provided. Searches of museum collections have not yielded representatives outside of New Zealand, suggesting that this is the first endemic genus in the tribe Pselaphini described from the New Zealand’s main islands, specifically, the South Island. Pselaphotumulus species exhibit restricted distribution patterns that approximately coincide with the Pacific/Indo Australian Plate boundary.     

Transfers to <Emphasis Type="Italic">Simsia</Emphasis> and description of <Emphasis Type="Italic">Davilanthus</Emphasis>, a new genus of Asteraceae (Heliantheae)

Taxonomic changes are made to reflect a reassessment of morphology based on the results of molecular phylogenetic studies. A new genus, Davilanthus, is described to include six species that collectively form the sister group to Simsia, and includes the following species transferred from Viguiera: Davilanthus davilae, Davilanthus hidalgoanus, Davilanthus hypargyreus, Davilanthus huajuapanus, Davilanthus purpusii, and Davilanthus sericeus. Three species formerly placed in Viguiera ser. Grammatoglossae are transferred to Simsia: Simsia benziorum, Simsia ovata, and Simsia rhombifolia.     

New species of black corals (Cnidaria: Anthozoa: Antipatharia) from the New Zealand region,part 2

ABSTRACT

One new genus and ten new species of antipatharian corals are described from the New Zealand region. Differential diagnoses are given and comparisons are made to related nominal species. Described as new is the genus Acanthosaropathes and the following species: Antipathes coronata, A. dicrocrada, A. polyhedra, Acanthosaropathes uniseriata, Phanopathes ctenocrada, Cupressopathes simplex, Stylopathes stenotes, Stauropathes stellata, Telopathes tasmaniensis, and Heteropathes intricata. This research highlights the diversity of deepsea corals for the region, improves knowledge of the distributional limits of species, which in turn can inform assessments of species prevalence for conservation initiatives and management decisions.     

African Hepatics

Abstract

A new species of Amphicephalozia, A. africana Váňa &; M. Wigginton from Mt Karisimbi, Rwanda is described and illustrated. This is the third species to be recognised from the genus.     

Genome analysis of species in the genus Hystrix (Triticeae; Poaceae)

Genomic in situ hybridisation (GISH) and Southern genomic hybridisation were applied in order to gain further knowledge regarding generic delimitation of the genus Hystrix as well as to clarify the genomes of the Hystrix species H. patula, H. longearistata, H. coreana, H. duthiei and H. komarovii. The hybridisation intensity of different genomic probes was compared among the Hystrix species and with other Triticeae species. The Southern- and GISH results confirm that H. patula contains the StH genome and show that H. komarovii most likely has a variant of this StH genome. The other Hystrix species under study, i.e. H. longearistata, H. coreana and H. duthiei, contain an Ns basic genome, and most probably two variants of this basic genome, Ns ¹ Ns ² . The genus Hystrix is thus not a monophyletic group of species.     

Rhodobryum commersoni(Schwaegr.) Par. and R. aubertii (Schwaegr.) Thér. in South India.

Abstract

A new species Tristichella dimorpha is described and illustrated and a comparison made with the two other species in the genus, T. spiculifera and T. glabrescens, and with Clastobryella cuculligera to which it appears to be closely related, particularly in sporophytic characters.     

Revision of the genera Nemotha Wood-Mason, 1884 and Tricondylomimus Chopard, 1930 stat. rev., with description of a new species (Dictyoptera: Mantodea)

The oriental species previously included in the rarely collected genus Nemotha Wood-Mason, 1884 (Mantodea: Iridopterygidae) are revised. N. coomani (Chopard, 1930) and N. mirabilis Beier, 1933 strongly differ from the type species N. metallica (Westwood, 1845) by family-level morphological features, but share a unique type of forefemoral armament with the genera Hapalopeza Stål, 1877 and Amantis Giglio-Tos, 1915, suggesting Nemotha is of a polyphyletic nature. The genus Tricondylomimus Chopard, 1930 is resurrected from synonymy to accommodate T. coomani, T. mirabilis n. comb. and the species which is newly described in this article, T. intermedius n. sp. The monotypic genus Pseudogousa Tinkham, 1937 and its species P. sinensis Tinkham, 1937 are synonymized with Tricondylomimus and T. mirabilis, respectively. The genus Tricondylomimus is placed in Iridopterygidae, while Nemotha is transferred to Hymenopodidae: Anaxarchini.     

Distichophyllum chenii B.C.Ho sp. nov. (Daltoniaceae) from Southeast China

Abstract

Despite the genus Distichophyllum having been revised recently for the Moss Flora of China, upon examination of a wide range of both Chinese and non-Chinese material a distinct new species was found among existing specimens collected from China. The new species, Distichophyllum chenii, is described based on specimens previously misidentified and reported as Distichophyllum cirratum var. cirratum. Published illustrations of D. cirratum var. cirratum based on a misidentified collection of D. collenchymatosum are highlighted to avoid further future taxonomic confusion.     

Phylogenetic analysis of the genus Hordeum using repetitive DNA sequences

A set of six cloned barley (Hordeum vulgare) repetitive DNA sequences was used for the analysis of phylogenetic relationships among 31 species (46 taxa) of the genus Hordeum, using molecular hybridization techniques. in situ hybridization experiments showed dispersed organization of the sequences over all chromosomes of H. vulgare and the wild barley species H. bulbosum, H. marinum and H. murinum. Southern blot hybridization revealed different levels of polymorphism among barley species and the RFLP data were used to generate a phylogenetic tree for the genus Hordeum. Our data are in a good agreement with the classification system which suggests the division of the genus into four major groups, containing the genomes I, X, Y, and H. However, our investigation also supports previous molecular studies of barley species where the unique position of H. bulbosum has been pointed out. In our experiments, H. bulbosum generally had hybridization patterns different from those of H. vulgare, although both carry the I genome. Based on our results we present a hypothesis concerning the possible origin and phylogeny of the polyploid barley species H. secalinum, H. depressum and the H. brachyantherum complex.