Characterisation of the enigmatic,endemic red algaGelidium allanii (Gelidiales) from northern New Zealand — morphology,distribution, agar chemistry

Gelidium allanii Chapman is endemic to northern New Zealand with a highly localised distribution. This species has remained little known, having been collected from only one locality for more than 40 years. We compare this species with other New Zealand members of the Gelidiaceae, in particularGelidium caulacantheum andPterocladia capillacea, presenting new data on morphology, distribution and agar chemistry to more fully characteriseG. allanii.G. allanii possesses a very distinctive, highly pyruvated agar. New Zealand records of two Australian speciesG. australe andG. asperum are examined and it is concluded that there is no evidence for their occurrence in New Zealand.Author for correspondence     

A Middle-Late Eocene inflorescence of Caryophyllaceae from Tasmania, Australia

A new genus and species (Caryophylloflora paleogenica genus and species nova G. J. Jord. & Macphail) are proposed for a fossil inflorescence found in Middle-Late Eocene sediments at Locharbour, northeastern Tasmania, Australia. A parsimony analysis of 75 extant species of the order Caryophyllales and five outgroups placed the fossil within Caryophyllaceae, either subfamily Alsinoideae or Caryophylloideae. The analysis used molecular (rbcL and/or matK), morphological, and anatomical data for the extant species and morphological data for the fossil. Tests on extant species imply that the placement of the fossil should be convincing. The fossil appears to be of a lineage distinct from any extant Australian Caryophyllaceae. In situ pollen are consistent with the form species, Periporopollenites polyoratus. This relatively simple pollen type first appears in Australia and New Zealand in the Late Cretaceous, the oldest known record of the Caryophyllaceae. The last appearance of P. polyoratus in Australia is in the Oligocene, and extant Australian members of the Caryophyllaceae are best interpreted as having evolved from species that dispersed from elsewhere during the Neogene or Quaternary.     

Spore morphology and some other features of Goniomitrium Hook. & Wils. (Funariaceae)

Abstract

Goniomitrium enerve, G. acuminatum and G. africanum are distinguished mainly on costal features. There are some problems with the Australian species because of intergradation of characters but no name changes have been suggested and a key to species is provided. The spores of the three species, which are monolete and have a large reticulate ornamentation, are distinctive amongst moss spores and appear to be diagnostic for the genus.     

Two new species of Bathypalaemonella Balss (Crustacea, Decapoda, Campylonotidae) from the Australian Northwest Shelf

Two new species of shrimp belonging to the campylonotid genus Bathypalaemonella Balss from the Australian Northwest Shelf. R. brevirostris sp.n. and B. pilosipes sp.n., are described and illustrated. constituting the first records of this genus from Australian waters. Present knowledge of the genus is reviewed and the distribution of the known species listed. The two new species can be readily distinguished from the previously described species of Banthypalaemonella by the very characteristic morphologies of the dactyls of their ambulatory pereiopods.     

Chromodorid nudibranchs from eastern Australia (Gastropoda, Opisthobranchia)*

Collections of nudibranch gastropods made in 1968 and 1969 are described. All the 11 eastern Australian species of Casella, Hypselodoris and Chromodoris obtained are fully illustrated by line diagrams, photographs and water-colours. Two species new for Australia are described, and nine others are re-described. A list of the chromodoridiform species reliably recorded from Australian waters concludes the paper.     

Expanding distribution of human serotype G6 rotaviruses in Australia

Serotype G6 rotaviruses are common pathogens of cattle but are rarely found in humans. In Australia, human G6 isolates have previously been detected in two major southern population centres. A new isolate, ASG6.02, was detected in central Australia (Alice Springs) in 1997. Comparison of the deduced amino acid sequence of the major neutralizing antigen, VP7, indicated that ASG6.02 was related to human G6 viruses isolated from children in Italy and Australia. Phylogenetic analysis supported the close relationship between ASG6.02 and other Australian isolates and indicated that G6 VP7 sequences generally clustered according to the species of origin (human, bovine or porcine). The VP4 type of ASG6.02 was determined as P-type [14], in common with other isolates from Australia and Italy. The detection of ASG6.02 indicates that the distribution of this serotype is increasing in this country and may have implications for successful vaccine development.     

Development and validation of a weed screening tool for the United States

The Australian weed risk assessment has been promoted as a simple and effective screening tool that can help prevent the entry of weeds and invasive plants into new areas. On average, the Australian model identifies major-invaders more accurately than it does non-invaders (90% vs. 70% accuracy). While this difference in performance emphasizes protection, the overall accuracy of the model will be determined by its performance with non-invaders because the frequency of invasive species among new plant introductions is relatively low. In this study, we develop a new weed risk assessment model for the entire United States that increases non-invader accuracy. The new screening tool uses two elements of risk, establishment/spread potential and impact potential, in a logistic regression model to evaluate the invasive/weedy potential of a species. We selected 204 non-invaders, minor-invaders, and major-invaders to develop and validate the new model, and compare its performance to the Australian model using the same set of species. Performing better than the Australian model, our new model accurately identified 94.1% of major-invaders and 97.1% of non-invaders, without committing any false positives or false negatives. The new secondary screening tool we developed reduced the number of species requiring secondary evaluation from 22 to 12%. We expect that the new weed risk assessment model should significantly enhance the United State’s timeliness and accuracy in regulating potential weeds.     

New species of the myrmecophile Polyplocotes Westwood (Coleoptera: Ptinidae) from South Australia

Six new species of the Australian myrmecophilous ptinid genus Polyplocotes are described from South Australia. Three are from the deserts of central Australia, one from the Franklin Islands in the Great Australian Bight, one from Eyre Peninsula and one from the Riverland region. Morphologically, the majority of these new species are conventional Polyplocotes , but two are less typical. The characters uniting the genus are explored in the discussion, and comparisons are made to related genera. Although the six new species described here have not been observed in the field, the species of this genus are known to be myrmecophilous, and ant – beetle interactions similar to those seen in other spider beetles might occur between these new species and their host ants.     

Review of Australian Asperoseius Chant, Euseius Wainstein, Okiseius Ehara and Phytoscutus Muma (Acari: Mesostigmata: Phytoseiidae) with a key to the genera of Australian Amblyseiinae and descriptions of two new species

Previous workers have used a conservative generic classification of the subfamily Amblyseiinae that treated most Australian Phytoseiidae as species in the genus Amblyseius Berlese. However, this lumping masks the occurrence of a number of genera recognised overseas, including some that contain important biological control agents. In this review, a key to the genera of Australian Amblyseiinae is provided and the Australian species in four amblyseiine genera are reviewed and keyed. Asperoseius Chant is represented by a single known Australian species, A. australiensis Fain and Krantz collected from a Culicoides midge in South Australia. Six species of Euseius Wainstein are recognised in Australia, including four endemics: E. dowdi (Schicha), E. elinae (Schicha), E. neovictoriensis (Schicha), and E. victoriensis (Schicha), and two Asia–Pacific species: E. noumeae (Schicha) and E. ovalis (Evans). Okiseius Ehara is represented in Australia by the previously described O. morenoi Schicha and O. domatorum (Schicha); the Asian species O. subtropicus Ehara (new record); and two new species, O. tribulation and O. cowbay described from tropical rainforest in Far North Queensland. Phytoscutus acaridophagus Collyer, a mite described from New Zealand, is reported in association with acarid mites ( Neotropacarus sp.) in Victoria and in Queensland.     

Eastern Australian Pleurobranchomorpha (Gastropoda, Opisthobranchia)

Collections of pleurobranchomorph gastropods made in 1968 are described, and compared with material in the British Museum (Natural History) and with live Mediterranean specimens examined in the Naples Aquarium. All the eastern Australian species obtained are illustrated by line diagrams. Three species new for Australia are described, one is transferred to another known species, and six others are re-described. A list of the 12 species (with synonyms) reliably reported for eastern Australian waters concludes the paper, together with a key for their identification.     

Commensalism used by freshwater crayfish species to survive drying in seasonal habitats

Abstract. Gramastacus insolitus is a very small non-burrowing Australian freshwater crayfish with a restricted distribution, occurring almost exclusively in seasonal habitats throughout its range. It is listed as a threatened species but its strategy for surviving dry periods was unknown. Eight seasonal surveys of crayfish distribution showed that members of G. insolitus were never found at sites that were outside the distribution of two larger burrowing freshwater crayfish species, Geocharax falcata and Cherax destructor. Excavation of 80 burrows of members of G. falcata and C. destructor in three different seasonal habitats in the Grampians National Park, Victoria, Australia, revealed that individuals of G. insolitus found refuge from drying by estivating in cracks and shallow depressions at the side of the main burrow tunnels constructed by larger species. Members of G. insolitus were not found estivating at the surface, such as under fallen wood, nor was it usually found in crayfish burrows unoccupied by the host crayfish. This study indicates that members of G. insolitus are commensal upon larger crayfish species, using their burrows to survive the seasonal drying of their habitat. Conservation strategies for populations of G. insolitus will need to consider co-existing species of burrowing crayfish.     

Museomics reveals extensive cryptic diversity of Australian prionine longhorn beetles with implications for their classification and conservation

We combined museum collection genomics and morphology to identify new genera and species, and to otherwise revise the taxonomy of the poorly understood Australian longhorn beetles in the subfamily Prioninae. Moreover, we produced a comprehensive DNA reference library for molecular species identification and a first comprehensive molecular phylogeny for all Australian Prioninae, using mitogenomic data. The Prioninae include some of the world's largest beetles, and their long-lived larvae are major recyclers of solid dead timber, yet these longhorn beetles are rarely seen in nature due to their concealed habits, short adult lifespans and nocturnal habits. Furthermore, many species are difficult to identify using morphological characters. We applied Whole Genome Shotgun (WGS) sequencing to 213 historical museum specimens, representing all morphological types of Australian Prioninae. Complete mitochondrial genomes were obtained for all genera, and at least one mitochondrial protein-coding gene (PCG) was acquired for an additional 141 specimens of Australian Prioninae. Using molecular species delimitation tools, we identified 48 new species of Australian Prioninae, nearly doubling the number of currently recognized Australian species of Prioninae. We assign generic status to Catypnes Pascoe, 1864 stat.r. and Hermerius Newman, 1844 stat.r. , propose a new synonymy for Cnemoplites Newman, 1842 (= Paroplites Lameere, 1903 syn.n. ), describe six new genera, including Paulhutchinsonia Jin, de Keyzer & Ślipiński gen.n. , Papunya Jin, de Keyzer & Ślipiński gen.n. , Dunmorium Jin, de Keyzer & Ślipiński gen.n. , Hagrides Jin, de Keyzer & Ślipiński gen.n. , Cryptipus Jin, de Keyzer & Ślipiński gen.n. , Geoffmonteithia Jin, de Keyzer & Ślipiński gen.n. , and revise the tribal composition of the Australian Macrotomini. Moreover, our phylogeny of Prioninae provides valuable new insights into the evolutionary origins and nearest relatives of several Australian endemic taxa. Our results emphasize the importance of natural history museums as a repository for information about biodiversity, and highlight the opportunities associated with using museum specimens as a source for molecular data in phylogenetic studies.     

Genus Carvaka Distant in Australia (Hemiptera: Cicadellidae: Selenocephalinae)

Abstract  The leafhopper genus Carvaka Distant (Hemiptera: Cicadellidae: Selenocephalinae) in Australia is reviewed in light of recent publications on the subfamily Selenocephalinae in the Oriental region. The genus Exitianellus Evans is transferred from the subfamily Deltocephalinae to the Paraboloponini and synonymised with Carvaka . Carvaka elegantula (Evans) comb. nov. is redescribed and three new species, C. mouldsorum , C. maculata and C. flava are added to the genus. A key for the separation of the Australian species of Carvaka is provided. The Australian fauna represents all three recognised species groups of the genus. The significance of this to the biogeographical origins of the Australian fauna is discussed.     

Eight species of Lintonium Stunkard & Nigrelli, 1930 (Digenea: Fellodistomidae) in Australian tetraodontiform fishes

Systematic Parasitology - We report eight species of Lintonium from tetraodontiform fishes from Australian waters and describe six of them as new. Two species are described from tetraodontids from...     

A Revision of Australian River Prawns, Macrobrachium (Crustacea: Decapoda: Palaemonidae)

A taxonomic revision of Australian Macrobrachium identified three species new to the Australian fauna – two undescribed species and one new record, viz. M. auratumsp. nov., M. koombooloombasp. nov., and M. mammillodactylus(Thallwitz, 1892). Eight taxa previously described by Riek (1951) are recognised as new junior subjective synonyms, viz. M. adscitum adscitum, M. atactum atactum, M. atactum ischnomorphum, M. atactum sobrinum, M. australiense crassum, M. australiense cristatum, M. australiense eupharum of M. australienseHolthuis, 1950, and M. glypticumof M. handschiniRoux, 1933. Apart from an erroneous type locality for a junior subjective synonym, there were no records to confirm the presence of M. australe(Guérin-Méneville, 1838) on the Australian continent. In total, 13 species of Macrobrachiumare recorded from the Australian continent. Keys to male developmental stages and Australian species are provided. A revised diagnosis is given for the genus. A list of 31 atypical species which do not appear to be based on fully developed males or which require re-evaluation of their generic status is provided. Terminology applied to spines and setae is revised.