Three new cavernicolous species of dragon millipedes, genus Desmoxytes Chamberlin, 1923, from southern China, with notes on a formal congener from the Philippines (Diplopoda, Polydesmida, Paradoxosomatidae)

The large Southeast Asian genus Desmoxytes is slightly rediagnosed. A number of troglomorphic, most likely troglobitic, species occur in southern China. A key is provided to all 10 Desmoxytes spp. currently known from China, including three new presumed troglobites: Desmoxytes eupterygotasp. n. from Hunan Province, as well as Desmoxytes spinissimasp. n. and Desmoxytes luisp. n. from Guangxi Province. "Desmoxytes" philippina Nguyen Duc & Sierwald, 2010, from the Philippines, is formally removed from Desmoxytes, but not assigned to another genus. It probably belongs in a new genus in the subfamily Australiosomatinae, tribe Antichiropodini, close to the Bornean Euphyodesmus Attems, 1931 and Borneochiropus Golovatch, 1996.     

The millipede family Polydesmidae in Taiwan, with descriptions of five new species (Polydesmida, Diplopoda)

Polydesmidae are represented in Taiwan by seven species in two genera. Neither of the genera is endemic to Taiwan, but six of the species are, including five new: Nipponesmus minorsp. n., Epanerchodus bispinosussp. n., Epanerchodus curtigonopussp. n., Epanerchodus flagellifersp. n. and Epanerchodus pinguissp. n. In addition, the diagnosis of the hitherto enigmatic genus Nipponesmus Chamberlin & Wang, 1953 is refined vis-à-vis the especially similar, Central Asian, Siberian and Eastern European genus Schizoturanius Verhoeff, 1931, chiefly based on new material of the type-species Nipponesmus shirinensis Chamberlin & Wang, 1953; this species is adequately redescribed and represents still another Taiwanese endemic. A key to all three currently known species of Nipponesmus Chamberlin & Wang, 1953 is given. The highly speciose Central to East Asian genus Epanerchodus Attems, 1901 is represented in Taiwan by five species, all keyed, including Epanerchodus orientalis Attems, 1901, which is long known to be highly variable in Japan and found particularly polymorphous and apparently allochthonous in Taiwan. The following synonymy is formalized: Epanerchodus orientalis orientalis Attems, 1901 = Epanerchodus orientalis takakuwai Verhoeff, 1913, syn. n. The genus Usbekodesmus Lohmander, 1932 is formally synonymized with Epanerchodus Attems, 1901, syn. n., resulting in the following new formal transfers: Epanerchodus redikorzevi (Lohmander, 1932), Epanerchodus swatensis (Golovatch, 1991), Epanerchodus varius (Geoffroy & Golovatch, 2004), Epanerchodus anachoretus (Golovatch, 1986), Epanerchodus buddhis (Golovatch, 1986), Epanerchodus occultus (Golovatch, 1986), Epanerchodus sacer (Golovatch, 1987), Epanerchodus theocraticus (Golovatch, 1990) and Epanerchodus theosophicus (Golovatch, 1986), all comb. n. ex Usbekodesmus. The distributions of all seven species of Polydesmidae occurring in Taiwan are mapped and discussed.     

Review of the millipede genus Eutrichodesmus Silvestri, 1910, in China,with descriptions of new cavernicolous species (Diplopoda,Polydesmida, Haplodesmidae)

The Eutrichodesmus fauna of mainland China, by far the largest genus in the Indo-Australian family Haplodesmidae, is reviewed and shown to encompass 23 species (of a total of 45), all keyed. The following nine new species, all presumed troglobites, are described: Eutrichodesmus triangularis sp. n., from Sichuan, Eutrichodesmus lipsae sp. n., from Guangxi, Eutrichodesmus tenuis sp. n., Eutrichodesmus trontelji sp. n., Eutrichodesmus latellai sp. n., Eutrichodesmus obliteratus sp. n. and Eutrichodesmus troglobius sp. n., all from Guizhou, Eutrichodesmus sketi sp. n., from Hunan, and Eutrichodesmus apicalis sp. n., from Hubei.     

A new species of Andean semiaquatic lizard of the genus Potamites (Sauria, Gymnophtalmidae) from southern Peru

We describe a new lizard species of the genus Potamites from the montane forests of the Cordillera de Vilcabamba (Cusco region) and Apurimac River valley (Ayacucho region), between 1500 and 2000 meters of elevation, in southern Peru. The new species is distinguishable from all other species of the genus mainly by having highly keeled scattered scales on dorsum and females lacking femoral pores.     

A new genus and species of native exotic millipede in Australia (Diplopoda,Polydesmida, Paradoxosomatidae)

Taxidiotisoma portabile gen. n., sp. n. is described from scattered populations in New South Wales, Victoria and Tasmania, Australia. Populations of Taxidiotisoma portabile in Victoria, Tasmania and parts of New South Wales occur in urban, suburban and agricultural areas, with no collections of the species in natural habitats in the same district. Taxidiotisoma portabile is likely to be a native exotic species whose home range is in eastern New South Wales.     

A new species of socratea (Palmae) from Colombia with notes on the genus

Socratea montana, a new species from Colombia, is described and illustrated, and its relationships discussed. Two groups of species within the genus are characterized.     

A new genus and species of cypridid ostracod from India, with notes on its biology

A new Recent cypridid ostracod genus Bharatcypris , belonging to the subfamily Cypridinae, with Bharatcypris mackenziei sp. nov. as type-species is described from the Punjab, India. Some observations on its biology are also recorded. Two Indian species previously placed in Sclerocypris are transferred to the new genus.     

A new genus and species of dalodesmid millipede from New South Wales,Australia (Diplopoda,Polydesmida, Dalodesmidae)

Cernethia inopinata gen. n., sp. n. is described from highland New South Wales. Like other dalodesmids the new species has numerous sphaerotrichomes on the legs of adult males, but Cernethia inopinata sp. n. shares several character states with Tasmanian species in the genera Noteremus Mesibov, 2009, Paredrodesmus Mesibov, 2003 and Procophorella Mesibov, 2003, which lack sphaerotrichomes and have not yet been assigned to family within the suborder Dalodesmoidea.     

A new species of Thenardia (Apocynaceae,Apocynoideae) from Chiapas,Mexico, with notes on the genus

A new species,Thenardia chiapensis, is described and illustrated. The new species is the first taxon in the genus to have its fruits, two fused follicles, described and illustrated. In addition, observations ofT. floribunda specimens have revealed the existence of a novel character, coiled filaments, previously undescribed for the genus.     

A new genus and species of the family Ipnopidae (Pisces, Teleostei) from the eastern North Atlantic, with notes on its ecology

An additional and hitherto undescribed ipnopid genus and species, Discoverichthys praecox Merrett and Nielsen, is reported and described, and its relationships with the family and aspects of its biology are discussed.     

Pollination ecology of Gentiana siphonantha (Gentianaceae) and a further comparison with its sympatric congener species

In this study, we studied pollination ecology of Gentiana siphonantha (Gentianaceae), a late-autumn flowering alpine perennial in the northeastern Qinghai-Tibetan Plateau for two years for the first time. We also aimed to compare the pollination differentiation between this species and sympatrically distributed G. straminea that has a close phylogenetic origin but is flowering early. Flowers of G. siphonantha are characteristic of di-chogamy and herkogamy and this floral development prevents occurrence of autonomous self-pollination. This implication was confirmed by the breeding experiments, since no seed was produced when flowers were isolated. However, this gentian proved to be highly self-compatible when geitonogamous selfing was artificially induced. Each individual plant of this species has an average of 14.6 flowers ranging from 4 to 31, at both staminate and pistillate stages with a ratio of 1.2:1 in full anthesis. Both floral development and breeding experiments suggested that pollen vectors were indispensable for successful seed sets of this species. A great variety of insects were observed to visit this species, but the most common and only legitimate pollinator is Bumbus sushikini. A statistic observation suggested that this pollinator showed no preference to either staminate or pistillate flowers and visited them at random. We further calculated the frequency of their visits between and within individual plants. Among the pollinators’ bouts, the proportions of geitonogamous visits within an individual plant occupy about 87.8%. Such a case implied that geitonogamous selfing prevails in this species in spite of floral dichogamy and her-kogamy that were suggested to promote outcrossing. Compared with sympatric G. straminea, the total floral longevity and the male and female duration of this species are shorter. However, the number of flowers of each individual plant and branch increased when in full anthesis. It is interesting that both closely related species shared the same pollinator despite their distinct difference in flower morphology. This finding is inconsistent with the previous hypothesis that both flower color and corolla tube depth have coevolved with different pollinators during speciation and formation of reproductive isolation. Both visit frequencies of the individual flower and geitonoga-mous visits within the individual plant are higher in G. siphonantha than in G. straminea. This difference may result from their different inflorescence designs that actively act upon behaviors of pollinator. Although these two species differed in flowering phenology, their flowering stages overlapped for a few days, suggesting incomplete pollination isolation between them.     

First evidence for photoperiodic regulation of the life cycle in a millipede species, Polydesmus angustus (Diplopoda: Polydesmidae)

The hypothesis that the periods of dormancy previously described in the millipede Polydesmus angustus may be photoperiodically induced diapauses was tested experimentally. In this species, biennial individuals exhibit two successive periods of dormancy: aestivation in the penultimate stadium (stadium VII) and reproductive dormancy in the adults, which emerge in autumn. It was first established that the reproductive dormancy is not a thermally controlled state of quiescence. When adults emerging in autumn were kept at 16 °C under natural photoperiod, their reproduction was delayed for several months in comparison with adults emerging in spring at similar temperatures. This indicates that the reproductive dormancy begins with a period of diapause. Further experiments provided evidence of a photoperiodic induction of the adult diapause. When millipedes were reared under short day length (L:D 12:12 h) throughout their development, they required more time to reproduce than millipedes reared under long day length (L:D 16:8 h) at the same temperatures. Photoperiod influenced reproduction in females, but no significant effects were detected in adult males. On the other hand, stadium VII was markedly longer at L:D 16:8 h than at L:D 12:12 h in both sexes, which strongly suggests that aestivation is also induced by photoperiod. However, the effects on the duration of stadium VII varied among individuals, some of which showed no response to long days. This study is the first to document photoperiodic regulation of the life cycle in the class Diplopoda, a trait common in other classes of terrestrial arthropods.     

管花秦艽的传粉生态学研究——兼与同域分布近缘种的比较

在青藏高原东北部连续两年观察了晚秋开花植物管花秦艽Gentiana siphonantha的传粉生态学特征,并在此基础上进一步比较分析了与该物种同域分布且亲缘关系较近、但开花较早的麻花艽G straminea之间的传粉生态学特征.管花秦艽的花发育过程表现出雌雄异熟和雌雄异位的特点,不存在花内的自花传粉,套袋隔离的花不结实也支持这一结论;株内自交的高结实率表明该物种是自交亲和的.盛花期每植株平均有15朵开放的花,雄性和雌性阶段的花比例为1.2:1;自然条件下产生种子必须依赖传粉媒介;苏氏熊蜂是最有效的传粉昆虫,且访花过程中埘雄性和雌性阶段花不具明显的偏向性;株内连续访花的频率高达87.8%,从而导致同株异花传粉自交的广泛存在.与同域分布的麻花艽相比,管花秦艽的单花花期、雄性和雌性期持续时间缩短.但盛花期开花数量明显增加.令人感兴趣的是尽管两个近缘种的花形态特征存在显著差异,但都是由同一种熊蜂传粉.这一特点与过去认为花颜色和花管长度是物种分化过程中与不同传粉昆虫协同进化导致牛殖隔离的假说不相符合.管花秦艽单花的访花频率和同株异花连续访花的比例都明显高于麻花艽.两个物种不同花序设计导致访花昆虫行为的改变可能是造成这一差异的主要原因.两个物种具有不同的开花时间,但仍然存在一定的花期重叠,表现出不完全的传粉生殖隔离状态.     

Reductive evolutionary trends in two new cavernicolous species of a new Australian cixiid genus (Homoptera: Fulgroidea)

Abstract A new genus, Undarana gen.n., is established to accomodate six new closely related cixiid species from Queensland, Australia: U.tamborina sp. n.(type species), U.gloriosa sp.n., U.towomba sp.n., U. daybora sp. n., U. rosella sp.n. and U.collina sp.n. Two of the species live in lava tubes in northern Queensland and show different degrees of troglomorphy (reduction of eyes and bodily pigmentation) U.rosella is regarded as being troglophilic (facultative cavernicole), adn U.collina as being troglobitic (facultative cavernicole), and U.collina as being troglobitic (obligatory cavernicole), and it is considered likely that they represent a single invasion into the cave environment. Reductive evolutionary trends displayed by cave-dwelling Undarana species are described, and notes on their ecology and distribution are given. Hypotheses on the factors that might have led to cave-adaption in Undarana species are discussed.     

A new species of the deep-sea fish genus Paraliparis Collett (Liparididae) from the eastern North Atlantic, with notes on its ecology

A new species of liparidid, Paraliparis hystrix , is described from the slope waters (255–1140 m) to the west of Britain, in the area 49–59°N and 07–18°W. This pallid species is not uncommon, and is represented by a strong imbalance of females. Specimens close to ovulation have been collected in all seasons and have an estimated mean fecundity of 83 eggs.     

A new species of the deep-sea fish genus Coelorinchus Giorna (Macrouridae) from the eastern North Atlantic, with notes on its ecology

A new species of macrourid, Coelorinchus abditilux , is described from 51°N, 11°W in the Porcupine Sea-Bight, eastern North Atlantic. It is distinguished by its minute ventral light organ which lacks an external naked fossa, short snout, naked underside of head, body scales lacking prominent median keels and low gill raker count (8–9) in inner series of first arch. The uniqueness of this species is such that it may represent a new sub-genus of Coelorinchus . It is relatively deep-living (770–1042 m) with a very restricted known distribution in a coralline area.     

Three new species of Aiphanes (Palmae) with notes on the genus in Ecuador

Twelve species of the palm genus Aiphanes occur in Ecuador. The morphological variation in the genus is surveyed, and the distribution of the Ecuadorean species is discussed. A key to the species of Aiphanes in Ecuador is provided. Aiphanes chiribogensis, A. grandis , and A. verrucosa are described as new species, and illustrated. Aiphanes caryotifolia, A. eggersii, A. erinacea, A. fosteriorum, A. gela-tinosa, A. macroloba, A. schultzeana , and A. tricuspidata are characterized. One still unidentified species resembling A. tessmannii is discussed.     

A new Prestoea (Palmae) from Panama,with notes on the genus

Prestoea darienensis Henderson is described and illustrated. A discussion is given of morphological groupings within the genus, and the place of the new species.