DNA barcoding in native plants of the Labiatae (Lamiaceae) family from Chios Island (Greece) and the adjacent Çeşme-Karaburun Peninsula (Turkey)

The plant family Labiatae (Lamiaceae) is known for its fine medicinal and aromatic herbs like lavender, mint, oregano, sage and thyme and is a rich source of essential oils for the food, pharmaceutical and cosmetic industry. Besides its great economic importance, the Labiatae family contributes significantly to the endemic flora of Greece and Turkey. Owing to its economic and biological significance and to the difficult identification based on morphological characters of several of its taxa, the Labiatae family is an ideal case for developing DNA barcodes. The purpose of this study is to evaluate the utility of DNA barcoding on a local scale in discriminating Labiatae species in Chios Island (Greece) and the adjacent Çe?me‐Karaburun Peninsula (Turkey). We chose three cpDNA regions (matK, rbcL, trnH‐psbA) that were proposed by previous studies and tested them either as single region or as multiregion barcodes based on the criteria determined by Consortium for the Barcode of Life (CBOL). Our results show that matK and trnH‐psbA taken as useful in discriminating species of the Labiatae, for the species we examined, as any multiregion combination. matK and trnH‐psbA could serve as single‐region barcodes for Labiatae species contributing to the conservation and the trade control of valuable plant resources.     

Qurliqnoria (Bovidae,Mammalia) from the Upper Miocene of Çorakyerler (Central Anatolia,Turkey) and its biogeographic implications

New bovid material from the Upper Miocene site of Çorakyerler (Çankırı basin, Anatolia, Turkey) is described and compared here. The described taxon is identified as a representative of the stem caprine genus Qurliqnoria, previously known from the peri-Tibetan area exclusively. The stronger horn-core divergence, weaker anterior keel, smoother horn-core surface, stronger lateral horn-core curvature, stronger and thicker interfrontal suture, less flexed and less pneumatized frontals, and smaller supraorbital foramina differentiate the Çorakyerler Qurliqnoria from the type and only known species of the genus, Q. cheni from China, and demand the erection of a new species, Qurliqnoria chorakensis n. sp. A review of other late Miocene bovid records allows the recognition of Qurliqnoria in Sinap Tepe (Turkey) and Platania (Greece), suggesting a westward propagation of the genus during the Vallesian.     

Occurrence of myxosporean parasites in the gills of two tilapia species from Lake Nokoué (Bénin, West Africa): effect of host size and sex, and seasonal patterns of infection

The gill myxosporean parasites of 2 euryhaline tilapias from Lake Nokoué, Sarotherodon melanotheron melanotheron (Rüppel, 1853) and Tilapia zillii (Gervais, 1852), were investigated from October 1987 to October 1989. A total of 391 S. m. melanotheron and 222 T. zillii were examined. Both of the fish species studied were infected by 3 host-specific myxosporean parasites for which prevalence greatly varied during our investigations. The 2 most common ones were Myxobolus sp. and M. zillii, which were located in the branchial filament. No significant fish sex effect was found for these 6 different myxosporean parasites. As seasonal pattern was clearly demonstrated for M. zillii while a host size effect was found for M. dossoui. However, further investigations of these myxosporean infections are necessary to determine the real effect of these parasites on their host, as host fecundity and survival was not assessed.     

Comparison of genetic diversity in the two arctic–alpine plants Diapensia lapponica var. obovata (Diapensiaceae) and Empetrum nigrum var. japonicum (Empetraceae) between Sakhalin in Russian Far East and Jeju Island in Korea, the southernmost edge of their distribution range

We compared allozyme variation in the two arctic–alpine plants Diapensia lapponica var. obovata and Empetrum nigrum var. japonicum between Sakhalin Island in Russian Far East, within their range core, and the Korean island of Jeju, their world’s southernmost distribution. For D. lapponica var. obovata, Sakhalin populations harbored moderate levels of within-population genetic variation and low among-population divergence, whereas extremely low levels of within-population genetic diversity and high among-population differentiation were found in Jeju Island populations. In contrast, we found moderate levels of within-population variation and low among-population differentiation in E. nigrum var. japonicum in both northern populations (those of Sakhalin and an additional population from northern Japan) and Jeju Island populations. Under a similar scenario of immigration history of arctic–alpine plants on Jeju Island during the glacial periods of the Pleistocene and local persistence through glacial/interglacial cycles, the contrasting genetic structure between D. lapponica var. obovata and E. nigrum var. japonicum is mainly attributable to their different life-history, ecological, and demographic traits: (1) hermaphroditic versus monoecious, dioecious or polygamous, (2) seeds with no adaptations for long-distance dispersal versus berry-like drupes dispersed by animals and birds, and (3) a very small patch near the peak of Mt. Halla with a few hundred individuals versus a relatively continuous distribution around the peak of Mt. Halla with numerous individuals. From a conservation perspective, in situ and ex situ conservation measures should be strengthened for D. lapponica var. obovata on Jeju Island given their extreme rarity there.