A review of the <Emphasis Type="Italic">Chrysolina lineella</Emphasis> species-group of the subgenus <Emphasis Type="Italic">Anopachys</Emphasis> Motschulsky, 1860, genus <Emphasis Type="Italic">Chrysolina</Emphasis> Motschulsky, 1860 (Coleoptera,Chrysomelidae, Chrysomelinae)

The Chrysolina lineella species-group of the subgenus Anopachys Motschulsky, 1860 is revised. Chrysolina watanabei Takizawa, 1970 is revalidated from the synonymy with Ch. lineigera (Jacobson, 1901). Ch. sundukovi Mikhailov, 2006 is a new junior synonym of Ch. watanabei. Special attention is paid to the infraspecific variability of the male and female genitalia. The structure of the aedeagal flagellum and the spermatheca are used as diagnostic characters. A key to species is included. Ch. watanabei is for the first time recorded from the Asian continent (Primorskii Territory of Russia and Northeastern China).     

Composition of the subgenus <Emphasis Type="Italic">Zeugotaenia</Emphasis>, genus <Emphasis Type="Italic">Chrysolina</Emphasis> (Coleoptera,Chrysomelidae), and examination of the nomenclatural types

Zeugotaenia Motschulsky, 1860 is resurrected as a valid name for the subgenus of Chrysolina with the type species Chrysomela limbata Fabricius, 1775. Diagnosis of the subgenus is compiled. Neotypes of Chrysomela limbata and Ch. limbifera Küster, 1846, and lectotypes of Chrysomela findelii Suffrian, 1851, Ch. hochhuthii Suffrian, 1851, and Ch. discipennis Faldermann, 1835 are designated. The types of Chrysomela limbata jenisseiensis Breit, 1920 and Chrysolina limbata kavani Bechyné, 1950 and the topotypes of Chrysomela limbata luigionii Depoli, 1936 are examined. Chrysolina furva Peyerimhoff, 1926 and Ch. dohrnii Fairmaire, 1865 do not belong to the subgenus Zeugotaenia.     

A new species of the genus <Emphasis Type="Italic">Chrysolina</Emphasis> Motsch. (Coleoptera,Chrysomelidae) from the mountains of Tuva and Buryatia

A new leaf-beetle species with two subspecies is described: Chrysolina (Pleurosticha) romani romani sp. et subsp. n. from southeastern Tuva and Ch. romani burjatica subsp. n. from the East Sayan in Buryatia. The habitus of the species is similar to both the representatives of the subgenus Arctolina Kont. and to Chrysolina gebleri L. Medv. from the subgenus Pleurosticha Motsch. The difference between these two closely related genera is discussed and causes to place the new species in the subgenus Pleurosticha, where it can be readily distinguished by the short and wide lentiform aedeagus.     

On Two Little Known Species of Leaf Beetles (Coleoptera,Chrysomelidae) from the South Urals

120 years ago G.G. Jacobson described two species of leaf beetles from the South Urals that have remained poorly studied until recently. Chrysolina roddi, previously known only from the foothills and low mountains of the South Urals, the low Zhiguli Mountains, and the limestone cliffs on the Don River, is recorded here for the first time from the alpine tundra of the Iremel massif; its host plant in the alpine zone is the small alpine lovage Pachypleurum simplex (= Ligusticum mutellinoides), family Apiaceae. Two species of the subgenus Crositops, Ch. roddi and Ch. kabaki, are presently treated as foothill-alpine disjunct taxa. The distribution of Ch. poretzkyi, described from the low-montane part of Bashkortostan, also shows a foothill-alpine disjunction. Alpine populations of Ch. poretzkyi are described here as a new subspecies Ch. (Arctolina) poretzkyi olschwangi Mikhailov subsp. n. Revision of the type of Ch. poretzkyi that has long been considered lost confirms that this species belongs to the subgenus Arctolina, in disagreement with its previous placement in the subgenus Pleurosticha. Within Arctolina, the identity of Ch. tundralis and its differences from Ch. poretzkyi are discussed.     

A review of species of the subgenus <Emphasis Type="Italic">Taeniosticha</Emphasis> Motsch., genus <Emphasis Type="Italic">Chrysolina</Emphasis> Motsch. (Coleoptera,Chrysomelidae), distributed in the Dzungar Ata Tau and Tien Shan Mt. Ranges,with descriptions of two new species

Species of the subgenus Taeniosticha, genus Chrysolina, from the Dzungar Ala Tau, Northern and Central Tien Shan, are revised. A key to the species and figures of the aedeagus of each species are given. Two new species, Chrysolina klimenkoi sp. n. and Ch. sairannurica sp. n., are described from Southeastern Kazakhstan and Northwestern China. Two new species-groups are distinguished: the Ch. alatavica species-group distributed in the Dzungar Ala Tau and Boro-Khoro Mountain Ranges, and the Ch. tianshanica species-group with its members occurring in the Northern and Central Tien Shan. A scheme of the species distribution is given.     

Findings of the leaf beetles <Emphasis Type="Italic">Chrysolina tundralis</Emphasis> and <Emphasis Type="Italic">Chrysolina roddi</Emphasis> (Coleoptera,Chrysomelidae) in the middle part of European Russia

Two species of leaf beetles, Chrysolina tundralis and Ch. roddi, were found in the “Galich’ya Gora” Nature Reserve (the middle part of European Russia), 1200 and 700 km, respectively, from the main part of the ranges of these species. Adults and larvae of Ch. tundralis feed on Lamium purpureum, those of Ch. roddi feed on Seseli intermedia there. Diagnostic characters of the adults of both species are reported.     

The Larvae of Three Species of Jewel Beetles of the Subgenus <Emphasis Type="Italic">Chrysoblemma</Emphasis> Jakovlev, 1889, Genus <Emphasis Type="Italic">Sphenoptera</Emphasis> Dejean, 1833 (Coleoptera,Buprestidae), from Turkmenistan

The larvae of three species of jewel beetles of the subgenus Chrysoblemma Jakovlev of the genus Sphenoptera Dejean are described: Sphenoptera (Ch.) tamarisci beckeri Dohrn reared from Horaninovia ulicina Fisch. et Mey., Atriplex tatarica L. and Salsola arbuscula Pall.; Sphenoptera (Ch.) tomentosa Jakovlev from Salsola arbuscula; Sphenoptera (Ch.) amplicollis Jakovlev from Salsola orientalis S.G. Gmel. and Halothamnus glaucus (Bieb.) Botsch. Differential diagnoses to distinguish them from the previously described sphenopterine larvae are given.     

Taxonomic position of Afghan vole (Subgenus <Emphasis Type="Italic">Blanfordimys</Emphasis>) by the sequence of the mitochondrial <Emphasis Type="Italic">cytb</Emphasis> gene

It is rather difficult to construct a system of gray voles of the tribe Microtini by a set of morphological and karyological characters because form generation is mosaic at these organization levels. The sequence of the mitochondrial cytochrome b gene was used to study the phylogenetic relationships and taxonomic position of the Central Asian subgenus Blanfordimys. Afghan vole Microtus (Blanfordimys) afghanus and Bucharian vole M. (Blanfordimys) bucharensis clustered with Pamir vole M. (Neodon) juldaschi, which is conventionally assigned to another subgenus. The last two species proved to be significantly closer to each other than either of them was to M. (Blanfordimys) afghanus, which disagrees with the monophyletic origin accepted for Blanfordimys. The genetic distances between the species of the subgenus Blanfordmys and M. juldaschi were comparable with the distances between the sister subgenera Microtus s. str. and Sumeriomys or Pallasiinus and Alexandromys and with the basal divergence of supraspecific clades in the subgenus Terricola. It was assumed that a special Central Asian group of species exists within the tribe Microtini and includes species of the subgenus Blanfordimys and M. juldaschi and that the subgenera Neodon and Blanfordimys should be revised.     

A review of the genus <Emphasis Type="Italic">Deporaus</Emphasis> (Coleoptera,Rhynchitidae) from the Russian fauna: 1. Subgenera <Emphasis Type="Italic">Pseudapoderites</Emphasis> and <Emphasis Type="Italic">Japonodeporaus</Emphasis>

The genus Deporaus from the Russian fauna is revised. Four species (D. pacatus, D. azarovae, D. septentrionalis, and D. hartmanni) of the subgenera Pseudapoderites and Japonodeporaus are found. Keys to the subgenera and to the species of the subgenus Pseudapoderites are given. The genus Deporaus, subgenera Pseudapoderites and Japonodeporaus, and four species are redescribed. The distribution of these species in Russia is discussed.     

A review of the genus <Emphasis Type="Italic">Deporaus</Emphasis> (Coleoptera,Rhynchitidae) from the Russian fauna: 2. Subgenera <Emphasis Type="Italic">Roelofsideporaus</Emphasis> and <Emphasis Type="Italic">Deporaus</Emphasis>

The subgenera Roelofsideporaus and Deporaus s. str. of the genus Deporaus with four species (D. affectatus, D. unicolor, D. nidificus, and D. betulae) recorded from the Russian fauna are revised. Keys to the species of the subgenus Roelofsideporaus and to the females of the subgenera Roelofsideporaus and Deporaus s. str. are given. The distribution of D. nidificus in Russia is not confirmed.     

A new species,a new synonym,and new records of the hover-fly genus <Emphasis Type="Italic">Cheilosia</Emphasis> Meigen (Diptera,Syrphidae)

A new species, Cheilosia richterae sp. n., is described in the nominotypical subgenus, being most closely related there to Ch. annulifemur Stackelberg, 1930. Two species, Ch. sootryeni Nielsen, 1970 and Ch. rufimana (Becker, 1984), are recorded from Russia for the first time. Ch. kuznetzovae Skufjin, 1977 is recorded for the first time from the Urals and western Siberia. The subgenus Nephocheila Barkalov, 2002 is synonymized with Nephomyia Matsumura, 1916. Figures of the male and female heads and the male genitalia are given for all the species.     

First Record of the Subgenus <Emphasis Type="Italic">Empis</Emphasis> (<Emphasis Type="Italic">Planempis</Emphasis>) (Diptera,Empididae) from Middle Asia,with Description of a New Species

A new species of the subgenus Planempis Frey, 1953 (Diptera: Empididae), Empis (Planempis) gussakovskiisp. n., is described from Tajikistan, being the first record of the subgenus from Middle Asia. The relationships of the new species within the subgenus Planempis are shortly discussed. An updated check-list of Planempis species is provided.     

Molecular phylogenetic analysis of key <Emphasis Type="Italic">Jatropha</Emphasis> species inferred from nrDNA ITS and chloroplast (<Emphasis Type="Italic">trn</Emphasis>L-F and <Emphasis Type="Italic">rbc</Emphasis>L) sequences

The genus Jatropha (Euphorbiaceae) contains species that are of significant economic and ornamental value. However, Jatropha breeding material is rather limited due to incomplete information regarding phylogenetic relationships among germplasm resources. Phylogenetic analyses were performed based on the internal transcribed spacer of nuclear ribosomal DNA (nrDNA ITS), two chloroplast regions (trnL-F and rbcL), and the combined (ITS+trnL-F+rbcL) dataset among twenty-five specimens representing six key Jatropha species. Phylogenetic relationships of Jatropha were well resolved between subgenus Curcas and subgenus Jatropha, and demonstrated the intermediate position of section Polymorphae among sections of both subgenera. Jatropha curcas and J. integerrima demonstrated a close phylogenetic relationship. The molecular data agreed with the morphological classification that recognized J. multifida and J. podagrica in sec. Peltatae. The distinct intraspecific divergence that occurred in J. curcas could be attributed to restricted gene flow caused by geographical isolation and different ecological conditions. Phylograms produced with trnL-F and rbcL sequence data suggested slow rates of sequence divergence among Jatropha spp., while the ITS gene tree had good resolution suggesting high genetic variation of ITS among Jatropha species.     

Species of the subgenus <Emphasis Type="Italic">Baudia</Emphasis> of the genus <Emphasis Type="Italic">Badister</Emphasis> (Coleoptera,Carabidae) from the southern Sikhote-Alin Mountains

Data on two species of the subgenus Baudia Ragusa, 1884, B. ishigakiensis Habu, 1975 and B. marginellus Bates, 1873 new to the fauna of the southern Sikhote-Alin Mountains, are presented. A key to species of this subgenus is provided. Holotypes of B. nigriceps A. Morawitz, 1863 and B. ussuriensis Jedli?ka, 1937 are designated. New data on the distribution of the species in Eastern Asia are given.     

Phylogenetic Relationships within <Emphasis Type="Italic">Phyllophaga</Emphasis> Harris (sensu <Emphasis Type="Italic">lato</Emphasis>) (Coleoptera: Melolonthidae,Melolonthinae) with Emphasis on <Emphasis Type="Italic">Listrochelus</Emphasis> Blanchard

As partial results of a long-term project for the revision of the supraspecific classification of the American Melolonthini, using phylogenetic methods, interesting information on the relationships between the subgeneric groups of Phyllophaga Harris proposed by Saylor were obtained. The genus Listrochelus was described by Blanchard in 1851. However, in 1940, Saylor reduced it as a subgenus of Phyllophaga. The objective of the present study is to confirm the monophyly of Listrochelus by means of a phylogenetic analysis. A total of 132 species were analyzed; 31 species of them belong to Listrochelus, 76 are from other groups of Phyllophaga, and 25 species are from the outgroup. A morphological matrix with 281 characters was codified. A traditional search with 1000 iterations was performed in TNT. Branch support was investigated using the bootstrap method. Parsimony analysis resulted in ten equally parsimonious trees. The topology obtained in the strict consensus tree shows that the limits of Listrochelus are very clear (bootstrap 99%), supported by five synapomorphies and a combination of eight character states that are not exclusive to the group. Based on the hypothesis obtained, the restitution of the genus Listrochelus is proposed.     

<Emphasis Type="Italic">Cantharellus</Emphasis> sect. <Emphasis Type="Italic">Amethystini</Emphasis> in Asia

In this contribution on the genus Cantharellus in Asia, C. subvaginatus is described from the Republic of Korea as a close relative to the Chinese C. vaginatus, which is here reported for the first time from India. Both species are here placed in Cantharellus subg. Cantharellus sect. Amethystini, together with the Indian C. pseudoformosus (syn.: C. umbonatus) and the Malayan C. subamethysteus. As such, Asia has suddenly become the continent with the highest diversity for Amethystini. Species delimitation in sect. Amethystini is molecularly supported by a combined phylogenetic analysis of rDNA sequences obtained for LSU and ITS and additionally suggests the existence of a still undescribed species in North America. Character variability is discussed for all known members of Amethystini, including atypical specimens of the North American C. lewisii that are morphologically more reminiscent of the South Korean C. subvaginatus.     

Disentangling the effects of isolation-by-distance and isolation-by-environment on genetic differentiation among <Emphasis Type="Italic">Rhododendron</Emphasis> lineages in the subgenus <Emphasis Type="Italic">Tsutsusi</Emphasis>

Ecological speciation has long been noted as a central topic in the field of evolutionary biology, and investigation into the relative importance of ecological and geographical factors is becoming increasingly emphasized. We surveyed genetic variation of 277 samples from 25 populations of nine Rhododendron species within Tsutsusi subgenus in Taiwan using simple sequence repeats of expressed sequence tags. Bayesian clustering revealed four genetic lineages: (1) the Rhododendron simsii, Rhododendron kanehirai, and Rhododendron nakaharae lineage (lineage 1); (2) the Rhododendron longiperulatum, Rhododendron breviperulatum, and Rhododendron noriakianum lineage (lineage 2); (3) the Rhododendron rubropilosum lineage (lineage 3); and (4) the Rhododendron oldhamii lineage (lineage 4). Asymmetric introgressions were found from lineage 3 into lineages 1 and 2 (introgressed lineages). Genetic admixture of non-R. oldhamii species was also revealed by a neighbor-joining tree. Variation partitioning showed that environment explained much larger portions of genetic variation than geography between non-introgressed lineages (i.e., between R. oldhamii and other lineages). However, the Mantel and partial Mantel tests and the multiple matrix regression with randomization found that isolation-by-distance played a more important role than isolation-by-environment (IBE) in contributing to genetic variation in most between lineage comparisons. Nevertheless, strong IBE was found when compared between non-introgressed lineages of R. oldhamii and R. rubropilosum, suggesting post-speciation ecological divergence. Several environmental variables, including annual mean temperature, aspect, isothermality, seasonal precipitation, slope, and soil pH, could be important ecological drivers involved in reproductive isolation between R. oldhamii and non-R. oldhamii species within the Tsutsusi subgenus.     

Distribution and habitats of <Emphasis Type="Italic">Phengaris</Emphasis> (<Emphasis Type="Italic">Maculinea</Emphasis>) butterflies and population ecology of <Emphasis Type="Italic">Phengaris</Emphasis><Emphasis Type="Italic">teleius</Emphasis> in China

Many species of the butterfly genus Phengaris are regarded as endangered in many parts of their distribution. Several species are also widely distributed across northern China. Due to land use change and overgrazing, their habitats are declining and many patches have been lost. This paper investigates the distribution and habitats of the Chinese Phengaris species (of the subgenus Maculinea). Shrub-grassland near forests seem the most frequent habitat for Phengaris, while flat open grasslands are mostly over-grazed and thus survival for Phengaris butterflies there seems difficult. Throughout Europe, P. teleius is an endangered species, while there is still no information on its status in China. To improve the knowledge on the population ecology of P. teleius, its population structure, adult behaviour and movement were studied through mark–release–recapture methods in the Qinling Mountains of Taibai County. Eight grassland patches which were potentially suitable were found in the area in 2013. In total, 480 individuals (274 females) were marked, resulting in an overall recapture rate of 16 %. The average daily population size was 44 butterflies (±23 SD) during the adult flight period. Sixty-seven percent of the females and 38 % of the males moved less than 50 m, and 17 % of recaptured females and 38 % of males moved more than 200 m. The mean movement distance was 107 ± 177 m for males and 182 ± 122 m for females. The majority of the recaptures (86 %) were made within the patches, only a few individuals (14 %) moved between patches. Due to human disturbance and destruction, all of the eight potentially suitable patches are becoming smaller and increasingly isolated, thus these populations of P. teleius may face an increasing risk of extinction, which may well be a tip of the iceberg of habitat loss and fragmentation of P. teleius in Taibai County and possibly beyond. Hence we hope our initial study of P. teleius could have positive impacts on the conservation of Phengaris butterflies in China.     

Chromosomal and molecular studies of cryptic species of the subgenus <Emphasis Type="Italic">Terricola</Emphasis> (Rodentia,Arvicolinae, <Emphasis Type="Italic">Microtus</Emphasis>) in the Caucasian region: Analysis of new records

Using chromosomal and molecular (cytb) markers, the specific identity of 78 individuals of cryptic species of voles of the subgenus Terricola was ascertained. The animal samples were obtained at 13 localities of the Caucasian region, from Krasnodar krai to North Ossetia in the Greater Caucasus and in the Stavropol Upland (forest island in the steppe) in Ciscaucasia, which had not been covered earlier in genetic studies. In the total sample, two chromosomal forms (cryptic species), namely, Microtus (Terricola) majori (2n = 54, NF = 60) and M. (T.) daghestanicus (2n = 54, NF = 58), were identified. The specific identity of most animals tested was confirmed by karyological means, and for individuals from two localities on the south slopes of the Greater Caucasus (Adlerskii district of Krasnodar krai), it was confirmed exclusively by means of molecular (cytb) markers. The last two records were used for evaluation of the differential role of sibling-species of the subgenus Terricola in circulation of the pathogen in mountain loci of hemorrhagic fever with renal syndrome (HFRS) in the Western Caucasus. For the first time, using the example of M. (T.) majori from the Ciscaucasia, which was compared with those of the mountain part of the species’ natural habitat, the role of isolation factors in morphogenesis of the subgenus Terricola was studied. As a whole, the results obtained specify the character of the geographical distribution and biotope attachment of cryptic species of the subgenus Terricola in the Caucasian region.