The potential of South African plants in the development of new food and beverage products

A review is presented of the history and recent trends in the exploration and development of food plants in southern Africa. The opportunities for developing new crops and new products for local and international markets are discussed. More than 120 species with potential as new food and beverage products (including functional foods, herbal teas and new flavours) are listed and a subjective rating of the commercial potential is provided for each of them. Some noteworthy examples are discussed and illustrated, including several indigenous fruits and vegetables that are as yet poorly known. There is a growing awareness of the importance of indigenous plants in new product development and numerous new products are already being developed. Basic research in botany (to guide genotype selection), horticulture (to develop new crops), food science (to focus on nutritional analyses) and marketing (to understand and develop new marketing approaches) is mentioned as important priorities.     

New taxa of Hawaiian corticioid fungi are described with keys to Crustoderma, Radulomyces, and Scopuloides

Four new species of corticioid fungi from Hawaii are described and illustrated. The new genus Hemmesomyces is described to accommodate the new species H. puauluensis. Radulomyces tantalusensis, Crustoderma fuscatum and Scopuloides magnacystidiata also are described as new. In addition, the new combination Crustoderma vulcanense is proposed. Keys to the species of Crustoderma, Radulomyces and Scopuloides are provided.     

Pronophiline butterflies (Satyridae) of the three Andean Cordilleras of Colombia

The 125 species of the satyrid butterfly tribe Pronophilini known from the three Andean Cordilleras of Colombia are listed, together with two species whose Colombian status is doubtful. The biological, ecological and biogeographical features of the tribe are described, using the listed species as examples. The features include restriction to moist conditions at high altitudes, endemism in the Cordilleras and in areas and on slopes within them, allopatric speciation and subspeciation, parapatric distributions of related species up the altitude gradients, intraspecific variation and polymorphism and apparent mimicry. The criteria used for classifying the taxa and assessing their relationships are discussed. Seventeen new species, three new subspecies and one new form are described. At the species level, 11 new synonymies are established, two synonymies are rejected, the status of 15 other taxa is revised, and 23 new combinations are made. At the generic level, two new synonymies are established, and one genus is resurrected.     

中国西北地区树花属地衣研究

本文从形态学、解剖学、化学等方面对采自中国西北地区的树花属Ramalina地衣进行了研究,鉴定出该属地衣18种,其中簇树花R.chihuahuana和平树花R.complanata为中国新记录种,西北地区新记录种有12个。     

Pronophiline butterflies (Satyridae) of the Cordillera de Mérida, Venezuela

The 36 species of the tribe Pronophilini known from the Cordillera de Merida, the main Andean mountain range in Venezuela, are listed, together with three others probably erroneously described or labelled as from the range. The general ecological characteristics of the tribe are described, using the Merida species as examples. These include its restriction to high altitudes, endemism in mountain 'islands', species partitioning up the altitude gradient, mimicry within the tribe, and seasonality. The evolutionary relationships of the 16 endemic species are analyzed. Two new genera, six new species, two new subspecies and one new form are described. Three new synonymies are established, three new combinations made, new status is given to two taxa and the status of one taxon is revised.     

New species and records of polyehaete annelids from Kuwait, Arabian Gulf

A collection of Polychaeta made by the author during 1969 from the coast of Kuwait has been studied. Nineteen species, belonging to 17 genera and 11 families, are described. Nine species are named as new to science (two new genera) and ten species are recorded as new to the fauna of the Arabian Gulf. Also, the available information on the geographical distribution has been given for each new record.     

Improved tribal delimitation of the subfamily Dictyopharinae and description of new genera and new species (Homoptera,Fulgoroidea, Dictyopharidae)

Ten new genera, five new subgenera, and five new species are described in the family Dictyopharidae. Three generic names are synonymized. A new name is proposed for the generic homonym. Dictyophara kazeruna Dlabola is transferred to the genus Callodictya Melichar. The genus Sinodictya Matsumura, with the type species Sinodictya tukana Matsumura, is redescribed. A new key to the tribes of the subfamily Dictyopharinae is given. The composition and characters of the tribes Taosini and Lappidini are revised. All the genera of the subfamily Dictyopharinae are listed according to their tribal position. New records are given for some interesting species.     

Research and development of antibacterial agents

Several new antibacterial agents are currently being developed in response to the emergence of bacterial resistance to existing drugs. The new agents include compounds that inhibit macromolecular synthesis or interfere with bacterial membrane function. Apart from the oxazolidinones and cationic peptides, the remainder of these new compounds are analogues of earlier antibiotic classes; therefore, it is probable that existing resistance mechanisms will adapt to accommodate the new derivatives. To minimise the potential for emergence of resistance to new agents, research strategies should be chosen that not only enhance the discovery of structurally novel drugs, but also direct these to new molecular targets that may themselves have decreased potential to give rise to drug-resistant variants.     

秦岭鸡皮衣科地衣的初步研究

对采自陕西秦岭地区的鸡皮衣科Pertusariaceae地衣进行了形态学、解剖学、化学研究,鉴定出该科地衣3属23种,其中肉疣衣属Ochrolechia8种,鸡皮衣属Pertusaria14种,果疣衣属varicellaria1种。拟苍白肉疣衣Ochrolechiapseudopallescens和类斑点鸡皮衣Pertusariamultipunctoides为中国新记录种。     

The genetic structure of swarms and the timing of their production in the queen cycles of neotropical wasps

Kin selection theory has received some of its strongest support from analyses of within-colony conflicts between workers and queens in social insects. One of these conflicts involves the timing of queen production. In neotropical wasps, new queens are only produced by colonies with just one queen while males are produced by colonies with more queens, a pattern favoured by worker interests. We now show that new colonies, or swarms, have few queens and variable within-colony relatednesses which means that their production is not tied to new queen production. The queens in these swarms are seldom the mothers of the workers in the swarm. Therefore, either colonies producing swarms have very many queens, or queens joining daughter swarms are reproductive losers on the original colonies. As new colony production is not linked to queen production, it can occur at the ecologically optimum time, i.e. the rainy season. This disassociation between queen production and new colony production allows worker interests in sex ratios to prevail without hampering new colony production at the most favourable season, an uncoupling that may contribute to the ecological success of the Epiponini.     

Fluorescent Properties of 9-Anthracenecarboxamides

A number of new 9-anthracenecarboxamides are synthesized in order to create new fluorescent probes for studying biological systems. The parameters of their fluorescence in organic solvents of various polarities are investigated, and possible mechanisms of internal quenching of fluorescence of these compounds are discussed. One of the compounds, 4-ethoxycarbonylphenylamide of 9-anthracenecarboxylic acid, is shown to be a promising basis for the development of a new fluorescent probe.     

A new family of cheilostome Bryozoa endemic to Antarctica

Five species of erect cheilostome Bryozoa from Antarctica are considered to constitute a new family, Eminooeciidae. A new genus Eminooecia is introduced for Hippadenella carsonae Rogick. Two new species are described in the genus Ioschizoporella Rogick.     

A classification of the Ericaceae: subfamilies and tribes

The variation shown by 60 characters (morphological, anatomical, embryological, chemical and cytological) is tabulated for the whole of the Ericaceae. The reliability of the characters and the observations on them are discussed, and it is emphasized that many characters are difficult to use because they are rarely restricted to one taxon. Six subfamilies are recognized. Within the Rhododendroideae seven tribes are recognized, the monogeneric Daboecieae being new; Epigaea is transferred to the Rhododendroideae from the Andromedeae and Diplarche from the Diapensiaceae. Calluna is placed in a new monotypic tribe within the Ericoideae. The extended Vaccinioideae includes the Arbutoideae; five tribes are recognized, of which the Enkiantheae and Cassiopeae are new. The Pyroloideae and Monotropoideae are left unchanged: a new subfamily, the Wittsteinioideae, includes the deviant monotypic genus Wittsteinia. A key to subfamilies, and to genera of the Pyroloideae, Rhododendroideae and superior-ovaried Vaccinioideae is given.     

The brachiopod family Linoproductidae stehli from the lower Moscovian of the Middle Carboniferous of the Moscow Region

The phylogeny and taxonomy of the brachiopod family Linoproductidae are revised. The change in the distributional pattern of spines and distinctive structure of the median lobe of the cardinal process are shown to be the main apomorphies in the family evolution. A new subfamily, Linispininae, and the included new genera, Linispinella and Linispinus, are described. In the nominotypical subfamily Linoproductinae, a new genus Linoproductoides and two new species included in this genus are described from the Vereiskian deposits of the Moscow Region. The new species Linispinus riparius (Trautschold), L. longus sp. nov., and L. staricensis (Ivanov) are described from the Kashirskian deposits. Another new species is tentatively described as “Linoproductus” kabanovi.     

Two new pycnidial members of the Atractiellales: Basidiopycnis hyalina and Proceropycnis pinicola

Two new genera, Basidiopycnis and Proceropycnis, and two new species, Basidiopycnis hyalina and Proceropycnis pinicola, are described. An integrated analysis of morphological, ecological, ultrastructural and molecular data indicates that the new taxa belong to the Atractiellales. Relevant characteristics of the new genera and species are discussed and compared with those of related taxa.     

A revised subfamily classification of Tenebrionidae (Coleoptera)

Existing classifications of Tenebrionidae are reviewed briefly. The inclusion of the families Alleculidae, Lagriidae, and Nilionidae in Tenebrionidae is confirmed. The splitting off from this complex of a family, Tentyriidae, by Doyen is discussed and rejected. Various taxa which had been included in Tenebrionidae are excluded, amongst which Syrphetodes, Brouniphylax, Exohadrus, Arthopus, Cotulades, Docalis, and Latometus (=Elascus) have not previously been formally excluded. A new family, Archeocrypticidae, is established and defined briefly for Archeocrypticus, Sivacrypticus, and Enneboeus.

Data from matrices based on adult and larval characters comparing Tenebrionidae with most other families of Tenebrionoidea (=Heteromera) are presented for derived characters in common, and for overall similarity. The families most closely related to Tenebrionidae according to these data are Zopheridae, Chalcodryidae, Merycidae, Archeocrypticidae, Synchroidae, Colydiidae, and Monommatidae; none is very close to Tenebrionidae, which has had a long independent history.

Characters of the subfamilies recognised are tabulated, and interpreted in a phylo‐genetic dendrogram. Phylogeny is discussed in relation to adaptive changes in the biology of the various subfamilies, which are Zolodininae new subfamily, Pimeliinae new sense (including Tentyriinae), Toxicinae new sense, Phrenapatinae new sense (including Archeoglenini new tribe), Diaperinae new sense, Gnathidiinae, Tenebrioninae new sense, Alleculinae, Nilioninae, Lagriinae new sense, Cossyphinae, and Cossyphodinae new status.

Biology, economic importance, copulation, orientation of the aedeagus, and distribution are discussed briefly.

Definitions of the family and subfamilies and a key to subfamilies are given, and keys to tribes are included for the smaller subfamilies. The previously unknown larvae of the genera Zolodinus, Menimus, Archeoglenes, Lepispilus, and Nyctoporis are described in detail. Pupae of Zolodinus and Nyctoporis are described. Keys to larvae include many other genera which were hitherto unknown or poorly known.     

The braconid genus Alysia (Hymenoptera): a description of the subgenera and a revision of the subgenus Alysia

ABSTRACT. The forty-two species included in Alysia are divided into two subgenera based on the shape of the ovipositor. Four species-groups are proposed for Alysia (Alysia) and three for Alysia (Anarcha). The species of the subgenus Alysia are revised, with emphasis on the Nearctic fauna, and eleven new species are described. Seven new synonyms and ten new combinations are proposed. Epidista is transferred from synonymy under Alysia to synonymy under Tanycarpa. A new name Gnathopleura quadridentata nom.n . is proposed for G.nigripennis (Brues), a junior secondary homonym of G.nigripennis (Thomson).