Two ants (Insecta: Hymenoptera: Formicidae: Formicinae) from the Late Pliocene of Willershausen, Germany, with a nomenclatural note on the genus Camponotites

Two species of the genus Camponotites (Formicidae, Formicinae) are described from the Late Pliocene deposits of Willershausen, Lower Saxony, northern Germany: C. silvestris Steinbach, 1967, and C. steinbachi n. sp. The generic name Camponotites has been established for fossil (Tertiary) ants independently by Steinbach (Bericht der Naturhistorischen Gesellschaft zu Hannover 111:95–102, 1967) and by Dlussky (Trudy paleontologi?eskogo instituta, akademiâ nauk SSSR, 1981), each for materials of different stratigraphical and geographical origin. Though poorly described, Camponotites Steinbach, 1967, and the single included (type) species C. silvestris Steinbach, 1967 (a monotypic species from the Late Pliocene of Willershausen), were based upon indication in the sense of the ICZN. Therefore, both the generic and specific names are valid and available. Camponotites Dlussky, 1981 (and its type species C. macropterus Dlussky, 1981) were certainly introduced correctly and are therefore available, too; but due to its homonymy the generic name is not valid. The revision shows that in this rare case both generic names are not only homonyms but also synonyms.     

Redescriptions and reestablishments of some species belonging to the genus Prionospio (Polychaeta,Spionidae) and descriptions of three new species

Available type material of Prionospio heterobranchia Moore, 1907, P. (Prionospio) texana Hartman, 1951, P. spongicola Wesenberg-Lund, 1958 and P. (P.) newportensis Reish, 1959, as well as newly collected material from the Southern Gulf of Mexico and Chetumal Bay in the Caribbean Sea, was examined. Several important differences were found between P. heterobranchia, P. (Prionospio) texana, P. spongicola and P. (P.) newportensis, and as a result, these three species are removed from synonymy with P. heterobranchia Moore, 1907, and redescribed and reinstated as valid species. In addition, three new species were identified and described: P. caribensis sp. nov., P. rosariae sp. nov. and P. jamaicensis sp. nov. A key to all species of Prionospio with five pairs of branchiae is provided.     

Proposal to replace the illegitimate genus name Prescottia Jones et al. 2013 with the genus name Prescottella gen. nov. and to replace the illegitimate combination Prescottia equi Jones et al. 2013 with Prescottella equi comb. nov

Recently we proposed that Rhodococcus equi (Magnusson 1923) Goodfellow and Alderson 1977 be transferred to a novel genus, Prescottia, as Prescottia equi comb. nov. However, in accordance with Principle 2 and Rule 51b(4) of the Bacteriological Code (1990 Revision), the bacterial genus name Prescottia Jones et al. 2013 is deemed illegitimate as this name has been used previously for a plant genus within the family Orchidaceae. Consequently, a new genus name, Prescottella gen. nov. is proposed for the bacterial taxon and a new combination Prescottella equi comb. nov. is proposed for the type species.     

The species of Aspidorhynchus Agassiz, 1833 (Neopterygii,Aspidorhynchiformes) from the Jurassic plattenkalks of Southern Germany

The fishes of the genus Aspidorhynchus (Aspidorhynchidae) are among the most abundant predators in the palaeolagoons of the Solnhofen archipelago (Late Jurassic, southern Germany). They have been known since the end to the nineteenth century and the last revision of the genus was published more than 20 years ago. During these last two decades, numerous complete and excellently preserved specimens have been collected. The high morphological diversity shown by the new material made a new revision of these fishes necessary. This new taxonomic revision led us to revalidate the species A. ornatissimus Agassiz, 1834, which has hitherto been considered a junior synonym of the type species of the genus, A. acutirostris (Blainville, 1818), as well as to recognize high intraspecific variation in the latter species. These results helped to improve the distinction and, thus, the diagnoses of A. acutirostris, A. ornatissimus, and A. sanzenbacheri Brito and Ebert, 2009, which are the three valid species of this genus in the Solnhofen archipelago. We have been able to explain most of the intraspecific diversity of A. acutirostris by means of patterns of ontogenetic variation that encompass most of the other nominal species, thus largely reflecting early taxonomic hypotheses. Furthermore, the detailed morphological study led us to the recognition of some important anatomical structures previously unknown for aspidorhynchids: a connection between the temporal, infraorbital and supraorbital sensory canals in the frontal bone, the presence of an Y-shaped antorbital bone, and the presence of an interoperculum.     

Thanetian gastropods from the Mesopotamian high folded zone in northern Iraq

An assemblage of gastropods from the Thanetian of the Kolosh Formation from the Zakho region in northern Iraq is documented for the first time. The ten species represent the families Campanilidae Douvillé 1904, Potamididae H. & A. Adams 1854, Batillariidae Thiele 1929, Thiaridae Gill 1871, Pachychilidae Fischer & Crosse 1892, Cerithiidae Fleming 1822 and Pseudolividae de Gregorio 1880, suggesting a littoral to shallow sublittoral depositional environment. Six of the species are new and five are formally described as new species. At least seven species are also known from the Thanetian and/or Early Ypresian of the Ankara region in Turkey. Only a single species occurs also in the Paleocene of the Paris Basin. No relation to Paleocene and Eocene faunas of Pakistan and India is detectable. This points to a considerably bioprovincialism along the northern coast of the Tethys. Consequently we suppose the existence of an Anatolian Province in the Thanetian/Ypresian Mediterranean Region of the Tethys Realm, represented by rather homogeneous mollusc faunas from western Turkey and northern Iraq. Campanile zakhoense nov. sp., Pyrazopsis hexagonpyramidalis nov. sp., Pachymelania islamogluae nov. sp., “Faunus” dominicii nov. sp. and Pseudoaluco mesopotamicus nov. sp. are introduced as new species. Varicipotamides Pacaud & Harzhauser nov. nom. is proposed as the replacement name for Exechestoma Cossmann (1889) non Brandt (1837).     

Revision and new data on the Coniacian ammonite genus Hemitissotia in the Iberian Peninsula (Spain and Portugal)

The types of the species of the Coniacian ammonite genus Hemitissotia Peron, 1897, identified in the Iberian Peninsula (Spain and Portugal), which are currently held in the Wiedmann (Universität Tübingen, Germany) and Choffat (Instituto Geológico e Mineiro, Portugal) collections, have been revised and refigured. New specimens of the taxa Hemitissotia ceadouroensis Choffat, 1898, Hemitissotia celtiberica Wiedmann, 1975b, Hemitissotia turzoi Karrenberg, 1935, Hemitissotia dullai (Karrenberg 1935) and Hemitissotia lenticeratiformis Wiedmann in Wiedmann and Kauffman, 1978 have also been presented. As results, H. celtiberica has been considered as a junior synonym of H. ceadouroensis, and the lectotype of this species and the neotypes of H. turzoi and H. dullai have been designated and figured. Additionally, the geographical and stratigraphical distributions of all of these species have been determined with precision, and several phylogenetic relationships between them have been identified, revealing morphologies that become progressively smaller and more depressed and ornamented (hydrodynamically less efficient), interpreted as an adaptative response to sea-level changes.     

Alien shrimps in evidence: new records of the genus Athanas Leach, 1814 on the coast of S?o Paulo, southern Brazil (Caridea: Alpheidae)

The occurrence of two alien alpheid shrimps of the genus Athanas Leach, 1814 [in Leach 1813–1814], the Indo-West Pacific A. dimorphus Ortmann, 1894 and the Eastern Atlantic A. nitescens (Leach, 1813 [in Leach 1813–1814]), on the coast of the state of S?o Paulo, Brazil, is reported. The presence of A. dimorphus extends the range of this species in the western Atlantic farther to the south in Brazil, whereas A. nitescens is reported for the first time in the western Atlantic, representing the second alien alpheid species on this side of the Atlantic and the twenty-first decapod crustacean introduced in Brazil. We provide morphological accounts of the material examined and illustrate the most important diagnostic characters of both species. An overview of the possible mechanisms of their introduction on the coast of S?o Paulo is also provided.     

Leucothoid and Maerid Amphipods (Crustacea) from deep regions of the North Atlantic

From amphipod collections from the deep Norwegian Sea, three species are here redescribed: Maera loveni (Bruzelius 1859) (Maeridae), Leucothoe aff. spinicarpa (Abildgaard, 1789) and L. uschakovi Gurjanova, 1951 (Leucothoidae). A key to all Atlantic and Mediterranean Leucothoe species (males only) is provided.     

On the genus Thaumatoconcha Kornicker and Sohn (Halocyprida) with description of two new species from Southern Ocean deep sea

Two new Thaumatoconcha Kornicker and Sohn, 1976a species, T. dandani n. sp. and T. quasiporosa n. sp., have been described in the present paper. Both species have been collected during two expeditions to the Southern Ocean and are found in the deep sea. The first species is most closely related to T. caraionae Kornicker and Sohn, 1976a, but it has a very specific appearance of copulatory organ, anterior part being covered in small spines. The second species is most closely related to T. porosa Kornicker, 1985, and they differ in the carapace shape and morphology, while they have almost identical appearance of the male copulatory organ. A list of Thaumatocyprididae species and a key to the species of Thaumatoconcha are also presented in this paper.     

Neochoiaella n. gen. (Demospongeae, Choiaellidae)—a second poriferan Lazarus taxon from the Solnhofen Plattenkalk (Upper Jurassic, Southern Germany)?

A new demospongid genus and species is described from the Upper Jurassic (Lower Tithonian) Plattenkalk of Langenaltheim near Solnhofen/Bavaria. Both the morphology and the spiculation of the new taxon Neochoiaella frattigianii n. gen. n. sp., which lacks a rigid skeleton, resemble the Early Cambrian family Choiidae de Laubenfels, 1955, particularly the genus Choiaella Rigby and Hou, 1995 from the Cengjiang Fossillagerst?tten of Yunnan/Southern China. Due to the complete preservation of the specimen, we cannot exclude the possibility that Neochoiaella n. gen. was living at its place of burial in the Plattenkalk basin of Solnhofen, but it seems more likely that it was washed in as an allochthonous faunal element, like other benthic organisms from this limestone. Similarly, the hexactinellid reticulate sponge Ammonella quadrata Walther, 1904, which appears to be restricted to the small Plattenkalk basin of Pfalzpaint, led to speculation about a possible Lazarus taxon due to its spicular architecture, which corresponds to that seen in the Early Palaeozoic Protospongiidae Hinde, 1887. Possibly, the special environmental conditions that existed within or close to the Plattenkalk basins provided a niche in which anachronistic taxa such as Neochoiaella n. gen. and Ammonella Walther, 1904 could have survived.     

A New Zamia Species from the Panama Canal Area

There are four terrestrial, above-ground stemmed Zamia taxa in Panama, the species delimitations of which have been a matter of controversy or misplacement at one time or the other (Schutzman et. al., 1998; Stevenson, 1993; Taylor, 1999a, b, 2002). All are allopatrically distributed. Two are in western Panama in Chiriquí province. One of these, Z. pseudomonticola, is found in the northwest of the province at altitudes above 1000 m, while the other, Z. fairchildiana, is found in a relatively small patch of forest in southwestern Chiriquí province. The other two taxa are found around the Canal area or farther east. The species described in this paper is found near the Canal area, and the last of the group, Z. elegantissima, occurs north of the Canal area in the province of Colon and also some distance to the east, including part of the Dule or Kuna aboriginal homeland known as Kuna Yala. After 16 years of research on the new taxon, we have decided to describe it as a new species, pointing out its similarity to Z. elegantissima and its distinctness from Z. pseudomonticola and Z . fairchildiana. The two western species are more alike in structure compared with the eastern species, and the latter are more alike between themselves compared to the western taxa. Even so, there are differences in vegetative and reproductive structures to clearly separate each species. There are even differences in the pollinators, these being, in all cases found, species of the weevil genus Rhopalotria and the snubbed-nosed beetle Pharaxonotha.     

Mitochondrial complex I inhibitors, acetogenins, induce HepG2 cell death through the induction of the complete apoptotic mitochondrial pathway

The development of new anti-neoplastic drugs is a key issue for cancer chemotherapy due to the reality that, most likely, certain cancer cells are resistant to current chemotherapy. The past two decades have witnessed tremendous advances in our understanding of the pathogenesis of cancer. These advances have allowed identification new targets as oncogenes, tumor supressor genes and the possible implication of the mitochondria (Fulda et al. Nat Rev Drug Discov 9:447–464, 2010). Annonaceous Acetogenins (ACGs) have been described as the most potent inhibitors of the respiratory chain because of their interaction with mitochondrial Complex I (Degli Esposti and Ghelli Biochim Biophys Acta 1187:116–120, 1994; Zafra-Polo et al. Phytochemistry 42:253–271, 1996; Miyoshi et al. Biochim Biophys Acta 1365:443–452, 1998; Tormo et al. Arch Biochem Biophys 369:119–126, 1999; Motoyama et al. Bioorg Med Chem Lett 12:2089–2092, 2002). To explore a possible application of natural products from Annonaceous plants to cancer treatment, we have selected four bis-tetrahydrofuranic ACGs, three from Annona cherimolia (cherimolin-1, motrilin and laherradurin) and one from Rollinia mucosa (rollinianstatin-1) in order to fully describe their mechanisms responsible within the cell (Fig. 1). In this study, using a hepato-carcinoma cell line (HepG2) as a model, we showed that the bis-THF ACGs caused cell death through the induction of the apoptotic mitochondrial pathway. Their potency and behavior were compared with the classical mitochondrial respiratory chain Complex I inhibitor rotenone in every apoptotic pathway step.

A new genus and species of isanthid sea anemone (Cnidaria: Anthozoa: Actiniaria) from Chilean Patagonia,Anthoparactis fossii n. gen. et sp

We describe a new genus and species of sea anemone from Chilean Patagonia. Anthoparactis fossii n. gen. et sp. adds another acontiate genus and species to the family Isanthidae Carlgren, 1938. Anthoparactis n. gen. differs from the other isanthid genera in having the same number of mesenteries distally and proximally, acontia with basitrichs only, and a column with verrucae distally. Anthoparactis fossii n. sp. differs from the most similar species, Isoparactis fionae Lauretta et al., 2013, in the number of cycles of mesenteries and tentacles, structures of the column, colour pattern of the oral disc, cnidae, and geographical distribution. Isanthidae now includes seven genera and 11 species.     

A new record of the enigmatic lobster genus Stenodactylina Beurlen, 1928 (Crustacea: Decapoda: Erymidae) from the Middle Jurassic of south-western Germany

A second species of the previously monotypic lobster genus Stenodactylina Beurlen, 1928, Stenodactylina rogerfurzei n. sp. is recorded from the upper Aalenian of the Wutach area (Baden-Württemberg, SW Germany). Like the type species, Stenodactylina liasina Beurlen, 1928, the new species is based only on a single chela. Originally the type horizon of S. liasina was erroneously reported as being late Toarcian in age, but it in fact came from a bituminous limestone bed within the lower Toarcian Posidonia Shale. Hence, the known stratigraphical range of Stenodactylina is expanded from the early Toarcian to the late Aalenian.     

Taxonomic review of Kyphosus (Pisces: Kyphosidae) in the Atlantic and Eastern Pacific Oceans

The taxonomy of the Atlantic and Eastern Pacific species of Kyphosus is reviewed with K. bosquii (Lacepède 1802), K. incisor (Cuvier 1831), K. analogus (Gill 1862) and K. elegans (Peters 1869) considered valid, and K. atlanticus sp. nov. newly described. Kyphosus bosquii and K. atlanticus are both characterized by 12 dorsal- and 11 anal-fin soft rays, but differ in the number of longitudinal scale rows along the midbody (61–66, mode 63 vs. 50–56, mode 54). Kyphosus incisor and K. analogus, characterized by 14 dorsal- and 13 anal-fin soft rays, similarly differ from each other in midbody longitudinal scale row counts (57–64, mode 60 vs. 68–74, mode 70 or 72). Kyphosus elegans is characterized by 13 dorsal- and 12 anal-fin soft rays, and 51–57 midbody longitudinal scale rows. Kyphosus bosquii, K. atlanticus and K. incisor are distributed in the Atlantic Ocean, K. analogus and K. elegans occurring in the Eastern Pacific. The holotype of Pimelepterus flavolineatus Poey 1866, here regarded as a junior synonym of K. incisor, was located within a collection of Cuban fishes donated to the Smithsonian Institution by Poey in 1873. A neotype is designated here for K. analogus. Pimelepterus gallveii Cunningham 1910, Kyphosus palpebrosus Miranda-Ribeiro 1919 and K. metzelaari Jordan and Evermann 1927 are recognized as junior synonyms of K. bosquii. Pimelepterus sandwicensis Sauvage 1880 is a junior synonym of K. elegans. Perca saltatrix Linnaeus 1758, together with the replacement name Perca sectatrix Linnaeus 1766, is regarded as nomina dubia.     

Icriocarcinidae: a family of portunoid crabs from the Upper Cretaceous of North America

Icriocarcininae ?tev?i?, 2005, an extinct North American subfamily of portunoid decapods, is elevated to family level to contain two Late Cretaceous genera—Icriocarcinus Bishop, 1988, from the Pacific Coast, and Branchiocarcinus Feldmann and Vega, 1995, from the Gulf of Mexico and Atlantic Coast Plain. The family is centered on Icriocarcinus xestos Bishop, 1988, described from the Late Campanian of Baja California. Closely allied with this species are: “Eryma” flecta Rathbun, 1926, originally described from the latest Campanian of Tennessee and now known to occur throughout the Maastrichtian of the adjoining Mississippi; Branchiocarcinus cornatus Feldmann and Vega, 1995, from the Maastrichtian of San Luis Potosí, Mexico; and undescribed material from the latest Maastrichtian of New Jersey. The Gulf and Atlantic populations compose a single new species—Branchiocarcinus flectus (Rathbun). Provisionally regarded as a lobster, on the basis of a single, eroded chela, B. flectus is now known from complete bodies found at several locations in the eastern US. The additional material also clarifies the identity of B. cornatus, which is based on a distorted external mold of a lone dorsal carapace. Members of the family lack the typical portunoid flattened fifth pereiopod but share other characters that enable placement within the Portunoidea.     

An analysis of a ‘community-driven’ reconstruction of the human metabolic network

Following a strategy similar to that used in baker’s yeast (Herrgård et al. Nat Biotechnol 26:1155–1160, 2008). A consensus yeast metabolic network obtained from a community approach to systems biology (Herrgård et al. 2008; Dobson et al. BMC Syst Biol 4:145, 2010). Further developments towards a genome-scale metabolic model of yeast (Dobson et al. 2010; Heavner et al. BMC Syst Biol 6:55, 2012). Yeast 5—an expanded reconstruction of the Saccharomyces cerevisiae metabolic network (Heavner et al. 2012) and in Salmonella typhimurium (Thiele et al. BMC Syst Biol 5:8, 2011). A community effort towards a knowledge-base and mathematical model of the human pathogen Salmonella typhimurium LT2 (Thiele et al. 2011), a recent paper (Thiele et al. Nat Biotechnol 31:419–425, 2013). A community-driven global reconstruction of human metabolism (Thiele et al. 2013) described a much improved ‘community consensus’ reconstruction of the human metabolic network, called Recon 2, and the authors (that include the present ones) have made it freely available via a database at http://humanmetabolism.org/ and in SBML format at Biomodels (http://identifiers.org/biomodels.db/MODEL1109130000). This short analysis summarises the main findings, and suggests some approaches that will be able to exploit the availability of this model to advantage.     

A morphometrical study of oribatid mites (Acari: Oribatida) of the genus Carabodes C.L. Koch, 1835 (Carabodidae) using a confocal laser scanning microscope: an alternative approach to quantitative analysis of various features

In the past, micro-arthropod taxonomists have mainly relied on qualitative characters to identify species, and relatively little attention has been paid to quantitative analysis. However, several taxonomic groups have high morphological variability, which creates problems in identification. Quantitative analysis of morphometrical data of specific characters could aid in understanding differences in the morphology of oribatid species. In this respect, confocal laser scanning microscopy and quantitative analysis were used to describe morphological traits of four oribatid mite species belonging to the genus Carabodes Koch, 1835—C. femoralis (Nicolet, 1855), C. labyrinthicus (Michael, 1879), C. ornatus Storkan, 1925 and C. subarcticus Trägårdh, 1902. All specimens were collected in Latvia. Thirteen morphological traits were measured for 838 adult individuals. The same traits were also measured with transmitted light microscopy, and results were compared. The impact of a number of environmental factors on traits was also assessed. High interspecific variability in size of most morphological features was observed. In many cases, sizes of the measured features correlated between different species. The ranges in length of notogastral setae p3 and h3 of C. femoralis did not overlap with those of C. labyrinthicus or C. ornatus. Significant correlations between body length and size of setal structures, as well as between setal structures, were detected. Size of morphological features was directly affected by the cover of lichens, a main food resource for Carabodes, and indirectly by the effect of soil moisture on lichen communities.