Trend of changes in species diversity of Permian radiolarians of the genus <Emphasis Type="Italic">Entactinia</Emphasis> Foreman

The trend of species diversity and spatiotemporal distribution of spherical radiolarians of the genus Entactinia Foreman, 1963 in the Permian Period is analyzed. The center of origin of Permian entactinians in the Cis-Ural Paleobasin is established in the area of the modern interfluve of the Ural River and latitudinal current of the Belaya River on the Southern Urals. It is shown that the species composition of this genus almost completely changed in certain Permian epochs. Two forefather species of each new pleiad of Early, Middle, and Late Permian are revealed: Entactinia parapycnoclada and E. tyrrelli. Two new species of the Lower Permian radiolarians from the Southern Urals and Northern Mugodzhary, E. chernykhi sp. nov. and E. subquadrata sp. nov., are described.     

Evolution of the Permian family Spirolegoceratidae (Goniatitida,Ammonoidea)

The evolution of the Permian ammonoid family Spirolegoceratidae is discussed and a new phylogenetic reconstruction is proposed based on new data. Two subfamilies are recognized within the family Spirolegoceratidae: Spirolegoceratinae Nassichuk and Sverdrupitinae subfam. nov. A new genus, Archboldiceras, is proposed to accommodate the Australian species Uraloceras lobulatum and U. whitehousei. Species of the genus Sverdrupites Nassichuk, 1970 are described based on new material from the Volga-Urals Region. The new species S. bogoslovskayae from the Gerkinskaya Formation of Novaya Zemlya previously identified by M.F. Bogoslovskaya as S. amundseni is described.     

Sponges from the Permian of Hambast Mountains,south of Abadeh,central Iran

Upper Permian (Murghabian) sponges from the Surmaq Formation exposed in the Hambast Mountains, south of Abadeh, central Iran are described. The sponge fauna of the Surmaq Formation is composed of at least 26 taxa, including 12 species of sphinctozoans, 12 species of inozoans, one operculospongid, and one lithistid species. The following taxa were determined to genus or species level: Sphinctozoa: Family Sebargasiidae: Amblysiphonella hambastensis n. sp., Discosiphonella iranica n. sp., Family Colospongiidae: Colospongia cortexifera Senowbari-Daryan and Rigby, Exaulipora permica (Senowbari-Daryan), Platythalamiella sp. 1, Platythalamiella? sp. 2, Parauvanella minima Senowbari-Daryan, Colospongia? or Neoguadalupia? sp., Family Guadalupiidae: Cystothalamia surmaqensis n. sp., Imbricatocoelia cf. paucipora Rigby, Fan and Zhang, Family Thaumastocoeliidae: Sollasia ostiolata Steinmann, Family Cryptocoeliidae: Stylocoelia circopora Wu. Inozoa: Family Peronidellidae: Preperonidella cf. Preperonidella recta grossa (Wu), Heptatubispongia symmetrica Rigby and Senowbari-Daryan, Hambastella sincassa n. gen., n. sp., Hambastella cumcassa n. sp., Family Maeandrostiidae: Maeandrostia kansasensis Girty, Maeandrostia? dubia n. sp., Surmaqella pustulata n. gen., n. sp., Family Auriculospongiidae: Pseudopalaeoaplysina huayingensis Wang, Qiang and Zhang, Family Disjectoporidae: Disjectopora beipeiensis Fan, Rigby and Zhang, Lichuanopora cf. bancaoensis Fan, Rigby and Zhang, Family Khmeriidae: Imilce newelli Flügel. Lithistida: Family Astylospongiidae: Raanespongia iranica n. sp. Among the sphinctozoans A. hambastensis n. sp. is an extremely abundant species. Among the inozoans the genus Hambastella n. gen., with both species, is the most abundant genus. The genera Disjectopora, Lichuanopora, and Pseudopaleoaplysina, were described as hydrozoans by early workers, but are assigned to the inozoans in this paper. The Upper Permian sponge fauna, as well as the composition of other reef organisms, from the Hambast Mountains in central Iran is different from that of the assemblage in the Lower Permian reefal limestones of Bagh-e Vang from the Shotori Mountians (northeast Iran).     

Protective Effects of <Emphasis Type="Italic">Mekabu</Emphasis> Aqueous Solution Fermented by <Emphasis Type="Italic">Lactobacillus plantarum</Emphasis> Sanriku-SU7 on Human Enterocyte-Like HT-29-luc Cells and DSS-Induced Murine IBD Model

Most wakame Undaria pinnatifida, a brown algae, products are made from the frond portion. In this study, the polysaccharide content and antioxidant property of aqueous extract solutions (AESs) of the four parts (frond: wakame, stem of the frond: kuki-wakame, sporophyll: mekabu, and kuki-mekabu) of wakame were investigated. Polysaccharide content was high in both the wakame and mekabu. Superoxide anion (O₂ ^?) radical-scavenging capacities were high in the mekabu. These AESs could be fermented by Lactobacillus plantarum Sanriku-SU7. The O₂ ^? radical-scavenging activity of the kuki-wakame, mekabu, and kuki-mekabu were increased by the fermentation. Fermented mekabu clearly showed a protective effect on human enterocyte-like HT-29-luc cells and in a mouse model of dextran sodium sulphate-induced inflammatory bowel disease (IBD). These results suggest that the mekabu fermented by L. plantarum Sanriku-SU7 has anti-IBD effect related to O₂ ^? radical-scavenging.     

New Species of <Emphasis Type="Italic">Inoceramus</Emphasis>-like Bivalves of the Subfamily Kolymiinae from the Middle Permian of Northeastern Asia

Middle Permian Inoceramus-like bivalves of the genera Kolymia Licharew and Cyrtokolymia Astafieva endemic to the East Boreal Biogeographic Realm are considered. Cyrtokolymia, previously regarded by the author as endemics of the Verkhoyansk–Okhotsk Province and including only the type species, are also recorded in the Kolyma–Omolon Province, where they are represented by the endemic species C. bobini sp. nov. An emended diagnosis of the genus Cyrtokolymia is provided. The genus Kolymia comprises about 30 species. The greatest diversity of Kolymia (24 species, 13 of which are endemic) is known from the Verkhoyansk–Okhotsk Province, which is the center of diversification of this genus. The Kolyma–Omolon Province is characterized by 12 species, only three of which are endemic. In other provinces of the East Boreal Realm, only individual members of Kolymia are known. From the Middle Permian of the Omolon Massif, northern Verkhoyansk Region, and Penzhinsky Ridge, the following new species are described: Kolymia posneri Muromzeva, Kusnezov et Biakov, sp. nov., K. pontoneica Biakov, sp. nov., K. simkiniformis Biakov, sp. nov., and Cyrtokolymia bobini Biakov, sp. nov.     

Fossil wood of <Emphasis Type="Italic">Pinus priamurensis</Emphasis> sp. nov. (Pinaceae) from the Miocene deposits of the Erkovetskii Brown Coal Field,Amur Region

New species of the pine fossil wood, Pinus priamurensis sp. nov. (Pinaceae) from the Sazanka Formation (upper Middle Miocene–Upper Miocene) of the Erkovetskii Brown Coal Field (Amur Region) is described. The new species shares some wood anatomical features with modern species of the subsection Pinus (section Pinus, subgenus Pinus). This is the first record of fossil wood of Pinus in the Amur Region.     

Fossil wood of <Emphasis Type="Italic">Betula erkovetskiensis</Emphasis> sp. nov. (Betulaceae) from the Miocene of the Erkovetskii Brown Coal Field,Amur Region,Russia

A new species, Betula erkovetskiensis Blokhina et O.V. Bondarenko (Betulaceae), from the deposits of the Sazanka Formation (upper Middle?Upper Miocene) of the Erkovetskii Brown Coal Field (Amur Region, Russia) is described based on anatomical features of fossil wood. The new species shows some wood anatomical characters of the extant birch subgenus Betula, B. davurica, B. nigra (section Dahuricae), and B. papyrifera (section Betula). Fossil wood of Betula is found in the Amur Region for the first time.     

On the First Finds of the Genus <Emphasis Type="Italic">Djanaliparkinsonia</Emphasis> (Stephanoceratidae,Ammonoidea) in the Upper Bajocian of the Northern Caucasus

The genus Djanaliparkinsonia Kutuzova, 1975 was originally described as an endemic subgenus of the genus Parkinsonia (family Parkinsoniidae of the superfamily Perisphinctoidea) from the Upper Bajocian (middle member of the Degibadam Formation) of the Gissar Range (Uzbekistan). A new species D. alanica sp. nov. is established from the Upper Bajocian Garantiana garantiana Zone (upper member of the Djangura Formation) based on occurrences in the Northern Caucasus (Karachay-Cherkessia). Macroconchs and microconchs of the new species are described from the two localities on the Kuban and Kyafar rivers. Djanaliparkinsonia sp. is identified from the lower subzone of the Parkinsonia parkinsoni Zone of the Kyafar River. The species composition and geographic range of Djanaliparkinsonia are expanded: a species previously described from Germany as Garantiana bentzi Wetzel, 1954 also assigned to the genus. The genus Djanaliparkinsonia is assigned to the subfamily Garantianinae of the family Stephanoceratidae (superfamily Stephanoceratoidea).     

Leaf anatomy of <Emphasis Type="Italic">Acrocomia</Emphasis> (Arecaceae): an additional contribution to the taxonomic resolution of a genus with great economic potential

Acrocomia is one of the most complex genera to understand in the Neotropical Arecaceae, and there is no consensus on the number of species in the genus. A comparative study of leaf anatomy was conducted on seven species of Acrocomia: one with a wide distribution in the Americas (A. aculeata), five endemic to different regions of Brazil, Bolivia and Paraguay (A. emensis, A. glaucescens, A. hassleri, A. intumescens and A. totai) and one endemic to Cuba (A. crispa). Characters that unify the species of Acrocomia include the following: epidermis covered with cuticle, hypodermis on both sides of the leaflets, non-vascular fiber bundles, and primary and secondary vascular bundles. The shape of the leaflet margin, the distribution of the primary vascular bundles and fiber bundles, the number of idioblasts with raphides and the size of the vascular bundles, along with other characteristics, were used to distinguish these species in Acrocomia.     

New ideas on the system of the Permian <Emphasis Type="Italic">Inoceramus</Emphasis>-like bivalves of the eastern Boreal zone

New concepts of systematics and phylogeny of the Permian Inoceramus-like bivalve mollusks of the eastern part of the Boreal zone are discussed based on analysis of the group’s historical development. All taxa studied are referred to the family Kolymiidae Kusnezov, which is divided into two subfamilies, Kolymiinae and Atomodesmatinae. In the subfamily Kolymiinae, two new genera are described: Praekolymia with the type species P. archboldi sp. nov. and P. urbajtisae sp. nov., and Taimyrokolymia with the type species T. ustritskyi sp. nov. In the subfamily Atomodesmatinae, two new genera, Costatoaphanaia and Okhotodesma, are described. The development of the group is shown to be generally autochthonous with some invasions (genus Atomodesma and, probably, Trabeculatia) from extraboreal regions.     

<Emphasis Type="Italic">Scalaspira</Emphasis> (Gastropoda) from the Paleogene of the Transcaspian Region

The composition and distribution of the species of the genus Scalaspira Conrad, 1862 in the Eocene-Oligocene of western Kazakhstan are revised. Following Tembrock we assign this genus to Buccinidae and synonymize Aquilofusus Kautsky, 1925 with it. The stratigraphic interval studied contains at least eight species. Three species are new: S. alexeevi (Middle? and Upper Eocene, Chegan Formation), S. korobkovi, and S. kumsuatensis (Upper Oligocene, Karatomak Beds).     

New Triassic beetles (Coleoptera) from northern European Russia

Beetle remains from the Triassic Khey-Yaga locality, Nenets National District, Korotaikha Basin, Nyadeita Formation, Olenekian-Anisian are described. Only isolated elytra have been found. Tetracoleus tshalyshevi gen. et sp. nov. and T. minimus sp. nov. are described and assigned to Tricoleidae, and six new species are described in formal taxa. Tetracoleus is close to Permian tricoleids just found in the Newcastle Group of Australia and the Vyatkian Aristovo locality of northern European Russia. The composition of elytra in the locality is closer to that of Lower Triassic localities than other Middle Triassic localities and characterizes the beginning of a recovery after the Permian-Triassic ecological crisis. Longxianocupes Hong in Liu, Liu et Hong, 1985 is shown to be a junior synonym of Sogdelytron Ponomarenko, 1969. The species Palademosyne ovum Ponomarenko, 2004, P. elongatum Ponomarenko, 2004, and P. latum Ponomarenko, 2004 are transferred to the genus Pseudochrysomelites Handlirsch, 1906.     

New species of <Emphasis Type="Italic">Fanichonetes</Emphasis> Xu et Grant (Brachiopoda,Chonetida) from the Lower Permian of South Korea

A new chonetid species, Fanichonetes minusculus, from the Lower Permian of Pamchi Formation of the northeastern South Korea is described and assigned to the subfamily Rugosochonetinae of the family Rugosochonetidae.     

Fossil wood of <Emphasis Type="Italic">Laricioxylon erkovetskiense</Emphasis> sp. nov. (Pinaceae) from the Miocene of the Erkovetskii Brown Coal Field,Amur Region,Russia

A new species, Laricioxylon erkovetskiense sp. nov. (Pinaceae) identified on the basis of anatomical features of fossil wood from the Sazanka Formation (upper Middle Miocene–Upper Miocene) of the Erkovetskii Brown Coal Field (Amur Region) is described. The new species shares some characters with the extant larches Larix cajanderi and L. olgensis.     

Comparative analysis of immune responses in Colorado potato beetle larvae during development of mycoses caused by <Emphasis Type="Italic">Metarhizium robertsii</Emphasis>, <Emphasis Type="Italic">M. brunneum</Emphasis>, and <Emphasis Type="Italic">M. pemphigi</Emphasis>

Development of mycoses and progress of humoral and cellular immune responses were compared in larvae of the Colorado potato beetle Leptinotarsa decemlineata infected with entomopathogenic fungi Metarhizium robertsii, M. brunneum and M. pemphigi. The larvae were found to be highly susceptible to the strains of M. robertsii and M. brunneum but weakly responsive to M. pemphigi. The extent of susceptibility to the pathogens was not related to the stimulating effect of epicuticular extracts on fungal growth. Metarhizium pemphigi, which is non-specific to the Colorado potato beetle, did not cause any significant changes in the immune response and did not colonize the hemocoel. When infected with M. robertsii and M. brunneum, the larvae exhibited an increase in hemocyte count during the early stage of mycosis (day 2) followed by a drastic decrease on day 3. The immunocompetent cells, plasmatocytes and granulocytes, exhibited the greatest decrease. Elevated phenoloxidase activity was recorded in the hemolymph and cuticle on days 2 and 3 post-infection. These changes in the immune responses correlated with strain-specific virulence. Thus, the immune response in Colorado potato beetle larvae is an important factor, which determines differences in the development of mycoses caused by different Metarhizium species.     

<Emphasis Type="Italic">Bruguiera hainesii</Emphasis>, a critically endangered mangrove species,is a hybrid between <Emphasis Type="Italic">B. cylindrica</Emphasis> and <Emphasis Type="Italic">B. gymnorhiza</Emphasis> (Rhizophoraceae)

Bruguiera hainesii (Rhizophoraceae) is one of the two Critically Endangered mangrove species listed in the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. Although the species is vulnerable to extinction, its genetic diversity and the evolutionary relationships with other Bruguiera species are not well understood. Also, intermediate morphological characters imply that the species might be of hybrid origin. To clarify the genetic relationship between B. hainesii and other Bruguiera species, we conducted molecular analyses including all six Bruguiera species using DNA sequences of two nuclear genes (CesA and UNK) and three chloroplast regions (intergenic spacer regions of trnL-trnF, trnS-trnG and atpB-rbcL). For nuclear DNA markers, all nine B. hainesii samples from five populations were heterozygous at both loci, with one allele was shared with B. cylindrica, and the other with B. gymnorhiza. For chloroplast DNA markers, the two haplotypes found in B. hainesii were shared only by B. cylindrica. These results suggested that B. hainesii is a hybrid between B. cylindrica as the maternal parent and B. gymnorhiza as the paternal one. Furthermore, chloroplast DNA haplotypes found in B. hainesii suggest that hybridization has occurred independently in regions where the distribution ranges of the parental species meet. As the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species currently excludes hybrids (except for apomictic plant hybrids), the conservation status of B. hainesii should be reconsidered.