A new deep‐water chimaerid species, Hydrolagus lusitanicus n. sp., from off mainland Portugal with a proposal of a new identification key for the genus Hydrolagus(Holocephali: Chimaeridae) in the north‐east Atlantic

A new chimaerid species closely related to Hydrolagus pallidus is described from 13 specimens captured on the Portuguese continental slope (north‐east Atlantic) by commercial longliners at depths of c . 1600 m. The new species is large‐bodied with a rose to light brown body colouration. Hydrolagus lusitanicus n.sp. presents a combination of external morphological characters that allow it to be clearly differentiated from its congeners, in particular, the ratios of pectoral fin length: pectoral fin width and pelvic fin length: pelvic fin width; in having a serrated posterior edge of the dorsal spine; a high number of ridges in the dental plates. Additionally in males, there are differences on the shape and number of hooks in the frontal tenacula, on the number of spines in the prepelvic tenacula and on the length of the pectoral fin margin.     

Silene patula (Siphonomorpha,Caryophyllaceae) in North Africa: A test of colonisation routes using chloroplast markers

Based on morphological characters, the North African Silene patula has been divided into two subspecies, ssp. patula found North of Kabylies and Atlas Mountains, and ssp. amurensis found south of these regions. In order to test the hypothesis that S. patula could have derived from S. italica through the Sicilian Channel during the Messinian, we sequenced three chloroplast loci, trnH–psbA, trnS–trnG and rpl12–rps20. Fifteen haplotypes were found on 211 herbarium specimens, associated with a huge differentiation within species. The hypothesis that S. patula had independently evolved as two different subspecies North and South of the mountains is refuted and a morphological adaptation to different pollinators is suggested to explain the differences between the two taxa. The Kabylies–Numidie–Kroumirie gathers a large proportion of haplotypes, which points to this region as a probable refugium or place of origin from which spatial expansions have subsequently occurred towards Morocco and the Aurès Mountains.     

Analysis of the clinal variation pattern inSilene latifolia (Caryophyllaceae) pollen morphology

Reticulate and microechinate pollen forms withinSilene latifolia (S. alba, S. pratensis) were first described from N. America, where the species is an introduced weed. A previous study showed that the two forms also exist in Europe and intergrade along a zone roughly congruent with intergradation zones in seed morphology and flavone glycosylation genotypes. The present survey of pollen from herbarium specimens is more extensive and covers localities from nearly the whole of the species' native Eurasian and North African range. The first axis of a detrended correspondence analysis (DCA) of qualitative characterstate data for 11 pollen morphological characters shows a gradient between the two extreme exine types, reticulate and microechinate. When mapped, the co-ordinates of pollen samples on this axis indicate a broad zone of intergradation which coincides approximately with the somewhat sharper transition between low- and high-tubercle seeds in C. and N. Europe, but becomes diffuse in Italy and the Mediterranean region and diverges from the seed transition zone in SW. Asia and the Middle East. The biological significance of the pollen morphs is unknown; the variation pattern in pollen morphology, unlike that in seeds, is not consistently correlated with macroclimate.     

Taxonomic Notes on Nasutitermes and Bulbitermes (Termitidae, Nasutitermitinae) from the Sunda region of Southeast Asia based on morphological and molecular characters

The Sunda region of Southeastern Asia is rich in termite fauna, but termites from this region have been poorly described. In this study, we described eight species from two diverse genera from this region, and from the family Termitidae. We describe Bulbitermes 4 spp. and Nasutitermes 4 spp. from new field collections. Where possible we examine original holotype specimens, and describe the essential morphological characters for soldier and worker castes. We devise two new bifurcating keys to guide the field identification of each species. In addition, we develop a nucleotide sequence profile for the COI gene. From this molecular character matrix, we use Neighbour-Joining analysis to test the monophyly of each morphospecies and genus. We find that the morphological and molecular characters are highly concordant, whereby all taxa appear to represent distinct molecular clades. For termites, there is therefore agreement between the morphological taxonomic characters used to sort species from a bifurcating key and the molecular taxonomic characters used to sort species on a bifurcating tree. This joint analysis suggests that DNA barcoding holds considerable promise for termite taxonomy, especially for diverse clades like Bulbitermes and Nasutitermes for which a global morphological key would be intractable.     

应用形态、染色体和分子特征研究我国雷氏按蚊的分类鉴别(双翅目:蚊科)

为确定可靠的雷氏按蚊Anopheles lesteri Baisas et Hu.1936分类鉴别特征,对采自不同地区的雷氏按蚊进行了形态、染色体和分子特征的观察和分析。检视了辽宁、广东现场标本,江苏实验室品系的成蚊、虫卵特征,描述了染色体核型,并测定了采自广东、辽宁、河南和云南4省的现场标本,以及江苏、海南和广西实验室品系的核糖体DNA间隔2区（ITS2）和D3序列。结果显示成蚊、虫卵形态变异较大,不具备稳定、明确的鉴别特征;染色体核型具有多态现象,性染色体X、Y分别有3个和2个类型,可分为染色体型A与B;唯有ITS2分子序列具有客观、稳定的种间差异,系雷氏按蚊可靠、可行的鉴别特征。     

A multivariate analysis of Hyospathe (Palmae)

Previous systematic treatments of the neotropical palm genus Hyospathe have recognized from two to 18 species. An explicit, quantitative, repeatable sequence of operations for delimiting and testing groups of specimens and applying species concepts is carried out. Multivariate statistical analysis of morphological data is used to delimit and test groups of specimens. Cluster analysis is used to distinguish between characters and traits. Analysis of qualitative and quantitative characters reveals six groups of specimens, and the Phylogenetic Species Concept is applied to these groups. Two species, H. peruviana Henderson and H. frontinensis Henderson, are described as new. One of the specimen groups is large and widespread, and six geographically separate subgroups can be recognized within it. These subgroups can be distinguished by one or more significantly different quantitative characters. A Phylogenetic Subspecies Concept is applied to these subgroups. Three subspecies, H. elegans subsp. costaricensis Henderson, H. elegans subsp. sanblasensis Henderson, and H. elegans subsp. tacarcunensis Henderson are described as new, and two new combinations are made: H. elegans subsp. sodiroi (Dammer ex Burret) Henderson and H. elegans subsp. concinna (H. E. Moore) Henderson. One subspecies occurring in the Amazon region is complex morphologically and is not resolved by the methods used here.