Materials for Chinese Phyllanthoideae

The present paper is part of taxonomic study on Chinese Phyllanthoideae. Included in it are two new varieties, Leptopus esquirolii var. villosus and Drypetes hainanensis var. longistipitata, one new combination, Glochidion triandrum var. siamense, and seven new records in China: Drypetes salicifolia, D. hoaensis. Actephila subsessilis, Glochidion khasicum, G. nubigennum, Bridelia spiosa and B. poilanei. In addition, seventeen taxon names are newly reduced: Liodendron formosanum = Drypetes formosana, Liodendron matsumurae = Drypetes matsumurae, D. longipes = D. indica, Antidesma paxii = A. acidum, A. hiiranense, A. filipes and A. pentandrum var. hiiranense = A. japonicum, A. calvescens = A. montanum, A. microphyllum = A. venosum, Breynia stipitata var. formosana and B. jormosana = B. vitis-idaea, Glochidion zeylanicum var. tomentosum = G. hirsutum, G. rubidulum = G. thomsonii, G. acuminatum = G. triandrum, G. fagifolium and Phyllanthus fagifolius = Glochidion sphaerogynum, Bridelia penangiena = B. insulana, B. henryana = B. tomentosa. All the types are kept in SCBl and PE.     

Phylogenetic revision of the Taenogera Kröber genus-group (Diptera: Therevidae), with descriptions of two new genera

The phylogenetic relationships of the Taenogera genus-group, consisting of nine genera, are examined using cladistic methods. Twenty-one species representing nine genera and one outgroup were compared in a cladistic analysis across 99 states in 44 characters. The genus Taenogera Kröber is revised to contain only T. longa (Schiner), T. nitida (Macquart) and T. notatithorax Mann. Two new genera are described and figured: Actenomeros gen. n., with two species, A. corniculaticaudus sp. n. and A. onyx sp. n.; and Taenogerella gen. n., with four species, Ta. elizabethae sp. n., Ta. platina sp. n., Ta. schlingeri sp. n. and Ta . nigrapicalis (Mann) comb. n. Phylogenetic analysis also supports the removal of Nanexila gracilis (Mann) comb. n. from Taenogera .     

Relationships between host blood factors and proteases in Glossina morsitans subspecies infected with Trypanosoma congolense

Abstract. Host blood effects on Trypanosoma congolense establishment in Glossina morsitans morsitans and Glossina morsitans centralis were investigated using goat, rabbit, cow and rhinoceros blood. Meals containing goat erythrocytes facilitated infection in G. m. morsitans , whereas meals containing goat plasma facilitated infection in G. m. centralis. Goat blood effects were not observed in the presence of complementary rabbit blood components. N-acetyl-glucosamine (a midguMectin inhibitor) increased infection rates in some, but not all, blood manipulations. Cholesterol increased infection rates in G. m. centralis only. Both compounds together added to cow blood produced superinfection in G. m. centralis , but not in G. m. morsitans. Midgut protease levels did not differ 6 days post-infection in flies maintaining infections versus flies clearing infections. Protease levels were weakly correlated with patterns of infection, but only in G. m. morsitans. These results suggest that physiological mechanisms responsible for variation in infection rates are only superficially similar in these closely-related tsetse.     

Selection of Verticillium lecanii Isolates with High Potential for Biocontrol of Cucumber Powdery Mildew by Means of Components Analysis at Different Humidity Regimes

To identify characteristics for the selection of Verticillium lecanii isolates with high potential for biocontrol of Sphaerotheca fuliginea under glasshouse conditions, an exploratory study was performed on the effect of water limitation on the development of 14 isolates. The conidial germination, growth and sporulation of isolates of V. lecanii were studied in a tritrophic system on cucumber leaves and in a ditrophic system in Petri dishes. Their mycoparasitic ability was studied in S. fuliginea and Cladosporium cladosporioides . All characteristics were clearly affected by humidity. Four isolates showed good biocontrol potential. The performance of isolates on agar had less predictive value than on powdery mildew. The germination of isolates of V. lecanii was lower and the mycelial growth faster on agar than on mildewed leaves under corresponding humidity conditions. The results suggest that conditions in the phyllosphere differed from the set humidity in the surrounding air. A correlation was found between the lysis of C. cladosporioides growing in dual culture on agar with isolates of V. lecanii and the parasitism of powdery mildew on detached, rooted leaves. C. cladosporioides might offer a suitable substrate for testing isolates of V. lecanii for mycoparasitic potential under various environmental conditions. Conidial germination, growth and sporulation had limited predictive value.     

Evaluation of the Palaearctic Eurithia consobrina (Diptera: Tachinidae) as a Potential Biocontrol Agent for Mamestra configurata (Lepidoptera: Noctuidae) in Canada

The evaluation of Eurithia consobrina (Meigen) as a candidate for introduction against bertha armyworm, Mamestra configurata (Walker) (Lepidoptera: Noctuidae), in western Canada included studies of its host range, distribution, synchronization with host, constancy, abundance and life history in Europe. In addition, its diapause induction and its coldhardiness were compared with those of the target host M. configurata and its native tachinid parasitoid, Athrycia cinerea (Coq.). E. consobrina was found to fit criteria for a successful biocontrol agent reasonably well. It also had the potential to fill a largely unoccupied niche in the parasitoid complex of M. configurata. E. consobrina has a facultative diapause of the long-day type, similar to A. cinerea, but is less sensitive to diapause-inducing conditions. E. consobrina is at least as coldhardy as A. cinerea and more coldhardy than M. configurata. Laboratory exposures to temperatures of 0 C for 140 days apparently selected for greater coldhardiness, and later generations survived exposures of 140 days at -15 C without significant mortality. Adult E. consobrina were released at three locations in Manitoba in 1986 and 1987, but establishment has not been confirmed.     

Predation by Halmus chalybeus (Coleoptera: Coccinellidae) on Ceroplastes destructor and C. sinensis (Hemiptera: Coccidae: Ceroplastinae) Infesting Citrus in Northland, New Zealand

Predation by Halmus chalybeus (steelblue ladybird) on two species of wax scale was studied on citrus orchards in Northland, New Zealand. Field experiments using an exclusion technique of enclosing citrus branches in bags, found that larval and adult H. chalybeus preyed on first and second instars of both Ceroplastes destructor (white wax scale) and C. sinensis (Chinese wax scale), but not third instar C. destructor. Third instar C. sinensis and adults of both species were not tested but are rarely, if ever, attacked by H. chalybeus. The sampling of scale and ladybird populations and field experiments showed that few scales of either species survived past the second instar stage where H. chalybeus was numerous. The feeding rate of H. chalybeus on settled first and second instar scales was estimated inside bagged branches. Adults consumed on average 15.6 C. destructor and 13.3 C. sinensis per day per ladybird, while larvae ate 9.7 C. destructor per day. These feeding rates accounted for the experimental reduction of scale populations. H. chalybeus is a useful natural enemy for the control of C. destructor and C. sinensis when its activity is not disrupted by pesticides.     

The genus Rhaponticoides Vaill. (Asteraceae) in Turkey: a new species and first key

Turkish representatives of the genus Rhaponticoides Vaill. are examined. A key and distribution map of Rhaponticoides species occurring in Turkey are provided for the first time. R. hierroi Ö. Eren sp. nov., from Bakacak pass in the Western Taurus range, SW Anatolia, allied to R. mykalea (Hub.-Mor.) M. V. Agab. &; Greuter is described as a species new to science and illustrated. Its habitat conditions and conservation status are considered. Pollen micrographs of R. hierroi and R. mykalea are presented using scanning electron microscopy.     

Investigations into the evolutionary history of the polyploid complexAntennaria neodioica (Asteraceae: Inuleae)

TheAntennaria neodioica polyploid agamic complex is a polymorphic species occurring across North America mainly north of the terminal margin of the Wisconsin glacier. This taxonomically difficult group has recently been treated as consisting of the four subspeciesA. neodioica subsp.canadensis, subsp.howellii, subsp.neodioica, and subsp.petaloidea. TheA. neodioica agamic complex has been considered of hybrid origin with several sexual diploid species constituting its parentage. Crosses were made among five sexual diploid species ofAntennaria, morphologically similar toA. neodioica s.l., in an attempt to discover its origins. Representative specimens of the five diploid species,A. neodioica s. l., and the synthetic interspecific F₁ hybrids were subjected to various analyses including PCA, cluster (UPGMA), and discriminant analyses. Results suggest that theA. neodioica complex is of multiple hybrid origin involving the four diploid speciesA. neglecta, A. plantaginifolia, A. racemosa, andA. virginica. BecauseA. neodioica is the result of diverse origin it is more desirable to consider the agamic complex as a separate, distinct species from its sexual diploid relatives. Several morphological characters in the diploid species were determined to be polygenically inherited.Investigations into the Evolutionary History of the Polyploid Complexes inAntennaria (Asteraceae: Inuleae). I.     

A re-evaluation of Melanospora Gorda and similar Pyrenomycetes, with a revision of the British species

A re-evaluation of Melanospora Corda and similar genera is presented, based mainly on new data obtained by SEM examination of the ascospores. Eight genera are accepted: Melanospora (nine British species, including M. longisetosa P. Cannon & D. Hawksw.), Persiciospora P. Cannon & D. Hawksw. (including P. moreaui P. Cannon & D. Hawsksw. and P. masonii (Kirschst.) P. Cannon & D. Hawksw.), Phaeostoma (one species), Scopinella (four species; two in the British Isles), Sphaerodes (six species, including S. beatonii (D. Hawksw.) P. Cannon & D. Hawksw., 5. compressa (Udagawa & Cain) P. Cannon & D. Hawksw., S.fimicola (Hansen) P. Cannon & D. Hawksw., S. perplexa (D. Hawksw.) P. Cannon & D. Hawksw., S. retispora (Udagawa & Cain) P. Cannon & D. Hawksw., 5. retispora var. inferior (Udagawa & Cain) P. Cannon & D. Hawksw.; two in the British Isles), Sphaeronaemella (one species, not known in Britain), Syspastospora P. Cannon & D. Hawksw. (one species, S. parasitica (Tul.) P. Cannon & D. Hawksw.) and Viennotidea P. Cannon & D. Hawksw. (four species, including V.fmicola (Marchal) P. Cannon & D. Hawksw., V. humicola (Samson & W. Gams) P. Cannon & D. Hawksw., V. spermosphaerici (Malloch) P. Cannon & D. Hawksw., and V. raphani (Malloch) P. Cannon & D. Hawksw.; one in the British Isles).     

Further flavonoid studies onAttalea species and some related cocosoid palms

In a flavonoid survey of direct and hydrolysed leaf extracts of sixteenAttalea, sevenScheelea and fourOrbignya species free tricin, tricin 7-glycosides, tricin 5-glucoside and flavone C-glycosides were the most frequent constituents; present in 100, 89, 70, and 81% of species, respectively. Luteolin, quercetin and isorhamnetin were each found in only 15% of the sample. The present results confirm the findings of a previous survey thatAttalea, Scheelea andOrbignya are chemically heterogeneous with as much variation between species as between genera. Furthermore, threeAttalea species,A. allenii, A. guaranitica andA. victoriana showed some infraspecific variation. On the other hand all three accessions ofA. ferruginea and six ofA. geraensis examined gave identical flavonoid profiles. The results support the view thatA. geraensis andA. guaranitica are closely related but do not support the suggested close relationship based on morphology betweenA. oleifera, A. burretiana andA. piassabossu.     

The phylogeny ofActaea (Ranunculaceae): A biogeographical approach

Phylogenetic analyses of the genusActaea were performed using morphological, ecological and biogeographical characters. Using solely morphological characters, the relationships of the three identified species-groups remain uncertain. Close biogeographical examination and comparison of the areas with ecological peculiarities as well as climate data gave important insight into the phylogeny ofActaea and the whole tribe. Consequently, the obtained biogeographical data were used for phylogenetic reconstructions. Both, from the point of view of morphological and biogeographical data,A. pachypoda andA. asiatica are the most ancestral species. They grow on the east sides of the continents, mainly in broad-leaved forests. In West Eurasia the apomorphicA. spicata andA. acuminata occur under similar climatic and ecological conditions, but these species are adapted to another climate rhythm. The most advanced species (A. erythrocarpa, A. rubra) are to be found in the boreal forests where they are widely distributed. This biogeographical approach revealed that the evolution of the species led to a gradual widening and shifting of their ecological constitutions.     

Novelties in spermacoceae (Rubiaceae) from Bolivia and Paraguay

One new Bolivian species (Borreria pazensis) and three new varieties (Borreria densiflora var.minima, Richardia, scabra var.chacoensis andStaelia virgata var.killeenii) are described and illustrated. The genusDiodella, with three species (D. apiculata comb. nov., D. radula comb. nov., andD. teres), is reported for the first time.Borreria limae, B. wunschmannii, B. scabiosoides var.scabiosoides, andB. scabiosoides var.anderssonii are also reported as new to Bolivia.     

Systematic Study on Lomatogonium A. Br. (Gentianaceae)

The present paper deals with the infrageneric classification, phylogeny and geographic distribution of the genus Lomatogonium. A cladistic analysis was undertaken to establish the taxa and to evaluate the relationships between the taxa. The PAUP computer program was used in this analysis. The most parsimonious tree (Cladogram) of the rotate-corolla group of subtribe Gentianinae shows that Lomatogonium is closely related to Lomatogoniopsis and Swertia, but distantly to Veratrilla. Among them, Swertia is more primitive than Lomatogonium and hence Sect. Swertia was selected as the outgroup to polarize the character states of ingroup (Lomatogonium). A data matrix of 29 charaters of Lomatogonium was made for constructing the cladogram. Two most parsimonious trees were formed one of which, with the lowest f value, was at last selected as a shortest tree. In this tree 18 species fall into three groups, i.e. Sect. Sarcorhizoma, Sect. Lomatogonium and Sect. Pleurogynella. The former comes at a lower level with more plesiomorphies while the latter at a higher level with more apomorphies. Lomatogonium is distributed in the northern temperate zone. However, 16 species are centred in Asia and two extend to Europe, or further to the Arctic region, but none has been found from Africa, Australia and South erica. The analysis of distribution pattern of species shows that the Qinling-Hengduan Mountain region is both the frequence and diversity centers of Lomatogonium. From the cladogram of Lomatogonium (Fig. 5 ), L. perenne appears to occupy the most plesiomorphic node. This is an indication that it is the extant species closest to the ancestral form and it also implies that the ancestral species may reside in the habitat of this species (the Qinlin-Hengduan Mountain region). On the other hand, a umber of species of Swertia Sect. Swertia also occur in this region today, which indicates that the Qinlin-Hengduan Mountain region may well be the original center of Lomatogonium. From the distribution pattern of L. rotatum, it can be concluded that the time of the origin dates back at least before the Pliocene. After emergence, this genus had first developed and dispersed in the original center and adjacent region, then diverged into two lineages. One gave rise to the widespread species (northern temperate distribution species L. carinthiacum and L. rotatum), and the other formed the Himalayan species.A taxonomic revision of the whole genus Lomatogonium is presented. In this paper, one new section (Sect. Sarcorhizoma), one new species (L. zhongdianense S. W. Liu et T. N. Ho) and one new variety (L. forrestii var. densiflorum S. W. Liu et T. N. Ho) are described. The key to the species is given. Type studies are made for all the taxa.     

Classroom Aids

Tekulsky, Mathew. The Butterfly Garden: Turning Your Garden, Window Box or Backyard into a Beautiful Home for Butterflies. Illustrated by Susanah Brown. Introduction by Robert Michael Pyle. Boston: The Harvard Common Press, 1985–144 pp., plus field notes. $8.95, paper. Reviewed by John W. McClure.

Lauber, Patricia. Dinosaurs Walked Here, and Other Stories Fossils Tell Us. New York: Bradbury Press. 56 pp., $15–95 cloth. Reviewed by Joseph Patrick Kennedy.

Kathlyn Gay. The Greenhouse Effect. Franklin Watts/A Science Impact Book, 1986. 87 pp. $10.90 hardcover. Reviewed by Arthur H. Doerr.

de la Cotardiere, Philippe, ed. Astronomy. New York: Facts on File, Inc., 1987. 326 pp. $35.00 hardcover. Reviewed by Alan R. Newman.

Ehrlich, Anne H. and Paul R. Ehrlich. Earth. New York: Franklin Watts, 1987. 285 pp., $19.95 hardcover. Reviewed by Elisa Malcohn.

Branley, Franklin M. Star Guide. New York: Thomas Y. Crowell, 1987. 51 pp. $11.95 hardcover. Reviewed by Joseph S. Tenn.

Ontario Science Centre. Foodworks: Over 100 Science Activities and Fascinating Facts That Explore the Magic of Food. Massachusetts: Addison-Wesley, 1987. 90 pp. $7.95 paper. Reviewed by Mary S. Duru.

Danks, Hugh. The Bug Book and the Bug Bottle , illustrated by Joe Weissman. New York: John Wiley &; Sons, 1987. 64 pp. and bottle, $7.95 paper. Reviewed by Arnold E. S. Gussin.

Bruno, Leonard C. The Tradition of Science: Landmarks of Western Science in the Collection of the Library of Congress. Washington, D.C.: Library of Congress, 1987, xi and 351 pp. $30.00 paper. Reviewed by G. F. Kohlbach.

Davis, Phillip J. and Reuben Hersh. Descartes' Dream: The World According to Mathematics. Boston: Houghton Mifflin Company, 1987. xviii and 321 pp. 812.95 paper. Reviewed by Edwin Halfar.

Barash, David P. The Hare and the Tortoise. New York: Penguin Books, 1987. 351 pp. $7.95 paper. Reviewed by Robert W. Boenig.

Terres, John K. How Birds Fly. New York: Perennial library (Harper &; Row), 1987. 177 pp. $7.95. Reviewed by C. Bruce Hunter.

Dorros, Arthur. Ant Cities , a This Is a Let's-Read-and-Find-Out-Science Book. New York: Thomas Y. Crowell, 1987. 32 pp. $12.70 hardcover. Reviewed by John W. McClure.     

Biology, Impact and Preliminary Host-specificity Testing of the Rust Fungus, Uromyces salsolae , a Potential Biological Control Agent for Salsola kali in the USA

Russian thistle, Salsola kali (=Salsola australis) (Chenopodiaceae) of Eurasian origin is a troublesome weed in the drier regions of the western USA. The weed commonly infests crops, disturbed wastelands and overgrazed rangelands. A rust fungus, Uromyces salsolae , has been found to cause considerable damage to the weed in Eurasia. Field observations in Turkey revealed that S. kali plants infected by the rust were covered with a powdery brown mass of urediniospores and had stunted growth. Under laboratory conditions, U. salsolae severely infected Salsola plants from France, the USA and Turkey (control). The urediniospores germinated when in contact with water within a minimum period of 2 h and over a wide range of temperatures. S. kali plants were also infected at a wide range of temperatures and incubation periods with simulated dew. Fungal attack was very severe and caused mortality or much reduced growth of infected plants without seed production. Preliminary host specificity testing using 17 plant species or varieties from six families revealed that the rust infected only the Russian thistle. U. salsolae was imported recently into the USA for further host specificity testing under quarantine conditions. Its use as a biological control agent for S. kali in the USA is recommended.     

Inhibitory effects of microalgae on the activation of hyaluronidase

The inhibitory effects of seven microalgae, Nostoc flagelliforme, Spirulina platensis, Porphyridium purpureum, Rhodosorus marinus,Chlorella pyrenoidosa, Dunaliella salina and Pleurochrysiscarterae on the activation of hyaluronidase were evaluated. Theinhibitory effect of the ethanol-insoluble fraction of each water extract frommicroalgae was stronger than that of the ethanol-soluble fraction. The50% inhibitory concentration (IC₅₀) of the ethanol-insolublefraction of S. platensis, P. purpureum, R. marinus, C.pyrenoidosa, D. salina and P. carterae was 0.15, 0.18, 0.26,0.94, 0.15 and 0.41 mg mL^-1, respectively. The IC₅₀ ofN .flagelliforme was not calculated, because there was no detectableinhibitory effect of this alga. The IC₅₀ of disodium cromoglycate(DSCG) used as the anti-allergic medicine was 0.14 mg mL^-1. The IC₅₀ of S. platensis, P. purpureum and D. salinawere almost the same as that of DSCG. This suggests that theethanol-insoluble fraction of S. platensis, P. purpureum and D. salina might be an anti-allergic substance. The ethanol-insoluble fractionof S. platensis and D. salina was ultrafiltered through a membranehaving a molecular exclusion limit of 20 kDa. The IC₅₀ of theresidue was stronger than that of the filtrate. These results suggest that theanti-allergic substance(s) of these microalgae may be polysaccharides.     

The supraspecific taxonomy and evolution of the fern genusAzolla (Azollaceae)

The systematics of the aquatic fern genusAzolla Lam. is revised at the supraspecific level. Published morphological data are reviewed, and cytological and cladistic analyses of the genus conducted, enabling a discussion of the putative evolutionary trends in the genus, and a revision of the current taxonomy. A phylogenetically more acceptable subgeneric and sectional classification is proposed, viz. subg.Azolla sect.Azolla (comprisingA. filiculoides Lam.,A. rubra R. Br.,A caroliniana auct. nonWilld.,A. microphylla auct. nonKaulf. andA. mexicana Presl), subg.Azolla sect.Rhizosperma (Mey.)Mett. (comprisingA. pinnata R. Br.), and subg.Tetrasporocarpia subg. nov. (comprisingA. nilotica Decne. exMett.).     

Seasonal and between-sex differences in the diet of Black Grouse Tetrao tetrix

Capsule Dietary differences between sexes and seasons reflected diversity in plant availability and habitat preferences.

Aims To analyse Black Grouse diet through the identification of plant and invertebrate material found in the crop.

Methods Crops were dissected and the content categorized into plant species and components (i.e. leaf, stem, flower, fruit and seed). Multivariate analysis was used to test for seasonal, sex- or location-related differences in the diet.

Results Plant fragments accounted for 98% of the diet and included 53 plant species or taxa. Invertebrates made up the remaining 2%. Diet varied significantly between seasons and sexes. Both sexes ate more ericaceous shrubs in autumn and winter, with females eating more than males. The plant parts eaten varied seasonally. In summer, fruits, flowers and seeds were favoured over leaves, which dominated in winter.

Conclusions With few trees, birds were reliant upon Heather in autumn and winter.