THE COMPARATIVE MORPHOLOGY OF THREE CYLINDROPUNTIAS

The three species discussed in this article have at one time been considered congeneric in Grusonia. Present evidence indicates the three are specifically distinct and should be congeneric, but as cylindropuntias in Opuntia. There seems to be no valid reason for retaining the genus Grusonia. Except for branching and decomposition, Opuntia bradtiana and O. santamaria are more similar anatomically and morphologically than O. kunzei is to either of the two.     

Phylogeny and systematics of the bee genus Osmia (Hymenoptera: Megachilidae) with emphasis on North American Melanosmia: subgenera,synonymies and nesting biology revisited

The predominantly Holarctic bee genus Osmia Panzer is species‐rich and behaviourally diverse. A robust phylogeny of this genus is important for understanding the evolution of the immense variety of morphological and behavioural traits exhibited by this group. We infer a phylogeny of Osmia using DNA sequence data obtained from three nuclear genes (elongation factor 1‐α, LW‐rhodopsin and CAD) and the mitochondrial gene COI. Our taxon sampling places special attention on North American members of the subgenus Melanosmia Schmiedeknecht; we discuss the novel placement of a number of species traditionally assigned to O. (Melanosmia) and examine the relative support for alternative classifications of this species‐rich subgenus. We use this new phylogeny to guide a reassessment of morphological and behavioural characters within Osmia. Our results provide support for the recognition of Osmia (Hapsidosmia), subgen.n ., a monotypic subgenus containing Osmia iridis Cockerell & Titus. We synonymize Osmia (Mystacosmia) Snelling under O. (Melanosmia), syn.n . We synonymize Osmia (Acanthosmioides) Ashmead under O. (Melanosmia), syn.n ., propose ‘odontogaster species group’ as a replacement for the subgeneric name Acanthosmioides, and refine the morphological characters that serve to diagnose the species group. We additionally propose ‘nigrifrons species group’ for a clade within O. (Melanosmia) containing most species formerly placed in Osmia (Centrosmia) Robertson. We demonstrate more cohesive patterns of nest substrate use in the nigrifrons and odontogaster species groups than was previously believed to occur, reconsider character polarity of aspects of the female mandible, and show that a large number of morphological characters have evolved convergently within the genus. In order to facilitate discussion of relevant taxa, we propose the following 15 new synonymies: O. bakeri Sandhouse under O. melanopleura Cockerell; O. crenulaticornis Michener under O. pinorum Cockerell; O. claremontensis Michener under O. sedula Sandhouse; O. cockerelli Sandhouse under O. dakotensis Michener; O. francisconis White under O. enixa Sandhouse; O. hurdi White under O. austromaritima Michener; O. sladeni Sandhouse under O. nifoata Cockerell; O. titusi Cockerell under O. phenax Cockerell; O. subtrevoris Cockerell, O. physariae Cockerell, and O. erecta Michener under O. giliarum Cockerell; and O. universitatis Cockerell, O. integrella Cockerell, O. amala Cockerell, and O. metitia Cockerell under O. nigrifrons Cresson, syn.n . We remove O. wyomingensis Michener from synonymy with O. nifoata Cockerell, stat.n ., and O. pinorum Cockerell from synonymy with O. physariae Cockerell, stat.n . This published work has been registered in ZooBank, http://zoobank.org/urn:lsid:zoobank.org:pub:A3E7D63B‐5C4C‐4ACF‐BF33‐48E5C5DD1B0D .     

New species and records of Pelycidion P. Fischer in de Folin & Périer, 1873 (Gastropoda: Pelycidiidae) from temperate Australia

Four new species of Pelycidion P. Fischer in de Folin & Périer, 1873 are described from temperate Australia on the basis of shells: Pelycidion eukyrtos n. sp. from central Victoria, P. caperovertex n. sp. and P. kratycylindros n. sp. from southwest Australia and P. meizonarchei n. sp. from southern Tasmania. Two additional congeneric specimens are known from the region and discussed; one of these, from the Tasman Sea, is illustrated and likely represents a new species. Collectively, these specimens are the first members of the genus and family to be recorded from temperate Australia. A brief overview of the described species of Pelycidion is given.     

警惕检疫性害虫南洋臀纹粉蚧在中国大陆扩散

南洋臀纹粉蚧,又称咖啡粉蚧、可可粉蚧、紫粉蚧,主要危害饮料作物、果树、蔬菜和园林树木,是新近入侵中国大陆的一种危险性检疫性害虫,2012年以来在中国大陆的云南、海南等地陆续被发现。本文介绍了南洋臀纹粉蚧的识别特征、危害特性、寄主植物种类、生物生态学特点、地理分布范围、传播扩散途径和防治措施等,为预防该虫在我国的进一步蔓延提供依据。     

Anilocra pilchardi n. sp., a new parasitic cymothoid isopod from off Lebanon (Eastern Mediterranean)

Anilocra pilchardi n. sp. is described from several specimens collected mainly from clupeiform fishes from off Lebanon. Various stages of the parasite are considered: ovigerous and non-ovigerous females, male and intramarsupial larvae. Taxonomic comments on the relationship of A. pilchardi to other congeneric species are given. A. pilchardi belongs to a particular group of Anilocra species previously known only from the Indo-Pacific Region.     

Phytogeny of Epidermophyton floccosum and other dermatophytes

Eleven strains of Epidermophyton floccosum were compared with 5 Microsporum and 5 Trichophyton species with respect to the restriction fragment length polymorphism (RFLP) of the mitochondrial DNA to reveal their phylogenetic relationships. The phylogeny of 11 species showed that the three dermatophyte genera could not be separated from each other and could be considered to be congeneric. This result is not inconsistent with the results from ribosomal RNA sequences.     

CHROMOSOMAL ANALYSES AND THE ORIGIN OF ALLOPOLYPLOID POLYPODIUM VIRGINIANUM (POLYPODIACEAE)

Polypodium virginianum L. has been treated as a morphologically and chromosomally variable species. Recently, however, two species have been named from within the P. virginianum complex. Chromosome counts reported here confirmed that these segregate species, P. appalachianum Haufler and Windham and P. sibiricum Siplivinskij, are diploids with n = 37. It was further hypothesized that hybridization between these diploids initiated the allotetraploid P. virginianum. Naturally occurring, sterile triploid plants obtained from habitats in which the putative allotetraploid was sympatric with its presumed diploid progenitors have been verified isozymically as backcross hybrids. Meiotic chromosomal behavior showed that the triploids contained univalents and bivalents in nearly equal numbers, confirming that tetraploid P. virginianum contained one genome from each diploid. Observation of three to six trivalents in triploid preparations suggested that the diploids are still closely related genetically. This hypothesis was supported by isozymic studies which found a genetic identity of 0.610 between P. appalachianum and P. sibiricum, a value much higher than the average identity for congeneric fern species studied to date (0.33) and higher than any other species pair in the P. vulgare L. complex (average I = 0.307). These chromosomal and isozymic data help to resolve a biosystematic riddle that has interested pteridologists for over 40 years.     

Species diversity can be overestimated by a fixed empirical threshold: insights from DNA barcoding of the genus Cletus (Hemiptera: Coreidae) and the meta‐analysis of COI data from previous phylogeographical studies

The use of genetic distances to identify species within the framework of DNA barcoding has to some extent improved the development of biodiversity studies. However, using a fixed empirical threshold to delimit species may lead to overestimating species diversity. In this study, we use a new data set of COI sequences for 366 specimens within the genus of Cletus as well as conduct an analysis on the same genetic data for collected morphologically defined species from previous phylogeographical studies, to test whether high intraspecific genetic divergences are common with the premises of comprehensive sampling. The results indicate C. graminis Hsiao & Cheng 1964 , is the same species with C. punctiger (Dallas, 1852) and should be synonymized and that the distributional record of C. pugnator (Fabricius, 1787) in China is correct. High intraspecific genetic differentiations (0%–4.35%) were found in C. punctiger. Furthermore, as to the mined data, the maximum intraspecific K2P distances of 186 species (48.44% of 384) exceed 3%, and 101 species (26.30%) can be divided into two or more clusters with a threshold of 3% in cluster analysis. If genetic distance is used to delimit species boundaries, the minimum interspecific K2P distance of the congeneric species should be considered rather than only using the fixed empirical value; otherwise, the species richness may be overestimated in some cases.     

Pleurotricha indica n. sp., a New Hypotrich Ciliate from the Indian Subcontinent1

A new species, Pleurotricha indica n. sp., is described, characterized by an average size of 220 × 119 μm, a firm and inflexible body, six rows of dorsal kineties, one left and two right rows of marginal cirri, and an “Oxytricha-like” pattern of ventral cirri. The parts of the macronucleus are variable in shape and number. The comparison with other members of the genus shows that P. indica differs from other congeneric species in the combination of these characters.     

DNA barcoding of six Ceroplastes species (Hemiptera: Coccoidea: Coccidae) from China

Ceroplastes Gray (wax scales) is one of the genera of Coccidae, most species of which are considered to be serious economic pests. However, identification of Ceroplastes species is always difficult owing to the shortage of easily distinguishable morphological characters. Mitochondrial cytochrome c oxidase I (COI) sequences (or DNA barcodes) and the D2 expansion segments of the large subunit ribosomal RNA gene 28S were used for accurate identification of six Ceroplastes species (C. floridensis Comstock, C. japonicus Green, C. ceriferus (Fabricius), C. pseudoceriferus Green, C. rubens Maskell and C. kunmingensis Tang et Xie) from 20 different locations in China. For COI data, low G·C content was found in all species, averaging about 20.4%. Sequence divergences (K2P) between congeneric species averaged 12.19%, while intra‐specific divergences averaged 0.42%. All 112 samples fell into six reciprocally monophyletic clades in the COI neighbour‐joining (NJ) tree. The NJ tree inferred from 28S showed almost same results, but samples of two closely related species, C. ceriferus and C. pseudoceriferus, were clustered together. This research indicates that the standard barcode region of COI can efficiently identify similar Ceroplastes species. This study provides an example of the usefulness of barcoding for Ceroplastes identification.     

Molecular data reveal convergent reproductive strategies in iceryine scale insects (Hemiptera: Coccoidea: Monophlebidae), allowing the re-interpretation of morphology and a revised generic classification

Abstract The scale insect tribe Iceryini (Coccoidea: Monophlebidae) is a group of relatively large and polyphagous insects found worldwide. Currently, the tribe contains about 80 named species placed in seven genera, which are diagnosed largely on features associated with egg protection. We reconstruct the phylogeny of the Iceryini on the basis of nucleotide sequence data from nuclear ribosomal (18S and D2, D3 and D10 regions of 28S) and protein‐coding (histone H3) gene regions of 40 iceryine species representing six of the seven genera and seven outgroup taxa, mostly from two other tribes of Monophlebidae. Bayesian and maximum parsimony analyses recover a monophyletic tribe and clades that correspond more to geography than to the existing morphology‐based classification. Gueriniella Fernald is sister to the rest of the Iceryini and the genera Crypticerya Cockerell, Icerya Signoret and Steatococcus Ferris are not monophyletic. Our data imply that the distinctive iceryine reproductive strategies, such as protecting eggs in a waxy ovisac or inside a marsupium, are poor indicators of relationships. On the basis of molecular relationships and the re‐examination of morphological characters, we recognize only five genera of Iceryini –Crypticerya, Echinicerya Morrison, Gigantococcus Pesson & Bielenin, Gueriniella and Icerya – and substantially revise the generic concepts of Crypticerya, Gigantococcus and Icerya. We provide a key to the genera based on adult females. We redescribe and illustrate the adult female and first‐instar nymph of the type species Crypticerya rosae (Riley & Howard), Echinicerya anomala Morrison, Gigantococcus maximus (Newstead) (adult female only), Gueriniella serratulae (Fabricius) and Icerya seychellarum (Westwood). We recognize Auloicerya Morrison as a junior synonym ( syn.n. ) of Icerya, and transfer the two Auloicerya species to Icerya as I. acaciae (Morrison & Morrison) comb.n. and I. australis Maskell comb.rev. We recognize Steatococcus and Proticerya Cockerell as junior synonyms ( syn.n. ) of Crypticerya. From Steatococcus, we transfer five species to Crypticerya [C. mexicana Cockerell & Parrott comb.rev. , C. morrilli (Cockerell) comb.n. , C. tabernicola (Ferris) comb.n. , C. townsendi Cockerell comb.rev. , C. tuberculata (Morrison) comb.n. ], four species to Gigantococcus [Gi. euphorbiae (Brain) comb.n. , Gi. gowdeyi (Newstead) comb.n. , Gi. madagascariensis (Mamet) comb.n. , Gi. theobromae (Newstead) comb.n. ] and three species to Icerya [I. assamensis (Rao) comb.n. , I nudata Maskell comb.rev. , I. samaraia (Morrison) comb.n. ]. From Icerya, we transfer 14 species to Crypticerya [C. brasiliensis (Hempel) comb.n. , C. colimensis (Cockerell) comb.n. , C. flava (Hempel) comb.n. , C. flocculosa (Hempel) comb.n. , C. genistae (Hempel) comb.n. , C. littoralis (Cockerell) comb.n. , C. luederwaldti (Hempel) comb.n. , C. minima (Morrison) comb.n. , C. montserratensis (Riley & Howard) comb.n. , C. palmeri (Riley & Howard) comb.n. , C. rileyi (Cockerell) comb.n. , C. similis (Morrison) comb.n. , C. subandina (Leonardi) comb.n. , C. zeteki (Cockerell) comb.n. ] and nine species to Gigantococcus [Gi. alboluteus (Cockerell) comb.n. , Gi. bimaculatus (De Lotto) comb.n. , Gi. brachystegiae (Hall) comb.n. , Gi. longisetosus (Newstead) comb.n. , Gi. nigroareolatus (Newstead) comb.n. , Gi. pattersoni (Newstead) comb.n. , Gi. schoutedeni (Vayssière) comb.n. , Gi. splendidus (Lindinger) comb.n. , Gi. sulfureus (Lindinger) comb.n. ]. From Crypticerya, we transfer seven species to Icerya [I. clauseni (Rao) comb.n. , I. jacobsoni Green comb.rev. , I. jaihind (Rao) comb.n. , I. kumari (Rao) comb.n. , I. mangiferae (Tang & Hao) comb.n. , I. natalensis (Douglas) comb.rev. , I. nuda Green comb.rev. ] and five species to Gigantococcus [Gi. bicolor (Newstead) comb.n. , Gi. cajani (Newstead) comb.n. , Gi. caudatus (Newstead) comb.n. , Gi. ewarti (Newstead) comb.n. , Gi. rodriguesi (Castel‐Branco) comb.n. ]. Both I. hyperici (Froggatt) and Palaeococcus dymocki (Froggatt) are syn.n. of I. nudata (all previously placed in Steatococcus). We recognize I. maynei Vayssière as a syn.n. of Gi. nigroareolatus, I. tremae Vayssière as a syn.n. of Gi. schoutedeni and I. townsendi plucheae Cockerell as a syn.n. of C. townsendi. We revalidate the species name I. crocea Green stat.reval. In addition, we transfer I. taunayi Hempel to Laurencella Foldi (Monophlebidae: Llaveiini) as L. taunayi (Hempel) comb.n. Four species, Coccus hirticornis Boyer de Fonscolombe, I. chilensis Hempel, I. insulans Hempel and I. paulista Hempel, are considered incertae sedis. We designate lectotypes for C. rosae, E. anomala and I. candida (a junior synonym of I. seychellarum). Following this revision, we recognize 74 species of Iceryini, distributed as follows: 22 in Crypticerya, one in Echinicerya, 19 in Gigantococcus, two in Gueriniella and 30 in Icerya.     

Morphological and ecophysiological traits shaping altitudinal distribution of three Polylepis treeline species in the dry tropical Andes

Numerous species of the genus Polylepis form the highest treeline in the world, with striking dissimilarities in their upper altitudinal limits. The commonly accepted hypothesis is that growth at a treeline is limited by temperature. Here, using in situ records of various morphological and ecophysiological traits, we aimed to identify other factors influencing altitudinal distribution of three congeneric species from the dry tropical Andes: Polylepis rugulosa, Polylepis tarapacana and Polylepis tomentella. While P. tarapacana and P. tomentella reach their altitudinal limit at around 5000 m asl, P. rugulosa does not thrive above 4300 m, but precipitation is markedly lower in its distribution area. The three species responded to altitude by a change of morphological (e.g. decreased tree height and leaf size) and ecophysiological (e.g. decrease of transpiration rate, nutrient concentration or enrichment in the ¹³C isotope) traits, and this response was generally more pronounced in P. rugulosa. In comparison with P. tarapacana and P. tomentella, P. rugulosa displayed higher transpiration rates. Waxes from the abaxial (stomatous) leaf side of P. rugulosa were most strongly enriched in ¹³C. Furthermore, leaves of all species studied here had exceptionally low N and P concentrations. Trade-offs linked to changes in leaf area (e.g. bigger leaves, higher photosynthetic capacity but elevated transpiration) seem to drive differentiation and adaptations to altitude among these three congeneric species. We hypothesize that, while the upper distribution limit of P. tarapacana and P. tomentella is largely driven by low temperature, water is an important additional factor controlling the altitudinal distribution of P. rugulosa. Our results suggest that water stress needs to be taken into account among the factors shaping the altitudinal distribution of tropical treeline species.     

Isolation and characterization of five microsatellite loci in Dolichopoda cave crickets (Orthoptera Rhaphidophoridae)

Five microsatellite loci are described for the cave cricket genus Dolichopoda. Preliminary data on allelic variation of these loci are presented for one population of D. schiavazzii and one population of D. laetitiae to test their usefulness in fine‐scale studies of the genetic aspect of cave colonization. Cross‐species amplifications were carried out in four other Dolichopoda species and in two species belonging to another cave cricket genus (Troglophilus) to test the potential use of these microsatellite markers in studies of both congeneric species and species belonging to the same family.     

Probothriocephalus alaini n. sp. (Cestoda: Triaenophoridae) from the deep-sea fish Xenodermichthys copei in the North Atlantic Ocean

Probothriocephalus alaini n. sp. is described from the intestine of the deep-sea fish Xenodermichthys copei (Gill) (Osmeriformes: Alepocephalidae) from the North Atlantic. It resembles most closely the type-species of Probothriocephalus, P. muelleri Campbell, 1977 described from Alepocephalus agassizi Goode & Bean (Alepocephalidae), but it differs in the distribution of the vitelline follicles that form two medially well-separated bands (versus almost circum-cortical in P. muelleri), in the shape of gravid proglottids that are elongate, much longer than wide (always wider than long in P. muelleri), in the size of the body (much larger in the latter species) and a somewhat different shape of the scolex (widely lanceolate versus elongate and tapering anteriorly in P. muelleri). Other congeneric species, described from deep-sea fish of different orders (Myctophiformes and Beryciformes), lack a distinct neck region, their eggs were reported to be non-operculate and they have much more pronounced external segmentation.     

Mass loss and nutrient release from decomposing evergreen and deciduous Nothofagus litters from the Chilean Andes

Abstract Leaf litter decomposition experiments were conducted on two deciduous (Nothofagus obliqua (roble)) and Nothofagus pumilio (lenga)) and one evergreen (Nothofagus dombeyi) Nothofagus (Nothofagaceae) species from a single Chilean forest in order to understand how congeneric trees with differing leaf lifespans impact the soil in which they grow. Single‐species litter samples were decomposed in a mixed hardwood forest in Ohio and in a deciduous‐evergreen Nothofagus forest in Chile. In the Ohio forest, the two deciduous species’ litters decomposed at k ≈ 1.00 per year and the evergreen at k ≈ 0.75 per year. In Chile k ranged from k ≈ 0.06 (N. obliqua) to k ≈ 0.23 (N. pumilio) per year. In both experiments, N and P were released faster from the deciduous litters than from evergreen litter. In Ohio, evergreen litter immobilized more N and P for a longer time period than did deciduous litter. As N. dombeyi stands tend to have lower available soil N and P in this particular mixed Nothofagus forest, the increased time of N and P immobilization by N. dombeyi litter suggests a feedback role of the tree itself in perpetuating low N and P soil conditions.     

Les Abeilles de Martinique (Antilles françaises) et leurs relations avec la flore butinée (Hymenoptera: Apoidea: Megachilidae,Apidae)

Checklist of bees from Martinique (French West Indies) and their relations with visited flowers (Hymenoptera: Apoidea: Megachilidae, Apidae). An annotated checklist of the bees (Hymenoptera: Apoidea: Anthophila) of Martinique, Lesser Antilles is presented. The bee fauna is constituted by 14 species: one endemic; five known only from the Insular Caribbean; four that occur both on mainland and the West Indies and three adventive species to the West Indies. Seven species are new island records: Megachile (Eutricharaea) concinna Smith 1879, Megachile (Pseudocentron) vitraci Pérez 1884, Centris (Hemisiella) barbadensis Cockerell 1939, Centris (Centris) decolorata Lepeletier 1841, Centris (Centris) versicolor (Fabricius 1775), Exomalopsis (Exomalopsis) analis Spinola 1853 and Exomalopsis (Exomalopsis) similis (Cresson 1865). The list is arranged with data from literature and field researches carried out by the junior author between 2006 and 2014. A list of the visited flowers along with ecological notes for each species is also given.     

Endocranial morphology of Pygoscelis calderensis (Aves,Spheniscidae) from the Neogene of Chile and remarks on brain morphology in modern Pygoscelis

The endocranial anatomy of Pygoscelis calderensis, a fossil species from the Bahía Inglesa Formation (Middle Miocene–Pliocene) of Chile, South America, was described through CT scans. Reconstructions of the fossil P. calderensis and endocasts for the living Pygoscelis adeliae, and Pygoscelis papua are provided here for the first time. Comparisons with the extant congeneric species P. adeliae, Pygoscelisantarctica and P. papua indicate that the morphological pattern of the brain and inner ear of the extant pygoscelids has been present already in the Middle Miocene. The neurological morphology suggests that the paleobiology of the extinct form would have been similar to the extant species. It was probably true for diet, feeding behaviour and diving kinematics.     

PCR-based,rapid diagnosis of parasitism of Lygus spp. (Hemiptera: Miridae) by Peristenus relictus (Hymenoptera: Braconidae)

Several species of Lygus (Heteroptera: Miridae: Mirini) are serious crop pests in North America where their parasitism rate by native nymphal parasitoids is generally lower than in Europe. Peristenus relictus (Ruthe) (formerly P. stygicus Loan) (Hymenoptera: Braconidae: Euphorinae) is the predominant nymphal parasitoid of several Lygus spp. in the warm Mediterranean region and has been a candidate for introduction against Lygus hesperus Knight and L. lineolaris (Palisot de Beauvois) in the southern US. We report a rapid, sensitive, and specific PCR-based assay for diagnosis of P. relictus immature stages within Lygus nymphs that entails three steps: DNA extraction, PCR of the partial mitochondrial COI gene, and agarose gel electrophoresis. The PCR-based methodology is species-specific because the target DNA of other sympatric, congeneric species was not amplified with use of the primers developed for P. relictus diagnosis. The sensitivity of the PCR method, assessed through spike tests, was established by the detection of a ratio of 1:10,000 P. relictus DNA to Lygus DNA. Molecular diagnosis of parasitism of field collected nymphs is achievable in one day, eliminating the need to rear nymphs to obtain adult parasitoids for morphological identification.     

A new snailfish species, Paraliparis orcadensis sp. nov. (Pisces: Scorpaeniformes) from the Scotia Sea (Southern Ocean)

Paraliparis orcadensis, from the South Orkney Islands (Scotia Sea), at 1.253 m depth, differs from all other congeneric species by the following combination of characters: a suture between upper and lower hypural plates, P 19 (13 + 3 + 3), none rudimentary, shortest notch ray 6.0% standard length, head length 15.6% standard length, short maxillary, gill slit above P base, three radials, symphyseal pores very closely set and body uniformly dark-grey coloured. Relationships of this new species with P. cerasinus, P. devriesi, P. mawsoni and P. tetrapteryx are discussed. Accepted: 9 November 1999