Hidden diversity in the <Emphasis Type="Italic">Antrodia malicola</Emphasis> group (Polyporales,Basidiomycota)

Taxonomy of the Antrodia malicola group is revised based on DNA, morphological, ecological, and geographic data. This species complex is not related to Antrodia s. str. but constitutes its own lineage within the large Fomitopsis – Daedalea clade. The A. malicola group includes five species. Antrodia malicola s. str. is distributed in North America and East Asia, and a few records of this species are reported from Azores and Africa. Its European counterpart is A. kuzyana, comb. nova, with wider pores. Infraspecific variability of A. malicola and possible gene flow between it and A. kuzyana in East Asia are detected based on tef1 sequence data. Antrodia cyclopis, sp. nova, is described as a large-spored relative of A. malicola from New Guinea. Antrodia minuta is reported here from several European countries and Siberia, and its morphological characters and host preferences are discussed. Its close relative is A. tuvensis, sp. nova, from Central Siberia, an unusual member of the group with sparse, flexuous skeletal hyphae.     

Diversity and distribution of leaf mining insects on birches (<Emphasis Type="Italic">Betula</Emphasis> spp.) in Siberia

The diversity and distribution of leaf mining insects developing on birches (Betula spp.) in Siberia were reviewed based on published records and our observations. Analysis of the literature revealed 52 species of leaf miners recorded as feeding on different Betula species in Siberia. Among them, three species were listed under different names and six species were erroneously recorded as birch consumers. Thus, the revised list of birch leaf miners contains 44 species. Five moth and four sawfly species are mentioned in the literature as pests of Betula. Four sawflies are known to be invasive in North America. Our collections comprised 25 species, including the micro-moth Stigmella continuella (Lepidoptera, Nepticulidae), a new species for Siberia found in Novosibirsk. Immature stages of 15 species were identified using DNA barcoding. Twenty species were recorded from several regions of Siberia for the first time. The dominant group is Lepidoptera (31 species), followed by Coleoptera (7), Hymenoptera (5), and Diptera (1). Two-thirds of all the known leaf miners develop exclusively on birches; the remaining species also colonize alders (Alnus, Betulaceae), some Rosaceae, Salicaceae, and Ulmaceae. In our observations, the majority of insects (96%) developed on B. pendula. About half of them were also observed on the East Asian birches B. dahurica, B. divaricata, B. costata, B. ermanii, and B. gmelinii; five species were found on the North American birches B. occidentalis and B. papyrifera. All the leaf mining species listed in our paper for Siberia also occur in Europe. The similarity between the miner faunas of these regions is discussed and it is warned about possible errors in diagnostics of the Siberian species using the keys and catalogues for the European fauna. The importance of DNA barcoding in the study of the local insect faunas of poorly explored regions is also emphasized.     

Contribution to the fauna of rove beetles of the subfamily Euasthetinae (Coleoptera,Staphylinidae) from Baikal Area and adjacent territories

A list of species of the staphylinid subfamily Euasthetinae from the Baikal Area and adjacent territories is given. Edaphus beszedesi Rtt. and Euasthetus mandschuricus Puthz are new records for Russia, Eu. superlatus Peyer., for Siberia, Eu. laeviusculus Mnnh., for the Baikal Area, and Eu. ruficapillus Lac., for western Siberia. [Records of Eu. bipunctatus and Eu. ruficapillus from “Kamenesch-Podolsk” in the original Russian text actually refer to the misspelled City of Kamenets-Podolskii in Western Ukraine and, thus, the records of these two species for Western Siberia are erroneous.—Ed.]     

A new species,a new synonym,and new records of the hover-fly genus <Emphasis Type="Italic">Cheilosia</Emphasis> Meigen (Diptera,Syrphidae)

A new species, Cheilosia richterae sp. n., is described in the nominotypical subgenus, being most closely related there to Ch. annulifemur Stackelberg, 1930. Two species, Ch. sootryeni Nielsen, 1970 and Ch. rufimana (Becker, 1984), are recorded from Russia for the first time. Ch. kuznetzovae Skufjin, 1977 is recorded for the first time from the Urals and western Siberia. The subgenus Nephocheila Barkalov, 2002 is synonymized with Nephomyia Matsumura, 1916. Figures of the male and female heads and the male genitalia are given for all the species.     

Distribution Peculiarities of the Sand (<Emphasis Type="Italic">Riparia riparia</Emphasis> Linnaeus 1758) Martin and the Pale Sand (<Emphasis Type="Italic">Riparia diluta</Emphasis> Sharpe et Wyatt 1893) Martin (Passeriformes,Hirundinidae) in the Sympatry Zone in Southern Central Siberia

The relationships between the sand martin (Riparia riparia Linnaeus 1758) and the pale sand martin (Riparia diluta Sharpe et Wyatt 1893) in sympatric conditions in southern Central Siberia are discussed. New data on the distribution patterns of these two closely related martin species in the study area, the location of the breeding colonies, and nesting in mixed-species colonies are presented. Information on the morphology and habitat preferences of R. riparia and R. diluta, including conesting species, is provided. In the sympatry zone in southern Central Siberia, the pale sand martin is shown to be more abundant, with mixed colonies of R. riparia and R. diluta also being found. Both species studied differ significantly in the morphometric characters. When looking for the location of a breeding colony, R. riparia and R. diluta display different habitat requirements.     

Genetic structure of the populations of <Emphasis Type="Italic">Dactylorhiza ochroleuca</Emphasis> and <Emphasis Type="Italic">D. incarnata</Emphasis> (Orchidaceae) in the area of their joint growth in Russia and Belarus

We carried out an allozyme analysis to investigate polymorphism and genetic structure of the populations of D. incarnata and D. ochroleuca in regions of their joint growth in Russia and Belarus. We found that D. ochroleuca individuals in the populations of the Urals and Siberia, which are distant fragments from the main range of the species, do not differ significantly from individuals within the main part of the area (Belarus) on the basis of the allelic composition of eight gene loci. We revealed that D. ochroleuca and D. incarnata are differentiated by different alleles of the GDH locus. Thus, we established a genetic marker suitable to distinguish these closely related taxa. In addition to the GDH locus, D. ochroleuca and D. incarnata in the places of their joint growth, differ in the allelic structure of the PGI and NADHD loci. D. incarnata from the Urals and Siberia were polymorphic for both loci, and individuals from Belarus were polymorphic for one locus (PGI). In contrast, all D. ochroleuca individuals growing in sympatric populations with polymorphic D. incarnata were homozygous for the same alleles. Thus, comparison of the genetic structure of D. ochroleuca and D. incarnata points to the existence of a genetic isolation and a functioning isolation mechanism even under conditions of their joint growth. We found that the GDH locus in D. incarnata is polymorphic only in populations which grow together with D. ochroleuca, with exception a few examples. Thus, we conclude that variability of the GDH locus in D. incarnata is associated with hybridization with D. ochroleuca.     

Salicaceae-Feeding Leaf-Mining Insects in Siberia: Distribution,Trophic Specialization,and Pest Status

This paper provides an overview of the leaf-mining insect community feeding on willows (Salix spp.) and poplars (Populus spp.) in Siberia. According to published data and our own observations, 50 leaf-mining insect species (i.e., 24 species of Lepidoptera, 15 Coleoptera, 6 Diptera, and 5 Hymenoptera) feed on those two plant genera in Siberia. Using an integrative approach combining field work, morphological and DNA barcoding analyses, we identified 32 leaf-mining insect species from 14 regions across Siberia (i.e. 64% of all leaf-mining species known on Salicaceae in this part of Russia). Among them, 26 species most often found in parks and botanical gardens, represented new faunistic records for several poorly explored regions of Siberia. We have more than doubled the list of Salicaceae-feeding leaf-mining insects in Tomsk oblast, Altai krai, and the Republic of Tuva, and for the first time provided data on leaf-miners for the Khanty–Mansi Autonomous Okrug. The micromoth Phyllocnistis gracilistylella (Gracillariidae), recently described from Japan, was found on a new host plant (Salix caprea) in the south of Krasnoyarsk krai, is new for Russia. Eight leafmining insect species (i.e., five gracillariids: Phyllocnistis labyrinthella, Ph. unipunctella, Phyllonorycter apparella, Ph. sagitella, and Ph. populifoliella; two beetles: Zeugophora scutellaris and Isochnus sequensi; and one sawfly: Heterarthrus ochropoda) can outbreak on poplars, most often in urban plantations, botanical gardens, and plant nurseries in Siberia, and can also affect natural stands. Forty-five species of 50 leaf-mining insects known to feed on willow and poplar in Siberia also occur in Central and Eastern Europe. The remaining five species (Phyllocnistis gracilistylella, Phyllonorycter sibirica, Heterarthrus fasciatus, Tachyerges dauricus, and Isochnus arcticus) are recorded in Asia only. Species richness of the family Gracillariidae, the most diverse on Salicaceae in Siberia, displays 80% similarity to that in the European part of Russia and 71% to the Russian Far East. We discuss the faunal similarity of these regions and highlight the importance of applying an integrative approach combining ecological, morphological analyses, and DNA barcoding to explore and characterize the insect fauna of poorly studied regions of Asian part of Russia.     

Two new bioluminescent <Emphasis Type="Italic">Henlea</Emphasis> from Siberia and lack of molecular support for <Emphasis Type="Italic">Hepatogaster</Emphasis> (Annelida,Clitellata, Enchytraeidae)

Two bioluminescent enchytraeids, Henlea petushkovi sp. n. and Henlea rodionovae sp. n., are described from the Krasnoyarsk and Irkutsk regions in Eastern Siberia. These large potworms exhibit the typical light-production pattern reported repeatedly in the genus and recently elucidated by Russian researchers in its main biophysical and biochemical aspects. Morphology and DNA indicate that the two species are very closely related, but clearly divergent in the strength of the body wall (thick and opaque in H. petushkovi), structure of the prostomium (in H. rodionovae unprecedentedly wrinkled and mobile), brain shape (almost equilateral in H. petushkovi), size of coelomocytes (60–85 μm in H. petushkovi) and structure of intestinal diverticula (tulip-shaped in H. petushkovi, apple-shaped in H. rodionovae). Limited hybridization seems to occur between them, supported by a single case of conflict between COI and morphology, and a few intermediate morphotypes were noted in greenhouse populations. The new species are phylogenetically distant from all known congeners so far DNA-barcoded, even those that, like them, respond to the diagnosis of the putative subgenus Hepatogaster ?ejka, 1910 (multitubular gut diverticula in VIII, indented brain, dorsal blood vessel from IX, prominent spermathecal glands, and nephridia from 5/6). In fact, our phylogenetic analyses dismiss Hepatogaster as an artificial (polyphyletic) taxon. Issues related to the definition of H. nasuta (Eisen, 1878), H. ochracea (Eisen, 1878) and H. irkutensis Burov, 1929, three species originally described from Siberia, indicate that Henlea taxonomy is still in a state of flux, as regards not only species interrelationships but also species definitions.     

Geographical variation of skull characters in pikas (<Emphasis Type="Italic">Ochotona</Emphasis>, Lagomorpha) of the<Emphasis Type="Italic">alpina-hyperborea</Emphasis> group

A multivariate analysis of 11 skull measurements, along with evaluation of the shape of maxill-premaxill suture at palatine foramina, was carried out in pikas of thealpina-hyperborea group. The study provided rational for recognition of three distinct species in this group:Ochotona alpina (Pallas, 1773),O. hyperborea (Pallas, 1811), andO. turuchanensis Naumov, 1934.O. turuchanensis is a species from central Siberia differing fromO. hyperborea in the chromosome number and type of palatine foramina and fromO. alpina in size of the skull. This species is allopatric withO. alpina and partly sympatric withO. hyperborea. The subspeciessvatoshi is reportedly allocated toO. hyperborea. The taxonomic status ofmantchurica (now allocated tohyperborea) and scorodumovi (treated at present as an isolated subspecies of O. alpina) needs careful investigation.     

A new species of the genus <Emphasis Type="Italic">Boreophylloceras</Emphasis> Alekseev et Repin, 1998 (Ammonitida) from the Berriasian <Emphasis Type="Italic">kochi</Emphasis> zone of north-central Siberia

Study of the shells of phylloceratids from the kochi Zone (Berriasian) of north-central Siberia (Boyarka River, basin of the Kheta River) allowed their assignment to the genus Boreophylloceras Alekseev et Repin, 1998. A new species B. densicostatum is described.     

New data on the distribution and host plants of weevils (Coleoptera,Curculionoidea: Apionidae,Curculionidae) in the south of Baikal Siberia and in Mongolia

Two weevil species, Rhinoncus autumnalis Korotyaev, 1980 and Orchestes medvedevi (Korotyaev, 1995), comb. n. (from Rhynchaenus), both described from Mongolia, are recorded from Russia (Buryatia) for the first time. A key to five Orchestes species associated with elms in Eastern Siberia, the Russian Far East, and Mongolia is provided. Aizobius sedi (Germar, 1818) is recorded for the first time from Eastern Siberia based on the recent findings in Buryatia and on older collections from Tuva where it is associated with Orostachys spinosa (L.) C.A. Mey. (Crassulaceae); it is also recorded for the first time from Kyrgyzstan and Mongolia. Magdalis (Aika) margaritae Barrios, 1984, native of Mongolia, Northern China and the south of the Russian Far East, is recorded from Buryatia. Lixus (Broconius) korotyaevi Ter-Minassian, 1989, formerly known in Russia only from southern Tuva, is recorded from Buryatia where it was collected on Suaeda ?prostrata Pallas, which is the first known host of this species. Rhamphus ?oxyacanthae (Marsham, 1802) is reported from Buryatia where it was collected from Cotoneaster melanocarpa, and from Mongolia.     

Genetic diversity of local spring bread wheats (<Emphasis Type="Italic">Triticum aestivum</Emphasis> L.) of West and East Siberia in gliadin genes

A considerable polymorphism in gliadin genes was detected in the wheat landraces of West Siberia (Altai krai, Omsk oblast, and Kurgan oblast) and the local cultivars characteristic of several East Siberian regions (Krasnoyarsk krai, Irkutsk oblast, Tuva, and Yakutia), and the genetic formulas were determined. The common alleles characteristic of the wheats of both regions were detected, namely, Gli-A1f, Gli-A1j, Gli-A1i, Gli-A1m, Gli-B1e, Gli-B1m, Gli-D1a, Gli-A2q, Gli-A2k, Gli-A2u, Gli-D2a, and Gli-D2q, as well as 14 novel alleles unknown earlier. It was demonstrated that several genotypes had formed in Siberia. Of them, the genotypes Gli-A1f_Gli-B1e_Gli-D1a and Gli-A1j_Gli-B1e_Gli-D1a occur both in West and East Siberia, whereas the genotypes Gli-A1i_Gli-B1m_Gli-D1a_Gli-A2new10, Gli-A1m_Gli-B1b_Gli-D1a_Gli-A2f, and Gli-A1m_Gli-B1m_Gli-D1a_Gli-A2u are found only in East Siberia.     

Flies (Diptera) Associated with <Emphasis Type="Italic">Polygraphus proximus</Emphasis> Blandford, 1894 (Coleoptera,Curculionidae) in Siberia and the Russian Far East

The faunal composition of Diptera (Insecta) inhabiting the galleries of Polygraphus proximus over the territory of Siberia and the Russian Far East was studied. As a result, 14 species of Diptera were discovered representing 8 families. Within its secondary range, the invasive beetle P. proximus Blandford, 1894 is affected not only by the well-known introduced species Medetera penicillata Negrobov, 1970 but also by numerous other widespread predatory flies, such as Medetera excellens Frey, 1909, M. pinicola Kowarz, 1877, Xylophagus cinctus (De Geer, 1776), and Toxoneura ephippium (Zettersted, 1860). Four predatory fly species, M. penicillata, M. signaticornis Loew, 1857, Lonchaea bukowskii Czerny, 1934, and Xylophagus sachalinensis (Pleske, 1925), affect P. proximus within its native range in the Russian Far East. Data on the predation of each species of Diptera on several species of bark beetles testify to their polyphagy. Saprophagous larvae of Dicranomyia modesta (Meigen, 1818), Chalcosyrphus piger (Fabricius, 1794), Xylosciara lignicola (Winnertz, 1867), and Pseudolycoriella unispina (Mohrig et Krivosheina, 1983) were discovered in bark beetle galleries for the first time.     

Species divergence in <Emphasis Type="Italic">Iris</Emphasis> series <Emphasis Type="Italic">Lacteae</Emphasis> (Iridaceae) in Russia and adjacent countries based on chloroplast DNA sequence data

In Russia, the species of the genus Iris L., series Lacteae Doronkin, the taxonomic structure of which still remains controversial, are found in the south of Siberia and the Russian Far East, as well as in other regions of Asia. Sequence analysis of three chloroplast DNA regions (rps4, trnL–trnF, and trnS–trnG) shows that, in Russia and adjacent countries, there are two genetically and geographically isolated Lacteae species. I. oxypetala Bunge grows in the south of the Russian Far East, and I. lactea Pall. grows in Siberia, Mongolia, and Kazakhstan. Genetic differentiation between the populations of I. lactea is extremely low and statistically insignificant (the fixation index Φ_ST = 0.057, P > 0.05), pointing to the unity of the gene pool and the absence of other Lacteae species in this area.     

A New Species of the Genus <Emphasis Type="Italic">Placoblatta</Emphasis> Bey-Bienko (Dictyoptera,Blaberidae, Epilamprinae) from Southern Vietnam

A new species of the genus Placoblatta, P. minorsp. n., is described from Southern Vietnam. The similarity between representatives of the genus Placoblatta and larvae of the subfamily Epilamprinae is briefly discussed. It is suggested that the origin of the genus Placoblatta has a paedomorph nature.     

Distribution and quantitative characteristics of common species of pond snails of the subgenera <Emphasis Type="Italic">Peregriana</Emphasis> and <Emphasis Type="Italic">Radix</Emphasis> (Mollusca: Gastropoda: Lymnaeidae) in waterbodies of the south of Western Siberia

Information on some ecological features of eight species of pond snails belonging to the subgenera Peregriana and Radix (Lymnaea ampla (Hartmann), L. ampullacea (Rossmässler), L. auricularia (L.), L. balthica (L.), L. fontinalis (Studer), L. lagotis (Schrank), L. ovata (Draparnaud), and L. tumida (Held)) in the waterbodies of south of Western Siberia is presented. The patterns of the species distribution and their cooccurrence in different waterbodies have been studied. An analysis of the quantitative variables (abundance and biomass) of the snails in the waterbodies of the Karasuk lake-river system and in the Novosibirsk Reservoir has been performed.     

Prevalence of <Emphasis Type="Italic">VRN1</Emphasis> locus alleles among spring common wheat cultivars cultivated in Western Siberia

With the use of allele-specific primers developed for the VRN1 loci, the allelic diversity of the VRN-A1, VRN-B1, and VRN-D1 genes was studied in 148 spring common wheat cultivars cultivated under the conditions of western Siberia. It was demonstrated that modern Western Siberian cultivars have the VRN-A1a allele, which is widely distributed in the world (alone or in combination with the VRN-B1a and VRN-B1c alleles). It was established that the main contribution in acceleration of the seedling–heading time is determined by a dominant VRN-A1a allele, while the VRNA1b allele, on the contrary, determines later plant heading. Cultivars that have the VRN-A1b allele in the genotype are found with a frequency of 8%. It was shown that cultivars with different allele combinations of two dominant genes (VRN-A1a + VRN-B1c and VRN-A1a + VRN-B1a) are characterized by earlier heading and maturing.     

The origin and taxonomic position of the Crimean endemic <Emphasis Type="Italic">Agrodiaetus pjushtchi</Emphasis> (Lepidoptera,Lycaenidae) based on the data on karyology,ecology, and molecular phylogenetics

The geographic ranges, karyotypes, ecological preferences, and mitochondrial DNA polymorphism were analyzed to reveal the origin and taxonomic position of Agrodiaetus pljushtchi and related species of A. damone species group. According to the data obtained, the common ancestor of these species originated in Asia Minor in Late Pliocene, 1.2–1.8 million years ago. In Early Pleistocene (0.8–1.2 million years ago), a representative of this group migrated into the Crimea and gave rise to A. pljushtchi. Another branch originated from the common ancestor, which migrated into Central Asia and Siberia and gave rise to a variety of partly sympatric taxa. Recently, representatives of the Central Asian — Siberian lineage occupied Eastern Europe and approached the area of A. pljushtchi but did not overlap with it. The karyotype n = 67 is an apomorphy of the A. damone species complex. However, this karyotype is not species-specific and cannot be used to differentiate taxa within the complex. The similarity of karyotypes is thus not sufficient to consider A. pljushtchi and A. damone as conspecific taxa. The natural history data support the isolated position of A. pljushtchi, and phylogenetic analysis shows that A. pljushtchi and A. damone are not closely related.     

On the ecology of some species of genus <Emphasis Type="Italic">Stuckenia</Emphasis> (Potamogetonaceae) in lakes of Zabaykalsky krai and the Republic of Buryatia

This paper clarifies the distribution and ecology of representatives of the genus Stuckenia (S. chakassiensis (Kaschina) Klinkova, S. pectinata (L.) Börner, S. macrocarpa (Dobroch.) Tzvelev, and S. vaginata (Turcz.) Holub) in brackish and saline lakes in eastern Russia. It is shown that S. chakassiensis grows in most Transbaikal lakes with a high salinity instead of S. pectinata, as was described earlier. Therefore, the range of this interesting and still insufficiently known taxon significantly extends to the east of Russia. Being very common in the mineralized waters of West Siberia, S. macrocarpa was not observed in Transbaikalia. In soda waters of Transbaikalia, S. chakassiensis forms thickets with a rather high productivity.