New records of the heteroptera from the Middle Urals

71 heteropteran species belonging to 57 genera of 17 families are recorded for the first time for Sverdlovsk Province (the Middle Urals). Among them, the flower bug Temnostethus longirostris (Horváth, {dy1907}) is new to the Russian fauna; the families Microphysidae, Plataspidae, and Thyreocoridae are recorded for the first time from the Middle Urals.     

A review of the centipede (Lithobiomorpha,Henicopidae, Lithobiidae) fauna of the Urals and Cis-Ural Area

The centipede fauna of the Urals and Cis-Ural Area includes 11 species of 4 genera. Two new species, Lithobius ruderalus Farzalieva and L. kozminykhi Farzalieva, are described. The species status of the damaged specimen of Hessebius was not determined. A new combination, Lithobius steppicus (Farzalieva et Zalesskaja, 2003) (of Monotarsobius), is proposed. Other species have been redescribed and illustrated. Reasons for a high endemism of the regional centipede fauna are discussed. The diversity of local faunas is relatively high in southern zones (5–7 species). The number of species decreases down to two in the middle taiga and mountains. Only one species, Lithobius curtipes, penetrates into the forest-steppe and tundra.     

New and Rare Typhloplanoid Species (Turbellaria,Neorhabdocoela) for Fauna of the Urals and Russia

Morphological decriptions and information on the biology and distribution are given for the first time for fauna of the Urals turbellarians from the Neorhabdocoela order of the Typhloplanidae family: Strongylostoma simplex Meixner 1915, Typhloplanella halleziana (Vejdovsky 1880), Phaenocora rufodorsata (Sekera 1904). The species Typhloplanella halleziana was found the first time on the territory of Russia.     

Contributions to the knowledge of tetrastichine wasps (Hymenoptera,Eulophidae, Tetrastichinae) of the Middle Volga Region

The Tetrastichinae fauna of the Middle Volga Region comprises 115 species of 16 genera. Quadrastichus rosarum sp. n. is described as an endoparasitoid of Torymus bedequaris L. (Hymenoptera, Torymidae); the latter develops in galls of Dasineura rosarum (Hardy) (Diptera, Cecidomyiidae) on Rosa canina L. Aprostocetus populi (Kurdjumov) is redescribed and transferred from Tetrastichus to Aprostocetus. Thirty-three species are recorded for the Middle Volga Region for the first time. The genus Puklina Graham is new to the Russian fauna. New hosts are reported for five species of Tetrastichinae.     

A Finding of the Red Squirrel (Rodentia,Sciuridae, <Emphasis Type="Italic">Sciurus vulgaris</Emphasis> Linnaeus, 1758) and Forest Dormouse (Rodentia,Gliridae, <Emphasis Type="Italic">Dryomys nitedula</Emphasis> Linnaeus, 1778) in the Pleistocene of the Southern Urals

The study deals with a new sample of the mammalian fossils from the Pleistocene deposits of the Ignatievskaya Cave in Southern Urals (54°53' N, 57°46' E). Among the rodent fossils, the teeth of red squirrel (Sciurus vulgaris) and forest dormouse (Dryomys nitedula) have been identified. The enamel differentiation quotient (SDQ) of the water vole teeth matches the Arvicola terrestris species from locations of the end of Middle and Late Pleistocene (oxygen isotope stages, OIS 6 and OIS 5–2, respectively). The high SDQ value for the water vole and the presence of the squirrel and dormouse in the fauna allow dating the finding near the end of the Middle Pleistocene and beginning of the Late Pleistocene (OIS 6 and OIS 5e, respectively). The widespread open and forest landscapes were inhabited by this fauna.     

Coleoptera associated with <Emphasis Type="Italic">Fomitopsis pinicola</Emphasis> (Sw.:Fr.) Karst. (Basidiomycetes,Aphyllophorales) in the forests of the Urals and Transurals

A detailed characteristic of the beetle fauna associated with Fomitopsis pinicola (Sw.: Fr.) Karst. (Basidiomycetes, Aphyllophorales) in the Urals and Transurals is given. Thirty species from 14 families have been revealed, the commonest species including Eridaulus jacquemarti Mel., Ennearthron laricinum (Mel.) (Ciidae), Dorcatoma dresdensis Hbst., D. lomnickii Rtt., D. punctulata Muls. (Anobiidae), Diaperis boleti (L.) (Tenebrionidae), Scaphisoma agaricinum (L.), S. inopinatum Löbl, S. subalpinum Rtt. (Scaphidiidae), Ostoma ferruginea (L.), and Peltis grossa (L.) (Peltidae). The main trends in the ecological and trophic specialization of mycetophilous beetles are discussed, and some regularities of formation of mycetophilous complexes at different stages of the trees fungi fruit body development are revealed.     

Studies of the true bugs of Xinjiang,Northwestern China. III. Water bugs and semiaquatic bugs (Heteroptera: Nepomorpha,Gerromorpha)

In Xinjiang (Western China), the fauna of water bugs and semiaquatic bugs comprises 28 species of 7 families belonging to the infraorders Nepomorpha Popov, 1968 and Gerromorpha Popov, 1971. The present paper provides new data on the distribution of 19 species of 6 families (Nepidae, Corixidae, Naucoridae, Notonectidae, Hebridae, and Gerridae). Four species of the family Corixidae, Micronecta griseola Horváth, 1899, Hesperocorixa linnaei (Fieber, 1848), Paracorixa kiritshenkoi (Lundblad, 1933), and Sigara seistanensis (Distant, 1920), and one species of the family Hebridae, Hebrus pilipes Kanyukova, 1997, are recorded for the first time for China. The family Hebridae and three species of the family Corixidae, Cymatia rogenhoferi (Fieber, 1864), Corixa dentipes Thomson, 1869, and Paracorixa caspica (Horváth, 1878), are new to the fauna of Xinjiang. The record of Gerris odontogaster (Zetterstedt, 1828) whose distribution in Northwestern China had been considered doubtful was confirmed. A key to the species of the genus Micronecta from Middle Asia and Western China is given. Differences between the two closely related species Sigara seistanensis (Distant, 1920) and S. striata (Linnaeus, 1758) are discussed, and their distinctive features are listed.     

On Two Little Known Species of Leaf Beetles (Coleoptera,Chrysomelidae) from the South Urals

120 years ago G.G. Jacobson described two species of leaf beetles from the South Urals that have remained poorly studied until recently. Chrysolina roddi, previously known only from the foothills and low mountains of the South Urals, the low Zhiguli Mountains, and the limestone cliffs on the Don River, is recorded here for the first time from the alpine tundra of the Iremel massif; its host plant in the alpine zone is the small alpine lovage Pachypleurum simplex (= Ligusticum mutellinoides), family Apiaceae. Two species of the subgenus Crositops, Ch. roddi and Ch. kabaki, are presently treated as foothill-alpine disjunct taxa. The distribution of Ch. poretzkyi, described from the low-montane part of Bashkortostan, also shows a foothill-alpine disjunction. Alpine populations of Ch. poretzkyi are described here as a new subspecies Ch. (Arctolina) poretzkyi olschwangi Mikhailov subsp. n. Revision of the type of Ch. poretzkyi that has long been considered lost confirms that this species belongs to the subgenus Arctolina, in disagreement with its previous placement in the subgenus Pleurosticha. Within Arctolina, the identity of Ch. tundralis and its differences from Ch. poretzkyi are discussed.     

Notes on the fauna and taxonomy of the click beetles (Coleoptera,Elateridae) of Russia and neighboring countries

New data on the distribution and taxonomy of some species of click-beetles in Russia and adjacent countries are given. Several species are recorded for the first time for the following territories: Brachygonus bouyoni (Chass.), B. dubius (Plat. et Cate) and Zorochros lewisi (Schw.), for Russia; Sericus sulcipennis (Baudi), for Ukraine; Berninelsonius hyperboreus (Gyll.), Cidnopus parallelus (Motsch.), and Limonius poneli Les. et Mertl., for Kazakhstan. New interesting findings of Sericus sulcipennis and Selatosomus songoricus (Kr.) are reported. Comments on some erroneous faunistic records of several elaterids, including some species from Middle Asia, are made. The following new synonymy is established: Haterumelater fulvago (Marseul, {dy1868}) = Elater tauricola Gurjeva, 1957, syn. n. Notes on the variability of Selatosomus latus (F.) are given, and its conspecificity with S. corpulentus (Cand.) is confirmed. The external morphology and genitalia of the little known Selatosomus nanus Gur. are studied, and the systematic position of this species is discussed.     

Aquatic oligochaete fauna (Annelida,Clitellata) in Lake Tonle Sap and adjacent waters in Cambodia

In surveys conducted during 2000–2005, 39 taxa of aquatic oligochaetes belonging to the families Enchytraeidae and Naididae were found in Lake Tonle Sap in the Mekong River Basin, Cambodia. Dominated by naidines and pristinines (29 taxa), they mainly comprised widely distributed species as well as South Asian and Southeast Asian species. Among the four areas studied, the littoral regions of the lake—where inundated forests and aquatic vegetation developed during the flooded seasons—presented the highest number of species. Submerged vegetation in the littoral Lake Tonle Sap harbored abundant epiphytic oligochaetes, especially Stylaria fossularis. In contrast to the rich abundance of naidine and pristinine fauna, tubificines and ryhacodrilines were scarce in and around the lake, irrespective of the vegetation in their habitats. Several Aulodrilus species and Branchiura sowerbyi were the main representatives of the benthic oligochaete assemblages throughout the offshore zone of the lake without vegetation. It is noteworthy that the widely distributed tubificines Tubifex tubifex and Limnodrilus hoffmeisteri were not found in any surveyed locality.     

New data on the ground-beetle fauna (Coleoptera,Carabidae) of the Sikhote-Alin Mountains

Pterostichus kajimurai Habu et Tanaka, 1957 new for the fauna of Russia and Perigona nigriceps (Dejean, 1831) and Amara distinguenda A. Morawitz, 1862 both new for the fauna of the Sikhote-Alin Mountains are described. The following new synonymies are proposed: Carabus careniger Chaudoir, 1863 (= C. careniger victorianus Obydov, 1997, syn. n.) and C. gossarei vasjurini Lafer, 1989 (= C. gossarei venustoides Deuve, 1990).     

Bats (Chiroptera,Vespertillionidae) from the Cis-Urals and South Urals (Republic of Bashkortostan)

New and previously published data on the distribution of 12 bat species in the Cis-Urals and South Urals (Republic of Bashkortostan) are summarized. Data on their subspecies status are given. There is a need to clarify the taxonomic status of the pipistrelle bats Pipistrellus pipistrellus/pygmaeus. In terms of composition, the bat fauna of the Republic of Bashkortostan is a variant of the Central European fauna. It was revealed that the territory in question marks the eastern limits of distribution of Nyctalus leisleri and P. pipistrellus/pygmaeus. An important feature of the territory of Bashkortostan is the presence of places of mass wintering of bats of natural origin: more than 980 karst caves used by bats not only in winter, but also during the period of activity. According to the results of captures in 14 caves, data on the frequency and relative abundance of sedentary bat species in the Republic of Bashkortostan are given.     

New Middle Devonian conodont data from the Dong Van area,NE Vietnam (South China Terrane)

Middle Devonian conodonts from the Si Phai section in NE Vietnam are described. The section ranges from the Middle Devonian ensensis to timorensis conodont zones to the Late Devonian rhomboidea conodont Zone. A rich overall assemblage is described, including 27 taxa of species or subspecies rank and 11 taxa described in an open nomenclature. Among the dominant Polygnathus forms, four new taxa are described: Polygnathus linguiformis saharicus subsp. nov., Polygnathus linguiformis vietnamicus subsp. nov., Polygnathus rhenanus siphai subsp. nov., and Polygnathus xylus bacbo subsp. nov. Conodont assemblages are attributed to polygnathid, polygnathid-klapperinid, and klapperinid conodont biofacies representing hemipelagic to pelagic environments. The klapperinid biofacies, unreported in the previous literature, are here attributed to offshore areas of the external shelf. The taxonomic compositions of the studied conodont assemblages, as well as their CAI characteristics (CAI 4–5), suggest a palaeogeographic affinity of the studied strata to the Chinese Devonian Guangxi Basin, and the South China Terrane in general. Furthermore, the conodont biofacies and the palaeogeographic distribution of the fauna are discussed.     

New data on the fauna,taxonomy and ecology of praying mantises (Dictyoptera,Mantodea) from Russia

Two little-known species of praying mantises, Severinia turcomaniae (Saussure, 1872) and Rivetina nana Mistshenko, 1967, are reported for the faunas of Russia and Europe for the first time based on the material collected in Astrakhan Province of Russia. New data on the morphology, ecology, and distribution of these species are given. The male genitalia of S. turcomaniae and the female of R. nana are described for the first time. The lectotype of Oxythespis turcomaniae Saussure, 1872 is designated and deposited in the collection of the Zoological Museum of the Moscow University. The synonymy of O. turcomaniae and Mantis wagneri Kittary, 1849 is shown to be insufficiently justified; M. wagneri is provisionally placed in the genus Severinia Finot, 1902. Since R. nana Lindt, 1968 is most probably not a synonym of R. nana Mistshenko, 1967 but a separate species, a substitute name R. pseudonana Shcherbakov nom. n. is proposed for the former. Some characters traditionally used for the identification of Rivetina species are shown to be significantly variable and thus unreliable. A key to 11 praying mantis species of the Russian fauna is provided. The recent discovery of S. turcomaniae and R. nana in the northern Caspian Sea region is assumed to reflect the expansion of the natural ranges of thermophilic species caused by increasing aridity of the climate.     

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.     

Nemestrinid flies (Diptera,Nemestrinidae) in the fauna of Eastern Europe and the Caucasus

The ranges of eight species [Fallenia fasciata (Fabricius, 1805), Neorhynchocephalus tauscheri (Fischer, 1812), Nemestrinus caucasicus (Fischer, 1806), N. bombiformis Portschinsky, 1892, N. brandti (Bequaert, 1938), N. laetus obscuripennis (Portschinsky, 1887), N. reticulatus Latreille, 1802, and Trichopsidea costata (Loew, 1875)] from Eastern Europe and the Caucasus are discussed. With the exception of Nemestrinus caucasicus, the other species are rare in the territory studied; their latest findings are referred to the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. These species should be considered as endangered species and included into the Red Data Books of the corresponding regions. N. obscuripennis (Portschinsky, 1887) is regarded as a Caucasian-Anatolian subspecies of N. laetus (Loew, 1873) basing on the study of lecto-and paratypes of the former. A key for identification of the genera and species considered is given.     

Influence of sponge morphology on the composition of the polychaete associated fauna from Rocas Atoll,northeast Brazil

The relationships between the morphology of sponges and variables describing their harbored polychaete fauna were analyzed along Rocas, the only known South Atlantic Atoll, together with the location on host and feeding habits. The identification and quantification of all the associated organisms highlighted the dominance of polychaetes. The adults of the symbiotic species Haplosyllis spongicola were the most dominant sponge endobionts. However, both juveniles and epitokes (reproductive individuals) of H. spongicola were also found, suggesting that this species completes its life cycle inside the host. Polychaete density was significantly greater in lobate sponges than in massive and encrusting forms. Conversely, the highly specific symbiotic mode of life of H. spongicola species seems to play a major role in structuring the composition of the polychaete fauna in relation to sponge morphotypes along Rocas Atoll.     

Grass Flies (Diptera,Chloropidae) of Crimean Peninsula

The fauna of grass flies (Diptera: Chloropidae) of the Crimean Peninsula is reviewed for the first time. The study is based on examination of the collection of the Zoological Institute, Russian Academy of Sciences (St. Petersburg), which includes the material collected in Crimea by the authors, the collections of the Zoological Museum of the M. V. Lomonosov Moscow State University and V. I. Vernadsky Crimean Federal University (Simferopol). The annotated list includes 92 species in 34 genera and three subfamilies. Most of the species (61) are recorded from Crimea for the first time. Six species, Chlorops horridus Becker, Ch. puncticornis Loew, Dicraeus (Oedesiella) beschovskii Nartshuk, Lasiosina chandleri Ismay, Meromyza meigeni Nartshuk and Oscinimorpha longirostris (Loew) are recorded for the first time from Russia and Eastern Europe. The characters for distinguishing Oscinimorpha arcuata Duda from O. longirostris (Loew), i.e., the structure of head and the male genitalia, are provided. The boreo-montane species Oscinella vastator (Curtis) and Meromyza curvinervis (Zetterstedt) are found on the Chatyrdag Mountain and Yaila (mostly forestless plateau in the Crimean Mountains). Species with southern European, Mediterranean and Macaronesian-Mediterranean ranges were recorded mostly on the South Coast of Crimea. The Crimean fauna of Chloropidae is compared with the faunas of Sardinia and Turkey.     

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.