Characterization of Alternaria isolates from the infectoria species-group and a new taxon from Arrhenatherum,Pseudoalternaria arrhenatheria sp. nov.

The infectoria species-group within the genus Alternaria was originally conceived by Simmons in 1993 and was based upon common morphological characteristics that included the development of conidial chains with primary, secondary, and tertiary branching resulting in substantial three-dimensional complexity. These characters can overlap to varying degrees with numerous taxa in another Alternaria group, the alternata species-group, making species-group differentiation difficult. However, members of the infectoria species-group are also distinguished from other small-spored Alternaria species based upon colony characteristics that typically include white or nearly white floccose colonies on DRYES medium and clumps of sporulation islands on low sugar media such as V8 agar, PCA, and weak PDA. In addition, the infectoria species-group contains representatives that are known to produce teleomorphs (Lewia), whereas the members of the alternata species-group and other Alternaria species-groups are strictly asexual. In this study, an assemblage of isolates recovered from varied hosts from the west coast of the United States were examined based upon morphological characters and compared to previously described members of the infectoria species-group. These isolates and members of the infectoria species-group typically produce arachnoid vegetative hyphae with multiple primary conidiophores, whereas other small-spored Alternaria species produce primary conidiophores predominately directly from the agar surface. Additionally, molecular phylogenetic analyses resolved these isolates and members of the infectoria species-group as distinctly nested amongst other sexual taxa in Allewia (Embellisia anamorph) and Macrospora (Nimbya anamorph) and phylogenetically distant to asexual lineages of Alternaria. One taxon among these isolates was novel and clustered with the asexual A. rosae in a distinct clade basal to all other members of the infectoria species-group. A new genus is proposed, Pseudoalternaria gen. nov. and a new taxon is described, Pseudoalternaria arrhenatheria sp. nov.. Moreover, a second taxon is reclassified, Pseudoalternaria rosae comb. nov.     

种级异物同名处理及属名变动影响分析

讨论《国际动物命名法规》(简称《法规》)关于种级单元异物同名的处理及相关规定。以斧须隐翅虫亚科Oxyporinae的同名问题为例,笔者分析了属级单元名称变动对种级单元同名关系的影响。一些古老的属级单元有很长且比较复杂的分类历史,深入分析可将各类变化归纳为六类,其中三类与原同名有关,二类与后同名有关,余一类不再影响种级同名关系。文中讨论了第4版《法规》中与种级同名关系有关的若干重要变动,通过分析比较,说明《法规》的这类变动如何影响动物分类名称的稳定性与正确性。这些分析,可望有助于避免产生新的次同名,也有助于正确恰当地解决已有的同名问题。     

Taxonomic and morphological survey of the Lygephila lusoria (Linnaeus, 1758) species-group with description of a new species (Lepidoptera,Erebidae, Toxocampinae)

The taxa of the Lygephila lusoria (Linnaeus, 1758) species-group are revised. The genital features of all known taxa are described and illustrated with special reference to the structure of vesica. The male genitalia of L. pallida pallida (Bang-Haas, 1907) are described and illustrated for the first time. L. pallida subpicata (Wiltshire, 1971) is treated here as a species, L. pallida subpicata (Wiltshire, 1971), stat. n., distinct from L. pallida. A new species, L. minima, sp. n.,from South Russia is described. Illustrations of the holotype and its genitalia are provided; a diagnostic comparison with L. pallida is given. L. alaica Remm, 1983 is included in the L. lusoria species-group for the first time.     

Revision of the cluster-flies of the Pollenia viatica species-group (Diptera: Calliphoridae)

Abstract. The Pollenia viatica species-group ( =pallida species-group) is defined and described. It consists of P.bicolor Robineau-Desvoidy, P.bulgarica Jacentkovsk, P.fulvipalpis Macquart, P.mediterranea Grunin, P.ruficrura Rondani, stat.rev., P.viatica Robineau-Desvoidy, stat.rev. (= P.pallida Rodendorf, syn.n.) and P.ponti sp.n. It is mono-phyletic, mainly on the basis of a synapomorphic ovipositor tip, and the vagabunda species-group is its sister group. A key to all species is provided, the terminalia of both sexes illustrated and all taxa redescribed. Lectotypes are designated for Pollenia bisulca Pandellé, P.ruficrura Rondani and P.viatica Robineau-Desvoidy. Pollenia ruficrura is removed from its current status as a nomen dubium. Pollenia bicolor and P.ponti are western Mediterranean species, the latter also occurs in Czechoslovakia. P.fulvipalpis is endemic to France and Channel Islands. P.ruficrura is known only from Corsica and Italy. P.mediterranea is an eastern Mediterranean species reaching east to Armenia. P.bulgarica is distributed from Hungary to Caucasus. P.viatica is widespread from France, Great Britain and Southern Scandinavia to Central Asia. All species are summer or autumn species, and seem to have only one generation each year. The immature stages and life-cycle of a species from Paris, France, named 'Pollenia rudis' by Keilin (1909, 1915) are tentatively assigned to P. viatica . It survives the winter as a first instar larva within the earthworm Allolobophora chlorotica Savigny.     

A taxonomic revision of the genera Phrygionis Hübner and Pityeja Walker (Geometridae: Ennominae, Palyadini)

Phrygionis and Pityeja belong to the Palyadini, a tribe of neotropical Ennominae. The moths of both genera bear striking wing markings and mere variants were frequently described as species with the consequence that species diversity was overestimated. Numerous taxonomic changes are made in this work based on the study of primary types and much other material. Variation and distribution is recorded for each species and subspecies. Phylogenetic relationships within Phrygionis are examined, and comments are made on the evolution of wing pattern within this genus.
Fifteen full species are recognized in this study (13 in Phrygionis and two in Pityeja ), of which four (all in Phrygionis ) are described as new; 19 species-group (specific and subspecific) names refer to valid taxa. Twenty-four species-group names are synonymized (19 in Phrygionis and five in Pityeja ) and five are recombined with different genera (four with Phrygionis and one with Pityeja ). Three generic names are synonymized (one in Phrygionis and two in Pityeja ).     

Alt a 1 allergen homologs from Alternaria and related taxa: analysis of phylogenetic content and secondary structure

A gene for the Alternaria major allergen, Alt a 1, was amplified from 52 species of Alternaria and related genera, and sequence information was used for phylogenetic study. Alt a 1 gene sequences evolved 3.8 times faster and contained 3.5 times more parsimony-informative sites than glyceraldehyde-3-phosphate dehydrogenase (gpd) sequences. Analyses of Alt a 1 gene and gpd exon sequences strongly supported grouping of Alternaria spp. and related taxa into several species-groups described in previous studies, especially the infectoria, alternata, porri, brassicicola, and radicina species-groups and the Embellisia group. The sonchi species-group was newly suggested in this study. Monophyly of the Nimbya group was moderately supported, and monophyly of the Ulocladium group was weakly supported. Relationships among species-groups and among closely related species of the same species-group were not fully resolved. However, higher resolution could be obtained using Alt a 1 sequences or a combined dataset than using gpd sequences alone. Despite high levels of variation in amino acid sequences, results of in silico prediction of protein secondary structure for Alt a 1 demonstrated a high degree of structural similarity for most of the species suggesting a conservation of function.     

Further observations on Potamodiscus Gerloff =Pinaciophora Greeff, with special reference to Alaska and arctic Canada

Pinaciophora spiculata sp. nov. is described on the basis of two complete periplasts collected in arctic Canada at—l°C in 1973. One has been tested for silicon by means of X-ray microanalysis with strongly positive results. The species possesses dimorphic scales, the spicular scales and exceptionally small plate-scales being equally diagnostic. The circumstances under which the name has already appeared in the literature are explained. In addition, the known ranges of two other taxa are extended by broken periplasts recovered from other arctic or subarctic areas, notably P. denticulata Thomsen (plate scales only) formerly known from Peru and now from South Alaska (at Homer) while the type species of the genus ( Poturnodiscus kalbei Gerloff 1968= Pinaciophora fluivatilis Greeff 1875) is demonstrated both from South Alaska and from beneath sea ice in North Alaska, in both localities possibly introduced into the sea by freshwater drainage.     

Species diversity of Onchidiidae (Eupulmonata: Heterobranchia) on the mainland of China based on molecular data

The identification of members of the Onchidiidae is based on morphological characters; this is often time-consuming and can be inconclusive. In order to explore the species diversity of onchidiids in China, we provide a phylogeny constructed using partial sequences of two mitochondrial genes (16S rRNA and COI) and one nuclear ribosomal RNA gene (28S rRNA) from 32 samples comprising five genera. The topology, using both Bayesian and Maximum Likelihood inference methods, showed that the taxa clustered in two main groups of six species, one of which included Platevindex mortoni, Platevindex sp. and Onchidium ‘struma’; the other included Paraoncidium reevesii, Onchidella sp. and Peronia verruculata. It is clear that COI will be useful in discriminating onchidiid species-group taxa.     

Some new and interesting ecological observations on desmids from the Province of Vojvodina (Northern Serbia)

A detailed qualitative investigation of the desmid community in the territory of the Province of Vojvodina (Northern Serbia, part of the Pannonian Plain) revealed a surprisingly high number of desmid taxa. Although most of the desmids were marked as rare, according to the results of physico-chemical analyses of water samples, several taxa were frequently recorded in habitats that are generally deemed unsuitable for desmids. The ecological characteristics of 18 desmid taxa, some of which known as acidophilic and/or oligotrophic, are briefly discussed. The unexpected presence of many desmid taxa is explained by assuming that their tolerance threshold to various physico-chemical parameters has changed considerably. Presented at the International Symposium Biology and Taxonomy of Green Algae V, Smolenice, June 26–29, 2007, Slovakia.     

横断山地区果蝇三新种(双翅目：果蝇科)

横断山地区果蝇三新种（双翅目：果蝇科）张文霞,梁醒财（北京大学生命科学学院北京１００８７１）（中国科学院昆明动物研究所昆明６５０２２３）’果蝇属果蝇亚属Ｄｒｏｓｏｐｈｉｌａ（Ｄｒｏｓｏｐｈｉｌａ）的ｍｅｌａｎｄｅｒｉ种组由Ｗｈｅｅｌｅｒ１９４９年建立...     

A new species of dactyloid anole (Iguanidae, Polychrotinae, Anolis) from the southeastern slopes of the Andes of Ecuador

We describe a new species of Anolis from the southeastern slopes of the Andes of Ecuador, province of Zamora-Chinchipe, Parque Nacional Podocarpus. It belongs to (1) the aequatorialis species-group by being of moderate to large size with narrow toe lamellae, and (2) the eulaemus sub-group by having a typical Anolis digit, in which the distal lamellae of phalanx II distinctly overlap the proximal scales of phalanx I. The new species is most similar morphologically to Anolis fitchi but differs from it mainly by having a dewlap with longitudinal rows of 2-5 granular, minute scales separated by naked skin (longitudinal rows of one or two keeled, large scales separated by naked skin in Anolis fitchi) and a vertically shorter dewlap (longer dewlap in Anolis fitchi).     

New species of the genus Psylliodes Latr. (Coleoptera, Chrysomelidae) from the Palaearctic Region

Six new species of the genus Psylliodes Latr. are described from the Palaearctic Region. P. concolor sp. n. from Georgia and P. diversicolor sp. n. from Turkey belong to the luteolus species-group. P. amurensis sp. n. and P. laxus sp. n. from the Russian Far East are included in the punctifrons species-group. P. submontanus sp. n. from the North Caucasus is provisionally included in the napi species-group, but it is similar to P. ozisiki Leon. et Arnold from the cupreus species-group. P. insularis sp. n. from the Canaries belongs to the chrysocephalus species-group.     

A new species of Simulium (Nevermannia) (Diptera, Simuliidae) from Thailand, with keys to members of the Simulium feuerborni species-group in Thailand

Simulium (Nevermannia) maeaiensesp. n. is described on the basis of female, male, pupal and larval specimens collected from Chiang Mai Province, Thailand. This species is assigned to the feuerborni species-group of the subgenus Simulium (Nevermannia), and is distinctive among this species-group in having the female cibarium furnished with numerous dark minute conical processes on the lower part, the female genital fork with a strongly sclerotized horizontal bar on each arm, and six long pupal gill filaments arising nearly at the same level from the common basal stalk and lying in a horizontal plane. Identification keys to seven species of the feuerborni species-group reported from Thailand are provided for females, males, pupae and mature larvae.     

Landmarks in territory partitioning: a strategically stable convention?

A convention is a rule based on arbitrary cues that allows quick resolution of potentially protracted disputes. A familiar example is the Bourgeois strategy, in which the second of two animals to discover a resource yields it to the first, even though it may be stronger than its opponent. Here we develop a game-theoretic model to show that neighbors with imperfect information about one another's fighting abilities can be favored to accept a landmark as the designator of a territory boundary, even when the resulting territory is smaller than the one that would have been won through fighting. Thus, the use of landmarks or other mutually obvious solutions can serve as a convention for territory partitioning. For a distribution of fighting ability with low variance and high skew, there is a remarkably high probability that an animal will accept a smaller territory than it would have won through fighting. The analysis provides a possible explanation for the observed use of landmarks as boundary markers by territorial animals in a variety of taxa, including birds, fish, insects, and mammals. The analysis also suggests why territory boundaries are stable, once established, despite changes in characteristics of the residents or the environment.     

Cladistic analysis of the Sepsidae (Cyclorrhapha: Diptera) based on a comparative scanning electron microscopic study of larvae

The result of a phylogenetic analysis of the Sepsidae based on larval characters is presented. It is shown that cyclorrhaphan larvae can be as rich a source of characters as Nematocera immatures when investigated using an SEM. The cladistic analysis comprised fifty-two species in sixteen genera of the Sepsidae and five outgroup species and used fifty-seven morphological characters. It found seven parsimonious trees which only differed with respect to the arrangement of some species within the genus Themira. The basal dichotomies of the phylogenetic trees are particularly well supported, indicating the conservative nature of larval characters. Orygma is confirmed as the sister group of all the remaining sepsids, the Sepsinae. There is good larval evidence that Ortalischema is the sister group of all remaining Sepsinae and that the Toxopodinae constitute an early radiation within the Sepsidae. According to larval data, some genera are paraphyletic ( Themira, Palaeosepsis ), but adult characters appear to contradict these findings. Among the traditionally recognized higher taxa within the Sepsidae, Hennig's Themira species-group and Steysbal's Sepsini have to be rejected as polyphyletic. However, Hennig's Sepsis species-group is confirmed as monophyletic and will probably constitute one major element of a future phylogenetic system of the Sepsidae. States of the strongly modified fore-legs of some adult sepsid males are mapped onto the phylogenetic tree, largely confirming Šulc's ideas about the evolution of these features. The origin and evolution of male sternites with brushes and a gland on the tibiae of the males ('osmeterium') are discussed. Whereas adult characters point to a sister-group relationship between the Sepsidae and the Ropalomeridae, larval characters appear to indicate a sister-group relationship between the Coelopidae and the Sepsidae. The evidence for both hypotheses is critically evaluated.     

The Penaincisalia amatista species-group (Lepidoptera: Lycaenidae,Eumaeini) in Colombia,insights from mtDNA barcodes and the description of a new species

A synopsis of the P. amatista species-group in Colombia is provided. Five taxa are considered valid at species level, male and female phenotypes are associated, diagnosed and data on their distribution are given. The geographic variability of the species is discussed, and Penaincisalia celosia new species is described from specimens collected in an isolated branch of the central range in Colombian Andes. We present evidence to consider P. galeraensis (Salazar, Schmidt-Mumm, & Johnson) as a junior synonym of P. albalineata (Johnson). DNA barcodes provided additional information, which was in perfect agreement with the external characters in two of the five species. Interspecific distances were found to range from 0.6% to 6.6% (average 4.3), whilst their mean intraspecific variation ranges from 0.0% to 3.3% (average 0.7%).     

A DNA investigation into the mysterious disappearance of the Rocky Mountain grasshopper, mega-pest of the 1800s

The mysterious extinction of the Rocky Mountain Grasshopper, Melanoplus spretus, a major pest species on the prairies and plains of the 1800s, is truly a remarkable event in the history of agriculture. Recently, we obtained specimens of M. spretus from museums and from 400-year-old glacial deposits in Wyoming. We report success in obtaining mitochondrial DNA sequences from both sources. This permitted us to examine two issues surrounding the species' disappearance. First, a long-standing view that M. spretus and the extant species Melanoplus sanguinipes are (if not phase transforms of one another) sister taxa, is disputed, but cannot be rejected with certainty. Interestingly, there is some evidence that suggests there may be a closer affinity with another member of the Mexicanus species-group, Melanoplus bruneri. Second, because M. spretus still possesses considerable nucleotide diversity (1.15+/-0.19%), a depletion of variation cannot be considered a factor contributing to its demise.     

The plasma proteins of some albatrosses and petrels as an index of relationship in the Procellariiformes

Abstract

The plasma proteins of 29 species of albatrosses and petrels were electrophoretically separated in acrylamide gels to clarify relationships at the species-group to family-group levels. Little in the resulting data from 472 birds seriously contests the present classification of the Procellariiformes; much of the biochemical evidence supports, confirms, and clarifies the proposals of conventional taxonomic methodology. The biochemical data give fresh insights into the interrelationships of procellariiform taxa, and highlight intriguing new problems. Sex, season, age, and other sources of non-genetic protein variation are insignificant for taxonomie purposes. Proteins of value for comparison include the transferrins, some α and β globulins, albumins, prealbumins, and non-specific esterases. Genetic variations in the mobility of these proteins are useful at the genus-group level and below. Other proteins are monomorphic at genus and family level, and three are monomorphic in both number and mobility throughout the Procellariiformes; these are useful reference points for calibrating samples on different gels. One conspicuous α protein is absent in the Hydrobatidae but present in all other families; the implications of this are discussed. Polymorphic proteins at the population or species level were not detected; this conspicuous phylogenetic conservatism is discussed with regard to its possible evolutionary significance. Following a summary of the protein data, three categories of defined probability statements, based on the biochemical and other evidence, allow speculative comment on the evolutionary relationships and history of the taxa within the Procellariiformes. The value of further biochemical research into the marine birds is emnhasised.