Studies in African Cyperaceae 35. Kyllinga carinalaevis sp. nov. from west tropical Africa

A minute new species of Kyllinga, i.e. K. carinalaevis Lye & Mesterházy, from Benin in west tropical Africa is described. It is one of three or four annual species of the genus, and the characters separating it from two other annual species are given. The species is ephemeral and occurs in a vegetation type which belongs to a Nanocyperion association. The species is probably critically endangered as it was found in a single locality out of the numerous sites that have been investigated in Benin in recent years.     

Euroceros bulgaricus gen. nov., sp. nov. from Hadzhidimovo (SW Bulgaria) (Late Miocene) - the first European record of Hornbills (Aves: Coraciiformes)

A new genus and species of ground-hornbill are described from the Late Tertiary (Late Miocene) fluviative deposits in Hadzhidimovo (Hadzhidimovo-1, or Hadzhidimovo-Girizite locality), in southwestern Bulgaria. The cranial half of a scapula and the distal third of a femur have been recovered. The morphology distinguishes the specimen from the recent species of Bucorvus, the closest genus. Most interesting is the morphology of the scapula (the holotype), which differs considerably from the ground-hornbills in some structures (e.g. the clavicular joint) while being surprisingly similar in other structures (e.g. the humeral articular joint). The last peculiarity may indicate that the fossil species was a more primitive form having relatively poorer flying capacity in comparison to other ground-hornbills. This first record of Bucerotidae in Europe proves the occurrence of the family in the Tertiary of the western parts of the Eurasian continent. It came from the richest Bulgarian locality of the Hipparion fauna, from which ca. 36 species of large mammals and birds are now known.     

Viola lilliputana sp. nov. (Viola sect. Andinium, Violaceae), one of the world's smallest violets, from the Andes of Peru

A new violet species of Viola Sect. Andinium, Viola lilliputana, is described from a single dry puna locality on an extensive intermontane plateau southeast of Cerro Palla Palla in the high Andes of Ayacucho Department in southern Peru. This diminutive rosulate violet is evidently among the smallest in the world and probably one of the smallest terrestrial dicots. It belongs to a distinctive species group with pinnatifid leaves that is endemic to central and southern Peru, including V. hillii, V. membranacea and V. weibelii. The new species is similar to V. weibelii in its large, strongly adnate stipules, elongate leaf lobes and dilated unappendaged style with ventral stigmatic orifice. It differs conspicuously from all other members of the pinnatifid-leaved group in its conduplicate leaf blades, straight, mostly nonoverlapping, oblong-lanceolate to broadly elliptical lobes with obtuse to rounded apices, and large basally fused pedicel bractlets. Despite many new collections of vascular plants from the high Andes of Peru and northern Bolivia in recent decades, this distinctive new species is still known only from its type locality, collected on the Iltis-Ugent expedition from November 1962 to January 1963.     

中国凤仙花属植物新资料——紫花辐射凤仙花

报道了中国凤仙花属一新记录种：紫花辐射凤仙花（Impatiens dalaiensis Gogoi&Borah）。该种分布于云南省腾冲县高黎贡山自然保护区,生长在常绿阔叶林下水沟边。本种主要辨别特征为：花轮生,紫色;唇瓣舟状,口部具芒;翼瓣远侧裂片长带状且螺旋扭曲。该种2015年发表时记载模式标本采自印度,而我们将原始文献中记录的模式标本采集点GPS经纬度信息标记于地图上时却发现,地点位于中国西藏自治区察隅县境内,故对原文记述的模式产地信息提出质疑。     

Anomoeodus pauciseriale n. sp. (Neopterygii, Pycnodontiformes) from the White Chalk Formation (Upper Cretaceous) of Sussex, South England

The new pycnodont fishAnomoeodus pauciseriale is described. The single specimen consists of associated but disarticulated skeletal remains including the paired prearticulars, some skull elements, remains of the pectoral girdle and the vertebral column. It comes from the White Chalk Formation (Upper Cretaceous) of East Sussex near Lewes, England. The precise stratigraphic age and locality are not known. The specific identification is based on characters of the prearticular dentitions because the other skeletal remains are not diagnostic. In contrast to other species ofAnomoeodus, the new species is characterised by a combination of rather short prearticular dentitions with only four tooth rows, a comparable low number of medial teeth, and the absence of intercalated teeth between tooth rows.      

Pachydellus hades (Halliday) (Acari: Pachylaelapidae), a European mite species described from Australia

Abstract  Pachydellus hades (Halliday) (Acari: Pachylaelapidae) was described from Jenolan Caves, NSW, Australia, and was thought to be an Australian endemic species. It is now known that this species is abundant in Slovakia and other parts of Europe, but its presence there was not recognised because it had been misidentified as other species. It appears likely that this species was introduced from Europe into Australia through human activities. The Australian type locality of this species gives a misleading impression of its native range.     

A new aglaspidid arthropod from the Lower Ordovician of Wales

A new genus and species of aglaspidid arthropod, Tremaglaspis unite , is described from the well-known upper Tremadoc locality of Y Garth in North Wales, and compared with other Cambrian and Ordovician taxa. It is remarkable in having a large hypostome, a character shared with other primitive arachnomorphs.     

Strobilomyces mirandus Corner, a new record from Japan

Strobilomyces mirandus, a bolete new to Japan, is described and illustrated. This is the first record of the species outside of the type locality in Malaysia. It is very distinct from other Strobilomyces species by the unusually colored yellow or golden-orange to brownish-orange of the basidiocarp.     

Hysterothylacium pseudotumbili n.sp. (Nematoda: Anisakidae) from the marine fishes of Visakhapatnam, Bay of Bengal.

Hysterothylacium pseudotumbili n.sp. from the stomach and body cavity of marine fishes. Chrorinemus tol Couvier. Saurida undosquamis (Richardson), Lutianus russelli (Bleeker), Rastrilliger kanagurta (Cuvier) and Saurida pseudotumbili Dutt and Vidyasagar collected from Visakhapatnam (Bay of Bengal) is described and figured. A detailed examination has allowed us to erect a new species of Hysterothylacium to accommodate the worm. It shows remarkable differences from other known species of Hysterothylacium in respect of body measurements, the papillae on the lips arrangement, location of nerve ring and excretory pore, long intestinal caecum, position of vulva, number and arrangement of caudal papillae and size of the spicules. The new species is designated as Hysterothylacium pseudotumbili. Saurida pseudotumbili is the new host record. This is the first report of the genus in this host. Visakhapatnam coast is the new locality record.     

Centaurea tchihatcheffii Fischer & C.A. Meyer (Asteraceae)

Centaurea tchihatcheffii is a steppic annual possessing some unique features absent in other Centaureas. The chromosome number is 2n = 20, differing from all other annual species of Centaurea sect. Cyanus. The type locality as published is erroneous and the correct provenance is provided.     

<Emphasis Type="Italic">Ardea sytchevskayae</Emphasis> sp. nov., a new heron species (Aves: Ardeidae) from the Middle Miocene of Mongolia

A new heron species, Ardea sytchevskayae sp. nov., from the Middle Miocene Sharga locality is described. The new species is represented by an almost complete coracoid and a few partial coracoids, partial scapula, and caprometacarpus. A. sytchevskayae was a relatively large heron, of the same size as A. alba, and intermediate in morphology between A. alba and other species traditionally included in this genus. In addition, the Sharga locality has yielded a large bittern and a medium-sized heron of uncertain taxonomic position.     

A new species of the genus Hypsibius (Tardigrada: Parachela: Hypsibiidae) from Sakhalin island, far East Russia

A new species of semiterrestrial eutardigrade, Hypsibius stiliferus, is described from Sakhalin Island, Far East Russia. The new species is distinguished from its congeners by having an irregular, polygonal or subtriangular dorsal sculpture, which increases in size posteriorly, two granular macroplacoids, and a cuticular bar near the base of posterior claw 4, and by lacking a microplacoid and septulum. It is currently known from its type locality and several other localities in northern and southern Sakhalin Island. This is the first report concerning tardigrades from Sakhalin Island.     

Anthoxanthum odoratum andA. alpinum: Life history parameters at two different altitudes

The closely related species, diploidAnthoxanthum alpinum Á. Löve etD. Löve and tetraploidAnthoxanthum odoratum L., have distinct distributions:A. alpinum is an arctic-alpine species, whileA. odoratum is a species of lower altitudes and more southerly latitudes. However, some authors suggest that both species are potentially able to maintain their populations in the distribution area of the other species. Reciprocal transplant experiments in two mountain localities (one withA. alpinum, the other withA. odoratum) were carried out to study the survival and vegetative and generative reproduction of tussocks of both species in the area of distribution of the other species. The mortality of tussocks ofA. alpinum was higher in the “alien” locality, the life span of tillers was greatly reduced and the size of tussocks decreased considerably during the experiment compared to its “native” locality. These results suggest that there was a lack of favourable microsites forA. alpinum in the “alien” locality probably caused by the presence of strong competitors.A. odoratum flowered far less in the “alien” locality (both on tussocks and tillers) compared to the “native” one. These results suggest that environmental conditions are not suitable for the flowering ofA. odoratum in the “alien” locality. We conclude thatA. alpinum could have been limited in extending its distribution into the area ofA. odoratum by the presence of strong competitors, whileA. odoratum could have been limited by its ability to reproduce by seed.     

The Biological Records Centre–a data centre

The Biological Records Centre collects data on the occurrence of species at a particular time in a particular place. These data are used for the preparation of distribution maps, for lists of species from localities, and lists of localities for species.
The unit of recording at the national level is the 10 km square: from each square a list as complete as possible is collected. For common species presence alone is sufficient, but for rare or critical species more detailed data on locality and source are required.
Mapping data are stored on magnetic tape from which 80-column cards are generated by computer. These cards prepare distribution maps on an electric typewriter through a card reader. Details of locality, habitat, etc. are stored on two sets of 80-column individual record cards, one stored by species and the other by localities.
The Centre is encouraging the collection of data in counties, where the 2times2 km square is used, and for Europe where the 50 times 50 km square is proposed. It is important to establish not only biological records centres but a complete biological recording network.     

Necines of alkaloids in Heliotropium species from Mexico and the U.S.A.

The qualitative and quantitative compositions of necines in plants of 20 Heliotropium species collected in Mexico and the U.S.A. and one species from Spain are reported. Trachelanthamidine, supinidine and retronecine were found in all species after hydrolysis of their alkaloids; lindelofidine was detected in most species, whereas heliotridine only in four. Trachelanthamidine, lindelofidine, and supinidine were dominant in four, two and one species, respectively; retronecine was dominant in 15 species, whereas heliotridine only in one. The dominant necine in H. ternatum was either retronecine or lindelofidine depending on the collection locality. Qualitative as well as quantitative differences depending on the collection locality were found in H. curassavicum. Plants from Oaxaca, Mexico, contained lindelofidine and a pyrrolizidine-diol as major necines, trachelanthamidine as minor, and traces of retronecine. Plants originating from two other localities contained trachelanthamidine (dominant), retronecine, and supinidine. The necine patterns found in the examined species differ significantly from those previously reported for 21 species mainly collected in Asia, the Middle East and Australia.     

The parrots (Aves: Psittaciformes) from the Middle Miocene of Sansan (Gers,Southern France)

The occurrence of Archaeopsittacus sp. (Psittaciformes) in the fossil deposits of Sansan (France) is reported, testifying to a survival of this genus in the Middle Miocene, as Archaeopsittacus verreauxi was described from the Early Miocene of Saint-Gérand-le-Puy (France) and was recorded only from its type locality. The data discussed here indicate the presence of two parrot species from Sansan, as it is the type locality of another parrot species, Pararallus dispar, only known from this locality. The differences between the humeri of these two taxa are described in detail, together with the differences from the other European fossil parrot species. The presence of more than one species of parrot in the same locality is not rare, but in Europe it is recorded in Sansan for the second time. Evidence for parrots also confirms the paleoenvironmental reconstruction of Sansan, as parrots are primarily arboreal species. Archaeopsittacus also represents one of the few common elements between the Early and Middle Miocene European bird assemblages.     

Isoëtes sabatina (IsoëtaceaeLycopodiophyta), a new aquatic species from central Italy

The new species Isoëtes sabatina is described and illustrated. Morphological, anatomical, and ecological characters are given. It differs from the similar I. echinospora by several characters, such as megaspore ornamentation and size, microspore size, velum extension and form, and also for its ecology. A table showing the main differential characters of the new species compared with those of the other European aquatic species is presented. So far, the species is known from a single locality (Bracciano Lake, central Italy), having a peculiar ecology and within the Mediterranean bioclimate.     

Studies in the lichen family Collemataceae VI. Collema subundulatum, a new species from New Zealand

Collema subundulatum from New Zealand is described. It is closely related to C. undulatum , a species widely distributed in the Northern Hemisphere. It is phytogeographically somewhat similar to C. novozelandicum which is here recorded from Australia, its first known locality outside New Zealand.