Ecological niche modeling and geographic distribution of the genus <Emphasis Type="Italic">Polianthes</Emphasis> L. (Agavaceae) in Mexico: using niche modeling to improve assessments of risk status

The genus Polianthes (Agavaceae) is endemic to Mexico and is important at the scientific, economical, and cultural level since prehispanic times. Habitat destruction is one of the main factors affecting populations of Polianthes species, yet little is known about the geographic distribution of this genus, and thus its vulnerability to habitat change. We compared three different approaches to measure the Polianthes species area of distribution to assess the risk of species extinction applying the MER (Method of Evaluation of Risk extinction of wild species for Mexico): area of occupancy, extent of occurrence, and ecological modeling. We also found the richness areas of distribution of this genus. We compared the species distributions with Terrestrial Protected Regions (TPR) and Natural Protected Areas (NPA). Although the three methods used to calculate the species area of distribution agree about the highly restricted nature of Polianthes species. The area of occupancy sub-estimate the species distribution, while the extent of occurrence over-estimate it for species with disjoint distribution. Thus, we recommend the use of ecological modeling to improve the assessment of the current species distribution area to apply the MER. Most Polianthes species are distributed in the Sierra Madre Occidental and Transvolcanic Belt. Three species do not occur in any of the NPA or TPR, one species has suitable habitat in three TPR but has not been recorded there, and one species, P. palustris, is likely extinct.     

Phylogeny and classification of diving beetles in the tribe Cybistrini (Coleoptera, Dytiscidae, Dytiscinae)

Phylogenetic relationships among members of the diving beetle tribe Cybistrini (Coleoptera: Dytiscidae) were inferred from analysis of 47 adult and larval morphological characters and sequences from portions of the genes cytochrome oxidase I (COI) and II (COII), histone III (H3) and wingless. Thirty‐three species of Cybistrini were included, representing all genus‐groups except Regimbartina Chatanay and Megadytes (Bifurcitus) Brinck, and most historically recognized species groups and subgenera used in the tribe. Outgroups include six species from other tribes within Dytiscinae and Lancetinae. Analyses included parsimony analysis of the combined data, likelihood analysis of combined molecular data and partitioned Bayesian analysis of the combined data. Results indicate that Cybistrini is well supported as a monophyletic group. Within the tribe, all currently recognized genus groups were found to be monophyletic with the exception of Onychohydrus Schaum, which is paraphyletic with respect to Austrodytes Watts in the parsimony analysis, but monophyletic in the likelihood and Bayesian analyses, and Cybister sensu stricto, which is paraphyletic with respect to C. (Melanectes) Brinck and C. (Scaphinectes) Ádám in the parsimony analysis or only the latter in the likelihood and Bayesian analyses. Results also suggest that some, but not all, historically recognized species groups or subgenera in the large genus Cybister Curtis are monophyletic, and this is discussed and compared. To improve the classification, the name Sternhydrus Brinck is elevated from subgenus to genus rank ( new status ). Four subgenera in the genus Cybister are recognized: C. (Melanectes) Brinck, C. (Megadytoides) Brinck ( resurrected ), C. (Neocybister) Miller, Bergsten and Whiting ( new subgenus ) and C. (Cybister) Curtis. The following new synonyms are established: Trochalus Dejean ( new synonym ), and ScaphinectesÁdám = Cybister (Cybister) ( new synonym ). The Neotropical species Cybister parvus Trémouilles (not examined) apparently does not fit any historical or currently recognized genus‐group diagnosis in Cybistrini, so it is retained in Cybister but incertae sedis with respect to subgenus. In addition to classification, the evolution of the unique character combinations present in cybistrines are discussed. A key to the adults of genera and subgenera is presented.     

A new species of Myotis Kaup, 1829 (Chiroptera, Vespertilionidae) from Ecuador

A new species of bat in the genus Myotis (Vespertilionidae, Myotinae) is described from the Chocó ecoregion on the western slope of the Andes in northwestern Ecuador. The genus Myotis comprises a diverse group of small to large-sized vespertilionid bats distributed worldwide. Twelve South American species are recognized currently, 6 of which occur in Ecuador. Morphological relationships among the new species and the other 12 South American species of Myotis were examined using 15 cranial and 5 external characters. Both qualitative and quantitative analyses found the new species to be distinct. As an aid to future identifications, we provide a key to the Ecuadorian species of Myotis.     

Iridoids of Chemotaxonomy Relevance,a New Antirrhinoside Ester and Other Constituents from Kickxia spuria subsp. integrifolia (Brot.) R.Fern.

In this work, the secondary metabolite content of the EtOH extract of Kickxia spuria subsp. integrifolia (Brot .) R.Fern . is reported. Fourteen compounds were isolated and identified by means of column chromatography and NMR and MS instrumental techniques, respectively. Among the identified compounds, the chemotaxonomic markers of the species were evidenced, whereas others were reported for the first time in the genus. Among these, a new antirrhinoside derivative ( 12 ) was recognized. The iridoid content showed a molecular pattern very similar to those reported for other taxa comprised in the Antirrhinae tribe of Plantaginaceae, thus providing an additional evidence that supports the current botanical classification of the Kickxia genus. Anyway, most of the recognized components are able to exert important pharmacological properties which might suggest the possible employment of also this species in traditional medicine just like it happens for some other species of the Kickxia genus.     

Evolution of Philopotinae,with a revision and phylogeny of the New World spider fly genus Philopota Wiedemann (Diptera,Acroceridae)

Philopotinae are hunchbacked spider flies represented by 63 fossil and extant species in 15 genera worldwide. Philopota Wiedemann, 1830, is the most species‐rich genus within the subfamily. Here, the evolution of Philopotinae is discussed, and a revision and phylogeny of Philopota based on adult morphology are presented. Nine of the 12 extant Philopotinae genera were included in our analysis, and 22 species were recognized in Philopota, of which 13 are described as new. Seven new synonymies are proposed. The phylogenetic analysis included 33 terminal taxa (22 ingroup and 11 outgroup species) and used 53 morphological characters, resulting in a single most parsimonious tree under equal weights. The monophyly of Philopota is recovered, and the Palaearctic genus Oligoneura is hypothesized as its sister‐group.     

New data on perittocrinids and hybocrinids (Crinoidea, Echinodermata) from the Middle Ordovician of the Baltic region

Age variation of radial plates of perittocrinids and aberrant cups of the hybocrinid genus Hoplocrinus from the Middle Ordovician of the St-Petersburg region are examined. Three patterns for the development of folds on the radial plates of perittocrinids are recognized. The differences between patterns are of species level. It is proposed here that the folded structures of perittocrinids (as well as the pore-structures of other pelmatozoans) were not only used for respiration, but also very likely for feeding. Tetracionocrinus transitor is a young individual of a species of the genus Perittocrinus or a paedomorphic species of this genus. The study of aberrant cups of Hoplocrinus suggests that its ancestor could have had biserial arms. Phylogenetic implications of this interpretation are discussed, and homologies within the phylum Echinodermata, reassessed. The three-armed genus Baerocrinus may be an aberrant form of a species of the genus Hoplocrinus.     

Review of the neotropical endemics Burmeistera, Centropogon, and Siphocampylus (Campanulaceae: Lobelioideae), with description of 18 new species and a new section

Burmeistera, Centropogon, and Siphocampylus together comprise more than 500 species endemic to the Neotropics, Current knowledge of these genera is unsatisfactory, with much diversity yet to be described. Over the past seven years, one out of every 28 specimens received for identification has represented a new species, many characterized by unique or unusual character states. Siphocampylus smilax (Bolivia) is unique in the genus in its parallelodromous leaf venation and extra-floral nectaries. Centropogon dianae (Peru) cannot be accommodated in any recognized infrageneric taxon, and a new section, Centropogon sect. Niveopsis, is proposed for it. The flowers of C. steinii (Ecuador) are the smallest known in the genus, while C. connatilobatus (Venezuela) is the first species to combine arbusculiform pubescence and connate calyx lobes. Burmeistera venezuelensis is only the second species of the genus known to occur in Venezuela and the first to be endemic; similarly, Centropogon wilburii is only the third species of Centropogon known from Mexico and the first to be endemic to that country. Additional novelties are also described.     

中国片尺蛾属分类订正并记三新纪录种(鳞翅目：尺蛾科：灰尺蛾亚科)

记录中国分布的片尺蛾属6种,并记述中国3新纪录种：黑片尺蛾Fascellina porphyreofusa Hampson, 1895; F. inornata Warren, 1893; F. rectimarginata Warren, 1894。文中提供了属种描述和鉴别特征,给出了种检索表及成虫和外生殖器图。     

TAXONOMIC REVISION OF SARGASSUM SPECIES (FUCALES,PHAEOPHYCEAE) FROM NEW CALEDONIA BASED ON MORPHOLOGICAL AND MOLECULAR ANALYSES1

Sargassum C. Agardh (1820) is a taxonomically difficult genus distributed worldwide and reported as the most species‐rich genus of the Fucales. It is especially abundant in the Pacific where decreasing species richness is reported to occur from west to east. New Caledonia has been recognized as one of the hotspots of Sargassum diversity; however, species lists available for this region are old and incomplete and have not yet been updated with regard to the latest taxonomic revisions published. This study aimed at revising Sargassum diversity in New Caledonia and to assess its geographic affinities with neighboring Pacific regions. We used combined morphological and DNA analyses on new collections and examined numerous type specimens. Although 45 taxa have been listed in the literature, most of them have been either transferred to synonymy since or misidentified, and in this study, only 12 taxa were recognized as occurring in New Caledonia. They belong to the subgenus Sargassum sect. Binderianae (Grunow) Mattio et Payri (2), sect. Ilicifoliae (J. Agardh) Mattio et Payri (2), sect. Polycystae Mattio et Payri. (1), sect. Sargassum (4), sect. Zygocarpicae (J. Agardh) Setch. (2), and subgenus Phyllotrichia (Aresh.) J. Agardh (1). New Caledonian Sargassum flora appeared as the second richest in the region after the Pacific coast of Australia, with which it has shown high similarity, and shared species with all neighboring regions. One species, S. turbinarioides Grunow, is considered as endemic to New Caledonia. The low genetic diversity detected among several polymorphic species belonging to sect. Sargassum is also discussed.     

Reinstatement of Ectocarpus crouaniorum Thuret in Le Jolis as a third common species of Ectocarpus (Ectocarpales,Phaeophyceae) in Western Europe,and its phenology at Roscoff,Brittany

Based on morphological characters, cross‐fertility and molecular systematics, two species are currently recognized in the ubiquitous temperate brown algal genus Ectocarpus: the type species E. siliculosus (Dillwyn) Lyngbye and E. fasciculatus Harvey. We studied diversity, cross‐fertility and ecology of Ectocarpus in megatidal areas in northwest France (Western Europe) and propose to reinstate a third species, E. crouaniorum Thuret in Le Jolis. Genotyping of 67 individuals from five localities, including the type locality of E. crouaniorum, using internal transcribed spacer 1 (ITS1) length as a marker, showed that the three species co‐occurred whenever the habitat was suitable. Our survey also revealed a single putative field hybrid between E. crouaniorum and E. siliculosus, and a single individual of a further Ectocarpus genotype. In laboratory experiments, E. crouaniorum was crossed with E. siliculosus and E. fasciculatus. In 12 of 13 crosses, the zygotes did not develop (postzygotic sterility); in one experiment a viable hybrid was produced after crossing a female E. crouaniorum with a male E. siliculosus, but this hybrid was unable to form meiospores. Phylogenetic analysis of five molecular markers from the nuclear, mitochondrial and plastid genomes (in total 1818 bp) confirmed genetic separation of the three species. Ecologically, E. crouaniorum was confined to high intertidal pools and run‐offs, where the gametophyte was common from spring to summer. Another characteristic was that it usually occurred as an epiphyte of up to 12 cm in length on erect thalli of Scytosiphon lomentaria. Sporophytes of E. crouaniorum were found all year long; they were <3 cm in size or microscopic and were epilithic in the same habitat. The presence of a third species of Ectocarpus in Western Europe suggests that species diversity in this genus is larger than recognized during the last 40 years.     

Phylogenetic interrelationships,taxonomy, and reductive evolution in the Neotropical electric fish genus Hypopygus (Teleostei,Ostariophysi, Gymnotiformes)

A phylogenetic reconstruction of the Neotropical electric fish genus Hypopygus based on 47 parsimony‐informative morphological characters is presented. A series of synapomorphies support the hypothesis of monophyly of Hypopygus, and partially resolve species‐level relationships within the genus. Hypopygus species are recognized here as miniaturized fishes based on two criteria; first, a derived condition of diminutive body size, and; second, the presence of a suite of reductive morphological characters, including partial or total losses, simplifications, and reductions of the anal‐fin rays, scales, cranial bones, and laterosensory canal system. Reductive characters associated with miniaturization comprise 45% of the total number of characters in the phylogenetic reconstruction of the genus. Miniaturization and reductive morphological evolution in Hypopygus are discussed here in the phylogenetic context. A taxonomic revision of Hypopygus is presented, in which five new species are described, two species previously assigned to the genus are redescribed, and a single known species of Stegostenopos is redescribed and included in Hypopygus as a junior synonym. Distribution maps and a key for all eight valid species of Hypopygus are provided, based on the examination of 5014 catalogued museum specimens. © 2011 The Linnean Society of London, Zoological Journal of the Linnean Society, 2011, 163 , 1096–1156.     

STRUCTURE,DEVELOPMENT, AND TAXONOMY IN THE GENUS LOPHOPHORA

Structural and developmental data indicate that Lophophora (Cactaceae) should be retained as a genus, which appears to be most closely related to Thelocactus (sensu lato). Within Lophophora morphological differences suggest that two species should be recognized. In the extensive northern population (Texas along the Río Grande to San Luis Potosí in Mexico) the tubercles are usually arranged as distinct ribs or elevated podaria, whereas in the restricted southern population (limited to the Mexican State of Querétaro) podaria and ribs are poorly developed or lacking and there are also differences in pollen structure. We believe that these two populations should be recognized as distinct species, L. williamsii and L. diffusa, respectively. We further believe that the latter represents the ancestral type.     

A comparison of AM fungi inoculants using Capsicum and Polianthes in marginal soil amended with organic matter

 Different types of nursery inocula formulations, namely mixed indigenous cultures and Glomus intraradices Schenck and Smith, were compared with commercially available inoculants of AM fungi in a pot experiment using two horticultural crops, Capsicum and Polianthes. Soil-based inocula and soil beads produced the highest response in both crops. Glomus intraradices resulted in the highest yield in both Polianthes (45% increase in spike length) and Capsicum (112% increase in fruit yield). Among the commercial inocula tested, only Mycorise enhanced spike length (33%) and fruit yield (11%) in the two hosts. Overall AM colonization was higher in Polianthes than in Capsicum. Sheared root inocula of G. intraradices resulted in high colonization (upto 68%) but the yield enhancement was lower than with soil-based formulations. The mixed indigenous culture produced the highest number of spores and propagules and commercial inocula the lowest. Accepted: 2 February 1998     

Taxonomic revision of the genus Stauropoctonus Brauns, 1889 (Hymenoptera: Ichneumonidae: Ophioninae) in Japan

The Japanese species of the ichneumonid genus Stauropoctonus Brauns, 1889 are revised. As a result, three species are recognized. Stauropoctonus infuscus (Uchida, 1928 ) stat. rev. , previously synonymized with S. bombycivorus (Gravenhorst, 1829 ), is recognized as a valid species and re‐described. Stauropoctonus bombycivorus, which has already been recorded in Japan, is also recognized and re‐described based on Japanese specimens. Stauropoctonus aurantiacus sp. nov. is described based on a single male specimen from Yakushima Island, Kagoshima Prefecture, Japan. Stauropoctonus nigrithorax Lee & Kim, 2002 syn. nov. is newly synonymized with S. bombycivorus. Additionally, a key to the Stauropoctonus species and discussions on their phenology and collection methods are provided.     

Genetic and chaetal variation in Nais worms (Annelida,Clitellata, Naididae)

The genus Nais is a group of oligochaetous clitellates, common in eutrophic freshwater habitats. About 30 species are described. Species identification is based primarily on chaetal characters, which are often subtle, inconsistent, and even overlapping between nominal species. We investigated the correlation between genetic variation and chaetal morphology in this genus. Eighty‐one individuals from Europe, North America, and China were included in the study. Seventy‐five of these were preserved as vouchers. They were scrutinized with regard to chaetal morphology, and ten different morphotypes were identified. Three molecular markers, two mitochondrial (the COI gene and 16S rDNA) and one nuclear (the ITS region), were used to establish the genetic lineages in the material. Genetic variation was found to be largely congruent with chaetal character patterns. However, at least nine separately evolving lineages (all supported by mitochondrial as well as nuclear data) correspond to at most six nominal species. Four morphotypes/lineages are recognized as Nais barbata, Nais christinae, Nais elinguis, and Nais stolci, respectively, whereas five, or possibly more, lineages represent a morphological continuum covering the variation of the Nais communis/variabilis complex. Thus, cryptic speciation is revealed. Our results indicate that a taxonomic revision of the genus will be needed in the future.     

Morphological,Ultrastructural, and Molecular Characterization of Euplotidium rosati n. sp. (Ciliophora,Euplotida) from Guam

We combined morphological (i.e. live, stained, scanning, and transmission electron microscopy) with morphometric and molecular analysis to describe a ciliate species collected from shallow reefs in Guam, grown, and maintained in our laboratory. The species was recognized as a member of Euplotidium, and compared with established species of the genus: Euplotidium itoi Ito 1958; Euplotidium psammophilus (Vacelet 1961) Borror 1972; Euplotidium arenarium Magagnini and Nobili 1964; Euplotidium helgae Hartwig 1980; Euplotidium prosaltans Tuffrau 1985, and Euplotidium smalli Lei, Choi and Xu, 2002. To obtain more elements to compare the species, new morphometric data and additional SSU rRNA gene sequences of E. itoi and of E. arenarium are reported. On the basis of this comparison, we established the new species Euplotidium rosati that has a cirral pattern composed of 12 frontoventral and six transverse cirri, and lacks the left marginal cirrus. Euplotidium rosati harbors on its dorsal surface epixenosomes, the peculiar extrusive symbionts described in other Euplotidium species. The whole body of our observations together with the analysis of the data available in the literature leads us to propose a redefinition of the genus. The results may also be useful to clarify the tangled relationship between Euplotidium and Gastrocirrhus.