Cuticular hydrocarbon profiles and aggregation in four Periplaneta species (Insecta: Dictyoptera)

Cuticular hydrocarbon (CH) profiles of four Periplaneta species were compared and their role in aggregation and interspecific recognition was evaluated. CH profiles are species specific and include from 19 to 25 hydrocarbons. P. brunnea, P. fuliginosa and P. australasiae have more CH components in common with one another than with P. americana. P. americana hydrocarbons include components from 24 to 43 carbon atoms but hydrocarbons for the three other species range from 21 to 41 atoms. The major compound in CH profiles in P. americana is 6,9-heptacosadiene that is absent from the three other species. The major compound in CH profiles of P. Brunnea and P. fuliginosa is 13-methyl pentacosane that is not found in the CH profile of P. americana. Major compounds in P. australasiae species are tricosene and 13-methyl pentacosane, respectively, in males and females. Binary choice tests demonstrated that specific CH extracts induced aggregation in the four species. High CH amounts were required to induce aggregation of P. americana and P. brunnea on conditioned sites, whereas low amounts were sufficient to induce aggregation of P. fuliginosa and P. australasiae. These results suggest that CHs are involved in aggregation and interspecific recognition.     

A new species of Osteocephalus (Anura: Hylidae) from Guyana.

A new member of the genus Osteocephalus is described from the Pakaraima mountains of western Guyana. This species is the smallest known member of the genus and is probably closely related to O. subtilis. Both share a small size (less than 40 mm snout-vent length), large and bulgy eyes directed somewhat rostrally, green bones, smooth and brownish dorsal skin, relatively short and truncate snout, small tympanum, subgular and laterally expanded vocal sac, poorly developed subarticular and supernumerary tubercles, a supra-anal glandular ridge, and cream-white venter and subocular region. The new species can be distinguished from O. subtilis by the Buff iris (vs black), smaller overall size (32.7 vs 35.8-38.8 mm snout-vent length), relatively larger toe disks, and less developed foot webbing. The cranium of the new species is well ossified, relatively reduced in width between the orbits, without an exposed frontoparietal fontanelle and with the anterior arm of the squamosal extending to about half the distance to the maxillary. The vocal sac is subgularly poorly developed and possess lateral extensions to the area behind the jaw angles. Well developed supraocular and suprasquamosal cartilages give support to the enlarged eyes of this species.     

New cockroaches from the Upper Carboniferous of Siberia (Insecta: Dictyoptera,Mylacridina)

Cockroaches (Dictyoptera, Mylacridina) from the Chunya locality (Upper Carboniferous of the Central Siberian Plateau) are considered. New representatives of the family Phyloblattidae Schneider, 1983 (Phyloblatta majuscula sp. nov., P. chunyensis sp. nov., Hesperoblatta vishniakovae sp. nov., and H. secunda sp. nov.) are described.     

A new species of Oryctina (Loranthaceae) from Guyana

A new species ofOryctina (Loranthaceae) from Guyana,O. atrolineata Kuijt is described and illustrated. It possesses one-flowered inflorescences, the flowers being hexamerous and each subtended by a bract and two minute bracteoles. A peculiarity of the style is a distinctive fusiform, subterminal swelling.Oryctina atrolineata is closely related, and similar to,O. myrsinites (Eichler) Kuijt.     

A new species of Dipsas (Squamata: Colubridae) from Guyana

A new species of Dipsas is described from the Pakaraima Mountains of Guyana. The new species is characterised by 15 dorsal scale rows with the middorsal row slightly enlarged. four pairs of chinshields with the first pair elongate, elongate loreal entering orbit, one preocular, six upper labials, and head narrow anteriorly, increasing in width posteriorly. It could not be determined to which of Peters' (1960) species groups the new species belongs. The new species is known only from 1490 m elevation on Mount Ayanganna. a tepui in the Guiana Shield, where it was found in high-tepui low-canopy habitat, in bromeliads or branches. This is the first record of Dipsas as a member of the Guiana Shield high-tepui herpetofauna.     

Evidence for Carboniferous origin of the order Mantodea (Insecta: Dictyoptera) gained from forewing morphology

Homologies of the forewing venation pattern of the order Mantodea (Insecta: Dictyoptera) consistent with the accepted insect wing venation groundplan are proposed. A comparative morphological analysis was carried out based on a broad taxonomic sample of extant taxa. Besides macromorphological aspects, focus is given to the pattern of the tracheal system as a basis for establishing primary homologies. All extant praying mantids exhibit a composite stem composed of the posterior radius (RP) and the media (M) and most praying mantids exhibit a fusion of the anterior branch of RP + M with the anterior radius (RA). The wing venation of the species ?Mesoptilus dolloi, previously assigned to the polyphyletic fossil assemblage ‘Protorthoptera’, is re‐interpreted in the light of the new homology statement. Our interpretation suggests that it is a putative stem‐Mantodea, as are some other ‘protorthopterous’ taxa. This hypothesis implies that the total‐group Mantodea arose as soon as the Late Carboniferous, i.e. about 175 million years earlier than previously estimated. This analysis contributes to the view that most of the Late Carboniferous ‘Protorthoptera’ are stem‐representatives of the major polyneopteran clades (e.g. cockroaches, grasshoppers and crickets, rock‐crawlers), suggesting a survivorship of several main Pterygota lineages at the end‐Permian extinction event higher than previously expected. © 2009 The Linnean Society of London, Zoological Journal of the Linnean Society, 2009, 156 , 79–113.     

A new species of Tetracera (Dilleniaceae) from Guyana

A new species of the genusTetracera (T. maguirei) from the sandstone savannas and shrubby forests in Guyana is described, illustrated, and compared toT. asperula Miq. A key to the species ofTetracera from the Guianas is provided.     

Phylogeny of Cryptocercus species (Blattodea: Cryptocercidae) inferred from nuclear ribosomal DNA

The wood-feeding cockroaches of the genus Cryptocercus occur in temperate forests. Of the seven known species, five occur in the United States and two in Eurasia. Until 1997, all populations in the United States were considered a single species. Populations in the western United States were elevated to a species status based on variation in DNA sequence and morphology. In 1999, three new species were described from the eastern United States based on variation in chromosome number and mitochondrial DNA, bringing the number of species in the United States to five. The objective of this study was to determine if the DNA sequence of nuclear rRNA also signals the existence of four species in the eastern United States and to compare the inferred relationships with those proposed based on mitochondrial sequences. We obtained the DNA sequence from a portion of the 5.8S and 28S rRNA genes and the entire ITS2 region from 38 individuals and 30 additional clones to assess intraindividual, intraspecific, and interspecific variation. We found extensive sequence variation among the various species and little or no intraindividual and intraspecific variation. Phylogenetic analysis indicated the existence of monophyletic lineages among the eastern United States samples, which largely corresponded to the four species previously described. The inferred relationships were well-supported by bootstrap analysis and decay indices. Although the nuclear rRNA sequences resulted in a coherent phylogenetic tree, the ITS2 region contained many insertions and deletions, which may introduce homoplasy and ambiguity in alignment as more taxa are added to the data set.     

(New) Species concepts,species delimitation and the inherent limitations of taxonomy

The species problem, despite decades of heated debates, has not been resolved yet. Recently, two new species concepts have been published, the mitonuclear compatibility species concept and the inclusive species concept. I briefly discuss them, together with a recent attempt at standardizing taxonomic decisions, in the broader framework of what I believe is an inherent limitation of taxonomy—imposing a discrete system on a continuous process (evolution) that leads to fuzzy boundaries in nature. In the light of this, taxonomists, biologists in general and conservationists alike will have to accept the fact that completely nonarbitrary species delimitation is impossible. This has serious ramifications in all disciplines that rely on species, and particularly species counts, as a basic currency for quantitative analyses (ecology, evolutionary biology) and practical decision-making (conservation and environmental policy).     

Wood-feeding cockroaches as models for termite evolution (Insecta: Dictyoptera): Cryptocercus vs. Parasphaeria boleiriana

Isoptera are highly specialized cockroaches and are one of the few eusocial insect lineages. Cryptocercus cockroaches have appeared to many as ideal models for inference on the early evolution of termites, due to their possible phylogenetic relationship and several shared key attributes in life history. Recently, Pellens, Grandcolas, and colleagues have proposed the blaberid cockroach Parasphaeria boleiriana to be an alternative model for the early evolution in termites. We compare the usefulness of Cryptocercus and P. boleiriana as models for termite evolution. Cryptocercus and lower Isoptera (1) can both feed on comparatively recalcitrant wood, (2) have an obligate, rich and unique hypermastigid and oxymonadid fauna in the hindgut, (3) transfer these flagellates to the next generation by anal trophallaxis, (4) have social systems that involve long-lasting biparental care, and, finally, (5) are strongly suggested to be sister groups, so that the key attributes (1)-(4) appear to be homologous between the two taxa. On the other hand, P. boleiriana (1) feeds on soft, ephemeral wood sources, (2) shows no trace of the oxymonadid and hypermastigid hindgut fauna unique to Cryptocercus and lower Isoptera, nor does it have any other demonstrated obligate relationship with hindgut flagellates, (3) is likely to lack anal trophallaxis, (4) has only a short period of uniparental brood care, and (5) is phylogenetically remote from the Cryptocercus+Isoptera clade. These facts would argue against any reasonable usage of P. boleiriana as a model for the early evolution of Isoptera or even of the clade Cryptocercus+Isoptera. Cryptocercus thus remains an appropriate model-taxon-by-homology for early termite evolution. As compared to P. boleiriana, some other Blaberidae (such as the Panesthiinae Salganea) appear more useful as model-taxa-by-homoplasy for the early evolution of the Cryptocercus+Isoptera clade, as their brooding behavior is more elaborate than in P. boleiriana.     

基于DNA条形码的物种丰富度估计: 以宿迁地区鳞翅目蛾类为例

为了探究基于DNA条形码方法量化物种多样性指标的可行性, 本研究以江苏省宿迁地区蛾类群落为例, 基于DNA条形码方法估计群落物种丰富度并绘制等级多度分布曲线(rank-abundance curves), 同时与基于传统形态学的对应指标进行比较。结果表明: (1)基于DNA条形码的物种丰富度估计与基于形态的物种丰富度估计之间没有显著差异; (2)基于形态和DNA条形码的等级多度分布曲线趋势一致, 通过K-S检测发现二者之间没有显著性差异(P > 0.05)。结果显示, 基于DNA条形码的物种丰富度估计能够在一定程度上补充基于形态学的方法, 可以尝试将其应用于蛾类群落生态学调查研究中。     

A New Species of Halophilous Collembola (Insecta) from Korea

Three species of interstitial Collembola in Entomobryidae were identified from South Korean coast. One of them, Sinella (Coecobrya) maritima, is new to science. So far 21 halophilous species in 10 families of Collembola, including the new species in this paper, were reported from the Korean peninsula.     

Reduced taxonomic richness of lice (Insecta: Phthiraptera) in diving birds

Avian lice occupy different habitats in the host plumage that the physical environment outside the host body may affect in several ways. Interactions between host plumage and water may be an important source of such effects. Here, we use a comparative approach to examine the effect of a host's diving behavior on the taxonomic richness of its lice. Louse genera richness was significantly lower in clades of diving birds than on their nondiving sister clades. Species richness of host and body mass did not differ significantly between these clades; thus, these factors did not bias our results. This study suggests that the hosts' diving behavior can effectively influence ectoparasite communities.     

Species delimitation and biogeography of two fir species (Abies) in central China: cytoplasmic DNA variation

It remains unclear how speciation history might contribute to species-specific variation and affect species delimitation. We examined concordance between cytoplasmic genetic variation and morphological taxonomy in two fir species, Abies chensiensis and A. fargesii, with overlapping distributions in central China. Range-wide genetic variation was investigated using mitochondrial (mt) and plastid (pt) DNA sequences, which contrast in their rates of gene flow. Four mtDNA haplotypes were recovered and showed no obvious species' bias in terms of relative frequency. In contrast, a high level of ptDNA variation was recorded in both species with 3 common ptDNA haplotypes shared between them and 21 rare ptDNA haplotypes specific to one or other species. We argue that the lack of concordance between morphological and molecular variation between the two fir species most likely reflects extensive ancestral polymorphism sharing for both forms of cytoplasmic DNA variation. It is feasible that a relatively fast mutation rate for ptDNA contributed to the production of many species-specific ptDNA haplotypes, which remained rare due to insufficient time passing for their spread and fixation in either species, despite high levels of intraspecific ptDNA gene flow. Our phylogeographic analyses further suggest that polymorphisms in both organelle genomes most likely originated during and following glacial intervals preceding the last glacial maximum, when species distributions became fragmented into several refugia and then expanded in range across central China.     

Species delimitation in northern European water scavenger beetles of the genus Hydrobius (Coleoptera,Hydrophilidae)

The chiefly Holarctic Hydrobius species complex (Coleoptera, Hydrophilidae) currently consists of Hydrobius arcticus Kuwert, 1890, and three morphological variants of Hydrobius fuscipes (Linnaeus, 1758): var. fuscipes, var. rottenbergii and var. subrotundus in northern Europe. Here molecular and morphological data are used to test the species boundaries in this species complex. Three gene segments (COI, H3 and ITS2) were sequenced and analyzed with Bayesian methods to infer phylogenetic relationships. The Generalized Mixed Yule Coalescent (GMYC) model and two versions of the Bayesian species delimitation method BPP, with or without an a priori defined guide tree (v2.2 & v3.0), were used to evaluate species limits. External and male genital characters of primarily Fennoscandian specimens were measured and statistically analyzed to test for significant differences in quantitative morphological characters. The four morphotypes formed separate genetic clusters on gene trees and were delimited as separate species by GMYC and by both versions of BPP, despite specimens of Hydrobius fuscipes var. fuscipes and Hydrobius fuscipes var. subrotundus being sympatric. Hydrobius arcticus and Hydrobius fuscipes var. rottenbergii could only be separated genetically with ITS2, and were delimited statistically with GMYC on ITS2 and with BPP on the combined data. In addition, six or seven potentially cryptic species of the Hydrobius fuscipes complex from regions outside northern Europe were delimited genetically. Although some overlap was found, the mean values of six male genital characters were significantly different between the morphotypes (p < 0.001). Morphological characters previously presumed to be diagnostic were less reliable to separate Hydrobius fuscipes var. fuscipes from Hydrobius fuscipes var. subrotundus, but characters in the literature for Hydrobius arcticus and Hydrobius fuscipes var. rottenbergii were diagnostic. Overall, morphological and molecular evidence strongly suggest that Hydrobius arcticus and the three morphological variants of Hydrobius fuscipes are separate species and Hydrobius rottenbergii Gerhardt, 1872, stat. n. and Hydrobius subrotundus Stephens, 1829, stat. n. are elevated to valid species. An identification key to northern European species of Hydrobius is provided.     

中国19种蜡蝉的核型研究(同翅目：蜡蝉总科)

研究了中国19种蜡蝉的染色体数目、性别决定和染色体行为。2n=28(26+XO)被认为是蜡蝉科的原始核型特征。由于蜡蝉精巢具有被膜,减数分裂前期Ⅰ具有弥散期,因此作者认为蜡蝉与半翅目的关系更为密切。     

DNA barcoding and species delimitation of butterflies (Lepidoptera) from Nigeria

Molecular Biology Reports - Accurate identification of species is a prerequisite for successful biodiversity management and further genetic studies. Species identification techniques often require...