Redescription of a rare deepwater cardinalfish, Epigonus ctenolepis Mochizuki and Shirakihara 1983, and comparison with related species (Perciformes: Epigonidae)

A rare epigonid fish, Epigonus ctenolepis Mochizuki and Shirakihara 1983, is redescribed in detail on the basis of two type specimens (90.0??8.0?mm standard length, SL) and an additional specimen (128.8?mm SL) collected from Suruga Bay, Japan, and compared with related species of Epigonus. The species is characterized by the following combination of characters: first dorsal-fin rays VII, second dorsal-fin rays I, 9??0, vertebrae 10?+?15, pored lateral-line scales 52??3 (hypural end 48??9?+?caudal fin 4), pyloric caeca 9??1, total gill rakers 24??5, presence of a pungent opercular spine, lateral-line scales ctenoid, absence of a maxillary mustache-like process, and absence of a rib on the last abdominal vertebra. A key to the Epigonus species characterized by a pungent opercular spine is provided.     

A new species of deepwater cardinalfish, <Emphasis Type="Italic">Epigonus mayeri</Emphasis>, from the eastern Central Atlantic,and redescription of <Emphasis Type="Italic">Epigonus heracleus</Emphasis> Parin and Abramov 1986 (Perciformes: Epigonidae)

A new epigonid fish, Epigonus mayeri, is described on the basis of two specimens (109.7–113.8 mm in standard length: SL) from off Angola, and Epigonus heracleus Parin and Abramov 1986 is redescribed on the basis of 12 additional specimens with type specimens from off eastern New Zealand. These species belong to a subgroup of Epigonus, known as the “Epigonus robustus group,” which have a pungent opercular spine and VII-I, 9 dorsal-fin rays. The new species differs from other species of the group by having a sharp-pointed mustache-like process, presence of a rib on the last abdominal vertebra, vertebrae 10 + 15, tongue toothless, pyloric caeca 5, pectoral fin reaching to vertical line from anus (length 22.2–23.6% SL), orbital diameter 16.4–17.0% SL, head length 37.8–38.0% SL, and lower jaw length 16.7–17.0% SL.     

Two ants (Insecta: Hymenoptera: Formicidae: Formicinae) from the Late Pliocene of Willershausen, Germany, with a nomenclatural note on the genus Camponotites

Two species of the genus Camponotites (Formicidae, Formicinae) are described from the Late Pliocene deposits of Willershausen, Lower Saxony, northern Germany: C. silvestris Steinbach, 1967, and C. steinbachi n. sp. The generic name Camponotites has been established for fossil (Tertiary) ants independently by Steinbach (Bericht der Naturhistorischen Gesellschaft zu Hannover 111:95–102, 1967) and by Dlussky (Trudy paleontologi?eskogo instituta, akademiâ nauk SSSR, 1981), each for materials of different stratigraphical and geographical origin. Though poorly described, Camponotites Steinbach, 1967, and the single included (type) species C. silvestris Steinbach, 1967 (a monotypic species from the Late Pliocene of Willershausen), were based upon indication in the sense of the ICZN. Therefore, both the generic and specific names are valid and available. Camponotites Dlussky, 1981 (and its type species C. macropterus Dlussky, 1981) were certainly introduced correctly and are therefore available, too; but due to its homonymy the generic name is not valid. The revision shows that in this rare case both generic names are not only homonyms but also synonyms.     

Rhabdosargus niger (Perciformes: Sparidae), a new sparid species from Indonesia, with taxonomic status of the nominal species synonymized under Rhabdosargus sarba

A new sparid Rhabdosargus niger is described on the basis of three type specimens collected from off Kalimantan, Indonesia. The species can be differentiated from all known congeners by the following combination of characters: dorsal-fin rays XI, 13, anal-fin rays III, 11, scale rows below lateral line 11½–12½, scale rows between the fifth dorsal-fin spine base and lateral line 5½, pored lateral-line scales 53–55, head and body silvery-black, pelvic and anal fins dusky gray, and no golden longitudinal lines on the body. Partial sequences of mitochondrial COI gene (571 bp) strongly supported the distinctiveness of R. niger within the genus. Taxonomic status of the nominal species synonymized under Rhabdosargus sarba (Forsskål 1775) is discussed and the key to the species of Rhabdosargus is provided.     

A new fossil Aphanius species from the Upper Miocene of Armenia (Eastern Paratethys)

A new fossil fish species, Aphanius yerevanicus (Cyprinodontiformes, Cyprinodontidae), is described based on a well-preserved, articulated skeleton from the early Upper Miocene of Yerevan, Armenia (Eastern Paratethys). The fish-bearing sediments contain a fossil assemblage indicative of a euryhaline environment. The new species differs from previously described fossil Aphanius species by the possession of caudal ribs articulating with the first haemal spine, a remarkably low number of abdominal vertebrae, and the morphology of the tricuspid jaw teeth. Co-occurrence of A. yerevanicus with Prolebias mutilus Bogachev, 1936 at Yerevan suggests that sympatric occurrence of several members of the Cyprinodontiformes continued successfully throughout the Miocene in euryhaline environments where competition between these forms and other fishes was low because of the unstable salinity.     

Alien shrimps in evidence: new records of the genus Athanas Leach, 1814 on the coast of S?o Paulo, southern Brazil (Caridea: Alpheidae)

The occurrence of two alien alpheid shrimps of the genus Athanas Leach, 1814 [in Leach 1813–1814], the Indo-West Pacific A. dimorphus Ortmann, 1894 and the Eastern Atlantic A. nitescens (Leach, 1813 [in Leach 1813–1814]), on the coast of the state of S?o Paulo, Brazil, is reported. The presence of A. dimorphus extends the range of this species in the western Atlantic farther to the south in Brazil, whereas A. nitescens is reported for the first time in the western Atlantic, representing the second alien alpheid species on this side of the Atlantic and the twenty-first decapod crustacean introduced in Brazil. We provide morphological accounts of the material examined and illustrate the most important diagnostic characters of both species. An overview of the possible mechanisms of their introduction on the coast of S?o Paulo is also provided.     

Icriocarcinidae: a family of portunoid crabs from the Upper Cretaceous of North America

Icriocarcininae ?tev?i?, 2005, an extinct North American subfamily of portunoid decapods, is elevated to family level to contain two Late Cretaceous genera—Icriocarcinus Bishop, 1988, from the Pacific Coast, and Branchiocarcinus Feldmann and Vega, 1995, from the Gulf of Mexico and Atlantic Coast Plain. The family is centered on Icriocarcinus xestos Bishop, 1988, described from the Late Campanian of Baja California. Closely allied with this species are: “Eryma” flecta Rathbun, 1926, originally described from the latest Campanian of Tennessee and now known to occur throughout the Maastrichtian of the adjoining Mississippi; Branchiocarcinus cornatus Feldmann and Vega, 1995, from the Maastrichtian of San Luis Potosí, Mexico; and undescribed material from the latest Maastrichtian of New Jersey. The Gulf and Atlantic populations compose a single new species—Branchiocarcinus flectus (Rathbun). Provisionally regarded as a lobster, on the basis of a single, eroded chela, B. flectus is now known from complete bodies found at several locations in the eastern US. The additional material also clarifies the identity of B. cornatus, which is based on a distorted external mold of a lone dorsal carapace. Members of the family lack the typical portunoid flattened fifth pereiopod but share other characters that enable placement within the Portunoidea.     

The red-fin Decapterus group (Perciformes: Carangidae) with the description of a new species, Decapterus smithvanizi

The carangid genus Decapterus can be defined by having a single finlet behind both the second dorsal and anal fins, and lacking scutes on the anterior curved part of the lateral line. We revised taxonomically the species of Decapterus with red-colored caudal fins (the red-fin Decapterus group) and established that the group consisted of the following four species: Decapterus akaadsi Abe 1958, distributed in the eastern Indian Ocean and West Pacific from the Andaman Sea to Indonesia, north to central Japan; Decapterus kurroides Bleeker 1855, distributed in the Indo-West Pacific from the Red Sea and eastern coast of Africa to eastern Australia, north to the Philippines; Decapterus smithvanizi sp. nov., occurring in the Andaman Sea, the South China Sea, and Indonesia; and Decapterus tabl Berry 1968, distributed circumglobally in tropical and subtropical seas. The diagnostic characters of these species are as follows: D. akaadsi—curved part of lateral line with 43–53 cycloid scales, straight part of lateral line with 26–29 scutes, head length 26.7–30.1 % SL, and body depth 24.0–27.9 % SL; D. kurroides—curved part of lateral line with 45–51 cycloid scales, straight part of lateral line with 30–32 scutes, head length 30.3–33.0 % SL, and body depth 23.4–26.4 % SL; D. smithvanizi—lower gill rakers 25–31, curved part of lateral line with 54–62 cycloid scales, body depth 19.4–22.5 % SL, pectoral-fin tip usually beyond the level of second dorsal-fin origin; D. tabl—tip of upper jaw usually hooked and opercular membrane partly serrated in larger specimens, lower gill rakers 28–33, curved part of lateral line with 61–72 cycloid scales, body depth 16.6–23.0 % SL, pectoral-fin tip not reaching to the level of second dorsal-fin origin.     

Taxonomic review of Kyphosus (Pisces: Kyphosidae) in the Atlantic and Eastern Pacific Oceans

The taxonomy of the Atlantic and Eastern Pacific species of Kyphosus is reviewed with K. bosquii (Lacepède 1802), K. incisor (Cuvier 1831), K. analogus (Gill 1862) and K. elegans (Peters 1869) considered valid, and K. atlanticus sp. nov. newly described. Kyphosus bosquii and K. atlanticus are both characterized by 12 dorsal- and 11 anal-fin soft rays, but differ in the number of longitudinal scale rows along the midbody (61–66, mode 63 vs. 50–56, mode 54). Kyphosus incisor and K. analogus, characterized by 14 dorsal- and 13 anal-fin soft rays, similarly differ from each other in midbody longitudinal scale row counts (57–64, mode 60 vs. 68–74, mode 70 or 72). Kyphosus elegans is characterized by 13 dorsal- and 12 anal-fin soft rays, and 51–57 midbody longitudinal scale rows. Kyphosus bosquii, K. atlanticus and K. incisor are distributed in the Atlantic Ocean, K. analogus and K. elegans occurring in the Eastern Pacific. The holotype of Pimelepterus flavolineatus Poey 1866, here regarded as a junior synonym of K. incisor, was located within a collection of Cuban fishes donated to the Smithsonian Institution by Poey in 1873. A neotype is designated here for K. analogus. Pimelepterus gallveii Cunningham 1910, Kyphosus palpebrosus Miranda-Ribeiro 1919 and K. metzelaari Jordan and Evermann 1927 are recognized as junior synonyms of K. bosquii. Pimelepterus sandwicensis Sauvage 1880 is a junior synonym of K. elegans. Perca saltatrix Linnaeus 1758, together with the replacement name Perca sectatrix Linnaeus 1766, is regarded as nomina dubia.     

Thanetian gastropods from the Mesopotamian high folded zone in northern Iraq

An assemblage of gastropods from the Thanetian of the Kolosh Formation from the Zakho region in northern Iraq is documented for the first time. The ten species represent the families Campanilidae Douvillé 1904, Potamididae H. & A. Adams 1854, Batillariidae Thiele 1929, Thiaridae Gill 1871, Pachychilidae Fischer & Crosse 1892, Cerithiidae Fleming 1822 and Pseudolividae de Gregorio 1880, suggesting a littoral to shallow sublittoral depositional environment. Six of the species are new and five are formally described as new species. At least seven species are also known from the Thanetian and/or Early Ypresian of the Ankara region in Turkey. Only a single species occurs also in the Paleocene of the Paris Basin. No relation to Paleocene and Eocene faunas of Pakistan and India is detectable. This points to a considerably bioprovincialism along the northern coast of the Tethys. Consequently we suppose the existence of an Anatolian Province in the Thanetian/Ypresian Mediterranean Region of the Tethys Realm, represented by rather homogeneous mollusc faunas from western Turkey and northern Iraq. Campanile zakhoense nov. sp., Pyrazopsis hexagonpyramidalis nov. sp., Pachymelania islamogluae nov. sp., “Faunus” dominicii nov. sp. and Pseudoaluco mesopotamicus nov. sp. are introduced as new species. Varicipotamides Pacaud & Harzhauser nov. nom. is proposed as the replacement name for Exechestoma Cossmann (1889) non Brandt (1837).     

Taxonomic status of Hoplichthys regani Jordan 1908 (Scorpaeniformes: Hoplichthyidae), with comments on its authorship

Validity of a ghost flathead, Hoplichthys regani Jordan 1908, which has sometimes been regarded as a junior synonym of Hoplichthys gilberti Jordan and Richardson 1908, was evaluated. We conclude that H. regani is a valid species from comparison of specimens of both species, including the name-bearing types. Hoplichthys regani can be distinguished from H. gilberti by the length of the longest free pectoral fin ray and length of each dorsal fin spine in males. We also redescribe H. regani and discuss its authorship, following the International Code of Zoological Nomenclature.     

First report of Namurian insects (Palaeodictyoptera; Megasecoptera; “basal Neoptera”) from the Küchenberg near Fr?ndenberg/Ruhr (Germany)

Several new remains of fossil insects from the Late Carboniferous (Pennsylvanian: Namurian?B or C) of the Fr?ndenberg/Ruhr Region (Unna District, Western Germany) are described. They comprise seven wing fragments of Homaloneura berenice Brauckmann and Gr?ning, 1998 (Palaeodictyoptera: Spilapteridae), a species which is better and more completely known from the Konservat-Lagerst?tte Hagen-Vorhalle (Namurian?B: Marsdenian) with at least three specimens. Two additional wing fragments belong to Bechala sommeri gen. et sp. nov. (Megasecoptera: Bechalidae fam. nov.). Together with Brodioptera stricklani Nelson and Tidwell, 1987 (Brodiopteridae; earliest Namurian, Kinderscoutian; Utah, USA), Sylvohymen peckae Brauckmann, 1988 and S.?pintoi Brauckmann et?al., 2003 (both: Bardohymenidae; Namurian?B, Marsdenian, Hagen-Vorhalle, Germany), and Xenoptera riojaensis Pinto, 1986 (Xenopteridae; probably late Namurian or early Westphalian; Malanzán, La Rioja, Argentina) they belong to the most ancient members of the Megasecoptera. Both of these species from Küchenberg have a striking specific color pattern. The holotype of B.?sommeri gen. et sp. nov. exhibits both a very fine woven archedictyon and well-developed, cell-forming cross-veins. This combination is appraised to be very plesiomorphic. Additionally, one isolated wing fragment of Kochopteron hoffmannorum Brauckmann, 1984 (??basal Neoptera??) is preserved. The Fr?ndenberg wings were deposited in a mainly limnic/terrestrial environment and have been most probably transported by eolian and/or fluviatile processes.     

The (Paleo)Geography of Evolution: Making Sense of Changing Biology and Changing Continents

During the voyage of the H.M.S. Beagle, Charles Darwin quickly realized that geographic isolation led to significant changes in the adaptation of local flora and fauna (Darwin 1859). Genetic isolation is one of the well-known mechanisms by which adaptation (allopatric speciation) can occur (Palumbi, Annu Rev Ecol Syst 25:547?C72, 1994; Ricklefs, J Avian Biol 33:207?C11, 2002; Burns et al., Evolution 56:1240?C52, 2002; Hendry et al., Science 290:516?C8, 2009). Evolutionary changes can also occur when landmasses converge or are ??bridged.?? An important and relatively recent (Pliocene Epoch) example known as the ??Great American Biotic Interchange?? allowed for the migration of previously isolated species into new ecological niches between North and South America (Webb 1985, Ann Mo Bot Gard 93:245?C57, 2006; Kirby and MacFadden, Palaeogeogr Palaeoclimatol Palaeoecol 228:193?C202, 2005). Geographic isolation (vicariance) or geographic merging (geodispersal) can occur for a variety of reasons (sea level rise, splitting of continents, mountain building). In addition, the growth of a large supercontinent (or breakup) may change the climatic zonation on the globe and form a different type of barrier for species migration. This short review paper focuses on changing paleogeography throughout the Phanerozoic and the close ties between paleogeography and the evolutionary history of life on Earth.     

Dasyclad-like problematic fossils from the lower Cambrian of North Greenland

The problematic fossil Kordesphecia nyeboensis gen. et sp. nov. from the lower Cambrian of North Greenland resembles the slightly younger, putative dasycladalean alga Amgaella Korde, 1957 in terms of its spirally arranged rhombic cells and central cavity. It differs in adding new cells through the sequential addition of roofing plates (‘shingles’) to pre-existing cell rows rather than encrusting lateral branches in dasycladalean fashion, in which character it seems comparable to the contemporaneous Lenaella Korde, 1959) from Siberia of unknown affinity. Kordesphecia is classified as incertae sedis but may be a stem-group dasycladalean.     

Insects from the Buntsandstein of Lower Franconia and Thuringia

Upper Buntsandstein deposits (mainly Myophoria beds, R?t Formation, Early Anisian) in Lower Franconia and Thuringia have yielded a rather rich insect fauna comprising ca. 300 insect specimens assigned to ten orders: Archaeognatha (Dasyleptidae), Ephemeroptera, Blattodea, Grylloblattida, Orthoptera, Hemiptera, Glosselytrodea, Coleoptera, Mecoptera and Diptera. The systematic list of recorded insects is provided. Two species are identified as Triassodotes vogesiacus Sinitshenkova, Marchal-Papier, Grauvogel-Stamm et Gall, 2005 (Ephemeroptera: Misthodotidae) and Pseudopolycentropus triasicus Papier, Nel et Grauvogel-Stamm, 1996 (Mecoptera), which were previously described from the ??Grès à Voltzia?? Formation of the Vosges, the stratigraphically closest insect fauna. All grylloblattid specimens are identified as Chauliodites picteti Heer, 1864 (Chaulioditidae), known previously from the Middle Buntsandstein of G?dewitz, Saxony-Anhalt. The new genus and species Hammephemera pulchra Sinitshenkova, gen. et sp. n. (Ephemeroptera: Sharephemeridae) is described.     

A new species of the sleeper goby (Gobioidei,Eleotridae) from the České Středohoří Mountains (Czech Republic,Oligocene) and analysis of the validity of the family Pirskeniidae

A new species of gobioid fish Pirskenius Obrhelová, 1961 (P. radoni sp. nov.) is described from Oligocene strata of the ?eské St?edoho?í Mountains and compared with related species. The new species is characterized by a unique combination of characters that allow it to be separated from P. diatomaceus Obrhelová, 1961. The taxonomic position of the genus Pirskenius is discussed, and its affinity to the family Eleotridae is indicated. The new record documents, together with P. diatomaceus, the oldest known skeletal record of the Eleotridae.     

An analysis of a ‘community-driven’ reconstruction of the human metabolic network

Following a strategy similar to that used in baker’s yeast (Herrgård et al. Nat Biotechnol 26:1155–1160, 2008). A consensus yeast metabolic network obtained from a community approach to systems biology (Herrgård et al. 2008; Dobson et al. BMC Syst Biol 4:145, 2010). Further developments towards a genome-scale metabolic model of yeast (Dobson et al. 2010; Heavner et al. BMC Syst Biol 6:55, 2012). Yeast 5—an expanded reconstruction of the Saccharomyces cerevisiae metabolic network (Heavner et al. 2012) and in Salmonella typhimurium (Thiele et al. BMC Syst Biol 5:8, 2011). A community effort towards a knowledge-base and mathematical model of the human pathogen Salmonella typhimurium LT2 (Thiele et al. 2011), a recent paper (Thiele et al. Nat Biotechnol 31:419–425, 2013). A community-driven global reconstruction of human metabolism (Thiele et al. 2013) described a much improved ‘community consensus’ reconstruction of the human metabolic network, called Recon 2, and the authors (that include the present ones) have made it freely available via a database at http://humanmetabolism.org/ and in SBML format at Biomodels (http://identifiers.org/biomodels.db/MODEL1109130000). This short analysis summarises the main findings, and suggests some approaches that will be able to exploit the availability of this model to advantage.