Moths and conservation values in East Africa: Noctuidae of the Taita Hills, Kenya

In Kenya, viewing and studying sub-Saharan tropical fauna and flora has been possible for decades, and much of the vast amount of knowledge gathered in that way is now available in field guides. A policy of protection of natural sites has been instigated, but many vulnerable and biologically unique sites are still in need of better protection. The Taita Hills (south-east Kenya) exemplify well the needs to document and conserve key sites for native biodiversity in the region. During a project to assess endemism and zoogeographical affinities of the Taita Hills biota, 55 moth samples were taken during two surveys in summer and two in spring. The most species-rich group represented in the samples was the family Noctuidae. A list is given of the 82 identified species. At least a further 14 species could not be named, and these are considered endemics. The former were grouped according to their distribution with data from collections and literature. The Noctuidae of the Taita Hills have strong affinity with those of South Africa, but also include many with a narrow Eastern African distribution.     

The phylogeny of the Pantropical genus Arrhipis Bonvouloir (Coleoptera, Eucnemidae)

The phylogeny of the genus Arrhipis Bonvouloir (Coleoptera, Eucnemidae) is clarified with a cladistic analysis based on five molecular markers and morphology. Sixteen species from Africa, America, Asia, and Australia are included in the analysis. Two separate Asian clades are recovered, one of them being the sister group to a clade with the American and African species. With the exception of the continental south-east Asian species, all Gondwanan regions have monophyletic faunas. According to the present data, the continental south-east Asian fauna comprises two monophyletic groups, one of which is the sister group to African and American species. Vicariance seems to be the logical explanation for the distribution of these lignicolous beetles.
© The Willi Hennig Society 2009.     

Patterns of species diversity on an oceanic versus a continental island mountain: a hypothesis on species diversification1

Abstract. The vegetation on a wet mountain slope on Haleakala (an oceanic island) is compared with that on Kinabalu (a continental island) to examine relationships between regional floristic richness and α- and β-diversities. The two mountains are similar in their constant tropical climate, generic and family-level floristic elements and geological age of the summit regions, but different in regional floristic richness (rich on Kinabalu vs. poor on Haleakala). α-diversity of canopy and subcanopy tree species was much higher on Kinabalu than in comparable zones on Haleakala. Average turnover rate of species (as logarithmic community similarity) on the slope was one order of magnitude greater on Kinabalu than on Haleakala (0.127 vs. 0.017 per 100 m alt.). While there were genera with wide altitudinal ranges on both mountains, a large proportion of the genera was differentiated into parapatric altitudinal congeners on Kinabalu. By contrast, most genera are altitudinally monotypic on Haleakala. The number of sympatric congeners per genus, and the frequency of multi-specific genera per plot were high on lower slopes but decreased with increasing altitude on Kinabalu, whereas the values were low across all altitudes on Haleakala. These patterns suggest that sympatric and parapatric species radiation was less on Haleakala than on Kinabalu. This may be related to Haleakala's initially poor and disharmonic flora.     

Analysis of insect distribution in the Northern Hemisphere by the example of the subfamily Arctiinae (Lepidoptera,Arctiidae). 2. Species level

An attempt is made to apply cluster analysis to comparison of local faunas in the Northern Hemisphere at the species level by the example of the subfamily Arctiinae (Lepidoptera, Arctiidae). A total of 200 North African, Eurasian (New Guinea inclusive), and North American (north of the United Mexican States) local faunas have been considered. It is found that the circumarctic fauna is clearly separated from the Palearctic and Nearctic ones, being closer to the former only at the level of genera. Therefore, it is not reasonable to recognize the united European-Canadian subprovince of the boreal belt according to the tiger moth faunas. The Palearctic tiger moth fauna is characterized by relatively smooth variations within the boreal, subboreal, and western subtropical belts. The fauna gradually changes from the Amur catchment area to South China, Himalayas, and India so that all fauna types of these regions are closely related to one another and, to a lesser extent, to equatorial fauna types of Southeast Asia islands. The boundary between the Palearctic and Oriental (Indo-Malayan) provinces should be drawn north of the Yangtze catchment area. The most dramatic fauna change at the species level takes place between North China and the Yangtze catchment, and at the genus level, between Northern and Northeastern China. It is reasonable to establish a broad transition area between the two zoogeographic provinces in Eastern Asia. On the grounds of the nonuniform tiger moth fauna, the South Chinese-East Himalayan subprovince should be assigned to the Oriental (Indo-Malayan) province rather than the Palearctic one, as was repeatedly proposed. The Southwest-Asian fauna (Arabian Peninsula and southern Iran) is transitional between the Palearctic, African, and Oriental ones. Many African taxa penetrate to the west and south of the Arabian Peninsula, whereas Oriental and Paleotropical species penetrate to southern Iran. It is reasonable to elevate considerably the rank of the Quinghai-Tibet highland fauna by distinguishing its habitat as a separate zoogeographic subprovince, because the similarity between this fauna type and any other Palearctic fauna at the species level is much less than between temperate faunas of the Palearctic and Nearctic. The assignment of this fauna to the Palearctic is confirmed only at the genus level.     

Herbivore-Algal relationships on a coastal rock platform (Cape Banks,N.S.W.)

Summary A fifty-three metre inter-tidal transect on a headland near Sydney, New South Wales, has been studied. Its profile, fauna and flora are illustrated and described.Figures were prepared indicating the herbivore standing crop on this transect at various seasons, and some evidence of seasonal changes in the marine algal flora is presented.All macroscopic herbivorous animals were removed from the transect at two-weekly intervals during a twelve month period. After the initiation of this treatment no species of alga in the transect appeared outside the zone in which it normally occurred. There was thus no indication that animal browsing normally restricts algae to particular (vertical) zones on this rock platform. The abundance of certain species was, however, affected by the removal of the herbivores. First to flourish were the green algae; contrary to results obtained in other parts of the world, brown algae did not then become established to form a climax community. It is suggested that the rapid reinvasion by herbivores noted at Cape Banks may account for differences in these results from those recorded elsewhere.Some algal taxonomic notes are appended.     

Into the Himalayan Exile: The Phylogeography of the Ground Beetle Ethira clade Supports the Tibetan Origin of Forest-Dwelling Himalayan Species Groups

The Himalayan mountain arc is one of the hotspots of biodiversity on earth, and species diversity is expected to be especially high among insects in this region. Little is known about the origin of the Himalayan insect fauna. With respect to the fauna of high altitude cloud forests, it has generally been accepted that Himalayan lineages are derived from ancestors that immigrated from Western Asia and from adjacent mountainous regions of East and Southeast Asia (immigration hypothesis). In this study, we sought to test a Tibetan Origin as an alternative hypothesis for groups with a poor dispersal ability through a phylogeographic analysis of the Ethira clade of the genus Pterostichus. We sequenced COI mtDNA and the 18S and 28S rDNA genes in 168 Pterostichini specimens, including 46 species and subspecies of the Ethira clade. In our analysis, we were able to show that the Ethira clade is monophyletic and, thus, represents a Himalayan endemic clade, supporting endemism of two of the basal lineages to the Central Himalaya and documenting large distributional gaps within the phylogeographic structure of the Ethira clade. Furthermore, the molecular data strongly indicate very limited dispersal abilities of species and subspecies of these primary wingless ground beetles. These results are consistent with the hypothesis of a Tibetan Origin, which explains the evolution, diversity and distribution of the Himalayan ground beetle Ethira clade much more parsimoniously than the original immigration hypothesis.     

Spatial zonation of macrobenthic fauna in Zhanjiang Mangrove Nature Reserve, Guangdong, China

The spatial zonation of macrobenthic fauna in the core region of Zhanjiang Mangrove Nature Reserve was studied with two transects vertical to the shoreline. The first transect was near Deyao Village where three faunal zones of the mangrove swamp could be divided into the following types from the high tide part to the low tide part: the Assiminea lutea-Uca arcuata-Paracleistostoma crassipilum zone, the Cleistostoma dilatatum-Macrophthalmus erato-Littoraria melanostoma zone, and the Paracleistostoma depressum-Cerithidae cingulata zone. Mollusck and crustacean exhibited the highest individual density in this transect. Mollusck mainly influenced the dynamics of community biomass as well as the species diversity index. In the second transect near Hongzhai Village, the following four faunal zones could be determined: the Littoraria melanostoma-Pseudoringicula sinensis-Ceratonereis burmensis zone, the Assiminea lutea-Cleistostoma dilatatum zone with a dominant species belonging to the Ellobiidae, Upogebia sp.-Paracleistostoma depressum zone, and the Metaplax sheni-Cerithidae cingulata zone. The crustacean showed the highest individual density in this transect. Similar to the Deyao transect, dynamics of community biomass and the species diversity index of the Hongzhai transect were mainly influenced by mollusck. By hierarchical clustering and nonmetric multidimensional scaling, the macrobenthic fauna communities could be divided into three and four groups in the Deyao and Hongzhai transects, respectively. These groups corresponded to different types of vegetation of the mangrove swamp. Taken together, our observations indicated that the spatial zonation of the macrobenthic fauna was mainly affected by the characteristics of the mangrove community, sediment characteristics and the tidal line.     

Spatial zonation of macrobenthic fauna in Zhanjiang Mangrove Nature Reserve, Guangdong, China

The spatial zonation of macrobenthic fauna in the core region of Zhanjiang Mangrove Nature Reserve was studied with two transects vertical to the shoreline. The first transect was near Deyao Village where three faunal zones of the mangrove swamp could be divided into the following types from the high tide part to the low tide part: the Assiminea lutea-Uca arcuata-Paracleistostoma crassipilum zone, the Cleistostoma dilatatum-Macrophthalmus erato-Littoraria melanostoma zone, and the Paracleistostoma depressum-Cerithidae cingulata zone. Mollusck and crustacean exhibited the highest individual density in this transect. Mollusck mainly influenced the dynamics of community biomass as well as the species diversity index. In the second transect near Hongzhai Village, the following four faunal zones could be determined: the Littoraria melanostoma-Pseudoringicula sinensis-Ceratonereis burmensis zone, the Assiminea lutea-Cleistostoma dilatatum zone with a dominant species belonging to the Ellobiidae, Upogebia sp.-Paracleistostoma depressum zone, and the Metaplax sheni-Cerithidae cingulata zone. The crustacean showed the highest individual density in this transect. Similar to the Deyao transect, dynamics of community biomass and the species diversity index of the Hongzhai transect were mainly influenced by mollusck. By hierarchical clustering and nonmetric multidimensional scaling, the macrobenthic fauna communities could be divided into three and four groups in the Deyao and Hongzhai transects, respectively. These groups corresponded to different types of vegetation of the mangrove swamp. Taken together, our observations indicated that the spatial zonation of the macrobenthic fauna was mainly affected by the characteristics of the mangrove community, sediment characteristics and the tidal line.     

三峡大老岭植物区系的垂直梯度分析

为探讨山地植物区系构成特征及其垂直梯度的生态意义,根据对三峡大老岭地区植被垂直样带 调查获得的植物区系资料,分析了该地区植物区系成分构成的基本特征及其随海拔梯度的变化趋势,寻找了区系平衡点的位置;并利用聚类方法分析了山地气候垂直分异对区系成分构成的影响。结果表明：①大老岭植物区系具有温带性质,但仍反映了与热带区系的历史联系,有强烈的区域性;②属的分布区类型可归为热带分布、温带分布、地中海—中亚中心和东亚中心4组,各组区系成分的垂直梯度特征不同;热带、亚热带成分与温带成分的平衡点大致位于海拔650m;③区系成分构成和属的物种数量构成的聚类分析结果一致显示了植物区系构成与山地气候和植被垂直带相对应的格局。     

湖北鳞毛蕨属植物的地理分布及区系特征

对湖北鳞毛蕨后植物的地理分布和区系特点进行了研究。鳞毛蕨后植物广布于世界各地,该后的分布和多样性中心位于中国西南部和东喜马拉雅山区;另一中心则位于日本,中国东南部和南部。鳞毛蕨后是一个自然的北温带分布属。中国有鳞毛蕨后植物134种(包括7变种),西南地区(云南、四川、贵州等)是国产鳞毛蕨属植物分布最集中的地区。区系分析表明：湖北鳞毛蕨后植物种类比较丰富,有36种,主要分布于鄂西北和鄂西南山区,是构成湖北森林植物区系林下草本植物的主要成分之一;地理成分比较复杂,种的分析显示出以中国一日本分布和中国持有分布为主的特点;与相邻省鳞毛蕨属植物区系的关系比较密切;区系过渡性明显。     

A Floristic Study on the Seed Plants of the Cangshan Mountain Range,Dali, Yunnan,China

The floristic characteristic, position in Chinese floristic division, and the origin and development of the flora of the Cangshan Mountain Range (the Dali Range) were discussed from different aspects, based on the local seed plants of 2503 species, 45 subspecies, 194 varieties, belong to 852 genera in 164 families. Preliminary conclusions are as follows: The Cangshan Mountain Range belongs to three river gorges subregion, Hengduan mountain region, Sino Himalayan forest subkingdom, East Asiatic Kingdom, in Chinese floristic division. The floristic characteristic of seed plants of the Cangshan Mountain Range is temperate. Because of the geological events of the collision between Eurasian Plate and Indic Plate, the Tethys fading away, and the uplift of Himalayas, the elements from Gondwana land, Mediterranean and Arctic Tertiary gradually developed into its modern flora. The endemism within the flora is rich, with the neoendemic elements dominant. It shows that the Cangshan Mountain Range is not only a refuge for some ancient floristic elements but also a differentiation center for young floristic elements. It is an important floristic spot connecting floristic elements from different directions. And the distribution limits of a great deal of elements also are here.     

Species turnover between Afromontane and eastern African lowland faunas: patterns shown by amphibians

Abstract. Following the recognition of a discrete East African lowland amphibian fauna (Poynton, 1990), this paper investigates the possible recognition of an Afromontane amphibian fauna in southern Africa. Species turnover in a transect from the Mozambique/KwaZulu-Natal border area through Swaziland to the Eastern Transvaal highveld is described, and compared with previously described transects through Mozambique to Zimbabwe, and KwaZulu-Natal to the central Free State. Turnover in the Swaziland transect shows two peaks. Marked turnover at the edge of the interior plateau is taken to indicate an eastern border of an Afromontane fauna; the other peak, at the western edge of the coastal lowland, is taken to mark the border of an East African lowland fauna. A transition zone with a transitional assemblage occurs on the plateau slopes between the two borders. The Zimbabwean transect shows a similar pattern. The KwaZulu-Natal to Free State transect shows a broad transition from upland to lowland assemblages, which parallels the extensive intermingling of upland and lowland floristic elements in that area. A north-south turnover across the three transects shows northern species becoming progressively excluded from highland areas as they extend southwards, while southern species become limited to the highlands as they extend northwards. The cohesive north-south turnover pattern is consistent with the idea of a single Afromontane biogeographical unit, which can be related to a tropical East African lowland unit through a complex pattern of species turnover.     

Biodiversity associated with an irrigated rice agro-ecosystem in Sri Lanka

Irrigated rice fields are temporary wetland agro-ecosystems, managed with a variable degree of intensity. A survey was carried out in Sri Lanka to document the overall biodiversity associated with this unique agro-ecosystem, using a combination of sampling techniques to document different groups of fauna and flora. The total number of biota recorded and identified from the rice field ecosystem during the entire study period consisted of 494 species of invertebrates belonging to 10 phyla and 103 species of vertebrates, while the flora included 89 species of macrophytes, 39 genera of microphytes and 3 species of macrofungi. Of the total species documented, 15 species of invertebrates and one weed species are new records to Sri Lanka. Arthropods were the dominant group of invertebrates (405 species), of which 55 species were rice pest insects, and 200 species were natural enemies of pest insects. The fauna and flora recorded from the rice field were observed to follow a uniform pattern of seasonal colonization and succession during successive rice cultivation cycles. The biodiversity of the irrigated rice agro-ecosystem interests both agroecologists and conservation biologists. Therefore, the integrated efforts of these two groups can result in the formulation of strategies based on biodiversity as an organizing principal in the sustainable management of the rice field agro-ecosystem.     

The Seasonal Succession of Biotic Communities in Wetlands of the Tropical Wet-and-Dry Climatic Zone: IV. The Free-Living Sarcodines and Ciliates of the Pantanal of Mato Grosso,Brazil

This fourth paper in a series on the effects of the wet-and-dry climate on the northern Pantanal, Mato Grosso, Brazil, provides an outline of the seasonal activity of sarcodine and ciliate species. Both of these groups of protozoans include grazers on bacteria and algae, predators, and omnivores. Apparently because of their more complex trophic relationships and competition from small metazoans, the fauna of these groups in the Pantanal is considerably less rich in species than the alga flora, and the populations of most species remain small throughout the year. The presence of only 97 species was recorded during a period of study lasting about three and a half years. While the number of testacean species encountered is not notably less than expected, the number and diversity of the ciliate fauna are remarkably low compared to those encountered not only in the eutrophic waters of the temperate zones but also in water bodies in the eastern part of Brazil. The species found are almost exclusively cosmopolitan or circumtropical in distribution.     

滇川干暖河谷种子植物区系成分研究

本文论及滇川干暖河谷种子植物区系成分由科级到种级的研究结果。所统计分析的植物共６９２个种,分属于３３６个属,１１１个科。科级区系成分中,明显以亚热带科为主,暖温带科次之,热带科很少。属级区系成分中,热带属多于温带属,有１４个特有属。热带科属偏多说明本河谷历史上有过以热带区系为主体时期和近代区系发源于热带。种级区系成分中,有中国特有种４２１种,占６１．９０％,其次是温带种多于热带种。干暖河谷的植物区系标志种有１５８种,分三个等级,一级为本河谷特有种,有１８种,二级１０３种,三级３７种。干暖河谷的特有区系成分和各级植物区系标志种均较好地反映本河谷区系演化的近代趋势及其独特性。     

Forest Modification Affects Diversity (But Not Dynamics) of Speciose Tropical Pyraloid Moth Communities

We studied temporal and spatial dynamics of extremely diverse moth ensembles (Lepidoptera: Pyraloidea) along a gradient of forest disturbance ranging from undisturbed primary tropical rain forest to different kinds of modified forest and open cultivated land at the margin of Mount Kinabalu National Park (Sabah, East Malaysia). We sampled moths by light trapping during two periods (March‐May and August‐September 1997). We collected a total of 7724 individuals representing 680 species during 78 light‐trapping nights at six study sites. Species diversity (Fisher's α) of ensembles in undisturbed primary forest was distinctly higher than in disturbed or secondary forest. More pyraloid moths were attracted in undisturbed primary forest. Samples from disturbed primary or old‐growth secondary forest were statistically indistinguishable from the undisturbed primary forest ensemble in regard to species composition. Thus, pyraloid ensembles from disturbed forest with tall trees remaining appeared to represent impoverished subsets of the undisturbed primary forest community. The more heavily disturbed sites had a distinct fauna and showed a stronger faunal differentiation among each other. Four species of the genus Eoophyla, in which aquatic larvae feed on algae in fast‐running streams benefited prominently from forest disturbance. Temporal variation of ensembles was remarkably concordant across the disturbance gradient. Relative abundance variation of the commonest species was identical at all sites. Overall, pyraloid moths responded more sensitively to anthropogenic habitat alteration than most other moth taxa studied thus far in tropical regions and allowed for an analysis of diversity patterns at a high temporal resolution.     

Analysis of insect distribution in the Northern Hemisphere by the example of the subfamily Arctiinae (Lepidoptera,Arctiidae). 1. Genus level

An attempt is made to apply cluster analysis to comparison of local faunas in the Northern Hemisphere at the genus level by the example of the subfamily Arctiinae (Lepidoptera, Arctiidae). A total of 200 North African, Eurasian (to New Guinea inclusive), and North American (north of the United Mexican States) local faunas have been considered. It is found that the arctic fauna is clearly detached from the Palearctic and Nearctic faunas, being closer to the former. Therefore, it is not reasonable to recognize the united European-Canadian subprovince of the boreal province according to the tiger moth faunas. The Palearctic tiger moth fauna is characterized by relatively smooth variations within the boreal, subboreal, and western subtropical belts. The boundary between the Palearctic and the Oriental (Indo-Malayan) provinces should be drawn north of the Yangtze catchment area. The most dramatic fauna change at the genus level takes place between North and Northeast China. It is reasonable to recognize a broad transition area between the two zoogeographic provinces in Eastern Asia. On the grounds of the nonuniform tiger moth fauna, the South Chinese-East Himalayan subprovince should be assigned to the Oriental (Indo-Malayan) province rather than the Palearctic, as was repeatedly proposed. The Southwest-Asian fauna (Arabian Peninsula and southern Iran) is transitional between the Palearctic, African, and Oriental ones. Many African genera reach the west and south of the Arabian Peninsula, whereas Oriental and Paleotropical genera reach southern Iran.     

The structure and diversity of the animal communities in a broadland reedswamp

The fauna of a Phragmites reedswamp at Alderfen Broad, Norfolk, is described in terms of structure and diversity. Three transects were laid parallel to the water's edge at 1 m ( T1 ), 10 m ( T2 ) and 25 m (T3) from the reedswamp/open water interface. Twenty samples were taken randomly along each transect in July and all the macroinvertebrates in the samples were collected. The pH at each site was measured. The pH fell from 8–4 at T1 to 6–4 at T3 .
The fauna of the three transects was analysed by recurrent groups and by plotting the log abundance against the frequency for each species and dividing the resulting graph into units in terms of abundance and frequency. Both methods gave very similar results but the recurrent groups analysis only gave information on the most frequent species. The recurrent groups of the three transects had no common elements. The abundance/frequency analysis is simple to perform and could be of considerable use in evaluating sites for conservation purposes.
Transect T2 had the greatest species diversity, equitability and evenness, T3 the least. Reasons for this are discussed.     

A revision of the hard coral genus Acropora Oken, 1815 (Scleractinia: Astrocoeniina: Acroporidae) in south-east Africa

All species of the scleractinian coral genus Acropora presently known to occur in south-east Africa (denoting the African coast south of the Tropic of Capricorn, and including the atoll Bassas da India in the Mozambique channel) are reviewed. Twenty-three species are discussed, most of which are of wide Indo-Pacific distribution. Field and laboratory characteristics of all species are described in detail. Species richness in southern Mozambique is much higher (23 species) than in South Africa (14 species), probably due to the higher ecological differentiation of Mozambiquan reefs. The Acropora fauna of the atoll Bassas da India is similar to that of Mozambique but with two additional species A. paniculata and A. cf. striata. Compared to other coral reef areas in similar latitudes, the south-east African Acropora fauna is of average diversity. An identification key to all species is provided.