Notes on the fauna and taxonomy of the click beetles (Coleoptera,Elateridae) of Russia and neighboring countries

New data on the distribution and taxonomy of some species of click-beetles in Russia and adjacent countries are given. Several species are recorded for the first time for the following territories: Brachygonus bouyoni (Chass.), B. dubius (Plat. et Cate) and Zorochros lewisi (Schw.), for Russia; Sericus sulcipennis (Baudi), for Ukraine; Berninelsonius hyperboreus (Gyll.), Cidnopus parallelus (Motsch.), and Limonius poneli Les. et Mertl., for Kazakhstan. New interesting findings of Sericus sulcipennis and Selatosomus songoricus (Kr.) are reported. Comments on some erroneous faunistic records of several elaterids, including some species from Middle Asia, are made. The following new synonymy is established: Haterumelater fulvago (Marseul, {dy1868}) = Elater tauricola Gurjeva, 1957, syn. n. Notes on the variability of Selatosomus latus (F.) are given, and its conspecificity with S. corpulentus (Cand.) is confirmed. The external morphology and genitalia of the little known Selatosomus nanus Gur. are studied, and the systematic position of this species is discussed.     

Two new and one known species of <Emphasis Type="Italic">Tergestia</Emphasis> Stossich, 1899 (Trematoda: Fellodistomidae) with novel molecular characterisation for the genus

Combined morphological and molecular analyses are employed to characterise three species of Tergestia Stossich, 1899 (Digenea: Fellodistomidae) from fishes of Moreton Bay, Queensland, Australia. Tergestia clonacantha Manter, 1963 is reported here for the first time from the halfbeak (Beloniformes: Hemiramphidae) species Arrhamphus sclerolepis krefftii (Steindachner), Hyporhamphus australis (Steindachner), H. quoyi (Valenciennes) and H. regularis ardelio (Whitley). Two new species, both infecting trevally (Perciformes: Carangidae) species, are described: T. maryae n. sp. from Alepes apercna Grant and T. henryi n. sp. from Pantolabus radiatus (MacLeay). Complete ITS2 and partial 28S ribosomal DNA data were generated for each of the new taxa. The three species differ from each other by 47–58 base pairs (bp) in the ITS2 rDNA region. Phylogenetic analysis of 28S rDNA supports Tergestia as a reliable generic concept, with our analyses showing that some species of the genus form a well-supported clade to the exclusion of all other fellodistomids for which sequence data are available.     

New and little known species of the dance-fly subgenus <Emphasis Type="Italic">Xanthempis</Emphasis> Bezzi,genus <Emphasis Type="Italic">Empis</Emphasis> L. (Diptera,Empididae), from the Caucasus

Five new species of the subgenus Xanthempis Bezzi are described from the Caucasus: Empis (Xanthempis) annae sp. n. (Russia: Krasnodar Territory), E. (X.) grichanovi sp. n. (Russia: Krasnodar Territory; Georgia), E. (X.) pseudoconcolor sp. n. (Russia: Krasnodar and Stavropol territories; Georgia: Abkhazia), E. (X.) teberdaensis sp. n. (Russia: Karachay-Cherkessia), and E. (X.) zamotajlovi sp. n. (Russia: Krasnodar Territory and Adygea). The females of E. (X.) alanica Shamshev and E. (X.) kovalevi Shamshev are described for the first time. New data on the distribution of some previously described species are reported. The geographical distribution of Xanthempis is discussed. A key to Xanthempis species from the Caucasus is compiled.     

Genus <Emphasis Type="Italic">Eckhardites</Emphasis> Mitta (Cardioceratidae,Ammonoidea) from the Lower Callovian of the subboreal Jurassic

The genus Eckhardites Mitta 1999, with the type species Macrocephalites pavlowi Smorodina, 1928 is discussed and its diagnosis and assignment to the family Cardioceratidae are substantiated. Eckhardites is compared to the genus Macrocephalites Zittel (family Sphaeroceratidae), to which some workers presently assign the type species of Eckhardites. Three species of Eckhardites are recorded from the basal Callovian elatmae Zone of the Russian Platform, one of which (E. menzeli (Mönnig)) was originally described from the synchronous beds in Germany. A new species E. dietli sp. nov. is described.     

Five new species of <Emphasis Type="Italic">Conocybe</Emphasis> (Agaricomycetes,Bolbitiaceae) from Russia

Five new Conocybe species are described from Russia based on collections made in different parts of the country. One species (C. olivaceopileata) belongs to sect. Conocybe, two species (C. praticola and C. coniferarum) to sect. Mixtae. The ornamented basidiospores of C. confundens and C. incerta is characteristic for sect. Ochromarasmius. All new species are described based on morphology and, in some cases, on DNA sequencing (ITS rDNA). Photos of basidiocarps, illustrations of microstructures and a comparison with similar taxa are given.     

Some new taxa ofPotentilla L.

Five new species and two varieties from the sectionMultifidae are described from the Sino-Himalayan region. They are referred to the affinity ofP. multifida L. andP. griffithii Hook. f.; one of the new species is probably related toP. gerardiana Lindl. and one is intermediate between the species of the sectionsMultifidae andNiveae.     

Gall midges of the supertribe Stomatosematidi (Diptera,Cecidomyiidae) in the Palaearctic Region,with descriptions of new taxa from the Late Eocene Rovno amber: 1. <Emphasis Type="Italic">Stomatosema,Vanchidiplosis, Clarumreddera</Emphasis> gen. n.

Three recent genera are included in the supertribe Stomatosematidi: Stomatosema (16 species), Vanchidiplosis (4 species), and Didactylomyia (3 species). Seven species of the genus Stomatosema and two species of the genus Vanchidiplosis occur in the Palaearctic Region. No reliable findings of representatives of the supertribe were known in fossilized condition. One new genus and 3 new species are described from amber of the Late Eocene age (Rovno Region): Stomatosema iljieteugeniae sp. n., Clarumreddera korneyevi gen. n. et sp. n., and C. conceptiva sp. n.     

A global survey of <Emphasis Type="Italic">Puccinia</Emphasis>-rust on Cucurbitaceae

In this paper, all known autoecious Puccinia species (rust fungi, Uredinales) on Cucurbitaceae are described and most of them illustrated. A key and information on their host range and distribution is presented. Four species, Puccinia antennata, P. arbor-miraculensis, P. hieroglyphica, and P. rhytidioderma are proposed as new. P. momordicae and P. trochomeriae are recognised as valid species different from P. cephalandrae. Uredo melothriae is a new combination for Uromyces melothriae. P. cucumeris is a new report for Namibia, P. momordicae for Zimbabwe and P. vanderystii for Kenya. The species appear to be host specific with regard to host tribes, but P. citrulli and P. cucumeris may pass tribal boundaries. Most species are morphologically very similar and are characterised by a unique set of teliospore characters. They are therefore regarded as a natural group. The distribution of this group in semiarid habitats, mainly from southern Africa to India, is discussed.     

Circumscription of species in the <Emphasis Type="Italic">Hodophilus foetens</Emphasis> complex (Clavariaceae,Agaricales) in Europe

Four European Hodophilus species with an odour similar to naphthalene, a strong unpleasant odour similar to that of mothballs, are recognized based on sequence and/or morphological data. The traditional concept defines Ho. foetens as the only Hodophilus species with a naphthalene odour in Europe. This name is now assigned to one of the studied species based on morphological examination of the holotype specimen. A recently collected specimen is proposed as the epitype. The other three species with a naphthalene odour are described here as new: Ho. pallidus, Ho. subfoetens and Ho. tenuicystidiatus. They are distinguishable in the field based on a combination of lamellae number and colour of basidiomata. All four species are grouped in the Ho. foetens superclade, one of two superclades, together with the Ho. micaceus superclade, in the genus Hodophilus. All are different species from North American taxa with a naphthalene-like odour recognised in a previous study. The Ho. foetens superclade also includes one species identified as Ho. atropunctus that does not have a distinctive odour. The type collection of Ho. albofloccipes, a recently described European species with a naphthalene odour, is placed together with some collections without a distinctive odour in the Ho. micaceus superclade.     

Contributions to the knowledge of the fauna of Palaearctic Latridiidae (Coleoptera)

A new species, Dienerella kerzhneri, was described from Kazakhstan. Four species are recorded from new localities: Enicmus atriceps Hansen (recorded from Belarus), Melanophthalma sericea (Mann.) and Migneauxia crassiuscula (Aubé) (the Ukraine), and Corticarina obfuscata Strand (the Caucasus).     

Myrothecium-like (Ascomycota,Hypocreales) species from tropical areas: <Emphasis Type="Italic">Digitiseta</Emphasis> gen. nov. and additions to <Emphasis Type="Italic">Inaequalispora</Emphasis> and <Emphasis Type="Italic">Parvothecium</Emphasis>

Inaequalispora and Parvothecium are two myrothecium-like, closely related genera of Hypocreales. They are also morphologically similar, sharing sporodochial conidiomata, penicillate conidiophores, fusiform to ellipsoidal conidia accumulating in a green slimy drop, and hypha-like setoid extensions emerging through the conidial mass. During a revision of myrothecium-like isolates originating from rainforest areas of South America (Ecuador, Brazil) and Southeast Asia (Singapore), multilocus phylogenetic inferences (based on DNA sequence data of ITS, partial nuc 28S, and partial tef1a, rpb2 and tub2) and morphological studies concordantly revealed the occurrence of two undescribed species of Inaequalispora (I. longiseta sp. nov. and I. cylindrospora sp. nov.) and one undescribed species of Parvothecium (P. amazonensesp. nov.). Myrothecium setiramosum, M. dimorphum, and two undescribed taxa form the base of a new lineage, sister to the current Parvothecium lineage. This lineage is recognized as Digitiseta gen. nov., typified by D. setiramosa comb. nov. Digitiseta dimorpha comb. nov. is also proposed, and the new species D. parvodigitata sp. nov. and D. multidigitata sp. nov. are described.     

Fossil wood of <Emphasis Type="Italic">Betula erkovetskiensis</Emphasis> sp. nov. (Betulaceae) from the Miocene of the Erkovetskii Brown Coal Field,Amur Region,Russia

A new species, Betula erkovetskiensis Blokhina et O.V. Bondarenko (Betulaceae), from the deposits of the Sazanka Formation (upper Middle?Upper Miocene) of the Erkovetskii Brown Coal Field (Amur Region, Russia) is described based on anatomical features of fossil wood. The new species shows some wood anatomical characters of the extant birch subgenus Betula, B. davurica, B. nigra (section Dahuricae), and B. papyrifera (section Betula). Fossil wood of Betula is found in the Amur Region for the first time.     

<Emphasis Type="Italic">Diaporthe</Emphasis> from walnut tree (<Emphasis Type="Italic">Juglans regia</Emphasis>) in China,with insight of the <Emphasis Type="Italic">Diaporthe eres</Emphasis> complex

Species of Diaporthe are important plant pathogenic fungi that commonly occur on a wide range of hosts. They are relatively difficult to identify due to their extreme similarity in morphology and confusing multigene phylogeny, especially in the Diaporthe eres complex. In the present study, isolates were collected from diseased branches of Juglans regia in China. Most strains were clustered into the D. eres species complex based on the combined internal transcribed spacer (ITS) region, partial calmodulin (CAL), histone H3 (HIS), translation elongation factor 1-alpha (TEF1-α) and beta-tubulin (TUB) genes. To focus on this complex, CAL, TEF1-α and TUB were selected in further phylogenetic analyses that showed a better topology compared with combined five-gene phylogeny. Results revealed that all strains which clustered in the Diaporthe eres complex from Juglans regia in China were Diaporthe eres. Results suggested a revised species criterion in the Diaporthe eres complex. The current study uncovered a new species here described as Diaporthe. tibetensis.     

New data on trophic relations between eulophid parasitic wasps (Hymenoptera,Eulophidae) and lepidopterans in Ul’yanovsk Province

Twenty seven species of the family Eulophidae were reared from 20 new lepidopteran hosts in Ul’yanovsk Province. Among newly revealed host-parasitoid associations, 27, 9, 3, and 3 are those with Phyllonorycter (Gracillariidae), Stigmella and single species of Ectoedemia (Nepticulidae), Yponomeuta (Yponomeutidae), and Tischeria (Tischeriidae), respectively. Ectoparasitoids prevailed among parasitoids of the genus Phyllonorycter, and endoparasitoids, among parasitoids of the genera Stigmella and Tischeria.     

<Emphasis Type="Italic">Cortinarius</Emphasis> sect. <Emphasis Type="Italic">Riederi</Emphasis>: taxonomy and phylogeny of the new section with European and North American distribution

Cortinarius is one of the most species-rich genera of mushroom-forming fungi. Based on phylogenetic and morphological evidence, Cortinarius, sect. Riederi, is introduced at sectional level (= subsect. Riederi sensu Brandrud & Melot). The taxonomy, phylogeny, ecology and distribution of not only mainly European but also including some North American taxa of this section are treated, which includes nine species and two varieties. Of these, three taxa are described as new (C. burlinghamiae, C. pallidoriederi and C. argenteolilacinus var. dovrensis). The sect. Riederi species possess morphological features similar to Phlegmacium group(s) and forms a phylogenetically isolated lineage, with no supported affinity to other phlegmacioid groups. Three taxa are known from both Europe and North America, two species are known only from North America and five only from Europe. Altogether, eight of the ten taxa are associated with conifers or northern (boreal-subalpine) deciduous trees (Betula spp.). Only two species occur in more temperate forests (Fagus forests), and no species have so far been found in thermophilous Quercus forests     

New or Little-Known Beetle Species (Coleoptera) of the Families Histeridae and Scarabaeidae in the Faunas of Ciscaucasia,Western and Southeastern Kazakhstan

New data are presented on the distribution of Histeridae and Scarabaeidae in Russia and Kazakhstan. Three species, Pholioxenus schatzmayri J. Müller, 1910, Mendidaphodius linearis (Reiche et Saulcy, 1856), and Onthophagus ponticus Harold, 1883, are recorded from Kazakhstan for the first time, and one species, Atholus scutellaris (Erichson, 1834), is new to the fauna of Russia. The distribution ranges are refined for Microsaprinus therondianus (Dahlgren, 1973), Hypocacculus biskrensis (Marseul, 1876), Paravolvulus refector (Reitter, 1904), Hister megalonyx Reichardt, 1922, Bodilus longipennis (Rakovi?, 1984), Protaetia cyanescens jacobsoni (Kiseritzky, 1910), and Valgus hemipterus (Linnaeus, 1758). All these species are distributed mainly in the four zoogeographical regions: Hesperian, European, Saharo-Gobian (Sethian), and Scythian.     

Distribution and diversity of the Opheliidae (Annelida,Polychaeta) on the continental shelf and slope of Iceland,with a review of the genus <Emphasis Type="Italic">Ophelina</Emphasis> in northeast Atlantic waters and description of two new species

The diversity, taxonomy and distribution of the Opheliidae (Annelida: Polychaeta) in Icelandic waters is reviewed based on material collected during the BIOICE project. Nine opheliid species are recorded from Iceland; of these, three were previously reported in the area (Ophelia limacina, Ophelina cylindricaudata and O. acuminata), four are new for Icelandic waters (Ammotrypanella cf. arctica, Ophelina abranchiata, O. helgolandica and Tachytrypane jeffreisii), and two are new to science. Ophelina basicirra sp. nov. is distinguished by having a narrow anal tube with one short proximal anal cirrus in ventral position. Ophelina bowitzi sp. nov. is characterized by the small size of its anterior branchiae, which become larger in the middle and posterior body regions, and by an upwardly bent anal tube that is wide at the base and narrowing distally. The genera Euzonus, Armandia and Polyophthalmus are not represented in the BIOICE samples. The distribution of each species off Iceland is presented; one species is restricted to shallow waters of northwestern fjords, three species are found south of the GIF Ridge, and five species are circumicelandic. Several body characters with taxonomic relevance in some species are reviewed based on SEM images. Furthermore, as a first step towards a future revision of the genus Ophelina Örsted 1843 in North Atlantic waters, the status of each species originally described or subsequently reported from the area is commented on, and a key to the currently valid species is presented. Ophelina longicephala Hartmann-Schröder, 1977, formerly a subspecies of O. delapidans (Kinberg, 1866), is raised to species status.