A review of Buccipagoda Ponder, 2010 and descriptions of new species and a new genus (Gastropoda: Neogastropoda: Buccinoidea: Buccinidae)

This revision addresses two Southern Hemisphere genera in the family Buccinidae. Buccipagoda kengrahami (Ponder, 1982) and B. ponderi n. sp. are recognised from off southern Australia and B. achilles n. sp. from off New Zealand. Sagenotriton n. gen. is introduced for S. ajax n. sp. from off New Zealand, and S. bathybius (Bouchet & Warén, 1986) and S. bonaespei (Barnard, 1963) from off South Africa.     

New genera,species and records of rhinebothriidean cestodes (Platyhelminthes) parasitic in Australian stingrays (Elasmobranchii: Batoidea)

Collections of rhinebothriidean cestodes (Platyhelminthes) from Australian batoid elasmobranchs revealed the presence of a number of new genera and species. Ruptobothrium louiseuzeti n. g., n sp. is described from the reticulate whipray, Himantura australis Last, Naylor & Manjaji-Matsumoto, from off the Northern Territory and Mixobothrium queenslandense n. g., n sp. is described from the green sawfish, Pristis zijsron Bleeker, from off north-eastern Queensland. Two new species of Rhabdotobothrium Euzet, 1953 are described: Rhabdotobothrium meridionale n. sp. from the southern eagle ray Myliobatis tenuicaudatus Hector from off South Australia and Rhabdotobothrium anoxypristidis n. sp. from the narrow sawfish, Anoxypristis cuspidatus (Latham) from off north Western Australia. A new species of Scalithrium Healy & Reyda, 2016, Scalithrium australiense n. sp., is described from the reticulate whipray, Himantura australis Last, Naylor & Manjaji-Matsumoto, from off northern Western Australia. Scalithrium smitii (Shinde, Deshmukh & Jadhav, 1981) n. comb. is reported from Australian waters for the first time in the black spotted stingray Maculabatis toshi (Whitley) from off northern Western Australia. New host and geographical records are provided for Stillabothrium jeanfortiae Forti, Aprill & Reyda, 2016 from the brown whipray Maculobatis toshi (Whitley) and the black-spotted whipray, Maculabatis cf. astra (Last, Manjaji-Matsumoto & Pogonoski) from Moreton Bay in southern Queensland.

     

Reproductive isolation betweenTetranychus lintearius and two related mites,T. urticae andT. turkestani (Acarina: Tetranychidae)

Gorse,Ulex europaeus L. (Leguminosae), is a serious weed in New Zealand and some other temperate parts of the world.Tetranychus lintearius Dufour (Tetranychidae) has been released in New Zealand as a biological control agent for the weed. Before it could be introduced from Europe, it was necessary to show thatT. lintearius is reproductively isolated from closely related pest mites.Crosses and reciprocal crosses were made betweenT. lintearius and four populations ofT. urticae Koch, and betweenT. lintearius and one population ofT. turkestani (Ugarov and Nikolski). In a second experiment, males of a second population ofT. lintearius were crossed with females of fiveT. urticae populations. The sex-ratio of F₁ progeny in both experiments suggested thatT. lintearius was reproductively isolated from the other species, and could therefore be used as a biological control agent for gorse.     

DasFestuca vivipara-Problem in den Alpen

The differences betweenFestuca vivipara (tetraploid) andF. ovina subsp.supina (diploid), two often confused taxa, are demonstrated in regard to morphology, leaf anatomy, ecology and distribution. New maps illustrate the distribution ofF. vivipara in the Alps and the Northern Hemisphere. The development of different polyploidy levels withinF. vivipara as a consequence of occasional sexual processes is discussed. (English Summary on p. 39.)

     

Molecular and morphological identification of truffle-producing <Emphasis Type="Italic">Tuber</Emphasis> species in New Zealand

Molecular and morphological techniques were used to examine New Zealand ascomycetous truffle (Tuber spp.) samples deposited in the Plant & Food Research and Landcare Research Fungi Herbarium collections. Truffles have been found on the roots of many Northern Hemisphere tree species growing in New Zealand, but not on indigenous plant species. Comparisons of ribosomal DNA sequences proved to be a simple and rapid method to identify the Tuber species. Tuber maculatum was by far the predominant species in New Zealand, and was distributed throughout the country. A single truffle sample from Christchurch was identified as T. rufum. Two other groups of truffle samples from Pinus spp. were closely related to anonymous Northern Hemisphere Tuber sequences. Ascocarps with these sequences have not previously been described. Specific primers for the PCR detection of these Pinus isolates were developed. None of these Tuber species accidentally introduced to New Zealand is of economic value.     

PROPOSAL OF THE EUPTILOTEAE HOMMERSAND ET FREDERICQ,TRIB. NOV. AND TRANSFER OF SOME SOUTHERN HEMISPHERE PTILOTEAE TO THE CALLITHAMNIEAE (CERAMIACEAE,RHODOPHYTA)1

Morphological and molecular studies demonstrate that the tribe Ptiloteae (Ceramiaceae, Ceramiales) is polyphyletic. The Ptiloteae, sensu stricto, occur only in the Northern Hemisphere and all Southern Hemisphere representatives belong in other tribes. Three genera (Euptilota, Seirospora, and Sciurothamnion) are transferred to the Euptiloteae Hommersand et Fredericq, trib. nov., and the Callithamnieae is revised to include three Ptilota‐like genera, Georgiella, Falklandiella, and Diapse, and two new genera. Heteroptilon Hommersand, gen. nov. is erected to receive Euptilota pappeana Kützing 1849 and Aglaothamnion rigidulum De Clerck, Bolton, Anderson et Coppejans 2004 from South Africa, and Aristoptilon Hommersand et W. A. Nelson, gen. nov. is established to receive Euptilota mooreana Lindauer 1949 from New Zealand. The principal difference between the Euptiloteae and the Callithamnieae is seen in the earliest stages after fertilization. The fertilized carpogonium enlarges and forms a pair of tube‐like protuberances directed toward the auxiliary cells that are cut off as connecting cells in the Euptiloteae, whereas in the Callithamnieae the carpogonium usually divides into two cells, each of which cuts off a small connecting cell that fuses with an adjacent enlarging auxiliary cell. Nuclei are terminal in spermatangia of the Euptiloteae, subtended by mucilaginous vesicles, and are medial in the Callithamnieae situated between apical and basal vesicles. The Euptiloteae and Callithamnieae (including the Ptilota‐like members) are each strongly supported in maximum‐likelihood tree topologies resulting from analyses of combined 18S rDNA, 28S rDNA, 16S rDNA, and rbcL data sets. Their sister relationship is also well supported.     

The distribution of keratinophilic fungi in soils from New Zealand,and from two polynesian Islands

Summary (1) A total of 312 soils, 271 from New Zealand, 24 from Rarotonga, Cook Islands and 17 from Tokelau Islands was examined by the hair-baiting technique.(2)Microsporon gypseum was isolated from 1.5% of New Zealand soils and from 36.6% of Pacific Island soils. The difference in incidence in the two areas is significant.(3)Keratinomyces ajelloi andMicrosporon cookei were recovered from 52.8% and 7.7% of New Zealand soils respectively but neither species was isolated from the Island samples.K. ajelloi was found to be significantly associated with strongly acid soils, andM. cookei with a farmyard substrate.(4)Trichophyton terrestre was isolated from 1.1% of New Zealand and from 12.2% of Pacific Island soils. Two strains ofChrysosporium keratinophilum were isolated from New Zealand soils and an unidentifiedChrysosporium from one Rarotongan sample.(5) The distribution of the different species is discussed and compared with those reported in surveys carried out in other countries of the Southern Hemisphere. The effects of ambient temperature, and source and pH of the soil, on the distribution of keratinophilic fungi are considered, but there is insufficient detailed evidence to determine the importance of these factors in the ecology of these organisms.     

On an unknown lamprey holotype (Petromyzon macrostomus Burmeister 1868) and the genus Exomegas Gill 1883 from South America

The taxonomy of the South American genus Exomegas Gill 1883 has been unstable owing to the unknown status of the type specimen of its type species, Petromyzon macrostomus Burmeister 1868. Here the authors announce the finding of the holotype in the Museo Argentino de Ciencias Naturales “Bernardino Rivadavia” ichthyology collection. Whereas Exomegas type species is recognized based on its holotype, Exomegas gallegensis (Smitt 1901) new status is proposed. These preliminary results resolve a century-long taxonomic uncertainty and foster a nomenclatural arrangement for a Southern Hemisphere lamprey genus.     

Detection of the ectomycorrhizal fungusTricholoma matsutake and some related species with specific ITS primers

Oligonucleotide primers (Tm1 and Tm4) were designed to amplify a 447–448 base pair fragment, comprising sections of the rDNA internal transcribed spacers (ITS) and the entire 5.8S rDNA, ofTricholoma matsutake. PCR products of predicted size were produced for six of eight isolates ofT. matsutake from across its natural range in Asia, and for isolates of some closely related fungi includingT. bakamatsutake, T. magnivelare, andT. caligatum. The closely relatedT. robustum could be discriminated fromT. matsutake by PCR fragment size. No PCR products were produced where the primers were tested against 16 species of ectomycorrhizal fungi associated withPinus spp. in the Southern Hemisphere. The specific primers were also used successfully to produce PCR products from matsutake infected roots collected in natural forests in China and Japan, and from pure culture synthesisedPinus radiata-T. matsutake material. These primers will be useful in research directed at establishing matsutake in the Southern Hemisphere, and also have the potential to be applied to the study of matsutake within its natural range.     

The first records of Stylodrilus heringianus (Oligochaeta: Lumbriculidae) from the Southern Hemisphere

Abstract

The oligochaete family Lumbriculidae is well represented in the Northern Hemisphere, but for the Southern Hemisphere only Lumbriculus variegatus (Müller) is recorded, from Africa, Australia, and New Zealand; no species are known from South America (Brinkhurst & Jamieson 1971). According to Brinkhurst (1971), L. variegatus may be a recent introduction to New Zealand, where it is now widely distributed in a range of inland waters.     

Characterization of early deaths of non-Saccharomyces yeasts in mixed cultures with Saccharomyces cerevisiae

The survival of Kluyveromyces thermotolerans and Torulaspora delbrueckii in mixed cultures with Saccharomyces cerevisiae was examined at low oxygen availability in a defined grape juice medium. In these fermentations, K. thermotolerans and T. delbrueckii died off earlier than S. cerevisiae, and K. thermotolerans and T. delbrueckii exhibited parabolic death kinetics. Furthermore, the early deaths seemed to be non-apoptotic in nature. In order to understand the mechanism causing the early deaths, various single- and mixed-culture fermentations were carried out. The early deaths could not be explained by nutrient depletion or the presence of toxic compounds. Rather, they seemed to be mediated by a cell-to-cell contact mechanism at high cell densities of S. cerevisiae, and to a lesser ability of K. thermotolerans and T. delbrueckii to compete for space, as compared to S. cerevisiae. These results contribute to an increased understanding of why K. thermotolerans and T. delbrueckii die off before S. cerevisiae in wine fermentations.     

The leopardChimaera, a new species of chimaeroid fish from New Zealand (Holocephali, Chimaeriformes, Chimaeridae)

A new species ofChimaera is described from three specimens collected from deep water fishing grounds off the North Island of New Zealand at depths ranging from 327–1020 m. This species is distinguished from all other members of the genus by gray coloration with chocolate brown reticulations and spots covering the body and fins, as well as additional external features such as rounded pelvic fins, first dorsal fin with distinct white margin, preopercular and oral lateral line canals sharing a common branch, and morphology of pelvic claspers in males bifid, the distal 1/3 divided, with pale colored fleshy, distal lobes. Comparisons are made toC. monstrosa andC. owstoni, the two most similar species in the genus. this represents the first species ofChimaera to be described from New Zealand.     

Two new hemiurine species (Digenea: Hemiuridae) from <Emphasis Type="Italic">Spratelloides robustus</Emphasis> Ogilby (Clupeiformes: Clupeidae) off south-western Australia and records of <Emphasis Type="Italic">Parahemiurus merus </Emphasis>(Linton, 1910) from Australian and New Caledonian waters

Two new species of hemiurine hemiurid are described from Spratelloides robustus off Woodman Point in southern Western Australia. Hemiurus lignator n. sp. differs from its congeners by a combination of similar-sized suckers, long sinus-sac, tandem testes, relatively elongate shape and unthickened seminal vesicle wall. Parahemiurus xylokopos n. sp. differs from its congeners in a combination of its squat form, its distinctly lobed vitellarium and the proximity of the gonads to the ventral sucker. P. merus (Linton, 1910) is reported from Acanthopagrus australis, Pomatomus saltatrix and Trachinotus coppingeri off northern New South Wales, Caranx sexfasciatus, Scorpis lineolata, Siganus nebulosus, Thunnus tonggol and T. coppingeri off southern Queensland, Cephalopholis boenak and Euthynnus affinis off Heron Island, southern Great Barrier Reef, P. saltatrix off southern Western Australia and Priacanthus hamrur off New Caledonia.     

Symphurus hondoensis Hubbs, 1915, a valid species of western Pacific tonguefish (Pleuronectiformes: Cynoglossidae)

Symphurus hondoensis Hubbs, 1915, originally described only from the holotype taken in 390–542 m in Suruga Bay Japan, has long been considered a junior synonym ofS. strictus Gilbert, 1905, known from waters off Hawaii, Japan, the Philippine Islands, and South Africa. Based on new information from the holotype and a specimen recently captured from deep waters (789–815 m) off Amami-Oshima Island, southern Japan,S. hondoensis is now established as a valid species.Symphurus hondoensis is unique among congeners in having the combination of a 1–2–3 pattern of interdigitation of proximal dorsal pterygiophores and neural spines, 10 abdominal vertebrae, 14 caudalfin rays, 111–113 dorsal-fin rays, 95 anal-fin rays, 59 total vertebrae, 105–106 scales in longitudinal series, blind side nearly as darkly pigmented as the ocular surface, and a black peritoneum. Recognition ofS. hondoensis increases the number of described species ofSymphurus in waters off Japan to three (S. orientalis Bleeker,S. strictus, andS. hondoensis), with at least one more underscribed species occurring in deepwater hydrothermal vent areas off southern Japan.     

Molecular phylogeny ofNothofagus (Nothofagaceae) based on theatpB-rbcL intergenic spacer of the chloroplast DNA

The genusNothofagus is distributed in the Southern Hemisphere from South America to Oceania, and its distribution has been assumed to be formed by continental drift by means of Gondwana break-up during the Mesozoic era. The phylogeny of the genus was elucidated by the sequences ofatpB-rbcL intergenic spacer of cpDNA for the better understanding of its evolution and biogeography. The phylogeny ofNothofagus corresponded completely to the pollen morphology which recognizes four pollen types in extant species, and agrees well with the taxonomic system of Hill and Read (1991) although there, the subgenusNothofagus showed in unresolved polytomy. The topology of the phylogenetic tree reveals that subgenusLophozonia was derived first, and thenFuscospora, Nothofagus andBrassospora. Species from South America and New Zealand were assigned to each cluster according to their pollen morphology. Therefore, diversification ofNothofagus should have already proceeded at the subgenus level before the completion of Gondwana break-up Tropical species distributed in New Guinea and New Caledonia whose evolutionary history has been controversial were revealed to be a derived group. All five New Caledonian species formed a monophyletic group with very few sequence divergences in the intergenic spacer of cpDNA, thus showing rapid adaptive radiation in the island. Evolutionary trends of several morphological traits ofNothofagus are discussed. The evolution of valve number of cupules, number of nuts per cupule, and habit of leaf-fall (evergreen or deciduous) which are diversified in the genus, were revealed as having occurred several times as the result of convergence.     

Fossil pollen records of the problematical primitive angiosperm familyLactoridaceae in Australia

Microfossils which matchLactoris (Lactoridaceae) pollen more closely than those of any other living angiosperm occur in Campanian to Paleogene sediments around the margins of Australia. These are referred to the fossil genus Lactoripollenites (Zavada & Benson 1987). A species belonging to the same genus occurs in older (Turonian-Santonian) deposits off southern Africa but Australian specimens represent not only the most southern, but also the youngest known (Oligocene) records to date. Our data support suggestions that theLactoridaceae were widespread across the Southern Hemisphere during the Late Cretaceous (Lammers & al. 1986,Zavada & Benson 1987). An homology between gymnosperm sacci and the saccus-like structures found in Lactoripollenites and some specimens ofLactoris pollen is contested, as is the use of (anasulcate) apertures to support the primitive position of the family.     

Two species ofCoitocaecum Nicoll, 1915 (Digenea: Opecoelidae) from Moreton Bay,Queensland, Australia

Two species ofCoitocaecum Nicoll, 1915,C. gymnophallum Nicoll, 1915 andC. michaeli n. sp., are recorded, described and figured from the intestine ofAcanthopagrus australis from Moreton Bay, off south east Queensland. The holotype ofC. gymnophallum Nicoll, 1915 is examined, measured and figured for comparison.C. glandulosum Yamaguti, 1934 andC. robustum Wang, 1984 are reduced to synonymy withC. gymnophallum. The host specificity ofCoitocaecum spp. is discussed.     

A molecular investigation of the genus Ecklonia (Phaeophyceae,Laminariales) with special focus on the Southern Hemisphere

Brown algae of the order Laminariales, commonly referred to as kelps, are the largest and most productive primary producers in the coastal inshore environment. The genus Ecklonia (Lessoniaceae, Phaeophyceae) consists of seven species with four species in the Northern Hemisphere and three in the Southern Hemisphere. It was recently transferred to the family Lessoniaceae based on phylogenetic analyses of nuclear and chloroplastic markers, though the type of the genus was not included and its relationship with allied genera Eckloniopsis and Eisenia remained unresolved. The present study is the first to produce a phylogeny focussed on the genus Ecklonia. It included sequences from nuclear, mitochondrial, and chloroplastic DNA, for most of the distribution range of the three current Southern Hemisphere species (Ecklonia radiata, Ecklonia maxima, and a sample of a putative Ecklonia brevipes specimen), sequences for East Asiatic species (Ecklonia cava, Ecklonia kurome, and Ecklonia stolonifera), as well as the closely related genera Eckloniopsis and Eisenia. Results confirmed E. radiata and E. maxima as two distinct species in South Africa, E. radiata as a single species throughout the Southern Hemisphere (in South Africa, Australia, and New Zealand) and East Asiatic species as a distinct lineage from the Southern Hemisphere clade. Results further pointed out a close sister relationship between Eckloniopsis radicosa and two Eisenia species (including the type species: Eisenia arborea) to the genus Ecklonia suggesting that the genera Eckloniopsis and Eisenia are superfluous.