A model of direction selectivity in the starburst amacrine cell network

Displaced starburst amacrine cells (SACs) are retinal interneurons that exhibit GABA _A receptor-mediated and Cl ^? cotransporter-mediated, directionally selective (DS) light responses in the rabbit retina. They depolarize to stimuli that move centrifugally through the receptive field surround and hyperpolarize to stimuli that move centripetally through the surround (Gavrikov et al, PNAS 100(26):16047–16052, 2003, PNAS 103(49):18793–18798, 2006). They also play a key role in the activity of DS ganglion cells (DS GC; Amthor et al, Vis Neurosci 19:495–509 2002; Euler et al, Nature 418:845–852, 2002; Fried et al, Nature 420:411– 414, 2002; Gavrikov et al, PNAS 100(26):16047–16052, 2003, PNAS 103(49):18793–18798, 2006; Lee and Zhou, Neuron 51:787–799 2006; Yoshida et al, Neuron 30:771–780, 2001). In this paper we present a model of strong DS behavior of SACs which relies on the GABA-mediated communication within a tightly interconnected network of these cells and on the glutamate signal that the SACs receive from bipolar cells (a presynaptic cell that receives input from cones). We describe how a moving light stimulus can produce a large, sustained depolarization of the SAC dendritic tips that point in the direction that the stimulus moves (i.e., centrifugal motion), but produce a minimal depolarization of the dendritic tips that point in the opposite direction (i.e., centripetal motion). This DS behavior, which is quantified based on the relative size and duration of the depolarizations evoked by stimulus motion at dendritic tips pointing in opposite directions, is robust to changes of many different parameter values and consistent with experimental data. In addition, the DS behavior is strengthened under the assumptions that the Cl^? cotransporters Na^?+?-K^?+?-Cl^?? and K^?+?-Cl^?? are located in different regions of the SAC dendritic tree (Gavrikov et al, PNAS 103(49):18793–18798, 2006) and that GABA evokes a long-lasting response (Gavrikov et al, PNAS 100(26):16047–16052, 2003, PNAS 103(49):18793–18798, 2006; Lee and Zhou, Neuron 51:787–799, 2006). A possible mechanism is discussed based on the generation of waves of local glutamate and GABA secretion, and their postsynaptic interplay as the waves travel between cell compartments.     

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.     

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.     

The Macamide N-3-Methoxybenzyl-Linoleamide Is a Time-Dependent Fatty Acid Amide Hydrolase (FAAH) Inhibitor

The Peruvian plant Lepidium meyenii (Maca) has been shown to possess neuroprotective activity both in vitro and in vivo [1–3]. Previous studies have also demonstrated the activity of the pentane extract and its macamides, the most representative lipophilic constituents of Maca, in the endocannabinoid system as fatty acid amide hydrolase (FAAH) inhibitors. One of the most active macamides, N-3-methoxybenzyl-linoleamide [4, 5], was studied to determine its mechanism of interaction with FAAH and whether it has inhibitory activity on mono-acyl glycerol lipase (MAGL), the second enzyme responsible for endocannabinoid degradation [6]. Macamide concentrations from 1 to 100 μM were tested using FAAH and MAGL inhibitor assay methods and showed no effect on MAGL. Tests with other conditions were performed in order to characterize the inhibitory mechanism of FAAH inhibition. N-3-methoxybenzyl-linoleamide displayed significant time-dependent and dose-dependent FAAH inhibitory activity. The mechanism of inhibition was most likely irreversible or slowly reversible. These results suggest the potential application of macamides isolated from Maca as FAAH inhibitors, as they might act on the central nervous system to provide analgesic, anti-inflammatory, or neuroprotective effects, by modulating the release of neurotransmitters.     

Detection of Legionella spp. and Legionella pneumophila in water samples of Spain by specific real-time PCR

Legionella pneumophila is the primary cause of the legionellosis diseases (90 %) (Yu et al. in J Infect Dis 186:127–128, 2002; Doleans et al. in J Clin Microbiol 42:458–460, 2004; Den Boer et al. in Clin Microbiol Infect 14:459–466, 2008). In this study, methodologies based on molecular biology were developed in order to provide a quick diagnosis of the bacterial presence in water samples of Spain. Multiplex real-time polymerase chain reaction assays were realized to target the 16S rRNA and macrophage infectivity potentiator (mip) genes of, respectively, Legionella spp. and L. pneumophila including in the design of an internal control. The results obtained by the culture and the gene amplification methods agreed in 94.44 % for the 16S rRNA gene, and a concordance of 66.67 % of the cases was obtained for the mip gene.     

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.     

Missense mutations in the APOL1 gene are highly associated with end stage kidney disease risk previously attributed to the MYH9 gene

MYH9 has been proposed as a major genetic risk locus for a spectrum of nondiabetic end stage kidney disease (ESKD). We use recently released sequences from the 1000 Genomes Project to identify two western African-specific missense mutations (S342G and I384M) in the neighboring APOL1 gene, and demonstrate that these are more strongly associated with ESKD than previously reported MYH9 variants. The APOL1 gene product, apolipoprotein L-1, has been studied for its roles in trypanosomal lysis, autophagic cell death, lipid metabolism, as well as vascular and other biological activities. We also show that the distribution of these newly identified APOL1 risk variants in African populations is consistent with the pattern of African ancestry ESKD risk previously attributed to MYH9. Mapping by admixture linkage disequilibrium (MALD) localized an interval on chromosome 22, in a region that includes the MYH9 gene, which was shown to contain African ancestry risk variants associated with certain forms of ESKD (Kao et al. 2008; Kopp et al. 2008). MYH9 encodes nonmuscle myosin heavy chain IIa, a major cytoskeletal nanomotor protein expressed in many cell types, including podocyte cells of the renal glomerulus. Moreover, 39 different coding region mutations in MYH9 have been identified in patients with a group of rare syndromes, collectively termed the Giant Platelet Syndromes, with clear autosomal dominant inheritance, and various clinical manifestations, sometimes also including glomerular pathology and chronic kidney disease (Kopp 2010; Sekine et al. 2010). Accordingly, MYH9 was further explored in these studies as the leading candidate gene responsible for the MALD signal. Dense mapping of MYH9 identified individual single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) and sets of such SNPs grouped as haplotypes that were found to be highly associated with a large and important group of ESKD risk phenotypes, which as a consequence were designated as MYH9-associated nephropathies (Bostrom and Freedman 2010). These included HIV-associated nephropathy (HIVAN), primary nonmonogenic forms of focal segmental glomerulosclerosis, and hypertension affiliated chronic kidney disease not attributed to other etiologies (Bostrom and Freedman 2010). The MYH9 SNP and haplotype associations observed with these forms of ESKD yielded the largest odds ratios (OR) reported to date for the association of common variants with common disease risk (Winkler et al. 2010). Two specific MYH9 variants (rs5750250 of S-haplotype and rs11912763 of F-haplotype) were designated as most strongly predictive on the basis of Receiver Operating Characteristic analysis (Nelson et al. 2010). These MYH9 association studies were then also extended to earlier stage and related kidney disease phenotypes and to population groups with varying degrees of recent African ancestry admixture (Behar et al. 2010; Freedman et al. 2009a, b; Nelson et al. 2010), and led to the expectation of finding a functional African ancestry causative variant within MYH9. However, despite intensive efforts including re-sequencing of the MYH9 gene no suggested functional mutation has been identified (Nelson et al. 2010; Winkler et al. 2010). This led us to re-examine the interval surrounding MYH9 and to the detection of novel missense mutations with predicted functional effects in the neighboring APOL1 gene, which are significantly more associated with ESKD than all previously reported SNPs in MYH9.     

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).     

Stukalinia, a new substitute generic name for fossil crinoid Lobocrinus Stukalina non Wachsmuth and Springer 1897 (Echinodermata: Crinoidea)

A new generic name, Stukalinia nom. nov., is proposed for a fossil Ordoviacian crinoid that currently has the preoccupied fossil generic name Lobocrinus Stukalina 1982 non Wachsmuth and Springer (1897), along with a new family name, Stukaliniidae nom. nov., instead of the illegitimate family name Lobocrinidae Stukalina (1982).     

A modified UPR stress sensing system reveals a novel tissue distribution of IRE1/XBP1 activity during normal Drosophila development

Eukaryotic cells respond to stress caused by the accumulation of unfolded/misfolded proteins in the endoplasmic reticulum by activating the intracellular signaling pathways referred to as the unfolded protein response (UPR). In metazoans, UPR consists of three parallel branches, each characterized by its stress sensor protein, IRE1, ATF6, and PERK, respectively. In Drosophila, IRE1/XBP1 pathway is considered to function as a major branch of UPR; however, its physiological roles during the normal development and homeostasis remain poorly understood. To visualize IRE1/XBP1 activity in fly tissues under normal physiological conditions, we modified previously reported XBP1 stress sensing systems (Souid et al., Dev Genes Evol 217: 159–167, 2007; Ryoo et al., EMBO J 26: 242-252, 2007), based on the recent reports regarding the unconventional splicing of XBP1/HAC1 mRNA (Aragon et al., Nature 457: 736–740, 2009; Yanagitani et al., Mol Cell 34: 191–200, 2009; Science 331: 586–589, 2011). The improved XBP1 stress sensing system allowed us to detect new IRE1/XBP1 activities in the brain, gut, Malpighian tubules, and trachea of third instar larvae and in the adult male reproductive organ. Specifically, in the larval brain, IRE1/XBP1 activity was detected exclusively in glia, although previous reports have largely focused on IRE1/XBP1 activity in neurons. Unexpected glial IRE1/XBP1 activity may provide us with novel insights into the brain homeostasis regulated by the UPR.     

Mitochondrial iron metabolism in plants: frataxin comes into play

Friedreich ataxia (FRDA), an autosomal recessive neurological dysfunction that severely impairs motor coordination and reduction of life expectancy in humans, is caused by a deficiency in frataxin, a nuclear-encoded mitochondrial protein. Recently, a frataxin ortholog has been identified in Arabidopsis thaliana, named AtFH, with a transit peptide for localization in mitochondria and 65% sequence identity with human frataxin (Busi et al. FEBS Lett 576:141–144, 2004). Complementation of S. cerevisiae mutant strain Δyfh1 deficient in frataxin with AtFH, proved that the plant isoform is a functional protein, able to restore normal respiration and growth rates in the mutant yeast (Busi et al. FEBS Lett 576:141–144, 2004). AtFH is localized in mitochondria as its animal counterparts (Busi et al. Plant J 48:873–882, 2006); it is expressed mainly in flowers and developing embryos and it is an essential protein, since the knocking out of AtFH gene causes arrest of embryo development at the globular stage (Vazzola et al. FEBS Lett 581:667–672, 2007). A T-DNA insertional A.thaliana mutant showing a greater than 50% reduction of AtFH protein content, named atfh-1, has impaired activity of two mitochondrial enzymes possessing [Fe-S] clusters: aconitase and succinate dehydrogenase (Busi et al. Plant J 48:873–882, 2006). The results obtained in the last ten years on animal systems can contribute, without any doubt, to the elucidation of the role of frataxin in plant mitochondria; however, mitochondria of photosynthetically active cells, differently from animal ones, are not the major source of Reactive Oxygen Species (ROS) which could suggest possible differences in function between plant and animal frataxin.     

Constructions and headedness in derivation and compounding

The ??traditional?? distinction of compounds into endocentric (Eng. doorknob) and exocentric (pickpocket) is based on the presence or absence of a head constituent (Bloomfield, Language, Holt, New York, 1933); since the early eighties, the syntactic notion of ??head?? has been extended also to derivation, claiming that English derivational suffixes, as e.g. -ness, are heads, either in an absolute sense or in a categorial sense (see Williams Linguist Inq 12:245?C274, 1981; Lieber On the organization of the lexicon, Indiana university Linguistics Club, Bloomington, 1981; Lieber, in Yearbook of morphology 1989, Foris, Dordrecht, 1989; among others). In this paper, we shall first review some key issues in the morphological notion of head, illustrating well-known problematic cases, and then we shall discuss the Construction Morphology approach to headedness in derivation and compounding (Booij in The Oxford handbook of compounding, Oxford University Press, Oxford, 2009; Booij, in Cross-disciplinary issues in compounding, John Benjamins, Amsterdam, 2010a, 2010 Booij, Construction morphology, Oxford University Press, Oxford, 2010b). The stipulation of a hierarchical lexicon with subschemas expressing intermediate generalizations is a powerful theoretical device in accounting for a phenomenon as headedness variation, as we shall show with a Vietnamese case study; also, inconsistencies in word-class assignment in derivation will be dealt with in a constructionist perspective. Moreover, we shall discuss the consequences of a constructionist approach to the distinction between compounding and derivation.     

Mitochondrial complex I inhibitors, acetogenins, induce HepG2 cell death through the induction of the complete apoptotic mitochondrial pathway

The development of new anti-neoplastic drugs is a key issue for cancer chemotherapy due to the reality that, most likely, certain cancer cells are resistant to current chemotherapy. The past two decades have witnessed tremendous advances in our understanding of the pathogenesis of cancer. These advances have allowed identification new targets as oncogenes, tumor supressor genes and the possible implication of the mitochondria (Fulda et al. Nat Rev Drug Discov 9:447–464, 2010). Annonaceous Acetogenins (ACGs) have been described as the most potent inhibitors of the respiratory chain because of their interaction with mitochondrial Complex I (Degli Esposti and Ghelli Biochim Biophys Acta 1187:116–120, 1994; Zafra-Polo et al. Phytochemistry 42:253–271, 1996; Miyoshi et al. Biochim Biophys Acta 1365:443–452, 1998; Tormo et al. Arch Biochem Biophys 369:119–126, 1999; Motoyama et al. Bioorg Med Chem Lett 12:2089–2092, 2002). To explore a possible application of natural products from Annonaceous plants to cancer treatment, we have selected four bis-tetrahydrofuranic ACGs, three from Annona cherimolia (cherimolin-1, motrilin and laherradurin) and one from Rollinia mucosa (rollinianstatin-1) in order to fully describe their mechanisms responsible within the cell (Fig. 1). In this study, using a hepato-carcinoma cell line (HepG2) as a model, we showed that the bis-THF ACGs caused cell death through the induction of the apoptotic mitochondrial pathway. Their potency and behavior were compared with the classical mitochondrial respiratory chain Complex I inhibitor rotenone in every apoptotic pathway step.

A radically non-morphemic approach to bidirectional syncretism

This paper addresses the question of how certain kinds of overlapping syncretisms in inflectional paradigms can be accounted for that Baerman et al. (Language 80:807–824, 2005) refer to as convergent/divergent bidirectional syncretisms (based on earlier work by Stump, Inflectional morphology, 2001). Bidirectional syncretism strongly resists accounts in terms of standard rules of exponence (or similar devices) that correlate inflection markers with (often underspecified) morpho-syntactic specifications (such rules are used in many morphological theories; e.g., Anderson, A-morphous morphology, 1992; Halle and Marantz in The view from building, pp. 111–176, 1993; Aronoff, Morphology by itself, 1994; Wunderlich in Yearbook of morphology 1995, pp. 93–114, 1996; and Stump, Inflectional morphology, 2001). The reason is that it is difficult to capture overlapping distributions by natural classes. In view of this, rules of referral have been proposed to derive bidirectional syncretism (Stump, Inflectional morphology, 2001; Baerman et al. (Language 80:807–824, 2005)). In contrast, I would like to pursue the hypothesis that systematic instances of overlapping syncretism ultimately motivate a new approach to inflectional morphology—one that fully dispenses with the assumption that morphological exponents are paired with morpho-syntactic feature specifications (and that therefore qualifies as radically non-morphemic): First, rules of exponence are replaced with feature co-occurrence restrictions (FCRs; Gazdar et al., Generalized Phrase Structure Grammar, 1985). For phonologically determined natural classes of exponents, FCRs state incompatibilites with morpho-syntactic feature specifications. Second, marker competition is resolved by a principle of Phonology-driven Marker Selection (PMS). PMS takes over the role of the Specificity (Blocking, Elsewhere, Panini) Principle of standard analyses. Empirically, the main focus is on Bonan declension; the analysis is subsequently extended to Gujarati conjugation and Latin o-declension, with further remarks on bidirectional syncretism in other inflectional paradigms.     

Heckerocrinus, a new substitute generic name for fossil crinoid Bockia Hecker 1940 (Echinodermata: Crinoidea) non Reisinger 1924 (Vermes: Turbellaria)

Heckerocrinus nom. nov., a new generic name of fossil Ordovician crinoid, is proposed for preoccupied fossil generic name Bockia Hecker 1940 non Reisinger 1924 [Vermes: Turbellaria??Typhloplanidae-Protoplanellinae]. Illegitimate family name Bockiidae Ubaghs 1972 is replaced with a new valid family name Heckerocrinidae nom. nov.     

Leucothoid and Maerid Amphipods (Crustacea) from deep regions of the North Atlantic

From amphipod collections from the deep Norwegian Sea, three species are here redescribed: Maera loveni (Bruzelius 1859) (Maeridae), Leucothoe aff. spinicarpa (Abildgaard, 1789) and L. uschakovi Gurjanova, 1951 (Leucothoidae). A key to all Atlantic and Mediterranean Leucothoe species (males only) is provided.     

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.     

Revision and new data on the Coniacian ammonite genus Hemitissotia in the Iberian Peninsula (Spain and Portugal)

The types of the species of the Coniacian ammonite genus Hemitissotia Peron, 1897, identified in the Iberian Peninsula (Spain and Portugal), which are currently held in the Wiedmann (Universität Tübingen, Germany) and Choffat (Instituto Geológico e Mineiro, Portugal) collections, have been revised and refigured. New specimens of the taxa Hemitissotia ceadouroensis Choffat, 1898, Hemitissotia celtiberica Wiedmann, 1975b, Hemitissotia turzoi Karrenberg, 1935, Hemitissotia dullai (Karrenberg 1935) and Hemitissotia lenticeratiformis Wiedmann in Wiedmann and Kauffman, 1978 have also been presented. As results, H. celtiberica has been considered as a junior synonym of H. ceadouroensis, and the lectotype of this species and the neotypes of H. turzoi and H. dullai have been designated and figured. Additionally, the geographical and stratigraphical distributions of all of these species have been determined with precision, and several phylogenetic relationships between them have been identified, revealing morphologies that become progressively smaller and more depressed and ornamented (hydrodynamically less efficient), interpreted as an adaptative response to sea-level changes.