Chromosome numbers of Turkish Crocus (Liliiflorae,Iridaceae) and their geographical distribution

The genus Crocus is known for its widely varying chromosome numbers (from 2n = 6 to 2n = 70) with varying numbers occurring even within species, as it is the case for Crocus biflorus Miller (2n = 8, 10, 12, 14, 16, 18, 20, 22, 24). After we found morphological diverse C. biflorus populations in Turkey doubts arose about their rank of being subspecies of the Italian C. biflorus (2n = 8). Here we publish the chromosome numbers for 76 populations of C. biflorus sensu lato distributed all over Turkey. The chromosome numbers ranged from 2n = 8 to 2n = 36, with the higher numbers occurring in the mountain ranges of the Anatolian Diagonal and east of it, while lower numbers were found only southwest of these mountains. Closely related taxa with similar distribution mostly differ in their chromosome numbers. This led us to assume that chromosomal changes influence speciation processes in the genus. Therefore, chromosome numbers may represent an important character for the establishment of a new taxonomic treatment of the Crocus species, especially within section Nudiscapus. (© 2013 WILEY‐VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim)     

Ovary-ovule transmitting tract in Crocus (Iridaceae), structure and calcium distribution

 The structure of and the calcium distribution in the ovary-ovule transmitting tracts of Crocus were examined by using conventional and antimonate fixation methods for electron microscopy, and fluorescence microscopy as well. The ovarian locules are bordered with epidermal cells and transmitting cells. The epidermal cells are extensively cutinized, and the cytoplasm is rich in the organelles and vesicles prevalently engaged in thickening the exposed wall. The transmitting cells have uncutinized walls with numerous labyrinthine ingrowths, and the cytoplasm is rich in organelles and vesicles engaged in the secretion of the extracellular matrix (e.m.). The micropylar tissue of the ovule consists of largely vacuolated cells with scarcely structured cytoplasm, the e.m. appears to be of gametophytic origin. Both the ovary and ovule e.m. have a glycosidic and proteinic nature, and are rich in loosely bound Ca²⁺ ions. In the embryo sac, Ca²⁺ ions are concentrated in one synergid. The results are discussed in relation to the guided growth of pollen tubes. Received April 9, 2002; accepted July 9, 2002 Published online: November 28, 2002 Addresses of the authors: Giuseppe Chichiriccò (e-mail: Chichiri@univaq.it), Dipartimento di Scienze Ambientali, University of L'Aquila, Via Vetoio, I-67100 L'Aquila, Italy. Anna Maria Ragnelli, Pierpaolo Aimola, Dipartimento di Biologia di Base ed Applicata, University of L'Aquila, Via Vetoio, I-67100 L'Aquila, Italy.     

Enigmatic morphology of Djinga felicis (Podostemaceae – Podostemoideae), a badly known endemic from northwestern Cameroon

Djinga is a monotypic genus restricted to the Cameroon Ridge (‘Dorsale Camerounaise’) of NW Cameroon. Besides the type locality Mount Djinga (Adamawa Province, near Tignère), it also grows in waterfalls near Mount Oku (NW Province). This paper describes the structure and development of Djinga felicis using scanning electron microscopy and microtome sections. Cusset's protologue is enriched considerably. Roots are green, dorsiventrally flattened and adherent to submerged rocks. They are broad ribbons or crusts (up to 1 cm broad) which branch exogenously. Root‐borne shoots (up to 17 cm) have filamentous leaves with sheaths and (occasionally) attached stipules. Flowers are borne as part of reproductive short shoots which arise exogenously along the stems and endogenously along the roots. Djinga shows non‐axillary stem branching. Reproductive shoots along the main stem usually stay short. They arise from the abaxial side of double‐sheathed leaves, a key innovation of Podostemoideae. These short shoots shift into pocket‐like stem positions clearly below their associated leaves. Each flower bud inside a spathella is erect, but with an inclined ovary. The flowers are unistaminate with a broad connective. Unlike many other Podostemoideae, the tricolpate pollen grains are arranged in both dyads and monads. The ovary is globular and unilocular. The mature 8‐ribbed capsule dehisces by two slightly unequal valves, releasing 40–50 seeds. © 2009 The Linnean Society of London, Botanical Journal of the Linnean Society, 2009, 160 , 64–81.     

A study of Salvia fruticosa Mill subsp. thomasii (Lacaita) Brullo,Guglielmo, Pavone & Terrasi,an endemic Sage of Southern Italy

The aim of this study was to investigate the essential oil profile of Salvia thomasii (Southern Italy) and to assess the relationship of this taxonomic unit to S. fruticosa. The essential oil, obtained by hydrodistillation, was analysed by gas chromatography (GC) and gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS). The main components are β-pinene, viridiflorol, 1,8-cineole, camphor, α-pinene and trans-caryophyllene. The oil was tested for its potential antioxidant activity using 2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH), Ferric Reducing Ability Power (FRAP) and β-carotene bleaching test. Acetylcholinesterase (AChE) and butyrylcholinesterase (BChE) inhibitory activity assays were used to screen the neuroprotective effect of the essential oil. A clear distinction of the two taxonomic units emerge by the comparison of S. thomasii and S. fruticosa s.l. essential oil composition. Considering the weak morphological differences and the clear-cut geographic separation we propose to treat the Italian unit at subspecies level as Salvia fruticosa Mill subsp. thomasii (Lacaita) Brullo, Guglielmo, Pavone & Terrasi.     

Hesperis turkmendaghensis (sect. Hesperis) (Cruciferae/Brassicaceae), a new species from the Central Anatolia region, Turkey

Hesperis turkmendaghensis A.Duran & A.Ocak sp. nov. (Cruciferae) is described and illustrated from Anatolia, Turkey. The species grows under mixed forest, open forest and shady slopes in Türkmen Dağı (B3 Eskişehir) in Central Anatolia. It is closely related to H. matronalis L. ssp. matronalis , an endemic confined to Central Anatolia. Diagnostic morphological characters are discussed. Notes are also presented on its ecology, biogeography and conservation status. In addition, the pollen characteristics and seed coat surface of H. turkmendaghensis and H. matronalis are examined by SEM.   © 2005 The Linnean Society of London, Botanical Journal of the Linnean Society , 2005, 147 , 239–247.     

Gentianella tumailica (Gentianaceae) – A new species from cold deserts of northwest Himalaya,India

A new species of Gentianella, G. tumailica sp. nov., from Tumail in the Kargil district of Ladakh, northwest Himalaya, India is described and illustrated. This novelity is morphologically similar to the sympatric G. stoliczka in inflorescence pattern, calyx and corolla shapes, sagitate anthers, more or less rounded seeds, but differs in smaller size of vegetative and floral structures, larger basal leaves, few cauline leaves, leaf apex obtuse to rounded, calyx lobes unequal (2 longer, 3 shorter), inflorescence enveloped by 4 foliaceous bracts, capsule elliptic to oblong and seed coat smooth. In addition, a diagnostic key to all Indian species of Gentianella is presented.     

Rotifera Recorded from China, 1893–1997, with Remarks on Their Composition and Distribution

A search of the literature on rotifers recorded from China, includes today 477 valid species names and 42 subspecies or infrasubspecific variants in 84 genera and 28 families recorded since 1893. Chinese rotifera research is reviewed, and all recorded species are listed with current taxonomic status and their first localities in China. Most of the named taxa are widely distributed or cosmopolitan, with only a small number (about 3%) possibly restricted to China. This fauna exhibits 15 endemic taxa. The composition and distribution of Chinese Rotifera are briefly analyzed. It is likely that considerably more rotifers remain to be described from China as further study to be carried on and taxonomic resolution improves.     

First record of the steppic relict Astragalus exscapus L. subsp. exscapus in the Apennines (Abruzzo,Italy), and biogeographic implications

Astragalus exscapus L. subsp. exscapus (Fabaceae) is a rare and declining perennial herb with a very fragmented distribution range. It is interpreted as a relict of the glacial steppe flora. In Italy, it was known until now only from the Alpine “dry valleys”, namely from Val d’Aosta and Val Venosta/Vinschgau. We report on the discovery of a population on the slopes of the Fucino basin in the Central Apennines (Abruzzo, Italy). The finding significantly expands the known species range (the site is >600 km away from the nearest known populations), suggesting that during Pleistocene steppic phases it had a wide distribution across Europe. A. exscapus adds to a number of other steppic relicts found in the Fucino basin, highlighting that some inner valleys of the Central Apennines, featuring a relatively continental climate, perform as “interglacial refugia” for the steppe flora. Further research is needed to ascertain the species’ local distribution and abundance, and to clarify its vicariance history; however, the finding underlines the need to re-evaluate priorities in landscape management, as in the Apennines dry grasslands are often given low values compared to forests and are frequently destroyed by afforestation practices with non-native conifers.     

Length–weight and length–length relationship of two endemic snakehead fish species from Brahmaputra river basin,Assam, India

Length–weight relationships (LWRs) and length–length relationships (LLRs) of two endemic Channid fish species, Channa aurantimaculata Musikasinthorn, 2000 and C. stewartii (Playfair, 1867) were studied from Brahmaputra River basin in Assam, India. Sampling was done from May to December, 2017 and a total of 81 fish specimens were collected using bamboo traps. In the LWRs, b value for C. aurantimaculata and C. stewartii were 3.0456 and 2.9172 respectively. Maximum size recorded for C. aurantimaculata in the present study (34.1 cm) was higher than previous record in FishBase (19.1 cm).     

Phylogeny and systematics of the Pachychilidae of mainland South‐East Asia – novel insights from morphology and mitochondrial DNA (Mollusca,Caenogastropoda, Cerithioidea)

Pachychilid gastropods are a conspicuous element of the freshwater macro‐invertebrate fauna of South‐East Asia. In this region, three spatially separated groups of pachychilids can be differentiated mostly by means of their brooding strategy. The largest group comprises about 100 described species and displays an extended Sundaland distribution that ranges from north‐east India in the west to southern China in the east and Borneo in the south‐east. The most conspicuous synapomorphy shared by females is a subhaemocoelic brood pouch in which developing embryos are retained. Mitochondrial phylogenies based on partial sequences of the genes cytochrome oxidase C subunit I (COI) and 16S rRNA (16S) support the monophyly of this group of subhaemocoelic brooders. Amongst them, the two genera Brotia and Paracrostoma form a sister pair of clades both together forming the sister taxon of a third clade. This third clade itself is split into three subclades, which occupy separate ranges except for the overlap of two of them in Borneo. The subclades comprise species from (A) Thailand, Cambodia, and northern Borneo; (B) Java and south‐western Borneo; and (C) Vietnam and southern China. In contrast with their spatial structuring, all species share a widely corresponding anatomy. Characteristic key features are a pallial oviduct with a seminal receptacle and an embryonic shell with a smooth, dome‐like inflated apex. Differences in the histology of the pallial oviduct are not congruent with phylogenetic patterns as suggested by the mitochondrial trees. Given the lack of obvious distinguishing morphological characteristics, all species of the subclades A to C are assigned to a single genus, Sulcospira, with Adamietta as a junior synonym.     

Fibrillation of α‐lactalbumin: Effect of crocin and safranal,two natural small molecules from Crocus sativus

Formation of toxic amyloid structures is believed to be associated with various late‐onset neurodegenerative disorders such as Alzheimer's and Parkinson's diseases. The fact that many proteins in addition to those that are associated with clinical conditions have the potential to form amyloid fibrils in vitro provides opportunities for studying the fundamentals of protein aggregation and amyloid formation in model systems. Accordingly, considerable interest and effort has been directed toward developing small molecules to inhibit the formation of fibrillar assemblies and their associated toxicities. In the present study, we investigated the inhibitory effect of crocin and safranal, two principal components of saffron, on fibrillation of apo‐α‐lactalbumin (a‐α‐LA), used as a model protein, under amyloidogenic conditions. In the absence of any ligand, formation of soluble oligomers became evident after 18 h of incubation, followed by subsequent appearance of mature fibrils. Upon incubation with crocin or safranal, while transition phase to monomeric beta structures was not significantly affected, formation of soluble oligomers and following fibrillar assemblies were inhibited. While both safranal and crocin had the ability to bind to hydrophobic patches provided in the intermediate structures, and thereby inhibit protein aggregation, crocin was found more effective, possibly due to its simultaneous hydrophobic and hydrophilic character. Cell viability assay indicated that crocin could diminish toxicity while safranal act in reverse order. © 2010 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Biopolymers 93: 854–865, 2010.     

Geographically Related Variation in Epicuticular Wax Traits of Pinus nigra Populations from Southern Carpathians and Central Balkans – Taxonomic Considerations

The chemical composition of epicuticular waxes of nine populations from three Pinus nigra J. F. Arnold subspecies (namely subsp. nigra, subsp. banatica (Borbás ) Novák , and subsp. pallasiana (Lamb .) Holmboe ) from Southern Carpathians and central Balkan Peninsula were analyzed using GC/MS and GC/FID chromatography, and multivariate statistical techniques with respect to biogeography and taxonomy. In the needle waxes, four primary alcohols and 14 n‐alkanes ranging from C₂₁ to C₃₃ were identified, and the most abundant compounds were the four odd‐numbered n‐alkanes C₂₇, C₂₅, C₂₃, and C_29. Multivariate statistical analyses (CDA and CA) have shown existence of three P. nigra groups and suggested clinal differentiation as a mechanism of genetic variation across a geographic area: the first group consisted of the southernmost populations of subsp. pallasiana from Macedonia, the second consisted of the northernmost subsp. banatica populations from Romania, while all populations in Serbia described as three different subspecies (nigra, banatica, and pallasiana) formed the third group together with subsp. nigra population from Bosnia and Herzegovina. According to simple linear regression, geographic latitude and four bioclimatic parameters were moderately correlated with the contents of epicuticular wax compounds that are important in population discrimination, while stepwise multiple regression showed that latitude participated in most of the regression models for predicting the composition of the epicuticular waxes. These results agree with CDA and CA analysis, and confirmed the possibility of recognition of fine geographic differentiation of the analyzed P. nigra populations.     

Rubus laconensis and Rubus pignatti (Rosaceae), two new species from Sardinia (Italy)

Rubus is poorly represented in Sardinia, mainly by the widespread R. ulmifolius and further by two narrow endemic species. Two new species, R. laconensis and R. pignatti, here described and illustrated, grow in two neighbouring small areas of the Sarcidano country. Both are characterized, in particular, by fruits with a low number of large drupelets. R. laconensis is for the time being attributed to the R. caesius aggregate, and R. pignatti to R. subg. Rubus.     

New species of Triplocania Roesler (Psocodea, ‘Psocoptera’, Ptiloneuridae), from Brazil and Ecuador

Four species of Triplocania, three with M3 simple, based on male specimens and one with forewing M3 forked, based on male and female specimens, are here described and illustrated, namely: Triplocania bravoi sp. n. (Napo: Ecuador), Triplocania erwini sp. n. (Napo: Ecuador), Triplocania trifida sp. n. (Mato Grosso and Rondônia: Brazil) and Triplocania lamasoides sp. n. (Rondônia: Brazil). They differ from all the other species in the genus, in which the males are known, by the hypandrium and phallosome structures. The female is first described for the M3 forked group. The identification key for males of the M3 forked group is updated.     

Pyramidodinium spinulosum sp. nov. (Dinophyceae), a sand‐dwelling non‐motile dinoflagellate from the seafloor (36 m deep) off Mageshima Island,Kagoshima, Japan

A new species of benthic marine dinoflagellate, Pyramidodinium spinulosum Horiguchi, Moriya, Pinto & Terada is described from the deep (36 m) seafloor off Mageshima Island, Kagoshima Prefecture, Japan in the subtropical region of the northwest Pacific. The life cycle of the dinoflagellate consists of a dominant, attached, dome‐shaped, vegetative form and short‐lasting, motile cell. Asexual reproduction takes place by the formation of two motile cells within each non‐motile cell. The released motile cells swim only for a short period and transform directly into the dome‐shaped vegetative form. The duration of the cell cycle varies and can be extremely long, ranging 5–38 days under culture conditions. The non‐motile cell is enclosed by a cell wall and its surface is covered with many (80 – 130) spines of various length. The dinoflagellate is photosynthetic and contains many (more than 50) discoidal chloroplasts. Phylogenetic analysis reveals that the dinoflagellate is closely related to the type species of the genus Pyramidodinium, P. atrofuscum which also possesses a dominant, attached, non‐motile form. However, P. spinulosum can be clearly distinguished from P. atrofuscum by the cell shape (dome‐shaped vs. pyramid‐shaped) and surface ornamentation (spines vs. wart‐like processes) of the non‐motile form. Based on these morphological differences together with molecular evidence, it was concluded that this organism from a deep water sand sample should be described as a second species of the genus Pyramidodinium, P. spinulosum.     

New hominid fossils from Woranso‐Mille (Central Afar,Ethiopia) and taxonomy of early Australopithecus

The phylogenetic relationship between Australopithecus anamensis and Australopithecus afarensis has been hypothesized as ancestor‐descendant. However, the weakest part of this hypothesis has been the absence of fossil samples between 3.6 and 3.9 million years ago. Here we describe new fossil specimens from the Woranso‐Mille site in Ethiopia that are directly relevant to this issue. They derive from sediments chronometrically dated to 3.57–3.8 million years ago. The new fossil specimens are largely isolated teeth, partial mandibles, and maxillae, and some postcranial fragments. However, they shed some light on the relationships between Au. anamensis and Au. afarensis. The dental morphology shows closer affinity with Au. anamensis from Allia Bay/Kanapoi (Kenya) and Asa Issie (Ethiopia) than with Au. afarensis from Hadar (Ethiopia). However, they are intermediate in dental and mandibular morphology between Au. anamensis and the older Au. afarensis material from Laetoli. The new fossils lend strong support to the hypothesized ancestor‐descendant relationship between these two early Australopithecus species. The Woranso‐Mille hominids cannot be unequivocally assigned to either taxon due to their dental morphological intermediacy. This could be an indication that the Kanapoi, Allia Bay, and Asa Issie Au. anamensis is the primitive form of Au. afarensis at Hadar with the Laetoli and Woranso‐Mille populations sampling a mosaic of morphological features from both ends. It is particularly difficult to draw a line between Au. anamensis and Au. afarensis in light of the new discoveries from Woranso‐Mille. The morphology provides no evidence that Au. afarensis and Au. anamensis represent distinct taxa. Am J Phys Anthropol 2010. © 2009 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.     

Vinealobryum guangdongensis (Pottiaceae,Musci), a new species with multicellular axillary gemmae from Guangdong,China

A new species belonging to Didymodon sensu lato, Vinealobryum guangdongensis, is described and illustrated from Nanling National Forest Park of Guangdong, China. It is characterized by noteworthily thick‐walled cells of the cauline central cylinder, ovate‐lanceolate leaves that are appressed when dry, acuminate to acute leaf apices, leaf base abruptly broadened and quickly narrowed to the insertion, leaf margins recurved in proximal 2/3 to 3/4, short‐excurrent costa with 0–1 layer of ventral stereids, laminal cells with conical or elliptical papillae either over the lumina or over transverse walls, presence of gemmae in the leaf axils, and KOH laminal color reaction red to reddish orange. This new species is compared with the most similar species and its ecology is discussed.