Controversies over the scientific name of the principal mosquito vector of yellow fever virus – expediency versus validity

The history of the scientific name of the yellow fever mosquito, the vector of yellow fever virus, ranges from 1757 to the early twenty‐first century. In his 1757 work Iter Palæstinum, Frederic Hasselquist gave the name Culex aegypti to a mosquito species responsible for fierce attacks on humans in Egypt. That name was never later ascribed to Hasselquist as author, but to Linnaeus, although the name never appeared in any of Linnaeus’ publications. In Cuba, at the end of the nineteenth century, the vector of the unknown infectious agent of yellow fever was first identified as Culex mosquito and later more validly named Stegomyia fasciata. Mosquito taxonomists differed strongly about the name of the mosquito through much of the twentieth century. Interventions by the International Commission on Zoological Nomenclature imposed a biologically invalid specific name, and in the early twenty‐first century a phylogenetic analysis of the culicid tribe Aedini restored the genus Stegomyia from a century earlier. That action was short‐lived. A phylogenetic reassessment resulted in the return of Stegomyia to subgeneric rank in Aedes; thus, the name of the yellow fever mosquito survives in the traditional classification of convenience as the trinomial Aedes (Stegomyia) aegypti (Linnaeus).     

Phytochemical and Biological Activities in Limonium Species Collected in Different Biotopes of Tunisia

A particular interest is nowadays given to natural antioxidants occurring in foods which can reduce the risk of several diseases through their protective effect. The genus Limonium is widely distributed in different salt regions of Tunisia and known in traditional medicine for the presence of highly effective viral and bacterial replication inhibitors. Limonium leaves have possible beneficial effects on human health for their antioxidant activities and free radical scavenging abilities. To exploit the potential of plants from extreme environments as new sources of natural antioxidants, we studied the extracts from leaves of eight Limonium species growing in extreme environments in Tunisia. Antioxidant molecules (polyphenols, flavonoids, flavonols, ascorbate, tocopherols), in vitro (DPPH, ORAC) and ex vivo antioxidant potential on human erythrocytes, antioxidant enzymes activities (superoxide dismutase, peroxidases, glutathione reductase) were evaluated to identify the species with the best antioxidant capacity. The results showed variability among the species considered in function of the environmental conditions of their natural biotopes, as for the antioxidants measured. In particular, L. vulgare from Oued Rane biotope, characterized by dryness and high temperatures, was the species with the highest enzymatic activity and antioxidant capacity, making it interesting as possible edible halophyte plant or as food complement.     

Nomenclature survey of the genus Amaranthus (Amaranthaceae) 3. Names linked to the Italian flora

The application of sixteen names in Acnida, Amaranthus and Euxolus that are linked to Italian flora has been studied. One new combination (Am. emarginatus subsp. emarginatus var. pseudogracilis) is proposed here. Am. strictus is a nomen nudum, and its concept was investigated on the basis of a specimen collected by M. Tenore and preserved in NAP. The name Am. × monteluccii is a nom. inval. and it is validated here. The remaining 14 names are valid from the nomenclatural point of view, and they were typified on specimens kept in B, BM, BOLO, FI, G, K, MO, NY, P, PH, US and iconographies by Dodonaei (for Am. ascendens) and Balbis (for Am. prostratus).     

Taxonomic, nomenclatural and chorological notes on several taxa of the genus Echinodorus (Alismataceae)

Taxonomic, nomenclatural and chorological notes on several taxa of the genus Echinodorus are given. A new species E. maculatus is described. The name Alisma intermedium (basionym of the name E. intermedius) is lectotypified. Echinodorus major and E. martii should be treated as two distinct taxa. The name E. xinguensis was invalidly published. It is also confirmed that E. africanus, E. veronikae and E. viridis (all belonging to the E. uruguayensis group) do not originate from Africa. The name E. bleherae should be written with a female suffix (-ae); this name is considered here as a synonym of the earlier name E. grisebachii.     

Interactions between Limonium vulgare and Plantago maritima in the Plantagini-Limonietum on the Boschplaat,Terschelling, The Netherlands

Limonium vulgare and Plantago maritima are growing together over large areas and in varying proportions on the Boschplaat salt marsh. The question is how both species interact and which environmental factors play a role in those interactions.There are indications of different measures of niche differentiation in the Plantagini-Limonietum association related to differences in flooding frequency and substrate. Interactions between both species are described according to three models (related to de Wit's competition model). Mechanisms that may cause niche differentiation are: differences in growth rhythm, in salt tolerance, in rooting depth, in preference to types of substrate, in morphology, in mycorrhizae and diseases.On a small scale (spatial heterogeneity in the marsh and variation in subsequent seasons) Limonium can achieve a bigger portion in the vegetation by occupying open sites faster than Plantago. On a larger scale (the whole marsh, decades) the impossibility of Plantago to germinate and rejuvenate after sedimentation of silt and salinisation of the soil is the determining factor causing an overall decrease of this species (compared with Limonium) and increase of Limonium.The life cycle of both species, criteria for scale in space and time, and the question whether the Plantagini-Limonietum should be considered a syntaxon, are discussed.Nomenclature follows Heukels-van Ooststroom (1977).I like to thank Dr. P. Ketner and Dr. C. J. T. Spitters for their accompaniment and their ideas, so that I was aware of the wood (Boschplaat) for the trees. I also like to thank Drs. A. J. M. Roozen and Prof. Dr. E. van der Maarel for their discussions about this subject on many occasions. Finally I would like to thank Dr. W. G. Beeftink for his ideas and support and Ron Don, Wim van Hooff, Sjef Jansen, Alex Jonker, Annemiek Demon, Wim Heijligers, Marlie Becks and Frans Wilms for providing the basic concept (the Plantagini-Limonietum) and for their help.     

Corrigendum of Zhao et al. (2020): a revised infrageneric classification of Lepisorus (Polypodiaceae)

Here, we publish Lepisorus sect. Paragramma (Blume) C.F. Zhao, R. Wei & X.C. Zhang as a combinatio nova to replace the section name in Zhao et al. (2020), which was published as a status nova and turned out to be an invalid name, because we cited an incorrect basionym. A revised infrageneric classification of Lepisorus also is proposed.     

Modification of plant architecture in Limonium spp. induced by rol genes

An Agrobacterium-mediated transformation system for Limonium has been developed. The leaf explants of the sterile hybrid L116 (Limonium otolepis, Kuntze × Limonium latifolium, Kuntze) were inoculated with A. tumefaciens LBA4404 harboring the binary vector pBin19 containing a T-DNA fragment encompassing rol A,B and C genes of A. rhizogenes Ri plasmid (pRi1855). Transgenic shoots, regenerated on selection medium, were micropropagated, rooted, and transferred to soil. Southern analysis confirmed the insertion of rol genes into the plant genome. Three transgenic clones were selected and based on their phenotypic characteristics were named super-compact, compact and semi-compact types. In general the transformed plants showed ornamental traits such as dwarfness and early flowering which are highly desirable. This revised version was published online in June 2006 with corrections to the Cover Date.     

Coordination between leaf CO2 diffusion and Rubisco properties allows maximizing photosynthetic efficiency in Limonium species

High photosynthetic efficiency intrinsically demands tight coordination between traits related to CO₂ diffusion capacity and leaf biochemistry. Although this coordination constitutes the basis of existing mathematical models of leaf photosynthesis, it has been barely explored among closely related species, which could reveal rapid adaptation clues in the recent past. With this aim, we characterized the photosynthetic capacity of 12 species of Limonium, possessing contrasting Rubisco catalytic properties, grown under optimal (WW) and extreme drought conditions (WD). The availability of CO₂ at the site of carboxylation (C_c) determined the photosynthetic capacity of Limonium under WD, while both diffusional and biochemical components governed the photosynthetic performance under WW. The variation in the in vivo caboxylation efficiency correlated with both the concentration of active Rubisco sites and the in vitro‐based properties of Rubisco, such as the maximum carboxylase turnover rate (k_cat^c) and the Michaelis–Menten constant for CO₂ (K_c). Notably, the results confirmed the hypothesis of coordination between the CO₂ offer and demand functions of photosynthesis: those Limonium species with high total leaf conductance to CO₂ have evolved towards increased velocity (i.e. higher k_cat^c), at the penalty of lower affinity for CO₂ (i.e. lower specificity factor, S_c/o).     

Rexiella,a new name for Rexia S. Stenroos,Pino-Bodas & Ahti (2018), non Rexia D. A. Casamatta,S. R. Gomez & J. R. Johansen (2006)

A new generic name, Rexiella, is published to replace the recently published name Rexia S. Stenroos, Pino-Bodas and Ahti, which turned out to be an illegitimate later homonym of the cyanobacterial genus Rexia D. A. Casamatta, S. R. Gomez and J. R. Johansen.     

Revisiting the nomenclature of Psychotria filipes (Rubiaceae)

Psychotria waasii Sohmer, a replacement name for the later homonym Psychotria filipes Hook.f., has been found illegitimate because of being superfluous when published. The new combination Psychotria josephi (Kuntze) Kottaim. is proposed based on the earliest available name Uragoga josephi Kuntze.     

Contributo All'Embriologia Delle Plumbaginaceae (con 103 figg. nel testo)

Riassunto

L'A. stabilisce che in Plumbago capensis Thunb., accanto allo sviluppo secondo lo schema del tipo Plumbago, si riscontra, con bassissima frequenza, un nuovo tipo di sviluppo di gametofiti 7-nucleati bipolarizzati con oosfera di natura sporiale.

Stabilisce inoltre che in Statice Limonium L. lo sviluppo del gametofito femminile avviene esclusivamente secondo il tipo Euphorbia dulcis, mentre in Armeria vulgaris W. var. maritima (Miller) Willd. esiste associazione dei due tipi di sviluppo Adoxa ed Euphorbia dulcis nel rapporto approssimativo del 3%.

Mette in evidenza che la triploidia dei nuclei calazali, caratteristica dei gametofiti di tipo Euphorbia dulcis, può determinarsi secondo due distinte modalità : o per coalescenza dei tre fusi calazali durante la terza divisione dello sviluppo (Statice Limonium), o per un processo di vera e propria cariogamia dei tre nuclei sporiali quiescenti durante lo stadio di polarizzazione 1+3 con conscguente formazione durante la storia dello sviluppo di uno stadio binucleato secondario (Armeria vulgaris var. maritima).

Riconferma infine per questa ultima pianta il numero aploide dei cromosomi n = 9.     

Validation of Muhlenbergia fasciculata (Poaceae) endemic to Myanmar

Muhlenbergia fasciculata T. P. I. Phan, originally described in 1994, was an invalidly published name, because two collections (one flowering, one fruiting) were designated as the type. The name is validated here, with the flowering specimen designated as the holotype.     

Molecular characterization and population genetic diversity of Limonium sinense based on nuclear ribosomal DNA and ISSR

The single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) and amplification refractory mutation system (ARMS) have been applied to authenticate Limonium species and their corresponding herb samples. One species specific primer was designed and the amplification product is 200 bp (Limonium sinense) by using this primer. No band was observed with other Limonium species. The phylogenetic relationship of Limonium species were studied using ribosomal DNA ITS and the adulterants (L. bicolor, L. aureum and L. wrightii) were clustered with L. sinense in NJ tree. Inter simple sequence repeat (ISSR) was used to assess genetic diversity and population structure of L. sinense and a high level of genetic diversity was detected (H _E = 0.2573, PPB = 85.71%) with POPGENE. Based on AMOVA analysis, there was moderate variation between pairs of populations with Φ_ST from 0.1744 to 0.5131 and on average 28.81% of the genetic variation occurred among populations. Five main clusters were shown in UPGMA dendrogram using TFPGA. The results showed that SNP and ARMS could be used to authenticate not only Limonium species but related herbs on rDNA internal transcribed spacer region. Possible strategies should be implemented for conservation of this endemic herb.     

Dalbergia prazeri Prain(豆科)之考证

在发表Dalbergia prazeri Prain时Prain曾认为其与托叶黄檀(D.stipulacea Roxb.)近缘,只是该种小叶背面疏被微柔毛,花萼被硬毛与托叶黄檀不同,同时又指出其荚果也与后者不同,但是并没有解释其不同点。之后Prain又将其归并入奥氏黄檀(D.oliveri Gamble ex Prain),亦未给出相应的理由。经研究D.prazeri Prain与南岭黄檀(D.assamica Benth.)为同种,而被归并入后者。Prain发表该种时引证Prazer s.n.为模式,但并没有指定主模式。涉及该种的Prazer s.n.的标本共有6份,该文将藏于印度国立标本馆加尔各答馆(CAL),条形码为CAL0000012326(CAL标本号131311)的标本指定为后选模式(lectotype),其余分别藏于加尔各答标本馆的4份及英国皇家植物园邱园标本馆(K)的1份为等后选模式(isolectotype)。     

Lectotypification of the name Epipactis leptochila (Orchidaceae)

It is argued that an alleged lectotype of the name Epipactis leptochila (designated in 1981) is actually a neotype, as the published plate in question did not appear in print until 14 years after the protologue. A herbarium specimen at BM represents original material that was used by Godfery when describing the E. leptochila, and in all probability the same is true for the original watercolour painting (now deposited at the Natural History Museum, London) from which the published plate was eventually reproduced. Therefore, a part of the herbarium specimen is designated as lectotype.     

Gymnosporia thyrsiflora comb. nov. (Celastraceae), a correct name to replace G. graciliramula from southwest China

In ‘Flora of China’, the combination ‘Gymnosporia graciliramula (S. J. Pei & Y. H. Li) Q. R. Liu & Funston’ was proposed, but this name was not validly published in 2008 because the presumed basionym Maytenus graciliramula S. J. Pei & Y. H. Li was not published in 1979 as stated, but in 1981, contrary to Article 33.4 of ICBN. Meanwhile, two older names, M. thyrsiflora S. J. Pei & Y. H. Li and M. pseudoracemosa S. J. Pei & Y. H. Li, were listed as synonyms in conflict with article 52.3 of ICBN. In this article, we propose a new combination G. thyrsiflora (S. J. Pei & Y. H. Li) W. B. Yu & D. Z. Li that is the correct name when G. thyrsiflora, M. pseudoracemosa and M. graciliramula are treated as a single species in Gymnosporia.     

关于尾尖奇蒿(菊科-春黄菊族)合格发表问题的一条简注

尾尖奇蒿(Artemisia anomala var. acuminatissima)(菊科-春黄菊族)1992年发表时未指定模式,故为不合格发表。该名称2011年得以合格发表,故2016年的再次合格发表纯属多余,是有关作者没有仔细查阅文献的结果。该名称的正确引证应为"Artemisia anomala var. acuminatissima Y. R. Ling, Bangladesh J. Plant Taxon. 18:203. 2011",而非"Artemisia anomala var.acuminatissima Y. R. Ling, Phytotaxa 273:213. 2016"。