A New Coastal Species of Limonium (Plumbaginaceae) from Southeastern Spain

A new species, Limonium scopulorum (Plumbaginaceae), is described from the maritime cliffs of Alicante province, Spain (southeastern part of the Iberian Peninsula). This new taxon belongs to the group of Limonium delicatulum, which is highly diversified in the Mediterranean territories of the Iberian Peninsula. It is related to the Balearic species L. biflorum, though several leaf, floral and chromosomal features warrant its easy recognition. Molecular divergence, shown in previous studies, also supports its separate treatment. Major affinities and differences with other related taxa are discussed. Moreover, morphological, ecological, chorological, biogeographic features of the new taxon are discussed, and its conservation status is reported. An identification key is provided for Spanish taxa of the Limonium delicatulum group.     

DNA barcodes and phylogenetic affinities of the terrestrial slugs Arion gilvus and A. ponsi (Gastropoda,?Pulmonata,Arionidae)

The Iberian Peninsula is a region with a high endemicity of species of the terrestrial slug subgenus Mesarion. Many of these species have been described mainly on subtle differences in their proximal genitalia. It therefore remains to be investigated 1) whether these locally diverged taxa also represent different species under a phylogenetic species concept as has been shown for other Mesarion species outside the Iberian Peninsula, and 2) how these taxa are phylogenetically related. Here, we analysed DNA sequence data of two mitochondrial (COI and 16S) genes, and of the nuclear ITS1 region, to explore the phylogenetic affinities of two of these endemic taxa, viz. Arion gilvus Torres Mínguez, 1925 and A. ponsi Quintana Cardona, 2007. We also evaluated the use of these DNA sequence data as DNA barcodes for both species. Our results showed that ITS did not allow to differentiate among most of the Mesarion molecular operational taxonomic units (MOTUs) / morphospecies in Mesarion. Yet, the overall mean p-distance among the Mesarion MOTUs / morphospecies for both mtDNA fragments (16.7% for COI, 13% for 16S) was comparable to that between A. ponsi and its closest relative A. molinae (COI: 14.2%; 16S: 16.2%) and to that between A. gilvus and its closest relative A. urbiae (COI: 14.4%; 16S: 13.4%). Hence, with respect to mtDNA divergence, both A. ponsi and A. gilvus, behave as other Mesarion species or putative species-level MOTUs and thus are confirmed as distinct ‘species’.     

A revision of Moonia (Compositae,Heliantheae, Coreopsidinae)

The genusMoonia of India and Ceylon, traditionally placed in the subtribe Melampodiinae, is shown to have closer affinities withDahlia andHidalgoa of the subtribe Coreopsidinae. Several morphologically heterogeneous taxa are excluded fromMoonia, and the remaining species,M. heterophylla, is described and illustrated.     

Two new species of <Emphasis Type="Italic">Quesnelia</Emphasis> (Bromeliaceae: Bromelioideae) from the Atlantic Rainforest of Bahia,Brazil

Quesnelia koltesii and Q. clavata, two new species of Bromeliaceae, are described and illustrated, and their affinities with related taxa are discussed. Both species are endemic to southern Bahia, occur in low population densities above 600 m elevation, and must be considered to be endangered.     

Neocrassinid bivalves (Heterodonta) from the Middle Bathonian (Jurassic) of Kachchh,Western India

Six bivalve taxa belonging to the genusNeocrassina Fischer have been described from Middle Bathonian (Middle Jurassic) rocks of Kachchh, Western India. Of these,Neocrassina (N.) ovata (Smith), TV.(N.) robusta (Etallon) andN. (N.) paphia (d?Orbigny) have been recorded previously from various parts of Europe, whileNeocrassina (N.) pandeyi Maithani is an endemic faunal element as areNeocrassina (N.) sp. A andNeocrassina (N.) sp. B. The generic and sub-generic characters ofNeocrassina are reviewed as are affinities of the taxa with closely related forms from India and other parts of the world.     

An Early Ordovician Trilobite assemblage from the Lashkarak Formation, Damghan area, northern Iran

A low diversity Lower Ordovician trilobite assemblage is described from the middle part of the Lashkarak Formation at Simeh-Kuh, northwest of Damghan, northern Iran. Co-occurrence with conodonts of the lowermost Paroistodusproteus Biozone suggests an uppermost Tremadocian age. This assemblage includes four taxa, including one new genus and two new species, Damghanampyxginteri nov. gen. nov. sp. and Asaphellusfecundus nov. sp. The third diagnosable species from the formation is Taihungshaniamiqueli (Bergeron, 1894) which has previously been reported from southern France and the Turkish Taurides, suggesting north Gondwanan faunal affinities.     

<Emphasis Type="Italic">Clusia guabalensis</Emphasis> (Clusiaceae), a new hemiepiphyte species with floral resins from the Atlantic wet forest in Panama

Clusia guabalensis (Clusiaceae), a new species from wet forests on the Atlantic slope in northern Panama is described. Phylogenetic relationships and morphological affinities of this new species to other taxa in Clusia are discussed.     

<Emphasis Type="Italic">Capparis tchaourembensis</Emphasis>, a new species of Capparaceae from Mayotte,Comororian Archipelago

A new species of Capparis, C. tchaourembensis Fici, is described and illustrated. Its conservation status is assessed and its affinities with related taxa are discussed.     

<Emphasis Type="Italic">Deinbollia oreophila</Emphasis> (Sapindaceae), a new submontane species from Western Cameroon and adjoining Nigeria

Allophylus conraui Gilg ex Radlk. as treated in the Flora of West Tropical Africa is reassessed and shown to comprise two distinct taxa, one of which, a spiny shrub or small tree of upper submontane forest in Cameroon and Nigeria, is described as Allophylus ujori Cheek. The second taxon, a lowland to lower submontane spineless small shrub, of Cameroon is redescribed as Allophylus conraui and neotypified. The affinities and conservation status of both these threatened species are discussed. Both taxa are illustrated.     

Phytogeographic relationships between neotropical and African-Madagascan pteridophytes

The purpose of this study is to determine the floristic affinities of pteridophytes between the neotropics and Africa-Madagascar and examine how these affinities might have arisen. We present an annotated list that contains two kinds of affinities: 1) species in common between both regions (excluding pantropical species) and 2) species pairs (or clusters of species paris) where one of the species (or infrageneric group) occurs in the Neotropics and the other in Africa and/or Madagascar. There are 114 examples on the list, of which 27 are same-species and 87 are species pairs or closely related taxa at some infrageneric level. About 13% of the African pteridoflora and 14% of the Madagascan pteridoflora show affinities with the Neotropics. To determine how these similarities might have originated, we assess three hypotheses: 1) the boreotropics hypothesis, 2) continental drift, and 3) long-distance dispersal. The boreotropics hypothesis is difficult to assess without further phylogenetic information on the groups to which the species belong. Continental drift seems to best explain one example in the geologically old family Schizaeaceae (species inAnemia subgen.Coptophyllum sect.Tomentosae). Nearly all the other examples seem best explained by long-distance dispersal because they belong to families that first appeared during the Paleocene, more than 30 million yearsafter drift had effectively separated South America and Africa. Most of the dispersal events appear to have taken place from the neotropics to Africa-Madagascar, but recent African extinctions may have obscured directionality. Species with green spores or gemmiferous gametophytes were slightly overrepresented on the list compared to pteridophytes as a whole.     

A taxonomic revision of the Antennaria rosea (Asteraceae: Inuleae: Gnaphaliinae) polyploid complex

TheAntennaria rosea species complex is circumscribed to contain four subspecific taxa. A complete synonymy and key to the subspecies ofA. rosea is presented. The following new combinations are proposed:Antennaria rosea subsp.arida (E. Nels.) R. Bayer,A. rosea subsp. confinis (Greene) R. Bayer, andA. rosea subsp. pulvinata (Greene) R. Bayer. The affinities ofA. rosea to other species ofAntennaria are discussed and a key to separateA. rosea from related polyploid complexes is provided.     

Morphological and phylogenetic studies of Cytospora (Valsaceae,Diaporthales) isolates from Chinese scholar tree,with description of a new species

Cytospora species are the most serious and widespread pathogens associated with canker disease on multiple plants. In this study, three species, i.e., Cytospora sophoricola, C. chrysosperma, and C. sophorae, which were isolated from Sophora in China, are described and illustrated based on their morphological characteristics and phylogenetic analyses. Cytospora sophoricola was distinguished clearly by its larger disc, multiple ostioles, cystic and multiple locules, and specific cultural characteristics, i.e., protruding fruiting bodies. Maximum parsimony and maximum likelihood analysis showed that it did not cluster with any known species of Cytospora, so it is described as a new species. Cytospora sophorae is a previously reported species from Sophora, which is redescribed based on new isolates and additional observations. Another species was identified as C. chrysosperma, which is reported for the first time on Sophora, so Papilionaceae is shown to be a new host family for C. chrysosperma. The morphological affinities of these species with related taxa are discussed, while the phylogenetic relationships of these species with other fungus in the genus Cytospora were elucidated based on their internal transcribed spacer (ITS) rRNA region sequences.     

Two new Agave species (Agavaceae) from central Arizona and their putative pre-Columbian domesticated origins

Recent fieldwork in central Arizona resulted in the discovery of two agaves that display low seed set, reproduce mainly by vegetative means, have restricted distributions, and cannot be readily assigned to any existing species. These agaves are closely associated with archaeological structures and features and can be found growing with other previously described pre-Columbian Agave domesticates. Herein we describe Agave verdensis and A. yavapaiensis, two species that can be placed within Gentry’s informal Ditepalae Agave group, and propose that they are clonal relict domesticates. The two species have affinities with A. chrysantha, A. shrevei, and A. delamateri, the latter also a central Arizona pre-Columbian domesticate. We provide a key to distinguish these species from other agaves in central Arizona and adjacent northern Mexico with which they may be confused. The discovery of these two new species brings the total number of putative Arizona Agave domesticates to five species.     

The Disphragis notabilis (Schaus) species-group in Costa Rica (Lepidoptera,Notodontidae)

The four described taxa in the Disphragis notabilis (Schaus) species-group are reviewed, including the types and their dissected genitalia. Disphragis hemicera (Schaus), stat. rev., is elevated to species rank, D. normula (Dognin) is retained as a synonym of D. notabilis, D. sobolis Miller is confirmed as distinct from D. hemicera, and D. bifurcata sp. n., is newly described. Both D. hemicera and D. bifurcata occur in Costa Rica. The known ranges of the other species are outlined. Defining characters of each species are presented and a key to species is provided. Unusual variation in the genitalia is noted.     

Metschnikowia noctiluminum sp. nov., Metschnikowia corniflorae sp. nov., and Candida chrysomelidarum sp. nov., isolated from green lacewings and beetles

Fourteen yeast isolates belonging to the Metschnikowia clade were isolated from the digestive tracts of lacewings (Neuroptera: Chrysopidae), soldier beetles and leaf beetles (Coleoptera: Cantharidae and Chrysomelidae), and a caddisfly (Trichoptera: Hydropsychidae). The insect hosts were associated with sugary substances of plants, a typical habitat for yeasts in this clade. Based on DNA sequence comparisons and phenetic characters, the yeasts were identified as Candida picachoensis, Candida pimensis, and four undescribed taxa. Among the undescribed taxa, three yeasts were distinguished from one another and from other described taxa by nucleotide differences in the ribosomal DNA repeat, which were sufficient to consider them as new species. Two of the novel yeast species are described as Metschnikowia noctiluminum (NRRL Y-27753^T) and M. corniflorae spp. nov. (NRRL Y-27750^T) based in part on production of needle-shaped ascospores, which are found in most Metschnikowia species. Sexual reproduction was not observed in the third new yeast, Candida chrysomelidarum sp. nov. (NRRL Y-27749^T). A fourth isolate, NRRL Y-27752, was not significantly distinct from Metschnikowia viticola and Candida kofuensis to be described as a new species. Phylogenetic analysis of the D1/D2 loop sequences placed M. noctiluminum within the M. viticola clade, while C. chrysomelidarum was a sister taxon of Candida rancensis. Metschnikowia corniflorae was phylogenetically distinct from other new species and fell outside of the large-spored Metschnikowia group.     

Passiflora linda,a new species from southern Ecuador

A new species ofPassiflora subgenusTacsonia from the province of Zamora-Chinchipe, Ecuador, is described. The species is illustrated and its affinities to other species within the subgenus are discussed.     

Mitochondrial genomic investigation of flatfish monophyly

We present the first study to use whole mitochondrial genome sequences to examine phylogenetic affinities of the flatfishes (Pleuronectiformes). Flatfishes have attracted attention in evolutionary biology since the early history of the field because understanding the evolutionary history and patterns of diversification of the group will shed light on the evolution of novel body plans. Because recent molecular studies based primarily on DNA sequences from nuclear loci have yielded conflicting results, it is important to examine phylogenetic signal in different genomes and genome regions. We aligned and analyzed mitochondrial genome sequences from thirty-nine pleuronectiforms including nine that are newly reported here, and sixty-six non-pleuronectiforms (twenty additional clade L taxa [Carangimorpha or Carangimorpharia] and forty-six secondary outgroup taxa). The analyses yield strong support for clade L and weak support for the monophyly of Pleuronectiformes. The suborder Pleuronectoidei receives moderate support, and as with other molecular studies the putatively basal lineage of Pleuronectiformes, the Psettodoidei is frequently not most closely related to other pleuronectiforms. Within the Pleuronectoidei, the basal lineages in the group are poorly resolved, however several flatfish subclades receive consistent support. The affinities of Lepidoblepharon and Citharoides among pleuronectoids are particularly uncertain with these data.