Isolation and characterization of microsatellite loci in the bee Ceratina flavipes

Polymorphic microsatellite markers can provide essential information on genetic analyses of sociality and mating behaviour of insects. We developed eight microsatellite loci in the small carpenter bee, Ceratina flavipes, using a magnetic bead hybridization enrichment protocol. These loci showed two to eight alleles with expected heterozygosity of 0.21–0.87, and also seemed useful to such congeneric species as Ceratina okinawana distributed in southern Japan. By using these loci, the sociality and mating systems in Ceratina species, that are still controversial, are possible to be analysed.     

Natural hybridization in Saxifraga callosa Sm

Saxifraga callosa Sm. is an evergreen perennial species distributed from Eastern Spain, through the Western Alps and the Apennines, to southern Italy. The existence of high morphological variation within different subspecies indicates that phenotypic characters are useful but not sufficient taxonomic tools. Indeed, available morphological data already suggested that S. callosa subentity lantoscana may be an outcross between S. callosa and S. cochlearis. In this work, by analyzing ITS (Internal Transcribed Sequences), AFLP (Amplified Fragment Length Polymorphisms), and cpDNA (chloroplast DNA) markers, a comprehensive study of the genomic relationships among S. callosa and related species has been carried out. The sequence of the ITS region of S. callosa subentity lantoscana gave no conclusive results on the taxonomy status of S. callosa subentity lantoscana. On the other hand, the use of the "NewHybrids" software to analyze an AFLP data-set (208 polymorphic amplified fragments) supported a significant posterior probability that S. callosa subentity lantoscana individuals are natural hybrids between S. callosa and S. cochlearis. The level of introgression of genes from alien genomes was confirmed by a simpler and quick methodology that analyze length variation in cpDNA sequences.     

Chromosome Numbers of 10 Species and 3 Varieties in Actinidia Lindl.

Somatic chromosome numbers of 10 species and 3 varieties in Actinidia Lindl. are reported for the first time, except A. polygama (Sieb. et Zucc.) Maxim. Two ploidy levels, diploid and tetraploid, are found both in A. polygama and A. kolomikta (Maxim. et Rupr.) Maxim. Chromosome numbers are listed as follows: A. kolomikta (Maxim. et Rupr.) Maxim. 2n=58, 116, A. polygama (Sieb. et Zucc. Maxim. 2n=58, 116, A. macrosperma Liang 2n=116, A. callosa var. henryi Maxim. 2n=116, A. callosa var. discoler Liang 2n =116, A. cylindrica Liang 2n=58, A. chrysantha Liang 2n=116, A. sabiaefolia Dunn 2n= 58, A. melliana Hand.-Mazz. 2n=58, A. hemsleyana Dunn 2n=58, A. fulvicoma var. lanata (Hemsl.) Liang 2n=58, A. latifolia (Gardn. et Champ.) Merr. 2n=58, and A. lanceolata Dunn 2n=58.     

Pollination of Cypripedium plectrochilum (Orchidaceae) by Lasioglossum spp. (Halictidae): the roles of generalist attractants versus restrictive floral architecture

The pollination of Cypripedium plectrochilum Franch. was studied in the Huanglong Nature Reserve, Sichuan, China. Although large bees (Bombus, Apis), small bees (Ceratina, Lasioglossum), ants (Formica sp.), true flies (Diptera) and a butterfly were all found to visit the flowers, only small bees, including three Lasioglossum spp. (L. viridiclaucum, L. sichuanense and L. sp.; Halictidae) and one Ceratina sp., carried the flower's pollen and contacted the receptive stigma. Measurements of floral architecture showed that interior floral dimensions best fit the exterior dimensions of Lasioglossum spp., leading to the consistent deposition and stigmatic reception of dorsally-placed, pollen smears. The floral fragrance was dominated by one ketone, 3-methyl-Decen-2-one. The conversion rate of flowers into capsules in open (insect) pollinated flowers at the site was more than 38%. We conclude that, while pigmentation patterns and floral fragrance attracted a wide variety of insect foragers, canalization of interior floral dimensions ultimately determined the spectrum of potential pollinators in this generalist, food-mimic flower. A review of the literature showed that the specialised mode of pollination-by-deceit in C. plectrochilum, limiting pollinators to a narrow and closely related guild of 'dupes' is typical for other members of this genus.     

Révision des Xylocopinae (Hymenoptera : Apidae) de France et de Belgique

Cette publication présente les résultats d’une étude de 6.263 spécimens de Xylocopinae récoltés en France métropolitaine (France continentale et Corse) et en Belgique et qui proviennent de récoltes personnelles et de 63 institutions et collections privées. Les Xylocopinae de France sont représentées par 11 espèces du genre Ceratina et 4 espèces du genre Xylocopa. Seules deux de ces espèces sont présentes en Belgique : Xylocopa violacea (L.) et Ceratina cyanea (Kirby). Un nouveau sous-genre pour le genre Ceratina est décrit : Dalyatina n. subg. Il comporte l’espèce méditerranéenne Ceratina parvula Smith présente en France, ainsi que six autres espèces d’Afrique subsaharienne. Pour chaque genre, sous-genre et espèce, les auteurs fournissent une diagnose, une diagnose différentielle, la liste des fleurs visitées, la liste des sites de nidification, la carte de distribution en France métropolitaine, un diagramme phénologique et une clé d’identifi cation des genres, sous-genres et espèces. La systématique, la biogéographie, l’écologie et le sexe ratio des espèces sont présentés et discutés. Les Xylocopinae apparaissent comme très largement polylectiques mais montrent une très nette affinité envers les Lamiaceae, les Asteraceae Cardueae et, pour le genre Xylocopa, envers les Fabaceae. Toutes les espèces présentent une phénologie estivale qui s’étend d’avril à septembre. Le sexe-ratio de la plupart des espèces est biaisé vers les femelles. Aucun mâle de C. parvula, pour 120 femelles, n’a été observé ce qui suggère que, en France du moins, l’espèce pourrait se reproduire par parthénogenèse thélytoque comme c’est le cas de C. dallatorreana Friese. La publication comprend 62 dessins au trait, 18 photos au microscope électronique à balayage, 17 cartes, 14 graphiques de phénologie, une liste de 232 espèces de fleurs visitées par les Xylocopinae, dont 176 observations originales, et 171 références.     

Frequency–dependent pollinator foraging in polymorphic Clarkia xantiana ssp. xantiana populations: implications for flower colour evolution and pollinator interactions

Under many circumstances pollinators are expected to practice positive frequency–dependent foraging in colour-polymorphic plant populations. Theory suggests, however, that competition for floral resources might favor negative frequency–dependent foraging by some pollinator species, possibly contributing to the maintenance of flower colour variation by negative frequency–dependent selection. We addressed this idea with pollination studies of the California annual plant Clarkia xantiana ssp. xantiana (Onagraceae), which is polymorphic for the presence of conspicuous petal spots and is pollinated by several specialist bee species. At the level of entire pollinator assemblages, we did not detect significant fixed flower colour preferences or frequency–dependent foraging. Three species of specialist bee pollinators, however, showed contrasting forms of frequency–dependent foraging. The most widespread species, Hesperapis regularis (Melittidae) exhibited positive frequency dependence. Two other common species, Lasiglossum pullilabre (Halictidae) and Ceratina sequoiae (Apidae), preferred to visit whichever morph (unspotted or spotted) was locally in the minority. All three species were found to be effective at transferring C. xantiana pollen; H. regularis appeared most effective. Our findings suggest that a mixture of positive and negative frequency–dependent selection on flower colour occurs in C. xantiana , with the form and intensity of selection varying in space and time with pollinator assemblages. Negative frequency–dependent selection via pollination dynamics may play a larger role in maintaining genetic variation in flower colour than was previously thought. Our results also suggest an unappreciated form of niche partitioning among specialist pollinators. Genetic polymorphism in flower colour may sometimes facilitate pollinator coexistence.     

Tunichrome content in the blood cells of the tunicate, Ascidia callosa Stimpson, as an indicator of vanadium distribution

Morula, compartment, signet ring, orange, lymphocyte and amoebocyte (granular and agranular) cells have been identified in the blood of A. callosa; in addition, nephrocytes have been described. Blood cell lysates contain a yellow chromogen with spectrophotometric and fluorimetric properties similar to tunichrome. The fluorescent characteristics of each of the seven blood cell types were determined using microspectrofluorimetry. Vanadium in A. callosa blood cells is primarily associated with tunichrome extracts, although lesser amounts are measurable in blood plasma and blood cell residues; both vanadium and tunichrome concentrations are in the order morula greater than compartment greater than signet ring cells.     

Major benefits of guarding behavior in subsocial bees: implications for social evolution

Parental care is a behavior that increases the growth and survival of offspring, often at a cost to the parents' own survival and/or future reproduction. In this study, we focused on nest guarding, which is one of the most important types of extended parental care; we studied this behavior in two solitary bee species of the genus Ceratina with social ancestors. We performed the experiment of removing the laying female, who usually guards the nest after completing its provisioning, to test the effects of nest guarding on the offspring survival and nest fate. By dissecting natural nests, we found that Ceratina cucurbitina females always guarded their offspring until the offspring reached adulthood. In addition, the females of this species were able to crawl across the nest partitions and inspect the offspring in the brood cells. In contrast, several Ceratina chalybea females guarded their nests until the offspring reached adulthood, but others closed the nest entrance with a plug and deserted the nest. Nests with a low number of provisioned cells were more likely to be plugged and abandoned than nests with a higher number of cells. The female removal experiment had a significantly negative effect on offspring survival in both species. These nests frequently failed due to the attacks of natural enemies (e.g., ants, chalcidoid wasps, and other competing Ceratina bees). Increased offspring survival is the most important benefit of the guarding strategy. The abandonment of a potentially unsuccessful brood might constitute a benefit of the nest plugging behavior. The facultative nest desertion strategy is a derived behavior in the studied bees and constitutes an example of an evolutionary reduction in the extent of parental care.     

Pollination Biology of Anisomeles indica and A. malabarica (Lamiaceae)

Abstract The flowers of Anisomeles indica and A. malabarica are zygomorphic, bilabiate, gulletshaped and nectariferous, and are visited by insects as well as birds for nectar and/or pollen. The bees Xylocopa latipes, X. Pubescens, Amegilla sp., Apis florea and Megachile sp., and the sunbirds of the genus Nectarinia are the principal pollinators of A. indica , while the former three and the last and the wasp Rhynchium metallicum are for A. malabarica. Pollination by Xylocopa and Nectarinia is nototribic and that by Apis, Megachile, Amegilla is noto- and/or sternotribic. The small bodied Trigona, Pseudapis and Ceratina collected pollen sternotribically. It is concluded that adaptation of both species to insect and bird pollination and to a flexible breeding system involving both selfing and crossing, safeguards their survival under changing environments.     

Origins and implications of apid bees (Hymentopera: Apidae) in French Polynesia

Island plant–pollinator networks are typically simpler than their continental counterparts and this can make them less resilient to disturbance from exotic species. French Polynesia has a very low diversity of bees, but their status as either native or introduced species has been largely speculative. We combine previous studies with new DNA sequence data to show that 11 bee species have now been recorded for French Polynesia. Haplotype variation at the ‘barcode’ region of the mitochondrial gene cytochrome c oxidase subunit I (COI) for four of these species, Ceratina dentipes Freise, Xylocopa sonorina Smith, Braunsapis puangensis (Cockerell) and Amegilla pulchra (Smith), indicates that they all represent very recent introductions. Apis mellifera Linnaeus was a purposefully introduced species, and four megachilid species probably arrived due to human‐aided dispersal through maritime activities in the Pacific. The two remaining bee species, an unidentified partial specimen of a halictid bee and the colletid bee Hylaeus (P.) tuamotuensis Michener, are collectively known from only four specimens collected in the 1930s and their provenance is uncertain. French Polynesia therefore comprises a region where recently introduced bee species greatly overwhelm any possible native bee fauna. These introductions are likely to have major ecosystem impacts, including disruptions of existing plant–pollinator networks and facilitating the spread of weedy plant species, as well as positive impacts for agriculture. Future biosecurity initiatives need to consider these potential impacts and the likely routes of dispersal to effectively control any further unintended introductions.     

A New Species of Gigantochloa Kurz ex Munro (Poaceae: Bambusoideae) from Yunnan Province,China

A new species of Gigantochloa Kurz ex Munro, Gigantochloa callosa NH. Xia, Y. Zeng & RS. Lin was described and illustrated. It is differed from Gparvifolia (Brandis ex Gamble) TQ. Nguyen by its smaller size; culm sheath proper covered with both dark brown and silvery appressed hairs abaxially; ligules 2-3mm tall, entire; leaf ligules 2-3mm tall, entire; one side of the apex of leaf sheath developed into a 2-3mm long, thin, scale like callus.     

Responses of tree sap-feeding herbivores to elevated CO2

Five species of sap-feeding homoptera were studied on Fagus sylvatica and Acer pseudoplatanus and exposed to elevated concentrations of carbon dioxide (600 μL L^–1). The concentration of total soluble amino acids in foliage of F. sylvatica was unaffected by growing saplings in elevated atmospheric CO₂ concentrations. Although experiments on individual aphids indicated poorer performance of Phyllaphis fagi (fewer, smaller nymphs produced), resultant populations did not differ from those in ambient (350 μL L^–1) conditions. The area of beech foliage stippled by the leafhopper Fagocyba cruenta was similar at ambient and elevated CO₂ concentrations. The concentration of total amino acids and that of serine of A. pseudoplatanus foliage were significantly lower at elevated CO₂ concentrations. However, the relative growth rates of two aphid species Drepanosiphum platanoidis and Periphyllus testudinaceus and one leafhopper Ossiannilssonola callosa were not significantly different in elevated CO₂. No evidence was found that, under the conditions of these experiments, populations of aphids and leafhoppers will change as concentrations of CO₂ increase.     

中国云南巨竹属一新种

描述了中国巨竹属一新种——小巨竹Gigantochloa callosa NH. Xia, Y. Zeng & RS. Lin并绘制了图版。该种与Gigantochloa parvifolia (Brandis ex Gamble) TQ. Nguyen相似,区别在于此种各部分较Gparvifolia较小;箨鞘背面贴生深褐色与银灰色短硬毛,箨舌高2~3mm,全缘;叶舌高2~3mm,全缘;叶鞘背面与叶柄连接处一侧有一高2~3mm的半圆形薄鳞片状突起。     

内蒙古被子植物新资料

报道了内蒙古3个新分布记录属:鼠尾草属(Salvia L.)、单蕊草属(Cinna L.)、裂稃茅属(Schizachne Hackel);3个新分布记录种:荫生鼠尾草(Salvia umbratica Hance)、红果龙葵(Solanum villosum Miller)、单蕊草[Cinna latifolia (Trev.) Griseb.];1个新记录亚种: 裂稃茅[Schizachne purpurascens (Torrey) Swallen subsp.callosa (Turcz.) T.Koyama & Kawano];1个黄芪属(豆科)新变型--皇甫川黄芪.     

Allozyme and morphological identification of shape Anisakis,Contracaecum and Pseudoterranova from Japanese waters (Nematoda,Ascaridoidea)

Allozyme markers were used to identify anisakid nematodes from marine Japanese waters, morphologically assigned to three species complexes: Anisakis simplex (s. l.), Contracaecum osculatum (s. l.) and Pseudoterranova decipiens (s. l.). Samples assigned to A. simplex (s. l.) were found to correspond genetically to A. simplex sensu stricto, those of C. osculatum (s. l.) to C. osculatum A. No morphological characters are yet available to distinguish sibling species of these two complexes. As to the P. decipiens complex, two distinct species were detected: the first corresponded to P. decipiens C, previously recovered in the northern Atlantic, the second to P. decipiens D from Japan. The two species are genetically well differentiated, with five of the 19 loci tested showing distinct fixed alleles. Their reproductive isolation was proved by the lack of hybrids or recombinants in sympatric samples recovered from the same definitive host, Erignathus barbatus. P. decipiens D was found to correspond morphologically to Porrocaecum azarasi, previously considered a synonym of P. decipiens. Accordingly, the name Pseudoterranova azarasi (Yamaguti & Arima, 1942) n. comb. is proposed for P. decipiens D. Similarly, P. decipiens C fits in general morphology, type-locality and host with Ascaris bulbosa, also previously considered a synonym of P. decipiens. The name Pseudoterranova bulbosa (Cobb, 1888) n. comb. is proposed for P. decipiens C.     

Cyanoneuron (Rubiaceae), a new genus from Borneo and Sulawesi

The genus Cyanoneuron is established to accommodate three Bornean and Sulawesi species previously placed in Myrioneuron . Two new species: C. grandiflorum and C. pedunculatum are described. All five species are illustrated. A survey of the character states including vegetative, inflorescence, floral, fruit, pollen, seed morphology and anatomy is given. The chromosome number has been counted for C. cyaneum, C. grandiflorum and C. pubescens. Cyanoneuron is tentatively included in the tribe Hedyotideae, but its affinity to genera inside this tribe is unknown.     

中国云南巨竹属一新种

描述了中国巨竹属一新种——小巨竹GigantochloacallosaN．H．Xia,Y．Zeng＆R．S．Lin并绘制了图版。该种与Gigantochloaparvifolia（Brandisex Gamble）T．Q．Nguyen相似,区别在于此种各部分较G．parvifolia较小;箨鞘背面贴生深褐色与银灰色短硬毛,箨舌高2～3mm,全缘;叶舌高2～3mm,全缘;叶鞘背面与叶柄连接处一侧有一高2～3mm的半圆形薄鳞片状突起。