A new triggerfish,Rhinecanthus abyssus,from the Ryukyu Islands

A new triggerfish,Rhinecanthus abyssus, is described from three specimens collected in the Ryukyu Islands at depths of 120–150 m. It is distinguished from the other species ofRhine-canthus by the combination of the following characters: soft dorsal rays 22–23, soft anal rays 20, a large black blotch around anus, and no semicircular white band on posterior side of body.     

Geographic variation in the molecular,morphological and reproductive characters of the ayuPlecoglossus altivelis (plecoglossidae) in the Japan-Ryukyu Archipelago

In an attempt to clarify geographic variation in the ayuPlecoglossus altivelis, the molecular, morphological and reproductive characters of populations from various localities in the Japan-Ryukyu Archipelago were examined. An electrophoretic analysis of enzymes encoded by 18–28 loci and univariate and multivariate analyses of 12 meristic and 17 morphometric characters indicated that there are two distinct groups of ayu in the archipelago: that of the Japan Islands and that of the Ryukyu Islands. Within the Japan Islands group, a landlocked population of Lake Biwa was found to diverge somewhat from other amphidromous populations genetically and morphologically. The Lake Biwa population was noted as being by far the most fecund, departing from a north-south cline of fecundity observed in amphidromous populations. Though no virtual divergence was observed among amphidromous populations in the Japan Islands in molecular data, divergence among these populations was considerable in morphological and fecundity data. Differences in geographic variation patterns are attributed to qualitative differences inherent in molecular and organismal characters: organismal characters are responsive to selection and also directly altered by environmental influences in part but molecular characters are hardly so. The evolution of different characters may have proceeded at different rates among geographic populations of ayu.     

A revision of the black-and-white Snappers,genusMacolor (Perciformes: Lutjanidae)

Macolor macularis Fowler was described on the basis of adult specimens of two distinct species of the genus. Since the holotype is presumed to be lost and it is impossible to check its validity, one of the 25 paratypes is designated as the neotype ofM. macularis to set the name as a valid species. The two species are redescribed and compared with each other.Macolor macularis differs fromM. niger in the number of anal soft rays (10 versus 11) and gill rakers (110–122 versus 89–107), extent of the exposed portion of the maxillary bone (more exposed inM. niger), length of pelvic fin (long and pointed in young versus not elongate at any size), and coloration on body and fins in adult (blue spots on head and fins versus almost uniformly black).Macolor macularis is distributed in the western Pacific, from northern Australia to Iriomote-jima, Ryukyu Islands.     

Selected subspecies names from Richter,Plantae Europeae,Vol. 1, 1890

The bookK. Richter, Plantae europeae, Vol. 1, 1890, is analyzed from the viewpoint of nomenclature of subspecies names. 264 subspecies names interesting from the standpoint of contemporary taxonomy and nomenclature are selected from the total number of 840 subspecies names for a commented list. Seventeen important cases are dealt with separately in greater detail. Eleven new nomenclatural combinations (two for species, nine for subspecies) are proposed in the Appendix. Types for two generic names (Acorellus Palla andJuncellus C. B. Clarke) are proposed. A new term “parabasionym” is applied for names establishing the priority of infraspecific epithets in the rank in question. The need to respect the newly accepted principle of priority of autonymic subspecies names at proposing new nomenclatural combinations is stressed. Examples ofRichter’s subspecies names having priority, subspecies names with necessary changes in their authorship and names having a possible importance as parabasionyms are enumerated in separate lists.     

Differentiation of tortoises of the genera Testudo and Agrionemys (Testudinidae) based on the polymorphism of nuclear and mitochondrial markers

Based on polymorphism of the 12S rRNA gene and RAPD markers, differentiation of 122 tortoise individuals belonging to the three species of genus Testudo (T. kleinmanni, T. marginata, and T. graeca), six subspecies of T. graeca (T. g. nikolskii, T. g. pallasi, T. g. armeniaca, T. g. zarudnyi, T. g. terrestris, T. g. ibera), and two subspecies of the Central Asian tortoise Agrionenemys horsfieldii (A. h. horsfieldii, A. h. kazakhstanica) was performed. For comparison, 32 known sequences of 12S rRNA gene (392 bp) from tortoises of the two genera inhabiting the territories of Europe, Asia, and Africa were used. In the populations of A. horsfieldii, a total of six haplotypes, including three newly described variants, were identified. In the examined tortoises of the genus Testudo, eleven 12S rRNA haplotypes were identified. One new haplotype was detected in T. kleinmanni. Among the eight subspecies of T. graeca, eight haplotypes were identified, with four newly described ones. The reported RAPD markers generally supported the reconstructions obtained with the use of the mitochondrial marker. Similarly to the 12S rRNA-based reconstructions, two independent clusters included representatives of the two genera, Agrionemys and Testudio. Among the latter, representatives of T. marginata and T. kleinmanni, as well as T. graeca, with high statistical support values, formed two reciprocally monophyletic groups. Compared to the mitochondrial markers, RAPDs more statistically significantly discriminated the sample of T. g. terrestris and the four subspecies, T. g. ibera, T. g. armeniaca, T. g. pallasi, and T. g. nikolskii. In almost all cases except the representatives of T. g. ibera, the representatives of each of four subspecies formed individual subclusters. The geographical haplotype distribution patterns and possible evolutionary scenario of the origin and dispersal of tortoises of the two genera are discussed.     

Underwater observations of the rare deep-sea fish <Emphasis Type="Italic">Triodon macropterus</Emphasis> (Actinopterygii,Tetraodontiformes, Triodontidae), with comments on the fine structure of the scales

Underwater observations of two living individuals and an examination of a freshly dead individual of the rare deep-sea fish Triodon macropterus revealed that they usually have the large ventral flap completely uplifted and seamlessly retracted into the abdominal region of the trunk: one individual was collected at a depth of 280 m by hook and line east of Tonaki-jima Island, Ryukyu Islands, and kept in a tank at the Okinawa Churaumi Aquarium for six years; the second living individual was observed by the ROV Hakuyo 2000 at a depth of 275 m east of Ishigaki-jima Island, Ryukyu Islands; and another individual collected at depths of 250?350 m by hook and line off Funchu Point, Yoron-jima Island (27°00.15’N, 128°26.06’E), Ryukyu Islands, provided an opportunity to demonstrate that the ventral flap could be manually uplifted by rotating the pelvis. When the ventral flap was uplifted in all of these specimens, whether naturally or manually, there were no scaleless linear bands or streaks and gaps evident in the skin between the retracted ventral flap and the abdominal region. The fine structure of the scales of the body and the ventral flap was observed by light microscopy, scanning electron microscopy, and X-ray CT scanning. The scales of the ventral flap are arranged in rows radiating from the antero-dorsal part of the ventral flap where the anterior part of the pelvis articulates with and rotates around the pectoral girdles. The orientation of the rows on the ventral flap changes from a posterior direction dorsally to a posteroventral direction more ventrally. A ridge with many sharp serrations is raised and bent from the edge of each scale on the body and ventral flap. The raised ridges on the lower scales on the ventral flap become packed together with the upper scales to form a seamless surface when the ventral flap is uplifted into the abdominal region.     

Restriction fragment length polymorphism and chromosome mapping of a mouse homeo box gene,Hox-2.1

Restriction endonuclease fragment length polymorphisms (RFLPs) were found using the cDNA probe Hox-2.1 for the homeo box-2.1 gene in the mouse. Polymorphism was detected in restriction patterns generated by fragments fromHindIII digestion. The great majority of laboratory strains of mice carries theHox-2.1 ^a allele. Only two laboratory strains carry theHox-2.1 ^b allele. Among strains of wild origin, the European subspecies (Mus m. domesticus, M. m. brevirostris, andM. m. musculus) and some Asian subspecies (M. m. castaneus) carry theHox-2.1 ^a allele. The subspecies from Far Eastern countries (M. m. molossinus, Chinese mice of wild origin, andM. m. yamashinai) carry theHox-2.1 ^ballele. Using the RFLP, theHox-2.1 gene was mapped on chromosome 11. Three-point cross test data showed that the recombination frequency is 29.6% between theHba and theHox-2.1 genes and 23.5% between theHox-2.1 and theEs-3 genes. The gene order ofHba-Hox-2.1-Es-3 has been confirmed.     

Freshwater Crustacea (Cladocera,Copepoda) of Iceland: taxonomy,ecology, and biogeography

Of the many types of freshwater bodies across Iceland (e.g., lakes, springs, rivers, and ponds), greater effort has been invested in researching the freshwater Crustacea (Cladocera, Copepoda) of more permanent, larger, and deeper water bodies than on smaller or more ephemeral sites. To address this, we described the fauna of 12 shallow freshwater bodies distributed from the coast to the central highlands of Iceland. We identified 16 species in 11 genera belonging to six families of Cladocera, and 12 species in eight genera belonging to four families of Copepoda. Five of the species we identified (Alona werestschagini, Cyclops vicinus, Daphnia cristata, Diacyclops abyssicola, and Heterocope borealis) represent new distribution records for Iceland, increasing the number of species now known from this region to 34 Cladocera and 38 Copepoda taxa. Additionally, we discuss the taxonomy of some species with doubtful taxonomical status. Six crustacean taxocenes are described, each characterized by the dominance of different taxa, with bottom sediment characteristics best explaining species assemblage structure. We evaluated the relationships between Icelandic Cladocera and Copepoda faunas and those of the adjacent Svalbard, Faroe, and Shetland Islands, Greenland, and the mainland Norway. The taxonomic composition of the Icelandic fauna is dominated by widely distributed Holarctic, and secondarily Palaearctic and Nearctic species, and is more similar to the faunas of the major North Atlantic islands (64.2–71.8 % similarity) than it is to that of continental Norway.     

Zoosporic fungi from Tunisia,and the Seychelles Islands (Indian Ocean)

Twenty-two zoosporic fungi were recovered from soil samples collected in Tunisia and in the Seychelles Islands in the Indian Ocean. One, Phlyctochytrium chandlerii is described as new. Most of the others are referred, sometimes tentatively, to existing species or genera.     

New genera and species of Chrysobalanaceae from Malesia and Oceania

Two new genera of Chrysobalanaceae are described.Hunga distributed in New Caledonia, the Loyalty Islands and Papua and New Guinea, contains eight species, three new, and five formerly placed in the generaAngelesia, Licania andParinari.Kostermanthus is described to accommodate two species with united filaments formerly placed inParinari andAcioa. Both new genera are quite as distinct as others of the family and have been overlooked by undue emphasis placed on the single character of a bilocular ovary.Licania palawanensis Prance is also described; it is the second species of its genus from Malesia.     

Paraplagusia longirostris,a new flatfish (Cynoglossidae) from Australia and Papua New Guinea

A new species of tongue sole,Paraplagusia longirostris, is described from 59 specimens (83.0– 276.2 mm SL) collected off the northern coast of Australia and southern coast of Papua New Guinea.P. longirostris is easily distinguishable from otherParaplagusia by its long, obtusely pointed snout and its high counts for dorsal and anal fin rays, caudal vertebrae and mid-lateral line scales.     

Spatial variability,structure and composition of crustose algal communities in Diadema africanum barrens

Crustose algal communities were studied in Diadema africanum urchin barrens around Tenerife (Canary Islands, NE Atlantic). A hierarchical nested sampling design was used to study patterns of community variability at different spatial scales (sectors, three sides of the island; sites within each sector, 5–10 km apart; stations within each site, 50–100 m apart). Although noncrustose species contributed the most to community richness, cover was dominated by crustose forms, like the coralline algae Hydrolithon farinosum, H. samoënse, H. onkodes, Neogoniolithon orotavicum and N. hirtum, and the phaeophycean Pseudolithoderma adriaticum. The structure of these communities showed high spatial variability, and we found differences in the structure of urchin barrens when compared across different spatial scales. Multivariate analysis showed that variability in community structure was related to the five environmental variables studied (wave exposure, urchin density, substrate roughness, productivity and depth). Wave exposure was the variable that contributed most to community variability, followed by urchin density and substrate roughness. Productivity and depth had limited influence. The effects of these variables differed depending on the spatial scale; wave exposure and productivity were the main variables influencing community changes at the largest scale (between different sectors of the island), while D. africanum density, roughness and depth were the most influential at medium and small scales.     

Five subspecies of the Dorogostaiskia parasitica complex (Dybowsky) (Crustacea: Amphipoda: Acanthogammaridae), epibionts of sponges in Lake Baikal

Based on morphological and molecular characters, the gammaroid amphipod Dorogostaiskia parasitica, living as an epibiont on sponges in Lake Baikal, Siberia, is here split into five parapatrically or allopatrically distributed subspecies: D. p. parasitica (Dybowsky, Horae Societatis Entomologicae Rossicae 10(Beiheft):1–218, 1874), D. p. kamaltynovi subsp. nov., D. p. hanajevi subsp. nov., D. p. ushkaniensis subsp. nov., and D. p. stenocephala subsp. nov. Diagnostic differences are described in the shape of dorsal keels, shape of head, length of antenna 1, number of segments of accessory flagellum, shape and armature of coxal plates, relative lengths of pereopod segments, and body coloration. Each subspecies is characterized by a distinct mitochondrial lineage, differing from others by 5–11% in the sequence of the COI gene, while they do not differ in nuclear 28S rRNA gene sequence. The question of taxonomic ranks for members of intralacustrine species complexes is considered and an argument is presented for a use of the subspecies rank for parapatrically distributed population segments that are distinguished by multiple independent geographically congruent character differences. This usage sorts out a pattern of systematic diversity lower than one based on documented reproductive isolation (e.g., sympatry) of full species but stronger than that based on single-gene genealogies alone.     

Biological control of the weed,Chromolaena odorata [Asteraceae], byPareuchaetes pseudoinsulata [Lep.: Arctiidae] on Guam and the northern Mariana Islands

Chromolaena odorata L. is a major weed of tropical plantations and pasture lands.Pareuchaetes pseudoinsulata Rego Barros [Lep.: Arctiidae] was mass-reared and released to control the weed on the Mariana Islands of Guam, Rota, Tinian and Saipan in the western Pacific. One year following establishment ofP. pseudoinsulata on Guam, the weed was reduced 100% at 3 of 4 sites monitored with fixed quadrats. Seed production was prevented if defoliation occurred prior to the beginning of the flowering season. If defoliation occurred shortly after flowering began, the developing seeds were eaten byP. pseudoinsulata or there was a significant reduction in weight and germination of seeds that matured. Eighteen months after establishing on Guam,P. pseudoinsulata had defoliated approximately 25,000 hectares of the weed. This is the 1^st report on the quantitative impact of any control agent forC. odorata, and though the long term effect of the insect is still unknown, these results are encouraging.     

A new alloantigen,Ly-8, recognized by C3H anti-AKR serum

A new membrane alloantigen, designated Ly-8.2, is defined by a C3H anti-AKR serum. The locus,Ly-8, which controls this determinant is not linked toThy-1, Ly-4, Ly-6, H-2, albino (c), or brown (b). Ly-8.2 has a unique strain distribution, and appears to be present on both T and B lymphocytes.     

Convergent evolution of IL-6 in two leporids (Oryctolagus and Pentalagus) originated an extended protein

Interleukin 6 (IL-6) is a class-I helical cytokine with a broad spectrum of biological activities and a gene structure conserved throughout vertebrates, with five coding exons. IL-6 from European rabbits belonging to the subspecies Oryctolagus cuniculus cuniculus was previously shown to differ from other mammals by extending an additional 27 amino acids. However, in other leporids (Sylvilagus spp and Lepus spp) that diverged from the European rabbit ~12 million years ago this mutation was not present. In this study, we extended the study of IL-6 for the Oryctolagus cuniculus algirus subspecies and five additional lagomorphs’ genera (Brachylagus, Bunolagus, Pentalagus, Romerolagus, and Ochotona). We confirmed the presence of the mutated stop codon in both O. c. cuniculus and O. c. algirus. We found that the typical stop codon is present in Sylvilagus bachmani and Lepus europaeus, in agreement with previous reports, but also in Bunolagus, Brachylagus, and Ochotona. Remarkably, in Pentalagus we detected a deletion of the stop codon causing an extension of IL-6 for 17 extra residues. Our results indicate that the IL-6 extension in those species occurred by two independent events: one occurred between 2 and 8 million years ago in the ancestral of the Oryctolagus subspecies, and the other occurred in a Pentalagus ancestral at a maximum of 9 million years ago. The absence of this IL-6 extension in Bunolagus, sister genus of Oryctolagus, shows that this evolutionary event happened by convergence suggesting some functional relevance.     

A new genus and species of cyprinid fish (Actinopterygii,Cyprinidae) from the Arabian Peninsula,and its phylogenetic and zoogeographic affinities

Arabibarbus hadhrami, a new species of cyprinid fish from the Hadhramaut Province of Yemen, is described. It has modally 30 scales (29–32) in the lateral line, the wedge-shaped head is longer (27.8–32.5 % SL) and higher (15.5–18.4 % SL) than in its congeners. The body is slender and laterally flattened. The dorsal fin is high (26.5–32.4 % SL) and well ossified. The pectoral fins (19.9–23.9 % SL) and pelvic fins (16.8–19.8 % SL) are longer than in its congeners. Two closely related species, Arabibarbus arabicus and Arabibarbus grypus are re-described and compared to the new species. Based on morphological and molecular characters the new genus Arabibarbus is erected for these three species. It is characterised by medium to large body size, an ossified, smooth principal dorsal fin ray, eight branched dorsal and five branched anal fin rays, large shield-shaped scales with numerous parallel radii, a lateral line with 29 to 44 scales, pharyngeal teeth that are hooked at their tips, their count being 2.3.5–5.3.2 and the possession of two pairs of barbels. Arabibarbus hadhrami is the type species of the new genus. The phylogenetic position of the new genus is analysed, based on the mitochondrial cytochrome b gene. It is the sister taxon to the genus Carasobarbus Karaman, 1971 and closely related to Mesopotamichthys Karaman, 1971, Pterocapoeta Günther, 1902 and ‘Barbus’ reinii Günther, 1874. Arabibarbus probably colonised the Arabian Peninsula about 4 Ma ago, coming from the Tigris-Euphrates drainage in the East via Wādī ar Rimah/Wādī al Bā?in.     

Carbonized food plants of Pompeii,Herculaneum, and the Villa at Torre Annunziata

The remains of carbonized plants recovered from sites destroyed by Mount Vesuvius in A.D. 79 furnish valuable historical evidence on many staple food plants used by the ancient Campanians of the 1st century A.D. Carbonized seeds,grains, nuts, and fruits of 24 species identified from documented materials at Pompeii, Herculaneum, and the Roman villa at Torre Annunziata include: filbert, Corylus avellana;broadbean, Vicia fabavar. minor;bittervetch. Vicia ervilia;chickpea, Cicer arietinum;carob, Ceratonia siliqua;lentil, Lens culinaris;European chestnut, Castanea sativa;English or Persian walnut, Juglans regia;common onion, Allium cepa;garlic, Allium sativum;fig, Ficus carica;olive, Olea europaea;date, Phoenix dactylifera;stone pine, Pinus pinea;six-rowed barley, Hordeum vulgare;emmer wheat, Triticum dicoccon;common millet, Panicum miliaceum;Italian millet, Setaria italica;oat, Avena sativa;almond, Prunus dulcis;sour cherry, Prunus cerasus;pear, Pyrus communis;crabapple, Malussp.;and grape, Vitis vinifera.     

Biogeography of the subspecies of Parides (Byasa) alcinous (Lepidoptera: Papilionidae) based on a phylogenetic analysis of mitochondrial ND5 sequences

Abstract. The phylogeny of the butterflies Parides (Byasa) alcinous caught at various localities in Japan and the Ryukyu Islands and in the eastern part of the Eurasian Continent was analysed using mitochondrial DNA sequences coding for NADH dehydrogenase subunit 5 (778 bp). The same phylogenetic relationship among P. (B.) alcinous subspecies was obtained with all analytical methods used, and was supported by high bootstrap values. The female butterfly wing pattern that characterizes each subspecies was unrelated to the phylogenetic relationship among the subspecies. The phylogenetic trees show that one group composed of ssp. alcinous and yakushimanus, which are distributed in the main area of the Japan Archipelago, the Korean Peninsula and southern Primorski of Russia, and the other group comprised of ssp. loochooanus, bradanus and miyakoensis, all of which are distributed in the Ryukyu Islands, diverged from a common ancestor. The ssp. loochooanus distributed in Amami and Okinawa Islands then diverged, and ssp. bradanus and miyakoensis distributed in Yaeyama and the Miyako Islands, respectively, finally diverged. This divergence order nearly agrees with the palaeogeography of the Ryukyu Islands that has been established in Pliocene and Pleistocene (0.2–2 MYA), suggesting that P. (B.) alcinous has been isolated in the Ryukyu Islands since the establishment of the islands.     

New species of Rubiaceae from French Guiana,Brazil, and Colombia

Collections from French Guiana, Amazonian Brazil, and Colombia taken in the last 20 years include new species in the following genera:Duroia, Pagamea, Psychotria, Randia, Retiniphyllum, Rudgea, Sabicea, Sipanea, andSphinctanthus. Twenty-one new species are described and five are illustrated.