Are the “100 of the world’s worst” invasive species also the costliest?

Biological Invasions - Biological invasions are increasing worldwide, damaging ecosystems and socioeconomic sectors. Two decades ago, the “100 of the world’s worst” invasive alien...     

Polytypy of the genus <Emphasis Type="Italic">Zanclorhynchus</Emphasis> (Zanclorhynchinae: Congiopodidae): Description of the new species <Emphasis Type="Italic">Z. сhereshnevi</Emphasis> sp. n. from the Indian sector of the Southern Ocean

New species Zanclorhynchus chereshnevi sp. n. has been described. The type series of the new species has been sampled along the shores of Prince Edward Islands (46°55′ S 37°58′ E) in the Southern Ocean at the depth of 170 m. The new species differs from the another representative of the genus, Z. spinifer, by weak arming of the first dorsal fin and the head and by the body proportions and coloration.     

On the species of the genus <Emphasis Type="Italic">Diplocheila</Emphasis> Brullé (Coleoptera: Carabidae) of the Far East of Russia,with a brief review of the East Asian species

A taxonomic review of seven species of Diplocheila of the Far East of Russia and adjacent lands is given. Three species are known from the Russian Far East, two of which, D. zeelandica Redt. and D. minima Jedl., are recorded from Russia for the first time. A key to the East Asian species is presented. Composition and diagnoses of subgenera are discussed. The subgenus Submera Habu is restored.     

Spatial structure of the soil seed bank of Poa annua L.—alien species in the Antarctica

Poa annua L. (annual bluegrass) is the only non–native flowering plant species that has successfully established a breeding population in the maritime Antarctic and has been shown to maintain a soil seed bank. The characteristic of the spatial structure of the Antarctic population of this species is the formation of distinct dense clumps—tussocks. In the temperate zone the species is only loosely tufted. We focused on the characteristics of seed deposition associated with the tussocks and some aspects of the spatial heterogeneity of the soil seed bank of P. annua in the Antarctic. We wanted to assess the microspatial structure of the soil seed bank of annual bluegrass at Arctowski Station. Therefore we compared the number of seeds deposited underneath and in the vicinity of P. annua clumps. Our results indicate that P. annua in the Antarctic maintains a soil seed bank comparable to species typical for the polar tundra. The microspatial structure of P. annua soil seed bank in the Antarctic is highly associated with the presence of tussocks. Seeds are deposited underneath the tussock rather than in the vicinity of the clump. Our results also indicate that seeds are able to survive the Antarctic winter and readily germinate under optimal conditions.     

Are rare species useful species? Obstacles to the conservation of tree diversity in the dry forest zone agro‐ecosystems of Mesoamerica

Aim To test the potential to conserve rare dry forest tree and shrub species circa situm. Location Oaxaca, Mexico and Southern Honduras. Methods Local uses (timber, posts and firewood) of species were determined principally through semistructured interviews with 20 rural householders in each of four communities in Honduras and four in Oaxaca. Tree and shrub diversity inventories were carried out in a total of 227 forest patches and parcels of farmland in those eight communities. Species’ conservation priorities were determined using the star system of Hawthorne (1996) and IUCN listings. Results Despite a large number of useful species, remarkably few were also conservation priorities. Useful species were found to be substitutable as is illustrated by Bombacopsis quinata, Cordia alliodora, Guaiacum sanctum and G. coulteri. Conclusions In these areas, circa situm conservation is inhibited by the lack of species that are both rare and useful. Usefulness must be interpreted as a function of substitutability. Natural regeneration provides an abundance of diversity, farmers are unlikely to invest in the management of a species when suitable substitutes are freely available. The key to conserving rare species may be in maintaining or enhancing the value of the landscape elements in which they are found.     

Comparison of the β-lactamases ofBacteroides species

-Lactam antibiotic susceptibility and the presence of -lactamase were examined in clinical strains ofBacteroides species. All strains produced a noninducible, cell-associated cephalosporinase. Based on isoelectric focusing, molecular weight determinations, substrate profiles, and inhibition studies, it was concluded that allBacteroides strains examined produced a very similar, if not identical, -lactamase in terms of these enzymatic and physical characteristics.     

Efficacy of the new repellent BioUD<Superscript>®</Superscript> against three species of ixodid ticks

BioUD ^® with the active ingredient 2-undecanone originally derived from wild tomato plants is a new repellent recently registered by the US EPA. Repellent efficacy of BioUD ^® (7.75% 2-undecanone) and DEET (98.11%) was examined in the laboratory using a choice test between repellent-treated and control filter paper surfaces for Amblyomma americanum, Dermacentor variabilis, and Ixodes scapularis. BioUD ^® provided greater repellency against A. americanum and I. scapularis than DEET. No difference was found between BioUD ^® and DEET against D. variabilis. In head-to-head assays between BioUD ^® and DEET, undiluted and 50% dilutions of BioUD^® were more repellent than undiluted DEET against all three species tested. Similarly, a 25% dilution of BioUD^® was more repellent than DEET against A. americanum while no difference in mean percentage repellency was found between a 25% dilution of BioUD^® and DEET against I. scapularis. Based on regression analysis, the concentration of BioUD^® required for equivalent repellency to 98.11% DEET was 39.5% for D. variabilis and 29.7% for I. scapularis. A log-probit model could not be constructed for A. americanum from the dosages tested. Based on filter paper head-to-head assays, BioUD^® is at least 2–4 times more active as a repellent than DEET against three species of ixodid ticks under the conditions of our laboratory bioassays.     

Fish fauna of the Severn Estuary. Are there long-term changes in abundance and species composition and are the recruitment patterns of the main marine species correlated?

Fish were collected from the intake screens of the Oldbury Power Station in the Severn Estuary in each week between early July 1972 and late June 1977 and at least twice monthly between early January 1996 and late June 1999. The annual catches, after adjustment to a common sampling effort, demonstrate that the abundance of fish at Oldbury was far greater in the 1990s than 1970s, mainly due to marked increases in the numbers of certain marine species, such as sand goby, whiting, bass, thin-lipped grey mullet, herring, sprat and Norway pout. These increases may reflect the great improvement that occurred in the water quality of the Severn Estuary between these decades. The only species that declined markedly in abundance was poor cod. Modest declines in flounder and River lamprey paralleled those occurring elsewhere in the UK. The species composition in the two decades also differed, reflecting changes not only in the relative abundances of the various marine estuarine-opportunistic species, which dominated the ichthyofauna, but also in those of the suite of less abundant species in the estuary. The cyclical changes undergone each year by the species composition of the fish fauna of the Severn Estuary reflect sequential intra-annual changes in the relative abundances of species representing each of the marine, diadromous and freshwater categories. New approaches have been developed to test whether or not large sets of correlations between patterns of recruitment amongst abundant marine species (internal correlations), and between those patterns and salinity and water temperature within the estuary (cross-correlations), were significant. The correlation profile analyses found no evidence that the annual recruitment strengths of these species were either intercorrelated, or correlated with either one or a combination of both of the above environmental variables. Yet, the timings of the recruitment of these species into the estuary were intercorrelated, i.e. a slightly earlier or later than normal immigration by one species in a given year was paralleled by the same trend in other species. However, this association in recruitment times could be linked neither to salinity nor water temperature within the estuary, nor to a combination of these two variables. These results indicate that, while the factors that influence the annual recruitment strengths of the juveniles of different marine species vary, inter-annual differences in the phasing of events that regulate spawning times and/or larval dispersal influence, in the same direction, the times when marine species are recruited into the estuary.     

Karyotype characterisation of Brazilian species of the genus <Emphasis Type="Italic">Psychotria</Emphasis> L. — subfamily Rubioideae (Rubiaceae)

The pantropical genus Psychotria L., probably the largest among angiosperms, occurs in different Brazilian vegetal formations. This work determined the chromosome numbers and karyotypic characteristics of ten species of Brazilian Psychotria. The chromosome numbers ranged from 2n = 22, in five species (P. hoffmannseggiana (Willd. ex Roem. & Schult.) Müll. Arg., P. lupulina Benth., P. marginata Sw., P. tenerior (Cham.) Müll. Arg., and P. trichophora Müll. Arg.), to 2n = 40, in P. mapourioides DC., and 2n = 44 in four other species (P. carthagenensis Jacq., P. gracilenta Müll. Arg., P. longipes Müll. Arg. and P. suterella Müll. Arg.). In addition to these differences, great variations in chromosome lengths and karyotypic formulae were also observed among these species. Chromosome length varied from 5.59 μm to 0.90 μm and no relationship was detected between chromosome numbers and lengths in any species. Chromosomes are principally metacentric, except for P. mapourioides that presents mainly submetacentric chromosomes. Karyotypic asymmetry rate (TF%) ranged from moderate (TF% = 38.83) to highly symmetric (TF% = 50.00). The difference in chromosome numbers of Psychotria carthagenensis (2n = 44) and P. mapourioides (2n = 40) is very important to taxonomists, because these have great difficulty in identifying and differentiating these two species with the sole use of morphological characteristics, since some individuals have intermediate characteristics between both species. Although this study does not allow for a consistent cytotaxonomic analysis, not even to delimit P. subgen. Psychotria and P. subgen. Heteropsychotria, this karyotype analysis of some Brazilian species, along with their morphology, may contribute to a better knowledge of the genus.     

A taxonomic review of ichneumon-flies (Hymenoptera,Ichneumonidae), parasitoids of gall-forming sawflies (Hymenoptera,Tenthredinidae) on Salix. Part II. Review of the Palaearctic species of the genus <Emphasis Type="Italic">Saotis</Emphasis> Förster with description of four new species

This is the second communication on Ichneumonidae, parasitoids of gall-making sawflies on Salix. Twenty-one Palaearctic species of the specialized genus Saotis are revised and classified into 12 species groups. Original data on 29 species of Saotis hosts are given: 18 spp. of Phyllocolpa, 10 Pontania and 1 species of Pontopristia. A key to species and subspecies is given and illustrated by 55 figures. For each species the literature, synonymy, diagnosis, material and hosts are given. Four new species are described: Saotis alpinator sp. n., S. boreator sp. n., S. granulator sp. n. and S. subarctor sp. n.     

Sonneratia apetala Buch.Ham in the mangrove ecosystems of China: An invasive species or restoration species?

By the end of 1990s when China initiated a 10-year mangrove reforestation project, the mangrove forest area had decreased from 250,000 to 15,000 ha. Over 80% of current Chinese mangroves are degraded secondary forests or plantations. As an initial restoration and reforestation effort, Sonneratia apetala, a native of India, Bengal and Sri Lanka, was introduced in 1985 to Dong Zhaigang Mangrove Nature Reserve in Hainan Island from Bengal. It has then been introduced into other places since 1991. However, the further use of the species is becoming increasingly controversial as there are emerging signs that it may become invasive in certain locations. A comprehensive evaluation of the species’ condition in China regarding benefits and risks is critically needed. Here, we map the introduction and dispersal routes and monitor the growth of S. apetala in China from 1985 to 2006. S. apetala grows fast and performs well in the introduced 2300 ha muddy beaches area. It greatly improves the soil fertility and shows a suite of suitable characteristics as a pioneer restoration species. Currently, no natural invasion of S. apetala has been observed in the northern mangrove area. However, invasion into natural forests does occur in southerly locations such as Shenzhen, Zhanjiang and Dong Zhaigang. In these locations, S. apetala exhibits invasive characteristics such as overgrowth and high spreading ability that evidently affects local mangrove ecosystem structure and function. While the species clearly offers some benefits at some locations where it cannot naturally invade, it appears harmful to other native mangrove species, posing a major practical problem to both ecologists and land managers. This situation will be similar to previously imported non-native and invasive intertidal wetland species, Spartina alterniflora (smooth cordgrass), with similar results and problems.     

<Emphasis Type="Italic">Foxtosognus rarus</Emphasis> gen. n., sp. n.—A new genus and species of copepods (Copepoda: Calanoida) from the abyssopelagic zone of the Kuril-Kamchatka Trench

A female of Foxtosognus rarus gen. n., sp. n., a new genus and species of copepods, is described from the abyss of the Kuril-Kamchatka Trench. The new genus is placed in the family Arctokonstantinidae, whose diagnosis is emended and supplemented with the following characters: mandibular basis with one to two setae; mandibular endopod one without setae; maxillular distal basal endite plus endopod with two to four setae or without setae. The features that distinguish Foxtosognusgen. n. from other representatives of this family are as follows: mandibular palp with a long endopod segment one, endopod segment two with seven setae, and exopod segment five with two setae; maxillula with distal basal endite lacking setae and separated from endopod bearing three setae; maxillular precoxal arthrite with seven to eight setae and exopod with four setae; maxilliped syncoxa without setae on precoxal endites and endopod of three segments. The genera Sognocalanus and Foxtonia earlier included in the Spinocalanidae are herein transferred to the Arctokonstantinidae.     

The role of the Weberian Reform in European Rubus research and the taxonomy of locally distributed species – which species should we describe?

After Sudre published his treatment of European Rubi in the early 20th century, Rubus taxonomy in Europe suffered from a scholastic phase and a longer period of stagnation. The so‐called ‘Weberian Reform’ initiated the necessary revival of European batology. It rests on four major pillars: 1) mapping projects over larger areas, 2) evaluation of type material, 3) visits to loci classici, and 4) evaluation of the status of species by means of their distribution areas. Subsequently, it has become widely accepted in European batology that only species with a distribution area over 50 km should be described. Although this pragmatic species concept has been useful in making a continent‐wide overview of brambles, we argue that it is lacking a scientific basis, and should thus be rejected. There are at least four distinctive problems when treating locally distributed brambles: 1) primary hybrids, 2) locally distributed stabilised apomicts, 3) intraspecific variation in species with a larger distribution range, and 4) unstabilised swarms of hybridogenic biotypes and the derivates thereof (mainly in the montane regions). When facing the problems in Rubus systematics, we argue that all independently evolving lineages should be described as species, including apomictic lineages with very small distribution ranges, both from the mountain‐dwelling glandular series and from the lowlands. Neither primary hybrids (which are not stabilised by apomixis), nor biotypes without an independent and coherent distribution area are independently evolving lineages, and should thus not be described as species. We advocate a restrained attitude when describing new species with limited distribution areas.     

A revision of the grass flies from E.A. Eversmann’s collection with description of a new species of the genus <Emphasis Type="Italic">Chlorops</Emphasis> Meigen (Diptera,Chloropidae)

E.A. Eversmann’s collection of grass-flies (Chloropidae) deposited at the Zoological Institute of the Russian Academy of Sciences, St. Petersburg, is revised. The total of 22 species are recorded from Kazan (10 species of the subfamily Oscinellinae, 12 species of the subfamily Chloropinae), and 4 species, from Orenburg and Orenburg Province. Almost all the species, except for the agricultural pests, are recorded for the respective regions for the first time. A new species, Chlorops eversmanni sp. n., is described from Kazan.     

Comparative biochemical studies of carotenoids in fish—XXVII. Carotenoidsin the eggs of three species of cyprinidae

• 1.1. The carotenoids in the eggs of three species of freshwater fish, carp Cyprinus carpio, silver crucian carp Carassius gibelio langsdorfi and oily gudgeon Sarocheilichthys variegatus belonging to Cyprinidae were investigated from the comparative biochemical point of view.
• 2.2. Lutein A (3), (3R,3′R)-zeaxanthin (4), diatoxanthin (5) and alloxanthin (6) were found to be dominant and their corresponding 4-keto and/or 4′-keto derivatives, i.e. fritschiellaxanthin (10), (3S,3′R)-4-ketozeaxanthin (11), (3S,3′S)-astaxanthin (12), (3S,3′S)-7,8-didehydroastaxanthin (13) and (3S,3′S)-7,8,7′,8′-tetradehydroastaxanthin (14) were also found in all species examined.

     

Evolutionary and taxonomic differentiation of shrew species in the “araneus” group of the genus <Emphasis Type="Italic">Sorex</Emphasis>: 2. Subdivision within the common shrew

This review summarizes available data on the problem of taxonomic and evolutionary differentiation in the “araneus” groups of species of the genus Sorex (Eulipotyphla, Mammalia). Report 2 describes the hierarchical structuring, population system, and interracial hybrid zones in the common shrew (Sorex araneus).