On the taxonomy and geographical distribution of the superfamily Sidoidea Baird, 1850 (Crustacea: Cladocera)

A systematic revision of the superfamily Sidoidea Baird, 1850 is carried out based on a considerable amount of material, including types. Unification of the families Sididae and Holopedidae in one group is found to be justified. Two new tribes of the recently isolated subfamily Sidinae Baird, 1850 are described. In considering the systematics of taxa at a species level, special attention is given to the genus Diaphanosoma. Its taxonomy is far from satisfactory but most species may be included in two morphoecological groups. The distribution of some genera and species is analyzed and their regions of origin and ranges are discussed.     

Additions to the rotifer fauna of south-east Asia: new and rare species from north-east Thailand

Ninety-three freshwater habitats in the north-eastern part of Thailand were surveyed for rotifers during March–October 1993. Two hundred species were identified, 120 of which are new to Thailand. Brachionus africanuss Segers, B. lyratus Shephard and Trichocerca hollaerti De Smet are new to Asia. Brachionus niwati n.sp. is described and figured. Brachionus donneri Brehm, Keratella edmondsoni (Ahlstrom) and Lecane blachei Berzi, endemic to south and southeast Asia, were found also.Comments are presented on some insufficiently known taxa. Of special zoogeographic interest is the record of several species previously considered endemic to Australia. An attempt is made to characterise the Thai rotifer fauna in the light of recent developments in rotifer zoogeography.     

On the presence of the genus Branchinecta Verrill, 1869 (Crustacea,Anostraca) in Yugoslavia

The genus Branchinecta Verrill, 1869 is represented in Yugoslavia by two species: Branchinecta ferox (Milne-Edwards, 1840) and Branchinecta orientalis G.O. Sars, 1901. The first species was collected in the steppe-like province of Banat, Pannonian Lowland, and in the lowland around the Skadar Lake, Montenegro, the second only in the province of Banat.On the basis of rich material of both species, a detailed study of the most essential morphological characters has been carried out and comparisons have been made with data in the literature. In B. ferox, significant morphological deviations are not found, whereas, in B. orientalis, essential features are clearly ascertained which were previously unknown or were not stated with sufficient precision. B. ferox is known to appear in small, temporary, natronsoda water rainpools, while B. orientalis has been found in a large temporary inundation pool with a high content of natronsoda and salt in the water.     

Revision of the African species of the genus Mesocyclops Sars, 1914 (Copepoda: Cyclopidae)

A revision is made of the African Mesocyclops species, based on type material (when extant) and on collections from various parts in Africa.Diagnostic characteristics are: presence or absence of spinule patterns on antennular segments, structure of the hyaline membrane of the 17th antennular segment, spine pattern on the basipodite of the antenna, armature of the maxillulary palp, presence or absence of a spine on the basipodite of P₁, armature of the connecting lamella, coxopodite and basipodite of P₄, armature of the apical spines of Enp₃P₄, armature of the last thoracic segment, genital segment and the other abdominal segments, armature of the furcal rami and structure of the receptaculum seminis.First, the taxonomical status of M. leuckarti (Claus) is redefined; this species does not occur in Africa and its geographical range is restricted to Europe and the western part of Northern Asia. On the African continent, twelve other taxa are found. Four are described as new to science: M. kieferi sp.n., M. dussarti sp.n., M. spinosus sp.n. and M. aequatorialis similis subsp.n. The remainder are: M. major Sars, M. tenuisaccus (Sars), M. paludosus Lindberg, M. salinus Onabamiro, M. ogunnus Onabamiro, M. aspericornis (Daday), M. rarus Kiefer and M. aequatorialis aequatorialis (Kiefer).Their geographical distribution is discussed. Eleven taxa are restricted to the African continent (including the Arabian Peninsula and the Canary Islands). One taxon is also found in the Oriental Region. Madagascan representatives are briefly mentioned.The importance of breeding and cross-breeding experiments should be stressed in copepod taxonomy. Experiments were performed on African species and M. leuckarti to evaluate the morphological characters used in the present study, and intraspecific morphological variability was examined up to and including the third generation (Van de Velde, in press).In future one should critically reconsider the so-called cosmopolitan species; they may indeed represent a complex of related taxa, each with a geographical range more restricted than that of the species-complex itself.Abstracted from the author's Ph.D. thesis, State University of Ghent, 1982.Abstracted from the author's Ph.D. thesis, State University of Ghent, 1982.     

A canthobrama centisquama Heckel and the validity of the genus Mirogrex Goren,Fishelson and Trewavas (Osteichthyes: Cyprinidae)

The poorly known cyprinid fish Acanthobrama centisquama is re-described and its distribution is clarified. It is found in the Orontes basin and not waters around Damascus. The genus Mirogrex is synonymised with Acanthobrama.     

Two new species of <Emphasis Type="Italic">Zercon</Emphasis> (Acari: Zerconidae) from Turkey

Two new species of zerconid mites, Zercon uludagicus sp. n. and Z. huseyini sp. n., from Turkey are described and illustrated. The similarities and differences between the species are discussed. The lists of the taxonomic diagnostic key to adults of Zercon species known from Turkey are also given.     

Numerical morphological analysis of Lettuce cultivars and species (Lactuca sect.Lactuca,Asteraceae)

L. sativa L. cultivars were compared morphologically with accessions ofL. saligna L.,L. serriola L., andL. virosa L. in order to define the infra- and interspecific variation. Multivariate analysis (principal component analysis) distinguished four groups corresponding with the four species. Infraspecific variation (e.g., colour, leaf shape) withinL. sativa is the largest, because breeding has caused a large variation in vegetative features; infraspecific variation withinL. serriola is also large. Three plants of one accession were placed betweenL. sativa andL. serriola because they showed morphological characteristics of both species. They are still classified asL. sativa. The morphological differences betweenL. sativa andL. serriola are too large to consider these two as one species. The descent of the cultivar groups and the four species is described.     

Systematics of theLactobacillus population on rat intestinal mucosa with special reference toLactobacillus reuteri

The systematics of theLactobacillus population of the intestines of 88 different rats was studied; 80 rats had been fed on fermented oat-meal soup (Molin et al. 1992). One-hundred-twenty-twoLactobacillus strains from the intestinal mucosa were phenotypically classified together with twenty-eight reference strains ofLactobacillus andLeuconostoc, using 49 unit characters. Data were examined using Jaccard coefficient, and unweighted pair group algorithm with arithmetic averages. Two major and eleven minor clusters were defined at the 76% S_J-similarity level: Cluster 1 included thirty isolates which could not be identified further, but had resemblance to the type strains ofL. jensenii, L. gasseri, L. crispatus, and to some extent toL. acidophilus. Cluster 12 including fifty-four intestinal isolates was identified asL. reuteri; and so was cluster 13 (five isolates). Isolates of the major clusters were found in all parts of the intestines. The genomic homogeneity of theL. reuteri isolates was scrutinized by endonuclease restriction analysis of the chromosomal DNA, and the isolates could be divided into six genomic strains.     

A new species of <Emphasis Type="Italic">Chelostes</Emphasis> van Achterberg, 1990 (Hymenoptera: Braconidae: Brachistinae) from Turkey

A new species of Chelostes van Achterberg, 1990, C. subrobustus sp. n., is described and illustrated from Asian Turkey. The Chelostes species of the world are keyed.     

Crossing experiments of lettuce cultivars and species (Lactuca sect.Lactuca,Compositae)

The degree of relationships withinLactuca sativa and three wild relativesL. serriola, L. saligna, andL. virosa was studied by observing the performance, vigour and fertility of the F 1 hybrids obtained from crosses made in and between the four species. The crosses ofL. saligna ×L. virosa and the reciprocal crosses produced no hybrids.L. saligna andL. virosa are the least related of the four species.L. sativa ×L. serriola and the reciprocal crosses were successful and produced fertile hybrids These two species are genetically very closely related.L. saligna is known to produce, as a female parent, hybrids withL. sativa andL. serriola. Now the reciprocal cross was successful for the first time, so the unability to obtain hybrids in the past was based on the choice of accessions and not caused by unilateral incompatibility.L. virosa ×L. sativa and the reciprocal combination produced hybrids. The combinationL. serriola ×L. virosa produced hybrids with very limited fertility. In contrast to earlier reports (sterile hybrids) one combination of the reciprocal cross too produced hybrids with very limited fertility.—Some of theL. saligna ×L. sativa (and reciprocal) hybrids were found to look strikingly likeL. serriola. This adds evidence for the descent ofL. serriola andL. sativa:L. saligna also made part of the ancestral complex of the cultivated lettuce.     

Three new species of ants (genus <Emphasis Type="Italic">Aphaenogaster</Emphasis>, Hymenoptera: Formicidae) from Turkey

Three new species of the ant genus Aphaenogaster (A. aktaci sp. n., A. maculifrons sp. n., A. radchenkoi sp. n.) are described from Turkey and their taxonomic positions are discussed. Aphaenogaster aktaci sp. n. belongs to the obsidiana group, A. maculifrons sp. n. to subterranea group and A. radchenkoi sp. n. to pallida group of the Attomyrma subgenus. Key characteristics for identification of the species and data on their ecology are given.     

Life history characteristics of three types of females in Brachionus calyciflorus Pallas (Rotifera) fed different algae

This study describes the life history characteristics of amictic, unfertilized mictic and fertilized mictic females of the rotifer Brachionus calyciflorus cultured individually on two different algae at 0.1 mg ml^–1 food concentration and 27 °C. The duration of the juvenile period of amictic females was significantly shorter on Chlorella pyrenoidosa Chick than on Scenedesmus obliquus Kütz or both algae together. The duration of the juvenile period of unfertilized mictic females was significantly longer, and the number of eggs produced by amictic females was significantly larger on Chlorella pyrenoidosa than on S. obliquus. When fed the same type of alga, the duration of the juvenile period of the fertilized mictic females was the longest among the three types of females, and the durations of the reproductive period of the amictic females and the post-reproductive period of the fertilized mictic females were longer than, or equal to those of the other two types of females, respectively. The number of eggs produced by an unfertilized mictic female was the largest among the three types of females, and that of amictic females was larger than or equal to that of fertilized mictic females, depending on the type of diet.     

西藏墨脱悬钩子属植物小志

该文在野外调查、标本采集、标本查阅与鉴定及文献考证的基础上,对西藏墨脱县产的蔷薇科悬钩子属植物进行了系统整理。结果表明:目前发现该区共有悬钩子属植物28种4变种,其中Rubus lineatus Reinw. var. glabrior Hook. f.为中国分布新记录植物,小柱悬钩子(R. columellaris Tutcher)、红毛悬钩子(R. wallichianus Wight et Arn.)、独龙悬钩子(R. taronensis C. Y. Wu ex T. T. Yu et L. T. Lu)和疏松悬钩子(R. efferatus Craib)为西藏分布新记录植物。该文还对《中国植物志》和Flora of China中该属部分学名的不恰当使用进行了探讨。     

<Emphasis Type="Italic">In vitro</Emphasis> micropropagation of four lupin species

The complete protocols for long-term micropropagation of some cultivars of four lupin species: Lupinus luteus, L. albus, L. angustifolius and L. mutabilis were elaborated. The shoots were regenerated in vitro via induction of axillary buds development. Plantlets were multiplicated on lowered salts MS-derived media containing BAP in diverse and generally low concentrations. Significant differences in regeneration capacity between species and cultivars were observed. The highest multiplication ratio revealed L. mutabilis and L. luteus. Regenerated shoots were rooted in vitro on low-salts MS-derived media with B5 vitamins. Media were supplemented with different auxins that affected roots formation of particular species and cultivars. Rooting ability of regenerated shoots decreased rapidly through in vitro culture. For that reason, grafting was applied as an alternative method of transfer of shoots to in vivo conditions. This method turned out to be successful for the majority of studied species and cultivars. Complete rooted or grafted plantlets were cultivated in pots with perlit in greenhouse. An erratum to this article is available at .     

A new species of <Emphasis Type=Italic>Lonchocarpus</Emphasis> (Leguminosae,Papilionoideae) from Mato Grosso do Sul,Brazil

Lonchocarpus variabilis, from Mato Grosso do Sul State in Midwestern Brazil, is newly described and illustrated on the basis of field and herbarium studies. It occurs in seasonally deciduous forests and gallery forests at 150–681 m elevation. This species grows in sandy, calcareous, and iron rocky soils. It is similar to L. fendleri, but differs in number of leaflets and shape of the calyx. Moreover, L. variabilis has a staminal tube dilated at the base and anthers with a glabrous base.