A preliminary Study on Dichroa Lour.

Dichroa Lour., a small genus of Saxifragaceae, contains about 12 species, ranging from the mainland of S. E. Asia southward to Pacific islands. But most of the species are more restricted in distribution. Of the 12 recognized species, six are known from South China and Indochina; three are confined to west and northwest New Guinea; two are endemic to the Phillipines. Only one species is widely distributed in S. E. Asia. In the present paper, the genus is divided into two sections and two series based on the number of stamens and the characteristics of the ovary. One species is described as new.     

Survey of the terrestrial and freshwater molluscan fauna of the Pilliga forest area in northern inland New South Wales,Australia

The Pilliga forest in northern inland New South Wales, Australia, is one of the largest surviving remnants of native forest on the western slopes of the Great Dividing Range. The Pilliga landscape is a challenging environment for molluscs, dominated by dry sclerophyll forest and with limited and largely ephemeral aquatic habitats. A field survey of the area in 2006–2012 identified a surprisingly rich and relatively intact aquatic native molluscan fauna with five species of bivalves in three families and nine species of freshwater gastropods (four families), including some rare species and range extensions. The native land snail fauna comprised 18 species (six families), including an unusually rich pupillid fauna with nine species. Some range extensions are recorded and some species are narrow-range endemics. The distributions of many aquatic and terrestrial species were correlated with geology or soil type. Introduced molluscs were predominantly found in anthropogenic habitats and include two freshwater gastropods (two families) and nine terrestrial snails and slugs (eight families). This study provides insight into the original molluscan fauna of the western slopes prior to landscape-scale agricultural development and provides a benchmark for future reference.     

Ectomycorrhizal fungi with edible fruiting bodies 2.Boletus edulis

Boletus edulis sensu lato (penny bun mushroom, cep, cèpe de Bordeaux, porcino, Steinpilz) is a complex of at least five species (or sub-species) of mycorrhizal fungi which grow primarily with hosts in Fagaceae, Pinaceae, and Betulaceae. They occur in a wide variety of habitats throughout the Northern Hemisphere and have been accidentally introduced into South Africa and New Zealand. The fruiting bodies have a very strong flavor and are widely used both commercially and domestically, particularly in Europe and North America. The vegetation, climate, and soils where B. edulis grows and methods that have been used in unsuccessful attempts to cultivate it are described.     

Novel insights into the phylogenetic relationships of the endangered marsupial genus Potorous

The three extant potoroo species of the marsupial genus Potorous -Potorous tridactylus, P. longipes and P. gilbertii - are all of conservation concern due to introduced predators and habitat loss associated with the European settlement of Australia. Robust phylogenies can be useful to inform conservation management, but past phylogenetic studies on potoroos have been unable to fully resolve relationships within the genus. Here, a multi-locus approach was employed, using three mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA): NADH dehydrogenase subunit 2, cytochrome c oxidase subunit 1 and 12S rRNA and four nuclear DNA (nuDNA) gene regions: breast and ovarian cancer susceptibility gene, recombination activating gene-1, apolipoprotein B and omega globin. This was coupled with widespread geographic sampling of the broadly distributed P. tridactylus, to investigate the phylogenetic relationships within this genus. Analyses of the mtDNA identified five distinct and highly divergent lineages including, P. longipes, P. gilbertii and three distinct lineages within P. tridactylus (northern mainland, southern mainland and Tasmanian). P. tridactylus was paraphyletic with the P. gilbertii lineage, suggesting that cryptic taxa may exist within P. tridactylus. NuDNA sequences lacked the resolution of mtDNA. Although they resolved the three currently recognised species, they were unable to differentiate lineages within P. tridactylus. Current management of P. tridactylus as two sub-species (mainland and Tasmania) does not recognise the full scope of genetic diversity within this species, especially that of the mainland populations. Until data from more informative nuDNA markers are available, we recommend this species be managed as the following three subspecies: Potorous tridactylus tridactylus (southern Queensland and northern New South Wales); Potorous tridactylus trisulcatus (southern New South Wales and Victoria) Potorous tridactylus apicalis (Tasmania). Molecular dating estimated that divergences within Potorous occurred in the late Miocene through to the early Pliocene.     

New Caledonia: The major centre of biodiversity for volutomitrid molluscs (Mollusca: Neogastropoda: Volutomitridae)

Recent deep‐sea explorations in the South Pacific have documented around New Caledonia the most diverse fauna of gastropods of the family Volutomitridae anywhere in the world. Fourteen species (nine new, two remaining unnamed) are recorded, all essentially confined to the 250–750 m depth range. The high number of species in the New Caledonia region does not appear to be an effect of sampling intensity, but appears to result from four factors: regional spatial heterogeneity, frequency of hard substrates, syntopy, and a historical heritage shared with Australia and New Zealand, which until now ranked as the major centre of volutomitrid diversity. In the New Caledonia region, volutomitrids show a marked preference for hard bottoms and up to three species may co‐occur in the same dredge haul. Many species appear to have extremely narrow geographical distributions within the region (e.g. a single seamount or a single submerged plateau); conversely, Microvoluta joloensis, the only non‐endemic volutomitrid present in New Caledonia, ranges from the Mozambique Channel to Tonga.     

The synonymy and distribution of the crenaticeps-group of Atractomorpha Saussure, 1862 (Orthoptera, Acridoidea, Pyrgomorphidae)

The general distribution of Atractomorpha australis Rehn, A. similis Bolívar and A. crenaticeps (Blanchard) in Australia and the South Pacific is discussed. Detailed synonymies and lists of known localities are given for each species, together with a distribution map. A. australis is confined to cooler, moister regions of Australia from eastern Victoria to south-western Queensland; A. similis is more tropical, occurring in the southern Moluccas, Timor, southern New Guinea and associated islands to northern and eastern Australia, but it extends, in suitable localities, as far south as central New South Wales, and, in inland areas, even to north-western Victoria and south-eastern South Australia; A. crenaticeps , formerly thought to embrace both the above species, is restricted to the northern Moluccas, western and other parts of New Guinea north of and including the central mountain chains and associated islands to the north and west, and to the Bismarck Archipelago and the Solomon Islands.     

Chromosome relationships and meiotic mechanisms of certain morsitans group tsetse flies and their hybrids

There are three pairs of euchromatic components, the L₁ and L₂ autosomes and the X chromosome pair respectively, which are found in both G. austeni and the three forms of G. morsitans. Each species/sub-species also includes in its complement a group of heterochromatic autosomes (S) which have various morphologies and differ in number both within and between the species/sub-species. Several lines of evidence are outlined which point to these being supernumerary B chromosomes. Male meiosis is normally achiasmate and only L₁ and L₂ autosomes pair completely. X-Y association is restricted to a small pairing segment the position of which on the X is constant for all the species/sub-species. It is located in one of two positions on the Y chromosome according to the species/sub-species. The S chromosomes behave as hereditary univalents at first anaphase while the sex bivalent can undergo distance pairing best exemplified in G. austeni and G. submorsitans. A Y structural mutant line gives some indication of the size of the pairing segment and demonstrates that survival and maleness is possible even when two-thirds of the chromosome is missing. Meiotic and polytene chromosome studies connected with hybridisation experiments designed to test the sterility factor as a potential means of tsetse control assist in establishing the evolutionary relationship of the subspecies.     

Should the flower bud weevil Anthonomus santacruzi (Coleoptera: Curculionidae) be considered for release against the invasive tree Solanum mauritianum (Solanaceae) in New Zealand?

The invasive tree Solanum mauritianum Scop. has been targeted for biological control in South Africa and New Zealand, by deploying insect agents that could constrain its excessive reproductive output. The flower-feeding weevil Anthonomus santacruzi (Curculionidae) was approved for release in South Africa in 2007 but following the loss of the original culture in quarantine, new stocks were introduced from Argentina in 2008–2009. This study was initiated to confirm that the host range of the new culture was the same as that of the previous one, but also to assess the risks associated with the weevil's release in New Zealand. Different testing procedures, including no-choice tests and multi-choice tests in different arenas, produced inconsistent and ambiguous results. During no-choice tests, oviposition and larval development to adulthood occurred on three non-target species including two native South African and one native New Zealand Solanum species. However, subsequent multi-choice tests and a risk assessment suggested that the risks of anything more than collateral damage to non-target Solanum species are low. Overall, these data do not deviate substantially from the results of the original quarantine tests which facilitated the release of A. santacruzi in South Africa in 2009. Although we argue that none of the New Zealand native and cultivated species are at risk, stronger evidence from open-field trials and chemical ecology studies may be required to convince the regulatory authorities that A. santacruzi is suitable for release in New Zealand.     

The species of Pareromene Osthelder (Pyralidae: Crambinae: Diptychophorini) from the western South Pacific,with further notes on the New Zealand species

Six species of Crambinae described by Meyrick, and three by Tarns, from western South Pacific islands between the Louisiade Archipelago and Samoa, are redescribed and transferred from Diptychophora Zeller to Pareromene Osthelder. Five new species and one new subspecies of Pareromene are described. The zoogeography and phylogeny of the genus in this region are briefly described, and some additional notes on New Zealand species are given.     

Molecular phylogenetic investigations of the Viviparidae (Gastropoda: Caenogastropoda) in the lakes of the Rift Valley area of Africa

The freshwater gastropod family Viviparidae is nearly cosmopolitan, but absent from South America. On the African continent, two genera are recognized; the widespread Bellamya and the monotypic Neothauma, which is confined to Lake Tanganyika. Most of the African Bellamya species are confined to the major lakes of the Rift Valley area in Africa, i.e. Lake Albert, Lake Malawi, Lake Mweru, and Lake Victoria. The phylogenetic analyses of mitochondrial (COI and 16S) and nuclear (H3, 18S and 28S) DNA inferred three major lake-clades; i.e. Lake Victoria/Kyoga/Albert, Lake Malawi and Lake Mweru/Bangweulu. The endemic B. rubicunda from Lake Albert and B. unicolor from Lake Kyoga were inferred to be part of the Lake Victoria clade. Bellamya capillata as identified by shell characters was polyphyletic in gene trees. The monophyletic Bellamya species radiation in Lake Malawi was most nearly related to the Lake Victoria/Kyoga/Albert-clade. Taxa from the Zambian lakes, Mweru and Bangweulu, were inferred together and placed ancestral to the other lakes. Neothauma tanganyicense was inferred as the sister-group to the Zambian Bellamya. Within the lake-clades the endemic radiations show very low genetic diversities (0–4.1% in COI), suggesting much faster morphological divergence than molecular divergence. Alternatively, Bellamya in Africa constitutes only a few species with several sub-species or eco-phenotypic morphs. The African viviparids were inferred to be the sister-group to a clade comprising Asian species, and the relatively low genetic diversity between the clades (12.6–15.5% in COI) makes a recent Miocene dispersal event from Asia to Africa much more likely than an ancient Gondwana vicarience distribution.     

Molecular epidemiology and spatial distribution of a waterborne cryptosporidiosis outbreak in Australia

Cryptosporidiosis is one of the most common waterborne diseases reported worldwide. Outbreaks of this gastrointestinal disease, which is caused by the Cryptosporidium parasite, are often attributed to public swimming pools and municipal water supplies. Between the months of January and April in 2009, New South Wales, Australia, experienced the largest waterborne cryptosporidiosis outbreak reported in Australia to date. Through the course of the contamination event, 1,141 individuals became infected with Cryptosporidium. Health authorities in New South Wales indicated that public swimming pool use was a contributing factor in the outbreak. To identify the Cryptosporidium species responsible for the outbreak, fecal samples from infected patients were collected from hospitals and pathology companies throughout New South Wales for genetic analyses. Genetic characterization of Cryptosporidium oocysts from the fecal samples identified the anthroponotic Cryptosporidium hominis IbA10G2 subtype as the causative parasite. Equal proportions of infections were found in males and females, and an increased susceptibility was observed in the 0- to 4-year age group. Spatiotemporal analysis indicated that the outbreak was primarily confined to the densely populated coastal cities of Sydney and Newcastle.     

A comprehensive description and evolutionary analysis of 9 Loliginidae mitochondrial genomes

Forty South American aquatic plant species were selected and categorised in four a priori status classes (alien naturalised, alien invasive, native and absent) according to expert opinion, for 16 South American regions (Argentina, Bolivia, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Ecuador, Falklands Islands, French Guiana, Galapagos, Guyana, Paraguay, Peru, South Georgia and South Sandwich Islands, Suriname, Uruguay and Venezuela). The 40 aquatic plant species were assessed using the US Aquatic Weed Risk Assessment (USAqWRA) scheme for each of the 16 South American regions, for a total number of 644 assessments and for South America (153 assessments). The method was benchmarked against expert opinion (invasive, non-invasive). We ranked 17 of them as naturalised, and 15 as invasive species in at least one South American region. The USAqWRA distinguished between non-invaders and invaders with an overall accuracy of 84.9% in South America and 54.1% in the 16 regions, with areas under the curves equal to 0.893 and 0.853, at a threshold score of 51.5 and 43.5, respectively. The study highlights that the USAqWRA could represent a suitable screening protocol to prioritise aquatic species that have the potential to cause negative impacts, prevent attempts of introduction and to manage risky aquatic plants in South America.     

Molecular phylogenetics reveals a pattern of biome conservatism in New World anchovies (family Engraulidae)

Evolutionary transitions between marine and freshwater biomes are relatively rare events, yielding a widespread pattern of biome conservatism among aquatic organisms. We investigated biome transitions in anchovies (Engraulidae), a globally distributed clade of economically important fishes. Most anchovy species are near-shore marine fishes, but several exclusively freshwater species are known from tropical rivers of South America and were previously thought to be the product of six or more independent freshwater invasions. We generated a comprehensive molecular phylogeny for Engraulidae, including representatives from 15 of 17 currently recognized genera. Our data support previous hypotheses of higher-level relationships within Engraulidae, but show that most New World genera are not monophyletic and in need of revision. Ancestral character reconstruction reveals that New World freshwater anchovies are the product of a single marine to freshwater transition, supporting a pattern of biome conservatism. We argue that competition is the principal mechanism that regulates aquatic biome transitions on a continental scale.     

STUDIES OF PACIFIC ISLAND PLANTS. XXIX. BLEASDALEA AND RELATED GENERA OF PROTEACEAE

The genus Kermadecia (Proteaceae), originally described as endemic to New Caledonia, has been expanded in recent decades to include three species from the New Hebrides and Fiji. Specialists on the Proteaceae have suggested that the three Melanesian species were generically misplaced, and careful reexamination supports this viewpoint. It is now apparent that a distinct group within the subfamily Grevilleoideae is composed of the genera Euplassa (endemic to South America), Sleumerodendron (a monotypic New Caledonian genus), Gevuina (based on a single South American species but recently expanded to include two other species from Queensland and New Guinea), and the three questionable Melanesian species. A review of this cluster of taxa indicates that Gevuina should again be interpreted as restricted to South America and that the generic name Bleasdalea F. v. Muell. ex Domin should be adopted for a group of five species extending from Queensland and New Guinea to the New Hebrides and Fiji. The relationships of the four genera are discussed and within Bleasdalea four new combinations are proposed: B. bleasdalei (F. v. Muell.), B. ferruginea (A. C. Sm.), B. vitiensis (Turrill), and B. lutea (Guillaumin). Kermadecia, very distinct from the four genera under present consideration, is again interpreted as a New Caledonian endemic.     

FRESHWATER HYPHOMYCETES OF THE NORTHERN APPALACHIAN HIGHLAND INCLUDING NEW ENGLAND,AND THREE COASTAL PLAIN STATES

Twenty-seven species of freshwater Hyphomycetes from two five-state areas in the northern Appalachian Highland, New England, and three Coastal Plain states were collected, isolated, and identified. The spores of three fungi which are probably aquatic Moniliales were also studied. Sigmoidea, a new Hyphomycete genus, includes submerged aquatic fungi which produce phialides laterally along the mycelium and sigmoid, multicellular phialospores. Varicosporium giganteum sp. n. produces terminal, hyaline, branched, and multiseptate aleuriospores. The main spore axis has one to four lateral branches which arise successively on one side of this axis. Tricladium marylandicum sp. n. is similar to T. splendens in that the lateral branches are constricted where each branch joins the main spore axis. It differs from this species in that the spore has a blunt apical cell on the main axis and on each of the lateral axes. Three possible methods of dispersal are presented to explain the cosmopolitan distribution of freshwater Hyphomycetes.     

Evolution of insular Pacific Pittosporum (Pittosporaceae): origin of the Hawaiian radiation.

We investigated the origin of Hawaiian Pittosporum and their relationship to other South Pacific Pittosporum species using internal transcribed spacer sequences of nuclear ribosomal DNA. We performed both maximum-parsimony and maximum-likelihood analyses, which produced congruent results. Sequence divergence was 0.0% between Hawaiian members of Pittosporum. These taxa formed a strongly supported clade, suggesting a single colonization event followed by phyletic radiation. Sister to the Hawaiian clade were two South Pacific species, P. yunckeri from Tonga and P. rhytidocarpum from Fiji. This result presents convincing evidence for a South Pacific origin of Hawaiian Pittosporum. Our results also identify a monophyletic group comprising three species representing the Fijian Province and East Polynesia, two introductions onto New Caledonia, and at least one (but possibly two) introduction(s) onto New Zealand. Whether the New Zealand taxa form a monophyletic group is unclear from these data. Previous morphologically based hypotheses, however, suggest the presence of four different lineages occupying New Zealand. The nonmonophyly of the New Caledonian species was not surprising based on the extent of their morphological diversity. Although this latter result is not strongly supported, these species are morphologically complex and are currently the subject of taxonomic revision and molecular systematic analyses.     

广西水生维管植物研究Ⅰ:一些新资料

初步研究了广西的水生维管植物 ,发现若干个新记录 ,包括 1个新记录科 ,1个存疑新记录属 ,3个新记录种 ,1个区内分布新资料。这对认识广西植物种类的多样性有一定意义     

Mitochondrial haplotypes and the New Zealand origin of clonal European Potamopyrgus, an invasive aquatic snail

The small aquatic snail Potamopyrgus antipodarum is an important invading species in Europe, Australia and North America. European populations are generally believed to derive from accidental introductions from New Zealand, probably dating back to the mid-19th century. We have employed mitochondrial DNA sequences to test the proposed New Zealand origin of European Potamopyrgus, and to learn more about its genealogical history. Using a 481-bp region of the 16S ribosomal RNA gene, we identified 17 distinct haplotypes among 65 snails from New Zealand. In marked contrast, only two haplotypes were found across all European samples, which cover a large geographical area. Importantly, these two haplotypes are shared with snails from the North Island of New Zealand. Due to sampling limitations we cannot rule out a South Island origin for one of the haplotypes, but our results clearly demonstrate the New Zealand origin of European populations. The marked divergence among the two European haplotypes implies the successful colonization by two distinct mitochondrial lineages, which is consistent with previous data based on nuclear markers.