NEW GENUS AND NEW SPECIES OF ISOMETOPIDAE FROM CHINA (Hemiptera - Heteroptera)

The present paper deals with four species belonging to three genera, in which a genus (Paraletabo gen. nov.) and four species are described as new to science, a genus (Sophianus Distant) is recorded for the first time from China. The type specimens are deposited in the Department of Biology, Nankai University. The new genus and new species are briefly diangnosed as follows.     

NOTES ON THE GENUS FLEUTIAU XIA LABOISSIERE (COLEOPTERA: CHRYSOMELIDAE: GALERUCINAE)

In the present paper, 9 species of the genus Fleutiauxia are reported from China, ofwhich one species is transferred from the genus Platyxantha, and four are described asnew to science. The diagnosis of the genus and the key to the known species of China aregiven. The type specimens are kept in the Institute of Zoology, Academia sinica (IZAS)and the Entomological Museum of Northwestern Agricultural University (EMNAU),Yangling, Shaanxi, separately.     

NOTES ON THE GENUS NEOPODOCINUM IN CHINA,WITH DESCRIPTIONS OF TWO NEW SPECIES(ACARINA:MACROCHELIDAE)

The present paper deals with four species of the genus Neopodocinumoff scarabaeid beetles in China, among them Neopodocinum sinicum and N.gunnanense are new to science, the deutonymph of N. dehongense is descri-bed for the first time, and N. vanderhammeni is collected in southwestChina for the first time. The type materials are deposited in the Depart-ment of Parasitology, Guiyang Medical College.Keys to the females and malesof 6 known Chinese species of the genus Neopodocinum are appended.     

中国-喜玛拉雅特有属——蓝钟花属的分类修订

Cyananthus Wallich ex Bentham, the only genus of Campanulaceae with superior ovary, is revised to clarify infrageneric relationships and phylogeny of the genus. Evidence obtained from the comparative gross morphology, anatomy, palynology, and karyomorpho-logy recommends a new infrageneric classification of the genus, recognizing 23 species, belonging to two subgenera, four sections and four subsections. One subgenus(Subgen. Mi-cranthus), one section(Sect. Suffruticulosi) and two subsections(Subsect. Flavi and Sub-sect. Lichiangenses)are described as new taxa. New combinations at sectional (Sect. Annui) and subsectional(Subsect. Stenolobi) ranks are also proposed. The genus Cyananthus is strictly distributed in the high mountains of China(Xizang, Yunnan and Sichuan), extending to Bhutan, Nepal and India (Kumaon-Garhwal, Assam and Sikkim), with altitudinal ranges from 2500 ~ 5300 m. It is observed that 13 species are endemic to SW China and only three species are endemic to the Himalayas( two species in Ne     

New species of the isolated Psaroniaceous rachis from the Early Permian in China

A new kind of marattialean raches are reported from the coal balls in Coal Seam No.7 in the upper part of the Taiyuan Formation （early Early Permian） from Taiyuan, Shanxi, China and are assigned to the genus Stipitopteris Grand＇Eury （Psaroniaceae）. The present specimens are different from all six reported species of the genus, and are therefore proposed as a new species： Stipitopteris shanxiensis. The raches of the new species are generally dorsi-ventrally flattened. The main raches usually exhibit scales of different forms on their surface. Beneath the epidermis is a zone of parenchymatous cells, some of which contain tannin-like contents. Inside this is a zone of small sclerenchymatous cells. Inward are the ground tissue and vascular bundles. The vascular bundles are continuous and are in two circles： the outer circle assumes a transversely elliptical shape with the gap and pinna trace, and the inner circle assumes a shallow C.shape with inrolled ends. The ground tissue located at the inner side of the vascular bundle is composed of thicker-walled parenchymatous cells. The cells of the ground tissue are vertically elongated in longitudinal sections. Subordered raches are smaller and have simpler structures than the main raches. The parenchyma zone beneath the epidermis is thinner, usually one to two cells wide and the sclerenchyma zone is usually absent. The scales are poorly developed and there is only one C-shaped vascular bundle. The new species is comparable to the crosiers of Psaroniaceae of the Euramerican Flora in some aspects, for example, it has a dorsi-ventrally flattened rachis and scales on the surface of the rachis. However, the other features and the preservative conditions of the present specimens indicate that they are not crosiers, but fully developed or mature raches. The new species is the first well-studied anatomically-preserved rachis of Psaroniaceae from the Cathaysian Flora and bears significance not only in understanding the anatomy and taxonomy of Psaroniaceae in the Cathaysian Flora, but also in the relationship between the Euramerican Flora and the Cathaysian Flora.     

New ommatids from the Late Jurassic of western Liaoning, China （Coleoptera： Archostemata）

A new genus Amblomma gen. nov. of fossil beetles is erected and can be assignedto the family Ommatidae because its two procoxal cavities are contiguous and the articulations of the abdominal ventrites are abutting. The new genus is similar to Zygadenia Handlirsch, 1906 (=Notocupes Ponomarenko, 1964), Tetraphalerus Waterhouse, 1901,Rhobdocupes Ponomarenko, 1966 and Sinocupes Lin, 1976, but can be distinguished from other genera according to the following characters: the second segment of antennae is shorterthan the third one in length; the posterior tarsi with the basal segment is obviously shorter than the three following taken together in length; the antennae reach the posterior ridge of prothroax in length, and the sides of the prothroax with serrulate margin. Four new species of the new genus are described and figured: Amblomma psilata gen. et sp. nov., Amblomma rudis gen. et sp. nov., Amblomma epicharis gen. et sp. nov., and Amblomma stabilis gen. etsp. nov. A key to species within this new genus is provided. All the specimens are collected from the Late Jurassic Yixian Formation of western Liaoning and are now housed in the College of Life Science, Capital Normal University, Beijing, China.     

A REVIEW OF THE GENUS A CRICOTOPUS KIEFFER （DIPTERA： CHIRONOMIDAE） IN CHINA

The genus Acricotopus Kieffer including three species from China is reviewed.Acricotopus lucens (Zetterstedt) is reexamined. Two species A. simplex sp. nov. and A.zhalingensis sp. nov. are described as male imagines. Acricotopus simplex sp. nov. was collected from Xizang, Sichuan and Qinghai Provinces; the species differs from others of the genus by the absence of hind tibial comb, temporal and clypeal seta. Acricotopus zhalingensis sp. nov. was collected from Qinghai Province; the species is recognized by a combination of characters: the larger body size; the clypeus without setae; anal lobe strongly produced, nearly hemispherical shape; inferior volsella triangular, strongly sclerotized; gonostylus with 13 very long setae. A key to the world males of the genus is presented. The generic diagnosis is emended.All the types described in this paper are deposited in Department of Biology, Nankai University,China (BDN).     

A new species and two new records of Ulocladium from China

A new species and two new Chinese records in the genus Ulocladium from soil are reported. New species is Ulocladium leve, and the new records are U. alternariae and U. consortiale. Latin diagnosis of the new species is presented. Holotype specimen （dried culture） of the new species and dried cultures of two new records are deposited in the Herbarium of Shandong Agricultural University： Plant Pathology （HSAUP）.     

Neither Biased Sex Ratio nor Spatial Segregation of the Sexes in the Subtropical Dioecious Tree Eurycorymbus cavaleriei （Sapindaceae）

Knowledge of sex ratio and spatial distribution of males and females of dioecious species is both of evolutionary interest and of crucial importance for biological conservation. Eurycorymbus cavaleriei, the only species in the genus Eurycorymbus （Sapindaceae）, is a dioecious tree endemic to subtropical montane forest in South China. Sex ratios were investigated in 15 natural populations for the two defined ages （young and old）. Spatial distribution of males and females was further studied in six large populations occurring in different habitats （fragmented and continuous）. The study revealed a slight trend of male- biased sex ratio in both ages of E. cavaleriei, but sex ratio of most populations （13 out of 15） did not display statistically significant deviation from equality. All of the four significantly male-biased populations in the young class shifted to equality or even female-biased, The Ripley＇s K analysis of the distribution of males with respect to females suggested that individuals of the opposite sexes were more randomly distributed rather than spatially structured. These results suggest that the male-biased sex ratio in E. cavaleriei may result from the precocity of males and habitat heterogeneity. The sex ratio and the sex spatial distribution pattern are unlikely to constitute a serious threat to the survival of the species.     

A palynotaxonomic study of the genus Filipendula （Rosaceae）

Pollen grains from 15 species （18 taxa） of the genus Filipendula were examined with light and scanning electron microscopy. It was revealed that the pollen grains are isopolar, tricolporate, with scabrate or scabrate-microechinate surface. The pollen morphology was compared with the conventional classification systems of the genus by different authors, and supported Shimizu＇s system （1961）, in which the genus was divided into three subgenera. The monotypic subgen. Hypogyna is characterized by pollen lacking fastigium and thickened costae colpi. The other monotypic subgen. Filipendula differs from others by pollen having larger grain, larger pore size, longitudinally elliptic fastigium and thickened costae colpi. The largest subgen. Ulmaria is distinguished by pollen having rounded or latitudinally elliptic fastigium and thickened costae colpi. Sectional classification was not supported by the pollen morphology due to insufficient variability. Key words Filipendula, palynology, systematics.     

Phylogeny and evolution of Perezia （Asteraceae： Mutisieae： Nassauviinae）

A molecular phylogenetic analysis of most of the species of Perezia reveals that, as traditionally defined, the genus is not monophyletic with two species more closely related to Nassauvia than to Perezia. In addition, our results show that Burkartia （Perezia） lanigera is related to Acourtia and is the only member of that clade in South America. The remaining species are monophyletic and show a pattern of an early split between a western temperate and an eastern subtropical clade of species. Within the western clade, the phylogeny indicates a pattern of diversification that proceeded from southern, comparatively low-elevation habitats to southern high-elevation habitats, and ultimately into more northern high-elevation habitats. The most derived clades are found in the high central Andes, where significant radiation has occurred.     

Karyotype and cytogeography of the genus Heracleum （Apiaceae） in the Hengduan Mountains

In the present study, the karyotypes of 34 populations belonging to 11 species and one variety of Heracleum from the Hengduan Mountains in China were examined. Chromosome numbers and the karyotypes of three species （H. souliei, H. la＇ngdoni, and H. wenchuanense） are reported for the first time, as are the karyotypes of H. moellendorffii and H. henryi （tetraploid）. Populations of H. candicans, H. franchetii, and H. kingdoni in the Hengduan Mountains were found to consist of a mixture of diploid and tetraploid plants. Except for four species of Heracleum, namely H. candicans, H. franchetii, H. henryi, and H.kingdoni, which have both diploid and tetraploid karyotypes, all other species of Heracleum are were found to be diploid. All karyotypes were found to belong to the 2A type of Stebbins, with the exception ofH. candicans var. obtusifolium, which belongs to 2B, and H. hemsleyanum and H. franchetii （Mt. Dujuan, Daocheng, Sichuan, China）, which belong to 1A. There was only a slight difference in the karyotype asymmetry index, which suggests a close kinship for species of Heracleum and that the entire phylogenetic development of Heracleum is relatively primitive. Species that exhibited advanced morphological features were also more advanced in karyotype structure, with the order ofkaryotype evolution being 1A→2A→2B. This phenomenon indicates that the species distributed in the Hengduan Mountains have not diverged completely and that the Hengduan Mountains are a relatively young and active area for the evolution of Heracleum. Polyploidization in Heracleum may be an important evolutionary mechanisms for some species, generating diversity. The biological attributes, distribution range, and the geological history of the genus have all played a part in accelerating the evolution through polyploidization or aneuploidization. It is known that as the distribution latitude of Heracleum decreases from north to south, the chromosome number, ploidy level, and asymmetry structure appear to increase. In the Hengd     

Global comparisons of beta diversity among mammals, birds, reptiles, and amphibians across spatial scales and taxonomic ranks

Beta diversity is the change in species composition among areas in a geographic region. The proportion of species shared between two areas often decreases when the distance separating them increases, leading to an increase in beta diversity. This study compares beta diversity among four classes of terrestrial vertebrates （mammals, birds, reptiles, and amphibians） at both regional （biogeographic realm） and global extents, using the same sets of faunal sample units for all four groups in each comparison. Beta diversity is lower for the two endothermic taxa （birds and mammals） than for the two ectothermic taxa （reptiles and amphibians） in all six biogeographic realms examined. When the four taxa in the six biogeographic realms are combined, beta diversity at the species rank is higher than that of the genus rank by a factor of 1.24, and is higher than that of the family rank by a factor of 1.85. The ratio of beta diversity at the genus rank to that at the family rank is 1.50. Beta diversity is slightly higher for ecoregions of 5000-99,999 km^2 than for ecoregions of 100,000-5,000,000 km^2.     

Floral Ontogeny of Two Species in Magnolia L.

Floral ontogeny is described in two species of genus Magnolia （Magnollaceae）, Magnolia alboserlcea Chun et C. Tsoong, and M. amoena Cheng, representing subgenus Magnolia and subgenus Yulani In Magnolia, by using scanning electron microscope （SEM）. The sequence of Initiation of floral organs Is from proximal to distal. The three distinct outermost and middle organs are Initiated in sequence, but ultimately form a single whorl, thus their ontogeny Is consistent with a sepal Interpretation. The last three tepals （petals） alternate with the preceding tepal whorl. The members of androeclum and gynoeclum arise spirally, although the androecium shows some Intermedlacy between a spiral and whorled arrangement. The carpel prlmordia initiate in group of four to five. The order of stamen Initiation within each tier Is not determined. The floral ontogeny Is remarkably homogeneous between the subgenus Magnolia and subgenus Yulani that does not support the resuming of genus Yulani.     

NEW SPECIES AND NEW RECORDS OF REDUVIIDAE FROM CHINA

The present paper deals with 13 species of Chinese Reduviidae, eight belonging toEmesinae, four to Saicinae and one to Tribelocephalinae. Among them nine species aredescribed as new to science and four are recorded for the first time from this country. Asynoptic key to the Chinese genera of subfamily Emesinae and one to the Chinese speciesof the genus Polytoxus Spin. are given. The four new records are Emesopsis spicatus     

Synopsis of Leymus Hochst. （Triticeae： Poaceae）

Leymus is a genus in the Triticeae tribe, Poaceae. The taxa of this genus are allopolyploid species which possess the Ns and Xm genomes. According to cytological, cytogenetic and molecular genetic analyses, some species of Hystrix and Elymus ought to be transferred to this genus. A world revision of the genus Leymus is needed. In this paper we summarize experimental results, provide a key to sections, species and varieties, and list all the taxa we recognize in Leymus with their synonyms. This synopsis is a new taxonomic system to be used for the revision of Leymus.     

Aphis （Hemiptera： Aphididae） species groups found in the Midwestern United States and their contribution to the phylogenetic knowledge of the genus

A phylogeny of the genus Aphis Linnaeus, 1 758 was built primarily from specimens collected in the Midwest of the United States. A data matrix was constructedwith 68 species and 41 morphological characters with respective character states of alate and apterous viviparous females. Dendrogram topologies of analyses performed usingUPGMA （Unweighted Pair Group Method with Arithmetic Mean）, Maximum Parsimony and Bayesian analysis of Cytochrome Oxidase I, Elongation Factor 1-α and primary endosymbiont Buchnera aphidicola 16S sequences were not congruent. Bayesian analysis strongly supported most terminal nodes of the phylogenetic trees. The phylogeny wasstrongly supported by EFI-α, and analysis of COl and EFI-α molecular data combined with morphological characters. It was not supported by single analysis of COI or Buch-hera aphidicola 16S. Results from the Bayesian phylogeny show 4 main species groups： asclepiadis,fabae, gossypii, and middletonii. Results place Aphis and species of the generaProtaphis Bōrner, 1952, Toxoptera Koch, 1856 and Xerobion Nevsky, 1928 in a monophyletic clade. Morphological characters support this monophyly as well. The phylogenyshows that the monophyletic clade of the North American middletonii species group belong to the genus Protaphis： P. debilicornis （Gillette ＆ Palmer, 1929）, comb. nov., P. echinaceae（Lagos and Voegtlin, 2009）, comb. nov., and P. middletonii （Thomas, 1879）. The genus Toxoptera should be considered a subgenus of Aphis （stat. nov.）. The analysis also indicatesthat the current genus Iowana Frison, 1954 should be considered a subgenus of Aphis （stat. nov.）.     

Pollen morphology of the genus Cornukaempferia （Zingiberaceae） in Thailand

Cornukaempferia is a recently described genus of Zingiberaceae which only occurs in Thailand as a rare genus with limited geographical distribution. Only three species have been described so far, including a recently described new species, C. larsenii. These three species are morphologically very similar and additional data on other biological aspects are useful for the elucidation of their relationship. Pollen morphology of all three species of genus Cornukaempferia has been studied by light microscopy and scanning electron microscopy. The pollen grains are monad, spherical, inaperturate. The exine sculpture is echinate with psilate between the spines for C. aurantiflora and C. longipetiolata, or echinate with regulate between the spines for C. larsenii. This observation helps support the taxonomic status of C. larsenii.