Neochoiaella n. gen. (Demospongeae, Choiaellidae)—a second poriferan Lazarus taxon from the Solnhofen Plattenkalk (Upper Jurassic, Southern Germany)?

A new demospongid genus and species is described from the Upper Jurassic (Lower Tithonian) Plattenkalk of Langenaltheim near Solnhofen/Bavaria. Both the morphology and the spiculation of the new taxon Neochoiaella frattigianii n. gen. n. sp., which lacks a rigid skeleton, resemble the Early Cambrian family Choiidae de Laubenfels, 1955, particularly the genus Choiaella Rigby and Hou, 1995 from the Cengjiang Fossillagerst?tten of Yunnan/Southern China. Due to the complete preservation of the specimen, we cannot exclude the possibility that Neochoiaella n. gen. was living at its place of burial in the Plattenkalk basin of Solnhofen, but it seems more likely that it was washed in as an allochthonous faunal element, like other benthic organisms from this limestone. Similarly, the hexactinellid reticulate sponge Ammonella quadrata Walther, 1904, which appears to be restricted to the small Plattenkalk basin of Pfalzpaint, led to speculation about a possible Lazarus taxon due to its spicular architecture, which corresponds to that seen in the Early Palaeozoic Protospongiidae Hinde, 1887. Possibly, the special environmental conditions that existed within or close to the Plattenkalk basins provided a niche in which anachronistic taxa such as Neochoiaella n. gen. and Ammonella Walther, 1904 could have survived.     

Two ants (Insecta: Hymenoptera: Formicidae: Formicinae) from the Late Pliocene of Willershausen, Germany, with a nomenclatural note on the genus Camponotites

Two species of the genus Camponotites (Formicidae, Formicinae) are described from the Late Pliocene deposits of Willershausen, Lower Saxony, northern Germany: C. silvestris Steinbach, 1967, and C. steinbachi n. sp. The generic name Camponotites has been established for fossil (Tertiary) ants independently by Steinbach (Bericht der Naturhistorischen Gesellschaft zu Hannover 111:95–102, 1967) and by Dlussky (Trudy paleontologi?eskogo instituta, akademiâ nauk SSSR, 1981), each for materials of different stratigraphical and geographical origin. Though poorly described, Camponotites Steinbach, 1967, and the single included (type) species C. silvestris Steinbach, 1967 (a monotypic species from the Late Pliocene of Willershausen), were based upon indication in the sense of the ICZN. Therefore, both the generic and specific names are valid and available. Camponotites Dlussky, 1981 (and its type species C. macropterus Dlussky, 1981) were certainly introduced correctly and are therefore available, too; but due to its homonymy the generic name is not valid. The revision shows that in this rare case both generic names are not only homonyms but also synonyms.     

A new species of the sleeper goby (Gobioidei,Eleotridae) from the České Středohoří Mountains (Czech Republic,Oligocene) and analysis of the validity of the family Pirskeniidae

A new species of gobioid fish Pirskenius Obrhelová, 1961 (P. radoni sp. nov.) is described from Oligocene strata of the ?eské St?edoho?í Mountains and compared with related species. The new species is characterized by a unique combination of characters that allow it to be separated from P. diatomaceus Obrhelová, 1961. The taxonomic position of the genus Pirskenius is discussed, and its affinity to the family Eleotridae is indicated. The new record documents, together with P. diatomaceus, the oldest known skeletal record of the Eleotridae.     

Redescriptions and reestablishments of some species belonging to the genus Prionospio (Polychaeta,Spionidae) and descriptions of three new species

Available type material of Prionospio heterobranchia Moore, 1907, P. (Prionospio) texana Hartman, 1951, P. spongicola Wesenberg-Lund, 1958 and P. (P.) newportensis Reish, 1959, as well as newly collected material from the Southern Gulf of Mexico and Chetumal Bay in the Caribbean Sea, was examined. Several important differences were found between P. heterobranchia, P. (Prionospio) texana, P. spongicola and P. (P.) newportensis, and as a result, these three species are removed from synonymy with P. heterobranchia Moore, 1907, and redescribed and reinstated as valid species. In addition, three new species were identified and described: P. caribensis sp. nov., P. rosariae sp. nov. and P. jamaicensis sp. nov. A key to all species of Prionospio with five pairs of branchiae is provided.     

A new species of Streptospinigera Kudenov, 1983 (Polychaeta, Syllidae, Anoplosyllinae) from the Arctic and north-western Atlantic with a key to all species of the genus

Since 2007, the ArcticNet and CHOne programmes have allowed researchers, through oceanographic surveys on the ‘NGCC Amundsen’, to collect yearly benthic samples in the Canadian High Arctic. From the Beaufort Sea to the Bay of Baffin, more than 262 samples have been collected and analysed to provide essential data to explain patterns of biodiversity in the Canadian Arctic archipelago. Whereas common species are well known, other more rare species belonging to a few minute species groups, with debatable taxonomy, were set aside for further analyses. Focusing on Syllidae (Annelida, Polychaeta), we found and describe here Streptospinigera niuqtuut sp. nov. from muddy habitats of bathyal Arctic and continental slope beds of northern Atlantic coasts of United States between depths of 169 and 707 m. S. niuqtuut differs from congeneric species by unique dorsal simple chaetae of 1–5 chaetigers dorsally curved and distally rounded, with some sub-distal serration. This species may have frequently been reported from the region as Syllides longocirrata Ørsted 1845 but in fact are species of the genus Streptospinigera Kudenov 1983. We also transfer Streptosyllis templadoi San Martín 1984 to this genus and provide herein a key for the identification of all species of the genus.     

A New Zamia Species from the Panama Canal Area

There are four terrestrial, above-ground stemmed Zamia taxa in Panama, the species delimitations of which have been a matter of controversy or misplacement at one time or the other (Schutzman et. al., 1998; Stevenson, 1993; Taylor, 1999a, b, 2002). All are allopatrically distributed. Two are in western Panama in Chiriquí province. One of these, Z. pseudomonticola, is found in the northwest of the province at altitudes above 1000 m, while the other, Z. fairchildiana, is found in a relatively small patch of forest in southwestern Chiriquí province. The other two taxa are found around the Canal area or farther east. The species described in this paper is found near the Canal area, and the last of the group, Z. elegantissima, occurs north of the Canal area in the province of Colon and also some distance to the east, including part of the Dule or Kuna aboriginal homeland known as Kuna Yala. After 16 years of research on the new taxon, we have decided to describe it as a new species, pointing out its similarity to Z. elegantissima and its distinctness from Z. pseudomonticola and Z . fairchildiana. The two western species are more alike in structure compared with the eastern species, and the latter are more alike between themselves compared to the western taxa. Even so, there are differences in vegetative and reproductive structures to clearly separate each species. There are even differences in the pollinators, these being, in all cases found, species of the weevil genus Rhopalotria and the snubbed-nosed beetle Pharaxonotha.     

Proposal to replace the illegitimate genus name Prescottia Jones et al. 2013 with the genus name Prescottella gen. nov. and to replace the illegitimate combination Prescottia equi Jones et al. 2013 with Prescottella equi comb. nov

Recently we proposed that Rhodococcus equi (Magnusson 1923) Goodfellow and Alderson 1977 be transferred to a novel genus, Prescottia, as Prescottia equi comb. nov. However, in accordance with Principle 2 and Rule 51b(4) of the Bacteriological Code (1990 Revision), the bacterial genus name Prescottia Jones et al. 2013 is deemed illegitimate as this name has been used previously for a plant genus within the family Orchidaceae. Consequently, a new genus name, Prescottella gen. nov. is proposed for the bacterial taxon and a new combination Prescottella equi comb. nov. is proposed for the type species.     

Taxonomic review of Kyphosus (Pisces: Kyphosidae) in the Atlantic and Eastern Pacific Oceans

The taxonomy of the Atlantic and Eastern Pacific species of Kyphosus is reviewed with K. bosquii (Lacepède 1802), K. incisor (Cuvier 1831), K. analogus (Gill 1862) and K. elegans (Peters 1869) considered valid, and K. atlanticus sp. nov. newly described. Kyphosus bosquii and K. atlanticus are both characterized by 12 dorsal- and 11 anal-fin soft rays, but differ in the number of longitudinal scale rows along the midbody (61–66, mode 63 vs. 50–56, mode 54). Kyphosus incisor and K. analogus, characterized by 14 dorsal- and 13 anal-fin soft rays, similarly differ from each other in midbody longitudinal scale row counts (57–64, mode 60 vs. 68–74, mode 70 or 72). Kyphosus elegans is characterized by 13 dorsal- and 12 anal-fin soft rays, and 51–57 midbody longitudinal scale rows. Kyphosus bosquii, K. atlanticus and K. incisor are distributed in the Atlantic Ocean, K. analogus and K. elegans occurring in the Eastern Pacific. The holotype of Pimelepterus flavolineatus Poey 1866, here regarded as a junior synonym of K. incisor, was located within a collection of Cuban fishes donated to the Smithsonian Institution by Poey in 1873. A neotype is designated here for K. analogus. Pimelepterus gallveii Cunningham 1910, Kyphosus palpebrosus Miranda-Ribeiro 1919 and K. metzelaari Jordan and Evermann 1927 are recognized as junior synonyms of K. bosquii. Pimelepterus sandwicensis Sauvage 1880 is a junior synonym of K. elegans. Perca saltatrix Linnaeus 1758, together with the replacement name Perca sectatrix Linnaeus 1766, is regarded as nomina dubia.     

Leucothoid and Maerid Amphipods (Crustacea) from deep regions of the North Atlantic

From amphipod collections from the deep Norwegian Sea, three species are here redescribed: Maera loveni (Bruzelius 1859) (Maeridae), Leucothoe aff. spinicarpa (Abildgaard, 1789) and L. uschakovi Gurjanova, 1951 (Leucothoidae). A key to all Atlantic and Mediterranean Leucothoe species (males only) is provided.     

Thanetian gastropods from the Mesopotamian high folded zone in northern Iraq

An assemblage of gastropods from the Thanetian of the Kolosh Formation from the Zakho region in northern Iraq is documented for the first time. The ten species represent the families Campanilidae Douvillé 1904, Potamididae H. & A. Adams 1854, Batillariidae Thiele 1929, Thiaridae Gill 1871, Pachychilidae Fischer & Crosse 1892, Cerithiidae Fleming 1822 and Pseudolividae de Gregorio 1880, suggesting a littoral to shallow sublittoral depositional environment. Six of the species are new and five are formally described as new species. At least seven species are also known from the Thanetian and/or Early Ypresian of the Ankara region in Turkey. Only a single species occurs also in the Paleocene of the Paris Basin. No relation to Paleocene and Eocene faunas of Pakistan and India is detectable. This points to a considerably bioprovincialism along the northern coast of the Tethys. Consequently we suppose the existence of an Anatolian Province in the Thanetian/Ypresian Mediterranean Region of the Tethys Realm, represented by rather homogeneous mollusc faunas from western Turkey and northern Iraq. Campanile zakhoense nov. sp., Pyrazopsis hexagonpyramidalis nov. sp., Pachymelania islamogluae nov. sp., “Faunus” dominicii nov. sp. and Pseudoaluco mesopotamicus nov. sp. are introduced as new species. Varicipotamides Pacaud & Harzhauser nov. nom. is proposed as the replacement name for Exechestoma Cossmann (1889) non Brandt (1837).     

Revision and new data on the Coniacian ammonite genus Hemitissotia in the Iberian Peninsula (Spain and Portugal)

The types of the species of the Coniacian ammonite genus Hemitissotia Peron, 1897, identified in the Iberian Peninsula (Spain and Portugal), which are currently held in the Wiedmann (Universität Tübingen, Germany) and Choffat (Instituto Geológico e Mineiro, Portugal) collections, have been revised and refigured. New specimens of the taxa Hemitissotia ceadouroensis Choffat, 1898, Hemitissotia celtiberica Wiedmann, 1975b, Hemitissotia turzoi Karrenberg, 1935, Hemitissotia dullai (Karrenberg 1935) and Hemitissotia lenticeratiformis Wiedmann in Wiedmann and Kauffman, 1978 have also been presented. As results, H. celtiberica has been considered as a junior synonym of H. ceadouroensis, and the lectotype of this species and the neotypes of H. turzoi and H. dullai have been designated and figured. Additionally, the geographical and stratigraphical distributions of all of these species have been determined with precision, and several phylogenetic relationships between them have been identified, revealing morphologies that become progressively smaller and more depressed and ornamented (hydrodynamically less efficient), interpreted as an adaptative response to sea-level changes.     

A new record of the enigmatic lobster genus Stenodactylina Beurlen, 1928 (Crustacea: Decapoda: Erymidae) from the Middle Jurassic of south-western Germany

A second species of the previously monotypic lobster genus Stenodactylina Beurlen, 1928, Stenodactylina rogerfurzei n. sp. is recorded from the upper Aalenian of the Wutach area (Baden-Württemberg, SW Germany). Like the type species, Stenodactylina liasina Beurlen, 1928, the new species is based only on a single chela. Originally the type horizon of S. liasina was erroneously reported as being late Toarcian in age, but it in fact came from a bituminous limestone bed within the lower Toarcian Posidonia Shale. Hence, the known stratigraphical range of Stenodactylina is expanded from the early Toarcian to the late Aalenian.     

Alien shrimps in evidence: new records of the genus Athanas Leach, 1814 on the coast of S?o Paulo, southern Brazil (Caridea: Alpheidae)

The occurrence of two alien alpheid shrimps of the genus Athanas Leach, 1814 [in Leach 1813–1814], the Indo-West Pacific A. dimorphus Ortmann, 1894 and the Eastern Atlantic A. nitescens (Leach, 1813 [in Leach 1813–1814]), on the coast of the state of S?o Paulo, Brazil, is reported. The presence of A. dimorphus extends the range of this species in the western Atlantic farther to the south in Brazil, whereas A. nitescens is reported for the first time in the western Atlantic, representing the second alien alpheid species on this side of the Atlantic and the twenty-first decapod crustacean introduced in Brazil. We provide morphological accounts of the material examined and illustrate the most important diagnostic characters of both species. An overview of the possible mechanisms of their introduction on the coast of S?o Paulo is also provided.     

A morphometrical study of oribatid mites (Acari: Oribatida) of the genus Carabodes C.L. Koch, 1835 (Carabodidae) using a confocal laser scanning microscope: an alternative approach to quantitative analysis of various features

In the past, micro-arthropod taxonomists have mainly relied on qualitative characters to identify species, and relatively little attention has been paid to quantitative analysis. However, several taxonomic groups have high morphological variability, which creates problems in identification. Quantitative analysis of morphometrical data of specific characters could aid in understanding differences in the morphology of oribatid species. In this respect, confocal laser scanning microscopy and quantitative analysis were used to describe morphological traits of four oribatid mite species belonging to the genus Carabodes Koch, 1835—C. femoralis (Nicolet, 1855), C. labyrinthicus (Michael, 1879), C. ornatus Storkan, 1925 and C. subarcticus Trägårdh, 1902. All specimens were collected in Latvia. Thirteen morphological traits were measured for 838 adult individuals. The same traits were also measured with transmitted light microscopy, and results were compared. The impact of a number of environmental factors on traits was also assessed. High interspecific variability in size of most morphological features was observed. In many cases, sizes of the measured features correlated between different species. The ranges in length of notogastral setae p3 and h3 of C. femoralis did not overlap with those of C. labyrinthicus or C. ornatus. Significant correlations between body length and size of setal structures, as well as between setal structures, were detected. Size of morphological features was directly affected by the cover of lichens, a main food resource for Carabodes, and indirectly by the effect of soil moisture on lichen communities.     

An analysis of a ‘community-driven’ reconstruction of the human metabolic network

Following a strategy similar to that used in baker’s yeast (Herrgård et al. Nat Biotechnol 26:1155–1160, 2008). A consensus yeast metabolic network obtained from a community approach to systems biology (Herrgård et al. 2008; Dobson et al. BMC Syst Biol 4:145, 2010). Further developments towards a genome-scale metabolic model of yeast (Dobson et al. 2010; Heavner et al. BMC Syst Biol 6:55, 2012). Yeast 5—an expanded reconstruction of the Saccharomyces cerevisiae metabolic network (Heavner et al. 2012) and in Salmonella typhimurium (Thiele et al. BMC Syst Biol 5:8, 2011). A community effort towards a knowledge-base and mathematical model of the human pathogen Salmonella typhimurium LT2 (Thiele et al. 2011), a recent paper (Thiele et al. Nat Biotechnol 31:419–425, 2013). A community-driven global reconstruction of human metabolism (Thiele et al. 2013) described a much improved ‘community consensus’ reconstruction of the human metabolic network, called Recon 2, and the authors (that include the present ones) have made it freely available via a database at http://humanmetabolism.org/ and in SBML format at Biomodels (http://identifiers.org/biomodels.db/MODEL1109130000). This short analysis summarises the main findings, and suggests some approaches that will be able to exploit the availability of this model to advantage.     

Icriocarcinidae: a family of portunoid crabs from the Upper Cretaceous of North America

Icriocarcininae ?tev?i?, 2005, an extinct North American subfamily of portunoid decapods, is elevated to family level to contain two Late Cretaceous genera—Icriocarcinus Bishop, 1988, from the Pacific Coast, and Branchiocarcinus Feldmann and Vega, 1995, from the Gulf of Mexico and Atlantic Coast Plain. The family is centered on Icriocarcinus xestos Bishop, 1988, described from the Late Campanian of Baja California. Closely allied with this species are: “Eryma” flecta Rathbun, 1926, originally described from the latest Campanian of Tennessee and now known to occur throughout the Maastrichtian of the adjoining Mississippi; Branchiocarcinus cornatus Feldmann and Vega, 1995, from the Maastrichtian of San Luis Potosí, Mexico; and undescribed material from the latest Maastrichtian of New Jersey. The Gulf and Atlantic populations compose a single new species—Branchiocarcinus flectus (Rathbun). Provisionally regarded as a lobster, on the basis of a single, eroded chela, B. flectus is now known from complete bodies found at several locations in the eastern US. The additional material also clarifies the identity of B. cornatus, which is based on a distorted external mold of a lone dorsal carapace. Members of the family lack the typical portunoid flattened fifth pereiopod but share other characters that enable placement within the Portunoidea.     

Anther structure and pollen ontogeny of Hosta Tratt. and its systematic significance

Anther structure and pollen ontogeny of six species of Hosta Tratt. was studied to provide additional data for its classification. Microscopic observation found that their male gametogenesis has the following structural characteristics: (1) the four microsporangia are linearly arranged on introrse side of anther connective tissue; (2) mature anther wall is composed of an epidermis, endothecium, middle layer(s), and tapetum; (3) microsporogenesis is successive; (4) mature pollen grains are three-celled at anthesis, with a vegetative cell filled with large amounts of starch grains; (5) pollen ontogeny is obviously asynchronous; (6) each tepal has about 9?C13 vascular traces in cross-section view. The above observations suggest that genus H. Tratt. should be classified as family Hostaceae, in agreement with Dahlgren and Clifford (1982), Takhtajan (1997), and Wu et?al. (2003).