Index 1999

Phylloicus Müller, 1880 Müller, F. 1880. ‘Sobre as casas construídas pelas larvas de insectos Trichopteros da Provincia de Santa Catharina’. Archivos do Museu Nacional, Rio de Janeiro, 3: 99–134. 210–214, plates 8–11 [Google Scholar] and Banyallarga Navás, 1916 Navás, R. P.L. 1916. ‘Neuroptera nova Americana’. Memorie della Pontificia Accademia Romana dei Nuovi Lincei, Serie II, 2: 59–80.  [Google Scholar] are endemic Neotropical genera of Calamoceratidae. Currently, Phylloicus has 55 extant species, 19 of which are recorded from Brazil, and a fossil species from Dominican amber. In this paper, a new species of Phylloicus is described and illustrated from specimens collected in Amazonas State, Brazil. This new species has peculiar hind wing venation, with vein R₄ attached basally to the base of R₂₊₃. Therefore, a modified diagnosis to the genus is presented to include Phylloicus dumasi sp. nov. The new species is somewhat similar to P. paprockii Prather, 2003 Prather, A. L. 2003. ‘A revision of the Neotropical caddisfly genus Phylloicus (Trichoptera: Calamoceratidae)’. Zootaxa, 275: 1–214.  [Google Scholar], but can be distinguished from these and other Phylloicus species by the atypical hind wing venation, uniform colouration, and male genitalia with tergum IX produced posteriorly into two wide lobes.     

Review of the genus Catomus Allard, 1876 (Coleoptera: Tenebrionidae) in Iran

Five species of the genus Catomus Allard, 1876 Allard, E. (1876): Révision des Helopines vrais de Lacordaire. L'Abeille. Journal d'Entomologie, 14, 1–80. [Google Scholar] are known from Iran. Catomus fragilis (Ménétriés, 1848) is recorded from Iran for the first time. Lectotypes of C. persicus Allard, 1876 Allard, E. (1876): Révision des Helopines vrais de Lacordaire. L'Abeille. Journal d'Entomologie, 14, 1–80. [Google Scholar] (type species of the genus) and C. semiruber Allard, 1876 Allard, E. (1876): Révision des Helopines vrais de Lacordaire. L'Abeille. Journal d'Entomologie, 14, 1–80. [Google Scholar] are designated. These species are also redescribed and figured. A key to the species of Catomus in the Iranian fauna is given.     

New Important Iguanodontid and Theropod Trackways of the Tracksite Obernkirchen in the Berriasian of NW Germany and Megatracksite Concept of Central Europe

This article examines the high-resolution track horizon stratigraphy at the outcrop Obernkirchen. Massive sandstones, products of marine sand bar and fluviatile environments are present at the tracksite. Recently two track beds were examined in the outcrop. One new track slab of the lower track bed is described exposing well-preserved quadrupedal iguanodontid tracktypes of Iguanodontipus Sarjeant, Delair, and Lockley, 1998 Sarjeant, W. A. S., Delair, J. B. and Lockley, M. G. 1998. The footprints of Iguanodon: a history and taxonomic study. Ichnos, 6: 183–202. [Taylor & Francis Online] , [Google Scholar], and bipedal theropod tracks Megalosauropus Kaever and Lapparent, 1974 Kaever, M. and Lapparent, A. F. de. 1974. Les traces des pas le Dinosaures du Jurassique des Barkhausen (Basse Saxe, Allemagne). Bulletin de la Societé Geologique Français, 16: 516–525.  [Google Scholar]. The ichnogenus Iguanodontipus is discussed and the diagnosis extended. The tracksite Obernkirchen belongs to a megatracksite of the ancient coastline of the marginal marine Hercynic Basin of the Lower Cretaceous of Europe, including the four well-known sites Obernkirchen, Bad Rehburg, Münchehagen, and Bückeburg of Northwest Germany. Three different tracktypes of huge sauropods, theropods, and ornithopods are abundant at basal Lower Cretaceous siliciclastic coastlines in different regions in Spain, Portugal, England, Germany, and Switzerland. Dinosaur tracks are also present in carbonate platform environments of northern Italy and Istria.     

Rediscovery of the Tagragra Tracksite (Maastrichtian,Agadir, Morocco): Agadirichnus elegans Ambroggi and Lapparent 1954 is Pterosaurian Ichnotaxon

ABSTRACT

Discovered in 1954 by Ambroggi and Lapparent, the Tagragra tracksite (Maastrichtian, Agadir, Morocco) yielded tracks of theropod dinosaurs, birds and enigmatic forms tentatively attributed to Lacertilia under the name Agadirichnus elegans. The original specimens are today considered to be lost, and the status of A. elegans has been questioned, even though these footprints can retrospectively be referred to pterodactyloid pterosaur tracks. In order to discuss the status of these foot prints, the historical site has been actively sought and recently rediscovered by one of us (MdD). New material confirms the presence of pterodactyloid footprints, with two morphotypes, in two different facies, respectively associated with bird and theropod tracks. Morphotype I is tentatively conferred to Pteraichnus Stokes 1957 Stokes, W. L. 1957. Pterodactyl tracks from the Morrison Formation. Journal of Palaeontology, 31:952–4.[Web of Science ®] , [Google Scholar], which extends the stratigraphical distribution of this ichnotaxon to the Maastrichtian. Morphotype II corresponds to the original ichnospecies A. elegans Ambroggi and Lapparent 1954 Ambroggi, R., and A. F. de Lapparent 1954. Les empreintes de pas fossiles du Maestrichtien d'Agadir. Notes du Service Géologique du Maroc, 10:43–6. [Google Scholar], which is here reassessed as a valid ichnotaxon, with the designation of a neotype. Thus, A. elegans Ambroggi and Lapparent 1954 Ambroggi, R., and A. F. de Lapparent 1954. Les empreintes de pas fossiles du Maestrichtien d'Agadir. Notes du Service Géologique du Maroc, 10:43–6. [Google Scholar] is historically the first pterosaurian ichnotaxon ever described.     

Chironomidae (Insecta: Diptera) from four protected areas in the state of Pernambuco,Brazil

New records and distributional notes of Chironomidae (Insecta, Diptera) are provided for four protected areas in the state of Pernambuco, northeastern Brazil. Additionally, we also present new records and update of distributional ranges from Brazil and the Neotropical Region. In total, 810 specimens belonging to 35 genera within the subfamilies Chironominae (22 taxa), Tanypodinae (11 taxa) and Orthocladiinae (2 taxa) were found. The subfamilies Chironominae and Tanypodinae predominated. Axarus Roback, 1980 Roback, S.S. (1980), ‘New name for Anceus Roback nec Anceus Risso’, Entomological News, 91, 32.[Web of Science ®] , [Google Scholar] and the Tanytarsus ortoni-group were recorded for the first time in the state of Pernambuco, while Nanocladius Kieffer, 1913a Kieffer, J.J. (1913b), ‘Nouvelle étude sur les Chironomides de l'Indian Museum de Calcutta’, Records of the Indian Museum, 9, 119–197. [Google Scholar] was recorded for the first time in the Northeast Region of Brazil. Our results make evident how much and where current knowledge of the northeastern Brazil chironomids remains fragmentary.     

Integrative taxonomy of the cave-dwelling mysids of the genus Hemimysis

The genus Hemimysis (Malacostraca: Mysida: Mysidae) encompasses near-bottom, demersal and cave-dwelling mysids living in the marine, brackish and freshwater habitats around the European coast, from the Caspian Sea to the Scandinavian Peninsula. We conducted cladistic analysis of 52 morphological characters of all nine species and three subspecies of the genus Hemimysis. We also completed a molecular analysis based on three molecular markers of Hemimysis lamornae (Couch, 1856) found in the English Channel, the Mediterranean Sea, and the Black Sea. Both analyses did not support monophyly of Hemimysis lamornae. We thus consider the former subspecies H. lamornae pontica (Czerniavsky, 1882 Chevaldonné, P., &; Lejeusne, C. (2003). Regional warming‐induced species shift in north‐west Mediterranean marine caves. Ecology Letters, 6, 371–379. doi:10.1046/j.1461-0248.2003.00439.x.[Crossref], [Web of Science ®] , [Google Scholar]) and H. lamornae mediterranea Bacescu, 1936 Bacescu, M. (1936). Hemimysis lamornae sbsp. reducta, nov. sbsp. et Hemimysis anomala dans les eaux roumaines de la Mer Noire (avec une etude comparative des forms de Hem. lamornae des autres mers: H. l. typica et H.l. mediterranea, nov. sbsp.). Annales Scientifiques de L’Universite de Jassy, 23, 331–338. [Google Scholar] as valid species. Analysis of mitochondrial cytochrome oxidase subunit I (COI) sequences of H. pontica shows no significant divergence between mysids living in the marine caves of Crimea and Bulgaria. Morphological trends in Hemimysis are discussed, H. pontica Czerniavsky, 1882 Chevaldonné, P., &; Lejeusne, C. (2003). Regional warming‐induced species shift in north‐west Mediterranean marine caves. Ecology Letters, 6, 371–379. doi:10.1046/j.1461-0248.2003.00439.x.[Crossref], [Web of Science ®] , [Google Scholar] is redescribed, and a new key to all 11 species of the genus is given.     

An integrative approach underscores the taxonomic status of Lamellidens exolescens,a freshwater mussel from the Oriental tropics (Bivalvia: Unionidae)

The Oriental Region harbours the second richest fauna of freshwater bivalves in the world, including many endangered endemic taxa. However, the Oriental fauna of the Unionidae have been very poorly studied using an integrative taxonomic approach, which may provide reasonable revisions of complicated (cryptic) taxa based on morphological, molecular, biogeographic and ecological evidence. Here, we present the first example of an integrative taxonomic revision concerning the status of Unio exolescens Gould (1843 Gould, A.A. (1843). Dr. Gould had examined the shells not long since announced as having been received from the Rev. Francis Mason, missionary at Tavoy, in British Burmah. Proceedings of the Boston Society of Natural History, 1, 139–141. [Google Scholar]), a nominal mussel taxon that was accepted as a valid species within the genus Trapezoideus Simpson (1900). Currently, Trapezoideus exolescens is considered the type of the genus as far as the originally designated type species, U. foliaceus Gould (1843 Gould, A.A. (1843). Dr. Gould had examined the shells not long since announced as having been received from the Rev. Francis Mason, missionary at Tavoy, in British Burmah. Proceedings of the Boston Society of Natural History, 1, 139–141. [Google Scholar]), was considered to be a synonym of T. exolescens. Using nucleotide sequences obtained from mitochondrial (COI and 16S rRNA) and nuclear (28S rDNA) genes, we found that the topotypes of Unio exolescens Gould (1843 Gould, A.A. (1843). Dr. Gould had examined the shells not long since announced as having been received from the Rev. Francis Mason, missionary at Tavoy, in British Burmah. Proceedings of the Boston Society of Natural History, 1, 139–141. [Google Scholar]) cluster together with representatives of another mussel genus, Lamellidens Simpson (1900). Based on these results and on morphological data, we transfer Unio exolescens Gould (1843 Gould, A.A. (1843). Dr. Gould had examined the shells not long since announced as having been received from the Rev. Francis Mason, missionary at Tavoy, in British Burmah. Proceedings of the Boston Society of Natural History, 1, 139–141. [Google Scholar]) from Trapezoideus to Lamellidens and propose Lamellidens exolescens (Gould, 1843 Gould, A.A. (1843). Dr. Gould had examined the shells not long since announced as having been received from the Rev. Francis Mason, missionary at Tavoy, in British Burmah. Proceedings of the Boston Society of Natural History, 1, 139–141. [Google Scholar]) comb. nov. In addition, we revisited the status of Unio foliaceus Gould (1843 Gould, A.A. (1843). Dr. Gould had examined the shells not long since announced as having been received from the Rev. Francis Mason, missionary at Tavoy, in British Burmah. Proceedings of the Boston Society of Natural History, 1, 139–141. [Google Scholar]) as a valid species and the type of the genus Trapezoideus based on the morphological study of the type specimen, although a question concerning the true position of this taxon is still open because its molecular sequences are not available. Our findings highlight that an integrative taxonomic approach is an important tool, particularly when dealing with such species-rich Unionidae fauna as those of the Oriental Realm.     

The expression of aggression in the dobsonflies Corydalus magnus Contreras-Ramos, 1998 and Platyneuromus soror (Hagen, 1861) (Megaloptera: Corydalidae)

The expression of aggression in Megaloptera has received little attention, specifically for the adults of the subfamily Corydalinae. Among the New World species of Corydalinae, it is not known if aggression is triggered and expressed in the same way. Since two genera, Corydalus Latreille, 1802 Latreille, P.A. (1802), Histoire naturelle, générale et particulière des Crustacés et des Insectes. Ouvrage faisant suite aux ouvres de Leclerc Buffon et partie du cours complete d’Histoire naturelle rédigé par C.S. Sonnini, membre de plusieurs sociétés savantes. Vol. 3, Paris: F. Dufart. [Google Scholar] and Platyneuromus Weele, 1909 Weele, H.W. van der. (1909), ‘New Genera and Species of Megaloptera Latr.’, Notes from the Leyden Museum, 30, 249–253. [Google Scholar] have different courtship strategies, the effect of the social environment in the expression of aggression in two species of those genera, Corydalus magnus Contreras-Ramos, 1998 Contreras-Ramos, A. (1998), Systematics of the Dobsonfly genus Corydalus Latreille (Megaloptera: Corydalidae), Lanham, MD: Thomas Say Monographs, Entomological Society of America. [Google Scholar] and Platyneuromus soror (Hagen, 1861 Hagen, H.A. (1861), Synopsis of the Neuroptera of North America, with a List of the South American Species. Washington, DC: Smithsonian Institution.[Crossref] , [Google Scholar]), is examined here and compared with the known data in Corydalus bidenticulatus Contreras-Ramos, 1998 Contreras-Ramos, A. (1998), Systematics of the Dobsonfly genus Corydalus Latreille (Megaloptera: Corydalidae), Lanham, MD: Thomas Say Monographs, Entomological Society of America. [Google Scholar]. Our results suggest that the triggering of aggressive behaviours in the three species is similar. The decision of whether or not to fight is affected by their social environment: a male is aggressive against other males only when a female is present. Furthermore, the intensity of aggression does not differ among the three species. The behavioural observations support the idea that the mandibles of Corydalus males are used as weapons in male-male competition and during the courtship, but the post-ocular flanges of P. soror males are not involved in male-male competition (they use their short mandibles to bite). Conversely, data show that such a feature might act as a signal trait for female choice.     

Cryptic diversity among the achaetous Marionina (Annelida,Clitellata, Enchytraeidae)

This study investigates the diversity and taxonomy of a mainly marine group of species lacking chaetae currently assigned to the genus Marionina. This achaetous group includes four nominal species: M. achaeta (Hagen, 1954 Hagen, G. 1954. Michaelsena achaeta nov. sp., ein neuer mariner Oligochaet aus der Kieler Bucht. Faunistische Mitteilungen aus Norddeutschland, 1: 12–13.  [Google Scholar]), M. achaeta sensu Lasserre, 1964 Lasserre, P. 1964. Notes sur quelques oligochètes Enchytraeidae présents dans les plages du Bassin d’Arcachon. Procés-Verbaux des Séances de la Société Linnéenne de Bordeaux, 101: 87–91.  [Google Scholar], M. nevisensis Righi & Kanner, 1979 Righi, G. and Kanner, E. 1979. Marine Oligochaeta (Tubificidae and Enchytraeidae) from the Caribbean Sea. Studies of the Fauna of Curaçao and other Caribbean Islands, 58: 44–68.  [Google Scholar] and M. arenaria Healy, 1979 Healy, B. 1979a. Marine fauna of County Wexford. 1 – Littoral and brackishwater Oligochaeta. The Irish Naturalists' Journal, 19: 418–422.  [Google Scholar]. As Lasserre's (1964 Lasserre, P. 1964. Notes sur quelques oligochètes Enchytraeidae présents dans les plages du Bassin d’Arcachon. Procés-Verbaux des Séances de la Société Linnéenne de Bordeaux, 101: 87–91.  [Google Scholar]) M. achaeta appears to be morphologically different from its (then) senior homonym M. achaeta (Hagen, 1954 Hagen, G. 1954. Michaelsena achaeta nov. sp., ein neuer mariner Oligochaet aus der Kieler Bucht. Faunistische Mitteilungen aus Norddeutschland, 1: 12–13.  [Google Scholar]), the replacement name M. nothachaeta nom. nov. is proposed for it. We studied the genetic and morphological diversity of achaetous specimens of Marionina collected in Florida, the Great Barrier Reef, New Caledonia, Sweden, England and the Bahamas. The collection localities are almost all supralittoral and often brackish-water habitats. Parts of the mitochondrial genes 12S, 16S, COI and the nuclear genes 18S, 28S and ITS were analysed to assess the genetic variation and phylogeny of the achaetous Marionina species. The molecular data reveal one monophyletic group of 11 separately evolving lineages, and between these lineages, K2P distances in the barcoding gene COI vary between 5.4 and 25.0%. On a morphological basis, the lineages could be assigned to seven different groups (morphotypes), of which only two could be identified as described nominal taxa: M. nevisensis s. lat. (several lineages) and M. nothachaeta. Since the former taxon appears to be a complex of cryptic species around the world and the original type material no longer exists, a neotype from the Caribbean was designated for M. nevisensis s. str. The remaining achaetous lineages represent five morphologically distinct species that are left unnamed, awaiting finer morphological scrutiny and detailed comparisons with new collections of M. achaeta and M. arenaria. Summing up, the group of achaetous Marionina now seems to contain up to 13 different species, seven of which are yet to be formally described and named.     

Redefinition of the hypotrichous ciliate Uncinata,with descriptions of the morphology and phylogeny of three urostylids (Protista,Ciliophora)

We investigated the morphology, morphogenesis and small subunit rRNA gene-based phylogeny of three marine urostylids, Uncinata gigantea Bullington, 1940 Bullington, W. E. (1940). Some ciliates from Tortugas. Papers from the Tortugas Laboratory, 32, 179–221. [Google Scholar], Holosticha heterofoissneri Hu & Song, 2001 Hu, X., & Song, W. (2001). Morphology and morphogenesis of Holosticha heterofoissneri n. sp. from the Yellow Sea, China (Ciliophora, Hypotrichida). Hydrobiologia, 448, 171–179. doi:10.1023/A:1017553406031.[Crossref], [Web of Science ®] , [Google Scholar], and Holosticha cf. heterofoissneri. The dorsal morphogenesis of Uncinata gigantea shows de novo formation of two groups of anlagen near the marginal rows. Holosticha cf. heterofoissneri demonstrates fragmentation of the first dorsal kinety anlage as in Holosticha heterofoissneri. Our population of H. heterofoissneri corresponds well with previously described populations in terms of its general morphology and ciliary pattern. Uncinata gigantea can be recognized by its large and highly contractile body, yellowish to brownish cell colour, two types of cortical granules, and 20–30 transversely oriented and densely arranged cirri in the left marginal row, which often overlie the buccal vertex. Based on the new data, especially infraciliature, the genus Uncinata is here redefined. Both the morphology and phylogenetic analyses suggest that the genus Uncinata should be classified within the family Urostylidae. In addition, both morphological and morphogenetic data suggest that Holosticha bradburyae Gong et al., 2001 Gong, J., Song, W., Hu, X., Ma, H., & Zhu, M. (2001). Morphology and infraciliature of Holosticha bradburyae n. sp. (Ciliophora, Hypotrichida) from the Yellow Sea, China. Hydrobiologia, 464, 63–69. doi:10.1023/A:1013901621439.[Crossref], [Web of Science ®] , [Google Scholar] should be transferred to Uncinata as U. bradburyae (Gong et al., 2001 Gong, J., Song, W., Hu, X., Ma, H., & Zhu, M. (2001). Morphology and infraciliature of Holosticha bradburyae n. sp. (Ciliophora, Hypotrichida) from the Yellow Sea, China. Hydrobiologia, 464, 63–69. doi:10.1023/A:1013901621439.[Crossref], [Web of Science ®] , [Google Scholar]) comb. nov., due to its possession of a characteristically prominent beak-like, leftwards curved projection and the developmental mode of the dorsal kineties. This assignment is supported by the phylogenetic analyses, which placed Uncinata gigantea in a clade with U. bradburyae (Gong et al., 2001 Gong, J., Song, W., Hu, X., Ma, H., & Zhu, M. (2001). Morphology and infraciliature of Holosticha bradburyae n. sp. (Ciliophora, Hypotrichida) from the Yellow Sea, China. Hydrobiologia, 464, 63–69. doi:10.1023/A:1013901621439.[Crossref], [Web of Science ®] , [Google Scholar]) comb. nov., and revealed only 1.13% (19 bp) difference in their SSU-rDNA gene sequence.     

Qualitative examination of diatom diversity in black fly (Diptera: Simuliidae) gut contents across a mortality gradient after exposure to Bacillus thuringiensis subsp. israelensis de Barjac, 1978

While Bacillus thuringiensis subsp. israelensis de Barjac, 1978 de Barjac, H. (1978), ‘Une Nouvelle Variété de Bacillus thuringiensis Très Toxique Pour les Moustiques: B. thuringiensis var. israelensis Sérotype H14’, Comptes Rendus de l'Académie des Sciences de Paris 286D, 797–800. [Google Scholar] (Bti) is generally effective in reducing Simulium Latreille, 1802 Latreille, P.A. (1802–1803), Histoire Naturelle, Générale et Particulière des Crustacés et des insectes (Vol. 3), Paris: F. Dufart. [Google Scholar] pest levels, impaired toxicity has been identified. Diatoms are typically abundant in Simulium larval gut contents and thought to affect feeding behaviour and/or Bti ingestion. We sought to determine diatom composition in larval Simulium gut contents and periphyton in relation to mortality subsequent in situ Bti application across three stream reaches. Generally, lower larval mortality after Bti exposure was associated with comparatively greater diatom diversity inside gut contents, corresponding with an inverse relationship between periphyton diatom diversity and larval mortality across our study reaches. High profile diatoms inside gut contents were positively correlated with mortality, suggesting microbial morphology may affect Bti efficacy. Diatoms inside live larval guts were most similar to periphyton which indicates that these larvae may have been feeding less on lower quality detrital material and/or exhibiting comparatively greater benthic feeding.     

Paralarval development,abundance, and distribution of Pterygioteuthis hoylei (Cephalopoda: Oegopsida: Pyroteuthidae) in the Gulf of California,México

The morphology and ecology of paralarvae (PL) through to the juvenile stages are unknown in most cephalopod species in spite of their importance as indicators of biodiversity, of adult spawning grounds, and as key basis for fisheries management programs. We describe, for the first time, the morphological development of Pterygioteuthis hoylei (Pfeffer 1912 Pfeffer, G. 1912. Die Cephalopoden der Plankton-Expedition. Zugleich eine monographische übersicht der Oegopsiden Cephalopoden. Ergebnisse der Plankton-Expedition der Humboldt-stiftung, 2: 1–815.  [Google Scholar]) and used cytochrome C oxidase for genetic identification of specimens, linking PL with both juveniles and adults. Pterygioteuthis hoylei represents the most abundant species of squid in oblique plankton collections in the Gulf of California, México. PL were collected in plankton tows made in the Gulf of California from 2004 to 2007. Almost all morphological features followed an increasing size/count trend. Most specimens were collected during March–May, accounting for 71.8% of total cephalopod paralarval abundance, and in November (13.5%). Size, abundance and distribution analyses indicate a high abundance of recently hatched PL (1.1–2.0 mm mantle length) off Bahía Concepción to Bahía de La Paz in these months along with the highest abundance of juveniles and adults in the same area. These results indicate that reproductive activity of P. hoylei takes place in the southern Gulf of California in late winter to early spring, and in November, representing an important spawning and hatching area for this species.     

Revision of the Clytra subfasciata species group (Coleoptera: Chrysomelidae: Cryptocephalinae: Clytrini)

The Clytra subfasciata species group is proposed, to comprise Clytra subfasciata Lacordaire, 1848 Lacordaire, J. T. (1848): Monographie des coléoptères subpentamères de la famille des phytophages. Tome second. Mémoires de la Société Royale des Sciences de Liége, 5, 1–890 pp. [Google Scholar], C. hajeki Medvedev &; Kantner, 2002 Medvedev, L. N., &; Kantner, F. (2002): Some new and poorly know Clytrinae (Coleoptera, Chrysomelidae) of the Old World. Entomologica Basiliensia, 24, 259–269. [Google Scholar] and C. kadleci sp. n. (Yemen). The species of the group are characterised by the peculiar shape of the aedeagus, with a dorsal plate separated from the rest of aedeagus by a deep narrow slit. Colour photographs of habitus and drawings of genitalia are provided for all three species.

http://www.zoobank.org/urn:lsid:zoobank.org:pub:F6706A76-CD49-4A5A-A109-A6E6C23514A5     

Attitudes to biotechnology: Estimating the opinions of a better-informed public

Public familiarity with basic scientific concepts and principles has been proposed as essential for effective democratic decision-making (Miller, 1998 Miller, J. D. 1998. The measurement of civic scientific literacy. Public Understanding of Science, 7: 203–23. [Crossref], [Web of Science ®] , [Google Scholar]). Empirical research, however, finds that public ‘scientific literacy’ is generally low, falling well short of what normative criteria would consider ‘acceptable’. This has prompted calls to better engage, educate and inform the public on scientific matters, with the additional, usually implicit assumption that a knowledgeable citizenry should express more supportive and favourable attitudes toward science. Research investigating the notion that ‘to know science is to love it’ has provided only weak empirical support and has itself been criticised for representing science and technology as a unified and homogenous entity. In practice, it is argued, how knowledge impacts on the favourability of attitudes will depend on a multiplicity of factors, not least of which is the particular area of science in question and the technologies to which it gives rise (Evans & Durant, 1992 Evans, G. and Durant, J. 1992. The relationship between knowledge and attitudes in the public understanding of science in Britain. Public Understanding of Science, 4: 57–74.  [Google Scholar]). This article uses a new method for examining the knowledge-attitude nexus on a prominent area of 21st century science—biotechnology. The idea that greater scientific knowledge can engender change in the favourability of attitudes toward specific areas of science is investigated using data from the 2000 British Social Attitudes Survey and the 1999 Wellcome Consultative Panel on Gene Therapy. Together the surveys measure public opinion on particular applications of genetic technologies, including gene therapy and the use of genetic data, as well as more general attitudes towards genetic research. We focus our analysis on how two different measures of knowledge impact on these attitudes; one a general measure of scientific knowledge, the other relating specifically to knowledge of modern genetic science. We investigate what impact these knowledge domains have on attitudes towards biotechnology using a regression-based modelling technique (Bartels, 1996 Bartels, L. M. 1996. Uninformed votes: information effects in presidential elections. American Journal of Political Science, 40(1): 194–230. [Crossref], [Web of Science ®] , [Google Scholar]; Althaus, 1998 Althaus, S. L. 1998. Information effects in collective preferences. The American Political Science Review, 92(3): 545–58. [Crossref], [Web of Science ®] , [Google Scholar]; Sturgis, 2003 Sturgis, P. 2003. Knowledge and collective preferences: a comparison of two approaches to estimating the opinions of a better-informed public. Sociological Methods and Research, 31(4): 453–85. [Crossref] , [Google Scholar]). Controlling for a range of socio-demographic characteristics, we provide estimates of what collective and individual opinion would look like if everyone were as knowledgeable as the currently best-informed members of the general public on the knowledge domains in question. Our findings demonstrate that scientific knowledge does appear to have an important role in determining individual and group attitudes to genetic science. However, we find no support for a simple ‘deficit model’ of public understanding, as the nature of the relationship itself depends on the application of biotechnology in question and the social location of the individual.     

Crocodylomorph Trackways from the Jurassic to Early Cretaceous of North America and Europe: Implications for Ichnotaxonomy

Trackways described as Batrachopus (Batrachopodidae Lull, 1904 Lull, R. S. 1904. Fossil footprints of the Jura-Trias of North America. Memoirs of the Boston Society of Natural History, 5: 461–557.  [Google Scholar]) from the Lower Jurassic of Europe are rare and in some cases different from the type trackways from North America. Differences may be in part attributable to preservation, but current evidence suggests that there is inherent variability in Batrachopodidae morphotypes, beyond that attributable to differential preservation. Type Batrachopus is a stout-toed form, with minimal digit divarication (i.e., a long foot), whereas Antipus describes slender-toed forms with a wider foot and wider digit divarications.

Antipus is also similar to Crocodylopodus (ichnofamily Crocodylopodidae: Fuentes Vidarte and Meijide Calvo, 1999 Fuentes Vidarte, C. and Meijide Calvo, M. 1999. Primeras Huellas de Cocodrilo en el Weald de Cameros (Sria, Espana) Nueva Familia Crocodilopodidae: Nuevo icnogenero: Crocodylopodus Nueva icnoespecie: C. meijidei. Actas de las jornadas internacionales sobre paleontologia de dinosairios y su entorno. Sala de los infantes (Burgos, Espana). Collectivo Arqueologico-Paleontologico de Salas, : 329–338.  [Google Scholar]) from near the Jurassic-Cretaceous boundary in Spain. Crocodylopodus has a relatively large manus, and a less outwardly rotated trackway, but is not sufficiently different from Batrachopodidae to warrant its own ichnofamily. Manus-pes size (area) ratios (heteropody) may also be important in differentiating different crocodylomorph ichnotaxa, as is the case with other archosaurian ichnotaxa. However, heteropody may change with size, and be less pronounced in large individuals. Manus and pes rotation patterns, and trackway width are variable and may be of use for differentiation of ichnotaxa but may also be a function of speed.     

Carnivore Trackways from the Miocene Site of Salinas de Añana (Alava,Spain)

A fossil tracksite of Lower Miocene age discovered near Salinas de Añana, Alava (Spain), has rendered an exceptionally well-preserved assemblage of vertebrate ichnites. The site shows a high proportion of carnivore tracks (3 out of 5 mammal ichnospecies) and a high number of individual trackways (15), some including over 50 consecutive footprints. The carnivore ichnites are classified as Felipeda lynxi Panin & Avram, 1962 Panin, M. and Avram, B. 1962. Noi urme de vertebrate in Miocenul Subcarpatilor Rominesti. Studii Cercet Geologia, 13: 521–525.  [Google Scholar], Felipeda parvula ichnosp. nov. and Canipeda longigriffa Panin & Avram, 1962 Panin, M. and Avram, B. 1962. Noi urme de vertebrate in Miocenul Subcarpatilor Rominesti. Studii Cercet Geologia, 13: 521–525.  [Google Scholar], and they are attributed to a felid, an undetermined small aeluroid, and a herpestid, respectively. The long trackways allow determination of gaits, which include lateral sequence walks and diagonal sequence trots, and of speed, which ranges from 0.4 to 1.4 m/s. Froude numbers range between 0.1 and 0.8, agreeing with gait interpretations and speed calculations. The felid trackways provide the first known evidence of group traveling in fossil cats. The herpestid footprints show modern-grade adaptations for terrestrial locomotion and digging.     

How did sea spiders recolonize the Chilean fjords after glaciation? DNA barcoding of Pycnogonida,with remarks on phylogeography of Achelia assimilis (Haswell, 1885)

The present paper reports on a first attempt at resolving the taxonomy of Chilean Pycnogonida using a combination of DNA sequence and morphological data. In a subproject of the Marine Barcode of Life (MarBoL) campaign we analysed a fragment (about 657 base pairs) of the mitochondrial protein-coding gene COI (cytochrome c oxidase subunit 1) from 76 Chilean/Subantarctic pycnogonids. Since most molecular data on pycnogonids are from the Antarctic region, the new information constitutes a significant extension. The phylogenetic consensus tree displays 10 distinct, well-supported branches corresponding to the studied species, namely Achelia assimilis (Haswell, 1885), Ammothea spinosa (Hodgson, 1907), Tanystylum cavidorsum Stock, 1957, T. neorhetum Marcus, 1940 Marcus, E. 1940. Os Pantopoda brasileiros e os demais sul-americanos. Boletin da Faculdade de Filosofia, Ciencias e Letras da Universidade de São Paulo, Ser. 4, Zoologie, 19: 1–179.  [Google Scholar], Colossendeis macerrima Wilson, 1881, C. megalonyx Hoek, 1881, C. scoresbii Gordon, 1932 Gordon, I. 1932. Pycnogonida. – Discovery Reports Vol. VI., 1–137. London: Cambridge University Press.  [Google Scholar] , Callipallene margarita (Gordon, 1932 Gordon, I. 1932. Pycnogonida. – Discovery Reports Vol. VI., 1–137. London: Cambridge University Press.  [Google Scholar]), Pallenopsis patagonica (Hoek, 1881), and Anoplodactylus californicus Hall, 1912. These represent four superfamilies, and five of the 11 existing pycnogonid families (Bamber & El Nagar, 2011 Bamber, R. N. and El Nagar, A., eds. 2011. Pycnobase: World Pycnogonida Database http://www.marinespecies.org/pycnobase, accessed June 2012 [Google Scholar]): Ammotheidae Dohrn, 1881, Colossendeidae Hoek, 1881, Callipallenidae Hilton, 1942, Pallenopsidae Fry, 1978 and Phoxichilidiidae Sars, 1891. Within Achelia assimilis, four distinct subbranches correspond to the different geographic regions represented in our samples. While these include a total of 11 distinct haplotypes, the morphological differences among the corresponding specimens lie well within the variation described in the literature for this cosmopolitan species. Therefore, the four branches of A. assimilis might represent geographically limited subspecies rather than cryptic species. Repeated drastic glaciation of the fjord region during the Cenozoic resulting in alternating extinction and recolonization phases and the holobenthic lifecycle of sea spiders are discussed as the main factors resulting in the observed phylogeographic pattern. Standard barcoding sequences are confirmed as a suitable tool in addition to morphology for taxonomic analyses in Pycnogonida. The corresponding haplotype distribution patterns allow inferences on the biogeographical history of the relatively unexplored Chilean fjord region.