NEST PARASITISM AND DISPLAY OF CHESTNUT SPARROWS IN A COLONY OF GREY-CAPPED SOCIAL WEAVERS

Chestnut Sparrows Passer eminibey near Magadi, Kenya, built no nests of their own but usurped nests newly built by Grey-capped Social Weavers Pseudonigrita arnaudi. The sparrows laid eggs and raised their own young in the appropriated nests. The sparrows were synchronized in their breeding with the social weavers but appeared to have a slightly later peak of breeding. Breeding of the sparrows may be stimulated by the sight of breeding activity of the social weavers. Breeding occurred in May and June at the end of a rainy season.
Male Chestnut Sparrows display at the nests with the wings raised. The display is given for several hours each day. Examination of nests built by the social weavers is an element of courtship display by the male sparrow.
In the subfamily Passerinae there is a greater difference in the form of the courtship display between the Chestnut Sparrow and other species of Passer than between nest-building species of Passer and other genera. The display of Chestnut Sparrows is derived from the nest-advertisement display of nest-building Passer. Its exaggerated form may be an adaptation related to pair formation and intrapair sexual stimulation in the absence of male nest-building behaviour.     

SOCIAL ORGANIZATION AND NEST-BUILDING IN THE FOREST WEAVER BIRDS OF THE GENUS MALIMBUS (PLOCEINAE)

A comparative study was made of social organization during breeding among the genus Malimbus. In M. nitens, the male chooses the nest site, builds the nest alone, guards the nest during incubation, and feeds the young; the female incubates, broods alone and with the male feeds the young. In M. malimbicus, the male chooses the nest site, builds the nest with the female and guards the nest; the female builds the nest with the male, but incubates alone. In M. racheliae and M. cassini, the nest is built by one female and a multi-male party of two or three. One male drives off the other males when the nest is completed. One male and one female incubate alternately. The female seems to be the leader of the building group, and works like a male. In M. coronatus, the nest is built by a mixed party of males and females (3–6 birds), all working together without any overt leadership. Only one male and one female however, incubate, brood and feed the young. In their morphology and behaviour, Malimbus spp. are close to the weaver birds of the genus Ploceus. M. nitens seems the least evolved species while M. cassini and M. coronatus are behaviourally the most evolved. In the last species, which has a very elaborate nest, the pair of breeding birds is helped by one to four other birds. These helpers are birds in full adult plumage, and are probably capable of breeding and may do so at another period in the long breeding season of at least six months.     

牦牛分类地位研究概述

牦牛的分类地位一直存在着争议,牦牛究竟是属于牛亚科牛属还是属于牛亚科牦牛属,到目前为止还没有形成一个明确的定论.本文通过对牦牛与牛亚科其他属在古生物学证据、形态学特征、血液蛋白多态性、微卫星多态性、mtDNA序列变异、rDNA的RFLP数据和功能基因序列信息等各方面研究资料的比较分析,发现牦牛无论在古生物学证据、形态学特征,还是在分子生物学特征上均表现出与牛属中的普通牛Bos taurus、瘤牛Bos indicus不同,而与美洲野牛Bison bison的亲缘关系更近一些,因此将牦牛划分为牛亚科中1个独立属(即牦牛属),似乎比将牦牛作为牛属中的1个亚属或1个种更合适.     

不休眠单胞锈菌等属的数量分类研究

不休眠单胞锈菌属Maravalia是Arthur1922年建立的,对它的属上分类一直是有争议的。Dietel(1928)只根据M.albescens这一个种的性状,将Maravalia放在3Pucciniaceae中的Ravenlieae族;Mains(1939)建议将Maravalia放在Pucciniaceae中的Eriosporangieae,但他也承认Mavenelieae与Oliveae族中的一些属有较大相关性。Leppik(1972)将Maravalia与Chrysocelis一起组成Pucciniaceae下的一个新族Maravalieae,但是Maravalieae,没有得到     

THE TAXONOMIC SIGNIFICANCE OF ANTHOCHLORS IN THE SUBTRIBE COREOPSIDINAE (COMPOSITAE,HELIANTHEAE)

Anthochlors (chalcones and aurones) are found in a number of plant families including the Compositae. Within this family they were once thought to occur only in the subtribe Coreopsidinae of the tribe Heliantheae. More recent studies show them to occur also in the tribes Cardueae, Eupatorieae, Helineae, Inuleae, and Lactuceae. This has suggested that anthochlors are no longer good taxonomic markers for the Coreopsidinae. A survey of 69 of approximately 210 genera of the Heliantheae shows anthochlors present only in the Coreopsidinae except for Helianthus, Simsia, Tithonia, and Viguiera, closely related genera of the subtribe Helianthinae. Of the 32 genera of the Coreopsidinae recently recognized, 30 were surveyed from available material and all contain anthochlors except Guardiola and Venegasia. The results indicate that, despite some variation, anthochlors are still good taxonomic markers for the Coreopsidinae. This represents the only case within the family in which a particular type of flavonoid is taxonomically diagnostic at the subtribal level.     

中国云粉蝶属分类研究(鳞翅目,粉蝶科)

系统地整理了中国云粉蝶属Pontia Fabricius,1807的全部种类,共3种12亚种,包括2新亚种:云粉蝶且末亚种Pontia edusa qiemoensis ssp.nov.、云粉蝶黑龙江亚种Pontia edusa heilongjiangensis ssp.nov.和2个中国新纪录亚种:箭纹云粉蝶卡洛亚种Pontia callidice kalora(Moore,1865)、绿云粉蝶青藏亚种Pontia chloridice alpina(Ver-ity,[1911]).阐述了各亚种的主要识别特征及其地理分布,提供了分种检索表及全部种类的雄、雌性外生殖器特征图,并附所有中国亚种的成虫彩色照片.模式标本保存在中国科学院动物研究所昆虫标本馆.     

XYLEM STRUCTURE IN BOTRYCHIUM DISSECTUM SPRENGEL AND ITS RELEVANCE TO THE TAXONOMIC POSITION OF THE OPHIOGLOSSACEAE

The radially seriate xylem of Botrychium dissectum Sprengel resembles secondary xylem, particularly that of gymnosperms, in many important details. It is derived from a layer of cells which strongly resembles a vascular cambium. Presumptive cambial initials are fusiform, and derivatives are radially seriate. The walls of the initials and derivatives have a beaded appearance when viewed in tangential section. The number of xylem elements increases in seasonal increments. Circular-bordered pit pairs occur where tracheids abut other tracheids, and specialized cross-field pit pairs occur where they abut the radially-aligned parenchyma or rays. Cambial activity in Botrychium differs from that found in seed plants and progymnosperms in not producing secondary phloem. Tracheids are less similar to those known in progymnosperms than previously assumed, and some supposed similarities may be less significant than previously assumed. The significance of these dissimilarities is unclear. The recognition that the bulk of the xylem is secondary and that protoxylem strands are arranged as sympodia suggests that Botrychium may be eustelic rather than siphonostelic.     

A NUMERICAL TAXONOMIC STUDY OF NOSTOC AND ANABAENA1

Thirty characteristics of 14 Nostoc and 10 Anabaena species were analyzed from previously published data. Using standard numerical taxonomic methods, simple matching coefficients were calculated and a phenogram drawn. The analysis revealed that some of the central characteristics of Nostoc are: a punctiforme stage; motile reproductive stage; plant mass with a dull to shiny luster, non-veined surface, and nonfimbriate margin; some spherical vegetative cells; no cylindrical heterocysts; and some spherical, but no cylindrical akinetes. Some of the central characteristics of Anabaena that were revealed are: no punctiforme stage; a motile vegetative stage; plant mass with a shiny luster, veined surface, and fimbriate margin; no spherical vegetative cells; some cylindrical heterocysts; and some cylindrical, but no spherical, akinetes. In general, Anabaena has larger akinetes and vegetative cells than Nostoc. Based on 30 morphological characteristics and the clustering data of the phenogram, keys were constructed for the Nostoc and Anabaena species studied. The data clearly support two separate and distinct, though similar genera and, less sharply, the separation of the 24 species. The more useful characteristics for separation of the species are size and shape of akinetes, vegetative cells, and heterocysts; color and luster of plant mass; veined plant mass surface; margin fimbriate; and shape of plant mass in nature.     

A NUMERICAL–TAXONOMIC STUDY OF THE GENUS BULNESIA (ZYGOPHYLLACEAE): CLUSTER ANALYSIS,ORDINATION AND SIMULATION OF EVOLUTIONARY TREES

Cluster analysis by four methods, ordination by principal component analysis (PCA) and simulation of evolutionary trees (Wagner Trees) were performed on morphological data from 43 characters of eight species of the South American genus Bulnesia (Zygophyllaceae). The results of cluster analysis and principal component analysis in general agree and show that there are three pairs of taxa that appear, or obviously are, closely related. These are the pairs B. arborea–B. carrapo, B. foliosa–B. schickendantzii and B. retama–B. chilensis. These methods also indicate that the southern species B. bonariensis occupies an intermediate position between the pair of northern tropical species (B. arborea, B. carrapo) and the remaining southern species. From the beginning it was assumed that these three multifoliolate species with large flowers may be rather primitive. The Prim network indicates that these three species are closely related among themselves. Also in two of the three Wagner Trees they are placed in a group. In all cases B. sarmientoi is shown as the more remote and isolated of all species. It is regarded as a unique, specialized arboreal species showing extreme reduction in number of leaflets and carpels, leaf and flower size, etc. All graphic representations (Fig. 1–3) show the phenetic similarity or the close phylogenetic relationships of the pairs B. foliosa–B. schickendantzii and B. retama–B. chilensis to each other. These four species would represent a rather advanced group. The most xerophytic species B. retama and B. chilensis are regarded as the most advanced taxa and the most specialized histophysiologically. These occupy extreme and distant positions in PCA diagrams and Prim network, and top positions in the Wagner Trees.     

内蒙古仓鼠科动物数值分类的初步研究

以内蒙古地区２８种仓鼠科动物为分类单位,以形态特征为主兼顾头骨结构、牙齿构造和生活方式,列出４６项特征,用系统聚类分析和主分量分析,对这些动物进行数值分类。结果表明,麝鼠以其特异性特征从田鼠亚科中分离出来,单独构成一个亚科,其余各种的分类结果与传统分类处理结果一致。系统聚类分析以不加权的对群成聚的算术平均法（ＵＰＧＭＡ）得出的分类结果最好,主分量分析同时得出各项特征在前三维主分量上的分布图,并根据特征在前１９维主分量上的累计贡献率大小,选取１５个特征构成对所研究动物的数值分类检索表。     

中国假蒴苞苔属的分类研究

对中国假蒴苞苔属进行了较详尽的分类研究,除了证实黄色假蒴苞苔在我国南方的广泛分布外,发现并描述了２个新种：厚角假蒴苞苔和小假蒴包苔。     

竹叶臭蛙的分类学研究I.各地理居群的分类探讨(两栖纲:蛙科)

采用形态特征比较,对7省13个居群的竹叶臭蛙Odorrana ve,rsabilis的标本进行了研究,结果表明:它们的形态特征差异明显,可以分为3个形态型;同时经数值性状标准判别分析和DNA指纹分析印证其结果与形态学研究结果相吻合.据此将3个形态型标本确定为3个种,其中包括2新种.本文重新界定了3个种的分布范围.     

中国羽齿舟蛾属分类研究(鳞翅目,舟蛾科)

系统整理了中国羽齿舟蛾属Ptilodon Huebner．1811的全部种类,共11种,包括1新种：长突羽齿舟蛾P．longexsertus Wu et Fang。文中提供分种检索表、新种形态描述和所有种的外生殖器特征图,模式标本保存在中国科学院动物研究所动物标本馆。     

THE TAXONOMIC IMPLICATIONS OF POLLEN MORPHOLOGY IN SOME SOUTH AMERICAN SPECIES OF MIMULUS (SCROPHULARIACEAE)

The pollen grains of South American hexaploid representatives of the Mimulus glabratus complex, section Simiolus, and M. bridgesii, a South American species sometimes included in this complex and sometimes in section Paradanthus, were examined by light and scanning electron microscopy. Mimulus bridgesii has (6-) 4–5-zoniaperturate grains nearly identical to those observed in a complex of species in section Paradanthus. South American members of the M. glabratus complex (M. bridgesii excluded) have the irregularly synaperturate, ± spiraperturate pollen typical of section Simiolus (sensu Grant). Treatment of M. bridgesii as a palynologically aberrant member of section Simiolus is not supported by what is known about the evolution of pollen types in Mimulus and the evolution and dispersal of the M. glabratus complex.