A new loach, Cobitis shikokuensis (Teleostei: Cobitidae), from Shikoku Island, Japan

A new species of spinous loach, Cobitis shikokuensis, is described based on 297 specimens from Shikoku Island, Japan. The new species was formerly known as the Shikoku group of Cobitis takatsuensis. It can be distinguished from other species of Cobitis and closely related genera by a combination of the following characters: dorsal fin with 6 branched soft rays; anal fin with 5 branched soft rays; one brownish streak across eye from the tip of nose, no streak on cheek; a black spot smaller than eye diameter near the dorsal corner of the caudal fin base; 3–5 small brownish speckles on ventral side of caudal peduncle; high caudal peduncle with well-developed fleshy keels on dorsal and ventral side; a lamina circularis at base of dorsal part of pectoral fin absent; first branched soft ray of pectoral fin broad in males; pectoral soft rays widely branched from the approximate midpoint; last anal fin ray with 2 elements; interorbital width 11.2–17.1% of head length.     

A new species of Phylloscopus warbler from central China

A new species of leaf warbler (Sylviidae: Phylloscopus) is described from the mountains of central China. Morphologically it is slightly, yet significantly, different from the partly sympatric P. (proregulus) chloronotus. However, both song and calls are very different, and playback tests elicited no response from either species to the other's song. There are also differences in habitat preference and breeding biology of the two species.     

A new species of Arceuthobium (Viscaceae) from central Mexico

Arceuthobium pendens, a parasite of the pinyonsPinus discolor andP. cembroides, is described from San Luis Potosí and Veracruz, Mexico. This andA. divaricatum Engelm. are the only dwarf mistletoes known to parasitize pinyons.Arceuthobium pendens is distinct fromA. divaricatum Engelm. in its long, slender, greenish shoots, formation of systemic witches brooms, and frequency on various species of pinyons. With the discovery of this new species, 19 dwarf mistletoes are known from Mexico.     

Bibarba bibarba: A new genus and species of Cobitinae (Pisces: Cypriniformes: Cobitidae) from Guangxi Province (China)

A new genus of Cobitinae, Bibarba gen. n., and a new species, B. bibarba sp. n., were discovered and are described for the Chengjiang River, a tributary of the Hongshuihe River in Guangxi Province of southern China. This river region is characterized by a Karst landscape, and the river that is inhabited by the new genus is a slowly moving stream with arenaceous and cobblestone beds. The new genus resembles Cobitis Linnaeus, 1758 (subfamily Cobitinae) in the shape and pigmentation pattern of their body, the absence of scales on their head, and the presence of a suborbital spine, but differs from it by a single Lamina circularis on the third pectoral fin ray instead of on the base of the second pectoral fin ray; two pairs of barbels (one rostral pair and one maxillo-mandibular pair) instead of three pairs of barbels (one rostral pair, one maxillary pair, and one maxillo-mandibular pair); a relatively thick and short suborbital spine with a strong medio-lateral process instead of a suborbital spine without or with a weakly formed medio-lateral process as in Cobitis; and the lack of a black stripe extending from the occiput through the eye to the insertion of the rostral barbel. The first two characters have not been reported in any other genus of the subfamily Cobitinae. A morphometric character analysis based on PCA reveals differences between B. bibarba and C. sinensis in body size, barbel length, interorbital width, pectoral fin length in males, and the position of the dorsal and ventral fins. Type specimens of the new species are kept in the Freshwater Fishes Museum of the Institute of Hydrobiology at the Chinese Academy of Sciences in Wuhan, Hubei Province.     

中国小孢盘菌属—新种(英文)

报道了源于我国黑龙江的小孢盘菌属Acervus一新种,即黑龙江小孢盘菌A.heilongjiangensis。该种的显著特征为子囊盘杯状,无柄,直径5–10mm;子实层新鲜时黄色;外囊盘被为角胞组织至表层组织;子囊具囊盖,具8个子囊孢子,孔口在Melzer试剂中不变色,98–119×6.5–8.5μm;子囊孢子椭圆形,无分隔,9–10.5×3.9–5.5μm。对该种的形态学特征进行了描述和图示,并对其分类地位提供了DNA序列分析的佐证。     

A new species of Thrixspermum (Orchidaceae) from China

A new species from China, Thrixspermum tsii (Orchidaceae), is described and illustrated and its relationships to T. centipeda and T. subulatum are discussed.     

囊裸藻属一新种?适

Species nova cum T. granulatopsi Shi congruens, sed a qua lorica ovata e fronte visa, obovata e latere visa, poro flagelli collo instructo distincta. Lorica ovata a fronte visa, antice angusta, postice late rotundata et plerumque inspissta, interdum caudato-papillata, obovata a latere visa, antice lata, postice angusta, brunnea vel fulva. Superficies loricae scabrosa, tuberculis irregularibus et punctis sparsis instructa (lorica per microscopum electronicum visa e granis composita). Porus flagelli collo recto vel paulo obliquo antice paulo angusto margine planiusculo instructus. Flagellum longitudine loricam aequans vel ea paulo longius. Lorica 23.5～24 μm longa, 16～18 μm lata, 12～14 μm crassa; collum 3～4 μm altum, parte angusta circa 3 μm latum, parte basilari 4～4.5 μm latum, poro colli circa 3 μm diam.     

A new species of Drypetes (Putranjivaceae) from China

A new species of Drypetes , D. kwangtungensis , from the Guangdong Province in China is described and illustrated. It is morphologically very similar to D. obtusa , from which it differs by having elliptic leaves with an acute apex that is sometimes retuse. In addition, the fruits of D. kwangtungensis are obovoid and almost twice as large as those of D. obtusa.     

Gene mapping of 28S rDNA sites in allotriploid Cobitis females (Pisces: Cobitidae) from a diploid-polyploid population

We performed cytogenetic analysis on triploid Cobitis hybrid specimens from a natural diploid-polyploid population in the Bug River (Poland). Chromosomes were examined by fluorescence in situ hybridization method (FISH) with 28S rDNA as a probe. The rDNA sites were commonly identified in the terminal position of p arms of two small submetacentric chromosomes, in the centromere area of two acrocentric chromosomes and in the terminal position of q arm of one acrocentric chromosome. Some of the observed signals were stronger than others. In few cases, one small acrocentric chromosome showing rDNA sites located terminally on both p and a q arm was observed. This study brings useful information about polymorphism of 28S rDNA sites regarding their number, location and size in triploid specimens. Moreover, it gives preliminary data for comparison with similar researches on the parental species of Cobitis hybrid females, viz. C. taenia, C. taurica and C. tanaitica, and other related Cobitis taxa of different ploidy level. The present study increases our knowledge about ribosomal genes inheritance between Cobitis species and their polyploid hybrids.     

Taxonomic study of the genus Niwaella (Cypriniformes:Cobitidae) from East China,with description of four new species

Four loaches,Niwaella brevipinna Chen & Chen,sp.nov.,N.fimbriata Chen & Chen,sp.nov.,N.nigrolinea Chen & Chen,sp.nov.and N.qujiangensis Chen &Chen,sp.nov.,are described based on specimens collected from Zhejiang and Anhui Provinces,East China.The mitochondrial cytochrome b gene of 28 individuals of seven species from seven locations collected from Zhejiang,Anhui and Jiangxi Provinces were amplified and analyzed.Morphological and molecular data showed that N.fimbriata Chen & Chen,sp.nov.and N.nigrolinea Chen & Chen,sp.nov.,N.brevipinna Chen& Chen,sp.nov.and N.laterimaculata (Yan & Zheng),N.qujiangensis Chen & Chen,sp.nov.and N.longibarba Chen & Chen are closely related.The seven Chinese Niwaella species,N.brevipinna Chen & Chen,sp.nov.,N.fimbriata Chen & Chen,sp.nov.,N.laterimaculata,N.longibarba,N.nigrolinea Chen & Chen,sp.nov.,N.qujiangensis Chen & Chen,sp.nov.,and N.xinjiangensis are clearly distinguished by the combination of the color patter,mental lobes,suborbital spine,caudal peduncle,body shape,and subdorsal scales.     

Reproduction of spined loach, Cobitis taenia, (Cypriniformes; Cobitidae) under laboratory conditions

A simple and reliable method is described for breeding spined loach, Cobitis taenia Linnaeus, 1758, under laboratory conditions. Three 40 L aquaria were each provided with a thick tuft of moss placed on top of a gauze-covered plastic box to serve as a spawning site. Ovoposition always occurred in the most densely available vegetation. The nonadhesive eggs fell through the gauze into the box. The spined loach is a fractional spawner releasing eggs in 14–18 batches at intervals of 2–23 (median 6) days. The total number of eggs per female was 2905–4282 during the reproductive season of 101–120 days. Yolks measured 1.14 ± 0.07 mm and eggs were 2.54 ± 0.22 mm in diameter. Total larval length was 5.03 ± 0.34 mm at hatching and 6.77 ± 0.34 mm at the beginning of exogenous feeding. The method allowed the rearing of numerous young for conservation measures and experimental investigations.     

A new species of Castilleja (Orobanchaceae) from central Hidalgo, Mexico

Castilleja hidalgensis is described from several collections from xeric limestone sites in central Hidalgo, Mexico. The new species belongs to a small complex of poorly known and uncommon species within sect.Euchroma, sharing important characteristics withC. macrostigma, the first-described taxon in this assemblage. The new species appears to be rare and highly restricted both geographically and ecologically. A key to the species of theC. macrostigma group is provided.