Inspection and evaluation of host plant by the butterfly Mechanitis lysimnia (Nymph., Ithomiinae) before laying eggs: a mechanism to reduce intraspecific competition

Parasites of all kinds affect the behaviour of their hosts, often making them more susceptible to predators. The associated loss in expected future reproductive success of infected hosts will vary among individuals, with younger ones having more lose than older ones. For this reason, young hosts would benefit more by opposing the effects of parasites than old ones. In a laboratory study, the effects of the trematode Telogaster opisthorchis on the anti-predator responses of the upland bully (Gobiomorphus breviceps) and of the common river galaxias (Galaxias vulgaris) were examined in relation to fish age. In a bully population where parasites were very abundant, the magnitude of the fish's anti-predator responses decreased as the number of parasites per fish increased, and this effect was significantly more pronounced in age 2 + and, to a lesser extent, age 3 + fish than in age 1 + fish. In another bully population where parasites were 10 times less abundant, similar effects were noticeable but not significant, whereas no effects of parasites on the responses of galaxiids to predators were apparent. Differences in the abundance of parasites and in their sites of infection in fish may explain the variability among host populations or species. However, in the bully population with high parasite abundance, parasitism has age-dependent effects on responses to predators, providing some support for the prediction that young fish with high expected future reproductive success invest more energy into opposing the effects of parasites than do older fish.     

Contrasting litter effects on old field tree germination and emergence

Because the fate of seeds is critical to understanding the invasion of old fields by trees, and plant litter is an important component defining the old field microsite of dispersed seeds, I investigated the effects of litter type (Solidago spp./goldenrod,Quercus spp./oak, mixed) and litter amount (100–800 g/m²) on tree seed germination and seedling emergence. I found that at all densities bothSolidago andQuercus litter greatly reduced emergence of the small-seeded, bird-dispersed species,Juniperus virginiana andCornus florida. For one of the large-seeded, mammal-dispersed species,Carya tomentosa, high densitySolidago litter and high density mixed litter treatments reduced emergence. For the other large-seeded species,Quercus rubra, the high density mixed litter treatment and all levels ofSolidago litter reduced emergence.Quercus seedlings emerged twice as often as the other three species in control pots without litter.Carya emerged before the other species but the high density oak treatment delayed the expansion of its cotyledons. My results suggest that litter may contribute to the slow rate of tree invasion and the low probability of tree establishment in old fields. However, old field litter studies taken together point to the difficulty in drawing general conclusions about any net effect of litter on old field tree establishment.     

黑龙江省北五味子一新变种

本文发表了黑龙江省产北五味子一新变种：白果五味子     

中国园蛛7新种（蛛形纲：蜘蛛目）

报道了我国园蛛科7新种,即:云南园蛛Araneus yunnanensis、景洪金蛛Argiopejing hongensis、长垂驼蛛Cyphalonolus elongalus、石门壮头蛛Chorizopes shimenensis、勐海曲腹蛛Cyrlarachne menghaiensis 、文山肥蛛Larinia wenshanensis 和十字亮腹蛛Singa cruciformis。     

Evolutionary study of multigenic families mapping close to the human MHC class I region

Summary During a search for novel coding sequences within the human MHC class I region (chromosome 6p21.3), we found an exon (named B30-2) coding for a 166-amino-acid peptide which is very similar to the C-terminal domain of several coding sequences: human 52-kD Sjögren's syndrome nuclear antigen A/Ro (SS-A/Ro) and ret finger protein (RFP), Xenopus nuclear factor 7 (XNF7), and bovine butyrophilin. The first three of these proteins share similarities over the whole length of the molecule whereas butyrophilin is similar in the C-terminal domain. The N-terminal domain of butyrophilin is similar to rat myelin/oligodendrocyte glycoprotein (MOG) and chicken B blood group system (B-G) protein. These domains are components of a new subfamily of the immunoglobulin superfamily (IgSF). Butyrophilin is thus a mosaic protein composed of the MOG/B-G Ig-like domain and the C-terminal domain of 52-kD SS-A/Ro, RFP, and XNF7 (1330-2-like domain). Moreover, in situ hybridization shows that RFP, butyrophilin, and MOG map to the human chromosome 6p2l.3-6p22 region and are thus close to the MHC class I genes. It is therefore possible that the butyrophilin gene is the product of an exon shuffling event which occurred between ancestors of the RFP and MOG genes. To our knowledge, this is the first example of the colocalization of a chimeric gene and its putative progenitors. Finally, regulatory protein T-lymphocyte 1 (Rpt-1) shares similarities with the N-terminal halves of RFP, 52-kD SS-A/Ro, and XNF7, but not with the B30-2-like domain. We show that the ancestral Rpt-l gene evolved by overprinting. Correspondence to: P. Pontarotti     

The earliest fossil record of the extant rove beetle genus Phloeocharis from mid-Cretaceous Kachin amber of northern Myanmar and its biogeographic implications (Coleoptera: Staphylinidae: Phloeocharinae)

Phloeocharis Mannerheim is the largest genus within the problematic rove beetle subfamily Phloeocharinae, with a single extinct and 44 recent species recorded from the Holarctic Region. Until now, the oldest fossil record of Phloeocharis was known from Late Cretaceous (Turonian) amber from New Jersey, USA. Here we describe 2Phloeocharis burmana n. sp. from mid-Cretaceous (Albian–Cenomanian) Kachin amber from northern Myanmar, as the earliest extinct species of this genus. Our finding also sheds light on the biogeography of Phloeocharis, since no recent or extinct species have so far been recorded from the Oriental Region. Furthermore, the discovery of 2P. burmana n. sp. extends the Mesozoic diversity of the phloeocharine rove beetles both taxonomically and morphologically, particularly from Kachin amber.     

中国(竹思)簩竹属(Schizostachyum Nees)的研究及其它

对国产(竹思)(竹劳)竹属(Schizostachyum Nees)进行了系统整理。对属的范围进行了修订,认为本属应包括乔草竹属(Dendrochloa Parkinson),薄竹属(Leptocanna Chia et H.L.Fung),长穗竹属(Teinostachyum Munro)和李海竹属(Neohouzeaua A.Camus),并首次建立了本属的属下分类系统。此外,对二种竹子起了新名:甲竹(Bambusa austro-sinensis Xia)和毛环单竹(B.yunnanensis Xia);作了4个新组合,即Schizostachyum coradatum(Wen et Dai)Xia, S.dumetorum(Hance)Munro var.xinwuense(Wen et J. Y Chin)Xia, Bambusa glaucescens glaucescens(Willd)Sieb. ex Munro var.annulata(W.T.Lin et Z.J.Feng)Xia和B.glaucescens (Willd)Sieb.ex Munro var.pubivagina(W.T....     

Hidden diversity in high-latitude Southern Hemisphere environments: Reinstatement of the genus Rama and description of Vandenhoekia gen. nov. (Cladophoraceae,Ulvophyceae, Chlorophyta), two highly variable genera

The continental coasts and remote islands in the high-latitude Southern Hemisphere, including the subantarctic region, are characterized by many endemic species, high abundance of taxa, and intermediate levels of biodiversity. The macroalgal flora of these locations has received relatively little attention. Filamentous green algae are prolific in the intertidal of southern islands, but the taxonomy, distribution, and evolutionary history of these taxa are yet to be fully explored, mostly due to the difficulty of access to some of these locations. In this study, we examined specimens of the order Cladophorales from various locations in the high-latitude Southern Hemisphere including the subantarctic (the Auckland Islands, Bounty Islands, Campbell Island, Macquarie Island, and Kerguelen Islands), as well as mainland New Zealand, the Chatham Islands, Chile, and Tasmania. The analyses of the rDNA sequences of the samples revealed the existence of two new clades in a phylogeny of the Cladophoraceae. One of these clades is described as the novel genus Vandenhoekia gen. nov., which contains three species that are branched or unbranched. The amended genus Rama is reinstated to accommodate the other clade, and contains four species, including the Northern Hemisphere “Cladophora rupestris.” In Rama both branched and unbranched morphologies are found. It is remarkable that gross morphology is not a predictor for generic affiliations in these algae. This study illustrates that much can still be learned about diversity in the Cladophorales and highlights the importance of new collections, especially in novel locations.     

A new enantiornithine bird from Upper Cretaceous non-marine deposits at Villespassans (Hérault,southern France)

A coracoid of an enantiornithine bird from Upper Cretaceous (probably late Campanian) fluvial sediments at Castigno (Villespassans, Hérault, southern France) is described. It differs from all hitherto reported enantiornithine coracoids and is referred a new genus and species, Castignovolucris sebei. This bone is large and robust, indicating a bird that was among the largest known enantiornithines, possibly the size of a Canada Goose (Branta canadensis). The new taxon is an addition to the short list of Late Cretaceous birds from France and confirms that enantiornithines were an important component of European avifaunas until late in the Cretaceous.     

中国新记录的隐粉蛉属及一新种记述：（脉翅目：粉蛉科）

隐粉蛉属Cryptoscenea在囊粉蛉亚科(Aleuropteryginae)中是比较特殊的,其前翅中脉上缺少一般均具有的2个脉鬃。Enderlein 1914年以其1906年所描述的Helicoconis australiensis作为模式种建立了此属,至今只记载有5个种,除1种在新几内亚外,其余均分布在澳洲,本文系此属在我国的首次纪录,并增加1新种。所有模式标本均保存在北京农业大学昆虫标本室。