The genus Asiabregma Belokobylskij,Zaldivar & Maeto (Hymenoptera: Braconidae) from China,with description of a new species

The small Asian genus Asiabregma Belokobylskij, Zaldivar & Maeto 2008 is recorded from China for the first time and one new species, A. achterbergi sp. nov., is described and illustrated. A key to species of genus Asiabregma is updated to include A. achterbergi. The relationship between Asiabregma and other members of the subtribe Facitorina and the systematic position of Facitorina are discussed.     

Phylogenetic relationships of a new species of pseudoxyrhophiine snake (Reptilia: Lamprophiidae: Thamnosophis) suggest a biogeographical link between western and northern Madagascar

We describe a new species of the pseudoxyrhophiine snake genus Thamnosophis from a dry forest of the karstic massif Tsingy de Bemaraha in central western Madagascar. Thamnosophis mavotenda sp. n. is characterised by 19 dorsal scale rows, 188 ventrals, 110 subcaudals, and by colouration (e.g. yellow head sides). Morphological and molecular phylogenetic data indicate that the species is most closely related to the recently described Thamnosophis martae from the far north of the island which inhabits dry karstic forest and subhumid lowland rainforest. This species pair represents a well-supported example of a sister-group relationship in snakes between northern Madagascar and the Tsingy de Bemaraha plateau, and corroborates preliminary observations in other reptile species. We discuss this finding in the light of recent hypotheses on the biogeographic zonation of Madagascar.     

A new lotic species of the genus Leptocerus Leach (Trichoptera, Leptoceridae) from Japan

A new lotic species of leptocerid caddisfly, Leptocerus fluminalis sp. nov., is described based on adult and immature stages from Japan. The habitat and gut contents of this species are noted.     

Recent progress in structural studies of carotenoids in animals and plants

About 750 naturally occurring carotenoids had been reported as of 2004. Furthermore, annually, more than 20 new structures of carotenoids are reported. Improvements of analytical instruments such as NMR, MS, HPLC, etc., have made it possible to perform the structural elucidation of very minor carotenoids in nature. Interesting new structural carotenoids can still be identified in aquatic animals and higher plants. The present paper provides a review of new structural carotenoids isolated from aquatic animals and higher plants by our group over the last five years.     

The effect of bacterivorous nematodes on detritus incorporation by macrofaunal detritivores: A study using stable isotope and fatty acid analyses

Several studies have investigated the effect of nematodes on microbial degradation of macrophyte detritus, but little is known about the potential effect of bacterivorous nematodes on productivity of macrofaunal detritivores. We investigated the influence of the bacterivorous nematode Rhabditis (Pellioditis) mediterranea on the incorporation rate of isotopically-labelled macroalgal detritus by the amphipod Paramoera chevreuxi in a laboratory microcosm. The fatty acid composition of amphipods, nematodes, and macroalgal detritus was characterized to help determine the pathway of detritus incorporation by amphipods. The potential importance of R. mediterranea as a source of highly unsaturated fatty acids (HUFAs) to higher trophic levels was also investigated.We found no clear evidence for an effect of nematodes on the incorporation rate of fresh macroalgal detritus by amphipods, although there was some indication that the type of detritus (i.e. the green Chaetomorpha sp. vs the red Polysiphonia sp.) is important in determining the nature and extent of the relationship between nematodes and macrofaunal detritivores. Fatty acid data indicated that nematodes did not contribute significantly to the diet of amphipods when detritus was present, and there was no evidence that nematodes affected the pathway of detritus incorporation by amphipods. Amphipods incorporated Chaetomorpha sp. detritus about 10 times faster than Polysiphonia sp. detritus despite the higher C/N ratio and lower HUFA content of the former. This suggests that other factors, such as the presence of grazer deterrent compounds, are important in determining the palatability of macroalgal detritus. Amphipods fed exclusively on nematodes retained high HUFA levels but suffered high mortality. The burrowing behaviour of nematodes is suggested as the most likely factor limiting their availability to predators.Results suggest a limited interaction between amphipods and bacterivorous nematodes in detrital food webs. Further experiments are needed to test the wider applicability of these findings to different nematode and macrofaunal taxa, and for different types of detritus.     

An Examination of Scale-Dependent Resource Use by Eastern Hognose Snakes in Southcentral New Hampshire

ABSTRACT The decline of many snake populations is attributable to habitat loss, and knowledge of habitat use is critical to their conservation. Resource characteristics (e.g., relative availability of different habitat types, soils, and slopes) within a landscape are scale-dependent and may not be equal across multiple spatial scales. Thus, it is important to identify the relevant spatial scales at which resource selection occurs. We conducted a radiotelemetry study of eastern hognose snake (Heterodon platirhinos) home range size and resource use at different hierarchical spatial scales. We present the results for 8 snakes radiotracked during a 2-year study at New Boston Air Force Station (NBAFS) in southern New Hampshire, USA, where the species is listed by the state as endangered. Mean home range size (minimum convex polygon) at NBAFS (51.7 ± 14.7 ha) was similar to that reported in other parts of the species’ range. Radiotracked snakes exhibited different patterns of resource use at different spatial scales. At the landscape scale (selection of locations within the landscape), snakes overutilized old-field and forest edge habitats and underutilized forested habitats and wetlands relative to availability. At this scale, snakes also overutilized areas containing sandy loam soils and areas with lower slope (mean slope = 5.2% at snake locations vs. 6.7% at random locations). We failed to detect some of these patterns of resource use at the home range scale (i.e., within the home range). Our ability to detect resource selection by the snakes only at the landscape scale is likely the result of greater heterogeneity in macrohabitat features at the broader landscape scale. From a management perspective, future studies of habitat selection for rare species should include measurement of available habitat at spatial scales larger than the home range. We suggest that the maintenance of open early successional habitats as a component of forested landscapes will be critical for the persistence of eastern hognose snake populations in the northeastern United States.     

Chromosomal analysis in Cathartidae: distribution of heterochromatic blocks and rDNA, and phylogenetic considerations

Three species of Cathartidae (Sarcoramphus papa, Cathartes aura and Cathartes burrovianus) were cytogenetically characterized by G- and C-banding. 18S–28S rDNA was used as a probe to map major ribosomal clusters. These species showed very similar karyotypes, with 2n = 80, 10 pairs of macrochromosomes, a submetacentric Z and a metacentric W chromosome. However, differences were found in the amount and distribution of heterochromatic blocks: S. papa showed heterochromatin only in the pericentromeric region and in chromosome W, while both species of Cathartes had heterochromatic blocks also in the long arm of two acrocentric pairs. Ribosomal clusters were found in a small pair in all three species. Karyotype analysis in Cathartidae revealed that this family has retained similarities to the putative avian ancestral karyotype, and placed Cathartidae in a more basal position in relation to Accipitridae and Falconidae. However, the cytogenetic data still cannot clarify the phylogenetic relationship between this family and other groups, such as Ciconiidae, considered its sister-group according to nucleic acid hybridization studies. J. C. Pieczarka and C. Y. Nagamachi—Researcher from CNPq, Brazil.     

A new fertile Neocalamites from the Upper Permian of Russia and equisetophyte evolution

This paper deals with Neocalamites tubulatus nov. sp., an equisetophyte belonging to the Equisetaceae family. The material studied originates from the Upper Permian deposits of the northern part of European Russia. N. tubulatus nov. sp. is characterized by both sterile and fertile organs belonging to the same parent plant. It has long, flexible stems, rarely branched, with alternating nodes and prolonged ribs on the stem surface corresponding to vascular strands of the stem, and compact lateral strobili, in general aspect similar to the strobili of extant species of Equisetum. N. tubulatus nov. sp. is one of the most ancient representatives of the Equisetaceae family, which shows a distinct morphological pattern of features, among which the lateral position of strobili, characteristic of primitive equisetophytes, is most prominent in this phase of their evolution.