Ladislavella tumrokensis: The first molecular evidence of a Nearctic clade of lymnaeid snails inhabiting Eurasia

In this study, we provide the first molecular evidence for a possible connection between freshwater mollusc faunas across the Bering Strait via the Beringian Land Bridge using data inferred from gastropods of the family Lymnaeidae. The gastropods collected from geothermal springs in the Tumrok Mountains, West Kamchatka, Russia, share the nuclear internal transcribed spacer 2 (ITS2) and the cytochrome oxidase subunit I gene (COI) haplotypes, thus being as sister to those recorded for lymnaeid snails in the Stagnicola elodes group from Canada and the USA. Two lymnaeid species, Lymnaea (Orientogalba) tumrokensis Kruglov and Starobogatov, 1985 Kruglov, N. D., & Starobogatov, Y. I. (1985). Ob'yom podroda Galba i skhodnykh s nim podrodov roda Lymnaea [The volume of the subgenus Galba and of the other similar subgenera of the genus Lymnaea (Gastropoda, Pulmonata)]. Zoologicheskiy Zhurnal, 64, 24–35.[Web of Science ®] , [Google Scholar] and Lymnaea (Polyrhytis) kurenkovi Kruglov and Starobogatov, 1989 Kruglov, N. D., & Starobogatov, Y. I. (1989). Mollyuski podroda Polyrhytis roda Lymnaea fauny SSSR (Pulmonata, Lymnaeidae) [Molluscs of the subgenus Polyrhytis of the genus Lymnaea of the fauna of the USSR (Pulmonata, Lymnaeidae)]. Zoologicheskiy Zhurnal, 68, 14–20.[Web of Science ®] , [Google Scholar], were described from the Tumrok geothermal locality, but actually they are morphological variations of a single taxon of subspecies rank re-classified here as Ladislavella catascopium tumrokensis. This subspecies is the first discovered representative in the genus, which formed a dwarf race in a geothermal habitat. Our findings highlight the possible exchange between freshwater faunas in Beringia during the Pleistocene and an important role of geothermal ecosystems as possible cryptic refugia for freshwater hydrobionts.     

Spider biodiversity patterns and their conservation in the Azorean archipelago,with descriptions of new species

Abstract

In this contribution, we report on patterns of spider species diversity of the Azores, based on recently standardised sampling protocols in different habitats of this geologically young and isolated volcanic archipelago. A total of 122 species is investigated, including eight new species, eight new records for the Azorean islands and 61 previously known species, with 131 new records for individual islands. Biodiversity patterns are investigated, namely patterns of range size distribution for endemics and non‐endemics, habitat distribution patterns, island similarity in species composition and the estimation of species richness for the Azores. Newly described species are: Oonopidae ‐ Orchestina furcillata Wunderlich; Linyphiidae: Linyphiinae ‐ Porrhomma borgesi Wunderlich; Turinyphia cavernicola Wunderlich; Linyphiidae: Micronetinae ‐Agyneta depigmentata Wunderlich; Linyphiidae: Erigoninae ‐ Acorigone gen. nov. with its type species Acorigone zebraneus Wunderlich; Clubionidae ‐ Cheiracanthium floresense Wunderlich; Cheiracanthium jorgeense Wunderlich; Salticidae ‐ Neon acoreensis Wunderlich. Other major taxonomic changes are: Diplocentria acoreensis Wunderlich, 1992 (Linyphiidae) is transferred to Acorigone (comb. nov.), Leucognatha Wunderlich 1995 (Tetragnathidae) is not an endemic genus of the Azores but an African taxon and synonymous with Sancus Tullgren, 1910; Leucognatha acoreensis Wunderlich, 1992 is transferred to Sancus. Minicia picoensis Wunderlich, 1992 is a synonym of M. floresensis Wunderlich, 1992. For each species additional information is presented about its known distribution in the islands, its colonisation status, habitat occurrence and biogeographical origin.     

The major diversity centre for Neotropical Turneraceae

The Neotropical country where the Turneraceae are best represented is Brazil; 82% of the American species are native, and 73% of them are endemic to this country. The most diverse states are Bahia, Minas Gerais and Goiás. Within this area the diversity – in terms of number of species – was analysed at a level of one degree square, taking into account the phytogeographic domains (biomes) recognized in Brazil. The distribution of endemic and rare species was also explored. The major centre of diversity is located in the Chapada Diamantina, Bahia, inside the biome ‘Caatinga’, but there are hotspots in Minas Gerais and Goiás, within the biome ‘Cerrado’. The biome with highest number of endemic species is the ‘Cerrado’, followed by the ‘Caatinga’.     

Diversity and endemism of ciliates inhabiting Neotropical phytotelmata

While the diversity and distribution of macro-organisms living in phytotelmata (plant-container habitats) is well known, detailed taxonomic work on micro-organisms living in the same environments is limited. As a model clade of microbial eukaryotes, sampling of ciliates in Neotropical bromeliad tanks increased, and Neotropical phytotelmata such as bamboo stumps and tree holes were newly sampled. Thirty-three isolates from Brazil, Costa Rica, Dominican Republic, Jamaica and Mexico were sequenced for small subunit rDNA, and placed into a phylogenetic context using non-phytotelmata GenBank accessions. This and the morphological investigations discovered 45 undescribed, possibly endemic ciliate species. The potential endemics are from throughout most clades of the ciliate tree of life, and there is evidence of speciation within the Neotropical phytotelmata habitat. Our data show the number of potential Neotropical phytotelmata-endemic ciliate species increasing as more phytotelmata are sampled. While the new data show that the supposed endemics are mainly recruited from moss and ephemeral limnetic habitats, the bromeliad ciliate fauna is quite distinct from those of other limnetic habitats, lacking many typical and common freshwater genera, such as Coleps, Colpidium, Frontonia, Paramecium, Glaucoma, Nassula, Stylonychia and Trithigmostoma. There is no indication that specific ciliates are confined to specific bromeliads.     

Vulnerability of terrestrial island vertebrates to projected sea‐level rise

Sea‐level rise (SLR) from global warming may have severe consequences for biodiversity; however, a baseline, broad‐scale assessment of the potential consequences of SLR for island biodiversity is lacking. Here, we quantify area loss for over 12 900 islands and over 3000 terrestrial vertebrates in the Pacific and Southeast Asia under three different SLR scenarios (1 m, 3 m and 6 m). We used very fine‐grained elevation information, which offered >100 times greater spatial detail than previous analyses and allowed us to evaluate thousands of hitherto not assessed small islands. Depending on the SLR scenario, we estimate that 15–62% of islands in our study region will be completely inundated and 19–24% will lose 50–99% of their area. Overall, we project that between 1% and 9% of the total island area in our study region may be lost. We find that Pacific species are 2–3 times more vulnerable than those in the Indomalayan or Australasian region and risk losing 4–22% of range area (1–6 m SLR). Species already listed as threatened by IUCN are particularly vulnerable compared with non‐threatened species. Under a simple area loss–species loss proportionality assumption, we estimate that 37 island group endemic species in this region risk complete inundation of their current global distribution in the 1 m SLR scenario that is widely anticipated for this century (and 118 species under 3 m SLR). Our analysis provides a first, broad‐scale estimate of the potential consequences of SLR for island biodiversity and our findings confirm that islands are extremely vulnerable to sea‐level rise even within this century.     

中国特有珍稀植物伯乐树的研究进展和科研方向

伯乐树系我国特有珍稀植物,然而关于其保护生物学的研究非常薄弱,综述了其地理分布、生态习性和研究进展,并从保护生物学的角度讨论了亟需解决的问题和其今后的科研方向.     

浙江省野生兰科植物区系分析

在查阅文献的基础上,以天目山国家级自然保护区、清凉峰国家级自然保护区和百山祖国家级自然保护区为重点调查区域,对浙江省野生兰科(Orchidaceae)植物的区系组成及特点、生活型和地理成分类型进行了调查和分析。结果显示:浙江省共有野生兰科植物2亚科45属89种(含变种),其中杓兰亚科(Subfam.Cypripedioideae)1属1种、兰亚科(Subfam.Orchidoideae)4族44属88种;以单种和寡种分布的属所占比例最大,共占总属数的84.4%;中国特有种22种,占总种数的24.7%。生活型包括地生型、附生型和腐生型,各有62、24和3种,以地生型为主。浙江省兰科植物区系中属的分布区类型可分为10个类型及2个亚型,以热带亚洲至热带大洋洲分布型属和东亚分布型属为主,占总属数的22.2%;热带分布成分有22属35种,分别占总属数和总种数的48.9%和39.3%,温带分布成分有19属27种,分别占总属数和总种数的42.2%和30.3%。在浙江省兰科植物区系中包含了杓兰属(CypripediumL.)、头蕊兰属(CephalantheraL.C.Rich.)和朱兰属(PogoniaJuss.)等较原始类群,同时中国特有种类丰富,且表现出本地特有种的分化。综合分析结果表明:浙江省野生兰科植物区系的热带亲缘关系较强,起源较古老且分化程度较高,在系统与演化研究方面具有一定意义。     

Review of the Permian family Permulidae nomen novum pro Aliculidae Storozhenko, 1997 (Grylloblattida)

A new replacement name Permulidaenom. n. is proposed for the Permian family Aliculidae Storozhenko, 1997 (Insecta: Grylloblattida). A review of Permulidae is given. All genera and species are redescribed and illustrated. A key to genera of Permulidae is given. New taxa of Permulidae are described: Permula edemskiisp. n., Sojanopermula rasnitsynisp. n., Kazanalicula reductagen. et sp. n., Mezenalicula connatagen. et sp. n., all from the Soyana locality (Middle Permian, Kazanian Stage; Arkhangelsk Region, Russia), and Mezenalicula conjunctasp. n. from the Isady locality (Upper Permian, Severodvinian Stage; Vologda Region, Russia). New combinations are proposed: Permula minor (Aristov, 2004), comb. n. for Sojanopermula minor Aristov, 2004; Permula tshekardensis (Aristov, 2004), comb. n. for Sojanopermula tshekardensis Aristov, 2004. A new genus Acropermulagen. n. (type species: Permula acra Kukalová, 1964, from the Lower Permian of Czech Republic) is established in the family Ideliidae. Neraphidia Novokshonov & Novokshonova, 1997 is transferred from Aliculidae to the order Eoblattida as a genus of uncertain taxonomic position inside this order.     

Pollen morphology of endemic species of the Gonospermum Less., Lugoa DC. and Tanacetum L. complex (Asteraceae: Anthemideae) in the Canary Islands (Spain), and its taxonomical implications

The pollen of nine endemic taxa of the Gonospermum Less., Lugoa DC. and Tanacetum L. complex and of T. parthenium L. (introduced species from the Canary Islands) was studied using light and scanning electron microscopy with the aim of extending the knowledge of their morphology and to investigate whether pollen morphology may help clarifying the controversial taxonomy of these taxa. Twenty six populations in the Canary Islands (Spain) were studied and the following parameters were measured: polar axis (P), equatorial diameter (E), polar exine thickness (Ex1), length (L) and thickness (A) of the spines in the meridional optical section, exine thickness at the centre of the mesocolpium in the interapertural area (Ex2) and distance between spines (De) in the equatorial optical section. The studies show that the pollen of the three genera is very similar regarding shape, apertures, and ornamentation, but may be distinguished by size and exine thickness.     

Preliminary study on ecology of Bulinus jousseaumei in Schistosoma haematobium endemic rural community of Nigeria

The endemicity of schistosomiasis depends to a large extent on the presence of appropriate freshwater snail species with latent infection, and the quality of the microhabitat of the snails may favour or hinder their development and growth. Monthly in situ determinations of water temperature, pH, total dissolved solid (TDS), conductivity and dissolved oxygen were carried out. Monthly sampling of snails was also conducted. The planorbid snail species morphologically identified were Gyraulus costulatus, Biomphalaria pfeifferi, Bulinus globosus, B. senegalensis, B. jousseaumei, Segmentorbis augustus, Ferrisia sp and Lymnaea natalensis. The most abundant snail species was Gyraulus costulatus (62.2%). Snail density correlated positively with dissolved oxygen (r = 0.349; P = 0.266), while a negative relationship occurred between snail density and conductivity (r = ?0.064; P = 0.843). None of the B. globosus examined shed cercariae, while 12.5% of B. jousseaumei shed cercariae. The occurrence of B. jousseaumei in this study proves its presence in Nigeria and suggests its combined roles with B. globosus in the transmission of urogenital schistosomiasis in the endemic rural communities of Yewa North Local Government Area of Ogun State, Nigeria. Further studies on the geographical distribution of B. jousseaumei are recommended for better understanding of its epidemiological contribution to schistosomiasis in Nigeria.