Two new species of Haptoglossa from north-east England

Two new species of Haptoglossa , one zoosporic, H. northumbrica , and one aplanosporic, H. polymorphs, , were isolated from samples of manure and horse dung in north-east England. The zoosporic H. northumbrica is morphologically similar to H. dickii but differs in having slightly smaller infection gun cells with a unique internal arrangement of cones in the apical missile chamber. The thallus of the aplanosporic H. polymorpha is similar to H. heteromorpha but produces three different types of aplanospore. The smaller cysts either develop into broad, arcuate gun cells or form curved adhesive cells that have a rounded base. These curved adhesive cells have very different internal ultrastructural organization. The large cysts develop into infection cells that are morphologically similar to the curved adhesive cells, but their internal structure has not yet been observed.     

Melanocytes Fail to Survive in Hair Bulbs of the Shiba Goat (Capra hircus) With the Dominant Black-Eyed White Phenotype

Dominant black-eyed white phenotypes are one of the most commonly observed traits in domestic animals. Their genetic control mechanisms, however, have not been elucidated. As the first step to approach the problem, we examined histologically the patterns of the distribution of pigment cells in Shiba goats (two each of day-73-postcoitum and day-112-postcoitum fetuses, and a 15-week-old kid) with the dominant black-eyed white phenotype. Melanocytes were present and fully pigmented in the choroid and the sclera of eyes, as well as in dorsal skin epidermis of the fetuses and of the kid. Melanocytes were also found in approximately 6% of the hair bulbs in the fetal dorsal skin, while the rest (94%) lacked them. Hair follicles of the kid did not harbor melanocytes except for some in the early anagen stage. The results suggest that the survival of melanocytes was inhibited specifically in the hair follicles of the Shiba goat with the dominant black-eyed white phenotype and that the ostensibly similar phenotypes in the Shiba goat and in the SI or W mutants of the mouse, where melanocytes die en route to the hair bulbs, are regulated by different mechanisms.     

Humans and other animals and the plants they ingest

Primula allionii is endemic to a tiny area of the Maritime Alps and has one of the narrowest distribution ranges in this hotspot of biodiversity. Phylogeographical patterns in P. allionii were studied using plastid DNA markers and dominantly inherited markers (AFLP and ISSR) to verify any admixture between P. allionii and the sympatric P. marginata and to detect the phylogeographical history of the species. Morphometric measurements of flowers and admixture analysis support the hypothesis that hybridization occurs in nature. Species distribution models using two climate models (CCSM and MIROC) suggested a reduction in habitat suitability during cold periods. Phylogeographical analysis suggested an old allopatric divergence during the mid‐Pleistocene transition (about 0.8 Mya) without recolonization/contraction cycles. The Alps watershed does not act as a strong barrier between the two main areas of the distribution range, and moderate gene flow by pollen seems to create the admixture recorded among the stands. According to our results, the persistence of P. allionii throughout the Ice Age appears to be linked to the capacity of the Maritime Alps to provide a wide diversity of microhabitats consistent with the recent biogeographical pattern proposed for the Mediterranean Basin. © 2013 The Linnean Society of London, Botanical Journal of the Linnean Society, 2013, 173 , 637–653.     

Reassessment of cf. Halticosaurus orbitoangulatus from the Upper Triassic (Norian) of Germany – a pseudosuchian,not a dinosaur

The holotype of cf. Halticosaurus orbitoangulatus Huene, 1932, comprises an incomplete and macerated but associated skull of an archosaurian reptile from the middle (second) Stubensandstein (middle Löwenstein Formation; Upper Triassic: Norian) of Baden‐Württemberg, Germany. It was originally interpreted as a theropod dinosaur but more recently it has been suggested that this taxon has crocodylomorph affinities. Detailed preparation of the holotype of cf. H. orbitoangulatus has revealed much new anatomical information and permitted reassessment of its affinities. The maxilla lacks both a distinct antorbital fossa and a medial bony lamina bordering the antorbital fenestra. The lateral surface of the dentary bears a pronounced horizontal ridge. The squamosal differs from that of basal crocodylomorphs in being L‐shaped rather than arcuate in dorsal view, lacking a dorsolateral overhang, and lacking an interlocking contact with the paroccipital process as, for example, in the basal crocodylomorph Saltoposuchus connectens from the same horizon and locality. Phylogenetic analysis placed cf. H. orbitoangulatus amongst loricatan pseudosuchians (but not amongst Crocodylomorpha) rather than amongst theropod dinosaurs. The holotype of cf. H. orbitoangulatus represents a previously unrecognized taxon of loricatan pseudosuchian, which is here named Apatosuchus orbitoangulatus and set apart from other known Norian‐age non‐crocodylomorph loricatans by its apparently much smaller size. © 2013 The Linnean Society of London     

Determinants of some leaf characteristics of Australian mangroves

Leaf characteristics reflecting the size, lifespan (longevity), moisture content (degree of succulence) and complexity of structure of 20 mangrove species were studied over several years at 13 locations along the tropical and subtropical Australian coast. These characteristics were found to fall generally within the ranges of those for woody species from other ecosystems. With the exception of one species, it was found that leaf longevity was related inversely to leaf moisture content, increasing from nearly 6 months in more succulent species to over 2 years in less succulent species. This suggested that more succulent leaves are less complex in their structure because they have less well‐developed ability to compartmentalize salt. There was a tendency also for leaf longevity to increase in species with larger leaves. These findings were consistent with the general view for land plants that leaf longevity is greater in species that have developed tolerance to environmental stress, salt particularly in the case of mangroves. Leaf tissue in such species is more robust or complex and requires greater metabolic resources in its construction; the plant is then advantaged by retaining the tissue for longer periods. Classification of the species considered here, based on their leaf longevity, moisture content and complexity, identified phylogenetically related species groupings that reflected these leaf longevity effects.     

Fourteen polymorphic microsatellite loci in the field gudgeon,Gnathopogon elongatus elongatus

We isolated and characterized 14 polymorphic microsatellite loci for the field gudgeon, Gnathopogon elongatus elongatus, a popular freshwater species in streams including agricultural canals in Japan. The number of observed alleles for each locus ranged from 9 to 24, and the values of observed and expected heterozygosities ranged from 0.750 to 1.000 and from 0.832 to 0.953, respectively. These microsatellite markers will be useful for studies of population genetic structure and genetic variability of the field gudgeon.     

EFFECTS OF EXOGENOUS AMINO ACIDS ON THE FLOWER AND FROND PRODUCTION IN DUCKWEED, LEMNA GIBBA G3

1. Twenty usual amino acids examined were shown to be dividedinto two groups with respect to their actions on the flowerformation (A) and frond multiplication (B) in a long-day duckweed,L. gibba G3. Amino acids of the first group (e.g., arginine)inhibited A without preventing B, and those of the second group(e.g., lysine) inhibited both A and B. The inhibition of flowerformation was always the greatest when amino acid was appliedat the induction period. 2. The floral inhibition by arginine applied at the inductionperiod was partially or wholly reversed by the simultaneousaddition of other amino acid (especially lysine) or by one additionallong day. The inhibitions by lysine, however, were not reversedby arginine. 3. It was discussed that the terminal step(s) of photoperiodicinduction process might depend largely on the relative in vivoconcentrations of amino acids. (Received January 28, 1964; )     

Litter‐trapping plants: filter‐feeders of the plant kingdom

Litter‐trapping plants have specialized growth habits and morphologies that enable them to capture falling leaf litter and other debris, which the plants use for nutrition after the litter has decayed. Litter is trapped via rosettes of leaves, specially modified leaves and/or upward‐growing roots (so‐called ‘root baskets’). Litter‐trappers, both epiphytic and terrestrial, are found throughout the tropics, with only a few extra‐tropical species, and they have evolved in many plant families. The trapped litter mass is a source of nutrients for litter‐trapping plants, as well as food and housing for commensal organisms. Despite their unique mode of life, litter‐trapping plants are not well documented, and many questions remain about their distribution, physiology and evolution.–© 2015 The Linnean Society of London, Botanical Journal of the Linnean Society, 2015, 179 , 554–586.