Redescriptions of three species in the louse genus Myrsidea (Insecta: Phthiraptera: Amblycera).

The black-throated tit, Aegithalos concinnus, and long-tailed tit, A. caudatus, are two widely-distributed species of Aegithalidae. They are thought to be monomorphic and thus difficult to differentiate between sexes in the field. We determined the sex of 296 black-throated tits and 129 long-tailed tits using DNA analysis, evaluated their sexual size dimorphism, and developed discriminant models to identify sex based on morphometries, including bill length, bill depth, bill-head length, maximum tarsus length, tarsus width, wing length, tail length, total body length, and body mass. Both species were sexually dimorphic in size, with males having larger measurements than females, except for bill length in black-throated tits, and both bill length and body mass in long-tailed tits. Moreover, both species showed similar sexual size dimorphism (SSD) among the morphological features, with tail length having the highest SSD value. The multivariate discriminant models for sex identification had an accuracy of 82% for both species, which was slightly higher than the best univariate discriminatory model for each species. Because of the complicated nature of the multivariate model, we recommend univariate models for sex identification using D = 0.491 × tail length - 24.498 (accuracy 80%) for black-throated tits and D = 0.807 × wing length - 45.934 (accuracy 78%) for long-tailed tits. Females in both species showed generally higher morphological variation than did males, resulting in lower accuracies in all discriminate functions regardless of univariate or multivariate approach. This could be the result of a sex-biased selective pressure in which males have higher selective pressures for these morphological features.

A new genus of chewing louse asBobdalgleishia, and its type species Bobdalgleishiastephanophallussp. n. (Phthiraptera) belonging to the Brueelia-complex (Ischnocera: Philopteridae) are described. Adults of the new species are fully described, illustrated and compared morphologically with the type species of Motmotnirmus Mey & Barker, 2014, which is its closest relative. The type host of Bobdalgleishiastephanophallus is a subspecies of the great jacamar Jacameropsaureusridgwayi Todd, 1943, an endemic Amazonian bird distributed in northern Brazil, and the type locality is the State of Pará. Bobdalgleishia is a remarkable genus with unique morphological and chaetotaxic characters which readily separate it from other members of the Brueelia-complex, in particular by having the first two marginal temporal and ocular setae very long.

Host associations of highly host-specific chewing lice (Insecta: Phthiraptera) across multiple avian species remains fairly undocumented in the West African country of Benin. Two hundred and seventeen bird specimens collected from multiple localities across Benin and housed at the Texas A&M University Biodiversity Research and Teaching Collections were examined for lice. Lice were identified and genetic data (mitochondrial COI and nuclear EF-1α genes) were obtained and phylogenetically analyzed. In total, we found 15 host associations, 7 of which were new to science. Genetically, most lice from Benin were unique and could represent new species. Based on host associations and unique genetic lineages, we estimate we discovered a minimum of 4 and possibly as many as 8 new chewing louse species. Given the lack of current data on chewing louse species distributions in Benin, this study adds to the knowledge of host associations, geographic distribution, and genetic variability of avian chewing louse species in West Africa.

I describe and illustrate five new species of chewing lice in the genus Halipeurus, parasitic on petrels from the Pacific and the Atlantic Oceans. They are: Halipeurus confusus n. sp. from Pterodroma nigripennis; H. pricei n. sp. from Pterodroma brevipes and Pt. leucoptera; H. atlanticus n. sp. from Pterodroma cahow and Pt. madeira; H. pelagodromae n. sp. from five subspecies of Pelagodroma marina; and H. vincesmithi n. sp. from Oceanodroma matsudairae. I discuss the morphological similarities of the currently recognised subgenera of Halipeurus and propose to synonymise them—Synnautes Thompson, 1936 and Anamias Timmermann, 1965—under the nominate subgenus. I propose two new synonymies at species level: Halipeurus sawadai Nakagawa, 1959 and Halipeurus angusticeps fosteri Edwards, 1961 both as junior synonyms of Halipeurus angusticeps (Piaget, 1880). Also, I propose to merge H. subclavus Timmermann, 1961 and Halipeurus spadix Timmermann, 1961 as subspecies of H. spadix. I report several new host-louse records for other Halipeurus species, and present additional information and illustrations for H. raphanus Timmermann, 1961, H. fallacis Timmermann, 1960, H. nesofregettae Timmermann, 1961 and H. spadix subclavus Timmermann, 1961 based on their type material and other specimens. Lectotypes of Lipeurus pelagicus Denny, 1842 and Lipeurus languidus Kellogg & Kuwana, 1902 are designated.

The Upper Devonian sedimentary sequences of Central Armenia, which mainly consist of shallow water, mixed carbonate-siliciclastic deposits, contain abundant and diverse brachiopods that are dominated by spiriferides. Based on newly collected material from the lower Famennian Aramazdospirifer orbelianus brachiopod zone (coeval to the Palmatolepis crepida conodont zone) of Armenia, we here introduce two new cyrtospiriferid genera and fully document their type species, including their intraspecific variability. Pentagonospirifer n. gen. is a monospecific genus assigned to the subfamily Cyrtospiriferinae that is currently known only from the lower Famennian of Armenia; it is likely that its type species, P. abrahamyanae n. sp., evolved from the species Cyrtospirifer verneuili sensu Abrahamyan, known from the Frasnian and lower Famennian of Armenia. The second new genus, Tornatospirifer n. gen., is assigned to the subfamily Cyrtiopsinae and defined on the basis of one of the most biostratigraphically valuable cyrtospiriferid species, namely T. armenicus n. comb., described previously from the lower Famennian Aramazdospirifer orbelianus Zone of Armenia. It is likely that it evolved from a Frasnian ancestral stock of Tiocyrspis Sartenaer, known from northwestern Europe, which probably migrated during the early Frasnian to the north Gondwanan margin. A neotype is selected for Abrahamyan's species because the type material is lost. Epibionts (Cornulites, Hederella) attached to brachiopods are also documented for the first time from the Upper Devonian of Armenia.UUID: http://zoobank.org/923d232f-cd6a-48bb-8a05-27c689058b65.

We describe and illustrate three new species of chewing lice in the genus Philopteroides parasitic on passerines (Order Passeriformes, families Acanthizidae, Rhipiduridae and Petroicidae) from New Zealand. They are: Philopteroides pilgrimi sp. n. from Gerygone igata igata; Philopteroides fuliginosus sp. n. from Rhipidura fuliginosa placabilis and Rhipidura fuliginosa fuliginosa; and Philopteroides macrocephalus sp. n. from Petroica macrocephala macrocephala and Petroica macrocephala dannefaerdi. The identity of Docophorus lineatus Giebel, 1874 is discussed based on its morphology and host association. We also transfer Tyranniphilopterus beckeri to the genus Philopteroides, and provide a key to identify adults of 12 of the 13 species now included in Philopteroides.

The link between human, animal, and environmental health is the cornerstone of the One Health concept, in which the health of each of these entities is inextricably linked. The One Health concept has gained extensive recognition with the recent outbreaks of zoonotic diseases, including the highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI) H5N1 strain that moved across Asia, Europe, the Middle East, and parts of Africa in the past 15 years, and the 1999 outbreak of West Nile virus (WNV) that rapidly spread across the United States. The chapters in the book Emerging Avian Disease cover disease topics that are of current interest and importance to birds and humans. While not every disease covered in this book has direct zoonotic potential, related organisms do cause disease in humans (e.g., avian malaria versus human malaria, both caused by Plasmodium spp.). The study of disease transmission, population effects, and factors that affect the host–organism dynamics have direct relevance to furthering our understanding of wildlife diseases and improving our preparation and responses to new or emerging disease outbreaks, some of which will have public health significance. The eight chapters in this book are divided into three parts. Part 1 is Environmental and Behavioral Aspects of Transmission. In Chapter 1, ‘‘Ecological Associations of West Nile Virus and Avian Hosts in an Arid Environment,’’ the authors model the effects of species, age, sex, season, year, residency (breeding or migratory) status, and habitat (urban, agricultural, desert, and riparian habitats in southern New Mexico) on prevalence of WNV antibodies in multiple species of wild birds to gain a better understanding of the relationship between exposure to WNV and avian life history traits. Birds in desert habitats had the lowest antibody prevalence and highest species diversity, while the opposite was found in birds in agricultural habitats. Higher abundance of competent host species (those birds that mount and maintain a measureable antibody response) and habitat suitable for mosquito breeding likely contributed to the results in agricultural areas. In Chapter 2, ‘‘Trans-Atlantic Movement of the Spirochete Borrelia garinii: The Role of Ticks and Their Seabird Hosts,’’ the authors investigate the presence of the spirochete B. garinii in ticks collected from nesting sea bird colonies in the Atlantic northeast; B. garinii is a genospecies closely related to B. burgdorferi sensu lato, which causes Lyme borreliosis in humans and other animals. With genetic testing of B. garinii, the isolates had similarity to strains collected in Western Europe, leading the authors to hypothesize possible models for disease transmission via tick-infested sea birds moving between Europe and the northeast Atlantic region. In Chapter 3, ‘‘Parasitism in the Endemic Galapagos Dove (Zenaida galpagoensis) and its Relation to Host Genetic Diversity and Immune Response,’’ the authors evaluate genetic diversity, immune response, and body condition in the Galapagos dove in six island populations, relative to parasitism by the avian blood parasite Haemoproteus multipigmentatus and two species of chewing lice (Columbicola macrourae, Physconelloides galapagensis). Reduced parasite loads were associated with increased genetic diversity and improved body condition, and the presence of blood parasites increased immune system activation, as measured by leukocyte counts. Part 2 is Population Level Impacts, and Monitoring, Detection. In Chapter 4, ‘‘Prevalence and Effects of West Nile BOOK REVIEWS

The geographical range of the typically host-specific species of chewing lice (Phthiraptera) is often assumed to be similar to that of their hosts. We tested this assumption by reviewing the published records of twelve species of chewing lice parasitizing wild and domestic chicken, one of few bird species that occurs globally. We found that of the twelve species reviewed, eight appear to occur throughout the range of the host. This includes all the species considered to be native to wild chicken, except Oxylipeurus dentatus (Sugimoto, 1934). This species has only been reported from the native range of wild chicken in Southeast Asia and from parts of Central America and the Caribbean, where the host is introduced. Potentially, this discontinuous distribution is due to a low tolerance for dry environments, possibly exacerbated by competitive exclusion by Cuclotogaster heterographus (Nitzsch, 1866). Our examinations of O. dentatus also revealed that this species differs significantly from other species of Oxylipeurus in the male and female genitalia, head structure and chaetotaxy, and other morphological characters. We therefore here erect the monotypic genus Gallancyra gen. nov. for O. dentatus, and redescribe the type species.

Functional diversity of fish communities has been measured according to (a) interspecific variability, assuming that intraspecific variability is negligible, or (b) morphological differences, as good descriptors of complex functions, such as diet. These two assumptions have been scarcely tested on the individual level, especially in species‐rich tropical ecosystems. Here, we adapted intraspecific specialisation (ISpe) and intraspecific originality indices (IOri) to assess complementary components of intraspecific variability. Next, we applied these indices to evaluate the intra‐ and interspecific variability of morphological and diet traits in two contrasting Brazilian stream‐dwelling fish assemblages (rainforest and savannah). We also compared correlations between morphology and diet at the individual and species level to test whether accounting for intraspecific variability increases the predictability of diet due to morphological differences. Significant contributions of intraspecific variability to differences between fish were revealed for morphology and diet. Intraspecific variability in the diet was higher than that in morphology in both assemblages. The ISpe was positively correlated to IOri in the diet of both ecosystems. The morphological–dietary relationships were significant but weak at both individual and species levels. Our findings highlight the importance of measuring individual variability and accounting for complementary components of the intraspecific variability (ISpe and IOri). Importantly, we showed that the variability in morphology does not predict diet variability at both intra‐ and interspecific levels. Thus, high intraspecific variability in morphology and diet challenges the use of functional traits measured at the species level to describe the functional diversity of different fish assemblages.

A new palaemonid shrimp genus, Michaelimenes n. gen., is established for three Indo-West Pacific species, Periclimenes latipollex Kemp, 1922, Periclimenes perlucidus Bruce, 1969 (type species) and Periclimenes platydactylus Li, 2008. The present new genus can be immediately distinguished from other related genera by the combination of the second pereiopod with the dorsal flange on the dactylus, the proximal excavation on the fixed finger and the smooth propodus, and the unarmed, non-subspatulate fingers of the first pereiopod. The type species, Michaelimenes perlucidus, is recorded from Japan for the first time on the basis of 34 specimens associated with the alcyonacean genus Chironephthya Studer, 1887. The intraspecific morphological variation and host specificity of M. perlucidus are commented upon. Periclimenes involens Bruce, 1996 is regarded as a junior synonym of M. perlucidus.

Revision of Fauveliopsidae Hartman, 1971 (Annelida, Sedentaria).

In order to determine genetic variability among 33 isolates of Fusarium semitectum, morpho- logical and molecular studies were carried out. Isolates from different paddy fields in the north of Iran were separated from each other in four morphotype groups. The isolates showed a high level of variation in aerial mycelium, color of colony, number of septa and growth rate on potato dextrose agar (PDA). Comparison between morphological and molecular methods revealed that in some cases, the groupings of isolates based on morphological method was consistent with molecular groupings with a few exceptions. The results indicate that RAPD-PCR and REP-PCR could be used for monitoring intraspecific genetic variability within F. semitectum.

BackgroundA deep divergence of mitochondrial DNA is common in species delimitated by morphological traits. Several hypotheses can explain such variations, such as cryptic species, introgression, allopatric divergence and ancestral lineage. The black-throated tit harbors several deeply divergent mitochondrial lineages. Two lineages with 5% divergence, but having a high level of gene flow, have been detected in its subspecies, A. C. concinnus and A. c. talifuenses. In this study, we conducted a genetic analysis at a contact zone of these two lineages to identify whether these lineages either reflect a high level of intraspecific variation in mitochondrial loci or represent incipient speciation. Mitochondrial ND2 and 11 microsatellite loci were used to conduct phylogenetic and population structure analyses.ResultsND2 haplotypes actually diverged into two groups within subspecies A. c. talifuenses; however, they formed a non-sister relationship when including all available GenBank ND2 sequences. Analyses of microsatellite data indicated no existing population structure and showed a pattern of isolation by distance. Individuals sampled at the contact zone were almost identified as F2 hybrids.ConclusionsIsolation for 2.4 Ma, as suggested by a previous study, appeared to be insufficient to develop robust reproductive barriers. Reproductive barriers were weak, or even absent between the divergent lineages, highlighting that incipient speciation was unlikely to be the case. Considering the results from previous studies, the divergent lineages may be better explained by secondary contact after allopatric isolation because of Pleistocene climate changes, but other hypotheses cannot be definitively ruled out because of the lack of representative samples from the other distribution region and its relatives. Considering that divergence in morphology was hardly observed and the particular split in genetics, the two subspecies might be better merged. The current findings also highlight the likely contribution of male-biased dispersal to male-biased gene flow among mitochondrial lineages; more efforts are needed to illustrate the evolutionary history of the black-throated tit.

The trait-based approach to ecology promises to provide a mechanistic understanding of species distributions and ecosystem functioning. Typically, trait analyses focus on average species trait values and assume that intraspecific variation is small or negligible. Recent work has shown, however, that intraspecific trait variation can often contribute substantially to total trait variation. Whilst many studies have investigated intraspecific variation in plants, very few have done so for invertebrates. There is no research on the level of intraspecific trait variation in ants (Hymenoptera: Formicidae), despite the fact that there is a growing body of literature using ant morphological trait data and demonstrating that these insects play important roles in many ecosystems and food webs. Here, we investigate the intraspecific variability of four commonly used ant morphological traits from 23 species from the Maloti-Drakensberg Mountains of southern Africa. In total, we measured 1145 different individuals and made 6870 trait measurements. Intraspecific variation accounted for only 1–4% of total trait variation for each of the four traits we analysed. We found no links between intraspecific variation, phylogeny and elevation. On average, six individuals generated robust species means but under biased sampling scenarios 20 individuals were needed. The low levels of intraspecific morphological variation that we find suggest that the approach of using mean species traits is valid, in this fauna at least. Regardless, we encourage ant trait ecologists to measure greater numbers of individuals, especially across gradients, to shed further light on intraspecific variation in this functionally important group of insects.

We studied the interspecific and intraspecific variation in the development of water stress and in the use of different water and nitrogen sources during the spring (wet season) and summer (dry season) in a shrub community in NE Spain. We measured shoot water potentials, stable deuterium isotopic composition (delta D) of xylem sap, leaf mass per area, leaf N and C concentrations, gas exchange, leaf delta(13)C, and leaf delta(15)N of the dominant species (Quercus coccifera, Arbutus unedo, Pistacia lentiscus, Erica multiflora, Globularia alypum). The delta D, the delta(13)C and the shoot water potential values showed diurnal, seasonal, intraspecific and interspecific variation in the source and use of water. There was also seasonal, intraspecific and interspecific variation in the foliar delta(15)N and N concentrations. In summer, some species (A. unedo, P. lentiscus and E. multiflora) presented significantly different delta D values in morning and afternoon measurements likely indicating that they used different sources of water during the day, and a dual root system in these species. We conjecture that dew may be one of these water sources. Species predawn water potential was negatively correlated with species xylem water delta D. There was also a positive correlation between delta(13)C and delta D in P. lentiscus, species for which we took additional samples from nearby sites. These results suggest that the access to water from greater depths allowed the maintenance of more favourable plant water supply. Multivariate principal component analysis based on the studied hydrological and isotope variables clearly separated the seasons (wet spring and dry summer) and the species. The species resulted separated according to their evolutionary history (Pre-Mediterranean and Mediterranean) and the associated root and functional traits. These results show water (and nitrogen) partitioning among coexisting species of the same functional type (Mediterranean woody shrubs). They also show the great intraspecific plasticity of responses to resource availability.