Biogeography Of Species Research Articles

Ecological associations distribution modelling of marine plankton at a global scale.

Marine plankton communities form intricate networks of interacting organisms at the base of the food chain, and play a central role in regulating ocean biogeochemical cycles and climate. However, predicting plankton community shifts in response to climate change remains challenging. While species distribution models are valuable tools for predicting changes in species biogeography under climate change scenarios, they generally overlook the key role of biotic interactions, which can significantly shape ecological processes and ecosystem responses. Here, we introduce a novel statistical framework, association distribution modelling (ADM), designed to model and predict ecological associations distribution in space and time. Applied on a Tara Oceans genome-resolved metagenomics dataset, the present-day biogeography of ADM-inferred marine plankton associations revealed four major biogeographic biomes organized along a latitudinal gradient. We predicted the evolution of these biome-specific communities in response to a climate change scenario, highlighting differential responses to environmental change. Finally, we explored the functional potential of impacted plankton communities, focusing on carbon fixation, outlining the predicted evolution of its geographical distribution and implications for ecosystem function.This article is part of the theme issue 'Connected interactions: enriching food web research by spatial and social interactions'.

Patterns and Drivers of Bumblebee Diversity in Gansu.

Understanding the influence of factors responsible for shaping community assemblage is crucial for biodiversity management and conservation. Gansu is one of the richest regions for bumblebee species in the world. We explored the distribution data of 52 bumblebee species collected in Gansu and its surroundings between 2002 and 2022, predicting habitat suitability based on 17 environmental variables using MaxEnt. The factors influencing community assemblage were assessed using canonical correspondence analysis. Net primary productivity, water vapor pressure, temperature seasonality, annual precipitation, and precipitation seasonality were some of the most influential drivers of species distributions. Based on Ward's agglomerative cluster analysis, four biogeographic zones are described: the Southern humid zone, the Western Qilian snow mountain zone, the Eastern Loess plateau zone, and the Western dry mountain zone. In the clusters of grid cells based on beta diversity values, the Southern humid zone comprised 42.5% of the grid cells, followed by the Eastern Loess plateau zone (32.5%), the Western dry mountain zone (20%), and the Western Qilian snow mountain zone (5%). Almost all the environmental factors showed a significant contribution to the assemblages of bumblebees of different groups. Our findings highlight the need for better data to understand species biogeography and diversity patterns, and they provide key baseline data for refining conservation strategies.

Extending Grime's CSR model to predict plant demographic responses across resource availability gradients: evidence from the patagonian steppes

Sexual reproduction, growth, and survival are crucial demographic strategies for plant population viability. Here, we propose a conceptual model predicting demographic responses of species based on their ecological strategy and the heterogeneity of environmental conditions within a biogeographical unit and then applied it to a case study from a 5˚ latitudinal gradient in the Patagonian steppes. We also aim to disentangle genetic from environmental effects on demographic responses. We performed in situ and common garden experiments with two species from six local populations of the Occidental Phytogeographical District of the Patagonian steppes. Species differ in key ecological traits, and thus fit into Grime's model for evolutionary strategies in plants: one as competitive species and the other as stress‐tolerant species. We calculated population growth rate (λ) and performed elasticity analyses to compare the contribution of each demographic strategy to population fitness between species and among local populations distributed along 600 km latitudinal gradient with differences in mean annual precipitation (MAP). We highlight four results. First, the competitive species change from sexual reproduction to growth as MAP increases. Second, the stress‐tolerant species relied on growth and survival along the MAP gradient. Third, interannual variation in resource availability modulated demographic responses for both strategies. Fourth, based on the comparison of the in situ and common garden experiments, we submit that demographic responses were genetically driven. Our study shows that demographic responses can be roughly predicted by the ecological strategy across environmental gradients. We show that differences arise not only between species, but also were genetically driven differences within species among local populations. Scaling up plant‐level responses to population‐level dynamics allows for a process‐based understanding of current and future biogeographical species organization. Furthermore, conservation and restoration efforts should be guided by demographic strategies underlying population viability.

The Six Dwarfs of the Middle East: revision of the enigmatic praying mantis genus Holaptilon (Mantodea: Gonypetidae: Gonypetinae) with the description of four new species under integrative taxonomy

The dwarf-mantid genus Holaptilon Beier, 1964 is composed of small-sized ground-runner species distributed in the Middle East. Due to their elusive lifestyle, little is known about their behaviour, distribution, and phylogeny. The genus Holaptilon was once established for a single species, H. pusillulum Beier, 1964, based on material collected in Jerusalem, Israel. Later, H. brevipugilis Kolnegari, 2018, and H. yagmur Yılmaz and Sevgili, 2023 were described from Iran and Turkey, respectively. In this study, integrated morphology, molecular analyses, and ecology were used to revise the genus Holaptilon and define the boundaries of its species. New data on this genus are presented, based on Holaptilon specimens collected from various provinces of Iran, Israel, Jordan, and Turkey. Extensive analyses, including examinations of male and female genitalia, morphometrical analysis, and morphological hypervolumes were conducted to distinguish its species morphologically. In addition, four molecular markers (mitochondrial and nuclear) were studied to gain a better understanding of species delimitation and phylogenetic relationships. As a result, impressive inter- and intraspecific variability was recovered. In addition to the three already known species, four new species with their distributions restricted to Iran (H. abdullahiisp. nov., H. khozestanisp. nov., H. iranicumsp. nov., and H. tadovaniensissp. nov.) are here described, and H. yagmur Yılmaz and Sevgili, 2023 is synonymized with H. brevipugilis Kolnegari, 2018. The integrative approach was essential for an adequate classification in Holaptilon taxonomy and also helpful in the clarification of problematic and cryptic Mantodea species. Additional information concerning the life cycle, ecological aspects, spermatophore feeding, as well as geographic range and historical biogeography of Holaptilon species is also provided.

Middle Pleistocene climate change influenced northward divergence and cold adaptation in an Asian lady’s slipper orchid, Cypripedium macranthos Sw. (Orchidaceae)

Abstract The Pleistocene was characterized by climate fluctuations with rapid transitions between glacial and interglacial periods. East Asia’s land bridge dynamics and monsoon system during the Middle Pleistocene transition (MPT) further constrained species distributions and dispersals, which promoted local adaptation and species diversification, making East Asia an excellent location to study species biogeography. Cypripedium macranthos Sw., a terrestrial orchid, diverged in the Pleistocene and became widespread in Russia, China, Korea, and Japan. Many populations are now at risk due to illegal harvesting or habitat loss. With comprehensive sampling including 171 individuals among 22 populations across the entire distribution range, together with plastid DNA sequencing, we have explored the origin and impact of palaeoclimate on its spatial genetic structure and historical biogeography. Regression-based analyses commonly used in landscape genetics were also applied to investigate the effects of precipitation, temperature, and wind on gene flow. The results revealed northeastern China as the probable cradle of C. macranthos, with northeastward divergence and range expansion during the MPT, aided by monsoon shifts and wind-driven seed dispersal. Isolation by environment was detected with winter temperature as a driver for north–south divergence controlling for an effect of isolation by distance, revealing cold adaptation of the northern populations or temperature-driven genetic differentiation. We also emphasize the founder speciation of an unique variety on Rebun Island of Japan. The widespread but genetically and ecologically divergent C. macranthos populations highlight the need for more conservation attention on northern populations under global warming.

Rediscovery of Actinodontum lomaense: a range extension from Sierra Leone to southern Africa

The history of Actinodontum lomaense has been marked by taxonomic revisions since its initial discovery in samples from Sierra Leone during 1984. The reassignment from the genus Docidium to the genus Actinodontum primarily resulted from pronounced morphological differences, including variations in cell size and shape, ornamentations on the cell wall, and the presence of conical teeth-like structures at the isthmus. This article reports on the discovery of A. lomaense in two locations in southern Africa, marking a significant expansion of the geographical distribution range of the genus, from the tropical regions of Sierra Leone to sub-tropical environments in South Africa and the Kingdom of Lesotho. Additionally, the preference of Actinodontum species for relatively high altitudes, observed in this study, confirms a biogeographical pattern characterising this genus. Cell dimensions recorded in the southern African samples slightly exceeded dimensions previously reported in the literature. As a result, an extention of the dimension ranges for this species is proposed. Findings presented in this article, along with physico-chemical variables measured in their habitat, contribute to our understanding of the ecological preferences and distribution patterns of A. lomaense. It also provides valuable insights into the biogeography of desmid species on the African continent.

Isolation and characterisation of 17 microsatellite DNA loci from RAD reduced-representation genomes for Asian warty newts, genus Paramesotriton (Caudata: Salamandridae).

Asian warty newts, genus Paramesotriton, are endemic to southern China and northern Vietnam. Despite the achievements in biodiversity, molecular systematics and biogeography of species in this genus, population genetic diversity studies are lacking due to the lack of economical and available genetic markers. In this study, we developed 17 highly polymorphic microsatellite loci from RAD simplified genomic data for the Asian warty newts, genus Paramesotriton and successfully completed cross-species amplification tests on 20 samples of four species of Paramesotriton. These microsatellite markers can be used as important tools to study population genetic structure, levels of gene flow, population differentiation, mating systems and landscape genetics within the genus Paramesotriton and, thus, to make scientific conservation decisions and actions for the conservation of these rare and endangered amphibians.

A new and threatened species of Listrura (Siluriformes: Trichomycteridae), a rare catfish from an Atlantic Forest continental island

Abstract Listrura is a genus of small pencil catfishes of Trichomycteridae that currently comprises 12 valid species in coastal drainages of Southern and Southeastern Brazil, all with fossorial dwelling habitats and eel-like morphology. Here, we describe a new species of Listrura known from only two specimens collected in an interval of 24 years in order to make it taxonomically available for biodiversity inventories and conservation decisions. The new species is morphologically distinguished from its congeners by the combination of features, as pectoral-fin rays counts, number of free vertebrae, number caudal-fin procurrent rays, interopercular odontodes counts and the anterior-most position of dorsal and anal fin. Partial sequences of the mitochondrial gene cox1 were used to infer the phylogenetic relationships and biogeography of the new species and its congeners. The new species is the first freshwater fish endemic to a continental island in the Atlantic Forest Biome, and only the second trichomycterid endemic of an island.

The influence of the number and distribution of background points in presence-background species distribution models

Species distribution models (SDMs), which relate recorded observations (presences) and absences or background points to environmental characteristics, are powerful tools used to generate hypotheses about the biogeography, ecology, and conservation of species. Although many researchers have examined the effects of presence and background point distributions on model outputs, they have not systematically evaluated the effects of various methods of background point sampling on the performance of a single model algorithm across many species. Therefore, a consensus on the preferred methods of background point sampling is lacking. Here, we conducted presence-background SDMs for 20 vertebrate species in North America under a variety of background point conditions, varying the number of background points used, the size of the buffer used to constrain the background points around the occurrences, and the percentage of background points sampled within the buffer (“spatial weighting”). We evaluated the accuracy and transferability of the models using Boyce index, overlap with expert-generated range maps, and area overpredicted and underpredicted by the SDM (and AUC for comparability with other studies).SDM performance is highly dependent on the species modelled but is affected by the number and spread of background points. Models with little spatial weighting had high accuracy (overlap values), but extreme extrapolation errors and overprediction. In contrast, SDMs with high transferability (high Boyce index values and low overprediction) had moderate-to-high spatial weighting. These results emphasize the importance of both background points and evaluation metric selection in SDMs. For other, more successful metrics, using many background points with spatial weighting may be preferred for models with large extents. These results can assist researchers in selecting the background point parameters most relevant for their research question, allowing them to fine-tune their hypotheses on the distribution of species through space and time.

A new distributional record of spanner barbs, Striuntius lateristriga (Valenciennes, 1842) (Cypriniformes: Cyprinidae) in Belitung Island, Indonesia

The Spanner Barb Striuntius lateristriga is a freshwater species from the Cyprinidae family that spread in Southern Thailand; the Malay Peninsula, Singapore and Indonesia. The previous presence of the Spanner barb in Indonesia was recorded in West Kalimantan and Bangka Island. This study was carried out to record for the first time the presence of S. lateristriga on Belitung Island, Indonesia. The presence of S. lateristriga in the Belitung archipelago adds knowledge about the new distribution and biogeography of freshwater species. Moreover, information on this species’ new distribution is critical for supporting suitable conservation policies and measures. The twenty S. lateristriga specimens were collected on January 20, 2023 utilizing a fish trap at the Gurok Beraye waterfall, Gunung Tajam, Belitung Island, Indonesia. This specimen was identified based on specific literature. The new record of S. lateristriga provided here is the southernmost record for this species, expanding its geographic distributing. In addition, the new record site is 250 km southeast of the nearest locality in Bangka Island, and about 500 km south-west from the nearest locality in Borneo. Futrhermore, understanding biodiversity, range extension, and biogeography of the species in Sundaland will enrich knowledge in science.

Metagenome-assembled genomes reveal greatly expanded taxonomic and functional diversification of the abundant marine Roseobacter RCA cluster

BackgroundThe RCA (Roseobacter clade affiliated) cluster belongs to the family Roseobacteracea and represents a major Roseobacter lineage in temperate to polar oceans. Despite its prevalence and abundance, only a few genomes and one described species, Planktomarina temperata, exist. To gain more insights into our limited understanding of this cluster and its taxonomic and functional diversity and biogeography, we screened metagenomic datasets from the global oceans and reconstructed metagenome-assembled genomes (MAG) affiliated to this cluster.ResultsThe total of 82 MAGs, plus five genomes of isolates, reveal an unexpected diversity and novel insights into the genomic features, the functional diversity, and greatly refined biogeographic patterns of the RCA cluster. This cluster is subdivided into three genera: Planktomarina, Pseudoplanktomarina, and the most deeply branching Candidatus Paraplanktomarina. Six of the eight Planktomarina species have larger genome sizes (2.44–3.12 Mbp) and higher G + C contents (46.36–53.70%) than the four Pseudoplanktomarina species (2.26–2.72 Mbp, 42.22–43.72 G + C%). Cand. Paraplanktomarina is represented only by one species with a genome size of 2.40 Mbp and a G + C content of 45.85%. Three novel species of the genera Planktomarina and Pseudoplanktomarina are validly described according to the SeqCode nomenclature for prokaryotic genomes. Aerobic anoxygenic photosynthesis (AAP) is encoded in three Planktomarina species. Unexpectedly, proteorhodopsin (PR) is encoded in the other Planktomarina and all Pseudoplanktomarina species, suggesting that this light-driven proton pump is the most important mode of acquiring complementary energy of the RCA cluster. The Pseudoplanktomarina species exhibit differences in functional traits compared to Planktomarina species and adaptations to more resource-limited conditions. An assessment of the global biogeography of the different species greatly expands the range of occurrence and shows that the different species exhibit distinct biogeographic patterns. They partially reflect the genomic features of the species.ConclusionsOur detailed MAG-based analyses shed new light on the diversification, environmental adaptation, and global biogeography of a major lineage of pelagic bacteria. The taxonomic delineation and validation by the SeqCode nomenclature of prominent genera and species of the RCA cluster may be a promising way for a refined taxonomic identification of major prokaryotic lineages and sublineages in marine and other prokaryotic communities assessed by metagenomics approaches.4nWA41D1uUohyPVze8XWvDVideo

The importance of oxygen for explaining rapid shifts in a marine fish.

Large-scale shifts in marine species biogeography have been a notable impact of climate change. An effective explanation of what drives these species shifts, as well as accurate predictions of where they might move, is crucial to effectively managing these natural resources and conserving biodiversity. While temperature has been implicated as a major driver of these shifts, physiological processes suggest that oxygen, prey, and other factors should also play important roles. We expanded upon previous temperature-based distribution models by testing whether oxygen, food web productivity, salinity, and scope for metabolic activity (the Metabolic Index) better explained the changing biogeography of Black Sea Bass (Centropristis striata) in the Northeast US. This species has been expanding further north over the past 15 years. We found that oxygen improved model performance beyond a simple consideration of temperature (ΔAIC = 799, ΔTSS = 0.015), with additional contributions from prey and salinity. However, the Metabolic Index did not substantially increase model performance relative to temperature and oxygen (ΔAIC = 0.63, ΔTSS = 0.0002). Marine species are sensitive to oxygen, and we encourage researchers to use ocean biogeochemical hindcast and forecast products to better understand marine biogeographic changes.

Revising the global biogeography of annual and perennial plants

There are two main life cycles in plants—annual and perennial1,2. These life cycles are associated with different traits that determine ecosystem function3,4. Although life cycles are textbook examples of plant adaptation to different environments, we lack comprehensive knowledge regarding their global distributional patterns. Here we assembled an extensive database of plant life cycle assignments of 235,000 plant species coupled with millions of georeferenced datapoints to map the worldwide biogeography of these plant species. We found that annual plants are half as common as initially thought5–8, accounting for only 6% of plant species. Our analyses indicate that annuals are favoured in hot and dry regions. However, a more accurate model shows that the prevalence of annual species is driven by temperature and precipitation in the driest quarter (rather than yearly means), explaining, for example, why some Mediterranean systems have more annuals than desert systems. Furthermore, this pattern remains consistent among different families, indicating convergent evolution. Finally, we demonstrate that increasing climate variability and anthropogenic disturbance increase annual favourability. Considering future climate change, we predict an increase in annual prevalence for 69% of the world’s ecoregions by 2060. Overall, our analyses raise concerns for ecosystem services provided by perennial plants, as ongoing changes are leading to a higher proportion of annual plants globally.

Challenges and Opportunities behind the Use of Herbaria in Paleogenomics Studies.

Paleogenomics focuses on the recovery, manipulation, and analysis of ancient DNA (aDNA) from historical or long-dead organisms to reconstruct and analyze their genomes. The aDNA is commonly obtained from remains found in paleontological and archaeological sites, conserved in museums, and in other archival collections. Herbarium collections represent a great source of phenotypic and genotypic information, and their exploitation has allowed for inference and clarification of previously unsolved taxonomic and systematic relationships. Moreover, herbarium specimens offered a new source for studying phenological traits in plants and for disentangling biogeography and evolutionary scenarios of species. More recently, advances in molecular technologies went in parallel with the decreasing costs of next-generation sequencing (NGS) approaches, which paved the way to the utilization of aDNA for whole-genome studies. Although many studies have been carried out combining modern analytic techniques and ancient samples, such as herbarium specimens, this research field is still relatively unexplored due to the need for improving strategies for aDNA manipulation and exploitation from ancient samples. The higher susceptibility of aDNA to degradation and contamination during herbarium conservation and manipulation and the occurrence of biochemical postmortem damage can result in a more challenging reconstruction of the original DNA sequence. Here, we review the methodological approaches that have been developed for the exploitation of historical herbarium plant materials, such as best practices for aDNA extraction, amplification, and genotyping. We also focus on some strategies to overcome the main problems related to the utilization of herbarium specimens for their exploitation in plant evolutionary studies.

Investigation of Flora, Soil, and Biodiversity of Ecosystems in Arid Eastern Moroccan Rangelands

Abstract Recently, pastoral ecosystem has been strongly studied by naturalists. However, phytoecological research must focus on species richness and enhance these ecosystems. The main objective of this research is to prove that the Moroccan pastoral ecosystem is very rich in terms of soil biodiversity and plant formations. In such areas, some pastoral plants maintain the physicochemical characteristics of soil. The field experiment was based on Braun-Blanquet sampling method with 90 surveys. The vegetation surveys carried out during the spring of the 2014–2018 period showed that there were 30 families, 23 orders, and 99 plant species (47 perennial species and 52 annual or biennial species). Of the 99 species inventoried, 14 species are very rare (RR) (14% of the total flora), six are rare (R), five are suspected rare (R?), three species are extinct or of doubtful presence (??), two are vulnerable (or seem to be), in decline, and could become rare in the short term (V), and one is a suspected very rare taxon (RR?). Investigation of life forms based on Raunkiaer method showed that there were various plants in different life forms. Among them, terophytes (47%) and 2% phanerophytes had the highest and the lowest plant species, respectively. This work led us to discover six species (Atractylis cancellata, Carduus pycnocephalus, Scorzonera angustifolia, Telephium sphaerospermum, Teucrium luteum, and Androsace maxima) and five types of rangeland in eastern Morocco. Chorology results showed a high proportion of Mediterranean biogeographic species in the study area, with a percentage of 35%. North African species followed the Mediterranean, with 14%. Euro-Mediterranean species constituted the major flora in the arid regions and played a significant role in the Mediterranean rangelands with 8%. The percentage of North African and Eurasian species was 6%, followed by North African and Asian species forming 4% of the total species. Eurasian, Paleo temperate, and Mediterranean Asian species had the same percentage (3%). The remains represented a low percentage, but contributed to the diversity and the richness of phytogeographic potential in the rangelands of eastern Morocco.

Phylogeography of the grasshopper genusOedipoda(Acrididae: Oedipodinae) in the Mediterranean: classic refugia and cryptic lineages

AbstractThe evolutionary history and biogeography of species is strongly influenced by climatic conditions and geomorphology. Most thermophilic organisms in Europe have survived colder periods in Mediterranean refugia, which can be inferred from their genetic structure. The band-winged grasshopper genus Oedipoda occurs with nine species in the Mediterranean. We inferred the phylogeny of the western Palaearctic Oedipoda species using gene sequences (two mitochondrial and one nuclear) of a comprehensive sample of most species. Our results show that genetic differentiation between most species is quite strong. Four subspecies (Oedipoda caerulescens amoricana Sellier, 1948 syn. nov., Oedipoda germanica kraussi Ramme, 1931 syn. nov.,Oedipoda fuscocincta moriniDefaut, 2006 syn. nov., and Oedipoda fuscocincta portugalensis Ramme, 1931 syn. nov.) are not supported by our study and are synonymized with the nominate subspecies. Two former subspecies (Oedipoda mauritanica Lucas, 1849 stat. nov. and Oedipoda meridionalis Ramme, 1931 stat. nov.) and one former synonym (Oedipoda pentagonalis Jannone, 1937 stat. nov.) are raised to species level. The status of Oedipoda fuscocincta Lucas, 1847 and Oedipoda coerulea Saussure, 1884 remains unresolved. The subspecies Oedipoda caerulescens sardetiDefaut, 2006 has a wider distribution, including the Iberian Peninsula, southern France, Corsica and Sardinia. The phylogeographic pattern is in line with classic Mediterranean refugia with two waves of differentiation.

The Bemisia tabaci cryptic (sibling) species group -imperative for a taxonomic reassessment.

The taxonomy of the Bemisia tabaci cryptic species group remains a challenge due to the lack of morphological differentiation and porous species boundaries among its members. Additionally, it is unclear whether B. tabaci consists of several species in evolutionary stasis with limited morphological change or is the result of a recent adaptive radiation characterized by great ecological diversity but little morphological divergence. Here, a historical overview of the development of the nomenclature used to classify B. tabaci is provided covering changes after synonymizing several species in 1957 until recent insights gained from whole-genome sequencing data. The article discusses the limitations of using a 3.5% mtCOI threshold and argues that a 1% nuclear divergence cutoff better reflects ecological and biogeographic species boundaries. Finally, a plan of action is outlined for naming B. tabaci species using a Latin binomial system in accordance with the International Comission on Zoological Nomenclature (ICZN) regulations.

Source-sink migration of natural enemies drives maladaptation of victim populations in sink habitats.

Natural enemies are critical drivers of species biogeography, and they may often limit the evolutionary adaptation and persistence of victim populations in sink habitats. Source-sink migration is also a major determinant of adaptation in sink habitats. Here we specifically suggest that source-sink migration of enemies reduces evolutionary adaptation of victim populations in sink habitats. The underlying mechanisms may include depressed population size (which limits the supply of genetic variation) and enforced resistance evolution in victims (which shows a trade-off with growth performance). We experimentally tested this hypothesis using a model microbial system, bacterium Pseudomonas fluorescens (victim) and its lytic bacteriophage (enemy). The ancestral bacterial strain had lower growth performance at a cold temperature (10°C, considered as sink habitat) than at its optimal temperature (28°C, source habitat). Evolutionary adaptation took place in bacterial populations that evolved alone in the cold environment. When phages were present, no significant abiotic adaptation was observed. Crucially, phage immigration from source populations caused maladaptation, i.e., decreased growth performance relative to the ancestral genotype, although this was not the case when there was simultaneous immigration of phage and bacteria. Therefore, enemy-mediated intraspecific apparent competition could lead to prosperity in core habitats causing hardship in edge habitats.

Six Heteropoda Spiders (Araneae: Sparassidae) from Xishuangbanna Dai Autonomous Prefecture, China

Due to the fact that they catch and consume insect pests, cockroaches, and other domestic soft-bodied pests in crops, Heteropoda spiders are highly important predator in tropical and subtropical regions. As with other vagrant spiders, pantropical huntsman spiders do not use webs to capture prey. Their great speed and strong chelicerae (jaws) are used to capture the insects on which they feed. Venom is also injected into the prey from glands extending from the chelicerae into the cephalothorax. In this study, more than 227 individuals belonging to six Heteropoda spiders were collected from Xishuangbanna Dai Autonomous Prefecture and brought back to lab, and then stored in 75% ethanol. Among which 64 individuals were males and 163 individuals were females. A total of six known species of the genus Heteropoda are described: Heteropoda dagmarae Jäger and Vedel, 2005, H. onoi Jäger, 2008, H. simplex Jäger and Ono, 2000, H. tetrica Thorell, 1897, H. venatoria (Linnaeus, 1767) and H. zuviele Jäger, 2008. Our findings provide new record for H. dagmarae from China, adding more knowledge to Heteropoda species distribution in China, and may help to study the biogeography and dispersal route of Heteropoda species. Our results also provide a little information for the origin and evolution study of Heteropoda genus, because no author has published any molecular phylogenetic study on this genus. We also provide description, illustration, and distribution map for each species in the current paper

Foliar epidermal anatomical characteristics of Apiaceae species endemic to Ulleungdo and Dokdo Islands, Republic of Korea.

The foliar epidermal anatomical characteristics of the two endemic Apiaceae species of Korea Bupleurum latissimum Nakai and Dystaenia takesimana (Nakai) Kitag. were investigated. The taxonomically important characteristics of these two species were identified and described to help understand their classical taxonomy. Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) was used to observe the anatomical characteristics of the studied species in detail. The comparative foliar epidermal anatomical characteristics were observed in the present research for the two-endemic species. Some of the most important foliar epidermal anatomical characteristics were observed to distinguish them, including the epidermal cell shape and size, stomata type, and trichomes shape and size. SEM provided sufficient evidence to distinguish the study species. The foliar epidermal anatomical characteristics provide sufficient information to differentiate these two species from their closely related taxa. RESEARCH HIGHLIGHTS: Apiaceae species endemic to Ulleungdo and Dokdo Islands exhibit unique foliar epidermal anatomical characteristics that can be used for taxonomic identification and classification. This study contributes to the documentation of the plant diversity of Ulleungdo and Dokdo Islands, and highlights the need for further research on the biogeography and conservation of these endemic plant species.