Spirit Collection Research Articles

Typification of Sphaeria sinensis to precisely fix the application of the name of the economically important Chinese caterpillar fungus, Ophiocordyceps sinensis

AbstractThere is a long‐standing need to fix the application of the name Sphaeria sinensis, basionym of the economically important Chinese caterpillar fungus Ophiocordyceps sinensis, at the molecular level. The fungus was described by Berkeley in 1843, and is now harvested in the Tibetan Plateau (including the Himalayas). This need arises because of the existence of putative later synonyms in need of confirmation, existence of multiple haplotypes, occurrence of diverged ITS paralogs, and need to be confident of the identity of commercially grown cultures of the asexual morph. Here we report the rediscovery of original material in a spirit collection originally held in the Natural History Museum London but now at the Royal Botanic Gardens Kew. There are also three undated collections under this name in the Kew Fungarium from Berkeley's herbarium, and another with the name of Reeves, who sent the material to the U.K., but which originated from Hooker's herbarium. There is no proof that any of these four dried collections were used by Berkeley when describing the species. The collection in the spirit jar and the published illustration are the only original materials, and that in the spirit jar is designated as lectotype here; the collection from Hooker's herbarium may be an isolectotype but it was not studied by Berkeley. As no DNA would have been recoverable from the spirit collection, we endeavoured to extract DNA from two of the dried collections. Routine DNA amplification did not yield any ITS fragments, so a metagenomic approach was used and the collection from Hooker's herbarium yielded an entire 3189 bp ITS sequence most similar to those of the haplotype that predominates in the major distributional area of the fungus. A rich modern collection from the core region of the fungus in China, with ample stromata of the fungus on the host, and the ITS sequence matching that obtained from the dried specimen from Hooker's herbarium, is designated as epitype to unequivocally fix the application of the name. Ex‐type living cultures from the epitype were obtained and are also being maintained.

Studies of Ptiliidae (Coleoptera) in the Spirit Collection of the Natural History Museum, London, 6: New species and records collected by W.C. Block in Kenya and Uganda, 1964–1965

This paper is based on a collection of Ptiliidae made by W.C. Block in Uganda and Kenya, 1964–1965, and donated to the Natural History Museum, London in 1978. A new genus Nelloptodes gen. n., and nine new species are described and figured: Bambara fragilis sp. n., Bambara lyrae sp. n., Nelloptodes blocki sp. n., Nelloptodes globulus sp. n., Nelloptodes gretae sp. n., Nelloptodes keitai sp. n., Ptinella katyae sp. n., Ptinella mpanga sp. n., Ptinella pygmaea sp. n., and new records and information provided for Pitilium pernix Darby, Bambara frosti Dybas, Bambara gabela Darby, Bambara magnifica Darby, Africoptilium marginatum Johnson, Fenestellidium kakamegaense Grebennikov, Acrotrichis africana Johnson, Acrotrichis alluaudi Johnson and Acrotrichis superba Johnson.

New Ptiliidae (Coleoptera) from Sarawak in the spirit collection of the Natural History Museum, London

This paper is based on three collections of Ptiliidae from Sarawak totalling more than 2000 specimens made by staff and affiliates of the Natural History Museum, London, between March–July 1978. One new genus Niptella gen. nov with its type species Niptella gutta gen. et sp. nov. and 24 new species are described and figured: Sindosium collinsi sp. nov., Bambara hammondi sp. nov., Bambara subtortuosa sp. nov., Bambara tortuosa sp. nov., Erro brookei sp. nov., Cissidium globulum sp. nov., Cissidium longum sp. nov., Cissidium marshallae sp. nov., Cissidium pauxillum sp. nov., Cissidium subfoveolatum sp. nov., Cissidium triangulum sp. nov., Discheramocephalus nigritus sp. nov., Kuschelidium sarawakense sp. nov., Ptinella alisonae sp. nov., Acrotrichis acuta sp. nov., Acrotrichis belli sp. nov., Acrotrichis bidens sp. nov., Acrotrichis geiseri sp. nov., Acrotrichis globosa sp. nov., Acrotrichis hanskii sp. nov., Acrotrichis muluensis sp. nov., Acrotrichis plaga sp. nov., Storicricha resticula sp. nov., Storicricha umbella sp. nov. New records and information are provided for Dipentium latum Darby, 2019; Ptiliola semitaria Darby, 2018; Baeocrara minima Darby, 2019; Acrotrichis agricola Darby, 2019; Acrotrichis britteni Johnson, 1969; Acrotrichis bubalis Darby, 2019; Acrotrichis cognata (Matthews, 1877) and Acrotrichis cursitans (Nietner, 1856).

Studies of Ptiliidae (Coleoptera) in the Spirit Collection of the Natural History Museum, London, 3: New species and records from the expedition to SW Africa in 1971–1972

Ptiliidae collected in Africa (Angola, Botswana, Namibia, South Africa) 28 December 1971 – 20 April 1972 by members of a Natural History Museum, London, expedition to south western Africa are determined to 27 species, 15 of which are new to science: Actidium bipustulatum sp. n., Actidium parvum sp. n., Bambara chianga sp. n., Bambara magnifica sp. n., Bambara namibiensis sp. n., Bambara gabela sp. n., Bambara subjoannis sp. n., Ptiliola minutissima sp. n., Ptiliola flava sp. n., Ptiliola problematica sp. n., Ptiliola semitaria sp. n., Ptilium exiguum sp. n., Ptilium pernix sp. n., Nephanes plurijugosus sp. n., Acrotrichis botswanensis sp. n. Information about collecting methods and sites is provided from data kept at the time and figures included to amplify the descriptions of earlier authors. Keys are provided to the subfamilies, tribes and genera.

Studies of Ptiliidae (Coleoptera) in the Spirit Collection of the Natural History Museum, London 2: New species and records from P. Hammond's visit to New Zealand in 1983–84

Some 2,000 Ptiliidae collected in the North and South Islands of New Zealand in 1983/1984 by Peter Hammond of the Natural History Museum, London, are determined to 34 species, four of which are new to the country. As there are very few previous records, most from the Auckland district of North Island, the Hammond collection provides much new distributional data. The three new species: Nellosana insperatus sp. n., Notoptenidium flavum sp. n., and Notoptenidium johnsoni sp. n., are described and figured; the genus Ptiliodes is moved from Acrotrichinae to Ptiliinae, and Ptenidium formicetorum Kraatz recorded as a new introduction. Information is provided to aid separation of the new species from those previously recorded.

Containing the Spirits: Lessons learned from the Management of Australasian Herbarium Wet Collections.

Several herbaria in Australia and New Zealand have recently been required to implement changes to the way in which spirit (alcohol or wet) specimens are managed in their institutions in order to deal with various curatorial and staff health and safety challenges. We will present an overview of some of the key lessons learned from addressing issues such as mould, FAA (formalin-acetic acid and alcohol solution), inadequate housing and storage of our spirit specimens whilst also ensuring that best-practice curation standards are implemented along with appropriate work health and safety practices to protect staff. For example, the National Herbarium of New South Wales spirit collection was stored until 2017 in metal filing cabinets and open wooden shelving. Due to unstable air-conditioning resulting in high humidity and condensation, mould had formed on all of the bottles and on all wooden surfaces. The external surface of each bottle was cleaned with prior to removal from the dedicated spirit collection room, the wooden shelving was replaced with open metal shelving, and room cleaned and resealed prior to return of the collection. Monitoring of the environment and condition of the collection continues, and future actions include replacing the specimen vials, many of which have failing lids. The Western Australian Herbarium recently renovated its spirit storage area from specimens stored in boxes on fixed open shelving to individual bottles filed in metal drawers. Health and safety concerns for staff handling heavy boxes, often up ladders, combined with the inflexible and inefficient use of space on fixed shelving are now solved. Plenty of space is available for specimen expansion, and the ease of access to each specimen makes the collection simple to maintain. The next step for the collection is to protect it better by implementing climate control. FAA was used as a fixative and preservative for plant fruit, flowers and other parts pre-1992 at the Australian National Herbarium in Canberra and the Australian Tropical Herbarium in Cairns. In response to changes in the Hazardous Substance classification for Formaldehyde a program was developed that focused on worker safety during replacement of the solution in approximately 15,000 bottles by minimising exposure and managing the manual handling risks of the work, whilst also ensuring best-practice curatorial outcomes for the specimens. This is a presentation on behalf of the Managers of Australasian Herbarium Collections (MAHC), a network of herbarium Collection Managers in Australia and New Zealand.

Recognition of hypoxyloid and xylarioid Entonaema species and allied Xylaria species from a comparison of holomorphic morphology, HPLC profiles, and ribosomal DNA sequences

The genus Entonaema comprises Xylariaceae with hollow, gelatinous stromata that accumulate liquid. Some of its species, including the type species, appear related to Daldinia from a polyphasic approach, comprising morphological studies, comparisons of ribosomal DNA sequences, and high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) profiles with diode array and mass spectrometric detection (HPLC-DAD-MS). This methodology was used to study Entonaema pallidum. Its major stromatal constituent was identified as xylaral, a secondary metabolite known from Xylaria polymorpha. This compound was detected in several Xylaria spp., including the tropical X. telfairii and morphologically similar taxa, whose stromata may also become hollow and filled with liquid. Cultures of E. pallidum resembled those of Xylaria, substantially differing from other Entonaema spp., in their morphology, 5.8S/ITS nrDNA sequences, and HPLC profiles. The type specimen of E. mesentericum was located in the spirit collection of the herbarium B and found to agree morphologically with the nomenclatorily younger E. pallidum. Traces of xylaral were even detected by HPLC-DAD-MS in the spirit in which the fungus had been preserved. Entonaema pallidum is thus regarded as a later synonym of E. mesentericum. Therefore, the latter name is transferred to Xylaria. A key to entonaemoid Xylariaceae is provided. Colour reactions (NH3, KOH) of the ectostroma were applied to a limited number of Xylaria spp., but metabolite profiles of cultures appear more promising as chemotaxonomic traits to segregate this genus. As xylaral was also found in Nemania and Stilbohypoxylon spp., while being apparently absent in Hypoxylon and allied genera, it may be a chemotaxonomic marker for Xylariaceae with Geniculosporium-like anamorphs.

A NEW SPECIES OF BROTIA H. ADAMS, 1866 (CAENOGASTROPODA: CERITHIOIDEA: PACHYCHILIDAE)

A new species, Brotia praetermissa, is described from Borneo. The type material was found unidentified in the spirit collection of the Natural History Museum, London. It was collected by A. Everett in the nineteenth century. Using morphological characters, the new species is affiliated with the Brotia pago-dula species group. Representatives of this group can easily be recognized by the wrinkled apical shell of their protoconch. The species described herein is the only known representative of the likely mono-phyletic B. pagodula group in Borneo, while all other Brotia species known from this island are assigned to the Brotia testudinaria group. This finding renders it most likely that Borneo has been colonized twice by species of the genus Brotia, by the ancestor of B. praetermissa and that of the Brotia testudinaria group.

Opuntia paraguayensis (Cactaceae) reassessed

Leuenberger, B. E.: Opuntia paraguayensis (Cactaceae) reassessed. — Willdenowia 31: 181–187. 2001. — ISSN 0511-9618.The confusing history of the name Opuntia paraguayensis is described. A closer examination of the protologue as compared to the use of the name in literature revealed that it has been misapplied to O. elata and O. cardiosperma. The type specimen of O. paraguayensis was presumably destroyed in Berlin, in 1943. Another specimen under this name in the spirit collection at Berlin-Dahlem, collected by Hassler, is undoubtedly O. ficus-indica. It is designated as the neotype of O. paraguayensis.

The type specimen of Opuntia cardiosperma (Cactaceae), new synonyms and new records from Argentina and Paraguay

Abstract Leuenberger, B. E.: The type specimen of Opuntia cardiosperma (Cactaceae), new synonyms and new records from Argentina and Paraguay. — Willdenowia 31: 171–179. 2001. — ISSN 0511-9618. The type specimen of Opuntia cardiosperma (Cactaceae) from Paraguay, extant in the spirit collection of the Berlin-Dahlem herbarium, is illustrated. Comparison with unidentified specimens from Paraguay and northern Argentina revealed that the species is widespread but has been confused with O. paraguayensis. An amplified description of O. cardiosperma is provided. O. chakensis and O. mieckleyi are treated as new synonyms of O. cardiosperma.

Another New, Nearly Extinct Species of Hibiscadelphus (Malvaceae) from the Hawaiian Islands

Four individuals of a new species of Hibiscadelphus (Malvaceae: Hibisceae) have been discovered on Kaua'i, the oldest of the major Hawaiian Islands. Hibiscadelphus woodii is described and illustrated, and its status and basal relationship within the genus are discussed. The imperiled status of the other six species is reviewed, and a key to the genus is given. Hibiscadelphus Rock consists of seven species endemic to the Hawaiian Islands (Bates, 1990), including the one described herein. The genus was originally established by Joseph F. Rock (Radlkoffer & Rock, 1911) to accommodate three species of shrubs or small trees that he had collected from dryland forests: two species on the island of Hawai'i, H. giffardianus Rock (Mauna Loa) and H. hualalaiensis Rock (Hualalai), and H. wilderianus Rock from Auwahi on East Maui. Four additional species were subsequently described: H. bombycinus C. Forbes from the Kohala Mountains on the island of Hawai'i (Forbes, 1920), H. distans L. Bishop & Herbst from the Koai'e Canyon of Kaua'i (Bishop & Herbst, 1973), H. crucibracteatus Hobdy from Puhielelu Ridge on Lana'i (Hobdy, 1984), and the new species, H. woodii, described herein from Kalalau Valley, Kaua'i. Hibiscadelphus is a member of the tribe Hibisceae, represented in the Hawaiian Islands by the indigenous genus Hibiscus L., following Fryxell's (1968) classification. Although closely related to Hibiscus (the generic name means brother of Hibiscus), Hibiscadelphus is clearly a distinct monophyletic group based on its curved and narrowly convolute zygomorphic corollas with the lower two lobes shorter than the other three, calyces that are circumscissily deciduous in fruit, and relatively thick, woody capsules (Hobdy, 1984; Bates, 1990). The green, yellow, or magenta flowers with tubular, curved corollas are presumably adapted to pollination by native Meliphagid and Drepanidine birds, known a the honeyeaters and honeycreepers (Hobdy, 1984). The Hawaiian name for members of the genus is hau kuahiwi, meaning upland or mountain hau, because of their resemblance to the common lowland hau, Hibiscus tiliaceus L. (Rock, 1913; Bates, 1990). Due to the destruction and severe alteration of the diverse dry and mesic forest habitats and loss of all of the Meliphagid birds in the Hawaiian Islands (Hobdy, 1984), five of the seven Hibiscadelphus species have become extinct in the wild, although at least two of these are maintained through cultivated plants: H. giffardianus and H. hualalaiensis. Only H. distans, a U.S. federally listed endangered species, and the new species described in this paper have naturally occurring wild populations (Table 1; Bates, 1990). The status of the genus is extremely precarious at present. In March 1991 an unusual species of Hibiscadelphus not corresponding with any of the described taxa was discovered on Kaua'i by Kenneth R. Wood, staff member of the National Tropical Botanical Garden, along with M. Query and S. Montgomery. Four plants were found growing on a steep slope below the rim of Kalalau Valley in northwestern Kaua'i (K. R. Wood, 1992, unpublished). Study of flowering specimens has revealed that they represent a new species. Hibiscadelphus woodii Lorence & W. L. Wagner, sp. nov. TYPE: Hawaiian Islands. Kaua'i: Hanalei District, Kalalau Rim, N of Kahuama'a Flat, steep diverse lowland mesic forest, 9901020 m, 3 Mar. 1991, K. R. Wood, M. Query & S. Montgomery 629 (holotype, PTBG, a flower also in spirit collection; isotypes, BISH, K, MO, NY, US). Figure 1. Species foliis glabratis vel venis sparsim stellato-puberulis, pagina abaxiali laminae axillis venarum trichomatibus stellatis instructis, calyce trichomatibus stellatis cum radiis 5-8 ornatis, corolla cerina cupreo-suffusa atropurpurescentia distinguibilis. NovoN 5: 183-187. 1995. This content downloaded from 207.46.13.131 on Sun, 16 Oct 2016 05:12:04 UTC All use subject to http://about.jstor.org/terms

An Unusually High Chromosome Number in Voanioala gerardii (Palmae: Arecoideae: Cocoeae: Butiinae) from Madagascar

Five seedlings germinated from the original collection (DransfieldJD6389), Kew accession number 588-86-05734, four of which were available for study. These are maintained in the Living Collections Department at Kew, and Fig. 1 shows one of the seedlings photographed in April 1988, 14 months after germination. One seedling is preserved in the Spirit Collection in the Herbarium at Kew where the holotype is also held, with seven isotypes lodged at other Herbaria (Dransfield 1989, in which locality information of this rare palm is also given). Young, rapidly growing root-tips were collected from the potted seedlings and two different pre-treatment agents tried. Root-tips were pre-treated either in 0-002M 8-hydroxyquinoline at i80C for 31 hours, or in a saturated aqueous solution of alpha-bromonaphthalene for 24 hours at 50-60C. Feulgen/orcein-stained squashes were prepared and made permanent as described previously (Johnson 1985). Photographs were taken on a Zeiss photo-microscope III, using phase contrast optics to improve definition.

A New Species of Dinochloa (Gramineae-Bambusoideae) from Borneo

In my paper on Dinochloa from Sabah (Dransfield 1981) I mentioned two specimens from Pulau Sakar (Sabah), Brand SAN 24573 and Meijer SAN 24950, which probably represented an undescribed species, but because they were incomplete, lacking fruit and culm-sheaths, I was unable to be sure. Later I found some fruits of SAN 24950 in the spirit collection at Kew, but in the absence of culm sheaths I was still unable to reach a decision. In February 1986 I was able to visit again the area near Bukit Silam (Sabah) which I visited in 1979, and found flowering and fruiting clumps of a Dinochloa which matches the two specimens mentioned above. I managed to collect more complete specimens which indicate that the taxon is indeed undescribed. I name this bamboo Dinochloa darvelana, after Darvel Bay where it grows commonly. The new species is closely related to D. scabrida S. Dransf. and also approaches D. obclavata S. Dransf. The differences are summarized in Table 1.

The Biological Department of the British Museum

THE newly-issued Report of the condition and development of the British Museum has, so far as biologists are concerned, a special interest. Its results may be considered as an index of the public feeling on the importance of the study of Natural History. Looked at in this light, we think that specialists in all the departments may feel hopeful. The acquisitions to the Zoological Department have been numerous (30,699 in all), over 6,000 being Vertebrata, “the majority being either entir animals preserved in spirits, or skeletons.” The spirit collection till recently has been much neglected, and all who have wished to prosecute their investigations into the more intricate details of zoology and comparative anatomy,—into points of myology, nerve distribution, &c., quite as important as, but much less easily arrived at than, osteo-logical characters—may justifiably look forward to the time when the national collection will contain, preserved in their entirety, examples of all reasonably-sized species.