Taxonomic Work Research Articles

Integrative taxonomic consideration of the Holarctic Euconulus fulvus group of land snails (Gastropoda, Stylommatophora)

While among the most common Holarctic land snails, species of the Euconulus fulvus group have been subject to considerable recent taxonomic controversy. Based on 76 Euconulus populations collected across Eurasia and North America, we empirically evaluated these competing taxonomic hypotheses through an integration of nDNA and mtDNA phylogenetics, shell morphometrics and various qualitative traits. Our results support the existence of five taxa: Euconulus alderi (Atlantic Europe to western North America), E. fresti sp. nov. (North America), E. fulvus fulvus (Europe), E. fulvus egenus (central Asia to Atlantic North America), and E. polygyratus (north-eastern North America). Each species-level entity possessed a unique suite of observable shell features allowing for accurate identification without need of DNA sequence information. Our data did not support the recent erection of E. callopisticus, E. praticola, and E. trochiformis to species-level status. This work also helps illustrate the importance of using consensus across DNA and shell/soft body features in assessing species-level taxonomy and in determining those features which allow for accurate identification. It furthermore documents the importance of basing taxonomic work on samples drawn from across the entire geographic and ecological range of the study group.http://zoobank.org/urn:lsid:zoobank.org:pub:97985479-EDF8-4B94-A825-AC42BF31F597

Extensive cryptic diversity of giant clams (Cardiidae: Tridacninae) revealed by DNA-sequence-based species delimitation approaches with new data from Hainan Island, South China Sea

AbstractAccurate species delimitation is important, especially for endangered species. As one of the most conspicuous bivalve taxa, giant clams are threatened throughout their geographic range. Many phylogeographic studies have revealed strong population structure among giant clams in the Indo-Pacific, suggesting cryptic diversity within these species. However, less attention has been paid to their identification and delimitation. In this study, we assembled a comprehensive dataset of mitochondrial cytochrome c oxidase subunit I (COI) sequences for Tridacna species, focusing on new sequences from Hainan Island in the South China Sea and previously published ones from Japan, Taiwan, Singapore, the Philippines, Indonesia, Australia, the Solomon Islands and the Red Sea. Three nominal species, Tridacna crocea, T. squamosa and T. noae, were recognized at Hainan Island on the basis of distance-based DNA barcoding, with mean interspecific K2P distances of 10.6–24.7% for seven Tridacna species (T. crocea, T. squamosa, T. noae, T. maxima, T. mbalavuana, T. derasa and T. gigas). The most abundant species, T. noae, represents the first record of this species from Hainan Island. Using a combination of phylogenetic and DNA-based species delimitation analyses (automatic barcode gap discovery, generalized mixed Yule coalescent and Bayesian Poisson tree processes), we found strong support for a total of 13 operational taxonomic units (OTUs) for the seven nominal Tridacna species. These results, coupled with the fact that each OTU occupies different regions in the Indo-Pacific, strongly suggest multiple cryptic species of giant clams. Our findings point to the need for taxonomic revisionary work on giant clams throughout the Indo-Pacific; such work will have important conservation implications.

Concise reviews of seaweeds of current and future commercial interest

The science of seaweeds (i.e., phycology, the study of algae including macroalgae) is many centuries old. Indeed, some of the earliest taxonomic names using the binomial system, as applied by Linnaeus to any living thing were given to common seaweeds (i.e., Fucus). The taxonomic work was soon followed by studies on their biology (structure and reproduction), physiology, ecology (zonation, ecosystem services) and distributions (phycogeography)...

Three challenges to contemporaneous taxonomy from a licheno-mycological perspective

This paper discusses three issues that challenge contemporaneous taxonomy, with examples from the fields of mycology and lichenology, formulated as three questions: (1) What is the importance of taxonomy in contemporaneous and future science and society? (2) An increasing methodological gap in alpha taxonomy: challenge or opportunity? (3) The Nagoya Protocol: improvement or impediment to the science of taxonomy? The importance of taxonomy in society is illustrated using the example of popular field guides and digital media, a billion-dollar business, arguing that the desire to name species is an intrinsic feature of the cognitive component of nature connectedness of humans. While continuous societal support of a critical mass of taxonomists is necessary to catalogue all species on Earth, it is shown that this is a finite task, and a proposal is made how a remaining 10 million species can be catalogued within 40 years by 1,000 well-trained and dedicated taxonomists, with an investment of $4 billion, corresponding to 0.0001% of the annual global GDP or 0.005% of annual military expenditures. Notorious undercitation of actually used taxonomic resources and lack of coverage of impact metrics for monographs and other taxonomic work that cannot be published in indexed journals is discussed and suggestions are made how this problem can be remedied. An increasing methodological gap in approaches to taxonomy, between classic morphological and advanced genomic studies, affects in particular taxonomists in biodiversity-rich countries and amateurs, also regarding proper training to apply advanced methods and concepts. To counterbalance this problem, international collaborations bringing different expertise to the table and undertaking mutual capacitation are one successful remedy. Classic taxonomy still works for many groups and is a first approach to catalogue species and establish taxon hypotheses, but ultimately each taxonomic group needs to be studied with the array of methods proper to the group, including descriptive work. Finally, the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) and the Nagoya Protocol has put additional burden on basic biodiversity science. Using lichenology in Latin America and Brazil as an example, it is shown that the spirit of non-monetary benefit-sharing proper to taxonomy and systematics, namely capacitation, joint publications, and shared reference collections, has been increasingly implemented long before the CBD and the Nagoya Protocol, and does not need additional “policing”. Indeed, the Nagoya Protocol puts the heaviest burden on taxonomy and researchers cataloguing biodiversity, whereas for the intended target group, namely those seeking revenue gain from nature, the protocol may not actually work effectively. The notion of currently freely accessible digital sequence information (DSI) to become subject to the protocol, even after previous publication, is misguided and conflicts with the guidelines for ethical scientific conduct. Through its implementation of the Nagoya Protocol, Colombia has set a welcome precedence how to exempt taxonomic and systematic research from “access to genetic resources”, and hopefully other biodiversity-rich countries will follow this example.

A taxonomic revision of Schoenus cuspidatus and allies (Cyperaceae, tribe Schoeneae)—Part 2

This is the second half of a two-part taxonomic revision on the morphologically complex Schoenus cuspidatus and allies group. This revision is a continuation of recent taxonomic work that has transferred 24 southern African species from Tetraria and Epischoenus into Schoenus, revised the taxonomy of the Schoenus compar—Schoenus pictus and allies group, as well as part of the S. cuspidatus group. Most recently, we presented descriptions of three new species and a new combination among the Southern African Schoenus species. Here, we revise the delimitations and distributions of five species (Schoenus compactus, Schoenus crassus, S. cuspidatus, Schoenus galpinii and Schoenus riparius) based on data from a review of specimens from twelve herbaria and recent field collections. We also describe three new species to science: Schoenus australis, Schoenus brunnescens and Schoenus graciliculmis—the first two of which are endemic to the Western Cape Province of South Africa, while S. graciliculmis is endemic to the Eastern Cape Province. We present a taxonomic key, an updated nomenclature and provide revised descriptions and distribution maps for these nine Schoenus species. Finally, we discuss unresolved taxonomic issues within this group, especially within the broadly circumscribed S. cuspidatus, and outline circumscriptions and specimens that require further study. Species within this group are perennial, caespitose graminoids with terete, leafless culms, and although most of these species have broad elliptic nutlets, there are differences in growth and spikelet forms that differentiate species.

The Swedish Malaise Trap Project: A 15 Year Retrospective on a Countrywide Insect Inventory.

The Swedish Malaise Trap Project (SMTP) is one of the most ambitious insect inventories ever attempted. The project was designed to target poorly known insect groups across a diverse range of habitats in Sweden. The field campaign involved the deployment of 73 Malaise traps at 55 localities across the country for three years (2003-2006). Over the past 15 years, the collected material has been hand sorted by trained technicians into over 300 taxonomic fractions suitable for expert attention. The resulting collection is a tremendous asset for entomologists around the world, especially as we now face a desperate need for baseline data to evaluate phenomena like insect decline and climate change. Here, we describe the history, organisation, methodology and logistics of the SMTP, focusing on the rationale for the decisions taken and the lessons learned along the way. The SMTP represents one of the early instances of community science applied to large-scale inventory work, with a heavy reliance on volunteers in both the field and the laboratory. We give estimates of both staff effort and volunteer effort involved. The project has been funded by the Swedish Taxonomy Initiative; in total, the inventory has cost less than 30 million SEK (approximately 3.1 million USD). Based on a subset of the samples, we characterise the size and taxonomic composition of the SMTP material. Several different extrapolation methods suggest that the material comprises around 20 million specimens in total. The material is dominated by Diptera (75% of the specimens) and Hymenoptera (15% of specimens). Amongst the Diptera, the dominant groups are Chironomidae (37% of specimens), Sciaridae (15%), Phoridae (13%), Cecidomyiidae (9.5%) and Mycetophilidae (9.4%). Within Hymenoptera, the major groups are Ichneumonidae (44% of specimens), Diaprioidea (19%), Braconidae (9.6%), Platygastroidea (8.5%) and Chalcidoidea (7.9%). The taxonomic composition varies with latitude and season. Several Diptera and Hymenoptera groups are more common in non-summer samples (collected from September to April) and in the North, while others show the opposite pattern. About 1% of the total material has been processed and identified by experts so far. This material represents over 4,000 species. One third of these had not been recorded from Sweden before and almost 700 of them are new to science. These results reveal the large amounts of taxonomic work still needed on Palaearctic insect faunas. Based on the SMTP experiences, we discuss aspects of planning and conducting future large-scale insect inventory projects using mainly traditional approaches in relation to more recent approaches that rely on molecular techniques.

Trichostomatid Ciliates (Alveolata, Ciliophora, Trichostomatia) Systematics and Diversity: Past, Present, and Future.

The gastrointestinal tracts of most herbivorous mammals are colonized by symbiotic ciliates of the subclass Trichostomatia, which form a well-supported monophyletic group, currently composed by ∼1,000 species, 129 genera, and 21 families, distributed into three orders, Entodiniomorphida, Macropodiniida, and Vestibuliferida. In recent years, trichostomatid ciliates have been playing a part in many relevant functional studies, such as those focusing in host feeding efficiency optimization and those investigating their role in the gastrointestinal methanogenesis, as many trichostomatids are known to establish endosymbiotic associations with methanogenic Archaea. However, the systematics of trichostomatids presents many inconsistencies. Here, we stress the importance of more taxonomic works, to improve classification schemes of this group of organisms, preparing the ground to proper development of such relevant applied works. We will present a historical review of the systematics of the subclass Trichostomatia highlighting taxonomic problems and inconsistencies. Further on, we will discuss possible solutions to these issues and propose future directions to leverage our comprehension about taxonomy and evolution of these symbiotic microeukaryotes.

Inventario florístico de los cerros La Cantera y Delgado, Jantetelco, Morelos, México

Antecedentes y Objetivos: A pesar del intenso trabajo florístico y taxonómico que se ha realizado en el estado de Morelos, aún hay áreas poco exploradas. En este estudio se presenta el inventario florístico de las plantas vasculares que crecen en los cerros La Cantera y Delgado, localizados dentro de la zona arqueológica de Chalcatzingo, municipio Jantetelco, Morelos, México. Métodos: Para la realización del trabajo, durante los años 2014 a 2017 se hicieron salidas de campo para recolectar ejemplares fértiles, los cuales fueron secados y posteriormente identificados con claves especializadas. La determinación taxonómica se verificó con material de herbario, y en algunos casos fue confirmada por especialistas. Resultados clave: En total se registraron 85 familias, 285 géneros, 434 especies con 27 categorías infraespecíficas de plantas vasculares. Las eudicotiledóneas fueron el grupo más diverso con 66 familias, 210 géneros y 305 especies, seguidas por las monocotiledóneas con diez familias, 57 géneros y 100 especies, las pteridofitas con ocho familias, 15 géneros y 25 especies y las magnoliides con tres familias, tres géneros y cuatro especies. También se reportan nueve nuevos registros a nivel específico para el estado. Conclusiones: La zona de estudio alberga 42.7% de las familias, 26.6% de los géneros y 12.4% de las especies registradas hasta el momento para Morelos, lo que confirma la importancia no solo cultural, sino también biológica del sitio, y pone de manifiesto la necesidad de continuar con la exploración botánica en esta parte de Morelos.

Ichthyofauna of the Mata de Itamacaoca, an urban protected area from the upper Munim River basin, Northern Brazilian Cerrado

Abstract: The Munim River basin is one of the main river drainages of the Hydrological unit Maranhão, but there are few published studies which focus on ichthyological surveys and taxonomic work within this basin. The present study aims to provide a fish species inventory of the Mata da Itamacaoca, one of the few urban protected areas from the upper Munim River basin, comparing the ichthyofauna with other lists by conducted at the upper Munim River basin. A total of 42 collection expeditions were conducted, the sampling was conducted at five collecting sites distributed within the boundaries of Mata de Itamacaoca, upper Munim River basin. Diversity indices were calculated and generalised linear models (GLMs) were employed to assess differences in species richness, diversity and evenness depending on season and location in relation to the reservoir dam wall. In order to visualize fish community differences, non-metric multidimensional scaling (nMDS) and a one-way PERMANOVA was used to understand whether factors of site, season and location to the dam wall had an effect on fish community compositions. A total of six orders, 13 families, and 23 fish species were found, and the order with the highest species richness, considering all reaches, was Characiformes followed by Cichliformes. The most abundant species was Nannostomus beckfordi, while Pimelodella parnahybae and Hoplerythrinus unitaeniatus were the rarer species sampled. There were no alien invasive species collected within the study area. Species richness was significantly higher below the dam wall, but there were no other significant differences in diversity indices with regards to season or location. Fish community composition was significantly different above and below the dam wall and was significantly affected by sampling site. Season did not have an effect on fish community. This study corroborates other studies conducted in the Unidade Hidrológica Maranhão sensu Hubbert and Renno (2006), that the ichthyofaunal composition and taxonomy of species within this region face major data deficits, anthropogenic impacts, this study may be a baseline for comparing similar environments throughout the region.

A key to the identification of agglutinant and monothalamous foraminifera from Brazilian mangroves

Abstract Identification keys are essential tools to guarantee higher precision during the taxonomic work. However, such keys are rare for foraminifera and often encompass a restrict group of species from a given geographic region. Thus, the taxonomic identification process usually occurs by visual comparison and by verifying the description of morphological attributes, which requires the previous knowledge of the species before identification. The use of an identification key seeks to help in this crucial step and contribute to the best taxonomic precision, which errors may propagate in the subsequent analyses that are supported by estimations on species richness and abundances. Moreover, it constitutes an extra tool to assist in the training of new researchers. This paper brings an identification key for agglutinant and monothalamous foraminifera from Brazilian mangroves, considering 50 genera and 91 species.

Environmental correlates of leguminosae species richness in Mexico: Quantifying the contributions of energy and environmental seasonality

AbstractExplaining species richness patterns is a central issue in ecology, but a general explanation remains elusive. Environmental conditions have been proposed to be important drivers of these patterns, but we still need to better understand the relative contribution of environmental factors. Here, we aim at testing two environmental hypotheses for richness gradients: energy availability and environmental seasonality using diversity patterns of the family Leguminosae across Mexico. We compiled a data base of 502 species and 32,962 records. After dividing Mexico into 100 × 100 km grid cells, we constructed a map of variation in species richness that accounts for heterogeneity in sampling effort. We found the cells with the highest species richness of legumes are in the Neotropical region of Pacific coastal and southern Mexico, where the legume family dominates the tropical rain forests and seasonally dry tropical forests. Regression models show that energy and seasonality predictors can explain 25% and 49% of the variation in richness, respectively. Spatial autocorrelation analysis showed that richness has a strong spatial structure, but that most of this structure disappears when both energy and seasonality are used to account for richness gradient. Our study demonstrates multiple environmental conditions contribute complementarily to explain diversity gradients. Moreover, it shows that in some regions, environmental seasonality can be more important than energy availability, contradicting studies at coarser spatial scales. More basic taxonomic and floristic work is needed to help describe patterns of diversity for many groups to allow for testing the underlying mechanisms responsible for diversity gradients.Abstract in Spanish is available with online material.

Hidden in the DNA: How multiple historical processes and natural history traits shaped patterns of cryptic diversity in an Amazon leaf‐litter lizardLoxopholis osvaldoi(Squamata: Gymnophthalmidae)

AbstractAimTo investigate the cryptic diversity and diversification timing in the putatively low‐dispersal Amazonian leaf‐litter lizardLoxopholis osvaldoi, and to ask how geography (rivers, isolation by distance, IBD), ecological drivers (isolation by environment, IBE) and historical factors (climatic refugia) explain intraspecific genetic variation.LocationCentral Amazonia, Brazil.TaxonSquamata; Gymnophthalmidae;Loxopholis osvaldoi.MethodsWe sequenced two mitochondrial and two nuclear markers in 157 individuals. Phylogeographic structure and the occurrence of independent evolving lineages where explored through phylogenetic and coalescent analyses. A species tree and divergence dates of lineages were inferred with *BEAST, employing multiple DNA substitution rates. The potential genetic impacts of geographical distance among localities, the environment and the position of localities in relation to main rivers were tested by redundancy analysis (RDA).ResultsWe detected 11 independently evolving and largely divergent intraspecific lineages. Lineage distribution patterns are complex and do not match any conspicuous barrier to gene flow, except for the Amazon River. Most lineages appear to have originated in the lower Miocene and Pliocene, in disagreement with the Pleistocene refuge hypothesis. IBD, IBE and rivers appear to have acted in concert establishing and maintaining genetic structure. However, when controlling for other explanatory variables, IBD explains significantly more variation than rivers, IBE or historical factors.Main ConclusionsOur results strongly suggest thatL.osvaldoiis a species complex. Future taxonomic work should use an integrative approach to explore whether morphological variation is present and congruent with the genetic data. While the use of a sensitive dating analysis allowed us to better describe the diversification history ofL.osvaldoi, the lack of a spatial model of Neogene river dynamics prevents the test of specific, more informative river barrier hypotheses. The data suggest that nonlinear correlation analyses (e.g. RDA) should be preferred to detect factors that affect phylogeographic patterns in the Amazon, instead of linear multiple regressions (e.g. Mantel tests). Given the high level of cryptic diversity detected within this and other Amazonian species, we caution against hypothesis tests based solely on the distribution of nominal taxa, which can provide a rather incomplete view of the processes behind Amazonian diversity.

<p><strong>Capitalised epithets in the works of Linnaeus (1758‒1767): findings and consequences in herpetology</strong></p>

Starting from a finding concerning a few specific nomina proposed by Linnaeus (1758, 1760) and Linné (1766–1767) in herpetology, we returned to the ‘rules of nomenclature’ followed, more or less explicitly, in taxonomic works of the 18th century, in an attempt to understand the status of capitalised epithets. We conclude that such epithets were viewed by their authors as nouns in apposition, or more rarely as nouns in the genitive. Therefore, nowadays, they must be treated as invariable, and not as adjectives that should agree in grammatical gender with the generic substantives with which they are combined. We provide a catalogue of these herpetological capitalised epithets in Linnaeus (1758, 1760) and Linné (1766–1767) with some nomenclatural consequences that result from our observations, especially for Corallus hortulana, Macrovipera lebetinus and Thamnophis saurita. In order to solve some nomenclatural cases, we had to resort to 12 Articles of the Code (1.3.1, 3, 11.9.1.2, 11.9.1.3, 23.2, 23.9, 31.1, 31A, 31.2.2, 32.5.1, 33.3.1, 34.2.1, 58) and to 29 technical nomenclatural terms. One more time, this highlights the fact that nomenclatural problems concerning old nomina cannot be properly dealt with in a hurry and without a good, but also critical, knowledge of the Code, and that the use of a more detailed terminology than that of the Code facilitates such a work.

The Ixodes ricinus complex (Acari: Ixodidae) in the Southern Cone of America: Ixodes pararicinus, Ixodes aragaoi, and Ixodes sp. cf. I. affinis.

The goal of this study was to clarify the taxonomic status of the Ixodes ricinus complex in the Southern Cone of America, by using morphological characters and molecular markers (mitochondrial 16SrDNA and cox1 genes). The morphological analysis indicates that three different taxa of the I. ricinus complex occur in this region: Ixodes pararicinus, Ixodes aragaoi, and Ixodes sp. cf. I. affinis. The most prominent diagnostic character among them is the size of scutal punctations in both male and female ticks. In the males of Ixodes sp. cf. I. affinis, the punctations on the central field and along the median marginal groove of the scutum are clearly larger than in the males of I. aragaoi and I. pararicinus, while the punctations of I. aragaoi are larger but less numerous than in I. pararicinus. The punctations in Ixodes sp. cf. I. affinis females are larger and deeper than in females of I. aragaoi and I. pararicinus, and those of I. aragaoi are slightly larger than in I. pararicinus. The length of the lateral posterior denticles of the male hypostome is comparatively longer in I. aragaoi than in the other two species, and longer in Ixodes sp. cf. I. affinis than in I. pararicinus. In the 16S analysis, I. pararicinus and I. aragaoi are monophyletic (99% and 98% bootstrap support, respectively), while Ixodes cf. I. affinis does not represent a single lineage. In the cox1 analysis, both I. pararicinus and I. aragaoi are well-defined taxa, but the bootstrap support for Ixodes sp. cf. I. affinis is low (67%). In general, there are considerable 16SrRNA differences among lineages of Ixodes sp. cf. I. affinis from different geographical areas. These results may be indicative of the existence of different species. The populations morphologically compatible with I. affinis from Argentina, Colombia, Panama, Belize, and USA should be provisionally named as Ixodes sp. cf. I. affinis until an integrative taxonomic work with further evidence redefines whether or not this taxon actually represents a species complex.

Pareuchiloglanis (Teleostei: Sisoridae) from the Pearl River, China with description of three new species.

We describe three new species of Pareuchiloglanis. Based on a comparison of 17 valid species of Pareuchiloglanis, the genus can be divided into two groups contingent on their gill opening size and the anus position. One group, which we call the large gill opening group, has a large gill opening extending to the base of the first pectoral-fin element; the anus is obviously closer to pelvic-fin insertion than the anal-fin origin; this group includes five species distributed in the Red and Pearl Rivers, China. The other group has a small gill opening extending only to the middle base of the pectoral-fin elements; the anus is usually located at the midpoint of the pelvic-fin insertion to the anal-fin origin or slightly behind. This group includes the other 12 species, which are distributed in the Mekong and Yangtze Rivers. The large-gill-opening group can be divided into two sub-groups based on the length of the caudal peduncle. One sub-group has a long caudal-peduncle and the distance from the anal-fin origin to caudal-fin base is greater than distance from the pelvic-fin insertion. This sub-group is only distributed in the Pearl River drainage. Another sub-group has a short caudal peduncle and the distance from the anal-fin origin to the caudal-fin base is typically smaller than the distance from the pelvic-fin insertion. This sub-group is only distributed in the Red River basin of China and Vietnam. The former will be called the large-gill-opening group with long caudal peduncle in the text and only includes one species P. longicauda. During our ongoing taxonomic work of specimens collected from Nanpan-jiang and Beipan-jiang (upper Pearl River drainage in Yunnan, China), some Pareuchiloglanis specimens that had the characters of the large-gill-opening group with long caudal peduncle represent three undescribed species.

Diversification of Biscutella ser. Biscutella (Brassicaceae) followed post-Miocene geologic and climatic changes in the Mediterranean basin

Biscutella ser. Biscutella (= ser. Lyratae Malin.) is a group of mostly annual or short-lived perennial plants, with petals gradually tapering at the base and lateral intrastaminal nectaries, endemic to the Mediterranean basin and the Middle East. Recent taxonomic work has revealed that a relative morphological homogeneity occurs in Europe and Asia, but a high plasticity is found in N Africa for most of the characters traditionally used for taxonomic arrangements. This fact had generally led to overestimation of the number of taxa, which currently is reduced to ten (namely 7 species and 3 additional varieties), some of them being narrow endemics. In the present contribution, on the basis of a previous detailed morphological study carried out by the authors, the first comprehensive phylogeny based on 47 DNA sequence data including concatenation of two plastid (rpl32-trnL and trnV) and one nuclear (ITS) regions, together with the first time-calibrated phylogenetic tree, allows reappraisal of evolutionary and biogeographic relationships among the accepted taxa in the series. According to all evidence gathered in the present study, the current distribution of B. ser. Biscutella, mostly centred in the southern parts of the Mediterranean basin and the Middle East, suggests that it evolved in relation with the major geological and climatic events occurred in the Mediterranean basin and Eurasia within the last 20 million years. The origin of Biscutella is dated ca 18.75 Mya, and the radiation of the series triggered ca 5.87 Mya with the Messinian Salinity Crisis. Rapid diversification occurred coetaneously to the Intensification of Northern Hemisphere Glaciation (ca 2.86 Mya) onwards, with parallel large-amplitude aridity cycles in Africa and southwestern Asia. In recent times, the divergence of lineages became faster in the W Mediterranean (ca 1.54 to 0.43 Mya), mostly related to geographical and ecological patterns of specialisation. In many cases, the distribution of the current species is apparently linked to ancient glacial refuges in S Mediterranean basin.

On the nomenclature of the fossil‐genera Acitheca, Bifariusotheca, Polymorphopteris and Strephopteris (fossil Pteridophyta, Marattiopsida)

AbstractThe complicated nomenclatural history of the extinct fossil‐genera Acitheca and Strephopteris (fertile foliage) and Polymorphopteris (sterile foliage), established for fossil ferns (Marattiopsida), is reviewed and corrected with new bibliographic and historical data. Strephopteris as a generic name established for fertile foliage of Acitheca‐type has priority, but due to the long and widespread use of Acitheca it was recently proposed to reject it in favour of the established name Acitheca. Since Acitheca as a fossil‐genus was established for distinctive fertile foliage, but its currently accepted type, A. polymorpha (≡ Pecopteris polymorpha), was founded on sterile foliage, it is proposed to reject this type and return to the earlier concept of Sterzel who thought that Acitheca was typified by the fossil‐species Scolecopteris conspicua, based on fertile foliage. This procedure requires official conservation of the type. Correction of the type allows continuing the current use of another fossil‐genus, Polymorphopteris, which was inadvertently validated on the same type as Acitheca. The legitimization of the fossil‐genus Polymorphopteris, based on sterile foliage only, will stabilize the current established systematics of fossil marattiopsid remains, for which no fertile organs are known. Since Scolecopteris conspicua, when established as a fertile counterpart of sterile foliage known as Pecopteris polymorpha, originally included two unrelated archetypes of fertile foliage, known as compressions and petrifactions, the typification of the fossil‐species by fossil specimens known as compressions allows continued use of Acitheca as a distinct fossil‐genus for fertile foliage as compressions. The petrifactions formerly attributed to A. polymorpha from younger sediments (Lower Permian) of France are re‐considered as a distinct fossil‐species, Scolecopteris renaultii sp. nov. The formerly not validly published fossil‐genus Bifariusotheca for Acitheca‐like fossils from the Permian of China is validated. Kamatheca is validated for the aberrant Angaridan fossil‐species, Acitheca gigantea. Nine not validly published fossil‐species of Polymorphopteris are validated to follow modern circumscription of the fossil‐genus: Polymorphopteris cistii comb. nov., P. gothanii comb. nov., P. integra comb. nov., P. magdalenae sp. nov., P. multifurcata comb. nov., P. oblongifolia comb. nov., P. pseudobucklandii comb. nov., P. pseudointegra comb. nov., and P. wagneri sp. nov. Callipteridium subelegans and Scolecopteris conspicua are neotypified; Acitheca isomorpha and Pecopteris cistii are lectotypified. As an addition to Taxonomic literature II records, the precise dates of publication of the taxonomic works of Germar's Versteinerungen (1844–1853) and Schimper & Schenk's Palaeophytologie (1879–1890) are established for the first time.

The Pygopleurus Motschulsky (Coleoptera: Scarabaeoidea: Glaphyridae) of mainland Greece: taxonomy, faunistics and ecological notes

The present contribution revises the taxonomy of the Pygopleurus Motschulsky, 1860 species from the mainland Greece, introducing substantial changes to the last taxonomic work by Baraud (1989). Pygopleurus humeralis (Brullé, 1832) is recognized as a junior synonym of P.apicalis (Brullé, 1832). Specimens up to date identified as P.humeralis actually belong to five different taxa, of which two are new: P.brulleibrullei Bollino, Uliana Sabatinelli, new species and P.brulleitaygetanus Bollino, Uliana Sabatinelli, new subspecies, two are resurrected from synonymy: P.viridisuturatus (Reitter, 1903) from Greece, and P.isikdagensis (Petrovitz, 1963) from Turkey, and one species, P.bulgaricus (Nedelkov, 1905) is resurrected. Pygopleurus pseudopsilotrichius (Petrovitz, 1958) is resurrected from unwarranted synonymy with P.anemoninus (Brullé, 1832). Pygopleuruschrysonotus (Brullé, 1832) is removed from the synonymy with P.anemoninus and treated as senior synonym of Pygopleurus diffusus (Petrovitz, 1958). Pygopleurus anemoninus, P.chrysonotus and P.hirsutus (Brullé, 1832) are endemic to Greece, and absent from the fauna of Turkey. Previous records of these species from Turkey result from misidentifications. Neotypes of Pygopleurus chrysonotus and P.bulgaricus are designated. Neotype of Amphicoma apicalis designated by Baraud (1989) and lectotype of A.humeralis selected by Baraud (1989) in 1988 are considered invalid and set aside. For all species, ecological notes are presented and geographical distributions are mapped.

Phylogenetic and Morphological Analyses Support the Resurrection of Dendroconche and the Recognition of Two New Genera in Polypodiaceae Subfamily Microsoroideae

Abstract—The taxonomy of the Polypodiaceae subfamily Microsoroideae is highly problematic, especially with respect to the circumscription of the highly variable and non-monophyletic genus Microsorum. Using phylogenetic analyses and morphological evidence, we demonstrate that sixteen taxa typically treated in the genera Microsorum and Colysis are not closely related to those groups and instead belong to three clades that are successive sister groups to the Old-World ant-fern genus, Lecanopteris. We use the available genus name Dendroconche for one of these clades and propose the new genera Bosmania and Zealandia to accommodate the remaining two groups. We provide a description and identify morphological synapomorphies for each of the genera, make new combinations and designate lectotypes where necessary, and present keys and descriptions for all relevant species. We also discuss the evolution of ant-fern associations in the lecanopteroid ferns and highlight the need for additional taxonomic work in the subfamily. The following new combinations are provided: Bosmania lastii, B. leandriana, B. membranacea, Dendroconche ampla, D. latilobata, D. linguiforme, D. sayeri, D. scandens, D. varians, Zealandia novae-zealandiae, Z. powellii, Z. pustulata, Z. pustulata subsp. howensis, and Z. vieillardii.

Re-assessment of the Oligocene genera Prosotherium and Propachyrucos (Hegetotheriidae, Notoungulata)

Several systematic revisions of the Hegetotheriidae have been published in the last twenty years, but some important taxonomic work remains limited to unpublished studies. In one such thesis, the late Oligocene genera Prosotherium and Propachyrucos were revised, so that Prosotherium garzoni and Propachyrucos smithwoodwardi were considered the only valid species for each genus. Later authors loosely accepted these informal revisions, but recent phylogenetic coding has yet to accurately reflect these revisions, with character states often at odds with the known material for these genera. This study re-examines most of the fossil material assigned to Propachyrucos and Prosotherium, including both published and unpublished fossils, and contributes to a better understanding of the systematics, taxonomic diversity and early morphological evolution of the pachyrukhines. We conclude that Prosotherium garzoni and Propachyrucos smithwoodwardi are indeed the only valid species for each genus, confirming the influential but unpublished revisions that have become widely accepted. The known material for these species is clarified to aid future phylogenetic studies. At the same time, Propachyrucos aequilatus and Pr. robustus are herein considered nomina dubia. Additionally, Miocene species originally ascribed to Propachyrucos, along with unpublished material loosely assigned to the same genus, are here synonymized with other genera. Finally, several fossils previously recognized as Prosotherium sp. are here recognized as P. garzoni.