The identity of Alcyonidium gelatinosum (Linnaeus, 1761) (Bryozoa: Ctenostomatida)

Since 1984, when Alcyonidium gelatinosum (Linnaeus, 1761) was shown not to be the free-growing species hitherto known by that name, it was assumed to be the valid name for A. polyoum (Hassall, 1841). We have established that its neotype is not a specimen of A. polyoum but of A. reticulum Ryland and Porter (2000) introduced for A. mytili auctt. non Dalyell (1848). A. reticulum must accordingly be relegated to the synonymy of A. gelatinosum. A. polyoum is a valid but different species and the provenance of Hassall's specimens is discussed. We deliberate the identity of the nominate species in Linnaeus' Fauna svecica (1761). While the occurrence of A. polyoum in the Kattegat-Mecklenburg Bight sea area cannot wholly be ruled out, the common species is A. reticulum (i.e. A. gelatinosum). The neotype does therefore represent the Swedish specimen(s) used by Linnaeus, and the identity of A. gelatinosum is at last correctly established.     

Exploitation of Cornucopina tuba (Bryozoa: Cheilostomata) by Aetea curta (Bryozoa: Cheilostomata)

Distal portions of zooids of uniserial, encrusting Aetea colonies curve abruptly away from the encrusted substratum. This characteristic, plus highly directional growth capability, enabled A. curta infesting an erect Cornucopina tuba colony to position its feeding structures consistently above the host colony, perhaps as a rheophilic growth response of individual zooids to feeding currents set up by the host.     

Adriatic species of Schizomavella (Bryozoa: Cheilostomata)

In this paper, material belonging to the genus Schizomavella, collected along the Croatian coast of the Adriatic Sea, is revised. Nine species were identified, including five species new to science: S. cornuta, S. halimedae, S. linearis, S. mamillata, S. adriatica sp. nov.,S. mystacea sp. nov., S. rosae sp. nov., S. stanislavi sp. nov. and S. tubulata sp. nov. Previous records of Schizomavella from the Adriatic are also discussed. The checklist of Adriatic Schizomavella species is updated to 11 species; a further two species are doubtful owing to wrong previous identifications. The presence of a calcified ‘hood’ covering the opesia of the suboral avicularium is described and its function is discussed. The morphological diversity of ovicells within the genus Schizomavella is compiled and discussed.

http://zoobank.org/urn:lsid:zoobank.org:pub:987D8AE0-1E02-430D-9AB5-50B77BEAF52E     

Cheilostomata (Bryozoa) from the South Atlantic

Two new genera Monitus gen.nov. and Cuckoldillo gen.nov., a new species of each of Scyphax, Rhyscotus, Filippinodillo, Merulana, Myrmecodillo, and three new species of Acanthodillo are described from Australia. The unavailability of the name Pseudodiploexochus and the confusion concerning the diagnoses of the genera Merulana Budde-Lund and Cubaris Brandt is noted. The synonomy of Merulana and Pyrgoniscus is discussed.     

On the identity of Pterodectes ralliculae Atyeo and Gaud, 1977 (Astigmata: Proctophyllodidae)

Natural history data on snakes collected in situ are scarce because of the great sampling effort required to record individuals with methods that do not interfere with their activities (e.g. visual surveys). We collected data on relative abundance and natural history, including records of ingested prey, microhabitat use, and behaviour of a snake assemblage along transects marked alongside a river in south-eastern Brazil. We recorded eight species from two families, Viperidae and Dipsadidae using visual searches over 12 months. We quantified available microhabitats in the sampled transects and used electivity indices to determine preferred microhabitats for the pit viper Bothrops moojeni, the most frequent species. Several species of snakes use riverside habitats where they can find food and suitable microhabitats, even in areas that are not pristine, adding to the importance of preserving the remaining riverside vegetation and habitat structure in such areas.     

Deep-water crisiids (Bryozoa: Cyclostomata) from the northeast Atlantic Ocean

Eight Crisia and two Bicrisia species are recorded from the Celtic Sea (330–1175 m, Thalassa, 1973) and from both sides of the Straits of Gibraltar (110–903 m, Cryos, Balgim). Two new species are described: Crisia pyrula n. sp., and Bicrisia gibraltarensis n. sp. Systematics and morphology of five other species are detailed. A southern morphotype of C. aculeata is distinguished. Except for the boreal species B. abyssicola, all species occur both in Atlantic and Mediterranean localities. The upper bathyal crisiid fauna (>200 m) is richer in the Celtic Sea than in the Gibraltar area (6 spp. vs. 3 spp). Only three crisiids seem to be true deep-water species. The crisiid stock from stations located in the Gulf of Cadiz in Atlantic water is twice as rich as (1) that from stations of the same area washed by the Mediterranean water outflow; (2) that from the Alboran Sea.     

Species of Arachnopusia (Bryozoa: Cheilostomata) collected by discovery investigations

Eighteen species of the cheilostome bryozoan genus Arachnopusia Jullien are described from Antarctic, Subantarctic and southern cold temperate localities. Eleven species are considered to be new to science. The morphology of Arachnopusia species is discussed, with particular reference to features of taxonomic value, and the zoogeography of the genus is considered briefly.     

The Cheilostomate Bryozoa (Bryozoa: Cheilostomatida) collected by the Spanish 'Antartida 8611' Expedition to the Scotia Arc and South Shetland Islands

The Cheilostome Bryozoa of the ‘Antartida 8611’ Expedition, collected by the Spanish Oceanographic Institution (Instituto Espanol de Oceanografia, IEO) during the Antarctic summer 1986–87 are listed. This expedition collected abundant material of benthic invertebrates at many stations in the Scotia Sea archipelagos and South Shetland Islands, of which 70 yielded Cheilostomate Bryozoa. Of 85 species found, 32 have been collected in areas where they were not previously known. Twenty of them are recorded north of their known limit of distribution and two recorded south. Most of these species are cited for the first time for the Scotia Arc, thus supporting the generally admitted homogeneity of the Antarctic fauna. The presence of Arachnopusia monoceros in the Southern Ocean is confirmed; a previously unknown variability in the colony shape of Kymella polaris is reported and the ovicell of Exochella umbonata is described. In addition, four species have been proposed as new to science, three of them, belonging to the genera Cellaria, Klugerella and Hippomonavella, described in the present work and one, Macropora georgiensis, included in a previous work. Together with the discussion of the new species of Klugerella, the specific composition of this genus is updated, with the assignation of Membraniporella aragoi (Audouin) and Membraniporella marcusi Cook to Klugerella. The examination of the inner side of the orifice and the frontal wall of three species of Hippomonavella reveals that the frontal is at least partially umbonuloid and that this genus is better accommodated in the family Bitectiporidae MacGillivray, 1895 than in Smittinidae Levinsen, 1909. Se presenta un listado de los Briozoos Queilostomados obtenidos en la campana ‘Antartida 8611’ del Instituto Espanol de Oceanografia (IEO) durante el verano antartico de 1986-87. Esta expedicion recolecto un abundante material de invertebrados bentonicos en un alto numero de estaciones de los archipielagos del arco del Scotia y las islas Shetland del Sur, de las cuales 70 contenian briozoos. De las 85 especies encontradas, 32 se han recogido en areas en las que no eran conocidas previamente. De ellas, 22 aumentan hacia el norte su limite de distribucion y dos hacia el sur. Muchas de estas especies se citan por primera vez en el arco del Scotia, corroborando la generalmente admitida homogeneidad de la fauna antartica. La presencia de Arachnopusia monoceros en aguas antarticas, que habia sido puesta en duda, se confirma; se describe una variabilidad antes no conocida de la forma colonial de Kymella polaris, asi como la ovicela de Exochella umbonata, que no habia sido encontrada. Ademas, cuatro especies se han propuesto como nuevas para la Ciencia, de las que tres, pertenecientes a los generos Cellaria, Klugerella e Hippomonavella, se describen en este trabajo, y la otra, Macropora georgiensis, se ha incluido en una revision del genero publicada anteriormente. En la discusion de la nueva especie de Klugerella, se actualiza la composicion especifica de este genero, anadiendo al mismo Membraniporella aragoi (Audouin) y Membraniporella marcusi Cook. Se pone de manifiesto que la pared frontal de Hippomonavella es al menos parcialmente umbonuloide y, dadas las caracteristicas de dicha pared y del orificio, se propone que el genero Hippomonavella esta mejor situado en la familia Bitectiporidae MacGillivray, 1895 que en Smittinidae Levinsen, 1909.     

A survey of the genus Geometra Linnaeus (Lepidoptera,Geometridae, Geometrinae)

The type genus of the family Geometridae, Geometra Linnaeus, is reviewed. In addition to the 16 species known worldwide, two new species are described: Geometra neovalida sp. nov. from China, and Geometra burmensis sp. nov. from Burma (Myanmar). All the known species are redescribed. Genitalia of all species are described and illustrated, most for the first time. Generic characters based on all species are summarized. The monophyly of the genus and its relationship with allied genera are reviewed and discussed in detail. Most species fall into two species groups, named the papilionaria and smaragdus groups, on the basis of the morphology of the male genitalia. Biological information is provided where available. Illustrations of moths and genitalia are presented.     

Diversity and taxonomy of intertidal Bryozoa (Cheilostomata) at Akkeshi Bay,Hokkaido, Japan

We found 39 cheilostome species among more than 7000 specimens collected at 10 intertidal sites in rocky habitats along the shore of Akkeshi Bay, eastern Hokkaido Island, Japan. These species are herein described in detail and illustrated by scanning electron microscopy. Nine species (23% of total) are described as new (Electra asiatica, Callopora sarae, Conopeum nakanosum, Cauloramphus cryptoarmatus, Cauloramphus multispinosus, Cauloramphus niger, Stomachetosella decorata, Microporella luellae, and Celleporina minima), and 21 species (54%) are reported for the first time from Japan. Species richness ranged from eight to 29 species per study site. A TWINSPAN analysis showed the species fell into nine groups defined by the local pattern of distribution. A cluster analysis of study sites based on similarity of species composition showed three faunistic groups distributed geographically: in Akkeshi Lake, along the eastern‐central shore of the bay, and at the mouth of the bay. Species richness in estuarine Akkeshi Lake was low, with a species composition very different from the outer bay. Most cheilostomes were found on rock and shell substrata, but uncommonly occurred on concrete walls, algae, hydroids, tubes of polychaetes, other bryozoans, and anthropogenic debris. Of the 39 species found, 33 (85%) contained embryos during the collecting periods, 2–7 June and 3–6 July 2004. The biogeographical composition of intertidal cheilostomes at Akkeshi Bay included species with Arctic‐Boreal (28%), Boreal (59%), and Boreal‐Subtropical (13%) distributions. The overall species richness of intertidal cheilostomes was two‐thirds that documented intertidally in a comparable study at Kodiak, Alaska, a locality 15° higher in latitude. We attribute the lower richness at Akkeshi to differences in the nearshore marine environment between the two localities.