A new record of Heribaudiella fluviatilis , a freshwater brown alga (Phaeophyceae), from Oregon

Members of the algal class Phaeophyceae (brown algae) are almost entirely marine species. A few genera have been described from freshwater habitats, but their distribution and ecological requirements, especially in North America, are very poorly known. The 1st specimens of a freshwater species of brown algae from Oregon, Heribaudiella fluviatilis , were discovered in 3 localities of the McKenzie River, near McKenzie Bridge and Belknap Springs (44°22′N, 122°00′-15′W). This is the 4th extant population of this species known from the United States. The alga forms distinctive, macroscopic, dark brown patches on rocks in rapidly flowing water. In the McKenzie River it co-occurs, apparently year-round, with several other macrophytic algal species, including Prasiola Mexicana , Zygnema sp. (sterile), Nostoc parmelioides , N. vemlcossum , and Phormidium cf. autumnale . In cooler months the macroalgal species Ulothrix zonata and Hydrurus foetidus are also present with Heribaudiella . Photographs and ecological information are provided. We report a 380-km range extension south for the species, and thus far the most southerly population known from North America. This new record suggests that the alga may be more widespread than previously recognized and that other localities may be discovered with further study.     

The Glyceridae (Polychaeta) of the North Atlantic and Mediterranean,with descriptions of two new species

Two genera, 12 species and one species complex of the polychaete family Glyceridae are described and figures from the North East Atlantic and Mediterranean. Diagnostic taxonomic features are described and keys to genera and species are included. Material from other parts of the world is also considered where relevant to the taxonomy of the species concerned. Of the 12 recorded species, one is reestablished for European waters after submersion in synonomy, a species complex is described and two new species are erected.     

New species of Doliodrilus and other Limnodriloidinae (Oligochaeta,Tubificidae) from Hainan and other parts of the north-west Pacific Ocean

Thirteen species of Limnodriloidinae (Tubificidae) are recorded from marine and brackish-water habitats of Hainan Island, southern China, including 11 species of Doliodrilus and two species belonging to Limnodriloides. Eight species are new to science: D. bisaccus sp. n. (types from Japan), D. longidentatus sp. n. (types from Hong Kong), D. ciliatus sp. n., D. adiacens sp. n., D. fibrisaccus sp. n. (also from Fiji), D. brachyductus sp. n., D. bidolium sp. n. and D. chinensis sp. n. In addition, material of D. puertoricensis Erséus and Milligan, 1988, from New Caledonia, is briefly described. This study shows that Doliodrilus is unexpectedly species-rich in Asian seas, in particular, around Hainan. Including an unnamed species from this island, the known members of this genus increase from three to 12.     

Diets of nesting Northern Goshawks in the Warner Mountains, California

Diets of Northern Goshawks ( Accipiter gentilis ) in western and eastern North America show regional differences. This variation may be explained by the opportunistic feeding behavior of Northern Goshawks and the greater number of potential prey species in western North America. We predicted that a population of Northern Goshawks in the Warner Mountains of California would take significantly more mammals than birds as prey. Goshawk diet in the Warner Mountains was determined by pellet analysis and prey remains. A total of 33 samples from 23 nest sites was collected and analyzed. Diets were quantified by determining the minimum number of individuals per sample at each nest site. As predicted, Warner Mountain Goshawks preyed more heavily on mammalian than avian prey species. Of the 221 individuals identified, 126 (57%) were mammals, while 95 (43%) were birds. These results are in accord with the suggestion that there are potentially more mammalian prey species in western North America than in eastern North America.     

Zoogeography and evolutionary ecology of the genus Platorchestia (Crustacea,Amphipoda, Talitridae)

ABSTRACT

Species of the genus Platorchestia occur both in the northern hemisphere (18 species) and southern hemisphere (three species plus a synanthropically introduced species in South America and South Africa). The greater number of endemic Platorchestia species in the North Pacific Ocean suggests that it could be the epicentre of evolution for this genus. North-western Pacific Platorchestia includes 15 species which occupy five ecotopes: wrack (seven species), terrestrial leaf litter (five species), freshwater (one species), marsh (one species) and tentatively present in caves (one species). North-eastern Pacific Platorchestia includes only one putative driftwood specialist, with no other species found in North American coastal habitats. This compares with three good endemic Platorchestia species (plus two putative additional species) and only two ecotopes: wrack (three species) and freshwater (two species) from the North Atlantic Ocean, inclusive of the Gulf of Mexico and Mediterranean Sea. Insufficient data is available to consider Platorchestia zoogeography for the Arabian Sea and Bay of Bengal. Synanthropic dispersal involving Platorchestia in Polynesian outrigger canoes, or in solid ballast carried in the holds of wooden sailing ships has been identified as a potential complicating factor in the zoogeography of this genus. Platorchestia is proposed to have arisen on Laurasia and is therefore basically a northern hemisphere genus. Questions concerning Platorchestia zoogeography and evolutionary ecology are posed and two methods (more intensive field sampling and molecular genetics) are suggested to be the way to solve them.     

Vegetation and flora of Pine Butte Fen, Teton County, Montana

The Pine Butte Fen, situated east of the Rocky Mountains in north central Montana, is a boreal, patterned peatland occurring in a relatively dry climatic region. It is one of the southernmost mires of its kind in North America. The vegetation communities present in the fen are described, and possible causes of vegetation patterning are discussed. The Pine Butte Fen is a minerotrophic fen with 93 species of vascular plants represented in an area of approximately 450 ha. Floristic similarities between the Pine Butte Fen and 11 other peatlands in North America reported in the literature are low. Similarity of this fen to other peatlands tends to decrease with increasing distance between the sites and decreasing pH of surface water at other sites. Possible causes for these trends and the floristic uniqueness of the Pine Butte Fen are discussed.      

Atlantic and Mediterranean species of the genus Andaniexis Stebbing (Amphipoda: Stegocephalidae)

The Atlantic and Mediterranean species of the genus Andaniexis Stebbing, 1906 (Amphipoda: Stegocephalidae) are reviewed, and three new species are described. The species Andaniexis abyssi (Boeck, 1871) which previously was considered a widely distributed species (from Baffin Bay to both Spitzbergen and the Skagerrak), is here divided into three species: Andaniexis abyssi s.str., Andaniexis gracilis n.sp. and Andaniexis lupus n.sp. These species, together with Andaniexis mimonectes Ruffo, 1975, all have allopatric distributions. This is especially evident in northern Norway, where A. abyssi has its northernmost limit: A. abyssi is found in Solbergfjorden (69°10′N), while Andaniexis lupus is found in the adjacent fjord Malangen (69°30′N, the southern limit of this species along the Norwegian coast). Andaniexis eilae n.sp. is described from Iceland. This species is not closely related to the other North Atlantic species of the same genus.     

Stoneflies (Plecoptera) of the Black Hills of South Dakota and Wyoming, USA: distribution and zoogeographic affinities

The Black Hills of South Dakota and Wyoming are an insular mountain range completely surrounded by the Great Plains. The stonefly (Plecoptera) fauna of the Black Hills was surveyed and zoogeographic affinities examined. Twenty-seven species representing 22 genera and 6 families were found. Fifteen new state records for South Dakota and 2 for Wyoming are presented. Two species are removed from the South Dakota list. An analysis of the North American distribution of each species showed a strong relationship between the Black Hills and the Rocky Mountains, with much weaker relationships between the Black Hills and eastern and northern regions. Results of a logistic regression analysis comparing factors contributing to long-distance dispersal ability against presence/absence in the Black Hills were inconclusive. However, other evidence suggests that the Black Hills fauna is a result of expansion and subsequent vicariance of stonefly populations during Pleistocene climatic oscillations.     

A new species of marine nemertean from Anglesey,North Wales,with a discussion of the genus Paroerstedia Friedrich, 1955

A new species of marine nemertean, Paroerstedia nigrimaculata sp. nov., is described and illustrated from a single specimen found among Corallina in a lower shore rock pool at Rhosneigr, Anglesey, North Wales. No Paroerstedia species has been recorded previously from the British Isles. The systematics of the genus and its contained species are discussed.     

Taxonomy of Sphaeromeria, Artemisia , and Tanacetum (Compositae, Anthemideae) based on randomly amplified polymorphic DNA (RAPD)

Relationships within, between, and among the Anthemideae genera Sphaeromeria, Artemisia , and Tanacetum were investigated using 238 randomly amplified polymorphic DNA (RAPD) markers obtained from twenty 10-mer primers amplified on genomic DNA. Forty-one populations from 16 taxa (15 species) were studied. Jaccard's coefficient of similarity and UPGMA clustering analysis were used to construct phenograms. T tests were used to make comparisons between samples at various systematic levels. DNA markers were 75% similar for conspecific populations. Sixteen Sphaeromeria populations (5 species) showed an average interspecific similarity of 21%. Interspecific similarity among 23 Artemisia populations (8 species with 2 subspecies of A. tridentata included) averaged 27%. Two Tanacetum species (1 population each) were 89% similar. The high similarity of Tanacetum species was in the range of observed values for conspecific populations; indeed those 2 species ( T. vulgare and T. boreale ) have been considered conspecific by some authors. The 3 subgenera of Artemisia studied ( Artemisia, Dracunculus , and Tridentatae ) formed separate groups. In comparison among the genera, Sphaeromeria was 18% similar to Artemisia (more similar to subgenus Tridentatae than the other Artemisia subgenera); intergeneric comparisons of Sphaeromeria and Artemisia and Tanacetum , which supports previously established morphological distinctions. Sphaeromeria potentilloides may be misplaced in the genus Sphaeromeria based on DNA marker results. It is likely that North American Anthemideae are circumboreal derivatives of ancestral Eurasian stock and that Sphaeromeria is derived from an Artemisia -like ancestor.     

First record of the genus Atlantistylis Reyss, 1975 (Crustacea: Cumacea) from the North Atlantic,with the description of a new species

A new species of the genus Atlantistylis Reyss, (Diastylidae) is described from the Atlantic Frontier Margin (North‐East Atlantic). This is the first record of the genus Atlantistylis from the North Atlantic. The new species Atlantistylis borealis can be recognized by the presence of spines on the frontal and lateral lobes of the carapace combined with their absence on the pereon and pleon; the first pereopods are very long. The small telson with two small apical acuminate setae and the absence of pleopods in the male are characteristic of the genus.     

Phytoseiidae from date palms in Israel with descriptions of two new taxa and a key to the species found on date palms worldwide (Acari: Mesostigmata)

The old world date mite Oligonychus afrasiaticus (McGregor) is an important spider mite pest of the date palms Phoenix dactylifera in most of North Africa and the Middle East. To identify potential predators of this key pest we monitored the phytoseiids in the date palm canopy and on the orchard floor for three consecutive years in the Southern Arava Valley of Israel. In this study we report on the phytoseiid species found. We describe two new species, Neoseiulus cozae and Typhlodromus shoshae, and redescribe seven species, Proprioseiopsis beatus, Neoseiulus marginatus, N. conterminus, N. rambami, N. bicaudus, Cydnoseius negevi and Typhlodromus athiasae, found on date palms or on the understorey Bermuda grass, Cynodon dactylon, gramineae in these orchards. A key to all species collected from date palm orchards worldwide is given. Proprioseiopsis beatus, N. marginatus and N. conterminus are recorded for the first time in Israel.     

New species of oribatids from western Colorado (Acarina: Cryptostigmata, Suctobelbidae)

A new species of Suctobelba, S. tumulata, and a new genus and species, Parisuctobelba septenia, are described from collections of oribatids taken in coal strip-mining spoil banks near Hayden, Colorado. The new species are compared with members of the family from North America and Europe. The new genus is differentiated by a smooth, narrowed sensillum and seven pairs of genital setae. Taxonomic and ecological data are also discussed.     

Fossil history of Notiosorex (Soricomorpha: Soricidae) shrews with descriptions of new fossil species

Notiosorex shrews (Soricomorpha: Soricidae) have a fossil history that extends to the Miocene (i.e., mid-Hemphillian). In the intervening 6.69 million years, N. repenningi, N. jacksoni, and what heretofore was considered N. crawfordi existed with varying degrees of overlap in occurrence timewise and in geographic distribution in areas of the southwestern United States and northern Mexico. Examination of unusually small fossil specimens of Notiosorex indicated the presence of another species referable to this genus present in late Pleistocene- (i.e., early Wisconsinan) to Holocene-aged deposits. Based on statistical analyses, these specimens were as distinct from any of the other fossil or extant species of Notiosorex as any other pair of species within the genus. I referred these specimens to the new species N. harrisi. Analyses also indicted fossils heretofore considered N. crawfordi were equally distinct from other forms of Notiosorex. I referred them to the new species N. dalquesti. Individuals referred to the fossil species of Notiosorex range in size from the smaller N. harrisi, to N. dalquesti, to N. jacksoni, to the larger N. repenningi. This size differential could be related to changing climatic conditions with the concomitant ecological succession that occurred, which provided a driving force for speciation within the genus. The changing climate and unique morphological and physiological adaptations allowed fossil taxa of Notiosorex to expand their distributions into areas subsequently less suitable for other forms of shrews. Present-day notiosoricini shrews occur throughout much of the southwestern United States and northern Mexico in a variety of habitats in association with rough, rocky terrain. Thus, if climate, even indirectly, was the driving force for speciation among fossil taxa of Notiosorex, other forces must have acted on the extant species N. cockrumi, N. crawfordi, N. evotis, and N. villai.     

A revision of Neobenedenia Yamaguti, 1963 (Monogenea: Capsalidae) including a redescription of N. melleni (MacCallum, 1927) Yamaguti, 1963

Neobenedenia Yamaguti, 1963, a genus of capsalid (benedeniine) monogeneans lacking a vagina, is redefined. The generic diagnosis is amended to include previously unused characters like the path of tendons in the haptor from extrinsic muscles in the body, the presence and form of a marginal valve, the shape of the anterior attachment organs, the arrangement of musculature at the posterior (proximal) end of the penis sac and the presence of a pair of sphincters in the female reproductive tract. On this basis, the generic composition is reduced from 10 to six species. Species considered valid are: N. melleni (MacCallum, 1927) Yamaguti, 1963; N. adenea (Meserve, 1938) Yamaguti, 1963; N. isabellae (Meserve, 1938) Yamaguti, 1963; N. longiprostata Bravo-Hollis, 1971; N. muelleri (Meserve, 1938) Yamaguti, 1963; N. pacifica Bravo-Hollis, 1971. Neobenedenia girellae (Hargis, 1955) Yamaguti, 1963 and N. paragueraensis Dyer, Williams and Bunkley-Williams, 1992 are considered synonyms of N. melleni. Species formerly ascribed to Neobenedenia, namely N. manilae Velasquez, 1982 and N. vermiculariacola Gupta and Khanna, 1975 are considered species inquirendae. A key to valid species is presented. The type species, N. melleni, is redescribed based on the original specimens of MacCallum and N. isabellae is redescribed based on material from the type locality. Since no types of N. melleni were designated, a lectotype and paralectotypes are assigned. The problem of host designation and locality for the types of N. melleni sensu MacCallum is discussed. A study of more than 80 specimens now considered to be N. melleni has permitted comments on its apparent variety of forms and its low host-specificity according to the current revision. N. melleni is now recorded from over 100 species of teleosts in more than 30 families from five different orders. Material reported previously as N. melleni off Chile from Seriola mazatlana, Thunnus thynnus orientalis and Seriola sp. are identified here as Benedenia seriolae (Yamaguti, 1934) Price, 1939. The host-specificity and geographic distribution of species in the revised genus is discussed.     

Distribution and ecology of freshwater Ostracoda (Crustacea) collected from springs of Nevada, Idaho, and Oregon: a preliminary study

Fourteen freshwater ostracod species collected from 24 springs in Nevada, Idaho, and Oregon between 1991 and 1994 were classified. Their ecology, based on major water parameters (i.e., temperature, dissolved oxygen, pH, conductivity), and biogeographical distribution in North America were studied. Among these 14 species, 9 ( Ilyocypris bradyi , I. gibba , Darwinula stevensoni , Candona candida , Heterocypris incongruens , Herpetocypris reptans , H. chevreuxi , Prionocypris canadensis , P. longiforma ) are new records for Nevadas ostracod fauna, while 3 ( H. reptans , P. canadensis , and Cypria turneri ) are new species for Oregon. H. reptans , P. canadensis , and Heterocypris salina are also recorded as new for the ostracod literature of Idaho. Scottia pseudobrowniana , collected from Nevada, is a new ostracod species for the United States. The occurrence of 5 Holarctic species in the northern Great Basin area may suggest a possible historical relationship with the European ostracod fauna.     

Microhabitat selection by the johnny darter, Etheostoma nigrum Rafinesque, in a Wyoming stream

Microhabitat selection by the johnny darter ( Etheostoma nigrum ) was examined in the North Laramie River, Platte County, Wyoming, where it does not occur with other darter species in the same stream reach. Electivity indices based on microhabitat observations indicate that E. nigrum avoids riffles and selects certain microhabitats characterized by intermediate water depths in pools and slow-moving runs with a substrate composed primarily of silt and sand. Niche breadth and electivity values for total depth, bottom water velocity, and substrate measurements from this study indicate that E. nigrum is a habitat generalist, except at the extreme ends of the habitat gradient. Habitat use here is generally similar to other studies where E. nigrum occurred with one or more other darter species. This study found little evidence for competitive release in the absence of other darters.