On the typification of Salvia dorrii (Lamiaceae)

The type of Salvia dorrii is shown to represent the Great Basin phase of the species (currently called subsp. argentea ) rather than the Mojave Desert expression as implied by Epling and others. The Mojave Desert phase is hereby renamed S. dorrii var. pilosa (A. Gray) Strachan & Reveal.     

North American types of Oxytropis DC. (Leguminosae) at The Natural History Museum and Royal Botanic Garden, England, with nomenclatural comments and a new variety

Specimens of Oxytropis in the herbaria of The Natural History Museum and Royal Botanic Garden were examined to interpret their role in nomenclature. This is the first attempt at a systematic overview of specimens so important in understanding the genus as it occurs in North America. The review of specimens at BM and K during the present research has resulted in realignment of names of some of the taxa. Oxytropis campestris var. gracils (A. Nelson) Barneby is recognized herein as being predated by O. campestris var. spicata Hook., O. sericea var. spicata (Hook.) Barneby is replaced by O. sericea var. speciosa (Torr. & A. Gray) Welsh comb. nov., and O. campestris var. terrae-novae (Fern.) Barneby is superseded by O. campestris var. minor (Hook.) Welsh comb. nov. One new taxon is proposed: Oxytropis deflexa (Pall.) DC. var. pulcherrima Welsh & A. Huber, var. nov. Lectotypes are designated for the following taxa: Astragalus retroflexus Pall. Oxytropis artica R. Br., O. artica var. α subumbellata Hook., O. arctica var. β uniflora Hook. O. campestris var. β sepciosa Torr & A. Gray, O. campestris var. ξ melanocephala Hook., O. campestris var. δ spincata Hook., O. multiceps var. minor A. Gray, O. splendens Douglas ex Hook., O. splendens β richardsonii Hook., O. uralensis β subsucculenta Hook., and O. uralensis γ minor Hook.     

Aspects of the biology of the jonah crab,Cancer borealis Stimpson, 1859 in the mid-Atlantic Bight

Summary

Jonah crabs, Cancer borealis, were collected in October 1971, June 1973, and March and April 1974 during trawl surveys of the continental shelf of the mid-Atlantic Bight and the shelf and slope east of Beaufort, North Carolina. In 171 trawls made from the M/V Blesk, R/V Columbus Iselin, R/V Albatross IV and R/V Eastward, 1626 jonah crabs were captured. Crabs were contagiously distributed within a depth range of 20–400 m. Maximum abundance occurred within 150–400 m and 8–13·9°C.

Male crabs ranged from 12 to 175 mm in carapace width; females from 13 to 152 mm. Three modal size groups for males and females were recognized: 13–40 mm, 41–80 mm and 81–110 mm. There was a fourth group of male crabs over 110 mm width. Crabs 40 mm were most abundant at depths of 75–150 m; crabs 41–80 mm were not captured in depths < 150 m, but were the dominant group in strata > 150 m. Larger crabs (81–110 mm) occurred from 40 to 400 m and reached maximum numbers at 150–400 m. Male crabs ≥ 111 mm were found only in 150–400 m.

Male crabs predominated in June. Sex ratios (M:F) ranged from 1·1:1 to 17:1. In October the ratios ranged from 1:16 to 2·4:1. In March and April the ratios were 2·9:1 and 1·9:1, respectively. In most cases the ratios were significantly different from 1:1.

The species was actively moulting in June, but recent or incipient ecdysis was not observed in October. Only one recently moulted crab was noted in March.

Gonad development in June was related to size. Most crabs ? 80 mm width were undeveloped or only slightly developed. Mature gonads were seen only in crabs ≥ 100 mm width. Testes and vasa deferentia of most males ≥ 150 mm were well to very well developed. No ripe ovaries were seen and no ovigerous individuals were taken in June. One berried female was observed in March.

The incidence of fouling organisms on crabs reflected the moulting history of the crabs. Sixty per cent of crabs in anecdysis and 14% of those in postecdysis were fouled. The predominant organism was the lepadid barnacle, Poecilasma inaequilaterale Pilsbry, which was attached to the gills in the branchial chamber.     

On the polymorphism of cyanogenesis in Lotus corniculatus L.

Most populations of the legume Lotus corniculatus are polymorphic for the characters of leaf cyanogenesis and petal cyanogenesis. The distribution of these phenotypes was investigated in a section of chalk quarry where the vegetation ranged from pioneer species growing on almost bare chalk through to a mature grassland assemblage. The vegetation surrounding randomly chosen L. corniculatus individuals was recorded and this information was used to compare the environments in which the different phenotypes were growing. Leaf cyanogenic plants were found to occur at higher frequencies in grassland areas than in the more open conditions typical of earlier stages in the succession at the quarry. Factors that may be responsible for the distribution of the phenotypes are discussed.