In memoriam: Seville Flowers (1900-1968)

Seville Flowers was the foremost authority of his time on cryptogamic botany in the intermountain region, having published monographs on the mosses, lichens, and ferns of Utah. He also had strong interests in algae, grasses, composites, and the history of botany. In addition to his systematic research, his expertise extended to field ecology. Early in his career he made a classic study of the vegetation of the Great Salt Lake region that led in later years to his participation in the ecological studies at Dugway Proving Grounds in western Utah. Still later he had charge of the predam vegetative surveys of several reservoir sites along the Upper Colorado River, including Glen Canyon, which was later submerged under Lake Powell. He served as professor of botany at the University of Utah from 1936 to 1968. His professional career started in 1929. A bibliography of his writings is included in this account of his life and professional career.      

Contributions of Walter G. Ridewood to systematic comparative anatomy,especially of the osteology of “lower” vertebrates

Walter George Ridewood (1867–1921), an English comparative anatomist, was influential for many reasons, including his methods for preparing anatomical specimens and the factual results of his studies, as well as through his approach toward systematic comparative anatomy. Ridewood was not limited to expertise in any particular taxonomic group, but rather researched and published on many groups and anatomical systems, most notably on the hyoid apparatus of basal anurans, the skull of basal teleostean fishes, the gill morphology of lamellibranch molluscs, and the morphology and taxonomy of the pterobranch Cephalodiscus. In this paper, we describe Ridewood's life, and discuss his influence, particularly in regards to the systematic osteology of teleostean fishes. We provide a partially annotated list of Ridewood's published works.     

Utah botanical explorer Charles Christopher Parry (28 August 1823-20 February 1890)

The Utah botanical contributions of Charles Christopher Parry are discussed. Especial emphasis is on his trips to Utah in 1874 and 1875. Plants taken during those years, which were subsequently listed as type-specimens, are listed. Insight is gained into this window in Utah botanical history through his letters to Dr. George Engelmann and limited correspondence from Engelmann and Joseph Ellis Johnson.     

In memoriam: William Wallace Newby (1902-1977)

W. W. Newby, professor of biology at the University of Utah from 1927 to 1971, was renowned as a great teacher and a clear and forceful writer and for his meticulous research in invertebrate embryology. Ancillary skills were counseling (especially of premedical students), illustrating, wood crafting, and paper preserving. Some of his writings pertained to the history of research in the biological sciences at the University of Utah. His specialty areas in teaching were embryology and genetics, and he served as chairman of the Department of Genetics and Cytology from the year of its creation in 1948 until 1962. The most outstanding example of his research pertained to the early embryology of the echiuroid worm Urechis caupo .         

Gary L. Vinyard

Editor's Note: This issue of the Western North American Naturalist is dedicated to Gary L. Vinyard, professor of biology at the University of Nevada-Reno and major contributor to conservation of Great Basin organisms and systems. Gary died in 1998, age 49, at the height of his professional career. Articles in this issue were submitted by professional colleagues as well as former students of Dr. Vinyard. Some authors were involved in research with Dr. Vinyard at the time of his death; their papers represent results of their studies. Other authors were invited to submit articles detailing past or present research. All felt a desire to honor Gary for his personal and professional contributions. The following biographical sketch was compiled by Richard W. Rust, a colleague and friend at UNR, and Gary's wife, Deidre Vinyard.     

Charles Immanuel Forsyth Major's expedition to Madagascar, 1894 to 1896: beginnings of modern systematic study of the island's mammalian fauna

Charles Immanuel Forsyth Major (1843–1923) made the first synoptic systematic collection of mammals from Madagascar in the last decade of the 19th century. To reconstruct Major's obscurely known itinerary, we located 994 specimens that originated from his 1894–1896 expedition and determined their identification, dates and locality of collection, and current institutional repository. Fifty species were recovered from 26 localities centred in the Central Highlands and Eastern Humid Forest of east‐central Madagascar. The geographic position of several type localities is refined and their coordinates estimated, and the type locality of one taxon (Microgale pusilla Major, 1896) is accordingly amended. Biographical details of the man, the biodiversity significance of his collections and the historical context of his discoveries are discussed.     

When did Darwin ‘clearly conceive’ his theory of evolution?

Darwin’s theory of evolution by natural selection as espoused in his classic book, On the Origin of Species, constitutes one of the most important scientific advances of the last millennium. In his autobiography, Darwin apparently claimed to have ‘clearly conceived’ the theory in 1839, but the Origin was not published until 1859, following a brief excerpt of his theorizing published in mid-1858. Much scholarship has been devoted to explaining this apparent gap. Yet, examination of Darwin’s explicit theorizing fails to support the generally accepted ‘clear conception’ by 1839 as an accurate reference to an immature version of the Origin theory, a theory of continuous and universal organic change. However, by articulating both broad and narrow versions of the theory, as well as considering the inevitable theory development over decades, Darwin’s ‘clear conception’ is explained in relation to two distinct broad theories and the enduring core element, the mechanism of natural selection. This explanation casts the famous ‘gap’ in an entirely new light.     

Type material in the University Museum,Oxford, of bees described by Comte Amédée Lepeletier de Saint-Fargeau and Pierre André Latreille (Hymenoptera: Apoidea)

The composition, condition and history of the Latreille-Dejean-Lepeletier collection (the so-called ‘Latreille Collection’) in the Hope Entomological Collections, University Museum, Oxford, are outlined. The type material of certain nominal species of Anthophora Latreille, 1803, Macrocera Latreille, 1810 [nec Meigen, 1803, = Tetralonia Spinola, 1839] and Dufourea Lepeletier, 1841, described by Lepeletier from his personal collection and from the collection of Comte Dejean is reviewed. The type material of certain nominal species of Anthidium Fabricius, 1804, and Panurgus Panzer, 1806, described by Latreille from his own collection is reviewed.     

Distributional information on birds from egg sets collected by Henry Rogers Durkee in 1870 in southwestern Wyoming

Henry Rogers Durkee collected 74 egg sets of 27 avian species in 1870 at Gilmer, Uinta County, in southwestern Wyoming. Despite the paucity of documented breeding evidence from this region during the late 19th and early 20th centuries, his material at the Smithsonian Institution was generally overlooked and has never been critically examined. Durkee's egg sets included 5 species (Sandhill Crane, Grus candensis ; Northern Rough-winged Swallow, Stelgidoteryx serripennis ; Grasshopper Sparrow, Ammodramus savannarum ; Fox Sparrow, Passerella iliaca ; Cassin's Finch, Carpodacus cassinii ) whose breeding distribution was then poorly known, 25 to more than 70 years before nests and eggs were otherwise documented in Wyoming. Durkee also collected complete egg sets of Lark Bunting ( Calamospiza melanocorys ) over 70 years before breeding was confirmed at other peripheral locations in Wyoming. In addition, Durkee's incomplete egg sets of Grasshopper Sparrow were the 1st western subspecies ( A. s. perpallidus ); his complete egg set and nest of the Fox Sparrow collected at Gilmer constituted the 2nd locality for the species or species group ( P. i. schistacea ). Although the number of egg sets Durkee collected is modest, he made a meaningful contribution to the early history of avifaunal exploration in Wyoming.     

Resource defence mating system in two flies from Sulawesi: Gymnonerius fuscus Wiedemann and Telostylinus sp. near duplicatus Wiedemann (Diptera: Neriidae)

Gymnonerius fuscus and Telostylinus sp. near duplicatus are two neriid flies which breed in rot-holes (often beetle larval borings) in fallen trees in tropical forests. Males of both species attempt to establish territories beside rot-holes likely to attract females for egg-laying purposes. Monopolization of incoming females and paternity of any eggs laid are therefore assured. Aggression between males of the larger species G. fuscus is largely through ritualized intimidatory signalling, i.e. wing-flicks. Actual physical aggression only occurs when opponents are evenly matched. By contrast, lengthy and hectic wrestling matches on stilted legs is the normal method of establishing site-ownership in the smaller species T. near duplicatus. Males only seek to exclude conspecific males, such that both species may establish simultaneous ownership of a single rot-hole without interacting. Males of G. fuscus who ‘sneak’ matings away from the territories of larger males, or who manage to mate within a territory, gain little or no reproductive benefit. This is because the territory-owner prevents all females, other than his own current mate, from laying eggs within his territory and females seem reluctant to utilize non-territorial rot-holes for oviposition.     

Home range size of Black-backed Woodpeckers in burned forests of southwestern Idaho

We examined home range size of Black-backed Woodpeckers ( Picoides arcticus ) in burned ponderosa pine ( Pinus ponderosa ) / Douglas-fir ( Pseudotsuga menziesii ) forests of southwestern Idaho during 2000 and 2002 (6 and 8 years following fire). Home range size for 4 adult males during the post-fledging period was 115.6–420.9 ha using the 95% fixed-kernel method, and 150.4–766.1 ha using the 100% minimum convex polygon method. Smoothed bootstrap estimates (95%) were 130.0–521.9 ha. Home range sizes were significantly smaller 6 years after fire than 8 years after fire. Each male had from 2 to 8 areas of concentrated use within his home range. We provide recommendations for estimating area requirements of Black-backed Woodpeckers in post-fire ponderosa pine / Douglas-fir forests.     

Freshwater harpacticoids (Crustacea: Copepoda: Harpacticoida) in Norway – a comprehensive contribution from G.O. Sars,and a provisional checklist

Since the pioneering works of the Norwegian biologist G.O. Sars, little attention has been given to the freshwater harpacticoids in Norway. The prime purpose of this paper is to present the state of current knowledge about the Norwegian freshwater harpacticoid fauna based on all known published and unpublished literature and archive material. We highlight the contribution of G.O. Sars to the knowledge of this group by presenting his remaining unpublished archive material. We present two Norwegian species checklists – one for freshwater harpacticoids (16 species) and another for freshwater-associated/brackish-water harpacticoids (nine species). Four of the freshwater harpacticoid species are described by G.O. Sars. Original unpublished plates with drawings of those species are included in the paper. In addition, an overview of species distributions throughout the country is given.     

Mating behaviour and spermatophore transfer in the shrimp Heptacarpus pictus (Stimpson) (Decapoda: Caridea: Hippolytidae)

Summary

Heptacarpus pictus, a small caridean shrimp inhabiting the low intertidal of southern and Baja California, breeds during the winter, spring, and summer months. Fall is a period of growth. Life span of an individual does not exceed 18 months, with fish predation as the most likely source of mortality.

Females are multiple brooders, carrying developing embryos concomitant with increase in ovary size. Hatching of larvae is followed by a moult, after which the female is attractive to males and receptive to copulation. A distance pheromone does not appear to be involved in attraction of males to females. Males apparently respond to a non-diffusible substance on the exoskeleton of newly moulted females.

Precopulatory behaviour is absent. Copulation can be divided into a series of relatively stereotyped events. Female rejection of the male or his spermatophore is the chief cause of unsuccessful matings.

Males deposit the spermatophore on the underside of the female's first abdominal segment. Sperm packets are formed upon extrusion from the male's genital openings, and are composed of a mucoid material in which sperm are mixed. The glutinous spermatophores adhere to the female's smooth abdominal sternite.

The endopods of pleopods 1 and 2 of the male are different in shape, size and setation from homologous rami of females and juveniles. Endopods of pleopod 1 possess a distally located appendix interna, absent in juveniles and females. An anteriorly projecting process, the appendix masculina, is located on the endopod of pleopod 2 in males. Experiments were performed which showed that these modifications insure proper deposition of spermatophores. Males which had the copulatory rami removed did not transfer spermatophores as successfully as normal males.

Transfer of the spermatophore from the male to the female is a result of the interplay of male pleopods 1 and 2 during copulation. The large expanded abdominal pleurae of females prevent the male's genital opening from contacting her abdominal sternite. Thus, the male's anterior pleopods have become modified to lift the emitted spermatophore from his genital orifices to the first abdominal sternite of the female.     

Bauble spiders: a new species of Achaearanea (Araneae: Theridiidae) with ingenious spiral retreats

A new species of Achaearanea (Theridiidae) is described from the Cedarberg in South Africa. Its unusual morphological features include the position of the spinnerets directly behind the epigastric fold. The male palp is a modification of the palpal conformation of other Achaearanea. This spider lives in a spherical retreat comprizing silk, sand and pebbles. This structure typically dangles from only one thread and has a tiny opening at the bottom that leads into a spirally-coiled tunnel. Males and females build spirals in opposite directions. This enables the male to construct his retreat against that of the female in such a way as to form a brood chamber. Retreats are situated in cool places under low overhanging rocks or branches. The configuration of the narrow, suspended retreat may decrease the spider's vulnerability to enemies while foraging for ants in a typical theridiid fashion.     

Radiolarians from the British North‐Polar Expedition (1875–1876): re‐examination of the H. B. Brady (1878) collection

The earliest report on radiolarians from the Arctic Ocean (north of the Arctic Circle) was provided by H. B. Brady (1878 Brady, H. B. 1878. On the reticularian and radiolarian Rhizopoda (Foraminifera and Polycystina) of the North‐Polar Expedition of 1875–76.. Annals and Magazine of Natural History, Series 5, 1: 425–440. [Taylor & Francis Online] , [Google Scholar]). He documented the occurrences of 10 genera from soundings in northern Baffin Bay and north of Greenland, but he did not illustrate any specimens in his report. We have re‐examined Brady's original slide collection, housed at the Natural History Museum, London (NHM), in order to refine his radiolarian identifications to species level. We have identified 11 radiolarian taxa in his slides, but some are definitely more characteristic of tropical oceans rather than high northern latitudes. We conclude that this is most likely due to sample contamination or misidentification of samples. Therefore, the actual occurrence of tropically affiliated radiolarians recorded from the Arctic is uncertain and should be regarded with suspicion.     

A study of the Exoprosopa busiris (Jaennicke) group of Bezzi (1924) in tropical Africa (Diptera: Bombyliidae)

The tropical African species of the genus Exoprosopa Macquart placed by Bezzi (1924) in his group 10, E. busiris are reviewed. A key, short diagnoses and outline distributions are provided for each species. E. albonigra Bezzi and E. saskae Szilády are shown to be synonyms of E. luteicosta Bezzi; E. engyoptera Hesse a synonym of E. brevinasis Bezzi; and E. ferrieri Hesse a synonym of E. decastroi Hesse. Two new species are described; E. selenops from Kenya and E. glossops from Nigeria.