Natural prey of the crab spider Thomisus onustus (Araneae: Thomisidae), an extremely powerful predator of insects

The natural prey of the crab spider Thomisus onustus inhabiting Eryngium plants was studied in the Absheron Peninsula, Azerbaijan. The total percentage of specimens of T. onustus found while feeding was low (9.1%). However, solitary late instar and adult females exhibited a very high feeding percentage (29.9%). Other sex–age groups of T. onustus, including small juveniles, adult males, and females guarding egg sacs, were found feeding significantly less frequently. Investigation has shown that T. onustus is a polyphagous predator, with representatives of four arthropod orders found in its diet. The primary food of T. onustus was Diptera and Hymenoptera, which collectively accounted for 94.2% of total prey. Worker ants constituted about one‐fifth of the prey, suggesting that T. onustus is a myrmecophagic spider. The length of prey killed by T. onustus ranged between 1.25 and 16.00 mm (mean 6.21 mm) and constituted from 34.4 to 587.9% (mean 194.9%) of length of their captors. The most frequently captured were large arthropods, exceeding the size of the spiders (83.1%). Small and medium‐sized juveniles captured considerably larger prey (in terms of prey–predator length ratio) than late instar and adult females. Over half of their prey constituted arthropods more than two‐fold larger than the spiders.     

Adult butterfly feeding–nectar flower associations: constraints of taxonomic affiliation,butterfly, and nectar flower morphology

Butterfly–flower morphological interrelationships were investigated for 108 butterfly species and 20 plants at Nagpur, India. Distinct clusters of higher taxa (families) are disclosed for butterfly morphology and significant morphological and taxonomic associations occur in nectar exploitation. Flower corolla depth generally restricts exploitation by butterflies in relation to proboscis length and butterflies with high wing load indices bias their feeding to plants with massed flowers. However, important exceptions emerge; also, a substantial number of butterflies feed on plants with massed flowers though their proboscises are of marginal length for corolla depths. These butterfly species are significantly smaller, lighter, with lower wing loading and shorter proboscis indices than species which easily access the same flowering plant species. It is suggested that small size and short proboscises could give them a competitive advantage (increased rate of nectar uptake) for exploiting nectar in such situations. The significance of the findings for conservation is discussed.     

The atyid shrimp (Crustacea: Decapoda: Atyidae) rostrum: phylogeny versus adaptation,taxonomy versus trophic ecology

Cave shrimps of the subgenus Troglocaris (Atyidae), exhibit high variability in rostral length and dentition. In shrimp populations that co-occur with the amphibian predator Proteus anguinus, longer rostra armed with more numerous teeth are recorded. These shrimps are also larger than those living in a presumably Proteus-free environment. Discrepancies between molecularly established phylogenetic relationships and distributions of rostral length, as well as body size, directed our search towards possible environmental influences. These discrepancies suggest that rostral shape is not a reliable taxonomic character in some generic and many specific diagnoses in Atyidae. We discuss some taxonomic consequences of sexual and ontogenetic rostral differences with regard to the molecular phylogenetic tree. In preliminary laboratory observations, no frontal attack by Proteus was successful on shrimps with long rostra. Proteus also needed more time to swallow shrimps with long rostra.     

Qualitative relations of egg size,egg production and colony size in some ponerine ants (Hymenoptera: Formicidae)

The sizes of eggs and reproductives of 13 species of ponerine ant were measured, and information about the mature colony sizes, ovarial anatomy and individual fecundities of a selection of ponerine species was assembled. Inter-specific variation in the size of colonies was found to be poorly related to aspects of individual fecundity, and although the few cases of polygyny were associated with larger colony sizes, monogynous species often attained even larger sizes. Within the subfamily individual fecundity may be increased primarily by a decrease in the maternal investment in individual eggs, and perhaps to a lesser extent by an increase in the number of ovarioles in each ovary or an increase in the length of each ovariole. The diet of a species and the longevity of adult worker ants relative to the duration of their larval development are suggested as factors besides reproductive characteristics that might also contribute to differences in colony size.     

Population characteristics of four deep‐water pandalid shrimps (Decapoda: Caridea) in the northern Aegean Sea (NE Mediterranean)

The population characteristics of four deep‐water pandalid shrimps (Decapoda: Caridea) were studied in the northern Aegean Sea in samples collected annually (1997–2000) in summer, through experimental trawl, at depths down to 600 m. Females were larger than males in Plesionika martia and Plesionika heterocarpus; no significant differences in size of males and females were found in Chlorotocus crassicornis and Plesionika antigai. A trend of increasing size with depth was observed, as well as a linear increase in the proportion of females with increasing size. Sex ratio was skewed towards females at all depths in P. antigai, while in P. heterocarpus and C. crassicornis males dominated the intermediate depths. Negative allometries were apparent in the carapace length–weight relationships in males of all species. Isometric relationships were found in females apart from in P. heterocarpus. The population patterns conform to relevant Mediterranean reports. However, some population differences exist that may reflect the distinct environmental conditions prevailing in the study area.     

Some flagellates (Protista) from tropical marine sediments

An account is given of 114 new or otherwise interesting species of benthic marine flagellates from Fiji, Northern Australia (Queensland), Hawaii, Panama and Brazil. Most species are heterotrophs drawn from the euglendis, dinoflagellates, kinetoplastids, bicosoecids, heteroloboseids, and a variety of taxa of uncertain affinities. The work emphasizes the rich variety of protist taxa in marine benthic sites. New names are Amphidinium corrugatum, Anisonema glaciale, Bodo cephalophorus, B. platyrhynchus, B. saliens, Bordnamonas tropicana, Cafeteria ligulifera, C. marsupialis, C. minuta (Ruinen, 1938) nov. comb., Cryptaulax elegans, Dinematomonas inaequalis = Dinema inaequale, Dinematomonas maculata (= Dinema maculatum), Dinematononas valida (= Dinema validum), Diplonema ambulator, Diplonema metabolicum, Discocelis punctata, Dolium sedentarium, Goniomonas amphinema, Goniomonas pacifica, Gyrodinium oblongum, Heteronema exaratum, H. splendens, H. vittatum, Mastigamoeba psammobis, M. skujae nom. nov., Massisteria marina, Metopion fluens, Metromonas grandis, M. simplex (Griessmann, 1913) nov. comb., Notosolenus alatellus, N. navicula, N. ostium, N. scutulum, N. urceolatus, N. tamanduensis, N. triangularis, Percolomonas cuspidata, P. descissa (Perty, 1852) nov. comb., P. elephas (Klug, 1936) nov. comb., P. membranifera, P. pyriformis (Klebs, 1892) nov. comb., P. salina (Entz, 1904) nov. comb., P. spinosa (Klug, 1936) nov. comb., P. sulcata (Stein, 1878) nov. comb., Petalomonas boadicea, P. marginalis, P. minor, P. poosilla, P. raiula, Phyllomitus granulatus, P. vesiculosus, Platychilomonas psammobia, Ploeotia adhaerens, P. corrugata, P. decipiens, P. heracleum, P. discoides, P. longifilum, P. oblonga, P. pseudanisonema, P. punctata, P. robusta, P. scrobiculata, P. tenuis, Protaspis obliqua, P. verrucosa, P. gemmifera, P. tegere, Pseudoperanema (= Peranema) dolochonema, Thecamonas filosa, T. mutabilis (Griessmann, 1913) nov. comb., T.trahens, Urceolus cornutus, U. cristatus.     

Aedeagal musculature in phytophaga (Coleoptera)

Summary

Three species of Cerambycidae and three of Chrysomelidae have been studied from the standpoint of the aedeagal musculature. A brief reference to this part of the anatomy in Bruchidae has also been made. On the basis of the present observations and earlier publications in this area a basic plan for the aedeagal musculature in Phytophaga could be inferred. Some major and minor modifications of the basic plan have been pointed out. It has also been inferred that ‘retournement’ of the aedeagus is a rule along Phytophaga.     

Tanaidacea (Crustacea: Peracarida) of the North-east Atlantic: the genera Leptognathioides and Portaratrum of the ‘Atlantic Margin’

The tanaidomorphan genera Leptognathioides and Portaratrum from the Benthic Invertebrates of Icelandic waters (BIOICE), Marine Benthic Fauna of the Faroe Islands (BIOFAR), and Atlantic Frontier Environmental Network (AFEN)-related surveys are examined. The diagnosis for Leptognathioides polita is amended and additional size data are given. A new species, L. biarticulata, is described although the differences from L. polita are slight. It occurs in the bathyal Iceland Basin with a distribution that does not overlap with that of L. polita. A new species of Portaratrum, P. holdichi, is described and the apparent similarities (parallelisms) between this former colletteid genus and the akanthophoreid Chauliopleona are discussed. The distribution and rarity of both genera in the region are analysed, Leptognathioides being more common in the cold-water areas or along the cold–warm interface. Portaratrum holdichi n. sp. is more common and abundant in the Rockall-Biscay region of the NE Atlantic.

http://www.zoobank.org/urn:lsid:zoobank.org:pub:81262671-0665-49C3-9A02-F243C60FC334     

Butterflies (Lepidoptera: Papilionoidea) of Mount Kilimanjaro: family Pieridae,subfamily Coliadinae

This paper forms part of a series on the butterfly fauna of Mount Kilimanjaro. Three genera (Catopsilia, Colias and Eurema) with eight species of Coliadinae are believed to occur within the main forest zone. However, of these, one or two may prove to be no more than variants of a third species, Eurema desjardinsii. A fourth conventionally recognized member of the complex may occur on the lower slopes below 1800 m. The widespread species Eurema hecabe occurs on the lower slopes, but records are sparse, and no records of its close relative Eurema floricola, with which it has often been confused, have been found. The need for original field and laboratory research on the taxonomy of African Eurema species is stressed. Keys to adult Coliadinae found in Tanzania, with colour illustrations, are included as online supplementary material.     

Hypersymbioses in the pinnotherid crabs (Decapoda: Brachyura: Pinnotheridae): a review

Members of the brachyuran family Pinnotheridae are nearly all symbionts of other invertebrates; some crabs are parasitic and others are commensal. Most live inside bivalve molluscs or in the tubes or burrows of polychaetes and other marine organisms. Animals living on or in pinnotherid crabs are considered to be hypersymbiotic and are reviewed here. Hypersymbionts are poorly represented within only 26 members (～8.6%) of the Pinnotheridae (20 species in the subfamily Pinnotherinae and six species in the Pinnothereliinae). Parasitic hypersymbionts are as follows: three species of fungi; one cestode larva (undescribed procercoid of Trypanorhynchida); one trematode metacercaria (undescribed Microphallidae); nematode cysts (undescribed); three species of Nemertea (Carcinonemertidae, two undescribed); two species of rhizocephalan Cirripedia (Sacculinidae; plus five or more undescribed potential sacculinid species); epicaridean Isopoda [13 species of Bopyridae (one undescribed) and four species of entoniscids (Entoniscidae, three undescribed)]. Preliminary biological information on undescribed entoniscids is presented. Several mainly incidental hypersymbioses involving ectosymbionts are known primarily from Pinnixa chaetopterana, a symbiont of polychaete burrows. The ctenostome bryozoan Triticella elongata is the only known obligate ectosymbiont in P. chaetopterana, but it also infests five other species of pinnotherids. Some of the other ectosymbionts (all incidental) on P. chaetopterana are stalked ciliates, hydroids, juvenile polychaetes, bivalve molluscs, balanomorph barnacles, harpacticoid copepods and urochordates. Species of ectosymbionts including an ectoproct bryozoan have been reported from other pinnotherid species. Factors influencing our meagre knowledge of hypersymbioses in the Pinnotheridae are discussed, among them the inaccessibility of crab hosts and research emphasis on taxonomy within the family.     

Phylogenetic implications of the structure and distribution of ovipositor valvilli in the Hymenoptera (Insecta)

Valvilli, articulated chitinous flaps on the lower ovipositor and sting valves in certain Hymenoptera, were studied using light and electron microscopy. Presence or absence, number, position and structure of valvilli in the ovipositors of more than 300 species distributed among 31 families (including representatives of 74 subfamilies of Ichneumonoidea) have been examined. Valvilli were found to occur in most Ichneumonoidea and most families of the aculeate lineage. Valvilli were absent from the Symphyta, Trigonalyoidea, Stephanoidea, Evanioidea, Cynipoidea, Chalcidoidea, Proctotrupoidea, Megalyroidea and Ceraphronoidea. Aculeates have a complex, double valvillus, which differs considerably in structure from those found in the Ichneumonoidea. Within both the Ichneumonidae and Braconidae the number and the position of the valvilli appear to be phylogenetically significant. Within the Braconidae, in particular, valvillus structure varied between subfamilies. The implications of valvillus distribution and structure in the Hymenoptera as a whole and within the Ichneumonoidea are discussed.     

First host records for the rogadine genera Rogasodes Chen and He and Canalirogas van Achterberg and Chen (Hymenoptera: Braconidae) with description of a new species and survey of mummy types within Rogadinae s. str.

The parasitic wasp genus Rogasodes is recorded for the first time outside mainland China, based on a new species, R. scytaloptericola Quicke and Shaw sp. nov., from Java. Rearing data and host remains associated with the type specimen show that it is a parasitoid of the palm‐feeding drepanid moth, Scytalopteryx elongata (Snellen). Canalirogas sp. aff. balgooyi van Achterberg and Chen is recorded from an unidentified lymantriid on clove trees in Indonesia (Sumatra) and illustrated. Both of these are the first host records for the genera. Rogas spilonotus Cameron is transferred to Canalirogas. A survey of mummy sclerotization and adult emergence holes in the subfamily Rogadinae sensu stricto is presented. The data suggest an early shift to a posterior emergence position, with a strictly dorsal position being largely characteristic of the common genus Aleiodes. Only Aleiodes and a few apparently closely related taxa, including Hemigyroneuron, typically form heavily sclerotized mummies.     

Red Sea Phyllidiidae (Mollusca,Nudibranchia), with descriptions of new species

All the known Red Sea nudibranchs of the family Phyllidiidae are described and their taxonomic positions discussed. The genus Fryeria Gray, 1853, is regarded as a junior subjective synonym of Phyllidia Cuvier, 1797, and Reyfria gen. nov. is introduced to describe those species differing from Phyllidia primarily in the position of the anus. Of 12 species described here from the Red Sea, four are new to science. Phyllidia arabica Ehrenberg, 1831, is distinguished from Phyllidia varicosa Lamarck, 1801, and Phyllidia sp. is described as the third species confused with this group. A subspecies of P. ocellata Cuvier, 1804, is described and illustrated, as are three new species: P. melanocera, P. monacha and P. multifaria.     

Casinaria,a paraphyletic ichneumonid genus (Hymenoptera), and a revision of the Australian species

The Australian species of the campoplegine ichneumonid genus Casinaria are revised and an illustrated key is provided for their identification. Eleven species are recognized, but one is not formally named. The Australian species are referable to two morphologically and biologically distinct groups, the meridionalis species-group (containing amarilla sp. nov., hesperiophaga sp. nov. and meridionalis (Turner)) which are parasitoids of hesperiid larvae, and the siccata species-group (containing eremica sp. nov., micra sp. nov., mythologica sp. nov., pavlova sp. nov., siccata sp. nov., virgata sp. nov., woowonga sp. nov. and species A) which parasitize the larvae of a variety of smaller moths. The holophyly of each of the two species-groups is demonstrated, but characters supporting the holophyly of the genus could not be found, suggesting that Casinaria, as currently recognized, may either be paraphyletic or polyphyletic.     

Parasites of shore crabs in the genus Hemigrapsus (Decapoda: Brachyura: Varunidae) and their status in crabs geographically displaced: a review

Two brachyurans of the varunid genus Hemigrapsus from the northwestern Pacific Ocean have invaded coastal regions of the north Atlantic – Hemigrapsus takanoi (sibling species of Hemigrapsus penicillatus) and Hemigrapsus sanguineus in Europe and the latter in the USA. Parasites are known from these crabs in their native habitats, but except for an undescribed larval nematode, none has been found in those examined from their new locations. These parasites include metacercariae of eight species of microphallid trematode, the rhizocephalan barnacles Polyascus polygenea, Sacculina nigra and Sacculina senta, and the obligate gut-inhabiting mesomycetozoan Enteromyces callianassae (potential parasite). The following have been identified in four of the other eight Pacific crabs within the genus (Hemigrapsus nudus and Hemigrapsus oregonensis, northern hemisphere; Hemigrapsus crenulatus and Hemigrapsus sexdentatus, southern hemisphere), none of which have been geographically displaced: metacercariae of two microphallid trematodes; cystacanths of three acanthocephalans Profilicollis antarcticus, Profilicollis botulus and Profilicollis novaezelandensis; larval nematode Ascarophis sp.; nematomorph Nectonema zealandica; entoniscid isopod Portunion conformis; mesomycetozoan Taeniella carcini; and nemertean egg predator Carcinonemertes epialti. The likelihood of the displaced species of shore crabs being rejoined with their native parasites or their susceptibility to becoming infected by similar parasites in their new locations is discussed. In future global displacements of parasitized Hemigrapsus species it is possible that their most serious parasites, rhizocephalans and entoniscid isopods, may infect previously uninfected species. For example, the two eastern Pacific species of Hemigrapsus (H. nudus and H. oregonensis) may be vulnerable to the rhizocephalans and may in turn be a source of entoniscids transported elsewhere.     

Notes on the overwintering Apanteles-Tetrastichus-Lysibia complex (Hymenoptera: Parasitica), parasitoids of the large white butterfly

Apanteles glomeratus (L.) (Hymenoptera: Braconidae) is the main parasitoid responsible for limiting populations of Pieris brassicae (L.) (Lepidoptera: Pieridae), but Tetrastichus galactopus (Ratzeburg) (Hymenoptera: Eulophidae) and Lysibia nana (Gravenhorst) (Hymenoptera: Ichneumonidae), in turn, greatly limit the primary parasitoid population, reducing its potential for constraint of the future pierid population. The patterns of spring emergence of these species from overwintering A. glomeratus cocoon clusters have functional significance. The sex ratio of emerging A. glomeratus is significantly correlated with the cluster size, higher proportions of females emerging from the larger clusters. Non-ovipositional attacks by T. galactopus appear to cause heavy mortality in the Apanteles cocoon clusters. L. nana oviposits in cocoons of A. glomeratus, whatever they contain, and very active female L. nana lay higher proportions of diploid eggs than do lower status females.     

Insect infestations of small corpses

Reproducible studies of the insects associated with small (< 1 kg) corpses are hampered by dramatic variation, for no obvious reason, in the background carrion-breeding fauna. This variation can lead to undue emphasis being attached to the results from exposure of one, or a small number, of corpses. An experiment with much larger numbers of mice (319) and birds (38) has shown that in eastern Ireland there are at least 29 species of carrion insect (excluding Coleoptera) breeding in such corpses, many of them only in deciduous woodland, where the greatest number and variety of small vertebrates would be found. Inventories of the post-mortem fates of mice and birds are drawn up, and the effects of competition assessed by experiment. Some species of sarcophagid fly larvae kill their competitors. Of the 14 Irish sacrophagine species, only four bred in corpses. There was a gross imbalance of Calliphora spp., with hardly any C. vomitoria in any bait tested.