New species of Astragalus (Leguminosae) from southeastern Utah

Named and described is Astragalus piscator Barneby & Welsh, a species of sect. Argophylli subsect. Missourienses. The species occurs in Grand and San Juan counties, Utah.         

The banner-tailed kangaroo rat, Dipodomys spectabilis (Rodentia: Heteromyidae), in Utah

We report the discovery in Utah of Dipodomys spectabilis, a species previously unknown to occur in the state. We searched for D. spectabilis in extreme southeastern Utah, south of the San Juan River, and were successful in finding mounds and burrows characteristic of the species and in capturing one individual. This is the northernmost record for D. spectabilis and extends its known range ~84 km northwest of the nearest previously reported locality (Fruitland, San Juan County, New Mexico). A flea, Meringis rectus, collected from D. spectabilis, is also the first record of its species in Utah. Reportamos el descubrimiento en Utah de Dipodomys spectabilis, una especie cuya presencia en el estado no había sido observada previamente. Buscamos D. spectabilis en el extremo sureste de Utah, al sur del Río San Juan, y logramos encontrar montículos y túneles típicos de esta especie y capturar un espécimen. Este es el registro más al norte para D. spectabilis y se extiende su rango de distribución conocida a ~84 km al noroeste de la localidad más cercana previamente reportada (Fruitland, condado de San Juan, Nuevo Mexico). Es también el primer registro en Utah para Meringis rectus, una pulga recolectada en D. spectabilis.     

Razorback sucker movements and habitat use in the San Juan River inflow, Lake Powell, Utah, 1995-1997

Seventeen subadult, hatchery-reared razorback suckers ( Xyrauchen texanus ; ( ￣x = 456 mm total length) were implanted with sonic transmitters and tracked for 23 months in the lower 89.6 km of the San Juan River (San Juan arm of Lake Powell, Utah). Fish were released at 2 sites, and 9 made extensive up- and downstream movements ( ￣x = 47.8 km; contact was lost with 4, and 4 others presumably died or lost their transmitters). The San Juan arm is primarily inundated canyon; however, most fish contacts occurred in shallow coves and shoreline with thick stands of flooded salt cedar in the upper inflow area. Eight fish frequented the Piute Farms river/lake mixing zone, and at least 4 moved upstream into the San Juan River. Seven fish were found in 2 aggregations in spring (3 fish in Neskahi Bay in 1996 and 4 fish just downstream of Piute Farms in 1997), and these may have been associated with spawning activity. Continued presence of razorback suckers in the Piute Farms area and lower San Juan River suggests the San Juan inflow to Lake Powell could be used as an alternate stocking site for reintroduction efforts.     

Two new species of Aurealcaulis (Osmundaceae) from northwestern New Mexico

Two new osmundaceous species, Aurealcaulis moorei and A. bransonii , are described from the San Juan Basin of northwestern New Mexico. The area from which they were collected is uncertain, but it is presumed they came from the Lower Eocene San Jose Formation near Angel Peak, southeast of Bloomfield, New Mexico. The species are characterized by having a heterogeneous ( A. moorei ) to homogeneous ( A. bransonii ) pith, non- or partial closure of their leaf gaps, exarch protoxylem clusters, formation of their C-shaped leaf traces by fusion of two segments from adjacent xylem strands in their inner cortices, relatively low numbers of traces in their cortices (16-22 in A. moorei , 15-19 in A. bransonii ), roots arising from lateral margins of these segments, sclerenchymatous outer cortex that connects with the sclerotic ring of the petiolar vascular strand, crenate ( A. moorei ) or interrupted ( A. bransonii ) sclerenchyma lining the adaxial concavity of their petiole strands, and leaf bases that may or may not contain one, occasionally two, sclerotic cellular masses in their stipular wings in A. moorei and 6-8 more or less aligned masses in A. bransonii . They are compared with other osmundaceous taxa, particularly A. crossii Tidwell & Parker of Paleocene age. Because of variations in these new species, Aurealcaulis Tidwell & Parker is slightly emended to accept species of this genus with heterogeneous or homogeneous piths, protoxylem becoming endarch in the leaf traces, petiolar vascular strands formed by fusion of segments from the xylem strands in the inner cortex, outer cortex, or outside the stem, and the occurrence or nonoccurrence of sclerenchyma in the adaxial concavity of their petiolar vascular stands and in their stipular wings. The paleoecological conditions under which these species of Aurealcaulis grew are also considered.     

Tundra vegetation of three cirque basins in the northern San Juan Mountains, Colorado

The vegetation of three alpine cirque basins in the northern San Juan Mountains of southwestern Colorado was inventoried and analyzed for the degree of specificity shown by vascular plant communities for certain types of habitats identified as representative of the basins. A total of 197 vascular plant species representing 31 families was inventoried. Growth forms of all species were noted and a growth form spectrum for all of the communities was derived. The caespitose monocot and erect dicot growth forms are the most important growth forms among the community dominants. The most common growth form among all species is the rosette dicot.           

Alpine vascular flora of the Ruby Range, West Elk Mountains, Colorado

The Ruby Range is a northern extension of the West Elk Mountains of west central Colorado. Composed primarily of sedimentary rocks, the range is heavily faulted and intruded by many dikes and sills. Eight study areas, selected as representative of the major topographic features of the range, were analyzed floristically. A vascular flora of 220 species in 111 genera and 35 families is reported. The phytogeographic distribution of the flora is primarily alpine and western North American. The flora of the Ruby Range shows a 74% similarity to the flora of the San Juan Mountains to the southwest.     

Mayfly fauna of New Mexico

An inventory and analysis of the mayfly (Insecta, Ephemeroptera) fauna of New Mexico, based on the published literature and study of extensive materials from diverse collections, indicated the presence of 12 families, 37 genera, and 81 species. Of these, 25 represent new state records: Acentrella turbida, Ameletus falsus, A. sparsatus, Baelis adonis, B. bicaudatus, B. flavistriga, Baetodes deficiens, Caenis latipennis, Callibaetis fluctuans, Cinygmula par, Ephemera simulans, Hexagenia bilineata, Isonychia sicca, Labiobaetis propinquus, Lachlania saskatchewanensis, Leptophlebia bradleyi, Leucrocuta petersi, Neochoroterpes nanita, Paraleptophlebia debilis, P. heteronea, Procloeon conturbatum, Rhithrogena plana, R. robusta, R. vita, and Thraulodes gonzalesi. Baetodes deficiens represents a new USA record. For 37 of the 56 previously reported and confirmed species, 124 new county records are provided. With respect to continental affinities, 34 species are wester, 27 southwestern, 13 widespread, 1 is a southern USA species, and 1 eastern. Of the major drainage systems of the state, the Gila system is the most species rich with 48 species, followed by the Rio Grande (46), Pecos (39), Candadian (28), and San Juan (25). Relationships between drainage systems and between New Mexico and broadly adjoining states are discussed. Lachlania dencyannae , the only endemic species in New Mexico, occurs in the Gila system and is rare and endangered. Certain other species from the Gila system are also noted as being at risk. From other drainages, B. Adonis, Ephemerella mollitia, and L. petersi also are of some concern at the national level. Additional species that are rare in New Mexico and are of concern at least at the state level include Ametropus albrighti, C. fluctuans, Il. bilineata, L. bradleyi, N. nanita, P. conturbatum, and R. hageni .     

A survey of breeding and migratory birds southwest of Farmington, New Mexico

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Habitat requirements for Erigeron kachinensis , a rare endemic of the Colorado Plateau

Erigeron kachinensis is a rare endemic of the Colorado Plateau in southeastern Utah. This perennial composite grows in small, isolated populations at seeps and alcoves arising along canyon walls in Cedar Mesa Sandstone substrates. Characteristics of six Erigeron kachinensis sites in Natural Bridges National Monument, San Juan County, Utah, were studied to determine habitat requirements for this species. Sites were analyzed with respect to geology, soil chemistry, physical properties, and vegetational characteristics. The alcoves studied were very saline, often with soil surfaces covered with a white crust of salt. Living cover was enhanced by perennially moist soils, diminished amounts of solar radiation, soil salinity, and above-average amounts of available soil phosphorus. Kachina daisy vegetative growth appears to be favored by these same abiotic factors. The most commonly associated plant species on E. kachinensis sites were Aquilegia micrantha, Calamagrostis scopulorum, Zigadenus vaginatus, and Erigeron kachinensis . These species and the daisy accounted for more than 75% of the total living cover in the alcoves studied. A principal components analysis procedure was developed for evaluating site suitability for Erigeron kachinensis . This daisy has been successfully introduced to a site selected using that model.     

Diet composition of an invasive population of Lithobates catesbeianus (American Bullfrog) from Argentina

The American bullfrog Lithobates catesbeianus has been introduced around the world, with invasive populations reported from almost all South American countries. A population of this species was introduced in the Calingasta department of San Juan province, which is an arid environment in western Argentina. This work provides information on the dietary composition of an invasive population of L. catesbeianus, and compares the degree of dietary overlap between adults and juveniles. Stomach contents of 169 bullfrogs (82 adults and 87 juveniles) were analysed. Adults consumed 40 prey taxa and Hymenoptera (Insecta) was the most numerous prey item (41.8%), followed by Araneae (13.6%) and Aeglidae (13.4%). Juveniles consumed 29 prey taxa and Hymenoptera constituted the highest percentage in prey number (77.2%). The trophic overlap niche index at the same level shows a value of 0.64 overlap in dietary community between adults and juveniles of this bullfrog. Aeglidae was volumetrically the most important trophic item (25.4%), followed by Anura (25.02%). Our results showed that cannibalism in bullfrogs is more common than the consumption of native anurans, coinciding with that reported in other populations of introduced bullfrogs. The high similarity in the diets of both size classes and the association between the size of the predator and prey suggest that the impact caused by bullfrogs throughout their ontogeny is high and probably has an impact on their prey. Freshwater crabs are the main items in the diet of Lithobates catesbeianus in other introduced populations and are usually the most conspicuous at our study site. The crabs in freshwater ecosystems are part of the lowest trophic level in the food chain. The major threats to the southern region’s freshwater crabs include deforestation, farming and exotic species. Lithobates catesbeianus has a generalist diet and high overlap between adults and juveniles.     

Classification of the riparian vegetation along a 6-km reach of the Animas River, southwestern Colorado

Riparian ecosystems are important components of landscapes, particularly because of their role in biodiversity. A first step in using a ""coarse-filter"" approach to riparian biodiversity conservation is to determine the kinds of riparian ecosystems. These ecosystems vary substantially in plant species composition along a single river reach, as well as between rivers, and yet the river-reach scale has received little attention. We sampled the vascular plant composition of 67 contiguous patches of riparian vegetation along the reach of the Animas River, in southwestern Colorado's San Juan Mountains, that is relatively undisturbed by human land uses. Using cluster analysis and detrended correspondence analysis, we identified eight riparian community types along the reach. Using a new technique, we combined overstory size-class data and understory cover data to identify community types. The eight community types, which are in part the products of past floods, are spatially arranged along the reach in relation to variation in valley morphology, tributary location, and geomorphic landforms. These eight community types do not necessarily represent successional stages of a single potential vegetation type. This study at the river-reach scale suggests that sampling and analysis, as well as conservation, may need to be turned to the scale of patchiness produced by flood disturbances in the riverine landscape, since vegetation varies significantly at this scale.     

Diatom species composition and ecology of the Animas River Watershed, Colorado, USA

The diatom flora of selected sites in the Animas River Watershed, San Juan County, Colorado, was studied. Eighty diatom taxa were identified from 10 sites: 8 sites on the Animas River and 1 site each on the Cement and Cascade tributaries. The sample diatom abundance was dominated by Achnanthidium minutissimum , Encyonema silesiacum , Aulacoseira distans , Hannaea arcus , and Diatoma mesodon . The presence of teratologic specimens of Fragilaria and Achnanthidium in the samples indicated the possibility of metals contamination. Diatom diversity was low and Lange-Bertalot pollution index scores indicated little organic pollution evidenced from diatom composition. There was evidence that diatom composition at the sites was differentially affected by pH and possibly by the concentrations of Zn alone or in combination with Cd, Cu, and Fe.     

Catastrophic wildfire and number of populations as factors influencing risk of extinction for Gila trout ( Oncorhynchus gilae )

We used the computer program RAMAS to explore the sensitivity of an extinction-risk model for the Gila trout ( Oncorhynchus gilae ) to management of wildfires and number of populations of the species. The Gila trout is an endangered salmonid presently restricted to very few headwaters of the Gila and San Francisco river tributaries in southwestern New Mexico. Life history data for 10 extant populations were used to examine sensitivity of the species viability to changes in a variety of factors including population size, fecundity, life stage structure, number of populations, severity and probability of forest fires, and a regulated fishery. The probability and severity of forest fires and number of populations had the greatest effect on viability. Results indicate that successful conservation of Gila trout requires establishment of additional populations and reduction of the severity of forest fires through a program incorporating more frequent, but less severe, fires.     

New species of ptyctimous mites (Acari,Oribatida) from Cuba

Five new species of two genera of ptyctimous, soil mites (Acari, Oribatida, Steganacaridae) are described: Protophthiracarus aethes sp. nov., Protophthiracarus pinarensis sp. nov., Protophthiracarus ruseki sp. nov., Notophthiracarus granpiedraensis sp. nov. and Notophthiracarus obturatus sp. nov. The identification key for determination of Protophthiracarus species of Cuba is provided. One of the genera, Notophthiracarus, is newly found in the Antilles. New described species have increased the number of endemic species for Cuba and increased the number of the known species of ptyctimous mites to 47.     

The peracarid epifauna associated with the ascidian Pyura chilensis (Molina, 1782) (Ascidiacea: Pyuridae)

Epifaunal peracarids inhabit a variety of biogenic substrata, including ascidians. Herein we examined the peracarid fauna living on the tunica of the sublittoral ascidian Pyura chilensis growing in offshore and nearshore conditions in Bahía San Vicente, Chile. From a total of 38 samples we collected 17 species of Amphipoda, five Isopoda and two Tanaidacea. The similarity between the sites was high (73.8%, Sorensen's index). Species diversity (H') was 2.8 and 2.6, evenness (J) was 0.7 and 0.6 at the offshore and nearshore site, respectively. Both species and individual number increased significantly with the size (volume) of the ascidian samples, and these relationships did not differ between the sites. Many species, in particular the most abundant ones, occurred at both sites, but some species were restricted either to the offshore (three species) or to the nearshore site (seven species). Amphipods and tanaids were the most abundant taxa at both sites. The peracarid fauna at both sites was dominated by suspension-feeding peracarids (>80% of the individuals), which utilize the ascidians primarily as shelter, feeding on allochthonous material, i.e. not originating from the ascidians. It is suggested that the high percentage of suspension-feeding species among the epifaunal peracarids is due to the fact that ascidians settle and grow at sites that provide optimal feeding conditions for these organisms.     

A description of Siphonophora portoricensis Brandt (Diplopoda: Siphonophorida: Siphonophoridae), with a Catalogue of Ordinal Representatives in the New World

Data on geographical distribution are provided for S. portoricensis Brandt, the type species of Siphonophora Brandt and the oldest species-group name in the genus, family, and Order; it appears to occur throughout Puerto Rico. It is characterized by fusion of the distal three podomeres of the anterior gonopods, which are sublinear in shorter, less mature males and bend caudad for varying lengths in longer individuals. In the New World, the Siphonophorida is represented by both families, the Siphonorhinidae by one genus and one species, Illacme plenipes Cook and Loomis, from San Benito County, California, and the Siphonophoridae by 10 genera, six monotypic, 66 extant nominal species, and one subspecies; two fossil species of Siphonophora have been proposed along with an unnamed fossil form of Siphonocybe Pocock. The following new combinations are officially recorded: Columbianum gracilicornis (Carl), Columbiozonium pearsei (Chamberlin), Cordillerium fuhrmanni (Carl), Yucatanium sabachana (Chamberlin), and Guatemalium barberi (Chamberlin). The Siphonophoridae ranges from southern California, northcentral Arizona, and central Texas to the Andes of central Peru and São Paulo state, Brazil. It also occurs on 10 islands in the Greater and Lesser Antilles, being newly recorded from Martinique, but apparently does not cross the Straits of Florida and is unknown from Florida, the Bahamas, and the Turks and Caicos Islands.