Habitat,egg‐laying behaviour,eggs and tadpoles of four sympatric species of Pseudopaludicola (Anura,Leiuperidae)

In contrast to most leiuperid frogs, Pseudopaludicola falcipes does not lay eggs in foam nests; this could represent a reversion to the primitive state. We found that in four other Pseudopaludicola species, eggs were also not embedded in foam nests and had a well‐defined outermost jelly layer. The females also constantly moved or dived and males lacked vigorous “wiping/kicking” leg motions while eggs were being laid, features that make foam nesting difficult. The tadpoles of three species have two gaps in the marginal papillae along the lower labium and two posterior rows of labial teeth; the tadpoles of one species had three gaps and three rows, a pattern resembling that of some Physalaemus (Leiuperidae) species. Our data on tadpole morphology and reproductive behaviour do not allow us to rule out the paraphyletic nature of Physalaemus in relation to Pseudopaludicola but they provide some support against the “foam‐loss hypothesis” in Pseudopaludicola.     

A systematic review of the genus Uroplatus (Reptilia: Gekkonidae), with comments on its biology

The gekkonid lizard genus Uroplatus is comprehensively reviewed for the first time. Six species are recognized—U. fimbriatus, U. sikorae, U. lineatus, U. ebenaui, U. alluaudi and U. guentheri—and their potential interrelationships are examined. Numerous bizzare morphological features, characteristic of the highly derived species U. fimbriatus, are found to be shared with other members of the genus, but are not universal for this taxon. Thus, while U. fimbriatus exhibits an overall morphology that has been employed in the past as justification for elevating the genus to monotypic familial status, this represents only an extreme of a continuum. U. guentheri and U. alluaudi are much less unusual in their morphological features. The potential biological roles of the more extreme features found within the genus are considered.     

Demosponges of the red coral bottoms from the Alboran Sea

This paper deals with a study of demosponge fauna inhabiting the red coral facies on the circalitoral bottoms surrounding the Alboran Island (Western Mediterranean, Alboran Sea). A total of 58 species were recognized, after examining a total of 107 sponges. Two of these species are new to science (Plakinastrella mixta sp. nov. and Leptolabis megachela sp. nov.) and another one (Rhaphidectyon spinosum Topsent) is recorded for the first time in the Mediterranean. Some other specimens collected belonging to poorly known species, such as Erylus papulifer Pulitzer-Finali, Isops anceps (Vosmaer), Spongosorites flavens Pulitzer-Finali and Timea cumana Pulitzer-Finali, are described briefly. Two controversial specimens, assigned to Microciona spinarcus and Plocamilla cf. novizelanica, are also described and discussed. A high degree of epibiosis and abundance of rare species were the major features characterizing the material studied.     

Species of Staurotheca Allman, 1888 (Cnidaria: Hydrozoa: Sertulariidae) from US Antarctic expeditions,with the description of three new species

Seventeen species of the genus Staurotheca Allman have been studied, three of which are new to science (Staurotheca abyssalis sp. nov., S. densa sp. nov. and S. profunda sp. nov.). The material studied was collected by several US Antarctic expeditions. Each species is described and figured, the systematic position amongst allied species discussed and available data concerning autecology and geographical distribution given. The remaining six known species of the genus are also considered, regarding synonymy, autecology and geographical distribution. The type material of two poorly known species of Staurotheca, S. juncea (Vanhöffen) and S. pachyclada (Jäderholm) has been re-examined, re-described and figured. Finally, a general survey of the bathymetrical and biogeographical distribution of the known species of Staurotheca is given.     

Mating behaviour of Staminodeus vectoris (Coleoptera: Curculionidae), and the value of systematics in behavioural studies

The mating behaviour of Staminodeus vectoris Franz (Curculionidae: Curculioninae: Derelomini) is described and discussed in light of a phylogeny of Staminodeus Franz. At La Selva, Costa Rica, S. vectoris is associated with the staminodes of the inflorescences of Asplundia uncinata Harling and several other species of Cyclanthaceae. The males have a row of 6–10 teeth along the margin of the protibia, whereas the females have a small, curved spine on the frons. The adults arrive in numbers at the inflorescences during the pistillate phase of the anthesis of A. uncinata, feeding on the staminodes. Eventually, a female detaches a staminode with her mandibles, falls to the ground, and transports it to the site of oviposition in the leaf litter. First, she crawls underneath the staminode, then moves it posteriorly with her legs, and finally returns to its distal end before repeating the process. The female turns on her back and maintains her original position during the movement of the staminode, using her frontal spine as a point of resistance against the substrate. Meanwhile, a male associates with the staminode. The males fight with their prothoracic legs, executing fast blows until their protibial teeth cling and dislodge competitors from the staminode. The positive and negative allometries of the lengths of the male protibia and female spine, are consistent with their functions in the contexts of sexual and natural selection, respectively. The phylogeny of all seven species of Staminodeus hypothesises that female transporting behaviour evolved before male fighting behaviour.     

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.