scholarly journals New Laonice species (Polychaeta: Spionidae) from western and northern Australia

Zootaxa ◽  
2011 ◽  
Vol 2903 (1) ◽  
pp. 1 ◽  
Author(s):  
ELIZABETH GREAVES ◽  
KARIN MEIßNER ◽  
ROBIN WILSON
Keyword(s):  
Species Richness ◽  
Continental Shelf ◽  
Continental Margin ◽  
Marine Invertebrate ◽  
Individual Variability ◽  
Northern Australia ◽  
Morphological Similarity ◽  
Invertebrate Fauna ◽  
Additional Species ◽  
Australian Species

Species belonging to the genus Laonice (Polychaeta: Spionidae) from continental shelf and slope depths off western and northern Australia are described. Three species are new to science (L. lemniscata, L. insolita, L. pectinata), two additional species of uncertain identity are recognised from incomplete material and are similar to existing species. A key is provided to allow identification of all six Laonice species known from Australia. Also, a new standard for the observation of hooded hooks in Laonice is established. One of the Australian species, L. quadridentata, belongs to a group of Laonice species with fused prostomium and peristomium. These species are of great morphological similarity and several are reported to exhibit ontogenetic and individual variability and we discuss the significant taxonomic problems that are a consequence of that variability. The faunas of the continental margin of western and northern Australia were poorly sampled prior to the extensive surveys that generated our study material; this study and other current work suggests that our present estimates of species richness of the Australian marine invertebrate fauna significantly underestimate species richness, perhaps by as much as 50%.

DNA barcoding reveals multiple overlooked Australian species of the red algal order Rhodymeniales (Florideophyceae), with resurrection of Halopeltis J. Agardh and description of Pseudohalopeltis gen. nov.

Botany ◽  
2010 ◽  
Vol 88 (7) ◽  
pp. 639-667 ◽  
Author(s):  
Gary W. Saunders ◽  
Brian McDonald
Keyword(s):  
Dna Barcode ◽  
South Australia ◽  
Sensu Stricto ◽  
Cryptic Diversity ◽  
Additional Species ◽  
Australian Species ◽  
Lord Howe Island ◽  
Red Algal ◽  
Species Groups ◽  
Genetic Species

The DNA barcode (COI-5P) was used to investigate cryptic diversity among Rhodymenia spp. in southern Australia. Whereas eight species are currently recognized, we uncovered ca. 20 genetic species groups, phylogenetically assigned to four genera in two families. Procumbent specimens with molecular and anatomical signatures of the Fryeellaceae are assigned to Pseudohalopeltis tasmanensis gen. et sp. nov. Collections from Lord Howe Island recorded in the field as Rhodymenia / Fauchea sp. are assigned to the poorly known genus Microphyllum as Microphyllum robustum sp. nov. A cluster of species with distinct molecular and anatomical attributes is included in a resurrected Halopeltis J.G. Agardh, including Halopeltis australis (J. Agardh) comb. nov. (type species); Halopeltis austrina (Womersley) comb. nov.; Halopeltis cuneata (Harvey) comb. nov. [including Rhodymenia halymenioides (J. Agardh) Womersley]; Halopeltis gracilis sp. nov.; Halopeltis prostrata sp. nov.; and Halopeltis verrucosa (Womersley) comb. nov. Four additional species of Halopeltis from Lord Howe Island (LH1, LH2), Tasmania (TAS), and Western Australia are not characterized further. For Rhodymenia sensu stricto, similar levels of cryptic diversity were noted. Samples tentatively field-identified as “ Rhodymenia sonderi ,” but having affiliations to Rhodymenia rather than Halopeltis, are referred to Rhodymenia novahollandica sp. nov. Collections field-identified as R. obtusa are genetically distinct from that species and are assigned to Rhodymenia wilsonis (Sonder) comb. nov. Two highly divergent species currently identified as Rhodymenia leptophylla (LH from Lord Howe Island; TAS from Tasmania), as well as two additional cryptic previously unnamed taxa from South Australia (SA) and Victoria (VIC), are not characterized further.

scholarly journals Recent increases in assemblage rarity are linked to increasing local immigration

2020 ◽  
Vol 7 (7) ◽  
pp. 192045
Author(s):  
Faith A. M. Jones ◽  
Maria Dornelas ◽  
Anne E. Magurran
Keyword(s):  
Species Richness ◽  
Rare Species ◽  
Positive Relationship ◽  
Recent Past ◽  
Additional Species ◽  
Species Lists ◽  
Biodiversity Change

As pressures on biodiversity increase, a better understanding of how assemblages are responding is needed. Because rare species, defined here as those that have locally low abundances, make up a high proportion of assemblage species lists, understanding how the number of rare species within assemblages is changing will help elucidate patterns of recent biodiversity change. Here, we show that the number of rare species within assemblages is increasing, on average, across systems. This increase could arise in two ways: species already present in the assemblage decreasing in abundance but with no increase in extinctions, or additional species entering the assemblage in low numbers associated with an increase in immigration. The positive relationship between change in rarity and change in species richness provides evidence for the second explanation, i.e. higher net immigration than extinction among the rare species. These measurable changes in the structure of assemblages in the recent past underline the need to use multiple biodiversity metrics to understand biodiversity change.

The Australian species of Diaptomus (Copepoda: Calanoida) and their distribution

1966 ◽  
Vol 17 (1) ◽  
pp. 123 ◽  
Author(s):  
IAE Bayly
Keyword(s):  
Northern Australia ◽  
Northern Limit ◽  
Southern Limit ◽  
Australian Species ◽  
New Localities

The species Diaptomus (Eodiaptomus) lumholtzi Sars and D. (Tropodiaptomus) australis (Kiefer) are redescribed and figured. Both species are recorded from numerous new localities in northern Australia. The southern limit of distribution of D. lumholtzi is discussed in relation to the northern limit of Boeckella. A single example of the coexistence of D. lumholtzi with Boeckella triarticulata, and three examples of coexistence of D. lumholtzi with Calamoecia are cited.

The short-term effects of an extensive and high-intensity fire on vertebrates in the tropical savannas of the central Kimberley, northern Australia

2008 ◽  
Vol 35 (1) ◽  
pp. 33 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sarah Legge ◽  
Stephen Murphy ◽  
Joanne Heathcote ◽  
Emma Flaxman ◽  
John Augusteyn ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Species Richness ◽  
High Intensity ◽  
Fire Frequency ◽  
Northern Australia ◽  
Tropical Savannas ◽  
Short Term ◽  
Large Herbivores ◽  
Species Richness And Abundance ◽  
Species Specific ◽  
In Fire

We report the effects of an extensive (>7000 km2), high-intensity late-dry-season fire in the central Kimberley, Western Australia, on the species richness and abundance of mammals, reptiles and birds. Five weeks after the fire we surveyed 12 sites (six burnt, six unburnt); each pair of sites was closely matched for soil type and vegetation. The species richness and abundance of mammals and reptiles was greater at unburnt sites, especially for mammals (with a 4-fold difference in abundance between burnt and unburnt sites). There was an indication that reptiles immigrated into unburnt patches, but mammals did not. There were also species-specific responses to the fire: Rattus tunneyi and Pseudomys nanus were much more abundant in unburnt sites, whereas Pseudomys delicatulus was caught in equal numbers at burnt and unburnt sites. Diurnal reptiles were more abundant at unburnt sites, but nocturnal reptiles were equally common at burnt and unburnt sites. Avian species richness and overall abundance was similar between burnt and unburnt patches, although a few species showed preferences for one state or the other. The overall high trapping success for mammals (18% across all sites; 28% in unburnt patches) contrasts with the well documented mammal collapse in parts of northern Australia and seems paradoxical given that our study area has experienced the same increase in fire frequency and extent that is often blamed for species collapse. However, our study area has fewer pressures from other sources, including grazing by large herbivores, suggesting that the effects of these pressures, and their interaction with fire, may have been underestimated in previous studies.

Cytoevolutionary Studies in the Genus Bulbine Wolf (Liliaceae) .II. The Australian Annual Taxa (Bulbine semibarbata s.1.)

1986 ◽  
Vol 34 (5) ◽  
pp. 505 ◽  
Author(s):  
EM Watson
Keyword(s):  
Species Richness ◽  
Chromosome Numbers ◽  
The Other ◽  
Root Tip ◽  
Polyploid Complex ◽  
Southwestern Australia ◽  
Australian Species ◽  
Eastern Australia ◽  
Karyotypic Diversity ◽  
Interpopulation Variation

A cytological survey, using root tip mitotic cells and supplemented by some crosses and pollen fertility studies, was carried out on plants of 55 populations of the Australian annual Bulbine sernibarbata s.1. (Liliaceae). There are 4x, 8x and 12.x populations.The 4x forms are almost completely confined to eastern Australia and comprise populations of two kinds: (1) 28-chromosome types, corresponding in morphology to B. alata Baijnath, which to date has had limited taxonomic acceptance; (2) 26-chromosome types with the morphology of B. sernibarbata s. str. The alata form occurs in arid, the sernibarbata in more mesic, areas. The eastern 8x populations are mainly 2n = 54 and are intermediate between the other two taxa in both range and morphology. This suggests an allopolyploid origin based on hybridisation between the alata and sernibarbata types. The western 8x populations are nearly all 2n = 52, with much interpopulation variation in karyotype and a mesic distribution similar to that of the eastern 26-chromosome types. The karyotypic diversity parallels the species richness of other genera in southwestern Australia and indicates that the complex may be older than the corresponding polyploid complex within the perennial B. bulbosa s.1. The 12x (2n =78) populations are confined to arid and transitional rainfall areas of Western Australia. The identification of a distinctive 28-chromosome karyotype for the alata group gives support to the recognition of B. alata Baijnath, and, by providing a logical euploid bridge between the chromosome numbers of the African (2n = 14) and Australian species, strengthens the arguments for treating the two groups as congeneric.

Element partitioning in ferruginous and pyritic phosphorite from the continental margin off Morocco

1978 ◽  
Vol 42 (322) ◽  
pp. 221-228 ◽  
Author(s):  
J. M. McArthur
Keyword(s):  
Organic Matter ◽  
Organic Carbon ◽  
Continental Shelf ◽  
Continental Margin ◽  
Major Elements ◽  
Element Partitioning ◽  
Carbonate Fluorapatite

SummaryPhosphorites from the continental shelf off Morocco have been analysed for major elements and Fe, Mn, V, Cu, Ni, Zn, As, Na, Sr, S, and for carbonate. In pyritic phosphorites Cu, Ni, Zn, and As are present mainly in minor pyrite and organic carbon. In ferruginous phosphorites As, Mn, and V are associated with goethite. In the ferruginous phosphorites Cu, Ni, and Zn may have been introduced in association with organic matter and pyrite during phosphorite formation and been retained during subsequent destruction of these phases by weathering. In all phosphorites Na and Sr are present mainly in carbonate-fluorapatite. Sulphur in the ferru-ginous phosphorites occurs only in carbonate-fluorapatite. In the pyritic samples it is partitioned between pyrite and francolite (carbonate-fluorapatite).

Description of ten tadpoles in the genus Boophis from Madagascar

Zootaxa ◽  
2010 ◽  
Vol 2694 (1) ◽  
pp. 1 ◽  
Author(s):  
TAHIRY RASOLONJATOVO HIOBIARILANTO ◽  
ROGER-DANIEL RANDRIANIAINA ◽  
JULIAN GLOS ◽  
AXEL STRAUß ◽  
MIGUEL VENCES
Keyword(s):  
Dna Barcoding ◽  
Related Species ◽  
Lower Number ◽  
Sister Species ◽  
Morphological Similarity ◽  
Additional Species ◽  
Closely Related Species ◽  
Species Groups ◽  
First Time

We provide morphological descriptions of the tadpoles of ten species of Malagasy treefrogs of the genus Boophis (family Mantellidae). Based on individuals determined by DNA barcoding, the larvae of eight species are described for the first time: B. anjanaharibeensis, B. axelmeyeri, B. elenae, B. englaenderi, B. luciae, B. rhodoscelis, B. roseipalmatus, and B. vittatus. For two additional species, B. andreonei and B. microtympanum, we provide descriptions from other localities than the previously known larvae. All tadpoles described herein are stream-adapted, exotrophic, and of a relatively generalized morphology. In general, we found a morphological similarity of larvae belonging to phenetic species groups of Boophis, but more detailed analyses showed several differences between taxa that are known to be sister species or closely related to each other: B. luciae has a much higher number of oral papillae than B. sibilans, B. roseipalmatus has a slightly lower number of papillae and possibly a stronger caudal musculature than B. madagascariensis, and B. elenae has a distinctly lower number of oral papillae and keratodonts in the first upper keratodont row than B. sandrae. This indicates that tadpole characters might, in some cases, provide good taxonomic characters in Boophis, a genus in which adults of closely related species are often morphologically extremely similar.

scholarly journals Biodiversity, Community Structural Shifts, and Biogeography of Prokaryotes within Antarctic Continental Shelf Sediment

2003 ◽  
Vol 69 (5) ◽  
pp. 2463-2483 ◽  
Author(s):  
John P. Bowman ◽  
Robert D. McCuaig
Keyword(s):  
Species Richness ◽  
Continental Shelf ◽  
Structural Changes ◽  
Sediment Surface ◽  
Small Subset ◽  
Shelf Area ◽  
The Core ◽  
Shelf Sediment ◽  
Antarctic Continental Shelf ◽  
Wide Range

ABSTRACT 16S ribosomal DNA (rDNA) clone library analysis was conducted to assess prokaryotic diversity and community structural changes within a surficial sediment core obtained from an Antarctic continental shelf area (depth, 761 m) within the Mertz Glacier Polynya (MGP) region. Libraries were created from three separate horizons of the core (0- to 0.4-cm, 1.5- to 2.5-cm, and 20- to 21-cm depth positions). The results indicated that at the oxic sediment surface (depth, 0 to 0.4 cm) the microbial community appeared to be dominated by a small subset of potentially r-strategist (fast-growing, opportunistic) species, resulting in a lower-than-expected species richness of 442 operational taxonomic units (OTUs). At a depth of 1.5 to 2.5 cm, the species richness (1,128 OTUs) was much higher, with the community dominated by numerous gamma and delta proteobacterial phylotypes. At a depth of 20 to 21 cm, a clear decline in species richness (541 OTUs) occurred, accompanied by a larger number of more phylogenetically divergent phylotypes and a decline in the predominance of Proteobacteria. Based on rRNA and clonal abundance as well as sequence comparisons, syntrophic cycling of oxidized and reduced sulfur compounds appeared to be the dominant process in surficial MGP sediment, as phylotype groups putatively linked to these processes made up a large proportion of clones throughout the core. Between 18 and 65% of 16S rDNA phylotypes detected in a wide range of coastal and open ocean sediments possessed high levels of sequence similarity (>95%) with the MGP sediment phylotypes, indicating that many sediment prokaryote phylotype groups defined in this study are ubiquitous in marine sediment.

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