scholarly journals A New Relict Species of Slender Salamander (Plethodontidae: Batrachoseps) with a Tiny Range from Point Arguello, California

2021 ◽  
Vol 109 (3) ◽  
Author(s):  
Samuel S. Sweet ◽  
Elizabeth L. Jockusch
Keyword(s):  
2020 ◽  
pp. 207-214
Author(s):  
Akbar Fattahi

The Iranian species of the phyllodactylid geckos of the genus Asaccus are found only in the valleys of the Zagros Mountains, a region which represents an important area of endemism in western Iran. Recently, many relict species have been described from the central and southern parts of the Zagros Mountains, which were previously known as A. elisae. The recent descriptions of species within this complex suggest that diversity within the genus may be higher than expected and that its taxonomy and systematics should be revised. In the present study, phylogenetic relationships within the genus Asaccus were evaluated using two mitochondrial and one nuclear gene. Genetically, the genus shows high levels of variability. The molecular phylogeny of the genus suggests the presence of three main clades along the Zagros Mountains with the southern population (from the Hormozgan province) and one clade (A. sp8 and A. sp9) being sister taxon to A. montanus from UAE. The remaining samples are separated into two reciprocally monophyletic groups: the northern (Kurdistan, Kermanshah and Ilam provinces) and the central (Lorestan, Khuzestan, Kohgilouye-Bouyer Ahmad and Fars provinces) Zagros groups. The results of the present study suggest that populations attributed to A. elisae in Iran correspond to distinct lineages with high genetic distances. In brief, our results suggest that the genus needs a major taxonomical revision The Arabian origin of the genus has not been confirmed, because two populations from Zagros were located within the A. montanus, A. gallagheri and A. platyrhynchus clade. Further morphological analyses are needed to systematically define each genetic lineage as a new taxon.


Author(s):  
A.V. Zhigunov ◽  
◽  
Q.T. Nguyen

The increasing need for herbal medicines requires the study of not only biological resources of medical plants, but also methods for their reproduction. Of special value are the medicinal plants that have a long history of success in traditional medicine. One of such plants is Eucommia ulmoides Oliv., which belongs to a rare relict species growing in natural conditions, for the most part, in the undergrowth of humid subtropical forests in China, mainly in the middle course of the Yangtze river. E. ulmoides compares favorably with most subtropical plants owing to its significant frost resistance, which makes it possible to cultivate it outside the humid subtropics. It has been widely introduced in Krasnodar Krai and in the Republic of Adygea (Russia) since the mid-20th century and successfully adapted to various environmental conditions in the Northwest Caucasus. The increasing demand for E. ulmoides bark can only be satisfied by laying out industrial plantations. However, the difficulties encountered in the traditional seed reproduction of E. ulmoides (dioecious species, pollen low quality, parthenocarpy, prolonged seed dormancy, irregular fruiting, long juvenile period, etc.) make scientists turn to modern biotechnological methods of plant propagation. While considering cultivation of planting material, we should focus on highly efficient methods that ensure stable and mass reproduction of the plants under study. An important role is played here by in vitro plant regeneration. The effectiveness of biotechnology methods is due to a reduction in timing of obtaining a large number of vegetative progeny of plants difficult for propagation, as well saving of the area required for their cultivation. The conditions for producing an aseptic culture of E. ulmoides were chosen based on the results of the studies. The highest degree of sterilization of E. ulmoides shoot segments was achieved when the explants were sequentially immersed first in 70 % ethanol (30 s) and then in 0.1 % mercuric chloride solution (5 min). With such a sterilization procedure, 63.3 % of the studied cuttings were made sterile, and 56.7 % of them proved to be viable. The optimal composition of the nutrient medium for regeneration of E. ulmoides microshoots has been determined: MS medium complemented with 1 mg/L 6-Benzylaminopurine (BAP) + 0.2 mg/L 1-Naphthaleneacetic acid (NAA). The best media for explant rooting are the following: 2/3 MS + 1.5 mg/L NAA + 30 g sucrose + 7 g agar; 2/3 MS + 1 mg/L NAA + 0.4 mg/L IBA + 30 g sucrose + 7 g agar.


2021 ◽  
pp. 417-437
Author(s):  
Isabel L. Jones ◽  
Anderson Saldanha Bueno ◽  
Maíra Benchimol ◽  
Ana Filipa Palmeirim ◽  
Danielle Storck-Tonon ◽  
...  

1981 ◽  
Vol 8 (1) ◽  
pp. 203 ◽  
Author(s):  
AA Burbidge

Western swamp tortoise (Pseudemydura umbrina) was rediscovered in Western Australia in 1954. It is a relict species of a monotypic genus, of very restricted range and specialized habitat. Population was estimated to be 13 to 45 and decreasing at 1 of its 2 native reserves and to be 10 to 45 and static at the other reserve. It does not use permanent water, but lives and feeds in ephemeral winter swamps and spends the other 6 to 9 months of the year in refuges in leaf litter, under fallen branches or in holes in the ground, in contact with the soil. The tortoise is carnivorous and in the wild takes only live aquatic organisms. Captive adults will not take meat until they have starved for many months. Stomach of 1 female (Edward, pers. commun.) had aquatic crustaceans, chiefly Eulimnadia sp., with insects and insect larvae, mainly Coleoptera and Diptera. Study of faeces confirmed that observation had shown that small tadpoles and an aquatic earthworm (Eodrilus cornigravei) were eaten also. Reproduction, growth, activity relative to body and water temperature, and desiccation rate, were noted. One adult female tortoise was eaten by a fox. Foxes and bandicoots (Isoodon obesulus) eat eggs of other tortoises and would eat those of P. umbrina. Hatchlings may be eaten by large wading birds such as straw-necked ibis (Threskiornis spinicollis) and white-faced heron (Notophoyx novaehollandiae).


2015 ◽  
Vol 52 (3-4) ◽  
pp. 193-201 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jerzy Kruk ◽  
Elwira Sliwinska ◽  
Aleksandra Grabowska-Joachimiak ◽  
Krystyna Kromer ◽  
Renata Szymańska

2018 ◽  
Vol 23 (10) ◽  
pp. 2033
Author(s):  
Ivana Marić ◽  
Irena Međo ◽  
Slobodan Jovanović ◽  
Radmila Petanović ◽  
Dejan Marčić

Despite economic importance of Tetranychidae, knowledge regarding diversity of spider mites in the Balkan Peninsula and Southeast Europe is incomplete, especially in protected natural areas. This study presents diversity of spider mites (Acari: Tetranychidae) collected over five growing seasons at 296 locations in 38 protected natural areas of Serbia. A total of 31 spider mite species were found, 10 from Bryobiinae and 21 from Tetranychinae. The species Eotetranychus fagi Zacher was recorded as new to Serbia and this record was also the first one for Southeast Europe. Spider mites were found on host plants in five basic types as well as many subtypes of terrestrial habitats, with woodland as the most dominant one. A total of 151 plant species from 44 families were recorded as hosts for spider mites including new world records: 60 new hosts for family Tetranychidae and 41 new hosts for 21 spider mite species. Host plants from Rosaceae family harbored the highest number of spider mite species (16). A considerable number of species was found on host plants from the families Betulaceae (11), Asteraceae (10) and Sapindaceae (10). Two cosmopolitan spider mites, Tetranychus urticae Koch and Tetranychus turkestani Ugarov & Nikolskii, were clearly distinguished with 67 (7 new) and 43 (13 new) recorded host species, respectively; among newly recorded hosts for Tetranychidae family, these two mite species were found on 27 and 12 hosts, respectively. After the two most common species, the most striking was the presence of Bryobia praetiosa Koch with 24 (4 new) recorded host plants, followed by Amphitetranychus viennensis (Zacher), Eotetranychus carpini (Oudemans) and Bryobia rubrioculus (Scheuten), with 21 (7 new), 20 (6 new) and 16 (2 new) hosts, respectively. The remaining tetranychids were found on 1–9 host plant species. This study provided the first insight into diversity of tetranychids in Serbian protected areas. Further research in this field should focus on mites from host plants representative of specific areas and habitats, including endangered, endemic and relict species.


2017 ◽  
Vol 29 (4) ◽  
pp. 311-323 ◽  
Author(s):  
Antonio Carapelli ◽  
Chiara Leo ◽  
Francesco Frati

AbstractPrevious work focused on allozymes and mitochondrial haplotypes has detected high levels of genetic variability betweenCryptopygus terranovuspopulations, a springtail species endemic to Antarctica, until recently namedGressittacantha terranova. This study expands these biogeographical surveys using additional analytical techniques, providing a denser haplotype dataset and a wider sampling of localities. Specimens were collected from 11 sites across Victoria Land and sequenced for the cytochromecoxidase subunit I mitochondrial gene (cox1). Haplotypes were used for population genetics, demographic, molecular clock and Bayesian phylogenetic analyses. Landscape distribution and clustering of haplotypes were also examined for the first time in this species. Only three (out of 67) haplotypes are shared among populations, suggesting high genetic structure and limited gene flow between sites. As in previous studies, the population of Apostrophe Island has a closer genetic similarity with those of the central sites, rather than with its neighbours. Molecular clock estimates point to early differentiation of haplotypes in the late/mid-Miocene, also supporting the view thatC. terranovusis a relict species that survived on the Antarctic continent during the Last Glacial Maximum. The present genetic composition of populations represents a mixture of ancient and more recent haplotypes, sometimes occurring in the same localities.


Author(s):  
Jana Niedobová ◽  
Zdeněk Faltýnek Fric

The number of remarkable species on a locality is an important indicator of locality value. The ecological requirements of the rare species may help to target correct landscape management activities. Our objective was to find out if standardly used capture methods for different group of invertebrate are able to detect really representative composition of species including rare taxa. Our experiment was carried out at the Moravský kras Protected Landscape Area (Macošská and Vilémovická stráň slope) where secondary dry grasslands are typical for each investigated locality. We used five groups of invertebrates (spiders, ground beetles, rove beetles, leaf beetles and weevils) and three capture methods (pitfall traps, sweeping on vegetation and yellow Möricke traps). Arthropods were determined and classified according to their rarity. Using the three capture methods, we obtained in total 127 spider species (Areneae), 31 ground beetle species (Carabidae), 29 rove beetle species (Staphylinide), 52 leaf beetle species (Chrysomelidae) and 55 weevil species (Curculionidae).Results showed that the different capture methods significantly influenced number of detected remarkable species. It was statistically proved for spiders (P = 0.025), weevils (P = 0.038) and marginally also for rove beetles (P = 0.051). Spiders of climax (C species) and semi-natural (SN species) habitats were rather detected by pitfall traps, whereas spiders of disturbed habitats were collected by sweeping on vegetation and Möricke yellow pans eventually. Relict species of weevils (R species) were detected by pitfall traps, typical species (T species) were collected by Möricke yellow pans and expansive species (E species) were found by sweeping on vegetation.


2019 ◽  
Vol 1 (2) ◽  
pp. 112-116
Author(s):  
L. Kalashnikova ◽  
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◽  
Keyword(s):  
Ex Situ ◽  

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