Intraspecific taxonomy of Muscari botryoides s. l. (Asparagaceae s. l. / Hyacinthaceae s. str.): history of research and synonymy

Muscari botryoides (L.) Mill. s. l. (Asparagaceae s. l. / Hyacinthaceae s. str.) is a taxonomically complicated species (or a species aggregate) with a high level of intraspecific polymorphism. Since it has been taxonomically established, a large number of taxa of different ranks have been identified for various regions of Europe, such as Muscari lelievrei Boreau, M. motelayi Foucaud – for France, M. transsilvanicum Schur – for Romania, Botryanthus kerneri Marches., Muscari longifolium Rigo – for Italy, M. botryoides subsp. hungaricum Priszter – for Hungary, M. botryoides var. podolicum Zapał., M. carpaticum Racib. and M. pocuticum Zapał. – for Ukraine. The article provides a brief overview of the main publications on intraspecific taxonomy of M. botryoides. A list of selected synonyms (mainly taxa mentioned for the flora of Ukraine) of the species is provided. It is noted that the intraspecific taxonomy of M. botryoides remains unresolved in many aspects.

Natural history notes on worker size, colony size, and nest structure of Azteca muelleri Emery, 1893 (Hymenoptera: Formicidae) in Cecropia glaziovii (Rosales: Urticaceae) from the Atlantic Forest

Mutualistic association between Azteca Forel, 1878 ants and Cecropia Loefl. plants are one of the most studied interactions in Neotropics, however, natural history studies of Azteca species still poorly investigated due to the great effort required to conduct detailed descriptive studies. Here, we describe biological aspects of Azteca muelleri Emery, 1893 nesting in Cecropia glaziovii Snethl. in a fragment of Atlantic Forest, addressing (a) colony size; (b) nest distribution on the tree; and (c) worker and queen morphometrics. We collected two C. glaziovii saplings and counted characteristics of the nests and plants. We randomly selected 140 workers to measure and to determine whether intraspecific polymorphism occurs. Workers, immatures, and mealybugs were present in all hollow internodes of plant, and a queen was found. We found isometric morphological variation in A. muelleri. Our study provides new data to understand the biology of A. muelleri nesting in C. glaziovii, one of the most species-rich genera of arboreal ants known for the neotropics.

Species as a system within a system

The article presents the results of an analytical review of general laws of nature development and their relationships with the laws of biological evolution in terms of general theory of systems and their synergetic manifestation at different levels of organization. The basis of such analysis is the interpretation of the species as a system, as a structure with self-organizing and complicating abilities, as well as a unit of evolutionary diversity and taxonomy. At the same time, as a system, the species occupies an appropriate position in system subordination, in the hierarchy of biological evolution, and in systems of taxonomic division and phylogeny. Its synergistic connections in the system characterize its complexity, functionality, self-organization, and alternative development, which is manifested through saltation, relative balance and constant absorption of energy to organize chaos as a source of order. These characteristics accompany the non-integrated development of biological systems as open and unbalanced by intraspecific polymorphism. Analytical delineation of the species as a system within a system involves defining it as a structure, an element, and a carrier of properties and functions at different organizational (ontogenetic, biocoenotic, and evolutionary) levels of biological systems.

An integrative taxonomic and phylogenetic approach reveals a new Neotropical swarm-founding social wasp, Pseudopolybia cryptica sp. n. (Vespidae: Polistinae: Epiponini)

Phenotypic characters are traditionally the main information for species discrimination in taxonomic studies of invertebrates. However, the presence of inter- and intraspecific polymorphism makes it difficult to identify species in many groups such as Neotropical social wasps. Herein, we examined different sources of biological information such as adult morphology, male genitalia, nest architecture, and genetic data applying an integrative taxonomic approach to study pinned museum specimens belonging to the social wasp genus Pseudopolybia de Saussure, 1863. Based on multiple independent lines of evidence, we described a new Neotropical swarm-founding social wasp, Pseudopolybia cryptica sp. n. Moreover, we proposed a phylogenetic hypothesis for Pseudopolybia including this new species. Our taxonomic findings applying an integrative approach reinforce that the social wasp diversity in the Neotropics may be underestimated due to morphological similarity.

Genetic diversity of Loma acerinae (Microsporidia: Glugeida) from different fish hosts and localities – Short communication

Loma acerinae is a xenoma-forming fish microsporidium described from common ruffe Gymnocephalus cernua (Perciformes: Percidae) and also found in Ponto-Caspian gobies (Gobiiformes: Gobiidae). This casts doubt on the strict host specificity of this parasite. The largest subunit RNA polymerase II (rpb1) was used as a genetic marker of the parasite isolated from six host species of Perciformes (G. cernua from the Baltic Sea), Atheriniformes (Atherina boyeri from the Azov Sea) and Gobiiformes (Neogobius spp. and Zosterisessor ophiocephalus from the Black Sea and Ponticola kessleri from the Caspian Sea basin). Two major rpb1 haplogroups were found with 98.5% identity between the groups. Notably, Haplogroup I was associated with Neogobius spp. samples (n = 6) only, whereas Haplogroup II included the samples from other host species (n = 7). These findings confirm the broad distribution and host range of L. acerinae, but also indicate that certain patterns of host-driven intraspecific polymorphism may exist. Furthermore, the study revealed low similarity between the ribosomal RNA gene sequences of L. acerinae and the type species, Loma morhua (as well as other species of the genus). This suggests loose genetic association within the genus, and may raise the need for the taxonomic revision of L. acerinae.

Testing the influence of crushing-surface variation on seed cracking performance between beak morphs of the African seedcracker Pyrenestes ostrinus

Extreme phenotypic polymorphism is an oft-cited example of evolutionary theory in practise. Although these morphological variations are assumed to be adaptive, few studies have biomechanically tested such hypotheses. Pyrenestes ostrinus (the African seedcracker finch) shows an intraspecific polymorphism in beak size and shape that is entirely diet driven and allelically determined. Three distinct morphs feed upon soft sedge seeds during times of abundance, but switch to specializing on three different species of sedge seeds that differ significantly in hardness during lean times. Here we test the hypothesis that beak morphology is directly related to consuming seeds of different hardness. We used a novel experimental analysis to test how beak morphology affects the efficiency of cracking sedge seeds of variable hardness. We found that neither mandibular ramus width nor crushing surface morphology had significant effects on the ability to crack different seed types. It is likely that feeding performance is correlated with other aspects of beak size and shape such as beak depth and strength, muscle force, or gape. Our results highlight how even seemingly straightforward examples of adaptive selection in nature can be complex in practice.

Analysis of intraspecific polymorphism of Nitraria sibirica Pall. using the ISSR technique

The analysis of DNA polymorphism of Nitraria sibirica Pall. was carried out at 13 natural populations of the Republic of Altai and Altai Territory using the ISSR technique. Seven effective ISSR primers have been identified to analyze DNA polymorphism in N. sibirica. 99 DNA fragments were yielded at DNA amplification with these primers, 66 of them were polymorphic. The genetic distance Nei (D) between the studied populations of N. sibirica averaged 0.32, at mean 0.09 - within populations. An identification ISSR marker has been revealed, which can be used to study the genetic variability of the genus Nitraria L. (Nitrariaceae) species.

Sexually dimorphic characters and shared aposematic patterns mislead the morphology-based classification of the Lycini (Coleoptera: Lycidae)

The Lycini (Elateroidea: Lycidae) contains > 400 species placed in four typologically based genera and numerous subgenera. We assembled a mito-ribosomal dataset representing ~100 species from the whole range and recovered a phylogeny rejecting Lycus and Lycostomus as polyphyletic assemblages. The male-specific wide elytra and elytral thorns are identified in unrelated Neolycus and Lycus. The morphological similarity based on sexual dimorphism and aposematic patterns defined terminal clades and misled the genus-rank classification. We delimit Neolycus, Rhyncheros reinst. name (= Thoracocalon syn. nov. = Lyconotus syn. nov.), LipernesLycostomus, Haplolycus and Lycus. Demosis and six subgenera of Lycus are synonymized with Lycus. Celiasis Laporte, 1840 is kept in the classification as a nomen dubium until any specimen is available. The deep lineages are known from the Americas and Asia. Africa was colonized by Lycus and Haplolycus. Each specific aposematic pattern occurs in a limited range, and the similar body shape and coloration evolved in unrelated sympatrically occurring lineages. High intraspecific polymorphism is putatively a result of the adaptation of various populations to local mimetic assemblages. Therefore, the delimitation of many phenotypically diverse species should be investigated.

New data on the morphological variability of the shell of Flexopecten glaber (Linnaeus, 1758) (Bivalvia, Pectinidae) in the Black Sea

The morphological variability of the bivalve mollusc Flexopecten glaber was studied based on the analysis of 306 specimens from the Kazach’ya Bay (Sevastopol, Crimea) of the Black Sea. The sampling of mollusks was carried out with the help of skuba equipment in June-September of 2017-2018. For F. glaber, the age and size characteristics are given and the main trends in their ratios with the shell growth are considered. For the first time, quantitative indicators of thickness of the shell valves, their weight and height of the radial ribs are presented and discussed. A wide intraspecific polymorphism of the shell is shown in a relatively narrow range of habitat conditions. The obtained data expand the understanding of the morphological variability of F. glaber in the Black Sea and provide new information on the functional morphology of the species.