Malvaceae neotropicae novae vel minus cognitae X. New species of Quararibea from Colombia and Ecuador

In this advance of the taxonomic revision that is being carried out in the genus Quararibea (Malvaceae) for the north of South America, three new species are described in this contribution, which are compared morphologically with the species considered related in each case. A first, Q. cornejoi, known from the wet forests of western Ecuador that we associate with Q. grandifolia and Q. casasecae, taxa also distributed in the Pacific corridor of Ecuador and Colombia. A second species, Q. latilimbata, from the sub-Andean forests of the Central Cordillera of the Department of Antioquia, Colombia, related to the previous species and to the Amazonian species Q. duckei. All of them with an unusual trait in the genus, an androecium with the long staminal branches. Finally, Q.villanuevae, from the dry forests of the upper Magdalena Valley in the Department of Tolima, Colombia, associated with the Andean species Q. foenigraeca and Q. caldasiana. These last three species, which have androecium with smaller staminal branches, are assigned to a different morphological group. Illustrations and detailed photographs of the new species are included as well as keys to the identification of the treated species.

Taxonomy of ‘Euconnus complex’. Part XXIII. Status of Napochus Thomson, Pycnophus Casey, and Filonapochus Franz revisited (Coleoptera, Staphylinidae, Scydmaeninae)

In previously published parts of this long-term study, subgenera Napochus Thomson and Pycnophus Casey of Euconnus Thomson were tentatively maintained, based on detailed morphological examination of their type species. Since then, many more species have been studied, including several hundred nominal Euconnus s. str., Napochus, and Pycnophus spp., and over a thousand presumably undescribed species collected on all continents. Considering character variability, current diagnoses of Napochus and Pycnophus were found to largely overlap with that of Euconnus s. str., and many species show intermediary features. In the present study, examples of such intermediary or transitional characters are illustrated, and character variability within the Euconnus s. str. + Napochus + Pycnophus morphological group is discussed. Available morphological evidence strongly supports a concept of a highly diverse Euconnus s. str. that includes Napochus and Pycnophus. Consequently, Napochus syn. n. and Pycnophus syn. n. are merged with Euconnus s. str. as junior synonyms. In addition, examination of the type specimens of the type species of Glandularia L.W. Schaufuss and Connophron Casey, both names currently treated as junior synonyms of Napochus, confirms the previously established synonymies. Characters of the previously revised subgenus Filonapochus Franz were also found to fall within the variability revealed in the present study, and also Filonapochus syn. n. is placed as a junior synonym of Euconnus s. str.

Taxonomic updates in Amphitecna (Bignoniaceae): A new Mexican species and the re-establishment of the giant-leaved A. megalophylla

In this study, we analyzed the morphological affinities of the 24 species of Amphitecna based on detailed morphological studies and multivariate cluster analyses. Our results suggest that the genus Amphitecna includes six morphological groups that can be easily distinguished based on floral and fruits characteristics: A. donnell-smithii group, A. macrophylla group, A. megalophylla group, A. molinae group, A. spathicalyx group, and A. steyermarkii group. A new species from Mexico, Amphitecna fonceti, is described. This new species is clearly differentiated by the predominantly ramiflorous inflorescences bearing multiple flowers per shoot, buds rounded at the apex, large flowers with a transverse fold in the corolla throat, calyx surface pubescent and strongly costate, and fruits elliptic, apiculate at the apex. We discuss the characteristics of each morphological group and their geographical distribution, provide a detailed description of the new species including ethnobotany notes, and propose the re-establishment of the giant-leaved species A. megalophylla.

Improvement of Misleading and Fake News Classification for Flective Languages by Morphological Group Analysis

Due to the constantly evolving social media and different types of sources of information, we are facing different fake news and different types of misinformation. Currently, we are working on a project to identify applicable methods for identifying fake news for floating language types. We explored different approaches to detect fake news in the presented research, which are based on morphological analysis. This is one of the basic components of natural language processing. The aim of the article is to find out whether it is possible to improve the methods of dataset preparation based on morphological analysis. We collected our own and unique dataset, which consisted of articles from verified publishers and articles from news portals that are known as the publishers of fake and misleading news. Articles were in the Slovak language, which belongs to the floating types of languages. We explored different approaches in this article to the dataset preparation based on morphological analysis. The prepared datasets were the input data for creating the classifier of fake and real news. We selected decision trees for classification. The evaluation of the success of two different methods of preparation was carried out because of the success of the created classifier. We found a suitable dataset pre-processing technique by morphological group analysis. This technique could be used for improving fake news classification.

Unexpected diversity of whitefly predators in Eocene Baltic amber—new fossil Serangium species (Coleoptera: Coccinellidae)

Serangium is a tropical genus of minute ladybird beetles, which has been recently discovered in Baltic amber. Discovery of the third species, S. kalandyki sp. nov., demonstrates the surprising diversity of this group in the palaeoenvironment of Eocene ‘amber forests’. The new species, together with two previously described, form a well defined morphological group which suggests they all belong to a single lineage. An updated key to the fossil species of Serangium is presented. The diversity of the genus and its ecological affinities are discussed.

Technological Study of Rostov Circular Ceramics (Based on Excavation Materials Found at the Livery Yard in 2013)

В статье представлены результаты технологического анализа круговой керамики XI – первой половины XII вв. из нижних пластов раскопа 2013 г. на Конюшенном дворе в Ростове. Технологическое изучение керамики проводилось по методике А.А. Бобринского. В производстве использовались преимущественно сильнозапесоченные ожелезненные глины с дресвой и органикой. К редким традициям относится применение шамота. Предположительно с импортными сосудами связано использование неожелезненной глины и песка. В результате прямой зависимости между формой венчика и технологией не выявлено. Керамику одной морфологической группы изготавливали, вероятно, разные группы гончаров. The report outlines the results of technological analysis of circular ceramics made in the XI – the first half of the XII centuries from the lower layers of the excavation that took place in 2013 at the Livery yard in Rostov. Technological study of ceramics was held according to A. A. Bobrinsky methodology. Hard oversanded ferruginized clay with grus and organic were generally used for ceramics manufacture. Chamotte as material was used quite rarely. Unferruginized clay and sand were presumably typical for imported vessels. The study revealed no direct relation between rim shape and pottery technology. It is likely that ceramics of the same morphological group was made by different groups of potters.

Rediscovery, identity and typification of Dichorisandra picta (Commelinaceae) and comments on the short-stemmed Dichorisandra species

Dichorisandra picta has been considered a name of dubious application due to the lack of known herbarium specimens, and consequently lack of a type specimen, and information regarding its natural distribution. Recent field, herbaria and literature studies, focusing on the species of Commelinaceae from Rio de Janeiro state, clarified the identity and application of this enigmatic name. As a result, the typification of the names related to D. picta is presented, along with the first complete description for this species, field photographs and a distribution map. Dichorisandra picta is also compared with the remaining species of the D. acaulis morphological group.