Cybister (s. str.) poblanus sp. n. from Mexico and notes on other species of Cybistrinae (Coleoptera: Dytiscidae)

Cybister (s. str.) poblanus sp. n. is described from the Puebla state in Mexico. The species belongs to a group of members of the genus Cybister Curtis, 1827, which occur only in North America (including the Caribbean Islands) and are characterised by having several distinct ridges on the metacoxae (stridulatory organ) in males. The new species is the third of the genus reported for Mexico and the fourth for North America. It can easily be separated from its congeners by its great size and the shape of the male aedeagus. The habitus, the male genitalia and other details of C. poblanus sp. n. are illustrated and photographs of the male genitalia of the other three Cybister are given for comparison. Megadytes (Bifurcitus) lherminieri (Guérin-Méneville, 1829) and M. (B.) magnus Trémouilles & Bachmann, 1980 are the only other big species of subfamily Cybistrinae which occur in North America. They are externally similar to the new species and can easily be confused with it, hence the illustrations of their aedeagi to facilitate identification. A key to species is given for all species of Cybistrinae occurring in America north of Belize and Guatemala, including Cuba and the Bahamas. Lectotypes are designated for Cybister flavocinctus Aubé, 1838, Cybister explanatus var. fusculus Zimmermann, 1919, and Cybister (Megadytes) aubei Wilke, 1920. Notes are given on material of some Neotropical and Nearctic species of Cybister and Megadytes stored in different museums.

Arrival in Paris

This chapter describes the city of Paris encountered by Adrien-Joseph Colson when he first arrived there in the middle of the eighteenth century, underlining the great size of the city and the extraordinary diversity in wealth and living conditions among the various elements of the population that he encountered. It also describes his family background and education before his arrival in Paris to take up a career as lawyer and accountant to a noble family. It takes note of the strong contrast between his relatively humble background in an artisan family and his relatively prestigious career as a Parisian lawyer.

Quinolino[7,8-h]quinoline: A ‘Just Right’ Ligand for Beryllium(II) Coordination

We report the synthesis and crystal structure of the first quinolino[7,8-h]quinoline beryllium(II) complex of the general formula [BeL2(MeCN)Br]Br·MeCN, containing the ligand 4,9-dihydroxyquinolino[7,8-h]quinoline (L2). The Be(II) cation is a great size...

Mathematics in India until 650 CE

The chapter studies the mathematics of ancient India, from the Vedic (Indo-European) period, ca1500–500 bce, and later. They used a decimal system to express numbers, often of great size. The texts called Śulba-sūtras (Rules of the Cord, ca 800–200 bce) prescribe detailed rituals involving geometrical arrangements of bricks forming altars, using pegs and ropes. These texts present a system of mathematics involving the full application of the Pythagorean theorem, a rather precise approximation to the square root of 2, and approximate methods for squaring the circle and circling the square. Around 500 bce, the place-value decimal system was created, including the zero. Moreover, the bhūta-saṃkhyā system allowed place-value numbers to be represented using a sequence of fixed words, e.g., “eyes” always meant “two.” The analysis of possible metrical forms led to the development of simple combinatorics, including a form of what we would call Pascal’s triangle. Jain mathematics speculated about types of infinity. Mathematical astronomy, from ca 400 ce, included computation of mean and true planetary positions, and computation of lunar and solar eclipses. The chapter concludes with brief surveys of notable Indian mathematicians.

Gigantic lion, Panthera leo, from the Pleistocene of Natodomeri, eastern Africa

The partial skull of a lion from Natodomeri, northwest Kenya is described. The Natodomeri sites are correlated with Member I of the Kibish Formation, dated to between 195 ka and ca. 205 ka. The skull is remarkable for its very great size, equivalent to the largest cave lions (Panthera spelaea [Goldfuss, 1810]) of Pleistocene Eurasia and much larger than any previously known lion from Africa, living or fossil. We hypothesize that this individual represents a previously unknown population or subspecies of lion present in the late Middle and Late Pleistocene of eastern Africa rather than being an indication of climate-driven size increase in lions of that time. This raises questions regarding the extent of our understanding of the pattern and causes of lion evolution in the Late Pleistocene.

Almost all known sauropod necks are incomplete and distorted

Sauropods are familiar dinosaurs, immediately recognisable by their great size and long necks. However, their necks are much less well known than is usually assumed. Very few complete necks have been described in the literature, and even important specimens such as the Carnegie Diplodocus and Apatosaurus, and the giant Berlin brachiosaur, in fact have imperfectly known necks. In older specimens, missing bone is often difficult to spot due to over-enthusiastic restoration. Worse still, even those vertebrae that are complete are often badly distorted – for example, in consecutive cervicals of the Carnegie Diplodocus CM 84, the aspect ratio of the posterior articular facet of the centrum varies so dramatically that C14 appears 35% broader proportionally than C13. Widespread incompleteness and distortion are both inevitable due to sauropod anatomy: large size made it almost impossible for whole individuals to be preserved because sediment cannot be deposited quickly enough to cover a giant carcass; and distortion of presacral vertebrae is common due their lightweight pneumatic construction. This ubiquitous incompleteness and unpredictable distortion compromise attempts to determine habitual neck posture and range of motion by modelling articulations between vertebrae.

Almost all known sauropod necks are incomplete and distorted

Sauropods are familiar dinosaurs, immediately recognisable by their great size and long necks. However, their necks are much less well known than is usually assumed. Very few complete necks have been described in the literature, and even important specimens such as the Carnegie Diplodocus and Apatosaurus, and the giant Berlin brachiosaur, in fact have imperfectly known necks. In older specimens, missing bone is often difficult to spot due to over-enthusiastic restoration. Worse still, even those vertebrae that are complete are often badly distorted – for example, in consecutive cervicals of the Carnegie Diplodocus CM 84, the aspect ratio of the posterior articular facet of the centrum varies so dramatically that C14 appears 35% broader proportionally than C13. Widespread incompleteness and distortion are both inevitable due to sauropod anatomy: large size made it almost impossible for whole individuals to be preserved because sediment cannot be deposited quickly enough to cover a giant carcass; and distortion of presacral vertebrae is common due their lightweight pneumatic construction. This ubiquitous incompleteness and unpredictable distortion compromise attempts to determine habitual neck posture and range of motion by modelling articulations between vertebrae.

Spearthrower Owl Hill: A Toponym at Atetelco, Teotihuacan

The important Classic period site of Teotihuacan is renowned for its great size, ancient influence, and intricately decorated polychrome murals. The latter are the focus of the present study, in particular the unique landscape scene from Murals 2 and 3 from Portico 1 of the North Patio of the Atetelco residential compound that depicts a row of toponymic hill signs. The three hills have identical qualifying elements embedded, identified as combinations of an owl and a spearthrower. The murals thus make a repeated reference to a place named “Spearthrower Owl Hill.” The dating of the murals to the Early Xolalpan phase (ca. A.D. 350–450) makes them contemporary with the so-called Teotihuacan entrada into the Maya lowland sites such as Tikal, where hieroglyphic texts make mention of a Teotihuacan-affiliated individual known as “Spearthrower Owl.” From these findings—and based on Mesoamerican naming practices—we go on to suggest that the Atetelco toponym and the historical individual share the name of a common forebear, possibly that of a previously unidentified Teotihuacan martial patron deity. As such, the Early Classic Teotihuacan “Spearthrower Owl” deity has much in common with the legendary Huitzilopochtli of the Late Postclassic Mexica. Our reexamination of the murals from Atetelco shows the enormous potential that further studies in Teotihuacan writing and iconography still have for our understanding of the history and religion of this major Mesoamerican site.