First documented record of barn swallow (Hirundo rustica) in the Antarctic

First documented record of barn swallow (Hirundo rustica) in the Antarctic Here we report a photo-documented record of a barn swallow (Hirundo rustica) from the South Shetland Islands. We also review previous records of passerine vagrants in the Antarctic (south of the Antarctic Convergence Zone). This barn swallow is the first recorded member of the Hirundinidae family on King George Island and is only the second passerine recorded in the South Shetland Islands. This sighting, along with previous records of austral negrito and austral trush represent the southernmost sightings of any passerine bird anywhere in the world.

Short Note: An intriguing penguin bone from the Late Eocene of Seymour Island, Antarctic Peninsula

Penguins (Aves: Sphenisciformes) are interesting to both neontologists and palaeontologists (e.g. Davis & Renner 2003). The fossil record of these extremely specialized inhabitants of the Southern Hemisphere extends back to the Palaeocene epoch (Slack et al. 2006). Extinct penguins are known from localities within the range of their modern-day relatives (Fordyce & Jones 1990), and the oldest diverse assemblage comes from the Eocene La Meseta Formation of Seymour Island, Antarctic Peninsula, the only such locality south of the Antarctic Convergence (Myrcha et al. 2002, Jadwiszczak 2006a). Several collections amounting to over three thousand bones (mainly isolated skeletal elements) have been acquired since 1901 from that formation, and 15 penguin species have been erected so far (Jadwiszczak 2006a, table 1, Tambussi et al. 2006). Only ten of them (grouped into six genera) appear to be taxonomically distinct, and their type specimens are tarsometatarsi (Simpson 1971, Myrcha et al. 2002, Jadwiszczak 2006a, 2006b, p. 296). Individuals from six species belonging to four genera most probably were not larger than those of Aptenodytes forsteri G.R. Gray, 1844, the heaviest and tallest extant penguin (Jadwiszczak 2001, table 3). Interestingly, representatives of all ten species may have co-existed in the West Antarctic during the Late Eocene epoch, just prior to the final break-up of Gondwana (Jadwiszczak 2006a). Presented here is an intriguing partial tarsometatarsus of a small-sized penguin from the Late Eocene of Antarctic Peninsula, probably representing a new genus and species.

Myxomycetes of subantarctic Macquarie Island

Macquarie Island is an oceanic island located 1000 km south-east of Tasmania. The island, which lies close to but north of the Antarctic Convergence, is the southernmost island in the world with a fairly complete cover of vegetation. However, the vascular flora is impoverished and consists of only 46 species. During the period of late January to late April of 1995, 412 field collections of myxomycetes, representing at least 22 species in 11 genera, were obtained during the course of an intensive survey of fungal biodiversity on Macquarie Island. Moist-chamber cultures prepared with various types of plant debris yielded only 14 collections, but this total included three additional species and two additional genera. All but four of the species we recorded from the island are new records for the South Polar Region. Most field collections were associated with Stilbocarpa polaris (Araliaceae) and Pleurophyllum hookeri (Asteraceae), the usual dominants in the herbfield communities that commonly occur on upper beach slopes and coastal terraces. Trichia verrucosa (80 collections), Diderma alpinum (78) and Craterium leucocephalum (59) were the most consistently abundant myxomycetes. Other species represented by ≥15 collections were Didymium cf. dubium, Collaria lurida, Lamproderma arcyrioides and Didymium macquariense. The latter is a species new to science that was described from material collected during the present study. All of the species of myxomycetes now known to occur on Macquarie Island are members of the Trichiales, Physarales, Stemonitales or Echinosteliales; no member of the Liceales or Ceratiomyxales was ever collected.

Heard Island: Southern Ocean Sentinel

Heard Island is one of the most remote places on earth. It is of volcanic origin (and currently volcanically active) on the submarine Kerguelen Plateau in the Southern Ocean, roughly 4 000 km south-west of Australia, 1 500 km from Antarctica, 3 750 km from Africa, and 7 500 km from India. The island is 367 km2 in area at latitude 53�S, south of the Antarctic Polar Front (Antarctic Convergence), is 70% covered with glaciers, and has a geologic, biologic and human history of substantial interest. Because of its remoteness, relative recent discovery (1853), and infrequent human visitation, it is pristine with no human-introduced plants or mammals.