Phylogeny, taxonomy and flower-breeding ecology of the Colocasiomyia cristata species group (Diptera: Drosophilidae), with descriptions of ten new species

The phylogeny of the Colocasiomyia cristata species group is reconstructed as a hypothesis, based on DNA sequences of two mitochondrial and six nuclear genes and 51 morphological characters. The resulting tree splits this species group into two clades, one of which corresponds to the colocasiae subgroup. Therefore, a new species subgroup named as the cristata subgroup is established for the other clade. Within the cristata subgroup, three subclades are recognized and each of them is defined as a species complex: the cristata complex composed of five species (including three new ones: C. kinabaluana sp. nov., C. kotana sp. nov. and C. matthewsi sp. nov.), the sabahana complex of two species (C. sabahana sp. nov. and C. sarawakana sp. nov.), and the xenalocasiae complex of five species (including C. sumatrana sp. nov. and C. leucocasiae sp. nov.). There are, however, three new species (C. ecornuta sp. nov., C. grandis sp. nov. and C. vieti sp. nov.) not assigned to any species complex. In addition, breeding habits are described for four cristata-subgroup species, each of which monopolizes its specific host plant. And, data of host-plant use are compiled for all species of the cristata group from records at various localities in the Oriental and Papuan regions. The evolution of host-plant selection and sharing modes is considered by mapping host-plant genera of each species on the phylogenetic tree resulting from the present study.

Genetic Diversity of Dianthus Plants Revealed by SRAP Markers

Dianthus is a valuable genetic resource for flower breeding. However, study on the genetic similarity of Dianthus plants is rare. In this work, 20 pairs of SRAP markers were used to analyze genetic diversity of 44 Dianthus plants, including 13 lines of wild Dianthus chinensis L., 7 lines of wild Dianthus superbus L. and 24 commercial varieties including Dianthus caryophyllus L., Dianthus plumarius L. and Dianthus barbatus L.. Results showed that precise interspecific and intraspecific genetic diversity was provided in Dianthus plants by using 20 pairs of SRAP molecular markers. The interspecific genetic diversity of Dianthus plants was much abundant and the intraspecific genetic difference of wild Dianthus species was related to their geographical distribution and habitats. In this work, theoretical basis and technical support were provided for crossbreeding and molecular mechanism research of Dianthus plants.

Proserpina Unbound: John Ruskin, Maria La Touche, and Victorian Floriculture

Filled with caustic statements on artificial plant breeding and florist flowers, John Ruskin's botanical essay collection, Proserpina (1875–86), advances a cogent argument against commercial floriculture and, by extension, the commodification of vegetal life. However, the eco-political stakes of this text have received limited attention. Past studies have primarily interpreted Proserpina as a testament to Ruskin's disquiet about Darwinism and as a memorial to his late love, Rose La Touche. In this article, I argue that beneath these scientific and personal imperatives, Proserpina urges readers to resist the consumption of floral commodities engineered by Victorian nurserymen and florists. My reading draws together the history of nineteenth-century flower breeding with recent inquiries from the field of critical plant studies in order to illuminate how Ruskin's botanical prose dovetails with present-day debates on vegetal ethics. Flower-breeding motifs figure prominently in a series of letters written for Proserpina by Rose's mother, Maria La Touche, whose contributions to this book have long been overlooked. Analyzing Proserpina's floricultural subtext will not only recover La Touche's letters from the shadow of Ruskin's love life but also underscore an unexplored facet of Ruskin's antipathy toward Darwin, who celebrated florist flowers in his own botanical writings.

The flower flies and the unknown diversity of Drosophilidae (Diptera): a biodiversity inventory in the Brazilian fauna

Diptera is a megadiverse order, reaching its peak of diversity in Neotropics, although our knowledge of dipteran fauna from this region is grossly lacking. This applies even to the most studied families, such as Drosophilidae. Despite its prominence, most aspects of the biology of these insects are still poorly understood, especially those linked to natural communities. Field studies on drosophilids are highly biased towards fruit-breeding species. Flower-breeding drosophilids, however, are worldwide distributed, especially in tropical regions, although being mostly neglected. The present paper shows the results of a biodiversity inventory of flower-breeding drosophilids carried out in several localities in Brazil, based on samples of 125 plant species, from 47 families. Drosophilids were found in flowers of 56 plant species, from 18 families. The fauna discovered turned out to be mostly unknown, comprising 28 species, with 12 of them (> 40%) still undescribed. Not taking into account opportunistic species, two-thirds of the flower-exclusive diversity was undescribed. The Drosophila bromeliae species group was the most representative taxon, with eight species (six undescribed), including four polyphagous and four Solanum-specialized species. This specialization on Solanum is reported for the first time for Drosophilidae. Other taxa of restricted flower-breeding drosophilids were the Drosophila lutzii species group and two species of the genus Zygothrica Wiedemann. Some specimens of the genera Cladochaeta Coquillett, Rhinoleucophenga Hendel and Scaptomyza Hardy were found, but their relations to flowers are unclear. Additionally, ten species of broad niche were found using flowers opportunistically. Localities and host plants were recorded for all species collected.

Flowering Stage and Daytime Affect Scent Emission of Malus ioensis “Prairie Rose”

Flowering crabapple is an important ornamental flower. It is vital to understand the floral scent properties and the associated release dynamics for carrying out fragrant flower breeding or floral regulation of crabapple. Static headspace solid-phase microextraction coupled with gas chromatography-mass spectrometry was used to detect the volatile compounds in Malus ioensis “Prairie Rose” flowers at different flowering stages and at different day-night time. The results showed that methylheptenone, phenylethanol, geranylacetone, 2-(4-methoxyphenyl)ethanol, α-cedrene were the major compounds in M. ioensis “Prairie Rose”, but the compounds released during different stages and different day-night time were significantly different (P < 0.0001). A total of 25 volatile compounds were identified from the four flowering stages. The floral scents in the initial and flowering stages were the most similar (dissimilarity 0.21). The main compounds in these two stages were geranylacetone and methylheptenone, and the contents of geranylacetone and phenylethanol were positively correlated with the flowering stages. From the bud stage to the end of flowering, the total amount of volatile compounds released showed an initial increase followed by a decrease and the amounts of compounds released during the initial flowering stage were the highest. The aliphatic and benzenoids content was significant higher in the daytime than at night. A total of 15 compounds were detected in the five time periods. Methylheptenone and phenylethanol were particularly released in the 10:00–12:00 and 15:00–17:00 time periods. There were only three common compounds among the five time periods and the types of flower volatiles released during the daytime were obviously higher than those released at night. From the nocturnal to diurnal, the amount of flower volatiles released first increased, then decreased, and the release reached a peak between 10 am and 12 noon, which was consistent with the pollination biological characteristics of Malus flowers. Our findings are important for understanding the mechanism of insect visits to crabapple and the regulation of crabapple flower scent.

The flower flies and the unknown diversity of Drosophilidae (Diptera): a biodiversity inventory in the Brazilian fauna

Diptera is a megadiverse order, reaching its peak of diversity in Neotropics, although our knowledge of dipteran fauna of this region is grossly deficient. This applies even for the most studied families, as Drosophilidae. Despite its position of evidence, most aspects of the biology of these insects are still poorly understood, especially those linked to natural communities. Field studies on drosophilids are highly biased to fruit-breeders species. Flower-breeding drosophilids, however, are worldwide distributed, especially in tropical regions, although being mostly neglected. The present paper shows results of a biodiversity inventory of flower-breeding drosophilids carried out in several localities in Brazil, based on samples of 125 plant species, from 47 families. Drosophilids were found in flowers of 56 plant species, from 18 families. The fauna discovered showed to be highly unknown, comprising 28 species, 12 of them (>40%) still undescribed. Not taking in account opportunist species, two thirds of the diversity exclusive from flowers were undescribed. TheDrosophila bromeliaespecies group was the most representative taxon, with eight species (six undescribed), including four polyphagous and fourSolanum-specialised species. This specialisation onSolanumis reported for the first time forDrosophila. Other taxa of restrict flower-breeding drosophilids were theDrosophila lutziispecies group and the genusZygothrica. Some specimens of the generaCladochaeta, RhinoleucophengaandScaptomyzawere found, but their relations to flowers are unclear. Additionally, ten species of ample niche was found using flowers opportunistically. Localities and host plants are recorded for all species collected.