New national and regional Annex I Habitat records: from #26 to #36

New Italian data on the distribution of the Annex I Habitats 1510*, 2130*, 2250*, 3180*, 3260, 5230*, 6410, 7140, 7220*, 9320 are reported in this contribution. Specifically, 14 new occurrences in Natura 2000 sites are presented and 20 new cells are added in the EEA 10 km × 10 km reference grid. The new data refer to the Italian administrative regions of Abruzzo, Apulia, Friuli Venezia Giulia, Liguria, Marche, Molise, Sardinia, Sicily, Tuscany and Umbria.

New species and occurrences of Caperonia (Euphorbiaceae) for South America

Caperonia (Ditaxinae, Euphorbiaceae) has ca. 34 species distributed in the Americas and Africa, with approximately 26 of them occurring in South America. The species are exclusively of open marshy environments. The new species Caperonia amarumayu and C. maracaibensis, from Bolivia and Venezuela respectively, are hereby described. We also designate a lectotype, and report two new occurrences of C. zaponzeta for Bolivia and Brazil.

New occurrences of the ragweed leaf beetle (Ophraella communa LeSage, 1986) (Coleoptera, Chrysomelidae) in Hungary

Fifteen new occurrences of ragweed leaf beetle (Ophraella communa LeSage, 1986) are presented from Hungary based on targeted faunistic investigations and the results of our call for citizen scientists. All records are concentrated on the nearby regions of Budapest, suggesting that the species was introduced to this northern central region of the country by human activity. The high number of new occurrences indicates that the species is steadily established in this region. In contrast, the natural dispersal from the neighbouring southern countries seems not to cross the Hungarian borders yet.

Late Ediacaran occurrences of the organic-walled microfossils Granomarginata and flask-shaped Lagoenaforma collaris gen. et sp. nov.

New occurrences of flask-shaped and envelope-bearing microfossils, including the predominantly Cambrian taxon Granomarginata, are reported from new localities, as well as from earlier in time (Ediacaran) than previously known. The stratigraphic range of Granomarginata extends into the Cambrian System, where it had a cosmopolitan distribution. This newly reported Ediacaran record includes areas from Norway (Baltica), Newfoundland (Avalonia) and Namibia (adjacent to the Kalahari Craton), and puts the oldest global occurrence of Granomarginata in the Indreelva Member (< 563 Ma) of the Stáhpogieddi Formation on the Digermulen Peninsula, Arctic Norway. Although Granomarginata is rare within the assemblage, these new occurrences together with previously reported occurrences from India and Poland, suggest a potentially widespread palaeogeographic distribution of Granomarginata through the middle–late Ediacaran interval. A new flask-shaped microfossil Lagoenaforma collaris gen. et sp. nov. is also reported in horizons containing Granomarginata from the Stáhpogieddi Formation in Norway and the Dabis Formation in Namibia, and flask-shaped fossils are also found in the Gibbett Hill Formation in Newfoundland. The Granomarginata–Lagoenaforma association, in addition to a low-diversity organic-walled microfossil assemblage, occurs in the strata postdating the Shuram carbon isotope excursion, and may eventually be of use in terminal Ediacaran biostratigraphy. These older occurrences of Granomarginata add to a growing record of body fossil taxa spanning the Ediacaran–Cambrian boundary.

New Species of Macroalgae from Tamengo Formation, Ediacaran, Brazil

The Tamengo Formation (Corumbá Group) is an important Ediacaran stratigraphic unit in South America due to the presence of metazoan fossils and geochemistry data of carbonate rocks, with excellent geochronological delimitation (between 555–541 Ma) obtained by U–Pb dating on volcanic zircons. The present work shows three new species of macroalgae found as carbonaceous compressions and studied for their morphology and taxonomy. All new taxa are characterized as centric macroalgae; Tamengophyton espinosa sp. nov. is a fan-shaped alga with striated thalli, dichotomous branches, trichomes with perpendicular growth, and a connecting membrane. Ladariella hidria sp. nov. is formed by a set of striated and branched thalli in a cylindrical form with almond-shaped structures in the top. Ladariophyton veinosa sp. nov. is characterized by the main growth thallus and an enlarged longitudinal structure at the center. These new occurrences of macroalgae add to the largest life assemblages in the Neoproterozoic of South America, which contributes to documentation of the evolutionary history of macroalgae and the paleoecological settings of the Late Ediacaran.

Testate amoebae (Arcellinida and Euglyphida) from Pantanal dos Marimbús, Chapada Diamantina, Bahia state, Brazil, including new occurrences

Testate amoebae are single-celled protists whose protoplasm is contained within a carapace composed of gelatinous to imbricated chitinous plates having variable chemical compositions. We inventoried the testate amoebae community present in the plankton and periphyton of the Pantanal dos Marimbus swamp in Bahia state, Brazil. Sixty-five samples of plankton and periphyton were analyzed during May and September/2014 and April/2015. We identified 65 taxa of testate amoebae distributed in eight families, 15 genera, 45 species, and 16 varieties. The most representative families were Arcellidae, Centropyxidae, and Difflugiidae, corresponding to 24.6%, 19.7% and 14.8% of the taxa respectively. The periphyton had greater richness (59 taxa) than the plankton (39 taxa). Of the taxa found, 15 represent new records for Bahia and 14 for northeastern Brazil. The Marimbus Pantanal swamp showed an expressive richness of testate amoebae, and our data increases the number of species of these organisms known to Bahia and northeastern Brazil, where work with those organisms is still scarce.

Native or Invasive? The Red-Haired Pine Bark Beetle Hylurgus ligniperda (Fabricius) (Curculionidae: Scolytinae) in East Asia

The red-haired pine bark beetle, Hylurgus ligniperda (Fabricius), is one of the most rapidly spreading invasive forest insects. Originally from Eurasia, it has subsequently been introduced to Oceania, North, and South America. Yet, the status of H. ligniperda in East Asia is ambiguous. Here, investigation and analysis were conducted on the beetle in China, South Korea, and Japan. New occurrences in China and South Korea were recorded by field surveys and the expansion of H. ligniperda spreading in East Asia was analyzed. The results show that H. ligniperda is likely an invasive species in East Asia, initially invading Japan, then South Korea. Now it has invaded and successfully colonized Shandong province, China. Furthermore, the species has spread rapidly and it is now widely distributed in South Korea and Japan.

Lizards and snakes from the earliest Miocene of Saint-Gérand-le-Puy, France: an anatomical and histological approach of some of the oldest Neogene squamates from Europe

Background The earliest Miocene (Aquitanian) represents a crucial time interval in the evolution of European squamates (i.e., lizards and snakes), witnessing a high diversity of taxa, including an array of extinct forms but also representatives of extant genera. We here conduct a taxonomical survey along with a histological/microanatomical approach on new squamate remains from the earliest Miocene of Saint-Gérand-le-Puy, France, an area that has been well known for its fossil discoveries since the nineteenth century. Results We document new occurrences of taxa, among which, the lacertid Janosikia and the anguid Ophisaurus holeci, were previously unknown from France. We provide a detailed description of the anatomical structures of the various cranial and postcranial remains of lizards and snakes from Saint-Gérand-le-Puy. By applying micro-CT scanning in the most complete cranial elements of our sample, we decipher previously unknown microanatomical features. We report in detail the subsurface distribution and 3D connectivity of vascular channels in the anguid parietal. The fine meshwork of channels and cavities or sinuses in the parietal of Ophisaurus could indicate some thermoregulatory function, as it has recently been demonstrated for other vertebrate groups, providing implications for the palaeophysiology of this earliest Miocene anguine lizard. Conclusions A combination of anatomical and micro-anatomical/histological approach, aided by micro-CT scanning, enabled the documentation of these new earliest Miocene squamate remains. A distinct geographic expansion is provided for the extinct anguine Ophisaurus holeci and the lacertid Janosikia (the closest relative of the extant insular Gallotia from the Canary Islands).

Chlorostroma vestlandicum (Xylariales): first records of the rare ascomycete in Russia

In this paper, for the first time in Russia we report on four new occurrences of the rare xylarialean ascomycete Chlorostroma vestlandicumrevealed in the course of mycological surveys of the Northwestern European Russia. Description and colour illustrations of the material studied are provided. Dutch Elm Disease as the major possible threat for the species is discussed. The species is recommended for inclusion in the next editions of the regional Red Data Books of Leningrad, Novgorod, and Pskov Regions.