The fish fauna of the Iwokrama Forest

Fishes were collected from the rivers in and around the Iwokrama Forest during January-February and November-December 1997. Four hundred species of fish were recorded from forty families in ten orders. Many of these fishes are newly recorded from Guyana and several are thought to be endemic. The number of species recorded for the area is surprising given the low level of effort and suggests that this area may be particularly important from a fish diversity perspective. This paper focuses on species of particular interest from a management perspective including those considered economically important, rare or endangered. The paper is also the basis for developing fisheries management systems in the Iwokrama Forest and Rupununi Wetlands

Phylogeny and historical biogeography of Lauraceae

Phylogenetic relationships among 122 species of Lauraceae representing 44 of the 55 currently recognized genera are inferred from sequence variation in the chloroplast and nuclear genomes. The trnL-trnF, trnT-trnL, psbA-trnH, and rpll6 regions of cpDNA, and the 5' end of 26S rDNA resolved major lineages, while the ITS/5.8S region of rDNA resolved a large terminal lade. The phylogenetic estimate is used to assess morphology-based views of relationships and, with a temporal dimension added, to reconstruct the biogeographic history of the family. Results suggest Lauraceae radiated when trans-Tethyean migration was relatively easy, and basal lineages are established on either Gondwanan or Laurasian terrains by the Late Cretaceous. Most genera with Gondwanan histories place in Cryptocaryeae, but a small group of South American genera, the Chlorocardium-Mezilauruls lade, represent a separate Gondwanan lineage. Caryodaphnopsis and Neocinnamomum may be the only extant representatives of the ancient Lauraceae flora docu- mented in Mid- to Late Cretaceous Laurasian strata. Remaining genera place in a terminal Perseeae-Laureae lade that radiated in Early Eocene Laurasia. Therein, non-cupulate genera associate as the Persea group, and cupuliferous genera sort to Laureae of most classifications or Cinnamomeae sensu Kostermans. Laureae are Laurasian relicts in Asia. The Persea group and Cinnamomum group (of Cinnamomeae) show tropical amphi-Pacific disjunctions here credited to disruption of boreotropical ranges by Eocene-Oligocene climatic cooling. The Ocotea complex accommodates re- maining Cinnamomeae and shows a trans-Atlantic disjunction possibly derived from a Madrean-Tethyan ancestral distribution. These findings support Laurasian ancestry for most extant Lauraceae, with their considerable neotropical representation primarily derived from Early Miocene radiation of the Ocotea complex upon reaching South America

A pedo-geomorphological classification and map of the Holocene sediments in the coastal plain of the three Guianas

Stiboka onderzoe

Hemidactylus palaichthus

Number of Pages: 1Integrative BiologyGeological Science

PATTERNS OF TENURE INSECURITY IN GUYANA

As of 1998, the land tenure situation along Guyana's coast was marked by disarray and insecurity. Renewed interest in land following the economic and political liberalization of the early 1990s spawned land conflicts and exacerbated their severity. This paper, based on fieldwork conducted in 1997-8, explores aspects of this situation, drawing extensively on case-study material. Attention is drawn to the impact on land tenure dynamics of several unique aspects of Guyana's development history, particularly, the country's phased development inward from the coast. Three major tenure sectors are identified, with issues unique to each and common across all of them explored. These include challenges posed by undivided ownership, widespread violations of the law, and vagueness in terms of how rights to land are documented and physically defined through surveys. While an ambitious, wide-ranging set of initiatives embarked upon in 2000 seeks to address many of these problems, it is doubtful that they will dramatically or quickly alter the prevailing state of affairs.Land tenure -- Guyana, Land use -- Government policy -- Guyana, Land titles -- Registration and transfer -- Guyana, Land conflicts -- Guyana, Agrarian structure -- Guyana, Land Economics/Use,

Stefania evansi

Number of Pages: 3Integrative BiologyGeological Science

On the occurrence of bryophytes and macrolichens in different lowland rain forest types at Mabura Hill, Guyana

A floristic and ecological study of bryophytes and macrolichens in different lowland rain forest types around Mabura Hill, Guyana, South America, yielded 170 species: 52 mosses, 82 liverworts and 36 macrolichens. Lejeuneaceae account for about 30% of the species and are the dominant cryptogamic family of the lowland rain forest. Special attention was paid to the flora of the forest canopy, by using mountaineering techniques. It appeared that 50% of the bryophyte species and 86% of the macrolichens occurred exclusively in the canopy. Dry evergreen 'walaba' forest on white sand is particularly rich in lichens whereas the more humid 'mixed' forest on loamy soil is characterized by a rather rich liverwort flora. More species are exclusive to the mixed forest than to dry evergreen forest due to the 'canopy effect', i.e. the occurrence of xerophytic species in the outer canopy of both dry and humid forests. Furthermore, canopy species have wider vertical distributions on trees in the dry evergreen forest than in the mixed forest, due to the more open canopy foliage of the dry evergreen forest

The scientific name of the coffee bean weevil and some additional bibliography (Coleoptera: Anthribidae: Araecerus Schönherr)

The name Araecerus fasciculatus (DeGeer 1775) is resurrected for the coffee bean weevil, with the following synonyms: Bruchus cacao Fabricius 1775, Bruchus peregrinus Herbst 1797, Bruchus capsinicola Fabricius 1798, Anthribus coffeae Fabricius 1801, Amblycerus japonicus Thunberg 1815 (probably a synonym), Anthribus alternans Germar 1824, Phloeobius griseus of Stephens 1831, not Fabricius 1792, Cratoparis parvirostris Thomson 1858, Araecerus seminarius Chevrolat 1871, and Tropideres (Rhaphitropis) mateui Cobos 1954. Lectotypes are designated for A. fasciculatus, B. capsinicola, and A. alternans. A diagnosis distinguishes Araecerus from all 650 anthribid genera and a diagnosis for the species is as complete as possible with materials studied. Some additional species of Araecerus are discussed: Bruchus crassicornis Fabricius 1798 is distinguished from A. fasciculatus and a lectotype is designated. Araecerus suturalis Boheman 1839 is diagnosed and shown to be dissimilar from the species recently reported as A. suturalis from South Africa. The identity of Araecerus suturalis of Frieser, not Boheman, is not yet clear. Araecerus sambucinus Boisduval 1835 and Trepideres [sic] fragilis Walker 1859 may be synonyms of A. fasciculatus but pertinent data are insufficient. Brachytarsus niveovariegatus Roelofs 1879 (spelled nigrovariegatus by Bovie (1906)), listed as a synonym of A. fasciculatus by Wolfrurn (1929) is removed to Anthribus Forster 1770 with Anthribus lajievorus Chao 1976 as a new synonym