A taxonomic revision of the Brazilian freshwater crabs of the family Pseudothelphusidae (Crustacea, Decapoda)

The collections of freshwater crabs of the family Pseudothelphusidae deposited in the Instituto Nacional de Pesquisas da Amazônia, Museu de Zoologia da Universidade de São Paulo and Forschungsinstitut Senckenberg were studied. Redescriptions of the species that occur in Brazil are made, with notes on the ecology and geographic distribution. A new species of Kingsleya for the Trombetas, Curuá-Una and Uatumã rivers is described and new records, including one of Fredius reflexifrons to Peru, are reported. A terminology in Portuguese for the gonopodal structures is proposed. Keys to genera and species are given either in Portuguese or in English, as well as a map of the geographic distribution of this family in Brazil

Revised List of Arkansas Terrestrial Mollusks with Notes on the Geographic Distribution of Species

A revised list of of Arkansas terrestrial mollusks is presented, based on the authors\u27 collections, incorporating data from the scientific literature and taking into account recent changes in taxonomy and species concepts. 144 species are recorded for Arkansas, of which 127 represent the autochthonous fauna of the state. The biogeographical position of Arkansas is reflected in its land mollusks, i.e., approximately 40% of Arkansas species are also widely distributed in the United States east of the Rocky Mountains, 12% are more widely distributed to the north, 11% are typical of the Gulf Coastal Plain, 14% form a Mid Western assemblage and 18% are endemic to the Ouachita-Ozark regions of Arkansas, Oklahoma and Missouri. The remaining 5% are species for which the geographic distribution is unclear. Diversity of Arkansas land mollusks is apparently due to the conjunction of these geographical zones within the state. Taxonomic problems exist for the genera Mesomphix and Paravitrea (family Zonitidae) and Succinea (family Succineidae) in Arkansa

A re-description of the little known rabbit fish Siganus lineatus (Cuvier and Valenciennes) (Pisces:Siganide) with notes on siganid fishes of the Vembanad Lake

Siganus lineatus (Cuv. and Val) is reported from the coast of peninsular India for the first time and a detailed description of it is given based on morphology and meristic characters. It differs from the other allied species of the genus Siganus Forskal in having an oval body without spots and having fifteen parallel longitudinal golden yellow bands, relatively larger last dorsal spine, maxillary position far below the level of the orbit and cheek with distinct rows of scales. S. javus (Linnaeus) and S. canaliculatus (Park) were also obtained from the Vembanad Lake. Short notes on the habitat, occurrence, abundance, seasonal and geographic distribution in relation to fluctuating hydrological conditions of the Vembanad Lake are incorporated together with a key for their identification

Migration of the rice blast fungus, Magnaporthe grisea

The diversity and structure of populations of Magnaporthe grisea, the main fungal pathogen of rice, was described in many countries during the last 20 years. The expected clonal structure of the populations has been illustrated in many studies. The relationship between the genetic structure, deduced from neutral molecular markers, and the pathotypic structure, showed a range of situations varying from a one lineage-one race to almost a one genotype-one race correspondence. These studies have helped in choosing appropriate isolates for genetic characterization and to propose strategies to breed for durable resistance to blast disease. This background information is the basis to understand rice blast population evolution. But, to date, our understanding of how new virulent races appear and spread is limited. For example, the relative importance of short and long distance migration in the spreading of new virulent races is unknown. However, this information is needed to determine at which scale the deployment of a resistance strategy is likely to be effective and durable. We recently developed and used a set of 18 microsatellite markers for population studies (Adreit et al. in press in Molecular Ecology Notes). Preliminary studies on populations from the Central part of Madagascar show that some populations are differentiated at a local scale (1-5 km). These results suggest limited migration. We also studied the distribution of the genotypes of the cloned avirulence gene ACE1 at the worldwide scale. We determined the ACE1 genotype of more than 800 isolates. Avirulent isolates were the most frequent, were sampled all over the world, and shared the same ACE1 allele. Two major virulent genotypes were identified. Their frequencies vary with geographic origin. These genotypes appeared by a complex duplication/deletion event of ACE1. These two genotypes are widely distributed over different continents. Altogether, these results suggest a unique selection event followed by long distance migration(s). Our apparently contradictory results from studies at two different geographic scales are explained by two distinct modes of dissemination. Structuration at a local scale is consistent with short distance spore dispersal (1-5 m) observed during natural epidemics. Long distance migrations, including intercontinental, are possible through the transport of infected materials (probably seeds)

Distribution of Corbicula fluminea (Müller, 1774) in the invaded range: a geographic approach with notes on species traits variability

Corbicula fluminea is considered one of the most important non-native invasive species (NIS) in aquatic systems mainly due to its widespread distribution and ecological and economic impacts. This species is known to negatively affect native bivalves, also with severe effects on biodiversity and ecosystem functioning. Throughout an exhaustive bibliographic survey and with the aid of Geographic Information Systems tools, this study tracks the species dispersion from its native range, including the description of important physical and environmental barriers. Additional analyses were conducted to examine possible influences of latitudinal/ temperature gradients on important traits (e.g. life span, maximum and mean body length, growth at the end of first year). Altitude and winter minimum temperature appear to be delaying the invasion worldwide, but it seems inevitable that the species will spread across the globe. Latitude and summer temperature show a relationship with growth and life span. Overall, the information gathered in this review may be relevant to forecast future distribution patterns of this NIS, and to anticipate the possible implementation of effective management measures. Moreover, it may constitute a valuabletool inthe prediction of population responses to an increasingly changing environment.This research was supported by FCT (Portuguese Foundation for Science and Technology), through a PhD grant attributed to D. Crespo (SFRH/BD/80252/2011), a post-doc grant attributed to S. Leston (SFRH/BPD/91828/2012) and M Dolbeth (SFRH/BPD/41117/2007) and BIOCHANGED project (PTDC/MAR/111901/2009), subsidized by the European Social Fund and MCTES (Ministério da Ciência, Tecnologia e Ensino Superior) National Funds, through the POPH (Human Potential Operational Programme), QREN (National Strategic Reference Framework) and COMPETE (Programa Operacional Factores de Competitividade).info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Rhadinaea flavilata

Number of Pages: 5Integrative BiologyGeological Science

GeoCLEF 2007: the CLEF 2007 cross-language geographic information retrieval track overview

GeoCLEF ran as a regular track for the second time within the Cross Language Evaluation Forum (CLEF) 2007. The purpose of GeoCLEF is to test and evaluate cross-language geographic information retrieval (GIR): retrieval for topics with a geographic specification. GeoCLEF 2007 consisted of two sub tasks. A search task ran for the third time and a query classification task was organized for the first. For the GeoCLEF 2007 search task, twenty-five search topics were defined by the organizing groups for searching English, German, Portuguese and Spanish document collections. All topics were translated into English, Indonesian, Portuguese, Spanish and German. Several topics in 2007 were geographically challenging. Thirteen groups submitted 108 runs. The groups used a variety of approaches. For the classification task, a query log from a search engine was provided and the groups needed to identify the queries with a geographic scope and the geographic components within the local queries

Selected Challenges From Spatial Statistics For Spatial Econometricians

Griffith and Paelinck (2011) present selected non-standard spatial statistics and spatial econometrics topics that address issues associated with spatial econometric methodology. This paper addresses the following challenges posed by spatial autocorrelation alluded to and/or derived from the spatial statistics topics of this book: the Gaussian random variable Jacobian term for massive datasets; topological features of georeferenced data; eigenvector spatial filtering-based georeferenced data generating mechanisms; and, interpreting random effects.Artykuł prezentuje wybrane, niestandardowe statystyki przestrzenne oraz zagadnienia ekonometrii przestrzennej. Rozważania teoretyczne koncentrują się na wyzwaniach wynikających z autokorelacji przestrzennej, nawiązując do pojęć Gaussowskiej zmiennej losowej, topologicznych cech danych georeferencyjnych, wektorów własnych, filtrów przestrzennych, georeferencyjnych mechanizmów generowania danych oraz interpretacji efektów losowych

Review of equality statistics

The Equality and Human Rights Commission (EHRC) commissioned this review as part of its remit to map the equalities landscape across England, Scotland and Wales. The report examines the extent to which data are available for the following equality strands: sex; ethnicity / race; disability; religion or belief; age; sexual orientation; and also for socio-economic status (social class). The extent to which statistics are available at different levels of geographic classification (UK, GB, England, Scotland and Wales and regional and local areas within this) is investigated. The report addresses the ten domains of equality identified in the equality measurement framework in the Equalities Review.1 These are: Longevity Physical security Health Education Standard of living Productive and valued activities Individual, family and social life Participation, influence and voice Identity, expression and self-respect Legal securit