Leaf venation networks of Bornean trees: images and hand-traced segmentations.

The data set contains images of leaf venation networks obtained from tree species in Malaysian Borneo. The data set contains 726 leaves from 295 species comprising 50 families, sampled from eight forest plots in Sabah. Image extents are approximately 1 × 1 cm, or 50 megapixels. All images contain a region of interest in which all veins have been hand traced. The complete data set includes over 30 billion pixels, of which more than 600 million have been validated by hand tracing. These images are suitable for morphological characterization of these species, as well as for training of machine-learning algorithms that segment biological networks from images. Data are made available under the Open Data Commons Attribution License. You are free to copy, distribute, and use the database; to produce works from the database; and to modify, transform, and build upon the database. You must attribute any public use of the database, or works produced from the database, in the manner specified in the license. For any use or redistribution of the database, or works produced from it, you must make clear to others the license of the database and keep intact any notices on the original database

Generic definitions and species assignments in the family Epipsocidae (Psocoptera)

The family Epipsocidae is defined, with the addition of one character not previously used. The genus Dimidistriata Li and Mockford is removed from Epipsocidae and tentatively placed in the family Dolabellopsocidae. The genus Parepipsocus Badonnel remains unplaceable to family. Eleven genera are recognized within Epipsocidae. Bertkauia Kolbe, which had been synonymized with Epipsocus, is recognized as a valid genus. Definitions of genera based on the type species and seemingly close relatives result in 38 new combinations. Epipsocus Hagen, which previously held most of the species, now serves a dual function, with 15 species in the strict sense and 15 species 'incertae sedis' retained in it, pending further investigation. Goja Navas, previously with 2 species, now contains 10, with 8 transferred from Epipsoc us. Mesepipsocus Badonnel, previously with 5 species, receives 24 more from Epipsocus and 1 from Dicropsocus. Eight species are transferred from Epipsocus to Epipsocopsis Badonnel. Notable consistency in geographic distributions of genera results from these transfers. Some evolutionary trends within the family are discussed. Epipsocus delicatus (Hagen) and E. completus Banks, which had been assigned by recent authors to the genus Pseudocaecilius Enderlein (Family Pseudocaeciliidae), are returned to the Epipsocidae and assigned to Epipsocopsis. A lectotype is designated for E. delicatus

<i>Aporosa</i> Blume from the paleoequatorial rainforest of Bikaner, India: Its evolution and diversification in deep time

The Gondwanan origin, northward migration and subsequent collision with Asia means that the Indian subcontinent is of particular interest regarding the origin and dispersal of numerous plants and animal species. With this in mind, we describe a fossil leaf of Aporosa Blume (Phyllanthaceae) from the Paleogene of the Indian subcontinent and discuss its evolution and diversification with respect to the moving Indian plate and its connection with Southeast Asia since the early Cenozoic. At present, Aporosa Blume is confined to Southeast Asia with a few species in India and New Guinea. It is represented by six endemic species growing in the evergreen forests of India and Sri Lanka, including Aporosa acuminata Thwaites, which is morphologically close to the here described fossil from Bikaner, Rajasthan, India. From the age of the fossil and the distribution of its modern comparable form, it is assumed that Aporosa originated on the Indian subcontinent and then was distributed to Southeast Asia, supporting the ‘Out of India’ hypothesis. Diversification of the genus might have taken place either in the Paleogene or Neogene. Our fossil leaf material also indicates the existence of palaeoequatorial (< 10° N) tropical rain forests in western India during the Paleogene in contrast to dry and desertic climate occurring today

Quantifying loopy network architectures

Biology presents many examples of planar distribution and structural networks having dense sets of closed loops. An archetype of this form of network organization is the vasculature of dicotyledonous leaves, which showcases a hierarchically-nested architecture containing closed loops at many different levels. Although a number of methods have been proposed to measure aspects of the structure of such networks, a robust metric to quantify their hierarchical organization is still lacking. We present an algorithmic framework, the hierarchical loop decomposition, that allows mapping loopy networks to binary trees, preserving in the connectivity of the trees the architecture of the original graph. We apply this framework to investigate computer generated graphs, such as artificial models and optimal distribution networks, as well as natural graphs extracted from digitized images of dicotyledonous leaves and vasculature of rat cerebral neocortex. We calculate various metrics based on the Asymmetry, the cumulative size distribution and the Strahler bifurcation ratios of the corresponding trees and discuss the relationship of these quantities to the architectural organization of the original graphs. This algorithmic framework decouples the geometric information (exact location of edges and nodes) from the metric topology (connectivity and edge weight) and it ultimately allows us to perform a quantitative statistical comparison between predictions of theoretical models and naturally occurring loopy graphs.Comment: 17 pages, 8 figures. During preparation of this manuscript the authors became aware of the work of Mileyko at al., concurrently submitted for publicatio

Review of the genus Dendrocoris Bergroth with descriptions of new species (Pentatomidae: Heteroptera)

The procleticine genus Dendrocoris Bergroth is revised with the descriptions of three new species from the United States, D. nelsoni, Mexico, D. inermis, and Guatemala, D. guatemalensis. A diagnosis is provided for each species with notes on distribution and host plants. Akeyis provided for determination of all fourteen species

Optimization of leaf morphology in relation to leaf water status: A theory.

The leaf economic traits such as leaf area, maximum carbon assimilation rate, and venation are all correlated and related to water availability. Furthermore, leaves are often broad and large in humid areas and narrower in arid/semiarid and hot and cold areas. We use optimization theory to explain these patterns. We have created a constrained optimization leaf model linking leaf shape to vein structure that is integrated into coupled transpiration and carbon assimilation processes. The model maximizes net leaf carbon gain (NPPleaf) over the loss of xylem water potential. Modeled relations between leaf traits are consistent with empirically observed patterns. As the results of the leaf shape-venation relation, our model further predicts that a broadleaf has overall higher NPPleaf compared to a narrowleaf. In addition, a broadleaf has a lower stomatal resistance compared to a narrowleaf under the same level of constraint. With the same leaf area, a broadleaf will have, on average, larger conduits and lower total leaf xylem resistance and thus be more efficient in water transportation but less resistant to cavitation. By linking venation structure to leaf shape and using water potential as the constraint, our model provides a physical explanation for the general pattern of the covariance of leaf traits through the safety-efficiency trade-off of leaf hydraulic design

New basal Odonatoptera (Insecta) from the lower Carboniferous (Serpukhovian) of Argentina

Nuevos Odonatoptera basales del Serpukhoviano superior (325-324 Ma) son descriptos de la localidad Guandacol 1, Quebrada de las Libélulas, Formación Guandacol, provincia de La Rioja, centro oeste de la Argentina. Otras dos especies conocidas del Serpukhoviano, Eugeropteron lunatum Riek, 1983 y Geropteron arcuatum Riek, 1983, de Cuestita de La Herradura, Formación Malanzán, provincia de La Rioja, son discutidas. Varios taxones de orden superior nuevos son nominados para incluir estas especies, resultando en una nueva clasificación: 1 Superorden Odonatoptera, 1.1 Eugeroptera ord. nov., 1.1.1 Eugeropteridae, 1.1.1.1 Eugeropteron, 1.1.1.1.1 Eugeropteron lunatum, 1.1.1.1.2 Tupacsala niunamenos gen. nov. et sp. nov., 1.2 Palaeodonatoptera taxon nov., 1.2.1 Kukaloptera ord. nov., 1.2.1.1 Kirchneralidae fam. nov., 1.2.1.1.1 Kirchnerala treintamil gen. nov. et sp. nov., 1.2.2 Plesiodonatoptera taxon nov., 1.2.2.1 Argentinoptera ord. nov., 1.2.2.1.1 Argentinalidae fam. nov., 1.2.2.1.1.1 Argentinala cristinae gen. nov. et sp. nov., 1.2.2.2 Apodonatoptera taxon nov., 1.2.2.2.1 Orden Geroptera, 1.2.2.2.1.1 Geropteridae fam. nov., 1.2.2.2.1.1.1 Geropteron, 1.2.2.2.1.1.1.1 Geropteron arcuatum, 1.2.2.2.2 Neodonatoptera.Three new basal species of Odonatoptera from the upper Serpukhovian (325-324 Ma) of Guandacol 1 locality, Quebrada de las Libélulas, Guandacol Formation, La Rioja province, central West Argentina, are described. Two known species also from the Serpukhovian, Eugeropteron lunatum Riek, 1983 and Geropteron arcuatum Riek, 1983, from Cuestita de La Herradura, Malanzán Formation, La Rioja province, are discussed. Several higher taxa are nominated to include these species, resulting in a new classification: 1 Superorder Odonatoptera, 1.1 Eugeroptera ord. nov., 1.1.1 Eugeropteridae, 1.1.1.1 Eugeropteron, 1.1.1.1.1 Eugeropteron lunatum, 1.1.1.1.2 Tupacsala niunamenos gen. nov. et sp. nov., 1.2 Palaeodonatoptera taxon nov., 1.2.1 Kukaloptera ord. nov., 1.2.1.1 Kirchneralidae fam. nov., 1.2.1.1.1 Kirchnerala treintamil gen. nov. et sp. nov., 1.2.2 Plesiodonatoptera taxon nov., 1.2.2.1 Argentinoptera ord. nov., 1.2.2.1.1 Argentinalidae fam. nov., 1.2.2.1.1.1 Argentinala cristinae gen. nov. et sp. nov., 1.2.2.2 Apodonatoptera taxon nov., 1.2.2.2.1 Order Geroptera, 1.2.2.2.1.1 Geropteridae fam. nov., 1.2.2.2.1.1.1 Geropteron, 1.2.2.2.1.1.1.1 Geropteron arcuatum, 1.2.2.2.2 Neodonatoptera.Fil: Petrulevicius, Julian Fernando. Universidad Nacional de La Plata. Facultad de Ciencias Naturales y Museo; Argentina. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas; ArgentinaFil: Gutierrez, Pedro Raul. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Oficina de Coordinación Administrativa Parque Centenario. Museo Argentino de Ciencias Naturales "Bernardino Rivadavia"; Argentin

Revision of the South African endemic bee genus Redivivoides Michener, 1981 (Hymenoptera: Apoidea: Melittidae)

The South African endemic bee genus Redivivoides Michener, 1981 is revised and redefined. The genus comprises seven species, six of which are described here as new: Redivivoides capensis sp. nov. ♀♂, R. eardleyi sp. nov. ♀, R. kamieskroonensis sp. nov. ♀, R. karooensis sp. nov. ♀♂, R. namaquaensis sp. nov. ♀♂ and R. variabilis sp. nov. ♀♂. A key to species is provided