Two new species of the Aglajid genus Melanochlamys (Gastropoda: Opisthobranchia)

São descritas duas espécies novas de opistobrânguios aglajídeos do gênero Melanochlamys. M. papillata é proveniente da Tailândia e M. barryi foi coletada apenas em "False Bay", Africa do Sul. Ambas as espécies diferem pronunciadamente de outras congenéricas em detalhes da sua anatomia reprodutiva e na morfologia peniana. A disposição dos órgãos reprodutivos em M. barryi representa o modelo mais primitivo dentro do gênero e fornece dados adicionais para a pesquisa da filogenia da família Aglajidae

State Hazard Mitigation Plans & Climate Change: Rating the States 2019 Update

Between 1980-2019, the U.S. endured 250 climate and weather disasters that each cost more than $1 billion, resulting in a total cost exceeding$1.7 trillion. Climate change contributes to a variety of hazards including extreme precipitation, drought, sea level rise, storm surge, heat waves, and flooding, and this effect will worsen over time. While the onset of natural disasters may be unavoidable, forgoing the opportunity to plan for changing conditions and increasing risks puts citizens in the path of preventable danger. Further investing in pre-disaster preparation or other resilience-building activities can save considerable money down the road – and many lives. The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) provides technical assistance to states to develop State Hazard Mitigation Plans (SHMPs) which serve as “blueprints” for state efforts to prepare for natural and man-made hazards. The Robert T. Stafford Disaster Relief and Emergency Assistance Act (Stafford Act), the Disaster Mitigation Act of 2000, and other legislation set requirements for states to prepare these SHMPs as a condition for receiving certain federal grants to help communities prepare for and recover from future disasters. These plans offer an opportunity for states to integrate future climate projections and informed adaptation actions into their planning for hazard mitigation that can guide efforts across state agencies and applications for future funding. In 2016, FEMA put guidance into effect clarifying its interpretation that its regulations require SHMPs to consider changing future climate conditions (“2016 FEMA Climate Guidance”). This report analyzes SHMPs issued since 2014 and assesses their compliance with the 2016 FEMA Climate Guidance. The report also ranks the SHMPs into 5 categories, with “1” indicating SHMPs that did not recognize climate change or did so inaccurately and “5” indicating plans with extensive consideration of how climate change will affect hazards, should be integrated across agencies and planning documents, and should be mitigated through adaptation actions. The report updates an earlier Sabin Center report, published in 2013, that ranked the states on their integration of climate change considerations in their then-current SHMPs (“2013 SHMP Report”). Since 2013 all 50 states have issued new SHMPs. This report therefore analyzes recent SHMPs in all 50 states and three U.S. territories to assess how states have changed their consideration of climate change. This assessment can help track progress in SHMP development, identify states resisting integrating climate change into their risk assessments, and serve as an initial look at whether the 2016 FEMA Climate Guidance is being followed in practice

The Impact of a Multipronged Intervention to Increase School Lunch Participation among Secondary School Students in an Urban Public School District.

Introduction: Schools meals offer a critical opportunity for improving youths' diets, particularly for economically disadvantaged students. We examine the impact of a multipronged intervention to increase middle and high school students' lunch participation in an urban school district. Methods: In school years 2015-2016 through 2017-2018, a quasi-experimental study was conducted in 24 secondary schools, half (n = 12) of which received the following intervention: cafeteria redesign, additional school lunch points-of-sale (mobile carts and vending machines), and teacher education. Results: From baseline to follow-up, lunch participation dropped 4.1% in intervention and 5.1% in comparison schools (difference-in-difference 1.0%, 95% CI 0.5-1.4). The overall decline in lunch participation occurred simultaneously with a drop-in free or reduced-price meal eligibility (from 72% to 58%) across all schools, which is likely related to changing local economic conditions, including a county-wide minimum wage increase that began in summer 2015. Among students eligible for free or reduced-price meals, participation decreased 1.8% in intervention and 4.9% in comparison schools (difference-in-difference 3.1%, 95% CI: 2.5-3.7), with a larger difference-in-difference seen in high schools (5.0%, 95% CI: 4.2-5.9) than middle schools (1.8%, 95% CI: 0.8-2.6). Conclusions: While this intervention demonstrated a modest, but significant relative increase in school lunch participation, the effect was not sufficient to halt large district-wide declines in participation during this study period. Given the significant time, money, and political capital required to implement the intervention, districts should carefully consider similar investments. Broader public policies or other changes to economic conditions that affect eligibility for means-tested benefits-in this case, a strengthening local economy coupled with an increased local minimum wage-may influence school lunch participation more than school-level interventions

Like a bat out of heaven: the phylogeny and diversity of the bat-winged slugs (Heterobranchia: Gastropteridae)

A molecular phylogeny is presented for 25 newly sequenced specimens of Gastropteridae. The present phylogeny was estimated by analysing the nuclear fragment 28S and two mitochondrial fragments cytochrome c oxidase I (COI) and 16S using maximum likelihood and Bayesian analyses. The distinctness of eight new species of Gastropteridae is supported by the molecular phylogeny and by subsequent Automatic Barcode Gap Discovery (ABGD) analysis. Morphological data also support the distinctness of these species. The following species are described here: Gastropteron minutum Ong and Gosliner sp. nov., Gastropteron multo Ong and Gosliner sp. nov., Sagaminopteron multimaculatum Ong and Gosliner sp. nov., Siphopteron vermiculum Ong and Gosliner sp. nov., Siphopteron flavolineatum Ong and Gosliner sp. nov., Siphopteron nakakatuwa Ong and Gosliner sp. nov., Siphopteron makisig Ong and Gosliner sp. nov. and Siphopteron dumbo Ong and Gosliner sp. nov. All of these species, spanning much of the phylogenetic tree of Gastropteridae, are found in a single, highly diverse region of the Philippines, the Verde Island Passage. These data support the hypothesis that this region is an area of high species richness as well as phyletic diversity. This study also supports strong correlation between morphological characters and the molecular phylogeny within the species of Siphopteron. Molecular studies also indicate the distinctness of specimens of Siphopteron quadrispinosum from Hawaii and those from the western Pacific. Western Pacific specimens should be regarded as Siphopteron leah. Siphopteron pohnpei is transferred to Sagaminopteron based on the molecular phylogeny. Other species complexes indicating the presence of geographically separated cryptic species indicate that further detailed study of this group is warranted and that hidden diversity is likely to increase with additional study

Revisión del género indopacífico Nembrotha Bergh, 1877 (Mollusca: Nudibranchia: Polyceridae), con la descripción de dos nuevas especies

Anatomical examination of new material collected from the Indo-Pacific and the review of several collections from around the world allows for the revision of the genus Nembrotha Bergh, 1877. Two new species, Nembrotha rosannulata n. sp. and Nembrotha aurea n. sp., are described. The oldest available name for the genus is Nembrotha nigerrima Bergh, 1877, which was subsequently designated as the type species by O’Donoghue, 1924. The study of the original type material of N. nigerrima confirmed that it is a senior synonym of another name introduced subsequently, Nembrotha kubaryana Bergh, 1877, the name most commonly used for this species. However, according to the provisions of the International Code of Zoological Nomenclature (Article 23.9.1), there is no reason to invalidate the senior name Nembrotha nigerrima, since it has been used as valid after 1899. Nembrotha cristata Bergh, 1877, N. lineolata Bergh, 1905, N. purpureolineata O’Donoghue, 1924, N. livingstonei Allan, 1933, N. megalocera Yonow, 1990 and N. guttata Yonow, 1993, which are poorly known, are redescribed. Nembrotha rutilans (Pruvot-Fol, 1931) is synonymised with N. purpureolineata. Nembrotha yonowae Goethel and Debelius, 1992 is synonymised with N. guttata. The radulae of Nembrotha milleri Gosliner and Behrens, 1997 and N. mullineri Gosliner and Behrens, 1997 are redescribed.El estudio anatómico de nuevo material procedente del Indo-Pacífico así como el examen de diferentes colecciones de todo el mundo ha permitido la revisión del género Nembrotha Bergh, 1877. Se describen dos nuevas especies, Nembrotha rosannulata n. sp. y Nembrotha aurea n. sp. El nombre disponible más antiguo relativo a este género es Nembrotha nigerrima Bergh, 1877, que fue designado subsiguientemente como especie tipo por O’Donoghue, 1924. El estudio del material tipo original de N. nigerrima confirmó que se trata de un sinónimo más antiguo de otro nombre introducido con posterioridad, Nembrotha kubaryana Bergh, 1877, el nombre usado más comúnmente para esta especie. Sin embargo, según lo previsto en el Código Internacional de Nomenclatura Zoológica (Artículo 23.9.1), no hay razón alguna para invalidar el sinónimo más antiguo, Nembrotha nigerrima, ya que este nombre ha sido utilizado como válido después de 1899. Nembrotha cristata Bergh, 1877, N. lineolata Bergh, 1905, N. purpureolineata O’Donoghue, 1924, N. livingstonei Allan, 1933, N. megalocera Yonow, 1990 and N. guttata Yonow, 1993, especies pobremente conocidas, son redescritas. Nembrotha rutilans (Pruvot-Fol, 1931) es sinonimizada con N. purpureolineata. N. Nembrotha yonowae Goethel and Debelius, 1992 es sinonimizada con N. guttata. Se redescriben las rádulas de Nembrotha milleri Gosliner and Behrens, 1997 and N. mullineri Gosliner and Behrens, 1997

Revealing morphological characteristics of Goniodorididae genera (Mollusca: Nudibranchia)

Detailed knowledge of the anatomy of the species is an essential element in taxonomic studies, since it allows the comparison and differentiation of separate groups of taxa. It becomes especially important when considering type species, as the subsequent identification of the species that compose the taxa is based on its characteristics, considered common in the group. However, despite its relevance, there are still numerous species without detailed descriptions, being especially significant among invertebrates. The family Goniodorididae is a little-known group of nudibranchs that includes eight recognized genera: Okenia, Goniodoris, Ancula, Lophodoris, Spahria, Trapania, Goniodoridella and Murphydoris. Several of their species are not completely described, including type species, and the systematics of the family is still unclear. Here we study in detail the external morphology and internal anatomy of the type species of five of the eight Goniodorididae genera using microcomputed tomography and scanning electron microscopy. We include the species Okenia elegans, Goniodoris nodosa, Ancula gibbosa, Goniodoridella savignyi and Murphydoris singaporensis as well as one species of Trapania, T. graeffei. We describe for the first time the detailed internal anatomy of the type species Goniodoridella savignyi. The diagnostic features of each genus are compared, and a preliminary framework is shown to clarify their systematics and identification