First record of Curius chemsaki Nearns and Ray, 2006 (Coleoptera: Cerambycidae: Cerambycinae: Curiini) in Colombia

Curius chemsaki Nearns and Ray, 2006 (Coleoptera: Cerambycidae: Cerambycinae: Curiini), is reported from Colombia for the first time. In addition, the range of this taxon within Venezuela is extended to the Andean Province of Táchira

Una nueva especie de Cyclocephala Latreille de la Amazonia Venezolana (Coleoptera, Scarabaeidae, Dynastinae, Cyclocephalini)

JOLY LJ. 2005. A new species of Cyclocephala Latreille from the Venezuelan Amazonia (Coleoptera, Scarabaeidae, Dynastinae, Cyclocephalini). Entomotropica 20(1): 1-5. Cyclocephala divaricata sp. n. is described from the Venezuelan Amazonia; the structure of mouth parts, male anterior claw and aedeagus, together with the dark body colour differentiate it from all other species in the genus. Characters distinguishing the new species from C. munda and C. nodanotherwon are given, and diagnostic characters are illustrated.JOLY LJ. 2005. Una nueva especie de Cyclocephala Latreille de la Amazonia Venezolana (Coleoptera, Scarabaeidae, Dynastinae, Cyclocephalini). Entomotropica 20(1): 1-5. Se describe Cyclocephala divaricata sp. n., del Amazonia Venezolana; la estructura de las piezas bucales, la u\uf1a anterior del macho, el aedeago y el color oscuro del cuerpo la diferencian de todas las otras especies del g\ue9nero. Se mencionan los caracteres que la diferencian de C. munda Kirsch, 1870 y de C. nodanotherwon Ratcliffe 1992 y se ilustran los caracteres diagn\uf3sticos

El género Dyscinetus Harold (Coleoptera: Scarabaeidae: Dynastinae: Cyclocephalini) en Venezuela y la descripción de una nueva especie

El género Dyscinetus Harold, 1869 (Coleoptera: Scarabaeidae: Dynastinae: Cyclocephalini) es redescrito y comparado con Chalepides Casey, 1915 (Cyclocephalini). De las seis especies encontradas en Venezuela quatro son redescritas, una es transferida de Chalepides y redescrita y una es nueva: Dyscinetus dytiscoides Arrow, 1911, D. paradytis (Ponchel & Dechambre, 2003) comb. nov., D. dubius (Olivier, 1789), D. rugifrons (Burmeister, 1847) nuevo registro para el país, D. olivaceus Höhne, 1923 y D. mendax sp. nov., esta última de amplia distribución en América del Sur (Bolivia, Brasil, Ecuador, Guayana Francesa, Perú, Trinidad y Surinam) y usualmente confundida con D. olivaceus. Se presentan clave para identificar las especies venezolanas, ilustraciones de los caracteres de diagnóstico, algunos hospedadores y mapas de distribución.The genus Dyscinetus Harold, 1869 (Coleoptera: Scarabaeidae: Dynastinae: Cyclocephalini) is redescribed and compared with Chalepides Casey, 1915 (Cyclocephalini). Six species occur in Venezuela, four are redescribed, one is transferred from Chalepides and redescribed, and one is a new species: Dyscinetus dytiscoides Arrow, 1911, D. paradytis (Ponchel & Dechambre, 2003) comb. nov., D. dubius (Olivier, 1789), D. rugifrons (Burmeister, 1847), new country record, D. olivaceus Höhne, 1923 and D. mendax sp. nov., the last one is usually confused with D. olivaceus and is widely distributed in South America (Bolivia, Brazil, Ecuador, French Guiana, Peru, Trinidad and Suriname). Identification key for Venezuelan species, diagnostic illustrations, some host data and maps are included

A Systematic Analysis of Fe II Emission in Quasars: Evidence for Inflow to the Central Black Hole

Broad Fe II emission is a prominent feature of the optical and ultraviolet spectra of quasars. We report on a systematical investigation of optical Fe II emission in a large sample of 4037 z < 0.8 quasars selected from the Sloan Digital Sky Survey. We have developed and tested a detailed line-fitting technique, taking into account the complex continuum and narrow and broad emission-line spectrum. Our primary goal is to quantify the velocity broadening and velocity shift of the Fe II spectrum in order to constrain the location of the Fe II-emitting region and its relation to the broad-line region. We find that the majority of quasars show Fe II emission that is redshifted, typically by ~ 400 km/s but up to 2000 km/s, with respect to the systemic velocity of the narrow-line region or of the conventional broad-line region as traced by the Hbeta line. Moreover, the line width of Fe II is significantly narrower than that of the broad component of Hbeta. We show that the magnitude of the Fe II redshift correlates inversely with the Eddington ratio, and that there is a tendency for sources with redshifted Fe II emission to show red asymmetry in the Hbeta line. These characteristics strongly suggest that Fe II originates from a location different from, and most likely exterior to, the region that produces most of Hbeta. The Fe II-emitting zone traces a portion of the broad-line region of intermediate velocities whose dynamics may be dominated by infall.Comment: 20 pages, 14 figures, accepted for publication in Ap

Coalescent Simulations Reveal Hybridization and Incomplete Lineage Sorting in Mediterranean Linaria

We examined the phylogenetic history of Linaria with special emphasis on the Mediterranean sect. Supinae (44 species). We revealed extensive highly supported incongruence among two nuclear (ITS, AGT1) and two plastid regions (rpl32-trnLUAG, trnS-trnG). Coalescent simulations, a hybrid detection test and species tree inference in *BEAST revealed that incomplete lineage sorting and hybridization may both be responsible for the incongruent pattern observed. Additionally, we present a multilabelled *BEAST species tree as an alternative approach that allows the possibility of observing multiple placements in the species tree for the same taxa. That permitted the incorporation of processes such as hybridization within the tree while not violating the assumptions of the *BEAST model. This methodology is presented as a functional tool to disclose the evolutionary history of species complexes that have experienced both hybridization and incomplete lineage sorting. The drastic climatic events that have occurred in the Mediterranean since the late Miocene, including the Quaternary-type climatic oscillations, may have made both processes highly recurrent in the Mediterranean flora

TRY plant trait database - enhanced coverage and open access

Plant traits—the morphological, anatomical, physiological, biochemical and phenological characteristics of plants—determine how plants respond to environmental factors, affect other trophic levels, and influence ecosystem properties and their benefits and detriments to people. Plant trait data thus represent the basis for a vast area of research spanning from evolutionary biology, community and functional ecology, to biodiversity conservation, ecosystem and landscape management, restoration, biogeography and earth system modelling. Since its foundation in 2007, the TRY database of plant traits has grown continuously. It now provides unprecedented data coverage under an open access data policy and is the main plant trait database used by the research community worldwide. Increasingly, the TRY database also supports new frontiers of trait‐based plant research, including the identification of data gaps and the subsequent mobilization or measurement of new data. To support this development, in this article we evaluate the extent of the trait data compiled in TRY and analyse emerging patterns of data coverage and representativeness. Best species coverage is achieved for categorical traits—almost complete coverage for ‘plant growth form’. However, most traits relevant for ecology and vegetation modelling are characterized by continuous intraspecific variation and trait–environmental relationships. These traits have to be measured on individual plants in their respective environment. Despite unprecedented data coverage, we observe a humbling lack of completeness and representativeness of these continuous traits in many aspects. We, therefore, conclude that reducing data gaps and biases in the TRY database remains a key challenge and requires a coordinated approach to data mobilization and trait measurements. This can only be achieved in collaboration with other initiatives

An estimate of the number of tropical tree species

The high species richness of tropical forests has long been recognized, yet there remains substantial uncertainty regarding the actual number of tropical tree species. Using a pantropical tree inventory database from closed canopy forests, consisting of 657,630 trees belonging to 11,371 species, we use a fitted value of Fisher’s alpha and an approximate pantropical stem total to estimate the minimum number of tropical forest tree species to fall between ∼40,000 and ∼53,000, i.e. at the high end of previous estimates. Contrary to common assumption, the Indo-Pacific region was found to be as species-rich as the Neotropics, with both regions having a minimum of ∼19,000–25,000 tree species. Continental Africa is relatively depauperate with a minimum of ∼4,500–6,000 tree species. Very few species are shared among the African, American, and the Indo-Pacific regions. We provide a methodological framework for estimating species richness in trees that may help refine species richness estimates of tree-dependent taxa

The global abundance of tree palms

Aim Palms are an iconic, diverse and often abundant component of tropical ecosystems that provide many ecosystem services. Being monocots, tree palms are evolutionarily, morphologically and physiologically distinct from other trees, and these differences have important consequences for ecosystem services (e.g., carbon sequestration and storage) and in terms of responses to climate change. We quantified global patterns of tree palm relative abundance to help improve understanding of tropical forests and reduce uncertainty about these ecosystems under climate change. Location Tropical and subtropical moist forests. Time period Current. Major taxa studied Palms (Arecaceae). Methods We assembled a pantropical dataset of 2,548 forest plots (covering 1,191 ha) and quantified tree palm (i.e., ≥10 cm diameter at breast height) abundance relative to co‐occurring non‐palm trees. We compared the relative abundance of tree palms across biogeographical realms and tested for associations with palaeoclimate stability, current climate, edaphic conditions and metrics of forest structure. Results On average, the relative abundance of tree palms was more than five times larger between Neotropical locations and other biogeographical realms. Tree palms were absent in most locations outside the Neotropics but present in >80% of Neotropical locations. The relative abundance of tree palms was more strongly associated with local conditions (e.g., higher mean annual precipitation, lower soil fertility, shallower water table and lower plot mean wood density) than metrics of long‐term climate stability. Life‐form diversity also influenced the patterns; palm assemblages outside the Neotropics comprise many non‐tree (e.g., climbing) palms. Finally, we show that tree palms can influence estimates of above‐ground biomass, but the magnitude and direction of the effect require additional work. Conclusions Tree palms are not only quintessentially tropical, but they are also overwhelmingly Neotropical. Future work to understand the contributions of tree palms to biomass estimates and carbon cycling will be particularly crucial in Neotropical forests

TRY plant trait database – enhanced coverage and open access

Plant traits - the morphological, anatomical, physiological, biochemical and phenological characteristics of plants - determine how plants respond to environmental factors, affect other trophic levels, and influence ecosystem properties and their benefits and detriments to people. Plant trait data thus represent the basis for a vast area of research spanning from evolutionary biology, community and functional ecology, to biodiversity conservation, ecosystem and landscape management, restoration, biogeography and earth system modelling. Since its foundation in 2007, the TRY database of plant traits has grown continuously. It now provides unprecedented data coverage under an open access data policy and is the main plant trait database used by the research community worldwide. Increasingly, the TRY database also supports new frontiers of trait‐based plant research, including the identification of data gaps and the subsequent mobilization or measurement of new data. To support this development, in this article we evaluate the extent of the trait data compiled in TRY and analyse emerging patterns of data coverage and representativeness. Best species coverage is achieved for categorical traits - almost complete coverage for ‘plant growth form’. However, most traits relevant for ecology and vegetation modelling are characterized by continuous intraspecific variation and trait–environmental relationships. These traits have to be measured on individual plants in their respective environment. Despite unprecedented data coverage, we observe a humbling lack of completeness and representativeness of these continuous traits in many aspects. We, therefore, conclude that reducing data gaps and biases in the TRY database remains a key challenge and requires a coordinated approach to data mobilization and trait measurements. This can only be achieved in collaboration with other initiatives