Non-target Bark Beetles in Ips duplicatus (Sahlberg) Pheromone Traps Baited with Host Volatiles

Response of several non-target bark beetles (Coleoptera: Curculionidae, Scolytinae) to different combinations of the northern spruce bark beetles synthetic pheromone with the monoterpenes (-)-alpha-pinene and (+)-limonene has been studied in choice experiments in the field with flight barrier traps. The experiments were organized in four Norway spruce stands (40-50 years old) outside its natural area, in the north-east of Romania, where Ips duplicatus (Sahlberg) populations had reached an epidemical level. Each experiment had five treatments randomly replicated in six blocks within each experimental plot. Four non-target bark beetle species were captured together with Ips duplicatus: I. typographus (L.) (2611 beetles), Pityogenes chalcographus (L.) (184 beetles), Hylastes cunicularius Erichson (107 beetles) and Dryocoetes autographus (Ratzeburg) (24 beetles), representing 1.77%, 0.13%, 0.07% and 0.02% respectively of total captures. Beetles of I. typographus were attracted by synthetic pheromone blend of I. duplicatus and have intensified their response in the presence of (-)-alpha-pinene or a combination between (-)-alpha-pinene and (+)-limonene, but the other species have been captured in the traps accidentally. The positive response of I. typographus to the present formulation of I. duplicatus pheromone suggests the possibility to use the pheromone dispensers for both species in the same traps when mass-trapping is the main goal, but new studies should clarify the real effects of putting together pheromone dispensers of I. typographus or P. chalcographus with those of I. duplicatus

Berkeleya transfretana sp. nov., a new marine diatom from Ceuta (North Africa)

This article belongs to the Special Issue Diversity, Taxonomy and Conservation of Marine Algae[EN] The diatom Berkeleya transfretana is described as a new species from samples collected at Playa Punta Sauciño, an intertidal coastal area in Ceuta, North Africa. Its main features are the comparatively small size in relation to other Berkeleya species and the very fine and dense striae pattern (more than 40 striae per 10 µm). The new species is here described under light and scanning electron microscopy and compared to related taxa. The benthos of these rocky beaches are interesting spots of biodiversity still to be exploredSIThis research was funded by Instituto de Estudios Ceutíe

Disentangling diatom species complexes: does morphometry suffice?

[EN] Accurate taxonomic resolution in light microscopy analyses of microalgae is essential to achieve high quality, comparable results in both floristic analyses and biomonitoring studies. A number of closely related diatom taxa have been detected to date co-occurring within benthic diatom assemblages, sharing many morphological, morphometrical and ecological characteristics. In this contribution, we analysed the hypothesis that, where a large sample size (number of individuals) is available, common morphometrical parameters (valve length, width and stria density) are sufficient to achieve a correct identification to the species level. We focused on some common diatom taxa belonging to the genus Gomphonema. More than 400 valves and frustules were photographed in valve view and measured using Fiji software. Several statistical tools (mixture and discriminant analysis, k-means clustering, classification trees, etc.) were explored to test whether mere morphometry, independently of other valve features, leads to correct identifications, when compared to identifications made by experts. In view of the results obtained, morphometry-based determination in diatom taxonomy is discouragedSIThis work was supported by the Spanish Government under the Aqualitas-retos project (grant number CTM2014-51907-C2-2-R-MINECO

Contribución al inventario de diatomeas ibéricas: Encyonema nevadense S.Blanco & al. sp. nov. (Cymbellales, Gomphonemataceae)

The diatom Encyonema nevadense S.Blanco & al. sp. nov. is described as a new species, from epilithic samples collected from a high mountain pond in Sierra Nevada National Park. This taxon is characterized by the presence of narrow lanceolate valves with a moderate dorsiventrality, and the presence of areolae with irregular external openings. The type population is compared with Encyonema perpusillum (A.Cleve) D.G.Mann and its varieties, the morphologically closest species within the genus. The ecological and biogeographic implications of the discovery are briefly discussed.Se describe la diatomea Encyonema nevadense S.Blanco & al. sp. nov. como especie nueva, a partir de muestras de epiliton recogidas en una laguna de alta montaña del Parque Nacional de Sierra Nevada. Este taxon se caracteriza por la presencia de valvas lanceoladas estrechas con una moderada dorsiventralidad, y la presencia de areolas con aperturas externas irregulares. Se compara la población tipo con la de Encyonema perpusillum (A.Cleve) D.G.Mann y sus variedades, la especie morfológicamente más cercana dentro del género. Se discuten brevemente las impliaciones ecológicas y biogeográficas del descubrimiento

Identifying environmental drivers of benthic diatom diversity: the case of Mediterranean mountain ponds

[EN] This study aims at elucidating the environmental factors controlling benthic diatom diversity and uniqueness in Mediterranean mountain ponds. Samples of periphytic diatoms were collected in 45 ponds in Andalusia, south of Spain, and analysed by standard methods. Data analysis reveals that diatom diversity is mainly controlled by elevation and hydroperiod. Contrary to the usual findings in the literature, the highest scores on Shannon’s diversity index were found in high-elevation temporary ponds, but this effect is hidden by lake clustering in the analysed dataset. Significant distance-decay similarity (DDS) trends were detected in the analysis of floristic composition among the samples, stressing the importance of spatial factors that may override the effect of other abiotic factors. These findings highlight the role of isolation and dispersal limitation in the configuration of the biogeographical patterns of benthic diatomsSIThis work is part of the project ``Andalusian mountain wetlands: inventory, typologies and conservation'' which is funded by the Center for Advanced Studies in Earth Sciences (CEACTierra) at the University of Jaén. The funders had no role in study design, data collection and analysis, decision to publish, or preparation of the manuscrip

Lights and pitfalls of convolutional neural networks for diatom identification

P. 1-10Diatom detection has been a challenging task for computer scientist and biologist during past years. In this work, the new state of art techniques based on the deep learning framework have been tested, in order to check whether they are suitable for this purpose. On the one hand, RCNNs (Region based Convolutional Neural Networks), which select candidate regions and applies a convolutional neural network and, on the other hand, YOLO (You Only Look Once), which applies a single neural network over the whole image, have been tested. The first one is able to reach poor results in out experimentation, with an average of 0.68 recall and some tricky aspects, as for example it is needed to apply a bounding box merging algorithm to get stable detections; but the second one gets remarkable results, with an average of 0.84 recall in the evaluation that have been carried out, and less aspects to take into account after the detection has been performed. Future work related to parameter tuning and processing are needed to increase the performance of deep learning in the detection task. However, as for classification it has been probed to provide succesfully performance.S

Soil and saproxylic species (Coleoptera, Collembola, Araneae) in primeval forests from the Northern part of South-Easthern Carpathians

In 2006-2007 we carried out faunal investigations in the vernal, estival and autumnal seasons in the scientific reserve "Codrul Secular Giumalău" using quantitative sampling methods. We identified 189 species of Coleoptera, 70 of Collembola and 20 of Araneae. Of these, 11 phytophagous, 18 myceto/xylo-mycetophagous, 9 mixophagous, 18 xylo- and cambio-xylemophagous, 38 saproxylophagous, 125 (55 Coleoptera, 70 Collembola) detritivorous (sapro-, copro- and necrophagous), 60 (40 Coleoptera, 20 Aranea) predators/parasitoids. Hymenaphorura polonica Pomorski, 1990 (Collembola), and Leiodes rhaeticus Erichson, 1845 (Coleoptera, Leiodidae), are recorded for the first time in the Romanian fauna. The rare species and characteristic species for the old primeval spruce forests are analysed for each studied taxonomic group. The species richness and faunal diversity from the Giumalău primeval spruce forest are compared with those of other very well preserved forests from the Carpathians scientific reserves (Codrul Secular Slătioara, Pietrosul Rodnei). The species abundances were used to compute the similarity indexes between the sampled sectors of forest and to perform Cluster Analysis. We observed that the dead wood in the 2nd-6th phases of decomposition has a great influence not only on the saproxylic species but also on the soil fauna like ground beetles (Carabidae) that use the logs as ecologic microrefuges (winter refugees or diurnal refugees). The structure of the soil fauna is influenced by wood extraction from the forest ecosystem or by natural perturbations, this consisting in the appearance of opportunistic species as Orchesella pontica (Collembola) and in decreasing of species richness of Carabidae (Coleoptera).</span

Taxonomy and morphology of Craticula gadorensis sp. nov. (Bacillariophyta, Stauroneidaceae)

[ES] Introducción y objetivos: Se describe la diatomea Craticula gadorensis sp. nov. a partir de muestras de algas epilíticas recogidas en una balsa ganadera de la Sierra de Gádor, en la provincia de Almería. M&M: Las muestras se tomaron y procesaron siguiendo los protocolos metodológicos para diatomeas. Los caracteres morfológicos y ultraestructurales de este nuevo taxón se describen e ilustran mediante imágenes de microscopía óptica y electrónica. Resultados: La nueva especie se caracteriza por presentar valvas elípticolanceoladas a rómbico-lanceoladas, con ápices ligeramente prolongados, subrostrados, con un área axial lineal, estrecha y un área central un poco dilatada, lineal-lanceolada. Conclusiones: La comparación morfológica con otras especies del género muestra que la combinación de caracteres de Craticula gadorensis (principalmente las dimensiones, la densidad de areolas y la forma del área central) es única[EN] Background and Aims: The diatom Craticula gadorensis sp. nov. is described from samples of epilithic algae collected in a shallow pond from the Gador mountains, in the province of Almería (Spain). M&M: Samples were taken and processed following the usual protocols for diatoms. Morphological and ultrastructural characteristics of this new taxon are described and illustrated using light and scanning electron microscopy. Results: The new species is characterised by having elliptic-lanceolate to rhombiclanceolate valves, with slightly protracted, subrostrate apices, a linear, narrow axial area and a slightly dilated, linear-lanceolate central area. Conclusions: A morphological comparison with related species shows that the combination of features in Craticula gadorensis is unique (mainly the dimensions, areola density and the shape of the central area)SIEste trabajo se enmarca en el proyecto “Humedales de montaña de Andalucía: inventario, tipologías y conservación” financiado por el Centro de Estudios Avanzados en Ciencias de la Tierra (CEACTierra) de la Universidad de Jaé

Metal-induced abnormalities in diatom girdle bands

P. 1-14There have been a number of studies that described a serial of type of teratology occurring in different diatom taxa and that highlight the relation between metal concentration and diatom deformities, but this subject still remain not deeply understood. The present study refers to the effect of metal pollution on the diatom Achnanthidium minutissimum s.l. by describing a new form of teratology. The samples were collected in a mine area, Rosia Montana, from Romania. We observed that, exposed to environmental stress, the frustule of diatom cells appeared altered in several ways, with abnormal forms occurring in different diatom species that presented deformed valve outlines, modifications of the raphe canal system, irregular striation or mixed teratologies. In a particular sampling location where A. minutissimum s.l. was identified as the dominant species, 20.53% of the individuals presented an unreported type of deformity. This kind of teratology affects the cingulum, the valvocopula more exactly, by becoming markedly undulat

Abordando borderlands. La representación literaria de la frontera en la novela Their dogs came with them de Helena María Viramontes

Using three mutually interwoven theoretical approaches, the article analyses the complexity of the borderlands space in the literary representation of Los Angeles in the novel Their dogs came with them by Helena Maria Viramontes.Valiéndose de tres aproximaciones teóricas mutuamente entrelazadas, el artículo analiza la complejidad del espacio fronterizo en la representación literaria de Los Ángeles en la novela Their dogs came with them de Helena María Viramontes