The most westward European occurrence point for Dreissena bugensis (Andrusov 1897)

The occurence of Dreissena bugensis (Andrusov 1897) from the Romanian Danube is reported. This represents the most westward occurrence point of quagga mussel in Europe

Specii noi de Staphylinidae (Coleoptera) din Republica Moldova identificate prin barcodarea ADN-ului și analiza morfologică

Introduction. Saproxylic beetles are important components of biodiversity and are used for monitoring the quality of old-growth forests. Due to the substantial reduction of forested areas and low availability of dead wood, saproxylic beetles are becoming threatened and many small coleopteran species risk disappearing before they are even discovered. Material and methods. The research was carried out in one natural forest, three natural and two landscape reserves. Coleoptera species were identified using morphological characters and DNA barcoding. Molecular identification established using the GenBank database was confirmed by querying the BOLD Systems database. Results. The work includes 9 species of coleoptera: Batrisodes unisexualis, Trichonyx sulcicollis, Sepedophilus bipunctatus, S. constans, S. pedicularius, Gyrophaena manca, Scaphisoma agaricinum, Medon rufiventris and Hypnogyra angularis newly identified for the fauna of the Republic of Moldova. Obtained COI sequences were analysed and compared with European species stored in GenBank. From a phylogeographic point of view, the majority of the sequences from the Republic of Moldova are grouped into private haplotypes, that are distributed only in the analysed region. The species Gyrophaena manca has 2 haplotypes, one is present in Finland and Germany, another in the Republic of Moldova. Conclusions. As a result of the research 9 species of saproxylic coleoptera from the studied natural forests were identified as new for the fauna of the Republic of Moldova. Obtained genetic data are available for future phylogeny, phylogeography and conservation biology studies carried out at European level.Introducere. Coleopterele saproxilice sunt un component important al biodiversității și sunt utilizate pentru monitorizarea stării pădurilor seculare. Din cauza reducerii substanțiale a suprafețelor împădurite și a volumului redus de lemn mort în păduri, coleopterele saproxilice sunt amenințate și multe specii de dimensiuni mici riscă să dispară, chiar înainte de a fi descoperite. Material si metode. Cercetarea a fost efectuată într-o pădure naturală, trei rezervații naturale și două peisagistice. Speciile de coleoptere au fost identificate folosind caractere morfologice și prin barcodarea ADN-ului. Veridicitatea identificării moleculare cu GenBank a fost confirmată prin interogarea BOLD Systems. Rezultate. Lucrarea include nouă specii de coleoptere noi pentru fauna Republicii Moldova: Batrisodes unisexualis, Trichonyx sulcicollis, Sepedophilus bipunctatus, S. constans, S. pedicularius, Gyrophaena manca, Scaphisoma agaricinum, Medon rufiventris și Hypnogyra angularis. Secvențele COI obținute au fost analizate și comparate cu cele europene stocate în GenBank. Din punct de vedere filogeografic, majoritatea speciilor secvențiate din Republica Moldova se grupează în haplotipuri private, care sunt distribuite doar în regiunea analizată. Specia Gyrophaena manca are două haplotipuri – unul esre prezent în Finlanda și Germania, iar altul în Republica Moldova. Concluzii. În urma studiului realizat au fost identificate nouă specii de coleoptere saproxilice noi pentru fauna Republicii Moldova. Genele obținute au fost depozitate în GenBank și sunt disponibile pentru studiile de filogeneză, filogeografie și conservare a biodiveristății la nivel european

Isolation and Characterization of New Microsatellite Markers for the Invasive Softshell Clam, Mya arenaria (L.) (Bivalvia: Myidae)

The invasive softshell clam (Mya arenaria Linnaeus, 1758) is native to the northwestern region of the Atlantic Ocean. This species has been introduced in the northeast Pacific and along the European coasts, due to intense naval transports and aquaculture, and it is now present in all the European seas. In this paper we describe seven new microsatellite loci for Mya arenaria. The isolated loci are polymorphic with a number of alleles per locus between 6 and 14. The observed and expected heterozygosities ranged from 0.417 to 0.951, and from 0.643 to 0.895, with an average of 0.716 and 0.775, respectively. These microsatellite markers should be useful in analyzing this species’ genetic diversity, which could explain various processes of its invasion history

Isolation and Characterization of the First Microsatellite Markers for the Endangered Relict Mussel Hypanis colorata (Mollusca: Bivalvia: Cardiidae)

Hypanis colorata (Eichwald, 1829) (Cardiidae: Lymnocardiinae) is a bivalve relict species with a Ponto-Caspian distribution and is under strict protection in Romania, according to national regulations. While the species is depressed in the western Black Sea lagoons from Romania and Ukraine, it is also a successful invader in the middle Dniepr and Volga regions. Establishing a conservation strategy for this species or studying its invasion process requires knowledge about the genetic structure of the species populations. We have isolated and characterized nine polymorphic microsatellite markers in H. colorata. The number of alleles per locus ranged from 4 to 28 and the observed heterozygosity ranged from 0.613 to 1.000. The microsatellites developed in the present study are highly polymorphic and they should be useful for the assessment of genetic variation within this species

A Life in The Museum: An Homage to Dr. Dumitru Murariu at 80 Years

Dr. Dumitru Murariu was born on September 21, 1940 in Ungureni, Botoşani County, as the first child in a peasant family. He attended primary and secondary school in his home village. Since the beginning he proved himself to be one of the brightest students in the class and, as a consequence, the school teachers advised his parents to have him continue his education. At the end of secondary school, the young Dumitru Murariu enrolled at the “August Treboniu Laurian” theoretical 280 Popa & Popa high school in the city of Botoşani. During these years (1955–1957), the teacher of “the Fundamentals of Darwinism” made a strong impression on the future scientist, with practical lessons, in a small garden, on the correlation between the natural selection and the variability of organisms. On the way from the main building to the above‑mentioned garden, the professor taught his pupils how to identify the trees on the sidewalks and from the “Public Garden”. This teacher’s name was Remus Cehovschi - former Assistant Professor at the University of Chernivtsi (Cernăuți – North Bukovina), from where he took refuge to Botoșani in 1944.After graduating high school, Dumitru Murariu returned to his home village, where he occupied a position of unqualified teacher in the village school. In the fall of 1958, he was drafted for the mandatory military service until mid-January 1961. Returning home, he resumed his school position but in the autumn of the same year, he successfully passed the admission exams at the Faculty of Biology-Geography, the Department of Biology-Zoology at the “Al. I. Cuza” University of Iași. Based on his academic excellence he received a scholarship until graduating in 1966

A new feather mite species of the genus Proterothrix Gaud, 1968 (Acarina, Proctophyllodidae) from the Large Niltava, Niltava grandis (Passeriformes, Muscicapidae) – an integrative description

Volume: 661Start Page: 1End Page: 1

Unravelling the Extent of Diversity within the Iberian Medicinal Leeches (Hirudinea: Hirudo) Using Molecules and Morphology

Until the beginning of the 21st century, the famous medicinal leech was thought to be represented by only one species, Hirudo medicinalis. However, recent publications have demonstrated that under that name, at least five different species of medicinal leeches were hidden. During the last decade, the biogeography of Western-Palaearctic leeches has begun to unravel, untangling their diversity in practically all of Europe, except for its westernmost peninsula, Iberia. Hirudo medicinalis has been repeatedly reported from Iberia, but those records were considered questionable. We discovered H. verbana in northern Spain, constituting its first record in Iberia. Using an integrative approach (combining morpho-anatomical data and molecular analyses using three genes, COI,12S rRNA, and ITS2), two endemic and geographically separated Iberian lineages have been found. One of them is easily distinguished by its distinctive colour-pattern and is described as H. verbana bilineata ssp. nov. We characterized the new subspecies morphologically, ecologically, and genetically. We also established its phylogenetic relationships with other European Hirudo spp. and confirm the presence of H. troctina in Iberia, occurring as far as 43° lat. N. Iberian H. verbana records constitute its westernmost known distribution to date. The provided distribution pattern of H. verbana contributes to a better understanding of the complexity of Iberia as a glacial refugium/cradle for endemisms, harbouring populations with a high degree of genetic structure that began to settle throughout the Pleistocene. Iberian Hirudo populations are declining in recent decades and there is an urgent need to assess their conservation status and to initiate conservation measures to reverse their decline

A new feather mite species of the genus Trouessartia Canestrini, 1899 (Acarina, Trouessartiidae) – an integrative description (morphology and DNA barcoding data)

A new species of the feather mite genus Trouessartia (Trouessartiidae) is described from the Large NiltavaNiltava grandis (Blyth) (Passeriformes, Muscicapidae) in Northeast India (Meghalaya, Jaintia Hills, Shnongrim village). Trouessartia niltavae Constantinescu, sp. n. is morphologically closely related (no phylogenetic meaning) to T. bulligera Gaud, 1968 from Clytorhynchus hamlini (Mayr) (Passeriformes: Monarchidae), sharing in males a unique character within the genus, by having setae e on legs IV hemispheroid, with spine-shaped apex. Males of the new species have the prodorsal shield without ornamentation, the prohysteronotal shield and lobar shield connected, and the terminal cleft parallel sided. Females have the posterior half of the hysteronotal shield ornamented with large ovate lacunae in central area and small elliptical lacunae marginally. To the morphological description of this new feather mite species we added sequence data on the mitochondrial cytochrome c oxidase subunit I gene fragment (COI). The phylogenetic relationships between Trouessartia species are briefly discussed