Afidofauna (Hom. Aphididae) de la vertiente sur de la provincia fitogeográfica Orocantábrica, España

The Orocantabrian phytogeographic Province is situated in Cantabrian Mountain Range in the north-weast of the Iberian Peninsula. It is the only phytogeographic Province which is exclusively Iberian in the Eurosiberian phytogeographic Region. The aphidfauna of the southern side of the Province has been studied from bibliographic and unpublished data from 92 localities within the province of Leon. Two hundred and sixtysix species of aphids (Hom. Aphididae) belonging to 9 subfamilies are recorded. Monaphis antennata is reported for the first time in Spain and Acyrthosiphon echinospartii for the second. Another 53 species are recorded for the first time in the area. Family distribution with regard to world fauna is discussed. The distribution of aphid species in the three phytogeographic Sectors of the Province is discussed: the richest Sector is “Ubiñense-Picoeuropeano”, probably because of its greater floristic diversity. The height distribution of the species is discussed, paying special attention to the absence of some species at lower altitudes (less that 1,000 m) and of others at higher altitudes (1,600 m and higher). Taking into account phytogeographic-altitude inventories, a study of simalirity of the overall distribution of the aphids in the Province was carried out. The existence of an altitudinal gradient and up to a certain point of a longitudinal gradient (from east to west) is concluded.La afidofauna de la vertiente sur de la Provincia fitogeográfica Orocantábrica (Región Eurosiberiana) está formada por 266 especies de pulgones (Hom. Aphididae), pertenecientes a nueve subfamilias. Se cita por primera vez en España Monaphis antennata y por segunda vez Acyrthosiphon echinospartii. Se citan otras 53 especies por vez primera en la zona. Se discute la distribución subfamiliar en relación con la fauna mundial. El sector fitogeográfico más rico en especies es el Ubiñense-Picoeuropeano. Existe un gradiente altitudinal en la distribución de las especies y parcialmente otro de este a oeste. Se discute la composición afidofaunística de las clases altitudinales más elevadas (desde 1.600 m) y de la más baja de la Provincia (menos de 1.000 m)

Molecular and morphological analyses reveal new taxa additions to the tribe Streblocladieae (Rhodomelaceae, Rhodophyta)

Peer Reviewedhttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/168374/1/jpy13144_am.pdfhttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/168374/2/jpy13144.pd

Meridionella gen. nov., a New Genus of Cystocloniaceae (Gigartinales, Rhodophyta) from the Southern Hemisphere, Including M. obtusangula comb. nov. and M. antarctica sp. nov.

The classification of Cystoclonium obtusangulum has been questioned since the species was first described by Hooker and Harvey as Gracilaria? obtusangula. The objective of this study was to provide the first comprehensive taxonomic analysis of Cystoclonium obtusangulum, based on DNA sequences coupled with morphological observations made on syntype specimens and new collections. Sequence divergences of rbcL, UPA, and COI-5P, and maximum-likelihood phylogenies for rbcL and 18S demonstrated that specimens identified as Cystoclonium obtusangulum represent a clade of two distinct species that are distantly related to the generitype Cystoclonium purpureum. A new genus, Meridionella gen. nov., is proposed for this clade. The two species placed in this new genus were morphologically indistinguishable cryptic species, but have disjunct distributions, with Meridionella obtusangula comb. nov. found from temperate to cold coasts of South America and the Falkland Islands and Meridionella antarctica sp. nov., occurring in Antarctic waters. Vegetative and reproductive characters of Meridionella gen. nov. are described, and implications of our results for the biogeography of the family Cystocloniaceae are discussed.Postprint2,23

Intertidal mussel beds from the South-western Atlantic show simple structure and uniform appearance: does environmental harshness explain the community?

Communities of the rocky mid-intertidal zone of the South-western Atlantic are uniform in appearance, dominated by dense monocultures of small-size mussels (Brachidontes rodriguezii and Perumytilus purpuratus). To explain this, two hypotheses have been advanced in the literature: environmental harshness due to high potential evaporation and historical contingency after the Last Glacial Maximum. In this study of Uruguayan and Argentine shores, we address the implications and predictions of these two hypotheses from a biogeographic perspective by studying the regional distribution and composition of mid-intertidal mussels. We conducted an extensive latitudinal sampling survey (21 locations, 34–54°S), along with a compilation of available information on mussel bed composition and mussel predators present along the coastline. Then we constructed latitudinal profiles of ecologically significant environmental variables with specific emphasis on potential evaporation, a proxy for desiccation stress. The results show that mussel beds are composed of two species of small mussels, which coexist over a biogeographic transition zone (40–42°S) related to sea surface water temperature. The distribution of mussels along the coastline studied is not consistent with the environmental harshness hypothesis. In addition, in the Central Patagonian zone (44–50°S), two invertebrate predators also inhabit the intertidal rocky shores. However, these localities showed higher environmental harshness (potential evaporation rate) than non-Patagonian localities. We suggest that further attention should be given to historical contingency in order to advance towards a hypothesis consistent with current knowledge on the post-glacial biogeographic history of the South-western Atlantic.Fil: Adami, Mariana Laura. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas; Argentina. Universidad Nacional de la Plata. Facultad de Ciencias Naturales y Museo. División Zoología Invertebrados; ArgentinaFil: Schwindt, Evangelina. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - Centro Nacional Patagónico. Instituto de Biología de Organismos Marinos; ArgentinaFil: Tablado, Alejandro. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Oficina de Coordinación Administrativa Parque Centenario. Museo Argentino de Ciencias Naturales “Bernardino Rivadavia”; ArgentinaFil: Calcagno, Javier Ángel. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas; Argentina. Universidad Maimónides. Área de Investigaciones Biomédicas y Biotecnológicas. Centro de Estudios Biomédicos, Biotecnológicos, Ambientales y de Diagnóstico; ArgentinaFil: Labraga, Juan Carlos. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Nacional Patagónico; ArgentinaFil: Orensanz, Jose Maria. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Nacional Patagónico; Argentin