A revision of the diversity and distribution of Potamogeton hybrids in the Czech Republic is presented. Thorough examination of herbarium material and recent extensive field studies revealed the present and/or past occurrence of eight Potamogeton hybrids in the Czech Republic. In addition tomorphological characters, stem anatomy and/or molecular analysis were used to identify some of the hybrids. All the hybrids detected are between broad-leaved species of the genus, suggesting that hybrids between linear-leaved species may be overlooked because of the overall morphological similarity of taxa within this group. Four of the hybrids identified, P. ×nitens, P. ×olivaceus, P. ×sparganiifolius and P. ×undulatus, are recorded for the first time from the Czech Republic. Four of the hybrids are now extinct in the Czech Republic and the extant hybrids are rare. The occurrence of P. ×lintonii was not confirmed; the previous record was based on extreme forms of P. gramineus. The name P. ×concinnitus, proposed for a putative hybrid combination “P. pusillus × P. crispus”, was lectotypified and reduced to a synonym of P. crispus. Although the absolute number of finds of specimens of Potamogeton hybrids per decade is increasing, this is not a result of more frequent hybridization but of an increase in recording activity. Most records for recent decades are associated with targeted research by a few experts. The typical habitat of Potamogeton hybrids in the Czech Republic are ponds that were previously drained in summer and allowed to dry out. Many historical localities disappeared when the traditional fishpond management was largely abandoned and fish farming become more intensive. In the 19th century in particular some hybrids were recorded also in rivers but these occurrences generally disappeared after the extensive channelling of rivers at the beginning of the 20th century. Many hybrids occur at the same localities as their parents but it is documented that hybrids can persist vegetatively in the absence of the parental species, presumably as relics of the previous presence of the parent plants. Although almost all Potamogeton hybrids are consistently sterile, a cultivation experiment showed that P. ×angustifolius set seeds that were fertile and successfully produced adult plants.
A Potamogeton hybrid found growing in the absence of parental species in a South Bohemian stream, Czech Republic, was subjected to molecular analyses to identify its exact identity. RFLP of the ITS region confirmed its previous morphological identification as P. natans × P. nodosus (= P. ×schreberi). A comparison of its RFLP pattern with those of P. gramineus, P. lucens and P. polygonifolius unambiguously excluded the possibility that the investigated plants are specimens of other similar hybrids (P. ×fluitans, P. ×sparganiifolius, P. ×gessnacensis). The discovery of P. ×schreberi in South Bohemia is the first record of this hybrid for the Czech Republic. So far, it is known only from five countries and the Czech clone is one of a few extant clones of this hybrid in Central Europe. Chloroplast DNA sequencing identified P. nodosus as the maternal parent although at present this species neither occurs at the locality, nor upstream, nor in the entire drainage basin. The other species, P. natans, only occurs downstream of the locality in isolated side pools in a former stream bed and fishponds in an adjacent drainage basin. The available data indicate that this hybrid has persisted vegetatively at this locality for some time in the absence of its parents.
The genus Agnippe Chambers, 1872 in the Palaearctic Region is revised. Sixteen species are recognized as valid. Three new synonyms are established: A. conjugella Caradja, 1920 = A. haberlandii Amsel, 1961 syn. n., A. lunaki Rebel, 1941 = A. penicillata Amsel, 1961 syn. n., A. kuznetzovi Lvovsky & Piskunov, 1989 = A. zhengi Li, 1993 syn. n. Four new species are described: A. echinuloides sp. n. (S Ural, Tuva, Transbaikalia, Mongolia), A. turanica sp. n. (Uzbekistan, Kazakhstan), A. deserta sp. n. (Uzbekistan) and A. separatella sp. n. (S Iran). Description of all the species and an identification key are presented, accompanied by illustrations of the adults, and male and female genitalia.
The Asian neriid fly genus Telostylus Bigot (Diptera: Neriidae) is revised, including a key and illustrations of its species. Lectotype designations are proposed for four species: Telostylus babiensis de Meijere, T. decemnotatus Hendel, T. remipes (Walker) and T. trilineatus de Meijere. Two new species are described: Telostylus marshalli Sepúlveda & de Carvalho, sp. n., from Sarawak, Malaysia, and T. whitmorei Sepúlveda & de Carvalho, sp. n., from Masbate, Philippines. The morphology of Telostylus binotatus Bigot and T. remipes (Walker) is discussed in order to support their synonymy. Additionally, new country records are provided for four species: Telostylus babiensis de Meijere for Philippines, T. binotatus Bigot for Papua New Guinea, T. inversus Hennig for Malaysia and Indonesia, and T. trilineatus de Meijere for Malaysia and Philippines.
There are twenty-six species of the genus Psallus Fieber, 1858 (Phylinae: Phylini) documented in the Korean Peninsula. Three new species are described: Psallus cheongtaensis sp. n., P. ernsti sp. n. and P. suwonanus sp. n., and four species are reported from Korea for the first time: Psallus cinnabarinus Kerzhner, 1979, P. flavescens Kerzhner, 1988, P. loginovae Kerzhner, 1988, and P. roseoguttatus Yasunaga & Vinokurov, 2000. The genitalic structures of females and males are described and figured for most treated species. A key is provided for identifying all the Korean species., Ram Keshari Duwal ... [et al.]., and Obsahuje seznam literatury
We describe two new species of white-toothed shrews from south-western and central Ethiopia, based on recent collections and an application of morphological and genetic methods, Crocidura similiturba sp. nov. and Crocidura makeda sp. nov. Comparisons are provided with other Crocidura species known to occur in the country. Both new species are currently known only from the Ethiopian Highlands. Furthermore, we provide new geographical records and discuss biogeographical patterns in the country. New molecular data, even if based primarily on mitochondrial cytochrome b, suggests substantial divergence within afrotropical Suncus megalura, suggesting that the East African lineage might be considered separated at the species level – Suncus sorella (Thomas, 1897), stat. nov. Molecular data support a monophyly of the clade, grouping most Crocidura species endemic to Ethiopia (the East African subclade of the Old World clade), but also indicates additional colonisations of Ethiopian Plateau from East and Central Africa in the past. The remarkable number of endemics shows that Ethiopia is an important centre for the Crocidura radiation, as is the case for other groups of non-flying terrestrial vertebrates.
A review of West Palaearctic species of the genus Eloeophila Rondani, 1856 is presented. Three species are redescribed, viz. E. czernyi (Strobl in Czerny & Strobl, 1909), E. laciniata (Edwards, 1928), and E. pusilla (Kuntze, 1920). A lectotype of the latter is designated. Eloeophila albofascia (Alexander, 1975) is established as a new junior synonym of E. apicata (Loew, 1871). Descriptions are provided of E. bipartita sp. n. (North Italy), E. delmastroi sp. n. (North Italy), E. lucasi sp. n. (South Italy and Sicily), E. maroccana sp. n. (Morocco, Spain), E. martinovskyi sp. n. (South Italy), E. minor sp. n. (Czech Republic, Slovakia), E. pectinistylus sp. n. (Spain), E. punctulata sp. n. [Cyprus, Greece (Crete)], E. sparsipunctum sp. n. (Bulgaria), and E. tigricosta sp. n. (Spain). A key to males of all West Palaearctic species is presented.