Search

A new epiphytic Orthotrichum species (Orthotrichum spiculatum F. Lara, Garilleti & Mazimpaka sp. nov.) is described from the sierra of Cordoba (Argentina). The new species has most of the characteristics of subgenus Pulchella (Schimp.) Vitt, but it is unique because of having eight exostome teeth pairs and 16 broad, strongly papillose endostome segments. Additionally, its upper leaves have green, acuminate, dentate–spiculate apices. © 2007 The Linnean Society of London, Botanical Journal of the Linnean Society, 2007, 155, 477–482.

Guntheria (Guntheria) mirzai , ex Melomys rubex , and Neoschoengastia charmosyna , ex Charmosyna pulchella , from Papua New Guinea are described as new.

A study of both wing patterns and male genitalia of numerous specimens from Mexico, Central America, and South America revealed a complex of 12 species in what has heretofore been considered Tettigonia pulchella Guerin. These constitute the new genus AGROSOMA , in which Tettigonia cruciata Signoret and T. proximo , Signoret are also included as valid species. New species are: A . akenalis , A . bispinella , A . carinona , A . decepta , A . exukanis , A . glyphalis , A . placetis , A . syklis , and A . terebra . Keys are given to males and to females. Each species is characterized by distribution records, illustrations of wing pattern, and illustrations of diagnostic characters of the male internal genitalia.

Original data presented on Stictiella formosa (Cresson), S. serrata (Handlirsch), S. cvansi Gillaspy, and S. melanosterna Parker indicate that these species employ adult Lepidoptera as prey and mass-provision their cells. Information on museum specimens indicates that S. callista Parker and S. emarginata (Cresson) also use Lepidoptera. Morphological data concord with these behavioral data and indicate the desirability of restricting Stictiella to the formosa [= emarginata (Cresson) group] and pulchella (Cresson) groups of Gillaspy (1959), which, insofar as known, employ Lepidoptera as prey. GLENOSTICTIA Gillaspy (type-species Monedula pulla Handlirsch, 1890) is erected for the remainder of the species currently catalogued in Stictiella . Additional evidence is presented that G. pulla provisions its cells progressively with Diptera; there is also evidence that G. clypeata (Gillaspy) and G. pictifrons (Fox) utilize Diptera; and field observations disclose G. scitula (Fox) preying upon both Diptera and small bees ( Perdita ) and provisioning progressively. Data are presented on the sleeping of several species.

From the Upper Jurassic flora of Andoya, Northern Norway, which is now under revision, Pseudotorellia heeri sp. nov. is described on cuticular characters. It has been shown that some specimens previously described by Heer as Baiera pulchella and Phoenicopsis latior from the same locality belong to the new species.

Selection favoring different alleles in different environments frequently has been suggested as an explanation for allozyme variation within and among populations. This hypothesis predicts that allozyme frequencies will be correlated with environmental vari- ables. Previous studies on allozyme frequency-environment covariation in plants often have relied on qualitative assessments of the environment and have emphasized highly autoga- mous species. We have examined allozyme frequency-soil associations in Gaillardia pul- chella, an obligately outcrossed annual plant, by regressing the frequencies of 15 common allozymes representing six polymorphic enzyme loci on principal components from a set of 20 quantitative soil variables. Fifty-one populations, representing four taxonomic varieties, were included in the analysis. Among the 26 populations representing the var. pulchella, allozymes Adh-2f and Pgm-lc were significantly associated with a block of highly inter- correlated soil characteristics which serve to discriminate between soils derived from cal- careous vs. non-calcareous rock types. This geographically complex pattern of allozyme frequency-soil covariation is not likely to be spurious and, thus, indicates the presence of adaptively differentiated soil races, or ecotypes. However, these results are not sufficient to conclude that the allozyme frequency divergence between ecotypes was mediated by selec- tion, either directly or through genetic hitchhiking. The pattern of allozyme frequency-soil covariation within var. pulchella was not found among the other taxonomic varieties. Pat- terns of genotype-environment covariation often may be recognizable only within geograph- ically or environmentally restricted groups of populations because of the confounding in- fluences of other environmental variables.