bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Abscisic acid influences the susceptibility of Arabidopsis thaliana to Pseudomonas syringae pv. tomato and Peronospora parasitica
Authors: Mohr Peter G. , Cahill David M.
Published: August 2003

The phytohormone abscisic acid (ABA) plays a major role in the regulation of many physiological stresses although its role in pathogen-induced stress remains poorly understood. We examined the influence of ABA on interactions of Arabidopsis thaliana (L.) Heynh. (Arabidopsis) with a bacterial pathogen, Pseudomonas syringae pv. tomato and an Oomycete, Peronospora parasitica. Both addition of 100 μM ABA to plants and drought stress stimulated increased susceptibility of Arabidopsis to an avirulent isolate of P. syringae pv. tomato. In contrast, an ABA-deficient mutant of Arabidopsis, aba1-1, displayed reduced susceptibility to virulent isolates of P. parasitica. An ABA-insensitive mutant, abi1-1, that is impaired in ABA signal transduction did not alter in susceptibility to either P. syringae pv. tomato or P. parasitica. These results demonstrate that the concentration of endogenous ABA at the time of pathogen challenge is important for the development of susceptibility in Arabidopsis.
Photosynthesis of coppicing poplar clones in a free-air CO2 enrichment (FACE) experiment in a short-rotation forest
Authors: Hovenden Mark J.
Published: August 2003

Photosynthetic capacity was assessed in coppices of three poplar clones (Populus alba L. genotype 2AS11, P. × euramericana (Dode) Guinier genotype I-214 and P. nigra L. genotype Jean Pourtet) growing in the POPFACE/EUROFACE free-air CO2 enrichment experiment in central Italy. Plants were grown either at an elevated CO2 concentration of 550 μmol mol–1 or in control conditions for 3 years and were then harvested and allowed to coppice. Plants were either fertilised with the addition of liquid fertiliser at a level of 212 kg N ha–1 year–1 or unfertilised after harvesting. No evidence was found of changes in the maximum Rubisco carboxylation rate (VCmax) and thus there was no photosynthetic downregulation caused by the FACE treatment in either P. × euramericana or P. nigra, but there was a marginally significant reduction in VCmax of fertilised P. alba (P<0.09). Carbon assimilation rates were significantly higher in FACE plants than control plants. Maximum carbon assimilation rate was stimulated by an average of 32.8% in these clones, with individual stimulation values of 27.6% for P. alba, 32.1% for P. × euramericana and 49.5% for P. nigra. No significant interactions between the FACE and fertilisation treatments were found for any of the photosynthetic variables measured. The day respiration rate in leaves of P.�×�euramericana was significantly increased by FACE treatment, but it was unaffected in the other clones. This work shows that photosynthesis remains stimulated at elevated CO2 concentration in these plants following harvesting, although to a lesser extent than seen normally, which may be related to a reduction in sink strength.
Growth, carbon allocation and proteolytic activity in the seagrass Zostera noltii shaded by Ulva canopies
Authors: Brun Fernando G. , Hernández Ignacio , Vergara Juan J. , Pérez-Lloréns J. Lucas
Published: August 2003

The effects of light reduction [100%, 25%, 10% and 1% mean daily-integrated photon irradiance (I0)] by Ulva rigida C. Agardh canopies on carbon balance, sugar-related enzymes and proteolytic activities of the seagrass Zostera noltii Hornem. were investigated. Shaded plants showed negative net growth and starch was mobilized in both above- and below-ground tissues. Sucrose declined in below-ground parts under severe light deprivation (10% and 1% I0), but was accumulated in above-ground parts. Mobilization of the non-structural carbohydrates (sucrose and starch) was explained by changes in activities of sucrose synthase (SuSy, EC 2.4.1.13) and sucrose-phosphate synthase (SPS, EC 2.4.2.24). Under severe light reduction, the capacity of above-ground tissues for sucrose formation and export declined, indicated by the lowest SPS activity. In contrast, severe light reduction increased the 'sink strength' of below-ground tissues, demonstrated by the highest SuSy activities, and diminished the capacity for sucrose resynthesis from starch breakdown, as the lowest SPS activity was observed under low light. These results suggest a cessation of sucrose transport throughout the plant under extreme light limitation, the carbon supply being dependent on the starch breakdown in each tissue. The response of Z. noltii to gradual light reduction was co-ordinated at the whole-plant level, since an enhancement of proteolytic activities induced by carbon starvation in both above- and below-ground tissues was also recorded during prolonged light deprivation. Therefore, carbon mobilization was accompanied by enhanced protein turnover and changes in metabolic pathways.
A possible origin of the middle phase of polyphasic chlorophyll fluorescence transient
Authors: Hsu Ban-Dar , Leu Kuen-Lin
Published: August 2003

The rise of the chlorophyll fluorescence of a whole leaf as induced by high-intensity actinic light comprises three distinct phases, and is termed the O–J–I–P polyphasic rise. The initial rise (the O–J phase) was found to be the most sensitive to light intensity, being slower and smaller with decreasing irradiation. The leaf was also found to be transparent for chlorophyll fluorescence to a considerable extent, so that the fluorescence originating from deep inside the sample could still be detected. In contrast, the actinic light used to induce fluorescence was strongly absorbed by chlorophylls, so that a steep light gradient was created along the light path. The fluorescence transient of a leaf, thus, was always a mixture of the fluorescence from the surface of the sample as well as that from the inside of the sample, whose O–J phase is slower as it is induced by a weaker actinic light. We have provided evidence suggesting that, in an intact leaf, the middle phase of the measured polyphasic fluorescence transient (the J–I phase) might actually reflect the initial rise of the transient coming from the abaxial layer of the leaf. Moreover, if the polyphasic fluorescence transient is used as an analytical tool for accessing information on the photosynthetic activities of leaves, the factors of concentration and thickness of the sample must be taken into account. To obtain the 'true' fluorescence transient of a sample, both the chlorophyll concentration and thickness of the sample must be kept as low as possible.
Effect of calcium on root development and root ion fluxes in salinised barley seedlings
Authors: Shabala Sergey , Shabala Lana , Volkenburgh Elizabeth Van
Published: August 2003

The effects of various Na / Ca ratios on root growth, development, and ion acquisition patterns were studied in hydroponic experiments with barley (Hordeum vulgare L.) plants. In total, interactions between three different levels of salinity (1, 50 and 100 mM NaCl) and three different levels of Ca2+ (0.1, 1 and 10 mM) were studied (a full factorial experiment). Growth rate and biomass accumulation were significantly lower in salinised roots. In addition to reduction in extension growth, salinity also significantly affected plant developmental processes (for example reduced root hair density and root thickening). Supplemental Ca2+ significantly ameliorated those detrimental effects of salinity. Non-invasive, microelectrode ion-flux (MIFE) measurements showed that the onset of salt stress caused rapid and prolonged efflux of H+, K+ and NH4+ from the root epidermis. This efflux could be significantly reversed, or completely prevented, by the presence of high Ca2+ concentration in the bath solution, even after several days of salt stress. Membrane potential measurements in root epidermal cells showed that high Ca2+ levels in the bath were able to restore (otherwise depolarised) membrane potential back to control level (–120 to –130 mV). At the same time, no significant impact of Ca2+ on net Na+ uptake in plant roots was found. Some limitations of the MIFE technique for study of Na+ uptake kinetics under saline conditions, as well as possible ionic mechanisms underlying the ameliorating Ca2+ effects on ion fluxes in roots of salt-stressed plants, are discussed.
Response of chlorina barley mutants to heat stress under low and high light
Authors: Georgieva Katya , Fedina Ivanka , Maslenkova Liliana , Peeva Violeta
Published: August 2003

Barley plants (Hordeum vulgare L.) of wild type and two chlorina mutants, chlorina 126 and chlorina f2, were subjected to 42°C for 5 h at light intensities of 100 and 1000 μmol photons m–2 s–1. The exposure of plants to heat stress at a light intensity of 100 μmol m–2 s–1 induced enormous proline accumulation, indicating that the effect of heat stress was stronger when it was combined with low light intensity. The functional activity of PSII, O2�evolution and flash-induced thermoluminescence B-band amplitude were strongly reduced when plants were exposed to heat at low light intensity. The results clearly showed that high light intensity had a protective effect on photosynthetic activity when barley plants were treated with high temperature. Comparison of the thermosensitivity of wild type plants and chlorina mutants revealed that O2 evolution in chlorina 126 and, especially, in chlorina f2 was more sensitive to heat than in wild type.
Integrated plant proteomics — putting the green genomes to work
Authors: Heazlewood Joshua L. , Millar A. Harvey
Published: August 2003

Protein analysis has been at the heart of plant science for many years, but with new questions emerging from an abundance of genomic information and further improvements in technology, there are now new opportunities to undertake large-scale analyses and to move to more complex systems than has been possible previously. This explosion of interest and data is often referred to simply as proteomics, which is the study of the complete set of proteins expressed at a given time and place, the proteome. As its name suggests proteomics is intricately linked to allied technologies such as genomics, transcriptomics and metabolomics. In this review of plant proteomics we outline a series of issues that face the practical user, particularly the largest problem that currently faces researchers, the myriad of options to choose from. The choices, problems and pitfalls of entering into gel-based and non-gel-based arraying techniques are discussed together with advances in pre-fractionation of samples, liquid chromatography separations and subcellular analyses. Issues relating to mass spectrometry analysis and the eventual protein identification are outlined, and the dilemmas of data storage and analysis are highlighted. During this tour we provide a series of references to the literature — experimental, theoretical and technical — to illustrate the breadth of current investigations using these techniques.
Soil strength and rate of root elongation alter the accumulation of Pseudomonas spp. and other bacteria in the rhizosphere of wheat
Authors: Watt Michelle , McCully Margaret E. , Kirkegaard John A.
Published: August 2003

Results from a controlled environment system and the field showed that slow root elongation rate was associated with accumulation of Pseudomonas spp. in the rhizosphere; fast root elongation avoided accumulation. In the controlled environment system, total bacteria and bacteria belonging to the genus Pseudomonas were quantified along wheat (Triticum aestivum L. cv. Janz) seminal roots elongating at rates of 2.4 or 0.8 cm d–1 in loose and compacted field soil, respectively. Although total numbers of bacteria were similar for both rates of elongation, more Pseudomonas spp. accumulated on the slow-growing roots and their numbers were greatest 0.5–1 cm from the root tips. A reduced rate of root elongation in compacted soil accelerated the differentiation of root hairs, branch roots and adhesion of rhizosheath soil. Elongation rate and distance between the root tip and the zone of root hair development were positively correlated (r=0.9), providing a morphological indicator of root elongation rate in the field. Slow-growing roots from the field had 20 times more Pseudomonas spp. per unit root length than fast-growing field roots, while total bacteria were 8-fold higher; differences were greatest 0–1 cm from the tips. These results may explain how soil structure and Pseudomonas spp. interact in conservation farming. Rapid root elongation is identified as a desirable trait for avoiding accumulations of bacteria.
Physiological roles for aerenchyma in phosphorus-stressed roots
Authors: Fan Mingshou , Zhu Jinming , Richards Christina , Brown Kathleen M. , Lynch Jonathan P.
Published: August 2003

Low phosphorus availability induces the formation of cortical aerenchyma in roots. The adaptive significance of this response is unknown. We hypothesized that aerenchyma may be helpful to low-phosphorus plants by reducing root respiratory and phosphorus requirements, thereby increasing the metabolic efficiency of soil exploration. To test this hypothesis we investigated aerenchyma formation, root respiration and tissue phosphorus concentration in maize and common bean genotypes in response to phosphorus availability and ethylene treatments. Genotypes differed substantially in their ability to form aerenchyma in response to low phosphorus. Aerenchyma formation was disproportionately correlated with reduced root respiration; roots with 30% cross-sectional area as aerenchyma had 70% less respiration than roots without aerenchyma. Aerenchyma formation was also proportionally correlated with reduced root phosphorus concentration. Variation in aerenchyma formation was correlated with root respiration and phosphorus concentration, regardless of whether such variation was caused genetically or by ethylene or phosphorus treatments. Results with isolated roots were confirmed by measurement of whole root respiration of intact maize plants. Our results support the hypothesis that aerenchyma formation reduces the respiratory and phosphorus requirements of soil exploration by roots, and thus, represents a useful adaptation to low phosphorus availability.
Capacity of protection against ultraviolet radiation in sun and shade leaves of tropical forest plants
Authors: Krause G. Heinrich , Gallé Alexander , Gademann Rolf , Winter Klaus
Published: August 2003

Protection of leaves of tropical forest plants against UV-A and -B radiation was studied in three lowland forests, a montane cloud forest and a mangrove stand in Panama. Leaves were classified as sun or shade leaves according to their chlorophyll a / b ratio, pool size of xanthophyll cycle pigments and α- and β-carotene contents. The capacity of the leaves for protection against UV radiation was assessed by estimating epidermal UV-A shielding, by a non-invasive fluorometric method, and by the absorbance of ethanolic / aqueous leaf extracts in the UV spectral region. In all sun leaves tested, UV-A shielding by the adaxial epidermis was high, usually above 90%, whereas in shade leaves the epidermal UV-A shielding was markedly lower and varied widely between species. In most cases UV-A shielding by the abaxial epidermis was lower than by the adaxial epidermis. UV absorbance of the leaf extracts was generally higher in sun than in shade leaves, and the absorbance was much higher in the UV-B spectral region at 305 nm than in the UV-A region at 375 nm. The data demonstrate that sun leaves of tropical plants are well protected against solar UV-A and UV-B radiation. However, UV-induced damage may occur when shade leaves become exposed to full solar radiation.
Diversity in root aeration traits associated with waterlogging tolerance in the genus Hordeum
Authors: Garthwaite Alaina J. , Bothmer Roland von , Colmer Timothy D.
Published: August 2003

Growth, root aerenchyma, and profiles of radial O2 loss (ROL) along adventitious roots were evaluated in 35 'wild' Hordeum accessions and cultivated barley (H. vulgare L. ssp. vulgare) when grown in stagnant nutrient solution (deoxygenated and containing 0.1% agar). When grown in stagnant solution, accessions from wetland and 'intermediate' habitats were superior, compared with accessions from non-wetland habitats, in maintaining relative growth rate, tillering, and adventitious root mass. Constitutive aerenchyma formation in adventitious roots was ≥�10% in 22 accessions (cf. H. vulgare at 2%). When grown in stagnant solution, aerenchyma was ≥� 20% in the adventitious roots of 14 accessions (cf. H. vulgare at 12%). Variation among the accessions in the volume of aerenchyma formed when grown in aerated or stagnant solution was not determined by the waterlogging regime of the species' natural habitat. However, the genus Hordeum comprises four genomes and when grown in stagnant solution accessions with the X genome formed, on average, 22% aerenchyma in adventitious roots (50 mm behind apex), whereas those with the H genome averaged 19%, and those with the Y or I genomes averaged 16 and 15%, respectively. Sixteen accessions formed a barrier to ROL in the basal region of adventitious roots when grown in stagnant solution. The formation of a barrier to radial O2 loss was predominant in accessions from wet habitats, and absent in accessions from non-wetland habitats. In addition, this trait was only present in accessions with the X or H genomes. The combination of aerenchyma and a barrier to ROL enhances the longitudinal diffusion of O2 within roots towards the apex. The possibility of a link between having a barrier to ROL and the X or H genomes in Hordeum species might, in future studies, enable a genetic analysis of this important trait.
Proteomic analysis reveals developmentally expressed rice homologues of grass group II pollen allergens
Authors: Kerim Tursun , Imin Nijat , Weinman Jeremy J. , Rolfe Barry G.
Published: August 2003

Three isoallergens of Ory s 2, homologues of grass group II pollen allergens, were identified from rice and characterised by proteome and immunochemical analyses. The N-terminal amino acid sequence profiles of three proteins on a 2-dimensional electrophoresis (2-DE) gel of rice pollen proteins matched 100% to the protein sequences encoded by three rice expressed sequence tags (ESTs). The deduced protein sequences from these ESTs share sequence identities of 41–43% with the protein sequences of the group II pollen allergens of different grasses, and sequence identity of 39% with the C-terminal portion of rice group I pollen allergens. Signal peptide sequences, which are similar to the leader peptides of other major pollen allergens, are also present in the deduced amino acid sequences. Polyclonal antibodies, produced in rabbits using Ory s 2 proteins purified by 2-DE, were used to investigate the developmental-stage- and tissue-specific expression of Ory s 2 by immunochemical analysis. Results of immunochemical experiments show that Ory s 2 proteins are expressed only at the late stage of pollen development and they do not have cross-reactivity with group II pollen allergens from some other common grasses.
Anthocyanins in leaves: light attenuators or antioxidants?
Authors: Neill Samuel O. , Gould Kevin S.
Published: August 2003

Anthocyanins have the potential to mitigate photooxidative injury in leaves, both by shielding chloroplasts from excess high-energy quanta, and by scavenging reactive oxygen species. To distinguish between the impacts of these two putative mechanisms, superoxide (O2•–) concentration and chlorophyll oxidation were measured for Lactuca sativa L. chloroplast suspensions under various light and antioxidant-supplemented environments. A red cellulose filter, the optical properties of which approximated that of anthocyanin, effected a 33% decline in rate of O2•– generation and 37% reduction in chlorophyll bleaching, when used to shield irradiated chloroplasts. Colourless and blue tautomers of cyanidin 3-(6-malonyl)glucoside at pH 7 removed up to 17% of O2•– generated by chloroplasts, indicating that cytosolic anthocyanins can serve as effective antioxidants. Red tautomers, typical of vacuolar anthocyanins, also showed strong reducing potentials as indicated by cyclic voltammetry. These potentials declined by 40% after 15 min exposure to O2•–. Maximum quantum efficiencies of photosynthesis were similar for red and green portions of intact L. sativa leaves, but the red regions were less photoinhibited, and recovered more extensively after exposures to strong light. Anthocyanins evidently offer effective and versatile protection to leaves without significantly compromising photosynthesis.
Marcus Laurence Elwin Oliphant 1901 - 2000
Authors: Carver J. H. , Crompton R. W. , Ellyard D. G. , Hibbard L. U. , Inall E. K.
Published: August 2003

With the death of Professor Sir Mark Oliphant, the first President of the Australian Academy of Science, Australia lost one of its most distinguished scientists. A tall, handsome man with a shock of white hair and a distinctive voice and laugh, he was well informed on a wide range of scientific matters and expressed firm views on their social consequences. He enjoyed wide respect throughout the nation as a great Australian, his influence spreading far beyond the discipline of physics, to which he made seminal contributions both through his own research and his leadership. The Academy will remember and honour him for his leading role in its establishment, and for his continuing association with it until the last years of his long life.Oliphant's outstanding international reputation was based on his pioneering discoveries in nuclear physics in Cambridge in the 1930s and his remarkable contributions to wartime radar research and to the development of the atomic bomb. In 1950, after an absence of 23 years, Oliphant returned to Australia, where he founded the Research School of Physical Sciences at the Australian National University and pioneered the creation in Canberra of a national university dedicated to the conduct of research at the highest international level.To the layman, Mark Oliphant was well known for his often outspoken comments on those matters about which he felt so strongly: social justice, peace, atomic warfare, the environment, academic freedom and autonomy, to name a few. The scientific community will remember him as a physicist for his pioneering experiments with Ernest Rutherford during momentous years that saw the birth of nuclear physics, as a physicist/engineer for his ingenuity and determination as one of the pioneers of high-energy particle accelerators, and as a science administrator and public advocate for science.
Australian Scientists, Sugar Cane Growers and the Search for New Gummosis-resistant and Sucrose-rich Varieties of Sugar Cane, 1890 - 1920
Authors: Griggs Peter
Published: August 2003

The Australian sugar industry in the 1890s faced an agricultural crisis, as the standard cane varieties succumbed to the disease gummosis. Australian scientists were engaged by the Queensland Government and the Colonial Sugar Refining Company (CSR) to identify new, gummosis-resistant cane varieties. This paper begins by outlining the organizations and personalities involved in this research. The distribution of the new varieties throughout Australian sugar-producing districts is reconstructed in the second part of the paper. In the final section, the economic benefits of the new varieties are reviewed. The scientists involved not only sought gummosis-resistant cane varieties, but also those that were sucrose-rich. Hence, what began as a potential agricultural catastrophe, benefited the Australian sugar industry in the long-term, since the new varieties yielded more sugar and a damaging disease was defeated, albeit temporarily.
The genus Microvelia Westwood in Australia (Hemiptera : Heteroptera : Veliidae)
Authors: Andersen Nils Møller , Weir Tom A.
Published: August 2003

Water striders and their allies (Hemiptera, Gerromorpha) are familiar inhabitants of water surfaces throughout the world. One of the most species-rich groups is the subfamily Microveliinae (Veliidae) and, in particular, the genus Microvelia Westwood, 1834. This genus comprises small or very small bugs inhabiting the nearshore areas of stagnant or slow-flowing fresh water. Accumulation of material during the past 30 years has shown that the Australian fauna of Microvelia is much richer and more diverse than previously recognised. In the present paper we discuss the subgeneric classification of the genus Microvelia based on the results of a phylogenetic analysis using maximum parsimony, describe three new subgenera and redescribe all previously known Australian species of the genus. The new taxa are: Microvelia (Austromicrovelia), subgen. nov. (type species: Microvelia mjobergi Hale, 1925) with the species Microvelia (Austromicrovelia) spurgeon, M. hypipamee, M. margaretae, M.�monteithi, M. tuberculata, M. myorensis, M. woodwardi, M. carnarvon, M. annemarieae, M. mossman, spp. nov. (all from Queensland), M. eborensis and M. milleri, spp. nov. (New South Wales), M. queenslandiae, M.�ventrospinosa, spp. nov. (New South Wales, Queensland), M. angelesi, M. alisonae, M. odontogaster, spp. nov. (Northern Territory), M. apunctata, sp. nov. (Northern Territory, Queensland), M. pennicilla, sp. nov. (Northern Territory, Western Australia), M. herberti, M. malipatili, M. torresiana, and M. australiensis, spp. nov. (Northern Territory, Queensland, Western Australia), Microvelia (Barbivelia), subgen. nov. (type species: Microvelia barbifer, sp. nov.) with the species Microvelia (Barbivelia) barbifer, sp. nov. (Queensland) and M. falcifer, sp. nov. (Northern Territory); Microvelia (Pacificovelia), subgen. nov. (type species: Microvelia oceanica Distant, 1914) with the species M. tasmaniensis, sp. nov. (Tasmania), M. lilliput, and M. kakadu, spp. nov. (Northern Territory, Queensland, Western Australia). We further recognise the subgenus Microvelia (Picaultia), stat. nov. (type species: Picaultia pronotalis Distant, 1913), and describe the following new species: Microvelia (Picaultia) justi and M. paramega, spp. nov. (Northern Territory, Queensland, Western Australia), and M. cassisi, sp. nov. (New South Wales). Finally, Microvelia fluvialis weiri Malipatil, 1980, is synonymised with Microvelia fluvialis Malipatil, 1980. Keys to adults of all species are provided and their distributions mapped.
Morphometric variation between populations of Kampimodromus aberrans (Oudemans) (Acari : Phytoseiidae): implications for the taxonomy of the genus
Authors: Tixier M.-S. , Kreiter S. , Cheval B. , Auger P.
Published: August 2003

This study reports variation between populations of the phytoseiid mite Kampimodromus aberrans (Oudemans). The influence of seasons (summer and winter), different host plants, and localities on morphological variation was investigated to determine the reliability of the parameters usually used to distinguish species in the genus Kampimodromus. This study was conducted in southern France. The specimens examined consisted of three summer and three winter populations each collected from Celtis australis L., Quercus pubescens Willdenow (referred as Q. pubescens no. 1 in the text) and Corylus avellanae L., and three additional summer populations collected from each of Q. pubescens (referred as Q. pubescens no. 2 in the text), Vitis vinifera cv. Carignan and Vitis vinifera cv. Cabernet-Sauvignon. Significant differences were observed between the winter and summer populations. Females of summer populations had longer setae than females of winter populations. However, these differences are usually very small. Greatest differences were observed within the population collected in summer on Q. pubescens no. 1 from which two distinct groups of specimens were distinguished. To determine if more than one species of Kampimodromus were present on this plant, measurements of other closely related species were also included in the analysis. It was concluded that all the females studied belong to K. aberrans. However, the setal variations observed raised the following questions. (i) What is the validity of other closely related species whose setal lengths differ only slightly from those of K. aberrans? (ii) Are setal lengths useful characters to distinguish between closely related species in the genus Kampimodromus?
Andesianidae, a new family of monotrysian moths (Lepidoptera : Andesianoidea) from austral South America
Authors: Davis Donald R. , Gentili Patricia
Published: August 2003

The new family Andesianidae is proposed for the genus Andesiana, consisting of three previously described species, A. brunnea Gentili, A. lamellata Gentili and A. similis Gentili, from southern Argentina and Chile. Originally described in the ditrysian family Cossidae, Andesiana has been found to possess a monotrysian female reproductive system. The principal autapomorphies for the family are the elongate second segment of the labial palpi, presence of a male tibial pouch and associated femoral hair pencil and, within the monotrysian Heteroneura, possibly the strongly dimorphic antennae (broadly bipectinate in male, filiform in female). Other significant characters of the group include a greatly reduced haustellum, male genitalia with a broad vinculum, acuminate uncus, scutiform juxta and a pronounced saccular lobe of the valva that bears a subapical, setose appendage within a shallow, mesal cavity. The female genitalia possess a short cloaca and paired anal papillae and lack signa. Although known to be retained only in the female of A. lamellata, the presence of a two-branched Rs in the hindwing may indicate an origin of the Andesianidae basal to the Nepticuloidea. In contrast, the structure of the wing coupling apparatus for the family suggests a later appearance. Because no synapomorphy is known linking the Andesianidae with any other superfamily, the new superfamily, Andesianoidea, is proposed.
Revision of methods for separating species of Protopalythoa (Hexacorallia : Zoanthidea) in the tropical West Pacific
Authors: Ryland John S. , Lancaster John E.
Published: August 2003

The genus Protopalythoa Verrill, 1900 (family Sphenopidae) is defined and its status discussed. As with other zoanthid genera, species are difficult to separate by traditional methods. We have developed a rigorous approach to quantitative data derived from measurements and meristic characters. In support of genetic evidence, we have utilised the relationship between number of septa and polyp column diameter, and the capsule length of nematocysts (holotrichs and p-mastigophores), together with the presence or absence of basitrichs in the cnidom. Using this approach, the species Pr. mutuki (Haddon & Shackleton, 1891b) and Pr. heliodiscus, sp. nov. are separated, described and illustrated. Protopalythoa mutuki is interpreted as a normal micro-carnivore with autotrophic capability, while Pr. heliodiscus sp. nov. is an obligate autotroph with little ability to capture prey. The latter is the only zoanthid known to have vertical transmission of zooxanthellae.
Karripurcellia, a new pettalid genus (Arachnida : Opiliones : Cyphophthalmi) from Western Australia, with a cladistic analysis of the family Pettalidae
Authors: Giribet Gonzalo
Published: August 2003

Examination of museum specimens belonging to the cyphophthalmid Gondwanan family Pettalidae has rendered a collection of specimens placed in the new genus Karripurcellia. The genus includes three species, K.�peckorum, sp. nov., K. sierwaldae, sp. nov. and K. harveyi, sp. nov., from the Pemberton area in Western Australia. These are the first cyphophthalmid species found outside Queensland in Australia. Karripurcellia, gen. nov. is distinguished from other Australian pettalids by the lack of modifications in the anal plate, as well as the lack of the typical male anal glands of pettalids, sironids and the stylocellid genus Fangensis Rambla, 1994. Two of the species, K. peckorum, sp. nov. and K. sierwaldae, sp. nov., live sympatrically and have been collected in the same litter samples in one locality. The proposition of the new genus is accompanied by a cladistic analysis of all pettalid genera and most species within each genus, with the exception of the species-rich genus Rakaia Hirst, 1925. The cladistic analysis supports the monophyly of the Karripurcellia, gen. nov. species, but their sister-group relationships are unclear. However, the remaining Australian species cluster with the pettalids from New Zealand and South Africa, but not with Karripurcellia, sp. nov.
Systematics and biogeography of the family Scorpionidae (Chelicerata : Scorpiones), with a discussion on phylogenetic methods
Authors: Prendini Lorenzo , Crowe Timothy M. , Wheeler Ward C.
Published: August 2003

A cladistic analysis of relationships among the genera of Scorpionidae Latreille, 1802—Heterometrus Ehrenberg, 1828; Opistophthalmus C. L. Koch, 1837; Pandinus Thorell, 1876; and Scorpio Linnaeus, 1758—based on morphology and DNA sequence data from loci of three genes in the mitochondrial genome (12S ribosomal DNA (rDNA), 16S rDNA and cytochrome oxidase I) and one gene in the nuclear genome (28S rDNA) is presented. The analysis makes use of exemplar species, specifically selected to test the monophyly of the genera, rather than supraspecific terminal taxa. Other methods used in the analysis are justified in the context of a discussion of current methods for phylogenetic reconstruction. Relationships among the scorpionid genera are demonstrated to be as follows: (Opistophthalmus (Scorpio (Heterometrus + Pandinus))). This reconstruction identifies Opistophthalmus as the basal lineage of the Scorpionidae, rather than the sister-group of Scorpio. Revised descriptions, diagnoses and a key to identification of the four scorpionid genera are provided, together with a summary of what is known about their ecology, distribution and conservation status.
A new Stigmella feeding on Urticaceae from Guam: first records of Nepticulidae (Lepidoptera) from Micronesia and Polynesia
Authors: Nieukerken Erik J. van , Berg C. van den
Published: August 2003

Stigmella ebbenielseni, sp. nov. is described from Guam, where it was reared from leafmines on Pipturus argenteus (G. Forst.) Wedd. (Urticaceae). Vacated leafmines of this or a related species have also been recorded from Tinian and Alamagan. These provide the first records of the Nepticulidae from Micronesia. Similar mines, probably of a related species, have been recorded from herbarium material of Maoutia australis Wedd. originating from Tahiti; these confirm the occurrence of the family in Polynesia. Adult and mines of S. ebbenielseni are described and illustrated. The literature on Microlepidoptera of Pacific islands is reviewed and previous records of Nepticulidae are discussed. We conclude that Stigmella is probably widespread in the Pacific area, with at least four species, currently all associated with Urticaceae, tribe Boehmeriae.
Taxonomy and identification of Lohora Moore (Lepidoptera : Satyrinae), the Sulawesi bush browns
Authors: Vane-Wright R. I. , Fermon Heleen
Published: August 2003

A dichotomous key and revisional notes are presented for all 17 known species of Lohora Moore, a genus of satyrine butterflies endemic to the Sulawesi Region (Indonesia). Detailed information on primary type material of all taxa is included, together with description of a new species, L. anna, from Lore Lindu National Park previously misidentified in the literature as L. deianira (Hewitson). The recognition of some species, notably a complex centred on L. transiens (Fruhstorfer) that includes L. anna, sp. nov., is difficult and the rank of certain other taxa is problematic. A detailed revision remains necessary if this, the major endemic radiation of butterflies on Sulawesi, is to be better understood.
Are there butterflies with Gondwanan ancestry in the Australian region?
Authors: Jong Rienk de
Published: August 2003

A sister-group relationship of endemic taxa in at least two Gondwanan fragments is considered an indication of a possible Gondwanan ancestry. Without a test of the age of the relationship, such an ancestry remains hypothetical. The relationships of all genera and higher taxa endemic to the Australian region with endemic taxa in other fragments of Gondwana are tested. Out of a total of 207 butterfly genera, 96 genera are endemic. Such a relationship is supported by morphological and molecular characters in a number of analyses in only one case(Cressida with Euryades, in South America). Application of a molecular clock, however, shows the relationship to be not older than c. 30 million years, too young to be the result of the break-up of Gondwana. The other endemic genera generally point to a relationship with the Oriental region, but the relationships of a few genera are still obscure. Consequently, claims of a Gondwanan ancestry in butterflies of the Australian region are ill founded. If such an ancestry exists, it has been obscured by later dispersals and extinctions.
A review of the genus Eriogenes Meyrick (Lepidoptera : Elachistidae : Stenomatinae) in Australia
Authors: Edwards E. D.
Published: August 2003

The genus Eriogenes Meyrick, with three species, is reviewed. A lectotype of Phanaca cossoides Butler is designated and the species placed in Eriogenes as a senior subjective synonym of E. meyricki Duckworth. The known species of Eriogenes Meyrick, E. mesogypsa Meyrick and E. cossoides both described from Papua New Guinea, are redescribed based on Australian material and E. mesogypsa is recorded from Australia for the first time. A third, and new, species from Australia is described here as E. nielseni, sp. nov. Females of Eriogenes were previously unknown but females of two species are described here. Characters to differentiate Eriogenes and Agriophara Rosenstock are discussed.
Description of the New Zealand incurvarioid Xanadoses nielseni, gen. nov., sp. nov. and placement in Cecidosidae (Lepidoptera)
Authors: Hoare Robert J. B. , Dugdale John S.
Published: August 2003

Xanadoses nielseni, gen. nov., sp. nov. is described from New Zealand, where it is the only native member of the superfamily Incurvarioidea. The larva is a bark-miner, making long tortuous galleries on the trunks of various species of smooth-barked tree and pupating under a raised silk-lined 'cap' of bark. The moth is assigned to the Cecidosidae on the basis of five apomorphies shared with this family, but is considered to represent the basal lineage within the family as it lacks at least four apomorphies shared by all other genera. The distribution of this concept of Cecidosidae (South America, South Africa and New Zealand) confirms it is an ancient group that originated before the break-up of Gondwana in the late Cretaceous. A checklist of cecidosid taxa is provided.
The giant Tasmanian 'pandani' moth Proditrix nielseni, sp. nov. (Lepidoptera : Yponomeutoidea : Plutellidae s. l.)
Authors: McQuillan Peter B.
Published: August 2003

Proditrix nielseni, sp. nov., a giant of the world yponomeutoid fauna, is described from cool temperate rainforest in montane Tasmania. The distinctive larvae feed in the crown of the endemic 'pandani', Richea pandanifolia, the world's tallest species of Epacridaceae. This is the first record of the genus Proditrix Dugdale from Australia and from a dicotyledonous hostplant. It represents a second austral plutellid genus shared between Tasmania and New Zealand.
Four species of Olethreutinae (Lepidoptera : Tortricidae) associated with viviparous seedlings of the mangrove Rhizophoraceae in the Ryukyu Islands, Japan
Authors: Komai Furumi , Nasu Yoshitsugu
Published: August 2003

Four olethreutine species, including two new species described herein, are associated with the fruits and seedlings of Rhizophoraceae in the Ryukyu Islands: Cryptophlebia horii Kawabe feeds on Bruguiera gymnorhiza (L.) Lam.; C. amamiana, sp. nov. feeds on Kandelia candel (L.) Druce; C. palustris, sp. nov. feeds on Rhizophora mucronata Lam.; and Eucosma coniogramma Clarke (= Eucosma okubiensis Kawabe, syn. nov, herein newly established as a junior synonym) feeds on Bruguiera gymnorhiza. Adults, larvae, and genitalia are diagnosed and illustrated for each species, and geographic distribution and information on biology are provided. In addition, we discuss Cryptophlebia species associated with mangroves worldwide, host preference, and adaptations to the mangrove environment.
Ebbepterote, a new genus for the Australian 'Eupterote' expansa (T. P. Lucas), with a revised classification of the family Eupterotidae (Lepidoptera)
Authors: Oberprieler R. G. , Nässig W. A. , Edwards E. D.
Published: August 2003

The single and endemic species of Eupterote Hübner recorded from Australia is shown not to possess the male genitalia typical of this genus, nor of any other genus of Eupterotidae, and it is consequently placed in a new genus, Ebbepterote Oberprieler, Nässig & Edwards, as E. expansa (T. P. Lucas, 1891), comb. nov. Its genitalia are compared with those of many Asian and African genera of Eupterotidae, resulting in a revised classification and redefinition of the major eupterotid lineages. Five groups are defined: a probably paraphyletic 'basal' Ganisa-group and likely monophyletic subfamilies Janinae (including Tissanga Aurivillius and Hibrildes Druce), Striphnopteryginae, Eupterotinae and Panacelinae. Ebbepterote and the New Guinean 'Eupterote' styx Bethune-Baker species-complex are included in Striphnopteryginae, which is otherwise restricted to Africa. Cotana Walker is reassigned to Eupterotinae from Panacelinae and Sphingognatha Felder is resurrected from synonymy with Eupterote. The genitalia of Ebbepterote and several other critical genera are illustrated, demonstrating that the shape of the uncus does not constitute a suitable synapomorphy for defining the Eupterotidae as a monophyletic group. Another alleged eupterotid synapomorphy, the presence of a row of midventral spurs on the apical tarsal segment of the hindleg of the female, is shown to occur only sporadically in the family but also outside of it, in the lemoniid–brahmaeid–sphingid clade of Bombycoidea. As a result, the monophyly of the Eupterotidae currently rests only on a single, cryptic character of the mesoscutum of the imago and is in urgent need of substantiation.
Reassessment of the Anerastiini and their status in the Phycitinae (Pyralidae): a century-long controversy
Authors: Horak Marianne
Published: August 2003

The relationships of Anerastia Hübner, Peoria Ragonot and related Australian genera and their position in the Phycitinae are re-evaluated based on traditionally used characters and potential apomorphies. It is hypothesised that a bipartite uncus, a distally partially flattened gnathos and a dorsal excavation or associated modification in the hindmargin of T8 in the female are all apomorphies linking Anerastia with Peoria and related genera. Uniquely modified ovipositor lobes and the signum structure also link Maliarpha Ragonot, a close relative of Anerastia, with Peoria and related genera. The entire group is considered to be monophyletic and is tentatively retained at tribal level as the Anerastiini, with the Peoriini as a junior synonym. However, derived characters shared with other phycitine genera, and the lack of any synapomorphy characterising the rest of the Phycitinae as monophyletic, suggest that the Anerastiini is merely a grass-feeding group subordinate within the subfamily and may not deserve tribal rank.
The composition, generic placement and host-plant relationships of the joviana-group in the Parallelia generic complex (Lepidoptera : Noctuidae, Catocalinae)
Authors: Holloway Jeremy D. , Miller Scott E.
Published: August 2003

The biosystematic position of the Parallelia generic complex is reviewed and a revised generic classification of its component taxa is presented. Bastilla Swinhoe (= Xiana Nye, syn. nov., Naxia Guenée, syn. nov.) is identified as the most appropriate genus for a large number of these taxa, including the joviana-group, which is reviewed in detail, with description of two new species, B. nielseni, sp. nov. and B. binatang, sp. nov. Parallelia prouti Hulstaert, syn. nov. and P. cuneifascia Hulstaert, syn. nov. are recognised as junior synonyms of Bastilla vitiensis Butler and two newly described Tahitian taxa are transferred into the joviana-group. Larval host records are examined in relation to this new generic system and significant preference for the Euphorbiaceae is noted for several groups: Bastilla, Buzara Walker (= Caranilla Moore, syn. nov., another segregate from Parallelia) and an Australian group within Grammodes Guenée.
Genes, morphology and agreement: congruence in Australian anthracine bee flies (Diptera : Bombyliidae : Anthracinae)
Authors: Lambkin Christine L. , Yeates David K.
Published: August 2003

Almost half of the 4547 described bee flies (Bombyliidae : Diptera) in the world belong to the subfamily Anthracinae, with most of the world's diversity in three cosmopolitan tribes: Villini, Anthracini and Exoprosopini. Molecular data from 815 base pairs of 16S mitochondrial DNA and morphological characters from species-groups of these tribes in Australia were analysed cladistically. The results show that the relationships between the anthracine tribes reflect those found in a previous morphological analysis. The genera of the Anthracinae in Australia are monophyletic, except for Ligyra Newman, and are assigned to tribes. Although simultaneous analysis of the combined molecular and morphological data produced clades found in both separate analyses, the different data sources are significantly incongruent. We use phylogenetic measures to examine support for the relationships among the Australian Anthracinae inferred by the molecular and morphological data.
Phylogeny and biogeography of the ant subfamily Myrmeciinae (Hymenoptera : Formicidae)
Authors: Ward Philip S. , Brady Seán G.
Published: August 2003

We investigated phylogenetic relationships among the 'primitive' Australian ant genera Myrmecia and Nothomyrmecia (stat. rev.) and the Baltic amber fossil genus Prionomyrmex, using a combination of morphological and molecular data. Outgroups for the analysis included representatives from a variety of potential sister-groups, including five extant subfamilies of ants and one extinct group (Sphecomyrminae). Parsimony analysis of the morphological data provides strong support (~95% bootstrap proportions) for the monophyly of (1) genus Myrmecia, (2) genus Prionomyrmex, and (3) a clade containing those two genera plus Nothomyrmecia. A group comprising Nothomyrmecia and Prionomyrmex is also upheld (85% bootstrap support). Molecular sequence data (~2200 base pairs from the 18S and 28S ribosomal RNA genes) corroborate these findings for extant taxa, with Myrmecia and Nothomyrmecia appearing as sister-groups with ~100% bootstrap support under parsimony, neighbour-joining and maximum-likelihood analyses. Neither the molecular nor the morphological data set allows us to identify unambiguously the sister-group of (Myrmecia + (Nothomyrmecia + Prionomyrmex)). Rather, Myrmecia and relatives are part of an unresolved polytomy that encompasses most of the ant subfamilies. Taken as a whole, our results support the contention that many of the major lineages of ants – including a clade that later came to contain Myrmecia, Nothomyrmecia and Prionomyrmex – arose at around the same time during a bout of diversification in the middle or late Cretaceous. On the basis of Bayesian dating analysis, the estimated age of the most recent common ancestor of Myrmecia and Nothomyrmecia is 74 million years (95% confidence limits, 53–101million years), a result consistent with the origin of the myrmeciine stem lineage in the Cretaceous. The ant subfamily Myrmeciinae is redefined to contain two tribes, Myrmeciini (genus Myrmecia) and Prionomyrmecini (Nothomyrmecia and Prionomyrmex). Phylogenetic analysis of the enigmatic Argentine fossils Ameghinoia and Polanskiella demonstrates that they are also members of the Myrmeciinae, probably more closely related to Prionomyrmecini than to Myrmeciini. Thus, the myrmeciine ants appear to be a formerly widespread group that retained many ancestral formicid characteristics and that became extinct everywhere except in the Australian region.