Myxobolus lentisuturalis sp n. (Myxozoa : Myxobolidae), a new muscle-infecting species from the Prussian carp, Carassius gibelio from China

A new highly pathogenic muscle-infecting species of the genus Myxobolus Butschli, 1882 is described from the Prussian carp, Carassius gibelio (Bloch, 1782) using spore morphology and SSU rDNA sequence data. Phylogenetic analyses elucidated relationship of the newly described Myxobolus lentisuturalis to other Myxobolus species and supported its position of an independent species.

Four new terrestrial species of Marionina (Clitellata, Enchytraeidae) from China and re-examination of M. hoVbaueri Moller

Enchytraeid surveys were made in China, mainly along the Changjiang (Yangtze) River Basin, during the period 1991-1999. Among the findings, four terrestrial species of Marionina are new to science and well illustrate the taxonomic complexity of the genus as currently defined. Marionina sinica sp. n. is characterized by a specific chaetal distribution, the marionine pattern of the dorsal blood vessel, and elongate, fusiform, spermathecal ectal ducts. Marionina sacculata sp. n. is distinguished by the possession of a pair of pouch-like oesophageal appendages in IV, the lack of lateral chaetae in VII-XI, a marionine pattern of the dorsal blood vessel, and short spermathecal ectal ducts gradually expanding into spherical ampullae. Both M. sinica and M. sacculata have minute bodies (2-3 mm long in vivo) and lack spermathecal accessory glands. The former species shows its closest aYnities with the European M. brendae Rota, 1995, whereas the latter is closest to the German M. hoVbaueri Moller, 1971, for which an amended diagnosis is provided. Marionina seminuda sp. n. has only ventral chaetal bundles, distributed from III onwards and bisetose. It is similar to the Holarctic M. subterranea (Knollner, 1935) in lacking entirely the lateral chaetae and in having the brain incised posteriorly, the dorsal vessel bifurcating behind the pharynx, and coelomocytes containing opaque granules, but diVers from it in having the longest chaetae in preclitellar segments and gland cells distributed all over the spermathecal ectal ducts. Marionina righiana sp. n. is diagnosed by the location of the head pore on the prostomium, the absence of lateral chaetae from VIII ( VII or IX) onwards, the possession of free spermathecae extending backwards through one to four segments, the brain deeply incised posteriorly, the lumbricilline pattern of the dorsal blood vessel, and the opacity of coelomocytes in vivo. Prior to this study, members of the genus so atypical as M. righiana with respect to the position of the head pore and the structure of the spermathecae were known only from South American soils. Until the taxonomy of Marionina has been more thoroughly assessed and revised, the assignment of the four species to this large assemblage should be regarded as tentative.

The freeliving nematode genus Parodontophora Timm 1963 (Nematoda : Axonolaimidae) is not exclusively marine: Parodontophora limnophila sp nov from freshwater in China

Parodontophora limnophila sp. nov. is described from Poyang Lake, the largest freshwater lake of China. It is characterized by having an amphid with its posterior end close to the base of the stoma, relatively short cephalic setae, opisthocephalic setae arranged as two subdorsal groups of three longitudinally arranged setae and two single subventral setae, excretory pore at the level of the anterior part of the stoma and renette gland 34-47% of the oesophageal length. To date, the new species is the only Parodontophora species found in freshwater habitats.

Revision of Yunnanilus with descriptions of a miniature species flock and six new species from China (Cypriniformes: Homalopteridae)

The genus Yunnanilus Nichols, 1925 is revised; Eonemachilus Berg, 1938 is a junior subjective synonym. Yunnanilus includes at least nine described species and five undescribed species. The status of Y; salmonides Chaudhuri is still incertae sedis. Six new species are described: Y. parvus, Y: altus, Y; pachycephalus, X niger, Y. macrogaster and Y. paludosus. The last three species occur sympatrically in a small endorheic basin of eastern Yunnan; they developed different feeding specializations which allowed them to use different niches. Other species also have peculiar specializations. The diversity of feeding habits and related adaptations in Yunnanilus is greater than in the whole subfamily Nemacheilinae and is one more example of supralimital specialization. Speciation of fishes on the Yunnan Plateau is discussed. Several species are endangered or possibly extinct. Introduction

New life cycles of Porphyra katadae var. hemiphylla in culture

Porphyra katadae Miura var. hemiphylla Tseng et T. J. Chang, a species distributed around the Liaodong and Shandong Peninsulas of China, produces gametophytes from late winter to early spring. These are monoecious with male and female reproductive tissues in distinct halves or sectors. Vegetative tissues from sectors expected to differentiate into sexual tissue were cultured in the laboratory. Male and female reproductive organs, as well as conchocelis and blades, were differentiated from these tissues. The male and female reproductive tissues were in patches and mixed on the cultured tissue pieces. This was quite different from the wild-type sectored individuals. The F-1 conchospore germlings also produced monospores, carposporangia, spermatangia and conchocelis. These carposporangia and spermatangia were in patches and were mixed on the F-1 fronds. The results imply that P. katadae var. hemiphylla is possibly sex-differentiated rather than sex-determined. This is the first report of such a dimorphic life history in the genus Porphyra.

A new species of Scolelepis (Polychaeta: Spionidae) from sandy beaches in China, with a review of Chinese Scolelepis species

A new species of Spionidae, Scolelepis (Scolelepis) daphoinos sp. nov., is described and illustrated from northern China seas. The species was frequently encountered and highly abundant on sand beaches, but rarely found in subtidal areas. It was formerly misidentified as S. (S.) squamata (Muller, 1806) in China but differed from the latter species in several details in morphology, including the presence of obvious reddish pigmentation patches and the absence of unidentate hooded hooks. Another two Scolelepis species, S. (S.) lingulata Imajima, 1992 and S. (S.) variegata Imajima, 1992, are reported for the first time from Chinese waters. Two species of Scolelepis, S. (S.) globosa Wu & Chen, 1964 and S. (S.) lefebvrei (Gravier, 1905), were reported previously; therefore, five species in this genus are known from China in total. A key to all Scolelepis species from Chinese waters is provided.

First record of the family Spengeliidae (Hemichordata : Enteropneusta) from Chinese waters, with description of a new species

Six species belonging to two families of Hemichordata have previously been recorded in Chinese waters. This paper records the discovery and description of a new species of the genus Glandiceps found in Jiaozhou Bay, Qingdao, Shandong Province, named Glandiceps qingdaoensis. The new species has a long proboscis with dorsal and ventral grooves, a stomochord with a long vermiform process, a proboscis cavity with a dorsal median, right and left glomeruli, right and left glomeruli very large and encircling the stomochord, a proboscis skeleton in the cavity extends into the median posterior of the collar, a well-developed dorsal ventral muscular septum in the proboscis cavity dividing the cavity completely into two separate parts. The collar cord is without giant nerve roots. The trunk with four distinct regions that can be recognized externally: branchial-genital region, genital region, hepatic region, and intestinal region. The dorsal pharynx is large and the gill pores are small. The tongue bars are encircled by vesicles, and the first gonad commences at the level of the second or third gill slit.

Further Indo-West Pacific palaemonoid shrimps (Crustacea : Decapoda : Palaemonoidea), principally from the New Caledonian region

Based on the material deposited in the Museum national d'Histoire naturelle, Paris, collected from the Indo-West Pacific, principally from the New Caledonian region, the present paper reports 117 palaemonoid shrimp species, which belong, respectively, to Anchistioididae ( one genus, one species), Gnathophyllidae ( one genus, one species), Palaemonidae Palaemoninae ( seven genera, nine species), and Palaemonidae Pontoniinae ( 30 genera, 106 species), including eight new species. The new species are all Pontoniinae: Mesopontonia brevicarpalis sp. nov., Palaemonella komaii sp. nov., Periclimenes crosnieri sp. nov., Periclimenes forgesi sp. nov., Periclimenes loyautensis sp. nov., Periclimenes paralcocki sp. nov., Periclimenes paraleator sp. nov., and Periclimenes pseudalcocki sp. nov. The last six new species are members of the deep-water "Periclimenes alcocki species complex'', which has more than two ( usually four) pairs of dorsolateral telson spines anterior to the posterior telson margin, the cornea is usually reduced, the dactyl of the major second chela is generally flanged and the chela is sometimes covered with small tubercles. The complex is usually found at more than 200m depth in the West Pacific. The species can be distinguished from each other by the armature of ambulatory propod and dactyl, diameter of cornea, rostrum shape and the number of pairs of dorsolateral telson spines. Mesopontonia brevicarpalis sp. nov., from the southeast coast of Africa, is the seventh species of the genus. Palaemonella komaii sp. nov. is very similar to Palaemonella dolichodactylus Bruce, 1991 and Palaemonella hachijo Okuno, 1999. These three species share the features of very long and slender ambulatory pereiopods with the dactyl more than eight times longer than its basal depth and with several long setae on the dorsal dactylar margin.

Deep-sea pontoniines (Decapoda : Palaemonidae) from the philippine "PANGLAO 2005" expedition, with descriptions of four new species

Ten species belonging to three genera of the subfamily Pontoniinae were colleted by the deep-sea expedition "PANGLAO 2005" in the Philippines, including four new species of the genus Periclimenes, i.e., P. boucheti n. sp., P. leptunguis n. sp., P. ngi n. sp., and P. panglaonis sp. nov., and one newly recorded species from the Philippines, Periclimenes laccadivensis. They are reported with color photographs except one species, Plesiopontonia monodi. The possible synonymy of Periclimenes foresti and P. granuloides is discussed.

On two species of euxanthine crabs from the South China Sea, including a description of a new species of Crosnierius (Crustacea : Decapoda : Brachyura : Xanthidae)

A new species of the previously monotypic xanthid genus Crosnierius Serene & Vadon, 1981 is described from the South China Sea. The species differs from Crosnierius carinatus Serene & Vadon, 1981 in the structure of the anterolateral teeth, ambulatory leg proportions and form of the male first pleopod. Paramedaeus planifrons (Sakai, 1965) is also reported from the South China Sea, the first record of the species outside its type locality of Japan.

A new species of Orinus (Poaceae) from Qinghai, China

A new species of Orinus Hitchcock, O. alticulmus L. B. Cai & Tong Lin Zhang, is described and illustrated. This species is endemic to Qinghai province, China, occurring at altitudes of 2450-2600 m on sandy soils. It resembles O. kokonorica (K. S. Hao) Tzvelev, but differs from that species by its slightly effuse panicles, longer spikelets usually with five or six florets, purple-yellow anthers, shorter caryopses, and the paleas usually longer than the lemmas. A key to the five species of the genus is provided.

A new species of Bryodema (Orthoptera : Acridoidea) from China, with a key to the described species

A new species Bryodema nigrofrascia of the genus Bryodema Fieber, 1853 (Orthoptera, Acridoidea, Acrididae Oedipodinae) from China is described. A key to known species of the genus is given. The type specimens are deposited in the Northwest Plateau Institute of Biology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Xining, Qinghai.

A new guaiane diterpenoid from Euphorbia wallichi

A new guaiane-type diterpenoid, (1 alpha, 5 alpha, 7 alpha)-3,10(18), 11-dictytriene-19-acid, was obtained from the roots of Euphorbia wallichii. This is the first isolation of guaiane diterpene from this genus of Euphorbia. The structure was elucidated by spectral methods. And the compound was tested for the cytotoxicities on the cancer cell line P-388 and A-549 in vitro.

Karyological studies on the Sino-Himalayan genus, Cremanthodium (Asteraceae : Senecioneae)

Twenty-two populations of seven species of Cremanthodium from high altitude regions of western China were observed karyologically. C. ellisii, C. microglossum, C. brunneo-pilosum, C. stenoglossum, C. discoideum and C. lineare all had the same chromosome number of 2n=58 whereas C. humile had 2n=60. All chromosome numbers of these species are documented here for the first time. The basic number of x=30 is new for this genus. The karyotypes of all species belong to 2A type according to Stebbins' asymmetry classification of karyotypes. Two basic chromosome numbers, x=30 and x=29 in Cremanthodium, correspond exactly to two branching patterns in this genus, sympodial versus monopodial. The systematic and taxonomic statuses of the sympodial species need further study. The karyomorphological data provide no support to the sectional subdivision in Cremanthodium. (C) 2001 The Linnean Society of London.

Two new species of Leymus (Poaceae : Triticeae) from Qinghai, China

Two new species of Leymus, L. pendulus and L. obvipodus, are described and illustrated. These two species are endemic to Qinghai province, China, occurring at the margins of woodlands, wastelands, mountain valleys, and the bases of walls, at 2280-2400 m elevation. Leymus pendulus is unusual in its lax, long, pendent spikes. It is closely related to L. flexus, but differs from that species by pendent spikes, longer rachis internodes, and shorter glumes and lemmas. Leymus obvipodus is unique in the genus in having all spikelets pedicellate. It resembles both L. divaricatus (Drobow) Tzvelev and L. aristiglumus L. B. Cai but differs from the former by lanceolate glumes with 1 to 3 nerves, longer spike-like panicles, taller culms, and lanceolate lemmas with 5 obscure nerves and pubescent margins, and from the latter by lax, longer spike-like panicles, pedicellate spikelets with 4 to 8 florets, narrower glumes, and longer, lustrous lemmas.