New species of Acraspisoides Hill & Winterton and Bonjeania Irwin & Lyneborg (Diptera: Therevidae: Agapophytinae), with the description of a new genus

The stiletto fly subfamily Agapophytinae is diverse and species rich in Australasia, with numerous undescribed species. A new species of Acraspisoides Hill & Winterton, A. monticola sp. nov., is described from females collected in montane localities in eastern Australia. Eight new species of Bonjeania Irwin & Lyneborg are also described, raising the total number of known species to 18. Five new species, B. affinis sp. nov., B. apluda sp. nov., B. bapsis sp. nov., B. webbi sp. nov. and B. zwicki sp. nov., all have a distinctive, forward-protruding head with antennae on a raised tubercle. Two other new species, B. argentea sp. nov. and B. jefferiesi sp. nov., are closely related to B. segnis (White), with very similar shaped male genitalia and body shape. An eighth species, B. lambkinae sp. nov., is closely related to B. clamosis Winterton & Skevington. Bonjeania and Acraspisoides are diagnosed and revised keys to species presented. An unusual new therevid, Vomerina humbug gen. et sp. nov., is also described and figured based on a series of males from New South Wales. This new genus likely represents the sister taxon to Bonjeania.

Kaurimyia gen. nov.: Discovery of Apsilocephalidae (Diptera: Therevoid clade) in New Zealand

A new genus (Kaurimyia thorpei gen. et sp. nov.) of the enigmatic fly family Apsilocephalidae (Asiloidea) is described from New Zealand. Kaurimyia thorpei gen. et sp. nov. is described and figured from male and female specimens, one of which was collected in Kauri forest near Auckland (North Island). While superficially similar to Apsilocephala Krober, this new genus shows closer affinities to Clesthentia White (=Clesthentiella Nagatomi, Saigusa, Nagatomi et Lyneborg syn. nov.) from Tasmania based on genitalic characters such as aedeagus shape and non-articulated surstyli. Apsilocephalidae is presently known from just a few extant species in North America and Tasmania (Australia), although extinct species are recorded from the Holarctic and Oriental regions. This is the first description of the family from New Zealand.

Identification and host-plant associations of Australian Sericothripinae (Thysanoptera, Thripidae)

The Sericothripinae is a largely tropical group of about 140 species that are often strikingly bicoloured and have complex surface sculpture, but for which the biology is poorly known. Although 15 genera have been described in this subfamily, only three of these are currently recognised, with five new generic synonymies indicated here. In Australia, Sericothrips Haliday is introduced, with one European species deployed as a weed biological control agent. Hydatothrips Karny comprises 43 species worldwide, with six species found in Australia, of which two are shared with Southeast Asia, and four are associated with the native vine genus, Parsonsia. Neohydatothrips John comprises 96 species worldwide, with nine species in Australia, of which one is shared with Southeast Asia and two are presumably introduced from the Americas. Illustrated keys are provided to the three genera and 16 species from Australia, including six new species [Hydatothrips aliceae; H. bhattii; H. williamsi; Neohydatothrips barrowi, N. bellissi, N. katherinae]. One new specific synonym is recognised [Hydatothrips haschemi Girault (= H. palawanensis Kudo)], also four new generic synonyms [Neohydatothrips John (= Faureana Bhatti; Onihothrips Bhatti; Sariathrips Bhatti; Papiliothrips Bhatti); Sericothrips Haliday (= Sussericothrips Han)].

A new species of Pseudatrichia Osten Sacken (Diptera: Scenopinidae) from North America

A new species of the North American genus Pseudatrichia Osten Sacken is described. Pseudatrichia bezarki sp. nov. is described based on a male and female reared from wood-boring beetle galleries in Pinus sp. from Arizona (United States).

New species of Metatrichia Coquillett (Diptera: Scenopinidae) from Australia and Venezuela

Two new species of the cosmopolitan genus Metatrichia Coquillett are described. Metatrichia dhimurru sp. nov. is described from Arnhem Land (Northern Territory), Australia and represents the third species of the genus to be described from the Australasian region. Metatrichia venezuelensis sp. nov. from Venezuela is the third extant species of the genus to be described from the New World.

Genera of fungivorous Phlaeothripinae (Thysanoptera) from dead branches and leaf-litter in Australia

An illustrated key is provided for the identification of 39 genera of Thysanoptera-Phlaeothripinae with species that live in association with dead branches and leaf-litter in Australia and are considered to be fungus-feeding. Seven of these gen-era are not previously recorded from this continent, including un-named species of Deplorothrips, Malacothrips, Mystro-thrips, Preeriella and Tylothrips, together with Azaleothrips lepidus Okajima and Terthrothrips ananthakrishnani Kudo. A brief generic diagnosis is provided for each genus, together with comments on systematic problems and numbers of species. Copyright © 2013 Magnolia Press.

Australian spore-feeding thrips of the genus Phaulothrips (Thysanoptera, Idolothripinae)

Breeding by several of the spore-feeding species in the genus Phaulothrips is shown to be associated with abandoned tunnels of bees and scolytid beetles, as well as with the dead seed capsules of Eucalyptus species. The breeding sites for other species in the genus remain unknown, but 16 species are here recognised from Australia, of which the following six are newly described: P. daguilaris, P. flindersi, P. kingae, P. kranzae, P. oakeyi, P. whyallae. Copyright © 2013 Magnolia Press.

Agronomic challenges for organic crop husbandry

With respect to resource management and environmental impact, organic farming offers rationales for agricultural sustainability. However, agronomic productivity is usually higher with conventional farming. This work aimed at investigating two factors of major importance for the agronomic productivity of organic crop husbandry, nitrogen (N) supply through symbiotic N fixation (SNF) and weed occurrence. Perennial red clover-grass leys and spring cereal crops subjected to regular agricultural practices were studied on 34 organic farms located in the southern and the north-western coastal regions of Finland. Herbage growth, clover content as a proportion of the ley and extent of SNF in perennial leys, and the occurrence of weed species and weed-crop competition in spring cereal stands were related to climate conditions, soil properties, and management measures. The herbage accumulated from the first and the second cut of one- and two-year-old leys averaged 7.5 t DM ha-1 (SD ± 1.7 t DM ha-1); the clover content averaged 43.9% (SD ± 18.8%). Along with the clover content, herbage production decreased with ley age. Radiation use efficiency (RUE) correlated positively with clover proportion but despite low clover contents, three-year-old leys were still productive with regard to RUE. SNF in the accumulated annual growth of one- and two-year-old leys averaged 247.5 kg N ha-1 yr-1 (SD ± 114.4 kg N ha-1 yr-1). It was supposed that if red clover-grass leys constituted 40% of the rotation, then the mean N supply by SNF would be able to sustain two or three succeeding cereal crops (green manure and forage ley, respectively), yielding 3.0 to 4.0 t grain ha-1. Being a function of clover biomass, the SNF increased from the first to the second cut and thereafter declined with ley age. Coefficients of variation of clover contents (and SNF) between and within fields were around 50%, which was about twice as high as those of herbage production. The lower were the clover contents, the higher were the within-field variations of clover as a proportion of the ley. Low clover contents in one-year-old leys and increasing variability with ley age suggested that red clover growth was limited by poor establishment and poor overwintering. The proportions of clover in leys were lower and their variability was higher in the northwest than in the south. Soil properties, primarily texture and structure, had a major impact on clover proportion and herbage production, which largely explained regional differences in ley growth. Within-field variability of soil properties can be amended through site-specific measures, including drainage, liming, and applications of organic manures and mineral fertilizers. Overwintering and the persistence of leys can be improved by the choice of winter-hardy varieties, careful establishment and the appropriate harvest regime. Mean grain yields of spring cereal crops amounted to 3.2 t ha-1 in the south and 3.6 t ha-1 in the northwest. At 570 and 565 m-2 for the south and northwest respectively, mean weed densities did not differ between the regions, whereas the respective mean weed biomass of 697 and 1594 kg dry weight ha-1, respectively did differ. Weed abundance varied remarkably between single fields. The number of weed species was higher in the south than in the northwest. For example, Fumaria officinalis and Lamium spp. were found only in the south. Frequencies and abundances of Lapsana communis, Myosotis arvensis, Polygonum aviculare, Tripleurospermum inodorum, and Vicia spp. were higher in the south, whereas those of Elymus repens, Persicaria spp. and Spergula arvensis were higher in the northwest. The number of years since conversion to organic farming, i.e. long-term management, was one of the variables that explained the abundance of single weed species. E. repens was the weed species whose biomass increased most with the duration of organic farming. Another significant variable was crop biomass, which was affected by short-term management. The presence of different weed species was related to the duration of organic farming and to low crop yield. This finding demonstrated that it was not the organic farming regime per se, which resulted in high weed infestation and low yielding crops, but failures in the understanding and the management of organic farming systems. Successful weed control relies on farm- and field-specific long- and short-term management approaches. The agronomic productivity of ley and spring cereal crops managed by full-time farmers with an interest in organic farming was on the same level as of the mean for conventional farming. Given the many options for further improvements of the agronomic performance of organic arable systems, organic farming offers foundations for the development of sustainable agriculture. The main threat to the sustainability of farming in Finland, both conventional and organic, is the spatial separation of crop production and animal husbandry by region, along with the simplification of associated crop rotations.

Effect of phenolic-rich plant materials on protein and lipid oxidation reactions

The antioxidant activity of natural plant materials rich in phenolic compounds is being widely investigated for protection of food products sensitive to oxidative reactions. In this thesis plant materials rich in phenolic compounds were studied as possible antioxidants to prevent protein and lipid oxidation reactions in different food matrixes such as pork meat patties and corn oil-in water emulsions. Loss of anthocyanins was also measured during oxidation in corn oil-in-water emulsions. In addition, the impact of plant phenolics on amino acid level was studied using tryptophan as a model compound to elucidate their role in preventing the formation of tryptophan oxidation products. A high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) method with ultraviolet and fluorescence detection (UV-FL) was developed that enabled fast investigation of formation of tryptophan derived oxidation products. Byproducts of oilseed processes such as rapeseed (Brassica rapa L.), camelina (Camelina sativa) and soy meal (Glycine max L.) as well as Scots pine bark (Pinus sylvestris) and several reference compounds were shown to act as antioxidants toward both protein and lipid oxidation in cooked pork meat patties. In meat, the antioxidant activity of camelina, rapeseed and soy meal were more pronounced when used in combination with a commercial rosemary extract (Rosmarinus officinalis). Berry phenolics such as black currant (Ribes nigrum) anthocyanins and raspberry (Rubus idaeus) ellagitannins showed potent antioxidant activity in corn oil-in-water emulsions toward lipid oxidation with and without β-lactoglobulin. The antioxidant effect was more pronounced in the presence of β-lactoglobulin. The berry phenolics also inhibited the oxidation of tryptophan and cysteine side chains of β-lactoglobulin. The results show that the amino acid side chains were oxidized prior the propagation of lipid oxidation, thereby inhibiting fatty acid scission. In addition, the concentration and color of black currant anthocyanins decreased during the oxidation. Oxidation of tryptophan was investigated in two different oxidation models with hydrogen peroxide (H2O2) and hexanal/FeCl2. Oxidation of tryptophan in both models resulted in oxidation products such as 3a-hydroxypyrroloindole-2-carboxylic acid, dioxindolylalanine, 5-hydroxy-tryptophan, kynurenine, N-formylkynurenine and β-oxindolylalanine. However, formation of tryptamine was only observed in tryptophan oxidized in the presence of H2O2. Pine bark phenolics, black currant anthocyanins, camelina meal phenolics as well as cranberry proanthocyanidins (Vaccinium oxycoccus) provided the best antioxidant effect toward tryptophan and its oxidation products when oxidized with H2O2. The tryptophan modifications formed upon hexanal/FeCl2 treatment were efficiently inhibited by camelina meal followed by rapeseed and soy meal. In contrast, phenolics from raspberry, black currant, and rowanberry (Sorbus aucuparia) acted as weak prooxidants. This thesis contributes to elucidating the effects of natural phenolic compounds as potential antioxidants in order to control and prevent protein and lipid oxidation reactions. Understanding the relationship between phenolic compounds and proteins as well as lipids could lead to the development of new, effective, and multifunctional antioxidant strategies that could be used in food, cosmetic and pharmaceutical applications.

Nomenclatural corrections to Australian species of Cricotopus (Wulp) (Diptera; Chironomidae)

Our attention has been drawn to lapsi and errors in a recent publication in this journal concerning Cricotopus Wulp (Diptera: Chironomidae) (Drayson et al., 2015).

Diversity and Distribution of Conidae from the TamilNadu Coast of India (Mollusca: Caenogastropoda: Conidae)

A survey of the marine gastropod genus Conus Linnaeus was conducted along the TamilNadu Coast of India to explore the regional geographic distribution and diversity. The 60 species observed increased the number of Indian Conidae from 77 to 81. Conus imperialis Linne, C. mitratus Hwass in Bruguiere, C. striolatus Kiener and C. violaceus Gmelin are newly recorded from the study area. Conus amadis Gmelin was the most widely distributed species. The highest diversity (48 species) occurred in the Gulf of Mannar, followed by 22 species from northern, six from southern, and five from the Palk Bay regions. We suggest that the rich diversity recorded in the Gulf of Mannar reflects the physical conditions, microhabitats and required resources such as food and shelter that favour the occurrence of the large number of Conus species.

Novel reproductive mode in a torrent frog Micrixalus saxicola (Jerdon) from the Western Ghats, India

Reproductive modes in anurans are highly diverse despite external fertilization being a constraint. There are 39 reproductive modes documented so far (Wells, 2007). An apparently new reproductive mode is reported in a torrent frog, Micrixalus saxicola, an endemic and ancient anuran frog of the Western Ghats, considering the type of cavity made inside the lotic water body, involvement of the female in digging the cavity and concealing the eggs.

A new classification and linear sequence of extant gymnosperms

A new classification and linear sequence of the gymnosperms based on previous molecular and morphological phylogenetic and other studies is presented. Currently accepted genera are listed for each family and arranged according to their (probable) phylogenetic position. A full synonymy is provided, and types are listed for accepted genera. An index to genera assists in easy access to synonymy and family placement of genera.

A linear sequence of extant families and genera of lycophytes and ferns

Throughout the history of the classification of extant ferns (monilophytes) and lycophytes, familial and generic concepts have been in great flux. For the organisation of lycophytes and ferns in herbaria, books, checklists, indices and spore banks and on the internet, this poses a problem, and a standardized linear sequence of these plants is therefore in great need. We provide here a linear classification to the extant lycophytes and ferns based on current phylogenetic knowledge; this provides a standardized guide for organisation of fern collections into a more natural sequence. Two new families, Diplaziopsidaceae and Rhachidosoraceae, are here introduced.

Nomenclatural corrections in Mesoamerican Plantaginaceae and a new species of Tetranema from Honduras

Study of the Plantaginaceae for the Flora Mesoamericana project has resulted in five lectotypifications, a new combination in Rhodochiton, and the discovery of a new species of Tetranema from Honduras. This species, Tetranema michaelfayanum, is described here, a key to the species of Tetranema is provided, and the T. roseum complex is discussed.