AreAcila divaricata and Acila mirabilis One Species or Two Distinct Species？ Evidence from COI Mitochondrial DNA

Acila divaricata （Hinds, 1843） and A. mirabilis （Adams and Reeve, 1850） are common benthic bivalves in China. A number of researchers have proposed that the latter species is a junior synonym of the former species. Because of morphological similarities, it is difficult to distinguish these two species based on visual examination only. For better understanding of their taxon-omy, the mitochondrial CO1 gene fragments of five individuals of A. divaricata from the East China Sea and six individuals of A. mirabilis from the Yellow Sea were sequenced in this study. The phylogenetic relationships of the obtained COI sequences, together with nineteen sequences of three species of the genus Nucula, were analyzed. The pairwise intra- and inter-specific distances for the CO1 sequences ranged from 0.002 to 0.017 and from 0.128 to 0.134, respectively, and no overlap was found. Phylogenetically, A. divaricata and A. mirabilis form distinct clades and cluster into a sister to all other Nucula species. The results indicated that A. di-varicata and A. mirabilis are two distinct species. The differences in the morphology and distribution between the two species were briefly discussed.     

A STUDY OF THE FAMILY DENTALIIDAE (MOLUSCA) FOUND IN CHINA

This paper describes 14 species of the family Dentaliidae collected from China by the Institute of Oceanology, Academia Sinica during the surveys on marine invertebrate animals and benthos in the past years. Of which 4 species are considered as new to science; 2 species are first recorded in China. The system adopted is mainly that of T.Habe (1964), but reference is also made to the works of W. Emerson (1962), P. Palmer (1974) and S. D. Chistikov.About 20 Chinese species of Dentaliidae have been described. We consider our study is still not complete and are sure that more species shall be found in further studies.     

Two new records of Pyramidellidae (Gastropoda, Heterobranchia) from China seas

This paper reports two species of the family Pyramidellidae (Gastropoda, Heterobranchia), Otopleura nitida (A. Adams, 1854) and Rugadentia manzakiana (Yokoyama, 1922). The former was from the South China Sea and the latter was from the Yellow Sea and East China Sea. The study was based on the collections deposited in the Marine Biological Museum, Chinese Academy of Sciences. This is for the first time that these species have been recorded in China seas. In the current contribution, we describe and illustrate these two species, and compare them with similar species.     

The recognition of ocean red tide with hyper-spectral-image based on EMD

A new technique is introduced in this paper regarding red tide recognition with remotely sensed hyper-spectral images based on empirical mode decomposition （EMD）, from an artificial red tide experiment in the East China Sea in 2002. A set of characteristic parameters that describe absorbing crest and reflecting crest of the red tide and its recognition methods are put forward based on general pictre data, with which the spectral information of certain non-dominant alga species of a red tide occurrence is analyzed for establishing the foundation to estimate the species. Comparative experiments have proved that the method is effective. Meanwhile, the transitional area between red-tide zone and non-red-tide zone can be detected with the information of thickness of algae influence, with which a red tide can be forecast.     

Early development of Costaria costata (C. Agardh) Saunders and cultivation trials

Costaria costata(C.Agardh) Saunders is one of common kelps distributed in many coastal areas worldwide;however,in China,no reports have been made on cultivation of the genus.To investigate potential cultivation of the species in the northern part of China,trials on isolation and preservation of the gametophytes were conducted using C.costata from Korea;growth and development of the gametophytes were observed.We showed that at 10±1°C,60 μmol m-2s-1 and 12:12 h(L:D),freshly released zoospores settled down wit...     

Virescentia guangxiensis(Batrachospermales,Rhodophyta):a new freshwater red algal species from South China

Virescentia guangxiensis,a new species of Virescentia from Guangxi,South China,is described and illustrated based on morphological observations and phylogenetic analysis.This species was distinguished morphologically from other species by the presence of special expansion cells with a variable shape,obovoid,spherical,pear-shaped,located in the penultimate cells of primary or secondary fascicles,rarely terminal on primary fascicles,as well as by small whorls(250-350-μm wide) and short primary fascicles(5-7 cell stories).Phylogenetic analysis of molecular data from the rbcL and COI-5 P loci supported the separation of the proposed new species from other species in the genus Virescentia.This is the first species of the order Batrachospermales reported in Guangxi and the second species of the genus Virescentia reported in China.This study expands the known species diversity and geographical distribution of fre shwater Rhodophyta in China.     

Population ecology of the endangered Himalayan Yew in Khokhan Wildlife Sanctuary of North Western Himalaya for conservation management

The Himalayan Yew （Taxus baccata subsp, wallichiana） is an endangered native high value medicinal plant of the Himalayan Region. The several medicinal properties of the bark and leaves of this species have increased its risk of extinction due to pressures for utilization. It is also subjected to harvest for fuelwood. The species does not regenerate well from seed and that is another risk factor. The objective of this research was to investigate the population ecology of the species as a foundation for its conservation. Six forest communities in the Khokhan Wildlife Sanctuary where the species is present were sampled. The abundance of the species, impacts of harvesting and its current regeneration patterns indicate that it may soon be extirpated from the Sanctuary. A plan for conserving the remaining sub-populations is presented. It could provide a template for conservation in other locations where the species is at risk.     

The morphological and molecular detection for the presence of toxic Cylindrospermopsis(Nostocales,Cyanobacteria) in Beijing city,China

Cylindrospermopsis raciborskii and its highly similar relatives R aphidiopsis species have been recognized as globally invasive and expansive filamentous cyanobacteria causing water blooms. Reports on C. raciborskii/Raphidiopsis species and their harmful metabolites such as hepatotoxic cylindrospermopsins(CYNs) in Chinese waters have been increasing, but mostly restricted to the southern regions of China. To further explore the existence and distribution of C. raciborskii in China, six water samples from Beijing city were morphologically and molecularly examined. Five samples of the six were shown to have C ylindrospermopsis filaments with straight and spiral morphotypes. PCR detection targeting on Cylindrospermopsis/Raphidiopsis specific 16 S r RNA gene region also showed the positive amplification, and such amplifications were confirmed by sequencing and phylogenetic analysis. As well, three of the five Cylindrospermopsis containing samples were shown to have c yr J — a gene of CYN synthesis gene cluster. The results represented the presence of toxic C ylindrospermopsis at the most northern line in China so far, indicating rapid expansion of this harmful invasive cyanobacterium. It is strongly suggested that the monitoring on C. raciborskii/R aphidiopsis species and their production of cylindrospermopsin should be emphasized in Beijing and even more northern parts of China.     

LIGHT AND ELECTRON MICROSCOPE OBSERVATIONS ON NEPHROSELMIS GAOAE SP.NOV.(PRASINOPHYCEAE)

Nephroselmis gaoae sp.nov.is described on the basis of light and electron microscope observations ofcultured material originally collected and isolated from seawater of Jiaozhou Bay,Qingdao,China.Theperiplasts on the cell body and flagella are covered by five types of scales,two types on the flagella andthree on the body.Among these,the morphology and the number of spines of large stellate body scalesdiffer remarkably from those of previously described species of Nephroselmis.Apart from these,the unusualfine structure of the eyespot(stigma)is very characteristic.As in the other species of Nephroselmis,theeyespot lies immediately under the two-membraned chloroplast envelope;unlike the others,however,it isnot composed of a number of osmiophilic globules,but consists of about 14 curved rod-shapedosmiophilic bodies arranged loosely and randomly.This feature distinguishes the present new species notonly from the other species of Nephroselmis but also from the other motile algal species,the eyespots struc-ture     

A new “tetrasporangial” species ofLiagora (Rhodophyta. Nemaliales) from Hawai’i

A new species ofLiagora, L. perennis sp. nov. from Hawai’i, is described. Unlike species of this genus in China, it is carpotetrasporangial, and at the place of expected carposporangia bears cruciately divided tetrasporangia, a detail which differentiates it from the usual species ofLiagora without tetraspores that have been reported in China. Notes are provided on otherLiagora species that have an impact on the taxonomy of species found in China. Dedicated to the memory of Zhang Junfu(C. F. Chang) whose studies on marine algae I respect highly, and whose good-humored friendship I treasure.     

ON PHYTOGEOGRAPHICAL AFFINITIES OF THE FOREST FLORAS BETWEEN EAST CHINA AND JAPAN

EastChinaisoneoftherichestregionsinplantlifeinEastAsiaanditsfloraisthemainpartofSino-Japanesefloristicregion,whichhasattractedtheattentionofmanybotanistsbothathomeandabroad,suchasHuXiansu(1936),LiHuilin(1950,1953),StewardA.N.(1958),WangJingkiang(1988),WangWencai(1992),Wusugong(1987),WuZhengyi(1979)andXieGuowen(1991a,1993),etal.AnumberofpapersdealingwithEastAsian-EasternNorthAmericanphytogeographicalrelationshipshavebeenpublished(Bouffordf1983).However,thefloristicrelationsbetweenEas…     

大连地区更新世的哺乳动物

大连地区碳酸盐岩分布广泛 ,裂隙溶洞发育 ,洞穴堆积物中蕴含了丰富的更新世哺乳动物化石和古文化遗物 ,在境内陆地和附近海域陆续发现了 30余处化石点。在众多的化石点中尤以古龙山遗址和大连动物群最引人注目 ,前者在同一地点内采集到 377种上万件的脊椎动物骨骼化石 ,并伴有石器、骨器、灰烬等远古人类活动的遗物 ;后者包括了 2 8种早更新世的小型哺乳动物 ,这是大连乃至东北地区的首次报导。这些事实说明了东北地区不只是仅有晚更新世的动物群 ,至少还有早更新世的大连动物群 ,即使在晚更新世 ,也不只是单一的披毛犀 -猛犸象动物群 ,还存在着具有从华北向东北过渡性质的古龙山动物群。今后工作中应注意寻找古人类及中更新世的哺乳动物化石 ,加强对全新世动物遗骨的研究。     

HPLC pigment profiles of 31 harmful algal bloom species isolated from the coastal sea areas of China

Chemotaxonomy based on diagnostic pigments is now a routine tool for macroscopic determination of the composition and abundance of phytoplankton in various aquatic environments. Since the taxonomic capability of this method depends on the relationships between diagnostic pigments and chlorophyll a of classified groups, it is critical to calibrate it by using pigment relationships obtained from representative and/or dominant species local to targeted investigation area. In this study, pigment profiles of 31 harmful algal bloom(HAB) species isolated from the coastal sea areas of China were analyzed with high performance liquid chromatography(HPLC). Pigment compositions, cellular pigment densities and ratios of pigments to chlorophyll a were determined and calculated. Among all these species, 25 kinds of pigments were detected, of which fucoxanthin, peridinin, 19'-butanoyloxyfucoxanthin, 19'-hexanoyloxyfucoxanthin, violaxanthin, and antheraxanthin were diagnostic pigments. Cellular pigment density was basically independent of species and environmental conditions, and therefore was recommended as a bridge to compare the results of HPLC-CHEMTAX technique with the traditional microscopy method. Pigment ratios of algal species isolated from the coast of China, especially the diagnostic pigment ratios, were higher than those from other locations. According to these results, pigment ratio ranges of four classes of phytoplankton common off the coast of China were summarized for using in the current chemotaxonomic method. Moreover, the differences of pigments ratios among different species under the same culturing conditions were consistent with their biological differences. Such differences have the potential to be used to classify the phytoplankton below class, which is meaningful for monitoring HABs by HPLC-CHEMTAX.     

A study of the family Dentaliidae (molusca) found in China

This paper describes 14 species of the family Dentaliidae collected from China by the Institute of Oceanology, Academia Sinica during the surveys on marine invertebrate animals and benthos in the past years. Of which 4 species are considered as new to science; 2 species are first recorded in China. The system adopted is mainly that of T. Habe (1964), but reference is also made to the works of W. Emerson (1962), P. Palmer (1974) and S. D. Chistikov. About 20 Chinese species of Dentaliidae have been described. We consider our study is still not complete and are sure that more species shall be found in further studies. Contribution No. 1456 from the Institute of Oceanology, Academia Sinica.     

Are Acila divaricata and Acila mirabilis One Species or Two Distinct Species?Evidence from COI Mitochondrial DNA

Acila divaricata (Hinds, 1843) and A. mirabilis (Adams and Reeve, 1850) are common benthic bivalves in China. A number of researchers have proposed that the latter species is a junior synonym of the former species. Because of morphological similarities, it is difficult to distinguish these two species based on visual examination only. For better understanding of their taxonomy, the mitochondrial COI gene fragments of five individuals of A. divaricata from the East China Sea and six individuals of A. mirabilis from the Yellow Sea were sequenced in this study. The phylogenetic relationships of the obtained COI sequences, together with nineteen sequences of three species of the genus Nucula, were analyzed. The pairwise intra- and inter-specific distances for the COI sequences ranged from 0.002 to 0.017 and from 0.128 to 0.134, respectively, and no overlap was found. Phylogenetically, A. divaricata and A. mirabilis form distinct clades and cluster into a sister to all other Nucula species. The results indicated that A. divaricata and A. mirabilis are two distinct species. The differences in the morphology and distribution between the two species were briefly discussed.     

Primary species recognitionand phylogeny of Chondrus （Gigartinales, Rhodophyta） using 18S rDNA sequence data

The nuclear-encoded small subunit ribosomal RNA gene (18S rDNA) of 16 isolates of Chondrus from 8 countries were sequenced. A total of 1796 nucleotides were obtained and aligned with the phylogenetic analysis conducted. The results suggest that the entity from Dalian, China, regarded as C. sp1 is C. pinnulatus. The C. sp2 previously depicted as C. yendoi or Mazzaella japonica may belong to genus Chondrus. So, 4 Chondrus species, i.e. C. ocellatus, C. nipponicus, C. armatus, and C. pinnulatus are distributed in China. However, the entity from Connemara, Ireland, named C. crispus, is not a Chondrus species but that of Mastocarpus stellatus, although it is morphologically similar to C. crispus. Phylogenetic analysis based on complete 18S rDNA sequence data shows that genus Chondrus includes 3 main lineages: the Northern Pacific lineage, containing C. ocellatus, C. yendoi, and C. nipponicus; C. armatus, and C. pinnulatus form the sub-North Pacific lineage; and the Northern Atlantic Ocean lineage, comprising samples of C. crispus from Canada, Portugal, Ireland, Germany and France. The phylogenetic relationships indicate that genus Chondrus might have a North Pacific ancestral origin, radiated to North Atlantic area, and then formed the species C. crispus.