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The New Caledonian Archipelago is a hot spot for biodiversity and endemism. Whereas popular groups such as birds and plants are well-studied, invertebrate groups such as ostracods remain ill-known. Here, we re-describe Strandesia sanoamuangae Savatenalinton & Martens, 2010, originally described from Thailand (8000 km away from New Caledonia), and describe Strandesia mehesi sp. nov. Both species are known only from females. Material for the present study was collected from diverse aquatic non-marine habitats from Grande Terre, the main island of New Caledonia. Whereas S. sanoamuangae is seemingly easily identifiable, S. mehesi sp. nov. is part of the Strandesia vinceguerrae/vavrai species cluster in the genus, of which the 'older' species (described long ago) often have incomplete and superficial descriptions. Differentiation between the new species and the other members of this species cluster are based on small anatomical details of the valves. The current paper updates the known number of recent freshwater Ostracoda of New Caledonia from 14 to 16 species, although at least five of these species have an uncertain status.
The identification of unknown bodies is the fulfilment of a moral obligation towards the deceased, serves to maintain legal security within a society, and gives families the certainty they need to mourn. Taking into account respective local conditions, the aim should always be to achieve a secure and quick identification. To achieve this goal, a functioning cooperation between investigating authorities and forensic sciences is essential. The main objective of this study was to clarify the potential role of tattoos in the identification process of unknown deceased persons in the state of Jalisco, Mexico. Post-mortem data of 2045 bodies from the Instituto Jaliscience de Ciencias Forenses in Guadalajara were evaluated. Of the deceased 46% were tattooed (male: 47%, female: 39%), with 29% of all bodies (male: 29%, female: 26%) showing tattoos at body locations usually visible in everyday life (i.e. head and neck, forearms and hands). The male bodies were most frequently tattooed on the shoulders and upper arms, followed by the forearms and hands and the torso. Female bodies mostly showed tattoos on the forearms and hands, followed by the torso and legs. Taking local tattooing habits into account, the authors developed a classification for tattoo motives. With decreasing frequency, the following keywords could be assigned to the motives: letters and/or numbers, human, symbol (other), plant, symbol (religious), animal, object, tribal/ornament/geometry, fantasy/demon/comic, other. Results of the study indicate the great importance of tattoos as a possible mean of identification in Jalisco, Mexico – either as a stand-alone identification method, as a complementary tool or for planning and prioritizing subsequent investigations.
Peronospora aquilegiicola is a destructive pathogen of columbines and has wiped out most Aquilegia cultivars in several private and public gardens throughout Britain. The pathogen, which is native to East Asia was noticed in England and Wales in 2013 and quickly spread through the country, probably by infested plants or seeds. To our knowledge, the pathogen has so far not been reported from other parts of Europe. Here, we report the emergence of the pathogen in the northwest of Germany, based on morphological and phylogenetic evidence. As the pathogen was found in a garden in which no new columbines had been planted recently, we assume that the pathogen has already spread from its original point of introduction in Germany. This calls for an increased attention to the further spread of the pathogen and the eradication of infection spots to avoid the spread to naturally occurring columbines in Germany and to prevent another downy mildew from becoming a global threat, like Peronospora belbahrii and Plasmopara destructor, the downy mildews of basil and balsamines, respectively.