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This revision concerns a small group of Western Palaearctic Copris species (Coleoptera: Scarabaeoidea:
Scarabaeidae) distinguished by having three lateral teeth on the foretibae. According to the literature, this group consists of four taxa: Copris armeniacus Faldermann, 1835, C. felschei Reitter, 1892, C. pueli Mollandin de Boissy, 1905 and C. umbilicatus Abeille de Perrin, 1901. Copris armeniacus is herein deemed a species inquirenda, and C. felschei, for which a neotype is designated, is deemed valid. Copris umbilicatus is recorded for the fi rst time from Turkey. A key to all species of the genus Copris known from the Western Palaearctic is provided. Variability of the cephalic and pronotal armature, and morphology of the parameres are illustrated.
Der Beitrag vergleicht verschiedene Europa-Konzeptionen prominenter österreichischer Schriftsteller der Zwischenkriegszeit, die ganz unterschiedlich begründet sind: Während Hugo von Hofmannsthals Diagnose in erster Linie ästhetisch argumentiert, sind Stefan Zweigs Europa-Essays primär gesinnungsethisch motiviert. Demgegenüber bemüht sich Robert Musil um eine anthropologisch-verantwortungsethische Beweisführung.
Forest wildflowers bloom earlier as Europe warms: lessons from herbaria and spatial modelling
(2022)
Today plants often flower earlier due to climate warming. Herbarium specimens are excellent witnesses of such long-term changes. However, the magnitude of phenological shifts may vary geographically, and the data are often clustered. Therefore, large-scale analyses of herbarium data are prone to pseudoreplication and geographical biases.
We studied over 6000 herbarium specimens of 20 spring-flowering forest understory herbs from Europe to understand how their phenology had changed during the last century. We estimated phenology trends with or without taking spatial autocorrelation into account.
On average plants now flowered over 6 d earlier than at the beginning of the last century. These changes were strongly associated with warmer spring temperatures. Flowering time advanced 3.6 d per 1°C warming. Spatial modelling showed that, in some parts of Europe, plants flowered earlier or later than expected. Without accounting for this, the estimates of phenological shifts were biased and model fits were poor.
Our study indicates that forest wildflowers in Europe strongly advanced their phenology in response to climate change. However, these phenological shifts differ geographically. This shows that it is crucial to combine the analysis of herbarium data with spatial modelling when testing for long-term phenology trends across large spatial scales.
The adoption of a consistent alien species pathways categorization, hierarchy and terminology is crucial for increasing the interoperability of different online databases. In the present paper the European Alien Species Information Network (EASIN) classification system of pathways is compared and discussed with the classification scheme recently published by the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD). Although the main pathway categories of the two classifications overall match, there are substantial differences in their subcategorization, with EASIN including 20 pathway subcategories while CBD considers 44 subcategories. In most cases, each EASIN subcategory pathway can correspond to two or more CBD subcategories. About 5,500 species listed in EASIN do not match directly with the CBD pathway subcategories, most of which are terrestrial invertebrates. Aiming at achieving synchronization between the two classification systems and at facilitating the access to information to researchers and policy makers, EASIN is trying to align with the CBD pathway classification scheme. This alignment process requires the involvement of a large number of experts, especially from the terrestrial realm, and the adoption of commonly accepted definitions of the CBD pathways.
New species, revision, and phylogeny of Ronzotherium Aymard, 1854 (Perissodactyla, Rhinocerotidae)
(2021)
Ronzotherium is one of the earliest Rhinocerotidae in Europe, which first appeared just after the Eocene/Oligocene transition (Grande Coupure), and became extinct at the end of the Oligocene. It is a large-sized rhinocerotid, with a special position in the phylogeny of this group, as being one of the earliest-branching true Rhinocerotidae. However, its intra-generic systematics has never been tested through computational phylogenetic methods and it is basically unknown. Its taxonomical history has gone through numerous complications, and thus we aim to provide here a complete revision of this genus, through phylogenetic methods. After a re-examination of all type specimens (five supposed species) as well as of most well-preserved specimens from all over Europe and ranging through the complete Oligocene epoch, we performed a parsimony analysis to test the position of some problematic specimens. According to our results, five species can be distinguished, Ronzotherium velaunum (type species), R. filholi, R. elongatum and R. romani as well as a new species: R. heissigi sp. nov. We also drastically re-interpret its anatomy and show that the ‘short-limbed’ “Diaceratherium” massiliae, described from Southern France, can be considered as a junior synonym of R. romani. Finally, we exclude the Asian species “Ronzotherium” orientale and “Ronzotherium” brevirostre from Ronzotherium and we consider R. kochi as a junior synonym of R. filholi.
Thirty-seven alien plant species, pre-identified by horizon scanning exercises were prioritised for pest risk analysis (PRA) using a modified version of the EPPO Prioritisation Process designed to be compliant with the EU Regulation 1143/2014. In Stage 1, species were categorised into one of four lists – a Residual List, EU List of Minor Concern, EU Observation List and the EU List of Invasive Alien Plants. Only those species included in the latter proceeded to the risk management stage where their priority for PRA was assessed. Due to medium or high spread potential coupled with high impacts twenty-two species were included in the EU List of Invasive Alien Plants and proceeded to Stage 2. Four species (Ambrosia trifida, Egeria densa, Fallopia baldschuanica and Oxalis pes-caprae) were assigned to the EU Observation List due to moderate or low impacts. Albizia lebbeck, Clematis terniflora, Euonymus japonicus, Lonicera morrowii, Prunus campanulata and Rubus rosifolius were assigned to the residual list due to a current lack of information on impacts. Similarly, Cornus sericea and Hydrilla verticillata were assigned to the Residual List due to unclear taxonomy and uncertainty in native status, respectively. Chromolaena odorata, Cryptostegia grandiflora and Sphagneticola trilobata were assigned to the Residual List as it is unlikely they will establish in the Union under current climatic conditions. In the risk management stage, Euonymus fortunei, Ligustrum sinense and Lonicera maackii were considered a low priority for PRA as they do not exhibit invasive tendencies despite being widely cultivated in the EU over several decades. Nineteen species were identified as having a high priority for a PRA (Acacia dealbata, Ambrosia confertiflora, Andropogon virginicus, Cardiospermum grandiflorum, Celastrus orbiculatus, Cinnamomum camphora, Cortaderia jubata, Ehrharta calycina, Gymnocoronis spilanthoides, Hakea sericea, Humulus scandens, Hygrophila polysperma, Lespedeza cuneata, Lygodium japonicum, Pennisetum setaceum, Prosopis juliflora, Sapium sebiferum, Pistia stratiotes and Salvinia molesta).
Die allgemein angewandten Namen der europäischen Orchideentaxa belaufen sich derzeit auf über 580 Namen, Synonyme nicht eingeschlossen. Die Übersicht soll die Namensfülle der gebräuchlichen Taxa und ihrer Synonyme (soweit erforderlich) in alphabetischer Reihenfolge aufzeigen. Taxa auf der Rangstufe der Varietät sind nicht enthalten.
Campodeinae is the most diverse subfamily of Campodeidae diplurans and inhabits soils and subsurface ecosystems. These are distributed in the Palearctic area, clearly rarifying towards northern latitudes. The major taxonomic characters are chaetotaxy, shape and complexity of pretarsal structures, and secondary sexual characters. This monograph provides a taxonomic revision of the subfamily Campodeinae in the Euro-Mediterrnean region, based on extensive literature review and new material studied. It comprises detailed morphological descriptions and illustrations together with habitat and distribution data of 161 species and 14 subspecies from 10 genera: Campodea Westwood, 1842, Edriocampa Silvestri, 1933, Eutrichocampa Silvestri, 1902, Helladocampa Condé, 1984, Libanocampa Condé, 1955, Litocampa Silvestri, 1933, Oreocampa Condé, 1950, Podocampa Silvestri, 1932, Remycampa Condé 1952, and Spaniocampa Silvestri, 1933. With 116 species Campodea is the most diverse and widely distributed genus in the studied area.
Diplura is a group of entognathous hexapods, often considered a sister group to insects. They play an important role in recycling organic matter in soil and subterranean terrestrial ecosystems. The Campodeidae is the most diverse family, divided into four subfamilies. The subfamily Plusiocampinae has a subterranean life-style with many species distributed in the Euro-Mediterranean area. The incertae sedis tachycampoids ("lignée Tachycampoïde") is a group within the family Campodeidae that share with the Plusiocampinae a strong preference for subterranean habitats and several morphological characters, such as slender body shape, elongated appendages, considerable increment in the number of antennomeres and cercal articles, and complexity of sensorial structures. The present monograph provides a taxonomic revision of the subfamily Plusiocampinae and the genera belonging to the tachycampoid lineage from Europe and the Mediterranean region. It comprises detailed morphological descriptions and illustrations together with data on the habitats and distributions of 87 species, 10 subspecies and 11 affinis forms. Seven new species are described among those, namely: Plusiocampa (Plusiocampa) apollo Sendra, Giachino & Vailati sp. nov., P. (P.) chiosensis Sendra & Gasparo sp. nov., P. (P.) dublanskii Sendra & Turbanov sp. nov., P. (P.) hoffmanni Sendra & Paragamian sp. nov., P. (P.) rhea Sendra sp. nov., P. (P.) ternovensis Sendra & Borko sp. nov. and P. (Venetocampa) ferrani Sendra & Delić sp. nov.
A second Yalta
(2014)
Ein Weibchen der Springspinne Heliophanus stylifer Simon, 1878 wurde im Naturpark s'Albufera auf der Balearen-Insel Mallorca (Spanien) gefunden. Die Spezies ist neu für Europa. Außerdem wurden weitere sieben Springspinnenarten nachgewiesen, darunter mit Heliophanus apiatus, Icius hamatus und Menemerus taeniatus drei Arten erstmalig für die Balearen.
With the current conflict in Gaza going full tilt, the usual questions have popped up: Who is to blame, what is everyone’s motivation and strategy, how to stop the bloodshed, how to end the conflict. And as usual, the two-state solution, i.e. two separate, sovereign states within the borders of the 1949 armistice agreement, keeps popping up as a purported solution. This is especially prominent in the statements of politicians in countries not directly involved in the conflict. Countries that at least claim to want to help end the conflict, be it through mediation or other diplomatic measures. But for those countries, the two-state solution has become an idea to hide behind. It does not help solve the conflict, neither in the short- nor mid-term. Clinging to the idea merely prolongs the status quo. However, it does allow the rest of the world to avoid facing the facts, which would force them to reevaluate their position on who to support and actually do something about the conflict as it currently is. But it’s high time we face the music and admit it: The two-state solution is no longer a viable option when it comes to mediating this conflict...
In this study, the thallus-forming Laboulbeniomycetes (Herpomycetales and Laboulbeniales) from Denmark are presented as an illustrated monograph. Sixteen species and one genus are newly described based on morphology and ecology (host association). The new genus is named Tanmaurkiella Santam. gen. nov. and includes two species: T. pselaphi Santam. gen. et sp. nov. (type species) and T. huggertii Santam. gen. et sp. nov., both on Pselaphus heisei Herbst, 1792 (Col. Staphylinidae Pselaphinae). The other 14 new species are Amorphomyces ventricosus Santam. sp. nov. on Myrmecocephalus concinnus (Erichson, 1839) (Col. Staphylinidae Aleocharinae), Cantharomyces papillatus Santam. sp. nov. on Bledius terebrans (Schiødte, 1866) (Col. Staphylinidae Oxytelinae), Cryptandromyces cryptophagi Santam. sp. nov. on Cryptophagus distinguendus Sturm, 1845 (Col. Cryptophagidae), Cryptandromyces danicus Santam. sp. nov. on Euconnus wetterhallii (Gyllenhal, 1813) (Col. Staphylinidae Scydmaeninae), Dimeromyces oculatus Santam. sp. nov. on Longitarsus luridus (Scopoli, 1763) (Col. Chrysomelidae), Euphoriomyces enghoffii Santam. sp. nov. on Leiodes rugosa Stephens, 1829 (Col. Leiodidae), Euphoriomyces smicri Santam. sp. nov. on Smicrus filicornis (Fairmaire & Laboulbène, 1855) (Col. Ptiliidae), Laboulbenia inexpectata Santam. sp. nov. on Acupalpus exiguus Dejean, 1829 (Col. Carabidae), Laboulbenia pygidicola Santam. sp. nov. on Syntomus truncatellus (Linnaeus, 1761) (Col. Carabidae), Monoicomyces brachiatus Santam. sp. nov. on Atheta sodalis (Erichson, 1837) and Ocyusa picina (Aubé, 1850) (Col. Staphylinidae Aleocharinae), Monoicomyces crassicaulis Santam. sp. nov. on Oxypoda elongatula Aubé, 1850 (Col. Staphylinidae Aleocharinae), Monoicomyces reboleirae Santam. sp. nov. on Gnypeta carbonaria (Mannerheim, 1830) (Col. Staphylinidae Aleocharinae), Monoicomyces validus Santam. sp. nov. on Atheta vestita (Gravenhorst, 1806), Aleochara grisea Kraatz, 1856, and Geostiba circellaris (Gravenhorst, 1806) (Col. Staphylinidae Aleocharinae), and Stigmatomyces thoracochaetae Santam. sp. nov. on Thoracochaeta brachystoma (Stenhammer, 1855) (Diptera Sphaeroceridae). The total number of laboulbeniaceous species from Denmark rises from 29 to 195, which means that 166 are here reported as new country records. Among these, Kainomyces isomali Thaxt. deserves special mention as it is a new European record. The same applies to nine species which are reported here for the first time after their original description. For this study, an intensive sampling programme has been realized, with 429 Danish localities screened including around 1900 collections with fungi. Two new synonymies are established: Laboulbenia acupalpi Speg. (Spegazzini 1915a) syn. nov. for Laboulbenia stenolophi Speg. (Spegazzini 1914), and Monoicomyces oxytelis Huldén (Huldén 1983) syn. nov. for Monoicomyces invisibilis Thaxt. (Thaxter 1900). The new combination Peyritschiella oxyteli (Cépède & F.Picard) Santam. comb. nov. is proposed for Rheophila oxyteli Cépède & F.Picard including neotypification, and delimitation of Peyritschiella protea Thaxt. is incorporated. Lectotypes for Laboulbenia polyphaga Thaxt. and Symplectromyces vulgaris (Thaxt.) Thaxt. are designated. Nineteen species are illustrated here with photographs for the first time. Three species: Eumonoicomyces papuanus Thaxt., Peyritschiella protea, and Stigmatomyces euconni F.Picard, which were reported from Denmark in the literature should be removed from the Danish Funga. We have examined the following types of Thaxter from FH (Farlow Herbarium, Harvard University Herbaria): Asaphomyces cholevae Thaxt., Dimorphomyces myrmedoniae Thaxt., Eumonoicomyces papuanus, Laboulbenia polyphaga, Peyritschiella protea, Rhadinomyces pallidus Thaxt., and Symplectromyces vulgaris. Ceratomyces pyrenaeus Santam. is newly recorded from USA, and this is also a new record from the American continent. Description of the genus Cryptandromyces Thaxt. has been emended to incorporate the new species here described. Morphology of the antheridium in Eumonoicomyces papuanus is studied, and the status of the genus Eumonoicomyces Thaxt. vis-à-vis Monoicomyces Thaxt. is discussed. Identification keys are provided for genera and species. In support of the additional aim of this work to serve as a reference for the study of Laboulbeniomycetes fungi in Europe, we include maps and the Appendix 1 for comparison of the known species in the ten most diverse, better studied, European countries.
Two new species of cheilostomate bryozoans are described from material preserved in museums: Cradoscrupocellaria severoi sp. nov., from Iberian Mediterranean waters, and Setosella margaritae sp. nov., from shallow waters along the Atlantic coast of Europe. Moreover, the Mediterranean species Setosella cyclopensis Rosso, Di Martino & Gerovasileiou, 2020 is reported in Iberian waters for the first time.
Prioritization of introduction pathways is seen as an important component of the management of biological invasions. We address whether established alien plants, mammals, freshwater fish and terrestrial invertebrates with known ecological impacts are associated with particular introduction pathways (release, escape, contaminant, stowaway, corridor and unaided). We used the information from the European alien species database DAISIE (www.europe-aliens.org) supplemented by the EASIN catalogue (European Alien Species Information Network), and expert knowledge. Plants introduced by the pathways release, corridor and unaided were disproportionately more likely to have ecological impacts than those introduced as contaminants. In contrast, impacts were not associated with particular introduction pathways for invertebrates, mammals or fish. Thus, while for plants management strategies should be targeted towards the appropriate pathways, for animals, management should focus on reducing the total number of taxa introduced, targeting those pathways responsible for high numbers of introductions. However, regardless of taxonomic group, having multiple introduction pathways increases the likelihood of the species having an ecological impact. This may simply reflect that species introduced by multiple pathways have high propagule pressure and so have a high probability of establishment. Clearly, patterns of invasion are determined by many interacting factors and management strategies should reflect this complexity.
Sauron rayi (Simon, 1881) is recorded in Austria for the first time. Male and female specimens of this rare European spider were found in two “Austrian pine forests” in Lower Austria. Data on distribution, habitat, phenology and Red List status from the Austrian localities and from published records in other countries are presented.
In this study we attempt to develop a synthesis of previously published work concerning the feeding habits of fourteen European freshwater fish: Anguilla anguilla L., Salmo trutta L., Rutilus rutilus L., Leuciscus leuciscus L ., Leuciscus cephalus L., Phoxinus phoxinus L., Gobio gobio L., Abramis brama L., Cyprinus carpio L., Tinca tinca L., Barbatula barbutula L., Gasterosteus aculeatus L., Perca fluviatilis L. and Cottus gobio L. Data presented in this paper were obtained frorn 98 studies in 16 European countries. Great Britain with 40 studies was the most documented country. In order to synthetize the maximurn information for each species, all methods used for analysing feeding habits and found in the different studies have been taken into account. Results are presented on tables with a commentary for each species analysed. The fourteen species were then classified into major trophic guilds.
An inventory of Sciaridae (Diptera: Sciaroidea) from a eutrophic fen and a spring brook in Viidumäe Nature Reserve (Estonia, Saaremaa Island) recorded a total of 60 species, of which 57 are new records for Estonia, including two that are new to science and described herein as Cratyna (Diversicratyna) palustricola sp. nov. (Estonia) and Sciara bryophila sp. nov. (Estonia, Finland). This has raised the number of Sciaridae known from Estonia from 6 to 63.
Within the central European opilionid fauna the widely used species names Leiobunum rupestre Herbst, 1799 and Leiobunum tisciae Avram, 1968 pose taxonomic and distributional problems. In addition, Nelima apenninica Martens, 1969 is close to L. tisciae in terms of external and genital morphology, but is specifically distinct. While coxal denticulation is largely lacking in N. apenninica, the validity of the genus Nelima Roewer, 1910 is questioned again. In addition, Leiobunum subalpinum Komposch, 1998, a recently described novelty from the eastern Alps, is closely related to L. rupestre. The four species are combined as the morphologically defined Leiobunum rupestre species group. Except for L. subalpinum, they were found to be allopatrically distributed from the Carpathians across central and Northwest Europe to the south-western Alps. The latter species is locally sympatric and partly elevationally parapatric to L. rupestre. Leiobunum tisciae is a recently introduced name and here recognized as a junior synonym of a number of taxa described much earlier, of which L. gracile Thorell, 1876 is re-introduced as oldest available name. Detailed morphological and distributional data for all taxa are presented.
One specimen of the jumping spider Evarcha jucunda was discovered in the fruit department of a general store in Gießen, Germany. The species has obviously been introduced with transported fruit from mediterranean countries.
Purpose: The treatment with a cochlear implant (CI) is the gold standard in therapy of patients with profound hearing loss or deafness. Successful hearing rehabilitation with a CI is a complex, multi-stage process. In medicine, “Clinical Practice Guidelines” (CPG) are widely accepted for the standardization of such processes. These are supplemented by medical registries in which data regarding the treatment can be collected and evaluated. The aim of this paper is to identify currently existing CI-related CPGs and registries in Europe.
Methods: Between 01/2021 and 06/2021, 42 countries on the European continent, including the United Kingdom, Russia and Turkey, were screened using an internet search (search engine: Google) and a key word search in the Pubmed database. Search terms were the respective country name combined with the following terms: “Cochlear Implant”, “CI”, “Cochlear implant clinical practice guideline”, “CI Guideline”, “Cochlear Implant Registry”, “CI Registry”, “Ear nose throat society”. The internet search was conducted in English as well as in the corresponding national language. The objective was to identify a CI-related CPG or registry.
Results: A CPG was found in 16 of 42 (38%) countries. In terms of population, this accounts for 645 million out of 838 million people (77%). A registry existed in 4 of the 42 (10%) countries assessed. This corresponds to 102 million out of 838 million (12%) people. In total, 4 out of 42 countries (10%) had both a CPG and a registry.
Conclusion: Our work shows numerous efforts in Europe to standardize CI care at the national level. While most people in Europe already live in countries with a CPG, this is not the case for CI registries. European-wide consensus on CPGs or registries does not yet exist. The present study thus provides a first assessment of the distribution of CI-related CPGs and registries.
The title of the conference that took place in the Dance Studies department of the University of Salzburg on January 23rd and 24th - Post-utopia and Europe in the performing arts - was an invitation to grapple not only with the subject matter announced, but also with the very conception of its terms. The interdisciplinary contributions to the conference - from dance studies, musicology, literature, cultural policy and film studies - presented a multifaceted range of ideas both about Europe and European-ness and about (post-)utopia, pushing and pulling the notions in a tense field of reflection.
The knowledge of phenotypic variation in the European range of the highly allergenic Ambrosia artemisiifolia L. (common ragweed) is not entirely complete, even though it is an invasive species of utmost concern. We hypothesized the prevalence of phenotypic differentiations between common ragweed populations in the introduced range, and we assumed that those differentiations were related to environmental conditions at the points of origin. Using a common garden experiment, we investigated biomass allocation, growth rates, and flowering phenology of 38 European common ragweed populations originating from a major geographical gradient. We observed considerable phenotypic variation in growth parameters and flowering phenology, e.g. mean aboveground biomass varied from 23.3 to 47.3 g between the populations. We were able to relate most measured traits with environmental parameters prevailing at the points of origin. For example, early growth of ruderal populations was highly correlated with temperature and precipitation at the point of origin. Late growth and flowering phenology were highly correlated with latitude, i.e. individuals from northern populations grew smaller and flowered and dispersed their pollen and seeds up to 5 weeks earlier than individuals from southern populations. We also found a longitudinal gradient in flowering phenology which has not yet been described. The existence of such a high variability in the introduced range may facilitate further range expansion. We suggest that the correlation with environmental variables rests upon genetic variation possibly due to adaptations to the respective environment. To clarify if such adaptation results from multiple events of introduction or as evolutionary response after introduction, genetic investigations are needed.
Der Dritte Bericht des Zwischenstaatlichen Ausschusses für Klimawandel (IPCC, 2001a, b) bestätigt den Einfluss des Menschen auf das globale Klima und warnt vor einem Temperaturanstieg und vor Niederschlagsveränderungen in den nächsten 100 Jahren, die gesellschaftlichen Wohlstand und Umwelt nachhaltig beeinträchtigen können. Dabei werden weitreichende Folgen des Klimawandels angenommen, vom Anstieg des Meeresspiegels und einer möglichen Degradation von Landflächen bis hin zum Verlust von Tier- und Pflanzenarten, der Verknappung von Wasserressourcen, einer Zunahme von natürlichen Katastrophen wie Überschwemmungen und Dürren, der Ausbreitung von Krankheiten sowie negativer Auswirkungen auf die Nahrungsversorgung der Bevölkerung. Klimawandel ist dabei nur ein Aspekt des weiter gefassten ‘Globalen Wandels’, der eine Vielzahl von anthropogen verursachten Veränderungen der Umwelt einschließt. So wird zum Beispiel erwartet, dass auch demographische und sozioökonomische Entwicklungen sowie vom Menschen verursachte Landnutzungsänderungen eine erhebliche Auswirkung auf den zukünftigen Zustand der globalen Umwelt haben werden. Zu den gravierendsten Folgen des Globalen Wandels gehört die Veränderung der räumlichen und zeitlichen Verteilung der lokalen und regionalen Wasserressourcen. Es müssen daher Strategien entwickelt werden, um sowohl die Bevölkerung als auch die Umwelt vor den möglichen negativen Auswirkungen von erhöhten oder erniedrigten Pegelständen in Fließgewässern zu schützen, oder sie auf eine Veränderung der verfügbaren Wassermengen vorzubereiten. Zur Entwicklung dieser Strategien wiederum werden wissenschaftliche Szenarien und Modellberechnungen benötigt, mit deren Hilfe sich zukünftige hydrologische Verhältnisse abschätzen lassen. Zahlreiche derartige Szenarienanalysen wurden bereits durchgeführt, um den Einfluss des Klima- und Globalen Wandels auf das Wasserdargebot und auf das hydrologische Abflussregime zu untersuchen. Da Flusseinzugsgebiete eine natürliche und angemessene Betrachtungseinheit für dieses Problem darstellen, konzentrieren sich die meisten dieser Studien auf mittlere bis große Einzugsgebiete oder auf bestimmte Regionen zusammenhängender Flussgebiete. In Europa gibt es dazu Beispiele aus den frühen neunziger Jahren, als die Resultate der ersten Klimamodelle verfügbar wurden (z.B. Ott et al., 1991: für die Mosel; Kwadijk und van Deursen, 1993: Rhein; Vehviläinen und Huttunen, 1994: Vuoksi; Broadhurst und Naden, 1996: Severn; Bergström, 1996: Einzugsgebiet der Ostsee). Für diese Studien wurden hydrologische Modelle des jeweiligen Einzugsgebiets entwickelt und der Einfluss des Klimawandels auf den Abfluss bestimmt. Krahe und Grabs (1996) haben ein Wasserbilanzmodell mit einer Auflösung von 0.5° x 0.5° für den gesamten mitteleuropäischen Raum entwickelt und es anhandder Abflussdaten des Rheins, der Weser, der Ems, der Elbe und des deutschen Teils der Donau validiert. Arnell (1994, 1999), bzw. Arnell et al. (2000) untersuchten die Auswirkung des Klimawandels auf europäische Wasserressourcen ebenfalls mithilfe rasterbasierter Modellansätze. Schließlich zeigten Stanners und Bourdeau (1995), EEA (1999), Parry (2000), oder auf globaler Ebene WBGU (1999) und IPCC (1992, 2001a, b), in allgemeineren und politisch orientierten Untersuchungen den gegenwärtigen Zustand sowie mögliche zukünftige Entwicklungen der Umwelt in Europa und weltweit auf, einschließlich verschiedener Aspekte der kontinentalen Wasserressourcen und der Hydrologie. Im Vergleich zu den zahlreichen einzugsgebietsorientierten Analysen und ihrem stetig steigenden wissenschaftlichen Anspruch bis hin zu äußerst detaillierten Fragestellungen sind die regionalen oder globalen Ansätze jedoch eher selten und bleiben meist relativ unspezifisch in ihren Schlussfolgerungen. Darüber hinaus wird die Auswirkung der Wassernutzung, die erheblich zur Veränderung der zukünftigen Wasserressourcen und Abflussmengen beitragen kann, in den meisten Fällen aufgrund des Fehlens entsprechender Daten nicht berücksichtigt. In Anbetracht dieser Mängel wurde 1999 am Wissenschaftlichen Zentrum für Umweltsystemforschung an der Universität Kassel das EuroWasser-Projekt initiiert, auf dessen Durchführung die vorliegenden Dissertation beruht. In einem integrierten Modellansatz wurden in EuroWasser die Folgen von Klimawandel und sozioökonomischen Veränderungen auf die natürliche Wasserverfügbarkeit und die Wassernutzung auf gesamteuropäischer Ebene untersucht (siehe Abschlussbericht, Lehner et al., 2001). Das EuroWasser-Projekt versucht dabei drei aus Sicht von Gesellschaft, Ökonomie und Umwelt kritische Fragen zu beantworten: (1) Wie hoch ist der gegenwärtige Wasserstress in verschiedenen Regionen Europas, und welche zukünftigen Veränderungen sind zu erwarten? (2) Wie wird sich der Globale Wandel auf das europäische Wasserkraftpotenzial auswirken? Und (3) In welchen "kritischen Gebieten" Europas muss, basierend auf den Ergebnissen verschiedener Szenarien des Globalen Wandels, damit gerechnet werden, dass die Hochwasser- und Dürregefahr in Zukunft zunimmt, und von welcher Größenordnung sind diese Veränderungen? ...
The emerging of an acrocerid fly from an adult female of the wolf spider Pardosa saltans (C.L. Koch, 1833) was observed near Karlsruhe (Baden-Württemberg, Germany). This record supports previous results suggesting that acrocerids infect the spider's body, and not the egg sacs. A short review of the life history of acrocerids and the development of their larvae is provided, casting doubt on the infection of spider cocoons by these parasitoids.
Background: Malaria remains one of the most serious infections for travellers to tropical countries. Due to the lack of harmonized guidelines a large variety of treatment regimens is used in Europe to treat severe malaria.
Methods: The European Network for Tropical Medicine and Travel Health (TropNet) conducted an 8-year, multicentre, observational study to analyse epidemiology, treatment practices and outcomes of severe malaria in its member sites across Europe. Physicians at participating TropNet centres were asked to report pseudonymized retrospective data from all patients treated at their centre for microscopically confirmed severe Plasmodium falciparum malaria according to the 2006 WHO criteria.
Results: From 2006 to 2014 a total of 185 patients with severe malaria treated in 12 European countries were included. Three patients died, resulting in a 28-day survival rate of 98.4%. The majority of infections were acquired in West Africa (109/185, 59%). The proportion of patients treated with intravenous artesunate increased from 27% in 2006 to 60% in 2013. Altogether, 56 different combinations of intravenous and oral drugs were used across 28 study centres. The risk of acute renal failure (36 vs 17% p = 0.04) or cerebral malaria (54 vs 20%, p = 0.001) was significantly higher in patients ≥60 years than in younger patients. Respiratory distress with the need for mechanical ventilation was significantly associated with the risk of death in the study population (13 vs 0%, p = 0.001). Post-artemisinin delayed haemolysis was reported in 19/70 (27%) patients treated with intravenous artesunate.
Conclusion: The majority of patients with severe malaria in this study were tourists or migrants acquiring the infection in West Africa. Intravenous artesunate is increasingly used for treatment of severe malaria in many European treatment centres and can be given safely to European patients with severe malaria. Patients treated with intravenous artesunate should be followed up to detect and manage late haemolytic events.
Interest to become a data scientist or related professions in data science domain is rapidly growing. To meet such a demand, we propose a novel educational service that aims to provide tailored learning paths for data science. Our target user is one who aims to be an expert in data science. Our approach is to analyze the background of the practitioner and match the learning units. A critical feature is that we use gamification to reinforce the practitioner engagement. We believe that our work provides a practical guideline for those who want to learn data science.
A female of the dwarf sheet spider Hahnia picta Kulczyński, 1897 was found in an old castle park in Berlin (Germany). All published records as well as unpublished records from Austria are listed and mapped. This species is rarely recorded. Its distribution is confined to Europe. H. picta seems to live exclusively under the bark of old deciduous trees.
After five years of the Syrian war, we can recognize “four” conflicting parties on the ground – Assad, ISIS, rebel groups and the Kurds. Each one of these conflicting parties has regional and international backers, who ironically do not agree with each other about whom they are fighting for or against. The Syrian regime is backed by Iran, Russia, Hezbollah and Iraqi militias. ISIS is backed by the flood of global Jihadists from all over the world. Rebel groups are backed by Gulf States, Turkey, Jordan and the US. The Kurds are supported by the US. While in the media, we always say “the Syrian conflict, crisis or war”, I wonder what makes this war that much Syrian. It is rather a war on the land of Syria, in which more than 50% of Syria’s population have been displaced, over 220 thousand have been killed, and many more have been injured or imprisoned. According to Amnesty international, more than 12.8 million Syrian people are in “urgent need of humanitarian assistance”. In addition to this humanitarian catastrophe, most of the Syrian land and infrastructure have been destroyed. So what is that Syrian about the Syrian “war”?...
A twentieth century-long coupled atmosphere-ocean regional climate simulation with COSMO-CLM (Consortium for Small-Scale Modeling, Climate Limited-area Model) and NEMO (Nucleus for European Modelling of the Ocean) is studied here to evaluate the added value of coupled marginal seas over continental regions. The interactive coupling of the marginal seas, namely the Mediterranean, the North and the Baltic Seas, to the atmosphere in the European region gives a comprehensive modelling system. It is expected to be able to describe the climatological features of this geographically complex area even more precisely than an atmosphere-only climate model. The investigated variables are precipitation and 2 m temperature. Sensitivity studies are used to assess the impact of SST (sea surface temperature) changes over land areas. The different SST values affect the continental precipitation more than the 2 m temperature. The simulated variables are compared to the CRU (Climatic Research Unit) observational data, and also to the HOAPS/GPCC (Hamburg Ocean Atmosphere Parameters and Fluxes from Satellite Data, Global Precipitation Climatology Centre) data. In the coupled simulation, added skill is found primarily during winter over the eastern part of Europe. Our analysis shows that, over this region, the coupled system is dryer than the uncoupled system, both in terms of precipitation and soil moisture, which means a decrease in the bias of the system. Thus, the coupling improves the simulation of precipitation over the eastern part of Europe, due to cooler SST values and in consequence, drier soil.
Objectives: The aim of the study was to determine the time to, and risk factors for, triple-class virological failure (TCVF) across age groups for children and adolescents with perinatally acquired HIV infection and older adolescents and adults with heterosexually acquired HIV infection.
Methods: We analysed individual patient data from cohorts in the Collaboration of Observational HIV Epidemiological Research Europe (COHERE). A total of 5972 participants starting antiretroviral therapy (ART) from 1998, aged < 20 years at the start of ART for those with perinatal infection and 15–29 years for those with heterosexual infection, with ART containing at least two nucleoside reverse transcriptase inhibitors (NRTIs) and a nonnucleoside reverse transcriptase inhibitor (NNRTI) or a boosted protease inhibitor (bPI), were followed from ART initiation until the most recent viral load (VL) measurement. Virological failure of a drug was defined as VL > 500 HIV-1 RNA copies/mL despite ≥ 4 months of use. TCVF was defined as cumulative failure of two NRTIs, an NNRTI and a bPI.
Results: The median number of weeks between diagnosis and the start of ART was higher in participants with perinatal HIV infection compared with participants with heterosexually acquired HIV infection overall [17 (interquartile range (IQR) 4–111) vs. 8 (IQR 2–38) weeks, respectively], and highest in perinatally infected participants aged 10–14 years [49 (IQR 9–267) weeks]. The cumulative proportion with TCVF 5 years after starting ART was 9.6% [95% confidence interval (CI) 7.0−12.3%] in participants with perinatally acquired infection and 4.7% (95% CI 3.9−5.5%) in participants with heterosexually acquired infection, and highest in perinatally infected participants aged 10–14 years when starting ART (27.7%; 95% CI 13.2−42.1%). Across all participants, significant predictors of TCVF were those with perinatal HIV aged 10–14 years, African origin, pre-ART AIDS, NNRTI-based initial regimens, higher pre-ART viral load and lower pre-ART CD4.
Conclusions: The results suggest a beneficial effect of starting ART before adolescence, and starting young people on boosted PIs, to maximize treatment response during this transitional stage of development.
Background: Published estimates of mortality and progression to AIDS as children with HIV approach adulthood are limited. We describe rates and risk factors for death and AIDS-defining events in children and adolescents after initiation of combination antiretroviral therapy (cART) in 17 middle- and high-income countries, including some in Western and Central Europe (W&CE), Eastern Europe (Russia and Ukraine), and Thailand.
Methods and findings: Children with perinatal HIV aged <18 years initiating cART were followed until their 21st birthday, transfer to adult care, death, loss to follow-up, or last visit up until 31 December 2013. Rates of death and first AIDS-defining events were calculated. Baseline and time-updated risk factors for early/late (≤/>6 months of cART) death and progression to AIDS were assessed. Of 3,526 children included, 32% were from the United Kingdom or Ireland, 30% from elsewhere in W&CE, 18% from Russia or Ukraine, and 20% from Thailand. At cART initiation, median age was 5.2 (IQR 1.4–9.3) years; 35% of children aged <5 years had a CD4 lymphocyte percentage <15% in 1997–2003, which fell to 15% of children in 2011 onwards (p < 0.001). Similarly, 53% and 18% of children ≥5 years had a CD4 count <200 cells/mm3 in 1997–2003 and in 2011 onwards, respectively (p < 0.001). Median follow-up was 5.6 (2.9–8.7) years. Of 94 deaths and 237 first AIDS-defining events, 43 (46%) and 100 (42%) were within 6 months of initiating cART, respectively. Multivariable predictors of early death were: being in the first year of life; residence in Russia, Ukraine, or Thailand; AIDS at cART start; initiating cART on a nonnucleoside reverse transcriptase inhibitor (NNRTI)-based regimen; severe immune suppression; and low BMI-for-age z-score. Current severe immune suppression, low current BMI-for-age z-score, and current viral load >400 c/mL predicted late death. Predictors of early and late progression to AIDS were similar. Study limitations include incomplete recording of US Centers for Disease Control (CDC) disease stage B events and serious adverse events in some countries; events that were distributed over a long time period, and that we lacked power to analyse trends in patterns and causes of death over time.
Conclusions: In our study, 3,526 children and adolescents with perinatal HIV infection initiated antiretroviral therapy (ART) in countries in Europe and Thailand. We observed that over 40% of deaths occurred ≤6 months after cART initiation. Greater early mortality risk in infants, as compared to older children, and in Russia, Ukraine, or Thailand as compared to W&CE, raises concern. Current severe immune suppression, being underweight, and unsuppressed viral load were associated with a higher risk of death at >6 months after initiation of cART.
Can a tightening of the bank resolution regime lead to more prudent bank behavior? This policy paper reviews arguments for why this could be the case and presents evidence linking changes in bank resolution regimes with bank risk-taking. The authors find that the tightening of bank resolution in the U.S. (i.e., the introduction of the Orderly Liquidation Authority) significantly decreased overall risk-taking of the most affected banks. This effect, however, does not hold for the largest and most systemically important banks – too-big-to-fail seems to be unresolved. Building on the insights from the U.S. experience, the authors derive principles for effective resolution regimes and evaluate the emerging resolution regime for Europe.
The studies of Cyclops O.F. Müller, 1776 have more than two centuries of tradition in Fenno- Scandinavia, yet, basic taxonomic questions remain unresolved and the limits of the distributional area are very poorly understood in the majority of the taxa (11+) occurring in the region. Based on the types and other materials we redescribe two species, C. lacustris G.O. Sars, 1863 and C. bohater Koźmiński, 1933, the latter being reported here for the first time from Fenno-Scandinavia; lectotypes of both species have been designated herein. Setulation characters of the antennal coxobasis- and maxillulary palp setae and P1 medial spine, as well as the spine formula of the terminal exopodal segments of the swimming legs (3433) in the adult female distinguish C. lacustris and C. bohater from their congeners. An identification key is provided to the Cyclops species of Fenno-Scandinavia, including information about both the female and male morphology. Although the limited material does not allow us to define the species range limits, our data nevertheless support a Northern European distribution in C. lacustris, and Northern and Central European distribution in C. bohater, while the records from the southern Palearctic need further verification.
Das Konzept der Biodiversity Hotspots, das Ende der 1980er Jahre von Norman Myers entworfen wurde, gehört derzeit zu den wichtigen forschungsleitenden Ansätzen globaler Naturschutzstrategien. In der vorliegenden Arbeit geht es in erster Linie um die Frage, ob und inwiefern dieses Konzept auf die regionale und lokale Dimension Europas übertragen werden kann. Es wird ein Vorschlag unterbreitet, wie europäische Biodiversity Hotspots definiert und identifiziert werden können. Bei der Erforschung von Biodiversity Hotspots spielt die Lokalisierung endemischer Sippen und die Erforschung der ökologischen Bedingungen von Arten- und Endemitenvielfalt eine wesentliche Rolle. Wenig produktive Grünland-Ökosysteme i.w.S. sind in Europa einerseits häufig sehr artenreich und beherbergen viele für Europa endemische Sippen. Andererseits sind diese Lebensräume europaweit durch Intensivierung und Nutzungsaufgabe existenziell bedroht. Ein Rückgang der Gesamtfläche sowie ein schleichender Wandel und Rückgang der lokalen und regionalen Artenvielfalt sowie eine Zersplitterung von Populationen sind die Folge. Die entsprechenden Pflanzengesellschaften und Landschaften repräsentieren vielfach Biodiversity Hotspots innerhalb Europas oder haben maßgeblichen Anteil an diesen.
Cultural heritage reconstructed - Compact Memory and the Frankfurt Digital Judaica Collection
(2014)
Compact Memory, the internet archive of German Jewish periodicals, provides free global internet access to the vast majority of German-Jewish newspapers and periodicals of the 19th and 20th century.
Jewish historical newspapers are the invaluable sources that supply direct and detailed information of the transformation process of Jewry and offer new insights into European Jewish history. The use of these historical sources however is extremely difficult, as complete sets of periodicals are very rarely to be found and they are scattered all over the world in different libraries and archives and in different physical formats (paper, microfilm).
Compact Memory contains the 110 most important Jewish German newspapers and periodicals in Central Europe in the period from 1806-1938, covering the complete range of religious, political, social, cultural and academic aspects of Jewish life. The texts are available partly as full-texts, processed by OCR, partly as graphic documents with corresponding index options. The database offers advanced search options, downloading and printing of articles. Thousands of essays of more than 10.000 individual contributors have been bibliographically indexed.
Compact Memory was established by the Judaica Division of the University Library Frankfurt am Main and in charge today in cooperation with the Aachen Chair of German-Jewish Literary History and the Cologne library Germania Judaica.
Compact Memory is one database within the Digital Collection Judaica which being part of Europeana and other digital portals offers resources for the reconstruction and representation of Jewish cultural heritage.
A new feature for the separation of Trochosa spinipalpis and T. terricola males (Araneae, Lycosidae)
(2006)
A new feature on the tip of the palp, which enables the separation of male Trochosa spinipalpis (F. O. P.-Cambridge, 1895) from T. terricola Thorell, 1856, is described. T. terricola exhibits a hairless strip on the tip of the palp, while T. spinipalpis lacks this feature and has long hairs on the whole palp.
Natural history collections are fundamental for biodiversity research as well as for any applied environment-related research. These collections can be seen as archives of earth´s life providing the basis to address highly relevant scientific questions such as how biodiversity changes in certain environments, either through evolutionary processes in a geological timescale, or by man-made transformation of habitats throughout the last decades and/or centuries. A prominent example is the decline of the European flat oyster Ostrea edulis Linneaus, 1758 in the North Sea and the concomitant invasion of the common limpet slipper Crepidula fornicata, which has been implicated to have negative effects on O. edulis. We used collections to analyse population changes in both species in the North Sea. In order to reconstruct the change in distribution and diversity over the past 200 years, we combined the temporal and spatial information recorded with the collected specimens contained in several European natural history collections. Our data recover the decline of O. edulis in the North Sea from the 19th century to the present and the process of invasion of C. fornicata. Importantly, the decline of O. edulis was nearly completed before C. fornicata appeared in the North Sea, suggesting that the latter had nothing to do with the local extinction of O. edulis in the North Sea.
This is the 26. article in our series Trouble on the Far-Right.
In Poland, the long lasting culture war1 over gender roles and religion has been easily framed by the far right into Samuel Huntington’s concept of the “clash of civilizations”. A well-known juxtaposition used in right-wing propaganda: ‘civilization of life’ vs. ‘civilization of death’ in reference to anti-abortion and pro-choice movements respectively is now used to refer to Christians and Muslims. The role of Polish women and the right to abortion remain in the center of the conflict of modernity.
In Europe, the far right heats up the moral panic caused by fear of terrorism, pointing to Muslims as a threat to ‘European’ liberties, especially women’s and LGBT rights. The assaults on women celebrating New Year’s Eve on the streets of Cologne, serve Pegida and many nationalist organizations in Europe as a proof of Arab’s attitude to ‘Western’ expressions of femininity. This argument in the anti-immigration discourse of the far right is well-grounded in nationalists’ ideal of a strong man defending ‘his’ woman. Although, the task might be understood literally, in the context of the assaults in Cologne, protecting wives, mothers, sisters and daughters of the nation has a broader symbolic meaning. Scholars interested in relationship between gender and nation, state that in nationalists discourse women symbolize the nation and are bearers of values.2 In islamophobic discourse female citizens of Europe signify Europeans’ equality and freedom...
In energy modelling, open data and open source code can help enhance traceability and reproducibility of model exercises which contribute to facilitate controversial debates and improve policy advice. While the availability of open power plant databases increased in recent years, they often differ considerably from each other and their data quality has not been systematically compared to proprietary sources yet. Here, we introduce the python-based ‘powerplantmatching’ (PPM), an open source toolset for cleaning, standardizing and combining multiple power plant databases. We apply it once only with open databases and once with an additional proprietary database in order to discuss and elaborate the issue of data quality, by analysing capacities, countries, fuel types, geographic coordinates and commissioning years for conventional power plants. We find that a derived dataset purely based on open data is not yet on a par with one in which a proprietary database has been added to the matching, even though the statistical values for capacity matched to a large degree with both datasets. When commissioning years are needed for modelling purposes in the final dataset, the proprietary database helps crucially to increase the quality of the derived dataset.
The kinorhynch fauna from Portugal has been explored, yielding a new species of the genus Setaphyes (Kinorhyncha: Allomalorhagida). This is the first description of an allomalorhagid species from Portugal. Specimens of the new species were collected at a subtidal muddy beach in Alvor, a village located in the southernmost region of Portugal. Setaphyes algarvensis sp. nov. may be distinguished from its congeners by a unique arrangement of the setae: paired paradorsal setae on segments 2–7 and 9, paradorsal seta on segment 8 unpaired, laterodorsal setae on segments 2–3 and 6–9 in males and 2–9 in females, paralateral setae on segment 1, lateroventral setae on segments 2–10 (two pairs on segment 5), ventrolateral setae on segment 1 in males and 1–3 in females, and ventromedial setae on segments 3–9 in males and 4–9 in females. The diagnostic features of Setaphyes algarvensis sp. nov. are discussed from a comparative perspective with the congener species. Additionally, morphometric analyses of selected features, namely the total trunk length and the relation between the total trunk length and the length of lateral terminal spines, turned out to be useful to distinguish between the new species and Setaphyes kielensis (its most similar congener).
Within the last decades, western democracies have experienced a rise of inequality, with the gap between lower and upper class citizens steadily increasing and a widespread sentiment of growing inequalities also in the political sphere. Against this background, and in the context of the current “crisis of democracy”, democratic innovations such as direct democratic instruments are discussed as a very popular means to bring citizens back in. However, research on direct democracy has produced rather inconsistent results with regard to the question of which effects referenda and initiatives have on equality. Studies in this field are often limited to single countries and certain aspects of equality. Moreover, most existing studies look at the mere availability of direct democratic instruments instead of actual bills that are put to a vote. This paper aims to take a first step to fill these gaps by giving an explorative overview of the outputs of direct democratic bills on multiple equality dimensions, analyzing all national referenda and initiatives in European democracies between 1990 and 2015. How many pro- and contra-equality bills have been put to a vote, how many of those succeeded at the ballot, and are there differences between country groups? Our findings show that a majority of direct democratic bills was not related to equality at all. Regarding the successful bills, we detect some regional differences along with the general tendency that there are more pro- than contra-equality bills. Our paper sheds new light on the question if direct democracy can serve as an appropriate means to complement representative democracy and to shape democratic institutions in the future. The potential of direct democracy in fostering or impeding equality should be an important criterion for the assessment of claims to extend decision-making by citizens.
Despite the popularity of direct democracy in recent decades, research on the actual output effects of popular decision-making is rare. This is especially true with regard to equality, where there are at least three major research gaps: 1) a lack of cross-national analyses; 2) insufficient investigation of the differential effects of different direct democratic instruments on equality; and 3) a failure to distinguish between different aspects of equality, i.e., socioeconomic, legal and political equality. This article takes a first step to tackle these shortcomings by looking at all national referenda in European democracies between 1990 and 2015, differentiating between mandatory, bottom-up and top-down referenda. We find that a large majority of successful direct democratic bills—regardless of which instrument is employed—are not related to equality issues. Of the remaining ones, there are generally more successful pro-equality bills than contra-equality ones, but the differences are rather marginal. Mandatory referenda tend to produce pro-equality outputs, but no clear patterns emerge for bottom-up and top-down referenda. Our results offer interesting, preliminary insights to the current debate on direct democracy, pointing to the conclusion that popular decision-making via any type of direct democratic instrument is neither curse nor blessing with regard to equality. Instead, it is necessary to look at other factors such as context conditions or possible indirect effects in order to get a clearer picture of the impacts of direct democracy on equality.
Fossils assigned to the predominantly deep-sea asteroid family Benthopectinidae Verrill, 1894 are described and their affinities reappraised. Detailed comparative morphology of ambulacrals, adambulacrals and marginal ossicles has revealed that only some extinct taxa fall within the morphological range of the modern representatives of the family. These include Jurapecten hessi Gale, 2011, J. infrajurensis sp. nov. (both Jurassic), J. dhondtae sp. nov. (Upper Cretaceous) and Nearchaster spinosus (Blake, 1973) comb. nov. (Lower Oligocene). A new Late Cretaceous genus, Punkaster gen. nov. (P. spinifera gen. et sp. nov. and P. ruegenensis gen. et sp. nov.), appears to be a highly derived benthopectinid. A possible benthopectinid is described from the Upper Triassic (Carnian) of China. Other described records are distantly related to, but convergent in gross morphology with, benthopectinids. Thus, Plesiastropecten hallovensis Peyer, 1944 is here referred to the Jurassic spinulosidan family Plumasteridae Gale, 2011 and Xandarosaster hessi Blake, 1984 is interpreted as Spinulosida Perrier, 1884 incertae sedis. The mid-Cretaceous Alkaidia sumralli Blake & Reid, 1998 is reassigned to the Forcipulatida (Zorocallina). The “fossil benthopectinid” of Spencer & Wright in Moore (1966) is shown to belong to the goniopectinid genus Chrispaulia Gale, 2005, of which two new Cretaceous species are described, C. wrightorum sp. nov. and C. spinosa sp. nov. Finally, we consider Henricia? venturana Durham & Roberts, 1948 to be an indeterminate asteroid.
Les Vosges appartiennent, du point de vue bryologique, aux régions de l’Europe moyenne les plus riches et les plus intéressantes en espèces. Malheureusement, il manquait pour les présenter une flore synthétique. En 1989, l’auteur avait publié à son compte une première édition en 100 exemplaires d’une Bryoflore des Vosges dans laquelle, pour la première fois, toute la littérature bryologique avait été exploitée et enrichie par ses données personnelles. Celle-ci avait été complétée par un carroyage qui donnait ainsi un aperçu de la connaissance bryologique de cette région. Treize ans plus tard, une deuxième édition de ce travail fut publiée dans la revue « Limprichtia ». Les deux éditions furent traduites en français parce qu’il était important qu’une flore régionale portant sur une partie du territoire de la France soit publiée dans la langue de ce pays. Le texte de la première édition avait été traduit par une collaboratrice de l’auteur et fut revue par René Schumacker. Les compléments apportés au texte de la deuxième édition ont été traduits par Michael Häussler , René Schumacker en ayant à nouveau revu la traduction. Francis Bick a revu le texte et a traduit les nouvelles adjonctions apportées à la Bryoflore des Vosges à l’occasion de cette troisième édition.
Hot spots are characterized by the occurrence of „hot“ species, rare, endangered, phytogeographically (for example highly disjunct) or ecologically interesting species (for example heavy metal species). The Apuanian Alps (ital. Alpi Apuani) are a place of extraordinary botanical and also bryological interest. Although situated far from the west coast of Europe, many atlantic species are found there, which have isolated occurrences and show up next in Asturias, Macaronesia. Ireland or Scotland. Representative of the oceanic element in the bryoflora are Dumortiera hirsuta, Lejeunea lamacerina, Lophocolea fragrans, Plagiochila exigua, P. bifaria, Saccogyna viticulosa, Harpalejeunea ovata and Marchesinia mackaii, supplemented by ferns such as Trichomanes speciosum and Hymenophyllum tunbrigense (Cortini-Pedrotti et al. 1992). Reasons for the presence of such species in Italy are the extraordinary climatic conditions. Situated directly along the Meditrerranean Sea, the climate is mild and due to depressions in the gulf of Genova, the rain is caught by the mountains resulting in a high precipitation of about 1400 at the foot of the region and more than 3000 mm in the summit region. This does, however, not explain whether these species are relics from the Tertiary or dispersed from the W-coast of Europe after the Pleistocene glaciations.
Aneura maxima is a species which was described from Java and reported from various parts of Asia (India, Indonesia, New Caledonia and Japan). It was recently found new to Thailand (Frahm et al. 2009). Schuster (1992) reported this species from the Appalachian Mountains in North America and Andriesen et al. (1995) for the first time for Europe from the Belgian Ardennes. I (Frahm 1997) reported the species a second time for Europe from Finland. Subsequently, the species was reported from many other regions of Europe including Denmark (Thingsgaard 2002), Poland and Luxemburg (Werner 2003), Corsica (Ros et al. 2007), France (Sotiaux et al. 1996), Czechia (Kucera 2004) and Germany (Meinunger & Schröder (2007).