The Bivalve Yangtzedonta is not the Brachiopod Xianfengella

Abstract The alleged ＂holotype＂of the bivalve Yangtzedonta primitiva Yu.1985 figured by Qian （2001） is a broken and distorted specimen of the brachiopod Xianfengella prima He and Yang, 1982 and not the holotype of Y. primitiva. Qian contends that the oldest recognized monoplacophoran, Maikhanella pristinis （Jiang, 1980）, is neither a monoplacophoran nor the oldest molluscan fossil in the Meishucunian Stage of China. Furthermore, he considers that the oldest bivalve Xianfengoconcha eUiptica Zhang, 1980 is an inarticulate brachiopod, not a mollusc. WatsoneUa yunnanensis （He and Yang, 1982）, is associated with Yangtzedonta primitiva Yu but indicates no evolutionary relationship between the Classes Rostroconchia and Bivalvia in the Lower Cambrian Zhongyicun Member of the Yuhucun Formation. Qian＇s confusion in using non-molluscan fossils to discuss the early evolution of shelled molluscs also confuses the basic concepts of the respective groups.

On the Yangtzeconus Priscus-Archaeospira Ornata Assemblage(Mollusca) of the Earliest Cambrian of China

Yangtzeconus priscus-Archaeospira ornata, an important earliest Cambrian benthonic Assemblage of the Yangtze micromolluscan fauna, occurs mainly in the Lower Cambrian Zhongyicun and Dahai Members of the Yuhucun Formation in E Yunnan, the Tianzhushan Member （=Huangshandong Member） of the Dengying Formation in W Hubei and the Maidiping Member of the Hungchunping Formation in C Sichuan, China. About 90% of the genera of this Assemblage are unknown from the Nemakit-Daldynian and Tommotian molluscan Assemblages of the Siberian Platform, Russia. About 90% of the Siberian molluscan genera do not occur in the Zhongyicun and Dahai Members in the Meishucun section and in the corresponding beds of the Yangtze Platform, because the Tommotian molluscan Assemblage is characterizedly abundant archaeocyathids. It is clearly indicated that the Yangtze and Siberian molluscan Assemblages represent different bio- and lithofacies and ages. The age of the pre-trilobitic Yangtzeconus priscus-Archaeospira ornata Assemblage is older than that of the Nemakit-Daldynian and Tommotian molluscan Assemblages and referable to the Earliest Cambrian. Two new genera Mcnamaraconus and Zhangwentangoconus are herein proposed.

Oil Mallee Plantings Increase Diversity of Beetles (Coleoptera) and Other Terrestrial Invertebrates within a Cropping Field

Planting oil mallee (Eucalyptus spp.) belts in cropping fields introduces a new native, perennial-based habitat type to the previously homogenous, exotic, annual-based cropping environment. The purpose of this investigation was to determine if oil mallee plantings enhance the diversity and abundance of ground-dwelling invertebrates, especially beetles, in an agro-forestry landscape by comparing four habitat types (wheat field, oil mallee belts, remnant woodland, and remnant roadside vegetation). Belts of oil mallees within a cropping paddock had substantially different assemblages of ground dwelling arthropod orders to the surrounding wheat crop. Of 93 coleopteran species trapped, 27 were found throughout all four habitats in the landscape, with the remaining species creating a strong distinction between the assemblages in the cropped areas and other habitat types in terms of species competition, diversity and abundance. Coleopteran assemblages in oil mallees were more similar to those in woodland and roadside remnants than to those in the adjacent wheat crop. Arthropod assemblages, in particular coleopterans, within this agricultural environment were thus influenced by habitat type. Oil mallee farming systems appear beneficial for arthropod conservation in the wheat belt of Western Australia.

Hybridisation on coral reefs and the conservation of evolutionary novelty

Hybridisation was traditionally considered rare on coral reefs. However, a rapid increase in hybrid studies over the last 20 years has revealed that hybridisation on coral reefs is common and widespread. In this review, we summarise the growing body of evidence arising from studies on stony corals and reef fishes to verify the occurrence of hybridisatiori, and we examine the influence hybridisation has had on the enormous level of biodiversity present on coral reefs. We discuss the challenges of dis- tinguishing hybridisation from alternative hypotheses （e.g. incomplete lineage sorting）. This review also explores the evolutio- nary consequences of hybridisation, which range from increasing genetic diversity and the production of novel lineages that may outperform the parent species, to reverse speciation and extinction by genetic swamping. Instances of hybridisation can be natural or occur as a result of human impacts （e.g. habitat degradation） and distinguishing between these two very different causal me- chanisms is important for management. Currently, the legislative status of hybrids is unclear and hybrids are rarely protected in conservation programs. Failing to adequately manage hybridisation and hybrid lineages may lead to potential losses of evolutio- nary novelty, declines in phylogenetic diversity or species extinctions. To conserve existing coral reef biodiversity, and the processes that generate biodiversity, conservation policies must be re-defined and instances of hybridisation must be assessed and managed on a case-by-case basis [Current Zoology 61 （1）： 132 145, 2015].

Taxonomic databases should reflect,and not substitute,published scientific literature and community consensus:some observations on WoRMS and barnacles

The World Register of Marine Species(WoRMS)is a well-known biodiversity information system,designed as a global open-access inventory of the names of marine taxa,whose website1 and databases are developed and hosted by the Flanders Marine Institute(Ostend,Belgium).Established in 2007,WoRMS has been growing in both content and popularity ever since(Costello et al.2013).The aim of WoRMS is to provide an authoritative and comprehensive list of names of marine organisms arranged in the most up-to-date and stable hierarchy as determined by the appropriate editor(Horton et al.2017).

Keeping an ear out:size relationship of the tympanic bullae and pinnae in bandicoots and bilbies(Marsupialia:Peramelemorphia)

Bandicoots and bilbies(Order Peramelemorphia)occupy a broad range of habitats across Australia and New Guinea,from open,arid deserts to dense forests.This once diverse group has been particularly vulnerable to habitat loss and introduced eutherian predators,and numerous species extinctions and range retractions have occurred.Understanding reasons for this loss requires greater understanding of their biology.Morphology of the pinnae and tympanic bullae varies markedly among species.As hearing is important for both predator avoidance and prey location,the variability in ear morphology could reflect specialization and adaptation to specific environments,and therefore be of conservation relevance.We measured 798 museum specimens representing 29 species of Peramelemorphia.Controlling for phylogenetic relatedness and head length,pinna surface area was weakly negatively correlated with average precipitation(rainfall being our surrogate measure of vegetation productivity/complexity),and there were no environmental correlates with effective diameter(pinna width).Controlling for phylogenetic relatedness and skull length,tympanic bulla volume was negatively correlated with precipitation.Species that inhabited drier habitats,which would be open and allow sound to carry further with less obstruction,had relatively larger pinnae and tympanic bullae.In contrast,species from higher rainfall habitats,where sounds would be attenuated and diffused by dense vegetation,had the smallest pinnae and bullae,suggesting that low-frequency hearing is not as important in these habitats.Associations with temperature did not reach statistical significance.These findings highlight linkages between hearing traits and habitat that can inform conservation and management strategies for threatened species.