The Socotra Archipelago is an ancient continental fragment of Gondwanan origin and one of the most isolated landforms on Earth and a biodiversity hot spot. Yet, the biogeography and evolutionary history of its endemic fauna still remain largely overlooked. We investigate the origin, tempo and mode of diversification in the Hemidactylus geckos of the Socotra Archipelago. Concatenated and multilo...

An unusual new cicadellid genus, Ulopsina gen. nov. and two new species, U. sinica sp. nov. and U. szwedoi sp. nov. from China are described, illustrated, and placed in the subfamily Ulopinae. The genus has characters of both the tribes Mesargini and Coloborrhinini, suggesting that the delimitation of these tribes may not be natural. The tribal placement of Ulopsina is uncertain. A checklist of...

Two minor triterpenoid saponins, ardisicrenoside G [3 beta-O-{alpha-L-rhamnopyranosyl-(1-->2)-beta-D-glucopyranosyl-(1-->4)- [beta-D-glucopyranosyl-(1-->2)]-alpha-L-arabinopyranosyl}-16 alpha,28-dihydroxyolean-12-en-30-oic acid] and ardisicrenoside H [3 beta-O-{beta-D-xylopyranosyl-(1-->2)-beta-D- glucopyranosyl-(1-->4)-[beta-D-glucopyranosyl-(1-->2)]-alpha-L- arabinopyranosyl}-16 alpha,28-dihy...

Geomys bursarius (Shaw, 1800) is a geomyid commonly called the plains pocket gopher. A stocky rodent morphologically adapted for a fossorial life, it is 1 of 11 species in the genus Geomys. It occurs in southern Manitoba, Canada, and throughout the central United States southward to Texas. It prefers open grasslands and agricultural fields and is considered an economic pest. The subspecies G. b...

Crenate broomrape (Orobanche crenata) is a root parasitic weed that represents a major constraint for grain legume production in Mediterranean and West Asian countries. Medicago truncatula has emerged as an important model plant species for structural and functional genomics. The close phylogenic relationship of M. truncatula with crop legumes increases its value as a resource for understanding...