We report a new pleurodiran turtle from the Barremian Morro do Chaves Formation, Sergipe-Alagoas Basin, Brazil. We tested the phylogenetic position of Atolchelys lepida gen. et sp. nov. by including it in a comprehensive cladistic analysis of pleurodires. The new species is a basal member of Bothremydidae and simultaneously the oldest unambiguous crown Pleurodira. The biogeographic and chronost...

Comparative anatomy and achene micromorphology assessment of two Cousinia Cass. (Asteraceae) 
 species in view taxonomy
 Deniz ULUKUŞ 1, Osman TUGAY 2
 ORCID: 0000-0002-9627-5492; 0000-0003-3980-7648
 1 Department Biotechnology, Faculty Sciences, Selçuk University, Konya, Turkey
 2 Pharmaceutical Botany, Pharmacy, Turkey Abstract
 is a member the monophyletic tribe...

Two new species of Cousinia are described from Iran. Cousinia bornmulleriana from the west that can be placed in sect. Haussknechtii based on some key characters such as flower numbers, phyllary numbers and the inflorescence form traits. This species can be also compared with its closest relative C. haussknechtii. and C. karkasensis. The second new species, C. semnanensis, from North East of Ir...

We present the de novo draft genome sequence for a vertebrate mammalian herbivore, the desert woodrat (Neotoma lepida). This species is of ecological and evolutionary interest with respect to ingestion, microbial detoxification and hepatic metabolism of toxic plant secondary compounds from the highly toxic creosote bush (Larrea tridentata) and the juniper shrub (Juniperus monosperma). The draft...

New specimens of the kleptoplastidal dinoflagellate Gymnodinium eucyaneum Hu were collected in China. We investigated the systematics of the dinoflagellate and the origin of its endosymbiont based on light morphology and phylogenetic analyses using multiple DNA sequences. Cells were dorsoventrally flattened with a sharply acute hypocone and a hemispherical epicone. The confusion between G. eucy...

Eleven species of the genus Tephritis with an uncommon banded wing pattern and/or solid apical crossband/spot instead of apical fork, mainly from the Palaearctic Middle East, are described and keyed, including Tephritis afrostriata new species, T. cameo new species, T gladius new species, T. ochroptera new species, and T. robusta new species. The following synonymy is established: Tephritis adm...