Dumitru Murariu

Sinanodonta woodiana (Mollusca: Bivalvia: Unionidae): isolation and characterization of the first microsatellite markers.

Sinanodonta woodiana (Lea, 1834) is a large Unionid species with a real invasion success. It colonized Europe, Central America, the Indonesian Islands and recently North America. The species life cycle involves a larval parasitic stage on freshwater fish species which contributes to the spread of the mussel. In this paper we describe, for the first time, eight polymorphic microsatellite loci for the species Sinanodonta woodiana. The genetic screening of individuals confirmed that all loci were highly polymorphic. The number of alleles per locus ranged from 7 to 14 and the observed heterozygosity ranged from 0.650 to 0.950. These loci should prove useful to study the species population genetics which could help to infer important aspects of the invasion process.

Fossorial morphotype does not make a species in water voles

Abstract Phenetic and ecological plasticity in Arvicola has caused a long-standing dispute over the number of species within the genus, which is currently thought to consist of two aquatic (sapidus, amphibius) and one fossorial species (scherman). We used mitochondrial cytochrome b (cytb) gene sequences to reconstruct phylogenetic relationships between the fossorial and the aquatic water voles from the various regions of their European and Asiatic range. These two types differed morphologically and exhibited allopatric ranges. Our study provided 50 new haplotypes, generating a total dataset of 70 different water vole cytb haplotypes. Phylogenetic reconstructions retrieved two major lineages that were in a sister position to A. sapidus: a fossorial Swiss lineage and a widespread cluster, which contained aquatic and fossorial water voles from Europe and western Siberia. The phylogeographic architecture in water voles is explained by Quaternary climatic dynamics. Our results show that A. scherman in its present scope is not a monophyletic taxon.

Isolation and Characterization of the First Microsatellite Markers for the Endangered Relict Mussel Hypanis colorata (Mollusca: Bivalvia: Cardiidae)

Hypanis colorata (Eichwald, 1829) (Cardiidae: Lymnocardiinae) is a bivalve relict species with a Ponto-Caspian distribution and is under strict protection in Romania, according to national regulations. While the species is depressed in the western Black Sea lagoons from Romania and Ukraine, it is also a successful invader in the middle Dniepr and Volga regions. Establishing a conservation strategy for this species or studying its invasion process requires knowledge about the genetic structure of the species populations. We have isolated and characterized nine polymorphic microsatellite markers in H. colorata. The number of alleles per locus ranged from 4 to 28 and the observed heterozygosity ranged from 0.613 to 1.000. The microsatellites developed in the present study are highly polymorphic and they should be useful for the assessment of genetic variation within this species.

Molecular insights into the taxonomy of Hypanis (Bivalvia, Cardiidae, Lymnocardiinae) in the Black Sea lagoons

In this study, we used data from morphology and three DNA markers to assess the taxonomic status of the putative bivalve species Hypanis colorata and Hypanis angusticostata in a Black Sea lagoon, the Razelm Lake in Romania. The morphological data (the shape of shell ribs and the multivariate analysis of morphometric variance of three variables constructed as the ratios between the main dimensions of the shell) confirmed that the two analyzed species are distinct morphological entities. Three molecular markers, one from the nuclear genome (18S rRNA) and two from the mitochondrial genome (16S rRNA and COI), showed extremely reduced sequence divergence (0–0.1%) between the two putative species. Based on these results, we suggest that H. angusticostata and H. colorata are morphotypes of a single species.

In Memoriam: Gheorghe Racoviţă (1940-2015)

The author’s rights are protected under a Creative Commons AttributionNonCommercial 4.0 International (CC BY-NC 4.0) license. Dr. Gheorghe Racoviţă, an eminent Romanian biospeleologist, died on 1 December 2015, at the age of 75. His passing leaves many in the national and international speleological community (and beyond) reflecting on his significant contributions to the discipline and the various ways he impacted the careers of those who knew him. Dr. Racoviţă was a Senior Scientist at the “Emil Racoviţă” Institute of Speleology (ERIS) in Cluj-Napoca, where he joined the research group in 1963. He also held an appointment as Associate Professor in the Department of Biology, Babeş-Bolyai University in Cluj-Napoca. Gheorghe earned his BS (1962) and PhD (1978) in Biology from Babeş-Bolyai University in Cluj and the Institute of Biological Research in Bucharest, respectively. As a grandson of the great Romanian scientist Emil Racoviţă well-known for his role as chief biologist of the ”Belgica” scientific expedition in Antarctica (1897-1899) and later as the founder of world’s first Speleological Institute (1920) in Cluj Gheorghe Racoviţă was inspired by his grandfathers passion for researching and understanding the subterranean fauna. Gheorghe’s legacy is evidenced by almost five decades of scientific contributions to the fields of quantitative taxonomy, origin and evolution of cave fauna, cave climatology, and karst protection. While serving in the ERIS, he authored and co-authored more than 140 papers, 12 books, 20 book chapters, and 20 articles, disseminating science to a broader audience. A selection of his publications are listed below. Dr. Racoviţă helped establish quantitative taxonomy and statistical analysis of cave climate data as viable and important tools in biospeleological and physical karstology studies. Like his grandfather, he was a strong advocate for using science to promote and advance environmental protection of karst regions. He supervised over 25 Bachelors, Masters, and PhD students at the Babeş-Bolyai University and ERIS. Gheorghe was soft-spoken, a good listener, a tireless worker, a very conscious editor, and a patient supportive mentor. Listed below are some of Racoviţă’s many scientific accomplishments: • spent decades working on quantitative taxonomy analysis of cave beetles (e.g., systematics, distribution, phylogeny, and ecology); • collaborated with other ERIS researchers to study cave topoclimate (e.g., statistical analysis of various climate parameters, modeling cave ventilation, etc.); • pioneered cave glaciology by investigating ice dynamics and climate evolution studies based on the ice block from Scărişoara Ice Cave; • studied the anthropic impact on cave climate and fauna; • made definitive contributions to the success of the biospeleological research conducted during the 1969 Cuban-Romanian Expedition. The monograph that published the results of this expedition received the Romanian Academy Award for Excellence in Research (1973). Dr. Racoviţă was truly extraordinary he was revered by generations of scientists and colleagues worldwide, and also by the eclectic group of biologists, geologists, geographers, paleontologists, and others that make up the Speleological Institute. The karst and cave community will deeply miss this awe-inspiring scientist, mentor, and friend.

Extinction and Radiation: How the Fall of Dinosaurs Led to the Rise of Mammals

Archibald, J. D. 2011. Extinction and Radiation: How the Fall of Dinosaurs Led to the Rise of Mammals . Johns Hopkins University Press, Baltimore, Maryland, USA, xii+108 pp.,

Beolens, B., M. Watkins, and M. Grayson (eds.). 2009. The Eponym Dictionary of Mammals. Johns Hopkins University Press, Baltimore, Maryland, i-xiii + 574 pp. ISBN-13 978-0-8018-9304-9 and ISBN-10 0-8018-9304-6, price (hardbound),

65. ISBN 13: 978-0-8018-9805-1 (hardcover). Despite the Earth’s immense age, only the last 600 million years have been characterized by remarkable biodiversity. If we accept that theropod dinosaurs were the ancestors of birds, and synapsids the ancestors of mammals, we can easily understand why the Triassic synapsids did not diversify to marsupial+placental mammals, and monotremes until the Jurassic, and why early placental mammals were no larger than shrews even by the end of Cretaceous. Until then, dinosaurs made up 95% of the total biomass of vertebrates through the second half of the Mesozoic; after their mass extinction, mammals radiated dramatically filling all niches of the dinosaurs and even invading new ones. This appears to be the central theme of Archibald’s book. With an extensive breadth of knowledge of recent paleontological discoveries in South America, Europe, and Asia, as well as considerable field experience in the western United States, southern Alberta, and Uzbekistan, Archibald is superbly qualified to draw on his vast experience. As evidenced by this book, he is also clearly unafraid to enter into polemics with other scientists on interpreting the value of recent world-wide mammal discoveries, the book’s central … “GrigoreAntipa” National Museum of Natural History, Sos. Kiseleff no. 1, 011341 Sectorul 1, Bucharest, Romania; e-mail: dmurariu{at}antipa.ro.

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Lloyd H. Shinners (1918–71) has been described as ‘‘one of the strongest and most interesting workers in the entire field of systematic botany in the United States.’’ An ambitious, complex, and many-faceted character, Shinners believed that nothing worthwhile was ever achieved without pain. A tireless worker, he added numerous specimens to the herbarium of Southern Methodist University that now forms the nucleus of the Botanical Institute of Texas (BRIT) in Fort Worth, and was a major player in the understanding of the extensive Texas flora. (Some of his students are presently involved with systematic studies of that flora.) An excellent teacher, he championed the cause of botany in general and classical taxonomy in particular. Much of Shinners’ biography is told in his own words, from letters, journal articles, notes, and other materials obtained by the author. His life spanned the time when plant taxonomy in the United States was undergoing fundamental changes, and the people involved in those changes were his friends and acquaintances. He corresponded with many of these scientists, and, as someone who entered taxonomy near the end of Shinners’ career, it is of personal interest for me to read about the lives of these individuals. Certain colleagues and students found Dr. Shinners to be a loyal friend who was generous and eager to be of help. He also was a rude complainer, a troublemaker, and a self-promoter who antagonized others. This biography is truly enjoyable reading and gives great insight into the life of an important plant taxonomist of the twentieth century.B. Beolens, M. Watkins, M. Grayson (eds.). 2009. The Eponym Dictionary of Mammals. Johns Hopkins University Press, Baltimore, Maryland, i-xiii + 574 pp. ISBN-13 978-0-8018-9304-9 and ISBN-10 0-8018-9304-6, price (hardbound),

New records of Sinanodonta woodiana (Lea, 1834) (Mollusca: Bivalvia: Unionidae) from Eastern Romania

65.00. Dictionaries attract an eclectic audience and have enjoyed a long and distinguished history ranging from early classics, such as Samuel Johnsons (1755) Dictionary of the English Language through your grandfathersFunk & Wagnalls, to todaysmultiple online incarnations. Recently dictionaries specific to an increasing array of fields and developing bodies of knowledge have appeared. This is hardly surprising, given the increasing level of specialization in all fields of science. In the natural sciences a few broadly used dictionaries are of high utility. These include dictionaries of biology, zoology, and other disciplines (Abercrombie et al. 1973; Allaby 2003; Crăciun and Crăciun 1976; Walker 1989). The Eponym Dictionary of Mammals is the 1st of its kind that explains who all those folks were who have scientific or vernacular names of mammals named after them. An important distinction should 1st be made between etymology and eponyms. The 1st refers to the origin of a word, explaining the evolution of the “etymon” (Greek for truth). Eponym also has Greek roots (eponymos or eponumos), including the prefix epi = on + onyma or onoma = name. To illustrate this distinction consider the etymology of the words Columbus, America, and Athens. Columbus Day is an eponym for Christopher Columbus, America is an eponym for Amerigo Vespucci, and the capital of Greece is an eponym for the goddess Athena. In the case of mammals common or vernacular and scientific names of species frequently honor a person and therefore are eponyms. The term patronym is frequently used in this sense, but it is restricted more properly to family names derived from paternal ancestors. Interestingly, occasional eponyms are indeed patronyms. In describing Anoura …