Austin, A.D & P.C. Dangerfield Department of Crop Protection, Waite Campus, The University of Adelaide, Glen Osmond, S.A. 5064.

Studies on the Systematics of Parasitic Wasps used in Biological Control.

The parasitic Hymenoptera is a huge assemblage of species which contribute the majority of biological control agents used against insect pests in agricultural systems. The accurate identification of potential agents represents a critical element in any ecological study. This is particularly so in biological control where long-term and costly studies are involved prior to release of parasitoids, and the results of misidentification are serious. Further, basic research on the phylogenetics of critical groups provide an evolutionary framework which guide comparative research on the ecology and behaviour of parasitoids and related studies on their host relationships and specificity. Most importantly, fully resolved phylogenies provide a powerful tool by which biological predictions can be made about the relationships and biology of undescribed taxa. Here we outline current research on the molecular phylogeny of the parasitic Hymenoptera, and projects aimed at revising the taxonomy of critical groups of parasitoids associated with a range of pests (locusts, heliothine moths, Phylacteophaga sawflies and Phoracantha beetles) in support of biological control projects in Australia and overseas.

Bayly, M. J., Brownsey, P. J. Museum of New Zealand Te Papa Tongarewa, P.O. Box 467, Wellington, New Zealand. Garnock-Jones, P. J. School of Biological Sciences, Victoria University of Wellington, P.O. Box 600, Wellington, New Zealand; Markham, K. R., Mitchell, K. A. Industrial Research Limited, P.O. Box 31-310, Lower Hutt, New Zealand; Malcolm, W. M. Micro-Optics Limited, P.O. Box 320, Nelson, New Zealand

Biosystematics of Hebe (Scrophulariaceae): a multidisciplinary approach.

Hebe is the largest genus of land plants in New Zealand (c. 5% of the native angiosperm flora) and is a distinctive and important component of many ecosystems. Some authors have seen Hebe as Gondwanan in origin, but recent cladistic evidence (based on morphology and ITS sequence data), suggests a more recent divergence from Asian relatives, with two instances of long-distance dispersal from New Zealand to southern South America. The last revision of the genus is that of Moore and Ashwin (in Allan 1961) and exploration since this time has revealed a large number of unnamed species. Our research is evaluating the status of all taxa within Hebe, using evidence of morphological and chemical (leaf flavonoid) variation. A phylogenetic hypothesis will be used to assess generic limits, produce an infrageneric classification, and provide further insight into the evolutionary and biogeographic history of the group. Information on the variation, distribution, and habitat of each species will be compiled in a fully illustrated monograph (to be completed by 2002).

Descriptions for this monograph will be generated from a DELTA dataset, and the printed work will be supplemented with an interactive key.

Blakemore, R.J. c/- Queen Victoria Museum, Wellington St., Launceston, 7250.

First authenticated record of the introduced Lumbricus terrestris in Australia.

The earthworm Lumbricus terrestris Linnaeus, 1758 is confirmed from a suburban garden in Launceston, Tasmania - the first authenticated record of this introduced species in Australia. A description and illustration sufficient for recognition of this species are provided, and its world distribution, habitat and characteristic behaviour are noted. Studies on L. terrestris have a long history: it marked the start of annelid taxonomy and it was one of the species considered by Charles Darwin in his famous treatise on earthworms in 1881. In the past, various other earthworm species have frequently been misidentified as L. terrestris, perhaps partly due to it being erroneously known as the 'common earthworm' in school texts. An unfortunate consequence of earlier unsubstantiated accounts of this species in Australia is the unverified perpetuation of this myth in subsequent literature. Discovery of this species adds to the author's (unpublished) tally of introduced or allochthonous earthworms in Australia that now number approximately 60 species.

Carrucan A.E. School of Botany, University of Melbourne, Parkville, Victoria 3052.

Floral development and evolution in the Chamelaucium group (Myrtaceae).

The Chamelaucium group comprises familiar genera such as Baeckea, Chamelaucium, Darwinia and Thryptomene. The main diversity of the group is in the south-west of Western Australia, where nine genera are endemic. The mature flowers exhibit wide diversity of form, particularly in regard to the androecium - variation occurs in the number, position, length and clustering of stamens, and whether or not staminodes are present. This variation is important when considering the systematics of the group, but its underlying developmental basis is unknown. Ontogenetic studies are needed to determine whether the major differences seen in mature flowers are due to substantial differences in developmental pathways. The diversity of floral form exhibited by flowers is the result of processes occurring during bud growth: specifically, changes in size and shape of the growing floral meristem, and the timing of primordium initiation. Construction of developmental series using scanning electron microscopy and descriptive accounts for each genus allow qualitative comparisons to be made between developmental sequences, and identification of general patterns of growth within the group. Research to date has concentrated on taxa including Astartea, Micromyrtus and Thryptomene, and the developmental sequences presented highlight the floral diversity within the group with respect to the formation of clusters of stamens, positioning of stamens (antesepalous/antepetalous), and the number of stamens per flower. Further research on the quantitative analysis of the relationship between the spatial and temporal parameters of meristem expansion and organ initiation for each taxon, employing two-dimensional modelling of flower sector growth, will determine the mechanisms acting to generate the different types of flower patterns seen in the group.

Cayzer, L. W., Crisp. M. D. & Telford, I.R., Division of Botany and Zoology, Australian National University, Canberra, ACT. 0200.

The new genus Auranticarpa (Pittosporaceae).

Following the systematic review of the family Pittosporaceae in Australia, a new genus, Auranticarpa is being described. This new genus has six species, mainly in monsoonal northern Australia. Three are new combinations (A. rhombifolia, A. melanosperma, A. resinosa, all previously in Pittosporum),and three are described for the first time, A. edentata (previously P.'40 mile scrub'), A. ilicifolia and A. papyracea.

The type species of this new genus, A. rhombifolia, is known to the horticultural trade as the 'Queensland Pittosporum' and it is now grown throughout temperate Australia for its attractive floral and fruit displays.

Chandler, G.T. & Crisp, M.D. Division of Botany & Zoology, The Australian National University, Canberra, ACT, 0200.

Discovery of Daviesia sejugata, a new species from South Australia and Tasmania, and revision of the Daviesia ulicifolia species complex.

Following a morphometric and cladistic analysis of the Daviesia ulicifolia Andrews group (Chandler & Crisp 1997, Plant Systematics and Evolution, in press), a new species, D. sejugata G.Chandler & Crisp, was segregated from D. ulicifolia. It occurs disjunctly in eastern Tasmania and the southern Yorke Peninsula and Kangaroo Island, South Australia, and is most closely related to D. arthropoda F.Muell., differing in a generally more robust habit, thicker fleshy phyllodes and larger flowers. Daviesia ulicifolia, even with D. sejugata removed, still varies greatly over a wide geographic, edaphic and altitudinal range, and was divided into six subspecies: subsp. aridicola G.Chandler & Crisp, subsp. incarnata G.Chandler & Crisp, subsp. pilligensis G.Chandler & Crisp, subsp. ruscifolia (A.Cunn. ex Benth.) G.Chandler & Crisp, subsp. stenophylla G.Chandler & Crisp and subsp. ulicifolia.

Chandler, G.T. & Crisp, M.D. (1997). Morphometric and phylogenetic analysis of the Daviesia ulicifolia complex (Fabaceae: Mirbelieae). Plant Systematics and Evolution in press.

Dangerfield, P.C. & A.D.Austin. Department of Crop Protection, Waite Campus, The University of Adelaide, Glen Osmond, S.A. 5064.

Systematics of Australian Scelio Latreille (Hymenoptera: Scelionidae), parisitoids of acridid eggs.

Scelio species are important parasitoids of acridid eggs in that they undoubtedly limit populations of various species and may aid in the control of destructive pests such as Chortoicetes terminifera (Walker), the Australian plague locust. The current project has utilised about 10,000 specimens generated mainly from mass collecting techniques over the last 15 years with many coming from previously uncollected remote habitats from Central Australia, the north-west, and north-east wet forests. The taxonomy of this genus, although adequately revised by Dodd (1927), is now well out of date. More than twice the number of Scelio species are now known compared to Dodd's (1927) study. The revision of the genus includes detailed descriptions of all species along with notes on biology, host relationships, distributions, and an illustrated key to species for the Australian region. This poster will investigate some of the characters being examined to define species boundaries, using scanning electron microscopy and pen and ink illustrations, and will be presented in a way that reflects the results of the preliminary phylogenetic analyses.

Dobson, S. J. & S. C. Barker. Department of Parasitology and Centre for Molecular and Cellular Biology, University of Queensland, St. Lucia, QLD 4072.

Phylogeny of Australian Hard Ticks.

Australia has about 65 species of ticks (Acari: Ixodida). The majority of these species are endemic (43). The others are either restricted toAustralasia (12), are cosmopolitan (e.g. species on migratory birds; 7), or are introduced (3). A recently published phylogeny of the Ixodida inferred from 18S rRNA sequence data supported the evolutionary hypothesis of Hoogstraal and Aeschlimann. We obtained 18S rRNA sequence data for a further 15 species, including 6 endemic Australian species. Data was also obtained for a mite from the genus Allothyrus, a member of the Holothyrida. In the trees inferred using parsimony, distance and maximum likelihood methods the topology of the Metastriata was substantially different from that obtained in the earlier study. Inclusion of the Australian species revealed that the genus Aponomma and the family Amblyomminae are paraphyletic. The Australian members of the genus Aponomma formed the basal group in the Metastriata, suggesting that this division diverged from the Prostriata prior to the geographic isolation of Australia. The mite from the genus Allothyrus was closely related to the Ixodida. This result was consistent with morphological similarities between the Holothyrida and Ixodida, and suggests a sister-group relationship between them. The Mesostigmata has also been considered a possible sister-group of the Ixodida, but species belonging to this order were less closely related to the Ixodida. Given the Gondwanan distribution of the members of the Holothyrida we propose the hypothesis that the Ixodida originated in Gondwana.

Flann, Christina. Monash University

Bracteantha palustris (Asteraceae: Gnaphalieae), a new species in Victoria and Tasmania.

In a study of Bracteantha from Victoria and Tasmania a new species was identified and will be described as Bracteantha palustris in a forthcoming paper. This new species is presented in this poster and its distribution, habitat, conservation status and relationship to other species of Bracteantha are discussed. In particular the differences between this species and Bracteantha subundulata to which it was previously referred are highlighted. The status of Bracteantha bicolor and B.subundulata var. angustifolium is discussed, and a key to all Bracteantha species in south-eastern Australia is provided.

Grayling, Peter, M. Department of Botany, University of Western Australia

Taxonomic Revision of Eucalyptus series Loxophlebae using morphometric and essential oil data.

Gas chromatographic analyses of solvent extracts from adult leaves provided quantitative characters which were used, in conjunction with morphometric data, in a phenetic examination of relationships within Western Australian endemic Eucalyptus series Loxophlebae. Multivariate analyses of these data suggested that the widespread E. loxophleba (York gum) comprises four geographic subspecies, loxophleba, lissophloia supralaevis and gratiae. A second chemotype, high in terpene hydrocarbons, was found to occur within populations of subsp. lissophloia in two widely disjunct areas.

A rare, non-terpenoid compound, 4-methylpent-2-yl acetate (MPA), which is known to occur in only four Eucalyptus species, is abundant in the oils of the four subspecies of E. loxophleba and is absent from the three remaining taxa in the series, E. semota, E. articulata and E. blaxellii. This, in addition to the multivariate analyses of oil and morphometric data, supported the maintenance of specific status for the three taxa. (Poster withdrawn).

Henwood1 M.J. and A. Van den Borre2. 1John Ray Herbarium, School of Biological Sciences, Macleay Building (A12), The University of Sydney. NSW 2006. 2Current address: Bioinformatics, Research School of Biological Sciences, Australian National University. ACT 2601

Phylogeny of Apiales.

There is little debate that together, Apiaceae and Araliaceae represent a monophyletic group. However, all attempts to infer the phylogenetic relationships within the order using morphological data have been of a largely speculative, narrative nature. Recent molecular analyses have contributed results based upon rbcL and matK sequence data (Plunkett, 1996; 1997) and a necessaraly limited taxonomic sample. They confirm that the difficulty in understanding the relationships within the order appears to hinge on some members of apiaceous subfamily Hydrocotyloideae and some 'key' taxa of Araliaceae. We present here a review of the available morphological data and employ these data in a cladistic analysis aimed at resolving the familial and infrafamilial limits within the order. Our analysis indicates that the phylogeny of Apiaceae using morphological data is more tractable than previously thought, and that even with a relatively limited set of data we were able to retrieve a topology similar to that generated from molecular data. Furthermore, our analysis indicated that the Apioideae and Saniculoideae are monophyletic, whereas Hydrocotyloideae is polyphyletic. Weak support for Harms' tribes of Araliaceae was found.

Heyligers, Petrus C.,Hon. Research Associate, CSIRO Wildlife and Ecology, PO Box 84, Lyneham ACT 2602.

Gaps - True or False ?

I have used location information from herbarium collections for analysing the spread of several introduced coastal dune species. When I was trying to work out dispersal patterns from these data, the question arose whether large gaps between collection locations were due to "undercollecting" or indeed reflected a true absence in intervening areas. The results of a detailed survey of the dunes of New South Wales in 1987 (P. J. Clarke, Univ. Sydney Coastal Studies Unit Tech. Reps. 89/1 and 89/4) provided an opportunity to check a set of field data against herbarium records. In my poster I compare the distributions as found by Clarke with those from herbarium specimens held in BRI, NE, NSW, SYD, UNSW, CANB, CBG, GAUBA and MEL for the following species: Spinifex sericeus, Hydrocotyle bonariensis, Cakile edentula, C. maritima, Arctotheca populifolia, Calystegia soldanella, Ipomoea pes-caprae, Canavalia rosea, Chamaesyce psammogeton, Stackhousia spathulata, Oenothera drummondii and Gladiolus gueinzii. Unfortunately, not all maps were ready in time for the results to be given in this abstract, but my preliminary conclusion is that for some species the two sets of data give comparable results, while for other ones there are inexplicably wide gaps in the herbarium documentation of distribution patterns.

Iqbal, M. & A.D.Austin. Department of Crop Protection, Waite Campus, The University of Adelaide, Glen Osmond, S.A. 5064.

Phylogeny of the Baeine Wasps (Scelionidae, Hymenoptera): parisitoids of spider eggs.

The Baeini are a monophyletic tribe of endoparasitoids of spider eggs. Ecologically they are considered to play an important role in regulating spider populations being responsible for 30-40% of egg mortality. Further they have significant potential as a target group in biodiversity studies because they are ubiquitous and trophically linked to another target group, spiders. At present 86 species are described in eight genera from the Australasian region but preliminary results from this study indicate that more than 400 species are present in this region. The current classification of the tribe is not natural and is mostly based on sympleisomorphies. To date, no attempt has been made to resolve relationships among taxa using phylogenetic methodology. However, such work is now required to support a revision of the Australian species. To determine a phylogeny for the Baeini, a data matrix was constructed by coding 40 informative morphological characters for 51 taxa and analysed using PAUP 3.1.1. This analysis shows that Idris and Ceratobaeus, the largest genera in Australia comprising some 150 species each, are probably polyphyletic, necessitating a major revision of baeine classification. However, such changes require more broad-ranging studies that are be undertaken during this study. Although Ceratobaeus is clearly not monophyletic, it is none-the-less easily recognised morphologically. Subsequent phylogenetic analyses have focused on identifying monophyletic species groups, as a basis for species' revisions.

Jennings, J.T. & A.D.Austin. Department of Crop Protection, Waite Campus, The University of Adelaide, Glen Osmond, S.A. 5064.

Phylogeny of the hyptiogastrine wasps (Hymenoptera: Evanioidea: Gasteruptiidae), predator-inquilines of solitary bees.

Hyptiogastrine wasps are predator-inquilines of various solitary bees. They lay their eggs in the nests of the host where they hatch and consume the host egg or larva and then consume the pollen store. At present the subfamily Hyptiogastrinae comprises 32 described species in five genera although there are more than 25 undescribed species of Eufoenus. The subfamily has a Gondwanan distribution with Pseudofoenus restricted to New Zealand, Aulacofoenus found in both Australia and South America, and, with the exception of a few species of Eufoenus in the South Pacific, Eufoenus, Aulacofoenus and Hyptiogaster are restricted to Australia. To resolve the relationships amoung taxa, a data matrix was constructed using 58 morphological characters for 55 taxa and analysed using the UNIX version of PAUP. Initial results suggest that the Hyptiogastrinae is monophyletic and the sister group to the Gasteruptiinae (a single genus Gasteruption with over 400 species). Within the Hyptiogastrinae both Hyptiogaster and Crassifoenus are monophyletic, Eufoenus is probably polyphyletic, but other relationships are unclear. Subsequent phylogenetic analyses are focusing on examining further characters in an attempt to resolve the relationships.

Jones, Rodney H., N. Prakash & Jeremy J. Bruhl. Department of Botany, University of New England, Armidale, NSW 2351, Australia.

Systematic Studies in Acacia subgenus Phyllodineae (Fabaceae: Mimosoideae).

The identity and status of a putatively new species of Acacia was determined. Ordination and agglomerative clustering were utilised in the recognition and determination of rank of A. sp. nov. and members of the morphologically similar Acacia brunioides, A. conferta--A. tindaleae and A. ruppii--A. torringtonensis complexes.

The recognition of A. sp. nov. as a new species is supported by the consistent, cohesive and discrete grouping of specimens in all analyses. Results from phenetic analyses, plus morphological differences and known distribution range of the subspecies of A. brunioides, merit tentative recognition of these taxa at specific rank. Considerable overlap of specimens of A. ruppii and A. torringtonensis in the phenetic analyses indicates a strong morphometric continuity between these two taxa. Specimens previously referred to A. ruppii and A. torringtonensis should now be regarded as one species under the name A. ruppii.

Evidence from this study indicates that A. sp. nov. is rare. The estimated total known population of less than 1 000 plants occurs within Gibraltar Range National Park (North East NSW). Based on this information, a ROTAP code of 2RCit is suggested for A. sp. nov.

Loussert, Nathalie, Stephen G. Reyes and Michael P. Schwarz. School of Biological Sciences, Flinders University of South Australia, GPO Box 2100, Adelaide, SA 5001, Australia.

Phylogeny and social evolution in the endemic Australian allodapine bees (Hymenoptera: Apidae).

The endemic Australian allodapine bees form a monophyletic clade referred to informally as the Exoneura group, and include four genera: Exoneurella, Brevineura, Exoneura and the parasitic genus Inquilina. Allodapine bees are uniquely characterised by progressively rearing their brood in an undivided linear burrow, which exposes them to various selective pressures that may strongly influence social evolution. The allodapine bees are particularly suited for comparative approaches to social evolution because they display high levels of inter and intra-generic variation in social and ecological attributes. The Australian allodapines exhibit a wide range of social organisation, ranging from predominantly solitary to highly eusocial behaviour. Our study used morphological and mtDNA sequence data to establish the phylogenetic relationship among the non-parasitic taxa. The results of separate analyses of the different data sets were highly congruent and therefore it was appropriate to combine all three data sets into a single data matrix. The combined analysis resulted in one most parsimonious tree with the following generic relationship: (Exoneurella + (Brevineura + Exoneura)). We used the resulting phylogenetic framework to examine evolutionary trends of key social traits among the major clades. It appears that certain traits such as, kin cofounding, synchronous brood production and univoltinism have a single recent origin in the genus Exoneura. The historical relationships in the Exoneura group suggest that sociality may have arisen via the subsocial route.

Macaranas, J.M., D.J. Colgan, R. E. Major, G. Cassis and M. R. Gray. The Australian Museum, 6-8 College St., Sydney, New South Wales 2000.

Microsatellite Variation in the Carpenter Ant and Its Potential Use In Investigating the Effects of Habitat Fragmentation.

The wheatbelt area of New South Wales has been identified as a suitable region for investigation of the potential benefits of corridors for invertebrate species conservation. Five microsatellite loci, primers for which two were published and three have been provided by Prof. Ross Crozier, were used to determine genotypes from genomic DNA's of 134 individual workers of Camponotus morphospecies 1 randomly collected f rom 6 forest sites and 6 roadside reserves located between West Wyalong and Condobolin. The ants were shown to comprise two sympatric genetically isolated forms based on complete divergence at three microsatellite loci, Ccons 12, Ccons 70 and Ccons 79. High levels of genetic variability were displayed by each site sample regardless of sample size, with overall mean number of alleles per locus and/or proportion of polymorphic loci highest in sites where genotypes suggested several mating groups or nests. There was no significant grouping of sites according to remnant type ( forests vs. roads) or according to geographic proximity. The implications of results to the maintenance of genetic variability in habitat corridors are discussed.

Morris, David, Laurence Mound1, & Michael Schwarz, School of Biological Sciences, Flinders University, GPO Box 2100, Adelaide 5001; 1CSIRO Division of Entomology, GPO Box 1700, Canberra, ACT 2601

Cladistic analyses of Acacia gall-inducing thrips and their allies.

A variety of forms of social organisation have been recently recognised in gall inducing and allied thrips (Phlaeothripinae). Thrips are haplodiploid, making them an ideal group for comparison with the social Hymenoptera, where sociality is well studied. Australia exhibits a wide diversity of Phlaeothripine thrips displaying behaviours that range from solitary, through group living, to eusocial. These taxa include a variety of gall inducers with varying degrees of social behaviour found on Acacia, woody-gall formers on Casuarina, kleptoparasites of both these groups, social and non-social phyllode gluers on Acacia, and opportunistic gall users. Comparative approaches to assessments of evolutionary hypotheses require that the phylogenies of relevant groups are known. Although there have been recent, DNA-sequence-based studies of the Acacia gall inducers, no cladistic studies have been carried out on the broader relationships among their allies. We present the results of a cladistic analysis of these thrips using morphological characters. We conclude that : (i) our results are consistent with the current theory that the Acacia gall inducers form a monophyletic group; (ii) the trait of gall induction in general has several independent origins in the Australian Phlaeothripinae; and (iii) kleptoparasitism of Acacia galls evolved in a group that is not closely related to the gall inducing species. We briefly discuss these results and outline several issues that need to be addressed to understand the evolution of sociality in Australian gall-inducing thrips.

Murphy D.J. School of Botany, The University of Melbourne, Parkville, Victoria 3052.

Geographic variation in Acacia verniciflua and its relationship to A. leprosa and A. ausfeldii (Mimosaceae).

Acacia verniciflua sensu lato occurs along the eastern sea-board of mainland Australia from Queensland to South Australia and in Tasmania. This species shows considerable morphological variation across its range, most notably within Victoria. A. verniciflua has two major nerves per phyllode and is characterised by a resinous coating on the phyllodes, hence the common name, Varnish wattle. A. verniciflua is closely allied to A. leprosa and A. ausfeldii both of which have one-nerved phyllodes.

Herbarium material was examined and Victorian populations of A. verniciflua, A. leprosa and A. ausfeldii were sampled in the field. Multivariate analysis of morphological characters show that within A. verniciflua sensu lato there are at least four disparate taxa to be recognised (along similar lines to those determined for the Flora of Victoria). These are: a taxon previously called A. exudans Lindley; a taxon from the Bacchus Marsh region of Victoria; A. graveolens Lodd. to be resurrected and revised to contain one- and two-nerved taxa, including an extreme form from Mt William in the Grampians and; A. verniciflua sensu stricto to be retained for the majority of specimens.

Other characters investigated, including nerve development in the one- and two-nerved taxa and the anatomy of glandular hairs found on phyllode surfaces, lend support to the results of the multivariate analysis.

Raulings, Elisa J. School of Botany, University of Melbourne, Parkville, 3052, Australia.

Morphometric, genetic and pollination ecology studies of the Stylidium graminifolium species complex.

The grass Triggerplant Stylidium graminifolium is the most widespread of Stylidium species, occurring throughout coastal and montane regions of Vic, NSW, Tas, QLD and SA. Stylidium graminifolium grows on a diversity of soil types across a broad altitudinal range, and throughout its taxonomic history has been noted to be morphologically diverse. However, previous taxon delimitation has been based on inadequate sampling across the species' geographic range and insufficient description of morphological characters.

Morphological diversity within the species complex in Victoria was documented using a range of floral, vegetative and cytogenetic characters. Phenetic analysis of these data suggests a number of distinct taxa are represented by S. graminifolium. in Victoria. Evolution of these taxa may relate to the differentiation of biogeographic areas within Victoria, to climatic and edaphic factors, and to reproductive isolation of sympatric species through pollinator partitioning. To date, relatively few morphometric and genetic studies of intraspecific variation have been assessed in conjunction with covariation in floral characters.

Rowett A.I. Department of Mines and Energy Resources, South Australia. PO Box 151 Eastwood, South Australia. 5063.

Fossil Leaf types from Stuart Creek.

A Photographic Display accompanied by location map and stratigraphic column.

Scarr, Mark and David R. Greenwood, Dept. of Biological & Food Sciences, Victoria University of Technology, PO Box 14428, MCMC, Melbourne, VIC 8001

The sensitivity of leaf morphology to environmental factors in the rainforest-wet sclerophyll tree, Hedycarya angustifolia(Monimiaceae).

Two methods that have been used to examine plant responses to varying climatic conditions are; stomatal frequency and foliar physiognomy i.e. leaf size, shape, marginal teeth, drip tips etc. Research in Europe and North America showed that stomatal density within individual woody plant species varies with atmospheric CO2 concentration. However, recent Australian studies on dry-climate trees suggest that other environmental factors may act to confound the stomatal-density ppCO2 signal. There is presently little information on the response of stomatal density to environmental factors for Australian temperate rainforest tree species.Leaf size and shape vary within species as adaptations to control both heating or cooling of the leaf, and water loss. Several studies have shown that leaf size in Australian rainforests varies proportionally with temperature, however little work has been done on the response of individual species of tree. Leaves were collected and analysed from a range of habitats representing the climatic variation of Hedycarya angustifolia (Austral Mulberry) in temperate rain forest & wet sclerophyll eucalypt forest within selected areas in Victoria. This project has 2 goals: (1) to determine the within population variation of foliar physiognomy (including stomatal density) of Hedycarya angustifolia (2) to determine the trends (if any) in variation of foliar physiognomy along environmental gradients, such as from cool (e.g. Mean Annual Temperature 14#C) to warm (MAT 25#C), and dry to wet (annual precipitation 800mm to 2400mm).

Thampapillai, Gowrie, Evolutionary Biology Unit, The Australian Museum, 6 College Street, Sydney, NSW 2000

Molecular Phylogeny of Arthropods based on Mitochondrial Cytochrome Oxidase 1 Gene tree.

Molecular analysis based on partial cytochrome oxidase subunit 1 (COX1) DNA sequences (550 bp) derived from 13 new taxa and 12 published taxa among arthropods supports the monophyly of the arthropod lineage. The analysis based on the aminoacid sequences of cox 1, encompassing the four major extant groups of arthropods: myriapods, hexapods, chelicerates and crustaceans lends support for the mandibulata grouping and suggests that the crustaceans and not the myriapods are the sister group of the hexapods.

Tudge, Christopher. Crustacean Laboratory, Museum of Victoria, 71 Victoria Crescent, Abbotsford, VIC 3067. [ctudge@mov.vic.gov.au]

Spermatological Phylogeny of the Anomuran Crabs (Decapoda:Crustacea).

A phylogenetic analysis (using PAUP) of 51 selected anomuran (half crabs), thalassinidean (mud shrimps), and other decapod crustacean taxa (true crabs, lobsters and bugs), based on 32 spermatozoal ultrastructural characters and spermatophore morphological characters was performed. A 50% majority rule consensus tree of 136 steps was obtained from the 26 shortest and equally parsimonious trees produced using and heuristic search strategy.

The infraorder Anomura are not a monophyletic assemblage, with the hairy stone crab, Lomis, being exclusive of the remainder of the anomuran taxa, and the mud lobster, Thalassina, included in the anomuran clade. The synapomorphy joining the majority of the conventional anomuran taxa (Lomis excluded) is the cytoplasmic origin of the ubiquitous microtubular arms. When the palinurid (marine lobsters and bugs) and thalassinoid (mud shrimps) representatives are separately designated as outgroups, the Astacidea (crayfish) and Brachyura (true crabs) jointly formed a sister group to the Anomura. The superfamilies Thalassinoidea, Paguroidea, and Galatheoidea are not monophyletic groups. In all analyses the anomuran familes Coenobitidea (land hermit crabs) and Porcellanidae (porcelain crabs) each form a monophyletic group. The hermit crab family Diogenidae is paraphyletic, with the genera Clibanarius and Cancellus separate from a single clade containing the remaining diogenid genera. The hermit crab families Paguridae and Parapaguridae form a monophyletic clade with the exception of Porcellanopagurus. The taxa in the family Galatheidae are not a monophyletic assemblage. The only investigated mole crab, Hippa, is portrayed as the sister group to the remainder of the anomuran taxa (with the exception of the hairy stone crab, Lomis).

Volschenk, E.S. Environmental Biology, Curtin University of Technology, GPO Box U 1987, Perth W.A. 6845

Systematics and Biogeography of the Australian scorpions within the genus Lychas C. L. Koch (Scorpiones; Buthidae).

Scorpions in the genus Lychas (Buthidae) can be found throughout Australia and are commonly encountered in surveys of terrestrial ground invertebrates. The most recent taxonomic treatment of the Australian Lychas only recognised three species. Earlier literature indicates that as many as 14 species exist; however these are synonymised with the three species presently recognised. The illustrated morphological attributes of several species are shown here. It is obvious that Australia's scorpion fauna is much more diverse than the three species presently recognised. This project will bring stability to the taxonomic state of Lychas in Australia through a thorough revision of the genus. Analyses of morphological characters and distributions of species will be used to hypothesise the evolution of Lychas in Australia and its affinities with species found in Wallacea.