Reopening an old chapter

Abstract

The triploid complex of Rubus montanus (Rubus ser. Discolores, Rosaceae) is a particularly intricate group due to its plasticity and variability. The representatives of this group are, notwithstanding the high number of taxon names published, often considered a single species (Rubus montanus s.l.). In the course of extensive field studies and herbarium revisions we revealed three widely distributed morphologically defined types that were formerly incorporated in R. montanus s.l. but should be treated as separate species. We analysed them using both morphological and genetic methods. We found that the species examined are identical with the formerly described R. montanus Lib. ex Lej., R. bicolor Opiz and R. velutinus Vest ex Tratt., and provide a taxonomic reassessment, discussion of synonymy and typification of certain taxon names, and complete their morphological description, ecological characteristics and distribution. We show that the morphological delimitation of the triploid Discolores microspecies is highly compatible with molecular evidence for the independent sexual origin of these units (or, rarely, extensive mutational diversification). On the contrary, the intraspecific genetic variation is rather low and only mutational, and confirms their strictly apomictic reproduction. Nevertheless, mutational load may be substantial and mutation-based and recombination-based variation overlap in some instances. Highly variable molecular genetic markers such as microsatellites are recommended as an additional line of evidence for species delimitation in any further taxonomical studies on other groups of brambles.

Eriophyoid (Acariformes: Eriophyoidea) and Phytoseiid (Parasitiformes: Phytoseiidae) Mite Fauna of Selected Rubus taxa (Rosaceae) with Re-description of Anthocoptes rubicolens Roivainen and Epitrimerus rubi (Domes)

“…Altogether 12 species of bramble were included in the sampling; further two distinct Rubus taxa could be identified only on the rank of series (see Tables 1, 2 and 3). The nomenclature of Rubus taxa follows generally Kurtto et al (2010), for some recently described or lectotypified species Király et al (2015Király et al ( , 2017 and Sochor et al, (2019). The botanical voucher specimens collected during the studies were generally deposited in the collection of the Hungarian Natural History Museum (BP) and/or in the private herbarium of G. Király. In the course of sampling leaves of brambles were placed in paper and polythene bag and then posted to the corresponding author (G. Ripka) for identification.…”