Two remarkable new species of the Australian moth genus Gallaba Walker (Lepidoptera: Notodontidae, Notodontinae) from the highlands of Tasmania.

The distinctive notodontine moth genus Gallaba Walker, 1865 is confined to eastern and southern Australia where multiple species inhabit forests, woodlands and heathlands from sea level to montane forests of at least 1650m. The continental island of Tasmania supports four Gallaba species (including these two new endemics) at the current global southern limit of Notodontidae. Two distinctive new species are described from montane and subalpine Tasmania: Gallaba constellata sp.

Polyzosteria cockroaches in Tasmania (Blattodea: Blattidae: Polyzosteriinae) represent a new, endemic species, with allopatric alpine and coastal sub-populations.

We describe the endemic Tasmanian cockroach, Polyzosteria yingina sp. nov. (Henry), 78 years after it was first documented.

Large nested melanoma: a clinicopathological, morphometric and cytogenetic study of 12 cases.

A group of melanomas characterised by predominant growth as large nests within the epidermis has been described. These cases present a diagnostic challenge, as many traditional architectural criteria for the recognition of melanoma are absent. We report the clinical, histological, immunohistochemical, morphometric and cytogenetic features of a series of 12 cases of large nested melanoma.

The effectiveness of common thermo-regulatory behaviours in a cool temperate grasshopper.

Behavioural thermoregulation has the potential to alleviate the short-term impacts of climate change on some small ectotherms, without the need for changes to species distributions or genetic adaptation. We illustrate this by measuring the effect of behaviour in a cool temperate species of grasshopper (Phaulacridium vittatum) over a range of spatial and temporal scales in laboratory and natural field experiments. Microhabitat selection at the site scale was tested in free-ranging grasshoppers and related to changing thermal quality over a daily period.

Experimental manipulation of melanism demonstrates the plasticity of preferred temperature in an agricultural pest (Phaulacridium vittatum).

Phenotypic plasticity is a key trait of successful pest species, and may increase the ability to cope with higher, more variable temperatures under climate change. We investigate the plasticity of preferred temperature in a widespread agricultural pest, the wingless grasshopper (Phaulacridium vittatum). Preferred temperature is a measure of thermoregulatory behaviour through habitat selection.

A test of the thermal melanism hypothesis in the wingless grasshopper Phaulacridium vittatum.

Altitudinal clines in melanism are generally assumed to reflect the fitness benefits resulting from thermal differences between colour morphs, yet differences in thermal quality are not always discernible. The intra-specific application of the thermal melanism hypothesis was tested in the wingless grasshopper Phaulacridium vittatum (Sjöstedt) (Orthoptera: Acrididae) first by measuring the thermal properties of the different colour morphs in the laboratory, and second by testing for differences in average reflectance and spectral characteristics of populations along 14 altitudinal gradients. Correlations between reflectance, body size, and climatic variables were also tested to investigate the underlying causes of clines in melanism.

Shifts in composition of monthly invertebrate assemblages in Moorland differed between lowland and montane locations but not fire-ages.

Understanding seasonal changes in invertebrate populations is important for understanding ecosystem processes and for conservation of invertebrate communities. Few studies have investigated variation in seasonal responses of multiorder and multispecies invertebrate assemblages. To determine whether temporal patterns in invertebrate assemblages and taxa vary between locations and vegetation age since burning, patterns of invertebrate occurrence were investigated monthly for 12 mo in cool temperate buttongrass moorlands at two locations (lowland and montane) containing paired plots with different fire history (young and old regrowth).

Putting plant resistance traits on the map: a test of the idea that plants are better defended at lower latitudes.

• It has long been believed that plant species from the tropics have higher levels of traits associated with resistance to herbivores than do species from higher latitudes. A meta-analysis recently showed that the published literature does not support this theory. However, the idea has never been tested using data gathered with consistent methods from a wide range of latitudes.

Classic metapopulations are rare among common beetle species from a naturally fragmented landscape.

1. The general importance of metacommunity and metapopulation theories is poorly understood because few studies have examined responses of the suite of species that occupy the same fragmented landscape. In this study, we examined the importance of spatial ecological theories using a large-scale, naturally fragmented landscape.

Waiting for the break of dawn? The effects of discharge time, discharge TISS scores and discharge facility on hospital mortality after intensive care.

Objective: To assess the effects of discharge Therapeutic Intervention Scoring System (TISS) scores, discharge time and type of discharge facility on ultimate hospital mortality after intensive care.

Design: Retrospective cohort study.

Setting: General intensive care unit (ICU) in a district general hospital.