White dotted greenbrier (Smilax leucophylla)

Canar or white dotted greenbrier (Smilax leucophylla) is a species of plant in the Smilacaceae, climbing plants, stems have tendrils, dark green stems, cylindrical stems and red or brown stiff spines.

S. leucophylla has oval-shaped leaves extending to oval wide, sitting alternately, 10-32 cm long and 4-22 cm wide. Leaves have 3-5 veins. The upper side surface is dark green, glossy and white spots.

Flowers appear in the leaf axils. Male flowers are pale white or greenish yellow or brown. The fruit is round, red and black when ripe and stemmed. Seeds are round, located in the middle of the fruit and 1-6 seeds.

This species grows in dry to moist soil in jungles, river banks to ravines and adapts to a pH of 4-6.2. The plant is used as rheumatism, syphilis, ulcers, menstrual disorders, hemorrhoids, swelling due to sprains, antiseptic, antibacterial, stomachache and antidote.

TAXON

Kingdom: Plantae
Phylum: Tracheophyta
Subphylum: Angiospermae
Class: Liliopsida
Order: Liliales
Family: Smilacaceae
Genus: Smilax L. in Sp. Pl.: 1028 (1753)
Species: Smilax leucophylla Blume in Enum. Pl. Javae: 18 (1827)

HETEROTYPIC SYNONYMS

Smilax dulcis Desf. in Tabl. École Bot.: 218 (1804)
Smilax glycyphylla Hassk. in Flora 25(2 Beibl.): 4 (1842)
Smilax latifolia Blanco in Fl. Filip., ed. 2.: 548 (1845)
Smilax leucophylla var. retusa (Blume) Kunth in Enum. Pl. 5: 250 (1850)
Smilax retusa Blume in Enum. Pl. Javae: 18 (1827)
Smilax sankira Kaempf. ex Reider in Geheimnisse Blumisterei 3: 684 (1830)
Smilax vicaria Kunth in Enum. Pl. 5: 262 (1850)

PUBLICATIONS

George, A.S. (ed.) (1986). Flora of Australia 46: 1-247. Australian Government Publishing Service, Canberra.

Kress, W.J., DeFilipps, R.A., Farr, E. & Kyi, D.Y.Y. (2003). A Checklist of the Trees, Shrubs, Herbs and Climbers of Myanmar. Contributions from the United States National Herbarium 45: 1-590.

M.J.E.Coode & al. (eds.) (1996). A checklist of the flowering plants & gymnosperms of Brunei Darussalam: 1-477. Ministry of Industry and Primary Resources, Brunei Darussalam.

Merrill, E.D. (1922). An enumeration of Philippine flowering plants 1(2): 129-240. Bureau of Science, Manila.

VERNACULAR NAME

English: White dotted greenbrier, Canar
Indonesian: Canar
Java: Canar

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Black jumping spider (Hyllus diardi)

Black jumping spider ( Hyllus diardi ) is an animal species in the Salticidae, black and white spiders, long hair, round head, elongated belly, relatively small, arboreal, perched on leaves in bushes and low trees in forests and agricultural lands. H. diardi has black and white color, shiny surface and white hair all over the body. The head is round, shiny black with a linear white line in the middle. Black eyes on the front of the head. The stomach has an elongated, jointed, black cylindrical shape with black plots at the top of each segment. The legs are long, segmented, shiny black or brownish in color and hairy. Black jumping spiders live arboreal, perch on leaf surfaces, low bushes, trees in forests, agricultural land, roadsides and shade. Very sensitive to human presence and will hide behind leaves to avoid sight. Kingdom: Animalia Phylum: Arthropoda Subphylum: Chelicerata Class: Arachnida Order: Araneae Suborder: Araneomorphae Infraorder: Entelegynae Superfamily: Salticoi...

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A deep-sea isopod Bathyopsurus nybelini adapted to feed submerged Sargassum algae

NEWS - Incredible footage shows a marine species, Bathyopsurus nybelini , feeding on something that sinks from the ocean’s surface. Researchers using the submersible Alvin found the isopod swimming 3.7 miles down using its paddle-like legs to catch an unexpected food source: Sargassum. Researchers from Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution (WHOI), the University of Montana, SUNY Geneseo, Willamette University and the University of Rhode Island found the algae sinking, while the isopod waited and adapted specifically to find and feed on the sinking nutrient source. The Sargassum lives on the surface for photosynthesis. The discovery of a deep-sea animal that relies on food that sinks from the waters miles above underscores the close relationship between the surface and the deep. “It’s fascinating to see this beautiful animal actively interacting with sargassum, so deep in the ocean. This isopod is extremely rare; only a handful of specimens were collected during the groundbreaking Swedis...

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