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The blind centipede genus Scolopocryptops Newport, 1844 comprises two lineages: the “Asian/North American” group and the “Neotropical/Afrotropical” group. The former can be further split into two groups, a clade comprising Scolopocryptops elegans (Takakuwa, 1937) and Scolopocryptops curtus (Takakuwa, 1939), and a clade comprising all other “Asian/North American” species. Here, Scolopocryptops miyosii sp. nov. from Kyushu and Amami Island and Scolopocryptops brevisulcatus sp. nov. from Izena Island and Okinawa Island in southern Japan are described. The two new species have external features similar to S. elegans and S. curtus. They can be distinguished from most other “Asian/North American” Scolopocryptops by the absence of complete sulcus/sulci along the lateral margin of the cephalic plate and the presence of sternal longitudinal sulci. They can be distinguished from each other by several external features, such as the density of antennal setae and the shape of the anterior margin of the coxosternite. Phylogenetic analyses using nuclear and mitochondrial markers also support the monophyly of the four species, which form a clade sister to all other “Asian/North American” Scolopocryptops.
Specimens of Deuteraphorura collected in 11 Georgian caves were analysed morphologically and molecularly based on the COI gene barcode region. Two molecular delimitation methods revealed four species (MOTUs); however, only two of them were distinguished morphologically and are described in this paper as new to science. Both new species, D. colchisi sp. nov. and D. kozmani sp. nov., belong to the group with a pseudocellus on the first thoracic tergum; the differential diagnosis table to this species group is provided. The potential of the Caucasus as a hotspot region of subterranean biodiversity and evolution centre of subterranean animals is discussed.
The Western Ghats of India is considered one of the richest biodiversity hotspots in the world. Documenting scorpion diversity has always been of paramount importance due to their species richness, ecological role and endemism, which calls for conservation priority. Scorpion diversity of the Western Ghats is probably underestimated given the ancestry of the group, and more field work in the region is very likely to uncover numerous undescribed taxa. Several new Indian species have recently been discovered in the scorpion genus Isometrus Ehrenberg, 1828 (Scorpiones: Buthidae). In this communication, we resurrect I. sankeriensis Tikader & Bastawade, 1983 and describe two new species from the Western Ghats of India, I. nakshatra sp. nov. and I. wayanadensis sp. nov., using an integrative taxonomic approach. In order to replace the lost holotype of I. sankeriensis, we designate a neotype and reassess the identity of this species. This work elevates the number of species of Isometrus found in India to eight and we expect many more scorpion discoveries from India with continued research.
Despite several decades of active research, there are still substantial gaps in the knowledge of parasitoid wasps in Australia, with many families and genera yet to be revised using modern approaches and only a fraction of the estimated fauna currently described. The genus Glyptapanteles Ashmead, 1904 is a member of the subfamily Microgastrinae (Hymenoptera: Braconidae) and all species in the subfamily are lepidopteran parasitoids. The genus previously contained only three species known from Australia: G. deliasa Austin & Dangerfield, 1992, G. drioplanetus Fagan-Jeffries & Austin, 2021 and G. mnesampela Austin, 2000. To undertake a revision of this morphologically-conserved group in Australia, we used a combination of molecular (cytochrome oxidase subunit one (COI) and wingless genes) and minimal morphological data to delimit and describe an additional 31 species: G. austini Fagan-Jeffries & Bird sp. nov. and the following 30 species all authored by Fagan-Jeffries, Bird & Austin: G. albigena sp. nov., G. andamookaensis sp. nov., G. arcanus sp. nov., G. aspersus sp. nov., G. austrinus sp. nov., G. baylessi sp. nov., G. bradfordae sp. nov., G. cooperi sp. nov., G. doreyi sp. nov., G. dowtoni sp. nov., G. eburneus sp. nov., G. erucadesolator sp. nov., G. ferrugineus sp. nov., G. foraminous sp. nov., G. goodwinnoakes sp. nov., G. guzikae sp. nov., G. harveyi sp. nov., G. kingae sp. nov., G. kittelae sp. nov., G. kurandaensis sp. nov., G. lambkinae sp. nov., G. lessardi sp. nov., G. mouldsi sp. nov., G. niveus sp. nov., G. rixi sp. nov., G. rodriguezae sp. nov., G. ruhri sp. nov., G. sanniopolus sp. nov., G. vergrandiacus sp. nov. and G. wrightae sp. nov. We provide a key to species groups and to the species able to be identified on morphological characters alone. Additionally, we provide a brief discussion of the difficulties in describing small, morphologically conserved wasps and the challenges associated with revising the taxonomy of hyperdiverse taxa in the context of the planned mission of Taxonomy Australia to accelerate the documentation of Australia’s biodiversity.
The taxonomic status of Alcyonium aurantiacum Quoy & Gaimard, 1833, an octocoral endemic to New Zealand, was reviewed through morpho-molecular data comparisons in an integrative approach. Molecular phylogenetic analyses (nuclear 28S and mitochondrial mtMutS) resolved New Zealand taxa as more closely related to other genera and nominal Alcyonium Linnaeus, 1758 from South America than to the genus’ North Atlantic type species. Due to low genetic variation, species delimitation relied predominantly on identifying consistent differences in sclerite and colony morphology. The former A. aurantiacum is reassigned to Kotatea gen. nov. as K. aurantiaca gen. et comb. nov. and seven new species are described in this genus (K. amicispongia gen. et sp. nov., K. lobata gen. et sp. nov., K. kapotaiora gen. et sp. nov., K. kurakootingotingo gen. et sp. nov., K. niwa gen. et sp. nov., K. raekura gen. et sp. nov., and K. teorowai gen. et sp. nov.). Three new species in Ushanaia gen. nov. are also described (U. ferruginea gen. et sp. nov., U. fervens gen. et sp. nov. and U. solida gen. et sp. nov. ). These descriptions increase our understanding of New Zealand’s endemic octocoral diversity and contribute to ongoing systematic revisions of Alcyonium.
Initial analyses of DNA barcode data from Norwegian populations attributed to the water mite Lebertia porosa Thor, 1900 revealed large genetic divergence and potentially cryptic species-level diversity. We used one mitochondrial (COI) and two nuclear markers (18S and 28S) as well as comparative morphological analysis to redefine Lebertia porosa, and to further investigate the species boundaries of Norwegian populations of its close relatives. Our results show that Lebertia porosa, as currently defined, consists of multiple species that can be separated by molecular and morphological characteristics. Although we document the presence of the endosymbiotic bacteria Wolbachia in two out of eight screened genetic lineages, we find no evidence of intraspecific genetic divergence caused by Wolbachia infections. The assignment of one of the genetic lineages to the nominal species could be made through morphological comparisons of specimens from the L. porosa type locality with the syntypes of L. obscura Thor, 1900. Thus, the diagnosis of L. porosa is emended and a neotype is defined. Two of the remaining genetic lineages could be assigned to existing names previously regarded as junior synonyms of L. porosa, namely L. obscura (lectotype defined here) and L. gibbosa Lundblad, 1926, which are both redescribed. The outstanding genetic lineages are unnamed, but from our work we conclude that the taxa Lebertia porosa britannica Thor, 1906, L. porosa dorsalis Thor, 1906, and L. porosa italica Thor, 1906 are nomina dubia that cannot be considered junior synonyms of L. porosa as proposed by K. Viets (1956). We also consider L. vigintimaculata Thor, 1900 a nomen dubium, probably identical to L. obscura.
Using an integrative approach (morphology of the adult and larvae, bioacoustics, osteology, karyotype, and molecular data), we described a new tetraploid species of Odontophrynus to the Mantiqueira mountain range, in southeastern Brazil. The data suggest that Odontophrynus toledoi sp. nov., O. juquinha and Odontophrynus sp. (aff. juquinha) comprise a clade with specimens distributed along three distinct mountain ranges in Brazil: Mantiqueira (O. toledoi sp. nov.) and Espinhaço (O. juquinha) mountains, both in southeastern Brazil, and Diamantina Plateau (O. aff. juquinha), in northeastern Brazil. The new species is morphologically similar and closely related to O. juquinha, but is distinguished in morphology (both adult and larval), karyotype (O. toledoi sp. nov. is tetraploid and O. juquinha is diploid), and corroborated by phylogenetic inferences. We also show that these species do not exchange haplotypes in the 16s gene. Furthermore, although the raw acoustic parameters of Odontophrynus toledoi sp. nov. and O. juquinha overlap at the limits of their ranges, we found a clear difference in the acoustic space structure.
With six valid species, Luciobrotula is a small genus of the family Ophidiidae, commonly known as cusk-eels. They are benthopelagic fishes occurring at depths ranging from 115–2300 m in the Atlantic, Indian, and Pacific Oceans. Among them, Luciobrotula bartschi is the only known species in the West Pacific. Three specimens of Luciobrotula were collected from the Philippine Sea, Bismarck Sea, and Solomon Sea in the West Pacific during the AURORA, PAPUA NIUGINI, and MADEEP expeditions under the Tropical Deep-Sea Benthos program, and all of them were initially identified as L. bartschi. Subsequent examination with integrative taxonomy indicates that they belong to two distinct species, with the specimen collected from the Solomon Sea representing a new species, which is described here. In terms of morphology, Luciobrotula polylepis sp. nov. differs from its congeners by having a relatively longer lateral line (end of the lateral line below the 33rd dorsal-fin ray) and fewer vertebrae (abdominal vertebrae 13, total vertebrae 50). In the inferred COI gene tree, the two western Pacific species of Luciobrotula do not form a monophyletic group. The genetic K2P distance between the two species is 13.8% on average at the COI locus.
We review the diving-beetle genus Rhantus Dejean of Madagascar (Coleoptera, Dytiscidae, Colymbetinae) based on museum collection holdings and recently collected expedition material. Both morphology and DNA is used to test species boundaries, in particular whether newly collected material from the Tsaratanana mountains in the north represent a new species or are conspecific with Rhantus manjakatompo Pederzani and Rocchi 2009, described based on a single male specimen from the central Ankaratra mountains. DNA of the holotype of R. manjakatompo was successfully extracted in a non-destructive way and sequenced. The general mixed Yule coalescent model applied to an ultrametric tree constructed from mitochondrial cytochrome c oxidase subunit I (COI) sequence data delimited three species. Morphological characters supported the same species unambiguously. We therefore recognise three species of Rhantus to occur in Madagascar: R. latus (Fairmaire, 1869), R. bouvieri Régimbart, 1900 and R. manjakatompo Pederzani and Rocchi, 2009. All three species are endemic to Madagascar and restricted to the highlands of the island. Rhantusstenonychus Régimbart, 1895, syn. n., is considered a junior synonym of R. latus. We designate lectotypes for R. bouvieri and R. goudoti Sharp, 1882, the latter a junior synonym of R. latus. We provide descriptions, a determination key, SEM-images of fine pronotal and elytral structures, distribution maps, habitus photos, and illustrations of male genitalia and pro- and mesotarsal claws. We discuss the role of the Manjakatompo forest as a refugium for Madagascan Rhantus diversity and other endemics of the montane central high plateau.