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A new species of echinoderid kinorhynchs, Echinoderes xiphophorus sp. nov. collected from oxidized brown silt at the deepest depression in the Sea of Japan, North-West Pacific, is described and illustrated using light and electron microscopy. This new representative of the most speciose kinorhynch genus is characterized by the unique set of spines and tubes and can easily be distinguished from most of its congeners. The second trunk segment bears three pairs of tubes in subdorsal, midlateral and ventrolateral position in both sexes; one pair of tubes on trunk segment 5 in lateroventral position and on trunk segment 8 in sublateral position; aciculate lateroventral spines on trunk segments 6–9; aciculate middorsal spines on trunk segments 4, 6, 8. This species is well recognized by very long tergal extensions of the posteriormost segment, some of the longest within the family Echinoderidae. Males of Echinoderes xiphophorus sp. nov. are well distinguished from all the congeners by extremely long sword-like appendages dorsally to three pairs of penile spines. The species constitutes the first deep-sea representative of the Echinoderidae in the Sea of Japan and the deepest representative of the Kinorhyncha in this sea.
Five new and six known species belonging to the genus Basirotyleptus collected from the Western Ghats, India, are described and illustrated. Basirotyleptus conicaudatus sp. nov. is characterized by having 0.42–0.44 mm long body; odontostyle 9.5–10.0 μm, odontophore 11.5–12.0 μm; pharyngeal bulb pear-shaped, 14–15% of total neck length; female genital system mono-opisthodelphic; tail conoid with acute terminus. Basirotyleptus constrictus sp. nov. is characterized by having 0.38–0.49 mm long body; perioral disc distinct; odontostyle 9–10 μm, odontophore 14–15 μm; pharyngeal bulb pear-shaped, 15–17% of total neck length; female genital system mono-opisthodelphic; tail rounded to conoid. Basirotyleptus goaensis sp. nov. is characterized by having 0.73–0.87 mm long body; odontostyle 13.0–14.5 μm, odontophore 15.0–17.5 μm; pharyngeal bulb pyriform, 16–18% of total neck length; female genital system mono-opisthodelphic; tail rounded. Basirotyleptus neocaudatus sp. nov. is characterized by having 0.31–0.44 mm long body; odontostyle 7.5–9.5 μm, odontophore 10–13 μm; pharyngeal bulb pear-shaped, 14–19% of total neck length; female genital system mono-opisthodelphic; tail conoid with acute terminus. Basirotyleptus siddiqii sp. nov. is characterized by having 0.36 mm long body; odontostyle 7.5–8.0 μm, odontophore 10.0–10.5 μm; pharyngeal bulb pear-shaped, 15–16% of total neck length; female genital system mono-opisthodelphic; tail conoid. Six known species viz., B. basiri, B. pini, B. nindei, B. ethiopicus, B. acus, B. minutus are also described and illustrated. Along with light microscopic study, line drawings, compendium and key to species of Basirotyleptus are also provided.
The special set of papers entitled “DNA Library of Life” constitutes an outcome of the project “Bibliothèque du vivant” (BdV), which aims to promote the molecular taxonomy of eukaryotes by offering research teams the possibility to produce and manage a molecular library linked with specimens deposited in natural history museums. The project was funded by three French institutions (the CNRS, INRA and MNHN), and provided access to the sequencing power offered by the Genoscope for 105 teams between 2011 and 2013. It was subsequently supported by the CNRS through the “Groupement de Recherche Génomique Environnementale”. The scientific objectives of this programme were threefold: 1) species delimitation among species complexes; 2) phylogenetic reconstruction (including phylogenomics); and 3) metabarcoding and improving NGS methods for systematic purposes. Within the present collection, 19 papers contribute to these objectives across a large taxonomic range and a worldwide geographic coverage. These papers propose taxonomic novelties (22 new species and 3 new genera) in both animal and plant taxa.
In an elevational gradient, the mountain top generally presents a reduced species diversity. However, it is there where we often find microendemic and quite often still undescribed species. That prediction is very common in underexplored Neotropical mountains, like those of the Caparaó National Park – a protected area that includes the highest peak of the Atlantic Forest, a megadiverse domain. Up in its top, we found a dwarf frog of the genus Physalaemus (Anura, Leptodactylidae, Leiuperinae), belonging to the P. signifer clade. After an integrative (morphological, bioacoustical, and genetic) analysis, we were able to describe it as a new species and found it to be sister to P. maculiventris. Due to its very restricted distribution at a site with extreme environmental conditions (which includes fires and frosts) and current instability in national environmental policy, we suggest this to be classified as an endangered species. A brief description of its natural history and the description of the species itself will now enable its proper conservation status categorization and the future planning for conservation actions.
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.
The linyphiid spiders Tenuiphantes zelatus (Zorsch, 1937), T. zibus (Zorsch, 1937), and Centromerus mariannae sp. nov. are diagnosed, described or redescribed and illustrated, including the previously undescribed female of T. zibus. All are common species of the Pacific Northwest of North America but were previously inadequately described (T. zelatus and T. zibus) or illustrated only but not described or named (C. mariannae).
Iranocichla hormuzensis occupies a biogeographically peculiar position. This endemic of southern Iran is the only Iranian cichlid. While it is phylogenetically related to African oreochromine members of the cichlid family, it remains unclear how it has dispersed into its current range. It is one of the many lasting enigmas of cichlid biogeography. Monogenean fish parasites may provide useful additional information in such cases. Therefore, I. hormuzensis was examined for these flatworms. A gyrodactylid parasite is reported and compared to congeners from the Palearctic and from cichlids. In this way, we verify whether it shows affinities to parasites from fishes that are either biogeographically or phylogenetically close to Iranocichla hormuzensis. The species is new to science and is described as Gyrodactylus jalalii sp. nov. This is the first description of a parasite infecting I. hormuzensis. Because of the fixation method or age of the material, DNA could not be isolated. Due to the lack of genetic data, no conclusions can be drawn on its phylogenetic positioning. Indeed, Gyrodactylus phylogeny cannot be inferred from morphological characteristics alone. Moreover, the congeners phenotypically reminiscent of the new species belong to a Gyrodactylus clade which is highly diverse in geographic range and host choice. Hence, there is no evidence linking the new species to an exclusively African or cichlid-bound Gyrodactylus lineage.