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We describe a new butterfl y species, Anaeomorpha mirifi ca Simon and Willmott, n. sp. (Lepidoptera, Nymphalidae, Charaxinae), from premontane rain forest of the Chocó region of northwestern Ecuador. This represents the second known species and the fi rst record outside of the Amazon basin for this taxonomically and biologically enigmatic genus. Although the two species are not known to be sympatric, we identifi ed 21 characters in the external color pattern, wing shape and male genitalia that together support distinct species status. Most notably, the new species possesses an ocellus in the ventral hind wing tornus, a character which occurs in the Neotropical Charaxinae only in the genus Prepona Boisduval, 1836. A mean divergence of 6.8% in the COI ‘barcodes’ between the two species underlines their taxonomic distinctness.
The Quedius mutilatus group, a very poorly known presumably monophyletic complex of wingless, possibly hypogean species confined to the Tien-Shan Mountains, is characterized as such for the first time. Newly available material clarified the identity of Q. mutilatus Eppelsheim, 1888 and Q. kalabi Smetana, 1995, each hitherto known from a handful of non-conspecific and vaguely georeferenced specimens only. Additional material is reported for Q. equus Smetana, 2014 and bionomics for all these four species of the group are summarized.
This paper describes and illustrates a new genus and a new species belonging to the family Nesticidae based on morphology and supported by molecular data. The new genus, Kryptonesticus gen. nov., groups eight species spread from Bulgaria and Turkey to Croatia, including Montenegro, Bosnia and Herzegovina and Crete. As a result, seven new combinations are proposed: K. eremita (Simon, 1879) comb. nov., K. arenstorffi (Kulczyński, 1914) comb. nov., K. fagei (Kratochvíl, 1933) comb. nov., K. beroni (Deltshev, 1977) comb. nov., K. beshkovi (Deltshev, 1979) comb. nov., K. henderickxi (Bosselaers, 1998) comb. nov. and K. dimensis (López-Pancorbo, Kunt & Ribera, 2013) comb. nov., all ex Nesticus. Kryptonesticus deelemanae gen. et sp. nov. is described on the basis of both sexes and its phylogenetic relationships with closely related species are discussed based on morphological and molecular data (the cox1, rrn and H3 genes). In addition, the species of this new genus (except for K. eremita) are clear candidates for protection: they have highly restricted ranges and some of them show a high degree of adaptation to the subterranean environment.
The genus Corambis Simon, 1901 includes five species; three of them, C. jacknicholsoni sp. nov., C. logunovi sp. nov. and C. pantherae sp. nov., are described here as new. The female of the C. foeldvarii Szűts, 2002 is described for the first time and a new generic diagnosis is proposed. The distribution and relationships of Corambis are discussed in terms of the geological and bioclimatic history of New Caledonia.
Four new species of the genus Polyphylla Harris (Coleoptera: Scarabaeidae: Melolonthinae) from the southwestern United States and Baja California, Mexico, are described and illustrated: Polyphylla anivallis, P. koso, P. morroensis, and P. socorriana. Two nomenclatural changes are proposed: Polyphylla ratcliffei Young is placed into synonymy with P. avittata Hardy and Andrews, new synonymy; P. uteana Tanner is removed from synonymy and reinstated as a valid species, reinstated status. The females of P. monahansensis Hardy and Andrews and P. stellata Young are described and illustrated. New distributional records and ecological associations are amended for P. avittata Hardy and Andrews, P. cavifrons LeConte, P. concurrens Casey, P. crinita LeConte, P. diffracta Casey, P. mescalerensis Young, P. petitii (Guérin-Méneville), and P. rugosipennis Casey. A checklist of the “Western Clade” species of Polyphylla, north of Mexico, is included.
Two small, ground and litter-dwelling pholcid species from northern Borneo are described as representatives of a new genus, Hantu gen. nov.: H. kapit gen. et sp. nov. and H. niah gen. et sp. nov. Previous cladistic analyses suggested a closer relationship with the genera Savarna Huber, 2005 and Khorata Huber, 2005 (mainland Southeast Asia) than with the geographically closer genus Aetana Huber, 2005 (Borneo and Philippines to Fiji). Since the two species do not share any of the synapomorphies of Khorata and Savarna while having several synapomorphies on their own (ventral apophysis on male palpal coxa; male palpal trochanter apophysis with small teeth or scales; spines on male femora 1; high density of vertical hairs on male femora; presence of scape on epigynum), they are here proposed as representing a new genus.
Astiella is an herbaceous genus endemic to Madagascar, originally described with a single species A. delicatula Jovet. Molecular and morphological evidence place it in the tribe Spermacoceae s. lat. of Rubiaceae. During herbarium studies and fieldwork in Madagascar, 11 new Astiella species were identified and these are described here: A. antongilensis Groeninckx sp. nov., A. antsalovansis Groeninckx sp. nov., A. confusa Groeninckx sp. nov., A. deblockiae Groeninckx sp. nov., A. desseinii Groeninckx sp. nov., A. homolleae Groeninckx sp. nov., A. latifolia Groeninckx sp. nov., A. longifimbria Groeninckx sp. nov., A. perrieri Groeninckx sp. nov., A. pulla Groeninckx sp. nov., and A. tsaratanensis Groeninckx sp. nov. The genus Astiella now holds 12 species in total that are all endemic to Madagascar.
Damacornu gen. nov. (type species: D. transversum gen. et sp. nov.), Geotypodon papei sp. nov. and Spinotarsus fortehamatus sp. nov. are described, and Helicochetus dimidiatus (Peters, 1855), H. mutaba Kraus, 1960 and Hoffmanides dissutus (Hoffman, 1963) are recorded from the Udzungwa Mts, Tanzania. A complete overview of the 39 odontopygid species now known from the Udzungwa Mts is given, including notes on endemism, biogeographical relationships and altitudinal distribution patterns.
Three new species of Kynotus from the Central Highlands of Madagascar (Clitellata, Megadrili)
(2017)
The earthworm fauna of Madagascar is scarcely known. A recently launched exploration of the soil fauna (“Global Change and Soil Macrofauna Diversity in Madagascar”) resulted in the discovery of six new earthworm species belonging to the Malagasy endemic family Kynotidae. The success of the collecting campaign carried out between 2008 and 2011 inspired a new exploration of the earthworm fauna across the Central Highland Region of the island in the spring of 2015. During this expedition, two new species of Kynotus, K. ankisiranus sp. nov. and K. voimmanus sp. nov., were discovered. Barcoding of the recently collected species of Kynotus revealed that the unpigmented worms referred previously to K. alaotranus Michaelsen, 1897 also represented a new, still undescribed species, K. blancharti sp. nov.
Harpactea dufouri (Thorell, 1873) was collected in the Gavarres protected natural area in Catalonia, Spain. The specimens were compared with specimens from Mallorca, Balearic Islands,
and found to be conspecific. The female of the species is described here for the first time. The new finding proves that Harpactea dufouri occurs outside the Balearic Islands. The species, however, may be endemic to Catalonia.