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Four species of mole crickets (Orthoptera: Gryllotalpidae) are known from the West Indies: Neocurtilla hexadactyla (Perty), Scapteriscus abbreviatus Scudder, S. didactylus (Latreille), and S. imitatus Nickle and Castner. All are adventive (not native). We document their distributions in West Indian islands/countries by use of records from the literature and examination of specimens. Scapteriscus abbreviatus has been suggested to have arrived in, and been transported about the West Indies in ship ballast (immigration). Based on records of arrival in various parts of the West Indies and the species’ inability to fly, this suggestion seems reasonable. Scapteriscus imitatus pparently was released in Puerto Rico as a result of mistaken identification (introduction – arriving with assistance from humans – although inadvertent), and has not expanded its range in the West Indies. Although the principal mode of dispersal for the other two species also has been suggested to be ship ballast, we present an alternative based on flight which would seem at least equally as plausible. We suggest that S. didactylus could have dispersed by flight from South America through the Lesser Antilles; likewise N. hexadactyla probably from the Yucatan Peninsula to Cuba, and from South America northward through the Lesser Antilles, in at least some localities assisted by wind. Our zoogeographical alternative, if correct, means that the natural range expansions of these latter two species began very long ago and without human assistance – they were not introduced recently to the West Indies.
Two new species of Aulonothroscus Horn are described from The Bahamas and a third species is newly reported. Aulonothroscus inawa new species is described from Great Inagua and Aulonothroscus sibateo new species is described from Eleuthera. Aulonothroscus convergens (Horn) is reported from Andros, providing an island and new country record. These are the fi rst Aulonothroscus identifi ed to species from the Lucayan Archipelago and from a West Indies locality other than Guadeloupe. A key to the species of Bahamian Aulonothroscus is provided.
Trixagus steineri (Coleoptera: Throscidae), a new species and first genus record from The Bahamas
(2014)
Trixagus Kugelann 1794 is the second largest genus of Throscidae with 80 valid species presently assigned. Horn (1885, 1890) reviewed the species for the United States and Mesoamerica, and then Blanchard (1917) revised part of the family for Canada and the United States in a posthumous article edited by H.C. Fall. Schenkling (1928) provided the only published worldwide catalog. Yensen (1975) provided a modern revision for the species for Canada and the United States, and then (Yensen 1980) described T. cobosi from Panama and provided a new key to all of the described American species. Among these studies only T. chevrolati (Bonvouloir 1859) was recorded from southern Florida, thus being a species potentially shared with The Bahamas. Aulonothroscus bicarinatus Fleutiaux (1911, 1947) (Blackwelder 1944), from Guadeloupe, is the only other throscid species previously described from the West Indies. Prior to the work of Lawrence and Newton (1995) the subfamily Lissominae received divergent treatment and was usually treated as a subfamily of Throscidae (e.g., Schenkling 1928, Blackwelder 1944, Yensen 1975). This subfamily is represented in The Bahamas by two species of Drapetes Megerle 1821 (Turnbow and Thomas 2008). Representation of the subsequently restricted family in The Bahamas was provided by two undetermined species of Aulonothroscus Horn listed by Turnbow and Thomas (2008) from Andros, Eleuthera, and Great Inagua islands; these will be treated separately from here. The reporting of a new species of Trixagus from New Providence Island provides a second genus from the country and the entire Lucayan Archipelago, and suggests that related species of both genera from Hispaniola and Cuba are probable and await discovery (Peck 2005; Perez-Gelabert 2008).
Thirteen new fossil eucnemid taxa (Coleoptera: Elateroidea) are described from amber deposits excavated from the vicinity of Santiago, Dominican Republic. Two new genera, Mioxylobius and Paleoquirsfeldia are described. The following 13 new species are described from Dominican amber: Mioxylobius bicolor, Balistica serrulata, Paleoquirsfeldia epicrana, Dyscharachthis dominicana, Idiotarsus poinari, Euryptychus antilliensis, Euryptychus hispaniolus, Plesiofornax caribica, Fornax dominicensis, Fornax serropalpoides, Dromaeolus argenteus, Nematodes miocenensis and Nematodes thoracicus. Each new species are both diagnosed and illustrated. Calyptocerus Guérin-Méneville and Lissantauga Poinar are shown to be congeneic, resulting in a new combination: Calyptocerus epicranis (Poinar, 2013). Summaries of fossil eucnemid discoveries, highlighting differing hypothesis of prehistoric Caribbean island formations/speciation, accounts of ancient Dominican Republic environmental conditions and Dominican Republic amber are provided.
ZooBank registration. urn:lsid:zoobank.org:pub:48A76A23-E48B-46B5-8A35-A27DD6134B6D
The fauna of Dynastinae (Scarabaeidae) on the island of Saba, Dutch Caribbean, was investigated through fi eldwork during 2006 to 2015. Three species, belonging to the three tribes Cyclocephalini, Pentodontini and Phileurini, are newly recorded from Saba and are discussed, with summaries of all relevant information from the West Indies. Detailed locality data, temporal distributions, and habitus photographs are presented for each species.
Trypanidius nocturnus Fisher, 1942 (Coleoptera: Cerambycidae: Lamiinae: Acanthocinini) is synonymized with Trypanidius insularis Fisher, 1925. Dorsal habitus photographs of the holotypes and paratypes, as well as male and females of specimens collected in Cuba, Puerto Rico and Hispaniola, are provided. Additionally, collecting data and a distributional map of Cuba are offered.
This study presents the inventory of sea spiders (Pycnogonida) sampled during the Madibenthos Expedition in Martinique (West Indies). Species were discriminated leaning on morphological and molecular data. A total of 761 specimens are classified in 72 species, 16 genera and nine families. Thirteen new species are described: Ammothella dirbergi sp. nov., A. krappi sp. nov., Tanystylum boucheti sp. nov., T. ingrallis sp. nov., Ascorhynchus iguanarum sp. nov., Eurycyde kaiouti sp. nov., Nymphon dorlis sp. nov., N. ludovici sp. nov., N. martinicum sp. nov., N. timons sp. nov., Anoplodactylus madibenthos sp. nov., Pycnogonum cesairei sp. nov. and Rhynchothorax sidereus sp. nov. We describe a neotype for Anoplodactylus micros Bourdillon, 1955 from the type locality. Martinique now includes 79 species of sea spiders, mostly endemic to the Tropical Northwestern Atlantic, cosmopolitan or shared with the South America Atlantic coast. Some species are potentially introduced. However, our knowledge of the distribution of species found in Martinique is probably biased by the scarcity of diagnostic morphological characters. Also, nine potentially cryptic species (discriminated on genetic data alone), are identified, shedding light on the overlooked diversity of sea spiders in the Tropical Northwestern Atlantic. Therefore, we call for a more widespread use of barcoding in sea spiders.
The West Indian genus Onychotillus Chapin (Coleoptera: Cleridae: Tillinae) is revised and includes O. androwi Opitz, new species, O. apiculus Opitz, new species, O. cinctipennis (Chevrolat,1874), O. cubana de Zayas,1988, O. dimidiatus de Zayas,1988, O. lineatus Opitz, new species, O. minutus de Zayas,1988, O. trinitatis de Zayas,1988, O. woodruffi Opitz, new species, and O. vittatus Chapin,1945.
Originally described from Great Guana Cay, Exuma Islands, Bahamas, Choranthus richmondi L. Miller, was also recorded from North Andros Island. Three specimens were collected on South Andros Island, Bahamas, in March 2014, representing a new record for this island. Photographs of adults, a complete diagnosis, genitalia illustrations, and a description of the habitat, nectar sources, and potential hostplant are presented. The male genitalia are illustrated for the fi rst time.