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Bujurquina is the most widely distributed and species-rich genus of cichlids in the western Amazon of South America. In this study we describe a new species from Peru from a hypothesized reverse flowing river system. Prior to the origin of the modern Amazon River at 4.5 Ma, this river system had its headwaters on the Iquitos arch, one of several main structural arches (swells) in the Amazon. Prior to the origin of the modern Amazon these arches formed topographic barriers of drainage basins in lowland Amazonia. For our analyses we use morphological and molecular data, analyzed through multivariate statistics and molecular phylogenies, respectivelly. For all valid species in the genus (except B. cordemadi and B. pardus) we additionally for the first time provide photographs of live specimens. Based on DNA phylogeny and coloration patterns we demonstrate that Bujurquina is divided into two main clades and based on this we provide a dichotomous key for all the species.
Oligoptilomera luberonensis gen. et sp. nov., first fossil representative of the gerrid subfamily Ptilomerinae, is described and figured from the Oligocene of Murs (Vaucluse, Southern France). Extant Ptilomerinae live in streams in warm climates, of the Indo-Malaysian, eastern Palaearctic, and Papouan regions. The discovery of this Oligocene French Ptilomerinae is in accordance with the putative age of the subfamily, at least older than the Eocene, and with the Indo-Malaysian affinities previously recorded for some other insects from the Oligocene of France. The two insect assemblages of Murs and Céreste are compared and the differences discussed. Although of similar ages, that from Murs was possibly corresponding to a more shallow water paleolake than that of Céreste.
Bumblebees (Bombus Latreille, 1802), because of their large body size, bright colours and activity at times and places that coincide with biologists, are an example of a group of insects that is particularly well represented in museum collections. This is important if taxonomic revisions are to achieve greater comparability among species. Bumblebees have also attracted particular attention because they are especially ecologically and economically valuable for pollination in north temperate regions, where they are now becoming increasingly threatened. I argue that the what, the where, and the how of effective conservation management may be informed by understanding the divergent characteristics that have affected their biogeographical past: by helping us to see ‘the woods’, not just ‘the trees’, of their habitat needs. Identifying suitable habitat should be part of reconstructing historical biogeography within taxonomic revisions. For bumblebees, for example, biogeographical analysis associates major taxonomic groups either with flower-rich lowland grasslands or with flower-rich montane grasslands, highlighting their contrasting requirements for: nest sites, flowers of different depths, pollen-plant families, and especially the differing importance of early spring and late summer flowers for breeding success. This broad view of species groups helps filter the less important idiosyncrasies from local case studies in order to focus conservation actions.
A new species of Apseudidae is described from a submarine canyon in the Mediterranean Sea, Leviapseudes tethys sp. nov. The species was sampled at 600 m depth on deep muddy sand. The new species is characterized by the presence of processes on both sides of the rostrum, a pinnate seta on the inner distal margin of the maxillipedal endite, smooth distal spines of the labium palp, two spines on the cheliped basis, three ventral spines on pereopod 1 basis and an unarticulated pleopod exopod. This is the second species and the third record of the genus in the Mediterranean Sea, and raises the number of tanaid species known from the deep Mediterranean Sea to a total of 16. The diagnosis of the genus is amended in light of the new data and re-evaluation of previous works. The new species presents a set of characters that provide novel insights to understanding the diversity and taxonomy of the Leviapseudinae, as well as their geographic distribution. Finally, a list of all deep-sea Tanaidacea known in the Mediterranean Sea is provided.
Dorvilleids belonging to Ophryotrocha Claparède & Mecznikow, 1869 are known from deep-sea hydrothermal vents in the Pacific, Atlantic, Indian and Southern Oceans. However, how they colonized and diversified in these ecosystems has not been assessed in detail. Here, a collection of Pacific hydrothermal vent Ophryotrocha was examined using morphology and DNA markers (COI, 16S and H3). Five new species were revealed, largely expanding the diversity of the group at this habitat type. They are Ophryotrocha charlottae sp. nov., O. kailae sp. nov., O. marinae sp. nov., O. pruittae sp. nov. from eastern Pacific, and O. bohnorum sp. nov. from the western Pacific. Phylogenetic analyses based on the concatenated alignments of all three genes suggest vent habitants have been colonized several times independently within Ophryotrocha. One clade of six vent species was recovered, indicative of diversification following a colonization of hydrothermal vents, likely in the eastern Pacific. An Indian Ocean species, O. jiaolongi, was nested inside this clade and was closely related to one of the new species from the Gulf of California, diverging from it by less than 4% on COI.
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
Here, we report on 33 molluscan species from Miocene ’Calcari a Lucina’ hydrocarbon-seep deposits in northern Italy. Three new species are described: the chilodontaid gastropod Putzeysia diversii sp. nov., the lucinid bivalve Miltha (sensu lato) romaniae sp. nov., and Sisonia ultimoi sp. nov., a heterodont bivalve of uncertain taxonomic affinity. Fourteen species are described in open nomenclature. The common but enigmatic gastropod species Phasianema taurocrassa is here suggested to belong to the seguenzioid genus Cataegis. Most gastropod species are inhabitants of the deep-sea floor in general, and are not restricted (obligate) to sites of hydrocarbon-seepage. The gastropod Putzeysia diversii sp. nov. and the bivalve Sisonia ultimoi sp. nov. are the geologically oldest members of their genera known to date. While the genus Putzeysia is geographically restricted to the NE Atlantic Ocean and the Mediterranean Sea, Sisonia ultimoi sp. nov. represents another link of the Miocene Mediterranean seep fauna to that of the central Indo-West Pacific Ocean.
Few species of Japygidae (Diplura) have been discovered in cave ecosystems despite their importance as large predators. A small collection of rare specimens of this hexapod group has allowed to explore the taxonomy of japygids from caves in New Zealand, Morocco and South Africa, and to describe one new genus: Imazighenjapyx Sendra & Sánchez-García gen. nov., as well as four new species: Austrjapyx wynbergensis Sendra & Sánchez-García sp. nov., Imazighenjapyx marocanus Sendra & Sánchez-García gen. et sp. nov., Opisthjapyx naledi Sendra & Sánchez-García sp. nov. and Teljapyx aotearoa Sendra & Sánchez-García sp. nov. For each of the new taxa we give a comprehensive description of their habitats. These new findings resulted in a revision of the distribution and allowed to re-evaluate the morphological traits of the fifteen cave-adapted japygids species already known worldwide. The functional morphology of the remarkable abdominal pincers of Japygidae and their adaptation to predation are discussed, as well as their potential role in mating behaviour.
The Sri Lankan species of the genus Carrhotus Thorell,1891 have remained taxonomically unrevised. The present study reviews all species of the genus in the island. Here we describe and diagnose three new species: Carrhotus albosetosus sp. nov. (♀), C. atratus sp. nov. (♂♀) and C. lobatus sp. nov. (♂). Further, C. silanthi Caleb, 2020 is reported in Sri Lanka for the first time. Carrhotus taprobanicus Simon, 1902 and C. viduus (C.L. Koch, 1846) are redescribed based on material from Sri Lanka. A key to the Carrhotus species in Sri Lanka is given.
Acantholeberis smirnovi Paggi & Herrera-Martinez, 2020 (Cladocera: Acantholeberidae) was recently described from Andean habitats in South America. The presence of a population on the eastern coast of the continent brought the hypothesis of a new Neotropical species different from A. smirnovi. This hypothesis was confirmed from morphological, ecological and biogeographic evidence. Acantholeberis accolismaris Sousa, Elmoor-Loureiro & Álvarez-Silva sp. nov. differs from A. smirnovi in the morphology of the head, the valves and the limbs (especially the second and third limbs). Species of Acantholeberis are adapted to live in acid water bodies, with A. accolismaris sp. nov. presenting the same ecological requirements. However, the new species is adapted to live in temporary ponds near the Atlantic Ocean in Brazil in altitudes ranging between 4 and 15 meters above sea level. Considering that Acantholeberidae is an ancient taxon with a pre-Mesozoic origin, geological and environmental changes may have been relevant to speciation and to the observed biogeographic pattern of species of Acantholeberis in Neotropics.