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Two new species, Camponotus sholensis sp. nov. and Camponotus meghalayaensis sp. nov. are described from India and redescriptions of four species (C. habereri Forel, 1911, C. keihitoi Forel, 1913, C. quadrinotatus Forel, 1886 and C. simoni Emery, 1893) new to India are provided. We also recorded and described an unidentified form ‘Camponotus sp. 101’ that does not correspond to any species already known in India. An identification key supplemented with digital images of the known species of the genus is also provided.
Recently, it has been hypothesized that the wide distribution of A. fiuzai Salles & Lugo-Ortiz is due to a wide diagnosis and conflicting keys. The same arguments can be applied to A. kallawaya Nieto. In order to test this hypothesis, we revised the type material of A. fiuzai, literature of A. kallawaya, and part of the recorded specimens in Brazil. As a result, three new species from previous records are recognized: Apobaetis pasternakae sp. nov., former A. fiuzai in Amazonas, Roraima and Maranhão states; Apobaetis jaquelinae sp. nov., former A. fiuzai in Rondônia State; Apobaetis luanae sp. nov., former A. kallawaya in Rondônia State. The new data showed that A. fiuzai does not occur in the Amazon Biome and A. kallawaya does not occur in Brazil. Records of A. fiuzai that could not be reviewed in this study are treated as putative and should be evaluated in the light of the new evidence. We also studied the intraspecific variation in A. fiuzai and A. pasternakae sp. nov. The pigment pattern of the nymphs was not considered a robust characteristic for the species differentiation due to the wide variation in and between populations, and interspecific similarity of many features. On the other hand, classical morphological characters such as mouthparts, legs, spines of terga, paraproct and caudal filaments have minimal variation, stable and reliable for specific identification.
Seven new species of very small Gulella Pfeiffer, 1856 are described from two regions in the interior of south-eastern South Africa within the Maputaland-Pondoland-Albany biodiversity hotspot. In addition, the status of Gulella darglensis benthodon van Bruggen, 1980 is revised and raised to species level. All species are very small-shelled and are narrow-range endemics. Six species, G. judithmastersae sp. nov., G. kevincolei sp. nov., G. hlathikhulu sp. nov., G. nkandla sp. nov., G. mystica sp. nov. and G. libertas sp. nov. are each known from only one locality. The first two as well as G. benthodon and G. mcmasteri sp. nov. are found only in the Amathole Mountains, where poaching, illegal harvesting of plant products and uncontrolled access of cattle take place, including in protected areas. The other four species each occur at one locality in north-central KwaZulu-Natal. The localities of three of the last-mentioned species are in protected areas although they are isolated and surrounded by a heavily transformed cultural landscape rendering enforcement of conservation legislation a challenge. Six species occur in nature reserves, highlighting the importance of small pockets of protected habitat for the conservation of terrestrial snails.
Based on morphological and molecular evidence, two new species of Silene are recognized and described here, S. penduliflora F.Jafari, Keshavarzi & Doostm. sp. nov. and S. thyrsiantha F.Jafari, Mirtadz. & Keshavarzi sp. nov. The newly discovered species are distributed in the central and southeastern parts of Iran, growing in rocky habitats. Relationships among these species and their close relatives are demonstrated using nrDNA ITS and cpDNA rps16 phylogenies. Silene ghahremaninejadii, S. parrowiana, and S. shahrudensis form a clade with these new species. A key to S. penduliflora and S. thyrsiantha and their close relatives is provided.
A new species of Bathynellidae is described from Colorado (USA). Hobbsinella gunnisonensis Camacho & Taylor sp. nov. displays a unique combination of morphological characters including seven-segmented antenna lacking medial seta on exopod, antennule slightly longer than antenna, three-segmented mandibular palp, four articles on endopod of thoracopods I to VII and five spines on sympod and three spines on endopod of the uropods. Partial sequences of cytochrome oxidase I (COI) and 18S have been obtained from several specimens of the new species. The mitocondrial and nuclear DNA data complement the traditional morphological taxonomic description support the validity of the new species. Molecular data for the Bathynellidae demonstrate the presence of two highly divergent genetic units, with the new species placed in the genus Hobbsinella. With the description of Hobbsinella gunnisonensis Camacho & Taylor sp. nov. and its molecular characterization, we discovered an interesting distribution of the genus, which occurs in both sides of the Continental Divide (Texas and Colorado) and different habitats.
Paramacrobiotus bengalensis sp. nov. was discovered in a moss sample collected from a tree in West Bengal, India. We describe this new species using detailed morphological and morphometric data obtained from phase contrast microscopy and scanning electron microscopy, along with molecular and phylogenetic data analyses. Due to the presence of a cap-like structure at the distal portion of egg processes, the new species showed the highest similarity with Paramacrobiotus garynahi (Kaczmarek, Michalczyk & Diduszko, 2005), Paramacrobiotus alekseevi (Tumanov, 2005), Paramacrobiotus filipi Dudziak, Stec & Michalczyk, 2020, Paramacrobiotus sagani Daza, Caicedo, Lisi & Quiroga, 2017, Paramacrobiotus vanescens (Pilato, Binda & Catanzaro, 1991) and Paramacrobiotus gadabouti Kayastha, Stec, Mioduchowska & Kaczmarek, 2023. However, it can be differentiated from them by some morphological and morphometric characteristics. The genetic data corroborated our phenotypic outcome further supporting the new species hypothesis.
The ant genus Vollenhovia Mayr, 1865 (Myrmicinae, Crematogastrini) mostly occurs in the Australasian and Oriental regions. We revised its diversity in India and Sri Lanka based on qualitative and quantitative morphology, recognizing eleven taxa, including a new species which is described herewith: V. escherichi Forel, 1911, V. gastropunctata Bharti & Kumar, 2013, V. karimalaensis Dhadwal et al., 2023, V. keralensis Kripakaran & Sadasivan, 2022, V. mawrapensis Dhadwal et al., 2023, V. oblonga laevithorax Emery, 1889, V. penetrans (Smith, 1857), V. pfeifferi Bharti et al., 2023, V. taylori Rilta et al., 2023, V. terayamai Rilta et al., 2023, and V. yasmeenae sp. nov. The subspecies status of V. oblonga laevithorax and its relationship with V. penetrans, whose type series does not contain workers, still requires to be assessed in the context of a broader revision including the whole Oriental region. The known distribution of the genus in the Indian subcontinent appears to be fragmentary, still requiring extensive sampling efforts. Four species are from the Western Ghats biodiversity hotspot in the southern Indian state of Kerala, one is endemic to the biogeographically related Sri Lanka, three are known from Eastern India near the border with Bangladesh, two are reported from the Andaman and Nicobar Islands, and one is restricted to the Himachal Pradesh in northern India. A comprehensive key of the known Vollenhovia species from India and Sri Lanka is provided.
Here, I describe four new species of the Neoserica vulpes species group: Neoserica daxue sp. nov., N. mianningana sp. nov., N. myanmarensis sp. nov., and N. yanyuan sp. nov. Genitalia and habitus of the new species are illustrated. Additional records of species from the group are given and the key to species of the Neoserica vulpes species group is updated.