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A remarkable new species of Poecilocloeus (Orthoptera: Acrididae: Proctolabinae) found damaging coffee plantations in the Western Andes of Colombia is described and named P. coffeaphilus n. sp. This new species is part of a distinct and colorful group of Proctolabinae grasshoppers, with most species found at low altitudes in the rainforest of the Amazon basin. In contrast, the new species is found at elevations of 1600 to 1800 m in the canopy of dense cloud forests, in the southwestern part of the department of Antioquia (Western Cordillera, Colombian Andes). Information about the natural history, behavior, natural enemies and control strategies in coffee plantations is given for this new species of masked grasshopper. A key to the Neotropical species of the fruticolus species group is presented.
The Australian genus of Eurybrachidae Stål, 1862 (Hemiptera, Fulgoromorpha) Olonia Stål, 1862 is redescribed and reviewed. Seven new species are described: O. bourgoini sp. nov. (N Queensland, Chillagoe), O. danielsi sp. nov. (N Queensland, Cape York Peninsula), O. guillaumei sp. nov. (N Queensland), O. hochae sp. nov. (N Queensland, Undara), O. monteithi sp. nov. (Queensland), O. rylandae sp. nov. (N Queensland, Chillagoe) and O. soulierae sp. nov. (Queensland). Platybrachys nobilis (Stål, 1863) is transferred to Olonia and the new combination Olonia nobilis (Stål, 1863) comb. nov., is proposed. Olonia ornata Lallemand, 1928 and O. apicalis (Walker, 1851) are removed from Olonia and transferred to Platybrachys Stål, 1859 and Maeniana Metcalf, 1952, respectively. Hence, the new combinations Platybrachys ornata (Lallemand, 1928) comb. nov. and Maeniana apicalis (Walker, 1851) comb. nov. are proposed. The new genus Stalobrachys gen. nov. is described to accommodate Olonia alboapicata Jacobi, 1928 and the new combination S. alboapicata (Jacobi, 1928) gen. et comb. nov. is proposed. The male genitalia are illustrated and photographs of habitus, a distribution map, biological data and an identification key are provided. The genus Olonia currently contains twelve species and the genus Stalobrachys gen. nov. has one species.
A new species of the genus Birdantis Stål, 1863 (Hemiptera: Fulgoridae), B. bhaskarai sp. nov. from Larat Island (Tanimbar), is described. Birdantis collaris (Walker, 1870) stat. rev. and B. trilineata (Schmidt, 1926) stat. rev. are reinstated as valid species, respectively from status of subspecies and as junior synonym of B. delibuta Stål, 1863. These four species, as well as the other one previously described from the Maluku Islands, B. decens Stål, 1863, are illustrated from their type specimens. An identification key, a distribution map, illustrations of habitus and details of male genitalia are provided. The synonymy between Myrilla Distant, 1888 and Birdantis is formally reinstated and all species formerly placed in the subgenus Birdantis (Myrilla) are transferred to Birdantis sensu stricto. Birdantis is transferred to the subfamily Aphaeninae Blanchard, 1847 and now contains eighteen species distributed in Maluku (five species), New Guinea and neighbouring islands (ten species) and Australia
(three species).
Host flower records for 111 species of Cerambycinae, collected from 40 plant species (21 families) in three Bolivian Departments during the period 2002–2011 are presented for the following tribes: Basipterini, Callichromatini, Clytini, Compsocerini, Eburiini, Ectenessini, Heteropsini, Hexoplonini, Molorchini, Oxycoleini, Pteroplatini, Rhopalophorini, Tillomorphini, and Trachyderini. The importance of anthophilous cerambycids as pollinators, their behavior, and methods used for collecting them are presented, and some preliminary comparisons between the tropical fauna in the north and the temperate fauna in the Chaco forests of the south are outlined.
Ten South American species are removed from the genus Odontocera Audinet-Serville (Coleoptera: Cerambycidae) and placed in Odontocroton Clarke new genus. The new genus is further organized into two informal groups. Group A includes Odontocroton flavicauda (Bates, 1873) new combination, Odontocroton flavirostris (Melzer, 1930) new combination, Odontocroton melzeri (Fisher, 1952) new combination and Odontocroton soror (Gounelle, 1911) new combination. Group B includes Odontocroton apicalis (Klug, 1825) new combination, Odontocroton quinquecallosus (Zajciw, 1963) new combination, Odontocroton sanguinolentus (Bates, 1873) new combination, Odontocroton septemtuberculatus (Zajciw, 1963) new combination, Odontocroton rufifrons (Fisher, 1937) new rank and new combination, and provisionally Odontocroton monnei (Zajciw, 1968), new combination. A monotypic new genus, Rhinobatesia Clarke, is described for the Central American species Rhinobatesia rugicollis (Bates, 1880) new combination, which was formerly in Odontocera. The Central American Odontocera nevermanni Fisher, 1930 is placed as a junior synonym of R. rugicollis, and Odontocera typhoeus Fisher, 1947 is placed as a junior synonym of Odontogracilis gracilis (Klug, 1825). A key to separate Odontocroton and Rhinobatesia as well as the species of the former is provided. All species are illustrated, including the tegmen of the aedeagus when available. Host flower records for the Bolivian species are also provided.
Consistent individual differences in behavioral tendencies (animal personality) can affect individual mate choice decisions. We asked whether personality traits affect male and female mate choice decisions similarly and whether potential personality effects are consistent across different mate choice situations. Using western mosquitofish (Gambusia affinis) as our study organism, we characterized focal individuals (males and females) twice for boldness, activity, and sociability/shoaling and found high and significant behavioral repeatability. Additionally, each focal individual was tested in two different dichotomous mate choice tests in which it could choose between computer-animated stimulus fish of the opposite sex that differed in body size and activity levels, respectively. Personality had different effects on female and male mate choice: females that were larger than average showed stronger preferences for large-bodied males with increasing levels of boldness/activity (i.e., towards more proactive personality types). Males that were larger than average and had higher shoaling tendencies showed stronger preferences for actively swimming females. Size-dependent effects of personality on the strength of preferences for distinct phenotypes of potential mating partners may reflect effects of age/experience (especially in females) and social dominance (especially in males). Previous studies found evidence for assortative mate choice based on personality types or hypothesized the existence of behavioral syndromes of individuals’ choosiness across mate choice criteria, possibly including other personality traits. Our present study exemplifies that far more complex patterns of personality-dependent mate choice can emerge in natural systems.
Three new species of Willowsia collected from Guizhou Province, China are described here: W. sexachaeta sp. nov., W. christianseni sp. nov., and W. tanae sp. nov. They have spinulate scales on the body. Colour pattern and dorsal chaetotaxy are the main diagnostic characters for these species. A table summarizing the main differences between all Chinese Willowsia species is given.
A group of Amazonian harvestmen is recognized and described as Amazochroma gen. nov. This taxon includes Discocyrtus carvalhoi Mello-Leitão, 1941 (type species), the only species of Discocyrtus previously thought to occur in Amazonia, and Amazochroma pedroi gen. et sp. nov., described here from the Brazilian states of Acre and Rondônia. New records are added for Amazochroma carvalhoi gen. et comb. nov, expanding its distribution from the Brazilian state of Mato Grosso northwards also to Pará and Amazonas in Brazil and additionally French Guiana and Suriname. Diagnostic features of Amazochroma gen. nov. include: trichromatic pattern of legs, dry marks on the dorsal scutum and base of legs and diastema in the row of macrosetae C of the penis ventral plate. A morphological maximum parsimony analysis (1022 scorings; 16 taxa; 64 characters) is performed to test whether Amazochroma gen. nov. is a member of Discocyrtus and if the traditional allocation of Discocyrtus in Pachylinae is defendable. A clade is retrieved containing three groups: Amazochroma carvalhoi gen. et comb. nov, here described as a new subfamily of Gonyleptidae - Roeweriinae subfam. nov. Discocyrtanus Roewer, 1929 and Roeweria Mello-Leitão, 1923 are accordingly here transferred from Pachylinae to Roeweriinae subfam. nov.
Taxonomic revision of Brasiloniscus (Oniscidea, Pudeoniscidae) with description of a new species
(2018)
The Neotropical genus Brasiloniscus, erected by Lemos de Castro (1973), is revised and validated herein. The genus was originally described including two species, B. maculatus and B. verrucosus, but no type species was designated. According to § 13 of ICZN (1999) the name of the genus is therefore unavailable. Both species are redescribed, and B. maculatus is designated as the type species of the genus. The genus name will thus be available for the systematics of Oniscidea. In addition, a new species, B. littoralis gen. et sp. nov., is described based on material from the Brazilian Atlantic Forest from the state of Rio de Janeiro.
En este estudio se describen dos nuevas especies de hemípteros del género Aleuropleurocelus (Hemiptera: Aleyrodidae): Aleuropleurocelus mexicanus Carapia y Sánchez sp. nov., encontrada en los estados de Coahuila, México, Puebla, Sonora, y Tlaxcala en hojas de Quercus agrifolia Née y Quercus sp., y Aleuropleurocelus anahuac Carapia y Sánchez sp. nov. encontrada en los estados de México, Morelos y Puebla en el envés de hojas de Quercus. Se proporcionan microfotografías de estructuras morfológicas de puparios y se discute la separación con otras especies ovales de Aleuropleurocelus.
Anomiopus cirulito Cano n. sp., from the tropical forest of the Mayan Biosphere Reserve, Petén, Guatemala is described. This is the northernmost known species of the genus Anomiopus Westwood (Coleoptera: Scarabaeidae: Scarabaeinae) and is related to the Costa Rican and Panamanian Anomiopus panamensis (Paulian).
A taxonomic revision of Panamanian species of the genus Dasymutilla Ashmead (Hymenoptera, Mutillidae) is presented and a key for the six species is given, all recognized from both sexes. Dasymutilla colorado Cambra, Williams and Quintero sp. nov., from central and eastern Panama, is described and illustrated. Sex associations permitted us to make the following five synonymies: D. sleipniri Manley and Pitts, 2007 (male) under D. phya (Cameron, 1895) (female); D. deyrollesi Mickel, 1937 (male) and Sphaerophthama [sic.] temaxensis Cameron, 1895 under Dasymutilla araneoides (Smith, 1862) (female); D. ionothorax Manley and Pitts, 2007 (male) under Dasymutilla spilota Manley and Pitts, 2007 (female); and D. guanacaste Manley and Pitts, 2007 (male) under D. paradoxa (Gerstaecker, 1874) (female). Seasonal flight activity for Dasymutilla from six years of continuous malaise trappings in Barro Colorado Island is presented.
The gecko genus Phyllopezus is distributed mainly along South America’s "Dry Diagonal" (Caatinga, Cerrado, and Chaco). The genus has been the subject of recent taxonomic analyses and includes four described species and seven candidate species referred to here as Phyllopezus pollicaris sensu lato. In Paraguay, Phyllopezus is known from the Chaco and Cerrado where it is abundant, and also from a small isolated population from a rocky hill formation named "Cordillera de Los Altos" (Los Altos mountain range). Here we analyzed genetic samples from across its range, including new samples from Paraguay, using DNA barcoding analysis of the mitochondrial 16S gene and phylogenetic analyses using both Bayesian and Maximum Likelihood methods. We found genetic and morphological differences among geckos from the Los Altos mountain range and the remaining Phyllopezus populations. Using both molecular and morphological evidence we describe a new Phyllopezus species, sister to P. przewalskii. Genetic differentiation among described and putative Phyllopezus species is greater than their morphological differences, which likely accounts for these cryptic taxa remaining undescribed for so long.
In order to consider the effects of online publishing on the career of researchers, as well as to encourage both its recognition and its improved positioning within the field and beyond, the CETAF Membership organized two workshops during which specific questions about scientific publishing in taxonomy were addressed: authorship citation and Open Access. The present opinion paper is the result of those workshops held on 19 October 2016 in Madrid and on 4 October 2017 in Heraklion. The discussions were aimed at reconciling the requirements of the relevant nomenclatural codes with recommendations for best practices that are adapted to the evolving landscape of e-publishing. By evaluating the different policies of a range of journals regarding authorship citation, we were able to recognise the conflicting and incoherent practices related to the citation of taxon authorships; an issue that is important to clarify for scientific (explicit source), practical (findability of source) and reputational (citation index) reasons. A collective policy on authorship citation also fits into the wider challenge faced by researchers and institutions, whereby interoperability and traceability become key priorities, both for facilitating access to scientific resources and for generating metrics that accurately represent the activities and output of the community. Publications resulting from publicly-funded research should be considered as an essential part of the research process and there has been a strong move towards Open Access, which increases visibility, citability, innovation and impact. Diverse models of Open Access have appeared in scientific publishing but while they each promote free access to the end user, they are not always equitable for the authors and funders of the original research. Herein we formulate recommendations for the relevant research communities and outline the advantages behind adopting a collective strategy towards the issues of authorship citation and Open Access.
Based on six weeks spent in the field on six Cabo Verdean Islands in September/ October 2016 and 2017, we present 18 additions to the checklist of terrestrial biodiversity of the archipelago (ten arthropods, one bird, two fungi, and five flowering plants). Four of them are first records for Cabo Verde, the others for particular islands. Most interesting are the apple of Sodom fruit fly Dacus longistylus, perhaps actively introduced for biocontrol of the toxic apple of Sodom tree and the additions to the distribution of several bee species of the genera Amegilla, Megachile, and Xylocopa. Our observations indicate that the biodiversity of Cabo Verde is still incompletely known and more fieldwork is needed.
The vividly coloured Neotropical genus Callipia Guenée (1858) (Lepidoptera Linnaeus, 1758, Geometridae (Leach, 1815), Larentiinae (Leach, 1815), Stamnodini Forbes, 1948) is revised and separated into four species groups, according to a provisional phylogeny based on Cytochrome Oxidase I (COI) gene data and morphology. Fourteen new species are described using COI data and morphology: a) in the balteata group: C. fiedleri sp. nov., C. jakobi sp. nov., C. lamasi sp. nov.; b) in the vicinaria group: C. hausmanni sp. nov., C. walterfriedlii sp. nov.; c) in the parrhasiata group: C. augustae sp. nov., C. jonai sp. nov., C. karsholti sp. nov., C. levequei sp. nov., C. milleri sp. nov., C. sihvoneni sp. nov., C. wojtusiaki sp. nov. and d) in the constantinaria group: C. hiltae sp. nov., C. rougeriei sp. nov. One new subspecies is described: C. wojtusiaki septentrionalis subsp. nov. Two species are revived from synonymy: C. intermedia Dognin, 1914 stat. rev. and C. occulta Warren, 1904 stat. rev. The taxon hamaria Sperry, 1951 is transferred from being a junior synonym of C. constantinaria Oberthür, 1881 to being a junior synonym of C. occulta stat. rev. The taxon admirabilis Warren, 1904 is confirmed as being a junior synonym of C. paradisea Thierry-Mieg, 1904. The taxon languescens Warren, 1904 is confirmed as being a junior synonym of C. rosetta, Thierry-Mieg, 1904 and the taxon confluens Warren, 1905 is confirmed as being a junior synonym of C. balteata Warren, 1905. The status of the remaining species is not changed: C. aurata Warren, 1904, C. brenemanae Sperry, 1951, C. parrhasiata Guenée, 1858, C. flagrans Warren, 1904, C. fulvida Warren, 1907 and C. vicinaria Dognin. All here recognised 26 species are illustrated and the available molecular genetic information of 25 species, including Barcode Index Numbers (BINs) for most of the taxa is provided. The almost threefold increase from 10 to 26 valid species shows that species richness of tropical moths is strongly underestimated even in relatively conspicuous taxa. Callipia occurs from medium to high elevations in wet parts of the tropical and subtropical Andes from Colombia to northern Argentina. The early stages and host plants are still unknown.
Two obligate cave-dwelling species of cyclopoid copepods (Copepoda, Cyclopoida) were discovered inside caves in central Thailand. Siamcyclops cavernicolus gen. et sp. nov. was recognised as as a member of a new genus. It resembles Bryocyclops jankowskajae Monchenko, 1972 from Uzbekistan (part of the former USSR). It differs from it by (1) lack of pointed triangular prominences on the intercoxal sclerite of the fourth swimming leg, (2) mandibular palp with three setae, (3) spine and setal formulae of swimming legs 3.3.3.2 and 5.5.5.5, respectively, and (4) specific shape of spermatophore. Metacyclops thailandicus sp. nov. resembles M. cushae Reid, 1991 from Louisiana (USA). It differs from it by (1) distal segment of the endopod of the fourth swimming leg with one apical spine, (2) the fifth swimming legs with one broad segment, (3) the spine formula of the distal segment of the exopod of the swimming legs 3.4.3.3, and (4) well developed anal operculum reaching articulation with caudal rami. Detailed descriptions of the habitats of the new species and up-to-date keys to the genera and subgenera of the Bryocyclops and Microcyclops groups are provided, along with an updated list of obligate groundwater species of Copepoda in Southeast Asia.
Homollea Arènes (Rubiaceae, subfamily Ixoroideae, tribe Pavetteae) is a genus of shrubs and small trees endemic to western and northern Madagascar. The genus comprises five species occurring in dry deciduous forest, often in limestone areas. The five species are narrow endemics and their conservation status is either Endangered (4 species) or Critically Endangered (1 species). Homollea is characterized by few-flowered, pseudo-axillary, pedunculate inflorescences, well-developed calyces with the lobes much longer than the tube, laterally flattened seeds with a shallow, elongated to linear hilum and entire endosperm, ovules arising from the upper margin of the placenta, and, pollen grains with supratectal elements in the shape of microgemmae. Until now, three species were known and their descriptions are amended. Two further species, H. furtiva De Block sp. nov. and H. septentrionalis De Block sp. nov., are described as new for science. The five species are dealt with in detail: descriptions, distribution maps, conservation assessments, illustrations, lists of exsiccatae and an identification key are given.
After publication of Blahnik and Holzenthal (2017), it was noticed that a large portion of the text had been accidentally removed from the "Phylogenetic and evolutionary comments" section during the proofing stage. The beginning of the deleted section completes the sentence on line 6 of page 129, which begins "The species included in the subgenus...". The Insecta Mundi editorial staff apologizes for this oversight. In order to provide context for the deleted excerpt, the entire "Phylogenetic and evolutionary comments" section is reproduced here, with the deleted text reincorporated. Insecta Mundi has also released a revised version of the Blahnik and Holzenthal (2017) manuscript, with this error corrected. However, the revised version is merely for convenience, and not an official peerreviewed article. Anyone wishing to reference the findings of Blahnik and Holzenthal (2017) should cite the original 2017 manuscript or this erratum. The references and figure plates cited in this section have also been reproduced here. ...
Four new species of the tribe Clytrini Kirby, 1837, Labidostomis bcharrensis sp. nov. (Lebanon), Tituboea friedmani sp. nov. (Israel), Tituboea harteni sp. nov. (United Arab Emirates) and Tituboea radeki sp. nov. (Yemen, Oman), and the formerly unknown females of Labidostomis damavandensis Rapilly, 1984 and Saudiclytra wittmeri Medvedev, 1979 are described. The following new synonyms are proposed: Coptocephala coptocephaloides (Lacordaire, 1848) = Coptocephala furthi Medvedev, 1992 syn. nov., Labidostomis rufa (Waltl, 1838) = Labidostomis rufa (Lacordaire, 1848) syn. nov., Tituboea olivieri (Lacordaire, 1848) = Tituboea femoralis Medvedev, 1962 syn. nov., Saudiclytra wittmeri (Medvedev, 1979) = Saudiclytra spinifemorata Medvedev, El Torkey & Al Dhafer, 2014 syn. nov. A neotype is designated for Clythra (Tituboea) olivieri Lacordaire, 1848. Tituboea decemguttata Walker, 1871 is considered as nomen dubium. The variability of the elytral pattern of Afrophthalma arabica (Bryant, 1957) is delimited. New country records and comments on distribution of Clytrini species from the eastern Mediterranean, the Near East and the Arabian Peninsula are presented.
We present an abundance-based checklist of Pennsylvania planthoppers (Hemiptera: Auchenorrhyncha: Fulgoroidea) compiled from available literature and 13,718 specimens. A substantial portion of the latter were bycatch from Lindgren funnel and panel traps intended to intercept wood-boring beetle species, and a directed survey for the spotted lanternfly (Lycorma delicatula (White)). The known planthopper fauna of Pennsylvania consists of 10 families, 54 genera and 139 species including 34 new state species records (and 12 new genera). In an attempt to assess the level of completeness of this survey, we compiled an abundance-based checklist of planthopper species found in states adjacent to Pennsylvania and found similar numbers of planthopper species for each state (viz. Delaware 138 species, Maryland 147, New Jersey 145, New York 162 and Ohio 126), but the cumulative species list is comprised of 240 planthopper species, suggesting that the inventory for Pennsylvania and all adjacent states may be substantially incomplete.
Rhagoletis cerasi (Linnaeus) (Diptera: Tephritidae) is reported from Mississauga, Ontario, Canada, and Niagara County, New York, United States for the first time, new records. Specimens from Ontario were collected in 2016, and New York in 2017. This fly is subject to regulatory control and poses a risk to cherry and honeysuckle in North America.
Gervais’ beaked whale Mesoplodon europaeus (Gervais, 1855) is restricted to the Atlantic Ocean. Although most records are from the North Atlantic, it is probably continuously distributed in deep warm waters around the equator (Mead 1989, Norman & Mead 2001). Its occurrence in West Africa is poorly known, as records are rare. It is classified as Data Deficient (Taylor et al. 2008).
Brachyplatys subaeneus (Westwood) (Hemiptera: Plataspidae) es una especie de chinche originaria de Asia que fue reportada en 2016 por primera vez en Panamá y las Américas. Dicha especie es un organismo invasor considerado como una plaga potencial para los cultivos de guandú (Cajanus cajan (L.) Huth) y otras leguminosas. Debido a que no se había trabajado más en este chinche desde su reporte, este estudio busca generar información respecto a su distribución geográfica en el país, focalizada a lo largo de la costa Pacífica de Panamá, desde Tortí, Panamá Este, hasta la región de Chitré, provincia de Herrera. A pesar de presentar esta distribución consideramos que esta especie invasora puede tener ámbitos de distribución más amplios en Panamá, tomando en cuenta el hecho de que es una especie con una alta tasa de reproducción y colonización.
Three Neotropical species are transferred to the genus Premnobius Eichhoff (Coleoptera: Curculionidae: Scolytinae: Ipini): Premnobius assiduus (Schedl, 1961, from Xyleborus), P. flechtmanni (Wood, 2007, from Acanthotomicus) and P. neoajunctus (Schedl, 1967, from Xyleborus). An illustrated key is presented for the native and introduced species of the genus known from the New World.
Two new species of marine Platyhelminthes, Microstomum laurae sp. nov. and Microstomum edmondi sp. nov. (Macrostomida: Microstomidae) are described from the west coast of Sweden. Microstomum laurae sp. nov. is distinguished by the following combination of characters: rounded anterior and posterior ends; presence of approximately 20 adhesive papillae on the posterior rim; paired lateral red eyespots located level with the brain; preoral gut extending anterior to brain and and very small sensory pits. Microstomum edmondi sp. nov. is a protandrous hermaphrodite with a single ovary, single testis and male copulatory organ with stylet. It is characterized by a conical pointed anterior end, a blunt posterior end with numerous adhesive papillae along the rim, and large ciliary pits. The stylet is shaped as a narrow funnel with a short, arched tip. In addition, the first records of fully mature specimens of Microstomum rubromaculatum von Graff, 1882 from Fiskebäckskil and a phylogenetic analysis of Microstomum Schmidt, 1848 based on the mitochondrial cytochrome oxidase I (COI) gene are presented.
The Trichoptera of Panama V. Descriptions of new species, new country records, and a synonymy
(2018)
The Río Chiriqui basin is one of 52 major watershed areas, or cuencas, in the Republic of Panama. It occurs in western Panama, discharges into the Pacific Ocean, and includes portions of Volcán Barú on its northern extent. The Río Caldera occupies the northernmost subbasin of this basin. Two of its tributaries, Quebrada Grande and Quebrada Jaramillo, occur in close proximity and on opposite sides, and have different recent geologic histories and current land use patterns. During the course of investigating the caddisfly fauna of these two drainages, three new species of the microcaddisfly genus Neotrichia Morton (Trichoptera: Hydroptilidae) were identified: N. collierorum and N. anzuelo from Quebrada Jaramillo and N. tatianae from Quebrada Grande. These are described and figured herein. We also add one new genus (Rhyacopsyche Mueller) and five new country records (Hydroptila paschia Mosely, Metrichia ancora Bueno-Soria and Holzenthal, Ochrotrichia jolandae BuenoSoria and Holzenthal, Rhyacopsyche obliqua Flint, and Chimarra (Curgia) maritza Flint) for Panama. Finally, we designate Ochrotrichia abrelata Harris and Armitage, 2015 as a junior synonym of Ochrotrichia jolandae Bueno-Soria and Holzenthal, 2008. This synonymy and the newly recorded species and country records increase Panama’s known trichopteran fauna to 350 species, distributed among 15 families and 52 genera.
The Republic of Panama currently has 358 recorded species of Trichoptera. Herein we add 25 new country records for Panama. The newly recorded taxa increase Panama’s total known caddisfly fauna to 383 species, distributed among 15 families and 52 genera. These results are part of an ongoing effort to characterize the caddisfly fauna of Panama, and to evaluate that country’s major watersheds (cuencas).
The genus of Neotropical frogs Pseudopaludicola Miranda-Ribeiro, 1926 includes 23 species, which occur throughout South America. Herein we describe a new species of Pseudopaludicola from the central region of the state of Minas Gerais (southeastern Brazil). This new species is distinguished by the adult morphology, the advertisement call, and molecular data. It is diagnosed mainly by its small size, terminal phalanges knobbed (lack of any expansion of the digital tips), proportionally short hind limbs, and its advertisement call composed of series of two-pulsed notes, emitted at a high repetition rate. In addition, we report the occurrence of the new species in the southern foothills of the Serra do Cipó National Park, at elevations lower than 800 m above sea level (a.s.l). The sister species of this new taxon is P. mineira Lobo, 1994, which occurs in rupestrian grasslands above 1200 m a.s.l. at the Serra do Cipó National Park and in Serra do Cabral, both in the state of Minas Gerais, Brazil. We also redescribe the advertisement call of P. mineira based on recordings from topotypical males and compare it to calls of related species.
Eastern boundary upwelling provides the conditions for high marine productivity in the Canary Current System off NW-Africa. Despite its considerable importance to fisheries, knowledge on this marine ecosystem is only limited. Here, parasites were used as indicators to gain insight into the host ecology and food web of two pelagic fish species, the commercially important species Trichiurus lepturus Linnaeus, 1758, and Nealotus tripes Johnson, 1865. Fish specimens of T. lepturus (n = 104) and N. tripes (n = 91), sampled from the Canary Current System off the Senegalese coast and Cape Verde Islands, were examined, collecting data on their biometrics, diet and parasitisation. In this study, the first parasitological data on N. tripes are presented. T. lepturus mainly preyed on small pelagic Crustacea and the diet of N. tripes was dominated by small mesopelagic Teleostei. Both host species were infested by mostly generalist parasites. The parasite fauna of T. lepturus consisted of at least nine different species belonging to six taxonomic groups, with a less diverse fauna of ectoparasites and cestodes in comparison to studies in other coastal ecosystems (Brazil Current and Kuriosho Current). The zoonotic nematode Anisakis pegreffii occurred in 23% of the samples and could pose a risk regarding food safety. The parasite fauna of N. tripes was composed of at least thirteen species from seven different taxonomic groups. Its most common parasites were digenean ovigerous metacercariae, larval cestodes and a monogenean species (Diclidophoridae). The observed patterns of parasitisation in both host species indicate their trophic relationships and are typical for mesopredators from the subtropical epi- and mesopelagic. The parasite fauna, containing few dominant species with a high abundance, represents the typical species composition of an eastern boundary upwelling ecosystem.
During a survey of the fishes in the region of the Wonga-Wongué Presidential Reserve, 14 new populations of the subgenus Chromaphyosemion Myers, 1924 were found. These observations extend the previously known distribution range of the subgenus 120 kilometres southward. None of these populations could be related to any described species. Based on the colouration of the males and females, together with a genetic marker (mitochondrial DNA cytochrome b sequences), the populations studied are grouped into six new species which are described in this article, all close to Aphyosemion alpha Huber, 1998 with which they share the presence of a black alpha-shaped mark on the pre- and post-opercular region. The group composed of A. alpha and the six new species is referred to here as the A. alpha species group. All the new species, A. aurantiacum Chirio, Legros & Agnèse sp. nov., A. barakoniense Chirio, Legros & Agnèse sp. nov., A. flammulatum Chirio, Legros & Agnèse sp. nov., A. flavocyaneum Chirio, Legros & Agnèse sp. nov., A. pusillum Chirio, Legros & Agnèse sp. nov. and A. rubrogaster Chirio, Legros & Agnèse sp. nov., are further unambiguously diagnosed by unique combinations of colour patterns, making it possible to generate an identification key for the A. alpha species group. It is likely that the coastal dunes of Wonga-Wongué that form a sandy relief, could have led to the fragmentation and then isolation of the hydrographical networks that flow into the Atlantic Ocean, making possible a significant number of allopatric speciations.
The nesting biology of the potter wasp Pachymenes ghilianii (Spinola) (Hymenoptera: Vespidae: Eumeninae) is described based on observations made in the Cerro Turega Hydric Reserve, Penonome, Panama. The collection of building material, the architecture of the nest, the process of building a cell and cell provision with geometrid larvae (Lepidoptera: Geometridae), and the emergence time of the adults are recorded.