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A new millipede species of the genus Sechelleptus Mauriès, 1980 is described and illustrated from Mayotte Island, Indian Ocean. This new species, S. arborivagus sp. nov., found on trees, looks particularly similar to the sympatric S. variabilis VandenSpiegel & Golovatch, 2007, but is much larger and has a very different ecological behavior. Phylogenetic analyses based on a concatenated dataset of the COI and 16S rRNA genes and including nine species of Spirostreptidae (including Sechelleptus, Doratogonus Attems, 1914, Bicoxidens Attems, 1928 and Spirostreptus Brandt, 1833), strongly support the monophyly of Sechelleptus. Despite the similarity of their genitalia, the molecular analyses also reveal a clear-cut genetic divergence between S. arborivagus sp. nov. and S. variabilis (22.55% for COI and 6.63% for 16SrRNA) and further suggest the presence of a higher diversity within the genus Sechelleptus on Mayotte.
New species, revision, and phylogeny of Ronzotherium Aymard, 1854 (Perissodactyla, Rhinocerotidae)
(2021)
Ronzotherium is one of the earliest Rhinocerotidae in Europe, which first appeared just after the Eocene/Oligocene transition (Grande Coupure), and became extinct at the end of the Oligocene. It is a large-sized rhinocerotid, with a special position in the phylogeny of this group, as being one of the earliest-branching true Rhinocerotidae. However, its intra-generic systematics has never been tested through computational phylogenetic methods and it is basically unknown. Its taxonomical history has gone through numerous complications, and thus we aim to provide here a complete revision of this genus, through phylogenetic methods. After a re-examination of all type specimens (five supposed species) as well as of most well-preserved specimens from all over Europe and ranging through the complete Oligocene epoch, we performed a parsimony analysis to test the position of some problematic specimens. According to our results, five species can be distinguished, Ronzotherium velaunum (type species), R. filholi, R. elongatum and R. romani as well as a new species: R. heissigi sp. nov. We also drastically re-interpret its anatomy and show that the ‘short-limbed’ “Diaceratherium” massiliae, described from Southern France, can be considered as a junior synonym of R. romani. Finally, we exclude the Asian species “Ronzotherium” orientale and “Ronzotherium” brevirostre from Ronzotherium and we consider R. kochi as a junior synonym of R. filholi.
Remipedia is a stygobitic group commonly associated with coastal anchialine caves. This class consists of 12 genera, ten of which are found within the Lucayan Archipelago. Herein, we describe a new species within the genus Godzillius from Conch Sound Blue Hole, North Andros Island, Bahamas. Godzillius louriei sp. nov. is the third known remipede observed from a subseafloor marine cave, and the first from the Godzilliidae. Remipedes dwell within notoriously difficult to access cave habitats and thus integrative and comprehensive systematic studies at family or genus level are often absent in the literature. In this study, all species of Godzillius are compared using morphological and molecular approaches. Specifically, the feeding appendages of G. louriei sp. nov., G. fuchsi Gonzalez, Singpiel & Schlagner, 2013 and G. robustus Schram, Yager & Emerson, 1986 were examined using scanning electron microscopy (SEM). Species of Godzillius are identified based on the spines of maxilla 1 segment 4 and by the denticles on the lacinia mobilis of the left mandible. A molecular phylogeny using the mitochondrial 16S rRNA and nuclear histone 3 genes recovered G. louriei sp. nov. within the Godzillius clade and 16S genetic distances revealed a 13–15% difference between species of Godzillius.
Most valvatiform genera of the gastropod family Hydrobiidae are narrow-range taxa. One exception is the genus Arganiella, which is comprised of three congeners: the type species A. pescei from the Apennine Peninsula, A. wolfi from the Iberian Peninsula and A. tabanensis from the Balkans. The genus assignment of the latter two species was based on morphological similarities with A. pescei in the shell, operculum, radula and genitalia. Given that the morphology of hydrobiids is sometimes susceptible to convergence, this study re-evaluates the taxonomic status of species of Arganiella by analysing mitochondrial (mtCOI) and nuclear (18S rRNA) sequences of topotypes or near topotypes to infer their phylogenetic position. Our phylogenetic analyses depicted Arganiella as a non-monophyletic group within Hydrobiidae, and sequence divergence among the three species ranged from 14.5 to 16.7% for mtCOI and 2.0 to 3.8% for 18S. We also re-examined the extent of morphological variation among species of Arganiella and found a few differences among them and other valvatiform genera. Consequently, we propose two new genera for A. wolfi and A. tabanensis. Our results conflict with the classification of valvatiform hydrobiid species solely based on traditional phenotypical methods and suggest further taxonomic evaluation within a molecular framework.
A new avian chewing louse genus Apomyrsidea gen. nov. is described based on species parasitizing birds in the family Formicariidae. Diagnostic characteristics and phylogenetic analyses were used to evaluate and confirm the generic status and merit its recognition as unique and different from Myrsidea Waterston, 1915. Three species previously belonging to the genus Myrsidea are placed in the new genus Apomyrsidea gen. nov. and are discussed: Apomyrsidea circumsternata (Valim & Weckstein, 2013) gen. et comb. nov., Apomyrsidea isacantha (Valim & Weckstein, 2013) gen. et comb. nov. and Apomyrsidea klimesi (Sychra in Sychra et al., 2006) gen. et comb. nov.
Commonly reported as a household pest throughout the northern hemisphere, Willowsia nigromaculata (Lubbock) is among the most abundant and widely distributed springtails. However, taxonomic uncertainty due to incomplete morphological descriptions based on specimens from different continents may lead to incorrect identifications and/or prevent the recognition of distinct lineages within this morphospecies. Here, we perform the first comprehensive morphological and genetic comparison between W. nigromaculata specimens collected from North America and Europe. Morphological and genetic evidence reveals that populations in the United States and France represent two distinct nigromaculata-like species, but a phylogenetic analysis indicates both species may also be present in Canada. Based on these results, we redescribe W. nigromaculata from France, provide a description for Willowsia neonigromaculata sp. nov. from the United States, and propose new diagnostic characters for their separation, including the number of inner appendages on the maxillary sublobal plate. We also highlight the need for morphological and molecular investigations of additional populations to better understand the diversity and distribution of W. nigromaculata and related species.
We report a new myxozoan, Myxobolus opsaridiumi sp. nov., infecting the ornamental fish Opsaridium ubangiensis (Pellegrin, 1901) collected from the Anga River near the city of Yaounde, Cameroon. Plasmodia were found in the skin, muscles and spleen. The overall prevalence of infection was 54.7% (288 parasitized fish out of 526 examined). The myxospores were ovoid to subspherical in frontal view and lenticular in lateral view. The valves were symmetrical and relatively thick, without edge markings. The myxospore measurements were 10.7 ± 0.14 (10–11.5) μm long, 9 ± 0.15 (8–10) μm wide and 6.2 ± 0.7 (5.6–7.2) μm thick. The two ovoid polar capsules were equal in size, converging and opening together at the anterior end, measuring 5 ± 0.07 (4.3–6.0) μm long and 2.7 ± 0.07 (2.2–3.0) μm wide. Polar filaments were coiled from 5 to 7 turns. Histopathological analysis revealed no inflammatory reaction associated with the infection. A BLAST search found that the newly obtained 18 rDNA sequence had a low sequence similarity with available sequences for Myxobolus on GenBank. A phylogenetical analysis based on ribosomal DNA partial sequences showed that M. opsaridiumi sp. nov. is closely associated with several species of Myxobolus infecting cyprinid fish.
A new monospecific genus belonging to the family Linyphiidae Blackwell, 1859, Nihonella gen. nov., is described using an integrative taxonomic approach based on the species N. chika gen. et sp. nov. The new genus is endemic to Western Honshu, Japan, and it shows distinctive genitalic and somatic characters of other genera of the subfamily Erigoninae Emerton, 1882. Nihonella gen. nov. is found only in the twilight and transition zones of caves in Okayama and Nara Prefectures. The phylogenetic position of Nihonella gen. nov. within the subfamily Erigoninae, and its relationship as a sister clade of the species of the group of Savignia Blackwell, 1833 (sensu Millidge 1977), is discussed on the basis of both, morphological and molecular evidence.
Four new species and one new subspecies of tateid freshwater gastropods are described from the north of the South Island of New Zealand, Catapyrgus jami sp. nov., Opacuincola lisannea sp. nov., O. gretathunbergae sp. nov., O. mete kahurangi ssp. nov. and Obtusopyrgus farri sp. nov. The species are integratively defined based on a combination of shell morphological, anatomical and mitochondrial DNA data. Morphological and anatomical data were generated by morphometrics, scanning electron microscopy, as well as micro-computed tomography. The genetic data were basis of phylogenetic analyses and incorporated into the diagnoses. The new taxa occur in springs or spring-like habitats, i.e., shallow, slow-flowing sections of small streams except for O. mete kahurangi subsp. nov., which was collected from rough rocks in a river, where the snails sat in small depressions. None of the species exceeded 2.75 mm in length. Opacuincola gretathunbergae sp. nov. and Obtusopyrgus farri sp. nov. are pigmented and true crenobionts, while C. jami sp. nov. and the sympatric Opacuincola lisannea sp. nov. have eyes of reduced size and lack epidermal pigment, hence, probably dwell in the transitional zone of epigean and groundwaters.
Members of the ATP‐binding cassette (ABC) transporter superfamily translocate a broad spectrum of chemically diverse substrates. While their eponymous ATP‐binding cassette in the nucleotide‐binding domains (NBDs) is highly conserved, their transmembrane domains (TMDs) forming the translocation pathway exhibit distinct folds and topologies, suggesting that during evolution the ancient motor domains were combined with different transmembrane mechanical systems to orchestrate a variety of cellular processes. In recent years, it has become increasingly evident that the distinct TMD folds are best suited to categorize the multitude of ABC transporters. We therefore propose a new ABC transporter classification that is based on structural homology in the TMDs:
The family Hahniidae is reported from Thailand for the first time. The genus Hexamatia gen. nov. and two new species, Hexamatia seekhaow gen. et sp. nov. and Hahnia ngai sp. nov., are described and illustrated. DNA sequences are provided for all the species reported here. The phylogenetic position of the novel genus Hexamatia gen. nov. and its relation to Hahnia are discussed. Based on these results, a new combination is proposed for Hexamatia senaria (Zhang, Li & Zheng, 2011) gen. et comb. nov. = Hahnia senaria. Known distribution of the species Hahnia saccata Zhang, Li & Zheng, 2011, originally described from China, is expanded. A brief review and notes on the taxonomy of the six-eyed hahniids are included.
This paper reports on the genus Cobbionema Filipjev, 1922 in Sweden with the description of four species and a revision of the genus. Cobbionema acrocerca Filipjev, 1922 is relatively small in size, with a tail that has a conical proximal and a digitate distal section. Cobbionema cylindrolaimoides Schuurmans Stekhoven, 1950 is similar to C. acrocerca in most characters except having a larger body size and heavily cuticularized mandibles. Cobbionema brevispicula sp. nov. is characterised by short spicules and a conoid tail. Cobbionema acuminata sp. nov. is characterised by a long two-part spicule, a conical tail and three (one mid dorsal and two ventrosublateral) sharply pointed tines in the anterior chamber of the stoma that are located more anterior than in all the other species. We also present a molecular phylogeny of the family based on the nearly full-length 18S and the D2-D3 expansion segment of the 28S rRNA genes. Maximum Likelihood and Bayesian trees inferred from both genes strongly support a clade that included Cobbionema, Demonema Cobb, 1894 and Halichoanolaimus de Man, 1888 and another clade with Gammanema Cobb, 1920 and Latronema Wieser, 1954 nested together. None of the trees supported the monophyly of the subfamilies Choniolaiminae and Selachinematinae.
In the last few years, a sharp increase in the number of descriptions of new species of West African cone snails, particularly from the Cabo Verde Archipelago, has taken place. In previous studies, we used mitogenome sequences for reconstructing robust phylogenies, which comprised in total 120 individuals representing the majority of species (69.7%) described from this biogeographical region (except Angolan endemics) and grouped into seven genera within the family Conidae. Here, we add another 12 individuals representing endemic species that were missing in the previous studies. We use the phylogenies to identify monophyletic groups and a genetic divergence threshold (0.2% uncorrected p distance) to determine the number of valid species. As a result, the number of valid West African cone species could be drastically reduced to at least 40%, indicating that some recent poor-quality descriptions loosely based on phenotypic characters prone to convergence such as the shape and color patterns of the shell have contributed substantially to taxonomic inflation. Several previously accepted species with a reduced geographical distribution now become phenotypic forms of the remaining valid species, which increase their distribution ranges. In contrast, several cryptic species are now uncovered and described. For instance, Africonus insulae sp. nov. and Kalloconus canariensis sp. nov. are hereby introduced as new species. A detailed systematic account with illustrations and relevant information is presented. Lectotypes are designated for Conus trochulus and Conus irregularis, and neotypes for Conus crotchii and Conus diminutus. According to our results, it is strongly recommended that any future introduction of new taxa names for cone snails from West Africa should be supported by molecular and/or anatomical rather than exclusively shell morphological data. The taxonomic decisions here taken have direct implications for conservation and will eventually require re-evaluation of the Red List risk status of an important number of species.
We describe Croton calcareus Riina & Mateo-Ram. sp. nov., a new species in Croton section Cyclostigma (dragon's blood trees) from the state of Chiapas (Mexico). This species is a small tree growing in dry forest on calcareous substrates. Both morphological and molecular data support C. calcareus sp. nov. as a new species closely related to C. redolens, another dry forest taxon from northern Venezuela. We provide illustrations, a distribution map and suggestions for species conservation status. The new species along with Croton draco are the only known representatives of C. section Cyclostigma occurring in Mexico.
The subfamily Sepiolinae (Mollusca: Cephalopoda: Sepiolidae), currently containing the genera Sepiola Leach, 1817, Euprymna Steenstrup, 1887, Inioteuthis Verrill, 1881, Rondeletiola Naef, 1921 and Sepietta Naef, 1912, is characterized by the hectocotylization of the left dorsal arm, i.e., its transformation into a copulatory organ thanks to modifications of sucker/pedicel elements. The hectocotylus morphology varies to a great extent across genera and species. In particular, one to several pedicels in its proximal third lose their sucker and become highly and diversely modified in shape to constitute a copulatory apparatus. An evolutionary gradient was observed in the copulatory apparatus morphology, from the simple modification into a papilla of just one pedicel from the third element of the ventral sucker row (some nominal species of Euprymna) to a quite complex structure involving several variously modified pedicels from both the ventral and dorsal sucker rows (Inioteuthis). In some species, elements in the distal portion of the hectocotylus may also be highly modified, such as the columnar suckers in Euprymna. The hectocotylian diversity allows to distinguish nine groups of species that do not match the current generic subdivision of Sepiolinae. Additional morphological characters (number of sucker rows on arms, female bursa copulatrix, occurrence and shape of visceral light organs, etc.) corroborate the subdivision of Sepiolinae into nine subtaxa, i.e., genera. Accordingly, a cladogram is drawn to describe the possible phylogenetic relationships among the nine clades. To comply with these results, all current genera are redefined and four new genera are described, namely Adinaefiola gen. nov., Boletzkyola gen. nov., Eumandya gen. nov. and Lusepiola gen. nov.
The aquatic biodiversity of springs and groundwater systems of North Africa remains largely unexplored. In an earlier field survey of Tunisian springs, a new gastropod genus, Bullaregia, was discovered as a phylogenetically independent lineage of uncertain position within the family Hydrobiidae. Here, we provide taxonomic and phylogenetic assignments for three newly collected populations of hydrobiids from springs in northern Tunisia based on morphological, anatomical and genetic (mtCOI and 18S) data. Among these and specimens of Bullaregia, major differences were observed in male and female genitalia as well as in mtCOI sequences (divergence 8.0–9.1%). Based on these findings, we describe two new genera and three new species: Belgrandiellopsis chorfensis gen. et sp. nov., Belgrandiellopsis secunda gen. et sp. nov. and Biserta putealis gen. et sp. nov. In all our phylogenetic analyses, these three new species were well resolved as a monophyletic group together with Bullaregia tunisiensis. Unexpectedly, this clade emerged as sister to the European valvatiform genera Corbellaria and Kerkia and not to the recently discovered clade of groundwater, conchologically similar, species living in Bulgaria (Balkan Peninsula). These Tunisian species are each locally endemic and form part of a newly discovered clade which in future systematic studies could eventually be identified as a distinct hydrobiid subfamily.
Detailed description and illustrations of immature Trictenotoma Gray, 1832 (Trictenotomidae Blanchard, 1845) are presented for the first time, based on larvae and pupae of T. formosana Kriesche, 1919. Characters exhibited by the mature larva are similar to those described by Gahan (1908) for T. childreni Gray, 1832, which was based on a single specimen. The phylogenetic position of Trictenotomidae has varied among Scarabaeoidea, Chrysomeloidea and Tenebrionoidea, though recent studies place the family clearly among the latter. Features of the immature stages described here corroborate this placement. Evidence supports placement within or near the "salpingid group" (Pythidae, Salpingidae, Boridae, Pyrochroidae). Distinguishing features of the mature trictenotomid larva include the absence of stemmata, antennal sensorium, urogomphal pit(s) and lip, the presence of paired series of longitudinal ridges on the meso- and metathorax and abdominal tergites 1–8 and sternites 2–8, a paired arcuate row of 12–15 asperities on the anterior margin of sternite 9 and relatively short, upturned urogomphi. The systematic position of trictenotomids within the Tenebrionoidea Latreille, 1802 is confirmed. The phylogenetic relationships among Trictenotomidae and other “salpingid group” members (e.g., Pythidae Solier, 1834 and Salpingidae Leach, 1815) are highlighted and discussed, solving an almost two centuries old puzzle in Coleoptera systematics.
Abiinae is the second-largest subfamily in Cimbicidae, a small family of true sawflies (Tenthredinoidea). The subfamily is adequately defined, but the generic classification has been unstable. Currently, only two genera are regarded as valid: Abia Leach, 1817 and Allabia Semenov & Gussakovskij, 1937. We evaluate the generic classification of Abiinae in a phylogenetic context. A total of 32 species (out of 57 described for the subfamily), including the type species of Allabia, Allabia infernalis (Semenov, 1896), are scored for 150 adult morphological characters. Results show some resolution, but only few clades can be circumscribed by consistent character combinations. Most of the characters that have previously been used to define genera are not congruent; consequently, most suggested genus definitions appear to be random character state combinations and few natural groups can be identified. For these reasons, we treat Allabia syn. nov. as a junior synonym of Abia and make the following additional taxonomic changes: Abia infernalis Semenov, 1896 comb. rev. and Abia malaisei (Semenov & Gussakovskij, 1937) syn. nov. For the purpose of long-term stability of the classification of Abiinae, we recommend recognizing only one genus, Abia, within the subfamily.
Holocarpic oomycetes are poorly known but widespread parasites in freshwater and marine ecosystems. Most of the holocarpic species seem to belong to clades that diverge before the two crown lineages of the oomycetes, the Saprolegniomycetes and the Peronosporomycetes. Recently, the genus Miracula was described to accommodate Miracula helgolandica, a holocarpic parasitoid of Pseudo-nitzschia diatoms, which received varying support for its placement as the earliest-diverging oomycete lineage. In the same phylogenetic reconstruction, Miracula helgolandica was grouped with some somewhat divergent sequences derived from environmental sequencing, indicating that Miracula would not remain monotypic. Here, a second species of Miracula is reported, which was found as a parasitoid in the limnic centric diatom Pleurosira leavis. Its life-cycle stages are described and depicted in this study and its phylogenetic placement in the genus Miracula revealed. As a consequence, the newly discovered species is introduced as Miracula moenusica.
Olpidiopsis is a genus of obligate holocarpic endobiotic oomycetes. Most of the species classified in the genus are known only from their morphology and life cycle, and a few have been examined for their ultrastructure or molecular phylogeny. However, the taxonomic placement of all sequenced species is provisional, as no sequence data are available for the type species, O. saprolegniae, to consolidate the taxonomy of species currently placed in the genus. Thus, efforts were undertaken to isolate O. saprolegniae from its type host, Saprolegnia parasitica and to infer its phylogenetic placement based on 18S rDNA sequences. As most species of Olpidiopsis for which sequence data are available are from rhodophyte hosts, we have also isolated the type species of the rhodophyte-parasitic genus Pontisma, P. lagenidioides and obtained partial 18S rDNA sequences. Phylogenetic reconstructions in the current study revealed that O. saprolegniae from Saprolegnia parasitica forms a monophyletic group with a morphologically similar isolate from S. ferax, and a morphologically and phylogenetically more divergent species from S. terrestris. However, they were widely separated from a monophyletic, yet unsupported clade containing P. lagenidioides and red algal parasites previously classified in Olpidiopsis. Consequently, all holocarpic parasites in red algae should be considered to be members of the genus Pontisma as previously suggested by some researchers. In addition, a new species of Olpidiopsis, O. parthenogenetica is introduced to accommodate the pathogen of S. terrestris.