Home range behaviour in male and female poison frogs in Amazonian Peru (Dendrobatidae: Ranitomeya reticulata)

The poison frog Ranitomeya reticulata was studied for 3 months while mark–recapture surveys were performed. Ranitomeya species deposit terrestrial clutches and carry tadpoles to phytotelmata with few taxa performing biparental brood care including larval feeding. Home range size and spatial affinity to phytotelmata in the genus are linked to mating systems. In R. reticulata, individual home range size and overlap were similar in both sexes, indicating equal levels of site fidelity. Although territory defence was never observed, strong intrasexual intolerance within individuals' core areas was found. The large intersexual home range overlap for breeding pairs indicated that mate fidelity occurs. Individuals' home ranges were not overlapping, suggesting that R. reticulata lacks pair-bonding or strongly cooperative behaviour in parental duties. The number of ground bromeliads containing phytotelmata and home range size of males were positively correlated. Our findings suggest that females do not perform egg-feeding and male-only parental care is likely.     

Mosquito fauna (Diptera: Culicidae) of the Iranian islands in the Persian Gulf II. Greater Tonb,Lesser Tonb and Kish Islands

Mosquitoes of five Iranian islands in the Persian Gulf (Abu-Musa, Greater Tonb, Lesser Tonb, Kish and Qeshm), Hormozgan Province of southern Iran, were studied during 2009 (February and March) and 2010 (April, May and November). Adult mosquitoes were obtained by hand catch, total catch and night landing catch using aspirators and light traps. Larvae were collected by dipping with a 350-ml dipper. In total, 963 adults and 114 third-instar and fourth-instar larvae representing seven species belonging to four genera were collected and identified, including Anopheles stephensi Liston, Culex perexiguus Theobald, Cx. quinquefasciatus Say, Cx. sitiens Wiedemann, Cx. tritaeniorhynchus Giles, Culiseta longiareolata (Macquart) and Ochlerotatus caspius (Pallas) s.l. This is the first record of mosquitoes on the Greater Tonb, Lesser Tonb and Kish Islands.     

Checklist of leaf beetles (Coleoptera: Chrysomelidae) of Turkey,excluding Bruchinae

The leaf beetle fauna of Turkey is reviewed and a complete checklist with provincial distributions is presented for the first time. Seven hundred and seventy-six species are catalogued in total. This represents approximately 22% of the known Palaearctic leaf beetle fauna. The Turkish leaf beetle fauna is characterized by 81 endemic species. Distributions of the species in Turkey are given based on available literature records. Some new materials from new localities are also examined. Taxa in the list are arranged systematically under family, subfamily, genus, subgenus (when recognized) and species. The subspecies are not included in the list but mentioned in the notes given for certain species. The species whose occurrences in Turkey need conformation are not included in the list but are given separately. Additionally, two new synonymies are stated: Psylliodes diversicolor Nadein 2006 = P. kasnakensis Gök et Aslan, 2007 syn.nov.; Phyllotreta maculicornis Pic, 1906 = Ph. ispartaensis Gök, 2005 syn.nov.     

Dark axils and nodes in various plant species may serve as defensive mimicry of beetle and beetle faeces

Anti-herbivory animal mimicry by plants has been paid scant attention, and as a result additional types are expected to be recognized. Lycium chinense plants growing in Japan have dark axils, and many leaf-eating beetles leave faeces on host plants or use their faeces as defence. The dark axils of Lycium chinense mimic poisonous faeces or faeces-covered larvae of the leaf beetle Lema decempunctata, which may result in reduced herbivory by mammalian and insect herbivores. Field work in the very different flora of Israel revealed that the same morphology/colouration exists in various wild plant species, both monocotyledons and dicotyledons. We therefore propose a new type of beetle and beetle faeces defensive plant mimicry, and suggest that this type of putative defensive mimicry against mammalian and insect herbivores is probably a widespread but overlooked phenomenon. Moreover, such mimicry may also attract visually oriented enemies that can attack various invertebrate herbivores that occupy these plants.     

Three new species of Aprusia (Araneae: Oonopidae) from Sri Lanka with a phylogenetic analysis of the genus

The South Asian goblin spider genus Aprusia Simon, 1893 currently consists of five species. All species are narrow endemics with very restricted distributions. In this paper, the Sri Lankan species are revised and three new species described from both sexes: Aprusia koslandensis n. sp., Aprusia rawanaellensis n. sp. and Aprusia vankhedei n. sp. We also provide some notes on the poorly known species A. strennus and A. vestigator. In addition, we present a key to adult Aprusia and a distribution map of the Sri Lankan species, highlighting their diversity in the highly fragmented forests of the island. To test the monophyly of Aprusia and infer relationships among its species, a matrix of 49 morphological characters scored for 11 taxa (seven ingroup and four outgroup) was assembled and analysed. The monophyly of Aprusia is recovered and supported by three unambiguous synapomorphies: the presence of smooth male endites, the presence of leg spines on the prolateral side of the femur I and the procurved ridge of the postepigastric scutum.

www.zoobank.org/urn:lsid:zoobank.org:pub:40352A9B-F455-4F41-B293-FF57BACA2997     

A new species of Melanagromyza (Diptera: Agromyzidae) mining leaves of Bromelia pinguin (Bromeliaceae) in a dry forest in Costa Rica

Melanagromyza rosales, sp. nov., from Costa Rica is described and its natural history is summarized. Larvae are miners in leaves of Bromelia pinguin, a large terrestrial rosette plant. They form conspicuous longitudinal mines that may be over 1 m long. Adult emergence is virtually simultaneous for all individuals, probably triggered by temperature cues. Populations are low for many generations with brief periods of abundance.     

Some flagellates (Protista) from tropical marine sediments

An account is given of 114 new or otherwise interesting species of benthic marine flagellates from Fiji, Northern Australia (Queensland), Hawaii, Panama and Brazil. Most species are heterotrophs drawn from the euglendis, dinoflagellates, kinetoplastids, bicosoecids, heteroloboseids, and a variety of taxa of uncertain affinities. The work emphasizes the rich variety of protist taxa in marine benthic sites. New names are Amphidinium corrugatum, Anisonema glaciale, Bodo cephalophorus, B. platyrhynchus, B. saliens, Bordnamonas tropicana, Cafeteria ligulifera, C. marsupialis, C. minuta (Ruinen, 1938) nov. comb., Cryptaulax elegans, Dinematomonas inaequalis = Dinema inaequale, Dinematomonas maculata (= Dinema maculatum), Dinematononas valida (= Dinema validum), Diplonema ambulator, Diplonema metabolicum, Discocelis punctata, Dolium sedentarium, Goniomonas amphinema, Goniomonas pacifica, Gyrodinium oblongum, Heteronema exaratum, H. splendens, H. vittatum, Mastigamoeba psammobis, M. skujae nom. nov., Massisteria marina, Metopion fluens, Metromonas grandis, M. simplex (Griessmann, 1913) nov. comb., Notosolenus alatellus, N. navicula, N. ostium, N. scutulum, N. urceolatus, N. tamanduensis, N. triangularis, Percolomonas cuspidata, P. descissa (Perty, 1852) nov. comb., P. elephas (Klug, 1936) nov. comb., P. membranifera, P. pyriformis (Klebs, 1892) nov. comb., P. salina (Entz, 1904) nov. comb., P. spinosa (Klug, 1936) nov. comb., P. sulcata (Stein, 1878) nov. comb., Petalomonas boadicea, P. marginalis, P. minor, P. poosilla, P. raiula, Phyllomitus granulatus, P. vesiculosus, Platychilomonas psammobia, Ploeotia adhaerens, P. corrugata, P. decipiens, P. heracleum, P. discoides, P. longifilum, P. oblonga, P. pseudanisonema, P. punctata, P. robusta, P. scrobiculata, P. tenuis, Protaspis obliqua, P. verrucosa, P. gemmifera, P. tegere, Pseudoperanema (= Peranema) dolochonema, Thecamonas filosa, T. mutabilis (Griessmann, 1913) nov. comb., T.trahens, Urceolus cornutus, U. cristatus.     

Aedeagal musculature in phytophaga (Coleoptera)

Summary

Three species of Cerambycidae and three of Chrysomelidae have been studied from the standpoint of the aedeagal musculature. A brief reference to this part of the anatomy in Bruchidae has also been made. On the basis of the present observations and earlier publications in this area a basic plan for the aedeagal musculature in Phytophaga could be inferred. Some major and minor modifications of the basic plan have been pointed out. It has also been inferred that ‘retournement’ of the aedeagus is a rule along Phytophaga.     

The non-marine Crustacea of Antarctica and the Islands of the Southern Ocean: biodiversity and biogeography

A total of 101 verified species and eight ordinal taxa represent the non-marine Crustacea on Antarctica and the islands of the Southern Ocean. The largely terrestrial Isopoda and Amphipoda are confined to some sub-Antarctic and cool temperate islands while the predominantly freshwater Anostraca, Anomopoda, Copepoda (=Calanoida, Cyclopoida, Harpacticoida) and Ostracoda (Podocopida) occur throughout the region. Holocene sea-level rises fragmented freshwater and terrestrial species ranges on New Zealand, Auckland, Campbell, and possibly other South Pacific islands, leaving a legacy of vicariant taxa. Tertiary species probably survived Pleistocene glaciation in aquatic refugia on the New Zealand/South Pacific, Falkland, Crozet and Kerguelen archipelagoes, but there are no valid records of Tertiary Antarctic Crustacea. All 40 Continental and Maritime Antarctic freshwater records can be ascribed to the historic introduction of anthropogenic aliens, Holocene immigration of colonists, returning re-colonists and marine species 'marooned' in epishelf and other coastal lakes.     

Tanaidacea (Crustacea: Peracarida) of the North-east Atlantic: the genera Leptognathioides and Portaratrum of the ‘Atlantic Margin’

The tanaidomorphan genera Leptognathioides and Portaratrum from the Benthic Invertebrates of Icelandic waters (BIOICE), Marine Benthic Fauna of the Faroe Islands (BIOFAR), and Atlantic Frontier Environmental Network (AFEN)-related surveys are examined. The diagnosis for Leptognathioides polita is amended and additional size data are given. A new species, L. biarticulata, is described although the differences from L. polita are slight. It occurs in the bathyal Iceland Basin with a distribution that does not overlap with that of L. polita. A new species of Portaratrum, P. holdichi, is described and the apparent similarities (parallelisms) between this former colletteid genus and the akanthophoreid Chauliopleona are discussed. The distribution and rarity of both genera in the region are analysed, Leptognathioides being more common in the cold-water areas or along the cold–warm interface. Portaratrum holdichi n. sp. is more common and abundant in the Rockall-Biscay region of the NE Atlantic.

http://www.zoobank.org/urn:lsid:zoobank.org:pub:81262671-0665-49C3-9A02-F243C60FC334     

Seven new species of Amynthas (Clitellata: Megascolecidae) and new earthworm records from Taiwan

Earthworm specimens collected in southern Taiwan consisted of seven new species of Amynthas and several previously known species, mostly widely distributed peregrines. The new species are A. nanrenensis of the octothecal A. corticis species group, A. monsoonus and A. huangi of the sexthecal A. aelianus species group, and four proandric octothecal species: A. chaishanensis, A. hengchunensis, A. kaopingensis and A. ailiaoensis. Amynthas chaishanensis has dorsal intrasegmental spermathecal pores, but the other three proandric species have dorsal, lateral or ventral intersegmental spermathecal pores, respectively. The proandric species are united by several features, including the enclosure of segment xi in a sac, as in A. formosae (also proandric), octothecal with spermathecae in vi–ix, spermathecal diverticula stalks generally kinked and often enclosed in membrane, and prostatic ducts divided polytomously into numerous small ductlets, which may be grouped into bundles of two to five. In A. ailiaoensis the prostatic duct trunk contains up to seven separate lumens in the ental half, surrounded by the circular muscle of the duct, while in A. chaishanensis the prostatic duct trunk contains about 40 small lumens. Of the previously known species in the collection, Pontodrilus litoralis and Metaphire houlleti are first reported from Taiwan. Additional locations for A. incongruus and A. robustus are given, and in the latter case the material appears to be the usual male‐sterile morph. Other species found are Pontoscolex corethrurus, Amynthas corticis, A. gracilis, Metaphire californica, and Polypheretima elongata.     

A revision of Monocotyle Taschenberg, 1878 (Monogenea: Monocotylidae) with descriptions of three new species from Australia

Monocotyle is revised and three new species are proposed. Monocotyle corali sp. nov. is described from the gills of the cowtail ray, Pastinachus sephen (Forsskål) (Dasyatididae), and is distinguished from other members of Monocotyle by the large hamuli with a distinct tail on the guard and by the male copulatory organ with three loops and a wing-like accessory piece at the distal end. Monocotyle jordani sp. nov. from the gills of the southern eagle ray, Myliobatis australis Macleay (Myliobatididae), is differentiated by the male copulatory organ with a large, unique accessory piece. Monocotyle youngi sp. nov., from the gills of Himantura fai Jordan and Seale (Dasyatididae), has marginal haptoral papillae armed with 12 to 15 sclerites, a male copulatory organ with 20 loops and a unique accessory piece at the distal end. Monocotyle trygoni (Venkatanarsaiah and Kulkarni, 1980) Timofeeva, 1985 is synonymized with M. spirophallus Tripathi, 1959 and M. spirophallus is redescribed fully. There are now 16 valid species of Monocotyle and a key to species is presented. Additional data and illustrations of important taxonomic characters are provided. The developmental sequence of the male copulatory organ of M. spiremae Measures, Beverley-Burton and Williams, 1990 from juvenile to adult is described. The anterior glands and the type of secretion they contain are also documented for several species of Monocotyle.     

Butterflies (Lepidoptera: Papilionoidea) of Mount Kilimanjaro: family Pieridae,subfamily Coliadinae

This paper forms part of a series on the butterfly fauna of Mount Kilimanjaro. Three genera (Catopsilia, Colias and Eurema) with eight species of Coliadinae are believed to occur within the main forest zone. However, of these, one or two may prove to be no more than variants of a third species, Eurema desjardinsii. A fourth conventionally recognized member of the complex may occur on the lower slopes below 1800 m. The widespread species Eurema hecabe occurs on the lower slopes, but records are sparse, and no records of its close relative Eurema floricola, with which it has often been confused, have been found. The need for original field and laboratory research on the taxonomy of African Eurema species is stressed. Keys to adult Coliadinae found in Tanzania, with colour illustrations, are included as online supplementary material.