A new genus and two new species of Philotarsidae. (Insecta: Psocoptera) from East Africa

Summary

Genus Tarsophilus and its species lineatus and aequabilis (Insecta: Psocoptera: Philotarsidae) are described as new. The specimens, all males, were collected in highland areas of East Africa. The new genus is placed in Philotarsidae rather than Pseudocaeciliidae on characters of hypandrium, phallosome, and lacinial tip. Its position in the subfamily Philotarsinae is justified and it is compared to the other genera of this group on both male and on trans-sexual characters.     

Gorgonolaureus muzikae sp. nov. (Crustacea: Ascothoracida) parasitic on a Hawaiian gorgonian,with special reference to its protandric hermaphroditism

Summary

Twenty-five specimens of a new ascothoracid parasite, Gorgonolaureus muzikae were found within cortical galls on specimens of a bathyal Hawaiian gorgonian, Placogorgia sp. These represent the first ascothoracid known from Hawaii. G. muzikae differs from its congener G. bikiniensis primarily in its larger size and details of setation. Five developmental stages are described and illustrated: the mature female, young female, late protander, protander, and nauplius. The protander is compared to species of Synagoga, and the characters distinguishing the two genera are specified. Sexuality in Ascothoracida is reviewed, and the life cycle of G. muzikae is reconstructed as follows: eggs and larvae are brooded within the carapace of a mature female; a bivalved, free-swimming male stage is postulated; after inseminating one or more established females it settles permanently on a host gorgonian; as the protandric male changes into a female, the carapace valves fuse and expand dorsally, the first and second antennae, thoracopods, penis, and abdomen become reduced, the dorsum of the second thoracomere becomes produced into a ‘horn’, and seminal receptacles appear in the thoracopods. The functional morphology of the second antennae, dorsal horn, and thoracopods is discussed, and it is suggested that G. muzikae may filter feed rather than be totally parasitic. The possibility that the large coxal setae represent vestigial epipods is discussed. Aspects of ecology, demography, and host specificity are briefly summarized. Wagin's (1976) biogeographical model of the provenance of Gorgonolaureus, based on outdated information, is rejected.     

Superparasitism of Eoxenos laboulbenei De Peyerimhoff (Strepsiptera: Mengenillidae) by Idiomacromerus gregarius (Silvestri) (Hymenoptera: Chalcidoidea) in southern Spain

A female puparium of Eoxenos laboulbenei De Peyerimhoff (Strepsiptera: Insecta) found in Mula, Murcia, Spain was parasitized by five larvae of Idiomacromerus gregarius (Silvestri) (Hymenoptera: Chalcidoidea: Torymidae). The parasitized puparium was kept in the laboratory until the following summer, when four I. gregarius adults emerged from it. This species of chalcidoid is rarely found. It was first described in 1943 from Italy by Silvestri and the present report is the first record from Spain. Here we re-examine and redescribe the newly discovered specimens of I. gregarius, add further details about its morphology and give a brief account of its biology including a new record (the mengenillid E. laboulbenei).     

The first Leptanilloides species (Hymenoptera: Formicidae: Leptanilloidinae) from eastern South America

We describe a species of the exclusively Neotropical dorylomorph ant genus Leptanilloides (Leptanilloidinae), Leptanilloides atlantica sp. nov., based on workers collected in the Atlantic Forest, São Paulo, south-eastern Brazil. The 11 species of Leptanilloides described are known from relatively high altitudes in western America (from the Andes foothills in Bolivia to Sierra Morena in Mexico). The discovery of a Leptanilloides species in south-eastern Brazil represents a significant range extension for the genus; this new species shares characters with Leptanilloides biconstricta (Bolivia), Leptanilloides femoralis (Venezuela) and Leptanilloides gracilis (Mexico) and may be distinguished based on a combination of traits. The hypogaeic habits of Leptanilloidinae combined with inefficient collecting techniques may explain the paucity of information and of specimens of this group in most museum collections as well as its present apparent disjunct distribution. We compare Leptanilloides distribution to that of other organisms that show similar disjunct patterns in the Andes and montane sites in the Brazilian Atlantic Forest. http://www.zoobank.org/urn:lsid:zoobank.org:pub:E7E334AA-58C0-455D-A0A6-724D29226DD0     

A new species of the dentipes-subgroup of Triconia and a redescription of T. giesbrechti and T. elongata (Copepoda: Cyclopoida: Oncaeidae) from the tropical Pacific and the Korea Strait

A new species of Triconia in the family Oncaeidae, Triconia pacifica sp. nov., and a new form variant each of Triconia giesbrechti Böttger-Schnack and Triconia elongata Böttger-Schnack are described from two sites in the Pacific. Triconia pacifica can be distinguished from its sibling Triconia dentipes (Giesbrecht) by (1) morphometric characters, including the proportional lengths of distal endopod spines of swimming leg 4, and the relative length of the outer basal seta on P5, and by (2) a number of micro-structures on the appendages. The Pacific specimens of T. elongata and T. giesbrechti resemble the typical forms in morphometric characters, with some minor differences in proportional spine lengths on the swimming legs, and differ in a few micro-structures. The hitherto unknown male of T. giesbrechti is newly described. For all species/forms described, the intraspecific variability of proportional spine lengths on the endopods of P2–P4 is examined and discussed. http://www.zoobank.org/urn:lsid:zoobank.org:pub:6B41B0E2-0A5C-458B-8F9C-25000F208E24     

Subspeciation or none? The hardun in the Aegean (Reptilia: Sauria: Agamidae: Laudakia stellio)

A study aimed at testing the contested validity of the subspecies Laudakia stellio daani yielded novel insights into the essence of subspecies. We examined morphologically museum specimens from Greece, Aegean islands, and Anatolia (n?=?118; not all could be used in all analyses). Beyond the conventional mensural, meristic and qualitative characters we quantified 14 coloration characters, thus totalling 34 characters (including sex). Biometry was statistically analysed within and between the two geographically defined presumed subspecies, L. s. daani and L. s. stellio. Excluding or including broken‐tailed specimens changed the outcome of tests. Significant minor directional asymmetry occurred in one of four character‐taxon combinations. Phenetic cluster analysis poorly separated the two presumed subspecies when all characters, including those with discordant variation, were included; after selection of characters, the separation improved. Some biometric characters distinguish the two presumed subspecies, confirming their validity. The associations of significant inter‐character correlations differed between the two subspecies. Additionally, the two differed in parameters reflecting selection pressures and social structure: L. s. stellio is more colourful than L. s. daani; its sexual dimorphism is mainly chromatic, versus mensural in L. s. daani; and its population seems to include many males with underdeveloped callous scales, presumably socially subordinate, versus very few in L. s. daani.     

The first Hapalotremus Simon, 1903 (Araneae: Theraphosidae) from Argentina: description and natural history of Hapalotremus martinorum sp. nov.

A new species of Hapalotremus Simon, 1903 from northern Argentina is described and illustrated. Hapalotremus martinorum sp. nov. differs from all other congeners by the colour pattern of live specimens. Males differ in the male palpal bulb morphology, with thickened and less curved embolus having a blunt subapical keel and less-developed apical keel. Females differ in the shape of the spermathecae, with the lateral bases more pronounced than the superiors and the upper edge more rounded. Specimens were captured inhabiting short burrows or crevices under stones in high cloud forests. Hapalotremus cyclothorax (Mello-Leitão 1923) is a junior synonym of Homoeomma montanum (Mello-Leitão, 1923), Hapalotremus scintillans (Mello-Leitão 1929) is a junior synonym of Pachistopelma rufonigrum Pocock, 1901, Hapalotremus exilis (Mello-Leitão 1923) and Hapalotremus muticus (Mello-Leitão 1923) are considered species inquirenda.

http://zoobank.org/urn:lsid:zoobank.org:pub:1758F6FD-8883-445D-A757-0AC7E120DCF6     

Stalked crinoids from Tasmanian seamounts. Part 1: Hyocrinidae

Faunal investigations conducted in 1997 on southern Tasmania seamounts, produced 10 specimens of stalked crinoids belonging to the family Hyocrinidae. These are the first hyocrinids to be recorded from this area. Three new species are described: Feracrinus koslowi sp. nov., Ptilocrinus tasmaniaensis sp. nov. and Ptilocrinus australis sp. nov. New data show that three previously described species should be referred to a single species Feracrinus aculeatus Mironov and Sorokina, 1998 and the genus Camaecrinus Mironov and Sorokina, 1998 becomes a junior synonym of Feracrinus. Although they have close affinities, the two species belonging to the genus Feracrinus live in different areas of the western Pacific. Ptilocrinus tasmaniaensis sp. nov. and P. australis sp nov. are the shallowest known species in the genus Ptilocrinus (sensu stricto). There is no evidence of endemism in hyocrinids living on south Tasmania seamounts.     

Lernanthropus antofagastensis sp. nov. (Copepoda: Lernanthropidae) parasitic on Anisotremus scapularis in Chilean waters,and new records of Lernanthropus trachure (Brian, 1903)

Lernanthropus antofagastensis sp. nov., parasitic on Anisotremus scapularis, and inshore fish of Antofagasta, Chile, is described and illustrated. It resembles five other species of Lernanthropus in its dorsal plate and third leg, but can be distinguished from them by a combination of characters. L. trachuri Brian, 1903, is recorded, its male described and illustrated from specimens collected from Seriolella violacea and Trachurus murphy, taken in the same locality.     

Genus Baseodiscus (Nemertea: Heteronemertea): Molecular identification of a new species in a phylogenetic context

A new heteronemertean, Baseodiscus jonasii sp. nov., is described from Guadalcanal, Solomon Islands. It resembles B. delineatus in inner morphology but can be distinguished from this species by its different colour pattern and differences in the nucleotide sequence of the mitochondrial 16S rRNA gene. The monophyletic status of the genus is investigated by reconstructing the phylogeny of six specimens from four species assigned to this genus, together with 22 specimens from nine other heteronemertean genera, using parsimony and Bayesian analysis. The results imply that Baseodiscus is a monophyletic group while several other heteronemertean genera are non‐monophyletic.     

A revision of Neobenedenia Yamaguti, 1963 (Monogenea: Capsalidae) including a redescription of N. melleni (MacCallum, 1927) Yamaguti, 1963

Neobenedenia Yamaguti, 1963, a genus of capsalid (benedeniine) monogeneans lacking a vagina, is redefined. The generic diagnosis is amended to include previously unused characters like the path of tendons in the haptor from extrinsic muscles in the body, the presence and form of a marginal valve, the shape of the anterior attachment organs, the arrangement of musculature at the posterior (proximal) end of the penis sac and the presence of a pair of sphincters in the female reproductive tract. On this basis, the generic composition is reduced from 10 to six species. Species considered valid are: N. melleni (MacCallum, 1927) Yamaguti, 1963; N. adenea (Meserve, 1938) Yamaguti, 1963; N. isabellae (Meserve, 1938) Yamaguti, 1963; N. longiprostata Bravo-Hollis, 1971; N. muelleri (Meserve, 1938) Yamaguti, 1963; N. pacifica Bravo-Hollis, 1971. Neobenedenia girellae (Hargis, 1955) Yamaguti, 1963 and N. paragueraensis Dyer, Williams and Bunkley-Williams, 1992 are considered synonyms of N. melleni. Species formerly ascribed to Neobenedenia, namely N. manilae Velasquez, 1982 and N. vermiculariacola Gupta and Khanna, 1975 are considered species inquirendae. A key to valid species is presented. The type species, N. melleni, is redescribed based on the original specimens of MacCallum and N. isabellae is redescribed based on material from the type locality. Since no types of N. melleni were designated, a lectotype and paralectotypes are assigned. The problem of host designation and locality for the types of N. melleni sensu MacCallum is discussed. A study of more than 80 specimens now considered to be N. melleni has permitted comments on its apparent variety of forms and its low host-specificity according to the current revision. N. melleni is now recorded from over 100 species of teleosts in more than 30 families from five different orders. Material reported previously as N. melleni off Chile from Seriola mazatlana, Thunnus thynnus orientalis and Seriola sp. are identified here as Benedenia seriolae (Yamaguti, 1934) Price, 1939. The host-specificity and geographic distribution of species in the revised genus is discussed.     

Monstrilloids (Crustacea: Copepoda) from the Mediterranean Sea (Northern Adriatic Sea), with a description of six new species

Monstrilloid copepods collected during zooplankton surveys carried out over several years (2009–2016) in the Gulf of Trieste, northern Adriatic Sea, were examined. A total of seven species were found, of which six are undescribed, five of Cymbasoma and one of Monstrilla. These new species are described, illustrated and compared herein with its known congeners. Two of them are related to the C. rigidum species complex. One of these species is described based on both the male and the female; sexes were linked by identical details of the cephalic structure and the antennulary armature. Two previous reports of females attributed to C. tumorifrons from the Mediterranean relate to specimens that in fact belong to a new species, C. mediterranea. The most abundant species was M. grandis, which had a remarkable aggregation around the Trieste harbour in 2015. Male and female specimens of this assumedly widespread species were examined and the observed intra-specific morphological variability is reported and compared with previous illustrated reports; this nominal species probably this nominal species, probably represents a species complex. The addition of the new species here described brings the number of nominal species in the Mediterranean-Black Sea region to 26.

www.zoobank.org/urn:lsid:zoobank.org:pub:3D4B38E4-CCCD-4BD6-AC57-B59343A865F7     

A revision of F. R. Irvine's Ghanaian marine fishes in the collections of The Natural History Museum,London

Some 180 species of marine fish were reported from Ghana in F. R. Irvine's The Fishes and Fisheries of the Gold Coast, an important milestone in West African ichthyology published in 1947. Although the book has been a major source of records for subsequent workers, the underpinning collections have been largely ignored. Two hundred and ninety-two specimens from 139 species collected by Irvine and colleagues were located within The Natural History Museum collections and are reported here with notes on their zoogeography. These were re-identified in the light of the intervening half century of research and have allowed us to examine the basis for most of Irvine's records by matching Irvine's collection numbers (referred to in his book) to BMNH registration numbers. In addition to registered material some 26 jars of unregistered material containing 46 specimens were discovered. About 20% of the species were found to have been misidentified. Six of the marine species collected by Irvine were described by J. R. Norman as new species between 1930 and 1935. These remain valid as: Rhinobatos albomaculatus Norman, 1930; Rhinobatos irvinei Norman, 1931; Serranus accraensis (Norman, 1931); Spicara nigricauda (Norman, 1931); Branchiostegus semifasciatus (Norman, 1931) and Pontinus accraensis Norman, 1935. A further nine species collected by Irvine were at the time unknown to science and have since been described by others as new species. Of particular interest is a specimen of Panturichthys isognathus Poll, 1953 which appears to be only the second adult specimen reported. Most of the 39 species for which material could not be located represented uncontentious records. However, there were eight species listed by Irvine, for which no voucher specimens could be located, which are unlikely to occur off Ghana, and a further two species (Carcharodon carcharias and Alopias vulpinus) for which Irvine's records cannot be considered a basis for a Ghana record. Five species (Conger conger, Umbrina cirrosa, Scorpaena scrofa, Chaetodon striatus and Liza ramada) are considered as doubtful records based on misidentifications. Three other species (Dentex macrophthalmus, Sphyrna zygaena and S. tudes) appear unlikely records for Ghana but cannot be totally dismissed. Inter alia this study demonstrates the critical importance of voucher specimens in museum collections to support biodiversity research.     

Meristic studies of the Gulf of California species of Merluccius,with a description of a new species

Two distinct species of hake are found in the Gulf of California, and in view of the commercial importance of at least one of these, a detailed taxonomical study was carried out. A new species of hake is described from the northern Gulf of California: Merluccius hernandezi. A new population of Merluccius angustimanus was located off the coast of the state of Sinaloa, Mexico. A provisional examination of specimens from this population shows that it differs in important characteristics from the specimens described by Garman (1899) from Panama.

Merluccius hernandezi and M. angustimanus from Sinoloa are immediately separable by the shape of their caudal fin and the lengths of their pectoral fins: in M. hernandezi the caudal fin has a central lobe and in larger specimens it is truncate, while in M. angustimanus it is emarginate; the pectoral fin projects well beyond the anus in M. hernandezi but not in M. angustimanus.

A meristic index was devised which can be used successfully to distinguish between the two species in the field: only 4·13% of specimens studied would have been wrongly identified using this index.     

A new species of the enigmatic Australian endemic family Trachypetidae (Hymenoptera: Ichneumonoidea): Cercobarcon lasallei sp.n.

ABSTRACT

The Trachypetidae is a newly recognised family of Ichneumonoidea endemic to Australia and one of the most distinctive wasp groups on the continent based on their large body size and superficial resemblance to some ichneumonids and aculeate wasps. The family is united in the presence of a unique sensory or glandular structure at the base of the mandibles. It is known from three genera: Cercobarcon Tobias, 1979, Megalohelcon Turner, 1918 (= Rhamphobarcon Tobias, 1979) and Trachypetus Guérin de Méneville, 1830, totalling eight described species. Trachypetines are rarely encountered, with very few specimens having been collected or recognised in collections since the group was revised in 1993. Here we report on a newly discovered species from Cape York Peninsula, Queensland, the first to be recognised in more than 25 years, and take much pleasure in naming it after Dr John La Salle, in celebration of his career.http://www.zoobank.org/urn:lsid:zoobank.org:pub:3F0147A8-F628-4869-B7FD-2E1560145734     

Two new species of the genus Pseudolaelaps Berlese, 1916 (Acari: Mesostigmata: Pseudolaelapidae) from Europe,with an updated key to known species

Pseudolaelaps calvescens sp. nov. and Pseudolaelaps schweizeri sp. nov. (Acari: Pseudolaelapidae) are described based on female specimens from leaf litter and soil of forest habitats in Italy (surroundings of Bergamo) and Switzerland (surroundings of Basel), respectively. The British specimens referred to Pseudolaelaps doderoi are revised, and considered to be a misidentification of P. schweizeri sp. nov. An identification key to known species of the genus Pseudolaelaps is provided.

www.zoobank.org/urn:lsid:zoobank.org:pub:92F3907A-9C0A-4309-8D1E-BC5F3E7D937B     

Ooencyrtus marcelloi sp. nov. (Hymenoptera: Encyrtidae), an egg parasitoid of Heliconiini (Lepidoptera: Nymphalidae: Heliconiinae) on passion vines (Malpighiales: Passifloraceae) in Central America

A new species belonging to the genus Ooencyrtus Ashmead is described. Ooencyrtus marcelloi sp. nov. has been reared from eggs of Heliconiini (Lepidoptera: Nymphalidae, Heliconiinae) collected in Panama on Passiflora spp. The new species is compared with its closest Ooencyrtus species, i.e. O. caligo Noyes, O. neustriae Mercet, O. flavipes (Timberlake), O. camerounensis (Risbec), O. endymion Huang and Noyes and Ooencyrtus sp. “undet. C.” (from India). This represents the second record of Ooencyrtus from Heliconinae and the first record of this genus from Panama.     

Description of Torymus lasallei,sp. nov. (Hymenoptera: Torymidae), a species with an unusual ovipositor

ABSTRACT

Torymus lasallei, sp. nov., a species with an unusual ovipositor, reared from galls of Amphibolips spp. (Hymenoptera: Cynipidae) on Quercus spp. (Lobatae section) from Mexico, is described. The placement of this new species within the genus Torymus, and the morphology and function of its ovipositor, are discussed.

http://www.zoobank.org/urn:lsid:zoobank.org:pub:0B9F9B11-DD95-465D-A98C-53742A8099CC     

Cryptic subarctic diversity: a new bumblebee species from the Yukon and Alaska (Hymenoptera: Apidae)

It is nearly 90 years since a bumblebee species has been described for the first time from Canada or the USA that was previously unrecognised by science. We describe and illustrate Bombus(Alpinobombus) kluanensis sp. nov. and begin to map its distribution. This species was discovered through analysis of Cytochrome c Oxidase subunit I barcodes and had been unsuspected on the basis of morphological and colour characteristics. So far, 247 female specimens considered to belong to this species are known from the subarctic mountains associated with the Denali Fault running from the Alaska Range (Alaska, USA) to Kluane in the Saint Elias Mountains (Yukon, Canada). A checklist of all species of the subgenus Alpinobombus worldwide is provided.

http://zoobank.org/urn:lsid:zoobank.org:pub:78D524DD-FFBA-4BC4-8D39-3EF4F6BDD39E