Cave-dwelling Fulgoroidea (Homoptera: Auchenorrhyncha) from the Canary Islands

Examination of Fulgoroid specimens collected in several caves of volcanic origin on the Canary Islands (Tenerife, El Hierro) has revealed the existence of at least two undescribed troglobitic Fulgoroid species. These are apparently the first records of troglobitic Auchenorrhyncha, not only from the Middle Atlantic Islands, but from the Palaeartic Region. These cavernicolous taxa belong to the families Cixiidae (Tachycixius lavatubus sp. nov.) and Meenoplidae (Meenoplus cancavus sp. nov.). Possible pathways towards the evolution of troglobitic forms in Auchenorrhyncha and ways of speciation—sympatric or allopatric—for T. lavatubus sp. nov. and its epigean relative Tachycixius canariensis (Lindberg) are discussed. These findings suggest that cavernicolous Homoptera are more widely distributed over the world than was previously assumed.     

Rediscovery of Disepyris semiruber (Kieffer) (Hymenoptera: Bethylidae) in Southern Africa,with first description of the male

Holepyris semiruber Kieffer is redescribed and illustrated based on freshly collected specimens. Holepyris semiruber var. striatipleura Kieffer is considered a colour variant of this species and therefore a junior synonym of H. semiruber syn. nov. This species is transferred to Disepyris, D. semiruber (Kieffer) comb. nov., based on the possession of a short 2r-rs&Rs vein in the fore wing and presence of long flat spine-shaped setae on the outer (posterior) surface of the protarsi. The male is described for the first time from new specimens collected in South Africa. This species is recorded for the first time from Namibia and Zimbabwe. All photographs are available on www.waspweb.org.     

Redescription of adult and larva of Colasposoma sellatum Baly (Coleoptera: Chrysomelidae: Eumolpinae): a pest of sweet potato in Australia

The genus Colasposoma Laporte is shown to be represented in Australia by a single species, C. sellatum Baly (= C. barbatum Harold, syn. conf.; = C. regulare Jacoby, syn. nov.). The adult and larva are described and lectotypes designated for C. sellatum and C. regulare. Colasposoma sellatum is recorded from the Northern Territory, northern Queensland and New Guinea. This species is a pest of Ipomoea batatas (sweet potato) in northern Queensland, where the adults damage stems and foliage and larvae may cause considerable damage to tubers. Its pest status is assessed and control measures discussed.     

A new diagnosis for Dinaphorura (Collembola: Onychiuridae: Tullbergiinae) and description of new species from Australia

Dinaphorura tooheyensis n. sp., the fourth species of Dinaphorura recorded from Australia, is described from Toohey Forest, a eucalypt woodland, in southeast Queensland. The new species differs from existing species in the genus in that it possesses only a single spiniform process on abdomen VI instead of the usual five or seven and the generic diagnosis has been modified accordingly. Ecological notes on D. tooheyensis are provided as well as a check list and key to species in Dinaphorura.     

Two new species of Leicacandona Karanovic (Ostracoda,Candoninae) from the Great Sandy Desert,Australia

Two new species, Leicacandona pinkajartinyi sp. nov. and L. jula sp. nov., are described from the Great Sandy Desert, Western Australia. Both species have reduced posterior claws on the caudal ramus, but differ in carapace shape and the length of setae and number of segments on the second and third thoracopods. A cladistic tree based on 27 morphological characters and a tree based on geographic latitudes and longitudes of the localities where Leicacandona species have been collected so far were constructed. These two cladograms do not correspond completely, although some similarities exist. The results obtained here agree with those obtained for some other subterranean animals in Australia, and they are understood as independent colonizations of subterranean waters by a couple of widespread surface water species.     

The Australian species of Encarsia Förster (Hymenoptera,Chalcidoidea: Aphelinidae), parasitoids of whiteflies (Hemiptera,Sternorrhyncha, Aleyrodidae) and armoured scale insects (Hemiptera,Coccoidea: Diaspididae)

The species of Encarsia Förster known from Australia are revised. This study is based mainly on material collected over the last 10 years. Ninety‐four species are recognized, including 38 new species, and seven new records for Australia. All species are fully described or diagnosed, and illustrated by microphotographs. Seven new specific synonymies are proposed and two lectotypes are designated. A key to the females of Australian species of Encarsia is provided. The known hosts and distribution are summarized. The diversity of the Australian Encarsia fauna is discussed.     

Notes on types of Australian Chartocerus Motschulsky (Hymenoptera: Signiphoridae)

ABSTRACT

Type specimens of 11 species of Chartocerus (Hymenoptera: Signiphoridae) from Australia described by A.A. Girault, in the collection of the Queensland Museum, and one species described by W.H. Ashmead, in the United States Museum of Natural History, are redescribed and illustrated. Lectotypes are designated for Chartocerus australiensis (Girault) and Chartocerus hebes (Girault).     

Diversity and abundance of fungivorous thrips (Thysanoptera) associated with leaf-litter and bark across forest types and two tree genera in subtropical Australia

Leaf-litter thrips were much more common and diverse in dry sclerophyll forest than in wetter forest types in subtropical southeast Queensland, Australia. In dry sclerophyll forest, the species composition of thrips in leaf-litter was strongly differentiated from the thrips fauna associated with bark of the trees Eucalyptus major and Acacia melanoxylon (4 of 34 species in common). The species composition of bark-dwelling thrips was similar across the two tree species and also across two eucalypts with different bark types, Eucalyptus major (flaky) and Eucalyptus siderophloia (rough). The diversity of thrips from the leaf-litter was not differentiated across all of these tree species. Virtually all thrips collected were Phlaeothripidae, subfamilies Idolothripinae and Phlaeothripinae. Idolothripinae were associated almost exclusively with leaf-litter, but Phlaeothripinae were in leaf-litter and bark. The association of fungal-feeding thrips with dry sclerophyll forest raises questions about their ecological requirements and the role they play in nutrient cycling.     

A cavernicolous planthopper in the Galápagos Islands (Homoptera: Auchenorrhyncha: Cixiidae)

A new troglobitic cixiid species, Oliarus hernandezi sp. n. is described from three lava tubes on the island of Floreana, Galápagos group. It is the first known obligately cavernicolous planthopper species from Galápagos. Notes on its ecology and distribution are given, and phylogenetic relationships to epigean Oliarus species from Galápagos are discussed.     

On new or poorly known Australian Filistatidae spiders (Araneae: Araneomorphae), including a study on the fine morphology of Wandella

I present an update on the taxonomy of the filistatid genera Wandella Gray and Yardiella Gray, both endemic to Australia. Two new species are described: Wandella grayi sp. nov., known from Queensland, and Wandella infernalis sp. nov., known from a single cave in Western Australia. The male of Wandella australiensis (L. Koch) and the females of Wandella stuartensis Gray and Wandella waldockae Gray are described and illustrated for the first time. New records are given for these and other species of Australian filistatids, including the first epigeal records of Yardiella humphreysi Gray, a species so far known only from caves. Updated distribution maps are presented. Additionally, I present novel morphological data for Wandella using light and scanning electron microscopy. The cephalothorax, spinning organs, genitalia and appendages of some species are illustrated in detail. I report the presence of a putative claw extensor muscle in the male palpal cymbium, and describe interesting modifications in the clypeal region of adult males. The phylogenetic significance of these characters is briefly discussed.     

Taxonomy and ecology of two endemic freshwater crabs from western Jamaica with the description of a new Sesarma species (Brachyura: Grapsidae: Sesarminae)

The type series of the Jamaican grapsid crab Sesarma windsor Türkay and Diesel, 1994, was re-examined and found to consist of two distinct forms. The holotype represented a form so far only recorded from a freshwater cave in western Jamaica. The other form inhabits burrows in the banks of mountain creeks in western Jamaica and is assigned to a new species, Sesarma fossarum sp. n. Both species are fully described and morphological differences partly interpreted as adaptations to the habitats where they occur. The new species and S. bidentatum Benedict, 1892, both from mountain creeks, closely resemble the cavernicolous S. windsor which suggests a fairly recent invasion of the cave habitat by the latter.     

LIX.—Description of a species of Palæmon from near Sydney,probably either a new species or the adult form of Palæmon (Eupalæmon) danæ, Heller

Summary

Plagues of small mammals in Australia are nearly confined to rodents, both native and introduced. Only in the arid regions do small marsupials reach plague numbers.

Records of plagues have been found as early as 1845, but in many of them there is insufficient information to identify the species involved.

Plagues can develop under three main conditions, namely (a) when species are introduced into new environments, (b) in the artificial environment of crop plants, and (c) in the natural environment.

There are records of the introduced Rattus rattus forming plagues. On colonizing Lord Howe Island in 1918 the species built up to plague numbers in two years. On other islands the species is likely to have built up large populations also. Of various reported plagues on the Australian mainland, Rattus rattus has been identified definitely on only one occasion, in western New South Wales in 1887. There are earlier reports of the introduced rats and mice occurring in large numbers in unsettled areas, but it seems more likely that the animals were native species, wrongly identified, than introduced species which had spread into the areas concerned.

Two groups of species build up to plague numbers in the artificial environment of crop plants. These are Rattus conatus and some other native species which infest sugar-cane in Queensland, and Mus musculus which often infests wheatfields but also forms plagues in other habitats. Both groups infect the crop from a neighbouring natural habitat. Detailed ecological studies have been carried out on both these types of infestation. Reports of dispersal of plagues of Mus musculus need investigation.

Mus musculus can form plagues over a wide range of habitats, from the arid regions of central Australia to the high rainfall areas of tropical Queensland. The status of the form inhabiting the arid regions needs study.

The arid regions of Australia provide a special environment in which live a number of species of small mammals, both eutherians (rodents) and marsupials. In this habitat breeding occurs when there is a sufficient rainfall, and is not regulated at its extremes by an annual climatic cycle. Some of the riverine lands within the region receive drainage from outside, and this modifies the relationship with rainfall in the Lake Eyre Basin particularly. Under favourable conditions several species of the small mammals can build up to plague numbers. In this they appear to differ markedly from the small mammals of other deserts of the world. The special features of the Australian arid environment which allow this are unknown.

Plagues of Rattus villosissimus are generated in the tablelands to the south of the Gulf of Carpentaria, and hordes of the rodents disperse in large numbers, mostly moving out of the home territory along the course of rivers draining it to the south, and sometimes also to the north. The little information available concerning the populations suggests similarities with the cyclic changes which take place in populations of voles and lemmings in the northern hemisphere. There is no good information about the period of recurrence of the plagues, present records showing a range from three to seventeen years.

The little information available about the plagues of small mammals in Australia suggests parallels with such plagues elsewhere. The common factors are a small size, an herbivorous (? or insectivorous) diet, a high reproductive potential and a polymorphism which permits quick adaptation to the different population structures found under different population densities.     

From the subantarctic to the subtropics: a revision of the Davacaridae Kethley, 1977 (Acari: Trigynaspida: Mesostigmata) with the description of a new genus and three new species

The family Davacaridae is shown to consist of at least two genera (Davacarus Hunter, Acanthodavacarus n. gen.) and four species that are distributed from subantarctic islands (D. gressetti Hunter) to Tasmania (D. reginaldi n. sp.), and to mainland Australia (D. lindquisti n. sp., A. klompeni n. sp.) at least as far north as the subtropical rainforests of south-east Queensland. These mites share a number of striking synapomorphies including the paedomorphic retention of the deutonymphal pattern of sclerotized plates in the adult, a secondary thickening of the cuticle around those plates and a lateral cheliceral excrescence that adheres to the cheliceral teeth. Species of Davacarus have lost the pregenital shield, have an intricate endogynium and four pairs of large, sessile opisthosomal glands; species of Acanthodavacarus have a pregenital shield with a pair of setae and two pairs of hypertrophied opisthosomal glands on short horn-like protrusions.     

The Hypselodoris infucata,H. obscura and H. saintvincentius species complex (Mollusca,Nudibranchia, Chromodorididae), with remarks on the genus Brachychlanis Ehrenberg, 1831

The Indo-Pacific species Hypselodoris infucata (Rüppell and Leuckart, 1830) and Hypselodoris obscura (Stimpson, 1855) have been regarded as distinct by most authors. In this paper, numerous specimens with the colour pattern described for both H. infucata and H. obscura, and collected from localities comprising the geographic range of both nominal species, have been examined and anatomically studied. All specimens from south-east Australia, the type locality of H. obscura, consistently have a very long ejaculatory portion of the vas deferens, whereas in specimens collected from other Indo-Pacific localities this portion is very short. There are no other major morphological or anatomical differences between H. infucata and H. obscura. It is not clear whether H. obscura and H. infucata are different species, but since there is at least a consistent anatomical difference between them, they are provisionally regarded as distinct. The reproductive system, radula and external morphology are extremely variable among specimens of H. infucata. Specimens from Indo-Pacific localities other than south-east Australia, even those externally similar to H. obscura, belong to H. infucata. Hypselodoris saintvincentius Burn, 1962, which has been regarded as a synonym of H. infucata, is clearly distinguishable by the external coloration, reproductive system and radular morphology. Phylogenetic evidence indicates that H. saintvincentius is the sister species of H. infucata and H. obscura. A re-examination of the holotype of the uncertain species Brachychlanis pantherina Ehrenberg, 1831 revealed that it is conspecific with Hypselodoris infucata. Therefore, the name Brachychlanis Ehrenberg, 1831, which has not been used for more than 50 years, has preference over the widely used name, Hypselodoris Stimpson, 1855. In order to preserve nomenclatural stability invalidation of the name Brachychlanis is proposed.     

Gall‐induction by an Australian insect of the family Thripidae (Thysanoptera: Terebrantia)

Leaf‐fold galls induced by Cyrilthrips cecidis gen. nov. et sp. nov. on Austrosteenisia blackii (Fabaceae) in eastern Queensland, Australia, involve either single or double folds. Single‐fold galls are subject to invasion by two species of kleptoparasitic Phlaeothripidae, to which double‐fold galls are largely immune. This thripid is a member of a southeast Asian lineage of Thripinae in which gall‐induction is possibly recurrent. This lineage includes the genus Chaetanaphothrips in which some species are crop pests but not gall‐inducing. Females of Cyrilthrips have a unique curved spur on the hind coxae, and the ocellar chaetotaxy is also unique among Thripidae.     

Taxonomic revision of the fruit fly genus Perilampsis Bezzi (Diptera,Tephritidae)

The Afrotropical fruit fly genus Perilampsis Austen is revised. In total, 17 species are recognized of which three are new to science: P. deemingi sp. nov., P. incohata sp. nov., and P. rubella sp. nov. Perilampsis thyene Munro is considered a junior synonym of P. amazuluana Munro. All species are described or re-described, with illustrations of wing patterns and female terminalia where deemed necessary for unambiguous identification. Their host-specificity is briefly discussed. An identification key to species is provided.