On a new and puzzling American rotifer (Rotifera: Monogononta,Lecanidae)

A new species of monogonont rotifer, Lecane difficilis n.sp., is described from French Guyana. The taxon also occurs in Brazil and North Carolina, USA, following reassessment of illustrated literature records. The superficial similarity of L. difficilis with the Old World tropical L. unguitata (Fadeew) may account for some non-verifiable records of the latter from the New world.     

Biodiversity of the scentless plant bugs (Hemiptera: Rhopalidae) in southern South America

This paper provides a comprehensive faunal survey of the Rhopalidae from southern South America with emphasis on the fauna of Argentina, based on published and unpublished data. The biodiversity from Argentina comprises 38 recorded species from six genera: Arhyssus Stål 1870 (one species), Liorhyssus Stål 1870 (two species), Niesthrea Spinola 1837 (five species), Xenogenus Berg 1883 (two species), Harmostes Burmeister 1835 (20 species), and Jadera Stål 1862 (eight species). We established accurate distributions for most of the species and report new distributional information for 27 of them. Most of these records are from Argentinean provinces, but we also report five new country records: three from Argentina – Harmostes (Harmostes) splendens Harris 1944, H. (Neoharmostes) bergi Göllner-Scheiding 1998 and Arhyssus tricostatus (Spinola 1852); one from Brazil – Xenogenus picturatum Berg 1883; and one from Paraguay – Harmostes (Harmostes) gravidator (Fabricius 1794).     

Integrative taxonomy of the gymnophthalmid lizard Neusticurus rudis Boulenger, 1900 identifies a new species in the eastern Pantepui region,north-eastern South America

ABSTRACT

The gymnophthalmid lizard genus Neusticurus Duméril and Bibron, 1839 currently contains six described species. One of them, Neusticurus rudis Boulenger, 1900 has a long history of taxonomic confusion, and uncertainty remains about the number of species involved under that name, especially in the Pantepui region. Our molecular phylogenetic (concatenation and species tree) and morphological (morphometrics, external and hemipenial morphology) analyses confirm Neusticurus rudis as a species complex with several candidate species in the eastern Pantepui region. Neusticurus rudis is here redescribed based on the re-examination of the holotype and 10 specimens from the vicinity of the type locality (ca. 15 km airline) in Guyana. The geographic distribution of N. rudis sensu stricto is restricted to east of the Venezuelan Gran Sabana, extending from the slopes of Mount Roraima in Venezuela through the slopes of Maringma-tepui and Wayalayeng to Mount Ayanganna in Guyana, between 678 and 1500 m elevation. Populations tentatively assigned to N. rudis also occur from Mount Wokomung in the Pakaraima Mountains of Guyana to the Iwokrama Forest Reserve in Guyana, between 159 and 1234 m elevation. A new Neusticurus species is described from the uplands and highlands of the eastern Pantepui region, west of the Venezuelan Gran Sabana in Brazil and Venezuela, between 900 and 2200 m elevation. Populations provisionally assigned to the new species were also found from the La Escalera region to Chivatón, the summit of Abakapá-tepui and the slopes and summit of Auyán-tepui, Venezuela, between 1100 and 2203 m elevation. Our results suggest the Gran Sabana as a possible recent biogeographical barrier for the genus in the region and indicate that tepui-summit Neusticurus populations derive from uplands populations that shifted their habitat preference.

www.zoobank.org/lsid:zoobank.org:pub:33DCF862-11CF-4FD0-B4D6-706E2C6A339E     

Natural history of the fireflies of the Serra dos Órgãos mountain range (Brazil: Rio de Janeiro) – one of the ‘hottest’ firefly spots on Earth,with a key to genera (Coleoptera: Lampyridae)

ABSTRACT

Fireflies (Coleoptera: Lampyridae) are charismatic insects that have been fruitful model systems in biotechnology. However, lack of information about firefly taxonomy and ecology renders species identification a hard task, especially in the Neotropical region, where fireflies are most diverse. A major gap in the literature on Neotropical fireflies is the lack of knowledge on species’ ecological niches and habitats, which are fundamental aspects for understanding their biology. Here, we provide an annotated checklist of the firefly fauna of the Serra dos Órgãos mountain range (Rio de Janeiro State, Southeastern Brazil), with information on the natural history of each species. We assembled data in three ways: monthly sampling with Malaise traps and active search along an elevational transect from 130 to 2,170 m, over 2 years (2014–2016), extensive field observations, and extracted from historical species records for the Serra dos Órgãos from museum specimens in key collections in Brazil and Europe. We provide a taxonomic key to the genera recorded in the region, and a differential diagnosis for each species, highlighting key references for each taxon. We report 58 species representing 21 genera, making the Serra dos Órgãos one of the richest firefly hotspots on Earth. Most species are restricted to one or two habitat types and/or just one of the regional seasons (warm or cool), and many were only collected either by malaise traps or active search, underlining the importance of sampling different habitat types and seasons, and using different sampling methods when surveying fireflies. Out of the 51 species observed in the field, 49 were active either during the day or the night, although two species – Photuris elliptica and Pyrogaster nigrolineatus – were active in both periods, which is rare in fireflies.     

Rediscovery,natural history,and conservation status of Idiocranium russeli Parker, 1936 (Amphibia: Gymnophiona: Indotyphlidae)

The indotyphlid caecilian amphibian Idiocranium russeli Parker, 1936 is the only nominal species in its genus. Apart from two additional, largely overlooked locality records that we consider to be of an undescribed species, I. russeli is known with certainty from only a single collection of c.50 specimens from a single locality in 1933. We report new material from fieldwork in 2012 carried out in the vicinity of the type locality. Digging surveys at 34 sites for a total of >2000 person minutes found 50 I. russeli at 15 of these sites, extending the known range of the species by more than 40 km south and from an elevation of c.670 m to 104–820 m. The species probably occurs in nearby Nigeria and in some protected areas, is tolerant of some human disturbance, and is likely to move from Data Deficient to Least Concern on the IUCN Red List. Males have relatively longer and wider heads than females. Total length measured for preserved specimens is less than for freshly anaesthetized specimens, by up to 14.1%. Previously, preserved I. russeli were reported as having a maximum length of 114 mm, but the new sample includes specimens with total lengths of 145 mm in preservation and 167 mm when fresh. The sex of the smallest independent specimens (total length 62 mm in preservation) could be determined from examination of the gonads, hatchlings are c.30 mm, and I. russeli is confirmed as one of the smallest known caecilian species.     

Novel records and observations of the barnacle Stephanolepas muricata (Cirripedia: Balanomorpha: Coronuloidea); including a case for chemical mediation in turtle and whale barnacles

We report new distribution and host records of the turtle barnacle Stephanolepas muricata Fischer. Ours is the first study to document this species' occurrence in Mexico and in the Atlantic Ocean (North Carolina, Georgia and Florida: USA). We also present the first record of S. muricata from olive ridley sea turtles, Lepidochelys olivacea (Eschscholtz). We discuss the physical and ecological characteristics associated with the specimens collected and present evidence suggesting the likelihood of chemical mediation between embedding coronuloid barnacles like S. muricata and host turtles. We provide the first data on the diet and fecundity of S. muricata.     

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.     

New records of rare deep-water fish species in the Eastern Ionian Sea (Mediterranean Sea)

We report new species records and information related to meristic, morphometric, bathymetric and biological characteristics that increase our knowledge of the deep ichthyofauna of the Ionian Sea (E. Mediterranean). The material was collected with long lines from 300 to 800 m deep in the Eastern Ionian Sea in June and October 2010. The fish species Schedophilus ovalis (Cuvier, 1833) (Osteichthyes: Centrolophidae), Sudis hyalina Rafinesque, 1810 (Osteicthyes: Paralepididae), Brama brama (Bonnaterre, 1788) (Osteichthyes: Bramidae) and Trachipterus trachypterus (Gmelin, 1789) (Osteichthyes: Trachipteridae) were recorded for the first time in the Eastern Ionian Sea. The absence of these new or rare species from the ichthyofauna of the study area to date is probably related to the absence of adequate sampling and catching techniques, although environmental factors could also be involved.     

Rediscovery of the Hawaiian endemic bark beetle Xyleborus pleiades Samuleson, 1981 on Moloka‘i,with records of three new exotic bark beetles for the island (Coleoptera: Curculionidae: Scolytinae: Xyleborini)

ABSTRACT

During the course of a targeted bark beetle survey of the Hawaiian Islands, insect sampling undertaken in native forest biotopes on Moloka‘i island revealed the presence of one native and three exotic species of xyleborine bark beetles (Coleoptera: Curculionidae: Scolytinae: Xyleborini) hitherto not recorded from the island. We present detailed new island records for these species, which include the second record of Xyleborus pleiades Samuelson, 1981, an endemic Hawaiian species not recorded in over 50 years, and previously known only from two specimens from the island of Maui. The three newly recorded introduced species are widespread pantropical beetles of actual or potential pest status: Xyleborus affinis Eichhoff, 1867, Xyleborinus saxesenii (Ratzeburg, 1837), and Xylosandrus crassiusculus (Motschulsky, 1866). The importance of the records is briefly discussed, and all newly recorded species are illustrated in colour photographs.     

New information about the third stage larva and larval habitat of Microdon (Chymophila) bruchi Shannon, 1927 (Diptera,Syrphidae) from Argentina

ABSTRACT

In this paper, we provide new biological information about Microdon(Chymophila) bruchi Shannon, 1927. We present new records of M. bruchi in nests of Camponotus mus Roger, 1863 built inside Vitis vinifera L. plants from Argentina (Mendoza Province) and records of this species for Catamarca and Entre Ríos, Argentina. DNA barcodes and data on morphology and locomotion for third-stage larvae are provided. An identification key is also given to distinguish M. bruchi from other Neotropical species of Chymophila. We designate a lectotype for Microdon bruchi Shannon, 1927, and we consider Microdon argentinae Hull, 1937 a junior synonym of M. bruchi.

urn:lsid:zoobank.org:pub:D507A381-27BA-40D6-BC08-28F14579694F     

A taxonomic review of the Rhinotermitidae (Isoptera) of Thailand

Ninety series of rhinotermitid termites were collected from 19 localities distributed across much of Thailand, and compared with specimens deposited in the NHML. Eleven species belonging to five genera of Rhinotermitidae are recorded from Thailand. Three species of two genera, Reticulitermes (Reticulitermes assamensis) and Parrhinotermes (Parrhinotermes microdentiformisoides and Parrhinotermes buttelreepeni), are new records from Thailand. Keys to the genera and species based on the soldier caste are given. Soldiers of all species are illustrated and morphological measurements are given.     

The genus Hintonelmis (Coleoptera: Elmidae: Elminae), new species and records

ABSTRACT

Hintonelmis is a South American genus of Elmidae, comprising 11 species. Two further new species are here described and illustrated: Hintonelmis guianensis sp. nov. from Guyana, and Hintonelmis roellae sp. nov. from Brazil, can be distinguished from all other known members of the genus by their general colour pattern, some characters of pronotal and elytral sculpture, and the morphology of the male genitalia. The type material is deposited in the Natural History Museum, London, UK and Museum of Zoology of the University of São Paulo, São Paulo, Brazil. New distributional data for species of Hintonelmis are presented for the South of Brazil, Bolivia, Ecuador, and Guyana. We also provide an updated key for the genus species.

urn:lsid:zoobank.org:pub:34EEE39E-147D-4ADB-B600-53DA213CE83Eurn:lsid:zoobank.org:act:5F3F83E8-F484-469C-802E-0C1F56EDD34Furn:lsid:zoobank.org:act:88FA97AE-C8B5-4ADF-B680-A185A88D3899     

Leucosiidae of the Albatross expedition to the Philippines, 1907–1910 (Crustacea: Brachyura: Decapoda)

A report of the Leucosiidae collected during the Albatross Philippines expedition 1907–1910 is given. A total of 36 species in 17 genera are treated, with one genus (Heterolithadia) and nine species (Alox rugosum, Arcania elongata, Arcania globata, Heterolithadia fallax, Myra acutidens, Leucosia craniolaris, L. galantua, L. perlatta and Nucia tuberculosa) being new records for the Philippines and one species being new. This brings the total number of species known from the Philippines to 64, in 22 genera. A complete list of Philippine Leucosiidae is provided.     

Gastrointestinal helminths of seven gekkonid lizard species (Sauria: Gekkonidae) from Oceania

A total of 1240 specimens of seven species of geckos, Gehyra mutilata, Gehyra oceanica, Hemidactylus frenatus, Hemidactylus garnotii, Lepidodactylus lugubris, Lepidodactylus moestus and Lepidodactylus paurolepis, from Oceania were examined for helminths. Two species of Cestoda, Cylindrotaenia allisonae and Oochoristica javaensis, eight species of Nematoda, Hedruris hanleyae, Maxvachonia chabaudi, Parapharyngodon maplestoni, Pharyngodon lepidodactylus, Physalopteroides arnoensis, Skrjabinelazia machidai, Spauligodon gehyrae and Spauligodon hemidactylus and larvae of two nematode species, Ascarops sp. and Physaloptera sp. were found. The mean helminth species richness for infected geckos was 1.1 - 0.3 SD (range=1-3 species). Helminths reported in this study are generalists. Twenty new host records are reported.