Stegana castanea species group (Diptera,Drosophilidae) from the Oriental region

The Stegana castanea species group is established as a morphological group within the subgenus Steganina, based on two known and six new species from the Oriental region: Stegana (Steganina) bacilla Chen and Aotsuka, 2004 Chen, HW and Aotsuka, T. 2004. A survey of the genus Stegana Meigen from southern Japan (Diptera, Drosophilidae). J Nat Hist., 38: 2779–2788. [Taylor & Francis Online], [Web of Science ®] , [Google Scholar]; S. castanea Okada, 1988 Okada, T. 1988. Family Drosophilidae (Diptera) from the Lund University Ceylon Expedition in 1962 and Borneo collections in 1978–1979. Entomol Scand (suppl)., 30: 109–149.  [Google Scholar]; S. (S.) reni sp. nov.; S. (S.) tiani sp. nov.; S. (S.) tongi sp. nov.; S. (S.) wangi sp. nov., S. (S.) weiqiuzhangi sp. nov. and S. (S.) xui sp. nov. from southern China. A key to all the species of this group is provided.     

A new species of the pseudoscorpion genus Megachernes (Pseudoscorpiones: Chernetidae) associated with a threatened Sri Lankan rainforest rodent,with a review of host associations of Megachernes

Most species of the Old World pseudoscorpion genus Megachernes are associated with mammals, either within their nests or in their pelage, whereas others are found in cave systems, usually in bat guano. The first Sri Lankan species of the genus, Megachernes kanneliyensis, is described from the fur of an endemic, threatened Sri Lankan mouse, Mus mayori pococki from the Kanneliya rainforest. The species is compared with other species of the genus. Host associations of all named and several unnamed species of Megachernes are reviewed, with two main habitat types, those found in mammal nests and in their pelage, and those found in bat guano. Based on similarities with Megachernes, Chiridiochernes is transferred to Lamprochernetinae as the spermathecae are T-shaped, the sole diagnostic feature of the subfamily.     

Revision of ‘Horatia’ snails (Mollusca: Gastropoda: Hydrobiidae sensu lato) from South Caucasus with description of two new genera

Four nominal species of the genus Horatia Bourguignat, 1887 were described by Russian authors from Caucasian caves (H. borutzkii Shadin, 1932, H. birsteini Starobogatov, 1962, H. ljovushkini Starobogatov, 1962 and H. sokolovi Starobogatov, 1962). Hitherto all the species were known from type series (presented by empty shells) only. Examination of newly obtained samples from the caves of South Caucasus has shown that the four species actually do not belong to the genus Horatia due to obvious differences in the morphology of the copulatory organs between H. klecakiana Bourguignat, 1887 (the type species of this genus) and the Caucasian snails. Moreover, statistical analysis of conchological variation has revealed that the species H. birsteini, H. ljovushkini, and H. sokolovi are conspecific. Two genera are described: Pontohoratia (includes P. birsteini and P. smyri sp. nov.) and Motsametia (with the single species M. borutzkii comb. nov.). The two genera can be distinguished on the basis of the structure of their copulatory organs. The distribution and ecology of the Caucasian Horatia-like mollusks are briefly outlined.

http://zoobank.org/urn:lsid:zoobank.org:pub:4EDFB2AE-CB1D-4113-8CC7-3A1BBB46D838     

The parasitic wasp genera Skiapus,Hellwigia, Nonnus,Chriodes, and Klutiana (Hymenoptera,Ichneumonidae): Recognition of the Nesomesochorinae stat. rev. and Nonninae stat. nov. and transfer of Skiapus and Hellwigia to the Ophioninae

The ichneumonid wasp genera Skiapus Morley, Hellwigia Gravenhorst, Nonnus Cresson, Chriodes Förster, and Klutiana Betrem are each formally removed from the Campopleginae on the basis of morphological, molecular, and simultaneous analyses using PAUP* and the optimization alignment program POY. Skiapus and Hellwigia are shown to form a monophyletic group with the Ophioninae to which they are transferred. Nonnus is treated as comprising the Nonninae stat. nov. and Chriodes and Klutiana (sometimes treated as a junior synonym of Chriodes) are treated as comprising the Nesomesochorinae stat. rev. The status of Nesomesochorinae and Nonninae is not fully resolved as they are not consistently recovered as separate groups, forming a single clade in some analyses. We keep them separate because of this uncertainty. Molecular synapomorphies within the D2–3 expansion region of the 28S rDNA gene show the utility of this gene region in determining subfamily‐level placement within the higher Ophioniformes.     

Three new species of Cecidophyinae (Acari: Eriophyidae) from China

Three new eriophyoid mite species (Acari: Eriophyoidea: Eriophyidae) from China are described and illustrated. They are Cecidophyes truncatis sp. nov. on Acer truncatum Bunge (Aceraceae), Cecidophyes hirsutes sp. nov. on Cardamine hirsute L. (Cruciferae) and Paracolomerus fopingacer sp. nov. on Acer sp. L. (Aceraceae). All the new species described herein are vagrants on the host plant.     

A new species of Notostrix (Acari: Eriophyidae), with notes on the host plants and distribution of species of this genus

Thirteen Notostrix Keifer species are presently known, all from leaves of palm trees (Arecaceae) to which they seemingly cause no major damage. A new species of this genus, Notostrix macrothrix sp. nov., is morphologically described based on adult females and males collected from coconut, Cocos nucifera L. (Arecaceae), on La Reunión Island. A discussion about the presently known distribution of mites of this genus is also presented. http://www.zoobank.org/urn:lsid:zoobank.org:pub:14C65CB2-AF56-4D85-AD49-56FA11119EF5     

Three new species of Gamasiphis (Acari: Mesostigmata: Ologamasidae) from Brazil,with complementary information about Gamasiphis plenosetosus Karg and a key to the world species of the genus

Gamasiphis Berlese is one of the most diverse genera of Ologamasidae, with 68 described species, corresponding to about 15% of the species of the family. Until now, a single species of this genus was known from Brazil. Gamasiphis salvadori sp. nov., Gamasiphis flechtmanni sp. nov. and Gamasiphis edmilsoni sp. nov. are described based on the morphology of adult females and males collected from litter and soil in Piracicaba, São Paulo State, Brazil. The holotype of Gamasiphis plenosetosus Karg, 1994 was examined, given its close similarity with the latter species, and complementary morphological information about it is provided. A key for the separation of females of the 60 recognizable world species of Gamasiphis is provided.     

The Tanaidacea (Crustacea,Peracarida) of the North-East Atlantic: the shelf and bathyal Paratyphlotanais of the ‘Atlantic Margin’

Increasing oil-exploration activity and associated ecological surveying west of the Shetlands is leading to the discovery of many poorly known or undescribed tanaidaceans. Three species of the typhlotanaid genus Paratyphlotanais Kudinova-Pasternak and Pasternak, 1978 Kudinova-Pasternak R. K Pasternak F. A 1978 Deep sea Tanaidacea collected from the Caribbean Sea and Puerto Rico trench during the 16th cruise of RV ‘Akademik Kurchatov’ and the resemblance between the fauna of deep-sea Tanaidacea of the Caribbean region and the Pacific Trudy Instituta Okeanologiii. Akademiya Nauk SSSR, 113, 115–135 (in Russian)  [Google Scholar] have been recorded from shelf and bathyal depths between Iceland, the Faroe Islands and the western margin of the British Isles. Two, P. gracilipes (Hansen) and P. microcheles (G. O. Sars), formerly belonging to the genus Typhlotanais, are redescribed and a new species is described. A key to their identification is included. Inhabiting largely discrete zoogeographic areas, these species help define regional macrofaunal associations.