A new shield-bug species Piezodorus grossi (Het.: Pentatomidae) from the Australasian region previously confused with P. hybneri (Gmelin)

Material previously identified as Piezodorus hybneri (Gmelin) from the Australasian region is here described as a new species, P. grossi sp. nov. The two species can be distinguished on the basis of the aedeagus in the male and spermathecal proximal duct in the female.     

The species of Cellaria (Bryozoa: Cheilostomatida) with large avicularia from West Africa

The three species of Cellaria with large avicularia (the size of an autozooid) known from West Africa have been studied: C. atlantida Cook, C. cookae n. sp. and C. salicornioides Lamouroux. All three are figured by SEM. Cellaria cookae n. sp. is mainly distinguished by its avicularium, with arched and pointed rostrum and mandible and a cryptocyst with a rectangular lyrula. Cellaria atlantida is characterised by its bell shaped Cellaria avicularium. The recognition of C. salicornioides var. normani is considered to be unjustified, as the distinctive character, which is the existence of lateral branching, is only a feature of young colonies and tends to disappear later.     

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.     

Raspailiidae (Porifera: Demospongiae: Axinellida) from the Mexican Pacific Ocean with the description of seven new species

The taxonomy of the family Raspailiidae has always been controversial. The family was first included in the order Poecilosclerida. It was then allocated to the order Axinellida and later moved back to Poecilosclerida. Currently with the development of molecular tools it has been assigned to the order Axinellida. In this contribution we describe 10 species from the Mexican Pacific Ocean. Seven of them are new to science: Raspailia (Parasyringella) rubra sp. nov., Raspailia (Raspaxilla) hymani (Dickinson 1945 Dickinson, MG. 1945. Sponges on the Gulf of California. Allan Hancock Pac Exp, 11(1): 1–251.  [Google Scholar]), Raspailia (Raspaxilla) hyle (de Laubenfels 1930 de Laubenfels, MW. 1930. The sponges of California. (Abstracts of dissertations for the degree of doctor of philosophy). Stanford Univ Bull, 5(98): 24–29.  [Google Scholar]), Aulospongus cerebella (Dickinson 1945 Dickinson, MG. 1945. Sponges on the Gulf of California. Allan Hancock Pac Exp, 11(1): 1–251.  [Google Scholar]), Aulospongus californianus sp. nov., Aulospongus aurantiacus sp. nov., Eurypon patriciae sp. nov., Eurypon tylospinosum sp. nov., Eurypon diversicolor sp. nov. and Eurypon brunus sp. nov. We discuss the genus Eurypon and include a table for all the species described worldwide with some comments about this genus. http://www.zoobank.org/urn:lsid:zoobank.org:pub:D462084B-EE9C-4C61-884A-C9DB70003B4A     

Chilarboreus gen. nov., a new genus of Chilean Scirtidae (Coleoptera: Scirtoidea), with descriptions of three new species

The genus Chilarboreus gen. nov. is described from Nothofagus forests of Chile to accommodate three new species: Chilarboreus fossulatus sp. nov., Chilarboreus acuticollis sp. nov. and Chilarboreus darwini sp. nov. The genus is subdivided into two subgenera: Chilarboreus subgen. nov. (type species: C. fossulatus) and Pictarboreus subgen. nov. (type species: C. darwini). Identification keys to the genera of Chilean Scirtidae and the species in the genus Chilarboreus are provided. The state of knowledge of Chilean Scirtidae is summarized. The position of Chilarboreus within Scirtidae and the phenomenon of wing reduction in Scirtidae are discussed.     

Use of morphological and molecular data to identify three new sibling species of the genus Munida Leach, 1820 (Crustacea,Decapoda, Galatheidae) from New Caledonia

Three cryptic species of the genus Munida from New Caledonia, previously identified as M. tuberculata Henderson, , M. notata Macpherson, and M. clinata Macpherson, , are described and illustrated. The three species are identified by subtle and constant morphological characters, which match clear differences in molecular sequences (16S rDNA and COI genes). The results also confirm the importance of several of these characters (e.g. length of the antennular and antennal spines) in the taxonomy of the genus Munida.     

Swedish nemerteans (phylum Nemertea), with description of a new hoplonemertean genus and species

A survey of the nemertean fauna along the Swedish west coast found specimens of 20 genera and 32 species, of which one genus and species is new to science (Tetraneuronemertes lovgreni gen. et sp. n.). The proportions of the three taxa Hoplonemertea, Heteronemertea, and Palaeonemertea are 34, 55, and 11%, respectively, with respect to specimen numbers, and the proportions for species within these taxa are 53, 31 and 16%, respectively. The most common species encountered during the survey were the heteronemerteans Lineus bilineatus, Micrura fasciolata, and Micrura purpurea, the hoplonemertean Nipponnemertes pulcher, and the palaeonemertean Cephalothrix rufifrons.     

Two new species of asterocherid (Copepoda: Siphonostomatoida) associated with a sponge from the Strait of Messina,Italy: taxonomic and ecological traits

Two new species of asterocherid associated with sponges are described from the Mediterranean Sea. They are Psilomyzon laetitiae sp. nov. and Psilomyzon sarcotragusicola sp. nov. The genus Psilomyzon consists of only one known species, P. pauciseta. The two new species can be easily distinguished from the cogener species by reduction of the endopod of leg 4. In P. pauciseta the leg 4 endopod is 3-segmented, with the third segment reduced; in both new species it is 2-segmented, with the second segment carrying an inner projection, possibly homologous to the third segment of the leg 4 endopod of P. pauciseta. In the two new species, the bifid outer process on male leg 4 second endopodal segment seems to be serially homologous to the similar processes on the same segment in legs 1–3, whereas the inner projection may represent a vestigial element of the third endopodal segment of leg 4.

http://zoobank.org/urn:lsid:zoobank.org:pub:33BF0653-BBA9-426B-B365-5D8C62DFD44A     

Two new species of genus Arrenurus Duges, 1833 (Arrenuridae,Hydrachnellae, Acari) from Turkey

The males and females of Arrenurus dileri n. sp. collected from standing waters at the foothills of the Taurus Mountains in southern Turkey and males of Arrenurus ???kl?ensis n. sp. collected from I??kl? Lake, which is located in south-west Turkey, are described here. The morphological features of the species are compared with those of the similar species Arrenurus claviger Konike, 1882 and Arrenurus nodosus (Koenike, 1896).