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.     

Seven new species of the genus Pseudostegana (Diptera: Drosophilidae) from South-west China,with DNA barcoding information

Seven new species of the genus Pseudostegana are discovered from South China: P. latiapicula sp. nov., P. nannanae sp. nov., P. bingxueae sp. nov., P. husaensis sp. nov., P. linyongi sp. nov., P. montipagana sp. nov., and P. sigangli sp. nov.; the first two new species belong to the P. latiparma species group, and the rest belong to the P. zonaria species group. The DNA sequences of the mitochondrial cytochrome c oxidase subunit I (COI) gene with BOLD Process ID and GenBank accession numbers are provided for the seven new species and 10 known species from southern China: P. acutifoliolata Li, Gao and Chen, 2010; P. angustifasciata Chen and Wang, 2005, P. bifasciata Chen, Toda and Wang, 2005, P. bilobata Li, Gao and Chen, 2010; P. insularis Li, Gao and Chen, 2010; P. latifasciata Chen, Toda and Wang, 2005, P. minutipalpata; P. nitidifrons Chen and Wang, 2005, P. pallidemaculata Chen and Wang, 2005 and P. silvana. Intra- and interspecific pairwise Kimura’s two-parameter (K2P) distances among these species are summarised. www.zoobank.org/urn:lsid:zoobank.org:pub:C01D7920-61AD-4651-8861-9D76C3CD86F6     

Synopsis of ‘onychocellid’ cheilostome bryozoan genera

Genera assigned to the cheilostome bryozoan family Onychocellidae are revised based on the skeletal morphology of the type species and, when possible, the type material of these species. All genera are illustrated using scanning electron micrographs, some for the first time. Onychocellidae, which ranges from the Cenomanian stage of the Cretaceous to the Recent, has been a particularly troublesome family because of poorly defined generic concepts correlating at least in part with a paucity of morphological characters. Thirty-five genera are described in this review. Of these, two are recognised as subjective synonyms of other onychocellid genera (Rhebasia and Semieschara), one cannot be sufficiently characterised from the type material (Collura), and two are new: Aechmellina gen. nov. (type species Aechmella falcifera) and Kamilocella gen. nov. (type species Eschara latilabris). A neotype is chosen for Rhagasostoma hexagonum, the type species of Rhagasostoma. A key is provided to assist in the identification of onychocellid genera. Phylogenetic relationships between genera remain obscure and are unlikely to be fully resolved based on skeletal morphology alone. The family as an entity is loosely circumscribed and almost certainly paraphyletic, containing stem genera of other anascan familes such as Lunulitidae, Coscinopleuridae and Aspidostomatidae.

www.zoobank.org/urn:lsid:org:pub:63A31AD2-F049-42CB-A45B-557014DC286E     

Two new nematodes,Pseudelzalia longiseta gen. nov., sp. nov. and Paramonohystera sinica sp. nov. (Monhysterida: Xyalidae), from sediment in the East China Sea

Pseudelzalia longiseta gen. nov, sp. nov. and Paramonohystera sinica sp. nov. from subtidal sediment in the East China Sea are described. Pseudelzalia is characterized by 6 labial papillae and 10 cephalic setae, cylindrical buccal cavity, elongate (>2 anal body diameter) spicules, and conico-cylindrical tail devoid of terminal setae. It differs from Elzalia by the absence of terminal setae. Pseudelzalia longiseta sp. nov. is 647–853 μm long, has 7–8 μm long cervical setae, 11–14 μm long caudal setae, 25–41 μm long spicules about 2.1–2.7 anal diameter, and pointed tail-tip. Paramonohystera sinica possesses 12 cephalic setae, a character found in four congeners: Paramonohystera buetschlii (Bresslau and Schuurmans Stekhoven in Schuurmans Stekhoven, 1935, Paramonohystera pilosa Boucher, 1971, Paramonohystera concinna Lorenzen, 1977 and Paramonohystera halerba Fadeeva and Belogurov, 1987. It differs from P. buetschlii by shorter body (933–1023 μm versus 2000–2200 μm); from P. pilosa by the much shorter spicules (79–88 μm versus 167 μm) and narrower head (13–16 µm versus 32 µm); from P.concinna by smooth cephalic setae (versus segmented); and from P. halerba by the absence of two rows of setae on the ventral side of the tail (versus present). Based on the evaluation of nominal species, we recognize 14 valid species and provide an emended diagnosis and a tabular key for Paramonohystera.

http://www.zoobank.org/urn:lsid:zoobank.org:pub:474B8F17-AED7-4078-8176-DFC499B78526     

First record of the genus Tanaostigma (Hymenoptera,Chalcidoidea, Tanaostigmatidae) from the Afrotropical region with description of three new species

ABSTRACT

The genus Tanaostigma is newly recorded from the Afrotropical region and three new species are described: Tanaostigma lasallei van Noort sp. nov. (South Africa), Tanaostigma mulu van Noort sp. nov. (Kenya) and Tanaostigma ukumbusho van Noort sp. nov. (Kenya). We provide comprehensive images of the holotypes and an illustrated identification key to the African species. New country distribution records are provided for Tanaostigmodes tambotis Prinsloo & LaSalle, 1995. All images presented here as well as supplementary images and online keys are available on www.waspweb.org

www.zoobank.org/urn:lsid:zoobank.org:pub:61D1A59D-3702-480A-B146-73067C29CD82     

Cryptic and non-cryptic diversity in New Guinea ground snakes of the genus Stegonotus Duméril,Bibron and Duméril, 1854: a description of four new species (Squamata: Colubridae)

ABSTRACT

The island of New Guinea has been identified as biologically megadiverse but many taxa are still poorly known. This is especially the case for many of the island’s snakes, which by their very nature can be difficult to collect and study. Here we examine the phylogenetic and phylogeographic structure of a poorly studied snake genus, Stegonotus, focusing on the species of New Guinea; until now, Stegonotus has never been examined using modern phylogenetic methods. Using molecular data from 49 individuals representing eight of the ten described species, and including all New Guinea taxa, we estimate a multilocus phylogeny and examine population structure to help identify undescribed taxa. We use morphological data from the corresponding museum vouchered specimens (where available) and also examine additional specimens for taxa not included in the molecular data set to determine morphological differences among putative taxa. We find molecular evidence for four new species of Stegonotus, both morphologically obvious and cryptic, and describe them herein. The recognition of these four species indicates that Stegonotus diversity has been previously underestimated and also suggests that there are likely additional undescribed taxa within the genus. These four taxa increase the number of described species by 40% and further confirm New Guinea as the centre of diversity for the genus.

www.zoobank.org/urn:lsid:zoobank.org:pub:9E21390E-3FD4-40EB-9442-31BC92A76B4F     

石杉科植物研究综述

石杉科是一类多年生小型草本植物 ,土生、附生或生于苔藓层中 ,喜阴凉潮湿环境。我国有该科植物2属 5组近 5 0种。石杉科植物普遍含有石杉碱甲 ,但以蛇足石杉的含量为最高 ;除石杉碱甲外 ,石杉科植物还含有几十种石松生物碱 ,但在众多的石杉碱及其类似物中 ,以石杉碱甲的医疗效果为最好。与光谱法测定相比 ,色谱法测定具有操作简单、重复性好、周期短和成本低廉等优点     

Revalidation of Obidosus Roewer, 1913 and description of two new cave-dwelling species of Protimesius Roewer, 1913 from Brazil (Opiliones: Stygnidae)

The penial and tarsal morphology of Protimesius is studied and morphological data support the revalidation of Obidosus with the subsequent new combinations (20 species) and restored combinations (two species). Emended diagnoses are proposed for both genera, and two cave-dwelling new species of Protimesius are described and illustrated: P. lucifer sp. nov. (Pará state) and P. orcus sp. nov. (Ceará state). An identification key to the species of Protimesius and distributional maps of Obidosus and Protimesius are provided.

http://www.zoobank.org/urn:lsid:zoobank.org:pub:C4E9C04D-A646-41E4-AE59-B6D0C951DEAB