A taxonomic study on the Phtisicidae (Crustacea: Amphipoda) of New South Wales,Australia

The present study reviews the taxonomy of the Phtisicidae (Crustacea: Amphipoda) from the coast of New South Wales, Australia. The following seven species are described; Dodecas decacentrum Stebbing, 1910b, Dodecas hexacentrum Mayer, 1903, Hircella cornigera (Haswell, 1879b), Metaproto novaehollandiae (Haswell, 1879a), Notoprotomima smithi gen. nov., sp. nov., Paraproto sp. and Perotripus sp. Generic diagnoses of Notoprotomima gen. nov., Dodecas, Hircella and Metaproto are provided based on the present materials. Notoprotomima smithi is fully described as a new species of the new genus. Dodecas decacentrum differs from Dodecas hexacentrum by the presence of paired dorsodistal projections on pereonite 2, paired mid-dorsal projections on pereonites 3 and 4 and shorter gill length on pereonites 2 and 3. Hircella cornigera and Metaproto novaehollandiae are described in detail. The larger mature males of M. novaehollandiae possess the unusual massive type of the propodus of gnathopod 2. The extended distribution of Perotripus to the New South Wales coast is noted. A key for these phtisicid amphipods from New South Wales, Australia is provided.     

Extremalona timmsi gen. nov., sp. nov., a new cladoceran (Cladocera: Anomopoda: Chydoridae) from an acid saline lake in southwest Western Australia

A new species of Cladocera, Extremalona timmsi gen. nov., sp. nov., was found in acid saline lakes in the southwest of Western Australia. Extremalona gen. nov. belongs to the Coronatella-branch of Aloninae, but differs from all members of the group by the oval body with small high-set head (tip of rostrum located at half-height of the body), the exopodite III with uniform, well-developed setae 4–6 and male antennule with six lateral and nine terminal aesthetascs, and by numerous other characters. In our opinion, Extremalona gen. nov. is one of the ancestral genera of the Coronatella-branch of Aloninae, sharing numerous common features with the elegans-group of Alona s.l. Our data confirm a high level of endemism in Australian Chydoridae and Cladocera in general.     

New species of Australian arid zone chelonine wasps from the genera Phanerotoma and Ascogaster (Hymenoptera: Braconidae) informed by the ‘Bush Blitz’ surveys of national reserves

Here we focus on the poorly studied braconid wasp subfamily Cheloninae for the arid zone of the Australian continent, using material, in part, resulting from comprehensive surveys of three arid zone reserves. The Bush Blitz programme is a multi-institutional project with the aim of documenting the diversity of the flora and fauna in Australia’s National Reserve System, with describing new species being a key focus of the programme. In total, 11 species from the genera Ascogaster and Phanerotoma are treated, with species’ delimitation based on both molecular and morphological data. Two species are redescribed (Phanerotoma behriae Zettel, 1988a and P. decticauda Zettel, 1988a) and nine species are described as new (Ascogaster brevivena sp. nov., A. ferruginegaster sp. nov., A. prolixogaster sp. nov., A. rubriscapa sp. nov., Phanerotoma bonbonensis sp. nov., P. bushblitz sp. nov., P. lutea sp. nov., P. nigriscapulata sp. nov. and P. witchelinaensis sp. nov.). Keys to the arid zone species of these two genera are provided, along with a species richness estimation of Australian chelonine wasps.     

A redescription of the genus Cyrebion Fairmaire, 1891, with notes on related taxa and distribution (Coleoptera: Cantharidae)

Eight new species and one new record of Elasmopus Costa, 1853 are described from Australian waters including the extended offshore territories of Cocos (Keeling) Islands (Indian Ocean), Christmas Island (Indian Ocean), Ashmore Reef (Timor Sea), Norfolk Island (Tasman Sea) and Lord Howe Island (Tasman Sea). Range extensions are reported for seven described Australian species. Twenty-three species are now known from Australian waters. Elasmopus arafura sp. nov., E. carteri sp. nov., E. hyperopia sp. nov., E. leveque sp. nov., E. mcluerensis sp. nov., E. otus sp. nov., E. shepherdi sp. nov. and E. woodjonesi sp. nov. are described herein.     

Copepods of the genus Colobomatus (Poecilostomatoida: Philichthyidae) from fishes of the family Sillaginidae (Teleostei: Perciformes)

Six species of Colobomatus, five of which are new to science, were found in a survey of 26 species of sillaginid fishes in the Indo-west Pacific. Three of the species are closely related and occur in the head cavities of various species of their hosts. Colobomatus sillaginis West, 1983 is recorded in Sillaginodes punctata and 12 species of Sillago, from around the coast of Australia and in the Gulf of Thailand, representing many new host and locality records. Female C. asiaticus sp. nov. are described from southeast Asia and the Persian Gulf, in three species of Sillago. Female C. arabicus sp. nov. are described from two species of Sillago occurring only in the Persian Gulf. A second intrageneric grouping of three species of Colobomatus inhabits a different microhabitat: tubes of the lateral line scales. Each of these species infects several sillaginid fishes, and in contrast to members of the first species-group they are entirely allopatric with each other. In Australia, female C. fulloonae sp. nov. are described from three species of Sillago in northern waters, and female C. charleah sp. nov. are described from two species of Sillago and Sillaginodes punctata in southern waters. Female C. westi sp. nov. are described from three species of Sillago in the waters of eastern Asia (Japan, Korea and China). Only one male specimen of each of C. arabicus sp. nov., C. charleah sp. nov. and C. westi sp. nov. was found.     

A new genus of hemibranchiate sphaeromatid isopod crustacean from tropical Western Australia

A new genus and species of marine sphaeromatid isopod is described from the North West Shelf (Indian Ocean) tropical Western Australia. Kranosphaera haptomela gen. nov. sp. nov. (Sphaeromatinae) is distinguished from other hemibranchiate genera by the strongly rugose and deeply pitted body surfaces, projecting epistome, uniramous uropodal rami, and in the male by modified pereopod 5 which is greatly expanded and 6 which has a coupling flange on the ischium. It is known only from the vicinity of the type locality.     

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.     

A new genus with three new species of copepods from the family Diaixidae (Crustacea: Calanoida), and a redefinition of the family

Plankton samples taken in the Gulf of Carpentaria, Australia, yielded material of a new genus containing 3 new species: Anawekia spinosa gen. nov. et sp. nov., A. robusta sp. nov. and A. bilobata sp. nov., which are described herein. The family Diaixidae now contains 12 described species in 2 genera, 9 being in the genus Diaixis. It is noted that 3 of the Diaixis species (including the type species) share some features which are not shared with the remaining 6 species, and that these latter species should probably be placed into a third genus. An amplified redefinition of the family is given.     

A new genus of viviparous gyrodactylid (Monogenea) from the Great Barrier Reef,Australia with descriptions of seven new species

Acanthoplacatus gen. nov., a new genus of viviparous gyrodactylid, is described from the fins and skin of siganid fishes from the Great Barrier Reef, Australia. The genus is characterized by a muscular, tube-like haptor with 16 marginal hooks on the posterior margin. The ventral lobe of the haptor is located anteriorly relative to the dorsal lobe and contains a pair of hamuli and a ventral bar with posteriorly-projecting ventral bar membrane. A dorsal bar is absent. Five pairs of posterior gland cells surround the posterior terminations of the gut. The male copulatory organ is a muscular, non-eversible bulb with several spines around the distal opening. Species of Acanthoplacatus have a bilateral excretory system consisting of six pairs of flame cells and a pair of excretory bladders. Seven new species are described: Acanthoplacatus adlardi sp. nov. and A. amplihamus sp. nov. from Siganus punctatus (Forster, 1801), A. brauni sp. nov. from S. corallinus (Valenciennes, 1835), A. parvihamus sp. nov. from S. vulpinus (Schlegel and Mueller, 1845), A. puelli sp. nov. from S. puellus Schlegel, 1852, A. shieldsi sp. nov. from S. lineatus (Valenciennes, 1835) and A. sigani sp. nov. from S. fuscescens (Houttuyn, 1782). Species can be discriminated by shape and size of the hamuli, marginal hooks and ventral bar and by male copulatory organ sclerite morphology. Three species (A. brauni sp. nov., A. shieldsi sp. nov. and A. sigani sp. nov.) were assessed for seasonal variation of sclerite size. Ten of thirteen morphological characters showed seasonal variation in size for at least one of the species. The characters were longer in winter except dorsal root tissue cap width. Only one character, marginal hook length, showed significant seasonal variation for all three species. Species of Acanthoplacatus were observed to attach using only the marginal hooks and the role of hamuli in attachment is unclear. The dorsal fin of the host is the preferred site for most species but the anal fin, caudal fin and body surfaces are preferred by some species. Prevalences for species range from 57 to 100%.     

Three new species of Benthana Budde-Lund (Isopoda, ‘Philosciidae’) from Brazil

Three new species of Benthana Budde-Lund, 1908 are described from material collected near São Fancisco de Paula, a town in the north-east of the southernmost Brazilian State, Rio Grande do Sul (RS). The new species are: Benthana serrana sp. nov., Benthana trinodulata sp. nov. and Benthana araucariana sp. nov. (from Araucaria Forest). The presence of more than one nodulus lateralis on coxal plate VII, a characteristic not previously known in the genus, is reported. New occurrences of B. picta (Brand, 1833) and B. taeniata (Araujo and Buckup, 1994) are also recorded. A method is given for defining the shape of the exopod of pleopod 1 of the male based on morphometry.     

Nephtyidae (Polychaeta: Phyllodocida) of Australia: new species from the North West Shelf,and a key to Australian species

Five species of Nephtyidae new to Australia are described from the North West Shelf, and a key to the 18 known species of Australian nephtyids is given. Four of the species described are new: three species of Aglaophamus (A. foliocirrata sp. nov., A. hedlandensis sp. nov. and A. victoriae sp. nov.) and a new species of Inermonephtys (I. tetrophthalmos sp. nov.). Difficulties in the clear definition of Aglaophamus, Micronephthys and Nephtys indicate the need for systematic revision of the family.     

First record of the subfamily Coelotinae in Laos,with review of Coelotinae embolus morphology and description of seven new species from Laos and Vietnam (Araneae,Amaurobiidae)

First records of Coelotinae are reported from Laos. Five new species of the genus Draconarius are described from the northern Luang Nam Tha Province: Draconarius bounnami sp. nov. (male), D. latidens sp. nov. (female), D. postremus sp. nov. (male, female), D. songi sp. nov. (male) and D. tabularis sp. nov. (female). In addition, two new Coelotinae species are described from Vietnam: D. hanoiensis sp. nov. (female) and D. huongsonensis sp. nov. (female). Of the 429 currently valid Coelotinae species, 154 of them have only females described (36%). The embolus characteristics of those with males described (275 species, 64%) are reviewed. Two characters have been found that might be informative for the estimation of phylogeny, and their congruence with the current Coelotinae classification system is discussed. One character is the point from which the embolus arises and another is the embolus shape.     

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.     

Distributional and taxonomic notes on the crab spider genus Epidius with descriptions of five new species (Araneae: Thomisidae)

Distributional and taxonomic data are provided for six species of crab spiders of the genus Epidius Thorell, 1877 of which five species, E. coloratus sp. nov., E. elongatus sp. nov. (male), E. floreni sp. nov. (male/female), E. longimanus sp. nov. (male/female) and E. mahavira sp. nov. (male/female), are newly described. Evidence is provided to demonstrate that Pothaeus Thorell, 1895 (type species Pothaeus armatu is a junior synonym of Epidius. Epidius bazarus is shown to be a junior synonym of E. armatus comb. nov.

http://zoobank.org/urn:lsid:zoobank.org:pub:15B56D3E-69FB-46CD-8AFE-34919B844D14     

Encarsia (Hymenoptera: Aphelinidae) parasitoids of Bemisia species in Taiwan (Hemiptera: Aleyrodidae)

The whitefly genus Bemisia (Hemiptera: Aleyrodidae) is represented by five species in Taiwan, including the notorious global pest Bemisia tabaci. A catalogue of Encarsia species attacking these whiteflies, based almost entirely on previously unpublished records, is provided. A key for the identification of the 17 Encarsia species known to parasitize Bemisia species in Taiwan is provided. Three new species, E. guangxingana Shih, Ko and Polaszek sp. nov., E. lineolata Shih, Ko and Polaszek sp. nov. and E. magnalata Shih, Ko and Polaszek sp. nov., are described from Taiwan. These new species were all reared from Bemisia giffardi.