The Cassidininae Hansen, 1905 (Crustacea: Isopoda: Sphaeromatidae) of Australia

The Cassidininae of Australia are revised. The status of the subfamily is assessed and it is concluded that, as presently constituted, the Cassidininae is an artificial taxon. It is maintained here as a taxon of convenience (sensu lato) until the other sphaeromatid subfamilies can be reassessed, but a new diagnosis (sensu stricto) is given. The genus Cassidina is redescribed. Three new genera are established: Agostodina gen. nov. (type species: A. munta sp. nov.), Apemosphaera gen. nov. (type species: A. naranagi sp. nov.) and Discidina gen. nov. (type species: D. banawarra sp. nov.). New diagnoses are provided for the genera Cassidina Milne Edwards, Chitonopsis Whitelegge, Cassidinidea Hansen, Paracassidina Baker, Syncassidina Baker and Platysphaera Holdich and Harrison. The genus Dies is placed in synonymy with Cassidinidea and an annotated list is given of all species of the genus. The following new species (excluding the new type species) are described: Chitonopsis booyoolie, Agostodina munta, Paracassidina anasilla, P. bakeri, P. bamarook, P. bilbie, P. cervina, P. dama, P. fuscina, P. incompta, P. kutyo, P. munna, P. petala, P. prolata, P. wurrook and Cassidinidea korpie. Keys to the Australian genera and species are given.     

The braconid parasitoids (Hymenoptera: Braconidae) associated with seeds of Dipterocarpaceae in Malaysia

Nineteen species of Braconidae have been reared from seeds of Dipterocarpaceae (mainly Shorea species) in West Malaysia. Eleven new species (Brachistinae: Schizoprymnus mesocaudus sp. nov.; Schizoprymnus torreadoroides sp. nov.; Braconinae: Bracon nitidisoma sp. nov.; Bracon rugulifer sp. nov.; Syntomernus shoreatus sp. nov.; Spermatobracon triangulornatus sp. nov.; Cheloninae: Ascogaster cornifera sp. nov.; Ascogaster lamellifera sp. nov.; Phanerotoma divergens sp. nov.; Microgastrinae: Apanteles hemiaurantius sp. nov.; Apanteles striatus sp. nov.) and one new genus (Spermatobracon gen. nov.; type species: Spermatobracon triangulornatus gen. nov. and sp. nov.) are described and illustrated.     

The Old World genera of braconine wasps (Hymenoptera: Braconidae)

An illustrated key is provided to the Old World genera of Braconinae. In addition, notes are provided on each genus and on a number of characters employed in the key. One new tribe and five new genera based on two existing and three new species are described. The new taxa are as follows: Angustibracon gen. nov. from India (type-species: Bracon leptogaster Cameron, 1899), Bathyaulacini tribus nov. (type-genus: Bathyaulax Szépligeti, 1906), Cassidibracon gen. nov. from West Africa (type-species: Cassidibracon castus sp. nov.), Serraulax gen. nov. from the Afrotropical Region (type-species: Iphiaulax lukombensis Cameron, 1912), Virgulibracon gen. nov. from Australia (type-species: Virgulibracon vulsus sp. nov.) and Vomeribracon gen. nov. from New Guinea (type-species: Vomeribracon amplipenniger sp. nov.). The Pseudodicrogeniini Achterberg, 1976 is synonymized with the Euurobraconini Ashmead, 1900. Ten new generic synonymies are reported: Atanycolimorpha Viereck, 1913 (= Cyanopterus Haliday, 1835), Caenoprymnus Cameron, 1909 (= Soter Saussure, (1890) 1892), Coelodontus Roman, 1912 (= Trigastrotheca Cameron, 1906), Cynodobracon Cameron, 1912 (= Nedinoschiza Cameron, 1911), Iphioilta Ramakrishna Ayyar, 1928 (= Chaoilta Cameron, 1899), Kenema van Achterberg, 1983 (= Trigastrotheca Cameron, 1906), Odontopygia Enderlein, (1918) 1920 (= Trigastrotheca Cameron, 1906), Paraspinaria Cameron, 1905 (= Mesobracon Szépligeti, 1902), Pseudoglyptomorpha Tobias, 1957 (= Pseudovipio Szépligeti, 1896) and Glyptomorpha (Remorpha) Shestakov, 1932 (Pseudovipio Szépligeti, 1896).     

“Typhloplanoida” (Platyhelminthes: Rhabdocoela) from the Indian Ocean,with the description of six new taxa

Seven typhloplanoids from the Indian Ocean are discussed; six of them are new to science. We place four of the new species within the Trigonostomidae. Gandalfia bilunata gen. nov. sp. nov. is characterized by a tubiform stylet and two semilunar structures in the afferent duct. Mahurubia clava gen. nov. sp. nov. has a gutter‐shaped stylet and a club‐shaped mouthpiece on the bursa. Parapharyngiella involucrum gen. nov. sp. nov. is characterized by a stylet in the form of a question mark and a bursal mouthpiece with a club‐shaped and a barrel‐shaped part. Poseidoplanella halleti gen. nov. sp. nov. is characterized by an unpaired ovary, a funnel‐shaped stylet connected with a plate, and a small, tubular bursal mouthpiece. Furthermore, new data are given on Ceratopera axi. The two other new species belong to the Typhloplanidae. Aegira annabellae gen. nov. sp. nov., a marine species, is characterized by a box‐shaped stylet and a long, pseudocuticularized ejaculatory duct. Castrada trispina sp., a freshwater species, has a copulatory bursa with three spines. Mahurubia clava gen. nov. sp. nov. and Parapharyngiella involucrum gen. nov. sp. nov. occur at Zanzibar, Tanzania. The other five species have been found on Kerguelen.     

New and little known oribatids from Kenya,with descriptions of two new genera (Acari: Oribatida)

A list of newly collected and identified oribatids from Kenya is presented, two of them represent new genera; Sceletoppia gen. nov. (Oppiidae) and Mahnertozetes gen. nov. (Haplozetidae). Twelve species, belonging to the families Steganacaridae, Lohmanniidae, Tetracondylidae, Microzetidae, Zetomotrichidae and Galumnidae are new to science. Taxonomical notes on two other species are given.     

A new genus and three new species of free‐living marine nematodes from the Yellow Sea,China

One new genus, Paramphimonhystrella gen. nov., and three new species of free‐living marine nematodes in this genus, P. elegans sp. nov., P. minor sp. nov., and P. sinica sp. nov., are described and illustrated from the Yellow Sea, China. Paramphimonhystrella gen. nov. differs from the similar genus Amphimonhystrella by the elongated buccal cavity, cervical setae and large caudal glands. Paramphimonhystrella elegans sp. nov. is characterized by ovoid amphids and spicules with a small hook at distal end and cylindrical part of tail shorter than conical part. Paramphimonhystrella sinica sp. nov. is characterized by circular amphids, wide buccal cavity, spicules with blunt tip, and cylindrical part of tail longer than conical part. Paramphimonhystrella minor sp. nov. differs from the other two species by its smaller body (shorter than 800 µm), circular amphids, and spicules with sharp tip. The type species of this new genus is P. elegans gen. nov. and sp. nov. Types are deposited in the College of Marine Life Sciences, Ocean University of China.     

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.     

Systematics and phylogeny of Eodrepanus,a new Drepanocerine genus,with comments on biogeographical data (Coleoptera: Scarabaeidae: Oniticellini)

We describe here Eodrepanus gen. nov., currently comprising nine species, six previously assigned to the genus Drepanocerus and three described as new (namely, E. morgani sp. nov., E. paolae sp. nov. and E. coopei sp. nov.). Two of the new species have an Afrotropical distribution, while the last is an Eemian fossil species from England. Maximum parsimony was used to analyse reciprocal relationships among the species of Eodrepanus gen. nov., and four of the 24 species remaining in Drepanocerus. Support for these phylogenies was evaluated using the Bootstrap method and Bayesian inference as implemented in MrBayes. The biogeography of Eodrepanus gen. nov. was analysed using several different methods, namely, analysis of similarity (Ochiai Index), dispersal–vicariance analysis and parsimony analysis of endemicity.     

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.     

Four new species of Mesomyzostoma (Myzostomida: Annelida)

Mesomyzostoma Remscheid, 1918 currently includes three described species that live in the coelom and/or gonads of comatulid crinoids: Mesomyzostoma reichenspergeri Remscheid, 1918, Mesomyzostoma katoi Okada, 1933 and Mesomyzostoma lanterbecqae Summers and Rouse, 2014 in Summers, Al-Hakim et al. 2014. Here we describe four new species of Mesomyzostoma and assess their phylogenetic relationships using 18S rRNA, cytochrome oxidase subunit I and 16S rRNA sequence data. We also designate a neotype for M. katoi as the original types appear to be lost. We record M. reichenspergeri from the Australian Great Barrier Reef and from northern Papua New Guinea, but samples from the type locality (Aru Islands, Indonesia) and previously recorded host are needed for confirmation. The new species of Mesomyzostoma are one Japanese species: Mesomyzostoma okadai sp. nov., and three Australian species: Mesomyzostoma lobus sp. nov., Mesomyzostoma leukos sp. nov. and Mesomyzostoma botulus sp. nov. The first infects the coelom of crinoid arms and pinnules, and the other three are found in crinoid oral discs. We also record M. leukos sp. nov. and M. botulus sp. nov. from Papua New Guinea. Phylogenetic analyses suggest that M. okadai sp. nov. is the sister group to all other Mesomyzostoma.     

Revision of the type species of Metroperiella (Bryozoa,Cheilostomatida), with the description of two new species

We here fix the types of Schizoporella lepralioides Calvet in Jullien and Calvet, type species of the genus Metroperiella Canu & Bassler, and redescribe the species based on scanning electron microscope examination. Metroperiella populations from the Mediterranean Sea, which have hitherto been regarded as conspecific with Metroperiella lepralioides, are introduced as a new species, Metroperiella mesogeia sp. nov. Accordingly, the geographic distribution of M. lepralioides is restricted to its type locality, the Azores Archipelago (central North Atlantic). Another species, Metroperiella porellidesia sp. nov., which occurs sympatrically with M. lepralioides, is also newly described.

urn:lsid:zoobank.org:pub:523EA5DE-B023-48ED-8D85-37CAF5475164     

New species of cheilostomate Bryozoa from Antarctica and the Subantarctic southwest Atlantic

Fourteen new species of Bryozoa Cheilostomatida are described in the genera Chaperiopsis, Dakariella, Plesiothoa, Celleporella, Galeopsis, Osthimosia, Reteporella, Rhynchozoon and Turritigera. Acanthophragma gen. nov. is introduced for A. polaris sp. nov., and Tracheloptyx gen. nov. for T. antarctica sp. nov.     

Scale insects of the families Asterolecaniidae and Eriococcidae (Hemiptera: Coccoidea) in New Caledonia

The scale insect families Asterolecaniidae and Eriococcidae are discussed from New Caledonia. One new genus Oacoccus gen. nov., and a new species Oacoccus nothofagi sp. nov. on Nothofagus sp., are described in the Asterolecaniidae, and a new species Eriococcus millei sp. nov. is described in the Eriococcidae. A new genus Rhopalotococcus gen. nov., and two new species Rhopalotococcus dugdalei sp. nov. and Rhopalotococcus metrosideri sp. nov., are also described in the Eriococcidae. Both species induce leaf galls on Metrosideros sp. Keys are provided for all the New Caledonian genera and species in the families Asterolecaniidae and Eriococcidae.     

The West Palaearctic species of Fidiobia Ashmead, 1894 (Hymenoptera: Platygastroidea)

One new genus Songmachilis and six new species in family Machilidae are described from China: Songmachilis xinxiangensis gen. sp. nov., Coreamachilis songi sp. nov., Pedetontinus jiuzhaiensis sp. nov., Pedetontinus maijiensis sp. nov., Pedetontinus taishanensis sp. nov. and. Pedetontinus wudangensis sp. nov. A key to all Chinese species of Pedetontinus is given. We also examined the relationships among Chinese machilids based on partial sequences of mitochondrial cytochrome c oxidase subunit I (COI). The molecular study further supported the species status of the six new taxa.     

Revision of the sesarmid crab genera Labuanium Serène and Soh, 1970, Scandarma Schubart,Liu and Cuesta, 2003 and Namlacium Serène and Soh, 1970 (Crustacea: Decapoda: Brachyura: Sesarmidae), with descriptions of four new genera and two new species

ABSTRACT

The systematics of the arboreal sesarmid crab genera Labuanium Serène and Soh, 1970 and Scandarma Schubart, Liu and Cuesta, 2003 is revised. Also included is the poorly known genus Namlacium Serène and Soh, 1970, which is morphologically similar to Labuanium and may also be arboreal in habit. The present study restricts Labuanium to its type species, L. politum (De Man, 1887), and congeners are transferred to Scandarma, Geosesarma De Man, 1892, and three new genera established herein: Circulium gen. nov., Shinobium gen. nov. and Mindanium gen. nov. Two new species of Scandarma are described from Papua New Guinea and Madagascar. Sesarma jacquinoti Ortmann, 1894, previously regarded as a synonym of Scandarma gracilipes (H. Milne Edwards, 1853) (comb. nov.), is here shown to be a junior synonym of Sesarmops angustifrons (A. Milne-Edwards, 1869). Labuanium schuetteii (Hess, 1865) is regarded as conspecific with Scandarma gracilipes (H. Milne Edwards, 1853) (comb. nov.) and the lectotype of the latter species (here designated) is also selected as the neotype of the former, making the two names objective synonyms. Material which had been identified as ‘Labuanium finni Alcock, 1900’ by Pretzmann (1984) from the South Andaman Islands is actually the poorly known Geosesarma thelxinoe (De Man, 1908), which is here referred to a new genus, Andamanium gen. nov. Sesarma finni Alcock, 1900 s.s. is herein assigned to Scandarma. Namlacium crepidatum (Calman, 1925), the only species in the genus, is redescribed and figured and compared with Labuanium and Scandarma. Keys to species of Circulium and Scandarma are provided.

http://www.zoobank.org/urn:lsid:zoobank.org:pub:414B8DAA-584F-4070-A355-83B583D0D017     

A new genus and two new species of Parastenocarididae (Copepoda: Harpacticoida) from southeastern India

Indocaris gen. nov. with two new species, Indocaris imbricata sp. nov. and Indocaris inopinata sp. nov., and also for the already known Indocaris tirupatiensis (Ranga Reddy 2011a) comb. nov. – all from the groundwaters in peninsular India. The highly diagnostic synapomorphy of the new genus is a composite character associated with the male leg 4 basis: five or six prominent, imbricate, enlarged, petal-like spinules, arranged as a semi-whorl at the insertion of the endopod and increasing in size from internal to external. Another distinctive feature of the same appendage is that its one-segmented endopod is dilated or bulbous in the proximal half, produced distally into an incurved spiniform or horn-like structure about as long as the corresponding first exopodal segment, and ornamented with three or four fine spinules on the subproximal outer margin. The three species also share a unique constellation of other salient morphologic features, which along with the phylogenetic position of Indocaris gen. nov. within the family Parastenocarididae are discussed. Indocaris gen. nov. has closest phylogenetic affinity with the Neotropical Remaneicari Jakobi, 1972. A short note on the ecology and biogeography of the parastenocaridid species of the Indian subcontinent is provided besides a key for their identification.     

Ants feeding on anal exudate from tortricid larvae: a new type of trophobiosis

A new type of trophobiosis between tortricid larvae of a hitherto unknown genus and species, and various ant species of the subfamilies Formicinae, Dolichoderinae and Myrmicinae, was found in Malaysia. The larvae live in silken shelters fixed to the leaves of bamboo. In response to mechanical stimuli from the ants, they discharge from the anus a liquid containing sugar and amino acids and/or protein. The tortricid is described as Semutophila saccharopa gen. nov., sp. nov.; a second species, S. susurra sp. nov., is described from New Guinea.