Jumping plant‐lice of the family Phacopteronidae (Hemiptera: Psylloidea) from Cameroon

Nine species of the family Phacopteronidae are recorded from Cameroon. All are assigned to the large pan‐tropical genus Pseudophacopteron. Eight species are described as new, and P. electum Capener is redescribed. The species are diagnosed and illustrated, and keys for the identification of adults and fifth instar larvae are provided. Information is given on distribution, host plants, and biology. Eight species are associated with plants of the order Rutales/Sapindales (three Sapindaceae, one Burseraceae, one Burseraceae or Anacardiaceae, one Meliaceae, one Rutaceae, and one Anacardiaceae/Simaroubaceae); host plants of one species remain unknown. Four species, namely P. electum, P. fuscivenosum sp. n., P. lecaniodisci sp. n., and P. morion sp. n., induce nut or pit galls on the leaves.     

Systematics and biology of the Rhinocolinae (Homoptera: Psylloidea)

Based on a cladistic analysis, the subfamily Rhinocolinae is redefined to comprise 13 genera and 39 species, of which two genera and eight species remain unnamed. Four new genera and 14 new species are described; one subfamily and one genus are synonymized, and two species are recombined; one lectotype is designated. The subfamily is divided into two groups, one with a Gondwanan distribution comprising four genera in Australia, New Zealand, South America and Africa, and another with Laurasian distribution in the Palaeotropics, the Western Palaerctic and North America comprising nine genera. Twenty-one species develop on host plants in the Rutales, three on Asteraceae, three on Cistaceae and one on Zygophyllaceae. The genus Pistacia (Anacardiaceae) in particular hosts six species whose biology is discussed.     

Potential geographic distribution niche modeling based on bioclimatic variables of three species of Temnomastax Rehn and Rehn, 1942 (Orthoptera: Eumastacidae)

Predictive modeling of geographic distribution based on ecological niche has become an important tool in ecology. It uses previous information about distribution of species and environmental variations associated with this distribution, restricting to the models the closest prediction of the ecological niche. The eumastacid grasshoppers are distributed mainly in the Neotropical region, and Temnomastacinae is the subfamily with the largest geographic distribution. Little is known about the biology of Eumastacidae, the only data available reporting the association between some grasshopper species and plants of several families. In the Cerrado only Temnomastax is recorded, which has a wide distribution in the central region of Brazil. The aim of this work was to determine the potential geographic distribution of three species of Temnomastax occurring in the Cerrado biome. We used 446 records of occurrence obtained in specialised literature, inventories, museums and photographs, from the following species: Temnomastax hamus, Temnomastax ricardoi and Temnomastax tigris. The niche modeling was generated with the bioclimatic model DOMAIN through DIVA-GIS. The potential geographic distribution of T. hamus is the largest among all Temnomastax species. Temnomastax ricardoi has its potential distribution in the central-north of Mato Grosso do Sul, in regions surrounding the type locality, while T. tigris. exhibits a restricted potential distribution along the carbonate arc of the Corumbá Formation, which outcrops in the region of Serra da Bodoquena and Corumbá, entering the eastern portion of Bolivia.     

New World legume-feeding psyllids of the genus Aphalaroida Crawford (Insecta: Homoptera: Psylloidea)

Aphalaroida comprises a compact group of nine species feeding on mimosoid legume host plants in the southern USA and Central America. The species, acaciae Crawford, californica Tuthill, inermis Crawford, lysilomae sp. n., masonici (Caldwell), pithecolobia Crawford, prosopis Crawford, rauca sp. n. and spinifera Crawford, are keyed out and data are given on host plants and distributions. Characters previously used to separate species are unreliable, and there is strong evidence to suggest that some species are polymorphic with respect to fore wing pattern. This had led to much confusion, with type series often containing mixtures of species. Fore wing shape, the form of male and female terminalia, the shape of the genae and the presence/distribution of glandular hairs are the most reliable diagnostic characters.     

Dark axils and nodes in various plant species may serve as defensive mimicry of beetle and beetle faeces

Anti-herbivory animal mimicry by plants has been paid scant attention, and as a result additional types are expected to be recognized. Lycium chinense plants growing in Japan have dark axils, and many leaf-eating beetles leave faeces on host plants or use their faeces as defence. The dark axils of Lycium chinense mimic poisonous faeces or faeces-covered larvae of the leaf beetle Lema decempunctata, which may result in reduced herbivory by mammalian and insect herbivores. Field work in the very different flora of Israel revealed that the same morphology/colouration exists in various wild plant species, both monocotyledons and dicotyledons. We therefore propose a new type of beetle and beetle faeces defensive plant mimicry, and suggest that this type of putative defensive mimicry against mammalian and insect herbivores is probably a widespread but overlooked phenomenon. Moreover, such mimicry may also attract visually oriented enemies that can attack various invertebrate herbivores that occupy these plants.     

Biogeography and phylogeny of Paraergasilus Markevich, 1937 (Copepoda: Ergasilidae) with descriptions of two new species from the gills of grey mullet

Two new species of Paraergasilus are reported from the gills of four species of grey mullet (Mugilidae). Paraergasilus dichotomus n. sp. was recorded on M. cephalus Linn. from New South Wales, Australia. Paraergasilus curtus n. sp. was found on the same host in Western Australia, on Valamugil cunnesius (Valenciennes) from the Philippines, on Valamugil seheli (Forsskal) from Sri Lanka and on Liza macrolepis (Smith) from Socotra, Yemen. Both new species differ from congeners in possessing a bifid antennary claw. The distribution of Paraergasilus species is summarized and the host specificity of Paraergasilus species is examined. Phylogenetic analysis of the relationships between Paraergasilus species indicated that there are two main lineages within the genus.     

Geographic distribution,host plants,and morphological variation of the currently radiating phytophagous ladybird beetle Henosepilachna diekei

To overview the morphological and ecological diversification within a species of phytophagous ladybird beetle Henosepilachna diekei, information concerning its distribution and host plant use was studied. This species was found widely in South East and South Asia from the Philippines through the Greater Sunda islands, a western part of Lesser Sundas, the Malay Peninsula to Sri Lanka. Mikania species (Asteraceae), Mikania micrantha in particular, were the most frequently used host plants, but some other plants belonging to Lamiaceae or Acanthaceae were also used by some local populations. Each population is possibly monophagous. According to morphological analyses, seven populations from four host plants at six sites on four Indonesian islands were grouped into two, one occurring on Java and Kalimantan (Borneo) and another on Sulawesi and Lombok, indicating that they were separated by the Wallace line. This morphological distinction was not correlated with the host plant use.     

The generic affiliation of Japanese species of the subfamily Psyllinae (Hemiptera: Psyllidae) with a revised checklist

The generic affiliations of all the Japanese species of the psyllid subfamily Psyllinae are re-examined under the current generic recognition of the subfamily based mainly on adult morphological characters. Twenty-two species of the genus Psylla Geoffroy are newly combined with the genus Cacopsylla Ossiannilsson. Psylla wulinensis Yang and Aphalara akebiae Shinji are newly synonymized with Psylla multipunctata Miyatake and Cacopsylla hakonensis (Kuwayama), respectively. In addition, Cacopsylla toddaliae (Yang) is newly recorded from Japan. In all, 62 species of the Japanese Psyllinae are recognized and classified into three genera Psylla, Cacopsylla and Chamaepsylla Ossiannilsson, which include 11, 50 and one species, respectively. A key to Japanese psylline genera and a revised checklist of all the Japanese species of Psyllinae are presented with their distribution and host plant information and also with their synonymies.     

On the horns of a dilemma: toward a better understanding of the Monacon species (Hymenoptera: Perilampidae) of Borneo

ABSTRACT

A new species of Monacon is described from Borneo based on digital images, COI sequences and X-ray microtomography. The natural history of this primary parasitoid is documented and its host, a pinhole borer or ambrosia beetle, is documented with digital images and a COI sequence. The X-ray microtomography revealed that the frontal horn that is characteristic of the genus Monacon is not simply a cuticular process, but is associated with tissues, and may have a sensory function.     

Atlantic and Mediterranean species of the genus Andaniexis Stebbing (Amphipoda: Stegocephalidae)

The Atlantic and Mediterranean species of the genus Andaniexis Stebbing, 1906 (Amphipoda: Stegocephalidae) are reviewed, and three new species are described. The species Andaniexis abyssi (Boeck, 1871) which previously was considered a widely distributed species (from Baffin Bay to both Spitzbergen and the Skagerrak), is here divided into three species: Andaniexis abyssi s.str., Andaniexis gracilis n.sp. and Andaniexis lupus n.sp. These species, together with Andaniexis mimonectes Ruffo, 1975, all have allopatric distributions. This is especially evident in northern Norway, where A. abyssi has its northernmost limit: A. abyssi is found in Solbergfjorden (69°10′N), while Andaniexis lupus is found in the adjacent fjord Malangen (69°30′N, the southern limit of this species along the Norwegian coast). Andaniexis eilae n.sp. is described from Iceland. This species is not closely related to the other North Atlantic species of the same genus.     

The life cycle and natural history of the tropical aphid Cerataphis fransseni (Homoptera: Aphididae: Hormaphidinae), with reference to the evolution of host alternation in aphids

We describe the life cycle and general biology of the tropical cerataphidine aphid Cerataphis fransseni. We demonstrate that this aphid migrates between trees of Styrax benzoin and various species of palms; palm-feeding populations have previously been known as C. variabilis and C. palmae, which now become synonyms of C. fransseni. On S. benzoin the fundatrix induces a relatively simple gall which can contain >6000 aphids at maturity with a large number of reproductively sterile soldiers that protect the gall from predators. These galls are apparently produced throughout the year. Colonies on the secondary host plants, palms, are apparently obligately tended by ants whereas colonies within galls on Styrax are never tended by ants. We discuss the life cycle of this tropical aphid with respect to hypotheses for the evolution and maintenance of host alternation.     

Revision of the genus Niwaella in China (Pisces,Cobitidae), with description of two new species

Loaches of the genus Niwaella, family Cobitidae, are distributed only in East Asia. At present only in Japan and South Korea have fishes of the genus Niwaella been found. Herein we revise the genus Niwaella in China. Son and He () transferred the species Cobitis laterimaculata to the genus Niwaella, but their specimens were not N. laterimaculata, but a new species, N. longibarba sp. n., collected from Cao'ejiang River, Huangzezhen, Chengxian County, Zhejiang Province. The new species is distinguished from N. laterimaculata by its colour pattern of a row of slightly large, and long, scattered dark brown vertical bars on the dorsolateral surface, two or three striations on the caudal fin, and long barbels and undeveloped mental lobes. In this paper we also describe another new species, N. xinjiangensis sp. n., collected from Xinjiang River, Guangfeng County, Jiangxi Province, May 1990, with diagnostic colour pattern of 17–20 large and long, dark brown vertical bars on the dorsolateral surface, a dark stripe or rounded black spots along the lateral midline and some blotches below the lateral midline; it is a large‐sized species, with shorter barbels, and longer caudal peduncle. Thus five species of the genus Niwaella are known, three are endemic to eastern China and two are endemic to either Japan or South Korea.     

Patterns of host-plant utilization by leafhoppers in the genus Eupteryx (Hemiptera: Cicadellidae) in Britain

Known host-plant associations are listed for the 16 species of Eupteryx occurring in Britain. A total of 77 species in 17 plant families are exploited. The most frequently represented plant family is the Labiatae. Degrees of specificity range from strict monophagy (four spp.) to broad polyphagy (five spp.). In general, host-plant overlap between species is low. The detailed relationships between three Eupteryx species and three members of the Urticaceae were explored using field populations and laboratory feeding experiments, survival tests and examination of patterns of oviposition. Eupteryx urticae, E. cyclops and E. aurata all utilized Urtica dioica as their primary host plant. However, the only regularly recorded association with other members of the Urticaceae was the host range expansion of E. urticae onto Parietaria judaica in the second generation. These findings were supported by the laboratory experiments. The spatial distributions of E. urticae oviposition sites and levels of attack by mymarid parasitoids were similar in populations on the two plant species. The implications of these results are discussed.     

Effects of different ant species on the attendance of neighbouring hemipteran colonies and the outcomes for the host plant

Ants commonly participate simultaneously in mutualisms with honeydew-producing hemipterans and extrafloral nectar-bearing host plants. These interactions are based on the exchange of resources (honeydew and extrafloral nectar) for ant protection against natural enemies. The benefits may vary according to the species of ant interacting, and the outcomes for the host plant and hemipteran will depend on the results of the ant-plant-hemipteran relationship as a whole. We studied a plant-mealybug association with Camponotus crassus Mayr (Formicinae) and Ectatomma tuberculatum Olivier (Ectatomminae) in a Brazilian tropical savanna. We aimed to elucidate whether the frequency of visitation by different species of ants can be affected by neighbouring colonies of mealybugs, and whether these ant species influence the number of hemipterans in a different way. Furthermore, we intended to find out whether the interaction between ant and hemipteran has any effect on the proportion of fruit production or on the abundance of trophobiont and non-trophobiont herbivores, also influenced by the ant species. Our results show that neighbouring aggregations of mealybugs influenced the frequency of ant visitation and the ants affected the number of nymphs over time, with both positive results only for C. crassus. We also detected an indirect negative effect on proportion of fruit production and an increase in abundance of trophobiont and non-trophobiont herbivores in the presence of C. crassus-mealybug interaction. Thus, we provide further evidence that colonies of hemipterans interacting with ants can be beneficial for these herbivorous insects, but they are quite harmful to the host plant. Nevertheless, the outcomes can be highly conditional in relation to ant species.     

Three new species and a new record of tenuipalpid mites (Acari: Tenuipalpidae) from Hungary

Three new tenuipalpid species are described and illustrated from Hungary: Cenopalpus cumanicus sp. nov., Cenopalpus adventicius sp. nov. and Tenuipalpus budensis sp. nov. (Acari: Tenuipalpidae). The authors give an account of one new record of Cenopalpus spinosus (Donnadieu, 1875) found on woody host plants, a species that has not previously been recorded in the Hungarian fauna. Additional species encountered during these surveys are: Brevipalpus lewisi (McGregor, 1949), Cenopalpus pulcher (Canestrini and Fanzago, 1876), Pentamerismus oregonensis McGregor, 1949, and Pentamerismus taxi (Haller, 1877).     

The distribution and habitat preferences of the Afro-European species of Dynamene (Crustacea: Isopoda)

Summary

The geographical distribution of the genus Dynamene is described in the light of the recent discovery of three new species. D. bidentata appears to have a Boreal distribution whilst that of D. edwardsi and D. magnitorata is Atlanto-Mediterranean. D. torelliae, D. bifida, and D. tubicauda have a Mediterranean distribution but the first species may extend into the Black Sea. Only one species, D. ramuscula, has been recorded outside the Afro-European region, in S.E. Australia. The ranges and habitat preferences of those species outside the Mediterranean overlap as do some of those within the Mediterranean, particularly in the Naples Bay region. Juveniles of D. bidentata inhabit and feed on intertidal algae while adults shelter in crevices and empty tests of Balanus perforatus, mainly below MTL. Settlement of males into barnacle tests appears to be random, but females show some degree of aggregation, perhaps to other females. Other species show the same change of habitat at sexual maturity and all inhabit intertidal or inshore localities.     

New species of Hygiella Mesnil (Diptera: Tachinidae), parasitoids of leaf insects (Phasmatodea: Phylliidae)

The Oriental genus Hygiella Mesnil is revised: three species are described as new, Hygiella angustifrons sp. nov., Hygiella luteipes sp. nov. and Hygiella proclinata sp. nov., and two known species are re-described, Hygiella nigripes Mesnil and Hygiella pygidialis Mesnil. A key to these five species is provided. The host of H. proclinata, Phyllium siccifolium (Linnaeus) (Phasmatodea: Phylliidae), is recorded for the first time as a host of the Tachinidae. The systematic position of Hygiella is discussed and the genus is placed in the tribe Acemyini (Exoristinae) based on the structure of the male terminalia.     

Insular species of Neotropical freshwater crabs (Crustacea: Brachyura)

One species of Trichodactylidae and four species of Pseudothelphusidae are present on continental islands in three areas of Central and South America. (1) Trinidad and Margarita Island have, in common with the Venezuelan mainland, the pseudothelphusid Eudaniela garmani (Rathbun, 1898); additionally, Trinidad shares with the mainland the trichodactylid Dilocarcinus dentatus (Randall, 1839). These disjunct distributions can be attributed to changes in sea level during the Quaternary, but the presence of the endemic pseudothelphusid Microthelphusa odaelkae (Bott, 1970) in Trinidad probably reflects an older connection with the continent. (2) A new species, Potamocarcinus roatensis, was found on Roatan Island, off the coast of Honduras. A cladistic analysis of the genus Potamocarcinus (H. Milne Edwards, 1853) revealed a close association of P. roatensis with P. magnus (Rathbun, 1896), a widely distributed Central American pseudothelphusid. Possibly both species originated in a pre-Quaternary vicariant event. (3) Another pseudothelphusid, Hypolobocera gorgonensis von Prahl, 1983, inhabits disjunct areas on Gorgona Island, off the Pacific coast of Colombia, and on the mainland of Ecuador, reflecting either a wider distribution before the last Holocene transgression or accidental dispersal through natural rafts.     

Species of Oswaldella Stechow, 1919 (Cnidaria: Hydrozoa: Kirchenpaueriidae) from US Antarctic expeditions,with the description of three new species

Seventeen species of the genus Oswaldella Stechow have been studied, three of which are new to science (Oswaldella frigida sp. nov., O. medeae sp. nov. and O. monomammillata sp. nov.). The material studied was collected by several US Antarctic expeditions. Each species is described and figured, the systematic position amongst allied species is discussed and available data concerning autecology and geographical distribution are given. The remaining eight known species of the genus are also considered, regarding synonymy, autecology and geographical distribution. Finally, a general survey of the bathymetrical and biogeographical distribution of the known species of Oswaldella is given.