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     

Three abdominal parasitic isopods (Isopoda: Epicaridea: Bopyridae: Athelginae) on hermit crabs from China and Hong Kong

Three bopyrid isopods of the subfamily Athelginae parasitizing hermit crabs collected in Chinese waters are discussed and described in this paper. Athelges takanoshimensis Ishii, 1914 Ishii, S. 1914. On a new epicaridean isopod (Athelges takanoshimensis sp. nov.) from Eupagurus samuelis Stimpson. Annot Zool Jpn, 8: 519–530.  [Google Scholar] is recorded again from China on Pagurus pectinatus (Stimpson) and from Hong Kong on a new host, Pagurus minutus Hess. Parathelges enoshimensis Shiino, 1950 Shiino, SM. 1950. Notes on some new bopyrids from Japan. J Mie Med Coll, 1: 151–167.  [Google Scholar] is recorded for the first time from China on a member of the genus Spiropagurus. Pseudostegias setoensis Shiino, 1933 Shiino, SM. 1933. Bopyrids from Tanabe Bay. Mem Coll Sci Kyoto Imperial Univ ser. B, 8: 249–300.  [Google Scholar] is recorded again from Hong Kong but from a new host, Clibanarius virescens Hess, and for the first time from Hainan Province on a new host Calcinus laevimanus (Randall). A combination of light and scanning electron microscopy is used to investigate the morphology of these species and data on their prevalence with hermit crab hosts are provided.     

Four new records and a new species of Dactylokepon Stebbing, 1910 (Epicaridea: Bopyridae: Ioninae) from Chinese waters

Five species of the parasitic isopod genus Dactylokepon are described from brachyuran crabs and a scyllarid shrimp collected in Chinese waters. Four species are first recorded from this region, D. richardsonae Stebbing, 1910 Stebbing, T. R. R. 1910. Isopod from the Indian Ocean and British East Africa.. Reports of the Percy Sladen Trust Expedition to the Indian Ocean in 1905, under the leadership of Mr. J. Stanley Gardiner, M. A. Transactions of the Linnean Society of London, Series 2, Zoology, 14(1): 83–122.  [Google Scholar] infesting Portunus argentatus (White), D. semipennatus Bourdon, 1983 Bourdon, R. 1983. Expédition Rumphius II (1975) Crustacés parasites, commensaux, etc. (Th. Monod éd.). VIII. Crustacés isopodes (3e partie: Épicarides Bopyridae).. Bulletin du Muséum National d'Histoire Naturelle, Paris, Série 4, 5(A3): 845–869.  [Google Scholar] infesting Portunus haanii (Stimpson) and Lupocyclus rotundatus Adams and White, D. holthuisi Bourdon, 1967 Bourdon, R. 1967. Sur deux nouveaux épicarides (Isopoda) parasites de crustacés decapods.. Zoologische Mededelingen, 42(17): 167–174.  [Google Scholar] infesting Eduarctus martensii (Pfeffer), and D. caribaeus Markham, 1975 Markham, J. C. 1975. New records of two species of parasitic isopods of the bopyrid subfamily Ioninae in the western Atlantic.. Crustaceana, 29(1): 55–67.  [Google Scholar] infesting Randallia trituberculata Sakai. In addition, one species is new to science, D. barbuladigitus n. sp. infesting Liagore rubromaculata (De Haan). Six brachyuran crabs are reported for the first time as hosts of bopyrids. The new species is distinguished from other species of Dactylokepon in having a prominent trifid frontal lamina and a distinct digitate barbula.     

A review of the genus Gynaecoserica Brenske, 1896 (Coleoptera,Scarabaeidae, Sericini)

The present paper gives a review of the species so far assigned to the genus Gynaecoserica Brenske, 1896 Brenske, E. 1896. Insectes du Bengale. Melolonthidae. Ann Soc Entomol Belg., 40: 150–164.  [Google Scholar]. Thirty-two new species are described: Gynaecoserica alma sp. nov., G. amara sp. nov., G. arunachalensis sp. nov., G. barclayi sp. nov., G. bicolorata sp. nov., G. bocaki sp. nov., G. bomdilana sp. nov., G. compacta sp. nov., G. densipunctata sp. nov., G. digna sp. nov., G. dirangensis sp. nov., G. exilis sp. nov., G. gisionensis sp. nov., G. hirsuta sp. nov., G. ignobilis sp. nov., G. jelineki sp. nov., G. keithi sp. nov., G. lobiceps sp. nov., G. lohitensis sp. nov., G. lomsakensis sp. nov., G. lubosi sp. nov., G. luteata sp. nov., G. maekasana sp. nov., G. maymyoensis sp. nov., G. nahangensis sp. nov., G. namtamaiensis sp. nov., G. obliqua sp. nov., G. rostrata sp. nov., G. schima sp. nov., G. seinghkuensis sp. nov., G. vogleri sp. nov. and G. ziyardamensis sp. nov. The genitalia of the new species are figured and the distribution of the species is illustrated. Two new combinations are established: G. marginipes (Brenske, 1896 Brenske, E. 1896. Insectes du Bengale. Melolonthidae. Ann Soc Entomol Belg., 40: 150–164.  [Google Scholar]) comb. nov. and G. felina (Arrow, 1946 Arrow, GJ. 1946. Entomological results from the Swedish expedition 1934 to Burma and British India. Coleoptera, Melolonthidae. Ark Zool., 38A(9): 1–33.  [Google Scholar]) comb. nov.; the lectotype of the latter is designated. In addition to the species diagnoses a key to all so far known Gynaecoserica species is provided.     

New records of West and South African Bathyporeia,with the description of four new species and a key to all species of the genus (Crustacea,Amphipoda)

New data on the warm temperate and tropical east Atlantic Bathyporeia species are presented. Four new species are described: Bathyporeia cunctator sp. nov. from South Africa, B. chevreuxi sp. nov. from Senegal, B. gladiura sp. nov. from South Africa, and B. griffithsi sp. nov. from Namibia. Bathyporeia cunctator sp. nov. and B. chevreuxi sp. nov. are very closely related to the west European B. tenuipes Meinert, 1877 and the Mediterranean B. lindstromi Stebbing, 1906 Stebbing, T. R. R. 1906. Amphipoda 1: Gammaridea.. Das Tierreich, 21: 1–806.  [Google Scholar]; these four cryptic species forming the complex tenuipes. Bathyporeia griffithsi sp. nov. and B. gladiura sp. nov. are highly distinctive new species. The morphotype “sunnivae” of Bathyporeia guilliamsoniana is recorded for the first time outside the Mediterranean Sea, in the Canary Islands. An identification key to all known Bathyporeia species is given.     

A new genus Globulidrilus and three new enchytraeid species (Oligochaeta: Enchytraeidae) from Seoraksan National Park (Korea)

From the Seoraksan National Park, Korea, a new enchytraeid genus, Globulidrilus gen. nov., is defined and three new species, Globulidrilus helgei sp. nov., Fridericia seoraksani sp. nov. and Mesenchytraeus longiductus sp. nov., are described. Globulidrilus also includes Marionina riparia Bretscher, 1899 Bretscher, K. 1899. Beitrag zur Kenntnis der Oligochaeten-Fauna der schweiz. Rev Suisse Zool., 3: 369–426.  [Google Scholar] augm. ?ernosvitov 1928, a globally distributed species with a complicated taxonomic history. Pending a revision of Marionina riparia sensu latu (auct.), we retain the species name riparia for a variant of common occurrence in Europe.     

Stegana castanea species group (Diptera,Drosophilidae) from the Oriental region

The Stegana castanea species group is established as a morphological group within the subgenus Steganina, based on two known and six new species from the Oriental region: Stegana (Steganina) bacilla Chen and Aotsuka, 2004 Chen, HW and Aotsuka, T. 2004. A survey of the genus Stegana Meigen from southern Japan (Diptera, Drosophilidae). J Nat Hist., 38: 2779–2788. [Taylor & Francis Online], [Web of Science ®] , [Google Scholar]; S. castanea Okada, 1988 Okada, T. 1988. Family Drosophilidae (Diptera) from the Lund University Ceylon Expedition in 1962 and Borneo collections in 1978–1979. Entomol Scand (suppl)., 30: 109–149.  [Google Scholar]; S. (S.) reni sp. nov.; S. (S.) tiani sp. nov.; S. (S.) tongi sp. nov.; S. (S.) wangi sp. nov., S. (S.) weiqiuzhangi sp. nov. and S. (S.) xui sp. nov. from southern China. A key to all the species of this group is provided.     

Description of four new species of the genus Ampelisca (Amphipoda,Ampeliscidae) from the northeastern and southeastern coasts of Brazil and designation of a neotype for Ampelisca soleata Oliveira, 1954

The present study raises the number of Ampelisca species recorded from the Brazilian coast from 18 to 21. The amphipod fauna of the Brazilian northeast coast is hardly known compared to that of the southeast coast. In this study, we describe three new species from the northeast coast: Ampelisca pseudobicarinata sp. nov., Ampelisca rocasensis sp. nov. and Ampelisca cristianae sp. nov, recorded previously as Ampelisca aff. lobata (Serejo et al. 2000 Serejo, CS, Wakabara, Y and Valério-Berardo, MT. 2000. Taxonomy and geographic distribution of Ampelisca (Amphipoda: Gammaridea) from the Brazilian coast. Polsk Archiw Hydrobiol., 47(3–4): 495–510.  [Google Scholar]). We also report a new record of Ampelisca burkei Barnard and Thomas, 1989 Barnard, JL and Thomas, JD. 1989. A new species, Ampelisca burkei, (Crustacea, Amphipoda) from Florida. Proc Biol Soc Washington., 102(2): 375–384.  [Google Scholar]. From the southeast coast a new species Ampelisca angraensis sp. nov. is described. An obscure species, Ampelisca soleata, which is very similar to Ampelisca brevisimulata, is herein redescribed and a neotype is designated. An updated key with all species of Ampelisca recorded from the Brazilian coast and comments on geographic distribution are given.     

Revision of the genus Mimopodabrus Wittmer (Coleoptera,Cantharidae)

The genus Mimopodabrus Wittmer is reviewed, and the genus diagnosis is re-described. Three new species are described, M. multidentatus sp. nov. (Guangdong, China), M. variabilis sp. nov. (Yunnan, China) and M. diversefoveolatus sp. nov. (Lao Cai, Vietnam), with illustrations of habitus, antennae and aedeagus. A species is transferred from Micropodabrus to this genus, M. bicoloriceps (Wittmer, 1989 Wittmer, W. 1989. 42. Beitrag zur Kenntnis der indo-malaiischen Cantharidae und Malachiidae (Coleoptera). Entomol Basil., 13: 209–237.  [Google Scholar]) comb. nov. A species is synonymized, M. bicoloriceps (Wittmer, 1989 Wittmer, W. 1989. 42. Beitrag zur Kenntnis der indo-malaiischen Cantharidae und Malachiidae (Coleoptera). Entomol Basil., 13: 209–237.  [Google Scholar]) comb. nov.?=?M. bicoloriceps Wittmer, 1997 syn. nov. and the definition of M. yunnanus (Wittmer, 1993 Wittmer, W. 1993. Zur Kenntnis der palaearktischen und indo-malaiischen Cantharidae (Coleoptera). Entomol Basil., 16: 203–253.  [Google Scholar]) is restricted. A key to all known species of this genus is provided.     

New records of Bathynellacea (Syncarida,Bathynellidae) in North America: three new species of the genus Pacificabathynella from Montana,USA

Three new species of the genus Pacificabathynella Schminke and Noodt, 1988 Schminke, H K and Noodt, W. 1988. Groundwater Crustacea of the order Bathynellacea (Malacostraca) from North America. J Crustacean Biol., 8(2): 290–299.  [Google Scholar] are described from groundwater aquifers in glaciated North America (Montana, USA). This is the first time that this genus, known previously only from the state of California, has been documented in Montana. Pacificabathynella and Paradoxibathynella Serban, 2000 Serban, E. 2000. Uenobathynella n.g., Parauenobathynella n.g., Morimotobathynella n.g., Nihobathynella n.g. et Paradoxibathynella n.g., Bathynellinae du Japón (Bathynellidae, Bathynellacea, Podophallocarida). Travaux Inst Spéol “Émile Racovitza”, 36: 3–61.  [Google Scholar] are the only genera that show sexual dimorphism in thoracopod VI. Pacificabathynella kalispellensis sp. nov. has several unique features: the setal formula of the antenna (0/2+exop/3/12/6/8/5); the setal formula of the maxilla (7/4/7/6); the presence of an epipod on thoracopod II; tufts of setulae and abundant setae on the basipod and endopod of thoracopods I to V; the epipod of thoracopod VIII female three times longer than the basipod; three smooth setae on the exopod of the female thoracopod VIII; eight spines on the endopod of the uropod and the endopod longer than the sympod, whereas the opposite is typical. Pacificabathynella stanfordi sp. nov. has several unique features: only five setae on the exopod of thoracopods II to VII, while six setae are common in the genus; only six setae on the second segment of the first pleopod; five spines on the endopod and seven setae on the exopod of the uropod. Pacificabathynella ruthae sp. nov. is the largest species and has several unique features: antennule equal in size to the antenna, whereas in the rest of the species of the genus the antenna is larger; the projection of the inner lobe of the male thoracopod VIII is bidentate and there are six spines on the endopod and nine setae on the exopod of the uropod. The three new species have slight differences in the pars molaris of the mandible and in thoracopod VIII of males, and there are other minor differences between the females and the species Pacificabathynella sequoiae. The new taxa, together with the new genus Montanabathynella described separately, represent a 30% increase in North American taxa. Considering the glaciated landscape and the fragmented nature of alluvial aquifer habitat, we believe that there is a profound lack of critical knowledge of the biogeography and biodiversity of syncarids in North America.     

First record of the genus Brachyzapus Gauld and Dubois (Hymenoptera: Ichneumonidae: Pimplinae) from Vietnam,with descriptions of six new species

Based on a recent collection of ichneumonids from Lao Cai Province, at an elevation above 1500 m above sea level, the genus Brachyzapus Gauld and Dubois, 2006 Gauld, ID and Dubois, J. 2006. Phylogeny of the Polysphincta group of genera (Hymenoptera: Ichneumonidae; Pimplinae: a taxonomic revision of spider ectoparasitoids. Syst Entomol., 31: 529–564. [Crossref], [Web of Science ®] , [Google Scholar] is reported from Vietnam for the first time and six new species are described: B. carinatus sp. nov., B. convexus sp. nov., B. duboisi sp. nov., B. fansipanensis sp. nov., B. hoanglienensis sp. nov. and B. politus sp. nov. Notes on distinguishing characters are provided and the new species are included in a tentative key to 12 species of Brachyzapus. Three species are formally transferred from Zabrachypus to Brachyzapus: B. atripedalis (Sheng, 2001), B. nitidus (Hao and Sheng, 2002 Hao, D and Sheng, ML. 2002. A new species of genus Zabrachypus Cushman (Hymenoptera: Ichneumonidae). J Northeast Forestry Univ., 30: 95–96.  [Google Scholar]) and B. nonareaeidos (Wang, 1997) are new combinations.