Observations on the “tenuis group” (Eutardigrada,Macrobiotidae) and description of a new Macrobiotus species

A new species of the tardigrade genus Macrobiotus is described. The species, designated M. ciprianoi n. sp., was isolated from a mixture of Provence broom leaf litter and mosses, and from rock mosses collected in the Sierra de Guadarrama, Madrid (Spain). Given that Macrobiotus ciprianoi n. sp. shares several characters to members of the “tenuis group”, we assessed the taxonomic homogeneity of the group. The new species differs from those of the “tenuis group” according to a unique set of characters related with claw shape, features of the buccal‐pharyngeal apparatus, and egg morphology. Our analysis of holotypes and/or paratypes of “tenuis group” species and other Macrobiotus species with similar characters (M. bondavallii and M. caelicola) reflects the heterogeneity of this group of species as currently described.     

Species of Antarctoscyphus Peña Cantero,García Carrascosa and Vervoort, 1997 (Cnidaria: Hydrozoa: Symplectoscyphidae) collected by US Antarctic expeditions: biogeographic implications

Antarctoscyphus is one of the most characteristic genera of Antarctic benthic hydroids, with nine of the 10 known species considered to be endemic to the Antarctic; only Antarctoscyphus elongatus is also present in the sub-Antarctic region of Kerguelen. Accordingly, the genus was considered to have an Antarctic–Kerguelen distribution. Here we present the results of the study of the species of Antarctoscyphus collected from different Antarctic areas and from the Magellan region, during several expeditions under the United States Antarctic Research Program between 1958 and 1986. A scanning electron microscopy survey of all known species of the genus was carried out. Eight of the 10 known species of Antarctoscyphus were found in the collection, with A. spiralis and A. elongatus being the most frequently found species, whereas A. biformis, A. fragilis and A. gruzovi were found only once. The type material of A. biformis was reviewed and re-described. This study represents the second records for A. biformis and A. fragilis. The new records allow updating of the biogeographic knowledge on the distribution of several species: A. mawsoni, so far considered endemic to East Antarctica, and A. asymmetricus, considered endemic to West Antarctica, are here considered to have a Circum-Antarctic distribution. Additionally, A. fragilis, previously considered endemic to the Weddell Sea, is now considered to have a West Antarctic–Patagonian distribution, as it was recorded off the Pacific Magellan region. The records gathered here allow us to change the distribution pattern of the genus from Antarctic–Kerguelen to Pan-Antarctic. The study has allowed us to increase the known bathymetric range for some species, some reaching much deeper waters than previously known. Hence, A. fragilis, A. grandis and A. mawsoni, hitherto considered shelf species, are reported from bathyal bottoms of the continental slope. A general discussion on the bathymetric and geographic distribution of all known species is included.

www.zoobank.org/urn:lsid:zoobank.org:pub:1C7ED3F2-3FF1-4C5C-85BB-FAAF557AC2ED     

Is the valid species Synchaeta monopus Plate, 1889 (Rotifera: Monogononta) a product of preparation artefacts?

The morphology of soft-bodied rotifers, including those of Synchaeta spp, can be strongly affected by preparation artefacts including contraction and deformation. The long-standing, valid species Synchaeta monopus is known exclusively from ethanol- or formaldehyde-preserved material and no live specimens of it have ever been described. Although this alone is cause for concern, we could also reproduce unique characteristics diagnostic for this species (e.g. the swollen body and the rudimental foot) by subjecting specimens of Synchaeta pectinata to the preservation conditions under which it was first described. This proxy experiment and comparisons to other Synchaeta species indicate that literature occurrences of S. monopus likely represent preserved and deformed specimens of Synchaeta cecilia or other marine species of Synchaeta, thereby highlighting the importance of thorough morphological investigations of the habitus using live specimens and of features that are unaffected by preservation (e.g. the trophi). We therefore recommend that S. monopus be listed as a species inquirenda until topotypes are examined. Furthermore, in ecological studies including rotifers, where the examination of preserved material is often unavoidable, we stress that light-microscopical images of the habitus and trophi of the specimens minimally be included to facilitate independent verification of the species assignments.     

First record of the genus Arphthicarus Niedbała (Acari: Oribatida: Phthiracaridae) from China,with descriptions of two new species

The oribatid mite genus Arphthicarus Niedba?a, 1994 (Phthiracaridae) is reported in China for the first time. Two new species of Arphthicarus are described: Arphthicarus baculus sp. nov. from Hunan Province, and Arphthicarus spiniformis sp. nov. from Guangxi Province.

http://zoobank.org/urn:lsid:zoobank.org:pub:A1729EB7-2C99-4BF6-94EB-229E2A743D84.     

Revision of Pilargis de Saint‐Joseph, 1899 (Annelida,Polychaeta, Pilargidae)

Pilargis de Saint‐Joseph, 1899 includes seven species and one subspecies: P. berkeleyae Monro, 1933 Monro, C. C. A. 1933. On a new species of polychaete of the genus Pilargis from Friday Harbor, Washington.. Annals and Magazine of Natural History, Series 10, 11: 673–675. [Taylor & Francis Online] , [Google Scholar], P. maculata Hartman, 1947 Hartman, O. 1947. Polychaetous Annelids, 8. Pilargiidae.. Allan Hancock Pacific Expeditions, 10: 483–523.  [Google Scholar], P. modesta Intes and le Loeuff, 1975 Intes, A. and le Loeuff, P. 1975. Les annélides polychètes de Côte d'Ivoire, 1. Polychètes errantes—compte rendu systématique.. Cahiers ORSTOM (Office de la Recherche Scientifique et Technique Outre‐Mer) Série Océanographie, 13: 267–321.  [Google Scholar], P. mohri Gallardo, 1968 Gallardo, V. A. 1968. Polychaeta from the Bay of Nha Trang, South Viet Nam.. Naga Reports, 4: 35–279.  [Google Scholar], P. papillata Rasmussen, 1973 Rasmussen, K. J. F. 1973. A new species of Pilargis (Polychaeta Pilargidae) from the deep soft sediments of Fensfjorden, Western Norway.. Sarsia, 53: 19–24. [Taylor & Francis Online] , [Google Scholar], P. tardigrada (Webster, 1879 Webster, H. E. 1879. On the Annelida Chaetopoda of the Virginian Coast.. Transactions of the Albany Institute, 9: 202–269.  [Google Scholar]), P. verrucosa de Saint‐Joseph, 1899, and P. verrucosa pacifica Uschakov, 1955. Two species (P. verrucosa and P. berkeleyae) have been recorded from widespread localities. However, no comparison with type material has been done, and there might be some different forms under the same name. We have reviewed all the available type material in order to clarify the taxonomy of this group. A critical analysis of morphological features and a standardization of their structure and variability have been attempted. Six species are redescribed, one species is characterized after published accounts, and one subspecies is elevated to species. Four are described as new: Pilargis angeli n. sp., P. cholae n. sp., P. rozbaczyloi n. sp., and P. wolfi n. sp. Three others based on damaged material are briefly characterized. A key for Pilargis species is included.     

Four species of Caligus Müller, 1785 (Copepoda,Siphonostomatoida, Caligidae) parasitic on marine fishes of Taiwan

Four species of Caligus, with two new species, are reported from five species of marine fishes of Taiwan. They are: Caligus arii Bassett‐Smith, 1898 Bassett‐Smith, P. W. 1898. Further new parasitic copepods found on fish in the Indo‐tropical region.. Annals and Magazine of Natural History (Series 7), 2: 77–98. [Taylor & Francis Online] , [Google Scholar] on the body surface of Trichiurus lepturus Linnaeus, Caligus dasyaticus Rangnekar, 1957 Rangnekar, M. P. 1957. Caligus dasyaticus sp. nov. and Caligus dussumieri sp. nov., (Copepoda) parasitic on Bombay fishes.. Journal of the University of Bombay, 25: 16–22.  [Google Scholar] on the body surface of Dasyatis navarrae (Steindachner), Caligus dactylus n. sp. on the gill filaments of Dactyloptera peterseni (Nyström), and Caligus lutjani n. sp. in the oral/gill cavities of Lutjanus argentimaculaltus (Forsskål) and Lutjanus bohar (Forsskål). Both C. arii and C. dasyaticus are reported for the first time from Taiwan. Caligus dactylus differs from its congeners by the possession of the following combination of features: large myxal process on the maxilliped; a pair of parallel tines on the sternal furca with truncate tip; simple elements (without accessory process) at the tip of leg 1 exopod; and an armature formula of I‐0; I,III on leg 4. Caligus lutjani is distinguished by carrying a two‐segmented abdomen; a pair of diverged tines on the sternal furca with acute tip; an accessory process on the middle two of the terminal four elements on the exopod of leg 1; and a bipectinate, spiniform process on the exopod of leg 4 at the insertion of each of the five outer spines.     

Microhabitat use and feeding habits of Crossodactylus bokermanni Caramaschi and Sazima, 1985 (Anura,Hylodidae) at a site in south‐eastern Brazil

We studied a population of Crossodactylus bokermanni in a stream at the Reserva Particular do Patrimônio Natural, Santuário do Caraça, south‐eastern Brazil, with respect to microhabitat use and diet. We characterized microhabitats based on substrate, distance to water and exposure level of the occupying individual (exposed or sheltered), and adjacent aquatic microhabitats (evaluated as potential nesting sites based on observed nests), according to water current (absent, slow or fast), substrate and depth. Calling males, silent males, ovigerous females, non‐ovigerous females and juveniles showed spatial niche overlap higher than that expected by chance, with calling males showing the strongest preference for microhabitats close to potential nesting sites (with intermediate depths, fast current and sandy bottom). Only 14 males out of 48 individuals examined for stomach contents had prey in their stomachs. The food items with the highest electivity values were Coleoptera and Diptera, but preys with both high and low mobility were exploited.     

A taxonomic study of the genus Coptotettix Bolívar, 1887 (Orthoptera: Tetrigidae: Tetriginae) from China with description of a new species

An annotated list of 27 species of the genus Coptotettix Bolívar, 1887 Bolívar, I. 1887. Essai sur les acridiens de la tribe Tettigidae. Ann Soc Entomol Belg., 31: 175–313.  [Google Scholar] distributed in China is given. Coptotettix emeiensis sp. nov. is described from Sichuan Province, China. A key to the Chinese species of the genus Coptotettix is given.     

Two new species of Calima Moreno-González and Villarreal, 2012 (Arachnida: Schizomida: Hubbardiidae) from the Colombian Andes,with a discussion on the male flagellar microsetae of Hubbardiinae

Two new species of short-tailed whip-scorpions (schizomids), Calima embera sp. nov. and Calima nutabe sp. nov. are described based upon collected material from the Natural Park Planes de San Rafael, Risaralda department, and the Natural Reserve El Romeral, Antioquia department, Colombia, increasing the number of known species for the genus to four; an identification key and a distribution map for Calima species, are provided. The voluminous spermathecal lobes in females and the presence of a small dorsal eminence basal to Dm4 in the male flagellum of some species, could represent diagnostic characters for Calima and are therefore included in its diagnosis. The microsetae of the male flagellum of Hubbardiinae, continues be excluded from the setal homologies; we suggest that they must be taken into consideration in a future homology proposal. www.zoobank.org/urn:lsid:zoobank.org:pub:1D3A97A4-29A6-46E2-AD78-EE6C7036D251     

Redescription of Valdivianemertes valdiviae (Bürger, 1909) (Nemertea: Hoplonemertea: Cratenemertidae) and designation of neotype

A century ago Bürger described the species Drepanophorus valdiviae from a single specimen taken from 155 m off the southern tip of Africa by the research vessel Valdivia during the German Deep Sea Expedition. Stiasny-Wijnhoff in 1923 Stiasny-Wijnhoff, G. 1923. On Brinkmann's system of the Nemertea Enopla and Siboganemertes weberi n. g. n. sp. Q J Microsc Sci., 67: 627–669.  [Google Scholar] transferred this species along with Amphiporus stannii (sensu Bürger 1895 Bürger, O. 1895. Die Nemertinen des Golfes von Neapel und der angrenzenden Meeres-Abschnitte. Fauna und Flora des Golfes von Neapel, 22: 1–743.  [Google Scholar]) to a new genus Valdivianemertes but did not mention a family affiliation. In 1993 Crandall transferred this genus to the family Cratenemertidae. During the Spanish Antarctic Expedition BENTART 2003, carried out on board the RV Hespérides, we found one specimen identified with certainty as Valdivianemertes valdiviae, at 602 m depth in the Bellingshausen Sea (Antarctica). As there is no extant holotype, we here redescribe this species from this new specimen and designate it the neotype of this species; photomicrographs of the different regions of the body and the proboscis structure are provided for the first time.     

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     

Description of a new fireworm,Eurythoe turcica sp. nov. (Polychaeta: Amphinomidae), from the Levantine coast of Turkey (eastern Mediterranean), with re‐descriptions of Eurythoe parvecarunculata Horst and Amphinome djiboutiensis Gravier based on type material

The present study describes a new fireworm belonging to the genus Eurythoe, E. turcica sp. nov., collected from Iskenderun Bay and its vicinity (Levantine Sea, Turkey), and re‐describes the closely related species E. parvecarunculata Horst, 1912 Horst, R. 1912. Polychaeta errantia of the Siboga Expedition. Part 1, Amphinomidae.. Siboga Exp Utk zool bot oceanog geol Geb verz Neder Oost Indie 1899–1900 aan Boord HM Siboga ond Comm van Luit GF Tydeman., 24(1a): 1–43.  [Google Scholar] and Amphinome djiboutiensis Gravier, 1902 Gravier, C. 1902. Contribution à l’étude des annélides polychètes de la Mer Rouge.. Nouv Arch Mus., 3(4): 147–268.  [Google Scholar], based on the type material. The new species is mainly characterized by having a rounded and short caruncle occupying only chaetiger 1, and dendritically branched branchiae from chaetiger 3 to the end of body. Morphological features of E. turcica are closely similar to those of E. parvecarunculata but the former species lacks the serrated capillary chaeta with a long spur on the notopodia of the median parapodia. The present study also shows that A. djiboutiensis and E. parvecarunculata, which were previously considered synonymous, are distinct species.     

Revision of the smiling worms,genera Prosadenoporus Bürger, 1890 and Pantinonemertes Moore and Gibson, 1981 and description of a new species Prosadenoporus floridensis sp. nov. (Prosorhochmidae; Hoplonemertea; Nemertea) from Florida and Belize

The hoplonemertean genera Prosadenoporus Bürger, 1890 Bürger, O. 1890. Untersuchungen über die anatomie und histologie der nemertinen nebst beiträgen zur systematik [Studies of anatomy and histology of nemerteans with contribution to systematics].. Z Wiss Zool., 50: 1–277. German [Google Scholar] and Pantinonemertes Moore and Gibson, 1981 Moore, J. and Gibson, R. 1981. The Geonemertes problem (Nemertea).. J Zool., 194: 175–201.  [Google Scholar] are revised and synonymized based on a morphological re‐evaluation. We redefine Prosadenoporus Bürger, 1890 Bürger, O. 1890. Untersuchungen über die anatomie und histologie der nemertinen nebst beiträgen zur systematik [Studies of anatomy and histology of nemerteans with contribution to systematics].. Z Wiss Zool., 50: 1–277. German [Google Scholar] on the basis of characters held in common by the eight species: Prosadenoporus agricola (Willemoes‐Suhm, 1874 Willemoes‐Suhm, R. 1874. On a land‐nemertean found in the Bermudas.. Ann Mag Nat Hist. Ser 4., 13: 409–411.  [Google Scholar]) comb. nov., Prosadenoporus arenarius Bürger, 1890 Bürger, O. 1890. Untersuchungen über die anatomie und histologie der nemertinen nebst beiträgen zur systematik [Studies of anatomy and histology of nemerteans with contribution to systematics].. Z Wiss Zool., 50: 1–277. German [Google Scholar], Prosadenoporus spectaculum (Yamaoka, 1940 Yamaoka, T. 1940. Two nemerteans from the Riukiu Islands.. Annot Zool Japon., 19: 13–18.  [Google Scholar]) comb. nov., Prosadenoporus winsori (Moore and Gibson, 1981 Moore, J. and Gibson, R. 1981. The Geonemertes problem (Nemertea).. J Zool., 194: 175–201.  [Google Scholar]) comb. nov., Prosadenoporus enalios (Moore and Gibson, 1981 Moore, J. and Gibson, R. 1981. The Geonemertes problem (Nemertea).. J Zool., 194: 175–201.  [Google Scholar]) comb. nov., Prosadenoporus mooreae (Gibson, 1982b Gibson, R. 1982b. Nemerteans of the Great Barrier Reef. 5. Enopla Hoplonemertea (Monostilifera).. Zool J Linn Soc., 75: 269–296.  [Google Scholar]) comb. nov., Prosadenoporus mortoni (Gibson, 1990 Gibson, R. 1990. “The macrobenthic nemertean fauna of Hong Kong.”. In The Marine Flora and Fauna of Hong Kong and Southern China, Edited by: Morton, B. 33–212. Hong Kong: Hong Kong University Press.  [Google Scholar]) comb. nov. and Prosadenoporus fujianensis (Sun, 2001 Sun, S. 2001. A new mangrove‐dwelling nemertean from China.. Hydrobiologia, 456: 199–209.  [Google Scholar]) comb. nov. We describe a new semi‐terrestrial species Prosadenoporus floridensis sp. nov. from Belize and Florida and compare its morphology to other species of Prosadenoporus. The average sequence divergence of P. floridensis sp. nov. from other congeners is 9.15% (16S) and 10.65% (COI) and 7.8% and 10.3% respectively from the nearest sequenced congener P. mortoni.