On the taxonomic status of the highly endangered Ponto-Caspian gastropod genus Caspia (Gastropoda: Hydrobiidae: Caspiinae)

Caspia is an endemic Ponto-Caspian Basin genus of hydrobiid gastropods. Around a dozen nominal species of Caspia have been described to inhabit the Caspian Sea while four species occupy a restricted zone in the lower part of the rivers flowing into the Black Sea and the Sea of Azov. Scanning electron microscopic study of the protoconch and radula morphology of two Caspia species from the Azov–Black Sea Basin allows re-evaluation of the taxonomic rank and attribution of the genus. The adult shell geometry and characters of ornamentation do not enable clear demarcation of these species of Caspia but the protoconch parameters do allow their differentiation. Available morphological data on Caspia and the related genus Caspiohydrobia are interpreted here as confirmation of the subfamilial rank of Caspiinae in the family Hydrobiidae, in contrast to the previous affiliation of this group with Pyrgulidae.     

A new genus and four new species of onchidiid slugs from South-East Asia (Mollusca: Gastropoda: Pulmonata: Onchidiidae)

The taxonomy of the Onchidiidae has remained extremely confusing for decades. As part of an on-going systematic revision of the entire family, a new genus, Melayonchis Dayrat and Goulding gen. nov., and four new species (Melayonchis eloisae Dayrat sp. nov., Melayonchis siongkiati Dayrat and Goulding sp. nov., Melayonchis annae Dayrat sp. nov., and Melayonchis aileenae Dayrat and Goulding sp. nov.) are described. Species are delineated using an integrative approach, based on morphological characters and DNA sequences. First-hand field observations and pictures of live animals are provided in order to help future species identification. All four Melayonchis species live in mangrove forests. The geographic distribution of Melayonchis ranges from the Andaman Sea to the South China Sea through the Strait of Malacca. Records are based on entirely new collections from the Andaman Islands, Peninsular Malaysia, Singapore, Brunei Darussalam and Vietnam. The nomenclature of all existing onchidiid species- and genus-group names from that region is addressed, as well as intraspecific character variation within Melayonchis.

www.zoobank.org/urn:lsid:zoobank.org:pub:671922DB-C6C1-44A5-B2CD-A3A3127CB668     

Notes on the genus Gargela (Lepidoptera: Crambidae), with descriptions of two new species from China

ABSTRACT

The present paper adds two new species to the genus Gargela Walker, 1864 from China: Gargela polyacantha Li, sp. nov. and G. grandispinata Li, sp. nov. The adults and genital structures of the new species are described, with images of the habitus and illustrations of the genitalia. Type specimens are deposited in the Insect Museum, Jiangxi Agricultural University, Nanchang, P. R. China.

http://www.zoobnk.org/urn:lsid:zoobank.org:pub:05960EEA-6FA7-4D37-BC16-F69B5DF891F5     

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.     

A new species of the genus Zhangixalus (Amphibia: Rhacophoridae) from Vietnam

ABSTRACT

A new rhacophorid species is described from Vietnam on the basis of nine specimens collected in Quan Ba District, Ha Giang Province, northeastern Vietnam. The new species is morphologically similar to Zhangixalus pinglongensis, Z. dorsoviridis, and Z. nigropunctatus, however, it differs from the latter by having the flank cream with large black blotches on axilla and groin. The genetic distance between the new species and Zhangixalus pinglongensis, Z. dorsoviridis and Z. nigropunctatus is >3.57% (16S mtDNA gene fragment). Zhangixalus jodiae sp. nov. can be distinguished from all other species of Zhangixalus and other small rhacophorid species from Southeast Asia by a combination of the following characters: size small (SVL 36.1–39.8 mm in males); head as long as wide; vomerine teeth present; dorsal surface of head and body green without spots; axilla cream with large black blotches, groin and front-rear parts of the thigh, ventral surface of tibia black with orange blotches; lower jaw region greyish, chest and belly cream.

http://www.zoobank.org/urn:lsid:zoobank.org:pub:89597718-024F-4FFC-B0AE-2005F12CF66C     

Eight new species of the genus Promalactis (Lepidoptera: Oecophoridae) from Indonesia,with a checklist of the genus

Eight new species of Promalactis were discovered from Indonesia: Promalactis diazomatis sp. nov., Promalactis hamatella sp. nov., Promalactis ingenticula sp. nov., Promalactis laetusella sp. nov., Promalactis latifundus sp. nov., Promalactis minutispina sp. nov., Promalactis mooatana sp. nov. and Promalactis trigonilancis sp. nov. Illustrations of adults and genitalia of the new species and taxonomic information for the six previously known species from Indonesia are provided. A checklist of the genus in Indonesia is given.

www.zoobank.org/urn:lsid:zoobank.org:pub:E25224C7-2D41-4F5A-A4BB-41AA1307E0C0     

A new species of Plagiodontes from Argentina,and new data on the anatomy of four other species in the genus (Gastropoda: Orthalicidae,Odontostominae)

Abstract

Plagiodontes weyrauchi sp. nov. is among the smallest species in the genus Plagiodontes (Doering, 1877). Statistical multivariate analyses confirmed its distinctiveness from other species, mostly because of its high number of whorls (8–9.75), relatively small width, and low proportions of last whorl and aperture length to shell length; multivariate discriminant analysis applied to this species and its most similar relative, P. multiplicatus parvus, correctly identified 100%?of specimens. Pallial and genital anatomy supports P. weyrauchi as a different species, mainly because of the position of the ureteric pore, the small general size of the genital system, the presence of an accessory lobe alongside the verge, and the vaginal internal structure. Internal anatomy of four other small-sized taxa in the genus was studied. Two of them have a verge with no accessory lobe [P. dentatus (Wood, 1828) and P. patagonicus (d'Orbigny, 1835)], while the remaining two have an accessory lobe with different characteristics [P. rocae Doering, 1881 and P. multiplicatus parvus (Hylton-Scott, 1952 Hylton-Scott, M I. 1952. Nuevos moluscos terrestres del norte argentino. Acta Zool Lilloana., 10: 5–29.  [Google Scholar])]. Internal structure of the vagina also shows specific differences among Plagiodontes species; their phylogenetic significance will be further investigated.     

A taxonomic review of the genus Exochus Gravenhorst (Hymenoptera: Ichneumonidae: Metopiinae) from South Korea with descriptions of ten new species

The South Korean species of the genus Exochus are revised. Ten new species, Exochus acostulatus Lee & Choi, sp. nov., Exochus adentatus Lee & Choi, sp. nov., Exochus areolaris Lee & Choi, sp. nov., Exochus carinalis Lee & Choi, sp. nov., Exochus dentisternum Lee & Choi, sp. nov., Exochus depressus Lee & Choi, sp. nov., Exochus nigritulus Lee & Choi sp. nov., Exochus occipitalis Lee & Choi, sp. nov., Exochus orbitalis Lee & Choi, sp. nov. and Exochus propodealis Lee & Choi, sp. nov., are described. Also, 21 species of this genus are reviewed and newly recorded from South Korea, with diagnoses provided. A key to the South Korean species of Exochus and illustrations of external characters are provided.

http://zoobank.org/urn:lsid:zoobank.org:pub:B28700A7-9CA7-4AE7-9816-9C8F4CD46160     

A new subgenus Parastegana (Allstegana) (Diptera,Drosophilidae), with descriptions of two new species from South China

A new subgenus Allstegana is established within the genus Parastegana, including two known and two new species from southern China: P. (A.) maculipennis (Okada, 1971), P. (A.) drosophiloides (Toda and Peng, 1992 Toda, M. J. and Peng, T. X. 1992. Some species of the subfamily Steganinae (Diptera: Drosophilidae) from Guangdong Province, southern China.. Annales de la Société Entomologique de France (N.S.), 28: 201–213. [Web of Science ®] , [Google Scholar]), P. (A.) brevivena Chen and Zhang, sp. nov., and P. (A.) punctalata Chen and Watabe, sp. nov. A key to all known species of Parastegana is provided.     

Daphniola Radoman, 1973 (Gastropoda: Hydrobiidae): shell biometry,mtDNA, and the Pliocene flooding

Shell biometry and cytochrome c oxidase subunit 1 (CO1) mtDNA were studied in Daphniola exigua (Schmidt, 1856), D. graeca Radoman, 1973 Radoman, P. 1973. New classification of fresh and brackish water Prosobranchia from the Balkans and Asia Minor.. Posebna Izdanja, Prirodnjacki Musej u Beogradu, 32: 1–30.  [Google Scholar], and D. louisi Falniowski and Szarowska, 2000 Falniowski, A. and Szarowska, M. 2000. A new species of Daphniola Radoman, 1973 (Gastropoda: Hydrobiidae) from Greece.. Folia Malacologica, 8: 181–188.  [Google Scholar] from Greece. Principal component analysis of shell morphometry confirmed the distinctness of D. louisi along the PC3 axis. Kimura 2‐parameter (K2P) genetic distances within D. graeca and D. exigua were 0.016 and 0.003–0.008, respectively, all D. louisi sequences were identical. The distance between D. exigua and D. graeca was 0.013–0.027. The distances between D. louisi and D. graeca, and D. louisi and D. exigua, were 0.098–0.110 and 0.091–0.096, respectively. The mean distance between D. louisi and the other Daphniola species was 0.098±0.007, while between the eight Daphniola specimens and the so far closest species Grossuana codreanui (Grossu, 1946) was 0.102–0.123. A maximum likelihood tree was constructed for all Daphniola, with Grossuana codreanui and Bythinella austriaca (Frauenfeld, 1856) as an outgroup. This confirmed that D. louisi is a distinct species, and must have diverged after the Pliocene marine transgression.     

A new large and colourful species of the genus Doto (Nudibranchia: Dotidae) from South Africa

A new species of the genus Doto is described from the Cape Peninsula of the Western Cape Province, South Africa. To date, the genus Doto is probably one of the more complex and poorly defined genera within nudibranchs. The very small body size and very similar external and internal features make this genus problematic and, therefore, poorly studied. Despite the large number of described species around the world, only three species are known to be present in South Africa: Doto coronata (Gmelin, 1791), Doto pinnatifida (Montagu, 1804) and Doto rosea Trinchese, 1881. Morphologically, Doto splendida sp. nov. is easily distinguished from all its South African congeneric species by its conspicuous colouration. In addition, mitochondrial and nuclear genes clearly separate the new species from other species from southern Africa. A molecular phylogeny based on two mitochondrial (COI and 16S) and one nuclear (H3) gene is herein presented. This phylogeny includes all available species of Doto (valid and unidentified) as well as several other traditionally closed related species retrieved from GenBank.

http://zoobank.org/urn:lsid:zoobank.org:pub:3764C38DF6BB-415F-958C-E3132A1A9524     

Description of a new species of Haminoea (Gastropoda: Cephalaspidea) from India,with an account of the diversity of the genus in the Indo-West Pacific

In this paper current knowledge on the diversity of the gastropod cephalaspidean genus Haminoea from India is revised. A comprehensive literature review was undertaken and novel specimens were collected. Specimens from India were DNA barcoded using the gene cytochrome c oxidase sub-unit I and a Bayesian gene tree together with an Automatic Barcode Gap Discovery (ABGD) species delimitation analysis were inferred to compare Indian samples with species from the Indo-West Pacific. The most comprehensive DNA data set to date of the genus Haminoea is included and new morpho-anatomical features of Indo-West Pacific species were generated through fine anatomical work and scanning electron microscopy. A critical appraisal of previous records of the country is included and a new species, Haminoea aptei sp. nov., is described from the Andaman Islands and Lakshadweep Islands, India.

www.zoobank.org/urn:lsid:zoobank.org:pub:90C191A9-5CA6-4BC6-84E3-B1A26674FA1B     

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.     

A new species of the genus Saussurella Bolivar 1887 from China,with a key to the species of the genus (Orthoptera: Tetrigidae)

Taxonomy of a tetrigid genus Saussurella Bolivar is reviewed. One new species, Saussurella brachycornis sp. nov. is described from China and an updated identification key to all known species of the genus is given, as well as brief comments on phylogenetic relationships and distributions of the genus.     

A new neobisiid pseudoscorpion species from Crete (Greece), with notes on its morphology,distribution, evolution,and phylogeny

This study, based on an analysis of some palaeo‐Mediterranean pseudoscorpions (Ernstmayria venizelosi n. sp. and E. apostolostrichasi ?ur?i? and Dimitrijevi? from the family Neobisiidae) represents an outstanding improvement of our knowledge of the diversity of relict and distributionally limited false scorpions from the ancient (or proto‐) Aegean area. Both E. venizelosi n. sp. and E. apostolostrichasi originated in the proto‐Balkan region; their ancestors are to be sought among extinct forms. Since Ernstmayria species presently inhabit the ‘peripheral’ location of the ancient Aegeis, it is evident that their remote ancestor gave rise to a number of recent genera which presently constitute two generic groups inhabiting the Mediterranean region: Neobisium Chamberlin, Occitanobisium Heurtault, Roncobisium Vachon, Protoneobisium ?ur?i?, and Pennobisium ?ur?i?, on the one hand, and Acanthocreagris Mahnert, Balkanoroncus ?ur?i?, Insulocreagris ?ur?i?, and Roncocreagris Mahnert, on the other.