The Cicadellidae from Aldabra,Astove and Cosmoledo Atolls collected by the Royal Society Expedition 1967–68 (Hemiptera,Homoptera)

Summary

The Cicadellidae collected from the Aldabra, Astove and Cosmoledo Atolls by the Royal Society Expedition 1967–68 are enumerated. Thirty-three species are recorded representing 25 genera of which four genera and 18 species are described as new. Lectotypes are designated for Paganalia virescens Distant, Rhombopsis virens Haupt and Scaphoideus ineffectus Baker.     

Distribution of the Pacific coconut mealybug,Dysmicoccus cocotis (Maskell) and of a new related species on coconut in southern Asia (Hemiptera: Coccoidea: Pseudococcidae)

A new species of mealybug from southern Asia, Dysmicoccus finitimus sp. nov., is described. It has often been confused with D. cocotis (Maskell), to which it is closely related. Both species are common on coconut and often occur in sufficient numbers to cause growers concern. D. cocotis is known from a wide area of Micronesia, Polynesia and Melanesia, but it is not known to occur west of the Federated States of Micronesia in the north and Fiji in the south. There are no records of D. cocotis from the Solomon Islands or Papua New Guinea, despite extensive collecting on coconut in these territories. D. finitimus is confined to southern India, Sri Lanka, Cocos (Keeling) Islands and peninsular Malaysia. There are no records yet of the new species from Indonesia.     

XXIII.—The genera of Stephanoceras and allies

Summary

An illustrated key is given to the 6 species of Enicospilus found on the Galápagos Islands. Five, E. stylus, E. katanus, E. vidus, E. donor and E. ditor, are described as new and one Neotropical species, E. trilineatus (Brullé), is recorded for the first time from these islands. The relationships between the Galápagos and continental South American species are briefly discussed.     

Genus Baseodiscus (Nemertea: Heteronemertea): Molecular identification of a new species in a phylogenetic context

A new heteronemertean, Baseodiscus jonasii sp. nov., is described from Guadalcanal, Solomon Islands. It resembles B. delineatus in inner morphology but can be distinguished from this species by its different colour pattern and differences in the nucleotide sequence of the mitochondrial 16S rRNA gene. The monophyletic status of the genus is investigated by reconstructing the phylogeny of six specimens from four species assigned to this genus, together with 22 specimens from nine other heteronemertean genera, using parsimony and Bayesian analysis. The results imply that Baseodiscus is a monophyletic group while several other heteronemertean genera are non‐monophyletic.     

Rediscovery of the Hawaiian endemic bark beetle Xyleborus pleiades Samuleson, 1981 on Moloka‘i,with records of three new exotic bark beetles for the island (Coleoptera: Curculionidae: Scolytinae: Xyleborini)

ABSTRACT

During the course of a targeted bark beetle survey of the Hawaiian Islands, insect sampling undertaken in native forest biotopes on Moloka‘i island revealed the presence of one native and three exotic species of xyleborine bark beetles (Coleoptera: Curculionidae: Scolytinae: Xyleborini) hitherto not recorded from the island. We present detailed new island records for these species, which include the second record of Xyleborus pleiades Samuelson, 1981, an endemic Hawaiian species not recorded in over 50 years, and previously known only from two specimens from the island of Maui. The three newly recorded introduced species are widespread pantropical beetles of actual or potential pest status: Xyleborus affinis Eichhoff, 1867, Xyleborinus saxesenii (Ratzeburg, 1837), and Xylosandrus crassiusculus (Motschulsky, 1866). The importance of the records is briefly discussed, and all newly recorded species are illustrated in colour photographs.     

Supplementary description of Funchalia taaningi Burkenroad, 1940 (Crustacea,Decapoda, Penaeidae) from the Central Pacific Ocean and a new record of F. villosa (Bouvier, 1905) from the Eastern Indian Ocean

The pelagic penaeid shrimp Funchalia taaningi Burkenroad, 1940 is redescribed based on specimens collected mainly in the central Pacific Ocean. The petasma of the male is illustrated for the first time. The distribution of the species is extended into the eastern Indian Ocean based on a female collected in 1964 during the International Indian Ocean Expedition. Two males of Funchalia villosa (Bouvier, 1905), also collected during the International Indian Ocean Expedition, are recorded from the eastern Indian Ocean, extending the known distribution of this species.     

Designation of two new pontoniine shrimp genera (Decapoda: Palaemonidae)

Two new pontoniine genera are designated, Pseudopontonia gen. nov., for Pontonia minuta Baker, and Anchiopontonia gen. nov., for Pontonia hurri Holthuis, both genera being presently monospecific. Pontonia minuta is known only from south and eastern Australia, and is of unknown commensal association. Anchiopontonia hurii, an associate of spondylid bivalves, known from the Marshall and Tuamotu Islands, is also newly recorded from the Ryukyu Islands.     

Acerophagus artelles sp. nov. (Hymenoptera Chalcidoidea Encyrtidae), a biocontrol agent of Dysmicoccus grassii (Leonardi) (Hemiptera Coccoidea Pseudococcidae) on banana in the Canary Islands (Spain)

Acerophagus artelles sp. nov., an effective parasitoid of Dysmicoccus grassii on banana in the Canary Islands, is described, illustrated and compared with related species. A concise diagnosis and relevant taxonomic notes on the genus Acerophagus are also reported.     

A new freshwater ostracod genus (Crustacea,Ostracoda) from Tokelau Islets,South Pacific Islands

Summary

Tungucypridopsis gen. nov. is described to include a species of freshwater ostracod which was originally described as Cypridopsis lairdi Victor and Fernando 1978 from Tokelau Islets, South Pacific Islands.     

IX.—On a new species of Serpulid Polychæte from the Shoreham Harbour Canal,Sussex

Summary

The zoogeography of the Cayman Islands is discussed. Two species of Lutzomyia were found on Cayman Brac and they are described and their relation to other forms discussed. One is a Cuban species, or a close relative, and the other is allied to a Jamaican sand-fly.

A nematode parasite was found in one sand-fly.     

The terrestrial micro-arthropod fauna of the South Sandwich Islands

The South Sandwich Islands are an isolated maritime Antarctic volcanic island arc 550-600km south-east of South Georgia. The terrestrial biology of the islands, with emphasis on the unique habitats associated with volcanically warmed ground, was investigated in 1997 and compared with the data collected during the only previous (1964) terrestrial expedition to the archipelago. The terrestrial fauna includes 29 free-living micro-arthropod species (nine Collembola and 20 Acari) and two, currently unidentified, enchytraeid worms; a further eight parasitic and sublittoral Acari are recorded in the literature. Freshwater habitats are very restricted in the archipelago and no freshwater fauna was located. Supralittoral pools on a single island contained the marine isopod Cassidinopsis maculata. There are no endemic taxa and no shoreline invertebrates other than the supralittoral Archisotoma brucei (Collembola) and two Enchytraeidae. Diversity on individual islands is, in part, a function of available ice-free ground area. The majority of dominant species throughout the archipelago, Cryptopygus antarcticus (Collembola), Nanorchestes nivalis, Eupodes minutus, Alaskozetes antarcticus and Halozetes belgicae (Acarina), originate on other maritime Antarctic islands, while Ayersacarus tilbrooki (Acarina) is sub-Antarctic. Few (one to three) individuals of several other sub-Antarctic species were recorded by either 1964 or 1997 expeditions, but only Pilellus rykei (Acarina) was reported by both. None of the sub-Antarctic species thought to be associated with geothermally warmed ground in 1964 was confirmed in 1997, despite extensive sampling of the same sites. It is more probable that sub-Antarctic colonists frequently arrive on the South Sandwich Islands but are unable to establish longterm viable populations. Cryptopygus caecus, now widespread on Candlemas I., is a solitary exception to this generalization.     

Some heteronemerteans (Nemertea) from the Solomon Islands

Three species of heteronemerteans are recorded from the Solomon Islands. Baseodiscus quinquelineatus has previously been reported from the islands, but Notospermus tricuspidatus has not. The third species, Kukumia solomonensis gen. et sp. nov., is fully described and illustrated. We compared the 18S rDNA gene sequence from this species with five other heteronemertean species from which the sequence of this gene is known. Phylogenetic analysis using three palaeonemertean species as outgroup corroborated a relationship with lineid taxa.     

On some Indian species of Aphelinidae,with a description of a new Coccophagus (Hymenoptera: Chalcidoidea)

Summary

The Philippine cruise of the U.S. Fisheries Steamer Albatross 1907–10 collected 61 species of spider crabs from the Philippine Islands bringing the total number of species known from the area to 71; 28 new species were described by Rathbun and the present report records 19 species not previously known from the area; included are nine widespread Indo-west Pacific forms, four previously known from Japan and four Indian Ocean species.

Hyastenus sebae White is renamed H. whitei and the former name is applied to H. oryx A. Milne Edwards. Hyastenus tuberculosus Rathbun is confirmed as a synonym of H. convexus Miers, Platymaia remifera Rathbun is reduced to synonomy with P. wyvillethomsoni Miers and Chorilia sphenocarcinoides Rathbun is transferred to the genus Sphenocarcinus.

The majority of species (51) occur around the central and southern islands of the archipelago and most of these (35 speciesl occur at varying depths on the continental shelf. Twelve species occur intertidally and 21 species are known from depths over 100 fms, some occurring as deep as 800 fms.

The spider crab fauna is clearly part of the Indo-west Pacific, 25 species being widespread ones; 26 species are shared with Japan, 24 with Australia and 31 with the Indian Ocean. However, 20 species appear to be confined to the Philippine Islands. The relationships of the Philippine fauna with that of the rest of Indonesia is not yet clear     

New occurrences and host records for two species of parasitic isopods (Isopoda,Cymothoida, Bopyridae) associated with caridean shrimps (Decapoda,Caridea) from Brazil

ABSTRACT

Two species of bopyrid isopods of the Bopyrinae subfamily are recorded from new localities and hosts in northeastern Brazil. Parabopyrella lata (Nierstrasz and Brender à Brandis, 1929) was recorded from the state of Ceará, found for the first time parasitising the caridean shrimp Alpheus packardii Kingsley, 1880. In addition, Probopyrus cf. pandalicola (Packard, 1879) is recorded from the state of Bahia, parasitising the palaemonid shrimp Palaemon northropi (Rankin, 1898). Taxonomic comments are provided for each species.     

Some notes on the ecology of three milkweed bugs in India (Heteroptera: Lygaeidae)

Summary

Caenocoris nerii (Germar) is recorded for the first time in S. India, further distribution records of Spilostethus hospes (Fabricius) are noted, host plants and population trends of Spilostethus pandurus (Scopoli), S. hospes and C. nerii are recorded and discussed with reference to climate and altitude (with two tables and one figure).     

The bark and ambrosia beetles of the Cook Island and Niue (Coleoptera: Scolytidae and Platypodidae)

Twenty-two species of Scolytidae (including one new species), and one species of Platypodidae are recorded from the Cook Islands and Niue in the South Pacific, and a key is given to all species. Corrections are made to earlier records from the islands. Xyleborinus perexiguus (Schedl) comb. n. is transferred from Xyleborus. The faunal composition, breeding habits and geographical distribution of the species are discussed and related to those of other islands in the Pacific. Many species have probably been introduced by man. In the absence of a major timber industry, the species are likely to be of minor economic importance.     

XVIII.—Eocene mollusca from North-Western India

Summary

Samples from 15 Antarctic and Subantarctic localities were measured and subjected to discriminatory analysis of shell morphology. Only two species were recognized as belonging to the genus Yoldia Möller, 1842: Y. (Aequiyoldia) woodwardi Hanley, 1860 restricted to the Falkland Islands and South America and Y. (Aequiyoldia) eightsi (Jay, 1839) more widely distributed around the Scotia Arc from South America to the Ross Sea, Antarctica.

Yoldia isonota Martens, 1881 is transferred to the genus Portlandia Mörch, 1857.     

Pontoniine shrimps from the Zoological Museum,Copenhagen

Three species of Indo-West Pacific pontoniine shrimp from the collection of the Zoological Museum, Copenhagen, have been examined. Two of the species were found to be new, Periclimenaeus mortenseni sp. nov. and P. wolffi sp. nov., from the Kei Islands, Indonesia, and off south west Taiwan, respectively, and are described and illustrated. Remarks, with illustrations, on little known, closely related species, Periclimenaeus pachydentatus Bruce 1969 and P. tridentatus (Miers, 1884), are also included. Platycaris latirostris Holthuis 1952, is recorded from Mauritius for the first time.