The systematics of Microtus (Terricola) savii group: an odonthometrical perspective (Mammalia,Rodentia, Cricetidae)

ABSTRACT

The morphology of the first lower molar of Microtus savii group (M. brachycercus, M. nebrodensis, M. savii) is complex and highly variable. A morphometrical analysis done by grouping the samples into large geographical sets reveals the differentiation between northern, central and southern populations. The specific status of M. nebrodensis is confirmed while it is not possible to separate M. brachycercus. The subspecies M. savii tolfetanus and M. brachycercus niethammericus are, respectively, not well and moderate distinguished from the other populations. Finally, the distinction of M. savii group from other species of European voles is also confirmed.     

Zoogeography and evolutionary ecology of the genus Platorchestia (Crustacea,Amphipoda, Talitridae)

ABSTRACT

Species of the genus Platorchestia occur both in the northern hemisphere (18 species) and southern hemisphere (three species plus a synanthropically introduced species in South America and South Africa). The greater number of endemic Platorchestia species in the North Pacific Ocean suggests that it could be the epicentre of evolution for this genus. North-western Pacific Platorchestia includes 15 species which occupy five ecotopes: wrack (seven species), terrestrial leaf litter (five species), freshwater (one species), marsh (one species) and tentatively present in caves (one species). North-eastern Pacific Platorchestia includes only one putative driftwood specialist, with no other species found in North American coastal habitats. This compares with three good endemic Platorchestia species (plus two putative additional species) and only two ecotopes: wrack (three species) and freshwater (two species) from the North Atlantic Ocean, inclusive of the Gulf of Mexico and Mediterranean Sea. Insufficient data is available to consider Platorchestia zoogeography for the Arabian Sea and Bay of Bengal. Synanthropic dispersal involving Platorchestia in Polynesian outrigger canoes, or in solid ballast carried in the holds of wooden sailing ships has been identified as a potential complicating factor in the zoogeography of this genus. Platorchestia is proposed to have arisen on Laurasia and is therefore basically a northern hemisphere genus. Questions concerning Platorchestia zoogeography and evolutionary ecology are posed and two methods (more intensive field sampling and molecular genetics) are suggested to be the way to solve them.     

The type specimens and type localities of the orangutans,genus Pongo Lacépède, 1799 (Primates: Hominidae)

Uncertain type localities undermine orangutan nomenclature. Bequeathed to the British Museum, the holotype of Pongo pygmaeus, according to Hans Sloane’s catalogue, came from Borneo and died in China. The historical evidence makes Banjarmasin its most probable type locality. William Montgomerie, Assistant Surgeon at Singapore from 1819–1827, and Senior Surgeon from 1832, supplied the holotype of Simia morio. In 1836 an adult female orangutan reached Singapore alive from Pontianak, Borneo. The holotypes of S. morio, S. hendrikzii, S. straussii and P[ithecus] owenii probably had the same origin, as pirate attacks endangered visits to other Bornean coasts. Absent from Brunei and north Sarawak, Malaysia, throughout the Holocene, orangutans occur there only as Pleistocene subfossils at Niah. Pan vetus (the Piltdown mandible) probably came from Paku, Sarawak. We identify Pongo borneo Lacépède, 1799 as an objective senior synonym of P. wurmbii Tiedemann, 1808, correcting its type locality from Sukadana to near Pontianak. This is the earliest name for the western subspecies (previously thought nominotypical) unless Pithecus curtus, probably from the Sadong River, Sarawak, represents a separate subspecies. If so, the name Pongo borneo would transfer to the southern population west of the Kahayan River, genetically distinguished at species level from the Sumatran orangutan, P. abelii.     

A comparative study of the larval development of Monodaeus couchi (Couch), Xantho incisus Leach and Pilumnus hirtellus (Linnaeus) (Crustacea: Brachyura: Xanthidae)

Summary

Comparative accounts are given of the larval and first crab stages of three crab species belonging to the family Xanthidae: Monodaeus couchi (Couch), Xantho incisus Leach and Pilumnus hirtellus (Linnaeus). Features are discussed that distinguish the larvae of these species from those of other N.E. Atlantic brachyrhynch crabs.     

Lepeophtheirus pectoralis (O. F. Müller, 1776); a description,a review and some comparisons with the genus Caligus Müller, 1785

Summary

The parasitic copepod Lepeophtheirus pectoralis (Müller, 1776) is described. A review of the hosts indicates that this species is primarily a parasite of members of the family Pleuronectidae although it has been recorded from representatives of ten other families of fishes. The geographical range of L. pectoralis includes the North Eastern Atlantic Ocean, the western part of the Baltic Sea and the White Sea. The similarities between Lepeophtheirus Nordmann, 1832 and Caligus Müller, 1785 are discussed and it is concluded that the only constant morphological discriminant between these two genera is the presence or absence of lunules.     

Red Sea Phyllidiidae (Mollusca,Nudibranchia), with descriptions of new species

All the known Red Sea nudibranchs of the family Phyllidiidae are described and their taxonomic positions discussed. The genus Fryeria Gray, 1853, is regarded as a junior subjective synonym of Phyllidia Cuvier, 1797, and Reyfria gen. nov. is introduced to describe those species differing from Phyllidia primarily in the position of the anus. Of 12 species described here from the Red Sea, four are new to science. Phyllidia arabica Ehrenberg, 1831, is distinguished from Phyllidia varicosa Lamarck, 1801, and Phyllidia sp. is described as the third species confused with this group. A subspecies of P. ocellata Cuvier, 1804, is described and illustrated, as are three new species: P. melanocera, P. monacha and P. multifaria.     

Bemerkungen zu der Gattung Triozastus Schedl (Coleoptera,Platypodidae)

Summary

This contribution establishes the characters of the genus Triozastus and the characters distinguishing six of the nine species, and is based on a re-examination of reliably identified material. It is concluded that the six species should not be reduced to subspecies as has been proposed by Schedl and that the synonymy T. propatulus Schedl 1935 = T. handeniensis Nunberg 1960 is correct.

Zunächst möchte ich an dieser Stelle meinen Dank ausprechen dem Department of Entomology in British Museum, speziell Herrn R. T. Thompson, wie auch Herrn P. Basilewsky, Chef der Entomologischen Abteilung in Kön. Museum für Zentral Afrika in Tervuren, für das bereitvillige Ausleihen der nötigen Käfer. Leider zum Bearbeiten der Art Triozastus pertenuis Schedl habe ich kein Material gehabt, weil die Typen nicht zugänglich sind (das Pariser Museum f. Naturkunde antwortet überhaupt nicht, Prof. Schedl leiht nicht die Typen).     

Chelodesmid studies. XVIII. On some new or poorly-known taxa in the tribe Batodesmini (Polydesmida: Chelodesmidae)

Summary

Some new and poorly-known taxa of batodesmine diplopods are described from northern South America, with notes on their affinities. New genera include Igaraparana, based on I. batesi, sp. nov. from Amazonian Colombia; Curimagua, based on C. granulata, sp. nov. from Edo. Falcon, Venezuela; and Cheirogonus, based on C. pittieri, sp. nov. from Panama. The inadequately proposed species Leptodesmus interrupticolor Silvestri (southeastern Ecuador) is redescribed and figured from type material, and referred to Cordilleronomus as its third species. The enigmatic genus Tunochilus Chamberlin, 1950, is clarified and referred to the Batodesmini from its incorrect location in the Cryptodesmidae, with notes and drawings made from a paratype of the type species T. marginis; the presumptive congener T. marcuzzii is described as new from material taken at Caracas, Venezuela.     

A collection of fieldmice from Rathlin Island Northern Ireland

Summary

During the summer of 1963 trapping was carried out on Rathlin Island for Apodemus sylvaticus. The fieldmice caught were significantly larger than those of the Irish mainland. This form possibly approximates to the Hebridean complex, the status of which is not at present clearly understood and it is felt that subspecific rank should be withheld until further collections are made.     

Revision of the proctotrupoid genus Pelecinus Latreille (Hymenoptera: Pelecinidae)

The extant Pelecinidae consist of the single genus Pelecinus Latreille. This group is restricted to the continental New World; miscellaneous reports and specimens from Jamaica, Australia, India and Malaysia are errors. Three species are recognized: the widespread Pelecinus polyturator (Drury), found from the southern portions of the eastern provinces of Canada, the eastern USA (west to North Dakota, Colorado and New Mexico) and Mexico south to northern Argentina; Pelecinus thoracicus Klug revised status, from western Mexico; and Pelecinus dichrous Perty revised status from northern Argentina, Uruguay, Paraguay and south-eastern Brazil. Pelecinus rufus Klug, 1841 and Pelecinus annulatus Klug, 1841 are treated as junior synonyms of Pelecinus dichrous Perty, 1833. The status of Pelecinus polyturator var. apicalis Roman is discussed and the name is treated as a synonym of P. polyturator. The only recorded host species for the genus are for P. polyturator: Phyllophaga anxia (LeConte), P. drakei Kirby, P. futilis (LeConte), P. rugosa (Melsheimer) (Coleoptera: Scarabaeidae, Melolonthinae); and Podischnus agenor Olivier (Coleoptera: Scarabaeidae, Dynastinae).     

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     

A new species of the genus Gorgodera (Trematoda: Gorgoderidae), from two species of Anura from the Eastern Pyrenees

Summary

A bladder fluke from two species of Anura, Rana temporaria temporaria L. and Bufo bufo bufo L., is described and erected as a new species under the name Gorgodera euzeti sp. nov.     

New data on bats from Dire Dawa region,eastern Ethiopia,with the first record of Rhinopoma microphyllum in the country

ABSTRACT

A small collection of bats composed of six species from Dire Dawa area, eastern Ethiopia, is presented. Besides three species previously known in the region, Rousettus aegyptiacus, Epomophorus minimus and Chaerephon pumilus, three bats were newly documented from the area, Rhinopoma microphyllum, R. cystops and Scotophilus leucogaster. R. microphyllum is here reported for the first time in Ethiopia. From molecular genetic comparisons Ethiopian R. cystops belongs to the Arabian subspecies lineage R. c. arabium, previously unknown from the African continent, raising interesting biogeographic questions.     

First records of dendrobranchiate prawns (Decapoda: Dendrobranchiata) from the Andaman Sea,India

ABSTRACT

The Andaman Sea adjoining the Indian Territory is biologically rich in terms of marine diversity. However, inadequate surveys during the post-independence era have resulted in large lacunae in data on the species composition in these waters. In this paper, we report the first observation of two species of dendrobranchiate prawns, Metapenaeopsis difficilis Crosnier, 1991 and Haliporus taprobanensis Alcock and Anderson, 1899, in the Indian seas, supplemented with notes on their morphological diagnoses, comparison with closely related species and zoogeographical distribution. Crustacean specimens were collected using trawl nets and a naturalists’ dredge on board the Fisheries Oceanography Research Vessel Sagar Sampada in the deeper offshore region between 124 and 850 m depth in the Andaman Sea during the period 2015–2017. Metapenaeopsis difficilis is distinguished by an oval-shaped thelycal plate and a low, unarmed bead-like plate on the thoracic sternum between the third pereiopods. Metapenaeopsis difficilis is previously reported from the Philippines, Indonesia, Coral Sea, New Caledonia, Marquesas Islands, and Wallis and Futuna Islands at depths between 21 and 440 m, thereby indicating its westward range extension. Haliporus taprobanensis is distinguished by a tough integument, presence of a postero-dorsal spine on the fourth pleonal somite, and smooth dorsum of the first four pleonal somites. Haliporus taprobanensis is previously reported from South Africa, Madagascar, off Sri Lanka, Indonesia, Philippines and northern Australia at depths between 300 and 1650 m.     

XXVIII.—Les Trechus [Coleoptera,Carabidæ] de l'Everest Expedition, 1924, et Remarques sur quelques espèces de l'Himalaya

Summary

Chorthippus m. montanus and C. p. parallelus are often difficult and sometimes impossible to separate using existing keys. Eleven potentially useful characters are re-evaluated in the male and six in the female. In males the best characters are found to be the number of stridulatory pegs on the hind femur, the length of the stridulatory file, cercus and anterior medial area, and the distance of the stigma from the fore wing tip; these characters are closely correlated with each other. In females the shape and length of the ventral valves of the ovipositor are found to be the most useful characters. The acoustic behaviour, cytology, serology, ecology and distribution of the two species are discussed.

A lectotype is designated for C. caffer Ramme, which is newly synonymised with C. p. parallelus. C. erythropus Faber is reduced in status to a subspecies of C. parallelus. The status of the following is also discussed: C. montanus tatrae Harz, C. parallelus aemulus Mishchenko, C. p. geminus Mishchenko, C. p. tenuis (Brullé), C. turanicus Tarbinskii and C. curtipennis (Harris).

A key is given to the Western European species and subspecies of this group.     

Geographical variation in the golden‐striped salamander,Chioglossa lusitanica Bocage, 1864 and the description of a newly recognized subspecies

Morphological and genetic data for the Iberian golden‐striped salamander, Chioglossa lusitanica, demonstrate the existence of two groups with southern and northern ranges, connected by a zone of intergradation in central Portugal. Because reproductive isolation between them is incomplete we consider the groups to be subspecies. The type locality of C. lusitanica (Buçaco near Lousã) is situated inside the mixed zone. This necessitates identification of the nominotypical subspecies. We sequenced a fragment of mitochondrial DNA from one of the species' syntypes and we determined what position over a latitudinal transect maximizes the morphological discrimination between the groups. Both approaches indicate that C. lusitanica from Buçaco represents the southern subspecies. A new subspecies of C. lusitanica is described from a northern locality (Valongo near Porto in north‐western Portugal). A lectotype is designated for Chioglossa lusitanica.     

Systematic study on the barracudas (Pisces: Sphyraenidae) from a northern sector of the South China Sea

Summary

The paper here provides an effective key for separation of species of the genus Sphyraena Röse from the northern part of the South China Sea for both taxonomic and field identifications. Six species, namely S. barracuda (Walbaum, 1792), S. jello Cuvier, 1829, S. novaehollandiae Günther, 1860, S. pinguis Günther, 1874, S. toxeuma Fowler, 1904, and S. africana Gilchrist and Thompson, 1909, are listed in the key. All except S. barracuda were found during this study. Generic and species problems are discussed and comparisons of each species are made with closely related forms. The species names adopted in this paper are also explained. The first record of S. novaehollandiae from this area is reported.