Syzygioxylon chhindwarense, a new fossil wood from the Deccan Intertrappean series of India

Normal 0 false false false EN-US X-NONE X-NONE MicrosoftInternetExplorer4 st1\:*{behavior:url(#ieooui) } /* Style Definitions */ table.MsoNormalTable {mso-style-name:"Table Normal"; mso-tstyle-rowband-size:0; mso-tstyle-colband-size:0; mso-style-noshow:yes; mso-style-priority:99; mso-style-qformat:yes; mso-style-parent:""; mso-padding-alt:0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; mso-para-margin:0in; mso-para-margin-bottom:.0001pt; mso-pagination:widow-orphan; font-size:11.0pt; font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif"; mso-ascii-font-family:Calibri; mso-ascii-theme-font:minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family:"Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-theme-font:minor-fareast; mso-hansi-font-family:Calibri; mso-hansi-theme-font:minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family:"Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-theme-font:minor-bidi;} A petrified wood related to genera of the family Myrtaceae was collected from the Deccan Intertrappean Series of India. On comparison with fossil woods of this family, it most closely resembles Syzygioxylon Ingle (1973). The specimen differs from described species of Syzygioxylon and, therefore, it is proposed as the new species Syzygioxylon chhindwarense.     

A new subfamily of fossorial colubroid snakes from the Western Ghats of peninsular India

ABSTRACT

We report molecular phylogenetic and dating analyses of snakes that include new mitochondrial and nuclear DNA sequence data for three species of the peninsular Indian endemic Xylophis. The results provide the first molecular genetic test of and support for the monophyly of Xylophis. Our phylogenetic results support the findings of a previous, taxonomically restricted phylogenomic analysis of ultraconserved nuclear sequences in recovering the fossorial Xylophis as the sister taxon of a clade comprising all three recognised extant genera of the molluscivoran and typically arboreal pareids. The split between Xylophis and ‘pareids’ is estimated to have occurred on a similar timescale to that between most (sub)families of extant snakes. Based on phylogenetic relationships, depth of molecular genetic and estimated temporal divergence, and on the external morphological and ecological distinctiveness of the two lineages, we classify Xylophis in a newly erected subfamily (Xylophiinae subfam. nov.) within Pareidae.

urn:lsid:zoobank.org:pub:43BDE72C-6823-4D6A-8601-482862556D78

urn:lsid:zoobank.org:act:AD3486DF-D874-4CFD-8EAE-14FF3E403AF9     

A new species of Macrobrachium from the south-west coast of India (Decapoda: Palaemonidae)

Macrobranchium veliense sp. nov. is described from Veli lake and Kuttiyadi river, on the south-west coast of India. This species is closely related to M. nipponense and M. equidens but is separated from them by the lanceolate shape of the rostrum, number of teeth of both dorsal and ventral margins, the almost smooth nature of the carapace, the slender telson and the ratios of the fingers to the merus, carpus, propodus and palm of pereipods 1 and 2. The carpus of the second pereiopod is equal to or longer than the chela and is a diagnostic character of the new species.     

A new genus and two new species of Parastenocarididae (Copepoda: Harpacticoida) from southeastern India

Indocaris gen. nov. with two new species, Indocaris imbricata sp. nov. and Indocaris inopinata sp. nov., and also for the already known Indocaris tirupatiensis (Ranga Reddy 2011a) comb. nov. – all from the groundwaters in peninsular India. The highly diagnostic synapomorphy of the new genus is a composite character associated with the male leg 4 basis: five or six prominent, imbricate, enlarged, petal-like spinules, arranged as a semi-whorl at the insertion of the endopod and increasing in size from internal to external. Another distinctive feature of the same appendage is that its one-segmented endopod is dilated or bulbous in the proximal half, produced distally into an incurved spiniform or horn-like structure about as long as the corresponding first exopodal segment, and ornamented with three or four fine spinules on the subproximal outer margin. The three species also share a unique constellation of other salient morphologic features, which along with the phylogenetic position of Indocaris gen. nov. within the family Parastenocarididae are discussed. Indocaris gen. nov. has closest phylogenetic affinity with the Neotropical Remaneicari Jakobi, 1972. A short note on the ecology and biogeography of the parastenocaridid species of the Indian subcontinent is provided besides a key for their identification.     

Revision of the genus Delopleurus Boheman (Coleoptera: Scarabaeidae: Scarabaeinae) with description of new species from Africa

The genus Delopleurus Erichson, 1847, is revised. Five new species are described from Africa: Delopleurus naviauxi sp. nov., Delopleurus krikkeni sp. nov., Delopleurus darrenmanni sp. nov., Delopleurus fossatus sp. nov. and Delopleurus pubescens sp. nov. One new synonymy is established (Delopleurus parvus (Sharp, 1875) = Delopleurus cardoni Paulian, 1934, syn. nov.). Lectotype of Delopleurus pullus Boheman, 1857, is designated. Delopleurus janssensi Frey, 1963, is transferred to the genus Metacatharsius Paulian, 1939. A key to the Delopleurus species and locality maps are given.

http://zoobank.org/urn:lsid:zoobank.org:pub:67AE5CC5-9C9C-4872-A2B6-68C3BA82C44A     

Freshwater Ostracoda of the subfamily Cyprinotinae from Punjab,India, with the description of eight new species

Summary

Eleven species belonging to subfamily Cyprinotinae are described and illustrated from Punjab, India. These taxa of which eight are new to the science are: Cyprinotus indica sp. nov., Hemicypris derweshensis sp. nov., Hemicypris malerkotlaensis sp. nov., Hemicypris megalops Sars, Hemicypris pailensis sp. nov., Hemicypris pyxidata (Moniez), Heterocypris anitae sp. nov., Heterocypris arorai sp. nov., Heterocypris bhatiai sp. nov., Heterocypris gillensis sp. nov., and Heterocypris incongruens (Ramdohr).     

On the new goby,Ctenogobius veliensis (Teleostei: Gobiidae) from the South-West coast of India

Summary

Ctenogobius veliensis, a new species of gobiid fish is described from the South-West coast of India. The characters of the fish conform to those of the genus Ctenogobius Gill but differ markedly from those of other recorded species of the genus. Apart from the usual, external morphological, morphometric and metistic characters, several other features such as the cephalic-lateralis system, skeletal features and morphology of the alimentary canal are also studied and have been found to be of significance for identifying the species. The fish shows distinct sexual dimorphism in many features.     

Notes on the portunid crab Charybdis edwardsi Leene & Buitendijk, 1949, from the Western Indian Ocean

Summary

Tardigrades from the littoral zone were collected. One marine species Batillipes phreaticus Renaud-Debyser was recorded and two species in the immediate supralittoral zone. The external morphology of B. phreaticus is examined with the scanning electron microscope.     

A new lycid-like species of Iarucanga Martins & Galileo, 1991 (Coleoptera,Cerambycidae, Lamiinae,Hemilophini) from the Bolivian Andes

ABSTRACT

A new species of long-horned beetle, Iarucanga gonzalomartinezi sp. nov., from Bolivian Yungas forest is described and illustrated. This species likely imitates species of the Lycidae genus Plateros.

http://www.zoobank.org/urn:lsid:zoobank.org:pub:9137E71A-179B-4A86-AB49-9715ECC692D3