Harrisperkins2972

A new genus of xyleborine ambrosia beetle, Melanesicus Beaver Petrov gen. n., with type species Xyleborus partitus Browne (1974) is described from the Melanesian region. The following new combinations are proposed M. caledoniae (Beaver Liu, 2016) comb. n., M. deformatus (Browne, 1974) comb. n., M. granulosus (Schedl, 1975) comb. n., all from Xyleborus Eichhoff, 1864. Melanesicus tishechkini Petrov sp. n. is described from Vanuatu, and Melanesicus nukuruanus sp. n. Beaver from Fiji. The taxonomy, distribution and biology of the species included are briefly reviewed.Six Anatolian and one European populations of the Myrmeleotettix maculatus species group, which contains M. maculatus and M. ethicus species, have been studied by using molecular genetics methods with mitochondrial COI gene. Myrmeleotettix ethicus is an Anatolian endemic species with local distribution whereas M. maculatus is distributed in western Palearctic. The phylogenetic analysis (ML and BI analyses) of the M. maculatus species group in Anatolia reveals that it consistently recovered two well-supported main clades and four different lineages. Molecular time estimates suggest that the diversification of the M. maculatus species group took place between the Late Tortonian (around 8-9 My) and the Middle of Pliocene-Pleistocene (around 4.3 My-present) periods and the current distribution of the genetic diversity has been affected by the uplifting of the Central Anatolian plateau, the termination of the Messinian salinity crisis, and the Quaternary climatic changes.The present study reports one new species of the Family Leptocheliidae Lang, 1973 and one new species of Pseudotanaidae Sieg, 1976 from Taiwan. The leptocheliid Paraleptochelia setosa sp. nov. can be differentiated from its congeners by both sexes having a two-articled exopod and five-articled endopod on the uropod, the female having coupling hooks on the inner margin of the maxilliped endite, the male having a five-articled antennule flagellum, and cheliped fixed finger with one large subtriangular denticle on the incisive margin in some individuals. The pseudotanaid Akanthinotanais pedecerritulus sp. nov. can be distinguished from its congeners by pereopods 2 and 3 having a sigmoid (S-shaped) dactylus, a unique feature in Akanthinotanais. The family Pseudotanaidae and the two genera are reported from Taiwan for the first time, as are the two genera for the West Pacific. Key morphological characters of all known Paraleptochelia and Akanthinotanais species are tabulated.In recent years, there has been an increase in the descriptions of members of the lizard genus Lepidophyma. Herein, we describe a new species of Lepidophyma from the Huasteca Potosina region of Mexico, previously confused with L. gaigeae, from which it differs in lacking parietal spot, among other characteristics. We inferred its phylogenetic position and provide information on its thermal and hydric physiology, as well as on some other aspects of natural history. Molecular and morphological data supported the independent taxonomic status of the new species, indicating its placement as the sister taxon of L. gaigeae and a wide morphological separation between these species. Lepidophyma lusca sp. nov. has a diurnal-crepuscular activity period and occurs at lower elevations than L. gaigeae. Also, the new species differ from its sister taxon in its physiology, as reflected by its tendency toward higher thermal parameters and water loss rates. With the description of L. lusca sp. nov., the number of species in the genus Lepidophyma rises to 21.Five new species of the genus Torodora Meyrick of the family Lecithoceridae are described from Cambodia. The new species are T. helvinotula Park, sp. nov., T. spathiana Park, sp. nov., T. alterniella Park, sp. nov., T. triquetrella Park, sp. nov., and T. cupriella Park, sp. nov.. In addition, Torodora macrosigna Gozmány, 1973 is reported for the first time from Cambodia, with illustration of the male genitalia for the first time.Involving the community in taxonomic research has the potential to increase the awareness, appreciation and value of taxonomy in the public sphere. We report here on a trial citizen science project, Insect Investigators, which partners taxonomists with school students to monitor Malaise traps and prioritise the description of new species collected. In this initial trial, four schools in regional South Australia participated in the program and all collected new species of the braconid subfamily Microgastrinae (Hymenoptera Braconidae). These four species are here described as new, with the names being chosen in collaboration with the participating school students Choeras ramcomarmorata Fagan-Jeffries Austin sp. nov., Glyptapanteles drioplanetus Fagan-Jeffries Austin sp. nov., Dolichogenidea franklinharbourensis Fagan-Jeffries Austin sp. nov. and Miropotes waikerieyeties Fagan-Jeffries Austin sp. nov. All four species are diagnosed against the known members of the genera from Australia, New Zealand, Fiji, Samoa and Papua New Guinea, and images and COI DNA barcodes are provided of the holotypes. Students had positive feedback about their experiences of the program, and there is significant potential for it to be expanded and used as a means to connect communities with taxonomic science.Prior to this review, only three publications, all species descriptions published over 50 years ago, had focussed on South African acrothoracicans. We collected samples from three of South Africa's major marine ecoregions (Benguela, Agulhas and Natal) and used these to produce a revised account of the known regional fauna. This includes a key to known South African acrothoracicans and a systematic account of the species, each description being accompanied by scanning electron and light microscopy images. The number of known South African acrothoracicans is increased from four to eight species, with three new distribution records and two new species added to the fauna, while one existing record is determined to be a nomen nudum. Although this represents a doubling of the known regional acrothoracican fauna, much more remains to be explored, and further research in deeper waters and examination of other potential hosts (such as corals and hermit crabs) are likely to reveal many additional taxa.The taxonomic status of Asthenodipsas vertebralis in Borneo has been plagued with uncertainty over the last eighty years. An examination of museum collections resulted in the discovery of a voucher specimen of A. vertebralis from Sarawak, East Malaysia that confirms the presence of the species in Borneo and a previously unrecognised species, Asthenodipsas ingeri sp. nov. from Mount Kinabalu, Sabah. Asthenodipsas ingeri sp. nov. can be differentiated from its congeners by the combination of an absence of preoculars and suboculars, 1st and 3rd pair of infralabials in contact, two pairs of posterior inframaxillaries, supralabials 3-5 (sometimes 3 4) in contact with orbit, 15/15/15 rows of dorsal scales, presence of sharp vertebral keel, and divided subcaudals. This study highlights the importance of careful re-examination of museum collections that could potentially harbour new species hiding in plain sight. These discoveries also add to the growing number of reptile and amphibian species being described from Borneo that shows no signs of abating but are already potentially threatened by the continued deforestation and developments on the island.The diversity and endemism of Australian Tanypodinae (Diptera Chironomidae) has been unclear from morphological comparisons with well-grounded northern hemisphere taxonomy. As part of a comprehensive study, here we focus on one of the few described endemic genera, Yarrhpelopia Cranston. Extensive and intensive new sampling and newly-acquired molecular data provides clarity for the type species, Yarrhpelopia norrisi Cranston and allows recognition of congeners and potential sister group(s). We describe Yarrhpelopia acorona Cranston Krosch sp. n., and we recognise a third species from Western Australia, retaining an informal code 'V20' due to inadequate reared / associated material for formal description. We recognise a robust clade Coronapelopia Cranston Krosch gen. n., treated as a genus new to science for two new species, Coronapelopia valedon Cranston Krosch sp. n. and Coronapelopia quadridentata Cranston Krosch sp. n., from eastern Australia, each described in their larval and pupal stages and partial imaginal stages. Interleaved between the independent new Australian clades Yarrhpelopia and Coronapelopia are New World Pentaneura and relatives, that allow a tentative inference of a dated gondwanan (austral) connection. Expanded sampling indicates that Y. read more norrisi, although near predictably present in mine-polluted waters, is not obligate but generally indicates acidic waters, including natural swamps and Sphagnum bogs. The inferred acidophily, including in drainages of mine adits, applies to many taxa under consideration here.Rhopalovalva chidorinoki Nasu, sp. nov. is described from Japan, with the photographs of the adult and genitalia. The diagnostic characters of the new species are given with comparison with the allied species, R. exartemana (Kennel, 1901).Cryptotermes Banks, 1906 is the third most diverse kalotermitid genus worldwide after Glyptotermes Froggatt, 1897 and Neotermes Holmgren, 1911, with its greatest diversity found in the Neotropics (Krishna et al. 2013a). Furthermore, the greatest number of species of Cryptotermes are known from the Caribbean Basin (Scheffrahn Křeček 1999, Casala et al. 2016, Scheffrahn 2019). Although Araujo (1977) and Bacchus (1987) list Cryptotermes domesticus (Haviland, 1898) from Trinidad (treated as mainland) and Panama, respectively, Scheffrahn Křeček (1999) and Scheffrahn et al. (2009) doubt the existence of this Asian species in the New World. Without C. domesticus, the total extant Neotropical diversity of Cryptotermes is 29 endemic and three exotic species (Constantino 2020).The Anaphothrips genus-group is a complex of 40 genera of Thripinae that share the condition of "no long pronotal setae". In traditional Thysanoptera classifications this absence of long pronotal setae was interpreted as a plesiomorphy by comparison to the condition in Aeolothripidae. Thus Jacot-Guillarmod (1974) catalogued all Thripinae genera with species showing this condition in a sub-tribe Aptinothripina Karny, a long-established arrangement that had been adopted by many authors. However, a study by Buckman et al. (2013) confirmed that taxa in the families Merothripidae and Melanthripidae share an important number of structural plesiomorphies, and these taxa all have long pronotal setae. From this it is concluded that absence of long pronotal setae is a derived condition, and moreover this loss apomorphy has arisen independently within several unrelated genera, such as Dichromothrips, Trichromothrips and Thrips (Mound Palmer 1981; Mound Masumoto 2004, 2005). As a result, it is possible that the Anaphothrips genus-group does not represent a single lineage, and that not all of the included genera are closely related.The spider family Pholcidae C.L. Koch, 1850 exhibits high diversity at generic level and currently contains 94 genera. In this study, one new genus Tangguoa Yao Li gen. nov. from southern China is described with the type species T. laibin Yao Li sp. nov. (male, female; Guangxi) and one additional species T. tongguling Yao Li sp. nov. (male, female; Hainan).