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Wednesday, July 18th, 2018
| Time | Event | ||||||||
| 10:47a | [Botany • 2018] Thelocactus tepelmemensis (Cactaceae) • A Distinctive New Species of Thelocactus from Oaxaca, Mexico
Abstract Thelocactus tepelmemensis, a distinctive new species of Cactaceae from northern Oaxaca, Mexico, is described and illustrated. The new species is closest to T. leucacanthus but differs significantly from this and other species in the genus by a combination of morphological characters: smaller, red-purple flowers; stems with ribs consistently vertical; lower number of spines per areole, these being usually shorter; ovoid fruit; and seeds with conjunct micropyle. The new species is found in a narrow canyon growing on steep limestone rock faces protected from direct afternoon sun. The only known population appears to be locally common but geographically restricted. Keywords: endemic, Oaxaca, Tehuacán-Cuicatlán Biosphere Reserve 
Thelocactus tepelmemensis T.J. Davis, H.M. Hern., G.D. Starr, and Gómez-Hin., sp. nov. Diagnosis:— Similar to Thelocactus leucacanthus, but differing in having a lower number of spines per areole, these being poorly differentiated into radials and centrals (vs. more and readily differentiated spines); by the much smaller, red-purple flowers (vs. larger yellow or magenta flowers); and, the conjunct seed micropyle lying inside the hilum border (vs. disjunct micropyle lying outside border). Type:— MEXICO. Oaxaca, municipality Tepelmeme, 17 January 2018 (fl., fr.), H.M. Hernández et al. 4128 (holotype: MEXU 1471315!; isotypes: DES!, MEXU 1471316!). (Figures 1–3) .... Etymology:— The specific name refers to the community of Tepelmeme Villa de Morelos in whose territory the new species is currently known. The suggested English (Tepelmeme cliff cactus) and Spanish (Biznaga de acantilado de Tepelmeme) names refer to the species’ cliff habitat and the community of Tepelmeme Villa de Morelos. Tristan J. Davis, Héctor M. Hernández, Greg D. Starr and Carlos Gómez-Hinostrosa. 2018. A Distinctive New Species of Thelocactus (Cactaceae) from Oaxaca, Mexico. Phytotaxa. 361(1); 115–122. DOI: 10.11646/phytotaxa.361.1.10  Resumen: Se describe e ilustra Thelocactus tepelmemensis, una nueva especie de Cactaceae del norte de Oaxaca, México. La nueva especie está cercanamente relacionada a T. leucacanthus, pero difiere de ésta y otras especies del género por una combinación de caracteres morfológicos, en particular por tener flores más pequeñas, de color rojo-púrpura; los tallos con costillas consistentemente verticales; el número más bajo de espinas por areola, siendo éstas usualmente más cortas; el fruto ovoideo; y las semillas con el micrópilo conjunto. La nueva especie se localiza en un cañón estrecho creciendo sobre paredes verticales de calizas protegidas del sol vespertino. La única población conocida parece ser relativamente densa, pero restringida geográficamente. Palabras Clave: endémica, Oaxaca, Reserva de la Biosfera Tehuacán-Cuicatlán | ||||||||
| 3:55p | [Herpetology • 2018] Sinomicrurus houi • A New Species of the Genus Sinomicrurus Slowinski, Boundy & Lawson, 2001 (Squamata: Elapidae) from Hainan Province, China
Abstract A new species of the coral snake genus Sinomicrurus is described based on four specimens from southern Hainan Island (three specimens from Tianchi, Jianfengling National Nature Reserve, one specimen from Diaoluoshan National Nature Reserve), Hainan Province, China. Morphologically, the new species is rather similar to Sinomicrurus kelloggi. However, it is distinct from S. kelloggi by the pattern on the head, the head length, head length/width, the number of infralabial scales, number of bands on dorsal body, and number of blotches on the belly. Keywords: Hainan; morphology; taxonomy; Sinomicrurus kelloggi; Sinomicrurus houi sp. nov.
Sinomicrurus houi sp. nov. Wang, Peng and Huang Suggest English name: Hou’s coral snake. Suggest Chinese name: 海南华珊瑚蛇 (Hǎi Nán Huá Shān Hú Shé). Etymology: The species name is a patronym honoring Mian HOU (Sichuan Normal University, China), a modern herpetological enthusiast and naturalist. He has been contributing substantially to the taxonomy and life history of amphibians and reptiles for 20 years. He collected 3 of the 4 type specimens. Diagnosis: Sinomicrurus houi sp. nov. differs from the known five congeners by a combination of the following characters: 1) dorsal scale rows (DSC) 15: 15: 15, smooth throughout; 2) ventrals (VL) 173–183; 3) subcaudals (SC) 27–38; 4) head relatively elongated, head length (HL) 2.0–2.1 times as long as head width (HW); 5) no loreal; 6) supralabials (SL) 7/7, infralabials (IL) 7/7; 7) dorsal surface scarlet, with 16–19 edged yellowish black bands on trunk of body, 2–4 on tail; 8) numbers of ventral spots 34–42; 9) dorsum of head having a narrow white broadwise band in the forefront of head (covering almost all the 3rd, 4th, 5th, 6th supralabials, preoculars, and continuing through forefront prefrontals) and two symmetric white stripes appearing a Chinese symbol for the figure eight (“ 八 ”, from both sides of frontal to neck sides and gradually widening); 10) maxillary teeth behind the fangs present. ....
Distribution The new species is currently known from the National Nature Reserves of Diaoluoshan, Jianfengling and Wuzhishan (Chu and Huang, 1990; Zhao, 2004; Wang, 2014), Hainan Province, China. Natural History Sinomicrurus houi sp. nov. is a nocturnal terrestrial snake, living in the forest floor of montane rain forest, usually hidden in deciduous or humic layers very close to streams or ditches. It feeds primarily on snakes, consuming small snakes and the juveniles of snakes which live in the same habitats, such as Indotyphlops braminus, Argyrophis diardii, Hebius popei and H. boulengeri etc., presumably they also prey on grass lizards and skinks, and may also feed on the sleeping juveniles of Acanthosaura lepidogaster and Pseduocalotes microlepis resting on the roots of bushwoods. In captivity, they catch actively and feed on juveniles of Dinodon rufozonatum (Figure 5), Xenochrophis flavipunctatus, Pantherophis guttatus and skinks). Lifang Peng, Lijun Wanf, Li Ding, Yiwu Zhu, Jian Luo, Diancheng Yang, Ruyi Huang, Shunqing Lu and Song Huang. 2018. A New Species of the Genus Sinomicrurus Slowinski, Boundy and Lawson, 2001 (Squamata: Elapidae) from Hainan Province, China. Asian Herpetological Research. 9(2); 65-73. DOI: 10.16373/j.cnki.ahr.170090 | ||||||||
| 4:40p | [Botany • 2018] Vaccinium cebuense • Taxonomic Novelties from Cebu: A New Species of Vaccinium (Ericaceae) and A New Record of Phaius (Orchidaceae) for the Philippines
Abstract Vaccinium cebuense (Ericaceae) from Nug-as forest (Alcoy) and the Central Cebu Protected Landscape (Balamban), two of the last remaining forested areas of Cebu Island, Philippines, is here described as a new species. This species is unique among the known species of this genus in displaying a unique combination of characters: leaves with marginal glands that are spaced along the entire length of the leaf, anthers with distinct and recurved dorsal spurs, and petioles that are adaxially grooved. Our fieldwork in Nug-as also resulted in the discovery of Phaius reflexipetalus (Orchidaceae), a new record for the Philippines previously only known from Borneo. These and other recent taxonomic novelties emphasize the conservation importance of the few and small remaining forests of Cebu. Keywords: Epidendroideae, Phaius sect. Pesomeria, Taxonomy, Vaccinium sect. Bracteata, Visayas, Monocots  Val B. Salares, Jasper John A. Obico, Paul Ormerod, Julie F. Barcelona and Pieter B. Pelser. 2018. Taxonomic Novelties from Cebu: A New Species of Vaccinium (Ericaceae) and A New Record of Phaius (Orchidaceae) for the Philippines. Phytotaxa. 360(3); 255–262. DOI: 10.11646/phytotaxa.360.3.5  A new species of #Philippines #Vaccinium from #Cebu and a new country record of #Phaius: recent taxonomic novelties emphasize #conservation importance of the few remaining forest fragments of Cebu. || @UCNZscience @UCNZbiology #CDFP #Ericaceae #Orchidaceae biotaxa.org/Phytotaxa/article/view/phytotaxa.360.3.5 … |
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