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Thursday, January 16th, 2020
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| 2:40a | [Herpetology • 2020] Megophrys caobangensis • A New Species of Megophrys (Anura: Megophryidae) from Vietnam
Abstract A new species of Megophrys is described from Cao Bang Province, northeastern Vietnam based on morphological and molecular data. Morphologically, the new species is distinguishable from its congeners by a combination of the following characters: Size small (SVL 34.9–38.9 mm in males); tympanum visible; vomerine teeth absent; tongue not notched posteriorly; male with a single vocal sac; toes with rudimentary webbing; subarticular tubercles and lateral fringes absent on all digits; nuptial pads present on fingers I and II in males, with spicules; dorsal skin with scattered granules and tubercles; flank with tubercles; dorsum with a X-shaped dorsal ridge; dorsolateral folds prominent; a small horn-like tubercle present at the outer edge of the eyelid; dorsal surface yellowish brown with a dark brown triangle between the eyes, and a dark brown marking along the X-shaped ridge on the back. In the phylogenetic analyses, the new species is unambiguously nested within the subgenus Panophrys with interspecific uncorrected genetic p-distances (16S rRNA gene) varying from 4.26% (compared with M. rubrimera) to 10.80% (compared with M. acuta). Keywords: Megophrys caobangensis sp. nov., molecular phylogeny, taxonomy, Cao Bang Province, Amphibia  Megophrys caobangensis sp. nov. Truong Quang Nguyen, Cuong The Pham, Tao Thien Nguyen, Anh Mai Luong and Thomas Ziegler. 2020. A New Species of Megophrys (Amphibia: Anura: Megophryidae) from Vietnam. Zootaxa. 4722(5); 401–422. DOI: 10.11646/zootaxa.4722.5.1 | ||||||||
| 4:03a | [Botany • 2020] Zingiber chengii (Zingiberaceae) • A New Species from Taiwan
Abstract In this article, we describe a new species, Zingiber chengii Y.H. Tseng, C.M. Wang & Y.C. Lin, discovered on a rock cliff of Youluo riverside in northern Taiwan. This species is easily distinguished from other known congeners by its grass-like leaves, spikes composed of a few sterile bracts, and seeds one-third enveloped by the aril. Color illustrations, line drawings, and a key to species of Zingiber in Taiwan are provided as well as comparative morphology in relation to its allied species, geographical distribution, and conservation status. Keywords: northern Taiwan, riverside, rock cliff, Zingiber
Zingiber chengii Y.H.Tseng, C.M.Wang, & Y.C.Lin, sp. nov. Diagnosis: Zingiber chengii sp. nov. is morphologically similar to its Taiwanese congeners. However, the new species can be distinguished from them by its deciduous leafy shoots while those of Z. kawagoii, Z. oligophyllum and Z. shuanglongense are evergreen; Z. chengii has narrow lanceolate to linear leaves, whereas Z. kawagoi and Z. shuanglongense have ovate to lanceolate ones; except Z. oligophyllum, which has yellow flowers, all native species of Taiwan have reddish-purple flowers; each spike of Z. chengii bears 1−3 flowers, whereas spikes of Z. kawagoi and Z. shuanglongense bear 8−11 and 4−10 flowers, respectively; Zingiber chengii rarely has sterile bracts, whereas Z. kawagoii and Z. shuanglongense have apparent sterile bracts; Zingiber chengii has ovoid fruit, whereas Z. kawagoii and Z. shuanglongense has ellipsoidal one. Both Z. kawagoii and Z. shuanglongense are almost enveloped by the aril, whereas Z. chengii is one-third enveloped by the aril (Table 1).  Distribution and habitat: Endemic species of Taiwan. Based on the geographical climatic regions and vegetation zones (Su 1984, 1985), Z. chengii is distributed only in the northwest inland region, moist areas of cloud forests of the Machilus–Castanopsis forest zone at an altitude of 530 m, and is found only on the rock cliff of Yuluo riverside (Hsinchu County) in northern Taiwan (Fig. 4). Common companion species are Arundo formosana Hack. (Poaceae), Sedum actinocarpum Yamam. (Crassulaceae), Rhaphidophora hongkongensis Schott (Araceae), Pothos chinensis (Raf.) Merr. (Araceae), Pilea plataniflora C.H.Wright (Urticaceae), and Pyrrosia lingua (Thunb.) Farw. (Polypodiaceae). Sometimes, Z. kawagoii is found nearby; however, no potential hybrid individual has been observed. Chinese name: Hsia-yeh-chiang (狹葉薑). Etymology: The species epithet “chengii” was given in honor of Mr. Yuen-Chun Cheng (鄭元春) who first discovered the new species. Chiu-Mei Wang, Yuan-Chien Lin and Yen-Hsueh Tseng. 2020. Zingiber chengii (Zingiberaceae), A New Species from Taiwan. PhytoKeys. 139: 1-11. DOI: 10.3897/phytokeys.139.37294  | ||||||||
| 6:09a | [Paleontology • 2020] Wulong bohaiensis • A New Microraptorine Theropod from the Jehol Biota and Growth in early Dromaeosaurids
Abstract Fossils from the Jehol Group (Early Cretaceous, Liaoning Province, China) are integral to our understanding of Paraves, the clade of dinosaurs grouping dromaeosaurids, troodontids, and avialians, including living birds. However, many taxa are represented by specimens of unclear ontogenetic age. Without a more thorough understanding of ontogeny, evolutionary relationships and significance of character states within paravian dinosaurs may be obscured and our ability to infer their biology restricted. We describe a complete specimen of a new microraptorine dromaeosaur, Wulong bohaiensis gen. et sp. nov., from the geologically young Jiufotang Formation (Aptian) that helps solve this problem. Phylogenetic analysis recovers the specimen within a monophyletic Microraptorinae. Preserved in articulation on a single slab, the type specimen is small and exhibits osteological markers of immaturity identified in other archosaurs, such as bone texture and lack of fusion. To contextualize this signal, we histologically sampled the tibia, fibula, and humerus and compared them with new samples from the closely related and osteologically mature Sinornithosaurus. Histology shows both specimens to be young and still growing at death, indicating an age for the new dinosaur of about 1 year. The holotype possesses several feather types, including filamentous feathers, pennaceous primaries, and long rectrices, establishing that their growth preceded skeletal maturity and full adult size in some dromaeosaurids. Comparison of histology in the new taxon and Sinornithosaurus indicates that macroscopic signs of maturity developed after the first year, but before cessation of growth, demonstrating that nonhistological indicators of adulthood may be misleading when applied to dromaeosaurids. Keywords: dinosaur, early cretaceous, histology, Sinornithosaurus, theropoda  
 SYSTEMATIC PALEONTOLOGY DINOSAURIA, Owen, 1842. SAURISCHIA, Seely, 1888. THEROPODA, Marsh, 1881. PARAVES, Sereno, 1997. DROMAEOSAURIDAE, Matthew and Brown, 1922. Wulong gen. nov. Wulong bohaiensis sp. nov. Holotype: D2933 (Dalian Natural History Museum, Dalian, China), a complete, articulated specimen. Etymology: Wulong, from the Chinese 舞 (wǔ) meaning “dancing” for the individual's sprightly pose and inferred nimble habits, and 龙 (lóng) meaning “dragon,” a suffix commonly applied to dinosaurian generic names from China, and bohaiensis, from the Chinese 渤海 (Bó Hǎi), combined with the suffix ‐ensis in honor of its accession in the collections of the Dalian Natural History Museum (DNHM) situated on the shore of the Bohai strait. -- ‘the dancing dragon from the Bohai Strait’ Locality: Shangheshou, Chaoyang, Liaoning, China. Early Cretaceous Jiufotang Formation with a minimum age of 120.3 Ma (Zhou et al., 2003; He et al., 2004).  Diagnosis: A small, feathered dromaeosaurid theropod with the following autapomorphies: long jugal process of quadratojugal, cranially inclined pneumatic foramina on the cranial half of dorsal centra, transverse processes of proximal caudals significantly longer than width of centrum, presence of 30 caudal vertebrae producing a proportionally long tail, distally located and large posterior process of the ischium, and large size of supracoracoid fenestra (>15% of total area). Differs from Microraptor by having a relatively large promaxillary fenestra, no division of the maxillary fenestra, long subnarial process of premaxilla, a bifurcate caudal margin of the dentary, and possession of mesial serrations on some maxillary teeth; and from Sinornithosaurus in lack of distinctive sculpting on the maxilla, possession of pennaceous feathers, and absence of grooves in premaxillary teeth.    Ashley W. Poust, Chunling Gao, David J. Varricchio, Jianlin Wu and Fengjiao Zhang. 2020. A New Microraptorine Theropod from the Jehol Biota and Growth in early Dromaeosaurids. The Anatomical Record. DOI: 10.1002/ar.24343 New dinosaur discovered in China shows dinosaurs grew up differently from birds http://bit.ly/2TsOssC via @SDNHM @EurekAlert | ||||||||
| 10:57a | [Botany • 2019] Microlicia donii (Melastomataceae: Microlicieae) • An Endangered New Species from Serra do Cabral, Minas Gerais, Brazil
Summary Microlicia donii is described, illustrated, and its conservation status is assessed using the IUCN criteria. The proposed new species is compared with two probable relatives, M. pusilla Cogn. and M. ciliatoglandulosa R.Romero. The georeferenced occurrences of M. donii are mapped. Microlicia donii populations may be threatened because they occur outside the borders of the Serra do Cabral State Park. Keywords: campo rupestre, Cerrado, conservation, endemism, taxonomy
Microlicia donii Fidanza & R.Pacifico sp. nov. Etymology. Microlicia donii is named in honour of the Scottish botanist David Don (1799 – 1841), who described many species and several genera in Melastomataceae, including Microlicia (Don 1823). David Don worked as assistant in the Lambertian Herbarium from 1820 to 1836 and also made important contributions to pine taxonomy (Miller 1970). Nomenclatural note. Microlicia donii was cited as M. lanceaefolia in Rodrigues (2005). However, the epithet lanceaefolia was not effectively published. We have avoided using this name due to its similarity to M. lanceaeflora Mart. & Schrank ex DC Ricardo Pacifico, Letícia F. Candido and Karina Fidanza. 2019. Microlicia donii (Melastomataceae: Microlicieae), An Endangered New Species from Serra do Cabral, Minas Gerais, Brazil. Kew Bulletin. 74:59. DOI: 10.1007/s12225-019-9842-1  |
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