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Friday, October 29th, 2021
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| 7:08a | [Herpetology • 2021] Amolops caelumnoctis Rao & Wilkinson, 2007, A Junior Synonym of Amolops splendissimus Orlov & Ho, 2007 (Anura: Ranidae)
Abstract Amolops splendissimus Orlov and Ho, 2007 and A. caelumnoctis Rao and Wilkinson, 2007 were described almost simultaneously from either side of the China-Vietnam border. The two species share a strong morphological resemblance, and their taxonomic distinctiveness has been questioned, yet no one has confirmed the taxonomic relationship and status between the two taxa. To resolve this taxonomic issue, we collected additional topotypic and near-topotypic specimens of A. splendissimus and A. caelumnoctis from both China (A. caelumnoctis: Wenshan County, Yunnan Province; type locality Luchun County, Yunnan Province), and Vietnam (A. splendissimus: Tam Duong District, Lai Chau Province; type locality Mount Ky Quan San, Bat Xat, Lao Cai Province). Molecular analysis based on a 16S rRNA fragment revealed minimal genetic divergences between the two taxa (0.0%–0.4% uncorrected p-distance), and both species are closely related to A. viridimaculatus (2.1%–2.3%) and A. medogensis (3.5%–3.7%). Morphological comparisons between the newly collected specimens and the original descriptions of both species further support the lack of distinctiveness of the two species, hence, we conclude that A. caelumnoctis is a junior synonym of A. splendissimus. Keywords: Amphibian, Ranidae, Species Identification, Taxonomy, China-Vietnam Border    Yinpeng Zhang, Jodi J. L. Rowley, Xiaolong Liu, Tao Thien Nguyen, Huy Quoc Nguyen, Benjamin Tapley, Luan Thanh Nguyen, Yun Yang, Timothy Cutajar, Ying Zhang and Zhiyong Yuan. 2021. Amolops caelumnoctis Rao & Wilkinson, 2007, A Junior Synonym of A. splendissimus Orlov & Ho, 2007 (Amphibia: Anura: Ranidae). Zootaxa. 5057(2); 181-200. DOI: 10.11646/zootaxa.5057.2.2 | ||||||||||
| 7:15a | [Botany • 2021] Oreocharis reticuliflora (Gesneriaceae) • A New Species from southeastern Sichuan, China
Abstract Based on morphological observation and literature consultation, a new species of Oreocharis (Gesneriaceae), O. reticuliflora Li H. Yang & X.Z. Shi, is described and illustrated. This new species resembles O. auricula, but differs by its conspicuous and reticular secondary veins, corolla with a network of violet stripes on each lip lobe, glandular-pubescent ovary, shorter capsule and being densely brown woolly on the abaxial leaf surface, outside of bracts and calyx lobes. A detailed morphological description and photographic illustration of the new species are presented. Keywords: Flora of Sichuan, morphology, new taxon, taxonomy
Oreocharis reticuliflora Li H. Yang & X.Z. Shi, sp. nov. A species that mainly differs from Oreocharis auricula (S. Moore) C.B. Clarke by its conspicuous and reticular secondary veins on the abaxial leaf surface (versus inconspicuous), corolla with a network of violet stripes on each lip lobe (versus without such color pattern), glandular-pubescent ovary (versus glabrous), shorter capsule (ca 2 cm long versus ca 4.5 cm long) and by being densely brown woolly on the abaxial leaf surface, outside of bracts and calyx lobes (versus sparely brown villous). Etymology: The specific epithet, reticuliflora, is derived from the Latin words, reticulum and flora, referring to the network of violet stripes on corolla limb of this new species. Vernacular name: In Chinese mandarin ‘Wang Wen Ma Ling Ju Tai' (网纹马铃苣苔).
  Li-Hua Yang and Xi-Zuo Shi. 2021. Oreocharis reticuliflora (Gesneriaceae), A New Species from southeastern Sichuan, China. Nordic Journal of Botany. DOI: 10.1111/njb.03322  | ||||||||||
| 7:25a | [Ichthyology • 2021] Cetopsorhamdia hidalgoi • A New Species of Cetopsorhamdia (Siluriformes: Heptapteridae) from the Upper Amazon River Basin
Abstract A new species of Cetopsorhamdia is described from material collected on rapid inventories and ichthyological expeditions in the Amazon region of Peru, Ecuador and Colombia. The new species can be differentiated from all other species of Cetopsorhamdia by the colouration pattern on fins, number of vertebrae, number of ribs, level insertion of dorsal fin, number of rays on dorsal and pectoral fin, osteological characters and several other morphometric characters. The new species is distributed along tributaries of the upper Amazon River basin in Peru, Colombia and Ecuador. Keywords: fresh water, Neotropical, taxonomy, three-barbel catfish
Cetopsorhamdia hidalgoi new species Etymology: Named in honour of the authors’ colleague and friend Max Hidalgo, professor, and curator of the Ichthyology Department at the Museo de Historia Natural in the Universidad Nacional Mayor de San Marcos (MUSM) for his devotion and dedication to Peru Ichthyology. Hidalgo collected the holotype, in addition to many specimens of the type series on expeditions including several rapid inventories in Peru that have led to the creation of multiple conservation areas. Geographic distribution: C. hidalgoi is known from the Ucayali, Marañón, Napo and Orteguaza rivers tributaries of the Upper Amazon River in Peru, Ecuador and Colombia and from the Madre de Dios River tributary of the Madeira River basin in Peru (Figure 6). Ecology: Found in clearwater streams with modest flow, substrate often with submerged leaves and sand.  Dario R. Faustino-Fuster and Lesley S. de Souza. 2021. A New Species of Cetopsorhamdia (Siluriformes: Heptapteridae) from the Upper Amazon River basin. Journal of Fish Biology. DOI: 10.1111/jfb.14914 | ||||||||||
| 7:39a | [PaleoAnthropology • 2021] Homo bodoensis • Resolving the “Muddle in the Middle”
Abstract Recent developments in the field of palaeoanthropology necessitate the suppression of two hominin taxa and the introduction of a new species of hominins to help resolve the current nebulous state of Middle Pleistocene (Chibanian) hominin taxonomy. In particular, the poorly defined and variably understood hominin taxa Homo heidelbergensis (both sensu stricto and sensu lato) and Homo rhodesiensis need to be abandoned as they fail to reflect the full range of hominin variability in the Middle Pleistocene. Instead, we propose: (1) introduction of a new taxon, Homo bodoensis sp. nov., as an early Middle Pleistocene ancestor of the Homo sapiens lineage, with a pan-African distribution that extends into the eastern Mediterranean (Southeast Europe and the Levant); (2) that many of the fossils from Western Europe (e.g. Sima de los Huesos) currently assigned to H. heidelbergensis s.s. be reassigned to Homo neanderthalensis to reflect the early appearance of Neanderthal derived traits in the Middle Pleistocene in the region; and (3) that the Middle Pleistocene Asian fossils, particularly from China, likely represent a different lineage altogether. Keywords: hominin taxonomy, Homo bodoensis, Homo heidelbergensis, Homo rhodesiensis, Middle Pleistocene
Order Primates Linnaeus 1758. Suborder Anthropoidea Mivart 1864. Superfamily Hominoidea Gray 1825. Family Hominidae Gray 1825. Tribe Hominini Gray 1825. Genus Homo Linnaeus 1758. Homo bodoensis sp. nov. Etymology: The name bodoensis refers to the site of Bodo D'ar where the fossil specimen Bodo 1 was discovered. Holotype: Bodo 1, a partial cranium of an adult (presumably male) individual, preserving the face and the anterior braincase, found in autumn 1976 by Alemayehu Asfaw, Paul Whitehead and other members of the Rift Valley Research Mission in Ethiopia headed by Jon Kalb.123, 124 The specimen is currently curated in the National Museum of Ethiopia in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. Type locality: Bodo D'ar, the Middle Awash research area, Afar Depression, the northwestern part of the former Hararghe Province, Ethiopia. Geological age and stratigraphic position: Upper Bodo Sand Unit.123 Dated to ca. 600 ka by laser-fusion 40Ar/39Ar technique (0.64 ± 0.03 Ma), biostratigraphy and tephrochronology.127 Archaeological context: The specimen is associated with an Acheulean stone tool assemblage. Species diagnosis: The species is diagnosed by a unique combination of cranial traits. The Bodo specimen has already been described as showing a mix of H. erectus-like and H. sapiens-like features. The species is similar to H. erectus in having: a robustly built midface; total facial prognathism128; projecting tori and a flattened low frontal squama; sagittal keeling; a low vault profile; a prominent parietal angular torus; thick vault bones; no foramen lacerum is observable—it is presented as a narrow crevice.20, 128 These traits can be linked to the retention of the general cranial structure from H. erectus. Traits similar to other Middle Pleistocene and later hominin taxa include: increased cranial capacity and associated traits (broader frontal and mid-vault, reduced postorbital constriction, signs of parietal bossing, high and arched temporal squama), a vertical (rather than forward sloping) nasal margin, and the position of the incisive canal in front of the hard palate. Excessively thick and projecting, but segmented brow ridges, with the incipient division of the brow at mid-orbit and attenuated laterally may be considered a distinctive trait of the species.
 Mirjana Roksandic, Predrag Radović, Xiu-Jie Wu and Christopher J. Bae. 2021. Resolving the “Muddle in the Middle”: The Case for Homo bodoensis sp. nov. Evolutionary Anthropology: Issues, News, and Reviews. DOI: 10.1002/evan.21929 |
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