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Saturday, February 12th, 2022
| Time | Event | |||||||||
| 12:55a | [Botany • 2022] Valeriana praecipitis (Caprifoliaceae) • A Species New to Science and Endemic to Central Chile 
Abstract The species Valeriana praecipitis (Caprifoliaceae), new to science and endemic to the Ñuble Region, Central Chile, is formally described. Morphological data support its placement in a new species, clearly different from V. philippiana. A detailed description, insights about its habitat and ecology, distribution map and illustration are provided. A table of comparison is also given with the morphological characters discriminating V. praecipitis from V. philippiana. The species is assessed as Endangered (EN) under the IUCN categories. Keywords: Andes, biodiversity, cliffs flora, Ñuble Region, taxonomy
Valeriana praecipitis A.E. Villarroel & Menegoz, sp. nov. Diagnosis: The habit and macro-morphology of Valeriana praecipitis is similar to Valeriana philippiana, but differs by its height (including flower stem) that can reach 65.5 cm (vs. 20 cm), rhizome woody, reaching more than 30 cm long and up to 20 mm diameter (vs. semi-woody, to 14 cm long, to 8 mm diam.), basal leaves pinnatisect to pinnatipartite, up to 26 cm long (vs. pinnatilobed to pinnatisect, to 8 cm long), petiole glabrous (vs. pubescent), lobes 1–35 mm long, 1–24 mm wide (vs. 4–8 × 3–7 mm), upper leaves oblanceolate, 14–40 mm long, 5–19 mm wide, margin entire to irregularly undulate or sinuate, (vs. oblong, 6–10 × 3–5 mm, entire), bracts oblanceolate to oblong, up to 20 mm long (vs. oblong, to 7 mm long), bracteoles spathulate to oblong, 3–7 mm long, entire (vs. oblong, 2.5–4.5 mm, erose), inflorescence a relatively diffuse thyrse or compound dichasial cyme (vs. dense compound dichasial cyme, contracted), corolla up to 4.5 mm long (vs. up to 4 mm), stamens 3 mm long (vs. 2 mm), stigma 0.2 mm long (vs. 0.5 mm), growing on cliffs that remain humid all-year (vs. well-drained rocky soils), and endemic to the Ñuble Region (vs. in Chile, V. philippiana can be found in Los Lagos, Aysén and Magallanes Regions) (Table 1). Etymology: The specific epithet refers to cliff faces inhabited by these plants. The name means “Valeriana of cliffs” (latin praeceps = steep place, precipice, dangerous; genitive praecipitis). Alejandro E. Villarroel, Kora Menegoz, Carlos Le Quesne and Ricardo Moreno-Gonzalez. 2022. Valeriana praecipitis (Caprifoliaceae), A Species New to Science and Endemic to Central Chile. PhytoKeys. 189: 81-98. DOI: 10.3897/phytokeys.189.73959 | |||||||||
| 12:57a | [Botany • 2021] Bulbophyllum mamasaense (Orchidaceae) • A New Species of Bulbophyllum sect. Saurocephalum from West Sulawesi, Indonesia
Abstract Bulbophyllum mamasaense Wibowo, Juswara & J. Champ., a new species of Bulbophyllum section Saurocephalum from Sulawesi, Indonesia, is described, illustrated with line drawings, and completed with high resolution photographs. The novel species is sister to Bulbophyllum pubiflorum Schltr. and Bulbophyllum kiamfeeanum J.J.Verm. & P.O’Byrne. Diagnostic characters of this novelty are the fleshy thick rachis in comparison with to other members in the section and the lip simple with two ridges at the base. Keyword: Bulbophyllum kiamfeeanum , B. pubiflorum, B. mamasaens, Celebes, epiphyte, Mamasa, West Sulawesi
  Bulbophyllum mamasaense Wibowo, Juswara & J. Champ., sp. nov. Diagnosis: Bulbophyllum mamasaense is morphologically similar to B. pubiflorum Schltr. in its habit, and B. kiamfeeanum J.J.Verm. & P.O’Byrne in its ovate lip. However, B. mamasaense has distinct 3-angled pseudobulbs, oblong and larger leaves, flat lateral sepals compared to B. pubiflorum, and is different from B. kiamfeeanum by its lip forming a canal at the base and presenting a verrucose surface, while B. kiamfeeanum has a rounded callus and a glabrous surface (Table 1). Distribution: Mesawa District, Mamasa Regency, West Sulawesi, Indonesia. Etymology: The specific epithet “mamasaense” was named after the location [Mamasa Regency] where this species was first discovered.   Aninda Retno Utami Wibowo, Jeffrey Champion and Lina Susanti Juswara. 2021. A New Species of Bulbophyllum (Orchidaceae) sect. Saurocephalum from Sulawesi, Indonesia. Taiwania. 67(1); 67 - 72.  | |||||||||
| 4:13a | [Herpetology • 2022] Hemidactylus easai • A New Species of Large-bodied Hemidactylus Goldfuss, 1820 (Squamata: Gekkonidae) from the Western Ghats of India
Abstract A new large (94–107mm SVL) species of gecko of the genus Hemidactylus is described from the drier parts of the Western Ghats of India. The new species is closely related to H. graniticolus, from which it can be distinguished based on dorsal pholidosis at mid-body, the structure of tubercles on the dorsum, dorsal pholidosis on the tail. The new species is also 6.6–7.2% divergent from H. graniticolus in the ND2 mitochondrial gene. Keywords: Gecko, Kerala, morphology, ND2, new species, phylogeny, taxonomy
Hemidactylus easai sp. nov. Diagnosis: A large-sized gecko of the genus Hemidactylus, snout-vent length up to SVL 107 mm (n=4). Dorsal pholidosis heterogeneous, composed of roughly circular, granular scales intermixed with much enlarged, fairly regularly arranged longitudinal rows of 17 or 18 striated subtrihedral tubercles at midbody (Fig. 5A-C). Enlarged tubercles on the two most medial parasagittal rows are small, subconical, strongly keeled and rounded, gradually increasing in size and becoming conical towards flanks, last two to three rows on flanks smaller, conical. Two well-developed pairs of postmentals, the inner pair longer than the outer pair and mental, and in broad contact behind the mental. 20–23 tubercles in paravertebral rows; ventrolateral folds distinct; 41 or 42 transverse ventral scale rows at mid-body. Digits with enlarged scansors, lamellae in straight transverse series; 2–5 undivided basal lamellae beneath first finger and 2–5 beneath first toe; 0 or 1 undivided basal lamellae beneath fourth toe; 10–12 lamellae (including undivided and divided) beneath first finger and 10 or 11 beneath first toe; 11–13 lamellae (including undivided and divided) beneath fourth finger and 13 beneath fourth toe; males with series of 24–30 femoral pores on each side separated by 2–4 pore-less scales. Original tail depressed, oval in transverse section with a median dorsal furrow; scales on the tail slightly larger than dorsals, striated, with longitudinal series of 6–8 large, keeled, striated, posteriorly pointed tubercles. Dorsal coloration dull-brown with a series of four or five transverse pale saddles from occiput to sacrum, tail with distinct alternating light and dark bands. Etymology: The specific epithet is a patronym honouring Dr P. S. Easa, former director of Kerala Forest Research Institute, Thrissur, Kerala for his contributions towards wildlife research, conservation and management, primarily in the Western Ghats over the last four decades and for mentoring SD. We suggest Easa’s rock gecko as common name. 
Distribution and natural history notes Hemidactylus easai sp. nov. is currently known only from the type locality in the Kerala parts of the Western Ghats. The type series was collected from human settlements, inside buildings on the banks of the river Bhavani, which originates from the Nilgiri Hills of Western Ghats (Fig. 8), flows very close to Silent Valley National Park and joins the Cauvery River near Tamil Nadu. The locality is a rain shadow area dominated by dry zone vegetation interspersed with riparian vegetation. The mean annual rainfall in Palakkad district is 2135 mm (Prasad et al. 2021). The holotype and the paratypes were found at night, actively foraging for insects. Several uncollected individuals of H. easai sp. nov. were observed in human settlements and rock crevices in the vicinity of the type locality. Hemidactylus easai sp. nov. was found in sympatry with Cnemaspis gracilis in the same microhabitat and, H. cf. whitakeri and Cyrtodactylus sp. was also found in the type locality. The type locality of H. easai sp. nov. is in a close proximity to the Silent Valley National Park (SVNP) but not under any legal protection. It is however possible that the new species is found within the SVNP and adjacent Nilgiris mountain range, given that the habitat is contiguous. Sandeep Das, Saunak Pal, Sasidharan Siddharth, Muhamed Jafer Palot, Veerappan Deepak and Surya Narayanan. 2022. A New Species of Large-bodied Hemidactylus Goldfuss, 1820 (Squamata: Gekkonidae) from the Western Ghats of India. Vertebrate Zoology. 72: 81-94. DOI: 10.3897/vz.72.e76046   | |||||||||
| 4:15a | [Herpetology • 2022] Pristimantis cryptopictus • Genetics, Bioacoustics, and Morphology Reveal A New Hidden Species in Pristimantis dorsopictus (Anura: Strabomantidae)
Abstract The phenotypic variation of some species at the geographic level makes them excellent models to evaluate different evolutionary attributes and answer questions related to their diversity. In addition, the constant effort of sampling in high Andean ecosystems that include the type localities of the species, and the integration of a novel data set can lead to unsuspected taxonomic findings. In this study we provide genetic, bioacoustics and morphological evidence to support the delimitation, and description of a new species from the northern Andean forests, historically confused with Pristimantis dorsopictus (Rivero & Serna, 1988). The latter and the new species were not recovered as sister lineages in our phylogenetic analyses, and although they are relatively similar, both differ phenotypically in body size, coloration pattern, skin texture, call duration and dominant frequency, among other attributes. Our phylogenetic inference suggests that the new species is part of the P. boulengeri group and was recovered as sister to the clade that includes P. urani, P. angustilineatus, P. boulengeri, P. brevifrons, and P. dorsopictus. The results suggest that advertisement calls constitute an important source of information for understanding the acoustic diversity of the P. boulengeri group and for delimiting the species of the genus Pristimantis, which despite its great diversity, presents a limited acoustic knowledge in those with distribution in Colombia. Keywords: Andes, cryptic diversity, haplotype network, geography, phylogenetics.
 
Pristimantis cryptopictus sp. nov. Eliza Patiño-Ocampo, Sebastián Duarte-Marín and Mauricio Rivera Correa. 2022. GENÉTICA, BIOACÚSTICA Y MORFOLOGÍA REVELAN UNA NUEVA ESPECIE OCULTA EN Pristimantis dorsopictus (ANURA: STRABOMANTIDAE). [Genetics, Bioacoustics, and Morphology Reveal A New Hidden Species in Pristimantis dorsopictus (Anura: Strabomantidae)]. Revista Latinoamericana De Herpetología. 5(1), 60–90. DOI: 10.22201/fc.25942158e.2022.1.305 Resumen: La variación fenotípica de algunas especies a nivel geográfico, las convierte en excelentes modelos para evaluar los diferentes atributos evolutivos y responder preguntas relacionadas con su diversidad. Sumado a ello, el constante esfuerzo de muestreo en ecosistemas altoandinos que incluyan las localidades tipo de las especies y la integración de un novedoso conjunto de datos, puede conducir a hallazgos taxonómicos insospechados. En este estudio proporcionamos evidencia genética, bioacústica y morfológica para soportar la delimitación y descripción de una nueva especie de los bosques al norte de los Andes, históricamente confundida con Pristimantis dorsopictus (Rivero & Serna, 1988). Esta última y la nueva especie no fueron recuperadas como linajes hermanos en nuestros análisis filogenéticos, y aunque son relativamente similares, ambas se diferencian fenotípicamente en tamaño corporal, patrón de coloración, textura de piel, duración del canto y frecuencia dominante, entre otros atributos. Nuestra inferencia filogenética sugiere que la nueva especie es parte del grupo P. boulengeri, y fue recuperada como hermana del clado que incluye a P. urani, P. angustilineatus P. boulengeri, P. brevifrons y P. dorsopictus. Los resultados sugieren que los cantos de anuncio constituyen una fuente de información importante para comprender la diversidad acústica del grupo de P. boulengeri y para la delimitar la especies del género Pristimantis, que a pesar su gran diversidad, presenta un limitado conocimiento acústico en aquellas con distribución en Colombia. Palabras clave: Diversidad críptica, acústica, filogenética, morfología |
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