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Sunday, February 27th, 2022
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| 3:51a | [Herpetology • 2022] Stumpffia bishopi • Discovery of Frogs of the Stumpffia hara Species Group (Microhylidae: Cophylinae) on Montagne d’Ambre in northern Madagascar, with Description of A New Species
Abstract The stump-toed frogs of the Madagascar-endemic genus Stumpffia are mostly diminutive in size, but there is one group of comparatively large frogs within the genus, which we herein refer to as the Stumpffia hara species group. Each of the four known members of this species group is endemic to a single location of deciduous dry forest with exposed karstic limestone rock. Here, we report on the discovery of members of this species group on Montagne d’Ambre, a rainforest-covered extinct volcano in the North of Madagascar that has a rich Stumpffia fauna but has been thought to lack members of the S. hara species group until now. We found two members of the species group, one at the peak, and one in transitional and dry deciduous forest on the west and northern slopes of the mountain. The high-elevation species is new to science, and we here describe it as Stumpffia bishopi sp. nov. It occupies a highly distinct position in the phylogeny of these frogs, characterized by ≥ 9.8% uncorrected pairwise distance from all other nominal Stumpffia in a fragment of the mitochondrial 16S rRNA gene. It is also the smallest of the members of the S. hara species group. Our genetic results show that the low-elevation species is Stumpffia megsoni, constituting a range expansion of that species and considerably expanding our understanding of its morphology and ecology. We report its advertisement call for the first time. Our results highlight the importance of continued surveys of even well-sampled localities, with special attention on the high elevation sites of northern massifs and collection of voucher specimens, and how much there still remains to understand about even the largest of Madagascar’s small frogs. Key Words: New species, Stumpffia bishopi sp. nov., phylogeny, montane rainforest, body size, bioacoustics
Stumpffia bishopi sp. nov. Diagnosis: A moderately small species of Stumpffia from high elevation of Montagne d’Ambre in northern Madagascar. It is assigned to the Stumpffia hara species group on the basis of its molecular phylogenetic affinities. The new species is diagnosed by the unique combination of the following characters: (1) Small-sized species (SVL 14.2–16.6 mm); (2) manus with four fingers (first finger slightly reduced in length) and pes with five toes (first toe not reduced in length); (3) enlarged inner metacarpal tubercle; (4) terminal phalanges of fingers without enlarged discs, those of toes with very slightly enlarged discs; (5) relative hand length HAL/SVL 0.38; (6) relative foot length FOTL/SVL 0.62; (7) dorsum smooth; (8) supratympanic fold distinct; (9) colouration in life dorsally various shades of brown, ventrally with white and black flecks on a taupe to burnt orange background. ... Etymology: The species name is a patronym honouring the late Phil Bishop, Professor Emeritus at the University of Otago, who dedicated his life to research on and protection of amphibians. He was an inspirational and incredibly enthusiastic colleague, and we were sorry to lose him far too soon. Distribution and conservation status: Stumpffia bishopi sp. nov. is known only from the Montagne d’Ambre, northern Madagascar, at high elevations of ca 1330–1480 m above sea level (Fig. 4). The conservation status of the species is in line with other endemics of Montagne d’Ambre: it is known from a single threat-defined location, the protected area of Montagne d’Ambre National Park. Although the extent of occurrence is small enough to qualify for the Critically Endangered category, there are only mild on-going declines to the extent or quality of the habitat, and no known fluctuations in population size or distribution. A change in the protected area’s status would jeopardise the survival of the species, however, so we conservatively recommend listing it as Near Threatened. Andolalao Rakotoarison, Frank Glaw, Safidy M. Rasolonjatovo, Jary H. Razafindraibe, Miguel Vences and Mark D. Scherz. 2022. Discovery of Frogs of the Stumpffia hara species group (Microhylidae, Cophylinae) on Montagne d’Ambre in northern Madagascar, with Description of A New Species. Evolutionary Systematics. 6(1): 21-33. DOI: 10.3897/evolsyst.6.76382  | ||||||
| 3:52a | [Botany • 2021] Begonia markiana (Begoniaceae, sect. Platycentrum) • A New Species from Lower Dibang Valley of Arunachal Pradesh, Northeast India
Abstract The new species Begonia markiana is described and illustrated. It is similar to B. cathcartii but can easily be distinguished by a lamina with a dark central spot and a densely pilose upper surface in combination with a short dorsal capsule wing. A phylogenetic analysis based on three chloroplast regions placed the new species together with other continental species in section Platycentrum. Both morphology and molecular data suggest the new species as a member of the section Platycentrum. Keyword: Begonia annulata, Begonia cathcartii, chloroplast DNA, ndhA, new species, ndhF-rpl32, phylogeny, Platycentrum 
Begonia markiana Taram, Wahlsteen & D.Borah, sp. nov. Type: INDIA. Arunachal Pradesh, Lower Dibang Valley District, Mayodia, 2000 m, 09 September 2021, M. Taram & O.Taku 5442 (holotype: CAL; Isotype: CAL). Diagnosis. Begonia markiana is similar to B. cathcartii Hook.f. & Thomson (Fig. 3) but can easily be distinguished by the lamina with a dark central spot (versus unicolored) and the densely pilose upper surface (versus sparsely strigose), and a short dorsal capsule wing (circa 10 mm versus 15–24 mm). Etymology: The species epithet honors Mark Hughes (UK) who is one of the leading scholars untangling the knots of the genus Begonia in the Old World and his contribution to the knowledge of the genus in northeast India, especially. Distribution and ecology: So far, B. markiana is only known from the Mayodia area in the Lower Dibang River District in Arunachal Pradesh, India. It grows by stream sides in large patches, hanging from vertical rocks.
Momang Taram, Eric Wahlsteen and Dipankar Borah. 2022. Begonia markiana (Begoniaceae), A New Species from Lower Dibang Valley of Arunachal Pradesh, Northeast India. Taiwania. 67(2); 165‒170.  | ||||||
| 3:56a | [Herpetology • 2022] Brachytarsophrys qiannanensis • A New Species of the Genus Brachytarsophrys Tian & Hu, 1983 (Anura, Megophryidae) from Guizhou Province, China
 Abstract Background: The toads of the genus Brachytarsophrys Tian & Hu, 1983 are distributed in southern China, Myanmar, Vietnam, Laos and northern Thailand. Seven species of the genus have been recognised, of which five of them are known from China so far. New information: Brachytarsophrys qiannanensis sp. nov., a new species of the short-legged toad genus is here described from southern Guizhou Province, China. Diagnostic characters of the new species are illustrated and comparisons with its congeners are provided. Its validity is also affirmed by its distinct mitochondrial gene sequence divergence with all congeners and its monophyly recovered in the mitochondrial gene-based phylogenetic analyses. Keywords: Megophryidae, new taxon, phylogenetic analysis, morphology
Brachytarsophrys qiannanensis Li, Liu, Yang, Wei, & Su, sp. n. Brachytarsophrys qiannanensis sp. nov. could be distinguished from its congeners by a combination of the following morphological characters: (1) body size small (SVL 70.1 mm in male and 80.1 – 84.9 mm in females); (2) tongue pyriform, feebly notched posteriorly; (3) tibiotarsal articulation reaching to commissure of jaw when leg stretched forward; (4) toes about one third to two thirds webbed in males; (5) male with a single subgular vocal sac and a brown nuptial pad present on the dorsal surface of the first finger. Distribution: Brachytarsophrys qiannanensis sp. nov. is known from the type locality, Libo County, Guizhou Province, China at elevations between 1100 – 1200 m a.s.l. Ecology: Brachytarsophrys qiannanensis sp. nov. inhabits a mountain stream (Fig. 6) covered by evergreen broadleaf forest, there being only a small amount of water on the surface of the stream. Advertisement call of males can be heard from beneath the rocks at night and the females were frequently found near large rocks. Etymology: The specific name qiannanensis refers to the distribution of this species, Qiannan Autonomous Prefecture, the County to where the type locality of the species belongs. We propose the common English name “Qiannan Short-legged Toad” and Chinese name “Qian Nan Duan Tui Chan (黔南短腿蟾)”. Shize Li, Jing Liu, Guiping Yang, Gang Wei and Haijun Su. 2022. A New Toad Species of the Genus Brachytarsophrys Tian & Hu, 1983 (Anura, Megophryidae) from Guizhou Province, China. Biodiversity Data Journal. 10: e79984. DOI: 10.3897/BDJ.10.e79984  | ||||||
| 9:52a | [Paleontology • 2022] A Pathological Ulna of Amurosaurus riabinini (Hadrosauridae: Lambeosaurinae) from the Upper Cretaceous of Far Eastern Russia
ABSTRACT Bone fractures are the most common type of injuries preserved in the dinosaur fossil record. Poor healing of deep lesions could lead to infection and misalignment of the fracture parts, causing the animals to limp and jeopardising their survival. A wide variety of fossilised fractures have been identified in dinosaur remains, and the type of bone response can provide information about their resilience and ability to survive even major traumatic events. Here we describe a pathological ulna of the lambeosaurine dinosaur Amurosaurus riabinini, from the Udurchukan Formation (Maastrichtian, Upper Cretaceous) of Blagoveshchensk (Amur Region, Russia). Its distal region is hypertrophied and swollen, and the distal articular surface is engulfed within a large overgrowth of newly formed bone. CT-scanning identifies an oblique fracture resulting from an impact, implying that the swollen portion corresponds to callus formation. The bone was still healing prior to the moment of death, although the misalignment of the fracture parts appears to have resulted in a malunion of the two fragments. During locomotion, the wrist would have suffered from a continuous weight-bearing pressure that placed stress upon the fracture site and probably caused the animal to limp and perhaps walk on three limbs. KEYWORDS: Fracture, dinosaurs, Maastrichtian, lambeosaurinae, physical impairment, palaeopathology   Filippo Bertozzo, Ivan Bolotsky, Yuri L. Bolotsky, Alexey Poberezhskiy, Alastair Ruffell, Pascal Godefroit and Eileen Murphy. 2022. A Pathological Ulna of Amurosaurus riabinini from the Upper Cretaceous of Far Eastern Russia. Historical Biology: An International Journal of Paleobiology. DOI: 10.1080/08912963.2022.2034805 | ||||||
| 10:05a | [Entomology • 2022] Taxonomic Changes and Review of the Genera Tipulamima Holland, 1893 and Macrotarsipodes Le Cerf, 1916 stat. rev. (Lepidoptera: Sesiidae: Sesiinae)
Abstract In this study, two genera of Afrotropical Sesiidae, Tipulamima Holland, 1893 and Macrotarsipodes Le Cerf, 1916 stat. rev., are redefined and redescribed, the latter being resurrected from synonymy with the former as a valid genus. Both genera are confirmed to belong to the tribe Synanthedonini. The genera closest to Tipulamima are unknown. Macrotarsipodes is related to Macrotarsipus Hampson, [1893] from Southeast Asia and Lepidopoda Hampson, 1900 from Africa and Southeast Asia. The latter genus as well as Pedalonina are transferred to Synanthedonini. Uranothyris Meyrick, 1933 syn. nov. is regarded as a subjective junior synonym of Tipulamima. Checklists of the species assigned to Tipulamima and Macrotarsipodes are provided. One new species, Tipulamima hesperia sp. nov., from Guinea and Ghana and the previously unknown male of T. pterotarsa (Meyrick, 1933) comb. nov. (Uranothyris) are described and depicted. The following new combinations are introduced: Macrotarsipodes leptosceles (Bradley, 1968) comb. nov. (Synanthedon), M. pedunculata (Hampson, 1910) comb. nov. (Ichneumenoptera), M. sexualis (Hampson, 1910) comb. nov. (Macrotarsipus), M. tricinctus Le Cerf, 1916 comb. rev., Synanthedon malimba (Beutenmüller, 1899) comb. nov. (Sesia), Malgassesia ivondro (Viette, 1955) comb. nov. (Tipulamima), M. opalimargo (Le Cerf, 1913) comb. nov. (Sesia), Lepidopoda aericincta (Meyrick, 1928) comb. nov. (Aegeria), L. cyanospira (Meyrick, 1928) comb. nov. (Aegeria), L. dasysceles (Bradley, 1968) comb. nov. (Synanthedon), L. erythromma (Hampson, 1919) comb. nov. (Synanthedon), L. festiva (Beutenmüller, 1899) comb. nov. (Sesia), L. flavipalpis Hampson, 1910 comb. rev., L. nuba (Beutenmüller, 1899) comb. nov. (Sesia), L. rubripicta (Hampson, 1919) comb. nov. (Synanthedon), L. waterloti (Le Cerf, 1913) comb. nov. & stat. nov. (Macrotarsipodes), Episannina sylphina (Hampson, 1919) comb. nov. (Lepidopoda) (Synanthedonini), Chamanthedon auronitens (Le Cerf, 1913) comb. nov. (Sesia), Pyranthrene hypocalla (Le Cerf, 1937) comb. nov. (Tipulamima), P. nigriceps (Hampson, 1919) comb. nov. (Tipulamima) (Osminiini). Junior subjective synonyms are: Aegeria rubripalpis Meyrick, 1932 syn. nov. of L. rubripicta, Aegeria mercatrix Meyrick, 1931 syn. nov. of L. aericincta and Aegeria pyrostoma Meyrick, 1927 syn. rev. of L. erythromma. Lectotypes of Tipulamima haugi (Le Cerf, 1917), T. flammipes (Hampson, 1910) and Macrotarsipodes sexualis comb. nov. are designated. Clerodendrum paniculatum L. (Lamiaceae) is reported as a host plant of Tipulamima for the first time. The larvae of three species of Macrotarsipodes and several species of Lepidopoda are known to be pests of Ipomoea batatas (L.) Lam. (Convolvulaceae). Keywords: Lepidoptera, Afrotropical Region, clearwing moths, Clerodendrum paniculatum, Ipomoea batatas, Lepidopoda, Macrotarsipus, Malgassesia, Pheromones, Pyranthrene, Uranothyris Daniel Bartsch and Szabolcs Sáfián. 2022. Taxonomic Changes and Review of the Genera Tipulamima Holland, 1893 and Macrotarsipodes Le Cerf, 1916 stat. rev. (Lepidoptera: Sesiidae: Sesiinae). Zootaxa. 5094(1); 103-128. DOI: 10.11646/zootaxa.5094.1.4 |
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