Friday, April 8th, 2022

Time	Event
9:25a	[Botany • 2022] Durio gerikensis (Malvaceae) • A New Arilless Durio from Hulu Perak, Malaysia Durio gerikensis M.N.Faizal, Edward, Latiff & Hadrul, in Ghazalli, Hashim, Besi, Mat-Esa,... et Latiff, 2022.  DOI: 10.11646/phytotaxa.543.1.2 Abstract A new species Durio gerikensis (Malvaceae) is described from Hulu Perak, Peninsular Malaysia, it can be easily recognised in the field by its reddish-pink flowers and small (6–7.5 cm in diameter), golden yellowish to pale yellow fruits with persistent calyx. It is unique from all the congeneric taxa by having two to four valved fruits with arilless seeds. Morphologically, Durio gerikensis is similar to D. lanceolatus Mast. (Masters 1875:499) and D. singaporensis Ridl. (Ridley 1916: 143) but they differ in their leaf, flower and fruit characteristics.  Keywords: Eudicots, arilless Durio, red-pink flowers, persistent calyx, Peninsular Malaysia Durio gerikensis M.N.Faizal, Edward, Latiff & Hadrul,  A) tree (habit) at the type locality. B) branching pattern. C) leaves. D) bark. E) abaxial surface of the leaves. F) adaxial surface of the leaves. Photographs (A) by Mohd Masri Saranum; (B–F) by Mohd Norfaizal Ghazalli. Durio gerikensis M.N.Faizal, Edward, Latiff & Hadrul, A) fruiting leafy twig. B) different fruit stages, and arilless seeds. C) arilless seeds (close up). D) dehisced fruits with three lobes (left) and one lobe (right). (E) immature fruit (F) mature and dehisced fruit with persistent calyx. Photographs A–F by Mohd Norfaizal Ghazalli. Durio gerikensis M.N.Faizal, Edward, Latiff & Hadrul, A) inflorescence young flower buds. B) inflorescences flower buds on branches. C) inflorescences on branch. D) flowers in fasciculate cymes. E) epicalyx. F) opened epicalyx. G) calyx. H) calyx adaxial view. I) stamens in 5 phalanges. J) petals. K–L) pistil (ovary, style and stigma) and pedicel. N) full part of the pistil and pedicel. O) portion of style and stigma at the end of style. P) ovary. Q) phalanges of stamens. R) close up of stamens. S) dehisced anthers. Photographs A–C by Mohd Norfaizal Ghazalli; D–S by Edward Entalai Besi. Durio gerikensis M.N.Faizal, Edward, Latiff & Hadrul, A) fruit. B) fruit attached to the branch. C) abaxial view of the fruit. D) dehiscent fruit. E) leaf morphology with dentate-lepidote trichome, 18–20-armed stellate trichomes, dentate-lepidote scales and 5-armed stellate trichomes with a central cushion.  Illustrated by Zulkifli Zainol Alam. Durio gerikensis M.N.Faizal, Edward, Latiff & Hadrul,  A) opened epicalyx. B) intact epicalyx. C) calyx adaxial view. D) calyx. E) stamen. F) ovary. G) petal. H) anther. I) pistil and pedicel. J) phalanges of stamen. K) inflorescence. L) flower bud.  Illustrated by Zulkifli Zainol Alam. Durio gerikensis M.N.Faizal, Edward, Latiff & Hadrul, sp. nov. Diagnosis:—Durio gerikensis morphology is partially similar to D. lanceolatus. It has oblong-lanceolate leaves (vs. elliptic-lanceolate to ovate), base acute (vs. acute to round); flowers in 6–28 flowered cymes, on young to older branches, reddish pink petals (vs. 3–4 flowered cymes, on older branches, yellow petals); and its fruit is arilless, not edible and contains two to four valves (vs. creamy aril, almost tasteless and unpalatable). When compared to D. singaporensis fruits (another species with arilless fruits) it has 5-lobed, white leathery aril which later dried and not edible. Additionally, D. gerikensis fruits can be readily differentiated from both D. lanceolatus and D. singaporensis with the persistent calyx on the mature fruits and the four-valved fruits (vs. early caducous calyx and more than 4- valved fruits). Etymology:—Named after the type locality, Gerik, Hulu Perak, Peninsular Malaysia.    Mohd Norfaizal Ghazalli, Mohamad Hadrul Hashim, Edward Entalai Besi, Muhammad Ikhwanuddin Mat-Esa, Ahmad Zaki Zaini, Mohd Masri Saranum, Salmaniza Salleh, Rosliza Jajuli, Muhammad Shafie Md Sah, Noraini Talip, A. Latiff. 2022. Durio gerikensis (Malvaceae), A New Arilless Durio from Hulu Perak, Malaysia. Phytotaxa. 543(1); 21–30. DOI: 10.11646/phytotaxa.543.1.2 (Comment on this)
10:42a	[Herpetology • 2022] Pelodiscus shipian • Disentangling the Pelodiscus axenaria complex (Testudines: Trionychidae), with the Description of A New Chinese Species and Neotype Designation for P. axenaria Pelodiscus shipian  Gong, Fritz, Vamberger, Gao & Farkas, 2022 Chinese Stone Slab Soft-shelled Turtle | 石片鳖 || DOI: 10.11646/zootaxa.5125.2.2 Abstract We describe a new species from the Pelodiscus axenaria complex from Hunan and Jiangxi Provinces, China. Also, the application of the name P. axenaria (Zhou, Zhang & Fang, 1991) is clarified by designating a neotype for this species. Besides its genetic divergence, the new species differs from all other Pelodiscus species, including the two other taxa constituting the complex (P. axenaria, P. huangshanensis), in the following combination of morphological traits: (1) small adult size, <15 cm carapace length; (2) carapace distinctly keeled, more or less strongly tuberculated, usually olive clay-coloured and adorned with greenish black marbling; (3) plastron yellowish white, typically immaculate except for a blurred-edged blotch behind each axilla that does not extend to the entoplastron and some slight black suffusion along its anterior border; (4) underside of the leathery margin of the carapace with varying amounts of dark pigmentation; (5) head olive clay-coloured with numerous black splotches; (6) chin grey brown with pale stipples, throat dark grey, finely spotted with black; (7) neck with a wide yellow lateral band stretching from the tympanum posteriorly, which tends to fade with age; (8) entoplastron boomerang-shaped, the amount of bending of the transverse bar between the two posteriolaterally directed rami >90°. Key words: China, genetics, morphology, Pelodiscus shipian sp. nov., phylogeny, soft-shelled turtle, taxonomy Neotype of Pelodiscus axenaria (JNU 20210001, adult male, 128.7 mm CL) in life. Pelodiscus axenaria (Zhou, Zhang & Fang, 1991) One of the paratypes of Pelodiscus shipian sp. nov.  (JNU 20210002, adult female, 88.2 mm CL) in life. Pelodiscus shipian sp. nov.  Suggested English name: Chinese Stone Slab Soft-shelled Turtle Suggested Chinese name: 石片鳖 (shi pian bie) Diagnosis. Besides its genetic distinctiveness (Gong et al. 2018), Pelodiscus shipian sp. nov. differs from its congeners  by  the  following  combination  of  characters:  (1)  small  adult  size,  <15  cm  CL;  (2)  carapace  distinctly keeled, more or less strongly tuberculated, usually olive clay-coloured and adorned with greenish black marbling but sometimes much darker with obscure pattern; (3) plastron yellowish white, typically immaculate except for a blurred-edged blotch behind each axilla that does not extend to the entoplastron and a slight black suffusion along its anterior border; (4) underside of the leathery margin with varying amounts of dark pigmentation; (5) head olive clay-coloured with numerous black splotches; (6) chin grey brown with pale stipples, throat dark grey, finely spotted with black; (7) neck with a wide yellow lateral band stretching from the ear backwards, which tends to fade with age; (8) entoplastron boomerang-shaped, the amount of bending of the transverse bar between the two posteriolater-ally directed rami >90°. Etymology. The name ‘shipian’ is the romanisation of 石片 (shi pian, Chinese for “slab”), derived from the local (Fengxin, Jiangxi) name of the species 石片鳖 (shi pian bie = stone slab soft-shelled turtle) that alludes to its resemblance to a flat stone. The suggested English common name refers to the same feature. The scientific species name is used as a noun in the nominative singular in apposition to the generic name (ICZN 1999: Article 11.9.1.2).  Shiping Gong, Uwe Fritz, Melita Vamberger, Yangchun Gao and Balázs Farkas. 2022. Disentangling the Pelodiscus axenaria complex, with the Description of A New Chinese Species and Neotype Designation for P. axenaria (Zhou, Zhang & Fang, 1991). Zootaxa. 5125(2); 131-143. DOI: 10.11646/zootaxa.5125.2.2 (Comment on this)

<< Previous Day

2022/04/08 [Calendar]

Next Day >>