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Saturday, July 9th, 2022
| Time | Event | ||||||||
| 2:36a | [Herpetology • 2022] Micryletta subaraji • Morphology, Phylogeny, and Species Delimitation of Micryletta (Anura: Microhylidae) reveals A New Species from Singapore
Abstract The genus Micryletta, also known as paddy frogs, ranges across much of south, east, and southeast Asia. Due to their relatively broad distribution and overall morphological similarities, many species have gone undetected until recently, largely owing to the use of molecular data. Consequently, the species diversity within this genus has quadrupled in just three years from three species prior to 2018, to 12 species in 2021, indicating that the systematics of this genus is still poorly understood. As such, we assembled the most comprehensive molecular phylogeny of Micryletta hitherto including novel sequences from a previously unsampled population from Singapore to assess the species diversity within this genus. In particular, we investigate the population from Singapore whose specific identity remains in question due to the lack of voucher specimens and genetic material. Our results show that the Singapore population represents a strongly supported and distinct lineage that is most closely related to M. inornata sensu stricto from Sumatra, Indonesia. Morphological and species delimitation analyses corroborate its distinction as a new species, which we describe herein as Micryletta subaraji sp. nov. This and recent new taxon discoveries in Singapore demonstrate that the biodiversity of the highly urbanized island-state is still far from being fully realized and underscores the need for continued systematic surveys and protection of remaining habitats. Keywords: Amphibian, Kranji Marshes, Micryletta subaraji sp. nov., Systematics, Taxonomy 
  Micryletta subaraji sp. nov. Micryletta inornata Law, Thomas, and Law, 2019: 5 Suggested Common Name: Subaraj’s Paddy Frog. Diagnosis: Micryletta subaraji sp. nov. is a member of Micryletta based on its sister relationship to Micryletta inornata s.s. (Fig. 3). It can be distinguished from other members of the genus by a combination of the following characters: small body size (SVL 18.90 mm in males, 23.04 mm in females), an abruptly rounded snout, lack of webbing between fingers and toes, lack of distinct supratympanic fold, tympanum hidden, the presence of a circular inner metatarsal tubercle, and the absence of an outer metatarsal tubercle. Males of Micryletta subaraji sp. nov. can be distinguished from males of its sister species M. inornata s.s. from their significantly larger head proportions (head width, head length, snout length, nostril-eye length, snout-nostril length, upper eye-lid diameter) and shorter tibiofibula length. Distribution: Micryletta subaraji sp. nov. is so far only known from Singapore where it occurs in Kranji Marshes and putatively in the Central Catchment Nature Reserve. It may also occur in other parts of the island where suitable habitat is present. Etymology: The specific epithet honours the late Mr. Subaraj Rajathurai, who is a pioneer of conservation in Singapore. Natural History: In addition to the collected specimens, male advertisement calls were heard at an ephemeral pool in a depression created by an uprooted tree. The calling individuals were perched amidst dense undergrowth surrounding this puddle. These ephemeral depressions may be used by male frogs as a means to amplify their advertisement calls. Several other Microhylids (both native and introduced) were recorded in sympatry at the type locality including Microhyla heymonsi, Microhyla butleri, Microhyla cf. mukhlesuri, and Kaloula pulchra. Ananthanarayanan Sankar, Ingg Thong Law, Ing Sind Law, Rasu Shivaram, Robin K. Abraham and Kin Onn Chan. 2022. Morphology, Phylogeny, and Species Delimitation of Micryletta (Anura: Microhylidae) reveals A New Species from Singapore. Vertebrate Zoology. 72: 457-467. DOI: 10.3897/vz.72.e85020  | ||||||||
| 2:39a | [Ichthyology • 2022] Ariosoma albimaculata • A New Congrid Eel (Anguilliformes: Congridae) from the southwest Coast of India, Arabian Sea
Abstract Ariosoma albimaculata sp. nov. is described herein based on ten specimens [240–487 mm total length (TL)] collected from the deep-sea trawl landings at Colachel fishing harbour, off Kanyakumari, Arabian Sea, west coast of India. The new species is easily distinguished from all other congeners reported earlier, except its sympatric species, Ariosoma maurostigma Kodeeswaran, Mohapatra, Dhinakaran, Kumar and Lal 2022, having dark mark or streak present in the posterior-dorsal margin of eye orbit, but it readily differs from A. maurostigma with the presence of more total vertebrae (161–164 vs. 136–142 in A. maurostigma); more preanal vertebrae (66–68 vs. 47–51); occurrence of white spot or dot on just before the dorsal-fin origin (vs. absent in A. maurostigma); larger preanal length (49.7–55.7% TL vs. 44.0–48.8% TL); larger trunk length (30.4–33.3% TL vs. 23.5–30.2% TL); shorter tail length (44.6–48.2% TL vs. 47.8–54.6% TL). Further, A. albimaculata differs from its sister taxon A. maurostigma with a divergence of 8.1% and other congeners with the genetic distance of 15.0–28.8% in partial mitochondrial COI gene. Keywords: Bathymyrinae, Arabian Sea, Systematics, New eel
Ariosoma albimaculata sp. nov. (New English name: White spotted stout conger) Distribution. Indian Ocean: Off Kanyakumari, Arabian Sea. Etymology. The species epithet “albimaculata” is derived from two Latin words albus = white and maculatus = spotted, denotes a white spot present on the dorsal-fin origin. Paramasivam Kodeeswaran, Deepa Dhas, Thipramalai Thangappan Pillai Ajith Kumar and Kuldeep Kumar Lal. 2022. Description of A New Congrid Eel, Ariosoma albimaculata sp. nov. (Anguilliformes: Congridae), from the southwest coast of India, Arabian Sea. Ichthyological Research. DOI: 10.1007/s10228-022-00882-1 [06 July 2022] | ||||||||
| 3:08a | [Paleontology • 2022] Meraxes gigas • New Giant Carnivorous Dinosaur (Theropoda: Carcharodontosauridae) reveals Convergent Evolutionary Trends in Theropod Arm Reduction
Highlights: • Meraxes, a new, giant predatory dinosaur from Patagonia had short arms like T. rex • Meraxes is the most complete carcharodontosaurid yet from the Southern Hemisphere • It documents peak diversity of carcharodontosaurids just before they went extinct • Meraxes documents convergent evolution of short arms among megapredatory theropods. Summary Giant carnivorous dinosaurs such as Tyrannosaurus rex and abelisaurids are characterized by highly reduced forelimbs that stand in contrast to their huge dimensions, massive skulls, and obligate bipedalism. Another group that follows this pattern, yet is still poorly known, is the Carcharodontosauridae: dominant predators that inhabited most continents during the Early Cretaceous and reached their largest sizes in Aptian-Cenomanian times. Despite many discoveries over the last three decades, aspects of their anatomy, especially with regard to the skull, forearm, and feet, remain poorly known. Here we report a new carcharodontosaurid, Meraxes gigas, gen. et sp. nov., based on a specimen recovered from the Upper Cretaceous Huincul Formation of northern Patagonia, Argentina. Phylogenetic analysis places Meraxes among derived Carcharodontosauridae, in a clade with other massive South American species. Meraxes preserves novel anatomical information for derived carcharodontosaurids, including an almost complete forelimb that provides evidence for convergent allometric trends in forelimb reduction among three lineages of large-bodied, megapredatory non-avian theropods, including a remarkable degree of parallelism between the latest-diverging tyrannosaurids and carcharodontosaurids. This trend, coupled with a likely lower bound on forelimb reduction, hypothesized to be about 0.4 forelimb/femur length, combined to produce this short-armed pattern in theropods. The almost complete cranium of Meraxes permits new estimates of skull length in Giganotosaurus, which is among the longest for theropods. Meraxes also provides further evidence that carchardontosaurids reached peak diversity shortly before their extinction with high rates of trait evolution in facial ornamentation possibly linked to a social signaling role. Keywords: Dinosauria, Theropoda, Carcharodontosauridae, anatomy, evolution, Patagonia, Cretaceous     Meraxes gigas, gen. et sp. nov.     Juan I. Canale, Sebastián Apesteguía, Pablo A. Gallina, Jonathan Mitchell, Nathan D. Smith, Thomas M. Cullen, Akiko Shinya, Alejandro Haluza, Federico A. Gianechini and Peter J. Makovicky. 2022. New Giant Carnivorous Dinosaur reveals Convergent Evolutionary Trends in Theropod Arm Reduction. Current Biology. DOI: 10.1016/j.cub.2022.05.057   | ||||||||
| 3:13a | [Botany • 2022] Millettia densiflora (Fabaceae: Millettieae) • Notes on the Genus Millettia in the Indo-Burmese Region; A New Species, New Records and Lectotypifications
Abstract New species, new records and lectotypifications in Millettia are presented. Millettia densiflora, a new species discovered from Laos, is described and illustrated. Additionally, we provide a detailed morphological description, illustrations, colour plates, distribution map, phenology, conservation status and a discussion of its closest affinity. We further present first reports for Thailand (Millettia cana, M. puerarioides and M. velutina), and Laos (M. velutina). Lectotypes are designated for Millettia cana, M. multiflora, M. oraria and M. velutina. The full descriptions of Millettia cana and M. multiflora are provided for the first time based on fresh specimens. Keywords: Fordia, Indo-Burma, Indo-China, new taxon, lectotypification
Millettia densiflora Mattapha, Lanors. & Lamxay, sp. nov. This species resembles Millettia caerulea (Grah.) Baker in having leaflets with caudate or acuminate apices, inflorescences with an intermediateform between pseudoraceme and pseudopanicle, violet flowers with densely sericeous standards and monadelphous stamens, but it differs in being a woody climber (vs scandent shrub or small tree in M. caerulea), absence of stipels (vs present in M. caerulea), secondary axes of inflorescences up to 15 cm long (vs up to 30 cm long in M. caerulea) and the standard with basal callosities (vs without basal callosities in M. caerulea). Etymology.— The specific epithet refers to the densely packed flowers on the brachyblasts of the inflorescence. Vernacular.— Chak chan kheua in Laotian (ຈັກຈັ່ນເຄືອ). Sawai Mattapha, Sarawood Sungkaew , Wittaya Pongamornkul, Soulivanh Lanorsavanh, Vichith Lamxay and Khant Zaw Hein. 2022. Notes on the Genus Millettia (Fabaceae: Millettieae) in the Indo-Burmese Region; A New Species, New Records and Lectotypifications. Thai Forest Bulletin (Botany). 50(1); 75–87. DOI: 10.20531/tfb.2022.50.1.08  | ||||||||
| 9:39a | [Herpetology • 2020] Leptobrachella wulingensis • A New Species of Leptobrachella Smith, 1925 (Anura: Megophryidae) from Wuling Mountains in Hunan Province, China
Abstract A new species of Leptobrachella, Leptobrachella wulingensis sp. nov. is described based on specimens collected from the Wuling mountains in Hunan Province, China. The new species can be distinguished from its congeners by a combination of having a SVL body size range of 24.5–32.8 mm in four adult males and 29.9–38.5 mm in three adult females; dorsal surface brown to reddish brown with indistinct markings; ventral surface creamy white, often with pale brown speckling on chest and margins; flanks with small to moderate black spots; skin on dorsum shagreened with sparse large warts, sometimes with short longitudinal ridges; toes with rudimentary webbing and narrow lateral fringes; dermal ridges under toes interrupted at the articulations; and iris bicolored with a bright orange or golden upper half, fading to silver in the lower half. Uncorrected sequence divergence between L. wulingensis sp. nov. and homologous 16S rRNA sequences available for all known species in the genus are ≥ 2.3%–2.9%. Keywords: Amphibia, taxonomy, Asian leaf-litter toads, molecular, Leptobrachella wulingensis sp. nov.
Tian-Yu Qian, Xin Xia, Yue Cao, Neng-Wen Xiao and Dao-De Yang. 2020. A New Species of Leptobrachella (Anura: Megophryidae) Smith, 1925 from Wuling Mountains in Hunan Province, China. Zootaxa. 4816(4); 491–526. DOI: 10.11646/zootaxa.4816.4.4  |
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