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Monday, September 26th, 2022
| Time | Event | ||||||||
| 1:29a | [Entomology • 2018] Pharmacis cantabricus • A New Species of Pharmacis Hübner, 1820 (Lepidoptera: Hepialidae) from Spain with A Brief Review of the Genera Pharmacis and Korscheltellus Börner, 1920
Abstract We here describe a new ghost moth (Hepialidae) species, Pharmacis cantabricus sp. n. from the Picos de Europa National Park, Cantabria, in northern Spain. The new species belongs to a group of mostly day-flying species that are restricted to the European Alps and some mountain ranges of southern Europe. Based on morphology and analysis of mitochondrial COI gene sequences, the new species is closely related to Pharmacis aemilianus (Constantini, 1911), an endemic of the Italian Apennines. However, Pharmacis cantabricus sp. n. can easily be distinguished from all related species based on both external and genitalic characters. We briefly review and illustrate all species of the genus Pharmacis Hübner, 1820 and discuss its relationship with the related genus Korscheltellus Börner, 1920. We reinstate Hepialus castillanus Oberthür, 1883 as a distinct species and transfer it to Korscheltellus (stat. rev., comb. n.).
   Pharmacis cantabricus sp. n. Diagnosis: Males of P. cantabricus sp. n. can be differentiated from males of all other species by the white forewing markings, which are usually reduced to an often ill-defined white streak near the base, an irregular white patch just anterior of vein A, and a third white patch between veins A and CuA2 near the anal angle. The extent of these white markings is, however, variable. In some specimens they are further reduced or even absent (as in the female in Fig. 8), in others they form an almost continuous white line (as in female in Fig. 7). Pharmacis cantabricus sp. n. differs from most other species of Pharmacis, with the exception of P. aemilianus, ... Axel Kallies and Teresa Farino. 2018. A New Species of Pharmacis Hübner, 1820 from Spain with A Brief Review of the Genera Pharmacis and Korscheltellus Börner, 1920 (Lepidoptera, Hepialidae). Nota Lepidopterologica. 41(2): 225-249. DOI: 10.3897/nl.41.26835 Resumen: Describimos una nueva especie de Hepialidae, Pharmacis cantabricus sp. n. del Parque Nacional de Picos de Europa, Cantabria, España septentrional. La nueva especie pertenece a un grupo de especies de vuelo diurno cuya distribución se limita a los Alpes europeos y otras cadenas montañosas de Europa meridional. Según estudios morfológicos y análisis de secuencias del gen mitocondrial COI, la nueva especie es más próxima a Pharmacis aemilianus (Constantini, 1911), un endemismo de los Montes Apeninos en Italia. Sin embargo, Pharmacis cantabricus sp. n. se distingue fácilmente de todas las especies relacionadas en sus caracteres externos y genitales. Evaluamos brevemente e ilustramos todas las especies del género Pharmacis Hübner, 1820 y comentamos su relación con el género emparentado Korscheltellus Börner, 1920. Restituimos Hepialus castillanus Oberthür, 1883 como especie y la trasladamos a Korscheltellus (stat. rev., comb. n.).  | ||||||||
| 1:40a | [Entomology • 2022] Tegostoma burtoni • The Genus Tegostoma (Lepidoptera: Crambidae: Odontiinae) in Armenia, with Description of A New Species
Abstract A small but beautifully coloured species of Tegostoma Zeller, 1847, which was collected by the authors in Armenia, has turned out to be unnamed and is here described as Tegostoma burtoni sp. nov. The description is supported by morphology and DNA barcodes . Photographs of the adults and genitalia of both sexes are provided. Tegostoma lepidalis (Herrich-Schäffer, 1851) and Pyrausta gulpembe Kemal & Koçak, 2018 are recorded as new species for Armenia.
Tegostoma burtoni sp. nov. Diagnosis: Tegostoma burtoni sp. nov. is similar to some other Tegostoma species, mainly T. lepidalis (Herrich-Schäffer, 1851), and to Pyrausta gulpembe Kemal & Koçak, 2018 in external appereance, but it differs by its smaller wingspan. It differs from all Tegostoma species of comparable size by the distinctive purple colour of the forewings. Etymology: The species name is derived from the name of John Andrew Burton, a worldwide active conservationist, in honour of his strong support of establishing nature reserves in Armenia. It is to his merit to have established the Artsakh Nature fund and that more than 30,000 hectares of unique habitats are now protected within the borders of the Caucasus Wildlife Refuge. Note: The nature reserve is named after the old name of the village Gorovan, which has later become Goravan. But the official name of this protected area remained in its original spelling. Therefore, the names of the municipality and the protected area differ. Jan Šumpich, Ole Karsholt, Nikolay Savenkov and Hartmut Roweck. 2022. The Genus Tegostoma in Armenia, with Description of A New Species (Crambidae, Odontiinae). Nota Lepidopterologica. 45: 269-278. DOI: 10.3897/nl.45.87795 | ||||||||
| 1:50a | [Herpetology • 2022] Boana guarinimirim • A New Cryptic Species of Boana (Hylidae: Hylinae: Cophomantini) of the B. polytaenia Clade from the Brazilian Atlantic Forest
Abstract A recent systematic revision pointed out that the name Boana polytaenia has been applied to a nonmonophyletic assemblage because populations identified as B. polytaenia from the northern Mantiqueira and southern Espinhaço mountain ranges are not closely related with the species' nominal clade. In this sense, specimens from these two biogeographic regions were recovered within two clades named Boana sp. 3 and Boana sp. 4, respectively. Here we characterized and compared external morphologies, calls, and DNA of specimens of the clade of B. polytaenia and from the two candidate species (Boana sp. 3 and Boana sp. 4). From these comparisons we herein describe a new cryptic species. Boana guarinimirim sp. nov. differs from its closely related species by the presence of a supracloacal crest, calcar appendage, and conspicuous discs on toes. Nevertheless, the new species could not be completely discriminated from its distantly related taxon B. polytaenia. We applied the new name to the clade distributed throughout the northern Mantiqueira range (Boana sp. 3), but the new name could also be applied to the clade from southern Espinhaço range (Boana sp. 4). Additional sampling efforts and new sources of evidence, such as larvae morphology and chromosomal features, should evaluate whether the lineages are conspecifics.
Pedro Marinho, Davi L. Bang, Izadora Vidigal and Ariovaldo A. Giaretta. 2022. A New Cryptic Species of Boana (Hylinae: Cophomantini) of the B. polytaenia Clade from the Brazilian Atlantic Forest. J. of Herpetology, 56(3):278-293. DOI: 10.1670/21-045 | ||||||||
| 1:59a | [Invertebrate • 2022] Callistoctopus xiaohongxu • Morphological Description and mitochondrial DNA-based Phylogenetic Placement of A New Species of Callistoctopus Taki, 1964 (Cephalopoda, Octopodidae) from the southeast waters of China
Abstract In this study, we described a new species of octopus and named it Callistoctopus xiaohongxu sp. nov. based on nine specimens captured in the waters of southeast China. Callistoctopus xiaohongxu sp. nov. is a small to moderate-sized octopus. The most characteristic and defining morphological features are the reddish-orange to reddish-brown skin, gills with 8 or 9 lamellae per demibranch, \∧/-shaped funnel organ, and small suckers. Fragments obtained from the mitochondrial cytochrome c oxidase subunit I (COI) gene of nine specimens were 593 bp in length, and the genetic distance among the specimens of C. xiaohongxu sp. nov. and the other 16 octopods ranged from 11.13 to 21.09%. Topologies resulting from ML and BI analyses of the COI gene showed a highly supported monophyletic clade (bootstrap value [BS] = 94%, posterior probability [PP] = 100%) containing all the specimens identified as C. xiaohongxu sp. nov. Keywords: Callistoctopus xiaohongxu sp. nov., COI gene, new species, octopus, taxonomy 
Order Octopoda Leach, 1818 Family Octopodidae d’Orbigny, 1840 Genus Callistoctopus Taki, 1964 Type species: Callistoctopus ornatus (Gould, 1852). Callistoctopus xiaohongxu sp. nov. Diagnosis: Small to moderate size (ML 41.7–83.3 mm). Colour of skin reddish-orange to reddish-brown, no papillae or patch. One or two lines of black chromatophores on the lateral margins of arms under the skin (Fig. 2A). Head narrow (HWI 23.0–39.1). Arms of moderate length (ALI 154.9–336.3), thin (AWI 8.7–18.0). Web deep (WDI 15.7–22.9). Suckers small (SDI 5.0–6.9) and biserial. Enlarged suckers absent. Funnel organ \ /\ /-shaped, long (FLI 51.0–68.5). Gills with 8–9 lamellae per demibranch. Ligula moderate size (LLI 7.0–11.6) with groove.
Etymology: The name ‘xiaohongxu’, which refers to its small body size and reddish body colour, is the phonetic translation of the local Chinese name of this species in Zhangzhou, where specimens were collected. Distribution: According to fishermen in Zhangzhou, this species is distributed in the East China Sea and the South China Sea, mainly in Quanzhou, Fujian Province to Shanwei, Guangdong Province. Xiaodong Zheng, Chenxi Xu and Jiahua Li. 2022. Morphological Description and mitochondrial DNA-based Phylogenetic Placement of A New Species of Callistoctopus Taki, 1964 (Cephalopoda, Octopodidae) from the southeast waters of China. ZooKeys. 1121: 1-15. DOI: 10.3897/zookeys.1121.86264  | ||||||||
| 11:52a | [Herpetology • 2022] Xenopeltis intermedius • Integrative Taxonomy Reveals A New Cryptic Species of Xenopeltis Gray, 1831 (Ophidia: Macrostomata: Xenopeltidae) from Central Highlands, Vietnam
Abstract Herein, we describe a new cryptic snake species of the genus Xenopeltis from Central Highlands of Vietnam: Kon Plông District, Kon Tum Province based both on morphological and molecular data. Xenopeltis intermedius sp. nov. is distinguished from the two known species by a combination of the following morphological characters. Xenopeltis intermedius sp. nov. differs from X. unicolor and X. hainanensis by the number of ventrals and subcaudals. The skull is less elongated than in X. unicolor and somewhat more elongate than in X. hainanensis. X. intermedius demonstrates differences in size, shape proportions and relief of the parietal bone and the number of teeth from X. hainanensis and X. unicolor. We provide a COI-based estimation of diversity of the genus Xenopeltis. Genetic divergence (p-distance) between Xenopeltis sp. nov. from Kon Tum Province, Central Highlands region of Vietnam, and two other congeners was 5.7% (for X. hainanensis) and 12.9% (for X. unicolor). The new species is currently known only from one locality from Central Highland and was recorded from 1500 to 2500 m a.s.l. in the evergreen polydominant forests in the mountainous regions of Kon Tum Province. This is the third species of Xenopeltis from Vietnam. Keywords: Xenopeltis intermedius sp. nov.; xenopeltid snakes; taxonomy; morphology; Central Highland; Vietnam; cytochrome c oxidase subunit I 
Xenopeltis intermedius sp. nov. Nikolai L. Orlov, Pavel B. Snetkov, Oleg A. Ermakov, Tao Thien Nguyen and Natalia B. Ananjeva. 2022. Integrative Taxonomy Reveals A New Cryptic Species of Xenopeltis Gray, 1831 (Ophidia: Macrostomata: Pythonoidea: Xenopeltidae) from Central Highlands, Vietnam. Russian Journal of Herpetology. 29(4); 237-249. DOI: 10.30906/1026-2296-2022-29-4-237-249 | ||||||||
| 4:39p | [Paleontology • 2022] Serpentisuchops pfisterae • A Long-snouted and Long-necked Polycotylid Plesiosaur from the Late Cretaceous of North America
Highlights • Serpentisuchops is a polycotylid plesiosaur, from the Cretaceous of Wyoming • Unlike most plesiosaurs, it has both a long neck and large, elongated jaws • The partial skeleton indicates the animal was over seven meters long • The long jaws and neck likely aided in rapid lateral striking to snag fast, small prey Summary Plesiosaurs are a group of Mesozoic marine diapsids. Most derived plesiosaurs fall into one of two typical body forms: those with proportionately small heads, short snouts, and elongated necks, and those with large heads, elongated snouts, and short necks. Serpentisuchops pfisterae is a polycotylid plesiosaur from the Upper Cretaceous Pierre Shale that presents the trait combination of both an elongate snout and elongate neck (consisting of 32 vertebrae). Phylogenetic analysis places Serpentisuchops within the Polycotylinae, indicating that its long snout is an ancestral trait, while its long neck is secondarily derived and convergent with that of ancestral plesiosaurs, contemporaneous elasmosaurids, and some more basal members of the Polycotylidae. The conical, recurved, and narrow teeth are consistent with a piscivorous diet. The tall and anteroposteriorly broad cervical neural spines indicate large epaxial muscles, suggesting that Serpentisuchops used both its neck and snout in fast lateral strikes aimed at proportionately small prey.
Plesiosauria de Blainville, 1835. Plesiosauroidea Welles, 1943. Polycotylidae Williston, 1908. Serpentisuchops pfisterae Persons, Street, and Kelley, 2022, gen. et sp. nov. Holotype: Specimen GPM5001 at the Glenrock Paleon Museum in Glenrock, Wyoming, USA, a partial skull, lower jaw, and vertebral column, plus left ileum and pubis (Figure 1). Horizon and Locality Old Woman Anticline (Gill and Cobban, 1966), upper half of the upper member of the Pierre Shale, lower Maastrichtian (Upper Cretaceous), 69.59 (±0.36) to 70.00 (±0.45) million years ago (Ogg et al., 2012). Diagnosis: A polycotylid having 36 dentary alveoli; a mandibular symphysis dominated by the dentaries and in which each angular extends for less than 0.3% of the total symphysis length (6 mm in the holotype); a pre-dorsal vertebra series of 32 cervical vertebrae and 4 pectoral vertebrae; posterior cervical vertebrae with neural spines that broaden anteroposteriorly into expanded dorsal tips; an ilium with a sacral end that is the anteroposteriorly widest and mediolaterally thinnest part of the ilium and is neither rounded nor tapered, but forms an abrupt and anteroposteriorly straight edge; and a pubis with a posterolateral edge that extends anteriorly and curves strongly to form a posterolateral projection that is hook-shaped in dorsal and ventral view. In addition, Serpentisuchops presents a unique combination of characters: as in Polycotylus, the splenial is not visible dorsally and the left and right angulars never converge on the ventral surface of the mandible; as in Dolichorhynchops, the dorsal vertebrae have anteroposteriorly elongate centra and neural spines with anteroposteriorly long and flat distal tips; the medioposterior edge of the pubis is strongly curved, but does not end in a prominent posterior projection (as it does in Dolichorhynchops tropicensis) and does not extend as far posteriorly as the ischial articulation facet.
Etymology: Serpentisuchops from serpent (Latin), snake, suchus (Latin), crocodile, and ops (Greek), face; and pfisterae for Anna Pfister, the landowner whose generosity afforded the scientific study and donation of the type specimen. Walter Scott Persons, Hallie P. Street and Amanda Kelley. 2022. A Long-snouted and Long-necked Polycotylid Plesiosaur from the Late Cretaceous of North America. iScience. DOI: 10.1016/j.isci.2022.105033 https://today.cofc.edu/2022/09/26/cofc-p   |
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