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Saturday, October 8th, 2022
| Time | Event | ||||||
| 2:47a | [Arachnida • 2022] The Ground Spider Genera Leptodrassex Murphy, 2007 and Leptopilos Levy, 2009 (Araneae: Gnaphosidae) in southern Africa, Including the Description of A New Genus and Seven New Species
Abstract The ground spider genera Leptodrassex Murphy, 2007 and Leptopilos Levy, 2009 are recorded from southern Africa for the first time, with the description of five new species: Leptodrassex murphyi sp. nov. (♂ ♀) from Mozambique and South Africa, and L. capensis sp. nov. (♀) from South Africa; Leptopilos butleri sp. nov. (♂ ♀) and L. vasivulva sp. nov. (♂ ♀) from Botswana, South Africa and Zimbabwe, and L. digitus sp. nov. (♂ ♀) from South Africa. Further, the new genus Afrodrassex gen. nov. is described, with the type species A. balrog sp. nov. (♂ ♀) from South Africa and Angola, and A. catharinae sp. nov. (♂ ♀) from South Africa described therein. Details of the somatic and genitalic morphology of all three genera are examined by scanning electron microscopy, and revised descriptions of Leptodrassex and Leptopilos are presented. Keywords: Araneae, Afrotropical, Angola, Botswana, endemic, Leptodrassinae, Mozambique, South Africa, Zimbabwe
Charles R. Haddad and Ruan Booysen. 2022. The Ground Spider Genera Leptodrassex Murphy, 2007 and Leptopilos Levy, 2009 (Araneae: Gnaphosidae) in southern Africa, Including the Description of A New Genus and Seven New Species. Zootaxa. 5194(1); 1-32. DOI: 10.11646/zootaxa.5194.1.1 | ||||||
| 2:47a | [Herpetology • 2022] Toxicocalamus longhagen • A New Species of New Guinea Worm-Eating Snake Genus Toxicocalamus Boulenger, 1896 (Serpentes: Elapidae) from Western Highlands Province, Papua New Guinea
Abstract We describe a new species of New Guinea Worm-Eating Snake (Elapidae: Toxicocalamus) from a specimen in the reptile collection of the Papua New Guinea National Museum and Art Gallery. Toxicocalamus longhagen sp. nov. can be easily distinguished from other species of this genus by the presence of paired subcaudals, a preocular scale unfused from the prefrontal scale, a prefrontal distinct from the internasal scale that contacts the supralabials, a single large posterior temporal and two postocular scales. The new taxon is currently known only from one specimen, which was collected from Mt. Hagen Town in Western Highlands Province, Papua New Guinea in 1967. The new species was originally identified as T. loriae, but the unique head scalation and postfrontal bone morphology revealed through micro-computed tomography scanning easily distinguish the new species from T. loriae sensu stricto. This is the first species of this genus described from Western Highlands Province. Key Words: Australasia, fossorial, Melanesia, micro-computed tomography, morphology
Toxicocalamus longhagen sp. nov. Diagnosis: A medium-sized species with moderate habitus (566.0 total length, 12.8 maximum lateral width) with 15-15-15 dorsal scale rows, 200 ventral scales, 43 paired subcaudals, preocular present and not fused to prefrontal, preocular not in contact with internasal or nasal; prefrontal separating preocular from internasal and nasal by contacting second supralabial; frontal not fused with supraoculars; internasals not fused; four circumoculars – one supraocular, one preocular, two postoculars; nasals divided; one anterior temporal not fused with supralabials, one posterior temporal; six supralabials, the second in contact with prefrontal, preventing contact between nasal and preocular; cloacal plate divided; ventrals yellowish with light to dark brown. ... Etymology: The specific epithet, longhagen, is a combination of “long” – a Tok Pisin word meaning ‘from’ and “hagen” that refers to the type locality of Mt. Hagen Town (Fig. 1). Tok Pisin is a uniting and official language of Papua New Guinea, the most linguistically complex region on the planet with more than 800 unique languages (Foley 2010). Jackson R. Roberts, Bulisa Iova and Christopher C. Austin. 2022. A New Species of New Guinea Worm-Eating Snake (Serpentes, Elapidae, Toxicocalamus Boulenger, 1896) from Western Highlands Province, Papua New Guinea. Zoosystematics and Evolution. 98(2): 399-409. DOI: 10.3897/zse.98.90520 Abstract in Tok Pisin: Mipela tokaut lon nupela kain sinek I save kaikai ol liklik sinek insait lon graun lon New Guinea (Elapidae: Toxicocalamus) blo wanpela sinek I bin stap lon ol sinek koleksen insait lon Papua New Guinea National Museum and Art Gallery. Toxicocalamus longhagen sp. nov. em u ken lukim isi tru lon ol arapela wankain poro blo em lo ol wantok blo em we u ken lukim tupela aninit lo tel, na polhet blo eye girere or sikin stap em yet lon polhet na nus girere wantem lo antap wisket, na tupela girere stap baksait lo ai blo em. Dispela nupla kain sinek em nau yet ol kisim save lon wanpla sinek ol kisim lon Mt. Hagen Taun lon Western Highlands Province, Papua New Guinea lon 1967. Dispela nupela kain sinek em pastem tru ol givim nem olsem T. loriae tasol em gat wanpela spesol kain girere lo polhet blo em I tok aut lon liklik masin/computa I galasim isi namel lon nupela sinek na T. loriae sensu stricto. Dispela em nambawan kain sinek ol kisim save lo wantok blo em na tok klia olsem em kam lo Western Highlands Province. | ||||||
| 11:03a | [Herpetology • 2022] Taxonomic Revaluation of the Ahaetulla prasina Complex (Serpentes: Colubridae) from Northeast India: Resurrection and Redescription of Ahaetulla flavescens (Wall, 1910)
ABSTRACT The taxonomic status of the nominal taxon Dryophis prasinus flavescens Wall, 1910 is reevaluated herein. Based on molecular data generated from fresh collections of Ahaetulla prasina (H. Boie in F. Boie, 1827) auctorum from Northeast India and, additionally, morphological data from museum specimens originating from the same areas, we resurrect this taxon as Ahaetulla flavescens (Wall, 1910) comb. nov. We clarify the status, identity and locations of its type specimens, rediscover, redescribe and illustrate those specimens and also designate a lectotype in order to effect a proper taxonomic redefinition of this nominal taxon. We provide further details on the morphology and diagnosis of this species and elucidate its phylogenetic position. We also provide a summary of the natural history and distribution of this species. Adding to the known cryptic diversity and genetic divergence within Southeast Asian populations, this work also hints at the need for a taxonomic revision of the A. prasina complex. This work complements a previous study on the A. prasina complex focusing on populations in Indonesia. Taken together, these two studies represent phylogenetic reconstructions from different populations of the A. prasina complex across its distribution range, on the Asian mainland and the surrounding islands. Keywords: Assam, Arunachal Pradesh, BNHS, DNA, distribution, scalation, vine snakes
Ahaetulla flavescens (Wall, 1910) comb. nov. Etymology: A Latin adjective, derived from Latin verb ‘flavesco / flavescre’, meaning ‘turning to yellow’ / ‘becoming yellow’, referring to the yellowish colouration of the type specimens in life (see Wall 1910). Achyuthan N. Srikanthan, Omkar Dilip Adhikari, Ashok Kumar Mallik, Patrick D. Campbell, Bharat Bhushan Bhatt, Kartik Shanker and Sumaithangi Rajagopalan Ganesh. 2022. Taxonomic Revaluation of the Ahaetulla prasina (H. Boie in F. Boie, 1827) Complex from Northeast India: Resurrection and Redescription of Ahaetulla flavescens (Wall, 1910) (Reptilia: Serpentes: Colubridae). European Journal of Taxonomy. 839, 120–148. DOI: 10.5852/ejt.2022.839.1937 |
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