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Friday, December 8th, 2023
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| 2:14a | [Ichthyology • 2023] Didogobius lanceolatus • A New goby Species from Mauritania, with Diagnoses for Two New gobiine Genera (Gobiidae: Gobiinae)
Didogobius lanceolatus sp. nov. is described from a single specimen collected from
the southern Banc d’Arguin, Mauritania. The species differs from all currently
described congeners, as well as from all species of the closely related species of the
genera Chromogobius and Gammogobius, by the combination of the following characters: (1) lanceolate caudal fin; (2) small (reduced) vs. large eyes; (3) 27 vertebrae;
(4) D2I, 13, AI, 11; (5) predorsal region in front of first dorsal fin D1 naked;
(6) body squamation reduced, with only few areas on flank covered by externally
visible cycloid scales behind pectoral origin and on caudal peduncle; (7) anterior
oculoscapular canal present, with only pores σ,κ,α,ρ; (8) posterior oculoscapular
and preopercular head canal absent; (9) suborbital row 7 close to pore α with more
than five papillae; (10) suborbital rows 2 and 4 close to orbit; (11) interorbital papillae absent. The new species appears most closely related to the type species of
Didogobius Miller 1966, D. bentuvii Miller, 1966, as it shares a set of apparently derived morphological characters, such as the lanceolate caudal fin, minute eyes and
the anterior oculoscapular canal with only pores σ,κ,α,ρ present. Phylogenetic
analysis of COI-barcoding data further suggests a close relationship with two
other species of the genus Didogobius exclusively sharing with the new species and
D. bentuvii elevated unpaired fin ray counts, i. e., D2 branched rays ≥12 (vs. ≤11 in
all other species) and A branched rays ≥11 (vs. ≤10 in all other species); these two
species are D. kochi Van Tassell, 1988 and D. schlieweni Miller, 1992. Based on the
description of new Didogobius species obviously closely related to the type species
of Didogobius, on re-examination of the single type specimen of D. bentuvii and on
the new DNA barcoding data we restrict and re-diagnose the genus Didogobius to
include only the aforementioned four species. The other former Didogobius species
are placed in two new genera, each unambiguously diagnosable on previously
established morphological data: Marcelogobius gen. nov. with M. splechtnai, M. helenae and M. janetarum, and Peter gen. nov. with the two shrimp-associated species
P. amicuscaridis and P. wirtzi.
Class Osteichthyes Huxley, 1880 Order Gobiiformes Günther, 1880 Family Gobiidae Cuvier, 1816 Genus Didogobius Miller, 1966 Didogobius lanceolatus Schliewen,
Knorrn & Böhmer, 2023 sp. nov. Diagnosis. Didogobius lanceolatus sp. nov. differs
from all currently described members of the genera Didogobius, Chromogobius, Marcelogobius gen.
nov. and Peter gen. nov. by the combination of
the following characters: (1) lanceolate caudal fin;
(2) small (reduced) vs. large eyes; (3) 27 vertebrae;
(4) D2I+13, AI+11; (5) predorsal region in front
of D1 naked; (6) body squamation reduced, with
only a few cycloid scales anteriorly and in tail region; (7) anterior oculoscapular canal present, with
only pores σ, κ, α, ρ; (8) posterior oculascapular and
preopercular head canal absent; (9) suborbital row
7 with more than five papillae; (10) suborbital rows
2 and 4 close to orbit. Etymology. Latin for “with a little lance”, derived
from Latin lanceola, a diminutive term of lancea, meaning “lancet”, i.e. a small lancet. An adjective referring
to the lancet-shaped caudal fin of the new species,
a character shared in the Chromogobius-Didogobius
species complex only shared with the type species
of the genus Didogobius, D. bentuvii. Marcelogobius Schliewen gen. nov. Etymology. The generic name Marcelogobius gen.
nov. honours the Croatian biologist, Marcelo Kovačić,
who is the leading active goby expert for the Eastern
Atlantic, Mediterranean and Ponto-Caspian region. Included species: The type species, M. splechtnai
(Ahnelt & Patzner, 1995) comb. nov., M. helenae (Van
Tassell & Kramer, 2014) comb. nov., and M. janetarum
Schliewen, Wirtz & Kovačić 2018 comb. nov. Peter Schliewen gen. nov. Etymology. The generic name Peter gen. nov. refers
to the same first name of two outstanding goby
enthusiasts at the same time, i. e. first Peter J. Miller,
the British goby systematicist, who has contributed
particularly to the knowledge of European and
African gobies more than any other goby scientist;
and second, Peter Wirtz, the tirelessly diving German naturalist and biologist, who discovered dozens
of new animal species in the marine waters of the
eastern tropical Atlantic, including the two shrimpassociated goby species Peter amicuscaridis comb.
nov. and Peter wirtzi. comb. nov. Gender masculine. Included species: The type species, P. wirtzi
(Schliewen & Kovačić, 2008) comb. nov. and P. amicuscaridis (Schliewen & Kovačić, 2008) comb. nov. Ulrich K. Schliewen, Alexander Hans Knorrn, Robin Böhmer, Lydia Beuck, Moritz Sonnewald and André Freiwald. 2023. Didogobius lanceolatus sp. nov., A New goby Species from Mauritania, with Diagnoses for Two New gobiine Genera (Teleostei, Gobiidae, Gobiinae). SPIXIANA. 46(1); 119-133 | ||||||||
| 5:44a | [PaleoOrnithology • 2023] Dynatoaetus pachyosteus • Pleistocene Raptors from Cave deposits of South Australia, with A Description of A New Species of Dynatoaetus (Accipitridae): Morphology, Systematics and Palaeoecological Implications
ABSTRACT The Pleistocene fossil record of Australian raptors (Accipitridae: eagles, hawks and Old World vultures) is very poorly understood with only three distinct extinct species confirmed until now. The small Necrastur alacer remains unstudied; however recent research has established Cryptogyps lacertosus as a valid species that, along with the very large Dynatoaetus gaffae, has potential affinities with the Aegypiinae–Circaetinae clade. These, along with a single large liv- ing inland raptor, the Wedge-tailed Eagle Aquila audax, suggest that Australia had an impover- ished diversity of large raptors compared to other similar continental regions. However, fossil material similar in size to A. audax from multiple Pleistocene cave deposits raises the possibility of further taxa and is here assessed. A partial skeleton from Green Waterhole/Fossil Cave in the Tantanoola District of South Australia is referred to Cryptogyps lacertosus on the basis of similar size to bones of this species and that the associated coracoid is identical to that found with a tarsometatarsus that was previously referred to this species, coming from Leaena’s Breath Cave on the Nullarbor Plain, Western Australia. This partial skeleton allowed additional material from the Old Collections, Wellington Caves, and Walli Caves in New South Wales to be referred to this species. A second species, more robust than A. audax, is identified from material from Victoria Fossil Cave at Naracoorte. Phylogenetic analyses determined this species to be the sister taxon of the much larger Dynatoaetus gaffae recently described from several Australian sites, and so we name it as Dynatoaetus pachyosteus sp. nov. Further fragmentary remains attributable to either A. audax, C. lacertosus or D. pachyosteus are recorded from sites in the Wellington Caves complex, NSW. This study increases the known diversity of raptors in Pleistocene Australia, consistent with the presence of the more diverse megafaunal prey that existed at the time. KEYWORDS: Pleistocene extinction, Australia, Aegypiinae, Circaetinae, avian predators, avian scavengers, taxonomy  
  Ellen K. Mather, Michael S. Y. Lee, Diana A. Fusco, John Hellstrom and Trevor H. Worthy. 2023. Pleistocene Raptors from Cave deposits of South Australia, with A Description of A New Species of Dynatoaetus (Accipitridae: Aves): Morphology, Systematics and Palaeoecological Implications. Alcheringa: An Australasian Journal of Palaeontology. DOI: 10.1080/03115518.2023.2268780 https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1 theconversation.com/giant-eagles-and-sca theguardian.com/australia-news/2023/n   | ||||||||
| 3:01p | [Diplopoda • 2023] Siamaxytes bifurca • Molecular Phylogeny of Dragon Millipedes (Polydesmida: Paradoxosomatidae) from mainland South-East Asia, with Description of A New Genus and Species
Abstract Recent taxonomic revision of the strikingly ornamented millipedes known as ‘dragon millipedes’ in the family Paradoxosomatidae, has revealed generic division into six genera. The majority of species are distributed in mainland South-East Asia and each genus is restricted to a well-delimited area. However, their evolutionary history has remained poorly understood, particularly the relationships among genera and their biogeographic distribution. We present a comprehensive and well-resolved molecular phylogeny based on mitochondrial and nuclear genes. A dataset of 256 sequences representing 40 dragon millipede species was newly generated and analysed in order to reveal the relationships and to explore the origin using ancestral range reconstruction. All dragon millipedes were retrieved together as monophyletic, each genus except Hylomus forming a distinct clade with strong statistical values, supporting the previous classification using morphology. A new monotypic genus and new species, Siamaxytes bifurca Srisonchai and Panha gen. nov. et sp. nov., was revealed based on distinct morphological and DNA data. The Tenasserim mountain range was inferred to be the centre of origin of dragon millipedes with a series of subsequent diversifications across mainland South-East Asia. Our analysis provides evidence that both dispersal and vicariance presumably played a role in shaping these millipedes’ distribution and diversification. biogeography, distribution patterns, endemism, systematics, ancestral state reconstruction
  Ruttapon Srisonchai, Henrik Enghoff, Natdanai Likhitrakarn, Ekgachai Jeratthitikul, Parin Jirapatrasilp, Somsak Panha and Chirasak Sutcharit. 2023. Molecular Phylogeny of Dragon Millipedes (Diplopoda: Polydesmida: Paradoxosomatidae) from mainland South-East Asia, with Description of A New Genus and Species. Zoological Journal of the Linnean Society. zlad164. DOI: 10.1093/zoolinnean/zlad164  | ||||||||
| 3:01p | [Mammalogy • 2023] Uropsilus huanggangensis • A New Species of Shrew Moles, Genus Uropsilus Milne-Edwards, 1871 (Eulipotyphla: Talpidae), from the Wuyi Mountains, Jiangxi Province, eastern China
Abstract Asian shrew moles, genus Uropsilus, are the most primitive members of family Talpidae. They are distributed mainly in southwestern China and adjacent Bhutan, Myanmar, and Vietnam. In June 2022, we collected five specimens of Uropsilus from Mount Huanggang, Jiangxi Province, eastern China, which is the highest peak of the Wuyi Mountains. We sequenced two mitochondrial (CYT B and 12S rRNA) and three nuclear (PLCB4, RAG1, and RAG2) genes to estimate the phylogenetic relationship of the five shrew moles. We also compared their morphology with recognized species within the genus. Our results show that these specimens collected from Mount Huanggang differ from all named species in Uropsilus. We formally describe the species here as Uropsilus huanggangensis sp. nov. Morphologically, the new species is distinguishable from the other Uropsilus species by the combination of dark chocolate-brown pelage, long snout, enlarged first upper incisor, similarly sized lacrimal and infraorbital foramens, and the curved and sickle-like coronoid process. The genetic distances of the cytochrome b (CYT B) gene between U. huanggangensis and other recognized Uropsilus species ranged between 9.3% and 16.4%. The new species is geographically distant from other species in the genus and is the easternmost record of the Uropsilus. The divergence time of U. huanggangensis was estimated to be the late Pliocene (1.92 Ma, 95% CI = 0.88–2.99). Key words: Mount Huanggang, small mammals, taxonomy, Uropsilinae
Uropsilus huanggangensis Chen, Jiang & Ren, sp. nov. Suggested common name: Huanggang shrew mole; Chinese common name: 黄岗鼩鼹. Diagnosis: The dorsal pelage of U. huanggangensis is dark chocolate-brown. The snout is the longest of any species in the genus. The first incisor I1 is wide and shows an enlargement at the apex of the rostrum, with a visible gap to I2. C1 is larger than P1, and P1 and P3 are similar in size. Tail is slim and relatively short, averaging 86% of head and body length. The tufts at the tail tip are short. The lacrimal foramen and infraorbital foramen are similar in size. The coronoid process is pointed and converges more upward with an incisive tip. The dental formula is I 2/1, C1/1, P 4/4, M 3/3 = 38. Etymology: The specific name huanggangensis is derived from Mount Huanggang, the type locality of the new species; the Latin adjectival suffix -ensis means “belonging to”. Distribution and ecology: Uropsilus huanggangensis is currently known only from the type locality on Mount Huanggang, Wuyishan National Park, Jiangxi Province, eastern China, where pecimens were collected at elevations between 1830 and 2060 m a.s.l. Coniferous forests and shrub meadows, with abundant rocks on the ground, dominate the habitat in this area. Xueyang Ren, Yifan Xu, Yixian Li, Hongfeng Yao, Yi Fang, Laxman Khanal, Lin Cheng, Wei Zeng, Xuelong Jiang and Zhongzheng Chen. 2023. A New Species of Shrew Moles, Genus Uropsilus Milne-Edwards, 1871 (Mammalia, Eulipotyphla, Talpidae), from the Wuyi Mountains, Jiangxi Province, eastern China. ZooKeys. 1186: 25-46. DOI: 10.3897/zookeys.1186.111592  | ||||||||
| 3:11p | [Paleontology • 2023] Ferussina petofiana (Gastropoda: Caenogastropoda: Cyclophoridae) • the Oldest representative of its subfamily from the Late Cretaceous of Romania
Abstract The terrestrial gastropod Ferussina petofiana Páll-Gergely sp. n. is described from uppermost Cretaceous (Maastrichtian) deposits from the Haţeg Basin, Romania. It represents the first properly diagnosed and described snail taxon from these deposits, despite numerous earlier reports of gastropod occurrences. This new species is characterized by a depressed, mostly smooth shell, three spiral carinae on the ventral side (inside the umbilicus), and an upward-turning aperture. The last feature characterizes two European fossil snail genera, the cyclophoroidean Ferussina, and the stylommatophoran Strophostomella. The new species is classified in the former group due to its nearly circular aperture, and the presence of conspicuous spiral carinae. In contrast, the aperture of most stylommatophoran genera (including Strophostomella) is semilunar, and if raised sculptural elements are present, they are mostly radially oriented. The identification of this new taxon in the uppermost Cretaceous of Romania represents an important range extension for the genus Ferussina, and adds it to the brief list of European clades that appear to have survived the mass extinction event at the Cretaceous-Paleogene boundary. Keywords: Maastrichtian, Strophostomella, Anostomopsidae, Paleogene, K-Pg boundary
Barna Páll-Gergely, János Magyar, Zoltán Csiki-Sava and Gábor Botfalvai. 2023. Ferussina petofiana sp. n. (Gastropoda, Caenogastropoda, Cyclophoridae), the Oldest representative of its subfamily from the Late Cretaceous of Romania. Acta Zoologica Academiae Scientiarum Hungaricae. 69(4) 337-352. DOI: 10.17109/AZH.69.4.337.2023 twitter.com/bakonyi_gabor/status/1711438594869506061   | ||||||||
| 3:12p | [Ichthyology • 2023] Triplophysa cehengensis, T. rongduensis, etc. • Four New hypogean Species of the Genus Triplophysa (Cypriniformes:, Nemacheilidae) from Guizhou Province, Southwest China, based on molecular and morphological data
Abstract Recently described cave species of the genus Triplophysa have been discovered in southwestern China, suggesting that the diversity of the genus is severely underestimated and that there may be many undescribed species. In this work, four new species of the genus Triplophysa are described from southwestern Guizhou Province, China, namely Triplophysa cehengensis Luo, Mao, Zhao, Xiao & Zhou, sp. nov. and Triplophysa rongduensis Mao, Zhao, Yu, Xiao & Zhou, sp. nov. from Rongdu Town, Ceheng County, Guizhou, Triplophysa panzhouensis Yu, Luo, Lan, Xiao & Zhou, sp. nov. from Hongguo Town, Panzhou City, Guizhou, and Triplophysa anlongensis Song, Luo, Lan, Zhao, Xiao & Zhou, sp. nov. from Xinglong Town, Anlong County, Guizhou. These four new species can be distinguished from all recognized congeners by a combination of morphological characteristics and significant genetic divergences. The discovery of these species increases the number of known cave species within the genus Triplophysa to 39, making the genus the second most diverse group of cave fishes in China after the golden-line fish genus Sinocyclocheilus. Based on the non-monophyletic relationships of the different watershed systems in the phylogenetic tree, this study also discusses the use of cave species of the genus Triplophysa to determine the possible historical connectivity of river systems. Key words: Diversity, karst cave, morphology, new species, taxonomy, Triplophysa
Triplophysa cehengensis Luo, Mao, Zhao, Xiao & Zhou, sp. nov. Etymology: The specific epithet cehengensis is in reference to the type locality of the new species: Longjing Village, Rongdu Town, Ceheng County. We propose the common English name “Ceheng high-plateau loach” and the Chinese name “Cè Hēng Gāo Yuán Qīu (册亨高原鳅)”. Triplophysa rongduensis Mao, Zhao, Yu, Xiao & Zhou, sp. nov. Etymology: The specific epithet rongduensis is in reference to the type locality of the new species: Rongdu Town, Ceheng County, Guizhou Province, China. We propose the common English name “Rongdu high-plateau loach” and the Chinese name “Rǒng Dù Gāo Yuán Qīu (冗渡高原鳅).”
Triplophysa panzhouensis Yu, Luo, Lan, Xiao & Zhou, sp. nov. Etymology: The specific epithet panzhouensis is in reference to the type locality of the new species: Hongguo Town, Panzhou City, Guizhou Province, China. We propose the common English name “Panzhou high-plateau loach” and the Chinese name “Pán Zhõu Gāo Yuán Qīu (盘州高原鳅).” Triplophysa anlongensis Lan, Song, Luo, Zhao, Xiao & Zhou, sp. nov. Etymology: The specific epithet anlongensis is in reference to the type locality of the new species: NaNao Village, Xinglong Town, Anlong County, Guizhou Province, China. We propose the common English name “Anlong high-plateau loach” and the Chinese name “ān lóng Gāo Yuán Qīu (安龙高原鳅).” Tao Luo, Ming-Le Mao, Chang-Ting Lan, Ling-Xing Song, Xin-Rui Zhao, Jing Yu, Xing-Liang Wang, Ning Xiao, Jia-Jun Zhou and Jiang Zhou. 2023. Four New hypogean Species of the Genus Triplophysa (Osteichthyes, Cypriniformes, Nemacheilidae) from Guizhou Province, Southwest China, based on molecular and morphological data. ZooKeys. 1185: 43-81. DOI: 10.3897/zookeys.1185.105499  | ||||||||
| 4:32p | [Herpetology • 2023] Ninia guytudori • A New Species of Ninia (Serpentes: Colubridae) from western Ecuador and Revalidation of N. schmidti
Abstract We describe a new species of Ninia Baird & Girard, 1853 endemic to the cloud forests of northwestern Ecuador. The new species has previously been confused with N. atrata (Hallowell, 1845) and N. teresitae (Angarita-Sierra and Lynch 2017) but is genetically most closely related to a third species of Ninia endemic to the Chocoan–Tumbesian transition area of western Ecuador. We revalidate the name N. schmidti (Jan, 1862), designate a neotype, and provide a diagnosis of the taxon and a description of its hemipenial morphology based on new material. The new and revalidated species can easily be identified from one another and from other trans-Andean South American Ninia based on ventral and subcaudal scale counts, hemipenial morphology, and coloration of the supralabials, throat, and belly. Finally, we remove N. atrata from the herpetofaunal list of Ecuador. Key Words: Dipsadidae, coffee snakes, snake, Squamata, taxonomy
Ninia guytudori sp. nov. Proposed standard English name: Tudors’s Coffee-Snake. Proposed standard Spanish name: Culebra cafetera de Tudor. Diagnosis: Ninia guytudori sp. nov. is placed in the genus Ninia, as diagnosed by Dunn (1935), based on phylogenetic evidence (Fig. 1). The species is diagnosed based on the following combination of characters: (1) 19/19/19 keeled dorsals; (2) two postoculars or none in SC 005; (3) loreal 1.6–1.7 × longer than high; (4) temporals 1+2; (5) seven or eight supralabials, usually fourth and fifth contacting orbit; (6) seven or eight infralabials, first four or five contacting chin shields; (7) two rows of chin shields; (8) two or three preventrals; (9) 130–138 ventrals in males, 144 in the single female; (10) 48–51 subcaudals in males, 44 in the single female; (11) dorsal ground color uniformly black with a white nuchal collar that connects to a white lip band forming a bridle (Fig. 6); (12) ventral surfaces uniformly immaculate white (Fig. 3b); (13) 181–243 mm SVL in males, 183 mm in the single female; (14) 30–58 mm CL in males, 35 in the single female. 
Alejandro Arteaga and Kyle J. Harris. 2023. A New Species of Ninia (Serpentes, Colubridae) from western Ecuador and Revalidation of N. schmidti. Evolutionary Systematics. 7(2): 317-334. DOI: 10.3897/evolsyst.7.112476  |
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