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Wednesday, February 14th, 2024
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| 2:44a | [Botany • 2024] Lysimachia danxiashanensis (Primulaceae) • A New Species from Guangdong, China
Abstract Lysimachia danxiashanensis, a new Primulaceae species, endemic to the Danxia landscape in Guangdong Province, China, is described and illustrated. This new species is morphologically similar to L. pseudohenryi, L. phyllocephala, L. congestiflora and L. kwangtungensis, but it differs from the similar species by its purplish-red plants, petiole without wings, calyx with orange glandular and the corolla margin serrated on upper half with orange-red glandular punctates. This new species belongs to Lysimachia subgen. Lysimachia sect. Nummularia. Phylogenetic analysis confirmed that L. danxiashanensis is a distinct clade, based on the combined data of ITS and rbcL sequences. The conservation status of the new species was evaluated as Endangered (EN) according to IUCN Red List Categories and Criteria. Key words: Danxia landscape, IUCN Red List, Lysimachia, taxonomy
Lysimachia danxiashanensis W.B.Liao, Q.Fan & G.D.Tang, sp. nov. Diagnosis: Lysimachia danxiashanensis can be distinguished from L. congestiflora by its purple-red plants (vs. green), petiole without wings (vs. narrowly winged), corolla lobes yellow with serrations on upper half (vs. dull red at base with entire margin) and calyx with orange glandular (vs. without glandular) (Fig. 4). Xing-Yue Zhang, Jing-Min Dai, Qiang Fan, Zai-Xiong Chen, Guang-Da Tang and Wen-Bo Liao. 2024. Lysimachia danxiashanensis, A New Species of Primulaceae from Guangdong, China. PhytoKeys. 237: 257-268. DOI: 10.3897/phytokeys.237.114484  | ||||||||
| 2:44a | [Botany • 2023] Resurrection of Perilimnastes (Melastomataceae: Sonerileae) with Description of A New Species P. nana
Abstract Recent research has indicated that the Phyllagathis (raphides) clade (Sonerileae, Melastomataceae) is only distantly related to the type of Phyllagathis and should be separated as a distinct genus. Phylogeny of this clade is here reconstructed with expanded taxon sampling. Four strongly supported subclades have been identified. The possible affinities of taxa that were not sampled in the analysis are discussed, based on morphological data. Perilimnastes is resurrected as the generic name of the Phyllagathis (raphides) clade. A generic description, colour figures, map of distribution, a list of included species and a key are provided for Perilimnastes. Fifteen new combinations are made plus the description of a new species. As interpreted here, Perilimnastes consists of twenty species and two varieties. Key words: Melastomataceae, Perilimnastes, Phyllagathis, taxonomy
Perilimnastes nana C.Y.Zou & Ying Liu, sp. nov. Diagnosis: Resembles P. stenophylla in leaf morphology, but differs in height (to 0.15 m vs. 0.8 m tall), number of flowers per inflorescence (1 vs. 2–3-flowered), length of the peduncle (10–22 mm vs. 4 mm) and the shape of calyx lobes (broadly obovate vs. narrowly triangular). Resembles P. setotheca in having 4-sided branchlets, large and persistent bracts below flower and stamen morphology, but differs in plant size (to 0.15 m vs. 1 m tall), leaf shape and size (oblong-lanceolate or obovate-lanceolate, 1.7–7 × 0.73–2.2 cm vs. oblong-lanceolate, elliptic or obovate, 10–20 × 3–8 cm) and number of flowers per inflorescence (1-flowered vs. 3 to more than 20-flowered). Etymology: The specific epithet is based on the habit of this species, viz. dwarf shrubs to 15 cm tall. Distribution: Perilimnastes nana is currently known from Taishan County, Guangdong Province, China (Fig. 8). It grows amongst rocks along streams in the forest, at 200–300 m elevation. Ying Liu, Jin-Hong Dai, Qi-Yuan Zhuang, Chun-Yu Zou and Kai-Nan Ma. 2024. Resurrection of Perilimnastes (Sonerileae, Melastomataceae) with Description of A New Species P. nana. PhytoKeys. 238: 11-31. DOI: 10.3897/phytokeys.238.116168  | ||||||||
| 8:49a | [Herpetology • 2023] Pristimantis paulogabrieli • A New Species of Pristimantis (Anura: Strabomantidae) from the State of Acre, Brazil
Abstract Pristimantis is the amphibian genus with the largest number of described species yet harbouring many species still to be named, notably in Amazonia. Here, I describe a member of the P. diadematus species complex from southwestern Amazonia in Brazil based on external morphology. The species is most similar to P. divnae, a species from southern Peru, but diagnosable from it by the combination of the following characters: presence of nuptial pads and tympanum, smaller body size (SVL 19.5-23.5 mm in males, 27.8-30.6 mm in females), and absence of yellow marks in both the inguinal region and shanks. The new species occupies the same habitats as the syntopic P. altamazonicus, another member of the P. diadematus species complex. Based on an extensive literature review, a new composition of the P. diadematus species complex is proposed and discussed.
Pristimantis paulogabrieli sp. nov. Diagnosis: The new species, P. paulogabrieli, is diagnosed by the following combination of characters: 1) skin on dorsum shagreen with scattered minute tubercles; dorsolateral fold absent; skin on venter areolate; discoidal fold present; 2) tympanic annulus visible, tympanic membrane present; 3) snout subacuminate in dorsal view, rounded in lateral view; 4) upper eyelid with minute tubercles, upper eyelid smaller than IOD, cranial crests absent; 5) dentigerous processes of vomers oblique low; 6) males with nuptial pads, but lacking vocal sac and vocal slits; 7) postrictal tubercles present; 8) finger I shorter than finger II, discs on fingers III and IV broad, rounded; 9) fingers with narrow lateral fringes; 10) ulnar tubercles present; 11) outer surfaces of tarsus without tubercles; 12) heel without minute tubercle; 13) short, inner tarsal fold present; 14) inner metatarsal tubercle ovoid, four and half times the size of ovoid outer metatarsal tubercle; 15) few supernumerary plantar tubercles present; 16) toes with narrow lateral fringes; 17) basal toe webbing present between toes III and IV; 18) toe V much longer than toe III, toe discs broad, rounded, slightly smaller than discs on fingers; 19) in ethanol, dorsum brown with dark brown W-shaped mark on scapula and a dark brown chevron; 20) chest and belly cream with dark brown blotches, throat cream with few dark brown blotches and many minute dark brown spots; 21) SVL in adult males 19.5-23.5 mm (n = 8), females 27.8-30.6 mm (n = 2). Etymology: The specific epithet is a patronymic name for my beloved son, Paulo Gabriel Silva Melo Sampaio. Paulo R. Melo-Sampaio. 2023. A New Species of Pristimantis (Anura, Strabomantidae) from the State of Acre, Brazil. J. of Vertebrate Biology. 72(23044): 1-19.DOI: 10.25225/jvb.23044 | ||||||||
| 9:59a | [Botany • 2019] Robiquetia ormerodii (Orchidaceae: Epidendroideae: Vandeae) • A New Species from the Islands of Visayas, Philippines
ABSTRACT Robiquetia ormerodii (Orchidaceae; Epidendroideae; Vandeae; Aeridinae) Naive, Dalisay & Alejandro, a new endemic species from Visayas, Philippines, is herein described and illustrated. It is comparable to R. micramphora by having a yellow flower with spots, however, it differs significantly in having a labellum with oblong side lobes, strongly curved spur, column with big red margin and longer verrucose rostellum. With this discovery, the Philippines now houses a total number of 20 species of Robiquetia, of which 18 are known to be endemic. KEYWORDS: Antique, Malesian flora, plant taxonomy, Robiquetia, tropical forest  Robiquetia ormerodii Naive, Dalisay & Alejandro sp. nov. Eponymy: The speciific epithet ‘ormerodii’ was coined in honourof Paul Abel Ormerod, an eminent expert on family Orchidaceae in the Malesian region and Australia. Mark Arcebal K. Naive, Jade Ann Grace P. Dalisay and Grecebio Jonathan D. Alejandro. 2019. Robiquetia ormerodii (Orchidaceae; Epidendroideae), A New Species from the Islands of Visayas, Philippines. Webbia: Journal of Plant Taxonomy and Geography. 74(1); 67-70. DOI: 10.1080/00837792.2019.1609257 | ||||||||
| 10:30a | [PaleoMammalogy • 2024] Valenictus sheperdi • Tusked Walruses (Carnivora: Odobenidae) from the Miocene–Pliocene Purisima Formation of Santa Cruz, California (U.S.A.): A New Species of the Toothless Walrus Valenictus and the Oldest Records of Odobeninae an
ABSTRACT Currently limited to cold climates near the Arctic circle, living walruses are the sole survivors of a previously much more diverse clade that occupied coastal waters throughout the northern hemisphere during the Mio–Pliocene. Though pinniped faunas have the highest diversity of walruses in the Miocene, the Purisima Formation of California records a moderately diverse assemblage of four walrus species. We report new specimens of tusked walruses (Odobeninae) including the oldest known members of Odobeninae, and Odobenini, and fossils of the specialized toothless odobenine walrus Valenictus Mitchell, 1961. Among these is the new species Valenictus sheperdi sp. nov., represented by a complete skull and referred post-crania from lower Pliocene strata within the Purisima Formation (5.33–4.89 Ma). Additionally, we report a geochronologically younger skull of Valenictus chulavistensis Deméré, 1994 from further up section (4.89–3.59 Ma). Expanded phylogenetic analysis recovers Odobeninae including Ontocetus Leidy, 1859 as the earliest diverging lineage in the Odobenini, and places a monophyletic Valenictus as the sister taxon to Pliopedia, Kellogg, 1921 which is included in a phylogeny for the first time; Odobenus is sister to the Valenictus + Pliopedia clade. Discovery of an isolated metacarpal near the base of the formation provides the oldest known well-dated evidence of odobenines. A diverse assemblage of molluskivores characterized the Neogene eastern North Pacific and their extinction around the Pliocene–Pleistocene boundary coincided with tectonically driven paleogeographic changes on the Pacific coast. The loss of temperate walruses may have provided opportunities for both new molluskivores and the otariid and phocid pinnipeds that make up present North Pacific pinniped communities. 
Robert W. Boessenecker, Ashley W. Poust, Sarah J. Boessenecker and Morgan Churchill. 2024. Tusked Walruses (Carnivora: Odobenidae) from the Miocene–Pliocene Purisima Formation of Santa Cruz, California (U.S.A.): A New Species of the Toothless Walrus Valenictus and the Oldest Records of Odobeninae and Odobenini. Journal of Vertebrate Paleontology. e2296567. DOI: 10.1080/02724634.2023.2296567 Valenictus sheperdi and friends: Miocene-Pliocene tusked walruses from the Purisima Formation in Santa Cruz, California |
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