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Monday, February 26th, 2024
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| 2:04a | [Botany • 2024] Bulbophyllum romklaoense (Orchidaceae: Epidendroideae) • A New Species of Bulbophyllum sect. Lemniscata from northern Thailand
Abstract Bulbophyllum romklaoense (B. sect. Lemniscata) from northern Thailand is described and illustrated as a species new to science. It is most similar to B. muscarirubrum and B. triste, but differs by having inflorescences with only 4–6 reddish-brown flowers, falcate-subovate lateral sepals that are connate only in the upper half along the interior margins, petals with erose to fimbriate margins and a lip with long cilia in the distal half on the lower surface. A comparison with other similar species in the section, as well as notes on ecology, phenology, conservation assessment and a key to B. sect. Lemniscata in Thailand are also provided. Key words: Bulbophyllum sect. Lemniscata, critically endangered, Epidendroideae, Phitsanulok Province, Southeast Asia
Bulbophyllum romklaoense Pingyot & Thawara, sp. nov. Diagnosis: Bulbophyllum romklaoense resembles B. muscarirubrum Seidenf. and B. triste Rchb.f. Bulbophyllum romklaoense differs from both by having 4–6-flowered inflorescences (vs. 10–24(–50)-flowered inflorescences in B. muscarirubrum and B. triste), falcate-subovate lateral sepals (vs. narrowly ovate lateral sepals in B. muscarirubrum and B. triste), petals with erose to fimbriate margins (vs. petals with ± entire margins in B. muscarirubrum and B. triste) and a lip with long cilia in the distal half on the lower surface (vs. lip entirely glabrous in B. muscarirubrum and B. triste). Bulbophyllum romklaoense also differs from B. triste by having a peduncle which is about as long as the rachis (vs. peduncle longer than twice as long as the rachis in B. triste). Etymology: Named after its type locality at Ban Romklao (Romklao Village). Nicha Thawara, Thitiporn Pingyot, Piyakaset Suksathan and Saroj Ruchisansakun. 2024. Bulbophyllum romklaoense (Orchidaceae), A New Species from Thailand. PhytoKeys. 238: 147-155. DOI: 10.3897/phytokeys.238.114999 นางสาวฐิติพร ปิงยศ และ ดร. ปิยเกษตร สุขสถาน จากสวนพฤกษศาสตร์สมเด็กพระนางเจ้าสิริกิติ กล้วยไม้สิงโตร่มเกล้า Bulbophyllum romklaoense Pingyot & Thawara โดย B. romklaoense อยู่ใน section Lemniscata มีลักษณะดอกที่แตกต่างจากกล้วยไม้ชนิดอื่น | ||||||
| 2:21a | [Herpetology • 2024] Atelopus calima • A New Species of Harlequin Toad (Anura: Bufonidae: Atelopus) from the Western Cordillera of Colombia, with comments on other forms
Abstract The harlequin toads (Bufonidae, Atelopus) from the Cordillera Occidental of Colombia are poorly understood, with several species being known only from few specimens and a single locality. Material from the Yotoco area, Departamento Valle del Cauca, has been addressed in previous studies and was allocated ambiguously to different available names. We here describe the Yotoco Atelopus as a species new to science as it is readily distinguished from all congenerics by a combination of morphological characters (i.e., snout profile, cranial crests, skin texture, pattern and coloration). In addition, we comment on the taxonomy of three Atelopus populations from the Cordillera Occidental and the Cordillera Central of Colombia; two of them we tentatively assign to A. nicefori and A. sonsonensis, respectively. The third one remains of unclear status. The need for further examination of the harlequin toads from the Andes of Colombia in an integrative taxonomic framework is emphasized. Key words. Amphibia, Anura, Atelopus calima sp. n., conservation, morphology, taxonomy
Atelopus calima sp. n. Diagnosis: Atelopus calima (Figs 2–4) can be readily distinguished from all other described species by the combination of medium body size, projected snout with a knob-like protuberance on the tip and dorsal as well as lateral skin smooth with few scattered large and flat warts which are covered with clustered spiculae on the flanks and whitish brown to cream flanks with dark brown warts in preservative. It is most similar to the central Cordillera endemics A. nocturnus and A. sonsonensis. Further, A. calima resembles the western Cordillera endemics A. carauta, A. chocoensis, A. famelicus (including its junior synonym A. negreti), A. galactogaster, A. longirostris (including its junior synonyms A. boussingaulti and A. longirostris marmorata), A. lynchi sensu stricto, A. nicefori and A. pictiventris, and the central Cordillera endemics A. quimbaya, A. sanjosei and A. sernai. Etymology: The specific name calima is a noun in apposition in dedication to the Calima culture (ca. 1600 BC to 1700 AD), which during their early Ilama and Yotoco phases exclusively inhabited the upper Río Calima region and its vicinities in the Cordillera Occidental where the new species is found. The Calima people honoured anurans, which they also depicted in the form of jewellery. We propose to use the English common name ‘Calima Harlequin Toad’ and the Spanish common name ‘Rana Arlequín de Calima’ for this new species. David Andrés Velásquez-Trujillo, Fernando Castro-Herrera, Stefan Lötters and Amadeus Plewnia. 2024. A New Species of Harlequin Toad from the Western Cordillera of Colombia (Bufonidae: Atelopus), with comments on other forms. SALAMANDRA. 60(1): 67–81 Resumen. Los sapos arlequín (Bufonidae, Atelopus) de la Cordillera Occidental de Colombia son poco conocidos, con varias especies conocidas sólo a partir de unos pocos especímenes y una sola localidad. El material del área de Yotoco, Departamento del Valle del Cauca, ha sido abordado en estudios previos y fue asignado de manera ambigua a diferentes nombres disponibles. Aquí describimos al Atelopus de Yotoco como una especie nueva para la ciencia, ya que se distingue fácilmente de todos los congenéricos por una combinación de características (i.e., perfil del hocico, crestas craneales, textura de la piel, patrón y coloración). Adicionalmente, comentamos la taxonomía des tres poblaciones de Atelopus de la Cordillera Occidental y Central de Colombia. Asignamos tentativamente dos de ellos a A. nicefori y A. sonsonensis, respectivamente. El tercero sigue sin estar claro. Se enfatiza la necesidad de realizar un examen más profundo de los sapos arlequín de los Andes de Colombia en un marco taxonómico integrador. Palabras clave. Amphibia, Anura, Atelopus calima sp. n., conservación, morfología, taxonomía. | ||||||
| 8:01a | [Paleontology • 2024] Dinocephalosaurus orientalis Li, 2003: A remarkable marine archosauromorph (Diapsida: Archosauromorpha) from the Middle Triassic of southwestern China
Abstract The non-archosauriform archosauromorph Dinocephalosaurus orientalis was first described from the Upper Member of the Guanling Formation (late Anisian, Middle Triassic) of Guizhou Province by Li in 2003 on the basis of a complete articulated skull and the first three cervical vertebrae exposed in dorsal to right lateral view. Since then, additional specimens have been discovered in southwestern China. Here, five newly discovered specimens are described for the first time, and redescriptions of the holotype IVPP V13767 and another referred specimen, IVPP V13898, are provided. Together, these permit the description of the complete skeleton of this remarkable long-necked marine reptile. The postcranial skeleton is as much as 6 metres long, and characterised by its long tail and even longer neck. The appendicular skeleton exhibits a high degree of skeletal paedomorphosis recalling that of many sauropterygians, but the skull and neck are completely inconsistent with sauropterygian affinities. The palate does not extend back over the basisphenoid region and lacks any development of the closed condition typical of sauropterygians. The arrangement of cranial elements, including the presence of narial fossae, is very similar to that seen in another long-necked archosauromorph, Tanystropheus hydroides, which at least in part represents a convergence related to an aquatic piscivorous lifestyle. The long and low cervical vertebrae support exceptionally elongate cervical ribs that extend across multiple intervertebral joints and contribute to a ‘stiffening bundle of ribs’ extending along the entire ventral side of the neck, as in many other non-crocopodan archosauromorphs. The functional significance of the extraordinarily elongate neck is hard to discern but it presumably played a key role in feeding, and it is probably analogous to the elongate necks seen in pelagic, long-necked plesiosaurs. Dinocephalosaurus orientalis was almost certainly a fully marine reptile and even gave birth at sea. Keywords: late Anisian, marine reptile, non-archosauriform, southern China,  Diapsida Osborn, 1903 Archosauromorpha von Huene, 1946 Dinocephalosauridae Spiekman et al. , 2021 Dinocephalosaurus Li, 2003 Type species: Dinocephalosaurus orientalis Li,2003. Distribution: Upper Member of the Guanling Formation (late Anisian, Middle Triassic) near Xinmin in Panxian County, southwestern Guizhou Province, and in Luoping County, eastern Yunnan Province, P.R. China. Dinocephalosaurus orientalis Li, 2003 Type locality: Xinmin, Panxian County, Guizhou Province, southwestern China. Horizon: Upper Member of Guanling Formation, Pelsonian, Anisian, Middle Triassic.
Summary: The Middle Triassic (latest Anisian) marine reptile Dinocephalosaurus orientalis is fully described in detail on the basis of seven beautifully preserved specimens from southwestern Guizhou Province, southern China, five of which are presented for the first time. Characters in the skull and neck are consistent with Dinocephalosaurus orientalis being included within Archosauromorpha. With 32, mostly elongate, cervical vertebrae, it had an extraordinarily long neck that draws comparison with the neck of Tanystropheus hydroides, another aquatic non-crocopodan archosauromorph that has been recorded from the Middle Triassic of both Europe and China. Both taxa share several other cranial features, including a fish-trap type dentition, a distinct antorbital recess and a wide palatal ramus of the pterygoid. The phylogenetic placement of Dinocephalosaurus orientalis is hampered by high levels of homoplasy, but our analysis suggests that the similarities between Dinocephalosaurus orientalis and Tanystropheus hydroides are largely convergent. Instead, the results corroborate the presence of a monophyletic Dinocephalosauridae outside Tanystropheidae. A greater expression of paedomorphosis in the appendicular skeleton and the presence of paddle-shaped autopodia in Dinocephalosaurus orientalis also suggest an adaptation to more open waters than in Tanystropheus hydroides. Dinocephalosaurus orientalis and Tanystropheus sp. were not contemporaries in the eastern Tethys based on current fossil occurrences: all finds of Tanystropheus sp. to date being from latest Ladinian or earliest Carnian sequences. The exact function of the extraordinary long neck of Dinocephalosaurus orientalis is unclear but it almost certainly aided in catching fish, which are preserved in the stomach contents of one of the specimens. Stephan N.F. SPIEKMAN, Wei WANG, Lijun ZHAO, Olivier RIEPPEL, Nicholas C. FRASER and Chun LI. 2024. Dinocephalosaurus orientalis Li, 2003: A remarkable marine archosauromorph from the Middle Triassic of southwestern China. Earth and Environmental Science Transactions of The Royal Society of Edinburgh. First View; 1 - 33. DOI: 10.1017/S175569102400001X | ||||||
| 8:10a | [Botany • 2022] Ceropegia vietnamensis (Apocynaceae: Asclepiadoideae) • A New Species from Vietnam
ABSTRACT Ceropegia vietnamensis is described as a new species from Binh Chau - Phuoc Buu Nature Reserve in the Xuyen Moc district of Ba Ria- Vung Tau province. It is morphologically close to Ceropegia laotica in general appearance and coloration of flowers but differs in many vegetative and reproductive characteristics and grows in a different habitat. The new taxon is described, illustrated with field photographs of detailed botanical characteristics and compared to related species. Keywords: Asclepiadoideae, Apocynaceae, Ceropegia vietnamensis, new species, Vietnam
Ceropegia vietnamensis Nguyen-Phi & Luu, sp. nov. Ceropegia vietnamensis is morphologically close to Ceropegia laotica Rodda & Meve in general appearance and coloration of flowers but differs in having longer petioles (5–14 vs. 5–7 mm), lanceolate to linear-lanceolate (vs. linear-lanceolate) leaf lamina, longer bracts (3–3.5 vs. 1–2 mm), 3–30 (vs. 1–2)-flowered inflorescences, longer (45–57 vs. 35–45 mm) corolla with shorter (vs. longer) tube than lobes, narrowly triangular (vs. triangular) outer corona lobules, longer inner corona lobes(3–4 vs. 1–1.2 mm long) and ovate (vs. broadly ovoid) pollinaria. Hong Truong Luu, Van Son Le and Phi Nga Nguyen. 2022. Ceropegia vietnamensis (Asclepiadoideae, Apocynaceae), A New Species from Vietnam. Academia Journal of Biology. 44(4); 19-26. DOI: 10.15625/2615-9023/17594 vjs.ac.vn/index.php/VJBio/article/view/17594  | ||||||
| 9:32a | [PaleoMammalogy • 2024] Aureia rerehua • A New platanistoid Dolphin (Cetacea: Odontoceti) from the Oligocene of New Zealand with a unique feeding method
ABSTRACT Pre-Miocene, stem odontocetes are known for their procumbent incisors and their function has been the subject of much speculation. Notable among these were Waipatia and several related taxa from New Zealand. Though some studies hypothesise the function of these teeth was for thrusting, the here described Aureia rerehua has unique teeth which might have formed a cage around small fish. These teeth, along with a weak vertex, flexible neck, and the smallest size among its relatives would make it a capable hunter in shallow waters. The addition of A. rerehua along with other taxa to phylogenetic analyses show three broad groups within taxa related to Waipatia and Otekaikea based on the divergence of the function of their teeth and the possible feeding strategies employed to catch prey. KEYWORDS: Platanistoid, dental splay, waipatiid, Waipatiidae, Waitaki Valley    
Systematic palaeontology Cetacea (Brisson, 1762) Odontoceti (Flower, 1867) Aureia rerehua gen. et sp. nov. Etymology: The generic name derives from Māori aurei, ‘cloak pin’, referring to the shape of the teeth. The specific name, rerehua, means ‘beautiful’, referring to its well-preserved face. Diagnosis: A. rerehua has features common in other stem odontocetes and some platanistoids; a subcircular fossa in the periotic fossa sensu de Muizon (1987), ventrally deflected anterior processes on the periotics, anterior spines on the tympanic bullae, distinct premaxillary clefts, and well developed antorbital notches (de Muizon, 1987; Geisler and Sanders, 2003; Geisler et al. 2011, 2012; Murakami et al. 2012a, 2012b; Tanaka and Fordyce 2014; Tanaka and Fordyce 2015b; Gaetán et al. 2018). A. rerehua is most like Otekaikea and Waipatia, with an attenuated rostrum, procumbent incisors, fossa for the articular rim of the periotic, and shallow fossae for the sternomastoid muscle (Moore, 1968; de Muizon, 1987; Tanaka and Fordyce, 2015b, 2014, 2017). A. rerehua has unique basioccipital crests with posteroventral projections, a rectangular nuchal crest, flat ventral surfaces on the posterior process of the periotic, laterally splayed teeth, and a process on the subtemporal crest. Waipatiid-like odontocetes have developed vertices. The vertex of A. rerehua is less pronounced than W. maerewhenua or Otekaikea, shown in Figure 1C, possessing a flatter face like Papahu taitapu (Fordyce, 1994; Aguirre-Fernández and Fordyce, 2014; Tanaka and Fordyce 2014, 2015b). The posterior skull is straighter and steeper than that of other waipatiid-like odontocetes, making the lateral profile of the skull triangular.
Conclusion: OU22553 is the holotypes for a new species, A. rerehua, closely related to Otekaikea. It differs from other related odontocetes by its weak vertex, laterally splayed and recurved teeth, rectangular nuchal crest, and posterior flange on the basioccipital processes. Its widely splayed teeth are hypothesised to have clasped rather than strike fish. The unique dentition, small size, limited sense of smell, and dorsoventrally shallow skull illustrate a small dolphin foraging along shallow waters where speed and mobility are essential. Shane Meekin, R. Ewan Fordyce and Amber Coste. 2024. Aureia rerehua, A New platanistoid Dolphin from the Oligocene of New Zealand with a unique feeding method. Journal of the Royal Society of New Zealand. DOI: 10.1080/03036758.2024.2314505 [Special issue: Fossil vertebrates from southern Zealandia] | ||||||
| 12:59p | [Herpetology • 2024] Cyrtodactylus luci • A New Species of the Cyrtodactylus chauquangensis Species Group (Squamata: Gekkonidae) from Lao Cai Province, Vietnam
Abstract We describe a new species of the genus Cyrtodactylus based on five adult specimens from Bac Ha District, Lao Cai Province, northern Vietnam. Cyrtodactylus luci sp. nov. is distinguished from the remaining Indochinese bent-toed geckos by a combination of the following morphological characteristics: medium size (SVL up to 89.5 mm); dorsal tubercles in 17–19 irregular transverse rows; ventral scales in 32–34 longitudinal rows at midbody; precloacal pores present in both sexes, 9 or 10 in males, 8 or 9 in females; 12–15 enlarged femoral scales on each thigh; femoral pores 9–12 in males, 5–10 in females; postcloacal tubercles 2–4; lamellae under toe IV 21–23; dorsal pattern consisting of 5 or 6 irregular dark bands, a thin neckband without V-shape or triangle shape in the middle, top of head with dark brown blotches; subcaudal scales transversely enlarged. Molecular phylogenetic analyses recovered the new species as the sister taxon to C. gulinqingensis from Yunnan Province, China, with strong support from all analyses and the two taxa are separated by approximately 8.87–9.22% genetic divergence based on a fragment of the mitochondrial ND2 gene. This is the first representative of Cyrtodactylus known from Lao Cai Province. Key words: Cyrtodactylus luci sp. nov., gecko, molecular phylogeny, morphology, ND2 gene, taxonomy
Cyrtodactylus luci sp. nov. Diagnosis: The new species can be distinguished from other members of the genus Cyrtodactylus by a combination of the following characteristics: Size medium (SVL up to 89.5 mm); dorsal tubercles in 17–19 irregular transverse rows; ventral scales in 32–34 longitudinal rows at midbody; precloacal pores present in both sexual, 9 or 10 in males, 8 or 9 in females; 12–15 enlarged femoral scales on each thigh; femoral pores 9–12 in males, 5–10 in females; postcloacal tubercles 2–4; lamellae under toe IV 21–23; dorsal pattern consisting of 5 or 6 irregular dark bands, a discontinuous thin neckband without V-shape or triangle shape in the middle, dorsal head surface with dark brown blotches; subcaudal scales transversely enlarged. Etymology: The species was named after the zoologist from the Vietnam National Museum of Nature, Vietnam Academy of Science and Technology, late Associate Professor Doctor Luc Van Pham, who contributed greatly to the biodiversity study in Vietnam. For the common names, we suggest Luc’s Bent-toed Gecko (English) and Thạch sùng ngón lực (Vietnamese).
 Tung Thanh Tran, Quyen Hanh Do, Cuong The Pham, Tien Quang Phan, Hanh Thi Ngo, Minh Duc Le, Thomas Ziegler and Truong Quang Nguyen. 2024. A New Species of the Cyrtodactylus chauquangensis Species Group (Squamata, Gekkonidae) from Lao Cai Province, Vietnam. ZooKeys. 1192: 83-102. DOI: 10.3897/zookeys.1192.117135  |
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