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Tuesday, August 27th, 2024
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| 2:29a | [Herpetology • 2024] The Last of their Kind: Is the Genus Scutiger (Anura: Megophryidae) a relict element of the paleo-Transhimalaya Biota?
Highlights: • Phylogeny of Scutiger suggests an origin of the genus in paleo-Tibet. • Himalayan taxa evolved probably on southern edges of paleo-Tibet (Transhimalaya). • Divergence times indicate a Late Neogene age of the alpine in the Himalayan-Tibetan region. • Results contrast with isotope-based paleoelevation models of the Tibetan Plateau. Abstract The orographic evolution of the Himalaya-Tibet Mountain system continues to be a subject of controversy, leading to considerable uncertainty regarding the environment and surface elevation of the Tibetan Plateau during the Cenozoic era. As many geoscientific (but not paleontological) studies suggest, elevations close to modern heights exist in vast areas of Tibet since at least the late Paleogene, implicating the presence of large-scale alpine environments for more than 30 million years. To explore a recently proposed alternative model that assumes a warm temperate environment across paleo-Tibet, we carried out a phylogeographic survey using genomic analyses of samples covering the range of endemic lazy toads (Scutiger) across the Himalaya-Tibet orogen. We identified two main clades, with several, geographically distinct subclades. The long temporal gap between the stem and crown age of Scutiger may suggest high extinction rates. Diversification within the crown group, depending on the calibration, occurred either from the Mid-Miocene or Late-Miocene and continued until the Holocene. The present-day Himalayan Scutiger fauna could have evolved from lineages that existed on the southern edges of the paleo-Tibetan area (the Transhimalaya = Gangdese Shan), while extant species living on the eastern edge of the Plateau originated probably from the eastern edges of northern parts of the ancestral Tibetan area (Hoh Xil, Tanggula Shan). Based on the Mid-Miocene divergence time estimation and ancestral area reconstruction, we propose that uplift-associated aridification of a warm temperate Miocene-Tibet, coupled with high extirpation rates of ancestral populations, and species range shifts along drainage systems and epigenetic transverse valleys of the rising mountains, is a plausible scenario explaining the phylogenetic structure of Scutiger. This hypothesis aligns with the fossil record but conflicts with geoscientific concepts of high elevated Tibetan Plateau since the late Paleogene. Considering a Late-Miocene/Pliocene divergence time, an alternative scenario of dispersal from SE Asia into the East, Central, and West Himalaya cannot be excluded, although essential evolutionary and biogeographic aspects remain unresolved within this model Keywords: Gangdese shan, Lazy toads, Miocene, Phylogenomic, Tibetan plateau, Uplift Sylvia Hofmann, Lars Podsiadlowski, Tobias Andermann, Michael Matschiner, Chitra B. Baniya, Spartak N. Litvinchuk, Sebastian Martin, Rafaqat Masroor, Jianhuan Yang, Yuchi Zheng, Daniel Jablonski and Joachim Schmidt. 2024. The Last of their Kind: Is the Genus Scutiger (Anura: Megophryidae) a relict element of the paleo-Transhimalaya Biota? Molecular Phylogenetics and Evolution. In Press, 108166. DOI: doi.org/10.1016/j.ympev.2024.108166 | ||||||||
| 8:46a | [Herpetology • 2024] Scutiger kanjiroba • A New Species of the Genus Scutiger (Anura: Megophryidae) from the Central Himalaya
Abstract Recent phylogenetic studies in Himalayan lazy toads of the genus Scutiger Theobald, 1868 revealed the presence of genetically deeply divergent lineages. The taxonomy of S. nepalensis sensu lato was re-assessed based on museum material considering molecular and morphological data. The results strongly support the recognition of a new species, S. kanjiroba sp. nov. distributed along the Nepalese Kanjiroba massif. It is further shown that S. sikimmensis has an apparently much more restricted distribution range than previously thought. The frequent misidentification of Scutiger across large areas of the Himalaya-Tibet area highlights the significance of careful taxonomic evaluation of collection material and the need for the direct morphological comparison of closely related species when describing new species. Key words: Genetics, Himalaya, lazy toad, montane forests, morphology, taxonomy
Scutiger kanjiroba sp. nov. Diagnosis: Scutiger kanjiroba sp. nov. is assigned to the genus Scutiger based in the above-mentioned morphological features and by its molecular phylogenetic position relative to other Scutiger species. It can be separated from all other species of the genus Scutiger by the combination of the following characters (for character states in other species see section Morphological comparison, above): (1) moderate body size, SVL adult male 55.4 mm (n = 1), adult female 54.2−66.7 mm (n = 3); (2) vomerine and maxillary dentation absent; (3) vocal sac absent; (4) subarticular tubercles absent; (5) presence of numerous small, densely arranged spines on the surface of fingers I, II and inner surface of finger III of males in breeding condition; (6) relative length of fingers 3>4>2>1; (7) spines on (inner) (fore)arms absent; (8) toes rudimentary webbed; (9) relative length of toes 4>3>5>2>1; (10) a pair of pectoral glands and a pair of axillary glands; (11) spines on pectoral and axillary glands present in males; (12) belly without spines; (13) tubercles/warts on dorsal and lateral surfaces of body present; (14) dorsal tubercles with black spines of males in breeding condition. Distribution and ecological notes: Scutiger kanjiroba is a forest-dwelling species that is currently known from high-montane areas of the Kanjiroba Himal at altitudes between ~ 3300 and 4400 m a.s.l. in west Nepal (Fig. 1). Etymology: The specific epithet kanjiroba is a geographical proper name referring to the Kanjiroba Himal in Nepal. The southern area of the Kanjiroba Himal is so far the only known occurrence region of this new species. Sylvia Hofmann, Daniel Jablonski and Joachim Schmidt. 2024. Morphological and Molecular Data warrant the Description of A New Species of the Genus Scutiger (Anura, Megophryidae) from the Central Himalaya. ZooKeys. 1210: 229-246. DOI: doi.org/10.3897/zookeys.1210.127106 | ||||||||
| 9:36a | [Arachnida • 2024] Selenogyrus foordi • A New Species and the first record of the subfamily Selenogyrinae Smith, 1990 (Araneae: Theraphosidae) from Guinea
Abstract A new spider species, Selenogyrus foordi sp. nov. (♂♀), is described from Mount Nimba, Guinea. Consequently, we provide the first in vivo photographs of a selenogyrine in the scientific literature and the first record of Selenogyrinae Smith, 1990 from Guinea. We also record S. aureus Pocock, 1897, described from Sierra Leone, from Massif du Ziama Biosphere Reserve, Guinea, representing the second known species for this country. Key words: distribution, morphology, spider, tarantula, taxonomy
Theraphosidae Thorell, 1869 Selenogyrinae Smith, 1990 Selenogyrus Pocock, 1897 Selenogyrus foordi sp. nov. Diagnosis: Males of Selenogyrus foordi sp. nov. can be distinguished from S. aureus by the thinner apical taper of the embolus (embolus wider at apex in S. aureus) and the presence of darkened femora and white markings on the distal third tibiae in vivo (femora with golden tinge and lacking white markings on the distal third of the tibiae in S. aureus). Females of S. foordi sp. nov. can be distinguished from S. africanus, S. austini, and S. caeruleus by the medially flared receptacles of the spermathecae (not medially flared in S. africanus, S. austini, and S. caeruleus). Etymology: The specific epithet is an eponym honouring our colleague the late Stefan Foord (1971–2023), in recognition of his significant contributions to African arachnology, and in remembrance of his kind and collaborative spirit. Danniella Sherwood, Arnaud Henrard and Didier Van Den Spiegel. 2024. Selenogyrus foordi, A New Species and the first record of the subfamily Selenogyrinae Smith, 1990 from Guinea (Araneae, Theraphosidae). African Invertebrates. 64(3): 291-302. DOI: doi.org/10.3897/afrinvertebr.64.113946 | ||||||||
| 2:16p | [Herpetology • 2024] Nactus simakal • A New Species of Nactus Gecko (Gekkonidae) from Boulder-pile Habitat on Dauan Island, Torres Strait, Australia
Abstract The Torres Strait Islands lie between Cape York Peninsula, north-east Australia, and the southern coast of Papua New Guinea. The vertebrate fauna of these islands is a relatively depauperate mix of Australian and New Guinean species, with only two endemic species described to date. Here we describe a new species of Nactus gecko discovered during a targeted survey of Dauan Island in the northern Torres Strait. Nactus simakal sp. nov. is a genetically (ND2 mtDNA) and morphologically highly distinct species, with a banded pattern and a slender, elongate form. It is saxicoline, living on deeply piled boulder habitat, and is likely to be restricted to Dauan Island. Nactus simakal sp. nov. is currently known from a very small area and further surveys, and assessment of current and potential threats, are required to assess the conservation status of this species. Nactus simakal sp. nov. is similar in general appearance to N. galgajuga (Ingram, 1978), which is restricted to boulder-pile habitat 750 km to the south in mainland north-east Queensland but is readily distinguished from that species morphologically and genetically. Reptilia, Nactus, new species, Torres Strait, Queensland, saxicoline, boulder-field
Nactus simakal sp. nov. Dauan Island Gecko Diagnosis. A slender, elongate Nactus gecko with strongly banded pattern and prominently keeled subcaudal scales. Etymology. The species name ‘simakal’ is in reference to Simakal Pad, the local language name for Mt Cornwallis (the mountain that dominates Dauan Island). The local language name was provided by Laurie Elisala, Torenzo Elisala, Abi Mooka, Tenny Elisala, and Thomas Mooka.
Conrad J. Hoskin, Alexander Davies and Kieran Aland. 2024. A New Species of Nactus Gecko from Boulder-pile Habitat on Dauan Island, Torres Strait, Australia. Zootaxa. 5497(4); 577-590. DOI: doi.org/10.11646/zootaxa.5497.4.7 |
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