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Sunday, December 22nd, 2024
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| 2:56a | [Paleontology • 2024] Baalemys mansillai • A New chelid Turtle with an ornamented bony shell (Pleurodira: Chelidae) from the Portezuelo Formation (Upper Cretaceous) of Patagonia, Argentina
ABSTRACT We describe Baalemys mansillai gen. et sp. nov. a chelid turtle, based on an articulated shell from the Portezuelo Formation of the Baal locality, northern shore of Barreales lake, Neuquén Province, Argentina. Baalemys mansillai gen. et sp. nov. is distinguished from other chelids by its oval shape, moderate size, distinctive granulated ornamentation, narrow nuchal plate, first hexagonal neural with short posterolateral margins, a second neural plate that is a regular hexagon, and a posterior lobe that is longer than both the anterior lobe and the bridge. This unique combination of features supports the establishment of a new genus and species. Baalemys mansillai gen. et sp. nov was discovered in the Baal locality with sauropod dinosaurs, theropod dinosaurs, crocodiles, pelomedusoid turtles and other genera of chelids; a similar biota was identified in other localities of the Portezuelo Formation. The identification of Baalemys mansillai gen. et sp. nov. significantly adds to our knowledge of the diversity of pleurodiran turtles from the Portezuelo Formation, the Neuquén Basin, and the broader Patagonian region. KEYWORDS: Chelidae, Pleurodira, Cretaceous, Portezuelo Formation, Turtles  Baalemys mansillai gen. et sp. nov. M. Sarda and I.J Maniel. 2024. A New chelid Turtle with an ornamented bony shell (Pleurodira: Chelidae) from the Portezuelo Formation (Upper Cretaceous) of Patagonia, Argentina. Historical Biology: An International Journal of Paleobiology. DOI: doi.org/10.1080/08912963.2024.2437832  | ||||||||
| 2:57a | [Herpetology • 2024] Herpetoreas abros • A New Species of Herpetoreas Günther, 1860 (Serpentes: Natricidae) from Yunnan, China
Abstract A new species of the genus Herpetoreas is described from Yunnan Tongbiguan Provincial Nature Reserve, Yingjiang County, Dehong Prefecture, Yunnan Province, China. The new species can be separated from its congeners by a combination of the following characteristics: tail length to total length being 0.29, dorsal scales being all strongly keeled, 165 ventrals, divided cloacal plate, 89 pairs of subcaudals, 24 maxillary teeth, last two maxillary teeth being distinctly enlarged, approximately 13 white speckles presenting on anterior lateral surface of body, pale pink anterior venter, pink posterior venter, and rose red ventral tail. The genetic divergence between the new species and other species of this genus ranged from 6.7% to 13.0% in the mitochondrial cytochrome b gene. The new taxon represents the fifth species of the genus Herpetoreas in China and the first species of this genus in Yunnan Province. Keywords: Cyt b; morphology; systematics; taxonomy; Yunnan Tongbiguan Provincial Nature Reserve
Herpetoreas abros sp. nov. Diagnosis: Body cylindrical, snout–vent length 554 mm, total length 775 mm; tail relatively long, tail length/total length 0.29; dorsal scales in 19–19–17 rows, all strongly keeled; ventrals 165; cloacal plate divided; subcaudals 89, paired; preocular one, postoculars three; supralabials eight, third–fifth entering orbit; maxillary teeth 24, last two distinctly enlarged, separated from anterior teeth by a small diastema; upper lips white, three black vertical stripes on anterior upper lip on each side; approximately 13 white speckles on anterior lateral surface of body; anterior venter pale pink and posterior venter pink; ventral tail rose red. Etymology: The specific epithet “abros” is a Latinized adjective in a nominative singular derived from the classical Greek word “abros” (aβρός), meaning “cute”, “handsome”, and “delicate”. The name is given in reference to the cute appearance of this species. We suggest “Cute Himalayas Keelback” as its English common name and “铜壁关腹链蛇 (Pinyin: tóng bì guān fù liàn shé)” as its Chinese common name according to its type locality. Shuo Liu, Mian Hou, Hongxin Zhou, Changsheng Zuo, Fawang Yin and Dingqi Rao. 2024. A New Species of Herpetoreas Günther, 1860 (Serpentes: Natricidae) from Yunnan, China. Diversity. 16(12); 768. DOI: doi.org/10.3390/d16120768 | ||||||||
| 8:00a | [Botany • 2024] Pandanus ramromensis (Pandanaceae) • A New Species from Peninsular Thailand
Pandanus ramromensis Callm., Y.W.Low & Buerki (Pandanaceae) from the summit of Khao Ram Rome (Nakhon Si Thammarat Province) in Peninsular Thailand is described here. The new species resembles Pandanus kedahensis H.St.John in its ecology and habit but differs by the dimensions of its leaves, leaf shape, syncarps and styles. The new species is provided with line drawings and field photographs, and is assigned a preliminary conservation status of Vulnerable (VU) using the IUCN Red List criteria. Keywords. Endemic, Khao Ram Rome, Nakhon Si Thammarat, Pandanales
Pandanus ramromensis Callm., Y.W.Low & Buerki Callmander, M.W., Low, Y.W., Poopath, M. and Buerki, S. 2024. Pandanus ramromensis (Pandanaceae), A New Species from Peninsular Thailand. Gardens' Bulletin Singapore. 76(2); 269 - 275.  | ||||||||
| 8:14a | [Diplopoda • 2018] Desmoxytes aurata, D. corythosaurus, D. octoconigera, ... • A Revision of Dragon Millipedes I: Genus Desmoxytes Chamberlin, 1923 (Polydesmida: Paradoxosomatidae), with the Description of Eight New Species
Abstract The dragon millipede genus Desmoxytes s.l. is split into five genera, based on morphological characters and preliminary molecular phylogenetic analyses. The present article includes a review of Desmoxytes s.s., while future articles will deal with Hylomus Cook and Loomis, 1924 and three new genera which preliminarily are referred to as the ‘acantherpestes’, ‘gigas’, and ‘spiny’ groups. Diagnostic morphological characters of each group are discussed. Hylomus is resurrected as a valid genus and the following 33 species are assigned to it: H. asper (Attems, 1937), comb. n., H. cattienensis (Nguyen, Golovatch & Anichkin, 2005), comb. n., H. cervarius (Attems, 1953), comb. n., H. cornutus (Zhang & Li, 1982), comb. n., H. draco Cook & Loomis, 1924, stat. rev., H. enghoffi (Nguyen, Golovatch & Anichkin, 2005), comb. n., H. eupterygotus (Golovatch, Li, Liu & Geoffroy, 2012), comb. n., H. getuhensis (Liu, Golovatch & Tian, 2014), comb. n., H. grandis (Golovatch, VandenSpiegel & Semenyuk, 2016), comb. n., H. hostilis (Golovatch & Enghoff, 1994), comb. n., H. jeekeli (Golovatch & Enghoff, 1994), comb. n., H. lingulatus (Liu, Golovatch & Tian, 2014), comb. n., H. laticollis (Liu, Golovatch & Tian, 2016), comb. n., H. longispinus (Loksa, 1960), comb. n., H. lui (Golovatch, Li, Liu & Geoffroy, 2012), comb. n., H. minutuberculus (Zhang, 1986), comb. n., H. nodulosus (Liu, Golovatch & Tian, 2014), comb. n., H. parvulus (Liu, Golovatch & Tian, 2014), comb. n., H. phasmoides (Liu, Golovatch & Tian, 2016), comb. n., H. pilosus (Attems, 1937), comb. n., H. proximus (Nguyen, Golovatch & Anichkin, 2005), comb. n., H. rhinoceros (Likhitrakarn, Golovatch & Panha, 2015), comb. n., H. rhinoparvus (Likhitrakarn, Golovatch & Panha, 2015), comb. n., H. scolopendroides (Golovatch, Geoffroy & Mauriès, 2010), comb. n., H. scutigeroides (Golovatch, Geoffroy & Mauriès, 2010), comb. n., H. similis (Liu, Golovatch & Tian, 2016), comb. n., H. simplex (Golovatch, VandenSpiegel & Semenyuk, 2016), comb. n., H. simplipodus (Liu, Golovatch & Tian, 2016), comb. n., H. specialis (Nguyen, Golovatch & Anichkin, 2005), comb. n., H. spectabilis (Attems, 1937), comb. n., H. spinitergus (Liu, Golovatch & Tian, 2016), comb. n., H. spinissimus (Golovatch, Li, Liu & Geoffroy, 2012), comb. n. and H. variabilis (Liu, Golovatch & Tian, 2016), comb. n. Desmoxytes s.s. includes the following species: D. breviverpa Srisonchai, Enghoff & Panha, 2016; D. cervina (Pocock,1895); D. delfae (Jeekel, 1964); D. des Srisonchai, Enghoff & Panha, 2016; D. pinnasquali Srisonchai, Enghoff & Panha, 2016; D. planata (Pocock, 1895); D. purpurosea Enghoff, Sutcharit & Panha, 2007; D. takensis Srisonchai, Enghoff & Panha, 2016; D. taurina (Pocock, 1895); D. terae (Jeekel, 1964), all of which are re-described based mainly on type material. Two new synonyms are proposed: Desmoxytes pterygota Golovatch & Enghoff, 1994, syn. n. (= Desmoxytes cervina (Pocock, 1895)), Desmoxytes rubra Golovatch & Enghoff, 1994, syn. n. (= Desmoxytes delfae (Jeekel, 1964)). Six new species are described from Thailand: D. aurata Srisonchai, Enghoff & Panha, sp. n., D. corythosaurus Srisonchai, Enghoff & Panha, sp. n., D. euros Srisonchai, Enghoff & Panha, sp. n., D. flabella Srisonchai, Enghoff & Panha, sp. n., D. golovatchi Srisonchai, Enghoff & Panha, sp. n., D. octoconigera Srisonchai, Enghoff & Panha, sp. n., as well as one from Malaysia: D. perakensis Srisonchai, Enghoff & Panha, sp. n., and one from Myanmar: D. waepyanensis Srisonchai, Enghoff & Panha, sp. n. The species can mostly be easily distinguished by gonopod structure in combination with other external characters; some cases of particularly similar congeners are discussed. All species of Desmoxytes s.s. seem to be endemic to continental Southeast Asia (except the ‘tramp’ species D. planata). Some biological observations (relationship with mites, moulting) are recorded for the first time. Complete illustrations of external morphological characters, an identification key, and distribution maps of all species are provided. Keywords: aposematic, dragon millipede, new species, Southeast Asia, taxonomy
Ruttapon Srisonchai, Henrik Enghoff, Natdanai Likhitrakarn and Somsak Panha. 2018. A Revision of Dragon Millipedes I: Genus Desmoxytes Chamberlin, 1923, with the Description of Eight New Species (Diplopoda, Polydesmida, Paradoxosomatidae). ZooKeys. 761: 1-177. DOI: 10.3897/zookeys.761.24214 | ||||||||
| 8:36a | [Diplopoda • 2018] Nagaxytes acantherpestes, N. erecta, N. gracilis & N. spatula • The New Genus Nagaxytes gen. nov. (Polydesmida: Paradoxosomatidae), with the Description of Three New Species [A Revision of Dragon Millipedes II]
Abstract The ‘acantherpestes’ group of dragon millipedes, formerly placed in the genus Desmoxytes Chamberlin, 1923, is revised and assigned to the new genus Nagaxytes Srisonchai, Enghoff & Panha gen. nov. Desmoxytes acantherpestes Golovatch & Enghoff, 1994 is the type species of the new genus and is redescribed as N. acantherpestes (Golovatch & Enghoff, 1994) gen. et comb. nov. Three new species are described from Thailand: N. erecta Srisonchai, Enghoff & Panha gen. et sp. nov. and N. gracilis Srisonchai, Enghoff & Panha gen. et sp. nov. from Kanchanaburi Province, and N. spatula Srisonchai, Enghoff & Panha gen. et sp. nov. from Tak Province. All new species are endemic to western Thailand and all are restricted to limestone habitats. Complete illustrations of external morphological characters, an identification key, and a distribution map are provided. Keywords: endemic; dragon millipede; new species; taxonomy; Thailand Taxonomy Class Diplopoda Blainville-Gervais, 1844 Order Polydesmida Pocock, 1887 Suborder Strongylosomatidea Brölemann, 1916 Family Paradoxosomatidae Daday, 1889 Subfamily Paradoxosomatinae Daday, 1889 Tribe Orthomorphini Brölemann, 1916
Genus Nagaxytes Srisonchai, Enghoff & Panha gen. nov. Type species: Desmoxytes acantherpestes Golovatch & Enghoff, 1994 Diagnosis: The genus Nagaxytes gen. nov. is characterized by: 1. Paraterga subspiniform. 2. Metaterga with 2 rows of tubercles/cones/spines (lateral spines of posterior row very long). 3. Male femora 5 and 6 without modification. 4. Postfemoral part of gonopod conspicuous, demarcated from femur by a deep mesal sulcus and a shallow/deep lateral sulcus. 5. Lamina lateralis obviously separated from lamina medialis. 6. Lamina medialis long and curved, apically fringed/hooked. Etymology: ‘Naga’ is a Sanskrit and Pali word, relating to a category of snake-like spirits in Buddhist and Hindu mythology, and refers to the snake-like shape of the lamina medialis of the gonopod; ‘-xytes’ ensures harmony with Desmoxytes (and its synonym Pteroxytes Jeekel, 1980). Included species (4): - N. acantherpestes (Golovatch & Enghoff, 1994) gen. et comb. nov. - N. erecta Srisonchai, Enghoff & Panha gen. et sp. nov. - N. gracilis Srisonchai, Enghoff & Panha gen. et sp. nov. - N. spatula Srisonchai, Enghoff & Panha gen. et sp. nov. Remarks: Srisonchai et al. (2018) proposed to subdivide Desmoxytes sensu Golovatch & Enghoff (1994) into five genera. The ‘acantherpestes’ group (= Nagaxytes) is well-defined by several distinct morphological characters (see diagnosis), especially the distinctive subspiniform paraterga and the very long lamina medialis of the gonopods. Even though the subspiniform paraterga are relatively similar to those of the ‘gigas’ group, the gonopod details are very different. Distribution and habitat: This genus is known only from the western part of Thailand: Prachuap Khiri Khan Province (Hua Hin and Kui Buri Districts), Kanchanaburi Province (Sai Yok and Thong Pha Phum Districts) and Tak Province (Mae Sot and Umphang Districts) (Fig. 27). All four species seem to be local endemics, highly restricted to limestone habitats, and all have narrow distribution ranges. The specimens were usually found on humid rocks, rock walls, leaf litter or surface roots of trees. Some species can be found syntopically in the same habitat with other dragon millipede species. Nagaxytes acantherpestes (Golovatch & Enghoff, 1994) gen. et comb. nov. Diagnosis: Metaterga 4–19 with one row of 2+2 posterior spines (anterior row absent). Similar in this respect to N. gracilis gen. et sp. nov. but differs from this species by having paraterga shorter; degree of elevation of paraterga lower; sternal lobe between male coxae 4 subtrapeziform; lamina lateralis swollen, stout, short.
Nagaxytes erecta Srisonchai, Enghoff & Panha gen. et sp. nov. Etymology The name is a Latin adjective and refers to the erect lamina lateralis of the gonopod telopodite.
Nagaxytes gracilis Srisonchai, Enghoff & Panha gen. et sp. nov. Etymology The name is a Latin adjective, referring to the slender lamina lateralis of the gonopod telopodite. Distribution and habitat: Nagaxytes gracilis gen. et sp. nov. is known only from Sai Yok District, Kanchanaburi Province. All specimens were collected on humid rocks, superficial tree roots and litter in limestone habitats. It lives in the same habitat with D. purpurosea, D. golovatchi Srisonchai, Enghoff & Panha, 2018 and N. erecta gen. et sp. nov. (q.v.). The new species occurs in a narrow distribution area along the huge limestone range which is entirely contained within Sai Yok District. We thus consider this species to be endemic to Kanchanaburi Province, Thailand. Nagaxytes spatula Srisonchai, Enghoff & Panha gen. et sp. nov. Etymology The name is a Latin noun in apposition, referring to the spatulate lobe on the lamina lateralis. Distribution and habitat Known only from Tak Province. Almost all specimens were seen crawling on rocks, some on leaf litter in limestone habitats. Some juveniles were collected from the leaf litter (probably in moulting chambers). In the field, the specimens blended perfectly with brown rocks and leaf litter. Ruttapon Srisonchai, Henrik Enghoff, Natdanai Likhitrakarn and Somsak Panha. 2018. A Revision of Dragon Millipedes II: The New Genus Nagaxytes gen. nov., with the Description of Three New Species (Diplopoda, Polydesmida, Paradoxosomatidae). European Journal of Taxonomy. 462; 1–44. DOI: 10.5852/ejt.2018.462    |
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