[Most Recent Entries] [Calendar View]
Tuesday, January 14th, 2025
| Time | Event | ||||||
| 2:26a | [Diplopoda • 2025] Sinocallipus similis • Integrative Data reveal A New millipede Species of Sinocallipus Zhang, 1993 (Callipodida: Sinocallipodidae) from Vietnam, with notes on its phylogeny
Abstract The callipodidan genus Sinocallipus Zhang, 1993 (Callipodida, Sinocallipodidae) is reviewed within the scope of the Vietnamese fauna. A total of three species are recorded in Vietnam including a new one, Sinocallipus similis sp. nov. All three species are confirmed by morphological and molecular data. An existing identification key of Sinocallipus species is amended to include the new species. Key Words: Biodiversity, cave fauna, COI, phylogeny, taxonomy, Vietnam  Order Callipodida Family Sinocallipodidae Zhang, 1993 Genus Sinocallipus Zhang, 1993 Sinocallipus similis sp. nov. Diagnosis: This species can be recognized by having up to 79 pleurotergites (in adult females, males with 78), yellowish body, long antennae, 5+5 crests between the ozopores on midbody PTs, almost equally subdivided paraprocts, gonopods with strongly swollen and long gonocoxal process g, and a long, trochanteral process of leg 9 with a pointed tip. Etymology: From the Latin word “similis” meaning “similar” or “like”. The name denotes the morphological similarity between the new species and Sinocallipus deharvengi from Quang Binh Province in Vietnam.
Anh D. Nguyen, Pavel Stoev and Tam T. T. Vu. 2025. Integrative Data reveal A New millipede Species of Sinocallipus Zhang, 1993 (Callipodida, Sinocallipodidae) from Vietnam, with notes on its phylogeny. Zoosystematics and Evolution. 101(1): 69-80. DOI: doi.org/10.3897/zse.101.138716 . | ||||||
| 7:07a | [Botany • 2025] Aeschynanthus clarkei (Gesneriaceae) • A New Species from North East India
Abstract A new species Aeschynanthus clarkei sp. nov. is described and illustrated from the Nagaland state of Northeast India. Morphologically, this species closely resembles to Aeschynanthus lineatus Craib in having sessile inflorescences, but differs in leaves elliptic-lanceolate vs narrowly to broadly elliptic or lanceolate to obovate; calyx lobes linear vs lanceolate-linear to linear-oblanceolate. It also appears to be morphologically similar to Aeschynanthus angustioblongus W.T. Wang in leaves shape but differs in having leaves margin prominently dentate vs margin entire and flowers in pair vs flower solitary. This species is narrowly confined to Kiphire district of Nagaland, in a small population comprising about 35 matured individuals in two localities. The threat status of this new species is provisionally assessed here as “Critically Endangered CRB2ab(III); D)” following the IUCN Red List Categories and Criteria version 16 (2024). Keyword: Aeschynanthus angustioblongus, Aeschynanthus lineatus, Endangered, Indo-Burma hotspot, Nagaland
Aeschynanthus clarkei Moaakum, S. Dey, Barbhuiya & G.
Krishna, sp. nov. Diagnosis: Morphologically, this species closely resembles to Aeschynanthus lineatus Craib in having
sessile inflorescences, and similar in corolla tube structure,
but differs by its, leaves shape elliptic-lanceolate vs
narrowly to broadly elliptic or lanceolate to obovate; calyx
lobes linear, obtuse at apex, glabrous vs calyx lobes
lanceolate-linear to linear-oblanceolate, outside glabrous to
rust-brown pubescent. It also appears to be
morphologically similar to Aeschynanthus
angustioblongus W.T. Wang in leaves shape but differ in
having leave margin prominently dentate vs leaves margin
entire; flowers in pair vs flower solitary; style glandular
pubescent vs style sparsely hairy/pubescent. Etymology:
This species is named after Charles Baron Clarke
(1832–1906), a British Botanist, who contributed
significantly for the family Gesneriaceae in Flora of British
India. Jamir Moaakum, Santanu Dey, Sirumai Khusiali Kri, Hussain Ahmed Barbhuiya, Limthure and Gopal Krishna. 2025. A New Species of Aeschynanthus Jack (Gesneriaceae) from North East India. Taiwania.70(1); 50-54. DOI: 10.6165/tai.2025.70.50 | ||||||
| 8:31a | [Botany • 2019] Senecio stella-purpurea (Asteraceae: Senecioneae) • A New, localised Species of purple radiate Senecio from the Sneeuberg Massif, South Africa
Abstract Senecio stella-purpurea is described as a novel species endemic to the Sneeuberg Centre of Floristic Endemism, Eastern Cape, South Africa. The species was first encountered in 2006 and erroneously identified as S. arenarius in the checklist for the Sneeuberg massif. Closer inspection of the material indicated that this is a novel species clearly distinct in southern Africa’s purple-flowered Senecio flora. Morphologically it is closest to S. glastifolius, S. umbellatus, and S. grandiflorus, but differs by the presence of pinnatisect leaves, solitary flowers, and a densely glandular hairy indumentum along its vegetative parts. Occupying approximately only 200 km2 in the eastern and western Sneeuberg, mostly above 1800 m elevation in Karoo Escarpment Grassland, the IUCN Red Listing status of VULNERABLE is proposed. Great Escarpment, Senecioneae, Eudicots   Senecio stella-purpurea V.R.Clark, J.D.Vidal & N.P.Barker sp. nov. Vincent Ralph Clark, João Vidal and Nigel P. Barker. 2019. A New, localised Species of purple radiate Senecio (Asteraceae: Senecioneae) from the Sneeuberg massif, South Africa. Phytotaxa. 406(3):180-190. DOI: doi.org/10.11646/phytotaxa.406.3.4  | ||||||
| 9:23a | [Herpetology • 2025] Oligodon cicadophagus • A New kukri snake (Serpentes: Colubridae) from southern peninsular Thailand
Abstract We describe a new kukri snake, Oligodon cicadophagus sp. nov., from the limestone reliefs of the Phuket Mountain Range in Krabi and Phang-Nga provinces in southern peninsular Thailand. A member of the Oligodon cinereus group, it can be distinguished from all other congeneric species by the combination of its maximal known snout-vent length of 537 mm; 11 maxillary teeth; eight supralabials; one preocular and one presubocular; 17-17-15 dorsal scale rows; 159–168 ventrals, and 50 subcaudals in males; a single anal scale; hemipenes bilobed with large broad lobes, no distinct flounced calyces and unforked sulcus spermaticus; dorsal surface of head, body and tail uniformly olive-gray, without nuchal chevron, dorsal stripes, crossbands, blotches or reticulations; and a venter cream anteriorly turning to dark gray posteriorly. Reptilia, Thai-Malay Peninsula, Oligodon cicadophagus sp. nov., taxonomy, limestone cave, Phuket Mountain range, cicada  Oligodon cicadophagus sp. nov. งูปี่แก้วกระบี่ Olivier S. G. PAUWELS, Nattasuda DONBUNDIT, Montri SUMONTHA and Worawitoo MEESOOK. 2025. Oligodon cicadophagus, A New kukri snake from southern peninsular Thailand (Squamata: Colubridae). Zootaxa. 5569(2); 345-364. DOI: doi.org/10.11646/zootaxa.5569.2.7 | ||||||
| 9:31a | [Botany • 2024] Lepidaploa nakajimae (Asteraceae: Vernonieae) • A New neglected Species from Maciço do Urucum range, Mato Grosso do Sul, Brazil
Abstract A new species of Lepidaploa (Vernonieae, Compositae) is here described as L. nakajimae, an endemic species of Maciço do Urucum range, Corumbá, Mato Grosso do Sul state, Brazil. This new species differs from the closely related L. scintillans basically in its leaf width 1.0–2.2 cm (vs. 0.1–0.3 cm), sessile capitula (vs. short pedunculate), florets 40–42 (vs. 10–12), and anthers 2.0 mm long (vs. 3.6–4.3 mm long). Illustrations, comments, distribution map, and conservation status are provided for the new species. Asteraceae, Cerrado, Lepidaploinae, Eudicots  Lepidaploa nakajimae A.M.Teles, sp. nov. Aristônio Magalhães TELES, Cláudia Barbieri F. MENDONÇA, Rosilene Rodrigues SILVA and Marco Otávio Dias PIVARI. 2024. Lepidaploa nakajimae (Vernonieae, Compositae), A New neglected Species from Maciço do Urucum range, Mato Grosso do Sul, Brazil. Phytotaxa. 636(4); 287-294. DOI: doi.org/10.11646/phytotaxa.636.4.3 Professor da UFU recebe homenagem no nome de nova espécie de planta Pertencente ao gênero Lepidaploa, da família das margaridas, espécie foi descoberta em Corumbá (MS) | ||||||
| 1:14p | [Herpetology • 2025] Urkuphryne merinoi, Phyllonastes macuma, P. ecuadorensis, etc. • Systematics of Minute strabomantid Frogs allocated to the Genus Noblella (Anura: Strabomantidae) with Description of A New Genus, Seven New Species, and insights into hi
Abstract Noblella is a genus of 17 recognized nominal species of ground-dwelling, direct-developing frogs. It consists of two clades that do not form a monophyletic group: a northern clade from northern Peru, Ecuador, Colombia, and Brazil and a southern clade from southern Peru and Bolivia. Herein, we present a systematic review of Noblella with emphasis on the northern clade, including a new phylogeny based on DNA sequences of mitochondrial and nuclear genes. We also describe the osteology of five species from the northern clade using X-ray computed tomography. Based on our results, we resurrect the genus Phyllonastes for species of the northern clade (i.e. eight described species plus six new species described herein) and restrict the genus Noblella to the southern clade. We describe a new genus of Holoadeninae, sister to Phyllonastes: Urkuphryne gen. nov., from northern Ecuador. The new genus is distinguished by unique morphological characteristics that are diagnostic of different genera in Strabomantidae. We describe seven new species diagnosable based on morphology. Phyllonastes has five morphological synapomorphies, including the absence of vomerine teeth. Phyllonastes originated in the Pacific basin, Chocó region, ~21 Mya.   Urkuphryne merinoi Phyllonastes cerrogolondrinas Phyllonastes macuma Phyllonastes ecuadorensis ...   Jhael A. Ortega, Diego F. Cisneros-Heredia, Jeffrey D. Camper, Andrés Romero-Carvajal, Leonardo Negrete and Santiago R. Ron. 2025. Systematics of Minute strabomantid Frogs allocated to the Genus Noblella (Amphibia: Anura) with Description of A New Genus, Seven New Species, and insights into historical Biogeography. Zoological Journal of the Linnean Society. 203(10; zlae162, DOI: doi.org/10.1093/zoolinnean/zlae162  | ||||||
| 3:24p | [Arachnida • 2025] Atrax robustus, A. montanus & A. christenseni • The World’s Most Venomous Spider is A Species Complex: Systematics of the Sydney Funnel-web Spider (Mygalomorphae: Atracidae)
Abstract The Sydney funnel-web spider Atrax robustus O. Pickard-Cambridge, 1877 is an iconic Australian species and considered among the most dangerously venomous spiders for humans. Originally described in 1877 from a single specimen collected in “New Holland”, this spider has a complex taxonomic history. The most recent morphological revision of funnel-web spiders (Atracidae) lists this species as both widespread and common in the Sydney Basin bioregion and beyond, roughly 250 km from the Newcastle area south to the Illawarra, and extending inland across the Blue Mountains. Morphological variability and venom diversity in this species appear to be unusually high, raising questions about species concepts and diversity in these spiders. In this study, we use a combination of molecular phylogenetics, divergence time analyses and morphology to establish the Sydney funnel-web spider as a complex of three species. The “real” Sydney funnel-web spider Atrax robustus is relatively widespread in the Sydney metropolitan region. A second species, Atrax montanus (Rainbow, 1914), which is revalidated here, overlaps but mainly occurs further south and west, and a third larger species, Atrax christenseni sp. nov., is found in a small area surrounding Newcastle to the north. The revised taxonomy for funnel-web spiders may have practical implications for antivenom production and biochemical studies on spider venoms. Although no human fatalities have occurred since the development of antivenom in the 1980s, antivenom for Sydney funnel-web spiders might be optimized by considering biological differentiation at the species level. Keywords: Antivenoms, Biodiversity, Biogeography, Mygalomorph spiders, Systematics, Taxonomy
Infraorder Mygalomorphae Pocock, 1892. Family Atracidae Hogg, 1901. Genus Atrax O. Pickard-Cambridge, 1877. Atrax robustus O. Pickard-Cambridge, 1877 Atrax montanus (Rainbow, 1914), status revised   Atrax christenseni Dupérré & Smith sp. nov. Diagnosis. Adult males are distinguished from all species by their extremely long embolus (12x longer than wide) and widely open embolus tip (Figs. 5C and 17G and H), while shorter in A. robustus (6.5x longer than wide), A. montanus (8x longer than wide) and A. sutherlandi (3.8x longer than wide) (see ... Etymology. The specific epithet was chosen in honour of Kane Christensen, whose contributions in collecting spiders were vital to the description of this species. Distribution. This species is distributed north of Sydney with all records situated in a 25 km radius around Newcastle (Fig. 3). Exact locations are hidden to protect this species, which occurs across a restricted area and may be endangered by collecting. Conclusions: Antivenom and biomedical research on medically important species ultimately relies on sound taxonomic concepts for the species in question. Here we show that the iconic Sydney funnel-web spider Atrax robustus sensu Gray, 2010 is a complex of three species (A. robustus sensu stricto, A. montanus and A. christenseni) that differ phylogenetically and morphologically. Targeted venom analyses of these species might follow, but the findings of past biochemical studies should be re-evaluated in light of a modern taxonomic framework. Antivenom seems to be effective for all Atrax species but antivenom specificity to the “real” Sydney funnel-web spider might benefit from acknowledging interspecific boundaries, intraspecific genetic variation, and from considering the distributional range of this species and its congeners. Conservation measures may be warranted to preserve genetic diversity in Atrax spp. lineages. Stephanie F. Loria, Svea-Celina Frank, Nadine Dupérré, Helen M. Smith, Braxton Jones, Bruno A. Buzatto and Danilo Harms. 2025. The World’s Most Venomous Spider is A Species Complex: Systematics of the Sydney Funnel-web Spider (Atracidae: Atrax robustus). BMC Ecology and Evolution. 25: 7. DOI: doi.org/10.1186/s12862-024-02332-0 Newcastle Funnel-web Spider, Atrax christenseni |
| << Previous Day |
2025/01/14 [Calendar] |
Next Day >> |