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Wednesday, February 19th, 2025
| Time | Event | ||||
| 3:31a | [Entomology • 2025] Papilio solstitius • A cryptic New Species of Tiger Swallowtail (Lepidoptera: Papilionidae) from eastern North America
Abstract In the eastern Great Lakes region of North America, two tiger swallowtail species have previously been recognized, Papilio glaucus Linnaeus, 1758 and Papilio canadensis Rothschild & Jordan, 1906. A third entity, the Midsummer Tiger Swallowtail, has been treated as a P. glaucus × canadensis hybrid, and exhibits a mosaic of both intermediate and unique morphological and biological traits. Here we demonstrate that rather than being a localized, historically recent hybrid phenomenon, the Midsummer Tiger Swallowtail maintains its morphological and physiological distinctness over a large geographic region in the absence of one or both putative parental species, and was first documented in the literature nearly 150 years ago. Papilio solstitius sp. nov. is physiologically unique in delaying post-diapause development, which results in allochronic isolation between the spring flights of P. glaucus and P. canadensis, and the late summer flight of P. glaucus. Similarly, the geographic range of Papilio solstitius spans the region between the northern terminus of P. glaucus and southern limits of P. canadensis, remaining distinct in areas of sympatry. Defining the taxonomic identity of this unique evolutionary lineage provides an important baseline for further inquiry into what has served as an exemplary species group in evolutionary study. Key words: cryptic species, hybrid, Papilio glaucus, Papilionidae, Pterourus, speciation
Papilio solstitius sp. nov. Etymology: The epithet solstitius is derived from solstitium, the Latin term for solstice. The species’ unique midsummer flight period commences near the summer solstice. Differential diagnosis. Papilio solstitius is closely related to P. glaucus, P. canadensis and P. appalachiensis, but differs from all in a suite of characters (Table 1). The most significant differences are apparent in developmental biology and phenology. Papilio solstitius is unique in its long post-diapause emergence delay, with adult eclosion beginning in late June to early July, compared to May for all other species (Fig. 2). Unlike the facultatively multivoltine P. glaucus, P. solstitius is obligately univoltine (like P. canadensis and P. appalachiensis). In the northern part of its range, P. solstitius overlaps with P. canadensis, and in the south with P. glaucus; it is not known to overlap with P. appalachiensis (Fig. 1). Identification difficulties are therefore largely limited to confusion with either P. canadensis or P. glaucus. In combination with location and date, the comparative morphological characters summarized in Table 1 and discussed in the “Comparative Morphology” section below will serve to identify most specimens. Charles J. DeRoller, Xi Wang, Julian R. Dupuis, B. Christian Schmidt. 2025. A cryptic New Species of Tiger Swallowtail (Lepidoptera, Papilionidae) from eastern North America. ZooKeys. 1228: 69-97. DOI: doi.org/10.3897/zookeys.1228.142202 | ||||
| 8:11a | [Botany • 2025] Bulbophyllum abuniorum (Orchidaceae: Epidendroideae) • A New Species of Bulbophyllum sect. Lepidorhiza from the Bird’s Head Peninsula, Indonesian New Guinea
Abstract A new species of Bulbophyllum from section Lepidorhiza, B. abuniorum Saputra & Schuit., is described based on specimens from the Bird’s Head Peninsula, New Guinea. A detailed morphological description and diagnosis, information on distribution and ecology, and a preliminary conservation assessment are provided. A key to the species of Bulbophyllum section Lepidorhiza in New Guinea is also presented. Keywords: Abun Tribe, Pegunungan Tambrauw, West Papua, endemic, indentification key   Bulbophyllum abuniorum Saputra & Schuit., sp. nov. Diagnosis: Bulbophyllum abuniorum is similar to Bulbophyllum levyae Garay, Hamer & Siegerist (1995:176) especially in the shape of sepals and petals, the relatively long lip, and in the several simultaneously opening flowers (flowers usually opening one at a time in other species of sect. Lepidorhiza), but differs in having a slightly clawed lip at the base (vs. not clawed in B. levyae), densely irregular conical-subulate teeth all over the adaxial surface of the lip (vs. lip with papillae in the middle, smooth elsewhere), margin of lip laciniate basally, strongly serrate centrally, and crenate apically (vs. margin entire throughout). Reza Saputra, André Schuiteman, Hormes Ulimpa, Fajar Fitrah Darmawan Darwis, Agaki Junial, Welem Nuburi and Johny Santoso. 2025. A New Species of Bulbophyllum section Lepidorhiza (Orchidaceae) from the Bird’s Head Peninsula, Indonesian New Guinea. Telopea. 29; 9-13. DOI: 10.7751/telopea20323  | ||||
| 9:38a | [Paleontology • 2025] Thilastikosuchus scutorectangularis • A New notosuchian (Crocodyliformes: Mesoeucrocodylia) from the Quiricó Formation, Lower Cretaceous, Sanfranciscana Basin, Brazil
ABSTRACT Notosuchians comprise a clade of mostly terrestrial crocodyliforms generally found in Cretaceous Gondwanan deposits. They evolved into many forms and some species show convergences with mammalian features such as the development of a high degree of heterodonty and multicuspid teeth. South American deposits concentrate the highest number of described notosuchian species, which is more than twice the number of taxa known from strata elsewhere. Here, a novel candidodontid notosuchian, Thilastikosuchus scutorectangularis, gen. et sp. nov., is presented and described, comprising a new monospecific genus and the oldest notosuchian record found in Brazil, and likely from South America. This new taxon lacks the sharp hypertrophied caniniform teeth of closely related forms, such as Malawisuchus and Pakasuchus, but shares the posterior molariform teeth with increasingly wider crowns and denticulated cingula. Additionally, the phylogenetic analysis with the inclusion of the new Brazilian material places Candidodontidae as the earliest notosuchian radiation, shedding new light into its origins.  Thilastikosuchus scutorectangularis, gen. et sp. nov. 
  Joyce Celerino de Carvalho, Daniel Martins dos Santos, Ricardo Lourenço Pinto and Rodrigo Miloni Santucci. 2025. Anatomical Description and Systematics of A New notosuchian (Mesoeucrocodylia; Crocodyliformes) from the Quiricó Formation, Lower Cretaceous, Sanfranciscana Basin, Brazil. Journal of Vertebrate Paleontology. e2452947. DOI: doi.org/10.1080/02724634.2025.2452947 | ||||
| 4:09p | [Herpetology • 2025] Gekko shiva • A New limestone-dwelling Gecko (Squamata: Gekkonidae) from Sa Kaeo Province, eastern Thailand
Abstract We describe Gekko shiva sp. nov. from limestone cave and hills in Khlong Hat District, Sa Kaeo Province, eastern Thailand, near the border with Cambodia. The new species, a member of the subgenus Gekko, differs from all currently recognized Gekko species by the following combination of morphological characters and pattern: maximal known snout-vent length of 131.9 mm, lack of contact between nostrils and rostral, 28 or 29 interorbital scales between supraciliaries, 80–86 scale rows around midbody, 18 dorsal tubercle rows at midbody, 35–37 ventral scale rows at midbody, 9–12 precloacal pores in males, one or two postcloacal tubercles on each side of the base of the tail, 13–15 subdigital lamellae on 1st toe and 18 or 19 on 4th toe, no Y-shaped mark on head, white spots on head, brown dorsal background with irregular bands of white spots on dorsum, yellow venter, and greenish golden iris. Reptilia, Gekko shiva sp. nov., taxonomy, karst, limestone, cave, Cardamom Mountains    Gekko shiva sp. nov. ตุ๊กแกศิวะ   Olivier S. G. PAUWELS, Worawitoo MEESOOK, Nattasuda DONBUNDIT, Tanasak JINDAMAD, Nittaya TOPAI and Montri SUMONTHA. 2025. Gekko (Gekko) shiva, A New limestone-dwelling Gecko from Sa Kaeo Province, eastern Thailand (Squamata, Gekkonidae). Zootaxa. 5588(2); 305-322. DOI: doi.org/10.11646/zootaxa.5588.2.6 |
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