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Tuesday, May 13th, 2025
| Time | Event | ||||||
| 1:43a | [Botany • 2024] Aristolochia pulvinata (Aristolochiaceae) • A New Species from Yunnan, Southwest China
Abstract Aristolochia pulvinata Yi-Fan Wang & Zhi-Jian Yin, a new species of Aristolochia subgenus Siphisia (Aristolochiaceae) from Yunnan Province, southwest China, is described and illustrated. Aristolochia pulvinata is distinguished by its unique characters: an elevated and thickened pulvinate structure in the inferior calyx limbs of its perianth. Morphologically, it resembles A. ovatifolia, A. melanocephala, A. utriformis, and A. luudamcui due to the similar thickening on the calyx limb region, but it differs in terms of degree, surface texture, color, and angle, as well as leaf morphology. This species, discovered and known only from one region, is assessed as Critically Endangered (CR) according to IUCN categories and criteria. This publication includes detailed morphological illustrations of A. pulvinata, with comparative photo plates and a table that highlights distinguishing features relative to similar species. Aristolochiaceae, Isotrema, new species, taxonomy, perianth, Magnoliids
Aristolochia pulvinata Yi-Fan Wang & Zhi-Jian Yin, sp. nov. Etymology:—The specific epithet "pulvinata" is derived from the distinctive pulvinate thickening on the inferiorlobe of the adaxial side of the calyx limb observed in its flowers. The subgenus Siphisia is commonly referred to as 关 木通 (guan mu tong) in Chinese, which differs from the genus name Aristolochia, typically known as 马兜铃 (ma douling). Therefore, the Chinese name is given as 垫状花关木通 (dian zhuang hua guan mu tong), reflecting this unique morphological trait. HONG-LIN ZHANG, Yi-Fan WANG, Zi-Rui GUO, Tong ZHU, Hu-Hua YANG and ZHI-JIAN YIN. 2024. Aristolochia pulvinata, A New Species of Aristolochiaceae from Yunnan, Southwest China. Phytotaxa. 675(3); 261-272. DOI: doi.org/10.11646/phytotaxa.675.3.5 [2024-12-04] | ||||||
| 2:38a | [Botany • 2025] Begonia subfiliformis (Begoniaceae, sect. Coelocentrum) • A New Species from Guangxi of South China
Abstract Begonia subfiliformis is a new species of Begonia section Coelocentrum found in the karst region of southwest Guangxi, China. It has yellowish-green flowers and glandular inflorescences. Morphologically, it is similar to B. filiformis, but differs mainly by larger stipules with hairy or nearly glabrous dorsal ridge, adaxial leaves sparsely short-hispid and adorned with whitish-green patches or ring-shaped belt, larger basal bracts, larger staminate flower and tepals, and more stamens. Due to the current data, the new species is assigned to Endangered (EN) according to Guidelines for Using IUCN Red List Categories and Criteria. Keyword: Begonia daxinensis, Begonia filiformis, Begonia sect. Coelocentrum, karst region, new taxon, Southwest Guangxi
Begonia subfiliformis D.K.Tian & J.Y.Zhou sp. nov. 拟丝形秋海棠 Diagnosis: Begonia subfiliformis is mostly similar to B. filiformis Irmsch., but differs mainly by its larger stipules 7–24 × 5–18 mm (vs. 5–10 × 5–7 mm) with hairy or nearly glabrous (vs. hairy) dorsal ridge, adaxial leaf sparsely short-hispid (vs. densely villous) and adorned with whitish-green patches or ring-shaped belt (vs. radial patches or spots), abaxial leaf densely villous or villoushirsute only along veins (vs. densely villous whole back), stout and upright inflorescences (vs. delicate and drooping), larger basal bracts 4–12 × 3–8 mm (vs. 4–7 × 1.1–1.5 mm), larger staminate flowers 16–35 × 10–25 mm (vs. 20–25 × 10–15 mm) (Table 1) (Gu et al., 2007; Ku, 2006). In addition, it is similar to B. daxinensis T.C.Ku and B. morsei Irmsch. in leaf shape and texture, but can be easily distinguished from B. daxinensis by indumentums of petiole and abaxial leaf, flower color, androecium shape, number of stamens and capsule indumentum (Table 1) (Wu and Ku, 1997; Gu et al., 2007), and distinguished from B. morsei by leaf size, peduncle length, flower number and color, pedicel and tepal indumentum and phenology (Gu et al., 2007). Etymology: The specific epithet “subfiliformis” refers to its similarity to B. filiformis, because the two are easily confused by extremely similar flowers. The Chinese name is given as “拟丝形秋海棠”. Jinye Zhou, Shikai Guan, Haixia Yan, Dayan Tao and Daike Tian. 2025. Begonia subfiliformis, A New Species of Begonia（sect. Coelocentrum) from Guangxi of South China. Taiwania. 70(3); 377-381. DOI: 10.6165/tai.2025.70.377 taiwania.ntu.edu.tw/abstract/2084 [12 May 2025] | ||||||
| 4:12a | [Botany • 2017] Bulbophyllum yunxiaoense (Orchidaceae: Epidendroideae) • A New Species of Bulbophyllum sect. Cirrhopetalum from Fujian, China: Morphological and Molecular analyses
Abstract We have described and illustrated a new species, Bulbophyllum yunxiaoense (Malaxideae, Epidendroideae, Orchidaceae), from Fujian Province in southeast China. The size and overall floral morphology of the new species are similar to those of Bulbophyllum pingtungense, a species endemic to Taiwan Island on the southeast coast of China and its closest relative according to a cladistic analysis of nuclear (ITS) and plastid (matK, trnL-F, and atpI-atpH) DNA sequences. However, B. yunxiaoense is distinguishable from B. pingtungense by flower colour, shorter scape, and longer lateral sepal. Keywords: Monocots, Asian orchids, Dendrobiinae, phylogenetics, Sect. Cirrhopetalum
Ming-He LI, Xue-Yan YUAN, Ding-Kun LIU, Jiang-Feng LIU and Shi-Pin CHEN. 2017. Bulbophyllum yunxiaoense sp. nov. (Orchidaceae: Epidendroideae: Malaxideae) from Fujian, China: Morphological and molecular analyses. Phytotaxa. 332(1); 59–66. DOI: doi.org/10.11646/phytotaxa.332.1.6 [2017-12-15] | ||||||
| 8:12a | [Herpetology • 2025] Sepsina caluanda • Buried in the Sands of Time: A New Species of Sepsina Bocage, 1866 (Squamata: Scincidae), from Angola
Abstract Burrowing skinks of the genus Sepsina Bocage, 1866 (Squamata: Scincidae) have a complex taxonomic history and are particularly diverse, although poorly known, in Angola. With elongated bodies and reduced limbs, the five recognized species of the genus can be diagnosed based on the presence or absence of forelimbs and the number and relative size of digits. Sepsina bayonii (Bocage, 1866) is the most distinctive species of the genus, being the only taxon without forelimbs and a single digit on the hind limbs. Revision of historical material from the collections of the California Academy of Sciences revealed the presence of two specimens without forelimbs, but differing from S. bayonii in the number of digits on each hind limb. Considering this unique combination of morphological diagnostic characters, we herein describe a new species from Angola, Sepsina caluanda. This discovery highlights the importance of natural history collections and the revision of historical material for the description of biodiversity and alerts to the threat of habitat loss due to rapid urban growth. KEYWORDS: Africa, Endemism, herpetofauna, Luanda, natural history collections, taxonomy  Sepsina caluanda sp. nov. Diogo Parrinha, Mariana P. Marques, Ana Carolina Andrade De Sousa, Aaron M. Bauer and Luis M.P. Ceríaco. 2025. Buried in the Sands of Time: A New Species of Sepsina Bocage, 1866, from Angola (Squamata: Scincidae). Annals of Carnegie Museum. 90(3); 183-193. DOI: doi.org/10.2992/007.090.0302 (10 January 2025) | ||||||
| 10:48a | [Botany • 2024] Hymenocallis ruenesiana (Amaryllidaceae) • A New Species from the Yucatan Peninsula, Mexico
Abstract Hymenocallis ruenesiana is described and illustrated as a new species from the Yucatan Peninsula, Mexico. When comparing the morphological characters of the leaf, inflorescence, fruit and pollen, as well as the environmental conditions of the habitat of H. ruenesiana, discontinuities were found with those of Hymenocallis littoralis. Hymenocallis ruenesiana is endemic to the Yucatan peninsula, inhabiting seasonal savannas with clayey and floodable soils, while H. littoralis naturally inhabits the coasts, on easily drained sandy soils and it is also widely cultivated as an ornamental plant. endemic to Mexico, Campeche, monocots, pollen, Savannas, Monocots  Hymenocallis ruenesiana sp. nov. Juan José ANCONA, Juan Javier ORTIZ-DÍAZ, Kelly C. DURÁN, Juan TUN-GARRIDO and Geovani A. PALMA. 2024. Hymenocallis ruenesiana (Amaryllidaceae), A New Species from the Yucatan Peninsula, Mexico. Phytotaxa. 645(3); 270-277. DOI: doi.org/10.11646/phytotaxa.645.3.6 [2024-04-26] x.com/SocBotMex/status/1785504973960421 | ||||||
| 1:56p | [Paleontology • 2025] Maleriraptor kuttyi • A new herrerasaurian dinosaur from the Upper Triassic Upper Maleri Formation of south-central India
Abstract Some of the oldest known dinosaurs and the first faunas numerically dominated by them are documented in the Upper Triassic–Lower Jurassic-aged Gondwana formations exposed in the Pranhita-Godavari Valley of south-central and east-central India. The Upper Maleri Formation of the Pranhita-Godavari Basin preserves an early-middle Norian dinosaur assemblage numerically dominated by sauropodomorph dinosaurs, including at least two nominal species. However, the preliminary report of a herrerasaurian dinosaur specimen indicates that this assemblage of south-central Gondwana was more taxonomically diverse. Here, we describe and compare in detail the anatomy and assess the taxonomy and phylogenetic relationships of the Upper Maleri herrerasaurian specimen. A unique combination of character states present in this specimen allows the erection of the new genus and species Maleriraptor kuttyi. Updated quantitative phylogenetic analyses focused on early dinosauriforms recovered Maleriraptor kuttyi as a member of Herrerasauria outside of the South American clade Herrerasauridae. Maleriraptor kuttyi fills a temporal gap between the Carnian South American herrerasaurids and the younger middle Norian–Rhaetian herrerasaurs of North America. Maleriraptor kuttyi shows the first evidence that herrerasaurs survived also in Gondwana the early Norian tetrapod turnover that resulted in the global extinction of the rhynchosaurs. Keywords: Dinosauria, Saurischia, Herrerasauria, Norian, Late Triassic, Pranhita-Godavari   Dinosauria Owen, 1842 [Langer et al., 2020] Saurischia Seeley, 1887 [Gauthier et al., 2020] Herrerasauria Galton, 1985 sensu Langer, 2004 Maleriraptor gen. nov. Etymology: The genus name is derived from the Upper Maleri Formation, in which the holotype and only known specimen was collected, and the Greek word raptor, thief, which is an ending usually used for predatory dinosaur genera. Maleriraptor kuttyi sp. nov. Holotype: ISIR 282, a first primordial sacral vertebra with its right rib and the base of the left rib, the distalmost portion of a right second sacral rib, a caudosacral or first caudal vertebra, an anterior caudal vertebra, right ilium, proximal and distal ends of right pubis and proximal end of left pubis (figure 1a, figures 2−5). Stratigraphic and geographic occurrence: Upper Maleri Formation (early Norian, Late Triassic), Pranhita-Godavari Valley, around 1 km south of the Annaram village, south-central India (figure 1b,c). ISIR 282 was collected more than 40 years ago and we lack georeferenced data. Diagnosis: Maleriraptor kuttyi is an early diverging dinosauriform that differs from all other Triassic archosaurs in the presence of the following unique combination of character states (autapomorphy indicated with an asterisk): centrum posterior to the second primordial sacral vertebra longer than each of the primordial sacral centra; ilium with a postacetabular process shorter than 0.6 times the length between the pubic and ischial peduncles, absence of brevis fossa, lateral rugosity of the iliac postacetabular process restricted to its posterior-most tip*; pubis with ventrally directed shaft; and pubis with a very poorly developed distal anteroposterior expansion. Etymology: The species name commemorates the late T. S. Kutty, who discovered the holotype and co-authored its preliminary description with some of the authors of this study (M.D.E., F.E.N., S.C.).
Martín D. Ezcurra, Maurício Silva Garcia, Fernando E. Novas, Rodrigo Temp Müller, Federico L. Agnolín and Sankar Chatterjee. 2025. A new herrerasaurian dinosaur from the Upper Triassic Upper Maleri Formation of south-central India. Royal Society Open Science. 12(5):250081. DOI: doi.org/10.1098/rsos.250081 [07 May 2025] | ||||||
| 3:46p | [Ichthyology • 2025] Sinocyclocheilus zhenningensis • A New Species of Sinocyclocheilus (Cypriniformes: Cyprinidae) from the Beipan-Jiang in Guizhou, China
Abstract Sinocyclocheilus zhenningensis sp. nov. from the Dabang-He of the Beipan-Jiang Basin in Zhenning County, Guizhou Province, China, is described based on morphological and molecular evidence. The new species can be distinguished morphologically from all congeners in this genus by: (1) normal eyes (5.8%–8.2% SL), presence of pigmentation, with a humpback and no horn structure; (2) pelvic fin rays ii-8, dorsal-fin rays iii-8, stiff and stout last unbranched ray; (3) body depth normal (26.5%–30.1% SL) and covered with irregular black spots, body scaled, but scales buried beneath the skin; (4) lateral line complete, slightly curved ventrally, 42–47 lateral line pored scales; and (5) pectoral fin short, not reaching the anterior base of pelvic fin. Based on the mitochondrial cytochrome b (Cytb) gene phylogenetic tree, S. zhenningensis sp. nov. is strongly supported as sister to the S. cyphotergous-S. multipunctatus subclade. The minimum genetic distance between Sinocyclocheilus zhenningensis sp. nov. and its congeneric species is 3.8%. Key words: Cavefish, karst, molecular phylogenetic analysis, morphology, new record, Sinocyclocheilus zhenningensis, taxonomy
Leishan Wang, Qi Luo and Renyi Zhang. 2025. A New Species of Sinocyclocheilus (Cypriniformes, Cyprinidae) from the Beipan-Jiang in Guizhou, China. ZooKeys. 1238: 99-114. DOI: doi.org/10.3897/zookeys.1238.136371 | ||||||
| 11:58p | [Paleontology • 2025] Isolated theropod teeth from the Upper Jurassic to Lower Cretaceous Khorat Group: Implications for Theropod Diversity in Thailand
Abstract Isolated theropod teeth are notably abundant of vertebrate remains within the Upper Jurassic to Lower Cretaceous Khorat Group of Thailand. However, despite the discovery of numerous dental materials, only a limited number of studies have focused on the morphology and taxonomy of these isolated teeth. This study investigated 112 isolated theropod teeth were retrieved from 19 localities on the Khorat Plateau in Northeastern Thailand. These teeth were divided into five morphotypes based on dental characteristics. They were identified based on cladistic and discriminant analyses that recovered four clades of theropod dinosaurs: Metriacanthosauridae, Tyrannosauroidea, Spinosauridae, and Allosauria. This dental evidence provide significant insights into the theropod diversity in Thailand during the Late Jurassic to Early Cretaceous. Specifically, the Late Jurassic to Early Cretaceous Phu Kradung Formation revealed an extended presence of metriacanthosaurids and basal tyrannosauroids, while the Sao Khua and Khok Kruat Formations indicated a shift towards allosaurian and spinosaurid dominance during the Early Cretaceous. The absence of metriacanthosaurids and basal tyrannosauroids in later formations suggests a faunal turnover, with allosaurians and spinosaurids becoming more prevalent, aligning with the changes in theropod faunal composition across Eurasia. Furthermore, this contribution suggested the faunal turnover pattern in the Eurasian theropods during the Jurassic-Cretaceous boundary interval, which might have been related to the change in herbivorous dinosaurs during this crucial timeframe of dinosaur evolution.  Wongwech Chowchuvech, Sita Manitkoon, Phornphen Chanthasit, Duangsuda Chokchaloemwong, Wachirawit Kosulawatha and Chatchalerm Ketwetsuriya. 2025. Isolated theropod teeth from the Upper Jurassic to Lower Cretaceous Khorat Group: Implications for theropod diversity in Thailand. Cretaceous Research. 175, 106147. DOI: doi.org/10.1016/j.cretres.2025.106147 |
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