[Most Recent Entries] [Calendar View]
Tuesday, July 22nd, 2025
| Time | Event | ||||||
| 12:22a | [Entomology • 2025] A Revised Classification of the Assassin Bugs (Hemiptera: Heteroptera: Reduviidae) based on combined analysis of phylogenomic and morphological data
Abstract Assassin bugs (Hemiptera: Reduviidae Latreille) comprise not only one of the largest radiations of predatory animals (22 subfamilies; >6,800 spp.) but also include the medically important kissing bugs (Triatominae Jeannel). Reduviidae are morphologically diverse, engage in an astounding array of predatory strategies and have evolved some of the most unique anti-predator and stealth techniques in the animal kingdom. While significant progress has been made to reveal the evolutionary history of assassin bugs and revise their taxonomy, the non-monophyly of the second largest assassin bug subfamily, Reduviinae Latreille, remains to be addressed. Leveraging phylogenomic data (2,291 loci) and 112 morphological characters, we performed the first data- and taxon-rich (195 reduvioid taxa) combined phylogenetic analysis across Reduvioidea and reconstructed morphological diagnostic features for major lineages. We corroborated the rampant polyphyly of Reduviinae that demands substantial revisions to the subfamilial and tribal classification of assassin bugs. Our new classification for Reduviidae reduces the number of subfamilies to 19 and recognizes 40 tribes. We describe three new subfamilies to accommodate distantly related taxa previously classified as Reduviinae (Heteropinae subfam. nov., Nanokeralinae subfam. nov., and Pasirinae subfam. nov.). Triatominae sensu nov. are expanded to include closely related predatory reduviine genera. Cetherinae Jeannel, Chryxinae Champion, Pseudocetherinae Villiers, Salyavatinae Amyot & Serville and Sphaeridopinae Amyot & Serville are treated as junior synonyms of Reduviinae sensu nov. Epiroderinae Distant are synonymized with Phimophorinae Handlirsch sensu nov. and Bactrodini Stål stat. nov. are reclassified as a tribe of Harpactorinae Amyot & Serville. Psophidinae Distant is treated as a valid subfamily. This new classification represents a robust framework for future taxonomic and evolutionary research on assassin bugs. Keywords: ancestral state reconstruction, Cimicomorpha, phylogenetic systematics, revised classification, taxonomy, true bugs
Paul K. Masonick, Alex Knyshov, Eric R. L. Gordon, Dimitri Forero, Wei Song Hwang, Rochelle Hoey-Chamberlain, Tatiana Bush, Stephanie Castillo, Madison Hernandez, Jamie Ramirez, Samantha Standring, Junxia Zhang and Christiane Weirauch. 2025. A Revised Classification of the Assassin Bugs (Hemiptera: Heteroptera: Reduviidae) based on combined analysis of phylogenomic and morphological data. Systematic Entomology. DOI: doi.org/10.1111/syen.12646 [17 July 2024] | ||||||
| 2:19a | [Ichthyology • 2025] Porotergus sambaibensis • Molecular Phylogeny reveals A New Species of Ghost Electric Knifefish Porotergus Ellis 1912 (Gymnotiformes: Apteronotidae), from the Amazon Basin
Abstract A new species of ghost electric knifefish, Porotergus sambaibensis sp. nov., is described from the Javaés River, a tributary of the Araguaia River in Brazil. The new species was assigned to the genus Porotergus as the closest relative to Porotergus gimbeli through maximum likelihood reconstruction of a concatenated multilocus dataset. Additionally, the origin of adductor mandibulae, pars stegalis in P. sambaibensis sp. nov. provided further evidence to support the molecular hypothesis. External and internal anatomical characters diagnosed the new species. DNA barcode data were used to test species monophyly and its genetic divergence from other species in the clade. Porotergus sambaibensis sp. nov. is distinguished from its closely related species by the colour pattern of the trunk, dark brown; the lower count of total anal-fin rays, 146–160; the higher number of teeth rows on the dentary, two; the presence of premaxilla teeth; two prominent foramina on dorsal portion of hyomandibula and its distribution pattern; and the second basibranchial, unossified. The genetic divergence between the new species and its relatives ranged from 3.7% in P. gimbeli to 10.3% in Porotergus duende. The species was categorised as deficient data (DD) based on the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) criteria. Keywords: DNA barcode, electric fish, ichthyofauna, Neotropics, taxonomy
Porotergus sambaibensis, new species Diagnosis: P. sambaibensis can be distinguished from P. duende by the colour pattern of the trunk, dark brown (vs. light brown to pale straw pigmentation). The new species can be distinguished from ‘A’. apurensis and P. gimbeli by the lower count of total anal-fin rays, 146–160 (vs. 171–198). P. sambaibensis can be further distinguished from ‘A’. bonapartii by the premaxilla dentition pattern, five teeth arranged in two irregular rows (vs. three tooth rows, each with 2–4 teeth); by the lateral ethmoid position, straight (Figure 4; vs. the lateral ethmoid obliquely positioned, extending ventrally from the frontal at an angle towards the dorsal surface of the parasphenoid; Hilton & Cox Fernandes, 2017: Figure 4; Peixoto & de Pinna, 2022: fig. 25); by the presence of two foramina on the dorsal portion of hyomandibula (Figure 6 vs. one; Hilton & Cox Fernandes, 2017: Figure 4). The new species can be distinguished from P. gimbeli by the unelaborated chin (vs. prominent swelling on the chin, e.g., de Santana & Crampton, 2010: Figure 4). It can be further differentiated from P. duende by the higher number of teeth rows on dentary, two (vs. one); by the presence of premaxilla teeth (vs. absent); and by the second basibranchial, unossified (vs. ossified). P. sambaibensis is differentiated from P. gymnotus by the number of premaxillary teeth, five (vs. two). The new species can be distinguished from ‘A’. ellisi by the anal-fin rays, 146–160 (vs. 170–190). Etymology: The specific epithet is in reference to the type locality, Sambaíba, a rocky bank in the Javaés River. Marina B. Mendonça, Luiz A. W. Peixoto, Carine C. Chamon, A. Akama and C. David de Santana. 2025. Molecular Phylogeny reveals A New Species of Ghost Electric Knifefish Porotergus Ellis 1912 (Gymnotiformes: Apteronotidae), from the Amazon basin. Journal of Fish Biology. DOI: doi.org/10.1111/jfb.70085 [14 July 2025] | ||||||
| 2:58a | [Herpetology • 2025] Boulenophrys changyangensis • A New Species of the Boulenophrys (Anura: Megophryidae) from Hubei, China
Abstract A new species of Asian horned toad, Boulenophrys, is described from Changyang County, Hubei Province, China. The new species differs from its congeners by the following combination of characters: (1) body size moderate (SVL 39.4–43.3 mm in males); (2) a small horn-like tubercle at the edge of each upper eyelid; (3) vomerine ridges weak and vomerine teeth absent; (4) tongue not notched posteriorly; (5) head width greater than head length; (6) no large, pale-white circular spots on the shoulders; (7) toes without webbing or lateral fringes; (8) heels overlapping when thighs are positioned at right angles to the body; (9) tibiotarsal articulation reaching the level of the middle of the eye when the leg is stretched forward; (10) an internal single subgular vocal sac in males; and (11) in breeding males, nuptial pads bearing black nuptial spines on the dorsal bases of the first and second fingers. Key Words: Hubei Province, Molecular phylogenetic analysis, Morphology, New species
Boulenophrys changyangensis sp. nov. Diagnosis. Boulenophrys changyangensis sp. nov. is assigned to the genus Boulenophrys based on molecular phylogenetic analyses and the following generic diagnostic characters: snout shield-like; projecting beyond the lower jaw; canthus rostralis distinct; chest glands small and round, closer to the axilla than to midventral line; femoral glands on rear part of thigh; vertical pupils (Fei and Ye 2016; Lyu et al. 2023). Boulenophrys changyangensis sp. nov. could be distinguished from its congeners by a combination of the following morphological characters: body size moderate (SVL 39.4–43.3 mm in males); a small horn-like tubercle at edge of each upper eyelid; vomerine ridges and vomerine teeth absent; tongue not notched behind; head width larger than head length; no large, pale-white circular spots on the shoulders; toes without webbing and lateral fringes; heels overlapped when thighs are positioned at right angles to the body; an internal single subgular vocal sac in males; in breeding males, the nuptial pads with black nuptial spines on the dorsal bases of the first and second fingers. ...
Etymology. The specific epithet changyang refers to the distribution of the species, Changyang County, Hubei Province, China. The suggested common English name is “Changyang Horned Toad,” and the Chinese name is “Cháng Yáng Jiǎo Chán (长阳角蟾)” for this species. Shize Li, Shengchao Shi, Jing Liu, Jingjing Zhao, Shuo Gao and Bin Wang. 2025. A New Species of the Boulenophrys (Anura, Megophryidae) from Hubei, China. Zoosystematics and Evolution. 101(3): 1213-1226. DOI: doi.org/10.3897/zse.101.155859 | ||||||
| 5:28a | [Herpetology • 2025] Gekko fengshanensis • A New Species of Karst-adapted Gecko (Squamata: Gekkonidae: Gekko) from Guangxi, southern China
Abstract A new species of the genus Gekko Laurenti, 1768, Gekko fengshanensis sp. nov., is described based on six specimens from Fengshan County, Hechi City, Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region, China. It is placed into the subgenus Japonigekko based on morphological and molecular phylogenetic analyses, and distinguished from consubgeners of Japonigekko by a combination of morphological characters in body size, cephalic proportions, and pholidosis features. Molecular phylogenetic analyses using mitochondrial 16S and ND2 sequences reveal that G. fengshanensis sp. nov. forms a sister relationship with G. kwangsiensis, collectively forming a clade with G. liboensis and G. paucituberculatus endemic to southern China’s karst ecosystems. This discovery increases the number of recognized Gekko species in the South China Karst to five, underscoring the role that fragmented karst landscapes play in driving speciation and maintaining high levels of biodiversity in this unique ecosystem. Key words: Gekko fengshanensis sp. nov., G. liboensis, Guangxi, integrative taxonomy, Japonigekko, South China Karst
Gekko fengshanensis sp. nov. Diagnosis. Gekko fengshanensis sp. nov. is assigned to the subgenus Japonigekko and distinguished from congeners by the following combination of characters: (1) moderate body size, SVL 60.0–79.9 mm in the adult male and SVL 62.2 in the adult female; (2) nares in contact with rostral, internasal absent; (3) enlarged postmentals two; (4) tubercles flattened, present from the region behind the eyes along the neck to the tail base, 8–11 rows at midbody ; (5) ventral scales between mental and cloacal slit 193–213; (6) midbody scale rows 149–161; (7) ventral scale rows 40–49; (8) subdigital lamellae on first fingers 11–13, on fourth fingers 12–16, on first toes 12–14, on fourth toes 13–15,and fingers and toes webbing weakly developed; (9) continuous precloacal pores 9–12 in males, absent in the female; (10) a single postcloacal tubercle on each side. Etymology. The specific epithet fengshanensis refers to Fengshan County, the type locality in Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region, China. The common name “Fengshan gecko” (English) and formal Chinese name “凤山壁虎” (fèng shān bì hǔ) are proposed. Zhong Huang, Hao-Tian Wang, Shuo Qi, Han-Ming Song, Yong Huang, Ying-Yong Wang and Yun-Ming Mo. 2025. A New Species of Karst-adapted Gecko (Squamata, Gekkonidae, Gekko) from Guangxi, southern China. ZooKeys. 1245: 289-310. DOI: doi.org/10.3897/zookeys.1245.153769 | ||||||
| 3:00p | [Ichthyology • 2024] Bathygobius mero • A New Sponge-dwelling Goby (Gobiidae: Bathygobius) from Indonesia, Philippines, and Australia
A new species of goby, Bathygobius mero, is described from eastern Bali, Indonesia on the basis of 8 adult specimens, 26.3–36.0 mm SL. There are also photographic records from Sumba, Indonesia, Cebu, Philippines, and Queensland, Australia. Diagnostic features include 19–21 (usually 20) pectoral-fin rays with the upper three rays free from the membranous portion of the fin and each with two filamentous tips, a mostly scaleless predorsal midline except for two or three scales in front of first dorsal-fin origin, and 33 or 34 lateral scales. The live coloration is overall pale greyish with a dense covering of reddish-brown freckles, a brown spot (about one third of pupil size) at the uppermost part of the gill opening, and reddish-brown spotting on the fins. The new species has a commensal association with the large barrel sponge (Xestospongia testudinaria), unlike other members of the genus, which are typically free-living bottom dwellers. It also inhabits deeper water (9–30 m, but usually below about 15 m) than most Bathygobius, which are mainly confined to shallow water less than 10 m deep. Key words: taxonomy, ichthyology, systematics, coral-reef fishes, gobies, tropical western Pacific Ocean, Indo-Pacific, commensal.
Bathygobius mero, n. sp. Etymology. The new species is named mero with reference to the MERO Foundation (Indonesian Marine
Education and Research Organisation, Tulamben, Bali) for their generous sponsorship of this study. The name is
treated as a noun in apposition. Allen, Gerald R., Erdmann, Mark and Ishida, Nesha. 2024. A New Sponge-dwelling Goby (Gobiidae: Bathygobius) from Indonesia, Philippines, and Australia. Journal of the Ocean Science Foundation. 41, 46–53. https://oceansciencefoundation.org/josf.h https://zenodo.org/records/14003729 |
| << Previous Day |
2025/07/22 [Calendar] |
Next Day >> |