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Thursday, July 24th, 2025
| Time | Event | ||||||
| 12:13a | [Botany • 2025] Rediscovery of the endemic Vanda thwaitesii (Orchidaceae) after 160 years in the central highlands of Sri Lanka and its lectotypification
Summary Vanda thwaitesii, an endemic species to Sri Lanka was rediscovered nearly 160 years after its presumed extinction from the Rangala area of the Knuckles Mountain range, marking the first sighting since its initial record in 1861. The occurrence of this species in India was reported in 1998, however, later it was identified as a different species, Vanda sathishii. Rediscovery of V. thwaitesii was a part of a project ‘National Botanical Survey’ conducted by Department of National Botanic Gardens, Sri Lanka. A lectotypification, a detailed taxonomic description and a detailed illustration are provided. Based on the IUCN Red List categories and criteria, V. thwaitesii is assessed as Critically Endangered. Key Words: Biodiversity Conservation, Critically Endangered, Knuckles Mountain, Vanda sathishii.
Vanda thwaitesii Hook.f. (Hooker 1898: 193); Jayaweera (1981: 220). Type: Sri Lanka, Knuckles Mountains, Rangala area, Hunnasgiriya, coloured painting with floral analysis by H. de Alwis labelled Aerides tessellata and numbered C.P. 3378 (lectotype: icon. PDA!, designated here), .... Bhathiya Gopallawa, Indrakheela Madola, Deepthi Yakandawala, Himesh Jayasinghe and Subhani Ranasinghe. 2025. Rediscovery of the endemic Vanda thwaitesii (Orchidaceae) after 160 years in the central highlands of Sri Lanka and its lectotypification. Kew Bulletin. DOI: doi.org/10.1007/s12225-025-10280-1 [10 July 2025] | ||||||
| 3:34a | [Paleontology • 2025] Wudingloong wui • A New Early Jurassic Dinosaur represents the Earliest-diverging and Oldest Sauropodomorph of East Asia
Abstract A new dinosaur assemblage from the Lower Jurassic at Wande Town, Wuding County, Yunnan Province, China is discovered recently. Here a new sauropodomorph from this site, Wudingloong wui gen. et sp. nov., is described on the basis of a partial skeleton. Wudingloong is different from other non-sauropodiform sauropodomorphs particularly in having an ascending ramus of the maxilla excavated by triangular antorbital fossa, distinct ventral keel on the middle cervical centra, a slender humerus with a flat and low humeral head, a gracile metacarpal V with the proximal end as wide as the distal end, and a large and robust ungual of manual digit I. Wudingloong was excavated from the lowest Lower Jurassic Yubacun Formation, which is the lowest dinosaur bone bed in East Asia. Both the phylogenetic analysis and stratigraphic horizon indicate that Wudingloong represents the earliest-diverging and stratigraphically oldest sauropodomorph dinosaur discovered in East Asia so far. The discovery of this new taxon provides further evidence that the southwestern China sauropodomorph assemblage is one of the most taxonomically diverse and morphologically disparate in the pre-Toarcian Early Jurassic worldwide, represented by various taxa from near the base of the Massopoda to non-sauropodan sauropodiforms.
Systematic palaeontology Dinosauria Owen, 1842. Saurischia Seeley, 1887. Sauropodomorpha Huene, 1932. Massopoda Yates, 2007. Wudingloong wui gen. et sp. nov. Etymology: The genus name, Wudingloong, “Wuding” refers to Wuding County where the fossil site was found, and “loong” means Chinese “龙”. The specific name, wui, honors Dr. Xiao-Chun Wu (Canadian Museum of Nature) for his significant contribution to the research on the dinosaurs and other vertebrate fossils from Yunnan Province. Diagnosis: A small to medium-sized non-sauropodan sauropodomorph (Tables S1–S4) diagnosed by the following unique combination of characters (autapomorphies indicated by an asterisk): ascending ramus of the maxilla excavated by triangular antorbital fossa; axial intercentrum wider and completely fused to the axis; distinct ventral keel on middle cervical centra; slender shaft of the humerus with a flat and low humeral head; a large and robust ungual of manual digit I with length, proximal height and width three times those of the ungual of manual digit III *; gracile metacarpal V with proximal end as wide as distal end*. Locality and horizon: The specimen was excavated from the Lower Jurassic Yubacun Formation (Hettangian to early Sinemurian, probably 200.17 Ma14) at Wande Town, Wuding County, Yunnan Province, China. ... Ya-Ming Wang, Qian-Nan Zhang, Yan-Chao Wang, Huan Xu, Jianbo Chen, Zhuo Feng, Xing Xu, Tao Wang and Hai-Lu You. 2025. A New Early Jurassic Dinosaur represents the Earliest-diverging and Oldest Sauropodomorph of East Asia. Scientific Reports. 15: 26749. DOI: doi.org/10.1038/s41598-025-12185-2 [23 July 2025] | ||||||
| 6:06a | [Herpetology • 2025] Litoria stellarum • A New montane Species of Stream-dwelling Treefrog (Anura: Pelodryadidae) from the Star Mountains, Papua New Guinea
Abstract We describe a new species of pelodryadid treefrog from a montane stream traversing karst terrain in the Star Mountains of western Papua New Guinea. Litoria stellarum sp. nov. is morphologically similar to L. becki (Loveridge, 1945), a species that is widespread in montane grassland habitats in central Papua New Guinea, but can be distinguished by its more angular snout and the presence of vocal slits in adult males (absent in L. becki). Based on its morphology and ecology we are confident the new species belongs to a monophyletic clade of torrent-breeding Litoria that reaches its greatest diversity in the rugged mountains of New Guinea’s Central Cordillera. Litoria stellarum sp. nov. is the second species in the radiation of torrent-breeding Litoria to be described from high-elevation karst habitats in Papua New Guinea, however in the absence of better ecological data it is not clear whether these species can be considered karst specialists. The single known locality for the species is in a restricted high elevation habitat suggesting it might be vulnerable to climate change. However, we suggest it should be considered Data Deficient until such time as its distribution and ecology can be better assessed. Amphibia, alpine fernlands, Central Cordillera, frog, karst habitats, Litoria stellarum sp. nov., Strickland Divide, taxonomy
Litoria stellarum sp. nov. Etymology. stellarum is a latin genitive plural of Stella (star), meaning of the stars, referring to this species’only known locality high in Papua New Guinea’s Star Mountains. Stephen J. RICHARDS, Gregory R. JOHNSTON and Paul M. OLIVER. 2025. A New montane Species of Stream-dwelling Treefrog (Pelodryadidae) from the Star Mountains, Papua New Guinea. Zootaxa. 5661(2); 221-236. DOI: doi.org/10.11646/zootaxa.5661.2.4 [2025-07-15] | ||||||
| 6:06a | [Herpetology • 2025] Cyrtodactylus shivalikensis & C. himachalensis • Two New Species of Bent-toed Geckos of the Genus Cyrtodactylus Gray, 1827 (Squamata: Gekkonidae) from the western Himalayas
Abstract The members of the genus Cyrtodactylus Gray (1827) have received unprecedented attention in India in the recent past, especially in northeast India and the eastern Himalayas. However, the western Himalayas have, and in large, been less well-investigated. A recent herpetological survey in the western Himalayas led to the discovery of two new species from the states of Jammu and Kashmir, and Himachal Pradesh. The phylogenetic analysis based on the mitochondrial NADH subunit 2 gene indicates that the new species belong to the C. lawderanus group. The new species from Jammu and Kashmir is most similar to C. chamba Agarwal, Khandekar & Bauer 2018 and the one from Himachal Pradesh to C. lawderanus (Stoliczka 1871) in general appearance. The new species differ from previously described taxa to which they are allied in several morphological features, in addition to exhibiting substantial DNA sequence divergence. Reptilia, Biodiversity hotspot, Gekkonidae, ND2, phylogeny, Sauria   Cyrtodactylus shivalikensis sp. nov. Etymology: The new species is named after the Shivalik Hills, which form the outer fringe of the Himalayas, from where the new species was collected.  Cyrtodactylus himachalensis sp. nov. Etymology: The new species is named after the word ‘Himachal’, which refers to the Indian state of Himachal Pradesh, where it was collected. Virender K. BHARDWAJ, Jayaditya PURKAYASTHA, H. T. LALREMSANGA, Zeeshan A. MIRZA. 2025. Two New Species of Bent-toed Geckos of the Genus Cyrtodactylus Gray, 1827 from the western Himalayas. Zootaxa. 5665(2); 205-222. DOI: doi.org/10.11646/zootaxa.5665.2.3 [2025-07-22]  | ||||||
| 11:03a | [Botany • 2025] Euonymus chengduanus (Celastraceae) • A New Species unexpectedly discovered in an Urban Forest Park in the Megacity of Chengdu, west China
ABSTRACT The establishment of native species-dominated forest parks and investment into vegetation surveys and taxonomic research has not only enabled the discovery of relictnative species affected by urban expansion but also facilitated targeted conservation efforts. During investigations on plant diversity and vegetation status in Longquan Mountain Urban Forest Park in eastern Chengdu Metropolis, West China, an unidentified species of Euonymus (Celastraceae) was encountered. It resembles both E. chloranthoides and E. aquifolium in vegetative appearance, but it has exclusively 4-merous flowers. A phylogenetic analysis incorporating 51 taxa of Euonymus and Glyptopetalum supported its recognition as a new species, positioned phylogenetically sister to a clade containing Glyptopetalum species, and close to E. chloranthoides and E. aquifolium. To acknowledge the expanded Chengdu urbanization and the recently planned mountain urban forest park, it is described as Euonymus chengduanus, and its diagnostic morphological characters are compared with E. aquifolium, E. chloranthoides, and Glyptopetalum ilicifolium. This discovery implies that even in intensively anthropogenic-impacted areas adjacent to large cities, undocumented plant diversity may still exist. Consequently, this new species is tentatively assessed as Critically Endangered (CR) to emphasize both the urgency of its protection and to raise public awareness concerning biodiversity in degraded ecosystems. Keywords: Celastraceae, degraded ecosystem, Euonymus, Glyptopetalum, new species, urban
Euonymus chengduanus J. Hu & H. He, sp. nov. Diagnosis: This new species appears closely related to Euonymus chloranthoides in vegetative organs, inflorescence, and adjacent distribution, but it can be easily differentiated from the latter by its 4-merous flowers, mostly light green floral disc, unlobed fruits, and a secondary vein framework showing festooned semicraspedodromous patterns. It also shares a certain extent of similarity to both E. aquifolium and Glyptopetalum ilicifolium, and these four species can be distinguished from the morphological characters of leaf, flower, and fruit (Table 1 and Figure 2). Etymology: The species epithet refers to the megapolis of Chengdu, and the Latin adjective ending-anus indicating location. Chengdu is one the largest urban areas in western China with Thousands of years of history. Mountainous regions on the West of Chengdu hold huge biodiversity, where E. H. Wilson (referring to Sargent 1911–1913) had collected quite a lot living plants and specimens, and Wilson (1929) himself accredited Chengdu as “the Garden of West China”. However, no plant has been credited to the city name of Chengdu. Urbanization in recent decades has enlarged the city of Chengdu around all the way outside, and extending eastwards across Longquan Mountain to Jianyang City. This is the first plant species named after Chengdu, and a Chinese name “成都卫矛(Chéng dū wèi máo)” is here suggested. Jun Hu, Xin Huang, Yao Luo, Qiurong Liu, Hai He and Qing Liu. 2025. Euonymus chengduanus (Celastraceae), A New Species unexpectedly discovered in an Urban Forest Park in the Megacity of Chengdu, West China. Ecology and Evolution. DOI: doi.org/10.1002/ece3.71234 [10 April 2025] |
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