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Friday, August 8th, 2025
| Time | Event | ||||||
| 8:58a | [Botany • 2025] Myosotis persica (Boraginaceae) • A New Species from alpine wetlands of NW Iran
Abstract A new species, Myosotis persica, is described and illustrated from the alpine wetlands of the Talesh Mountains in northwestern Iran, a transitional zone between the Irano-Turanian and Euro-Siberian floristic regions. Morphological distinctiveness and phylogenetic analysis based on nuclear ribosomal ITS sequences support its recognition as a species new to science. Morphological comparisons indicate that M. persica is closely allied to M. koelzii, M. ramosissima, and M. diminuta but can be distinguished by its dwarf habit, branched filiform stems, patent to erect leaf hairs, deeply lobed calyx, and nutlet morphology. Phylogenetic reconstruction confirms its placement within Myosotis subgen. Myosotis, forming a supported clade with M. koelzii and M. ramosissima. With an estimated extent of occurrence less than 10 km² and a total population size under 1500 individuals, the species is assessed as Critically Endangered (CR) under IUCN criteria. The findings underscore the importance of conserving alpine wetland habitats and provide new insights into species diversification within the genus Myosotis in south-western Asia. Keyword: alpine wetland, Ardabil, forget-me-nots, Irano-Turanian region, taxonomy, Talesh Mountains
Myosotis persica Bidarlord, Akbarnejad & F. Ghahrem., sp. nov. Diagnosis. Differs from M. koelzii, M. diminuta, and M. ramosissima by its dwarf habit, branched filiform ascending to prostrate stem, obovate to oblong leaves with patent to erect hairs, deeply lobed calyx with dense
appressed straight hairs, and nutlets with marginally
grooved areolae (Table 2).
 Mahmoud Bidarlord, Bahareh Akbarnejad, Mehrshid Riahi, Ehsan Hoseini, Farrokh Ghahremaninejad. 2025. Myosotis persica (Boraginaceae), A New Species from alpine wetlands of NW Iran. Taiwania. 70(4); 585-590. DOI: 10.6165/tai.2025.70.585 https://taiwania.ntu.edu.tw/abstract/211  | ||||||
| 9:51a | [Botany • 2025] Begonia jurgenneae (Begoniaceae, sect. Petermannia) • A New endemic Species from Panay Island, Philippines
Abstract We describe and illustrate Begonia jurgenneae, a newly discovered species from Capiz and Iloilo Provinces, Panay Island, Philippines. A complete taxonomic treatment is here provided including a comprehensive morphological description, diagnostic comparisons with allied taxa, a phenological data, a distribution map, color images, and a preliminary conservation assessment. Keyword: Begonia incisa, Begonia quercifolia, Biodiversity, endangered, species discovery, tropical forest, Western Visayas 
Begonia jurgenneae Naive & Buenvenida, sp. nov. § Petermannia Diagnosis: Close to Begonia quercifolia (=B. leytensis), a species from Samar and Leyte Island, but can easily be recognized by having a lanceolate stipule (vs. linearly oblong stipule in B. quercifolia), lanceolate leaf lamina with 5–7 primary veins (vs. oblong to ovately oblong leaf lamina with 3–4 primary veins in B. quercifolia), and sparsely pubescent capsule with acute wings apex (vs. glabrous capsule with conspicuous wings apex in B. quercifolia). Etymology: This species is named in honor of Dr. Jurgenne Honculada-Primavera, whose pioneering work in mangrove conservation and community-based protection has become foundational to preserving Philippine biodiversity. Harold O. Buenvenida, Mark Arcebal K. Naive and Lillian Jennifer V. Rodriguez. 2025. Begonia jurgenneae (Begoniaceae, section Petermannia), A New endemic Species from Panay Island, Philippines. Taiwania. 70(4); 595-598. DOI: 10.6165/tai.2025.70.595 [2025 August 08] | ||||||
| 10:37a | [Botany • 2025] Begonia mabuhayensis (Begoniaceae, sect. Baryandra) • A New Species from Surigao del Sur, Philippines
Abstract Begonia mabuhayensis is described as a new species endemic to the Philippines from the multi-layered rocky floors of Mount Egang, Mabuhay, Tandag, Surigao del Sur. B. mabuhayensis closely resembles B. amparoae in having thick rhizomatous stems, stipules with aristate apex, thick and fleshy lamina, curved petioles, 4-tepaled staminate and pistillate flowers, ovary with unequal wings and nodding capsules, but differs in having shorter rhizome, glabrous oblong stipule with longer arista (vs. puberulous, triangular with shorter arista), ovate leaf (vs. broadly ovate), and capsule with orbicular wings and cordate apex (vs. angular and truncate). Following the IUCN criteria, the authors recommend B. mabuhayensis as Data Deficient (DD). Keyword: Begonia amparoae, Begonia tanauanensis, lithophytic, Mindanao Island, Surigao provinces 
Begonia mabuhayensis Blasco, Alejandro & Rubite sp. nov. section Baryandra Diagnosis: Begonia mabuhayensis resembles B. amparoae Blasco, Alejandro, Tandang & Rubite (Fig. S2) in habit, with thick rhizomatous stems, thick and fleshy lamina, 4-tepaled staminate and pistillate flowers, and an ovary with unequal wings. However, it differs in having a shorter rhizome, 6 cm × 1.5–2 cm (vs. longer, 10 cm × 2.5–3 cm); glabrous oblong stipule (vs. puberulous triangular), shorter inflorescence, 57 cm. (vs. 72 cm), shorter peduncle, 49 cm. (vs. 68 cm), and a larger capsule, 20–21mm × 25–26 mm, with orbicular wings, cordate apex and cordate base (vs. 15–17 mm × 17–19 mm, with angular wings, truncate apex and rounded base). Freddie A. Blasco, Grecebio Jonathan D. Alejandro and Rosario R. Rubite. 2025. Begonia mabuhayensis (section Baryandra, Begoniaceae), A New Species from Surigao del Sur, Philippines. Taiwania. 70(4); 591-594. DOI: 10.6165/tai.2025.70.591 [2025 August 07] | ||||||
| 2:21p | [Herpetology • 2025] Brachytarsophrys guilinensis • Integrative Taxonomic Evidence for A New Species of the Short-legged Toads Brachytarsophrys (Anura: Megophryidae) from Guangxi, China
Abstract Currently, the genus Brachytarsophrys contains nine species. In this study, we describe a new species of Brachytarsophrys, named Brachytarsophrys guilinensis sp. nov., from northeastern Guangxi, China, based on morphological, molecular, and acoustic evidence. This new species can be distinguished from other known congeners by the combination of the following morphological characters: (1) smaller body size (SVL 70.0‒81.9 mm in eight adult males); (2) head wider than long, with head width nearly 1.5 times the length and about half of the SVL; (3) tongue broad and round, feebly notched; (4) male with nuptial pad on the dorsal surface of the first and second fingers; (5) hind limbs relatively short and robust, heels not meeting when legs are positioned at a right angle to the body; (6) tibiotarsal articulation reaching the angle of the mouth when hind limbs are extended forward alongside the body; (7) absence of outer metatarsal tubercle, with the inner metatarsal tubercle oval and approximately equal to the first toe; (8) fingers without webbing; toes with incomplete webbing, webbing formula: I1 - 2II1 - 2III1½ - 3-IV3- - 1½V; (9) lateral fringes on toes wide; (10) several warts on the outer side of the upper eyelid, with one being relatively larger. Phylogenetic analyses based on mitochondrial 16S rRNA, COI, and Cytb genes revealed that this new species is more closely related to B. popei and B. orientalis than to other known species, with strong Bayesian posterior probability and moderate bootstrap support. More studies are necessary to clarify the taxonomy and species diversity of the genus Brachytarsophrys in Guangxi, China. Key Words: Acoustic, phylogenetic analysis, species diversity, taxonomy
Brachytarsophrys guilinensis sp. nov. Etymology. The species name guilinensis is derived from the type locality of this species, Guilin City, Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region, China. We suggest the English common name “Guilin Short-legged Toad” and the Chinese common name “Guì Lín Duǎn Tuǐ Chán (桂林短腿蟾)”. Diagnosis. Brachytarsophrys guilinensis sp. nov. could be distinguished from its congeners by the combination of the following morphological characters: (1) smaller body size (SVL 70.0‒81.9 mm in eight adult males); (2) head wider than long, head width nearly 1.5 times the length, and about half of the SVL; (3) tongue broad and round, feebly notched; (4) male with nuptial pad present on the dorsal surface of the first and second fingers; (5) hind limbs relatively short and robust, heels do not meet when legs positioned at right angle to body; (6) tibiotarsal articulation reaches the angle of mouth when the hind limbs are extended forward alongside the body; (7) absence of outer metatarsal tubercle, inner metatarsal tubercle oval and approximately equal to first toe; (8) fingers without webbing, toes have webbing but incomplete, webbing formula: I1 - 2II1 - 2III1½ - 3-IV3- - 1½V; (9) lateral fringes on toes wide; (10) several warts on the outer side of the upper eyelid, with one being relatively larger. Xiangjian Wu, Yuanqiang Pan, Wei Xiao, Ju Chen, Guohua Yu and Xinkui Wei. 2025. Integrative Taxonomic Evidence for A New Species of the Short-legged Toads Brachytarsophrys (Anura, Megophryidae) from Guangxi, China. Zoosystematics and Evolution. 101(4): 1369-1382. DOI: doi.org/10.3897/zse.101.157834 | ||||||
| 4:09p | [PaleoBotany • 2025] Caffapanax canessae & Davidsaralia christophae • Osmoxylon-like Fossils from early Eocene South America: West Gondwana–Malesia Connections in Araliaceae
Abstract Premise: Araliaceae comprise a moderately diverse, predominantly tropical angiosperm family with a limited fossil record. Gondwanan history of Araliaceae is hypothesized in the literature, but no fossils have previously been reported from the former supercontinent. Methods: I describe large (to macrophyll size), palmately compound-lobed leaf fossils and an isolated umbellate infructescence from the early Eocene (52 Ma), late-Gondwanan paleorainforest flora at Laguna del Hunco in Argentine Patagonia. Results: The leaf fossils are assigned to Caffapanax canessae gen. et sp. nov. (Araliaceae). Comparable living species belong to five genera that are primarily distributed from Malesia to South China. The most similar genus is Osmoxylon, which is centered in east Malesia and includes numerous threatened species. The infructescence is assigned to Davidsaralia christophae gen. et sp. nov. (Araliaceae) and is also comparable to Osmoxylon. Conclusions: The Caffapanax leaves and Davidsaralia infructescence, potentially representing the same source taxon, are the oldest araliaceous macrofossils and provide direct evidence of Gondwanan history in the family. The new fossils and their large leaves enrich the well-established biogeographic and climatic affinities of the fossil assemblage with imperiled Indo-Pacific, everwet tropical rainforests. The fossils most likely represent shrubs or small trees, adding to the rich record of understory vegetation recovered from Laguna del Hunco. Keywords: Araliaceae, biogeography, fossil rainforests, Laguna del Hunco, leaf architecture, Malesia, Osmoxylon, paleoconservation, Patagonia
Family—Araliaceae Juss. Genus— Caffapanax Wilf gen. nov. Caffapanax canessae Wilf sp. nov. Diagnosis—Petiole insertion marginal; base cordate. Blade size microphyll to macrophyll; length:width (L:W) ratio near or below 1:1. Primary veins basally actinodromous, regular, robust. Blade palmately lobed with three or five wide, convex primary lobes; lobe size increases markedly distally. When blade is five-lobed, the basal lobes reflexed, the next lateral lobe pair undivided or with one sublobe per lobe, and the medial lobe much larger than the laterals, with a prominent pair of pinnate sublobes. Margin serrate; teeth short, narrow, non-glandular. Major and minor secondary veins craspedodromous, terminating as tooth principal veins; fimbrial vein present. Higher-order venation well organized; areolation impressed in tiny quadrangular to pentagonal fields; freely ending veinlets absent. Etymology—The new generic and specific epithets honor Técnicos Mariano Caffa and Leandro Canessa, respectively, of the MEF for their admirable record over more than two decades of fieldwork and fossil discovery in Patagonia. They continue to make significant contributions to paleontology, including the holotype of the new species (Figures 1, 2) unearthed by Téc. Caffa. Genus—Davidsaralia Wilf gen. nov. Davidsaralia christophae Wilf sp. nov. Peter Wilf. 2025. Osmoxylon-like Fossils from early Eocene South America: West Gondwana–Malesia Connections in Araliaceae. American Journal of Botany. 112(6); e70045. DOI: doi.org/10.1002/ajb2.70045 [19 May 2025] |
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