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Friday, September 5th, 2025
| Time | Event | ||||||||
| 2:22a | [Botany • 2025] Uvariopsis niangadoumae (Annonaceae) • Passion and Combat on a Floral Stage: A New Species from Monts de Cristal, Gabon, with Notes on its Unique Pollination Ecology
Abstract Background and aims – Gabon is a major centre of biodiversity. We describe a new species from the tropical plant family Annonaceae: Uvariopsis niangadoumae sp. nov., known from a single population in the Monts de Cristal National Park. Material and methods – Field work was conducted to collect plant specimens and observe floral visitors. Pollen samples were collected and prepared for microscopic analysis. The phylogenetic tree of Uvariopsis was reconstructed using a maximum likelihood method and based on hundreds of nuclear markers. Pollination biology was studied using a DIY camera trap (PICT) placed near a female flower to record floral visitors and their behaviour for one full day. Several flower visitors were collected and identified using DNA barcoding. Key results – Uvariopsis niangadoumae is a tree reaching five metres tall, characterized by strong-scented leaves, few-flowered cauliflorous foul-smelling flowers, and large pollen grains shed in tetrads. The species is endemic to a small area within the Monts de Cristal National Park. Phylogenetic analysis places U. niangadoumae within the “large-leaved clade” species complex with now five taxa. Pollination is diurnal, and the primary pollinator is a rove beetle (Staphylinidae), which uses the female flowers as a mating site, with males fighting for control of the flower. The rove beetles might be attracted by a chemical cue, the foul scent of the flowers, and visual cues, with the inner part of the petals resembling mushrooms. Conclusion – These results emphasize once again the importance of the Monts de Cristal National Park for biodiversity and highlight conservation concerns for the newly described species. The new species is monitored regularly, especially for fruiting individuals, to support ex situ propagation. The Kinguélé Aval project maintains a conservation nursery with 56 species, including 20 individuals of this new species. Keywords: camera trap, hydrological dam, IUCN conservation, plant-insect interactions, saprocantharophily, Staphylinidae
Uvariopsis niangadoumae Couvreur & Dagallier, sp. nov. Diagnosis: Uvariopsis niangadoumae resembles U. korupensis in the shape and dimensions of its leaves and the overall size of the flowers. It differs by having strong scented leaves versus no clear scent in U. korupensis. Furthermore, U. niangadoumae bears no more than two, few-flowered inflorescences on small protrusions at the base of the trunk, whereas in U. korupensis the base of the trunk is densely covered with inflorescences. Flowers of U. niangadoumae have free petals with a length:width ratio between 1.3 and 1.7 vs fused at base and a l:w ratio between 2.2 and 7 in U. korupensis. Uvariopsis niangadoumae also has fewer carpels than U. korupensis (20–25 vs 25–120). Etymology: This species is dedicated to the Gabonese botanist Raoul Niangadouma who participated in the (long and arduous) botanical inventories that led to the official recognition of the Monts de Cristal National Park. Raoul Niangadouma is also one of the collectors of the type specimen of this species. Thomas L.P. Couvreur, Raoul Niangadouma, Igor Nguimbit, Anne-Hélène Paradis, Léo-Paul M.J. Dagallier, Lola Baudoin-Huit, Myriam Collin, Julien M. Haran and Vincent Droissart. 2025. Passion and Combat on a Floral Stage: A New Species of Uvariopsis (Annonaceae) from Monts de Cristal, Gabon, with Notes on its Unique Pollination Ecology. Plant Ecology and Evolution. 158(2): 294-308. DOI: doi.org/10.5091/plecevo.152843 | ||||||||
| 3:00a | [Herpetology • 2025] Pareas dabieshanensis & P. orientalis • Taxonomic and Distributional Revision of Pareas boulengeri (Squamata: Pareidae), including Two New Species from eastern and central China
Abstract The Boulenger’s slug snake (Pareas boulengeri Angel, 1920) has previously been documented as relatively widely distributed across the eastern, southern, and southwestern regions of China. In the present study, integrated morphological comparisons and molecular phylogenetic analyses were undertaken to reevaluate the taxonomic status of P. boulengeri and to describe two new species: Pareas dabieshanensis sp. nov. and Pareas orientalis sp. nov. Phylogenetic reconstruction based on CYTB gene sequences indicated that populations previously identified as P. boulengeri comprise three distinct lineages: true P. boulengeri, P. dabieshanensis sp. nov., and P. orientalis sp. nov. The two new species exhibit significant genetic divergence from their congeners, with uncorrected pairwise distances of 4.1–4.5%, consistent with interspecific divergence within the genus. Morphologically, P. dabieshanensis sp. nov. is distinguished by the presence of two subocular scales, the absence of preocular scales, and higher ventral (184–187) and subcaudal (68–74) counts. P. orientalis sp. nov. is characterized by a single preocular scale and fused subocular and postocular scales. The revised distributions restrict P. boulengeri to southwestern China, while the new species are confined to the Dabie Mountains (Anhui, Hubei, Henan) and eastern China (southern Anhui, Jiangsu, Jiangxi, Zhejiang), respectively. The non-overlapping ranges of P. dabieshanensis sp. nov. and P. orientalis sp. nov., bisected by the Yangtze River, suggest that this major hydrological system acted as a biogeographic barrier driving speciation. This study expands the genus Pareas to 33 recognized species (27 in China) and underscores the prevalence of cryptic diversity within morphologically conserved lineages. Key Words: Cryptic species, geographic isolation, molecular phylogeny, morphology, speciation, Yangtze River
Pareas boulengeri (Angel, 1920) Pareas dabieshanensis Zhang, Pan & Zhang, sp. nov. Etymology. Pareas dabieshanensis sp. nov. refers to the distribution of the new species in the Dabie Mountains. We recommend designating this new species Dabie Mountains Slug-eating Snake and 大别山钝头蛇 (Dà Bié Shān Dùn Tóu Shé). Pareas orientalis Zhang, Pan & Zhang, sp. nov. Etymology. Pareas orientalis sp. nov. refers to the new species in eastern China. We recommend designating this new species the Eastern China slug-eating snake and 华东钝头蛇 (Huá Dōng Dùn Tóu Shé). Cai-wen Zhang, Shi-hang Xu, Tao Luo, Chong Liu, Lei Yu, Jiang Zhou, Tao Pan and Bao-wei Zhang. 2025. Taxonomic and Distributional Revision of Pareas boulengeri (Reptilia, Squamata, Pareidae), including Two New Species from eastern and central China. Zoosystematics and Evolution. 101(4): 1621-1638. DOI: doi.org/10.3897/zse.101.156697 | ||||||||
| 3:00a | [Herpetology • 2025] Trimeresurus nujiang • A New Species of the Genus Trimeresurus Lacépède, 1804 (Serpentes: Viperidae) from Southwestern China
Abstract Trimeresurus nujiang sp. nov., a new cryptic species of green pit viper is described from southwestern China, based on specimens collected from Gongshan County, Nujiang Lisu Autonomous Prefecture, Yunnan Province, China. Phylogenetic analyses based on DNA sequences of the mitochondrial cyt b, ND4, 12S rRNA and 16S rRNA genes supported the new species as an independent lineage (BPP 1.00/BS 100), closely related to T. stejnegeri and T. yunnanensis. A combination of characters helps delimit the new species from its congeners by: (1) ventrolateral stripe white (above) and dark red (below), present on the first row of dorsal scales in males; ventrolateral stripe faint white present in females; (2) postocular streak absent in both genders; (3) iris golden yellow in both genders; (4) DSR 19 (21/22)–19–15 (13), VEN 164–173, SC 57–68; (5) first upper labial completely separated from the nasal; (6) hemipenes short and spinose, bilobed at 6th/7th plate when unextruded, tips reaching SC 10. The uncorrected genetic distances of mitochondrial gene cyt b between the new species and other congeners range from 0.052 (T. stejnegeri) to 0.156 (T. hageni). Key Words: Asia, molecular phylogeny, morphology, taxonomy, Trimeresurus nujiang sp. nov., Viridovipera
Trimeresurus nujiang sp. nov. Diagnosis. A species of the genus Trimeresurus has a combination of the following characters: (1) Dorsal body olive drab or grass green, without bands or markings; interstitial skin greyish-black; ventral body yellow green. (2) Tail mostly reddish brown with dark brown tail end. (3) Dorsum of the head has the same color as the body, the upper labials are light green. (4) Moderate body size, with the maximum total length exceeding 804 mm. (5) White (above) and dark red (below) ventrolateral stripe present on the first row of dorsal scales, and the ventrolateral stripe continuous on the tail in males; faint white ventrolateral stripe in females. (6) Postocular streak absent in both sexes. (7) Iris golden-yellow in both sexes in life. (8) First supralabial completely ... Etymology. The specific name “nujiang” refers to the location of type specimens, the area around the Nujiang River. As common name we suggest “Nujiang green pit-viper” in English and “Nù Jiāng Zhú Yè Qīng (怒江竹叶青)” in Chinese.
Ya-Ting Liang, Li Ding, Gernot Vogel, Ze-Ning Chen, Zheng-Jun Wu. 2025. A New Species of the Genus Trimeresurus Lacépède, 1804 (Reptilia, Squamata, Viperidae) from Southwestern China. Zoosystematics and Evolution. 101(4): 1653-1668. DOI: doi.org/10.3897/zse.101.162424  | ||||||||
| 7:04a | [Botany • 2025] Petalidium saxatile (Acanthaceae) • A New Species from Namibia
Abstract Petalidium saxatile, hitherto confused with P. canescens, and the widespread P. setosum, is here described as a new species. It is a range-restricted species, only known from the vicinity of Palmwag and southwards to the Bergsig area with an outlier population to the south of Khorixas in the Kaokoveld Centre of Endemism, northwestern Namibia. It grows mainly among basaltic rocks of the Etendeka Group on arid hillsides and along ephemeral riverbeds and drainage lines. Diagnostic characters for P. saxatile include the pale green appearance of the plants, vegetative parts with a dense white indumentum of relatively short dendritic trichomes appearing matted on young leaves, flowers borne in compact dichasia, and long simple eglandular trichomes on the bracts visible to the naked eye. The flowers of P. saxatile are distinctive in having the corolla lobes inside (adaxially) distinctly bicolorous: the upper and lateral lobes are pink or brown-pink, while the anterior lobe is yellow. Additionally, all lobes are discolorous in being much paler outside (abaxially). Furthermore, analyses of genetic data across many nuclear loci, generated using a ddRADseq approach, show the species to be genetically distinct from P. canescens. A comparison of key morphological features distinguishing P. saxatile from P. canescens and P. setosum, is provided. Based on IUCN Red List criteria, a provisional conservation assessment of Endangered (EN) is recommended for the new species. It is suggested that the Etendeka Tableland, to which P. saxatile is largely confined, may serve as a local subcentre of plant endemism within the larger Kaokoveld Centre of Endemism, at least for species in the genus Petalidium. Bergsig, endemism, Etendeka Group, flora, genetics, Kaokoveld Centre of Endemism, Khorixas, Kunene Region, Oberholzeria, Palmwag, RADseq, Ruellieae, taxonomy, Eudicots
Petalidium saxatile Swanepoel, K.G.Dexter, E.Tripp & A.E.van Wyk, sp. nov. Diagnosis:—A woody dwarf shrub up to 0.5 m tall, morphologically most similar to Petalidium canescens and P. setosum, differing by having indumentum on vegetative parts consisting of simple (weak and robust), bifurcate, stellate-dendritic, dendritic and stalked glandular trichomes, lacking sessile glands (vs. indumentum strigose with in addition widely spaced long, robust, simple trichomes [P. canescens]; long, robust, simple and stalked glandular trichomes, sessile glands present [P. setosum]); leaf lamina conduplicate (vs. flat or subconduplicate [P. canescens]; flat or irregularly curved, twisted, widely undulate, recurved or incurved towards margins [P. setosum]), usually narrower, up to 22 mm wide (vs. up to 100 mm [P. canescens (broad-leaved form)]; up to 50 mm [P. setosum]), with 3 or 4 principal lateral veins each side (vs. 4–6 [P. canescens]; 3–7 [P. setosum]); corolla expanded portion longer, 7.7–9.1 mm long (vs. ca. 7.5 mm [P. canescens]; ca. 3.4 mm [P. setosum]), anterior lobe inside (adaxially) bright yellow, lateral and upper lobes pink or brown-pink, darker towards bases (vs. all lobes similarly coloured: violet-red but anterior lobe darker [P. canescens]; purple, burgundy or carmine, anterior lobe sometimes yellow towards apex [P. setosum]), nectar guides absent (vs. present). Wessel SWANEPOEL, Kyle G. DEXTER, Martino ADAMO, Erin A. MANZITTO-TRIPP, Abraham E. VAN WYK. 2025. Petalidium saxatile (Acanthaceae), A New Species from Namibia. Phytotaxa. 716(3); 161-174. DOI: doi.org/10.11646/phytotaxa.716.3.1 [2025-09-03]  | ||||||||
| 4:54p | [Mammalogy • 2025] A Taxonomic Revision of the Bettongia penicillata (Diprotodontia: Potoroidae) species complex and Description of the subfossil species Bettongia haoucharae sp. nov.
Abstract The ‘woylie’ (Bettongia penicillata ogilbyi) is a critically endangered potoroid marsupial from the southwest of Western Australia that has been the focus of conservation efforts over the past few decades. Investigations have focused on methods to improve the conservation of the species, including genetic sampling and mapping to better understand their apparent intraspecific diversity and distribution. Most studies have focused on genetic tools to understand the taxon. However, few studies have used subfossil specimens to inform conservation strategies. Apparently genetically distinct subfossil specimens of woylies on the Nullarbor have previously been proposed to represent a new species. In this investigation we use craniodental morphological characters to assess the validity of this species, as well as review the Bettongia penicillata complex as a whole. This investigation used subfossil, modern and historical specimens from museum collections to ensure the broadest coverage for the taxon. This investigation supports the validity of the previously genetically defined Nullarbor species based on unique morphological characters, which is described and named herein as Bettongia haoucharae sp. nov. Furthermore, our analyses suggest that B. p. ogilbyi should be given full species status. After a thorough redescription of craniodental and some postcranial elements, we established (i) Bettongia ogilbyi ogilbyi comb. nov., (ii) an additional two new subspecies, and (iii) a previously synonymised subspecies within the B. penicillata complex. These results highlight the need for a combined approach to taxonomy, with most of the genetic work on B. penicillata in recent years being restricted to living individuals. Our results reveal that B. penicillata can be considered extinct, B. o. ogilbyi is critically endangered with a single individual in the Kanyana Wildlife Rehabilitation Centre and a wild population in the Tutanning Nature Reserve remaining, B. o. sylvatica is critically endangered but recovering as it has been translocated throughout Australia, and B. o. francisca, and B. o. odontoploica are extinct. Future taxonomic work should aim to combine morphology and molecular work using subfossil, modern and historical specimens for a complete understanding of species. Mammalia, Bettong, Woylie, Palaeontology, Taxonomy, Marsupialia, Potoroidae   Bettongia haoucharae sp. nov.  Jake NEWMAN-MARTIN, Kenny J. TRAVOUILLON, Natalie WARBURTON, Milo BARHAM and Alison J. BLYTH. 2025. A Taxonomic Revision of the Bettongia penicillata (Diprotodontia: Potoroidae) species complex and Description of the subfossil species Bettongia haoucharae sp. nov. Zootaxa. 5690(1); 1-69. DOI: doi.org/10.11646/zootaxa.5690.1.1 [2025-09-05] |
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