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Thursday, September 11th, 2025
| Time | Event | ||||
| 12:01a | [Ichthyology • 2025] Ernstichthys casalinuovoi • A New Species of the Banjo Catfish Genus Ernstichthys (Siluriformes: Aspredinidae) from the Bermejo River Drainage, La Plata Basin, Argentina
Abstract The upper Bermejo River basin houses a great diversity of fishes, represented by the endemic species, the shared fauna between the Paraguay and the Amazon basins, and the elements from the Paraná River basin. During recent surveys in the area, many specimens of an undescribed Ernstichthys were collected in four different localities of northwestern Argentina and are herein described as a new species. The new species, Ernstichthys casalinuovoi, is distinguished from the remaining species of the genus by a combination of characters including the number of lateral plates on the body, the shape of the second pre-anal-fin plate, the presence of a rictal barbel, the coloration pattern, the number of total vertebrae, the unbranched maxillary barbel, and the number of serrations on the posterior margin of the pectoral-fin spine, among others. The large batch used to describe Ernstichthys casalinuovoi, new species, has allowed us to detect characters that should be treated carefully in the description of species belonging to Ernstichthys such as the number of serrations on the posterior margin of the pectoral-fin spine or the overlap between bony elements on the caudal peduncle given that they could vary according to ontogeny. The new species herein described represents the fifth species of the genus and the first record of Ernstichthys and the Hoplomyzontinae in Argentina.
Ernstichthys casalinuovoi, new species Gastón Aguilera, Guillermo E. Terán, Alejandro Méndez-López, Martín Miguel Montes and Tiago P. Carvalho. 2025. A New Species of the Banjo Catfish Genus Ernstichthys (Siluriformes: Aspredinidae) from the Bermejo River Drainage, La Plata Basin, Argentina. Ichthyology & Herpetology. 113(3); 527-539. DOI: doi.org/10.1643/i2024072 (3 September 2025) https://x.com/IchsAndHerps/status/196546  | ||||
| 2:58a | [Entomology • 2025] Bolotettix adik • A New Species and Notes of some Pygmy Grasshoppers (Orthoptera: Tetrigidae) from Sabah
Abstract A recent orthopteran collection was conducted in Meligan and Maliau Basin, Sabah State (East Malaysia) in Borneo. We describe a new species of Bolotettix from Meligan: Bolotettix adik Tan & Muhammad, sp. nov. We also record Mazarredia (Prosoaltus) cephalica (Haan, 1843) and Falconius pseudoclavitarsis Günther, 1938 in Sabah and Tripetalocera ferruginea Westwood, 1834 in Maliau Basin for the first time. We also present colour variations of Bolivaritettix apterus (Rehn, 1904). Orthoptera, Bolotettix, Borneo, new locality record, taxonomy, variations   Bolotettix adik Tan & Muhammad, sp. nov.  Ming Kai TAN, Amira Aqilah MUHAMMAD, Dayang Fazrinah Binti Awg DAMIT, Razy JAPIR, Arthur Y.C. CHUNG and Tony ROBILLARD. 2025. A New Species and Notes of some Pygmy Grasshoppers (Orthoptera: Tetrigidae) from Sabah. Zootaxa. 5683(4); 543-560. DOI: doi.org/10.11646/zootaxa.5683.4.5 [2025-08-22] | ||||
| 3:56a | [Paleontology • 2025] Agriodontosaurus helsbypetrae • The Oldest Known lepidosaur and Origins of lepidosaur feeding adaptations
Abstract The Lepidosauria is the most species-rich group of land-dwelling vertebrates. The group includes around 12,000 species of lizards and snakes (Squamata) and one species of Rhynchocephalia, the tuatara Sphenodon punctatus from New Zealand. Squamates owe their success to their generally small size, but also to their highly mobile skull that enables them to manipulate large prey. These key features of lizard and snake skulls are not seen in Sphenodon, which makes it important to understand the nature of their common ancestor. Lepidosaurs originated in the Triassic 252–201 million years ago, but confusion has arisen because of incomplete fossils, many of which are generalized lepidosauromorphs, neither squamates nor rhynchocephalians. Here we report a reasonably complete skull and skeleton of a definitive rhynchocephalian from the Middle Triassic (Anisian) Helsby Sandstone Formation of Devon, UK that is around 3–7 million years older than the oldest currently known lepidosaur. The new species shows, as predicted, a non-mobile skull but an open lower temporal bar and no large palatine teeth, and it seems to have been a specialized feeder on insects. This specimen helps us understand the initial diversification of Lepidosauria as part of the Triassic Revolution, when modern-style terrestrial ecosystems emerged. Systematic palaeontology Lepidosauria Haeckel, 1866 Rhynchocephalia Günther, 1867 Sphenodontia Williston, 1925  Agriodontosaurus gen. nov. Agriodontosaurus helsbypetrae gen. et sp. nov. Etymology. Agrio from the ancient Greek epithet of Dionysus, Agrionius, meaning ‘fierce’ and donto for ‘tooth’, which refers to the remarkably large teeth on parts of the dentary and maxilla, and saurus for ‘lizard’. Therefore, ‘fierce-toothed lizard’. The specific term ‘helsbypetrae’ refers to the Helsby Sandstone Formation (locally called the Otter Sandstone), the deposit in which the fossil was found; petrae is the genitive of petra, the latinized form of the ancient Greek word for rock. Locality and age. The specimen is from the Helsby Sandstone Formation of Sidmouth, Devon, UK. It was excavated as a block by R.A.C. in 2015 from a temporarily exposed foreshore exposure beneath Peak Hill (UK National Grid Reference SY 109865), from the upper half of the formation, perhaps upper Anisian (244–241.5 Ma)15. Diagnosis. Small rhynchocephalian with a body length of about 100 mm with a unique combination of the following 13 features: dentary and maxillary anterior teeth are simple and conical but robust; posterior teeth are more triangular with broad bases and set slightly en echelon; anterior maxillary and dentary teeth are acrodont and posterior teeth are pleuracrodont with a residual subdental shelf; maxilla with a pronounced anterior process and high facial process; lateral tooth row on the palatine absent; broad, flat parietal table composed of paired bones; ventral region of orbit bounded mainly by the jugal, which provides about 90% of the boundary and the maxilla the rest; jugal with a prominent, but short, posteroventral process that does not reach halfway in the ventral region of the lower temporal opening; quadrate with conch and large foramen; dentary extends posteriorly to underlie the glenoid of the lower jaw; fused prearticular, articular and surangular in the lower jaw; bicapitate ribs in the cervical and trunk regions; gastralia present; and bulb-shaped expansion of the posteriormost part of interclavicle.   Daniel Marke, David I. Whiteside, Thitiwoot Sethapanichsakul, Robert A. Coram, Vincent Fernandez, Alexander Liptak, Elis Newham and Michael J. Benton. 2025. The Oldest Known lepidosaur and Origins of lepidosaur feeding adaptations. Nature. DOI: doi.org/10.1038/s41586-025-09496-9 [10 September 2025] | ||||
| 2:39p | [Mammalogy • 2025] Crunomys tompotika • Systematics and Historical Biogeography of Crunomys and Maxomys (Rodentia: Muridae: Murinae), with the Description of A New Species from Sulawesi and New Genus-level Classification
Abstract Crunomys and Maxomys are closely related murine genera from forested regions of Southeast Asia and western portions of the Indo-Australian Archipelago. Previous phylogenetic analyses suggested that a taxonomic reappraisal is necessary for these genera, but limited taxon sampling prevented formal changes. We produced a mitochondrial DNA dataset that includes 376 individuals representing all 22 recognized species and a nuclear dataset comprising thousands of ultraconserved elements missing only 1 recognized species. Our phylogenetic inferences consistently show that Crunomys is nested within Maxomys. We transfer all Maxomys species to the older genus Crunomys to resolve the paraphyly. We also conducted a morphological analysis of species from Sulawesi and described a new species of Crunomys from the eastern peninsula of the island. We identify 43 geographically defined mitochondrial haplogroups across all species of Crunomys, many of which also are inferred as distinct in a multilocus species delimitation analysis. Historical biogeographic reconstructions consistently inferred multiple dispersal events to and from oceanic islands and among continental shelf islands and mainland Southeast Asia. On both large continental shelf islands like Borneo and large oceanic islands like Sulawesi, in situ divergence produced high levels of diversity. Indo-Australian Archipelago, overwater dispersal, Philippines, Rattini, rodents, species delimitation, Sulawesi, Sunda Shelf, Wallacea
 Crunomys tompotika sp. nov. Authority. Anang S. Achmadi and Pierre-Henri Fabre Mount Tompotika Spiny Rat Etymology: This species is named for its geographical provenance of Mt. Tompotika, a peak near the tip of the eastern peninsula of Sulawesi, used as a noun in apposition. Distribution and habitat: Known only from Mt. Tompotika in secondary lowland tropical forest, from near sea level to 760 m. Montane forest is almost certainly present near the summit of Mt. Tompotika (1,540 m), but no trapping was undertaken above 760 m. Thomas C Giarla, Anang S Achmadi, Pierre-Henri Fabre, Heru Handika, Austin S Chipps, Mark T Swanson, Jonathan A Nations, Muhd Amsyari Morni, Julius William-Dee, Nurul Inayah, Endah Dwijayanti, Muhammad Rizaldi Trias Jaya Putra Nurdin, Kyra E Griffin, Faisal Ali Anwarali Khan, Lawrence R Heaney, Kevin C Rowe and Jacob A Esselstyn. 2025. Systematics and Historical Biogeography of Crunomys and Maxomys (Muridae: Murinae), with the Description of A New Species from Sulawesi and New Genus-level Classification. Journal of Mammalogy. 106(4); 832–858, DOI: doi.org/10.1093/jmammal/gyaf006 [13 June 2025] |
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