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Tuesday, September 16th, 2025
| Time | Event | ||||
| 10:18a | [Botany • 2025] Aster xuelinii (Asteraceae: Astereae) • A New Species growing on moist rocks from Gansu Province, China
Abstract Aster xuelinii, a new species from Gansu Province, China, is described and illustrated based on morphological and phylogenetic evidence. The new species is superficially similar to A. dolichopodus Y. Ling in that both have nearly entire leaves, synflorescence solitary at branch tips or arranged in corymbiform clusters, and ray floret color. However, it differs from A. dolichopodus in having peduncles 6–9 cm in length and 12–14 ray florets, versus 2.5–15 cm in length and 19–26 ray florets. Phylogenetic analyses of nuclear ribosomal ITS and ETS sequences, as well as the chloroplast trnL-F region, place this new species within the genus Aster, where it forms a well-supported clade with A. taliangshanensis Y. Ling. A. xuelinii differs from A. taliangshanensis in that the latter has stems often purplish-red in the upper part, capitula typically arranged 1–3 at branch tips forming a loosely corymbiform synflorescence, and a higher number of ray florets (50–60), which are bluish-purple. Furthermore, detailed morphological descriptions, diagnostic illustrations, and ecological habitat characteristics are provided, supporting the classification of this new species. Key words: Aster, Gansu, molecular phylogeny, morphological characters, new taxon
Aster xuelinii Z.F.Bai, sp. nov. Diagnosis. This new species resembles A. dolichopodus superficially. Both have linear – lanceolate cauline leaves and long pedicels. However, the new species differs by having fewer than 15 ray florets (vs. 19–26), stems that are caespitose, pendent, or rarely ascending, and slender (vs. simple, sometimes caespitose, erect, stout stems). It grows in moist habitats (vs. dry habitats). Etymology. This distinctive designation honors the substantial contributions made by Chinese botanist Xuelin Chen to botanical diversity surveys in Gansu Province over many years. Hence, the Chinese name “学林紫菀 (xué lín zĬ wăn)” is suggested. Zengfu Bai, Zhihua Zhang, Guojin Zhang, Ji Zhang. 2025. Aster xuelinii (Astereae, Asteraceae), A New Species growing on moist rocks from Gansu Province, China. PhytoKeys. 263: 17-23. DOI: doi.org/10.3897/phytokeys.263.166400 | ||||
| 4:30p | [Paleontology • 2025] Gobiazhdarcho tsogtbaatari & Tsogtopteryx mongoliensis • Azhdarchid Pterosaur Diversity in the Bayanshiree Formation, Upper Cretaceous of the Gobi Desert, Mongolia
Abstract Pterosaur remains are very rare in Mongolian Mesozoic deposits, in stark contrast with the great abundance of dinosaur fossils in the region. This contribution presents a reassessment of the azhdarchid pterosaur remains from the Bayanshiree Formation’s “upper beds” (Turonian–Santonian), represented by two specimens coming from two distinct localities: the Burkhant and the Bayshin Tsav azhdarchids. These specimens, collected by the Japanese−Mongolian Joint Paleontological Expedition and originally described in 2009, have been previously interpreted as indeterminate azhdarchids. Under the light of current knowledge on the morphological diversity of azhdarchid cervical vertebrae, as well as on the taxonomic and phylogenetic signals these skeletal elements carry, we herein identify diagnostic features and reassess the phylogenetic affinities of the Bayanshiree azhdarchids in further detail. Our results suggest that the Burkhant azhdarchid, hereby named Gobiazhdarcho tsogtbaatari gen. et sp. nov., represents a medium-sized (3.0–3.5 meters in wingspan) basal member of a Quetzalcoatlus-Arambourgiania lineage. The Bayshin Tsav azhdarchid, Tsogtopteryx mongoliensis gen. et sp. nov., is recovered as a basal member of a Hatzegopteryx-lineage and, surprisingly, seems to represent a small form under 2 m in wingspan. Our results shed fresh light on the diversity and phylogeny of azhdarchid pterosaurs, and reinforce the reoccurring pattern of coexistence between multiple, differently-sized azhdarchid species from a same deposit.
Gobiazhdarcho tsogtbaatari gen. et sp. nov. Tsogtopteryx mongoliensis gen. et sp. nov. R. V. Pêgas, Xuanyu Zhou and Yoshitsugu Kobayashi. 2025. Azhdarchid Pterosaur Diversity in the Bayanshiree Formation, Upper Cretaceous of the Gobi Desert, Mongolia. PeerJ 13:e19711. DOI: doi.org/10.7717/peerj.19711 [September 16, 2025] |
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