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Saturday, September 20th, 2025
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| 3:15a | [Funga • 2025] Ophiocordyceps cephalotiphila, O. jaliscana, ... • Zombie-ant Fungi from western Mexico: Six New Species in the Ophiocordyceps unilateralis complex (Ascomycota: Hypocreales) and A New Host Association with Cephalotes ants
Abstract The myrmecophilous hirsutelloid fungi of the Ophiocordyceps unilateralis complex are common in tropical forests around the world. They are known as zombie-ant fungi because they manipulate the behaviour of ants, since infected ants are forced to move to specific sites in the forest, with optimal environmental conditions for the development of the fungus sporocarp or sporome and the release of the spores. Once there, the ants grab to the substrate with their mandibles, die, and their body becomes a source of nutrients for the fungus. Most of the species of the O. unilateralis complex have been described from the Neotropics and the East and Southeast Asia. However, it is likely that there are still many unknown species due to the diversity of their hosts and different specific associations. In this study, we describe six new species of the O. unilateralis complex from western Mexico: Ophiocordyceps camponoti-striati, O. cephalotiphila, O. deltoroi, O. haraveriensis, O. jaliscana, and O. pseudocamponoti-atricipis, based on morphological characters, phylogenetic analyses of DNA sequences (18S, TEF1, RPB1, and RPB2), and ecological data. We found the following host associations: one fungus – one ant, two fungi – one ant, and one fungus – two ants. Furthermore, we confirmed the host species of the ant genera Camponotus and Colobopsis (Formicinae) based on morphological characters and COI sequences, but we also found two species of Cephalotes (Myrmicinae) susceptible to fungal attack, challenging the paradigm that the O. unilateralis complex is a specific parasite of Camponotini (Formicinae) ants. This study provides insights into the evolution and host range of the Ophiocordyceps unilateralis complex in Mexico. Keywords: Camponotini; Myrmicinae; ant pathogens; ascospore germination; extended phenotype; funga; new taxa  Ophiocordyceps camponoti-striati C.E. BallesterosAguirre, T. Sanjuan & L. Guzmán-Dávalos, sp. nov. Etymology: The specific epithet refers to the scientific name
of the host ant species Camponotus striatus. Ophiocordyceps cephalotiphila C.E. Ballesteros-Aguirre,
T. Sanjuan & L. Guzmán-Dávalos, sp. nov. Etymology: The specific epithet refers to the fact that this
species of Ophiocordyceps has affinity by Cephalotes. Ophiocordyceps deltoroi C.E. Ballesteros-Aguirre, T.
Sanjuan & L. Guzmán-Dávalos, sp. nov. Etymology: The specific epithet is in honour of Guillermo Del
Toro, a Mexican filmmaker born in the Jalisco state, famous
for his fantastic movie characters. Ophiocordyceps haraveriensis C.E. Ballesteros-Aguirre, L. Guzmán-Dávalos & T. Sanjuan, sp. nov. Etymology: The specific epithet refers to the type locality, the Haravéri Botanical Garden. Ophiocordyceps jaliscana C.E. Ballesteros-Aguirre, L.
Guzmán-Dávalos & T. Sanjuan, sp. nov. Etymology: Named after the Mexican state in which it was
collected. Ophiocordyceps pseudocamponoti-atricipis C.E.
Ballesteros-Aguirre, T. Sanjuan & L. Guzmán-Dávalos, sp.
nov. Etymology: The specific epithet indicates its similarity to
the species O. camponoti-atricipis and that it is found on
Camponotus atriceps s. l.  Ballesteros-Aguirre, C.E., Sanjuan, T., Ramírez-Cruz, V., Villalobos-Arámbula, Vásquez-Bolaños, M. and Guzmán-Dávalos. 2025. Zombie-ant Fungi from western Mexico: Six New Species in the Ophiocordyceps unilateralis complex (Hypocreales: Ascomycota) and A New Host Association with Cephalotes ants. Persoonia - Molecular Phylogeny and Evolution of Fungi. DOI: doi.org/10.3114/persoonia.2025.55.06 | ||||||
| 4:33a | [Herpetology • 2025] Holaspis ngalangi • The Genus Holaspis (Squamata: Lacertidae) in Angola: A Tale of forgotten specimens and disappearing forests, with the Description of A New Species
Abstract The members of the Afrotropical lacertid genus Holaspis are strikingly specialized lizards, adapted for gliding in forest canopies, with serrated blue tails. Two species are currently recognized within the genus: Holaspis guentheri from West and Central Africa, and Holaspis laevis from East Africa. The currently known southern limits of H. guentheri are in the northern Angolan Guineo-Congolian habitats, which are remnants of forests connecting the country to West/Central Africa. The oldest record of the species in Angola, dating back to the 19th century, is based on a currently lost specimen collected by José d’Anchieta near Caconda, southwest Angola. Caconda is situated on the Angolan Central Plateau, which is part of the Great Escarpment of southern Africa. The loss of Anchieta’s specimen and its geographic context led most authors to disregard it, leaving its taxonomic identity dubious until now. The rediscovery of two additional specimens from Caconda, collected by William John Ansorge in the early 20th century and deposited in the Natural History Museum, London, allowed us to confirm the presence of the genus in the region, prompting targeted surveys and examination of additional material. Our surveys failed to locate any Holaspis near Caconda, with alarming rates of deforestation in the region raising the possibility that this population may already be extinct. The reexamination of the extant Caconda specimens and comparison with H. guentheri and H. laevis revealed consistent morphological differences that suggests that the Caconda population may represent a distinct taxonomic unit. Here we describe the Holaspis from Caconda as a new species, presumably endemic to the Angolan Central Plateau. These findings and their implications are discussed in the biogeographical context of the highlands of western Angola, a recognized hotspot of diversity and endemism for several taxonomic groups. Key words. Taxonomy, biogeography, natural history collections, deforestation, highlands.
Holaspis ngalangi sp. n. Defnition: Holaspis ngalangi sp. n. is defned by the following combination of characters: 1) Head, body and tail
strongly depressed, with serrated fringes on hindlimbs and
tail; 2) frontoparietals fused with interparietal; 3) two series of transversely enlarged vertebral plates along dorsum
and tail; 4) dorsum black with three pairs of pale stripes,
with paravertebral stripes confned to enlarged dorsal
plates; 5) an uninterrupted series of paired, transversely
enlarged scales between ventral and precloacal scales (see
Fig. 7). Diagnosis: Holaspis ngalangi sp. n. can be readily distinguished from both of its congeners, H. guentheri and
H. laevis, by the presence of an uninterrupted series of
paired, transversely enlarged scales between the last row of
ventral scales and anteriormost precloacal scale (versus last
ventral scales and anteriormost precloacal scale separated
by at least one row of small granular scales in H. guentheri
and H. laevis; see Fig. 7); it can be further distinguished
from H. laevis by having a pair of dorsolateral stripes (versus only paravertebral and lateral stripes in H. laevis) and
a pair of paravertebral stripes confned to enlarged dorsal plates (versus paravertebral stripes not confned to enlarged dorsal plates in H. laevis). Etymology: Te specifc epithet “ngalangi” is a noun in apposition and is given in honor of the Ovimbundu Kingdom of Ngalangi, which dominated northern Huila Province and had its capital in present day Caconda. Te Kingdom of Ngalangi was dismantled by the Portuguese during
the Portuguese-Ovimbundu wars in the late 1760s. We suggest “Ngalangi Gliding Lizard” and “Lagartixa Planadora
Galangue” as the English and Portuguese common names,
respectively. Parrinha, D., M. P. Marques, F. M. P. Gonçalves, A. Tiutenko, A. M. Bauer and L. M .P. Ceríaco. 2025. The Genus Holaspis (Squamata: Lacertidae) in Angola: A Tale of forgotten specimens and disappearing forests, with the Description of A New Species. SALAMANDRA. 61(1); 53-69. | ||||||
| 4:34a | [Herpetology • 2025] Alcalus tongbiguanensis • First Record of the Genus Alcalus (Anura: Ceratobatrachidae) and Describe a New Species from Yunnan, China
Abstract The anuran family Ceratobatrachidae is one of the most speciose groups of amphibians, but the geographic distributions of many genera and species await documentation. During the field survey of Tongbiguan Provincial Nature Reserve in southwestern Yunnan Province, China, at the China-Myanmar border region, we collected several frogs that resemble the genus Alcalus, which was previously known from Indochina only. Based on mitochondrial phylogeny, our newly collected specimens are sister to Alcalus fontinalis Boruah, Narayanan, Gerard, Das, and Deepak, 2023 from Northeast India, but it differs from the latter by a suit of characters, including in differences in body size, head length, snout length, tympanum diameter, eye diameter, forearm length, toe webbing formula, relative length of fingers and toes, and dorsal pattern and coloration. Herein, based on the integration of morphological and genetic data, we report the genus Alcalus from China for the first time and describe a new species from China-Myanmar border region. Our study further demonstrates that southern section of the Gaoligong Mountain has a rich diversity of amphibians that warrant continuous survey efforts. Future fieldwork in these mountains is needed to better understand and fully uncover the species richness in this border region.
Alcalus tongbiguanensis sp. nov. Yu, Wu, Li, Wang & Che Diagnosis: Alcalus tongbiguanensis sp. nov. is assigned to the genus Alcalus by having a broad head, wrinkled skins, no vocal sacs, widely expanded toes discs, semi-aquatic microhabitat preferences, nuptial pads present and vocal sacs absent in males, outer metatarsal tubercles absent (Brown et al., 2015). Alcalus tongbiguanensis sp. nov. is distinguished from its congeners, namely A. baluensis ( Boulenger, 1896), A. fontinalis, A. mariae ( Inger, 1954), A. pullus ( Smith, 1921), A. rajae (Iskandar, Bickford, and Arifin, 2011) and A. sariba ( Shelford, 1905), by a combination of the following characters (Boulenger 1896; Boruah et al. 2023; Inger 1954; Iskandar et al., 2011; Shelford 1905; Smith 1921): (1) medium body-size (SVL 27.7–28.8 mm in two adult males, SVL 29.3–37.7 mm in seven adult females; Table 2); (2) reticulated ridges present on the skin, distinct on dorsal surfaces of head, body, and limbs, as well as on gular and chest, less prominent on abdomen and ... Etymology: The new species name “tongbiguanensis” is derived from the type locality, Tongbiguan Provincial Nature Reserve, which has been a hot-spot for new species discovery in recent years. We suggest Tongbiguan Dwarf Mountain Frog as its English common name and “铜壁关小山蛙” (Pinyin: tóng bì guān xiǎo shān wā) as its Chinese common name. For the newly recorded genus, we recommend “小山蛙属” (xiǎo shān wā shǔ) as its Chinese common name. Zhongbin YU, Kai WANG, Tianen CHEN, Ling LI, Felista Kasyoka KILUNDA, Haipeng ZHAO, Yayong WU, Shenpin YANG, Zhengpan DUAN, Anru ZUO, Dingcan ZHANG, Robert W. MURPHY, Yunhe WU and Jing CHE. 2025. First Record of the Genus Alcalus (Anura, Ceratobatrachidae) and Describe a New Species from Yunnan, China. Asian Herpetological Research. 16(2); 160 - 168. DOI: doi.org/10.3724/ahr.2095-0357.2024.0035 [May 27, 2025 ] | ||||||
| 4:35a | [Ichthyology • 2025] Upeneus alama & U. brevianalis • Two New Goatfish Species of the Upeneus sulphureus Species Group (Syngnathiformes: Mullidae), with a Redescription of U. sulphureus Cuvier, 1829 and a Review of Barbel Length in the Genus
Abstract For the goatfish genus Upeneus, the new sulphureus-species group is established, which includes five species, U. doriae, U. nigromarginatus, U. sulphureus, and the two new species, U. alama and U. brevianalis. This taxonomic group differs from the other seven species groups and four ungrouped species of this genus in the following combination of characters: 8 dorsal-fin spines, 14–17 pectoral-fin rays, 25–33 total gill rakers, 32–37 lateral-line scales, and lack of bars on caudal fin. Upeneus sulphureus is redescribed based on examination of a large set of morphometric, meristic, and color characters in 211 specimens, which revealed a bimodal distribution in barbel length prompting separation into short- and long-barbel morphs. This bimodality was neither sex-, size-, nor population-dependent, but found in co-occurring individuals of U. sulphureus in many areas of its distributional range from East Africa to Japan. The two new species differ from all other congeners primarily in U. alama, new species, having longer barbels (28–30% SL) and U. brevianalis, new species, having a shorter and shallower anal fin (8.1 and 12% SL, respectively) as well as a broad, dark-brown vertical band along the anterior third of the first dorsal fin. For U. nigromarginatus, new records from Papua New Guinea, Indonesia (West Papua), and three areas of the Philippines north of Mindanao are reported. For U. doriae, U. sulphureus, and Mulloides pinnivittatus, the latter a junior synonym of U. sulphureus, lectotypes are designated. An updated account for the genus Upeneus is provided. The barbel-length data of all 53 species of Upeneus are reviewed, and the finding of a wide range combined with a distinct dimorphism of this character in U. sulphureus is discussed.
Upeneus alama Uiblein and Motomura, new species Cavite Goatfish Diagnosis.—Dorsal fins VIII + 9; pectoral fins 16; gill rakers 8–9 upper + 20–22 lower = 28–31 total; lateral-line scales 33; body moderately deep; measurements as % SL: body depth at anal-fin origin 25–28; maximum head depth 26; head depth through eye 22; suborbital depth 14; head length 34; snout length 13; postorbital length 14; upper-jaw length 15; barbel length 28–30; barbel width 1.6–1.7; caudal-peduncle length 21–22; second dorsal-fin base length 14; caudal-fin length 28–32; length of anal-fin base 9.8–9.9; anal-fin height 15–17; pelvic-fin length 20; pectoral-fin length 28; pectoral-fin width 5.5–5.9; first dorsal-fin height 24–25; first two or three long dorsal-fin spines protruding; second dorsal-fin height 17; caudal fin without bars; first dorsal fin with black tip, retained in preservative; preserved fish with silvery-whitish head, pale brown body ventrally and dark brown dorsally; fins except for first dorsal-fin tip pale brown, partly hyaline; barbels very long, pale. Etymology.—The new species name “alama” is used as a noun in apposition and honors the late Mr. Ulysses Banga Alama (1959–2023), who was employed at the College of Fisheries and Ocean Sciences, University of the Philippines Visayas, Miagao, Iloilo, Philippines, and manager of the UPVM fish collection, to commemorate his contributions to marine ichthyology. Upeneus brevianalis Uiblein and Boonphienphol, new species Phuket Goatfish Diagnosis.—Dorsal fins VIII + 9; pectoral fins 16; gill rakers 8 upper + 20 lower = 28 total; lateral-line scales 31–32; body moderately deep; measurements as % SL: body depth at anal-fin origin 23; maximum head depth 27; head depth through eye 21; suborbital depth 14; head length 33; snout length 13; postorbital length 14; upper-jaw length 14; barbel length 20; barbel width 1.5; caudal-peduncle length 19; second dorsal-fin base length 15; caudal-fin length 31; length of anal-fin base 8.1; anal-fin height 12; pelvic-fin length 20; pectoral-fin length 26; pectoral-fin width 6.0; first dorsal-fin height 23, first five long dorsal-fin spines slightly protruding; second dorsal-fin height 17; caudal fin without bars; anterior third of first dorsal fin forming a broad, dark-brown vertically oriented band, becoming slightly wider dorsally; head and body pale brown to brown, belly lighter; paired and anal fins pale hyaline; barbels pale to pale brown. Etymology.—The new species name “brevianalis” refers to the short anal fin, an important diagnostic character of this species. Franz Uiblein, Hiroyuki Motomura, Peter R. Møller, Mark Sabaj, Supasit Boonphienphol, Tuan A. Hoang and Kerryn Parkinson. 2025. Two New Goatfish Species of the Upeneus sulphureus Species Group (Mullidae), with a Redescription of U. sulphureus Cuvier, 1829 and a Review of Barbel Length in the Genus. Ichthyology & Herpetology. 113(3); 453-486. DOI: doi.org/10.1643/i2024094 (22 August 2025)  | ||||||
| 8:10a | [Botany • 2025] Heteropolygonatum farreri (Asparagaceae: Convallarioideae) • A New Species from the Gaoligongshan in eastern Myanmar and western China
Abstract A new species of Heteropolygonatum, H. farreri, is described from the easternmost part of Myanmar and western Yunnan in a limestone region of the Gaoligongshan. It is morphologically similar to Heteropolygonatum marmoratum but differs by its shortly scabrous stem, narrowly cylindrical perianth with lanceolate tepals, red-orange fruit, and diploid chromosome count. An illustration of the new species is provided, as is a map of its distribution and that of its closest relative, Heteropolygonatum marmoratum, showing their disjunction. Chromosome counts for Heteropolygonatum farreri (2n = 32) and a second count for H. marmoratum (2n = 4x = 64) are given. Keywords: Asparagaceae, China, Chromosome, Endemic, Heteropolygonatum, Myanmar
A. J. Floden and C. A. Pendry. 2025. A New Species of Heteropolygonatum (ASPARAGACEAE: CONVALLARIOIDEAE, POLYGONATEAE) from the Gaoligongshan in eastern MYANMAR and western CHINA. Edinburgh Journal of Botany. 82; DOI: doi.org/10.24823/ejb.2025.2057 |
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