Alfred’s blind skink, Dibamus alfredi Taylor, 1962, and Somsak’s blind skink, Dibamus somsaki Honda, Nabhitabhata, Ota & Hikida, 1997, are two poorly known and rarely recorded members of the family Dibamidae endemic to Thailand. Since their original descriptions based on specimens collected in Pattani Province in 1960 and Chanthaburi Province in 1995, respectively, both species have remained extremely elusive and no molecular data have been available to date. Here, we report new records of D. alfredi from Yala Province in southern Thailand and of D. somsaki from Chanthaburi Province in eastern Thailand, providing important new locality data for these rare Thai endemics. Based on newly collected material, we present revised diagnoses and detailed redescriptions of both species and provide osteological descriptions of D. alfredi and D. somsaki based on micro-CT data for the first time. In addition, we present the first molecular data for both species based on mitochondrial DNA sequences of three gene fragments (16S rRNA, ND2, and COI) and reconstruct an updated phylogeny of the family Dibamidae. Our analyses confirm that D. alfredi and D. somsaki represent two deeply divergent evolutionary lineages within the genus Dibamus.

Alfred’s blind skink, Dibamus alfredi Taylor, 1962

Somsak’s blind skink, Dibamus somsaki Honda, Nabhitabhata, Ota & Hikida, 1997

The blue-green damselfish, Chromis viridis (Cuvier, 1830), is widely distributed across Indo-Pacific coral reefs and is among the most heavily traded marine ornamental fishes. Recent molecular studies have suggested the presence of cryptic diversity within the C. viridis complex, but species boundaries remain unresolved. Multilocus phylogenetic analyses incorporating three mitochondrial markers—cytochrome c oxidase subunit I (COI), cytochrome b (cytb), and the mitochondrial control region (D-loop)—and two nuclear markers, recombination-activating gene 1 (RAG1) and recombination-activating gene 2 (RAG2), were performed to assess lineage diversification within the Chromis viridis species complex. Specimens collected from the Lakshadweep Archipelago and the Gulf of Mannar, India, formed a distinct and well-supported lineage that was clearly separated from C. viridis sensu stricto and other congeners in phylogenetic reconstructions and genetic distance analyses. Multiple species-delimitation approaches consistently supported the recognition of this lineage as an independently evolving taxon, and morphometric analyses revealed corresponding differences in body proportions and meristic characters. Based on the concordance of molecular and morphological evidence, a new species, Chromis veneta sp. nov., is herein described from the Indian Ocean. The new species differs from C. viridis in having a relatively elongate body, narrower caudal peduncle, distinctive body pigmentation, yellowish to orangish distal fin margins, and a deeply forked caudal fin with elongate lobe tips. Additional diagnostic features include differences in dentition, gill-raker counts and sagittal otolith morphology. The discovery of C. veneta sp. nov. highlights underestimated diversity within the C. viridis complex and underscores the importance of integrative taxonomy in revealing cryptic reef-fish diversity.

Keywords: Chromis veneta sp. nov., Chromis viridis complex, cryptic species diversity, species delimitation, multilocus phylogenetics, integrative taxonomy, morphometric analysis, Pomacentridae

 

Pimpinella pygmaea A. Sajan, Navya & Sujana (Apiaceae) is described as a new species from Karimpuzha Wildlife Sanctuary, Kerala, India. It shares morphological similarities with P. candolleana, P. leschenaultii and P. tomentosa, but can be distinguished from them by several morphological features, including plant height, leaf size and shape, number and size of rays, number of flowers, and surface of the schizocarp. A detailed description, including habitat, phenology, photographs and scanning electron micrographs of the schizocarp, is provided.

Shumpei Oyabu, Yoshitsugu Kobayashi, Darla K. Zelenitsky, Anthony R. Fiorillo and Manabu Kano. 2026. A new nodosaurid ankylosaur (Dinosauria: Ornithischia) from the Upper Cretaceous Hikagenosawa Formation in Japan reveals dispersal pattern of Asian nodosaurid ankylosaurs. Cretaceous Research. DOI: doi.org/10.1016/j.cretres.2026.106477 [21 August 2026]

Breynia aberrans R.W.Bouman, Welzen & Tagane, sp. nov. 

 Shrub, monoecious, with phyllanthoid branching. Staminate flowers (young): tepals 6, 3 inner slightly infolded, scales lacking, stamens 3, filaments likely united into androphore, anthers large, along androphore, overtopping latter. Pistillate flowers: tepals 6, disc lacking, ovary ovoid spindle-shaped, style distinct, stigmas 3, upright, spreading, bifid in upper part, apices somewhat recurved and flattened