Exploring high-mountain limnic faunas: discovery of a novel endemic bivalve species (Sphaeriidae : Pisidium) in the Nepal Himalayas

2016 ◽  
Vol 30 (6) ◽  
pp. 588 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ulrich Bößneck ◽  
Catharina Clewing ◽  
Christian Albrecht
Keyword(s):  
New Species ◽  
Molecular Phylogenetics ◽  
Nuclear Data ◽  
Elevational Gradient ◽  
Shell Morphology ◽  
High Mountain ◽  
Mountain Range ◽  
Field Surveys ◽  
The Past ◽  
A New Species

High-mountain regions are known to harbour considerable biodiversity, although it is not all well known. The terrestrial fauna of the world’s largest mountain range, the Himalayas, has been moderately well studied, but this is not the case with the limnic fauna, and especially molluscs. During intensive malacozoological field surveys conducted over the past 20 years, the bivalve family Sphaeriidae has been studied in Nepal along an elevational gradient from 100 to 4010 m above sea level (a.s.l.). Here we describe a new species of Sphaeriidae, Pisidium alexeii, sp. nov., based on comprehensive molecular phylogenetics, anatomy and shell morphology. The species can be clearly distinguished from all other sphaeriid species occurring in Nepal. A molecular phylogeny based on mitochondrial and nuclear data inferred the oriental biogeographical affinity of the new species. The species is ecologically restricted and only occurs at a few sites between 1010 and 1700 m a.s.l. A review and updated checklist of the sphaeriid fauna of Nepal is provided and biodiversity and biogeographical patterns are discussed.

A new species of Ischnocnema Reinhardt and Lütken, 1862 (Anura: Brachycephalidae) of the I. lactea species series from southeastern Brazil

Zootaxa ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 4706 (4) ◽  
pp. 531-545 ◽  
Author(s):  
PEDRO P. G. TAUCCE ◽  
BÁRBARA F. ZAIDAN ◽  
HUSSAM ZAHER ◽  
PAULO C. A. GARCIA
Keyword(s):  
New Species ◽  
Dorsal Surface ◽  
Lateral View ◽  
Southeastern Brazil ◽  
Medium Size ◽  
Advertisement Call ◽  
Mountain Range ◽  
The Past ◽  
A New Species ◽  
High Support

We describe a new species of Ischnocnema from the Serra da Bocaina mountain range, state of São Paulo, southeastern Brazil, based on morphological, bioacoustic, and mtDNA data. The new species is retrieved with high support values within the I. lactea species series as the sister species of I. spanios. Ischnocnema bocaina sp. nov. is characterized by its medium size (18.6–19.0 mm), a smooth venter, a rounded snout in dorsal view and acuminate in lateral view, a slightly expanded subgular, single vocal sac, a round and whitish, poorly-developed glandular-appearing nuptial pad on the dorsal surface of the thumb, and a nonpulsed advertisement call with 9 to 18 notes. We raise to 38 the number of Ischnocnema species, the 12th described in the past 10 years.

Gastrodia huapingensis (Orchidaceae: Epidendroideae: Gastrodieae): a remarkable new mycoheterotrophic orchid with dimorphic columns from China

Phytotaxa ◽  
2015 ◽  
Vol 222 (4) ◽  
pp. 290 ◽  
Author(s):  
Xinyi Huang ◽  
Ai-Qun Hu ◽  
TIAN-CHUAN HSU ◽  
Yan Liu
Keyword(s):  
New Species ◽  
Gastrodia Elata ◽  
Field Surveys ◽  
The Past ◽  
Flora Of Guangxi ◽  
Close Relatives ◽  
First Time ◽  
World Distribution ◽  
Careful Comparison ◽  
A New Species

The orchid genus Gastrodia Brown (1810: 330) comprises approximately 50 species with a broad Old World distribution (Pridgeon et al. 2005, Cribb et al. 2010, Kenji 2014). Currently, there are at least 20 accepted species of Gastrodia recorded from China (Chung & Hsu 2006, Chen et al. 2009, Hsu & Kuo 2010, 2011, Yeh et al. 2011, Hsu et al. 2012, Tan et al. 2012, Hu et al. 2014). During our field surveys of Chinese traditional medicine in Huaping National Nature Reserve, Guangxi Zhuangzu Autonomous Region, China, a Gastrodia was spotted setting fruit in the past few years. Finally, we were able to observe it flowering in August 2014. After careful comparison morphological study with its close relatives (Averyanov & Efimov 2006) and three other species of Gastrodia recorded in Guangxi, namely Gastrodia damingshanensis A.Q.Hu & T.C.Hsu (2014: 256), Gastrodia elata Blume (1856: 174) and Gastrodia menghaiensis Z.H.Tsi & S.C.Chen (1994: 559), we confirmed this Gastrodia as a new species and thereby a new member to the flora of Guangxi. A detailed description, illustration and ecological information are presented below. We also discuss the remarkable dimorphic columns of this new species, which are documented in Gastrodia for the first time.

A new species of Crossodactylodes (Anura: Leptodactylidae) from Minas Gerais, Brazil: first record of genus within the Espinhaço Mountain Range

Zootaxa ◽  
2013 ◽  
Vol 3731 (4) ◽  
pp. 552 ◽  
Author(s):  
IZABELA M. BARATA ◽  
MARCUS T.T. SANTOS ◽  
FELIPE S.F. LEITE ◽  
PAULO C.A. GARCIA
Keyword(s):  
New Species ◽  
First Record ◽  
Minas Gerais ◽  
Mountain Range ◽  
A New Species

An Electrophoretic and Morphological Examination of Bothriembyron kendricki (Pulmonata: Bulimulidae), a New Species previously Considered Conspecific with B. bulla (Menke)

1983 ◽  
Vol 31 (2) ◽  
pp. 227 ◽  
Author(s):  
A Hill ◽  
MS Johnson ◽  
H Merrifield
Keyword(s):  
New Species ◽  
Shell Morphology ◽  
Morphological Examination ◽  
A New Species

Bothriembryon bulla (Menke) has previously been thought to include pale and melanic morphs. Studies of morphology and allozymes reveal that the two forms are reproductively isolated. The melanic is herein referred to as B. kendricki, sp. nov. Both species show large amounts of variation among populations for both shell morphology and allozymes, emphasizing the need for comprehensive geographic sampling in studies of the genus Bothriembryon.

Description of a new species of Bush frog (Anura: Rhacophoridae: Raorchestes) from northwestern Yunnan, China

Zootaxa ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 4941 (2) ◽  
pp. 239-258
Author(s):  
YUN-HE WU ◽  
XIAO-LONG LIU ◽  
WEI GAO ◽  
YU-FAN WANG ◽  
YING-CHUN LI ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
New Species ◽  
Southern China ◽  
Field Work ◽  
The Body ◽  
Adult Males ◽  
The Past ◽  
Black Region ◽  
One New Species ◽  
A New Species ◽  
Northwestern Yunnan

Approximately half of the species in speciose genus Raorchestes were described during the past 10 years, yet only 11 species are known from Southeast Asia and southern China (SEA-SC), adjacent Himalayas, and northeastern India. Field work in northwestern Yunnan province, China resulted in the discovery of one new species in the genus based on morphological and molecular analyses. The new species is diagnosed by small size with 15.0–19.0 mm SVL in adult males (n=3); tongue pyriform, notched posteriorly; rudimentary webbing between toes; fingers and toes with narrow lateral dermal fringes; tibiotarsal articulation reaching anterior of the eye when hindlimb is stretched along the side of the body; relative finger lengths: I < II < IV < III, relative toe lengths: I < II < V < III < IV; inner metatarsal tubercle oval, outer metatarsal tubercle absent; finger discs and toe discs greyish or orange; flank near the crotch with a distinct black region between two creamy white patches, and the thigh having a similar black patch near the groin, proximal to another creamy white patch; a distinct “) (”-shaped dark marking on the back; male with external single subgular vocal sac; nuptial pad absent. A phylogenetic tree was reconstructed based on the mitochondrial genes for 16S rRNA and ND1. The results indicated that these individuals form a monophyletic group, and show high genetic divergence to their closest relatives within the genus (uncorrected p-distances > 3.2%) by distance of 16S comparable to the divergence between recognized Raorchestes species. This study further enriches the diversity of rhacophorids, especially in northwestern Yunnan. 

A new species of the genus Rapturella (Gastropoda: Acteonidae) from southeast Brazil

Zootaxa ◽  
2018 ◽  
Vol 4521 (1) ◽  
pp. 125 ◽  
Author(s):  
CARLO M. CUNHA ◽  
LUIZ RICARDO L. SIMONE
Keyword(s):  
New Species ◽  
Continental Shelf ◽  
Deep Water ◽  
Shell Morphology ◽  
Southwest Pacific ◽  
Southeast Brazil ◽  
Pacific Waters ◽  
A New Species ◽  
High Diversity

Acteonidae d'Orbigny, 1843 is the largest family within the superfamily Acteonoidea (Bouchet et al. 2017) and includes small gastropods typical of infralittoral environments. Most acteonids living on the continental shelf or in deep water have been described on the basis of shell morphology alone (Simone 2006; Valdés 2008; Cunha 2011; Salvador & Cunha 2016), because little material with soft parts has been collected and examined. Consequently, little is known about the ecology of the species.  Recently, many new species of the genus Acteon Montfort, 1810 have been described from tropical Southwest Pacific waters (Valdés 2008), suggesting that a high diversity of acteonid species may await discovery in other deep water environments, including those of Brazil. 

Phyllagathis stellata (Sonerileae, Melastomataceae), a new species from southwestern Sarawak, Borneo

Phytotaxa ◽  
2018 ◽  
Vol 365 (3) ◽  
pp. 295
Author(s):  
CHE-WEI LIN ◽  
CHI-HUNG LEE
Keyword(s):  
New Species ◽  
Similar Species ◽  
Distribution Map ◽  
Line Drawings ◽  
The Past ◽  
A New Species

Reknowned for its high biodiversity and endemism, over one third of the Bornean species of Phyllagathis were discovered in Sarawak over the past two years. In this study, we report an addition of a new species of Phyllagathis, namely P. stellata from southwestern Sarawak. In addition to the taxonomic account, color plates, line drawings, a distribution map, and comparisons with morphologically similar species are provided to aid in identification.

Epibionts on Hydraena species (Coleoptera: Hydraenidae) from high mountain rivers of Pyrenees (Ordesa and Monte Perdido National Park), with the description of a new species

Zootaxa ◽  
2017 ◽  
Vol 4317 (1) ◽  
pp. 79
Author(s):  
GREGORIO FERNÁNDEZ-LEBORANS ◽  
MARÍA VALLADOLID ◽  
MERCEDES ARAUZO ◽  
ANDRÉS MILLÁN ◽  
REGINA GABILONDO ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
New Species ◽  
National Park ◽  
High Mountain ◽  
Mountain Rivers ◽  
Ecological Characteristics ◽  
First Time ◽  
A New Species

Macroinvertebrate samples collected during spring-summer 2013 in high mountain rivers of the Ordesa and Monte Perdido National Park (Pyrenees) contained several Hydraena species (Coleoptera: Hydraenidae) where we found two genera of suctorian ciliates as epibionts: Tokophrya and Discophrya. The individuals of the genus Tokophrya probably belong to species Tokophrya stenostyla, being the first time that this species is observed attached on arthropods. Suctorians of the genus Discophrya were identified as a new species called Discophrya ordesae sp. n. The presence and abundance of epibionts was discussed in the frame of the biological and ecological characteristics of the species of Hydraena where they were found. 

The tale of the headless turtle

Zootaxa ◽  
2016 ◽  
Vol 4200 (2) ◽  
pp. 327 ◽  
Author(s):  
PEDRO S. R. ROMANO
Keyword(s):  
New Species ◽  
Phenotypic Plasticity ◽  
Lower Cretaceous ◽  
Fossil Record ◽  
Diagnostic Features ◽  
Fossil Species ◽  
The Past ◽  
Early Paleocene ◽  
Phylogenetic Hypotheses ◽  
A New Species

Pelomedusoides is the most diverse clade of side-necked turtles and there is an extensive fossil record (de Broin, 1988; Lapparent de Broin, 2000; Gaffney et al., 2006, 2011) that dates back at least to the Barremian (Lower Cretaceous) (Romano et al., 2014). Its large fossil record evidences a greater diversity in the past, particularly at the end of the Mesozoic, and exhibits a good sampling of species that are represented by skull material (Gaffney et al., 2006, 2011). As a consequence, the most complete and recent phylogenetic hypotheses for this clade (e.g. Romano et al., 2014; Cadena, 2015) are based on matrices comprising a great amount of cranial characters derived largely from Gaffney et al. (2006, 2011). In addition, it is well established that shell characters show a lot of phenotypic plasticity, even in the fossil species (Romano, 2008; Gaffney et al., 2006, 2011). In most cases it consequently is not justified to rely on “diagnostic features” of poorly informative shell-only material for describing a new species. Because of that, most authors remark new morphotypes in the literature when such aberrant specimens are recovered, but do not make any nomenclatural act by proposing a new yet poorly supported species (e.g. Romano et al., 2013; Ferreira & Langer, 2013; Menegazzo et al., 2015). Unfortunately, such a supposedly new bothremydid turtle (Pleurodira: Bothremydidae) from the Early Paleocene of Brazil was recently described based on poorly diagnostic remains (Carvalho et al., 2016; hereafter CGB, for the authors initials) and a correction of this unfounded nomenclatural act is required. In addition I present some comments on shell only material from Brazil in order to guide splitter-taxonomists to stop describing poorly preserved fossil specimens as new species. 

A new species of Erythrogonia Melichar, 1926 (Insecta: Hemiptera: Cicadellidae: Cicadellini) from the Mantiqueira mountain range, southeastern Brazil, associated with olive orchards

Zootaxa ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 4996 (2) ◽  
pp. 374-382
Author(s):  
JOYCE A. FROZA ◽  
VICTOR QUINTAS ◽  
GABRIEL MEJDALANI
Keyword(s):  
New Species ◽  
Southeastern Brazil ◽  
Mountain Range ◽  
Costal Margin ◽  
Abdominal Sternite ◽  
New Taxon ◽  
Sternite Viii ◽  
Basal Portion ◽  
Males And Females ◽  
A New Species

A new species of the diverse Neotropical sharpshooter genus Erythrogonia Melichar, 1926 is described and illustrated from the Mantiqueira mountain range, municipality of Maria da Fé, state of Minas Gerais, southeastern Brazil. The new taxon is associated with olive orchards and has been implicated as a vector of the bacterium Xylella fastidiosa Wells et al., 1987, which causes a disease known in Brazil as olive leaf scorch syndrome. Erythrogonia sinvali sp. nov. can be distinguished from the other 90 known species of the genus by the following combination of features: (1) crown black without conspicuous contrasting spots; (2) frons with large yellow median spot; (3) pronotum black with large yellow area covering most of disk; (4) forewing dark red, without contrasting spots or stripes, costal margin narrowly black, apical portion dark brown; (5) aedeagus elongate, curved dorsally, with pair of spiniform apical processes; (6) paraphyses greatly reduced; (7) basal portion of male anal tube with pair of spiniform curved processes; (8) posterior margin of female abdominal sternite VII broadly emarginate and with broad central lobe; (9) female sternite VIII with sclerotized areas, including a transverse bar located at bases of ovipositor valvulae I, followed by a pair of elongate sclerites and a posterior bilobed sclerite. Both males and females of the new species are described in detail. A putative group of five species within Erythrogonia is preliminarily proposed, including the new taxon, E. separata Melichar, 1926, E. dorsalis (Signoret, 1853), E. calva (Taschenberg, 1884), and E. melichari Schmidt, 1928. Among these species, the male terminalia of E. sinvali sp. nov. are more similar to those of E. separata.  

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