scholarly journals Additions to the ant fauna (Hymenoptera: Formicidae) of the Maltese Islands

2019 ◽  
Vol 2 ◽  
Author(s):  
David Mifsud ◽  
Albena Lapeva-Gjonova
Keyword(s):  
Habitat Degradation ◽  
Taxonomic Status ◽  
Land Area ◽  
Central Mediterranean ◽  
Maltese Islands ◽  
Direct Sampling ◽  
Taxonomic Changes ◽  
Tapinoma Nigerrimum ◽  
First Time ◽  
Critical Literature

The Maltese Islands are situated in the Central Mediterranean basin having a total land area of c. 316 km2. A diverse ant fauna is present in this archipelago, which is increasingly threatened by habitat degradation and invasion of alien species. The myrmecofauna of the archipelago has received considerable attention by researchers since 1893, bringing the total number to 59 species (Gómez 2017, Salata and Borowiec 2018), 11 of which are non-native. Confirmation of some already reported species, e.g. Messor structor (Latreille, 1798), Tapinoma nigerrimum (Nylander, 1856), Tetramorium caespitum (Linnaeus, 1758), is required in the light of recent taxonomic changes. Based on a critical literature review, older unpublished data (1995–1997) by one of us (DM), and newly collected ant material (mainly between 2015 and 2019) we provide an updated list of 70 ant species from the Maltese Islands. The specimens were collected by different techniques (e.g. direct sampling, sifting, MSS-traps, Malaise traps). Two ant species were recorded for the first time in the Maltese Islands and for five species we provide the first verified records. Seven morphospecies with unspecified taxonomic status were also collected and require further studies.

scholarly journals First record and DNA barcode of the clearwing moth Tinthia tineiformis (Esper, 1789) from Malta, central Mediterranean

Check List ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 15 (4) ◽  
pp. 595-599
Author(s):  
Clare Marie Mifsud ◽  
Denis Magro ◽  
Adriana Vella
Keyword(s):  
New Record ◽  
Dna Barcode ◽  
First Record ◽  
Central Mediterranean ◽  
Genetic Analyses ◽  
Maltese Islands ◽  
Live Specimen ◽  
Clearwing Moth ◽  
First Time

A sesiid species, Tinthia tineiformis (Esper, 1789), is reported for the first time from the Maltese Islands, central Mediterranean. This new record represents the first species belonging to the subfamily Tinthiinae in Malta. The specimen was identified through morphological and genetic analyses. Observations of the live specimen revealed the use of jumping strategies by this species.

scholarly journals Remarks on Echinodermata from the South Central Mediterranean Sea based upon collections made during the MARCOS cruise (10 to 20th April, 2007)

2009 ◽  
Vol 10 (2) ◽  
pp. 63 ◽  
Author(s):  
C. MIFSUD ◽  
M. TAVIANI ◽  
S. STOHR
Keyword(s):  
Mediterranean Sea ◽  
The South ◽  
Central Mediterranean ◽  
Management Zone ◽  
Maltese Islands ◽  
South Central ◽  
Central Mediterranean Sea ◽  
The Mediterranean ◽  
First Time ◽  
The Mediterranean Basin

The MARCOS cruise, which took place in the South Central Mediterranean Sea on board the RV ‘Urania’, resulted in the collection of 27 species of Echinodermata from shallow to bathyal depths, many from around Malta (the Fisheries Management Zone). The fauna is represented by common to rare taxa already reported from the Mediterranean with the exception of the amphi-Atlantic ophiuroid Ophiotreta valenciennesi rufescens (Koehler, 1896), recorded from the Mediterranean Basin for the first time. Odontaster mediterraneus (von Marenzeller, 1893) and Luidia sarsi Lutken, 1858 are also first records for the Maltese Islands.

scholarly journals Marine litter from circalittoral and deeper bottoms off the Maltese islands (Central Mediterranean)

2013 ◽  
Vol 14 (2) ◽  
pp. 298 ◽  
Author(s):  
R. MIFSUD ◽  
M. DIMECH ◽  
P.J. SCHEMBRI
Keyword(s):  
Trawl Survey ◽  
Benthic Organisms ◽  
Central Mediterranean ◽  
Marine Litter ◽  
Maltese Islands ◽  
Surface Areas ◽  
Numerical Abundance ◽  
Abundance And Distribution ◽  
First Time ◽  
Swept Area

During the 2005 leg of the MEDITS trawl survey, benthic anthropogenic debris around the Maltese Islands (central Mediterranean) was quantified for the first time, with the aim of studying its abundance and distribution in the area. 357 items were sampled from 3.5 km2 of swept area. Each item was recorded, measured and its planar and surface areas were estimated. Plastic (47%), metal and glass (13% respectively) were the most prevalent types of litter in terms of number. Limestone slabs, sacks and fabric were the items with the highest planar and surface area per item. This suggests that it is also important to consider the size of debris items as well as numerical abundance in assessing impact of litter on benthic organisms. An attempt was made to correlate anthropogenic and environmental variables, including fishing activities and wave parameters, to litter abundance and distribution but no interpretable correlations were found, implying that litter abundance and distribution depends on factors other than those considered.

scholarly journals The introduction and establishment of Sceliphron caementarium (Drury, 1773) (Hymenoptera, Sphecidae) in Malta (Central Mediterranean)

2020 ◽  
Vol 79 ◽  
pp. 163-168
Author(s):  
Thomas Cassar ◽  
David Mifsud
Keyword(s):  
North American ◽  
Check List ◽  
Central Mediterranean ◽  
Maltese Islands ◽  
The North ◽  
First Time

The introduction and establishment of the North American mud-dauber wasp Sceliphron caementarium (Drury, 1773) is reported for the first time from the Maltese Islands. A check-list of the Maltese Sphecidae is provided.

scholarly journals New records of the genus Pachygrapsus (Crustacea: Decapoda) from the central Mediterranean Sea with a review of its Mediterranean zoogeography

2011 ◽  
Vol 12 (1) ◽  
pp. 75 ◽  
Author(s):  
F. CROCETTA ◽  
S. MIFSUD ◽  
P. PAOLINI ◽  
J. PISCOPO ◽  
P.J. SCHEMBRI
Keyword(s):  
Mediterranean Sea ◽  
New Records ◽  
Central Mediterranean ◽  
Maltese Islands ◽  
Central Mediterranean Sea ◽  
The Mediterranean ◽  
First Time

The occurrence of Pachygrapsus maurus and Pachygrapsus transversus is reported from the Maltese Islands for the first time on the basis of one specimen of P. maurus collected in 1990 and numerous recent specimens, and the distribution of the two species is mapped. The controversial presence of P. maurus in Italy is confirmed and two new sites for this species are reported, including the first for the mainland of Italy. The examination of the historical specimen of P. maurus from the Genova area revealed a misidentification of P. transversus; this record could be a result of ship-mediated transport. First notes on the habitat of P. maurus in the central Mediterranean Sea are given. Updated maps of the distribution of P. maurus and P. transversus in the Mediterranean are provided and the zoogeography of these species is revisited.

scholarly journals DNA barcoding of marine algae from Malta: new records from the central Mediterranean

2021 ◽  
Vol 80 (2) ◽  
pp. 176-183
Author(s):  
Angela G. Bartolo ◽  
Gabrielle Zammit ◽  
Hannah Russell ◽  
Akira F. Peters ◽  
Frithjof C. Küpper
Keyword(s):  
Dna Barcoding ◽  
Dna Sequences ◽  
Brown Algae ◽  
Marine Algae ◽  
New Records ◽  
Marine Macroalgae ◽  
Central Mediterranean ◽  
Species List ◽  
Maltese Islands ◽  
First Time

The heterokont benthic multicellular algae Schizocladia ischiensis E.C. Henry, K. Okuda et H. Kawai (Schizocladiophyceae), Hecatonema terminale (Kützing) Kylin and Striaria attenuata (Greville) Greville (Phaeophyceae) are reported for the first time from the waters around the Maltese islands in the central Mediterranean. They were identified through algal isolation from incubated natural substrata, coupled with DNA barcoding targeting the biomarkers COI and rbcL plus the RuBisCO spacer. For three additional brown algae, Colpomenia sinuosa (Mertens ex Roth) Derbès et Solier, Asperococcus bullosus J.V.Lamouroux and Sphacelaria sp., DNA sequences confirmed previous morphology-based records from Malta. This paper also provides an updated literature-based species list of the marine macroalgae present in Malta.

scholarly journals Towards a Natural Classification of Hyphodontia Sensu Lato and the Trait Evolution of Basidiocarps within Hymenochaetales (Basidiomycota)

2021 ◽  
Vol 7 (6) ◽  
pp. 478
Author(s):  
Xue-Wei Wang ◽  
Tom W. May ◽  
Shi-Liang Liu ◽  
Li-Wei Zhou
Keyword(s):  
Phylogenetic Analyses ◽  
Taxonomic Status ◽  
Ancestral State ◽  
Trait Evolution ◽  
Natural Classification ◽  
Multiple Loci ◽  
The Family ◽  
Phylogenetic Perspective ◽  
Taxonomic Framework ◽  
First Time

Hyphodontia sensu lato, belonging to Hymenochaetales, accommodates corticioid wood-inhabiting basidiomycetous fungi with resupinate basidiocarps and diverse hymenophoral characters. Species diversity of Hyphodontia sensu lato has been extensively explored worldwide, but in previous studies the six accepted genera in Hyphodontia sensu lato, viz. Fasciodontia, Hastodontia, Hyphodontia, Kneiffiella, Lyomyces and Xylodon were not all strongly supported from a phylogenetic perspective. Moreover, the relationships among these six genera in Hyphodontia sensu lato and other lineages within Hymenochaetales are not clear. In this study, we performed comprehensive phylogenetic analyses on the basis of multiple loci. For the first time, the independence of each of the six genera receives strong phylogenetic support. The six genera are separated in four clades within Hymenochaetales: Fasciodontia, Lyomyces and Xylodon are accepted as members of a previously known family Schizoporaceae, Kneiffiella and Hyphodontia are, respectively, placed in two monotypic families, viz. a previous name Chaetoporellaceae and a newly introduced name Hyphodontiaceae, and Hastodontia is considered to be a genus with an uncertain taxonomic position at the family rank within Hymenochaetales. The three families emerged between 61.51 and 195.87 million years ago. Compared to other families in the Hymenochaetales, these ages are more or less similar to those of Coltriciaceae, Hymenochaetaceae and Oxyporaceae, but much older than those of the two families Neoantrodiellaceae and Nigrofomitaceae. In regard to species, two, one, three and 10 species are newly described from Hyphodontia, Kneiffiella, Lyomyces and Xylodon, respectively. The taxonomic status of additional 30 species names from these four genera is briefly discussed; an epitype is designated for X. australis. The resupinate habit and poroid hymenophoral configuration were evaluated as the ancestral state of basidiocarps within Hymenochaetales. The resupinate habit mainly remains, while the hymenophoral configuration mainly evolves to the grandinioid-odontioid state and also back to the poroid state at the family level. Generally, a taxonomic framework for Hymenochaetales with an emphasis on members belonging to Hyphodontia sensu lato is constructed, and trait evolution of basidiocarps within Hymenochaetales is revealed accordingly.

Taxonomic changes in Ichneumonoidea (Hymenoptera), and notes on certain type specimens

Zootaxa ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 4941 (4) ◽  
pp. 511-541
Author(s):  
GAVIN R. BROAD
Keyword(s):  
New Combinations ◽  
Type Specimens ◽  
The Usa ◽  
Taxonomic Changes ◽  
First Time

The following new synonymies are established: Acrodactyla iliensis Sheng & Bian 1996 = Acrodactyla lachryma Pham, Broad, Matsumoto & Böhme 2012, syn. nov.; Euceros Gravenhorst 1829 = Lentocerus Dong & Naito 1999, syn. nov.; Euceros pruinosus (Gravenhorst 1829) = Lentocerus dentatus Dong & Naito 1999, syn. nov.; Euceros sensibus Uchida 1930 = Lentocerus lijiangensis Dong & Naito 1999, syn. nov.; Gyroneuron Kokujev 1901 = Cyclophatnus Cameron 1910, syn. nov.; Gyroneuron flavum (Cameron 1910) = Gyroneuron testaceator Watanabe 1934, syn. nov.; Liotryphon strobilellae (Linnaeus 1758) = Townesia qinghaiensis He 1996, syn. nov. The following are new combinations: Aleiodes insignis (Brues 1926), Aleiodes lateralis (Cameron 1905), Aleiodes maculicornis (Brues 1926), Aleiodes siccitesta (Morley 1937), Cyclophatnus flavum (Cameron 1910), Rhaconotus striatulus (Cameron 1909), Tolonus cingulatorius (Morley 1912), Zatypota tropica (Morley 1912). Netelia morleyi Townes, Townes & Gupta 1961 is transferred from the subgenus Netelia Gray 1860 to the subgenus Paropheltes Cameron 1907. One new replacement name is proposed: Aleiodes philippinensis nom. nov. for Rhogas lateralis Baker 1917, nec Troporhogas lateralis Cameron 1905. Lectotypes are designated for Antrusa persimilis Nixon 1954, Rhyssalus striatulus Cameron 1909, Troporhogas trimaculata Cameron 1905, Hemiteles cingulatorius Morley 1912, Paniscus ferrugineus Cameron 1889 and for Xanthojoppa inermis Morley 1917. Some previously overlooked type specimens are interpreted and illustrated and some errors in the literature corrected. Hosts are recorded for two genera of Ichneumoninae for the first time: Catadelphops nasutus (Heinrich 1962) was reared from Proserpinus terlooii (Edwards 1875) (Lepidoptera: Sphingidae) in the USA, and Aethianoplis excavata (Roman 1910) was reared from Precis octavia (Cramer 1777) (Lepidoptera: Nymphalidae) in Uganda. 

Flies of the family Dolichopodidae (Diptera: Brachycera), excluding the Microphorinae and Parathalassinae, from the Maltese Islands with notes on their habitats and phenology

2021 ◽  
Vol 30 (1) ◽  
pp. 25-39
Author(s):  
M.J. Ebejer
Keyword(s):  
Habitat Preferences ◽  
Maltese Islands ◽  
The Family ◽  
First Time

All 41 species of Dolichopodidae in 22 genera (excluding one species each in the subfamilies Microphorinae and Parathalassinae) known to occur on the Maltese Islands are reviewed, with 31 of these being recorded for the first time. Habitat preferences and flight periods of the species recorded are tabulated and discussed.

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