Species New to Science

Goniurosaurus gezhi Zhu, He & Li

in Zhu, Chen, ... et He, 2020.

DOI: 10.11646/zootaxa.4852.2.6

Abstract

Five species of geckos in the genus Goniurosaurus had been recorded from Guangxi, China. Here we describe a new species, Goniurosaurus gezhi sp. nov. Zhu, He & Li. The new species is similar to those found in Guangxi and Guizhou provinces of China and Northern Vietnam, but unique in a combination of the following characters: (1) three body bands between limb insertions; (2) precloacal pores 18–20; (3) body small (SVL=70.6–83.8 mm); (4) body color orange to yellow. We evaluated the phylogenetic position of this new species based on the 16S mitochondrial gene. Molecular phylogenies validate this new species as distinct to currently described lineages within Goniurosaurus. The type specimens are deposited in the Museum of Biology, East China Normal University (ECNU).

Keywords: Reptilia, Gekkota, taxonomy, 16S, karst, Guangxi, China

Goniurosaurus gezhi sp. nov. adult males, from Guangxi, China.

photos by Zhu Xiao-Yu.

Goniurosaurus gezhi Zhu, He & Li sp. nov.

Etymology. The specific epithet gezhi is for the Chinese phonetic alphabet 格致, which was noted in ancient Chinese literature Daxue around 2000 years ago. It means researching something carefully and then summarizing the truth behind it. The epithet is a noun in apposition. For the common name, we suggest “Gezhi Cave Gecko.”

Xiao-Yu Zhu, Guang-Yu Chen, Cristian Román-Palacios, Zheng Li and Zhu-Qing He. 2020. Goniurosaurus gezhi sp. nov., A New Gecko Species from Guangxi, China (Squamata: Eublepharidae). Zootaxa. 4852(2); 211–222. DOI: 10.11646/zootaxa.4852.2.6

Melanorivulus larissae

Ywamoto, Nielsen & Oliveira, 2020

DOI: 10.11646/zootaxa.4852.1.6

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Abstract

A new species of the genus Melanorivulus belonging to the Melanorivulus pictus species group is herein described, from a tributary of the Rio Grande, Rio Paraná basin, São Paulo State, Brazil. The new species can be distinguished from all other species of the Melanorivulus pictus species group by the unique presence of sides of body of males light bluish gray with 10–12 oblique red bars, 8 of which chevron-like, bifurcated and complete, i.e., running from dorsum to ventral area, and 2–4 incomplete, with vertices of the chevron-like bars along midbody, pointing forward. Comments on the putative relationships of the new species, as well as concerning its conservation status, are presented.

Keywords: Cyprinodontiformes, Rio Grande basin, Rivulus, Melanorivulus apiamici, Melanorivulus leali, Cerrado, Killifishes

Melanorivulus larissae, new species, living holotype, male, ZUEC 17154, male, 23.4 mm SL.

Photo by Eric V. Ywamoto.

Melanorivulus larissae, new species

Etymology. Named in honor of Larissa da Silva Sobral, daughter of the discoverer of the species.

Eric Venturini Ywamoto, Dalton Tavares Bressane Nielsen and Claudio Oliveira. 2020. Description of A New Species of the Melanorivulus pictus Species-group (Cyprinodontiformes: Rivulidae) from the Rio Paraná Basin in Brazil. Zootaxa. 4852(1); 125–132. DOI: 10.11646/zootaxa.4852.1.6

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Myanmarcypris hui

Wang, Matzke-Karasz, Horne, Zhao, Cao, Zhang & Wang, 2020

DOI: 10.1098/rspb.2020.1661

Abstract

The bivalved crustacean ostracods have the richest fossil record of any arthropod group and display complex reproductive strategies contributing to their evolutionary success. Sexual reproduction involving giant sperm, shared by three superfamilies of living ostracod crustaceans, is among the most fascinating behaviours. However, the origin and evolution of this reproductive mechanism has remained largely unexplored because fossil preservation of such features is extremely rare. Here, we report exceptionally preserved ostracods with soft parts (appendages and reproductive organs) in a single piece of mid-Cretaceous Kachin amber (approximately 100 Myr old). The ostracod assemblage is composed of 39 individuals. Thirty-one individuals belong to a new species and genus, Myanmarcypris hui gen. et sp. nov., exhibiting an ontogenetic sequence from juveniles to adults (male and female). Seven individuals are assigned to Thalassocypria sp. (Cypridoidea, Candonidae, Paracypridinae) and one to Sanyuania sp. (Cytheroidea, Loxoconchidae). Our micro-CT reconstruction provides direct evidence of the male clasper, sperm pumps (Zenker organs), hemipenes, eggs and female seminal receptacles with giant sperm. Our results reveal that the reproduction behavioural repertoire, which is associated with considerable morphological adaptations, has remained unchanged over at least 100 million years—a paramount example of evolutionary stasis. These results also double the age of the oldest unequivocal fossil animal sperm. This discovery highlights the capacity of amber to document invertebrate soft parts that are rarely recorded by other depositional environments.

Keywords: ostracods, giant sperm, Cretaceous, sexual reproduction

Figure 2. The studied ostracods from Myanmar amber: microtomographic reconstructions. (a,b) Myanmarcypris hui gen. et sp. nov., surface rendering, right view.
(a) Male, BA19005-1. (b) Female, BA19005-2. (c) Dorsal view of adult female carapace, surface rendering, BA19005-2. (d,e) Myanmarcypris hui gen. et sp. nov., surface rendering with transparency, right view. (d) Male, BA19005-1. (e) Female, BA19005-2. (f ) Internal view of adult female left valve, surface rendering, BA19005-2. (g–i) Myanmarcypris hui gen. et sp. nov., juveniles, surface rendering, right view. (g) Juvenile (A-2), BA19005-3. (h) Juvenile (A-3), BA19005-4. (i) Juvenile (A-4), BA19005-5. ( j) Sanyuania sp., BA19005-8, surface rendering, right view. (k–m) Myanmarcypris hui gen. et sp. nov., juveniles, surface rendering with transparency, right view. (k) Juvenile (A-2), BA19005-3. (l ) Juvenile (A-3), BA19005-4. (m) Juvenile (A-4), BA19005-5. (n) Sanyuania sp., BA19005-8, surface rendering with transparency, right view. (o,p) Thalassocypria sp., surface rendering, left view. (o) BA19005-6. (p) BA19005-7. (q,r) Thalassocypria sp., surface rendering with transparency, left view. (q) BA19005- 6. (r) BA19005-7. Note: colours for the appendages and soft parts correspond to figure 3 (in which they are labelled).

Figure 4. Preserved body parts in fossils in comparison with modern analogues. Body parts of Myanmarcypris hui gen. et sp. nov. were visualized by tomography and volume rendering of female (BA19005-2) and male (BA19005-1) adult individuals, modern analogues by scanning electron microscopy.
(a) Right 5th limb of male with clasping organ (top). (b) Eucypris virens: right 5th limb of male with clasping organ (top).
(c) Two eggs in female partly cut open. (d) E. virens: empty egg shell.
(e) Zenker organ. (f ) Cyclocypris ovum: Zenker organ.
(g) Mass of sperms in location of seminal receptacle in female. (h) Mytilocypris mytiloides: densely packed sperm filling of a seminal receptacle.
(i) Paired hemipenes. (j) Fabaeformiscandona subacuta: paired hemipenes.
(k) Sperms in female. (l) Pseudocandona marchica: sperms in female.

Scale bars, 10 µm (a), (c–g), (k), (l ); 100 µm (b), (h–j).

reconstruction of mating ostracods.

Artwork: YANG Dinghua.

Myanmarcypris hui gen. et sp. nov.

Etymology: Myanmar (the country of origin) + Cypris; hui (after the collector of the amber piece, Mr Cheng HU).

Type locality and stratigraphy: Hukawng Valley, Kachin Province, Myanmar; upper Albian–lower Cenomanian.

He Wang, Renate Matzke-Karasz, David J. Horne, Xiangdong Zhao, Meizhen Cao, Haichun Zhang and Bo Wang. 2020. Exceptional Preservation of Reproductive Organs and Giant Sperm in Cretaceous Ostracods. Proceedings of the Royal Society B. DOI: 10.1098/rspb.2020.1661

100-million-year-old amber reveals sexual intercourse of ostracods

eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2020-09/caos-1ar091520.php

phys.org/news/2020-09-million-year-old-amber-reveals-sexual-intercourse.html

Hemiphyllodactylus minimus

Mohapatra, Khandekar, Dutta, Mahapatra & Agarwal, 2020

DOI: 10.11646/zootaxa.4852.4.6

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Abstract

We describe a distinct new species of Hemiphyllodactylus from a sacred grove near Humma in Ganjam District of Odisha state, eastern India. Hemiphyllodactylus minimus sp. nov. is the smallest member of the genus and can be diagnosed from all peninsular Indian congeners by its small body size (SVL ≤32.2 mm, n=11), having 15–18 dorsal scales and eight or nine ventral scales at mid-body contained within one longitudinal eye diameter, nine or ten precloacal pores separated by 4–6 poreless scales from a series of six or seven femoral pores on each thigh in males, lamellar formula of manus 2222 and of pes 2332 & 2333, as well as subtle colour pattern differences. Additionally, the new species is 16.0–22.7 % divergent from all other peninsular Indian Hemiphyllodactylus in uncorrected ND2 sequence data. The new species is the first member of the genus described from Odisha state and also the first Hemiphyllodactylus known from < 100 m asl. The discovery of Hemiphyllodactylus minimus sp. nov. from a low elevation coastal locality in the Eastern Ghats open ups the possibilities that the genus could be more widespread than currently understood and potentially harbour many more distinct undescribed lineages. Therefore, dedicated fine-scale sampling efforts are needed to uncover the true diversity and distribution of Hemiphyllodactylus in the region.

Keywords: Reptilia, Biogeography, conservation, northern Eastern Ghats, taxonomy

Figure 4. Holotype (ZSI-CZRC-7112) of Hemiphyllodactylus minimus sp. nov. in life.

Figure 6. Colour variation in Hemiphyllodactylus minimus sp. nov. (A & B) males and (C, D, E, F) females, all from the type locality (uncollected individuals).

Hemiphyllodactylus minimus sp. nov.

Suggested common English name. Ganjam slender gecko.

Etymology. The specific epithet is the Latin word for smallest as this is the smallest known species of the genus Hemiphyllodactylus.

Figure 7. Habitat of Hemiphyllodactylus minimus sp. nov., at Jhadeswar Shiva Temple, Humma, Ganjam District, Odisha, India.

Pratyush P. Mohapatra, Akshay Khandekar, Sushil Kumar Dutta, Cuckoo Mahapatra and Ishan Agarwal. 2020. A Novel, Diminutive Hemiphyllodactylus Bleeker, 1860 (Squamata: Gekkonidae) from A Sacred Grove in Odisha, eastern India. Zootaxa. 4852(4); 485–499. DOI: 10.11646/zootaxa.4852.4.6

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in Sudasinghe, Pethiyagoda, Raghavan, et al., 2020.

DOI: 10.1111/zsc.12445

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Abstract

The South and South‐East Asian freshwater fish genus Systomus (Cyprinidae) comprises 17 valid species. Six nominal species, including three endemics, have been reported from Sri Lanka, a continental island separated from India by a shallow‐shelf sea. The species diversity of Systomus on the island has until now not been assessed; neither has an evaluation been made of their phylogenetic history. Here, based on an analysis of the nuclear recombination activating protein 1 (rag1), and mitochondrial cytochrome c oxidase subunit 1 (cox1) and cytochrome b (cytb) gene markers, and a morphological examination of 143 specimens from 49 locations in Sri Lanka, we reassess the diversity of Systomus on the island and analyse patterns of their evolution and biogeography. Divergence‐time estimates, based on a substitution rate calibration, date the basal split between Systomus and its sister group, the Afrotropical small barbs, to 30.0 Ma (95% highest posterior density: 25.4–35.2 Ma). The species of Systomus belong to two distinct clades. The first includes the Sri Lankan endemics S. asoka, S. martenstyni and S. pleurotaenia, which comprise an insular diversification following the immigration of a common ancestor during the Oligocene. The second, which includes the remaining species of Indian, Sri Lankan and South‐East Asian Systomus, has a crown age dating to the Late Miocene. Morphological and molecular species delimitation analyses failed to validate the two nominal species, S. spilurus and S. timbiri, previously reported from Sri Lanka: both are considered synonyms of S. sarana, as are the nomina S. chryseus, S. chrysopoma, S. laticeps, S. rufus, S. pinnauratus and S. subnasutus. Four genetically and geographically discrete lineages of S. sarana occur in the island, and three in India. Molecular species delimitation analysis suggests these all belong to a single species, S. sarana. The genetically distinct Sri Lankan populations of S. sarana result from Plio‐Pleistocene dispersal or vicariance events between India and Sri Lanka—as a result of emergence and inundation of the now submerged isthmus connecting the two landmasses—as well as autochthonous insular diversification.

Keywords: diversification, molecular dating, molecular systematics, phylogeography, Smiliogastrinae, taxonomy

Hiranya Sudasinghe, Rohan Pethiyagoda, Rajeev Raghavan, Neelesh Dahanukar, Lukas Rüber and Madhava Meegaskumbura. 2020. Diversity, Phylogeny and Biogeography of Systomus (Teleostei, Cyprinidae) in Sri Lanka. Zoologica Scripta. DOI: 10.1111/zsc.12445

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Zygantroides serpulidicola

Oya, Tsuyuki & Kajihara, 2020

DOI: 10.12782/specdiv.25.189

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We describe a new species of ilyplanid polyclad, Zygantroides serpulidicola sp. nov., from Amakusa, Kumamoto, Japan. This is the third member of Zygantroides Faubel, 1983 and the first record of the genus from the Pacific Ocean. Zygantroides serpulidicola sp. nov. is characterized by i) the mouth opening near the common gonopore, ii) the sperm ducts separately entering a pear-shaped seminal vesicle, iii) an elongated Lang’s-vesicle duct, and iv) the horseshoe-shaped Lang’s vesicle located posterior to the common gonopore. We provide a partial sequence of the mitochondrial cytochrome c oxidase subunit I (COI) gene (712 bp) as a DNA barcode for the species. Our phylogenetic analyses based on concatenated sequences of the 16S, 18S, and 28S ribosomal DNA and COI indicate that Z. serpulidicola sp. nov. is nested in a clade comprised of Discocelidae and Ilyplanidae; the latter does not appear to be monophyletic.

Keywords: Acotylea, Discoceloidea, DNA barcoding, marine flatworm

Fig. 1. Photograph of a living individual of Zygantroides serpulidicola sp. nov. on tubes of serpulid annelids.

Fig. 2. Zygantroides serpulidicola sp. nov., photographs taken in life.
A, Dorsal view, ICHUM 6023 (holotype); B, dorsal view, ICHUM 6025 (paratype); C, ventral view, ICHUM 6023 (holotype).

Abbreviations: ph, pharynx; sp, sperm duct. Scale bars: 5mm (A–C).

Taxonomy

GenusZygantroides Faubel, 1983

Redefinition. Ilyplanidae without tentacles and marginal eyes. Pharynx somewhat oriented posteriorly. Genital tracts entering separately into common genital atrium; male complex with seminal vesicle and papillate penis. Distal part of ejaculatory duct lined with glandular ciliated epithelium. Lang’s vesicle present (see Remarks).

Zygantroides serpulidicola sp. nov.

Etymology. The new specific name serpulidicola is a noun in apposition and refers to the habit that the flatworms dwell on tubes of serpulid annelids (Fig. 1).

Yuki Oya, Aoi Tsuyuki and Hiroshi Kajihara. 2020. A New Species of Zygantroides (Platyhelminthes: Polycladida) from Amakusa, Japan. Species Diversity. 25(2); 189–196. DOI: 10.12782/specdiv.25.189

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Ogresuchus furatus

Sellés, Blanco, Vila, Marmi, López-Soriano, Llácer, Frigola, Canals & Galobart, 2020

DOI: 10.1038/s41598-020-71975-y

Abstract

Sebecosuchia was a group of highly specialized cursorial crocodyliforms that diversified during the Cretaceous and persist until the end of the Miocene. Their unique combination of cranial and post-cranial features indicates that they were active terrestrial predators that occupied the apex of the Late Cretaceous terrestrial ecosystems, even competing with theropod dinosaurs. Here, we report the discovery of the earliest sebecid worldwide, and the first from Eurasia, Ogresuchus furatus gen. et sp. nov., based on a semi-articulate specimen located in a titanosaurian sauropod nesting ground. The new taxon challenges current biogeographical models about the early dispersal and radiation of sebecid crocodylomorphs, and suggests an origin of the group much earlier than previously expected. Moreover, the new taxon suggests a potential convergent evolution between linages geographically isolated. Taphonomic evidences suggest that Ogresuchus died almost in the same place where fossilized, in a dinosaur nesting area. Biometric and morphologic observations lead to speculate that Ogresuchus could easily predate on sauropod hatchlings.

Figure 1: Skeletal remains of of Ogresuchus furatus (MCD-7149). (A,C) Photographic and (B,D) interpretative draws of the postcranial (A,B) and cranial (C,D) elements, and (E) silhouette showing preserved elements of Ogresuchusfuratus.

cv caudal vertebra, dv dorsal vertebra, fe femur, gr groves, lul left ulna, lt left tibia, m1-4 maxillary tooth, mc metacarpal, nvf neuro-vascular foramens, r rib, rt right tibia, sa sacral. Scale bar = 1 cm for (C,D) and 10 cm for (E).

Systematic palaeontology

Crocodylomorpha Walker, 1970 (sensu Clark, 1986).

Crocodyliformes Hay, 1930 (sensu Clark, 1986).

Mesoeucrocodylia Whetstone and Whybrow, 1983.

Notosuchia Gasparini, 1971.

Sebecosuchia Simpson, 1937.

Sebecidae Simpson, 1937.

Ogresuchus furatus gen. et sp. nov.

Diagnosis: Small-sized sebecid diagnosed by the following autapomorphies: five maxillary tooth positions; teeth with smooth (unserrated) carinae; presence of apicobasal ridges on the enamel of the incisiviform and caniniform teeth; presence of apicobasal ridges on the enamel of posterior teeth; large and aligned neurovascular foramina on lateral surface of the maxilla; foramen in perinarial depression of the premaxilla; very large incisive foramen; absence of a large nutrient foramen on palatal surface of the premaxilla-maxilla contact; palatal surface of the maxilla without rugose surface; nasal-maxilary contacts remain parallel to each other (do not converge anteriorly or posteriorly); postzygapophyses located dorsally to the transverse processes in dorsal vertebrae.

Etymology: Genus name after Ogre- (French), in reference to the inferred feeding behaviour that included infant individuals, like the mythological creature from European folk tales; and –suchus, from the Greek Souchos meaning crocodile. Species name after furatus, from the Latin furari meaning to be stolen, in reference to the unfortunate event that took place during the fieldworks (see Supplementary Information S1).

Holotype: MCD-7149 (Museu de la Conca Dellà), a semi-articulate skeleton preserving the anterior part of the rostrum and several axial and appendicular elements (Fig. 1), and nine associate blocks containing large dinosaur eggshell fragments.

Type locality and horizon: El Mirador site, (Coll de Nargó area, Lleida Province, Catalonia). High cemented grey marl level from the “lower grey unit” of the Tremp Formation; early Maastrichtian (near the C32n-C31r chrone boundary).

Figure 2: 3D reconstruction of the skull of Ogresuchus furatus (MCD-7149) in (a) lateral, (b) medial, (c) dorsal, (d) palatal, and (e) cranial view. (f) Volume rendering of the segmented neurovascular network of the trigeminal nerve overlaid on the articulated premaxilla and maxilla.

app anterior palpebral, ch choana, dn dentary notch, en external naris, f neuro-vascular foramen, if inferior foramen, l-mx lacrimal-maxilla contact, m1-5 maxillary tooth, mes medial shelf, mx maxilla, paf palatal foramen, pd paramedian depressions, pfr prefrontal, plt palatine, pltf palatine foramen, pm1-4 premaxillary tooth, pmx premaxilla, pmx-mx premaxilla-maxilla contact, poas posantral strut, s apicobasal sulcus, snv-tgn V supranarial vessels and the trigeminal nerve V (ophthalmic branch), mv-tgn V maxillary vessels and the trigeminal nerve V (maxillary branch). Scale bar = 2 cm.

Figure 3: Time-calibrated evolutionary tree for Sebecosuchia. Reduced Consensus tree produced in TNT, with additional sebecosuchia taxa incorporated (see Supplementary text). The circles at each node represent the relative probabilities for the ancestral areas inferred using the Statistic Divergence-Vicariance Analysis method (S-DIVA; see Supplementary text). Global paleogeographic reconstructions from the Paleobiology Database (https://www.paleobiodb.org).

Albert G. Sellés, Alejandro Blanco, Bernat Vila, Josep Marmi, Francisco J. López-Soriano, Sergio Llácer, Jaime Frigola, Miquel Canals and Àngel Galobart. 2020. A Small Cretaceous Crocodyliform in A Dinosaur Nesting Ground and the Origin of Sebecids. Scientific Reports. 10, 15293. DOI: 10.1038/s41598-020-71975-y

Hoya gaoligongensis M.X. Zhao & Y.H. Tan

in Zhao, Wang, Yin, ... et Tan, 2020

DOI: 10.11646/phytotaxa.459.3.3

english.CAS.cn

Abstract

We describe and illustrate Hoya gaoligongensisM.X. Zhao & Y.H. Tan (Apocynaceae, Asclepiadoideae), a new species native to mid-elevation moist evergreen broadleaved forests of Longling, Yunnan, SW China. We further compare the primary diagnostic morphological characters of H. gaoligongensis to its close relatives, H. yuennanensis Hand.-Mazz. and H. globulosa Hook.f. Compared with these two species, H. gaoligongensis has narrower long-oblanceolate leaves, much smaller lateral vein branch angles, and inconspicuous lateral veins. Although the corolla is similar in all three species, the relative positions of outer and inner corona lobe processes serve as a key character distinguishing these species. A side view of the corona of H. gaoligongensis shows that the outer lobe process is only slightly higher than the inner process, while the corresponding parts of H. yuennanensis are much higher, and those of H. globulosa are at almost equal heights. In addition, the glabrescent leaves and stems of both H. gaoligongensis and H. yuennanensis separate these taxa from H. globulosa.

Keywords: Longling Xiaoheishan Nature Reserve, taxonomy, wax plant, Marsdenieae, Eudicots

Ming-Xu Zhao, Heng-Ying Wang, Zhi-Jian Yin, Meng-Jun Wang, Jin-Chao Yang and Yun-Hong Tan. 2020. Hoya gaoligongensis (Apocynaceae, Asclepiadoideae), A New Species from Yunnan, SW China. Phytotaxa. 459(3); 219-226. DOI: 10.11646/phytotaxa.459.3.3 english.CAS.cn

A New Species of Milkweed Subfamily Found in Yunnan

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Microhyla kuramotoi

Matsui & Tominaga, 2020

DOI: 10.5358/hsj.39.120

Abstract

A Japanese microhylid, Microhyla okinavensis, originally described from Okinawajima Island, middle Ryukyus, was long synonymized with M. ornata from India. However, molecular phylogenetic studies revealed its distinct species status from M. ornata, and more recent phylogenetic study revealed the population from the Yaeyama Group of the southern Ryukyus to be a sister taxon to Chinese M. mixtura and not to populations from the remaining group of the Ryukyus, that are sister to another Chinese species, M. beilunensis. The Yaeyama and the remaining Ryukyu populations greatly differ phylogenetically, although less clearly morphologically. From these data, we consider the Yaeyama population as a species distinct from M. okinavensis from the middle Ryukyus.

KEYWORDS: Microhyla beilunensis, Microhyla fanjingshanensis, Microhyla mixtura, Microhyla okinavensis, new species, Yaeyama Group

Dorsal (A) and ventral (B) views of male holotype of Microhyla kuramotoi sp. nov. (RUMF-ZH-01017). Scale bar = 5 mm.

Systematics

Microhyla kuramotoi sp. nov.

[Japanese name: Yaeyama-Himeama-Gaeru]

[English name: Yaeyama Narrow-Mouthed Toad]

Microhyla okinavensis Stejneger, 1907, p. 89, (part); Parker, 1934, p. 138, (part); Okada, 1966, p. 42 (part).

Microhyla fissipes Okada, 1930, p. 63 (part); Okada, 1931, p. 71 (part).

Microhyla ornata Gressitt, 1938, p. 164, (part); Inger, 1947, p. 324 (part); Nakamura and Uéno, 1963, p. 66 (part).

Diagnosis: A member of the Microhyla fissipes species group of Garg et al. (2019), which is distinguished from other Microhyla groups by; small to medium-sized adults; nostrils placed towards the lateral sides of the snout; finger and toe tips rounded; terminal phalanges of toes knobbed or T-shaped; inner metatarsal tubercle present, elongate; outer metatarsal tubercle small, rounded; webbing between toes rudimentary; dorsal skin shagreened to sparsely granular; a narrow mid-dorsal line extending from tip of the snout to the vent.

Etymology: The specific name is dedicated to Dr. Mitsuru Kuramoto, Emeritus Professor of the Fukuoka University of Education, for his great contributions to Asian amphibian biology, including the fauna of the southern Ryukyus.

Map of East Asia (A) and Ryukyu Islands (B), showing distribution of Microhyla species. Open circle and obliquely hatched area: Microhyla kuramotoi sp. nov., reverse triangle and vertically hatched area: M. okinavensis, closed circle: M. beilunensis, closed triangle: M. fanjingshanensis, closed square and finely dotted area: M. mixtura, horizontally hatched area: M. fissipes.

Range: Yaeyama Islands of Southern Ryukyus, Okinawa Pref., Japan: Ishigakijima Is., Taketomijima Is., Kohamajima Is., Iriomotejima Is., and Haterumajima Is. Artificially introduced into Kuroshima Is.

Natural history: Microhyla kuramotoi sp. nov. occurs from lowlands to montane regions, and lives on the ground among leaf litter and grasses. The breeding season extends almost the entire year, but is usually intensive from February to October. Film-like egg mass is laid on the surface of various bodies of still waters including ponds, rice fields, temporary pools, and sometimes slowly flowing small streams. Eggs are dark yellowish brown in the animal hemisphere. Females collected from Iriomotejima Is. and Kohamajima Is., respectively, contained 624–1207 (mean=916.9) and 271–890 (528.9) mature ova of 1.0–1.3 (mean=1.2) mm in diameter (Matsui and Ota, 1984 as M. ornata). Larvae form a cohort, swimming slowly in the middle and upper layers of water sucking in plankton.

Masafumi Matsui and Atsushi Tominaga. 2020. Distinct Species Status of a Microhyla from the Yaeyama Group of the Southern Ryukyus, Japan (Amphibia, Anura, Microhylidae). Current Herpetology. 39(2); 120-136. DOI: 10.5358/hsj.39.120

Noblella worleyae

Reyes-Puig, Maynard, Trageser, Vieira, Hamilton, Lynch, Culebras, Kohn, Brito & Guayasamin, 2020

DOI: 10.1080/23766808.2020.1809287

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ABSTRACT

With the third most biodiverse amphibian fauna in the world, Ecuador has bolstered this claim with a particularly high rate of species descriptions in recent years. Many of the species being described are already facing anthropogenic threats despite being discovered within privately protected reserves in areas previously not sampled. Herein we describe a new species of terrestrial frog in the genus Noblella from the recently established Río Manduriacu Reserve, Imbabura, Ecuador. Noblella worleyae sp. nov. differs from its congeners by having a dorsum finely shagreen; tips of Fingers I and IV slightly acuminate, Fingers II and III acuminate, without papillae; distal phalanges of the hand slightly T-shaped; absence of distinctive suprainguinal marks; venter yellowish-cream with minute speckling and throat with irregular brown marks to homogeneously brown. We provide a detailed description of the advertisement call of the new species and present an updated phylogeny of the genus Noblella. In addition, we emphasize the importance of the Río Manduriacu Reserve as a conservation area to threatened fauna.

KEYWORDS: Western Andean slopes, terrestrial frog, phylogeny, conservation

Figure 5. Dorsal and ventral color patterns of Noblella worleyae sp. nov. in life.
(A, D) Dorsal pattern and ventral pattern of ZSFQ 2504, paratype, adult male, SVL = 15.5 mm;
(B, E) dorsal pattern and ventral pattern of ZSFQ 2502, paratype, adult male, SVL = 15.9 mm;
(C, F) dorsal pattern and ventral pattern of ZSFQ 550, paratype, adult male, SVL = 17.3 mm;

(G, J) dorsal pattern and ventral pattern of ZSFQ 552, paratype, adult female, SVL = 19.1 mm;
(H, K–L) dorsal pattern and ventral pattern of ZSFQ 550, paratype, adult male, SVL = 17.3 mm;
(I) dorsal pattern of an uncollected specimen.

Photographs by Jaime Culebras (a, b, d, e), José Vieira (c, f), Ross Maynard (g–k) and Scott Trageser (l).

Noblella worleyae sp. nov.

Proposed standard English name. Worley´s Leaf Frog

Proposed standard Spanish name. Cutín Noble de Worley

Diagnosis: The new species (Figures 3–6) presents the following characteristics: (1) skin of dorsum finely shagreen; (2) tympanic annulus and membrane visible externally, supratympanic slightly visible; (3) snout rounded in dorsal and lateral view (eye-nostril distance 55% of eye diameter, Figure 3); (4) dentigerous processes of vomers absent; (5) fingers not expanded distally, tips of Fingers I and IV slightly acuminate, Fingers II and III acuminate, without papillae (Figure 3); Finger I shorter than Finger II (Figure 3); nuptial pads not visible; circumferential grooves absent; (6) distal phalanges slightly T-shaped; phalangeal formula of hands: 2, 2, 3, 3 (Figure 6); (7) supernumerary palmar tubercles present, mostly at the base of the digits; subarticular tubercles rounded, proximal tubercles prominent; diminutive rounded ulnar tubercles present; (8) one elongated and subconical tarsal tubercle, two tarsal tubercles (inner tubercle 2–2.5x the size of the outer), small pigmented supernumerary tarsal tubercles, toes slightly expanded and slightly acuminate on Toes I and V, and cuspidate tips on Toes II–IV, papillae absent (Figure 3); (9) Toe V shorter than Toe III, distal portions of circumferential grooves present on Toes II–V, phalangeal formula of feet: 2, 2, 3, 4, 3 (Figure 6); (11) in life, dorsum brown to dark brown and densely splashed with light brown, brownish-gray, or turquoise, presence of a middorsal line continuing along the posterior lengths of hind legs cream to light brown; flanks light brown to dark brown with scattered irregular white to turquoise marks; venter yellowish-cream with minute speckling; throat with irregular brown to homogeneously brown marks (Figure 5); (12) female SVL 18.1–19.1 mm (n = 3, mean = 18.7); male SVL 15.5–17.9 mm (n = 4, mean = 16.6).

Etymology: The specific name is a noun in the genitive case and is a patronym for Dr. Elisabeth K. Worley (1904–2004), Professor of Marine Biology at Brooklyn College, naturalist, science communicator, educator, and mentor.

Carolina Reyes-Puig, Ross J. Maynard, Scott J. Trageser, José Vieira, Paul S. Hamilton, Ryan Lynch, Jaime Culebras, Sebastián Kohn, Jorge Brito and Juan M. Guayasamin. 2020. A New Species of Noblella (Amphibia: Strabomantidae) from the Río Manduriacu Reserve on the Pacific slopes of the Ecuadorian Andes. Neotropical Biodiversity. 6(1); 162-171. DOI: 10.1080/23766808.2020.1809287

Another new frog species discovered in our Manduriacu Reserve

ecomingafoundation.wordpress.com/2020/08/26/another-new-frog-species-discovered-in-our-manduriacu-reserve/

Ecuador es el tercer país más diverso en anfibios, y la descripción de especies en los últimos años ha aumentado considerablemente, evidenciando la presencia de nuevas especies en áreas privadas protegidas, muchas de las cuales enfrentan amenazas antropogénicas. Aquí describimos una nueva especie de rana terrestre del género Noblella de la vertiente pacífica de los Andes ecuatorianos en la Reserva Río Manduriacu, provincia de Imbabura.Noblella worleyae sp. nov. se diferencia de sus congéneres por la presencia de un dorso finamente granular, puntas de los dedos I y IV ligeramente acuminados, dedos II y III acuminados, sin papila; falanges distales de la mano ligeramente en forma de T; ausencia de marcas distintivas suprainguinales; vientre crema amarillento moteado con diminutos puntos ,garganta con marcas cafés irregulares a homogéneamente café. Proporcionamos una descripción detallada del canto de la nueva especie y presentamos una filogenia actualizada del género Noblella. Además, enfatizamos la importancia de la Reserva Río Manduriacu como un área de conservación para fauna amenazada.

Palabras claves: estribaciones occidentales de los Andes, ranas terrestres, filogenia, conservación

Amazophrynella gardai

Mângia, Koroiva & Santana, 2020

DOI: 10.7717/peerj.9887

twitter.com/SarahMangiaBio

Abstract

The combination of different approaches has successfully delimited new species within many Neotropical species complexes traditionally classified as a single nominal organism. Recent studies have shown that the Amazonian endemic genus Amazophrynella, currently composed of 12 small-sized species, could harbor several additional species. Based on morphology and molecular data, we describe a new species of Amazophrynella from east of the Guiana Shield, in Pará state, Brazil. The new species is characterized by having one of the biggest size of the genus (SVL of males 16.0–17.8 mm and females 22.9–24.4 mm), presence of a large palmar tubercle (occupying 2/4 of the palmar surface), 5.6–8.1% uncorrected p-distance from its sister clade (including A. teko, A. sp.1, and A. manaos) for the 16S mitochondrial gene, and 8.8% for the COI. The new species described here represents a newly discovered lineage. Of the 12 Amazophrynella species currently recognized, two were describe in the last century (A. bokermanni and A. minuta) and the remaining species were recently discovered and described (in the last six years), which underscores the degree to which species richness of Amazophrynella is underestimated.

Figure 3: Live specimens of Amazophrynella gardai sp. nov.
(A–B) Amplected couple (ZUFMS-AMP12827, adult male, SVL 16.0 mm; ZUFMS-AMP12826, adult female, 22.9 mm). (C) Amplected couple (ZUFMS-AMP12829, adult male, SVL 16.6 mm; ZUFMS-AMP12828, adult female, SVL 24.0 mm). (D) Adult male (ZUFMS-AMP12822, SVL 16.5 mm). White circle in the (B) indicates the reticulated lower eyelid.

Figure 7: Defensive behavior on Amazophrynella gardai sp. nov.
(A) Thanatosis and (B) Stiff-legged (ZUFMS-AMP12822, adult male, SVL 8.3 mm).

Amazophrynella gardai sp. nov.

Diagnosis. The new species can be distinguished using the following combination of traits: (1) large size for the genus (SVL of males 16.0–17.8 mm and females 22.9–24.4 mm); (2) snout elongated, acuminated in lateral view and truncated in dorsal view; (3) dorsal skin spiculated (small sized warts with pointed tips); (4) ventral region with dark brown blotches, with a white background; (5) palmar and subarticular tubercles rounded; (6) big palmar tubercle, occupying 2/4 of the palmar surface.

Natural history (Fig. 7). One male individual (ZUFMS-AMP12822) showed stiff-legged behavior and thanatosis (death-feigning) during manipulation for photographs. The stiff-legged behavior is a defensive strategy to avoid detection by predators and thanatosis is used to avoid subjugation (Bertoluci et al., 2007; Toledo, Sazima & Haddad, 2011). Russel (2002) documented death-feigning behavior in Amazophrynella “minuta” from Pacaya-Samiria National Reserve, Loreto, Peru (probably A. matses or A. amazonicola, see Rojas et al., 2015). This is the first report of stiff-legged behavior in the genus Amazophrynella.

We found individuals of Amazophrynella gardai sp. nov. by visual search and pitfall traps inside the forest (from 500 m up to 2,000 m from the edge). During visual search (both diurnal and nocturnal periods), we found three males (ZUFMS-AMP12822-24), one female (ZUFMS-AMP12821), and an amplected couple (ZUFMS-AMP12828-29) on the leaf litter. The individuals were in “Terra firme”, nearby to rivulets inside the forest, concentrating their activity during the morning, between 8:00–11:00 h am. Using the pitfall traps, we collected one female (ZUFMS-AMP12825) and one amplected couple (ZUFMS-AMP12826-27). February comprises the rainy season in the region and the presence of amplected couples may indicate that Amazophrynela gardai sp. nov. was in its breeding season. However, we have not observed males in calling activity.

Etymology The specific name is a patronym honoring Prof. Adrian Antonio Garda (Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Norte, UFRN) for his extensive contributions to the knowledge of Neotropical anurans, his friendship, and his mentoring of SM and DJS during their doctorate degrees.

Distribution (Fig. 8).Amazophynella gardai sp. nov. is known only from its type locality, Óbidos municipality, Pará state, Brazil. The area where we found the new species is characterized as a Alluvial Forest type, with smaller trees where it is possible to observe a high concentration of palm trees.

Sarah Mângia, Ricardo Koroiva and Diego José Santana. 2020. A New Tiny Toad Species of Amazophrynella (Anura: Bufonidae) from east of the Guiana Shield in Amazonia, Brazil. PeerJ. 8:e9887. DOI: 10.7717/peerj.9887

twitter.com/SarahMangiaBio/status/1306910808635514881

A life-scene from 232 million years ago, during the Carnian Pluvial Episode after which dinosaurs took over. A large rauisuchian lurks in the background, while two species of dinosaurs stand in the foreground. Based on data from the Ischigualasto Formation in Argentina.

Summary of major extinction events through time, highlighting the new, Carnian Pluvial Episode at 233 million years ago.

in Corso, Bernardi, Sun, ... et Benton, 2020.

DOI: 10.1126/sciadv.aba0099

theconversation.com

Illustration: Davide Bonadonna/ MUSE, Trento

Abstract

The Carnian Pluvial Episode (Late Triassic) was a time of global environmental changes and possibly substantial coeval volcanism. The extent of the biological turnover in marine and terrestrial ecosystems is not well understood. Here, we present a meta-analysis of fossil data that suggests a substantial reduction in generic and species richness and the disappearance of 33% of marine genera. This crisis triggered major radiations. In the sea, the rise of the first scleractinian reefs and rock-forming calcareous nannofossils points to substantial changes in ocean chemistry. On land, there were major diversifications and originations of conifers, insects, dinosaurs, crocodiles, lizards, turtles, and mammals. Although there is uncertainty on the precise age of some of the recorded biological changes, these observations indicate that the Carnian Pluvial Episode was linked to a major extinction event and might have been the trigger of the spectacular radiation of many key groups that dominate modern ecosystems.

Illustration: Davide Bonadonna/ MUSE, Trento

Summary of major extinction events through time, highlighting the new, Carnian Pluvial Episode at 233 million years ago.

Illustration: Davide Bonadonna/ MUSE, Trento

Jacopo Dal Corso, Massimo Bernardi, Yadong Sun, Haijun Song, Leyla J. Seyfullah, Nereo Preto, Piero Gianolla, Alastair Ruffell, Evelyn Kustatscher, Guido Roghi, Agostino Merico, Sönke Hohn, Alexander R. Schmidt, Andrea Marzoli, Robert J. Newton, Paul B. Wignall and Michael J. Benton. 2020. Extinction and Dawn of the Modern World in the Carnian (Late Triassic). Science Advances. 6(38): eaba0099. DOI: 10.1126/sciadv.aba0099

Newly discovered mass extinction event triggered the dawn of the dinosaurs

theconversation.com/newly-discovered-mass-extinction-event-triggered-the-dawn-of-the-dinosaurs-146248

Adriana C. Mancuso, Cecilia A. Benavente, Randall B. Irmis and Roland Mundil. 2020. Evidence for the Carnian Pluvial Episode in Gondwana: New multiproxy climate records and their bearing on early dinosaur diversification. Gondwana Research. 86; 104-125. DOI: 10.1016/j.gr.2020.05.009

scitechdaily.com/carnian-pluvial-episode-revealed-climate-change-during-origin-of-dinosaurs/

Abstract: Dinosaurs diversified in two steps during the Triassic. They originated about 245 Ma, during the recovery from the Permian-Triassic mass extinction, and then remained insignificant until they exploded in diversity and ecological importance during the Late Triassic. Hitherto, this Late Triassic explosion was poorly constrained and poorly dated. Here we provide evidence that it followed the Carnian Pluvial Episode (CPE), dated to 234–232 Ma, a time when climates switched from arid to humid and back to arid again. Our evidence comes from a combined analysis of skeletal evidence and footprint occurrences, and especially from the exquisitely dated ichnofaunas of the Italian Dolomites. These provide evidence of tetrapod faunal compositions through the Carnian and Norian, and show that dinosaur footprints appear exactly at the time of the CPE. We argue then that dinosaurs diversified explosively in the mid Carnian, at a time of major climate and floral change and the extinction of key herbivores, which the dinosaurs opportunistically replaced.

Massimo Bernardi, Piero Gianolla, Fabio Massimo Petti, Paolo Mietto and Michael J. Benton. 2018. Dinosaur Diversification linked with the Carnian Pluvial Episode. Nature Communications. 9: 1499 . DOI: 10.1038/s41467-018-03996-1

scitechdaily.com/scientists-link-dinosaur-expansion-to-the-carnian-pluvial-episode

Dendronotus yrjargul

Korshunova, Bakken, Grøtan, Johnson, Lundin & Martynov, 2020

DOI: 10.1163/18759866-BJA10014

twitter.com/TorkildBakken

ntnu.no

Abstract

A synoptic review of the family Dendronotidae is presented based on morphological and molecular data. Three genera are recognized: Dendronotus, Pseudobornella, and Cabangus gen. nov. Two new Dendronotus species are described, D. yrjargul sp. nov. and D. nordenskioeldi sp. nov., which reveal fine-scale differences.Dendronotus yrjargul sp. nov. from mid-Norway and the Arctic regions is a sister species to the North Pacific D. kalikal. These two species are showing clear morphological and ontogenetic differences but are close in genetic distance. In contrast, Dendronotus nordenskioeldi sp. nov. from the Laptev Sea is externally similar to the white morphs of D. lacteus or D. frondosus, but according to the molecular data and radular morphology it is distinct from any of its congenerics. Comparison of molecular and morphological data of D. niveus from the type locality (White Sea) and material from other localities with those from the American North Atlantic coast (type locality of D.elegans) reveals their substantial similarity. Therefore, D. niveus is considered a junior synonym of D. elegans. The present review of the family Dendronotidae contributes to a general discussion on the species concepts and on a recent proposal of multilevel organismal diversity.

Keywords: Cabangus; Dendronotus; Pseudobornella; molecular phylogeny; species problem; taxonomy

Dendronotus yrjargul sp. nov.

Etymology. From Norwegian yrjar (= old name for the type locality in Ørland) and gul (= yellow) meaning “yellow/golden of Ørland” in reference to the remarkable habitus of this species.

Distribution. From Norwegian Sea to Kara Sea.

Dendronotus nordenskioeldi sp. nov.

Etymology. In honour of Baron Nils Adolf Erik Nordenskiöld, outstanding Arctic explorer, geologist, and mineralogist. The Laptev Sea had been originally named “Nordenskiöld Sea”, after this Arctic explorer.

Distribution. So far known only from the Laptev Sea.

Representaives of the genus Dendronotus (living specimens).

photographs by T. Korshunova, A. Martynov, K. Fletcher, D. Miller, Y. Fujiwara, K. Hasegawa, K. Sanamyan, N. Sanamyan, and O. Zimina

Genus Dendronotus Alder & Hancock, 1845

Type species. Dendronotus frondosus (Ascanius, 1774)

Dendronotus albopunctatus Robilliard, 1972

Dendronotus albus MacFarland, 1966

Dendronotus arcticus Korshunova, Sanamyan, Zimina, Fletcher & Martynov, 2016

Dendronotus bathyvela Martynov, Fujiwara, Tsuchida, R. Nakano, N. Sanamyan, K. Sanamyan, Fletcher & Korshunova, 2020

Dendronotus claguei Valdés, Lundsten & Wilson, 2018

Dendronotus comteti Valdés & Bouchet, 1998

Dendronotus dalli Bergh, 1879

Dendronotus elegans Verrill, 1880

Dendronotus europaeus Korshunova, Martynov, Bakken & Picton, 2017

Dendronotus frondosus (Ascanius, 1774)

Dendronotus gracilis Baba, 1949

Dendronotus iris Cooper, 1863

Dendronotus jamsteci Martynov, Fujiwara, Tsuchida, R. Nakano, N. Sanamyan, K. Sanamyan, Fletcher & Korshunova, 2020

Dendronotus kalikal Ekimova, Korshunova, Shepetov, Neretina, Sanamyan & Martynov, 2015

Dendronotus kamchaticus Ekimova, Korshunova, Shepetov, Neretina, Sanamyan & Martynov, 2015

Dendronotus lacteus (Thompson, 1840)

Dendronotus nanus Marcus & Marcus, 1967

Dendronotus patricki Stout, Wilson & Valdés, 2011

Dendronotus primorjensis Martynov, Sanamyan & Korshunova, 2015

Dendronotus purpureus Bergh, 1879

Dendronotus robilliardi Korshunova, Sanamyan, Zimina, Fletcher & Martynov, 2016

Dendronotus robustus Verrill, 1870

Dendronotus rufus O’Donoghue, 1921

Dendronotus subramosus MacFarland, 1966

Dendronotus velifer G.O. Sars, 1878

Dendronotus venustus MacFarland, 1966

Dendronotus zakuro Martynov, Fujiwara, Tsuchida, R. Nakano, N. Sanamyan, K. Sanamyan, Fletcher & Korshunova, 2020

Genus Cabangus gen. nov.

Type species. Dendronotus regius Pola & Stout, 2008

Etymology. From the Indonesian word “cabang” meaning “branch” in reference to this genus as “dendronotids of the tropics” and to respect the great contribution of the Indonesian fauna to global marine biodiversity (e.g., Hoeksema, 2007).

Cabangus noahi (Pola & Stout, 2008) comb. nov.

Dendronotus noahi Pola & Stout, 2008: 55–63, figs 6A, B.

Distribution. Papua New Guinea, north coast, outer barrier reef, Bagabag Island, Bismarck Sea.

Cabangus regius (Pola & Stout, 2008) comb. nov.

Dendronotus regius Pola & Stout, 2008: 46– 54, Figs 1–5.

Distribution. Tropical Indo-west Pacific.

GenusPseudobornella Baba, 1932

Type species. P. orientalis Baba, 1932

...

Tatiana Korshunova, Torkild Bakken, Viktor V. Grøtan, Kjetil B. Johnson, Kennet Lundin and Alexander Martynov. 2020. A Synoptic Review of the Family Dendronotidae (Mollusca: Nudibranchia): A Multilevel Organismal Diversity Approach. Contributions to Zoology. DOI: 10.1163/18759866-BJA10014

twitter.com/TorkildBakken/status/1306855882362359808

Den gyldne nakensneglen fra Ørland, en ny og ukjent art

ntnu.no/blogger/nakensnegler/2020/09/02/den-gyldne-nakensneglen-fra-orland-en-ny-og-ukjent-art

Cnemaspis selenolagus

Grismer, Yushchenko, Pawangkhanant, Nazarov, Naiduangchan, Suwannapoom & Poyarkov, 2020

จิ้งจกนิ้วยาวสวนผึ้ง | Moon Rabbit Rock Gecko || DOI: 10.11646/zootaxa.4852.5.3

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Abstract

An integrative taxonomic analysis recovered the new species Cnemaspis selenolagus sp. nov. of the C. siamensis group as the sister species to C. punctatonuchalis. The new species was discovered in mountain evergreen tropical forests of in Suan Phueng District of Ratchaburi Province, western Thailand. Additionally, the analysis recovered a deep genetic divergence between northern and southern clades within the C. siamensis group that occur on opposite sides of the Isthmus of Kra—a well-known biogeographic region of cladogenic turnover. The description of C. selenolagus sp. nov. brings the total number of species of Cnemaspis in Thailand to 16, 11 of which compose the C. siamensis group—a lineage endemic to the Thai-Malay Peninsula. This underscores the physiographic complexity of this narrow peninsula in that it can support a large number of closely related species in only the northern two-thirds of its length.

Keywords: Reptilia, Integrative taxonomy, Thailand, biogeography, taxonomy, Isthmus of Kra, Ratchaburi Province

Maximum likelihood consensus tree of the Cnemaspis siamensis group ....

Photo by Mali Naiduangchan.

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Distribution of the species in the Cnemapsis siamensis group based in part from Grismer et al. (2014), Wood et al. (2017), Ampai et al. (2019), and Lee et al. (2019). Stars denote type localities.

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Cnemaspis selenolagus sp. nov. from Khao Laem Mt., Suan Phueng District, Ratchaburi Province, Thailand in life.
B–E. Adult male paratype (cat. no. AUP-00767).

photo by Mali Naiduangchan

facebook.com/NickPoyarkov

Cnemaspis selenolagus sp. nov.

Moon Rabbit Rock Gecko | จิ้งจกนิ้วยาวสวนผึ้ง

Diagnosis. Cnemaspis selenolagus sp. nov. can be separated from all other species of Cnemaspis by the unique combination of having a maximum SVL of 36.2 mm; 10–11 supralabias; 10 infralabials; smooth ventral scales; six or seven continuous, elongate, precloacal pores in males; 16–18 non-linearly arranged paravertebral tubercles; tubercles absent from lower flanks; a patch of enlarged spine-like tubercles on flanks; no lateral caudal furrows; ventrolaeral caudal tubercles absent; lateral caudal tubercle row present; caudal tubercles note restricted to a single paravertebral row; smooth subcaudals; caudal tubercles encircle tail; no enlarged median subcaudal row; two postcloacal tubercles in males; no enlarged femoral scales; no shield-like subtibial scales; subtibial scales smooth and enlarged submetatarsals on first toe. These characters are scored across all species of Cnemapsis in Grismer et al. (2014), Wood et al. (2017), and Ampai et al. (2019) and across all species in the C. siamensis group along with diagnostic color pattern characters in Table 2.

Distribution. Cnemaspis selenolagus sp. nov. is to date known only from the type locality of Khao Laem Mt., Suan Phueng District, Ratchaburi Province, north Tenasserim Mountains, western Thailand (Fig. 1).

Natural History.Cnemaspis selenolagus sp. nov. is a habitat generalist that was observed on both granite rocks and boulders and large tree trunks. Specimens occur in evergreen mixed montane tropical forest they were commonly observed at night taking refuge in the crevices of large boulders or beneath the bark of large trees, usually in wet areas close to rocky streams that are shaded during the day (Fig. 5). Like most other Cnemaspis, C. selenolagus sp. nov. is adept at substrate matching and closely resembles the colors of the lichens or dry moss covering the surfaces of the rocks or tree bark on which it is found (Fig. 4C) during the day. At night, specimens take refuge in the crevices of large rocks or on tree branches.

Etymology. The new species name “selenolagus” is a Latinized noun of masculine gender given in apposition and is derived from Greek words “selene” (σελήνη) for “moon”, and “lagos” (λαγός) for “rabbit”, “hare”, and literally means “moon rabbit”. The name honors the Rabbit in the Moon Foundation, located in Suan Phueng, Ratchaburi, Thailand, in recognition of the Foundation’s efforts in environmental education and conservation in Thailand, and acknowledging their help and support in organizing our fieldwork in the Suan Phueng area. The recommended vernacular name in English is Suan Phueng Rock Gecko; in Thai is Jing Jok Niew Yao Suan Phueng (จิ้งจกนิ้วยาวสวนผึ้ง).

L. Lee Grismer, Platon V. Yushchenko, Parinya Pawangkhanant, Roman A. Nazarov, Mali Naiduangchan, Chatmongkon Suwannapoom and Nikolay A. Poyarkov. 2020. A New Species of Cnemaspis Strauch (Squamata: Gekkonidae) of the C. siamensis Group from Tenasserim Mountains, Thailand. Zootaxa. 4852(5); 547–564. DOI: 10.11646/zootaxa.4852.5.3

facebook.com/NickPoyarkov/posts/10221013018189496

Researchgate.net/publication/344306820_A_new_species_of_Cnemaspis_of_the_C_siamensis_group_from_Tenasserim_Mountains_Thailand

Endemic species found in Tama Abu and Long Banga, Sarawak, Heart of Borneo.
A) Calanthe crenulata; B) Coelogyne endertii; C) Dendrochilum pubescens;
D) Phalaenopsis modesta; E) Pteroceras fragrans; F) Robiquetia transversisaccata;
G) Tainia scapigera; H) Trichotosia brevipedunculata; I) Tropidia saprophytica.

in Besi, Nikong, Pungga & Go, 2020.

DOI: 10.24189/ncr.2020.048

facebook.com/NatureConservationResearch

Scale bars: A – 3 cm; B – 1 cm; C – 6 mm; D, E, F, H, I – 5 mm; G – 3 mm.

Abstract

The Heart of Borneo (HoB) initiative facilitates conservation and environment protection while enhancing sustainable development that safeguards the welfare of natural resources and inhabitants of the island. The HoB research expeditions conducted in the Long Banga and Tama Abu were aimed to document the highland orchid species inhabited in one of the largest remaining transboundary rainforests in the world, which are racing dissolution from their habitat. Thus the resolution for their conservation in situ and ex situ could be drafted meritoriously. The research expeditions in the protected transboundary forest areas revealed a total of 206 species and 59 genera. A total of 118 species of 46 genera were recorded during the HoB Long Banga 2016 expedition, while 117 species in 46 genera were found from the HoB Tama Abu 2017 expedition. Roughly 70% of the species documented were epiphytes. A few of them were mycoheterotrophs, such as Aphyllorchis pallida, Cystorchis aphylla, and Tropidia saprophytica, and several «jewel» orchids, including Cystorchis stenoglossa and Macodes petola. Astonishingly, we discovered a number of endemic and newly recorded orchid species for Borneo. In Long Banga, the riverine forests are home to a higher number of orchids than the inland forests, owing to the presence of host trees with a spreading crown structure and moist bark texture suited epiphyte colonisation. In addition, the riverine forests are banked by a swampy alluvial vegetation that encourage the terrestrial species to grow in. Sites of the inland forests were seen disturbed with wide canopy gaps lacking of the emergent layer. Contrarily, in Tama Abu, the inland forest perceived as the more preferable habitats for orchids to thrive in as it was an undisturbed forested belt. In addition, they had a higher humidity essential for the orchid growth. It was not surprisingly, that a high abundance of orchid species was encountered in the undisturbed inland hill forest roofed with dense tree canopy cover. The hills transitioned into a montane vegetation with a lower number of species. This parameter peaked in a mossy forest, a distinct habitat harbouring endemic and rare species. In addition, ten endemic species are assessed as EN B2b(iii). Herewith, our discovery infers the need for a continuous biodiversity monitoring and conservation assessment to maintain orchid species survival and to reveal the accurate species richness within the highland habitats of Sarawak. Additionally, underlined herein is the need for establishment of an arboretum or a conservation centre for orchids to accommodate the botanical study.

Keywords: conservation assessment, endemism, inland forest, Northern Sarawak, Malaysia, Orchidaceae, riverine forest, species composition

Rare species found in Tama Abu and Long Banga, Sarawak, Heart of Borneo.
A) Aphyllorchis pallida; B) Bromheadia rupestris; C) Cystorchis aphylla;
D) Cystorchis javanica; E) Cystorchis stenoglossa (Plant); F) Cystorchis stenoglossa (Inflorescence);
G) Cystorchis variegata; H) Cystorchis stenoglossa (Inflorescence); I) Dendrobium tetrachromum;
J) Macodes petola; K) Nephelaphyllum tenuiflorum; L) Vanillasp.

Scale bars: A, B, F, I – 1 cm; C, H, K – 5 mm; D, E, J – 3 cm; G – 5 cm; L – 8 cm.

Orchids species with new records for Borneo found in Tama Abu and Long Banga, Sarawak, Heart of Borneo.
Dendrobium appendiculatum (A–B) and Phaius indigoferus (C–E):
A) Flower; B) Plant, C) Flower, D) Plant, E) Flower with reddish brown pattern.

Scale bars: A – 4 mm; B – 7 cm; C, E – 1 cm; D – 7 cm.

Orchids of highland forests found in Tama Abu and Long Banga, Sarawak, Heart of Borneo.
A) Agrostophyllum majus; B) Agrostophyllum stipulatum subsp. stipulatum; C) Appendicula anceps; D) Appendicula pendula;
E) Arundina graminifolia; F) Bulbophyllum apodum; G) Bulbophyllum hirtulum; H) Bulbophyllum membranaceum;
I) Bulbophyllum pileatum; J) Bulbophyllum sp(1); K) Bulbophyllum uniflorum; L) Bulbophyllum vaginatum;
M) Cleisostoma discolor; N) Cleisostomajavanicum; O) Coelogyne incrassata; P) Coelogyne sp(5);
Q) Dendrobium bancanum; R) Dendrobiumderryi; S) Dendrobium rhodostele; T) Dendrobium rosellum;
U) Dendrobium villosulum; V) Dipodium scandens; W) Liparis cespitosa; X) Liparis condylobulbon;
Y) Mycaranthes obliqua; Z) Nephelaphyllum pulchrum; i) Oberonia brachystachys; ii) Phaius tankervilleae.

Scale bars: A, B, S, Y – 2 mm; C, W – 4 mm; D, H, X – 3 mm; E, I, K, N, P, T, U, Z, i, iii – 1 cm; F, J, M, O, Q, R, iv – 5 mm; G – 6 mm; L – 3 cm; V – 1.5 cm; ii – 2 cm.

Conclusions:

The generalised records obtained from the two expeditions in the northeast region of Sarawak’s Heart of Borneo strengthens the idea that the Sarawak’s highland forest harbours a vast variety of orchid species. A total of 206 species and 59 genera were collected from the inland montane and riverine forests, as well as non-trail sites in Long Banga and Tama Abu forests. Bulbophyllum, Dendrobium, and Coelogyne were the genera with the highest number of species. Most of the documented species were epiphytes, including ten endemics and threatened species, as well as two species newly recorded for Borneo. Here, we emphasise the importance and influence of each vegetation type on the species abundance, where the highest diversity was found in the inland montane forests. In the inland montane forests, undisturbed sites were dominated by emergent trees with dense and spreading crown structure providing moisture that is suitable for both epiphyte and terrestrial plant colonisation. However, an even higher diversity of orchids could be expected, if all found specimens were fertile. Therefore, further cultivation of the living plants in an arboretum or an ex situ conservation prior to species identification is undoubtedly important.

Edward Entalai Besi, Dome Nikong, Runi Sylvester Pungga and Rusea Go. 2020. Wild Orchid Diversity of Highland Forest in the Heart of Borneo: Long Banga and Tama Abu, Sarawak. Nature Conservation Research. 5(Suppl.1): 125–135. DOI: 10.24189/ncr.2020.048

Electronic Supplement 1. Orchid species found in Tama Abu and Long Banga, Sarawak, Heart of Borneo

Electronic Supplement 2. List of orchid species found in the highland forests in Long Banga and Tama Abu, Heart of Borneo, including information on the growth habits and localities

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Antrodia yunnanensis M.L. Han & Q. An

in Han, An, ... et Li, 2020.

DOI: 10.11646/phytotaxa.460.1.1

Abstract

A new polypore, Antrodia yunnanensis, collected from southwestern China, is described and illustrated based on morphological characteristics and molecular evidence. It is characterized by annual, resupinate basidiocarps with greyish blue to dark greyish blue pore surface upon drying, round to angular pores measuring 2–3 per mm, a dimitic hyphal system with clamped generative hyphae, subicular hyphae bearing fine crystals, and cylindrical, thin-walled, smooth basidiospores measuring 7–9.9 × 2.5–3.1 µm. Molecular phylogeny inferred from ITS and nLSU sequence data showed that samples of A. yunnanensis formed a distinctive lineage in Antrodia sensu lato, and it nested a sister group with A. tropica.

Keywords: brown-rot fungi, Fomitopsidaceae, phylogeny, polypore, taxonomy, Fungi

FIGURE 1. A Basidiomata of Antrodia yunnanensis (from holotype).

Scale bar: 6 mm.

Antrodia yunnanensis M.L. Han & Q. An, sp. nov.

Antrodia yunnanensis is characterized by annual, resupinate basidiocarps with greyish blue to dark greyish blue pore surface upon drying; round to angular pores measuring 2–3 per mm, a dimitic hyphal system with clamped generative hyphae, subicular hyphae bearing fine crystals, and cylindrical, thin-walled, smooth basidiospores measuring 7–9.9 × 2.5–3.1 µm.

Type.— China. Yunnan Province, Jingdong County, Wuliangshan Nature Reserve, 6 October 2017, on living angiosperm tree, Han 1157 (holotype, LFNC!).

Etymology.—yunnanensis (Lat.): referring to distribution of the species in Yunnan Province, southwestern China.

Mei-Ling Han, Qi An, Wen-Xian Fu, Xuan Chen, Tian Bu and Wen-Jing Li. 2020. Morphological Characteristics and Phylogenetic Analyses reveal Antrodia yunnanensis sp. nov. (Polyporales, Basidiomycota) from China. Phytotaxa. 460(1).; 1–11. DOI: 10.11646/phytotaxa.460.1.1

Coxobolellus albiceps, C. tenebris,
C. fuscus & C. tigris

Pimvichai, Enghoff, Panha & Backeljau, 2020

DOI: 10.1071/IS20031

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science.msu.ac.th

Abstract

Pseudospirobolellidae is a poorly known family of spirobolidan millipedes with only two genera and five described species. Yet, the descriptive taxonomy and molecular systematics of this group have been largely neglected. Therefore, the present work presents an integrative taxonomic study of new pseudospirobolellid taxa in Thailand. To this end, two mitochondrial gene fragments (COI and 16S rRNA) combined with morphological characters were used to define the genusCoxobolellus, gen. nov. with 10 new species, viz. C. albiceps, sp. nov., C. compactogonus, sp. nov., C. fuscus, sp. nov., C. nodosus, sp. nov., C. serratus, sp. nov., C. simplex, sp. nov., C. tenebris, sp. nov., C. tigris, sp. nov., C. transversalis, sp. nov. and C. valvatus, sp. nov. The interspecific COI sequence divergences among the new species ranged from 6 to 15%. The intergeneric COI sequence divergence between species of Coxobolellus, gen. nov., Benoitolus birgitae and Pseudospirobolellus sp. ranged from 20 to 23%. Three major morphological differences separate Coxobolellus, gen. nov. from Benoitolus and Pseudospirobolellus, namely (1) the protruding process on the 3rd (and 4th) coxae on male legs, (2) the posterior gonopod telopodite divided into two parts, and (3) a conspicuous opening pore at the mesal margin at the end of the coxal part of the posterior gonopod. Thus, the new genus is well supported by both mtDNA and morphological evidence, while the delimitation of the 10 new species is supported by the congruence between mtDNA and morphological data. Yet, with respect to the relationships of Benoitolus birgitae, morphological data suggest a similarity with Coxobolellus, gen. nov. and Pseudospirobolellus, whereas mtDNA data place this species in the Pachybolidae. Further phylogenetic analyses are needed to explore this apparent incongruence and test the monophyly of Pseudospirobolellidae.

Keywords: mitochondrial DNA, new genus, phylogeny, species delineation

Class DIPLOPODA de Blainville in Gervais, 1844

Order SPIROBOLIDA Bollman, 1893

Suborder SPIROBOLIDEA Bollman, 1893

Family Pseudospirobolellidae Brölemann, 1913

Genus Coxobolellus, gen. nov.

Type species: Coxobolellus tenebris, sp. nov.

Distribution: Hitherto known only from Thailand

Ecology: Specimens of Coxobolellus gen. nov. are mostly found under leaf litter. Sometimes specimens are found inside rotten wood or climbing on trees.

Etymology: The name emphasises the importance of coxal characters in the diagnosis of the new genus.

Coxobolellus albiceps, sp. nov., male (paratype, CUMZ-D00124- 1)
from Tham ..., Noen Maprang District, Phitsanulok Province.

Coxobolellus albiceps, sp. nov.

Etymology: The specific epithet is a Latin noun in apposition, meaning ‘white/pale head’ and referring to the contrastingly pale head in living specimens (Fig. 13A–C).

Coxobolellus compactogonus, sp. nov.

Etymology: The specific epithet is a noun in apposition referring to the particularly compact posterior gonopod.

Coxobolellus fuscus, sp. nov., male (paratype, CUMZ-D00137-1)
from Wat ..., Thong Pha Phum District, Kanchanaburi Province.

Coxobolellus fuscus, sp. nov.

Etymology The specific name is a Latin adjective, meaning ‘brown’ and referring to the general body colour of living specimens (Fig. 13D).

Coxobolellus nodosus, sp. nov.

Etymology The specific epithet is a Latin adjective referring to the pigmented node at the tip of the anterior gonopod telopodite of this species.

Coxobolellus serratus, sp. nov.

Etymology The specific epithet is a Latin adjective referring to the prominent serration of the telopodital part of the posterior gonopod.

Coxobolellus simplex, sp. nov.

Etymology The specific epithet is a Latin adjective referring to the particularly simple posterior gonopod.

Coxobolellus tenebris, sp. nov., male (paratype, CUMZ-D00138-1)
from Wat ..., Nong Prue District, Kanchanaburi Province.

Coxobolellus tenebris, sp. nov.

Etymology The specific epithet is a Latin adjective, meaning ‘dark’ and referring to the general body colour of living specimens.

Coxobolellus tigris, sp. nov., male (paratype, CUMZ-D00130-1)
from Wat Tham ..., Pathio District, Chumphon Province.

Coxobolellus tigris, sp. nov.

Etymology The specific epithet is a Latin noun in apposition, meaning ‘tiger’ and referring to the colour pattern on living specimens (Fig. 13F).

Coxobolellus transversalis, sp. nov.

Etymology The specific epithet is a Latin adjective referring to the transverse truncation of the anterior gonopod coxa.

Coxobolellus valvatus, sp. nov.

Etymology The specific epithet is a Latin adjective referring to the prominently toothed vulva valve.

Piyatida Pimvichai, Henrik Enghoff, Somsak Panha and Thierry Backeljau. 2020. Integrative Taxonomy of the New Millipede Genus Coxobolellus, gen. nov. (Diplopoda : Spirobolida : Pseudospirobolellidae), with Descriptions of Ten New Species. Invertebrate Systematics. 34(6); 591-617. DOI: 10.1071/IS20031

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นักวิจัยคณะวิทย์ฯ มมส ค้นพบกิ้งกือกระบอกสกุลใหม่ของโลก (new genus) จำนวนกว่า 10 สปีชีส์

https://science.msu.ac.th/th/?p=12244

Macropholidus montanuccii

Torres-Carvajal, Venegas & Nunes, 2020

Montanucci's Cuilanes || DOI: 10.2994/SAJH-D-18-00069.1

twitter.com/bial_nunes

Abstract

We describe a new species of Macropholidus lizard from the Andean highlands of southern Ecuador and northern Peru based on recent collections. Among other characters, the new species differs from other species of Macropholidus in having a paired series of enlarged middorsal scale rows restricted to the nape, striated dorsal scales, as well as ocelli on tail, flanks, scapular region and neck. We also present a molecular phylogeny of Cercosaurinae and genetic distances as additional evidence supporting delimitation of the new species, which is sister to M. annectens from southern Ecuador. Data on Andean orogeny and age estimates of cercosaurine lizards suggest that the Huancabamba Depression, long recognized for its dual role as a biogeographic barrier and a migration corridor, has also served as a center of origin and diversification of Macropholidus lizards.

KEYWORDS: Hemipenes, Macropholidus, South America, systematics, tropical Andes

Figure 2. Holotype (CORBIDI 12931; SVL = 53.5 mm) of Macropholidus montanuccii sp. nov. in dorsal (top) and ventral (bottom) views. Photographs by D. Quirola.

Macropholidus montanuccii sp. nov.

Macropholidus sp. Torres-Carvajal et al., 2016: 70.

Suggested common name in English: Montanucci's Cuilanes.

Suggested common name in Spanish: Cuilanes de Montanucci.

Diagnosis: Macropholidus montanuccii sp. nov. can be distinguished from both M. ataktolepis and M. ruthveni by having a paired series of enlarged middorsal scale rows restricted to the nape (Figs. 2, 3; series continuous to anterior half of body in M. ataktolepis, and continuous to sacral region in M. ruthveni). From M. ataktolepis, M. montanuccii sp. nov. further differs in lacking prefrontal scales and having more (33–42, 36.78 ± 1.80) transverse rows of dorsal scales from occipital scale to posterior margin of hind limbs (29–35, 32.8 ± 1.92 in M. ataktolepis). From M. huancabambae, M. montanuccii sp. nov. differs in having shorter and striated dorsal scales (elongate and strongly keeled in M. huancabambae), and more transverse rows of dorsal scales from occipital scale to posterior margin of hind limbs (32–35, 32.2 ± 0.2 in M. huancabambae). The new species is more similar in morphology to its sister species M. annectens (Fig. 4; character states in parentheses), from which it differs in having fewer transverse rows of dorsal scales from occipital scale to posteri- or margin of hind limbs (40–48, x̄ = 42.6); fewer—21–28, 23.85 ± 1.77—transverse rows of ventral scales between collar fold and preanals (25–30, x̄ = 27.3); usually a series of black speckles forming a more or less continuous line on middorsum and onto tail (dorsum usually uniform without speckles forming lines; Fig. 4); irregular dark marks on lower lips (lower lips uniform in color); conspicuous ocelli above fore limbs, on neck, and sometimes along flanks extending onto tail (ocelli absent); distinct white dorsolateral stripe from snout to scapular region (white stripe shorter, from snout to nape or to a level above tympanum); and five or more paired, enlarged middorsal scales behind occiput (1–2).

Figure 4. Specimens of Macropholidus montanuccii sp. nov. (A–E) and M. annectens (F) in life.
A, B: holotype CORBIDI 12931, SVL = 53.5 mm;
C: paratype QCAZ 10316, SVL = 52.18; D: paratype QCAZ 10326, SVL = 44.94;
E: paratype QCAZ 10292, SVL = 49.33; F: QCAZ 13870, SVL = 48.86.

Figure 7. Distribution of Macropholidus annectens (green) and Macropholidus montanuccii sp. nov. (blue) in South America. Areas > 2000 m are in darker color.

Distribution and natural history:

Macropholidus montanuccii sp. nov. is known from the highlands and Pacific slopes of the Andes in southern Ecuador and northern Peru (Fig. 7). It occurs at elevations between 1,947 and 3,078 m in the province of Loja in Ecuador and the department of Piura in Peru. The type locality lies within Cordillera de Huancabamba in northwestern Peru and corresponds to the Eastern Cordillera Real Montane Forest (Olson et al., 2001); it forms part of a patch of cloud forest of approximately 1,200 ha on the western slope of Cerro Chacas. During our field surveys in the type locality and nearby areas, M. montanuccii sp. nov. was abundant between 8:00 h and 11:00 h, both under sunny conditions and partially clouded sky with sun intervals. All individuals of M. montanuccii sp. nov. were collected active by day, foraging on the leaf litter and between the herbaceous vegetation close to the edge of trails and along road cuts. When individuals of this species were disturbed, they took refuge in the herbaceous vegetation, shrubs, and under fallen trunks or rocks. Some individuals were found inactive under fallen trunks or rocks in cloudy or rainy days.

Four females collected on February 2010 in southern Ecuador laid two eggs each, which ranged between 10.59–12.41 mm in length and 6.02–6.66 mm in width. Two gravid females collected in May 2006 in Peru contained one egg on each oviduct ranging between 4.26–6.34 mm in length and 2.85–4.25 mm in width.

Other sympatric squamates collected with Macropholidus montanuccii sp. nov. were Dipsas jamespetersi, D. oreas, Erythrolamprus albiventris, Atractus carrioni, Mastigodryas heathii, Andinosaura vespertina, Stenocercus carrioni, S. humeralis, S. limitaris, and S. ornatus.

Etymology: The specific epithet is a noun in the genitive case and is a patronym for Richard R. Montanucci, who published a seminal work on the systematics of Pholidobolus lizards in the early 1970's (Montanucci, 1973) after intensive work along the Andes of Ecuador. Richard Montanucci has dedicated his life to the study of lizards. His work on Pholidobolus lizards is of great importance for anyone interested in gymnophthalmid lizards from the Tropical Andes.

Biogeography of Macropholidus:

The Huancabamba Depression or Huancabamba Deflection has long been recognized as a major biogeographic barrier for some Andean organisms (Vuilleumier, 1969; Duellman, 1979; Cadle, 1991), as well as a migration corridor for others (Quintana et al., 2017). This region lies along the Andes of southern Ecuador and northern Peru approximately between 4°S–7°S and consists of relatively low-elevation mountains that create a mixture of environments (Fig. 7). The Huancabamba Depression seems to have influenced the radiation of several Andean lizard clades, such as Stenocercus Duméril and Bibron, 1837, Riama Gray, 1858, Macropholidus and Pholidobolus (Doan, 2003; Torres-Carvajal, 2007; Torres-Carvajal and Mafla-Endara, 2013), of which Macropholidus is the only radiation restricted to this region. It is thought that the Huancabamba area was at sea level by the Eocene, when other parts of the Andes were already uplifted, and it was not until the Middle Miocene that the Andes had emerged to form the Huancabamba Depression (Quintana et al., 2017). In a recent large scale phylogenetic and biogeographic analysis of the Cercosaurinae, the age of Macropholidus was estimated at 15.60 (12.36–18.90) mya, which roughly corresponds to the Middle Miocene (Torres-Carvajal et al., 2016). Thus, it is reasonable to think that the rise of the Andes along the Huancabamba Depression had a great impact on the evolution and diversification of Macropholidus lizards. This suggests that in addition to a biogeographic barrier and a migration corridor, the Huancabamba Depression has acted as a center of origin and diversification.

Omar Torres-Carvajal, Pablo J. Venegas and Pedro M. Sales Nunes. 2020. Description and Phylogeny of A New Species of Andean Lizard (Gymnophthalmidae: Cercosaurinae) from the Huancabamba Depression. South American J. of Herpetology. 18(1); 13-23. DOI: 10.2994/SAJH-D-18-00069.1

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Lycodon deccanensis

Ganesh, Deuti, Punith, Achyuthan, Mallik, Adhikari & Vogel, 2020

amphibian-reptile-conservation.org

facebook.com: Ashok Kumar Mallik

Abstract

A new species of wolf snake, Lycodon deccanensis sp. nov., is described from southern India, from the hill ranges situated in the Deccan Plateau adjacent to the Southern Eastern Ghats and the Mysore uplands. The new species somewhat resembles, and has previously been confused with, another predominantly wetzone taxon Lycodon travancoricus. The new species can be diagnosed by the following combination of characters: dorsal scale rows 16–17:17:15; usually 9 supralabials; ventrals 181–201; subcaudals 68–74, divided; an undivided anal scale; loreal in contact with internasal; nasal not in contact with prefrontal, separated by loreal-internasal contact; supraocular usually contacting prefrontal; preocular usually not contacting frontal; and a dorsum that is brownish in adults and blackish in juveniles, with white cross bars. Some previous records of Lycodon travancoricus (sic) from outside the Western Ghats represented the new species, while others were re-identifed as L. aulicus and L. anamallensis, effectively restricting the range of L. tarvancoricus to the Western Ghats and Southern Eastern Ghats.

Keywords: Coloration, Deccan plateau, Lycodon deccanensis sp. nov., Reptilia, scalation, South Arcot, Tumkur

Fig. 1. Lycodon deccanensis sp. nov. in life:
(a) entire, dorsolateral view; (b–d) head profles of a live uncollected specimen from Devarayana Durga; (e–f) live uncollected adult and juvenile from Melagiri, showing ontogenic color shift.

Photos by K.G. Punith, M.V. Shreeram, and S.R.Ganesh.

Lycodon deccanensis sp. nov.

Lycodon travancoricus (nec Beddome, 1870) – Sclater 1891 part.

Lycodon sp. – Ganesh et al. (2018, 2020b).

Etymology: Toponym, named after its region of occurrence – the Deccan plateau, a raised table land of late Cretaceous origin, situated between the Eastern Ghats and the Western Ghats of the Indian peninsula.

Diagnosis: A species of Lycodon inhabiting the Deccan plateau of India, characterized by: small size (total length < 470 mm); scales smooth, in 16–17:17:15 rows, without apical pits; usually 9 supralabials (10, in one case); ventrals 181–201 (n = 9) angulate laterally; anal plate undivided; subcaudals 68–78 (84; n = 8), paired; loreal in contact with internasal, separate from eye; nasal not in contact with prefrontal; anterior pair of genials subequal to posterior pair; supraocular usually contacting prefrontal; preocular usually not contacting frontal (preocular separating frontal, prefrontal, and supraocular in one case); dorsum brown in adults and black in juveniles, with white cross bars.

Due to the slender body and smaller head, the new species superfcially resembles the genus Dryocalamus, its higher midbody scale rows (17) and lower ventral counts (181–201; avg. 190; n = 9) [vs. rows 13–15; ventrals 200+ in Dryocalamus, see Smith 1943] clearly indicate this species belongs to the genus Lycodon, even if Dryocalamus is regarded as a valid genus.

Fig. 3. Map showing the type locality and distribution records of Lycodon deccanensis sp. nov. Type locality (Devarayana Durga) marked with a red dot.

Distribution and natural history. Based on the specimens observed in situ during feldwork, this species appears to inhabit mid- to higher elevations (> 600 m asl), and hilly forest tracts in the Deccan plateau, such as the taller isolated peaks in the Eastern Ghats and the Mysore uplands. The two examined specimens in museum collections (ZSI and SACON), come from near South Arcot (ca. 11.77°N, 78.75°E; 850 m asl) and Anaikatti (11.092°N, 76.778°E; 670 m asl), respectively. Though the exact place names given on the jar labels of these specimens furnish coarselevel geographic data, the places are always associated with the presence of hills nearby (see Ganesh et al. 2018), attesting to its affnity for the hills.

...

S.R. Ganesh, Kaushik Deuti, K.G. Punith, N.S. Achyuthan, Ashok Kumar Mallik, Omkar Adhikari and Gernot Vogel. 2020. A New Species of Lycodon (Serpentes: Colubridae) from the Deccan Plateau of India, with notes on the range of Lycodon travancoricus (Beddome, 1870) and A Revised Key to peninsular Indian forms. Amphibian & Reptile Conservation. 14(3) [Taxonomy Section]: 74–83 (e256).

amphibian-reptile-conservation.org

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Lygodactylus nyaneka

Marques, Ceríaco, Buehler, Bandeira, Janota & Bauer, 2020

DOI: 10.11646/zootaxa.4853.3.1

Abstract

At present the genus Lygodactylus is represented by three species in Angola confirmed by voucher specimens—L. angolensis, L. bradfieldi, and L. capensis—and two others believed to be present, but without specimens with precise localities, L. chobiensis and L. lawrencei. We present a detailed taxonomic revision of the group in Angola and describe three new species, Lygodactylus baptistai sp. nov. L. nyaneka sp. nov. andLygodactylus tchokwe sp. nov. Phylogenetic analysis using the mitochondrial marker ND2, as well as morphological data support the recognition of the new species. In addition, data suggest that specimens historically assigned to L. capensis in Angola represent misidentifications of L. nyaneka sp. nov. and L. tchokwe sp. nov. We revisit the identity of Lygodactylus laurae, a junior synonym of L. angolensis. We also present the first confirmed record of L. lawrencei in the country, using both morphological and molecular data. The description of the new species and the revision of the taxonomic identity of the Angolan populations of the genus, raises the number of species occurring in the country to five. A key to the Angolan species is presented.

Keywords: Reptilia, Lygodactylus baptistai sp. nov., L. nyaneka sp. nov. Lygodactylus tchokwe sp. nov., molecular phylogeny, endemism, taxonomy, Angola

Mariana P. Marques, Luis M. P. Ceríaco, Matthew D. Buehler, Suzana A. Bandeira, Joyce M. Janota and Aaron M. Bauer. 2020. A Revision of the Dwarf Geckos, Genus Lygodactylus (Squamata: Gekkonidae), from Angola, with The Description of Three New Species. Zootaxa. 4853(3); 301–352. DOI: 10.11646/zootaxa.4853.3.1

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[Herpetology • 2020] Cnemaspis selenolagus • A New Species of Cnemaspis Strauch (Squamata: Gekkonidae) of the C. siamensis Group from Tenasserim Mountains, Thailand

[Botany • 2020] Wild Orchid Diversity of Highland Forest in the Heart of Borneo: Long Banga and Tama Abu, Sarawak

[Fungi • 2020] Antrodia yunnanensis (Polyporales, Basidiomycota) • Morphological Characteristics and Phylogenetic Analyses reveal A New Polypore from China

[Diplopoda • 2020] Coxobolellus gen. nov. • Integrative Taxonomy of the New Millipede Genus (Spirobolida : Pseudospirobolellidae), with Descriptions of Ten New Species

[Herpetology • 2020] Macropholidus montanuccii • Description and Phylogeny of A New Species of Andean Lizard (Gymnophthalmidae: Cercosaurinae) from the Huancabamba Depression

[Herpetology • 2020] Lycodon deccanensis • A New Species of Lycodon (Serpentes: Colubridae) from the Deccan Plateau of India, with notes on the range of Lycodon travancoricus (Beddome, 1870) and A Revised Key to peninsular Indian forms

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