Species New to Science

Pristimantis iiap

Padial, Gagliardi-Urrutia, Chaparro & Gutiérrez, 2016
DOI: 10.2992/007.083.0302

ABSTRACT

We name and describe a new species of Anura, Pristimantis iiap, from the lowlands of the Peruvian Amazon, and allocate it to the Pristimantis conspicillatus group (sensu Padial et al. 2014). The new species was collected along the Sepahua River, a small tributary of the Urubamba River (Departamento Ucayali, Peru) running west from the slopes of the Fitzcarrald Arch. Individuals were found active at night in the understory of evergreen lowland forest with high density of bamboo (Guadua spp.). The new species is characterized by having complete and conspicuous dorsolateral folds, a slightly granular belly, a first finger slightly shorter than second, with large discs on fingers and toes (especially Fingers III and IV), a bright orange groin, and by lacking well-defined orange spots on the back of thighs and shanks. The advertisement call is composed of a single pulsed note with an average of 15 pulses/note, a pulse rate of 205 pulses/s, an average call length of 75 ms, and average fundamental and dominant frequencies of 1857 Hz and 3690 Hz, respectively. Pristimantis iiap occurs in sympatry with three other species of the group, P. buccinator (Rodríguez, 1994), P. fenestratus (Steindachner, 1864), and P. skydmainos (Flores and Rodríguez, 1997). Although only known from two close localities, we expect P. iiap to occur in similar forests along the Fitzcarrald Arch and on the eastern slopes of Cordillera Vilcabamba and Cordillera del Sira.

Keywords: Alto Purus National Park, Brachycephaloidea, Fitzcarrald Arch, Guadua forest, terraranas, Urubamba River basin

José M. Padial, Giussepe Gagliardi-Urrutia, Juan C. Chaparro and Roberto C. Gutiérrez. 2016. A New Species of the Pristimantis conspicillatus Group from the Peruvian Amazon (Anura: Craugastoridae). Annals of Carnegie Museum.83(3):207-218. DOI: 10.2992/007.083.0302 @CarnegieMNH

Instituto de Investigaciones de la Amazonía Peruana: IIAP

Descubren nueva rana y la nombran Pristimantis iiap http://diariolaregion.com/web/?p=199806

Leptolalax tengchongensis

Yang, Wang Chen & Rao, 2016

DOI: 10.11646/zootaxa.4088.3.4

Abstract

A new species of the genus Leptolalax is described from the Tengchong Section of Gaoligongshan National Nature Reserve, Tengchong County, Yunnan Province, China. The new species,Leptolalax tengchongensis sp. nov., can be distinguished from its congeners by a combination of the following characters: (1) small size (SVL 23.9–26.0 mm in males, 28.8–28.9 mm in females); (2) dorsal skin shagreened and scattered with fine, round reddish tubercles; (3) toes with rudimentary webbing and narrow lateral fringes; (4) tympanum distinctly discernible, almost entirely black; (5) ventrolateral glands indistinct; (6) flanks with several distinct and large dark blotches; (7) ventral surfaces white, scattered with distinct irregular dark speckling; (8) iris not bicolored, uniformly dark brown and scattered with minute, coppery reticulations throughout. To date, the new species has only been found at its type locality in evergreen broadleaf forests at elevations between 2000–2100 m.

Keywords: Amphibia, Megophryidae, taxonomy, Leptolalax tengchongensis sp. nov., Tengchong, China

FIGURE 4. Holotype of Leptolalax tengchongensis sp. nov. (SYS a004600) in life.

Photos by J.H. Yang.

FIGURE 5. Leptolalaxtengchongensis sp. nov.: A pair in amplexus (male SYS a004601; female SYS a004602).

Photos by J.H. Yang.

Discussion:

The discovery of Leptolalax tengchongensis sp. nov. brings the number of Leptolalx recorded from China up to eight. The new species is also the third known species in the genus inhabit elevations above 2000 m; the other high elevation two species are L. alpinus (1150–2400 m) from Yunnan Province of China (Fei et al. 2010) andL. botsfordi(2795–2815 m) from northern Vietnam (Rowley et al. 2013).

Species of the genus Leptolalax are small frogs inhabiting the forest floor in montane evergreen forest, and cryptic in both coloration and behavior (Rowley et al. 2015b). Intensified survey efforts in recent years and the use of an integrated approach incorporating morphological, molecular and acoustic data have resulted in continued discovery new species in the region, in particularly from Indochina (eg. Poyarkov et al. 2015a and Rowley et al. 2015b). Future herpetological exploration and study in southern China will likely continue uncovering new Leptolalax species from the region.

Jian-Huan Yang, Ying-Yong Wang Guo-Ling Chen and Ding-Qi Rao. 2016. A New Species of the Genus Leptolalax (Anura: Megophryidae) from Mt. Gaoligongshan of western Yunnan Province, China. ZOOTAXA. 4088(3):379-394. DOI: 10.11646/zootaxa.4088.3.4

ResearchGate.net/publication/297720415_A_new_species_of_the_genus_Leptolalax_Anura_Megophryidae_from_Mt_Gaoligongshan_of_western_Yunnan_Province_China

New species of genus Leptolalax, aka Asian litter frog, found in SW China's Yunnan
https://t.co/IyB4YPrauy http://news.xinhuanet.com/english/2016-03/11/c_135178600.htm @XHNews

(blue) Neotrygon kuhlii (Müller & Henle, 1841)

(yellow) Neotrygon orientale, (green) N. caeruleopunctata & (red) N. australiae

Last, White & Séret, 2016

DOI: 10.11646/zootaxa.4083.4.5

Abstract

The bluespotted maskray, Neotrygon kuhlii (Müller & Henle, 1841), once thought to be widely distributed in the Indo-West Pacific, consists of a complex of several species and the type series consists of multiple species; its nomenclature is discussed. A lectotype and paralectotype are designated and the species rediagnosed based on the types and a fresh specimen from Honiara (Solomon Islands), near to the collection locality of the lectotype (Vanikoro, Solomon Islands). Molecular and morphological data provide confirmatory evidence that this maskray is distinct from some other regional forms. Three members of the complex from the Western Pacific identified in earlier studies are confirmed to be new species; Neotrygon australiae sp. nov. (Australia, New Guinea and eastern Indonesia), N. caeruleopunctata sp. nov. (Indian Ocean), and N. orientale sp. nov. (North-West Pacific). These species differ from each other and N. kuhlii in their adult size, anterior angle of the disc, number and distribution of blue spots on the dorsal disc, and other more subtle morphometric and meristic characters. Another largely plain-coloured Neotrygon, also currently misidentified as N. kuhlii, is sympatric with N. orientale sp. nov. in the South China Sea and off Taiwan. Neotrygon varidens(Garman) is resurrected as the valid name for this ray. A key is provided to species of the genus.

Keywords: Pisces, Dasyatidae; Neotrygon australiae; Neotrygon caeruleopunctata; Neotrygon kuhlii; Neotrygon orientale; N. varidens; bluespotted maskray; new species; species complex; Indo-West Pacific

Peter R. Last, William T. White and Bernard Séret. 2016. Taxonomic Status of Maskrays of the Neotrygon kuhlii species complex (Myliobatoidei: Dasyatidae) with the Description of Three New species from the Indo-West Pacific. Zootaxa. 4083(4); 533-561. DOI: 10.11646/zootaxa.4083.4.5 @WillWhiteSharks

Pristimantis dorado

Rivera-Correa, Lamadrid-Feris & Crawford, 2016

Figure 1. Pristimantis dorado sp. nov. in life (MHUA-A 7311, paratype, female, SVL 19.2 mm).
(A) lateral view; (C) frontal view. Photographs: S. Castroviejo-Fisher

DOI: 10.1163/15685381-00003037

A new species of Pristimantis is described from an Andean cloud forest at 2650 m in the Cordillera Oriental of Colombia. Pristimantis dorado sp. nov. is similar to and could be closely related to P. acutirostris, but can be readily distinguished from this latter species by the absence of a tympanic annulus, vocal slits, vocal sac and reticulations on concealed surfaces, and by having a metallic gold iris with a brown horizontal streak. The phylogenetic position of the new species is recovered and we provide its advertisement call, which this species manages to emit despite lacking a vocal sac and vocal slits. This discovery reminds us that despite the extensive research on the alpha-taxonomy of Pristimantis in Colombia, fieldwork in high montane forests continues to yield previously unknown species.

Keywords: advertisement call, Amphibia, Brachycephaloidea, Eastern Cordillera, morphology, South America, Terrarana.

facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=10154078116006209

http://rivera-correa.weebly.com/publicaciones.html

Distribution and natural history. The new species is known only from the type locality, the buffer zone of Chingaza National Park and Farallones de Gachalá, Municipio de Medina, Departamento de Cundinamarca, Colombia (fig. 4). Specimens were found in an Andean cloud forest between 19:00 h and 22:30 h during a light drizzle. Pristimantis dorado was found along the roadside in association with plants such as Miconia summa, Weinmannia spp. and Hedyosmum bomplandianum and near palms of the species Ceroxylon quindiuense. Pristimantis dorado is vocally active at night; all adult males captured were calling from vegetation at a height of 50 to 150 cm. We observed two or more males vocalizing from the same plant at different heights above the ground. By placing males together to be photographed, we observed that the frogs produced a typical advertisement call but increased the call rate and decreased the intercall interval, which may represent an agonistic behaviour. However, no orientation behaviour or physical contact was observed. Pristimantis dorado was found in sympatry with P. frater.

Etymology The specific name is an adjective in Spanish meaning “golden”, in allusion to the gold colour of the dorsum in this species. This name is also a tribute to “El Dorado”, a legendary but mythical city of gold sought by Spaniard conquistadores throughout South America.

Mauricio Rivera-Correa, Faride Lamadrid-Feris and Andrew J. Crawford. 2016. A New Small Golden Frog of the Genus Pristimantis (Anura: Craugastoridae) from An Andean Cloud Forest of Colombia. Amphibia-Reptilia. DOI: 10.1163/15685381-00003037
researchgate.net/publication/296624250_A_new_small_golden_frog_of_the_genus_Pristimantis_Anura_Craugastoridae_from_an_Andean_cloud_forest_of_Colombia

Timurlengia euotica

Brusatte, Averianov, Sues, Muir & Butler, 2016
DOI: 10.1073/pnas.1600140113

Significance

Tyrannosaurs — the iconic group of dinosaurian carnivores that includes Tyrannosaurus rex —dominated latest Cretaceous ecosystems with their colossal sizes and sophisticated senses. A gap in the mid-Cretaceous fossil record between these giant apex predators and their older, smaller relatives makes it difficult to understand how the characteristic body size and ecological habits of T. rex and kin developed. A new species from Uzbekistan fills this gap. This horse-sized animal shows that tyrannosaurs had yet to achieve huge size at this time but had already evolved key brain and sensory features of the gigantic latest Cretaceous species. Tyrannosaurs apparently developed giant body size rapidly, late in the Cretaceous, and their success may have been enabled by their early-evolving keen senses.

Abstract

Tyrannosaurids — the familiar group of carnivorous dinosaurs including Tyrannosaurus and Albertosaurus — were the apex predators in continental ecosystems in Asia and North America during the latest Cretaceous (ca. 80–66 million years ago). Their colossal sizes and keen senses are considered key to their evolutionary and ecological success, but little is known about how these features developed as tyrannosaurids evolved from smaller basal tyrannosauroids that first appeared in the fossil record in the Middle Jurassic (ca. 170 million years ago). This is largely because of a frustrating 20+ million-year gap in the mid-Cretaceous fossil record, when tyrannosauroids transitioned from small-bodied hunters to gigantic apex predators but from which no diagnostic specimens are known. We describe the first distinct tyrannosauroid species from this gap, based on a highly derived braincase and a variety of other skeletal elements from the Turonian (ca. 90–92 million years ago) of Uzbekistan. This taxon is phylogenetically intermediate between the oldest basal tyrannosauroids and the latest Cretaceous forms. It had yet to develop the giant size and extensive cranial pneumaticity of T. rex and kin but does possess the highly derived brain and inner ear characteristic of the latest Cretaceous species. Tyrannosauroids apparently developed huge size rapidly during the latest Cretaceous, and their success in the top predator role may have been enabled by their brain and keen senses that first evolved at smaller body size.

Keywords: dinosaur, Tyrannosauroidea, Uzbekistan, phylogenetics, evolution

A fossil tooth (front and back) of the newly discovered dinosaur. The blade-like teeth, says Hans Sues, were well-suited for "slicing through meat."

smithsonianmag.com

A reconstruction of the horse-sized tyrannosaurTimurlengiaeuotica, named for the charismatic Central Asian ruler Tamerlane, shows the species' long, slender legs, large head and teeth built sharp like a steak knife.

NMNH, Original painting by Todd Marshall

Stephen L. Brusatte, Alexander Averianov, Hans-Dieter Sues, Amy Muir and Ian B. Butler. 2016. New Tyrannosaur from the mid-Cretaceous of Uzbekistan clarifies Evolution of Giant Body Sizes and Advanced Senses in Tyrant Dinosaurs. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America. in press. DOI: 10.1073/pnas.1600140113

The discovery of a tiny Tyrant set the stage for the evolution of T. rex
http://po.st/TSbHav via @SmithsonianMag @NMNH #PreRex
Behold Timurlengia—the Elusive Missing Link in Tyrannosaur Evolution
http://gizmodo.com/behold-timurlengia-the-elusive-missing-link-in-tyrannos-1764749916

Timurlengia euotica: Distant relative of T-rex shows how dinosaur became giant
http://ibt.uk/A6V4r via @IBTimesUK #dinosaurevolution

Abstract

We critically compared Marcusenius specimens from the mouth of the Cunene River on the Namibia/Angola border, a harsh desert environment on the Atlantic Ocean coast virtually devoid of aerial insects with aquatic larvae which are an important food item, with Marcusenius multisquamatus Kramer & Wink, 2013 from the escarpment region of that same river, in a relatively rich and productive subtropical savannah environment. River mouth specimens were differentiated in morphology and electric organ discharges, as determined by ANOVA/MANOVA comparisons, principal component and discriminant analyses on morphological and electrophysiological characters, and genetics, including sequences of the mitochondrial cytochrome b gene, indicating reproductive isolation. Specimens from the river mouth differed from M. multisquamatus, their closest relatives, by having a shorter snout, a smaller eye diameter, and smaller nares separation. River mouth specimens were also differentiated from other, increasingly less-close relatives, such as M. altisambesi Kramer et al., 2007 from the Okavango River, Botswana, and from M. krameri Maake etal., 2014 from the Limpopo System, South Africa. We therefore designate the new species Marcusenius desertus sp. nov. for the Cunene River mouth population.

Keywords: ecology, electric organ discharges, genetic differentiation, morphology, phylogeography, speciation

LB Kramer, FH van der Bank and M Wink. 2016. Marcusenius desertus sp. nov. (Teleostei: Mormyridae), A Mormyrid Fish from the Namib Desert. African Journal of Aquatic Science.

DOI: 10.2989/16085914.2015.1137855

Psychrophrynella chirihampatu

Catenazzi & Ttito, 2016

Figure 4: Dorsolateral and ventral views of paratypes of Psychrophrynella chirihampatu sp. n. showing variation in dorsal and ventral coloration.

Male MHNC 14656 (A, B), Tambo Japu. Male MHNC 14667 (C, D), type locality. Female CORBIDI 16499 (G, H), type locality.

Photographs by A. Catenazzi. DOI: 10.7717/peerj.1807

Abstract

We describe a new species of Psychrophrynella from the humid montane forest of the Department Cusco in Peru. Specimens were collected at 2,670–3,165 m elevation in the Área de Conservación Privada Ukumari Llakta, Japumayo valley, near Comunidad Campesina de Japu, in the province of Paucartambo. The new species is readily distinguished from all other species of Psychrophrynella but P. bagrecito and P. usurpator by possessing a tubercle on the inner edge of the tarsus, and from these two species by its yellow ventral coloration on abdomen and limbs. Furthermore, the new species is like P. bagrecito and P. usurpator in having an advertisement call composed of multiple notes, whereas other species of Psychrophrynella whose calls are known have a pulsed call (P. teqta) or a short, tonal call composed of a single note. The new species has a snout-vent length of 16.1–24.1 mm in males and 23.3–27.7 mm in females. Like other recently described species in the genus, this new Psychrophrynella inhabits high-elevation forests in the tropical Andes and likely has a restricted geographic distribution.

Keywords: Cloud forest, Psychrophrynella chirihampatu, Chytrid fungus, Bioacoustics, Frog, Leaf litter amphibian, Paucartambo

Etymology. The name of the new species is a combination of Quechua words used in apposition meaning “toad” (“hampa’tu”) that lives in the “cold” (“chiri”). The name is a wordplay built upon the genus and species names sharing the same meaning of “frog inhabiting cold environments,” because the generic name Psychrophrynella derives from the Greek psychros (cold) and phrynos (toad).

Figure 4: Dorsolateral and ventral views of four paratypes of Psychrophrynella chirihampatu sp. n. showing variation in dorsal and ventral coloration.
Male MHNC 14656 (A, B), Tambo Japu. Male MHNC 14667 (C, D), type locality.
Female CORBIDI 16502 (E, F), Playa camp site. Female CORBIDI 16499 (G, H), type locality.

Photographs by A. Catenazzi. DOI: 10.7717/peerj.1807

Alessandro Catenazzi and Alex Ttito. 2016. A New Species of Psychrophrynella (Amphibia, Anura, Craugastoridae) from the Humid Montane Forests of Cusco, eastern slopes of the Peruvian Andes. PeerJ. 4:e1807; DOI: 10.7717/peerj.1807

Corydoras eversi

Tencatt & Britto, 2016

DOI: 10.1590/1982-0224-20150062

A new species of Corydoras is described from the rio Araguaia basin, Goiás, Brazil. The new species can be distinguished from its congeners by presenting the following features: infraorbital 1 with very large ventral laminar expansion; infraorbital 2 contacting compound pterotic; flanks densely covered by irregular black spots; and ventral surface of trunk densely covered by coalescent relatively well-developed platelets. It is also discussed the possibility that C. araguaiaensis comprehends a complex of species.

Keywords: C65, Corydoradinae, Corydoras sp. “Guaraná”, Goiás State, Taxonomy.

Distribution.Corydoras eversi is known from its type locality, an unnamed stream tributary to the rio Araguaia (Fig. 6).

Ecological notes. The specimens examined herein were captured in a clear water stream, with sandy ground and fast flowing. After capture the specimens are light orange. This color remains in aquarium when the water conditions are adequate to its biological aspects. In the type locality of the new species no other congener were observed in syntopy (H.-G. Evers pers. comm.).

Etymology. Corydoras eversi is named in honor of Hans-Georg Evers, a dear friend and great enthusiast in the fishkeeping hobby, especially in the breeding of Corydoras species. Hans collected the specimens of C. eversi that apparently originated all the stock present in the hobby until the present day and also the specimens used herein for the description.

Luiz Fernando Caserta Tencatt and Marcelo Ribeiro de Britto. 2016. A New Corydoras Lacépède, 1803 (Siluriformes: Callichthyidae) from the rio Araguaia basin, Brazil, with comments about Corydoras araguaiaensis Sands, 1990. Neotropical Ichthyology. 14(1): e150062. DOI: 10.1590/1982-0224-20150062

http://www.scielo.br/pdf/ni/v14n1/1982-0224-ni-14-01-e150062.pdf

Uma espécie nova de Corydoras é descrita da bacia do rio Araguaia, Goiás, Brasil. A espécie nova pode ser distinguida de suas congêneres por apresentar as seguintes características: infraorbital 1 com expansão laminar ventral muito grande; infraorbital 2 em contato com o pterótico composto; flancos densamente cobertos por manchas pretas irregulares e superfície ventral do tronco densamente coberta por plaquetas coalescentes relativamente bem desenvolvidas. Discute-se também a possibilidade de C. araguaiaensis compreender um complexo de espécies.

Fig. 1 a. Single population of Drosera rotundifolia on the Philippines at 1881 m on Mt Limbawon;
b. habit of D. rotundifolia with leaves submerged in water, same location.

— Photos by Fulgent Coritico. DOI: 10.3767/000651916X691330

Abstract

Drosera rotundifolia, a species of the temperate Northern Hemisphere with a disjunct occurrence in high montane West Papua, has been discovered in a highland peat bog on Mt Limbawon, Pantaron Range, Bukidnon on the island of Mindanao, Philippines, which mediates to the only other known tropical, Southern Hemisphere location in New Guinea and the closest known northern populations in southern Japan and south-eastern China. A dichotomous key to the seven Drosera species of the Philippines is given, and distribution maps are provided.

Keywords: Drosera; Droseraceae; Malesia; Mindanao; Northern Hemisphere - Tropics disjunction; Philippines; carnivorous plants

F.P. Coritico and A. Fleischmann. 2016. The First Record of the Boreal Bog Species Drosera rotundifolia (Droseraceae) from the Philippines, and A Key to the Philippine Sundews. Blumea- Biodiversity, Evolution and Biogeography of Plants. DOI: 10.3767/000651916X691330

Boreonykus certekorum

Bell & Currie, 2016DOI: 10.1080/02724634.2015.1034359

ABSTRACT

Dromaeosaurids were rare components of most Late Cretaceous terrestrial ecosystems and are poorly known from high palaeolatitudes. New dromaeosaurid material, including a frontal and associated postcranial elements, is described from a dense monodominant ceratopsid bonebed on Pipestone Creek, near the city of Grande Prairie (Unit 3, Wapiti Formation, upper Campanian), central-western Alberta, Canada. This stratigraphic interval is significant because it records a period of terrestrial deposition at a time when much of the western interior of Canada and the United States was inundated by the Bearpaw Sea. A phylogenetic analysis recovers Boreonykus certekorum, gen. et sp. nov., as a derived eudromaeosaur, possibly within Velociraptorinae. The identification of a new dromaeosaurid from the Wapiti Formation simultaneously helps fill an important gap in the record of late Campanian dromaeosaurids, bolsters support for a partly endemic fauna within the Wapiti Formation, and potentially adds to the North American record of a predominantly Asian Velociraptorinae.

SYSTEMATIC PALEONTOLOGY

DINOSAURIA

SAURISCHIA Seeley, 1888

THEROPODA Marsh, 1881

DROMAEOSAURIDAE Matthew and Brown, 1922

BOREONYKUS CERTEKORUM, gen. et sp. nov.

Etymology — Genus name references the modern day boreal forest where the type specimen was found and ‘onychos,’ meaning claw (Greek). Species name pays tribute to Certek Heating Solutions and the Barendregt family (Wembley, Alberta) for their continued support of paleontology in the Peace Region.

Horizon and Locality — The holotype and referred material come from the Pachyrhinosaurus lakustai bonebed at Pipestone Creek, 19 km southwest of Grande Prairie, Alberta, Canada. A volcanic ash layer approximately 1 m above the bonebed host unit revealed an age of 73.27 § 0.25 million years (D. A. Eberth in Currie et al., 2008), placing it within uppermost part of Unit 3 of the Wapiti Formation (Fanti and Catuneanu, 2009, 2010).

Phil R. Bell and Philip J. Currie. 2016. A High-latitude Dromaeosaurid, Boreonykus certekorum, gen. et sp. nov. (Theropoda), from the upper Campanian Wapiti Formation, west-central Alberta. Journal of Vertebrate Paleontology. 36(1); DOI: 10.1080/02724634.2015.1034359

http://www.tandfonline.com/doi/pdf/10.1080/02724634.2015.1034359

Dinosaur described as 'savage predator' uncovered in northwestern Alberta http://www.news1130.com/2016/03/16/dinosaur-described-as-savage-predator-uncovered-in-northwestern-alberta/ via @NEWS1130

Bronchocela rayaensis

Abstract

An integrative taxonomic analysis used to identify a new population of Bronchocela from Phuket Island, Thailand indicates it is conspecific with Bronchocela rayaensis from the Langkawi Archipelago of northwestern Peninsular Malaysia. An additional specimen photographed from Khura Buri District, Phang-nga Province is also considered to be B. rayaensis and represents a northern range extension of 295 km from the Langkawi Archipelago.

Keywords: Reptilia, Peninsular Malaysia, Thailand, Systematics, Bronchocela

L. Lee Grismer, Perry L. Jr. Wood, Anchalee Aowphol, Michael Cota, Matthew Murdoch, César Aguilar and Marta Grismer. 2016. Taxonomy, Phylogeny, and Distribution of Bronchocela rayaensis (Squamata: Agamidae) on the Thai-Malay Peninsula. Zootaxa. 4092(3);

http://mapress.com/j/zt/article/view/zootaxa.4092.3.6

Bukit Panchor Forest Skink | Tytthoscincus panchorensis

Grismer, Muin, Wood, Anuar & Linkem, 2016

Holotype of Tytthoscincus panchorensis sp. nov. (LSUHC 12511) from the Bukit Panchor State Park, Pulau Pinang, Peninsular Malaysia.

Photo by M.A. Muin DOI: 10.11646/zootaxa.4092.2.6

Abstract

Phylogenetic analyses based on the mitochondrial gene ND2 and its flanking tRNAs indicate the diminutive upland and insular species Sphenomorphus bukitensis, S. butleri, S. langkawiensis, S. perhentianensis, and S. temengorensis form a monophyletic group that is phylogenetically embedded within the Southeast Asian genus Tytthoscincus. The analyses also indicate that a new swamp-dwelling skink from the Bukit Panchor State Park, Pulau Pinang, Peninsular Malaysia is the sister species to the swamp-dwelling species S. sibuensis from Pulau Sibu, Johor and Singapore and that these two are also embedded in the genus Tytthoscincus. By transferring the two Peninsular Malaysian clades of Sphenomorphus into the genus Tytthoscincus, the monophyly of the latter is maintained. The new species Tytthoscincus panchorensis sp. nov. can be distinguished from all other species of Tytthoscincus by having a unique combination of morphological and color pattern characteristics.

Keywords: Reptilia, new species, Peninsular Malaysia, Philippines, Tytthoscincus, Sphenomorphus

Tytthoscincus panchorensis sp. nov.

Bukit Panchor Forest Skink

Distribution.Tytthoscincus panchorensis sp. nov. is known only from the type locality at the Bukit Panchor State Park, Pulau Pinang, Peninsular Malaysia.

Natural history.Tytthoscincus panchorensis sp. nov. is a forest floor species inhabiting the swampy area and adjacent hillsides of the Bukit Panchor State Park.

Etymology. The specific epithet panchorensis is in reference to the type locality of the Bukit Panchor State Park, Pulau Pinang, Peninsular Malaysia. The suffix -ensis is from the Latin word for “from, of” or “from a place” and renders the specific epithet an adjective.

L. Lee Grismer, Mohd Abdul Muin, Perry L. Wood, Shahrul Anuar and Charles W. Linkem. 2016. The Transfer of Two Clades of Malaysian Sphenomorphus Fitzinger (Squamata: Scincidae) into the Genus Tytthoscincus Linkem, Diesmos, & Brown and The Description of A New Malaysian Swamp-dwelling Species. Zootaxa. 4092(2): 231–242. DOI: 10.11646/zootaxa.4092.2.6

Elaphe zoigeensis

Huang, Ding, Burbrink, Yang, Huang, Ling, Chen & Zhang, 2012
DOI: 10.3724/SP.J.1245.2012.00038

Abstract

Previous phylogenetic analyses of DNA sequence data reveal a likely new species of Elaphe Fitzinger from China, which forms the sister group of all extant Elaphe. One of the three original specimens is crushed and the other two are neonates, which precludes a morphological analysis. Three adult snakes (2 females, 1 male) collected from Jiangzha Hot Spring in Zoige County, Sichuan, China on 26 July 2010 now facilitate the species’ description. Mitochondrial DNA nucleotide sequences of cytochrome b (cyt b), NADH dehydrogenase subunit 4 (ND4), 12S ribosomal RNA (12S rRNA), and cytochrome oxidase subunit 1 (CO1) from the adults are identical to sequences from the crashed specimen. Interspecific uncorrected p-distances of partial CO1 gene of 26 sequences from all 11 species of Elaphe, including this new species, are large (8.5–15.2%). This new species is morphologically distinguished from all other species of Elaphe by several characters: “M”-shaped marking on the supraoculars and adjacent frontal; four parallel series of red-brown spots on the dorsum extending from the neck to the vent; four longitudinal stripes associated with the spots; each spot is usually composed of a whole (or incomplete) red-brown scale with puce borders; spots of each stripe are similar in shape, they occur at relatively regular intervals of one or two scales, and they are slightly red-brown in color; and it has three preoculars, whereas all other species have one or two. Now Elaphe contains 11 species and this discovery highlights the need for continued exploration of temperate regions.

Key words: new species, mitochondrial DNA, DNA barcoding, Zoige ratsnake

Elaphe zoigeensis sp. nov.

Zoige Ratsnake, Ruoergai Jinshe (Bopomofo)

Diagnosis: Elaphe zoigeensis sp. nov. is distinguished from all other species of Elaphe by several sets of characters involving color and scutellation. Color pattern is distinct in having a red brown, “M” shaped marking on the back of the head at the margins of the supraoculars and adjacent posterior frontal and the presence of 4 longitudinal, parallel rows of spots on the dorsum extending from the neck to vent. Each spot usually encompasses an entire scale and is red brown, while the edges of the spot and bordering scales are puce. The spots from each of the parallel rows are similar in size and shape, and rank at a relatively regular interval of one or two scales of slightly red brown color. Additionally, this species has 3 preoculars, rather than 1–2 found in all other species (Schulz, 1996).

Ecology: The species is a diurnal terrestrial oviparous snake, laying eggs around the end of July, with a clutch size of at least 11 eggs. Eggs are white, smooth-shelled, and adhesive. From the day of capture until 3 August 2010, almost every day, some short soft black hairs were found in their excrement, suggesting that they ate rodents or insectivores.

Etymology: The specific name refers to the type locality, Zoige County, Sichuan, China

Huang, S., Ding, L., Burbrink, F.T., Yang, J., Huang, J., Ling, C., Chen, X. & Zhang, Y. 2012. A New Species of the Genus Elaphe (Squamata: Colubridae) from Zoige County, Sichuan, China. Asian Herpetological Research. 3, 38–45. DOI: 10.3724/SP.J.1245.2012.00038

https://csivc.csi.cuny.edu/Xin.Chen/files/2012.AHR.Song%20Huang.A%20New%20Species%20of%20the%20Genus%20Elaphe.pdf

https://csivc.csi.cuny.edu/Xin.Chen/files/Publication.htm

Cyrtodactylus phetchaburiensis Pauwels, Sumontha & Bauer, 2016

ตุ๊กกายเพชรบุรี | Phetchaburi Bent-toed Gecko

siamensis.org DOI: 10.11646/zootaxa.4088.3.6

Abstract

A new Bent-toed Gecko, Cyrtodactylus phetchaburiensis sp. nov. is described from the Tha Yang District of Phetchaburi Province, western Thailand. It is a medium-sized Cyrtodactylus (SVL to at least 63.2 mm), with small, mostly keeled tubercles in 20 regular longitudinal rows on dorsum; 33 scales across mid-venter between lowest rows of flank tubercles; enlarged row of femoral scales present; five precloacal pores in male, femoral pores and precloacal groove absent; 5–6 broad basal lamellae and 11 narrow distal lamellae beneath digit IV of pes; and a single median row of transversely enlarged subcaudal scales present. It has a dorsal colour pattern of large, dark, diffusely-edged markings on a fawn background and a pair of dark scapular patches. The species is a member of the Central Indochinese (Thai-Myanmar) clade of Cyrtodactylus and is most closely related to C. oldhami (Theobald), from which it differs in colour pattern.

Keywords: Reptilia, Gekkonidae, Cyrtodactylus phetchaburiensis sp. nov., Cyrtodactylus oldhami, description, taxonomy, Thailand

Olivier S. G. Pauwels, Montri Sumontha and Aaron M. Bauer. 2016. A New Bent-toed Gecko (Squamata: Gekkonidae: Cyrtodactylus) from Phetchaburi Province, Thailand. Zootaxa. 4088(3): 409–419. DOI: 10.11646/zootaxa.4088.3.6

ResearchGate.net/publication/297714545_A_new_Bent-toed_Gecko_Squamata_Gekkonidae_Cyrtodactylus_from_Phetchaburi_Province_Thailand

Psychrophrynella teqta

De la Riva & Burrowes, 2014

Male of Psychrophrynella teqta sp. nov. guarding eggs.

Photo: Ignacio De la Riva || DOI: 10.11646/zootaxa.3887.4.4

Abstract

We describe a new species of Psychrophrynella from a single locality in the Cordillera Real, in the Andes of Department of La Paz, Bolivia. Psychrophrynella teqta sp. nov. is highly variable in color pattern and differs from the species geographically closer mostly by presenting yellow or red blotches, usually absent in other species. In addition, the new species differs from all species in the genus because the males have a pulsed call. Males of this species show parental care, and the high number of eggs per nest suggest that perhaps more than one clutch might be attended by a single male. As other species in the genus, the new species is infected by Batrachochytrium dendrobatidis, and thus, a conservation threat is already present upon its discovery.

Keywords: Amphibia, Andes, Bd, bioacoustics, parental care

Ignacio De la Riva and Patricia A. Burrowes. 2014. A New Species of Psychrophrynella (Anura: Craugastoridae) from the Cordillera Real, Department La Paz, Bolivia. Zootaxa. 3887(3): 459–470. DOI: 10.11646/zootaxa.3887.4.4

ResearchGate.net/publication/270221660_A_new_species_of_Psychrophrynella_Anura_Craugastoridae_from_the_Cordillera_Real_Department_La_Paz_Bolivia

http://3esoesciencia.blogspot.com/2015/01/recien-descubiertas-y-ya-en-peligro.html

La nueva rana boliviana http://www.efefuturo.com/noticia/nueva-rana-boliviana/

Arthropterygius sp.

Reconstruction: AA Atuchin. olorotitan.deviantart.com

ABSTRACT

An ichthyosaurian skeletal remains assigned to the genera Arthropterygius and Ophthalmosaurus are described from the Volgian deposits of the Komi Republic and Nenets Autonomous Region (Okrug) (Russia). These specimens along with findings from Svalbard provide an opportunity to draw some preliminary conclusions on the distribution of ichthyosaurs during the Late Jurassic and Early Cretaceous epoch.

Key words: Arthropterygius, ichthyosaurs, Ophthalmosaurus, Russia, Upper Jurassic

N.G. Zverkov, M.S. Arkhangelsky, J.M. Pardo Pérez and P.A. Beznosov. 2015. On the Upper Jurassic Ichthyosaur remains from the Russian North. Proceedings of the Zoological Institute RAS. 319(1): 81–97

http://www.zin.ru/journals/trudyzin/doc/vol_319_1/TZ_319_1_Zverkov.pdf

https://www.academia.edu/11793260/On_the_Upper_Jurassic_Ichthyosaur_remains_from_the_Russian_North

Ancient marine reptiles inhabited the icy waters of the north

http://www.eartharchives.org/articles/ancient-marine-reptiles-inhabited-the-icy-waters-of-the-north/

http://andrey-atuchin.blogspot.com/2015/04/arthropterygius.html

Российские ученые нашли северного ихтиозавра

http://www.paleonews.ru/index.php/new/531-ichtyo

http://olorotitan.deviantart.com/art/Arthropterygius-525122187

facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=917471264940344

Bulbophyllum huangshanense Y.M.Hu & X.H.Jin

DOI: 10.1111/njb.00680

Bulbophyllum huangshanense, a new species of orchid from Anhui, China, is described and illustrated. This new species is close to B. taeniophyllum with pseudo-bulbs closely spaced along the rhizome, leathery leaf, entire dorsal sepal, toothed petals, the lateral edges of lateral sepals connate and fleshy lip, but differs from the latter in having roots arising from the node with the pseudo-bulb, inflorescence much shorter than leaf, flowers pure yellow, lip mobile, and stelidia broadly triangular.

Yimin Hu, Jianji Zhang and Xiaohua Jin. 2015. Bulbophyllum huangshanense sp. nov. (Orchidaceae) from Anhui, China. Nordic Journal of Botany. 33(4); 443–445. DOI: 10.1111/njb.00680

researchgate.net/publication/272890745_Bulbophyllum_huangshanense_sp_nov_Orchidaceae_from_Anhui_China

twitter.com/NordicJBotany/status/572416938275700736

Cylindrophis subocularis

Kieckbusch, Mecke, Hartmann, Ehrmantraut, O'Shea & Kaiser, 2016

Abstract

We describe a new species of Cylindrophis currently known only from Grabag, Purworejo Regency, Jawa Tengah Province (Central Java), Java, Indonesia. Cylindrophis subocularis sp. nov. can be distinguished from all congeners by the presence of a single, eponymous subocular scale between the 3rd and 4th or 4th and 5th supralabial, preventing contact between the 4th or 5th supralabial and the orbit, and by having the prefrontal in narrow contact with or separated from the orbit. We preface our description with a detailed account of the tangled taxonomic history of the similar and putatively wide-ranging species C. ruffus, which leads us to (1) remove the name Scytale scheuchzeri from the synonymy of C. ruffus, (2) list the taxon C. rufa var. javanica as species inquirenda, and (3) synonymize C. mirzae with C. ruffus. We provide additional evidence to confirm that the type locality of C. ruffus is Java. Cylindrophis subocularis sp. nov. is the second species of Asian pipesnake from Java.

Keywords: Reptilia, Cylindrophis subocularis sp. nov., C. ruffus, Serpentes, Cylindrophiidae, Asian pipesnakes, species complex, morphology, Central Java, Indonesia, Greater Sunda Islands

Max Kieckbusch, Sven Mecke, Lukas Hartmann, Lisa Ehrmantraut, Mark O'Shea and Hinrich Kaiser. 2016. An Inconspicuous, Conspicuous New Species of Asian Pipesnake, Genus Cylindrophis (Reptilia: Squamata: Cylindrophiidae), from the South coast of Jawa Tengah, Java, Indonesia, and An Overview of the Tangled Taxonomic History of C. ruffus (Laurenti, 1768). Zootaxa. 4093(1)

http://mapress.com/j/zt/issue/view/zootaxa.4093.1

researchgate.net/profile/Max_Kieckbusch

Bitis harenna

Gower, Wade, Spawls, Böhme, Buechley, Sykes & Colston, 2016

nhm.ac.uk DOI: 10.11646/zootaxa.4093.1.3

Abstract

A new species of viperine viperid snake is described, Bitis harenna sp. nov. The new species is a member of the subgenus Macrocerastes based on it having three scales separating the nasal and rostral shields, and on the combination of ‘divisions’ of dorsal scale rows on the upper flanks and ‘fusions’ of rows on the lower flanks. Bitis harenna sp. nov. is distinguished from other members of the subgenus by its unique colour pattern, posterior parietal flange on the lateral wall of the braincase, and possibly by differences in scalation and head proportions. Only a single museum specimen is known, a female collected from ‘Dodola’ in Ethiopia probably in the late 1960s and previously identified as a possibly unusually coloured and patterned B. parviocula. A live, presumably male, specimen very closely resembling the holotype of Bitis harenna sp. nov. was photographed on the Harenna escarpment of the Bale Mountains National Park, Ethiopia in 2013, providing secure occurrence data and evidence that the holotype is not a uniquely aberrant specimen. A revised key to the species of Bitis in Ethiopia is presented. Aspects of body scalation are compared among species of the subgenus Macrocerastes and between species of Macrocerastes and Bitis, and several systematic characters are highlighted and clarified.

Keywords: Reptilia, Africa, Bitis parviocula, Harenna, Macrocerastes, snake, taxonomy, viper

Uncollected specimen of Bitis harenna sp. nov. photographed in the Harenna Forest of the Bale Mountains National Park in October 2013. The snake was approximately 1 m in total length.

photo: Evan Buechley

Gower, David J., Edward Wade, Stephen Spawls, Wolfgang Böhme, Evan R. Buechley, Daniel Sykes & Timothy J. Colston. 2016. A New Large Species of Bitis Gray, 1842 (Serpentes: Viperidae) from the Bale Mountains of Ethiopia. Zootaxa. 4093(1): 41–63. DOI: 10.11646/zootaxa.4093.1.3

A team of scientists led by Museum researchers have identified and named a new species of viper, Bitis harenna, that lives in Ethiopia’s Bale Mountains National Park.

http://www.nhm.ac.uk/our-science/science-news/2016/march/snake-from-ethiopia-identified-as-new-viper-species.html

Magnolia rzedowskiana

A. Vázquez, R. Domínguez & R. Pedraza

ABSTRACT

Magnolia rzedowskianaA. Vázquez, R. Domínguez & R. Pedraza is described as a new species of the sect. Macrophylla. It is found in Sierra Gorda, Querétaro, Sierra de Xilitla, San Luis Potosí, and vicinity of Chapulhuacán, Hidalgo, México, in cloud forests. It shares with other members of sect. Macrophylla its deciduous and abaxially glaucous leaves. It is similar to Magnolia dealbata in having similar size of trees and leaves, but differs from the latter in having narrower petals, less numerous stamens, styles flattened, acute at the apex and white yellowish to dark maroon (vs. cylindrical and truncate to rounded at the apex and creamy white), smaller fruits, less numerous carpels, and carpels with shorter beak.

Key words: Huasteca region, Magnolia dealbata, Magnolia nuevoleonensis, Magnolia section Macrophylla, Magnolia vovidesii, Mexico, Sierra Madre Oriental.

José Antonio Vázquez-García, Reyna Domínguez-Yescas, Roberto PedrazaRuiz , Arturo Sánchez-González and Miguel Ángel Muñiz-Castro. 2015. Magnolia rzedowskiana (Magnoliaceae), una especie nueva de la sección Macrophylla de la parte central de la sierra Madre Oriental, México. [Magnolia rzedowskiana (Magnoliaceae), A New Species of Section Macrophylla from the Central Sierra Madre Oriental, Mexico]. Acta Botanica Mexicana. 112: 19-36.

http://www.scielo.org.mx/scielo.php?script=sci_arttext&pid=S0187-71512015000300003

RESUMEN:

Se describe Magnolia rzedowskiana A. Vázquez, R. Domínguez & R. Pedraza, un taxon nuevo perteneciente a la sección Macrophylla. Se distribuye en la Sierra Gorda, Querétaro, Sierra de Xilitla, San Luis Potosí, y los alrededores de Chapulhuacán, Hidalgo, México, en bosque mesófilo de montaña. Se asemeja a otras especies de la sección Macrophylla en sus hojas deciduas con envés glauco; comparte con Magnolia dealbata el tamaño de árbol y de hojas, pero difiere de esta última por sus pétalos mucho más angostos, menor número de estambres, estilos aplanados, de ápice agudo y color blanco-amarillento a marrón oscuro (vs. cilíndricos, de ápice truncado-redondeado y color blanco crema), menor tamaño de frutos, menor número de carpelos y éstos con el pico más corto.

Palabras clave: Magnolia dealbata, Magnolia nuevoleonensis, Magnolia sección Macrophylla, Magnolia vovidesii, México, región Huasteca, Sierra Madre Oriental.

Two new flower species were discovered online http://po.st/hdD4wM via @SmithsonianMag

BBC News - Endangered magnolia species identified http://www.bbc.com/news/uk-england-somerset-35855625

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