New species reveal unexpected interspecific microhabitat diversity in the genus Uthina Simon, 1893 (Araneae : Pholcidae)

2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
Bernhard A. Huber ◽  
Kai R. Caspar ◽  
Jonas Eberle

Representatives of the Southeast Asian pholcid spider genus Uthina Simon, 1893 have been thought to be very homogeneous in their ecology and morphology. The 14 previously known species all inhabit near-ground microhabitats and cave entrances, and range from pale to dark brown in colour. Even their genitalia are partly very similar, with some species pairs being barely distinguishable based on morphological characters. Here we describe three new species from Bali, Java and Sulawesi that represent three further microhabitats and demonstrate considerable ecological and morphological diversity within the genus: U. maya, sp. nov. from Bali is a large dark species on tree trunks; U. hylobatea, sp. nov. from Bali and eastern Java is a pale leaf-dwelling species that exhibits colour dimorphism; and U. mimpi, sp. nov. is a pale troglomorphic species collected in the aphotic zones of two South Sulawesi caves. In addition, we present new data for five previously described species, including ultrastructure, natural history, new records, taxonomic notes and a description of the previously unknown female of Uthina khaosokensis Yao, Li & Jäger, 2014. Molecular data suggest that all previously described species are very closely related to each other (constituting the monophyletic luzonica-group), and that the three new species represent separate clades within the genus. However, the basal trichotomy could not be resolved: U. maya + (U. hylobatea + U. mimpi) + luzonica-group.

PeerJ ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 8 ◽  
pp. e9352
Author(s):  
Barbara Maria Patoleta ◽  
Joanna Gardzińska ◽  
Marek Żabka

The study is based on new material from the collections of the Naturalis Biodiversity Centre in Leiden (RNHM) and the Hungarian Natural History Museum (HNHM) and addresses issues in two genera: Epeus Peckham & Peckham, 1886 and Ptocasius Simon, 1885 from Thailand. Both genera are of Asian/Indomalayan origin, the latter with a diversity hotspot in the subtropical valleys of the Himalayas. Based on morphological data, we propose three new species of Epeus (Epeus daiqini sp. nov. (♂♀), Epeus pallidus sp. nov. (♀), Epeus szirakii sp. nov. (♀)) and two new species of Ptacasius (Ptocasius metzneri sp. nov. (♂♀) and Ptocasius sakaerat sp. nov. (♀)). Additionally, we redescribed E. tener (Simon, 1877) and added photographs of morphological characters. The genus Ptocasius is redefined due to the inclusion of 37 species, previously included in Yaginumaella Prószyński, 1979. Relationships and distribution of both genera are discussed in reference to molecular, morphological and distributional data, published by other authors in recent years.


ZooKeys ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 886 ◽  
pp. 113-126
Author(s):  
Chengcheng Feng ◽  
Yucheng Lin

The current paper expands knowledge of the genus Coddingtonia Miller, Griswold & Yin, 2009. Based on morphological characters and molecular data, three species are documented as new to science: C. erhuan Feng & Lin, sp. nov. (♀) from China, C. lizu Feng & Lin, sp. nov. (♀) from China, and C. huifengi Feng & Lin, sp. nov. (♂♀) from Indonesia. The type of C. euryopoides Miller, Griswold & Yin, 2009 is also reexamined. DNA sequences (COI), detailed illustrations of habitus, male palp and epigyne are provided for these four species, as well as a key and a distribution map for Coddingtonia species.


ZooKeys ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 1053 ◽  
pp. 1-42
Author(s):  
Emanuela Di Martino ◽  
Antonietta Rosso

The Mediterranean specimens of the genus Microporella collected from shallow water habitats during several surveys and cruises undertaken mostly off the Italian coast are revised. As a result of the disentanglement of the M. ciliata complex and the examination of new material, three new species, M. bicollarissp. nov., M. ichnusaesp. nov., and M. pachyspinasp. nov., are described from submarine caves or associated with seagrasses and algae. An additional species Microporella sp. A, distinct by its finely reticulate ascopore, is described but left in open nomenclature owing to the limitations of a single infertile fragment. After examination of all available material, based on their identical zooidal morphology, the genus Diporula is regarded as junior synonym of Microporella and the combination Microporella verrucosa is resurrected as first suggested by Neviani in 1896. Fenestrulina joannae is also reassigned to Microporella. The availability of a large number of colonies of the above-mentioned and other species already well known from the area (i.e., M. appendiculata, M. ciliata, and M. modesta), allowed the assessment of their high intraspecific variability as well as the observation, for the first time, of some morphological characters including ancestrulae, early astogeny, and kenozooids. Finally, M. modesta, in spite of M. ciliata as defined by the neotype selected by Kukliński & Taylor in 2008, appears to be the commonest species in the basin.


ZooKeys ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 1037 ◽  
pp. 57-71
Author(s):  
Zhaoyang Chen ◽  
Dengqing Li ◽  
Daiqin Li ◽  
Xin Xu

We diagnose and describe three new species of the primitively segmented spider genus Songthela from Guizhou Province, China, based on morphological characters and molecular data: S. liuisp. nov. (♂♀), S. tianzhusp. nov. (♂♀), and S. yupingsp. nov. (♂♀). We provide the genetic distances within and among the three new species based on the DNA barcode gene, cytochrome c oxidase subunit I (COI) to support our descriptions. We also provide the COI GenBank accession codes for the three new species for future identification.


Author(s):  
Francesco Ballarin ◽  
Paolo Pantini

Three new species of the genus Centromerus from Italy, C. tongiorgii sp. nov., C. hanseni sp. nov., and C. gatoi sp. nov., are described for the first time on the basis of both male and female specimens. Their relationships with other congeneric species, as well as their diagnoses, are discussed using morphological characters. New records of poorly known species of Centromerus from Italy are furthermore reported. Among them, C. desmeti Bosmans, 1986 is reported for the first time for the Italian fauna and for continental Europe.


Zootaxa ◽  
2013 ◽  
Vol 3599 (2) ◽  
pp. 101-135 ◽  
Author(s):  
IVAN L. F. MAGALHÃES ◽  
ANTONIO D. BRESCOVIT ◽  
ADALBERTO J. SANTOS

In this paper we revise the species of Sicarius (Araneae: Sicariidae) from the Brazilian Caatinga, the largest tropical dry forest nucleus in the world. We redescribe, designate a neotype and provide new records for Sicarius tropicus (Mello- Leitão, 1936), the only species previously known from the region, and describe three new species: S. cariri n. sp., S. diadorim n. sp. and S. ornatus n. sp. We report high intraspecific variation in the genitalic morphology of these species, especially in females. We also provide anecdotal observations on natural history and behavior of these species, including diet, mating behavior and clutch size. We include an identification key for Brazilian Caatinga species of Sicarius.


2020 ◽  
Vol 4 (6) ◽  
Author(s):  
Silas Bossert ◽  
Robert S Copeland ◽  
Trevor J L Sless ◽  
Michael G Branstetter ◽  
Jessica P Gillung ◽  
...  

Abstract Bees of the tribes Biastini, Neolarrini, and Townsendiellini are cleptoparasites in the subfamily Nomadinae (Hymenoptera, Apidae) and parasitize solitary bees. Understanding their phylogenetic relationships has proven difficult for many decades. Previous research yielded ambiguous results because of conflicting phylogenetic signals of larval and adult morphological characters. Molecular data settled some of this disparity but our knowledge remains fragmented due to limited taxon sampling and the discovery of a new lineage associated with Biastini: the enigmatic Schwarzia Eardley, 2009. Schwarzia has unusual morphological features and seems transitional between previously established taxa. This puts limits on our ability to diagnose the groups, understand their antiquity and biogeography, and study the evolution of host-choice. To address this, we integrate phylogenomics and morphology to establish a fossil-calibrated phylogeny for the tribes Biastini, Neolarrini, and Townsendiellini. We show that Schwarzia is indeed closely related to Biastes Panzer, 1806, but Biastes itself is paraphyletic in respect to Neopasites Ashmead, 1898, and even Biastini is paraphyletic due to Townsendiella Crawford, 1916, which is sister to Rhopalolemma Roig-Alsina, 1991. To ensure monophyly, we lower Neopasites to subgeneric rank within Biastes and resurrect Melittoxena Morawitz, 1873 as a third subgenus. We then assess the diagnosability of different tribal concepts and establish an expanded tribe Neolarrini that includes Biastini and Townsendiellini as new synonyms for Neolarrini. Neolarrini in this new, expanded sense likely originated in the Nearctic in the mid-Eocene and is, as far we know, composed exclusively of parasites of oligolectic hosts. Lastly, our continued efforts to find the rare Schwarzia in Eastern Africa led to the discovery of three new species, which are described herein.


2015 ◽  
Vol 96 (6) ◽  
pp. 1265-1285
Author(s):  
Alexandra E. Rizzo ◽  
Wagner F. Magalhães ◽  
Cinthya S.G. Santos

LacydoniaMarion & Bobretzky in Marion, 1874 is the only known genus in Lacydoniidae Bergström, 1914, which is composed of small polychaetes scarcely sampled. Studies on the biology and ecology of this group are rare and most species descriptions are based on one or a few specimens. There are 13 nominal species from different parts of the world. We revise herein the morphological characters used for species description on the basis of a lacydoniid assemblage collected in Campos Basin, Southern Brazil. Material was obtained in two sampling campaigns during the Project Habitats/Petrobras – Heterogeneidade Ambiental da Bacia de Campos, coordinated by CENPES/Petrobras. Lacydoniids were collected from the continental shelf, canyons and slope, at depths from 25 to 2500 m. This polychaete family is recorded for the first time in Brazilian waters, three new species are described and all others are new records to the South Atlantic. The new species areLacydonia anapaulaesp. nov.,L. brasiliensissp. nov. andL. jackisp. nov. Newly recorded species areL. cirrata(Hartman & Fauchald, 1971),L. laureciLaubier, 1975,L. mirandaMarion & Bobretzky in Marion, 1874,L. oculata(Hartman, 1967) andL. cf.papillataUschakov, 1958. An updated key to all described species ofLacydoniais included.


Mycologia ◽  
2018 ◽  
Vol 110 (1) ◽  
pp. 147-178 ◽  
Author(s):  
White ◽  
Guàrdia Valle ◽  
Lichtwardt ◽  
Siri ◽  
Strongman ◽  
...  

We consolidate and present data for the sexual stages of five North American species of Orphella, fungal members of trichomycetes previously classified within Harpellales. Three species emendations accommodate the newly recognized characters, including not only the coiled zygospores and accompanying cells but also other morphological traits not provided in the original descriptions for O. avalonensis, O. haysii, and O. hiemalis. We describe three new species, Orphella cataloochensis from both the Smoky Mountains in USA and two provinces in Canada as well as O. pseudoavalonensis and O. pseudohiemalis, both from the Cascade Range, in Oregon, USA. Key morphological features for all known species are summarized and reviewed, with illustrations of some of the North American taxa to update and supplement the literature. The entire suite of morphological characters is discussed, with emphasis on species relationships and hypotheses on possible vicariant origins. We also present a molecular phylogeny based on nuc rDNA 18S and 28S, which supports Orphella as a lineage distinct from Harpellales, and we establish a new order, Orphellales, for it. With the combination of sexual features, now known for 12 of the 14 species of Orphella, and new molecular data, the group is now better characterized, facilitating and hopefully also promoting future studies toward a better understanding of their relationships, origins, and evolutionary history as stonefly gut–dwelling fungi.


ZooKeys ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 898 ◽  
pp. 121-158
Author(s):  
Natdanai Likhitrakarn ◽  
Sergei I. Golovatch ◽  
Irina Semenyuk ◽  
Boris D. Efeykin ◽  
Somsak Panha

The genus Orthomorpha is shown to currently be represented in Vietnam by ten species or varieties, including new records of O. arboricola (Attems, 1937), O. coarctata (de Saussure, 1860), O. rotundicollis (Attems, 1937) and O. scabra Jeekel, 1964, and two new species, O. caramelsp. nov. and O. vietnamicasp. nov. A key to all eight Orthomorpha species and two varieties known to occur in Vietnam is provided. Although the morphological characters that have been traditionally used for Orthomorpha taxonomy are here considered superior to molecular ones, molecular-based phylogenetic relationships and taxon assignments within the tribe Orthomorphini are provisionally analyzed using fragments of the cytochrome c oxidase subunit I (COI) mitochondrial gene. The preferred phylograms, both rooted and unrooted, demonstrate the monophyly of the tribe Orthomorphini, but due to the special, uncertain or even controversial position of O. coarctata, which occurs closer to the genera Antheromorpha and Hylomus, the genus Orthomorpha in current usage appears to be polyphyletic. However, if O. coarctata is to be treated within the monotypic genus Asiomorpha, the monophyly of Orthomorpha becomes manifest. On the other hand, a cautious approach is followed to avoid descriptions of suspicious new taxa/species. Thus, solely because the average genetic distance between O. rodundicollis subrotundicollisvar. nov. and O. rodundicollis, as well as that between O. scabra grandisvar. nov. and O. scabra, are both found to be negligibly small, the statuses of the sympatric and closest yet morphologically different varieties are treated only as such, i.e., infrasubspecific categories. The apparent discord observed between morphological and molecular data is obviously due to only partial and single-gene topologies used, possibly also to hybridization already known to occur in some closely related and sympatric paradoxosomatid species or even genera.


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