scholarly journals Deepwater Indo-Pacific species of the snake-eel genus Ophichthus (Anguilliformes: Ophichthidae), with the description of nine new species

Zootaxa ◽  
2010 ◽  
Vol 2505 (1) ◽  
pp. 1 ◽  
Author(s):  
JOHN E. McCOSKER

The 19 Indo-Pacific species of the snake-eel genus Ophichthus (family Ophichthidae, subfamily Ophichthinae) that live at or below 200 m are reviewed. Included are: Ophichthus aphotistos, O. brachynotopterus, O. echeloides, O. exourus, O. genie, O. kunaloa, O. megalops, O. mystacinus, O. serpentinus, O. urolophus, and nine new species which are described: O. alleni from 115–200 m off eastern Australia; O. aniptocheilos from 391–421 m off Tonga; O. congroides from 300 m off the Tuamotu Islands; O. hirritus from 600 m off the Seychelle Islands; O. humanni from 254–300 m off Vanuatu; O. ishiyamorum from 258–400 m off the Gulf of Aden, Somalia; O. lentiginosus from 400 m off Vanuatu and New Caledonia; O. microstictus from 362–450 m off Tonga, Fiji, and possibly New Caledonia; and O. tomioi from 300– 423 m off the Philippines, Marquesas, Fiji, and the Seychelle Islands. The range and depth distributions of the following are expanded to include: O. brachynotopterus to New Caledonia and Vanuatu between 541–580 m; O. mystacinus to Tonga, Fiji, and the Philippines between 371–824 m; and O. urolophus to Western Australia and Indonesia between 40– 420 m. An identification key is provided. Characteristics and the behavior of species of the subgenus Coecilophis, to which all treated species except O. aphotistos belong, is discussed. Ophichthys madagascariensis Fourmanoir (1961) is proposed to be a junior synonym of Pisodonophis cancrivorus (Richardson 1848).

Zootaxa ◽  
2009 ◽  
Vol 2034 (1) ◽  
pp. 1-30 ◽  
Author(s):  
RUDOLF ROZKOŠNÝ ◽  
MARTIN HAUSER

The species of Oriental Ptecticus are reviewed and ten species are described: P. artocarpophilus sp. nov. from the Philippines; P. bannapensis sp. nov., P. kubani sp. nov. and P. subaurifer sp. nov. from Laos; P. elegans sp. nov. and P. semimetallicus sp. nov. from Nepal; P. fukienensis sp. nov. from southern China; P. indicus sp. nov. from India; and P. infuscatus sp. nov. and P. sarawakensis sp. nov. from Borneo. Five new synonymies are proposed: P. minimus Rozkošný & Kovac, 1997 is a junior synononym of P. shirakii Nagatomi, 1975; P okinawae James, 1950 is a junior synonym of P. aurifer (Walker, 1854); P. tenebrifer (Walker, 1849) is a junior synonym of P. japonicus (Thunberg, 1789); P. wulpii Brunetti, 1907 is a junior synonym of P. melanurus (Walker, 1848), and P. zhejiangensis D. Yang & C. Yang, 1995 is a junior synonym of P. kerteszi de Meijere, 1924. Eight species groups for the Oriental Ptecticus species are defined: aurifer group (6 spp.), australis group (9 spp.), cingulatus group (11 spp.), histrio group (7 spp.), longipennis group (6 spp.), shirakii group (1 sp.), japonicus group (4 spp.), tricolor group (3 spp.) and 5 species remain unplaced. A new identification key to the Oriental Ptecticus species, including references to the published figures of distinguishing characters and basic distributional data, is given.


ZooKeys ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 1072 ◽  
pp. 129-165
Author(s):  
Peter K. L. Ng ◽  
Chien-Hui Yang

The systematics of four species of the homolodromiid genus Dicranodromia A. Milne-Edwards, 1880, from East Asia and the Philippines is reappraised: D. danielae Ng & McLay, 2005, D. doederleini Ortmann, 1892, D. karubar Guinot, 1993, and D. martini Guinot, 1995; and key characters such as the epistome, gonopods, and spermatheca are figured in detail. Two new species, D. erinaceussp. nov. and D. robustasp. nov., are described from Taiwan and the Philippines, respectively. Dicranodromia erinaceussp. nov. resembles D. spinulata Guinot, 1995, and D. delli Ahyong, 2008 (from New Caledonia and New Zealand) but can be separated by its distinctly spinulated carapace surfaces and proportionately shorter fifth ambulatory legs. Dicranodromia robustasp. nov. is superficially similar to D. baffini (Alcock & Anderson, 1899) and D. karubar Guinot, 1993, but can easily be separated by possessing a broad dorsoventrally flattened infraorbital tooth. A genetic study of the species using the mitochondrial cytochrome c oxidase I gene confirms that the taxa are distinct, with D. erinaceussp. nov. coming out in a well-supported clade from congeners. The megalopa of D. doederleini is also reported for the first time.


Zootaxa ◽  
2012 ◽  
Vol 3294 (1) ◽  
pp. 1 ◽  
Author(s):  
OFER GON ◽  
GERALD R. ALLEN

The Indo-Pacific apogonid genus Siphamia Weber 1909 is unique among cardinalfishes in having a bacterial biolumines-cent system and spinoid scales. Light is produced by luminous bacteria found in a small pocket connected to the gut in theabdominal cavity and in a sac on each side of the tip of the tongue. Siphamia consists of 23 small species many of whichare associated with invertebrates such as sea urchins, crown-of-thorns starfish and coral. Species of this genus fall intotwo main groups with different dark pigment pattern of the longitudinal translucent muscle acting as a light organ thatdiffuses light along the ventral edge of the body. The S. tubifer group, with a striated light organ, includes S. arabica, newspecies, from the Gulf of Oman; S. argentea from the Philippines and northern Western Australia; S. fraseri, new species,from New Caledonia, Tonga and Fiji; S. fuscolineata from the Marshall and Line islands; S. goreni, new species, from thesouthern Red Sea; S. guttulata from Darnley Island, Queensland; S. jebbi from the western Pacific, ranging from the Phil-ippines to Western Australia and east to the Caroline Islands, Fiji, and Tonga; S. majimai from the Ryukyu and Ogasawaraislands to northwestern Australia, ranging eastward to New Caledonia and Tonga; S. mossambica from the western IndianOcean; S. randalli, new species, from the Society and Cook islands; S. spinicola, new species, from Biak in eastern Indo-nesia, Papua New Guinea, Woleai Atoll, Vanuatu, New Caledonia and the Chesterfield Islands; S. stenotes, new species,from the Triton Bay area of Irian Jaya Barat Province of Indonesia; and S. tubifer ranging widely in the Indo-West Pacificfrom the Red Sea to Madagascar and east to Vanuatu. The S. tubulata group, with a dark-dotted light organ, includes S.brevilux, new species, from Papua New Guinea; S. cephalotes from southern Australia; S. corallicola from Indonesia, Sa-bah, and Timor Sea; S. cuneiceps from Western Australia and the east coast of Queensland; S. cyanophthalma, new species,from the Philippines, Palau, Indonesia, and Papua New Guinea; S. elongata from the Philippines and Brunei; S. fistulosafrom Java, Sumbawa and Komodo, Indonesia, and Brunei; S. roseigaster from Western Australia, ranging along the north-ern and eastern coast of Australia south to Sydney Harbour, New South Wales; S. senoui, new species, from the RyukyuIslands, Japan; and S. tubulata from the Papua Barat Province, Indonesia, south coast of Papua New Guinea, northern Western Australia and Queensland.


Zootaxa ◽  
2004 ◽  
Vol 433 (1) ◽  
pp. 1 ◽  
Author(s):  
PATSY A. MCLAUGHLIN

The discovery of a new species from the waters of eastern Australia and New Caledonia has required a reassessment of the merit of the reinstatement of the hermit crab genus Hemipagurus Smith, 1881. Reappraisal of all characters ascribed to both Catapagurus A. Milne-Edwards, 1880 and Hemipagurus, in light of the attributes of Catapagurus franklinae n. sp., has demonstrated unequivocally that there is no justification for the resurrection of Hemipagurus. Consequently, this genus is once again relegated to the status of junior synonym of Catapagurus, and all of the species reassigned to or recently described in the genus Hemipagurus are returned to, or transferred to, Catapagurus. Catapagurus spinicarpus de Saint Laurent & McLaughlin, 2000, and C. danida McLaughlin, 2002, two species not considered in the recent revision, are compared to their closest congeners, as is the new species.


Zootaxa ◽  
2012 ◽  
Vol 3280 (1) ◽  
pp. 1 ◽  
Author(s):  
AMAZONAS CHAGAS-JÚNIOR

Three new species of Otostigmus Porat, 1876 from Brazilian Atlantic Forest are described. Otostigmus beckeri sp. n. andO. lanceolatus sp. n. are described from the state of Bahia and O. giupponii sp. n. from the state of Espírito Santo. InBrazil, the otostigmine scolopendrid genus Otostigmus comprises 22 species. A summary of Brazilian Otostigmus speciesis presented with new distribution records, taxonomic remarks when appropriate and an identification key. Otostigmus sul-catus Meinert, 1886 is recorded for the first time from Brazil; the Andean Otostigmus silvestrii Kraepelin 1903, previouslyrecorded from Brazil, is here considered not to be present in this country. Eight nominal species are regarded here as newsynonyms. Five of them—Otostigmus pradoi Bücherl, 1939, O. longistigma Bücherl, 1939, O. longipes Bücherl, 1939,O. langei Bücherl, 1946 and O. dentifusus Bücherl, 1946—are based on females of O. tibialis Brölemann, 1902. O. latipesBücherl, 1954 is conspecific with and is considered a junior synonym of O. sulcatus Meinert, 1886; O. limbatus diminutusBücherl, 1946 is a junior synonym of O. limbatus Meinert, 1886 and O. fossulatus Attems, 1928 is a junior synonym of O. goeldii Brölemann, 1898. A lectotype is designated for O. goeldii.


Zootaxa ◽  
2018 ◽  
Vol 4500 (4) ◽  
pp. 596
Author(s):  
JEAN JUST

The amphipod genus Sebadexius Ledoyer, 1984 (New Caledonia) is reviewed, based on new material from Cebu in The Philippines. Some characters are re-interpreted, and a new species, Sebadexius cebuense, is described. 


Author(s):  
Mauro Morassi ◽  
Andrea Nappo ◽  
Antonio Bonfitto

Twelve new species are assigned to the genus Otitoma Jousseaume, 1898 in the family Pseudomelatomidae Morrison, 1966 and herein described: O. hadra sp. nov., O. neocaledonica sp. nov., O. rubiginostoma sp. nov and O. tropispira sp. nov. from New Caledonia; O. boucheti sp. nov., O. nereidum sp. nov. and O. sororcula sp. nov. from the Fiji Islands; O. xantholineata sp. nov. from the Solomon to the Fiji Islands; O. crassivaricosa sp. nov. from Fiji to Hiva Oa Island (Marquesas Archipelago); O. philpoppei sp. nov. from the Philippines but also reported from the Fiji Islands; O. elegans sp. nov. from the Fiji Islands and O. philippinensis sp. nov. from the Philippines. New data on O. carnicolor (Hervier, 1896) are provided. Otitoma mitra (Kilburn, 1986), from Southern Mozambique, is here considered a synonym of O. cyclophora (Deshayes, 1863). Drillia batjanensis Schepman, 1913, previously assigned to the genus Maoritomella Powell, 1942 in the family Borsoniidae Bellardi, 1875, is here assigned to the genus Otitoma. Photographs of the holotype of Drillia batjanensis are provided for the first time. In addition, color photographs of the type specimens of the following species are provided: Drillia kwandangensis Schepman, 1913, D. timorensis Schepman, 1913 and Mitrellatoma mitra Kilburn, 1986.


2010 ◽  
Vol 24 (3) ◽  
pp. 209 ◽  
Author(s):  
Michael G. Rix ◽  
Mark S. Harvey ◽  
J. Dale Roberts

South-western Western Australia is a biodiversity hotspot, with high levels of local endemism and a rich but largely undescribed terrestrial invertebrate fauna. Very few phylogeographic studies have been undertaken on south-western Australian invertebrate taxa, and almost nothing is known about historical biogeographic or cladogenic processes, particularly on the relatively young, speciose Quaternary sand dune habitats of the Swan Coastal Plain. Phylogeographic and taxonomic patterns were studied in textricellin micropholcommatid spiders belonging to the genus Raveniella Rix & Harvey. The Micropholcommatidae is a family of small spiders with a widespread distribution in southern Western Australia, and most species are spatially restricted to refugial microhabitats. In total, 340 specimens of Raveniella were collected from 36 surveyed localities on the Swan Coastal Plain and 17 non-Swan Coastal Plain reference localities in south-western Western Australia. Fragments from three nuclear rRNA genes (5.8S, 18S and ITS2), and one mitochondrial protein-coding gene (COI) were used to infer the phylogeny of the genus Raveniella, and to examine phylogeographic patterns on the Swan Coastal Plain. Five new species of Raveniella are described from Western Australia (R. arenacea, sp. nov., R. cirrata, sp. nov., R. janineae, sp. nov., R. mucronata, sp. nov. and R. subcirrata, sp. nov.), along with a single new species from south-eastern Australia (R. apopsis, sp. nov.). Four species of Raveniella were found on the Swan Coastal Plain: two with broader distributions in the High Rainfall and Transitional Rainfall Zones (R. peckorum Rix & Harvey, R. cirrata); and two endemic to the Swan Coastal Plain, found only on the western-most Quindalup dunes (R. arenacea, R. subcirrata). Two coastally restricted species (R. subcirrata, R. janineae) were found to be morphologically cryptic but genetically highly distinct, with female specimens morphologically indistinguishable from their respective sister-taxa (R. cirrata and R. peckorum). The greater Perth region is an important biogeographic overlap zone for all four Swan Coastal Plain species, where the ranges of two endemic coastal species join the northern and south-western limits of the ranges of R. peckorum and R. cirrata, respectively. Most species of Raveniella were found to occupy long, highly autapomorphic molecular branches exhibiting little intraspecific variation, and an analysis of ITS2 rRNA secondary structures among different species of Raveniella revealed the presence of an extraordinary hypervariable helix, ranging from 31 to over 400 nucleotides in length.


Zootaxa ◽  
2011 ◽  
Vol 3018 (1) ◽  
pp. 66 ◽  
Author(s):  
A. J. BRUCE

The pontoniine shrimp genus Ancylomenes Okuno & Bruce, 2009 now includes 17 Indo-West Pacific species (Okuno & Bruce 2009). With a few exceptions, such as A. aesopius (Bate, 1863) and A. longicarpus (Bruce & Svoboda, 1983), these present a highly consistent morphology, differing at species level principally in details of the rostrum, third abdominal somite, ophthalmic process, dentition of the second pereiopod chelae, and ambulatory propods and dactyls. This consistency renders detailed descriptions repetitive and largely redundant.


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