The “wild shot”: photography for more biology in natural history collections, not for replacing vouchers

Zootaxa ◽  
2017 ◽  
Vol 4269 (4) ◽  
pp. 453 ◽  
Author(s):  
ROMAIN GARROUSTE

Recently a correspondence in Zootaxa (Ceríaco et al., 2016) with more than 450 signatories including taxonomists, curators and other taxonomy users from all continents has received wide attention and has stimulated extensive discussion (a true buzz) around the possible interpretations of the Code (ICZN) about photography in taxonomy (Researchgate website link). This short note was necessary to recall the necessity of preserved specimens as vouchers for taxonomy, in response to photography-based taxonomy (PBT) as defended by Pape et al. (2016), and in a broad sense, for all the life sciences. This had been widely discussed and argued by Dubois & Nemésio (2007) who concluded on the importance of vouchers in taxonomy. But if the subject of these papers and discussions are about photography as the only way to document a new species, none of them discussed really what photography could represent in enhancing knowledge in natural sciences based on collections of specimens including type series and in association with other media (video and sound).

2020 ◽  
Vol 9 (1) ◽  
pp. 12-22
Author(s):  
A.A. Thasun Amarasinghe ◽  
◽  
S.R. Chandramouli ◽  
Kaushik Deuti ◽  
Patrick D. Campbell ◽  
...  

We examined the syntype series of Eutropis rudis (6 specimens) collected from Sumatra and Borneo, currently deposited at the Natural History Museum, London. We observed that the type series is composed of two species. In order to stabilize application of the name, we designate a lectotype for E. rudis from Sumatra. Mabuya lewisi, described based on a specimen from Borneo, is resurrected as a valid species of Eutropis and redescribed. Based on morphology and geographic distribution, we describe a new species of this complex from Great Nicobar Island with two specimens deposited at the Zoological Survey of India (ZSI), Kolkata.


Zootaxa ◽  
2010 ◽  
Vol 2613 (1) ◽  
pp. 40 ◽  
Author(s):  
S. M. MAQSOOD JAVED ◽  
STEFAN H. FOORD ◽  
FARIDA TAMPAL

A new species of Hersilia Audouin, H. orvakalensis sp. nov., is described from Andhra Pradesh, India. The taxonomic affinities of the species are discussed and a brief note on its natural history is provided.


1960 ◽  
Vol 92 (10) ◽  
pp. 768-770 ◽  
Author(s):  
George P. Holland

In 1957 James R. Beer, Edwin F. Cook and Robert G. Schwab, of the University of Minnesota, conducted an investigation of mammals and their ectoparasites in the Chiricahua Mountains of southeastern Arizona. The area studied included varied habitats in the general vicinity of the Southwestern Research Station of the American Museum of Natural History at Portal. An account of this investigation has now been published (Beer et al., 1959).


Zootaxa ◽  
2017 ◽  
Vol 4317 (2) ◽  
pp. 225 ◽  
Author(s):  
JIŘÍ SKUHROVEC ◽  
PETER HLAVÁČ ◽  
JAN BATELKA

The genus Pselactus in the Cape Verde Islands is reviewed. Pselactus obesulus (Wollaston, 1867) from São Vicente is redescribed and P. strakai sp. nov. from São Nicolau is described. Both species are diagnosed and illustrated; their larvae are described, larval morphology is discussed and the current state of knowledge about immature stages of Cossoninae is summarized. The systematic position of the genus within Onycholipini is reviewed, and the placement of genus in Cossoninae is discussed. A short note on biogeography of Pselactus is provided. 


2019 ◽  
pp. 25-38
Author(s):  
Besma Dechir ◽  
Atef Chouikh ◽  
Tarek Hamel ◽  
Nawel Nadia Azizi ◽  
Nawel Ganaoui ◽  
...  

Treinta estaciones en el Parque Nacional El Kala (Noreste de Argelia) fueron objeto de un inventario florístico que se centró en el estudio de la ecología de geófitos bulbosos y tuberosos. La flora se caracteriza por una alta proporción de taxones raros y/o endémicos, entre ellos, 6 especies son endemismos algero-tunecinos pertenecientes a la familia Orchidaceae. En este trabajo, se da a conocer la presencia de una nueva especie para la flora argelina, Ophrys fusca subsp. lupercalis. Los análisis multivariantes revelaron, ciertas variables ambientales que determinan la distribución de los geófitos. Los lugares de interés son particularmente sensibles a las amenazas, particularmente las de origen antrópico. Thirty stations at the El Kala National Park (North Eastern Algeria) were the subject of a floristic focused on the study of the ecology of bulbous and tuberous geophytes. The floristic analysis was used to draw up a checklist of 67 species belonging to 36 genera and 14 families, among of which 19 species a high proportion of rare and/or endemic taxa; among them six signed taxa are endemic to algerian-tunisian mainly represented by family of Orchidaceae. In this work, we recorded the presence of a new species for the Algerian flora which is Ophrys fusca subsp. lupercalis. Multivariate analyses revealed certain environmental variables determining the distribution of geophytes. The visited sites show an alarming vulnerability and subject to threats, particularly anthropogenic ones.


2021 ◽  
Vol 5 (2) ◽  
pp. 177-187
Author(s):  
Lourdes Y. Echevarría ◽  
Pablo J. Venegas ◽  
Luis A. García-Ayachi ◽  
Pedro M. Sales Nunes

We describe a new species of Selvasaura from the montane forests of the eastern slopes of the Andes in northern Peru, based on external and hemipenial morphological characters and previous phylogenetic analyses. The new species can be differentiated from the other two Selvasaura species in having keeled dorsal scales usually flanked by longitudinal striations, in adults and juveniles; adult males with a yellow vertebral stripe bordered by broad dark brown stripes on each side and a unilobed hemipenis surrounded by the branches of the sulcus spermaticus. The description of the new species contributes information about new states of diagnostic characters of Selvasaura and natural history.


1973 ◽  
Vol 105 (11) ◽  
pp. 1407-1411 ◽  
Author(s):  
Gordon Gordh ◽  
R. Akinyele Coker

AbstractTelenomus reynoldsi n. sp. (Scelionidae: Telenominae) is described as an egg parasite of Geocoris punctipes Say and G. pallens Stål in California. The parasite has been recovered from cotton fields at Thermal and Indio, and from strawberry fields at El Toro, California. Additional material deposited in the U.S. National Museum of Natural History has been recovered from Geocoris collected at Buttonwillow and Weed, California.


Zootaxa ◽  
10.11646/6 ◽  
2012 ◽  
Vol 3195 (1) ◽  
pp. 68
Author(s):  
NESRINE AKKARI ◽  
HENRIK ENGHOFF

Recently, we (Akkari & Enghoff 2011) described a new species of the genus Rharodesmus Schubart, 1960, discussing the taxonomic state of the family Pyrgodesmidae and providing notes on the four genera occurring in the west Palaearctic area. However, we failed to present details on the holotype of the new species, which we now provide in this note in order to make the species name available. Thus, we describe here the new species Rharodesmus tabarkensis Akkari & Enghoff by reference to the full description given in Akkari & Enghoff (2011) with the following information on the type material: Holotype ♂, TUNISIA, NW, Jendouba Governorate, Tabarka, N36°57.8, E8°44.6, alt. < 40 m, coastal slope below the Genoese fort, under stones, 9.iii.2009, N. Akkari & H. Enghoff leg. (Natural History Museum of Denmark, Zoological Museum, University of Copenhagen, ‒ ZMUC); Paratypes: 12 ♂♂, 8 ♀♀, 14 juveniles, same locality and date as holotype, N. Akkari & H. Enghoff leg. (ZMUC).


1887 ◽  
Vol 4 (8) ◽  
pp. 355-359 ◽  
Author(s):  
A. Smith Woodward

Very little information has hitherto been published in regard to the fossil fishes of the well-known Miocene formation of the Maltese Islands. Dr. Leith Adams enumerates seventeen species in his latest contribution to the subject, but these are almost exclusively founded upon detached teeth. It is, therefore, of considerable interest to be able to place on record the discovery of a new and tolerably complete fish, obtained from an excavation made some months ago for new docks in the harbour of Valetta.


The Auk ◽  
2001 ◽  
Vol 118 (1) ◽  
pp. 56-78 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kevin J. Zimmer ◽  
Andrew Whittaker ◽  
David C. Oren

AbstractA new species of tyrant flycatcher (Suiriri islerorum) is described from the cerrado region of Brazil and adjacent eastern Bolivia. The species previously had been confused with Suiriri suiriri affinis, with which it is syntopic at multiple sites. The new species was first identified by voice. Although cryptically similar to S. s. affinis in many respects, the new species is readily identified by all vocalizations, bill size, color pattern of the tail, and shape of the central rectrices. Most distinctive are the male–female duets, which are accompanied by dramatic wing-lifting displays not performed by any congeners. Reciprocal playback experiments of tape-recorded vocalizations demonstrated that the new species and S. s. affinis do not respond to one another's vocalizations. We provide information on the natural history of the new flycatcher, along with spectrograms of its various vocalizations. We also provide vocal analysis of all other named taxa in Suiriri, and discuss the various intrageneric relationships. In particular, S. s. affinis and S. s. bahiae, although distinct morphologically, are vocally and behaviorally similar, and respond to one another's vocalizations in playback experiments.


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