A new species of Enchytraeus (Enchytraeidae, Oligochaeta) from the profundal of Lake Van, the world's largest soda Lake (Turkey, East Anatolia)

Zootaxa ◽  
2018 ◽  
Vol 4382 (2) ◽  
pp. 367 ◽  
Author(s):  
NAİME ARSLAN ◽  
TARMO TIMM ◽  
VERÓNICA ROJO ◽  
ANTÓN VIZCAÍNO ◽  
RÜDIGER M. SCHMELZ

Enchytraeus polatdemiri sp. nov. (Enchytaeidae, Oligochaeta) was discovered in the framework of a sampling campaign of the benthic invertebrate fauna of the hyperalkaline Lake Van in Eastern Anatolia, Turkey, the third-largest closed lake and the largest soda lake on Earth. It was the only oligochaete species found in all samples. DNA sequencing included a fragment of the mitochondrial cytochrome c oxidase subunit I (COI) gene, and a fragment of the nuclear histone 3 (H3) gene. For comparison, specimens from laboratory cultures of E. albidus Henle, 1837, a widespread and morphologically similar species, were sequenced as well. The new species differs from E. albidus in comparatively small body size, 2 or 3 chaetae per bundle, saddle-shaped clitellum, absence of a copulatory field between the male pores and vasa deferentia usually not extending beyond the clitellum. The individual gene trees of COI and H3, as well as the combined phylogenetic analysis of both trees, recovered Enchytraeus polatdemiri sp. nov. as a monophyletic group within the genus Enchytraeus, closely related to E. albidus, but with an average p-distance for COI of 14.5 %. E. polatdemiri sp. nov. may have evolved from a local population of Enchytraeus albidus, a species well-adapted to changing salinity conditions, or from a common ancestor into an extremophile species that dwells and reproduces in the profundal of a strongly alkaline soda lake. 

Zootaxa ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 4550 (2) ◽  
pp. 236 ◽  
Author(s):  
HIROKI YOSHINO ◽  
TAKESHI A. OHSAWA

Previous research on the mitochondrial COI gene sequences of several populations of Limnoria nagatai Nunomura suggested a cryptic species from the Sea of Japan. A new species of algal-boring limnoriid is here described. Limnoria furca sp. nov. was collected from the holdfasts of Eisenia bicyclis on the Oki Islands and the Sea of Japan coast of Honshu and Kyushu Islands, Japan. L. furca sp. nov. is diagnosed morphologically by lacking a mandibular palp, faint subparallel carinae on the pleotelson, faint Y-shaped carinae on pereonite 5, the bifid lacinia mobilis of right mandible and the shapes of the secondary unguis on the pereopods. Similar species, L. segnoides Menzies, 1957 and L. nagatai Nunomura, 2012, are redescribed on the basis of the holotypes. 


Zootaxa ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 4890 (4) ◽  
pp. 493-508
Author(s):  
ANTONIO RICARTE ◽  
MARTIN HAUSER ◽  
SCOTT KINNEE ◽  
Mª ÁNGELES MARCOS-GARCÍA

Within the pollinator family Syrphidae, Eumerus Meigen, 1822 is a diverse genus with over 70 species recorded in the Afrotropical Region. A new species is described here from Namibia and South Africa. Adults are small to medium size flies, with spur-like expansions in the metatarsomeres 2 and 3. DNA sequences of the Cytochrome c oxidase subunit I (COI) gene were obtained from Namibian specimens. This is only the second Eumerus species documented from Namibia, where it was recorded from The National Botanic Garden, Windhoek. The new species is compared with similar species such as Eumerus vestitus Bezzi, 1912, for which a lectotype is designated. In addition, a new and preliminary morphological concept of the Eumerus obliquus group is proposed and a key to its African species is provided. 


Zootaxa ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 4809 (3) ◽  
pp. 449-474
Author(s):  
ETHAN P. BEAVER ◽  
MICHAEL D. MOORE ◽  
JOHN R. GREHAN ◽  
ALEJANDRO VELASCO-CASTRILLÓN ◽  
MARK I. STEVENS

Four new Aenetus Herrich-Schäffer species are described from northern Australasia; Aenetus simonseni sp. nov. from the top-end of the Northern Territory, Australia, A. maiasinus sp. nov. from the Kimberley region of Western Australia, A. trigonogrammus sp. nov. from south-eastern Queensland, Australia, and A. albadamanteum sp. nov. from eastern Papua New Guinea. Aenetus simonseni sp. nov. and A. maiasinus sp. nov. appear to belong to the tegulatus-group of species (sensu Grehan et al. 2018), A. trigonogrammus sp. nov. is part of the splendens-group of species (sensu Simonsen 2018), while A. albadamanteum sp. nov. shares morphological similarities with A. hampsoni (Joicey & Noakes, 1914), A. crameri Viette, 1956, and A. toxopeusi Viette, 1956, from New Guinea, and A. cohici Viette, 1961 from New Caledonia. The four new species are illustrated and compared with superficially similar species in morphology and, for two species, molecular (mtDNA COI gene) sequences. 


2020 ◽  
Vol 45 (1) ◽  
pp. 75-84
Author(s):  
Llorenç Sáez ◽  
Javier López-Alvarado ◽  
Pere Fraga ◽  
Regina Berjano ◽  
M. Ángeles Ortiz ◽  
...  

Abstract—Two new diploid species, Aira minoricensis and Aira hercynica, are described and illustrated, along with chromosome counts, risk assessment, distribution and habitat, phenology, and comparisons with morphologically similar species. A comparative table and a key for the species of Aira for the Iberian Peninsula and the Balearic Islands are provided to assist in the identification of these overlooked species, and their relationships to other taxa are discussed.


2020 ◽  
Vol 45 (4) ◽  
pp. 794-801
Author(s):  
Caroline Oliveira Andrino ◽  
Marcelo Fragomeni Simon ◽  
Jair Eustáquio Quintino Faria ◽  
André Luiz da Costa Moreira ◽  
Paulo Takeo Sano

Abstract—We describe and illustrate Paepalanthus fabianeae, a new species of Eriocaulaceae from the central portion of the Espinhaço Range in Minas Gerais, Brazil. Previous phylogenetic evidence based on analyses of nuclear (ITS and ETS) and plastid (trnL-trnF and psba-trnH) sequences revealed P. fabianeae as belonging to a strongly supported and morphologically coherent clade containing five other species, all of them microendemic, restricted to the Espinhaço range. Due to the infrageneric classification of Paepalanthus being highly artificial, we preferred not assigning P. fabianeae to any infrageneric group. Paepalanthus fabianeae is known from two populations growing in campos rupestres (highland rocky fields) in the meridional Espinhaço Range. The species is characterized by pseudodichotomously branched stems, small, linear, recurved, and reflexed leaves, urceolate capitula, and bifid stigmas. Illustrations, photos, the phylogenetic position, and a detailed description, as well as comments on habitat, morphology, and affinities with similar species are provided. The restricted area of occurrence allied with threats to the quality of the habitat, mainly due to quartzite mining, justifies the preliminary classification of the new species in the Critically Endangered (CR) category using the guidelines and criteria of the IUCN Red List.


2020 ◽  
Vol 54 (2) ◽  
pp. 313-320
Author(s):  
O. V. Anissimova

Euastrum lacustre is reported for Russia for the first time. This alcaliphilic species was found in the periphyton and plankton of three lakes in the Kursk Region (European Russia). A description of morphology, including the relief of cell wall, and habitats where this taxon is found are represented. LM and SEM microphotographs are provided. Morphological differences of E. lacustre from similar species are discussed. New species for region, namely Closterium aciculare, Cosmarium formosulum, C. granatum, C. pseudoinsigne, C. reniforme and Staurastrum pingue, are found in the samples together with E. lacustre.


BMC Biology ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 17 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Amrita Srivathsan ◽  
Emily Hartop ◽  
Jayanthi Puniamoorthy ◽  
Wan Ting Lee ◽  
Sujatha Narayanan Kutty ◽  
...  

Abstract Background More than 80% of all animal species remain unknown to science. Most of these species live in the tropics and belong to animal taxa that combine small body size with high specimen abundance and large species richness. For such clades, using morphology for species discovery is slow because large numbers of specimens must be sorted based on detailed microscopic investigations. Fortunately, species discovery could be greatly accelerated if DNA sequences could be used for sorting specimens to species. Morphological verification of such “molecular operational taxonomic units” (mOTUs) could then be based on dissection of a small subset of specimens. However, this approach requires cost-effective and low-tech DNA barcoding techniques because well-equipped, well-funded molecular laboratories are not readily available in many biodiverse countries. Results We here document how MinION sequencing can be used for large-scale species discovery in a specimen- and species-rich taxon like the hyperdiverse fly family Phoridae (Diptera). We sequenced 7059 specimens collected in a single Malaise trap in Kibale National Park, Uganda, over the short period of 8 weeks. We discovered > 650 species which exceeds the number of phorid species currently described for the entire Afrotropical region. The barcodes were obtained using an improved low-cost MinION pipeline that increased the barcoding capacity sevenfold from 500 to 3500 barcodes per flowcell. This was achieved by adopting 1D sequencing, resequencing weak amplicons on a used flowcell, and improving demultiplexing. Comparison with Illumina data revealed that the MinION barcodes were very accurate (99.99% accuracy, 0.46% Ns) and thus yielded very similar species units (match ratio 0.991). Morphological examination of 100 mOTUs also confirmed good congruence with morphology (93% of mOTUs; > 99% of specimens) and revealed that 90% of the putative species belong to the neglected, megadiverse genus Megaselia. We demonstrate for one Megaselia species how the molecular data can guide the description of a new species (Megaselia sepsioides sp. nov.). Conclusions We document that one field site in Africa can be home to an estimated 1000 species of phorids and speculate that the Afrotropical diversity could exceed 200,000 species. We furthermore conclude that low-cost MinION sequencers are very suitable for reliable, rapid, and large-scale species discovery in hyperdiverse taxa. MinION sequencing could quickly reveal the extent of the unknown diversity and is especially suitable for biodiverse countries with limited access to capital-intensive sequencing facilities.


Zootaxa ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 4695 (2) ◽  
pp. 195-200
Author(s):  
JING SUN ◽  
HONGXIU ZHAI ◽  
YONG HUANG

A new free-living marine nematode species from marine sediments in the East China Sea, is described here as Perspiria boucheri sp. nov. The new species is characterized by amphideal fovea surrounded partially by body annulations; four cephalic setae stout; conical buccal cavity with a minute dorsal tooth and two ventrosublateral teeth; pharynx with a pyriform terminal bulb; tail elongated, conical with 3/4 posterior cylindrical portion which having distinct coarse annulations; spicules strongly curved with narrow ventral velum, handle-shaped proximally; gubernaculum canoe-shaped, without apophysis. The new species differs from the most similar species Perspiria striaticaudata (Timm, 1962) by strongly curved spicules with handle-shaped proximal end, gubernaculum without dorsal apophysis and relatively shorter tail. Updated key to all species of Perspiria is provided. 


2021 ◽  
Vol 95 ◽  
Author(s):  
T.T.T. Vu

Abstract Coomansus batxatensis sp. nov., recorded from Vietnam, is described and illustrated and its phylogenetic relationship within the Mononchida is analysed. The molecular data (18S and 28S ribosomal DNA) are provided for the new species. The new species is characterized by small body size (body length, L = 0.7–0.9 mm); buccal cavity sub-rectangular in shape, flattened at base, 21–24 × 12–13 μm or 1.9 (1.7–2.0) times as long as wide; posterior position of dorsal tooth apex (59–63% from the base of buccal cavity); pars refringens vaginae with faint and small (2.5 × 1.7 μm) teardrop-shaped pieces, short pars distalis vaginae; and males with short spicules (50–51.5 μm) with rounded head and conical blade part. The new species is close to Coomansus parvus but differs from it by the smaller buccal cavity size, more posterior position of the dorsal tooth apex, longer tail and presence of males. An updated identification key to Coomansus species and a compendium of all the species known are presented.


Author(s):  
Katherine C Kral-O’Brien ◽  
Adrienne K Antonsen ◽  
Torre J Hovick ◽  
Ryan F Limb ◽  
Jason P Harmon

Abstract Many methods are used to survey butterfly populations, with line transect and area surveys being prominent. Observers are typically limited to search within 5 or 10 m from the line, while observers are unrestricted in larger specified search regions in area surveys. Although methods differ slightly, the selection is often based on producing defendable data for conservation, maximizing data quality, and minimizing effort. To guide method selection, we compared butterfly surveys using 1) line versus area methods and 2) varying width transects (5 m, 10 m, or unrestricted) using count data from surveys in North Dakota from 2015 to 2018. Between line and area surveys, we detected more individuals with area surveys, even when accounting for effort. However, both methods accumulated new species at similar rates. When comparing transect methodology, we detected nearly 60% more individuals and nine more species when transect width increased from 5 m to unrestricted, despite similar effort across methodology. Overall, we found line surveys slightly less efficient at detecting individuals, but they collected similar species richness to area surveys when accounting for effort. Additionally, line surveys allow the use of unrestricted-width transects with distance sampling procedures, which were more effective at detecting species and individuals while providing a means to correct count data over the same transect length. Methods that reduce effort and accurately depict communities are especially important for conservation when long-term datasets are unavailable.


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