Further studies on harvestmen (Arachnida: Opiliones) from Iran, with the descriptions of two new species

Zootaxa ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 4984 (1) ◽  
pp. 73-86
Author(s):  
NATALY YU. SNEGOVAYA ◽  
JAMES C. COKENDOLPHER ◽  
ALIREZA ZAMANI

This paper deals with some new material of Iranian harvestmen accumulated during and after 2017. These recent collections yielded 11 species from six families, including five species that had previously been known from Iran, and two families and six species which are established as being new for the fauna of the country. The latter include two newly described species of Phalangiidae, namely Homolophus airyamani spec. nov. (male; Hormozgan Province, southern Iran) and Phalangium martensi spec. nov. (male; Khuzestan Province, southwestern Iran). With the study of new specimens and the recording of previously known material, 28 species from six families of Opiliones are currently known from Iranian territories. The records include one species of Biantidae, one species of Dicranolasmatidae, five species of Nemastomatidae, 19 species of Phalangiidae, and a single species each for Sclerosomatidae and Trogulidae. 

Zootaxa ◽  
2011 ◽  
Vol 2825 (1) ◽  
pp. 1 ◽  
Author(s):  
MICHEL ROUX ◽  
PHILIP LAMBERT

Two new species of deep-sea stalked crinoids belonging to the family Hyocrinidae were collected in the northeastern Pacific. The descriptions contain detailed information on character variations and ontogeny. The five specimens of Gephyrocrinus messingi n. sp. lived at depths ranging from 1,777 m to 2,110 m off British Columbia and California. This new species is the first record of the genus Gephyrocrinus in the Pacific Ocean, which was previously known from only a single species, G. grimaldii, from the northeastern Atlantic at the same depth range. The two species illustrate opposing phenotypes within the same genus. Fifty-eight specimens of the second new species, Ptilocrinus clarki n. sp., were dredged off British Columbia close to the type-locality of P. pinnatus, the type species of the genus Ptilocrinus, but at shallower depths ranging from 1,178 to 1,986 m. This exceptional collection provides significant data on intraspecific variation in the main morphological characters, especially arm pattern. The ontogeny of stalk articulations and the main traits of adoral plate differentiation are described in detail. A complementary investigation on P. pinnatus was conducted using specimens collected by the “Albatross” expedition at a depth of 2,906 m. Despite similarities in external morphology, tegmen and cover plates, the two ptilocrinid species display significant differences in pinnule architecture, aboral cup and stalk articulations. From comparison with Gephyrocrinus messingi n. sp. and Ptilocrinus clarki n. sp., G. grimaldii and P. pinnatus are interpreted as the result of heterochronic development by paedomorphy after ecological or geographic isolation. Pinnule architecture in the two new species suggests first steps in an evolutionary trend toward a rigid box which protects gonad inflation in the proximal part of the pinnule. These new data on Ptilocrinus and Gephyrocrinus create problems in the current taxonomy of the family Hyocrinidae. The main derived characters, especially in pinnule and arm pattern, are used to propose new hypotheses for hyocrinid phylogeny.


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.


Zootaxa ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 4952 (1) ◽  
pp. 1-32
Author(s):  
AKIFUMI OHTAKA

Seven species of the genus Aulodrilus (Annelida, Clitellata, Tubificinae) are studied, based on new material from Japan. Aulodrilus dentosus sp. nov. is characterized as having tubular atrium, forked or bifid distal ends of dorsal crotchets, but no genital chaetae, and A. aestivus sp. nov. is characterized as having crescent-shaped atrium, median male bursa, and bifid chaetae in the dorsal bundles. Five other congeners are redescribed: A. limnobius Bretscher, A. pluriseta (Piguet), A. pigueti Kowalewski, A. japonicus Yamaguchi, and A. americanus Brinkhurst & Cook. Comparison of taxonomic characters among the 14 species recognized in the genus to date shows that three species differ from other congeners in several features: A. paucichaeta Brinkhurst & Barbour, A. adetus (du Bois-Reymond Marcus), and A. apeniatus Cui & Wang. They are provisionally maintained in the genus. 


2019 ◽  
Vol 3 (6) ◽  
Author(s):  
Shinichi Nakahara ◽  
Pável Matos-Maraví ◽  
Eduardo P Barbosa ◽  
Keith R Willmott ◽  
Gerardo Lamas ◽  
...  

Abstract The male genitalic characters of Hexapoda are well known for their great taxonomic and systematic value. Despite insect male genitalia displaying large diversity, variation, and modification across orders, some structures are consistently present, and such characters can serve as the basis for discussion regarding homology. In the order Lepidoptera, a male genitalic structure widely known as the ‘juxta’ is present in many taxa and absence or modification of this character can be phylogenetically informative at the generic or higher level. We here focus on the systematics of the so-called ‘Taygetis clade’ within the nymphalid subtribe Euptychiina, and report an unusual case of ‘juxta loss’ in a single species, Taygetina accacioi Nakahara & Freitas, n. sp., a new species from Brazil named and described herein. Additionally, we describe another west Amazonian Taygetina Forster, 1964 species, namely Taygetina brocki Lamas & Nakahara, n. sp., in order to better document the species diversity of Taygetina. Our most up-to-date comprehensive molecular phylogeny regarding ‘Taygetis clade’ recovered these two species as members of a monophyletic Taygetina, reinforcing the absence of juxta being a character state change occurring in a single lineage, resulting in an apomorphic condition, which we report here as a rare case in butterflies (Papilionoidea).


Zootaxa ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 4615 (2) ◽  
pp. 201
Author(s):  
ADRIANA ALVIZU ◽  
JOANA R. XAVIER ◽  
HANS TORE RAPP

A recent phylogenetic study revealed a close relationship between chiactine-bearing (family Achramorphidae, order Leucosolenida) and pugiole-bearing (order Baerida) calcaronean sponges as well as new putative taxa within Achramorphidae. In this study, we present a revision of chiactine-bearing sponges based on morphological re-examination of type material and recently collected specimens, in addition to new molecular data for the ribosomal 18S and C-region of the 28S. We provide re-descriptions for all known chiactine-bearing species, and further describe two new species from the Antarctic (Achramorpha antarctica sp. nov. and Megapogon schiaparellii sp. nov.) and two new species and a new genus from the Nordic Seas (Achramorpha ingolfi sp. nov. and Sarsinella karasikensis gen. nov. sp. nov.). The new phylogenetic reconstruction based on ribosomal 18S and C-region of the 28S confirms previous findings about the close relationship of some members of Baerida and the family Achramorphidae of the order Leucosolenida. However, new material and the addition of molecular data from the type species of both taxa would be required to formally propose changes at (sub-)ordinal levels within the classification of Calcaronean sponges. 


Zootaxa ◽  
2017 ◽  
Vol 4282 (3) ◽  
pp. 453
Author(s):  
NIKITA J. KLUGE ◽  
EUGENIA A. NOVIKOVA

Two new species, Anafroptilum orthostylus sp. n. and Anafroptilum odontostylus sp. n. are described from Thailand based on imagoes reared from larvae. Both new species lack hind wings; larvae of both species have an unusual prominent spine near cercus apex; other characters, especially shape of male imaginal gonostyli and shape of larval tergalii, are quite diverse in these two species. The genus Anafroptilum, hitherto known from the East Palaearctic [as a single species A. kazlauskasi (Kluge 1983)] and from Nearctic [as eight species reported by Jacobus & Wiersema (2014)], is reported from Oriental Region for the first time. 


Zootaxa ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 4586 (3) ◽  
pp. 491 ◽  
Author(s):  
MOHAMMAD ZARGAR ◽  
ANKITA GUPTA ◽  
ALI ASGHAR TALEBI ◽  
SAMIRA FARAHANI

The present study was carried out in the Khuzestan province of Iran during 2016−2017. In total, five species of the genus Iconella were collected and identified, of which two new species are described and illustrated: Iconella mongashtensis Zargar & Gupta sp. nov., and I. similus Zargar & Gupta sp. nov. One species, Iconella meruloides (Nixon 1965), is recorded for the first time from Iran and two species, Iconella myeloenta and I. subcamilla, are new provincial records. The number of Iconella species in Iran is now raised to eight. An identification key to all Iranian species of the genus Iconella is provided. 


2007 ◽  
Vol 144 (5) ◽  
pp. 777-796 ◽  
Author(s):  
RAIMUND FEIST ◽  
KENNETH J. McNAMARA

Biostratigraphical ranges and palaeogeographical distribution of mid-Givetian to end-Frasnian odontopleurids are investigated. The discovery of Leonaspis rhenohercynica sp. nov. in mid-Givetian strata extends this genus unexpectedly up to the late Middle Devonian. New material of Radiaspis radiata (Goldfuss, 1843) and the first koneprusiine in Britain, Koneprusia? sp., are described from the famous Lummaton shell-bed, Torquay, Devon. New taxa of Koneprusia, K. serrensis, K. aboussalamae, K. brevispina, and K. sp. A and K. sp. B are defined. Ceratocephala (Leonaspis) harborti Richter & Richter, 1926, is revised and reassigned to Gondwanaspis Feist, 2002. Two new species of Gondwanaspis, G. dracula and G. spinosa, plus three others left in open nomenclature, are described from the late Frasnian of Western Australia. A further species of Gondwanaspis, G. prisca, is described from the early Frasnian of Montagne Noire. Species of Gondwanaspis are shown to possess a number of paedomorphic features. A functional analysis suggests that, unlike other odontopleurids, Gondwanaspis actively fed and rested with the same cephalic orientation. The sole odontopleurid survivors of the severe terminal mid-Givetian biocrisis (‘Taghanic Event’) belong to the koneprusiine Koneprusia in the late Givetian and Frasnian, and, of cryptogenic origin, the acidaspidine Gondwanaspis in the Frasnian. Whereas the former became extinct in the late Frasnian at the Lower Kellwasser Event, the latter disappeared, and with it the entire Odontopleuroidea, at the terminal Frasnian Upper Kellwasser global biocrisis.


ZooKeys ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 831 ◽  
pp. 49-69 ◽  
Author(s):  
Milana Mitrović ◽  
Petr Starý ◽  
Miljana Jakovljević ◽  
Andjeljko Petrović ◽  
Vladimir Žikić ◽  
...  

Species from the genus Paralipsis are obligatory endoparasitoids of root aphids in the Palaearctic. It is known that these species are broadly distributed, parasitizing various aphid hosts and showing great biological and ecological diversity. On the other hand, this group of endoparasitoids is understudied and was thought to be represented by a single species in Europe, viz., Paralipsisenervis (Nees). However, recent description of two new species indicated the possibility of cryptic speciation and recognition of additional Paralipsis species in Europe. In this research, Paralipsis specimens collected during the last 60 years from eight European countries, as well as one sample from Morocco, were subjected to molecular and morphological characterization. Newly designed genus-specific degenerative primers successfully targeted short overlapping fragments of COI of the mitochondrial DNA. Molecular analyses showed clear separation of four independent lineages, two of which are the known species P.enervis and P.tibiator, while two new species are described here, viz., P.brachycaudi Tomanović & Starý, sp. n. and P.rugosa Tomanović & Starý, sp. n. No clear specialization of the taxa to a strict root aphid host has been determined. The recognized mitochondrial lineages were distinct one from another, but with a substantial within-lineage divergence rate, clearly indicating the complexity of this group of parasitoids, on which further research is required in order to clarify the factors triggering their genetic differentiation. We reviewed literature data and new records of Paralipsisenervis aphid host associations and distributions. A key for the identification of all known Paralipsis species is provided and illustrated.


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