scholarly journals New taxa of extant and fossil primitive moths in South-East Asia and their biogeographic significance (Lepidoptera, Micropterigidae, Agathiphagidae, Lophocoronidae)

2021 ◽  
Vol 44 ◽  
pp. 29-56
Author(s):  
Wolfram Mey ◽  
Théo Léger ◽  
Vu Van Lien

We report some surprising recent distributional range extensions of one extant genus and two more families of primitive moths discovered in amber fossils from South-east Asia which were previously only known from Australia and/or the southwestern Pacific, with the possible exception of an undescribed Siberian fossil attributed to Lophocoronidae. During entomological field work in rain forests of central Vietnam a new species of Micropterigidae was discovered. It is described herein as Aureopterix bachmaensis sp. nov. based on male and female specimens collected at light in the Bach-Ma National Park. The identification was corroborated by a molecular analysis. This is the first record of this genus in the Northern Hemisphere, previously thought to be restricted to the Australian Region (including New Caledonia). First results of investigations of Burmese amber inclusions now reveal the presence of the Australian Region families Agathiphagidae and Lophocoronidae in the Cretaceous of Asia. The fossil taxon Agathiphagama perdita gen. nov., sp. nov. is established on the basis of two females and this is assigned to Agathiphagidae. The fossil genus Acanthocorona gen. nov. is established in Lophocoronidae and includes seven species described here as A. skalskiisp. nov., A. bowangisp. nov., A. muellerisp. nov., A. kuranishiisp. nov., A. sattlerisp. nov., A. spiniferasp. nov. and A. wichardisp. nov. The new species can be distinguished by the male genitalia which are illustrated together with wing venation and other morphological characters. The disjunct ranges of these taxa are discussed in a historical biogeographic context. Vicariance and dispersal hypotheses explaining the disjunct pattern are discussed. The discovery of these new species suggests a broader ancestral range of Aureopterix, Agathiphagidae and Lophocoronidae. Their extant ranges may be regarded as remnants or relicts of a wider distribution in the Mesozoic, or at least in the case of Aureopterix they could be the results of recent or ancient dispersal processes, since the calibration of molecular splits does not so far accord with plate tectonics.

2018 ◽  
Vol 66 (7) ◽  
pp. 556 ◽  
Author(s):  
Michael K. Macphail ◽  
Robert S. Hill

Fossil pollen and spores preserved in drillcore from both the upper South Alligator River (SARV) in the Kakadu National Park, Northern Territory and the North-West Shelf, Western Australia provide the first record of plants and plant communities occupying the coast and adjacent hinterland in north-west Australia during the Paleogene 66 to 23million years ago. The palynologically-dominant woody taxon is Casuarinaceae, a family now comprising four genera of evergreen scleromorphic shrubs and trees native to Australia, New Guinea, South-east Asia and Pacific Islands. Rare taxa include genera now mostly restricted to temperate rainforest in New Guinea, New Caledonia, New Zealand, South-East Asia and/or Tasmania, e.g. Dacrydium, Phyllocladus and the Nothofagus subgenera Brassospora and Fuscospora. These appear to have existed in moist gorges on the Arnhem Land Plateau, Kakadu National Park. No evidence for Laurasian rainforest elements was found. The few taxa that have modern tropical affinities occur in Eocene or older sediments in Australia, e.g. Lygodium, Anacolosa, Elaeagnus, Malpighiaceae and Strasburgeriaceae. We conclude the wind-pollinated Oligocene to possibly Early Miocene vegetation in the upper SARV was Casuarinaceae sclerophyll forest or woodland growing under seasonally dry conditions and related to modern Allocasuarina/Casuarina formations. There are, however, strong floristic links to coastal communities growing under warm to hot, and seasonally to uniformly wet climates in north-west Australia during the Paleocene-Eocene.


2016 ◽  
Vol 4 (17) ◽  
pp. 1
Author(s):  
Marco Selis

A new species of the genus Pareumenes de Saussure, 1855, from the Philippine Islands (Mindanao and Samar), P. impunctatus sp. nov., is described. This is the first record of the genus from the Philippines. A key to the species of the genus occurring in insular South-East Asia is provided.


Zootaxa ◽  
2018 ◽  
Vol 4410 (1) ◽  
pp. 177
Author(s):  
M. B. MALIPATIL

The assassin bugs of the genus Ptilocerus Gray, 1831 (Hemiptera: Heteroptera: Reduviidae: Holoptilinae) occurring in the Australian Region are reviewed for the first time, resulting in the description of two new species, viz., P. spangenbergi sp. nov. (Queensland and Northern Territory, Australia) and P. papuensis sp. nov. (Papua New Guinea). The latter species differs from P. fuscus Gray, 1831 (the type-species of genus Ptilocerus) in a couple of major external morphological characters, hence its tentative placement in the genus Ptilocerus is discussed. A key for the separation of the two new species is provided. 


Phytotaxa ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 405 (3) ◽  
pp. 121 ◽  
Author(s):  
GILDAS GÂTEBLÉ ◽  
DOMINIQUE FLEUROT ◽  
ULRICH MEVE ◽  
SIGRID LIEDE-SCHUMANN

In the course of the writing of the Flore de la Nouvelle-Calédonie treatment for Asclepiadoideae, Periplocoideae and Secamonoideae, several new species have already arisen partly due to more intensive field work and to a renewed interest in this group of plants. In December 2018, another striking and unorthodox new species was spotted and collected on the flanks of the Kopéto massif mining site. Because this new species has morphological characters from three genera (Dischidia, Gymnema and Marsdenia), further studies, especially molecular, were needed to assess its relationships. These studies show it as a member of one of the New Caledonian Marsdenia subclades. We herein propose to describe it as Marsdenia goromotoorum Gâteblé, Fleurot, Meve & Liede, the only species of Marsdenia in New Caledonia lacking both corolline and gynostegial coronas. It is a micro-endemic species with pinkish-red tubular flowers, growing on serpentines and known from only eight plants. Due to the anthropogenic fire threat, we propose to consider it as Critically Endangered.


Zootaxa ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 5040 (2) ◽  
pp. 247-264
Author(s):  
JONAS R. STONIS ◽  
ARŪNAS DIŠKUS ◽  
ALEXANDRE K. MONRO ◽  
XIAOHUA DAI ◽  
JIASHENG XU

This is the first record of Urticaceae-feeding trumpet moths (Tischeriidae) from Asia. We describe Paratischeria boehmerica Diškus & Stonis, sp. nov. and P. grossa Diškus & Stonis, sp. nov., two distinctive new species of Tischeriidae recently discovered from Laos, South East Asia, feeding on plants of the nettle family. Urticaceae is a rare host-plant family for leaf-mining Tischeriidae worldwide. The new species are illustrated with photographs of the adults, male and female genitalia, and the leaf mines.  


Crustaceana ◽  
2015 ◽  
Vol 88 (3) ◽  
pp. 247-258 ◽  
Author(s):  
Pan-Wen Hsueh

A new species, Emerita taiwanensis sp. nov., is described from Taiwan and represents the first record of the genus from East Asia. The species differs from its congeners by having (1) a long and sharply triangular median frontal lobe, which is approximately equal in length to the lateral lobes, (2) the highest ratio of the maximum length of the merus of the 3rd maxilliped to that same segment’s maximum width, (3) a narrow and elongate P1 dactylus, combined with a ratio of the P1 dactylus length to its maximum width of approx. 2.78, (4) 1-3 spines present on the inner margin of the P1 dactylus, and (5) a peculiar colour pattern on the dorsum of the carapace. A comparison of the morphological characters of the present species with those of its congeners with a similar, elongate P1 dactylus is presented in the form of a table.


2015 ◽  
Vol 24 (2) ◽  
pp. 279-281
Author(s):  
A.L. Lvovsky

Acria javanica sp. nov. and A. sulawesica sp. nov. are described from Indonesia.


Zootaxa ◽  
2015 ◽  
Vol 3919 (1) ◽  
pp. 192
Author(s):  
M. VALOIS ◽  
F. SILVA

Golinca trevisani Valois & Silva, new species (Coleoptera: Scarabaeidae: Cetoniinae: Trichiini: Incina) from Ouro Preto do Oeste, Rondônia, and Amazonas, Brazil is described, representing the first record of the genus Golinca for Brazil. Diagnosis, illustrations of key morphological characters, the first male genitalia description in the genus, and a key for identification of four species of Golinca are provided. 


2021 ◽  
Vol 23 (1) ◽  
pp. 9-16
Author(s):  
RYUDAI ITO ◽  
TOSHIHARU MITA

Odontepyris costatus sp. nov. is described from Japan and Taiwan. This new species is most similar to O. formosicola Terayama, 1997 known from Cambodia and Taiwan according to the key to the Eastern Palaearctic Odontepyris. O. costatus sp. nov. can be distinguished from the latter by the relatively small eye and the wide metapectal-propodeal disc. It is also similar to O. telortis Lim & Lee, 2009 known from South Korea, but it is distinguished from O. telortis by the imbricate median area of metapostnotum. The morphological variations and diagnostic characters of the Eastern Palaearctic species are briefly discussed and the modified key to species is provided. Key words: new species, Japan, Taiwan, wing venation


Phytotaxa ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 502 (3) ◽  
pp. 219-229
Author(s):  
JÉRÉMIE MOREL ◽  
JÉRÔME MUNZINGER

Three endemic species of Xyris (Xyridaceae, Poales) are currently recognized in New Caledonia. A recent multivariate analysis of 18 morphological characters based on 129 specimens of Xyris from New Caledonia, supported by 10 anatomical and micromorphological observations, suggested that three species should be recognized in the New Caledonian archipelago. However, the three published names did not correspond to the three entities identified via the multivariate analyses. The results showed that Xyris neocaledonia Rendle was morphologically distinct but requires lectotypification, Xyris guillauminii Conert was indistinct from X. pancheri Rendle, and that a new morphologically distinct species required description. We therefore propose to clarify the taxonomy of the genus for New Caledonia, by designating a lectotype, making this synonymy and describing the new species. The new species, Xyris desquamatus J.R.Morel & Munzinger, sp. nov., has the remarkable feature of leaves that are shed as the plant senesces, and is reflected in the specific epithet for this new species. Line drawings are provided for the new species, along with colour photos for the three New Caledonian Xyris species and a distribution map. Three identification keys are provided, the first based on vegetative characters, the second on reproductive characters and the third on anatomical features of the leaf. Xyris desquamatus is preliminarily assigned an IUCN risk of extinction assessment of vulnerable.


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