scholarly journals A new species of Amphisbaena (Squamata: Amphisbaenidae) from the Orinoquian region of Colombia

2021 ◽  
Vol 71 ◽  
pp. 55-74
Author(s):  
Juan José Torres-Ramírez ◽  
Teddy Angarita-Sierra ◽  
Mario Vargas-Ramírez

In northern South America, amphisbaenians are rarely seen among the herpetofauna.Thus, general knowledge about them is very poor. During a herpetological survey in 2012 at Casanare, Colombia, we found two specimens of an unusual Amphisbaena. A third specimen sharing the same morphotype labeled Amphisbaena sp. from Vichada department was found deposided in an Colombian reptile collection. Based on morphological analyses together with phylogenetic analyses of 1029 base pairs of the mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA), we describe a new species of Amphisbaena that inhabits in the Orinoquian region of Colombia. The new species is part of a phylogenetic clade together with A. mertensii and A. cunhai (central-southern Brazil), exhibiting a great genetic distance (26.1–28.9%) between the newly identified lineage versus those taxa, and versus the sympatric taxa A. alba and A. fuliginosa. Morphologically, this new Amphisbaena can be distinguished from their congeners by characters combination of number of preocloacal pores, absence of malar scale, postgenial scales and body and caudal annuli counts. Amphisbaena gracilis is on morphology grounds the most similar species. However, the new species can be distinguished from it by having higher body annuli counts, angulus ories aliegned with the edges of the ocular scales and center of frontal scales, less number of large middorsal segments of the first and second body annulus, and rostral scale visible from above. The description of this new Amphisbaena species points out the urgent need to increase the knowledge of worm lizards in Colombia

2021 ◽  
Vol 71 ◽  
pp. 55-74
Author(s):  
Juan José Torres-Ramírez ◽  
Teddy Angarita-Sierra ◽  
Mario Vargas-Ramírez

In northern South America, amphisbaenians are rarely seen among the herpetofauna.Thus, general knowledge about them is very poor. During a herpetological survey in 2012 at Casanare, Colombia, we found two specimens of an unusual Amphisbaena. A third specimen sharing the same morphotype labeled Amphisbaena sp. from Vichada department was found deposided in an Colombian reptile collection. Based on morphological analyses together with phylogenetic analyses of 1029 base pairs of the mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA), we describe a new species of Amphisbaena that inhabits in the Orinoquian region of Colombia. The new species is part of a phylogenetic clade together with A. mertensii and A. cunhai (central-southern Brazil), exhibiting a great genetic distance (26.1–28.9%) between the newly identified lineage versus those taxa, and versus the sympatric taxa A. alba and A. fuliginosa. Morphologically, this new Amphisbaena can be distinguished from their congeners by characters combination of number of preocloacal pores, absence of malar scale, postgenial scales and body and caudal annuli counts. Amphisbaena gracilis is on morphology grounds the most similar species. However, the new species can be distinguished from it by having higher body annuli counts, angulus ories aliegned with the edges of the ocular scales and center of frontal scales, less number of large middorsal segments of the first and second body annulus, and rostral scale visible from above. The description of this new Amphisbaena species points out the urgent need to increase the knowledge of worm lizards in Colombia


Zootaxa ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 4942 (3) ◽  
pp. 351-381
Author(s):  
SHENGCHAO SHI ◽  
DONGHUI LI ◽  
WENBO ZHU ◽  
WEN JIANG ◽  
JIANPING JIANG ◽  
...  

A new species of genus Megophrys from Gaoligong Mountains, Yunnan Province, China is described. Phylogenetic analyses based on mitochondrial DNA and nuclear DNA all clustered the new species as an independent clade nested into the subgenus Panophrys. The smallest genetic distance based on 16S rRNA gene between the new species and its congeners was 3.0%. The new species could be identified from its congeners by a combination of following characters: moderate body size (SVL 31.0–34.8 mm in males); vomerine ridge weak, vomerine teeth absent; dorsal skin relatively smooth; tongue slightly notched behind; tympanum rounded and relatively large, 0.54 times of eye length; a horn-like tubercle on edge of each upper eyelid small; tibio-tarsal articulation reaches middle eye when leg stretched forward; finger tips rounded, not expanded to small pad; toes with narrow fringes and rudimentary webbing; ventral hindlimbs semitransparent purplish with greyish white pigments; ventral body scattered with distinct dark patches in the middle. 


Phytotaxa ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 500 (1) ◽  
pp. 1-10
Author(s):  
MENG-LE XIE ◽  
TIE-ZHENG WEI ◽  
BÁLINT DIMA ◽  
YONG-PING FU ◽  
RUI-QING JI ◽  
...  

This study presents one telamonioid species new to science based on morphological characteristics and molecular phylogenetic analyses. Cortinarius khinganensis was collected from the Greater Khingan Mountains, Northeast China and it is characterized by hygrophanous, vivid brownish red and striate pileus, white universal veil, and subglobose spores. According to phylogenetic analyses results, C. khinganensis belongs to the section Illumini, which is a lineage distantly related from subgenus Telamonia sensu stricto. Detailed descriptions of the new species and the comparisons with morphologically similar species are provided. The phylogenetic relationships within the section Illumini are also discussed.


Phytotaxa ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 521 (1) ◽  
pp. 1-14
Author(s):  
JI-PENG LI ◽  
BIN SONG ◽  
ZHAN FENG ◽  
JING WANG ◽  
CHUN-YING DENG ◽  
...  

A new species of Gymnopus sect. Androsacei, namely, G. pallipes is described and illustrated based on morphological and molecular phylogenetic evidence. It is characterized by marasmioid basidiomata, a dark brown to reddish brown pileus becoming dull white to yellowish grey with age, whitish to pale yellow stipe and presence of rhizomorphs. Phylogenetic analyses support it as a new species within Gymnopus sect. Androsacei. The detailed morphological description, colour photos of basidiomata, and line drawings of microcharacters are presented and delimitation characters from similar species are discussed. A key to the known species of Gymnopus s. str. from China is also provided.


Phytotaxa ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 527 (2) ◽  
pp. 107-116
Author(s):  
MAN-TING LI ◽  
XIAO-ZHONG LAN ◽  
YOU-WEI ZUO ◽  
HONG-PING DENG

Euphorbia motuogensis M. T. Li, X. Z. Lan, H. P. Deng & W. L. Zheng, sp. nov., a new species from Motuo, Tibet, China, is described and illustrated here. It is closely similar to Euphorbia sikkimensis in having terete root, alternate leaves, well-developed pseudoumbellate inflorescence, cyathium, smooth and glaborus capsule, but Euphorbia motuogensis is clealy distinguishable by its pilose stems, involucral leaves color, secondary involucral leaves absent, cyathophylls number and color, and five similar glands. Furthermore, molecular phylogenetic analyses of sequences from both nuclear ribosomal ITS confirm that this species is distinct from morphologically similar species in this subgenus.


MycoKeys ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 47 ◽  
pp. 53-74 ◽  
Author(s):  
Yuan-Pin Xiao ◽  
Sinang Hongsanan ◽  
Kevin D. Hyde ◽  
Siraprapa Brooks ◽  
Ning Xie ◽  
...  

Ophiocordyceps is entomopathogenic and the largest studied genus in the family Ophiocordycipitaceae. Many species in this genus have been reported from Thailand. The first new species introduced in this paper, Ophiocordycepsglobiceps, differs from other species based on its smaller perithecia, shorter asci and secondary ascospores and additionally, in parasitising fly species. Phylogenetic analyses of combined LSU, SSU, ITS, TEF1α and RPB1 sequence data indicate that O.globiceps forms a distinct lineage within the genus Ophiocordyceps as a new species. The second new species, Ophiocordycepssporangifera, is distinguished from closely related species by infecting larvae of insects (Coleoptera, Elateridae) and by producing white to brown sporangia, longer secondary synnemata and shorter primary and secondary phialides. We introduce O.sporangifera based on its significant morphological differences from other similar species, even though phylogenetic distinction is not well-supported.


2002 ◽  
Vol 18 (3) ◽  
pp. 577-608 ◽  
Author(s):  
Merel L. Dalebout ◽  
James G. Mead ◽  
C. Scott Baker ◽  
Alan N. Baker ◽  
Anton L. Helden

2015 ◽  
Author(s):  
Natália Rizzo Friol ◽  
Flávio de Barros Molina ◽  
Hussam El Dine Zaher

Background. Phrynops present four valid species, including P. geoffroanus that might represents a complex of cryptic species. Here, we provide a preliminary analysis of the taxonomy and phylogenetic affinities within Phrynops, with special reference to the taxonomic status of populations of P. geoffroanus and P. tuberosus, and the recognition of a new species from Southern Brazil. Methods. We studied populations from ten Brazilian river basins. A linear morphometric analysis was performed in order to define taxonomically distinct populations. Also, a phylogenetic analysis using morphology and molecular data (sequenced for the genes R35, RAG2, c-mos, cytb, ND4, and 12S) were carried out. Three distinct sets of phylogenetic analyses were performed: parsimony to morphological and combined data, and maximum likelihood to molecular data. Results. The combined analysis shows that Phrynops represents a well supported clade. The set of skeletal data supports Mesoclemmys as the sister group of Phrynops, whereas the molecular and combined data sets show Phrynops as the sister group of a clade composed by all the remaining genera of Chelidae, except Hydromedusa. Our morphological analyses suggest that P. hilarii is the sister group of P. geoffroanus, but in both molecular and combined analyses, P. hilarii appears nested within the clade formed by the populations of P. geoffroanus. Futhermore, P. tuberosus and P. geoffroanus are not distinguishable by the set of osteological and morphometric data. On the other hand, both morphometric and osteological data show that the population of P. geoffroanus from the Paraná river basin is a distinct species. Discussion. The sister group relationships of Phrynops could not be clearly defined due to the different topologies achieved. Phrynops hilarii is included within of P. geoffroanus in both molecular and combined data, but this position has little statistical support and therefore does not express a clear position of P. hilarii within the genus Phrynops. Besides, we were not able to distinguish P. geoffroanus and P. tuberosus. However, a sampling of specific locations are still needed to objectively define the taxonomic status of P. tuberosus. Finally, the population of P. geoffroanus from the Paraná basin is clearly distinct from the remaining populations of this species. Qualitative osteological characters and morphometric results seem to demonstrate that this population is a new species of Phrynops.


Lankesteriana ◽  
2014 ◽  
Vol 13 (3) ◽  
Author(s):  
Francisco Molineros Hurtado ◽  
Robert Tulio González Mina ◽  
Nicola S Flanagan ◽  
J Tupac Otero

We describe a new species of fragrant Vanilla from the Chocó biogeographic region of Western Colombia, named Vanilla rivasii sp. nov. in honor of the local farmer who drew it to our attention. This species is related to the Vanilla hostmannii group, also containing V. dressleri, V. ruiziana and V. cribbiana, with which it shares flower traits such as the showy, yellowish flower with thickened longitudinal venation in the lip apex. Vanilla rivasii is characterised by possessing: a long racemose inflorescence up to 60 cm in length, carrying up to 150 yellow flowers, with two to four open simultaneously; a trilobed labellum with a conspicuously bi-lobulated central lobe; and basally fused lateral sepals. Vanilla rivasii can be distinguished from the most morphologically-similar species, V. cribbiana and V. hostmannii, by the number of veins in the cushion-like structure of the lip and the larger size and higher number of flowers per inflorescence. This discovery highlights northern South America as a centre of diversity for this economically-important genus, and underlines the need for further botanical exploration in the highly biodiverse region of the Chocó.


Zootaxa ◽  
2011 ◽  
Vol 2903 (1) ◽  
pp. 57 ◽  
Author(s):  
HYUCK JOON KWUN ◽  
JIN KOO KIM

A new species of the genus Albula of the family Albulidae is described based on five specimens collected from Korea and Taiwan. Its new scientific name, Albula koreana sp. nov., is derived from its type locality (Korea). We compared Albula koreana sp. nov. with its similar species, A. argentea from Fiji (seven specimens), using morphological and molecular methods. Albula koreana sp. nov. differs morphologically from A. argentea in its tooth patch distributions on the mesopterygoids and parasphenoid. The tooth patches on the mesopterygoids are distributed more anteriorly than those on the parasphenoid in Albula koreana sp. nov. On the other hand, the anterior end of the tooth patches on the mesopterygoids almost corresponds to that of the tooth patches on the parasphenoid in A. argentea. The numbers of vertebrae also differ between the two species (77–78 in Albula koreana sp. nov. vs 72–73 in A. argentea). We analyzed 546 base pairs of the mitochondrial cytochrome b gene sequence, and the Albula koreana sp. nov. sequence differed considerably from that of A. argentea. Kimura’s genetic distances between them were very large (15.9%–16.4%), robustly supporting the new species Albula koreana sp. nov.


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