A new genus and species of sand-hopper, Mauritiorchestia fayetta gen. nov., sp. nov. (Amphipoda, Talitridae) from Mauritius

A new genus and species, Mauritiorchestia fayetta gen. nov., sp. nov., of talitrid amphipod is described from beaches in Mauritius. Mauritiorchestia differs significantly from the closely related genus Platorchestia in the maxilla 1 palp (absent in Mauritiorchestia, vestigial in Platorchestia) and in the dactylus of gnathopod 1 (simplidactylate in Mauritiorchestia, cuspidactylate in Platorchestia).

Hyoscyamus labiatus sp. nov. (Solanaceae: Hyoscyameae) from Henan, China: implications for the delimitation of Hyoscyamus

Background Hyoscyamus, the largest genus in the tribe Hyoscyameae, harbors more than 20 species. Although the monophyly of Hyoscyamus is supported by both morphological and molecular phylogenetic studies, the delimitation of Hyoscyamus has been hotly debated in different classifications. Here, we report a new species of Hyoscyamus (Solanaceae) from Henan Province, China, and discuss the delimitation of Hyoscyamus. Results This species is morphologically similar to the known species of Hyoscyamus and its close related genus Archihyoscyamus, but can be distinguished by corolla 2-lipped, adaxial lip 3-lobed and much longer than abaxial lips, tube slender at base, and stamens 5, inserted on inner side of disk, free, obviously unequal, and exceeding corolla. Phylogenetic analysis based on four chloroplast markers including rbcL, ndhF, trnC-psbM and trnL-trnF, strongly suggested that the new species was sister to a monophyletic group containing all species of Hyoscyamus and Archihyoscyamus previously described. Conclusions Both the morphological observations and molecular phylogenetic analyses support the recognition of Hyoscyamus labiatus as a new species. Our study also showed that Archihyoscyamus should be a synonym of Hyoscyamus. The delimitation of Hyoscyamus is thus revised in our study.

A review of the Himalayan genus Trypheridium Brancucci (Coleoptera: Cantharidae: Chauliognathinae) with description of a new species

The genus Trypheridium Brancucci, 1985 is endemic to the Hindu Kush Himalayan Region, and is currently known from a single species, T. nuristanicum (Wittmer, 1956). Here, the genus is reviewed, T. nuristanicum nom. emend. is re-described and T. kashmiricum sp. nov. is described from Kashmir Himalayan Region of India. Descriptions, diagnoses, high quality images, distribution maps and identification keys are presented. The morphology and distribution of Trypheridium are discussed and compared with those of the closely related genus Trypherus LeConte, 1851.

A new genus of Nearctic oak gall wasp, Grahamstoneia Melika & Nicholls, gen. nov. (Hymenoptera: Cynipidae, Cynipini)

A new genus, Grahamstoneia Melika & Nicholls, gen. nov., with one new species, G. humboldti Melika & Nicholls, sp. nov., asexual generation, is described. This new taxon occurs in the south-western Nearctic, inducing galls on two species within Quercus section Protobalanus (Q. vacciniifolia Kellogg and Q. chrysolepis Liebm.), an ecology and distribution shared with the closely related genus Heteroecus Kinsey. Descriptions, diagnoses, biology, and host associations for the new genus and species are given. The new taxon is supported by morphological and molecular data.

Composition of the genus Loricella (Mollusca: Polyplacophora: Loricidae) and the description of two new species

The genus chiton Loricella is revised. It comprises nine species. Two of these species, L. neoguinensis n. sp. and L. solomonensis n. sp., are described as new. Based on the analysis of morphological features studied using a scanning electron microscope, a revised diagnosis of the genus is provided. The characters diagnostic for this that distinguish it from the related genus Squamophora are as follows: a tubular hollow inside the dorsal scales, bristles on the dorsal side of the girdle, a wide ventral mouth region, a narrow mantle fold covered with simple longitudinally ribbed scales, smooth ventral scales, pits arranged in longitudinal rows in the central area of the tegmentum, and a bicuspid head of the major lateral teeth of the radula.

A new species of Brachychthoniidae (Acari: Oribatida) from the Eastern Central Alps (Austria, Tyrol), with the proposal of a new genus

A new species of the family Brachychthoniidae (Acari: Oribatida), Arcochthonius roynortoni n. sp., found on the summit of the Festkogel mountain (3030 m a.s.l.) in the Central Alps (Obergurgl, Tyrol, Austria), is described and illustrated, based on adults. Arcochthonius n. gen. is proposed for this species. The relationships to the closely related genus Synchthonius Hammen, 1952 and other genera of Brachychthoniidae are discussed. The new species is unique among Brachychthoniidae in having arched ridge-like sculpturing on thickened anterior edges of medial and posterior notogastral sclerites, and differs by a combination of morphological character states. Some notes on ecology and biology are given.

Distribution, habitats, and redescription of the rare mite species Iphidonopsis sculptus Gwiazdowicz, 2004 (Mesostigmata: Ascidae)

Iphidonopsis sculptus Gwiazdowicz, 2004, is currently known only from the type locality in eastern Poland and a record in southwestern Finland (Huhta, 2016). Here, we record this species from twelve localities elsewhere (Europe, Siberia, Far East of Russia, Canada) indicating its broadly Holarctic geographical range. Another genus member, Iphidonopsis magnanalis (Ma & Yin, 1999), is known only from China. About half of Iphidonopsis sculptus records are associated with litter of coniferous or mixed forests, but the others, including samples with juveniles (deutonymphs), were found in bracket fungi or under tree bark. The finding of two adult females on a bark beetle, Dryocoetes affaber (Mannerheim) (Coleoptera: Curculionidae: Scolytinae), suggests a phoretic association, though members of the closely related genus Zerconopsis Hull, 1918 as well as of all of the subfamily Arctoseiinae are known only from phoretic dispersal by nematoceran dipterans. The morphology of adults and an immature instar (deutonymph) of I. sculptus is redescribed and newly described, respectively, and illustrated in detail. A subdivision of the subfamily Arctoseiinae Evans, 1963 into three tribes is proposed—Arctoseiini Evans, 1963 (including Arctoseius Thor, 1930 and Iphidozercon Berlese, 1903), Zerconopsini tribe n. (Zerconopsis Hull, 1918; Xenoseius Lindquist & Evans, 1965; and Iphidonopsis Gwiazdowicz, 2004), and Maxiniini tribe n. (Maxinia Lindquist & Makarova, 2012).

Restoration of the genus Squamophora (Mollusca: Polyplacophora: Loricidae)

I propose to restore the old genus name Squamophora for S. oviformis and the described herein S. nierstraszi sp. nov.. A new emendation of the genus Squamophora is provided, taking into account the main features of the shell, girdle and radula that distinguish it from the closely-related genus Loricella. The new species differs from the type species by the sculpture of the dorsal scales and the shape of the radula teeth.

Nagyelma n. gen. for Ennea aliena Bavay and Dautzenberg, 1912 (Gastropoda: Eupulmonata: Streptaxidae)

Nagyelma n. gen. is erected for the northern Vietnamese Ennea aliena Bavay and Dautzenberg, 1912. The most closely related genus is probably Elma H. Adams, 1866, which also has a high-spired shell but differs from the new genus in the absence of a parietal tooth, the pointed-ovoid shell shape, and the penial sheath, which covers only half of the penis.

Complete Genomes of the Anaerobic Degradation Specialists Aromatoleum petrolei ToN1T and Aromatoleum bremense PbN1T

The betaproteobacterial genus <i>Aromatoleum</i> comprises facultative denitrifiers specialized in the anaerobic degradation of recalcitrant organic compounds (aromatic and terpenoid). This study reports on the complete and manually annotated genomes of <i>Ar. petrolei</i> ToN1^T (5.41 Mbp) and <i>Ar. bremense</i> PbN1^T (4.38 Mbp), which cover the phylogenetic breadth of the genus <i>Aromatoleum</i> together with previously genome sequenced <i>Ar. aromaticum</i> EbN1^T [Rabus et al., Arch Microbiol. 2005 Jan;183(1):27–36]. The gene clusters for the anaerobic degradation of aromatic and terpenoid (strain ToN1^T only) compounds are scattered across the genomes of strains ToN1^T and PbN1^T. The richness in mobile genetic elements is shared with other <i>Aromatoleum</i> spp., substantiating that horizontal gene transfer should have been a major driver in shaping the genomes of this genus. The composite catabolic network of strains ToN1^T and PbN1^T comprises 88 proteins, the coding genes of which occupy 86.1 and 76.4 kbp (1.59 and 1.75%) of the respective genome. The strain-specific gene clusters for anaerobic degradation of ethyl-/propylbenzene (strain PbN1^T) and toluene/monoterpenes (strain ToN1^T) share high similarity with their counterparts in <i>Ar. aromaticum</i> strains EbN1^T and pCyN1, respectively. Glucose is degraded via the ED-pathway in strain ToN1^T, while gluconeogenesis proceeds via the reverse EMP-pathway in strains ToN1^T, PbN1^T, and EbN1^T. The diazotrophic, endophytic lifestyle of closest related genus <i>Azoarcus</i> is known to be associated with nitrogenase and type-6 secretion system (T6SS). By contrast, strains ToN1^T, PbN1^T, and EbN1^T lack <i>nif</i> genes for nitrogenase (including cofactor synthesis and enzyme maturation). Moreover, strains PbN1^T and EbN1^T do not possess <i>tss</i> genes for T6SS, while strain ToN1^T does and facultative endophytic “<i>Aromatoleum</i>” sp. CIB is known to even have both. These findings underpin the functional heterogeneity among <i>Aromatoleum</i> members, correlating with the high plasticity of their genomes.