Gibbosporina cyanea (Pannariaceae), a new bipartite cyanolichen from Sri Lanka with comparisons to related palaeotropical cyanogenera

Gibbosporina cyanea is described here as new to science, based on its holotype collected in Sri Lanka in the 1860s. The species is a bipartite cyanolichen in contrast to all other known Gibbosporina species, which are tripartites. The species appears to have evolved through cephalodia emancipation followed by divergence. Phyllidia indicate a cephalodiate evolutionary origin with a continued function similar to vegetative propagules. The species is considered to represent a relatively young speciation within an evolutionary old genus and G. sphaerospora is discussed as a possible candidate for being its closest known relative based on spore morphology. As the species appears to be so different from the remaining Gibbosporina species, it is compared here to representatives of other related palaeotropical cyanogenera, such as Leightoniella, Lepidocollema, Pannaria and Physma. Perispore structure is shown to be a useful character in separating these genera, including distinct clades of the non-monophyletic genera Physma and Lepidocollema. Leightoniella zeylanensis is reported here as new to Japan, and it is concluded that Pannaria lurida needs to be restudied in India and Sri Lanka.

The genera Brianaria (Psoraceae) and Micarea (Pilocarpaceae) in Japan, with reports on other interesting species in Asia

An examination of collections from Japan has increased the number of Brianaria and Micarea species known from that country from eight to 19, including one new species, M. rubioides Coppins (also from Malaysia and the Philippines). Eleven species are reported as new to Japan (M. botryoides (Nyl.) Coppins, M. denigrata (Fr.) Hedl., M. erratica (Körb.) Hertel et al., M. hedlundii Coppins, M. lithinella (Nyl.) Hedl., M. micrococca (Körb.) Gams ex Coppins and M. misella (Nyl.) Hedl.) or new to Asia: M. byssacea (Th. Fr.) Czarnota et al., M. deminuta Coppins and M. xanthonica Coppins & Tønsberg (new to Asia; Japan); M. nitschkeana (J. Lahm ex Rabenh.) Harm. (new to Asia; South Korea). The presence of Micarea prasina s. str. from Japan needs to be confirmed; no collection was found in this study. Additional collections from South Korea and Sri Lanka are also reported, including the new species M. ceylanica Coppins from Sri Lanka. The identity of M. synotheoides (Nyl.) Coppins, originally described from Japan, has been resolved, resulting in the renaming of Western European material, previously under that name, as M. longispora Coppins. Micarea coreana Lőkös et al. is reported here as a synonym of M. erratica. The type of Lecidea inopinula Nyl. requires the new combination Micarea inopinula (Nyl.) Coppins & T. Sprib. to replace Micarea prasinella (Jatta) I. M. Lamb.

Six species of Grandidierella collected from the Ryukyu Archipelago in Japan, with descriptions of four new species (Crustacea: Amphipoda: Aoridae)

Six species of the amphipod genus Grandidierella Coutière, 1904 were collected from coastal areas of the Ryukyu Archipelago in Japan. Four species are new to science and the other two are new to Japan. Grandidierella contigua sp. nov. has a characteristic male gnathopod 1 with three teeth on the carpus, the proximal tooth of which is very small and contiguous with the large middle tooth. Grandidierella gilesi Chilton, 1921 is characterized by the densely setose gnathopods and the divergent merus of the gnathopod 2 in both sexes. Grandidierella halophila Wongkamhaeng, Pholpunthin & Azman, 2012 possesses a long posteromedial projection on the male coxa 2. Grandidierella japonicoides sp. nov. closely resembles G. japonica Stephensen, 1938 in having stridulating ridges on the male gnathopod 1 carpus, but the former can be distinguished from the latter in the presence of a posteromedial projection on the male coxa 2 and the shapes of the gnathopod 1 carpus in both sexes. Grandidierella nana sp. nov. is a small species and has a wide and short carpus in the male gnathopod 1. Grandidierella pseudosakaensis sp. nov. is similar to G. osakaensis Ariyama, 1996; however, the former is different from the latter in the absence of a posterodistal projection on the male gnathopod 1 ischium and the growth process of the male gnathopods. A key to Grandidierella species in the Ryukyu Archipelago is provided.

Arthoniaceae with reddish, K+ purple ascomata in Japan

Arthonia sanguinaria is described as new to science. The East Asian Arthonia lopingensis and the widely distributed Arthonia picea are reported as new to Japan from Honshu and the Ogasawara Islands, respectively. The phylogenetic position of A. picea, A. sanguinaria and Coniocarpon cinnabarinum from the Ogasawara Islands is shown by RAxML and Bayesian analysis of mtSSU, nLSU and RPB2 sequence data. Our results confirm the polyphyletic origin of quinoid pigments in Arthoniaceae. A key is presented to the Arthoniaceae with reddish ascomata in Japan.

A new species of Chiridota (Echinodermata: Holothuroidea: Apodida: Chiridotidae) from Japan, and First record of C. rigida from Japan

A new apodid sea cucumber, Chiridota impatiens sp. nov., is described from the intertidal zone of Okinawa, Japan, and C. rigida Semper, 1867 is also described from the intertidal zone of Wakayama, as new to Japan. C. impatiens sp. nov. is approximately 60–70 mm, with 12 tentacles and 4–7 pairs of digits per tentacle, red or reddish brown in living specimens. The tentacles contain curved rod ossicles, with spinous processes and many branches in C. rigida, however, in C. impatiens sp. nov., the curved rod ossicles are crescent-shaped, sometimes distally, with spinous processes and rarely a few branches on the circumference. In both species, the body wall contains flattened rod ossicles, mostly present along the longitudinal muscle and mesentery, curved rod ossicles primarily in the body wall, and wheel ossicles only in the wheel-papillae. In C. rigida, the contents of the wheel-papillae form a hemispherical sack-shaped structures, in which the teeth-side of the wheel ossicles mostly faces towards the outside of the body. In C. impatiens sp. nov., the contents of the wheel-papillae form a cord-shaped structure (present in both preserved and living specimens), in which the teeth-side of the wheel ossicles faces various directions, and that can be induced to break through the skin of the papillae if stimulated in living specimens.