Euconnus (Tetramelus) melkei sp. n., a bizarre South African ant-like stone beetle (Coleoptera, Staphylinidae, Scydmaeninae)

Euconnus (Tetramelus) melkei sp. n. is described, based on a male specimen collected in the Eastern Cape province of the Republic of South Africa. This species is characterized by the most elaborate and extensive male sexual dimorphic features known in Euconnus, comprising glandular projections and impressions that cover most of the head dorsum, strongly modified scapes, long projections on protrochanters, and thickened profemora with glandular porous and setal patches. The most similar species, Euconnus nasicornis Franz and E. paranasicornis Franz, previously treated as incertae sedis within Euconnus, are placed in Tetramelus. The E. nasicornis species group of Tetramelus that includes the abovementioned species is defined by an extremely elongate adult body, multiple dimorphic features in males, and a pair of lateral longitudinal sulci on the pronotum. The current state of knowledge of South African Euconnus is discussed, and a checklist of the currently known 159 nominal species that inhabit RSA is given.

The genus Cletocamptus (Harpacticoida, Canthocamptidae): a reappraisal, with proposal of a new subfamily, a new genus, and a new species

A new species of Cletocamptus closely related to C. helobius was found in sediment samples taken from a polluted estuarine system in north-western Mexico. The genus Cletocamptus was relegated to species incertae sedis in 1986, and this finding prompted us to evaluate the current taxonomic position of the genus within the Canthocamptidae. The latter has been subdivided in several, seemingly unnatural subfamilies in the past to better understand the relationships between its constituent taxa. In this study we propose a new subfamily, the Cletocamptinaesubfam. nov. for Amphibiperita, Cletocamptus, and Cletocamptoides gen. nov., defined by the synapomorphic subdistal ventral spinules on the rostrum. The genus Cletocamptoidesgen. nov. is proposed for C. helobius, C. merbokensis, and C. biushelosp. nov., and is supported by the ‘cletodid’ shape of the body and the reduced one-segmented endopod of the fourth swimming leg. Cletocamptus includes all the other species with long slender spinules on the posterior margin of prosomites and with the sexually modified inner spine on the second endopodal segment of the second swimming leg in the males. Amphibiperita retained the primitive female fifth leg with exopod and baseoendopod separated, and the primitive prehensile endopod of the first leg, but is defined by the loss of the antennary exopod. Other (syn)apomorphies are given, and the evolution of the mandibular palp is briefly discussed. Additionally, a diagnosis for the new subfamily, Cletocamptinaesubfam. nov., an amended narrower diagnosis for Cletocamptus, the diagnosis for Cletocamptoidesgen. nov., and a phylogenetic analysis supporting the proposal of these new taxa, are given.

Just a Fragment of Undescribed Diversity: Twenty New Oriental and Palearctic Species of Sciaroidea (Diptera), including DNA Sequence Data and Two New Fossil Genera

The following 17 extant new species of Sciaroidea (Diptera: Bibionomorpha) are described: Bolitophila nikolae Ševčík sp. nov. (Bolitophilidae, Taiwan), Catocha jingfui sp. nov. (Cecidomyiidae, Taiwan), Catocha manmiaoe sp. nov. (Cecidomyiidae, Taiwan), Catocha shengfengi sp. nov. (Cecidomyiidae, Taiwan), Planetella taiwanensis sp. nov. (Cecidomyiidae, Taiwan), Diadocidia pseudospinusola sp. nov. (Diadocidiidae, Taiwan), Asioditomyia bruneicola sp. nov. (Ditomyiidae, Brunei), Asioditomyia lacii sp. nov. (Ditomyiidae, Taiwan), Ditomyia asiatica sp. nov. (Ditomyiidae, Thailand), Chetoneura davidi sp. nov. (Keroplatidae, Brunei), Euceroplatus mantici sp. nov. (Keroplatidae, Thailand), Setostylus fangshuoi sp. nov. (Keroplatidae, Taiwan), Platyceridion yunfui sp. nov. (Keroplatidae, Hainan), Terocelion adami sp. nov. (Keroplatidae, Taiwan), Hadroneura martini sp. nov. (Mycetophilidae, Taiwan), Paratinia furcata sp. nov. (Mycetophilidae, Czech Republic, Slovakia), and Nepaletricha sikorai sp. nov. (Sciaroidea incertae sedis, Thailand). Two new genera are described from the mid-Cretaceous Burmese amber, Burmasymmerus gen. nov. (Ditomyiidae, type species Burmasymmerus korneliae sp. nov., including also B. wieslawi sp. nov.), representing the first record of the family Ditomyiidae from the Mesozoic, and Burmatricha gen. nov. (Sciaroidea incertae sedis, type species Burmatricha mesozoica sp. nov.). Molecular phylogeny of Ditomyiidae, based on two DNA markers (28S, COI), as well as that of Catocha Haliday, 1833, based on the mitochondrial COI and 16S fragments, are also presented.

A review of the fossil taxa originally assigned to Pyrrhocoridae (Hemiptera: Heteroptera)

The four described fossil taxa originally assigned to Pyrrhocoridae (Hemiptera: Heteroptera) are reviewed. Mesopyrrhocoris fasciatus Hong & Wang, 1990 (correction of gender agreement) from the Lower Cretaceous of Laiyang Basin, Shandong, China, was reclassified as Cimicomorpha incertae sedis by Shcherbakov (2008), an opinion confirmed here. The status of ‘Dysdercus’ cinctus Scudder, 1890 and ‘Dysdercus’ unicolor Scudder, 1890 from the Eocene of Florissant, Colorado, USA, and their placement in Pyrrhocoridae, are doubtful. ‘Pyrrhocoris’ rottensis nom nov. (= Pyrrhocoris tibialis Statz & Wagner, 1950) from the Upper Oligocene of Rott, Germany, is reclassified here as Lygaeoidea incertae sedis due to the presence of ocelli in the fossil. As a result, currently there is no fossil taxon which can be placed in Pyrrhocoroidea with certainty. The extant Pyrrhocoris tibialis Stål, 1874 is confirmed as junior subjective synonym of P. sibiricus Kuschakewitsch, 1866.

Julmarichardiidae, a new apseudoidean family (Crustacea: Tanaidacea: Apseudomorpha) with the description of a new species of Julmarichardia Guţu, 1995 from the Northwest Australian Shelf

A new tanaidacean family Julmarichardiidae is designated to receive the Indo-Pacific genus Julmarichardia Guţu. The new family is characterized by having a prominent rostrum, a strongly developed coxal process of pereopod-1 with plumose setae and sometimes spines, and the presence of mucus glands and packets throughout its body. The latter appear to be involved in the construction of a mucus domicile. Based on distinctive antennal and pereopodal characters, the South China Sea species, J. bajau Bamber & Sheader, is placed in a new monotypic genus. A second Australian species is described from specimens collected on the northwestern continental shelf from depths of 37 to 83 m. The new species can be distinguished from its sympatric congener J. gutui Ritger & Heard by a variety of characters, including the lack of setulose setae on the rostral margin and the posterior margin of pereopod-1 having three or fewer setulate setae. It differs from J. alinati Guţu, by the shape and/or spination of the rostrum, antennule, and antenna. Julmarichardia dollfusi (Guţu) is removed from Julmarichardia and designated as Metapseudidae incertae sedis. A key to the six species comprising the genus Julmarichardia is presented.

New report of fossil crabs (Decapoda, Brachyura) from the late Eocene of San Feliciano Hill (Orgiano, Monti Berici, Vicenza, NE Italy)

The rich decapod assemblage from the late Eocene of San Feliciano hill (Orgiano, Monti Berici, Vicenza, NE Italy) was partially recorded by De Angeli and Garassino (2002, 2014). Herein, two new crabs, Bericirinia bretoni n. gen., n. sp. (Epialtidae MacLeay, 1838) and Orgianocarcinus bericus n. gen., n. sp. (Dairidae Ng and Rodriguez, 1986) are reported from San Feliciano Hill, located in Monti Berici, Orgiano. Moreover, two well-preserved specimens assigned to Actaeites lobatus Müller and Collins, 1991 (Xanthoidea MacLeay, 1838, incertae sedis) allowed to add some morphological characters to the original description of the holotype, lacking the fronto-orbital margin.

Review of Triassic insects in China

Studies of Triassic insects in China began in 1956, and so far, a total of 89 genera and 109 species have been found from the Triassic of China. The fossil records are from 17 provinces (or regions) in China are assigned to 11 orders except for two genera and species considered incertae sedis in Insecta. These Chinese Triassic insects including one Early Triassic, 53 Middle Triassic and 55 Late Triassic species are briefly reviewed in taxonomy and distribution, and listed here with detailed taxonomic and stratigraphic information. The Middle Triassic Tongchuan Entomofauna and Late Triassic Toksun Entomofauna are introduced much detailed from the perspectives of composition and taxonomy. Existing data indicate that the Chinese Triassic entomofauna is dominated by Hemiptera, Mecoptera and Coleoptera; the Chinese Early Triassic insects are only known from Fuyuan in Yunnan Province, Middle Triassic ones mainly known from northern China and sporadically from Guizhou Province, southern China, and Late Triassic ones widely seen in both northern and southern China; and the Middle and Late Triassic entomofaunas are similar in abundance but show a pattern of “more in northern China than in southern China”.

Revision of Ischnopelta Stål, 1868 with the description of twenty new species (Hemiptera: Pentatomidae: Discocephalinae)

Ischnopelta Stål, 1868 is a Discocephalini genus with three known species, I. scutellata (Signoret, 1851), I. oblonga (Fieber, 1851), and I. luteicornis (Walker, 1867), and distribution restricted to South America. The examination of 284 specimens from several localities in Venezuela, Brazil, Bolivia, Argentina, and Paraguay, revealed the existence of new species. Measurements of 24 morphometric parameters were taken using stereomicroscope and tpsDig2 version 2.16 from images captured with an MShot MD50 camera coupled to a Techno RZ stereomicroscope and edited in MShot DIS version 1.1. The genitalia of both sexes was dissected upon specimen availability, digested in KOH 10%, dehydrated in ethanol 70%, stained in Congo red (when needed), and preserved in liquid glycerin. Photographs were made in a Nikon AZ100M stereomicroscope, and a focus stacking procedure was done with Nikon NIS-Elements Ar Microscope Imaging Software. Drawings were produced over the images with a vectorial image processor. In this work Ischnopelta is revised, I. scutellata and I. luteicornis are redescribed, and keys to males and females of the species are proposed. We describe 20 new species: I. alalonga sp. n., I. anangulata sp. n., I. bechyneorum sp. n., I. confusa sp. n., I. coralinae sp. n., I. cordiformis sp. n., I. crassula sp. n., I. cristulata sp. n., I. cylindrata sp. n., I. guarani sp. n., I. impunctata sp. n., I. magna sp. n., I. marginella sp. n., I. montana sp. n., I. paiagua sp. n., I. parvula sp. n., I. pellucidula sp. n., I. ruckesi sp. n., I. vellozia sp. n., and I. wigodzinskyi sp. n.. We were unable to locate the syntypes of I. oblonga (Fieber, 1851) and the species is treated here as incertae sedis.

The Neotropical genera Guadana Rheims, 2010 and Sparianthina Banks, 1929 (Araneae: Sparassidae: Heteropodinae)

The Neotropical genera Guadana Rheims, 2010a and Sparianthina Banks, 1929 are revised. Based on re-interpreted and newly observed characters, updated diagnoses are given for each genus. Eight new species are described, six in Guadana: G. alpahuayo sp. n. (♂♀) and G. ucayali sp. n. (♂), from Peru; G. amendoim sp. n. (♀), G. mapia sp. n. and G. muirpinima sp. n. (♀), from Brazil; G. arawak sp. n. (♂), from French Guiana, and two in Sparianthina: S. boyaca sp. n. (♀) from Colombia and S. soca sp. n. from Trinidad & Tobago. Sparianthina rufescens (Mello-Leitão, 1940) is considered incertae sedis. All new species are illustrated and photographed. Identification keys for both genera including comparative detailed illustrations of male and female characters, as well as updated distribution maps for all known species are provided.