Taxonomy and Distribution of the Deep-Sea Batfish Genus Halieutopsis (Teleostei: Ogcocephalidae), with Descriptions of Five New Species

The deep-sea batfish genus Halieutopsis is reviewed based on worldwide collections. Sixteen species are recognized, including five newly described species: Halieutopsis echinoderma sp. nov. from eastern Taiwan and northeastern Australia, Halieutopsis kawaii sp. nov. from Taiwan and Indonesia, Halieutopsis okamurai sp. nov. from southeastern Japan, Halieutopsis murrayi sp. nov. from the Gulf of Aden, and Halieutopsis taiwanea sp. nov. from northeastern Taiwan. These species differ from their congeners in escal morphology, squamation, and morphometric proportions. Dibranchus nasutus Alcock, 1891, a senior synonym of Halieutopsis vermicularis Smith & Radcliffe, 1912, as well as Dibranchus nudiventer Lloyd, 1909 and Coelophrys oblonga Smith & Radcliffe, 1912, are recognized as valid species in Halieutopsis. Comments on the systematics and biogeographic distributions of the species of Halieutopsis are provided, along with a key to the species.

Additional comments on the types and nomina of several North American ratsnakes (Pantherophis obsoletus complex, Colubridae, Serpentes)

Here, we provide updates to our recent paper reviewing the taxonomy and nomenclature of the Eastern ratsnakes (Pantherophis obsoletus complex, Colubridae, Serpentes). Specifically, we clarify that Coluber alleghaniensis Holbrook, 1836 is a subjective, rather than objective, senior synonym of Elaphis holbrookii Duméril, Bibron & Duméril, 1854. Contrary to our statement that USNM 1733–4 were syntypes of Scotophis lindheimerii Baird & Girard, 1853, the former is the holotype and the latter is the paratype. The holotype is lost and the paratype is in poor condition, but no neotype designation is warranted at present. We note that USNM 248870, which we designated as the lectotype of Coluber obsoletus lemniscatus Cope, 1888, was originally cataloged as USNM 4710. This catalog number was shared with the type of the salamander Amblystoma tenebrosum Baird & Girard, 1852, and the snake was re-cataloged as USNM 248870 in 1985. Finally, we originally treated C. reticulatus La Cépède, 1789 and C. reticularis Daudin, 1803 as senior subjective synonyms of C. corais Boie, 1827, but here corroborate recent authors in designating it a senior subjective synonym of C. obsoletus Say in James, 1823. As the Commission suppressed C. reticulatus La Cépède, 1789 (an exoplonym), this subsequently rendered C. reticularis Daudin, 1803 (an exoploneonym) unavailable as well.

Wyeomyia shannoni Lane & Cerqueira, 1942, a taxonomic puzzle (Diptera: Culicidae): synonymy, genus transfer, homonymy, and description of a new species of Sabethes Robineau-Desvoidy, 1827

We discovered the immature stages of Wyeomyia shannoni Lane & Cerqueira, 1942, unknown for almost 80 years, and found that they, as well as the adult male, are identical with those previously described for Sabethes (Peytonulus) paradoxus Harbach, 2002. Consequently, the species described by Lane and Cerqueira is here considered a senior synonym of Sa. paradoxus and is transferred to the genus Sabethes, hereafter named Sabethes (Peytonulus) shannoni (Lane & Cerqueira, 1942), comb. n. As the name shannoni is preoccupied in the genus Sabethes, the species known as Sabethes (Sabethes) shannoni Cerqueira, 1961 is here renamed Sabethes (Sabethes) cerqueirai Nascimento-Pereira, Neves, Lourenço-de-Oliveira & Motta, nom. n. We improved the morphological characterization of Sa. (Pey.) shannoni (Lane & Cerqueira) by including an illustration of the female genitalia, larval mouthparts and the female genital lobe of the pupa. Finally, we describe and illustrate a new species of Sabethes closely related to Sa. (Pey.) shannoni, named Sabethes (Peytonulus) harbachi Nascimento-Pereira, Guimarães, Lourenço-de-Oliveira & Motta, sp. n.

The Tydeoidea (Ereynetidae, Iolinidae, Triophtydeidae and Tydeidae) - An online database in the Wikispecies platform

An online database on the taxonomy of Tydeoidea is described and is available on the Wikispecies platform at https://species.wikimedia.org/wiki/Tydeoidea. It counts 1 324 records or pages, 724 records for the Tydeidae, 334 for the Ereynetidae, 203 for the Iolinidae and 63 for the Triophtydeidae. For each taxon are detailed the parent taxa as well as the child taxa which are listed. A nec subsection lists names of child taxa that are not recommended. Subjective and objective synonymies as well as homonymies are given for each taxon. Notes provide historical aspects of past studies. The type locality and habitat of the name-bearing type and its repository are added for the nominal species-group taxa. Fossil species, species inquirendae and nomina nuda are also reported. References and external links end up a record. Tetranychus viburni Koch is resurrected from synonymy with Tetranychus urticae Koch and placed in Tydeidae; it might be a senior synonym of Tydeus goetzi Schruft. Replacement names are provided for Aureliana and Tydides (homonymy) and for Paratydaeolus clavatus (synonymy).

A replacement name for the genus-group name NannaBirket-Smith, 1965 (Erebidae: Arctiinae: Syntomini)

In the fly family Scathophagidae (Diptera), the genus Nanna Strobl, 1894 was introduced as “(D. Nanna Becker) flavipes Fall. Zett. 2059, 6332, SS.11! Becker!” (Strobl 1894: 78), with Cordylura flavipes Fallén, 1819 as its type species. See Michelsen (2001: 323–326) for correct authorship and validity of the name Nanna Strobl, 1894 as senior synonym of names proposed by Becker (1894) in the same year.

Cossidae (Lepidoptera) of Iran: a review with description of two new species

A taxonomic revision of the Iranian species of the family Cossidae is conducted. Sixthy-nine species and 16 subspecies in 26 genera and five subfamilies, namely Catoptinae, Mehariinae, Stygiinae, Cossinae and Zeuzerinae, are identified. Meharia baluchestana Alipanah & Yakovlev, sp. n. and Cossulus kopetdaghensis Yakovlev & Alipanah, sp. n. are described. Dyspessa elbursensis derbenti Daniel, 1964 is raised to the species level, Dyspessa derbenti Daniel, 1964, stat. n.; Dieida ledereri (Staudinger, 1817) is considered as the senior synonym of D. persa Strand in Stichel, 1911, syn. n.; Cossus coccus araraticus Teich, 1896 is considered as a senior synonym of C. c. armeniaca Rothschild, 1912, syn. n.; C c. kossai Wiltshire, 1957 as a senior synonym of C. c. omrana Wiltshire, 1957, syn. n.; and Deserticossus arenicola iranica (Austaut, 1897), syn. n. and D. arenicola transcaucasicus (Zukowsky, 1936), syn. n. are newly synonymized with D. arenicola arenicola (Staudinger, 1879). Additionally, the genus Mormogystia Schoorl, 1990, and 15 species, namely Dyspessa alpherakyi (Christoph in Romanoff, 1885), D. artemis Yakovlev, 2008, D. blonda Yakovlev, 2008, D. stroehlei Yakovlev, 2008, D. tsvetaevi Yakovlev, 2008, Barchaniella inspersa (Christoph, 1887), B. sacara (Grum-Grshimailo, 1902), Cossulus intractatus (Staudinger, 1887), C. mollis (Christoph, 1887), C. stertzi (Püngeler, 1899), Deserticossus campicola (Eversmann, 1854), Kotchevnik durelli Yakovlev, 2004, Mormogystia reibellii (Oberthür, 1876), Eremocossus erebuni Yakovlev, 2008 and Phragmataecia turkmenbashi Yakovlev, 2008 are newly reported for the fauna of Iran. Moreover, the hitherto unknown female of Kotchevnik durelli is described. Additional data of the species previously reported from Iran is provided and the collecting data maps of the entire studied species are presented.

The identity of twelve scincid generic names proposed by Cope in 1892 (Squamata: Scincidae)

The twelve generic names proposed by Cope in 1892, which were created without included species, are linked to existing taxa by recognition that Cope’s key is a simple modification of the previous skink generic key by Boulenger in 1887, splitting existing genera of Boulenger in accordance with the morphology of the species included in those genera. This insight allows for Cope’s generic names Dicloniscus, Dimeropus, Haploscincus, Ollochirus, Oncopus, Podoclonium and Tridentulus to be linked to single species in Boulenger’s treatment, and thus those species are identified as the types of those genera, resulting in synonymy of Dicloniscus with Chalcides, Dimeropus with Larutia, Haploscincus with Lipinia, Podoclonium with Scelotes, and Ollochirus, Oncopus and Tridentulus with Lerista. Furcillus, Mesomycterus, Monophorus and Monophyaspis are associated with multiple species in Boulenger’s classification, and type species are designated that minimize change to existing nomenclature but facilitate application of the names to otherwise unnamed lineages in case future divisions are considered warranted. Furcillus becomes a synonym of Lerista, Mesomycterus becomes a synonym of Brachyseps, Monophorus becomes a synonym of Phoboscincus and Monophyaspis becomes a synonym of Trachylepis. Lepidothyrus, for which a type species was previously identified, is a synonym of Mochlus. Reversal of precedence is invoked to avoid the need for use of the senior synonyms Dimeropus and Monophorus over the frequently used Larutia and Phoboscincus, however, Mesomycterus is a senior synonym of Brachyseps, and replaces that recently created name.

Elucidating the nomenclature and taxonomy of Phalaena euphemia Stoll, 1781, the type species of the genus Heraclia Hübner, [1820] (Lepidoptera, Noctuidae, Agaristinae)

The genus Heraclia (Lepidoptera, Noctuidae, Agaristinae) and the species involved in the confused nomenclature and taxonomy of the type species, Phalaena euphemia Stoll, 1781 are investigated. The rediscovery of the type specimen of Noctua geryon Fabricius, 1781, a taxon that had previously been treated as the senior synonym of euphemia, justified the revival of the latter from synonymy with the former. The type material of euphemia could not be traced and a neotype is designated to fix the published name to a physical specimen. In addition to detailed diagnoses and re-descriptions, the revised taxonomy of Heraclia euphemia and Heraclia geryon is provided and the following new synonymies are proposed: Eusemia pallida Walker, 1854 and Eusemia niveosparsa Westwood, 1881 are synonymised with H. geryon and Eusemia nugatrix Westwood, 1881 is synonymised with H. euphemia. Distributional data for each of the species are presented.

A taxonomic revision of South American species of the seed-harvester ant genus Pogonomyrmex (Hymenoptera: Formicidae). Part II

This paper provides a taxonomic revision and reviews natural history for 35 South American species of the seed-harvesting ant genus Pogonomyrmex. Species treated herein mostly comprise the P. rastratus-group; four species are revived from synonomy, three taxa are elevated from subspecies to species, five taxa are synonymized, and 20 new species are described. The following taxa are revived from synonomy: P. intermedia Menozzi, P. semistriata Emery, P. spinolae Emery, and P. weiseri Santschi. The following taxa are raised from subspecies to species: P. leonis Kusnezov, P. pulchellus Santschi, and P. sanmartini Kusnezov. The following new synonymies are proposed, with the senior synonym listed first, and the junior synonym(s) in parentheses: P. carbonarius Mayr (= P. kusnezovi Cuezzo & Claver, = P. weiseri var. neuquensis Santschi, = P. variabilis Santschi); P. vermiculatus Emery (= P. vermiculatus var. chubutensis Forel, = P. vermiculatus var. jorgenseni Forel). The following new species are described: P. apterogenos, P. araucania, P. atacama, P. bolivianus, P. colca, P. cusquena, P. excelsior, P. forelii, P. granulatus, P. lagunabravensis, P. loaensis, P. mapuche, P. maulensis, P. pichachen, P. propinqua, P. santschii, P. strioligaster, P. tafi, P. varicolor, and P. wilsoni. One species treated herein has brachypterous queens (P. atacama), one species has dimorphic queens (winged and brachypterous in P. longibarbis), and two species have ergatoid (permanently wingless) queens and ergatoid males (P. apterogenos, P. laguanbravensis); the latter two are the only known ant species in which both sexual castes are only ergatoid. I also provide keys for workers and queens (in English and Spanish), diagnoses for males, photographs of known castes, distribution maps, and a summary of known biology.