A revision of the treehopper genus Bubalopa Stål illuminates the systematics of Hyphinoini (Hemiptera: Auchenorrhyncha: Membracidae)

Bubalopa Stål, 1869 (Darninae: Hyphinoini) is an obscure genus of treehoppers endemic to the Northern Andes. In this work, we reassess the taxonomic boundaries of Bubalopa based on primary types and comparative material. Newly reported characters from adults and nymphs expand the current concept of Hyphinoini, for which an amended diagnosis is presented. Identification keys, species redescriptions, illustrations, and distribution maps are provided for the three species that now constitute Bubalopa: B. furcata (Fairmaire, 1846), B. obscuricornis Stål, 1869 and B. iguaque sp. nov. (Cordillera Oriental, Colombia). Immatures of Hyphinoe obliqua (Walker, 1858) and B. furcata are described for the first time with notes on their life history. A nomenclatural change is proposed for Hyphinoe punctorum Buckton, 1903, previously included in Bubalopa, now considered to be a junior synonym of Eualthe punctum (Fairmaire, 1846). A lectotype is designated for Hemiptycha furcata Fairmaire, 1846, currently housed at the Naturhistorisches Museum Wien.

Risk factors for isolation of fluconazole and echinocandin non-susceptible Candida species in critically ill patients

Introduction. Resistance rates to azoles and echinocandins of Candida spp. increased over the last decade. Hypothesis/Gap Statement. Widespread use of antifungals could lead to development and dissemination of resistant Candida spp. Aim. To identify risk factors for isolation of Candida spp. non-susceptible to either fluconazole or echinocandins. Methodology. All patients hospitalized in the Intensive Care Unit (ICU) of the University General Hospital of Patras, Greece with Candida spp. isolated from clinical specimens during a ten-year period (2010–19) were included. Candida isolates were identified using Vitek-2 YST card. Consumption of antifungals was calculated. Results. During the study period, 253 isolates were included. C. non-albicans predominated (64.4 %) with C. parapsilosis being the most commonly isolated (42.3 %) followed by C. glabrata (nomenclatural change to Nakaseomyces glabrataa; 8.7 %) and C. tropicalis (11.9 %). Among all isolates, 45.8 and 28.5 % were non-susceptible and resistant to fluconazole, respectively. Concerning echinocandins, 8.7 % of isolates were non-susceptible to at least one echinocandin (anidulafungin or micafungin) and 3.1 % resistant. Multivariate analysis revealed that hospitalization during 2015–19, as compared to 2010–14, isolate being non-albicans or non-susceptible to at least one echinocandin was associated with isolation of fluconazole non-susceptible isolate. Administration of echinocandin, isolate being C. glabrata or C. tropicalis, or Candida spp. non-susceptible to fluconazole were independently associated with isolation of Candida spp. non-susceptible to at least one echinocandin. Fluconazole’s administration decreased during the study period, whereas liposomal-amphotericin B’s and echinoncandins’ administration remained stable. Conclusion. Fluconazole’s non-susceptibility increased during the study period, despite the decrease of its administration. Although echinocandins’ administration remained stable, non-susceptibility among Candida spp. increased.

Disentangling vines: a study of morphological crypsis and genetic divergence in vine snakes (Squamata: Colubridae: Ahaetulla) with the description of five new species from Peninsular India

We carried out a taxonomic revision of Ahaetulla species inhabiting Peninsular India, using a multiple criteria approach (including genetics, morphology, and geography). Our work included populations of the A. nasuta complex (widespread across the entire region, including the Western Ghats), the A. pulverulenta complex (in the Western Ghats, within Peninsular India) and the A. dispar complex (endemic to the Southern Western Ghats) which all revealed undocumented cryptic diversity. Here, we describe five new species and effect nomenclatural changes to some recognised taxa. In the A. nasuta complex, we describe four species from several latitudinal blocks of the Western Ghats and make nomenclatural emendations to the plains populations in the Indian peninsula. We effect nomenclatural change in the A. pulverulenta population of the Western Ghats and describe a new species from the A. dispar group. Our study highlights the use of a multi-criteria approach in unraveling cryptic diversity. This study also reveals a striking case of discordance between morphological and genetic divergence, and the way this is reflected in previous taxonomic and nomenclatural treatments of these populations.

New taxa in Drosanthemum and a new genus in Drosanthemeae (Ruschioideae, Aizoaceae)

A phylogeny of all nine subgenera of Drosanthemum, based on chloroplast sequence-data, is presented. The results confirm some previously published facts, e.g. that D. zygophylloides is sister to Drosanthemum. We propose to treat this species as a new monotypic genus, Lemonanthemum, which differs from Drosanthemum in features of the leaves and fruit-stalks. In Drosanthemum s.s., the small subg. Quadrata, characterized by 4-locular fruits, is highly supported as sister to the remainder of Drosanthemum (where fruits are 5-locular). Further, our data support the transfer of Delosperma pubipetalum to Drosanthemum (where a nomenclatural change is also made). The pubescent petals, 5-locular fruits with narrow covering membranes and downward-pointing hair-like papillae on the branches suggest that D. pubipetalum is close to D. papillatum and belongs to subg. Quastea. Another species, D. badspoortense, which had been placed in D. subg. Quastea on account of its narrow covering membranes, is shown to belong to Delosperma and also lacks the unique structure of the fruit-stalk of Drosanthemum. In addition, a new species, D. overbergense, is described from disjunct patches of remnant renosterveld within the Overberg and near Albertinia, in the Western Cape of South Africa. Morphological characteristics suggest that this species belongs to subg. Xamera, but this was not corroborated by our molecular data. Finally, a new name—Drosanthemum calcareum—is proposed for the illegitimate D. intermedium and a lectotype (at BOL) is designated for D. pubipetalum. The lectotypification of D. badspoortense is also proposed.

Conservation of Rhodococcus equi (Magnusson 1923) Goodfellow and Alderson 1977 and rejection of Rhodococcus hoagii (Morse 1912) Kämpfer et al. 2014

A recent taxonomic study confirmed the synonymy of Rhodococcus equi (Magnusson 1923) Goodfellow and Alderson 1977 and Corynebacterium hoagii (Morse 1912) Eberson 1918. As a result, both R. equi and C. hoagii were reclassified as Rhodococcus hoagii comb. nov. in application of the principle of priority of the Prokaryotic Code. Because R. equi is a well-known animal and zoonotic human pathogen, and a bacterial name solidly established in the veterinary and medical literature, we and others argued that the nomenclatural change may cause error and confusion and be potentially perilous. We have now additionally found that the nomenclatural type of the basonym C. hoagii , ATCC 7005T, does not correspond with the original description of the species C. hoagii in the early literature. Its inclusion as the C. hoagii type on the Approved Lists 1980 results in a change in the characters of the taxon and in C. hoagii designating two different bacteria. Moreover, ATCC 7005, the only strain in circulation under the name C. hoagii , does not have a well documented history; it is unclear why it was deposited as C. hoagii and a possible mix-up with a Corynebacterium ( Rhodococcus ) equi isolate is a reasonable assumption. We therefore request the rejection of Rhodococcus hoagii as a nomen ambiguum, nomen dubium and nomen perplexum in addition to nomen periculosum, and conservation of the name Rhodococcus equi , according to Rules 56ab of the Code.

Notes on Papuasian and Malesian stingless bees, with the descriptions of new taxa (Hymenoptera: Apidae)

Two new species of the stingless bee genus Heterotrigona Schwarz (Apinae: Meliponini) are described and figured from Papua New Guinea: Heterotrigona (Sahulotrigona) tricholoma Engel, new species, lighter individuals of which superficially resemble the larger H. (Platytrigona) lamingtonia (Cockerell) and H. (P.) keyensis (Friese), and H. (S.) taraxis Engel, new species, a taxon generally misidentified as “Trigona atricornis Smith”. The western Malesian (Borneo) species H. hobbyi (Schwarz) is removed to Borneotrigona Engel, new subgenus, and distinguished from the otherwise eastern Platytrigona Moure, which occur in eastern Wallacea (east of Weber’s line) and Papuasia. The historically misidentified T. atricornis is a senior synonym of T. genalis Friese (new synonymy), the latter type species for the genus Papuatrigona Michener & Sakagami, resulting in the following nomenclatural change: Papuatrigona atricornis (Smith), new combination. Flavotetragonula Shanas is placed as a new synonym of Tetragonula Moure s.str. (new synonymy).

A new combination in Mononeuria (Caryophyllaceae)

The nomenclatural change Mononeuria caroliniana comb. nov. is proposed on the basis of molecular phylogenetic results analyzing the nuclear internal transcribed spacer.

Vocal repertoire of Ololygon pombali (Lourenço, Carvalho, Baêta, Pezzuti & Leite, 2013) (Anura: Hylidae) from its type locality, with notes on phenotypic variation

A recent nomenclatural change based on molecular data (Duellman et al. 2016) resurrected genus Ololygon to accommodate all taxa in the former Scinax catharinae clade (Faivovich 2002; Faivovich et al. 2005). Most Ololygon species inhabit Coastal Atlantic rainforests in northeastern and southeastern Brazil (Duellman et al. 2016), but some species occur in the Cerrado Domain (Cardoso & Haddad 1982; Pombal et al. 2010; Lourenço et al. 2013). Ololygon pombali (Lourenço, Carvalho, Baêta, Pezzuti & Leite, 2013) is a small species only known from the southern portion of Parque Nacional da Serra da Canastra, in the municipality of Capitólio, state of Minas Gerais, southeastern Brazil. Here, we describe the vocal repertoire of Ololygon pombali and provide notes on dorsal color pattern variation, while briefly discussing their taxonomic implications.