Notes on the stingless bee genera Scaura and Geotrigona (Hymenoptera: Apidae)

Brief notes are presented on the classifications of Scaura Schwarz and Geotrigona Moure. A new subgeneric system is proposed for Scaura in which three subgenera are recognized: Scaura Schwarz, s.str.; Scauracea Engel, new subgenus; Schwarzula Moure. Likewise, a new subgenus is proposed in Geotrigona as Chthonotrigona Engel, new subgenus.

A Cross Sectional Sampling Reveals Novel Coronaviruses in Bat Populations of Georgia

Mammal-associated coronaviruses have a long evolutionary history across global bat populations, which makes them prone to be the most likely ancestral origins of coronavirus-associated epidemics and pandemics globally. Limited coronavirus research has occurred at the junction of Europe and Asia, thereby investigations in Georgia are critical to complete the coronavirus diversity map in the region. We conducted a cross-sectional coronavirus survey in bat populations at eight locations of Georgia, from July to October of 2014. We tested 188 anal swab samples, remains of previous pathogen discovery studies, for the presence of coronaviruses using end-point pan-coronavirus RT-PCR assays. Samples positive for a 440 bp amplicon were Sanger sequenced to infer coronavirus subgenus or species through phylogenetic reconstructions. Overall, we found a 24.5% positive rate, with 10.1% for Alphacoronavirus and 14.4% for Betacoronavirus. Albeit R. euryale, R. ferrumequinum, M. blythii and M. emarginatus were found infected with both CoV genera, we could not rule out CoV co-infection due to limitation of the sequencing method used and sample availability. Based on phylogenetic inferences and genetic distances at nucleotide and amino acid levels, we found one putative new subgenus and three new species of Alphacoronavirus, and two new species of Betacoronavirus.

Recent discoveries of new Elephantomyia (Diptera, Limoniidae) fossils in Baltic amber

New data on the genus Elephantomyia (Diptera: Limoniidae) from Baltic amber are presented. A new subgenus Hoffeinsonia subgen. nov. is established with one new species: Elephantomyia (Hoffeinsonia) prima sp. nov. The new subgenus is characterized by a wing at most 2.5 × as long as it is wide without a darker pattern along the veins Sc and R1, elongate Sc, straight vein R1, sharp half of vein R2+3+4 sharply arched to the upper edge of the wing, short, wide, trapezoidal d-cell and oval pterostigma. The fossil subgenus Hoffeinsonia subgen. nov. shares features with the extant subgenera Elephantomyodes and Elephantomyia. One other extinct species of Elephantomyia was discovered and described herein as E. (s. str.) christelae sp. nov. Such features as a very elongate vein R2+3+4, 2.5 × as long as the Rs easily allowing this new species to be distinguished from the other fossil representatives of the genus Elephantomyia. The taxonomic decision on Elephantomyia grata as a species placed in nominative subgenus is provided. A list and key of fossil species of Elephantomyia are given. The morphological pattern of the genus is discussed in relation to the adaptation to a specific food spectrum, coevolution with Angiospermae of the representative genus Helius known since Cretaceous and closely related to this genus representatives of the much younger genus Elephantomyia.

Tortrilema, a new subgenus of the genus Manulea Wallengren with description of a new species from Vietnam (Lepidoptera: Erebidae: Arctiinae: Lithosiini)

A new subgenus of the genus Manulea Wallengren, 1863, Tortrilema subgen. n. is described and briefly reviewed. A new species, M. nubes sp. n. is described from North Vietnam. A new synonymy is established: Manulea (Nyea) Agenjo, 1983 = Manulea (Agenjoa) Dubatolov & Zolotuhin, 2011, syn. nov.

Species of the genus Notaris Germar, 1817 (Coleoptera, Curculionidae) from Siberia and Russian Far East

Seven described species (N. (Erirhinus) aethiops (Paykull, 1792), N. (Asionotaris) eversmanni Faust, 1882, N. (A.) altaica (Legalov, 1997), N. (N.) acridulus (Linnaeus, 1758), N. (N.) daurica Faust, 1882, N. (N.) oryzae (Ishida, 1902), and N. (N.) scirpi (Fabricius, 1792) with two subspecies: N. (N.) scirpi scirpi (Fabricius, 1792) and N. (N.) scirpi mandschurica Voss, 1940) of the genus Notaris Germar, 1817 are known from Siberia and the Russian Far East. The distributions of these species are specified. There are the first records of N. (Erirhinus) aethiops for Republic of Khakassia, N. (Asionotaris) eversmanni for Sakhalin Is., N. (N.) acridulus for Altai Krai and Jewish Autonomous Oblast, N. (N.) scirpi scirpi for Irkutsk Oblast and N. (N.) scirpi mandschurica for Zabaikalskii Krai. A new subgenus Asionotaris subgen. n. (type species – Erirhinus altaicus Legalov, 1997) of the genus Notaris is described. Keys for subgenera of the genus Notaris and species of this genus from Siberia and the Russian Far East are completed. Distribution maps of the considered Notaris species are given.

Systematic implications from a robust phylogenetic reconstruction of the genus Helianthemum (Cistaceae) based on genotyping-by-sequencing (GBS) data

Molecular systematics requires the establishment of a robust phylogenetic framework including extensive geographical and taxonomic sampling. In this work, we proposed systematic changes in the genus Helianthemum based on phylogenetic trees obtained by both maximum likelihood and Bayesian analyses of GBS data. The implications of these phylogenetic results for the systematics of Helianthemum entail the establishment of a new subgenus and novel re-ascriptions of sections and species along with some nomenclatural novelties. The following new combinations are proposed: Helianthemum subg. Eriocarpum (Dunal) Martín-Hernanz, Velayos, Albaladejo & Aparicio; H. oelandicum subsp. conquense (Borja & Rivas Goday ex G.López) Martín-Hernanz, Velayos, Albaladejo & Aparicio; H. nummularium subsp. cantabricum (M.Laínz) Martín-Hernanz, Velayos, Albaladejo & Aparicio; H. nummularium subsp. tinetense (M.Mayor & Fern.Benito) Martín-Hernanz, Velayos, Albaladejo & Aparicio.

Taxonomic classification methods reveal a new subgenus in the paramyxovirus subfamily Orthoparamyxovirinae

As part of a broad One Health surveillance effort to detect novel viruses in wildlife and people, we report several paramyxoviruses sequenced primarily from bats during 2013 and 2014 in Brazil and Malaysia, including seven from which we recovered full-length genomes. Of these, six represent the first full-length paramyxovirus genomes sequenced from the Americas, including two sequences which are the first full-length bat morbillivirus genomes published to date. Our findings add to the vast number of viral sequences in public repositories that have been increasing considerably in recent years due to the rising accessibility of metagenomics. Taxonomic classification of these sequences in the absence of phenotypic data has been a significant challenge, particularly in the paramyxovirus subfamily Orthoparamyxovirinae, where the rate of discovery of novel sequences has been substantial. Using pairwise amino acid sequence classification (PASC), we describe a novel genus within this subfamily tentatively named Jeishaanvirus, which we propose should include as subgenera Jeilongvirus, Shaanvirus, and a novel South American subgenus Cadivirus. We also highlight inconsistencies in the classification of Tupaia virus and Mojiang virus using the same demarcation criteria and show that members of the proposed subgenus Shaanvirus are paraphyletic. Importantly, this study underscores the critical importance of sequence length in PASC analysis as well as the importance of biological characteristics such as genome organization in the taxonomic classification of viral sequences.

Simulium (Trichodagmia) (Diptera, Simuliidae) phylogeny revisited: the Neotropical and Afrotropical connection

Simulium (Trichodagmia) Enderlein, 1934 has an unstable classification system. The broader concept of the subgenus includes five species-groups resulting from an extensive history of synonymisations, often outside of a phylogenetic framework. This concept also ignores relationship hypotheses with the Afrotropical subgenera S. (Anasolen) Enderlein, 1930, S. (Freemanellum) Crosskey, 1969, S. (Xenosimulium) Crosskey, 1969, and the Oviedoi species-group, with several Neotropical species of S. (Trichodagmia). We performed a morphological phylogenetic analysis to test the monophyly of S. (Trichodagmia), its species-groups, and their relationship with the above-mentioned subgenera and Oviedoi species-group. We analysed a data matrix with 69 terminal taxa and 62 characters under parsimony implied weights, with a range of concavities (k1–100), finding three categories of k. Our analysis concludes that S. (Trichodagmia) is not monophyletic, since Oviedoi and the Afrotropical subgenera group with its species-groups Tarsatum and Orbitale. Therefore, we propose a new classification for S. (Trichodagmia) by restricting it to the Orbitale species-group, revalidating S. (Hearlea) Vargas et al., 1946, S. (Hemicnetha) Enderlein, 1934, S. (Obuchovia) Rubtsov, 1947 and S. (Shewellomyia) Peterson, 1975, synonymysing S. (Xenosimulium) with S. (Anasolen), and erecting a new subgenus, S. (Disculter) subgen. nov. for Oviedoi. The geographical distribution of the groups involved is discussed.