Morphometry of stingless bees (Hymenoptera:Apidae:Meliponini) of the genus Lisotrigona indicates presence of more than one species in India

Morphometry of 53 stingless bees of the genus Lisotrigona collected from seven places in India by using 36 morphological parameters was studied. The data set also included morphometry data of primary types of L. cacciae, L. chandrai and L. revanai for comparison and was subjected to Factor and Canonical Discriminant analysis. All the bees collected from five places formed two distinct clusters in the Factor analysis and five clusters in Canonical Discriminant analysis. In both the methods of analysis primary types of L. cacciae, L. chandrai and L. revanai were placed well separated from each other as well as from other bees. The bees from seven places also differed from the three known species in morphometry and ratios of length and width of parts of the body. Based on these results it is concluded that Indian stingless bees of the genus Lisotrigona consists of more than one species besides L. cacciae. The action of synonymizing L. mohandasi, L. chandrai and L. revanai with L. cacciae appears arbitrary; these three species should be considered valid until supported by male genital morphology or molecular characters.

A taxonomic study on Epedanidae from Thailand including functional aspects of male genital morphology (Opiliones, Laniatores)

The South-East Asian opilionid family Epedanidae Sørensen, 1886 has one of its strongholds in Thailand from where a multitude of genera and species have been described but the epedanid fauna of the country is still poorly known. This paper records four species from this country, three of which are new: Euepedanus dashdamirovisp. nov. (male and female), Plistobunus jaegerisp. nov. (male and female), and Toccolus kuryisp. nov. (male and female). Toccolus globitarsis Suzuki, 1969 was previously known only from the type locality in Thailand and is redescribed here. Functional aspects of epedanid penial morphology are highlighted.

A new Peruvian species of Scybalocanthon Martínez, 1948 (Coleoptera, Scarabaeidae, Scarabaeinae, Deltochilini) and some remarkable intrapopulational variation in the endophallus of S. pinopterus (Kirsch, 1873)

Scybalocanthon asheisp. nov. from Madre de Dios, Peru, is described based on differences in external and male genital morphology. Its diagnostic characters and an updated identification key to the species of the genus are provided as well as new distributional data for the following species: S. acrianus Silva & Valois, 2019, S. aereus (Schmidt, 1922), S. kaestneri (Balthasar, 1939) and S. pinopterus (Kirsch, 1873).

Revision of Taiwanese and Ryukyuan species of Propristocera (Hymenoptera: Bethylidae), with description of a new species

The genus Propristocera Kieffer was very recently revived from the synonymy of the genus Apenesia Westwood, and consists of a total of 25 valid species recorded from the Afrotropical, Oriental and Palaearctic regions. Only two of its species, P. formosimonticola and P. pingtungensis, have been previously recorded from Taiwan. In this study, we examined species of Propristocera collected from Taiwan and the Ryukyus based on external morphology, male genital morphology and molecular phylogenetic analyses, gene markers: nuclear 28SrDNA, mitochondrial COI. In consequence, four species were recognized. Propristocera okinawensis had its record expanded from the Ryukyus to Taiwan, whereas P. kusigematii previously known from the Ryukyus was synonymized under P. pingtungensis, which was known from Taiwan. Furthermore, one new species, Propristocera seediq sp. nov., was discovered in Taiwan and the Ryukyus.

Phenotypic plasticity in genitalia: baculum shape responds to sperm competition risk in house mice

Males are known to adjust their expenditure on testes growth and sperm production in response to sperm competition risk. Genital morphology can also contribute to competitive fertilization success but whether male genital morphology can respond plastically to the sperm competition environment has received little attention. Here, we exposed male house mice to two different sperm competition environments during their sexual development and quantified phenotypic plasticity in baculum morphology. The sperm competition environment generated plasticity in body growth. Males maturing under sperm competition risk were larger and heavier than males maturing under no sperm competition risk. We used a landmark-based geometric morphometric approach to measure baculum size and shape. Independent of variation in body size, males maintained under risk of sperm competition had a relatively thicker and more distally extended baculum bulb compared with males maintained under no sperm competition risk. Plasticity in baculum shape paralleled evolutionary responses to selection from sperm competition reported in previous studies of house mice. Our findings provide experimental evidence of socially mediated phenotypic plasticity in male genitalia.

An updated key to the millipede-hunting subgenus Aganhyboma Kolbe, 1893 of the genus Deltochilum Eschscholtz, 1822 (Coleoptera: Scarabaeidae: Scarabaeinae), with description of a new species from Bolivia and Peru

Deltochilum (Aganhyboma) mariafernandae sp. nov., from Santa Cruz, Bolivia and Cuzco, Peru is described based on differences in external and male genital morphology. Its diagnostic characters and an identification key to the species of the subgenus are provided.

A new species of Theretra Hübner (Lepidoptera: Sphingidae) from the southern Western Ghats, India

A new species of the genus Theretra Hübner [1819], Theretra shendurneensis sp. nov., is described from Shendurney Wildlife Sanctuary, southern Western Ghats, India, based on external and internal morphology, and genetic markers. The new species is compared in external and male genital morphology, genetic divergence and geographic range with three similar and closely related species: T. boisduvalii (Bugnion, 1839), T. sumatrensis (Joicey and Kaye, 1917) and T. rhesus (Boisduval, [1875]). Recent changes to the classification of Theretra are discussed and rejected.