The Brachiacantha Dejean, 1837 (Coleoptera, Coccinellidae) of Central America

A revision of the Central American species of the genus Brachiacantha was undertaken to update the knowledge of the Central American species of the genus. Material of several collections was reviewed, using original descriptions and keys, and comparing with the type material. Twenty-five species of the genus Brachiacantha were found in Central American material, including nine new species: B. nubes Nestor-Arriola, Toledo-Hernández and Solís, sp. nov., B. dentata Nestor-Arriola, Toledo-Hernández and Solís, sp. nov., B. isthmena Nestor-Arriola, Toledo-Hernández and Solís, sp. nov., B. aurantiapleura Nestor-Arriola, Solís and Toledo-Hernández, sp. nov., B. invertita Nestor-Arriola, Toledo-Hernández and Solís, sp. nov., B. papiliona Nestor-Arriola, Toledo-Hernández and Solís, sp. nov., B. tica Nestor-Arriola, Toledo-Hernández and Solís, sp. nov., B. hexaspina González, Větrovec and Nestor-Arriola, sp. nov., and B. mimica Nestor-Arriola and Toledo-Hernández, sp. nov. Nomenclatural changes include Brachiacantha gorhami (Weise), comb. nov., B. guatemalensis (Gorham), comb. nov., and Brachiacantha duodecimguttata Leng, syn. nov. for B. lepida Mulsant. The male genitalia of the species B. fenestrata Gorhan, B. octostigma Mulsant, B. aperta Weise, and B. cachensis Gorhan are described and illustrated for the first time. New records include B. indubitabilis Crotch and B. bipartita Mulsant (Costa Rica and Guatemala), B. gorhami (Weise) (El Salvador), and B. cachensis Gorham (Panamá). A key to the species is included.

Keys to the Costa Rican species of paper wasps (Hymenoptera: Vespidae: Polistinae)

Paper wasps (subfamily Polistinae) are one of the four main groups of eusocial insects in the Neotropics. They are medically important for the frequent stings inflicted on humans, but at the same time are valuable predators of pest insects. Nonetheless, there are no updated keys for the identification of the Central American species. Here we provide keys to the 18 genera and 106 species known to occur in Costa Rica, illustrated with one hundred original line drawings.

Structure of the petioles and costae of Mexican and Central American species of Pteris (Polypodiopsida, Pteridaceae)

Given the taxonomic complexity of the genus Pteris in the Neotropics, the present work aims to collect information about the anatomy of the petioles and the costae of native, adventitious, and introduced Mexican and Central American species of Pteris, and to analyse its taxonomic potential. We collected fresh and dried samples from 26 species, making histological sections by hand. With the naked eye or with a dissection microscope, the colour and size of the axes, and the characters of the awns were recorded. Other characters (indument, anatomy, specifically the stele) were observed in a compound microscope. The type of stele of the petiole, characterized by the shape of xylem, appeared to be an important taxonomic character because it presents a remarkable correlation with some of the groups formed by spore type. Some of these groups of Mesoamerican species of Pteris, formed by means of morphological criteria (petiole xylem + spore) fit very well certain clades established by means of molecular characters.

Lectotypification of names in the genus Lycianthes (Solanaceae)

As part of a revision of the Mexican and Central American species of the genus Lycianthes (Solanaceae), 15 names or synonyms in the genus, including many names published by the German botanist Georg Bitter, are lectotypified.

Erratum: unnecessary neotypification of Psidiastrum (Myrtaceae)

The only species of Psidiastrum, P. dubium Bello (1881: 272), native to Puerto Rico, is a synonym of Eugenia axillaris (Swartz 1788: 78) Willdenow (1799: 960), a Caribbean/Central American species. In our 2016 paper on sections in Eugenia Linnaeus (1753: 470), Mazine et al. 2016), a neotype was designated for P. dubium. Nevertheless, this had already been done in 2015 by Santiago-Valentín et al. (2015: 335). Therefore the neotypification presented by Mazine et al. (2016) should be disregarded. This is a minor point, but I hope it helps in future publications.

Justicia segoviaensis, a new name for Justicia micrantha (Oerst.) V.A.W.Graham (Acanthaceae)

Justicia micrantha (Oerst.) Graham (1988: 603) is a Central American species originally described by Oersted as Chaetothylopsis micrantha Oersterd (1855: 163). However, it is illegitimate name under Art. 53.1 of the ICN (McNeill et al., 2012) because an earlier homonym Justicia micrantha Wall. ex Clarke (1885: 536) already exist for another Indian plant. Therefore, a new name, Justicia segoviaensis, is proposed here for the later homonym, J. micrantha (Oerst.) V.A.W. Graham.

Review of Dissomphalus Ashmead (Hymenoptera, Bethylidae) from Panama, with key to the Central American species

Sixty-four species of Dissomphalus from Panama are recognized, 31 are described and illustrated as new to science: D. abarus sp. nov., D. afestus sp. nov., D. arbeius sp. nov., D. ardonius sp. nov., D. areius sp. nov., D. aretisus sp. nov., D. arteobius sp. nov., D. arteus sp. nov., D. asfartus sp. nov., D. asitius sp. nov., D. azagus sp. nov., D. borus sp. nov., D. citus sp. nov., D. ettus sp. nov., D. geortus sp. nov., D. ibocius sp. nov., D. ibrastus sp. nov., D. ilarius sp. nov., D. iozus sp. nov., D. isortus sp. nov., D. isteus sp. nov., D. racarus sp. nov., D. raziogus sp. nov., D. sartus sp. nov., D. teobus sp. nov., D. teraus sp. nov., D. terbius sp. nov., D. tisinus sp. nov., D. trisus sp. nov., D. urazius sp. nov. and D. ubracus sp. nov.. Eight species are registered for the first time from Panama: D. angulatus Azevedo, D. galeatus Alencar & Azevedo, D. infissus Evans, D. persontaus Redighieri & Azevedo, D. pilus Alencar & Azevedo, D. politus Ashmead, D. pronus Alencar & Azevedo and D. vallensis Evans. Eighteen species had their known distribution broadened in the country: D. bilobatus Azevedo, D. brasiliensis Kieffer, D. cervoides Azevedo, D. coronatus Alencar & Azevedo, D. culteratus Alencar & Azevedo, D. curvifoveatus Azevedo, D. dilatatus Azevedo, D. geniculatus Azevedo, D. gilvipes Evans, D. guttus Azevedo, D. intradentatus Azevedo, D. piscicercus Azevedo, D. plaumanni Evans, D. punctatus (Kieffer), D. rettenmeyeri Evans, D. rufipalpis Kieffer, D. strepsus Azevedo and D. unitus Azevedo. Seven species previously recorded from Panama were not found in the studied material: D. altivolans Evans, D. apertus Kieffer, Alencar & Azevedo, D. declinatus Alencar & Azevedo, D. latus Azevedo, D. ramosus Alencar & Azevedo, D. strabus Azevedo and D. subdeformis Azevedo. A key to species of Dissomphalus from Central America is provided.