A revision of Chrysopidae (Neuroptera) from the late Eocene Florissant Formation, Colorado, with description of new species.

Herein the members of the Subcommittee on Taxonomy of Rhizobia and Agrobacteria of the International Committee on Systematics of Prokaryotes review recent developments in rhizobial and agrobacterial taxonomy and propose updated minimal standards for the description of new species (and genera) in these groups. The essential requirements (minimal standards) for description of a new species are (1) a genome sequence of at least the proposed type strain and (2) evidence for differentiation from other species based on genome sequence comparisons. It is also recommended that (3) genetic variation within the species is documented with sequence data from several clearly different strains and (4) phenotypic features are described, and their variation documented with data from a relevant set of representative strains. Furthermore, it is encouraged that information is provided on (5) nodulation or pathogenicity phenotypes, as appropriate, with relevant gene sequences. These guidelines supplement the current rules of general bacterial taxonomy, which require (6) a name that conforms to the International Code of Nomenclature of Prokaryotes, (7) validation of the name by publication either directly in the International Journal of Systematic and Evolutionary Microbiology or in a validation list when published elsewhere, and (8) deposition of the type strain in two international culture collections in separate countries.

The pros and cons of being broad: recent and future progress of Nordic Journal of Botany

The taxonomy, chronostratigraphy and paleobiogeography of glyptosaurine lizards (Glyptosaurinae, Anguidae)

Studies on the North American Proctotrupidae, with descriptions of new species from Florida.

Studies on the North American Chalcididae, with descriptions of new species from Florida.

The status of taxonomic knowledge varies across the Globe. Quantifying and mapping the geographic patterns of taxonomic status is essential to prioritise regions that require greater attention from the taxonomic community. Here, we compiled all valid orthopteran species names and their synonyms, extracted from the Catalogue of Life (CoL) and allocated them geographically, based on data from the Global Biodiversity Information Facility (GBIF) and the Orthoptera Species File (OSF). This allowed us to create measures of taxonomic effort, based on the date of species descriptions and the number of associated synonyms and combine them across space. Our analyses show that the descriptions of currently valid species increased exponentially since the 19th century, with a temporary decline following World War II, while synonyms outpaced the number of valid species until the 1980s. The number of taxonomists also increased over time, with declines after World Wars, followed by a significant rise from the 1950s onwards, continuing through the 21st century (with > 100 taxonomists currently active). Per-taxonomist description rates transitioned from highly variable before the 20th century to consistent rates of 5–10 species annually with collaborative efforts. Tropical regions and the Southern Hemisphere hold the majority of recently described species names with fewer associated synonyms, indicating a predominance of alpha taxonomy and highlighting the need for greater taxonomic efforts. In contrast, temperate regions, particularly in Europe and south-western Asia, contain the majority of older names and synonyms, indicating a predominance of beta taxonomy and regions that have been more thoroughly studied. Our findings are discussed in the context of sociopolitical factors, scientific investments and the history of taxonomy. Finally, we propose a framework that makes the links between taxonomy and macroecology accessible for biodiversity in the era of Big Data. Alpha taxonomy (i.e. the description of new species) and Beta taxonomy (i.e. the revision of the taxonomic status and relationships of already described taxa) vary across space and time. We present a framework that connects taxonomy and macroecology, allowing us to assess taxonomic trends to provide information for biodiversity studies in the era of Big Data. We mapped alpha taxonomy rates using the date of species descriptions across space and beta taxonomy rates using the number of synonyms associated with each species. We combined alpha and beta taxonomy rates to understand the global taxonomic status of Orthoptera (Arthropoda, Insecta), the sixth most species-rich insect order, which includes grasshoppers, crickets, katydids and relatives. In tropical regions, orthopteran taxonomy is recent and has few revisions, while in temperate regions, it is older and more consolidated.

In the last few years, a sharp increase in the number of descriptions of new species of West African cone snails, particularly from the Cabo Verde Archipelago, has taken place. In previous studies, we used mitogenome sequences for reconstructing robust phylogenies, which comprised in total 120 individuals representing the majority of species (69.7%) described from this biogeographical region (except Angolan endemics) and grouped into seven genera within the family Conidae. Here, we add another 12 individuals representing endemic species that were missing in the previous studies. We use the phylogenies to identify monophyletic groups and a genetic divergence threshold (0.2% uncorrected p distance) to determine the number of valid species. As a result, the number of valid West African cone species could be drastically reduced to at least 40%, indicating that some recent poor-quality descriptions loosely based on phenotypic characters prone to convergence such as the shape and color patterns of the shell have contributed substantially to taxonomic inflation. Several previously accepted species with a reduced geographical distribution now become phenotypic forms of the remaining valid species, which increase their distribution ranges. In contrast, several cryptic species are now uncovered and described. For instance, Africonus insulae sp. nov. and Kalloconus canariensis sp. nov. are hereby introduced as new species. A detailed systematic account with illustrations and relevant information is presented. Lectotypes are designated for Conus trochulus and Conus irregularis, and neotypes for Conus crotchii and Conus diminutus. According to our results, it is strongly recommended that any future introduction of new taxa names for cone snails from West Africa should be supported by molecular and/or anatomical rather than exclusively shell morphological data. The taxonomic decisions here taken have direct implications for conservation and will eventually require re-evaluation of the Red List risk status of an important number of species.

The status of five genera recognized within subfamily Buccininae (Buccinidae) is critically re-assessed based on the molecular phylogenetic analysis of the cox-1, 16S, and 28S gene fragments. Our results suggest restoring Volutharpa P. Fischer, 1856 from synonymy of Buccinum and we also consider Plicibuccinum Golikov & Gulbin, 1977 as valid genus. New molecular data provide further support for the synonimization of Bathybuccinum Golikov & Sirenko, 1988 with Buccinum Linnaeus, 1758. Furthermore, our data demonstrate that Thysanobuccinum Golikov #38; Gulbin in Golikov, 1980 and Ovulatibuccinum Golikov & Sirenko, 1988 as currently construed are nested within Buccinum and their subgeneric rank is not confirmed. Therefore, we synonymize these genera with Buccinum. In the absence of molecular data the monotypic genus Corneobuccinum Golikov & Gulbin, 1977 is provisionally considered valid. Two new species, Buccinum hasegawai sp. nov. and B. bizikovi sp. nov. are described from the Kurile Islands; these species were previously erroneously identified as Bathybuccinum bombycinum (Dall, 1907) and Ovulatibuccinum ovulum (Dall, 1907), respectively. New replacement names are proposed for the secondary junior homonym Buccinum perlatum (Fraussen & Chino, 2009) and the primary junior homonyms Buccinum coronatum Golikov, 1980 and Buccinum costatum Golikov 1980.

does not appear. First page follows. Introduction Several undescribed species of California mealybugs have been discovered since the author published his Taxonomic Study of California Mealybugs, with Descriptions of New Species.3 Some of these new forms have been found after an examination of countless slide preparations represented in several Coccoidea collections, while others have been collected in the field by various county, state, and university personnel. Recently, some interesting mealybug recoveries have been made from soil samples processed in Berlese traps. As a matter of fact, of the 13 pseudococcid species herein described as new, 4 were taken from this type of trap. Adaptation of this procedure for collecting mealybugs has provided a new way to gather information about the mealybug fauna of California. It is contemplated that in the future more emphasis will be placed on this method of collecting. The purpose of the present study is to describe and illustrate new California species of mealybugs, and to comment, if necessary, on the taxonomic status of other named forms occurring in the state. Ultimately the descriptions presented in the first study mentioned above, and the new information herein presented, will be assembled in a systematic dissertation on California species of mealybugs. The number of new species for California described by the two studies now totals 41. Since a key to genera of North American Pseudococcidae was presented in the first publication of this series, a revision of this appears to be unnecessary at present. However, the keys to certain North American genera are amended to include the new forms herein described. No doubt these keys will again need modification when the final publication appears.

This paper is one of a proposed series of papers in which the writer plans to present new data on the fungus flora of Louisiana. The description of new species as well as the report of new host records and noteworthy information on distribution of the fungi will be included. Both saprophytic and parasitic species will be considered. The present paper includes a description of several new genera and species of parasitic fungi found in Louisiana, in addition to new distributional and host records for several other species.

Reprint of ‘Eighty years of chitinozoan research: From Alfred Eisenack to Florentin Paris’

A revision of pipistrelle-like bats (Mammalia: Chiroptera: Vespertilionidae) in East Africa with the description of new genera and species

The genus Dickeya includes plant pathogenic bacteria attacking a wide range of crops and ornamentals as well as a few environmental isolates from water. Defined on the basis of six species in 2005, this genus now includes 12 recognized species. Despite the description of several new species in recent years, the diversity of the genus Dickeya is not yet fully explored. Many strains have been analyzed for species causing diseases on economically important crops, such as for the potato pathogens D. dianthicola and D. solani. In contrast, only a few strains have been characterized for species of environmental origin or isolated from plants in understudied countries. To gain insights in the Dickeya diversity, recent extensive analyzes were performed on environmental isolates and poorly characterized strains from old collections. Phylogenetic and phenotypic analyzes led to the reclassification of D. paradisiaca (containing strains from tropical or subtropical regions) in the new genus, Musicola, the identification of three water species D. aquatica, D. lacustris and D. undicola, the description of a new species D. poaceaphila including Australian strains isolated from grasses, and the characterization of the new species D. oryzae and D. parazeae, resulting from the subdivision of the species D. zeae. Traits distinguishing each new species were identified from genomic and phenotypic comparisons. The high heterogeneity observed in some species, notably for D. zeae, indicates that additional species still need to be defined. The objective of this study was to clarify the present taxonomy of the genus Dickeya and to reassign the correct species to several Dickeya strains isolated before the current classification.

A molecular phylogeny of Planaltina, including the three previously described species and an undescribed species, is presented. The monophyly of the genus, included in Diapomini, is strongly supported. Its sister group, the remaining Diapomini, includes only species without modified caudal-fin squamation in the present analysis (species of Diapoma with caudal organs were not sampled). Creagrutus is sister to Planaltina plus remaining Diapomini instead of Planaltina being sister to Creagrutus plus Diapomini, as a previous analysis had suggested. Species of Planaltina form two clades: P. britskii plus the new species, with low support (< 50%); and P. myersi plus P. glandipedis, with higher support. Planaltina is rediagnosed from all Characidae based on the morphology of the caudal organ, the absence of a humeral spot and the presence of a complete lateral line. Comments on the caudal-fin squamation of Diapoma and Lepidocharax burnsi, on the type-series of L. burnsi and on the geographic distribution of Planaltina and Lepidocharax species are provided. Finally, a formal description of the aforementioned new species and a novel identification key to Planaltina are presented.

The International Committee of Systematic Bacteriology Subcommittee on the taxonomy of Campylobacter and related bacteria has agreed in principle on minimum requirements for the description of new species of the genus Helicobacter. These requirements include the recommendation that the description of a putative new species or subspecies be based on examination of at least five strains in order to provide a measure of phenotypic and genotypic variation. Recommendations for required phenotypic and molecular data are presented. The requirements are consistent with the polyphasic approach to bacterial systematics.