Revision of the colourful genus Parasetodes McLachlan, 1880 (Trichoptera, Leptoceridae)

A revision of the family Cerococcidae Balachowsky (Hemiptera: Sternorrhyncha, Coccomorpha) with particular reference to species from the Afrotropical, western Palaearctic and western Oriental Regions, with the revival of Antecerococcus Green and description of a new genus and fifteen new species, and with ten new synonomies.

Distribution patterns and literature details of 263 Lebiinae species reported from India are provided. List includes 14 species missed out by Andrewes (1930a) and the 98 species described thereafter. Distribution patterns revealed among the 263 species, 104 species are exclusively Oriental species and 35 species are exclusively Palaearctic species. Among the 263 Indian speceis, 130 species are exclusively Indian species with reports only from the Indian subcontinent and one species with report only from Andaman & Nicobar Islands. Of the 130 Indian species, 89 species are recorded from the Oriental, 27 species from the Palaearctic and 14 species recorded from both Oriental and Palaearctic regions in India. Among the 129 Indian subcontinent species, 45 species are endemics to the three global hotspots of the biodiversity in India with 31 species endemic to the Western Ghats and Sri Lanka hotspot of biodiversity; six species endemic to the Eastern Himalayas hotspot of biodiversity; eight species endemic to the Indo-Burma hotspot of biodiversity; four species recorded only from Chota Nagpur plateu and 27 species recorded only from Indian Himalayas. Four species (Microlestes parvati, Singilis indicus, S. squalidus and Lebia cardoni) recorded only from Chota Nagpur plateu and the 31 endemic species from the Western Gahts and Sri Lanka are of special interest for their Gondwana relationships. 133 species have wider geographic distribution pattern with 15 species having distribution in Oriental and Indian regions; 8 species having distribution in Palaeractic and Indian regions; 10 species having distribution in Oriental and Indo-Australian regions; 48 species with distribution in Oriental and Palaearctic regions; 29 species with distribution in Oriental, Indo-Australian and Palaearctic regions; 2 species with distribution in Oriental, Australian and Palaearctic regions; 6 species with distribution in Oriental, Palaearctic and Afrotropical regions; 9 species with distribution in Oriental, Indo-Australian, Australian and Palaearctic regions; and 6 species with random distributions in different regions. Distribution records indicate that the arrival/origin of 228 species- 137 species with wider geographic distribution outside India and the 91 species with Indian distribution and not endemics to the Western Ghats and the Chotanagpur Plateau- is likely to have occurred after the joining of Indian subcontinent with Asian continent and during the subsequent faunal exchange between the newly formed Indian subcontinent and the surrounding regions (Indo-Burma and Indo-China on the north east front; Mediterranean and Ethiopian regions on the north-western front; Central Asian elements on the northern front). These 228 species represent the younger Indian Lebiinae species compared to the 35 species representing the older/ancient species with Gondwana land origin. Key words: Carabidae, Lebiinae, Perigonini, Pentagonicini, Odacanthini, Cyclosomini, Lebiini, India

The World fauna of the tribe Eupitheciini is the most species-rich in the family Geometridae. This tribe includes about 1900 species (almost 3000 species-group names) from 47 genera; about one third of the genera (15) are monotypic. The generic diversity of Eupitheciini is the highest in the Australian (38 genera, 11 of them endemic) and Oriental regions (32 genera, 4 endemic) and the lowest in the Neotropical Region (possibly one genus only). The faunas of different biogeographic regions can be arranged in following order by their species richness: the Palaearctic (487 species), Oriental (397), Neotropical (346), Australian (251), Afrotropical (198), and Nearctic Regions (166 species). Eupithecia is the most species-rich genus in the family Geometridae and the entire order Lepidoptera, and one of the largest genera in the whole World fauna of insects. The greatest number of species of this genus is recorded in the Palaearctic Region (466 species), where Eupithecia accounts for about 95% of the tribe Eupitheciini. The mainland of the Oriental Region (especially the Himalayas) is also very species-rich; however the proportion of the Eupithecia representatives decreases towards Malaysia, Sundaland, and the Australian Region (about 2% of the tribe). The Eupitheciini faunas have the greatest similarity at the generic level between the Oriental and Australian Regions (the Jaccard and Sørensen coefficient values being 0.62 and 0.77, respectively). The Palaearctic fauna is more similar to the Afrotropical and Oriental faunas at the genus-group level. On the whole, the fauna of the Nearctic Region is similar to that the West Palaearctic, with the exception of the fact that representatives of the genera Gymnoscelis and Chloroclystis are absent in North America, although two endemic genera Nasusina and Prorella are present. At the genus-group level, the Nearctic fauna of Eupitheciini is more similar to the Neotropical (the Jaccard and Sørensen coefficients 0.20 and 0.33, respectively) than to the Palaearctic fauna (0.17 and 0.29). The number of synonymies is very high in the tribe Eupitheciini because of the homogeneity of this group, whose species are difficult to identify without the use of elaborate anatomical techniques. Modern revisions, catalogues, surveys, and atlases on Eupitheciini are absent for many countries and large geographic regions. Revisions of pugs of the tribe Eupitheciini for some biogeographic regions are extremely difficult because of fragmentation of entomological collections including the type specimens of many species-group taxa. A large fraction of synonyms is characteristic of parts of the World with the best known faunas: Europe (64% of synonyms) and North America (39%). On the contrary, the lowest levels of synonymy are typical of the less known faunas of the regions situated at the equatorial latitudes, namely the Neotropical (9%) and Afrotropical (8%) ones.

More than 1982 species in 90 genera were included in an analysis of the biogeography of the Phytoseiidae, a family of predatory mites. Seven biogeographic regions were taken into account: Nearctic, Neotropical, Ethiopian, West Palaearctic, East Palaearctic, Oriental, and Australasian. The number of species was particularly high in the Neotropical, Oriental, and West Palaearctic regions. These regions also present the highest levels of species endemism. The number of genera was quite similar in all regions except for the Neotropics, which also had a high level of endemism. The possible Gondwanian (Neotropical, Ethiopian, Australasian, and Oriental regions) origin of the Phytoseiidae, most probably in the Neotropics, and their possible radiation to Laurasia (Nearctic, West Palaearctic, and East Palaearctic regions) are discussed. The comparison between genera and species in the different biogeographic regions indicate the importance of both dispersal and vicariance events in the evolution of the group. Dispersal is assumed to have been most important between Neotropical and Nearctic regions and between East Palaearctic and Oriental regions, whereas vicariance could have been the dominating process between Australasian, Ethiopian, and Oriental regions, as well as between West and East Palaearctic regions. A parsimony analysis of endemicity showed the Neotropical and the Nearctic regions to be isolated from the other regions. This is certainly due to a diversification after the continents drifted apart and then a high dispersal between Nearctic and Neotropical regions. Different phylogenetic hypotheses and scenarios are proposed for each subfamily based on the results obtained and further investigations are proposed. (C) 2008 The Linnean Society of London.

The Hydrachnidia (water mites) represent the most important group of the Arachnida in fresh water. Over 6,000 species have been described worldwide, representing 57 families, 81 subfamilies and more than 400 genera. The article analyzes extant water mite diversity and biogeography. Data on distribution and species richness of water mites are substantial but still far from complete. Many parts of the world are poorly investigated, Oriental and Afrotropical regions in particular. Moreover, information among different freshwater habitats is unbalanced with springs and interstitial waters disproportionately unrepresented. Therefore, more than 10,000 species could be reasonably expected to occur in inland waters worldwide. Based on available information, the Palaearctic region represents one of the better investigated areas with the highest number of species recorded (1,642 species). More than 1,000 species have been recorded in each of the Neotropical (1,305 species) and Nearctic regions (1,025 species). Known species richness is lower in Afrotropical (787 species) and Australasian (694 species) regions, and lowest in the Oriental region (554 species). The total number of genera is not correlated with species richness and is distinctly higher in the Neotropical (164 genera); genus richness is similar in the Palaearctic, Nearctic and Australasian regions (128–131 genera) and is lower in the Afrotropical and Oriental regions with 110 and 94 genera, respectively. A mean number of about three genera per family occur in the Palaeartic, Nearctic and Oriental while an average of more than four genera characterizes the families of Australasian and Afrotropical regions and more than five genera those of the Neotropical. Australasian fauna is also characterized by the highest percentage of endemic genera (62%), followed by Neotropical (50.6%) and Afrotropical (47.2%) regions. Lower values are recorded for the Palaearctic (26.9%), Oriental (24.4%) and Nearctic (21.4%). The Palaearctic and Nearctic have the highest faunistic similarity, some minor affinities are also evident for the generic diversification of Holarctic and Oriental families. The faunas of Southern Hemisphere bioregions are more distinct and characterized by the presence of ancient Gondwanan clades with a regional diversification particularly evident in the Neotropics and Australasia. This scenario of water mite diversity and distribution reflect the basic vicariance pattern, isolation, phylogenetic diversification, recent climatic vicissitudes and episodes of dispersal between adjacent land masses together with extant ecological factors can be evoked to explain distribution patterns at a global scale.

Introduced species may pose one of the biggest threats to biodiversity conservation. Today, monitoring their status, distribution and abundance constitutes an important part of ecological and conservation studies throughout the world. In the Afrotropical Region (sub-Saharan Africa), avian introductions have attracted the attention of many researchers, but there is a lack of a comprehensive review of this subject on a continental scale. The presented paper constitutes an attempt to overview the status, distribution, threats and control measures of birds introduced to sub-Saharan Africa in the last 200 years. This review lists 146 bird species introduced to sub-Saharan Africa. Only 49 (33.6%) of them have developed viable populations and only 7 (4.8%) became invasive species, namely Passer domesticus, Sturnus vulgaris, Acridotheres tristis, Corvus splendens, Columba livia var. domestica, Psittacula krameri and Pycnonotus jocosus. Data on distribution of most introduced species are provided, together with information on the place and year of their first introductions. For Passer domesticus and Columba livia var. domestica, data on population densities are also provided from several southern African towns. The most speciose groups of introduced species were parrots (Psittaciformes), comprising 33.6% (including Psittacidae: 13.7%; and Psittaculidae: 15.1%); Anatidae: 12.3%; Phasianidae: 11.0%; and Passeriformes: 30.1%. Most avian introductions in sub-Saharan Africa took place in Southern Africa (mainly the Cape Town, Durban and Johannesburg areas) and in Madagascar and the surrounding islands (mostly Mauritius, Reunion and Seychelles). Most introduced species which have developed viable populations originate from the Afrotropical, Oriental and Palearctic regions (altogether 78%), with only 2% from the New World. The proportions among the introduced species which have not established viable populations are quite different: 29% from the New World and only 60% from the Afrotropical, Oriental and Palearctic regions. The main factors affecting successful avian introductions and introduction pathways have been identified. A review of the control measures undertaken in sub-Saharan Africa (mainly in small oceanic islands) is outlined for the following species: Passer domesticus, Acridotheres tristis, Corvus splendens, Pycnonotus jocosus, Foudia madagascariensis, Psittacula krameri and Agapornis roseicollis.

The last catalogues of the species of the family Scathophagidae for the individual zoogeographical regions were published in the following years: for the Afrotropical Region in 1976; for the Nearctic Region in 1965; for the Neotropical Region in 1984 and, partly, in 2010; for the Oriental Region in 1977 and for Palaearctic Region in 2008. The changes or additions published since the last catalogue form four basic groups: (I) new genera described (5 in Nearctic Region, 1 in Oriental Region, 8 in Palaearctic Region), (II) new species described (4 in Nearctic Region, 4 in Oriental Region, and 51 in Palaearctic Region), (III) new established synonyms (2 in Afrotropical Region, 1 in Nearctic Region, 4 in Neotropical Region, 4 in Oriental Region, 22 in Palaearctic Region), and (IV) new proposed combinations (1 in Afrotropical Region, 6 in Nearctic Region, 3 in Neotropical Region, 14 in Palaearctic Region).

cludes 205 described species, and approximately 48% of the species within the Psychomyiidae. The majority of the species is found in the Holarctic and Oriental regions, of which the western part of the Palearctic (91 species) and Oriental (78 species) regions are the richest. Three species are recorded from the Australian region: two in New Guinea and one in Australia. Ten species are known from the Afrotropical region, including the southern, western and eastern parts of the continent. Eleven species are recorded from the Eastern Palearctic region, fourteen species from the Nearctic region, and one species from Neotropical region (Brazil). In the Oriental region, the highest species number is recorded respectively from India (21 species), the Philippines (12 species) and Thailand (11 species).

The male and female of Haemaphysalis (Rhipistoma) pedetes sp. n. are described. This distinctive parasite of the springhare, Pedetes capensis (Pallas) (Rodentia: Pedetidae), in Transvaal appears to represent a relict member of the H. (R.) asiatica group of relatively uncommon species scattered through the Oriental, Palearctic, and Ethiopian Faunal Regions. Factors influencing the wide distribution of numerous tickborne viruses remain unclear (Hoogstraal, 1972) but are obviously associated with historical and ecological factors controlling the distribution of ticks and vertebrate hosts. In this context, knowledge of the presence of relict tick species such as Haemaphysalis (Rhipistoma) pedetes sp. n. may contribute to understanding the history, relationships, and distribution of tickborne viruses. H. (R.) pedetes sp. n. is an easily recognized species appearing to be a member of the H. (R.) asiatica group (Hoogstraal and Morel, 1970) of relatively uncommon species scattered through the Oriental, Palearctic, and Ethiopian Faunal Regions. This tick also shows certain relationships to the H. (R.) erinacei group of the Palearctic Region. It differs distinctly from the well known, more recent H. (R.) leachi group, which is commonly associated as immatures with rodents and as adults with carnivores throughout the Ethiopian Region. The two specimens recorded here were reported by Warburton (1933) and Cooley (1934) as H. numidiana Nuttall, and by Hoogstraal (1955, p. 230, footnote) as an undescribed species. Despite rather intensive Received for publication 9 May 1972. *From Research Project MF12.524.009-3010B, Bureau of Medicine and Surgery, Department of the Navy, Washington, D. C. The opinions and assertions contained herein are the private ones of the author and are not to be construed as official or as reflecting the views of the Department of the Navy or of the naval service at large. The illustrations in this report were prepared under the auspices of Agreement 03-005-1 between the NIAID (NIH) and NAMRU-3. investigation of African ticks by numerous workers during the past two decades, no other samples of this new species have been observed. Therefore we now describe this small sample in the hope of stimulating further study of this exceptionally interesting species and its biology and vector potential. Haemaphysalis (Rhipistoma) pedetes sp. n. South African springhare haemaphysalid (Figs. 1-20)

The genus Odontochrydium Brauns, 1928, previously known only from the Afrotropical Region, is recorded from the Palaearctic Region (Saudi Arabia) and the Oriental Region (Southern India) for the first time. Odontochrydium bicristatum sp. nov. from Kenya and Saudi Arabia and O. xui sp. nov. from India are described. Pictures and a key to the species of this genus are given.

Traditionally, conservation research has not focused on Rodentia and Soricomorpha, and many species are known from a handful of specimens and the type locality only (few and type locality species (FETP)). Here we studied the patterns of occurrence of FETP rodents and soricomorphs in relation to geographical area and vegetation zones and report some conservation considerations. Overall, 91 species of Rodentia and 19 species of Soricomorpha were selected. There was a positive correlation between number of species per genus and number of FETP species in each genus. The majority of FETP rodents occur in the Neotropical, Afrotropical and Oriental regions, and soricomorphs in the Afrotropical and Oriental regions. Higher numbers of FETP rodent species occurred in Argentina and Indonesia. There was a positive relationship between species richness of rodents per country and number of FETP species. In terms of habitat type, FETP species of rodents and soricomorphs showed similar patterns, with most species being found in rainforest. The great majority of selected species of both groups were Data Deficient (DD), with Critically Endangered (CR) accounting for 16.5% of Rodentia and 5.3% of Soricomorpha. Overall, IUCN threatened species mostly occur in the Neotropical region, followed by the Afrotropical region. It is urged that IUCN authorities should promptly revise all FETP species and their precautionary CR status, at least when a reasonable timespan (i.e., >25 years) has passed since the last records.

This paper deals with a collection of epigean and hypogean water mites from the Hormozgan and Sistan va Baluchestan prov-inces in southern Iran. One new genus, Haloaxonopsis, is described, characterized by the presence of so-called wheel-likeacetabula, a unique character so far known only in marine mites of the family Pontarachnidae. One new subgenus, Halolimne-sia, and fourteen new species are described: Hydrachna sistanica, Nilotonia hormozgana, Torrenticola asadiae, T. hormozgan-ensis, Monatractides martini, Neoatractides calidus, Limnesia diversipes, Atractides hormozganus, Javalbia persica,Axonopsis gloeeri, A. interstitialis, A. hyporheica, Haloaxonopsis salina and Albia hyporheica. The first descriptions of thefemale are given for Neumania cf. maharashtris Cook, 1967 and Arrenurus bharatensis Cook, 1967. The following species arereported for the first time in Iran: Hydrachna cf. vaillanti K. Viets 1951, H. globosa lacerata Lundblad, 1969, Diplodontus sil-vestrii (Daday, 1898), Hygrobates hamatus K. Viets, 1935, Atractides biscutatus Cook, 1967 and Arrenurus bharatensis Cook,1967. The zoogeographical and ecological characteristics of the water mite fauna of southern Iran are discussed. The fauna ofSE Iran is of Oriental character, and no typical Palaearctic species were found. Our study shows that this fauna is not transitional, suggesting a rather ‘sharp’ boundary between the Palaearctic and Oriental regions in southern Iran.

A molecular phylogeny of the pan-tropical pond skater genus Limnogonus Stål 1868 (Hemiptera–Heteroptera: Gerromorpha-Gerridae)

Genomic divergence among sindbis virus strains

The family Cecidomyiidae (Diptera) includes the largest number of gall-inducing species of any arthropod family. In this chapter, we focus on the taxonomy, life-history strategy, biogeography, and evolution of the gall midges belonging to the tribe Asphondyliini associated with broad-leaved evergreen trees in the eastern Palearctic and Oriental Regions. Asphondyliini is a well-circumscribed monophyletic group and is divided into two subtribes: Asphondyliina and Schizomyiina. In the eastern Palearctic and Oriental Regions, most species of univoltine Schizomyiina adopt a Type lA life-history strategy, in which full-grown larvae leave the galls and overwinter on the ground, whereas Asphondyliina exhibit Type IIA or liB life-history strategies, in which full-grown larvae (Type liA) or first instars (Type liB) overwinter within galls remaining attached to the plants. Phylogenetic analysis based on 14 morphological characters indicates that the Type I strategy is a primitive state and the Type II strategy has evolved from Type I. In addition, phylogenetic analysis supports the possibility that Asphondyliina originated in the Old World and that Asphondylia originated in the Neotropical Region. We review the present knowledge of the taxonomy, distribution, life-history strategy, and host specificity of Asteralobia, Luzonomyia, Oxycephalomyia, and other genera of Schizomyiina and of Daphnephila, Pseudasphondylia, Bruggmanniella, Asphondylia, and other genera of Asphondyliina that are distributed in the eastern Palearctic and Oriental Regions and we discuss the biogeography and evolution of respective genera.