The egg endoparasitoids of Macrolenes dentipes (Olivier) (Coleoptera: Chrysomelidae), with description of a new species of Aprostocetus Westwood and notes on its host (Hymenoptera: Eulophidae)

The genus Walteriella Kazantsev, 2001 is a small group of Asian soldier beetles distributed across South Asia, mainland Southeast Asia and southern East Asia. In the present study, the Taiwanese fauna of Walteriella is reviewed and four species are recognised: W. brunnea (Wittmer, 1955), W. sanguinea brevemarginata (Wittmer, 1983), W. taiwana (Kasantsev, 1999) and W. kasugana sp. nov. The description of the new species and the diagnoses of the named species are supplemented with illustrations of the habitus and diagnostic characters, a distribution map, phenological data and an identification key to species of Walteriella in Taiwan. Furthermore, we compare Walteriella with two similar genera, Leiothorax Wittmer, 1978 and Stenothemus Bourgeois, 1907 and discuss the generic status of Walteriella. Leiothorax Wittmer was found to be a junior homonym of Leiothorax Pinna, 1974 (Malacostraca: Decapoda: Caridea) and is hereby replaced by Neoleiothorax nom. nov. The species originally included in the genus are transferred as follows: N. kashmirensis (Wittmer, 1978) comb. nov., N. kopetzi (vihla, 2004) comb. nov., N. minutus (Wittmer, 1974) comb. nov. and N. pseudominutus (Kopetz, 2008) comb. nov.

A synopsis of Weinmannia of Mexico and Central America is presented. Ten species are recognized ( W. anisophylla, W. balbisiana, W. burserifolia, W. fagaroides, W. intermedia, W. kars - teniana, W. pinnata, W. vulcanicola, W. wercklei ), including the description of a new species ( W. horrida J.F. Morales). A key to the species, as well as descriptions, illustrations, distribution, phenological data, and specimens examined are given for each.

This publication is the first one of a series concerning the taxonomical. revision of the African Dichapetalaceae. Of this family the species occur almost exclusively in the tropics of both the old and the new world, but most abundantly in Africa.In this instalment, the first concerning the genus Dichapetalum, the gross morphology of the species is extensively treated, and related to the morphological tendencies of the two remaining genera of the family, i.e. Stephanopodium and Tapura. This proved to be especially important in connection with the systematical position of the Dichapetalaceae, about which different opinions are held. These different views are mainly caused by differences in the interpretation of the petals and staminodes. It is demonstrated here, that the former should be considered to be staminodes and not proper petals, while the latter are true staminodes and not nectariferous glands.ENGLER'S conception according to which the family belongs in the order Geraniales is supported, but not his view concerning close relationship with Euphorbiaceae. Trigoniaceae and possibly Malpighiaceae appear to be the close relatives.The growth mode of the usually lianescent species is closely observed and illustrated. The wide variation between specimens of the same species receives close attention as well. This variability concerns, amongst others, habit, indumentum, inflorescence, and fruit shape.In the taxonomical part 18 species are described, of which 5 are new, while one is newly combined in Dichapetalum. The great variability has led in the past to the description of numerous species that have to be reduced into synonymy. This would hardly have been possible without the aid of repeated field observations in Africa, on which occasions ample herbarium material was collected. Apart from the author, several others, mainly staffmembers of the Laboratory for Plant Taxonomy and Plant Geography (WAG) have contributed considerably. Also this fieldwork has added substantially towards a better picture of the distribution of the species.Specific names as well as synonyms are treated in alphabetical order to facilitate easier access to this work. For the accepted species the most important literature references are given followed by typification and synonyms; the latter are typified and their main literature references are given as well. As the descriptions of the species are rather extensive, the most important characters have been summarized in 'diagnostic characters'. Each species is illustrated in detail and, where useful, a distribution-map is added.As it will take some time before the revision of the genus Dichapetalum will be completed, a provisional key to the continental species is appended.

A taxonomic study on the diversity of the genus Knema Lour. belonging to the family Myristicaceae R. Br. in India revealed the distribution of the ten taxa under four series in North East and Peninsular India and Andaman and Nicobar Islands including two endemic species. Knema ser. Obovoideae W.J. de Wilde is synonymised here under ser. Knema. Series Knema is represented by two species and ser. Glaucae W.J. de Wilde by one species in North East India, while ser. Laurinae W.J. de Wilde is represented by three species and two subspecies in North East India and Andaman and Nicobar Island, and ser. Glomeratae W.J. de Wilde by 2 species in South and NE India. This is the first taxonomic study on the genus in India. All the taxa are cited with updated nomenclature, diagnostic characters, distribution, phonological data, vernacular names, line drawings, photo plates and specimens examined in various herbaria. Taxonomic keys are provided for easy identification of these taxa.

Alophia drummondii Graham R Foster Iridaceae species previously reported only from Pernambuco state in Cerrado vegetation is identified first time at Paraiba state in Caatinga vegetation Brazil The identification was based on literature reports including the protologue of the basyonim The present study includes description of species its habitat and phenology data as well as current geographical distribution

Fragilariaceae is a paraphyletic family of araphid diatoms commonly used as bio-indicators, in environmental assessments and in paleoenvironmental reconstructions, and with various potential industrial applications. Recent molecular taxonomic research has highlighted significant limitations in traditional morphology-based investigations of these diatom species. Most descriptions of species and genera of the Fragilariaceae present broad morphological character definitions and many diagnostic characters are indistinguishable by light microscopy. In this sense, taxon misidentification is common and could have serious implications for environmental surveys and laboratory experiments. To better understand the diversity of the Fragilariaceae, we (1) performed phylogenetic analyses of the small subunit ribosomal RNA (18S rRNA), rbcL and psbC gene sequences, (2) inferred a cladogram from key morphological features used in the traditional identification of Fragilariaceae, (3) tested if the topologies of the tree recovered from the molecular phylogeny, of the tree based on morphology and of the trees constraining to monophyly the genera Sarcophagodes, Pseudostaurosira and Nanofrustulum (together and separately) were significantly different and (4) mapped morphological character states on the ML tree and inferred their evolution based on maximum parsimony. Our results supported the monophyly of a group of Fragilariaceae within small araphid diatoms including the genera Cratericulifera, Plagiostriata, Castoridens, Opephora, Staurosira, Staurosirella, Punctastriata, Psammotaenia, Hendeyella, Stauroforma, Pseudostaurosira sensu Li, Nanofrustulum sensu Li, Serratifera sensu Li and Gedaniella sensu Li. Molecular phylogeny and topology tests suggested that the latest circumscriptions of the genera Sarcophagodes, Pseudostaurosira and Nanofrustulum sensu Morales were not monophyletic. Analyses of the Antarctic strain IMA070A collected during the XXXIV Italian Antarctic Expedition using fine structural features of the frustule and molecular data revealed that this diatom belongs to a distinct lineage within Gedaniella, which we describe here as Gedaniella antarctica sp. nov.

A combined morphological and bionomical analysis was performed to clarify the position of a problematic species of the Meligethes lugubris group from Sardinia and Corsica (Coleoptera, Nitidulidae, Meligethinae). This species-group is represented by a dozen anthophagous species associated with Lamiaceae, and distributed from North Africa to Japan. The analysis was mainly focused on the specific distinction and formal description of a new species, M. foddaii Audisio, De Biase & Trizzino sp. nov., from Sardinia and Corsica. The species is morphologically scarcely distinguishable from the allopatric M. lugubris Sturm and M. gagathinus Erichson (both widespread in southern Europe). An identification key to Euro-Mediterranean members of the M. lugubris complex is provided. Combined morphological, ecological, phenological, and preliminary molecular data are presented to support the distinction of the new species. The palaeogeographical scenario explaining the likely Plio-Pleistocene differentiation of the three species, which are all associated with the related Lamiaceae genera Mentha and Thymus, is also briefly discussed.

\n The delimitation and description of species, the fundamental units of biology, have puzzled scientists for centuries. Their identities were traditionally recognized based on distribution, ecology and most of all, morphology. Molecular data have recently come into play, and nowadays form an important component of most systematic studies. Many methods have been quickly devised and applied to integrate these data in the species delimitation and description process, and they have been accompanied not only by exciting possibilities and discoveries, but also by new questions and challenges. Some epistemological issues appear from recent proposals that suggest congruency across methods, or even operational criteria, as evidence for delimitation. Also, the discovery of morphologically indistinguishable genetic lineages, described as \\'cryptic\\', has hindered recognition and formal assessments of biological diversity. In Chapter 1, I address epistemological reasoning that encircles discovery operations, methods and congruency for evidence-based species delimitation. We discuss that congruence across methods or operational criteria, if based on the same data, are exclusive discovery operations and therefore have no epistemic value as evidence. Issues regarding some methods are also highlighted, including coalescent theory, DNA barcoding, and even phylogenetic systematics. In Chapter 2, I move into the application of species delimitation and description in Aurelia (Cnidaria, Scyphozoa). A morphological reassessment of medusae specimens from across the globe revealed no geographic structure on dissimilarities, with considerable morphological variation within collection lots and even within hypothesized species. This morphological plasticity had already been reported for medusae in some Aurelia, as well as in the polyp and ephyra stages. Considering this crypsis, multi-marker molecular analyses and distribution records were used to delimit and describe species. I also address the unreliability of DNA barcoding for species delimitation and its limitations even for identification. The reported diagnostic molecular characters not only fill the requirements for descriptions, but also hint on the possibility of its practical uses for identification, rather than barcoding. This study should encourages future research not only on delimitation and description of cryptic diversity, which should include careful scrutiny of methods and data used, but also on morphological plasticity and the patterns and processes involved in generating crypsis\n

Orchomene limodes, new species (Amphipoda: Lysianassidae), recently discovered in Scripps Canyon, California, is described and compared to other species within this genus. Intraspecific analysis of morphological variation was performed in order to determine which characters would be appropriate for the description. Thirty-five potentially diagnostic characters were grouped into three types: qualitative, meristic, and morphometric, and analyzed for variation between individuals. The characters found invariant or slightly variable in this study were then used in the diagnosis of the species description. A discussion is presented on this study's relevance to present and future taxonomic work on this genus. A hitherto undescribed species of the genus Orchomene is found in large numbers in Scripps Canyon off La Jolla, California. This species has been the object of various research studies (Meador, 1981; Present and Smith, 1981; Smith and Baldwin, 1982; Smith and Present, 1983) but lacks taxonomic recognition. It is easily caught by the thousands in baited funnel traps at depths of 50-175 m and is readily maintained for months in the laboratory. Individuals are gregarious, seek low light levels, and prefer temperatures ranging between 7?C and 15?C (Meador, 1981). This species has been used as a shallow-water analog of deepsea lysianassids because it exhibits similar behavioral activities (Smith and Present, 1983). Studies of adult morphological variation in the new species, Orchomene limodes, were conducted in order to describe this species accurately, to help elucidate its taxonomic standing, and to identify characters of special usefulness for future taxonomic work within the genus Orchomene. As Schulenberger and Barnard (1976) point out, such studies of morphological variation are especially needed in identification of species within the genus Orchomene. In this group, diagnostic characters primarily involve proportions, lengths, and shapes of appendages and body structures. The nature and extent ofintraspecific variation in these diagnostic characters, however, are essentially unknown. The ready availability of large numbers of specimens of this new species of Orchomene provided an opportunity to survey intraspecific variation.

The present paper deals with 18 species of parasitic crustaceans. Among them, 15 species of copepods, 2 species of Argulus and 1 species of Ichthyoxenus are belonging to nine different genera. They were discovered from 208 individuals of 43 species of freshwater fishes in Lake HongzeHu, Jiangsu province. Among these parasites, 17 species are previously known, only one species is considered to be new to science. Its diagnostic characters are summarized as follows.Ergasilus leiocassi Xu sp. nov. (figs 1—9)Holotype: No. 79005. paratype No. 79008, deposited in Institute of Hydrobiology, Academia Sinica.Host: Leiocassis pratti Gunther.Distribution: Gao Liang Jian Zhen Measurements (mm): Female: Total length 0.78—0.96; cephalothorax length 0.56—0.59, width 0.37—0.42: abdominal length 0.0493—0.0494 (Ist abdominal segment 0.0208, 2nd abdominal segment 0.0182, 3rd abdominal segment 0.0103) and width 0.052—0.054; genital segment length 0.06—0.07, and width 0.09—0.1; caudal rami length 0.0208—0.023, and width 0.018—0.02; egg sac length 0.87—1.05, and width 0.143—0.157.Diagnosis: Body egg-plant-shaped, cephalic segment fused with first thoracic forming cephalothorax, with a triangular area on anterior of dorsal; 4 free thoracic segments, each segment taperes backward; 3 abdominal segments, the third being the narrowest.This new species resembles E. anchoratus in general appearance, but differs from the latter in detail structures.(1) The length of the third abdominal segment in E. leiocassi is only 1/2 as long as the first one, while in E. anchoratus, all abdominal segments are almost equal.(2) Of the new species, the caudal rami are short and stout, and slightly longer than broad, while in E. anchoratus, they are slender, with length about twice as the width.(3) The fifth leg of this new species is short and clubshaped, with two setae, one terminal and the other subterminal, while in E. anchoratus it is papilla-shaped and bears only one seta on its distal end.This new species is also closely related to E. lamellifer, but differs from the latter in (1) lacking the chitinous lamella on second segment of the antenna; (2) Fifth leg having only one segment with two equal setae; (3) With different arrangment of spines and setae in 1st to 4th thoracic legs.The paper also gives analysis in relation to the formation of fauna, reproductive season and distribution of the parasitic crustaceans in the Lake Hongzehu. According to the infection intensity of the parasites, it is suggested that although Sinergasilus and Lernaea polymorpha have done much harms to fishes in other water bodies, they will not cause severe infection to fish in the Lake Hongzehu.  

Bambusa nairiana - a new bamboo species collected from Meghalaya, in the North Eastern part of India, is described and illustrated, it is distinguished from other Bambusa species by its short, eciliate auricles, glabrous ligule and pseudospikelets with 3 lodicules, two of them similar, obliquely cut from one side, rounded on another, the third ovate, apiculate, 5-nerved and ciliate along margins. This new species somewhat resembles Bambusa vulgaris Schrad. ex Wendl. in the shape of its culm-sheath but differs in having very small auricle. The paper compares it with B. vulgaris , provide diagnostic characters, complete description and illustrations.

An acaenitine genus, Spilopteron Townes, 1960, is reported for the first time in Korea with S. mucronatus Lee new species. A key to the Korean genera of the tribe Acaenitini Foerster, 1869, description of the a species and photographs of diagnostic characters are provided.

Until recently, the agamid species, Japalura flaviceps, was recognized to have the widest geographic distribution among members of the genus occurring in China, from eastern Tibet to Shaanxi Province. However, recent studies restricted the distribution of J. flaviceps to the Dadu River valley only in northwestern Sichuan Province, suggesting that records of J. flaviceps outside the Dadu River valley likely represent undescribed diversity. During two herpetofaunal surveys in 2013 and 2015, eight and 12 specimens of lizards of the genus Japalura were collected from the upper Nujiang (=Salween) Valley in eastern Tibet, China, and upper Lancang (=Mekong) Valley in northwestern Yunnan, China, respectively. These specimens display a unique suite of diagnostic morphological characters. Our robust comparisons of phenotype reveal that these populations can be distinguished readily from J. flaviceps and all other recognized congeners. Herein, we describe the two Japalura lineages as new species, Japalura laeviventris sp. nov. and Japalura iadina sp. nov.. In addition, we provide updated conservation assessments for the new species as well as imperiled congeners according to the IUCN criteria for classification, discuss the importance of color patterns in the diagnosis and description of species in the genus Japalura, and discuss directions for future taxonomic studies of the group.

A new species of Hydroides from the Suez Canal whose diagnostic character is an opercular crown which is a cornified vesicle with six lateral bulges is described.

A new species, Isodon purpurescence Sunil, Naveen Kumar & Ratheesh, from Ernakulam (Western Ghats), India is described and illustrated. Its diagnostic characters are discussed and comments made on differences between this and related species.