Blunt Spines Research Articles

Beneath the surface: two new burrowing crayfish species of Parastacus Huxley, 1879 (Malacostraca, Decapoda, Parastacidae) from the Mirim-São Gonçalo Basin, southern Brazil

Abstract In this contribution, we describe two new species of burrowing crayfish from the countryside of the municipality of Pelotas in the south region of the state of Rio Grande do Sul, southern Brazil. We evaluated morphology and also their conservation status according to the IUCN Red List Criteria. Parastacus schubarti sp. nov. differs from the burrowing species of Rio Grande do Sul state in having an epistome anteromedian lobe septagonal, areola wide, and by the large spines in telson lateral margins. Parastacus dincaoi sp. nov. is distinguishable from the burrowing species of Rio Grande do Sul state in having a wide pleon and a subtriangular telson with small blunt spines on lateral margins. The extent of occurrence of P. schubarti sp. nov. and P. dincaoi sp. nov. were estimated at 382 km2 and 963 km2, respectively. The main threats identified were continued decline in the habitat quality, resulting from deforestation, habitat fragmentation, agriculture and livestock. However, as we currently know only one point of occurrence for each new species, we suggest that both be categorized as Data Deficient.

New and Interesting Diatoms from the Shiwan Wetwalls, Yunnan Province, China. III. Valve ultrastructure of four new species of Eunotia (Bacillariophyceae: Eunotiales)

Four new Eunotia (Bacillariophyceae: Eunotiales) species are described from the Shiwan Wetwalls in Yunnan Province, China, based on light and scanning electron microscopy. The four species all share the features that assign them to the genus, including asymmetry about the apical axis, raphe predominantly on the valve mantle, and presence of one or more rimoportulae, and they all possess pseudosepta. They differ from one another in several attributes, however. Three of the species possess striae contained in internal troughs, two have spines (either one stout spine at each apex or blunt spines along the dorsal margin) and one has thickened ridges between the striae. These observations of four new Eunotia species further demonstrates the diversity and uniqueness of this wetwall community in Yunnan.

Brazilian Miocene crabs II. A new genus and species (Crustacea: Decapoda: Brachyura) from Pirabas Formation, northern Brazil

In this study, we describe and illustrate Pirabacarcinus iaran. gen. n. sp., a novel species within the family Pilumnidae, collected from Miocene deposits of the Pirabas Formation, Brazil. Notably, this constitutes the first known fossil Pilumnidae from Brazil and only the second in South America, with the prior record from the Miocene of Chile. Pirabacarcinus iaran. gen. n. sp. is characterized by a series of distinct morphological characters, setting it apart from other known brachyuran species from the Pirabas Formation and other morphologically similar groups. The combination of a carapace with anterolateral margin longer than posterolateral margin, with three blunt spines anteriorly upturned; and a posterior region of carapace, including metabranchial and intestinal regions sloped, metabranchial region without lobes, and intestinal region reduced, faintly delimited set the new species apart from several brachyuran fossil genera. Opportunity is taken to describe and illustrate three cheliped fragments collected from the same locality of the new species.

Paussus (Edaphopaussus) asseyi sp. nov. (Coleoptera: Carabidae: Paussinae) from the Nguru Mountains of the Eastern African Arc in Tanzania

A new species of Paussus L., 1775 (Coleoptera: Carabidae) is described from the Nguru Mountains of the Eastern African Arc in Tanzania. Paussus asseyi sp. nov. is diagnosed by the shape of the antennal club, which bears two sharp edges at the outer margin, the blunt spines on tibiae, and the characteristic colouration that allows this species to be distinguished from all other species in Paussus (Series I) defined in the latest molecular phylogeny. Other characters, i.e., the shape of the pronotum and absent pronotal setae, place the new species in the subgenus Edaphopaussus Kolbe, 1920. The colouration resembles P. dichrous Janssens, 1950 from Democratic Republic Congo and Angola and some Asian species, yet all are morphologically different from the new species. The robust head, small eyes, and clypeus shape resemble distantly related P. (Hylotorus) cephalotes Raffray, 1886. The individual mountain massifs of Eastern Tanzania represent rainforest islands set in much drier lowlands with savannah ecosystems. The new species contributes to our understanding of the isolated mountain ranges' relatively poorly investigated beetle fauna.

Short Communication: New insights into the morphology and distribution of the Philippine endemic Etlingera pilosa (Zingiberaceae)

Abstract. Naive MAK, Demayo CG, Alejandro GJD. 2021. Short Communication: New insights into the morphology and distribution of the Philippine endemic Etlingera pilosa (Zingiberaceae). Biodiversitas 22: 3175-3179. Etlingera pilosa Poulsen & Docot, only known in Negros Oriental and Negros Occidental of Visayas islands, Philippines, is recorded in the island of Mindanao for the first time, thus, extending its distributional range. The species is characterized by having sericeous ligule; leaves subsessile, narrowly obovate, coriaceous, glabrous adaxially, densely pubescent abaxially; inflorescence up to 12 cm long; flowers yellow, 3.0–3.2 cm long; subglobose to obovoid, pilose, with wart like blunt spines fruit; and seeds irregularly subglobose to oblate, black, fully embedded in juicy sour-sweet white aril. This species closely resembles E. pubimarginata but differs in having densely pubescent abaxial leaf, sericeous ligule and subglobose to obovoid, pilose, with wart like blunt spines fruit. Here, we provide a detailed description, comparison with its allied species, colored photographs to aid identification, a distribution map, an IUCN conservation assessment and a taxonomic key to the Mindanao Etlingera species.

Neohexostoma gymnosardae n. sp. (Monogenea, Hexostomatidae), a gill parasite of Gymnosarda unicolor (Valenciennes) (Teleostei, Scombridae) in the South China Sea.

Parasite biodiversity of fish in coral reefs of the South China Sea is still incompletely explored. We describe here a new species of Neohexostoma (Monogenea: Hexostomatidae) from the gill filaments of the dogtooth tuna Gymnosarda unicolor (Scombridae), collected off Yongshu Reef, South China Sea. Neohexostoma gymnosardae n. sp. is distinguished from its congeners by the following features: (i) haptor clearly marked from body proper by a strongly constricted peduncle, divided in its posterior margin into two symmetrical lobes, (ii) vagina armed with scattered small blunt spines, (iii) eggs tied by their long polar filaments, (vi) esophagus with several lateral diverticula, (v) intestinal ceca unfused and extending into the haptor. We present an analysis of the relationships of this monogenean based on partial 28S rDNA sequences. An identification key for species of Neohexostoma is provided. This is the first member of the genus Neohexostoma known to parasitize a species of Gymnosarda.

Three new species of the Indo-Pacific stingfish genus Minous(Synanceiidae: Minoinae) with redescriptions of M. trachycephalus(Bleeker 1855) and M. pictus Günther 1880.

Three new species of Minous (Synanceiidae: Minoinae) are described. Minous roseus sp. nov., based on 13 specimens from northwestern Australia and the Maldives, is characterized by the following combination of characters: usually XI, 11 dorsal-fin rays; usually II, 9 anal-fin rays; head depth 18.8-21.6% (mean 20.0%) of SL; basal portion of pectoral fin inner surface with black stripes radiating along rays on yellow membranes; and largely pinkish or yellowish body. Although Minous groeneveldi sp. nov., based on a single specimen from Bali, Indonesia, resembles M. roseus, the former differs in having blunt anterior and posterior lacrimal spines with both tips canted ventrally, the eye positioned relatively low on the head and relatively dark body coloration. Minous roseus and M. groeneveldi have also been photographed underwater in North Sulawesi. Minous radiatus sp. nov., based on 54 specimens from the northwestern Pacific Ocean, from the South China Sea and Philippines north to Taiwan, has previously been confused with Minous pictus Günther 1880 (now restricted to Australia and New Guinea). However, M. radiatus differs from M. pictus in having a narrower space between the interorbital ridges, shorter pelvic-fin base, and the pectoral fin inner surface largely yellow, with narrow dark stripes along the rays (relatively large, elongate blotches along the rays in M. pictus). Minous pictus was redescribed from 10 specimens, including a newly-designated lectotype. Minous trachycephalus (Bleeker 1855), related to M. roseus and M. groeneveldi, was also redescribed (with a revised diagnosis), based on the holotype and many specimens from the Indo-West Pacific region. In addition, two examples of Minous andriashevi Mandrytsa 1990, collected off Somalia, are recognized as a new record of the species, previously known only from the holotype collected off the Seychelles. A revised key to species of Minous is also provided.

Pythium cedri sp. nov. (Pythiaceae, Pythiales) from southern China based on morphological and molecular characters

A new species of Pythiales: Pythium cedri, isolated from Cedrus deodara (Pinaceae) in Jiangsu Province of China is described and illustrated based on morphological characters and supported by molecular phylogenetic analyses using ITS+COI sequences. Pythium cedri belongs to Pythium clade D and is characterized by presence of hyphal swellings, toruloid sporangia, ornamented oogonia with blunt spines, monoclinous antheridia, plerotic or nearly plerotic oospores, and relatively slow growth (11–15 mm d–1). A key to accepted species of Pythium clade D is provided.

Two new species of South American freshwater crayfish genus ParastacusHuxley, 1879 (Crustacea: Decapoda: Parastacidae).

Two new species of Parastacus Huxley, 1879 are described from material collected in the state of Rio Grande do Sul, southern Brazil: Parastacus fluviatilis sp. nov. from highland streams and Parastacus caeruleodactylus sp. nov. from wetlands. Parastacus fluviatilis sp. nov. is distinguished mainly by large chelipeds with dense setae cover on the cutting edge of fingers, telson subtriangular with two lateral blunt spines and strongly concave ventral surface of lateral process of thoracic sternites 6 and 7. Parastacus caeruleodactylus sp. nov. is distinguished mainly by blue cheliped fingers and a large gap between them, reduced abdomen, dorsal and ventral margins of dactylus, propodus and carpus of second pair of pereiopods with tufts of long setae and mid-dorsal carina of exopod of uropods unarmed. According to IUCN Red List criteria both species are considered endangered. Habitat characterization and a method for defining the shape of second abdominal pleura are also provided.

Description of two final stadium Onychogomphus larvae from Thailand(Odonata: Gomphidae).

The final stadium larvae of Onychogomphus castor Lieftinck and O. duaricus Fraser are described and illustrated for the first time based on reared specimens from Thailand. The taxonomic characteristics of the larvae of the genus Onychogomphus are discussed and summarized. The larva of O. castor differs from other Southeast Asian species in having distinct mid-dorsal spines on S2-9, divergent wing pads reaching S5, and lateral spines on S6-9. The larva of O. duaricus has a weakly swollen third antennal segment, with short blunt mid-dorsal spines on S2-9, divergent wing sheaths reaching the middle of S4, and lateral spines present on S7-9.

Advances in the knowledge of South African Riella (Sphaerocarpales) and a new endemic species, Riella trigonospora

Cultures of soil sediments collected in June 2012 from saltpans and vleis from five South African localities have revealed two new, geographically distant, populations of the endemic Riella alatospora, confirmed the presence of Riella purpureospora from Blouvlei in the Cape Town area and uncovered a new endemic species, Riella trigonospora. The new species obtained from cultures from five sampled localities is described and illustrated. It is dioicous and characterised by acuminate to rostrate, papillose involucres and by a unique spore morphology. The spores are dark purple, as in R. purpureospora, and have an irregular discontinuous wing at the equatorial plane, which suggests a morphological affinity to R. alatospora. The spores possess a combination of characters that are unique among extant species of Riella, including the triangular spore body with concave sides, a discontinuous equatorial wing, and short blunt spines on the distal face and the expanded parts of the wing at the spore angles. Such peculiar spore morphology is to some extent similar to Heerisporites variabilis, a sporomorph from Upper Miocene deposits of Switzerland and suggests links to Riellaceae from the Mediterranean basin. A lectotype is designated for R. purpureospora and a new description and illustration, incorporating additional characters derived from the cultured plants, are also presented, together with an identification key to the South African species of Riella.

A new species, Pythium echinogynum, causing severe damping-off of tomato seedlings, isolated from Tunisia, France, and India: morphology, pathology, and biological control

Pythium echinogynum, sp. nov. was isolated from soil samples taken from the vineyards of Tunisia, France and also from a lawn sown with turf grass in India. The oomycete is characterised by the presence of both ornamented and smooth walled oogonia. The ornamented oogonia are provided with blunt spines that can be at times curved, 1–2 monoclinous antheridia that can at times wrap around the oogonia, and mostly aplerotic oospores. The oomycete also produces elongated oogonia measuring up to 65 μm long and 24 μm in breadth. The internal transcribed spacer (ITS) region of the rRNA of this new species is comprised of 975 bp and closely resembles (95.9 %) that o P. spiculum and forms a clade together with members of the ornamented or spiny oogonia like P. mammilatum, P. spinosum and P. irregulare but also with those producing smooth-walled oogonia like P. paroecandrum, P. sylvaticum and P. cylindrosporum. However, it has its own characteristics, which are quite distinct from all other species of this genus described so far. In pathogenicty tests, the oomycete was found to be a severe “damping off pathogen” to tomato and cucumber seedlings. However these symptoms were not produced when the new species was grown together with P. lycopersicum—a newly described mycoparasite. The taxonomic description of this new species, its comparison with related oomycetes, the sequence of the ITS region of its rRNA gene, phylogenetic tree with related species and some account of its pathology to tomato and cucumber seedlings are discussed in this article.

Basidiosporogenesis, meiosis, and post-meiotic mitosis in the ectomycorrhizal fungus Pisolithusmicrocarpus

Pisolithus microcarpus (Cooke and Massee) G. Cunn. is a model organism for the studies on the ecology, physiology, and genetics of the ectomycorrhizal associations. However, little is known about the basidiosporogenesis in this species and, in particular, the nuclear behavior after karyogamy. In this work, the events involved in basidiosporogenesis and meiosis in P. microcarpus were analyzed using fluorescence and scanning electron microscopy. The basidia are formed inside peridioles by the differentiation of the cells along the whole hyphae. Basidial cells measure 12–18 μm in length and 6–7 μm in diameter. P. microcarpus produces eight basidiospores per basidium imbibed in a gelatinous matrix in the basidiocarp. The basidiospores are globose, equinate, with blunt spines, and measure 6–8 μm. Karyogamy can take place inside basidia as well as in undifferentiated hyphal cells followed by nuclear migration to a newly developed basidium where meiosis takes place. After the formation of the meiotic tetrad, one round of post-meiotic mitosis occurs, resulting in the production of eight nuclei per basidium. The newly-formed nuclei migrate into the basidiospores asynchronously, resulting in the production of eight uninucleate spores. This corresponds to pattern A of post-meiotic mitosis. This work is the first report on meiosis and post-meiotic mitosis during basidiosporogenesis in P. microcarpus and contributes to clarify some aspects of the biology and genetics of this ectomycorrhizal species.

Redescription of Drepanopterus abonensis (Chelicerata: Eurypterida: Stylonurina) from the late Devonian of Portishead, UK

Abstract: Stylonurid eurypterids (Arthropoda: Chelicerata) include some of the largest known arthropods – bizarre sweep‐feeding hibbertopterids from the Carboniferous to end‐Permian. New material of Drepanopterus abonensis, a stylonurid from the Late Devonian (Famennian) of Portishead, south‐west England, offers key insights into this genus and its affinities. A redescription utilising the new material enables D. abonensis to be assigned as basal member of the Superfamily Hibbertopteroidea, the large‐sweep‐feeding forms, possessing a cleft metastoma and blades (modified blunt spines) on their anterior prosomal appendages. D. abonensis also shares characters such as a clavate telson and median ridge on the carapace with the proposed hibbertopteroid sister group the Kokomopteroidea. Hibbertopteroid eurypterids are the most long‐ranging stylonurids, surviving the decline and extinction of the other eurypterid families in the Late Devonian, their survival probably because of their sweep‐feeding mode of life, which was not in direct competition with their eurypterine relatives and other predators.

Two new species of Richardina A. Milne-Edwards, 1881 (Crustacea: Decapoda: Stenopodidea: Stenopodidae), representing the first occurrences of the genus from the Pacific

More than a century after the description of Richardina fredericii Lo Bianco, 1903, two new species of the stenopodid genus Richardina A. Milne-Edwards, 1881, are described and illustrated. Richardina ohtsukai n. sp. was collected from the Nansei Islands, southwestern Japan at depths of 655 – 730 m and R. parvioculata n. sp. was collected from off Tosa Bay, western Japan at a depth of 517 m. To our knowledge, these are the first occurrences of the genus from the Pacific and greatly extend its known geographical range, as the genus Richardina is previously known only from the Atlantic Ocean and Mediterranean Sea. Species of Richardina are very similar to each other with few morphological differences. R. ohtsukai is unique in having additional movable spines on the dorsal margins of the dactyli of the fourth and fifth pereopods. R. parvioculata is distinguished from congeners by way of its generally reduced armament of the carapace and pleon as follows: it lacks the median row of spines on the posterior margin of the cervical groove, has a relatively large eyestalk and small-sized cornea, and blunt spines on the dorsolateral carinae of the telson.

A New Species of Anomiopsyllus Baker, 1904 (Insecta: Siphonaptera), and Noteworthy Records of Fleas from Nelson's Woodrat, Neotoma nelsoni (Rodentia: Cricetidae), in the Oriental Basin, Mexico

We report the first record of ectoparasites from Nelson's woodrat, Neotoma nelsoni, a rare, endemic mammal of east-central Mexico. We also describe a new flea species of Anomiopsyllus (A. perontesis n. sp.), which presents a complete row of bristles on sternum IX and 3 blunt spines on movable process; provide a new country record for the flea Stenistomera alpina (Baker, 1985); and report a new host record for the flea Echidnophaga gallinacea (Westwood, 1875). A taxonomic key for the new species is included.

MELITTOSPHEX (HYMENOPTERA: MELITTOSPHECIDAE), A PRIMITIVE BEE AND NOT A WASP

In an article published in this journal by Sarzetti et al. (2008), some material was erroneously presented regarding the systematic position of the primitive bee Melittosphex. The authors misquoted a paper by Ohl and Engel (2007) and stated (Sarzetti et al. pp. 938–939) ‘More recently, however, Ohl and Engel (2007) have indicated that this insect body fossil (Melittosphex) is not of a bee; moreover, they stated that Melittosphex burmensis is a synonym of Cretospilomena (Hymenoptera: Crabroninae), also described from Burmese amber (Antropov, 2000)’. Those statements are not included in Ohl and Engel (2007). No formal taxonomic decisions were made in that paper and Ohl and Engel did not synonymize Melittosphex with Cretospilomena. Moreover, Ohl reported to the present author (personal correspondence) that he is convinced the two genera are not synonymous. Many characters distinguish Melittosphex from Cretospilomena. Cretospilomena has simple claws, a minute arolium, a midtibia with one apical spur and very slight body pubescence (Antropov 2000). Melittosphex has cleft claws, a large arolium, midtibia with two apical spurs and the body is covered with dense pubescence of plumose hairs (Poinar and Dancroft 2006a, b). In addition, Melittosphex lacks the elongate pronotum and propodeum of Cretospilomena. The wing venation of the two is also quite different. Both genera possess propodeal spines; however, Cretospilomena has small, acutely pointed spines and Melittosphex has rounded, blunt spines (Danforth and Poinar, in preparation). Whereas neither Ohl nor Engel examined the Melittosphex fossil, B. Danforth did examine the fossils of Cretospilomena in the Natural History Museum (London) and can confirm that the differences originally inferred from Antropov’s (2000) description and illustrations exist. Overall, there are a sufficient number of differences between Melittosphex and Cretospilomena (as well as modern pemphredonine wasps) to conclude that they are not the same. Poinar and Dancroft (2006a, b) erected the family Melittosphecidae to emphasize that Melittosphex is not within the monophyletic group that currently includes all living bees, but a transitional form that bridges the gap between crabronid wasps and extant bees. On the basis of the above-mentioned characters, especially the dense covering of branched hairs (Text-Fig. 1) and the bee-like habitus, Poinar and Dancroft (2006a, b) considered Melittosphex to represent a pollen-carrying, primitive bee. Dense covering of branched hairs on Melittosphex burmensis Poinar and Danforth. Scale bar represents 24 μm. by LAURA C. SARZETTI*, CONRAD C. LABANDEIRA† and JORGE F. GENISE* *CONICET, Museo Paleontólogico Egido Feruglio, Avenida Fontana 140, 9100 Trelew, Chubut, Argentina; e-mail:[email protected] †Department of Paleobiology, National Museum of Natural History, Smithsonian Institution, Washington, DC 20013, USA In our article, ‘Leafcutter bee trace fossils from the middle Eocene of Patagonia, Argentina, and a review of megachilid Hymenoptera) ichnology’, we erroneously used the word, ‘state’, on pages 938–939 when we mentioned that Ohl and Engel (2007) synonymized Melittosphex with Cretospilomena (Hymenoptera: Crabronidae). Our error is because a formal taxonomy was not presented in Ohl and Engel (2007), as noticed by Poinar. Nevertheless, the larger and more relevant issue resulting from this lapse does not involve formal synonymy or typification, but is rather an empirical one, namely that Melittosphex is not a bee based on the published evidence. The most parsimonious conclusion is that Melittosphex either is congeneric with or alternatively the sister taxon to Cretospilomena. Assignment of Melittosphex to the bees would necessitate a redefinition of the Anthophila, the well-diagnosed clade comprising the bees (Michener 2000). The original description that Poinar and Danforth presented (2006) mentioned the presence of pollen in their Burmese amber specimen. However, the presence of body pollen is a feature that is not diagnostic for bees, as many sphecoid wasps, including masarids and crabronids, bear pollen on their bodies (Gess 1996), a feature that extends to nonhymenopterous insects during the earlier Mesozoic (Labandeira 2005). Additionally, their listing of the presence of branched hairs is not a definitive feature of the Anthophila as well because some basal and even derived bee taxa bear simple, unbranched hairs (Aguiar and Melo 2007) and some aculeate wasps, such as the Mutillidae, bear branched hairs (Michener 2000). Perhaps a restudy of the important Melittosphex would provide additional documentation that could bring closure to this most important fossil involving the early evolution of one of the most iconic lineages of insects, the bees.

A new species of Ischnomesidae (Crustacea: Isopoda) from the Southern Ocean,Stylomesus weddellensis sp. nov.

Stylomesus weddellensis sp. nov. is described from the abyssal Weddell Sea, Southern Ocean. It can easily be distinguished from the other species of the genus by its typical spine pattern. Besides the long frontolaterally directed projections of pereonite 1, pereonites 1-3 bear two mediolateral to caudolateral blunt spines which are absent in all other Southern Ocean or South Atlantic species of Stylomesus Wolff, 1956. The pereopod 7 is present, and is not fused to pleotelson. A list of all currently known 17 species of Stylomesus is presented including data on depth and distribution.

Chaetarcturus cryophilus n. sp., a new deep-sea isopod from the Weddell Sea (Crustacea, Isopoda, Valvifera)

A new arcturid isopod of the genus Chaetarcturus is described from the deep-sea of the Weddell Sea. C. cryophilus n. sp. is characterized by blunt supraocular spines, a large number of acute dorsal spines on the body and strong caudal spines on the pleotelson. The similar Antarctic species C. tenuispinatus has long and acute supraocular spines. The frequent discovery of new Antarctic arcturids suggests that the number of known species is only a fraction of the biodiversity of this group.

A new species and new synonym in Heptagenia walsh (Ephemeroptera: Heptageniidae: Heptageniinae) based on molecular and morphological evidence.

A new mayfly species, Heptagenia whitingi Webb & McCafferty n.sp. is described from larvae, a male subimago, a female adult, and eggs collected from large rivers in the west-central portion of North America. Larvae are differentiated from other North American Heptagenia Walsh by a pair of large, rectangular pale markings on abdominal tergum 4, and the combination of having the posterior margin of the abdominal terga with bluntly pointed spines less than half the length of the fine setae, small blunt spines on the posterior margin of the caudal filaments, and numerous rows of setae laterally on the ventral surface of the labrum. A 630 bp partial sequence of the mitochondrial gene cytochrome oxidase 1 (COI) from three specimens of H. whitingi n.sp. was compared with those of 12 specimens representing eight other North American species of Heptagenia. Intraspecific sequence divergences based on Kimura-2-parameter (K2P) distance ranged from 0–1.1%. Interspecific sequence divergence based on K2P distance ranged from 8.9–20.0%. Heptagenia whitingi n.sp. differed from its sister taxon H. flavescens (Walsh) by 11.7%. Heptagenia diabasia Burks and H. elegantula (Eaton) differed from each other by only 1.1%; these two alleged species show a clinal pattern in larval abdominal coloration and there are no structural differences between the semaphorants. On this basis, H. diabasia is placed as a junior subjective synonym of H. elegantula, n.syn.