Closest Species Research Articles

A new species of Aididae (Lepidoptera, Zygaenoidea) and the first record of the family for the Northern Region of Brazil

A new species of Aididae is described and illustrated based on adults (male and female) and immature (last instar larvae). The larvae were found infesting leaves of Inga edulis Martius (Fabaceae) in the municipality of Autazes, State of Amazonas, representing the first record of Aididae in the northern region of Brazil. The new species is further compared with its closest species, Aidos amanda (Stoll, 1782).

Cynanchum auriculatum Royle ex Wight., Cynanchum bungei Decne. and Cynanchum wilfordii (Maxim.) Hemsl.: Current Research and Prospects.

Cynanchum auriculatum Royle ex Wight. (CA), Cynanchum bungei Decne. (CB) and Cynanchum wilfordii (Maxim.) Hemsl. (CW) are three close species belonging to the Asclepiadaceous family, and their dry roots as the bioactive part have been revealed to exhibit anti-tumor, neuroprotection, organ protection, reducing liver lipid and blood lipid, immunomodulatory, anti-inflammatory, and other activities. Until 2021, phytochemistry investigations have uncovered 232 compounds isolated from three species, which could be classified into C21-steroids, acetophenones, terpenoids, and alkaloids. In this review, the morphology characteristics, species identification, and the relationship of botany, extraction, and the separation of chemical constituents, along with the molecular mechanism and pharmacokinetics of bioactive constituents of three species, are summarized for the first time, and their phytochemistry, pharmacology, and clinical safety are also updated. Moreover, the direction and limitation of current research on three species is also discussed.

Lectotypification of names of three species of Poa (Poaceae) and their morphological affinities

Poa aitchisonii, P. falconeri and P. wardiana are lectotypified with nomenclatural notes. In absence of proper icons with analysis, worked out plant parts of two species from voucher specimens are provided as photoplates. Due to high degree of variability and in absence of concrete morphological features to distinguish species, morphological affinities of the three species with that of other close species are provided.

Heuristics for Genome Rearrangement Distance With Replicated Genes.

In comparative genomics, one goal is to find similarities between genomes of different organisms. Comparisons using genome features like genes, gene order, and regulatory sequences are carried out with this purpose in mind. Genome rearrangements are mutational events that affect large extensions of the genome. They are responsible for creating extant species with conserved genes in different positions across genomes. Close species - from an evolutionary point of view - tend to have the same set of genes or share most of them. When we consider gene order to compare two genomes, it is possible to use a parsimony criterion to estimate how close the species are. We are interested in the shortest sequence of genome rearrangements capable of transforming one genome into the other, which is named rearrangement distance. Reversal is one of the most studied genome rearrangements events. This event acts in a segment of the genome, inverting the position and the orientation of genes in it. Transposition is another widely studied event. This event swaps the position of two consecutive segments of the genome. When the genome has no gene repetition, a common approach is to map it as a permutation such that each element represents a conserved block. When genomes have replicated genes, this mapping is usually performed using strings. The number of replicas depends on the organisms being compared, but in many scenarios, it tends to be small. In this work, we study the rearrangement distance between genomes with replicated genes considering that the orientation of genes is unknown. We present four heuristics for the problem of genome rearrangement distance with replicated genes. We carry out experiments considering the exclusive use of the reversals or transpositions events, as well as the version in which both events are allowed. We developed a database of simulated genomes and compared our results with other algorithms from the literature. The experiments showed that our heuristics with more sophisticated rules presented a better performance than the known algorithms to estimate the evolutionary distance between genomes with replicated genes. In order to validate the application of our algorithms in real data, we construct a phylogenetic tree based on the distance provided by our algorithm and compare it with a know tree from the literature.

First Report of Brown Rot Caused by Monilinia polystroma on Apple in Italy.

Brown rot is a common apple disease in Italy, caused by Monilinia fructicola, M. laxa and M. fructigena (Martini et al. 2013). In September 2020, in a 'Jeromine' apple orchard under integrated pest management located in Scarnafigi (44°39'N, 7°33'E, north-western of Italy), fruits (8.6%) showing brown to blackish firm lesions (6.0 to 8.0 cm diameter) were observed. In some fruits, rots were covered by yellowish stromata. Two isolates (MPI1; MPI2) were obtained from two symptomatic apples and cultured on potato dextrose agar (PDA) for 7 days at 25°C in 12-h light/12-h dark regime. A white-to-greyish mycelium with slightly undulate margins and irregular, black stromata developed on PDA after 12 days incubation. Conidia, observed in branched monilioid chains, (Suppl. Fig. 1) were one-celled, globose, limoniform, hyaline, 38 to 58 μm (mean: 48) × 20 to 44 μm (mean: 33). Based on morphology, the isolates were tentatively identified as Monilinia polystroma (G.C.M. Leeuwen) Kohn. A polymerase chain reaction with primers ITS1 and ITS4 was performed on internal transcribed spacer (ITS) region 1 and 2 and 5.8S gene. The sequenced amplicons (435 bp - 445 bp; GenBank Accession No. MW600854; MW600855) showed 100% identity to the reference isolate of M. polystroma (HQ846944) and to other isolates from apples (AM937114; JX315717) and plum (GU067539). The ITS region of M. polystroma had five nucleotides to distinguish it from the closest species M. fructigena (Zhu et al. 2016; MH862738) (Suppl. Fig. 2). The pathogenicity of both isolates was tested on mature 'Jeromine' apples (10.1% total soluble solids). Three replicates of six apples per isolate were surface disinfected with 1% NaClO. A mycelial plug (5 mm) from colony grown on PDA was inserted using a cork borer into a hole (6 mm) in each fruit (Vasić et al. 2016). Apples inoculated with sterile PDA plugs were used as control. Fruits were placed at 22 ± 1 °C, 85% relative humidity and 12 h light/12 h dark regime. Lesion size was measured after 3, 6 and 9 days of incubation. All inoculated fruits developed typical brown rot symptoms 6 days after inoculation and yellowish stromata appeared on the surface; control fruit remained healthy (Suppl. Fig. 3). The virulence of both isolates was statistically similar (Suppl. Table 1). M. polystroma was reisolated from all inoculated fruits and confirmed by molecular methods. This is the first report of M. polystroma on apple in Italy. M. polystroma was previously reported on apple in Hungary (Petróczy et al. 2009), on apricot in Switzerland (Hilber-Bodmer et al. 2012), on peach and pear in Italy (Martini et al. 2014; 2015), on plum in China (Zhu et al. 2016), and on apple in Serbia (Vasić et al. 2018). The emergence of this pathogen for pome and stone fruit production in Europe stimulates to study its biology and epidemiology, and its fitness and management, as compared to the other endemic Monilinia species.

Three New Diatom Species from Spring Habitats in the Northern Apennines (Emilia-Romagna, Italy)

Using light (LM, including plastid characterization on fresh material) and scanning electron microscopy (SEM), as well as a thorough morphological, physical, chemical, and biological characterization of the habitats, the present study aims at describing three species new to science. They belong to the genera Eunotia Ehrenb., Planothidium Round and L. Bukht., and Delicatophycus M.J. Wynne, and were found in two contrasting spring types in the northern Apennines. The three new species described differ morphologically from the most similar species by: less dense striae and areolae, and the absence of a ridge at the valve face-mantle transition (SEM feature) [Eunotia crassiminor Lange-Bert. et Cantonati sp. nov.; closest established species: Eunotia minor (Kütz.) Grunow]; narrower and shorter cells [Planothidium angustilanceolatum Lange-Bert. et Cantonati sp. nov.; most similar species: Planothidium lanceolatum (Bréb. ex Kütz.) Lange-Bert.]; barely-dorsiventral symmetry, set off ends, and lower density of the central dorsal striae [Delicatophycus crassiminutus Lange-Bert. et Cantonati sp. nov.; most similar species: Delicatophycus minutus M.J.Wynne]. Two of the three species we described are separated from the closest species by dimensions. Their description improved knowledge on two taxa (Eunotia minor s.l. and Planothidium lanceolatum s.l.) likely to be only partially resolved species complexes. We could also refine knowledge on the ecological profiles of the three newly-described species. Eunotia crassiminor sp. nov., as compared to Eunotia minor, appears to occur in colder inland waters with a circumneutral pH and a strict oligotrophy as well with respect to nitrogen. The typical habitat of Planothidium angustilanceolatum sp. nov. appears to be oligotrophic mountain flowing springs with low conductivity. Delicatophycus crassiminutus sp. nov. was observed only in limestone-precipitating springs, and is therefore likely to be restricted to hard water springs and comparable habitats where CO2 degassing leads to carbonate precipitation. Springs are a unique but severely threatened wetland type. Therefore, the in-depth knowledge of the taxonomy and ecology of characteristic diatom species is important, because diatoms are excellent indicators of the quality and integrity of these peculiar ecosystems in the face of direct and indirect human impacts.

Landmark Data to Distinguish and Identify Morphologically Close Tabanus spp. (Diptera: Tabanidae).

Simple SummaryTabanus spp. (Diptera: Tabanidae) are blood-sucking parasites of animals and humans. The accurate identification of these flies is very important for determining the vector species involved in disease transmission and for planning effective vector control and management strategies. We explored the effectiveness of landmark-based geometrics at distinguishing and identifying morphologically similar species of Tabanus (T. megalops, T. rubidus, and T. striatus) in Thailand. Our study reveals that geometric morphometrics is effective at distinguishing between the three species of Tabanus. Furthermore, our study material can be used as reference material for species identification.Tabanus spp., also known as horse flies (Diptera: Tabanidae), are important vectors of several animal pathogens. Adult females of Tabanus megalops and Tabanus striatus, which are members of the T. striatus complex, are morphologically similar and hence difficult to distinguish using morphological characteristics. In addition, molecular identification by DNA barcoding is also unable to distinguish these species. These two species can occur sympatrically with Tabanus rubidus, which is morphologically similar to T. megalops and T. striatus. Wing geometric morphometrics has been widely used in various insects to distinguish morphologically similar species. This study explored the effectiveness of landmark-based geometrics at distinguishing and identifying T. megalops, T. rubidus, and T. striatus in Thailand. Specimens were collected from different geographical regions of Thailand, and only unambiguously identified specimens were used for geometric morphometric analyses. Left wings of females of T. megalops (n = 160), T. rubidus (n = 165), and T. striatus (n = 85) were photographed, and 22 wing landmarks were used for the analysis. Wing shape was able to distinguish among species with high accuracy scores, ranging from 94.38% to 99.39%. We showed that morphologically very close species of Tabanus can be reliably distinguished by the geometry of their wing venation, and we showed how our experimental material could be used as a reference to tentatively identify new field collected specimens.

Calonectria vigiensis sp. nov. (Hypocreales, Nectriaceae) associated with dieback and sudden-death symptoms of Theobroma cacao from Mérida state, Venezuela

Calonectria vigiensis sp. nov. (Hypocreales, Nectriaceae) is a newly described species associated with cacao (Theobroma cacao L.) in Mérida state, Venezuela. This new species was identified using morphological methods as well as DNA sequencing and multigene phylogenetic analyses. Based on phylogenetic analyses of a combined dataset including translation elongation factor 1-α (tef1), calmodulin (cmdA), and β-tubulin (btub) genes across closely related species within Calonectria, a new species was identified as Ca. vigiensis within the Calonectria naviculata species complex, but it was determined to be well-separated from genetically close species such as Calonectria multilateralis L. Lombard & Crous, Calonectria multinaviculata R.F. Alfenas, L. Lombard & Crous, and Calonectria naviculata Crous & M.J. Wingf. This work reports 1 previously undescribed fungal species (Ca. vigiensis) that is associated with dieback and sudden-death symptoms in T. cacao plantations in Mérida state, Venezuela.

Acoustic competition within a tropical bird community: the case of the Resplendent QuetzalPharomachrus mocinnoin Guatemala

ABSTRACTThe structure of ecological communities is thought to be mainly driven by competition processes between species. One special case of resource shaping community dynamics is the acoustic space. However, the acoustic communities have been rarely described for tropical birds. Here, we aimed at estimating acoustic competition between the iconic speciesPharomachrus mocinnoand the other bird species occupying the same habitat. An acoustic survey was conducted in a cloud forest in Guatemala for 17 days in six simultaneous recording sites. All species occurring in the same frequency bandwidth were identified, and the acoustic overlapping betweenP. mocinnoand these species was estimated. Eighteen species were identified as acoustic competitors. Ecological traits and phylogenetic distance were defined for all species. The rate of acoustic competition betweenP. mocinnoand other species was related to different ecological traits and competition for resources. The acoustic overlap was high with species competing for similar food resources and phylogenetically close species and low with predator species and phylogenetically distant species. These unique observations provide new behavioural and ecological information that might be useful for the knowledge of this species and the cloud forest.

Does the Garra population (Teleostei: Cyprinidae: Labeoninae) from the Kol River drainage, Persian Gulf basin merit formal description?

Recognizing and defining a species has been a controversial concern for a long time. To define the variation and the limitation between different species, especially closely related taxa in a complex species group, several concepts have been proposed which may lead to different taxonomic decisions. When a taxonomist studies a specific taxon, she/he should adopt a species concept and provide a species limitation to define the studied taxa. Garra population from the Kol River drainage, Persian Gulf basin has already been considered as Garra sp., based on molecular data, and to date no taxonomic decision has been made to provide a specific name for it. The Kol population presents several morphological characters that distinguish it from congeners: fully scaled breast; 78 branched dorsal-fin rays; caudal fin with 1617 branched rays and well-developed mental disc with free lateral and posterior margins. It is also distinguished from all other congeners in the Garra rufa group in Iran, by having two fixed, diagnostic nucleotide substitutions in the mtDNA COI barcode region. Furthermore, the Kol population demonstrates some distinct osteological characteristics in comparison to its closest species G. mondica. Based on the integrative molecular phylogenetic and species delimitation analyses, and morphological, osteological and distribution range data presented here, we think that the Kol River population merits formal description and can be considered as a distinct taxonomic unit (species).

A new species of Succinea (Gastropoda: Stylommatophora) from the Puna highlands of Argentina

A new species of Succinea Draparnaud, 1801, S. punasp. nov., from the Puna highlands in Catamarca Province, Argentina, is described. Seventeen water bodies were surveyed in the Puna ecoregion of Catamarca, with gastropods being found only at two localities, El Peñón and Guanchín River. We explored the morphological features of shells, reproductive system, radulae, and mandibles of specimens from each site. Although we found slight differences in the shell and the terminal genitalia, with specimens exhibiting an epiphallus folding over itself with terminal globular appearance, whereas others with an epiphallus cylindrical, we conclude that these are intraspecific variabilities. We used DNA sequences of the 16S-rRNA gene to explore genetic distances and genealogical relationships among both populations and other species of Succinea. We found maximum genetic interpopulation distances of up to 2.38%. Mean interspecific divergences among S. punasp. nov. and other Succinea species ranged between 7.14% and 15.21%. A secondary structure model of domains IV and V of the 16S-rRNA gene was developed, with polymorphic sites being concentrated in loop regions. A GIS analysis was carried out using a selection of bioclimatic variables to characterize the environment of the new species in comparison to other close Succinea species from South America. The analysis showed that the particular environmental conditions of the Puna in Catamarca are hardly present in other zones of South America, supporting our hypothesis that S.puna is endemic to that area. The restricted distribution of S. punasp. nov. in a single ecoregion with extreme climatic and physiographic characteristics, high altitude habitat and its microhabitat specialization, makes this species potentially vulnerable to impacts of future anthropogenic changes.

Postnatal ontogeny of the femur in fossorial and semiaquatic water voles in the 3D-shape space.

Water voles of the genus Arvicola constitute an excellent subject to investigate to which extent function affects postnatal developmental growth of limb structures in phylogenetically close species. We performed a comparative analysis of postweaning femur form changes between Arvicola sapidus (semiaquatic) and Arvicola scherman (fossorial) using three-dimensional landmark-based geometric morphometrics. In both species, we observed greater femur robustness in juvenile individuals than in adult ones, probably due to the accommodation of high loads on the bone during initial locomotor efforts. Significant interspecific differences were also found in the femur size and shape of adult specimens, as well as in the postnatal allometric and phenotypic trajectories. In terms of phenotypic variation, fossorial water voles show relatively wider third and lesser trochanters, and greater femur robustness than A. sapidus, characters associated to the digging activity. In contrast, A. sapidus displays a slight increase of the greater trochanter in comparison with A. scherman, which is seemingly an adaptive response for enhancing propulsion through the water. Results evidence that certain morphological traits and differences between A. sapidus and A. scherman in the allometric and phenotypic trajectories of the femur are associated with their different locomotor mode.

Limosilactobacillus caccae sp. nov., a new bacterial species isolated from the human gut microbiota.

Strain Marseille-P3519T isolated from the fecal flora of a 25-year-old healthy French woman was a Gram-positive anaerobic bacterium, non-motile and non-spore forming. The 16S rRNA gene sequence of Marseille-P3519 showed 97.73% of sequence similarity with Limosilactobacillus reuteri DSM 20016, the closest species, phylogenetically. Furthermore, the average nucleotide identity of strain Marseille-3519 with its closest related species was 75.8% that was very below the recommended threshold (>95-96%). Its genome had 2 237 367bp with 45.42 mol% of G+C content. Major fatty acids were C16:0 (50.8%), C18:1n9 (18.0%), C18:2n6 (9.8%) and C19:1n9 (8.9%). It was catalase negative and fermented glycerol, glucose, fructose, D-maltose, lactose and mannose. These findings support that strain Marseille-P3519 ( = CSURP3519=CECT 30110) is a new member of the genus Limosilactobacillus for which the name Limosilactobacillus caccae sp. nov., is proposed.

Molecular identification and phylogenetic analysis of Aloe shadensis from Saudi Arabia based on matK, rbcL and ITS DNA barcode sequence

The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia thrives with great plant diversity, including rare plants of the family Asphodelaceae that have multiple benefits and are still being studied. Aloe shadensis is one of these plants that must be preserved and documented in its natural environment. The most appropriate molecular approach currently approved for documentation is the sequencing of some genomic markers. The current study is the first to use genomic markers to record this rare plant. In this study, the plastid genes matK (Maturase K), rbcL (Ribulose-bisphosphate carboxylase/oxygenase large subunit), and the nuclear region ITS (Internal transcribed spacer) were used to reveal their efficiency in identifying the plant under study. This study is the first to deal with this plant and document it using these genetic markers. The study showed a promising result concerning identifying the sequence of the matK gene and ITS region, while the rbcL gene did not give a good indicator through the used primers. The obtained sequences of the matK gene and the ITS region were determined through two different sets of primers in each case then deposited in GenBank. The evolutionary relatedness of Aloe shadensis was established with the different species of Aloe. The study showed that the closest species is Aloe vera with a similarity of more than 99 %. The study concludes with the possibility of using these genes to correctly identify, distinguish and document the species of Aloe shadensis.

Ferulago akpulatii (Apiaceae): A new species from Central Anatolia, Turkey

Ferulago akpulatii (Apiaceae) is described as a new species endemic to Central Anatolia, Turkey. It is closely related to Ferulago platycarpa and F. pauciradiata, and is easily distinguished by its cauline leaf shape, inflorescence type, and fruit features. The main morphological differences between Ferulago akpulatii and related taxa are discussed, and the diagnostic characteristics, including the anatomical features of fruits, are given in detail. An identification key of Ferulago akpulatii and the morphologically closer species is also provided.

Two new species of Curcuma L. (Zingiberaceae) from Thailand

Abstract. Maknoi C, Saensouk S, Saensouk P, Rakarcha S, Thammarong W. 2021. Two new species of Curcuma L. (Zingiberaceae) from Thailand. Biodiversitas 22: 3910-3921. Curcuma aruna and C. pitukii, two new species from northern Thailand, are described, illustrated, and photographed. They are endemic to Sukhothai and Lampang Provinces, northern Thailand, and the morphological characteristics of two new species are compared with their closest species, C. flaviflora, C. eburnea, and C. pierreana. Two new species, C. aruna and C. pitukii are assignable to Curcuma subgenus Ecomata. C. aruna is recognized by leaves ovate with thin chartaceous, fertile bracts 6–12, it’s glabrous on nearly all parts of the plant, flowers yellow and labellum yellow with 2 darker yellow bands in the center. C. pitukii is recognized by bracts 20–40 with purplish white to purple, corolla lobes purplish white to pale purple, staminodes white, and labellum white with an embossed yellow path along the midrib from base to apex. A detailed description, distribution, ecology, etymology, preliminary conservation status, and photographs of two new species are provided. A key to 20 species of Curcuma subgenus Ecomata in Thailand is presented.

Molecular diversity of rhizobia-nodulating native Mimosa of Brazilian protected areas.

Symbiotic Paraburkholderia have been increasingly studied in the past 20years, especially when associated with Mimosa; however, studies with native/endemic species are still scarce. In this study, thirty strains were isolated from root nodules of native Mimosa paranapiacabae and M. micropteris in two locations of the Campos Gerais. The BOX-PCR fingerprinting revealed high genomic diversity, and the 16S rRNA phylogeny clustered the strains in three distinct groups (GI, GII, GIII), with one strain occupying an isolated position. Phylogenetic analysis with four concatenated housekeeping genes (atpD + gltB + gyrB + recA) confirmed the same clusters of 16S rRNA, and the closest species were P. nodosa BR 3437T and P. guartelaensis CNPSo 3008T; this last one isolated from another Mimosa species of the Campos Gerais. The phylogenies of the symbiotic genes nodAC and nifH placed all strains in a well-supported branch with the other species of the symbiovar mimosae. The phylogenetic analyses indicated that the strains represent novel lineages of sv. mimosae and that endemic Mimosa coevolved with indigenous Paraburkholderia in their natural environments.

Synopsis of the genus Bothriochloa (Poaceae: Andropogoneae) in India

During the taxonomic study of the genus Bothriochloa from India, B. ewartiana was reported for the first time in Asia from India. Earlier, it was known only from Australia, Lesser Sunda Island (Sumbawa, Timor), Philippines (Luzon), and Papua New Guinea (Madang). We have discussed about its amphitropical disjunct distribution over a vast continental gap with respect to some variability reported in the morphological attributes. A hypothesis behind its seclusion from Far East is also discussed. The images of the habitat and habit of B. ewartiana along with its detailed comparison with a close species B. woodrovii are provided. The taxonomic limits of each Indian species of Bothriochloa along with their ranges of morphological variations and distribution have been discussed in a detail. The Indian endemic B. parameswaranii (synonym nova) has been relegated, based on the morphological study, as a new taxonomic synonym of B. insculpta. Moreover, keys to identify closely allied genera and the species of Bothriochloa in India are provided. At the end, identification, taxonomic notes and the range of variations of Dichanthium foulkesii, D. jainii & D. concanense have been discussed in a detail.

Unraveling the Genome of a High Yielding Colombian Sugarcane Hybrid.

Recent developments in High Throughput Sequencing (HTS) technologies and bioinformatics, including improved read lengths and genome assemblers allow the reconstruction of complex genomes with unprecedented quality and contiguity. Sugarcane has one of the most complicated genomes among grassess with a haploid length of 1Gbp and a ploidies between 8 and 12. In this work, we present a genome assembly of the Colombian sugarcane hybrid CC 01-1940. Three types of sequencing technologies were combined for this assembly: PacBio long reads, Illumina paired short reads, and Hi-C reads. We achieved a median contig length of 34.94 Mbp and a total genome assembly of 903.2 Mbp. We annotated a total of 63,724 protein coding genes and performed a reconstruction and comparative analysis of the sucrose metabolism pathway. Nucleotide evolution measurements between orthologs with close species suggest that divergence between Saccharum officinarum and Saccharum spontaneum occurred <2 million years ago. Synteny analysis between CC 01-1940 and the S. spontaneum genome confirms the presence of translocation events between the species and a random contribution throughout the entire genome in current sugarcane hybrids. Analysis of RNA-Seq data from leaf and root tissue of contrasting sugarcane genotypes subjected to water stress treatments revealed 17,490 differentially expressed genes, from which 3,633 correspond to genes expressed exclusively in tolerant genotypes. We expect the resources presented here to serve as a source of information to improve the selection processes of new varieties of the breeding programs of sugarcane.

Descriptions of Geostiba dindymosensis sp. n. and Geostiba yagmuri sp. n. (Coleoptera: Staphylinidae: Aleocharinae), and additional records for Geostiba Thomson, 1858 from Turkey

As a result of field survey in the western Anatolia, Turkey (Aydın, Balıkesir, Denizli, İzmir, Kütahya, Manisa, Muğla) between 2014 and 2016, two new species of the subgenus Tropogastrosipalia Scheerpeltz, 1951 belonging to the genus Geostiba Thomson, 1858 are described and illustrated: Geostiba dindymosensis sp. n. from Kütahya and Geostiba yagmuri sp. n. from Balıkesir and Manisa. These two new species are compared with morphologically similar and geographically close species. Also, a map illustrating the distributions of these species is provided. Additional records of Geostiba aydinica Assing, 2006, Geostiba biformis Assing, 2006 and Geostiba nifica Assing, 2006 are presented. These three species are recorded for the first time since their descriptions.