Colour Plates Research Articles

Three new species of the genus Oedichirus Erichson, 1839 (Coleoptera: Staphylinidae: Paederinae: Pinophilini) from China

Three new species of Oedichirus Erichson, 1839 are described: Oedichirus haishengensis Duan, Yue & Li sp. nov. from Guangxi Province, O. ovalisis Duan, Yue & Li sp. nov. from Fujian and Hainan Province, and O. tibetanus Duan, Yue & Li sp. nov. from Tibet Autonomous Region. Color plates of the habitus, antenna, abdominal segments VII–IX of the males, as well as the aedeagal structures in different views are provided. In addition, an updated key to the species and a checklist of all known species of the genus Oedichirus from China are included.

Architectural Imaginaries in Chinese Jiehua

A review of Leqi Yu, Painting Architecture: Jiehua in Yuan China, 1271–1368, Hong Kong: Hong Kong University Press, 2022, 216 pages, 54 halftones, 12 color plates. ISBN: 978-988-8754-23-6. Yu’s book on Yuan jiehua, a traditional Chinese painting genre centered on architectural subjects and tectonic structures, examines its relationship with real buildings, painters, and politics. This review highlights her discussions on architectural representations, focusing on her accounts of the degree of accuracy in pictorial depictions, utilization of modular systems by painters, and artistic techniques employed to achieve verisimilitude.

Studies on Typhonium (Araceae) of Thailand I: Typhoniumvinicolor, a new species from Khon Kaen Province, Northeastern Thailand.

Typhoniumvinicolor from Khon Kaen Province (Northeastern Thailand), is described and illustrated as a species new to science. Color plates, phenology, distribution, discussion of similar taxa, and conservation status assessment are provided.

Brides of Christ. Women and monasticism in medieval and early modern Ireland. Edited by Martin Browne osb, Tracy Collins, Bronagh Ann McShane and Colmán Ó Clabaigh, osb. Pp. xvi + 215 incl. 25 ills and 14 colour plates. Dublin: Four Courts Press, 2023. £45. 978 1 80151 022 6

Brides of Christ. Women and monasticism in medieval and early modern Ireland. Edited by Martin Browne <scp>osb</scp>, Tracy Collins, Bronagh Ann McShane and Colmán Ó Clabaigh, <scp>osb</scp>. Pp. xvi + 215 incl. 25 ills and 14 colour plates. Dublin: Four Courts Press, 2023. £45. 978 1 80151 022 6

Zingiber inodorum (Zingiberaceae: Zingiberoideae), a new species of Z. sect. Cryptanthium from Hainan, China

Zingiber inodorum, a new species belonging to Z. sect. Cryptanthium from Hainan, China, is described and colour plates showing its distinctive features are provided. Information on its distribution, ecology and phenology is also provided and a preliminary IUCN conservation assessment of the species is proposed. An unpublished phylogenetic study shows that Z. inodorum is related to a group of 11 species that is informally named as “Zingiber cochleariforme group”. A key to these species is provided. Among them, Z. inodorum is mostly similar to Z. guangxiense from south and southeast China in its inflorescence and flower characters. Zingiber inodorum is also similar to Z. magang and Z. skornickovae from central Vietnam in its vegetative characters. A tabulated comparison of Z. inodorum, Z. guangxiense, Z. magang and Z. skornickovae is provided.

The identity of Plagiostachys parviflora (Zingiberaceae: Alpinioideae) unravelled after 196 years

We collected specimens in Ilocos Norte, Philippines, and identified them as Plagiostachys parviflora (C.Presl) Ridl. (Zingiberaceae: Alpinioideae), a species of which the identity remains doubtful since its publication in 1827. This is one of the ginger species described and illustrated by Carl Presl using Thaddäus Haenke’s specimen collected in the Philippines during the Malaspina expedition. The description of Plagiostachys parviflora is expanded here based on new collections including pickled fertile material, and the species is illustrated by a colour plate. Notes on its distribution, phenology, local names, and other notes are also given. Amomum parviflorum C.Presl var. bifidum C.Presl and Plagiostachys rolfei (K.Schum.) Ridl. are treated here as synonyms of P. parviflora. Lectotypes are designated for Amomum parviflorum, Amomum parviflorum var. bifidum, and Alpinia rolfei K.Schum., and their respective type localities are discussed. Plagiostachys parviflora matched the criteria of the IUCN Red List to be considered as Vulnerable (VU). An updated key to the Philippine species of Plagiostachys is also provided.

Non-invasive spectroscopic analyses of M. E. Chevreul’s colour plates: shedding new light on 19th century colour theory representation

During the early 19th century, colour’s theories flourished. In this context, Michel-Eugène Chevreul (1786–1889) developed a three-dimensional hemispherical colour space, reproduced and used for several decades by manufacturers, scientists, artists, architects, gardeners and designers, among others, to easily identify and classify colours. Despite the major influence and variety of chromatic spaces created by M. E. Chevreul, they have been the subject of a few scientific studies until now. This study will provide new information on the evolution of the printing technique, the materiality and the visual appearance of six different colour circles printed in 1847, 1855, 1861 and 1864. A dedicated analytical methodology was implemented combining visible and near-infrared reflectance imaging, X-ray fluorescence, Raman, short-wave infrared fibre optic reflectance and mid-infrared Fourier transform spectroscopies. This material identification revealed the coexistence of newly synthetized inorganic pigments, such as lead chromate, Prussian blue or Emerald/Scheele green, with established organic and inorganic pigments, such as cochineal lake, vermilion or minium. This study revealed a temporal evolution of the printing technique that leads to an improved colour representation.

A new species of Rhopalopsole (Plecoptera, Leuctridae) from Hainan Province, China.

Hainan Province is an island in the south of China and belongs to the Oriental Region. It has a unique geographical location and superior climatic conditions, providing a good living environment for Leuctridae insects. However, the species richness of the stonefly family Leuctridae in Hainan is low. Two species in total have been recorded, Rhopalopsolebawanglinga Li, Li & Yang, 2023 and Rhopalopsolehainana Li & Yang, 2010. A new species of Leuctridae (Plecoptera) from Wuzhi Mountains, Hainan Province of south China, Rhopalopsolewuzhishana sp. nov. is described and illustrated. We summarised the Leuctridae in Hainan Province and provide supplemental description and colour plates of Rhopalopsolehainana Li & Yang, 2010.

Lythria (Microlythria subgen. nov.) venustata Staudinger, 1882 (Lepidoptera: Geometridae): distribution and description of the female, with a brief review of the genus

The article provides new localities for the little-known species Lythria venustata Staudinger, 1882; a map with all currently known locations is presented. A new subgenus, Microlythria subgen. nov., within Lythria Hübner is proposed for L. venustata. A morphological description of L. venustata female and illustration of its genital structure are given for the first time; some corrections in the description of the male genitalia are made. Both male and female genitalia of all other species of the genus are also shown, and a comparison of L. venustata with its congeners is made. Colour plates depicting males and females of all species of the genus Lythria are provided. The systematic position of the genus in the family Geometridae, and the implication of the features of L. venustata female genitalia for tribal association within the Sterrhinae are discussed. Identification keys (based on external morphology and genital structure) to Lythria species are given.

A preliminary study of the morphological variation of rhizomes in Zingiber Mill. and its role in taxonomy

The rhizomes of Zingiber are highly diverse and have potential in taxonomy, but their fundamental structure has never been properly understood in connection with an understanding of the sympodial growth form of the whole plant. This study is based on a literature review and on observations of fresh materials of 32 Zingiber species mainly from China, representing all four sections of the genus. An analysis of the sympodial modular growth habit of these plants has recognised that both isomodular and heteromodular growth exist within the genus. The study shows that rhizomes of Zingiber are highly-organised, compound, sympodial structures. By introducing the term rhizome unit, Zingiber rhizomes can be meaningfully described by depicting the morphology of the rhizome units and the relative arrangement of these units to one another. Six morphological attributes of rhizome units (shape, size, direction of growth, colour and number of nodes per rhizome, and length of internodes) and two attributes of their relative arrangement to one another (dorsiventral vs lateral position of rhizome units and the ramification position along the length of rhizome unit) are discussed. A preliminary assessment of variation patterns and the taxonomic value of these characters are presented. Together, these attributes contribute to the overall morphology of rhizomes. The relationship between rhizome structure and the above-ground clumping habit is discussed. The term pseudo-neck is coined to refer to the narrowed basal part that occurs in the rhizome units of some Zingiber species while the thick apical part of rhizome units where the internodes are often shorter than those on the pseudo-neck is called head. Problems with existing terminology for rhizome and plant habit descriptions in Zingiber are highlighted. This study suggests that whether the plane of distichy of leaves is parallel or perpendicular to the rhizome unit, a key character that many previous studies used for subdivision of Zingiberaceae, needs re-assessment, because in Zingiber both states of the character exist. Characters of rhizome morphology of the four sections in Zingiber are discussed, but studies of a larger number of species are needed to better-assess the relevance of these characters to the infrageneric classification of the genus. Schematic illustrations and colour plates of rhizomes from representative species are provided to assist the descriptions and discussions. It is hoped that this preliminary study will facilitate and encourage more comprehensive studies of rhizomes of Zingiber and of other genera within Zingiberaceae. Such work will lead to a better understanding of these structures and help establish a more comprehensive and accurate terminology for them, which in turn will facilitate the taxonomy and identification of the family.

Addition of two wild jasmines (Jasminum caudatum and J. grandiflorum) to Sikkim Himalaya, India

Two wild native Jasmines (Jasminum caudatum and J. grandiflorum subsp. grandiflorum) are added to the flora of Sikkim Himalaya. Their detailed description and color plates are provided.

Pre-cooking and liquid smoke affect the physicochemical and microbiological quality and polyhydroxy aromatic hydrocarbon (PAH) content in smoked skipjack tuna (Katsuwonus pelamis L.)

This study aimed to compare the quality of smoked fish products processed with liquid smoke with and without pre-cooking when stored at room temperature (25°C) for 0, 2, 4, and 6 days. The observations included moisture content, water holding capacity, color, and total plate and mold counts. The treated samples were also analyzed for polyhydroxyaromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) at day 0. The study found that the pre-cooked products had a lower moisture content (55.1%) than the control (59.9%) during storage. Additionally, the pre-cooked product had a higher water holding capacity than the control. The TPC value indicates that the pre-cooked product meets the Indonesian standard for smoked fish up to the 2nd day of storage, whereas the control product only meets the standard on day 0. However, the total mold of the control products meets the Indonesian standard until the 2nd day of storage, while the pre-cooked products only meet the standard on day 0. The pre-cooked product had a higher lightness value (L*) than the control. The analysis of polyhydroxy aromatic hydrocarbon (PAH) showed that the pre-cooking process did not affect the concentration of PAH.

Rediscovery and lectotypification of Rohdea wattii (C.B.Clarke) Yamashita &amp; M.N.Tamura (Asparagaceae) from Manipur, India

Rohdea wattii (C.B. Clarke) Yamashita &amp; M.N. Tamura is a subtropical Asiatic species rediscovered after the type collection with a gap of 137 years from Manipur, India. Detailed taxonomic description, color plate, ecology, and nomenclature notes have been provided for this potential economically valuable wild ornamental species. Lectotype for the name R. wattii (≡Campylandra wattii C.B. Clarke) is designated here.

Aspidistra luofushanensis (Asparagaceae), a new species from Guangdong, China

Aspidistra luofushanensis, a new species of Asparagaceae from northeast Guangdong, China, is described and illustrated. Morphologically it is similar to A. punctata but can be distinguished by the suberect or slightly inward bending perianth lobes, pollen sacs facing upwards, umbrella-like pistil, upper surface white to light purplish red of sigma with margin lobes revolute. The morphology, pollen morphology and color plates are provided for comparison.

A new species of Holcoglossum (Orchidaceae, Aeridinae) from Southern Shan State, Myanmar with taxonomic notes on Holcoglossum himalaicum

A new species of Holcoglossum is described and illustrated from Myanmar with colour plates, line drawing and photographs. The comparison and differentiation are made with H. semiteretifolium and H. himalaicum. Holcoglossum clausum is allied to H. himalaicum owing to the similar coloration and the long spur, however, they differ based on the size of the petals (7–8 mm × 2–3 mm vs. 4–5 mm × 2 mm), the length of the petiole (1.8 cm vs. 3–4 cm) and the length of the stem (4 cm vs. 5–24 cm). From H. semiteretifolium the new species can be distinguished by its growth (pendant vs. upright), the much longer leaves (45 cm vs. 15 cm) and the longer spur (1.3 cm vs. 6.4 mm). Furthermore, we reduce H. gaoligongense and Pendulorchis gaoligongense var. lushuiensis to the synonymy of H. himalaicum, as there are no discernible morphological differences between them, and they both inhabit the same climate type, namely the subtropical highland climate.

VERI-D: A new dataset and method for multi-camera vehicle re-identification of damaged cars under varying lighting conditions

Vehicle re-identification (V-ReID) is a critical task that aims to match the same vehicle across images from different camera viewpoints. The previous studies have leveraged attribute clues, such as color, model, and license plate, to enhance the V-ReID performance. However, these methods often lack effective interaction between the global–local features and the final V-ReID objective. Moreover, they do not address the challenging issues in real-world scenarios, such as high viewpoint variations, extreme illumination conditions, and car appearance changes (e.g., due to damage or wrong driving). We propose a novel framework to tackle these problems and advance the research in V-ReID, which can handle various types of car appearance changes and achieve robust V-ReID under varying lighting conditions. Our main contributions are as follows: (i) we propose a new Re-ID architecture named global–local self-attention network, which integrates local information into the feature learning process and enhances the feature representation for V-ReID and (ii) we introduce a novel damaged vehicle Re-ID dataset called VERI-D, which is the first publicly available dataset that focuses on this challenging yet practical scenario. The dataset contains both natural and synthetic images of damaged vehicles captured from multiple camera viewpoints and under different lighting conditions. (iii) We conduct extensive experiments on the VERI-D dataset and demonstrate the effectiveness of our approach in addressing the challenges associated with damaged vehicle re-identification. We also compare our method to several state-of-the-art V-ReID methods and show its superiority.

A new species of Tanna Distant, 1905 from Yunnan, China (Hemiptera, Cicadidae, Cicadinae).

The genus Tanna Distant, 1905 (Hemiptera, Cicadidae, Cicadinae, Leptopsaltriini, Leptopsaltriina) currently includes 23 species (three tentatively placed), with its actual geographical distribution in China, Japan, Nepal, Bhutan, Cambodia, Thailand and Vietnam. Most of them, 16 species, are known from China, including one new species here described. A new species of cicada, Tannafengi Wang sp. nov., is described from Yunnan, southwest China. Colour plates are presented to illustrate all diagnostic characters. An updated list of Tanna species occurring in China is provided.

Taxonomic studies of Araceae in Myanmar VI: Amorphophallus mirabilis – a new species and a new record for the genus Amorphophallus

Amorphophallus mirabilis is herein described and illustrated from Hpa‐an District, Kayin State, Myanmar. A detailed description, colour plates, phenology, and a provisional conservation status are provided. In addition, A. napalensis is reported as a newly recorded species for Myanmar. With the discovery of the new species and A. napalensis, Myanmar now holds 17 Amorphophallus species.Keywords: Amorphophallus napalensis, Burma, Chin State, Kayin State, mirabilis, new species

Aspidistra longzhouensis (Asparagaceae), a new species from limestone areas in Guangxi, China

Aspidistra longzhouensis, a new species of Asparagaceae from Guangxi, southern China, is described and illustrated here. It is morphologically similar to A. patentiloba Y. Wan &amp; X. H. Lu, but the new species is differentiated by its smaller leaf, flower completely pure white, stigma upper surface glabrous and with 4 radial lines, bifurcate lines at center. The new species is currently known only from the Karst areas in southwest Guangxi. Colour plates of the similar species are provided for comparison.

Graphidessajinfoensis, a new species of longhorned beetle (Coleoptera, Cerambycidae, Lamiinae, Desmiphorini) from China.

Graphidessajinfoensissp. nov. is described from Chongqing and Guizhou in Southwest China. The diagnostic morphological characters of the new species are described and illustrated in color plates. The distribution of all species of the genus Graphidessa Bates, 1884 is mapped and the key to all species of this genus is updated. The COI gene sequence of the new species is also provided.