Female Holotype Research Articles

Archipsocus michamwiensis n. sp. - a new species of Psocoptera (Insecta) from Zanzibar (Tanzania)

This paper describes Archipsocus michamwiensis n. sp., a new species from the family Archipsocidae collected in Zanzibar, Tanzania. The single female (holotype) is macropterous and exhibits distinct reddish-brown colouration, and equal-length tarsal segments. Morphological measurements highlight features such as short antennae and a V-shaped pigmented area on the subgenital plate.

A new species of Pseudhimalayites (Ammonitina, Aspidoceratoidea) from the Lower Tithonian of the Betic Range, Southern Spain

The Late Jurassic aspidoceratoid genus Pseudhimalayites Spath is scarcely recorded but widely distributed in the Andean basins, the Caribbean region, and in the European Tethys. From Ponti Zone (Lower Tithonian) rocks of the Betic Range in Carchelejo we describe here the new species Pseudhimalayites carchelejensis, based on a macroconch (female) holotype. The corresponding microconch (male), described from the same ammonite assemblage, would belong to the morphogenus Simocosmoceras Spath which groups the microconchs of Pseudhimalayites. P. carchelejensis n. sp. differs from the coeval Pseudhimalayites steinmanni (Haupt) by lacking ventral tubercles in the phragmocone and by bearing umbilical tubercles only from the adult whorl of the phragmocone. These differences illustrate a significant morphologic divergence between the Andean and the Tethyan lineages.

Hathoronthophagus, new replacement name for Hathor Deschodt, 2023, preoccupied genus-group name of a putatively myrmecophilic dung beetle (Scarabaeidae: Scarabaeinae: Onthophagini).

In November 2023, Deschodt & Sole (2023) proposed the new genus-group name Hathor Deschodt for a peculiar, putatively ant-associated onthophagine dung beetle from Gauteng province, South Africa. The genus is as yet known only from the female holotype of the species Hathor spinosa Deschodt, 2023. It was overlooked that the new generic name is preoccupied by Hathor Kirkaldy & Edwards, 1902, as regulated by the Principle of Homonymy (Articles 5260 of the International Code of Zoological Nomenclature [henceforth the Code, Anonymous 1999]). Hathor Kirkaldy & Edwards is a monotypic genus of red bug or cotton stainer (Hemiptera: Heteroptera: Pyrrhocoroidea: Pyrrhocoridae) from tropical Africa, itself a junior subjective synonym of Sericocoris Karsch, 1892. Sericocoris is currently a valid genus (Robertson 2004; Stehlk & Jindra 2011).

A new Acrulia species from Danish amber (Coleoptera: Staphylinidae: Omaliinae: Omaliini)

ABSTRACT Acrulia danica Shavrin sp. n. from late Eocene Danish amber is described and illustrated based on a female holotype. The new species, embedded within a small piece of amber, was scanned using X-ray micro-computed tomography (μCT), to enable the detailed study of its morphology including the taxonomically important structure of the accessory sclerite. Previously, only three extant species of the genus Acrulia Thomson, 1858 were known from the Palaearctic Region. The new species is compared with extant congeners and the importance of a detailed study of the fossil entomofauna of the Danish amber is discussed in view of the hypotheses about its different origin from other European ambers. urn:lsid:zoobank.org:act:67972F3A-DF6A-48D5-A4BD-96EF8AA87DCF

Two new Chelonocoris species from Borneo and Sumatra (Hemiptera, Heteroptera, Aradidae)

Chelonocoris bakonyii sp. n. from Borneo (East Malaya) and Ch. heissi sp. n. from Sumatra (Indonesia) is described on the basis of male specimens. The female holotype of C. usingeri Kormilev, 1956 from Borneo is depicted. With 19 figures.

Redescription of both Goniogryllus bistriatus Wu & Wang, 1992 and Callogryllus yunnanus Wu & Zheng, 1992 (Orthoptera: Gryllidae, Gryllinae).

Goniogryllus bistriatus Wu & Wang, 1992 was described at the end of the last century, based on the female holotype, and there have been no further studies or reports related to this species since then. Callogryllus yunnanus Wu & Zheng, 1992 also has a similar situation. Although the holotype is a male, its external genitalia have been lost. These issues pose obstacles to subsequent taxonomic research. Recently, we have successively discovered these two species in Huize County, Yunnan Province, China. To address the aforementioned taxonomic problems, this article describes the male specimens of the G. bistriatus and redescribes the female; meanwhile, since the original description of C. yunnanus lacked male genital characteristics, and we have also conducted a complete redescription of this species based on the new specimen.

Balclutha jafara (Hemiptera: Cicadellidae): integrative identification of a species introduced in the Western Hemisphere, and notes on other Balclutha.

Leafhopper specimens of the genus Balclutha Kirkaldy, found in southern Florida (Palm Beach and Collier Counties), United States, beginning in 2020, and in shipments of plant products originating from Colombia and entering the United States beginning in 2019, are identified as B. jafara Webb. This species was previously known only from the Seychelles and Aldabra Islands, which are parts of the Seychelles archipelago in the Indian Ocean east of mainland Africa. Identifications were made by comparison with type specimens, both morphologically and through molecular analysis. Specimens in Palm Beach Co. were swept from commercial rice (Oryza sativa L.) paddies. Mitochondrial cytochrome c oxidase I (COI) barcodes of specimens from Florida and Colombia were closely matched to each other and to partial barcodes obtained from paratype specimens of B. jafara. The COI barcodes also closely matched sequences from previously unidentified Balclutha specimens in the Barcode of Life Data Systems (BOLD) from Kenya and South Africa, several of which were confirmed later morphologically as B. jafara. Previously unidentified museum specimens from South Sudan, Zambia, and Zimbabwe were determined as B. jafara. Together, these specimens show that B. jafara has a more widespread African distribution than was known previously, and that it arrived in the Western Hemisphere by 2019. Balclutha jafara is redescribed and illustrated. Further studies on the Balclutha fauna of Florida were performed. COI barcode data were generated for Floridian specimens of B. caldwelli Blocker, B. curvata Caldwell, B. flavescens (Baker), B. frontalis (Ferrari), B. incisa (Matsumura), and B. lucida (Butler). A phylogenetic analysis of COI data was conducted using publicly available sequences and those generated here. A key to the Balclutha species known from Florida is provided. The names that have been applied and mis-applied to Western Hemisphere species are discussed. To clarify the identity of some species, illustrations are given for: the female holotype and a male paratype of Eugnathodus virescens Osborn (=B. flavescens); the holotype of Nesosteles robustus Caldwell (=B. robusta); and the holotype of Balclutha curvata Caldwell. Additional barcoded specimens of Balclutha from Kenya and Pakistan were provided for examination by the BOLD research group and determined as B. sujawalensis Ahmed, previously known only from India and Pakistan, and this species is also illustrated here.

Taxonomic revision of the soldier spider genus Falconina Brignoli, 1985 (Araneae: Corinnidae: Corinninae).

The genus Falconina Brignoli, 1985 is revised and redescribed, including ten species. New records and documentation of morphological variation in F. gracilis (Keyserling, 1891) are presented; it and the type species, F. melloi (Schenkel, 1953), are rediagnosed. Falconina albomaculosa (Schmidt, 1971) is redescribed based on the female holotype and additional material from Ecuador, with the male being described for the first time. Falconina crassipalpis (Chickering, 1937) is redescribed based on the types and additional material from Barro Colorado, Panama. Six new species are described, diagnosed, and illustrated: F. iza sp. nov. ( from Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil); F. taita sp. nov. ( from Chapare and from Sapecho, Bolivia); F. catirina sp. nov. ( from Piau, Brazil); F. adriki sp. nov. ( and from Rio de Janeiro, Brazil); F. andresi sp. nov. ( from Meta, Colombia); and F. brignolii sp. nov. ( from Sucre, Venezuela). Additionally, distribution maps and an identification key to all of the known species of Falconina are provided.

Hiding in the mists: molecular phylogenetic position and description of a new genus and species of snake (Dipsadidae: Xenodontinae) from the remote cloud forest of the Lost World

Abstract Pantepui s.l. is a remote, biodiverse region of ~400 000 km2 containing at least five endemic reptile genera and a number of ancient vertebrate lineages. Here, we describe an additional endemic snake genus and species, Paikwaophis krukigen. nov., sp. nov. (Dipsadidae: Xenodontinae), recently collected in the Pantepui cloud forest that sits at the base of the steep cliffs of Roraima-tepui and Wei-Assipu-tepui (table mountains of the Eastern Tepui Chain) in Guyana, South America. Multilocus molecular data strongly support Paikwaophisgen. nov. to be most closely related to Xenopholis Peters, 1869, although both genera are strikingly different morphologically. Osteological and other phenotypic data suggest that Paikwaophis is semi-fossorial; its diet includes minute lizards. Paikwaophis is currently the only known Pantepui endemic snake genus. The immature female holotype is the only known specimen.

Notes on Central Asian Furcula with description of a new species.

Genitalia of the female holotype of the Central Asian species Furcula terminata (Wiltshire, 1958) (TL: northeastern Afghanistan) were studied for the first time. They showed a clear similarity with the genitalia of Furcula gorbunovi Schintlmeister, 1998 (TL: Gissar Range, Tajikistan) and Furcula mimonovi Schintlmeister, 1998 (TL: Karakalpakstan, Uzbekistan). Males of F. terminata from Afghanistan were not found in the collections. However, the specimens from neighboring Tajikistan and topotypes of F. gorbunovi and F. mimonovi were studied and all of them have pointed apex of the costal process of valva specific for the bifida-group, not the furcula-group as suggested previously. Considering the morphological similarity and overlapping distribution areas of the three studied taxa, two new synonyms are established for F. terminata: F. gorbunovi syn. n. and Furcula mimonovi syn. n. The population of Tian Shan and Alay Range in Kyrgyzstan and Uzbekistan, previously regarded as F. terminata, are described here as a new species based on differences in the genitalia of both sexes.

A new species of Kana Distant representing the first record of Evacanthinae (Hemiptera: Cicadellidae) from Madagascar.

Kana ranomafanensis sp. n. is described and illustrated based on specimens from montane rainforests in eastern Madagascar. This is the first record of the diverse and widely distributed leafhopper subfamily Evacanthinae from Madagascar. A revised diagnosis of Kana Distant is provided and the new species is compared to species from the Indomalayan and Afrotropical regions. Evidence from previous molecular divergence time analyses suggests that ancestors of the new species arrived in Madagascar via transoceanic dispersal. The ovipositor of the genus and the male genitalia of Kana decora (Melichar), previously known only from the female holotype from Sri Lanka, are illustrated for the first time.

Revision of the Neotropical genera Sumichrastia Townsend, 1916 and Myioscotiptera Giglio-Tos, 1893, with a new junior synonym proposal (Tachinidae: Dexiinae: Dexiini)

ABSTRACT Sumichrastia Townsend, 1916, and Myioscotiptera Giglio-Tos, 1893, monotypic genera of Dexiini restricted to the Neotropical Region, are revised. A redescription and photographs of the female holotype of Sumichrastia aurea (Giglio-Tos, 1893), in addition to the first recognition, description and photographs of the male are given. This genus belongs to the group of Dexiini with spine-like setae on the abdomen. Furthermore, a redescription and photographs of male holotype are given for Myioscotiptera cincta Giglio-Tos, 1893, in addition to a new specific synonym: Oberonomyia palpalis Reinhard, 1964 new junior synonym of M. cincta. Updated diagnoses are given for Sumichrastia and Myioscotiptera to help differentiate them from the other Dexiini genera. Finally, a brief biography of the collector of both holotypes, the Swiss naturalist François Sumichrast, is given. http://www.zoobank.org/urn:lsid:zoobank.org:pub:D7147DE5-BA93-4B32-9D16-0C53CB80D2F5

Description of a new species of Ampulicomorpha Ashmead (Hymenoptera, Embolemidae) from Madagascar.

A new species of Ampulicomorpha Ashmead, A. minima sp. nov., is described from Madagascar, Toliara Province. The female holotype is compared with the known females of all other Afrotropical species of the same genus. A new key to them is presented, together with the first complete multifocal illustration of the females of all Afrotropical species of Ampulicomorpha.

Over 170 years later: redescription of the genus Glyphuchus Stål (Hemiptera: Pentatomidae: Discocephalinae), with the first description of the male

The rare Neotropical Discocephalini (Heteroptera: Pentatomidae) monotypic genus Glyphuchus Stål, 1860 and its type species Glyphuchus sculpturatus Stål, 1860 are known only from the female holotype. Here, they are redescribed based on a recently collected specimen and on the holotype. The male of the genus is described for the first time based on a specimen collected in a protected area of the Atlantic Rain Forest, in southeastern Brazil. General morphology and male and female genitalia are described and compared to those of other Discocephalini genera. Photos of the main morphological characters are presented, as well as photos of the living and preserved specimens. The relevance of protected areas for studies on biodiversity and natural history is highlighted.

Discovery of a new species and host record of Holophryxus Richardson, 1905 (Isopoda: Dajidae) from the central Arctic: a model of enhanced descriptive standards for epicaridean isopods

Abstract Adult isopods of the family Dajidae are exclusively ectoparasitic, typically infecting pelagic malacostracan crustaceans. It is assumed that their life cycle involves free-living and parasitic phases, with planktonic copepods acting as intermediate hosts. Most generic diagnoses proposed in the family have traditionally been incomplete, containing imperfect or misleading information, and characters whose states were wrongly assessed. In an attempt to analyse this state of affairs comprehensively, a taxonomic review and updated diagnosis of the species-rich genus Holophryxus are presented. Both traditional and novel morphological characters are critically assessed, forming the basis for updated differential diagnoses of all currently valid species. The presence of previously ignored sensory structures on the body and pereopods is highlighted and its significance discussed. Holophryxus citriformis sp. nov. is recorded on the common shrimp, Hymenodora glacialis, at 4300 m depth in the central Arctic Ocean. Its description, based on light microscopy and confocal laser scanning microscopy analysis of the female holotype, containing a dwarf male inside its marsupium, is proposed as a model of enhanced descriptive standards required in future morphological research on epicaridean isopods. Definitive host records and geographical distributions of all Holophryxus species are summarized as well as records of larval epicaridean stages associated with copepod hosts.

Description of two new species of the leafhopper genus Pediopsis Burmeister (Hemiptera, Cicadellidae, Eurymelinae, Macropsini) from China.

Two new leafhopper species of Pediopsis Burmeister, Pediopsisalbopicta Li & Dai, sp. nov. from Hunan and Guizhou provinces of central China and Pediopsispianmaensis Li & Dai, sp. nov. from Yunnan Province of southwestern China, are described and illustrated. Ambiguity in the original description of P.bannaensis Yang & Zhang is discussed, and figures of the female holotype of P.femorata Hamilton are provided for the first time. A checklist and key to Chinese species of Pediopsis are also given.

The Crane Flies of Martinique, with the Description of Four New Species (Diptera, Tipuloidea)

The results of a first major inventory of the crane flies (Diptera: Tipuloidea) of the Lesser Antillean island of Martinique are presented here, based almost exclusively on pan trap sampling during 2018. A total of 27 species of crane flies were discovered, including four new species, Teucholabis (Teucholabis) carbetensis sp. nov., Atypophthalmus (Atypophthalmus) vanewrighti sp. nov., Rhipidia (Rhipidia) martiniquensis sp. nov. (all three Limoniidae), and Zelandotipula gelhausi sp. nov. (Tipulidae). Seven species have been identified till the morphospecies level, due to the exclusive capture of female specimens. In addition, the species Zelandotipula parviceps (Speiser, 1909) from Guadeloupe is redescribed, based on the study of the female holotype. A checklist of Limoniidae and Tipulidae of Martinique is provided.

Expanded morphological description of the recently described Lycodon zayuensis (Serpentes: Colubridae).

Lycodon is a species-rich genus that currently contains 72 named species. Lycodon zayuensis Jiang, Wang, Jin & Che, 2020, was described from Lower Chayu Town, Chayu County, Tibet, China, based on a single female holotype. During our recent field work, three additional specimens, including two females and one male, were collected and identified as L. zayuensis based on morphological comparison and the cytochrome b mitochondrial gene (1049 bp). Here, we provide an expanded description of this recently described species based on all known specimens.

Review of the Chinese species of the genus Scelimena Serville, 1838 (Tetrigidae: Scelimeninae: Scelimenini)

A brief preliminary revision of the genus Scelimena Serville, 1838 (Tetrigidae: Scelimeninae: Scelimenini) from PR China is presented. Scelimena pyrroma Lao, Kasalo, Gao, Deng et Skejo sp. nov. is described from Hainan, Ding'an, based on a female holotype and a male paratype, and an additional photograph of a female in the natural habitat from Wuzhi National Nature Reserve (Wuzhi-shan Mountain). Specimens of this new species were hitherto reported from Hainan as S. dentiumeris (Hancock, 1907), a species endemic to Borneo. The new species is easily distinguished from its congeners by the presence of prominent yellow humeral tubercles and by the lateral pronotal spines directed forwards. The new species from Hainan and S. chinensis (Hancock, 1915) from Vietnam are assigned to Scelimena producta species group based on the similarity with S. producta (Serville, 1838), which is characterized by the humeral angles with tubercles, wide vertex, and toothed ventral margins of hind femora, while S. boettcheri Günther, 1938 from Palawan is assigned to Scelimena discalis species group, based on the tuberculated median carina. Scelimena dammermanni Günther, 1938, stat. nov., hitherto regarded as a subspecies of S. producta, is elevated to a species level because it lacks ventral spines on the hind legs, present in all S. producta individuals. New synonymy is established: Scelimena melli Günther, 1938, =Scelimena brevispina Cao et Zheng, 2011, syn. nov.; =Scelimena wulingshana Zheng, 1993, syn. nov.; =Eufalconoides guizhouensis Zheng et Shi, 2006, syn. nov. Scelimena melli, S. guangxiensis Zheng et Jiang, 1994 from southern China and S. kempi (Hancock, 1915) from NE India are assigned to S. bellula species group on the basis of similarity to S. bellula Storozhenko et Dawwrueng, 2015. Further research should determine whether S. spicupennis Zheng & Ou, 2003 represents a valid species or a synonym of another Scelimena species, as well as if S. nitidogranulosa Günther, 1938 and S. guangxiensis Zheng & Jiang, 1994 represent separate species or whether they are conspecific. Specimens of S. nitidogranulosa from Hainan reported by Liang & Zheng in 1998 are in fact Platygavialidium sinicum Günther, 1939. Scelimena songkrana Zha et Wen, 2017 is recorded from China for the first time. A key to Scelimena species found in PR China is also provided.

The identity of Automeris ophthalmica Moore, 1883 (Lepidoptera: Saturniidae, Hemileucinae)

The identity of Automeris ophthalmica Moore, 1883, sp. rev. is recognized, based on a specimen reared from a larva that matched the description and illustration of the one from which the female holotype was reared. This finding makes Pseudautomeris ophthalmica (Moore), the senior synonym of the following names: Automeris coronis Schaus, 1913, syn. n., Automeris parametea Bouvier, 1936, syn. n., and Automeris coronoides Bouvier, 1936, syn. n.