Northernmost Record Research Articles

First records of two triplefins, Enneapterygius rhothion and Enneapterygius olivaceus (Actinopterygii: Blenniiformes: Tripterygiidae), from Australia and Vanuatu

Presently reported single specimen of Enneapterygius rhothion Fricke, 1997, previously considered endemic to waters off New Caledonia and Vanuatu, represents the first record from Australia and the northernmost record of the species. In addition, Enneapterygius olivaceus Dewa, Tashiro, et Motomura, 2023, originally described from Japan and the Philippines, is also newly recorded from Australia and Vanuatu, being the first record of the species from the Southern Hemisphere.

First record of <i>Abrothrix olivacea</i> (Waterhouse, 1837) in Peru based on historical material from Tacna

Abrotrichini is the sigmodontine tribe with the fewest species in Peru, known only from two species: Abrothrix andina and Ab. jelskii, both distributed in the high Andean regions of Peru above 3000 m in altitude. A detailed review of the morphology of historical specimens collected in the Tacna department and identified as Akodon mollis was conducted. As a result, we found that the examined specimens corresponded to Abrothrix olivacea, a species previously known only from Chile and Argentina. This discovery represents the first record of this species in Peru, extending its distribution range 165 km north of its previous northernmost record in Quebrada Camarones, Arica-Parinacota, Chile. Furthermore, this finding significantly reduces the distribution range of Akodon mollis to the northwestern region of Peru. We also provide key craniodental characters to differentiate species of Abrothrix and Akodon in southwestern Peru and northern Chile. For Peru, this record increases the diversity of mammals to 588 species and rodents to 201 species. In the case of the Tacna department, mammalian diversity increases to 47 species. This work highlights the value of natural history museum collections in enhancing our understanding of species diversity.

A New Record of Elymnias Caudata Butler, 1871 (Insecta: Lepidoptera: Nymphalidae) from Nagpur in Central India

Urban areas harbour diverse butterfly species in isolated and fragmented habitats such as parks, remnants of natural and semi-natural habitats and other such green areas. An Indian endemic nymphalid butterfly species, Elymnias caudata Butler, 1871 (tailed palmfly), has mostly been reported from south-western parts of the southern region of India. According to the previous record, this species is unknown from Nagpur, a city in Central India. Here, Elymnias caudata is recorded from Nagpur for the first time, and it shows that the distribution range of this species is wider than previously known. This is the northernmost record of Elymnias caudata in India.

The Northernmost Record of a Stranded Southern Right Whale (Eubalaena australis) Calf in Ecuador’s North Coast: Notes on Stranding Causes and Distribution Expansion in the Southeastern Tropical Pacific

The Northernmost Record of a Stranded Southern Right Whale (Eubalaena australis) Calf in Ecuador’s North Coast: Notes on Stranding Causes and Distribution Expansion in the Southeastern Tropical Pacific

Northernmost record of Macropipus rugosus (Decapoda, Brachyura, Polybiidae) in the Canary Islands

Abstract We are reporting for the first time the presence of the crab Macropipus rugosus (Doflein, 1904) (Polybiidae) in the Canary Islands. This finding is based on the collection of three individuals off Tenerife. The collection, at coordinates 28°10′38″N, establishes a new northern distribution limit for this species. The species was previously known from tropical and subtropical seas off the west coast of Africa, has recently been reported in the waters of Cape Verde, and now we report it for the Canary Islands.

A record of the northernmost location of Otus elegans in the Pacific area

This individual of Otus elgans was rescued on Udo Island located in the east of Jeju Island, the southernmost part of the Korean Peninsula, on January 4, 2007. It was found at 3° 32″ N, 2° 58′ E, which is the northernmost record among the habitats of Otus elegans. After that, we took photographs of its shape, recorded its calls, and analyzed them. While analyzing we confirmed that it is an unrecorded species in Korea. We classified the chick calls based on structural similarity on spectrograms (view range: 0–7.5 kHz; window length: 1 second). We measured it and the results are; weight: 86.7 g, total length: 210 mm, wing length: 170 mm, tail length: 68.0 mm, and Tarsus length: 25.13 mm. In addition, its vocalizations are structurally diverse: duration, ∼10 ms to 1.5 s; peak frequency (adults), <900 to >3000 Hz. Currently, it was found not only on Nansei Shoto, Minami-daito-jima, and Okino Islands in Japan but also on the Batanes Islands in eastern China and the Babuyan Islands. Moreover, assumed that it inhabits Okinoshima, lying beyond the known northern limit of distribution. Therefore, this study record demonstrates the attempt of O. elegans to move north even to Udo Island from the previous habitats.

Biogeographical patterns of the porcelaneous larger foraminifer Alveolinella quoyi through the integration of fossil data

In the present-day Indo-Pacific coral-reef settings two genera of alveolinoidean porcelaneous larger benthic foraminifera (LBF) occur, namely Alveolinella and Borelis. Alveolinella is represented by a single species, A. quoyi, whose northernmost record is in Okinawa-jima (central Ryukyu Islands, Japan). Although the Indo-Pacific area, and especially the Coral Triangle, is a biodiversity hotspot since the Early Miocene, in-depth investigation on fossil representatives of present-day LBF is limited to a few taxa. To help bridge this knowledge gap, the palaeobiogeographical dynamics of A. quoyi is assessed. Analysis of data from the palaeontological literature shows that its first appearance datum is from the Tortonian (Late Miocene) of East Kalimantan and Papua New Guinea. In the Pliocene–Pleistocene the Indonesian Throughflow constrained the species within the Central Indo-Pacific. Finally, during the Late Pliocene the northward migrants arrived in the shallow-water carbonate settings of Okinawa-jima where the species is still thriving.

Notes on the nest sites, reproductive activity, and a new record of the southernmost population of Glaucomys volans (Sciuridae: Rodentia)

ABSTRACT Glaucomys volans underwoodi was recently rediscovered in Honduras after 43 years since its last record; the population in the eastern region of the country is considered the southernmost within the distribution of this species. However, there is a lack of ecological information about this squirrel in their disjunct populations through Central America. We describe the nest sites used by this species in Honduras and give reproductive data for the southern populations for the first time. Also, we add the northernmost record for the species in Honduras. Restrained activities are needed to conserve the last remnants of pine forests and their mammals within the country.

The northernmost record of Ischiodon aegyptius (Wiedemann, 1830) (Diptera, Syrphidae, Syrphinae) with possible evidence of its reproduction in Europe

The northernmost record of <i>Ischiodon aegyptius</i> (Wiedemann, 1830) (Diptera, Syrphidae, Syrphinae) with possible evidence of its reproduction in Europe

Contribution to the distribution of mosquitoes in Great Britain, with northernmost records

Abstract We report occurrence data of mosquitoes in Scotland which were routinely collated by the British Mosquito Group for the period 1886 to 1993 (232 records), and by the Mosquito Recording Scheme since 2005 (11 records). We also report a set of new field data mainly based on mosquito immature sampling in aquatic habitats during the summers 1998 and 2012, in both Scotland (20 data) and England (11 data). The occurrences in Scotland (263 data in total) include a total mosquito fauna of 18 species. They include, for the British Isles, the northernmost record of Anopheles claviger sensu stricto, collected on Orkney, and the northernmost record of Culex pipiens, collected on Shetland, both in 2012. The latter is the northernmost mosquito record of Great Britain to date.

First report of Ecclitura primoris Kokujev, 1902 in Hungary (Hymenoptera: Braconidae)

Ecclitura primoris Kokujev, 1902, the sole European species of the genus Ecclitura Kokujev, 1902 (Hymenoptera: Braconidae: Euphorinae) is reported for the first time from Hungary, representing its northernmost record and first occurrence outside the Mediterranean area in Europe.

Новые данные о фауне пауков (Arachnida: Araneae) Урала

Based on new materials, four species are recorded for the fauna of the Urals for the first time. One species, Tegenaria lapicidinarum, found in the open ground exhibition of the botanical garden of Perm State University, is considered as the newest introduced species. Three species: Agyneta suecica, Entelecara flavipes and Neon valentulus have the easternmost points of their ranges in the Trans-Urals. The side-walking spider Runcinia tarabayevi in the forest-steppe Trans-Urals has the northernmost record. Diagnostic characters are illustrated for three little-known species, A. suecica, E. flavipes and N. valentulus. A review of spiders of the Philodromus rufus species group inhabiting in the Urals is given. Of the three species noted in the literature, collection materials confirm the occurrence of two species: P. aryy and P. vinokurovi. Both species are redescribed and illustrated. The records of species P. rufus for the fauna of the Urals needs confirmation.

The French benthic newcomers: new records of Ampithoe valida S.I. Smith, 1873 and Polydora colonia Moore, 1907 in Brittany, first record of Bispira polyomma Giangrande &amp; Faasse, 2012 in the North-East Atlantic and northernmost record of Prostheceraeus moseleyi Lang, 1884 in Europe

The French benthic newcomers: new records of Ampithoe valida S.I. Smith, 1873 and Polydora colonia Moore, 1907 in Brittany, first record of Bispira polyomma Giangrande &amp; Faasse, 2012 in the North-East Atlantic and northernmost record of Prostheceraeus moseleyi Lang, 1884 in Europe

New records of non-indigenous species from the eastern Mediterranean Sea (Crustacea, Mollusca), with a revision of genus Isognomon (Mollusca: Bivalvia).

We report new data on non-indigenous invertebrates from the Mediterranean Sea (four ostracods and 20 molluscs), including five new records for the basin: the ostracods Neomonoceratina iniqua, Neomonoceratina aff. mediterranea, Neomonoceratina cf. entomon, Loxoconcha cf. gisellae (Arthropoda: Crustacea)-the first records of non-indigenous ostracods in the Mediterranean-and the bivalve Striarca aff. symmetrica (Mollusca). Additionally, we report for the first time Electroma vexillum from Israel, and Euthymella colzumensis, Joculator problematicus, Hemiliostraca clandestina, Pyrgulina nana, Pyrgulina microtuber, Turbonilla cangeyrani, Musculus aff. viridulus and Isognomon bicolor from Cyprus. We also report the second record of Fossarus sp. and of Cerithiopsis sp. cf. pulvis in the Mediterranean Sea, the first live collected specimens of Oscilla galilae from Cyprus and the northernmost record of Gari pallida in Israel (and the Mediterranean). Moreover, we report the earliest records of Rugalucina angela, Ervilia scaliola and Alveinus miliaceus in the Mediterranean Sea, backdating their first occurrence in the basin by 3, 5 and 7 years, respectively. We provide new data on the presence of Spondylus nicobaricus and Nudiscintilla aff. glabra in Israel. Finally, yet importantly, we use both morphological and molecular approaches to revise the systematics of the non-indigenous genus Isognomon in the Mediterranean Sea, showing that two species currently co-occur in the basin: the Caribbean I. bicolor, distributed in the central and eastern Mediterranean, and the Indo-Pacific I. aff. legumen, at present reported only from the eastern Mediterranean and whose identity requires a more in-depth taxonomic study. Our work shows the need of taxonomic expertise and investigation, the necessity to avoid the unfounded sense of confidence given by names in closed nomenclature when the NIS belong to taxa that have not enjoyed ample taxonomic work, and the necessity to continue collecting samples-rather than relying on visual censuses and bio-blitzes-to enable accurate detection of non-indigenous species.

Anisakid parasite diversity in a pygmy sperm whale, Kogia breviceps (Cetacea: Kogiidae) stranded at the edge of its distribution range in the Northeast Atlantic Ocean.

Anisakid nematodes are a globally distributed group of marine mammal parasites. Kogiid whales, including the pygmy sperm whale Kogia breviceps, host an assemblage of specific anisakid species. Currently, three species are known to be specific to kogiid hosts, i.e., Skrjabinisakis paggiae, S. brevispiculata, and the less studied Pseudoterranova ceticola. The aim of this study was to investigate the species diversity of anisakid nematodes sampled from a pygmy sperm whale stranded in 2013 at the edge of its distribution range in the Northeast Atlantic, specifically in the North of Scotland. Nematodes were assigned to genus level based on morphology and identified by sequence analysis of the mtDNA cox2 gene and the rDNA ITS region. The present finding represents the first observation of syntopic occurrence of adult stages of S. brevispiculata, S. paggiae, and P. ceticola in a pygmy sperm whale in the Northeast Atlantic, and represent the northernmost record of these species in this area. Skrjabinisakis brevispiculata was the most abundant species, accounting for 55% of the identified nematodes, predominantly in the adult stage. Anisakis simplex (s.s.) was also abundant, with most specimens in the preadult stage, followed by S. paggiae and P. ceticola. The pygmy sperm whale is rarely documented in Scottish waters, and its occurrence in the area could suggest expansion of its geographic range. The presence of S. brevispiculata, S. paggiae, and P. ceticola in this whale species in this region may indicate a shift in the whole host community involved in the life cycle of these parasites in northern waters. However, it is also plausible that these parasites were acquired while the whale was feeding in more southern regions, before migrating northbound.

The Dusky Spine Foot Siganus Luridus (Rüppell, 1829) in the Brackish Water of Iraq: A Northernmost Record in the Northern Indian Ocean

The Dusky Spine Foot Siganus Luridus (Rüppell, 1829) in the Brackish Water of Iraq: A Northernmost Record in the Northern Indian Ocean

Quick spreading of the exotic amphipod Laticorophium baconi (Shoemaker, 1934): another small stowaway overlooked?

Studies of non-indigenous species (NIS) often tend to focus on medium and large-sized taxa with potential for remarkable ecological and/or economic impact, whereas the early detection of small invertebrates is often delayed due to taxonomic challenge, lack of consistent, standardised monitoring efforts and limited funding. This study represents the first records of the marine amphipod Laticorophium baconi (Shoemaker, 1934) in Morocco, Tunisia, Corsica (France), Italy, Greece, Egypt, Saudi Arabia and New Caledonia (France). Furthermore, it reports an expansion of its known distribution in Portugal (earliest and northernmost record for the country and first record for Macaronesia), Spain (earliest record for Atlantic and Mediterranean European waters), and Australia (first record for Indian Ocean). Recreational boating and commercial shipping, mainly through hull fouling and secondarily ballast waters, are proposed as vectors for introduction and secondary spread of L. baconi. The following traits, analysed during the present study, could contribute to its invasive potential: (i) quick and extensive spread of the species worldwide, (ii) high densities in marinas, harbours, hull fouling and other artificial habitats, including aquaculture facilities and floating debris, (iii) high ability for short-term colonisation of empty artificial niches, (iv) diet based on detritus suggesting an opportunistic feeding behaviour, and (v) population survival during seasonal fluctuations in different regions. Taxonomic expertise and scientific collaboration, based on multidisciplinary networks of experts, are crucial for the early detection, distribution updates, and risk assessment of small and overlooked stowaways in marine environments.

New Lizard Specimens from the Campanian Wapiti Formation of Alberta, Canada

Reported lizard material from the Wapiti Formation (central-western Alberta, Canada) is limited to fragmentary remains of Kleskunsaurus grandeprairiensis and Socognathus unicuspis, a partial dentary attributed to Chamops cf. C. segnis, and a vertebra reportedly comparable to those of the much larger lizard Palaeosaniwa canadensis. P. canadensis is a Late Cretaceous North American member of Monstersauria, a Mesozoic and Cenozoic anguimorph group represented today by five species of Heloderma. Here, we document new squamate material from the DC Bonebed locality (Wapiti Unit 3; Campanian), including a right frontal identified as cf. P. canadensis and a taxonomically indeterminate squamate astragalocalcaneum. A partial skeleton from the Two Medicine Formation of Montana provisionally attributed to P. canadensis has a frontal resembling the corresponding element from the DC Bonebed in overall shape, in having narrowly separated facets for the prefrontal and postorbitofrontal, and in bearing osteoderms similar to the DC specimen’s in ornamentation and configuration. The Two Medicine and DC specimens differ from a roughly contemporaneous frontal from southern Alberta referred to the monstersaur Labrodioctes montanensis. The DC specimen confirms the presence of monstersaurian squamates in the Wapiti Formation, representing the northernmost record of any definitive Late Cretaceous monstersaur to date.

Redescription of the hispidoberycid, Hispidoberyxambagiosus Kotlyar, 1981 from Taiwan, with comments on its morphology (Beryciformes, Stephanoberycoidei, Hispidoberycidae).

A rare spiny-scale pricklefish, Hispidoberyxambagiosus Kotlyar, 1981, is redescribed based on four specimens collected from Taiwan. Their sampling locality represents the northernmost record of the family, which extends the family's distribution from the eastern Indian Ocean and the South China Sea to northeastern Taiwan in the northwestern Pacific Ocean. A detailed description of these specimens and the first description of its sagittal otoliths are provided. In addition, the specimens are compared with other known specimens. Intraspecific variation of some morphological characters are discussed.

A new record of a winged stick insect (Phasmatodea) from Mexico, with a checklist and key to the species of the family Pseudophasmatidae from continental North America

The winged stick insect Metriophasma iphicles (Redtenbacher, 1906) (Phasmatodea: Pseudophasmatidae) is recorded for the first time from Mexico (state of Veracruz), making this the northernmost record of both the species and genus. A checklist of species in the family Pseudophasmatidae from Mexico and the USA is presented, and a key to the species listed is proposed. With the current record, the number of continental North American species of Phasmatodea increases to 108, and the number of genera in the region increases to 23.