Taxonomic Description Research Articles

How to describe a new species in zoology and avoid mistakes

Abstract Taxonomy is the science of discovering, naming, describing, diagnosing, identifying, and classifying different kinds of taxa, from species to families. It lays the foundation for all of the biological sciences. The rapid increase in both taxonomic descriptions and malpractice in recent decades indicates a need for consistency in the procedure and quality of taxonomic research publications dealing with recognition of new taxa, name changes, and nomenclatural acts. Indeed, there are numerous examples in the recent literature of taxonomic works that fall short of the basic procedures and minimum standards required for naming new species according to the mandatory provisions and recommendations of the International Code of Zoological Nomenclature, accepted standards of taxonomic best practice, and journal editorial policy. Here, we provide practical guidelines of the procedure and key elements required to name, describe, and publish a new animal species or revise the taxonomic status of a species. We then discuss some of the common pitfalls that should be avoided. Mistakes commonly made include failure to read the Code, to review the primary taxonomic literature, to examine type material, to construct the taxon name correctly, to explicitly establish the new taxon, to provide adequate typification, to clearly differentiate the new taxon, to register the publication of the new taxon name in ZooBank, or to publish the name of the new taxon in a manner that is compliant with the Code. We provide some examples of these mistakes, mainly from butterflies (Insecta: Lepidoptera: Papilionoidea) and, to some extent, reptiles because these taxon groups seem to have an unusually high level of poor taxonomic practice.

Traditional medical practice on Primitive Nooka Dora tribes, Alluri Sitaramaraju District, Andhra Pradesh

An ethnomedicinal survey was carried out in HukumpetaMandal, AlluriSitaramaraju District, Andhra Pradesh, India. For documentation of important ethnomedicinal plants and information from local community about their medicinal uses. The traditional knowledge of primitive Nooka Dora tribe traditional uses was collected through questionnaire and personal interviews during field trips. The identification and nomenclature of the listed plants were based on the Flora of Andhra Pradesh. A total of 49 plants species belong to 47 genera and 37 families were identified by taxonomic description and locally by ethnomedicinal knowledge of people existing in the region.

Ethnomedicine of Primitive Porja Tribe, Alluri Sitaramaraju District, Andhra Pradesh

aAn ethnomedicinal survey was carried out in Hukumpeta Mandal, Alluri Sitaramaraju District, Andhra Pradesh, India. For documentation of important ethnomedicinal plants and information from local community about their medicinal uses. The traditional knowledge of primitive Porja tribe traditional uses was collected through questionnaire and personal interviews during field trips. The identification and nomenclature of the listed plants were based on the Flora of Andhra Pradesh. A total of 55plants species belong to 52 genera and 40 families were identified by taxonomic description and locally by ethnomedicinal knowledge of people existing in the region.

A first species-wide phylogenetic analysis of small mammals from Costa Rica using mitochondrial cytochrome b

AbstractCosta Rica is within the Mesoamerican biodiversity hotspot and has about 53 native species of small mammals. This high diversity, along with recent records of new species and indications of cryptic genetic diversity, suggest that application of the DNA barcoding approach would be worthwhile. Here we used 131 tissue samples of small mammals from multiple localities in Costa Rica and sequenced the complete mitochondrial cytochrome b (1140 bp). These samples represented 17 recognized species and two taxa of uncertain status. The new sequence data were supplemented with previously published data from INSDC. Our phylogenetic analyses are consistent with and extend upon recent revisions in Heteromys, Peromyscus and Reithrodontomys and suggest possible new cryptic forms within what are currently named Melanomys chrysomelas, Nyctomys sumichrasti and Proechimys semispinosus. The previously named “Heteromys sp” is indeed likely a new species requiring a full taxonomic description. Moreover, we found new localities for previously described species substantiating recent taxonomic surveys and field guides for the small mammals of Costa Rica. To confirm the presence of cryptic species and major genetic forms in Heteromys, Peromyscus, Reithrodontomys, Melanomys, Nyctomys and Proechimys there needs to be greater sampling, additional genetic markers, morphometrics and other studies. Scotinomys also shows interesting phylogenetic subdivision, requiring further investigation.

A new record of Henckelia infundibuliformis for India from Arunachal Pradesh

_Henckelia infundibuliformis _(W. T. Wang) D. J. Middleton & Mich. Möller is recorded as new record for the Flora of India from Arunachal Pradesh, India. Extended taxonomic description is provided for the species accompanied by photographs and ecology.

A New Record of Henckelia Infundibuliformis for India From Arunachal Pradesh

_Henckelia infundibuliformis _(W. T. Wang) D. J. Middleton & Mich. Möller is recorded as new for the Flora of India from Arunachal Pradesh, India. Extended taxonomic descriptions is provided for the species accompanied by photographs and ecology.

Additional Record and Taxonomic Description of the Arabian Carpet Shark, Chiloscyllium arabicum, from Dholai Port, Southwest Coast of Gujarat, India

Additional Record and Taxonomic Description of the Arabian Carpet Shark, Chiloscyllium arabicum, from Dholai Port, Southwest Coast of Gujarat, India

South American Archaeological Isotopic Database, a regional-scale multi-isotope data compendium for research

The South American Archaeological Isotopic Database (SAAID) is a comprehensive open-access resource that aggregates all available bioarchaeological stable and radiogenic isotope measurements, encompassing data from human individuals, animals, and plants across South America. Resulting from a collaborative effort of scholars who work with stable isotopes in this region, SAAID contains 53,781 isotopic measurements across 24,507 entries from individuals/specimens spanning over 12,000 years. SAAID includes valuable contextual information on archaeological samples and respective sites, such as chronology, geographical region, biome, and spatial coordinates, biological details like estimated sex and age for human individuals, and taxonomic description for fauna and flora. SAAID is hosted at the PACHAMAMA community within the Pandora data platform and the CORA repository to facilitate easy access. Because of its rich data structure, SAAID is particularly well-suited for conducting spatiotemporal meta-analyses. It serves as a valuable tool for addressing a variety of research topics, including the spread, adoption, and consumption intensification of food items, paleo-environmental reconstruction, as well as the exploration of mobility patterns across extensive geographic regions.

Annotated checklist of ladybugs (Coleoptera: Coccinellidae) with nine new country records from Cambodia

Ladybugs (Coccinellidae) are commonly known for their beneficial roles in insect pest population suppression. Despite their importance and the limited scientific research conducted in Cambodia, the ladybug fauna needs to be documented in the country. Therefore, this study aims to establish the first checklist of Cambodian ladybug fauna including a brief taxonomic description and distribution for each species. We identified a total of 13 species based on the specimens deposited in the collection of Cambodian Entomology Initiatives. 9 of all species are newly recorded for Cambodia. Within this addition and six previously recorded species, ladybugs reached 15 species recorded from Cambodia. However, many new species are under-discovered in the country. The study provided a valuable baseline checklist for the taxonomy, diversity and ecology of ladybugs in Cambodia.

Taxonomic Investigations on Cladorhizidae (Carnivorous Sponges) of the East Scotia Ridge (Antarctica) with the Description of Three New Species

This study investigates taxonomic characteristics of carnivorous sponges from the Southern Ocean. The specimens were collected in 2010 from deep-sea hydrothermal vents of the East Scotia Ridge during the RRS James Cook Cruise JC42. All the investigated sponges are new to science. They belong to the genera Abyssocladia and Cladorhiza within the family Cladorhizidae. This study provides descriptions and remarks for the three new species Abyssocladia truespacemeni, Abyssocladia hendrixii and Cladorhiza elsaae. Comparative faunistic and ecological aspects of these sponge genera within the Southern Ocean sponge fauna are discussed. The genera Abyssocladia and Cladorhiza are recorded here for the first time from the ecosystem around hydrothermal vents in the Antarctic deep sea. The descriptions of new species contribute to and expand the current knowledge of the Cladorhizidae and consequently support future taxonomic identifications and descriptions of Antarctic deep-sea carnivorous sponges. The appearance of these newly discovered species underlines the hypothesis that Cladorhizidae is the second most species-rich family of Demospongiae in the Southern Ocean, and many new species of this deep-sea sponge family are still to be discovered.

Morpho-bioecological Accounts of the Phytophagous Coccinellid Beetle, Henosepilachna vigintioctopunctata (Fabricius, 1775) along with Botanical Pest Management from Eastern India

Field and laboratory investigations were carried out during 2022-23 to study the bioecology and efficacy of plant extracts for the phytophagous coccinellid, Henosepilachna vigintioctopunctata (F.) for understanding them properly to devise ecology based management techniques. Besides damaging the brinjal a significant population of H. vigintioctopunctata beetle was recorded from the solanaceous weeds like Solanum nigrum and Physalis spp. Biology of H. vigintioctopunctata on S. nigrum under laboratory conditions was conducted and the results revealed that the beetle completed its life cycle in 23.1±3.5 days and the mean fecundity was 220 ± 33.0 revealing that the beetle can very successfully breed on this host plant. Morphological and taxonomical descriptions of the immature as well as adult stages of these beetles were studied and for proper identification the male genitalia was dissected. The population fluctuation of H. vigintioctopunctata in relation to weather parameters was also monitored under field conditions and was observed to have significant influence altogether on the pest population in brinjal but not in alternate hosts. The methanolic extracts of Polygonum hydropiper and tobacco decoction were found moderately effective in lowering the leaf damage by the beetle.

Taxonomic description of a new species of Leucoagaricus and utilization of the Pantone Connect app in classification research

A new species, Leucoagaricus brunneorube, is described based on morphological characteristics and phylogenetic analyses. It was discovered at Northwest Normal University in Lanzhou City, Gansu Province, China. Leucoagaricus brunneorube is characterized by its epigeous, with small to medium-sized basidiomata, pileal surface felty and white, densely covered with brownish red to maroon furfuraceous squamules, lamella edge darkens when dry, and stipe glabrous and cylindrical with a prominent bulbous base, bulb turning orange-red when bruised, and basidiospores ellipsoid and lack a germ pore, lamella edge sterile, cheilocystidia clavate, some with crystals at the apex, pleurocystidia absent, clamp connections absent in all tissues . In the process, the Pantone Connect app was used to describe the color of the fruitbody, thereby facilitating an exploration of the app’s potential in accurately describing colors in classification research of macrofungi.

Microporella hastingsae Harmelin, Ostrovsky, Cáceres-Chamizo and Sanner, 2011 (Bryozoa, Cheilostomatida): a possible new Lessepsian species in the Mediterranean Sea?

The introduction of Non-Indigenous Species (NIS) in the Mediterranean Sea is one of the main threats to biodiversity and its increasing frequency could bring a significant ecological impact on native species. However, knowledge of marine bioinvasions, the spreading patterns of NIS and their possible pathways of dispersion is still limited, especially for particular taxonomic groups. In this paper, we report the first Mediterranean record of a colony of a non-indigenous bryozoan, Microporella hastingsae Harmelin, Ostrovsky, Cáceres-Chamizo and Sanner, 2011, found on plastic litter stranded south of Catania (Sicily, western Ionian Sea) during spring 2023. Based on this colony, a formal taxonomic description of M. hastingsae is provided for this species, which was recently erected for old, misidentified material collected in the early twentieth century in the Suez Canal and the north Red Sea. We suggest that the species could be considered a Lessepsian migrant assuming it entered the Mediterranean Sea at any time, through larval dispersal and/or the possible facilitation by human activities, presumably shipping. Further surveys in coastal localities of Sicily and the eastern Mediterranean are needed to confirm the establishment of M. hastingsae or if the present colony only represents an occasional record of the species in the basin.

Diversity and similarity in parasitic infracommunities of Mylossoma aureum and Mylossoma duriventre (Characiformes, Serrasalmidae) from the Middle Madeira River Basin, Southern Amazonas, Brazil

A total of 30 specimens of Mylossoma aureum and 30 of Mylossoma duriventre from the Middle Madeira River Basin were examined between October 2020 to March 2021. Eight species of parasites were identified. About 65% of the hosts were parasitized. A total of 386 parasites was collected in M. aureum and 436 in M. duriventre. Species accumulation curves in M. aureum did not reach the asymptote, while in M. duriventre the curves showed tendency to stabilization. Contracaecum sp. larvae was the only endoparasite found. Anacanthorus paraspathulatus was the dominant species in M. aureum. In M. duriventre, the core species with highest parasite indexes was Mymarothecium sp. 3. Margalef’s and Shannon’s diversity indexes were higher in M. aureum. Most of the parasites showed an aggregated distribution pattern. Mymarothecium sp. 1, Mymarothecium sp. 2 and the parasite richness showed a significant positive correlation between its abundance and host length and between Mymarothecium sp. 1 abundance and host weight in M. aureum. All parasites are the first records for the Southern Amazonas. Except A. paraspathulatus, all M. aureum parasites are mentioned for the first time in this host. The three morphotypes of Mymarothecium spp. are probably new species that are in the process of taxonomic description.

Dryopterisjinpingensis, a critically endangered diploid new species of Dryopteridaceae from Yunnan, China.

Dryopterisjinpingensis, a new species of diploid, sexually reproductive ferns of Dryopteridaceae from Yunnan, southwestern China, is described and illustrated. Morphologically, D.jinpingensis is similar to D.gaoligongensis but unique in elongated lanceolate laminae, sessile or subsessile pinna stalks, and overlapping membranous scales adnate to stipe base. Phylogenetic analyses based on both plastome and the nuclear AK1 gene sequences showed that D.jinpingensis is sister to D.gaoligongensis. A detailed taxonomic description with line drawings is provided, and its conservation status is evaluated to be critically endangered.

Revised description of the blueberry bud mite, Acalitus vaccinii (Acari: Trombidiformes: Eriophyidae), and a key to all Eriophyoidea on Vaccinium

In 2014 the blueberry bud mite, Acalitus vaccinii (Acari: Trombidformes: Eriophyidae), was detected in the Mpumalanga province of South Africa for the first time causing significant damage to cultivated blueberries. This was the first detection of this pest outside of North America, to which it is native. However, its taxonomic description at that time lacked critical detail and omitted characters and life stages important for easy and accurate identification. Using an integrative taxonomic approach, we combined phase contrast light microscopy with low-temperature SEM and DNA barcoding data to revise the description of A. vaccinii using South African specimens. Additional characters not included in previous descriptions but reported here are the h1 (accessory) setae, leg I & II u’ (mesal) setae, and leg II bv (femoral) setae. Detailed descriptions and measurements of all life stages are included, along with a discussion of morphological variation and biology. Two DNA sequences of common barcode regions (nuclear and mitochondrial) are provided to further aid in identification. In addition, a key to all known species of eriophyoid mites present on Vaccinium is provided.

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

Rohdea wattii (C.B. Clarke) Yamashita & 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.

Hedysarum vuralii (Fabaceae), a new species from Turkey

Hedysarum vuralii, a new species in the tribe Hedysareae (Fabaceae), is described and illustrated. It belongs to Hedysarum section Multicaulia, collected from Ankara province in Turkey. H. vuralii is closely related to H. dededaghense but differs in densely adpressed white sericeous stem indumentum (versus spreading pilose); 7–10 paired, narrower, and glabrous above leaflets (5–16 ×1–3 mm, versus 7–8 paired, oblong-elliptic, 5–20 × 2–5 mm, spreading hairy on both surface); longer bracteoles (5–6 mm long, versus 3–4 mm); calyx teeth at least twice as long as tube (versus as long as tube); corolla greenish yellow, violet spotted at tips (versus purple); shorter standard (15–16 mm long, versus 19 mm); pods 12 × 4 mm, 2 (–3)-jointed (versus 14 × 5–6 mm, 1–2 jointed); joints 4–6 × 2–4 mm, pubescent with echinate in the center (versus c. 6 ×6, pubescent with setae). Taxonomic descriptions, images, the identification key, phenology, palynology, and the IUCN threat category of the new species were presented. Moreover, the geographical distribution of H. vuralii and H. dededaghense were mapped.

Simple approaches for evaluation of OTU quality based on dissimilarity arrays

An accurate and complete taxonomic description of the diversity present in an environmental sample is out of reach at this time. Instead, metabarcoding is used today and it is expected that OTUs represent a category relevant for biodiversity inventories on a molecular basis. However, artefacts in the production of OTUs can occur at different stages and may impact ecological conclusions. We propose to evaluate the quality of OTUs in a sample by characterising the deviation of each OTU’s dissimilarity array from that of an ideal OTU where all sequences are at distances smaller than the barcoding gap. We consider two deviations: the creation of composed OTUs, corresponding to the artificial merging of several OTUs and the creation of noisy OTUs that contain some sequences that are loosely associated with the core sequence of the OTUs and that do not form a compact subgroup. We propose a simple and automatic 2-step method that successively categorises the OTUs of a sample as composed or single and then identifies OTUs with noise amongst the single ones. The associated code is available at https://forgemia.inra.fr/alain.franc/otu_shape. We applied the method on 32 samples of diatoms from Arcachon Bay (France) that represent contrasted environmental conditions and we obtained good agreement with expert categorisation of OTUs. We suggest that single OTUs without noise can be used as such for further ecological studies. Composed OTUs should be post-treated with classical clustering or community detection tools. The quality of single OTUs with noise remains to be further tested via supplementary studies on a diversity of organisms.

Contributions to Odontogryllini (Orthoptera: Gryllidae: Landrevinae) with comments on its taxonomic status and description of a new species of Xulavuna de Mello & Campos, 2014.

Odontogryllini is a tribe of ground-dwelling crickets exclusive to America. After several taxonomic rearrangements, this tribe has five genera and 23 species now placed in the subfamily Landrevinae. These crickets have dorsoventrally depressed bodies and are moderately to densely covered with bristles. The males may bear tegminal, metanotal, or tergal glands. In this contribution, we discuss the taxonomic status and the morphological features of Odontogryllini and the other two tribes of Landrevinae: Landrevini and Prolandrevini. The presence of dorsal spines between the outer spurs of the hind tibia distinguishes Odontogryllini from Prolandrevini, and the straight or slightly arcuate but never S-shaped stridulum from Landrevini. We also propose the enlarged and plate-like rami as a diagnostic characteristic to distinguish Odontogryllini from Landrevini. Additionally, we describe a new species of the genus Xulavuna de Mello & Campos from the Brazilian Amazon Rainforest, named Xulavuna krenakore sp. nov..