Unique Color Pattern Research Articles

A new species of Ancistrus Kner, 1854 (Siluriformes: Loricariidae) from rio Madeira basin, Amazonas State, Brazil

ABSTRACT During the Mosaico do Apuí expedition in 2006, a new species of Ancistrus was found in the rio Sucunduri, a large tributary of the rio Madeira basin in south Amazonas State. The new species has a unique color pattern for the genus and is distinguished by the presence of alternate light and dark vertical bars on the trunk. Other Ancistrini genera have species with a similar color pattern, but the new species is clearly distinguished by a lack of plates on the snout and presence of fleshy tentacles on the snout as in all Ancistrus representatives. We also provide comments on the taxonomic status of the A. bolivianus, A. heterorhynchus and A. marcapatae.

A New Species ofEmoia(Squamata: Scincidae) from Papua New Guinea

Abstract I describe a new species of Emoia that is the sixth member in the E. cyanogaster group. It differs from all other Emoia species in its distinctive pattern of serrated black stripes on an emerald-green ground color. Further distinguishing features include its relatively small size, long and narrow snout, large number of toe lamellae, and lack of a distinct interparietal. Specimens of the new species had previously been assigned to E tetrataenia, but the more elongated snout and unique color pattern easily distinguish it from the latter, which is restricted to the D'Entrecasteaux Islands. The new species is known only from Rossel Island in the Louisiade Archipelago, the southeasternmost island of Papua New Guinea, and it is likely endemic to that island. A combination of morphological and distributional evidence suggests that the new species, E. tetrataenia, and E kordoana are probably each other's closest relatives.

A new species of grouper, Epinephelus craigi (Perciformes: Epinephelidae), from the South China Sea

A new species of grouper, Epinephelus craigi. sp. nov., from the South China Sea is described from 17 specimens (104–250 mm SL). The new species is distinguished from Epinephelus stictus (Randall and Allen 1987) with which it has historically been conflated, based on coloration, meristics, morphology, and genetics. Epinephelus craigi sp. nov. has a unique color pattern of irregular squarish, dark brown blotches interrupting lighter brown bars along the lateral midline of the body, and small dots on the dorsal surface of the body. Additionally, E. craigi sp. nov. has a longer upper jaw, shorter snout length, narrower interorbital width, and shorter caudal peduncle than E. stictus. Both E. stictus and the new species are relatively deep-water species, with the new species occurring to at least 93 m. Epinephelus craigi sp. nov. is known from the South China Sea and E. stictus is known from Western Australia and southern Indonesia, suggesting allopatric and anti-equatorial distributions. DNA sequence divergence data of the mitochondrial COI gene further supports the distinction of E. craigi sp. nov. from E. stictus.

A new, distinctly coloured species of Lysmata Risso, 1816 (Malacostraca: Decapoda: Lysmatidae) from the south-central Atlantic.

A new species of the caridean shrimp genus Lysmata Risso, 1816 is described from St. Helena and Ascension Island in the south-central Atlantic. Lysmata napoleoni sp. nov. is part of the so-called "long-branch group" of the genus and shows a strong morphological similarity with the eastern Atlantic L. seticaudata Risso, 1816, from which it can be distinguished by details of the accessory branch of the antennular flagellum. The new species also displays a unique and bright colour pattern and therefore can be easily recognised in the field. Furthermore, it is typically found in proximity of sea anemones, Telmatactis cricoides (Duchassaing), and appears to be an occasional fish cleaner.

An endangered new species of seasonal killifish of the genus Austrolebias (Cyprinodontiformes: Aplocheiloidei) from the Bermejo river basin in the Western Chacoan Region.

Austrolebias wichi, new species, is herein described from seasonal ponds of the Bermejo river basin in the Western Chacoan district in northwestern Argentina. This species was found in a single pond, a paleochannel of the Bermejo River, which is seriously disturbed by soybean plantations surrounding it. Despite intensive sampling in the area, this species was only registered in this pond where it was relatively scarce. Therefore, we consider this species as critically endangered. This species is the sister species of A. patriciae in our phylogenetic analyses and is similar, in a general external aspect, to A. varzeae and A. carvalhoi. It can be distinguished among the species of Austrolebias by its unique color pattern in males. Additionally, from A. varzeae by presenting a supraorbital band equal or longer than the infraorbital band (vs. shorter) and from A. patriciae by the convex dorsal profile of head (vs. concave). Further diagnostic characters and additional comments on its ecology and reproduction are provided.

Unrecognized biodiversity in a world’s hotspot: three new species of Melanorivulus (Cyprinodontiformes: Rivulidae) from tributaries of the right bank of the Rio Paraná basin, Brazilian Cerrado

The genusMelanorivuluspresents a wide geographical distribution in the Neotropical region. AmongMelanorivulus, theM.pictusspecies group has currently 18 species distributed in the Brazilian Cerrado, mainly in the upper Rio Paraná basin, with some species occurrences in the upper Rio Araguaia and Tocantins. In the present study, we describe three newMelanorivulusspecies, belonging to theM.pictusspecies group from different drainages of the right bank of the Rio Paraná basin in Mato Grosso do Sul state, Brazil. These new species are easily distinguished from the others by their unique colour patterns.Melanorivulusinterruptusis distinguished from all species of theM.pictusgroup by the presence of oblique chevron-like red bars interrupted, mainly on the midline of the flank in males; whileM.ivinhemensisby the yellow colouration of the caudal fin with thin red bars arranged only in the median region of the fin in males.Melanorivulusamambaiensisis distinguished from all species of theM.pictusspecies group by having an orange anal fin or sometimes more reddish-orange with distal margin grey or dark grey and chevron-like bars along the body, distinctly branched ventrally forming an inverted Y-shape in males. The high diversity of theMelanorivulusspecies with high levels of endemism demands the development of conservation strategies to avoid the loss of their vulnerable habitats in the Cerrado biome. We expect presence of more species of theM.pictusspecies group also along the lower reaches of the tributaries of the Rio Paraná. Additionally a dichotomic identification key of theM.pictusspecies group is provided.

Philaenus spumarius: when an old acquaintance becomes a new threat to European agriculture

The unique color pattern polymorphism and the foamy nymphal case of the meadow spittlebug Philaenus spumarius have attracted the attention of scientists for centuries. Nevertheless, since this species has never been considered a major threat to agriculture, biological, ecological and ethological data are missing and rather scattered. To date this knowledge has become of paramount importance, in view of the discovery of P. spumarius main role in the transmission of the bacterium Xylella fastidiosa in Italy, and possibly in other European countries. The aim of this review is to provide a state of the art about this species, with particular focus on those elements that could help developing environmental friendly and sustainable control programs to prevent transmission of X. fastidiosa. Moreover, recent findings on the role of the meadow spittlebug as vector of the fastidious bacterium within the first reported European bacterium outbreak in Apulia (South Italy) will be discussed.

Individual unique colour patterns of the pronotum of Rhynchophorus ferrugineus (Coleoptera: Curculionidae) allow for photographic identification methods (PIM)

Abstract Photographic identification methods are of highly importance when it comes to reduce the animal's stress, pain and possible injuries during or after marking techniques and thus to increase the reliability of demographic parameter estimates. There is plenty of software available for photo-identification, allowing individual identification in capture-mark-recapture (CMR) methods using body patterns, spots and marks unique to each individual. However, these non-invasive methods have hardly ever been used with arthropods. In this study, APHIS (Automated PHoto Identification Suite) has been assessed as a software capable of identifying individuals in different samplings during catch-and-release sessions with dead specimens under laboratory conditions. For this individual identification, SPM (Spot Pattern Matching) and ITM (Image Template Matching) procedures were tested; achieving a success of 100% and 95.35%, respectively. In SPM, the software itself matched the specimens almost automatically in half of the cases. However, it resulted more time-consuming than ITM during the pre-processing of images. On the other hand, ITM saves time during this step and still is able to detect recaptures accurately, yet more time may be needed when selecting the recaptures from the candidate list. Thus, it can be attested that APHIS is a competent and efficient software regarding photo-identification of Rhynchophorus ferrugineus and species with similar and unique individual colour patterns in their pronotum.

Pethia poiensis, a new species of cyprinid fish from the Chindwin Basin of Manipur, India.

Pethia poiensis, a new cyprinid species, is described from the Challou River, Chindwin Basin, Manipur, India. The new species is characterised by an incomplete lateral line with 7-9 pored scales, the absence of barbels, 19-20 scales in lateral series, 9-10 pre-dorsal scales, 18 pre-anal scales, 3½ scales between dorsal-fin origin and lateral line, three scales between lateral line and pelvic-fin origin and a unique colour pattern consisting of a humeral spot encompassing the third and fourth lateral-line scales, a caudal spot on the 16th and 17th lateral series scales and a black stripe along the flank. A revised key to the species of Pethia found in the Chindwin-Irrawaddy drainage is presented.

Three new endemic Aphyosemion species (Cyprinodontiformes: Nothobranchiidae) from the Massif du Chaillu in the upper Louessé River system, Republic of the Congo.

Three new 'Aphyosemion' species are described from the upper Louessé River in the Massif du Chaillu, Republic of the Congo, based on a combination of DNA, habitat preference, male colour pattern, and morphological data. 'Aphyosemion' cyanoflavum, new species, is a member of the 'A'. ogoense group. It differs from its congeners by a unique colour pattern and cephalic sensory system which contains a wide supra-orbital groove with large, densely pigmented anterior neuromasts and dark frontal neuromasts housed in one pit with one central anterior lobe. 'Aphyosemion' mandoroense, new species, and 'A'. cryptum, new species, are members of the 'A'. coeleste group. 'Aphyosemion' cryptum, new species, is in appearance very similar to 'A'. coeleste, but lacks the typical post opercular metallic green blotch and is generally larger in body size. Initial DNA analyses demonstrate that 'A'. cryptum, new species, is more closely related to 'A'. mandoroense, new species, than to 'A'. coeleste, despite similarity in appearance. 'Aphyosemion' cryptum, new species, and 'A'. coeleste occur syntopic in several locations in a sub-catchment of the upper Louessé system, however differ in microhabitat preference. 'Aphyosemion' mandoroense, new species, differs by male body and fin colour pattern from all species of the 'A'. coeleste group except 'A'. citrineipinnis. From the latter, it can be distinguished by the absence of red pigmentation and a dark grey to black margin in the unpaired fins.

A new species of Ituglanis (Siluriformes: Trichomycteridae) from the rio Uruguai basin, southern Brazil

ABSTRACT A new species of Ituglanis associated to the grasslands of the Pampa biome is described from the rio Uruguai basin, southern Brazil. The new species is distinguished from its congeners by the low number of ribs and by a unique color pattern composed of an outer layer with scattered round black blotches equivalent in size to the eye circumference over a reddish brown background on the lateral surface of the body. We provide the genetic sequences of the mitochondrial gene Cytochrome c Oxydase subunit I (COI) for three of the paratypes and discuss aspects about the recent discovery of the new species.

Five new species of Parapercis (Perciformes: Pinguipedidae) from southeast Asia and northwest Australia

Five new species of sandperch (Pinguipedidae: Parapercis) from southeast Asia and northwest Australia are described. Parapercis soliorta sp. nov., known from a single specimen acquired from the Iloilo Central Market, taken off Iloilo, Panay Island, Philippines, is readily distinguished by a unique colour pattern including a series of nine brilliant yellow-ringed red spots along the body and caudal fin. Parapercis rubricaudalis sp. nov. is described from 15 specimens trawled between Dampier and Cape Leveque, Western Australia in 70–119 m and a single specimen taken by aquarium fish collectors off Zambales, Luzon, Philippines. It has the posterior end of the opercular ridge armed with two or three strong spines, the margin of the preopercle, subopercle and interopercle strongly serrated, and colouration including six broad irregular orange to reddish bands across the body, and the pelvic fins and lower third of the caudal fin crimson-red. A complex of three closely related species, Parapercis flavipinna sp. nov. from the Philippines, Parapercis caudopellucida sp. nov. from Myanmar and Parapercis hoi sp. nov. from northwest Australia and the Philippines, share a series of six or seven irregular dusky double blotches along the sides, a series of small black spots along the base of the soft dorsal-fin, a pair of dusky blotches on the caudal-fin base, and mostly similar meristic values. Parapercis hoi sp. nov. is known from four specimens trawled off Broome, Western Australia, in 97–109 m and one specimen trawled in the Sibuyan Sea, Philippines, in 73–84 m. It may be distinguished from its two closest congeners by cycloid cheek scales, a distinctive anal-fin colouration, and lower pectoral-fin ray, gill raker and lateral-line scale counts. Parapercis caudopellucida sp. nov., trawled in 125–129 m in the Andaman Sea off southern Myanmar, is described from two specimens. It differs from its two closest congeners most obviously by cycloid cheek scales, caudal-fin colouration, and the presence of a dusky bar extending posteroventrally from the tip of the maxilla to the anteroventral edge of the preopercle. Parapercis flavipinna sp. nov. is described from two specimens acquired from the Iloilo Central Market, taken off Iloilo, Panay Island, in the Philippines. It is distinguished most readily by the presence of ctenoid cheek scales and colouration including rows of bright yellow spots on the anal and caudal fins, a yellow upper lip, a series of yellow streaks and spots on the head, and fleshy pectoral-fin base with a large dark purplish grey blotch followed by a distinct white-edged black bar.

Response of miR156-SPL Module during the Red Peel Coloration of Bagging-Treated Chinese Sand Pear (Pyrus pyrifolia Nakai).

MicroRNA156 is an evolutionarily highly conserved plant micro-RNA (miRNA) that controls an age-dependent flowering pathway. miR156 and its target SQUAMOSA PROMOTER BINDING PROTEIN-LIKE (SPL) genes regulate anthocyanin accumulation in plants, but it is unknown whether this process is affected by light. Red Chinese sand pear (Pyrus pyrifolia) fruits exhibit a unique coloration pattern in response to bagging treatments, which makes them appropriate for studying the molecular mechanism underlying light-induced anthocyanin accumulation in fruit. Based on high-throughput miRNA and degradome sequencing data, we determined that miR156 was expressed in pear fruit peels, and targeted four SPL genes. Light-responsive elements were detected in the promoter regions of the miR156a and miR156ba precursors. We identified 19 SPL genes using the “Suli” pear (Pyrus pyrifolia Chinese White Pear Group) genome database, of which seven members were putative miR156 targets. The upregulated expression of anthocyanin biosynthetic and regulatory genes and downregulated expression of PpSPL2, PpSPL5, PpSPL7, PpSPL9, PpSPL10, PpSPL13, PpSPL16, PpSPL17, and PpSPL18 were observed in pear fruits after bags were removed from plants during the anthocyanin accumulation period. Additionally, miR156a/ba/g/s/sa abundance increased after bags were removed. Yeast two-hybrid results suggested that PpMYB10, PpbHLH, and PpWD40 could form a protein complex, probably involved in anthocyanin biosynthesis. Additionally, PpSPL10 and PpSPL13 interacted with PpMYB10. The results obtained in this study are helpful in understanding the possible role of miR156 and its target PpSPL genes in regulating light-induced red peel coloration and anthocyanin accumulation in pear.

A new species of Heptapterus Bleeker 1858 (Siluriformes, Heptapteridae) from the Uruguay River Basin in Misiones, Northeastern Argentina

In this paper we describe Heptapterus mandimbusu sp. n., a new species of heptapterid catfish from a small tributary of the Uruguay River Basin in Misiones-Argentina. This new species is distinguished from all other congeners by the unique coloration pattern with aggregated melanophores scattered on dorsal and lateral surface of body, forming conspicuous size-variable blotches, and the combination of a long interdorsal distance (13.8–18.9 % SL), 14–18 anal-fin rays, short maxillary barbels (52.2–74.5 % HL), and the adipose fin confluent with caudal fin.

Spatiotemporal Transcriptome Analysis Provides Insights into Bicolor Tepal Development in Lilium "Tiny Padhye".

The bicolor Asiatic hybrid lily cultivar “Tiny Padhye” is an attractive variety because of its unique color pattern. During its bicolor tepal development, the upper tepals undergo a rapid color change from green to white, while the tepal bases change from green to purple. However, the molecular mechanisms underlying these changes remain largely uncharacterized. To systematically investigate the dynamics of the lily bicolor tepal transcriptome during development, we generated 15 RNA-seq libraries from the upper tepals (S2-U) and basal tepals (S1-D, S2-D, S3-D, and S4-D) of Lilium “Tiny Padhye.” Utilizing the Illumina platform, a total of 295,787 unigenes were obtained from 713.12 million high-quality paired-end reads. A total of 16,182 unigenes were identified as differentially expressed genes during tepal development. Using Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes pathway analysis, candidate genes involved in the anthocyanin biosynthetic pathway (61 unigenes), and chlorophyll metabolic pathway (106 unigenes) were identified. Further analyses showed that most anthocyanin biosynthesis genes were transcribed coordinately in the tepal bases, but not in the upper tepals, suggesting that the bicolor trait of “Tiny Padhye” tepals is caused by the transcriptional regulation of anthocyanin biosynthetic genes. Meanwhile, the high expression level of chlorophyll degradation genes and low expression level of chlorophyll biosynthetic genes resulted in the absence of chlorophylls from “Tiny Padhye” tepals after flowering. Transcription factors putatively involved in the anthocyanin biosynthetic pathway and chlorophyll metabolism in lilies were identified using a weighted gene co-expression network analysis and their possible roles in lily bicolor tepal development were discussed. In conclusion, these extensive transcriptome data provide a platform for elucidating the molecular mechanisms of bicolor tepals in lilies and provide a basis for similar research in other closely related species.

A new species of Otothyropsis (Siluriformes: Loricariidae) from the upper Río Paraná basin, Paraguay, with a discussion of the limits between Otothyropsis and Hisonotus.

Otothyropsis dialeukos is described from Itá creek, tributary to the upper Río Paraná basin, Paraguay. The new species is distinguished from its congeners by having a unique caudal-fin coloration pattern composed of a brown to almost black background with roundish hyaline blotches in the middle of the outermost branched rays and a hyaline posterior border interrupted in middle rays; abdomen entirely covered by enlarged plates, without naked areas; longer pectoral- and dorsal-fin spines; absence of a raised crest of enlarged odontodes on the posterior portion of the parieto-supraoccipital, and other morphometric and meristic features. Morphological traits and geographic distributions of all species of Otothyropsis and Hisonotus are analyzed and a discussion on the limits between those genera is presented.

Two New and Remarkably Similarly Colored Species ofLabeotropheus(Perciformes: Cichlidae) from Lake Malaŵi, Africa

The haplochromine cichlid genus Labeotropheus is endemic to Lake Malaŵi, Africa. This genus presently contains two recognized species, Labeotropheus fuelleborni and L. trewavasae. As currently recognized, both species consist of geographically isolated populations scattered throughout the lake, each distinguished by a unique male nuptial color pattern. While other such allopatric populations of Lake Malaŵi cichlids have been described as different species, those of Labeotropheus have not, largely due to misunderstandings or misinterpretations of criteria applied to other Malaŵian endemics. Taking a refined approach to the recognition of putative species of Labeotropheus, I used morphometric, meristic, and color characteristics to describe two new, very similarly colored, species of Labeotropheus, both of which are found near Katale Island alongside the Luromo Peninsula in northwestern Lake Malaŵi.

Idiocnemis schorri sp. nov., a new damselfly species from southern Papua New Guinea (Odonata: Platycnemididae).

Idiocnemis schorri sp. nov. is described from the Hindenburg and Muller Ranges and the Kikori River Basin of southern Papua New Guinea. The new species differs from all congeners by, among other characters, a unique colour pattern on the thorax. Characters of males and females are illustrated and compared to those of similar species from the Idiocnemis bidentata group. The new species is found along small, shallow rainforest streams and is currently known only from the Trans-Fly Foreland and Papuan Gulf Foreland areas of endemism.

Cnemaspis rajakarunai sp. nov., a rock dwelling day-gecko (Sauria: Gekkonidae: Cnemaspis) from Salgala, an unprotected lowland rainforest in Sri Lanka.

A new species of Cnemaspis, Cnemaspis rajakarunai sp. nov. is described and is the fourth rock dwelling species belonging to the genus known from Sri Lanka. The new species is readily distinguished from all other congeners by the following combination of characters: adult snout-vent length 36-40 mm; precloacal pores absent, large femoero-precloacal scales 22; femoral pores 7-8, enlarged femoral scales 6; ventral scales 146-186; supralabials (to midorbital position) 7; supralabials (to angle of jaws) 9; total lamellae on finger IV 19-22, shape of the basal lamellae on toe IV elliptical; and its unique colour pattern. The new species is recorded from Salgala Forest an unprotected lowland rain forest.

Focusing on butterfly eyespot focus: uncoupling of white spots from eyespot bodies in nymphalid butterflies.

BackgroundDevelopmental studies on butterfly wing color patterns often focus on eyespots. A typical eyespot (such as that of Bicyclus anynana) has a few concentric rings of dark and light colors and a white spot (called a focus) at the center. The prospective eyespot center during the early pupal stage is known to act as an organizing center. It has often been assumed, according to gradient models for positional information, that a white spot in adult wings corresponds to an organizing center and that the size of the white spot indicates how active that organizing center was. However, there is no supporting evidence for these assumptions. To evaluate the feasibility of these assumptions in nymphalid butterflies, we studied the unique color patterns of Calisto tasajera (Nymphalidae, Satyrinae), which have not been analyzed before in the literature.ResultsIn the anterior forewing, one white spot was located at the center of an eyespot, but another white spot associated with either no or only a small eyespot was present in the adjacent compartment. The anterior hindwing contained two adjacent white spots not associated with eyespots, one of which showed a sparse pattern. The posterior hindwing contained two adjacent pear-shaped eyespots, and the white spots were located at the proximal side or even outside the eyespot bodies. The successive white spots within a single compartment along the midline in the posterior hindwing showed a possible trajectory of a positional determination process for the white spots. Several cases of focus-less eyespots in other nymphalid butterflies were also presented.ConclusionsThese results argue for the uncoupling of white spots from eyespot bodies, suggesting that an eyespot organizing center does not necessarily differentiate into a white spot and that a prospective white spot does not necessarily signify organizing activity for an eyespot. Incorporation of these results in future models for butterfly wing color pattern formation is encouraged.