Updated Species List Research Articles

New Caddisflies (Insecta, Trichoptera) from the Krabi and Phang Nga Provinces, southern Thailand

An updated list of the caddisfly species occurring in Krabi and Phang Nga Provinces, southern Thailand, comprises 76 species. Among them, 69 species are found in Krabi Province and 17 in Phang Nga Province, 4 are new for science and 2 new for Thailand. New species from the families Hydroptilidae (Hydroptila nevdomek sp. n.), Polycentropodidae (Nyctiophylax dosyhpor sp. n.), Psychomyiidae (Psychomyia dabudettak sp. n.), and Leptoceridae (Setodes pokamest sp. n.) are described. Hydroptila namcattien Malicky Chantaramongkol 2007 and Setodes kybele Malicky Chantaramongkol 2006 are new species for Thailand. Faunistic considerations and comparisons to other regions of Thailand are provided.

Isopods Cymothoidae ectoparasites of fish from the Amazon.

Most freshwater species of Cymothoidae are distributed in South America. They have mainly been recorded in the eastern and western regions of the Amazon River basin. However, in this ecosystem, the biodiversity of this group may be greater if the entire Amazon basin is considered. In this regard, the aim of the present study was to provide an updated list of isopod species of the family Cymothoidae that are found in fish in the Brazilian Amazon region and to report on new fish host occurrences and expanded geographical distributions for cymothoid isopods that parasitize fish in the southwestern Brazilian Amazon region. The parasites found in fish specimens were collected, fixed and identified later. We found eight species of Cymothoidae parasitizing different host fish species in the southwestern Amazon region. However, we found 14 species of Cymothoidae throughout the Brazilian Amazon region. Three additional species are thus reported here, which increases the number of species of Cymothoidae in this region to 17. These additional species are also new records for Brazil. Therefore, this study has contribute to expand the knowledge about the distribution and diversity of Cymothoidae in the Amazon basin.

Checklist of parasites in fish from the upper Paraná River floodplain: An update.

This study provides an updated list of parasite species and their respective hosts in the upper Paraná River floodplain. The list of parasites is structured by phylum, class, order and family, followed by a record of each host species. A total of 315 taxa of parasites were reported, of which 201 were identified at the species level. These 201 species comprise 3 Flagellata, 3 Myxozoa, 50 Monogenea, 43 Digenea, 40 Cestoda, 41 Nematoda, 8 Acanthocephala, 6 Copepoda, 5 Branchiura and 2 Pentastomida, arranged in 84 host fish species. This work carried out in the floodplain of the upper Paraná River contributes to the listing of parasite species and host interactions of the local ichthyofauna. Little is known about these communities and its riches are underestimated due to the high density of fish found in this region, highlighting the importance of conducting studies on the local fauna.

Additional records of decapod crustaceans from the lower Pleistocene beds of Poggi Gialli (Tuscany, central Italy)

Additional species of decapod crustaceans are recorded from the lower Pleistocene beds exposed at the Poggi Gialli quarries (Sinalunga, Tuscany, central Italy). They include Galathea tuscia sp. nov., Ilia sp., Liocarcinus cf. L. maculatus (Risso, 1827), and Aliaplax tyrsenorum gen. nov., sp. nov. Novel morphological details for Distolambrus rasnus De Angeli, Garassino & Pasini in Baldanza, Bizzarri, De Angeli, Famiani, Garassino, Pasini & Pizzolato, 2017, based on a single newly collected specimen, are added, as is the rare record of an indeterminate nephropid. These additions augment our knowledge of the composition of carcinological faunas in this peculiar environment from the early Pleistocene of central Italy. An updated list of decapod crustacean species from Poggi Gialli is also provided herein.

Zooplankton species distribution, richness and composition across tropical shallow lakes: A large scale assessment by biome, lake origin, and lake habitat

Assessing zooplankton biodiversity is essential to support freshwater management/conservation programs. Here, we investigated the zooplankton community structure from 180 shallow lakes in northeastern Brazil and analyzed them according to biome (Atlantic Forest or Caatinga), the origin of ecosystems (natural or man-made lakes), and habitat type (pelagic or littoral). Additionally, we provided an updated list of zooplankton species. We registered 227 species (137 Rotifera, 65 Cladocera, 25 Copepoda). The most common species of each major group among all lakes were the cladoceranCeriodaphina cornuta, the rotifersBrachionus havanaensisandLecane bulla, and the copepodTermocyclops decipiens. Species related to aquatic vegetation, as the Lecanidae rotifers and phytophilous cladocerans, were more frequent along Atlantic Forest biome and natural lakes. On the other hand, species that are bioindicators of eutrophic waters were more common at the Caatinga biome and man-made lakes. Atlantic Forest and Caatinga biomes had similar species richness, but different community compositions for all zooplankton groups, reinforcing the Caatinga significance for the Brazilian aquatic biodiversity. The type of habitat was the most important factor structuring species richness, with higher richness in the littoral region when compared to the pelagic. A result of many unique species of Cladocera and Rotifera associated with the aquatic vegetation were observed. The findings demonstrated that conservation/management plans cannot generalize zooplankton species distribution across different biomes, origins and even within a single lake, between the pelagic and littoral zones.

LISTA DE ESPECIES DE PECES DE LA CUENCA DEL RÍO QUEGUAY, RÍO URUGUAY BAJO

The Queguay river is one of the main tributaries of the lower Uruguay river basin. At the confluencce of its main effluents large wetlands and riparian forest are developed, that according to their biodiversity and ecosystem functions have been included in the National Protected Areas System, under the name “Montes del Queguay”. At a national scale the basin is included in two ecoregions: the Basaltic Slope and the Western Sedimentary Basin. Except for an unsupported listing in scientific collections, there is no documented information about its ichthyofauna. Therefore, the objective of this work was to prepare an updated list of the fish species in the Queguay River basin. Considering all the sources of information, a total of 94 species were registered for the basin, corresponding to 60 genera, 28 families and nine orders. The composition of species found was similar to the largest tributary of the low Uruguay ecoregion, the Rio Negro basin. The main migratory species of the Plata basin stand out, as well as a species of annual fish endemic to the wetlands of the basin, and the presence of an invasive exotic species (Cyprinus carpio).

HISTORICAL APPROACH OF THE FISH SPECIES COMPOSITION IN ARROYO MORENO, VERACRUZ, MEXICO

<p>Arroyo Moreno (AM) is an estuarine water flow located between Boca del Río and Medellin municipalities from Veracruz State; although this estuarine habitat is situated in a state natural reserve, their environmental conditions had been altered in last decades by anthropogenic activities, which had caused changes on biotic communities including fishes. The aim of this contribution was to describe the temporal variation of fish species composition from Arroyo Moreno; an updated list of fish species was compiled for this estuarine channel, this list was made with ethnographic information provided by local fisherman using surveys, fish species catalogues, previous publications and complemented with cast net samplings. Sixty-two fish species were recorded, of these 18 were collected directly for us, another 41 species were identified by surveyed fishermen; the most abundant ecological guilds were marine temporary, freshwater temporary, and marine migrant species. With the historical fishermen’s information was inferred than both fish species richness, abundance and size had diminished noticeably in commercial fish species mainly, this outcome was related by the fishermen to the use of estuarine channel as drainage attributed to urban development in the zone.</p>

<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; text-align: justify; line-height: 150%;"><strong>The updated list of ticks (Acari: Ixodidae & Argasidae) occurring in Iran with a key to the identification of species</strong></p>

This study encompasses an updated species list of ticks (Ixodoidea superfam.) in Iran and knowledge on their distribution and host animals are provided. The present list is based on previous literatures as well as observations by the authors on the ticks of Iran. In total, 46 species of ticks occur in Iran (10 Argasidae and 36 Ixodidae) from 10 genera.

Polychaetes from the Caribbean coast of Colombia: An updated checklist and some taxonomic annotations

We present an updated list of the polychaete species described for the Caribbean coasts of Colombia after a historical review of the literature. The taxonomic list includes references to the nomenclature, the synonymies, the data from the ecoregion, the habitat and the bathymetry. Based on the review, we were able to determine that up to September 2019, 51 families, 230 genera, and 293 species with scientific validity had been described for the Colombian Caribbean coast. Eunicidae is the family with the highest number of records, with a total of 33 (11.3%) species, followed by Syllidae with 23 species (7.8%) and Nereididae with 19 species (6.5%). The Tayrona ecoregion presented the greatest diversity, with 32% of species records, followed by the Magdalena ecoregion with 23.4%. Polychaetes in Colombia have been collected in natural habitats such as mangroves, seagrasses, and even as parasites and commensals of other organisms; however, about 60% of the taxonomic records correspond to organisms collected in soft and hard bottoms, mainly between 0 and 15 m deep. The descriptions and records of species on the Colombian Caribbean coast are due to the important contributions made in the 19th century by international and national researchers.

Investigating the Clitellata (Annelida) of Icelandic springs with alternative barcodes

DNA barcoding is an invaluable tool to identify clitellates, regardless of life stage or cryptic morphology. However, as COI (the standard barcode for animals) is relatively long (658 bp), sequencing it requires DNA of high quality. When DNA is fragmented due to degradation, alternative barcodes of shorter length present an option to obtain genetic material. We attempted to sequence 187 clitellates sampled from springs in Iceland. However, the material had been stored at room temperature for two years, and DNA of the worms had degraded, and only three COI sequences were produced (i.e., <2% success rate). Using two alternative barcodes of 16S (one ca. 320 bp, the other ca. 70 bp long) we increased the number of sequenced specimens to 51. Comparisons of the 16S sequences showed that even the short 70 bp fragment contained enough genetic variation to separate all clitellate species in the material. Combined with morphological examinations we recognized a total of 23 species, where at least 8 are new records for Iceland, some belonging to genera new for Iceland: Cernosvitoviella and Pristina. All the new taxa are included in an updated species list of Icelandic Clitellata. The material revealed some stygophilic species previously known to inhabit springs, but true stygobionts, which are restricted to groundwater habitats, were not found. Our study shows that short 16S fragments can be obtained from DNA too degraded to be used in traditional COI barcoding, and contain enough genetic variation to separate closely related clitellate species.

A catalogue of reptiles of Monfragüe National Park (Spain), with molecular characterization of populations of <em>Blanus</em> Wagler, 1830 in this protected area

Monfragüe National Park (Cáceres, Extremadura, Spain) is a protected area in central-western Iberia,including some of the best preserved primary Mediterranean vegetation. Legal protection dates back to 1979 (first as a Natural Park and then as a National Park), but knowledge about its reptile communities is so far limited to sparse records. In this paper we present an updated species list based on 521 records covering 163 1x1 km UTM grids in the study area, compiled in the period 2000-2019. We detected 20 native species, representing 71.4% of the reptile fauna in Extremadura and 35% of the ibero-balearic reptile fauna. Additionally, based on molecular analyses populations of the amphisbaenid genus Blanus in the study area are assigned to the oriental Iberian taxon, B. cinereus. The new records extend the known distribution of the different reptile species in the study area in 56 10x10 km UTM grids. Species presenting more restricted distributions in Monfragüe are Lacerta schreiberi (one 1x1 grid), Emys orbicularis, and Acanthodactylus erythrurus (four 10x10 grids each).

Spider checklist for the Blouberg, in the Vhembe Biosphere Reserve, South Africa

Background: The north-eastern mountainous region of South Africa has been identified as a spider diversity hotspot and centre of endemisim. The Blouberg is an isolated inselberg that forms part of the Soutpansberg geological complex, the northernmost mountain in South Africa.Objectives: This article provides an updated species list of the Blouberg spiders, which includes details of the distribution patterns and conservation statuses of all taxa. Exotic species and species of special conservation concern are identified.Method: Surveys were conducted between 2005 and 2012, and a range of collecting methods were used to sample both the ground and field layers.Results: A total of 47 families were sampled in 210 genera and 346 species. The families of Salticidae (45 spp.), Gnaphosidae (32 spp.), Thomisidae (31 spp.), Araneidae (26 spp.) and Lycosidae (24 spp.) were the most diverse. Five species are of conservation concern, one species is Vulnerable, one is possibly exotic and 62 species are South African endemics.Conclusion: Presently, 17% of South African species are protected on the mountain and its surrounding foothills. The latter are of particular conservation concern, while the mountaintop and its associated habitats are under-sampled.

Updated list of alien macrozoobenthic species along the Syrian coast

Marine biodiversity along the Syrian coast is affected by climate change-related temperature increase leading to the migration and entrance of alien species, especially from the Suez Canal (biological invasion). The Syrian coast is chracterized by many different types of habitats, including marine caves, midilittoral bioconstructions ( Lithophyllum byssoides rim and vermetid tarraces), coraligenous communities, sandy dunes, rocky coast and seagrass meadows. The present study summarizes early and most recent results on the presence, distribution, abundance and conservation status of marine alien species along the Syrian coast and provides an updated list of alien macrozoobenthic species. A total of 79 alien species belonging to Mollusca, Crustacea, Tunicata, Polychaeta, Spongia, Echinodermata and Chaetognatha are reported; among them Gastropoda is being the most abundant and successful taxon. In the light of these results, some recommendations on future research directions are provided. In particular, more effort is needed to monitor and record the entrance of alien species by adopting a comprehensive national plan to study marine biodiversity and to protect local resources in the Syrian marine environment.

Description of Metarhabditis giennensis sp. n. (Nematoda, Rhabditida, Rhabditidae) from decaying wood of a riverbank forest in the southern Iberian Peninsula.

A new species of the genus Metarhabditis, M. giennensis sp. n., collected from a riverbank poplar forest in the southern Iberian Peninsula, is described and illustrated, including SEM observations. The new species is characterized by its 1.01-1.16 mm long body in females and 0.77-0.98 in males, cuticle with very fine transverse striation, lip region 9-14 µm broad and consisting of six swollen rounded lips fused in pairs, stoma 14-25 µm long with tubular gymno-promesostegostom, pharynx with slightly swollen metacorpus and slender isthmus, nerve ring, excretory pore and deirids located at isthmus level, female reproductive system didelphic-amphidelphic, vulva equatorial (V = 49-50), female rectum length 1.2-1.7 times the anal body width, female tail conical-elongate with acute tip (123-199 µm, c = 5.8-8.2, c' = 8.2-11.1), male tail conical (34-56 µm, c = 15.5-25.7, c' = 2.4-3.5), bursa leptoderan, 32-41 µm long spicules with rounded and ventrally bent manubrium, and 17-20 µm long gubernaculum. An updated list of species of the genus and a key for their identification are also provided. [Zoobank URL: urn:lsid:zoobank.org:act:7EBAC9DB-A148-4A1A-97E5-3B796D0839BF].

Ticks (Ixodida: Argasidae, Ixodidae) of Brazil: Updated species checklist and taxonomic keys

Ticks are ectoparasites of great medical and veterinary significance in the neotropical region. In Brazil, they are responsible for enormous economic losses to the livestock industry and also for considerable morbidity and mortality in companion animals and humans. Therefore, recognizing the identity of a given species is important, not only from a biodiversity perspective, but also from the medical and veterinary standpoints. The Brazilian tick fauna is one of the most diverse and well-studied in the neotropical region. In the past few years, several new species were discovered and/or recorded for the first time in this country. The main objectives of this study were to provide an updated list of tick species occurring in Brazil and taxonomic keys for their identification. The updated list of Brazilian ticks includes 70 species, 47 in the family Ixodidae and 23 in the family Argasidae. The genera Amblyomma (32 spp.) and Ornithodoros (18 spp.) are the most representative. Updated taxonomic keys for the identification of ticks of Brazil are provided. Finally, the medico-veterinary significance of ticks occurring in this country is briefly discussed.

Identification key for the Brazilian genera and species of Aloninae (Crustacea, Branchiopoda, Anomopoda, Chydoridae)

Since early 2000 years, the knowledge about the taxonomy of Aloninae (Cladocera: Chydoridae) has been in rapid progress. For this reason, the most of Brazilian fauna was affected concerning nomenclature, besides an increase in the number of known genera and species. Thus, in this study, we bring an updated species list of Aloninae in Brazil, as well as identification keys based in current nomenclature and morphological standards. Our finding pointed to the occurrence of 46 valid species, belonging to 21 genera and three groups of Alona sensu lato. Two of these genera are endemic to Brazil. So far, South-East Asia and Brazil have the most well-studied Aloninae fauna in the entire planet.

An updated list of chironomid species from Italy with biogeographic considerations (Diptera, Chironomidae)

Author(s): Rossaro, Bruno; Pirola, Niccolo; Marziali, Laura; Magoga, Giulia; Boggero, Angela; Montagna, Matteo | Abstract: In a first list of chironomid species from Italy from 1988, 359 species were recognized. The subfamilies represented were Tanypodinae, Diamesinae, Prodiamesinae, Orthocladiinae and Chironominae. Most of the species were cited as widely distributed in the Palearctic region with few Mediterranean (6), Afrotropical (19) or Panpaleotropical (3) species. The list also included five species previously considered Nearctic. An updated list was thereafter prepared and the number of species raised to 391. Species new to science were added in the following years further raising the number of known species. The list of species known to occur in Italy is now updated to 580, and supported by voucher specimens. Most species have a Palearctic distribution, but many species are distributed in other biogeographical regions; 366 species are in common with the East Palaearctic region, 281 with the Near East, 248 with North Africa, 213 with the Nearctic, 104 with the Oriental, 23 species with the Neotropical, 23 with the Afrotropical, 16 with the Australian region, and 46 species at present are known to occur only in Italy. On the basis of new findings in Italy and in nearby areas it is stated that the knowledge of chironomid fauna is still incomplete.

An annotated species list of regular echinoids from Sri Lanka with notes on some rarely seen temnopleurids.

The first recorded regular echinoid species from Sri Lanka, “Salmacis virgulatus” (now known as S. virgulata L. Agassiz in L. Agassiz & Desor, 1846), was listed by Agassiz & Desor (1846). Knowledge of Sri Lankan regular echinoids continued to advance until the end of the 19th century. However, there is a gap in knowledge between the mid-20th and the beginning of the 21st centuries due to a lack of systematic studies, with the exception of two checklists published by the IUCN Red List in 2006 and 2012. In the present study, we compiled a species list combining published data and new data based on fieldwork between 2013 and 2015. Echinoids were sampled by snorkelling, diving, examination of fisheries bycatch, and collection of tests from beaches. The updated species list presented in this study includes 39 regular echinoids belonging to 28 genera, nine families, and five orders. Phyllacanthus imperialis (Lamarck, 1816) and Temnopleurus toreumaticus (Leske, 1778), which were not recorded during the last 90 years, were confirmed to still occur in Sri Lanka by the present study. We develop an updated species list of regular echinoids to form a basis for future systematic work. The study recommends further investigation to evaluate the status of deep-sea species and additional field work off the northern and eastern coasts of Sri Lanka.

A conservation checklist of the amphibians and reptiles of Sonora, Mexico, with updated species lists.

Sonora has a rich natural diversity, including reptiles and amphibians. Sonora’s location on the United States-Mexico border creates some unique conservation challenges for its wildlife. We compiled a list of the amphibian and reptile species currently known for Sonora, summarized the conservation status of these species, and compared our list of species with known species lists for adjacent states. The herpetofauna of Sonora comprises 200 species of amphibians and reptiles (38 amphibians and 162 reptiles). Overall, Sonora shares the most species with Chihuahua, Sinaloa, and Arizona. Approximately 11% of the amphibian and reptile species are IUCN listed, but 35.5% are placed in a protected category by SEMARNAT, and 32.6% are categorized as high risk by the Environmental Vulnerability Score.

Urban and semi-urban mosquitoes of Mexico City: A risk for endemic mosquito-borne disease transmission.

Since past century, vector-borne diseases have been a major public health concern in several states of Mexico. However, Mexico City continues to be free of endemic mosquito-borne viral diseases. The city is the most important politic and economic state of Mexico and one of the most important city of Latin America. Its subtropical highland climate and high elevation (2240 masl) had historically made the occurrence of Aedes species unlikely. However, the presence of other potential disease vectors (Culex spp, Culiseta spp), and the current intermittent introductions of Aedes aegypti, have revealed that control programs must adopt routine vector surveillance in the city. In this study, we provide an updated species list from a five-years of vector surveillance performed in Mexico City. A total of 18,553 mosquito larvae were collected. Twenty-two species from genus Culex, Aedes, Culiseta, Anopheles, Lutzia and Uranotaenia were observed. Nine new mosquito records for the city were found. Ae. albopictus was recorded for the first time in Mexico City. Interestingly, a new record, Ae. epactius was the most frequent species reported. Cx. pipiens quinquefasciatus exhibited the highest number of individuals collected. We detected six areas which harbor the highest mosquito species records in the city. Cemeteries included 68.9% of our collection sites. Temporarily ponds showed the highest species diversity. We detected an increasing presence of Ae. aegypti, which was detected for three consecutive years (2015–2017), predominantly in the warmer microclimates of the city. We found a possible correlation between increasing temperature and Ae. aegypti and Ae. albopictus expanding range. This study provides a starting point for developing strategies related to environmental management for mosquito control. The promotion of mosquito control practices through community participation, mass media and education programmes in schools should be introduced in the city.