[Entomology • 2026] Lyriothemis keralensis • A New Species of Lyriothemis (Odonata: Libellulidae) from the southwestern coast of India

Lyriothemis keralensis 

Sawant, Chandran, Mathews & Kuntee, 2026 

 

Slender Bombardier  ||  DOI: doi.org/10.48156/1388.2026.1917364  

 facebook.com/VivekChandranA 

Abstract

A new species of dragonfly, Lyriothemis keralensis sp. n. is described from the coastal plains adjoining the Western Ghats of Kerala, southern India, based on a male holotype (IBC-CD161) and a female paratype (IBC-CD310) (type specimens are deposited in the Biodiversity Lab Research Collections, currently held at the National Centre for Biological Sciences, Bengaluru). This taxon was hitherto misidentified as L. acigastra (Selys, 1878) from which it differs in having leaner abdomen, and differently shaped secondary genitalia and caudal appendages. Information on its biology and ecology are provided.

Keywords: Anisoptera, conservation, dragonfly, endemic, insect diversity, new species, taxonomy 

Images of Lyriothemis spp. from the wild.
(a) Lyriothemis keralensis sp. n. male (Kerala, India); (b) L. keralensis sp. n. female (Kerala, India);
(c) L. acigastra male (Assam, India), ©Kumud Ghosh; (d) L. acigastra (Assam, India), ©Kumud Ghosh;
(e) L. defonsekai male (Sinharaja Forest Reserve, Sri Lanka), ©Michael van der Poortan; (f) L. defonsekai female (Sinharaja Forest Reserve, Sri Lanka), ©Michael van der Poortan.

Lyriothemis keralensis sp. n. habits and habitat.
 (a) Type locality (Varapetty, Kerala, India); (b) a pair in copula, ©Jeevan Jose; (c) female ovipositing in a vegetated region of irrigation canal.

 Lyriothemis keralensis sp. n. 

Dattaprasad Sawant, A. Vivek Chandran, Renjith Jacob Mathews and Krushnamegh Kuntee. 2026. Description of Lyriothemis keralensis sp. n. (Odonata: Libellulidae) from the southwestern coast of India. International Journal of Odonatology. 29; 19-36. DOI: doi.org/10.48156/1388.2026.1917364 [7 February 2026]

 facebook.com/VivekChandranA/posts/26238546669086793

[Entomology • 2022] Chlorogomphus hoaian & C. vani • Two New Species of the Genus Chlorogomphus Selys, 1854 (Odonata: Chlorogomphidae) from the Central Highlands of Vietnam

[1-2] Chlorogomphus hoaian; [26-27] C. vani 

Phan & Karube, 2022   

 

DOI: doi.org/10.5852/ejt.2022.794.1657 

ABSTRACT

Two new species of the genus Chlorogomphus are described based on both sexes collected from the Central Highlands of Vietnam. These species are C. hoaian sp. nov. (holotype male from Kon Ka Kinh National Park, ..., alt. 1000 m) and C. vani sp. nov. (holotype male from Chu Yang Sin National Park, ..., alt. 749 m). Furthermore, C. gracilis Wilson & Reels, 2001 is recorded from Vietnam for the first time, with notes on its morphology and detailed illustrations of male and female structures.

 

Keywords: Odonata, Chlorogomphus, new species, Vietnam

Habitus of Chlorogomphus hoaian sp. nov. 

1. Holotype, ♂ (ZCDTU 2019042001-ODO). 

2. Paratype, ♀ (ZCDTU 2019042003-ODO).

                Habitus of Chlorogomphus vani sp. nov. 

26. Holotype, ♂ (ZCDTU 2021042001-ODO). 

27. Paratype, ♀ (ZCDTU 2021042003-ODO).

Class Insecta Linnaeus, ‎1758

Order Odonata Fabricius, 1793

Suborder Anisoptera Selys, 1854

Family Chlorogomphidae Needham, 1903

Genus ChlorogomphusSelys, 1854

Chlorogomphus hoaian sp. nov.

Diagnosis In lateral view, Chlorogomphus hoaian sp. nov. shows short, robust cerci and an epiproct which are generally similar to those of seven other species: C. aritai, C. arooni Asahina, 1981, C. caloptera, C. daviesi Karube, 2001, C. fraseri, C. nakamurai and C. yokoii Karube, 1995. However, C. hoaian sp. nov. is different from these seven species in major characteristics (alternative characters for the seven other species in parentheses): the cerci (Figs 12–13) are subequal in length to the epiproct (half as long except in C. caloptera); the dorsoposterior margin of S10 is broadly convex (narrowly convex); the length of the cerci is half that of the epiproct and S10 extends apically (except in C. caloptera, C. arooni (Asahina 1981: figs 7–8), C. caloptera (Karube 2013: fig. 6g), C. daviesi (Karube 2001: figs 5–6) and C. yokoii (Karube 1995: figs 15–16); the cerci are acute apically (Fig. 12) (blunt apically in C. nakamurai; see Karube 1995: figs 36–37).

Etymology: ‘Hoaian’, named after Mrs Van Cong Hoai An (born 1992) of Da Nang City, Vietnam, the wife of the first author, a noun in apposition.

Distribution: Vietnam (Fig. 61: yellow circle): Kon Tum Province (Dak Glei District) and Gia Lai Province (Mang Yang District and Ka Bang District).

Habitat and ecology: The new species was discovered coursing up and down over small streams (2–4 m width) interspersed with large stones within dense vegetation in a pristine forest. No other specimens of Chlorogomphus were found at the type locality.

Chlorogomphus vani sp. nov.

Diagnosis: Within this genus, the new species seems to be closest to Chlorogomphus auratus and C. canhvang based on the similar male appendage morphology and the amber pattern on the female wings. Chlorogomphus vani sp. nov. differs from two above mentioned species by the following characters: In the male anal appendage morphology, (1) in lateral view, the cercus is shorter than the epiproct (Fig. 37), while it is subequal in C. auratus (Fig. 39) and C. canhvang (Fig. 41); (2) in dorsal view, the cercus is simple and bluntly acute apically (Fig. 38), while it is expanded apically in C. auratus (Fig. 40) and C. canhvang (Fig. 42); (3) in lateral view, S10 has no protrusion between the cerci in C. vani sp. nov. (Fig. 37), but this structure is clearly visible and stout in C. auratus (Fig. 39); and (4) the secondary genitalia of C. vani sp. nov. are similar to those in C. auratus (Karube 1995: fig. 8) but its anterior lamina is ....

Etymology: ‘Vani’, a noun in the genitive case, is named after Mr Dang Ngoc Van (born 1987), resident of Bao Loc District of Lam Dong Province, who kindly supplied the authors with the specimens of this new species, as well as other material from southern Vietnam.

Distribution: Vietnam (Fig. 62: yellow rectangle): Dak Lak (Chu Yang Sin National Park) Province.

Quoc Toan Phan and Haruki Karube. 2022. Description of Two New Species of the Genus Chlorogomphus Selys, 1854 (Odonata: Chlorogomphidae) and a new record of Chlorogomphus gracilis Wilson & Reels, 2001 from the Central Highlands of Vietnam. European Journal of Taxonomy. 794(1), 91-110. DOI: doi.org/10.5852/ejt.2022.794.1657 

[PaleoOrnithology • 2025] Aenigmatorhynchus rarus • A remarkable Beak Morphology in a Bird Skull from the Eocene of Messel (Germany) signifies unusual feeding specializations

 Aenigmatorhynchus rarus 

 Mayr & Smith, 2026

DOI: doi.org/10.1098/rsos.250620  

 Researchgate.net/publication/392979376  

 

Abstract

We report the skull of a new avian species from the latest early or earliest middle Eocene fossil site Messel in Germany. Aenigmatorhynchus rarus, gen. et sp. nov. is characterized by a long, straight, and pointed beak, as well as a mandible with prominent processus coronoidei, a very long symphysis, closely adjacent cristae tomiales, and a narrow dorsal sulcus along the tip. This unusual character mosaic impedes a straightforward phylogenetic assignment. In its proportions, the mandible is superficially similar to that of extant stilts (Himantopus, Recurvirostridae) and oystercatchers (Haematopus, Haematopodidae), but some features preclude an assignment of Ae. rarus to these and other charadriiform taxa. The ventral ossification of the rostrum suggests comparisons with long-beaked taxa of the Aequornithes and Telluraves, but again several features conflict with a position of Ae. rarus within either of these clades. Even though an unambiguous phylogenetic placement is not possible, the new fossil expands the avifauna of the Messel site and exhibits a distinctive beak morphology, which is not found in extant birds and indicates a specialized foraging behaviour as yet unknown in birds.

Keywords: Aenigmatorhynchus rarus, gen. et sp. nov., Aves, beak morphology, fossil birds, evolution

Skulls of Aenigmatorhynchus rarus from the latest early or earliest middle Eocene of Messel in Germany. (a) The holotype specimen (SMF-ME 11857A) coated with ammonium chloride. (b), (c) µCT scans of the holotype. (d) The holotype before it was transferred to artificial resin (photograph by Bruno Behr). (e), (f) a referred skull of Ae. rarus in the Pohl collection (PBP-MES−590A+B); coated with ammonium chloride.

 Abbreviations: car, cartilago arytenoidea; cdo, condylus occipitalis; hyo, hyoid apparatus; ios, ventral margin of interorbital septum; jug, jugal bar; lmd, articular (caudal) end of left mandibular ramus; lqd, left quadrate; pal, palatine (os palatinum); ppo, processus postorbitalis; rmd, articular (caudal) end of right mandibular ramus; rps, rostrum parasphenoidale; rpt, right pterygoid; rqd, right quadrate; sym, symphysis mandibulae; tra, tracheal rings. The scale bars equal 10 mm.

Skull and cervical vertebrae of the new avian species Aenigmatorhynchus rarus from the Messel fossil site in Germany. This fossil consists of slab and counter slab and is a referred specimen in a private collection. It was coated with ammonium chloride to enhance the contrast; the scale bar equals 10 mm. 

 

 Aves Linnaeus, 1758

  Order and family incertae sedis

Aenigmatorhynchus, gen. nov. 

 Diagnosis: The new taxon is characterized by a long, straight, mediolaterally narrow and pointed beak, which reaches about 75% of the entire skull length; the mandibular symphysis is very long and measures about half the length of the mandible; the rami mandibularum run in parallel in the rostral half of the mandible; the mandible exhibits prominent processus coronoidei and its tip forms a trough-like dorsal sulcus. The latter two features probably represent autapomorphies of the new taxon.

Etymology: The genus name is derived from aenigma (Lat.), riddle—which in turn is derived from αἴνιγμα (Gr.), speaking in riddles—and ῥύγχος (Gr.), beak; the taxon name refers to the unusual character distribution shown by the mandible of the new species.

  Aenigmatorhynchus rarus, sp. nov.

Etymology: The species epithet is derived from rarus (Lat.), rare, in reference to the fact that the holotype skull currently is the only record of the species in a public collection.

 

Gerald Mayr and Krister Smith . 2026. A remarkable Beak Morphology in a Bird Skull from the Eocene of Messel (Germany) signifies unusual feeding specializations. R Soc Open Sci. 12(6): 250620. DOI: doi.org/10.1098/rsos.250620 [25 Jun 2025] 

 Researchgate.net/publication/392979376_A_remarkable_beak_morphology_in_a_bird_skull_from_the_Eocene_of_Messel_Germany

[Entomology • 2025] Gametis polita • Taxonomic Study of the Flower Chafer Genus Gametis Burmeister, 1842 (Coleoptera: Scarabaeidae: Cetoniinae) in Japan, with A Description of A New Species from Tarama-jima Island and Minna-jima Island, the Miyako Islands, southwestern Japan

 

Gametis polita  

Seshima & Yoshida, 2025

DOI: doi.org/10.11646/zootaxa.5706.1.5

 

Abstract 

A new species of the flower chafer genus Gametis Burmeister, 1842, Gametis polita Seshima & Yoshida, sp. nov., is described from Tarama-jima Island and Minna-jima Island in the Miyako Islands, southwestern Japan, which was formerly misidentified as Gametis forticula (Janson, 1881). This is the first new species of the subfamily Cetoniinae sensu stricto described from Japan in approximately half a century. Using molecular and morphological evidence, we conclude that the genus Gametis comprises three species in Japan: G. forticula (Janson, 1881), G. polita sp. nov., and G. ishigakiana (Nomura, 1959), which was formerly treated as a subspecies of G. forticula. In addition, G. forticula miyakoana (Nomura, 1959) and G. forticula yonakuniana (Nomura, 1959) are transferred to subspecific status under G. ishigakiana.

Coleoptera, Cetoniini, cryptic species, molecular phylogeny, taxonomy, the Ryukyus

Gametis polita sp. nov.: 
1–7, male (holotype); 1–2, habitus, dorsal (1), and ventral views (2); 3, mesosternal process, ventral view; 4, pygidium, dorsal view; 5, parameres, lateral view; 6, parameres, dorsal view; 7, right protibia, anterior view. 8–11, female (paratype); 8–9, habitus, dorsal (8) and ventral views (9); 10, right protibia, anterior view; 11, color variation, dorsal view.

 Scale bars = 5 mm (1–2, 8–9, 11); 1 mm (4–7, 10); 0.5 mm (3).

Live specimens of Gametis, dorso-lateral view.
28–29, Gametis polita sp. nov., 28, habitus, 29, punctures on elytra;
30–31, Gametis forticula, 30, habitus, 31, punctures on elytra;
32–33, Gametis ishigakiana ishigakiana, 32, habitus, 33, punctures on elytra;
34–35, Gametis ishigakiana yonakuniana, 34, habitus, 35, punctures on elytra.

Habitat of Gametis polita sp. nov., Tarama-jima Island (type locality). Photo by Fubito Aizawa.

Gametis polita Seshima & Yoshida, sp. nov.

[Japanese name: Hisui-koao-hanamuguri]

YÛHI SESHIMA and TAKAHIRO YOSHIDA. 2025. Taxonomic Study of the Flower Chafer Genus Gametis Burmeister, 1842 (Coleoptera: Scarabaeidae: Cetoniinae) in Japan, with A Description of A New Species from Tarama-jima Island and Minna-jima Island, the Miyako Islands, southwestern Japan. Zootaxa. 5706(1); 79-92. DOI: doi.org/10.11646/zootaxa.5706.1.5 [2025-10-09]

[Botany • 2026] Etlingera cinnabarina, E. funakoshii & E. rigida (Zingiberaceae) • Three New Species from Samar Island, Philippines

 Etlingera rigida Docot;

Etlingera cinnabarina Docot & Ordas;  

Etlingera funakoshii Docot

 in Docot, Ordas, Moran, Zamudio, Romeroso, Tandang et Poulsen, 2026.

DOI: doi.org/10.3767/blumea.2026.70.02.03 

Abstract  

Botanical field surveys performed in the largest terrestrial protected area in the Philippines, Samar Island Natural Park (SINP), led to the discovery of three new species of Etlingera (Zingiberaceae) herein described. Etlingera cinnabarina sp. nov. can easily be distinguished by its red orange flowers, at least among Philippine species. Etlingera funakoshii sp. nov. was first identified and recorded in the Philippines as Etlingera brevilabrum, but the absence of black patches in the ligule, absence of reddish cloudy patches in the laminae, and 1-2 flowers per flowering shoot makes it a unique species. Etlingera rigida sp. nov. is closely resembling Etlingera pilosa but unique by the sessile leaves, purplish to reddish abaxial side of the lamina and rigid young fertile bracts. Each new species is provided with a detailed description, colour plate, and information on distribution, phenology, and habitat. Etlingera cinnabarina matches the criteria of the IUCN red list as Endangered (EN), whereas E. funakoshii and E. rigida as Critically Endangered (CN), since all three species have narrow distributions and threats in their respective habitats. A key to the Etlingera of Samar Island is also provided.

Keywords: Etlingera brevilabrum; Etlingera pilosa; Etlingera sayapensis; SINP; critically endangered; endangered 

Etlingera cinnabarina Docot & Ordas.
a. Habit. b. Ligule. c Lamina; d. Inflorescence. e. Inflorescence. f. Fertile bract. g. Bracteole. h. Calyx. i. Flower (calyx removed). j. Dorsal corolla lobe. k. Lateral corolla lobes. l. Labellum. m. Stamen (front and back view). n. Epigynous glands. o. Ovary (R.V.A. Docot et al. 357).

Photos by R.V.A. Docot. Scale bars = 1 cm.

Etlingera cinnabarina Docot & Ordas, sp. nov. 

 Similar to Etlingera sayapensis A.D.Poulsen & Ibrahim but differing by the sericeous ligule (vs pubescent); 10–15 mm long petiole (vs 50–70 mm); non-plicate lamina (vs prominently plicate); red orange labellum (vs deep red); lateral lobes of the labellum folded over the stamen forming a 13–16 mm long tube (vs adhering only to the sides of the stamen); and retuse anther crest (vs entire).  

Etymology. The specific epithet refers to its vermilion/red orange corolla lobes and labellum.

Etlingera funakoshii Docot.
a. Habit. b. Ligule. c Inflorescence (top view). d. Inflorescence (side view). e. Inflorescence (detached from the plant). f. Fertile bract. g. Bracteole. h. Calyx. i. Flower (calyx removed). j. Dorsal corolla lobe. k. Lateral corolla lobes. l. Labellum. m. Stamen (front and back view). n. Epigynous gland (front and back view) (S.G.S Zamudio et al. S21−183).

Photos by R.V.A. Docot.

Etlingera funakoshii Docot, sp. nov. 

Similar to Etlingera brevilabrum (Valeton) R.M.Sm. but differing by the glabrous ligule with black patches (vs scabrid without black patches); narrowly ovate lamina without reddish cloudy patches (vs oblong obovate with reddish cloudy patches); 1–2 flowers per flowering shoot (vs 1–6); mid pink corolla lobes (vs red); ecristate anther (vs 3 mm long anther crest); and dark purple stigma (vs dark red or white)  

Etymology. The first author named this species in honour of Dr. Hidenobu Funakoshi, who first saw and documented the species in the type locality. Since the early 2000’s, Dr. Funakoshi continues to share his interest in studying Philippine gingers up to the writing of this paper.

 Etlingera rigida Docot, sp. nov. 

 

Similar to Etlingera pilosa A.D.Poulsen & Docot but differing by the red and truncate apex of the ligule (vs greenish brown and rounded); sessile leaves (vs petiolate); red to greenish red abaxial side of the lamina (vs light green); rigid young fertile bracts (vs soft); pubescent dorsal side of the anther (vs glabrous); and fruit with few small warts near the apex when mature (vs prominently carinated). 

 

Etymology. The specific epithet refers to the rigid bracts.

 Docot, R.V.A. ; Ordas, J.A.D. ; Moran, C.B. ; Zamudio, S.G.S. ; Romeroso, R.B. ; Tandang, D.N. ; Poulsen, A.D. 2026. Three New Species of Etlingera (Zingiberaceae) from Samar Island, Philippines. DOI: doi.org/10.3767/blumea.2026.70.02.03 [January 12, 2026]

 facebook.com/HidenobuFunakoshi/posts/25740427845569465

[Botany • 2022] Sagittaria siamaginashi (Alismataceae) • A New Species from Thailand and Myanmar

 

Sagittaria siamaginashi Shiga & K. Itoh,  

     

in Shiga, Kato, Suzuki, ... et Itoh, 2022.   

   DOI: 10.18942/apg.202022

Abstract

A new species of Sagittaria (Alismataceae), S. siamaginashi, characterized by a cylindrical branch with numerous tubercles in each leaf axil, is described from Thailand and Myanmar. The scapes and inflores- cences were not seen in nature, but gibberellin-treated individuals flowered under cultivation. In floral morphology, S. siamaginashi is similar to the Chinese endemic, S. lichuanensis. A phylogenetic study based on DNA sequences of the internal transcribed spacer and chloroplast rpl16 intron, psbA–trnH spacer and trnC–petN (ycf6) spacer regions showed that S. siamaginashi and S. lichuanensis were sister taxa. A key to the taxa of Sagittaria in E and SE Asia is also provided.

Keywords: psbA–trnH spacer, rpl16 intron, Sagittaria aginashi, Sagittaria lichuanensis, Sagittaria potamogetifolia, Sagittaria tengtsungensis, trnC–petN (ycf6) spacer

Holotype of Sagittaria siamaginashi Shiga & K. Itoh, sp. nov. (A. Tanutong 238-D)
 a, Magnified view of cylindrical branches (black arrows) with tubercles (white arrows) is also shown (b).

Sagittaria siamaginashi Shiga & K. Itoh, sp. nov.
Habit (a, Khun Wang, Mae Wang District, Chiang Mai Province, Thailand, August 12, 2004), flowering plant (b), branching inflorescence (c), staminate flower (d), pistillate flower (e), leaf (f), lateral leaf lobe apex (g), cross section of petiole in middle (h), sheath and tubercles (i), cylindrical branch with tubercles [dorsal (j) and ventral (k)], cylindrical branches with tubercles removed (l), and mature tubercles (m). Images in b–m are photographs of plants in cultivation. Inflorescences (b–e) were produced after plants were treated with gibberellin (see main text for details).

Sagittaria siamaginashi Shiga & K. Itoh, sp. nov.

Haec species nova Sagittariae lichuanensi et S. aginashi proxime affinis est; sed ab ea axe axillari bulbifero sylindraceo et bulbillis pleiomeris (15–50) differ.

Etymology. The specific epithet is derived from the former name of Thailand, Siam and the related Sagittaria aginashi. Dr. Jiro Harada, who originally found the species in 1986 (Harada et al. 1987), referred to the species as ‘Siam aginashi (Sagittaria sp.)’ in his publications (e.g. Harada et al. 2001, 2002, Niitsu et al. 2003, 2004a, 2004b, Suzuki et al. 2005). 

Thail name. Nor doa (Chiang Mai Province), Phak Gam (Northeast Thailand). 

Distribution and habitat. Thailand and Myanmar (Fig. 1). In ponds, marshes, riversides and paddy fields.

Takashi Shiga, Syou Kato, Katsuyoshi Suzuki, Kazumasa Tsubota, Siriporn Zungsontiporn, Tanchanok Jongrukthai, Ansaya Promma, Akekarat Tanutong, Mu Mu Aung, Norio Tanaka, Qixiang Lu and Kazuyuki Itoh. 2022. Sagittaria siamaginashi (Alismataceae): A New Species from Thailand and Myanmar. Acta Phytotax. Geobot. 73(1); 35-47. DOI: 10.18942/apg.202022

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[Herpetology • 2026] Gekko dam • A New dark-colored Tokay Gecko (Squamata: Gekkonidae) from the Thai-Malay border

Gekko (Gekko) dam

 Meesook, Jindamad, Toprai, Chotjuckdikul, Supmee, Suppapan, Donbundit, Sumontha & Pauwels, 2026

 

ตุ๊กแกดำ | Black Tokay Gecko  ||  DOI: doi.org/10.11646/zootaxa.5757.2.2 

   facebook.com: R I M 

Abstract

We describe Gekko dam sp. nov. based on type specimens from a limestone hill in Palian District, Trang Province, southern peninsular Thailand. The new species is also found in Satun Province, southern peninsular Thailand, and in Perlis State, northwestern Peninsular Malaysia. A member of the subgenus Gekko, it differs from all currently recognized Gekko species by the following combination of morphological characters and pattern: maximal known snout-vent length of 149.1 mm, lack of contact between nostrils and rostral, 21–24 interorbital scales between supraciliaries, 72–83 scale rows around midbody, 12–14 dorsal tubercle rows at midbody, 26–28 ventral scale rows at midbody, 22 precloacal pores in males, two postcloacal tubercles on each side of the base of the tail, 14–17 subdigital lamellae on 1st toe and 19–21 on 4th toe, a Y-shaped mark on head, white spots on head, dark grey to black dorsal background with four regular bands of contrasting white spots on dorsum between limb insertions, throat and venter white with orange patches, and a copper iris.

Reptilia, Gekko dam sp. nov., taxonomy, karst, limestone, Thai-Malay Peninsula

Gekko dam sp. nov.

ตุ๊กแกดำ

Etymology. The specific epithet dam is a noun in apposition, invariable, based on the Thai noun or adjective ดำ ("dam"), meaning black, black color, or dark, in reference to the dark color of the new species. 

We suggest the following common names: ตุ๊กแกดำ (Took-kay dam; Thai); Black Tokay Gecko (English), Gecko tokay noir (French), and Zwarte tokeh gekko (Dutch).

Worawitoo MEESOOK, Tanasak JINDAMAD, Nittaya TOPRAI, Natthaphat CHOTJUCKDIKUL, Verakiat SUPMEE, Juthamas SUPPAPAN, Nattasuda DONBUNDIT, Montri SUMONTHA and Olivier S. G. PAUWELS. 2026. Gekko (Gekko) dam, A New dark-colored Tokay Gecko from the Thai-Malay border (Squamata, Gekkonidae).  Zootaxa. 5757(2); 123-143. DOI: doi.org/10.11646/zootaxa.5757.2.2 [2026-02-04]

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Researchgate.net/publication/400442860_Gekko_dam_a_new_dark-colored_tokay_gecko_from_the_Thai-Malay_border

[PaleoMammalogy • 2026] Notopolytheles joelis • First unambiguous evidence of Multituberculata from the Late Cretaceous of South America

 

upper left: upper molar Notopolytheles joelis in occlusal view.

lower left: plagiaulacoid tooth of Argentodites coloniensis.

Notopolytheles joelis

Gelfo, Goin & Vega, 2025

  DOI: doi.org/10.1038/s41598-025-25255-2

Abstract

We report a left upper first molar of a multituberculate mammal, from the Upper Cretaceous La Colonia Formation, Chubut Province, Argentina, which is here assigned to Notopolytheles joelis gen. et sp. nov. (Cimolodonta,?Neoplagiaulacidae). Multituberculates have been previously reported from Gondwanan land masses, but to date, only records from Australia, Madagascar, and India have been taxonomically undisputed. In South America, all previous assignments were debated or later referred to Gondwanatheria. These records include isolated molars attributed to Ferugliotheriidae and Argentodites coloniensis, only known from a plagiaulacoid premolar and originally assigned to the ?Cimolodonta. Since no molar with definitive multituberculate features could ever be found in the Upper Cretaceous of Patagonia, A. coloniensis was considered a junior synonym of the ferugliotheriid Ferugliotherium windhauseni. Notopolytheles joelis gen. et sp. nov. displays a typical multituberculate molar configuration of three rows of tetrahedral cups, with a cusp formula of 7B:8M:4L similar to Neoplagiaulacidae. The lower position of the buccal cusp row supported by a single large labial root suggest a high level of endemism. This finding provides strong and renewed support for the hypothesis that ferugliotheriids lack a plagiaulacoid p4 and that Argentodites coloniensis is indeed a multituberculate.

Keywords: South America, Patagonia, La Colonia Formation, Late Cretaceous, Multituberculata, Gondwanatheria

Left: upper molar of the new species Notopolytheles joelis in occlusal view.
Right: plagiaulacoid tooth of Argentodites coloniensis.

Scale bar = 1 mm.

Reconstruction of the small multituberculate Notopolytheles joelis from the Late Cretaceous La Colonia Formation, Chubut Province, Argentina. (by Manuel Copello)

Mammalia Linnaeus, 1758.

Multituberculata Cope, 1884.

Cimolodonta McKenna, 1975.

?Neoplagiaulacidae Ameghino, 1890.

Notopolytheles joelis gen. and sp. nov.

Etymology: The genus name refers to ‘southern multituberculate’ and derives from three Greek roots: noto- (south), poly- (many), and theles (protuberance), the last two in reference to the multiple cusps characteristic of multituberculate teeth. The specific epithet joelis is named after Joel Hernán Carino, who discovered the tooth.

Javier N. Gelfo, Francisco J. Goin  and Nahuel A. Vega. 2025. First unambiguous evidence of Multituberculata from the Late Cretaceous of South America. Scientific Reports. 15, 41500. DOI: doi.org/10.1038/s41598-025-25255-2 [24 November 2025]

 

A TINY FOSSIL TOOTH REWRITES THE HISTORY OF SOUTHERN MAMMALS

https://go.nature.com/4rnCGwU

 

[Herpetology • 2026] Hemiphyllodactylus pakhaensis • A New Species of Hemiphyllodactylus Bleeker, 1860 (Squamata: Gekkonidae) from Son La Province, Vietnam

Hemiphyllodactylus pakhaensis 

H. B. Ha, Hoang, Nguyen, N. V. Ha & Luu, 2026

 

Thạch sùng dẹp pa kha  ||  DOI: doi.org/10.3897/zookeys.1268.177040

Abstract

An integrative analysis revealed a new species of the Hemiphyllodactylus typus group collected from local house walls and surrounding karst formations in Pa Kha 1 Village, Long Phieng Commune, Son La Province, northwestern Vietnam. Hemiphyllodactylus pakhaensis sp. nov. is recovered within Clade 4 of the typus group, exhibiting an uncorrected pairwise distance greater than 6.65% from all other congeners based on a 1,043 base pair segment of the ND2 gene. It can be distinguished from its congeners by body size, chin scales, circumnasal scales, dorsal and ventral scales. A multiple factor analysis using normalized morphometric, meristic, and categorical character types recovered its unique, non–overlapping placement in morphospace as statistically significantly different from closely related species in the Clade 4. The discovery and description of this new Hemiphyllodactylus species represent the first record of the Clade 4 from Vietnam and increase the number of species of this genus recorded in the country to 12.

Key words: Gecko, morphology, phylogeny, Southeast Asia

Hemiphyllodactylus pakhaensis sp. nov.
Dorsal (A) and ventral (B) views of adult male holotype VNUF R.2025.32 (Field No. Sonla02) in life; C. Drawing of the holotype’s head in dorsolateral view.

Hemiphyllodactylus pakhaensis sp. nov. 

Hong Bich Ha, Tuoi Thi Hoang, Manh Dac Nguyen, Nghia Van Ha and Vinh Quang Luu. 2026. A New Species of Hemiphyllodactylus Bleeker, 1860 (Squamata, Gekkonidae) from Son La Province, Vietnam. ZooKeys. 1268: 163-188. DOI: doi.org/10.3897/zookeys.1268.177040 [04 Feb 2026]

[Herpetology • 2026] Feihyla wenshanensis & F. zhaotongensis • Two New Species of the Genus Feihyla (Anura: Rhacophoridae) previously confused with F. fuhua from Yunnan, China

 

Feihyla wenshanensis
Feihyla zhaotongensis

Liu, Bu, Feng, Zhang, Yang, Ma, Z. Chen, S. Chen, He, Zhong & Rao, 2026

 DOI: doi.org/10.37828/em.2026.94.16 

Abstract

Two new species of the genus Feihyla from Yunnan Province, China, are described based on morphological and molecular evidence. The two new species closely resemble F. fuhua and F. palpebralis, but they can be distinguished from the latter two species and from each other by a combination of morphometric characteristics and coloration: head length being greater than head width, interorbital distance being smaller than eye diameter, and toes being approximately one fourth webbed in the two new species, nostril being closer to eye than to snout tip, internasal distance being greater than interorbital distance, tibiotarsal articulation reaching anterior corner of eye, and a pair of dark inverted bracket shaped pattern presenting on dorsum in the first new species from Wenshan Prefecture, and nostril closer to snout tip than to eye, internasal distance being smaller than interorbital distance, tibiotarsal articulation reaching center of eye, and a dark X-shaped pattern presenting on dorsum in the second new species from Zhaotong City. In the phylogenetic analysis, the two new species formed two distinct clades closely related to F. fuhua and F. palpebralis, and the genetic distances among them and F. fuhua and F. palpebralis ranged from 3.7% to 12.5% in the 16S ribosomal RNA gene.

Key words: 16S rRNA, morphology,  phylogeny,  taxonomy, Wenshan,  Zhaotong.

The holotype of Feihyla wenshanensis sp. nov. in life.
 (A) Dorsal view; (B) ventral view; (C)left view; (D) right view.

Feihyla wenshanensis sp. nov. 

Diagnosis. Body size small, SVL 26.1–29.0 mm in adult males; head length greater than head width; nostril slightly closer to eye than to snout tip; internasal distance greater than interorbital distance; pineal  ocellus  absent;  tympanum  indistinct;  vomerine  teeth  absent;  webbing  between  fingers  absent;  tibiotarsal   articulation   reaching   anterior   corner   of   eye   when   hindlimbs   pressed   forward;   toes   approximately one fourth webbed; inner metatarsal tubercle small, outer metatarsal tubercle absent; a pair of dark inverted bracket shaped pattern on dorsum; dorsal skin relatively smooth with many tiny tubercles, ventral skin of head smooth, surface of abdomen with flat granules.

An amplected pair of Feihyla wenshanensis sp.nov. (not collected) at the time of oviposition (A) and the eggs infected by fungi (B).

The holotype of Feihyla zhaotongensis sp. nov. in life.
(A) Dorsal view; (B) ventral view; (C) left view; (D) right view.

Feihyla zhaotongensis sp. nov. 

Diagnosis. Body size small, SVL 32.0–33.5 mm in adult males; head length greater than head width; nostril slightly closer to snout tip than to eye; internasal distance slightly smaller than interorbital distance; pineal ocellus present; tympanum indistinct; vomerine teeth absent; webbing between fingers absent;   tibiotarsal   articulation   reaching   center   of   eye   when   hindlimbs   pressed   forward;   toes   approximately one fourth webbed; inner metatarsal tubercle small, outer metatarsal tubercle absent; a dark X-shaped pattern on dorsum; dorsal skin relatively smooth with many tiny tubercles, ventral skin of head with dense tiny tubercles, surface of abdomen with small protruding granules.

 

Shuo Liu, Chao Bu, Yanfei Feng, Zhongbin Zhang, Sheng'ou Yang, Zhengyan Ma, Zhengquan Chen, Shaohui Chen, Kaihui He, Wenrui Zhong and Dingqi Rao. 2026. Two New Species of the Genus Feihyla (Anura: Rhacophoridae) previously confused with F. fuhua Fei, Ye & Jiang, 2010 from Yunnan, China. Ecologica Montenegrina. 94; 228-242. DOI: https://doi.org/10.37828/em.2026.94.16 

[Herpetology • 2026] Hemiphyllodactylus ziegleri • A New karst-dwelling Gecko Species (Squamata: Gekkonidae) from Son La Province, Vietnam

 

 Hemiphyllodactylus ziegleri

Pham, Nguyen, Pham, Ngo & Le, 2026

Thạch sùng dẹp ziegler  ||  DOI: doi.org/10.3897/zookeys.1268.174678 

Abstract

Based on morphological and molecular analyses, a new species of Hemiphyllodactylus is described from Son La Province, northern Vietnam. Hemiphyllodactylus ziegleri sp. nov. differs from its sister taxon, a paraphyletic H. yunnanensis, and other members of the genus Hemiphyllodactylus by at least 14% in terms of genetic divergence based on a fragment of the ND2 mitochondrial gene and a combination of the following morphological characters: SVL of adult males 38.7–41.9 mm and adult females 47.0–49.3 mm; dorsal scale rows 21–27; ventral scale rows 12–16; chin scales bordering mental and first infralabial distinctly enlarged; digital lamellae formula 3444 (forefoot) and 4555/4 (hindfoot); femoral pores absent; precloacal pores 21–23 in males, absent in females; cloacal spur single, present in both sexes; dorsal trunk pattern yellowish grey; body with a discontinuous light dorsolateral stripe. Our discovery increases the number of species within the genus to 73.

Key words: Copia Nature Reserve, morphology, ND2 mitochondrial gene, northern Vietnam, taxonomy

The male holotype of Hemiphyllodactylus ziegleri sp. nov. (HUS.2025.06) in life.
A. Dorsal view; B. Ventral view.

Photos: Anh Van Pham.

Hemiphyllodactylus ziegleri sp. nov.

  

Diagnosis. A bisexual taxon; SVL of adult males 38.7–41.9 mm, adult females 47.0–49.3 mm; dorsal scale rows 21–27; ventral scale rows 12–16; chin scales bordering mental and first infralabial distinctly enlarged; digital lamellae formula 3444 (forefoot) and 4555/4 (hindfoot);femoral and precloacal pores 21–23 in males, absent in females; cloacal spur single, present in both sexes; dorsal trunk pattern yellowish grey; body with a discontinuous light dorsolateral stripe.

 Anh Van Pham, Truong Quang Nguyen, Cuong The Pham, Hanh Thi Ngo and Minh Duc Le. 2026. Hemiphyllodactylus ziegleri sp. nov. (Squamata, Gekkonidae), A New karst-dwelling Gecko Species from Son La Province, Vietnam. ZooKeys. 1268: 75-94. DOI: doi.org/10.3897/zookeys.1268.174678 [04 Feb 2026]