[Mammalogy • 2018] Halmaheramys wallacei • A New Species of Halmaheramys (Rodentia: Muridae) from Bisa and Obi Islands (North Maluku Province, Indonesia)

Halmaheramys wallacei

Fabre, Reeve, Fitriana, Aplin & Helgen, 2018

 DOI:  10.1093/jmammal/gyx160

 twitter.com/Mammals_Borneo

Abstract

We describe a new species of murine rodent from a skull collected on Bisa Island and 3 specimens from Obi Island, North Maluku Province, Indonesia. Molecular and morphological data indicate a close relationship with Halmaheramys bokimekot (Fabre et al. 2013). The new species is characterized by its combination of large size; short tail with large scales; spiny, coarse, dark dorsal pelage with long black guard hairs; and a dark gray ventral pelage that contrasts slightly with the dorsum. The Bisa specimen displays unusual zygomatic arch morphology, which may be a disease-related deformity, or potentially a sexually dimorphic trait. The new species shares several external and cranio-mandibular features with its sister species from Halmahera that differ from those of Rattus species, including a spiny pelt, deep palatine sulci, a high rostrum and relatively flat dorsal profile, short incisive foramina, short palatal bridge, and molars with simple occlusal patterns. Although certain morphological characteristics of the new taxon suggest an affinity with the taxonomically diverse and geographically widespread Rattus, in other respects it clearly fits into the Wallacean clade containing Bunomys, Paruromys, and Taeromys, as indicated by molecular phylogenetic analyses. Along with the recent discovery of Halmaheramys, recognition of this new species from Bisa and Obi Islands underscores the north Moluccan region’s high endemism, conservation importance, and the urgent need for a better inventory of its biodiversity.

Key words: anatomy, biogeography, Moluccas, Murinae, Rattus division, taxonomy, Wallacea

Fig. 11. Field photographs at collection localities for Halmaheramys wallacei sp. nov. (A) View of the mountain Gunung Sere, Obi Island, type locality of H. wallacei. (B) specific trapping locality of the holotype on Gunung Sere, Obi Island. (C) Specific trapping locality of the paratype from Cabang Sumbali, Obi Island. (D) Live specimen of H. wallacei sp. nov. (MZB 38227) in the field at Cabang Sumbali.

Halmaheramys wallacei, new species
Wallace’s large spiny rat, tikus-duri besar Wallace

 Bisa Rat Rattus sp.: Flannery 1995:162.

Halmaheramys bokimekot: Fabre et al. 2013:418.

Etymology.— The new species name honors the naturalist Alfred R. Wallace, who spent more than 10 years in the Malay Archipelago, and passed by Obi in difficult sailing. The presence of this rat in the Moluccas supports the concept of the Wallacea zoogeographic pattern for rodents, highlighting the mixed Asian and Australo-Papuan origins of murines in the region (see discussion on biogeography).

Vernacular names.— We suggest common names for this species both in English, “Wallace’s large spiny rat”, and in Bahasa Indonesia as “tikus-duri besar Wallace.”

Pierre-Henri Fabre, Andrew Hart Reeve, Yuli S. Fitriana, Ken P. Aplin and Kristofer M. Helgen. 2018. A New Species of Halmaheramys (Rodentia: Muridae) from Bisa and Obi Islands (North Maluku Province, Indonesia). Journal of Mammalogy.,  99(1); 187–208. DOI:  10.1093/jmammal/gyx160

ResearchGate.net/publication/322078417_A_new_species_of_Halmaheramys_from_North_Maluku_Indonesia

 twitter.com/Mammals_Borneo/status/945583994611077120

 facebook.com/1stJuly1858/posts/10155534380796284

Kami mendeskripsikan tikus jenis baru berdasarkan satu spesimen tengkorak yang dikoleksi dari Pulau Bisa dan 3 spesimen dari Pulau Obi, Propinsi Maluku Utara, Indonesia. Data molekuler dan morfologi menunjukkan adanya hubungan yang erat dengan Halmaheramys bokimekot (Fabre et al. 2013). Jenis baru ini dicirikan dengan kombinasi berbagai karakter yaitu ukuran tubuh besar; ekor pendek dengan sisik besar; rambut kasar, berduri, di bagian dorsal berwarna gelap dengan rambut-rambut penjaga panjang berwarna hitam; dan rambut di bagian ventral berwarna abu-abu tua, sedikit kontras dengan bagian dorsal. Pada “zygomatic arch” spesimen tengkorak dari Pulau Bisa terlihat berbeda, hal ini mungkin merupakan kelainan bentuk akibat penyakit atau berpotensi sebagai ciri seksual dimorfisme. Jenis baru ini memiliki beberapa ciri eksternal dan cranio-mandibular yang mirip dengan spesies sejenisnya dari Halmahera yang diketahui berbeda dari jenis-jenis Rattus antara lain kulit tertutup rambut berduri, sulkus palatum dalam, rostrum tinggi dengan profil datar di bagian dorsal, foramen incisifum pendek, rigi palatum pendek, dan pola oklusi sederhana pada gigi geraham. Meskipun karakteristik morfologi tertentu dari jenis baru ini menunjukkan kemungkinan afinitas dengan genus Rattus yang secara geografi jenisnya beragam dan terdistribusi luas, namun berdasarkan hasil analisa filogenetik molekuler, spesies baru ini jelas berada dalam satu klade dengan klaster Wallacean yang terdiri dari Bunomys, Paruromys, dan Taeromys. Seiring dengan penemuan Halmaheramys baru-baru ini, pengenalan spesies baru dari Kepulauan Bisa dan Obi menggarisbawahi tingginya endemisitas dan pentingnya konservasi di Maluku Utara, serta urgensi inventarisasi keanekaragaman hayati yang lebih baik.

[Entomology • 2017] Wallacetrigona incisa • A New Genus of Eastern Hemisphere Stingless Bees (Hymenoptera, Apidae), with A Key to the Supraspecific Groups of Indomalayan and Australasian Meliponini

Wallacetrigona incisa (Sakagami & Inoue, 1989)

ex Trigona incisa 

in Rasmussen, Thomas & Engel, 2017
 digitallibrary.amnh.org 

A new genus of stingless bees (Apinae: Meliponini) is described and figured from Indonesia (Sulawesi), known from a single species previously placed in Geniotrigona Moure. Based on recent phylogenetic studies, Trigona (Geniotrigona) incisa Sakagami and Inoue renders Geniotrigona polyphyletic and is more closely related to Lepidotrigona Moure. The species is transferred to Wallacetrigona Engel and Rasmussen, new genus, and differentiated from Geniotrigona proper as well as all other meliponines occurring in Sundaland, Wallacea, and Sahul (Australinea). The new genus occurs east of the Wallace Line and separate from the distribution of Geniotrigona, which is otherwise restricted to Sundaland, but Wallacetrigona is presently not known beyond the Weber Line. A hierarchical classification of Indomalayan and Australasian stingless bees is tabulated and a revised key to the genera and subgenera provided, as well as an appendix tabulating the species and synonyms. The following new combinations are established: Wallacetrigona incisa (Sakagami and Inoue), Homotrigona (Lophotrigona) canifrons (Smith), Homotrigona (Odontotrigona) haematoptera (Cockerell), Homotrigona (Tetrigona) apicalis (Smith), H. (T.) binghami (Schwarz), H. (T.) melanoleuca (Cockerell), H. (T.) peninsularis (Cockerell), and H. (T.) vidua (Lepeletier de Saint Fargeau).

FIGURE 1. Lateral habitus of workers.
A. Wallacetrigona incisa (Sakagami and Inoue). B. Geniotrigona thoracica (Smith). C. G. lacteifasciata (Cameron).

Lateral habitus of workers of Wallacetrigona incisa (Sakagami and Inoue).

SYSTEMATICS

Tribe Meliponini Lepeletier de Saint Fargeau

Wallacetrigona Engel and Rasmussen, new genus

Wallacetrigona incisa (Sakagami and Inoue), new combination

Trigona (Geniotrigona) incisa Sakagami and Inoue, 1989: 605. 

Geniotrigona incisa (Sakagami and Inoue); Rasmussen, 2008: 11.

Etymology: The generic name honors Alfred Russel Wallace (1823–1913), an intrepid and early explorer of the Indomalayan insect fauna and coauthor with Charles R. Darwin (1809– 1882) of the theory of evolution. The gender of the name is feminine.

Claus Rasmussen, Jennifer C. Thomas and Michael S. Engel. 2017. A New Genus of Eastern Hemisphere Stingless Bees (Hymenoptera, Apidae), with A Key to the Supraspecific Groups of Indomalayan and Australasian Meliponini.  American Museum Novitates. no. 3888. http://digitallibrary.amnh.org/handle/2246/6817 

 facebook.com/1stJuly1858/posts/10155497663016284

 facebook.com/ClausRasmussen6/posts/1780840681960699

[Ichthyology • 2016] Myloplus lucienae • A New Large Myloplus Gill 1896 (Characiformes: Serrasalmidae) from rio Negro basin, Brazilian Amazon

Myloplus lucienae 

Andrade, Ota, Bastos & Jégu, 2016

    

  DOI:  10.11646/zootaxa.4205.6.5  

Abstract

Myloplus lucienae, new species, is described from the blackwater tributaries of the rio Negro basin. It is one of the few Myloplus species typically found in rapid areas of the Guiana Shield. It is diagnosed from congeners by the combination of an elongated body, small prepelvic spines that reach anteriorly just to the middle of the abdomen between verticals through pectoral- and pelvic-fin origin, and large scales on flanks resulting in smaller scale counts.

Keywords: Pisces, Neotropical fishes, Myleus, taxonomy, Alfred Russell Wallace, Ostariophysi

Etymology. Myloplus lucienae is named in honor of Luciene Maria Kassar Borges in recognition of her pioneer attempt to organize the knowledgement on the herbivorous Serrasalmidae from the rio Negro basin.

Andrade, Marcelo C., Rafaela P. Ota, Douglas A. Bastos and M. Jégu. 2016. A New Large Myloplus Gill 1896 from rio Negro basin, Brazilian Amazon (Characiformes: Serrasalmidae). Zootaxa. 4205(6); 571–580.    DOI:  10.11646/zootaxa.4205.6.5

  

[Botany • 2014] Jailoloa halmaherensis, Manjekia maturbongsii & Wallaceodoxa raja-ampat • Three New Genera of Arecoid Palm (Arecaceae) from eastern Malesia

Fig. 7. Wallaceodoxa raja-ampat Heatubun & W. J. Baker.
A crown; B inflorescence, inset showing congested floral triads; C indumentum on petiole base; D close-up of indumentum; E fruit; F endocarp.

Photos: C.D. Heatubun |  DOI: 10.1007/S12225-014-9525-X

ABSTRACT

 Recent botanical exploration in eastern Malesia has resulted in the discovery of three spectacular palm taxa that have proved difficult to assign to genus. New evidence from molecular phylogenetic research indicates that these taxa should now be recognised as three monotypic genera. Here, we describe these genera as new to science, all of which are members of subtribe Ptychospermatinae (Areceae: Arecoideae). Jailoloa Heatubun & W. J. Baker is restricted to ultramafic vegetation in a single site in Halmahera and is Critically Endangered due to nickel mining. Manjekia W. J. Baker & Heatubun is scattered throughout the limestone vegetation of Biak Island, east of the Bird's Head Peninsula of New Guinea, and is Endangered, although parts of its distribution fall within a protected area. Wallaceodoxa Heatubun & W. J. Baker, named to mark the centenary of Alfred Russel Wallace's death, is found on Gag and Waigeo, two of the Raja Ampat Islands west of the Bird's Head Peninsula, where it is Critically Endangered due to its small and rapidly reducing population. Full morphological descriptions are provided with detailed comparisons with related genera, alongside a revised key to the genera of Ptychos-permatinae. These new genera are unexpected additions to the palm flora of Malesia, and demand urgent conservation attention.

Keywords: Biodiversity, Eastern Indonesia, Maluku, Moluccas, New Guinea, Palmae

Jailoloa halmaherensis (Heatubun) Heatubun & W. J. Baker

Manjekia maturbongsii (W. J. Baker & Heatubun) W. J. Baker & Heatubun

Wallaceodoxa Heatubun & W. J. Baker
Wallaceodoxa raja-ampat Heatubun & W. J. Baker sp. nov. 

named to mark the centenary of Alfred Russel Wallace's death, is found on Gag and Waigeo, two of the Raja Ampat Islands west of the Bird's Head Peninsula, where it is Critically Endangered due to its small and rapidly reducing population. 

Type: Indonesia, Raja Ampat Islands Regency, Waigeo Island, Waisai, Kelurahan Warmasen, behind Kantor Bupati, forest on right side of road to Pari Convention Centre Building (tanjakan gedung Pari), 15 April 2011, Heatubun et al. 1126 (holotype MAN!; isotypes BO!, K!).

ETYMOLOGY. The generic name commemorates Alfred Russel Wallace, the great English naturalist and codiscoverer of the theory of evolution by natural selection, who visited Waigeo in the Raja Ampat Islands in 1860 during his celebrated Malay Archipelago travels (Wallace 1869; van Wyhe 2013). This eponymy marks the centenary of his death on 7 November 1913. The generic name is derived by suffixing Wallace’s surname with the Greek word (-doxa) to mean “to the glory of Wallace”

Charlie D. Heatubun, Scott Zona and William J. Baker. 2014.  Three New Genera of Arecoid Palm (Arecaceae) from eastern Malesia.
 Kew Bulletin. 69(3):9525. DOI: 10.1007/S12225-014-9525-X

ResearchGate.net/publication/264976063_Three_new_genera_of_arecoid_palm_(Arecaceae)_from_eastern_Malesia

http://www.kew.org/discover/blogs/kew-science/discovering-plant-diversity-%E2%80%93-are-we-speed

http://www.palmtalk.org/forum/index.php?/topic/43125-palm-taxonomy-update-1-new-species-3-new-genera-adonidia-monotypic-again/

Charlie D. Heatubun. 2011. A New Species of Ptychosperma from Halmahera, North Moluccas . Palms. 55(4); 183–189. https://www.palms.org/palmsjournal/2011/vol55n4p183-189.pdf

[Entomology • 2013] Wallaceaphytis kikiae • An Unusual New Genus of Parasitoid Wasp (Hymenoptera: Aphelinidae) from Borneo

Wallaceaphytis kikiae 

Ayshford & Polaszek, 2013 

DOI:  10.1080/00222933.2013.852264

Wallaceaphytis Polaszek and Fusu gen. nov. (type species Wallaceaphytis kikiae Ayshford and Polaszek sp. nov.) is described from Danum Valley, Sabah, in Malaysian Borneo. Although known from just a single female individual, the genus is extremely unusual morphologically, being the only member of the large subfamily Aphelininae with four-segmented tarsi. The form of the fore wings and head are also unique in the subfamily, and its status as a new genus is confirmed by analysis of nuclear ribosomal DNA. DNA sequence analysis was undertaken by comparison with more than 60 aphelinid sequences from GenBank. The sequence for the standard DNA barcode region (cytochrome oxidase c subunit I; COI) is provided. The new genus is named in honour of Alfred Russel Wallace, co-discoverer of the theory of evolution by natural selection. The new genus and species are published on the exact date of the centenary of his death.

Keywords: Aphelininae, Chalcidoidea, chalcids, phylogeny, Sabah, Malaysia, Alfred Russel Wallace, DNA barcode, non-destructive DNA extraction, 

Figure 11. Wallaceaphytis kikiae holotype female; habitus. 

Andrew Polaszek, Thomas Ayshford, Bakhtiar Effendi Yahya and Lucian Fusu. 2013. Wallaceaphytis: An Unusual New Genus of Parasitoid Wasp (Hymenoptera: Aphelinidae) from Borneo. Journal of Natural History. 48(19-20). DOI:  10.1080/00222933.2013.852264

ResearchGate.net/publication/263764250_Wallaceaphytis_an_unusual_new_genus_of_parasitoid_wasp_Hymenoptera_Aphelinidae_from_Borneo

BBC News - Evolution pioneer honoured by statue and new wasp genus http://www.bbc.com/news/science-environment-24839299

 New Wasp Genus Discovered, ‘Wallaceaphytis’ Named After Evolution Naturalist Alfred Russel Wallace  http://www.ibtimes.com/new-wasp-genus-discovered-wallaceaphytis-named-after-evolution-naturalist-alfred-russel-wallace

[Ichthyology • 2016] Potamotrygon wallacei • A New Species of Neotropical Freshwater Stingray (Chondrichthyes: Potamotrygonidae) from the Rio Negro, Amazonas, Brazil: the Smallest Species of Potamotrygon

Potamotrygon wallacei 

Carvalho, Rosa & Araújo, 2016 

DOI:  10.11646/zootaxa.4107.4.5

Abstract

A new species of Potamotrygon is described from the Rio Negro drainage, Amazonas, Brazil. In spite of being cited or pictured several times in the scientific and aquarium fish literature since the 19th Century, it had been misidentified and still lacked a scientific name. Potamotrygon wallacei, n. sp., is diagnosed by the following characters: dorsal surface of disc light brown, with black irregularly-shaped vermiculate markings forming an amphora- or Ω-shaped figure on mid-disc, delimiting light brown reniform areas at disc center, and with subcircular light brown ocellate markings on disc margins; small body size (smallest known Potamotrygon species; largest examined specimen measured 310 mm DW); dorsal spines on tail usually rather low, without broad bases, in one to rarely three irregular rows, but extending posteriorly only to tail mid-length and not to caudal stings, with altogether relatively few spines; denticles on posterior mid-disc and tail base Y-shaped, with a central, anterior, bulbous cusp and usually two posterior pairs of smaller, rounded cusps; and single (anterior) angular cartilage. The new species is similar to P. orbignyi and other "reticulated" species in having a single (anterior) angular cartilage and in the color pattern of the tail, but is easily distinguished based on its size, dorsal tail spine arrangement, and specific details of color pattern.

Keywords: Potamotrygon wallacei n. sp., Myliobatiformes, morphology, systematics, taxonomy, Pisces

Potamotrygon wallacei, n. sp. live specimen resting in a tank in the Rio Itu, showing its great transparency 

Alfred Russel Wallace's illustration of the new species, Potamotrygon wallacei, n. sp. (modified from Wallace, 2002).

Original illustration about 12 cm long. 

Geographic distribution. Potamotrygon wallacei is endemic to the Rio Negro drainage in Amazonas, Brazil, occurring from Santa Isabel down to Rio Cuieiras in the vicinity of Manaus (Fig. 12).

Common name. The species is known as “raia cururu” in Brazil; “cururu” is a common name for the cane toad, Rhinella marina, to which the dorsum of P. wallacei bears some resemblance.

Etymology. The specific name honors Alfred Russel Wallace (1823–1913), the first naturalist to collect, observe and illustrate this species while on his travels in the Rio Negro in the early 1850's (Wallace, 2002).

FIGURE 14. Typical habitats where Potamotrygon wallacei n. sp. is common.
Upper left: Igarapé Daraquá, near the mouth of Rio Itu, left bank of the Rio Negro just above Barcelos (AM, Brazil). Upper right: typical flooded forest ("igapó") habitat (Rio Itu).
Lower left: live specimen resting in a tank in the Rio Itu, showing its great transparency. Lower right: Igarapé Cazurucu, affluent of Rio Itu. 

Marcelo R. de Carvalho, Ricardo S. Rosa and Maria Lúcia G. de Araújo. 2016. A New Species of Neotropical Freshwater Stingray (Chondrichthyes: Potamotrygonidae) from the Rio Negro, Amazonas, Brazil: the Smallest Species of Potamotrygon. Zootaxa. 4107(4);  DOI:  10.11646/zootaxa.4107.4.5

https://popularizandociencia.wordpress.com/2016/05/05/nova-especie-de-raia-de-agua-doce-e-descrita-na-amazonia/

http://agencia.fapesp.br/arraia_cururu_descoberta_por_alfred_wallace_ha_160_anos_e_finalmente_descrita/23316/

[Herpetology • 2016] Wallaceophis gujaratensis • A New Miocene-Divergent Lineage of Old World Racer Snake (Serpentes: Colubridae) from India

Wallaceophis gujaratenesis 

Mirza, Vyas, Patel, Maheta & Sanap, 2016

DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0148380 

Abstract

A distinctive early Miocene-divergent lineage of Old world racer snakes is described as a new genus and species based on three specimens collected from the western Indian state of Gujarat. Wallaceophis gen. et. gujaratenesis sp. nov. is a members of a clade of old world racers. The monotypic genus represents a distinct lineage among old world racers is recovered as a sister taxa to Lytorhynchus based on ~3047bp of combined nuclear (cmos) and mitochondrial molecular data (cytb, ND4, 12s, 16s). The snake is distinct morphologically in having a unique dorsal scale reduction formula not reported from any known colubrid snake genus. Uncorrected pairwise sequence divergence for nuclear gene cmos between Wallaceophis gen. et. gujaratenesis sp. nov. other members of the clade containing old world racers and whip snake is 21–36%.

Fig 6. Wallaceophis gen. et. gujaratensis sp. nov. holotype male NCBS HA-105 in life.

Photo by Z. Mirza.  DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0148380 

Systematics

Wallaceophis gen. nov. Mirza, Vyas, Patel & Sanap, 2016.

urn:lsid:zoobank.org:act:43CA682D-4EE0-4653-95B6-6F4E0C2FAEDE

Type species: Wallaceophis gujarateneis sp. nov.

Diagnosis: A medium sized snake in relation to members of the family measuring SVL 250–930 mm differing from most colubrid genera in lacking hypapophyses on posterior dorsal vertebrae (Fig 2) and in bearing nine maxillary teeth and the posterior-most teeth are subequal, nine palatine teeth. Dorsal scale reduction characterized by vertebral reductions, increase of scale rows posterior to neck, a single lateral reduction at midbody and regular vertebral reductions in posterior half of the body. Rostral not visible from above, a small presubocular present. Eight supralabials, fourth and fifth in contact with orbit, anal undivided, 215–216 ventrals, 51–54 subcaudals, hemipenis subcylindrical, spinose throughout and 3–4 dorsal scale row wide black longitudinal stripe running from the post nasal to the tail tip on each side on a wheat colored dorsum.

Wallaceophis gen. nov. may be distinguished from most members of the family Colubridae in lacking hypapophyses on posterior dorsal vertebrae. This condition is present in racers and whip snake of the genera Platyceps, Hemorrhois, Spalerosophis, Hemerophis, Dolichophis, Hierophis, Eirenis, Orientocoluber, Coluber, Macroprotodon, Bamanophis and Lytorhynchus. Wallaceophis gen. nov. differs from these genera in bearing unique vertebral dorsal scale reductions (vs. lateral reductions in Platyceps, Hemorrhois, Hemerophis, Dolichophis, Hierophis, Eirenis, Orientocoluber, Coluber, Macroprotodon, Bamanophis and Lytorhynchus); nine maxillary teeth (vs. 15–17 in Spalerosophis, 14–19 in Platyceps, 13–16 in Hemorrhois, 17–20 in Hemerophis, 16–18 in Hierophis, 16–26 in Eirenis, 15–19 in Bamanophis); presubocular present (vs. absent in Macroprotodon, Orientocoluber, Bamanophis). The new genus is closely related to the genus Lytorhynchus based on ~3047bp of nuclear and mitochondrial gene sequences however differs from it in having vertebral dorsal scale reduction (vs. lateral in Lytorhynchus); nine palatine teeth (vs. 3–5 in Lytorhynchus).

Etymology: The proposed generic name is a compound of two words, the first being a patronym honoring Alfred Russel Wallace for his pioneering work on biogeography and for co-discovering the theory of natural selection with a suffix ‘ophis’ (όφις) meaning snake in Greek. Gender of the proposed generic name is masculine.

Fig 6. Wallaceophis gen. et. gujaratensis sp. nov. holotype male NCBS HA-105 head illustration showing scalation, (A) lateral view, (B) dorsal view.

DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0148380

Wallaceophis gujaratensis sp. nov. Mirza, Vyas, Patel, Maheta & Sanap, 2016.

urn:lsid:zoobank.org:act:6616529A-8EC2-4606-878C-253F2CD0E6B1

Holotype: male, NCBS HA-105, collected from Khengariya village, Viramgam taluka, Ahmedabad district, Gujarat state, India (23.0217946 N, 72.0217584 E, altitude 21m) by Jaydeep Maheta on 24th July 2014.

Paratypes: female BNHS 3503, collected form near Amreli, Amreli district,
Gujarat state, India by Viral Joshi on 20th March 2013.

Etymology: The specific epithet refers to Gujarat state in western India where the new species was discovered.

Suggested common name: Wallace’s striped snake/ Wallace’s racer

Natural History & Distribution: The type specimen was collected from a manmade water hole near an irrigation canal along with a few juveniles of Xenochropis piscator. The species appears to be diurnal as it was collected at ca. 11:15 hours. The type locality, Khengariya village, is situated in the dry plains of central-western region of Gujarat state. According to Champion and Seth [29] the type locality falls under Desert thorn forest. The floral composition of this area is made up of Acacia senegal, Acacia leucophloea, Euphorbia neriifolia, Capparis spp., Zizyphus spp., etc. The region falls under the drier parts of the country. The annual precipitation is 838mm. Majority of the precipitation occurs during the months of July and August. The temperature varies from as low as 12°C during winter and as high as 43°C during the hot summer days. These conditions create a harsh environmental condition for any life form living in this area. The snake was immersed in water to wash it upon which the snake dived to the base of the bucket and remained submerged for about five minutes. The holotype was also found in water suggesting that the snake might prefer areas in proximity to water sources. While photographing the snake, the snake made attempts to dig into the substrate which suggest that the snake is fossorial in nature. An individual retained in captivity was offered a Hemidactylus sp. which was readily accepted. We have also been able to collect the secondary information about the species’ habits and habitat from local ‘snake rescuers’ and wildlife photographers on the basis of colored images/photographic evidences. This yielded information denotes that the species inhabits other parts of the state too, including the holotype, paratype and the specimen NCBS HA-108 (Fig 7). The information from various sources and collection sites of specimens shows that species is distributed in four different sub biotic land regions as 4B1Saurashtra Plateau, 4B2-Bhal, 4B4 Plains and 4B5Plains of Gujarat and this entire land mass further falls in 4B Semi-Arid Gujarat-Rajputana Provinces as per the Biogeographic Zone Classification of Rodgers and Panwar. For a summary of distribution localities.

Discussion and Conclusion

Phylogenetic analysis based on a total of 3047bp of concatenated nuclear and mitochondrial genes shows that Wallaceophis gen. nov. is a member of a clade of arid snake species within Colubrinae containing the genera Hemorrhois, Platyceps, Hierophis, Hemerophis, Eirenis, Dolichophis, Orientocoluber, Bamanophis, Macroprotodon and Lytorhynchus (Fig 8). The relationships recovered from our analysis are congruent with those of Pyron et al.. Wallaceophis gen. nov. is genetically most similar to the genus Lytorhynchus with an uncorrected pairwise sequence divergence of 21.5% for nuclear cmos gene and is recovered as a sister taxa of the new genus with a deep divergence. The new genus shows 23–36% uncorrected pairwise sequence divergence for nuclear cmos gene from other genera of the clade (Table 3). Our analyses are preliminary and must however be confirmed after incorporation of more taxa of the genus Lytorhynchus as well as data for additional nuclear genes. Based on morphology Wallaceophis gen. nov. can be readily distinguished from all members of the old world racers in have a unique dorsal scale row reduction pattern in addition to bearing fewer maxillary teeth.

.......................

Zeeshan A. Mirza, Raju Vyas,  Harshil Patel,  Jaydeep Maheta  and  Rajesh V. Sanap. 2016. A New Miocene-Divergent Lineage of Old World Racer Snake from India. PLoS ONE. 11(3): e0148380. DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0148380

[Biogeography • 2013] An Update of Wallace's Zoogeographic Regions of the World | including; Saharo-Arabian, Panamanian, Sino-Japanese & Oceanian

Fig. 1. Map of the terrestrial zoogeographic realms and regions of the world. Zoogeographic realms and regions are the product of analytical clustering of phylogenetic turnover of assemblages of species including 21,037 species of amphibians, birds and nonmarine mammals worldwide. Dashed lines delineate the 20 zoogeographic regions identified in this study. Thick lines group these regions into 11 broad-scale realms, which are named. Color differences depict the amount of phylogenetic turnover among realms (for more details on relationships among realms, see dendrogram and NMDS plot in fig. S1). Dotted regions have no species’ records and Antarctica is not included in the analyses. 

Global map shows the division of nature into 11 large biogeographic realms and shows how these areas relate to each other. 

Abstract

Modern attempts to produce biogeographic maps focus on the distribution of species and are typically drawn without phylogenetic considerations. Here, we generate a global map of zoogeographic regions by combining data on the distributions and phylogenetic relationships of 21,037 species of amphibians, birds, and mammals. We identify 20 distinct zoogeographic regions, which are grouped into 11 larger realms. We document the lack of support for several regions previously defined based on distributional data and show that spatial turnover in the phylogenetic composition of vertebrate assemblages is higher in the Southern than in the Northern Hemisphere. We further show that the integration of phylogenetic information provides valuable insight on historical relationships among regions, permitting the identification of evolutionarily unique regions of the world. [results suggest that the Saharo-Arabian realm is intermediate between the Afrotropical and Sino-Japanese realms, newly define the Panamanian, Sino-Japanese and Oceanian realms]

Wallace's original map published in 1876, denoting six biogeographical realms.

Scientists nearly double the number of biogeographic realms

: http://news.mongabay.com/2013/0102-hance-wallace-update.html

In 1876, British biologist Alfred Russell Wallace published a map of the world that outlined how related animals were spread over the Earth. For example, Wallace was the first to publicize that North American biodiversity was substantially different from South America, and that an invisible line separated Southeast Asian biodiversity from that of Australia, New Guinea, and nearby islands. With Wallace's research came the founding of biogeography, or the study of species in relation to geography. Today, scientists with the University of Copenhagen have updated Wallace's map—nearly doubling the number of biogeographic realms—with support from data on over 21,000 species.

"Our study is a long overdue update of one of the most fundamental maps in natural sciences," lead author of the new research in Science, Ben Holt, said in a press release. "For the first time since Wallace's attempt we are finally able to provide a broad description of the natural world based on incredibly detailed information for thousands of vertebrate species."

With vast amounts of data, including DNA sequencing, the scientists have created new biogeographic realms, such as the island of Madagascar which is home to lemurs, tenrecs, mini-chameleons, and slew of other bizarre species. Still, much of Wallace's original map survives, such as the split between North and South America, and the line—known as Wallace's Line—separating Southeast Asia and Australia. However, the new study also splits Australia from New Guinea, creating a new biogeographic realm known as Oceania which includes New Guinea and other islands across the Pacific.

"The map provides important baseline information for future ecological and evolutionary research," explains co-lead-author, Jean-Philippe Lessard, at McGill University in Canada. "It also has major conservation significance in light of the on-going biodiversity crisis and global environmental change. Whereas conservation planners have been identifying priority areas based on the uniqueness of species found in a given place, we can now begin to define conservation priorities based on millions of years of evolutionary history."

The map utilizes known data from 6,110 amphibians, 10,074 birds and 4,853 terrestrial mammals.

Well-known as the "father of biogeography," Alfred Russell Wallace was also a consummate explorer and write; spending years in the Malay Archipelago and the Amazon, he wrote extensively on wildlife, ecosystems, and cultures. Wallace even conceived the theory of evolution independent of Charles Darwin, and it was an essay by Wallace on the mechanics of evolution that finally spurred Darwin to write his landmark book, the Origin of Species. 

Ben G. Holt, Jean-Philippe Lessard, Michael K. Borregaard, Susanne A. Fritz, Miguel B. Araújo, Dimitar Dimitrov, Pierre-Henri Fabre, Catherine H. Graham, Gary R. Graves, Knud A. Jønsson, David Nogués-Bravo, Zhiheng Wang, Robert J. Whittaker, Jon Fjeldså, Carsten Rahbek. An Update of Wallace's Zoogeographic Regions of the World. Science. 2012. 10.1126/science.1228282. 

Scientists nearly double the number of biogeographic realms

: http://news.mongabay.com/2013/0102-hance-wallace-update.html