[Crustacea • 2019] Corralliogalathea joae, C. minuta & C. parva • High Morphological Similarity Coupled with High Genetic Differentiation in New Sympatric Species of Coral-reef Squat Lobsters (Decapoda: Galatheidae)

(A, B) Coralliogalathea humilis (Nobili, 1905), Saudi Arabia.

 C, Coralliogalathea joae sp. nov., Papua New Guinea. 

D, Coralliogalathea megalochira (Nobili, 1906), French Polynesia.

in Rodríguez-Flores, Macpherson, Buckley & Machordom, 2019. 

DOI:  10.1093/zoolinnean/zly074  

 twitter.com/ZoolJLinnSoc

Abstract

The genus Coralliogalathea of the family Galatheidae is easily differentiated from other genera in the family by its small size, the presence of three to four small lateral teeth on the rostrum and the lack of the first pair of gonopods in males. The genus currently consists of only a single species, Coralliogalathea humilis, which lives in close association with corals in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. Using material collected across its distribution, we analysed both morphological characters and molecular markers (COI, 16S, 28S and 18S) to investigate cryptic species diversity, phylogenetic relationships within the genus, and the phylogenetic position of Coralliogalathea within the family Galatheidae. Our results support the validity of the two species previously synonymized with C. humilis and three new sympatric species found in Espiritu Santo, Vanuatu. Although these species are distinguishable only by subtle morphological characters, they are highly dissimilar genetically and constitute relatively deep divergent lineages. Furthermore, phylogenetic analyses of Galatheoidea resolved Coralliogalathea as an ancient genus within the superfamily that most probably diversified during the Eocene.

Keywords: Coralliogalathea, molecular data, morphology, new species, squat lobsters

Figure 5. A, Coralliogalathea humilis (Nobili, 1905), Saudi Arabia, ovigerous female, 2.1 mm, UF37156. B, Coralliogalathea humilis (Nobili, 1905) Saudi Arabia, ovigerous female, 2.0 mm, UF36158. C, Coralliogalathea joae sp. nov., Papua New Guinea, ovigerous female, 2.3 mm, MNHN-IU-2014-2383. D, Coralliogalathea megalochira (Nobili, 1906), French Polynesia, ovigerous female, 1.3 mm, UF15764. E, Coralliogalathea megalochira (Nobili, 1906), French Polynesia, male, 2.1 mm, UF15806. F, Coralliogalathea megalochira (Nobili, 1906), French Polynesia, male, 1.5 mm, UF23930.

Paula C. Rodríguez-Flores, Enrique Macpherson, David Buckley and Annie Machordom. 2019. High Morphological Similarity Coupled with High Genetic Differentiation in New Sympatric Species of Coral-reef Squat Lobsters (Crustacea: Decapoda: Galatheidae). Zoological Journal of the Linnean Society. 185(4); 984–1017. DOI:  10.1093/zoolinnean/zly074 

  twitter.com/ZoolJLinnSoc/status/1114087352064991233

[Paleontology • 2019] Globidens simplex • Insights Into the Anatomy and Functional Morphology of Durophagous Mosasaurines (Squamata: Mosasauridae) from A New Species of Globidens from Morocco

Globidens simplex 

Leblanc, Mohr & Caldwell, 2019

DOI:  10.1093/zoolinnean/zlz008  

  twitter.com/AaronLeBlanc6

Abstract

Durophagous mosasaurs are rare members of Late Cretaceous marine faunal assemblages and new fossil discoveries can shed light on their anatomy, functional morphology and evolutionary history. Here we describe a new species in the durophagous genus Globidens from the Maastrichtian phosphate deposits of Morocco, based on a partial disarticulated skull and cervical vertebral series. This new species shares many anatomical similarities with the only other described Maastrichtian species, G. phosphaticus, but differs in several key features, including the absence of pronounced swellings and sulci on the crushing teeth and the absence of cervical zygosphenes and zygantra. Histological thin sections of a rib from the holotype show that this was not a juvenile individual and reveal osteosclerotic-like bone compactness for the first time in a paddle-bearing mosasaurine. We interpret the highly compact ribs, as well as several peculiarities of the temporal arcade and lower jaws, as adaptations to a diet of benthic, hard-bodied prey.

Keywords: Cretaceous, fossil, Globidensini, histology, Mosasaurinae

Systematic palaeontology 

Reptilia Linnaeus, 1758 

Squamata Oppel, 1811 

Mosasauridae Gervais, 1853

 Mosasaurinae Gervais, 1853 

Globidens Gilmore, 1912 

Globidens simplex Leblanc, Mohr & Caldwell, sp. nov.

Etymology: The epithet simplex is Latin for ‘simple’ or ‘plain’, referring to the simple shapes of the large crushing tooth crowns relative to other species of Globidens, as well as the absence of accessory vertebral articulations (zygosphenes and zygantra) on the cervical vertebrae.

 Globidens simplex sp. nov. MHNM.KHG.221, holotype dental series

  Partial skull reconstruction of Globidens simplex sp. nov. Grey outline represents hypothetical soft tissue and life reconstruction, in addition to the maxilla and upper tooth row.  

 Globidens simplex sp. nov. MHNM.KHG.221, holotype rib, general histology.  

Aaron R. H. Leblanc, Sydney R. Mohr and Michael W. Caldwell. 2019. Insights Into the Anatomy and Functional Morphology of Durophagous Mosasaurines (Squamata: Mosasauridae) from A New Species of Globidens from Morocco. Zoological Journal of the Linnean Society. zlz008. DOI:  10.1093/zoolinnean/zlz008   

the inside of a rib of the newly discovered species of shell-crushing mosasaur, Globidens simplex. The ribs are almost completely filled with bone, making them very dense. This may have helped this animal sink to the seafloor and forage for food!

 twitter.com/AaronLeBlanc6/status/1108535537143410689

 twitter.com/AaronLeBlanc6/status/1109091614872555523

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[Herpetology • 2018] Multilocus Phylogeny and Revised Classification for Mountain Dragons of the Genus Japalura s.l. (Agamidae: Draconinae) from Asia

Japalura s.l. 

in Wang, Che, Lin, Deepak, Aniruddha, et al., 2018. 

DOI:  10.1093/zoolinnean/zly034 

 facebook.com/NickPoyarkov

Abstract

Although the genus Japalura s.l. has long been recognized as paraphyletic based on limited genetic sampling, its problematic taxonomy has not been revised, and phylogenetic relationships among the majority of congeners remain unknown. Here we utilize a densely sampled dataset of both multilocus genetic and morphological data to provide the first phylogenetic inference of relationships among Japalura s.l.species. Our results show that Japalura s.l. is paraphyletic, consisting of four major clades that are scattered across the phylogeny of the subfamily Draconinae: the first clade from the western, central and middle-eastern Trans-Himalayas, the second clade from the far eastern Trans-Himalayas, the third clade from East Asia and the last clade from Indochina. To address this widespread paraphyly of the genus and to stabilize the taxonomy within the family Draconinae, we revise the current taxonomy and split Japalura s.l. into four genera. By doing so, we recognize two existing generic names, Japalura sensu stricto and Pseudocalotes, resurrect one name available in the literature, Diploderma, and describe one new genus, Cristidorsa gen. nov. We discuss phylogenetic relationships and taxonomy within Japalura s.l. and present a diagnostic key to all recognized genera of the subfamily Draconinae.

Keywords: China, India, integrative taxonomy, lizard, new genus, Tibetan Plateau

Figure 2. Phylogenetic relationships among Japalura sensu lato based on both Maximum Likelihood and Bayesian Analyses of two mitochondrial genes (COI and ND2), tRNAs and three nuclear genes (BDNF, CMOS, and R35). Maximum Likelihood bootstrap and Bayesian posterior probability values are included at all nodes, except (1) terminal nodes that unify multiple individuals of the same species [which all have 1.00/100 support (Bayesian/Maximum Likelihood)]; and (2) non-conflicting (either kind of analysis yielded significant supports) yet inconsistent nodes between two types of analyses (e.g. nodes unifying clades I and J), in which only the Bayesian posterior probability is given. Photos of selected species of Japalura s.l. are included (scaled to reflect relative sizes of each species) with their current taxonomic names (vs. revised taxonomic names, summarized in taxonomic accounts).

DOI:  10.1093/zoolinnean/zly034

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Taxonomic accounts 

Japalura Gray, 1853

 Etymology: The Latin name ‘Japalura’ may be derived from a locality name in India, and the term is feminine gender. We suggest the English common name as ‘Himalayan Dragon’, and the Chinese name as ‘攀蜥’ (pronounced as ‘Pan-Xi’). 

Type species: Japalura variegata, Gray, 1853.

Included species: Based on our phylogenetic results, we assign the following species to the genus Japalura sensu stricto: J. andersoniana, J. kumaonensis, J. tricarinata and J. variegata. Following our morphological results and proposed morphological diagnoses, we also assign J. dasi, J. major and J. sagittifera into this genus, pending future phylogenetic studies.

Cristidorsa Wang, Deepak, Datta-Roy, Lin, Jiang, Che & Siler gen. nov.

 Etymology: The Latin term ‘Cristidorsa’ means ‘ridged dorsum’, which describes the distinct, characteristic ridges on the dorsal surface of the body in the new genus. The generic name is feminine and it consists of two parts, namely ‘Cristi-’ (meaning ‘ridged’) and ‘-dorsa’ (meaning ‘dorsum’). We suggest the English common name as ‘Ridged Dragons’ and the Chinese name as ‘棱背蜥’ (pronounced as ‘Leng-Bei-Shi’). 

Type species: Cristidorsa otai (Mahony, 2009).

Included species: Based on our phylogenetic results, we assign C. otai and C. planidorsata to the genus Cristidorsa.

Diploderma Hallowell, 1861 

Etymology: The Latin generic name ‘Diploderma’ consists of two parts, ‘Diplo-’ means ‘double’ or ‘many’, and ‘-derma’ means ‘skin’, and the whole word is in a neuter gender. As the previous generic name ‘Japalura’ and most species names of the genus s.l. are feminine, most names of species that are now assigned to Diploderma need their gender changed to neutral (except for existing neutral-gender names like brevipes or flaviceps, Latin nouns like vela or names derived from peoples’ names, i.e. dymondi, luei, makii, swinhonis, varcoae and zhaoermii). We suggest the English common name of the genus as ‘Mountain Dragon’, and the Chinese common name as ‘龙蜥’ (pronounced as ‘Long-Xi’). 

Type species: Diploderma polygonatum Hallowell, 1861.

Included species: Based on our phylogenetic results, we assign the following species into the genus Diploderma: D. batangense, D. brevipes, D. chapaense, D. dymondi, D. flaviceps, D. laeviventre, D. luei, D. makii, D. micangshanense, D. polygonatum (and all of its subspecies), D. slowinskii, D. splendidum, D. swinhonis, D. varcoae, D. vela, D. yulongense, D. yunnanense and D. zhaoermii. 

According to our proposed morphological diagnoses, we also assign Diploderma brevicaudum, D. fasciatum, D. grahami, D. hamptoni and D. iadinum to this genus, pending on future phylogenetic confirmations. In total, 24 species of Japalura s.l. are reclassified into the genus Diploderma (for discussion on the taxonomic status of D. ngoclinense see below).

Pseudocalotes Fitzinger, 1843 

Type species: Pseudocalotes tympanistriga (Gray, 1831).

Included species: A single species of Japalura s.l. Pseudocalotes kingdonwardi bapoensis, is reclassified into the genus Pseudocalotes. Currently, the genus includes 22 recognized species in total (Grismer et al., 2016a; Harvey et al., 2017).

Kai Wang, Jing Che, Simin Lin, V. Deepak, Datta-Roy Aniruddha, Ke Jiang, Jieqiong Jin, Hongman Chen and Cameron D. Siler. 2018. Multilocus Phylogeny and Revised Classification for Mountain Dragons of the Genus Japalura s.l. (Reptilia: Agamidae: Draconinae) from Asia. Zoological Journal of the Linnean Society. zly034.  DOI:  10.1093/zoolinnean/zly034 

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[Entomology • 2018] Cryptic Speciation associated with Geographic and Ecological Divergence in Two Amazonian Heliconius Butterflies

Rosser, Freitas, Huertas, Joron, Mérot, et al., 2018. 

DOI: 10.1093/zoolinnean/zly046 

Abstract

The evolution of reproductive isolation via a switch in mimetic wing coloration has become the paradigm for speciation in aposematic Heliconius butterflies. Here, we provide a counterexample to this, by documenting two cryptic species within the taxon formerly considered Heliconius demeter Staudinger, 1897. Amplified fragment length polymorphisms identify two sympatric genotypic clusters in northern Peru, corresponding to subspecies Heliconius demeter ucayalensis H. Holzinger & R. Holzinger, 1975 and Heliconius demeter joroni ssp. nov. These subspecies are reciprocally monophyletic for the mitochondrial genes COI and COII and the nuclear gene Ef1α, and exhibit marked differences in larval morphology and host plant use. COI sequences from 13 of the 15 currently recognized subspecies show that mtDNA differences are reflected across the range of H. demeter, with a deep phylogenetic split between the southern and northern Amazonian races. As such, our data suggest vicariant speciation driven by disruptive selection for larval performance on different host plants. We raise Heliconius demeter eratosignis (Joicey & Talbot, 1925) to Heliconius eratosignis based on nomenclatural priority, a species also comprising H. eratosignis ucayalensis comb. nov. and three other southern Amazonian races. Heliconius demeter joroni spp. nov. remains within H. demeter s.s., along with northern Amazonian and Guianan subspecies.

Keywords: butterflies, cryptic species, genotypic clusters, host plant shift, integrative taxonomy, mimicry, vicariant speciation

Figure 1. Distribution of races of H. demeter and H. eratosignis. Photos of type specimens are all males, except for H. e. ucayalensis. The inset shows fine-scale sympatry between H. d. joroni ssp. nov. and H. e. ucayalensis in the Tarapoto area of Peru. Heliconius demeter beebei Turner, 1966 and H. d. terrasanta appear to conform to the type specimens only around the type localities (in Terrasanta, Pará, and in Guyana). Between these, most populations appear to be either polymorphic or exhibit intermediate phenotypes (mixed square and cross symbols in the map). Heliconius demeter ssp. nov. refers to three males in the FLMNH recognized by W. Neukirchen as distinct from other described subspecies. These individuals may prove to have affinities to H. demeter titan. Distribution of races of H. demeter and H. eratosignis. Photos of type specimens are all males, except for H. e. ucayalensis. The inset shows fine-scale sympatry between H. d. joroni ssp. nov. and H. e. ucayalensis in the Tarapoto area of Peru. Heliconius demeter beebei Turner, 1966 and H. d. terrasanta appear to conform to the type specimens only around the type localities (in Terrasanta, Pará, and in Guyana). Between these, most populations appear to be either polymorphic or exhibit intermediate phenotypes (mixed square and cross symbols in the map). Heliconius demeter ssp. nov. refers to three males in the FLMNH recognized by W. Neukirchen as distinct from other described subspecies. These individuals may prove to have affinities to H. demeter titan.

Figure 3. Holotype ♂ of Heliconius demeter joroni Lamas and Rosser ssp. nov.
Upper photo: dorsal, lower photo: ventral. Scale bar = 10 mm. Holotype ♂ of Heliconius demeter joroni Lamas and Rosser ssp. nov. Upper photo: dorsal, lower photo: ventral.

Scale bar = 10 mm.

Heliconius demeter joroni Lamas & Rosser ssp. nov.  
Heliconius demeter [ssp. nov.] Lamas, MS: Lamas, 2004: 268. Lamas & Jiggins, 2017: 224.

Diagnosis: Heliconius demeter joroni ssp. nov. is similar to H. demeter demeter, but differs from Staudinger’s syntypes of H. demeter from Iquitos, Loreto, Peru (now in the MNB) in having a much narrower yellow postmedian band on the dorsal forewing. It is known only from the Cordillera Escalera, near Tarapoto, Peru (Fig. 1), where its co-mimics include Heliconius eratosignis ucayalensis, Heliconius elevatus pseudocupidineus Neustetter, 1931, Heliconius aoede cupidineus Stichel, 1906 and Eueides tales michaeli Zikán, 1937, among others. Males are easily distinguishable from all sympatric taxa through the fused rays on the hindwing dorsum and the yellow costal streak on the forewing underside. Females may be distinguished from co-mimics through the configuration of the rays (which radiate from the cell), small size, length of the antennae (longer than the forewing discal cell) and the presence of the forewing underside yellow costal streak. Both sexes usually exhibit a single row of white submarginal dots along the anal margin of the ventral hindwing, which can be used to help separate the females from H. erato emma and E. tales michaeli. This character can be faint or even missing in H. demeter joroni ssp. nov. and occasionally present in H. erato emma. However, the latter is confined to the Amazonian lowlands adjacent to the Cordillera Escalera, and at present there is no evidence to suggest that they regularly co-occur, barring occasional migrants.


Etymology: The subspecies name (a masculine noun in the genitive case) recognizes the contribution of the French evolutionary biologist Dr Mathieu Joron to the knowledge of the mimetic butterfly fauna of San Martín, Peru. Dr Joron is presently a Senior Scientist at the Centre d’Ecologie Fonctionnelle et Evolutive in Montpellier. He began studying the butterflies of San Martín during his PhD and has continued to do so throughout his career, with a particular focus on Heliconius numata.

Geographic distribution: Subspecies of H. demeter and H. eratosignis are mapped in Fig. 1, with photos of a type specimen of each race. Races of H. demeter occupy the Guianas and much of the Amazon basin. H. eratosignis races occur in the west and south of the Amazon basin. In Tarapoto, the two species fly together at a number of sites in the Cordillera Escalera. Only H. eratosignis has been recorded from the adjacent Amazonian lowlands, despite considerable sampling in the area. Museum data and observations by Keith Brown (1979) suggest that the two overlap (at least broadly) in the extreme south of Pará and northern Mato Grosso, in Brazil. There may well also be a contact zone on the Juruá River, between Porto Walter and Eirunepé, as both H. demeter demeter and H. eratosignis tambopata are known to occur there. However, the exact position of contact in this very large area is unclear. In data published by Brown (1979) two additional contact zones are indicated, at Pucallpa, Peru and near Cobija on the Brazilian/Bolivian border. We were unable to locate the relevant specimens in museum collections; however, we consider these points unreliable and excluded them from the distribution map in Fig. 1. The first is probably a generalized locality, with the specimens potentially coming from a large area of northern Peru. The second is likely explained through the co-occurrence of both H. eratosignis ulysses and H. eratosignis tambopata, as the latter was not described at the time (Lamas, 1985).

Neil Rosser, André V. L. Freitas, Blanca Huertas, Mathieu Joron, Gerardo Lamas Claire Mérot, Fraser Simpson, Keith R. Willmott, James Mallet and Kanchon K. Dasmahapatra. 2018. Cryptic Speciation associated with Geographic and Ecological Divergence in Two Amazonian Heliconius Butterflies. Zoological Journal of the Linnean Society. zly046.  DOI: 10.1093/zoolinnean/zly046

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[Paleontology • 2018] Bagualosaurus agudoensis • A New Dinosaur (Saurischia: Sauropodomorpha) from the Late Triassic of Brazil Provides Insights on the Evolution of Sauropodomorph Body Plan

Bagualosaurus agudoensis

Pretto, Langer & Schultz, 2018

  DOI: 10.1093/zoolinnean/zly028  

Illustration: Jorge Blanco  coral.ufsm.br

Abstract

A new sauropodomorph dinosaur from the Late Triassic Candelária Sequence (Santa Maria Formation), south Brazil, Bagualosaurus agudoensis gen. et sp. nov., helps to fill a morphological gap between the previously known Carnian members of the group and younger sauropodomorphs. In some aspects, the skull, lower jaw, and dental anatomy of the new taxon approaches that seen in Norian forms like Pantydraco caducus, Efraasia minor, and Plateosaurus engelhardti. On the contrary, the post-cranial skeleton is broadly reminiscent of coeval, early dinosaurs. Although not reaching the size of most Norian and younger sauropodomorphs, B. agudoensis is significantly larger than coeval forms. The new data thus suggest that modifications in skull anatomy, possibly related to more efficient herbivorous habits, appeared early in sauropodomorph evolution, along with a moderate increase in size, followed in post-Carnian times by further increase in size, accompanied by more radical changes in post-cranial anatomy.

Keywords: Candelária Sequence, Early dinosaurs, Late Triassic, Santa Maria Formation, Sauropodomorpha

SYSTEMATIC PALEONTOLOGY 

Dinosauria Owen, 1842 sensu Padian & May, 1993 

Saurischia Seeley, 1887 sensu Gauthier, 1986 

Sauropodomorpha von Huene, 1932 

Bagualosaurus agudoensis gen. et sp. nov.

Etymology The generic name is derived from the term ‘Bagual’, a term employed regionally in southern Brazil to refer to an animal or person of strong build or valour, plus ‘saurus’, Latin, meaning lizard; the specific name makes allusion to the town of Agudo, where the holotype was collected.

....

CONCLUSION: 

Bagualosaurus agudoensis represents the largest known Carnian sauropodomorph. Indeed, if the material described by Pretto et al. (2015) is regarded as a second specimen of the taxon, its body size would rival that of many other Carnian taxa (e.g. rhynchosaurs and cynodonts, at least from Brazilian faunas). Despite that, B. agudoensis is far from achieving the large body sizes of most post-Carnian sauropodomorphs. Indeed, most traits related to large body masses (such as robust hindlimbs, especially the pes) are not yet present in B. agudoensis, and most traits shared with post-Carnian sauropodomorphs seem to be related to the skull and mandible. This suggests that modification in the skull anatomy, possibly related to more efficient herbivorous habits, appeared earlier in the evolution of sauropodomorphs than their further increase in size. The discovery of Bagualosaurus agudoensis adds to the known dinosaur diversity of the Carnian. It also reinforces the idea that sauropodomorphs had an initial moment of high diversification, prior to their increase in abundance achieved during the Norian and afterwards when the group started to represent a dominant component of many paleoenvironments (Brusatte et al., 2010; Ezcurra, 2010; Langer et al., 2010; Irmis, 2011).

Representação artística da paisagem na região de Agudo no período Triássico. No centro da imagem, uma dupla de Bagualosaurus agudoensis confronta o cinodonte Trucidocynodon riograndensis . No canto inferior direito, um Hyperodapedon, réptil herbívoro do grupo dos rincossauros. Ao fundo, um grupo de cinodontes, Exaeretodon riograndensis, observa a cena.

Arte: Jorge Blanco

Flávio A. Pretto, Max C. Langer and Cesar L. Schultz. 2018. A New Dinosaur (Saurischia: Sauropodomorpha) from the Late Triassic of Brazil Provides Insights on the Evolution of Sauropodomorph Body Plan.  Zoological Journal of the Linnean Society. zly028.  DOI: 10.1093/zoolinnean/zly028

“Tataravô” de gigantes  coral.ufsm.br/arco/sitenovo/?p=3670  

Estudo põe mais um dinossauro na pré-história do País @estadao:   brasil.estadao.com.br/noticias/geral,estudo-poe-mais-um-dinossauro-na-pre-historia-do-pais,70002323449

   

[PaleoIchthyology • 2018] Protohimantura vorstmani • Anatomy, Relationships and Palaeobiogeographic Implications of the First Neogene Holomorphic Stingray (Myliobatiformes: Dasyatidae) from the early Miocene of Sulawesi, Indonesia, SE Asia

Protohimantura vorstmani  (De Beaufort, 1926)

Protohimantura

Marramà, Klug, de Vos & Kriwet, 2018

DOI: 10.1093/zoolinnean/zly020  

Abstract

The early Miocene stingray †Trygon vorstmani represented by a single specimen collected from the fish-bearing limestones of the Tonasa Formation of SW Sulawesi, Indonesia, is redescribed here in detail. This taxon exhibits a unique combination of features that clearly support the presence of a new genus, †Protohimantura gen. nov. and its assignment to the whiptail stingrays (Dasyatidae) of the subfamily Urogymninae. The morphological and phylogenetic affinities of †Protohimantura gen. nov. with the living whiprays suggest a close association of this taxon with tropical shallow-water habitats hypothesized for the SW Sulawesi palaeoenvironment during early Miocene. Moreover, this occurrence, which also represents the first holomorphic stingray specimen from the Neogene, provides new insights into the role of the Indo-Australian Archipelago for the evolutionary history of fishes associated with reefs in the context of the shift of the marine biodiversity hotspot across the globe during the last 50 million years.

    

Figure 2. †Protohimantura vorstmani (de Beaufort, 1926) from early Miocene of Sulawesi, Indonesia. A, RGM 624420, holotype; B, reconstruction, dermal denticles omitted. Scale bars 20 mm.

Abbreviations: ao, antorbital cartilage; e, eye; fpf, frontoparietal fontanelle; hyo, hyomandibula; mc, Meckel’s cartilage; mes, mesopterygium; met, metapterygium; nc, nasal capsules; oc, optic capsule; pq, palatoquadrate; pro, propterygium; rad, radials; sca, scapulocoracoid; ss, suprascapulae; syn1, cervicothoracic synarcual; syn2, thoracolumbar synarcual.

SYSTEMATIC PALAEONTOLOGY

Class Chondrichthyes Huxley, 1880 

Superorder Batomorphii Cappetta, 1980 

Order Myliobatiformes Compagno, 1973 

Family Dasyatidae Jordan, 1888 

Subfamily Urogymninae Gray, 1851 (Sensu; Last Et Al., 2016B) 

Genus †Protohimantura Gen. Nov. 

Type species: †Trygon vorstmani de Beaufort, 1926.

Etymology: From the Ancient Greek word prōto, meaning ‘first’, ‘foremost’, ‘earliest form of’, and Himantura, one of the living whipray genera, thus indicating a possible close relationship between both taxa.

Diagnosis: A whipray characterized by the following combination of characters and body proportions: eye small; interorbital width/eye diameter ratio of 3.5; nasal capsule width/neurocranial length ratio of 0.7; nasal capsule length/neurocranial length ratio of 0.2; anteroposterior fontanelle/neurocranial length ratio of 0.8; scapulocoracoid width/lateral face length ratio of 2.2; 55 propterygial radials; 17 mesopterygial radials; mid-dorsal surface of disc covered by heart-shaped denticles arranged in an antero-posteriorly directed patch having sharply defined outlines; teeth with semi-ovoid or subhexagonal crown with a second transverse keel; lingual and labial crown ornamentation absent.

Remarks: The species †Trygon vorstmani was created by de Beaufort (1926) who presented a short description (one page long) and figured this single specimen in part and counterpart, which was previously collected by Professor Brouwer at the beginning of the 20th century near Patoenoeang Asoe E in the Maros district of SW Sulawesi, Indonesia. The placement of this taxon in the family Dasyatidae [= Trygonidae of de Beaufort (1926)] was based on the presence of a propterygium that is bent inwards in front to the median line and pectorals of both sides meeting at the snout (de Beaufort, 1926). However, after this first brief report, no in-depth morphological analysis or identification of characters was provided to distinguish the specimen from other extant or extinct rays, with the exception of a preliminary study by Klug & Kriwet (2012) who recognized its close relationship with the genus Himantura. However, at present, Trygon is regarded as a junior synonym of Dasyatis Rafinesque, 1810, and the Sulawesi species shows several morphological features that distinguish it from Dasyatis, Himantura and all representatives of the family Dasyatidae (see Description and Discussion). On the contrary, the morphological characters observed in the examined specimen and discussed below corroborate the erection of a new genus to contain †Trygon vorstmani and its inclusion in the subfamily Urogymninae.

†Protohimantura vorstmani (De Beaufort, 1926)

†Trygon vorstmani de Beaufort, 1926: p. 119, pl. 1 (original occurrence of name, photograph and outline reconstruction); de Beaufort, 1931: p. 462.

†Himantura vorstmani (de Beaufort, 1926); Klug & Kriwet, 2012: p. 93.

Holotype: RGM 624420, single specimen in part and counterpart, lacking the posterior region of body.

Type locality and horizon: Patoenoeang Asoe E, Maros District, SW Sulawesi, Indonesia; Tonasa Formation, ?Burdigalian, early Miocene (see: Wilson, 2000; Wilson et al., 2000).

Figure 1. Location and simplified geological map of the SW Sulawesi, Indonesia. The map, showing the early Miocene outcrops of the Tonasa Formation in which †Protohimantura vorstmani (de Beaufort, 1926) has been collected, is adopted and modified from Wilson (2000) and Wilson et al. (2000).

Figure 9. Palaeobiogeographical distribution of whiptail stingrays of the subfamily Urogymninae during middle Eocene to early Oligocene (A), Miocene (B), and Pliocene to present day (C).
1, Morocco; 2, Egypt; 3, Pakistan; 4, Oman; 5, India; 6, Madagascar; 7, Indonesia (this paper); 8, Italy.

The blue colour marks the main areal of the modern representatives of the Urogymninae. Data on fossil occurrences taken from Sahni & Mehrotra (1980), Case & Wiest (1991), Cappetta & Cavallo (2006), Adnet et al. (2007, 2010), Underwood et al. (2011) and Andrianavalona et al. (2015). The enclosed solid red lines delimit the West Tethys, Arabian, and IAA biodiversity hotspots according to Renema et al. (2008).

CONCLUSIONS: 

Although the early Miocene stingray from Sulawesi lacks portions of the posterior body, including the tail and the characteristic spines, several features are preserved and allow identification as a new representative of the family Dasyatidae, subfamily Urogymninae, and the creation of a new genus, †Protohimantura. A monophyletic family Dasyatidae is recovered based on the parsimony analyses. The phylogenetic analysis recovered a dichotomous nature of the relationships of the Myliobatiformes, which might reflect a phylogenetic signal in the nature of calcification of their pectoral radials, in their body shape and, consequently, in their swimming style. The analysis of the fossil record of the Urogymninae seems to suggest that the modern distribution of whiprays is the final result of their spatial dynamics across the Palaeogene and consistent, at least in part, with the eastward shift of the marine centre of palaeobiodiversity across the globe during the last 50 million years.

Giuseppe Marramà, Stefanie Klug, John de Vos and Jürgen Kriwet. 2018. Anatomy, Relationships and Palaeobiogeographic Implications of the First Neogene Holomorphic Stingray (Myliobatiformes: Dasyatidae) from the early Miocene of Sulawesi, Indonesia, SE Asia. Zoological Journal of the Linnean Society. zly020. DOI: 10.1093/zoolinnean/zly020 

 twitter.com/fsantini2015/status/995457423140966401

       

[Mammalogy • 2018] Integrative Taxonomy Resolves Three New Cryptic Species of Small southern African Horseshoe Bats (Rhinolophus)

Rhinolophus gorongosae

Taylor, Macdonald, Goodman, Kearney, Cotterill, Stoffberg, Monadjem, Schoeman, Guyton, Naskrecki & Richards, 2018 

 DOI: 10.1093/zoolinnean/zly024  

photo: Piotr Naskrecki 

   

Abstract

Examination of historical and recent collections of small Rhinolophus bats revealed cryptic taxonomic diversity within southern African populations previously referred to as R. swinnyi Gough, 1908 and R. landeri Martin, 1832. Specimens from Mozambique morphologically referable to R. swinnyi were phylogenetically unrelated to topotypic R. swinnyi from the Eastern Cape Province of South Africa based on cytochrome b sequences and showed distinctive echolocation, baculum and noseleaf characters. Due to their genetic similarity to a previously reported molecular operational taxonomic unit (OTU) from north-eastern South Africa, Zimbabwe and Zambia, we recognize the available synonym (R. rhodesiae Roberts, 1946) to denote this distinct evolutionary species. This new taxon is genetically identical to R. simulator K. Andersen, 1904 based on mtDNA and nuclear DNA sequences but can easily be distinguished on morphological and acoustic grounds. We attribute this genetic similarity to historical introgression, a frequently documented phenomenon in bats. An additional genetically distinct and diminutive taxon in the swinnyi s.l. group (named herein, Rhinolophus gorongosae sp. nov.) is described from Gorongosa National Park, central Mozambique. Specimens from Mozambique referable based on morphology to R. landeri were distinct from topotypic landeri from West Africa based on mtDNA sequences, and acoustic, noseleaf and baculum characters. This Mozambique population is assigned to the available synonym R. lobatus Peters, 1952.

.....

Family Rhinolophidae Bell, 1836
Genus Rhinolophus Lacépède, 1799

Rhinolophus gorongosae sp. nov. 
Least horseshoe bat

Etymology: The species derives its name from the Gorongosa district of Mozambique, in particular Gorongosa National Park, a biologically diverse region of southern Africa.


Rhinolophus rhodesiae Roberts, 1946
Roberts’s horseshoe bat

Etymology: The name refers to the location in Southern Rhodesia (now Zimbabwe) where the type specimen was collected.

in flight behaviour of Rhinolophus lobatus.

Photograph by P. Naskrecki

Rhinolophus lobatus Peters, 1852
Peters’s horseshoe bat

Etymology: The Latin word lobatus means lobed, perhaps referring to the general shape of the noseleaf.

Peter J. Taylor, Angus Macdonald, Steven M. Goodman, Teresa Kearney, Fenton P. D. Cotterill, Sam Stoffberg, Ara Monadjem, M. Corrie Schoeman, Jennifer Guyton, Piotr Naskrecki and Leigh R. Richards. 2018. Integrative Taxonomy Resolves Three New Cryptic Species of Small southern African Horseshoe Bats (Rhinolophus). Zoological Journal of the Linnean Society.  DOI: 10.1093/zoolinnean/zly024

facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=10106174822478085
 twitter.com/naskrecki/status/989211287279239168
Researchgate.net/publication/324770720_Integrative_taxonomy_resolves_three_new_cryptic_species_of_small_southern_African_horseshoe_bats_Rhinolophus

Descoberta de novas espécies de morcegos no Parque Nacional da Gorongosa e no Norte de Moçambique
A new study just published in the Zoological Journal of the Linnean Society described a new bat species in southern Africa, named Rhinolophus gorongosae; it seems to occur only in Gorongosa National Park in Mozambique and possibly also on nearby Mount Mecula. Using genetic and morphological techniques, R. gorongosae was found to be distinct from neighboring horseshoe bat populations. With a mass of only 5 g this “dwarf” becomes Africa’s smallest horseshoe bat.

 facebook.com/gorongosa/posts/10156533087723729

 macua.blogs.com/files/novo-morcego-na-gorongosa-2018.pdf

 macua.blogs.com/moambique_para_todos/2018/04/descoberta-de-novas-espécies-de-morcegos-no-parque-nacional-da-gorongosa-e-no-norte-de-moçambique.html

 thesmallermajority.com/2014/05/06/mozambique-diary-shooting-bats/

 cognisys-inc.com/how-to/stopshot/bats-in-flight/gorongosa-bats.php

[Herpetology • 2018] Calumma uetzi, C. lefona & C. juliae • Endangered Beauties: micro-CT Cranial Osteology, Molecular Genetics and External Morphology reveal Three New Species of Chameleons in the Calumma boettgeri complex (Squamata: Chamaeleonidae)

Calumma uetzi 

Prötzel, Vences, Hawlitschek, Scherz, Ratsoavina & Glaw, 2018

DOI: 10.1093/zoolinnean/zlx112 

MarkScherz.com

Abstract

Based on recent discoveries and an integrative study including external morphology, osteology and molecular genetics, we continue to revise the Madagascar-endemic chameleons of the Calumma boettgeri complex (within the Calumma nasutum species group). We describe three new species of these small-sized, occipital-lobed chameleons. Calumma uetzi sp. nov. is a species from the Sorata and Marojejy massifs (northern Madagascar), with a spectacular display coloration in males, clearly notched occipital lobes, and females with a dorsal crest. Calumma lefona sp. nov. is described based on a male specimen from Tsaratanana (northern Madagascar), with widely notched occipital lobes, a long and pointed rostral appendage, a dorsal crest, and a frontoparietal fenestra in the skull roof. This last character also occurs in six other Calumma species, and its presence and width are correlated with the elevational distribution of the species. Calumma juliae sp. nov. is known only from a small, isolated forest fragment near Moramanga in eastern Madagascar, and only females have been found so far. It is a relatively large member of the C. nasutum group, with a distinct dorsal crest and numerous infralabial scales. Two of the new species are known exclusively from their type localities, and we recommend protection of the habitats of all three as soon as possible.

 KEYWORDS: Calumma nasutum species group – conservation – frontoparietal fenestra – hemipenis morphology – Madagascar.

 Family Chamaeleonidae Rafinesque, 1815

 Genus Calumma Gray, 1865

  Calumma uetzi sp. nov. male holotype (ZSM 1688/2012, left) in spectacular display.

Figure 2. Calumma uetzi sp. nov. in life., male holotype (ZSM 1688/2012, left) in spectacular display, with adult female (right, UADBAR-FGZC 3628) in stress coloration, repelling the male. 

MarkScherz.com

 Calumma uetzi sp. nov.

  

Etymology: This species is dedicated to our colleague and friend Peter Uetz, who developed and has maintained the Reptile Database (reptile-database.org) voluntarily for > 20 years. This database is the most important online resource for information on reptile species, thereby providing a priceless service to herpetology and a model for what should be available for all organism groups.

  Calumma lefona sp. nov.

Etymology: Calumma lefona sp. nov. is the only species in the C. nasutum group with a relatively long and pointed/constantly tapering rostral appendage (with the exception of C. gallus). This shape reminds of a spearhead; accordingly, we chose the Malagasy word ‘lefona’ (meaning ‘spear’) as its species epithet. It is used as an invariable noun in apposition to the genus name

Figure 7. Calumma juliae sp. nov. coloration in life during day. portrait of female ZSM 254/2016 with slightly displaying.

MarkScherz.com

Calumma juliae sp. nov.

Etymology: The first author dedicates the first new species he discovered himself to Julia Forster, in recognition of her generous support and understanding of our research on Madagascan chameleons and her help in collecting specimens of this species.

David Prötzel, Oliver Hawlitschek, Mark D. Scherz, Fanomezana M. Ratsoavina and Frank Glaw. 2018. Endangered Beauties: micro-CT Cranial Osteology, Molecular Genetics and External Morphology reveal Three New Species of Chameleons in the Calumma boettgeri complex (Squamata: Chamaeleonidae). Zoological Journal of the Linnean Society. zlx112, DOI: 10.1093/zoolinnean/zlx112

Marvels and mysteries: three threatened new chameleons from Madagascar  MarkScherz.com/archives/3605 via @MarkScherz

All the colours of the rainbow  idw-online.de/-Co_eBA

[Herpetology • 2017] Twelve New Species of Cyrtodactylus Gray (Squamata: Gekkonidae) from Isolated Limestone Habitats in east-central and southern Myanmar Demonstrate High Localized Diversity and Unprecedented Microendemism

Cyrtodactylus sanpelensis
Cyrtodactylus pyinyaungensis

Grismer, Wood, Thura, Zin, Quah, et al., 2017.

   DOI: 10.1093/zoolinnean/zlx057 

Abstract

Twelve new karst-adapted species of the gekkonid genus Cyrtodactylus Gray are described from the Shan Hills and Salween River Basin of Myanmar. Three species occur in rocky habitats along karst ridges and nine species are microendemics restricted to isolated karst caves and towers. This high, localized diversity underscores the archipelago-like nature and microendemism associated with karst habitat-islands. Eleven of the 12 new species are not related to other Indo-Burmese species and form four monophyletic species groups nested within a larger Indo-Chinese clade of Southeast Asian species. Phylogenetic relationships and distributions indicate Cyrtodactylus originated in the Himalayan uplands and dispersed westward through Myanmar with subsequent invasions back into eastern and southern Myanmar. These new species highlight the understudied nature of karst biodiversity in general and karst herpetology in particular. Extensive karst ecosystems throughout the massive Shan Plateau of eastern Myanmar remain largely unexplored and are likely to harbour tens—if not hundreds—of undiscovered species. The unique and complex structure of understudied limestone ecosystems throughout Southeast Asia are habitats in which amphibians and reptiles have specialized, speciated and become endemic. In an age of biodiversity crisis, managing and conserving these ecosystems throughout Southeast Asia should be given greater priority. A key to the species of Cyrtodactylus of Myanmar is provided.

SYSTEMATICS AND TAXONOMY 

Order Squamata Oppel, 1811 

Family Gekkonidae Gray, 1825 

Genus Cyrtodactylus Gray, 1827 

Cyrtodactylus pyinyaungensis sp. nov.  adult female paratype (LSUHC 13150) from the type locality

Cyrtodactylus pyinyaungensis sp. nov. 

Pyinyaung Bent-Toed Gecko

Etymology: The specific epithet, pyinyaungensis (pronounced pin-yong-ensis), is a noun in apposition in reference to the type locality.

 The linnwayensis group

The linnwayensis group is a monophyletic group composed of the sister species Cyrtodactylus linnwayensis sp. nov. and C. shwetaungorum sp. nov.

Cyrtodactylus linnwayensis sp. nov. 

Linn-Way Bent-Toed Gecko

Etymology: The specific epithet, linnwayensis, is a noun in apposition in reference to Linn-Way Village near the type locality. 

  Cyrtodactylus shwetaungorum sp. nov.  hatchling (LSUHC 13043) from the type locality.  

Cyrtodactylus shwetaungorum sp. nov. 

Shwetaung Bent-Toed Gecko

Etymology: The specific epithet, shwetaungorum (pronounced shway-tong-orum), is a patronym honouring the Shwe Taung Cement Company Limited for their genuine, proactive efforts to protect the biodiversity encompassed in their mining operations in Myanmar by setting aside areas to be reserved and not quarried. The company is particularly interested in setting aside specific areas to protect C. pyinyaungensis sp. nov. and C. shwetaungorum sp. nov.

The sadansinensis group

 The monophyletic sadansinensis group occurs within the lowland flood plain of the Salween River Basin in Mon State and is composed of Cyrtodactylus sadansinensis sp. nov. and the sister species C. pharbaungensis sp. nov. and C. sanpelensis sp. nov. 

Cyrtodactylus sadansinensis sp. nov. 

Sadan Sin Cave Bent-Toed Gecko

Etymology: The specific epithet, sadansinensis, is a noun in apposition in reference to the type locality of Sadan Sin Cave.

Cyrtodactylus pharbaungensis sp. nov. 

Pharbaung Cave Bent-Toed Gecko

Etymology: The specific epithet, pharbaungensis (pronounced far-bong-ensis), is a noun in apposition in reference to the type locality of Pharbaung Cave.

 Cyrtodactylus sanpelensis sp. nov. from the type locality ... Mawlamyine District, Mon State, Myanmar; adult male paratype LSUHC 12878.

Cyrtodactylus sanpelensis sp. nov.

Sanpel Cave Bent-Toed Gecko

Etymology: The specific epithet, sanpelensis, is a noun in apposition in reference to the type locality of Sanpel Cave.

The sinyineensis group 

The sinyineensis group The monophyletic sinyineensis group is composed of the sister species Cyrtodactylus sinyineensis sp. nov. and C. welpyanensis sp. nov., and the sister species C. dammathetensis sp. nov. and C. aequalis Bauer.

Cyrtodactylus dammathetensis sp. nov. 

Dammathet Cave Bent-Toed Gecko

Etymology: The specific epithet, dammathetensis, is a noun in apposition in reference to the type locality of Dammathet Cave.

Cyrtodactylus sinyineensis sp. nov. 

Sin Yine Cave Bent-Toed Gecko

Etymology: The specific epithet, sinyineensis, is a noun in apposition in reference to the type locality of Sin Yine Cave.

Cyrtodactylus welpyanensis sp. nov. 

Wel Pyan Cave Bent-Toed Gecko

Etymology: The specific epithet, welpyanensis (pronounced way-pee-an-ensis), is a noun in apposition in reference to the type locality of Wel Pyan Cave.

The oldhami group 

 The monophyletic oldhami group is composed of Cyrtodactylus cf. peguensis zebraicus, a polyphyletic C. oldhami, C. thirakhupti, C. payarhtanensis and C. lenya from the Thai-Malay Peninsula just north of the Isthmus of Kra and C. saiyok from southwestern Thailand.

The yathepyanensis group 

The monophyletic yathepyanensis group is composed of Cyrtodactylus yathepyanensis sp. nov. and the sister species C. linnoensis sp. nov. and C. sadanensis sp. nov. from the lowland flood plain of the Salween River Basin of Kayin and Mon and states. 

Cyrtodactylus yathepyanensis sp. nov. 

Yathe Pyan Cave Bent-Toed Gecko

Etymology: The specific epithet, yathepyanensis (pronounced ya-thay-pee-an-ensis), is a noun in apposition in reference to the type locality of Yathe Pyan Cave.

Cyrtodactylus linnoensis sp. nov. 

Linno Cave Bent-Toed Gecko

Etymology: The specific epithet, linnoensis, is a noun in apposition in reference to the type locality of Linno Cave, Kayin State, Myanmar.

Cyrtodactylus sadanensis sp. nov. 

Sadan Cave Bent-Toed Gecko 

Etymology: The specific epithet, sadanensis, is a noun in apposition in reference to the type locality of Sadan Cave, Kayin State, Myanmar.

L. Lee Grismer, Perry L. Wood, Jr., Myint Kyaw Thura, Thaw Zin, Evan S. H. Quah, Matthew L. Murdoch, Marta S. Grismer, Aung Lin, Htet Kyaw and Ngwe Lwin. 2017. Twelve New Species of Cyrtodactylus Gray (Squamata: Gekkonidae) from Isolated Limestone Habitats in east-central and southern Myanmar Demonstrate High Localized Diversity and Unprecedented Microendemism. Zoological Journal of the Linnean Society, zlx057.  DOI: 10.1093/zoolinnean/zlx057

Fifteen new gecko species discovered in Myanmar

 fauna-flora.org/news/fifteen-new-gecko-species-discovered-in-myanmar/

We just found nineteen new species of gecko in one tiny area newscientist.com/article/2149587-we-just-found-nineteen-new-species-of-gecko-in-one-tiny-area/