[Paleontology • 2016] A Densely Feathered Ornithomimid (Dinosauria: Theropoda) from the Upper Cretaceous Dinosaur Park Formation, Alberta, Canada

Reconstruction of Ornithomimus showing a plumage pattern that is consistent with both UALVP 52531 and previously described feathered specimens from Alberta ( Zelenitsky et al., 2012), as well as with modern ratite birds, collectively suggesting a thermoregulatory role in all cases.

Artwork: Julius Csotonyi.  DOI: 10.1016/j.cretres.2015.10.004

Abstract

A recently discovered articulated partial skeleton of Ornithomimus from the Upper Cretaceous Dinosaur Park Formation of Alberta, Canada is remarkable in the extent and quality of preservation of integumentary structures including feathers. It is the first ornithomimid to preserve a tail bearing extensive plumaceous feathers that are slightly more elongate in comparison to those present on the remainder of the body. However, the underside of the tail and the hind limb distal to the middle of the femur appear devoid of plumage. Overall, the plumage pattern in Ornithomimus is similar to that of Struthio camelus (ostrich) and other large palaeognaths, indicating a probable function in thermoregulation. The specimen also preserves the body outline around the legs, including a skin contour anterior to the femur, analogous to skin webs in extant birds. Whereas the knee web of birds bridges the knee to the abdomen, in Ornithomimus it spans from the mid-femoral shaft to the abdomen, and is herein referred to as an anterior femoral web. This is the first report of such soft tissue structures in non-avian theropods. It may indicate that the resting position of the femur was positioned more anteroventrally in ornithomimids than in most theropods, and in that sense may have been transitional to the situation in modern birds.

 Keywords: Feathered dinosaur; Ornithomimidae; Ornithomimus; Late Cretaceous; Alberta

Reconstruction of Ornithomimus showing a plumage pattern that is consistent with both UALVP 52531 and previously described feathered specimens from Alberta ( Zelenitsky et al., 2012), as well as with modern ratite birds, collectively suggesting a thermoregulatory role in all cases.

Artwork: Julius Csotonyi.  DOI: 10.1016/j.cretres.2015.10.004

 Concluding remarks

In conclusion, while UALVP 52531 is not the first feathered ornithomimid dinosaur from the Late Cretaceous of western North America, the quality and extent of feather preservation in this specimen is unparalleled. As such, it provides a much stronger basis for interpreting the most likely function of feathers in non-avian theropods, and a much-refined perspective of the biology and ecology of ornithomimids.

Aaron J. van der Reest, Alexander P. Wolfe and Philip J. Currie. 2016. A Densely Feathered Ornithomimid (Dinosauria: Theropoda) from the Upper Cretaceous Dinosaur Park Formation, Alberta, Canada. Cretaceous Research. 58; 108–117. DOI:  10.1016/j.cretres.2015.10.004

Ornithomimus dinosaur with preserved tail feathers and skin tightens linkages between dinosaurs and birds http://phy.so/365249627 via @physorg_com

https://uofa.ualberta.ca/science/science-news/2015/october/prehistoric-plumage-patterns

[Paleontology • 2015] Deep-Time Evolution of Regeneration and Preaxial Polarity in Tetrapod Limb Development

Micromelerpeton credneri from the Early Permian era in Germany. Panels show the regeneration of the forelimb, which results in a hand with malformations

  Illustration: Kalliopi Monoyios news.brown.edu  Image: Hwa-Ja Götz/MfN [Museum für Naturkunde] Berlin
doi: 10.1038/nature15397

Among extant tetrapods, salamanders are unique in showing a reversed preaxial polarity in patterning of the skeletal elements of the limbs, and in displaying the highest capacity for regeneration, including full limb and tail regeneration. These features are particularly striking as tetrapod limb development has otherwise been shown to be a highly conserved process. It remains elusive whether the capacity to regenerate limbs in salamanders is mechanistically and evolutionarily linked to the aberrant pattern of limb development; both are features classically regarded as unique to urodeles. New molecular data suggest that salamander-specific orphan genes play a central role in limb regeneration and may also be involved in the preaxial patterning during limb development. Here we show that preaxial polarity in limb development was present in various groups of temnospondyl amphibians of the Carboniferous and Permian periods, including the dissorophoids Apateon and Micromelerpeton, as well as the stereospondylomorph Sclerocephalus. Limb regeneration has also been reported in Micromelerpeton, demonstrating that both features were already present together in antecedents of modern salamanders 290 million years ago. Furthermore, data from lepospondyl ‘microsaurs’ on the amniote stem indicate that these taxa may have shown some capacity for limb regeneration and were capable of tail regeneration, including re-patterning of the caudal vertebral column that is otherwise only seen in salamander tail regeneration. The data from fossils suggest that salamander-like regeneration is an ancient feature of tetrapods that was subsequently lost at least once in the lineage leading to amniotes. Salamanders are the only modern tetrapods that retained regenerative capacities as well as preaxial polarity in limb development.

An artist’s rendering of Micromelerpeton credneri from the Early Permian era in Germany. Panels show the regeneration of the forelimb, which results in a hand with malformations.

Illustration: Kalliopi Monoyios news.brown.edu

Well-preserved fossils, such as this Micromelerpeton credneri, allowed researchers to track the evoluton of regeneration.

Image: Hwa-Ja Götz/MfN [Museum für Naturkunde] Berlin

Nadia B. Fröbisch, Constanze Bickelmann, Jennifer C. Olori and Florian Witzmann. 2015. Deep-Time Evolution of Regeneration and Preaxial Polarity in Tetrapod Limb Development. Nature. (2015) doi: 10.1038/nature15397

Regeneration faded as most four-legged vertebrates evolved

 —Nowadays, salamanders are extraordinary among modern four-legged vertebrates: Repeatedly and throughout their lifespan, they can regenerate limbs, tails, and internal organs that were injured or lost due to amputation.

They are also special in the way their legs form during embryonic development. Generally limb development follows the same process in all four-legged vertebrates — from frogs to humans — despite the enormous variety of forms and functions that vertebrate limbs have.

“Salamanders, on the contrary, form their fingers in a reversed order compared to all other four-legged vertebrates, a phenomenon that has puzzled scientists for over a century,” said lead author Nadia Fröbisch of Museum für Naturkunde. “The question that we wanted to address was if and how this different way of developing limbs is evolutionarily linked with the high regenerative capacities.”

So the team, including co-author Florian Witzmann, visiting scientist in Brown’s Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, set out to study fossils from about 300 million years ago to see how the capacity developed. The fossils used in the study, which appears in Nature, derive from the collections of a number of natural history museums including the Museum für Naturkunde Berlin.

“The amphibians fossilized under excellent conditions for preservation and are represented by a large number of individuals and developmental stages,” Witzmann said. “This extraordinary fossil record allowed for the detailed study of limb development and regeneration.”

In their studies the authors investigated different amphibian groups of the Carboniferous and Permian periods and showed that different groups were able to regenerate their legs and tails in a way that previously was exclusively known from modern salamanders.

“We were able to show salamander-like regenerative capacities in fossil groups that develop their limbs like the majority of modern four-legged vertebrates as well as in groups with the reversed pattern of limb development seen in modern salamanders,” said co-author Jennifer Olori of the State University of New York at Oswego.

That means that back then, it wasn’t just salamanders but many creatures that had the capacity to regenerate.

“The fossil record shows that the form of limb development of modern salamanders and the high regenerative capacities are not something salamander-specific, but instead were much more widespread and may even represent the primitive condition for all four-legged vertebrates,” said Fröbisch. “The high regenerative capacities were lost in the evolutionary history of the different tetrapod lineages, at least once, but likely multiple times independently, among them also the lineage leading to mammals.”

Regeneration faded as most four-legged vertebrates evolved
http://news.brown.edu/articles/2015/10/regenerate via @BrownUniversity

Capacity to regenerate body parts may be the primitive state for all four-legged vertebrates
  http://phy.so/365065883 via @physorg_com

[Environment • 2015] Global Nutrient Transport in A World of Giants

Fig. 4. Potential interlinked system of recycling nutrients. The diagram shows a potential route of nutrient transport of the planet in the past. Red arrows show the estimated fluxes or diffusion capacity of nutrients listed in Table 1. Grey animals represent extinct or reduced population densities of animals.
Whales and other deep-diving marine mammals feed deep in the ocean and poop up high, moving nutrients upward through the water column. Seabirds and spawning fish transfer nutrients from sea to shore. Megafauna such as moose move nutrients as they graze and poop, creating a natural manure fertilizer. Grey animals represent the loss of megafauna that once contributed to this nutrient cycle. (Numbers in kilograms.)

 PNAS/Renate Helmiss | DOI: 10.1073/pnas.1502549112

Significance

Animals play an important role in the transport of nutrients, but this role has diminished because many of the largest animals have gone extinct or experienced massive population declines. Here, we quantify the movement of nutrients by animals in the land, sea, rivers, and air both now and prior to their widespread reductions. The capacity to move nutrients away from hotspots decreased to 6% of past values across land and ocean. The vertical movement of phosphorus (P) by marine mammals was reduced by 77% and movement of P from sea to land by seabirds and anadromous fish was reduced by 96%, effectively disrupting an efficient nutrient distribution pump that once existed from the deep sea to the continental interiors.

Abstract

The past was a world of giants, with abundant whales in the sea and large animals roaming the land. However, that world came to an end following massive late-Quaternary megafauna extinctions on land and widespread population reductions in great whale populations over the past few centuries. These losses are likely to have had important consequences for broad-scale nutrient cycling, because recent literature suggests that large animals disproportionately drive nutrient movement. We estimate that the capacity of animals to move nutrients away from concentration patches has decreased to about 8% of the preextinction value on land and about 5% of historic values in oceans. For phosphorus (P), a key nutrient, upward movement in the ocean by marine mammals is about 23% of its former capacity (previously about 340 million kg of P per year). Movements by seabirds and anadromous fish provide important transfer of nutrients from the sea to land, totalling ∼150 million kg of P per year globally in the past, a transfer that has declined to less than 4% of this value as a result of the decimation of seabird colonies and anadromous fish populations. We propose that in the past, marine mammals, seabirds, anadromous fish, and terrestrial animals likely formed an interlinked system recycling nutrients from the ocean depths to the continental interiors, with marine mammals moving nutrients from the deep sea to surface waters, seabirds and anadromous fish moving nutrients from the ocean to land, and large animals moving nutrients away from hotspots into the continental interior.

Keywords: biogeochemical cycling, extinctions, megafauna, whales, anadromous fish

Christopher E. Doughty, Joe Roman, Søren Faurby, Adam Wolf, Alifa Haque, Elisabeth S. Bakker, Yadvinder Malhi, John B. Dunning Jr., and Jens-Christian Svenning. Global Nutrient Transport in A World of Giants. PNAS, October 26, 2015 DOI: 10.1073/pnas.1502549112

Declines in whales, fish, seabirds and large animals disrupt Earth's nutrient cycle

http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2015/10/151026172050.htm

"Earth has a problem: not enough poop."

The extinction of megafauna both at land and at sea has led to a shortage of mega manure, new research finds. As a result, the planet's composting and nutrient-recycling system is broken.

......

No Crap: Missing '#MegaPoop' Starves #Earth || #environment #megafauna  via @LiveScience https://shar.es/1uM1HK

[Herpetology • 2015] Phylogeny of the Genus Rhynchocalamus (Reptilia; Colubridae) with A First Record from the Sultanate of Oman

FIGURE 2. Comparison of body habitus (left) and head coloration (right) of all known Rhynchocalamus species.
A, B — Rhynchocalamus arabicus from Wadi Ayoun, Dhofar Governorate, Sultanate of Oman.

Photos by Javier Aznar Gonzalez de Rueda; 

C, D — R. melanocephalus from Tartus, Syria.
E, F — R. satunini from Artuklu, Mardin Province, Turkey.

 Photos by Bayram Göçmen.

Šmíd, Martínez, Gebhart, et al, 2015 || ResearchGate.net

Abstract

The genus Rhynchocalamus comprises three species distributed in Southwest Asia. Little is known about them, most probably because of their secretive fossorial lifestyle. The poor knowledge of the genus is even underscored by the fact that its phylogenetic affinities remained unclear until very recently. The least known of the species, Rhynchocalamus arabicus, is known only from the holotype collected in Aden, Yemen, and it has not been observed since its description in 1933. Here we provide a second record for this species, which represents the first record of this genus for Oman. This extends its range in southern Arabia by more than 1000 km. The observed specimen was determined as R. arabicus on the basis of its similarity in size, color, and scalation with the holotype. Furthermore, we sequenced three mitochondrial (12S, 16S, cytb) and one nuclear (cmos) genes for R. arabicus and for two individuals of R. melanocephalus and one R. satunini and inferred the phylogenetic relationships of all currently recognized species of the genus for the first time. The results of our phylogenetic analyses indicate that Rhynchocalamus is a member of the Western Palearctic clade of Colubrinae and is sister to Lytorhynchus, with which it forms a very well supported clade and shares some morphological characters. As our results show, R. satunini is the basal lineage of the genus and R. melanocephalus is sister to R. arabicus.

Keywords: Reptilia, Anatolia, Arabia, Colubrinae, Kukri snake, Levant, mitochondrial DNA, nuclear DNA, Rhynchocalamus arabicus, R. melanocephalus, R. satunini

 Jiří Šmíd, Gabriel Martínez, Jurgen Gebhart, Javier Aznar, 5th Javier Gállego, Bayram Göçmen, Philip de Pous, Karin Tamar and Salvador Carranza. 2015. Phylogeny of the Genus Rhynchocalamus (Reptilia; Colubridae) with  A First Record from the Sultanate of Oman. ZOOTAXA. 4033(3): 380–392.  DOI: 10.11646/zootaxa.4033.3.4

ResearchGate.net/publication/283119566_Phylogeny_of_the_genus_Rhynchocalamus_(Reptilia_Colubridae)_with_a_first_record_from_the_Sultanate_of_Oman

[Ichthyology • 2015] Diplecogaster tonstricula • A New Species of Cleaning Clingfish (Teleostei: Gobiesocidae) from the Canary Islands and Senegal, eastern Atlantic Ocean, with a review of the Diplecogaster-ctenocrypta species-group

Diplecogaster tonstricula Fricke, Wirtz & Brito, 2015

Eastern Atlantic Cleaner Clingfish

DOI: 10.1080/00222933.2015.1079659

Abstract

The Diplecogaster-ctenocrypta species-group is reviewed; it comprises two species. The clingfish Diplecogaster ctenocrypta from the Canary Islands is redescribed. The new species Diplecogaster tonstricula, a facultative cleaner of other teleosts, is described on the basis of eight specimens and colour photos from Senegal and the Canary Islands, eastern Atlantic Ocean. The species is small, apparently not exceeding 23 mm total length; it is characterised by having nine dorsal-fin rays, eight anal-fin rays, 24–25 pectoral-fin rays, 14–15 principal caudal-fin rays, 13–16 rakers on third gill arch, pelvic disc without lateral papillae in region A, disc region B with two rows of weak papillae, interorbital distance 4.1–4.6 in head length, distance between disc and anus 14–17% of SL, head and body with 10–13 narrow vertical brownish bars, cheek with a white ocellus surrounded by black, and with a small black spot in the middle. The new species is compared with other species of the genus; a key to the six known species of the eastern Atlantic, Mediterranean and Black Sea and South African genus Diplecogaster is presented. A checklist is provided for the species of Diplecogaster and their synonyms.

Keywords: Fishes, clingfishes, taxonomy, morphology, identification key, facultative cleaner

Fricke, R., Wirtz, P. & Brito, A. 2015. Diplecogaster tonstricula, A New Species of Cleaning Clingfish (Teleostei: Gobiesocidae) from the Canary Islands and Senegal, eastern Atlantic Ocean, with a review of the Diplecogaster-ctenocrypta species-group.
Journal of Natural History.  DOI: 10.1080/00222933.2015.1079659

ResearchGate.net/publication/281864936_Diplecogaster_tonstricula_a_new_species_of_cleaning_clingfish_(Teleostei_Gobiesocidae)_from_the_Canary_Islands_and_Senegal_eastern_Atlantic_Ocean_with_a_review_of_the_Diplecogaster-ctenocrypta_species-group

[Herpetology • 2015] Chelonoidis donfaustoi • Description of a New Galapagos Giant Tortoise Species (Testudines: Testudinidae) from Cerro Fatal on Santa Cruz Island

Chelonoidis donfaustoi  Poulakakis, Edwards & Caccone, 2015

DOI:  10.1371/journal.pone.0138779

Abstract

The taxonomy of giant Galapagos tortoises (Chelonoidis spp.) is currently based primarily on morphological characters and island of origin. Over the last decade, compelling genetic evidence has accumulated for multiple independent evolutionary lineages, spurring the need for taxonomic revision. On the island of Santa Cruz there is currently a single named species, C. porteri. Recent genetic and morphological studies have shown that, within this taxon, there are two evolutionarily and spatially distinct lineages on the western and eastern sectors of the island, known as the Reserva and Cerro Fatal populations, respectively. Analyses of DNA from natural populations and museum specimens, including the type specimen for C. porteri, confirm the genetic distinctiveness of these two lineages and support elevation of the Cerro Fatal tortoises to the rank of species. In this paper, we identify DNA characters that define this new species, and infer evolutionary relationships relative to other species of Galapagos tortoises.

Chelonoidis donfaustoi  Poulakakis, Edwards & Caccone, 2015

Eastern Santa Cruz Tortoise 

photo: Gisella Caccone || PopSci.com

SYSTEMATICS

Class REPTLIA Laurenti, 1768

Order TESTUDINES Linnaeus, 1758

Family TESTUDINIDAE Batsch, 1788

Genus Chelonoidis Fitzinger, 1835

Chelonoidis donfaustoi sp. nov. Poulakakis, Edwards, and Caccone

urn:lsid:zoobank.org:act:333D161C-2BA0-43D3-B84E-B0FBC859787D

Common name: Eastern Santa Cruz Tortoise. To distinguish the two extant lineages now recognized on Santa Cruz Island, we also propose to substitute for the current common name Chelonoidis porteri from “Santa Cruz tortoise,” which inappropriately subsumes both lineages, to the “Western Santa Cruz tortoise” to more clearly distinguish these two, distinct taxa.

Fig 6. A-E.: The skull of the museum specimen UWZS 32700, holotype for Chelonoidis sp. nov. from Cerro Fatal in Santa Cruz (A: dorsal, B: ventral, C: occipital, D: frontal and E: lateral view).

DOI:  10.1371/journal.pone.0138779

Holotype: Below we provide the morphological description of the skull from the designated C. donfaustoi holotype. This morphological description is not intended to diagnose the new species, but to clearly describe the specimen. Anatomical terms follow Gaffney (1979). Specimen UWZS 32700 is a skull (Fig 6A–6E) and single carapace marginal scute. The skull is nearly equal in basicranial length and maximum width (Table 5). The quadratojugal broadly contacts the jugal anteriorly and narrowly contacts the postorbital dorsally. Anterior edge of maxilla is rough. Posterior edge of maxilla does not extend past the contact of maxilla to jugal. In lateral view (Fig 6E) the squamosal is only narrowly visible dorsal to the quadrate and is not visible posterior to the quadrate. Dorsally the squamosal only narrowly contacts the opisthotic (Fig 6A). Contact of the pre-frontals to the frontals is broad and V-shaped, with the pre-frontal extending posteriorly forming the majority of the medial margin of the eye socket. The parietal extends nearly as far dorsally as the pre-frontal extends posteriorly and bisects the frontals. Maxilla contact with pre-frontal extends dorsally and is visible when the skull is viewed dorsally. Preootic is wider than long and does not extend posteriorly much beyond the foramen stepedio-temporale. Supraoccipital extends posteriorly well beyond the squamosal. Contact between basisphenoid and basioccipital is V-shaped with the lateral contact extending posteriorly. Vomer does not contact basisphenoid. Palatine bone much longer than wide. Prefrontal visible ventrally making contact with the palatine and vomer.

Diagnosis: The new species can be diagnosed by a combination of genetic, morphological, and geographic distribution evidence.

Genetic characters: This species can be distinguished from all other Galapagos tortoise species by allele frequency differences at 12 microsatellite loci, which allow assignment of Cerro Fatal tortoises to their own genetically distinct cluster. This cluster is as genetically divergent from the other named species as the genetic clusters grouping them. Furthermore, a set of polymorphisms in the mitochondrial control region sequence (haplotypes) is unique to the Cerro Fatal taxon (Fig 3). In particular, all individuals from Cerro Fatal share a set of nucleotides that separates them from the C. porteri (Reserva) species on the same island and from C. chathamensis (San Cristóbal), the sister taxon to the Cerro Fatal tortoises.

Morphological characters: Although there are no diagnostic morphological characters that uniquely define the new species, linear and geometric morphometric analyses reveal consistent differences in mean shell size and shape between tortoises from Reserva and Cerro Fatal. Tortoises from Reserva are larger in size and have a relatively larger carapace with higher anterior opening than the Cerro Fatal tortoises.

Don Fausto with Chelonoidis donfaustoi

 Ranger Fausto Llerena Sánchez  “Don Fausto” poses with a tortoise representing the species that was named in his honor.

photo: Washington Tapia || DOI:  10.1371/journal.pone.0138779 || PopSci.com 

Distribution: The new species is only found on the eastern side of Santa Cruz Island occupying an area currently estimated at about 40 km2 (Fig 1).

Etymology: The new species is named in honor of Fausto Llerena Sánchez who devoted 43 years of service (1971–2014) to giant tortoise conservation as a park ranger within the Galapagos National Park Directorate. “Don Fausto” was the primary caretaker of endangered tortoises in captivity, one of the first to explore tortoise habitat throughout the archipelago, and was well known for his work ethic, commitment to tortoise conservation, and collegiality. Several tortoise lineages in Galapagos remain extant in large part due to Don Fausto’s dedication, ingenuity, and patience.

Conclusion

Genetic and morphological data confirm the existence of two tortoise species on Santa Cruz Island. We describe the tortoises from Cerro Fatal as a new species, C. donfaustoi. The recognition of C. donfaustoi as a new species has important conservation implications for both taxa. The revised taxonomy reduces the range of C. porteri, with a population of several thousand individuals, to occupying only the western and southwestern parts of Santa Cruz Island. It also confines C. donfaustoi to the eastern part of Santa Cruz Island, with a much smaller population size estimated currently at ca. 250 individuals.

From a conservation standpoint, recognition of this new species will help promote efforts to protect and restore it, given that its low abundance, small geographic range, and reduced genetic diversity make it vulnerable. In particular, further investigation is needed to better determine C. donfaustoi’s population size and structure, range, movement patterns, location of nesting zones, and habitat requirements, as well as ongoing threats and effective ways to mitigate them. In an age of increasing human occupation of much of the higher elevations on Santa Cruz Island, maintaining the two species’ biological isolation is critical. Of particular importance is ensuring that no human-mediated transport of tortoises occurs between the two sides of Santa Cruz Island given that the two species’ ranges are now linked via a single agricultural zone.

Nikos Poulakakis, Danielle L. Edwards , Ylenia Chiari, Ryan C. Garrick, Michael A. Russello, Edgar Benavides, Gregory J. Watkins-Colwell, Scott Glaberman, Washington Tapia, James P. Gibbs, Linda J. Cayot and Adalgisa Caccone. 2015. Description of a New Galapagos Giant Tortoise Species (Chelonoidis; Testudines: Testudinidae) from Cerro Fatal on Santa Cruz Island.  DOI:  10.1371/journal.pone.0138779

Discovered: A Brand-New Species of Giant Galapagos Tortoise http://pops.ci/PuJDrV via @PopSci

Eastern Santa Cruz Tortoise: New Subspecies of Galapagos Giant Tortoise Discovered | Sci-News.com/biology/science-eastern-santa-cruz-tortoise-chelonoidis-nigra-donfaustoi-03362.html

[Crustacea • 2015] Arachnothelphusa merarapensis • A New Species of Tree-Hole Dwelling Freshwater Crab of the Genus Arachnothelphusa Ng, 1991 (Decapoda: Brachyura: Gecarcinucidae) from northern Sarawak, Malaysia, Borneo

Arachnothelphusa merarapensis  Grinang, Min & Ng, 2015

Fig. 3. The colour in life of Arachnothelphusa merarapensis, new species,
holotype male (22.5 × 16.8 mm) (ZRC), A, dorsal view; B, frontal view.

Fig. 4. Illustration of Arachnothelphusa merarapensis, new species, holotype male, emerging at night from its filled-water tree-hole in primary dipterocarp forest,
Merarap Hot Spring, Lawas, Sarawak.

LKCNHM.nus.edu.sg

Abstract

A new species of tree-hole gecarcinucid freshwater crab, Arachnothelphusa merarapensis, is described from a primary dipterocarp forest near Merarap Hot Spring Resort in Lawas, northern Sarawak, Malaysia. This brings the number of species in the genus Arachnothelphusa found in Borneo to five, and it is likely that more species will be discovered from this island. The new species has preference for living in water-filled tree-holes, which is the first record of a tree-hole crab for Southeast Asia. The habitat characteristics and distribution of this new species are also discussed.

Key words. Brachyura, Gecarcinucidae, Arachnothelphusa, tree-hole, Sarawak, Borneo

TAXONOMY

Family Gecarcinucidae Rathbun, 1904

Arachnothelphusa merarapensis, new species

Etymology. The species is named after Merarap, the type locality where it was collected.

 Habitat. The habitat of A. merarapensis is a steep primary dipterocarp forest with a closed canopy, near the thermal springs area of the Merarap Hot Spring Resort. The holotype male was caught from a water-filled tree-hole, ca. 22 cm deep, ca. 15 cm in diameter, and ca. 100 cm above ground (Fig. 4). The bottom layer of the tree-hole consists of finely decomposed organic material (plant and arthropod debris), with the other two-thirds filled with water which increases after heavy rain. The two other specimens were caught from the water-filled crevices of tree buttresses. One buttress-crevice had a diameter of about 26 cm, was 60 cm deep, and 90 cm above the ground, and contained tightly compacted roots and leaf litter, with a hole dug into this that was apparently constructed by the crab. The other buttress-crevice runs along the side of the buttress and is about 30 cm above ground, shallow (15 cm), horizontal, and 30 cm deep. For two consecutive nights, the first two authors examined more than 15 tree-holes and crevices of different form, size, and conditions (either water-filled, dry, or debris-filled tree-holes), but we were only able to locate three specimens. This species is nocturnal and highly sensitive to light. We did not find any burrows on the soil around the tree-holes, suggesting the crab is a tree-hole specialist.

Other true freshwater crabs from the Old World showing similar phytotelmic behaviour are Potamonautes raybouldi Cumberlidge & Vannini, 2004 (Potamonautidae) in Tanzania, East Africa; Globonautes macropus (Rathbun, 1898) (Potamonautidae) in Liberia, West Africa; Malagasya goodmani (Cumberlidge, Boyko & Harvey, 2002) (Potamonautidae) in Madagascar; and Perbrinckia scansor (Ng, 1995) (Gecarcinucidae) in Sri Lanka (Ng, 1995; Cumberlidge & Sachs, 1991; Bayliss, 2002; Cumberlidge et al., 2002, 2005; Cumberlidge & Vannini, 2004; Bahir et al., 2008). In Sarawak, the sesarmid crab Scandarma splendidum has been reported climbing forest trees at night in western Sarawak (Naruse & Ng, 2007), but it is not known to be a phytotelm crab.

Conservation status. Considering unique habitat and probable limited distribution, A. merarapensis will easily be threatened by human activities, especially logging. The type locality is not protected but the forest is currently safe because it is part of the Merarap Hot Spring Resort. However, the forest in the vicinity is part of a concession allocated to logging companies and the future of the species is therefore uncertain. As such, we recommend that A. merarapensis should at least be listed as “Vulnerable” in the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species (cf. Cumberlidge et al., 2009).

Jongkar Grinang, Pui Yong Min and Peter K. L. Ng. 2015. A New Species of Tree-Hole Dwelling Freshwater Crab of the Genus Arachnothelphusa Ng, 1991 (Crustacea: Decapoda: Brachyura: Gecarcinucidae) from northern Sarawak, Malaysia, Borneo.
RAFFLES BULLETIN OF ZOOLOGY. 63: 454–460

http://lkcnhm.nus.edu.sg/nus/images/data/raffles_bulletin_of_zoology/vol63/63rbz454-460.pdf

flickr.com/photos/rainforests/sets/72157617615402490/

[Crustacea • 2007] Scandarma splendidum • A New Species of Tree-Climbing Crab (Decapoda: Brachyura: Sesarmidae) from Sarawak, Malaysia, Borneo

Scandarma splendidum Naruse & Ng, 2007
Fig. 1. Live colouration of Scandarma splendidum, new species.

ABSTRACT

 The present study describes a second species of Scandarma (Sesarmidae), from Sarawak, Malaysia (Borneo). Scandarma splendidum, new species, is differentiated from the only congener, S. lintou, by the characters of the carapace, the cheliped, the ambulatory legs, male abdominal segment and male first gonopod. Scandarma splendidum can be also differentiated from S. lintou by its colouration and large body size.

KEY WORDS: Scandarma splendidum, new species, Sesarmidae, taxonomy, Borneo, tree-climbing crab.

TAXONOMY

SESARMIDAE Dana, 1851

Scandarma Schubart, Liu & Cuesta, 2003

novataxa.blogspot.com/2015/10/2003-scandarma.html

Scandarma splendidum, new species

Disribution. – Scandarma splendidum, new species, is known only from Bako National Park, Sarawak, Malaysia and nearby areas. Specimens have been observed by the second author at Camp Permai near the Park.

Etymology. – From the Latin ‘splendidus’ meaning brilliant or shining, alluding to beautiful coloration of the new species. The name is used as an adjective.

Naruse, T. and Ng, P. K. L. 2007. Scandarma splendidum, A New Species of Tree-Climbing Crab (Decapoda: Brachyura: Sesarmidae) from Sarawak, Malaysia, Borneo. 

The Raffles Bulletin of Zoology. 55(2): 337-341.

http://lkcnhm.nus.edu.sg/rbz/biblio/55/55rbz337-341.pdf

[Crustacea • 2003] Scandarma lintou • A New Genus and Species of Tree-Climbing Crab (Brachyura: Sesarmidae) from Taiwan with Notes on its Ecology and Larval Morphology

Scandarma lintou Schubart, Liu & Cuesta, 2003

ABSTRACT

A new genus and species of sesarmid crab, Scandarma lintou, is described from Taiwan. This crab has a semi-terrestrial habit: adults and juveniles thrive in wind-protected and vegetated habitats in close vicinity of fresh water and up to one kilometer from the sea. In southern Taiwan, this species was most commonly found hiding in leaf axils or climbing on the thorny leaves of the screw pine Pandanus odoratissimus Linnaeus. During the reproductive season (June to January), ovigerous females migrate to estuaries, where small and free-swimming pelagic larvae are released into the brackish waters and probably washed into the sea. Morphologically, this species is superficially similar to species of other semi-terrestrial sesarmid genera, but differs from these taxa by the shape of the anterolateral carapace region, by the markedly flattened fingers, by the presence of a row of tubercles on the dorsal border of the dactylus, a row of ventral spines on the pollex, and a granular ridge on the dorsal face of the palm. The first zoeal stage of the new genus shows two autapomorphies in the morphology of antennae and first maxillipeds. Otherwise, this stage presents the combination of features that are typical of sesarmid zoeae, i.e. absence of lateral carapace spines, a 2,3 setation of the maxillar endopod, a 2,2,3,3 setation on the basis of the first maxilliped, and a characteristic setation pattern of antennae and telson.

KEY WORDS: Sesarmidae, taxonomy, morphology, ecology, zoea larva

TAXONOMY

Scandarma, new genus

Type species. – Scandarma lintou, new species, by present designation.

Etymology. – The name is derived from the arbitrary combination of the Latin word “scandere” for climbing and the ending of the name “Sesarma”, alluding to the tree- and rock-climbing habit of the type species. The gender of the new genus is neuter.

Scandarma lintou, new species

Etymology. – The name “lintou” corresponds to the Chinese name for the screw pine Pandanus odoratissimus. In southwestern Taiwan and Green Island this plant constitutes the favourite habitat of this crab. The name is used as a noun in apposition

Ecology. – Scandarma lintou is a semi-terrestrial (adults terrestrial) crab, usually found less than 300 m away from the sea. Along the Kangkou River, the crabs were encountered in a distance of one kilometre from the sea. In southern Taiwan and Green Island, the presence of this species is always associated with three environmental factors: 1) the close proximity of a stream or freshwater pools, 2) protection from strong winds, and 3) the presence of the screw pine or pandang Pandanus odoratissimus (Pandanales: Pandanaceae). At these localities, Scandarma lintou was found hiding in the leaf axils of P. odoratissimus at daytime, while active on the leaf surfaces of the same plant or other nearby plants at night. In eastern Taiwan, however, where P. odoratissimus is not present, Scandarma lintou finds refuge under man-made concrete blocks on the forest floor or in crevices of vertical concrete walls. Also in this case, the habitat is close to fresh water and protected from strong winds. 

Scandarma lintou is a nocturnal and mostly arboreal animal. At night, it can be found climbing on leave surfaces, twigs, trunks, vines, grasses and sometimes also on the ground. It moves up trees as high as five metres. When climbing on trees, the crabs are constantly picking small food items from the surface of the plants with both of their chelae. Food items that were observed to be ingested included flowers, fruits, bark and some small invertebrates living on trees. Water availability seems to be the more important factor limiting the activity as compared to temperature: the crabs increased activity when rainfall dampened their habitat. 

Scandarma lintou has a seasonal breeding, taking place from June to January. Ovigerous crabs have small eggs which hatch out into pelagic, free-swimming larvae. As the hatching approaches, ovigerous females migrate to the estuaries and release larvae into brackish water. The timing of larval release does not seem to follow lunar or semilunar periodicity. Releasing behavior could be observed throughout the month during the breeding season. The timing of larval release also does not correlate with tidal peaks. Female Scandarma lintou most abundantly released larvae in the evening hours (between 1900 and 2000 hours). It was noticed that both sexes lose their appendages by autotomy easily during handling.

Schubart, C.D., H.-C. Liu, and J.A. Cuesta. 2003. A New Genus and Species of Tree-Climbing Crab (Crustacea: Brachyura: Sesarmidae) from Taiwan with notes on its Ecology and Larval Morphology. The Raffles Bulletin of Zoology. 51(1): 49-59.

http://www.biologie.uni-regensburg.de/Zoologie/Heinze/Staff/ChristophSchubart/pdf/Raffles51-2003.pdf

Yudai Okuyama. 2014. Repeated Visitation by a Sesarmid Crab to Male Inflorescences of Piper sp. Bull. Natl. Mus. Nat. Sci., Ser. B. 40(3); 119–123.   http://www.kahaku.go.jp/research/researcher/papers/30420.pdf

Taiwan Stamp 2010 [543] Taiwanese Crabs, Marine Life MNH 臺灣蟹類

To raise understanding about our coastal wildlife and to call for the public to pay more attention to marine ecology conservation, Chunghwa Post is following up with a third set of four stamps on Taiwan’s crabs, featuring Cardisoma carnifex, Scandarma lintou, Sesarmops intermedius, and Gecarcoidea lalandii. The designs follow:

1. Cardisoma carnifex (NT$5.00): This land crab has a reddish or grayish purple carapace, yellowish cream colored abdomen and claws, and orange walking legs. It has unequal-sized claws and long, slender, flat walking legs. It burrows in swamps near estuaries, under shrubs and in the walls of fish ponds in coastal areas.

2. Scandarma lintou (NT$5.00): The color of this sesarmid crab is similar to a dry fallen leaf. It has a smooth and square carapace that is slightly wider than long. The claws are almost equal in size. With its long and slender walking legs (the third pair of which is the longest), it is an excellent tree climber. Its name is derived from the Chinese for screw pine (lintou), which is where the crab was first discovered by Dr. Liu Hung-chang.

3. Sesarmops intermedius (NT$10.00): This sesarmid crab has an almost square-shaped carapace, and slightly unequal-sized claws. Its walking legs are flat with sharp terminal joints. It is bright red to dark red in color. Therefore, it is also called Christmas crab. Every year, from May to mid-summer, when the tide is high on the Hengchun Peninsula, droves of gravid females cross coastal roads for larval release at dusk in the sea.

4. Gecarcoidea lalandii (NT$25.00): This land crab has a dark purple to reddish purple carapace, a creamy yellow abdomen, and reddish purple claws and walking legs. Its carapace is transversely ovate, with scale-like wrinkles on the sides. Its claws are equal or slightly unequal in size and its walking legs are somewhat flat. It lives in burrows in coastlines that are rocky or near coral reefs.

http://www.luckystamps.com/China-Taiwan-Stamp-2010-Sp.543-Taiwanese-Crabs-Animals-Marine-Life-MNH.html

[Ornithology • 2015] Potential Merger of Ancient Lineages in A Passerine Bird discovered based on Evidence from Host-Specific Ectoparasites

Figure 1. Phylograms and sample distribution maps of Xanthomixis zosterops and its associated Myrsidea.
(A) ML phylogram of X. zosterops from 1979 bp of mtDNA (ND3, cyt-b, and ATP6), collapsed to unique haplotypes. Nodes labeled with cyt-b corrected and p-distance (in parentheses) divergences and with nodal support (MP/ML/PP, *=100/100/1.0). Map shows distribution of X. zosterops mtDNA clades, with pie charts showing proportion of each clade among samples from a given area. Numbers next to pie charts are sample sizes.
 (B) ML phylogram of all Myrsidea feather lice collected from X. zosterops, based on 379 bp of mtDNA (COI). Numbers at tips represent the X. zosterops clade from which the individual was collected. Nodes labeled with corrected and p-distance (in parentheses) divergences and with nodal support (MP/ML/PP, *=100/100/1.0). Map shows geographic distribution of Myrsidea samples.

 Internal pie charts represent proportion of Myrsidea collected from each of the four X. zosterops mtDNA clades. Numbers next to pie charts are sample sizes. || DOI:  10.1002/ece3.1639

Abstract

The merger of formerly isolated lineages is hypothesized to occur in vertebrates under certain conditions. However, despite many demonstrated instances of introgression between taxa in secondary contact, examples of lineage mergers are rare. Preliminary mtDNA sequencing of a Malagasy passerine, Xanthomixis zosterops (Passeriformes: Bernieridae), indicated a possible instance of merging lineages. We tested the hypothesis that X. zosterops lineages are merging by comparing mtDNA sequence and microsatellite data, as well as mtDNA sequence data from host-specific feather lice in the genus Myrsidea (Phthiraptera: Menoponidae). Xanthomixis zosterops comprises four deeply divergent, broadly sympatric, cryptic mtDNA clades that likely began diverging approximately 3.6 million years ago. Despite this level of divergence, the microsatellite data indicate that the X. zosterops mtDNA clades are virtually panmictic. Three major phylogroups of Myrsidea were found, supporting previous allopatry of the X. zosterops clades. In combination, the datasets from X. zosterops and its Myrsidea document a potential merger of previously allopatric lineages that likely date to the Pliocene. This represents the first report of sympatric apparent hybridization among more than two terrestrial vertebrate lineages. Further, the mtDNA phylogeographic pattern of X. zosterops, namely the syntopy of more than two deeply divergent cryptic clades, appears to be a novel scenario among vertebrates. We highlight the value of gathering multiple types of data in phylogeographic studies to contribute to the study of vertebrate speciation.

Keywords: Birds; despeciation; ectoparasites; Madagascar; microsatellites

Conclusion

In addition to contributing to the study of vertebrate speciation, particularly in birds, this work adds to limited data concerning avian phylogeography on Madagascar. The focus of most phylogeographic studies on Madagascar has been amphibians, reptiles, or mammals, with only four utilizing extensive population-level sampling in birds (Fuchs et al. 2007, 2013; Cruaud et al. 2011; Goodman et al. 2011). This study represents the densest and largest sampling yet presented for a Malagasy endemic bird and the first for a species within one of Madagascar's endemic avian radiations. Although bird communities show differences between lowland and montane forests, this differentiation between habitats has not been suggested to play a direct role in bird diversification on the island. Studies on other vertebrates have highlighted cryptic taxa geographically split by elevation in humid forests (e.g., Olson et al. 2004), but X. zosterops provides the first example of this biogeographic pattern in birds.

As well as being informative about avian biogeography in Madagascar, this study illustrates the importance of lowland humid forest to preserving extant biodiversity on the island. This has been highlighted in other vertebrate taxa, but it has been underemphasized in birds. Low-elevation forests in the central east and southeast have not received attention as a center of endemism in birds, but the X. zosterops results show their importance. Further phylogeographic studies on Malagasy birds may yet uncover similar patterns and unknown cryptic taxa.

Finally, we highlight the value of gathering multiple types of data in phylogeographic studies to contribute to the study of vertebrate speciation. In this instance, data from mtDNA, nuclear DNA, and ectoparasites were necessary to better understand the complicated evolutionary history of X. zosterops. We also emphasize the importance of sampling across a taxon's distribution to provide greater insight into the biodiversity of a region and to reveal unknown patterns of regional endemism. These aspects contribute to more accurate and comprehensive biogeographic theories and provide important details for developing conservation programs.

Nicholas L. Block, Steven M. Goodman, Shannon J. Hackett, John M. Bates and Marie J. Raherilalao. 2015. Potential Merger of Ancient Lineages in A Passerine Bird discovered based on Evidence from Host-Specific Ectoparasites.
Ecology and Evolution. 5(17); 3743–3755.
DOI:  10.1002/ece3.1639

Scientists discover bird in Madagascar that evolved in reverse http://news.mongabay.com/2015/10/scientists-discover-bird-in-madagascar-that-evolved-in-reverse/

[PaleoOrnithology • 2015] Hakawai melvillei • Wading A Lost Southern Connection: Miocene Fossils from New Zealand Reveal A New Lineage of Shorebirds (Charadriiformes) Linking Gondwanan Avifaunas

Hakawai melvillei

De Pietri, Scofield, Tennyson, Hand & Worthy, 2015  

  DOI: 10.1080/14772019.2015.1087064

Abstract

An endemic and previously unknown lineage of shorebirds (Charadriiformes: Scolopaci) is described from early Miocene (19–16 Ma) deposits of New Zealand. Hakawai melvillei gen. et sp. nov. represents the first pre-Quaternary record of the clade in New Zealand and offers the earliest evidence of Australasian breeding for any member of the Scolopaci. Hakawai melvillei was a representative of the clade that comprises the South American seedsnipes (Thinocoridae) and the Australian Plains-wanderer (Pedionomidae), and presumed derived features of its postcranial skeleton indicate a sister taxon relationship to Australian pedionomids. Our findings reinforce that terrestrial adaptations in seedsnipes and the Plains-wanderer are convergent as previously proposed, and support an ancestral wading ecology for the clade. Although vicariance events may have contributed to the split between pedionomids and H. melvillei, the proposed sister taxon relationship between these taxa indicates that the split of this lineage from thinocorids must have occurred independently from Australia and Zealandia's separation from the rest of Gondwana.

Keywords: Scolopaci, Pedionomidae, Miocene, fossil birds, St Bathans Fauna

Systematic palaeontology

Class Aves Linnaeus, 1758

Order Charadriiformes Huxley, 1867

Suborder Scolopaci Strauch, 1978 sensu Paton et al. (2003)

Family incertae sedis 

Genus Hakawai gen. nov. 

Type species. Hakawai melvillei sp. nov. 

Derivation of name. The generic name refers to an unseen and enigmatic ‘mystery bird’ in Maori mythology; gender is feminine. Although recent research shows that Maori from Rakiura (Stewart Island) considered the Coenocorypha snipe’s nocturnal aerial calls to be those of the Hakawai (Miskelly 1987), our choice alludes to a link between the mythical Hakawai and waders of the suborder Scolopaci. The specific name honours NZ-based ornithologist and ecologist David Melville, for his efforts in implementing conservation measures for shorebirds, locally and globally

Figure 4. Proposed Gondwanan diversification of the lineage from which the South American seedsnipes (Thinocoridae), the Australian Plains-wanderer (Pedionomidae) and the New Zealand (NZ) Hakawai melvillei gen. et sp. nov. originated. Continents are shown in their current position but the splits are likely to have taken place before 40 Ma (see main text). The possibility of trans-Tasman dispersal between Australia and NZ is indicated by a dotted arrow and a question mark. However, there is no evidence of a common ancestor of H. mellvillei and pedionomids in Australia, and Oligocene pedionomids already shared derived traits with Pedionomus torquatus (De Pietri et al. 2015) that are absent in H. melvillei. We propose instead that both lineages have common ancestry in East Gondwana before its final fragmentation, and became independently isolated following complete separation of NZ and Australia from the rest of Gondwana. Insets: A, phylogeny of Scolopaci (Gibson & Baker 2012), showing the proposed sister taxon relationship between H. melvillei and pedionomids; B, position of continents at 55 Ma (Lawver & Gahagan 2003). Bird images reproduced with permission of HBW Alive (Baker-Gabb 1996; Fjeldsa 1996).

Vanesa L. De Pietri, R. Paul Scofield, Alan J. D. Tennyson, Suzanne J. Hand and Trevor H. Worthy. 2015. Wading A Lost Southern Connection: Miocene Fossils from New Zealand Reveal A New Lineage of Shorebirds (Charadriiformes) Linking Gondwanan Avifaunas. Journal of Systematic Palaeontology.   DOI: 10.1080/14772019.2015.1087064

http://zoobank.org/urn:lsid:zoobank.org:pub:FD3E50A9-EE95-4660-880A-A60B0DE2CEF4

New Zealand fossils reveal new bird species http://phy.so/364109833 @physorg_com

A new species of shorebird, dating from a time when New Zealand was covered in subtropical forests and crocodiles roamed parts of the South Island, has been found near St Bathans in Central Otago.

http://newsroomplus.com/2015/10/15/discovery-1/

New species find in Central Otago http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/SC1510/S00042/new-species-find-in-central-otago.htm via  @scoopnz