[Paleontology • 2025] Manouria morla • the Ancient One: An Early Miocene large Tortoise (Cryptodira: Testudinidae) from the Swamps of Ahníkov, Czechia

Manouria morla   

Chroust, Szczygielski & Luján, 2025

  

DOI: doi.org/10.1186/s13358-025-00400-6

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Digital painting by Rudolf Hima

Abstract

Tortoises (Testudinidae) are a clade of turtles highly specialized to terrestrial environments, mainly living in semi-arid conditions. Herein, we present Manouria morla sp. nov., a new species of the genus Manouria, which is considered to be the most basal extant testudinid genus. The studied material comes from the Ahníkov I fossil site, formerly known as Merkur or Merkur-North, located in the Most Basin in NW Bohemia (Czechia), dated to the Early Miocene (Burdigalian, MN 3). Manouria morla sp. nov. is the oldest member of the Manouria lineage, which nowadays inhabits SE Asia only, and therefore its biogeography and plausible European origin are discussed. The specific type of multiplication of plastral scutes in the inguinal region is discussed as a new morphological character diagnostic for the genus. Based on zoological studies, specific environmental requirements of the genus Manouria allow us to use this taxon as a proxy for the paleoclimate reconstruction of the Ahníkov I fossil site which suggests a broadleaf evergreen tropical wet forest. The simplified use of fossil testudinids as a proxy for reconstructing semi-arid palaeoclimate is therefore disproven.

Manouria morla sp. nov. (Ahníkov I, Early Miocene),
anterior part of the plastron in A internal view (photograph), B external view (photograph), C internal view, D external view, E left lateral view, F anterior (epiplastral) view, G right lateral view. Posterior part of the plastron in H internal view (photograph), I external view (photograph), J internal view, K external view

Hypothetical reconstruction of the shell of Manouria morla sp. nov. (Ahníkov I, Early Miocene).
A dorsal view of the carapace, B ventral view of the plastron, C dorsal view of the plastron. Preserved parts indicated in grey color

Systematic palaeontology

Testudinata Klein, 1760

Cryptodira Cope, 1868

Testudinoidea Fitzinger, 1826

Pan-Testudinidae Joyce et al., 2004

Testudinidae Gray, 1825

Genus Manouria Gray, 1854

Manouria morla sp. nov. 

Diagnosis: The genus Manouria can be diagnosed by the following autapomorphies: prominent visceral rims associated with the body wall attachment, developed close to the sutures between the peripherals and costals (also on the nuchal and the pygal); thin carapacial elements (costals/neurals); axillary buttresses long and thin and just barely in contact with costal bones; the visceral surface of costal 5 shows the attachment for the inguinal buttress; the sinusoidal shape of the posterior carapacial edge; the presence of the pygal notch; the presence of 12 marginal pairs; coincidence between the costo-peripheral suture and the pleuro-marginal sulcus; significant serration of the posterior peripherals; posterior sulcus of the fifth vertebral coinciding with the suprapygal-pygal suture; overlap of the plastral scutes into the dorsal surface of the anterior and posterior plastral lobes; lateral portion of the humero-pectoral sulcus perpendicular to the axial plane and anteriorly deflected; pectorals medially short; contact between the inguinal and femoral scutes is present; the presence of the multiplication of inguinal scutes.

Etymology. The species is named after Morla, a fantasy character from the book The Neverending Story (orig. Die unendliche Geschichte) written by Michael Ende (1929–1995), firstly published in 1979, later adapted as a movie in 1984. Morla, the Ancient One, is a giant tortoise who lives in the Swamps of Sadness. The new species described herein is the oldest known species of the genus from the Early Miocene of Czechia; therefore, the Ancient One. Its remains come from the swamp deposits of Ahníkov, a parallel to the Swamps of Sadness.

Life restoration of Manouria morla sp. nov.  

Digital painting by Rudolf Hima

 

Conclusion: 

We describe Manouria morla sp. nov., the oldest member of the extant genus Manouria, from the Ahníkov I (formerly known as Merkur or Merkur-North) fossil site from Czechia (MN 3, Early Miocene). To aid the description, Manouria morla sp. nov. was scored and included in a phylogenetic analysis. According to our results, it seems that the genus Manouria originated in Europe just before the MMCO and later spread to Asia, where it persists until now. In the end, the use of the genus Manouria as an environmental indicator is coherent with the knowledge of the swamp ecosystem of the Most Basin.

 

Milan Chroust, Tomasz Szczygielski and Àngel H. Luján. 2025. Manouria morla sp. nov., the Ancient One: an Early Miocene large tortoise from the Swamps of Ahníkov, Czechia. Swiss Journal of Palaeontology. 144, 63. DOI: doi.org/10.1186/s13358-025-00400-6 [03 October 2025]

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[Paleontology • 2025] Nanotyrannus and Tyrannosaurus coexisted at the close of the Cretaceous

Nanotyrannus   

in Zanno et Napoli, 2025.

 DOI: doi.org/10.1038/s41586-025-09801-6 

Artwork: Anthony Hutchings

Tyrannosaurus rex ranks among the most comprehensively studied extinct vertebrates1 and a model system for dinosaur paleobiology. As one of the last surviving non-avian dinosaurs, Tyrannosaurus is a crucial datum for assessing terrestrial biodiversity, ecosystem structure, and biogeographic exchange immediately preceding the end-Cretaceous mass extinction —one of Earth’s greatest biological catastrophes. Paleobiological studies of Tyrannosaurus, including ontogenetic niche partitioning, feeding, locomotor biomechanics, and life history have drawn upon an expanding skeletal sample comprising multiple hypothesized growth stages—and yet the Tyrannosaurus hypodigm remains controversial. A key outstanding question relates to specimens considered to exemplify immature Tyrannosaurus, which have been argued to represent the distinct taxon Nanotyrannus. Here, we describe an exceptionally well-preserved, near somatically mature tyrannosaur skeleton (NCSM 40000) from the Hell Creek Formation that shares autapomorphies with the holotype specimen of N. lancensis. We couple comparative anatomy, longitudinal growth models, observations on ontogenetic character invariance, and a novel phylogenetic dataset to test the validity of Nanotyrannus, demonstrating conclusively that this taxon is distinguishable from Tyrannosaurus, sits outside Tyrannosauridae, and unexpectedly contains two species—N. lancensis and N. lethaeus, sp. nov. Our results prompt a re-evaluation of dozens of existing hypotheses based on currently indefensible ontogenetic trajectories. Finally, we document at least two co-occurring, ecomorphologically distinct genera in the Maastrichtian of North America, demonstrating that tyrannosauroid alpha diversity was thriving within one million years of the end-Cretaceous extinction.

A pack of Nanotyrannus attacks a juvenile Tyrannosaurus rex.

Artwork: Anthony Hutchings

  Lindsay E. Zanno and James G. Napoli. 2025. Nanotyrannus and Tyrannosaurus coexisted at the close of the Cretaceous. Nature.  DOI: doi.org/10.1038/s41586-025-09801-6  [30 October 2025]

[Herpetology • 2025] Ablepharus flammeus • A New Species Himalayan Skink of the Genus Ablepharus (Scincidae) from Uttarakhand, northern India

Ablepharus flammeus 

Bragin, Decemson, Lalremsanga, Mirza & Poyarkov, 2025

Fire-bellied Ground Skink | Laiteldulsen ||  SALAMANDRA. 61(4); 

www.salamandra-journal.com/index.php

Abstract

Based on morphological and genetic evidence, we evaluated the taxonomic status of a deeply divergent highland population of Himalayan ablepharine skinks (genus Ablepharus Fitzinger in Lichtenstein, 1823) from Uttarakhand state in northern India. This lineage, here described as a new species, forms a well-supported clade of Ablepharus and differs from the morphologically similar species by a significant divergence in the 16S rRNA and cytochrome b mitochondrial DNA gene sequences. From the phylogenetic analysis of a 2,961 bp concatenated alignment of the ND2, cyt b, 16S, and 12S rRNA mitochondrial DNA genes and diagnostic morphological characters, we allocate the newly discovered population from Duggal Bittha village, Chopta region to the A. tragbulensis-A. ladacensis species complex (Clade 1 according to Bragin et al. 2024) and describe it as Ablepharus flammeus sp. n. Our discovery brings the number of Ablepharus species in India to seven and in the Himalayan region to eleven and emphasizes the incompleteness of knowledge on the herpetofaunal diversity of this highland region. In this study, we also compare known morphological data for ablepharine skinks from the Himalayan region and discuss the hidden cryptic diversity within this group of skinks. 

Key words. Sauria, Ablepharus, biodiversity, India, morphology, phylogenetics, taxonomy

Head scale nomenclature and their positional relationship and size illustrated in a schematic line drawing of the adult male holotype of Ablepharus flammeus sp. n. (ZSI-R-29457) (SVL  = 41.57 mm) from the type locality of Chopta, Uttarakhand, India: (A) left lateral view; (B) dorsal view; (C) ventral view. Terminology is modified from Ouboter (1986) and Grismer et al. (2019).

 AL – Anterior loreal; C – ciliary; Cs – chin shield; F – frontal; FN – frontonasal; FP – frontoparietal; IF – infralabial; IP – interparietal; LST – lower secondary temporal; LTT – lower tertiary temporal; LPT – lower pretemporal; LPSL – lower postsupralabial; M – mental; N – nasal; Nu – nuchal; P – parietal; PF – prefrontal; PL – posterior loreal; PM – postmental; PR – preocular; PRS – presubocular; PT – primary temporal; PSO – postsubocular; PO – postocular; R – rostral; SC – supraciliary scales; SL – supralabial; SO – supraocular; UPT – upper pretemporal; UPSL – lower postsupralabial; UST – upper secondary temporal; and UTT – upper tertiary temporal. Drawing by Andrey M. Bragin.

Holotype of Ablepharus flammeus sp. n. (ZSI-R-29457, male) in life.

 Photograph by Andrey M. Bragin.

. The appearance of type specimens of Ablepharus flammeus sp. n. from the type locality of Chopta, Uttarakhand, India in life:
(A) lateral view of the head of male (paratype, MZMU3660); (B) lateral view of the head of female (paratype, MZMU3656); (C) dorsolateral view of male (paratype, MZMU3660); (D) dorsolateral view of female (paratype, MZMU3656); (E) dorsolateral view of juvenile (paratype, MZMU3654). Scale bars: A, B = 2 mm; C–E = 15 mm. Photographs by Andrey M. Bragin.

Ablepharus flammeus sp. n.

Diagnosis: Ablepharus flammeus is a medium-sized, robust ablepharine skink with (1) snout–vent length (SVL) 41.6–50.6 mm; (2) head length (HL2) 7.7–9.1 mm; (3) tail length (TaL) 52.6–68.3 mm; (4) head, body, and caudal scales smooth; (5) supranasals absent; (6) nasal semi-divided; (7) the lower eyelid is movable, covered with small arranged granules and with large transparent window; (8) tympanum rounded, deeply sunk, with one (70%), two (20%) or three (10%) projecting lobules on the anterior border; (9) prefrontals two, separated by frontonasal and frontal or, rarely, prefrontals touch at one point; (10) frontal elongated, in contact with 1st and 2nd supraoculars laterally, ...

Etymology: The specific epithet of the new species “flammeus” is an adjective in nominative singular, in masculine gender, formed from the Latin words “flamma”, meaning “fire”. The name of the new species reflects the fiery coloration of the neck, belly, inner thighs, forearms, and the ventral part of the tail in males and juveniles, as well as the intense yellow coloration of these body parts in females. Notably, these small ectothermic lizards thrive at high altitudes exceeding 3,000 meters above sea level, with some individuals observed basking near the edges of snowfields. The name also symbolizes the ardent disposition of these lizards and their resilient struggle for survival. Furthermore, the species’ habitat lies near the Tungnath Temple – the highest mountain temple dedicated to the god Shiva – which also serves as the type locality for the species. Fire, as one of Shiva’s symbols, represents both destruction and the fight for life, reinforcing the essence of the species’ name. We propose “Fire-bellied Ground Skink” as the English common name, “Ognennobryukhii gologlaz” (“Огненнобрюхий гологлаз”) as the Russian common name, and “Laiteldulsen” as the Mizo common name for this species. 

Andrey M. Bragin, Ht. Decemson, Hmar Tlawmte Lalremsanga, Zeeshan A. Mirza and Nikolay A. Poyarkov. 2025. A New Species of Himalayan Skink of the Genus Ablepharus (Squamata: Scincidae). SALAMANDRA. 61(4); 373–394. [2025-10-30] 

https://www.salamandra-journal.com/index.php/contents/2025-vol-61/2201-bragin,-a-m-,-ht-decemson,-h-t-lalremsanga,-z-a-mirza-n-a-poyarkov

[Entomology • 2025] Agoo kizini & A. palmalopezi • Two New Species of the Palm-feeding Planthopper Genus Agoo (Hemiptera: Fulgoroidea: Derbidae) from southern Mexico

 

 Agoo kizini Pinedo-Escatel & Blanco-Rodríguez, 

in Palma-Cancino, Pinedo-Escatel, Blanco-Rodríguez, Bahder et Ortiz-Garcia, 2025.

 DOI: doi.org/10.11646/zootaxa.5706.2.8  

  Researchgate.net/publication/396371622

Two new species of the genus Agoo Bahder & Bartlett, A. kizini Pinedo-Escatel & Blanco-Rodríguez sp. nov. from the Yucatán Peninsula and A. palmalopezi Pinedo-Escatel & Blanco-Rodríguez sp. nov. from the state of Tabasco, Mexico are described and illustrated. Sequence data for the 18S rRNA and COX1 genes of A. kizini are provided and a distributional map of both species is also given. Specimens were found in association with palms, representing the first record of Agoo in Mexico.

Hemiptera, Derbinae, Cenchreini, Arecaceae, Yucatán, Peninsula Tabasco

Pablo José PALMA-CANCINO, J. Adilson PINEDO-ESCATEL, Edith BLANCO-RODRÍGUEZ, B. W. BAHDER and Carlos Fredy ORTIZ-GARCÍA. 2025. Two New Species of the Palm-feeding Planthopper Genus Agoo (Hemiptera: Fulgoroidea: Derbidae) from southern Mexico. Zootaxa. 5706(2); 279-291. DOI: doi.org/10.11646/zootaxa.5706.2.8 [2025-10-10]  Researchgate.net/publication/396371622

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 Researchgate.net/publication/396371622_Two_new_species_of_Agoo_from_southern_Mexico

[Entomology • 2021] Agrioglypta fulguralis • A New Species of the Genus Agrioglypta Meyrick (Lepidoptera: Crambidae) from Japan based on morphological characters and DNA barcoding

 

Agrioglypta itysalis (Walker, 1859)  A, ♂; B, ♀; 

Agrioglypta fulguralis Rosfiansyah, Yagi & Hirowatari sp. nov.,
C, holotype (♂); D, paratype (♀) 

in Rosfiansyah, Yagi, Tomura et Hirowatari. 2021. 

DOI: doi.org/10.1016/j.japb.2021.10.001

Abstract

Agrioglypta fulguralis Rosfiansyah, Yagi & Hirowatari sp. nov. (Crambidae) is described from the Ryukyus, Japan, based on morphological characteristics and DNA barcoding. Although this new species is similar to A. itysalis, it can be distinguished by the following characters: its smaller size, a lightning marking on the discoidal part of the hindwing, lack of a pair of scale tufts on male seventh abdominal segment, shorter uncus, wider tegumen, wider valva in the male genitalia, and fewer spines in the signum in the female genitalia. DNA barcoding also supports the distinction of this new species from A. itysalis found in China, Java, Papua New Guinea, and Australia. Images of the adults and male and female genitalia are provided herein.

 

Keywords: Agrioglypta fulguralis sp. nov., Agrioglypta itysalis, Genitalia, Ryukyus, Spilomelinae

Family Crambidae Latreille, 1810

Subfamily Spilomelinae Guenée, 1854

Genus Agrioglypta Meyrick, 1932

Agrioglypta itysalis (Walker, 1859)

[Japanese name: Yaeyama-ikarimon-nomeiga]

  Adult of Agrioglypta spp. from Japan:
A, A. itysalis (♂); B, A. itysalis (♀); 
C, A. fulguralis sp. nov., holotype (♂); D, A. fulguralis sp. nov., paratype (♀). 

<scale bar: 5mm (A-D)>.

Agrioglypta fulguralis Rosfiansyah, Yagi & Hirowatari sp. nov.

Etymology. The specific name derived from the latin fulgur (= lightning), which refers to two connected stripes on the median area of the hindwing.

 

 Rosfiansyah, Sadahisa Yagi, Shunsuke Tomura and Toshiya Hirowatari. 2021. A New Species of the Genus Agrioglypta Meyrick (Lepidoptera: Crambidae) from Japan based on morphological characters and DNA barcoding. Journal of Asia-Pacific Biodiversity. 14(1); 557-568. DOI: doi.org/10.1016/j.japb.2021.10.001 [1 December 2021]