[Mammalogy • 2026] Rhinolophus indorouxii • Resolving Taxonomic Ambiguity: A New cryptic Rufous Horseshoe Bat (Chiroptera: Rhinolophidae: Rhinolophus) from southern India

 

 Rhinolophus indorouxii  

Raman, Garg & Chattopadhyay, 2026

 

DOI: doi.org/10.1016/j.japb.2026.06.003

Abstract

Bats are the second largest group of mammals with high cryptic diversity. In this study, we describe the previously identified sibling species Rhinolophus indorouxii of the endemic rufous horseshoe bat Rhinolophus rouxii from Southern India. The species was discovered based on acoustic diversity and mitochondrial cytochrome b gene sequencing–based genetic distance metric and phylogenetic affinity. However, no detailed morphological description was available. We address this lacuna by presenting with a detailed morphological description along with acoustic and genetic (cytochrome oxidase I barcoding gene) data and identify species specific characters for future studies. This is an important step in recognizing the species diversity of Southern India, which is home to one of the global biodiversity hotspots.

Keywords: bat, taxonomy, systematics, Chiroptera, New species, Rhinolophidae, Western Ghats

 External appearance of Rhinolophus indorouxii sampled from Kerala part of southern Western Ghats. 
A—front view of the bat showing the noseleaf and ears, taken from Silent Valley National Park on 05 June 2018, B—dorsal view of the bat, taken Periyar Tiger Reserve on 12 July 2017,
C—lateral view of bat with brown coloration, taken from Kasargod Forest Division on 25 Nov 2018, D—bat having a combination of orange and brown coloration, taken from Ranipuram (Kasargod Forest Division) on 21 Feb 2018, E—bat with a combination of golden and orange coloration from Periyar Tiger Reserve on 12 July 2017, F—bat with dark-orange coloration from Periyar Tiger Reserve on 12 July 2017.

Images: Sreehari Raman. Not to scale.

The skull and mandible of Rhinolophus indorouxii, ♂ ZSI/WGRC/I.R.-V.4044 (holotype) from Dhoni reserve forest, Palakkad, Kerala, south India.
A—lateral views of the skull; B—lateral views of the mandible; C—dorsal view of the skull; D—occlusal view of skull; E—occlusal view of the mandible; F—frontal view of the mandible

Scale=10 mm.

 

Sreehari Raman, Kritika M. Garg and Balaji Chattopadhyay. 2026. Resolving Taxonomic Ambiguity: Description of A New cryptic Rufous Horseshoe Bat from Southern India Rhinolophus indorouxii sp. nov. Journal of Asia-Pacific Biodiversity. In Press, DOI: doi.org/10.1016/j.japb.2026.06.003 [24 July 2026]

[Botany • 2026] Primulina huichangensis (Gesneriaceae) • A New Species from Jiangxi Province, China

 Primulina huichangensis  G. L. Xu & L. B. Ji, 

in Xu, Wang, Ji, Zhou, Zeng, Yi, Gan et Xiong, 2026.

会昌报春苣苔  ||  DOI: doi.org/10.1016/j.japb.2026.05.014 

 

Abstract

Primulina huichangensis, a new species of Gesneriaceae from the Danxia landform of Huichang County, Jiangxi Province, China, is described and illustrated here. This species resembles Primulina longnanensis, P. jiulianshanensis, and P. wenii morphologically, but differs by its funnel-form corolla tube with a slightly swollen middle portion, the number of bracts and bracteoles, and the presence of glandular hairs on the peduncle, pedicel, both surfaces of petiole and leaf blades, and the abaxial surfaces of the bracts and calyxes. The conservation status of this new species should be assessed as data deficient based on the IUCN Red List Categories and Criteria.

Keywords: Danxia landform, Gesneriaceae, morphology, phylogeny, taxonomy

Primulina huichangensis sp. nov.
A, habitat; B, population; C, plants; D, inflorescence; E, adaxial surface of basal leaves; F, abaxial surface of basal leaves; G, front view of the corolla; H, lateral view of the corolla; I, abaxial surfaces of the calyx lobes; J, adaxial surfaces of the calyx lobes; K, abaxial surfaces of the bracts; L, adaxial surfaces of the bracts; M, opened corolla; N, stamen; O, lateral staminode; P, indumentum inside of the corolla; Q, pistil; R, stigma; S, transverse sections of the capsule; and T, immature capsule.

Primulina huichangensis G. L. Xu and L. B. Ji, sp. nov. 

Diagnosis. It resembles Primulina longnanensis. However, this species can be distinguished from the latter by funnel-form corolla tube, with the middle portion slightly swollen (vs. slender-tubular or curved-tubular, not swollen); lateral bracts entire, central bracts persistent (vs. with 1–3 teeth at apex, caducous); lateral staminodes glandular-puberulent (vs. glabrous).

Etymology: The species epithet "huichangensis" is derived from the type locality, Hanxianyan Scenic Spot, Junmenling Town, Huichang County, Jiangxi Province, China.

Vernacular name: 会昌报春苣苔 (Chinese name); Hùi Chāng Bào Chūn Jù Tái (Chinese pronunciation).

Guo-Liang Xu, Chui-Xiang Wang, Ling-Bo Ji, Xiao-Hui Zhou, Xiao-Hui Zeng, Pei-Qi Yi, Xin-Jun Gan and Chi Xiong. 2026. Primulina huichangensis (Gesneriaceae), A New Species from Jiangxi Province, China. Journal of Asia-Pacific Biodiversity. In Press. DOI: doi.org/10.1016/j.japb.2026.05.014 [18 July 2026]

[Entomology • 2026] Tipula jingkei • A New crane fly Species of Subgenus Pterelachisus (Diptera: Tipulidae) from North China

 

 Tipula (Pterelachisus) jingkei

Gao & Yang, 2026

 

荆轲普大蚊  |  DOI: doi.org/10.1016/j.japb.2026.06.006

Highlights: 

• A new crane fly species, Tipula (Pterelachisus) jingkei sp. nov., is described from Beijing, China.

• The species is diagnosed by a distinctive V-shaped white marking in the wing and unique male genitalia.

• Detailed descriptions and illustrations of male and female terminalia are provided.

• This study represents the first record of the subgenus Pterelachisus from Beijing.

ABSTRACT

A new species of crane fly, Tipula (Pterelachisus) jingkei sp. nov., is described from Beijing, China. The new species is distinguished from related species by the characteristic wing pattern and the structure of the male hypopygium, particularly the nearly truncate caudal margin of tergite 9 bearing two spinous median extensions and a small median spur. Illustrations and detailed morphological descriptions of the adult are provided. This species represents the first record of the subgenus Pterelachisus from Beijing and expands the known diversity of the group in northern China.

 

Keywords: Crane flies, Nematocera, Tipulinae, Taxonomy, Beijing

 Tipula (Pterelachisus) jingkei sp. nov.
 (A) thorax of the male, lateral view; (B) thorax of the male, dorsal view; (C) thorax of the female, dorsal view; (D) wing of the male; (E) habitus of the male adult, lateral view; (F) habitus of the female adult, lateral view; (G) thorax of the female, lateral view.

Order Diptera Linnaeus, 1758

Family Tipulidae Latreille, 1802

Subfamily Tipulinae Latreille, 1802

Genus Tipula Linnaeus, 1758

Subgenus Pterelachisus Rondani, 1842

 Tipula (Pterelachisus) jingkei sp. nov.

荆轲普大蚊

Diagnosis. Generally yellow to reddish brown with white pollen. Nasus distinct and cylindrical. Prescutum and presutural scutum reddish-brown pruinose with four brownish stripes. Wing generally yellowish brown, with a clearly defined white pattern. The main pattern includes V-shaped white markings centered on cell dm, near Rs and CuP. Hypopygium with sternite 8 without a tuft or group of sparse long setae.

Etymology. The species is named after Jing Ke, a famous assassin in Chinese history, whose hometown was located in northern China; the name is treated as a noun in apposition.

  

Yuetian Gao and Ding Yang. 2026. A New crane fly Species of Subgenus Pterelachisus (Diptera: Tipulidae) from North China. Journal of Asia-Pacific Biodiversity. In Press. DOI: doi.org/10.1016/j.japb.2026.06.006 [25 July 2026] 

[Entomology • 2026] Teulisna breveprocessa & T. nicobara • Two New Species and A New Species Record of Genus Teulisna Walker (Lepidoptera: Erebidae: Arctiinae) from India

[1-2]. Teulisna breveprocessa sp. nov., Devikulam, Kerala, India;
[3] T. ruma (Swinhoe. 1889), Nilgiri, Tamil Nadu, India; [4] T. basigera (Walker [1865]), Tamil Nadu, India (NZCZSI); [5] T. inducta (Walker 1864), Naduvattam, Tamil Nadu, India;
[6-8]. T. nicobara sp. nov., Great Nicobar Islands, Govind Nagar, India.

S. Singh, N. Singh & Joshi, 2026 

DOI: doi.org/10.1016/j.japb.2026.03.007

Abstract

Two new species of the genus Teulisna Walker, 1862 (Lepidoptera: Erebidae: Lithosiina) are described from India: T. (Cossa) breveprocessa sp. nov. (from the Western Ghats of Kerala) and T. (Tegulata) nicobara sp. nov. (from the Great Nicobar Island). The former is diagnosed with its close congeners in the subgenus Cossa Walker: T. (C.) ruma (Swinhoe, [1890] 1889), T. (C.) munnara Volynkin, 2023, T. (C.) basigera (Walker, [1865]) and T. (C.) inducta (Walker, [1865]), whereas the latter is diagnosed with T. (Tegulata) chiloides chiloides (Walker 1862). T. (Poikilothosia) sayinyingpo Huang, Volynkin & Černý, 2025, from Arunachal Pradesh, which is a new record to India.

Keywords: Kerala, Lithosiina, Nicobar Islands, NorthEast Himalaya, Tegulata, Western Ghats

Habitus of Teulisna spp.
1. Teulisna breveprocessa sp. nov., m# HT, Devikulam, Kerala, India (NZCZSI); 2. T. breveprocessa sp. nov., m# PT, Devikulam, Kerala, India (NZCZSI);
3. T. ruma (Swinhoe. 1889) m# Avalanchi, Nilgiri, Tamil Nadu, India (NZCZSI); 4. T. basigera (Walker [1865]) m# Pykara, Tamil Nadu, India (NZCZSI);
5. T. inducta (Walker 1864), m#, Naduvattam, Tamil Nadu, India (NZCZSI);
6. T. nicobara sp. nov., m# HT Great Nicobar Islands, Govind Nagar, India (NZCZSI); 7. T. nicobara sp. nov., m# PT Great Nicobar Islands, Govind Nagar, India (NZCZSI); 8. T. nicobara sp. nov., f# PT, Great Nicobar Islands, Govind Nagar, India (NZCZSI);
9. T. sayinyingpo Huang, Volynkin & Černý, 2025 m#, Sela, Arunachal Pradesh, India (NZCZSI); 10. T. sayinyingpo Huang, Volynkin & Černý, 2025 f#, Sela, Arunachal Pradesh, India (NZCZSI).

Teulisna (Cossa) breveprocessa sp. nov. (from the Western Ghats of Kerala) 

T. (Tegulata) nicobara sp. nov. (from the Great Nicobar Island).

Santosh Singh, Navneet Singh and Rahul Joshi. 2026. Two New Species and A New Species Record of Genus Teulisna Walker (Lepidoptera: Erebidae: Arctiinae) from India. Journal of Asia-Pacific Biodiversity. In Press. DOI: doi.org/10.1016/j.japb.2026.03.007 [20 April 2026]

[Entomology • 2025] Crematogaster epispina • A New twig-nesting Species of the Crematogaster quadriruga group (Hymenoptera: Formicidae) from Vietnam

Crematogaster epispina  Hosoishi, 

in Hosoishi & Pham, 2025. 

 DOI: doi.org/10.1016/j.japb.2025.08.003

 Abstract

A new species of the ant genus Crematogaster is described from the worker and queen castes. Crematogaster epispina sp. nov., belonging to the Crematogaster quadriruga group, is discovered in a dead twig on a tree in Vietnam. Crematogaster epispina sp. nov. is distinguished from other members by having the propodeal spines curving upward and propodeal spiracles touching the metapleural gland bulla. An updated key to the species of the C. quadriruga group is proposed.

Keywords: Asia, Cuc Phuong National Park, dead twig, Orthocrema, taxonomy

 Crematogaster epispina sp. nov.:
A–C, holotype worker (HW, 0.42; WL, 0.47) (KUECANT051); A, body in profile view; B, full-face view of head; C, body in dorsal view.
D–F, paratype dealate queen (HW, 0.76; WL, 1.58) (KUECANT054); D, body in profile view; E,full-face view of head; F, body in dorsal view.

<scale bar: 0.5 mm>

Crematogaster epispina Hosoishi, sp. nov.

Diagnosis of worker. Antennal scape reaching posterolateral corners of the head. Propodeal spines thick and up-curved. Propodeal spiracle large and attached to the metapleural gland bulla. Subpetiolar process weakly developed. Subpostpetiolar process undeveloped, but venter of the postpetiole convex. Integument essentially smooth and shiny.

Diagnosis of queen. Antennal scape not reaching posterolateral corners of the head. Subpetiolar process low, with a ventral angle. Dorsal surface of the head smooth and shiny. Clypeus smooth.

Etymology. The species name refers to the upwardly directed propodeal spine of the species.

 

Shingo Hosoishi and Thai Hong Pham. 2025. Description of A New twig-nesting Species of the Crematogaster quadriruga group (Hymenoptera: Formicidae) from Vietnam, with an updated key. Journal of Asia-Pacific Biodiversity. In Press, DOI: doi.org/10.1016/j.japb.2025.08.003 [27 September 2025]

 

[Mollusca • 2025] Clione japonica • A New cryptic Species of Clione (Gastropoda: Gymnosomata) in deep waters of the Japan Sea (East Sea) and shallow waters of the southern Okhotsk Sea

 

Clione japonica

Tomoyasu, Hiroshi & Jing, 2025

DOI: doi.org/10.1016/j.japb.2025.10.002

Abstract

We describe a new cryptic species of Clione from intermediate and deep waters of the Japan Sea (East Sea) and from shallow coastal waters of the southern Okhotsk Sea. Diagnosis is based on a suite of stable morphological traits—particularly laterally extended foot lobes and a broader central radular tooth—with c oxidase subunit I (COI) data providing supplementary support. Maximum likelihood analyses of the COI dataset resolved two sister clades: specimens from the Japan Sea (East Sea) occurred only in the clade that also contains the new species, whereas specimens from the southern Okhotsk Sea occurred in both. In contrast, Automatic Barcode Gap Discovery, applied to the same alignment, recovered a single molecular operational taxonomic unit (MOTU) consistent with shallow divergence and the lack of a clear barcode gap. As COI distances from C. okhotensis Yamazaki & Kuwahara, 2017, are modest, we rely primarily on morphology and reciprocal monophyly for species recognition, with COI data playing a supplementary role. We hypothesize that hydrographic structure and Late Quaternary isolation of the Japan Sea (East Sea) shaped this lineage, and that its occurrence in the Okhotsk Sea reflects transport by regional water masses. The new species highlights hidden diversity in pelagic pteropods and the role of semi-enclosed seas in fostering regional differentiation.

Keywords: Clione, COI gene, gymnosomata, Japan Sea (East Sea), taxonomy

  The new species Clione japonica sp. nov., holotype (SMRZ M20):
A, front view; B, dorsal view; C, right-side view; D, left-side view

<scale bars: 2 mm (A–D)>.

Family CLIONIDAE Rafinesque, 1815

Genus Clione Pallas, 1774

Clione japonica sp. nov.  

Diagnosis. Body with three ciliated rings (anterior, mid-body, tail region). No space between head tentacles and mouth. Lateral foot lobes ellipsoidal and extending outward. Visceral mass bright orange to red, occupying much of the anterior body (Figure 2, Figure 3B). Radula with broad central tooth and protruding lateral expansions (Figure 4, Figure 5).

Etymology. The species name japonica refers to the location of first discovery, the Japan Sea (East Sea).

Distribution. Known from deep waters of the Japan Sea (East Sea) (JSPW and JSIW) and shallow waters of the southern Okhotsk Sea.

 Yamazaki Tomoyasu, Shimada Hiroshi and Zhang Jing. 2025. A New cryptic Species of Clione (Gastropoda) in deep waters of the Japan Sea (East Sea) and shallow waters of the southern Okhotsk Sea. Journal of Asia-Pacific Biodiversity. In Press, DOI: doi.org/10.1016/j.japb.2025.10.002 [7 November 2025]