[Arachnida • 2025] Pinelema aurata, P. cavernalis, P. onganh, ... • Hidden in the Dark: Five New Species of Pinelema (Araneae: Telemidae) from Caves in northern Vietnam with Remarks on the Genus Diversity and Conservation

Pinelema spp. in life. 
[A-C] Pinelema onganh, new species;
[D-F] P. cavernalis, new species;
[G-H] P. aurata, new species; [I] P. huifengi, new species 

Ballarin, Nguyen & Eguchi, 2025

RAFFLES BULLETIN OF ZOOLOGY. 73: 

 Abstract 

 Five new cave-dwelling species of the genus Pinelema Wang & Li, 2012 from northern Vietnam are described based on both sexes: Pinelema onganh, new species; P. cavernalis, new species; P. huifengi, new species; and P. nagaoi, new species, from Cao Bang Province, and P. aurata, new species, from Dien Bien Province. Three of these species exhibit marked morphological adaptations to subterranean life, including the absence of eyes, depigmentation, and leg elongation. For each species, detailed images of their diagnostic characters are provided. When possible, barcode sequences of the new species are obtained and compared with published Pinelema sequences in a pairwise analysis to assess the interspecific genetic variation of the genus. The significance of Pinelema species diversity in the Southeast Asian karst regions is also briefly discussed, along with conservation challenges linked to their strict habitat requirements.

 Key words. COI barcode, conservation, diversity, Southeast Asia, subterranean environment

Pinelema spp. in life. 
A, P. onganh, new species, male holotype; B, ditto, adult female; C, ditto, juvenile;
 D, P. cavernalis, new species, male holotype; E, ditto, adult female; F, ditto, adult female with egg sac;
G, P. aurata, new species, adult female; H, ditto, adult female with egg sac; I, P. huifengi, new species, adult female.

Francesco Ballarin, Anh D. Nguyen and Katsuyuki Eguchi. 2025. Hidden in the Dark: Five New Species of Pinelema (Araneae: Telemidae) from Caves in northern Vietnam with remarks on the Genus diversity and conservation. RAFFLES BULLETIN OF ZOOLOGY. 73: 548–567. [17 October 2025]

[Arachnida • 2026] Trogloraptor tulishpun • A New northern Species of Trogloraptor (Araneae: Trogloraptoridae), Genetic Diversity and Natural History

 

 Trogloraptor tulishpun Jones & Binford,

in Jones, Watson, Hedin et Binford, 2026.

DOI: doi.org/10.11646/zootaxa.5828.1.5 

photos by M. Hedin

Abstract

We present a morphological description of a recently discovered species of spider in the family Trogloraptoridae from the Columbia River Gorge in northwestern Oregon. The family was previously monotypic (Trogloraptor marchingtoni) and only known from populations near the southwestern Oregon—northern California border. Trogloraptor tulishpun sp. nov. retains the key family synapomorphy, distinctive subsegmented raptorial tarsi, and an oblique membranous division of the basal segment of the anterior lateral spinnerets. Trogloraptor tulishpun is distinguished from T. marchingtoni by its color pattern, clypeal height, vulvar and palp structure. We have found T. tulishpun in four localities in the Columbia River Gorge, which show little mitochondrial sequence divergence from one another, but are highly genetically distinct from T. marchingtoni. Trogloraptor tulishpun is found in basalt features, including lava tubes and shallow talus caves, and has been observed to eat arachnids and moths, making them top predators in these environments.

Araneae, arachnophagy, caves, invertebrate conservation, mitochondrial divergence, subterranean biodiversity

Habitus of live Trogloraptor tulishpun from Herman Creek Talus Cave.
A male in captivity, B female in captivity,
C male in Herman Creek Talus Cave, D female in Herman Creek Talus Cave on sparse web,
 E male on non Trogloraptor web, F female in Herman Creek Talus Cave.

(all photos by M. Hedin)

Habitus of male Trogloraptor tulishpun (holotype, USNMENT02418340) from Herman Creek Talus Cave.
A, B dorsal views, C, E ventral views, D anterior view.

Trogloraptor tulishpun, Jones and Binford, sp. nov.  

Diagnosis. Trogloraptor tulishpun resembles T. marchingtoni (Griswold et al., 2012) by its similar carapace and abdominal shape and coloration, its subsegmented raptorial tarsi, and the partly sclerotized genital region (Figs 2, 3, 5, 7). It is clearly distinguished by its conspicuous scalloped patterning along the lateral and posterior edges of the carapace which is absent in T. marchingtoni. The abdominal patterning is different from the chevron pattern of T. marchingtoni, with oval-shaped spots down the center of the dorsal side that have a thin line of beige down the ...

Etymology. Tulishpun (pronounced too-lish-pun) is a word, simplified for ease of pronunciation, from the Sahaptin River dialect meaning “cave predator, owner of the domain”. The Sahaptin River dialect is from the Columbia River area, the type locality of this species, and the name was given to us by elders from the Columbia River Inter-Tribal Fish Commission. The specific epithet is to be treated as a noun in apposition.

 

MADELINE M. JONES, FINN WATSON, MARSHAL HEDIN and GRETA J. BINFORD. 2026. Beneath the Surface: A New northern Species of Trogloraptor (Araneae: Trogloraptoridae), Genetic Diversity and Natural History.  Zootaxa. 5828(1); 103-116. DOI: doi.org/10.11646/zootaxa.5828.1.5 [2026-06-08]

[Entomology • 2026] Dolichopoda balrogi • Delving too Deep: Morphological and Molecular Description of A New Cave-dwelling Dolichopoda (Orthoptera: Rhaphidophoridae) from Kastellorizo Island, Greece

 

  Dolichopoda balrogi  Kalaentzis & Alexiou, 

 A. Female individual. B. Male individual. C. Juvenile.

in Kalaentzis, Alexiou, Christopoulos, Minoudi, Koutsogiannopoulos, Kotselis et Triantafyllidis, 2026. 

DOI: doi.org/10.3897/jor.35.187943

Photos: K. Kalaentzis.

Abstract

A new species of cave cricket, Dolichopoda balrogi sp. nov., is described from the Greek island of Kastellorizo (Dodecanese, Levantine Sea). The species is documented from artificial subterranean habitats, as no accessible natural caves are known on the island. Detailed morphological analysis of both sexes reveals a unique combination of characters, including the structure of the male epiphallus, the shape of the tenth tergite, the presence of styli on the male subgenital plate, and the morphology of the female ovipositor, which clearly differentiate it from all known congeners. Comparative morphology indicates strong affinities with Anatolian species of Dolichopoda, particularly D. sbordonii and D. lycia, and no close relationship with the Aegean species complex occurring on islands of East Aegean and the adjacent Anatolian coast. These affinities are further supported by molecular phylogenetic analyses inferred from DNA barcoding. Both Bayesian inference and maximum likelihood analyses consistently recover the Kastellorizo lineage as a distinct and well-supported clade nested within the southwestern Anatolian lineage of the genus. The discovery of D. balrogi sp. nov. represents the first documented occurrence of an Anatolian lineage of Dolichopoda within European territory, underscoring the unique biogeographical character of Kastellorizo as a Greek territory with pronounced Anatolian biogeographical affinities. This finding emphasizes the importance of integrated morphological and molecular approaches in resolving species boundaries and evolutionary relationships and contributes to the growing evidence of underestimated biodiversity in the eastern Mediterranean region.

Keywords: Anatolia, artificial tunnel, DNA barcoding, endemic species, Megisti, molecular phylogeny, new species, subterranean fauna

Individuals of the newly discovered Dolichopoda balrogi sp. nov. in the artificial tunnel of Kastellorizo on 17 October 2025.
 A. Female individual. B. Male individual. C. Juvenile.

Photo credit: K. Kalaentzis.

Dolichopoda (Dolichopoda) balrogi Kalaentzis & Alexiou, sp. nov.

Diagnosis.— Because of the unarmed fore and middle femora, the new species described here belongs to the genus Dolichopoda. It is a member of subgenus Dolichopoda because of the absence of spines on all femora, the presence of spines on the fore tibia, and the non-bifurcated median process of the epiphallus. The new species is similar to D. sbordonii, a species endemic to the adjacent Anatolian coast. Both share a non-bilobate median process of epiphallus and the presence of styli at the subgenital plate of the male. The new species differs mainly in the shape of the median process of epiphallus (trapezoidal vs triangular) and the shape of the X tergite of the male (traces of lateral lobes vs lateral lobes). The female of D. sbordonii differs mainly by the shorter ovipositor with smaller number of denticles on the ventral valve. Dolichopoda lycia is a species also present on the adjacent coast. It shares with D. balrogi sp. nov. the shape of the tenth male tergite, with only inconspicuous lateral lobes and a similar ovipositor in females, with 15 denticles on the ventral valve. It differs in the bilobed median process of the epiphallus and the absence of styli.

 Konstantinos Kalaentzis, Sotiris Alexiou, Apostolos Christopoulos, Styliani Minoudi, David Koutsogiannopoulos, Christos Kotselis and Alexandros Triantafyllidis. 2026. Delving too Deep: Morphological and Molecular Description of the Cave-dwelling Dolichopoda balrogi sp. nov. (Orthoptera, Rhaphidophoridae) from Kastellorizo Island, Greece. Journal of Orthoptera Research. 35(2): 259-266. DOI: doi.org/10.3897/jor.35.187943 [27 May 2026]

[Ichthyology • 2026] Oreonectes weii • A New endemic Species (Cypriniformes: Nemacheilidae) within the Yangtze River Basin and its Monsoon-driven Evolutionary Diversification

Oreonectes weii

Luo, Ling, Cao, Zhou & Huang, 2026

 

魏氏岭鳅  ||  DOI: doi.org/10.3897/zse.102.186155 

Abstract

A new species Oreonectes weii sp. nov., is described that was collected from Shanggao County, Jiangxi Province, China, located at the upper reaches of the Yangtze River Delta. This naming honors the globally distinguished conservation biologist Fu-Wen Wei for his exceptional and pioneering contributions to biodiversity conservation and research. Morphologically, the new species can be distinguished from its congeners by a combination of meristic and morphological characters, including fin-ray counts, body coloration, eye normal, number of lateral-line pores, and gill-raker counts. Genetically, it forms a distinct lineage in the mitochondrial Cyt b-based phylogeny and exhibits a genetic distance of 6.3% from its sister species, O. polystigmus. We further estimated divergence time within the genus Oreonectes, which indicates an origin in the Late Oligocene (~27.06 Ma) and a most recent common ancestor at ~13.91 Ma. Our biogeographic analyses suggest that the Guijiang-Hejiang River Basin likely served as a source area for the genus’ dispersal into adjacent basins, and that the new species probably originated from a dispersal event of its ancestral population from the Pearl River Basin to the Yangtze River Basin during the Late Miocene (~6.78 Ma). Lineage-divergence dynamics indicate that cladogenesis began around 28 Ma, accelerated markedly at ~18 Ma, peaked at ~6 Ma, and subsequently showed a gradual decline. The current diversity pattern of Oreonectes may have been shaped primarily by dispersal mediated by enhanced precipitation under the East Asian monsoon climate, with subsequent erosion-induced geographical isolation likely promoting speciation and diversification within the genus.

Key Words: Biogeography, cryptic species, morphology, taxonomy, phylogeny, Yangtze River

Ecological photographs and habitats.
A, B. Oreonectes weii sp. nov.; C. O. guidongensis; D. O. polystigmus;
E. Outside the cave; F. Inside the cave.

Oreonectes weii sp. nov.

Diagnosis. Oreonectes weii sp. nov. can be distinguished from all other congeners by the following combination of characters: (1) coloration pattern present and irregular black spots scattered on the lateral body surface and caudal fin; (2) eyes normal; (3) well-developed posterior chamber of air-bladder; (4) cephalic lateral-line system with 4 + 10 infraorbital canal pores and six preoperculo-mandibular canal pores; (5) 9–10 branched pectoral-fin rays, length 16.0–24.3% SL; (6) tip of pelvic fin not reaching the anus; (7) caudal fin truncated, with 14 branched caudal-fin rays; (8) 10 inner gill rakers on the first gill arch; (9) tip of maxillary barbel not reaching the posterior margin of the operculum.

Etymology. The specific epithet “weii” is a genitive noun derived from the surname of Academician Fu-Wen Wei (魏辅文), an eminent conservation biologist. The name is given in honor of his outstanding contributions to the study and conservation of biodiversity in China. We suggest the English common name for this species is the “Wei’s Mountain Loach”, and its Chinese name is “Wèi Shì Lǐng Qiū” (魏氏岭鳅).

 Tao Luo, Wen-Qing Ling, Hai-Lin Cao, Jiang Zhou and Guang-Ping Huang. 2026. A New endemic Species Oreonectes weii sp. nov. (Cypriniformes, Nemacheilidae) within the Yangtze River Basin and its Monsoon-driven Evolutionary Diversification. Zoosystematics and Evolution. 102(3): 751-765. DOI: doi.org/10.3897/zse.102.186155 [14 May 2026]

[Invertebrate • 2025] Alloscopus sago & A. jantapasoae • Two New Species of the Genus Alloscopus Börner, 1906 (Collembola: Orchesellidae: Heteromurinae) from southern Thailand

Alloscopus sago Jantarit & Manee, sp. nov.  
   A. jantapasoae Jantarit, Nilsai & Manee, sp. nov.

in Jantarit, Manee, Nilsai, Mitpuangchon et Pimsai, 2025.

DOI: doi.org/10.3897/zookeys.1245.148100 

Abstract 

Two new species of Alloscopus Börner (Orchesellidae: Heteromurinae) are discovered and described from southern Thailand. The first species, Alloscopus sago Jantarit & Manee, sp. nov. was found in a sago palm forest (Metroxylon sagu Rottb.), a true sago palm species native to Southeast Asia and typically located in lowland freshwater swamps in Phatthalung Province. The second species, A. jantapasoae Jantarit, Nilsai & Manee, sp. nov. was sampled from a dark zone within a cave environment in Trang Province. Both species are characterized by the absence of eyes and mucronal spines, the presence of a PAO, two rows of smooth chaetae on the manubrium, and dental spines. However, they differ in several morphological features, including the number of macrochaetae on the ‘A’ series of the head, Th. II and Abd. IV; labial basis chaetotaxy; the presence of smooth chaetae on tibiotarsi; the number of chaetae on both the anterior and posterior ventral tube; and the number of the inter-teeth on the claw. The discovery of these two new species increases the total number of Alloscopus species recorded in Thailand to six species with a total of 17 recognized species globally. An updated key to the world species of Alloscopus is also provided.   

Key words: Cave, chaetotaxy, Entomobryoidea, sago palm, taxonomy

Alloscopus sago Jantarit & Manee, sp. nov.   

 A. jantapasoae Jantarit, Nilsai & Manee, sp. nov.

 Sopark Jantarit, Nongnapat Manee, Areeruk Nilsai, Natrada Mitpuangchon and Awatsaya Pimsai. 2025. Two New Species of the Genus Alloscopus Börner, 1906 (Collembola, Orchesellidae, Heteromurinae) from southern Thailand. ZooKeys. 1245: 357-381. DOI: doi.org/10.3897/zookeys.1245.148100 

 

 

[Crustacea • 2026] Stenasellus angiangensis • An updated Phylogeny of the Family Stenasellidae (Isopoda), with A New Species of Stenasellus from southern Vietnam

 

 Stenasellus angiangensis Marin, Palatov, Thinh, Douady & Malard,

in Marin, Palatov, Thinh, Deharveng, Konecny-Dupré, Douady et Malard, 2026. 

 DOI: doi.org/10.3897/subtbiol.55.185185 

Abstract

Our current understanding of the molecular systematics of Stenasellidae, a species-rich family of obligate groundwater isopods known from Africa, Asia, Europe and North-America, is based primarily on specimens of the genus Stenasellus Dollfus, 1897 collected in Europe. Here, we provide an updated phylogeny of the family comprising specimens of Stenasellus collected from multiple countries in Asia, including Iran, Turkmenistan, India, Cambodia, and Vietnam as well as specimens of Metastenasellus Magniez, 1979 collected in Africa. First, we used COI-based molecular species delimitation methods to delimit putative species within the family Stenasellidae. Second, we built a phylogeny of the Stenasellidae comprising 48 putative species, for which two mitochondrial and two nuclear genes were available. Third, we describe Stenasellus angiangensis sp. nov. from the hyporheic zone of streams located in mountainous islands of the Mekong River Delta, the first representative of the family Stenasellidae described from Vietnam. We show that the number of putative species delimited using various COI-based molecular species delimitation methods largely surpass the number of species described based on morphological criteria. The four-gene phylogeny reveals, for the first time, a robustly supported and broadly distributed Asian clade comprising Stenasellus species from Iran, India, Cambodia, and Vietnam, including Stenasellus angiangensis sp. nov. as the sister taxon to Stenasellus cambodianus Boutin & Magniez, 1985 from southern Cambodia. Our phylogeny strongly questions the monophyly of the genus Stenasellus, even though the latter cannot be definitively rejected due to difficulties in resolving the phylogenetic relationships among the clades identified within stenasellids.

Keywords: Asellota, Asia, Diversity, groundwater, Indochina, Peracarida, subterranean

Order Isopoda Latreille, 1816

Suborder Asellota Latreille, 1802

Family Stenasellidae Dudich, 1924

Genus Stenasellus Dollfus, 1897

Stenasellus angiangensis Marin, Palatov, Thinh, Douady & Malard, sp. nov.

The habitat (a) and general view (b–d) of Stenasellus angiangensis sp. nov. in the An Giang Province, Mekong Delta area in southern Vietnam. Specimens were collected using a hand net in the hyporheic zone and springs of mountainous streams.

 Ivan N. Marin, Dmitry M. Palatov, Nguyễn Văn Thinh, Louis Deharveng, Lara Konecny-Dupré, Christophe J. Douady and Florian Malard. 2026. An updated Phylogeny of the Family Stenasellidae (Crustacea, Isopoda), with A New Species of Stenasellus from southern Vietnam. Subterranean Biology. 55: 187-215.  DOI: doi.org/10.3897/subtbiol.55.185185 [15 Apr 2026]

[Crustacea • 2026] Caridina zhaoi • A New stygobiont atyid Shrimp (Decapoda: Caridea: Atyidae) from a limestone cave in Guizhou Province, China

 

Caridina zhaoi

Jiang, Zhou & Chen, 2026 

 DOI: doi.org/10.3897/zse.102.182296

Abstract

A new stygobiont species of freshwater shrimp, Caridina zhaoi sp. nov., from a karst cave in Guiyang, Guizhou Province, southwestern China, is described and illustrated. The new species is morphologically distinct from its epigean congeners by a suite of stygobiotic characters, including the degeneration of eyes and absence of body pigmentation. It can be further distinguished from other known Chinese cavernicolous Caridina species by the combination of a relatively long rostrum with a specific rostral formula, the length of the stylocerite, the proportions of various joints of the first and second pereiopods, and the armature of the dactylus of the third and fifth pereiopods. Molecular analysis based on the mitochondrial COI gene reveals a high genetic divergence (14.70%–23.47%) between the new species and other atyids, supporting its validity as a distinct species. This discovery brings the total number of stygobiont Caridina species in China to 10, highlighting the rich but underestimated subterranean biodiversity of the Guizhou karst region.

Key Words: COI, Crustacea, morphology, stygofauna, subterranean biodiversity, taxonomy

A. The entrance of Xiangshui Cave; B. Live specimen of Caridina zhaoi sp. nov..

Caridina zhaoi sp. nov.

 Xuankong Jiang, Jiajun Zhou and Huiming Chen. 2026. Caridina zhaoi sp. nov., A New stygobiont atyid Shrimp (Decapoda, Caridea, Atyidae) from a limestone cave in Guizhou Province, China. Zoosystematics and Evolution. 102(2): 601-609. DOI: doi.org/10.3897/zse.102.182296 [06 Apr 2026]

[PaleoMammalogy • 2026] The Japanese Archipelago sheltered Cave Lions, not Tigers, during the Late Pleistocene

 a Late Pleistocene cave lion Panthera spelaea overlooking Mount Fuji, Japan. 

in Sun, Peng, Tsutaya, Jiangzuo, ... et Luo, 2026. 

DOI: doi.org/10.1073/pnas.2523901123 

Artistic reconstruction by Velizar Simeonovski

 

Abstract

Lions and tigers, as dominant apex predators, likely became competitors when lions expanded from Africa into Eurasia approximately one million years ago (Ma), forming a lion–tiger transition belt from the Middle East through Central Asia to the Russian Far East. At the easternmost edge of this zone, the Japanese Archipelago has long been considered a Late Pleistocene tiger refugium, supported by large felid subfossils traditionally attributed to tigers (Panthera tigris), though their taxonomic identity remained unresolved. To clarify the origin, evolutionary history, and biogeography of Japan’s Pleistocene felids, we analyzed 26 ancient specimens previously assumed to be tigers. Using mitochondrial and nuclear genome hybridization capture and sequencing, paleoproteomics, Bayesian molecular dating, and radiocarbon dating, we found that all ancient Japanese “tiger” remains yielding molecular data were, unexpectedly, cave lions (Panthera spelaea). One specimen from Yamaguchi Prefecture, western Japan, was radiocarbon dated to 36,000-34,891 cal. BP. These cave lions likely dispersed to the Japanese Archipelago between ~72.7 and 37.5 thousand years ago (ka), when a land bridge connected northern Japan to the mainland during the Last Glacial Period. Our findings challenge the long-held view that tigers once took refuge in Japan, showing instead that cave lions were widespread in northeast Asia during this period and were the Panthera lineage that colonized Japan, reaching even its southwestern regions despite habitats previously thought to favor tigers.

Maps showing the possible distributions of lions and tigers in eastern Eurasia and Alaska during different Marine Isotope Stages (MIS) of the Late Pleistocene. ...

Artistic reconstruction of a Late Pleistocene cave lion overlooking Mount Fuji, Japan.

Artwork by Velizar Simeonovski

Significance: Lions and tigers were widespread apex predators during the Late Pleistocene and integral components of East Asian megafauna. Cave lions predominantly inhabited northern Eurasia, whereas tigers were distributed farther south. The boundary between their ranges extended across Eurasia and shifted with climatic fluctuations, such as glacial–interglacial oscillations. Our findings challenge the prevailing view that tigers once took refuge in Japan and that cave lion distribution was limited to the Russian Far East and northeast China. These findings provide evidence that lions, rather than tigers, colonized the Japanese Archipelago during the Late Pleistocene. This finding extends the known range of cave lions in East Asia and refines our understanding of how far south the lion–tiger transition belt shifted during this period.

 

Xin Sun, Lanhui Peng, Takumi Tsutaya, Qigao Jiangzuo, Yoshikazu Hasegawa, Yuxin Hou, Yu Han, Yan Zhuang, Nuno Filipe Gomes Martins, Jazmin Ramos Madrigal, Alberto J. Taurozzi, Meaghan Mackie, Gaudry Trochė, Jesper V. Olsen, Enrico Cappellini, Stephen J. O’Brien, M. Thomas P. Gilbert, Nobuyuki Yamaguchi, and Shu-Jin Luo. 2026. The Japanese Archipelago sheltered Cave Lions, not Tigers, during the Late Pleistocene. PNAS. 123(6); e2523901123. DOI: doi.org/10.1073/pnas.2523901123 [January 26, 2026]

[Ichthyology • 2026] Claea dafangensis (Cypriniformes: Nemacheilidae) • A New Cave-dwelling Fish from the upper Wujiang River, Guizhou Province, China

(A) Claea dafangensis Wang, Luo & Zhou, sp. nov. 

(F) Habitat of C. dafangensis sp. nov.

(B) C. dabryi (E) C. scet (Lei et al. 2025). 

in J.-J. Wang, Luo, M.-Y. Xiao, Xie, Y.-L. Wang, Deng, N. Xiao et Zhou, 2026.  

大方山鳅  ||  DOI: doi.org/10.3897/zse.102.172325

 Abstract

A new species of the genus Claea, Claea dafangensis sp. nov., is described from Yuchong Township, Dafang County, Guizhou Province, China. This species can be distinguished from its four congeners by a combination of the following characteristics: body pigmentation present; normal eyes with a diameter of 10.9–21.0% of head length (HL); processus dentiformis prominent, covering the lower jaw when the mouth is shut; 8–9 branched pectoral-fin rays; 16 branched caudal-fin rays; caudal-peduncle depth 6.1–8.7% of standard length (SL); interorbital width 23.6–39.0% HL; tip of maxillary barbel reaching the posterior margin of the eyes; outrostral barbel extending backward beyond the anterior nostrils; and anal-fin base length 4.0–5.5% SL. Mitochondrial Cyt b analysis further supports the distinctiveness of this population, revealing that it forms an independent phylogenetic lineage with a minimum genetic distance of 2.6% from C. wulongensis. The description of this new species suggests that Claea dabryi represents a species complex containing multiple distinct lineages, the diversity of which requires further evaluation.

Key Words: Mitochondrial, morphology, taxonomy, Wujiang basin

Holotype GZNU20241204001 (A–K) of Claea dafangensis sp. nov. in preservative.
 (A) Lateral view. (B) Dorsal view. (C) Ventral view. (D) Dorsal-fins view. (E) Anal-fins view. (F) Pectoral-fins view. (G) Pelvic-fins view. (H) Dorsal view of head. (I) Lateral view of head. (J) Ventral view of head. (K) Anterior chamber and posterior chamber. (Cephalic lateral line system highlighted as yellow dots)

Claea dafangensis Wang, Luo & Zhou, sp. nov.

Diagnosis. Comparative data between new species and all four known species within the genus Claea are provided in Table 3. Claea dafangensis sp. nov. can be distinguished from C. scet by the processus dentiformis prominent, covering lower jaw when mouth shut (vs.reduced, not covering lower jaw when mouth shut), body pigmentation present (vs. reduced), eyes normal, with diameter 10.9–21.0% of head length (HL) (vs. eyes reduced, 3.8–5.9% HL); from C. minibarba by tip of maxillary barbel reaching the posterior margin of eyes (vs. extending to the middle of eye), 8–9 branched pectoral-fin rays (vs. 10), and caudal-peduncle depth 6.1–8.7% SL (vs. 9.5–11.7%); from C. wulongensis by tip of maxillary barbel reaching the posterior margin of eye (vs. extending to ansterior margin of eye), 16 branched caudal-fin rays (vs. 18), and interorbital width 23.6–39.0% HL (vs. 38.5–43.1%); from C. dabryi (Fig. 6) by outrostral barbel backward extending beyond the anterior nostrils (vs. reaching or beyond to ansterior margin of eye), tip of maxillary barbel reaching the posterior margin of eye (vs. beyond the posterior margin of eye), and anal fin base length 4.0–5.5% SL (vs. 2.8–3.4%).

Lateral view of species in the genus Claea during life and the habitat of the new species.
(A) Claea dafangensis sp. nov. (B) C. dabryi (C) C. wulongensis (Chen et al. 2021). (D) C. minibarba (Zhang et al. 2024). (E) C. scet (Lei et al. 2025). (F) Habitat of Claea dafangensis sp. nov.

Etymology. The specific epithet “dafangensis” refers to the type locality of the new species, distributed in Dafang County. We propose the common English name “Dafang mountain loach” and the Chinese name “Dà Fānɡ Shān Qīu (大方山鳅).”

Jia-Jia Wang, Tao Luo, Ming-Yuan Xiao, Xin Xie, Yu-Ling Wang, Huai-Qing Deng, Ning Xiao and Jiang Zhou. 2026. Claea dafangensis (Cypriniformes, Nemacheilidae), A New Cave-dwelling Fish from the upper Wujiang River, Guizhou Province, China. Zoosystematics and Evolution. 102(2): 519-531.  DOI: doi.org/10.3897/zse.102.172325 [26 Mar 2026]

[Crustacea • 2026] Caridina tashanica • A New cave Shrimp Species (Decapoda: Atyidae) from Sulphidic Water in southwestern Iran

 Caridina tashanica sp. nov. (both ovigerous females)
from Tashan Cave, Khuzestan Province in southwestern Iran.

 Jugovic, Malek Hosseini & Zakšek,

in Jugovic, Malek Hosseini, Fatemi, Flot, Kuntner et Zakšek, 2026. 

DOI: doi.org/10.3897/subtbiol.55.184889

Abstract

A new cave species of atyid shrimp of the genus Caridina H. Milne Edwards, 1837 was discovered during a survey of a subterranean habitat in southwestern Iran (Khuzestan Province, Tashan Cave). This is the first record of a cave atyid shrimp in Iran and the first documented occurrence of a Caridina species inhabiting sulphidic groundwater. Phylogenetic analyses and genetic distances support the status of Caridina tashanica sp. nov. as a distinct species, closely related to C. shahrazadae. Morphologically, the new species is characterised by reduced eyes and pigmentation, and by an extremely elongated rostrum with numerous teeth. Males have specific, triangular endopodite of pleopod I, and a rod-like appendix masculina of pleopod II with numerous long setae. Ovigerous females lay relatively large, oval, white eggs, which clearly indicate a landlocked life cycle. This study contributes to the knowledge of atyid shrimps in the Middle East and to the subterranean biodiversity of the sulphidic Tashan Cave ecosystem in Iran.

Keywords: Atyids, groundwater, Middle East, subterranean, sulphidic, Tashan Cave

Photo of two cave shrimps Caridina tashanica sp. nov. (both ovigerous females) from Tashan Cave, Khuzestan Province in southwestern Iran.

Photo credit: YF and MJMH, photographed on 8 December 2018.

Caridina tashanica Jugovic, Malek Hosseini & Zakšek, sp. nov.

Diagnosis. Caridina tashanica sp. nov. is the only species of cave shrimp (depigmented and with strongly reduced eyes without pigmentation; Fig. 6) from Iran of the family Atyidae. It is characterised by an extremely long rostrum (Fig. 3) with numerous teeth (13–19+3–5/9–22), uropodal diaeresis with 7–10 spiniform setae and 4–6 pairs of dorsomarginal spiniform setae on the telson of which the distal pair is dorsomarginal-terminal. Propodus of pereiopod III and V bears only 7–14 and 9–18 spiniform setae, respectively, while dactylus of pereiopod V bears ...

 Jure Jugovic, Mohammad-Javad Malek Hosseini, Yaser Fatemi, Jean-François Flot, Matjaž Kuntner and Valerija Zakšek. 2026. Caridina tashanica sp. nov., A New cave Shrimp Species (Decapoda, Atyidae) from Sulphidic Water in southwestern Iran. Subterranean Biology. 55: 137-160. DOI: doi.org/10.3897/subtbiol.55.184889 [23 Mar 2026]

[Invertebrate • 2026] Quapawjapyx osage & Holjapyx nimiipuu • New Cave japygids (Diplura: Japygidae) from North America

Quapawjapyx osage Sendra gen. et sp. nov.

Holjapyx nimiipuu Sendra sp. nov.,

in Sendra, Jiménez-Valverde, Selfa et Cupello, 2026. 

DOI: doi.org/10.5852/ejt.2026.1043.3217 

Abstract

We studied a significant collection of Japygidae (Diplura) deposited in the Texas A&M University Insect Collection, sampled from several caves in North America, mostly in the early 21st century by a group of American speleologists. Among this biological material, a new genus and species, Quapawjapyx osage Sendra gen. et sp. nov., is described from four caves in Arkansas, and a new species, Holjapyx nimiipuu Sendra sp. nov., from five caves in Idaho; both are named in honor of native American tribes. Quapawjapyx osage can be distinguished from Indjapyx, Paurojapyx, and Parindjapyx – which share symmetrical cerci – by the combination of the shape and disposition of the glandular and sensory setae on the first urosternite, together with differences in cercal ornamentation. Holjapyx nimiipuu is characterized by the presence of two conspicuously large predental denticles on the right cercus. Both new taxa of cavernicolous japygids show slight cave-adaptation features, such as large body size, slight elongated appendages, and a small increase in the placoid sensilla of last antennomere. These two new taxa double the number of known cave-adapted japygids in North America, a seemingly low figure that is nonetheless comparable to other karst regions worldwide.

Keywords: Japygoidea, cave-adapted fauna, Nearctic region, taxonomy

Class Diplura Börner, 1904

Superfamily Japygoidea Ewing, 1942

Family Japygidae Haliday, 1864

Quapawjapyx osage Sendra gen. et sp. nov.
A. Paratype, ♂ (TAMU-ENTO X1831026). B, D–E. Paratype, ♂ (TAMU-ENTO X1832015). C. Holotype, ♀ (TAMU-ENTO X1831147).
A. Habitus. B. Last antennomere; placoid sensilla remarked by spotted line. C. Lacinia with interior laminae and mandible. D. Dorsal portion on third antennomere with pores. E. Metathoracic claws.

Genus Quapawjapyx Sendra gen. nov.

Etymology: The generic name is in honor of the Quapaw Nation of Native Americans, who thrived along the lowlands of the Arkansas river five hundred years ago. Today, they live alongside much later European settlersfrom other nations.

Quapawjapyx osage Sendra gen. et sp. nov.

Etymology: The specific epithet is in honor of the Osage Nation of Native Americans, who now reside in Osage County, Oklahoma. They arrived and thrived a few hundred years ago in the northern mountains of Arkansas.

Holjapyx nimiipuu Sendra sp. nov., holotype,  ♀ (TAMU-ENTO X1831140).
A. Habitus. B. Last antennomere. C. Distal portion of urite X including cerci. D. Left cercus. E. Right cercus; placoidsensilla remarked by dash line.

 Holjapyx nimiipuu Sendra sp. nov.

Etymology: ‘Nimiipuu’ (‘we, the people’) is the name by which the Nez Perce Native American tribe refers to themselves. They have thrived in  the Pacific Northwest of North-America for  more than ten   thousand years and today live primarily on their tribal reservation in Idaho. We dedicate this new species to the Nimiipuu people and to their enduring struggle for survival.

Alberto Sendra, Alberto Jiménez-Valverde, Jesús Selfa and Mario Cupello. 2026. New Cave japygids (Diplura: Japygidae) from North America. European Journal of Taxonomy. 1043(1); 166–198. DOI: doi.org/10.5852/ejt.2026.1043.3217 

 

[Ichthyology • 2026] Gitchak nakana • A miniature, subterranean, blind cobitid loach (Cypriniformes: Cobitidae) is the first groundwater-dwelling fish from Northeast India

Gitchak nakana

Britz, Marak, Velentina, Lokeshwor, Raghavan, Pinion & Rüber, 2026

DOI: doi.org/10.1038/s41598-026-40425-6  

  x.com/Meenkaran1

Abstract

Subterranean animals are commonly met with considerable fascination, by both laymen and biologists. While most of these animals have been reported from caves, some species have adapted to other underground habitats. One special subterranean aquatic habitat are aquifers, which are home to a number of invertebrates and fishes. Of the more than 300 known subterranean fishes, fewer than 10% have been recovered from aquifers and are encountered only rarely and serendipitously. Here we report the discovery of a tiny, blind loach of the family Cobitidae from a dug-out well in Assam, India, which exhibits a number of characters commonly associated with subterranean life, so-called troglomorphies. This loach, described here as Gitchak nakana, represents a new genus and species, differing from all other genera of cobitids by a number of unique characters. The most unusual among these is the complete lack of a skull roof with the brain covered dorsally only by skin. Gitchak nakana is the first aquifer-dwelling (phreatobitic) fish from Northeast India, and marks the first discovery of a previously unknown subterranean fauna in this part of Asia.

Gitchak nakana. (a) ZSI FF11123, holotype, 20.8 mm SL, in life, sides reversed, showing overall appearance, note presence of large eggs in body cavity and numerous fat globules (reflective spheres) along dorsal midline and postanal ventral midline. (b) same specimen, after preservation. (c) same specimen, µCT-image to illustrate presence of eight large eggs arranged in a longitudinal series. (d) same specimen, in life, actively swimming in the water column; note large yellow eggs and blood red liver. (e) KUFOS2025.F.11.51, non-type, 16.4 mm SL, in life, close-up of lateral head and body; note swimbladder visible through body wall. (f) KUFOS:2025.FT.11.6, paratype, 20.0 mm SL, frontal view of head to illustrate crown of barbels; note large-calibre red blood vessels supplying rostral (rb), maxillary (mxb) and mandibular (mdb) barbels and small-calibre vessels supplying nasal (nb) and tiny mental barbels (marked by arrow).

Taxonomy 

Gitchak, new genus 

Diagnosis. Gitchak is a member of the family Cobitidae as evidenced by (i) the modification of lateral ethmoid into a bifurcated subocular spine, which articulates with the orbitosphenoid, (ii) the reduction of the endopterygoid into a rod-like element, (iii) the absence of contact between orbitosphenoid and pterosphenoid and (iv) the outer arm of the os suspensorium completely surrounding anterior swimbladder chamber.

Etymology. The genus name is derived from the Garo word gitchak, meaning red, alluding to the striking red life colour of this loach. Treated here as a noun in the feminine gender.

Gitchak nakana, new species.

 

Etymology. The specific name is derived from the Garo words na·tok, fish, and kana, blind, referring to the absence of eyes in this species, a noun in apposition.

 

Ralf Britz, Wimarithy K. Marak, Kangjam Velentina, Yumnam Lokeshwor, Rajeev Raghavan, Amanda K. Pinion and Lukas Rüber. 2026. A miniature, subterranean, blind cobitid loach, Gitchak nakana, new genus and species, is the first groundwater-dwelling fish from Northeast India. Scientific Reports. 16: 7746. DOI: doi.org/10.1038/s41598-026-40425-6 [26 February 2026]

  x.com/Meenkaran1/status/2027384099984519338