[Paleontology • 2021] Nesting at Extreme Polar Latitudes by Non-avian Dinosaurs

Nanuqsaurus hoglundi with its young.

in Druckenmiller, Erickson, ... et Eberle, 2021. 

 DOI: 10.1016/j.cub.2021.05.041

Illustration: James Havens

 

Highlights

• Perinatal dinosaurs reported from the Late Cretaceous of northern Alaska

• A diverse assemblage of dinosaur species reproduced in the Arctic

• Large- and small-bodied taxa were nonmigratory year-round residents

• Paleoenvironmental constraints suggest polar-specific life history strategies

Summary

The unexpected discovery of non-avian dinosaurs from Arctic and Antarctic settings has generated considerable debate about whether they had the capacity to reproduce at high latitudes—especially the larger-bodied, hypothetically migratory taxa. Evidence for dinosaurian polar reproduction remains very rare, particularly for species that lived at the highest paleolatitudes (>75°). Here we report the discovery of perinatal and very young dinosaurs from the highest known paleolatitude for the clade—the Cretaceous Prince Creek Formation (PCF) of northern Alaska. These data demonstrate Arctic reproduction in a diverse assemblage of large- and small-bodied ornithischian and theropod species. In terms of overall diversity, 70% of the known dinosaurian families, as well as avialans (birds), in the PCF are represented by perinatal individuals, the highest percentage for any North American Cretaceous formation. These findings, coupled with prolonged incubation periods, small neonate sizes, and short reproductive windows suggest most, if not all, PCF dinosaurs were nonmigratory year-round Arctic residents. Notably, we reconstruct an annual chronology of reproductive events for the ornithischian dinosaurs using refined paleoenvironmental/plant phenology data and new insights into dinosaur incubation periods. Seasonal resource limitations due to extended periods of winter darkness and freezing temperatures placed severe constraints on dinosaurian reproduction, development, and maintenance, suggesting these taxa showed polar-specific life history strategies, including endothermy.

 

Keywords: Arctic, reproduction, Dinosauria, Alaska, Prince Creek Formation, Cretaceous, perinate, migration, incubation

the tyrannosaur Nanuqsaurus hoglundi with its young.

Illustration: James Havens

 Patrick S. Druckenmiller, Gregory M. Erickson, Donald Brinkman, Caleb M. Brown and Jaelyn J. Eberle. 2021. Nesting at Extreme Polar Latitudes by Non-avian Dinosaurs. Current Biology. In Press. DOI: 10.1016/j.cub.2021.05.041

Multiple dinosaur species not only lived in the Arctic, they also nested there

 eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2021-06/cp-mds061721.php

phys.org/news/2021-06-multiple-dinosaur-species-arctic.html

[Herpetology • 2021] Amphibians in Indochina • Recent Progress in Taxonomic Studies, Biogeographic Analysis, and Revised Checklist

in Poyarkov, Nguyen, Popov, ... et Orlov, 2021.  

DOI: 10.30906/1026-2296-2021-28-3A-1-110.

  Researchgate.net/publication/352708079 

 facebook.com/NickPoyarkov

Abstract

The Indochinese Peninsula is recognized as one of the key global biodiversity hotspots. The amphibian fauna of Indochina (including Vietnam, Laos, Cambodia and Thailand) is one of the richest in the world. About 60% of the known species were described within the last 20 years. We review the literature and our data to assess all recent discoveries and taxonomic changes and compile the first annotated checklist of the amphibian fauna of Indochina since the middle of the 20th century, including updated faunal lists for Vietnam and Thailand. Amphibian checklists for Laos and Cambodia are published for the first time. For each species we provide the following information: scientific name; recommended common name in English; information on type specimens; type locality; data on its distribution within Indochina and beyond; IUCN conservation status; taxonomic comment and the most important references. We review the distribution of each species across the 23 biogeographic subregions of Indochina, estimate the similarity among the regional faunas and evaluate their species richness and endemism. In total we record 423 amphibian species belonging to three orders, 11 families and 71 genera; 199 species (47%) are endemic to Indochina. Comprising 270 known species, the amphibian fauna of Vietnam is the richest (98 endemics, 36.3%), followed by Thailand with 194 species (29 endemics, 14.9%), Laos with 121 species (13 endemics, 10.7%), and Cambodia with 72 species (6 endemics, 8.3%). A cluster analysis of faunal similarity between the subregions shows two major assemblages, divided by the Isthmus of Kra. Within the northern mainland portion of Indochina three clusters can be distinguished: (1) northeastern and northwestern uplands of Vietnam and northern Laos; (2) Northern, Central, and Southern Annamites, the Bolaven Plateau, and central-south Vietnam lowlands; (3) western Indochinese subregions. We identify the Northeast and Northwest Uplands of Vietnam, the Northern, Central and Southern Annamites, the Cardamom Mountains, the mountains of Northeast Thailand, Northern Tenasserim and southern Peninsular Thailand as nine major centers of diversity and endemism of Indochinese amphibians. The analysis of amphibian distribution patterns across Indochina suggests the presence of 14 chorotypes grouped in five major range types. Our results underline the role of Indochina as a key area for amphibian diversity and conservation. Among 423 species of Indochinese amphibians, 152 species (35.9%) were considered as data deficient (DD) or were not evaluated (NE) according to the IUCN Red List criteria; while 76 species (18.0%) were considered vulnerable (VU), endangered (EN) or critically endangered (CR), 20 species (4.7%) were considered to be near threatened (NT), and 175 species (41.4%) to be of the least concern (LC). Our study thus has implications for further conservation efforts on regional and global levels, as well as for understanding the biogeographic patterns of amphibian richness and endemism in Asia.

Keywords: Vietnam; Thailand; Cambodia; Laos; Amphibia; biogeography; distribution; biodiversity; herpetofauna; Oriental realm

Fig. 5. Species diversity and endemism of the eleven families of Indochinese amphibians. The numbers in bold above the histogram bars indicate the number of species of the respective families recorded in Indochina. Colored bars correspond to the proportion of country endemics and Indochinese endemic species, grey bars indicate biogeographic affinities of the nonendemic fauna.

Thumbnail figures depicting Bombina microdeladigitora (Bombinatoridae), Duttaphrynus melanostictus (Bufonidae), Alcalus tasanae (Ceratobatrachidae), Quasipaa verrucospinosa (Dicroglossidae), Hyla annectans (Hylidae), Megophrys nasuta (Megophryidae), Glyphoglossus molossus (Microhylidae), Odorrana geminata (Ranidae), Rhacophorus rhodopus (Rhacophoridae), Tylototriton uyenoi (Salamandridae), and Ichthyophis nguyenorum (Ichthyophiidae) 

by N. A. Poyarkov and P. Pawangkhanant (not to scale).

The rise of an amphibian hotspot – accumulation of amphibian species known to occur in Indochina from 1864 until today. Note the long-term stagnation in Vietnam during the second half of the 20th century and the temporal overestimation of species numbers in Thailand and Vietnam in the beginning of the 21st century. Species numbers as depicted within the figure are based on the publications presented in Table 1 and on our original data (this work).

Fig. 2. Topography and the major geographic features of Indochina (Vietnam, Laos, Cambodia, and Thailand).

  

Fig. 3. Terrestrial ecoregions of Indochina. Ecoregion classification given following Olson et al. (2001).

Fig. 4. Biogeographic subregions of Indochina as defined in the present paper. Note several offshore islands in the Gulf of Siam, including Phu Quoc, which are included in the Cardamom Mts. (10), the Tam Dao Range in northern Vietnam, surrounded by the Northeast Lowlands (2) is a part of the Northeast Uplands (1).  

   

Nikolay A. Poyarkov, Tan Van Nguyen, Evgeniy S. Popov, Peter Geissler, Parinya Pawangkhanant, Thy Neang, Chatmongkon Suwannapoom and Nikolai L. Orlov. 2021. Recent Progress in Taxonomic Studies, Biogeographic Analysis, and Revised Checklist of Amphibians in Indochina. Russian Journal of Herpetology. 28(3A); 1–110. DOI: 10.30906/1026-2296-2021-28-3A-1-110. 

 Researchgate.net/publication/352708079_Recent_Progress_in_Taxonomic_Studies_Biogeographic_Analysis_and_Revised_Checklist_of_Amphibians_in_Indochina 

 facebook.com/NickPoyarkov/posts/10223032782602344

 facebook.com/HerpGuideParinya/posts/10224131458506026

สัตว์สะเทินน้ำสะเทินบกในภูมิภาคอินโดจีน: การศึกษาทางอนุกรมวิธาน ชีวภูมิศาสตร์ และบัญชีรายชื่อ

ประเทศไทย เวียดนาม ลาว กัมพูชา

[Herpetology • 2021] Gonyosoma coeruleum งูทางมะพร้าวเขียว • A New Species of Gonyosoma Wagler, 1828 (Serpentes, Colubridae), previously confused with G. prasinum (Blyth, 1854)

Gonyosoma coeruleum

Liu, Hou, Lwin, Wang & Rao, 2021

Blue-eyed Green Mountain Racer | งูทางมะพร้าวเขียว  || DOI: 10.3897/evolsyst.5.66574

Abstract

A new species of the genus Gonyosoma Wagler is described from Yunnan Province, China. The new species closely resembles G. prasinum (Blyth), but it is differentiated from the latter species by the following characters: precloacal plate divided, iris blue and inside of mouth greyish-white in life. Based on phylogenetic analyses of mitochondrial cytochrome b sequence data, the new species is recovered as the sister species to G. prasinum by Bayesian Inference and Maximum Likelihood analyses. The uncorrected pairwise distance between the new species and other species of the genus Gonyosoma ranged from 11.78% to 17.07% calculated using the mitochondrial cytochrome b sequence. This discovery increases the number of Gonyosoma species to seven.

Key Words: Htamanthi, morphology, phylogeny, systematics, taxonomy, Yunnan

Figure 5. The specimens of Gonyosoma coeruleum sp. nov. and G. prasinum in life. 

A the female paratype (KIZ20200729) of Gonyosoma coeruleum sp. nov. B the juvenile paratype (KIZ20200904) of Gonyosoma coeruleum sp. nov. 

C the specimen (SEABRI2019120043) of G. prasinum from Myanmar D the specimen (SEABRI2019120075) of G. prasinum from Myanmar.

Gonyosoma coeruleum sp. nov.

 

Diagnosis: Body size medium (SVL 656–833mm in adults); body slender, head elongated and distinct from neck; large eyes with round pupil; tail long (23–28% of total length) and slender; dorsal scales in 19-19-15 rows, 7–11 rows of mid-dorsal scales keeled; single preocular; two postoculars; one or two anterior temporals and two or three posterior temporals; 189–202 ventral scales; 89–106 paired subcaudals; precloacal plate divided. Dorsal surface bright green with brownish-yellow tip of tail, iris blue, inside of mouth greyish white; tongue brownish yellow with black tips.

Etymology: The specific epithet “coeruleum” is the neutral gender of the Latin adjective coeruleus (a, um) meaning “blue”, and is given in reference to the coloration of the iris of this species.

Figure 4. Comparisons of the colors of iris, the colors of inside of mouth, and the precloacal plates. 

A, C, and E the holotype (KIZ2019028) of Gonyosoma coeruleum sp. nov.

B, D, and F the specimen (SEABRI2019120043) of G. prasinum.

Distribution: Gonyosoma coeruleum sp. nov. is currently known from Xishuangbanna Autonomous Prefecture and Puer City, Yunnan Province, China (Fig. 6), it is probably also distributed in other parts of Yunnan Province and Sichuan, Guizhou, and Hainan Province, China, as well as Southern Myanmar, Thailand, Laos, and Vietnam.

Figure 7. A habitat at the type locality of Gonyosoma coeruleum sp. nov. B Gonyosoma coeruleum sp. nov. asleep on a tree at night.

   

Figure 2. Type series of Gonyosoma coeruleum sp. nov. in preservative. A dorsal view B ventral view.

 Shuo Liu, Mian Hou, Ye Htet Lwin, Qiaoyan Wang and Dingqi Rao. 2021. A New Species of Gonyosoma Wagler, 1828 (Serpentes, Colubridae), previously confused with G. prasinum (Blyth, 1854). Evolutionary Systematics. 5(1): 129-139. DOI: 10.3897/evolsyst.5.66574

   

[Botany • 2021] Sonerila konkanensis (Melastomataceae) • A New Species from South Goa, India

 

Sonerila konkanensis Resmi & Nampy 

in Resmi, Nampy & Akshatra, 2021. 

 DOI: 10.15553/c2021v761a14

Abstract

A new tuberous species of Sonerila Roxb. (Melastomataceae, Sonerileae) from Chandreshwar hills, South Goa is described in the course of a taxonomic revision of the genus in India. Sonerila konkanensis Resmi & Nampy is similar to Sonerila talbotii G.S. Giri & M.P. Nayar and Sonerila sreenarayaniana Sunil et al. but differs in several characters that are detailed in the morphological discussion presented herein. The status of the new taxon is assessed as “Vulnerable” according to IUCN Red List Categories and Criteria. We also provide explanatory images of living plants as well as SEM images of pollen grains and seeds and information concerning the habitat.

KEYWORDS: Melastomataceae, Sonerila, South India, Goa, new species

Sonerila konkanensis Resmi & Nampy

 

Sekarathil Resmi, Santhosh Nampy and Pracy Fernandes Akshatra. 2021. Sonerila konkanensis (Melastomataceae), A New Species from South Goa, India. Candollea. 76(1);  139-143. DOI: 10.15553/c2021v761a14

 navhindtimes.in/2021/06/05/magazines/zest/a-green-discovery

[Botany • 2020] Bulbophyllum nghiasonii • A New Miniature Species of Bulbophyllum sect. Brachyantha (Orchidaceae) from northern Vietnam

Bulbophyllum nghiasonii  Vuong, Aver. & V.S.Dang

in Dang, Averyanov, Dang, Bui, ... et Truong, 2021.

  DOI: 10.11646/phytotaxa.505.2.10 

 facebook.com/BaVuong20199 

Abstract

The new species discovered in Thanh Hoa Province of northern Vietnam described here as a new species for science. It is similar to Bulbophyllum muscicola but differs in smaller habit, inflorescence shorter than leaves, shorter lateral sepals with unequally lobed blunt apex, and slender stelidia. The newly described species also can be compared with B. japonicum but it differs in the size and shape of leaves, tepals, and lip. Detailed morphological description, illustration, data on distribution, and phenology of the new species are presented.

Keywords: endemism, eastern Indochina, plant diversity, plant taxonomy, Thanh Hoa Province, Monocots

Bulbophyllum sect. Brachyantha Rchb.f. 

Bulbophyllum nghiasonii Vuong, Aver. & V.S.Dang, sp. nov. 

Etymology:—The species is named after Prof. Hoang Nghia Son, the director of the Institute of Tropical Biology (Vietnam Academy of Science and Technology), who established and supported VNM Herbarium as the significant center for studies of the plant taxonomy.

 

Minh Quan Dang, Leonid V. Averyanov, Van Son Dang,  Van Huong Bui, Roland Amsler, Tatiana Maisak and Ba Vuong Truong. 2021.  A New Miniature Species, Bulbophyllum nghiasonii, sect. Brachyantha (Orchidaceae) from northern Vietnam. Phytotaxa. 505(2); 235–239. DOI: 10.11646/phytotaxa.505.2.10

  facebook.com/BaVuong20199/posts/1779779015562357

[Botany • 2020] Ipomoea bonsai (Convolvulaceae) • A Magnificent New Species from the Caatinga Domain, Brazil

Ipomoea bonsai D. Santos & Alencar

in Santos, Alencar, Loiola & Buril, 2020. 

DOI: 10.1600/036364420X15935295449907 

 Researchgate.net/publication/344100353 

 facebook.com/ConvolvNetwork

Abstract

A new species of Ipomoea (Convolvulaceae), endemic to the Caatinga domain of northeastern Brazil, is described and illustrated. Ipomoea bonsai has often been misidentified as I. brasiliana or I. subincana in herbarium collections, probably due to the densely pubescent and brochidodromous leaves of all three species. The new species is a shrub, with unexpectedly robust stems and scandent branches. A diagnosis, with a complete morphological description, illustrations, taxonomic comments, conservation status, distribution map, and photographs are presented.

Keywords: Biodiversity; Serra das Almas; endemic species; taxonomy

Ipomoea bonsai D. Santos & Alencar.
A. I. bonsai population. B. Trunk at the base of the plant. C. Trailing stems. D. Bud. E. Calyx and bracteoles. F. Inflorescence. 

Photos by F. C. P. Costa and J. Alencar. 

Ipomoea bonsai D. Santos & Alencar.
 A. Habit. B. Branch. C. Sepals. D. Androecium. E. Gynoecium. F. Fruit. G. Seeds.

 Drawn from the holotype by R. Carvalho.

Ipomoea bonsai D. Santos & Alencar

Diego Santos, Juliana Alencar, Maria Iracema Bezerra Loiola and Maria Teresa Buril. 2020. Ipomoea bonsai (Convolvulaceae), A Magnificent New Species from the Caatinga Domain, Brazil.  Systematic Botany. 45(3); 652-657. DOI: 10.1600/036364420X15935295449907

  Researchgate.net/publication/344100353_Ipomoea_bonsai_a_New_Species_from_Caatinga_Brazil

 twitter.com/pablomurod/status/1302963416840183808

  twitter.com/convolv_network/status/1358046678725623813

 facebook.com/ConvolvNetwork/posts/102898858502950

     

  

[Herpetology • 2021] Euphlyctis kerala • Morphological Groupings within Euphlyctis (Anura: Dicroglossidae) and Description of A New Species from the Surroundings of Thattekad Bird Sanctuary, Kerala, India

 

Euphlyctis kerala

Dinesh, Channakeshavamurthy, Deepak, Ghosh & Deuti, 2021

DOI: 10.11646/zootaxa.4990.2.7 

 facebook.com/KaushikDeuti 

 

Abstract

The skittering frog genus Euphlyctis is known to have a distribution range from Arabian Peninsula to Bangladesh through India and Sri Lanka. Although species descriptions were initiated about two centuries ago in the genus with a small number of species described, taxonomic identities and genetic information for many species are still incomplete / inaccurate. Here, we report the systematic status of this group, discuss a series of taxonomic issues, and describe a new species. Based on morphological characters and colour patterns, and their reciprocal monophyly in the molecular tree, two morphological groups, ‘cyanophlyctis group’ and ‘hexadactylus group’ are established within the genus Euphlyctis. We discuss the genetic identity for E. cyanophlyctis, described 220 years ago from the Indian subcontinent, from the surroundings of its type locality. E. mudigere is proposed as a junior synonym of E. cyanophlyctis as it was described from populations here considered to originate from the general distribution area of the latter taxon, and without substantial genetic divergence from other populations here attributed to E. cyanophlyctis. The potential of resurrection of Euphlyctis seistanica due to distinct genetic population in Iran is discussed; this lineage appears to be genetically rather similar to E. kalasgramensis, and the species distinctness of these two lineages requires further study. The validity of E. kalasgramensis is also discussed in the context of the historically earlier nomina, Rana bengalensis and Rana leschenaultii due to distribution range overlaps. The prospects of establishing either Rana cyanophlictis variety fulvus or Rana cyanophlictis variety flavens from Sri Lanka are also mentioned. Based on a comparative account, we report the discovery of a new species of skittering frog Euphlyctis kerala sp. nov. which has a restricted distribution in the western coastal plains of India, south of the Palghat gap.

 Keywords: Coastal Plains, Euphlyctis, Morphological groups, Palghat gap, Skittering Frog, Synonyms, Western Ghats, Amphibia

 Euphlyctis kerala sp. nov.

K.P. Dinesh, B.H. Channakeshavamurthy, P. Deepak, Avrajjal Ghosh and Kaushik Deuti. 2021.  Morphological Groupings within Euphlyctis (Anura: Dicroglossidae) and Description of A New Species from the Surroundings of Thattekad Bird Sanctuary, Kerala, India. Zootaxa. 4990(2); 329–353. DOI: 10.11646/zootaxa.4990.2.7

  facebook.com/KaushikDeuti/posts/1659269484278104

[Herpetology • 2021] Metlapilcoatlus borealis • Molecular Phylogenetics and Morphometrics Reveal A New Endemic Jumping Pitviper (Serpentes: Viperidae: Crotalinae) from the Sierra Madre Oriental of Mexico

Metlapilcoatlus borealis

Tepos-Ramírez, Flores-Villela, Velasco, Lara, Rubio & Jadin, 2021

DOI: 10.1670/20-028 

 facebook.com/HerpMX 

Abstract

The jumping pitvipers of the genus Metlapilcoatlus are generally associated with montane environments and are widely distributed from central and southern Mexico to Panama. In this study, we analyzed the phylogenetic position and compared the morphology of a population from the Sierra Madre Oriental, within the Sierra Gorda Biosphere Reserve, to other species of jumping pitvipers. We implemented two mtDNA gene fragments (cyt b and ND4) of 50 specimens of the five Metlapilcoatlus species for phylogenetic reconstruction using Bayesian inference and maximum likelihood. We used a linear discriminant analysis and comparative statistics of external and hemipenial characters to assess the morphological differences among Metlapilcoatlus lineages. Our analyses support a strong genetic and morphological distinction of Metlapilcoatlus nummifer populations established to the north of the Trans-Mexican Volcanic Belt (Hidalgo, Northern Veracruz, and Querétaro) from other Metlapilcoatlus taxa. Based on this evidence we describe the populations from the north as a new species.

the holotype of Metlapilcoatlus borealis [MZFC-35381]
from the locality of San Juan de los Durán, in Jalpan de Serra, Querétaro. 

 

  Photographs by Óscar Flores-Villela (A) and Mauricio Tepos Ramírez (B and C).

Metlapilcoatlus borealis sp. nov. 

 

Etymology.— The specific epithet, borealis, references the northernmost distribution of this taxon with respect to the other taxa of Metlapilcoatlus.

Mauricio Tepos-Ramírez, Oscar Flores-Villela, Julián A. Velasco, Carlos Pedraza Lara, Oscar R. García Rubio and Robert C. Jadin. 2021. Molecular Phylogenetics and Morphometrics Reveal A New Endemic Jumping Pitviper (Serpentes: Viperidae: Metlapilcoatlus) from the Sierra Madre Oriental of Mexico. Journal of Herpetology. 55(2); 181-191. DOI: 10.1670/20-028

  facebook.com/HerpMX/posts/4176999782360613

[Entomology • 2021] Compsodactylus mendax • Compsodactylus Fuhrmann, 2012 (Coleoptera: Scarabaeidae: Melolonthinae): Distributional Notes and A New Species

Compsodactylus mendax Fuhrmann & Smith

DOI: 10.11646/zootaxa.4990.2.12

Abstract

A new species of Compsodactylus Fuhrmann, 2012 (Coleoptera: Scarabaeidae: Melolonthinae: Macrodactylini) is described from Peru. New provincial records for Compsodactylus argentinus (Moser, 1919) are detailed for Argentina: Córdoba and Misiones. A revised key to Compsodactylus species is presented.

Key words: Macrodactylini, Argentina, Peru, Neotropics, taxonomy

Compsodactylus mendax new species;
1−5, male holotype (dorsal, dorsolateral, lateral, dorsofrontal, label);
6−8, female allotype (dorsal, dorsolateral, lateral).

Scale = 1.0 mm.

Compsodactylus mendax Fuhrmann & Smith, new species

Diagnosis. Length greater than 8.0 mm; dorsal surface with metallic green reflections; antennae with 10 antennomers; clypeus elongate with expanded apex in males (Fig. 4); clypeus with short, spiny setae along apex and lateral edges in males; apex of protarsomere I 2 times wider than apex of protarsomere II in males; elytral striae distinctly punctate; male metatibial apex with an inner truncate, twisted process (Fig. 16); genitalia of females with gonostyle, and gonocoxite about 2.5 times longer than wide (Figs. 23−25).

Etymology. From the Latin mendax meaning liar, in reference to the elongate clypeus being reminiscent of Pinocchio’s nose. This name is a noun in apposition.

  Juares Fuhrmann and Andrew B. T. Smith. 2021. Compsodactylus Fuhrmann, 2012 (Coleoptera: Scarabaeidae: Melolonthinae): Distributional Notes and A New Species. Zootaxa. 4990(2); 387–393. DOI: 10.11646/zootaxa.4990.2.12