[Orchidology • 2014] Paphiopedilum rungsuriyanum • A New Species of Paphiopedilum discovered in northern Laos

Paphiopedilum rungsuriyanum

O. GRUSS, N.RUNGRUANG, Y. CHAISURIYAKUL et I. DIONISIO

A new and very distinct species of the genus Paphiopedilum from north-Laos 

In the last few years, a large number of plants of the genus Paphiopedilum as well as other species, came from Laos on the market in Thailand. Frequently in the past few months, a number of very small size plants of the genus Paphiopedilum appeared as Paph. canhii in the trade. Niwat RUNGRUANG, a grower from Thailand also received a number of plants from these collections and when the plants came to bloom in May 2014, he was surprised because he realized that these Paphs were not Paph. canhii. Therefore Niwat RUNGRUANG sought contact with slipper orchid specialists in Thailand and Germany and asked for an analysis and identification of the plants, based on several Iowering plants and detailed picture material (in particular by Olaf Gruß in Germany). 

While the plants with their marbled leaves appear quite similar to Paph. canhii, the blossom at first glance clearly show much broader petals an intensive red-purple coloring, as well as an entirely different staminodium. Also the underside of the leaves differs significantly in the new species. While Paph. canhii is rather red- purple speckled, this new species shows a gray green bottom with wide purple veins.

the naming is in honor of Niwat RUNGRUANG in the 2rd part of his name, but also means rung = flowering period, success, prosperity and Suriya = growing, increasingly

Olaf Gruß, Niwat Rungruang, Yongyouth Chaisuriyakul and Ibn Dionisio. Paphiopedilum rungsuriyanum, a new species discovered in Northern-Laos. [Paphiopedilum rungsuriyanum, eine neue Art aus Nord-Laos]. OrchideenJournal. 

http://orchideen-journal.de/permalink/GRUSS_RUNGRUANG_CHAISURIYAKUL_DIONISIO_Paphiopedilum.pdf

[Herpetology • 2014] Oedura murrumanu | Limestone Range Velvet Gecko • A New Species of Velvet Gecko (Oedura: Diplodactylidae) from the Limestone Ranges of the southern Kimberley, Western Australia

  Limestone Range Velvet Gecko | Oedura murrumanu 

Oliver, Laver, Melville & Doughty, 2014

FIGURE 3. (A) Holotype of Oedura murrumanu sp. nov. (WAM R173368) in life, (B) close-up of head
and fringed fingers. Photographs—P. Horner. 

FIGURE 7. Deeply dissected limestone formations at type locality of
Oedura murrumanu sp. nov. in the Oscar Range. Photograph—P. Oliver.

Abstract

We describe a new species of large Oedura from the Oscar Range on the southern edge of the Kimberley Craton in north-western Australia. Oedura murrumanu sp. nov. can be distinguished from all congeners by the combination of large size (snout-vent length to 103 mm), moderately long and slightly swollen tail, tiny scales on the dorsum, fringe of laterally expanded lamellae on each digit, and 6–7 paired distal subdigital lamellae on the fourth toe. The new species is the first endemic vertebrate known from the limestone ranges of the southern Kimberley; however, this area remains poorly surveyed and further research (particularly wet season surveys and genetic analyses) is required to better characterise regional biodiversity values.

Keywords: Australian Monsoonal Tropics, endemism, lizard, mesic refigia, Oscar Range, saxacoline

Oedura murrumanu sp. nov.

Limestone Range Velvet Gecko

Etymology. ‘Murru manu’ (‘u’ pronouced as ‘oo’) is the word for gecko in the language of the Bunuba people of the south-west Kimberley. This new species is probably entirely restricted to the traditional lands of the Bunuba. 

Distribution. All museum and sight records are from around the type locality (Fig. 1). Further survey work is required to determine if it occurs elsewhere in the Oscar Range, however, there are no obvious barriers between the type locality and large areas of similar limestone to the east, west and north.

Ecology. The type series of O. murrumanu sp. nov. was collected towards the start of the ‘wet season’ (late October) following a brief rain shower. Individuals were observed on horizontal rock platforms and associated with deep horizontal crevices among smooth, weathered limestone (Fig. 7). Several were observed drinking water that had pooled on the rocks. The single adult female paratype (WAM R176699) contains well-developed eggs (approximately 10 mm in diameter and shelled), suggesting that at least some egg-laying occurs early in the wet season. Other geckos recorded at the same time and place were Gehyra cf. multiporosa, Heteronotia planiceps, and Nephrurus sheai.

At the same locality in the late wet season (late February, 2013) several individuals were observed in inaccessible spots on limestone pillars, and one further individual was observed on lower rocks as it appeared to be stalking smaller Gehyra species (G. Gaikhorst, pers. comm.).

Oliver, Paul M., Rebecca J. Laver, Jane Melville & Paul Doughty. 2014. A New Species of Velvet Gecko (Oedura: Diplodactylidae) from the Limestone Ranges of the southern Kimberley, Western Australia. Zootaxa. 3873(1): 49–61. DOI: 10.11646/zootaxa.3873.1.4

[Paleontology • 2014] Tachiraptor admirabilis • New Dinosaur (Theropoda, stem-Averostra) from the earliest Jurassic of the La Quinta Formation, Venezuelan Ande

Tachiraptor admirabilis, unearthed in Venezuela, attacking the herbivorous dinosaur Laquintasaura.

PaleoArt: Maurílio Oliveira | DOI: 10.1098/rsos.140184

Abstract 

Dinosaur skeletal remains are almost unknown from northern South America. One of the few exceptions comes from a small outcrop in the northernmost extension of the Andes, along the

western border of Venezuela, where strata of the La Quinta Formation have yielded the ornithischian Laquintasaura venezuelae and other dinosaur remains. Here, we report isolated bones (ischium and tibia) of a small new theropod, Tachiraptor admirabilis gen. et sp. nov., which differs from all previously known members of the group by an unique suite of features of its tibial articulations. Comparative/phylogenetic studies place the new form as the sister taxon to Averostra, a theropod group that is known primarily from the Middle Jurassic onwards. A new U–Pb zircon date (isotope dilution thermal-ionization mass spectrometry; ID-TIMS method) from the bone bed matrix suggests an earliest Jurassic maximum age for the La Quinta Formation. A dispersal–vicariance analysis suggests that such a stratigraphic gap is more likely to be filled by new records from north and central Pangaea than from southern areas. Indeed, our data show that the sampled summer-wet equatorial belt, which yielded the new taxon, played a pivotal role in theropod evolution across the Triassic–Jurassic boundary 

Tachiraptor admirabilis attacking the herbivorous dinosaur Laquintasaura.
Tachiraptor, a 1.5-meter-long theropod dinosaur (center) that lived in what is now Venezuela just over 200 million years ago,

PaleoArt: Maurílio Oliveira

Theropoda Marsh 1881 sensu 

Neotheropoda Bakker 1986 sensu 

stem-Averostra Paul 2002 sensu  

Tachiraptor admirabilis new genus and species

Etymology: The generic name derives from Táchira, the Venezuelan state where the fossil was found, and raptor (Latin for thief), in reference to the probable predatory habits of the animal. The specific epithet honours Simon Bolivar’s ‘Admirable Campaign’, in which La Grita, the town where the type locality is located, played a strategic role.

Figure 4. Strict consensus of the 1107 MPTs recovered with the inclusion of Tachiraptor admirabilis into the dataset of Xu et al. [12]. Branch colours represent extension of ghost lineages in millions of years (red, less than 15; purple, 15–35; blue, more than 35). Taxon bar lengths correspond to their chronologic distribution/uncertainty (based on various sources). Bar colours match those of the index Middle Jurassic palaeomap [70] and correspond to the provenance of Triassic/Jurassic theropods from the defined palaeobiogeographic provinces (SG, South Gondwana; EA, Euramerica; TU, Transurals; EB, Equatorial Belt) at the time of their occurrences.

Langer, M. C., Rincón, A. D., Ramezani, J., Solórzano, A., and O. W. M. Rauhut. 2014. New Dinosaur (Theropoda, stem-Averostra) from the earliest Jurassic of the La Quinta Formation,

Venezuelan Andes. Royal Society Open Science. 1: 140184. DOI: 10.1098/rsos.140184

http://rsos.royalsocietypublishing.org/content/1/2/140184

New meat-eating dinosaur lived in the wake of a mass extinction @newsfromscience

http://news.sciencemag.org/latin-america/2014/10/new-meat-eating-dinosaur-lived-wake-mass-extinction

Newfound South American Predator Snacked on Little Dinosaurs http://shar.es/1mb4tC via @LiveScience

http://news.sciencemag.org/sifter/2014/10/pot-farmers-are-poisoning-weasel-relative

http://chinleana.fieldofscience.com/2014/10/tachiraptor-admirabilis-and-early.html

[Clitellata • 2014] Four New Species of the Earthworm Genus Amynthas Kinberg, 1867 (Clitellata: Megascolecidae) from Thailand, with Redescription of the Type Species

Fig. 12. Photographs of Amynthas arenulus, new species.
A, B, living specimen from the type locality showing the coloration; C, specimen from Sisaket, just after anesthesis step in 30% (v/v) ethanol showing the coloration of the ventral side.
Fig. 11. Photographs showing typical habitat types of the new species:
A, B, Amynthas arenulus, new species. A, earthen dyke around paddy field; B, casting. C, D, Amynthas longicaeca, new species. C, dipterocarp forest; D, casting. E, F, Amynthas thakhantho, new species. E, organic gardening; F, tower–like casting.

Abstract

 The type species of the genus Amynthas Kinberg, 1867 was re-investigated using type specimens from Biozentrum Grindel und Zoologisches Museum, University of Hamburg and Swedish Museum of Natural History. Also we described four new species of the genus Amynthas from Thailand, two species of the aelianus species group, namely Amynthas arenulus Bantaowong & Panha, new species, and A. longicaeca Bantaowong & Panha, new species, and two species of the corticis species group, A. thakhantho Bantaowong & Panha, new species, and A. phucheefah Bantaowong & Panha, new species, Amynthas arenulus and A. thakhantho occur in sandy habitats of dry dipterocarp and deciduous forest, respectively, and especially in the modified highland paddy fields, while the following two species, A. longicaeca and A. phucheefah occur in deciduous forest reserve areas in clay–rich topsoil.

Key words. Amynthas, Clitellata, systematics, biodiversity, Thailand

ไส้เดือนยักษ์สุรินทร์ | Amynthas arenulus Bantaowong & Panha, new species

Etymology. The specific epithet is from the Latin for a sandy place. This refers to the find-grained sandy area modified as a highland rice paddy system, which is the habitat of the new species.

Distribution. Surin, Sisaket and Ubon Ratchathani.

Habitat. The species lives in the sandy top soil at about 20–30 cm depth, in a highland paddy system modified from dipterocarp forest. Some forest patches are still present near the paddy fields.

ไส้เดือนป่าเต็งรังชัยภูมิ | Amynthas longicaeca Bantaowong & Panha, new species

Etymology. This species was named after the characteristic long intestinal caeca.

Distribution. The new species is known only from the type locality. 

Habitat. Top soil at about 20 cm depth in the dipterocarp forest at elevation 660 meters of Phu Lan Kha National Park, Chaiyaphum, at pH 7, silt loam soil.

ไส้เดือนยักษ์ภูชี้ฟ้า | Amynthas phucheefah Bantaowong & Panha, new species

Etymology. This species was named after the type locality, Mt. Phu Chee Fah.

Distribution. The new species is known only from the type locality. Our collections in nearby areas have also found some earthworm species of the genus Metaphire.

Habitat. The new species exhibited swarming in October 2008 at 1,205 m asl, and most of them were juveniles. The reason is still unknown. We collected some specimens by chance. The worms emerged from the top soil of deciduous forest and tried to migrate across a road to another side of 

the mountain.

ไส้เดือนยักษ์ท่าคันโท | Amynthas thakhantho Bantaowong & Panha, new species

Etymology. This species was named after Tha Khantho, Kalasin, the type locality of the new species.

Distribution. The new species is known only from the type locality.

Habitat. Top soil at about 15 cm depth, at pH 7, loamy soil. Worms produce columnar or tower-like castings about 20 cm high and 4 cm diameter.

Ueangfa Bantaowong, Pattana Somniyam, Chirasak Sutcharit, Samuel W James and Somsak Panha. 2014. Four New Species of the Earthworm Genus Amynthas Kinberg, 1867, with Redescription of the Type Species (Clitellata: Megascolecidae). Raffles. Bull. Zool. 62: 655–670.
http://lkcnhm.nus.edu.sg/nus/images/data/raffles_bulletin_of_zoology/zoology_volume_62/62rbz655-670.pdf

CU researchers discovered new species of earthworm :
http://www.bangkokpost.com/news/social/436445/biologists-find-new-earthworm-species

ตื่นตา! จุฬาฯ เปิดตัวไส้เดือนพันธุ์ไทย 50 ชนิด - ปลิงควาย - ตะขาบม่วงสิมิลัน แห่งแรกในโลก http://astv.mobi/A5kj9y3

: http://www.matichon.co.th/news_detail.php?newsid=1412662631&grpid&catid=19&subcatid=1903 via @MatichonOnline

[Onychophora • 2013] Eoperipatus totoro • A New Species of Eoperipatus (Onychophora) from southern Vietnam, reveals novel morphological characters for the South-East Asian Peripatidae

 Eoperipatus totoro

Oliveira, Schaffer, Kvartalnov, Galoyan, Palko, Weck-Heimann, Geissler, Ruhbergh & Mayer 2013

the first velvet worm to be described from Vietnam. Velvet worms spit glue from two glands to entangle their prey

DOI: 10.1016/j.jcz.2013.01.001

Abstract

Although representatives of Peripatidae are widely distributed in South-East Asia, only three valid species of Eoperipatus and one species of Typhloperipatus have been described from this region. According to previous reports, the three species of Eoperipatus show little morphological variation and are difficult to distinguish from each other. In this study, we describe a new species of Eoperipatus from Vietnam, E. totoro sp. nov., using morphological (light and scanning electron microscopy) and molecular data (mitochondrial COI and 12S rRNA sequences). A comparison with specimens of an undescribed species of Eoperipatus from Thailand revealed novel species-specific characters, including the characteristics of male crural complexes, distinct types of scales on the ventral body surface, the inner structure of the circular pits on the male genital pad, and the position and size of the anal gland pads in males. The results of our molecular analyses correspond with those of morphological studies. In contrast to previous assumptions, our findings suggest a high diversity of the South-East Asian Peripatidae, which requires further exploration.

Keywords: Velvet worms; Morphological diversity; Distribution; Scanning electron microscopy; Taxonomy; Molecular phylogeny

Fig. 1. Distribution of the South-East Asian species of Peripatidae.
(A) Map showing the type localities of the species of Eoperipatus (red dots) and Typhloperipatus (blue triangle). Areas from which specimens of Eoperipatus have been recorded previously are highlighted in yellow. Question mark indicates the questionable type locality of Eoperipatus sumatranus in Sumatra. Purple asterisk indicates a recent record of an unidentified onychophoran in northern Vietnam ( Moler et al., 2013). (B) Detailed map of the Cát Tiên National Park in Vietnam and the collecting sites of Eoperipatus totoro sp. nov. (green squares). (For interpretation of the references to colour in this figure legend, the reader is referred to the web version of this article.)

Fig. 2. Microhabitat and life colour of Eoperipatus totoro sp. nov.
(A) Typical habitat of E. totoro sp. nov. in the Cát Tiên National Park. Note the large stones under which the specimens are usually found. (B) Mid-body of a specimen in ventral view. Note the repeated bright spots along the ventral midline, which correspond to the ventral fields of modified scales (dashed circles) and to the ventral and preventral organs (arrows). Anterior is up. (C) Walking specimen in dorso-lateral view. Note the brown colour of dorsal integument without any pattern.

Etymology: Following the request of Pavel V. Kvartalnov, Eduard A. Galoyan and Igor V. Palko, the species is named after the main character of the cartoon movie “My Neighbour Totoro” by Hayao Miyazaki (1988, studio Ghibli), who uses a many-legged animal as a vehicle, which according to the collectors resembles a velvet worm.

I. S. Oliveira, S. Schaffer, P. V. Kvartalnov, E. A. Galoyan, I. V. Palko, A. Weck-Heimann, P. Geissler, H. Ruhberg, G. Mayer. 2013. A New Species of Eoperipatus (Onychophora) from Vietnam reveals novel morphological characters for the South-East Asian Peripatidae. Zoologischer Anzeiger - A Journal of Comparative Zoology. 252:495–510.

http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.jcz.2013.01.001

https://www.researchgate.net/publication/253240617_A_new_species_of_(Onychophora)_from_Vietnam_reveals_novel_morphological_characters_for_the_South-East_Asian_Peripatidae

Douglas Main. 2013. New Glue-Spitting Velvet Worm Found in Vietnam.
http://www.livescience.com/39047-new-velvet-worm-species.html

[Mammalogy • 2014] Systematics of Vampyressa melissa Thomas, 1926 (Chiroptera: Phyllostomidae), with Description of Two New Species of Vampyressa; V. sinchi & V. elisabethae

  Vampyressa sinchi 

Tavares, Gardner, Ramírez-Chaves and Velazco, 2014

FIG. 10. Photograph of an adult female Vampyressa sinchi [Quechuan Yellow-eared Bat] (MHNUC 1514) captured at San Juan de Villalobos, Caquetá River basin, eastern Colombian slopes of the Eastern Cordillera, collected at 1620 m.

Photograph by Ofelia Mejía-Egas.

Abstract

Vampyressa melissa is a poorly known phyllostomid bat listed as vulnerable by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN). Since its description in 1926, fewer than 40 V. melissa have been reported in the literature, and less than half of these may have been correctly identified. During revisionary studies of Vampyressa, we uncovered two previously unrecognized species related to V. melissa, all associated with higher elevation habitats (>1400 m), one from the Andes of Colombia (Vampyressa sinchi, new species) and the other from western Panama (Vampyressa elisabethae, new species) revealing that V. melissa, as traditionally defined, is a composite of at least three species. In this paper, we provide a restricted diagnosis for the genus Vampyressa, an emended diagnosis of V. melissa, and descriptions of the two new species. The separation of these frugivorous bats, previously identified as V. melissa, into three isolated upper-elevation species, each having restricted distributions further highlights their fragile conservation status.

Vampyressa sinchi, new species

Quechuan Yellow-eared Bat

Distribution: Know only from the type series from the eastern slope of the Central Cordillera (Llorente) and eastern slopes of the Eastern Cordillera (San Juan de Villalobos and Parque Nacional Cueva de los Guácharos) of the Andes in Colombia (fig. 3).

Etymology: A Quechuan word, sinchi conveys the meaning “robust and strong.” The name honors the Quechuan people of Colombia (the Ingas), and indicates the robustness of this species, the largest Vampyressa known. The name is to be treated as a noun in apposition.

Vampyressa elisabethae, new species

Elisabeth’s Yellow-eared Bat

Distribution: Know only from provincia de Bocas del Toro, Panama (fig. 3).

Etymology: The name elisabethae honors the legacy of the late Elisabeth Klara Victoria Kalko in the study of the natural history, ecology, conservation, vocal recognition, and behavior of bats.

Tavares, V.C., A.L. Gardner, H.E. Ramírez-Chaves, and P.M. Velazco. 2014. Systematics of Vampyressa melissa Thomas, 1926 (Chiroptera: Phyllostomidae), with Description of Two New Species of Vampyressa. American Museum Novitates. 3813: 1-27.

https://dl.dropboxusercontent.com/u/27587202/Velazco_publications/2014_Tavares_etal_.pdf

facebook.com/AmericanSocietyofMammalogists/posts/709370349145719

[Crustacea • 2014] Geothelphusa cilan • Description of A New Montane Freshwater Crab (Crustacea: Potamidae) from northern Taiwan

FIGURE 2. Geothelphusa cilan sp. nov.
A, B, dorsal and frontal views of the holotype (NCHUZOOL 13617);
D–G, live coloration of the male, dorsal view (D, E) and frontal view (F, G); D, F, NCHUZOOL 13618 (CW 20.6 mm); G, NCHUZOOL 13620 (CW 15.5 mm);
H, habitat in a montane creek in the headstream of Danshuei River, Jianshih, Hsinchu County.

DOI: 10.11646/zootaxa.3869.5.6

Abstract

A new freshwater crab is described from a montane area in northern Taiwan based on morphological characters and molecular evidence. Geothelphusa cilan sp. nov., from the Cilan Forest, situated on the boundary of Hsinchu and Yilan (= Ilan) counties, is close to G. monticola Shy, Ng & Yu, 1994, and G. takuan Shy, Ng & Yu, 1994, but can be distinguished by its male first gonopod (G1) and the ratio of thoracic sternites. Molecular evidence from mitochondrial cytochrome oxidase subunit I (COI) also supports the identity of the new species.

Keywords: Potamidae, freshwater crab, new species, Taiwan, DNA, COI

Taxonomy

Family Potamidae Ortmann, 1896

Subfamily Potamiscinae Ortmann, 1896 (sensu Yeo & Ng 2003)

Geothelphusa Stimpson, 1858

Geothelphusa cilan sp. nov.

FIGURE 2. Geothelphusa cilan sp. nov.
A, dorsal views of the holotype (NCHUZOOL 13617);
D–G, live coloration of the male, dorsal view (D) and frontal view (F, G); D, F, NCHUZOOL 13618 (CW 20.6 mm); G, NCHUZOOL 13620 (CW 15.5 mm);
H, habitat in a montane creek in the headstream of Danshuei River, Jianshih, Hsinchu County.

DOI: 10.11646/zootaxa.3869.5.6

Etymology. The species is named for the type locality, the Cilan Forest, in northern Taiwan. The name is used as a noun in apposition.

Coloration. Carapace and ambulatory legs grayish brown, mottled with dark brown spots; chelae orange-red, with dark brown spots; tip and inner edge of fingers white (Fig. 2D–G).

Ecological notes. The specimens were collected from the headstream of Danshuei River (Fig. 2H) near the boundary of Hsinchu and Yilan counties, near Yuanyang Lake Nature Reserve, with an altitude about 2000 m. The mean monthly water temperatures were 10.3–14.6°C during April to December, 2012 (mean 12.6°C) for the adjacent Yuanyang Lake, with the same drainage

Shy, Jhy-yun, Hsi-te Shih & Jean-jay Mao. 2014. Description of A New Montane Freshwater Crab (Crustacea: Potamidae: Geothelphusa) from northern Taiwan.
Zootaxa. 3869(5): 565–572. DOI: 10.11646/zootaxa.3869.5.6.
http://mapress.com/zootaxa/2014/f/zt03869p572.pdf

Shy, J.-Y., Ng, P.K.L. & Yu, H.-P. 1994. Crabs of the genus Geothelphusa Stimpson, 1858 (Crustacea: Decapoda: Brachyura: Potamidae) from Taiwan, with descriptions of 25 new species. The Raffles Bulletin of Zoology. 42, 781–846. http://rmbr.nus.edu.sg/rbz/biblio/42/42rbz781-846.pdf

[Ichthyology • 2014] A Review of the Glyptosternine Catfish genus Exostoma Blyth 1860 (Teleostei: Siluriformes) from Thailand, with Descriptions of Two New Species; Exostoma effrenum & E. peregrinator

Abstract

We review members of the sisorid catfish genus Exostoma known from Thailand. Three species are recognized, of which two from the headwaters of the Chao Phraya River drainage in northwestern Thailand, are described here as new: Exostoma effrenum and E. peregrinator. In addition to the two new species, E. berdmorei (which is here redescribed) is also known from the Salween River drainage in western Thailand. The three species can be distinguished from each other and other congeners by the morphologies of the adipose and caudal fins, as well as morphometric data for the eye diameter, head width, dorsal-to-adipose distance, body depth at anus, caudal-peduncle length, caudal-peduncle depth, and numbers of branched pectoral-fin rays and preanal vertebrae.

 Keywords: Sisoridae, Glyptosternini, Salween River, Chao Phraya River

Ng, Heok H. & Chavalit Vidthayanon. 2014. A Review of the Glyptosternine Catfish genus Exostoma Blyth 1860 from Thailand, with Descriptions of Two New Species (Teleostei: Siluriformes). Zootaxa. 3869(4): 420–434.

http://dx.doi.org/10.11646/zootaxa.3869.4.6
http://www.academia.edu/8724863/A_review_of_the_glyptosternine_catfish_genus_Exostoma_Blyth_1860_from_Thailand_with_descriptions_of_two_new_species_Teleostei_Siluriformes_

[Ichthyology • 2014] Trichopodus poptae • A New Anabantoid Fish (Teleostei: Osphronemidae) from Borneo

Trichopodus poptae, new species, is distinguished from all other species in the genus by an almost non-discernible colour pattern, except for a single black blotch at the base of the caudal fin; fewer lateral scales (34-38, vs. 40-65); fewer total dorsal-fin rays than T. pectoralis (14-16, vs. 17-18); more total dorsal-fin spines than T. microlepis (6-7, vs. 3-4); fewer total anal-fin rays than T. microlepis and T. pectoralis (38-41, vs. 44-50). An artificial key to the genus is provided.

  Bi Wei, Heok Hui Tan and Ralf Britz. 2014. Trichopodus poptae, A New Anabantoid Fish from Borneo (Teleostei: Osphronemidae). Ichthyological Exploration of Freshwaters. 25(1): 69-77.

http://www.pfeil-verlag.de/04biol/pdf/ief25_1_06.pdf

https://www.researchgate.net/publication/265964427_Trichopodus_poptae_a_new_anabantoid_fish_from_Borneo_(Teleostei_Osphronemidae)

[Herpetology • 2014] Sea Snakes in Australian Waters (Serpentes: subfamilies Hydrophiinae and Laticaudinae) — A Review with an Updated Identification Key

some Australian Sea snakes 

DOI: 10.11646/zootaxa.3869.4.1

Abstract

Sea snakes (Elapidae, subfamilies Hydrophiinae and Laticaudinae) reach high species richness in the South China Sea and in the Australian region; however, most countries in the two regions still lack up-to-date checklists and identification tools for these snakes. We present an updated reviewed checklist and a new complete identification key to sea snakes in Australian waters. The identification key includes 29 species documented and 4 possibly occurring taxa and is based mostly on easy-to-use external characters. We find no evidence for breeding populations of Laticauda in Australian waters, but include the genus on the list of possibly occurring taxa.

Keywords: biodiversity, Australian sea snake species, identification key

Checklist of Sea Snake Species Known to Occur in Australia

Aipysurus apraefrontalis Smith, 1926
Aipysurus duboisii Bavay, 1869
Aipysurus foliosquama Smith, 1926
Aipysurus fuscus (Tschudi, 1837)
Aipysurus laevis Lacépède, 1804
Aipysurus mosaicus Sanders et al. 2012
Aipysurus pooleorum Smith, 1974
Aipysurus tenuis Lønnberg and Anderson, 1913
Emydocephalus annulatus Krefft, 1869
Ephalophis greyae Smith, 1931
Hydrelaps darwiniensis Boulenger, 1896
Hydrophis atriceps Günther, 1864
Hydrophis belcheri (Gray, 1849)
Hydrophis caerulescens (Shaw, 1802)
Hydrophis coggeri (Kharin, 1984a)
Hydrophis curtus (Shaw, 1802)
Hydrophis czeblukovi (Kharin, 1984a)
Hydrophis donaldi Ukuwela, Sanders and Fry 2012
Hydrophis elegans (Gray, 1842)
Hydrophis kingii Boulenger, 1896
Hydrophis macdowelli Kharin, 1983
Hydrophis major (Shaw, 1802)
Hydrophis ocellatus Gray, 1849
Hydrophis pacificus Boulenger, 1896
Hydrophis peronii (Duméril, 1853)
Hydrophis platurus (Linnaeus, 1766)
Hydrophis stokesii (Gray in Stokes, 1846)
Hydrophis zweifeli (Kharin, 1985)
Parahydrophis mertoni (Roux, 1910)

List of Sea Snakes Possibly Occurring in Australia
Hydrophis laboutei Rasmussen and Ineich, 2000
Hydrophis vorisi Kharin, 1984b
Microcephalophis gracilis (Shaw, 1802)
Laticauda sp. Laurenti, 1768

Arne Redsted Rasmussen, Kate Laura Sanders, Michael L. Guinea and Andrew P. Amey. 2014. Sea Snakes in Australian Waters (Serpentes: subfamilies Hydrophiinae and Laticaudinae) — A Review with an Updated Identification Key. Zootaxa. 3869 (4): 351–371 

http://dx.doi.org/10.11646/zootaxa.3869.4.1

http://mapress.com/zootaxa/2014/f/zt03869p371.pdf

[Herpetology • 2014] Carlia wundalthini | Cape Melville Rainbow Skink • A New Skink (Scincidae: Carlia) from the Rainforest Uplands of Cape Melville, north-east Australia

Carlia wundalthini Hoskin, 2014
Cape Melville Rainbow Skink

Abstract

Carlia skinks are widespread in New Guinea, Wallacea, and northern and eastern Australia. Most Australian species occur in dry woodlands and savannas or marginal rainforest habitats associated with these. There are two rainforest species, parapatrically distributed in coastal mid-eastern Queensland (C. rhomboidalis) and the Wet Tropics of north-eastern Queensland (C. rubrigularis). These two sister species share a diagnostic morphological trait in having the interparietal scale fused to the frontoparietal. Here I describe a third species in this group, Carlia wundalthini sp. nov., from rainforest uplands of the Melville Range, a rainforest isolate 170 km north of the Wet Tropics. This species is diagnosable on male breeding colouration, morphometrics and scalation. The description of C. wundalthini sp. nov. brings the number of vertebrate species known to be endemic to the rainforest and boulder-fields of Cape Melville to seven. Carlia wundalthini sp. nov. is distinct among these endemics in being the only one that does not appear to be directly associated with rock, being found in rainforest leaf-litter.

Keywords: Carlia rubrigularis, Carlia rhomboidalis, Cape York, rainforest, boulder-field, lithorefugia, Queensland

Etymology. Wundalthini was the name of Charlie Monaghan, a Traditional Owner who was born in the Cape Melville area and who passed on much of the knowledge and responsibility for that country to the current generation of its Traditional Owners. The species was named by the bubu gudjin of Cape Melville, the Traditional Owners who have the responsibility to speak for the land where the species lives.

Distribution. Known only from the uplands of the Melville Range, Cape Melville, north-eastern Australia (Fig. 7). Recorded in the vicinity of the type locality (14°16'33" S, 144°29'32" E), at elevations between 450 and 520 m a.s.l., and also in the vicinity of the highest peak (14°16'59" S, 144°29'59" E) at about 600 m a.s.l. Carlia wundalthini sp. nov. was not recorded during surveys of lowland rainforest at the west and south-east of Melville Range.

Habitat and habits. Found in upland rainforest (Fig. 8). Individuals were found during the day active on the surface of leaf-litter or basking in small sun-patches. When disturbed the skinks hid under the leaf-litter or retreated to tangles of fallen branches or rock crevices. Male C. wundalthini sp. nov. were in breeding colour in December but not in March. The other skinks found in micro-sympatry were an undescribed species of Glaphyromorphus (Hoskin & Couper, in press) and a species of Lygisaurus (Hoskin & Hines, under investigation) in the leaf-litter, while Saproscincus saltus Hoskin, 2013 was found on rock surfaces in the same habitat. Carlia longipes (Macleay, 1877), Eulamprus brachysoma (Lönnberg & Andersson, 1915), Cryptoblepharus fuhni Covacevich & Ingram, 1978, Cryptoblepharus virgatus (Garman, 1901) and Bellatorias frerei (Günther, 1897) were found in more open, rockier habitats nearby.

Hoskin, Conrad J. 2014. A New Skink (Scincidae: Carlia) from the Rainforest Uplands of Cape Melville, north-east Australia. Zootaxa. 3869(3): 224–236.

http://dx.doi.org/10.11646/zootaxa.3869.3.2

http://mapress.com/zootaxa/2014/f/zt03869p236.pdf

[Invertebrate • 2014] Hausera hauseri • A New Genus and Species for the First Recorded Cave-dwelling Cavernicola (Platyhelminthes) from South America

Hausera hauseri Leal-Zanchet & Souza, sp. n.  photograph of live specimens in dorsal view, with intestine containing food and the pharynx visible

doi: 10.3897/zookeys.442.8199

Abstract

Species diversity of Brazilian cave fauna has been seriously underestimated. A karst area located in Felipe Guerra, northeastern Brazil, which is a hotspot of subterranean diversity in Brazil, has revealed more than 20 troglobitic species, most of them still undescribed. Based on recent samplings in this karst area, we document the occurrence of the suborder Cavernicola (Platyhelminthes) in South American hypogean environments for the first time and describe a new genus and species for this suborder. Hausera Leal-Zanchet & Souza, gen. n. has features concordant with those defined for the family Dimarcusidae. The new genus is characterized by two unique features, viz. an intestine extending dorsally to the brain and ovovitelline ducts located dorsally to the nerve cords, which is complemented by a combination of other characters. The type-specimens of Hausera hauseri Leal-Zanchet & Souza, sp. n. are typical stygobionts, unpigmented and eyeless, and they may constitute an oceanic relict as is the case of other stygobiotic invertebrates found in this karst area in northeastern Brazil.

Type-locality of Hausera hauseri Leal-Zanchet & Souza, sp. n.:
1–2 location in Rio Grande do Norte, Brazil, showing the range of limestone outcrops from the Apodi Group in detail (black) and the location of the Crotes cave (star) 3

Type-locality of Hausera hauseri Leal-Zanchet & Souza, sp. n.:
the location of the Crotes cave surroundings of the main cave entrance (3) and aerial view of the region (4) indicating the cave contours (red/yellow line), main entrance (white arrow) and secondary gallery (red arrow); 5 perennial stream representing the sampling site.

Systematic account

Order Tricladida Lang, 1884

Suborder Cavernicola Sluys, 1990

Family Dimarcusidae Mitchell & Kawakatsu, 1972

Genus Hausera Leal-Zanchet & Souza, gen. n.

http://zoobank.org/9F362C51-4671-40B7-A28B-4DC46A59D0C5

Type-species: Hausera hauseri Leal-Zanchet & Souza, sp. n. Monotypic

Diagnosis: Dimarcusidae without eyes and without a copulatory bursa; female genital duct communicating with the intestine; ovovitelline ducts without caudal dichotomy, uniting to form a common ovovitelline duct; follicular testes; sperm ducts separately penetrating the penis bulb.

Distribution: Felipe Guerra (Crotes cave), Brazil

Etymology: The new genus is dedicated to the late Prof Dr Josef Hauser SJ as acknowledgement of his great enthusiasm for the study of freshwater flatworms. Gender: feminine.

Ana Leal-Zanchet, Stella Souza and Rodrigo Ferreira. 2014. A New Genus and Species for the first recorded Cave-dwelling Cavernicola (Platyhelminthes) from South America. ZooKeys. 442: 1-15. DOI:  10.3897/zookeys.442.8199

Brazilian zoologists discovered the first obligate cave- dwelling flatworm in South America

http://www.pensoft.net/news.php?n=422&SESID=4lfgfituc08qugqt5am2kr30l5

[Herpetology • 2004] Glaphyromorphus clandestinus • A New Species of Glaphyromorphus (Reptilia: Scincidae) from Mt Elliot, north-eastern Queensland, Australia

Glaphyromorphus clandestinus

Hoskin & Couper, 2004

photo: Stephen Zozaya | SZozaya.wordpress.com

Abstract

Glaphyromorphus clandestinus, sp. nov., is described from granite-slab habitat on Mt Elliot, north-eastern Queensland. This species can be distinguished from its congeners by a combination of the following characters: large size (SVL 72 mm), adpressed limbs of adult separated by noticeably more than the length of the forelimb, 26 mid-body scale rows, and flanks patterned with dark flecks forming a series of longitudinal lines. The distribution, habitat preferences and habits of this species are poorly known. Currently G. clandestinus is known from a single locality where individuals have been found in an exposed area of exfoliating granite, set in a mosaic of rainforest and eucalyptus woodland. The discovery of this species brings to three the number of vertebrate species known to be endemic to Mt Elliot and highlights the evolutionary significance of this southerly outlier to the mountainous rainforest of the Wet Tropics.

Conrad J. Hoskin and Patrick J. Couper. 2004. A New Species of Glaphyromorphus (Reptilia : Scincidae) from Mt Elliot, north-eastern Queensland. Australian Journal of Zoology. 52(2) 183 - 190. doi: dx.doi.org/10.1071/ZO03035 

The Endemic Herpetofauna of Mt Elliot by Stephen Zozaya

http://szozaya.wordpress.com/2013/03/27/the-endemic-herpetofauna-of-mt-elliot/

[Entomology • 2014] "ผีเสื้อกลางคืนสิรินธร" • Sirindhornia Pinkaew and Muadsub • A New Enarmoniine Genus (Lepidoptera: Tortricidae) from Thailand

FIGURE 1. Head of Sirindhornia spp. | "ผีเสื้อกลางคืนสิรินธร"
 A–B. S. pulchella, n. sp. (holotype male). C–D. S. chaipattana, n. sp. (holotype male). E–F. S. curvicosta, n. sp. (holotype male). G–H. S. bifida, n. sp. (holotype male). I–J. Sirindhornia sp. (female).

DOI: 10.11646/zootaxa.3869.1.5

Abstract

A new enarmoniine genus, Sirindhornia, n. gen., is described based on the type species, Sirindhornia pulchella, n. sp., and three additional new species: Sirindhornia chaipattana, n. sp., Sirindhornia curvicosta, n. sp., and Sirindhornia bifida, n. sp., all from Thailand. A fifth species represented only by a single female is morphologically characterized but not formally described. Sirindhornia is most closely related to Anthozela Meyrick and Irianassa Meyrick but is easily distinguished by unique appendages of the tegumen and a conspicuous henion in the male genitalia.

Keywords: Ang-Ed Community forest, Enarmoniini, Khao Nan National Park, new genus, new species, Olethreutinae, Trat Agroforestry Research and Training Station

Muadsub, Sopita & Nantasak Pinkaew. 2014. Sirindhornia Pinkaew and Muadsub (Lepidoptera: Tortricidae), A New Enarmoniine Genus from Thailand. Zootaxa. 3869(1): 53–63.

http://dx.doi.org/10.11646/zootaxa.3869.1.5

http://mapress.com/zootaxa/2014/f/zt03869p063.pdf

สกุลผีเสื้อกลางคืนสิรินธร (Sirindhornia) เป็นชื่อผีเสื้อกลางคืนสกุลใหม่ของโลกที่ได้รับพระราชทานพระนามจากสมเด็จพระเทพรัตนราชสุดาฯ สยามบรมราชกุมารีในวันที่ 30 พฤษภาคม พ.ศ. 2557 ผีเสื้อสกุลใหม่นี้เป็นผีเสื้อกลางคืนขนาดเล็ก จัดอยู่ในวงศ์ Tortricidae (วงศ์ผีเสื้อหนอนม้วนใบ) วงศ์ย่อย Olethreutinae เผ่า Enarmoniini ตัวอย่างของผีเสื้อในสกุล Sirindhornia นี้ได้จากการสำรวจผีเสื้อกลางคืนโดยใช้กับดักแสงไฟใน 3 พื้นที่ คือ 

1.ป่าดิบชื้นของอุทยานแห่งชาติเขานัน จังหวัดนครศรีธรรมราช ในปี พ.ศ. 2550 

2. พื้นที่สวนยางพาราเก่าอายุมากกว่า 50 ปี ที่ฟื้นสภาพเป็นป่าธรรมชาติในโครงการพัฒนาป่าชุมชนบ้านอ่างเอ็ด (มูลนิธิชัยพัฒนา) อำเภอขลุง จังหวัดจันทบุรี ในปี พ.ศ. 2554 และ 

3.จากพื้นที่ป่าดิบชื้นในสถานีวิจัยและฝึกอบรมวนเกษตรตราด จังหวัดตราด ในปี พ.ศ. 2555 

ผีเสื้อในสกุล Sirindhornia ค้นพบโดย ผศ.ดร.นันทศักดิ์ ปิ่นแก้วและทีมงานจากภาควิชากีฏวิทยา คณะเกษตร กำแพงแสน มหาวิทยาลัยเกษตรศาสตร์วิทยาเขตกำแพงแสน มีการค้นคว้าข้อมูลเพื่อเปรียบเทียบตัวอย่างรวมทั้งส่งไปให้ผู้เชี่ยวชาญในต่างประเทศตรวจสอบลักษณะต่างๆ และได้รับการยืนยันว่าเป็นผีเสื้อหนอนม้วนใบสกุลใหม่ของโลก 

ผีเสื้อในสกุล Sirindhornia มีลักษณะโดดเด่นที่สีสันและลวดลายของปีกคู่หน้าที่มีโคนปีกสีขาวและปลายปีกสีแดง มีจุดแต้มและลวดลายบนปีกสีดำ รวมทั้งปีกคู่หลังมีแต้มสีเหลืองบริเวณกึ่งกลางปีก ลักษณะรูปร่างของรยางค์ปากที่เรียวยาวและตั้งขึ้นด้านบน รวมทั้งรูปร่างของอวัยวะสืบพันธุ์เพศผู้ที่ส่วนของ socii และ gnathos มีลักษณะเด่นและแตกต่างจากผีเสื้อสกุลอื่นๆ ที่อยู่ในเผ่า Enarmoniini อย่างชัดเจน 

ผีเสื้อสกุล Sirindhornia มีการรายงานชนิดใหม่ของโลก 4 ชนิดด้วยกัน คือ Sirindhornia pulchella จากอุทยานแห่งชาติเขานัน Sirindhornia chaipattana และ Sirindhornia curvicosta จาก โครงการพัฒนาป่าชุมชนบ้านอ่างเอ็ด และ Sirindhornia bifida จากสถานีวิจัยและฝึกอบรมวนเกษตรตราด จากพื้นที่ที่ค้นพบผีเสื้อในสกุลนี้จะเห็นได้ว่ามีความสัมพันธ์ กับพื้นที่ที่มีสภาพเป็นป่าธรรมชาติ รวมถึงพื้นที่ที่มีการฟื้นฟูโครงสร้างและองค์ประกอบของพรรณไม้คล้ายสภาพป่าในธรรมชาติจึงอาจกล่าวได้ว่าผีเสื้อในสกุลนี้เป็นชนิดพันธุ์ที่สามารถบ่งชี้ถึงความอุดมสมบูรณ์ของพื้นที่ได้ 

พบ “ผีเสื้อกลางคืนสิรินธร” ผีเสื้อสกุลใหม่ในป่าชุมชน 

http://www.agri.kps.ku.ac.th/News/newsagri/NewsPR/2557-10-03-article_sirindhornia.pdf

http://astv.mobi/AXem6xI via  @ASTVScience

[Herpetology • 2014] Cyrtodactylus saiyok | ตุ๊กกายไทรโยค | Saiyok Bent-toed Gecko • A New Dry Evergreen Forest-dwelling Bent-toed Gecko (Squamata: Gekkonidae) from Kanchanaburi Province, western Thailand

Cyrtodactylus saiyok 

Panitvong, Sumontha, Tunprasert & Pauwels, 2014
DOI: 10.11646/zootaxa.3869.1.6

Abstract

We describe Cyrtodactylus saiyok sp. nov. from a dry evergreen forest on a limestone hill in Khao Krajae, Sai Yok District, Kanchanaburi Province, western Thailand. It is characterized by a maximal known SVL of 61.0 mm; 18–19 longitudinal rows of dorsal tubercles; 23 or 24 ventral scale rows between ventrolateral skin folds; a continuous series of enlarged femoro-precloacal scales, including 5 pore-bearing precloacal scales (males); no precloacal groove or depression; transversely enlarged subcaudal scales; a complete black nuchal loop; a W-shaped band above shoulders and 3–5 irregular, medially interrupted or not, black dorsal bands between limb insertions. Cyrtodactylus saiyok sp. nov. is the sixth reptile species that is possibly endemic to Sai Yok District.

Keywords: Cyrtodactylus saiyok sp. nov., new species, taxonomy, limestone



Etymology. The specific epithet saiyok refers to the name of the district in which the type locality is situated. It is a noun in apposition, invariable. We suggest the following common names: Took-kai Sai Yok (Thai), Sai Yok bent-toed gecko (English), Cyrtodactyle de Saï Yok (French), Saiyok Bogenfingergecko (German), Saiyokkromvingergekko (Dutch). The common name Sai Yok Bent-toed Gecko had been proposed by Ellis and Pauwels (2012) for Cyrtodactylus tigroides, for which we here propose the new common name Tiger Bent-toed Gecko.

Panitvong, Nonn, Montri Sumontha, Jitthep Tunprasert & Olivier S. g. Pauwels. 2014. Cyrtodactylus saiyok sp. nov., A New Dry Evergreen Forest-dwelling Bent-toed Gecko (Squamata: Gekkonidae) from Kanchanaburi Province, western Thailand.
Zootaxa. 3869(1): 64–74. DOI: 10.11646/zootaxa.3869.1.6

facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=10203954020103839

http://siamensis.org/species_index#39919