[Herpetology • 2024] Abronia cunemica • Bridging the Gap: A New Species of Arboreal Abronia (Squamata: Anguidae) from the Northern Highlands of Chiapas, Mexico

Abronia cunemica   

 Clause, Luna-Reyes, Mendoza-Velázquez, Nieto-Montes de Oca & Solano-Zavaleta, 2024

DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0295230

 

Abstract

The mountain forests of Middle America are renowned for their endemic biodiversity, and arboreal alligator lizards (genus Abronia) are high-profile vertebrates endemic to this region. In this work, we describe a new species of arboreal Abronia that is known only from the type locality in the Northern Highlands of Chiapas, Mexico. The new species is diagnosed from all other members of the genus Abronia by the following combination of characters: lack of protuberant or spine-like supra-auricular scales, lack of protuberant or casque-like posterolateral head scales, dorsum of head pale yellow with distinct dark markings, 35–39 transverse dorsal scale rows, lateralmost row of ventral scales enlarged relative to adjacent medial row, and dorsum brown with darker crossbands that are sometimes reduced to rows of spots. We provisionally include the new species in the subgenus Lissabronia based on genomic and morphological evidence, but our results also suggest a close relationship to the subgenus Abaculabronia. The new species is geographically separated from the nearest Lissabronia and Abaculabronia species by the lowland Central Depression of Chiapas. Ongoing habitat loss and other factors imperil the new species, leading us to propose its listing under multiple threatened species frameworks. Because the Northern Highlands have poor coverage of protected areas, we briefly comment on the potential of this new species for stimulating conservation in the region.

Color variation in life of type series of Abronia cunemica sp. nov. from Coapilla, Chiapas, Mexico.
(A) Adult male holotype, MZFC-HE 36544, 127 mm snout-to-vent length (SVL); (B) adult female paratype, MZFC-HE 36545, 113 mm SVL; (C) adult female paratype, MZFZ 4514 (AGC 1492), 110 mm SVL; (D) adult female paratype, MZFZ 4513 (AGC 1491), 107 mm SVL; (E) juvenile male paratype, MZFZ 4512 (AGC 1484), 91 mm SVL.

Photographs by Emmanuel Javier-Vázquez.

Abronia cunemica Clause, Luna-Reyes, Mendoza-Velázquez, Nieto-Montes de Oca & Solano-Zavaleta sp. nov.

 

Dragoncito de Coapilla (recommended Spanish common name)

Coapilla Arboreal Alligator Lizard (recommended English common name)

Diagnosis: Abronia cunemica sp. nov. can be distinguished from all recognized congeners, including all species formerly considered members of the genus Mesaspis, by the following combination of characters: (1) lack of protuberant or spine-like supra-auricular scales; (2) lack of protuberant or casque-like posterolateral head scales; (3) dorsum of head pale yellow with distinct dark markings; (4) 35–39 transverse dorsal scale rows; (5) lateralmost row of ventral scales enlarged relative to adjacent medial row; and (6) dorsum brown with dark crossbands, these sometimes reduced to series of dark spots.

Geographic distribution of Abronia cunemica sp. nov. and nearby arboreal congeners in Chiapas and Oaxaca, Mexico. Inset photographs show characteristic differences in adult dorsal head color between A. cunemica sp. nov. (pale yellow, with dark markings distinct) and the closely related A. morenica (pale gray/tan, with dark markings absent or faint). The holotypes (adult males) of both species are shown; photograph of A. cunemica sp. nov. intentionally mirrored horizontally.

 Photographs by Adam G. Clause. Map layers courtesy of Natural Earth (public domain).

Etymology: The species name is a feminine singular adjective in the nominative case derived from Cuñemo (alternative spellings: Kuñømø or Kujnyä’mä), which is the name for Coapilla in the indigenous Zoque language. Coapilla is derived from the Náhuatl words coatl (snake) and apan (river) and means “river of the snakes,” while Cuñemo has been variously translated as agua entre los árboles (“water among the trees” in English) [85], lugar de la gran capital (“place of the new or great capital”) [86], or corona de cerros (“crown of hills”) according to residents of the area. The chosen name, derived from the Zoque language, thus refers to the ejido and municipality which support the only known population of the new species. Our inquiries with residents of Coapilla about this name received universally positive responses. The recommended English pronunciation is “koon-YEM-ih-kuh.”

Habitat of Abronia cunemica sp. nov. near Coapilla, Chiapas, Mexico.
 (A) Live and dead Pinus chiapensis trees in a cattle pasture, (B) intact Pinus-Quercus forest, (C) microhabitat of Quercus spp. trees laden with epiphytes.

 Photographs taken by Adam G. Clause on 19 February 2022 (A) and 14 August 2021 (B–C).

 

Adam G. Clause, Roberto Luna-Reyes, Oscar M. Mendoza-Velázquez, Adrián Nieto-Montes de Oca and Israel Solano-Zavaleta. 2024. Bridging the Gap: A New Species of Arboreal Abronia (Squamata: Anguidae) from the Northern Highlands of Chiapas, Mexico. PLoS ONE. 19(1): e0295230. DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0295230

  

[Paleontology • 2024] Mesoproctus rayoli • A New fossil Thelyphonida (Arachnida: Uropygi) and further record of Cratosolpuga wunderlichi (Solifugae) from Crato Formation (Aptian/Albian), Araripe Basin, Brazil

Reconstruction of Mesoproctus rayoli n. sp. and Cratosolpuga wunderlichi Selden, in Selden & Shear, 1996 in their paleoenvironment. 

Santana​, Pinheiro, Silva & Lima​,. 2024

Illustration by the paleoartist João Eudes.

Abstract 

Background: 

A new fossil species of whipscorpion, Mesoproctus rayoli n. sp., is described. The specimen originates from the Crato Formation, dating to the Lower Cretaceous (Aptian/Albian) period within the Araripe Sedimentary Basin. This species has been provisionally assigned to Mesoproctus Dunlop, 1998, as it represents the sole known Thelyphonida fossil genus discovered in South America and within Araripe Lagerstätte.

Methods: 

The material underwent detailed description and illustration processes. Key diagnostic characters, such as body length, pedipalpal coxae apophysis, the form of the opisthosoma, and the length of leg IV, were meticulously examined. SEM methods were applied in this study.

Results: 

Through the detailed analysis, comparisons and differences to Mesoproctus rowlandi Dunlop, 1998 were made possible. Additionally, a well-preserved specimen of the rare camel spider, Cratosolpuga wunderlichi Selden, in Selden and Shear, 1996, was identified from the limestones of the Crato Formation. The newly discovered fossil specimen of Cratosolpuga wunderlichi suggests two characters not previously described: (i) a segmented tarsomere on leg IV; and (ii) a leg I with one tarsal claw.

Systematic paleontology

Order Thelyphonida Latreille, 1804

Thelyphonidae Lucas, 1835

Mastigoproctinae Speijer, 1933

Genus Mesoproctus Dunlop, 1998

Mesoproctus rayoli n. sp. Holotype MPSC A4295. Ventral view.

Scale: 30 mm.

Mesoproctus rayoli n. sp.

Diagnosis.—Body length including pygidium around 66 mm; pedipalpal coxae apophysis with one terminal tooth, one accessory tooth on the inner margin, outer margin of the apophysis serrated proximally; opisthosoma distinctly oval shaped; leg IV much longer than opisthosoma.

Etymology.—The specific epithet is in honor of Rafael Ribeiro Rayol, Brazilian federal attorney, who helped, along with the Brazilian Federal Police, in the retrieve of the material from the “Operation Santana Raptor”.

Reconstruction of Mesoproctus rayoli n. sp. and Cratosolpuga wunderlichi Selden, in Selden & Shear, 1996 in their paleoenvironment.

 Illustration by the paleoartist João Eudes.

 

William Santana​, Allysson P. Pinheiro, Thiago Andrade Silva and Daniel Lima​​. 2024. Description of A New fossil Thelyphonida (Arachnida, Uropygi) and further record of Cratosolpuga wunderlichi Selden, in Selden and Shear, 1996 (Arachnida, Solifugae) from Crato Formation (Aptian/Albian), Araripe Basin, Brazil. PeerJ. 12:e16670. DOI: 10.7717/peerj.16670

[Paleontology • 2024] Sidersaura marae • The Last of the Oldies: A basal rebbachisaurid (Sauropoda: Diplodocoidea) from the early Late Cretaceous (Cenomanian–Turonian) of Patagonia, Argentina

Sidersaura marae

 Lerzo, Gallina, Canale, Otero, Carballido, Apesteguía & Makovicky, 2024

DOI: 10.1080/08912963.2023.2297914 

 

ABSTRACT

Rebbachisauridae is mainly recorded during the early Late Cretaceous in Gondwana, and in South America in particular. Sidersaura marae gen. et sp. nov. was found in rocks of the Huincul Formation (upper Cenomanian – Turonian) of Neuquén Province, Argentina. Sidersaura has notable characteristics that allow recognising it as a new species and defining its phylogenetic relationships. First, it has a frontoparietal foramen, as in dicraeosauridae. It bears fourteen caudal vertebrae with neural arches displaced closer to the anterior margin of the centrum and a ventral longitudinal hollow on middle of the centra, both characters previously considered as titanosaurian synapomorphies, and here recognised in these diplodocoid sauropods. Sidersaura shows a peculiar tarsal condition with an unusual calcaneum morphology which resembles that of basal sauropods. The haemal arches have a stellate morphology with two sets of projections comparable to the specimen MMCh-PV 47 from the Candeleros Formation (Cenomanian), previously described as a titanosaurian. The phylogenetic analysis retrieves Sidersaura as a basal Rebbachisauridae more closely related to Zapalasaurus than to Limaysaurinae. The presence of a basal taxon at Cenomanian – Turonian times, so close to the extinction of the group, implies that the evolutionary history of rebbachisauridae was more complex than previously thought.

KEYWORDS: Neoauropoda, Rebbachisauridae, Godwana, Huincul Formation, Sidersaura, Frontoparietal foramen

Sidersaura marae gen. et sp. nov. 

Lucas Nicolás Lerzo, Pablo Ariel Gallina, Juan Ignacio Canale, Alejandro Otero, José Luis Carballido, Sebastián Apesteguía and Peter Juraj Makovicky. 2024. The Last of the Oldies: A basal rebbachisaurid (Sauropoda, Diplodocoidea) from the early Late Cretaceous (Cenomanian–Turonian) of Patagonia, Argentina. Historical Biology: An International Journal of Paleobiology. DOI: 10.1080/08912963.2023.2297914 

[Herpetology • 2023] Bolitoglossa bolanosi • A New Species of Salamander (Caudata: Plethodontidae: Bolitoglossa) from the Subalpine Rain Páramo of the Cordillera de Talamanca, Costa Rica

 Bolitoglossa bolanosi

Arias, Chaves & Parra-Olea, 2023

Bolaños’ Web-footed Salamander ||  facebook.com/eapiedra

 amphibian-reptile-conservation.org

Abstract

The subalpine rain páramo of Isthmian Central America is an area with a high level of endemism. The salamanders of the Bolitoglossa subpalmata Species Group are restricted to the highlands of Costa Rica and Panama, including the subalpine rain páramo. During explorations of the páramos in the Cordillera de Talamanca, we found populations of Bolitoglossa that were referred to B. subpalmata S.G. These new populations were compared phylogenetically with all species within the species group using the 16S and cyt b mitochondrial genes; and they were also compared morphometrically with B. kamuk and B. pesrubra. Herein we described a new species of the B. subpalmata Species Group, which inhabits the subalpine rain páramo and montane forest surrounding the páramo in the Southeastern region in Costa Rica. This new species highlights the role of the subalpine rain páramo in the speciation of salamanders in the highlands of Isthmian Central America, as well as the need to protect this unique and vulnerable habitat. 

Keywords. Amphibia, caudate, Central America, páramo, phylogenetics, Plethodontidae

Holotype of Bolitoglossa bolanosi sp. nov. (UCR 22965) in life on a white background.

Photograph by Erick Arias.

In-life photographs of variations within  Bolitoglossa bolanosi sp. nov. 
 (A) Paratopotype male subadult UCR 22966, (B) paratype juvenile UCR 24247, (C) paratype adult female UCR 22421, and (D) paratype adult female UCR 24245.

 Photographs A and C by Erick Arias, B and D by Omar Zúñiga.

Bolitoglossa bolanosi sp. nov. 

Bolaños’ Web-footed Salamander 

Diagnosis. The combination of the following characteristics can be used to distinguish Bolitoglossa bolanosi from the other described species of the genus Bolitoglossa: (1) having broad hands and feet, with the distal phalanges on the fngers and toes free of palmar and plantar tissue; (2) dorsal coloration highly variable, rarely black brownish uniform and usually mottled with yellow spots, but never with red on hind limbs or forelimbs; and (3) 16S and cyt b mtDNA distances.

Etymology. The name “bolanosi” is a patronym honoring the Costa Rican herpetologist Federico Bolaños, and is used as a noun in the genitive case. We name this species after our dear friend in recognition of his scientifc contributions to the knowledge of the herpetology of Costa Rica, as curator of the Herpetology section at Museo de Zoología of Universidad de Costa Rica, and as the mentor of most herpetologists present in the country. 

 

Erick Arias, Gerardo Chaves and Gabriela Parra-Olea. 2023. A New Species of Salamander (Caudata: Plethodontidae: Bolitoglossa) from the Subalpine Rain Páramo of the Cordillera de Talamanca, Costa Rica. Amphibian & Reptile Conservation. 17(1 & 2) [General Section]: 143–160 (e327).

 facebook.com/eapiedra/posts/2242662579240566

  amphibian-reptile-conservation.org/issues.html

[Herpetology • 2023] Gekko kaiyai • A New Species of the Genus Gekko (Japonigekko) (Sauria: Gekkonidae) from the Dabie Mountains, China

 Gekko kaiyai Zhang, Wu & Zhang, 

in C. Zhang, Wu, Cai, Wang, Pang, Ma, Yu, ... et B. Zhang, 2023.

DOI: 10.3390/ani13243796 

Abstract

This study describes a novel species of Gekko (Squamata: Gekkonidae) based on its distinct morphological features and molecular evidence, which was identified in the Dabie Mountains on the border of Anhui and Henan provinces of Central China. Gekko kaiyai sp. nov. could be distinguished from its congeners owing to its morphological characteristics, such as being a medium body sized gecko species (snout–vent length, 56.98–64.99 mm, n = 4, females; 50.03–61.56 mm, n = 11, males); nostrils scale in contact with rostral scale; tubercles on the dorsal and limb, while the upper forelimb is smooth with no tubercles; 22–33 interorbital scales between the anterior corners of the eyes; 157–209 ventral scales between mental and cloacal slit; 90–121 midbody scale rows; 30–43 ventral scale rows; 7–9 sub-digital lamellae on first fingers, 8–13 fourth fingers, 7–9 first toes, and 7–11 fourth toes; free of webbing in the fingers and toes; 9–12 pre-cloacal pores in males, which are absent in females; post-cloacal unilateral tubercles 1 (few 2); and a dorsum that is greyish white to dark brown, with 6–7 brown markings between the nape and sacrum. The phylogenetic tree based on the mitochondrial DNA sequences (16S, CYTB, and COI) indicated that Gekko kaiyai sp. nov. form an independent clade with strong support (100/1) and are a sister group to G. hokouensis. At the inter-species level, the genetic distances were all large, further confirming that an independent species had been identified. The discovery of this species implies that there are now 87 identified species in the genus Gekko, 22 of which can be found within China.

Keywords: Gekko kaiyai sp. nov.; Gekkonidae; Central China; molecular phylogenetic analysis; morphology

 Holotype AHUXXBH07 of  Gekko kaiyai sp. nov. in real life:
(A), left lateral view of head, (B), right lateral view of head, (C), dorsal view of middle body, (D), ventral view, (E), dorsal view of head, (E), ventral view of head, (F), ventral view of pre-cloacal region, showing six pre-cloacal pores, (G), lateral view of basal tail, (H), dorsal view of hand, (I), ventral view of hand, (J), dorsal view of foot, (K), ventral view of foot.

 Gekko kaiyai sp. nov. and G. hokouensis dorsal view in life.
 (A), Holotype, AHUXXBH007, male. (B), Paratype, AHUXXBH010, female.
(C), G. hokouensis, AHUWFSBH003, male, from Lujiang county, Anhui Province. (D), G. hokouensis, AHUQPBH003, female, from Jinzhai county, Anhui Province.

Gekko (Japonigekko) kaiyai sp. nov. Zhang, Wu, and Zhang

Diagnosis. Gekko kaiyai sp. nov. is distinguished from the subgenus Japonicgekko by its morphological characteristics: (1) medium body size (SVL 56.98–64.99 mm, n = 4, females; 50.03–61.56 mm, n = 11, males); (2) nostrils in contact with rostral scale; (3) tubercles on the dorsal, hindlimb and lower forelimb, but the upper forelimb smooth without tubercles; (4) interorbital scales between the anterior corners of the eyes 22–33; (5) ventral scales between mental and cloacal slit 157–209; (6) midbody scale rows 99–121; (7) ventral scale rows 30–43; (8) sub-digital lamellae on first fingers 7–9, on fourth fingers 8–13, on first toes 7–9, on fourth toes 7–11; (9) free of webbing in the fingers and toes; (10) 9–12 pre-cloacal pores in males and absent in females; (11) post-cloacal unilateral tubercles 1 (few 2); (12) and dorsum greyish white to dark brown, with 6–7 brown markings between the nape and sacrum.

Etymology. The specific, Gekko kaiyai sp. nov., a Latinized adjective, was named after Professor Kaiya Zhou of the School of Life Sciences, Nanjing Normal University, China, who has made great contributions to the classification of the Gekkonidae family species, especially Gekko hokouensis. The suggested common English name is “Dabie Mountains Gecko” and the Chinese name is “Dà Bié Shān Bì Hŭ”, both of which indicate the location from where the new species was collected (Figure 1).

  Habitat of Gekko kaiyai sp. nov.
 (A), Liankang Mountain National Nature Reserve, Xin County, Henan Province (photo by Kui Yang), (B), microhabitats, one gecko hides on a stone, (C), microhabitats, one gecko on the fence.

Conclusions: 

We described a new species of the gecko, Gekko kaiyai sp. nov., based on the analysis of phylogeny and morphology. The discovery of this new species has brought the total number of known species in the genus Gekko to 87 and the number identified within China to 22. Gekko kaiyai sp. nov. appears currently only known to be distributed in the northwest of the Dabie Mountains, and with the G. hokouensis and G. japonicus are sympatric. However, the detailed distribution range, population size, and feeding habits of these three species in the Dabie Mountains has not yet been elucidated, and further investigations will be required to enhance our understanding of the interspecific relationships and sympatric distributions of these three species of gecko.

Caiwen Zhang, Afang Wu, Bo Cai, Lanrong Wang, Dapeng Pang, Haohao Ma, Lei Yu, Xiangyang Li, Hua Huang, Lin Zeng, Li Li, Jie Yan, Peng Li  and Baowei Zhang. 2023. A New Species of the Genus Gekko (Squamata: Sauria: Gekkonidae) from the Dabie Mountains, China. Animals. 13(24); 3796. DOI: 10.3390/ani13243796 

  

 Simple Summary: The genus Gekko Laurenti, 1768, currently comprises approximately 86 species, of which 21 are native to China, that commonly live on walls, rocks, and trees, and are distributed across Southeast Asia, western Oceania, and Melanesia. This article describes a new species of Gekko (Squamata: Gekkonidae) based on its distinct morphological features and molecular evidence, which was identified in the Dabie Mountains on the border of Anhui and Henan provinces of Central China. The analysis of phylogeny based on a mitochondrial DNA fragment (16S, CYTB, and COI) indicated that the new taxon is different from its congeners. Morphologically, the new species can be diagnosed from the other subgenus Japonigekko species by a combination of 34 (14 mensural and 20 meristic) morphological characteristics, and Principal component analysis (PCA) and one-way analysis of variance (ANOVA) showed that the new species can be clearly distinguished from its sister species G. hokouensis. Based on the above multiple lines of evidence, we describe this gecko from the Dabie Mountains as a new species, Gekko kaiyai sp. nov. The discovery of this species implies that there are now 87 identified species in the genus Gekko, 22 of which can be found within China.

[Herpetology • 2023] Pseudopaludicola javae • A New Species of Pseudopaludicola Miranda-Ribeiro, 1926 (Anura: Leptodactylidae) from Tocantins State, Brazil

Pseudopaludicola javae

Silva, Andrade, Neto, Dantas, Haga & Garda, 2023

DOI: 10.1670/22-062 

 Researchgate.net/publication/376371785

Abstract

The number of described species of Pseudopaludicola has increased at unprecedented rates over the past two decades. This increase was mainly driven by the sampling effort in regions historically neglected and the use of evidence from bioacoustic, genetic, and morphological datasets combined. Here, we describe a new species of Pseudopaludicola from a transitional zone between Amazonia and Cerrado in western Tocantins State as revealed through morphological, molecular, and bioacoustic analysis. Pseudopaludicola javae sp. nov. is distinguished from its congeners by its small size; knobbed terminal phalanges; smooth upper eyelids and heel; relatively short hind limbs; smooth, whitish, and subgular inflated vocal sac with few melanophores around the jaw; and advertisement call composed of an irregular series of multipulsed notes with 10–17 nonconcatenated pulses separated by intervals of 3–55 ms, emitted at a rate of 27–51 pulses/sec. The new species occurs in four Tocantins municipalities, all in the Araguaia–Tocantins interfluve. We also provide the first records of Pseudopaludicola jazmynmcdonaldae outside the type locality (Caseara Municipality, Tocantins State), extending its distribution nearly 245 km southward from Caseara. Pseudopaludicola javae sp. nov. is the second species of Pseudopaludicola described recently from western Tocantins.

 Variation in life of Pseudopaludicola javae sp. nov.
(A) Male CHUFPB31055 (SVL = 13.8), (B) holotype male CHUFPB31044 (SVL = 15.1), (C) male CHUFPB31056 (SVL = 13.2), (D) unvouchered male,
(E) male CHUFPB31043 (SVL = 14.3), (F) male CHUFPB31059 (SVL = 15.4), (G) male CHUFPB31062 (SVL = 14.0), and (H) female CHUFPB31042 (SVL = 14.8).

Specimens A, D, and E are from Lagoa da Confusã o; the remaining specimens are from Marianópolis Municipality, all Tocantins State.

Pseudopaludicola javae sp. nov.

Etymology.—The Javaé are an ethnic group that has been historically present in the regions surrounding the middle Araguaia River, primarily on the world’s largest fluvial island, Bananal Island. This island is flanked on its west side by the Araguaia River and to the east by the Javaés River, which is an anabranch of the Araguaia, also known as ‘‘Braço Menor do Araguaia.’’ Besides the Javaé, Bananal Island is also home to two other indigenous groups, as follows: Karaja ́ and Xambioa ́ . The Javaé people refer to themselves as Iñy, meaning ‘‘human being.’’More than 10 Javaé villages are present on Bananal Island, and the closest village to the type locality is ‘‘Boto Velho’’ village (Inãwébohona in the Iñy language), about 100 km away. Thus, the specific name is in recognition of this singular Brazilian ethnic group that historically occupied the region where the new speciesis found.

 

Leandro Alves Silva, Felipe Silva De Andrade, Ennio Painkow Neto, Silionamã Pereira Dantas, Isabelle Aquemi Haga and Adrian Antonio Garda. 2023. A New Species of Pseudopaludicola Miranda-Ribeiro, 1926 (Anura, Leptodactylidae) from Tocantins State, Brazil. J. of Herpetology. 57(3):297-314. DOI: 10.1670/22-062 

 Researchgate.net/publication/376371785_A_New_Species_of_Pseudopaludicola_from_Tocantins_State_Brazil

O número de espécies de Pseudopaludicola descritas cresceu a taxas sem precedentes nas últimas duas décadas. Esse aumento foi impulsionado principalmente pelo esforço de amostragem em regiões historicamente negligenciadas e pelo uso de evidências bioacústicas, genéticas e morfológicas. Nós descrevemos uma nova espécie de Pseudopaludicola de uma zona de transição entre a Amazônia e o Cerrado no oeste do estado do Tocantins revelada através de análises morfológicas, moleculares e bioacústicas. Pseudopaludicola javae sp. nov. é diagnosticada de seus congêneres por seu pequeno tamanho, falanges terminais simples, pálpebras superiores e calcanhar lisos, membros posteriores relativamente curtos, saco vocal subgular, liso e esbranquiçado quando inflado com poucos melanóforos ao redor da mandíbula, e canto de anúncio composto por séries irregulares de notas com 10–17 pulsos não concatenados separados por intervalos de 3–55 ms, emitidos a uma taxa de 27–51 pulsos/s. A nova espécie ocorre em quatro municípios do Tocantins, todos no interflúvio Araguaia-Tocantins. Também fornecemos aqui os primeiros registros de P. jazmynmcdonaldae fora da localidade tipo (município de Caseara, estado do Tocantins), estendendo sua distribuição em cerca de 245 km em linha reta ao sul de Caseara. Pseudopaludicola javae sp. nov. é a segunda espécie de Pseudopaludicola descrita para o oeste do Tocantins nos últimos anos.

[Herpetology • 2022] Chiasmocleis jacki • A New Chiasmocleis (Anura: Microhylidae) from the eastern Guiana Shield with an amended definition of C. haddadi

 

Chiasmocleis jacki

 Fouquet, Rodrigues & Peloso, 2022

DOI: 10.11646/zootaxa.5200.1.1

 Researchgate.net/publication/364754838

Abstract

The existence of an unnamed (candidate) species from French Guiana and the state of Amapá (Brazil) closely related to Chiasmocleis haddadi has been hypothesized in previous DNA-based studies. With an integrative use of genetic, morphological and acoustic data we confirm that these populations are indeed distinct from C. haddadi and all other known congeners. We herein describe and name this new species, and amend the definition of C. haddadi since the type-series and its original diagnosis included specimens of the new species. Geographically, the new species occurs eastward of its sister species C. haddadi from which it can be distinguished by having a larger body, a proportionally smaller eye and a distinct dorsal colouration. We suspect that the new species breeds in the leaf litter and that tadpoles undergo endotrophic development whereas co-occurring C. haddadi and C. hudsoni lay clutches in the leaf litter nearby standing water of temporary ponds where exotrophic tadpoles complete their development. This new species is a new addition to the already long list of animals being endemic to the easternmost part of the Guiana Shield, a region identified as a singular bioregion within Amazonia by previous research.

Key words: acoustics, Amazonia, Amphibia, DNA, morphology, Neotropics, taxonomy

Comparison of living specimens of the three species of the Chiasmocleis hudsoni clade occurring in the Guiana Shield (left: C. jacki sp. nov.; middle: C. haddadi; right: C. hudsoni).

Antoine Fouquet, Miguel T. Rodrigues and Pedro Peloso. 2022. A New Chiasmocleis (Anura: Microhylidae) from the eastern Guiana Shield with an amended definition of C. haddadi Peloso, Sturaro, Forlani, Gaucher, Motta, & Wheeler, 2014. Zootaxa. 5200(1); 1-23. DOI: 10.11646/zootaxa.5200.1.1

 Researchgate.net/publication/364754838_A_new_Chiasmocleis_from_the_eastern_Guiana_Shield_with_an_amended_definition_of_C_haddadi

https://zenodo.org/record/7251958 

 www.faune-guyane.fr/index.php?m_id=1164&a=573#FN573

[Ornithology • 2024] When colors Mislead: Genomics and Bioacoustics prompt re-classification of Asian Flycatcher Radiation (Aves: Muscicapidae: Niltavinae)

in Garg, Gwee, Chattopadhyay, Ng, Prawiradilaga, David, ... et Rheindt, 2024. 

 DOI: 10.1016/j.ympev.2023.107999

 

Highlights

• Current classification of birds in the flycatcher subfamily Niltavinae based on plumage is misleading.

• Bioacoustics along with genome-wide data provide an accurate picture of diversification in this subfamily.

• Bird song can also be used to differentiate at the level of the genus.

• Extensive taxonomic revision of the flycatcher subfamily Niltavinae.

Abstract

Traditional classification of many animals, including birds, has been highly dependent on external morphological characters like plumage coloration. However, both bioacoustics and genetic or genomic data have revolutionized our understanding of the relationships of certain lineages and led to sweeping taxonomic re-organizations. In this study, we present a case of erroneous delimitation of genus boundaries in the species-rich flycatcher subfamily Niltavinae. Genera within this subfamily have historically been delineated based on blue versus brown male body plumage until recent studies based on a few mitochondrial and nuclear loci unearthed several cases of generic misclassification. Here we use extensive bioacoustic data from 43 species and genomic data from 28 species for a fundamental reclassification of species in the Niltavinae. Our study reveals that song is an important trait to classify these birds even at the genus level, whereas plumage traits exhibit ample convergence and have led to numerous historic misattributions. Our taxonomic re-organization leads to new biogeographic limits of major genera, such that the genus Cyornis now only extends as far east as the islands of Sulawesi, Sula, and Banggai, whereas Eumyias is redefined to extend far beyond Wallace’s Line to the islands of Seram and Timor. Our conclusions advise against an over-reliance on morphological traits and underscore the importance of integrative datasets.

Keywords: Niltavinae, bioacoustics, genome-wide data, taxonomic re-organization

Kritika M. Garg, Chyi Yin Gwee, Balaji Chattopadhyay, Nathaniel S. Ng, Dewi M. Prawiradilaga, Gabriel David, Jérôme Fuchs, Hung Le Manh, Jonathan Martinez, Urban Olsson, Vuong Tan Tu, Sophea Chhin, Per Alström, Fumin Lei and Frank E. Rheindt. 2024. When colors Mislead: Genomics and Bioacoustics prompt re-classification of Asian Flycatcher Radiation (Aves: Niltavinae). Molecular Phylogenetics and Evolution. In Press, 107999.  DOI: 10.1016/j.ympev.2023.107999

[Botany • 2024] Agapetes rhuichengiana (Ericaceae) • A New Species from Southeast Xizang, China

Agapetes rhuichengiana Bin Yang & Y.H.Tan, 

in Yang, Li, P.-Y. Wang, B.-M. Wang, Zuo et Tan, 2023.

瑞征树萝卜 ||  taiwania.NTU.edu.tw/abstract/1971

Abstract

Agapetes rhuichengiana Bin Yang & Y.H.Tan (Ericaceae) is described and illustrated as a new species from Southeast Xizang, China. It is morphologically similar to A. huangiana Bin Yang, Y.H.Tan & Y.H.Tong, but differs in having flowers densely covered with white to light yellowish brown villi, shorter stamens, and fruits that are smaller, depressed subglobose, and villous and verrucose.

Keyword: Agapetes huangiana, Floristic exploration, Graciles, Mêdog, Taxonomy, Vaccinieae

Agapetes rhuichengiana Bin Yang & Y.H.Tan.
A. habit; B. tubers; C-D. flowering branches; E. part of flowering branch, showing the flower (upward view); F. flower (side view); G. fruit (side view); H. fruit (upward view);
 I. dissection of flower (I1. flower with corolla and stamens removed; I2. corolla; I3. stamens; I4. longitudinal dissection of a flower; I5. calyx limb and disc; I6. cross-section of ovary).

(Photographed by B. Yang).

Agapetes rhuichengiana Bin Yang & Y.H.Tan, sp. nov.

Diagnosis: Agapetes rhuichengiana is morphologically similar to A. huangiana in having spirally alternate small, ovate leaves and branchlets, densely covered with spreading setae. A. rhuichengiana, however, can be clearly distinguished from A. huangiana by its sparsely puberulent corolla with dense white to light yellowish brown villi along the ridges (vs. densely white puberulent), shorter stamens (7.0–7.5 mm vs. 10.0– 10.5 mm), depressed subglobose (vs. globose) berry, ca. 8 mm (vs. 12–13 mm) in diam. in vivo, villous and verrucose (vs. densely white puberulent) (Table 1, Fig. S1).

Etymology: The specific epithet is named in honor of Prof. Rhui-Cheng Fang from the Kunming Institute of Botany, who made significant contributions to the flora of Ericaceae in China.

 Chinese name: 瑞征树萝卜(Rui Zheng Shu Luo Bo).  

Agapetes rhuichengiana Bin Yang & Y.H.Tan (A-C),
and Agapetes huangiana Bin Yang, Y.H.Tan & Y.H.Tong (D-F).
A & D. part of flowering branch; B & E. flower; C & F. mature berries.

(Photographed by B. Yang).

Bin Yang, Meng-Kai Li, Ping-Yuan Wang, Bing-Mou Wang, Yun-Juan Zuo and Yun-Hong Tan. 2023. Agapetes rhuichengiana (Ericaceae), A New Species from Southeast Xizang, China. Taiwania. 69(1); 16-19. DOI: 10.6165/tai.2024.69.16

 taiwania.NTU.edu.tw/abstract/1971

[Mollusca • 2023] Xenassiminea nana • A New Genus and Species of the Assimineidae (Caenogastropoda: Truncatelloidea) from temperate mainland Japan

Xenassiminea nana 

Fukuda, 2023

DOI: 10.1080/13235818.2023.2278070 

 

ABSTRACT

Xenassiminea nana n. gen. and n. sp. is described from estuaries of temperate mainland Japan (central to western Honshū, Shikoku and Kyūshū). This species has a minute, colourless, translucent, depressed and helicoid shell and resembles some so-called skeneimorphs. However, the anatomical characters of the head–foot, radula and reproductive system indicate that this species belongs to the Assimineidae, in spite of the dissimilarity in shell features. The presence of basal cusps of the central radular teeth and the extremely rudimentary cephalic tentacles indicate that it should be assigned to the subfamily Assimineinae. The shell size (0.8 mm in length, 1.1 mm in diameter) is the smallest among known assimineids. It lives beneath stones deeply buried in sandy mud flats at the innermost parts of large bays and can be regarded as threatened by the rapid loss of these habitats in recent years.

KEYWORDS: Anatomy, conservation, description, estuary, new species, salt marsh, taxonomy, tidal flats, vulnerable species, Xenassiminea nana

Xenassiminea nana a novel, rare, molluscan species with a translucent, spiral shell, discovered in mainland Japan.

 Hiroshi Fukuda. 2023. A New Genus and Species of the Assimineidae (Caenogastropoda: Truncatelloidea) from temperate mainland Japan. Molluscan Research. DOI: 10.1080/13235818.2023.2278070

福田　宏：日本本土温帯域産カワザンショウ科（新生腹足類：クビキレガイ上科）の新属新種

和文摘要: 本州中〜西部・四国・九州の河口域から Xenassiminea nana n. gen. and n. sp. カハタレカワザンショウを記載する。この種の殻は微小・無色半透明・螺塔低平な蝸牛形でいわゆるシタダミ様を呈するが, 頭部−腹足・歯舌・生殖器などの解剖学的特徴はカワザンショウ科に属すことを示す。歯舌中歯に下歯尖を持ち, 頭触角が極端に短いことからカワザンショウ亜科の一員である。殻の大きさ（殻長0.8 mm, 殻径1.1 mm）はカワザンショウ科の全既知種中で最小である。大規模な内湾最奥部の砂泥干潟に深く埋もれた転石下に棲み, 近年は棲息環境の急速な消失によって危機に瀕していると見做される。

 

[Herpetology • 2023] Pristimantis koki, P. kopinangae & P. kalamandeenae • Exceptional Diversity of Pristimantis Landfrogs (Anura: Terraranae) on the Wokomung Massif, Guyana, with Descriptions of Three New Species

 a) Pristimantis koki, b) P. kopinangae,
c) P. kalamandeenae, d) P. dendrobatoides,
g) P. marmoratus, h) P. pulvinatus 

  

Means, Heinicke, Blair Hedges, Macculloch & Lathrop, 2023

DOI: 10.25225/jvb.23026 

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 Abstract

We describe three new species of landfrogs, genus Pristimantis, from near the summit of Mt. Kopinang, one of the several high points of the Wokomung Massif, a large horseshoe-shaped tepui (= mesa) in west-central Guyana. Pristimantis koki n. sp. is known from 1,067 to 1,525 m elevation. It is characterized by small-sized adults averaging 12.4 mm SVL (snout-vent length) in males and 18.4 mm in females; a pointed, depressed, elongated snout; lack of an obvious tympanum, vocal slit, or sac; and diagnostically black pigment prominently arranged around the anus fringed by light pigment. When handled, P. koki seems to emit volatile organic compounds and leaves a slightly numbing taste at the base of the human tongue. Pristimantis kopinangae n. sp. is known from three specimens collected at approx. 1,385 m elevation on the Wokomung Massif and two specimens from slightly higher in elevation on Mt. Ayanganna. About the size of most Pristimantis inhabiting the Guyana uplands and highlands (20-30 mm SVL), it is characterized by 2-3 light yellow inguinal flash-mark blotches, short broadly round snout, large eye with a blue iris, white skin of chin and areolate belly with dark brown vermiculations; and absence of a tympanum. Pristimantis kalamandeenae n. sp. is known from three specimens collected on the Wokomung Massif including an amplexing pair at approx. 1,550 m elevation. Similar in size to P. kopinangae, it is characterized by an acuminate snout, black iris, obvious tympanum, and uniform tan pigmentation dorsally after dark that becomes uniformly dark brown in daytime. Phylogenetic results show that P. koki and P. kopinangae are sister species and are members of a larger assemblage of related species endemic to the Pantepui Region within the P. unistrigatus species group. Pristimantis kalamandeenae is not closely related to these species, instead forming a clade with the P. lacrimosus species group. The three new species occur in sympatry with at least five other Pristimantis species on the Wokomung Massif, the greatest known Pristimantis species richness on a single tepui of the Guiana Shield.  

KEYWORDS: Brachycephaloidea, Craugastoridae, Pantepui, South America, Strabomantidae, systematics, tepui, volatile skin secretions

Exceptional diversity of Pristimantis (family Strabomantidae) on a single tepui;
 a) Pristimantis koki, b) Pristimantis kopinangae, c) Pristimantis kalamandeenae,
d) Pristimantis dendrobatoides, e) Pristimantis jester, f) Pristimantis saltissimus, g) Pristimantis marmoratus, h) Pristimantis pulvinatus, i) Ceuthomantis smaragdinus (family Ceuthomantidae) sympatric with all the above and similar in size and general appearance.

D. Bruce Means, Matthew P. Heinicke, S. Blair Hedges, Ross D. Macculloch and Amy Lathrop. 2023. Exceptional Diversity of Pristimantis Landfrogs (Anura: Terraranae) on the Wokomung Massif, Guyana, with Descriptions of Three New Species. Journal of Vertebrate Biology. 72(23026), 23026.1-26. DOI: 10.25225/jvb.23026  

 twitter.com/ivb_cas/status/1673974265685716994