Checklist of the helminth parasites of the genus Profundulus Hubbs, 1924 (Cyprinodontiformes,Profundulidae), an endemic family of freshwater fishes in Middle-America

From December 2012 to November 2014, 267 fish belonging to the family Profundulidae (representing nine of the 11 species of the genus Profundulus) were collected in 26 localities of Middle-America, across southern Mexico, Guatemala, and Honduras, comprising the distribution range of the genus, and analyzed for helminth parasites. Additionally, a database with all ten available published accounts of the helminth parasite fauna of this genus (the only genus within the family) was assembled. Based on both sources of information, a checklist containing all the records was compiled as a tool to address future questions in the areas of evolutionary biology, biogeography, ecology and phylogeography of this host-parasite association. The helminth parasite fauna of this fish group consists of 20 nominal species, classified in 17 genera and 14 families. It includes six species of adult digeneans, five metacercariae, two monogeneans, one adult cestode, three adult nematodes and three larval nematodes. The profundulid fishes are parasitized by a specialized group of helminth species (e.g. Paracreptotrema blancoi sensu Salgado-Maldonado et al. (2011b), Paracreptotrema profundulusi Salgado-Maldonado, Caspeta-Mandujano & Martínez Ramírez, 2011, Phyllodistomum spinopapillatum Pérez-Ponce de León, Pinacho-Pinacho, Mendoza-Garfias & García-Varela, 2015, Spinitectus humbertoi Mandujano-Caspeta & Moravec, 2000, Spinitectus mariaisabelae Caspeta-Mandujano Cabañas-Carranza & Salgado-Maldonado, 2007 and Rhabdochona salgadoi Mandujano-Caspeta & Moravec, 2000), representing the core helminth fauna that are not shared with other Middle-American fish species.     

Checklist of tortoise beetles (Coleoptera,Chrysomelidae, Cassidinae) from Colombia with new data and description of a new species

A new tortoise beetle species, Cyrtonota abrili, is described from the Antioquia and Caldas departments in Colombia. New faunistic data are provided for 87 species, including 16 new additions to the country’s fauna. A checklist of the known 238 species of tortoise beetles recorded from Colombia is given.     

First Alaskan records and a significant northern range extension for two species of Diplura (Diplura,Campodeidae)

Species in the class Diplura are recorded from Alaska for the first time. Two species, Tricampa rileyi Silvestri from Dall and Prince of Wales Islands in the Alexander Archipelago of Southeast Alaska and Metriocampa allocerca Conde & Geeraert from near Quartz Lake, southeast of Fairbanks, both in the family Campodeidae, are documented based on recently collected specimens deposited in the University of Alaska Museum Insect Collection. A brief review of the history of the documentation of the Alaskan soil microarthropod fauna is provided, as well as discussion of possible glacial refugia.     

A key to the genera and species of the transversely-dividing Flabellidae (Anthozoa,Scleractinia, Flabellidae), with a guide to the literature,and the description of two new species

The transversely-dividing flabellids consist of five genera (Truncatoflabellum, Placotrochides, Blastotrochus, Placotrochus, and Falcatoflabellum) and 45 species. A dichotomous key is provided for these five genera as well as the species of the genus Truncatoflabellum and Placotrochides, the other three genera being monotypic. A tabular key is also provided for the 38 species of Truncatoflabellum. Two new combinations are suggested (Truncatoflabellum gambierense and Truncatoflabellum sphenodeum) and two new species are described (Truncatoflabellum duncani and Truncatoflabellum mozambiquensis). All but one species are illustrated and accompanied by their known distribution and a guide to the pertinent literature for the species. New records of 19 of the 45 species are listed. The transversely-dividing flabellids range from the Middle Eocene to the Recent at depths of 2–3010 m, and constitute 60% of the 65 known extant species of transversely-dividing Scleractinia.     

Review of Canadian species of the genus Mocyta Mulsant & Rey (Coleoptera,Staphylinidae, Aleocharinae), with the description of a new species and a new synonymy

Six species of the genus Mocyta Mulsant & Rey are reported from Canada: Mocyta amblystegii (Brundin), Mocyta breviuscula (Mäklin), Mocyta discreta (Casey), Mocyta fungi (Gravenhorst), Mocyta luteola (Erichson), and Mocyta sphagnorum Klimaszewski & Webster, sp. n. New provincial and state records include: Mocyta breviuscula – Saskatchewan and Oregon; Mocyta discreta – Quebec, Ontario and Saskatchewan; Mocyta luteola – New Brunswick, Quebec, Ontario, Massachusetts and Minnesota; and Mocyta fungi – Saskatchewan. Mocyta sphagnorum is described from eastern Canada from specimens captured in Newfoundland, New Brunswick, Quebec and Ontario. Mocyta negligens Mulsant and Rey, a native European species suspected of occurring in Canada, is excluded from the Nearctic fauna based on comparison of European types with similarly coloured Canadian specimens, which are now identified as Mocyta luteola. The European species, Mocyta gilvicollis (Scheerpeltz), is synonymized with another European nominal species, Mocyta negligens, based on examination of type material of the two species. Lectotypes are designated for Eurypronota discreta Casey, Atheta gilvicollis Scheerpeltz, Homalota luteola Erichson, Colpodota negligens Mulsant and Rey, Acrotona prudens Casey and Dolosota redundans Casey. The latter species is here synonymized with Mocyta luteola. A review of the six Nearctic species is provided, including keys to species and closely related genera, colour habitus images, images of genitalia, biological information and maps of their distributions in Canada.     

Alpha taxonomy of the genus Kessleria Nowicki, 1864, revisited in light of DNA-barcoding (Lepidoptera,Yponomeutidae)

The taxonomy of Kessleria, a highly specialized montane genus of Yponomeutidae with larval host restriction to Saxifragaceae and Celastraceae (Saxifraga spp. – subgenus Kessleria; Saxifraga spp. and Parnassia spp. – subgenus Hofmannia), is revised based on external morphology, genitalia and DNA barcodes. An integrative taxonomic approach supports the existence of 29 species in Europe (the two known species from Asia and North America are not treated herein). A full 658 bp fragment of COI was obtained from 135 specimens representing 24 species, a further seven sequences are >560 bp. Five new species are described: Kessleria cottiensis sp. n. (Prov. Torino, Italy; Dep. Hautes Alpes, France), Kessleria dimorpha sp. n. (Dep. Alpes-de-Haute-Provence, France), Kessleria alpmaritimae sp. n. (Dep. Alpes-Maritimes, France), Kessleria apenninica sp. n. (Prov. Rieti, Prov. L´Aquila, Italy), and Kessleria orobiae sp. n. (Prov. Bergamo, Italy).     

The oribatid mite subgenus Galumna (Galumna) (Acari,Oribatida, Galumnidae) in the Philippines

Five species of the subgenus Galumna (Galumna) (Acari, Oribatida, Galumnidae) are registered in the Philippine oribatid mite fauna. A new species, Galumna (Galumna) makilingensis sp. n., is described; it is most similar morphologically to Galumna (Galumna) tokyoensis Aoki, 1966, but differs from the latter by the morphology of porose areas Aa and Ap, rostral setae, and length of interlamellar setae. Three species, Galumna (Galumna) crenata Deb & Raychaudhuri, 1975, Galumna (Galumna) cf. exigua Sellnick, 1925 and Galumna (Galumna) khoii Mahunka, 1989, are recorded in the Philippines for the first time. The species Galumna (Galumna) crenata is redescribed. An identification key to the Philippine species of Galumna (Galumna) is given.     

A remarkable new species of Alloscorpiops Vachon, 1980 from a cave in Vietnam (Scorpiones,Euscorpiidae, Scorpiopinae)

Among the genera of the subfamily Scorpiopinae Kraepelin, 1905 Alloscorpiops remains rather discrete. Only recently new species were added to this genus, increasing its number from two to five. Therefore, species of Alloscorpiops remain rare. One remarkable new species, Alloscorpiops troglodytes sp. n., is described on the basis of a single male specimen collected inside a cave from Song Thanh Nature Reserve, Cha Vanh Commune, Nam Giang District in Vietnam. The new species presents most features exhibited by scorpions of the genus Alloscorpiops, but it is characterized by reduced size, slender body and elongated pedipalps. This new scorpion taxon represents the third species of Scorpiopinae discovered in a cave system, and may be another endemic element in the fauna of Vietnam.     

Checklist of the infraorder Tipulomorpha (Trichoceridae,Tipuloidea) (Diptera) of Finland

A checklist of the infraorder Tipulomorpha: families Trichoceridae, Pediciidae, Limoniidae, Cylindrotomidae and Tipulidae (Diptera) recorded from Finland.     

Taxonomic revision of Aegista subchinensis (M?llendorff, 1884) (Stylommatophora,Bradybaenidae) and a description of a new species of Aegista from eastern Taiwan based on multilocus phylogeny and comparative morphology

Aegista subchinensis (Möllendorff, 1884) is a widely distributed land snail species with morphological variation and endemic to Taiwan. Three genetic markers (partial sequence of the mitochondrial cytochrome c oxidase subunit I [COI], the 16S rDNA and the nuclear internal transcribed spacer 2 [ITS2]) were analysed to infer phylogenetic relationships and genetic divergence of closely related species of the genus Aegista, Aegista vermis (Reeve, 1852) and Aegista oculus (Pfeiffer, 1850). A new species from Aegista subchinensis has been recognized on the basis of phylogenetic and morphological evidences. The nominal new species, Aegista diversifamilia sp. n. is distinguished from Aegista subchinensis (Möllendorff, 1884) by its larger shell size, aperture and apex angle; wider umbilicus and flatter shell shape. The northernmost distribution of Aegista diversifamilia sp. n. is limited by the Lanyang River, which is presumed to mark the geographic barrier between Aegista diversifamilia sp. n. and Aegista subchinensis.     

A remarkable new genus and a new species of chewing louse (Phthiraptera,Ischnocera, Philopteridae) from Brazil

A new genus of chewing louse as Bobdalgleishia, and its type species Bobdalgleishia stephanophallus sp. n. (Phthiraptera) belonging to the Brueelia-complex (Ischnocera: Philopteridae) are described. Adults of the new species are fully described, illustrated and compared morphologically with the type species of Motmotnirmus Mey & Barker, 2014, which is its closest relative. The type host of Bobdalgleishia stephanophallus is a subspecies of the great jacamar Jacamerops aureus ridgwayi Todd, 1943, an endemic Amazonian bird distributed in northern Brazil, and the type locality is the State of Pará. Bobdalgleishia is a remarkable genus with unique morphological and chaetotaxic characters which readily separate it from other members of the Brueelia-complex, in particular by having the first two marginal temporal and ocular setae very long.     

Description of two new Ecuadorian Zilchistrophia Weyrauch, 1960, with the clarification of the systematic position of the genus based on anatomical data (Gastropoda,Stylommatophora, Scolodontidae)

Two new species of the genus Zilchistrophia Weyrauch, 1960 are described from Eastern Ecuadorian rain forest: Zilchistrophia hilaryae sp. n. and Zilchistrophia shiwiarorum sp. n. These two new species extend the distribution of the genus considerably northwards, because congeners have been reported from Peru only. For the first time we present anatomical data (radula, buccal mass, morphology of the foot and the genital structure) of Zilchistrophia species. According to these, the genus belongs to the family Scolodontidae, subfamily Scolodontinae (=“Systrophiini”). The previously assumed systematic relationship of Zilchistrophia with the Asian Corillidae and Plectopylidae based on the similarly looking palatal plicae is not supported.     

The terrestrial Isopoda (Crustacea,Oniscidea) of Rapa Nui (Easter Island), with descriptions of two new species

Nine species of terrestrial isopods are reported for the Polynesian island of Rapa Nui (Easter Island) based upon museum materials and recent collections from field sampling. Most of these animals are non-native species, but two are new to science: Styloniscus manuvaka sp. n. and Hawaiioscia rapui sp. n. Of these, the former is believed to be a Polynesian endemic as it has been recorded from Rapa Iti, Austral Islands, while the latter is identified as a Rapa Nui island endemic. Both of these new species are considered ‘disturbance relicts’ and appear restricted to the cave environment on Rapa Nui. A short key to all the oniscidean species presently recorded from Rapa Nui is provided. We also offered conservation and management recommendations for the two new isopod species.     

Chaerilus pseudoconchiformus sp. n. and an updated key of the chaerilid scorpions from China (Scorpiones,Chaerilidae)

A new species, Chaerilus pseudoconchiformus sp. n., is described from Xizang, China. The present new species is distinguished from its congeners by a body length of 32−40 mm, carapace with the anterior margin straight, chela with length/width ratio average of 3.3 in males (3.2−3.4, two adults), and 2.5 in females (2.3−2.6, nine adults), eight or nine (eight usually) rows of denticles on fixed and movable fingers of pedipalp chelae, five pectinal teeth in males and three or four in females. To date, the chaerilid species fauna of China consists of nine species. An updated identification key to Chaerilus from China is presented.     

Seven new hypselostomatid species from China,including some of the world’s smallest land snails (Gastropoda,Pulmonata, Orthurethra)

Seven new species of Hypselostomatidae are described from the Chinese province Guangxi: Angustopila dominikae Páll-Gergely & Hunyadi, sp. n., Angustopila fabella Páll-Gergely & Hunyadi, sp. n., Angustopila subelevata Páll-Gergely & Hunyadi, sp. n., Angustopila szekeresi Páll-Gergely & Hunyadi, sp. n., Hypselostoma socialis Páll-Gergely & Hunyadi, sp. n., Hypselostoma lacrima Páll-Gergely & Hunyadi, sp. n. and Krobylos sinensis Páll-Gergely & Hunyadi, sp. n. The latter species is reported from three localities. All other new species are known only from the type locality. Specimens nearly identical to the type specimens of Angustopila huoyani Jochum, Slapnik & Páll-Gergely, 2014 were found in a cave in northern Guangxi, 500 km from the type locality. Adult individuals of Angustopila subelevata sp. n. (shell height = 0.83–0.91 mm, mean = 0.87 mm) and Angustopila dominikae sp. n. (shell height of the holotype = 0.86 mm) represent the smallest known members of the Hypselostomatidae, and thus are amongst the smallest land snails ever reported. We note that Pyramidula laosensis Saurin, 1953 might also belong to Krobylos. Paraboysidia neglecta van Benthem Jutting, 1961, which was previously included in Angustopila, is classified in Hypselostoma.     

A new quadrannulate species of Orobdella (Hirudinida,Arhynchobdellida, Orobdellidae) from central Honshu,Japan

A new quadrannulate species of Orobdella, Orobdella masaakikuroiwai sp. n., from the mountainous region of central Honshu, Japan is described. This is only the second small species known within this genus, with a body length of less than 4 cm for mature individuals. Phylogenetic analyses using nuclear 18S rDNA and histone H3 as well as mitochondrial COI, tRNA^Cys, tRNA^Met, 12S, tRNA^Val, 16S, and ND1 markers showed that Orobdella masaakikuroiwai sp. n. is the sister species of the quadrannulate Orobdella whitmani Oka, 1895. Phylogenetic relationships within Orobdella masaakikuroiwai sp. n. conducted using mitochondrial markers reveled a distinction between eastern and western phylogroups.     

Review of the millipede genus Eutrichodesmus Silvestri, 1910, in China,with descriptions of new cavernicolous species (Diplopoda,Polydesmida, Haplodesmidae)

The Eutrichodesmus fauna of mainland China, by far the largest genus in the Indo-Australian family Haplodesmidae, is reviewed and shown to encompass 23 species (of a total of 45), all keyed. The following nine new species, all presumed troglobites, are described: Eutrichodesmus triangularis sp. n., from Sichuan, Eutrichodesmus lipsae sp. n., from Guangxi, Eutrichodesmus tenuis sp. n., Eutrichodesmus trontelji sp. n., Eutrichodesmus latellai sp. n., Eutrichodesmus obliteratus sp. n. and Eutrichodesmus troglobius sp. n., all from Guizhou, Eutrichodesmus sketi sp. n., from Hunan, and Eutrichodesmus apicalis sp. n., from Hubei.     

The integripennis species group of Geocharidius Jeannel, 1963 (Carabidae,Bembidiini, Anillina) from Nuclear Central America: a taxonomic review with notes about biogeography and speciation

Our review recognizes 15 species of the integripennis species group of Geocharidius from Nuclear Central America, include three species previously described (Geocharidius gimlii Erwin, Geocharidius integripennis (Bates) and Geocharidius zullinii Vigna Taglianti) and 12 described here as new. They are: Geocharidius andersoni sp. n. (type locality: Chiapas, Chiapas Highlands, Cerro Huitepec) and Geocharidius vignatagliantii sp. n. (type locality: Chiapas, Motozintla, Sierra Madre de Chiapas, Benito Juárez) from Mexico; Geocharidius antigua sp. n. (type locality: Sacatepéquez, 5 km SE of Antigua), Geocharidius balini sp. n. (type locality: Suchitepéquez, 4 km S of Volcan Atitlán), Geocharidius erwini sp. n. (type locality: Quiché Department, 7 km NE of Los Encuentros), Geocharidius jalapensis sp. n. (type locality: Jalapa Department, 4 km E of Mataquescuintla), Geocharidius longinoi, sp. n. (type locality: El Progreso Department, Cerro Pinalón), and Geocharidius minimus sp. n. (type locality: Sacatepéquez Department, 5 km SE of Antigua) from Guatemala; and Geocharidius celaquensis sp. n. (type locality: Lempira Department, Celaque National Park), Geocharidius comayaguanus sp. n. (type locality: Comayagua Department, 18 km ENE of Comayagua), Geocharidius disjunctus sp. n. (type locality: Francisco Morazán, La Tigra National Park), and Geocharidius lencanus sp. n. (type locality: Lempira Department, Celaque National Park) from Honduras. For all members of the group, adult structural characters, including male and female genitalia, are described, and a taxonomic key for all members of the integripennis species group is presented based on these characters. Behavioral and biogeographical aspects of speciation in the group are discussed, based on the morphological analysis. In all cases of sympatry, pairs of closely related species show greater differences in sizes than pairs of more remotely related species. Integripennis group species occupy six different montane areas at elevations above 1300m, with no species shared among them. Major faunal barriers in the region limiting present species distributions include the Motagua Fault Zone and a gap between the Guatemalan Cordillera volcanic chain and the Honduran Interior Highlands no higher than 900m in elevation. Highest species diversity is in the Guatematan Cordillera (six species), second highest in the Honduran Interior Highlands area (four species).