Sinharaja gen. n., a new Uropodina mite genus from Sri Lanka with description of two new species (Acari: Mesostigmata: Uropodidae)

A new Uropodina genus (Sinharaja gen. n.) is described on the basis of two new species (S. ceylonensis sp. n. and S. sinhala sp. n.) from Sri Lanka. The new genus differs by the strongly sclerotised dorsal lines, pentagonal pygidial shield, the shape and length of dorsal setae and the shape of first and fourth hypstomal setae, internal malae and epistome from the other known Uropodina genera.     

Kroswia,a new genus in the Pannariaceae (lichenized ascomycetes)

Abstract:A characteristic, sterile lichen genus with homoiomerous thallus containing terpenoids is described, with one subtropical species, Kroswia crystalliferum sp. nov., occurring scattered in Africa from Kenya south to the Cape, southern India (with Sri Lanka) and Taiwan. Another temperate species, Kroswia gemmascens (Nyl.) comb. nov., is restricted to Eastern Asia. In spite of its gelatinous, homoiomerous thallus, the genus appears to belong to thePannariaceae .     

The Cladocera of Sri Lanka (Ceylon), with remarks on some species

The freshwater Cladocera of Sri Lanka has been revised based on the study of over 700 zooplankton samples collected from all habitat types during 1965–1980. The cladoceran fauna is represented by six families; members of the families Polyphemidae, Leptodoridae and Holopedidae are absent. The common temperate genus Daphnia is rare.Sixty-two species have been recorded from Sri Lanka. Of these, five are new records. Remarks on a few species are given with illustrations. The distribution of Cladocera in different types of habitats is discussed. The greatest species diversity was found in ponds. The Sri Lankan fauna is numerically and in species diversity typical of tropical cladoceran fauna. It resembles the southern Indian fauna very closely except for the absence in Sri Lanka of the genera Acroperus and Camptocercus.     

Three new species of the genus <Emphasis Type="Italic">Pterophorus</Emphasis> Schäffer (Lepidoptera,Pterophoridae) from the Indo-Malayan Region

Three new species of the plume-moth genus Pterophorus Schäffer, 1766 (Lepidoptera, Pterophoridae) are described from the Indo-Malayan Region: Pterophorus vikhrevi sp. n. from Malaysia (Sabah Island), P. ceylonicus sp. n. from the Republic of Sri Lanka, and P. laocaiensis sp. n. from Vietnam. A list of all the species of this genus known for these countries is given.     

Genus-level phylogeny of snakes reveals the origins of species richness in Sri Lanka

Snake diversity in the island of Sri Lanka is extremely high, hosting at least 89 inland (i.e., non-marine) snake species, of which at least 49 are endemic. This includes the endemic genera Aspidura, Balanophis, Cercaspis, Haplocercus, and Pseudotyphlops, which are of uncertain phylogenetic affinity. We present phylogenetic evidence from nuclear and mitochondrial loci showing the relationships of 40 snake species from Sri Lanka (22 endemics) to the remaining global snake fauna. To determine the phylogenetic placement of these species, we create a molecular dataset containing 10 genes for all global snake genera, while also sampling all available species for genera with endemic species occurring in Sri Lanka. Our sampling comprises five mitochondrial genes (12S, 16S, cyt-b, ND2, and ND4) and five nuclear genes (BDNF, c-mos, NT3 RAG-1, and RAG-2), for a total of up to 9582 bp per taxon. We find that the five endemic genera represent portions of four independent colonizations of Sri Lanka, with Cercaspis nested within Colubrinae, Balanophis in Natricinae, Pseudotyphlops in Uropeltidae, and that Aspidura + Haplocercus represents a distinct, ancient lineage within Natricinae. We synonymize two endemic genera that render other genera paraphyletic (Haplocercus with Aspidura, and Cercaspis with Lycodon), and discover that further endemic radiations may be present on the island, including a new taxon from the blindsnake family Typhlopidae, suggesting a large endemic radiation. Despite its small size relative to other islands such as New Guinea, Borneo, and Madagascar, Sri Lanka has one of the most phylogenetically diverse island snake faunas in the world, and more research is needed to characterize the island’s biodiversity, with numerous undescribed species in multiple lineages.     

中国东洋区新纪录裸中足摇蚊属及一新种记述（双翅目：摇蚊科）

记述中国东洋区摇蚊科新纪录属——裸中足摇蚊属,并对新种萨特裸中足摇蚊Psilometriocnemus s?theri sp.nov.的雄成虫进行了描述和绘图;该新种主要特征为肛尖发达,下腹器和亚端背脊退化。文中还修订了该属属征,提供了世界该属雄成虫分种检索表。     

锤角细蜂亚科中国一新纪录属及一新种记述（膜翅目：锤角细蜂科）

记述锤角细蜂科中国及东洋区1新纪录属:扁锤角细蜂属Pentapria Kieffer,1905,并描述采自云南的1新种:中华扁锤角细蜂Pentapria sinica sp.nov.。提供了形态描述、特征图以及新种与分布于古北区相似种类的鉴别检索表。模式标本保存于华南农业大学膜翅目标本室(SCAU)。     

TAXONOMICAL STUDIES ON ARGIDAE (HYMENOPTERA) OF CHINA— A NEW GENUS AND FIVE NEW SPECIES OF STERIC-TIPHORINAE*

Abstract A key is given for the known Palaearctic and Oriental genera of the family Argidae including a new genus from China. Ortasiceros gen. nov. with five new species, O. nigriceps sp. nov., O. zhengi sp. nov., O. breoicornis sp. nov., O. curvata sp. nov. and O. elevata sp. nov. are described and figured. A new tribe, Ortasicerini trib. nov., is erected for the new genus and Copidocerus Forsius 1921. The type specimens are deposited in the Insect Collection of Central South Forestry University, Zhuzhou, China.     

A revision of the Early Carnian Trachyceratidae (Ammonoidea) of Northeastern Asia

Major morphological features of the shell are studied, and new trachyceratid genera, Boreotrachyceras gen. nov. with the type species B. omkutchanicum (Bytschkov) and Okhototrachyceras gen. nov. with the type species O. seimkanense (Bytschkov), are established based on material from the Lower Carnian of the Omolon Massif and Northern Okhotsk Region. The first record of the genus Trachyceras in the Boreal Realm allows the correlation of the omkutchanicum Zone of Northeastern Asia with the standard aon Zone.     

斯里兰卡直角步甲属三新种及一新纪录种(鞘翅目,步甲总科,直角步甲族)

描述了斯里兰卡步甲总科直角步甲属3新种：斯直角步甲O．srilankaicus sp．nov．,贝氏直角步甲O．batesi sp．nov．和卵形直角步甲O．ovatulus sp．nov．。股直角步甲O．femoralis Chaudoir为斯里兰卡新纪录种。     

The historical biogeography of Apsilochorema (Trichoptera,Hydrobiosidae) revised,following molecular studies

The genus Apsilochorema Ulmer, 1907 is unique in the family Hydrobiosidae Ulmer, being widely distributed in the Palaearctic, Oriental and Australian Regions. All other 49 genera in the family, except the New World Atopsyche Banks, 1905, are confined to a single biogeographical Region. This unique distribution has independently stimulated researchers to formulate competing hypotheses about the biogeographical history of the genus. Molecular sequence data from mitochondrial cytochrome oxidase I (COI) and nuclear cadherin (CAD) genes of Apsilochorema species from the Oriental and Australian areas were analysed phylogenetically. The results retain a monophyletic Apsilochorema, which forms the sistergroup to the other genera in the subfamily Apsilochorematinae. The results from the biogeographical analyses dispute the earlier assumptions of an Oriental or northern Gondwana origin for the genus, revealing unambiguously an initial Australian radiation of the ancestral Apsilochorema with a subsequent dispersal into the Oriental Region. All but one of the Apsilochorema species occurring on the Pacific islands had an Oriental ancestor. The exception is the sistergroup to the New Caledonian species, which is found in both Australia and Oriental Regions. The molecular dating analysis, using a relaxed clock model, indicates that the genus Apsilochorema is about 36.4 MY old and that it dispersed from Australia into the Oriental Region about 28.3 Ma. It also gives an estimate of the approximate ages of the dispersals into New Caledonia to about 15.3 Ma; to the Solomon Islands at about 16.2 Ma; to the Fiji Islands at about 16.1 Ma; and to the Vanuatu Islands at about 5.4 Ma.     

First record of the genus Leluthia Cameron, 1887 (Hymenoptera: Braconidae,Doryctinae) in the Oriental region with description of two new species from India

The genus Leluthia Cameron, 1887 is recorded for the first time from the Oriental region. Two new species, Leluthia (Euhecabolodes) areola Ranjith et Belokobylskij, sp. nov. and L.(E.) indica Belokobylskij et Ranjith, sp. nov. are described and illustrated from the Indian states Kerala and Goa, respectively. The new species are most similar to the Western Palaearctic Hecabolus hungaricus (Szépligeti, 1900), which is reinstated from its synonymy with Polystenus and transferred to the genus Leluthia Cameron (stat. resurr. and comb. nov.).     

The brachiopod family Linoproductidae stehli from the lower Moscovian of the Middle Carboniferous of the Moscow Region

The phylogeny and taxonomy of the brachiopod family Linoproductidae are revised. The change in the distributional pattern of spines and distinctive structure of the median lobe of the cardinal process are shown to be the main apomorphies in the family evolution. A new subfamily, Linispininae, and the included new genera, Linispinella and Linispinus, are described. In the nominotypical subfamily Linoproductinae, a new genus Linoproductoides and two new species included in this genus are described from the Vereiskian deposits of the Moscow Region. The new species Linispinus riparius (Trautschold), L. longus sp. nov., and L. staricensis (Ivanov) are described from the Kashirskian deposits. Another new species is tentatively described as “Linoproductus” kabanovi.     

Taxonomy of the genus Ectopioglossa Perkins from China,with two new species and an updated key to the Oriental species (Hymenoptera: Vespidae: Eumeninae)

A total of five species of the genus Ectopioglossa is reviewed from China, of which two new species are described and illustrated. These two new species are Ectopioglossa trimacula sp. nov. and E. convexa sp. nov., collected from Guangxi and Yunnan, China, respectively. Among other three nomial species, E. sublaevis (Smith, 1857) is new to China. An updated key to the Oriental species is also provided.     

Brachiopods of the family Linoproductidae from the Kasimovian Stage of the Moscow Region

Brachiopods from the Kasimovian Stage of the Moscow Region that for more than 70 years were referred to the genus Linoproductus (family Linoproductidae) are revised and redescribed. New characters connected with the ornamentation and inner structure of the dorsal valve are used for the first time in the analysis of the taxonomic structure of the group. Six species from three genera are described; four of them are new: one species of Linispinus Lazarev, 2006, three species of Linipalus Lazarev, 2007, and two species of Sublinoproductus gen. nov. The new genus is considered to be transitional between the genera Linispinus and Linoproductus.     

The phylogenetic history of the old world butterfly subtribe Mycalesina extended: the Mycalesis (Lepidoptera: Nymphalidae) of Sri Lanka

Sri Lanka, together with the Western Ghats, is one of the world's biodiversity hotspots, yet little is known about the genetic diversity of the butterflies here. Within the framework of the recently reconstructed molecular phylogeny for the subtribe Mycalesina, we determined the phylogenetic relationships and biogeographic history of the five species of Mycalesis butterflies that are found in Sri Lanka. Sequences of Elongation Factor 1-α (EF1-α), Wingless (Wgl) and the barcode region of the Cytochrome c Oxidase sub unit 1 (COI) were used to confirm the identity of species, to resolve taxonomic queries and to infer the phylogenetic history of the group.Time-calibrated analysis of genetic data suggests that the Mycalesis species that occur in Sri Lanka diverged in the Miocene (5–23 million years ago). The results of phylogenetic analyses confirmed the following; the endemicity of Mycalesis rama to Sri Lanka; the subspecies classification of M. perseus typhlus and, the close sister relationship of the Sri Lankan M. patnia patnia to M. p. junonia of India. However, whether or not M. subdita of Sri Lanka and India are genetically similar remains unknown. Lastly, genetic evidence emerged suggesting that M. mineus forms a cryptic species complex in the Oriental region, and that in Sri Lanka, there may be occasional hybridization between M. mineus and M. perseus. As a case study of island colonization and diversification by the Mycalesis species, this study further extends our understanding of the Old World butterfly subtribe of Mycalesina.     

A new late neogene genus of roakers (Perciformes, Sciaenidae) from the Eastern Black Sea Region

The roaker species (Sciaenidae) Sciaena impropria Gabelaia, 1976 from the Lower Pliocene (?) of Abkhazia is assigned to a new genus, Carnevalella gen. nov. This genus essentially differs from other sciaenid fishes in the greater number of supraneurals and vertebrae, the posterior shift of the dorsal fin origin, and the fusion of the fourth hypural with the terminal centrum. An incomplete roaker skeleton found in the Upper Maeotian (Upper Miocene) of the Taman Peninsula (Krasnodar Region) is assigned to the same genus. The Maeotian roaker is described as a new species, C. (?) tmutarakanica sp. nov. Morphological peculiarity of the genus Carnevalella gen. nov. justifies its allocation to a new subfamily, Carnevalellinae subfam. nov.     

A new sexually dimorphic mantidfly species of Allomantispa Liu et al., 2015 from China (Neuroptera: Mantispidae)

Allomantispa Liu et al., 2015 is the only extant genus of the mantidfly subfamily Drepanicinae from Eurasia, being endemic to the Oriental region. It currently consists of only two species from southeastern Tibet and northern Myanmar, respectively. Here we describe a new species of this rarely observed mantidfly genus, namely Allomantispa coniprocessa sp. nov. from Yunnan, China. Interestingly, the new species displays distinctive sexual dimorphic characters on the pronotum. The molecular identification reveals obvious genetic divergence between the allopatric individuals of the new species. Their morphological variations are illustrated and compared. In addition, some characters with taxonomic or phylogenetic significance present on the pronotum, the abdomen and the genitalia in Allomantispa are also discussed. Our finding updates the morphological and distributional information on Allomantispa and implies a more diverse fauna of this genus in the Oriental region than previously assumed.     

Pugs of the tribe Eupitheciini (Lepidoptera,Geometridae): the history of study and distribution over biogeographic regions

The World fauna of the tribe Eupitheciini is the most species-rich in the family Geometridae. This tribe includes about 1900 species (almost 3000 species-group names) from 47 genera; about one third of the genera (15) are monotypic. The generic diversity of Eupitheciini is the highest in the Australian (38 genera, 11 of them endemic) and Oriental regions (32 genera, 4 endemic) and the lowest in the Neotropical Region (possibly one genus only). The faunas of different biogeographic regions can be arranged in following order by their species richness: the Palaearctic (487 species), Oriental (397), Neotropical (346), Australian (251), Afrotropical (198), and Nearctic Regions (166 species). Eupithecia is the most species-rich genus in the family Geometridae and the entire order Lepidoptera, and one of the largest genera in the whole World fauna of insects. The greatest number of species of this genus is recorded in the Palaearctic Region (466 species), where Eupithecia accounts for about 95% of the tribe Eupitheciini. The mainland of the Oriental Region (especially the Himalayas) is also very species-rich; however the proportion of the Eupithecia representatives decreases towards Malaysia, Sundaland, and the Australian Region (about 2% of the tribe). The Eupitheciini faunas have the greatest similarity at the generic level between the Oriental and Australian Regions (the Jaccard and Sørensen coefficient values being 0.62 and 0.77, respectively). The Palaearctic fauna is more similar to the Afrotropical and Oriental faunas at the genus-group level. On the whole, the fauna of the Nearctic Region is similar to that the West Palaearctic, with the exception of the fact that representatives of the genera Gymnoscelis and Chloroclystis are absent in North America, although two endemic genera Nasusina and Prorella are present. At the genus-group level, the Nearctic fauna of Eupitheciini is more similar to the Neotropical (the Jaccard and Sørensen coefficients 0.20 and 0.33, respectively) than to the Palaearctic fauna (0.17 and 0.29). The number of synonymies is very high in the tribe Eupitheciini because of the homogeneity of this group, whose species are difficult to identify without the use of elaborate anatomical techniques. Modern revisions, catalogues, surveys, and atlases on Eupitheciini are absent for many countries and large geographic regions. Revisions of pugs of the tribe Eupitheciini for some biogeographic regions are extremely difficult because of fragmentation of entomological collections including the type specimens of many species-group taxa. A large fraction of synonyms is characteristic of parts of the World with the best known faunas: Europe (64% of synonyms) and North America (39%). On the contrary, the lowest levels of synonymy are typical of the less known faunas of the regions situated at the equatorial latitudes, namely the Neotropical (9%) and Afrotropical (8%) ones.