Polydactylus bifurcus, a new species of threadfin from Lombok Island, Indonesia (Perciformes: Polynemidae)

Polydactylus bifurcus sp. nov. is described on the basis of a single specimen collected from Lombok Island, Indonesia. The new species is distinguished from all other Indo-Pacific Polydactylus species by the following combination of characters: 15 pectoral fin rays, 5 pectoral filaments, 69 pored lateral line scales, 30 gill rakers, second spine of first dorsal fin very strong and lateral line bifurcated on caudal fin base, extending to posterior margins of upper and lower caudal fin lobes. Received: October 19, 2000 / Revised: April 21, 2001 / Accepted: April 25, 2001     

Review of Polydactylus species (Perciformes: Polynemidae) characterized by a large black anterior lateral line spot, with descriptions of two new species

Nominal Polydactylus species characterized by a large black spot anteriorly on the lateral line, P. microstomus (Bleeker), P. sextarius mullani (Hora), P. sextarius sextarius (Bloch and Schneider), and P. zophomus Jordan and McGregor, are reviewed. Polydactylus zophomus, with 5 pectoral filaments, is synonymized under P. microstomus, and P. sextarius mullani, with 7 pectoral filaments, is elevated to species level (as P. mullani). Polydactylus microstomus and P. mullani together with P. sextarius (characterized by 6 pectoral filaments) are considered as valid species and redescribed accordingly. Two new species, P. malagasyensis and P. persicus, each with 6 pectoral filaments, collected from the east coast of Africa, including Madagascar and the Persian Gulf, are also described. Polydactylus sextarius and the 2 new species are characterized by 6 pectoral filaments. However, P. sextarius is distinguished from the latter by having lower gill raker counts (mode 28 vs. 31 in the latter) and an atrophied swimbladder (vs. well-developed). Polydactylus malagasyensis differs from P. persicus in having higher pectoral fin ray counts (14 vs. mode 12 in the latter), the palatines inwardly turned anteriorly (vs. straight), and a longer pectoral fin (mean 24% of standard length vs. 19%). Received: February 5, 2001 / Revised: April 29, 2001 / Accepted: May 1, 2001     

Rhodeus pseudosericeus sp. nov., a new bitterling from South Korea (Cyprinidae, Acheilognathinae)

A new bitterling, Rhodeus pseudosericeus sp. nov., is described on the basis of 31 specimens from five localities included in the Namhan River system, South Korea. The new species is distinguished from other Rhodeus species by the following combination of characters: branched dorsal fin rays 9–10 (mode 9); branched anal fin rays 9–11 (mode 10); longest simple ray of dorsal fin strong and stiff, distally segmented; pelvic fin rays i, 6–7; iris of males blackish; dorsal and anal fins of males grayish in breeding season; karyotype with 2n = 48 (8m + 20sm + 20st). Rhodeus pseudosericeus sp. nov. is similar to Rhodeus sericeus sericeus in the number of pelvic fin and branched dorsal fin rays and the melanophores present on the dorsal fin membrane, but differs from the latter in having a greater body depth, more branched anal fin rays, fewer vertebrae, a lower number of scales in the lateral series, and differing male nuptial coloration. Received: June 30, 2000 / Revised: February 21, 2001 / Accepted: March 6, 2001     

Urstylidae – a new family of abyssal isopods (Crustacea: Asellota) and its phylogenetic implications

We report three new species of isopod crustaceans that belong to a rare higher taxon of asellote Isopoda. This taxon does not fit into current classifications. The isopods occurred in abyssal soft sediments, near manganese nodules, and in the vicinity of hydrothermal vents. Given their wide spatial occurrence across the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans, a cosmopolitan distribution is assumed. A cladistic analysis revealed a close relationship with the Macrostylidae, a common representative of the deep‐sea macrofauna. Analyses of character evolution across the Janiroidea showed sufficient synapomorphies to justify the erection of U rstylis gen. nov. and the new family Urstylidae based on the three new species. All taxa are described in this paper. Urstylidae is characterized, amongst other apomorphies, by an elongate habitus with spade‐like head; uropods are long, styliform; one pleonite is free; antennal merus and carpus are relatively short; the first pereopod is carpo‐propodosubchelate, and more robust and shorter than pereopod II. Several characters, such as the pereopods’ posterior scale‐like claw that basally encloses the distal sensilla may be interpreted as ancestral when compared to the situation in the highly derived Macrostylidae. © 2014 The Linnean Society of London     

New generic proposal for the European Neogene large testudinids (Cryptodira) and the first phylogenetic hypothesis for the medium and large representatives of the European Cenozoic record

Fossil testudinids are known in Europe since the Eocene, with several taxa of medium size (from more than 0.3 m to less than 0.7 m) recognized in the Palaeogene record, most of them being poorly known. The size of several European Neogene taxa was larger (between 1 and 2 m). These large testudinids were relatively abundant and diverse, ranging from the early Miocene to the Pleistocene. However, there is a nomenclatural gap at the generic level for the Neogene forms, as their generally used assignment to the more primitive Eocene Cheirogaster cannot be sustained. This is because relatively little material has been assigned to the described species, and also because of the absence of a detailed study comparing all of the European taxa. Here, the European Cenozoic taxa are incorporated for the first time in a data matrix, so that a hypothesis on their phylogenetic relationships is justified. This study identified the large testudinids from the Neogene of Europe as belonging to a monophyletic clade, assigned to the new genus T itanochelon . The hitherto poorly understood ‘Testudo’ bolivari, proposed nearly a century ago but lacking diagnosis, is analysed in detail. It is recognized as the best‐represented large testudinid from the European record, and is identified as the type species of T itanochelon gen. nov. Its comparison with the other Neogene species allowed a detailed study of the new genus and an analysis of its phylogenetic relationships with the other European taxa. © 2014 The Linnean Society of London     

Morphology and Phylogeny of Two Novel Pleurostomatids (Ciliophora,Litostomatea), Establishing a New Genus

Pleurostomatida Schewiakoff, 1896 is a cosmopolitan order of ciliates. In the present study, we investigated two new pleurostomatid species, Apolitonotus lynni gen. et sp. nov. and Protolitonotus clampi sp. nov., with state‐of‐the‐art methods. Apolitonotus lynni lacks its oral extrusomes and its right kineties form an anterior semi‐suture near the dorsal margin. Based on these two features, the new genus Apolitonotus was established within the Protolitonotidae Wu et al., 2017. Protolitonotus clampi differs from its congeners by its size of 80–130 × 15–30 μm, 4–6 left, and 9–11 right kineties, extrusomes arranged along the oral slit, and two macronuclear nodules. Because Litonotus antarcticus possesses an anterior semi‐suture and oral extrusomes, it was transferred to the genus Protolitonotus, becoming P. antarctius comb. nov. (basionym Litonotus antarcticus Song and Wilbert, 2002). Phylogenetic analyses based on SSU rDNA sequences suggest a sister group relationship of P. clampi and the family Kentrophyllidae, and A. lynni is adelphotaxon to Litonotus gracilis, both within the order Pleurostomatida. Based on the new findings, an improved diagnosis for Protolitonotus was also provided.     

Kulikovskiyia gen. nov. (Bacillariophyceae) from the lateritic rock pools of the Western Ghats,India and from Hainan Province,China

A new triundulate naviculoid diatom genus is described from the Western Ghats of Peninsular India and Hainan Province, China. The new taxon, Kulikovskiyia gen. nov. has robust conical spines along its margin and at the apices and the external valve face has longitudinally‐oriented siliceous slat system extending the length of the valve. The external distal raphe ends bifurcate and terminates on the valve face. There appear to be superficial similarities between this Asian genus and species and Playaensis, a genus comprised of two species found only in the western USA. The systematic position of Kulikovskiyia is discussed, and other than noting its similarities to other biraphid naviculoid diatoms due to symmetry features and the position of the raphe, we are uncertain about its systematic placement at finer levels of classification.