<Emphasis Type="Italic">Oredezhosteus</Emphasis>, a new psammosteid genus (Heterostraci,Psammosteiformes) from the Lower Frasnian (Upper Devonian) of the Main Devonian Field

A new psammosteid, Oredezhosteus kuleshovi gen. et sp. nov., from the Amata Regional Stage (Lower Frasnian) of the Leningrad Region is described. In addition, Psammosteus livonicus Obruchev from beds of the same age from Latvia is included in the new genus. The major diagnostic characters distinguishing Oredezhosteus gen. nov. from Psammosteus Agassiz are the large rounded striated tubercles, which cover more than half width of the branchials, and the long base of the branchial plates.     

Gorgonians (Anthozoa: Octocorallia) of the northwestern Sea of Japan

Three species of gorgonians (Primnoa pacifica, Calcigorgia japonica, and Thouarella superba) are reported as new records for the northwestern Sea of Japan; one of them (Calcigorgia japonica sp. n.) has been described as a new species. Variations of colony morphology in some species are described; the taxonomical value of specific characters is discussed. The geographical range of Primnoa pacifica in the northwestern Pacific is shown to be wider than was considered earlier. Variations of sclerite morphology (number of marginal plates, presence of additional basal plates, and number of marginal spines on the basal plate) are regarded as intracolonial or intraspecific variability. The distribution range of Thouarella superba described earlier from the Aleutian Islands (Nutting, 1912) was shown to extend into the low-boreal part of the boreal Pacific. An examined specimen of Paragorgia sp. differed from all known species and appeared similar only to P. regalis Nutting, 1912 reported from the eastern coast of Japan. The most distinctive characters of Calcigorgia japonica sp. n. were the shape of polyp, with a thin lower part looking like folded podia (in fixed specimens) and the presence of two types of clubs scattered among the sclerites of the polyp.     

Degradation capacities of bacteria and yeasts isolated from the gut of <Emphasis Type="Italic">Dendroctonus rhizophagus</Emphasis> (Curculionidae: Scolytinae)

Bark beetles (Curculionidae: Scolytinae) feed on the xylem and phloem of their host, which are composed of structural carbohydrates and organic compounds that are not easily degraded by the insects. Some of these compounds might be hydrolyzed by digestive enzymes produced by microbes present in the gut of these insects. In this study, we evaluated the enzymatic capacity of bacteria (Acinetobacter lwoffii, Arthrobacter sp., Pseudomonas putida, Pseudomonas azotoformans, and Rahnella sp.) and yeasts (Candida piceae, Candida oregonensis, Cyberlindnera americana, Zygoascus sp., and Rhodotorula mucilaginosa) isolated from the Dendroctonus rhizophagus gut to hydrolyze cellulose, xylan, pectin, starch, lipids, and esters. All isolates, with the exception of C. piceae, showed lipolytic activity. Furthermore, P. putida, P. azotoformans, C. americana, C. piceae, and R. mucilaginosa presented amylolytic activity. Esterase activity was shown by A. lwoffii, P. azotoformans, and Rahnella sp. Cellulolytic and xylanolytic activities were present only in Arthrobacter sp. and P. azotoformans. The pectinolytic activity was not recorded in any isolate. This is the first study to provide evidence on the capacity of microbes associated with the D. rhizophagus gut to hydrolyze specific substrates, which might cover part of the nutritional requirements for the development, fitness, and survival of these insects.     

Revision of <Emphasis Type="Italic">Scoliocystis</Emphasis> (Rhombifera: Echinoencrinitidae) and related cystoid genera

Species attributed to Scoliocystis Jaekel, 1899, including the type species S. pumila (Eichwald, 1860) and S. thersites Jaekel, 1899 from the Ordovician of the Leningrad Region, are reviewed. Scoliocystis sp. from the Upper Ordovician of Estonia, figured by Hecker (1964), is redescribed as Maennilocystis heckeri gen. et sp. nov. and it is attributed to the family Callocystitidae Bernard, 1895. The genus Scoliocystis is intermediate between the families Cheirocrinidae and Echinoencrinitidae in having five periproct border plates (as in cheirocrinids), but lacking plate R5 and having a reduced oral area, as in echinoencrinitids, but is retained in the Echinoencrinitidae. The similarity of Scoliocystis to the unusual North American cheirocrinid genus Sprinkleocystis is convergent. The genus Gonocrinites Eichwald, 1840, with two species, is restored among echinoencrinitids, as having four periproct border plates, whereas Echinoencrinites sensu stricto has three. The families Echinoencrinitidae and Callocystitidae arose from cheirocrinids with closed plate circlets by the loss of plate R5 and substitution of radial:lateral for radial:radial pectinirhombs. In addition, echinoencrinitids are characterized by a reduced oral area, whereas in callocystitids, the recumbent ambulacra are extensive. Scoliocystis is a stem-group genus to Echinoencrinitidae plus Callocystitidae. Several glyptocystitoid genera independently developed advanced pectinirhombs.     

Brachiopods from the family Ambocoeliidae George (Order Spiriferida) from the Emsian (Lower Devonian) of northeastern Russia

Brachiopods from the family Ambocoeliidae George from the Emsian (Lower Devonian) of northeastern Russia are described: Bisinocoelia despecta sp. nov.; Yakutospirifer gen. nov. with the type species Y. krivensis sp. nov.; Micospirifer gen. nov. with the type species M. simplex sp. nov.; Kolymospirifer gen. nov. with the type species K. optatus sp. nov. (subfamily Ambocoeliinae); Datnospirifer gen. nov. with the type species D. alius sp. nov.; Khalimospirifer gen. nov. with the type species Kh. microscopicus sp. nov.; Gerospirifer gen. nov. with the type species G. normalis sp. nov., and G. gerensis sp. nov.; Dogdospirifer gen. nov. with the type species D. yolkini sp. nov. (subfamily Rhynchospiriferinae).     

New taxa of oribatid mites from Korup National Park,Cameroon. Genus <Emphasis Type="Italic">Galumna</Emphasis> (Acari,Oribatida, Galumnidae)

Two new species of oribatid mites of the genus Galumna (Oribatida, Galumnidae) are described from litter and soil in the Korup National Park, Cameroon. Galumna korupensis sp. n. differs from Galumna tricuspidata Engelbrecht, 1969 by the smaller body size, the presence of two oval postanal porose areas, one tooth on each lamellar lines and striate genital plates, and the absence of median pore and lateral teeth on the rostrum. Galumna cameroonica sp. n. differs from Galumna incisa Mahunka, 1982 by the presence of long cilia on bothridial heads, band-like postanal porose area, striate genital plates, three pairs of notogastral porose areas, and the position of notogastral lyrifissures im.     

New species of Telenominae (Hymenoptera,Scelionidae) from the palaearctic fauna

Four new species of Telenominae of the genera Telenomus and Platytelenomus, collected in the territory of the Ukraine, Hungary, and Japan, were described: Telenomus (T.) bicolorus Kononova, T. (T.) ardens Kononova, (T.) michaylovi Kononova, and Platytelenomus mirabilis Kononova. Brief morphological characteristics of the genera Telenomus and Platytelenomus are given, and some notes concerning biology and geographical distribution of the species are presented. Telenomus (T.) bicolorus differs from all the known species of the genus Telenomus in the two-colored body: head and thorax yellow with brownish tint ventrally, mesothorax and abdomen black. The main distinguishing feature of T. (T.) ardens is its smooth shining body, T. (T.) michaylovi is similar to T. (T.) rudis Kozlov. These species can be distinguished by the structure of their antenna. The second to fourth segments of the antennal clava are transverse in T. (T.) michaylovi and are as long as wide in T. (T.) rudis. In addition, the abdominal stem and abdominal tergite II are smooth and shining, while the abdominal stem in T. (T.) rudis is striate along the entire length, and tergite II is finely striate along half of its length. Platytelenomus mirabilis is closely related to P. danubialis Szelényi, but differs in the strongly flattened body, sculpture of the abdominal stem and tergite II, and coloration of the legs. The thorax of P. mirabilis is 4–5 times as wide as high, the abdominal stem is striate along the entire length, tergite II is striate at the base, and the legs, including coxae, are yellow. The thorax of P. danubialis is 4 times as wide as high, the abdominal stem and tergite II are smooth and shining, and the legs are brown.     

Two new species of deep-sea leptostracans (Crustacea: Phyllocarida: Leptostraca) from the North-West Pacific

Small collections of leptostracans (4 specimens and 1 defective specimen) was collected with the help of the epibenthic sledge (EBS) in August 2012 in the deep-sea basin at depth 5245–5421 m in the region to east of the Kuril-Kamchatka Trench during the Russian-German KuramBio expedition. All these specimens relate to two new species of genera Sarsinebalia and Nebaliella from family Nebaliidae. Sarsinebalia pseudotyphlops sp. nov. differ from S. kunyensis, S. cristoboi and S. urgorrii by compound eyes gud. Eyes of S. pseudotyphlops have not discernible ommatidia and pigment. S. pseudotyphlops differ from S. typhlops and S. biscayensis by next characteristic: supra-orbital plate of S. pseudotyphlops reach only basal third of eye dorsally; antennular flagellum is 1.6 length of antennular scale; S. pseudotyphlops has 2-segmented endopod of maxilla 2; lateral border of furcal rami is by this species smooth, without set; exopod of pleopod 1 has by S. pseudotyphlops with 7 small and 2 long spines on dorsolateral border and 1 stout spine and 4 very long setae on apex; protopod of pleopod 4 has by S. pseudotyphlops on distal border between exopod and endopod nearly rectangular process. Moreover, S. pseudotyphlops differ from two other species of compound and arming of pleopods 5 and 6. Nebaliella kurila sp. nov. separate from the other species of Nebaliella the unique characters of compound articles 1 and 2 on peduncle of antenna, exopod of pleopod 1, and minimal value for this genus ratio length of pleopod 6 to length of pleonite 6. Moreover, N. kurila has carina on anterolateral lower corner of carapace; ratio of the rostral flange to exposed keel 1:1; 6-segmented palp of maxilla 1 and endopod of toracopod 8; and has not proximalventral tuberculate process on rostrum and stout spinulose process on article 2 of mandibular palp.     

The carnivoran community from the Miocene of Sandelzhausen (Germany)

From the Bavarian Early/Middle Miocene (MN5) site Sandelzhausen, nine species of carnivoran mammals are identified including the hemicyonine ursid Hemicyon stehlini, the amphicyonids Amphicyon cf. major and Pseudarctos bavaricus, the mustelids Ischyrictis zibethoides and Martes cf. munki, the mephitid Proputorius pusillus, the viverrid Leptoplesictis cf. aurelianensis, the felid Pseudaelurus romieviensis, and finally the recently described barbourofelid Prosansanosmilus eggeri. With these taxa present, Sandelzhausen shows a carnivoran community typical, though deprived, for the Lower to Middle Miocene of Europe, but different from roughly contemporary Mediterranean faunas such as those from Çandir or Pa?alar in Turkey.     

New and previously unknown Eurytomidae (Hymenoptera) species from Yemen

Ten new species of the genera Eurytoma (8 species) and Tetramesa (2 species) from Yemen are described (Eurytoma lahji Zerova, E. thoraxica Zerova, E. cyrtophorae Zerova, E. longipes Zerova, E. yemeni Zerova, E. mabari Zerova, E. tibiaspinae Zerova, E. longitarsis Zerova, Tetramesa sanai Zerova, and T. rujumi Zerova). The type specimens of the new species are deposited in the collection of the Institute of Zoology, National Academy of Sciences of Ukraine, Kiev.     

New leaf-beetle species (Coleoptera,Chrysomelidae) from China: IX

The following new species are described from Chinese provinces Gansu, Sichuan, and Yunnan, based on the material from the Zoological Institute, Russian Academy of Sciences, St. Petersburg, where the types are deposited: Zeugophora nigroaerea sp. n. (Zeugophorinae), Cryptocephalus pseudosplendens sp. n. (Cryptocephalinae), Chrysolina kippenbergi sp. n., Ch. irinae sp. n., Ch. sinica sp. n., Ch. nixiana sp. n., Ch. yunnana sp. n., Oreomela fulvicornis sp. n., O. multipunctata sp. n. (Chrysomelini), Geinula cheni sp. n., and Furosawaia continentalis sp. n. (Galerucini).     

Upper Triassic (Norian) hypercalcified sponges from the Musandam Peninsula (United Arab Emirates and Oman)

Supercalcified sponges, including sphinctozoans, inozoans, chaetetids, spongiomorphids, occurring in Upper Triassic (Norian-Rhaetian) shallow-marine limestones of Musandam Mountains in United Arab Emirates (UAE), are described. The following taxa were determined: sphinctozoans: Hajarispongia osmani Senowbari-Daryan and Yancey, Nevadathalamia arabica n. sp., Nevadathalamia conica n. sp., Fanthalamia milahaensis n. sp., Iranothalamia incrustans (Boiko), Cinnabaria regularis n. sp.; inozoans: Cavsonella triassica n. sp., Molengraaffia regularis Vinassa de Regny, Peronidella? sp., Circopora cf. caucasica Moiseev, Circopora? sp.; spongiomorphids: Spongiomorpha sp.; chaetetids: Lovcenipora chaetetiformis Vinassa de Regny, Lovcenipora musandamensis n. sp., Lovcenipora sp., chaetetid sponge gen. et sp. indet. The most abundant sponge in the studied material is Nevadathalamia arabica n. sp. The described sponge association of the Arabian shelf (Musandam Mountains) shows close affinity to the sponge association known from age-equivalent terranes in the Panthalassa Ocean (Sonora Mountains in Mexico; Pilot Mountains in Nevada, USA), but is remarkably different from sponge associations in carbonates bordering the Tethys. This difference goes along with the biogeography of wallowaconchid bivalves and is most likely attributed to climatic, palaeogeographic or oceanographic factors.     

New species of chalcidoid wasps of the family Eurytomidae (Hymenoptera,Chalcidoidea) from arid Palaearctic regions

Five new species of chalcidoid wasps of the family Eurytomidae are described: four from Israel and one from Kazakhstan. Tetramesa pavliceki Zerova, sp. n. (cylindrica species group) is closely related to T. scheppugi Schlecht., but differs in the more elongate flagellar segments, longer genae, and smooth metasomal tergites. Eurytoma nevoi Zerova, sp. n. is similar to E. sabulosa Erd. and E. bicolorata Zer. (phragmiticola species group), differs from these species in the longer marginal vein, punctate propodeum, and longer flagellar segments. E. oreni Zerova, sp. n. belongs to the fumipennis species group. It is closely related to E. monticola Zer., but differs in the more convex scape, longer postmarginal vein, and yellow legs. E. simutniki Zerova, sp. n. belongs to the robusta species-group. It resembles E. heriadi Zer., but differs in the longer flagellar segments of the female and in the shorter postmarginal vein. Nikanoria mamayevi Zerova, sp. n. is similar to N. stigma Zer., but differs in the more elongate metasoma, longer flagellar segments of both sexes, and larger yellow spots on the pronotum.     

A new subfamily of ichneumonids from the Lower Cretaceous of Transbaikalia and Mongolia (Insecta: Hymenoptera: Ichneumonidae)

A new subfamily of ichneumonids, Palaeoichneumoninae, is described from the Lower Cretaceous of Transbaikalia (Baisa locality) and Mongolia (Bon Tsagan and Kholbotu Gol localities). The new subfamily is intermediate between the archaic subfamily Tanychorinae and the Recent Ichneumonidae. It includes 12 new species, described in three new genera: Palaeoichneumon freja gen. et sp. nov., P. ornatus sp. nov., P. danu sp. nov., P. micron sp. nov., P. mirabilis sp. nov., P. tenebrosus sp. nov., P. townesi sp. nov., Rudimentifera mora gen. et sp. nov., R. suspecta sp. nov., Dischysma maculata gen. et sp. nov., D. similis sp. nov., and D. ramulata sp. nov.     

Five new species of dictyostelid social amoebae (Amoebozoa) from Thailand

Background

Dictyostelid cellular slime molds (dictyostelids) are common inhabitants of the soil and leaf litter layer of fields and forests, along with animal dung, where they feed mostly on bacteria. However, reports on the species diversity of dictyostelids in South Asia, particularly Thailand, are limited. The research reported in this paper was carried out to increase our knowledge of the species diversity of this group of organisms in northern Thailand.

Results

Forty soil samples were collected at four localities in northern Thailand to assess the species richness of dictyostelids. These samples yielded five dictyostelid isolates that were not morphologically consistent with any described species. Based on molecular signatures, all five of these isolates were assigned to the family Cavenderiaceae, genus Cavenderia. All five share a number of morphological similarities with other known species from this family. The new taxa differ from previously described species primarily in the size and complexity of their fruiting bodies (sorocarps). This paper describes these new species (Cavenderia aureostabilis, C. bhumiboliana, C. protodigitata, C. pseudoaureostipes, and C. subdiscoidea) based on a combination of morphological characteristics and their phylogenetic positions.

Conclusions

At least 15 taxa of dictyostelids were obtained from the four localities in northern Thailand, which indicates the high level of species diversity in this region. Five species were found to be new to science. These belong to the family Cavenderiaceae, genus Cavenderia, and were described based on both morphology and phylogeny.

     

New Angarosphecidae (Insecta: Hymenoptera: Apoidea) from the Lower Cretaceous of Northeastern China

Two new species of the family Angarosphecidae, Angarosphex saxosus sp. nov. and Vitimosphex vividus sp. nov., from the Lower Cretaceous Yixian Formation of northeastern China are described and illustrated. Generic diagnoses are revised. The genera Palaeapis Hong, 1984, Mataeosphex: Zhang, 1985, and Calobaissodes Zhang, 1992 are synonymized under Angarosphex Rasnitsyn, 1975, and new combinations Angarosphex beiboziensis (Hong, 1984), comb. nov., Angarosphex venulosus (Zhang, 1985), comb. nov., and Angarosphex strigosus Zhang, 1992, comb. nov. are proposed. The genus Vitimosphex Rasnitsyn, 1975 is found reaching northeastern China in its distribution. New morphological data are presented to complete characteristics of the genera concerned.     

New and little known orthopteroid insects (Polyneoptera) from fossil resins: Communication 3

New taxa of Orthoptera Ensifera are described in the families Mogoplistidae [Protomogoplistes asquamosus gen. et sp. nov. (Upper Cretaceous) in the subfamily Protomogoplistinae subfam. nov. and Archornebius balticus gen. et sp. nov. (Eocene), Pseudarachnocephalus gen. nov., P. dominicanus sp. nov., and P. latiusculus sp. nov. (all Miocene) in Mogoplistinae] and Gryllidae [Eopentacentrus borealis gen. et sp. nov. (Eocene), ?Grossoxipha feminea sp. nov. (Miocene), and Apentacentrus copalicus sp. nov. in the subfamily Pentacentrinae, ?Cyrtoxipha electrina sp. nov. and ?Cyrtoxipha illegibilis sp. nov. (both Miocene) in Trigonidiinae, and Baltonemobius fossilis gen. et sp. nov. (Eocene) in Nemobiinae]. The Miocene genera Proanaxipha Vickery et Poinar and Grossoxipha Vickery et Poinar are transferred from the subfamily Trigonidiinae to Pentacentrinae. P. latoca Vickery et Poinar and Abanaxipha longispina Vickery et Poinar are redescribed; the male of the latter species is described for the first time.     

New leaf-beetle species (Coleoptera,Chrysomelidae) from China: VIII

Chrysolina baoshanica sp. n., Ch. amica sp. n., Ch. baimana sp. n., Ch. sergeyi sp. n., Ch. korotjaevi sp. n., Ch. volkovitshi sp. n., Ch. aeruginosa kabana subsp. n., and Phratora belousovi sp. n. from Chinese provinces Gansu, Sichuan, and Yunnan are described. Types of the new species are deposited in the Zoological Institute, Russian Academy of Sciences, St. Petersburg.