Revision of genus Melamphaes (Melamphaidae): Part 4. Multi-raker species: M. ebelingi, M. occlusus sp. nova, and M. nikolayi sp. nova

In the fourth part of the revision of the genus Melamphaes (Melamphaidae) multi-raker species (20 and more rakers at the first gill arch, rarely 19??in M. ebelingi) with eight soft rays in the ventral fin are considered. In this species, temporal spine is absent, there are 15 rays in the pectoral fin, and there are 11 to 12 abdominal vertebrae. M. ebelingi inhabits tropical and subtropical waters of the Atlantic Ocean. A new catch of this rare species in the northeastern part of the ocean is reported. The new species M. occlusus is described from one specimen from the subtropical part of the southwestern part of the Indian Ocean. Still another new species, M. nikolayi, is described from one specimen from the northwestern part of the Pacific Ocean (subtropical waters). A table for identification of 15 multi-raker species of the genus Melamphaes is provided.     

Brachylaima succini sp. nov. (Trematoda: Brachylaimidae) from Succinea lauta,an amber snail in Hokkaido,Japan

Through a continuous survey of trematodes in land snails of Hokkaido, the northernmost island of Japan, we have discovered four species of the genus Brachylaima (Trematode: Brachylaimidae). Among them, Brachylaima ezohelicis, Brachylaima asakawai, and Brachylaima lignieuhadrae have already been described. Each of the three species is a strict specialist in selecting a particular species of land snail as the first intermediate host. In this report, we propose the fourth species, Brachylaima succini sp. nov., based on ecological, morphological, and phylogenetic considerations. Sporocysts and metacercariae of the new species were found exclusively from Succinea lauta, which is known as an amber snail indigenous to Hokkaido. Phylogenetic trees of nuclear 28S rDNA and mitochondrial cytochrome c oxidase subunit 1 (cox1) demonstrated it to be distinct from the other sympatric species. Although metacercariae of the new species possessed unique morphological characters, adult worms experimentally raised from the metacercariae were similar to those of B. ezohelicis and B. lignieuhadrae. Natural definitive hosts of the new species are unknown, but the existence of common cox1 haplotypes from far-distant localities suggests a possibility that birds are involved as the definitive hosts. Findings of amber snails coinfected with both sporocysts of the new species and Leucochloridium perturbatum also support the involvement of birds.     

Lamprops donghaensis sp. n. (Crustacea,Cumacea, Lampropidae), a new species from Korean waters

A new species of Cumacea belonging to the genus Lamprops Sars was collected from the East Sea of Korea. This new species resembles Lamprops comatus Zimmer, Lamprops carinatus Hart, Lamprops flavus Harada, Lamprops pumilio Zimmer, Lamprops tomalesi Gladfelter, and Lamprops obfuscatus (Gladfelter) in lacking lateral oblique ridges on the carapace and lateral setae on the telson. The new species, however, is distinguished from its congeners by having a dorsal concave groove and a lateral rounded depressed area on pereonite 2. The new species is fully illustrated and compared with related species. A key to the world Lamprops species lacking lateral ridges on the carapace is also provided.     

Larinus berti sp. n. (Coleoptera,Curculionidae, Lixinae) from North Africa

A new species, Larinus berti sp. n. is described from Morocco and assigned to subgenus Cryphopus Petri, 1907 (Curculionidae: Lixinae; Lixini). Diagnostic characters of the new species are large size, elongate-ovate body, bisulcate sub-quadrangular rostrum, triangularly raised dorsum of rostrum, flat subgena and submentum, Y-shaped apodeme of sternite VIII of female and thin nodulus of spermatheca.     

Sistotrema subconfluens sp. nov. (Cantharellales,Basidiomycota) from Changbaishan Nature Reserve,northeastern China

Sistotrema, typified by S. confluens, is characterized mainly by its urniform basidia mostly with 6–8 sterigmata as well as by a monomitic hyphal system, oil rich hyphae and smooth basidiospores. The species of this genus have various hymenophore configurations and basidiospore shapes. During a field trip in 2011, two specimens with urniform basidia were collected from Changbaishan Nature Reserve, northeastern China. After careful morphological and molecular studies, they are described and illustrated here as a new species, S. subconfluens. The new species shares a terrestrial habit, stipitate basidiocarps and poroid hymenophores with S. confluens, besides urniform basidia. These characters make the two species different from all other species of Sistotrema with resupinate basidiocarps on wood. Sistotrema subconfluens differs from the type by having larger basidiocarps, shorter basidiospores and consistent poroid hymenophores. In phylogeny inferred from nuclear large subunit rDNA, the two species were sister taxa but clearly separated. The difference of internal transcribed spacer sequences between the two species was 3.6%.     

Mixacarus (Phyllolohmannia) pectinatus sp. n. (Acari,Oribatida, Lohmanniidae), a new species of oribatid mites from India

A new species of oribatid mites (adult and juvenile instars), Mixacarus (Phyllolohmannia) pectinatus sp. n., is described from India. The new species differs from the majority of species of the subgenus in the absence of distally dilated setae and narrower leaf-shaped setae on dorsal and ventral body sides.     

A new species of Oribatid mite,Punctoribates tschernovi sp. n. (Acariformes,Oribatida, Punctoribatidae), from Azerbaijan

A new species, Punctoribates tschernovi sp. n. (Oribatida, Punctoribatidae), is described from the forests in Azerbaijan. The new species differs from the similar Punctoribates sphericus Shaldybina, 1987 in a larger size, the presence of notogastral setae and a small tooth at the end of the rostrum, a smooth anterior edge of the tutorium, and an elongated porose area Aa.     

Chaetoceros sumatranus,a member of Chaetoceros section Coarctati,sect. nov. (Bacillariophyceae)

During different surveys of phytoplankton in the Gulf of California, along the coasts of Baja California, the Gulf of Tehuantepec, and the Mexican Caribbean Sea, new records of diatoms have been made and new species (mainly of the genus Chaetoceros) have been described. This study shows that the planktonic diatom Chaetoceros sumatranus, a rather rare tropical to subtropical taxon, is a typical species of the subgenus Chaetoceros (syn.: Phaeoceros) with robust cells forming chains, thick setae, reduced apertures and small, rounded chloroplasts in cells and setae. Additionally, the species exhibits other singular characteristics, such as heteropolarity of chains, distinct bases of the setae and a pattern of several rimoportulae in every valve of the chain. These features indicate that C. sumatranus is a species closely related to C. coarctatus. Both C. coarctatus and C. sumatranus are considered to be members of the recently proposed section Coarctati (Coarctata), within the subgenus Chaetoceros. The taxonomic relationships of the two species is analyzed, and a formal Latin diagnosis of the section Coarctati is also given.     

Mentzelia canyonensis (Loasaceae), a new species endemic to the Grand Canyon, Arizona, U.S.A.

We describe Mentzelia canyonensis, a new species endemic to the Grand Canyon. Based on floral and fruit forms, shoot system architecture, and phylogenetic analyses of nuclear ribosomal DNA, we infer that M. canyonensis belongs to the ‘subshrubby’ clade of Mentzelia section Bartonia, which includes the morphologically similar M. hualapaiensis, M. oreophila, M. puberula, and M. tiehmii. The new species is most similar to M. hualapaiensis, which is also known only from the Grand Canyon. These two species share leaf shape, subshrubby habits, corolla color, and fruit shape, although they differ in staminode presence and especially in leaf and corolla size. Principal component analyses of variation among floral and vegetative traits demonstrates that M. canyonensis and M. hualapaiensis share highly overlapping floral character space, but M. canyonensis occupies unique vegetative character space compared to similar species. A dichotomous key is provided to assist with identification of, and differentiation among, species of Mentzelia section Bartonia that occur in the Grand Canyon region.     

Morpho-Molecular and Ultrastructural Characterization of Discocriconemella Parasinensis n. Sp. from Zhejiang Province,China

During a recent inventory survey of the nematofauna of tea plantation at Zhejiang Province, China, Discocriconemella parasinensis n. sp. was detected in the rhizosphere of Camellia sinensis. The new species can be characterized by having the uninterrupted rounded labial disc, en face view showing rectangular-rounded labial plate without submedian lobes, R = 82.6 (80–86), Rex = 22 (21–23), stylet length of 68.3 (59–76) μm, excretory pore located 1–2 annuli posterior to the esophageal bulb, vulva open, postvulval body elongated conoid, and tail conoid with bilobed terminus. Morphologically, the species shares the same lip-type with D. discolabia, D. mauritiensis, D. mineira, D. perseae, and D. sinensis. Phylogenetic relationships of the new species based on D2–D3 expansion segments of 28S, ITS, and 18S rRNA genes revealed that D. parasinensis n. sp. formed a separated clade from other criconematid species, thereby supporting its status as a new species of the genus. The new species showed close phylogenetic relationships with Criconemoides geraerti.     

Xylodon subflaviporus sp. nov. (Hymenochaetales,Basidiomycota) from East Asia

Xylodon subflaviporus (Hymenochaetales, Basidiomycota) is described as a new species collected from tropical and subtropical regions of East Asia. This new species is characterized by resupinate basidiocarps, a poroid hymenophore, pseudodimitic hyphal system, nodose-septate hyphae, four types of cystidia (capitate, acicular to cylindrical, subulate to ventricose, and apically-encrusted), and thin-walled, colorless, smooth and ellipsoid basidiospores. Bayesian, Maximum Likelihood and Maximum Parsimony algorithms were used to construct phylogenies inferred from the internal transcribed spacer (ITS) region of rDNA. Morphological and molecular studies, along with intercompatibility tests, confirmed the independent status of this species. Also, based on morphological and molecular evidence, six new combinations of Xylodon are proposed to accommodate species originally classified under Hyphodontia s.l., i.e. X. bubalinus, X. chinensis, X. mollissimus, X. nongravis, X. reticulatus and X. subtropicus. A key to known species of Hyphodontia s.l. with poroid, irpicoid or raduloid hymenophores is provided for the convenience in identification.     

Ingolfiella maldivensis sp. n. (Crustacea,Amphipoda, Ingolfiellidae) from coral reef sand off Magoodhoo island,Maldives

A new species of marine interstitial wormshrimp, Ingolfiella maldivensis, is described from coral sand on the inner and outer reef off Magoodhoo island, Faafu atoll, Maldives. Six females were found and compared to other species from the Maldives and those bordering the Indian Ocean and beyond. Morphological resemblance ties it to a species from the Caribbean island of Curaçao. Both species are found in shallow sublittoral interstitial spaces.     

Viola lilliputana sp. nov. (Viola sect. Andinium, Violaceae), one of the world's smallest violets, from the Andes of Peru

A new violet species of Viola Sect. Andinium, Viola lilliputana, is described from a single dry puna locality on an extensive intermontane plateau southeast of Cerro Palla Palla in the high Andes of Ayacucho Department in southern Peru. This diminutive rosulate violet is evidently among the smallest in the world and probably one of the smallest terrestrial dicots. It belongs to a distinctive species group with pinnatifid leaves that is endemic to central and southern Peru, including V. hillii, V. membranacea and V. weibelii. The new species is similar to V. weibelii in its large, strongly adnate stipules, elongate leaf lobes and dilated unappendaged style with ventral stigmatic orifice. It differs conspicuously from all other members of the pinnatifid-leaved group in its conduplicate leaf blades, straight, mostly nonoverlapping, oblong-lanceolate to broadly elliptical lobes with obtuse to rounded apices, and large basally fused pedicel bractlets. Despite many new collections of vascular plants from the high Andes of Peru and northern Bolivia in recent decades, this distinctive new species is still known only from its type locality, collected on the Iltis-Ugent expedition from November 1962 to January 1963.     

New light into the hormogastrid riddle: morphological and molecular description of Hormogaster joseantonioi sp. n. (Annelida,Clitellata, Hormogastridae)

The earthworm family Hormogastridae shows a remarkable disjunction in its distribution in the Iberian Peninsula, with the Hormogaster elisae species complex isolated from the rest of the species. Hormogaster joseantonioi sp. n., a new species found in the intermediate area between the main ranges (in Teruel, Aragón), was described following the integrative approach, as it is suitable for earthworms due to their highly homoplasic morphology. The phylogenetic analysis of the molecular markers placed the new species as a sister taxon to H. elisae, thus showing the colonizing lineage of Central Iberian Peninsula could have originated near the H. joseantonioi sp. n. current range. External morphological characters revealed some degree of overlap with previously described species, but internal characters presented configurations/states unknown from other members of the family. These traits make the new species a key piece to understand the evolution of Hormogastridae.     

Cyphastrea kausti sp. n. (Cnidaria,Anthozoa, Scleractinia), a new species of reef coral from the Red Sea

A new scleractinian coral species, Cyphastrea kausti sp. n., is described from 13 specimens from the Red Sea. It is characterised by the presence of eight primary septa, unlike the other species of the genus, which have six, ten or 12 primary septa. The new species has morphological affinities with Cyphastrea microphthalma, from which it can be distinguished by the lower number of septa (on average eight instead of ten), and smaller calices and corallites. This species was observed in the northern and central Red Sea and appears to be absent from the southern Red Sea.