New Species of Meconopsis （Papaveraceae） from Balang Shan, Western Sichuan, China

A new species with two varieties,Meconopsis balangensis varieties balangensis and atrata (Papaveraceae),is described and characterized.Differences separating it from similar species are discussed and photos showing the diagnostic features are provided.     

New Species of Meconopsis （Papaveraceae） from Mianning,Southwestern Sichuan,China

Two new species of Meconopsis, M.pulchella and M.heterandra are described and characterized. Differences with similar species are discussed and photos showing the diagnostic features are provided.     

A New Species of the GenusThermophis （Serpentes：Colubridae） from Shangri-La,Northern Yunnan,China, with a Proposal for an Eclectic Rule for Species Delimitation

The hot-spring snakes,Thermophis, were previously known only from the Tibet Autonomous Region and Western Sichuan, China. During the past two years, three adult hot-spring snakes （2 females, 1 male） were sampled in Shangri-La, northern Yunnan, China, thus expanding their known distribution region towards the southeast. This site is the southeastern-most corner of the Tibetan Plateau and the southernmost tip of the Hengduan Mountains （Mts.）. Phylogenetic analysis of mitochondrial （mt） and nuclear （n） DNA segments suggested that the three specimens belong to the genus ofThermophis. Morphologically, the new species is more similar toT. zhaoermii. However, it is distinguished fromT.zhaoermiiin the number of maxillary teeth （15）, distance between the two eyes/head width, rostral width/height, mental width/height, in one character limited to female： head width/length, and in four characters restricted to male： occurrence of the reduction from 10 to 8 （8 to 6, 6 to 4） scales in each dorsal row on the tail. There are differences in morphology, genetics （mtDNA, nDNA）, and geography between the putative new species andT.zhaoermii,the new species meets our proposed eclectic and feasible ＂four-differences＂ rule.     

A New Species of Leptolalax （Anura： Megophryidae） from Southern China

A new species, Leptolalax laui sp. nov. is described based on specimens collected from Hong Kong and Shenzhen City, Guangdong Province, China. The new species can be distinguished from other known congeners by morphological and molecular data. The new species is characterized by the following characters： 1） small size （adult males SVL 24.8.1 mm-26.7 mm）; 2） near immaculate creamy white chest and belly; 3） broad lateral fringes on toes; 4） head longer or as long as wide; 5） distinct dark brown spots in flank; 6） moderate dermal fringes on fingers; 7） brown or reddish-brown dorsum with fine round scattered tubercles; 8） thin traverse brownish-grey bars on the dorsal surface of tibia and lower arms; 9） longitudinal ridges under toes not interrupted at the articulations.     

A New Species of the Ant Genus Aenictus Shuckard （Hymenoptera： Formicidae） from Henan, China

A new species of the ant genus Aenictus Shuckard, A. henanensis, sp. nov., was collected from Yichuan County, Henan Province. The new species is close to A. lifuiae Terayama, but in profile view dorsum of propodeum straight, dorsum of petiolar node roundly convex, dorsum of propodeum entirely microreticulate. This new species is also close to A. ceylonicus (Mayr), but mandible with a large apical tooth, a small preapical tooth and followed by 5 indistinct minute denticles, subpetiolar process low and rounded, anterior half of pronotum microreticulate.     

A New Species of the Genus Tylototriton （Urodela： Salamandridae） from Northeastern Hunan Province,China

We describe a new species from the family Salamandridae from northeastern Hunan Province of China based on morphological and molecular genetic evidences.The new species,Tylototriton liuyangensis,is a member of the T.asperrimus group,and shares a number of similarities with T.wenxianensis and T.broadoridgus.The dorsal surface of the new Tylototriton species is completely black,with nodule-like warts distributed evenly along the lateral margin of dorsal body,and there is no transverse striae between the warts.There are several diagnostic characters of the new species that differ from those of T.wenxianensis and T.broadoridgus as follows：（1）the interorbital space（IOS）is comparatively wide;（2）there is a bony ridge present on the dorsal head surface,running along the upper eyelids;（3）the space between axilla and groin（AGS）is comparatively large,with the mean male AGS approximately equal to 50%of the snout-vent length（SVL）and the mean female AGS being 53%of SVL;and（4）there is a small genital armature on the anterior angle of labial folds present inside the anal fissure of adult males during the breeding season.The result from the molecular phylogenetic analysis of the genus Tylototriton（including the type specimen of the new species）based on the complete DNA sequence of the mitochondrial ND2 gene（1035 bp）indicated that the new species was similar to T.wenxianensis,T.dabienicus,and T.broadoridgus,but formed an independent clade.This result was consistent with the morphological analysis above,supporting that the Liuyang Population represented a distinct species.     

Musa chunii Hakkinen,a new species （Musaceae） from Yunnan,China and taxonomic identity of Musa rubra

The center of diversity of the genus Musa （Musaceae） is in Southeast Asia, a region not studied in detail and where new species and varieties continue to be reported. A new wild banana species, M. chunii Hakkinen from Yunnan, China is described and illustrated based on observed morphological characteristics in the field. This extremely rare new species was only found in Tongbiguan Nature Reserve, Dehong District, West Yunnan. A key to M. chunii and related taxa is provided. In addition, critical notes regarding M. rubra Kurz identity are given.     

A New Genus and Species—Cycadostrobilus paleozoicus Zhu of Cycadaceae from the Permian of China

This paper describes a new microstrobilus of palaeozoic Cycadaceae collected fromthe upper part of Lower Shihezi Formation, Dongshan Mine, Taiyuan, Shanxi, China andnamed it as Cycadostrobilus paleozoicus Zhu, gen. et sp. nov. This new cycad is the oldestmicrostrobilus to our knowlege of cycads. In the same locality and layer, there are Primocycas chinensis Zhu et Du, Sphenophyllum emarginatum Brongn. , S. costae Sterz. , S. verticallatum (Schloth.) Brongn. , S. oblongifolium (Germ. et Kaulf. ) Ung. , Tingia carbonica(Schenk.) Halle, T. hamaguchii Kon’no, Macrostachys huttoniformis Halle, Sphenopterisnorinii Halle, S. firmata Sze, S. gothanii Halle, Sphenopteridium pseudogermanicum(Halle) Gu et Zhi, Pecopteris feminaeformis (Schloth.) Sterz. , P. wongii Halle, P. tuberculata Halle, P. unita Brongn. , P. taiyuanensis Halle, Emplectopteris triangularis Halle,Taeniopteris norinii Halle, T. spp. , Cordaites principalis (Germ.) Gein. , Cornucarpus patulus Halle, Radicites spp. and a few taxa unknown to palaeobotanical data. The authors consider that Cycadostrobilus paleozoicus is the same species as Primocycas chinensis, and its veg.etative leaves are similar to those of the genus Taeniopteris, e.g.T. norinii Halle.     

One New Species and One New Record ofJumping Spiders （Araneae： Salticidae） from India

This paper presents the first result of the study on the jumping spiders collected during the India 2002 Expedition held by P. Sipek and M. Fikacek from the Charles University, Prague. Hitherto only 3 species of the genus Curubis were known from Sri Lanka, no females were found (SIMON 1902, ZABKA 1988, PROSZYNSKI 2003). A new species from India, Curubis sipeki sp. nov. (also only in male sex), is described. Bristowia heterospinosa REIMOSER, 1934 is reported for the first time from India.     

Kaempf eria sawanensis Species from （Zingiberaceae）, A New Southern Laos

A new species of Kaempferia from Southern Laos, K. sawanensis, is described and illustrated. Relationship of this new species with other taxa is discussed.     

Kengyilia longiaristata———A New Species of the Family Gramineae from Qinghai,China

Kengyilia longiaristata , a new species of Gramineae from Qinghai Province , is described .     

Description of a New Species of the Genus Brachytarsophrys Tian and Hu, 1983 （Amphibia： Anura： Megophryidae） from Southern China Based on Molecular and Morphological Data

A new species, Brachytarsophrys popei sp. nov., is described based on a series of specimens collected from Mount Jinggang, Jiangxi Province, Taoyuandong Nature Reserve, Hunan Province and Nanling Nature Reserve, Guangdong Province, China. The new species can be easily distinguished from other known congeners by morphology, morphometrics and molecular data of the mitochondrial 16S rRNA gene. It is characterized by its relatively small size with 86.2 mm in snout-vent length in adult female and 70.7 mm-83.5 mm in males; vomerine teeth bearing on two markedly elevated ridges, which projecting behind far beyond the posterior level of the choanae, widely separated by a distance nearly 1.5 times length of one; margin of tongue de~ply notched behind; toes about one-third to two-thirds webbed in males, at most one-third webbed in female; the webs extending as a wide fringes along either side of toes; upper eyelid with tubercles, one of which is enlarged and becoming a remarkably prominent, bluntly conical light- yellow horn; black tiny nuptial spines on the dorsal surface of the first finger and second finger base, single vocal sac in males; gravid females bear pure yellowish oocytes; tadpoles with a transverse white stripe on ventral surface and two longitudinal white stripes along the sides of body. The new species represents the fifth known Brachytarsophrys species.     

New ommatids from the Late Jurassic of western Liaoning, China （Coleoptera： Archostemata）

A new genus Amblomma gen. nov. of fossil beetles is erected and can be assignedto the family Ommatidae because its two procoxal cavities are contiguous and the articulations of the abdominal ventrites are abutting. The new genus is similar to Zygadenia Handlirsch, 1906 (=Notocupes Ponomarenko, 1964), Tetraphalerus Waterhouse, 1901,Rhobdocupes Ponomarenko, 1966 and Sinocupes Lin, 1976, but can be distinguished from other genera according to the following characters: the second segment of antennae is shorterthan the third one in length; the posterior tarsi with the basal segment is obviously shorter than the three following taken together in length; the antennae reach the posterior ridge of prothroax in length, and the sides of the prothroax with serrulate margin. Four new species of the new genus are described and figured: Amblomma psilata gen. et sp. nov., Amblomma rudis gen. et sp. nov., Amblomma epicharis gen. et sp. nov., and Amblomma stabilis gen. etsp. nov. A key to species within this new genus is provided. All the specimens are collected from the Late Jurassic Yixian Formation of western Liaoning and are now housed in the College of Life Science, Capital Normal University, Beijing, China.     

Differences in Incubation Length and Hatchling Morphology among Five Species of Oviparous Phrynocephalus Lizards （Agamidae） from China

We incubated eggs of five Phrynocephalus species （P. albolineatus, P. axillaries, P. grumgrzimailoi, P. helioscopus and P. przewalskii） at three constant temperatures （24℃, 28℃ and 32℃） to examine differences in incubation length and hatchling morphology among species and among temperature treatments. We combined data from this study with those reported previously for P. frontalis and P. versicolor to examine whether embryonic stage at laying is a causal factor for interspecific variation in incubation length, and whether the phylogenetic relationship inferred from hatchling morphology is consistent with the relationship based on mitochondrial DNA data. Mean values for incubation length differed among the five species studied herein and, in all these five species, incubation length decreased at a decreasing rate as temperature increased. In none of the five species did hatchling size （snout-vent length and body mass） and other morphological variables differ among the three temperature treatments. The seven oviparous Phrynocephalus lizards found in China differ from each other in hatchling morphology, and embryonic stage at laying is a causal factor of inter- and intra-specific variation in incubation length. The phylogenetic relationship inferred from hatchling morphology is not always consistent with the currently known relationship based on mitochondrial DNA data. Data from this study and those reported previously allow the conclusion that any Phrynocephalus species may have its unique position along the axis defined by hatchling morphology.     

Hylodesmum lancangense（Leguminosae），a new combination from Yunnan，China

Based on Podocarpium lancangense Y.Y.Qian,a new combination,Hylodesmum lan-cangense（Y.Y.Qian）X.Y.Zhu&H.Ohashi,is proposed.     

Origin,Divergence, and Phylogeny of Asexual Epichlo? Endophyte in Elymus Species from Western China

Asexual Epichloë species are likely derived directly from sexual Epichloë species that then lost their capacity for sexual reproduction or lost sexual reproduction because of interspecific hybridization between distinct lineages of sexual Epichloë and/or asexual Epichloë species. In this study we isolated asexual Epichloë endophytes from Elymus species in western China and sequenced intron-rich regions in the genes encoding β-tubulin (tubB) and translation elongation factor 1-α (tefA). Our results showed that there are no gene copies of tubB and tefA in any of the isolates. Phylogenetic analysis showed that sequences in this study formed a single clade with asexual Epichloë bromicola from Hordeum brevisubulatum, which implies asexual Epichloë endophytes that are symbionts in a western Chinese Elymus species likely share a common ancestor with asexual E. bromicola from European H. brevisubulatum. In addition, our results revealed that asexual E. bromicola isolates that are symbionts in a western Chinese Elymus species and sexual Epichloë species that are symbionts in a North American Elymus species have a different origin. Further analysis found that Epichloë species likely originated in Eurasia. In addition, the results support the hypothesis that migratory birds or humans might have aided the dispersal of these fungal endophytes to other continents.     

Phylogenetic Relationships of the Genus Paramesotriton （Caudata： Salamandridae） with the Description of a New Species from Qixiling Nature Reserve,Jiangxi, Southeastern China and a Key to the species

The matrilineal genealogy of the genus Paramesotriton is hypothesized based on DNA sequences from mitochondrial NADH subunit two （ND2） and its flanking tRNAs （tRN^Arp and a partial tRNA^Ala）. The genealogy identifies a highly divergent, unnamed lineage from Qixiling Nature Reserve, Jiangxi, China and places it as the sister taxon of P. chinensis. The newly discovered population differs from other congeners by several features of external morphology including having large clusters of dark brown conical warts on the dorsum of the head, lateral surface of the body and dorsolateral ridges. Its intermittent dorsal vertebral ridge is the same color as other parts of the dorsum and tail narrows gradually from the base to the tip. Further, the new population differs from all congeners by an uncorrected P-distance of more than 9.38% in ND2. Consequently, we describe the new species of Asian warty newt （Salamandridae） as Paramesotriton qixilingensis sp. nov.