New mammal remains from the Late Cretaceous Bostobe Formation (Northeast Aral Sea Region,Kazakhstan)

Four recently collected mammal specimens from the Upper Cretaceous (Santonian–?Campanian) Bostobe Formation in the northeastern Aral Sea Region, Kazakhstan are attributed to Asioryctitheria indet. (an edentulous dentary fragment) and the zhelestid Parazhelestes sp. cf. P. mynbulakensis (a maxillary fragment with a double-rooted canine, an M1, and a dentary fragment including m3). These new records double the known mammal fauna from this formation, which previously included the zhelestid Zhalmouzia bazhanovi and Zhelestidae indet. The taxonomic and ecological structure of the mammal assemblage from the Bostobe Formation can, on present evidence, be considered close to the other eutherian dominated Late Cretaceous mammal assemblages of Central Asia. This region is important in particular in the search for Late Cretaceous ancestors of crown-group eutherian mammal clades (Placentalia).     

Two new species of Paramesosciophilodes (Diptera,Nematocera, Mesosciophilidae) from the Middle Jurassic of China

Two new species, Paramesosciophilodes bellus sp. n. and Paramesosciophilodes rarissima sp. n., from the Jiulongshan Formation at Daohugou Village, Inner Mongolia, China, are described in the extinct family Mesosciophilidae. Altogether seven genera with 21 species of mesosciophilids have been described from the Jurassic of Siberia and Kazakhstan, the Lower Cretaceous of Transbaikalia, and the Middle Jurassic of Inner Mongolia. An emended generic diagnosis of Paramesosciophilodes and a list of known taxa of mesosciophilids are provided.     

A new species of Monoliropus Mayer, 1903 (Crustacea,Amphipoda, Caprellidae) from Korean waters

A new species of the genus Monoliropus belonging to the family Caprellidae was collected from the Yellow Sea, Korea. The new species differs from Monoliropus agilis Mayer, 1903, Monoliropus kazemii Momtazi & Sari, 2013, and Triprotella amica Arimoto, 1970 as follows: 1) gnathopod 1 subrectangular; 2) pereonites 2–3 with acute triangular processes anterolaterally; 3) mandibular palp, apical article with four simple setae subdistally. The new species is fully illustrated and extensively compared with related species. This is the first record of the genus Monoliropus from Korean waters. A key to Monoliropus species is also given.     

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.     

The alien ascidian Styela clava now invading the Sea of Marmara (Tunicata: Ascidiacea)

During the implementation of a large project aimed to investigate the benthic community structures of the Sea of Marmara, specimens of the invasive ascidian species Styela clava were collected on natural substrata (rocks) at 10 m depth at one locality (Karamürsel) in İzmit Bay. The specimens were mature, containing gametes, indicating that the species had become established in the area. The Sea of Marmara seems to provide suitable conditions for this species to survive and form proliferating populations.     

A new species of Hemichela Stock, 1954 from the South China Sea (Arthropoda,Pycnogonida, Ammotheidae)

A new species of pycnogonid collected by the Chinese research vessel, R/V HY IV, during deep sea cruises to the South China Sea in 2013, is described. The new species, Hemichela nanhaiensis, obtained from more than 1300 m depth, is distinguished from the other two species in the genus by the characters of the chela dactylus with 12 denticulations on the inner margin and by the presence of taller tubercles on the lateral processes.     

Leaf beetles are ant-nest beetles: the curious life of the juvenile stages of case-bearers (Coleoptera,Chrysomelidae, Cryptocephalinae)

Although some species of Cryptocephalinae (Coleoptera: Chrysomelidae) have been documented with ants (Hymenoptera: Formicidae) for almost 200 years, information on this association is fragmentary. This contribution synthesizes extant literature and analysizes the data for biological patterns. Myrmecophily is more common in the tribe Clytrini than in Cryptocephalini, but not documented for Fulcidacini or the closely-related Lamprosomatinae. Myrmecophilous cryptocephalines (34 species in 14 genera) primarily live among formicine and myrmecines ants as hosts. These two ant lineages are putative sister-groups, with their root-node dated to between 77–90 mya. In the New World tropics, the relatively recent radiation of ants from moist forests to more xeric ecosystems might have propelled the association of cryptocephalines and ant nests. Literature records suggest that the defensive behavioral profile or chemical profile (or both) of these ants has been exploited by cryptocephalines. Another pattern appears to be that specialized natural enemies, especially parasitoid Hymenoptera, exploit cryptocephaline beetles inside the ant nests. With the extant data at hand, based on the minimum age of a fossil larva dated to 45 mya, we can infer that the origin of cryptocephaline myrmecophily could have arisen within the Upper Cretaceous or later. It remains unknown how many times myrmecophily has appeared, or how old is the behavior. This uncertainty is compounded by incongruent hypotheses about the origins of Chrysomelidae and angiosperm-associated lineages of cryptocephalines. Living with ants offers multiple advantages that might have aided the colonization of xeric environments by some cryptocephaline species.     

Rediscovered parasitism of Andrena savignyi Spinola (Hymenoptera,Andrenidae) by Stylops (Strepsiptera,Stylopidae) and revised taxonomic status of the parasite

Parasitism of Andrena (Suandrena) savignyi Spinola (Hymenoptera: Andrenidae) by Stylops Kirby (Strepsiptera: Stylopidae) has been recorded only once, and from an individual collected in Egypt almost a century ago, with the parasite described as Stylops savignyi Hofeneder. The recent rediscovery of this Stylops from an individual of Andrena savignyi permits a reinterpretation of the species and its affinities among other Stylops. The bee was collected at flowers of Zilla spinosa (Turra) Prantl. (Brassicaceae) in Amariah, Riyadh, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. Based on DNA barcode sequences from material sampled across Africa, Asia, and Europe, it is apparent that Stylops savignyi is conspecific with Stylops nassonowi Pierce, and we accordingly synonymize this name (syn. n.), with the latter representing the senior and valid name for the species. A differential diagnosis is provided for Stylops nassonowi and the morphology of the female is described, as well as the first instars.     

A new species of the genus Nihonotrypaea Manning & Tamaki, 1998 (Crustacea,Decapoda, Axiidea,Callianassidae) from the South China Sea

A new species of the genus Nihonotrypaea Manning & Tamaki, 1998, Nihonotrypaea hainanensis sp. n., collected from the South China Sea, is described and illustrated. It is distinguishable from Nihonotrypaea harmandi (Bouvier, 1901), Nihonotrypaea japonica (Ortmann, 1891), Nihonotrypaea thermophila Lin, Komai & Chan, 2007 and Nihonotrypaea makarovi Martin, 2013 by having the elongated carpus of the male and female major cheliped. The new species is distinguishable from Nihonotrypaea petalura (Stimpson, 1860) by the proximolower margin of the carpus of the male major cheliped bearing several small denticles.     

Distributional records of Ross Sea (Antarctica) Tanaidacea from museum samples stored in the collections of the Italian National Antarctic Museum (MNA) and the New Zealand National Institute of Water and Atmospheric Research (NIWA)

Here we present distributional records for Tanaidacea specimens collected during several Antarctic expeditions to the Ross Sea: the Italian PNRA expeditions (“V”, 1989/1990; “XI”, 1995/1996; “XIV”, 1998/1999; “XIX”, 2003/2004; “XXV”, 2009/2010) and the New Zealand historical (New Zealand Oceanographic Institute, NZOI, 1958-1961) and recent (“TAN0402 BIOROSS” voyage, 2004 and “TAN0802 IPY-CAML Oceans Survey 20/20” voyage, 2008) expeditions. Tanaidaceans were obtained from bottom samples collected at depths ranging from 16 to 3543 m by using a variety of sampling gears. On the whole, this contribution reports distributional data for a total of 2953 individuals belonging to 33 genera and 50 species. All vouchers are permanently stored in the Italian National Antarctic Museum collection (MNA), Section of Genoa (Italy) and at the National Institute of Water and Atmospheric Research (NIWA Invertebrate Collection), Wellington (New Zealand).     

Checklist of the infraorder Tipulomorpha (Trichoceridae,Tipuloidea) (Diptera) of Finland

A checklist of the infraorder Tipulomorpha: families Trichoceridae, Pediciidae, Limoniidae, Cylindrotomidae and Tipulidae (Diptera) recorded from Finland.     

A key to the genera and species of the transversely-dividing Flabellidae (Anthozoa,Scleractinia, Flabellidae), with a guide to the literature,and the description of two new species

The transversely-dividing flabellids consist of five genera (Truncatoflabellum, Placotrochides, Blastotrochus, Placotrochus, and Falcatoflabellum) and 45 species. A dichotomous key is provided for these five genera as well as the species of the genus Truncatoflabellum and Placotrochides, the other three genera being monotypic. A tabular key is also provided for the 38 species of Truncatoflabellum. Two new combinations are suggested (Truncatoflabellum gambierense and Truncatoflabellum sphenodeum) and two new species are described (Truncatoflabellum duncani and Truncatoflabellum mozambiquensis). All but one species are illustrated and accompanied by their known distribution and a guide to the pertinent literature for the species. New records of 19 of the 45 species are listed. The transversely-dividing flabellids range from the Middle Eocene to the Recent at depths of 2–3010 m, and constitute 60% of the 65 known extant species of transversely-dividing Scleractinia.     

Three new genera of Neotropical Mimallonidae (Lepidoptera,Mimallonoidea, Mimallonidae) with descriptions of three new species

Three new genera of Mimallonidae are described. The monotypic genus Tostallo gen. n. is erected to contain “Perophora” albescens Jones, 1912, which was previously placed in the preoccupied genus Perophora Harris, 1841 and was never formally moved to a valid genus. Perophora is a junior homonym of Cicinnus Blanchard, 1852, but the name albescens is not appropriately placed in Cicinnus due to external and genitalia characteristics entirely unique to the species albescens. The female of Tostallo albescens comb. n. is described and both sexes are figured for the first time. Auroriana gen. n. is erected to contain Auroriana florianensis (Herbin, 2012), comb. n. previously described as Cicinnus florianensis, and two new species: Auroriana colombiana sp. n. from Colombia and Auroriana gemma sp. n. from southeastern and southern Brazil. The female of Auroriana florianensis is described and figured for the first time. Finally, the monotypic genus Micrallo gen. n. is erected to include a new species, Micrallo minutus sp. n. described from northeastern Brazil.     

East Weddell Sea echinoids from the JR275 expedition

Information regarding the echinoids in this dataset is based on the Agassiz Trawl (AGT) and epibenthic sledge (EBS) samples collected during the British Antarctic Survey cruise JR275 on the RRS James Clark Ross in the austral summer 2012. A total of 56 (1 at the South Orkneys and 55 in the Eastern Weddell Sea) Agassiz Trawl and 18 (2 at the South Orkneys and 16 in the Eastern Weddell Sea) epibenthic sledge deployments were performed at depths ranging from ~280 to ~2060 m. This presents a unique collection for the Antarctic benthic biodiversity assessment of an important group of benthic invertebrates. In total 487 specimens belonging to six families, 15 genera, and 22 morphospecies were collected. The species richness per station varied between one and six. Total species richness represents 27% of the 82 echinoid species ever recorded in the Southern Ocean (David et al. 2005b, Pierrat et al. 2012, Saucède et al. 2014). The Cidaridae (sub-family Ctenocidarinae) and Schizasteridae are the two most speciose families in the dataset. They comprise seven and nine species respectively. This is illustrative of the overall pattern of echinoid diversity in the Southern Ocean where 65% of Antarctic species belong to the families Schizasteridae and Cidaridae (Pierrat et al. 2012).     

Checklist of the Empidoidea of Finland (Insecta,?Diptera)

An updated checklist of the Atelestidae, Brachystomatidae, Dolichopodidae, Empididae and Hybotidae (Diptera) recorded from Finland is presented. The genera with uncertain placement within superfamily Empidoidea (= the Iteaphila group) are also included in this paper.     

Review of the millipede genus Eutrichodesmus Silvestri, 1910, in China,with descriptions of new cavernicolous species (Diplopoda,Polydesmida, Haplodesmidae)

The Eutrichodesmus fauna of mainland China, by far the largest genus in the Indo-Australian family Haplodesmidae, is reviewed and shown to encompass 23 species (of a total of 45), all keyed. The following nine new species, all presumed troglobites, are described: Eutrichodesmus triangularis sp. n., from Sichuan, Eutrichodesmus lipsae sp. n., from Guangxi, Eutrichodesmus tenuis sp. n., Eutrichodesmus trontelji sp. n., Eutrichodesmus latellai sp. n., Eutrichodesmus obliteratus sp. n. and Eutrichodesmus troglobius sp. n., all from Guizhou, Eutrichodesmus sketi sp. n., from Hunan, and Eutrichodesmus apicalis sp. n., from Hubei.     

The integripennis species group of Geocharidius Jeannel, 1963 (Carabidae,Bembidiini, Anillina) from Nuclear Central America: a taxonomic review with notes about biogeography and speciation

Our review recognizes 15 species of the integripennis species group of Geocharidius from Nuclear Central America, include three species previously described (Geocharidius gimlii Erwin, Geocharidius integripennis (Bates) and Geocharidius zullinii Vigna Taglianti) and 12 described here as new. They are: Geocharidius andersoni sp. n. (type locality: Chiapas, Chiapas Highlands, Cerro Huitepec) and Geocharidius vignatagliantii sp. n. (type locality: Chiapas, Motozintla, Sierra Madre de Chiapas, Benito Juárez) from Mexico; Geocharidius antigua sp. n. (type locality: Sacatepéquez, 5 km SE of Antigua), Geocharidius balini sp. n. (type locality: Suchitepéquez, 4 km S of Volcan Atitlán), Geocharidius erwini sp. n. (type locality: Quiché Department, 7 km NE of Los Encuentros), Geocharidius jalapensis sp. n. (type locality: Jalapa Department, 4 km E of Mataquescuintla), Geocharidius longinoi, sp. n. (type locality: El Progreso Department, Cerro Pinalón), and Geocharidius minimus sp. n. (type locality: Sacatepéquez Department, 5 km SE of Antigua) from Guatemala; and Geocharidius celaquensis sp. n. (type locality: Lempira Department, Celaque National Park), Geocharidius comayaguanus sp. n. (type locality: Comayagua Department, 18 km ENE of Comayagua), Geocharidius disjunctus sp. n. (type locality: Francisco Morazán, La Tigra National Park), and Geocharidius lencanus sp. n. (type locality: Lempira Department, Celaque National Park) from Honduras. For all members of the group, adult structural characters, including male and female genitalia, are described, and a taxonomic key for all members of the integripennis species group is presented based on these characters. Behavioral and biogeographical aspects of speciation in the group are discussed, based on the morphological analysis. In all cases of sympatry, pairs of closely related species show greater differences in sizes than pairs of more remotely related species. Integripennis group species occupy six different montane areas at elevations above 1300m, with no species shared among them. Major faunal barriers in the region limiting present species distributions include the Motagua Fault Zone and a gap between the Guatemalan Cordillera volcanic chain and the Honduran Interior Highlands no higher than 900m in elevation. Highest species diversity is in the Guatematan Cordillera (six species), second highest in the Honduran Interior Highlands area (four species).