Discovery of the genus Suhpalacsa Lefèbvre (Neuroptera: Ascalaphidae: Ascalaphinae) in Japan, with description of a new species

Suhpalacsa iriomotensis sp. nov. (Neuroptera: Ascalaphidae: Ascalaphinae), is described from Iriomotejima Island, Japan. This new species can be easily distinguished from other species of the genus by the unique ventrolateral prominences of the male ectoproct. This is the first record of the genus Suhpalacsa from Japan. The morphology of the male ectoproct and the monophyly of Suhpalacsa are discussed briefly.     

Taxonomy and molecular phylogeny of Daphnephila gall midges (Diptera: Cecidomyiidae) inducing complex leaf galls on Lauraceae, with descriptions of five new species associated with Machilus thunbergii in Taiwan

Five new species of the genus Daphnephila (Diptera: Cecidomyiidae: Asphondyliini), D. ornithocephala, D. stenocalia, D. sueyenae, D. taiwanensis, and D. truncicola, all associated with Machilus thunbergii (Lauraceae), are described from Taiwan, and one previously known species, D. machilicola, is redescribed from Japan. Among the five new species, D. truncicola induces stem galls and the other four species induce leaf galls. A molecular phylogenetic analysis based on partial sequences of the mitochondrial cytochrome oxidase subunit I (COI) gene suggests that in this genus the stem-galling habit is a more ancestral state compared to the leaf-galling habit. Daphnephila seems to be of tropical origin and to have dispersed to Japan through Taiwan.     

Munnogonium affinissp. n.: A New Species of Isopod (Asellota: Paramunnidae) from the Coast of Korea,Sea of Japan

The new species Munnogonium affinisfrom the coast of Korea (the Sea of Japan) is described. This is the first record of the genus Munnogoniumfrom the western Pacific. The new species differs considerably from the four eastern Pacific American species of this genus and is most similar to M. maltiniifrom the Mediterranean Sea.     

中国隐毒甲属分类研究及四新种记述

记述中国隐毒甲属Cryphaeus Klug, 1833的4新种: 短角隐毒甲C. brevicornus sp. nov.,长角隐毒甲C. longicornus sp. nov.,短毛隐毒甲C. barbellatus sp. nov.和歪角隐毒甲C. obliquicornus sp .nov.。模式标本保存在河北大学博物馆。给出中国及部分周边地区已知种雄性和雌性检索表。     

The Old World species of Pygothrips (Thysanoptera: Phlaeothripidae)

Abstract. The Old World species of the genus Pygothrips are studied. Nine species are included. Four of them are previously known: P.mikrommatos (Moulton) from Fiji, P. pygus (Mound), P. rugicauda Hood and P. shavianus (Bagnall) from Australia. A further five species are new to science: P. breviceps from Japan, P. flavomaculatus from Obi Is., Indonesia, P. fusculus from Ogasawara Is., northwestern Micronesia, Japan, P. postocellaris from Fiji and P. vicinus from the Ryukyus, Japan. A key to species is provided.     

Sabellaria tottoriensis n. sp. (Annelida: Polychaeta: Sabellariidae) from shallow water off Tottori, the Sea of Japan

A new species of the genus Sabellaria Lamarck, 1812 (Annelida: Polychaeta: Sabellariidae), is described from shallow water off Tottori, the Sea of Japan. Sabellaria tottoriensis n. sp., is gregarious with tubes constructed of sand and shell debris. The new species is distinguished by the character combination of 1 or 2 pairs of nuchal spines, two forms (long and short) of opercular paleae in the middle row, with the slender blades of long ones recurved outward. Detailed morphological features of the species are described and compared with other Japanese and worldwide congeners.     

Systematic studies on the Pompilidae occurring in Japan: Genus Platydialepis Haupt (Hymenoptera: Pompilidae: Pepsinae)

Generic characters of Platydialepis Haupt, 1941 are presented. A new species of the genus, P. amamiensis sp. nov. from the Amami Islands, the Ryukyus, Japan, is described, and another species of the genus, P. ryoheii Ishikawa, 1957, distributed in Honshu, Shikoku and Kyushu, Japan, is redescribed. Their biological notes are also given. A new combination is proposed: Platydialepis taiwaniana (Tsuneki, 1989) (=Malloscelis taiwaniana Tsuneki).     

New Podonominae from Japan,Boreochlus longicoxalsetosus sp. n. (Diptera: Chironomidae) with a Key to Species of the Genus

During the survey of chiromonid midges from Kyushu, the authors found a new species of Podonominae (Chironomidae), Boreochlus longicoxalsetosus. The male imago of this new species is described and illustrated. This constitutes the third record of the subfamily Podonominae, and the second species of the genus from Japan. The new species has very long notable setae lying on the dorsomedial surface distal to the volsella, which are never seen in the other Boreochlus species. A key to species of the genus in the world is given.     

Discovery of the genus Skidmorella Johnson (Coleoptera: Ptiliidae) in Japan, with descriptions of two new species

The genus Skidmorella Johnson, previously known only from the South Pacific islands, is discovered in Japan. The type species, Skidmorella magnifica Johnson, is confirmed from Japan as the first record of the species other than the type locality. In addition, two new species, Skidmorella amamiana sp. nov. and Skidmorella quadrisulucia sp. nov., are described from the Ryukyus, Japan. Phylogenetic relationships of the genus Skidmorella and its allies are discussed on the basis of their morphological characters.     

A new species of the deep‐sea copepod genus Scutogerulus (Calanoida: Arietellidae) from the hyperbenthic waters of Okinawa,Japan

A new species of the rare arietellid genus Scutogerulus is described from deep hyperbenthic waters off Okinawa, southwestern Japan. This is the second species of the genus. Phylogenetically significant characteristics known only on the basis of the type species are confirmed by the discovery of the new congener, in particular: (1) the genital system of the female exhibits the most plesiomorphic condition of any arietellid genus; (2) the well developed setae on the endopodal segments of the maxillae and maxillipeds are modified into ‘shield‐like setae’ similar to the ‘button setae’ in another arietelloidean family, the Augaptilidae; (3) the outer distal spine on the first exopodal segment of leg 1 is absent.     

Systematic studies on the Pompilidae occurring in Japan: Genus Agenioideus Ashmead (Hymenoptera), supplement

Two species of the pompilid genus Agenioideus occurring in Japan are described: A . ( Agenioideus ) kokyo and A . ( A .) cinctellus . The former is new to science and the latter is recorded from Japan and Taiwan for the first time. A brief summary of the biology of A. cinctellus , distinguishing characters between A. ( A. ) ishikawai Shimizu, 1989 and its relatives, and a key to all Japanese species of this genus are presented. Psammochares cinctellus f. rufa Haupt, 1938 and A . ( A. ) pacificus Lelej, 1994 are newly synonymized with A. cinctellus . A new combination is proposed: A . ( A .) maculipes (Smith, 1870) (= Pompilus maculipes Smith), which is found in Southeast Asia to South Asia. Agenioideus ishikawai is newly recorded from Korea and China.     

A new species of Enterognathus (Copepoda, Cyclopoida, Enterognathidae) collected from the Seto Inland Sea, western Japan

A new species of the endoparasitic copepod Enterognathus (Cyclopoida, Enterognathidae) is described from a crinoid host in the Seto Inland Sea, western Japan. This is a third species of the genus and its first occurrence in the Pacific Ocean. The new species is distinguished from two previously known congeners by the morphology of the body somites, caudal rami, antennae and legs. Crinoid parasites belonging to Enterognathus and the closely related genus Parenterognathus have a broad distribution from the northeastern Atlantic through the Red Sea to the West Pacific.     

Platycopia compacta n. sp., the Second Species of Platycopioida (Crustacea: Copepoda) in the Indo-Pacific Region, with Remarks on Development, Feeding, Swimming, and Zoogeography

Platycopia compacta new species (Copepoda: Platycopioida) is described from the hyperbenthic zone in the Tokara Islands, southern Japan. This is the second species of the order in the Indo-Pacific region, and the eighth species of the genus. The present new species is distinguishable from the closely related P. inornata from the Bahamas by (1) the formation of allobasis in the antenna; (2) two unequal setae on the basal exite of the maxillule; (3) the intermaxillipedal process with only 3 pairs of prominences at tip; (4) the fusion of the coxa and basis in leg 3; and (5) the fusion of the second and third endopod segments in female legs 3-5. Copepodid stages III, V, and VI are compared with those of P. orientalis collected from Okinawa, and differ in the developmental patterns of the antennule and legs. The presence of an intermaxillipedal process and gut content analysis revealed that Platycopia is carnivorous. The armature of legs 2-5 of the hyperbenthic genus Platycopia is stouter than that of cavernicolous platycopioids, which indicates that Platycopia may penetrate into loose sediment, whereas the latter group might be more adapted to pelagic life. The horizontal distribution of the genus Platycopia apparently exhibits a full Tethyan track.     

A taxonomic review of the genus Astrocharis Koehler (Echinodermata: Ophiuroidea: Asteroschematidae), with a description of a new species

A revision of the genus Astrocharis Koehler (Echinodermata: Ophiuroidea: Asteroschematidae) is based on 41 specimens, including three syntypes of Astrocharis virgo Koehler, one syntype of Astrocharis ijimai Matsumoto and the holotype of Astrocharis gracilis Mortensen. Astrocharis gracilis is a junior subjective synonym of A. ijimai. A. virgo and A. ijimai are redescribed. A new species, Astrocharis monospinosa is described from southwestern Japan. A tabular key to the three species of the genus Astrocharis is provided.     

Taxonomy of the genus Acymatopus Takagi (Diptera: Dolichopodidae)

Two new species of the genus Acymatopus from Japan and China are described. This is the first record of Acymatopus outside Japan. A key to all six valid species of the genus is given, and their distributions are mapped and discussed.     

New carnivorous sponges of the genus Abyssocladia (Demospongiae, Poecilosclerida, Cladorhizidae) from Myojin Knoll, Izu-Ogasawara Arc, southern Japan

Two new species of carnivorous sponges of the genus Abyssocladia are described. These sponges were collected from Myojin Knoll, Izu-Ogasawara (Izu-Bonin) Arc, in southern Japan. Detailed morphological observation based on specimen both in situ and preserved revealed functional differentiation of spicule distribution. Abyssocladia natsushimae sp. nov. is distinct within the genus in its mop-like gross morphology, large body size, and soft tissue packed with numerous microspined microstrongyles. Abyssocladia myojinensis sp. nov. is characterized by possession of both typical abyssochelae and palmate abyssochelae. This is the first record of the genus from Japan.     

Phylogenetic relationships of the genus Hoplia Illiger (Scarabaeidae: Hopliinae)

Results of phylogenetic analysis based on 34 morphological characters of 24 species of 11 genera of Hopliinae from Europe, Japan, South Africa, Madagascar, North and Central America, indicates that the genus Hoplia is a monophyletic group with species distributed in Europe, Japan and America. Based in this analysis the Asiatic genus Ectinohoplia is the closest relative of the genus Hoplia, and the South American genus Barybas (Melolonthinae: Macrodactylini) is the sister group of Hopliinae.     

A new species of Ochridacyclops (Kiefer, 1937) (Copepoda, Cyclopoida) from Japan

A new species of cyclopoid copepod, Ochridacyclops nipponensis is described from Japan. This is the third species of the genus. The type material was collected from small streams in the mountainous regions in Shikoku. The new species can easily be distinguished from other members of genus by its 12-segmented antennule, by the proportional length of genital double-somite relative to the length of 3 free abdominal somites, and by the shape of caudal rami. The male is unknown.