Arnoldiellina fluorescens gen. et sp. nov. – A new green autofluorescent foraminifer from the Gulf of Eilat (Israel)

A new monothalamous (single-chambered) soft-walled foraminiferal species, Arnoldiellina fluorescens gen. et sp. nov., was isolated from samples collected in the Gulf of Eilat, Israel. The species is characterized by a small elongate organic theca with a single aperture of allogromiids. It is characterized by the emission of green autofluorescence (GAF) that has so far not been reported from foraminifera. Phylogenetic analysis of a fragment of the 18S rDNA indicates that the species is related to a group of monothalamous foraminiferans classified as clade I. Although the morphology of the new species is very different compared to the other members of this clade, a specific helix in 18S rRNA secondary structure strongly supports this position.     

Xenophyophores (Rhizaria,Foraminifera), including four new species and two new genera,from the western Clarion-Clipperton Zone (abyssal equatorial Pacific)

The Clarion-Clipperton Zone (CCZ) occupies a vast swathe of the Pacific with extensive polymetallic nodule deposits. Eastern and central parts host diverse assemblages of xenophyophores (megafaunal agglutinated foraminifera). Here we describe xenophyophores obtained using a Remotely Operated Vehicle from the western CCZ. Eleven distinct forms include two known species, Stannophyllum zonarium Haeckel, 1888 and Aschemonella monile Gooday and Holzmann in Gooday et al., 2017b. Another four are described as new species based on morphological and genetic data. In Abyssalia foliformis gen. nov., sp. nov. and Abyssalia sphaerica sp. nov. the flattened or spherical test comprises a homogeneous framework of sponge spicules. Psammina tenuis sp. nov. has a delicate, thin, plate-like test. Moanammina semicircularis gen. nov., sp. nov. has a stalked, fan-shaped test and is genetically identical to ‘Galatheammina sp. 6’ of Gooday and co-workers from the eastern CCZ. Sequence data revealed a spherical ‘mudball’, which disintegrated and cannot be formally described, to be a novel xenophyophore. Finally, four morphospecies are represented by dead tests: Psammina spp., Reticulammina sp., and an unknown genus with a unique test structure. This collection enhances our knowledge of Pacific xenophyophore diversity and provides the first genetic confirmation of wide geographic ranges for abyssal species.     

Biogeography,autecology, and phylogeny of Percolomonads based on newly described species

Percolomonads (Heterolobosea) are aquatic heterotrophic flagellates frequently found in saline waters up to hypersaline environments. We isolated and cultivated seven strains of percolomonad flagellates from marine waters and sediments as well as from a hypersaline inland lake in the Atacama Desert. Morphological characterizations, comprising light and scanning electron microscopy, revealed only slight differences between the strains mainly limited to the cell shape, length of flagella, and length of the ventral feeding groove. Phylogenetic analyses of the 18S and 28S rDNA genes showed the formation of three fully supported clades within the Percolomonadida: the Percolomonadidae, the Barbeliidae fam. nov. and the Lulaidae fam. nov. We describe two new families (Barbeliidae fam. nov., Lulaidae fam. nov.), a new genus (Nonamonas gen. nov.), and five new species (Percolomonas adaptabilis sp. nov., Lula levis sp. nov., Barbelia pacifica sp. nov., Nonamonas montiensis gen. et sp. nov., Nonamonas santamariensis gen. et sp. nov.). Salinity experiments showed that P. adaptabilis sp. nov. from the Atlantic was better adapted to high salinities than all other investigated strains. Moreover, comparisons of our cultivation-based approach with environmental sequencing studies showed that P. adaptabilis sp. nov. seems to be globally distributed in marine surface waters while other species seem to be more locally restricted.     

New and little known orthopteroid insects (Polyneoptera) from fossil resins: Communication 1

New taxa of uncertain position within the infraclass Polyneoptera (Gryllomantidae fam. nov.: Gryllomantis gen. nov., Lower Cretaceous; Mantoblattidae fam. nov.: Mantoblatta mira gen. et sp. nov., Upper Cretaceous) and within the order Dictyoptera (Pseudojantaropterix gen. nov., Lower Cretaceous) are described. The superfamily Umenocoleoidea of uncertain position within the latter order is discussed on the basis of new information on Jantarimantidae and some other Cretaceous Dictyoptera.     

Echinocampidae fam. nov., a new family of Late Jurassic-Early Cretaceous radiolarians of Arctic Siberia

When studying Late Jurassic-Early Cretaceous radiolarians from the Nordvik section (Arctic Siberia), unique morphotypes of multicyrtoid nassellarians with many horns in the apical part of the shell, which continue the rays A, V, 2l, D, and 2L of the cephalic spicule, were recorded. These morphotypes are assigned to a new family, Echinocampidae fam. nov., including three new genera (Echinocampe gen. nov., Nordvikella gen. nov., and Arctocapsula gen. nov.) and eight new species. The family Echinocampidae was probably restricted to high latitudes and belonged to the boreal fauna of the terminal Jurassic and the basal Cretaceous.     

Intraspecific variation in Triassic Ophthalmidiid Foraminifera from Timor

Four ophthalmidiid species are described as free specimens extracted from mudstones and wackestones of Triassic age: Atsabella bandeiraensis nov. gen. nov. sp., Karaburunia atsabensis nov. sp., Ophthalmidium sp. cf. O. primitivum Ho and Spirophthalmidium grunaui nov. sp. Analysis of morphological variation found in large suites of specimens suggests that, as in modern miliolids, apertural characteristics, chamber shape and adult test size are features that vary within narrow limits and may be used to define species. In genera with milioline coiling in the post-embryonic stage, chamber arrangement may be highly variable. Post-embryonic coiling in K. atsabensis varies from quinqueloculine to almost spiroloculine and encompasses morphotypes that, in thin-section studies, have been attributed to a number of other genera. In Timor Leste, A. bandeiraensis, K. atsabensis and S. grunaui have been found with conodonts indicative of the Carnian, but the full local stratigraphic range of these species is uncertain. K. atsabensis occurs at another locality with conodonts suggestive of the Middle Triassic or less likely Carnian. Ophthalmidium sp. cf. O. primitivum has been found at one locality associated with A. bandeiraensis and K. atsabensis in a stratigraphic succession that suggests a correlation to the Carnian or Norian. The ophthalmidiids are found commonly associated with organic-cemented agglutinated and hyaline foraminifera and at some localities common to abundant ostracods and mollusc debris. They were most common in organic-rich carbonate mud of shallow-marine environments.     

New cryptostomide bryozoans from the Upper Devonian of Transcaucasia and some aspects of the evolution of the order Cryptostomida

New bryozoans of the suborder Ptilodictyina of the order Cryptostomida are described from the Upper Famennian of Transcaucasia: those of the family Worthenoporidae, i.e., a genus Geranopora gen. nov. comprising three species G. fabulosa sp. nov. (type species), G. fida sp. nov., and G. finitima sp. nov., and those of a new family Mysticellidae fam. nov., i.e., a genus Mysticella gen. nov. comprising four species M. labyrinthica sp. nov. (type species), M. laudativa sp. nov., M. sacrosancta sp. nov., and M. ortiva sp. nov. Thus, a Late Devonian part of the evolutionary line of ptilodictyines is revealed that shows their radiation at the levels of families, genera, and species.     

A Remarkable New Family of Jurassic Insects (Neuroptera) with Primitive Wing Venation and Its Phylogenetic Position in Neuropterida

Background

Lacewings (insect order Neuroptera), known in the fossil record since the Early Permian, were most diverse in the Mesozoic. A dramatic variety of forms ranged in that time from large butterfly-like Kalligrammatidae to minute two-winged Dipteromantispidae.

Principal Findings

We describe the intriguing new neuropteran family Parakseneuridae fam. nov. with three new genera and 15 new species from the Middle Jurassic of Daohugou (Inner Mongolia, China) and the Early/Middle Jurassic of Sai-Sagul (Kyrgyzstan): Parakseneura undula gen. et sp. nov., P. albomacula gen. et sp. nov., P. curvivenis gen. et sp. nov., P. nigromacula gen. et sp. nov., P. nigrolinea gen. et sp. nov., P. albadelta gen. et sp. nov., P. cavomaculata gen. et sp. nov., P. inflata gen. et sp. nov., P. metallica gen. et sp. nov., P. emarginata gen. et sp. nov., P. directa gen. et sp. nov., Pseudorapisma jurassicum gen. et sp. nov., P. angustipenne gen. et sp. nov., P. maculatum gen. et sp. nov. (Daohugou); Shuraboneura ovata gen. et sp. nov. (Sai-Sagul). The family comprises large neuropterans with most primitive wing venation in the order indicated by the presence of ScA and AA1+2, and the dichotomous branching of MP, CuA, CuP, AA3+4, AP1+2. The phylogenetic position of Parakseneuridae was investigated using a phylogenetic analysis of morphological scoring for 33 families of extinct and extant Neuropterida combined with DNA sequence data for representatives of all extant families. Parakseneuridae were recovered in a clade with Osmylopsychopidae, Prohemerobiidae, and Ithonidae.

Conclusions/Significance

The presence of the presumed AA1+2 in wings of Parakseneuridae is a unique plesiomorphic condition hitherto unknown in Neuropterida, the clade comprising Neuroptera, Megaloptera, Raphidioptera. The relative uncertainty of phylogenetic position of Parakseneuridae and the majority of other families of Neuroptera reflects deficient paleontological data, especially from critical important periods for the order, earliest Triassic and latest Triassic/earliest Jurassic.     

First gall midges (Diptera,Cecidomyioidea) from Late Cretaceous amber of the Taimyr Peninsula

Gall midges from Santonian amber of Yantardakh (Taimyr Peninsula) are investigated for the first time. Eight new genera and eight new species belonging to five tribes of the subfamily Micromyinae (Lestremiidae) are described. These are Caputmunda yantardakhica gen. et sp. nov. (Catochini), Cretoperomyia taimyrica gen. et sp. nov. (Peromyiini), Palaeostrobliella dmitrii gen. et sp. nov., Yantardakhiella pusilla gen. et sp. nov., and Zherikhiniella pedicellata gen. et sp. nov. (Strobliellini), Menssana norilsk gen. et sp. nov. (Micromyini), and Cretomycophila ekaterinae gen. et sp. nov., and Corporesana khatanga gen. et sp. nov. (Aprionini). A representative of Porricondylinae (Cecidomyiidae, Porricondylinae, Holoneurini) is recorded. The diagnoses based on morphometric parameters of tribes and previously established genera are emended. The species composition of gall midges from three Cretaceous amber faunas of different ages are analyzed.     

Molecular Phylogeny and Morphology of Leannia veloxifera n. gen. et sp. Unveils a New Lineage of Monothalamous Foraminifera

Monothalamous (single‐chambered) foraminifera have long been considered as the “poor cousins” of multichambered species, which calcareous and agglutinated tests dominate in the fossil record. This view is currently changing with environmental DNA surveys showing that the monothalamids may be as diverse as hard‐shelled foraminifera. Yet, the majority of numerous molecular lineages revealed by eDNA studies remain anonymous. Here, we describe a new monothalamous species and genus isolated from the sample of sea grass collected in Gulf of Eilat (Red Sea). This new species, named Leannia veloxifera, is characterized by a tiny ovoid theca (about 50–100 μm) composed of thin organic wall, with two opposite apertures. The examined individuals are multinucleated and show very active reticulopodial movement. Phylogenetic analyses of SSU rDNA, actin, and beta‐tubulin (ß‐tubulin) show that the species represents a novel lineage branching separately from other monothalamous foraminifera. Interestingly, the SSU rDNA sequence of the new species is very similar to an environmental foraminiferal sequence from Bahamas, suggesting that the novel lineage may represent a group of shallow‐water tropical allogromiids, poorly studied until now.     

Lecithoceridae (Lepidoptera: Gelechioidea) of New Guinea,Part V: Descriptions of two new genera,Neotimyra gen. nov. and Strombiola gen. nov.

This is the 5th part in a series on the family Lecithoceridae (Lepidoptera, Gelechioidea) of New Guinea. Two new genera, Neotimyra gen. nov. and Strombiola gen. nov. are proposed. There are five new species in the genus Neotimyra (N. senara sp. nov., N. milleri sp. nov., N. gyriola sp. nov., N. warkapiensis sp. nov., and N. nemoralis sp. nov.), and one new species in the genus Strombiola (S. papuana sp. nov.). Adults, heads, labial palpi, venations, and male genitalia are illustrated.     

Miliolipora species (Foraminifera,Miliolina) from the Rhaetian Dachstein Limestone of Karavanke Mts (Slovenia): Palaeoecological and palaeobiogeographic implications

The Carnian-Rhaetian genus Miliolipora (Soritoidea, Milioliporidae) is characterised by a coarsely perforated porcelaneous wall and a quinqueloculinoid arrangement of semi-tubular chambers. Miliolipora tamarae nov. sp. has been documented in the Rhaetian Dachstein reef limestone of Mt. Begunj??ica (Karavanke Mts., northern Slovenia). This new species differs from Miliolipora cuvillieri Brönnimann and Zaninetti in its costate outer chambers and evolute coiling. Both species are abundant in an oncoid rudstone/grapestone facies located immediately behind the central reef zone. In this depositional context, Miliolipora spp. were subjected to mechanical sorting and are believed to have been transported a short distance from their habitat. The costae and the overall less rounded shape of the test helped to stabilize M. tamarae nov. sp. on the sea floor. Both species were widely spread in the Tethyan realm confirming the broad palaeobiogeographic distribution of the Late Triassic foraminifera.     

Petsamomyces, a new genus of organic-walled microfossils from the coal-bearing deposits of the Early Proterozoic, Kola Peninsula

A new genus of organic-walled microfossils of supposed fungal origin, Petsamomyces Belova gen. nov., is described from the black shales of the Pechenga complex of the Early Proterozoic (Kola Peninsula). The find testifies to the development of eukaryotic heterotrophic microorganisms as early as 2 Ga ago.     

A distinct large vole lineage from the Late Pliocene - Early Pleistocene of China

A distinct large vole lineage involving three species from the Late Pliocene - Early Pleistocene of China is morphologically and quantitatively delineated. A special sinuous line (linea sinuosa) pattern, not previously recognized, diagnoses the new lineage, and distinguishes the species in the lineage from all other vole genera known either from China or elsewhere. At present, only two morphologically discrete evolutionary stages can be recognized in the lineage. The primitive stage is represented by rooted Mimomys peii and M. banchiaonicus, and the advanced stage is represented by the newly described rootless Heteromimomys zhengi nov. gen., nov. sp. from the Paleolithic site of Renzidong Cave in Anhui Province. The schmelzmuster of M. peii and Heteromimomys zhengi nov. gen., nov. sp. is also examined to provide more details about the lineage. This lineage diverged from Mimomys by the Late Pliocene within North China. The comparison between the arvicoline species co-existing with Heteromimomys zhengi nov. gen., nov. sp. and those from Haiyan Formation in the Yushe Basin, Shanxi Province, suggests the age of Heteromimomys zhengi nov. gen., nov. sp. can be correlated to or predate the Haiyan Formation, which is in reversely magnetized sediment identified as Chron 2r. The loss of roots in the lineage corresponds with a cooling event at the beginning of the Pleistocene, and seems to characterize the Nihewanian age of the Chinese Land Mammal ages from the perspective of arvicoline biochronology.     

Neue Bodenalgen aus den Dolomiten

Five new genera and five new species of alpine soil algae from S. Tyrol are described from cultures and figured. One of them belongs to theXanthophyceas:Heterothrix sessilis, spec. nova, the remaining to theChlorophyceae:Scotiellopsis rubescens, gen. et spec. nov.,Pseudodictyochloris dissecta, gen. et spec. nov.,Chlorozebra cohaerens, spec. nova,Neochloris bilobata, spec. nova,Myrmecia astigmatica, spec. nova,Trochisciopsis tetraspora, gen. et spec. nov.,Pseudotrochiscia areolata, gen. et spec. nov.,Stichococcus undulatus, spec. nova, andHormidiospora verrucosa, gen. et spec. nov.     

A mid-Cretaceous trichomycete,Priscadvena corymbosa gen. et sp. nov., in Burmese amber

Priscadvena corymbosa gen. et sp. nov., is described from thalli and sporangia emerging from the oral cavity of a click beetle (Coleoptera: Elateridae) in mid-Cretaceous Burmese amber. The fossil contains several features unknown in extant Trichomycetes including a click beetle (Coleoptera: Elateridae) host, spiny, aerial thalli with the entire thallus bearing numerous small uninucleate globular spores and stalks attached to the oral cavity of its host. Based on these features, P. corymbosa gen. et sp. nov. is placed in a new family, Priscadvenaceae fam. nov., and new order, Priscadvenales ord. nov. The new morphological and behavioral features of the fossil add to the diversity of the trichomycetes as currently defined.     

A new subfamily of ichneumon wasps (Insecta: Hymenoptera: Ichneumonidae) from the Upper Cretaceous of the Russian Far East

A new subfamily of ichneumon wasps, Labenopimplinae subfam. nov. (Ichneumonidae), is described from the Cenomanian Ola Formation of the locality Obeshchayushchiy, Magadan Region, Russian Far East. The subfamily is highly diverse morphologically and combines characters of the Labeninae and Pimplinae. It includes 11 new species described in five new genera: Labenopimpla rasnitsyni gen. et sp. nov., L. kasparyani sp. nov., Armanopimpla zherikhini gen. et sp. nov, Ramulimonstrum intermedium gen. et sp. nov., Rugopimpla vulgaris gen. et sp. nov., R. fallax sp. nov., R. angusticella sp. nov., R. macra sp. nov., R. matrona sp. nov., Micropimpla lucida gen. et sp. nov., and M. obscura sp. nov. Also described is a new monotypic genus, Tryphopimpla xoridoptera gen. et sp. nov., which combines characters of the Tryphoninae, Pimplinae, and Xoridinae and cannot be currently placed into any of the known subfamilies. The population of fossil ichneumon wasps at this locality is distinctly dominated by females.     

New radiolarian genera and species from the Lower Permian of the Southern Urals and Northern Mugodzhary

Two new genera and five new species of Lower Permian radiolarians, Arcoclathrata alekseevi gen. et sp. nov., Entactinia pinrasensis sp. nov., Microporosa rozhnovi gen. et sp. nov., M. aktastensis sp. nov., and Somphoentactinia saecularis sp. nov., from the Southern Urals and Northern Mugodzhary are described. The new spherical radiolarian taxa belong to three orders: Entactiniata, Cancelliata, and Spongiata of two classes, Sphaerellaria and Spumellaria.     

New ancyloceratidae (Ammonoidea) from the Aptian of the Ulyanovsk region,Middle Volga

A new genus Pseudoancyloceras gen. nov. with the type species P. calinovense sp. nov. and five new species of Ancyloceratidae (Australiceras (Proaustraliceras) elegans sp. nov., Audouliceras vyrystaykense sp. nov., A. brusyankense sp. nov., A. mordovense sp. nov., Tropaeum (Tropaeum) elaurkense sp. nov.) are described from the Aptian of the Ulyanovsk region, Middle Volga.