A review of the microgastropod genus Systenostoma Bavay & Dautzenberg, 1908 and a new subterranean species from China (Gastropoda,Pulmonata, Hypselostomatidae)

A review of the microgastropod genus Systenostoma is provided. Thai and Malaysian species are transferred to a new genus, Angustopila (type species: Systenostoma tamlod Panha & Burch, 1999). A new subterranean Angustopila species is described here. Conchologically, the new species is most similar to the cave-dwelling, Thai A. tamlod (Panha & Burch, 1999). One Thai species (Systenostoma edentata) is transferred to the genus Hypselostoma. Vietnamese members remain in the genus Tonkinospira (nomen novum) for Systenostoma Bavay & Dautzenberg, 1908 (non Systenostoma Marsson, 1887). A comprehensive map of former Systenostoma species is presented. SEM and NanoCT images, including a video of A. huoyani sp. n. internal shell morphology, provide novel perspectives of the shells of Angustopila and of the scarcely known Vietnamese Tonkinospira species. The biology of these snails is not yet known but collection localities suggest a troglophilic ecology.     

A new species of Amblyodus Westwood, 1878 (Coleoptera, Melolonthidae, Dynastinae) from South America

A second species of Amblyodus Westwood, 1878, Amblyodus castroi sp. n., is described from the northern South America based on 12 specimens from Brazil and Peru (Amazonian subregion). The new species is here compared with the type species of the genus, Amblyodus taurus Westwood, 1878 and both species and their male genitalia are illustrated. Diagnostic characters for the genus are discussed, especially the metatibial teeth. A distribution map including the type species and the new species is provided. The genus Amblyodus is recorded for the first time from Peru and from Brazil states of Pará and Rondônia.     

A new species of Socarnes Boeck, 1871 (Crustacea,Amphipoda, Lysianassidae) from Korean waters

A new species of lysianassid amphipod belonging to the genus Socarnes Boeck was collected from Korean coastal waters. This is the first record of the genus Socarnes from Korea. The new species is fully illustrated and extensively compared with related species. A key to Socarnes speciesis provided.     

Cretaceous and Paleogene Bourgueticrinina (Echinodermata,Crinoidea) of the USSR

The theca and the columnals of twenty-two lateCretaceous species of the genus Bourgueticrinus (including two new species), of one species of the genus Democrinus, of four species of the genus Conocrinus (including one new species) and of one species of the genus Paleobathycrinus known from USSR are figured and shortly described. Biometric reconstructions of stems for B. aequalis, B. bellus, B. danicus, B. fischeri and C. tauricus nov. sp. are given. A new index is used to suggest the relative flexibility of stem. Decrease in dimension and flexibility of the arms in several species take place simultaneously with an increase of stem flexibility. This fact seems to be closely related to environmental changes.     

Siptionella,a new bivalve genus of Parallelodontidae from the Upper Eocene of Ukraine

A new genus of the family Parallelodontidae (Bivalvia: Arcoidea), Siptionella gen. nov., with four species from the Upper Eocene of Ukraine and Germany and the Maestrichtian of Denmark is described. From the Upper Eocene of Ukraine, two species, the type species of the genus S. prompta (Berezovsky, 2002), previously described by the author within the genus Porterius, and the new species S. demissa sp. nov. are described and figured.     

New taxa and revisionary systematics of alcyonacean octocorals from the Pacific coast of North America (Cnidaria,Anthozoa)

A taxonomic assessment of four species of octocorals from the northeastern Pacific Ocean (British Columbia to California) is provided. Included here are a new species of clavulariid stolonifieran Cryptophyton, a new species of the nephtheid soft coral Gersemia, an undetermined species of soft coral in the genus Alcyonium that has been referred in the literature by several other names, and a new genus is named for a plexaurid sea fan originally described in the Indo-Pacific genus Euplexaura. Discussions are included that compare the species to related taxa, or provide revisionary assessments.     

Comments on the genus Aphilenia weise in Reitter, 1889 (Coleoptera, Chrysomelidae, Eumolpinae), with a description of a new species from Russia

A review of species of the genus Aphilenia is given. The genera Aphilenia and Atomyria are transferred from the tribe Bromiini to the tribe Nodinini. A new species, Aphilenia astakhovi sp. n. from Russia (Astrakhan Prov.), is described. Aphilenia interrupta var. unicolor Rtt. is upgraded to a species and is transferred to the subgenus Pseudaphilenia Lop. Aphilenia hauseri Wse. is a new synonym of A. unicolor Rtt.; A. inornata Chen is transferred to the genus Chloropterus.     

Description of Oculogryphus shuensis sp. n. (Coleoptera,Lampyridae), the first species of the genus in the Sino-Japanese realm,with a modified key to the subfamily Ototretinae

A new species of the lampyrid genus Oculogryphus Jeng, Engel, and Yang, O. shuensis sp. n. from China (Sichuan Province) is described and figured. The genus previously was known only from Vietnam, and the new species is the first representative of the genus in the Sino-Japanese zoogeographic realm. Some morphological variations of Oculogryphus and the allied genus Stenocladius are discussed and a modification to the most recent key to ototretine genera is proposed to accommodate Oculogryphus.     

New species and records of Charisius Champion from Mexico and Central America (Coleoptera,Tenebrionidae, Alleculinae)

The species of the genus Charisius Champion, from Mexico and Central America are reviewed. The flightless genus Narses Champion, with one included species, N. subalatus Champion, is placed in synonymy with the genus Charisius. Four new species are described and illustrated, C. granulatus and C. punctatus (from Guatemala) and C. apterus and C. howdenorum (from Mexico). Charisius subalatus (Champion) is redescribed and illustrated. The species C. interstitialis Champion is placed in synonymy with C. zunilensis Champion. The genus is redescribed to include the four new species and N. subalatus. New distributional records are presented for all other species of the genus and a revised key is presented for identification of all the species of the genus.     

A new genus of soft coral (Cnidaria,Octocorallia) from the Republic of Congo (Pointe-Noire Region)

A new genus of soft coral from the Republic of Congo is described, Complexum gen. n. Nine West African octocoral species previously described in the genus Alcyonium by Tixier-Durivault (1955) are referred to this new genus, and a new species is described and figured, Complexum pusillum sp. n. The new species is characterized by having encrusting growth form and abundant spiny clubs in the surface of the polyparium. It colonizes shallow calcareous rocky banks (5 to 20 m depth) existing in coastal water of the region of Pointe-Noire. Based on molecular phylogeny this new genus is well separated from Alcyonium species.     

A new lichen-forming fungus,Orientophila corticola,from South Korea,with a key to the genus

Orientophila corticola is described as a new lichen-forming fungus from South Korea. The new species is distinguishable from other Orientophila species by the substrate preference to tree barks and the habitat specificity to inland areas. Molecular analyses applying internal transcribed spacer (ITS) and mitochondrial small subunit (mtSSU) sequences clearly classify O. corticola as a distinct species in the genus Orientophila. A surrogate key is provided to assist in the identification of all 13 taxa in the genus Orientophila.     

Representatives of the genus Ammosiphonia He, 1977 (Foraminifera) from the Jurassic and Carboniferous of Western Siberia

The wide distribution of the genus Ammosiphonia in the Upper Jurassic and Carboniferous of Western Siberia is established for the first time. Six haplophragmoidid species of Western Siberia are assigned to this genus. The diagnosis of the genus is emended; the taxonomic positions and scopes of the species Ammosiphonia nonioninoides (Reuss), A. beresoviensis (Bulatova), and A. sibirica (Zaspelova) are revised; two new species, A. suprajurassica sp. nov. and A. valanginica sp. nov., are described.     

A review of the genus Cassianeura Ramakrishnan & Menon (Hemiptera,Cicadellidae, Typhlocybinae), with two new records from Thailand

The Oriental leafhopper genus Cassianeura Ramakrishnan & Menon is reviewed with two new species records from Thailand: C. cassiae (Ahmed, 1970) and C. bimaculata Dworakowska, 1984. The three species of the genus are redescribed and illustrated including details of the female ovipositor for the first time. A key to distinguish the three species of the genus is provided.     

The Megophthalmidia (Diptera,Mycetophilidae) of North America including eight new species

Megophthalmidia Dziedzicki is a small leiine genus (Mycetophilidae) with seven species described from the Neotropics and ten species from the Palearctic region. Two species of Megophthalmidia have been reported for North America. Recent collecting of Mycetophilidae in California and Arizona, however, shows current North American diversity of Megophthalmidia is at least on par to other regions of the world. Eight new species of Megophthalmidia are described here, increasing the number of Nearctic Megophthalmidia species to nine. Included is a particularly atypical member of the genus, M. saskia sp. n., which expands the genus concept of Megophthalmidia. Of the two species previously recorded for North America, only one actually belongs in the genus. Megophthalmidia occidentalis Johannsen, is fully described and illustrated. The other named species, M. marceda (Sherman) is illustrated and transferred to the genus Ectrepesthoneura Enderlein. A lectotype is designated for this species. A key to the species of Megophthalmidia of North America is provided. The biology of these flies is not yet known. Three of the new Megophthalmidia species – M. lenimenta, M. misericordia, and M. radiata – are only known to occur within small protected areas within the California State Park and UC Natural Reserve systems.     

Morphogenesis and evolution of Kutorgina Billings, 1861 (Brachiopoda, Kutorginida)

A comparative morphological analysis of all known members of the Lower-Middle Cambrian genus Kutorgina, one of the brachiopod genera with a carbonate shell that are oldest and richest in species. The evolution of the genus is discussed, and the borders between the Kutorgina species are emended. A new species, Kutorgina elanica sp. nov., is described.     

Two new species of the genus Abrus Dai & Zhang, 2002 (Hemiptera,Cicadellidae, Deltocephalinae) from China

Two new species of leafhoppers: Abrus damingshanensis sp. n. (from Guangxi) and A. expansivus sp. n. (from Guizhou) are described and illustrated from China. A map showing the geographic distribution of the two new species is given. Taxonomic notes on species of the genus Abrus is also provided.     

Genus Microsternus Lewis (1887) from China,with description of a new genus Neosternus from Asia (Coleoptera,Erotylidae, Dacnini)

This work treats species of the genus Microsternus Lewis, 1887 from Asia and North America. A new genus is described: Neosternus (type species Microsternus higonius Lewis, 1887). A new species is described: Microsternus pengzhongi. A new synonym is provided: Microsternus tricolor taiwanicus Nakane (=Microsternus tricolor Lewis). Three species previously placed in Microsternus Lewis, 1887 are transferred to Neosternus resulting in the following three new combinations: Neosternus higonius (Lewis, 1887), Neosternus taiwanus (Chûjô, 1976), and Neosternus hisamatsui (Nakane, 1981).     

New records of the genus Iporhogas Granger (Hymenoptera,Braconidae, Rogadinae) from Vietnam,with description of four new species

The genus Iporhogas Granger, 1949 (Braconidae: Rogadinae) is recorded for the first time for Vietnam. Four new species of the genus Iporhogas, viz. Iporhogas albilateralis sp. n., I. contrastus sp. n., I. simulatus sp. n. and I. tricoloratus sp. n., from Vietnam are described and illustrated, and additionally, one species, Iporhogas guangxiensis Chen & He, 1997, is newly recorded for Vietnam’s fauna of the family Braconidae. A key to the five Vietnamese species of the genus Iporhogas and a checklist with distributions of the ten species are provided.     

Cockroaches of genus Muzoa: morphology of the male genital sclerites and description of one new species (Dictyoptera,Blattodea, Ectobiidae,Nyctiborinae)

The male genital sclerites of cockroaches of genus Muzoa Hebard 1921 are described for first time and the new species Muzoa curtalata sp. n. is described and ilustrated. A dichotomous key to identify the species of genus Muzoa is given.