Review of the genus Catomus Allard, 1876 (Coleoptera: Tenebrionidae) in Iran

Five species of the genus Catomus Allard, 1876 Allard, E. (1876): Révision des Helopines vrais de Lacordaire. L'Abeille. Journal d'Entomologie, 14, 1–80. [Google Scholar] are known from Iran. Catomus fragilis (Ménétriés, 1848) is recorded from Iran for the first time. Lectotypes of C. persicus Allard, 1876 Allard, E. (1876): Révision des Helopines vrais de Lacordaire. L'Abeille. Journal d'Entomologie, 14, 1–80. [Google Scholar] (type species of the genus) and C. semiruber Allard, 1876 Allard, E. (1876): Révision des Helopines vrais de Lacordaire. L'Abeille. Journal d'Entomologie, 14, 1–80. [Google Scholar] are designated. These species are also redescribed and figured. A key to the species of Catomus in the Iranian fauna is given.     

Qualitative examination of diatom diversity in black fly (Diptera: Simuliidae) gut contents across a mortality gradient after exposure to Bacillus thuringiensis subsp. israelensis de Barjac, 1978

While Bacillus thuringiensis subsp. israelensis de Barjac, 1978 de Barjac, H. (1978), ‘Une Nouvelle Variété de Bacillus thuringiensis Très Toxique Pour les Moustiques: B. thuringiensis var. israelensis Sérotype H14’, Comptes Rendus de l'Académie des Sciences de Paris 286D, 797–800. [Google Scholar] (Bti) is generally effective in reducing Simulium Latreille, 1802 Latreille, P.A. (1802–1803), Histoire Naturelle, Générale et Particulière des Crustacés et des insectes (Vol. 3), Paris: F. Dufart. [Google Scholar] pest levels, impaired toxicity has been identified. Diatoms are typically abundant in Simulium larval gut contents and thought to affect feeding behaviour and/or Bti ingestion. We sought to determine diatom composition in larval Simulium gut contents and periphyton in relation to mortality subsequent in situ Bti application across three stream reaches. Generally, lower larval mortality after Bti exposure was associated with comparatively greater diatom diversity inside gut contents, corresponding with an inverse relationship between periphyton diatom diversity and larval mortality across our study reaches. High profile diatoms inside gut contents were positively correlated with mortality, suggesting microbial morphology may affect Bti efficacy. Diatoms inside live larval guts were most similar to periphyton which indicates that these larvae may have been feeding less on lower quality detrital material and/or exhibiting comparatively greater benthic feeding.     

The genera Cneocnemis Gebien and Cenoscelis Wollaston in Saudi Arabia (Coleoptera: Tenebrionidae: Ulomini)

Cneocnemis arabica sp. n. is described from western Saudi Arabia. The type locality lies disjunct from the large conjunct area of the Asian congeners, probably due to the lack of suitable habitats (?trees) in central and eastern Arabia. C. angustula (Fairmaire, 1893 Fairmaire, L. (1893): Contributions à la faune Indo-Chinoise. Coléoptères Hétéromères. Annales de la Société entomologique de France, 62, 19–38. [Google Scholar]) comb. n. from Indochina is transferred from Uloma to Cneocnemis. Additionally, the first records of Cenoscelis pulla (Erichson, 1843) from Saudi Arabia are listed. The species of Cenoscelis seem at least not to be restricted to arboreal habitats.     

Discovery of the subfamily Microtypinae (Hymenoptera: Braconidae) in Egypt,with the description of a new species

The subfamily Microtypinae Szépligeti, 1908 Szépligeti, G. (1908): Braconiden aus der Sammlung des ungarischen National-Museums. 2. Annales Historico-Naturales Musei Nationalis Hungarici, 6, 397–427. [Google Scholar] (Hymenoptera: Braconidae) is recorded for the first time for Egypt. The present study is based on specimens collected from Gebel Elba, Wadi Allaqi, St. Catherine, and Fayoum, as well as specimens deposited in various entomological collections in Egypt. Four species belonging to the genus Microtypus Ratzeburg, 1848 (M. algiricus Szépligeti, 1908 Szépligeti, G. (1908): Braconiden aus der Sammlung des ungarischen National-Museums. 2. Annales Historico-Naturales Musei Nationalis Hungarici, 6, 397–427. [Google Scholar]; M. desertorum Shestakov, 1932 Shestakov, A. (1932): Zur Kenntnis der asiatischen Braconiden. Zoologische Annalen (Würzburg), 99, 255–263. [Google Scholar]; M. vanharteni van Achterberg, 2010 Achterberg, C. van (2010): Order Hymenoptera, family Braconidae. Genus Microtypus Ratzeburg (Hymenoptera: Braconidae: Microtypinae). Arthropod Fauna of the United Arab Emirates, 3, 381–387. [Google Scholar] and M. aegypticus sp. n.) are reported for the first time from Egypt.

http://www.zoobank.org/urn:lsid:zoobank.org:pub:022282A1-183F-4E0C-9F88-A53C42735532     

A new species of Micragasma J. Sahlberg, 1900 (Coleoptera: Hydraenidae) from Crete

We describe a new species of Micragasma J. Sahlberg, 1900 (Coleoptera, Hydraenidae), which is here treated as a subgenus of Ochthebius Leach, 1815 Leach, W.E. (1815), ‘Entomology’, in The Edinburgh Encyclopaedia (Vol. 9), ed. D. Brewster, Balfour: Edinburgh, pp. 57–172. [Google Scholar]. The new species, O. (Micragasma) minoicus sp. n., was found at the margins of a coastal rockpool in the island of Crete. The species differs from the other two known species of Micragasma in both external and genital characters, but shares with them the presence of small setiferous tubercles on the surface of the head, pronotum and elytra, and a strong medial gibbosity on the head. In some characters, such as the structure and shape of the aedeagus, O. (M.) minoicus sp. n. is similar to other species of the genus Ochthebius, in particular of the subgenus Cobalius Rey, 1886 Rey, C. (1886), ‘Histoire naturelle des coléoptères de France (suite)’, Annales de la Société Linnéenne de Lyon, 32, 1–187, pl. 1–2.[Crossref] , [Google Scholar], typical of coastal rockpools.

http://zoobank.org/urn:lsid:zoobank.org:act:BCEAE1EE-7C5E-4017-A753-559738221502     

New records of Hydrochus Leach, 1817 (Coleoptera: Hydrochidae) from Iran

Abstract

Hydrochus ignicollis Motschulsky, 1860 Motschulsky, V. de (1860), ‘Coléoptères rapportés de la Sibérie orientale et notamment des pays situés sur les bords du fleuve Amour par MM. Schrenck, Maack, Ditmar, Voznessenski etc.’, in Reisen und Forschungen im Amur - Lande in den Jahren 1854–1856 im Auftrage der Kaiserl. Akademie der Wissenschaften zu St. Petersburg ausgeführt und in Verbindung mit mehreren Gelehrten herausgegeben. Band II. ed. L. Schrenck , Zweite Lieferung . Coleopteren, St. Petersburg: Eggers und Comp., pp. 80–257, pls. VI–XI. [Google Scholar] is recorded from Iran (Gilan Province) for the first time. In addition, new Iranian provincial records are provided for two species: H. nodulifer Reitter, 1897 Reitter, E . (1897), ‘Dreißig neue Coleopteren aus russisch Asien und der Mongolei’, Deutsche Entomologische Zeitschrift , 1897(2), 209–228. [Google Scholar] (Zanjan Province) and H. farsicus Hidalgo-Galiana, Jäch, and Ribera, 2010 Hidalgo-Galiana, A. , Jäch, M.A. , and Ribera, I . (2010), ‘ Hydrochus farsicus sp. n. from Iran and Notes on other Palearctic Species of the Genus (Coleoptera: Hydrophiloidea: Hydrochidae)’, Zootaxa , 2344, 61–64.[Crossref] , [Google Scholar] (Kohgiluyeh and Boyer-Ahmad Province). Photographs of the habitus, the male genitalia and the habitat of H. ignicollis are provided.     

Going going gone: the loss of a reef building gastropod (Mollusca: Caenogastropoda: Vermetidae) in the southeast Mediterranean Sea

A new harvestman species, Rilaena artvinensis sp. n. (Opiliones: Phalangiidae), is described and illustrated based on males collected in north-eastern Anatolia, Turkey. The new species is similar to R. buresi (?ilhavý, 1965 ?ilhavý, V. (1965): Die Weberknechte der Unterordnung Eupnoi aus Bulgarien; zugleich eine Revision europäischer Gattungen der Unterfamilien Oligolophinae und Phalangiinae (Arachnoidea, Opilionidea). Acta Entomologica Bohemoslovaca, 62, 369–406. [Google Scholar]) and R. lenkoranica Snegovaya, 2007 Snegovaya, N. Y. (2007): Two new harvestman species from Lenkoran, Azerbaijan (Arachnida: Opiliones: Phalangiidae). Bulletin of the British Arachnological Society, 14, 88–92. [Google Scholar]. The differences between these species are elaborated.

http://www.zoobank.org/urn:lsid:zoobank.org:pub:A53452BB-A85D-4BE8-8A6B-D0FC3421AFE3     

The expression of aggression in the dobsonflies Corydalus magnus Contreras-Ramos, 1998 and Platyneuromus soror (Hagen, 1861) (Megaloptera: Corydalidae)

The expression of aggression in Megaloptera has received little attention, specifically for the adults of the subfamily Corydalinae. Among the New World species of Corydalinae, it is not known if aggression is triggered and expressed in the same way. Since two genera, Corydalus Latreille, 1802 Latreille, P.A. (1802), Histoire naturelle, générale et particulière des Crustacés et des Insectes. Ouvrage faisant suite aux ouvres de Leclerc Buffon et partie du cours complete d’Histoire naturelle rédigé par C.S. Sonnini, membre de plusieurs sociétés savantes. Vol. 3, Paris: F. Dufart. [Google Scholar] and Platyneuromus Weele, 1909 Weele, H.W. van der. (1909), ‘New Genera and Species of Megaloptera Latr.’, Notes from the Leyden Museum, 30, 249–253. [Google Scholar] have different courtship strategies, the effect of the social environment in the expression of aggression in two species of those genera, Corydalus magnus Contreras-Ramos, 1998 Contreras-Ramos, A. (1998), Systematics of the Dobsonfly genus Corydalus Latreille (Megaloptera: Corydalidae), Lanham, MD: Thomas Say Monographs, Entomological Society of America. [Google Scholar] and Platyneuromus soror (Hagen, 1861 Hagen, H.A. (1861), Synopsis of the Neuroptera of North America, with a List of the South American Species. Washington, DC: Smithsonian Institution.[Crossref] , [Google Scholar]), is examined here and compared with the known data in Corydalus bidenticulatus Contreras-Ramos, 1998 Contreras-Ramos, A. (1998), Systematics of the Dobsonfly genus Corydalus Latreille (Megaloptera: Corydalidae), Lanham, MD: Thomas Say Monographs, Entomological Society of America. [Google Scholar]. Our results suggest that the triggering of aggressive behaviours in the three species is similar. The decision of whether or not to fight is affected by their social environment: a male is aggressive against other males only when a female is present. Furthermore, the intensity of aggression does not differ among the three species. The behavioural observations support the idea that the mandibles of Corydalus males are used as weapons in male-male competition and during the courtship, but the post-ocular flanges of P. soror males are not involved in male-male competition (they use their short mandibles to bite). Conversely, data show that such a feature might act as a signal trait for female choice.     

On a new species of Euchondrus Boettger, 1883 from Syria (Pulmonata: Enidae)

A new species of Euchondrus, Euchondrus adwani n. sp., is described from Syria. It is morphologically similar to E. desertorum Rochanaburananda in Forcart, 1981 Forcart, L. (1981): Neubeschreibungen von Landschnecken aus Palästina. Basteria, 45, 97–108. [Google Scholar], which is endemic to the Negev desert.

http://www.zoobank.org/urn:lsid:zoobank.org:pub:C030F4D1-D722-4186-BA7B-EACCF9BFA563     

A new species of Larsia Fittkau, 1962 (Diptera: Chironomidae: Tanypodinae) from phytotelmata of Aechmea distichantha Lemaire, 1853 (Bromeliaceae) in Argentina

A new species of Larsia Fittkau, 1962 Fittkau, E.J. (1962), ‘Die Tanypodinae (Diptera: Chironomidae) (Die Tribus Anatopyniini, Macropelopiini und Pentaneurini)’, Abhandlungen zur Larvalsystematik der Insekten, 6, 1–453. [Google Scholar], viz. Larsia angusticornis sp. n., is described and adults and immatures are figured. The study is based on larvae collected from phytotelmata of the bromeliad Aechmea distichantha Lemaire, 1853 Lemaire, A.C. (1853), Le Jardin Fleuriste; Journal General des Progres et des Interets Horticoles et Botaniques, 3: pl. 269. [Google Scholar] in northeastern Argentina that were reared to the adult stage. The pupa bears thoracic horns unusual for the genus, which distinguish this new species from other Larsia species.

http://zoobank.org/urn:lsid:zoobank.org:pub:41DFD96D-98E2-4FFC-9CDE-C290BCA84D45     

Description of the first endemic earthworm species from Cyprus (Oligochaeta: Lumbricidae)

New earthworm samples from Cyprus are assessed and discussed. A re-evaluation of specimens previously relegated to the Southern Alpine species Perelia nematogena (Rosa, 1903), revealed two independent species: Perelia phoebea (Cognetti, 1913 Cognetti, L. (1913): Escursioni zoologiche del Dr. E. Festa nell’Isola di Rodi V. Oligocheti. Bollettino dei Musei di zoologia ed anatomia comparata della R. Università di Torino, 28, 1–6. [Google Scholar]) ,described originally from Rhodes Island, (Greece) and an undescribed species Perelia makrisi sp. n. The new species is similar also to the Levantine Pe. galileana Csuzdi &; Pavlí?ek, 2005 and corroborates the hypotheses that the autochthonous earthworm fauna of Cyprus is of Levantine origin.

http://www.zoobank.org/urn:lsid:zoobank.org:pub:FD1996DC-2FFC-42D5-A1D2-005B50E6FC64     

Early Oligocene Mammal Tracks from Southeastern France

Two new sites with mammalian footprints in the early Oligocene of southeastern France are described here. They represent one of the best preserved and more numerous record of tracks and trackways in the world with more than 320 ichnites. Many of those are arranged in trackways and sometimes show pes-manus impressions, a quite rare feature in mammalian ichnology. The ichnotaxonomic study indicates the presence of perissodactyls tracks referred to as Rhinoceripeda voconcense (Demathieu et al., 1984 Demathieu, G., Ginsburg, L., Guérin, C. and Truc, G. 1984. Etude paléontologique, ichnologique et paléoécologique du gisement oligocène de Saignon (bassin d’Apt, Vaucluse). Bulletin du Museum National d’Histoire Naturelle, Paris, 6: 153–183.  [Google Scholar]), artiodactyls footprints referred to as Megapecoripeda velox (Demathieu et al., 1984 Demathieu, G., Ginsburg, L., Guérin, C. and Truc, G. 1984. Etude paléontologique, ichnologique et paléoécologique du gisement oligocène de Saignon (bassin d’Apt, Vaucluse). Bulletin du Museum National d’Histoire Naturelle, Paris, 6: 153–183.  [Google Scholar]) and a carnivore footprint referred to as Bestiopeda sp. Vialov (1966) Vialov, O. S. 1966. Sledy zhiznedeyatelnosti organizmow i ikh paleontologicheskoe znachenie. Naukova Dumka, : 219 (in Russian) [Google Scholar]. They can be attributed to early Rhinocerotids, Lophiomerycids and/or Entelodonts and Mustelid-like carnivore, respectively. This study also aims at homogenizing the ichnotaxonomy used for mammal tracks where several genera were erected without a full review of the literature. All this taken together reveals a rich mammalian ichnofauna at a time period when no other fossils of mammals are known in the area and represents a good opportunity to provide state-of-the-art concerning the worldwide known sites that yielded mammalian footprints.     

Two new harvestmen species (Arachnida: Opiliones) from the Caucasus

Two new harvestmen species of the family Phalangiidae, Rilaena caucasica sp. n. and Rilaena silhavyi sp. n. are diagnosed, illustrated, and described from the Caucasus region. Comparative illustration of the related Rilaena anatolica (Roewer, 1956), R. atrolutea (Roewer, 1915) and R. kelbajarica Snegovaya &; Pkhakadze, 2014 Snegovaya, N. Y., &; Pkhakadze, V. D. (2014): New species of the genus Rilaena (Opiliones, Phalangiidae) from the mount Gyamish, Azerbaijan. Vestnik zoologii, 48, 313–318. doi: 10.2478/vzoo-2014-0037[Crossref] , [Google Scholar] are given.

http://www.zoobank.org/urn:lsid:zoobank.org:pub:7B29FD94-45A2-4E32-A41E-3276E016410B     

First record of the genus Gynecaptera Skorikov, 1935 (Hymenoptera: Bradynobaenidae: Apterogyninae) from Saudi Arabia,with description of a new species

In the present study, the genus Gynecaptera Skorikov, 1935 Skorikov, A. S. (1935): Zur Mutilliden-Fauna Zentralasiens. Trudy tadzhikskoi basy Akademii Nauk. SSSR, 5, 257–349 + 7 plates. [Google Scholar] is recorded from the Arabian Peninsula for the first time, with a nocturnal new species, G. arabica Soliman &; Gadallah, which has been collected from the Riyadh region in Saudi Arabia and which is described and illustrated.

http://www.zoobank.org/urn:lsid:zoobank.org:pub:F7ACB779-3750-4DC6-B29B-B7F290E7C7B4     

A checklist of the genus Tomosvaryella Aczél (Diptera: Pipunculidae) from the Middle East with the description of a new species

A checklist of 39 species of the genus Tomosvaryella Aczél (Diptera, Pipunculidae) known from the Middle East is provided. A new species, T. hamata Majnon Jahromi &; Kehlmaier sp. n. is described from southern Iran and diagnostic characters of male and female terminalia are illustrated. Tomosvaryella dentiterebra (Collin, 1949 Collin, J. E. (1949): Results of the Armstrong College Expedition to Siwa Oasis (Libyan Desert), 1935, under the leadership of Prof. J. Orner-Cooper. Diptera Empididae, Dolichopodidae, Aschiza and Acalypterae. Bulletin de la Societe Fouad I^erd'Entomologie, 33, 75–225. [Google Scholar]) is redescribed and male and female terminalia are illustrated for the first time. A phylogenetic maximum-likelihood analysis and uncorrected pairwise genetic distances of 18 out of 22 Iranian species of Tomosvaryella based on DNA barcodes of the mitochondrial COI gene are presented and also discussed.

http://www.zoobank.org/urn:lsid:zoobank.org:pub:FF8C116D-0C92-431A-B52C-11F3711B6A62     

The Stegana (sensu stricto) species from China,with morphological and molecular evidence (Diptera: Drosophilidae)

Four new species of the subgenus Stegana (sensu stricto) were found and described from China: S. (S.) antha sp. nov., S. (S.) latiorificia sp. nov., S. (S.) huangjiai sp. nov. and S. (S.) nigrifoliacea sp. nov. Three known Stegana (s. str.) species from China: S. (S.) antlia Okada, 1991, S. (S.) cheni Sidorenko, 1997 Sidorenko, V. S. (1997). New Asian species and new records of the genus Stegana Meigen (Diptera, Drosophilidae). I. Subgenera Oxyphortica Duda and Stegana s. str. Annales d la Société Entomologique de France (N. S.), 33, 65–79.[Web of Science ®] , [Google Scholar] and S. (S.) emeiensis Sidorenko, 1997 Sidorenko, V. S. (1997). New Asian species and new records of the genus Stegana Meigen (Diptera, Drosophilidae). I. Subgenera Oxyphortica Duda and Stegana s. str. Annales d la Société Entomologique de France (N. S.), 33, 65–79.[Web of Science ®] , [Google Scholar] are redescribed as supplementary information. A key to the species, based on morphological characters, is provided. The phylogenetic relationships among 14 species of the subgenus Stegana are reconstructed with the combined sequences of the mitochondrial genes, ND2 (NADH dehydrogenase subunit 2) and COI (cytochrome c oxidase, subunit I). Moreover, the intra- and interspecific pairwise K-2P (Kimura's two-parameter) distances among these species are summarized, and the availability of mitochondrial markers in the species identification of the subgenus Stegana are further discussed.

http://www.zoobank.org/urn:lsid:zoobank.org:pub:368C55C3-B101-457C-BD61-BDD8F1B780E5     

A new species of Paratheuma (Araneae: Dictynidae) from Southwestern Asia and transfer of the genus

The marine spider genus Paratheuma Bryant, 1940 Bryant, E. B. (1940): Cuban spiders in the Museum of Comparative Zoology. Bulletin of the Museum of Comparative Zoology, 86, 247–532. [Google Scholar] is recorded in southwestern Asia for the first time, and a new species, P. enigmatica sp. n. is described from southern and southeastern Iran on the basis of both sexes. Based on morphological and molecular evidence, the genus is transferred from Desidae to Litisedinae, Dictynidae.

http://www.zoobank.org/urn:lsid:zoobank.org:pub:BC5B70CB-E6C9-4624-8BE8-22FF14AF6DC7