Systematics of the Protohermes xanthodes species-group in eastern Asia (Megaloptera: Corydalidae)

A new species‐group of the dobsonfly genus Protohermes is proposed, the Protohermes xanthodes species‐group. Three species from eastern Asia belonging to the new species‐group are redescribed and illustrated. Phylogenetic relationships among the species in this group, as well as the biogeography of these species, are discussed on the basis of a cladistic analysis.     

Revision of the Protohermes changningensis species group from China (Megaloptera: Corydalidae: Corydalinae)

A new species group, the Protohermes changningensis group, of the dobsonfly genus Protohermes is established. Three species belonging to the new species group from China are described and illustrated, including one new species. Phylogenetic relationships among the species in this group and biogeography are discussed on the basis of a cladistic analysis using Hennig 86.     

The Protohermes fruhstorferi species group (Megaloptera: Corydalidae: Corydalinae), with description of a new species from Vietnam

A new species group, the Protohermes fruhstorferi group of the dobsonfly genus Protohermes, is recognised. Three species belonging to the new species group are described and illustrated, including one new species from northern Vietnam.     

The Thrips orientalis group from South-east Asia and Australia: some species identities and relationships (Thysanoptera, Thripidae)

Abstract  A thrips associated in Thailand with the flowers of Paederia foetida , a rubiaceous weed in Florida that is a threat to Australia, is here recognised as Thrips morindae Priesner, a species previously considered a synonym of T. javanicus Priesner. Systematic relationships of these species with others in South-east Asia and the Australasian region are discussed. Two new species-groups are designated: the T. obscuratus group of six species from New Zealand and New Caledonia, and the T. orientalis group of 12 South-east Asian species that are associated with scented white flowers such as Gardenia . Four species of this second group are recorded from tropical Australia.     

Review of the Southeast Asian species of the Aenictus javanus and Aenictus philippinensis species groups (Hymenoptera, Formicidae, Aenictinae)

The Southeast Asian species of the Aenictus javanus and Aenictus philippinensis groups are revised. Six species (four named and two new species) of the Aenictus javanus group occurring in this area are: Aenictus doydeei Jaitrong & Yamane, 2011, Aenictus duengkaei Jaitrong & Yamane, sp. n., Aenictus javanus Emery, 1896, Aenictus longinodus Jaitrong & Yamane, sp. n., Aenictus nishimurai Terayama & Kubota, 1993, and Aenictus piercei Wheeler & Chapman, 1930. Four species (three named and one new species) are recognized in the Aenictus philippinensis group: Aenictus pangantihoni Zettel & Sorger, 2010, Aenictus philippinensis Chapman, 1963, Aenictus punctatus Jaitrong & Yamane, sp. n., and Aenictus rabori Chapman, 1963. Aenictus piercei is removed from the members of the Aenictus piercei group sensu Jaitrong and Yamane (2011) and transferred to the Aenictus javanus group. Lectotypes and paralectotypes are designated for Aenictus piercei and Aenictus rabori. Size variation occurs among individuals from single colonies of the Aenictus javanus group, while the workers in the Aenictus philippinensis group are clearly monomorphic.     

Italian neo-endemism in a widespread group of leafhoppers insects: A revision of the Eupteryx aurata group (Auchenorrhyncha: Cicadellidae: Typhlocybinae) using morphology,ecology and genetics

The Eupteryx aurata group is characterised by several features, primarily by colouration and aedeagus morphology. It is distributed mainly in Europe, with some species also in Asia and one species perhaps in North Africa. At least one species is introduced in North America. Until now 12 taxa were known. Two new species, Eupteryx divulsa from central Italy and Eupteryx oscorum from central and southern Italy, are described in this paper. Eupteryx petasitidis Ferrari, 1882, described as Eupteryx carpini petasitidis and later synonymised with Eupteryx atropunctata (Goeze, 1778), is reestablished on species level and redescribed including genital morphology. Ten taxa of the species group are studied in relation to their morphological and molecular characters. The colouration, aedeagus, and pygofer appendage are figured for all of these taxa. Molecular study showed that the E. aurata group is monophyletic. The little or moderate distances in sequences (below 6.0% for mtDNA and up to 2.5% for nuclear ITS2) between the different taxa of the E. aurata group and incongruence of genetic signals from mtDNA and nuclear DNA could be the result of incomplete lineage sorting in young species and/or hybridisation and introgression of DNA among taxa. Of particular importance in this study is material from Italy, a peripheral region in relation to the distribution of the species group and due to its geomorphological features favouring isolation and speciation. A distribution map for the E. aurata species group in Italy and an identification key for all 15 taxa of the aurata group are given. Phylogenetic relationships within the aurata group are discussed in relation to morphological, molecular, ecological, and zoogeographic aspects.     

Host associations and origin in the formation of the Caucasian fauna of fleas (Siphonaptera)

Results of analysis of the Caucasian fauna of fleas and their association with mammal and avian hosts are reported. The Caucasian fauna of potential flea hosts comprises about 130 species of mammals and about 470 species of birds. Most of the flea species in the Caucasian fauna (88 out of 155) parasitize rodents, 51 species of which are permanent hosts of different flea species; 13 flea species occur on 11 species of insectivores; 13 flea species, on 13 species of chiropterans; 14 flea species, on 20 species of carnivores. Only 2 flea species parasitize artiodactyles. 54 species of birds are permanent hosts of 23 species of fleas from 4 genera in the Caucasus. Ten types of ranges of flea species are distinguished; host associations of the Caucasian flea species from these groups are discussed. The greatest numbers of hosts from the families Cricetidae, Muridae, and Sciuridae are associated with fleas with Euro-Asian (extra-Siberian), European, Turanian, and Iranian ranges. Soricidae are known as hosts of flea species with European and Euro-Turanian ranges. Four major groups of flea taxa are represented in the Caucasian fauna. The distribution of the first group is determined by the influence of the palaeofauna of the ancient European continent in the early Cenozoic; that of the second group, by the influence of the fauna of the ancient Asian continent during the Paleogene and part of the Neogene; the third, by the influence of the fauna of southern Europe starting with the Miocene. The fourth group comprises the species which immigrated from northern Europe and Asia in the Late Neogene (2–3 mln years ago).     

DNA‐based phylogeny of the marine genus Heterodrilus (Annelida,Clitellata, Naididae)

Heterodrilus is a group of marine Naididae, common worldwide in subtropical and tropical areas, and unique among the oligochaetes by their tridentate chaetae. The phylogenetic relationships within the group are assessed from the nuclear 18S rDNA gene, and the mitochondrial cytochrome c oxidase subunit I (COI) and 16S rDNA genes. Sequence data were obtained from 16 Heterodrilus species and 13 out‐group taxa; 48 sequences are new for this study. The data were analysed by Bayesian inference. Monophyly of the genus is corroborated by the resulting tree, with Heterodrilus ersei (a taxon representing a small group of species with aberrant male genitalia) proposed to be outside all other sampled species. Although earlier regarded as a member of the subfamily Rhyacodrilinae, both molecular and morphological data seem to support that Heterodrilus is closely related to Phallodrilinae. However, the results are not conclusive as to whether the genus is the sister group of, or a group nested inside, or separate from this latter subfamily. The studied sample of species suggests at least two major clades in Heterodrilus with different geographical distributions, in one of the clades, most species are from the Indo‐West Pacific Ocean, while in the other, the majority are from the Western Atlantic Ocean. Morphological characters traditionally used in Heterodrilus taxonomy are optimized on the phylogenetic tree, revealing a high degree of homoplasy.     

The Neotropical species of Drapetis Meigen (Diptera: Empididae)

Abstract The Neotropical species of Drapetis Meigen are reviewed, and eight new species are described: alimacula , from Trinidad; atrinervalis , from Bahamas; naevia , from El Salvador; onconeura , from Costa Rica; steyskali , from Mexico; stictica , from Jamaica; tibialis , from Panama; and tuberculata , from Costa Rica. A lectotype is designated for Drapetis divergens Loew; Drapetis intermedia Smith is newly synonymized with divergens Loew. Two new species groups are described, the divergens group and the naica group. Two keys are provided: one distinguishing the Neotropical species of Drapetis ; the other distinguishing Drapetis Meigen, Crossopalpus Bigot and Elaphropeza Macquart. Drapetis flavicornis Melander, inermis Melander and zonalis Curran are assigned to Elaphropeza Macquart, new combinations, and redescribed. The heretofore unknown male of Elaphropeza flavicornis is described.     

Natural relationships among sulfate-reducing eubacteria

Phylogenetic relationships among 20 nonsporeforming and two endospore-forming species of sulfate-reducing eubacteria were inferred from comparative 16S rRNA sequencing. All genera of mesophilic sulfate-reducing eubacteria except the new genus Desulfomicrobium and the gliding Desulfonema species were included. The sporeforming species Desulfotomaculum ruminis and Desulfotomaculum orientis were found to be gram-positive organisms sharing 83% 16S rRNA sequence similarity, indicating that this genus is diverse. The gram-negative nonsporeforming species could be divided into seven natural groups: group 1, Desulfovibrio desulfuricans and other species of this genus that do not degrade fatty acids (this group also included "Desulfomonas" pigra); group 2, the fatty acid-degrading "Desulfovibrio" sapovorans; group 3, Desulfobulbus species; group 4, Desulfobacter species; group 5, Desulfobacterium species and "Desulfococcus" niacini; group 6, Desulfococcus multivorans and Desulfosarcina variabilis; and group 7, the fatty acid-oxidizing "Desulfovibrio" baarsii. (The quotation marks are used to indicate the need for taxonomic revision.) Groups 1 to 3 are incomplete oxidizers that form acetate as an end product; groups 4 to 7 are complete oxidizers. The data were consistent with and refined relationships previously inferred by oligonucleotide catalogs of 16S rRNA. Although the determined relationships are generally consistent with the existing classification based on physiology and other characteristics, the need for some taxonomic revision is indicated.     

Ilyocryptus smirnovi n. sp. (Branchiopoda,Anomopoda) – a new member of the species group Ilyocryptus brevidentatus s. lat. from Australia

All representatives of the genus Ilyocryptus with short lateral setae at the postanal margin of the postabdomen may be separated into the compact species group I. brevidentatus s. lat. A new species of Ilyocryptus from this group is described from the Lake Numalla, Queensland, Australia. I. smirnovi n. sp. shows clear morphological differences in the armature of the valve, postabdomen, and several other structures, from all other species of the group. Differences between members of the above-mentioned species group are analogous with those between European species, listed by Štifter (1991). This revised version was published online in July 2006 with corrections to the Cover Date.     

Four new species of Typhlocharis (baetica group) (Coleoptera: Carabidae: Anillini) from southwestern Iberian Peninsula with notes on their biogeographical and morphological implications

Four new species of Typhlocharis (Carabidae: Anillini) are described from the southwest of the Iberian Peninsula, assigned to the baetica species group. T. prima sp.n. , T. secunda sp.n. and T. tertia sp.n. (from La Palma del Condado, Huelva, Spain) are syntopic, and T. quarta sp.n. (from Barrancos, Beja, Portugal) is the first species of the group with umbilicate series 4 + 4. They represent, respectively, the southernmost and westernmost distribution data for the group. The baetica group remains well defined and includes ten species. The diagnosis is simplified, with the confirmation that many morphological features characteristic of this group are widespread within the genus. The defining character is the presence of denticles in apical margin of elytra, not associated to the seventh stria or to the elytral suture. The new species provide morphological data that suggest the baetica and silvanoides groups are closely related. Distribution of both groups in the south of the Iberian Peninsula and the presence of morphological characters that are considered plesiomorphic are coherent with the hypothesis of betic‐riffain origin of the genus. They also support the hypothesis of easy alteration of the umbilicate pattern between closely related species and the independent origin of apical denticles in the group compared with those present in other species of the genus. The presence of three well‐differentiated size ranges in syntopic populations suggest ecological diversification to avoid interspecific competition.     

Chromosome numbers of some new world species of Thelypteris

Chromosome numbers of 19 species ofThelypteris from Florida, California, Mexico, and Costa Rica are reported. First counts are given for two species belonging to sect.Goniopteris (x = 36), one species of sect.Leptogramma (x = 36) and seven species of the Opposita group (x = 29). The last named group is remarkable for the relatively low number of diploid taxa so far known. The base numbers 36, 35, 34, 32, 31, 30, 29, and 27 are known in the Thelypteridaceae, with 36 being the most common number throughout the tropics, and perhaps the ancestral base number. The temperate American species ofThelypteris are probably more closely allied toParathelypteris H. Ito, from Asia, than to the Neotropical species of the Opposita group.     

First record of the myzus species group (Acari: Podapolipidae: Eutarsopolipus Berlese, 1911) from Asia, with the description of two new species parasitising carabid beetles

Two new species of Eutarsopolipus Berlese, 1911 (Acari: Heterostigmatina: Podapolipidae), belonging to the myzus species group, are described from the subelytra of carabid beetles (Coleoptera: Carabidae) in Iran. Eutarsopolipus anichtchenkoi n. sp. was found on Pterostichus sp. and E. terricolae n. sp. on Scarites terricola Bonelli. This is the first record of the myzus species group from Asia. A key to the adult females of this species group worldwide is provided, and the distribution and host range of all representatives of the group are discussed.     

Evolution of karyotypes and differentiation in 13 Rattus Species

Karyotypes of 13 Rattus species collected in Asia and Oceania were analysed with special interest to karyotype evolution and species differentiation. They were classified into three groups according to their karyotype similarity. Four species (R. annandalei, R. exulans, R. muelleri and R. norvegicus) with 2n=42 and a karyotype similar to some of the polymorphic karyotypes in the Asian black rats (R. rattus) are classified into the first group. Pericentric inversion of some acrocentrics seemed to have caused the differentiation of these species. The other four species (R. bowersii, R. fuscipes, R. leucopus and R. conatus) with similar karyotypes as the above group, but lower chromosome numbers than 2n=42 are classified into the second group. Robertsonian fusion in some acrocentrics observed in the first group are suggested to have caused the development of the species in this group. The remaining four species (R. sabanus, R. canus, R. huang and R. niviventer) with karyotypes markedly different from the above two in having a fewer number of small metacentrics are classified into the third group. They seemed to be more primitive karyotypes than the other Rattus species. By the comparison between the polymorphic karyotypes in the black rat, and karyotypes in its related species it was suggested that the former had occurred as primary events to the differentiation of the latter. Parallelism between the karyotype evolution and the species differentiation was discussed.Contribution No. 874 from the National Institute of Genetics, Japan. Supported by a grant-in-aid from the Ministry of Education of Japan (No. 92159 and 92332).     

Redefinition and taxonomic revision of the “buqueti” species-group,Dichotomius Hope, 1838 (Coleoptera: Scarabaeidae: Scarabaeinae)

On the basis of external morphology and genitalia of males, as well as a comparison between different species belonging to other groups of Dichotomius, we propose a redefinition of the “buqueti” species group separated by Luederwaldt (1929). Six species are excluded from this group and transferred to other groups: D. ribeiroi (Pereira, 1954) in the “cotopaxi” group; D. camposeabrai Martínez, 1974 in the “bitiensis” group; D. reclinatus (Felsche, 1901), D. horridus (Felsche, 1911), D. quadrinodosus (Felsche, 1901) and D. nimuendaju (Luederwaldt, 1925) (revalidated species) forming the newly defined “reclinatus” group. The other species kept in the “buqueti” group include D. buqueti (Lucas, 1857) from Brazil (lectotype here designated), D. haroldi (Waterhouse, 1891) from Argentina and D. nutans (Harold, 1867) from Brazil, Argentina and Uruguay. The taxonomic revision of the “buqueti” group are presented, including a history of the included species, a determination key, illustrations of the structures of external morphology, male genitalia and sclerites of the internal sac, and a distribution map.     

Description of Culicoides pseudoheliconiae sp.n. from Peruvian Amazon and revalidation of Culicoides contubernalis Ortiz & Leon (Diptera: Ceratopogonidae)

A new species of the Culicoides hylas species group, Culicoides pseudoheliconiae Felippe-Bauer is described and illustrated based on female specimens from Peruvian Amazon, and Culicoides contubernalis Ortiz & Leon from Ecuador is resurrected and redescribed as a valid species. A systematic key, table with numerical characters of females of species of the Culicoides hylas group are given.     

Molecular systematics and biodiversity of the Cryptotis mexicanus group (Eulipotyphla: Soricidae): two new species from Honduras supported

Small-eared shrews of the genus Cryptotis (Mammalia: Eulipotyphla: Soricidae) are widespread in the northern Neotropics. Systematic studies of these shrews over the past two decades have revealed previously undocumented morphological and species diversity, resulting in a quadrupling of the number of recognized species. Unfortunately, a small proportion of the species in the genus have been included in molecular phylogenetic studies, and evolutionary relationships within the genus are incompletely known. Traditionally, species have been assigned to four or five morphologically defined ‘species groups’, but tests of the monophyly of some of these groups show weak support and relationships amongst species groups remain somewhat speculative. The largest species group is the C. mexicanus group inhabiting Mexico and northern Central America. We studied sequences from mitochondrial cytochrome-b and 16S genes, as well as nuclear ApoB and BRCA1 genes from 22 species of Cryptotis, including 15 species in the C. mexicanus group. Our combined analysis shows that the C. goldmani subgroup is very weakly supported as monophyletic; however, the C. mexicanus group as a whole is not monophyletic. Our molecular phylogenetic analyses confirm the distinctiveness of two newly described species (C. celaque and C. mccarthyi) from isolated highlands of western Honduras and illustrate their relationship with other species formerly considered part of a widespread C. goodwini.     

Thrips (Insecta,Thysanoptera) of Iran: a revised and?updated checklist

In Iran, as a result of recent changes in nomenclature 201 species and one species group of the insect Order Thysanoptera, are here listed in 70 genera and five families. In considering species listed previously from this country, the presence of 7 species is considered not confirmed, and 12 species are excluded from the Iranian list. Problems in the study of Iranian Thysanoptera are discussed briefly.