New cave-dwelling armored spiders (Araneae,Tetrablemmidae) from Southwest China

A new genus and five new species belonging to the family Tetrablemmidae are described from caves in Southwest China, i.e., Sinammaoxycera gen. & sp. n., Singaporemma banxiaoensis sp. n., Singaporemma wulongensis sp. n., Tetrablemma ziyaoensis sp. n. andTetrablemma menglaensis sp. n. The following new combination is proposed: Sinamma sanya (Lin & Li, 2010), comb. n. ex. Shearella Lehtinen, 1981. The relationships of the Sinamma gen. n. with other genera are discussed. Diagnoses and illustrations for all new taxa are given.     

Family Hilarimorphidae (Diptera) newly recorded from China with descriptions of three new species

The family Hilarimorphidae is reported from China for the first time. Three new species are described and illustrated: Hilarimorpha dingae sp. nov., Hilarimorpha elongata sp. nov. and Hilarimorpha tibetensis sp. nov. A key to species of Hilarimorpha from Asia and a checklist of world species of Hilarimorphidae are provided.     

A new species and a new record of Helicomyces from Taiwan

Helicomyces geniculatus sp. nov. from decaying wood submerged in a freshwater stream at Juchi Town of Alishan area, Chiayi County, Taiwan, is described and illustrated. It differs from other Helicomyces species in having geniculate conidiophores arising from repent hyphae and also borne on erect setae. Abundant stalked sclerotia were also found in this species. Helicomyces torquatus is described in this paper as a new record for Taiwan, with new observation. The phylogenetic relationship of H. geniculatus, H. torquatus, and related taxa were sought by comparing the sequences of their ITS barcode of the nuc rDNA. A synopsis of the 13 accepted Helicomyces species is given.     

Lepidoderma cristatosporum, a new species of myxomycete from Australia

A new species of myxomycete, Lepidoderma cristatosporum, is described from Australia. This species is represented by material collected on subantarctic Macquarie Island. Photographs of fruiting bodies and morphological features as observed under light microscopy are provided, along with micrographs of spore ornamentation as observed by scanning electron microscopy. In addition, the new species is compared with other taxa belonging to the genera Lepidoderma and Diderma, especially with the type material of Lepidoderma crustaceum, a very similar species, and Diderma ochraceum and D. sauteri, two species also muscicolous, for which microphotographs are provided.     

New records of three Ramichloridium species on banana leaves in Panama and Taiwan

Although bananas are economically important crops and many fungi are recorded from these plants, detailed data about the fungi are scarce, e.g. with respect to their distribution and morphology in the field and in culture. Three hyphomycetes (anamorphic Dothideomycetes) known as potential pathogens on leaves of Musa species were identified based on morphology and DNA sequences. For the first time, Ramichloridium biverticillatum and R. musae are recorded from Panama and R. biverticillatum and R. ducassei from Taiwan and new hosts. The fungi are described and illustrated in detail from observation in situ and compared to their known morphology in vitro, in order to clarify some deviating molecular and morphological data from different sources. An updated preliminary key to Ramichloridium species on banana leaves is provided.     

A synopsis of Goniothalamus species (Annonaceae) in Thailand, with descriptions of three new species

A comprehensive taxonomic revision of Goniothalamus species (Annonaceae) occurring in Thailand is presented for the first time. Twenty-five species are recognized, including three that are described as new to science ( Goniothalamus aurantiacus from South-Western Thailand, Goniothalamus maewongensis from Northern Thailand, and Goniothalamus rongklanus from Northern and North-Eastern Thailand). Several taxonomic and nomenclatural misunderstandings are corrected. The name G. griffithii is shown to be widely misapplied for populations in Northern Thailand, for which the name G. calvicarpus should be applied; 'true' G. griffithii is restricted to South-Western Thailand and Myanmar. In addition, the widely used name G. marcanii is shown to be a synonym of G. tamirensis , and the name G. latestigma , previously regarded as a synonym of G. undulatus , is reinstated. Goniothalamus cheliensis is furthermore newly recorded from Thailand. Most species are restricted to Peninsular Thailand and represent a Malesian floristic component.  © 2008 The Linnean Society of London, Botanical Journal of the Linnean Society , 2008, 156 , 355–384.     

Integrative taxonomy of Leptonetela spiders (Araneae,Leptonetidae), with descriptions of 46 new species

Extreme environments,such as subterranean habitats,are suspected to be responsible for morphologically inseparable cryptic or sibling species and can bias biodiversity assessment.A DNA barcode is a short,standardized DNA sequence used for taxonomic purposes and has the potential to lessen the challenges presented by a biotic inventory.Here,we investigate the diversity of the genus Leptonetela Kratochvíl,1978 that is endemic to karst systems in Eurasia using DNA barcoding.We analyzed 624 specimens using one mitochondrial gene fragment (COI).The results show that DNA barcoding is an efficient and rapid species identification method in this genus.DNA barcoding gap and automatic barcode gap discovery (ABGD) analyses indicated the existence of 90 species,a result consistent with previous taxonomic hypotheses,and supported the existence of extreme male pedipalpal tibial spine and median apophysis polymorphism in Leptonetela species,with direct implications for the taxonomy of the group and its diversity.Based on the molecular and morphological evidence,we delimit and diagnose 90 Leptonetela species,including the type species Leptonetela kanellisi (Deeleman-Reinhold,1971).Forty-six of them are previously undescribed.The female of Leptonetela zhai Wang & Li,2011 is reported for the first time.Leptonetela tianxinensis (Tong & Li,2008) comb.nov.is transferred from the genus Leptoneta Simon,1872;the genus Guineta Lin & Li,2010 syn.nov.is a junior synonym of Leptonetela;Leptonetela gigachela (Lin & Li,2010)comb.nov.is transferred from Guineta.The genus Sinoneta Lin & Li,2010 syn.nov.is a junior synonym of Leptonetela;Leptonetela notabilis (Lin & Li,2010) comb.nov.and Leptonetela sexdigiti (Lin & Li,2010) comb.nov.are transferred from Sinoneta;Leptonetela sanchahe Wang & Li nom.nov.is proposed as a replacement name for Sinoneta palmata (Chen et al.,2010) because Leptonetela palmata is preoccupied.     

The genus Andraca (Lepidoptera, Endromidae) in China with descriptions of a new species

The six species of the genus Andraca Walker hitherto known from China are reviewed, and a new species, Andraca gongshanensis, sp. n., described from Yunnan Province, China. Adults and male genitalia of all examined species are illustrated, together with a distributional map. A key to all seven Chinese Andraca species is provided. The types of the new species are deposited in SCAU (South China Agricultural University, Guangzhou, China) and HUNAU (Hunan Agricultural University, Changsha, China).     

Strigeoid trematodes of Malaysia with descriptions of a new genus and three new species.

Six species of strigeoid trematodes are reported from Malaysia. One new genus and 3 new species are described: Apatemon (Apatemon( jamesi sp. n (Strigeidae); cercaria Cotylurus sullivani sp. n. (Strigeidae); Neodiplostomum (Neodiplostomum) sp. (Diplostomatidae); Fibricola ramachandrani (Diplostomatidae); Pseudoscolopacitrema otteri gen. n. et sp. n. (Diplostomatidae); and cercaria Cyathocotyle malayi sp. n. (Cyathocotylidae). The life cycles of A. jamesi and C. malayi have also been investigated.     

New data on lance flies (Diptera,Lonchaeidae) associated with figs (Moraceae,Ficus spp.) in Japan and Taiwan,with descriptions of two new species of the genus Silba Macquart

Larvae of the genus Silba Macquart, 1875 were obtained from the syconia of three different species of Ficus growing on the southern islands of Japan and Taiwan. Examination of the emerged adults identified four species, two of which are described as new to science: Silba erecta MacGowan and Arimoto sp. nov. and Silba thunbergii MacGowan and Arimoto sp. nov. Of the four species observed, the larvae of S. erecta, Silba ishigaki MacGowan and Okamoto, 2013 and S. thunbergii feed on the tissue of the fig syconia. Silba inubiwa MacGowan and Okamoto, 2013 was observed as a predator of three fig wasp species. The biogeographic distribution and biological data are provided for each of these fig-associated species.     

Three species of Amphicorina (Annelida, Sabellida, Sabellidae) from Japan, with descriptions of two new species

We describe two new species and redescribe one in the polychaete genus Amphicorina Claparède, 1864 (Sabellidae) from Hokkaido, Japan. Amphicorina ascidicolasp. n. differs from its 38 congeners chiefly in the reduction of the collar, but also in having three pairs of radioles, one pair of ventral radiolar appendages, a bifurcate ventral lobe on the anterior peristomial ring, six abdominal chaetigers, and a large anterior tooth on the abdominal uncini. Amphicorina ezoensissp. n. has a crenulated collar, three pairs of radioles, and more than eight (12) abdominal chaetigers; Amphicorina ezoensis shares these character states with Amphicorina anneae (Rouse, 1994), Amphicorina eimeri (Langerhans, 1880), and Amphicorina persinosa (Ben-Eliahu, 1975), but differs from them in having two pairs of ventral radiolar appendages and a non-oblique collar. Amphicorina mobilis (Rouse, 1990) was previously known only from the type locality (New South Wales, Australia), but we identify our Japanese material as conspecific on the basis of morphological and molecular similarity.     

Lecanicillium and Verticillium species from Indonesia and Japan including three new species

Forty-six Lecanicillium strains and one Verticillium strain were isolated from subterranean and epiphytic arthropods, soil, and other sources collected in Indonesia and Japan. These strains were identified as nine Lecanicillium and one Verticillium species including six undescribed species based on light microscopy and the sequences of the ITS-1 and ITS-2 regions including 5.8S ribosomal DNA. Four of the ten species (L. araneicola, L. kalimantanense, Lecanicillium sp. 4, and V. indonesiacum) were recovered from Indonesia, five of the ten (L. attenuatum, L. fusisporum, L. psalliotae, Lecanicillium sp. 1, and Lecanicillium sp. 3) were from Japan, and L. saksenae was from both countries. In this article, new species (L. araneicola, L. kalimantanense, and V. indonesiacum) and a new combination (L. saksenae) are proposed from the fungi isolated from epiphytic and subterranean arthropods collected in East Kalimantan.     

A new look at variation in Darwin's species of acorn barnacles

Darwin's studies on barnacles, begun to satisfy his curiosity about specimens from the Beagle , but later extended to the large collections of other naturalists, lasted for 8 years and produced a set of definitive monographs. Darwin was particularly troubled over the taxonomy of two groups of acorn barnacles, Balanus tintinnabulum and B. amphitrite , which he ultimately classified as clusters of wellmarked varieties. Recent studies, based on established taxonomic methods or on statistical treatment of morphometric data, suggest these are clusters of full species and that the 'intermediate' forms are just phenotypic variants. Darwin was also troubled by the small chthamalid intertidal barnacles, which he eventually grouped as varieties of a world-wide species, Chthamalus stellatur. Gel electrophoresis and morphometrics now show this to be a heterogenous assemblage of distinct species, some very different, others closer together, all with restricted geographical range, but all showing extreme variability in the characters normally used for classification.
Darwin's difficulties with the classification of the highly varying barnacles, and his anatomical studies on these peculiar animals, must have had considerable influence on the development of his theories about natural selection, more than is usually acknowledged by writers on evolution. These 'lost years' were in fact a period of intense zoological enquiry, and Darwin's change in attitude with regard to species and variation in nature underwent a big change, as can be seen from the letters and from the differences between the early drafts written before the barnacle work and the later Natural Selection and The Origin. Whether we regard the difficult groups of Balanus as clusters of species or clusters of varieties, they still draw attention to evolutionary processes as in Darwin's day.     

Two new species of Steccherinum (Basidiomycota, Polyporales) from Taiwan

Steccherinum cremicolor and S. elongatum are described and illustrated as new species from Taiwan. Steccherinum cremicolor is characterized by strictly resupinate basidiocarps, a fimbriate margin, short spines, generative hyphae dominating in the trama and subiculum, encrusted skeletocystidia, and ellipsoid basidiospores. Steccherinum elongatum has strictly resupinate and membranaceous basidiocarps, bearing fairly long spines, generative hyphae-dominated subiculum, elongated skeletocystidia, and ellipsoid to subglobose basidiospores.     

Onychiurid species from Wanda Mountains in China,with descriptions of two new species (Collembola,Onychiuridae)

A checklist of onychiurid species from the Wanda Mountains in China is presented. Eighteen species belonging to twelve genera have been found, including two new species. Bionychiurus qinglongensis sp. n. can be easily distinguished from other known species of the genus by the absence of pseudocelli on Th. I tergum and fewer number of vesicles in postantennal organ. Onychiurus heilongjiangensis sp. n. is diagnosed by pseudocellar formulae as 32/133/33352 dorsally and 3/011/31120 ventrally, parapseudocellar formula as 0/000/111001+1^m, ratio of anal spine/unguis as 0.6, unguiculus without inner basal lamella, and male ventral organ absent.