New fossil genus and species of carrion beetle (Coleoptera,Silphidae) from the Lower Cretaceous Jinju Formation,South Korea

A new fossil genus of Silphidae, Cretosaja gen. nov., is described, based on a new fossil species, Cretosaja jinjuensis sp. nov. from the Lower Cretaceous Jinju Formation in South Korea. The association of Cretosaja with Nicrophorinae is discussed on the basis of morphological evidence. Diagnostic differences of the fossil and extant genera of Nicrophorinae are provided. Primitive characteristics presented in Mesozoic silphids are discussed.     

Organic-walled microfossils from Cambrian Stage IV in the Jiaobang section,eastern Guizhou,China

The lower Cambrian succession in the Jiaobang section, Jianhe County, eastern Guizhou, China, includes, in ascending order, the Bianmachong, Balang, and Tsinghsutung formations, with a total thickness of about 645 m. Twenty-six morphological genera (including one new genus) are identified from the Balang and the underlying Bianmachong formations, many of which are common and widely distributed. Six acritarch assemblages are discerned in the Balang Formation. They are, in ascending order, the Adara alea‒Skiagia ornata, the Acrum radiale‒Pterospermella velata, the Comasphaeridium molliculum‒Solisphaeridium baltoscandium, the Corrugasphaera perfecta n. sp.‒Pterospermella vinctusa n. sp., the Acrum novum‒Heliosphaeridium oligum, and the Acrum membranosum‒Adarve diafanum acritarch assemblages. An obvious change of organic-walled microfossil assemblages occurred in the interval between 84 m and 98 m from the bottom of the Balang Formation which roughly corresponds to the boundary between the Oryctacarella duyunensis trilobite Zone and the overlying Arthricocephalus chauveaui trilobite Zone. In addition, organic-walled microfossils are scarce in about 24 m thick from the bottom of the Balang Formation. One new genus and five new species including Plagasphaera balangensis n. gen. n. sp., Asteridium tubulus n. sp., Cymatiosphaera spina n. sp., Corrugasphaera perfecta n. sp., and Pterospermella vinctusa n. sp. are described.     

Découverte d’une nouvelle faune d’âge cénomanien dans la région de Forthassa (Atlas saharien occidental,Algérie) : Implications biostratigraphiques et paléoenvironnementales

The upper Cretaceous of the eastern part of the Ksour Mountains (Western Saharan Atlas, Algeria) is classically subdivided into three fossiliferous lithostratigraphic formations: El Rhelida (lower Cenomanian), Mdaouer (lower-middle Cenomanian) and Rhoundjaïa (upper Cenomanian-lower Turonian). The western part of the Ksour Mountains, which is less documented and poorly known, is here the subject of a detailed sedimentological and palaeontological study. Near Hassi Djeifa locality (Forthassa) the upper Cretaceous is represented by the upper part of Mdaouer Formation and by the lowermost part of Rhoundjaïa Formation. The deposits attributed to the Mdaouer Formation are composed of reddish or green marlstone intercalated by biolaminated limestone, bioclastic limestone with gastropods and bivalves, and sandstone. The selachians (Mafdetia tibniensis, Baharipristis bastetiae), pycnodontiform fishes, and ostracod fauna (Damonella spp., Ilyocypris? sp., Cypridea sp., Paracypria? sp.) coming from marly beds are studied in detail. The two selachian species (Order of Rajiformes) were so far restricted to the Early Cenomanian of Egypt. Our sedimentological and palaeontological data support a probable Early Cenomanian age of the studied deposits and indicate a coastal plain palaeoenvironment continually influenced by the action of tide.     

Trypanorhynch cestodes from elasmobranchs from the Gulf of Oman, with the description of Prochristianella garshaspi n. sp. (Eutetrarhynchidae)

In a study on the order Trypanorhyncha Diesing, 1863, a total of 35 specimens belonging to nine species of elasmobranch in the Gulf of Oman, was examined. The following trypanorhynch species were identified: Pterobothrium lesteri Campbell & Beveridge, 1996, Otobothrium carcharidis (Shipley & Hornell, 1906), Eutetrarhynchus platycephali Palm, 2004, Parachristianella indonesiensis Palm, 2004, Pa. monomegacantha Kruse, 1959 and Prochristianella mooreae Beveridge, 1990. Prochristianella garshaspi n. sp. is described from Pastinachus sephen (Forsskål) and Rhinoptera sp. The new species is allocated to the genus Prochristianella Dollfus, 1946 on the basis of the presence of two bothria, prebulbar organs, and a heteroacanthous typical tentacular armature with relatively few hooks in each principal row, hollow hooks increasing in size from antibothrial and then decreasing towards the bothrial surface of the tentacle, hooks 1 and 1′ being separated, and a basal swelling with characteristic billhooks increasing in size towards the bothrial surface. The lack of microscopically visible microtriches on the scolex distinguishes the new species from P. hispida (Linton, 1890), P. clarkeae Beveridge, 1990, P. thalassia (Kovaks & Schmidt, 1980), P. multidum Friggens & Duszynski, 2005 and P. cairae Schaeffner & Beveridge, 2012. Prochristianella garshaspi n. sp. can be distinguished from the remaining species within the genus by a combination of the following morphological features: the presence of numerous gland-cells within the tentacular bulbs, the number of rows on the basal swelling, the number of hooks per half spiral row, the size of the principal hooks, the number of the testes and the presence of an external seminal vesicle.     

Four new species of hangingflies (Insecta,Mecoptera, Bittacidae) from the Middle Jurassic of northeastern China

Two new species of Mongolbittacus Petrulevičius, Huang & Ren, 2007, Mongolbittacus speciosus sp. n. and Mongolbittacus oligophlebius sp. n., and two new species of Exilibittacus Yang, Ren & Shih, 2012, Exilibittacus foliaceus sp. n. and Exilibittacus plagioneurus sp. n., in the family Bittacidae, are described and illustrated based on five well-preserved fossil specimens. These specimens were collected from the late Middle Jurassic Jiulongshan Formation of Daohugou, Inner Mongolia, China. These new findings enhance our understanding of the morphological characters of early hangingflies and highlight the diversity of bittacids in the Mid Mesozoic ecosystems.     

A new lowermost middle Cambrian (Series 3, Stage 5) faunule from Saxony (Germany) and its bearing on the tectonostratigraphic history of the Saxothuringian domain

The core of borehole 1209/78 west of Doberlug–Kirchhain and south of Herzberg in the Torgau–Doberlug Syncline records an atypical lower part of the Tröbitz Formation with thin limestone horizons. These limestone layers include the remains of a low to moderately diverse fauna with the trilobites Protolenus (Hupeolenus) bergstroemi n. sp., Cambrunicornia saxonica n. sp., Ornamentaspis? aff. todraensis Geyer 1990a, Calodiscus? n. sp., the remains of two undetermined olenelloid? and paradoxidid? species, at least two brachiopods (Trematobolus, undetermined acrotretoid), and one hyolith. The fauna clearly suggests a position in the lower Agdzian stage of the West Gondwana chronostratigraphic scheme and correlation with the lowermost to lower Middle Cambrian strata in regions such as the Moroccan Atlas ranges and northern Spain, so the assemblages represent the oldest Middle Cambrian fauna known from the Saxothuringian domain and reconfirm the palaeogeographic position in the Perigondwanan segment. The lithological differences of the fossiliferous cores from those of the typical Tröbitz Formation and the recorded high-energy conditions indicate high-frequency sea-level changes suggesting that this part of the succession may be a late stage of the subglobally recognizable eustatic sea-level fluctuations at the traditional Lower–Middle Cambrian boundary interval.     

Taxonomic review of Cratocerus Dejean, 1829 (Coleoptera,Carabidae) with the description of six new species

A diagnosis of the South and Central American genus Cratocerus Dejean (Coleoptera: Carabidae) and a key to all species is provided. Eight species are recognized including six species that are newly described: Cratocerus sinesetosus sp. n. from French Guiana and Peru; Cratocerus multisetosus sp. n. from Costa Rica and Panama; Cratocerus tanyae sp. n. from Costa Rica, Guatemala, and Mexico; Cratocerus indupalmensis sp. n. a species widely distributed throughout Central and South America; Cratocerus kavanaughi sp. n. from French Guiana and Peru; and Cratocerus culpepperi sp. n. from Peru. A lectotype for Cratocerus sulcatus Chaudoir is designated. Habitus images are provided along with illustrations and images of male genitalia, female genitalia, and diagnostic morphological characters.     

Discovery of a Late Ordovician Foliomena fauna in the Tarim desert,Northwest China

A Foliomena fauna is reported for the first time from the Tarim paleoplate, and stratigraphically from the Yinpingshan Formation (upper Katian, Upper Ordovician) of Querqueke, Kuruktag region, northeastern Tarim, southern Xinjiang, Northwest China. The fauna includes seven species of brachiopods, amongst which three are new and four indeterminate: Anomaloglossa? sp., Orbiculoidea? sp., Foliomena xinjiangensis n. sp., Sericoidea minuta n. sp., Kassinella tarimensis n. sp., Rostricellula? sp., and Anazyga? sp. These species formed a Sericoidea-Kassinella Association, characterized by very small and well-preserved brachiopods, and well-developed laminations in its hosted mudstone, indicating a deep water environment (corresponding to lower BA5 to BA6). The faunal and sedimentological features suggest its affinity to the typical Foliomena faunal group of deep water origin. Numerical analyses show that the Foliomena fauna in late Katian time differentiated into two major paleogeographically related groups, and the Tarim association has a close faunal affinity to the representatives of this fauna in South China, indicating an active faunal exchange between Tarim and South China before the end-Ordovician mass extinction.     

The semi-aquatic freshwater earthworms of the genus Glyphidrilus Horst, 1889 from Thailand (Oligochaeta,Almidae) with re-descriptions of several species

The semi-aquatic freshwater earthworm genus Glyphidrilus Horst, 1889 from Thailand was investigated based on extensive recent collecting. The species in this genus were characterized by their external and internal morphological characters of the location of wings, genital openings, genital organ structures and their locations, as well as the dimensions of body length and number of segments. Several type specimens were compared with both previous and newly collected materials. Ten new species are described from several river systems in Thailand; as Glyphidrilus borealis sp. n., Glyphidrilus chaophraya sp. n., Glyphidrilus chiensis sp. n., Glyphidrilus huailuangensis sp. n., Glyphidrilus kratuensis sp. n., Glyphidrilus quadratus sp. n., Glyphidrilus trangensis sp. n., Glyphidrilus wararamensis sp. n., Glyphidrilus vangthongensis sp. n. and Glyphidrilus vesper sp. n. Each species is endemic to a single river system. All 26 previously described species are re-described, and eight lectotypes have been designated. An identification key and a morphological comparison summary are provided.     

Early Cambrian organophosphatic brachiopods from the Xinji Formation,at Shuiyu section,Shanxi Province,North China

Abundant and diverse small shelly fossils have been reported from Cambrian Series 2 in North China, but the co-occurring brachiopods are still poorly known. Herein, we describe seven genera, five species and two undetermined species of organophosphatic brachiopods including one new genus and new species from the lower Cambrian Xinji Formation at Shuiyu section, located on the southern margin of North China Platform. The brachiopod assemblage comprises one mickwitziid (stem group brachiopoda), Paramickwitzia boreussinaensis n. gen. n. sp., a paterinide, Askepasma toddense Laurie, 1986, an acrotretoid, Eohadrotreta cf. zhenbaensis Li and Holmer, 2004, a botsfordiid, Schizopholis yorkensis (Holmer and Ushatinskaya in Gravestock et al., 2001) and three linguloids, Spinobolus sp., Eodicellomus cf. elkaniiformis Holmer and Ushatinskaya in Gravestock et al., 2001 and Eoobolus sp. This brachiopod assemblage suggests a late Age 3 to early Age 4 for the Xinji Formation and reveals a remarkably strong connection with coeval faunas from East Gondwana, particularly the Hawker Group in South Australia. The high degree of similarity (even at species level) further supports a close palaeogeographic position between the North China Platform and Australian East Gondwana during the early Cambrian as indicated by small shelly fossil data.     

Revision of the genus Salganea St?l (Blattodea,Blaberidae, Panesthiinae) from China,with descriptions of three new species

Three new species of Salganea Stål, 1877 are described and illustrated: S. quinquedentata sp. n., S. anisodonta sp. n. and S. flexibilis sp. n. S. taiwanensis Roth, 1979, S. guangxiensis (Feng & Woo, 1990), S. incerta (Brunner von Wattenwyl, 1893) and S. raggei Roth, 1979 are redescribed. Panesthia concinna Feng & Woo, 1990 is synonymized with S. taiwanensis Roth, 1979 and Panesthia guangxiensis Feng & Woo, 1990 is transferred to the genus Salganea for the first time. As well, a key to species from China is presented.     

A new assemblage of dabashanellids (Crustacea: Phosphatocopida) from Cambrian Stage 3 of western Hubei Province,South China

Dabashanellids are univalved phosphatocopid crustaceans, and are among the earliest crustaceans known so far. They were reported mainly from the Cambrian Stage 3 of China, but only a single species was established. Here I report a new assemblage of dabashanellids from the Cambrian Stage 3 Shuijingtuo Formation in western Hubei Province, South China. All specimens are sub-millimetre in length, and are preserved as three-dimensional carbonaceous hollow shields. Five species of Dabashanella were recognized, including the previously reported D. hemicyclica, three new species, D. longa n. sp., D. semiorbiculata n. sp., D. unispinata n. sp., and an indeterminate form Dabashanella sp. In addition, five indeterminate forms of arthropods were recovered. These dabashanellids represent part of a meiofauna that lived in the off-shore, deeper environments of mid-northern Yangtze Sea during Cambrian Age 3. This study shows greater morphological diversity and ecologic disparity of dabashanellid crustaceans, and supports the previous suggestion that the invasion of meiofaunal ecdysozoans into the off-shore, deeper environments probably occurred simultaneously with their radiation in the shallow water.     

A taxonomic study of Chinese species of the alberti group of Metaphycus (Hymenoptera,Encyrtidae)

Ten alberti-group species of the genus Metaphycus Mercet from China are reviewed. Six species Metaphycus dorsalis sp. n., Metaphycus chinensis sp. n., Metaphycus wui sp. n., Metaphycus stylatus sp. n., Metaphycus fusiscapus sp. n. and Metaphycus fusiformis sp. n. are described as new to science. Four known species from China are redescribed. A key to the females of the Chinese species is given and photomicrographs are provided to illustrate morphological characters of these species. All specimens unless otherwise specified are deposited in the National Zoological Museum of China Institute of Zoology Chinese Academy of Sciences Beijing.     

Late Carnian (Tuvalian,Tropites dilleri zone) ostracods (Crustacea) from the Mufara Formation (Monte Scalpello,Central-Eastern Sicily,Italy)

Ostracod association from the Upper Triassic (Tropites dilleri zone of the Carnian stage) of the sedimentary succession (Mufara Formation) exposed along the east side of Monte Scalpello (Catenanuova, central eastern Sicily) has been studied for the first time. The specimens, silicified, are rare but well preserved and often consist of complete carapaces. They belong to eight families: Healdiidae, Cavellinidae, Bairdiidae, Acratiidae, Bythocyprididae, Pontocyprididae, Judahellidae, Glorianellidae. Twenty-three taxa have been listed; the family Bairdiidae is the most represented among all the others with fifteen species. Four species are new: Bairdia scaliae n. sp., Acratia maugerii n. sp., “Anchistrocheles” gemmellaroi n. sp. and Judahella? montanarii n. sp. Other species are left in open nomenclature because of the lack of specimens.     

A revision of the Neotropical species of Bolitogyrus Chevrolat,a geographically disjunct lineage of Staphylinini (Coleoptera,Staphylinidae)

The Neotropical species of the rarely collected genus Bolitogyrus (Coleoptera: Staphylinidae: Staphylininae: Staphylinini) are revised. The genus exhibits an uncommon, disjunct distribution between the Neotropical and Oriental Regions and is of unknown phylogenetic position within Staphylinini. Morphological evolution remarkable for Staphylinini was discovered within Bolitogyrus, including sexually dimorphic modifications of the pronotum that may be involved in male competition for females. rSEM interactive animations were used to establish morphological species boundaries between two highly variable species and are provided to illustrate diagnostic characters of the genitalia in unconventional views. The genus is redescribed based on the world fauna and twenty-eight Neotropical species are considered valid. Of these, nineteen are described as new to science: Bolitogyrus ashei sp. n.; B. apicofasciatus sp. n.; B. brevistellus sp. n.; B. bufo sp. n.; B. cheungi sp. n.; B. cornutus sp. n.; B. divisus sp. n.; B. falini sp. n.; B. gracilis sp. n.; B. inexspectatus sp. n.; B. longistellus sp. n.; B. marquezi sp. n.; B. newtoni sp. n.; B. pseudotortifolius sp. n.; B. pulchrus sp. n.; B. silex sp. n.; B. thomasi sp. n.; B. tortifolius sp. n.; and B. viridescens sp. n. Bolitogyrus sallei (Kraatz), stat. r. is removed from synonymy with B. buphthalmus (Erichson) and the following new synonyms are proposed: Cyrtothorax cyanescens Sharp, 1884, syn. n. = Quedius buphthalmus Erichson, 1840; C. nevermanni Scheerpeltz, 1974, syn. n. = C. costaricensis Wendeler, 1927. A summary of all available bionomic and distributional data, as well as an illustrated identification key to and diagnoses of all Neotropical species are provided.     

The description of a new species of the Neotropical land crab genus Gecarcinus Leach, 1814 (Crustacea,Decapoda, Brachyura,Gecarcinidae)

In this contribution a new species of the land crab genus Gecarcinus Leach, 1814, from the Neotropical Pacific coast of South America is described and illustrated. In addition to its unique body color, Gecarcinus nobilii sp. n. is distinguished from congeners by a distinctly wider carapace front and differences in the shape of the infraorbital margin. The new species is not isolated from Gecarcinus populations from the Pacific coast of Central America by an insurmountable geographic barrier. Considering the closure of the Panamanian Isthmus as a calibration point for morphological divergence between the trans-isthmian mainland populations of Gecarcinus, the virtual lack of morphological differentiation (other than color) between them and the distinctness of G. nobilii sp. n. suggests that G. nobilii sp. n. evolved from a common ancestor before the Isthmus closed.     

Descriptions of eight new species of <Emphasis Type="Italic">Ligophorus</Emphasis> Euzet &; Suriano, 1977 (Monogenea: Ancyrocephalidae) from Red Sea mullets

Eight new species of Ligophorus Euzet &; Suriano, 1977 (Monogenea: Ancyrocephalidae) are described from two species of mullets from the Red Sea. Ligophorus bykhowskyi n. sp. and L. zhangi n. sp. from Crenimugil crenilabris (Forsskål) differ from other species of the genus in the structure of the male copulatory organ, which has a simple accessory piece and a wide copulatory tube that arises from a large, single-chambered, expanded base. Ligophorus simpliciformis n. sp., L. bipartitus n. sp., L. campanulatus n. sp., L. mamaevi n. sp., L. lebedevi n. sp. and L. surianoae n. sp. from Liza carinata (Valenciennes) are differentiated on the basis of the morphometrics of the hard parts of the haptor and male copulatory organ. The eight species represent the first records of species directly attributed to Ligophorus from the Red Sea. Measurements of the haptoral hard-parts and the male copulatory organ of the new species are analysed with the aid of Principal Component Analysis. Three morphological types of male copulatory organ, five types of anchor, and two types of ventral and three types of dorsal bars were distinguished among these species. L. bykhowskyi and L. zhangi from C. crenilabris have the same type of male copulatory organ and anchors. Those species from Liza carinata have only one common morphological character, a thick copulatory tube, but have two types of accessory piece, four types of anchors and three types of bars. All species of Ligophorus found on mullets in the Red Sea have an accessory piece without a distal bifurcation and thus differ from most species of this genus from other regions of the world’s oceans.     

Rectogerochammina eugubina nov. gen., nov. sp., a new agglutinated foraminifer from the Upper Cretaceous of Gubbio, Italy

We describe the new agglutinated foraminiferal genus and species Rectogerochammina eugubina nov. gen., nov. sp. from the Upper Cretaceous Scaglia Rossa Formation of the Umbria-Marche Basin in Italy. The genus differs from Gerochammina (Neagu, 1990) in the presence of a terminal uniserial part.