A new sorediate species of Menegazzia (Parmeliaceae,lichenized Ascomycota) from Chile

Abstract:Menegazzia wandae Bjerke from Chile is newly described. It is characterized by lacerate soralia that are formed on laminar pustules; the sinuous, rather imbricate lobes with brown-black margins, and the presence of thamnolic acid in the medulla. Apothecia are unknown, and pycnidia are rare. The species is known from Chile between latitudes 38°30′S and 46°40′S.     

Novae Gesneriaceae Neotropicarum IV: Alloplectus purpureus and Columnea nematoloba—New Gesneriaceae from northwestern South America

Two species of Gesneriaceae are described:Alloplectus purpureus from the lower montane forests of northwestern Ecuador and adjacent Colombia andColumnea nematoloba from the lowland rain forests of western Colombia. The first with its fimbriate calyx lobes is probably nearest toAlloplectus sprucei, occurring in the same region but mostly at lower elevations. The second is in a group with two recently described species from western Ecuador and Colombia,Columnea fililoba andC. incredibilis, all having filiform corolla lobes.     

Aiphanes tricuspidata (Palmae), a new species from Colombia and Ecuador

Aiphanes tricuspidata, a new species from Colombia and Ecuador is described and illustrated. It differs from the most similar species,A. deltoidea Burret, in its solitary habit the tricuspidate pinnae, and a completely different flower arrangement.     

A new species of the sharpshooter genus Onega Distant, 1908 (Hemiptera: Cicadellidae: Cicadellini) from Ecuador and Peru

Onega comprises nine valid species distributed in South American countries, Bolivia, Colombia, Ecuador, Paraguay and Peru, commonly at high altitudes. The genus has as diagnostic characteristics the transition crown-frons with transversal carina; crown and superior portion of frons with concavities; pronotum wider than transocular width of head; and paraphysis, when present, as a median esclerite. The present paper describes Onega musa sp. nov., from Ecuador and Peru, which can be distinguished from other Onega species by: body mostly yellow, with brown maculae distributed on dorsum; posterior margin of male pygofer serrate, with long microsetae on the basiventral margin; aedeagus with shaft bisinuate with dorsal acute preapical process; female sternite VII with posterior margin slightly convex; and first valvula of ovipositor with 38 noncontiguous teeth. Intraspecific morphological variations are discussed.     

A new species of Siphocampylus (Campanulaceae: Lobelioideae) from northern Peru

Siphocampylus platysiphon (Campanulaceae: Lobelioideae) is described as a new species from northern Peru. It is a member of subsect.Megastomi in sect.Brachysiphon and is most closely related toS. giganteus, a species common to the north in Ecuador and Colombia.     

Novae Gesneriaceae neotropicarum VI: five new Gesneriaceae from northwestern South America

Columnea chrysotricha, C. cuspidata (bothColumnea sect.Collandra), andGasteranthus recurvatus are described from Colombia;C. sulcata (Columnea sect.Collandra) from Ecuador and Colombia; andDrymonia anisophylla from the Amazonian lowland rain forests of Brazil, Colombia, Ecuador, and Peru.     

Two notable new species of Cissus (Vitaceae) from South America

Two new species ofCissus are described and illustrated:Cissus boliviana, a simple-leaved species from Bolivian forests, andC. bracteosa, a species with an unusual indumentum from rain forests of Colombia, Ecuador, and Peru.     

Taxonomic revision of the olingos (Bassaricyon), with description of a new species,the Olinguito

We present the first comprehensive taxonomic revision and review the biology of the olingos, the endemic Neotropical procyonid genus Bassaricyon, based on most specimens available in museums, and with data derived from anatomy, morphometrics, mitochondrial and nuclear DNA, field observations, and geographic range modeling. Species of Bassaricyon are primarily forest-living, arboreal, nocturnal, frugivorous, and solitary, and have one young at a time. We demonstrate that four olingo species can be recognized, including a Central American species (Bassaricyon gabbii), lowland species with eastern, cis-Andean (Bassaricyon alleni) and western, trans-Andean (Bassaricyon medius) distributions, and a species endemic to cloud forests in the Andes. The oldest evolutionary divergence in the genus is between this last species, endemic to the Andes of Colombia and Ecuador, and all other species, which occur in lower elevation habitats. Surprisingly, this Andean endemic species, which we call the Olinguito, has never been previously described; it represents a new species in the order Carnivora and is the smallest living member of the family Procyonidae. We report on the biology of this new species based on information from museum specimens, niche modeling, and fieldwork in western Ecuador, and describe four Olinguito subspecies based on morphological distinctions across different regions of the Northern Andes.     

Six new species of Elaphoglossum (Elaphoglossaceae)

The fern genusElaphoglossum is well represented in wet, mountainous regions of Latin America, from which many species have recently been described. Six more new species ofElaphoglossum are reported:E. bryogenes from Ecuador andE. caudulatum, E. diminutum, E. delasotae, E. lellingeri, E. subcordatum, andE. xiphiophorum from Colombia.     

Antlered richardiid flies: new species of Richardia (Tephritoidea: Richardiidae) with antler‐like genal processes

Within Richardiidae, Richardia infestans, from Colombia, is the only known species to have genal processes, which are structures formed by the extension of the cuticle on the lateral margin of the gena. In the present work, six new species, with different patterns of antler‐like genal processes, are described. An identification key and illustrations are provided. Richardia bella sp. nov. , R. modesta sp. nov. and R. vitta sp. nov. are recorded from Costa Rica; R. advena sp. nov. is recorded from Costa Rica and Panama; R. simplex sp. nov. is recorded from Panama; and R. ornatella sp. nov. is recorded from Ecuador.     

Novel Data on the Ecology of Cochranella mache (Anura: Centrolenidae) and the Importance of Protected Areas for This Critically Endangered Glassfrog in the Neotropics

We studied a population of the endangered glassfrog, Cochranella mache, at Bilsa Biological Station, northwestern Ecuador, from 2008 and 2009. We present information on annual abundance patterns, behavioral ecology, habitat use and a species distribution model performed with MaxEnt. We evaluate the importance of the National System of Protected Areas (SNAP) in Colombia and Ecuador, under scenarios of climate change and habitat loss. We predicted a restricted environmental suitability area from 48,509 Km² to 65,147 Km² along western Ecuador and adjacent Colombia; ∼8% of the potential distribution occurs within SNAP. We examined four aspects of C. mache ecology: (1) ecological data suggests a strong correlation between relative abundance and rainfall, with a high probability to observe frogs through rainy months (February–May); (2) habitat use and the species distribution model suggest that this canopy dweller is restricted to small streams and rivulets in primary and old secondary forest in evergreen lowland and piedmont forest of western Ecuador, with predictions of suitability areas in adjacent southern Colombia; (3) the SNAP of Colombia and Ecuador harbor a minimum portion of the predicted model of distribution (<10%); and (4) synergetic effects of habitat loss and climate change reduces in about 95% the suitability areas for this endangered frog along its distributional range in Protected Areas. The resulting model allows the recognition of areas to undertake conservation efforts and plan future field surveys, as well as forecasting regions with high probability of C. mache occurrence in western Ecuador and southern Colombia. Further research is required to assess population tendencies, habitat fragmentation and target survey zones to accelerate the discovery of unknown populations in unexplored areas with high probability of suitability. We recommend that Cochranella mache must be re-categorized as “Critically Endangered” species in national and global status, according with criteria and sub-criteria A4, B1ab(i,ii,iii,iv),E.     

Snake venomics and antivenomics of Bothrops atrox venoms from Colombia and the Amazon regions of Brazil,Perú and Ecuador suggest the occurrence of geographic variation of venom phenotype by a trend towards paedomorphism

The venom proteomes of Bothrops atrox from Colombia, Brazil, Ecuador, and Perú were characterized using venomic and antivenomic strategies. Our results evidence the existence of two geographically differentiated venom phenotypes. The venom from Colombia comprises at least 26 different proteins belonging to 9 different groups of toxins. PI-metalloproteinases and K49-PLA₂ molecules represent the most abundant toxins. On the other hand, the venoms from Brazilian, Ecuadorian, and Peruvian B. atrox contain predominantly PIII-metalloproteinases. These toxin profiles correlate with the venom phenotypes of adult and juvenile B. asper from Costa Rica, respectively, suggesting that paedomorphism represented a selective trend during the trans-Amazonian southward expansion of B. atrox through the Andean Corridor. The high degree of crossreactivity of a Costa Rican polyvalent (Bothrops asper, Lachesis stenophrys, Crotalus simus) antivenom against B. atrox venoms further evidenced the close evolutionary kinship between B. asper and B. atrox. This antivenom was more efficient immunodepleting proteins from the venoms of B. atrox from Brazil, Ecuador, and Perú than from Colombia. Such behaviour may be rationalized taking into account the lower content of poorly immunogenic toxins, such as PLA₂ molecules and PI-SVMPs in the paedomorphic venoms. The immunological profile of the Costa Rican antivenom strongly suggests the possibility of using this antivenom for the management of snakebites by B. atrox in Colombia and the Amazon regions of Ecuador, Perú and Brazil.     

Menegazzia subsimilis,a widespread sorediate lichen

Studies of type specimens and other specimens of Menegazzia subsimilis and M. dissecta have shown that they are referable to the same taxon. Thus, M. dissecta is reduced to synonymy with M. subsimilis, which is characterized by lacerate soralia protruding from lobe apices or vertical lobules (protuberances), small perforations and the presence of the stictic acid complex in the medulla. It has 2-spored asci. The synonymy implies that M. subsimilis has a much wider distribution range than previously known. It is reported here from Oceania (Hawaii, Solomon Islands), Asia (Japan, Papua New Guinea, Russia), Europe (Austria, Germany, Portugal), South America (Ecuador, Peru), the Caribbean (Dominican Republic, Jamaica) and North America (Canada, USA).     

A new sorediate,fumarprotocetraric acid‐producing lichen species of Menegazzia (Parmeliaceae,Ascomycota) from New Zealand

A new sorediate lichen, Menegazzia hypernota Bjerke, is described from New Zealand. This new species is characterised by convex, crescent‐shaped to fabi‐form soralia that are occasionally associated with perforations; apothecia with 2‐spored asci; the small perforations; the numerous secondary lobules; the presence of inconspicuous, yellow spots in the internal cavity; and fumarprotocetraric acid as principal medullary constituent. Menegazzia caliginosa, a species associated with M. hypernota, is reported for the first time from the Auckland Islands.     

Checklist of tortoise beetles (Coleoptera,Chrysomelidae, Cassidinae) from Colombia with new data and description of a new species

A new tortoise beetle species, Cyrtonota abrili, is described from the Antioquia and Caldas departments in Colombia. New faunistic data are provided for 87 species, including 16 new additions to the country’s fauna. A checklist of the known 238 species of tortoise beetles recorded from Colombia is given.     

New species of Coussapoa and Pourouma (Cecropiaceae)

Four new species are described and illustrated:Coussapoa fulvescens, C. tolimensis, andC. valaria from Colombia, andPourouma napoensis from Ecuador.     

Additional Ecuadorian species in Calathea series Comosae (Marantaceae)

Three new species in Calathea series Comosae (Petersen) Schumann are described from Ecuador: Calathea pallidicosta, C. attenuata and C. lagoagriana. Calathea pallidicosta is currently known only from Ecuador, C. lagoagriana occurs in both Colombia and Ecuador while C. attenuata is more widespread, occurring in Colombia, Ecuador, Perú and Brasil. Calathea attenuata and C. pallidicosta are in the monomorphic-bracted group of C. series Comosae while C. lagoagriana is in the dimorphic-bracted group. Calathea lagoagriana possibly hybridizes with C. loeseneri Macbride.     

A new species of Pseudocercospora and new record of Bartheletia paradoxa on leaves of Ginkgo biloba

A new species of Pseudocercospora is described on lesions restricted to the leaf margins of living leaves of Ginkgo biloba in Taiwan. The lesions were also colonized by the hyphomycete Scolecobasidium humicola. Telia of the basidiomycete Bartheletia paradoxa are first recorded from Japan. These three species are presumed to be saprobionts in the primary stage of litter decomposition or as weak pathogens. A short survey of fungi recorded from ginkgo with focus on ginkgo leaves is provided.