The Hiletini, an ancient and enigmatic tribe of Carabidae with a pantropical distribution (Coleoptera)

Abstract. Species of the tribe Hiletini are rarely represented in collections. Of the twenty known species, only three have been adequately collected. These twenty species are here arrayed in two genera, Hiletus (six species in two spe'cies groups), Eucamaragnathus (fourteen species in five species groups). Hiletus species occur in tropical Africa. Eucamaragnathus species of the alluaudi group occur in tropical and southeastern Africa, those of the suberbiei group are found only in Madagascar, those of the bocandei group are found in tropical western Africa, species of the sumatrensis group occur in southeastern Asia (Burma, Vietnam, Sumatra and Borneo), and those of the batesi group are found in the western Amazon Basin, northeastern Amazon Basin, and along the Paraquay River drainage system. Four new species of Hiletini are described from the following type localities: Hiletus nimba, GUINEA, Nimba Mountains; Eucamaragnathus borneensis, BRUNEI, (BORNEO); E.jaws, BRAZIL, Parana; E.amapa, BRAZIL, Territory of Amapa. Most species of Hiletini live in tropical climates with a mean annual temperature above 21°C and mean annual rainfall above 200 cm (exceptions are noted in text). All species apparently frequent latosolic soils in broadleaf evergreen or deciduous forests or in grassland savannahs with scattered or gallery broadleaf evergreen trees. Records available indicate that pupation occurs during the dry season and that adults emerge with the onset of rains. The structure of the mandibles, other mouthparts, crop and proventriculus suggests that only liquid food is normally taken in, and it is probable that at least some preoral digestion occurs as in other carabids. A suite of newly discovered character states associated with the tarsal claws unites the Hiletini with Cnemacanthini, Elaphrini, Migadopini, Promecognathini, Pseudomor-phini, Scaritini and Siagonini. These stocks together form a sister lineage to the ozaenine-brachinine lineage, all having distinct epimera, brushy non-styliform parameres, long empodial unguitractor plates, but not having conjunct mesocoxae (type I). Hiletini is the sister group of the combined Scaritini-Cnemacanthini-Pseudomorphini stocks. We suggest that the origin of the Hiletini occurred at least as early as the Jurassic Period from an equatorial position near the centre of the combined Africa/South America landmass. By mid-Cretaceous, radiation of taxa occurred across southern Laurasia into the southeastern part of that landmass, but never leaving equatorial climates. Later in the Cretaceous or early Tertiary, when continents began their rapid break-up, hiletines were stranded in tropical parts of South America, Africa/Madagascar, and southeastern Asia where they still occur today.     

A new species of Schoutedenichia Jadin & Vercammen-Grandjean, 1954 from Madagascar and a re-description of S. dutoiti (Radford, 1948) from South Africa (Acariformes: Trombiculidae)

A new chigger mite species, Schoutedenichia microcebi n. sp. is described from the grey mouse lemur Microcebus murinus (J.F. Miller) from Madagascar. The new species is closely related to S. dutoiti (Radford, 1948), a species described from a single specimen collected on a rodent in South Africa. Examination of the holotype and new material on S. dutoiti from South Africa enabled us to re-describe this species and provide new data on its hosts and geographical distribution.

     

A revision of the purse-web spider genus Calommata Lucas, 1837 (Araneae, Atypidae) in the Afrotropical Region

The purse-web spider genus Calommata Lucas, 1837 is revised in the Afrotropical Region. Following examination of the female type material, Calommata transvaalica Hewitt, 1916 is removed from synonymy with Calommata simoni Pocock, 1903 and revalidated. The females of both species are redescribed and their males described for the first time. While Calommata simoni is very widespread across tropical Africa, Calommata transvaalica is endemic to northern South Africa. Four new species are described, all known only from males: Calommata megaesp. n. (Zimbabwe), Calommata meridionalissp. n. (South Africa), Calommata namibicasp. n. (Namibia) and Calommata tibialissp. n. (Ivory Coast and Togo). Notes are presented on the biology of each species.     

The genus Ectonura Cassagnau, 1980in South Africa (Collembola, Neanuridae, Neanurinae), with a key to South African Neanurinae

Two new species of Neanurinae (Collembola) are described from the Western Cape, South Africa: Ectonura monochaetasp. n. and Ectonura barraisp. n.Ectonura monochaetasp. n. differs from other species in the genus by its strongly reduced chaetotaxy, and the lateral shift of dorso-internal chaetae on Abd. V and their integration in the tubercles (De+DL). Ectonura barraisp. n. is similar to Ectonura natalensis (Womersley, 1934), but differs in chaetotaxic details and chaetal group arrangement. A key to the seven species of Neanurinae recorded from South Africa is given.     

Paradiaptomus peninsularis, P. hameri and P. warreni, three new species of Paradiaptomus (Calanoida: Diaptomidae) from South Africa

Three new species of Paradiaptomus from southern Africa are described, Paradiaptomus peninsularis, P. hameri and P. warreni. Paradiaptomus peninsularis occurs in temporary blackwater pools on the peninsula of the Western Cape province, P. hameri in saline pools in the Western Cape province and P. warreni in mountain tarns in the Drakensberg Range in Kwazulu Natal and Lesotho. The genus Paradiaptomus was first established by Sars (1895) for Paradiaptomus lamellatus. There are five described species of Paradiaptomus endemic to Africa ( lamellatus, schultzei, similis, natalensis and rex) and P. greeni from India and Sri Lanka. The three new species have highly-weighted morphological characters which set them apart from each other and from any of the described species of Paradiaptomus.     

Two new parrot species (Psittaciformes) from the early Pliocene of Langebaanweg,South Africa,and their palaeoecological implications

Two new parrot species (Psittaciformes) are described from the early Pliocene Varswater Formation at Langebaanweg, South Africa, an area where no parrots currently are found. A coracoid, humeri, ulnae, carpometacarpi, tibiotarsi and tarsometatarsi of at least four individuals are assigned to a new species of lovebird Agapornis. Additional tarsometatarsi of at least five individuals including a nestling are referred to a new genus and species of Psittacinae, a taxon endemic to Africa comprising the extant genera Poicephalus and Psittacus. Both species form the as yet earliest geological record of parrots in Africa and document the early diversification of the taxa Agapornis and Psittacinae. Evidence for parrots in general, and a putative graminivorous species of lovebird in particular, indicates that woodlands as well as grasslands were present at Langebaanweg during the early Pliocene, which is consistent with current hypotheses on the palaeoenvironment at and around this site.     

Systematic revision of the genus Aglyptodactylus Boulenger, 1919 (Amphibia: Ranidae), and analysis of its phylogenetic relationships to other Madagascan ranid genera (Tomopterna, Boophis, Mantidactylus, and Mantella)

Recent field studies revealed two new species of the genus Aglyptodactylus (Amphibia: Anura: Ranidae), which was hitherto considered as monotypic and confined to humid eastern Madagascar. Both new species, Aglyptodactylus laticeps sp. n. and Aglyptodactylus securifer sp. n. , occur syntopically in the deciduous dry forest of Kirindy in western Madagascar. In comparison to Aglyptodactylus madagascariensis from eastern rainforests, the new species A. laticeps shows a remarkable morphological divergence, which may be partly due to adaptations to burrowing habits in dry environments. Despite of the morphological differentiation, advertisement calls and osteology indicate that all three species of Aglyptodactylus are closely related. A phylogenetic analysis of the Madagascan ranid genera Aglyptodactylus, Mantella, Mantidactylus, Boophis , and Tomopterna (the latter including species from Madagascar, Africa, and Asia) strongly supports a sister group relationship of Aglyptodactylus with the ranine genus Tomopterna . We therefore transfer Aglyptodactylus from the Rhacophorinae to the Raninae and discuss implications of this rearrangement for ranoid systematics. The existence of the endemic genus Aglyptodactylus in Madagascar as well as its close phylogenetic relationships to Tomopterna confirm that the Raninae were already present on the Madagascan plate before its separation from Africa. The Madagascan Tomopterna labrosa shows several important differences both to Asian and to African species of the genus, and is therefore transferred from the subgenus Sphaerotheca (now restricted to Asia) to a new subgenus Laliostoma subgen. n .     

Four new species of Gomphocythere (Crustacea, Ostracoda) from Lake Tanganyika, East Africa

Four new species of the ostracod genus Gomphocythere are described from Lake Tanganyika (East Africa): Gomphocythere downingi n. sp. G. coheni n. sp., G. wilsoni n. sp., and G. woutersi n. sp. All species are endemic to the lake and are found within a variety of substrates and depths. The addition of these four new species brings the total number of endemic Gomphocythere species in Lake Tanganyika to nine. Other Gomphocythere species are known from water bodies throughout East and South Africa and in the Levant. Brooding is an important, but not a unique, preadaptation for the persistence and taxic prolific speciation of this lineage in Lake Tanganyika.     

Deep phylogenetic divergence between Scolytoplatypus and Remansus,a new genus of Scolytoplatypodini from Madagascar (Coleoptera,Curculionidae, Scolytinae)

Scolytoplatypodini Blandford is a monotypic tribe of ambrosia beetles found in Asia, Madagascar and Africa. Only three species are currently known from Madagascar and four additional species are here described as new to science. Phylogenetic analyses of morphological and molecular data revealed that four of the seven endemic species are deeply separated from all other species by genetic and distinct morphological characters and therefore placed in a new genus Remansus Jordal. The split between this ancient lineage and Scolytoplatypus Schaufuss was estimated to approximate Palaeocene age (63 Ma), extending the minimum age of ambrosia feeding for this tribe to the beginning of the Palaeocene‒Eocene thermal maximum (PETM). In addition to the ancient origin of Remansus in Madagascar during the Palaeocene, a second origin occurred in Scolytoplatypus no more than 13 Ma. A geographical origin of the latter in South-Eastern Africa was unequivocally inferred from the phylogenies.     

A revision of <Emphasis Type="Italic">Gastrodia</Emphasis> (Orchidaceae: Epidendroideae,Gastrodieae) in tropical Africa

The holomycotrophic terrestrial orchids of tropical Africa are reassessed. Two new species of Gastrodia from tropical Africa are described, G. rwandensis from Rwanda and G. ballii from south-central Africa. The genus now comprises three species in tropical Africa. A key is provided to distinguish them from Gastrodia africana Kraenzl.     

A new genus of soft coral of the family Alcyoniidae (Cnidaria, Octocorallia) with re-description of a new combination and description of a new species

A new genus, Aldersladum (family Alcyoniidae), is established to accommodate a previously described species, Efflatounaria sodwanae Benayahu, 1993 (family Xeniidae) from Sodwana Bay, South Africa that was wrongly assigned to the latter genus. This species is redescribed and a second new species, Aldersladum jengi from Penghu Is., Taiwan, is described. The diagnostic features of the new genus include the presence of only figure-eight shaped platelets in all parts of the colony, thus differentiating it from all known genera of the Alcyoniidae. Based on examination of additional material from other localities, the zoogeographical distribution of the genus is confirmed to include the coral reefs of South Africa, Kenya, Gulf of Oman, Taiwan and Japan. Phylogenetic analyses of two mitochondrial genes strongly support its placement in the family Alcyoniidae.     

A comparison of the stoloniferous octocorallian genera Scyphopodium, Stereotelesto, Bathytelesto and Rhodelinda, with the description of a new species from south eastern Africa (Anthozoa, Chavulariidae)

A new species of stoloniferous octocoral assignable to the genus Bathytelesto Bayer, 1981 is described from the Indian Ocean coast of southern Africa. The new taxon represents the fifth described species of the family Clavulariidae with rigid cylindrical or tubular anthosteles composed of inseparably-fused sclerites. Four genera are currenly in use to accommodate these species. However, only one of these ( Scyphopodium ) seems to be morphologically well differentiated from the rest. The other three ( Stereotelesto, Bathytelesto and Rhodelinda ) are here considered as nominal at present until more material representing all of the taxa can be accumulated and a detailed comparative examination made. Of these four genera, the new species is morphologically most closely aligned with the genus Bathytelesto .     

A revision of the genus Dinofelis (Mammalia, Felidae)

This paper consists of a taxonomic and systematic revision of the extinct felid genus Dinofelis (Felidae, Ma-chairodontinae) and an analysis of its ecomorphology and evolution. Dinofelis has a broad distribution, with material from all northern continents and Africa, the latter of which was the apparent centre of evolution of the genus. We describe new material of Dinofelis from a number of sites in eastern Africa and reconsider all previously described material. We name two new species and identify several other distinct species-level taxa but refrain from naming these due to a paucity of well-preserved material. At the same time, we synonymize the two named Asian species, D. cristata and D. abeli , of which the former has priority. There are few characters useful in systematic analysis, but we can suggest at least one migration from eastern to southern Africa. Ecomorphological analysis of both craniodental and postcranial characters suggests that Dinofelis in many respects converged on modern pantherine cats in morphology and behaviour, a trend culminating in the South African D. barlowi and the Asian D. cristata , which are the most pantherine-like of all machairodont felids. This trend is reversed in the evolution of the youngest species, D. piveteaui , which is also the most machairodont in its ecomorphology. The timing of the extinction of Dinofelis is difficult to determine. Outside Africa material is scarce at all times, while in Africa the apparent extinction of Dinofelis at about 1.4 Mya coincides with the end of the good, semi-continuous fossil record present in eastern Africa from about 4 Mya onwards. Dating of Kanam East (with D. piveteaui) to the Jaramillo Subchron (1.070-0.990 Mya) suggests possible survival considerably later. Thus, the extinction datum for Dinofelis cannot at present be firmly established.     

Biology, immature and adult morphology, and molecular characterization of a new species of the genus Entedon (Hymenoptera: Eulophidae) associated with the invasive pest Specularius impressithorax (Coleoptera: Chrysomelidae, Bruchinae) on Erythrina plants

Entedon erythrinae sp. n. (Hymenoptera: Eulophidae), a gregarious egg-larval endoparasitoid of the Erythrina bruchine Specularius impressithorax, an invasive pest of the coral tree seeds (Erythrina spp.), is described from the Hawaiian Islands and Africa (South Africa, Tanzania and Mozambique). The biology and morphology of preimaginal stages of this new species are described in details.It is remarkable that the early embryo of the parasitoid represents a mass of undifferentiated cells surrounded by a peculiar membrane formed by the peripheral enlarged polygonal cells. The young larva developing inside this membrane corresponds morphologically to the second instar of congeneric species. Various peculiarities of the parasitoid-host relationships in gregarious and solitary Entedon parasitoids are discussed. The DNA sequences of 28S D2 (nuclear), Cytochrome Oxidase I (COI, mitochondrial) and Cytochrome B (CytB, mitochondrial) genes are provided for this new species and compared with the sequences of some other Afrotropical and Palearctic species of the genus.     

New taxa in Psoroptinae. Hypothesis on the origin of the group (Acarina, Sarcoptiformes, Psoroptidae)]

The author describes three new species and one new genus in the family Psoroptidae, subfamily Psoroptinae. A key is given to all the known genera of this subfamily. The fact that amongst the 16 species known from Africa South of the Sahara, 9 are endemic incites the author to believe that this group has a Centro-african origin.     

Advances in the study of Anopheles funestus, a major vector of malaria in Africa

The recent literature on cytogenetic and molecular studies of Anopheles funestus, a major vector of malaria in Africa, is reviewed. Molecular data from West and Central Africa suggest a new species in the group closely allied to Anopheles rivulorum. Cytogenetic and molecular studies of populations from West, Central, East and southern Africa indicate considerable genetic structuring within An. funestus itself, which may well restrict the spread of pyrethroid resistance that has been demonstrated in southern Africa.     

Global diversity of dobsonflies,fishflies, and alderflies (Megaloptera; Insecta) and spongillaflies,nevrorthids, and osmylids (Neuroptera; Insecta) in freshwater

The insect orders Megaloptera and Neuroptera are closely related members of the superorder Neuropterida, a relict lineage of holometabolous insects that also includes the Raphidoptera. Megaloptera, composed of the families Sialidae and Corydalidae (including subfamilies Chauliodinae and Corydalinae), has fully aquatic larvae that occur in a wide variety of lotic and lentic habitats, including temporary streams. In total, 2 of 17 families of Neuroptera have aquatic larvae: Nevrorthidae live in the benthos of fast-flowing streams and Sisyridae reside on freshwater sponges. A third family of Neuroptera, Osmylidae, contains some water-dependent species that reside under leaves and rocks along the margins of waterbodies. We recognize 328 extant, described species of Megaloptera (composed of 116 species of Chauliodinae, 131 species of Corydalinae, and 81 species of Sialidae) and 73 species of aquatic Neuroptera (composed of 12 species of Nevrorthidae and 61 species of Sisyridae). Additionally, we estimate that 45 species of Osmylidae are water-dependent, although the ecology of this group is poorly understood. Chauliodinae and Corydalidae are both found in the New World, the Oriental region, and South Africa, but are absent from Europe, the Middle East, Central Asia, tropical Africa, and boreal regions. Chauliodinae is quite speciose in Australia, whereas Corydalinae is absent. Sialidae is most speciose in temperate regions, and is absent from tropical Africa and portions of the Oriental region. Sisyridae and Osmylidae are nearly cosmopolitan, but the relict family Nevrorthidae is limited to Japan, the Mediterranean, and Australia. The discovery of many new species in recent years, particularly among Corydalidae in the Neotropics and China, suggests that our knowledge of aquatic neuropterid diversity is far from complete. Guest editors: E. V. Balian, C. Lévêque, H. Segers and K. Martens Freshwater Animal Diversity Assessment