Redescription of Platygyndes Roewer 1943, a false Gonyleptidae, (Arachnida, Opiliones, Cosmetidae)

Praelibitia Roewer, 1956 and its type species, Praelibitia titicaca Roewer, 1956, are respectively synonymized with Platygyndes Roewer, 1943 and its type species Platygyndes titicaca Roewer, 1943, and furthermore the genus is transferred from the Gonyleptidae to the Cosmetidae. On the basis of domed and unarmed ocularium, increased number of granules on scutal areas, unarmed dorsal scutum and general body shape, Platygyndes seems to be closely related to Moselabius Roewer, 1956 and Caracarana Roewer, 1956. External morphological characters that are useful to revealing relationships among cosmetid genera are discussed.     

A molecular phylogeny of the temperate Gondwanan family Pettalidae (Arachnida,Opiliones, Cyphophthalmi) and the limits of taxonomic sampling

We evaluate the phylogenetic and biogeographical relationships of the members of the family Pettalidae (Opiliones, Cyphophthalmi), a textbook example of an ancient temperate Gondwanan taxon, by means of DNA sequence data from four markers. Taxon sampling is optimized to cover more than 70% of the described species in the family, with 117 ingroup specimens included in the analyses. The data were submitted to diverse analytical treatments, including static and dynamic homology, untrimmed and trimmed alignments, and a variety of optimality criteria including parsimony and maximum‐likelihood (traditional search and Bayesian). All analyses found strong support for the monophyly of the family Pettalidae and of all its genera, with the exception of Speleosiro, which is nested within Purcellia. However, the relationships among genera are poorly resolved, with the exceptions of a first split between the South African genus Parapurcellia and the remaining species, and, less supported, a possible relationship between Chileogovea and the other South African genus Purcellia. The diversification of most genera is Mesozoic, and of the three New Zealand genera, two show evidence of constant diversification through time, contradicting scenarios of total submersion of New Zealand during the Oligocene drowning episode. The genera Karripurcellia from Western Australia and Neopurcellia from the Australian plate of New Zealand show a pattern typical of relicts, with ancient origin, depauperate extant diversity and recent diversification. The following taxonomic actions are taken: Milipurcellia Karaman, 2012 is synonymized with Karripurcellia Giribet, 2003 syn. nov. ; Speleosiro Lawrence, 1931 is synonymised with Purcellia Hansen & Sørensen, 1904 syn. nov . The following new combinations are proposed: Parapurcellia transvaalica (Lawrence, 1963) comb. nov. ; Purcellia argasiformis (Lawrence, 1931) comb. nov .     

A new species of the leopard pleco genus Pseudacanthicus (Siluriformes: Loricariidae) from the Rio Xingu,Brazil

The genus Pseudacanthicus comprises six valid species distributed in the Amazon basin and Caribbean coastal drainages from Guyana to French Guiana: P. serratus, P. fordii, P. histrix, P. spinosus, P. leopardus and P. pitanga. A new species of Pseudacanthicus is described from the Rio Xingu Basin, distinguished from its congeners by the following combination of characters: presence of anastomose dark blotches forming continuous zigzag bands alongside longitudinal keels; presence of dark blotches on ventral surface of body and head; all fins with orange to red colour on unbranched rays and sometimes subsequent branched rays. Brief comments on ornamental fisheries and conservation of the new species are also provided.     

A new species of Leskeodon (Daltoniaceae) from Ecuador

Leskeodon caducifolius is described from recent collections made at a single site in a cloud forest in southern Ecuador. The species is distinctive in its small, caducous leaves and elongate, porose exothecial cells.     

A new family of Gonyleptoidea from South America (Opiliones,Laniatores)

A new family of Laniatores, Gerdesiidae fam. nov., is proposed based on molecular and morphological evidence. Data also indicate that this new family is the sister family of Tricommatidae. Gerdesiidae fam. nov. has a disjunct distribution, occurring in northern South America (Peru, Brazilian Amazon) and at a spot in south‐eastern Brazil (Minas Gerais State). The new family is composed of two genera: Gerdesius Roewer, 1952 (type genus) and G onycranaus gen. nov. (type species G onycranaus androgynus sp. nov. ). We propose the synonymy of Huralvioides H. Soares, 1970 with Gerdesius Roewer, 1952 based on molecular and morphological evidence. Three new species are described: G erdesius mapinguari sp. nov. (type locality: Brazil, Amazonas, Manaus, Reserva Km 41); G onycranaus androgynus sp. nov. (type locality: Brazil, Minas Gerais, Conceição do Mato Dentro); and an obligate cave‐dwelling species, G onycranaus pluto sp. nov. (type locality: Brazil, Minas Gerais, Morro do Pilar). © 2015 The Linnean Society of London     

A new species of Oxelytrum Gistel (Coleoptera, Silphidae) from southern Argentina, with a key to the species of the genus

A new species of the forensically interesting genus Oxelytrum Gistel (Coleoptera, Silphidae), Oxelytrum selknan, is described from Santa Cruz and Tierra del Fuego provinces, Argentina. The new species resembles Oxelytrum biguttatum (Philippi) in outer aspect, but has different male genitalia, in particular a median lobe longer than the paramera. All the described species of Oxelytrum have the median lobe shorter than the paramera. The internal sac, as far as it could be reconstructed from dry-pinned specimens, also shows differences between the two species. A key to the species of Oxelytrum is given and illustrated.     

Review of the genus Plistobunus Pocock, 1903, with description of a new species from Hainan Island, China (Opiliones, Laniatores, Epedanidae)

The genus Plistobunus Pocock, 1903 and its type species Plistobunus rapax Pocock, 1903 are redescribed based on the type material deposited in the British Museum of Natural History (BMNH), London. In addition, a new Plistobunus species from Hainan Island is described and illustrated of Plistobunus columnariussp. n. The new species is diagnosed by having a row of 12 setiferous tubercles on anterior margin of carapace, and the femur of pedipalpus ventrally with 13 setiferous tubercles in male.     

Further revision of the genus Megalopsalis (Opiliones,Neopilionidae), with the description of seven new species

The Australian harvestmen genus Megalopsalis (Neopilionidae: Enantiobuninae) is recognised as a senior synonym of the genera Spinicrus and Hypomegalopsalis, and seven new species are described in Megalopsalis: Megalopsalis suffugiens, Megalopsalis walpolensis, Megalopsalis caeruleomontium, Megalopsalis atrocidiana, Megalopsalis coronata, Megalopsalis puerilis and Megalopsalis sublucens. A morphological phylogenetic analysis of the Enantiobuninae is also conducted including the new species. Monophyly of Neopilionidae and Enantiobuninae including ‘Monoscutidae’ is corroborated, with the Australasian taxa as a possible sister clade to the South American Thrasychirus.     

A new species of Diplazium (Woodsiaceae) from Ecuador

A new species ofDiplazium,D. lellingeri from Ecuador, is described and illustrated.

---

Resumen  Se describe e ilustra una nueva especie deDiplazium de Ecuador,D. lellingeri.

     

A new species of Hyphessobrycon (Characiformes,Characidae) from the upper Rio Jequitinhonha basin,Minas Gerais,Brazil, with comments on morphological similarities with Stethaprioninae species from headwater environments

A new species of Hyphessobrycon is described from a marshland area in the headwaters of Rio Jequitinhonha basin, Minas Gerais, Brazil. The new species differs from congeners by presenting a single well-delimited conspicuous humeral blotch, rounded to vertically oval, restricted to the area dorsal to the lateral-line row of scales, without a narrower downward extension, greatest body depth anterior to dorsal-fin origin, bony processes in anal and pectoral-fin rays of males and four teeth in the inner row of the premaxillary bone. The new species presents a set of morphological features shared by some species currently assigned to Hasemania, Myxiops and to the Astyanax scabripinnis complex. Some of these features are discussed.     

Michanthidium almeidai, a new species from northeastern Brazil (Hymenoptera, Megachilinae)

A new species of Michanthidium Urban (Hymenoptera, Megachilinae)is described and figured from Sergipe and Bahia States, northeastern Brazil. An identification key, illustrations, and a distribution map for the three species of the genus are presented. The male genitalia of Michanthidium almeidaisp. n. and Michanthidium albitarse are illustrated and compared for the first time.     

Three new species of Gasteranthus (Gesneriaceae) from Ecuador

The gesneriad flora of the Reserva Río Guajalito, Province of Pichincha, and Bosque Protector Otonga, Province of Cotopaxi, Ecuador have been investigated. Three new species,Gasteranthus aurantiacus M. Freiberg,G. atrolimbus M. Freiberg, andG. acuticarinatus M. Freiberg, are described and illustrated in preparation for a contribution for the Gesneriaceae in the Flora of Ecuador. While bothG. acuticarinatus andG. atrolimbus are characterized by a dorsal keel on a tubular, pink to wine-red corolla, the infundibulate, bright orange-colored corolla ofG. aurantiacus has a rather wide opening and a large limb.     

A new species of Astyanax (Characiformes: Characidae) from Costa Rica and Panama,with a key to the lower Central American species of the genus

Astyanax anai, a new species of characid fish, is described from the Sixaola River basin, eastern Costa Rica–western Panama, Central America. The new species can be distinguished from all other congeners by the following combination of characters: premaxillary teeth 4–5 at the inner series and 4–6 at the outer series; maxillary teeth tricuspid, 2–4; predorsal scale series irregular and incomplete, with an unscaled space behind tip of supraoccipital process and 12–14 scales; lateral line scales 34–39; humeral region with a conspicuous black and rounded to horizontally ovate spot and two diffuse brown and vertically elongate bars (the first through the rounded to horizontally ovate spot, the second 2–4 scales behind the first); body depth 36·6–42·3% of standard length (L_S); midlateral stripe formed by a series of 10–14 anteriorly‐directed dermal herringbone, or chevron‐shaped, marks, most apparent in juveniles and in preserved specimens, extending above the lateral line from the black humeral spot or just behind it (from the second vertical bar) to the caudal peduncle; scale rows from lateral line to base of first dorsal‐fin ray 8–9; scale rows from lateral line to base of pelvic fin 7–8; pre‐anal distance 53·9–61·9% of L_S; total anal‐fin elements 29–33; caudal spot elongated, rhomboid or rectangular, with its anterior margin surpassing the middle of the caudal peduncle, usually reaching the anal‐fin insertion, posteriorly covering 4–7 principal caudal‐fin rays and not extending onto the ventral and dorsal margins of the caudal peduncle, covering 3–5 horizontal scale rows. In order to test the phylogenetic relationships of the new taxon in relation to the other North and Central American species of the genus, a new phylogenetic hypothesis based on a reanalysis of the morphological matrix by Schmitter‐Soto (2016) is proposed. A key to the lower Central American (southern Nicaragua to eastern Panama) species of Astyanax is also provided.     

A new genus and species of Coenosiini from Costa Rica (Diptera,Muscidae, Coenosiinae)

Palpilongus gen. n. is herein described for one species – Palpilongus bifurcus sp. n., from Costa Rica, based on male and females. The striking morphological characters of the species – palpus very long, about as long as prementum; upper calypter truncate and very short and setae of male sternite 5 bifurcated, confirm that this new species is also a new genus in the tribe Coenosiini. Male and female terminalia were dissected and illustrated.     

A new species of Cuacuba (Araneae,Theridiosomatidae) from Brazilian caves

ABSTRACT

A new species of the spider genus Cuacuba from Brazil, C. ribeira sp. nov. is described and illustrated based on eighty-six specimens collected from caves in the Vale do Ribeira region, in the states of São Paulo and Paraná. This species is recognized by the hook-shaped median apophysis on the male palp, and females by having invaginations on the sides of the median posterior edge of the epigynal plate. Cuacuba ribeira sp. nov. is the third species recorded for the genus, and like the other two, also comes from Brazilian caves.

http://www.zoobank.org/urn:lsid:zoobank.org:pub:44036D6B-CA3F-4C15-BBA3-3E5FE81FB299     

A new genus and species of Cyphophthalmi (Arachnida: Opiliones) from the north-eastern states of India

We describe a new genus and new species of Cyphophthalmi from north-eastern India, from the unexplored and extremely wet region lying between China, Bangladesh, Myanmar, and Bhutan. Meghalaya annandalei   sp. nov. , from the Mehao Wildlife Sanctuary, Arunāchal Pradesh, is an interesting Cyphophthalmi, with eyes located anterior to the ozophore, a modified tibia of leg III of males, and a robust subtriangular adenostyle. The new genus has overall resemblance to the members of the family Stylocellidae, but also has important differences for other characters, which resemble those of the members of the other tropical families Ogoveidae and Troglosironidae. The discovery of additional specimens belonging to other undescribed species indicates the need for arachnological research in that part of south-eastern Asia.  © 2007 The Linnean Society of London, Zoological Journal of the Linnean Society , 2007, 151 , 663–670.     

A new Swartzia (Leguminosae: Papilionoideae: Swartzieae) species with trimorphic stamens from Amazonian Brazil

A new species Swartzia trimorphica Mansano & A. L. Souza (Leguminosae, Papilionoideae, Swartzieae) from the Amazonian Brazil, is described and illustrated. The new species is notable and distinct from all the other species of Swartzia by its highly unusual trimorphic stamens, while the other species have either an isomorphic or a dimorphic androecium. The new species is included in the section and subsection Swartzia , ser. Orthostylae based on its bracteolate pedicels, the cauligerous inflorescences, lateral style and the relative size of the ovary compared to the style. The atypically small gynoecium in the material suggests the possibility that flowers may be functionally unisexual. Field observations and more collections are needed to resolve this question.  © 2005 The Linnean Society of London, Botanical Journal of the Linnean Society , 2005, 147 , 235–238.     

Calleida desenderi, new species from Ecuador (Coleoptera, Carabidae, Lebiinae)

Calleida desenderi Casale, sp. n., is described from Ecuador, Napo Province, surroundings of San Rafael. The new taxon is mostly characterized by the head and appendages rufous, the disc of elytra with marked metallic green reflection, the median lobe of aedeagus ring-like, and the endophallus with a long, twisted flagellum. A key for identification of the closer Neotropical species described so far is also provided.     

A new species of Centromochlus (Siluriformes,Auchenipteridae, Centromochlinae) from the middle Rio Tocantins basin,Brazil

A new species of the catfish genus Centromochlus (Auchenipteridae, Centromochlinae) is described. The new species is diagnosed by having numerous dark rounded blotches over the body and fins, dorsal‐fin spine with serrations anteriorly and smooth posteriorly, anal fin of mature males with three unbranched and seven branched rays, anterior nuchal plate absent and posterior nuchal plate not extended ventrally. The new species is described from a small stream in the Estação Ecológica Serra Geral de Tocantins, a natural reserve in the centre of the Brazilian Cerrado, close to the watershed between the Rio Tocantins and the Rio São Francisco basins. The new species is possibly the sister taxon to the recently described Centromochlus meridionalis from the upper Rio Tapajós. Those two species share with Centromochlus perugiae, from the upper Amazon and upper Paraguay, derived features associated with the modified anal fin in sexually mature males.