New species of sap beetles (Coleoptera: Nitidulidae: Nitidulini) from the Baltic and Bitterfeld ambers

A new genus, Microsoronia, gen. nov., and new species of this genus, M. hoffeinsorum, sp. nov. from the Bitterfeld amber and M. kerneggeri sp. nov., M. nigerrima sp. nov., and M. interfax, sp. nov. from the Baltic amber, are described. The earliest known member of the genus Phenolia, P. (Lasiodites) angustitibialis, sp. nov., is described from the Baltic amber. The systematic position of these two genera, their possible evolution, as well as the possible ecology and bionomics of their members are discussed. It is shown that “Phenolia” incapax Scudder, 1890 should be included in the family Peltidae, rather than Nitidulidae.     

New planthoppers of the tribe Achilini (Homoptera,Fulgoroidea, Achilidae) from Baltic amber

New taxa of Achilini (Achilidae) are described from Baltic amber: Paratesum rasnitsyni gen. et sp. nov., Protomenocria notata gen. et sp. nov., Psycheona variegata gen. et sp. nov., P. striata sp. nov. Protepiptera kaweckii Usinger, 1939 (= Cixidia christinae Lefebvre, Bourgoin et Nel, 2007, syn. nov.) is redescribed with designation of a neotype. “Cixius” testudinarius Germar et Berendt, 1856, “C.” longirostris Germar et Berendt, 1856 and “Oliarus” oligocenus Cockerell, 1910 are transferred to Achilini. A key to the genera of Achilidae known from Baltic amber is provided.     

Mode of life of fan-hand-like Scoliocrinus according to functional form and syntopy with two other irregular crinoids from the Middle Devonian of the Rhenish Massif (Germany)

For a long time, the highly aberrant crinoid Scoliocrinus was known only from the Lower Givetian Eifel area (western Rhenish Massif) as a single oblique calyx with only two out of five radials having an arm facet. Several almost complete crowns of a new species in the Middle Givetian Finnentrop area (eastern Rhenish Massif) have two fan-like arms (in the A and E rays), and a horizontal large anal tube. The probable mode of life of Scoliocrinus is analysed by (a) functional morphology mainly of the arms, (b) criteria of minimised faecal recycling, (c) biostratinomic association with two new species of another aberrant, but four-armed new crinoid genus thus suggesting original syntopy with Scoliocrinus. It is concluded that the construction of Scoliocrinus is probably an adaptation to prevailing unidirectional (tidal?) currents in biostromal reef biotopes. This is supported by rather similar crinoid occurrences in a Lower Givetian biostromal reef-related region in the western Rhenish Massif, with the genotype of Scoliocrinus and a newly assigned third species of Scoliocrinus (arm and probable part of the calyx), as well as four-armed species. The new forms are described as Scoliocrinus ubaghsi nov. sp., Scoliocrinus gerolsteinensis nov. sp., Trapezocrinus scheeri nov. gen., nov. sp., and Trapezocrinus hilperti nov. gen., nov. sp.     

Two new species of Staurotheca Allman, 1888 (Cnidaria, Hydrozoa, Sertulariidae) from the Scotia Sea (Antarctica)

Two new species of the genus Staurotheca Allman, 1888 have been studied (Staurotheca cornuta sp. nov. and Staurotheca multifurcata sp. nov). The material, from the Scotia Ridge area (Antarctica), was collected in 1986/1987 by the Spanish Antarctic expedition “Antártida 8611”. Each species is described and figured, and its systematic position among allied species is noted. Data concerning autecology and geographical distribution for each species are given. A comparative table listing the main features of the known species of the genus is included. Finally, a general survey of the geographical and bathymetrical distribution of the known species of the genus is presented. Accepted: 1 September 1998     

Two new species of <Emphasis Type="Italic">Paraliparis</Emphasis> (Scorpaeniformes: Liparidae) from the Ross Sea (Antarctica)

Liparidae from stomachs of Antarctic toothfish Dissostichus mawsoni Norman, 1937 (Nototheniidae) caught in the Ross Sea (Pacific sector of Antarctica) have been identified. Two new species of deep-water liparids of the genus Paraliparis Collett, 1879—P. caninus sp. nov. (at a depth of 1182–1651 m) and P. vipera sp. nov. (1700 m)—were described. Both species that turned out to be most similar to P. neelovi Andriashev, 1982, from the Kerguelen area (the Indo-Oceanic sector of the South Ocean) are combined with it into a species group “P. neelovi.” According to meristic characters, pattern of dentition, and the size of gill opening, species of “P. neelovi” are close to the species group “P. copei.” In collections from a depth of 1700 m, also two individuals of P. andriashevi Stein et Tompkins, 1989, known previously from only two types from the northern boundary of the Ross Sea were found. The new finding supports species validity and extends the known limits of its range. The wide distribution of bathybenthal Paraliparis having low fecundity and leading a near-bottom mode of life can be explained by the presence of mesopelagic juveniles and their dispersal via currents.     

Review of grylloblattid insects (Insecta: Grylloblattida) from the Solikamsk deposits of the Perm Region

The Solikamsk faunas of the Vorkuta series of the Pechora Basin and the Solikamsk Formation of the Perm Region of Russia are reviewed. New taxa are described from Tyul’kino locality (Solikamsk District): Artinska ufimica sp. nov., Sylvaprisca tyulkinensis sp. nov., Ufimoprisca gen. nov. (the type species Sylvaprisca alba Aristov, 2005), U. mica sp. nov., U. kamensis sp. nov. (family Lemmatophoridae), Sylvaella ovalis sp. nov. (family Liomopteridae), Ivakhosara prima sp. nov., and Megakhosarella prisca sp. nov. (family Megakhosaridae). Additionally, Uralioma sp. is described from Shchugor locality (Cherdyn’ District). Two species, Paraprisca solikamskensis Aristov, 2009 (family Lemmatophoridae) from Tyul’kino and Kolvidelia curta G. Zalessky, 1950 (family Ideliidae) from Pokcha locality (Cherdyn’ District)), are redescribed.     

Echiniscus corrugicaudatus (Heterotardigrada; Echiniscidae) a new species from Ellsworth Land, Antarctica

Echiniscus corrugicaudatus sp. nov., (Heterotardigrada; Echiniscidae) was found in the limited vegetation from the inland nunataks of Ellsworth Land, West Antarctica. The tardigrade fauna of this a rarely explored region shows limited overlap with the fauna from the maritime or coastal continental Antarctic. This species is placed within the Echiniscus “arctomys-group” based on the characteristic of, “a lack of body appendages other than cirrus A”. It has less well-defined edges to the dorsal plates than other species within the group and distinct ridges on the caudal plate. Males were found in the population indicating gonochoristic reproduction, and a large number of juveniles suggesting an over-wintering strategy of eggs or a biennial population over-wintering as adults/sub-adults and eggs.     

New species of Pogonophryne (Pisces, Artedidraconidae) from the Bellingshausen Sea, Antarctica

A new species of notothenioid fish, Pogonophryne bellingshausenensis n. sp., is described from the Bellingshausen Sea, Antarctica. The new species belongs to the dorsally-spotted “mentella” group of the genus and is characterized by having a short (about 13% SL) mental barbel with a short (about 16% of barbel length), narrow (barely wider than the stalk), and relatively inconspicuous terminal expansion composed of short, irregular, fingerlike processes. Compared to most other dorsally-spotted species of Pogonophryne (“barsukovi”, “marmorata”, and “mentella” groups), P. bellingshausenensis has a relatively wide (about 7% SL) interorbital region. An unspotted patch on the median dorsal surface of the head, posterior to the posttemporal ridges and anterior to the first dorsal fin, has not been observed previously in any dorsally-spotted species. The holotype was collected at 1,947 m, one of the deepest records for any species of Pogonophryne. A revised key to the ten species of the “mentella” group of Pogonophryne is also provided.     

Vemakylindrus cantabricus, a new species of Diastylidae (Crustacea, Cumacea) from the northern Iberian coasts

Eleven species of the genusVemakylindrus Bacescu, 1961 are known at present. A hitherto unknown species is described herein asV. cantabricus, sp. nov., and is compared with the more closely related congeneric species:V. hastatus (Hansen, 1920) andV. stebbingi Day, 1980.Vemakylindrus cantabricus may be distinguished from its congeners by a combination of the following characters: (1) carapace densely covered by hooked denticles and hairs; (2) pseudorostrum shorter than carapace; (3) telson of “Diastylis type” with 5–6 pairs of lateral spines; and (4) external process of basis of third maxilliped with 4 long plumose setae.     

A new species of subantarctic Plexechinus and its phylogenetic position within the Holasteroida (Echinodermata: Echinoidea)

A seventh species of Plexechinus, Plexechinus sulcatus sp. nov., is described from material collected at 585 m from an R/V “Marion Dufresne” station northwest of the Kerguelen Islands. It differs most markedly from its congeners in possessing a distinctive aboral sulcus in the anterior ambulacrum, which is unique in the Plexechinidae. There is strong phylogenetic evidence that P. sulcatus is the sister group to a clade containing P. cinctus and P. hirsutus. The implications of this placement are discussed in the light of previous work on the evolutionary biology of holasteroids. Accepted: 11 September 1999     

A taxonomic review of the genus <Emphasis Type="Italic">Phrixolepia</Emphasis> (Lepidoptera,Limacodidae)

The genus Phrixolepia Butler, 1877 is revised and its diagnosis is given. At present, the genus comprises 10 species, three of which are described as new (all the holotypes and paratypes are deposited in MWM): Ph. pudovkini Solovyev, sp. n., LT: “China, Shaanxi prov., Taibai Shan, Tsinling Mts., Houzhenzi, 33°53′ N; 107°49′ E, 1500 m,” genital slide 11389; Ph. sinyaevi Solovyev, sp. n., LT: “N. Vietnam, Cuc. Phuong, 60 km SW Hanoi, 20°15′ N; 105°20′ E, 400 m,” genital slide 11386; Ph. nigra Solovyev, sp. n., LT: “China, prov. Yunnan, Yunlong, Fengshuining Mts., 13 km N of Caojian, 2460 m,” genital slide 11391. All the species are very similar externally, except for differences in size, tints of the coloration, and the presence of a semi-ovoid bright apical spot in the fore wing. The features of the male genitalia are diagnostic. A key to the species is given. The phylogenetic relationships between the species are examined. The genus is closely related to Olona Snellen, 1900 and Phobetron Hübner, 1825, based on the characters of larval morphology. A similar larval morphology also found in the family Dalceridae could be a synapomorphy of the families Limacodidae and Dalceridae.     

A new species: Gerres microphthalmus (Perciformes: Gerreidae) from Japan with notes on limited distribution, included in the “G. filamentosus complex”

 Gerres microphthalmus sp. nov., described on the basis of the holotype and 38 paratypes, has a limited distribution in Japan, including Tanega Island, southeastern Kyushu, southern Shikoku, and southern Kii Peninsula, central Honshu. It has not been recorded from the Ryukyu Islands. The species is the fourth member of the “G. filamentosus complex,” characterized by an elongated second dorsal fin spine, the others being G. filamentosus, G. infasciatus, and G. macracanthus. Gerres microphthalmus sp. nov. is most similar to G. filamentosus in overall body appearance, but differs from the latter in having smaller eyes (8%–11% of standard length vs. 10%–16% in the latter), a higher orbit diameter ratio (as % of snout length) (93%–143% of snout vs. 71%–104% of snout), and fewer pored lateral line scales (40–43 vs. 43–46). The limited distribution pattern of the new species is discussed with G. equulus and Lates japonicus (Centropomidae) having a limited distribution similar to that of the new species. Received: June 28, 2001 / Revised: November 13, 2001 / Accepted: December 10, 2001     

Discovery of rhombifera (Echinoderms) in the Ordovician of Mongolia

Two new rhombiferan species Echinosphaerites mongolicus sp. nov. and Stichocystis altaicus sp. nov., described from a recently discovered Upper Ordovician locality in the Mongolian Altai, on the Chegertei River, suggest possible biogeographic links between this region and Gondwana and Baltica in the Ordovician. In the Upper Ordovician beds in the East Gobi Depression near Saishand Well, we identified the crinoid Ristnacrinus, previously recorded from the Ordovician of Estonia and Central Asia.     

Early cretaceous gastropods of the Middle-Lower Volga river region from P.A. Gerasimov’s collection

Based on the studying of gastropods collected by P.A. Gerasimov from the Cretaceous beds of the Volga region, four new species are established: Avellana hauteriviensis sp. nov. from the Upper Hauterivian of the Ulyanovsk region, “Palaeorissoina” sokolovensis sp. nov., O. sinzowi sp. nov., and Nerineopsis turritum sp. nov. from Lower Aptian of the Saratov region. The Upper Hauterivian for the first time yielded representatives of the genera Pseudomelania s. l., Ampullina, and Sulcoactaeon. The specimens of Cirsocerithium subspinosum Deshayes, 1842, Ringinella obtusa (Nackij, 1916), and Crispotrochus humilis (Trautschold, 1865) found in the Lower Aptian of the Volga region are figured for the first time.     

Cryptostylochus hullensis sp. nov. (Polycladida,Acotylea, Platyhelminthes): A possible case of transoceanic dispersal on a ship’s hull

In July 1993, the car carrier “Faust” entered Bremerhaven after a voyage from the North-American Atlantic coast to Europe. In a dockyard, five living specimens of the order Polycladida were collected from the hull of the ship. This could be a possible case of trans-atlantic dispersal of plathelminths living as fouling organisms of ships. The specimens found represent a new species of the genusCryptostylochus Faubel, 1983,Cryptostylochus hullensis sp. nov.     

New species of Praeichneumonidae (Hymenoptera,Ichneumonoidea) from the Lower Cretaceous of Transbaikalia

Three new species of the fossil Lower Cretaceous family Praeichneumonidae are described from the Lower Cretaceous of Transbaikalia (Russia, Buryatia, Khasurty locality): Praeichneumon dzhidensis sp. nov., P. khamardabanicus sp. nov., and P. zakhaaminicus sp. nov. One poorly preserved specimen, Praeichneumon sp., is described. Rudiments of the second anal vein A2 and internal vein a₁–a₂ and bullae in crossveins of the fore- and hindwing are described in Praeichneumonidae for the first time.     

Rare bryozoans (Stenolaemata) with bilateral colonies from the Jurassic and Cretaceous of the East European Platform

New bryozoans characterized by a bilateral vertical colonies colonies—Cardioecia refuga sp. nov. (Tubuliporida), Elea lyapini sp. nov., E. troshkovensis sp. nov., and E. taylori sp. nov. (Melicerititida) from Middle Jurassic (Middle Callovian) of the Moscow region (Russia), and Biforicula legitima sp. nov. (Melicerititida) from the Upper Cretaceous (Lower Campanian) of the Southern Donets Basin (Ukraine)—are described. All species described in this paper belong to genera that have been recorded for the first time in the East European Platform. Some morphological structures in the colonies of these bryozoans and some distinctive features of the order Melicerititida that emphasize the difference of this order from bryozoans of other orders of the class Stenolaemata are examined.     

Lagomorphs from the Miocene of Sandelzhausen (southern Germany)

Three genera of lagomorphs, Prolagus, Lagopsis, and “Amphilagus,” were identified during a revision of the lagomorph material from Sandelzhausen (MN5, Early/Middle Miocene boundary, southern Germany). Evidence of two morphological and dimensional classes were observed at some tooth positions in Prolagus (some p3 show an unmistakable P. oeningensis morphology, others closely resemble P. crusafonti), but not at other tooth positions (e.g., M1–2). Insufficient data from Sandelzhausen precludes identification of two different species of Prolagus from this locality, and to define the characteristics of the possible P. crusafonti-like species. Thus, all Prolagus specimens have been classified as P. aff. oeningensis. The genus Lagopsis is represented by L. cf. penai, whose presence is compatible with a MN5 age. The relative abundance of Lagopsis to Prolagus may indicate relatively cool and wet palaeoclimatic conditions. The largest primitive lagomorph species from continental Europe is present at Sandelzhausen. Morphological and dimensional comparisons with other European primitive lagomorphs exclude any affinity with the genera Eurolagus and Titanomys and with the species included in “Amphilagus ulmensis”. Some common features with “Amphilagus antiquus” were observed, although they are not sufficient for the attribution to this taxon. Until there is a general revision of European primitive lagomorphs, the Sandelzhausen giant lagomorph is classified as “Amphilagus” sp. Its origins, whether from evolution within Europe or migration from Asia, remain unknown.