Tuesday, October 7, 2014

Discoveries of the week

Longivena bilobata features
Longivena gen. n. and five new species are described and illustrated from caatinga and cerrado habitats from Brazil: Longivena digitata sp. n., type–species (Maranhão, Bahia, Minas Gerais and Mato Grosso do Sul states), L. bilobata sp. n. (Maranhão state), L. flava sp. n. (Mato Grosso do Sul state), L. limeiraoliverai sp. n. (Maranhão state), L. spatulata sp. n. (Maranhão state). An illustrated key is also provided.

Longivena is a new genus of robber flies described in this publication for the first time. Robber flies are group within the diptera. There are 178 currently known genera, of which 67 are known from the Neotropical region and 19 from Brazil. This new genus would be number 20 for Brazil as all new species have been collected there.
no DNA Barcode



A new shovelnose ray, Rhinobatos whitei sp. nov., is described from material collected at fish markets of the southern Philippines. This ray was first formally indentified as an undescribed species more than a decade ago as part of a WWF funded survey of sharks and rays of the Philippines. It was considered to be most closely related to another shovelnose ray found nearby in the western North Pacific, R. schlegelii,, but differs from that species in body shape and aspects of coloration, meristics and morphometry. It differs from all other shovelnose rays of the region in its NADH2 sequence, clustering together with an Indonesian species R. jimbaranensis, and another undescribed species from Borneo.


This new species was actually collected during a survey of fish markets in the southern Philippines, initiated by the World Wildlife Fund in 1998. During that survey researchers collected 54 chondrichthyan species of which 41 were new records for the Philippines. Although it is positive that molecular evidence was used in this description it still puzzles me why it wasn't the standard DNA Barcode COI which by the way works quite well with sharks and rays (I should write a few posts about our work on them). So, consequently there are no DNA Barcode (only NADH2)



Calyptraeotheres camposi sp. nov. is described from the Gulf of California, Mexico. The new species is close to C. granti (Glassell, 1933) and C. pepeluisi Campos & Hernández-Ávila, 2010 from the Mexican Pacific and to C. hernandezi Hernández-Ávila & Campos 2006 from the Western Atlantic. These four species feature a third maxilliped with a 2-seg- mented endopod palp and the exopod with unsegmented flagellum. Calyptraeotheres camposi sp. nov. differs from C. granti and C. hernandezi by having the eyes visible in dorsal view, the carapace with arcuate anterolateral margins, the dorsal, longitudinal depressions connected with the transversal depression, and the propodus of pereiopod 2 equal or slightly longer than the carpus. From C. pepeluisi it is distinguished by the absence of a transversal depression on the carapace and the longitudinal depressions not connecting, the carpus and propodus of the third maxilliped being sub-trapezoidal and sub-conical, respectively, in lieu of subrectangular, and the inner surface of the fixed finger nude instead of bearing short setae near the cutting edge and ventral margin.

These little crabs live as juveniles in symbiosis with slipper shells (Crepidula striolata). They resides in the mantle cavity because this mollusk possesses a suitable space between the cephalic area and the shell for the crab to be able to grow to maturity. This species is named in honor Professor Ernesto Campos, in recognition for his contribution to the taxonomy and ecology of pinnotherid crabs.
no DNA Barcodes


Gasteruption youngi, sp. nov. (Evanioidea: Gasteruptiidae) is described based on several female specimens from South Australia. The new species is unusual in that it has stout trichoid sensilla on the ovipositor sheaths and long, thin trichoid sensilla on metasomal tergites T3–T8. The likely host is the colletid bee Euryglossula microdonta (Rayment, 1934).

A new species in the parasitic wasp family Gasteruptiidae which comprises about 500 species. The females of these species have a long ovipositor to lay eggs in the nests of solitary bees and wasps, where their larvae prey upon the host eggs, larvae and food provisions. The new species is named in honour of D. A. Young, private insect collector on Kangaroo Island, South Australia.
no DNA Barcode


As part of an ongoing study towards a taxonomic revision of the genus Massonia Houtt., a new species, Massonia amoena Mart.-Azorín, M.Pinter & Wetschnig, is here described from the Eastern Cape Province of South Africa. This new species is characterized by the leaves bearing heterogeneous circular to elongate pustules and the strongly reflexed perigone segments at anthesis. It is at first sight related to Massonia jasminiflora Burch. ex Baker, M. wittebergensis U.Müll.-Doblies & D.Müll.-Doblies and M. saniensis Wetschnig, Mart.-Azorín & M.Pinter, but differs in vegetative and floral characters, as well as in its allopatric distribution. A complete morphological description of the new species and data on biology, habitat, and distribution are presented.

A nice little species belonging to the Hyacinthaceae which is a group of bulbous plants distributed through Africa, Europe and Asia. The photo here is from a relative. Unfortunately, I can't show an original as the paper itself is behind a paywall (even for our university library).
no DNA Barcode


Lactarius bisporus sp. nov. is described from primary tropical forest in Thailand. Morphological characters and DNA sequence data are given. Comparisons with the closely related angiocarpous taxon Lactarius pomiolens are provided.

A new fungus species of a group of mushrooms commonly known as milk-caps. Lactarius is one of the most prominent genera of mushroom-forming fungi in the Northern hemisphere. Several Lactarius species are edible while others are considered toxic but not necessarily deadly. I don't know in which category this new species falls into. Again, the full paper is inaccessible to me. Therefore an image of a relative.

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