An integrative redescription of the rare tardigrade species Diphascon birklehofi, based on the morphological reinvestigation of the type material and first molecular data for a population discovered in freshwater sediments in the vicinity of Saint Petersburg, is given. The analysis of obtained nucleotide sequences of nuclear and mitochondrial DNA markers revealed an unexpected position of the species. A new phylogeny reconstruction for the family Hypsibiidae based on the new data is presented and discussed.
The Japanese species of the genus Cryptopimpla Taschenberg, 1863 are revised. A total of 14 species are recognized from Japan, comprising three previously recorded species, six new species, C. aino sp. nov., C. amoena sp. nov., C. nana sp. nov. C. nipponoalpina sp. nov., C. polita sp. nov. and C. shengi sp. nov. and five species, C. breviungula Kuslitzky, 2007, C. henanensis Sheng, 2005, C. maculifacialis Sheng, 2011, C. maculitarsalis Sheng & Sun, 2014 and C. melana Sheng & Sun, 2014, newly recorded from Japan. The generic position of Arenetra genangusta Sheng, Zhang & Yang, 1997, is changed from Arenetra Holmgren, 1859 to Cryptopimpla and C. brevigena Kuslitzky, 2007, a species previously recorded from Japan, is synonymized under C. genangusta (syn. nov.). Additionally, the generic position of the Chinese species, C. carinifacialis Sheng, 2011 is changed from Cryptopimpla to Amphirhachis Townes, 1970 (comb. nov.). A key to the Japanese species of this genus is provided.
Three new species of the ant-mimetic plant bug genus Pilophorus Hahn are diagnosed and described: P. ishizuchi new species and P. takaii new species from Shikoku, Japan, and P. tenni new species from Nantou, Taiwan, based on the specimens collected by fieldworks in the past few years. An updated checklist of known Pilophorus species from Japan and Taiwan is provided.
A new endemic scorpion species, Bioculus nataliae sp. nov., is described from the Sierra de la Laguna mountain range in Baja California Sur, Mexico. This discovery represents the highest elevational record for the genus, occurring at up to 1434 m a.s.l. and complements the distribution of the genus in the Baja California Peninsula.
We describe a new species of flying frog distinguished by morphological, genetic, acoustic, and reproductive characters. The new species is endemic to a high-elevation lake in the Mekongga Mountains, Southeast Sulawesi. Although phylogenetically allied to Rhacophorus boeadii, with minimal genetic divergence, the new species exhibits a derived reproductive mode characterized by egg deposition in an irregular gel matrix, lacking both foam structure and oviposition substrate specificity. The deposition of a cohesive gel matrix represents an oviposition strategy previously undocumented among Sulawesi Rhacophorus. This distinct reproductive mode may reflect ecological adaptation to ephemeral aquatic habitats and suggests a transitional or derived state within the genus. The discovery of the new species reveals further unstudied lineage diversification within Sulawesi’s montane amphibian fauna, and underscores the urgency of targeted surveys in montane regions increasingly threatened by anthropogenic pressures. Our findings highlight the importance of integrative approaches in uncovering cryptic diversity and refining our understanding of reproductive evolution within Rhacophoridae.
