Abstract The Asian horned frogs form a monophyletic genus (Megophrys) within the family Megophryidae. In recent years, molecular phylogenetic studies have identified genetic structuring within Megophrys that heavily influenced proposals to split Megophrys into multiple genera. The recent proposals to recognize up to 10 genera within Megophrys are critically reassessed, including morphological, molecular, chromosomal, and biological justifications. Based on a comprehensive study of specimens and literature, it is demonstrated that almost all purported diagnostic characteristics assigned to the proposed genus-level clades do not hold up to scrutiny when accounting for variation within species or ‘genera’. These results demonstrate that the proposed splitting of Megophrys was predicated on inadequate literature review, biased sampling of examined specimens, and erroneous data, presenting a false perception of evidence or justification. In this study, Grillitschia and Sarawakiphrys are proposed to represent synonyms of Xenophrys and Pelobatrachus, respectively. A proposal is made to downgrade the taxonomic rank of the remaining seven genera (Atympanophrys, Boulenophrys, Brachytarsophrys, Jingophrys, Ophryophryne, Pelobatrachus, and Xenophrys) to the rank of subgenera within Megophrys to stabilize the taxonomy of the group and provide a practical and functional taxonomy. Most of the recently proposed higher-level (genus and subgenus) names are found either to have been formed incorrectly or to have meanings that differ from what the authors originally intended (when indicated) and thus are clarified for their translations and gender (where necessary). This study further highlights a growing culture in the field of taxonomy and systematics to atomize monophyletic genera based primarily on normal and expected internal phylogenetic structure rather than necessity, without consideration for downstream end-users of the taxonomy. Readers are encouraged not to adopt disruptive large-scale taxonomic rearrangements at the genus level when such proposals are based on preliminary (or no) evidence and/or subjective justifications that do not clearly improve taxonomic stability.
Abstract The systematics of the family Enteroctopodidae remains challenging. Using an integrative taxonomic approach, we analysed specimens using mitochondrial genome sequencing and detailed morphological examination. These analyses resulted in: (i) the description of Enteroctopus donghaiensis sp. nov., a new Enteroctopus species supported by phylogenetic and morphological evidence; and (ii) the taxonomic reassessment of ‘Octopus’ hongkongensis, whose placement in Enteroctopodidae was confirmed through examination of newly collected specimens. The integration of molecular and anatomical data clarifies the phylogenetic framework of Enteroctopodidae and identifies several lineages that require further taxonomic revision. This work clarifies key relationships within the family and provides a reliable framework for future systematic studies of cephalopods.
Abstract Land planarians (Platyhelminthes: Geoplanidae) are highly sensitive to microhabitat changes and possess low vagility, making them excellent indicators of ecological health. Despite the severe environmental degradation of the Korean Peninsula during the 20th century, recent molecular surveys have suggested a surprisingly high, yet largely undescribed, diversity of species in the region. We employed an integrative taxonomic approach to characterize three new species of the genus Novibipalium collected from various regions of South Korea between 2020 and 2024. Morphological (histology) analyses were complemented by molecular phylogenetic inferences using a combined dataset of nuclear (18S, 28S rDNA) and mitochondrial (COI) genes, as well as automated species delimitation (ASAP algorithm). As a result, three new species were discovered and described: Novibipalium variabile sp. nov., which exhibits variation in external and internal traits, Novibipalium variabiliforme sp. nov., and Novibipalium jejuense sp. nov. Phylogenetic analyses and ASAP also support the identity of these new bipaliin taxa. Secondary, non-functional female organs in one specimen of N. jejuense sp. nov. are hypothesized to result from nematode infestation. These taxonomic findings increase the known diversity of Korean land planarians and highlight the importance of integrative taxonomy in identifying both morphologically variable and morphologically similar species.
Abstract The Western Ghats of India constitute one of the world’s most significant biodiversity hotspots, yet remain poorly documented for many invertebrate taxa, particularly short-range endemic leaf-litter arthropods. The pseudoscorpion tribe Tyrannochthoniini (Pseudoscorpiones: Chthoniidae), currently represented in India by only six nominal species, is revised here using an integrative systematic framework combining multilocus phylogenetic analyses (COI, H3, and 28S rRNA), species-delimitation approaches, detailed morphological examinations, and multivariate morphometric analyses. Specimens from the Western Ghats resolve into two deeply divergent, monophyletic lineages: one largely confined to the southern Western Ghats and the other to the central Western Ghats. These lineages exhibit substantial genetic divergence, a Late Jurassic origin, and statistically distinct morphospaces. Based on concordant molecular, morphological, and morphometric evidence, we propose two new genera, Sahyadrachthonius gen. nov. and Gondwanachthonius gen. nov., and describe fourteen new species (Gondwanachthonius erachiparaensis sp. nov., Gondwanachthonius edalaparaensis sp. nov., Gondwanachthonius kaikattyensis sp. nov., Gondwanachthonius urakuzhyensis sp. nov., Gondwanachthonius aralamensis sp. nov., Gondwanachthonius lambrockensis sp. nov.; Sahyadrachthonius cotigaoensis sp. nov., Sahyadrachthonius chloeae sp. nov., Sahyadrachthonius illithoduensis sp. nov., Sahyadrachthonius jibini sp. nov., Sahyadrachthonius johnsoni sp. nov., Sahyadrachthonius madikeriensis sp. nov., Sahyadrachthonius pettimudiensis sp. nov., Sahyadrachthonius selinae sp. nov.). This study establishes a robust phylogenetic framework for Tyrannochthoniini in the Western Ghats and represents the first comprehensive taxonomic revision of Indian pseudoscorpions in nearly five decades. Our findings reveal substantial previously undocumented diversity and endemism, underscoring the critical conservation importance of leaf-litter ecosystems within this global biodiversity hotspot. Conservation prioritization and sampling are essential to understand evolutionary processes and protect these microendemic lineages.
Abstract Bandicoots and bilbies (Peramelemorphia) are an ecologically diverse marsupial radiation distributed across Australia and New Guinea, yet the drivers of their cranial diversification remain poorly resolved. We used three-dimensional geometric morphometrics to quantify cranial shape in 127 specimens representing 25 species, including fossil taxa, and tested associations with taxonomy, size, sex, phylogeny, climate, and geography. Cranial shape differed strongly among genera and species, with taxonomic groupings explaining approximately 55% and 75% of shape variation, respectively. The main axis of variation separated short, robust skulls in Isoodon from the longer, narrower crania of Perameles and New Guinean taxa, while extinct Chaeropus species were highly divergent. Size contributed significantly to shape variation, but differences remained after accounting for allometry, and sexual dimorphism was evident in size rather than shape. Climate, geography, and size together explained 35% of cranial shape variation, with climate alone accounting for 13% and latitude the strongest individual predictor. Cranial shape also showed significant phylogenetic signal, whereas size did not. These results identify cranial shape, rather than size, as the primary axis of adaptive diversification in Peramelemorphia, reflecting evolutionary history, environmental gradients, and extinction-filtered ecological opportunity across Sahul.
