We present a comprehensive catalog with an updated database of the fossil record of Diplopoda in the world. Taxonomic data was collected from descriptions and reports published from 1854 to the present. We also include new records from Mexican amber(Upper Oligocene-Lower Miocene), counting 83 unknown fossil inclusions, with the first records of the orders Polyxenida, Platydesmida, and Julida, as well as the families Sphaeriodesmidae and Trichopolydesmidae within Polydesmida. According to our results, Diplopoda counts 413 records featuring 299 distinct taxa ranging from the Middle Silurian to the Upper Pleistocene, representing three subclasses, two subterclasses, six superorders, 25 orders, 15 superfamilies, 55 families, 93 genera, and 161 fossil species. To date, no fossils of the order Siphonocryptida have been reported. The fossil record extends over three geological eras: the Paleozoic, with 161 taxa, including 97 species; the Mesozoic, with 53 taxa and 22 species; and the Cenozoic, with 85 taxa and 42 species. The referred material shows different forms of fossil preservation. It comprises 123 impressions, 99 compressions, 26 ichnites, predominantly from Paleozoic and Mesozoic sediments, and 165 amber inclusions from late Mesozoic and Cenozoic sites. Thus, this catalog allows us to estimate the size and taxonomic composition of Diplopoda in the fossil record worldwide.
The vampire squid,Vampyroteuthis infernalis Chun,1903,is currently the only extant species in the family Vampyroteuthidae Chun,1903.However,specimens from the Gulf of Guinea,Africa,and California suggested the possibility of additional taxa.Here,we report the second species of Vampyroteuthis,collected from the South China Sea,China,which differs from V.infernalis by its tail shape,lower beak,photophores position,and the phylogenetic analysis of mitochondrial COI and nuclear large subunit ribosomal DNA(LSU)sequences:V.infernalis present by the lacking of the tail,photophores located approximately one-third of the points between the fins and end,and the lower beak with a broad,short wing;V.pseudoinfernalis Qiu,Liu & Huang,sp.nov.present by an acuate tail,a pair of photophores located at the midpoints between the fins and tail,and a lower beak with a broad,elongate wing.
Species are not only the fundamental units of taxonomy but also the basic units of pest management. Insects of Conogethes are important agricultural and forestry pests. However,speciesboundarieswithinConogethesoftenappearobscure.Inthepresentstudy,wereevaluated the species status of Conogethes by applying three species delimitation approaches based on the mitochondrial DNA sequences, with particular emphasis on the yellow peach moth C.punctiferalis(Guenée,1854).Wefirstoptimizedspeciesdelimitationandinter-species genetic divergence threshold using a DNA barcoding dataset. The results revealed that several nominal species of Conogethes species harbored deeply diverged mitochondrial lineages which were recognizedasindependentspecies bythespecies delimitationmethods. Thep-distance between the delimited putative species ranged from 0.0159 to 0.1321 with a mean of 0.0841.Then we refined the species status of C. punctiferalis using the smallest interspecific distance thresholdbasedonageographicallycomprehensivepopulation-scaledataset. Thisprocedure narrowedthespeciesconceptofC.punctiferalistoageneticallycoherentunit.Further investigation of its intraspecific divergence in the geographic context revealed that the refined C.punctiferaliswasstillwidelydistributedwiththesameorhighlysimilarmitochondrial haplotypes occurring across South and East Asia.
This study focused on and examined the traditional Lucanus fortunei group comprising more than 60％of all Lucanus taxa in China.Each species treatment includes a description,distribution,collecting methods,natural history and digital habitus and other pertinent images.A dichotomous taxonomic key was created specific to the Chinese L.fortunei group and the related groups.The Lucanus fortunei group is arguably the largest group in terms of species richness in Lucanus Scopoli;however,the group definition is unclear and needs to be critically assessed and redefined.Field work and sampling of the Chinese Lucanus fortunei species group was conducted between summer,2017 and summer,2022.Field sites included Anhui,Zhejiang,Fujian,Taiwan,Jiangxi,Hubei,Hunan,Guizhou,Sichuan,Chongqing,Yunnan,Xizang,Guangdong,and Guangxi Provinces.Thirty-two taxa(species and subspecies),including 473 specimens,previously considered to fall within the scope of the Lucanus fortunei group were examined by morphological study.Three new groups,the Lucanus brivioi group,the Lucanus kraatzi group,and the Lucanus parryi group are proposed and separated from the traditional Lucanus fortunei group,based on morphological characters.The subspecies,L.parryi laetus,is proposed as the synonym of the nominate subspecies.
This study reported two new species:Newsteadia multipori Zheng & Wu,sp.nov.,collected from pine needle litter in Guizhou Province,are described and illustrated for its adult female,male,and first-,second-and third-instar nymphs;N.chebalingensis Zheng & Wu,sp.nov.,collected from broad leaf litter in Guangdong Province,are described and illustrated for its adult female and first-instar nymph.Identification keys are provided to the adult females of Newsteadia species known in China and to the adult males of Newsteadia species known worldwide.
