A synopsis of the geocorine true bugs distributed in the Malagasy biogeographic region is presented, including the description Geocoris (Piocoris) petofii sp. n. and proposal of the new synonymy Geocoris (Geocoris) insularis China, 1955 = Geocoris (Geocoris) pallidipennis mauritii Stål, 1854. Keys, diagnoses, taxonomic notes, and distribution data for discussed species are provided.
A new genus and a new species, Colomboga brachyptera gen. et sp. n., of the subfamily Colpopterinae (Nogodinidae) is described from Central Colombia. This is the first published record of Colpopterinae from the country and the first representative of this subfamily with rather short forewings. Generic placement and possible phylogenetic affinities of Colomboga gen. n. to other genera within the tribe Colpopterini are discussed.
Cycloryx pemaledai Gittenberger & Sherub, 2022, which was described from northwestern Bhutan, is reported for the first time in Sikkim, India. That species differs from all its congeners by the short R3 (the region between the constriction and the peristome). The differences between the Bhutanese and Indian shells are minimal, therefore the Indian shells are identified as Cycloryx cf. pemaledai. Furthermore, Alycaeus himalayae n. sp. is described from Arunachal Pradesh. This is so far the only Alycaeus species inhabiting the Himalayas, and thus, its discovery is a real surprise.
Cycloryx pemaledai Gittenberger et Sherub, 2022, which was described from northwestern Bhutan, is reported for the first time in Sikkim, India. That species differs from all its congeners by the short R3 (the region between the constriction and the peristome). The differences between the Bhutanese and Indian shells are minimal, therefore the Indian shells are identified as Cycloryx cf. pemaledai. Furthermore, Alycaeus himalayae sp. n. is described from Arunachal Pradesh. This is so far the only Alycaeus species inhabiting the Himalayas, and thus, its discovery is a surprise.
A synopsis of the geocorine true bugs distributed in the Malagasy biogeographic region is presented, including the description Geocoris (Piocoris) petofii sp. n. and proposal of the new synonymy Geocoris (Geocoris) insularis China, 1955 = Geocoris (Geocoris) pallidipennis mauritii Stal, 1854. Keys, diagnoses, taxonomic notes, and distribution data for discussed species are provided.
This study is based on oribatid mite materials collected from leaf litter in secondary semi-evergreen tropical forests in Mexico; 85 species from 64 genera and 37 families are found; of these, 15 species are recorded for the first time in Mexico, and three species are recorded for the first time in the Neotropical region. A new species of the genus Mucrobates (Scheloribatidae) – Mucrobates solidarensis sp. n. – is described. An identification key to the known representatives of Mucrobates is presented.
A synopsis of the geocorine true bugs distributed in the Malagasy biogeographic region is presented, including the description Geocoris (Piocoris) petofii sp. n. and proposal of the new synonymy Geocoris (Geocoris) insularis China, 1955 = Geocoris (Geocoris) pallidipennis mauritii Stål, 1854. Keys, diagnoses, taxonomic notes, and distribution data for discussed species are provided.
This study is based on oribatid mite materials collected from the vicinities of Phatthaya city and the Samet Island in Thailand; 18 species from 14 genera and 11 families are registered, of these, nine species are recorded from the Thai fauna for the first time. A new species of the genus Dolicheremaeus (Otocepheidae) – D. phatthayaensis sp. n. – is described. The supplementary description of Galumna paracalcicola Ermilov et Anichkin, 2014 is presented based on specimens from Thailand. Identification keys to the known representatives of the genera Dolicheremaeus from Thailand and Galumna from the Oriental region are presented. Galumna indica Hafeez Kardar, 1989 and G. striata Hafeez Kardar, 1989 are combined in the genus Setogalumna.
Chelonocoris bakonyii sp. n. from Borneo (East Malaya) and Ch. heissi sp. n. from Sumatra (Indonesia) is described on the basis of male specimens. The female holotype of C. usingeri Kormilev, 1956 from Borneo is depicted. With 19 figures.
A new oribatid mite subgenus of the genus Amboroppia (Oribatida, Oppiidae) – A. (Quintanoppia) subgen. n., with A. (Quintanoppia) defectofossulata sp. n. as type species – is described, based on material collected from Mexico. It can be distinguished from the nominate subgenus by the absence concavities between rostrum and transcostula and behind transcostula, and the presence of strong teeth on lateral sides of prodorsum. A revised generic diagnosis, identification key and data on distribution and habitats of representatives of Amboroppia are presented.
The forficula species group of the Holarctic genus Dichagyris is revised based on the survey of type specimens and relevant materials of state and private collections. D. turana (Staudinger, [1892]) stat. rev. and D. furiosa (Bang-Haas, 1912) stat. rev. are elevated to specific status and lectotypes are designated, D. forficula devota (Christoph, 1884) stat. rev. is downgraded to subspecies. The specific status of D. erubescens (Staudinger, [1892]) and D. contermina (Corti, 1930) is confirmed. The junior synonymy of D. devota eremica (Amsel, 1935) with D. forficula devota (Christoph, 1884) was constated. Seven new subspecies (D. forficula akdagestana ssp. n., D. forficula pseudoturana ssp. n., D. forficula chitralensis ssp. n., D. turana cisiliensis ssp. n., D. furiosa kugitanga ssp. n., D. furiosa griseoerythra ssp. n. and D. contermina melanographa ssp. n.) are described, with considerations on the phyletic lines and biogeography of the taxa of the D. forficula species complex. With 79 figures.
The fauna of freshwater gastropods of the Arabian Peninsula, a desert land, is neither rich nor extensively studied. Only five species of the family Lymnaeidae have been recorded from this subcontinent so far. In February 2023, a few specimens of Radix rufescens (J. E. Gray, 1822) have been collected from the stream at Wadi Tiwi, NE Oman. The shell, female part of the reproductive organs, prostate, paraeputium and phalloteca are presented. Cytochrome oxidase subunit I (COI) sequences confirmed the assignment of these specimens to R. rufescens, known from Nepal, Bangladesh, and Myanmar, not from the Arabian Peninsula. Either R. rufescens is the sixth lymnaeid species inhabiting Arabia, or at least some of the records of R. natalensis (Krauss, 1848), whose shells are hardly discernible from the ones of R. rufescens, should be interpreted as misidentified R. rufescens. Thousands of years of the trade relations between Oman and India suggest accidental transportation of this snail by trade vessels.
Years of research of the subtribe Blaptina made it possible to clarify relations between some species and propose changes in supraspecific structure of this subtribe. Blaps scabiosa Baudi di Selve, 1874 is designated as a type species of Caraboblaps Bauer, 1921, the new synonymy is proposed: Blaps Fabricius, 1775 = Caraboblaps Bauer, 1921, syn. n. Blaps nitens nitens Laporte, 1840 is designated as a type species of Periblaps Bauer, 1921, Blaps ominosa Ménétriés, 1832 is designated as a type species of Holoblaps Bauer, 1921; type species of Periblaps and Holoblaps are transferred here to genus Lithoblaps, as a result the following new synonymy is proposed: Lithoblaps Motschulsky, 1860 = Periblaps Bauer, 1921, syn. n. = Holoblaps Bauer, 1921, syn. n. The similarity of the structure of the aedeagus of Ablapsis compressipes Reitter, 1887 and some species of the subgenus Prosoblapsia Skopin et Kaszab, 1978 (genus Blaps Fabricius, 1775) gives a base to transfer the taxon Ablapsis Reitter, 1887 into the genus Blaps as a separate subgenus (Ablapsis stat. resurr.). Blaps tentyrioides Seidlitz, 1893 (= Blaps socia Seidlitz, 1893) is designated as a type species of the subgenus Protoblaps Bauer, 1921. As the genera Protoblaps Bauer, 1921 and Genoblaps Bauer, 1921 have one type species and the aedeagal structure of type species of Ablapsis, Protoblaps and Prosoblapsia is similar, the new synonymy is proposed: Ablapsis Reitter, 1887 = Protoblaps Bauer, 1921 syn. n. = Genoblaps Bauer, 1921 syn. n. = Prosoblapsia Skopin et Kaszab, 1978, syn. n. Analysis of imaginal and larval structures of the species here united in the taxon Lithoblaps Motschulsky, 1860 and other members of Blaps showed that differences between these two groups are comparable with those between other genera of the subtribe and, therefore, the former taxon is here regarded as a distinct genus Lithoblaps gen. resurr. Thus, 100 species and subspecies (marked as comb. n. or comb. resurr.) are transferred from Blaps to Lithoblaps. The additional new combination is established: Dila platythorax (Gemminger, 1870), comb. n. (from Blaps). The key to genera and the catalogue of the subtribe Blaptina are given.
Research was conducted on the European hare (Lepus europaeus Pall.), one of the most numerous and important small game species both in Europe and in the Republic of Serbia. The aim of the research was to examine the possibility of modifying the standard method, which is a standard in the Republic of Serbia, for determining the age of hares based on the mass of their lenses in order to shorten its duration. Additionally, the goal was to investigate whether there was a difference in the age structure determined by the standard and modified methods. For the purpose of processing and analyzing samples, a total of 410 hare heads were collected from hunting grounds in Central Serbia and Vojvodina, and only heads with intact lenses of both eyes (399) were included in the analysis, resulting in the examination of 798 lenses. It was determined that there was no statistically significant difference in the lens mass between the standard and modified methods, both for age categories of hares up to one year and over one year. High correlation coefficients were found, indicating a strong relationship between the lens mass obtained by the standard and modified methods within both age categories. Furthermore, the real growth rates of hares determined by the standard and modified methods were equal.
The terrestrial gastropod Ferussina petofiana Páll-Gergely sp. n. is described from uppermost Cretaceous (Maastrichtian) deposits from the Haţeg Basin, Romania. It represents the first properly diagnosed and described snail taxon from these deposits, despite numerous earlier reports of gastropod occurrences. This new species is characterized by a depressed, mostly smooth shell, three spiral carinae on the ventral side (inside the umbilicus), and an upward-turning aperture. The last feature characterizes two European fossil snail genera, the cyclophoroidean Ferussina, and the stylommatophoran Strophostomella. The new species is classified in the former group due to its nearly circular aperture, and the presence of conspicuous spiral carinae. In contrast, the aperture of most stylommatophoran genera (including Strophostomella) is semilunar, and if raised sculptural elements are present, they are mostly radially oriented. The identification of this new taxon in the uppermost Cretaceous of Romania represents an important range extension for the genus Ferussina, and adds it to the brief list of European clades that appear to have survived the mass extinction event at the Cretaceous-Paleogene boundary.
A new genus and a new species, Colomboga brachyptera gen. et sp. n., of the subfamily Colpopterinae (Nogodinidae) is described from Central Colombia. This is the first published record of Colpopterinae from the country and the first representative of this subfamily with rather short forewings. Generic placement and possible phylogenetic affinities of Colomboga gen. n. to other genera within the tribe Colpopterini are discussed.
Three new species of the genus Chrysolina Motschulsky, 1860, namely Сh. caspari sp. n., Ch. melchiori sp. n., and Ch. balthazari sp. n. are described from Sichuan and Yunnan Provinces of China. These species have rare or unique features. In Ch. caspari sp. n. the shape of the last maxillary palpomere (it is shorter and narrower than the penultimate one) is a rare case in the genus Chrysolina. Among Chinese species, this shape of maxillary palpi is known only in one species, Ch. pieli Chen, 1936. In Ch. melchiori sp. n. the relief of elytral surface (strongly reticulated irregular funnels bearing a puncture at the bottom, separated by smooth intervals) is unique for the genus Chrysolina. In Ch. balthazari sp. n. the relief of elytra (alternation of wide convex intervals between pairs of rows and very narrow flat or slightly convex intervals between rows of one pair) is well distinguishable from most Chrysolina members. Due to this feature, the new species can only be close to Ch. jinxiaoae Ge in: Daccordi, Ge, Cui, Yang, 2011 from North Sichuan. Photographs of habitus, external characters, and male aedeagi are presented.
A synopsis of the geocorine true bugs distributed in the Malagasy biogeographic region is presented, including the description Geocoris (Piocoris) petofii sp. n. and proposal of the new synonymy Geocoris (Geocoris) insularis China, 1955 = Geocoris (Geocoris) pallidipennis mauritii Stål, 1854. Keys, diagnoses, taxonomic notes, and distribution data for discussed species are provided.
The caliscelid tribe Augilini Baker is recorded for the first time from African continent after Polychornum centroafricanum sp. n. described and illustrated from the Democratic Republic of Congo, collected in 1948. This is first representative of the genus Polychornum Gnezdilov, 2021 from the Afrotropical Region. Global distribution and host plants of the species of the tribe Augilini are discussed.
Cycloryx pemaledai Gittenberger & Sherub, 2022, which was described from northwestern Bhutan, is reported for the first time in Sikkim, India. That species differs from all its congeners by the short R3 (the region between the constriction and the peristome). The differences between the Bhutanese and Indian shells are minimal, therefore the Indian shells are identified as Cycloryx cf. pemaledai. Furthermore, Alycaeus himalayae n. sp. is described from Arunachal Pradesh. This is so far the only Alycaeus species inhabiting the Himalayas, and thus, its discovery is a real surprise.
