The Philippine endemic genus Bullimus is currently considered to include three species, one each from the Late Pleistocene islands of Greater Mindanao, Greater Luzon, and Camiguin. We describe a fourth species, Bullimus carletoni, new species, from the Caramoan Peninsula in southern Luzon based on analyses of molecular and craniodental data. Molecular data suggest that Bullimus colonized Luzon from the southern Philippines and began diversifying on Luzon by ca. 232 kya. This species is associated with partially disturbed forest habitat over limestone and ophiolitic soils, where it is active primarily on the ground at night. Recognition of this species raises the number of endemic mammals on the Bicol Peninsula of southern Luzon to six, emphasizing its importance as a center of endemism.
A previously unpublished description and drawings of the Greater Bulldog Bat, Noctilio leporinus (Linnaeus, 1758), made by French Minim friar Charles Plumier (1646–1704) during the first (1687–1688) of three voyages of exploration to the West Indies, are described and reproduced. The earliest known depiction of this taxon, Plumier's account is compared with later descriptions, especially those of Dutch apothecary Albertus Seba (1665–1736) and Carl Linnaeus (1707–1778). Evidence is also presented to emphasize the originality and scientific accuracy of Plumier's account.
We herein describe a new species of stylochoplanid flatworm, Alloioplana yerii, from Japan. This is the first record of the genus from the West Pacific. Alloioplana yerii is characterized by i) a lack of nuchal tentacles, ii) an oval prostatic vesicle that is smaller than the seminal vesicle, iii) the presence of a common sperm duct, and iv) the presence of an intra-prostatic ejaculatory duct. We provide a partial sequence of the mitochondrial cytochrome c oxidase subunit I (COI) gene (712 bp) as a DNA barcode for the species. Our phylogenetic analyses based on concatenated sequences of 18S and 28S ribosomal DNA and of COI suggest that Stylochoplanidae is not monophyletic and that Al. yerii forms a relatively well-supported clade with Echinoplana celerrima Haswell, 1907 (Gnesiocerotidae) and Notoplana sp. (Notoplanidae).
This publication describes new species found by Mr. Donald Megahan and his family while collecting at three Eocene, Cook Mountain Formation, Claiborne Group, localities in central Texas. The following eight new species are proposed: Pliciscala obliqua, Papuliscala keani, Conradconfusus nodulinus, Terebrifusus megahani, Orthosurcula ethani, Unitas duomillias, Ringicula taenia, and Syrnola debrae.
All species in the epicaridean isopod genus Zonophryxus Richardson, 1903 are reviewed, and information regarding host choice is summarized. The enigmatic species Colypurus agassizi Richardson, 1905 is shown to be synonymous with Zonophryxus similis Searle, 1914, and Colypurus Richardson, 1905 and Colypuridae Richardson, 1905 are synonymized with Zonophryxus and Dajidae, respectively. The correct name for the species is Zonophryxus agassizi, new combination. The existence of two distinct male morphotypes in at least some species of Zonophryxus is confirmed and discussed. Type and other material of Zonophryxus retrodens Richardson, 1903 and Zonophryxus trilobus Richardson, 1910 were examined, and these species are discussed and illustrated, including description of morphological structures either erroneously or not previously reported. New material of Zonophryxus dodecapus Holthuis, 1949 is reported on, with the discovery that females of the species can have either five or six pairs of pereopods independent of their developmental stage. A new species, Zonophryxus probisowa, is described from Peruvian material and named in honor of The Proceedings of the Biological Society of Washington on the occasion of this, its final volume.
