Search

This paper describes four new species of earthworms, Amynthas shinanmontis sp. nov., Amynthas chilanensis sp. nov., Amynthas bilineatus sp. nov., and Amynthas cruxus sp. nov. from Taiwan. Amynthas shinanmontis is sexthecate and parthenogenetic with individuals with various levels of degeneration of spermathecae and male reproductive organs. It occurs at elevations of 1700-2700 m in the Central Mountain Range in southern Taiwan. Amynthas bilineatus and A. chilanensis are athecate and also parthenogenetic. They occur, respectively, at elevations of 1000 m in the central region and 1325 m in the northeastern region of Taiwan. Amynthas cruxus is octothecate, amphimictic, and occurs at elevations of 900-1700 m in southern Taiwan. This paper also discusses confusion and dilemma caused by uncertain, speculative synonyms and parthenogenetic morphs in species delimitation in oligochaete taxonomy, and recommends the use of absolute synonyms and phylogenetic species concept. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper describes three new species of earthworms belonging to the genus Amynthas (Megascolecidae: Oligochaeta) from eastern Taiwan. They are Amynthas amis sp. nov., Amynthas mutabilitas sp. nov. and Amynthas amplipapillatus sp. nov. Amynthas amis is octothecate with single or paired genital papillae in presetal VII–IX. It is widely distributed at elevations of 245–1500 m south of Mugua River in eastern Taiwan. Amynthas mutabilitas has spermathecae from totally absent (athecate) to two pairs in VI–VII (quadrithecate). It was found on the east slope of the Central Mountain Range and Coastal Mountain Range at elevations of 410–1350 m. Amynthas amplipapillatus is athecate and has large, paired genital papillae in postsetal XVII and often in presetal XIX, and occasionally an additional pair in postsetal XIX. It was found at elevations of 130–1170 m in eastern Taiwan. Also, redescription of Amynthas hongyehensis which is endemic to eastern Taiwan is given. DNA barcodes (the 5'-end sequences of the mitochondrial cytochrome c oxidase subunit I gene) of the first two new species and of A. hongyehensis are also reported. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

This paper describes a new species of gigantic terrestrial earthworm Metaphire taiwanensis sp. nov. from western Taiwan. It reached the maximum length of 860 mm for a living clitellate and 637 mm after preservation. It is an autochthonous species found in Mt Beidongyan and the Meifeng area of the Central Mountain Range at elevations of 1800-2100 m. M. taiwanensis is octothecate and protandric, characters shared by Metaphire stephensoni (Michaelsen) of Indochina, and Metaphire bununa Tsai, Tsai and Liaw and Metaphire paiwanna Tsai, Tsai and Liaw of Taiwan. These four species are combined as a new species-group called the stephensoni -group within the genus Metaphire Sims and Easton. It is closely related to the congeneric ignobilis species-group, which is also octothecate but holandric. It differs from holandric and quadrithecate Metaphire magna (Chen) of Hainan Island, in which the length also reaches 700 mm. Specific variation and evolutionary trends in sizes and segment numbers of the Pheretima genus-group are discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper describes a new species of athecate earthworm belonging to the illotus species-group of the genus Amynthas Kinberg from Taiwan. It is Amynthas hohuanmontis sp. nov. from Mt Hohuan at an elevation of 3000 m in the Central Mountain Range. The athecate earthworm Amynthas pusillus (Ohfuchi) from Ishigaki Island, Riukiu is found to be synonymous with Amynthas assacceus (Chen) from Hainan Island, China. Accordingly, the A. illotus species-group currently consists of A. hohuanmontis sp. nov. from Taiwan, A. illotus (Gates) from Yunnan and Riukiu, A. assacceus (Chen) of Hainan and Riukiu, A. sheni (Chen) from Hong Kong and A. oyuensis (Ohfuchi) from Japan. Based on characters of particularly the porophore structure, the five species are divided into two species-subgroups: the sheni species-subgroup of A. sheni and A. hohuanmontis , and the assacceus species-subgroup of A. illotus, A. assacceus and A. oyuensis. The two subgroups might have differentiated from two independent ancestors. The five species show an arc-shaped distribution in the peripheral regions of the East Asian continent (Yunnan, Hainan, Hong Kong, Taiwan, Riukiu and Japan), suggesting them to be survivors from the Pleistocene ice ages. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Asian land snail species Bensonella plicidens (Benson, 1849) is enigmatic due to its extremely disjunct distribution. That is, it has been reported from the Himalaya, in Eastern China and Japan, and one subspecies was described from Taiwan. This distribution type has not been reported in any other land snails. It is also notable that some specimens identified as B. plicidens have 'normal' plica-like apertural barriers, while others have hook-like projections in the middle of the interrupted barriers, and the hooks point to the outside of the aperture. We examined several Bensonella samples and arrived at the following conclusions: (1) Bensonella plicidens has normal plica-like apertural barriers without hooks, and the Himalayan species with hook-like barriers is a new species, Bensonella hooki Páll-Gergely sp. nov.; (2) the species with hooked barriers recorded from Japan, Taiwan and eastern China differs from both Himalayan species (i.e. Bensonella plicidens and B. hooki sp. nov.), and the name Bensonella lakainguta Hwang, 2014 is available for it; (3) hooked apertural barriers have evolved repeatedly in the Hypselostomatidae and therefore cannot be used as a distinguishing character for the genus Bensonella. Bifidaria (Bensonella) landourensis Pilsbry, 1915 and Boysidia (Bensonella) qingliangfengensis F. Fang, J. Wang and Y. Chen, 2015 are junior synonyms of B. plicidens and B. lakainguta, respectively. Since the type species of Paraboysidia Pilsbry, 1917 and Bensonella Pilsbry and Vanatta, 1900 are very similar in all important shell characters, we consider the former to be a junior synonym of the latter. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Eleven species of the genusPromalactisMeyrick, 1908 are reviewed from Taiwan. Among them, seven species are described as new:P. albilateralissp. nov.,P. apicicircularissp. nov.,P. brevisaccatasp. nov.,P. dilatatasp. nov.,P. flavicapitatasp. nov.,P. latilobasp. nov. andP. subclavatasp. nov. Images of adults and male and female genitalia are provided, along with two keys for the identification of these species.http://www.zoobank.org/urn:lsid:zoobank.org:author:66DAA3DD-5577-4B55-AA58-5EFAB94EFA04 [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

For the first time accounts of the biology of Proterops borneoensis Szepligeti, 1902 (Braconidae: Ichneutinae), and its host Cibdela janthina (Klug, 1834) (Argidae) are provided. Proterops borneoensis is reported from northern Sumatra as a parasitoid of Cibdela janthina feeding on Rubus alceifolius Poir. between 369 and 914 m altitude. For the first time a key to the Old World species of the genus Proterops Wesmael is given and a new species from Taiwan (Proterops bicolorinus van Achterberg, sp. nov.) is included. Proterops borneoensis and Proterops fumosus Belokobylskij, 1993, are reported from Nepal and northeast China, respectively. Proterops basalis Walker, 1874, is excluded from Proterops and synonymized with Snellenius theretrae (Watanabe, 1937): Snellenius basalis (Walker) syn. nov. and comb. nov. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The following three species of the genus Chaetogonopteron are described as new to science: Chaetogonopteron hungshuichiense, C. kaohsungense, C. taiwanense. A key to the known species of the genus from Taiwan is presented. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The whitefly genus Bemisia (Hemiptera: Aleyrodidae) is represented by five species in Taiwan, including the notorious global pest Bemisia tabaci. A catalogue of Encarsia species attacking these whiteflies, based almost entirely on previously unpublished records, is provided. A key for the identification of the 17 Encarsia species known to parasitize Bemisia species in Taiwan is provided. Three new species, E. guangxingana Shih, Ko and Polaszek sp. nov., E. lineolata Shih, Ko and Polaszek sp. nov. and E. magnalata Shih, Ko and Polaszek sp. nov., are described from Taiwan. These new species were all reared from Bemisia giffardi. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Four species of Caligus, with two new species, are reported from five species of marine fishes of Taiwan. They are: Caligus arii Bassett-Smith, 1898 on the body surface of Trichiurus lepturus Linnaeus, Caligus dasyaticus Rangnekar, 1957 on the body surface of Dasyatis navarrae (Steindachner), Caligus dactylus n. sp. on the gill filaments of Dactyloptera peterseni (Nyström), and Caligus lutjani n. sp. in the oral/gill cavities of Lutjanus argentimaculaltus (Forsskål) and Lutjanus bohar (Forsskål). Both C. arii and C. dasyaticus are reported for the first time from Taiwan. Caligus dactylus differs from its congeners by the possession of the following combination of features: large myxal process on the maxilliped; a pair of parallel tines on the sternal furca with truncate tip; simple elements (without accessory process) at the tip of leg 1 exopod; and an armature formula of I-0; I,III on leg 4. Caligus lutjani is distinguished by carrying a two-segmented abdomen; a pair of diverged tines on the sternal furca with acute tip; an accessory process on the middle two of the terminal four elements on the exopod of leg 1; and a bipectinate, spiniform process on the exopod of leg 4 at the insertion of each of the five outer spines. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Oriental spittlebug genera, Baibarana Matsumura and Telogmometopius Jacobi (Hemiptera: Auchenorrhyncha: Cercopidae), previously included in Cosmoscartini and Bandusiini, respectively, are transferred to Rhinaulacini and revised to include five and nine species, respectively. The species recognized are: Baibarana bicolor sp. nov. (Vietnam), B. longispina sp. nov. (Laos and Thailand), B. rufofasciata sp. nov. (Vietnam), B. sinuata sp. nov. (Vietnam), B. uchidai Matsumura (Taiwan), Telogmometopius angulatus sp. nov. (Malaysia: northern Borneo), T. bicarinatus sp. nov. (northeastern India), T. bifasciatus sp. nov. (Malaysia: northern Borneo), T. carinilabratus (Chou and Wu) (from Baibarana Matsumura), comb. nov. (southwestern China: Yunnan; Tibet), T. himalayensis sp. nov. (northeastern India: east Himalayas, southwestern China: Tibet), T. obsoletus Jacobi, 1921 (southern and central China: Hubei, Gansu, Sichuan, Guizhou, ?Jiangxi), T. rangoonensis sp. nov. (Burma), T. sabahensis sp. nov. (Malaysia: Sabah), and T. sarawakensis sp. nov. (Malaysia: Sarawak). Descriptions and keys to genera and species are provided together with structural illustrations. Scanning electron micrographs of the antennal sensilla, rostral apex, and male genitalia of the two genera, are provided for the first time. A lectotype is designated for Telogmometopius obsoletus Jacobi. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]