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Three new species of Parabathynellidae (Crustacea: Bathynellacea) are described using morphological and molecular data, and addi-tional populations identified as Texanobathynella cf. bowmani are placed within a molecular phylogeny for the group. The finding of Montanabathynella pecosensis sp. nov. entails a southern range expansion of over 1500 km for the genus, previously thought to be restricted to Montana, USA. Montanabathynella pecosensis sp. nov. displays a unique combination of morphological features, including eight main teeth on the labrum; four and six teeth on the pars incisiva and pars molaris of the mandible, respectively; eight teeth on the distal endite of MxI; epipod present on ThII and III; four teeth on the first segment of female ThVIII; and an unpro-nounced anal operculum. The other two new species described here belong to the genus Texanobathynella Delamare Deboutteville et al., 1975, previously consisting of only two species. Both species, Texanobathynella aaronswinki sp. nov and T. coloradoensis sp. nov., display combinations of morphological features distinct from the other two previously known species of the genus. Mitochondrial (COI) and nuclear (18S) markers support the validity of the new species and enable us to place them, along with T. cf. bowmani, within a larger phylogenetic framework of the Parabathynellidae., This work was supported by the PID2019-110243GB-100 MICINN/FEDER project. PMP is supported by MICINN-FEDER through contract BES-2016-077777. Field work was partially funded through a US Fish and Wildlife Service grant [TX T-79-R-3, F16AF00688] under the authority of the State Wildlife Grant Program [CFDA #15.634] issued to Texas Parks and Wildlife Department, and through a grant from the Cave Conservancy Foundation., We acknowledge support of the publication fee by the CSIC Open Access Publication Support Initiative through its Unit of Information Resources for Research (URICI).

Bromeliads interact with thousands of plants, animals and microorganisms. Some species are considered keystone species for providing shelter and protection to many species from vertebrates to micro...

Morelet’s crocodile (Crocodylus moreletii) and hybrid crocodiles (C. moreletii × acutus) are mound-nesting crocodilians found in the lowlands of northern and southern Belize, respectively. Nests of...

El-Hady, Rabab M., El-Hawagry, Magdi S.A., Soliman, Mustafa M. (2021): Diversity and temporal variations of the leafhopper fauna (Cicadellidae, Auchenorrhyncha, Hemiptera) in two ecological zones of Egypt. Journal of Natural History 54 (43-44): 2869-2887, DOI: 10.1080/00222933.2021.1874560, URL: http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/00222933.2021.1874560

Kanesharatnam, Nilani, Benjamin, Suresh P. (2021): Phylogenetic relationships and systematics of the jumping spider genus Colopsus with the description of eight new species from Sri Lanka (Araneae: Salticidae). Journal of Natural History 54 (43-44): 2763-2814, DOI: 10.1080/00222933.2020.1869335, URL: http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/00222933.2020.1869335

Vogel, Gernot, Nguyen, Tan Van, Zaw, Than, Poyarkov, Nikolay A. (2021): A new species of the Pareas monticola complex (Squamata: Serpentes: Pareidae) from Chin Mountains with additions to the Pareas fauna of Myanmar. Journal of Natural History 54 (39-40): 2577-2612, DOI: 10.1080/00222933.2020.1856953, URL: http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/00222933.2020.1856953

Few studies have focused on the diverse fauna of southwestern Brazilian Amazonia. This region, spared from large-scale human occupation until the second half of the twentieth century, has been thre...

Records of the genus Niphargus are quite new in Iran. Recent investigations of subterranean cave-dwelling fauna revealed a diversity of new taxa, including several new niphargid species. Al...

Despite the accessibility of the Faroe Islands, faunistic research on their numerous lakes and ponds is quite rare. The biota of Faroese freshwaters is still underexplored, and its specific...

Data on the freshwater sponge fauna of New Caledonia and New Zealand (5 species, 3 genera, and 2 families) of the order Spongillida (Porifera, Demospongiae) is reported in the framework of ...

Two new species of the genus Tenuipalpus Donnadieu, T. alhagus sp. nov. and T. neokeiensis sp. nov. are described and illustrated. Four tenuipalpid species, namely Aegyptobia cassiae Baker and Tuttle, Brevipalpus californicus (Banks), Dolichotetranychus apaches Baker and Pritchard and Tenuipalpus parsii Khosrowshahi and Arbabi are reported as new to the mite fauna of Saudi Arabia (SA). Also, hosts, distribution data and key to all known species of the family Tenuipalpidae from SA are given. urn:lsid:zoobank.org:pub:FD942578-02FE-424B-99E7-6D6A426F1C5F urn:lsid:zoobank.org:act:8802FD0E-B8B4-4D1E-8F25-FAE789A17EA4

This study presents three genera and 10 species of flies (order: Diptera) as new country records from the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA). The flies were identified from Rawdhat Khorim National Park ...

Mites can be associated with other organisms as parasites, commensals, phoretic, among others, such as some Winterschmidtiidae that present cooperative relationships with solitary wasps (Eumeninae)...

This paper, which presents an annotated checklist of the nymphalid subfamily Heliconiinae, is the fifth in a series on the butterfly fauna of Mount Kilimanjaro. Three genera of Heliconiinae...

Morozov, Grigori, Sabirov, Rushan Mirzovich, Anisimova, Natalia (2018): New data on sponges from Svalbard Archipelago with a description of a new species of Halicnemia. Journal of Natural History (J. Nat. Hist.) 52 (7-8): 491-507, DOI: 10.1080/00222933.2018.1440020, URL: http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/00222933.2018.1440020

A survey to explore the earthworm fauna of New Caledonia was carried out between 14 January 2014 and 2 April 2014. Altogether, 24 earthworm species were recorded, of which eight belong to the native genus Acanthodrilus including four species new to science, Acanthodrilus barrieri, A. doanus, A. millei and A. ouenghianus spp. nov., raising the number of Acanthodrilus species in New Caledonia to 29. The 16 recorded peregrine species are distributed among five families, namely Benhamiidae (5 spp.), Eudrilidae (1 sp.), Megascolecidae (8 spp.), Moniligastridae (1 sp.) and Rhinodrilidae (1 sp.).www.zoobank.org/urn:lsid:zoobank.org:pub:4E0A6295-A2FA-43BB-993D-BB00AFF54406

Information on the freshwater fauna of the remote Arctic territories is very patchy, and most of the isolated islands of the Arctic Ocean remain absolutely unexplored. The pioneer data on the species composition of microcrustaceans of Shokalsky Island (northwest Siberia, Russia) is reported here. The initial three-year research revealed a total of 31 new for the area species of Cladocera and Copepoda, including new records for the whole of northwestern Siberia. Comparing the interannual differences in faunal composition, we suggested the hypothesis of the existence of a cryptic pool of species’ resting stages, which can invade the community in the event of favourable environmental conditions in the Arctic freshwaters. We also compiled all the available data from different parts of northern Siberia and compared them with the fauna of Shokalsky Island to analyse the connection between the diversity and distributional patterns of copepods and cladoceran species and the climate conditions of different...

Martins-Sobrinho, Paulo Mateus, Silva, Winny Gomes de Oliveira, Santos, Elizandra Gomes dos, Moura, Geraldo Jorge Barbosa de, Oliveira, Jaqueline Bianque de (2017): Helminths of some tree frogs of the families Hylidae and Phyllomedusidae in an Atlantic rainforest fragment, Brazil. Journal of Natural History 51 (27-28): 1639-1648, DOI: 10.1080/00222933.2017.1337945, URL: http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/00222933.2017.1337945

Starr, Christopher K. (2017): How many insect species are in your country? The example of Trinidad and Tobago. Journal of Natural History 51 (27-28): 1589-1592, DOI: 10.1080/00222933.2017.1339838, URL: http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/00222933.2017.1339838

Japanese fauna of the cimicomorphan family Microphysidae is documented. Four species of the genus Loricula Curtis are recognised, including three new species herein described from Japan, Loricula m...

The Asian toad, Duttaphrynus melanostictus (Schneider, 1799), is widespread throughout tropical Asia and very abundant where it occurs. It was relatively recently introduced to Timor, the second largest island in the biogeographic region called Wallacea. Timor Island shows an exceptionally high level of endemism in a wide range of faunal groups and there are concerns that D. melanostictus may have a negative impact on this diversity, including vertebrates, through direct predation. To evaluate the impact the diet of D. melanostictus might have on the local fauna, gut contents of 83 preserved toad specimens from five habitat types in Timor-Leste, a country occupying the eastern half of Timor Island, were examined. We identified 5581 prey items, comprising the following animal groups: annelids; snails and slugs; spiders and harvestmen; woodlice; millipedes and centipedes; grasshoppers, crickets and earwigs; termites; thrips and true bugs; beetles; ants; hymenopterans other than ants; true flies; but...

Despite the great socio-economic impact of Culicoides-borne diseases, there is little work on the reassessment of the faunistic and distributional data on this important group of vectors in the territory of Ukraine. Along with the literature review, materials were collected and slide-mounted using the conventional techniques for this study. The revised and commented list of 55 valid species names of the genus Culicoides recorded from Ukraine and their distribution is presented. New collection localities are given for Culicoides griseidorsum Kieffer, Culicoides atripennis Shevchenko and Culicoides newsteadi s.l. Culicoides triangulatus Shevchenko and Culicoides ukrainensis Shevchenko described from Ukraine are recognized as nomina dubia, whereas Culicoides tentorius Austen and Culicoides furcillatus Callot, Kremer and Paradis were excluded from the list. The current state of knowledge on Ukrainian Culicoides fauna should be characterized as rather understudied. Collectively, this suggests that furt...

The present study summarizes additions to the known fauna of Eucharitidae of Saudi Arabia. Cherianella arabica Gadallah & Soliman sp. nov. and the male of previously known female Eucharis (Psilogastrellus) albipennis Boucek, 1956 are described and illustrated. Three new records are also added to the fauna of Saudi Arabia: Eucharis (Eucharisca) intermedia Ruschka, 1924, Eucharis (Psilogastrellus) acuminata Ruschka, 1924 and Eucharis (Psilogastrellus) punctata Forster, 1859.http:/zoobank.org/urn:lsid:zoobank.org:pub:F1B1C493-AA83-4696-AF8B-3B3F62C09B41

This work presents the first list of Coleoptera species found in Hohenbergia augusta (Vell.) E. Morren and Vriesea friburgensis Mez. (Bromeliaceae), in Santa Catarina state, Brazil, most of them identified to the species level. Beetle species richness and composition were compared between the bromeliad species and between Atlantic forest and restinga habitats. Biological information on some beetle species is reported for the first time. We also discuss the aquatic habit of the hydrophilid Lachnodacnum luederwaldti Orchymont, 1937 (Sphaeridinae) inside bromeliad phytotelms.

The harpacticoid fauna was studied at 16 stations in the Yenisei Gulf (the Kara Sea) and the adjacent shallow-water open-sea area. The total harpacticoid abundance was relatively low (an average of 64.4 individuals/10 cm2). Thirty-three species (including putative species) from 13 families were recorded; the Ameiridae, Miraciidae and Pseudotachidiidae were the most diverse families. Most of the species identified were new for the Kara Sea, several were found for the first time after their original description, and seven forms were presumably new to science. The updated list of the Kara Sea harpacticoids has twice as many species in common with the White and Barents Seas than with the eastern Arctic/northern Pacific seas, presumably indicating the asymmetry in the Trans-Arctic fauna exchange. Species diversity increased significantly with increasing distance from the freshwater section seawards. Four assemblages were distinguished based on their taxonomic composition, one in the riverine part and t...

The subterranean environment has a set of unique characteristics, including low thermic variation, high relative humidity, areas with total absence of light and high dependence on nutrient input from the epigean environment. Such characteristics promote distinct ecological conditions that support the existence of unique communities. In this work, we studied seven caves in the Presidente Olegario municipality, Minas Gerais state, Southeast Brazil, to determine their richness of predatory species, to understand how they are spatially distributed in the cave and whether their distribution is influenced by competition and/or predation. We carried out five surveys of the caves, with each cave divided into sampling plots. We collected fauna within the plots using a manual search method. The collected animals were fixed in 70% ethanol for later identification. We performed a canonical correspondence analysis to verify the spatial distribution and substrate preference of each species, and selected five sp...

Since the pioneering works of the Norwegian biologist G.O. Sars, little attention has been given to the freshwater harpacticoids in Norway. The prime purpose of this paper is to present the state of current knowledge about the Norwegian freshwater harpacticoid fauna based on all known published and unpublished literature and archive material. We highlight the contribution of G.O. Sars to the knowledge of this group by presenting his remaining unpublished archive material. We present two Norwegian species checklists – one for freshwater harpacticoids (16 species) and another for freshwater-associated/brackish-water harpacticoids (nine species). Four of the freshwater harpacticoid species are described by G.O. Sars. Original unpublished plates with drawings of those species are included in the paper. In addition, an overview of species distributions throughout the country is given.

We use a panbiogeographical approach to determine the distribution pattern of dung beetles from a border region between Cerrado and Rondonia biogeographical provinces in Brazil. We constructed 54 individual tracks and 12 generalized tracks. The generalized tracks infer historical events that have happened in the past, highlighting the significant role of vicariant processes and their influence on the current distribution pattern of dung beetles from the Pantanal–Cerrado Border. The study region is a biogeographical node, including representatives from different biogeographic origins. Contrary to previous suggestions, the Scarabaeinae fauna of southern Rondonia province is not related to Amazonian fauna. Rather, it shows stronger connections with Chaco. Hence we suggest the inclusion of the southern part of the province of Rondonia, representing the Pantanal depression itself, as a new biogeographical district within Chaco province.

The first list of insects (Arthropoda: Hexapoda) of Al-Baha Province, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA) was published in 2013 and contained a total of 582 species. In the present study, 142 species belonging to 51 families and representing seven orders are added to the fauna of Al-Baha Province, bringing the total number of species now recorded from the province to 724. The reported species are assigned to recognized regional zoogeographical regions. Seventeen of the species are recorded for the first time for KSA, namely: Platypleura arabica Myers [Cicadidae, Hemiptera]; Cletomorpha sp.; Gonocerus juniperi Herrich-Schaffer [Coreidae, Hemiptera]; Coranus lateritius (Stal); Rhynocoris bipustulatus (Fieber) [Reduviidae, Hemiptera]; Cantacader iranicus Lis; Dictyla poecilla Drake & Hill [Tingidae, Hemiptera]; Mantispa scabricollis McLachlan [Mantispidae, Neuroptera]; Cerocoma schreberi Fabricius [Meloidae, Coleoptera]; Platypus parallelus (Fabricius) [Curculionidae, Coleoptera]; Zodion cinereum (Fabriciu...

Three new tenuipalpid species are described and illustrated from Hungary: Cenopalpus cumanicus sp. nov., Cenopalpus adventicius sp. nov. and Tenuipalpus budensis sp. nov. (Acari: Tenuipalpidae). The authors give an account of one new record of Cenopalpus spinosus (Donnadieu, 1875) found on woody host plants, a species that has not previously been recorded in the Hungarian fauna. Additional species encountered during these surveys are: Brevipalpus lewisi (McGregor, 1949), Cenopalpus pulcher (Canestrini and Fanzago, 1876), Pentamerismus oregonensis McGregor, 1949, and Pentamerismus taxi (Haller, 1877).

From Martin Garcia Island were collected 975 jumping spiders, from five environments, using beating net and manual sampling methods. Saitis variegatus Mello-Leitao, 1941 was the most abundant (24.62%). The sandy xerophilous forest had the highest species richness (23 morphospecies) and jungle showed the greatest spider abundance (n: 384). The sandy area was the least diverse and the last in relative abundance. Salticids represented 16% of the species recorded from Argentina, and the second largest family registered. The spider fauna found could be similar to that of the Southern Brasilian region, as occurs with scorpions. Two genera and two species are new records for Argentina. In addition, three new species of jumping spiders, as well as the discovery of the unknown male and female of two species, were registered. There was no record of cosmopolitan spiders or those with a large distribution range on the Island.

Here we focus on the poorly studied braconid wasp subfamily Cheloninae for the arid zone of the Australian continent, using material, in part, resulting from comprehensive surveys of three arid zone reserves. The Bush Blitz programme is a multi-institutional project with the aim of documenting the diversity of the flora and fauna in Australia’s National Reserve System, with describing new species being a key focus of the programme. In total, 11 species from the genera Ascogaster and Phanerotoma are treated, with species’ delimitation based on both molecular and morphological data. Two species are redescribed (Phanerotoma behriae Zettel, 1988a and P. decticauda Zettel, 1988a) and nine species are described as new (Ascogaster brevivena sp. nov., A. ferruginegaster sp. nov., A. prolixogaster sp. nov., A. rubriscapa sp. nov., Phanerotoma bonbonensis sp. nov., P. bushblitz sp. nov., P. lutea sp. nov., P. nigriscapulata sp. nov. and P. witchelinaensis sp. nov.). Keys to the arid zone species of these tw...

In this study we report on the helminth fauna of the invasive American red-eared slider Trachemys scripta in five localities from eastern Spain where this species co-occurs with two native, endangered freshwater turtles, i.e. Emys orbicularis and Mauremys leprosa. In total, 46 individuals of T. scripta were analysed for parasites. Adult individuals of three helminth species were found: the monogenean Neopolystoma orbiculare, the digenean Telorchis solivagus and the nematode Serpinema microcephalus. Telorchis solivagus and S. microcephalus are trophically transmitted parasites of native turtles that probably infected T. scripta through shared infected prey. Neopolystoma orbiculare infects T. scripta in its native Nearctic range and probably survived the overseas shipping of hosts due to the combination of a direct life cycle, long lifespan in turtles and crowding conditions that allowed frequent (re)infections. These findings entail potentially significant conservation consequences that deserve fur...