Search

Melolontha is an important genus of the subfamily Melolonthinae and the tribe Melolonthini. It is a major polyphagous pest of different agricultural crops and forest trees. The adults of this species are defoliators and grubs are root feeders. It is essential to acquire a better understanding of the correct identity of these species to implement the most suitable pest management options. In this study, three Melolontha species viz., Melolontha cuprescens, Melolontha furcicauda and Melolontha indica were investigated using light microscopy, in order to generate detailed information on morphological characters for the pest identification. A detailed comparative description of the larval characters (mouthparts, raster, spiracles and thoracic legs); pupal characters (antennae and caudal appendages); adult characters (antennae, pronotum, scutellum, meso-metasternal process, legs, pygidium and male genitalia) is given with the help of suitable microscopic pictures and line diagrams. The larvae of these species can easily be distinguished based on mandibles, epipharynx, raster pattern and shape of anal opening. The caudal extremity of pupae also allows differentiation among Melolontha species. In beetles, shape and size of antennae, pronotum and pygidium can be used to separate sexes and to differentiate Melolontha species. Male genitalia is the most stable character for differentiation of species in the adult stage.

Hundreds of specimens of the trilobite Tsinania were collected from the Cambrian (upper Jiangshanian through Stage 10) at Fenghuangshan in northern Anhui, China, and were identified as Tsinania canens (Walcott, 1905) and Tsinania dolichocephala (Kobayashi, 1933). Comparisons between these two species and others referred to Tsinania, allow the redefinition of the two species. Fourteen synonyms and thirteen synonyms have been incorporated into T. canens and T. dolichocephala respectively. The key diagnosis of T. canens includes: the preglabellar field is flat, relatively short (sag.), has a slightly to obviously angular anterior margin; pygidium is rounded triangular and strongly convex; pygidial border is absent or very narrow. The key diagnosis of Tsinania dolichocephala comprises: the glabella is moderately convex with flat anterior part and convex posterior part (sag.); anterior border is relatively long (sag.), rounded to sharply angulated; pygidium is rounded triangularly with a wide, concave border. Upon such diagnoses, the potential intraspecific variations (e.g., the angularity of the anterior margin, the triangularity of the pygidium, and the width of the pygidial border) of the two species are discussed and listed. The late ontogeny of both species is described to further support the intraspecific variations.

Graphipterus vignai n. sp. from kafue River, Lusaka, Zambia, is described. This new species belongs to the “Graphipteri diversitarsi” section (sensu Basilewsky, 1977) and seems closely related to G. lineolatus (Boheman, 1848), sharing part of its distribution area. It can be distinguished by the dorsal side of pygidium completely pubescent and the structure of the aedeagus.

Coccids are a group of pest insects with pronounced sexual dimorphism. Winged males don’t havefeed organs. Wingless females lead an immobile life under a wax structure (scale cover) and feed on plantjuices piercing them with a long proboscis. At early stages of life cycle, the larvae of scale insects are able to move, and the larvae of soft scales are mobile throughout the entire life-time. They are able to move with air flows or creep along the feed substrate, forming extensive colonies. These large colonies deplete and deform the host plants, making them vulnerable to diseases and even can cause plant death. Considering the geographical location, it should be noted that the majority of coccid species live in areas with tropical and subtropical climate. The pests can passively migrate with seedlings, fruits or vegetables.Coccids that live on seedlings or potted plants are the most dangerous. Those living on fruits do less harm.The study of the species composition of coccids on fruits and roots imported to Syktyvkar has not been carried out yet. Here, we present the results of laboratory studies of fruits and root crops for the presence of coccids for the period 2017–2019. For each species, we indicate the economically valuable host plants. The identification of coccids was made by the microstructure features of terminal segments of the abdomen in females (pygidium).According to the results conducted in the laboratory of the «Russian Plant Quarantine Center» in the KomiRepublic, 13 species of scale insects (Diaspididae) and one species of coccids (Coccoidae) were identified.Four species have the status of a quarantine object on the territory of the Eurasian Economic Union (EAEU), among them three are quarantine for the Russian Federation.

A new spionid polychaete was discovered in deep-sea sediments in the eastern Mediterranean Sea during an expedition by the Ocean Exploration Trust. Specimens were collected by the E/V Nautilus in August 2012 off Turkey, at a depth of 2216 m on the Anaximander Seamount at the Amsterdam mud volcano site. Cores were taken from sediments covered with microbial mats. The new species belongs to the Pygospiopsis-Atherospio Group, which has unusual neuropodial hooks, modified neurosetae in some anterior setigers, and branchiae in middle body segments that are broad, flattened, and fused to the dorsal lamellae. The new species is assigned to a new genus and species, Aciculaspio anaximanderi n. gen., n. sp., and is unusual in having a reduced setiger 1 lacking notosetae; well-developed pre- and postsetal lamellae that encompass the neurosetae and notosetae; notopodial lamellae free from the branchiae in anterior setigers that become fused and flattened in middle and posterior segments; unidentate hooded hooks in both noto- and neuropodia; neuropodial spines in setigers 4–10; and a pygidium with three anal cirri. Aciculaspio anaximanderi n. gen., n. sp. is the first species in the Atherospio-Pygospiopsis Group collected from a deep-water cold seep habitat.

Polychaetes of the family Capitellidae are poorly studied in Chinese waters. Amongst the known capitellid genera in China, Leiochrides Augener, 1914 is an unusual genus encountered in marine surveys. In this study, a Leiochrides specimen was obtained during a survey conducted in the Beibu Gulf, northern South China Sea and described herein as a new species Leiochrides guangxiensis sp. nov. The new species differs from its congeners by having uniramous chaetiger 1, chaetigers 11–12 with notopodial capillaries and neuropodial hooks, abdominal hooks with seven teeth above the main fang in three rows, pygidium with four anal cirri, and branchial fascicles with up to 17 filaments. The taxonomic status of the monospecific genus Pseudoleiocapitella Harmelin, 1964 and Leiochrides norvegicus Fauchald, 1972 are discussed.

We present herein the first phylogenetic analysis of the genus Chelidura and the taxonomic revision of the genus Chelidurella, stat. restit., based on DNA sequences. The results confirm the generic status of Chelidurella Verhoeff, 1902 and Mesochelidura Verhoeff, 1902, and they are removed from the synonymy with Chelidura and reinstated as valid genera. Many individual Chelidurella species are defined based on the combination of a few variable characters on the pygidium and forceps, and the systematics and phylogeny of this genus are unclear. The validity of most of the species is revisited here by molecular phylogenetic analyses, and individual morphological characters are evaluated for their relevance in the identification of all described species. We describe two new species to science, Chelidurella galvagnii Kirstová & Kočárek, sp. nov. from Austria, and C. pseudovignai Kočárek & Kirstová, sp. nov. from Italy and Austria; two species, C. guentheri Galvagni, 1994 and C. tatrica Chládek, 2017 are newly synonymized. Critical diagnostic characters are illustrated, and an identification key for males of Chelidurella is provided.

Metapogonia snizekisp. nov. from northeastern Tanzania is described. The new species is compared with the morphologically closely similar species M. elgonensis (Burgeon, 1945). A previously unknown female of M. elgonensis is described, and the species is recorded from Uganda for the first time. Relevant diagnostic characters (parameres, shape of male protarsomeres, female pygidium) are illustrated.

Nektaspids are Palaeozoic non-biomineralized euarthropods that were at the peak of their diversity during the Cambrian Period. Post-Cambrian nektaspids are a low-diversity group with only a few species described so far. Here we describeTariccoia tazagurtensis, a new species of small-bodied nektaspid from the Lower Ordovician Fezouata Shale of Morocco. The new species differs from the type (and only other known) species from the Ordovician strata of Sardinia (Italy),Tariccoia arrusensis, in possessing more pointed genal angles, a cephalon with marginal rim, a pygidium with anterior margin curved forwards, a rounded posterior margin, and longer and more curved thoracic tergites. The two specimens ofT. tazagurtensissp. nov. show remains of digestive glands that are comparable to those seen in the Cambrian nektaspidNaraoia. The rare occurrence ofT. tazagurtensissp. nov. in the Fezouata Shale and the distribution of other liwiids suggest that these liwiids were originally minor members of open-marine communities during the Cambrian Period, and migrated into colder brackish or restricted seas during the Ordovician Period.

A new tribe, two new genera and two new species of soft-winged flower beetles (Coleoptera, Malachiidae) are described from Baltic Late Eocene amber. The genus Premalachius gen. nov. with a species Premalachius obscurus sp. nov., belongs to the tribe Malachiini due to the antennae being located near the clypeus, which is well developed, as is the labrum. Within the tribe, the new species is close to species of the genus Chionotopus Abeille de Perrin, 1881. Because of the absence of specific male structures, due to the inclusion specimen being female, the only character indicating similarity between the new species and the genus mentioned above is the claw, thin sharp and lacking transparent lamellae at the base. The new species can be differentiated from Chionotopus by the following characters: apical palpomere not fusiform, apical antennomeres not serrate, second antennomere not shorter than the 3rd , of the same shape, enlarged triangular, humeri not rounded but elongate and protruding, lacking spots, elytra not oval, subparallel, pronotum not depressed posteriorly, legs strong. At about 2.5 mm in length, the new species is much smaller than known species of Chionotopus which average 4.0–4.5mm. The genus Palpattalusinus gen. nov. with the type species P. transitivus sp. nov. is closely related to the genus Palpattalus Tshernyshev, 2016 and differs in the elongate parallel body, pronotum elongate and narrowed to the base, pygidium elongate, slightly curved ventrally and dome-shaped, specific palpae which look like a whole stout oval palpomere narrowed at the tip into a thin tube and composed of three compactly joined palpomeres; anterior tarsi with a distinct black comb above the second palpomere, antennae long, with the second antennomere small and round, 3rd and 4th triangular-shaped, remaining antennomeres slightly serrate, apical antennomere strongly elongate and oval. The genus Palpattalusinus gen. nov. shares two characters with Palpattalus Tshernyshev, 2016, namely enlarged palpae and modified pygidium. Thus, a new tribe, Palpattalini trib. nov. with type genus Palpattalus Tshernyshev is described. Recent representatives of the new tribe are unknown. Females of Palpattalus eocenicus Tshernyshev, 2016 have been found in four different Baltic amber inclusions deposited in different collections. The female is briefly described and the significant presence of species of the genus in Eocene amber is discussed.

The pauropod family Eurypauropodidae Ryder, 1879 is recorded from Tibet, China for the first time. In this study, a new species Samarangopus zhongisp. nov. is described and illustrated from Motuo County, southeastern Tibet of China. It is distinguished from other species in this genus by having one pair of spiniform appendages on the sternum of the last trunk segment, 28–34 marginal protuberances on tergite I, the distal quarter of bothriotricha T3 golf-club-shaped, and the leaf-shaped seta st on tergum of pygidium. In addition, Samarangopus canalis Scheller, 2009 is newly recorded from China.

Recent reorganisation of the trilobite collections in the Natural History Museum, London UK, led to the discovery of two drawers of specimens from ‘Arctic America’. These fragmentary specimens had remained unincorporated within the systematic trilobite collections. Original labels identified them as the H.W. Feilden Collection from the Arctic Expedition of 1875-6, led by Sir George Nares with HMS Alert and HMS Discovery. Some of the specimens were described but not illustrated by Robert Etheridge in 1878 but his determinations were approximate at best. The early Ordovician trilobites are an important historic collection, as the first collected from so far north. They are re-described and figured here. They have close affinities with species from East Greenland, Svalbard and western USA. A Silurian pygidium from western Greenland is identified as Ekwanoscutellum agmen. All indicate an origination in shallow carbonate facies of Laurentia.

The morphological ontogeny of Cosmochthonius oralensis sp. nov. from West Kazakhstan is described and illustrated. The adult of this species has thin cerotegument and microfoveae on the pygidium, as has C. minifoveolatus Gil et al., 1991, but the latter species is smaller than C. oralensis and its basal cilia on erected setae of f-series are distinctly longer than on setae of e-series; in C. oralensis these cilia are of similar length. The juveniles of both species are similar to adults, except for smaller body size and more delicate cuticle of juveniles. These species also differ from each other by the number of cilia on erected setae, both in the juveniles and adults. The morphology of C. oralensis is compared with congeners.

Polypleuraspis Poulsen, 1927, originally established on the basis of a single trilobite pygidium from the Cape Wood Formation of Inglefield Land, northwestern Greenland, is redescribed on the basis of material from additional occurrences in the Cape Wood and Telt Bugt formations exposed around Kane Basin in Ellesmere Island (Nunavut) and northern and northwestern Greenland. Polypleuraspis occurs together with Glossopleura Poulsen, 1927 in the Glossopleura walcotti Poulsen, 1927 Biozone of the Delamaran Stage of North American (Laurentian) usage, in middle Cambrian strata (Miaolingian Series) of the Wuliuan Stage. The type species, Polypleuraspis solitaria Poulsen, 1927, is compared with Polypleuraspis insignis Rasetti, 1951 from the Stephen Formation (Burgess Shale Formation) of British Columbia and to a new species from the Telt Bugt Formation of Daugaard-Jensen Land: Polypleuraspis glacialis sp. nov. Polypleuraspis cooperi Robison and Babcock, 2011, from the Spence Shale of Utah of similar age, is assigned to Polypleuraspidella gen. nov.

Although the family Kateretidae has fewer than 100 described extant species, its fossil record is growing. The description given here of Electrumeretes birmanicus gen. et sp. nov. and Polliniretes penalveri gen. et sp. nov. brings the number of fossil species in Kateretidae up to nine. Eight of the fossil species have been described from amber deposits and six are from the Cretaceous. All the Cretaceous fossil species and one from the Eocene share atypically short elytra and three dorsally exposed abdominal tergites, whereas in Recent relatives, even though they have shortened elytra, only the pygidium and a part of the preceding one or two abdominal tergites are exposed. It is suggested that shortened elytra (brachelytry) represents an ancestral state and that elytra may have become secondary longer in extant relatives.

A new earwig species, Mecomera ze sp. nov. (Spongiphoridae: Sparattinae: Sparattini) from the Brazilian Atlantic Rainforest is described based on males and females from Piracicaba, São Paulo, Brazil. Mecomera ze sp. nov. has a pygidium shape similar to that of M. chacoensis (Borelli), and can be differentiated by the flattened projections of M. ze sp. nov., with emarginations between each projection, whilst in M. chacoensis the pygidium has cylindrical projections, with a single emargination between apical projections. Mecomera ze sp. nov. is also similar to M. reichardti in that both have cerci as long as the abdomen. However, M. reichardti has an inconspicuous basal projection and a more acute conspicuous projection at middle, whilst M. ze sp. nov. has a more conspicuous basal projection and less conspicuous middle projection. Comparisons are made with the male genitalia of all species.

Petersenidia mikhailovi sp. nov. (♀, Indonesia: Sulawesi) is described and illustrated. The new species is related to P. macassarica (Zavattati, 1914) by having a median longitudinal carina on the basal half of metasomal tergum 2, but differs by the carina being shorter and lower, by the lack of a posterior interrupted pale fringe on metasomal tergum 2 and by a smooth pygidium. The lectotype of Mutilla macassarica Zavattari, 1914 is designated.

The chelicerates are a ubiquitous and speciose group of animals that has a considerable ecological effect on modern terrestrial ecosystems—notably as predators of insects and also, for instance, as decomposers1. The fossil record shows that chelicerates diversified early in the marine ecosystems of the Palaeozoic era, by at least the Ordovician period2. However, the timing of chelicerate origins and the type of body plan that characterized the earliest members of this group have remained controversial. Although megacheirans3–5 have previously been interpreted as chelicerate-like, and habeliidans6 (including Sanctacaris7,8) have been suggested to belong to their immediate stem lineage, evidence for the specialized feeding appendages (chelicerae) that are diagnostic of the chelicerates has been lacking. Here we use exceptionally well-preserved and abundant fossil material from the middle Cambrian Burgess Shale (Marble Canyon, British Columbia, Canada) to show that Mollisonia plenovenatrix sp. nov. possessed robust but short chelicerae that were placed very anteriorly, between the eyes. This suggests that chelicerae evolved a specialized feeding function early on, possibly as a modification of short antennules. The head also encompasses a pair of large compound eyes, followed by three pairs of long, uniramous walking legs and three pairs of stout, gnathobasic masticatory appendages; this configuration links habeliidans with euchelicerates (‘true’ chelicerates, excluding the sea spiders). The trunk ends in a four-segmented pygidium and bears eleven pairs of identical limbs, each of which is composed of three broad lamellate exopod flaps, and endopods are either reduced or absent. These overlapping exopod flaps resemble euchelicerate book gills, although they lack the diagnostic operculum9. In addition, the eyes of M. plenovenatrix were innervated by three optic neuropils, which strengthens the view that a complex malacostracan-like visual system10,11 might have been plesiomorphic for all crown euarthropods. These fossils thus show that chelicerates arose alongside mandibulates12 as benthic micropredators, at the heart of the Cambrian explosion. Mollisonia plenovenatrix, a small predatory arthropod from the Burgess Shale dated to about 508 million years ago, is morphologically close to horseshoe crabs, which suggests chelicerates arose as micropredators early during the Cambrian explosion.

17 pages; International audience; Modularity and integration are variational properties expressed at various levels of the biological hierarchy. Mismatches among these levels, for example developmental modules that are integrated in a functional unit, could be informative of how evolutionary processes and trade‐offs have shaped organismal morphologies as well as clade diversification. In the present study, we explored the full, integrated and modular spaces of two developmental modules in phacopid trilobites, the cephalon and the pygidium, and highlight some differences among them. Such contrasts reveal firstly that evolutionary processes operating in the modular spaces are stronger in the cephalon, probably due to a complex regime of selection related to the numerous functions ensured by this module. Secondly, we demonstrate that the same pattern of covariation is shared among species, which also differentiate along this common functional integration. This common pattern might be the result of stabilizing selection acting on the enrolment and implying a coordinate variation between the cephalon and the pygidium in a certain direction of the morphospace. Finally, we noticed that Austerops legrandi differs slightly from other species in that its integration is partly restructured in the way the two modules interact. Such a divergence can result from the involvement of the cephalon in several vital functions that may have constrained the response of the features involved in enrolment and reorganized the covariation of the pygidium with the cephalon. Therefore, it is possible that important evolutionary trade‐offs between enrolment and other functions on the cephalon might have partly shaped the diversification of trilobites.

Within this study the subfamily Praemordellinae is reviewed and the holotype of Praemordella martynovi Scegoleva-Barovskaja, 1929 is re-described. The genera Cretanaspis Huang and Yang, 1999, Mirimordella Liu et al., 2007, Bellimordella Liu et al., 2008 and Wuhua Wang and Zhang, 2011 is attributed to Praemordellinae. One new species, Wuhua peregrina sp. nov., is erected based on two well-preserved specimens from the Middle Jurassic Daohugou Biota (Inner Mongolia, China). The morphological characters of Praemordellinae are given and a key to genera of Praemordellinae is presented. Praemordellinae is closely related to extant Mordellidae in having humpbacked body, strongly deflexed head, filiform antennae and pectinate tarsal claws, but it is differing in that the pygidium absent and hind femora not well developed. It is also similar to Ripiphoridae in having a convex body and simple tarsi, but differs Ripiphoridae in having filiform antennae. Praemordellinae is probably a stem group including the ancestor of Mordellidae and Ripiphoridae. Also, within this paper, the fossil record of Mordellidae is summarized.

Smicrips fudalai sp. nov. described herein from Late Eocene Rovno amber. It is the first palmetto beetle from Ukraine, whereas the extant Smicrips species are common in the tropics and subtropics of the New World. The new species differs from all extinct species in narrower head (the head with eyes not wider than the pronotum), slender legs, non-dilated tibia without spurs, and elytra that leave only the pygidium exposed. This is the third Eocene European palmetto beetle species, but no fossil smicripids remain to be unknown from Dominican and Mexican amber or other New World fossil localities yet (extant species from Mexico and Hispaniola are known). The Early Cenozoic Smicripidae of the New World were perhaps related not to the macrothermal communities, but to the upper microthermal to lower mesotermal communities. The tarsal formula 5–5–5 is characteristic of both Eocene and Cretaceous representatives of the family.

The annelid body can be subdivided into three main regions: the prostomium, the body segments, and the pygidium. The prostomium and pygidium, originating from the episphere and the posterior part of the hyposphere of a trochophore larva, are usually mentioned as non-homologous to body segments. However, recent studies revealed that the pygidium of several annelid species is far more complex than previously mentioned and possesses some segment-like features. To assess the diversity of a pygidial organization, I describe the innervation and muscular system of the pygidium in 19 annelid species belonging to the order Phyllodocida using phalloidin labeling, immunohistochemistry and confocal scanning microscopy. The musculature of the pygidium varies between families and usually consists of the circular and/or horseshoe-shaped hindgut sphincter muscles. In several families it can be accompanied by small additional transversal or dorso-ventral muscles. In contrast to the variable musculature, the pygidial innervation is far more uniform and in general comprises two huge main longitudinal nerves, a terminal commissure between them, and paired circumpigidial nerves. The pygidial epithelium bears numerous receptor cell endings, suggesting that the pygidium may act as an important sensory organ. The obtained results are in accordance with the recent data and indicate that such muscular and nervous organization may be characteristic of the whole order Phyllodocida.

The pygidium is a terminal part of the annelid body that is considered non-homologous to body segments. Despite the high level of morphological diversity, the internal morphology of the pygidial region is very poorly studied. Recent research revealed that in some errant annelids the pygidium possesses complex musculature and innervation. To provide new data for the comparative analysis of pygidial organization, the musculature and innervation in the pygidial region in five annelid species belonging to the order Eunicida were studied using phalloidin labeling, immunohistochemistry and confocal scanning microscopy. In all studied species the pygidial musculature consists of a circular or horseshoe-shaped muscle. The pygidial innervation comprises two pairs of main longitudinal nerves and paired circumpigidial nerves. The single pair of longitudinal nerves in Ophryotrocha irinae may be regarded as a secondary loss. In Schistomeringos japonica a small terminal commissure between longitudinal nerves was found. The finding of numerous receptor cell endings in the surface of the pygidium suggests its important sensory function. Comparison with Phyllodocida demonstrates the high level of similarities in the pygidial organization and the loss of the terminal commissure in Eunicida.

Primaevomordellida burmitina gen. et sp. nov. (Coleoptera: Mordellidae) is described on the base of two well-preserved specimens from Cenomanian Burmese amber. Due to the general body plan and the preservation of elongated pygidium, it is apparently the first true pintail beetle (subfamily Mordellinae). The simple hind leg structures placed the new species into the basal tribe Raynoldsiellini; however, the comparative morphology of the new species shows advanced characters similar to tribes Mordellini and Mordellistenini. The angiosperm plant records in Burmese amber forests were reviewed and the mordellids-angiosperm interactions are discussed.

The first report of theHirnantiahigh-latitude peri-Gondwanan Fauna from Portugal (Upper Ordovician, Ribeira do Braçal Formation) is presented here. The described macroassemblages are fairly diverse containing fossils of brachiopods, trilobites, echinoderms, machaeridians, and ostracodes. Among the brachiopods, the most abundant isMirorthis mira.Plectothyrellacf.P.libyca,Paromalomenacf.P.polonica,Plectoglossa? sp., and a small indeterminate discinoid are also present. The trilobites are represented by abundant sclerites ofMucronaspiscf.M.mucronata, and an isolated cranidium and pygidium assigned toFlexicalymene. The occurrence ofMucronaspisandFlexicalymenerepresents the first record of these genera in Portugal. Echinoderms are dominant in the basal bed of the formation; the columnal plates tentatively ascribed to morphogenusPentagonocyclicusare the most abundant, followed by the echinosphaeritids. Abundant disarticulated machaeridian plates, of the genusPlumulites, associated with trilobites are present in one of the localities. Ostracodes were found in one single locality and have been assigned tentatively to the genusHerrigia. Ramose and massive bryozoans also occur in the assemblage. This new macrofossil assemblage supports the assignment of an Hirnantian age for the Ribeira do Braçal Formation. Most of the brachiopod species and the dalmanitidMucronaspisare commonly present in Hirnantian deposits globally, but the presence in the assemblage of a brachiopod close toPlectothyrella libyca, a cold-water species, previously reported only from the Hirnantian of Libya and Morocco, is noticeable. This strengthens the case for a high latitudinal setting of the present-day territory of the Portuguese Central Iberian Zone during the Late Ordovician.

The new family Apotomouridae fam. nov. (Coleoptera: Polyphaga: Tenebrionoidea) is described based on Multispinus multispinosus gen. et sp. nov. and Apotomoura fortiscrura gen. et. sp. nov. from Burmese amber (lower Cenomanian, ca. 99 Ma). The retractile wedge-shaped body and tarsal formula 5-5-4 placed Apotomouridae fam. nov. in Tenebrionoidea. The new family shares similarities with the Mordellidae, whereas the absence of pygidium and the combination of other microstructures assigned it more closely to the Jurassic beetle genus Wuhua. The morphological characters suggest the similar flower feeding style as to Mordellidae and Ripiphoridae, which represent the flower diet and pollinating strategy in the Tenebrionoidea.

Feeding, defecation, palp behaviour and motility of the tubicolous annelid,Magelona alleniwere observed in a laboratory environment. Both surface deposit, and to a lesser extent, suspension feeding were exhibited, with the ingestion of sand grains, and of smaller amounts of foraminiferans and administered commercially available suspension. Predominantly sand could be seen moving through the gut, resulting in conspicuous defecation, not previously observed in other magelonid species. During this ‘sand expulsion’ behaviour, individuals turned around in a network of branched burrows. The posterior was extended from the burrow and substantial amounts of sand were expelled in a string-like formation, involving mucus. The posterior morphology ofM. allenidiffers greatly compared with other European magelonid species, in possessing a large terminal anus, likely related to its diet. In contrast to what has been recorded for other magelonids,M. alleniappears predominately non-selective. The current paper adds credence to the idea that multiple feeding modes exist within the family. Tube-lined burrows were observed to be primarily permanent, and motility of the species reduced in comparison to other magelonids. The differences noted betweenM. alleniand other species is most likely linked to its tubicolous lifestyle. The effect of environmental parameters on observed behaviours is discussed.

The genus Pygidiapion De Sousa & Mermudes gen. n., described and illustrated here, includes two species from Brazil: the type-species Pygidiapion zeppelinii De Sousa & Mermudes sp. n. (type-locality: João Pessoa, Paraiba state), which develops in flower buds of Pterocarpus violaceus Vogel (Fabaceae); and Pygidiapion zikani (Heller, 1922) comb. n. (from Apion) (type-locality: Passa Quatro, Minas Gerais state), which develops in flower buds of Dalbergia foliolosa Benth. (Fabaceae). Pygidiapion is defined by the following set of characters: rostrum of males with two elongate longitudinal and punctate latero-ventral sulci; hind wings with small radial window; hypomeral lobes divided by median suture and sternellum distinctly exposed; meso- and metatibiae mucronate; pygidium of the apionine incomplete type; and tegminal plate fused with basal piece. Pygidiapion zeppelinii is diagnosed by: meso- and metatibiae mucronate; pygidium distinctly modified, with deep transverse dorsal sulcus, medially deeper and rounded, and proximal marginal rim angulate (apical flange), corresponding to the distal margin, which is emarginate; tegminal plate fused to basal piece, apical portion of parameroid lobes weakly notched medially, each side of suprafenestral plate with five macrochaetae, fenestral width 1.25 times length, separated by about 3.2 times fenestral width, linea arquata visible, prostegium protruding medially, tegminal apodeme 0.76 as long as basal piece, with apex narrow and rounded. Pygidiapion zikani is distinguished from P. zeppelinii by smaller size; head, rostrum and antennae brownish; scutellum subquadrate; and by association with Dalbergia spp. (Fabaceae). Association principally with the papilionoid group of Fabaceae suggest allocation of the new taxon to the subtribe Oxystomatina.

Two new species of the family Pauropodidae: Dasongius liupanensis sp. n. and D. spatulatus sp. n. are described from China. Both of them have non-furcate setae on the collum segment, long setae p and q on the antennae, 6+6 setae on tergite II, furcate setae on the coxa, cylindrical setae on the trochanter of leg 9, and two appendages on the anal plate; these features are distinct from other congeners. The new species can be distinguished by the shape of the tergum of the pygidium, shape of the anal plate, as well as the shape of setae a1, a2, st and b1 on the pygidium. In addition, all species of the genus Dasongius are compared in detail.

A new genus and species of soft-winged flower beetles (Coleoptera, Malachiidae), Aliattalus intercalaris gen. et sp. nov., are described in the Late Eocene Baltic amber. The new genus is assigned to the tribe Palpattalini because the male possesses specific structures: an elongated, ventrally curved, domed pygidium with an elongated and bilaciniate apical sternite is combined with large palps, in which the second and third segments are closely adjacent to each other and enlarged. This species in appearance is similar to the genus Palpattalusinus Tshernyshev, 2020, also known in amber: both have similarly fused and enlarged palps with a small cup-shaped first segment, but the apical palpomere in the new species is curved inward and rounded at the apex, rather than elongated to form a tube.

Perinereis nuntia is a fully segmented worm with complete intersegmental septa. A previous study of females revealed that germ cells of this animal originate in the tail end segment, called the pygidium. Germ cells were duplicated in the pygidium, transferred to a newly generated segment, and then settled in the parapodia. Within each segment, the settled germ cells proliferated in the parapodia and then migrated into a body cavity area to begin meiotic development. Currently, there is not much information about differences between male and female germ cell development. Therefore, we conducted monthly in situ hybridization analyses using the germ cell marker Pn-piwi and histological examinations. Germ cells detected by Pn-piwi initially settled in the distal areas of the parapodia on both sides of each segment, then formed a large germ cell cluster in each parapodium, and finally, small germ cell clusters were formed by the separation of the large clusters. The small clusters migrated to the deeper body cavity area during growth by segment addition. Until the female germ cells began vitellogenesis, the sex of germ cells could not be identified by morphological observation. Thus, male and female P. nuntia may have the same mechanism of germ cell provision to all segments. At the time of spawning, sperm were released from nephridiopores at the 2nd through 15th segments from the pygidium, while eggs were released through ruptures in the skin of 2–3 segments between the 10th and 30th segments from the tail.

Niuailan new genus is established for Cryptoryctes peterseni Endrődi, 1967 (Coleoptera: Scarabaeidae: Dynastinae: Pentodontini) from New Ireland, Papua New Guinea. Characters distinguishing it from the Australian Carneoryctes Özdikmen, 2009 species are discussed. The combination of dilated metatibiae, shape of the clypeus and pygidium, simply curved mandibles, absence of a frontal horn, tubercle or carina, and three pronotal horns in Niuailan allow clear separation from other New Guinea Pentodontini.

The paper presents the results of microscopic study of the basic diagnostic structures of the pygidium of the Chrysomphalus dictyospermi, which allow to distinguish this species from the closely related ones of the Chrysomphalus genus.

Psammopauropus macrospinus gen. et sp. n., a remarkable new genus and species of the pauropod family Hansenauropodidae is described from the marine littoral habitat of Hainan Island, South China. It has one pair of dorsal spines on the pygidium differentiated from seta a1, large globular seta st on pygidium, and globular distal setae on the tarsi by which Psammopauropus can be easily distinguished from all other genera of the family. In addition, the adaptive characters of the littoral pauropods are preliminary discussed. This is the first record of the family Hansenauropodidae from China.

A new earwig species of Chelisoches Scudder, 1876, C. chongqingensis Ye & Chen sp. nov. is reported from Chongqin City of China. The new species is characterized by the distinct metallic luster on the elytra and by the pygidium shape of the female. Descriptions and illustrations of both the male and female of the new species are provided. Another species, Platylabia major Dohrn, 1867, is redescribed based on material collected from Guangdong and Fujian provinces.

The recent re-interpretation of the Lower Palaeozoic euarthropod group Mollisonia as belonging to Chelicerata has triggered a renewed interest for the poorly known family Mollisoniidae. In this contribution, we revise the anatomy, taxonomic diversity, and systematics of Thelxiope, the sister-taxon of Mollisonia. This mollisoniid genus comprises four species, and is characterized by the presence of one cephalic, seven thoracic (one per tergite), and three pygidial long sagittal spines. The type species, T. palaeothalassia Simonetta & Delle Cave, is a rare taxon in the Wuliuan Burgess Shale Formation of Canada, which can be recognized by the hypertrophy of a single of its sagittal spines, the posteriomost one. T. spinosa (Conway Morris & Robison)–a species originally assigned to a distinct genus ‘Ecnomocaris’ herein synonymised with Thelxiope–is known from a single specimen found in the Drumian Wheeler Formation of the House Range of Utah. It differs from the type-species in the hypertrophy of both the anteriormost (cephalic) and the posteriormost (third pygidial) sagittal spines. The same Wheeler strata have also yielded a single specimen of a new taxon, T. holmani sp. nov., which lacks hypertrophied sagittal spines and features blunt thoracic tergopleural tips. A putative fourth species, referred to Thelxiope sp. nov. A, extends the stratigraphical range of Thelxiope to the Lower Ordovician (Tremadocian), and its palaeographic range to West Gondwana. Currently under study, this relatively common component of the lower Fezouata Shale fauna is only briefly discussed. Features characterizing the genus Thelxiope and its components almost exclusively pertain to the sagittal spines, for the scarcity and inconsistent preservation of the Cambrian materials as-yet available preclude a confident assessment of the variability of other morphological features. The pygidium in Thelxiope and Mollisonia is not composed of four, but three tergites essentially similar to thoracic ones, except for the lack of articulations.

The present study describes a new species of spionid polychaete, Streblospio eridani n. sp., from the Italian coasts of the Northern Adriatic Sea (Mediterranean Sea). This new spionid species was recorded from shallow lagoon and marine habitats: the soft bottoms of the Sacca di Goro (Po River Delta), on October 2017, and the Lido di Dante (Emilia Romagna), between 2016 and 2017. The re-assessment of spionid specimens from other lagoon systems (the Valli di Comacchio and the Valle di Gorino) led us to recognize the presence of this species in the northern Adriatic Sea since 2009. Streblospio eridani n. sp. had low occurrence and density at the marine site Lido di Dante and at the lagoon sites Valli di Comacchio and Valle di Gorino; whereas it reached the highest density of 21,213.3 ind. m-2 at the Sacca di Goro. Morphologically this new species is characterized by dorsal (occipital) papilla on the first chaetiger, sabre chaetae and hooded hooks first appearing on chaetigers 7, hooks with 4-5 pairs of small secondary teeth, pygidium with ventral lappets, and brooding branchiate structures between chaetigers 13 and 28. In the phylogenetic reconstruction, based on the mitochondrial cytochrome c oxidase subunit I (COI) gene, the Adriatic taxon results clearly indicate that this is distinct from the other species of the genus and formed a well-supported clade with other Streblospio sp. specimens from India. Nucleotide divergences calculated between the Adriatic specimens and the other Streblospio species are higher than the intraspecific range reported for the genus and support the description of a new species. Morphological characters important for differentiation of the new species herein described from congeneric species are discussed and an updated key for Streblospio species is provided.

A new trilobite, Longaspis paiwuensis n. gen. n. sp., from the Balang Formation (Cambrian Stage 4) in northwestern Hunan, South China, is described. This rare trilobite adds to an expanding taxonomic list of organisms recognized from the Balang Lagerstatte, a deposit of exceptional preservation from the Cambrian. Longaspis paiwuensis is an unusually large-sized, micropygous oryctocephalid trilobite that has proparian facial sutures, pit-like lateral glabellar furrows, up to 17 thoracic segments, and a distinct medial notch in the pygidium; it lacks marginal spines. The classification of the family Oryctocephalidae is reviewed. Three subfamilies are recognized, and Longaspis n. gen. is assigned to the subfamily Oryctocarinae.

Over the last five decades, only two new species of Syllis (Syllidae, Annelida) have been described from South Africa, suggesting a greatly underestimated richness and the expectation that many more indigenous species still remain undescribed. In this paper, we describe three new species from algal turf along a rocky shore on the south coast of South Africa. All three species are characterised by having pseudo-simple chaetae by loss of blade and enlargement of shafts together with compound heterogomph bidentate falcigers. Syllis zahri sp. nov. (up to 5 mm long) is characterised by light pink to light brown colouration on its prostomium and anterior chaetigers, dark transverse bars that fade towards the posterior region, superior anterior chaetae having short spines and posterior parapodia with distally hollow aciculae. Syllis jaylani sp. nov. (up to 7 mm long) is narrow anteriorly, relatively wider at midbody and tapers posteriorly toward the pygidium, has a pharyngeal tooth slightly back from the anterior margin, strongly bidentate chaetae with teeth perpendicular to the main shaft, thin sinuose bidentate ventral simple chaetae with a serrated edge and pseudo-simple chaetae with a serrated edge in anterior parapodia. Syllis bunaa sp. nov. (up to 9 mm long) shows a characteristic dark brown colouration on its prostomium and anterior region, is distinctly rounded dorsally, and has unidentate or minutely bidentate chaetae, up to three pseudo-simple chaetae on parapodia along the whole body and posterior ventral simple chaetae that are thick with rounded tips or sinuose with a serrated inner edge.

Here, we review the species Cratomorphus cossyphinus (Perty, 1830) after study of the holotype, 24 adults and nine immature stages deposited in five collections. The species is found throughout South America, inhabiting wetlands. Larva, pupa and female are described for the first time, and the male is redescribed and illustrated, with an emphasis on sexual dimorphism. The larva is considered semiaquatic, condition also known in related Cratomorphini taxa, found on vegetation either marginal or over sand islets on marshes. Sexually dimorphism was more pronounced in the size and shape of the following structures: frons, antenna, eyes, hypomeron, hind wing, lantern on the sternum VI, sternum VIII and pygidium. Interestingly enough, most of the aforementioned features are involved with mate finding. We also report remarkable multiple spermathecae in the female, unprecedented for the genus and for the family as well. Finally, we provide illustrations and diagnoses for all stages, and an updated distribution map for the species for South America, reporting C. cossyphinus from Venezuela and Suriname to Southern Brazil.

Araecerus is genus of beetles of the Anthribidae family which are important economic pests of various crops including coffee (Rubiaceae), with A.fasciculatus (Degeer) being the common pest (weevil) of coffee beans. This paper presents a study in which five undescribed species of genus Araecerus were reared predominantly from the seeds of M.pachyclados (Rubiceae), a native tree of Papua New Guinea (PNG). Fruits of M. pachyclados were regularly sampled and insects attacking them were reared, preserved and identified. Fruits were hand collected, photographed, weighed and reared. Insects emerging from the fruits were captured and preserved in 99% ethanol. All the specimens were identified into morphospecies at the laboratory. The five new species discovered were designated as A. sp.1, A. sp.2, A. sp.3, A. sp.4 and A.sp.5. This was accorded based on differences in body length; scutellum color, size, hair-scales and visibility; length of first and second segments of fore tarsus; apical and subapical teeth-size (mandible and maxillary palpi); declivity of dorsal abdomen; basal-anterior eye markings; lateral eye markings; absence of eye markings; and shape of pygidium. We discovered A. sp.1 has yellowish gold marking inside the base of the eye, A. sp.2 with pygidium almost vertically-flat at abdominal apex, A. sp.3 has eyes without yellowish gold marking and generally dark in color, A. sp.4 with distinct yellowish gold interior-lateral marking in its eye, and A. sp.5 with pygidium pointed at abdominal apex.

Selected pygidia of the middle Cambrian corynexochid trilobite Athabaskia anax (Walcott 1916) from the Miaolingian Series of San Isidro (Precordillera, Mendoza, Argentina) are analyzed for the first time using scanning electron microscopy in combination with energy-dispersive X-ray spectrometry (SEM-EDX). Pygidia occur in a single stratigraphic level composed of fine-grained calcareous sandstones and show four types of morphological preservations. The purpose this case study is threefold: (1) to analyze in detail the sample types by means of SEM-EDX in order to explore the chemical changes of the exoskeleton induced by diagenesis; (2) to use principal component analysis (PCA) to focus on groupings as a function of the chemical composition; and (3) to analyze the possible systematic implications of the chemical data. Results show that PCA supports the distinction among the four types of morphological preservations, based mainly on differences in the contents of Ca, Al, and K, as well as Si and Mg. This suggests that diagenesis followed distinct taphonomic pathways in the single stratigraphic level and resulted in contrasting chemical compositions of the four types of morphological preservations. It is interpreted that some morphological characteristics of the pygidia are the result of chemical and structural changes taking place during fossilization and do not represent real morphological differences in the living organisms. Our results dictate caution when using some morphological characteristics of the exoskeletons to erect new taxa, which, in turn, could be used to draw erroneous conclusions on their biostratigraphy, biogeography, and palaeoecology.