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Thursday, May 26, 2016
Tuesday, May 24, 2016
Capybara
MEET CAPYBARA - THE MOST FRIENDLY AND PEACEFUL ANIMAL SPECIES EVER!
Capybara is the biggest rodent on the planet. But this isn’t the only remarkable thing about it. Capybara seems to be able to make friends with any animal in the world. Sounds impossible? Then check it for yourself!This rodent is really big: it can weigh from 27 to 67 kg! It looks like a large, massive dog but actually is a cousin of guinea pigs or rats.These extremely friendly animals are native to South America. In the wild, they inhabit banks of rivers and lakes because they just adore being in the water. They may do absolutely everything there– eat, breed and even sleep with their nose peeping out of the water. No wonder, that its scientific name Hydrochoerus Hydrochaeris is translated from Greek as “Water Pig”.Capybaras are herbivores, feeding mainly on grass and aquatic plants as well as fruit and tree bark. Like its relative the guinea pig, the capybara does not have the capacity to synthesize vitamin C. That’s why in captivity the animals should be supplemented with this vitamin otherwise it may lead to a dangerous disease.In captivity, capybaras live 8-10 years on average, whereas in the wild their life span is less than 4 years since they are a prey of many predators such as jaguar, puma, ocelot, eagle, caiman and anaconda.Capybaras are social animals. They always need to be in a company of others. Their character is really calm, peaceful and friendly. That is why they can be on good terms with almost all creatures!
Wednesday, May 18, 2016
Novataxa
Tuesday, May 17, 2016
[Herpetology • 2014] Brachycephalus crispus • A New Species ofBrachycephalus (Anura: Brachycephalidae)from the Highlands of the Atlantic Forest, Southeastern Brazil
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| Brachycephalus crispus
Condez, Clemente-Carvalho, Haddad & Dos Reis, 2014
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ABSTRACT
A new species of brachycephalid frog is described from the highlands of the Atlantic Forest in Serra do Mar, municipality of Cunha, São Paulo State, southeastern Brazil. Specimens were collected amidst the leaf litter at approximately 920 m above sea level. The new species is distinguished from all of its congeners by the combination of the following characters: snout–vent length 9.5–15.6 mm; rough dorsum; general background color orange with a variable density of whitish spots on dorsum; skin on head and dorsum granular with dermal ossification; skull, spinal processes of sacral and presacral vertebrae, and process of the fourth vertebra hyperossified; absence of hyperossification in the central portion of the skull; dorsal surface of body covered by osteoderms. The new species was found active by day and is locally abundant. Males hold territories during the reproductive season. Females had few mature oocytes during the same period. The advertisement call of Brachycephalus crispus is a long and low-intensity buzz with a regular repetition of notes.
Keywords: Advertisement call, Atlantic rainforest, Cunha, Direct-developing frog
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| Brachycephalus crispus, endemic to the Serra do Mar mountain range in the Atlantic Forest. Individuals are smaller than 2 mm. |
Etymology. — The specific epithet is a Latin adjective meaning rouged or rugous. The name is used in allusion to the roughness of the dorsum of this species.
Distribution. — Brachycephalus crispus is known only from the type locality at Bacia B, Parque Estadual da Serra do Mar, Núcleo Cunha, Cunha municipality, São Paulo State, southeastern Brazil (Fig. 10).
Thais H. Condez, Rute B. G. Clemente-Carvalho, Célio F. B. Haddad and Sergio F. dos Reis. 2014. A New Species of Brachycephalus (Anura: Brachycephalidae) from the Highlands of the Atlantic Forest, Southeastern Brazil. Herpetologica. 70(1): 89-99. DOI: 10.1655/HERPETOLOGICA-D-13-00044
Sapinho laranja é a mais nova espécie da Mata Atlântica http://ciencia.estadao.com.br/blogs/herton-escobar/sapinho-laranja-e-a-mais-nova-especie-da-mata-atlantica/ via @estadao
Sapinho-pingo-de-ouro colore e enrique a biodiversidade do PESM
Less than $200 million would conserve Atlantic Forest in Brazil, researchers find http://phy.so/328443967 via @physorg_com
[Botany • 2016] Thismia tectipora • A New, Unusual Mitre-Form Species(Thismiaceae) from Tropical Australia
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| Thismia tectipora Cowie |
Abstract
Thismia tectipora (Thismiaceae) a new, unusual mitre-form species from tropical Australia. Nuytsia 27: 85–94 (2016). A new tropical species, Thismia tectipora Cowie from Melville Island in the far north of the Northern Territory, Australia, is described and illustrated. The species is unique in the genus in having a thickened, fleshy, verrucose, cap-like mitre, the rim of which is reflexed to hide the pores in the upper perianth tube. It appears allied to taxa previously placed in Thismia Griff. sect. Sarcosiphon (Blume) Jonker,Geomitra Becc. and Scaphiophora Schltr. Available evidence suggests T. tectipora has a restricted distribution on Melville Island. Threats to the species, and its conservation status, are discussed.
Type: Melville Island [near Paru], Northern Territory ... [precise locality withheld for conservation reasons].
Diagnostic features. Distinguished from all other Thismia species by the thickened, verrucose, caplike mitre, the margin of which is reflexed to hide the three pores at the apex of the perianth tube. The apparent absence of the three outer perianth lobes and single long, slender appendage are also both unusual in Thismia.
Etymology. From the Latin tectus (hidden) and porus (a pore), in reference to the pores in the perianth tube, which are hidden by the mitre cap (Figure 1).
Ian D. Cowie and David T. Liddle. 2016. Thismia tectipora (Thismiaceae) A New, Unusual Mitre-Form Species from Tropical Australia. Nuytsia, The journal of the Western Australian Herbarium. 27: 85–94. https://florabase.dpaw.wa.gov.au/science/nuytsia/781.pdf
[Botany • 2016] Vriesea × brueggemannii• Morphological Features, Nuclear Microsatellites and Plastid Haplotypes Reveal Hybridisation Processes Between Two Sympatric Vriesea Species(Bromeliaceae), V. incurvata and V. carinata, inthe Atlantic Forest, southern Brazil
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| Vriesea × brueggemannii |
Abstract
Natural hybridisation is considered a common fact among species of Bromeliaceae. We here report natural hybridisation between two sympatric Vriesea species, V. incurvata and V. carinata, in the Atlantic Forest of Santa Catarina (southern Brazil), one of the main remnants of the Mata Atlântica forest. Morphological and genetic data were obtained from both parental species and the putative hybrid, individuals of the latter being found to be intermediate between those of the parents. The main differential characters of the nothospecies were the width of the inflorescence and the rachis, length and width of the stigma, and the length of anthers. Moreover, plastid markers and nuclear microsatellites were analysed and we found that the hybrid plants shared genetic information with both parental species, although they showed an overall higher genetic similarity with V. carinata. As a conclusion, the hybrid status of the intermediate plants is accepted and therefore the new nothospecies Vriesea × brueggemannii is described. To date, the presence of the hybrids is restricted to regeneration sites, a fact that points out to the need for preservation of the secondary vegetation as an effective tool for conservation of biodiversity.
Keywords: Brazilian flora; homoploid; morphological identification; molecular markers; natural hybridisation, Brazil, Monocots
Josy Z. Matos, Ana Juan, Jonás C. Agulló and Manuel B. Crespo. 2016. Morphological Features, Nuclear Microsatellites and Plastid Haplotypes Reveal Hybridisation Processes Between Two Sympatric Vriesea Species in Brazil (Bromeliaceae).
Phytotaxa. 261(1) DOI: 10.11646/phytotaxa.261.1.2
[Botany • 2014] Aerides phongii • A New Species of Orchid (Orchidaceae) from Southern Vietnam
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| Aerides phongii Aver. Fig. 1. Aerides phongii Aver. Flowering plants, flowers and floral details
(all photos from the type specimens by P. K. Loc and C. X. Canh)
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Summary
The paper provides illustrated description of a new orchid species, Aerides phongii, discovered in heavily disturbed primary seasonal tropical broad-leaved woodland of southern Vietnam. Terete subulate leaves and verruculose lip with large verrucose calli on the lip disc define isolated taxonomic position of the species. Discovered plant is assessed preliminarily as critically endangered species.
Key words: Aerides phongii, Orchidaceae, plant diversity, new species, Vietnam, nature protection.
L.V. Averyanov, P.K. Loc and C.X. Canh. 2014. Aerides phongii (Orchidaceae), a new species from Southern Vietnam. Turczaninowia. 17(1): 6–9. DOI: 10.14258/turczaninowia.17.1.2
Л.В. Аверьянов, Ф.К. Лок and Ч.С. Кань. 2014. Aerides phongii (Orchidaceae) – новый вид из Южного Вьетнама
Аннотация. В статье приведено иллюстрирован- ное описание новой орхидеи – Aerides phongii, най- денной в ксерофитных лесах Южного Вьетнама. Ци- линдрические листья и пупырчатая губа с крупными бородавчатыми выростами в ее центре определяют уникальное изолированное положение найденно- го вида в пределах рода. Согласно предварительной оценке, вновь открытое растение находится в приро- де на грани полного вымирания
Ключевые слова: Aerides phongii, Orchidaceae, биоразнообразие, новый вид, Вьетнам, охрана природы.
Monday, May 16, 2016
[Botany • 2016] Generic Recircumscription in the Loxocarpinae(Gesneriaceae), As Inferred by Phylogenetic and Morphological Data, with the segregation ofMiddletonia gen. nov.
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| Fig. 3. The seven clades of Loxocarpinae. 1, Middletonia C.Puglisi, a new genus including the species with a farinose indumentum on the ovary, segregated fromParaboea (C.B.Clarke) Ridl.; Middletonia multiflora (R.Br.) C.Puglisi. Photos by D.J. Middleton. 2, Dorcoceras Bunge is resur-rected to include the Southeast Asian species with a campanulate corolla previously ascribed to Boea. Left: Dorcoceras sp. nov.; right: D. philippense(C.B.Clarke) Schltr. Photos by P. Karaket. 3, Clade dominated by a paraphyletic Loxocarpus, including the small Malesian genera. 3a, Loxocarpus incanus R.Br. Photo by T. Putthai. 3b, Emarhendia bettiana (M.R.Hend.) Kiew, A.Weber & B.L.Burtt. Photo by J. Tan.3c, Orchadocarpa lilacina Ridl. Photo by T.L. Yao. 3d, Senyumia minutiflora (Ridl.) Kiew, A.Weber & B.L.Burtt. Photo by P.T. Ong. 3e, Spelaeanthus chinii Kiew, A.Weber & B.L.Burtt. Photo by P.T. Ong. 3f, Boea hygroscopica F.Muell. Photo by D.J. Middleton. 4, Clade of three well-defined genera, left unaltered by this study. 4a, Kaisupeea herbacea (C.B.Clarke) B.L.Burtt. Photo by P. Triboun. 4b, Rhabothamnopsis sinensis Hemsl. Photo by M. Möller. 4c, Ornithoboea pseudoflexuosa B.L.Burtt. Photo by P. Karaket. 5, Somrania D.J.Middleton, a small Thai genus, sister to Damrongia Kerr ex Craib. Somrania flavida D.J.Middleton & Triboun. Photo by D.J. Middleton. 6, Damrongia, expanded to include Boea clarkeana Hemsl. and the Asian species of Streptocarpus Lindl. 6a, Damrongia orientalis (Craib) C.Puglisi. Photo by D.J. Middleton. 6b, Damrongia trisepala (Barnett) D.J.Middleton & A.Weber. Photo by P. Triboun. 6c, Damrongia clarkeana (Hemsl.) C.Puglisi. Photo by C. Puglisi. 7, Paraboea, recircumscribed in this study by the segregation of Middletonia. Paraboea middletonii Triboun. Photo by P. Karaket. |
Abstract
The Loxocarpinae, also known as the “Boea group”, are the subtribe of Gesneriaceae which includes Boea and a number of segregated genera and close relatives. This group currently comprises over 200 species in 15 genera. Here we present the most up-to-date phylogeny, covering all the genera known to belong to the group, based on Bayesian inference and parsimony of the nuclear ITS and the plastid regions trnL-trnF (intron and spacer) andndhF-trnL UAG(spacers). The results show discrepancies between the current generic delimitation in the subtribe and the clades delineated by the phylogeny. As a result Boea, Damrongia, Paraboea and Streptocarpus are recircumscribed in an attempt to establish a more natural classification and new combinations are made. The new genus Middletonia is described.
Keywords: Boea; Damrongia; Paraboea ; Southeast Asia; Streptocarpus
Puglisi, Carmen; Yao, Tze Leong; Milne, Richard; Möller, Michael and Middleton, David J. 2016. Generic Recircumscription in the Loxocarpinae (Gesneriaceae), As Inferred by Phylogenetic and Morphological Data. Taxon. 65(2); 277-292. DOI: 10.12705/652.5
[Botany • 2014] Four New Species ofNepenthes L. (Nepenthaceae) from the Central Mountains of Mindanao, Philippines
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Nepenthes pantaronensis Gieray, Gronem., Wistuba, Marwinski, Micheler, Coritico & V.B. Amoroso N. cornuta Marwinski, Coritico, Wistuba, Micheler, Gronem., Gieray & V.B.Amoroso N. talaandig Gronem., Coritico, Wistuba, Micheler, Marwinski, Gieray & V.B.Amoroso N. amabilis Wistuba, Gronem., Micheler, Marwinski, Gieray, Coritico & V.B.Amoroso |
Abstract
Together with the islands of Sumatra (Indonesia) and Borneo (Indonesia, Malaysia), the Philippines are the main center of diversity for carnivorous pitcher plants of the genus, Nepenthes L. Nepenthes are the largest of all carnivorous plants, and the species with the biggest pitchers are capable of trapping and digesting small amphibians and even mammals. The central cordillera of Mindanao Island in the south of the Philippines is mostly covered with old, primary forest and is the largest remaining cohesive, untouched area of wilderness in the Philippines. In a recent field exploration of two areas of the central cordillera, namely Mount Sumagaya and a section of the Pantaron range, four new taxa of Nepenthes were discovered. These four remarkable new species, Nepenthes pantaronensis, N. cornuta, N. talaandig and N. amabilis, are described, illustrated and assessed.
Keywords: carnivorous pitcher plants; Nepenthes; biodiversity; Philippines
Nepenthes pantaronensis Gieray, Gronem., Wistuba, Marwinski, Micheler, Coritico, V.B. Amoroso, spec. nov.
Diagnosis: Differs from N. pulchra Gronem. in having 2 longitudinal nerves (N. pulchra: 3–4), 2 non-fringed or barely fringed wings on the lower pitchers and no wings on the upper pitchers (N. pulchra: fringed wings on the lower pitchers and wings reduced to ribs on the upper pitchers) and in having basal stem leaves with a canaliculate petiole (N. pulchra: broad-winged petiole).
Type: Philippines, Mindanao Island, Bukidnon Province, Pantaron mountain range, Mt. Gaka (1,390 m) near Sitio Mahayag (Barangay St. Peter, Malaybalay City, Bukidnon Province, Philippines), 15.08.2012, T. Gronemeyer and F. Coritico, holotype CMUH00008625, Central Mindanao University Herbarium (CMUH), Musuan, Bukidnon, Philippines.
Etymology: The specific epithet denotes that N. pantaronensis was discovered in the Pantaron mountain range.
Nepenthes cornuta Marwinski, Coritico, Wistuba, Micheler, Gronem., Gieray, V.B.Amoroso, spec. nov.
Diagnosis: Differs from N. copelandii Macfarlane in having a narrower lamina, upper pitchers with a distinctive, swollen base and an almost completely cylindrical upper two-thirds (N. copelandii: upper pitchers strongly infundibular with a narrow base and proportionally a much wider opening) and noticeably smaller lower pitchers lacking wings (N. copelandii: wings always present on lower pitchers).
Type: Philippines, Mindanao Island, Bukidnon Province, Pantaron mountain range, trail from Sitio Mahayag (Barangay St. Peter, Malaybalay City) to Sitio Balaudo, 15.08.2012, T. Gronemeyer and F. Coritico, holotype CMUH00008547, Central Mindanao University Herbarium (CMUH), Musuan, Bukidnon, Philippines.
Etymology: The specific epithet, cornuta (lat. cornu = horn), refers to the plant’s horn-shaped upper pitchers.
Nepenthes talaandig Gronem., Coritico, Wistuba, Micheler, Marwinski, Gieray, V.B.Amoroso, spec. nov.
Diagnosis: Differs from N. cornuta Marwinski in having bulbous lower pitchers with a flattened, crenellated peristome (N. cornuta: slender lower pitchers; cylindrical towards the pitcher opening; with cylindrical peristome) and having a winged petiole that clasps the stem (N. cornuta: canaliculate petiole).
Type: Philippines, Mindanao Island, Bukidnon Province, Pantaron mountain range, trail from Sitio Mahayag (Barangay St. Peter, Malaybalay City) to Sitio Balaudo, 15.08.2012, T. Gronemeyer and F. Coritico, holotype CMUH00008624, Central Mindanao University Herbarium (CMUH), Musuan, Bukidnon, Philippines.
Etymology: The specific epithet was chosen to acknowledge the indigenous tribe of theTalaandig. N. talaandig occurs on the ancestral territory of the Talaandig communities of east Bukidnon.
Nepenthes amabilis Wistuba, Gronem., Micheler, Marwinski, Gieray, Coritico, V.B.Amoroso, spec. nov.
Diagnosis: Differs from N. pantaronensis Gieray in having spathulate-ovate, approximately 10 cm long and 3.5 cm wide leaves with an obtuse apex (N. pantaronensis: up to 28 cm long and narrowly acute apex) and having mostly cylindrical to slightly infundibular upper pitchers that are only 10–15 cm tall and distinctly contracted in the region below the peristome (N. pantaronensis: clearly inflated in the lowest quarter and up to 40 cm tall).
Type: Philippines, Mindanao, Mt. Sumagaya, trail from Barangay Mat-I (Municipality of Claveria) to the summit 19.08.2012, T. Gronemeyer and A. Wistuba, holotype CMUH00008635 (male flower), isotype CMUH00008637 (female flower), Central Mindanao University Herbarium (CMUH), Musuan, Bukidnon, Philippines.
Etymology: The specific epithet, amabilis (lat. amabilis = lovely), refers to the extraordinary beauty of the compact specimens with very colorful pitchers and mostly striped peristomes that were observed in situ.
Infauna
At the type locality of N. cornuta, several ant colonies (Crematogaster sp.) were found in dead or dying pitchers of this species. The ants obstruct the pitcher opening with a greyish matter, probably made out of vegetal detritus and dirt. This ‘lid’ has small entry holes along the pitcher walls. The bottom of the pitchers is pierced with one or two round holes, draining them of their digestive fluid. These holes also serve as “emergency exits” for the ants when disturbed. The presence of those insects on some pierced functional pitchers without a nest might suggest that the ants first pierce and drain functional pitchers before colonizing them. A similar colonization has been observed before in other Nepenthesspecies, e.g., N. macfarlanei Hemsl. in Malaysia [17] and N. maxima Reinw. on the lower slopes of the Maoke Mountains in West Papua (personal observation by the authors).
Conclusions
Carnivorous pitcher plants are widespread within the Malesian biogeographical region comprising the Malayan peninsula and the islands of Sumatra, Borneo, Sulawesi and the Philippines. Especially in the Philippines, the majority of species are known from centers of diversity and endemism. Several species are restricted to one single mountain top or a mountain ridge.A field research trip to the formerly unexplored central cordillera of Mindanao led to the discovery of four new taxa of carnivorous pitcher plants, namely N. amabilis, N. cornuta, N. pantaronensis and N. talaandig.
While N. cornuta and possibly N. talaandig belong to the N. alata group of species, N. pantaronensis is clearly related to N. pulchra and N. petiolata and, thus, belongs to theReginae group.
N. amabilis stands clearly on its own among the Philippine Nepenthes species.
Other species in the central cordillera include N. ceciliae, N. pulchra, N. surigaoensis and N. truncata. However, the latter two species are widespread and also occur in other regions of Mindanao.
As with many other species of Nepenthes in the Philippines, the future of all species of the central cordillera is highly dependent on habitat conservation. Mt. Kiamo is not currently a protected area and, thus, the conservation status of the two endemic species, N. ceciliae andN. pulchra, needs to be monitored closely in the future.
If the current status “key biodiversity area” for the Pantaron range and the Kimangkil massif, including Mt. Sumagaya, leads to permanent protection combined with careful monitoring of the relevant protective measures, at least the four endemic Nepenthes species we described in this article would be assured preservation in the long term.
Thomas Gronemeyer, Fulgent Coritico, Andreas Wistuba, David Marwinski, Tobias Gieray, Marius Micheler, François Sockhom Mey and Victor Amoroso. 2016. Four New Species of Nepenthes L. (Nepenthaceae) from the Central Mountains of Mindanao, Philippines. Plants. 3, 284-303. DOI: 10.3390/plants3020284
Saturday, May 14, 2016
[PaleoMammalogy • 2016] Maofelis cantonensis • First Nimravid Skull from Asia
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| Maofelis cantonensis
Averianov, Obraztsova, Danilov, Skutschas & Jin, 2016
DOI: 10.1038/srep25812
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Abstract
Maofelis cantonensis gen. and sp. nov. is described based on a complete cranium from the middle-upper Eocene Youganwo Formation of Maoming Basin, Guangdong Province, China. The new taxon has characters diagnostic for Nimravidae such as a short cat-like skull, short palate, ventral surface of petrosal dorsal to that of basioccipital, serrations on the distal carina of canine, reduced anterior premolars, and absence of posterior molars (M2-3). It is plesiomorphic nimravid taxon similar to Nimravidae indet. from Quercy (France) in having the glenoid pedicle and mastoid process without ventral projections, a planar basicranium in which the lateral rim is not ventrally buttressed, and P1 present. The upper canine is less flattened than in other Nimravidae. Maofelis cantonensis gen. and sp. nov. exemplifies the earliest stage of development of sabertooth specialization characteristic of Nimravidae. This taxon, together with other middle-late Eocene nimravid records in South Asia, suggests origin and initial diversification of Nimravidae in Asia. We propose that this group dispersed to North America in the late Eocene and to Europe in the early Oligocene. The subsequent Oligocene diversification of Nimravidae took place in North America and Europe, while in Asia this group declined in the Oligocene, likely because of the earlier development of open habitats on that continent.
Systematic paleontology
Mammalia Linnaeus, 1758
Carnivora Bowdich, 1821
Nimravidae Cope, 1880
Maofelis cantonensis gen. et sp. nov.
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| Figure 2: SYSU-M 2, holotype of Maofelis cantonensis gen. and sp. nov., in dorsal (a), lateral (b) and ventral (c) views, photographs and explanatory drawings.
DOI: 10.1038/srep25812
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Holotype: Collection from the Maoming Basin in the School of Life Sciences, Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou, China (SYSU-M) 2, almost complete cranium (skull without mandible), with most of the dentition preserved.
Diagnosis: Maofelis is referred to Nimravidae based on the following combination of characters that is diagnostic for this group1,2: cat-like skull with shortened rostrum and mesocranium; palate short, does not extend posterior to the toothrow; walls of the basipharyngeal canal converged posteriorly; ventral surface of petrosal significantly dorsal to that of basioccipital; hypoglossal foramen separated from the posterior lacerate foramen; paraoccipital process moderately large, posteriorly projecting; incisors with reduced lingual cingula; serrations on the distal carina of canine; anterior premolars reduced; P4 without a parastyle; posterior molars (M2–3) absent.
Type locality and horizon: The oil shale quarry (21°42′ N, 110°53′ E) located near Maoming City, Maoming Basin, Guangdong Province, China; Youganwo Formation, middle-upper Eocene.
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| Figure 1: Map showing the known record of Nimravidae in Asia (red circles – Eocene, yellow – Oligocene, blue – Miocene). (1) Lushi Basin, Henan Province, China, Lushi Fm., middle Eocene, cf. Eusmilus sp., canine fragments; (2) Bose Basin, Guangxi Province, China, Dongjin Fm., middle Eocene, Hoplophoneus? sp. or Eusmilus? sp., canine fragments; (3) Maoming Basin, Guangdong Province, China, Youganwo Fm., middle-upper Eocene, Maofelis cantonensis, skull (this report); (4) Pondaung, Myanmar, Pondaung Fm., middle-upper Eocene, Nimravus sp., dentary fragment; (5) Krabi Basin, Thailand, Formation B2, upper Eocene, Nimravus cf. intermedius andHoplophoneus sp., maxilla and dentary fragments, isolated teeth; (6) Khoer Dzan and Ergilin Dzo, Mongolia, Ergilin Dzo Fm., upper Eocene, Nimravus intermedius (=N. mongoliensis), dentary fragments; (7) Tatal Gol and Taatsin Gol, Mongolia, Hsanda Gol Fm., lower Oligocene, Nimravus mongoliensis and Nimravidae indet., dentary fragments; (8) Benara, Georgia, upper Oligocene, Nimravidae indet., isolated m1; (9) Tieersihabahe, Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region, China, Halamagai Fm., middle Miocene, Nimravidae indet., dentary fragment.
The map was generated by A. Averianov using Adobe Photoshop CS3 program. DOI: 10.1038/srep25812
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Etymology: The generic name is from Maoming Basin in Guangdong Province where the skull was found, and the felid genus Felis. The species name is from Canton, an older name of Guangzhou City.
Alexander Averianov, Ekaterina Obraztsova, Igor Danilov, Pavel Skutschas and Jianhua Jin. 2016. First Nimravid Skull from Asia. Scientific Reports. 6, (25812). DOI: 10.1038/srep25812
[Herpetology • 2016] RedescriptionCyrtodactylus lateralis (Werner) (Squamata: Gekkonidae) and Phylogeny of the Prehensile-tailed Cyrtodactylus
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| FIGURE 4. Coloration of living Cyrtodactylus lateralis from Gunung Seulawah Agam, Aceh, Sumatra. (A–B) head morphology of two males (A, MZB 13172, head length 18.3 mm, and B, MZB 13173, head length 21.9). (C) Largest known specimen, an adult female (MZB 13175, SVL 96 mm). (D) Pale pigmented male with regenerated tail (UTA 62921, SVL 79 mm). (E) Precloacal coloration and cloacal tubercles of an adult male (UTA 62921, SVL 79 mm). (F) Detail of tail and cloacal tubercles of male (MZB 13172).
Photos by E. N. Smith. ResearchGate.net DOI: 10.11646/zootaxa.4107.4.3
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Abstract
We redescribe Cyrtodactylus lateralis (Werner) on the basis of new specimens. Cyrtodactylus lateralis is a prehensile-tailed species, known from scattered lowland to mid-elevation localities in northern Sumatra. The prehensile-tailed Cyrtodactylus are more speciose and have a wider distribution than previously thought. This group includes a mainland SE Asian clade consisting of C. elok, C. interdigitalis, and C. brevipalmatus and an insular clade containing C. durio, C. lateralis, C. nuaulu, C. serratus, C. spinosus, and C.stresemanni. However, a distinctive color pattern in the Wallacean and Papuan species and uncertainty surrounding the type locality of C. stresemanni raise unresolved questions about the inclusiveness of the insular clade. DNA sequence data supports a close relationship between C. elok and C. interdigitalis, but also reveals that C. lateralis and C. durio are not closely related to these species.
Keywords: Aceh, Biogeography, Cyrtodactylus brevipalmatus, Cyrtodactylus durio,Cyrtodactylus interdigitalis, Cyrtodactylus nuaulu, Cyrtodactylus quadrivirgatus,Cyrtodactylus serratus, Cyrtodactylus stresemanni, Phylogenetics, Sumatera Utara, Sumatra, Wallacea, Reptilia
Keywords: Aceh, Biogeography, Cyrtodactylus brevipalmatus, Cyrtodactylus durio,Cyrtodactylus interdigitalis, Cyrtodactylus nuaulu, Cyrtodactylus quadrivirgatus,Cyrtodactylus serratus, Cyrtodactylus stresemanni, Phylogenetics, Sumatera Utara, Sumatra, Wallacea, Reptilia
Michael B. Harvey, Kyle O'Connell, Elijah Wostl, Awal Riyanto, Nia Kurniawan, Eric N Smith and L Lee Grismer. 2016. Redescription Cyrtodactylus lateralis (Werner) (Squamata: Gekkonidae) and Phylogeny of the Prehensile-tailed Cyrtodactylus.
Zootaxa. 4107(4); 517–540. DOI: 10.11646/zootaxa.4107.4.3
Zootaxa. 4107(4); 517–540. DOI: 10.11646/zootaxa.4107.4.3
[PaleoMammalogy • 2016] Protovis himalayensis • An Early Sheep from the Pliocene of Tibet, (Bovidae, Caprini), and Origin of Ice Age Mountain Sheep
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| Fig. 2 Map of extinct and extant species of Ovis in Eurasia and their evolutionary relationships.
Image by WANG Xiaoming english.cas.cn
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ABSTRACT
Modern wild sheep, Ovis, is widespread in the mountain ranges of the Caucasus through Himalaya, Tibetan Plateau, Tianshan-Altai, eastern Siberia, and the Rocky Mountains in North America. In Eurasia, fossil sheep are known at a few Pleistocene sites in North China, eastern Siberia, and western Europe, but are so far absent from the Tibetan Plateau. We describe an extinct sheep, Protovis himalayensis, gen. et sp. nov., from the Pliocene of the Zanda Basin in western Himalaya. Smaller than the living argali, this new form shares with Ovis posterolaterally arched horncores and partially developed sinuses and possesses several transitional characters leading to Ovis. Protovis likely subsisted on C3 plants, which are the dominant vegetation in the Zanda area during the Pliocene. With the discovery of this new genus and species, we extend the fossil record for the sheep clade into the Pliocene of the Tibetan Plateau, consistent with our previous out-of-Tibet hypothesis. Ancestral sheep in the Pliocene were presumed adapted to high altitude and cold environments, and during the Ice Age, sheep became anatomically modern and dispersed outside of the Tibetan Plateau. Both this new fossil datum and the existing molecular phylogeny suggest that the Tibetan Plateau, possibly including Tianshan-Altai, represents the ancestral home range(s) of mountain sheep and that these basal stocks were the ultimate source of all extant species. Most sheep species survived along their Pleistocene route of dispersal, offering a highly consistent pattern of zoogeography.
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| Fig.1 Holotype of Protovis himalayensis, in frontal-lateral view (A) and dorsal view of horncores (B), and cross-sectional shapes at four intervals along left horn
Image by WANG Xiaoming english.cas.cn
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| Fig. 3 Artist reconstruction of a male Zanda sheep, Protovis himalayensis, placed in a modern Zanda basement outcrop that was widely exposed during basin formation.
Art by Julie Selan and photo background by WANG Xiaoming english.cas.cn
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Xiaoming Wang, Qiang Li and Gary T. Takeuchi. 2016. Out of Tibet: An Early Sheep from the Pliocene of Tibet, Protovis himalayensis, genus and species nov. (Bovidae, Caprini), and Origin of Ice Age Mountain Sheep. Journal of Vertebrate Paleontology. DOI: 10.1080/02724634.2016.1169190
http://zoobank.org/urn:lsid:zoobank.org:pub:F2AEE746-0A5B-4F40-89B7-8EF0C04F21FD
New Species from the Pliocene of Tibet Reveals Origin of Ice Age Mountain Sheep
Modern wild sheep, Ovis, is widespread in the mountain ranges of the Caucasus through Himalaya, Tibetan Plateau, Tianshan-Altai, eastern Siberia, and the Rocky Mountains in North America. In Eurasia, fossil sheep are known by a few isolated records at a few Pleistocene sites in North China, eastern Siberia, and western Europe, but are so far absent from the Tibetan Plateau.
In a paper published May 4 in the Journal of Vertebrate Paleontology, paleontologists from the Institute of Vertebrate Paleontology and Paleoanthropology (IVPP) of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, Natural History Museum of Los Angeles County and La Brea Tar Pits and Museum at Los Angeles reported a new genus and species of fossil sheep from the Pliocene of Zanda Basin in Tibet. This finding extends the fossil record for the sheep into the Pliocene of the Tibetan Plateau, suggesting that the Tibetan Plateau, possibly including Tianshan-Altai, represents the ancestral home range(s) of mountain sheep and that these basal stocks were the ultimate source of all extant species, which is consistent with the Out-of-Tibet hypothesis regarding the origins of Ice Age megaherbivores.
New fossil materials were collected from IVPP locality ZD0712 in Guanjingtai, Zanda County, Tibetan Autonomous Region in western Himalaya during the 2006 and 2007 field seasons. The holotype specimen (IVPP V18928), forming the main basis of this new species, is a nearly complete male left and right horncores. With a total horncore upper curve length of 443 mm, it is similar in size to some extant species of Ovis.
This new extinct sheep, Protovis himalayensis, has a combination of features distinguishable from other species such as Ovis, Pseudois and Tossunnoria. Smaller than the living argali, it shares with Ovis posterolaterally arched horncores and partially developed sinuses and possesses several transitional characters leading to Ovis.
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New species from the Pliocene of Tibet reveals origin of Ice Age mountain sheep http://phy.so/382171822 via @physorg_com
Friday, May 13, 2016
[Herpetology • 2016] Mantophryne insignis • A Striking New MantophryneSpecies (Anura, Microhylidae) from Woodlark Island, Papua New Guinea
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| Mantophryne insignis
Günther & Richards, 2016
DOI: 10.3897/zse.92.7629 |
Abstract
We describe a striking new species of the microhylid frog genus Mantophryne from Woodlark Island in Milne Bay Province, Papua New Guinea. It is most similar to M. lateralisbut is distinguished from that species by its more slender body, longer shanks, larger discs on the toes, and unique advertisement call. Most known specimens had, in life, a striking golden tan mid-dorsum bordered by broad blackish dorsolateral bands. The new species is currently known only from the rainforests of Woodlark Island, where males call from elevated perches up to 4 m above the ground from climbing Freycinetia plants, from crevices and hollows in elevated limestone outcrops, and from tree buttresses and on top of fallen logs on the forest floor. It is the most arboreal member of this predominantly terrestrial genus discovered to date.
Key Words: Frog, new species, taxonomy, bioacoustics, New Guinea
Distribution and ecological remarks: The three type specimens of Mantophryne insignis were detected by their calls, which were uttered at night from hidden perches 50–80 cm high in a limestone block, a tree buttress and a fallen log, all in lowland rainforest (30–180 m asl) in south-central Woodlark Island. However two of three additional specimens found calling on Woodlark Island by F. Kraus (pers. comm.) were approximately 4 m above the ground, in climbing pandanus (Freycinetia sp.) plants. The third specimen was calling from under a leaf on the forest floor. The slender body form, long legs and expanded toe discs (relative to congeners) reflect the unusually arboreal habits of thisMantophryne species. Given the uniformity of habitat across the island, and the lack of major topographic relief, it is likely that the species is widespread in lowland rainforest on Woodlark Island. This species has not been reported from any other islands in the region and may be endemic to Woodlark.
Etymology: The name insignis is derived from the Latin ‘insignis’ meaning remarkableor conspicuous, and refers to the species’ distinctive colour pattern and unusual (for the genus) ecology.
Rainer Günther and Stephen J. Richards. 2016. Description of A Striking NewMantophryne Species (Amphibia, Anura, Microhylidae) from Woodlark Island, Papua New Guinea. Zoosystematics and Evolution. 92(1); 111-118. DOI: 10.3897/zse.92.7629
[Ichthyology • 2016] Valenciennea yanoi• A New Gobiid Fish (Teleostei: Gobiidae)from the Ryukyu Islands, Japan
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| Valenciennea yanoi
Suzuki, Senou & Randall, 2016
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Abstract
The gobiid fish Valenciennea yanoi n. sp. is described from two specimens collected in 13–20 m at Iriomote Island, Ryukyu Islands, Japan. Diagnostic features include the combination of a low first dorsal fin with a rounded margin, no black spot on the dorsal fin, 12 second-dorsal and anal-fin soft rays, no black spot and no yellow stripe on the snout, no black spot on the upper part of the eye, three narrow vivid sky-blue stripes on the lateral side of the head, and two broad orange and yellow stripes on the body reaching to the rear margin of the caudal fin. The new species is most similar to Valenciennea parva Hoese & Larson, 1994, but differs by lacking black spots on the snout and eye and by having broader orange and yellow stripes which reach the rear margin of the caudal fin.
Toshiyuki Suzuki, Hiroshi Senou and John E. Randall. 2016. Valenciennea yanoi, A New Gobiid Fish from the Ryukyu Islands, Japan (Teleostei: Gobiidae). Journal of the Ocean Science Foundation. 21: 1-9. http://www.oceansciencefoundation.org/josf21a.html
[Herpetology • 2016] A Review of the Genus Trachylepis (Sauria: Scincidae) from the Gulf of Guinea, with Descriptions of Two New Species in the Trachylepis maculilabris (Gray, 1845) Species Complex
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| Trachylepis principensis |
Abstract
The scincid genus Trachylepis is represented in the oceanic islands of the Gulf of Guinea by four species, Trachylepis maculilabris, T. affinis, T. adamastor and T. ozorii. Here we describe two new species, Trachylepis thomensis sp. nov., endemic to São Tomé Island and Rolas Islet, and Trachylepis principensis sp. nov., endemic to Príncipe Island. Phylogenetic analysis using the mitochondrial gene 16S shows that both new species are genetically divergent and reciprocally monophyletic, and confirms evidence for the uniqueness of these lineages presented in previous studies. Morphological data (scalation and morphometry) identify consistent phenotypic differences between these two island species. We were also able to confirm that the T. affinis population of Príncipe Island is conspecific with the African mainland population and most probably the result of recent introductions. These findings raise the number of known Trachylepis species in the Gulf of Guinea islands group to five, four of which are endemic, although the phylogenetic and phylogeographic relationships of T. adamastor and T. ozorii remain unknown and require further investigation.
Keywords: Gulf of Guinea, São Tomé & Príncipe, endemism, Trachylepis thomensis sp. nov., Trachylepis principensis sp. nov., skink, Reptilia
Luis M. P. Ceríaco, Mariana P. Marques and Aaron M. Bauer. 2016. A Review of the GenusTrachylepis (Sauria: Scincidae) from the Gulf of Guinea, with Descriptions of Two New Species in the Trachylepis maculilabris (Gray, 1845) Species Complex.
Zootaxa. 4109(3); DOI: 10.11646/zootaxa.4109.3.2
Zootaxa. 4109(3); DOI: 10.11646/zootaxa.4109.3.2
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