Tuesday, September 23, 2014

Discoveries of the week

New species as every Tuesday. Let's start with some fishes:

The genus Paracobitis from Iran and Iraq is reviewed, and diagnoses for all nine recognized species are presented. Accordingly, P. longicauda, P. malapterura, P. rhadinaea, P. smithi and P. vignai are considered valid; P. iranica is treated as a synonym of P. malapterura; and four new species are described. Paracobitis basharensis, new species, from the Karoun (Karun) drainage in the Iranian Tigris catchment, is distinguished by having the dorsal-fin origin behind the vertical of the pelvic-fin origin, and a colour pattern comprising of many small irregularly shaped brown blotches. Paracobitis molavii, new species, from the Sirvan and Little Zab drainages in the Iranian and Iraqi Tigris catchment, is distinguished by having a truncate caudal fin, a stout body and the dorsal-fin origin situated in front of the vertical of the pelvic-fin origin. Paracobitis persa, new species, from the Kor drainage in Iran, is distinguished by having a prominent, irregularly shaped midlateral stripe, a shallow adipose crest, and the tube of the anterior nostril not fully overlapping the posterior nostril when folded back. Paracobitis zabgawraensis, new species, from the Great Zab drainage in the Iraqi Tigris catchment, is distinguished by a very elongate body, a reticulate, often indistinct colour pattern, and the dorsal-fin origin situated below or slightly behind of the vertical of the pelvic-fin origin. All species, except unstudied P. basharensis, P. longicauda, P. rhadinaea, P. smithi and P. vignai are also characterized by fixed, diagnostic nucleotide substitutions in the mtDNA COI barcode region.

Some of these species have been named for the rivers (P. basharensis, P. zabgawraensis) or regions (P. persa) they've been collected . P. molavii was named for Jalal ad-Din Muhammad Balkhi, also known as Mowlavi, Molavi, a Persian poet, jurist, theologian, and Sufi mystic.


Physocyclus peribanensis
A new species of spider from Michoacán, Physocyclus peribanensis sp. nov. is described. This description is based on a male holotype and one female paratype. Also, the first description of the female of Physocyclus paredesi Valdez-Mondragón from Oaxaca, Mexico is provided, as well as the redescription of the male. This paper provides a cladistic reanalysis of the spider genus Physocyclus Simon, corroborating the monophyly of the genus with morphological data. The phylogenetic reanalysis was done with 54 morphological characters (44 binary and 10 multistate) using equal and implied weighting approach. The equal weighting analysis found two most parsimonious trees, whereas the analysis with implied weighting found just one most parsimonious trees with the concavity values (K= 5–10). The genus Physocyclus is composed by two clades or species groups: the globosus and the dugesi groups. Physocyclus peribanensis sp. nov. belongs to the dugesi group composed of 21 species, and P. paredesi to the globosus group composed of 11 species. With the new species described here, the number of known species of the genus Physocyclus increases to 32 species. The globosus group has a biogeographical distribution pattern in the Mesoamerican and Mexican Mountain biotic components, whereas the dugesi group has a biogeographical distribution in the Mesoamerican and Continental Nearctic biotic components.

These spiders were collected in a dry tropical deciduous forest in Mexico. Their specific name refers to the municipality of the type locality: Peribán, Michoacán.
no DNA Barcodes


Riama yumborum
A new species of Riama lizard from the western slopes of the Andes in northern Ecuador is described herein. Morphologically, Riama yumborum sp. nov. can be distinguished from all other congenerics by having an incomplete nasoloreal suture and a cylindrical hemipenial body with diagonally orientated flounces on its lateral aspect. Phylogenetic analyses of mitochondrial and nuclear DNA support the monophyly of the new species and its sister taxon relationship with R. labionis, which occurs allopatrically.

The name for these beautiful lizards honors the Yumbo culture (800–1660 A.D.), a pre-Incan civilization that inhabited the same area where the new species was found.
no DNA Barcodes (lots of sequencing happened but not the right region)


Pratylenchus quasitereoides
Pratylenchus quasitereoides n. sp. is described from Western Australia. It is characterized by 2 external incisures in the head cuticle, 4 lateral incisures at mid body, stylet length 17 μm to 19 μm, V greater than 75%, PUS less than 2 body diameters long and crenate tail terminus. Molecular data confirm the separation of the new species from morphologically similar and sympatric congeners. The host range also differs from P. teres as well as the sympatric P. neglectus, P. thornei and P. penetrans. Reproduction rates on oat and lupin differed between the new species and P. neglectus. The species was originally described as P. teres, but the species concept of P. teres now encompasses a considerable range of different attributes spread over two described subspecies and three variant populations. The new species differs from all these subspecies and populations in at least two characters. It differs from all populations of P. teres teres most notably in having four rather than 6 lateral lines and a more posterior vulva. It differs from P. teres vandebergae in having a longer stylet and longer overlap of the intestine by the oesophageal glands. Characters which can be used under low magnification to separate the new species from the closest sympatric congeners (P. thornei and P. crenatus) are discussed.

The specimens in this study were collected already in 1998/99. Similar to other nematode studies 28S was used for phylogenetic analysis.  The name indicates this species similarity with another of the same genus (P. teres).
no DNA Barcodes


Schizopelex genalica
Schizopelex festiva, a close relative of the new species

The West Palearctic genus Schizopelex McLachlan 1876 is represented by eleven recognized species. The center of its  distribution area is in Turkey, where seven species have been reported (Malicky 2004; Sipahiler 2005, 2012; Oláh 2010; Sipahiler & Pauls 2012). These 7 species are S. anatolica Schmid 1964, S. rhamnes Malicky 1976, S. sinopica Sipahiler 2012, S. yenicensis Sipahiler & Pauls 2012, S. boluensis Sipahiler 2012 (in Sipahiler & Pauls 2012), S. cacheticaMartynov 1913a, S. pontica Martynov 1913b. Schizopelex cachetica and S. pontica have also been reported from the Caucasus and the Transcaucasia, respectively (Martynov 1913a, 1913b; Ivanov 2011). In addition, two species (S. huettingeri Malicky 1974 and S. persica Schmid 1964) are known from the Balkans and Iran, respectively. The two remaining species are distributed in the southwestern West Palearctic region (southwestern Europe): Schizopelex  furcifera McLachlan 1880 has been reported from the northeastern Iberian Peninsula and the Pyrenees (González et al.  1992; Martínez-Menéndez & González 2010); Schizopelex festiva (Rambur 1842) is distributed throughout most of the  Iberian Peninsula and the Maghreb (González et al. 1992; González & Martínez 2011). In this paper is described and illustrated for the first time a new species of Schizopelex from the southern Iberian Peninsula.

The species name of this new caddisfly refers to the Genal River (Málaga, South Spain) where it was collected.
no DNA Barcodes


Aa lozanoi, Aa figueroi

Two new species of the Andean genus Aa (Orchidaceae, Spiranthoideae) are described: Aa lozanoi Szlach. and S. Nowak, and Aa figueroi Szlach. and S. Nowak. They are restricted in distribution mainly to Cordillera Oriental in the department of Cundinamarca, however, A. lozanoi was also collected in Cordillera Central and A. figueroi in Sierra Nevada de Santa Marta, in northern part of Colombia. Each species is described and illustrated, detailed habitat and distribution data are provided. A distribution map of the new species is presented. A dichotomous key for determination of the Colombian species of Aa is provided. Brief discussion about the most important threats for plants in Andes is presented.

A strange genus name indeed. It is said that the name apparently was rendered by the author to always appear first in alphabetical listings. So much for certain egos. Both new species were collected in Andean Colombia and named after G. Lozano (co-collector of a type specimen) and Y. Figueroa ( also collector of type material).
no DNA Barcodes

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