Soft scale insect, repens scale (Pulvinaria rhododendri), on Rhododendron spp. in Northern Europe

NEWS - Repens scale (Pulvinaria rhododendri Kahrer & Hodgson, Hemiptera: Coccomorpha: Coccidae) was discovered in Rhododendron spp. (Ericaceae) in Denmark and Norway which appears taxonomically close to P. camelicola Signoret and P. floccifera Westwood with an uncertain geographic origin, but is likely to have been introduced to northern Europe via imported live plants.

P. rhododendri is distinguished from P. floccifera, P. camelicola and all other Pulvinaria species by a combination of characters-a medial band of large conical spinous setae extending from the anal plate anterior to the head and simple pores with strongly sclerotic margins present in a narrow medial band between the large conical spinous setae.

The new species also differs from P. floccifera by the presence of a type III tubular canal submarginally between the lateral stigmatic clefts (vs. absent). The species is named after the genus of the host plant from which it is most commonly collected, Rhododendron L. P. rhododendri is also found on Vaccinium myrtillus L. (Ericaceae) but only when Rhododendron spp. are present nearby.

In Denmark, the species has been found in gardens on the mainland at Hadsund Syd, Jutland, and at Tyfelse on the island of Zealand, 25 km southwest of Copenhagen. These gardens are probably about 150 km apart. In Norway, P. rhododendri has been collected from Arendal and Grimstad on the south coast, about 250 km north of Jutland, Denmark.

The new species is only known from a small area in northern Europe and was probably first found on Rhododendron spp. in Norway in 2018 causing severe sooty mold infestations. This plant was eradicated but the population appears to have persisted as specimens were collected at the same location in 2022.

It is likely that the first discovery also referred to P. rhododendri and since it is still present, it is clearly growing and overwintering under northern European conditions, having survived two winters in between.

To date, no geographical surveys have been carried out to determine the distribution of the species. This host plant could spread more widely as it is cultivated, is a popular plant and is often moved in the plant trade.

The new species is potentially important as a pest of urban plants, especially Rhododendron spp., based on the distribution mentioned above. In the field, P. rhododendri is somewhat similar to P. camelicola which may have been mistaken for non-entomologists in the past.

P. rhododendri, like other Pulvinaria species, produces abundant honeydew, so the growth of sooty mold is a major problem, forming a thick, unsightly layer covering the leaves. However, so far it does not appear to cause host mortality or other problems.

Original research

Andreas Kahrer & Chris J. Hodgson (2024). A new species of the soft scale insect genus Pulvinaria Targioni Tozzetti (Hemiptera: Coccomorpha: Coccidae) on Rhododendron spp. in Northern Europe. Zootaxa 5512 (2): 233-239, DOI:10.11646/zootaxa.5512.2.7

Dlium theDlium

New living fossil, Amethyst worm lizard (Amphisbaena amethysta), from Espinhaço Mountain Range, Brazil

NEWS - New species from the northern Espinhaço Mountains, Caetité municipality, Bahia state, Brazil. Amethyst worm lizard ( Amphisbaena amethysta ) is the 71st species of the genus with 4 precloacal pores and the 22nd species of Caatinga morphoclimatic domain. Identification of the new species shows the reptiles of the Mountains are far from complete and may contain greater diversity of endemic taxa. A. amethysta can be distinguished by its anteriorly convex snout, slightly compressed and unkeeled, pectoral scales arranged in regular annuli, four precloacal pores, distinct head shield, 185-199 dorsal and half annuli, 13-16 caudal annuli, a conspicuous autotomy spot between the 4th-6th caudal annuli, 16-21 dorsal and ventral segments in the middle of the body, 3/3 supralabials, 3/3 infralabials and a smooth and rounded tail tip. A. amethysta occurs in areas with an average elevation of 1000 meters in patches of deciduous and semi-deciduous forests associated with valleys, slopes, fore

Early human species inhabited highlands for availability and diversity of food

NEWS - Researchers at the IBS Center for Climate Physics (ICCP) at Pusan National University in South Korea suggest that the patchwork of ecosystems found in mountainous regions played a key role in human evolution. Using a vast dataset of fossils, artifacts, high-resolution landscapes and 3 million-year-long simulations of Earth’s climate, a team of scientists is painting a clearer picture of how and why early humans adapted to rugged landscapes. Hominins are often found in and near mountainous regions. Now Elke Zeller and Axel Timmermann have helped explain why so many of our evolutionary relatives preferred to be “highlanders” rather than “lowlanders.” Mountainous regions are rich in biodiversity, providing a range of environmental conditions in which different species of plants and animals thrive. Steep areas typically exhibit a greater diversity, density of ecosystems and vegetation types, known as biomes. This diversity of biomes was attractive to early humans because it provided

Black-spotted longnose gudgeon (Microphysogobio punctatus) as new species and M. elongatus as synonym of M. tungtingensis

NEWS - Researchers have established the black-spotted longnose gudgeon ( Microphysogobio punctatus ) as a new species and redescribed M. elongatus (Yao & Yang, 1977) as a junior synonym of M. tungtingensis (Nichols, 1926) based on morphological analysis and molecular evidence supported by mitochondrial gene sequences. M. tungtingensis has been considered valid since its description, but its morphology is still vague especially when compared to another similar species, M. elongatus . In this study, researchers examined both species and compared several lots of specimens from a wide geographical range. There was no significant morphological difference between the two. Molecular evidence supported by mitochondrial gene sequences also showed low genetic distance and suggested that M. elongatus is a junior synonym of M. tungtingensis . At the same time, M. punctatus was found to have a similar distribution to both. M. punctatus is distributed in the Guijiang and Liujiang rivers, t

Dlium