Dlium

NEWS - Three-spot grass-veneer ( Glaucocharis triochellaris Matsui, Yagi & Hirowatari sp. nov.) and dull gray grass-veneer ( Glaucocharis plumbofascialis Matsui, Yagi & Hirowatari sp. nov.) from the Ogasawara Islands of Japan with adult, male and female genitalia and molecular phylogenetic analysis revealed a sister relationship between the two new species and the monophyly of Glaucocharis Meyrick 1938. G. triocellaris is easily distinguished from the other species by distinctive morphological features, such as three black spots on the margin, each enclosing a silvery white spot in the middle of the forewing; a valve with a strong hook-shaped protrusion emerging from the middle of the ventral valve margin and a phallus with hook-shaped apical spines curved ventrally on the male genitalia; and a circular spinous antevaginal lamella on the female genitalia. Although larvae were not found, adults emerged from various Bryopsida species collected on Hahajima Island. The larvae ma...

NEWS - Tingzhou bramble ( Rubus tingzhouensis C.An & G.C.Lin, sp. nov.) from Fujian Province, China, established as new to science which is morphologically similar to Rubus swinhoei Hance with chloroplast genome is 156,311 bp long and consists of 132 unique genes, including 86 protein-coding genes, 37 transfer RNAs, eight ribosomal RNAs, and one pseudogene. Rubus L. (Rosaceae) established by Carl Linnaeus in 1753 originally consisted of only 10 species. Over 270 years of botanical exploration and taxonomic refinement, Rubus has expanded to include nearly 700 species. This expansion makes it one of the most species-rich genera among the antherioids. The genus covers temperate and subtropical regions of the Northern Hemisphere. In China alone, more than 208 species have been documented with 139 of them considered endemic. The high number of endemic species highlights China’s unique biodiversity and emphasizes the importance of conservation efforts to protect this species. R. tingzho...

NEWS - Yangjiang river rug ( Cladopus yangjiangensis X.T.Liu, G.Di Chen & B.Hua Chen, sp. nov.) from China enriches the understanding of Podostemaceae diversity in East Asia characterized by the longest flowering shoots in the region and exhibiting a large number of elongated leaves per cluster, along with slender roots. Cladopus is notable for its flat, almost cylindrical or strap-like roots, 4–7-lobed, rough-toed bracts, one or rarely two stamens, and smooth-toed capsules. The genus is found in Southeast Asia, East Asia, Malaysia and Australia. In China, it has been reported from Fujian, Guangdong, Hainan, Guangxi and Hong Kong. There are likely a total of 10 species worldwide, including Cladopus austrosinensis , Cladopus doianus , Cladopus fukienensis , Cladopus fallax , Cladopus javanicus , Cladopus nymanii , Cladopus pierrei , Cladopus queenslandicus , Cladopus taiensis and Cladopus yinggelingensis . During a field survey in Yangjiang City in February 2024, researchers disc...

NEWS - Guttulate freshwater fungus ( Paramirandina guttulata H.W. Shen, K.D. Hyde & Z.L. Luo, sp. nov.) is a morphologically striking hyphomycete species collected from a freshwater habitat in Dujuanhu Lake in Yunnan Province, China, at an elevation of 2500 m as new to science based on unique morphological features and combined phylogenetic analysis of LSU and ITS sequences. Paramirandina was introduced by Liu et al. (2023) to accommodate two lignicolous freshwater fungi from lotic habitats in Guizhou Province, with Paramirandina aquatica as the type species. This genus is morphologically similar to Heliocephala and Mirandina, but can be distinguished by the morphology of conidia and conidiogenous cells. During the investigation of lignicolous freshwater fungi from a highland lake in Yunnan Province, the researchers discovered the striking hyphomycete on submerged woody substrates. Detailed morphological descriptions and comprehensive phylogenetic analyses confirmed the distincti...

NEWS - Ralph Holzenthal caddisfly ( Rhyacophila lignumvallis Graf & Rázuri-Gonzales, sp. nov.) from the island of Corsica (France) was established as a new species in the Rhyacophila tristis (Schmid 1970) group based on morphological analysis and the mitochondrial cytochrome c oxidase subunit I (mtCOI), including sequences from 16 of the 28 species in the group. Rhyacophila Pictet 1834 with 814 living and 30 fossil species is the largest genus of caddisflies in the world, distributed mainly in the northern hemisphere, but also in temperate and tropical India and Southeast Asia. One of the groups is the R. tristis group in the branch Rhyacophila invaria . R. lignumvallis is most similar to Rhyacophila pubescens Pictet 1834, Rhyacophila tsurakiana Malicky 1984, Rhyacophila ligurica Oláh & Vinçon 2021, Rhyacophila harmasa Oláh & Vinçon 2021 and Rhyacophila abruzzica Oláh & Vinçon 2021. However, R. lignumvallis differs in the shape of the X tergum, the dorsal arm ...

NEWS - Brownish yellow false truffle ( Truncocolumella pseudocolumella L. Li, S.H. Li & Y. Wang, sp. nov.) established as a new species for science based on specimens found during a survey of hypogeous fungi in the Hengduan Mountains, Sichuan Province, southwest China. Truncocolumella Zeller 1939 a small genus of false truffles with the type species Truncocolumella citrina Zeller 1939. To date only T. citrina and Truncocolumella occidentalis Malençon & Zeller 1940 have been recognized. T. citrina is a common ectomycorrhizal species found in coniferous forests in North America. However, T. occidentalis is rare and has only been found in Canada. A single specimen was found in the Yala Mountains in western Sichuan Province, China. Two additional collections were later found in the same area. Western Sichuan Province, part of the Hengduan Mountains, is one of the most biodiverse regions in the world. T. pseudocolumella differs from other species in the genus Truncocolumella ...

NEWS - Kirlia aphid ( Chaitoregma kirlia sp. nov.) from Fujian (Mount Wuyishan) and Guangdong (Mount Lianhuashan), China, has a pair of front horns that eat bamboo and is nicknamed “kirlia”, a character from the popular Pokémon series, in honor of the graceful and elegant nature of this new species. Chaitoregma Hille Ris Lambers & Basu 1966 with Oregma tattakana Takahashi 1925 as the type species is a small genus in the Cerataphidini (Aphididae, Hormaphidinae). Currently only 2 species and 1 subspecies (non-nominotypical): Chaitoregma tattakana tattakana (Takahashi, 1925), Chaitoregma tattakana suishana (Takahashi, 1929) and Chaitoregma aderuensis (Takahashi, 1935). C. kirlia forms large colonies on the underside of host leaves and may be inhabited by ants, Crematogaster sp. In the wild, it has been observed that in addition to the purple individuals of this new species in the colonies, there are sometimes a few yellow individuals that are thought to be mixed colonies with anot...

NEWS - Species delimitation using Automatic Barcode Gap Discovery, Poisson Tree Processes, phylogenetic and morphological analyses revealed 10 species, including 2 new species, Chu centipede ( Mecistocephalus chuensis Jiang & You, sp. nov.) and Luqi Huang centipede ( Mecistocephalus huangi Jiang & You, sp. nov.). Mecistocephalus Newport 1843 is the most diverse genus in Mecistocephalidae Bollman 1893 which includes almost 70% of mecistocephalid species. About 135 species have been officially reported distributed in tropical and subtropical Asia South Asia, Southeast Asia, East Asia with a small number from Africa, America and temperate regions. The earliest species found in China is Mecistocephalus smithii Pocock 1895 from Ningbo, Zhejiang Province. Up to now 14 species have been reported in China, but research and knowledge in China are incomplete. Now researchers describe two new species from China and redescribe M. smithii . Mecistocephalus chuensis is a species in the M...

NEWS - Nyingchi edelweiss ( Leontopodium nyingchiense X.Z.Lan, W.L.Zheng & W.Q.He, sp. nov.) from Xizang (Tibet) Autonomous Region of China as a new species to science based on comparative morphological and molecular analysis which is morphologically most similar to Leontopodium lingianum (Y.L.Chen) Dickoré. Leontopodium R.Br. ex Cass. is a herb or shrub with about 60 species worldwide, distributed in the mountains of Asia and Eurasia. In China, there are 37 species and 2 varieties, with 16 species endemic. This genus is a common component of grasslands and alpine slopes in western and southwestern China, with the Tibetan Plateau and 21 species distributed in Xizang. During a national survey from 2013 to 2015, an unidentified Asteraceae species was found in Lulang Town, Nyingchi City, Xizang (Tibet) Autonomous Region. In August 2024, the species was reinvestigated with additional specimens and molecular material from leaves. Leontopodium nyingchiense is a herb or subshrub in the...

NEWS - Lake Van diatom ( Halamphora vantushpaensis Yilmaz, Solak & Gastineau, sp. nov.), a new diatom species discovered in the highly alkaline Lake Van in Eastern Turkey (Türkiye) based on light and scanning electron microscopy analysis, and a genome-skimming approach that provided access to the complete sequences of the nuclear rRNA gene cluster, mitochondrial and plastid genomes. Lake Van is the largest soda lake in the world with saline (21.4‰) and alkaline (155 m mEq-1, pH 9.81) water. The lake has existed for 600,000 years, spanning several glacial-interglacial cycles and hosting endemic fish species. However, studies on the phytoplankton flora of the lake, and in particular on diatoms, are still very rare. In recent years, new investigations have been carried out using an integrative approach combining light/scanning electron microscopy (LM/SEM) and molecular phylogeny derived from sequencing results. With these data, 3 new species have been discovered and described, Nitzsc...

NEWS - Dryadaulidae is assigned to two genera, Dryadaula and Brachydoxa, based on molecular phylogenetic analysis, although both genera were formerly included in Tineidae. Three genera, Eschatotypa, Eugennaea and Sagephora, have been suggested to be included in Dryadaulidae based on asymmetrical male genitalia. Dryadaula currently has 50 described species and has a pan-global distribution, 14 species in the Palearctic, 16 in the Neotropics, 1 in the Nearctic, 2 in the Afrotropics, 4 in Indomalaya, 12 in Australia, and 2 in Oceania, while Dryadaula pactorlia Meyrick 1901 has been recorded from New Zealand and Europe. Only 2 species are from Japan: D. epischista (Meyrick, 1936) and D. trapezoides (Meyrick, 1935). The researchers conducted a field survey at the type site to determine the true genital morphology of D. epischista . During the study, they observed that " D. epischista " from Hong Kong did not represent true D. epischista and discovered another unknown species f...

NEWS - Multi-branch wild rye ( Elymus multiramosus Y.C. Zhang, sp. nov.) reported from Delingha City, west of Qinghai Province, China, which has similarities with Elymus nutans Griseb. However, it can be easily distinguished from other species by its compound spikes characterized by elongated rhachilla at the base of the main axis, producing 3–6 mini-thorn-like branches. Elymus L. is the most extensive genus in Triticeae, characterized by polyploid and mostly short-lived perennial grasses including about 172 species from the Arctic to subtropical regions, adapting to diverse environments such as grasslands, semi-deserts and mountains. Elymus provides important annual forage in temperate regions and especially in the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau. In October 2020, in Delingha City, west of the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau, plants with compound spikes were found in a dry and rocky alpine grassland area. Elymus multiramosus is a herb with culms are usually erect, sometimes slightly decumbent at base,...

NEWS - Jian Huang parasitoid wasp ( Proaphelinoides huangi Chen & Jiang, sp. nov.), reported from China based on standard DNA barcode COI, partial nuclear ribosomal 28S-D2 and 28S-D2 rDNA. The new species is similar to P. bendovi , P. elongatiformis , P. australis , P. assamensis and the genus Proaphelinoides is strongly supported as the sister group to Aphytis. Proaphelinoides Girault is a small genus in the Aphelinidae with 7 species worldwide. P. elongatiformis (Girault 1917) from Sri Lanka is the type species. P. australis from Australia (Girault 1922), P. bendovi Tachikawa (1984) from China, and 4 other species, P. anomalus Hayat (1984), P. chidambaramensis Manickavasagam & Menakadevi (2012), P. assamensis Hayat (2012) and P. ematus Hayat & Veenakumari (2016) from India. P. huangi can be distinguished from other species by yellow antennae, forewings with 10–14 feathers below the marginal vein, linea calva bordered proximally by a single row of setae, F3 1.0–1...

NEWS - Fansipan ground skink ( Scincella fansipanensis sp. nov.) from northwestern Vietnam, as a new terrestrial skink to science based on an uncorrected genetic distance of 14.60–21.41% (COI gene). This new species is known only from the highland area of Fansipan Mountain in the Hoang Lien Son Mountains of Lao Cai Province. Scincella Mittleman 1950 included 39 species. Currently, 13 species are known from the Indochina region and 4 of them are widespread species: S. doriae Boulenger (China, Myanmar, Vietnam and possibly Thailand), S. melanosticta Boulenger (Myanmar, Thailand, Cambodia and Vietnam), S. monticola Schmidt (China and Vietnam) and S. reevesii Gray (India, Nepal, China, Myanmar, Thailand, Cambodia, Malaysia and Vietnam). S. rufocaudata Darevsky & Nguyen is known from the Central Highlands of Vietnam, Cambodia and Laos. S. rupicola Smith has been reported from Thailand, Laos, Cambodia and Vietnam. S. nigrofasciata Neang, Chan & Poyarkov is endemic to Cambodia...

NEWS - Peteroa daisy ( Leucheria peteroana Lavandero sp. nov.) is endemic to a restricted area of the Andes of Central Chile, described based on nDNA and cpDNA with a series of unique characters that clearly distinguish it from other species. Leucheria Lag. is one of the largest genera in the Nassauvieae and is distributed in Peru, Bolivia, Chile and Argentina, including the Falkland Islands. It is mostly found in the Patagonian-Andean and Subantarctic Phytogeographic domains. The unusual Leucheria specimen was collected around Lagunas del Teno in the Andes in the Maule Region, Chile. This area is characterized by steep topography, with elevations up to 4112 m. This mountainous area of the Andes is characterized by active volcanic activity. L. peteroana is a perennial herb 40–70 cm tall, forming clumps of seasonally persistent annual stems. Rhizome dark brown, round, 25–50 mm wide, bifurcating, oblique to vertical. Roots brown, ca. 1mm wide. Stems green, erect, fistulose, 2.5–5.0 mm ...