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1. Phylogeny of the new subfamily Cladodinae: neotenic fireflies from the Neotropics (Coleoptera: Lampyridae)

   https://doi.org/10.1093/zoolinnean/zlab091  

   Bocakova, Milada; Campello-Gonçalves, Lucas; Da Silveira, Luiz Felipe (February 2022, Zoological Journal of the Linnean Society)

   Abstract Phylogenetic relationships of Vestini with extensive sampling were inferred using 37 taxa scored for 66 morphological characters. Consistent with recent DNA analyses, Vesta is found to be sister to Photurinae rendering Vestini monotypic. Conversely, our parsimony and model-based analyses robustly support the new subfamily Cladodinae established for Neotropical species of the former Vestini. The cladodine lineage includes Cladodes, Dodacles, Dryptelytra, Ledocas, plus the newly proposed Andecladodes gen. nov. and Brasilocladodes gen. nov. While Ledocas is mostly paraphyletic, Cladodes is polyphyletic and, therefore, Cladodes s.s. is introduced. Further, most trees presented a distinct Nyctocrepis, which is revalidated and includes the subgenus Fenestratocladodes (transferred from Cladodes). Finally, a highly supported crown clade designated as the Dodacles lineage is regularly recovered, splitting into two sister-clades: (1) Dodacles, Brasilocladodes and (2) Dryptelytra, C. proteus, C. solieri and Andecladodes. Four new Andean species are described: Andecladodes cosangensis sp. nov., A. ovalis sp. nov., Dryptelytra pampahermosae sp. nov. and Ledocas pikillactanus sp. nov. To recover the monophyly of genera, the following new combinations are proposed: Brasilocladodes carinatuscomb. nov., Brasilocladodes delalandeicomb. nov., Brasilocladodes illigericomb. nov., Dodacles lateraliscomb. nov. and Dodacles nigercomb. nov. (transferred from Cladodes); Ledocas emissuscomb. nov., Ledocas remixtuscomb. nov. (from Dodacles); Cladodes proteus comb. nov. (from Ledocas) Nyctocrepis malleri comb. nov. and Nyctocrepi stellatacomb. nov. (from Cladodes); and Cladodes cincticolliscomb. nov. and Cladodes melanuruscomb. nov. (from Vesta). 

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2. Phylogenomics of North American cybaeid spiders (Araneae, Cybaeidae), including the description of new taxa from the Klamath Mountains Geomorphic Province

   https://doi.org/10.3897/zookeys.1226.140204  

   Hedin, Marshal; Ramírez, Martín J; Monjaraz-Ruedas, Rodrigo (February 2025, ZooKeys)

   The systematics of humble-in-appearance brown spiders (“marronoids”), within a larger group of spiders with a modified retrolateral tibial apophysis (the RTA Clade), has long vexed arachnologists. Although not yet fully settled, recent phylogenomics has allowed the delimitation and phylogenetic relationships of families within marronoids to come into focus. Understanding relationships within these families still awaits more comprehensive generic-level sampling, as the majority of described marronoid genera remain unsampled for phylogenomic data. Here we conduct such an analysis in the family Cybaeidae Banks, 1892. We greatly increase generic-level sampling, assembling ultraconserved element (UCE) data for 18 of 22 described cybaeid genera, including all North American genera, and rigorously test family monophyly using a comprehensive outgroup taxon sample. We also conduct analyses of traditional Sanger loci, allowing curation of some previously published data. Our UCE phylogenomic results support the monophyly of recognized cybaeids, with strongly supported internal relationships, and evidence for five primary molecular subclades. We hypothesize potential morphological synapomorphies for most of these subclades, bringing a robust phylogenomic underpinning to cybaeid classification. A new cybaeid genusSiskiyugen. nov.and speciesSiskiyu armillasp. nov.is discovered and described from far northern California and adjacent southern Oregon and a new species in the elusive genusCybaeozyga,C. furtivasp. nov., is described from far northern California. 

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3. Revision of the endemic Malagasy leafhopper tribe Platyjassini (Hemiptera: Cicadellidae: Iassinae)

   https://doi.org/10.5852/ejt.2020.695  

   Dietrich, Christopher H.; MAGALHÃES, Raysa Brito; Takiya, Daniela M. (August 2020, European Journal of Taxonomy)

   null (Ed.)

   The leafhopper tribe Platyjassini, endemic to Madagascar, is revised, largely based on specimens obtained in a recent bioinventory project led by the California Academy of Sciences. Platyjassini was previously known based on the type genus, Platyjassus Evans, 1953, and four described species. Betsileonas marmorata (Blanchard, 1840), the largest leafhopper recorded from Madagascar, presently known from a few specimens collected > 100 years ago and recently considered a genus and species incertae sedis within Cicadellidae, is newly placed in Platyjassini. Fourteen new genera and 54 new species are described and illustrated, and three new combinations are proposed. Pachyjassus gen. nov. includes three new species: Pachyjassus alatus sp. nov., Pachyjassus basifurcatus sp. nov. and Pachyjassus ranomafanensis sp. nov. Pallijassus gen. nov. is erected to include two species previously placed in Platyjassus, Pallijassus reticulatus (Evans, 1959) comb. nov. and Pallijassus stenospatulatus (Evans, 1959) comb. nov. Petalojassus gen. nov. includes one new species, Petalojassus ochrescens sp. nov. Phaiojassus gen. nov. includes seven new species: Phaiojassus acutus sp. nov., Phaiojassus bispinosus sp. nov., Phaiojassus constrictus sp. nov., Phaiojassus grandis sp. nov., Phaiojassus spatulatus sp. nov., Phaiojassus undulatus sp. nov. and Phaiojassus unispinosus sp. nov. Pictojassus gen. nov. includes three new species: Pictojassus kirindiensis sp. nov., Pictojassus productus sp. nov. and Pictojassus tulearensis sp. nov. Platyjassella gen. nov. includes six new species: Platyjassella ancora sp. nov., Platyjassella andohahelensis sp. nov., Platyjassella attenuata sp. nov., Platyjassella cormorana sp. nov., Platyjassella emarginata sp. nov. and Platyjassella immaculata sp. nov. Platyjassula gen. nov. includes four new species: Platyjassula cyclura sp. nov., Platyjassula heterofurca sp. nov., Platyjassula isofurca sp. nov. and Platyjassula mahajangensis sp. nov. In addition to the type species, Platyjassus viridis Evans, 1953, Platyjassus includes 11 new species: Platyjassus acutus sp. nov., Platyjassus asymmetricus sp. nov., Platyjassus fisheri sp. nov., Platyjassus griswoldi sp. nov., Platyjassus harinhalai sp. nov., Platyjassus irwini sp. nov., Platyjassus pedistylus sp. nov., Platyjassus pennyi sp. nov., Platyjassus pictipennis sp. nov., Platyjassus symmetricus sp. nov. and Platyjassus vestigius sp. nov. Plerujassus gen. nov. includes one new species, Plerujassus brunnescens sp. nov., in addition to Plerujassus appendiculatus (Evans, 1959) comb. nov., previously placed in Platyjassus. Plexijassus gen. nov. includes one new species, Plexijassus caliginosus sp. nov. Pseudocurtara gen. nov. includes three new species: Pseudocurtara minima sp. nov., Pseudocurtara nigripicta sp. nov. and Pseudocurtara quadrata sp. nov. Pseudocyrta gen. nov. includes one new species, Pseudocyrta hyalina sp. nov. Pseudomarganana gen. nov. includes two new species: Pseudomarganana olivacea sp. nov. and Pseudomarganana rosea sp. nov. Pulchrijassus gen. nov. includes eight new species: Pulchrijassus anjozorobensis sp. nov., Pulchrijassus eunsunae sp. nov., Pulchrijassus pallescens sp. nov., Pulchrijassus roseus sp. nov., Pulchrijassus rubrilineatus sp. nov., Pulchrijassus sindhuae sp. nov., Pulchrijassus talatakelyensis sp. nov. and Pulchrijassus toamasinensis sp. nov. Punctijassus gen. nov. includes three new species: Punctijassus circularis sp. nov., Punctijassus compressus sp. nov. and Punctijassus ivohibensis sp. nov. Illustrated keys to genera and species are provided. 

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4. A Revision of the Peruvian Edrotini (Coleoptera: Tenebrionidae: Pimeliinae)

   https://doi.org/10.3161/00034541ANZ2019.69.1.004  

   Giraldo-Mendoza, Alfredo E.; Flores, Gustavo E. (March 2019, Annales Zoologici)

   The Peruvian genera of Edrotini (Pimeliinae) are revised. A new genus Pachacamacius Flores & Giraldo gen. nov. with two new species, Pachacamacius aguilari Giraldo & Flores sp. nov. (type species) and Pachacamacius koepckeae Flores & Giraldo sp. nov., is described. Two species originally described in the genus ProhylithusKaszab, 1964 are reassigned to two new monotypic genera: Sechuranus Flores and Giraldo gen. nov. (type species Prohylithus barbatusKaszab, 1964) and Koneus Giraldo and Flores, gen. nov. (type species Prohylithus peruanusKaszab, 1981). This article includes diagnoses for five genera and redescriptions or descriptions, distributional data, habitat records and habitus photographs for six species. A dichotomous key for all 11 Peruvian species of Edrotini, drawings of new species' male genitalic features, and distribution maps are also provided. A discussion of the external morphological characters and male genitalia of the new taxa compared to the genera and species previously described and on endemicity and zoogeography of Peruvian Edrotini is presented. 

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5. Morphology-based Phylogenetic Analysis of Membracoidea (Hemiptera: Cicadomorpha) With Placement of Fossil Taxa and Description of a New Subfamily

   https://doi.org/10.1093/isd/ixac021  

   Dietrich, Christopher_H; Dmitriev, Dmitry_A; Takiya, Daniela_M; Thomas, M_Jared; Webb, Michael_D; Zahniser, James_N; Zhang, Yalin; Yoshizawa, ed., Kazunori (October 2022, Insect Systematics and Diversity)

   Abstract Recently discovered amber-preserved fossil Cicadellidae exhibit combinations of morphological traits not observed in the modern fauna and have the potential to shed new light on the evolution of this highly diverse family. To place the fossils explicitly within a phylogenetic context, representatives of five extinct genera from Cretaceous Myanmar amber, and one from Eocene Baltic amber were incorporated into a matrix comprising 229 discrete morphological characters and representatives of all modern subfamilies. Phylogenetic analyses yielded well resolved and largely congruent estimates that support the monophyly of most previously recognized cicadellid subfamilies and indicate that the treehoppers are derived from a lineage of Cicadellidae. Instability in the morphology-based phylogenies is mainly confined to deep internal splits that received low branch support in one or more analyses and also were not consistently resolved by recent phylogenomic analyses. Placement of fossil taxa is mostly stable across analyses. Three new Cretaceous leafhopper genera, Burmotettix gen. nov., Kachinella gen nov., and Viraktamathus gen. nov., consistently form a monophyletic group distinct from extant leafhopper subfamilies and are placed in Burmotettiginae subfam. nov. Extinct Cretaceous fossils previously placed in Ledrinae and Signoretiinae are recovered as sister to modern representatives of these groups. Eomegophthalmus Dietrich and Gonçalves from Baltic amber consistently groups with a lineage comprising treehoppers, Megophthalminae, Ulopinae, and Eurymelinae but its position is unstable. Overall, the morphology-based phylogenetic estimates agree with recent phylogenies based on molecular data alone suggesting that morphological traits recently used to diagnose subfamilies are generally informative of phylogenetic relationships within this group. 

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