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1. Review of the enigmatic Neotropical leafhopper genus Brazosa Oman and other potentially related Athysanini genera (Hemiptera: Auchenorrhyncha: Cicadellidae: Deltocephalinae), with descriptions of South American new genera and species

   https://doi.org/10.11646/zootaxa.4830.3.1  

   PINEDO-ESCATEL, J. ADILSON ; DIETRICH, CHRISTOPHER. H. ( August 2020 , Zootaxa)

   null (Ed.)

   Three new Neotropical athysanine (Deltocephalinae) leafhopper genera, Spaltumtettix Pinedo-Escatel & Dietrich gen. nov., Pseudonapo Pinedo-Escatel & Dietrich gen. nov., and Goiattus Pinedo-Escatel gen. nov., and 4 new species, S. coloradus Pinedo-Escatel & Dietrich sp. nov. (Peru), P. waorani Pinedo-Escatel & Dietrich sp. nov. (Ecuador), P. huanucensis Pinedo-Escatel & Dietrich sp. nov. (Peru), and G. reyesi Pinedo-Escatel sp. nov. (Brazil), are described and illustrated. In addition, the genera Zabrosa Oman, Napo Linnavuori & DeLong, Pseudalaca Linnavuori and Brazosa Oman are revised and redescribed. Six new species are described in Brazosa: B. campinacu Pinedo-Escatel & Dietrich sp. nov. (Brazil), B. espatula Pinedo-Escatel & Dietrich sp. nov. (Brazil), B. encrustada Pinedo-Escatel & Dietrich sp. nov. (Brazil), B. mildredireanae Pinedo-Escatel sp. nov. (Peru), B. negra Pinedo-Escatel & Dietrich sp. nov. (Peru and Bolivia) and B. beni Pinedo-Escatel & Dietrich sp. nov. (Bolivia). Brazosa caesarea Linnavuori & Heller comb. nov. is transferred to Spaltumtettix. The South American species Z. aquareza Linnavuori & DeLong syn. nov. is proposed as junior synonym of Z. unicampi Menezes. Keys to species of each genus are provided. Unusual aspects of the morphology of these genera are discussed and a comparative table is provided. 

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2. New species of Mayawa Fletcher and description of a related new Australian leafhopper genus (Hemiptera: Cicadellidae: Deltocephalinae: Paralimnini)

   https://doi.org/10.11646/zootaxa.4933.4.8  

   DIETRICH, CHRISTOPHER H. ( February 2021 , Zootaxa)

   Five new species of the endemic Australian leafhopper genus Mayawa Fletcher, 2000 (M. affinifacialis sp. nov., M. bimaculata sp. nov., M. brevicephala sp. nov., M. kathyae sp. nov. and M. vestigia sp. nov.) are described and illustrated and a revised key to species is provided. One of the new species tested positive for a previously unknown strain of phytoplasma belonging to the 16SrV group. The related paralimnine genus Austroauridius gen. nov. based on A. iwaii sp. nov. from Queensland is also described and illustrated and a key to known genera of Australian Paralimnini is provided. 

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3. The phylogeny and systematics of Xiphosura

   https://doi.org/10.7717/peerj.10431  

   Lamsdell, James C. ( January 2020 , PeerJ)

   null (Ed.)

   Xiphosurans are aquatic chelicerates with a fossil record extending into the Early Ordovician and known from a total of 88 described species, four of which are extant. Known for their apparent morphological conservatism, for which they have gained notoriety as supposed ‘living fossils’, recent analyses have demonstrated xiphosurans to have an ecologically diverse evolutionary history, with several groups moving into non-marine environments and developing morphologies markedly different from those of the modern species. The combination of their long evolutionary and complex ecological history along with their paradoxical patterns of morphological stasis in some clades and experimentation among others has resulted in Xiphosura being of particular interest for macroevolutionary study. Phylogenetic analyses have shown the current taxonomic framework for Xiphosura—set out in the Treatise of Invertebrate Paleontology in 1955—to be outdated and in need of revision, with several common genera such as Paleolimulus Dunbar, 1923 and Limulitella Størmer, 1952 acting as wastebasket taxa. Here, an expanded xiphosuran phylogeny is presented, comprising 58 xiphosuran species as part of a 158 taxon chelicerate matrix coded for 259 characters. Analysing the matrix under both Bayesian inference and parsimony optimisation criteria retrieves a concordant tree topology that forms the basis of a genus-level systematic revision of xiphosuran taxonomy. The genera Euproops Meek, 1867, Belinurus König, 1820, Paleolimulus , Limulitella , and Limulus are demonstrated to be non-monophyletic and the previously synonymized genera Koenigiella Raymond, 1944 and Prestwichianella Cockerell, 1905 are shown to be valid. In addition, nine new genera ( Andersoniella gen. nov. , Macrobelinurus gen. nov. , and Parabelinurus gen. nov. in Belinurina; Norilimulus gen. nov. in Paleolimulidae; Batracholimulus gen. nov. and Boeotiaspis gen. nov. in Austrolimulidae; and Allolimulus gen. nov., Keuperlimulus gen. nov., and Volanalimulus gen. nov. in Limulidae) are erected to accommodate xiphosuran species not encompassed by existing genera. One new species, Volanalimulus madagascarensis gen. et sp. nov., is also described. Three putative xiphosuran genera— Elleria Raymond, 1944, Archeolimulus Chlupáč, 1963, and Drabovaspis Chlupáč, 1963—are determined to be non-xiphosuran arthropods and as such are removed from Xiphosura. The priority of Belinurus König, 1820 over Bellinurus Pictet, 1846 is also confirmed. This work is critical for facilitating the study of the xiphosuran fossil record and is the first step in resolving longstanding questions regarding the geographic distribution of the modern horseshoe crab species and whether they truly represent ‘living fossils’. Understanding the long evolutionary history of Xiphosura is vital for interpreting how the modern species may respond to environmental change and in guiding conservation efforts. 

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4. Molecular phylogeny of the tribe Candalidini (Lepidoptera: Lycaenidae): systematics, diversification and evolutionary history

   https://doi.org/10.1111/syen.12432  

   Braby, Michael F. ; Espeland, Marianne ; Müller, Chris J. ; Eastwood, Rod ; Lohman, David J. ; Kawahara, Akito Y. ; Maunsell, Sarah C. ; Pierce, Naomi E. ( June 2020 , Systematic Entomology)

   The butterfly tribe Candalidini is geographically restricted to Australia and mainland New Guinea and its adjacent islands. With 60 species and subspecies, it represents a large radiation of Papilionoidea in the Australian region. Although the species‐level taxonomy is relatively well understood, the number of genera is uncertain, varying from two to eight. We reconstructed the phylogeny of the Candalidini based on a 13‐locus hybrid enrichment probe set (12.8 Kbp: COI, Thiolase, CAD, CAT, DDC, EF1‐a, GAPDH, HCL, IDH, MDH, RPS2, RPS5, Wingless), including all previously recognized genera and 76% (28/37) of the species‐level diversity of the tribe. Maximum likelihood analysis recovered the Candalidini as a strongly supported monophyletic group. In conjunction with morphological characters, the phylogeny provided a robust framework for a revised classification in which we recognize four genera, 37 species and 23 subspecies. The genusNesolycaenaWaterhouse & R.E. Turner is considered in synonymy withCandalidesHübner, and four other genera are not recognized, namely,HolochilaC. Felder,AdalumaTindale,ZetonaWaterhouse andMicroscenaTite. Of the four valid genera, theabsimilisgroup (23 species) is placed in the newly described genusEirmocidesBraby, Espeland & Müllergen. nov.(type speciesCandalides consimilisWaterhouse). Theerinusgroup (six species) is assigned toErinaSwainson, which is reinstated.Chrysophanus cyprotusOlliff is assigned toCyprotidesTite, which is also reinstated as a monotypic genus. The remaining seven species are placed inCandalides sensu stricto. Overall, we propose 47 new nomenclatural changes at the species and subspecies levels, including the synonymy ofHolochila biakaTite asEirmocides tringa biaka(Tite)syn. nov. et comb. nov.and recognition ofCandalides hyacinthinus gilesiM.R. Williams & Bollam as a distinct speciesErina gilesi(M.R. Williams & Bollamstat. rev. et comb. nov.A dated phylogeny using Bayesian inference in BEAST2 and biogeographical and habitat analyses based on the DEC model in BioGeoBEARS indicated that the ancestor of the Candalidini most likely evolved in rainforest habitats of the mesic biome in situ on the Australian plate of Southern Gondwana during the Eocene (c. 43 Ma). A major period of diversification occurred in the Miocene, which coincided with aridification of the Australian continent, followed by a further episode of radiation in montane New Guinea during the Plio‐Pleistocene.

   This published work has been registered on ZooBank by the authors: Michael Braby:http://zoobank.org/urn:lsid:zoobank.org:author:4D3A7605‐EBD0‐40F6‐A5F2‐7F67F59E3D60;

   Marianne Espeland:http://zoobank.org/urn:lsid:zoobank.org:author:00D6F9F9‐3902‐4A8B‐846F‐720AB32922A6;

   Chris Müller:http://zoobank.org/urn:lsid:zoobank.org:author:15FE5F26‐7596‐46C2‐9697‐1FD92A692D0D;

   http://zoobank.org/urn:lsid:zoobank.org:pub:47D5CA34‐C294‐4FBD‐84B6‐1C2A82B7CADF.

    

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5. Nomenclatural changes and two new species in the leafhopper genus Usanus DeLong (Hemiptera: Cicadellidae) with notes on conservation status

   https://doi.org/10.11646/zootaxa.4822.4.6  

   PINEDO-ESCATEL, J. ADILSON ; DIETRICH, CHRISTOPHER H. ( August 2020 , Zootaxa)

   null (Ed.)

   The Mexican leafhopper genus and species Devolana hemicycla DeLong, 1967 syn. nov., is recognized as a junior synonym of Usanus stonei DeLong, 1947. Three previously described species, U. tuxcacuensis (Pinedo-Escatel & Aguilar-Pérez, 2019) comb. nov., U. youajla (Pinedo-Escatel, 2019) comb. nov., and U. xajxayakamej (Pinedo-Escatel, 2019) comb. nov. are transferred to Usanus. Two new species, U. xochipalensis sp. nov. and U. igualaensis sp. nov. from Guerrero, are described and illustrated. An updated key to all known species of Usanus is provided. 

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