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1. Revision of the South American species of Austrothaumalea Tonnoir (Diptera: Thaumaleidae)

   https://doi.org/10.11646/zootaxa.4853.4.2  

   PIVAR, ROBERT J.; SINCLAIR, BRADLEY J.; MOULTON, JOHN K. (September 2020, Zootaxa)

   The Austrothaumalea fauna of South America is revised and includes five species: A. apicalis Edwards, A. chilensis Edwards, A. fredericki Pivar sp. nov., A. setipennis Edwards stat. rev. and A. spatulata Schmid. The genus Oterere McLellan syn. nov. is considered a new junior synonym of Austrothaumalea Tonnoir on the basis of several shared apomorphic characters. All previously described South American species are redescribed, including females where possible. Illustrations and micrographs of all species are provided, as well as distribution maps, keys to genera and species, and discussions regarding phylogenetic affinities. 

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2. A revision of the Australian cicada genus Punia Moulds, 2012 (Cicadidae: Cicadettinae: Cicadettini) with the description of four new species

   https://doi.org/10.11646/zootaxa.4860.1.5  

   MOULDS, M.S. (October 2020, Zootaxa)

   null (Ed.)

   Punia minima (Goding & Froggatt, 1904) from the Northern Territory is redescribed and the female described for the first time. Four new species found across the monsoonal north of Australia are documented: P. hyas sp.n., P. limpida sp.n., P. kolos sp.n. and P. queenslandica sp.n. A key to all five species is provided and their phylogenetic relationships discussed. 

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3. A taxonomic revision of the Strumigenys nitens and simulans groups (Hymenoptera: Formicidae), two Caribbean radiations of leaf litter ants

   https://doi.org/10.11646/zootaxa.4656.2.7  

   BOOHER, DOUGLAS B.; PREBUS, MATTHEW; LUBERTAZZI, DAVID (August 2019, Zootaxa)

   In this study, we revise two groups of cryptic leaf litter ants, the Strumigenys nitens and Strumigenys simulans species groups. These two groups are restricted to the Greater Antilles and the Bahamas. We redefine the species groups, provide a key for the five species in the S. nitens group, and differentiate the two species in the S. simulans group. Four new species are described: Strumigenys caiman sp. nov., S. economoi sp. nov., S. hubbewatyorum sp. nov., and S. zemi sp. nov. We review and provide a key for the Strumigenys fauna of Hispaniola, which comprises the two endemic species S. economoi and S. zemi, six more broadly distributed Neotropical species, and three pan-tropical “tramp” species. 

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4. Ingroup love, outgroup hate, and the gateway group effect: Comparing the direct and indirect impact of dual versus single identification

   https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0287631  

   Levy, Aharon; Galinsky, Adam; Nguyen, Christine Q.; Saguy, Tamar; Ikizer, Elif G.; Dovidio, John F. (August 2023, PLOS ONE)

   Windmann, Sabine (Ed.)

   Decades of research in social identity have shown that people instinctively hold positive attitudes towards ingroup members and negative attitudes towards outgroup members. However, it remains unclear how people respond to individuals explicitly identified with both one’s ingroup and outgroup. We propose that when people are exposed to dual-identified individuals and groups (e.g., Muslim-Americans explicitly identifying with both their Muslim and American identities), intergroup attitudes will improve, driven more by the ingroup component (American), despite the presence of the outgroup component (Muslim). Moreover, we suggest exposure to dual-identification can also improve attitudes toward the broader outgroup (Muslims more generally), a phenomenon called the gateway-group effect. To test these hypotheses, we created a new measure of dual-identification and conducted three studies involving both Muslim-Americans and Mexican-Americans. Results confirmed that exposure to explicitly dual-identified groups improved attitudes towards the dual-identified group (e.g., Mexican-Americans) as well as toward the respective outgroup (e.g., Mexicans). 

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5. Navigating the Ship of Theseus from typology to cartography

   https://doi.org/10.11646/megataxa.1.1.8  

   LONGINO, JOHN T. (January 2020, Megataxa)

   Taxonomy is the business of describing and naming organismal diversity. What that means exactly must shift as our conceptual framework shifts (as it did during the time of Darwin) and as what we are able to see shifts as a result of technological assists. We are at a moment of profound conceptual and technological change. Here I give some personal thoughts on three top questions in taxonomy. Are traditional naming conventions compatible with massive cryptic genetic discontinuity? Can we agree on what we are delimiting and naming?  Can we excite public interest without typology? 

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