Attention:The NSF Public Access Repository (PAR) system and access will be unavailable from 11:00 PM ET on Thursday, October 15th until 12:00 AM ET on Friday, October 16th due to maintenance. We apologize for the inconvenience.


Title: Seven new species of Tetranemertes Chernyshev, 1992 (Monostilifera, Hoplonemertea, Nemertea) from the Caribbean Sea, western Pacific, and Arabian Sea, and revision of the genus
The marine ribbon worm genusTetranemertesChernyshev, 1992 currently includes three species: the type speciesT. antonina(Quatrefages, 1846) from the Mediterranean Sea,T. rubrolineata(Kirsteuer, 1965) from Madagascar, andT. hermaphroditica(Gibson, 1982) from Australia. Seven new species are described:T. bifrostsp. nov.,T. ocelatasp. nov.,T. majinbuuisp. nov., andT. pastafariensissp. nov.from the Caribbean Sea (Panamá), and three species,T. unistriatasp. nov.,T. paulayisp. nov., andT. arabicasp. nov., from the Indo-West Pacific (Japan and Oman). As a result, an amended morphological diagnosis of the genus is offered. To improve nomenclatural stability, a neotype ofTetranemertes antoninais designated from the Mediterranean. The newly described species, each characterized by features of external appearance and stylet apparatus, as well as by DNA-barcodes, form a well-supported clade withT. antoninaon a molecular phylogeny of monostiliferan hoplonemerteans based on partial sequences of COI, 16S rRNA, 18S rRNA, and 28S rRNA. Six of the seven newly described species, as well asT. rubrolineata, possess the unusual character of having a central stylet basis slightly bilobed to deeply forked posteriorly in fully grown individuals, a possible morphological synapomorphy of the genus. In addition, an undescribed species ofTetranemertesis reported from the Eastern Tropical Pacific (Panamá), increasing the total number of known species in the genus to eleven.  more » « less
Award ID(s):
1856363 1856245
PAR ID:
10467735
Author(s) / Creator(s):
; ; ; ; ; ;
Editor(s):
Andreas Schmidt-Rhaesa
Publisher / Repository:
Pensoft
Date Published:
Journal Name:
ZooKeys
Volume:
1181
ISSN:
1313-2989
Page Range / eLocation ID:
167 to 200
Format(s):
Medium: X
Sponsoring Org:
National Science Foundation
More Like this
  1. VanuatubasisOber & Staniczek, 2009 is an endemic genus of damselfly found on the island archipelago of Vanuatu. Previously only three species were assigned to the genus. Here, all known species ofVanuatubasisare formally described and treated, including the association of females for known species. The following new congeners are also described:V. discontinuasp. nov.,V. evelynaesp. nov.,V. insularivorumsp. nov.,V. kapularumsp. nov.,V. nunggolisp. nov.,V. rhomboidessp. nov., andV. xanthochroasp. nov.from material collected across six different islands. An illustrated key to both males and females of all species withinVanuatubasisis provided as well as distributions for all known species. 
    more » « less
  2. In this study, a morphological revision was conducted ofAgroecotettixBruner, a group of grasshoppers inhabiting open xeric desert scrub, shrublands, and plains, spanning central Texas to central Mexico. The genus was originally described by Bruner in 1908, with two taxa added by Hebard in 1922.Agroecotettixhas remained unrevised despite numerous collections. This exploration, spurred by a novel discovery of significant male genitalia variation inAgroecotettix aristus aristus, suggests undescribed species. Through morphological specimen comparisons, sixteen new species are described from biologically rich regions of the South Texas Plains, Chihuahuan Desert, and Sierra Madre Oriental. The new taxa described here areA. silverheelsisp. nov.,A. xiphophorussp. nov.,A. glochinossp. nov.,A. texmexsp. nov.,A. cumbressp. nov.,A. burtonisp. nov.,A. mooreisp. nov.,A. chiantiensissp. nov.,A. dornisp. nov.,A. chisosensissp. nov.,A. turnerisp. nov.,A. quitmanensissp. nov.,A. vaquerosp. nov.,A. forcipatussp. nov.,A. idicsp. nov., andA. kahloaesp. nov.This discovery sheds light on desert biodiversity and hints at a Pleistocene radiation akin to other melanoplines, urging further exploration to enrich our understanding of this fascinating lineage and unravel the biogeographic history within these arid landscapes. 
    more » « less
  3. Molecular systematic studies of the anthozoan class Octocorallia have revealed widespread incongruence between phylogenetic relationships and taxonomic classification at all levels of the Linnean hierarchy. Among the soft coral taxa in order Malacalcyonacea, the family Alcyoniidae and its type genusAlcyoniumhave both been recognised to be highly polyphyletic. A recent family-level revision of Octocorallia established a number of new families for genera formerly considered to belong to Alcyoniidae, but revision ofAlcyoniumis not yet complete. Previous molecular studies have supported the placement ofAlcyonium verseveldti(Benayahu, 1982) in family Cladiellidae rather than Alcyoniidae, phylogenetically distinct from the other three genera in that family. Here we describe a new genus,Ofwegenumgen. nov.to accommodateO. verseveldticomb. nov.and three new species of that genus,O. coronalucissp. nov.,O. kloogisp. nov., andO. collisp. nov., bringing the total number of species in this genus to four.Ofwegenumgen. nov.is a rarely encountered genus so far known from only a few locations spanning the Indian and western Pacific Oceans. We present the morphological characters of each species and use molecular data from both DNA barcoding and target-enrichment of conserved elements to explore species boundaries and phylogenetic relationships within the genus. 
    more » « less
  4. Messoris a diverse genus of Myrmicinae with 168 extant species and subspecies. In the Mediterranean, some of its taxa historically were classified as members of theMessor instabilisgroup (sensu Santschi), of which 19 are known from the eastern Mediterranean. Here, theMessor semirufuscomplex of the Balkan Peninsula that assembles a distinct subsection of members of theinstabilisgroup is defined and treated. In total, five species are recorded, including three that are new.Messor atanassoviiAtanassov, 1982 is redescribed and confirmed for Bulgaria (Thracian Plain, Struma, and Mesta Valley, Pirin Mt., and Eastern Rhodopi) and Greece (Epirus, Ionian Islands, Central and Eastern Macedonia, and Thraki). Three species are described as new to science:Messor danaesSalata, Georgiadis & Borowiec,sp. nov.(Cyclades: Serifos),Messor kardamenaeSalata & Borowiec,sp. nov.(Dodecanese: Kos, Nisyros, Rhodes, and Tilos), andMessor venerisSalata, Georgiadis & Borowiec,sp. nov.(Cyclades: Milos). The fifth member of the complex,Messor creticusBorowiec & Salata, 2019, maintains its status of Cretan endemic. 
    more » « less
  5. Collins, Allen (Ed.)
    The genus Rhytisma Alderslade, 2000 (Octocorallia: Malacalcyonacea: Lemnaliidae), formerly comprising four nominal species (R. fulvum, R. fuscum, R. monticulum and R. rubiginosum), is revised using an integrative approach. We combine morphological and phylogenomic data for newly collected and historical specimens. A neotype is designated for R. fulvum and a lectotype for R. fuscum to stabilise the application of these names. Six new species are described from the Indo-Pacific: R. acoronatum sp. nov., R. calyaceum sp. nov., R. oblongum sp. nov., R. inaequale sp. nov., R. karibu sp. nov. and R. sperkolae sp. nov. Species delimitation is supported by discrete combinations of morphological characters – particularly those of the tentacle and polyp sclerites – as well as multi-locus DNA barcoding and phylogenomic analyses of conserved elements (UCE and exon loci). Our findings highlight the diagnostic value of tentacle sclerites and reveal extensive species-level diversity that was previously obscured by insufficient morphological examination. The revised genus currently comprises 10 valid species, many of which display restricted geographic distributions, reflecting patterns of regional endemism in Indo-Pacific octocoral assemblages. These results underscore the importance of integrative taxonomy in uncovering hidden biodiversity. ZooBank: urn:lsid:zoobank.org:pub:3CFB17F3-F571-4B5E-9B83-93FFB0B915B3 
    more » « less