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1. Phylogenetic systematics of the genus Cyerce (Mollusca: Heterobranchia: Sacoglossa: Caliphyllidae) from the Pacific and Indian oceans with descriptions of nine new species

   https://doi.org/10.1093/zoolinnean/zlaf030  

   Moreno, Karina; Medrano, Sabrina; Gosliner, Terrence_M; Wilson, Nerida_G; Krug, Patrick_J; Valdés, Ángel (May 2025, Zoological Journal of the Linnean Society)

   Abstract The genus Cyerce Bergh, 1870 has been a model for the study of defensive strategies, including chemical defences, ceratal autotomy, and crypsis or aposematism. Specialization on different algae and diverse genital armatures also make Cyerce a useful system for investigating speciation by host shift versus sexual selection. Here, we review the genus Cyerce in the Pacific and Indian oceans using molecular and morphological data. Two mitochondrial genes (COI and 16S) and one nuclear gene (H3) were sequenced from 154 specimens, including representatives from the Atlantic Ocean. Bayesian and maximum likelihood analyses were used to generate phylogenetic hypotheses. Species delimitation analyses performed on COI sequences recovered 17 genetically distinct Pacific and Indian Ocean species of Cyerce, 10 of which are new to science. Nine new species are named herein (C. takanoi sp. nov., C. katiae sp. nov., C. trowbridgeae sp. nov., C. blackburnae sp. nov., C. tutela sp. nov., C. basi sp. nov., C. whaapi sp. nov., C. goodheartae sp. nov., and C. liliuokalaniae sp. nov.). The 10th species, from the Red Sea, is not named due to the absence of internal anatomical data. These findings increase the species richness in Cyerce by about two-thirds, and demonstrate that even conspicuous taxa harbour considerable cryptic diversity. 

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2. Four new Burmese species of Hemiphyllodactylus Bleeker (Squamata: Gekkonidae) from distantly related parapatric clades from the Shan Plateau and Salween Basin

   https://doi.org/10.11646/zootaxa.4758.1.2  

   GRISMER, L. LEE; WOOD, PERRY L.; QUAH, EVAN S.; THURA, MYINT KYAW; OAKS, JAMIE R.; LIN, AUNG (March 2020, Zootaxa)

   An integrative taxonomic analysis based on morphology, color pattern, and the mitochondrial gene ND2 recovered four new species of Hemiphyllodactylus Bleeker that are endemic to the Shan Plateau or Salween Basin in eastern Myanmar. Hemiphyllodactylus ngwelwini sp. nov. from the Shan Plateau is part of the earlier described “eastern Myanmar clade” renamed herein as the north lineage and H. kyaiktiyoensis sp. nov. and H. pinlaungensis sp. nov. of the Shan Plateau and H. zwegabinensis sp. nov. of the Salween Basin compose an entirely new Burmese clade herein referred to as the south lineage. Although the north and south lineages come within 46 km of one another on the Shan Plateau, they are not sister lineages but sequentially separated by two lineages from Yunnan, China and another from northwestern Thailand. Hemiphyllodactylus zwegabinensis sp. nov. is the first species of this genus to be recorded from the Salween Basin and is known only from a wind-blown cloud forest on the top of the insular, karstic mountain Zwegabin in Kayin State. All other Burmese species except for H. typus, are endemic to the various localities throughout the Shan Plateau. These four new species bring the total number of Hemiphyllodactylus in Myanmar to at least 10 which is certainly an extreme underestimate of the diversity of this genus given that we discover new species at every upland locality we survey. 

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3. Four new Scopalina from Southern California: the first Scopalinida (Porifera: Demospongiae) from the temperate Eastern Pacific

   https://doi.org/10.11646/zootaxa.4970.2.8  

   TURNER, THOMAS L. (May 2021, Zootaxa)

   Sponges (phylum Porifera) are common inhabitants of kelp forest ecosystems in California, but their diversity and ecological importance are poorly characterized in this biome. Here I use freshly collected samples to describe the diversity of the order Scopalinida in California. Though previously unknown in the region, four new species are described here: Scopalina nausicae sp. nov., S. kuyamu sp. nov., S. goletensis sp. nov., and S. jali sp. nov.. These discoveries illustrate the considerable uncharacterized sponge diversity remaining in California kelp forests, and the utility of SCUBA-based collection to improve our understanding of this diversity.  

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4. Phylogeny of Scissicauda Species, with Eight New Species, including the First Photinini Fireflies with Biflabellate Antennae (Coleoptera: Lampyridae)

   https://doi.org/10.3390/d15050620  

   Zeballos, Leandro Felipe; Roza, André Silva; Campello-Gonçalves, Lucas; Vaz, Stephanie; Da Fonseca, Cláudio Ruy; Rivera, Sara Cristina; da Silveira, Luiz Felipe (May 2023, Diversity)

   Photinini is the largest tribe of Lampyrinae fireflies, with over 30 genera and nearly 750 species, and includes taxa where adults may or may not have light organs. A focus on taxa with bioluminescent adults left the taxonomy of dark fireflies in poor condition compared to taxa with lit adults. A recent phylogenetic study based on molecular data supported the transfer of Scissicauda McDermott, 1964—traditionally placed in Amydetinae due to the flabellate antenna of its type species—to Photinini at a branch sided with Pyropyga Motschulsky, 1852 and Pyractonema Solier, 1849. Such placement had never been recovered before in morphology-based studies, and the consequences for the interpretation of character evolution in this lineage are yet to be addressed. Moreover, Scissicauda was previously thought to be endemic to the Atlantic Forest. Here, through phylogenetic analyses of 38 taxa and 108 morphological characters, we (i) expand on the concept of Scissicauda to include S. antennata sp. nov., S. asymmetrica sp. nov., S. aurata sp. nov., S. biflabellata sp. nov., S. gomesi sp. nov., S. jamari sp. nov., S. neyi sp. nov., S. truncata sp. nov., and (ii) transfer Lucidota malleri Pic, 1935 and, therefore, S. malleri comb. nov. We also recover Pyropyga + Pyractonema as sister to Scissicauda + Haplocauda, providing the first morphological evidence for their sisterhood. Noteworthy, the new species S. biflabellata sp. nov. and S. asymmetrica sp. nov. stand out as the first known Photinini species with biflabellate antennae. In addition, our study reports the first Scissicauda species in the Amazon (S. antennata sp. nov., S. aurata sp. nov., S. gomesi sp. nov., S. jamari sp. nov., and S. truncata sp. nov.) and Cerrado biome (S. neyi sp. nov.). Our study highlights the value of continued sampling and phylogenetic analyses of South American fireflies towards a revised classification and deeper understanding of this lineage. 

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5. New species in old mountains: integrative taxonomy reveals ten new species and extensive short-range endemism in Nesticus spiders (Araneae, Nesticidae) from the southern Appalachian Mountains

   https://doi.org/10.3897/zookeys.1145.96724  

   Hedin, Marshal; Milne, Marc A (February 2023, ZooKeys)

   This revision is based on sampling efforts over the past three decades in the southern Appalachian Mountains which have providedNesticus(Araneae, Nesticidae) collections of approximately 2100 adult specimens from more than 475 unique collecting events. Using a “morphology first” framework we examined recently collected specimens plus museum material to formulate morphology-based species hypotheses for putative new taxa (discovery phase). Using sequence capture of nuclear ultraconserved elements (UCEs) we analyzed 801 nuclear loci to validate new (and prior) morphology-based species hypotheses (validation phase) and reconstructed a robust backbone phylogeny including all described and new species. Sanger sequencing and UCE-bycatch were also used to gather mitochondrial data for more than 240 specimens. Based on our integrative taxonomic framework ten newNesticusspecies are herein described, includingN. binfordaesp. nov.,N. bondisp. nov.,N. caneisp. nov.,N. cherokeensissp. nov.,N. dellingerisp. nov.,N. dykemanaesp. nov.,N. jemisinaesp. nov.,N. lowderisp. nov.,N. roanensissp. nov., andN. templetonisp. nov.Previously unknown males are also described forN. bishopiGertsch, 1984,N. crosbyiGertsch, 1984, andN. silvanusGertsch, 1984, as well as the previously unknown female forN. mimusGertsch, 1984. Based on combined evidenceN. cooperiGertsch, 1984 is placed in synonymy withN. reclususGertsch, 1984. Overall, the montane radiation of AppalachianNesticusreveals a general lack of species sympatry and compelling biogeographic patterns. Several regionalNesticustaxa are rare, microendemic habitat specialists that deserve conservation attention and detailed future monitoring as conservation sentinels. 

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