1. Bird (aves) descriptions of Joannes Antonius Scopoli (1723-1788) : general overviewAl Vrezec, 2023, review article Abstract: Author of at least 175 new bird taxa, of which 59 taxa are still valid today, Joannes Antonius Scopoli (1723-1788) is one of the most important creators of ornithological history worldwide, yet often overlooked because his ornithological legacy remains poorly researched and known. His most important scientific work was conducted in Carniola (present-day Slovenia) between 1754 and 1769 and resulted in numerous publications. These include bird studies published in Annus I. Historico Naturalis, Descriptiones Avium (1769), while later studies were devoted to the revision of other explorer datasets, the most important being descriptions of birds from Pierre Sonnerat’s expeditions. The paper presents an overview of the all new bird taxa described by Scopoli.
Keywords: history of science, ornithology, collection, taxonomy, type specimens, zoological nomenclature, zoology
Published in DiRROS: 05.08.2024; Views: 78; Downloads: 92
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2. Checklist of the dragonflies and damselflies (Insecta: Odonata) of Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Nepal, Pakistan and Sri LankaVincent J. Kalkman, Raman Babu, Matjaž Bedjanič, Karen Conniff, T. Gyeltshen, M. K. Khan, K. A. Subramanian, A. Zia, A. G. Orr, 2020, original scientific article Abstract: A checklist of the dragonflies and damselflies occurring in Bangladesh, Bhutan, India (including Andaman and Nicobar Islands), Nepal, Pakistan and Sri Lanka is presented. In total 588 (including 559 full species) taxa are known to occur in the region of which 251 taxa (species & subspecies) are single country endemics. Recent taxonomic changes relevant to the area are summarized. Sixteen taxa are synonymized and a checklist of all synonyms established since 1950 is provided. Information is given on available larval descriptions including a list of genera present in the region for which no larvae have yet been described. Numerous species occurring in the area are still poorly known and a list of genera for which a revision is urgently needed is provided.
The following new synonyms are established: Calicnemia sudhaae Mitra, 1994 = Calicnemia imitans Lieftinck, 1948 syn. nov.; Ceriagrion fallax cerinomelas Lieftinck, 1927 = Ceriagrion fallax Ris, 1914 syn. nov.; Ceriagrion fallax pendleburyi Laidlaw, 1931 = Ceriagrion fallax Ris, 1914 syn. nov.; Coenagrion kashmirus Chowdhary & Das, 1975 = Ischnura forcipata Morton, 1907 syn. nov.; Enallagma insula Fraser, 1920 = Aciagrion occidentale Laidlaw, 1919 syn. nov.; Himalagrion pithoragarhicum Sahni, 1964 = Ceriagrion fallax Ris, 1914 syn. nov.; Ischnura bhimtalensis Sahni, 1965 = Ischnura rubilio Selys, 1876 syn. nov.; Onychargia indica Sahni, 1964 = Paracercion calamorum (Ris, 1916) syn. nov.; Anaciaeschna kashmirense Singh & Baijal, 1954 = Anaciaeschna martini (Selys, 1897) syn. nov.; Cyclogomphus vesiculosus Selys, 1854 = Cyclogomphus ypsilon Selys, 1954 syn. nov.; Chlorogomphus brittoi Navás, 1934 = Chlorogomphus xanthoptera (Fraser, 1919) syn. nov.; Hylaeothemis indica Fraser, 1946 = Hylaeothemis apicalis Fraser, 1924 syn. nov.; Sympetrum durum Bartenef, 1916 = Sympetrum striolatum commixtum Selys, 1884 syn. nov.; Sympetrum himalayanum Navás, 1934 = Sympetrum hypomelas (Selys, 1884) syn. nov.; Sympetrum haematoneura Fraser, 1924 = Sympetrum speciosum Oguma, 1915 syn. nov.; Sympetrum speciosum taiwanum Asahina, 1951 = Sympetrum speciosum Oguma, 1915 syn. nov.
In addition, Periaeschna lebasi Navás, 1930 is regarded a nomen nudum. The following new combinations are proposed: Onychogomphus acinaces Laidlaw, 1922 is transferred to the genus Melligomphus Chao, 1990 resulting in Melligomphus acinaces (Laidlaw, 1922) comb. nov. Onychogomphus saundersii Selys, 1854 is transferred to the genus Nychogomphus Carle, 1986 resulting in Nychogomphus saundersii (Selys, 1854) comb. nov..
Keywords: damselfly, dragonfly, diversity, taxonomy, larval description, Indian subcontinent, South Asia
Published in DiRROS: 31.07.2024; Views: 102; Downloads: 95
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3. Zoantharians (Hexacorallia: Zoantharia) associated with cold-water corals in the Azores Region: new species and associations in the deep seaMarina Carreiro-Silva, Oscar Ocaňa, David Stanković, ĺris Sampaio, Filipe M. Porteiro, Marie-Claire Fabri, Sergio Stefanni, 2017, original scientific article Abstract: Zoantharians are a group of cnidarians that are often found in association with marine invertebrates, including corals, in shallow and deep-sea environments. However, little is known about deep-sea zoantharian taxonomy, specificity and nature of their associations with their coral hosts. In this study, analyses of molecular data (mtDNA COI, 16S, and 12S rDNA) coupled with ecological and morphological characteristics were used to examine zoantharian specimens associated with cold-water corals (CWC) at depths between 110 and 800 m from seamounts and island slopes in the Azores region. The zoantharians examined were found living in association with stylasterids, antipatharians and octocorals. From the collected specimens, four new species were identified: (1) Epizoanthus martinsae sp. n. associated with the antipatharian Leiopathes sp.; (2) Parazoanthus aliceae sp. n. associated with the stylasterid Errina dabneyi (Pourtalès, 1871); (3) Zibrowius alberti sp. n. associated with octocorals of the family Primnoidae [Paracalyptrophora josephinae (Lindström, 1877)] and the family Plexauridae (Dentomuricea aff. meteor Grasshoff, 1977); (4) Hurlizoanthus hirondelleae sp. n. associated with the primnoid octocoral Candidella imbricata (Johnson, 1862). In addition, based on newly collected material, morphological and molecular data and phylogenic reconstruction, the zoantharian Isozoanthus primnoidus Carreiro-Silva, Braga-Henriques, Sampaio, de Matos, Porteiro & Ocaña, 2011, associated with the primnoid octocoral Callogorgia verticillata (Pallas, 1766), was reclassified as Zibrowius primnoidus comb. nov. The zoantharians, Z. primnoidus comb. nov., Z. alberti sp. n., and H. hirondelleae sp. n. associated with octocorals showed evidence of a parasitic relationship, where the zoantharian progressively eliminates gorgonian tissue and uses the gorgonian axis for structure and support, and coral sclerites for protection. In contrast, the zoantharian P. aliceae sp. n. associated with the stylasterid E. dabneyi and the zoantharian E. martinsae sp. n. associated with the antipatharian Leiopathes sp., appear to use the coral host only as support with no visible damage to the host. The monophyly of octocoral-associated zoantharians suggests that substrate specificity is tightly linked to the evolution of zoantharians.
Keywords: antipatharians, octocorals, Azores, gorgonians, molecular taxonomy, phylogeny, stylasterids
Published in DiRROS: 24.07.2024; Views: 132; Downloads: 104
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4. DNA metabarcoding uncovers fungal diversity of mixed airborne samples in ItalyElisa Banchi, Claudio Gennaro Ametrano, David Stanković, Pierluigi Verardo, Olga Moretti, Francesca Gabrielli, Stefania Lazzarin, Maria Francesca Borney, Francesca Tassan, Mauro Tretiach, Alberto Pallavicini, Lucia Muggia, 2018, original scientific article Abstract: Fungal spores and mycelium fragments are particles which become and remain airborne and have been subjects of aerobiological studies. The presence and the abundance of taxa in aerobiological samples can be very variable and impaired by changeable climatic conditions. Because many fungi produce mycotoxins and both their mycelium fragments and spores are potential allergens, monitoring the presence of these taxa is of key importance. So far data on exposure and sensitization to fungal allergens are mainly based on the assessment of few, easily identifiable taxa and focused only on certain environments. The microscopic method used to analyze aerobiological samples and the inconspicuous fungal characters do not allow a in depth taxonomical identification. Here, we present a first assessment of fungal diversity from airborne samples using a DNA metabarcoding analysis. The nuclear ITS2 region was selected as barcode to catch fungal diversity in mixed airborne samples gathered during two weeks in four sites of North-Eastern and Central Italy. We assessed the taxonomic composition and diversity within and among the sampled sites and compared the molecular data with those obtained by traditional microscopy. The molecular analyses provide a tenfold more comprehensive determination of the taxa than the traditional morphological inspections. Our results prove that the metabarcoding analysis is a promising approach to increases quality and sensitivity of the aerobiological monitoring. The laboratory and bioinformatic workflow implemented here is now suitable for routine, high-throughput, regional analyses of airborne fungi.
Keywords: fungi, fungal spores, taxonomy, sequence databases
Published in DiRROS: 24.07.2024; Views: 283; Downloads: 110
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5. Scaphoideus titanus up-to-the-minute : biology, ecology, and role as a vectorElena Gonella, Giovanni Benelli, Nathalie Arricau-Bouvery, Domenico Bosco, Meta Virant-Doberlet, 2024, review article Abstract: Native to the Nearctic region, Scaphoideus titanus Ball (Hemiptera: Cicadellidae) has become a major threat for grapevine production after being unintentionally introduced into Europe, where it became the main vector of flavescence dorée phytoplasma, being mainly associated with the genus Vitis. Scaphoideus titanus is a highly efficient vector of the most important phytoplasma affecting grapevine. For this reason, compulsory insecticide treatments have been introduced against this pest in many European countries. Moreover, the continuous expansion of its geographical distribution makes this leafhopper a serious threat for several non-European Countries. In this article, we review the current knowledge about its taxonomy, morphology, biology, ecology, and its role as a vector. Finally, we point out the main challenges for research aimed at reducing S. titanus and flavescence dorée expansion across Europe and avoiding spread of the disease outside the Old World.
Keywords: vector distribution, life cycle, morphology, taxonomy, feeding behaviour, entomology, insects
Published in DiRROS: 23.07.2024; Views: 135; Downloads: 88
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6. Two new species of parastenocaris (Copepoda, Harpacticoida) from a hyporheic zone and overview of the present knowledge on Stygobiotic Copepoda in Vietnam : historical overview and new dataNgoc-Son Tran, Mau Trinh-Dang, Anton Brancelj, 2021, original scientific article Abstract: The number of freshwater species belonging to the genus Parastenocaris reported from ten countries of Southeast Asia is quite limited. Only two species have been reported so far from freshwater habitats there, compared to over 290 described species of the family Parastenocarididae worldwide. During the first study of the hyporheic zone of two small rivers in central Vietnam, two new species of the family Parastenocarididae were collected, Parastenocaris sontraensis sp. nov. and Parastencaris vugiaensis sp. nov. Both were collected from the gravel bar along the rivers (Suoi Da and Vu Gia river) using the Karaman–Chappuis method. Both the new species belong to the brevipes group of the genus Parastenocaris Kessler, 1913 sensu Lang (1948), and Reid (1995). Parastenocaris sontraensis sp. nov. is similar to P. hinumaensis Kikuchi, 1970 and Parastenocaris jane Karanovic, 2006 in the brevipes-group. Parastenocaris sontraensis sp. nov. differs from both Parastenocaris species by (i) Exp P3 with three segments in the male, (ii) caudal rami with seven setae, and (iii) caudal rami about 2.4 times as long as wide. Parastencaris vugiaensis sp. nov. can be distinguished from its congeners by the unique combination of the following characters: (i) the elliptical shape of caudal rami, (ii) apical seta (V) with bulbous base, and (iii) anal operculum extends beyond the end of anal somite. Until now, 14 stygobiotic species of Copepoda have been recorded in Vietnam (including two new species in this paper), which is relatively few compared with nearby Thailand with 25 species. Short comments on other stygobiotic Copepoda from Vietnam are added.
Keywords: Southeast Asia, groundwater fauna, hyporheic zone, Copepoda, new species, taxonomy
Published in DiRROS: 19.07.2024; Views: 116; Downloads: 97
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7. A new obligate groundwater species of Asellus (Isopoda, Asellidae) from IranMohammad Javad Malek-Hosseini, Jure Jugovic, Yaser Fatemi, Matjaž Kuntner, Rok Kostanjšek, Christophe J. Douady, Florian Malard, 2022, original scientific article Abstract: With only 43 described stygobionts and only two isopod species the obligate groundwater fauna of Iran, a vast country with over 10% of limestone surface, is inadequately known. Here, we report the discovery of Asellus ismailsezarii sp. nov. from Zagros mountains, the first eyeless and depigmented asellid isopod from Iran. The new species is morphologically similar to Asellus monticola Birstein, 1932, but it is eyeless and fully depigmented, has a slightly curved pereopod IV and does not bear any setae on proximal margins of exopodite of pleopods IV and V. Species phylogenetic relationships using original and datamined mitochondrial DNA and nuclear rDNA, and estimation of molecular divergences with other Asellus species, suggest that A. ismailsezarii sp. nov. is sister to a larger clade that also contains the European A. aquaticus species complex. Surface populations of Asellus have colonized groundwater at multiple occasions and localities, both in Europe and Asia, giving rise to species and subspecies that have evolved troglomorphisms, such as depigmentation and loss of eyes. Of the 37 formally described species and subspecies of Asellus, 15 are from groundwater, including A. ismailsezarii sp. nov. We predict that many more obligate groundwater Asellus taxa are yet to be discovered in Asia.
Keywords: Asia, groundwater, molecular phylogeny, taxonomy, troglomorphy
Published in DiRROS: 16.07.2024; Views: 154; Downloads: 126
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8. Improving taxonomic practices and enhancing its extensibility—an example from araneologyJason E. Bond, Rebecca L. Godwin, Jordan D. Colby, Lacie G. Newton, Xavier J. Zahnle, Ingi Agnarsson, Christopher A. Hamilton, Matjaž Kuntner, 2022, original scientific article Abstract: Planetary extinction of biodiversity underscores the need for taxonomy. Here, we scrutinizespider taxonomy over the last decade (2008–2018), compiling 2083 published accounts of newlydescribed species. We evaluated what type of data were used to delineate species, whether data weremade freely available, whether an explicit species hypothesis was stated, what types of media wereused, the sample sizes, and the degree to which species constructs were integrative. The findings wereport reveal that taxonomy remains largely descriptive, not integrative, and provides no explicitconceptual framework. Less than 4% of accounts explicitly stated a species concept and over one-thirdof all new species described were based on 1–2 specimens or only one sex. Only ~5% of studies madedata freely available, and only ~14% of all newly described species employed more than one line ofevidence, with molecular data used in ~6% of the studies. These same trends have been discovered inother animal groups, and therefore we find it logical that taxonomists face an uphill challenge whenjustifying the scientific rigor of their field and securing the needed resources. To move taxonomyforward, we make recommendations that, if implemented, will enhance its rigor, repeatability, andscientific standards.
Keywords: taxonomy, taxonomic crisis, species concepts, data management, monographic research
Published in DiRROS: 16.07.2024; Views: 125; Downloads: 61
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9. Discovering unknown Madagascar biodiversity : integrative taxonomy of raft spiders (Pisauridae: Dolomedes)Kuang-Ping Yu, Matjaž Kuntner, 2024, original scientific article Abstract: Madagascar is a global biodiversity hotspot, but its biodiversity continues to be underestimated and understudied. Of raft spiders, genus Dolomedes Latreille, 1804, literature only reports two species on Madagascar. Our single expedition to humid forests of eastern and northern Madagascar, however, yielded a series of Dolomedes exemplars representing both sexes of five morphospecies. To avoid only using morphological diagnostics, we devised and tested an integrative taxonomic model for Dolomedes based on the unified species concept. The model first determines morphospecies within a morphometrics framework, then tests their validity via species delimitation using COI. It then incorporates habitat preferences, geological barriers, and dispersal related traits to form hypotheses about gene flow limitations. Our results reveal four new Dolomedes species that we describe from both sexes as Dolomedes gregoric sp. nov., D. bedjanic sp. nov., D. hydatostella sp. nov., and D. rotundus sp. nov. The range of D. kalanoro Silva & Griswold, 2013, now also known from both sexes, is expanded to eastern Madagascar. By increasing the known raft spider diversity from one valid species to five, our results merely scratch the surface of the true Dolomedes species diversity on Madagascar. Our integrative taxonomic model provides the framework for future revisions of raft spiders anywhere.
Keywords: raft spiders, integrative taxonomic model, Madagascar, biodiversity, integrative taxonomy, zoology
Published in DiRROS: 16.05.2024; Views: 305; Downloads: 404
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10. Contribution to the knowledge of Gongolaria barbata (Sargassaceae, Fucales) from the Mediterranean : insights into infraspecific diversityAnnalisa Falace, Chiara Manfrin, Giovanni Furnari, Sara D’Ambros Burchio, Alberto Pallavicini, Emmanuelle Patricia Descourvières, Sara Kaleb, Ana Lokovšek, Daniele Grech, Giuseppina Alongi, 2024, original scientific article Abstract: Gongolaria barbata (Sargassaceae, Fucales) is a widespread species for which several infraspecific taxa have been described, indicating its polymorphism. This study contributes to the understanding of the molecular, nomenclatural, morphological and ecological aspects of G. barbata in the Mediterranean and sheds light on the infraspecific diversity and its implications for the taxonomy of this species. Molecular analyses were performed using sequencing of the mitochondrial cox1 gene on both haptophytic and pleustophytic forms from different sites in the Adriatic and Tyrrhenian Seas. Vegetative and reproductive morphology was studied on thalli samples from the Adriatic. Our results showed that there are different morphotypes within G. barbata populations related to specific environmental conditions, suggesting infraspecific variation. In contrast, molecular analyses showed no differences between samples, regardless of whether individuals are growing “attached” to a substrate or “unattached”. We also discussed the taxonomic status and nomenclatural issues related to certain infraspecific taxa previously proposed for G. barbata. In particular, the confusion surrounding Cystoseira aurantia is clarified.
Keywords: ecotypes, taxonomy, Northern Adriatic, Cystoseira s.l.
Published in DiRROS: 16.05.2024; Views: 257; Downloads: 118
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