The Asian neriid fly genus Telostylus Bigot (Diptera: Neriidae) is revised, including a key and illustrations of its species. Lectotype designations are proposed for four species: Telostylus babiensis de Meijere, T. decemnotatus Hendel, T. remipes (Walker) and T. trilineatus de Meijere. Two new species are described: Telostylus marshalli Sepúlveda & de Carvalho, sp. n., from Sarawak, Malaysia, and T. whitmorei Sepúlveda & de Carvalho, sp. n., from Masbate, Philippines. The morphology of Telostylus binotatus Bigot and T. remipes (Walker) is discussed in order to support their synonymy. Additionally, new country records are provided for four species: Telostylus babiensis de Meijere for Philippines, T. binotatus Bigot for Papua New Guinea, T. inversus Hennig for Malaysia and Indonesia, and T. trilineatus de Meijere for Malaysia and Philippines.
In Hymenoptera and Heteroptera, the absence of micropyles is one criterion for categorizing an egg as trophic. Undeveloped eggs are observed in more than 90% of the egg clusters of the ladybird beetle Harmonia axyridis Pallas. Traditionally, these undeveloped eggs are regarded as "trophic eggs." The surfaces of the eggs of H. axyridis were examined using scanning electron microscopy and the presence of micropyles in the shells of developing and undeveloped eggs determined. Micropyles are circularly distributed around the top of eggs and present in both developing and undeveloped eggs. The number of micropyles in the shells of developing and undeveloped eggs did not differ significantly. Our results indicate that the undeveloped eggs of H. axyridis have micropyles, suggesting that the mechanisms regulating the production of undeveloped eggs in H. axyridis differ from those resulting in the production of trophic eggs by Hymenoptera and Heteroptera.
Gyrodactylus thymalli Žitňan, 1960 and G. salaris Malmberg, 1957 have an indistinguishable ribosomal internal transcribed spacer (ITS) DNA sequence, but exhibit surprisingly high levels of intra- and interspecific sequence variation of the mitochondrial cytochrome oxidase I (CO1) gene. To test whether different populations of these reportedly very similar species could be discriminated using morphometric methods, we examined the morphometry of four different populations representing different mitochondrial clades. Twenty five point-to-point measurements, including five new characters of the attachment hooks, were recorded from three Norwegian laboratory populations (G. salaris from the Rivers Lierelva and Rauma, and G. thymalli from the River Rena), and from one wild population of G. thymalli from the River Test, UK. The Norwegian populations were kept under identical environmental conditions to control for the influence of temperature on the haptoral attachment hooks. Data were subsequently subjected to univariate and linear stepwise discriminant analyses. The model generated by the linear stepwise discriminant analysis used 18 of the 25 original variables, the first two roots accounting for 96.6% of the total variation between specimens. The hamulus shaft length accounts for 66.7% of the overall correct classification efficiency. Based on morphometry, all specimens were assigned to the correct species. Apart from three specimens of G. salaris from the River Lierelva population which were misclassified as belonging to the G. salaris Rauma population, all specimens were assigned to the correct population. Thus, populations of Gyrodactylus identified by mtDNA can also be discriminated using morphometric landmark distances.
The wing stalk in Diptera is examined, and its structures are re-evaluated and re-interpreted. The non-homology of A2 in Tipulomorpha and "A2" in other Diptera is claimed. Some notes are presented on the higher-level phylogeny of Diptera, especially those concerning Tipulomorpha. The family Trichoceridae is restored among Tipulomorpha, and the Tipulomorpha are re-affirmed as the sister group of the remaining Diptera. The clade Anisopodidae + Culicomorpha + Bibionomorpha is suggested as the sister group of Brachycera.
The external morphology of Aphylidae was studied previously in detail by the two junior authors, including the description of unique derived structures formed by their lateral thoracico-abdominal region (the exponium). Here we provide an additional description of the external scent efferent system of the metathoracic scent glands of species in the genus Aphylum Bergroth, 1906 (based on scanning electron microscope study) and its connection with an autapomorphic aphylid thoracico-abdominal region, the exponium. The origins of exponial sclerites are discussed and function of the exponium is hypothesised as being part of a complex defensive mechanism in the Aphylidae., Petr Kment, Pavel Štys, Jitka Vilímová., and Obsahuje seznam literatury
A population of a hybrid between Tragopogon porrifolius and T. pratensis (T. ×mirabilis), which occurs in SW part of the town of Roudnice nad Labem, N part of Central Bohemia, was analysed with respect to its morphology, fertility, life history, ploidy level and DNA content. Both parental species vary relatively little morphologically; they are biennials (monocarpic perennials) and diploids. T. pratensis is a native species in the Czech Republic, T. porrifolius was cultivated there in the past. The hybrid plants are extremely morphologically variable, with variation ranges of some characters overlapping those of the parental species (e.g. ligules are often longer than involucral bracts, peduncles are often lanate). Only diploids were found within the hybrid population; however, they have substantially lower DNA content than both parents (18% lower than T. pratensis, 42% lower than T. porrifolius). The plants of the Roudnice hybrid population are polycarpic perennials in contrast to the monocarpic perennial (mostly biennial) parents. The distribution is described in detail; it shows that the hybrid plants are spreading and at present even occur outside the town. The long-persisting population of fertile diploid hybrid plants in Roudnice nad Labem is an alternative evolutionary pathway to that of the allotetraploid Tragopogon species known from North America.
A new genus, Trurlia Jałoszyński, in the tribe Cephenniini (Scydmaenidae: Scydmaeninae) is described. The type species is T. insana sp. n. from Sumatra; females of an undescribed species are also reported to occur in W Malaysia. Trurlia most closely resembles Cephennomicrus Reitter, but it is the first genus of the Scydmaenidae with entirely fused antennomeres 10 and 11, forming a large, oval, abruptly separated club. Based on a disarticulated female of Trurlia sp., the detailed morphology of the new genus is described and illustrated, and possible relationships with other genera of the tribe are discussed. Comments on evolution, polarity of characters and feeding strategy of the Cephenniini are included.
The examination of the type series of Ophiotaenia gallardi (Johnston, 1911) (syn. Proteocephalus gallardi Johnston, 1911) revealed that it is a mixture of two species of different genera. Lectotype of Ophiotaenia gallardi is designated and the species is redescribed on the basis of it, conspecific paralectotypes and additional materials. The remaining part of the type series belongs to Vandiermenia gen. n. (Acanthotaeniinae), with V. beveridgei sp. n. as the type- and only species. The new genus differs from all other acanthotaeniine genera, i.e. Rostellotaenia Freze, 1963, Acanthotaenia von Linstow, 1903 and Kapsulotaenia Freze, 1963, by the presence of cortical uterine stem and paramuscular vitelline follicles, particular structure of the internal longitudinal musculature (absent laterally and more developed than in the three above-mentioned genera) and testes limited in two fields separated medially. Type series of Ophiotaenia mjobergi (Nybelin, 1917) (syn. Crepidobothrium mjobergi Nybelin, 1917), O. amphiboluri (Nybelin, 1917) (syn. Crepidobothrium amphiboluri Nybelin, 1917), O. striata (Johnston, 1914) (syn. Acanthotaenia striata Johnston, 1914) and O. longmani Johnston, 1916 are revised and compared with Ophiotaenia gallardi. Australotaenia hylae (Johnston, 1912) comb. n. is proposed for Ophiotaenia hylae Johnston, 1912. Australotaenia gen. n. differs from the remaining genera of the subfamily Acanthotaeniinae by (1) the Type 2 of the formation of the uterus (sensu de Chambrier et al. 2004) (all the other acanthotaeniines have the Type 1 of uterine development), (2) the cortical position of the uterine stem (all the other genera have medullary uterine stem) and (3) the morphology of the internal longitudinal musculature, which is composed of few well-developed bundles of fibres (in contrast to the other genera). The new genus also differs from Vandiermenia by eggs not in clusters, the presence of two testicular fields (versus one in Vandiermenia) and the structure of the longitudinal internal musculature with only 8-10 bundles (versus formed by numerous bundles and with the presence of secondary muscles in Vandiermenia). Ophiotaenia sp. sensu de Chambrier (2004), a parasite of Litoria moorei, is described as Australotaenia grobeli sp. n., which can be distinguished from Australotaenia hylae by the smaller number of testes (46-76 versus 74-106), greater cirrus-sac length/width of proglottis ratio (27-33% versus 17-19%) and the smaller ovary width / proglottis width ratio (55-63% versus 68-71%).
Two hypogean species of genus Triplophysa are herein described from two subterranean tributaries of the River Yangtze drainage in Guiyang City, Guizhou Province, China. Triplophysa wudangensis, new species, can be distinguished from its congeners by the combination of the following characters: eye reduced, with diameter 5.1-6.5% HL; interorbital width 33.1-35.8% HL; body scaleless; lateral line complete; posterior chamber of air bladder degenerated; anterior nostril with elongated barbel-like tip; distal margin of dorsal fin truncate; dorsal fin with 7, anal fin with 5, and caudal fin with 14 branched fin rays; vertebrae 4 + 34. Triplophysa qingzhenensis, new species, can be distinguished from its congeners by the combination of the following characters: eye reduced, with diameter 2.1-4.4% HL; interorbital width 25.1-30.4% HL; body scaleless; lateral line complete; posterior chamber of air bladder degenerated; anterior nostril with elongated barbel-like tip; distal margin of dorsal fin truncate; dorsal fin with 7-8, anal fin with 5, and caudal fin with 14 branched fin rays; vertebrae 4 + 36. Molecular phylogenetic analysis supported the validity of these two new species and indicated their close relationship with Triplophysa rosa.
Recent collections of cestode parasites from two species of the myliobatid genus Aetomylaeus Garman from several localities in the Pacific Ocean resulted in the discovery of two new species of Halysioncum Caira, Marques, Jensen, Kuchta et Ivanov, 2013. Halysioncum gibsoni sp. n. from Aetomylaeus maculatus (Gray) in the South China Sea off Borneo differs from all of its congeners in having the following combination of characters: 27 apical hooks (14 type A and 13 type B hooks), 11-12 lateral hooklets, 22-28 spines per column on the cephalic peduncle, testes distributed in a single column and an internal seminal vesicle. Halysioncum arafurense sp. n., recovered from Aetomylaeus cf. nichofii 2 (sensu Naylor et al. 2012b) in the Arafura Sea off the Wessel Islands, Northern Territory, Australia, can be distinguished from its congeners based on the following combination of characters: 23 apical hooks (12 type A and 11 type B hooks), the number of lateral hooklets (9-11), the number of spines per column on the cephalic peduncle (20-24), the number and distribution of the testes (13-15 testes in two irregular columns), and the distribution of vitelline follicles (interrupted dorsally at the level of the ovarian lobes). Both species represent the first verified records of diphyllideans from eagle rays of the genus Aetomylaeus and formally extend the host associations of diphyllideans to include a third genus of Myliobatiformes. The myliobatiforms are indeed an understudied group of available hosts for diphyllideans and represent interesting target hosts if the diversity of diphyllidean tapeworms is to be fully estimated and understood.