6932 research outputs found
Sort by
The goblin spider genus Zyngoonops (Araneae, Oonopidae), with notes on related taxa. (Bulletin of the American Museum of Natural History, no. 379)
Get PDF117 pages : illustrations (some color), maps ; 26 cmThe goblin spider genus Zyngoonops Benoit, 1977 is revised. The type and hitherto only species, Z. clandestinus Benoit from the Democratic Republic of Congo (D.R.C.), is redescribed on the basis of topotypical material. Nine new species are described from the D.R.C. (Z. moffetti, Z. redii, Z. goedaerti, Z. rockoxi, Z. beatriceae, Z. chambersi, Z. swammerdami, Z. marki) and the Central African Republic (Z. walcotti). Members of Zyngoonops show remarkable modifications of the sternum and pedicel tube: the sternum has two heavily sclerotized posterior extensions, and the pedicel tube has a protruding ventral lip. The female genitalia are complex, consisting of an epigastric scape, two uterine sclerites, and a long genital duct. In most species, the distal part of the duct is highly coiled. Males resemble those of Antoonops Fannes and Jocqué and Coxapopha Platnick in having elaborately modified endites, a pair of pleural flaps, and a carapace with extended anterolateral corners. The type species of Coxapopha is redescribed, and new images of the female genitalia of Antoonops and Coxapopha are provided. A cladistic analysis of morphological characters provides support for the monophyly of Zyngoonops and identifies Z. redii as the most basal species of the genus
Spinoliella, Callonychium, and Arhysosage including biological notes, and a larval key to calliopsine genera (Hymenoptera, Apoidea, Andrenidae, Panurginae).
No full text27 pages : illustrations ; 26 cm.The known mature larvae of andrenid genera Spinoliella, Callonychium, and Arhysosage are described and compared with one another and with those of other Calliopsini. On the basis of both larval and adult anatomy, these three genera represent a distinctive clade, the "Spinoliella clade." The larvae are characterized by conspicuously enlarged and oddly shaped, paired dorsal tubercles on the pro- and mesothorax, while the paired dorsal tubercles of most other body segments are erect, elongate, and slender. All dorsal tubercles bear fine setae. The larvae were collected on field trips to South America over a 35 year period. Associated field notes are reported, treating information on nesting ecology, nest structure and dimensions, provisions, larval behavior, associated cleptoparasites, and mating behavior. Also presented is a preliminary taxonomic key to the genera of Calliopsini based on mature larvae
Quaternary bat diversity in the Dominican Republic. (American Museum novitates, no. 3779)
No full text20 pages : color illustrations, map ; 26 cmThe fossil record of bats is extensive in the Caribbean, but few fossils have previously been reported from the Dominican Republic. In this paper, we describe new collections of fossil bats from two flooded caves in the Dominican Republic, and summarize previous finds from the Island of Hispaniola. The new collections were evaluated in the context of extant and fossil faunas of the Greater Antilles to provide information on the evolution of the bat community of Hispaniola. Eleven species were identified within the new collections, including five mormoopids (Mormoops blainvillei, [dagger]Mormoops magna, Pteronotus macleayii, P. parnellii, and P. quadridens), five phyllostomids (Brachyphylla nana, Monophyllus redmani, Phyllonycteris poeyi, Erophylla bombifrons, and Phyllops falcatus), and one natalid (Chilonatalus micropus). All of these species today inhabitant Hispaniola with the exception of [dagger]Mormoops magna, an extinct species previously known only from the Quaternary of Cuba, and Pteronotus macleayii, which is currently known only from extant populations in Cuba and Jamaica, although Quaternary fossils have also been recovered in the Bahamas. Differences between the fossil faunas and those known from the island today suggest that dispersal and extirpation events, perhaps linked to climate change or stochastic events such as hurricanes, may have played roles in structuring the modern fauna of Hispaniola
Opopaea.
No full text156 pages : illustrations, maps ; 26 cm. Part of the Goblin Spider Planetary Biodiversity Inventory (http://research.amnh.org/oonopidae/)The Opopaea fauna of Madagascar is documented for the first time. There are 27 species of Opopaea on the island of which 26 are newly described here and 25 are apparently endemic to Madagascar: Opopaea andranomay, n. sp., O. ankarafantsika, n. sp., O. ankarana, n. sp., O. antsalova, n. sp., O. andringitra, n. sp., O. antsiranana, n. sp., O. bemarivo, n. sp., O. bemaraha, n. sp., O. berenty, n. sp., O. betioky, n. sp., O. itampolo, n. sp., O. kirindy, n. sp., O. manderano, n. sp., O. mahafaly, n. sp., O. manongarivo, n. sp., O. namoroka, n. sp., O. sandranantitra, n. sp., O. torotorofotsy, n. sp., O. tsimaloto, n. sp., O. tsimbazaza, n. sp., O. tsimembo, n. sp., O. tsinjoriaky, n. sp., O. tsingy, n. sp., O. vohibazaha, n. sp., O. foulpointe, n. sp. and O. maroantsetra, n. sp. (shared with Kenya and the Comoros Islands), and O. concolor (Blackwall, 1859), a cosmopolitan species. All species are described and illustrated. An identification key to the species and maps of their distribution in Madagascar are also provided
Review of Silverstoneia.
No full text58 pages : illustrations (some color), maps ; 26 cm.The dendrobatid genus Silverstoneia is a clade of forest-dwelling frogs that share small adult size ( II, male nurse frogs (known in four species), and larvae possessing an umbelliform oral disc with few to many submarginal papillae and medially emarginated posterior labium (also known in four species). The clade is distributed from Costa Rica to southern Departamento del Valle del Cauca in western Colombia and includes eight species, five of which are described herein as new species. As in all species of Dendrobatoidea, in Silverstoneia the distal tendon of insertion of the m. semitendinosus inserts dorsad to the distal tendon of the mm. gracilis complex and is strapped to the dorsal edge of the inner surface of the mm. gracilis complex by a unique binding tendon. The species of Silverstoneia may be diagnosed on the basis of adult size, adult ventral coloration, thigh coloration, and degree of expansion of finger III in adult males; additionally, there are clear species differences among the known tadpoles. Taxonomic comments are given for three previously named species: Silverstoneia erasmios (Rivero and Serna), S. flotator (Dunn), and S. nubicola (Dunn). We were unable to distinguish erasmios from nubicola. However, only females of erasmios are known and its validity needs confirmation. The species S. flotator sensu lato and S. nubicola sensu lato occur north through Panama to Costa Rica; they are distinct from one another, but some intraspecific variation suggests the possible presence of unnamed sibling species. The specimen long recognized as the type of S. flotator is not the holotype, which we consider lost; however, ample material is available from the well-known type locality (Barro Colorado Island) and neotype designation is not needed. Five new species are described--all endemic to low and moderate elevations on the Pacific versant of Colombia: Silverstoneia dalyi (p. 5), S. gutturalis (p. 17), S. minima (p. 22), S. minutissima (p. 29), and S. punctiventris (p. 34)
Revision of Proctoporus bolivianus Werner.
No full text31 pages, 1 unnumbered page : illustrations (some color), map ; 26 cm.The genus Proctoporus comprises seven montane species distributed across the Central Andes of Peru, Bolivia, and northern Argentina. Within this genus, the extensive morphological variation observed in populations traditionally assigned to Proctoporus bolivianus suggested the presence of additional species. Using a combination of morphological character differences and a phylogenetic hypothesis based on mitochondrial (12S, 16S, and ND4) and nuclear (c-mos) DNA sequences, we find P. bolivianus to be composed of six distinct lineages. Among these, we name and describe herein Proctoporus carabaya, P. iridescens, and P. kiziriani and we resurrect the name Proctoporus lacertus. The remaining two lineages are also considered unnamed species and are referred herein as confirmed candidate species (CCS), which we refrain from naming due to lack of appropriate material. The new species named herein are found in the departments of Cusco and Puno, Peru, and are distinguishable from all other species of Proctoporus by unique combinations of morphometric, pholidosis, and color-pattern characteristics. A neotype of P. bolivianus is designated
Optimization and sensitivity analysis of Hymenoptera.
No full text19 pages : illustrations ; 26 cmEven as recent studies have focused on the construction of larger and more diverse datasets, the proper placement of the hymenopteran superfamilies remains controversial. In order to explore the implications of these new data, we here present the first direct optimization-sensitivity analysis of hymenopteran superfamilial relationships, based on a recently published total evidence dataset. Our maximum parsimony analyses of 111 terminal taxa, four genetic markers (18S, 28S, COI, EF-1[alpha]), and 392 morphological/behavioral characters reveal areas of clade stability and volatility with respect to variation in four transformation cost parameters. While most parasitican superfamilies remain robust to parameter change, the monophyly of Proctotrupoidea sensu stricto is less stable; no set of cost parameters yields a monophyletic Diaprioidea. While Apoidea is monophyletic under eight of the nine parameter regimes, no set of cost parameters returns a monophyletic Vespoidea or a monophyletic Chrysidoidea. The relationships of the hymenopteran superfamilies to one another demonstrate marked instability across parameter regimes. The preferred tree (i.e., the one that minimizes character incongruence among data partitions) includes a paraphyletic Apocrita, with (Orussoidea + Stephanoidea) sister to all other apocritans, and a monophyletic Aculeata. "Parasitica" is rendered paraphyletic by the aculeate clade, with Aculeata sister to (Trigonaloidea + Megalyroidea)
New family of Cretaceous wasps.
No full text23 p. : ill. (some col.) ; 26 cm.A new family of microhymenopteran wasps is described and figured from three new species discovered in Cretaceous amber of Spain (Albian) and New Jersey (Turonian). Spathiopterygidae Engel and Ortega-Blanco, new family, is allied to the Diapriidae and Maamingidae (Proctotrupomorpha: Diaprioidea), sharing with these families putatively derived features relative to Monomachidae. The family contains three genera and three species, all new: Spathiopteryx alavarommopsis Engel and Ortega-Blanco, new genus and species, and Myamaropsis turolensis Engel and Ortega-Blanco, new genus and species, both from the early Cretaceous (Albian) of Spain, and Spathopria sayrevillensis Engel, Ortega-Blanco, and Grimaldi, new genus and species, from the late Cretaceous (Turonian) of New Jersey. Spathopria sayrevillensis is reconstructed using X-ray synchrotron microtomography. In addition, a peculiar new genus and species, Iberopria perialla Engel, Ortega-Blanco, and Delclòs, of stem-group Diapriidae is described from Spanish amber. The distinctive features and character combinations of these taxa are discussed in connection with possible relationships to the surviving lineages of diaprioids
Songs to syntax : cognition, computation, and the origin of language.
No full text65 minutesMIT Professor Robert Berwick discusses the evolution of human language and specifically how underlying syntax arose via the introduction of a single, surprisingly simple operation that "glues" words and sentence parts together. The relation of this simple syntax to human sensory-motor and thought systems reveals language to be asymmetric in design. While it precisely matches the representations required for inner mental thought, it also poses computational difficulties for understanding sentences, as everyday experience demonstrates. Despite this mismatch, one can show that syntax leads directly to the rich cognitive array that marks us as a symbolic species, including mathematics, music, etc.American Museum of Natural History