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The goblin spider genus Heteroonops (Araneae, Oonopidae), with notes on Oonops. (American Museum novitates, no. 3672)
Get PDF72 p. : ill. ; 26 cm.
"November 30, 2009."
Includes bibliographical references (p. 71-72).The goblin spider genus Heteroonops is relimited to include those soft-bodied oonopids with anteriorly situated, posteriorly directed projections on the endites of males, and elongated, highly spinose pedipalps in females, and is hypothesized to be natively circum-Caribbean. The type species, H. spinimanus (Simon), has attained a pantropical distribution, has been known only from females, and has therefore been hypothesized to be parthenogenetic. Although the species may have some parthenogenetic populations, males have apparently been collected together with females twice, once in the Seychelle Islands and once in Florida. We therefore place Matyotia tetraspinosus Saaristo (a monotypic genus and species established for that Seychelle specimen) as the male (and hence a junior synonym) of H. spinimanus; Oonopinus hunus Suman, described from Hawaii, is also newly synonymized with H. spinimanus, which is newly recorded from Mexico, the Bahama Islands, Colombia, Madeira, Madagascar, the Marquesas Islands, the Cook Islands, Pitcairn Island, Fiji, New Caledonia, and Queensland. Four specific names are transferred to Heteroonops: Oonops singulus Gertsch and Davis (from Mexico), O. validus Bryant (from Hispaniola), O. castellus Chickering (from the Virgin Islands), and O. delegenus Chickering (from Puerto Rico); H. delegenus is placed as a junior synonym of H. castellus, and the female of H. validus is described for the first time. Ten new species are described: H. murphyorum from Costa Rica, H. andros from the Bahama Islands, H. spinigata from Jamaica, H. vega, H. iviei, and H. castelloides from Hispaniola, H. toro from Puerto Rico, H. croix from the Virgin Islands, H. saba from Saba and Montserrat, and H. macaque from Dominica. Because the status of Heteroonops as a genus separate from Oonops Templeton has been questioned, we present a redescription of the family's type species, Oonops pulcher Templeton, based on topotypical specimens from Scotland; it is unlikely that any of the plethora of New World species that have been assigned to Oonops are actually congeneric with O. pulcher
Asteioinea flies of Fiji.
No full text59 p. : ill. (some col.), maps ; 26 cm.
"November 30, 2009."
Includes bibliographical references (p. 57-59).Three of the six families in the acalyptrate fly group Asteioinea are reported from Fiji, comprising five genera and 23 species, with all except three of the species being new. The new species in their respective families are the following: Stenomicra ariela, Si. brunnea, Si. castanea, Si. distincta, Si. pallida, Si. sylpha, Si. tokotaai, and Si. xoutha; Cyamops femobrunneus, C. femoctenidius; Stenocyamops luteus, Sy. pseudoluteus, Sy. robustus, and Sy. vittatus (Periscelididae); Asteia pleurovitta, A. pleurovittata, A. rotundiscuta, A. vanuaensis, A. vitiensis (Asteiidae); and Xenasteia fijiana (Xenasteiidae). This is the first report of Stenocyamops outside of Southeast Asia. Stenomicra distinctipennis (Collin) is resurrected from synonymy with S. fascipennis Malloch, based on study of male genitalia belonging to a complex of fascipennis-like species from throughout the Pacific. Asteia nigriceps Bezzi is redescribed. Keys to genera and species are provided. Some species were collected in the rolled leaves of bananas and wild gingers (Zingerberales), which appears to be an important habitat for periscelidids in tropical forests
The genus Euparagia Cresson (Hymenoptera, Vespidae, Euparagiinae). (American Museum novitates, no. 3643)
No full text11 p. : ill. ; 26 cm.
"March 31, 2009."
Includes bibliographical references (p. 10-11).A new species of the wasp genus Euparagia Cresson, 1879, is described: unidentata Carpenter and Kimsey. The phylogenetic relationships of this and the other species in the genus are analyzed cladistically. A key to and catalog of the species are provided.Published by the American Museum of Natural History, New York, NY
A new species of Typhlochactas (Scorpiones, Typhlochactinae) from eastern Mexico. (American Museum novitates, no. 3647)
No full text11 p. : ill., 1 map ; 26 cm.
"June 25, 2009."
Includes bibliographical references (p. 11).Typhlochactas sissomi, a new species of troglomorphic scorpion in the subfamily Typhlochactinae Mitchell, 1971, is described, based on a single subadult male collected under a stone in a mesophilous forest in the mountains of the state of Queretaro, Mexico. This is the seventh species in the genus Typhlochactas Mitchell, 1971. Although all seven species are troglomorphic, four are troglobitic and two are humicolous. The new species described here is probably also humicolous. A key to the identification of Typhlochactas species is presented.American Museum of Natural History
Miocene distylomyid rodents from Xinjiang.
No full text18 p. : ill., 1 map ; 26 cm.
"August 28, 2009."
Includes bibliographical references (p. 17-18).Three new distylomyid species, Distylomys burqinensis, Prodistylomys wangae, and P. lii, are described from the Suosuoquan Formation, early Miocene, of Xinjiang Province, northwestern China. Previously unknown cranial materials and upper dentitions add new information for the higher-level taxonomy of distylomyid rodents. Based on these new discoveries, the family Distylomyidae is resurrected. These fossils demonstrate that distylomyids have a combination of primitive "ctenodactylid" characters and derived hystricognathous ones, possibly indicating a close affinity with South American caviomorph rodents and thereby offering new evidence to challenge the hypothesis that the traditional "Ctenodactyloidea" are monophyletic. Prodistylomys lii was recovered from Suosuoquan mammal assemblage III (magnetostratigraphically dated as 21.69-21.16 Mya) at the Chibaerwoyi locality. Distylomys burqinensis and Prodistylomys wangae were collected from a new fossiliferous locality, Locality XJ200601 of Burqin County. The composition of the fauna from this new locality suggests that it represents an assemblage younger than Suosuoquan mammal assemblage III. Preliminary comparison with other faunas suggests that the assemblage is of early Miocene age, approximately 20 Mya old, and is a new fossil level within the Suosuoquan Formation
Ontogeny of the skull of Sternotherus odoratus.
No full text97 p. : ill. ; 26 cm.
"Issued December 9, 2009."
Includes bibliographical references (p. 75-81).There are few published data addressing the types, levels, and patterns of intraspecific variation in gross anatomical structures for nonavian reptiles, especially considering the widespread interest in their morphology and evolutionary history. This study examines variation in both discrete and continuous characters of the postnatal skull for a single population of the kinosternid turtle Sternotherus odoratus. The primary purpose of the study was to elucidate those features that exhibit transformations (and by default those that do not) in the latter two-thirds of postnatal ontogeny--that portion heavily relied upon in phylogenetic analyses of macroanatomical features and most often preserved in the vertebrate fossil record. Data are presented for cranial characters historically used to elucidate phylogenetic relationships in turtles and to assess fossil specimens taxonomically. Results indicate that the number of characters exhibiting postnatal variation, and the levels at which they vary, are surprisingly high considering the conservative nature of both the taxonomic sample and the pool of examined characters. Features associated with the feeding apparatus are among the most variable cranial structures--for both continuous and discrete characters. A relatively large number of discrete transformations occur in structures derived from those cranial elements preformed in cartilage. This concentration demonstrates that developmental trajectories apomorphic for deep nodes in vertebrate phylogenetic history result in relatively late-stage postnatal transformations and high levels of variation in characters informative at much more restricted taxonomic levels. This study provides a baseline of data that future studies examining the ontogenetic and evolutionary history of variation can build upon and it represents a necessary step in understanding the complex system by which variability in developmental modules becomes integrated in the reptile skull
Two new species of Pteropus from Samoa, probably extinct.
No full text37 p. : ill., maps ; 26 cm.
"June 25, 2009."
Includes bibliographical references (p. 30-37).Two new species of flying foxes (genus Pteropus) from the Samoan archipelago are described on the basis of modern museum specimens collected in the mid-19th century. A medium-sized species (P. allenorum, n. sp.) is introduced from the island of Upolu (Independent Samoa), based on a specimen collected in 1856 and deposited in the Academy of Natural Sciences of Philadelphia. It has not been collected again, and we regard it as almost certainly extinct. This species is smaller bodied and has much smaller teeth than both extant congeners recorded in the contemporary fauna of Samoa (Pteropus samoensis and P. tonganus). The closest relative of this new species may be Pteropus fundatus of northern Vanuatu. The disjunct historical distribution of these two small-toothed flying foxes (in Vanuatu and Samoa) suggests that similar species may have been more extensively distributed in the remote Pacific in the recent past. Another species, a very large flying fox with large teeth (P. coxi, n. sp.), is described from two skulls collected in Samoa in 1839-1841 during the U.S. Exploring Expedition; it too has not been collected since. This robust species resembles Pteropus samoensis and Pteropus anetianus of Vanuatu in craniodental conformation but is larger than other Polynesian Pteropus, and in some features it is ecomorphologically convergent on the Pacific monkey-faced bats (the pteropodid genera Pteralopex and Mirimiri). On the basis of eyewitness reports from the early 1980s, it is possible that this species survived until recent decades, or is still extant. These two new Samoan species join Pteropus tokudae of Guam, P. pilosus of Palau, P. subniger of the Mascarenes, and P. brunneus of coastal north-eastern Australia as flying foxes with limited insular distributions that survived at least until the 19th century but are now most likely extinct.American Museum of Natural History
Ukhaa Tolgod alvarezsaurid.
No full text14 p. : ill. (1 col.) ; 26 cm.
"June 25, 2009."
Includes bibliographical references (p. 12-14).We report a new alvarezsaurid, Kol ghuva, from the late Cretaceous of Mongolia that demonstrates that the clade was not restricted to small taxa (~3-15 kg). The specimen was found at the Ukhaa Tolgod locality, which has previously produced only a single diminutive alvarezsaurid, Shuvuuia deserti. Although known only from a well-preserved right foot, the new taxon is diagnosable by the following combination of characters: extensor grooves on digit IV phalanges; robust flexor tubercle on pedal unguals; MT III does not reach ankle; accessory dorsomedial flange absent on the medial side of the distal end of the MT II; MT II shorter than MT IV; and MT III extends higher proximally than other alvarezsaurids (more than K total metatarsus length). The new taxon provides additional insight into the diversity of this clade and the dinosaurian assemblage of Ukhaa Tolgod.American Museum of Natural History
Review of Saurornithoides.
Get PDF63 p. : ill. (1 col.), 1 map ; 26 cm.
"June 25, 2009."
Includes bibliographical references (p. 60-62).We review the morphology, taxonomy, and phylogenetic relationships of the Upper Cretaceous Mongolian troodontid Saurornithoides. Saurornithoides mongoliensis is known only by the holotype from Bayan Zag, Djadokhta Formation. This specimen includes a nearly complete, but weathered, skull and mandibles, a series of dorsal, sacral, and caudal vertebrae, and a partial pelvic girdle and hind limb. Saurornithoides junior, here referred to Zanabazar, also is known only by the holotype from Bugiin Tsav, Nemegt Formation. This specimen consists of a skull and partial mandible, a series of sacral and caudal vertebrae, a partial pelvic girdle, and the distal part of the right hind limb. Saurornithoides + Zanabazar is one of the few Mongolian taxa known from both the Djadokhta and Nemegt formations. The monophyly of Saurornithoides + Zanabazar has not been seriously questioned historically, yet empirical support for this clade is currently tenuous. A privileged phylogenetic relationship between Saurornithoides, Zanabazar, and the North American troodontid Troodon formosus is supported by numerous characters including the presence of a subotic recess, lateroventrally projecting and hollow basipterygoid processes, a lacrimal whose anterior process is significantly longer than its posterior process, a highly pneumatized parasphenoid rostrum, a constricted neck of the occipital condyle, a symphyseal region of the dentary that is slightly recurved medially, and an obturator process located near the middle of the ischiadic shaft. CT data for the skulls of both species facilitated a description of the endocranial anatomy of Saurornithoides mongoliensis and Zanabazar junior, including a reconstruction of the endocranial space of Zanabazar junior. Despite being the largest of the known troodontid species, the endocranial volume of Zanabazar junior is considerably smaller than that estimated for Troodon formosus, suggesting that the extremely high encephalization quotient of Troodon formosus may be autapomorphic among troodontids.American Museum of Natural History
New species of Chileria and Orthotylus.
No full text50 p. : ill. (some col.), maps ; 26 cm.
"March 31, 2009."
Includes bibliographical references (p. 47-50).Based on fieldwork conducted in northwestern Argentina for the Planetary Biodiversity Inventory project, and from the study of several specimens of entomological collections from other Neotropical countries--in particular Chile and Argentina--new taxa are described, and additional nomenclatural and distributional notes are provided for some Neotropical Orthotylini taxa. The male genitalia of Biobiocoris setosus Carvalho, 1985 are illustrated, and a diagnosis is proposed for this monotypic genus. New distributional information for B. setosus is provided, which is newly recorded from Argentina. Chileria andina, sp. nov., is described from Argentina. Host-plant data are given for the new species. Conostethus pamparum Berg, 1883 is transferred to Chileria, and Saileria chilena Carvalho and Carpintero, 1991, is proposed as junior synonym of Chileria pamparum, comb. nov. Detailed male genitalia drawings are provided, including genital capsule and phallotheca, for all the known species of Chileria. Based on these changes, a diagnosis of Chileria is provided as well as a key to all the species. Female genitalic structures of Hadronemella argentina (Carvalho and Wallerstein, 1978) are described and depicted, and new distributional information is provided. Hyporhinocoris tomentosus Reuter, 1909, is regarded as a junior synonym of Hyporhinocoris fratruelis (Berg, 1879). Hyporhinocoris is thus a monotypic genus with widespread distribution in Argentina associated with Larrea spp. (Zygophyllaceae). Orthotylus chullan, sp. nov., O. kakan, sp. nov., and O. kikin, sp. nov., are described from Chile. Male and female genitalic structures are compared with the most similar described species, O. chilensis Carvalho and Fontes, 1973. A diagnosis is proposed for O. tafoensis Kerzhner and Schuh, 1995, and its male genitalia illustrated. New distributional and host-plant information is provided for O. chilensis and O. tafoensis. Platyscytus youngi, comb. nov. (Phylinae) is proposed for Saileria youngi Carvalho, 1953, and thus removed from the Orthotylinae. A diagnosis for Saileria bella (Van Duzee, 1916), the type species of Saileria, is provided and its male genitalia illustrated. Digital dorsal habitus photographs are provided for all the species treated, and distribution maps are provided for the South American taxa. Scanning electron micrographs of selected structures and illustrations of male genitalia are presented for most species.Published by the American Museum of Natural History, New York, NY