Two new species of the family Eriophyidae (Acari: Eriophyoidea) from Mount Trusmadi, Malaysia, are described and illustrated. They are Neodicrothrix grandcaputus sp. nov. on Stachyurus himalaicus (Stachyuraceae) and Latitudo asiaticis sp. nov. on Psychotria asiatica (Rubiaceae). Both of the two new species are vagrant on the lower leaf surface. No damage to the host was observed. In addition to the description, a key to species of Neodicrothrix is provided.
Twenty new species of Agrilus jewel beetles from the Oriental region are described and illustrated: Agrilus cicadelloides sp. nov. (Malaysia: Sarawak); A. draco sp. nov. (Malaysia: Sabah); A. hergovitsi sp. nov. (Malaysia: Johor); A. hik sp. nov.(Cambodia); A. ika sp. nov. (Solomon Islands); A. jankae sp. nov. (Indonesia: Sumatra, Singapore); A. jum sp. nov. (Laos); A. kon sp. nov. (Cambodia); A. mimicus sp. nov. (Laos); A. qom sp. nov. (Laos); A. titi sp. nov. (Malaysia: Perak); A. uxo sp. nov. (Vietnam); A. wos sp. nov. (Laos); A. xen sp. nov. (Laos); A. xia sp. nov. (Laos); A. xis sp. nov. (Laos); A. yoa sp. nov. (Laos, Vietnam); A. yuk sp. nov. (Laos); A. zao sp. nov. (Indonesia: Java and Sumba Islands); A. zim sp. nov. (Malaysia: Pahang).
MeSH terms: Animals; Animal Structures; Beetles*; Cambodia; Indonesia; Laos; Malaysia; Melanesia; Organ Size; Singapore; Vietnam; Body Size; Animal Distribution
The genus Rhitymna Simon, 1897 is revised by means of new material. Four new species are described: R. gerdmangel spec. nov. (Thailand, Malaysia; male, female), R. merianae spec. nov. (Indonesia: Bali; male), R. flores spec. nov. (Indonesia: Flores; male, female), R. senckenbergi spec. nov. (Philippines; male). The male of R. plana Jäger, 2003 and the female of R. tangi Quan Liu, 2012 are described for the first time. Rhitymna simoni Jäger, 2003 is recognised as junior synonym of R. cursor (Thorell, 1894) comb. nov., the latter transferred from the genus Olios Walckenaer, 1837. New records are given for further Rhitymna species, among them new country or island records for R. verruca (Wang, 1991) (Thailand), R. tangi Quan Liu, 2012 (Laos), R. plana Jäger, 2003 (Cambodia), R. pinangensis (Thorell, 1891) (Thailand), R. deelemanae Jäger, 2003 (Bali). The number of cheliceral bristles close to the fang base is recognised as size dependent, therefore without true phylogenetic signal. Two main types of copulatory organs within the genus are recognised and discussed. R. gerdmangel spec. nov. has a special biology as it lives exclusively in bamboo. Holes made by beetles or woodpeckers are used to enter the bamboo stem. Spiders hide during the day and lay their eggs in bamboo internodes.
The Barsine inflexa and the B. flavodiscalis species-groups are reviewed. Six new species are described: B. victoria Volynkin Černý, sp. nov. (North West Myanmar and North East India), B. kanchenjunga Volynkin Černý, sp. nov. (North East India), B. dejeani Volynkin Černý, sp. nov. (South West China: Sichuan), B. thagyamin Volynkin Černý, sp. nov. (North Myanmar), B. hreblayi Volynkin Černý, sp. nov. (North Thailand) and B. siberuta Volynkin Černý, sp. nov. (Indonesia: Siberut Island). Adults, male and female genitalia of all species are illustrated.
A new species of limestone karst-adapted gecko of the Cyrtodactylus pulchellus complex, C. dayangbuntingensis sp. nov., is described from Dayang Bunting Island of the Langkawi Archipelago off the northwest coast of Peninsular Malaysia. It is the third species of the group to be described from the archipelago after C. langkawiensis and C. macrotuberculatus. The new species can be distinguished from all other species of Cyrtodactylus based on molecular evidence from the mitochondrial gene ND2 and its flanking tRNAs as well as having unique combinations of morphological and color pattern characteristics. This discovery underscores the need for continued surveys of the many islands in the archipelago to properly ascertain its true herpetological diversity.
Three species new to science of the Gryllid subfamilies Gryllinae and Pteroplistinae are described from Brunei: (1) Mimicogryllus splendens Tan, Gorochov Wahab, sp. nov., (2) Pteroplistes bruneiensis Tan, Gorochov Wahab, sp. nov., and (3) Tembelingiola belaitensis Tan, Gorochov Wahab, sp. nov. A new species of cricket of the subfamily Phaloriinae is also described from Sandakan, eastern Sabah: Vescelia sepilokensis Tan, Gorochov, Japir Chung, sp. nov.
MeSH terms: Animals; Animal Structures; Borneo; Brunei; Gryllidae*; Malaysia; Organ Size; Orthoptera*; Body Size; Animal Distribution
Larvae of a gall midge were found feeding on the fungal rust Maravalia pterocarpi (Pucciniomycetes: Pucciniales: Chaconiaceae) infesting the economically important sua tree Dalbergia tonkinensis (Fabaceae) on Hainan Island, China. The adults, pupae and larvae were collected, their morphology was studied and a segment of the Cytochrome Oxidase unit I (COI) mitochondrial gene was sequenced. The gall midge proved to be a species new to science that belongs to the genus Mycodiplosis (Diptera: Cecdiomyiidae). Comparison of the sequence to published Cecdiomyiidae sequences revealed that, despite being undescribed and unnamed, it was previously found in east and south-east Asia to feed on several rust species: Puccinia coronata (Pucciniomycetes: Pucciniales: Pucciniaceae) that develops on Lolium multiflorum (Poaceae), Puccinia sp. on Zea mays (Poaceae), Puccinia arachidis on Arachis hypogaea (Fabaceae) and Puccinia allii on Allium fistulosum (Amaryllidaceae). The new species is described and named here Mycodiplosis puccinivora Jiao, Bu Kolesik. It occurs in China, Japan, Thailand, Bangladesh and possibly Malaysia and Australia. In Hainan it has four to five generations per year.
Two new species of thinly encrusting sponge Hamacantha (Demospongiae, Merliida, Hamacanthidae) are described from Japan. Hamacantha (Vomerula) mamoi sp. nov. was collected from Sagami Bay, and Hamacantha (Vomerula) umisachii sp. nov. from off Hachijo Island. This is the first record of Hamacantha and the Hamacanthidae from Japan. H. (V.) mamoi sp. nov. is characterized by having styles, two types of diancistras and one of sigmas. Only two known species have the same spicule composition: H. (V.) acerata Lévi, 1993 and H. (V.) esperioides Ridley Dendy, 1886, described from New Caledonia, and south-west Africa and south-east South America, respectively. H. (V.) acerata has larger diancistras and much smaller sigmas compared with those of H. (V.) mamoi sp. nov. H. (V.) esperioides can be separated by having larger styles and smaller sigmas than those of H. (V.) mamoi sp. nov. H. (V.) umisachii sp. nov is characterized by having styles, diancistras, cyrtancistra-like diancistras and sigmas. Hamacantha (V.) carteri Topsent, 1904 seems to have similar spicule composition, however the size of all spicule types is different.
MeSH terms: Animals; Japan; Namibia; New Caledonia; Porifera*; South America; Islands
The wolf spider genus Artoria Thorell, 1877 is a common group in Australasia, currently including 41 species from Australia, three from New Zealand and four from Pacific islands (Framenau Baehr 2018; Word Spider Catalog 2019). This does not, however, comprise the whole distribution of the genus. The type species, A. parvula Thorell, 1877 has been recorded from China, Philippines, Indonesia (Sulawesi) and Australia (Northern Territory). An endemic species, A. ligulacea (Qu, Peng Yin, 2009) was described from Yunnan, China. This indicates that there must be some undescribed species from Southeast Asian countries. A recent collecting expedition to Malaysia confirms this hypothesis. Two species of Artoria were found, the type species, A. parvula from East and West Malaysia and a new species, A. weiwei sp. nov. from East Malaysia. In this study, we illustrate the former and describe for the first time the latter species.
MeSH terms: Animals; Asia, Southeastern; China; Indonesia; Malaysia; New Zealand; Pacific Islands; Philippines; Spiders*; Northern Territory; Australasia; Animal Distribution
This revision of the bee genus Bathanthidium Mavromoustakis, 1953, treats 12 species, with 11 recorded from China, including Bathanthidium fengkaiense Niu Zhu, sp. nov.. Two species are proposed as new combinations in genus Bathanthidium: Anthidium (s. str.) bicolor Wu, 2004, A. (s. str.) monganshanensis Wu, 2004. The two new combinations (B. bicolor, B. monganshanense) are in Bathanthidium (Manthidium), previously considered to include only the type species from Burma and Laos (published records from northeastern India and Malaysia are based on misinterpreted localities). Trachusa (Paraanthidium) concavum (Wu, 1962) and Stelis siamensis Friese, 1925 are synonymized with B. binghami (Friese, 1901). Bathanthidium circinatum Wu, 2004 is transferred to Pseudoanthidium Friese forming the new combination P. (s. str.) circinatum (Wu, 2004). The distribution of each species is given, new distribution sites are marked by asterisk (*) especially. Our results confirm that the genus Bathanthidium has higher species diversity than previously documented and that this diversity is centered in China.
A new species of Ansonia is described from the Shan Plateau of Myanmar based on an integrative taxonomic analysis that differentiates it from all other congeners. Molecular phylogenetic analyses based on the mitochondrial genes 12S and 16S rRNA and tRNA-val recover A. kyaiktiyoensis sp. nov. as the sister species to A. inthanon from Thailand but differs from it and other congeners by at least a 5.0% sequence divergence. It is further differentiated by the following combination of morphological characters: (1) maximum SVL 24 mm in males and females; (2) first finger shorter than second; (3) absence of interorbital and tarsal ridges; (4) presence of light-coloured interscapular spot; (5) presence of yellow rictal tubercle; (6) absence of wide, light-coloured patch below eye; (7) presence of large, discrete, bright-yellow submandibular spots along the underside of lower jaw; (8) iris yellow-gold; (9) presence of markings on the snout consisting of streaks below the eye to the lip, and on the canthus rostralis to the nostril; (10) dorsum grey-brown with orange-beige spots, a dark-brown X-shaped marking on the back surrounding the interscapular spot, and dark-coloured markings on rump; (11) fore- and hind limbs with orange-beige cross-bars; and (12) venter light-gray with yellow spotting, especially near flanks and underside of hind limbs. Ansonia kyaiktiyoensis sp. nov. is the westernmost known record for the genus and the only species west of the Salween Basin. Its discovery echoes the increasing number of herpetological discoveries being made in upland regions fringing the Ayeyarwady and Salween Basins.
Simulium (Gomphostilbia) marosense sp. nov. is described based on adults, pupae and mature larvae from Sulawesi, Indonesia. This new species is placed in the Simulium duolongum subgroup of the S. batoense species-group, representing the ninth member for the subgroup in Sulawesi. This new species is characterized by a narrow female frons and pupal gill with eight filaments, of which two filaments of the ventral pair are 1.9-3.0 times as long as the six other filaments. Taxonomic notes are provided to distinguish this new species from related species.
Two new intertidal oribatid mite species from the Indo-pacific region are described. Indopacifica iohanna sp. n. was found on the coasts of the Philippines and can be distinguished from its congeners by the lack of a ventral tooth on the claws. The larva and nymphs of this species show the same type of plication and setation typical for juveniles of other selenoribatid mites. Indopacifica mauritiana sp. n. was discovered on the coast of Mauritius and can be separated from its congeners by possessing only vestigial lamellar setae. A morphometric comparison of these two species and Indopacifica pantai from Thailand and Malaysia showed a clear separation between the three species. The known distribution of the genus Indopacifica stretches now from Mauritius in the West to the Philippines in the East and further occurrences within this area should be expected.
A review of the taxonomic status of the Smooth Slug Snake (Asthenodipsas laevis) in Borneo resulted in the discovery of two previously unrecognised species from the highlands of Sabah, East Malaysia. Asthenodipsas jamilinaisi sp. nov. and A. stuebingi sp. nov. are presumed to be closely related to A. laevis based on similarities in pholidosis and patterning but can be separated from A. laevis by their dorsal scale rows of 15/15/15 vs 15/15/13 and the presence of a sharp vertebral keel. Asthenodipsas jamilinaisi sp. nov. can be further differentiated from A. stuebingi sp. nov. by the greatly enlarged size of the vertebral scales, higher number of ventrals in males (173-175 vs 165), higher number of subcaudals (53 vs 35-47) and colour pattern (dark overall with indistinct bands vs lighter head and body with clear, distinct bands and a dark neck patch). The discovery highlights the need for more careful examination of much of the herpetofauna of Borneo that still remains underestimated and understudied. There is an urgent need for continued surveys into its diversity and the collection of genetic material for integrated taxonomic revisions.
MeSH terms: Animals; Borneo; Malaysia; Male; Colubridae*; Animal Distribution
An integrative taxonomic analysis of Subdoluseps herberti from southern Thailand and Peninsular Malaysia and S. samajaya from Sarawak, East Malaysia (Borneo) recovers the former as paraphyletic with respect to the latter. The analyses recover the three southernmost populations of S. herberti in Peninsular Malaysia as conspecific and the sister lineage of S. samajaya, whereas S. herberti from Thailand and northern Peninsular Malaysia constitute the sister species to S. samajaya plus the southern three Peninsular Malaysian populations. As such, the southern populations are described herein as S. malayana sp. nov. and all three species are referred to as the S. herberti group. Clade boundaries and breaks within this group on the Thai-Malay Peninsula occurring at the Isthmus of Kra, across the Kangar-Pattani line, and between the Thai-Malay Peninsula and Borneo are consistent with phylogeographic patterns of other Sundaic taxa. The discovery of S. malayana sp. nov. continues to underscore the fact that, despite the well-studied nature of the lizard fauna of Peninsular Malaysia, much of it still remains unrealized and for conservation efforts to move forward, field research followed by expeditiously revised taxonomies must continue.
Two new genera, Malaysiapona gen. nov. and Chandrapona gen. nov. of Paraboloponina leafhoppers (Cicadellidae: Deltocephalinae: Drabescini) with their unusally developed aedeagal base are described from the Pacific (Malaysia). The following new species are also described with the new genera: Malaysiapona brevipenis sp. nov. from Sabah, M. filamenta sp. nov., from Sarawak and Chandrapona vespertilis sp. nov. from Sabah.
The species of Estheria Robineau-Desvoidy (Diptera: Tachinidae) from the East Palearctic and Oriental regions are reviewed. Eighteen species are recognized: the fourteen previously described, E. acuta (Portschinsky, 1881), E. alticola Mesnil, 1967, E. bucharensis (Kolomiets, 1974), E. cinerella Mesnil, 1967, E. cristata (Meigen, 1826), E. decolor (Pandellé, 1896), E. flavipennis Herting, 1968, E. lacteipennis Mesnil, 1967, E. maculipennis Herting, 1968, E. magna (Baranov, 1935), E. nigripes (Villeneuve, 1920), E. pallicornis (Loew, 1873), E. petiolata (Bonsdorff, 1866) and E. picta (Meigen, 1826), and four species described as new to science, E. hirtinerva Zhang Shima sp. nov. (W China, Nepal), E. prostata Zhang Shima sp. nov. (W China, Nepal), E. tibetensis Zhang Shima sp. nov. (W China, Nepal) and E. wangi Zhang Liang sp. nov. (W China, Pakistan). Estheria acuta and E. decolor are newly recorded for China, E. magna is newly recorded for Malaysia, Pakistan and Vietnam, and E. pallicornis is newly recorded for Nepal. An identification key to the 18 species of Estheria so far known from the East Palearctic and Oriental regions is included, together with 126 figures of heads and habitus of males and females, and male terminalia and known distributions.
MeSH terms: Animals; China; Diptera*; Female; Male; Nepal; Animal Distribution
In this work, an algorithm for the classification of six motor functions from an electroencephalogram (EEG) signal that combines a common spatial pattern (CSP) filter and a continuous wavelet transform (CWT), is investigated. The EEG data comprise six grasp-and-lift events, which are used to investigate the potential of using EEG as input signals with brain computer interface devices for controlling prosthetic devices for upper limb movement. Selected EEG channels are the ones located over the motor cortex, C3, Cz and C4, as well as at the parietal region, P3, Pz and P4. In general, the proposed algorithm includes three main stages, band pass filtering, CSP filtering, and wavelet transform and training on GoogLeNet for feature extraction, feature learning and classification. The band pass filtering is performed to select the EEG signal in the band of 7 Hz to 30 Hz while eliminating artifacts related to eye blink, heartbeat and muscle movement. The CSP filtering is applied on two-class EEG signals that will result in maximizing the power difference between the two-class dataset. Since CSP is mathematically developed for two-class events, the extension to the multiclass paradigm is achieved by using the approach of one class versus all other classes. Subsequently, continuous wavelet transform is used to convert the band pass and CSP filtered signals from selected electrodes to scalograms which are then converted to images in grayscale format. The three scalograms from the motor cortex regions and the parietal region are then combined to form two sets of RGB images. Next, these RGB images become the input to GoogLeNet for classification of the motor EEG signals. The performance of the proposed classification algorithm is evaluated in terms of precision, sensitivity, specificity, accuracy with average values of 94.8%, 93.5%, 94.7%, 94.1%, respectively, and average area under the receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve equal to 0.985. These results indicate a good performance of the proposed algorithm in classifying grasp-and-lift events from EEG signals.
MeSH terms: Algorithms; Electroencephalography/methods*; Signal Processing, Computer-Assisted; Wavelet Analysis*; Support Vector Machine
In this study, we developed a glycerol-mediated safe and facile method to synthesize colored titania nanoparticles (NPs) via solution route. Our method is considerably effective and greener than other options currently available. Colored titania NPs were produced by hydrolyzing TiCl4 precursor in aqueous solution containing different concentrations of glycerol (0.0, 1.163, 3.834, and 5.815 mol/L) and subsequent calcination at 300 °C for 1 h. Our results highlight firstly that glycerol-mediated synthesis is unlikely to affect the anatase crystalline structure of TiO2, and secondly, that it would lead to coloration, band gap narrowing, and a remarkable bathochromic redshift of the optical response of titania. More importantly, the synthesized colored titania have Ti3+ ions, which, at least in terms of our samples, is the major factor responsible for its coloration. These Ti3+ species could induce mid gap states in the band gap, which significantly improve the visible light absorption capability and photocatalytic performance of the colored titania. The photocatalytic experiments showed that the colored TiO2 NPs prepared in 1.163 mol/L aqueous glycerol solution displayed the best photocatalytic performance. Almost 48.17% of phenolic compounds and 62.18% of color were removed from treated palm oil mill effluent (POME) within 180 min of visible light irradiation.
The tunability of semi-conductivity in SrTiO3 single crystal substrates has been realized by a simple encapsulated annealing method under argon atmosphere. This high temperature annealing-induced property changes are characterized by the transmission spectra, scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and synchrotron-based X-ray absorption (XAS). We find the optical property is strongly influenced by the annealing time (with significant decrease of transmittance). A sub gap absorption at ~427 nm is detected which is attributed to the introduction of oxygen vacancy. Interestingly, in the SEM images, annealing-induced regularly rectangle nano-patterns are directly observed which is contributed to the conducting filaments. The XAS of O K-edge spectra shows the changes of electronic structure by annealing. Very importantly, resistance switching response is displayed in the annealed SrTiO3 single crystal. This suggests a possible simplified route to tune the conductivity of SrTiO3 and further develop novel resistance switching materials.