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.
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 key is provided to 13 species of Haplothrips recorded from Malesia, the tropical biogeographic region that extends from Peninsular Malaysia to New Guinea. Three new synonyms are established, and H. aliceae sp.n. is described from Sarawak, Timor-Leste and Thailand. In contrast to recent treatments of Haplothrips, one of the most common members of the genus in Australia, H. angustus Hood is recognised as a syn.n. of H. ganglebaueri Schmutz that is widespread from Iran to Indonesia. Difficulties in distinguishing between three of the most common flower-living, Southeast Asian, species of this genus are discussed: H. anceps Hood from northern Australia, H. chinensis Priesner from Hong Kong, and H. brevitubus (Karny) from Japan.
Three new species of the genus Cyana Walker, 1854 are described: C. artemis sp. n. (southeastern China, Thailand, Laos, Vietnam), C. butyracea sp. n. (Vietnam) and C. kucheri sp. n. (Vietnam). The first two species are related to the Himalayan C. moelleri (Elwes, 1890) and the Indochinese C. intercomma Černý, 2009. Despite the external similarity of C. kucheri sp. n. to C. moelleri and its allies, by the genitalia structure this species is related to C. gazella (Moore, 1872). Adults and male and female genitalia of new and related species are illustrated.
Halone Walker (1854) is one of the small genera within the tribe Lithosiini of subfamily Arctiinae (Erebidae). It was established for its type species, Halone sobria Walker, 1854, from Australia. The genus Halone is distributed in Southeast Asia (total 14 spp.: 3 spp. from India; 1 sp. from Thailand; 9 spp. from Malay Peninsula; 1 sp. from Papua New Guinea) to Australia (total 14 spp.), with 28 species described by several authors in various genera: Halone sobria Walker (1854), Setina sinuata Wallengren (1860), Pitane sejuncta Felder Rogenhofer (1875), Mosoda consolatrix Rosenstock (1885), Mosoda servilis and M. ophiodes Meyrick (1886), Sorocostia interspersa Lucas (1890), Halone coryphoea and H. ebaea Hampson (1914), Eurypepla pteridaula Turner (1922), Halone epiopsis and H. prosenes Turner (1940), Psapharacis camptopleura and Scaphidriotis xylogramma Turner (1899) from Australia; Halone furcifascia Hampson (1914) from Papua New Guinea; Halone ariadna, H. bifornica, H. dissimulata, H. oblimarea, H. pillea, H. iuguma, H. marketae, H. solitus and H. viktorai Bucsek (2012; 2014) from Malay Peninsula; Halone straturata Černý (2009) from Thailand; Aemene diffusifascia Swinhoe (1896), Aemene flavescens Hampson (1898), and Halone flavinigra Hampson (1907) from India. The genus is cataloged in Poole (1989) and Edwards (1996).
Molecular phylogenetic analyses of the sister species Sphenomorphus stellatus and S. praesignis based on the mitochondrial genes 12S and 16S rRNA recover the former as paraphyletic with respect to the latter in that a specimen of S. stellatus from the type locality in Peninsular Malaysia is more closely related to S. praesignis than to Indochinese populations of S. stellatus. Furthermore, the phylogeny indicates that the Indochinese populations represent two species, thus resulting in four major lineages within this clade. These relationships are consistent with multivariate and univariate analyses of morphological and discrete color pattern data which statistically define and diagnose the four lineages and together with the molecular data, provide the foundation for robust, testable, species-level hypotheses. As such, S. stellatus is herein restricted to Peninsular Malaysia; S. annamiticus is resurrected for the circum-continental populations ranging through southeastern Thailand, southern Cambodia, and southern Vietnam; a new species-S. preylangensis sp. nov.-is described from an isolated mountain, Phnom Chi, from the Prey Lang Wildlife Sanctuary in central Cambodia; and the taxonomy of S. praesignis remains unchanged. The description of S. preylangensis sp. nov. underscores the necessity to conserve this remnant of lowland evergreen rainforest in the Prey Lang Wildlife Sanctuary.
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.
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.
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.
The Oriental leafhopper genus Kalasha Distant is reviewed with redescriptions and photos of all known species, and two new species are described and illustrated. The female ovipositor of K. nativa Distant is described and photographed. Kalasha sondaica Jacobi, 1914 is proposed as a junior synonym of K. nativa Distant, 1908. A key to species of the genus is provided. Kalasha nativa Distant, originally described from India (Assam), is recorded from Malaysia, Thailand and Viet Nam for the first time, also representing the first records of the genus from Malaysia and Thailand.
The male of Indolestes anomalus Fraser, 1946 is described and the holotype female is depicted. Its occurrence in Vietnam, Thailand and Malaysia is discussed, and the type locality is clarified (South Vietnam, Đồng Nai River basin).
The glandulariine genus Siamites is amongst the rarest Oriental ant-like stone beetles. To date, only three species have been known, distributed in Thailand and Vietnam. A new species, S. sarawakensis sp. n. is described here, based on a male specimen collected in Sarawak, East Malaysia. This finding extends the known range of Siamites over 1200 km southeastward.
An integrative taxonomic analysis used to identify a new population of Bronchocela from Phuket Island, Thailand indicates it is conspecific with B. rayaensis from the Langkawi Archipelago of northwestern Peninsular Malaysia. An additional specimen photographed from Khura Buri District, Phang-nga Province is also considered to be B. rayaensis and represents a northern range extension of 295 km from the Langkawi Archipelago.
Earthworm specimens collected from various parts of Thailand were found to contain seven new species of the genus Metaphire Sims & Easton, 1972. These are M. songkhlaensis sp. n. in the octothecal pulauensis species group, M. trangensis sp. n. in the octothecal ignobilis species group, M. khaoluangensis sp. n. and M. khaochamao sp. n. in the sexthecal houlleti species group, M. doiphamon sp. n. in the sexthecal peguana species group, M. saxicalcis sp. n. in the quadrithecal planata species group, and the bithecal M. surinensis sp. n. Type material of some established species from Thailand or northern Malaysia was reinvestigated and illustrated to confirm the status of the new species and to facilitate species comparisons: M. pulauensis (Beddard, 1900), M. baruana (Stephenson, 1932), both with newly designated lectotypes, and M. planata (Gates, 1936), illustrated and redescribed.
The genus Enispa Walker, 1866, type species: Enispa eosarialis Walker, 1866 [Borneo, Sarawak] (= Micraeschus Butler, 1878, type species: Hyria elataria Walker, 1861 [Sri Lanka]), contains several species, about 20 of which described and many still undescribed, some also probably misplaced. The genus occurs in Indo-Australian tropics and subtropics. Presently there are 5 species known from Borneo, with mention of several undescribed Enispa-like species (Holloway, 2009). From Thailand there are 8 species illustrated in Kononenko & Pinratana's (2013) book, 5 of which unidentified and some others, based on specimens originated from present author, which most probably are not Enispa. Nielsen & al. (1996) mentioned 7 species in Australia.
Six Oriental species of Evaza Walker, 1856 were described by J.C.H. de Meijere in the period between 1911 and 1924. The type specimens are now deposited in the Museum Naturalis (Leiden). All species were redescribed, photographed and their diagnostic characters were defined. Male terminalia of five species with known males were illustrated in detail. The revised species were compared with recently described new species from Oriental China. Additional material belonging to the revised species was recorded for the first time from the following countries: Evaza demeijerei Brunetti, 1923 (= E. pallipes de Meijere, 1916a) and E. discolor de Meijere, 1916a were found in Malaysia, E. javanensis de Meijere 1911 in Singapore, E. kerteszi de Meijere, 1914 in Laos and Malaysia and E. maculifera de Meijere, 1914 in Malaysia, Philippines, Thailand and Vietnam.
Pseudopsyra is a genus of Phaneropterinae katydid (Orthoptera: Tettigoniidae), currently comprising of four species - two species each from southern China and Peninsular Malaysia (Hebard, 1922; Liu & Kang, 2006; Tan & Kamaruddin, 2013, 2014). The revision of Pseudopsyra by Liu & Kang (2006) provided a redescription of the genus, a new diagnosis and a key to known species. Subsequently, more surveys were conducted in Peninsular Malaysia and yield another species, representing the lowest latitudinal limits of this genus thus far (Tan & Kamaruddin, 2013). Continued surveys between the upper and lower latitudinal limits of the genus yield a new species: Pseudopsyra taksini sp. nov. from the Sakaerat Biosphere Reserve, Thailand. The orthopteran diversity at Sakaerat Biosphere Reserve remains understudied with numerous new species described recently, including other genus of Phaneropterinae (Tan & Artchawakom, 2014; Tan et al., 2015). With emphasis of using sexual parts for evidence of reproductive isolation in species delimitation, the discovery of a new species of Pseudopsyra also represents the first record of the genus from Thailand. It is not surprising that more undescribed species of Pseudopsyra can be found across the Indo-China region.
The mossy frogs of the genus Theloderma Tschudi comprise 28 described taxa (Sivongxay et al. 2016; Frost 2022), which are distributed from north-eastern India and Myanmar to southern China, across the peninsula of Indochina and Malaysia, to Indonesia (Poyarkov et al. 2015; Frost 2022). Theloderma albopunctatum is a small-sized taxon that is assigned to the T.-asperum species complex (Poyarkov et al. 2015, 2018; Sivongxay et al. 2016; Dever 2018). For long time, it has been believed to be a synonym of T. asperum. However, genetic analyses revealed that both taxa show significant differences. Currently, populations south of the Isthmus of Kra (southern Thailand, Malayan peninsular) are assigned to T. asperum, while populations north of it (southern China, northern and central Vietnam, adjacent Laos, south-eastern Cambodia) are assigned to T. albopunctatum. In addition, this species complex might contain further cryptic species (cf. Nguyen et al. 2015; Poyarkov et al. 2015) and according to Chunskul et al. (2021) four genetic groups do exist: group A comprises T. albopunctatum from southern and central Vietnam, Laos, central and north-eastern Thailand; group B is composed of populations from northern Vietnam and China; group C ranges from north-western Vietnam to northern Thailand and Myanmar; and group D is distributed in northern Vietnam (Thanh Hoa).
The Polyrhachis (Myrmatopa) flavicornis species group in Thailand is reviewed. Four species are recognized, of which one species closely related to Polyrhachis constructor Smith, 1857 is described and illustrated as new to science based on the worker caste under the name Polyrhachis longipilosa sp. nov. The queens of P. flavicornis Smith, 1857 and P. constructor, and the males of P. flavicornis and P. varicolor Viehmeyer, 1916 are described. The new species is distributed in western Thailand in the area north of the Isthmus of Kra, while P. constructor is distributed in Malaysia (West Malaysia and Sabah), Indonesia, Singapore, southern and western Thailand. Polyrhachis piliventris Smith, 1857 and Polyrhachis elii Emery, 1900 are synonymized with P. constructor. A key to the Thai species of the Polyrhachis flavicornis species group is given. The type series of P. longipilosa was collected from the canopy of a dry evergreen forest.