We collected a specimen of a scincid lizard of Larutia Böhme, 1981 from the edge of a primary forest on Gunung Penrissen, Kuching Division, Sarawak, Malaysian Borneo. The single specimen of the new species differs from all other known congeners by the molecular divergence in the mitochondrial ND1 gene and morphological characters including small adult body size (SVL 84 mm); 22 longitudinal scale rows around midbody; first pair of chinshields contacting second infralabial; second pair of chinshields separated from infralabials by an elongated scale; two subdigital lamellae on second toe; and body without yellow or pale bands or spots. It is the ninth species described in the genus and the second species of Larutia in Borneo.
Seven species of Strongylophthalmyia are described as new species: Strongylophthalmyia armipes n. sp. (Malaysia), S. biloba n. sp. (Indonesia), S. bukittinggiana n. sp. (Indonesia), S. minutissima n. sp. (Thailand), S. prominens n. sp. (Vietnam), S. strigosa n. sp. (China), S. vichrevi n. sp. (Russia). New data on morphology and distribution of S. bifasciata Yang et Wang 1992 and S. malayensis Evenhuis, 2016 are provided.
The recently described genus Spinomarmessoidea is comprised of only 2 species from Peninsular Malaysia. The 3rd species of this genus, Spinomarmessoidea damingensis sp. nov. is described from Guangxi Province, China. The new species represents the first record of this genus in China. The granulose head of new species without large spines and mesonotum with short spines are distinguished from the other 2 species. A key to the female of this genus is compiled. Type materials are deposited in the Yunnan Agricultural University (YNAU).
It is widely accepted among the Cladocera (Crustacea) taxonomists that almost all cosmopolitan taxa are represented by some un-revised complexes of cryptic species. But many macro taxa of the cladocerans are still unrevised. The aim of this work is to analyze the taxonomic status of Oriental populations of the genus Bosminopsis Richard, 1895 (Anomopoda: Bosminidae) based on morphological characters. We have studied populations from India, Myanmar, Cambodia, Thailand, Laos, Vietnam, Philippines, Malaysia and Papua New Guinea and concluded that Oriental populations belong to a single species, Bosminopsis africanus (Daday, 1908), initially described from Africa. Analysis of literature data confirms that is widely distributed through whole Oriental zone. A single large mucro, or the mucro accompanied by an additional small spine in both sexes, is the main trait which differentiates B. africanus from B. zernowi Linko, 1901 distributed in more northern regions of Eurasia.
Based on material collected by canopy fogging in forests on Borneo, Obhylius arboricola gen. nov., sp. nov., and Seticotasteromimus brunomanseri sp. nov., the second species of this genus, are described. Further records of the type species of Seticotasteromimus Germann, 2013, S. jarawa Germann, 2013, are presented from Borneo, some 2700 km distant from the type locality on the Andaman Islands. Along with Seticotasteromimus, the new genus is best placed in the subtribe Cotasteromimina.
Pseudohomonyx continentalis Yang & Pathomwattananurak, new species from Malaysia and Thailand, is described and illustrated herein. Male of P. apoensis Miyake & Yamaya, 1997 is described and illustrated for the first time. Pseudohomonyx javanus (Burmeister, 1847) is newly recorded from Malaysia and Thailand. An annotated catalogue and a distribution map for the genus are also provided.
The combtooth blenny (Blenniidae) genus Omobranchus contains small, cryptobenthic fishes common to nearshore habitats throughout the Indo-West Pacific. Recent molecular systematic studies have resolved Omobranchus as monophyletic but little research has been done to resolve species-level relationships. Herein, phylogenetic analyses of one mitochondrial (CO1) and four nuclear (ENC1, myh6, sreb2, and tbr1) genes provide evidence for the monophyly of Omobranchus and support for the elongatus and banditus species group. Sampling of multiple individuals from widespread species (O. ferox, O. punctatus, and O. elongatus) suggested that the Thai-Malay Peninsula is a phylogeographic break that may be a historic barrier to gene flow. Additionally, common meristics and other morphological characters are used to describe an early life history stage of O. ferox and O. punctatus.
Both sexes of Anastatus mantoidae Motschulsky, the type species of Anastatus Motschulsky, 1859, and females of Anastatus echidna (Motschulsky), the type species of Cacotropia Motschulsky, 1863, the oldest junior synonym of Anastatus (Hymenoptera: Eupelmidae: Eupelminae), are redescribed and illustrated based on original type material and compared to more recently collected material. Anastatus mantoidae, previously known only from Sri Lanka, is newly reported from Indonesia (Java and Sumatra) and Thailand, and a very similar species, A. motschulskyi n. sp., is newly described based on both sexes from Malaysia (Sabah) and Thailand and compared to A. mantoidae. Anastatus echidna, also originally known only from Sri Lanka, is newly reported from India, Pakistan and Thailand, and potential synonymy of one or both of Anastatus amarus (Subba Rao, 1957) and Anastatus acherontiae Narayanan, Subba Rao Ramachandra Rao, 1960, under A. echidna is discussed.
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).
Two new species of Biantes Simon, 1885 (Biantidae: Biantinae) are described: Biantes calyptroideus sp. nov. (male and female) from China and Biantes spatulatus sp. nov. (male and female) from Malaysia. Biantidae is recorded from China for the first time.
Polyplocia nebulosa sp. nov. is described based on male and female imagos from Malaysia, Sabah State. Nymphs provisionally assigned to this species are also described. This species can be readily separated from P. vitalisi by the color pattern of the wings, with light brown longitudinal veins, narrow dark brown clouds on cross veins and margins of wings tinged with brown. The male genitalia are distinct from those of other species of Polyplocia: penes are broad, T-shaped, with large lateral projecting lobes, which are apically rounded, and with a small dorsolateral spine on each lobe; the styliger plate is short and not projected posteriorly. Eggs of the genus are described for the first time using scanning electron microscopy. Eggs are 265-267 µm in length, 170-186 µm in width, barrel-shaped, without polar caps or other attachment structures, with one visible micropyle and with chorion forming an irregular mesh with raised ridges (mesh between 3.8-8 µm). A key to male adults of Polyplocia is provided and additional records of Polyplocia from Thailand are given.
Ten species of the subgenus Cantotrella Gorochov, 2006 belonging to the genus Varitrella Gorochov, 2003 of the tribe Podoscirtini are recorded from Singapore, Malaysia and Indonesia. Eight of them are new and described here: V. (C.) orion sp. nov.; V. (C.) trusmadi sp. nov.; V. (C.) striata sp. nov.; V. (C.) robusta sp. nov., V. (C.) sukau sp. nov., V. (C.) tawau sp. nov., V. (C.) amoena sp. nov., V. (C.) manukan sp. nov.
The genus Thraulus is widespread throughout much of the Eastern Hemisphere. Since Eaton established Thraulus in 1881, 62 species have, at one time or another, been placed in this genus. Thirty-eight of those species were eventually moved to other genera. Any comprehensive study of the remaining species, based on the published literature, is difficult as they were described by many authors, using different criteria, over a period of 142 years. The purpose of this study was to redescribe this genus, based on previously described species and nine new species, and to provide a format for future taxonomic and morphological studies of Thraulus. Redescriptions of most species were based on direct examination of external morphological characters. Descriptions or diagnoses of species, whose types were unavailable for study, were made using the original published description and additional information provided by authors of several of those species. The following species were studied: Thraulus amravati Vasanth, Subramanian & Selvakumar, 2022; T. bellus Eaton, 1881; T. bishopi Peters & Tsui, 1972; T. cuspidatus Vasanth, Subramanian & Selvakumar, 2022; T. demoulini Peters & Tsui, 1973; T. fasciatus (Kimmins, 1956); T. fatuus Kang & Yang, 1994; T. femoratus Li, Liu & Zhou, 2006; T. gopalani Grant & Sivaramakrishnan, 1985; T. jacobusi Isack, Srinivasan, Sivaruban & Barathy, 2022; T. macilentus Kang & Yang, 1994; T. malabarensis Vasanth, Subramanian & Selvakumar, 2022; T. mudumalaiensis Soman, 1991; T. plumeus Selvakumar, Vasanth & Subramanian, 2022; T. semicastaneus (Gillies, 1951); T. thiagarajani Balasubramanian & Muthukatturaja, 2019; T. thraker Jacob, 1988; T. torrentis (Gillies, 1964); T. turbinatus (Ulmer, 1909); T. umbrosus Kang & Yang, 1994; and T. vellimalaiensis Vasanth, Subramanian & Selvakumar, 2022. Nine new species of Thraulus are described: T. connubialis sp. nov., Malaysia; T. cursus sp. nov., Japan; T. eatoni sp. nov., Indonesia; T. ishiwatai sp. nov., Japan; T. madagasikarensis sp. nov., Madagascar; T. nihonensis sp. nov., Japan; T. opifer sp. nov., Australia; T. parentalis sp. nov., Malaysia; and T. petersorum sp. nov., Malaysia. Thraulus can be distinguished from all other genera of Leptophlebiidae by the following combination of characters: In the imagos, 1) upper portion of eyes oval-suboval, major axes diverge anteriorly; 2) vein MA fork of fore wings symmetrical; 3) vein MP fork of fore wings asymmetricala cross vein connects base of MP2 to MP1, MP fork closer to base of wing than Rs fork; 4) strongly oblique cross vein extends between veins R4+5 and MA1 just apical to fork of vein MA; 5) 2 cubital intercalary veins in fore wings; 6) costal projection on hind wings well-developed, bluntly rounded to acutely pointed; 7) claws dissimilarone blunt and pad-like, the other apically hooked; 8) penes long, relatively straight, narrow, parallel, usually contiguous mesally but not fused, apex may have lateral projections; 9) sternum 7 of female with posterior margin straight or shallowly concave or convex mesally; and 10) sternum 9 of females rounded apically. In addition, penile spines occur on most species. In the nymphs, 1) lateral margins of clypeus parallel; 2) width of labrum subequal to width of clypeus; 3) 2 dorsal rows of setae on labrum; 4) venter of labrum with 1 row of short stout setae on either side of midline near anterior margin, rows curve mesally; 5) hypopharynx with small, rounded, posterolateral projections on arms of superlingua; 6) large spine on posterolateral corners of terga 69, 79 or 89; 7) gills 17 dissimilar: gill 1 composed of 1 or 2 subulate lamellae or a dorsal subulate lamella and a ventral fimbriate oval lamella, and gills 27 composed of dorsal and ventral oval lamellae with fimbriate margins. Two species continue to be nomen dubiumT. siewertii (Weyenbergh, 1883) and T. vogleri (Weyenbergh, 1883). Thraulus grandis Gose, 1980 is considered nomen nudum. A review of published phylogenetic studies involving Thraulus is provided. With the species discussed in this paper, along with reports of additional new species to be described, Thraulus has the potential to be included among the more specious genera of Ephemeroptera.
This paper reports a new weevil genus Devernodes gen. n. established for five new species from Southeast Asia: D. alkippe sp. n. (China: Mt. Emei), D. asteria sp. n. (Vietnam: Tam Dao), D. chthonia sp. n. (Vietnam: Tam Dao; the type species), D. drimo sp. n. (Malaysia: Pasoh Forest Reserve) and D. methone sp. n. (Malaysia: Tanah Rata). All Devernodes are wingless and inhabit the forest leaf litter. Adult Devernodes share a combination of two head characters unique among weevils in Asia: antenna with apparently unsegmented club and 6-segmented antennal funicle, as well as strong constriction separating the eye-bearing rostrum from the head capsule. To test monophyly and investigate phylogenetic relationships of Devernodes, Maximum Likelihood phylogenetic analysis was undertaken using parts of mitochondrial (COI) and nuclear ribosomal (28S) genes, as well as the nuclear internal transcribed spacer (ITS2) from 14 Devernodes and 55 outgroup Curculionidae specimens. Results strongly corroborated monophyly of Devernodes and did not suggest its realistic sister-group. The new genus is assigned to the molytine tribe Lymantini (not represented in the DNA analysis) based on two potential synapomorphies: head markedly constricted behind eyes and presence of undivided female hemisternites IX (= "merged coxite and stylus"). Thus interpreted, Devernodes is the twelfth nominal genus of Lymantini and the first record of the tribe outside of the Americas. All original data (localities, DNA sequences, specimen images) are available online in public datasets dx.doi.org/10.5883/DS-DEVERNO1 and dx.doi.org/10.5883/DS-DEVERNO2.
Four new species of semiterrestrial gecarcinucid crabs are described from limestone and sandstone habitats in southwestern Sarawak, Malaysia: Terrathelphusa aglaia n. sp., T. cerina n. sp., T. kundong n. sp., and T. mas n. sp. The taxonomy of T. kuchingensis (Nobili, 1901) is discussed, its precise identity ascertained from fresh material, and its actual distribution determined. This increases the number of Terrathelphusa species in Borneo to eight.
A well-supported and well-resolved phylogeny based on a concatenated data set from one mitochondrial and two nuclear genes, six morphological characters, and nine color pattern characters for 44 of the 50 species of the Southeast Asian Rock Geckos (genus Cnemaspis Strauch, 1887) is consistent with the previous taxonomy of Cnemaspis based solely on morphology and color pattern. Cnemaspis is partitioned into four major clades that collectively contain six species groups. The monophyly of all clades and species groups is strongly supported and they are parapatrically distributed across well-established, biogeographical regions ranging from southern Vietnam westward through southern Indochina, southward through the Thai-Malay Peninsula, then eastward to Borneo. Eight new species (Cnemaspis omari sp. nov. from the Thai-Malaysian border; C. temiah sp. nov. from Cameron Highlands, Pahang, Malaysia; C. stongensis sp. nov. from Gunung Stong, Kelantan, Malaysia; C. hangus sp. nov. from Bukit Hangus, Pahang, Malaysia; C. sundagekko sp. nov. from Pulau Siantan, Indonesia; C. peninsularis sp. nov. from southern Peninsular Malaysia and Singapore, and C. mumpuniae sp. nov. and C. sundainsula sp. nov. from Pulau Natuna Besar, Indonesia) are described based on morphology and color pattern and all but C. sundagekko sp. nov. are included in the phylogenetic analyses. Cnemaspis kendallii is polyphyletic and a composite of six species. An updated taxonomy consistent with the phylogeny is proposed for all 50 species and is based on 25 morphological and 53 color pattern characters scored across 594 specimens. Cladogenetic events and biogeographical relationships within Cnemaspis were likely influenced by this group's low vagility and the cyclical patterns of geographical and environmental changes in Sundaland over the last 25 million years and especially within the last 2.5 million years. The phylogeny indicates that nocturnality, diurnality, substrate preferences, and the presence of ocelli in the shoulder regions have evolved independently multiple times.
A new species of scincid lizard, Lipinia sekayuensis sp. nov. from Hutan Lipur Sekayu, Terengganu State in northeastern Peninsular Malaysia is most similar to L. surda (Boulenger) but differentiated from it and all other species of Lipinia by having the combination of an adult SVL of 42.3 mm; six supralabials; five infralabials; four supraoculars; prefrontals widely separated; two loreals; fused frontoparietals; lower eyelids bearing a large, transparent disc; 21 midbody scale rows; 56 paravertertebral scale rows; 65 ventral scale rows; enlarged, precloacal scales; 10 subdigital lamellae on the third finger; 11, 15, and seven lamellae on the third, fourth, and fifth toes, respectively; distal subdigital lamellae keeled; a median row of slightly enlarged, subcaudal scales present; a generally unicolor, dark-brown dorsum bearing nine very faint, diffuse, darker stripes; and an external ear opening replaced by a scaly, auditory depression.
A newly discovered, diminutive, cave-dwelling, lowland species of the colubrid snake genus Lycodon Boie is described from a limestone cave along the Thai-Malaysian border in the state of Perlis, northwestern Peninsular Malaysia. Lycodon cavernicolus sp. nov. is most closely related to L. butleri Boulenger, an endemic, upland, forest-dwelling species from Peninsular Malaysia of the fasciatus group but is separated from L. butleri and all other species of the L. fasciatus group and the closely related L. ruhstrati group by having the combination of 245 (male) and 232 (female) ventral scales; 113 (male) and 92 (female) paired, subcaudal scales; a single precloacal plate; nine or 10 supralabials; 10 or 11 infralabials; a maximum total length of 508 mm (female); a relative tail length of 0.25-0.27; an immaculate venter in juveniles and dark-brown, posterior, ventral scale margins in adults; and dorsal and caudal bands in juveniles white. The discovery of L. cavernicolus sp. nov. adds to a rapidly growing list of newly discovered reptiles from karst regions and limestone forests of Peninsular Malaysia, underscoring the fact that these areas should be studied before they are quarried as they harbor a significant portion of the Peninsular Malaysia's herpetological diversity.
Cyrtodactylus metropolis sp. nov. from Batu Caves massif, Selangor, Peninsular Malaysia is differentiated from all congeners by having a unique suite of morphological and color pattern characteristics. Remarkably, this species has been overlooked despite a plethora of field studies at Batu Caves from 1898 to the present and no specimens had ever been examined until now. As with all other limestone forest-adapted Cyrtodactylus in Peninsular Malaysia, C. metropolis sp. nov. is not a cave-adapted species but is far more common on the exterior surfaces of the Batu Caves limestone massif and its surrounding limestone vegetation. We suggest that researchers devote time exploring the exterior surfaces of limestone massifs as well the interiors of their caves.