Species New to Science

Venom is a metabolically expensive secretion used sparingly in a variety of ecological contexts, most notably predation and defence. Accordingly, few animals employ their toxins from a distance, and venom-squirting behaviour is only known from select taxa. In scorpions, species belonging to two genera are known to spray venom when threatened, and previous work in Parabuthus transvaalicus shows that venom delivery depends on perceived levels of threat. Here, I describe Tityus (Tityus) achilles sp. nov., a new species of buthid scorpion from Cundinamarca, Colombia. Remarkably, this species is capable of venom spraying, a first for both the genus and the South American continent. Using frame-by-frame video analysis and ballistic equations, I show that T. (Tityus) achilles sp. nov. employs not one, but two types of airborne defences with dramatic differences in reach and venom expenditure. Further, the new species uses an unusually large reserve of prevenom-like secretion for spraying, as opposed to the costly venom used by other spraying scorpions. In light of these key specializations, I propose that toxungen spraying convergently evolved in response to different selection pressures, laying the groundwork for future investigation.

behaviour, Colombia, evolutionary biology, new species, taxonomy, toxin, toxungen, venom spitting

• A comprehensive workflow for taxonomic and systematic research, aiding species delimitation.

• Utilizing genetic, geometric, and linear morphometric data to assess evolutionary independence within the Diplolaemus clade.

• Evaluation of various taxonomic scenarios through grouping lineages into species.

• Description of a new species from the Auca Mauida and Tromen volcanic fields, Argentina.

Disputes over species descriptions, stemming from conceptual disparities and arbitrary species boundaries, are among the primary challenges of modern taxonomy. In this study, we introduce a straightforward workflow, grounded in evolutionary theory, designed to tackle these challenges. We exemplified this approach using Patagonian lizards from the Diplolaemus clade. This workflow involves assigning specimens to putative evolutionary lineages, conducting primary species delimitations, constructing a species tree, comparing lineages for evolutionary independence, and using post-hoc analyses to separate well-supported from ambiguous lineages. This approach aims to establish a reliable foundation for exploring the taxonomic and evolutionary diversity of challenging groups. Applying this workflow to the Diplolaemus clade, we used various analytical methods on genetic (mitochondrial and nuclear markers) and phenotypic data (meristic, linear, and geometric morphometrics). We identified ten lineages with varying degrees of evolutionary independence in a clade where only four species had been described. Among the newly identified lineages, two exhibited low support for evolutionary independence, three showed strong support but had non-conclusive information, and one was recognized and described as a new species. In summary, our hierarchical workflow not only facilitated comprehensive comparisons but also enabled us to draw robust conclusions.

 

Keywords: Diplolaemus clade, Evolutionary independence, Species delimitation, Taxonomic workflow

João Barbosa Rodrigues, a renowned Brazilian botanist, spent years intensively studying Orchidaceae and Arecaceae and oversaw two important institutions in Brazil: the Museu Botânico do Amazonas and the Jardim Botânico do Rio de Janeiro. However, when it comes to his taxonomic studies, there are controversies about the existence of specimens mentioned in the protologues of his new species. For example, for the palm genus Astrocaryum, several issues have arisen regarding identifying and designating nomenclatural types of the species he described. Different researchers presumed that the entire collection of types was destroyed after the Museu Botânico do Amazonas closed and due to natural disasters, that affected his collections in city of Rio de Janeiro. Thus, in this study we investigated the names of Astrocaryum described by Barbosa Rodrigues. We conducted a comprehensive investigation of Barbosa Rodrigues’ works to determine the origin and current location of the possible nomenclatural types associated with the Astrocaryum species he described. Additionally, we reviewed the designations proposed by Jan Wessels Boer and Sidney Glassman for these species in the previous century. Based on our thorough search, we confirmed the absence of the specimens mentioned in the protologues of these species. Furthermore, we substantiated the typifications made by Wessels Boer and Glassman, which were based on illustrations by Barbosa Rodrigues. Our findings confirm the assignment of six lectotypes and twelve neotypes for Astrocaryum based on the Shenzhen Code.

illustrations, lectotype, Museu Botânico do Amazonas, neotype, palms, Monocots

The Thumbless bat Furipterus horrens (Cuvier, 1828) (Chiroptera: Furipteridae) is a tiny insectivorous bat species that has not undergone comprehensive systematic revisions, as taxonomic studies about this species are only represented by the middle XIX century description of F. caerulescens Tomes, 1856. Concurrently there also has been no assessment on the genetic diversity within the species along its distribution. We analyzed patterns of mitochondrial genetic variation of F. horrens under the prediction that structured populations could be associated with the naturally patchy distribution of these bats’ roosts. Our data revealed highly divergent lineages, with low haplotype sharing and indicating well-structured populations. For the phylogeny we recovered well-supported clades, and the outcome of species limits tests suggests the split of F. horrens into a complex of four to six putative species. Lineages recovered were mostly allopatric along South America, except for two sympatric populations from the low-medium Xingu River. Based on the outstandingly high genetic discontinuities found for Furipterus, we hypothesize that historical metapopulational arrangements composed of spatially structured populations with different degrees of isolation resulted in limited gene flow for at least part of the lineages found. The observed results may reflect a female-inherited variation at least partially related to yet unknown biological traits of Furipterus such as social structure, female philopatry or other biological characteristics. Whether part of these lineages represent separate full species needs further examination based on independent datasets (morphology and nuclear data) but it is now clear that Furipterus horrens is composed of distinct populations likely containing more than one species, a diversity that has remained virtually overlooked for over two centuries.

Felipe Araújo, Marlon Ferreira, Iann Monteiro and Wolmar Wosiacki. 2024. A New Species of Hypancistrus Isbrücker & Nijssen 1991 (Loricariidae, Siluriformes) from the rapids of the middle Rio Tocantins. Journal of Fish Biology.  DOI: doi.org/10.1111/jfb.15971

  x.com/Araujoictio/status/1854503751215686100

  Andrino, Caroline Oliveira; Simon, Marcelo Fragomeni; Quintino Faria, Jair Eustáquio; Luiz da Costa Moreira, André and Sano, Paulo Takeo. 2020. Paepalanthus fabianeae (Eriocaulaceae): A New Microendemic Species from a Morphologically Coherent Clade.  Systematic Botany. 45(4); 794-801. DOI: doi.org/10.1600/036364420X16033963649318

 

Moema, a genus of the Rivulidae family, currently comprises 20 valid species. Most of these species inhabit temporary pools in the Amazon basin and only one species is found in the upper Paraguay basin. A new member of this genus from the upper Río Madeira drainage is here described. Males of the new species differ from all congeners by the combination of a color pattern consisting of oblique, sometimes chevron-like, irregular rows of red and light blue double-dots on body; dark yellowish to golden pectoral fins with no visible markings; and a stripe pattern on the ventral section of caudal fin with a very narrow black marginal line, intermittent or even absent. The existence of infrageneric species groups within Moema, the geographic distribution and taxonomic aspects of the species present in the Ríos Mamoré and Iténez/Guaporé rivers drainages, and the observation of intraspecific aggression between males and amphibious lifestyle in the new species are discussed.

Keywords: Bolivian Amazon basin; New species; Rivulids; Taxonomy; Temporary water bodies