Alfredo Dugès threeband (Humboldtiana dugesi) from Sierra de Penjamo, Guanajuato, Mexico

NEWS - Alfredo Dugès threeband (Humboldtiana dugesi) was first described as a species from Guanajuato, Mexico and diagnosed based on protoconch with growth lines and granular microsculptures, rounded penis with thick rim that covers half of the penis cavity and long flagellum that is 4x longer than the penis and epiphallus combined.

The new species was assigned to the H. buffoniana species group of the subgenus Humboldtiana based on the nearly smooth protoconch sculpture and the dart gland just above the sac. The H. buffoniana group contains 20 species that range from the border between New Mexico and Texas (H. ultima) to the Mexican Transvolcanic Belt.

H. dugesi can be distinguished from other species in the subgenus Humboldtiana by its protoconch with growth lines and granular microsculptures as opposed to other species of the subgenus where the protoconch lacks sculptures.

Three individuals were collected active in rock crevices during the day and two empty shells were collected from leaf litter at an elevation of 1939 meters. The vegetation of the type site is temperate subhumid oak forest. The epithet is dedicated to the 19th century French-Mexican naturalist Alfredo Dugès. Specimens are only known from the type sites: Guanajuato, Cuerámaro, Sierra de Penjamo, Fuerte de los Remedios.

Most of the species show an insular distribution and are only known from the type site, the researchers only compared the new species with H. potosiana Pilsbry 1927 from the Sierra de San Miguelito, H. salviahispanica Mejía 2009 from Huichapan, H. queretaroana Dall 1897 and H. pinicola Thompson and Brewer 2000 from Pinal de Amoles in the Sierra Gorda.

H. dugesi has a small shell, the number of whorls and shell engravings are similar to H. salviahispanica and H. potosiana, but H. dugesi can be diagnosed by the presence of growth lines and isolated grains in the protoconch which are unique characters in this genus.

The reproductive anatomy has a round penis like H. potosiana, but H. dugesi has a long and cylindrical epiphallus, a long flagellum with 4x the combined length of the penis + epiphallus and has a spermathecal appendix. In contrast, H. potosiana has a short and sturdy epiphallus, a short flagellum with 1x the combined length of the penis + epiphallus and does not have a spermathecal appendix.

Original research

Mejía O, López B (2024) A new species of the genus Humboldtiana (Gastropoda, Stylommatophora, Xanthonychidae) from Sierra de Penjamo, Guanajuato, Mexico. Biodiversity Data Journal 12: e132797, DOI:10.3897/BDJ.12.e132797

Dlium theDlium

Black jumping spider (Hyllus diardi)

Black jumping spider ( Hyllus diardi ) is an animal species in the Salticidae, black and white spiders, long hair, round head, elongated belly, relatively small, arboreal, perched on leaves in bushes and low trees in forests and agricultural lands. H. diardi has black and white color, shiny surface and white hair all over the body. The head is round, shiny black with a linear white line in the middle. Black eyes on the front of the head. The stomach has an elongated, jointed, black cylindrical shape with black plots at the top of each segment. The legs are long, segmented, shiny black or brownish in color and hairy. Black jumping spiders live arboreal, perch on leaf surfaces, low bushes, trees in forests, agricultural land, roadsides and shade. Very sensitive to human presence and will hide behind leaves to avoid sight. Kingdom: Animalia Phylum: Arthropoda Subphylum: Chelicerata Class: Arachnida Order: Araneae Suborder: Araneomorphae Infraorder: Entelegynae Superfamily: Salticoi...

Hairy senna (Senna hirsuta)

Hairy senna ( Senna hirsuta ) is a species of plant in the Fabaceae family. It is an upright shrub, growing up to 2.5 meters tall. The leaves are compound on petioles up to 13 cm long. They usually have 2-6 pairs of leaflets, are egg-shaped, and have white hairs, up to 10 cm long and 5 cm wide. The flowers are yellow and arranged at the tips of branches and in the upper leaf axils in clusters of 2-5. The petals are 12-16 mm long, have 6 stamens, 3-8 mm long anthers, and 4 staminodes. Flowering occurs almost monthly. The pods are cylindrical, up to 15 cm long, 4-6 mm wide, and curved. TAXON Kingdom: Plantae Phylum: Tracheophyta Subphylum: Angiospermae Class: Magnoliopsida Order: Fabales Family: Fabaceae Subfamily: Caesalpinioideae Tribe: Cassieae Subtribe: Cassiinae Genus: Senna Mill. in Gard. Dict. Abr., ed. 4.: [s.p.] (1754) Species: Senna hirsuta (L.) H.S.Irwin & Barneby in Phytologia 44: 499 (1979) Variety: Senna hirsuta var. acuminata (Benth.) H.S.Irwin & Barneby, Senna ...

Water strider (Ptilomera tigrina)

Water strider ( Ptilomera tigrina ) is an animal species in Gerridae, a predatory insect that spends time on the surface of fast water with back and forth movements with a speed of up to 1.5 m/s to float and is very easily recognized by its habit of always walking and jumping on around water. P. tigrina has an elongated, dark cylindrical body with several bright or silvery white parts. A pair of big eyes at the tip of the head. The stomach has joints and tapers towards the back. A pair of antennae is very long with several joints and stick-shaped legs. The forelegs pair have three sections with two joints and the first is slightly thickened. The second and third pairs of legs are several times the length of the body. Water strider has a very fast movement on the surface of the water to float and target prey near the surface. This species is a model in biophysical research regarding the ability to float on the surface and the ability to move forward quickly. The buoyancy originates f...

Dlium