Papilio king cricket (Anabropsis papiliomaculata) and Dulongjiang king cricket (Anabropsis dulongjiangensis)

NEWS - Papilio king cricket (Anabropsis papiliomaculata sp. nov.) and Dulongjiang king cricket (Anabropsis dulongjiangensis sp. nov.) from Yunnan were described, while Anabropsis (Pseudapteranabropsis) nigrimaculatis Pang, Lu & Bian 2023 from a male was reported for the first time and this species was transferred to Anabropsis (Apteranabropsis) Gorochov, 1988.

Up to now, Anabropsis is divided into 7 subgenera, excluding Anabropsis (Anabropsis), the other 6 subgenera with 27 species and one subspecies are distributed in China. The characters of the wings, tibial tympanum, metasternal processes, paraproctal growth of males and subgenital plates are important inter-subgeneric differences.

Anabropsis (Apteranabropsis) papiliomaculata is named after the large black butterfly-shaped spots on the pronotal disc. Chinese name 蝶斑黯螽. The new species has dimensions (mm): BL ♂24.0, ♀22.0; PL ♂6.3, ♀6.2; HFL ♂23.2, ♀21.8; HT ♂22.0, ♀21.5; OvL 14.6. Examined material.

This species is similar to A. ailaoshanica Gorochov 2021, but the pronotal disc has large black butterfly-shaped spots, the external tympanic foretibia is reduced, the basal area of the male paraproctal process is connected, the male subgenital plate is short and wide, about 3/4 of its length, and the spiny apical area of the female subgenital plate is short, about 1/3 of its length.

Anabropsis (Apteranabropsis) dulongjiangensis was given its epithet based on the type locality, Chinese name 独龙江黯螽. The new species has dimensions (mm): BL ♂20.5, ♀24.3–25.5; PL ♂6.0, ♀6.3–6.9; HFL ♂20.3, ♀20.0–21.8; HT ♂20.6, ♀19.0–20.8; OvL 8.1–9.3.

This species is similar to A. magnimaculatus (Bian & Shi, 2019), but the pronotum has incomplete longitudinal yellow lines on the disc, no black spots, the posterior edge of the male subgenital plate is concave.

Anabropsis (Apteranabropsis) nigrimaculatis was originally described based on 3 females. This study is the first to describe a male. The subgenus Anabrospsis (Pseudapteranabropsis) has two branches at the apex of the paraproctal process which is clearly different from the description of the male.

This study proposes to move the species to the subgenus Anabropsis (Apteranabropsis) based on the character of the unbranched apex of the paraproctal process of the male in lateral view and the armed ventral surface of the hind femur.

Original research

Hao Xu & Fuming Shi (2024). Two new species of the genus Anabropsis Rehn, 1901 (Orthoptera: Anostostomatidae) from Yunnan, China. Zootaxa 5523 (3): 387–395, DOI:10.11646/zootaxa.5523.3.7

Dlium theDlium

New living fossil, Amethyst worm lizard (Amphisbaena amethysta), from Espinhaço Mountain Range, Brazil

NEWS - New species from the northern Espinhaço Mountains, Caetité municipality, Bahia state, Brazil. Amethyst worm lizard ( Amphisbaena amethysta ) is the 71st species of the genus with 4 precloacal pores and the 22nd species of Caatinga morphoclimatic domain. Identification of the new species shows the reptiles of the Mountains are far from complete and may contain greater diversity of endemic taxa. A. amethysta can be distinguished by its anteriorly convex snout, slightly compressed and unkeeled, pectoral scales arranged in regular annuli, four precloacal pores, distinct head shield, 185-199 dorsal and half annuli, 13-16 caudal annuli, a conspicuous autotomy spot between the 4th-6th caudal annuli, 16-21 dorsal and ventral segments in the middle of the body, 3/3 supralabials, 3/3 infralabials and a smooth and rounded tail tip. A. amethysta occurs in areas with an average elevation of 1000 meters in patches of deciduous and semi-deciduous forests associated with valleys, slopes, fore

Foliaceous coastal worm (Thoracophelia foliformis) found in intertidal zone of Yellow Sea, South Korea

NEWS - Foliaceous coastal worm ( Thoracophelia foliformis sp. nov.) was discovered in the intertidal zone as the first species of the genus from the Yellow Sea, Korea. The new species is closely related to T. dillonensis (Hartman, 1938) from California and T. ezoensis Okuda, 1936 from Japan because it has pectinate branchiae. The new specific epithet is derived from the leafy ventral midplate shape of the pygidium. The name is a combination of the Latin words folium (meaning ‘leaf’) and formis (meaning ‘form’). The Korean name is Yip-sa-gwi-Keun-yo-jeong-get-ji-reong-yi (잎사귀큰요정갯지렁이). The specimen was collected from the upper intertidal zone consisting of sand or muddy sand in the Yellow Sea of South Korea. Although the number of branchial filaments in well-developed branchiae varies (12-15), there is no variation in the number of pairs of branchiae (15 pairs) or the first chaetiger containing branchiae (chaetiger 14) among specimens. Oocytes are contained in a coelomic cavity about

Laniger bat tick (Ixodes lanigeri), new hard tick species (Ixodidae) from mouse-eared bats (Myotis) in Vietnam

NEWS - Researchers have identified Ixodes ticks from Vietnam based on morphological and molecular characteristics of females, nymphs and larvae as a new species, laniger bat tick ( Ixodes lanigeri ), which like other members of the Ixodes ariadnae complex appears to show a preference for vesper bats as a typical host. Historically, for more than a century and a half, only one species has been called the “long-legged bat tick”: Ixodes vespertilionis Koch. However, over the past decade, it has been molecularly recognized that long-legged ixodid ticks associated with bats may represent at least six species. Host associations and geographic separation may explain the evolutionary divergence of the new species from its closest living relative Murina hilgendorfi Peters in East Asia, Japan, as no Myotis or Murina spp. have overlapping distributions between Vietnam and the Japanese mainland. On the other hand, assuming that I. lanigeri may be present in other myotine bats and knowing that s

Dlium