Project description:The second species of Arrhopalites from China is described and illustrated and an identification key to the Asian species of the caecus group is presented. Arrhopalitesbrevicornis sp. nov. is the eleventh species of the caecus group recorded in Asia and it can be clearly differentiated by the unguiculus III with 2 internal teeth (0-1 in all other species). Also, the combination of antennae less than 2 times the size of the head, antennal segment IV without annulations, 1+1 eyes, dorsal head with 9 spines, 2+2 regular spines per side on the anal valves, circumanal chaetae without basal serrations, subanal appendage long and apically serrated, manubrium with 5+5, and dorsal dens with 16 chaetae is unique among the Asian species of the caecus group.
Project description:Two new Coecobrya species, which were newly collected in 2014, are described from China. Coecobryasanmingensis sp. n. from southeast China (Fujian) is the fourth 1+1 eyed species in the genus; it can be distinguished from other three species by the ciliate chaetae X and X2-4 on the ventral side of head, the abundant chaetae on the trochanteral organ, a large outer tooth on the unguiculus, the absence of smooth manubrial chaetae, and the dorsal chaetotaxy. Coecobryaqinae sp. n. from southwest China (Yunnan) is characterized by paddle-like S-chaetae of Ant. III organ, ciliate chaetae X, X2 and X4 posterior to labium, medial macrochaetae on the mesothorax, and 5+5 central and 2+2 lateral macrochaetae on the fourth abdominal segment. An updated key to the Chinese species of Coecobrya is given.
Project description:From urban green space to pristine forest, Collembola is one of the most numerous and species-rich members of the soil fauna around the world. However, due to lack of taxonomic expertise and research, its diversity is poorly understood, especially in tropical and subtropical regions. Collembola biodiversity studies in Taiwan have not seen much progress since 1981, when Hsin Chi reviewed 26 species belonging to 20 genera and eight families. Additionally, reports of new records in Taiwan in the last 40 years are scattered amongst several publications and not easily accessible to most end-users. Thus, a concise summary of related research is urgently needed. In this study, we updated the checklist of Collembola in Taiwan, based on published papers as well as images recorded in 2020-2022. We concluded that 58 species of Collembola belonging to 31 genera and 12 families have been reported in Taiwan, including 13 newly-recorded species. This species richness marks a 123% increase from the 1981 review. The results have been made publicly available in the Catalog of Life in Taiwan database and the images recorded have been used to update species information in collembola.org. We also characterised morphological and genetic variations in the globular springtail species Papirioidesjacobsoni Folsom, 1924 using DNA barcodes and highlighted potential research directions.
Project description:Two new species of the genus Hymenaphorura from Romania, H. urbana sp. nov. and H. kalindera sp. nov., are described and illustrated. Hymenaphorura urbana has a postantennal organ (PAO) with 13-15 simple vesicles, abdominal terga I-III with subequal setae p2 and p3, abdominal tergum V granular area with 3+3 distinct, long macrosetae, and H. kalindera sp. nov. has PAO with 9-12 simple vesicles, one border seta, abdominal terga I-III with setae p2 slightly longer than setae p3, abdominal tergum V granular area with 4+4 distinct macrosetae. Remarks on H. subsimilis Bagnall, 1948 are given. An updated key for the world distributed species of Hymenaphorura is presented.
Project description:Two new species of Sminthurididae, Sphaeridiapiauiensis Medeiros & Bellini, sp. nov. and Denisiellapiracurucaensis Silva, Medeiros & Bellini, sp. nov. from Piaui state, Brazil, are herein described and illustrated. Sphaeridiapiauiensissp. nov. resembles species of the irmleri group, like S.irmleri Bretfeld & Gauer, S.fibulifera Bretfeld & Gauer, and S.peruensis Bretfeld & Schulz, by its complex male ventral tube without asymmetrical structures or medial process. However, it differs from them by the combination of the male tibiotarsus III with a leaf-shaped IIpe chaeta and a regular IIIpi chaeta, ventral tube with 1+1 chaetae, and the absence cuticular hooks on the furca. Denisiellapiracurucaensissp. nov. resembles its congeners without the nasal organ, especially D.colombiana Ospina & Palacios-Vargas, by the presence of spiniform chaetae at least on the second antennal segment of the females, four serrated spines on tibiotarsus III, and the ventral dens chaetotaxy, but D.piracurucaensissp. nov. differs from the latter especially by the presence of 8+8 eyes and the shape of the male proximal tibiotarsal organ. To describe both species all Neotropical Sphaeridia and all described Denisiella species were surveyed, presenting notes on both genera, comparative tables, and keys for these taxa.
Project description:The complete mitochondrial genome of the springtail Bourletiella arvalis (Fitch, 1863) is herein described and applied to a Bayesian phylogenetic analysis, inclusive of all the Collembola mitochondrial DNAs sequenced so far. The gene content and order, as well as the nucleotide composition, conform with the well-known features of hexapods' mitochondrial genomes. The phylogenetic analysis supports the monophyly of Collembola, Poduromorpha, Entomobryomorpha and Symphypleona. However, no mtDNA from Neelipleona is available to date, therefore limiting the application of mitochondrial genomes to further investigate springtail systematics.
Project description:Understanding the abundance and richness of species is one of the most fundamental steps in effecting their conservation. Despite global recognition of the significance of the below-ground component of diversity for ecosystem functioning, the soil remains a poorly studied terrestrial ecosystem. In South Africa, knowledge is increasing for a variety of soil faunal groups, but many still remain poorly understood. We have started to address this gap in the knowledge of South African soil biodiversity by focusing on the Collembola in an integrated project that encompasses systematics, barcoding and ecological assessments. Here we provide an updated list of the Collembola species from South Africa. A total of 124 species from 61 genera and 17 families has been recorded, of which 75 are considered endemic, 24 widespread, and 25 introduced. This total number of species excludes the 36 species we consider to be dubious. From the published data, Collembola species richness is high compared to other African countries, but low compared to European countries. This is largely a consequence of poor sampling in the African region, as our discovery of many new species in South Africa demonstrates. Our analyses also show that much ongoing work will be required before a reasonably comprehensive and spatially explicit picture of South Africa's springtail fauna can be provided, which may well exceed 1000 species. Such work will be necessary to help South Africa meet its commitments to biodiversity conservation, especially in the context of the 2020 Aichi targets of the Convention on Biological Diversity.
Project description:Homidiacingula Börner, 1906, the type species of the genus Homidia Börner, 1906, is widespread from India to Southeast Asia, but its detailed morphological characteristics have not yet been described. We examined the morphology of specimens of H.cingula from Indonesia and southwestern China and confirmed their conspecific status by comparing their DNA barcoding sequences. We also compared the morphology of H.cingula with other two closely related species, confirming the valid species status of H.subcingula Denis, 1948. Our study provides new taxonomic and molecular data for the genus Homidia.
Project description:The genus Paratullbergia Womersley, 1930 is recorded for the first time from China. Paratullbergia changfengensis sp. n. from Shanghai is described and illustrated. It is characterized by the presence of 1+1 pseudocelli on thoracic segment I, with two pairs of pseudocelli on each of thoracic segments II and III, presence of seta px on abdominal segment IV, seta a2 and p4 on abdominal segment V as microsetae, and less differentiated sensory seta p3 on abdominal segment V. Both sexes present. The new species can be easily distinguished from its congeners by the presence of pseudocelli on thoracic segment I. An updated key to the world species of the genus Paratullbergia is provided.
Project description:Three new species of entomobryid springtails (Collembola) from China are described here. Homidiapseudozhangisp. nov. is characterised by a narrow irregular longitudinal stripe on the body, smooth chaetae e and l1 of the labial base, and the relative position of the specialized microchaeta on Abd. I; H.qianensissp. nov. by its colour pattern on the antennae and nine sutural macrochaetae on the head; and Entomobryashaanxiensissp. nov. by its colour pattern, labral papillae and the lateral process of labial papilla E. Specimens of Akabosiamatsudoensis Kinoshita, 1919 from China are redescribed, including description of some characters for the first time.