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An Enigmatic Euchelicerate from the Mississippian (Serpukhovian) and Insights into Invertebrate Preservation in the Bear Gulch Limestone, Montana Am. Mus. Novit. (IF 1.5) Pub Date : 2024-02-01 Russell D.C. Bicknell, Julien Kimmig, Patrick M. Smith, Torsten Scherer
The Bear Gulch Limestone houses a diverse, exceptionally preserved marine fauna from the early Carboniferous. A wealth of vertebrate and invertebrate forms has previously been recorded from this deposit, including fish, annelids, and several arthropods. To expand the record of Bear Gulch marine arthropods, a new enigmatic, possibly blind euchelicerate, Titanoprosoma edgecombei, gen. et sp. nov., is
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The Phylogeny of the Species of the Genus Agelaia Lepeletier, 1836, One of the Basalmost Groups of Epiponini, with Notes on Male Genitalia (Hymenoptera: Vespidae; Polistinae) Am. Mus. Novit. (IF 1.5) Pub Date : 2024-02-01 Sergio R. Andena, Fernando B. Noll, Mario N. Daza, James M. Carpenter
A cladistic analysis of the species of the Neotropical social wasp genus Agelaia Lepeletier, 1836, was performed employing female morphology and nest architecture data. Analysis resulted in a single cladogram with length 339, consistency index 0.22, and retention index 0.60, supporting Agelaia as monophyletic. Agelaia bequaerti and A. anceps are raised to specific rank. Male genitalia of A. angulata
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A New Species of Cyphocharax Fowler (Teleostei: Curimatidae) from the Rio Xingu, Brazil Am. Mus. Novit. (IF 1.5) Pub Date : 2024-01-01 Andre L. Netto-Ferreira, Acacio F. Nogueira, Bruno F. Melo, Guilherme M. Dutra
A new species of the curimatid genus Cyphocharax is described from the Rio Xingu, Amazon basin. This species is readily distinguished from congeners by the presence of a dark, round blotch on the caudal peduncle and by the high density of iridophores on the ventrolateral portion of the body, resulting in a strongly countershaded pattern. Molecular phylogenetic analyses support the recognition of the
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A Remarkable Species of Drosophilid Fly (Diptera) with “Mandibles” Am. Mus. Novit. (IF 1.5) Pub Date : 2023-12-01 David A. Grimaldi
A distinctive species in the family Drosophilidae, Drosophila ancora Okada, 1968, is redescribed from specimens from Vietnam, and transferred to the genus Dichaetophora Duda sensu lato. It is exceptional among Diptera for its labellar sclerites that in males have grown into a pair of heavily sclerotized, pointed lobes at the tip of the labellum, producing what appear to be chewing mandibles. This is
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A Phylogenetic Approach to the Neotropical Social Wasp Genus Leipomeles Möbius, 1856 (Vespidae: Epiponini), with a New Identification Key Am. Mus. Novit. (IF 1.5) Pub Date : 2023-12-01 Alexandre Somavilla, Gabriel Santos Vieira, Sérgio Ricardo Andena, Fernando Barbosa Noll, James M. Carpenter
Leipomeles Möbius, 1856, is a neotropical genus of swarm-founding wasps extending from Costa Rica to the middle of Brazil, with four species described. A combined phylogenetic analysis using female and male morphology, and nest architecture was performed with the program TNT. Leipomeles is supported as monophyletic with the following relationships among species: (L. pusilla + L. albogrisea) + (L. spilogaster
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Glacial Relicts? a New Scorpion from Mount Olympus, Greece (Euscorpiidae: Euscorpius) Am. Mus. Novit. (IF 1.5) Pub Date : 2023-11-01 Javier Blasco-Aróstegui, Lorenzo Prendini
Mediterranean mountains and Pleistocene glacial cycles are responsible for much of the unique biodiversity of the Western Palearctic, acting respectively as refugia and drivers of diversification. Mount Olympus, a legendary Greek landmark, is a perfect example. This massif provided a glacial refugium for many species, resulting in a unique biota. In the present contribution, a new euscorpiid scorpion
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Ex Vivo Three-Dimensional Reconstruction of Acutiramus: A Giant Pterygotid Sea Scorpion Am. Mus. Novit. (IF 1.5) Pub Date : 2023-11-01 Russell D.C. Bicknell, Katrina Kenny, Roy E. Plotnick
Pterygotid eurypterids include some of the largest aquatic arthropods in the fossil record and are known from middle Silurian to Middle Devonian deposits across the globe. These forms primarily preserve as mostly two-dimensional impressions, a situation that has impacted the accurate reconstruction of pterygotid ventral structures and organization. By documenting specimens displaying important dorsal
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Ancistrocerus capra (De Saussure, 1857), a Valid Species, Not a Synonym of A. antilope (Panzer, 1798) (Hymenoptera: Vespidae: Eumeninae) Am. Mus. Novit. (IF 1.5) Pub Date : 2023-10-01 Alexander V. Fateryga, James M. Carpenter, Valentina V. Fateryga
Ancistrocerus capra was described by de Saussure in 1857 from North America and then was synonymized with the Palaearctic A. antilope (Panzer, 1798) by Bequaert in 1944. Although these species share a combination of two characters (impunctate and shining metapleuron and lateral surface of the propodeum and a bifurcate apex of the aedeagus) not known in other species of Ancistrocerus, they are clearly
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On the Taxonomic Identity of Sturnira nana Gardner and O'Neil, 1971 (Chiroptera: Phyllostomidae), from Ecuador, with the Description of a New Species of Sturnira Am. Mus. Novit. (IF 1.5) Pub Date : 2023-10-01 Viviana Yánez-Fernández, M. Raquel Marchán-Rivadeneira, Paúl M. Velazco, Santiago F. Burneo, Nicolás Tinoco, M. Alejandra Camacho
The lesser yellow-shouldered bat, Sturnira nana, is a member of the most diverse genus of the New World leaf-nosed bats (Phyllostomidae). This species was considered endemic to Peru until 2009 when researchers captured a series of individuals in the Cordillera del Cóndor of southeastern Ecuador and identified them as S. nana. To assess the taxonomic status of this Ecuadorian population in relation
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Systematic Revision of the Whip Spider Family Paracharontidae (Arachnida: Amblypygi) with Description of a New Troglobitic Genus and Species from Colombia Am. Mus. Novit. (IF 1.5) Pub Date : 2023-06-01 Jairo A. Moreno-González, Miguel Gutierrez-Estrada, Lorenzo Prendini
The ancient, enigmatic whip spider family Paracharontidae Weygoldt, 1996, representing the basalmost lineage of the arachnid order Amblypygi Thorell, 1883, is revised. The monotypic West African genus Paracharon Hansen, 1921, from Guinea Bissau, is redescribed, based on a reexamination and reinterpretation of the newly designated lectotype. A new troglobitic whip spider, Jorottui ipuanai, gen. et sp
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Systematic Review and Cranial Osteology of Petersius with Redescription of P. conserialis (Teleostei: Alestidae) from the Rufiji and Ruvu Rivers of Tanzania Am. Mus. Novit. (IF 1.5) Pub Date : 2022-11-01 Bruno F. Melo, Melanie L.J. Stiassny
We review the systematics of the monotypic alestid genus Petersius and provide a taxonomic redescription of P. conserialis from eastern Tanzania. Morphological investigation includes direct observation and examination of radiographed and µCT-scanned data from type and non-type specimens. We delimit the taxon's geographic distribution along the lowland regions of the Rufiji and Ruvu river basins in
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A New Genus with Two New Species of Colombian Harvestmen (Opiliones: Stygnidae: Stygninae) Am. Mus. Novit. (IF 1.5) Pub Date : 2022-09-01 Osvaldo Villarreal, Adriano B. Kury, Pío A. Colmenares
Fortia, gen. nov., a new genus of Stygnidae with two new Colombian species, is diagnosed and described. Two possibly sympatric species Fortia jedi, sp. nov., and Fortia sith, sp. nov. (both from the Sierra Nevada de Santa Marta, Magdalena, Colombia), are described and illustrated. Relationships of the new genus are discussed.
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A New Species of Air-Breathing Catfish (Clariidae: Clarias) from Salonga National Park, Democratic Republic of the Congo Am. Mus. Novit. (IF 1.5) Pub Date : 2022-08-01 Maxwell J. Bernt, Melanie L.J. Stiassny
A new species of air-breathing catfish, Clarias monsembulai, is described from Congo River tributaries within and bordering the Salonga National Park (Democratic Republic of the Congo). The new taxon is recognized by its exceptionally long, white barbels, which lend a superficial resemblance to Clarias buthupogon, from which it differs in characters of the cleithrum and pigmentation patterning. We
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Descriptions of the Mature Larvae of Three Australian Ground-Nesting Bees(Hymenoptera: Colletidae: Diphaglossinae and Neopasiphaeinae) Am. Mus. Novit. (IF 1.5) Pub Date : 2022-06-01 Jerome G. Rozen Jr, Terry F. Houston
Fully fed larvae of three Australian bee species formerly classified as Colletidae: Paracolletini are described and compared in light of recent phylogenetic studies. Two of these species, Leioproctus (Goniocolletes) wanni (Leijs and Hogendoorn) and Trichocolletes orientalis Batley and Houston, belong in the Neopasiphaeinae, while the third, Paracolletes crassipes Smith, belongs in Diphaglossinae: Paracolletini
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The Drosophila funebris Species Group in North America (Diptera: Drosophilidae) Am. Mus. Novit. (IF 1.5) Pub Date : 2022-04-01 David A. Grimaldi
Although the global human commensal Drosophila funebris (Fabricius) is well known and is the type species of the genus Drosophila Fallén, the four native North American species of the funebris group have been poorly defined morphologically. D. macrospina limpiensis Patterson and Wheeler is newly recognized as a species distinct from D. macrospina, with diagnostic morphological characters provided.
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The Itineraries of Alfred Crossley, and Natural History Collecting in Mid-Nineteenth Century Madagascar Am. Mus. Novit. (IF 1.5) Pub Date : 2022-04-01 Ian Tattersall
Alfred Crossley was one of the most prolific collectors of natural history specimens in Madagascar during the 19th century, with several vertebrate species named for him and numerous vertebrate and invertebrate holotypes to his credit. Yet the details of his life, and even of his professional activities, have been almost completely lost to history. Here I assemble what is known of Crossley's Madagascar
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New Diminutive Eocene Lizard Reveals High K-Pg Survivorship and Taxonomic Diversity of Stem Xenosaurs in North America Am. Mus. Novit. (IF 1.5) Pub Date : 2022-02-16 Krister T. Smith,Bhart-Anjan S. Bhullar,Jonathan I. Bloch
ABSTRACT We describe a new diminutive early Eocene lizard, Blutwurstia oliviae, gen. et sp. nov., on the basis of associated cranial and postcranial remains from the Clarks Fork Basin of Wyoming. Results from phylogenetic analyses suggest that B. oliviae is on the stem of knob-scaled lizards (Xenosaurus), a relict extant clade of specialized, stenotopic crevice-dwellers from Mexico and Central America
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Cavioids, Chinchilloids, and Erethizontoids (Hystricognathi, Rodentia, Mammalia) of the Early Miocene Pampa Castillo Fauna, Chile Am. Mus. Novit. (IF 1.5) Pub Date : 2022-02-01 Andrew J. McGrath, Jennifer Chick, Darin A. Croft, Holly E. Dodson, John J. Flynn, André R. Wyss
Caviomorph rodents became important components of South American faunas after their Eocene arrival from Africa. Here we describe the cavioid, chinchilloid, and erethizontoid caviomorphs of the early Miocene Pampa Castillo fauna of southern Chile. This fauna's age and location make it key for resolving outstanding biostratigraphic questions concerning early Miocene Patagonian fossiliferous strata. Each
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Description of Two New Species of Apomecynini (Coleoptera, Cerambycidae, Lamiinae) Am. Mus. Novit. (IF 1.5) Pub Date : 2022-02-08 Nayeli Gutiérrez,Antonio Santos-Silva
ABSTRACT Two new species of cerambycid beetles are described and illustrated: Morrisia skillmani from Guatemala and Adetaptera jejetama from Mexico. Additionally, a map illustrating the geographic distribution of the species of Morrisia Santos-Silva et al., 2019, and a key to the species of the genus are provided.
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A Revision of the Didelphid Marsupial Genus Marmosa Part 4. Species of the Alstoni Group (Subgenus Micoureus) Am. Mus. Novit. (IF 1.5) Pub Date : 2021-12-01 Robert S. Voss, Thomas C. Giarla, Sharon A. Jansa
In this report, the fourth of a revisionary series on mouse opossums (Marmosa), we treat the members of a monophyletic group of trans-Andean taxa that include M. alstoni (Allen, 1900); M. nicaraguae Thomas, 1905; and M. adleri, a new species. Although cytochrome b sequence divergence values among these species are substantially lower than distances commonly observed among other congeners, members of
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A New Dromaeosaurid (Dinosauria: Coelurosauria) from Khulsan, Central Mongolia Am. Mus. Novit. (IF 1.5) Pub Date : 2021-11-01 James G. Napoli, Alexander A. Ruebenstahl, Bhart-Anjan S. Bhullar, Alan H. Turner, Mark A. Norell
Dromaeosaurid theropods represent a rare but important clade of nonavialan dinosaurs. Their close evolutionary relationship to modern birds has placed them at the center of paleontological research for the last several decades. Herein we describe a new species of dromaeosaurid—Kuru kulla, gen. et sp. nov.—based on a partial skeleton from the Late Cretaceous Khulsan locality (Barun Goyot Formation)
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A New Troglomorphic, Leaf-litter Scorpion from Ecuador (Troglotayosicidae: Troglotayosicus) Am. Mus. Novit. (IF 1.5) Pub Date : 2021-11-01 Ricardo Botero-Trujillo, José A. Ochoa, Lorenzo Prendini
For several decades, Troglotayosicus Lourenço, 1981, remained an enigmatic, monotypic scorpion genus believed to be troglobitic. The discovery and description in recent years of several endogean species of the genus, inhabiting the leaf litter of tropical rainforests in Colombia and Ecuador, advanced knowledge about these scorpions. The known distribution of Troglotayosicus was considerably expanded
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Two New Phenacogrammus (Characoidei; Alestidae) from the Ndzaa River (Mfimi-Lukenie Basin) of Central Africa, Democratic Republic of Congo Am. Mus. Novit. (IF 1.5) Pub Date : 2021-11-03 Melanie L.J. Stiassny,S. Elizabeth Alter,Raoul J.C. Monsembula Iyaba,Tobit L.D. Liyandja
ABSTRACT Two new Phenacogrammus are described from the Ndzaa River, a small left-bank tributary of the Mfimi-Lukenie River in the central Congo basin. They share with P. deheyni, a congener endemic to the Cuvette Centrale to the north, a prominent anterior expansion of the first pleural rib; a feature interpreted here as a synapomorphy diagnostic for this species assemblage. The two new species are
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A New Species of Histiotus Gervais, 1856 (Chiroptera, Vespertilionidae), from the Pacific Coast of Northern Peru Am. Mus. Novit. (IF 1.5) Pub Date : 2021-10-01 Paúl M. Velazco, Francisca Cunha Almeida, Vinícius C. Cláudio, Analía L. Giménez, Norberto P. Giannini
The Pacific coastal desert of Peru harbors a unique bat fauna, including narrowly endemic taxa adapted to arid environments. This region was also the setting where several pre-Incan civilizations flourished. The Moche culture (100–850 CE) was one of those, with a rich and diverse material culture that included strikingly realistic ceramic representations of the regional flora and fauna. In particular
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Description of a New Species of Rariphotic Parapercis (Perciformes: Pinguipedidae) from the Solomon Islands Am. Mus. Novit. (IF 1.5) Pub Date : 2021-09-30 John S. Sparks,Nicholas Chaloux,Robert C. Schelly,David F. Gruber,Tate S. Sparks,Brennan T. Phillips
ABSTRACT A new species belonging to the pinguipedid genus Parapercis is described herein from a single specimen collected via a remotely operated vehicle (ROV) from rariphotic depths in the Western Province of the Solomon Islands. Parapercis rota, new species, is readily distinguished from all other congeners by a unique pigmentation pattern comprising four large, rounded, orangish-olive saddles dorsally
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A Revision of the Genus Hermacha Simon, 1889 (Mygalomorphae: Entypesidae), in Southern Africa with Revalidation of Hermachola Hewitt, 1915, and Brachytheliscus Pocock, 1902 Am. Mus. Novit. (IF 1.5) Pub Date : 2021-09-01 Duniesky Ríos-Tamayo, Ian Engelbrecht, Pablo A. Goloboff
The southern African species of the mygalomorph spider genus Hermacha Simon, 1889, are revised. Eight species are redescribed: H. brevicauda Purcell, 1903; H. caudata Simon, 1889; H. evanescens Purcell, 1903; H. fulva Tucker, 1917; H. lanata Purcell, 1902; H. nigrispinosa Tucker, 1917; H. sericea Purcell, 1902; and H. tuckeri Raven, 1985. The female of H. sericea and the male of H. evanescens are described
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The Bacterial Diversity Lurking in Protist Cell Cultures Am. Mus. Novit. (IF 1.5) Pub Date : 2021-08-01 Ameris Aponte, Yangtsho Gyaltshen, John A. Burns, Aaron A. Heiss, Eunsoo Kim, Sally D. Warring
Laboratory cultures of heterotrophic protists are often xenic, meaning that the culture contains more than one microbial organism. In this study, we analyzed genome-assembly data from cultures of four marine protist flagellates—the marine malawimonad Imasa heleensis, the undescribed mantamonad strain SRT-306, the discobid Ophirina amphinema, and the cryptist Palpitomonas bilix—specifically to search
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Four New Species of “Hooded Tick-Spiders” (Ricinulei, Ricinoididae) from South and Central America, with Clarification of the Identity of Cryptocellus leleupi Cooreman, 1976 Am. Mus. Novit. (IF 1.5) Pub Date : 2021-08-25 Ricardo Botero-Trujillo,Leonardo S. Carvalho,Eduardo Florez D.,Lorenzo Prendini
ABSTRACT The Ricinulei Thorell, 1876, or “hooded tick-spiders,” are among the least studied arachnid orders. Knowledge of ricinuleid diversity has been slow to accumulate because these arachnids are underrepresented in biological collections. Despite an increase in the pace of new species descriptions in recent decades, the species richness of the order probably remains vastly underestimated. Large
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Terrestrial Isopods from Spanish Amber (Crustacea: Oniscidea): Insights into the Cretaceous Soil Biota Am. Mus. Novit. (IF 1.5) Pub Date : 2021-08-01 Alba Sánchez-García, Enrique Peñalver, Xavier Delclòs, Michael S. Engel
Terrestrial isopods (Crustacea: Oniscidea) are a model group for studying the colonization of land. However, their fossil record is remarkably scarce and restricted to amber inclusions, and therefore amber deposits represent valuable windows to their past diversity and morphology. Here we present a new collection of 11 terrestrial isopod specimens preserved in Albian-aged amber from the Peñacerrada
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Total-Evidence Phylogeny of the New World Polistes Lepeletier, 1836, Paper Wasps (Vespidae, Polistinae, Polistini) Am. Mus. Novit. (IF 1.5) Pub Date : 2021-07-01 Alexandre Somavilla, Bernardo F. Santos, James M. Carpenter, Sérgio Ricardo Andena, Márcio Luiz Oliveira
The genus Polistes is one of the most species-rich and widely distributed groups of social wasps and a model taxon for studies of social behavior. Almost half the Polistes world fauna occurs in the New World, but their classification has been unstable due in part to the scarcity of phylogenetic studies. We investigated the phylogeny of the New World Polistes by combining a previously existing molecular
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Karyotypes of Coralsnakes (Reptilia: Elapidae) from the Western Hemisphere, with Comments on Intraspecific Variation and Centric Fission of Chromosomes Am. Mus. Novit. (IF 1.5) Pub Date : 2021-07-01 Charles J. Cole
Karyotypes are described for Micruroides euryxanthus from Arizona and Micrurus tener from Texas. These are compared with karyotypes of other elapids from around the world, which exhibit significant interspecific variation. The largest macrochromosome of M. euryxanthus, which is metacentric, is shared by only two other species of coralsnakes from the New World. This may be a shared ancestral chromosome
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Intratribal Variation among Mature Larvae of Stingless Bees (Apidae: Meliponini) with Descriptions of the Eggs of 11 Species Am. Mus. Novit. (IF 1.5) Pub Date : 2021-06-28 Jerome G. Rozen,Eduardo A.B. Almeida,Corey Shepard Smith,Lance Eric Jones
ABSTRACT The abundant members of the Meliponini (stingless bees) are restricted to the tropics and subtropics worldwide. Because past studies of the anatomy of their mature larvae are limited, revealing little anatomical variation in the tribe, the current investigation attempts to examine this topic more thoroughly. Herein we describe the mature larvae of 30 species representing 16 genera of a total
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Total Evidence Phylogenetic Analysis Supports New Morphological Synapomorphies for Bovidae (Mammalia, Artiodactyla) Am. Mus. Novit. (IF 1.5) Pub Date : 2021-06-01 Zachary T. Calamari
Advances in gene sequencing technology have made it easier to generate large molecular datasets with novel DNA sequences for phylogenetic analysis. Because morphological data are difficult to collect and not required for molecular phylogenetic analyses, they are often excluded in studies of the systematic relationships of extant taxa. This fact is especially apparent in the Bovidae, the highly diverse
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A Revision of the Didelphid Marsupial Genus Marmosa Part 3. A New Species from Western Amazonia, with Redescriptions of M. perplexa Anthony, 1922, and M. germana Thomas, 1904 Am. Mus. Novit. (IF 1.5) Pub Date : 2021-04-01 Robert S. Voss, Thomas C. Giarla
We describe a new species of woolly mouse opossum from northwestern Amazonia, Marmosa jansae, based on museum specimens previously misidentified either as M. germanaThomas, 1904, or as M. reginaThomas, 1898. Instead of being closely related to either of those species, M. jansae appears to be the sister taxon of M. perplexaAnthony, 1922, a trans-Andean species previously synonymized with M. phaea Thomas
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On the Supposed Presence of Miocene Tayassuidae and Dromomerycinae (Mammalia, Cetartiodactyla) in South America Am. Mus. Novit. (IF 1.5) Pub Date : 2021-03-01 Germán M. Gasparini, Rodrigo Parisi Dutra, Fernando A. Perini, Darin A. Croft, Mario A. Cozzuol, Rafaela V. Missagia, Spencer G. Lucas
The earliest record of North American mammals in South America is significant for constraining the timing of intercontinental faunal interchange. At present, the oldest securely dated remains of a North American terrestrial mammal in South America pertain to a late Miocene procyonid; a few other North American mammal groups are present in late Miocene and early Pliocene outcrops in South America, but
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First Report of Biofluorescence in Arctic Snailfishes and Rare Occurrence of Multiple Fluorescent Colors in a Single Species Am. Mus. Novit. (IF 1.5) Pub Date : 2021-03-01 David F. Gruber, John S. Sparks
Biofluorescence has recently been reported to be phylogenetically widespread and phenotypically variable across bony fishes, and is most common in tropical coral reef lineages. Here we provide the first documentation of prominent biofluorescence in Arctic fishes including two juvenile specimens of Liparis gibbus (variegated snailfish) collected from the coastal waters of Eastern Greenland, as well
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On the Taxonomic Identity of Pteronotus davyi incae Smith, 1972 (Chiroptera: Mormoopidae) Am. Mus. Novit. (IF 1.5) Pub Date : 2021-03-01 Ana Carolina Pavan, Richard Cadenillas, Oscar Centty, Víctor Pacheco, Paúl M. Velazco
The subgenus Pteronotus (naked-backed bats) comprises three species, P. davyi, P. fulvus, and P. gymnonotus, which are distinguished from other members of the genus Pteronotus by wing membranes that are fused along the dorsal midline and by skulls with noticeably upturned rostrums. Pteronotus davyi currently includes two morphologically differentiated subspecies, P. d. davyi and P. d. incae, with strikingly
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A New Dichromatic Species of Myotis (Chiroptera: Vespertilionidae) from the Nimba Mountains, Guinea Am. Mus. Novit. (IF 1.5) Pub Date : 2021-01-13 Nancy B. Simmons, Jon Flanders, Eric Moïse Bakwo Fils, Guy Parker, Jamison D. Suter, Seinan Bamba, Mory Douno, Mamady Kobele Keita, Ariadna E. Morales, Winifred F. Frick
ABSTRACT The genus Myotis is a diverse group of vespertilionid bats found on nearly every continent. One clade in this group, the subgenus Chrysopteron, is characterized by reddish to yellowish fur and, in some cases, visually striking dichromatic wing pigmentation. Here, we describe a new dichromatic species of Myotis (Chrysopteron) from the Nimba Mountains in Guinea. The new species is superficially
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Cephalopods from the Cretaceous-Paleogene (K-Pg) Boundary Interval on the Brazos River, Texas, and Extinction of the Ammonites Am. Mus. Novit. (IF 1.5) Pub Date : 2021-01-13 James D. Witts, Neil H. Landman, Matthew P. Garb, Kayla M. Irizarry, Ekaterina Larina, Nicolas Thibault, Mohammad J. Razmjooei, Thomas E. Yancey, Corinne E. Myers
ABSTRACT We report on new collections of cephalopods (ammonites and nautilids) from the Cretaceous-Paleogene (K-Pg) successions of the Corsicana and Kincaid formations exposed along the Brazos River in Falls County, Texas. An abundant fauna of eight species comprising four genera of ammonites is described from the Corsicana Formation, including Discoscaphites mullinaxorum n. sp. The presence of abundant
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A New Dromaeosaurid from the Late Cretaceous Khulsan Locality of Mongolia Am. Mus. Novit. (IF 1.5) Pub Date : 2021-01-13 Alan H. Turner, Shaena Montanari, Mark A. Norell
ABSTRACT A new dromaeosaurid dinosaur, Shri devi, from the Late Cretaceous deposit of the Barun Goyot Formation at Khulsan, Mongolia, is described here. The Barun Goyot Formation (herein referred to as the Barun Goyot) is stratigraphically intermediate between the overlying Nemegt Formation and the underlying Djadokhta Formation, where much of the dromaeosaurid diversity has been reported to date.
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First Known Extant Species of Alavesia (Diptera: Atelestidae) in the Neotropical Region: Alavesia leukoprosopa, sp. nov., from the Southern Atlantic Forest, Brazil Am. Mus. Novit. (IF 1.5) Pub Date : 2020-10-06 Dalton De Souza Amorim, Paula Raile Riccardi, José Albertino Rafael
ABSTRACT A first known extant Neotropical species of the atelestid genus Alavesia—Alavesia leukoprosopa, sp. nov.—is described from southeastern Brazil. The holotype (and only specimen so far) was collected with a Malaise trap in an area with strongly impacted semideciduous seasonal forest (dry forest) and open, entirely secondary vegetation. It was collected in mid spring, but has not been collected
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Cretaceous Diversity of the Relict Genus Alavesia Waters and Arillo (Diptera: Empidoidea: Atelestidae) Am. Mus. Novit. (IF 1.5) Pub Date : 2020-10-06 Bradley J. Sinclair, David A. Grimaldi
ABSTRACT Alavesia has been known on the basis of five species in Late Cretaceous amber from Spain and Myanmar and two extant species from Namibia. Very recently, another extant species has been found in southern Brazil. Here we present a surprising diversity of Alavesia flies from the mid-Cretaceous of Myanmar (Late Albian-Early Cenomanian, ca. 99 Ma), including nine new species: A. angusta, sp. nov
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On the Identity of Victoria's Mouse Opossum, Marmosa regina Thomas, 1898 Am. Mus. Novit. (IF 1.5) Pub Date : 2020-09-10 Thomas C. Giarla, Robert S. Voss
ABSTRACT Phylogenetic analyses of molecular sequence data obtained from the holotype of Marmosa regina Thomas, 1898, together with a reassessment of its morphological characters indicate that this species does not belong to the subgenus Micoureus as previously believed. Instead, both molecular and phenotypic data are consistent with the hypothesis that M. regina is a senior synonym of M. isthmica Goldman
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Taxonomic Revision of Camarochilus Harris (Hemiptera: Pachynomidae) Am. Mus. Novit. (IF 1.5) Pub Date : 2020-09-08 Christiane Weirauch, Dimitri Forero, Randall T. Schuh
ABSTRACT The Neotropical genus Camarochilus Harris, 1930 (Hemiptera: Pachynomidae) was described based on two species from Panama and Brazil. The genus has not been revised since its original treatment, and specimens beyond the original type series have remained undocumented. Based on examination of 57 specimens, including holotypes or paratypes of the previously described species, we here revise Camarochilus
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Systematics of Neotropical Spiny Mice, Genus Neacomys Thomas, 1900 (Rodentia: Cricetidae), from Southeastern Amazonia, with Descriptions of Three New Species Am. Mus. Novit. (IF 1.5) Pub Date : 2020-09-05 Thiago Borges Fernandes Semedo, Maria Nazareth Ferreira Da Silva, Eliécer E. Gutiérrez, Daniela Cristina Ferreira, Mario Da Silva Nunes, Ana Cristina Mendes-Oliveira, Izeni Pires Farias, Rogério Vieira Rossi
ABSTRACT Species of Neacomys are small cricetid rodents that occur in forested habitats of Central and South America, from eastern Panama to central Bolivia and central/western Brazil. In order to assess species diversity of this poorly known genus, we obtained cytochrome b gene sequences from the most comprehensive taxonomic and geographic sampling analyzed to date. We also conducted morphological
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Eomakhaira molossus, A New Saber-Toothed Sparassodont (Metatheria: Thylacosmilinae) from the Early Oligocene (?Tinguirirican) Cachapoal Locality, Andean Main Range, Chile Am. Mus. Novit. (IF 1.5) Pub Date : 2020-07-17 Russell K. Engelman, John J. Flynn, André R. Wyss, Darin A. Croft
ABSTRACT Thylacosmiline sparassodonts (previously recognized as thylacosmilids) are among the most iconic groups of endemic South American Cenozoic mammals due to their distinctive morphology and convergent resemblance to saber-toothed placental carnivores. However, the early evolution of this group and its relationship to other sparassodonts remains poorly understood, primarily because only highly
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Reconstructing the Specimens and History of Howe Quarry (Upper Jurassic Morrison Formation; Wyoming) Am. Mus. Novit. (IF 1.5) Pub Date : 2020-06-24 Emanuel Tschopp, Carl Mehling, Mark A. Norell
ABSTRACT In 1934, Barnum Brown of the American Museum of Natural History in New York (AMNH) led a large-scale dinosaur excavation in northern Wyoming, where he had found bones two years earlier. Initially, Brown expected to excavate two skeletons of sauropod dinosaurs, but soon after opening the quarry, the team realized that the site far exceeded their expectations: in the end, they unearthed approximately
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A Revision of Philander (Marsupialia: Didelphidae), Part 2: Phylogenetic Relationships and Morphological Diagnosis of P. nigratus Thomas, 1923 Am. Mus. Novit. (IF 1.5) Pub Date : 2020-06-24 Robert S. Voss, Thomas C. Giarla
ABSTRACT Newly available molecular sequences and morphological data suggest that Philander nigratus Thomas, 1923, is a valid species. Currently known from just eight specimens collected in the Peruvian departments of Junín and Ayacucho, P. nigratus does not appear to be closely related to either of the congeneric taxa with which it was previously synonymized.
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A New Genus of Late Cretaceous Angel Shark (Elasmobranchii; Squatinidae), with Comments on Squatinid Phylogeny Am. Mus. Novit. (IF 1.5) Pub Date : 2020-06-16 John G. Maisey, Dana J. Ehret, John S.S. Denton
ABSTRACT Three-dimensional Late Cretaceous elasmobranch endoskeletal elements (including palatoquadrates, ceratohyals, braincase fragments, and a series of anterior vertebrae) are described from the Late Cretaceous University of Alabama Harrell Station Paleontological Site (HSPS), Dallas County, Alabama. The material is referred to the extant elasmobranch Family Squatinidae on the basis of several
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Review of the Genus Wroughtonia Cameron, 1899 (Hymenoptera, Braconidae, Helconinae), with the Description of 12 New Species from Vietnam Am. Mus. Novit. (IF 1.5) Pub Date : 2020-06-16 Khuat Dang Long, Cornelis Van Achterberg, James M. Carpenter, Nguyen Thi Oanh
ABSTRACT The genus Wroughtonia Cameron (Hymenoptera, Braconidae, Helconinae) is reviewed. Twelve new species of the genus Wroughtonia are described and illustrated: Wroughtonia angularis, sp. nov.; W. aspera, sp. nov.; W. coffeana, sp. nov.; W. elongata, sp. nov.; W. laevis, sp. nov.; W. plana, sp. nov.; W. similis, sp. nov.; W. simulata, sp. nov.; W. sonla, sp. nov., and W. vietnamica, sp. nov., authored
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The Late Middle Miocene Mae Moh Basin of Northern Thailand: The Richest Neogene Assemblage of Carnivora from Southeast Asia and a Paleobiogeographic Analysis of Miocene Asian Carnivorans Am. Mus. Novit. (IF 1.5) Pub Date : 2020-06-03 Camille Grohé, Louis De Bonis, Yaowalak Chaimanee, Olivier Chavasseau, Mana Rugbumrung, Chotima Yamee, Kantapon Suraprasit, Corentin Gibert, Jérôme Surault, Cécile Blondel, Jean-Jacques Jaeger
ABSTRACT The late middle Miocene fossil-bearing lignite zones of the Mae Moh Basin, northern Thailand, have yielded a rich vertebrate fauna, including two species of Carnivora described thus far: the bunodont otter Siamogale thailandica (known from over a 100 specimens) and the large amphicyonid Maemohcyon potisati. Here we describe additional carnivoran material from Mae Moh comprising new remains
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A New Species of Trichogenes (Siluriformes, Trichomycteridae), with a Discussion on the Homologies of the Anterior Orbital Bones in Trichomycterids and Other Loricarioids Am. Mus. Novit. (IF 1.5) Pub Date : 2020-04-23 Mário de Pinna, Vinícius Reis, Heraldo Britski
ABSTRACT A new species of the rare genus Trichogenes is reported on the basis of specimens without locality and other associated data. The obvious distinctiveness, taxonomic relevance, and phylogenetic importance of the new taxon justify its description with material at hand. Trichogenes beagle, new species, differs from all congeners by the presence of tricuspidate teeth on its jaws; by the distribution
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A Species-Level Phylogeny of Old World Fruit Bats with a New Higher-Level Classification of the Family Pteropodidae Am. Mus. Novit. (IF 1.5) Pub Date : 2020-04-13 Francisca Cunha Almeida, Nancy B. Simmons, Norberto P. Giannini
ABSTRACT Old World fruit bats (Chiroptera: Yinpterochiroptera: Pteropodidae) are a diverse radiation endemic to the tropics of Africa, Asia, Australia, and nearby island archipelagos. Recent molecular analyses have provided considerable resolution of phylogenetic relationships within this group, but many points of uncertainty have remained including the position of several enigmatic taxa (e.g., Notopteris
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Phylogeography, Species Limits, Phylogeny, and Classification of the Turacos (Aves: Musophagidae) Based on Mitochondrial and Nuclear DNA Sequences Am. Mus. Novit. (IF 1.5) Pub Date : 2020-04-03 Utku Perktaş, Jeff G. Groth, George F. Barrowclough
ABSTRACT We used mitochondrial and nuclear DNA sequences to examine patterns of differentiation and evolution in the Musophagidae, an avian family endemic to sub-Saharan Africa; attention was focused on the subfamily Musophaginae, the turacos, or louries. Phylogeographic analysis of 410 individual ND2 sequences from throughout the ranges of the currently recognized species revealed multiple instances
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South American Disteniini (Disteniidae, Coleoptera): New Species and New Distribution Records Am. Mus. Novit. (IF 1.5) Pub Date : 2020-03-12 Juan Pablo Botero
ABSTRACT Two new species of Disteniini are described: Novantinoe apiculatra from Colombia and Paracometes viridis from Peru (new country record for the genus). An updated key and a geographical distribution map for species of Paracometes Villiers, 1957, are provided. The two new species are illustrated with dorsal, ventral, lateral, and frontal views. Additionally, geographical distribution of six
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Hybridization between Whiptail Lizards in Texas: Aspidoscelis laredoensis and A. Gularis, with Notes on Reproduction of a Hybrid Am. Mus. Novit. (IF 1.5) Pub Date : 2020-03-06 Charles J. Cole, Herbert C. Dessauer, Mark A. Paulissen, James M. Walker
ABSTRACT Karyotypes and allozyme data for 32 genetic loci overwhelmingly support the conclusion that Aspidoscelis laredoensis is a diploid all-female species that had a hybrid origin between A. gularis × A. sexlineatus. Comparisons of allozymes in individuals representing three mother-to-daughter generations raised in the laboratory suggest that they reproduce by parthenogenetic cloning. In addition
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DNA Sequence Data from the Holotype of Marmosa elegans coquimbensis Tate, 1931 (Mammalia: Didelphidae) Resolve its Disputed Relationships Am. Mus. Novit. (IF 1.5) Pub Date : 2020-02-28 Thomas C. Giarla, Robert S. Voss
ABSTRACT DNA sequence data obtained from the 96 year old holotype of Marmosa elegans coquimbensis Tate, 1931, support the hypothesis that this nominal taxon is a synonym or subspecies of Thylamys elegans (Waterhouse, 1839) and is not conspecific with T. pallidior (Thomas, 1902).
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Two New Deep-Sea Species of Burrowing Anemones (Cnidaria: Actiniaria: Edwardsiidae) from Whittard Canyon Off the Southwestern Coast of Ireland Am. Mus. Novit. (IF 1.5) Pub Date : 2020-02-12 Luciana C. Gusmão, Cherie Qu, Sadie L. Burke, Estefanía Rodríguez
ABSTRACT Burrowing sea anemones have a simple morphology with an elongate body and a round aboral end that anchors the animal into mud, sand, or gravel, leaving only the tentacle crown exposed. Edwardsiids are easily differentiated from other burrowing sea anemones by their distinctive mesentery arrangement of eight unpaired macrocnemes at midcolumn with microcnemes restricted to the distal column
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The Guardstone Spiders of the Phrurotimpus palustris Group (Araneae, Phrurolithidae) Am. Mus. Novit. (IF 1.5) Pub Date : 2019-12-09 Norman I. Platnick
ABSTRACT The type species of Phrurotimpus, Herpyllus alarius Hentz, was based on a female from Alabama; because Hentz's type specimens were destroyed long ago, the identity of this species has been controversial for over a century. Examination of Hentz's original color paintings of his specimen indicates that earlier authors, such as Bishop and Crosby, and Chamberlin and Ivie, were correct in arguing
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The First Tertiary Fossils of Mammals, Turtles, and Fish from Canada's Yukon Am. Mus. Novit. (IF 1.5) Pub Date : 2019-10-31 Jaelyn Eberle, J. Howard Hutchison, Kristen Kennedy, Wighart Von Koenigswald, Ross D.E. MacPhee, Grant Zazula
ABSTRACT Despite over a century of prospecting and field research, fossil vertebrates are exceedingly rare in Paleogene and Neogene rocks in northern Canada's Yukon Territory. Here, we describe the first records of probable Neogene vertebrate fossils from the territory, including tooth fragments of a rhinocerotid, a partial calcaneum of an artiodactyl, shell fragments of the pond turtle Chrysemys s