ZootaxaPub Date : 2026-06-26DOI: 10.11646/zootaxa.5839.1.1
Stylianos M Simaiakis, Anja Kos, Elisavet Georgopoulou, Dalibor Z Stojanović
{"title":"<b>Reassessing the centipede fauna of the Paiko-Pinovo-Tzena-Voras mountain range in the southern Balkans</b>.","authors":"Stylianos M Simaiakis, Anja Kos, Elisavet Georgopoulou, Dalibor Z Stojanović","doi":"10.11646/zootaxa.5839.1.1","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.11646/zootaxa.5839.1.1","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>The first critically revised catalogue of the centipede fauna of the Paiko, Pinovo, Tzena and Voras mountains in northern Greece is presented. A total of 34 centipede species are listed, belonging to 13 genera, six families and four orders. The highest diversity was recorded within the order Lithobiomorpha (20 species), dominated by species of the genus <i>Lithobius</i> Leach, 1814 (14 species), followed by the order Geophilomorpha (10 species). The species <i>Lithobius karamani</i> Verhoeff, 1937 and <i>Clinopodes skopljensis</i> (Verhoeff, 1938) are here reported for the first time from Greece. The genera <i>Scutigera</i>, <i>Cryptops</i>, <i>Himantarium</i>, <i>Bothriogaster</i>, <i>Henia</i> and <i>Geophilus</i> were recorded for the first time in the fauna of the study area. Twenty-one out of the 34 species are newly reported from the studied mountainous area, including <i>Scutigera coleoptrata</i>, <i>Eupolybothrus zeus</i>, <i>E. werneri</i>, <i>Lithobius forficatus</i>, <i>L. latro</i>, <i>L. lucifugus</i>, <i>L. muticus</i>, <i>L. peregrinus</i>, <i>L. crassipes,</i><i>L. microps</i>, <i>Cryptops hortensis</i>, <i>C. parisi</i>, <i>Scolopendra cingulata</i>, <i>Himantarium gabrielis</i>, <i>Bothriogaster signata</i>, <i>Henia devia</i>, <i>H. illyrica</i>, <i>Clinopodes carinthiacus</i> and <i>Geophilus carpophagus</i>. South European, European, Balkan, and endemic faunal elements predominate among the identified taxa. For each species, information is provided on distribution within the northern Greek mountain range, habitat preferences, altitudinal range, and relevant taxonomic notes. In addition, we assessed whether the sites where the species were recorded are included in the Natura 2000 Network; the conservation status of all species is reported, together with distribution maps for northwestern Greece.</p>","PeriodicalId":24072,"journal":{"name":"Zootaxa","volume":"5839 1","pages":"1-39"},"PeriodicalIF":0.9,"publicationDate":"2026-06-26","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"148399640","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"生物学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
ZootaxaPub Date : 2026-06-26DOI: 10.11646/zootaxa.5839.1.4
Avnish Kumar, Anupam Kumar, Nalini Tiwari, Chandrama P Upadhyaya, Samuel W James, Shweta Yadav
{"title":"<b>A new species of <i>Eutyphoeus</i> Michaelsen, 1900 (Clitellata: Acanthodrilidae) from the Eastern Himalaya, India</b>.","authors":"Avnish Kumar, Anupam Kumar, Nalini Tiwari, Chandrama P Upadhyaya, Samuel W James, Shweta Yadav","doi":"10.11646/zootaxa.5839.1.4","DOIUrl":"10.11646/zootaxa.5839.1.4","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>A new acanthodrilid earthworm, <i>Eutyphoeus takchangensis</i><b>sp. nov.</b> is described based on specimens collected from the biodiversity hotspot region of the North-eastern India, in the state of Sikkim, characterized by predominantly chemical-free agriculture practices. <i>Eutyphoeus takchangensis</i> <b>sp. nov.</b> is an avestibulate metandric species that lacks lateral intestinal caecae. The proposed species is distinguished from its congeners by the absence of genital markings and associated glands, the presence of a single female pore and penial setae, and by possessing unidiverticulate spermathecae.</p>","PeriodicalId":24072,"journal":{"name":"Zootaxa","volume":"5839 1","pages":"110-120"},"PeriodicalIF":0.9,"publicationDate":"2026-06-26","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"148399571","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"生物学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
ZootaxaPub Date : 2026-06-26DOI: 10.11646/zootaxa.5839.1.2
Jules E Farquhar, Brad Maryan, Ivan Prates, Daniel L Rabosky, Paul Doughty, David G Chapple
{"title":"<b>On an even keel: revision of <i>Lerista planiventralis</i> (Lucas & Frost, 1902; Squamata: Scincidae) in Western Australia, with synonymy of its subspecies</b>.","authors":"Jules E Farquhar, Brad Maryan, Ivan Prates, Daniel L Rabosky, Paul Doughty, David G Chapple","doi":"10.11646/zootaxa.5839.1.2","DOIUrl":"10.11646/zootaxa.5839.1.2","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>In reptile taxonomy, many subspecies have been described based on subtle variation in morphological traits like colour pattern and scalation. However, the subspecific rank itself has received increasing scrutiny on both conceptual and operational grounds. The species-rich (~100 species) and morphologically diverse Australian lizard genus <i>Lerista</i> Bell, 1833 provides opportunities to assess the evolutionary significance of subspecies taxa, given that subspecies throughout the genus were described before the widespread use of genetic-based assessments of divergence in taxonomy. Based on a combined analysis of patterns of genetic and morphological variation in <i>Lerista</i><i>planiventralis</i> (Lucas & Frost, 1902), we found that partitioning of populations into subspecies, namely <i>L. p. planiventralis</i> (Lucas & Frost, 1902), <i>L. p. decora</i> Storr, 1978 and <i>L. p. maryani</i> Storr, 1991, is unwarranted. We found negligible molecular or phenotypic divergence corresponding to those names, revealing continuous, overlapping clinal variation rather than discrete, diagnosable units. Consequently, we synonymise all three subspecies under a single, morphologically variable <i>L. planiventralis</i> and present its revised species-level diagnosis.</p>","PeriodicalId":24072,"journal":{"name":"Zootaxa","volume":"5839 1","pages":"40-70"},"PeriodicalIF":0.9,"publicationDate":"2026-06-26","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"148399621","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"生物学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
ZootaxaPub Date : 2026-06-26DOI: 10.11646/zootaxa.5839.1.7
Letícia Cavalcanti, Bruno Gouvea, Roberta M Valente, Angélico Asenjo
{"title":"<b>The first species of <i>Homaeotarsus</i> Hochhuth, 1851 (Coleoptera: Staphylinidae: Paederinae) with remarkable sexual dimorphism</b>.","authors":"Letícia Cavalcanti, Bruno Gouvea, Roberta M Valente, Angélico Asenjo","doi":"10.11646/zootaxa.5839.1.7","DOIUrl":"10.11646/zootaxa.5839.1.7","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p><i>Homaeotarsus forceps</i><b>sp. nov.</b> (Coleoptera: Staphylinidae: Paederinae) from the Brazilian Amazon is described and illustrated. The new species is uniquely diagnosed by the male tergum IX, which is modified into a prominent forceps-like structure, a feature absent in all other known <i>Homaeotarsus</i> species. Specimens were collected via canopy fogging on <i>Eschweilera atropetiolata</i> (Lecythidaceae), a noteworthy record as most <i>Homaeotarsus</i> species are typically associated with leaf litter. Discovered in the Urucu petroleum province (Amazonas State), <i>H. forceps</i><b>sp. nov.</b> brings the total number of species recorded from Brazil to three and becomes the third known representative of the genus in the Amazon Forest. Additionally, the first identification key to the Brazilian species and a distribution map for South America are provided.</p>","PeriodicalId":24072,"journal":{"name":"Zootaxa","volume":"5839 1","pages":"155-166"},"PeriodicalIF":0.9,"publicationDate":"2026-06-26","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"148399613","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"生物学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
ZootaxaPub Date : 2026-06-25DOI: 10.11646/zootaxa.5838.1.1
Soud Benhalima, Robert Bosmans
{"title":"First catalog of spiders of Morocco (Arachnida: Araneae): A critical review of all spider species cited from Morocco with their localities.","authors":"Soud Benhalima, Robert Bosmans","doi":"10.11646/zootaxa.5838.1.1","DOIUrl":"10.11646/zootaxa.5838.1.1","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Following the recent publication of the first checklist of spiders in Morocco recorded between 1840 and 2024 (Benhalima & Bosmans 2024), the authors have cataloged all the species mentioned and supplemented this list with others published up to January 2026. The authors present the first catalog of spider species in Morocco, documenting 638 species belonging to 246 genera and 47 families including 180 endemics. According to the World Spider Catalog (2026) and the present work, 63 species are not included, 7 species of dubious origin are not omitted from the catalog. For each species, a detailed list of all localities cited in the literature is provided, along with full references. All data are examined and critically analysed using the most recent available information.</p>","PeriodicalId":24072,"journal":{"name":"Zootaxa","volume":"5838 1","pages":"1-127"},"PeriodicalIF":0.9,"publicationDate":"2026-06-25","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"148399518","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"生物学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
ZootaxaPub Date : 2026-06-24DOI: 10.11646/zootaxa.5837.3.12
Janne Raunio, Yngve Brodin, Jukka Salmela
{"title":"<b>Erratum: JANNE RAUNIO, YNGVE BRODIN & JUKKA SALMELA (2026) Two new species of <i>Eukiefferiella</i> Thienemann (Diptera, Chironomidae) from northern Finland. <i>Zootaxa</i>, 5821 (4): 469-485.</b>","authors":"Janne Raunio, Yngve Brodin, Jukka Salmela","doi":"10.11646/zootaxa.5837.3.12","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.11646/zootaxa.5837.3.12","url":null,"abstract":"","PeriodicalId":24072,"journal":{"name":"Zootaxa","volume":"5837 3","pages":"600"},"PeriodicalIF":0.9,"publicationDate":"2026-06-24","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"148399442","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"生物学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
ZootaxaPub Date : 2026-06-24DOI: 10.11646/zootaxa.5837.3.2
Sergey A Belokobylskij, Iqra Maqbool, Amir Maqbool, Aijaz Ahmad Wachkoo
{"title":"<b>A new species of <i>Doryctes</i> Haliday (Hymenoptera: Braconidae: Doryctinae) reared from <i>Xylotrechus stebbingi</i> Gahan, 1906 (Coleoptera: Cerambycidae) in India, with discussion on the status of the subgenus <i>Plyctes</i> Fischer, 1981</b>.","authors":"Sergey A Belokobylskij, Iqra Maqbool, Amir Maqbool, Aijaz Ahmad Wachkoo","doi":"10.11646/zootaxa.5837.3.2","DOIUrl":"10.11646/zootaxa.5837.3.2","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>The subgeneric name <i>Plyctes</i> Fischer, 1981 is herein synonymized with <i>Udamolcus</i> Enderlein, 1920 (syn. nov.). The type species of <i>Udamolcus</i>, <i>Doryctes (Udamolcus) herero</i> (Enderlein, 1918), is redescribed and illustrated. A new species, <i>Doryctes (Udamolcus) xylotrechi</i><b>sp. nov.</b>, is described and illustrated from Jammu and Kashmir, India, reared from the larvae of <i>Xylotrechus stebbingi</i> Gahan, 1906 (Coleoptera: Cerambycidae). Furthermore, a checklist of all known species of the subgenus <i>Doryctes (Udamolcus)</i> worldwide is provided, along with a key to the subgenera of the genus <i>Doryctes</i> Haliday, 1836 and to the species of <i>Doryctes (Udamolcus)</i> occurring in India and Sri Lanka.</p>","PeriodicalId":24072,"journal":{"name":"Zootaxa","volume":"5837 3","pages":"446-464"},"PeriodicalIF":0.9,"publicationDate":"2026-06-24","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"148399454","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"生物学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
ZootaxaPub Date : 2026-06-24DOI: 10.11646/zootaxa.5837.3.9
Raul Vicente
{"title":"<b>A new species of <i>Oecobius</i> and the first record of <i>Uroctea thaleri</i> from Saudi Arabia (Araneae: Oecobiidae)</b>.","authors":"Raul Vicente","doi":"10.11646/zootaxa.5837.3.9","DOIUrl":"10.11646/zootaxa.5837.3.9","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>A spider survey in the understudied and endemic-rich Asir region of southern Saudi Arabia recorded two species of Oecobiidae. <i>Oecobius asirensis</i><b>sp. nov.</b> is described from the mountainous highlands. The new species exhibits marked differences in the morphology of the copulatory organs compared to the generotype, suggesting it may represent a distinct genus. The copulatory organs of <i>Oecobius marathatus</i> are also illustrated, to which the new species is compared. Additionally, <i>Uroctea thaleri</i> Rheims, Santos & van Harten, 2007 is reported for the first time from Saudi Arabia.</p>","PeriodicalId":24072,"journal":{"name":"Zootaxa","volume":"5837 3","pages":"571-580"},"PeriodicalIF":0.9,"publicationDate":"2026-06-24","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"148399459","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"生物学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
ZootaxaPub Date : 2026-06-24DOI: 10.11646/zootaxa.5837.3.4
Patrick Urban
{"title":"<b>A new species of <i>Onthophagus</i> Latreille, 1802 (Coleoptera: Scarabaeidae: Onthophagini) in the subgenus <i>Gibbonthophagus</i> Balthasar, 1935 from the mountains of north-west Yunnan, China</b>.","authors":"Patrick Urban","doi":"10.11646/zootaxa.5837.3.4","DOIUrl":"10.11646/zootaxa.5837.3.4","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p><i>Onthophagus</i> (<i>Gibbonthophagus</i>) <i>draconisaurei</i> Urban, <b>sp. nov.</b>, from the Yunnan Province in China is described. Relevant diagnostic characters of the new species and of the types of <i>O.</i> (<i>G.</i>) <i>balthasari</i> Všetečka, 1939 as well as <i>O.</i> (<i>G.</i>) <i>taurinus</i> White, 1844 are photographically documented and compared in a character matrix. New taxonomic characters for the subgenus <i>Gibbonthophagus</i> Balthasar, 1935 are provided.</p>","PeriodicalId":24072,"journal":{"name":"Zootaxa","volume":"5837 3","pages":"498-514"},"PeriodicalIF":0.9,"publicationDate":"2026-06-24","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"148399467","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"生物学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
ZootaxaPub Date : 2026-06-24DOI: 10.11646/zootaxa.5837.3.5
María Fernanda Cardona-Gutiérrez, María Ana Tovar-Hernández
{"title":"<b>Two new species of pilargid polychaetes (Annelida: Pilargidae) from the southern Gulf of California, Mexico</b>.","authors":"María Fernanda Cardona-Gutiérrez, María Ana Tovar-Hernández","doi":"10.11646/zootaxa.5837.3.5","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.11646/zootaxa.5837.3.5","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Pilargids are annelid worms inhabiting soft-bottom sediments and are currently represented by 11 genera and approximately 100 described species worldwide. To date, 15 pilargid species have been originally described from Mexican waters. In the present study, two new species, <i>Cabira mexicana</i><b>sp. nov.</b>, and <i>Litocorsa ambigua</i><b>sp. nov.</b>, are described from shallow soft-bottoms of Laguna de La Paz, southern Gulf of California, Mexico, at depths ranging from 1.5 to 6.4 m. Comparative remarks with morphologically similar species are provided. <i>Cabira mexicana</i><b>sp. nov.</b>, is characterized by the presence of a unique set of features related to the first ventral cirri from chaetiger 3, first notopodial hooks from chaetiger 7, neurochaetae capillaries, non-limbate with entire tips, two small, rounded eyespots and pharynx with denticles. <i>Litocorsa ambigua</i><b>sp. nov.</b>, differs from all species mainly by the presence of furcate chaetae. <i>Cabira mexicana</i><b>sp. nov.</b>, and <i>Litocorsa</i><i>ambigua</i><b>sp. nov.</b>, exhibit a patchy distribution within the lagoon, varying seasonally. <i>Cabira mexicana</i><b>sp. nov.</b>, was associated primarily with muddy to clay-rich sediments, whereas <i>Litocorsa ambigua</i><b>sp. nov.</b>, occurred in mud, clay, and silty sand substrates. Both species were recorded under marine salinities, well-oxygenated waters, and temperatures reflecting the seasonal variability of the lagoon. This study increases the known richness of Pilargidae in Mexican waters and highlights the importance of shallow coastal lagoons of the Gulf of California as reservoirs of little known annelid diversity.</p>","PeriodicalId":24072,"journal":{"name":"Zootaxa","volume":"5837 3","pages":"515-530"},"PeriodicalIF":0.9,"publicationDate":"2026-06-24","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"148399573","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"生物学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}