Megataxa

Frischianus gen. nov., a new genus of the Scopaeina Mulsant & Rey, 1878 from the Oriental Region (Coleoptera: Staphylinidae: Paederinae: Lathrobiini)

JOHANNES FRISCH — 2025-06-17

A new genus of the paederine subtribe Scopaeina Mulsant & Rey, 1878 (Staphylinidae: Paederinae: Lathrobiini), Frischianus Herman, gen. nov., is described from the Oriental Zoogeographical Region with F. rufulus (Kraatz, 1859) as the type species. Frischianus is distinguished from the other genera of the Scopaeina according to an epigenal ridge and dorsally contiguous groove connecting the trichobothrium to the antennal hump, bump-like metakatepisternal processes, and a unipartite gonocoxal plate of females.

The following names are transferred from Scopaeus as new combinations: Frischianus coriaceus (Cameron, 1932), F. laticollis (Cameron, 1925), F. miscellus (Cameron, 1932), and F. rufulus (Kraatz, 1859). Lectotypes are designated for Lithocharis rufulus Kraatz, 1859, Medon coriaceus Cameron, 1932, M. miscellus Cameron, 1932, and Scopaeus laticollis Cameron, 1925.

Thirty new species of Frischianus are described: F. barclayi Frisch, sp. nov. (Malay Peninsula), F. brenneri Frisch, sp. nov. (Borneo), F. burckhardti Frisch, sp. nov. (Borneo), F. communis Frisch, sp. nov. (Bali, Borneo, Java, Malay Peninsula), F. crassiphallatus Frisch, sp. nov. (Thailand), F. curtipennis Frisch, sp. nov. (Sumatra), F. echinatospinatus Frisch, sp. nov. (Borneo), F. hamatus Frisch, sp. nov. (Sumatra), F. huijbregtsi Frisch, sp. nov. (Sulawesi), F. karneri Frisch, sp. nov. (Malay Peninsula), F. keralensis Frisch, sp. nov. (India), F. latilobatoides Frisch, sp. nov. (Malay Peninsula), F. latilobatus Frisch, sp. nov. (Borneo), F. lineatocollis Frisch, sp. nov. (India), F. lineolatus Frisch, sp. nov. (India), F. loebli Frisch, sp. nov. (Sumatra), F. mariae Frisch, sp. nov. (Malay Peninsula), F. parentium Frisch, sp. nov. (India), F. pedator Frisch, sp. nov. (Sumatra), F. puthzi Frisch, sp. nov. (Borneo), F. rubiginicollis Frisch, sp. nov. (Malay Peninsula), F. schuriani Frisch, sp. nov. (Malay Peninsula), F. serratispinatus Frisch, sp. nov. (Borneo), F. setifer Frisch, sp. nov. (Java), F. similis Frisch, sp. nov. (Java), F. strigaticollis Frisch, sp. nov. (India), F. subalpinus Frisch, sp. nov. (Sumatra), F. telnovi Frisch, sp. nov. (Borneo), F. tridens Frisch, sp. nov. (Malay Peninsula), F. uhligi Frisch, sp. nov. (Borneo).

Frischianus is considered a monophyletic group mainly according to the unipartite female gonocoxal plate. The phylogenetic relationships of Frischianus within the Scopaeina and its infrageneric phylogeny are discussed. According to putative apomorphic characters, Frischianus is subdivided into the F. strigaticollis species group from South India and the speciose, Southeast Asian F. laticollis species group. Within the F. laticollis subgroup, subordinate phylogenetic lineages are distinguished.

Staphylinoid beetles in Lower Cretaceous Hkamti amber from northern Myanmar (Coleoptera: Polyphaga: Staphylinoidea): An overview

SHÛHEI YAMAMOTO — 2025-06-24

A super-rich and extremely diverse assemblage of insect fossils has been well-documented from mid-Cretaceous Kachin amber (ca. 99 Ma) in the Kachin State of northern Myanmar. In contrast, only four beetle (Coleoptera) species have formally been described from the slightly older Lower Cretaceous Hkamti (Khamti) amber (ca. 110 Ma), also originating from northern Myanmar’s Sagaing Region. The polyphagan beetle superfamily Staphylinoidea, encompassing approximately 75,000 species, is among the largest superfamilies in the animal kingdom. This study records 11 staphylinoid fossils, providing a comprehensive overview of the Hkamti amber biota. These fossils were classified into three families (Hydraenidae, Colonidae, and Staphylinidae). The highest paleodiversity was observed in the rove beetle family Staphylinidae; nine specimens from six staphylinid subfamilies (Osoriinae, Tachyporinae, Aleocharinae, Steninae, Solieriinae, and Scydmaeninae) were identified. With the exception of Steninae, all are reported for the first time from Hkamti amber. Notably, the discoveries of colonid, osoriine, aleocharine, and stenine (previously recorded) beetles represent the oldest known fossils for these groups. Additionally, the hydraenid and tachyporine fossils are the earliest biological amber inclusions reported for their respective familiy or subfamiliy. Three new species are herein described: Colonellus (Colonellus) hkamtiensis sp. nov. (Colonidae), Cretochirus elongatus sp. nov. (Staphylinidae: Osoriinae: Leptochirini), and Prosolierius antennatus sp. nov. (Staphylinidae: Solieriinae). These findings underscore the presence of a potentially diverse Staphylinoidea paleofauna in Hkamti amber, although it remains likely underestimated, warranting further investigation. This study highlights a striking similarity in entomofaunal composition between the Hkamti and Kachin amber deposits, supporting a previously suggested close affinity between the two. Additionally, the fossils described here provide valuable calibration points for future molecular dating analyses.

All genera of the world: Subfamilies Lithoscarabaeinae, Chironinae, Aegialiinae, Eremazinae, Aphodiinae, Aulonocneminae, Termitotroginae, and Scarabaeinae (Animalia: Arthropoda: Insecta: Coleoptera: Scarabaeidae)

PETER G. ALLSOPP — 2025-08-19

There are about 1000 genus-group names, available and unavailable, in the laprostict subfamilies of Scarabaeidae by 31 July 2025. Of these, 689 refer to currently accepted genera, mainly in the Aphodiinae (381) and the Scarabaeinae (283). A further >320 genus-group names are given subgeneric rank or placed in synonymy or homonymy. The chronology of descriptions of currently valid genera shows different patterns between the Scarabaeinae and Aphodiinae, with a significant increase in numbers of aphodiine genera since the 1980s due to the splitting of Aphodius Hellwig, 1798. We predict that discovery of new genera, as well as the potential for further splitting of mega-genera such as Onthophagus Latreille, 1802 with elevation of subgenera to full generic level, will continue the upward trend, albeit somewhat balanced by combining some of the numerous monobasic genera.

A taxonomic revision of the Afrotropical signal fly genus Engistoneura Loew, 1873 (Diptera: Platystomatidae) with the description of sixteen new species, an identification key to species and a discussion of biogeography

ASHLEY H. KIRK-SPRIGGS — 2025-10-23

The Afrotropical endemic platystomatine genus Engistoneura Loew, 1873 is revised taxonomically, based on the study of name-bearing types of all described species and varieties, material housed in museums around the world and recently collected specimens from the rainforests of Central and West Africa. Following revisionary study, the genus now comprises 22 species, six previously described, namely: E. currani Steyskal, 1965 (Liberia), E. flavipennis Hendel, 1914 (Ghana), E. lugens (Fabricius, 1794) (Guinea and Sierra Leone), E. moerens (Fabricius, 1794) (Benin, Cameroon, Côte d’Ivoire, Equatorial Guinea, Ghana, Guinea, Nigeria and Togo), E. obscura Hendel, 1914 (Cameroon, Equatorial Guinea, Gabon and Republic of Congo) and E. parallela (Wiedemann, 1830) (Sierra Leone) and 16 species are described and figured as new to science, namely: E. ankasa, sp. nov. (Ghana), E. biseriata, sp. nov. (Côte d’Ivoire), E. circumfusus, sp. nov. (Guinea), E. deemingi, sp. nov. (Côte d’Ivoire, Nigeria and Togo), E. distincta, sp. nov. (Liberia and Sierra Leone), E. elvillah, sp. nov. (Guinea), E. hemifascia, sp. nov. (Côte d’Ivoire), E. hexafascia, sp. nov. (Sierra Leone), E. kachana, sp. nov. (Ghana), E. maya, sp. nov. (Guinea), E. mcalpinei, sp. nov. (Sierra Leone), E. nebula, sp. nov. (Sierra Leone), E. fatima, sp. nov. (Côte d’Ivoire and Sierra Leone), E. ghanensis, sp. nov. (Ghana), E. smithi, sp. nov. (Côte d’Ivoire and Ghana) and E. vicina, sp. nov. (Cameroon, Côte d’Ivoire, Equatorial Guinea, ?Gabon, Guinea and Liberia). The following nomenclatorial acts are proposed: E. catogastera (Bigot, 1891) syn. n. is sunk as a junior synonym of E. moerens; E. unilineata Bezzi, 1914 is removed from the genus Engistoneura and placed in new combination as Peltacanthina (Peltacanthina) unilineata (Bezzi, 1914) comb. n.; the variety names E. catogastera var. melanopleura Enderlein, 1924, syn. n., E. obscura var. duplicata Enderlein, 1924, syn. n. and E. obscura var. interrupa Enderlein, 1924, syn. n. are all sunk as junior synonyms of E. moerens and the variety name E. obscura var. simplex Enderlein, 1924, syn. n. is sunk as a junior synonym of E. obscura Hendel, 1914. Bezzi’s (1908) synonymy of E. albovaria (Walker, 1853) as a junior synonym of E. moerens (Fabricius, 1794) is here confirmed and upheld, based on the examination of the name-bearing types of both species. Lectotypes are designated for the following 18 taxa: E. albolineata Bezzi, 1908, E. bicolor Bezzi, 1908, E. catogastera var. melanopleura Enderlein, 1924, E. cohaesa Speiser, 1911, E. flavipennis Hendel, 1914, E. guttata Bezzi, 1908, E. obscura Hendel, 1914, E. obscura var. duplicata Enderlein, 1924, E. obscura var. interrupta Enderlein, 1924, E. obscura var. simplex Enderlein, 1924, E. octodecim Speiser, 1911, E. surniipennis Speiser, 1911, E. unilineata Bezzi, 1914, Megaglossa catogastera Bigot, 1891, Musca lugens Fabricius, 1794, Mu. moerens Fabricius, 1794, Ortalis parallela Wiedemann, 1830 and Trypeta albovaria Walker, 1853. An identification key to the 22 species is provided and the distributions of the species are mapped and biogeography of the genus is discussed in relation to the Riverine Barriers Hypothesis, the Refuge Hypothesis, forest fragmentation and elevational considerations. Although the limited distribution of some species appear to be bounded by rivers, examination of collective patterns indicate that forest refugia rather than rivers appear to have driven diversification and speciation in the genus.