Zootaxa

West Side Story: systematics of funnel-weavers (Araneae: Agelenidae: Ageleninae) from arid western South Africa, with two new genera and 16 new species

CHARLES R. HADDAD — 2026-01-14

In this study, we document the diversity of funnel-weaving spiders (Agelenidae: Ageleninae) in arid western South Africa, a fauna that has historically been understudied. Examination of collected material revealed 16 new species belonging to two tribes, Textricini and Agelenini, representing three genera, including two newly described herein. Afrotrix gen. nov. (Textricini) is described to comprise A. deserticola (Simon, 1910) comb. nov. (ex. Benoitia Lehtinen, 1967), for which a lectotype is newly designated, as well as nine new species: A. spicula sp. nov. (type species, ♂♀), A. booyseni sp. nov. (♂♀), A. dejagerae sp. nov. (♂♀), A. goegap sp. nov. (♀), A. karooica sp. nov. (♂♀), A. lyonsae sp. nov. (♂♀), A. reginaldi sp. nov. (♂♀), A. sauria sp. nov. (♀) and A. tankwa sp. nov. (♂♀). Benoitia Lehtinen, 1967 (Agelenini) is represented by the following five new species: B. arida sp. nov. (♀), B. leroyae sp. nov. (♀), B. lunata sp. nov. (♀), B. meridionalis sp. nov. (♂♀) and B. namaqua sp. nov. (♂♀). Finally, Namagelena gen. nov. (Agelenini) is described to comprise two new species, N. sola sp. nov. (type species, ♂♀) and N. guttata sp. nov. (♀). A molecular phylogeny is presented based on cytochrome c oxidase subunit I (COI) sequences of 12 species of South African Agelenidae, including 10 described in this paper, which supports the delimitation of the three genera treated. Distribution maps are provided for all the species.

**Five new earthworm species of the Pheretima sangirensis-group (Clitellata: Megascolecidae) from Mount Banahaw, Quezon Province, Philippines**

YONG HONG — 2026-01-14

Five new species of the genus Pheretima are described from Mount Banahaw, Quezon Province, Luzon I., Philippines: P. banahawensis sp. nov., P. sancta sp. nov., P. taceae sp. nov., P. apolinarioi sp. nov., and P. madii sp. nov. All five species belong to the sangirensis–group as defined by Sims and Easton (1972), characterized by one pair of spermathecal pores located on intersegmental furrow 7/8. Pheretima banahawensis sp. nov. has spermathecal pores spaced 2–2.5 mm apart and copulatory bursae openings spaced 0.09–0.13 of the body circumference apart. Pheretima sancta sp. nov. shows spermathecal pore spacing of 1.9–2.1 mm and copulatory bursae openings 0.14–0.18 circumference apart. Pheretima taceae sp. nov. has spermathecal pores 1.4 mm apart and copulatory bursae openings 0.13 circumference apart. Pheretima apolinarioi sp. nov. exhibits spermathecal pore spacing of 1–1.1 mm and copulatory bursae openings 0.12–0.13 circumference apart. Pheretima madii sp. nov. presents the shortest distances, with spermathecal pores 0.4–0.6 mm apart and copulatory bursae openings 0.10–0.13 circumference apart. Detailed descriptions of these new species, including illustrations of the ventral view and representative spermathecae, are provided.

On the taxonomic status of two large species of East African freshwater crabs: Arcopotamonautes johnstoni (Miers, 1885) from Mount Kilimanjaro and A. platycentron (Hilgendorf, 1897) from Lake Chala (Brachyura: Potamoidea: Potamonautidae)

NEIL CUMBERLIDGE — 2026-01-14

The taxonomies of two species of freshwater crabs from Tanzania and Kenya, the river and stream-living A. johnstoni (Miers, 1885) and the threatened lake endemic Arcopotamonautes platycentron (Hilgendorf, 1897) are revised based on examination of the holotypes. Updated diagnoses, illustrations, and distribution maps are provided for these species, and their conservation status is discussed. DNA sequence data of the mitochondrial cytochrome one locus (CO1) between the two aforementioned species indicate a close evolutionary relationship as evident from an unexpectedly low uncorrected CO1 ‘p’ distance of 1.51% that would not normally be considered enough to warrant their recognition as two separate species. On the other hand, it is possible that the distinctly separate habitats of the two species (lake versus streams and rivers) may have given rise in a relatively short evolutionary time for rapid ecological speciation to have produced the numerous morphological changes observed in the lake species.

Consideration of range-wide variation is critical when splitting widely distributed species: the case of the proposed Iguana melanoderma

MATTHIJS P. VAN DEN BURG — 2026-01-14

Among Iguaninae species, Iguana iguana (Linnaeus) has the largest geographic range, spanning most of the Neotropical mainland and numerous islands including several in the Lesser Antilles. Genetic data indicated the presence of cryptic diversity and at least four major, mtDNA clades. However, rather than assessing the taxonomic status of these four major clades, recent taxonomic work has focused more narrowly on populations in the Lesser Antilles nested deeply within one major clade. In one such case, melanistic populations on Saba, Montserrat, and in northern Venezuela have been proposed as Iguana melanoderma Breuil et al. Here we re-evaluate the taxonomic status of I. melanoderma within the broader context of the I. iguana species complex. We generated museomic data from 10 specimens collected as early as 1929 from 10 new localities across northern Venezuela, and two samples from Trinidad, resulting in eight previously unknown ND4 haplotypes. We conducted divergence comparisons and phylogenetic analyses using mtDNA sequences. Our results indicate that the previously reported genetic distinctiveness of I. melanoderma was over-estimated due to limited geographic sampling. Instead, genetic data from northern South America reveal an eroded distinction and shallow divergences among sampled populations of the I. iguana species complex (Clade IV), including the proposed Iguana melanoderma. Numerous sampling gaps remain in this region of northern South America, which hamper taxonomic interpretations of current genetic data. Beyond genetics, the morphological dataset underlying the description of I. melanoderma was geographically limited and lacked data from crucial populations. We argue that, for the present, I. melanoderma should not be recognized but instead should be considered part of I. iguana (Clade IV), and we highlight the importance of broader sampling efforts in future taxonomic research on this species complex as well as the necessity of considering range-wide variation in taxonomic studies of wide-ranging taxa more generally.

**Description of a new species of the genus Formicococcus Takahashi 1928 (Hemiptera: Coccomorpha: Pseudococcidae) from China**

QING LIU — 2026-01-14

A new species of mealybug (Hemiptera: Coccomorpha: Pseudococcidae), Formicococcus guiyangensis Liu & Xing sp. nov. is recorded from Guizhou Province, P. R. China. It was found living in bark crevices on trunks of Broussonetia papyrifera (L.) Vent. (Moraceae), beneath carton shelters built by the ant Liometopum sinense Wheeler, W.M. (Hymenoptera: Formicidae). A description and illustration of the adult female mealybug morphology and identification keys to separate the 36 species of Formicococcus found in the Palaearctic and Oriental regions, and the 20 species of Formicococcus found in the East Asian region, are provided.

**New contributions to Paracloeodes Day, 1955 (Ephemeroptera: Baetidae): description of a new species and of the adult stage of Paracloeodes carolinae Cruz, Salles & Hamada, 2018**

I.MARA P. SANTOS — 2026-01-14

Paracloeodes Day, 1955 is a Panamerican genus of mayflies, currently comprising 23 described species, with the greatest diversity occurring in the Neotropics. Among them, nymph-adult associations have been established only for nine species. As part of an ongoing project investigating mayfly diversity in poorly sampled areas in Brazil, a new species of Paracloeodes was identified, and the adults of Paracloeodes carolinae Cruz, Salles & Hamada, 2018 were reared from nymphs. The new species can be differentiated from the remaining species of the genus based on the following combination of characteristics: labrum with a deeply emarginate distomedial margin; glossa subequal to paraglossa, both rounded at apex; maxillary palp long (1.7× the length of galea-lacinia); presence of stout setae on the anterior surface of the foretarsus; and paraproct with 24–28 marginal spines. The male imago of P. carolinae can be distinguished from other imagos of the genus by the following combination of characteristics: turbinate portion of the compound eye yellow; stigmatic area of forewing with four veins not reaching the subcostal vein; and subgenital plate with a concave posterior margin and a pointed median spine. This study contributes to the taxonomic refinement of Paracloeodes and provides key insights into the life stages and distribution patterns of Neotropical mayflies.

**A new species of the genus Pleonexes Spence Bate, 1857 (Senticaudata, Ampithoidae) from Gujarat State, India**

DIMPLE THACKER — 2026-01-14

In the present study, a new species, Pleonexes spencebatei sp. nov., is described on the basis of specimens collected from Gujarat State, India. This new species is morphologically similar to P. nargessi Momtazi & Maghsoudlou, 2020, but can be differentiated by having, peduncle article 1 of antenna 1 without a distal robust seta, maxilla 1 inner plate with only 1 seta, more slender gnathopods, and telson lacking tubercles.

**A new species of the genus Sarax Simon, 1892 (Amblypygi, Charinidae) from China**

YITING XU — 2026-01-14

A new species of the whip spider genus Sarax Simon, 1892 collected from Guangdong Province, China is diagnosed and described based on morphological characters: Sarax quinquespinus sp. nov. (♂♀). With this third Sarax species recorded in China, the geographical gap in its distribution between Yunnan to Fujian is filled. In addition, a distribution map and the photos of living male and female, copulatory organs and other structures are provided.

**Description of a new species and four newly recorded species of the genus Cosmopterix (Lepidoptera, Cosmopterigidae) from Korea**

YE-SEUL KIM — 2026-01-14

The genus Cosmopterix (Lepidoptera: Cosmopterigidae) is highly diverse, but poorly investigated in Korea. In this study, we describe one new species and four newly recorded species of Cosmopterix from Korea, based on specimens collected and re-examined from various regions during 2012 and 2024. Detailed analyses of morphology and genitalia revealed a new species, Cosmopterix ulleungensis sp. nov., along with three additional species and one subspecies newly recorded from Korea: C. oplismeniella, C. phyladelphella, C. scribaiella japonica, and C. tateshinensis. Diagnostic characters, illustrations, and distributional data for these species are provided. This study significantly expands the faunal inventory of Cosmopterix in Korea and improves the faunistic information in East Asia.

**Redescription of the Oriental genus Longicaudata Dmitriev (Hemiptera, Cicadomorpha: Cicadellidae)**

HUI ZHANG — 2026-01-14

The Oriental genus Longicaudata Zhang & Wu is redescribed and redefined, along with detailed descriptions of L. trilineata Zhang & Wu is also provided. This study presents the first photographic documentation of L. trilineata and includes a key for species identification.