Zootaxa

**A review of the genus Cyrtodactylus Gray 1827 (Squamata: Gekkonidae) of Nepal with descriptions of three new species**

Mon, 03 Mar 2025 00:00:00 +1300

We conduct a review of the known species of Cyrtodactylus from Nepal based on type and topotypical material, resulting in the synonymization of one species and description of three additional species from Central Nepal. The five species of Cyrtodactylus from Nepal are members of the Indo-Burma clade and are at least 11.7 % divergent from known congeners based on the mitochondrial ND2 gene. The results show that C. nepalensis and one of the new species are allied to the C. fasciolatus group while the other two new species and C. martinstolli are members of the mountain subclade within the khasiensis group. The new species can be readily distinguished from congeners in the Himalaya by a combination of body size, meristic characters including number of dorsal tubercle rows and mid ventral scales across the belly, the number and arrangement of pores in males and females, and subcaudal condition.

**Taxonomic revision of the genus Jekelius López-Colón, 1989 (Coleoptera: Geotrupidae) in the Levant region**

DAVID SOMMER, OLIVER HILLERT, DAVID KRÁL — Mon, 03 Mar 2025 00:00:00 +1300

The genus Jekelius López-Colón, 1989 in the Levant region is revised. Jekelius (Jekelius) bargylus Sommer, Hillert & Král, sp. nov., from Syria, Jekelius (Jekelius) impavidus Sommer, Hillert & Král, sp. nov., from Israel, Jekelius (Jekelius) luciae Sommer, Hillert & Král, sp. nov., from Jordan, and Jekelius (Jekelius) pertinax Sommer, Hillert & Král, sp. nov., from Lebanon and Syria, are described, illustrated, and compared with its congeners. Jekelius (Jekelius) syriacus (Jekel, 1866), revised status, is elevated from subspecies to the species status. Lectotype for Geotrupes (Thorectes) laevigatus var. syriacus Jekel, 1866 is designated. Distribution of all these species is summarized and mapped.

**A new species of Amolops monticola group (Amphibia: Ranidae) from Hoang Lien Range, northwest Vietnam**

LUAN THANH NGUYEN, BENJAMIN TAPLEY, TOI VAN LA, JODI J. L. ROWLEY — Mon, 03 Mar 2025 00:00:00 +1300

Of the 19 species of Amolops reported from Vietnam, 10 are known to occur in the Hoang Lien Range in northwest Vietnam. During field surveys in the Hoang Lien Range, we collected individuals from a population of Amolops that we could not assign to any known species; morphological and molecular data assign these individuals to the Amolops monticola group and we describe a new species to science, Amolops spicalinea sp. nov, in reference to a line of horny spinules running along the body below the dorsolateral fold in males. The new species is morphologically and molecularly most similar to Amolops bellulus from Yunnan Province, China but is distinguished from A. bellulus and other congeneric species by a combination of the following characters: (1) SVL of adult males 46.6–52.2 mm, N=3; adult females 60.1–63.0 mm, N=3; (2) vomerine teeth in two oblique rows between choanae; (3) tympanic annulus visible; (4) all finger and toe tips expanded to discs with circummarginal grooves present; (5) skin smooth, except for lateral surfaces of head, below the dorsolateral fold, and the area surrounding cloaca where the texture varies from tiny spinules to large tubercles; (6) dorsolateral fold present with horny spinules along the lower half in males; (7) creamy-white lip stripe extending from tip of snout, terminating in a broken, rugose line above axilla; (8) dorsum reddish brown or greenish brown with numerous small black spots; flanks yellowish brown to dark brown; ventral surface of body orange-yellow with small brown spots present on chest and throat; (9) interdigital finger webbing absent; toes fully webbed to discs except on Toes IV where webbing reaches discs as a fringe, webbing formula: I0–0II0–0III0–1⁺IV1⁺–0V; (10) outer metatarsal tubercles absent; (11) vocal sac absent in males, and (12) nuptial pad velvety without spines. Our phylogenetic analysis using 16S ribosomal RNA mitochondrial gene and cytochrome c oxidase subunit 1 (CO1) genes show that Amolops spicalinea sp. nov. is sister to Amolops bellulus 2 from Yunnan, China. The new species is currently known from only three localities in the Hoang Lien Range between 2288–2493 m asl and is threatened by habitat loss and degradation. This species likely qualifies for being assessed as Endangered in accordance with the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species categories and criteria (B1ab).

**Two new species of the genera Pseudocandona and Cytherissa (Ostracoda, Podocopida) from the coastal zone of Lake Baikal**

TATYANA M. ALEKSEEVA, ROMAN S. KRIVOROTKIN, MARIANNE V. MOORE, OLEG A. TIMOSHKIN — Mon, 03 Mar 2025 00:00:00 +1300

Most freshwater ostracods are endemic at either the local or regional level, and ancient lakes, such as Lakes Baikal and Tanganyika, are biodiversity hotspots for this group of organisms. Here we describe and name two new species of endemic ostracods from Lake Baikal in honor of Professors Stephanie Guildford and Robert Hecky who served as editors for the Journal of Great Lakes Research for 13 years. Illustrated descriptions of females and males of these two ostracod species of the genera Pseudocandona Kaufmann, 1900 and Cytherissa Sars, 1925—Pseudocandona guildfordae Alekseeva, Krivorotkin & Timoshkin sp. nov. and Cytherissa heckyi Alekseeva, Krivorotkin & Timoshkin sp. nov.—are presented and their habitats briefly described. These species were discovered when examining the ostracod collections of the famous Russian freshwater biologist, Prof. G.F. Mazepova.

**A distinctive new species of spongicolid shrimp assigned to the genus Spongicola De Haan, 1844 (Decapoda: Stenopodidea) from the Ryukyu Islands, Japan**

TOMOYUKI KOMAI, TAKUO HIGASHIJI — Mon, 03 Mar 2025 00:00:00 +1300

A new species of stenopodidean shrimp, assigned to the genus Spongicola De Haan, 1844, is described and illustrated based on the male holotype collected from the vicinity of Ie Island, Okinawa Islands, Ryukyu Islands, at a depth of 286 m. Spongicola kabuki sp. nov. stands out within the family Spongicolidae due to its unique characteristics. These include a lance-shaped rostrum with a distinct ventral blade, a prominent, sub-semicircular notch on the proximal part of the rostrum, of which the posterior end forms a large postrostral tooth, a distinct spinulose process arising at the anteromesial angle of the eyestalk, and propodi of the fourth and fifth pereopods having numerous spiniform setae on flexor margins, arranged in two rows in the distal parts. The holotype male inhabited in an inner space formed by a bag-shaped colony of an unidentified antipatharian coral (Anthozoa) together with a female individual not preserved for study, although all known species of Spongicola are associated with hexactinellid sponges. The discovery of this new species led the authors to revisit the relationship between Spongicola and Paraspongicola de Saint Laurent & Cleva, 1981, and the synonymy of Paraspongicola with Spongicola is herein confirmed. Spongicola is now represented by 13 species worldwide.

Pwaxumak keysersozei, a new genus and species of Oedicerotidae (Crustacea: Amphipoda) from New Caledonia

BENOIT GOUILLIEUX, LAUREN E. HUGHES — Mon, 03 Mar 2025 00:00:00 +1300

A recent and intense exploration of New Caledonia marine life by the Muséum National d’Histoire Naturel de Paris (France) has revealed a new genus of Oedicerotidae. The charismatic new genus and species, Pwaxumak keysersozei can be distinguished from its congeners at both the generic and species level by the distinctly chelate gnathopods 1 and 2. It is reported from three specimens collected in shallow water muddy sediments. The regional amphipod list for New Caledonia is updated to 221 published species following on from the Lowry’s (2007) checklist.

Lost in the Amazon: Rediscovery of the Rio Santa Rosa Mushroomtongue Salamander (Caudata: Plethondontidae) from Ayacucho, Peru

Mon, 03 Mar 2025 00:00:00 +1300

Bolitoglossa digitigrada Wake, Brame and Thomas, 1982 was described from a few kilometers upstream from the Rio Santa Rosa, Ayacucho Region, Peru, at 1000 m a.s.l. in the Eastern Amazonian Montane Forest. Besides the type specimens, no additional collections or sightings of B. digitigrada had been reported for 43 years, and there is no information about its phylogenetic position inside its group. During a field expedition conducted in October 2022, we found four individuals of B. digitigrada in a corn and banana field near the community of San Jose, approximately 2.7 km from the type locality. Here, we provide information about living specimens, update description of coloration in life, elevation, and evaluate the phylogenetic relationships of B. digitigrada with a molecular phylogeny based on a 16S rRNA sequence.

**Review of Indialis Peters & Edmunds 1970 (Ephemeroptera, Leptophlebiidae)**

NIKITA KLUGE — Mon, 03 Mar 2025 00:00:00 +1300

Larva, subimago, imagines of both sexes and eggs of Indialis badia Peters & Edmunds 1970 are redescribed based on imagines reared from larvae. New synonymy is established: Indialis badia Peters & Edmunds 1970 (= Indialis thirparapensis Muthukatturaja & Balasubramanian 2022, syn. nov.; Indialis payaswini Muthukatturaja & Balasubramanian 2022, syn. nov.; Indialis kannani Muthukatturaja & Balasubramanian 2022, syn. nov.; Indialis kodagi Muthukatturaja & Balasubramanian 2022, syn. nov.). Based on imagines reared from larvae, larva, subimago, female imago and egg of Indialis rossi Peters 1975 are described for the first time, and male imago of this species is redescribed.

120-year gap: new records of Myrmecophilidae (Orthoptera: Ensifera: Gryllotalpoidea) to Brazil

Mon, 03 Mar 2025 00:00:00 +1300

A new record of Myrmecophilus (Myrmophilina) americanus Saussure, 1877, in urban areas of Brazil is presented. This is the first record of ant-loving crickets in this region since 1905. Additional records from citizen science data suggest a wider presence of these crickets in Brazil. A distribution map of the records in Brazil and an updated Brazilian key are also included.

Mimachrostia jinggangshana sp. nov., a new species from Jiangxi Province, China (Lepidoptera, Erebidae, Hypenodinae, Micronoctuini)

JUN WU, WEN-YU LIU, HUI-LIN HAN — Mon, 03 Mar 2025 00:00:00 +1300

Erratum: AMIT SAYYED, RAHUL KHOT & JAYADITYA PURKAYASTHA (2025) A new tuberculate house gecko species (Squamata: Gekkonidae: Hemidactylus) from the northern Western Ghats of Maharashtra, India. Zootaxa, 5583 (2): 293–308.

AMIT SAYYED, RAHUL KHOT, JAYADITYA PURKAYASTHA — Mon, 03 Mar 2025 00:00:00 +1300