An expanded dataset of caryophyllidean tapeworms (Cestoda) of the genus Promonobothrium Mackiewicz, 1968, parasites of suckers (Cypriniformes: Catostomidae) in North America, was used to reassess the host specificity of these parasites. Molecular data from newly collected specimens from diverse hosts revealed contrasting patterns in host range among congeneric tapeworms, ranging from strict specialists (half of all species, namely P. minytremi, P. fossae, P. mackiewiczi, P. papiliovarium and Promonobothrium sp. from Ictiobus niger) parasitizing a single host species, to family generalists (three species, namely P. hunteri, P. ingens and P. rogersi) occurring in fishes of different sucker subfamilies (Catostominae and Ictiobinae). Promonobothrium currani is considered a congeneric specialist and P. ulmeri a subfamily generalist. The high proportion of generalists (40%) is exceptional in the Caryophyllidea. Based on this study, it is recommended to verify records of tapeworms from atypical hosts, preferably using molecular data from vouchered specimens (hologenophores or paragenophores). https://zoobank.org/urn:lsid:zoobank.org:pub:EBFB81F5-6565-45D4-A9B8-48C146591248

Odontella litigiosa (Bacillariophyta) is understood to be a highly polymorphic species. First described as Biddulphia litigiosa, it was later assumed to have three “phenotypes” (or “phases”) corresponding to the litigiosa phase (vegetative phase), the polymorpha phase (resting phase) and the anthropomorpha phase (resting spore phase). As a consequence, O. litigiosa gained an extensive synonymy and although the three “phenotypes” were previously placed into a life-cycle sequence, little is known of their morphology except for features documented in published line drawings and light micrographs. In this paper, we present observations on the three “phases”, provide a detailed account of the history of the various names and finally provide a taxonomic summary, with a formal description of the species, its synonymy, the material examined and some subsidiary notes.

The Asteroidea collections in the Natural History Museum, London (NHM) were initiated in the late 18th century and have grown to contain thousands of specimen lots. Foremost amongst these are type series representing 517 nominal species, of which some 365 represent currently accepted taxa. This catalogue provides a comprehensive, critically evaluated record of the known type material in the NHM collections, placing the taxa represented into the current systematic framework. Bibliographic data important to nomenclatural acts are also critically reviewed and the dates of numerous taxa corrected accordingly, with wider taxonomic implications. The present work has been split into three parts; this first section covers the superorder Forcipulatacea, of which the NHM collections include type material representing 94 species-level names, of which four were introduced as subspecies and a further four have been demoted to varietal status. The status of valid taxa listed as taxa inquirenda or nomina dubia in the World Register of Marine Species (WoRMS) database are clarified where possible, and type specimens that have never been figured are illustrated for the first time. Genera currently placed in Novodiniidae, Brisingasteridae and Odinellidae are grouped as a single family within Brisingida. Four lectotypes and two neotypes have been designated to maintain taxonomic stability.

Freshwater leeches of the genus Alboglossiphonia Lukin, 1976 are predatory invertebrates with a global distribution. The centre of diversity of the genus is in Africa, where 11 nominal species have been recorded. Several species also occur in Europe, North America, New Zealand, Tasmania and Asia, although taxonomic studies in these regions remain limited. Alboglossiphonia lata (Oka, 1910), long considered widespread in East Asia, has been studied in terms of morphology, ethology and developmental biology. However, its original description was based on only a few characteristics, leaving its taxonomic status uncertain. In this study, A. lata is redescribed based on newly collected specimens from its type localities. As the type specimens have been lost and multiple type localities exist, a neotype was designated for this species to resolve zoological and nomenclatural issues. Additionally, a new species, A. reisui sp. nov., is described from the Japanese Archipelago. This species shares many characteristics with A. lata but differs in its dorsal tubercle arrangement and colouration pattern. Phylogenetic analyses using nuclear and mitochondrial markers revealed that A. reisui sp. nov. forms a sister clade to a monophyletic group comprising A. lata and A. pahariensis Nesemann & Sharma, 2007. We also report the first records of A. cf. hyalina (O. F. Müller, 1774) and A. sibirica Bolotov, Eliseeva, Klass & Kondakov, 2022 in Japan. https://zoobank.org/urn:lsid:zoobank.org:pub:CDFA9C98-ED12-4BAE-A13D-7F24264FBCEE

Despite the urgency imposed by the current biodiversity crisis, many species remain undescribed, facing extinction before their formal recognition by science. Accelerating species descriptions is thus imperative. However, descriptions should be robust and based on good taxonomic practice, which may enhance long-term nomenclatural stability that is crucial for scientific research and conservation planning. Yet, few studies have assessed the robustness of species description. Here, we evaluated temporal trends in species descriptions of nearly 4,000 squamate reptiles spanning more than three decades (from 1990 to 2023). We observed an average increase of about 115% in the number of lines of evidence used in descriptions, such as pholidosis, morphometrics, and genes sequenced for molecular analysis. Type-series size decreased by nearly half for lizards but remained roughly constant for snakes, while page length dedicated to descriptions showed an upward trajectory for both taxa, increasing 42.7% on average over time. Furthermore, our study highlights the positive correlation between robust species descriptions (i.e. measured by the number of lines of evidence provided, type-series size, and number of pages) and taxonomic reviews, as well as the impact of collaborative efforts, with more authors on descriptions associated with greater lines of evidence and pages. Overall, descriptions of reptiles have become more thorough and robust over recent decades. The proportion of species descriptions that included molecular analysis has grown over time, with more than half of all species described annually in recent years having molecular data. Despite hundreds of new reptile species being described annually, the potential invalidation of many species in the future may jeopardise current conservation efforts. Therefore, thorough, accurate descriptions are important in addressing the biodiversity crisis and providing reliable data for biodiversity analyses and conservation planning.

The genus Tethya, one of the most iconic groups in the phylum Porifera. includes nearly 100 valid species. Tethya shows a nearly cosmopolitan distribution, and thus this clade could help elucidate global mechanisms of speciation in sponges. Contrasting with many other marine organisms, Tethya peaks in diversity in the temperate region, with only ∼30% of diversity occurring in the tropics. This pattern may however be related to a lack of studies in the tropics, masked by dubious taxonomic identifications. To address this question, we studied new collections from the Western Atlantic (Caribbean and Brazil) and the Northeastern Atlantic, as well as museum material from the Indian Ocean. Combining morphological investigation with molecular phylogenetics and the study of the sponge’s microbial communities, we conclude that four constitute new species that we describe here: Tethya martini Riesgo, Giribet, & Santodomingo, sp. nov.; Tethya simoni Santodomingo, Zea, & Riesgo, sp. nov.; Tethya erici Díez-Vives, Santodomingo, Moles, & Riesgo, sp. nov.; Tethya orioni Kenny, Santodomingo & Riesgo, sp. nov. Some species thought to be widespread (e.g., T. aurantium and T. seychellensis), each represent multiple species with unique geographic distributions. A phylogenetic analysis of Tethya (based on COI and 28S rRNA sequence data) recovered five main clades, which were also characterized by distinct prokaryotic communities. This suggests that microbiomes could be used as a guide for taxonomic identification in Tethya. We finally explored the existence of a phylosymbiotic pattern in sponges at different levels of prokaryotic taxonomic resolution (i.e., at phylum, class, and genus-level analysis of prokaryotes). Remarkably, our analysis revealed high levels of coevolution of Tethya and their associated microbial communities, even when microbiomes were analysed at the genus level. Our findings support the use of an integrative approach to better understand the evolutionary history of sponges. http://zoobank.org/urn:lsid:zoobank.org:pub:54F80E5E-99A4-43CE-BA3A-BCD01E715595

Although present in the South American continent, dwarf boas (Tropidophiidae) show their greatest extant diversification in the Caribbean region, reaching their highest diversity in Cuba. Despite their remarkable species richness, phylogenetic affinities among species of Tropidophis and Trachyboa are still poorly known. Here, we provide a multi-locus phylogenetic hypothesis of the family that includes 25 of the 37 known continental and insular species, including most of its highly diverse Cuban endemic radiation (16 out of 17 species sampled). We also provide a time-calibrated tree derived from our molecular data. Our phylogenetic results indicate that the genus Tropidophis and its mainland and Cuban radiations are paraphyletic, while the Caribbean radiation forms a well-supported clade. We therefore synonymize Trachyboa with Tropidophis and provide new definitions for the species groups. Our time-calibrated tree suggests that tropidophiids originated along the northwestern Andean region of continental South America, diverging from its known sister-group genus Anilius during the late Cretaceous. The Atlantic Rainforest radiation diverged from the Andean radiation during the late Eocene. A mainland tropidophiid ancestor subsequently dispersed from northern South America to the Caribbean region in the latest Eocene. Dispersal likely took place through a near-continuous terrestrial land bridge that connected South America to the Greater Antilles during the late Eocene to early Oligocene (35–33 Ma). The existence of this land bridge, whether formed by the Aves Ridge (GAARlandia Hypothesis) or by a more southernly positioned landmass connecting the Greater Antilles and the northern Lesser Antilles Ridge (GRANoLA hypothesis), remains a topic of debate, which we address in this paper. After that main dispersal event, West Indian tropidophiids underwent over ten speciation events, rapidly colonizing the Caribbean islands. We also address the vertebral morphology of fossil and extant Tropidophiidae, with our observations challenging the current classification of several fossil taxa within crown-Tropidophiidae.

Until relatively recently, the gecko species Hemidactylus turcicus was believed to be the only member of the genus to occur in Jordan. Later taxonomic treatments confirmed the presence of another two species in the country – H. dawudazraqi and H. mindiae. It has been more than 10 years now since the last study on species of the genus Hemidactylus in Jordan was published and the distribution limits of the different species remain unknown. To shed light on the geographic and genetic boundaries between the species and different populations we collected material from across Jordan and sequenced each sample for two mitochondrial genes to provide identification by means of DNA barcoding. The results of phylogenetic analyses of species that occur in Jordan and neighbouring countries allowed us to assess the level of inter- and intraspecific genetic diversity of Hemidactylus in the region. Based on our results we confirm the presence of two species that were previously not known from the country – H. granosus and H. lavadeserticus. We also found another genetic lineage to be present in Jordan, implying that there may be yet another undescribed species of Hemidactylus present in Jordan. The results of this study will help to clarify the distribution of Hemidactylus species in Jordan and enable better delineation of the boundaries between the individual species.

During the present study, species boundaries in the velvet worm Peripatopsis birgeri species complex in KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa, were examined with the use of DNA sequence data, gross morphology, scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and ecological niche modelling. Mitochondrial CO1 and nuclear 18S rRNA sequence data were used to generate a phylogeny using both a Bayesian inference and maximum likelihood approaches. Both the CO1 sequence data and the combined DNA sequence topology (CO1 + 18S rRNA) revealed the presence of two geographically distinct clades within the P. birgeri species complex. Results from three species delimitation methods (GMYC, PTP and ASAP), were incongruent in determining the number of species within the species complex and generally overestimated the number of operational taxonomic units. The latter result can be attributed to the marked genetic structure within the species complex, a result corroborated by the CO1 haplotype network and statistically significant F ST values. Divergence time estimation suggests that the two clades diverged during the Plio/Pleistocene. Niche modelling revealed that the two clades were differentially impacted by bioclimatic variables and occupied different habitats. Gross morphological characteristics, such as leg pair numbers and colour revealed no fixed differences between the two clades, however, a creamy white headband/collar occurred exclusively in specimens of clade 1 (P. birgeri). In contrast, SEM revealed fixed dorsal and ventral scale rank differences between the two clades. The results corroborate the presence of a novel species within the P. birgeri s.s. species complex. Peripatopsis birgeri s.s. is revised and restricted to the southern Drakensberg and a new species, P. polychroma sp. nov. (clade 2), from the northern Drakensberg and adjacent Afrotemperate forests in the interior of KwaZulu-Natal is described. https://zoobank.org/urn:lsid:zoobank:org:pub:569557AB-8BC8-49B6-B8AA-96507371297B