Pleurostict scarabs (Coleoptera: Scarabaeidae): new distributional records in Arunachal Pradesh, north-east India

Based on the specimens present in Zoological Survey of India, (Jabalpur), the paper presents new distributional record of 12 species of Pleurostict Scarabaeidae, comprising eight species of Rutelinae, two species of Cetoniinae, one species each of Melolonthinae and Dynastinae from Arunachal Pradesh (India)

Photography-based taxonomy is inadequate, unnecessary, and potentially harmful for biological sciences

The question whether taxonomic descriptions naming new animal species without type specimen(s) deposited in collections should be accepted for publication by scientific journals and allowed by the Code has already been discussed in Zootaxa (Dubois & Nemésio 2007; Donegan 2008, 2009; Nemésio 2009a–b; Dubois 2009; Gentile & Snell 2009; Minelli 2009; Cianferoni & Bartolozzi 2016; Amorim et al. 2016). This question was again raised in a letter supported by 35 signatories published in the journal Nature (Pape et al. 2016) on 15 September 2016. On 25 September 2016, the following rebuttal (strictly limited to 300 words as per the editorial rules of Nature) was submitted to Nature, which on 18 October 2016 refused to publish it. As we think this problem is a very important one for zoological taxonomy, this text is published here exactly as submitted to Nature, followed by the list of the 493 taxonomists and collection-based researchers who signed it in the short time span from 20 September to 6 October 2016

TWO NEW RECORDS OF GENUS ONTHOPHAGUS LATREILLE, 1802 (COLEOPTERA: SCARABAEIDAE) FROM MADHYA PRADESH, INDIA

The genus Onthophagus is the predominant genus of the family Scarabaeidae. The present paper deals with new records of two species of the genus Onthophagus viz. 0. spinifex Fabricius, 1781 and 0. hindu Arrow, 1931 from Madhya Pradesh

Bolboceras bilaspuricans (Coleoptera: Geotrupidae: Bolboceratinae), a new species from Chhattisgarh, India

Gupta, Devanshu, Chandra, Kailash (2016): Bolboceras bilaspuricans (Coleoptera: Geotrupidae: Bolboceratinae), a new species from Chhattisgarh, India. Zootaxa 4103 (3): 295-300, DOI: 10.11646/zootaxa.4103.3.

Tropiorhynchus annandalei Gupta & Chandra 2017, new species

<i>Tropiorhynchus annandalei</i> Gupta & Chandra, new species <p>(Figs. 4–5, 9, 13, 17, 21, 31–33, 36, 40, 44, 48, 52, 53)</p> <p> <b>Type locality.</b> India, Maharashtra state, Pune district, Bhimashankar Wildlife Sanctuary, 19.1319°N, 73.5538°E.</p> <p> <b>Type material (7 specimens).</b> Holotype, male: “ India, Maharashtra state, Pune district, Bhimashankar Wildlife Sanctuary, 19.1319°N, 73.5538°E, 1.xi.2012, collected by K. Chandra and Bulganin Mitra ” (ZSCI registration number: 22708/H4A). Paratypes (5 males, 1 female): same data as holotype (ZSCI registration number: 22709/H4A to 22714/H4A). The specimens bear a red printed label: “ <i>Tropiorhynchus annandalei</i> sp. nov., HOLOTYPUS [or PARATYPUS], Devanshu Gupta & Kailash Chandra det. 2016”.</p> <p> <b>Type depository.</b> All the type specimens are deposited in the collection of Zoological Survey of India, Kolkata (ZSCI).</p> <p> <b>Description</b> (holotype, male). <b>Size.</b> Length from clypeus to pygidium: 12.0 mm, width across humeri: 5.4 mm.</p> <p> <b>Shape.</b> Elongate and parallel sided.</p> <p> <b>Colour.</b> Head, pronotum, and legs green; pygidium greenish black; elytra yellow with brownish-black markings, elytral suture entirely black. Elytral intervals 1 and 2 with a transverse band in middle and at end, elytral interval 3 brownish black with small yellow area in middle and at base, elytral interval 4 dark brownish black with a yellow strip present after interval 4; lateral sides entirely brownish black; setae white.</p> <p> <b>Head</b> (Fig. 9). Surface densely rugose, anterior portion smooth. Clypeus at apex rounded, at mid-disc with longitudinal ridge, not reaching to frontoclypeal suture. Frontoclypeal suture slightly curved in middle; frons rugopunctate, punctures fine at posterior portion; a group of white setae arising near margin of eyes.</p> <p> <b>Pronotum</b> (Fig. 13). Surface finely punctate; punctures saucer shaped, fine, not densely packed; edges of punctures near anterior portion not merged. Surface near base medially smooth; anterior angles pointed, posterior angles rounded, lateral sides rounded, side at base weakly sinuate. Posterior margin beaded, bead vanishing medially; a group of setae present at anterior angle, in middle and at posterior angle.</p> <p> <b>Elytra</b> (Fig. 17). Striae punctate; intervals convex and smooth, intervals 1 and 2 broad; stria 1 reaching to posterior margin, other striae vanishing before reaching posterior margin.</p> <p> <b>Scutellum</b> (Fig. 17). Traingular, broad at tip, surface finely punctate.</p> <p> <b>Pygidium (</b> Fig. 21). Strongly arched and convex, medially smooth, laterally rugose.</p> <p> <b>Venter.</b> Surface densely setose, setae white; mesosternum not produced.</p> <p> <b>Legs</b> (Figs. 31–33, 36, 40, 44). Protibiae bidentate, tibial teeth near apex. Longer claw of protarsi and mesotarsi spilt apically (Figs. 36, 40); metatarsal claws simple (Fig. 44); meso- and metatrochanter with sharp tooth (Figs. 32, 33); tooth on protrochanter absent (Fig. 31).</p> <p> <b>Aedeagus</b> (Figs. 48, 52). Parameres nearly straight (in lateral view); apex of parameres blunt, and markedly separated (in frontal view) (Fig. 48); ventral plate nearly straight without a raised lamina in middle; apex of ventral plate without a hooked process (Fig. 52).</p> <p> <b>Female (paratype)</b> (Fig. 53). Differs from male in elytra rather broad, surface yellow, comparatively lessdeveloped elytral markings, legs comparatively short, metafemora broad, metatrochanter with less-developed spines.</p> <p> <b>Collecting circumstances.</b> Handpicked from grasses (Fig. 53).</p> <p> <b>Distribution:</b> Only known from type locality (Fig. 5).</p> <p> <b>Etymology.</b> The species is named in the honor of Dr. Thomas Nelson Annandale, founder Director of Zoological Survey of India, Kolkata.</p> <p> <b>Differential diagnosis.</b> <i>Tropiorhynchus annandalei</i> is distinguished by the unique structure of aedeagus, elytral markings, medially smooth and laterally rugose pygidial surface, and tooth on protrochanter nearly absent.</p> <p> The new species belongs to the genus <i>Tropiorhynchus</i> based on the following set of diagnostic characters: clypeus produced into a truncate rostrum; pronotum broadly transverse, more-or-less setose; pygidium convex; protibiae bidentate, teeth sharp; mesotibiae and metatibiae narrowing slightly towards apex, scarcely spinose; tarsal claws long, slender, and unequal; mesosternum not produced beyond mesocoxae.</p> <p> The new species is similar to <i>T</i>. <i>podagricus</i> and <i>T</i>. <i>umbrinus</i> as it has a clypeus with a longitudinal ridge in middle; pronotum with setae present only near anterior margin, anterior angles acute, posterior angles blunt, lateral side at posterior margin straight; and mesosternum not produced.</p> <p> The new species is the only species in the genus in which the ventral plate of the aedeagus is nearly straight and without a hooked process at tip (Fig. 52). The other species of the genus exhibit a ventral plate with a hooked tip (Figs. 49–51). Furthermore, <i>T. orientis</i> exhibits an anteriorly straight ventral plate with a raised lamina in middle and tip with a small pointed hook (Fig. 49). As discussed by Machatschke (1954), the ventral plate in <i>T</i>. <i>podagricus</i> is strongly curved with its tips pointed (Fig. 50) whereas in <i>T</i>. <i>umbrinus</i>, the ventral plate is filamentous, slightly curved with the tip strongly pointed and beak shaped (Fig. 51). See Table 1 for the identification of <i>T. annandalei</i>, <i>T. orientis</i>, <i>T</i>. <i>podagricus</i>, and <i>T</i>. <i>umbrinus</i>.</p>Published as part of <i>Gupta, Devanshu & Chandra, Kailash, 2017, Tropiorhynchus annandalei (Coleoptera: Scarabaeidae: Rutelinae), a new species from Maharashtra, India, pp. 509-522 in Zootaxa 4337 (4)</i> on pages 510-512, DOI: 10.11646/zootaxa.4337.4.3, <a href="http://zenodo.org/record/1034252">http://zenodo.org/record/1034252</a&gt

Tropiorhynchus umbrinus Machatschke 1954

<i>Tropiorhynchus umbrinus</i> Machatschke, 1954 <p>(Figs. 3, 5, 8, 12, 16, 20, 28–30, 39, 43, 47, 51)</p> <p> <i>Tropiorhynchus umbrinus</i> Machatschke, 1954: 62, fig. 1b (lateral side of pronotum); fig. 2a (metathoracic leg), 4a– b, (frontal view paramere, lateral view aedeagus), fig. 5 (endophallus); Machatschke 1957: 180, plate 6, fig. 4a (habitus dorsal view, male), 4b (habitus ventral view, male), 4c (protarsi, male); Machatschke 1972: 254.</p> <p> <i>Tropiorhynchus umbrinus</i> form <i>cruciata</i> (unavailable name): Machatschke 1954: 62.</p> <p> <i>Tropiorhynchus umbrinus</i> form <i>flava</i> (unavailable name): Machatschke 1954: 62.</p> <p> <b>Material examined</b>. India, Maharashtra State, Bombay, 1 male, (ZSCI registration number: 2416/16). <b>Distribution</b> (Fig. 5). India: Maharashtra (Bombay, Khandala).</p>Published as part of <i>Gupta, Devanshu & Chandra, Kailash, 2017, Tropiorhynchus annandalei (Coleoptera: Scarabaeidae: Rutelinae), a new species from Maharashtra, India, pp. 509-522 in Zootaxa 4337 (4)</i> on page 514, DOI: 10.11646/zootaxa.4337.4.3, <a href="http://zenodo.org/record/1034252">http://zenodo.org/record/1034252</a&gt

First report on five species of genus Onthophagus Latreille, 1802 (Coleoptera, Scarabaeidae) from Madhya Pradesh, India, and their description of external male genitalia

Volume: 3Start Page: 99End Page: 10

ORTHOPTERA (INSECTA) FROM MUZAFFARNAGAR, A TERAI DISTRICT INNORTH-WEST OF UPPER INDO-GANGETIC PLAIN, INDIA

The grasshoppers and locusts together with nymphs are the destructive insect defoliating the uncultivated and cultivated green vegetations and belong to the superfamily Acridoidea under Orthoptera (Insecta). The present study has been undertaken to characterize the Orthopteran insects of Muzaffarnagar in particular, situated as a part of north-west of Upper Indo-Gangetic plain, located at the base of Himalayan and Shivalik ranges. This part has been recorded with 33 species under 26 genera from 14 subfamilies and 08 families. A few species like Acrida exaltata, Trilophida annualata, Aiolopus thalassimmus tamulus, Hieroglyphus banian, Oxya velox and sorted out in common north of Himachal Pradesh to deep south up to Bihar and Madhya Pradesh. Perhaps the reason had been that these remain tolerant to change in climatology like monsoon rain, and physiography of soil to lay their eggs in large number. It has been concluded that these phototaxic species are reported from every part of Uttar Pradesh