A crowdsourcing approach to collecting photo-based insect and plant observation records

Scientific field observation by members of the public is known as citizen science and has become popular all across the world. Citizen science is advantageous for collecting large amounts of scientific data and can be seen as a crowdsourcing approach to data collection. Information and communications technology is enhancing the availability of citizen science. Mobile devices, such as mobile phones, that have a digital camera with a global positioning system (GPS) are necessities for contemporary life and can be utilised as powerful observation tools in citizen science. A web-based system has been developed as a data collection tool for citizen science. Participants submit an e-mail with a photo taken by their mobile phones. The photos contain location information, which can be easily and automatically embedded if the mobile phone is equipped with GPS. Collaboration has been undertaken with regional event managers, such as museum curators and held citizen science events in each region and for various target taxonomic groups. All photos were stored in the data server and the organisms were taxonomically identified by citizen scientists, regional managers and the authors. In total, 154 species and 843 data records were collected in this project conducted from 2011 to 2016

Two new deraeocorine plant bug species from Japan (Heteroptera, Miridae, Deraeocorinae)

Two new deraeocorine plant bug species, Fingulus henrytomi and Stethoconus takaii, are described from Japan. A color habitus image of live individuals and scanning electron micrographs are shown for each taxon to aid an unequivocal identification. A checklist and keys to species are also provided for Japanese Fingulus and Stethoconus

Towards resolving a problem of the identity of the Aethus species (Hemiptera: Heteroptera: Cydnidae) occurring in Cambodia

Lis, Jerzy A., Lis, Barbara, Ziaja, Dariusz J., Nakatani, Yukinobu (2014): Towards resolving a problem of the identity of the Aethus species (Hemiptera: Heteroptera: Cydnidae) occurring in Cambodia. Zootaxa 3895 (3): 446-450, DOI: 10.11646/zootaxa.3895.3.

Cleotomiroides vietnamensis Duwal & Yasunaga, sp. nov.

Cleotomiroides vietnamensis Duwal & Yasunaga sp. nov. (Figs. 4 ḠI, 6C, 9, 16B̄C) Diagnosis. Recognized by its larger sized body; yellowish brown hemelytron with apically smoky corium; distinct white fascia anteriorly on the hemelytron; pale or white areas on clavus and corium; pale appendages; and form of male genital structures. The new species is distinguished from congeners by the distinct coloration of dorsum and the form of male genital structures. It has a Cleotomiroides- type endosoma as described in Schuh, 1984, which is very close to C. spadix, but can be easily distinguished by presence of prominent spines on inner lateral side of apex of endosoma, and relatively wide proximal region of the apical process; and a distinct sub-apical protuberance (or spine) on the phallotheca. Description. Male. COLORATION (Fig. 4 ḠI): Dorsum yellowish brown; head uniformly pale yellow to yellowish brown including clypeus, mandibular plate, maxillary plates, and/ or entire ventral side of the head; antennal segments ĪII pale yellow, segment III brownish, and segment IV darker (in some specimens tinged red); labium brown except for pale yellow segment III; pronotum dark brown to blackish brown, anterior pronotum blackish, and basal margin and lateral corners of posterior pronotum pale; scutellum resembles coloration with posterior pronotum i.e., dark brown to blackish brown, with black margins; thoracic pleura dark brown to black with pale edge; scent gland evaporatory area brown to dark brown anteriorly and white or ivory posteriorly (Fig. 4 H); procoxa yellowish brown (red tinged in some specimen), meso- and metacoxae entirely pale; all trochanters whitish; all femora, tibiae and tarsus pale, with hind femur, meso- and metatibiae tinged red; hemelytron yellowish brown with darker base and apical 1/3 region; base of clavus blackish brown, followed by a white transverse fascia at level of apex of scutellum, and extended laterally to costal margin; subapical region of costa with large, more or less rounded, white spot; narrow region of posterior corium between white spot and cuneus, and lateral margins of cuneus smoky brown; membrane smoky brown, with white base, and basal margin distinctly dark brown; abdomen ventrally dark brown or blackish with pale basal segments, ĪIV. SURFACE AND VESTITURE: Head, pronotum and scutellum shiny; head and posterior pronotum smooth; anterior pronotum and scutellum rugose; hemelytron weakly shiny and shagreen. Head, pronotum, scutellum and cuneus with semierect simple pale setae; hemelytron and scutellum with erect long pale setae except for apical narrow region of corium, region behind posterior white spot of corium covered with semierect dark setae; antenna and legs with short semierect pale simple setae; and tibial spine pale, arranged in single row on hind tibia. STRUCTURE: Macropterous, body elongated. Head: Vertex weakly convex, with distinctly carinate basal margin; width between eyes narrow, shorter than length of antennal segment I; frons flat; eyes large, occupying almost entire height of head in lateral view; antennal fossae located above ventral margin of eye; antennal segments slender, with weakly thickened segment I, and length of segment II equal to width of basal pronotum. Thorax: Pronotum trapezoidal, with concave lateral margins; pronotal collar flat, narrow, shorter than width of base of antennal segment II; calli not demarcated; mesoscutum completely covered with pronotum; scent gland evaporatory area broadly triangular with distinctly elevated peritreme. Hemelytron: Width of hemelytron wide anterior to cuneal fracture; costal margin concave; cuneal fracture weakly incised, short and perpendicular to costal margin; basal width of cuneus nearly equal to length of the cuneus; larger cell of membrane angulated apically. Legs: Femora long and slender, hind femur somewhat thick apically; hind tibia weakly curved; tarsal segments I and II sub-equal in length, and segment III distinctly longer; pulvillus attached along claw, reaching midpoint of claw, parampodia weakly fleshy, and apically convergent. GENITALIA (Figs. 6 C, 9): Pygophore with a stout, relatively short spine sub-apically (Fig. 9 A). Right paramere broad sub-apically, and narrow apically to form thumb-like apical process (Fig. 9 E). Left paramere simple with elongated anterior and posterior processes, the anterior process tapered towards apex and posterior process somewhat broad sub-apically (Fig. 9 C̄D). Phallotheca broad basally and narrow apically, and furnished with a horn-like process sub-apically (Fig. 7 B). Endosoma, phyline type with complex apex and elongated apical process, the inner-lateral margin of apex with five spines, four large forming serrated surface, and one located slightly separate in distance and minute (Figs. 6 C, 9F). Female: The female resembles the male in color and vestiture, except for following characters: Body size slightly smaller in length; head width across eyes smaller; eyes small; vertex distinctly wide; antennal segment II relatively short; mesal length of pronotum short; width across hemelytron slightly wider. GENITALIA (Fig. 16 B̄C): Sclerotized ring elongated, thin rimmed, with wide base and narrow apex (Fig. 16 C). Anterior and vestibular sclerites of first gonophysis as in figure 16B. Measurements. (♂ / ♀) (n= 5/5). Body length 3.15̄3.35/ 2.98̄3.30; length from apex of tylus to cuneal fracture 2.26̄2.30/ 2.19̄2.26; width of head across eyes 0.61̄0.62/ 0.54̄0.59; width of vertex 0.19̄0.20/ 0.29̄0.30; lengths of antennal segments ĪIV 0.25̄0.30, 0.90̄0.95, 0.55̄0.60, 0.36̄0.38/ 0.26̄0.28, 0.82̄0.90, 0.49̄0.54, 0.39̄0.40; length of labium 1.18̄1.21/ 1.15̄1.20; mesal length of pronotum 0.65̄0.68/ 0.55̄0.59; basal width of pronotum 0.90̄0.92/ 0.85̄0.90; width across hemelytron 0.94̄1.01/ 1.00̄1.08; length of metafemora, tibiae and tarsus 1.10̄1.20, 1.45̄1.50, 0.25̄0.29/ 1.05̄1.15, 1.45̄1.50, 0.25̄0.28. Etymology. Named after the country “ Vietnam ”, type locality of this new species. Specimens examined. Holotype. ♂, VIETNAM, Vinh Phu Province, Tam Dao, 21.4, 105.5, 950 m, 24.ix.1995, M. Tomokuni (NSMT) (AMNH PBI 00380516). Paratypes. Same data as for holotype, except, 950̄ 1,050 m, 25̄ 26.ix.1995 (NSMT); 1♂, 1♀, same location as above, 17.vi.1997, M. Tomokuni (NSMT); 3♂, 2♀, same location as above, 2̄ 13.vii.1997, M. Tomokuni (NSMT).Published as part of Duwal, Ram Keshari, Yasunaga, Tomohide, Tomokuni, Masaaki, Nakatani, Yukinobu & Hirowatari, Toshiya, 2017, Further records on the plant bug tribe Hallodapini (Hemiptera: Heteroptera: Miridae: Phylinae) in Asia, with proposition of two new species and a new synonymy, pp. 401-424 in Zootaxa 4258 (5) on pages 409-413, DOI: 10.11646/zootaxa.4258.5.1, http://zenodo.org/record/57039