Scolopendrellidae (Myriapoda, Symphyla) from the Afrotropics with descriptions of seven new species

Among the Scolopendrellidae belonging to the collection of Symphyla of the Royal Museum for Central Africa (Tervuren, Belgium), ten species were found and seven new species are described: Symphylella erecta sp. nov., S. fuko sp. nov., S. kalundu sp. nov., S. lubumbashi sp. nov., S. malagassa sp. nov., S. tanganyika sp. nov. and Remysymphyla spinosa sp. nov. SEM micrographs and additional information of the new species and also of Remysymphyla hova Aubry & Masson, 1952, Ribautiella zagnanadina Brölemann, 1926 and R. schoutedeni Hinschberger, 1954 are provided, which contributes to an easier determination of the afrotropical scolopendrellid species. The diagnosis of the genus Remysymphyla is discussed

Diplopodes et autres myriapodes de Mayotte

Cet ouvrage, richement illustré, est le résultat d’un inventaire des myriapodes dressé à l’issue d’une campagne de terrain en novembre 2019 et du contenu des collections de myriapodes de Mayotte du Musée royal de l’Afrique centrale et du Muséum national d’Histoire naturelle de Paris. Les myriapodes, souvent appelés mille-pattes et scolopendres, restent très méconnus. Ils sont pourtant d’excellents bio-indicateurs de l’état écologique des écosystèmes terrestres. Ce guide a pour but de présenter un aperçu des espèces de diplopodes et autres myriapodes présents à Mayotte, mais aussi des techniques de récolte, d’inventaire et d’identification de ceux-ci.De façon surprenante et contrairement à ce que le lecteur pourrait s’imaginer, les individus les plus grands ne sont pas les mieux connus. À Mayotte, plusieurs espèces de grande taille se sont avérées nouvelles pour la science et endémiques de l’île. C’est le cas notamment de Sechelleptus arborivagus,une nouvelle espèce décrite à l’occasion de cet inventaire. Le projet a été cofinancé par le ministère de la Transition écologique et solidaire (MTES-France) et le Musée royal de l’Afrique centrale (MRAC-Belgique)

Sechelleptus arborivagus Sp. Nov., a new arboreal spirostreptid millipede (diplopoda, spirostreptidae) endemic to Mayotte island (comoros archipelago), Indian Ocean

peer reviewedA new millipede species of the genus Sechelleptus Mauriès, 1980 is described and illustrated from Mayotte Island, Indian Ocean. This new species, S. arborivagus sp. nov., found on trees, looks particularly similar to the sympatric S. variabilis VandenSpiegel & Golovatch, 2007, but is much larger and has a very different ecological behavior. Phylogenetic analyses based on a concatenated dataset of the COI and 16S rRNA genes and including nine species of Spirostreptidae (including Sechelleptus, Doratogonus Attems, 1914, Bicoxidens Attems, 1928 and Spirostreptus Brandt, 1833), strongly support the monophyly of Sechelleptus. Despite the similarity of their genitalia, the molecular analyses also reveal a clear-cut genetic divergence between S. arborivagus sp. nov. and S. variabilis (22.55% for COI and 6.63% for 16SrRNA) and further suggest the presence of a higher diversity within the genus Sechelleptus on Mayotte

Sechelleptus arborivagus Sp. Nov., a new arboreal spirostreptid millipede (diplopoda, spirostreptidae) endemic to Mayotte island (comoros archipelago), Indian Ocean

peer reviewedA new millipede species of the genus Sechelleptus Mauriès, 1980 is described and illustrated from Mayotte Island, Indian Ocean. This new species, S. arborivagus sp. nov., found on trees, looks particularly similar to the sympatric S. variabilis VandenSpiegel & Golovatch, 2007, but is much larger and has a very different ecological behavior. Phylogenetic analyses based on a concatenated dataset of the COI and 16S rRNA genes and including nine species of Spirostreptidae (including Sechelleptus, Doratogonus Attems, 1914, Bicoxidens Attems, 1928 and Spirostreptus Brandt, 1833), strongly support the monophyly of Sechelleptus. Despite the similarity of their genitalia, the molecular analyses also reveal a clear-cut genetic divergence between S. arborivagus sp. nov. and S. variabilis (22.55% for COI and 6.63% for 16SrRNA) and further suggest the presence of a higher diversity within the genus Sechelleptus on Mayotte

The sea cucumber Holothuria lineata Ludwig, 1875 (Holothuroidea, Aspidochirotida, Holothuriidae) re-described from the newly found type

A re-description of the little-known holothurian species Holothuria (Lessonothuria) lineata Ludwig, 1875 is given. It is based on the single recovered type specimen and an individual recently collected on Glorioso Islands, near Madagascar. A key to separate three closely related and commonly confused species, i.e., Holothuria (Lessonothuria) pardalis Selenka, 1867, Holothuria (Lessenothuria) verrucosa Selenka, 1867 and Holothuria (Lessonothuria) insignis Ludwig, 1875, is presented

Focus stacking: Comparing commercial top-end set-ups with a semi-automatic low budget approach. A possible solution for mass digitization of type specimens

peer reviewedIn this manuscript we present a focus stacking system, composed of commercial photographic equipment. The system is inexpensive compared to high-end commercial focus stacking solutions. We tested this system and compared the results with several different software packages (CombineZP, Auto-Montage, Helicon Focus and Zerene Stacker). We tested our final stacked picture with a picture obtained from two high-end focus stacking solutions: a Leica MZ16A with DFC500 and a Leica Z6APO with DFC290. Zerene Stacker and Helicon Focus both provided satisfactory results. However, Zerene Stacker gives the user more possibilities in terms of control of the software, batch processing and retouching. The outcome of the test on high-end solutions demonstrates that our approach performs better in several ways. The resolution of the tested extended focus pictures is much higher than those from the Leica systems. The flash lighting inside the Ikea closet creates an evenly illuminated picture, without struggling with filters, diffusers, etc. The largest benefit is the price of the set-up which is approximately € 3,000, which is 8 and 10 times less than the LeicaZ6APO and LeicaMZ16A set-up respectively. Overall, this enables institutions to purchase multiple solutions or to start digitising the type collection on a large scale even with a small budget

The littoral sea cucumbers (Echinodermata: Holothuroidea) of Guam re-assessed – a diversity curve that still does not asymptote

The Micronesian island of Guam has been an important site for the study of littoral tropical holothurian taxonomy for almost 200 years. Despite substantial attention by both expeditions and resident taxonomists, new records are still regularly added to the fauna, demonstrating the challenge of documenting even such large and well-known animals in a small hyper-diverse area. Guam is the type locality of species described by Quoy & Gaimard (1833) and Brandt (1835). A survey of the sea cucumber fauna by Rowe & Doty (1977) led to one of the most used guides for the identification of tropical Pacific sea cucumbers because of the color illustrations of living animals it presented. Focus on echinoderms including holothurians continued with numerous new records added in the following decades. Paulay (2003a) summarized the fauna last, recording 46-47 species. At this stage the fauna was thought to be well documented. A week-long workshop on holothurian systematics sponsored by the National Science Foundation PEET (Partnerships for Enhancing Expertise in Taxonomy) project in 2010 included a substantial field work component, sampling both during the day and night, with snorkeling and SCUBA, across a variety of habitats. This survey yielded 40 species, including numerous new records and even species. Further sampling by Kerr’s lab since the workshop has added additional records. The littoral holothuroid fauna of Guam now comprises 65 species in 17 genera and 7 families. Half of the 19 newly recorded species are the result of unravelling cryptic species in complexes, the other half are based on new collections. Eleven species are known from single specimens, suggesting that much still remains to be learned about the fauna

Contribution to the study of the post-embryonic development and reproduction of the African millipede Epibolus pulchripes (Gerstacker, 1873) (Diplopoda, Pachybolidae)

A collection of 215 specimens of different stadia of the African millipede Epibolus pulchripes allowed studying its post-embryonic development, with special attention drawn to (i) the number of segments and ocelli at each stadium and (ii) the development of the copulatory organs of males and females. Laboratory rearing of adult E. pulchripes from Kenya revealed some aspects of reproduction, from the structure of the adult reproductive organs to mating behaviour and oviposition, as well as the first stadia of post-embryonic development. Based on histological observations and scanning electron microscopy, the position of the copulatory organs during mating and the function of the different parts of the reproductive organs are hypothesized

Contribution to the study of the post-embryonic development of the East African millipede Epibolus pulchripes (Pachybolidae)

A collection of 215 specimens of different stadia of the African millipede Epibolus pulchripes allowed studying its post-embryonic development, with special attention drawn to (i) the number of segments and ocelli at each stadium and (ii) the development of the copulatory organs of males and females. Laboratory rearing of adult E. pulchripes from Kenya revealed some aspects of reproduction, from the structure of the adult reproductive organs to mating behaviour and oviposition, as well as the first stadia of post-embryonic development. Based on histological observations and scanning electron microscopy, the position of the copulatory organs during mating and the function of the different parts of the reproductive organs are hypothesized

Scolopendrellidae (Myriapoda, Symphyla) from the Afrotropics with descriptions of seven new species

Among the Scolopendrellidae belonging to the collection of Symphyla of the Royal Museum for Central Africa (Tervuren, Belgium), ten species were found and seven new species are described: Symphylella erecta sp. nov., S. fuko sp. nov., S. kalundu sp. nov., S. lubumbashi sp. nov., S. malagassa sp. nov., S. tanganyika sp. nov. and Remysymphyla spinosa sp. nov. SEM micrographs and additional information of the new species and also of Remysymphyla hova Aubry &amp; Masson, 1952, Ribautiella zagnanadina Brölemann, 1926 and R. schoutedeni Hinschberger, 1954 are provided, which contributes to an easier determination of the afrotropical scolopendrellid species. The diagnosis of the genus Remysymphyla is discussed.</p