A new intertidal shore bug (Heteroptera: Saldidae) from the Philippines

Salduncula carmencitae sp.n. is described, its habitus and the paramere and parandria of the male are illustrated. This shore bug was found on Mindanao Island, the Philippines, in the intertidal zone. Habitat and behaviour of the species are briefly described. The distinguishing diagnostic characters of species of Salduncula Brown, 1954 are discussed

Notes on Notonectidae (Hemiptera: Heteroptera) from southeastern Asia, mostly from Brunei and the Philippines

Updated distribution data are presented for the following species of Notonectidae (Heteroptera) in southeastern Asia: Anisops breddini Kirkaldy, 1901, A. kuroiwae Matsumura, 1915, A. nasutus Fieber, 1851, A. nigrolineatus Lundblad, 1933, A. occipitalis Breddin, 1905, A. rhomboides Nieser & Chen, 1999, A. stali Kirkaldy, 1904, Aphelonecta philippina Zettel, 1995, Enithares bakeri Brooks, 1948, E. freyi Brooks, 1948, E. intha Paiva, 1918, E. mandalayensis Distant, 1910, E. martini martini Kirkaldy, 1898, E. quadrispinosa Lansbury, 1967, E. sinica (Stål, 1854), E. subparallela Lansbury, 1968, E. uncata Lundblad, 1933, E. cf. vicintricata Lansbury, 1968, and Nychia sappho Kirkaldy, 1901. There are six fi rst records from Brunei Darussalam (Anisops breddini, A. nasutus, A. nigrolineatus, Aphelonecta philippina, Enithares cf. vicintricata, and Nychia sappho) and one fi rst record each from the Philippines (Anisops occipitalis), China (Enithares mandalayensis), West Malaysia (Enithares sinica) and East Malaysia (Sarawak) (Enithares uncata). A short description of the previously unknown female of Enithares intha is given. The status of Enithares quadrispinosa as a separate species (not a subspecies of E. freyi) is confi rmed. Check-lists of the Notonectidae of the Philippines and Brunei are provided

Contributions to the knowledge of water bugs in Mindoro Island, Philippines, with a species checklist of Nepomorpha and Gerromorpha (Insecta, Hemiptera, Heteroptera)

This survey aims to provide an updated species checklist of aquatic and semi-aquatic bugs in the intra-Philippine biogeographic Region of Mindoro. An assessment survey of water bugs (Hemiptera, Heteroptera) was conducted mostly by manual collection in selected areas of Oriental Mindoro from 2017 to 2018, in which some of the collecting activities were undertaken by graduate students of Ateneo de Manila University. Twenty-nine aquatic and semi-aquatic heteropteran species were documented and some are known island-endemic species or subspecies, including Enithares martini mindoroensis Nieser & Zettel, 1999, Hydrotrephes stereoides mindoroensis Zettel, 2003, Aphelocheirus freitagi Zettel & Pangantihon, 2010, Rhagovelia mindoroensis Zettel, 1994, Rhagovelia raddai Zettel, 1994, Rhagovelia potamophila Zettel, 1996 and Strongylovelia mindoroensis Lansbury & Zettel, 1997, which were found in new areas in the Region. In addition, there are also new records for the Island that have already been documented in other parts of the Philippines, such as the Philippine-endemic Ochterus magnus Gapud & San Valentin, 1977 and Hebrus philippinus Zettel, 2006 and the widely-distributed backswimmers Anisops nigrolineatus Lundblad, 1933 and Anisops rhomboides Nieser & Chen, 1999. Several undescribed specimens and potentially new species are also discussed in this paper. Further surveys in the other parts of Mindoro and in the other regions of the Philippines, are encouraged to produce a comprehensive baseline data of heteropteran species richness in the country

Keep looking ahead? Re-direction of visual fixation does not always occur during an unpredictable obstacle avoidance task

Visual information about the environment, especially fixation of key objects such as obstacles, is critical for safe locomotion. However, in unpredictable situations where an obstacle suddenly appears it is not known whether central vision of the obstacle and/or landing area is required or if peripheral vision is sufficient. We examined whether there is a re-direction of visual fixation from an object fixated ahead to a suddenly appearing obstacle during treadmill walking. Furthermore, we investigated the temporal relationship between the onset of muscle activity to avoid the obstacle and saccadic eye and head movements to shift fixation. Eight females (mean SD; age = 24.8 2.3 years) participated in this experiment. There were two visual conditions: a central vision condition where participants fixated on two obstacles attached to a bridge on the treadmill and a peripheral vision condition where participants fixated an object two steps ahead. There were two obstacle release conditions: only an obstacle in front of the left foot was released or an obstacle in front of either foot could be released. Only trials when the obstacle was released in front of the left foot were analyzed such that the difference in the two obstacle conditions was whether there was a choice of which foot to step over the obstacle. Obstacles were released randomly in one of three phases during the step cycle corresponding to available response times between 219 and 462 ms. We monitored eye and head movements along with muscle activity and spatial foot parameters. Performance on the task was not different between vision conditions. The results indicated that saccades are rarely made (< 18% of trials) and, when present, are initiated ∼ 350 ms after muscle activity for limb elevation, often accompanied by a downward head movement, and always directed to the landing area. Therefore, peripheral vision of a suddenly appearing obstacle in the travel path is sufficient for successful obstacle avoidance during locomotion: visual fixation is generally not re-directed to either the obstacle or landing area

Subdivisions of the Auditory Midbrain (N. Mesencephalicus Lateralis, pars dorsalis) in Zebra Finches Using Calcium-Binding Protein Immunocytochemistry

The midbrain nucleus mesencephalicus lateralis pars dorsalis (MLd) is thought to be the avian homologue of the central nucleus of the mammalian inferior colliculus. As such, it is a major relay in the ascending auditory pathway of all birds and in songbirds mediates the auditory feedback necessary for the learning and maintenance of song. To clarify the organization of MLd, we applied three calcium binding protein antibodies to tissue sections from the brains of adult male and female zebra finches. The staining patterns resulting from the application of parvalbumin, calbindin and calretinin antibodies differed from each other and in different parts of the nucleus. Parvalbumin-like immunoreactivity was distributed throughout the whole nucleus, as defined by the totality of the terminations of brainstem auditory afferents; in other words parvalbumin-like immunoreactivity defines the boundaries of MLd. Staining patterns of parvalbumin, calbindin and calretinin defined two regions of MLd: inner (MLd.I) and outer (MLd.O). MLd.O largely surrounds MLd.I and is distinct from the surrounding intercollicular nucleus. Unlike the case in some non-songbirds, however, the two MLd regions do not correspond to the terminal zones of the projections of the brainstem auditory nuclei angularis and laminaris, which have been found to overlap substantially throughout the nucleus in zebra finches

A New Species of the Timasius livens Species Group (Hemiptera: Heteroptera: Hebridae) From Cambodia and Vietnam

Timasius alveus Zettel et Pangantihon, sp. n. from Cambodia and Vietnam is described and illustrated. It belongs to the ‘livens‘ species group of the genus Timasius Distant, 1909 and is characterised by some peculiar features of the male’s sterna and genitalia: sternum 4 with area of short pubescence; sterna 5–7 with shallow groove; pygophore with large paired appendages; proctiger apically with six stout setae. An updated diagnosis for the Timasius livens species group and a preliminary key to its species are added

On the identity of the tiger beetle Cicindela philippinensis Mandl, 1956 (Coleoptera: Carabidae: Cicindelinae)

Zettel, Herbert, Pangantihon, Clister V. (2015): On the identity of the tiger beetle Cicindela philippinensis Mandl, 1956 (Coleoptera: Carabidae: Cicindelinae). Zootaxa 3941 (4): 585-588, DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.11646/zootaxa.3941.4.

New Records of Philippine True Bugs (Hemiptera: Heteroptera) with Coastal and Marine Habitat Associations and a Checklist of the Philippine Species

We present new records of Gerromorpha and Leptopodomorpha (Insecta: Hemiptera: Heteroptera) from the Philippines (mainly from central Visayan islands and Mindoro) and comment on their habitats and endemism rates. The survey includes previously unidentified museum specimens and recent field collections.Photos of several taxa and their habitats are provided and a checklist of Philippine coastal and marine Heteroptera is presented with comments on their distribution

A New Species of the Rhagovelia Sarawakensis Species Group (Hemiptera: Veliidae) from Cambodia

Rhagovelia freitagi Zettel; Laciny et Pangantihon; sp. n. is described and illustrated from Cambodia. The new species belongs to the Rhagovelias arawakensis species group. A key to the species of this group that are presently known from Cambodia; Laos and Vietnam is also given