A new species of the beetle genus Brachypsectra from the Dominican Republic : with fossil connections (Coleoptera: Brachypsectridae)

With the description of Brachypsectra uiuafosile n. sp., from the Cabo Rojo desert area of Hispaniola, the beetle family Brachypsectridae now contains 4 described species. The family was originally known from the Dominican Republic by Miocene amber fossils oflarvae. Genitalia are illustrated for the first time for the family. Relationships of the family within the Elateroidea are briefly discussed

Obituary: Jacob Brodzinsky (January 17,1918 - February 25, 2003)

Earlier this year, at the age of 85, Major Jacob Brodzinsky passed away at his home in Santo Domingo. It is with great sadness that I write this obituary, because Jake was a great personal friend and professional colleague for over 30 years. He leaves a wife, Marianela (Mañeña) Lopez-Penha, whom he married on April 26,1964, and two lovely daughters, Sibylla and Raquel

The Asian mango flower beetle, Protaetia fusca (Herbst), and Euphoria sepulcralis (Fabricius) in Florida and the West Indies (Coleoptera: Scarabaeidae: Cetoniinae)

The mango flower beetle, Protaetia fusca (Herbst), an Asiatic pest of several commercial crops, was first found in Florida in 1985. All subsequent Florida specimens are recorded here, as well as the first documented records from the Bahamas and Barbados. Illustrations are provided and comparisons are made to the similar native Euphoria sepulcralis (Fabricius), which is also recorded for the first time from the Bahamas. Extensive host records and a bibliography (especially tracking P. fusca spread in Hawaii) are included

The genus Cotinis Burmeister in the eastern United States,with description of a new species from the Florida Keys, including a checklist of the genus (Coleoptera: Scarabaeidae: Cetoniinae)

In the eastern United States, the genus Cotinis Burmeister previously contained only C. nitida (L.), the common economic pest known as the "Green June Beetle". A new species from the Florida Keys, Cotinis aliena, is here described and illustrated. A checklist is provided for the genus, which includes 27 valid New World species, and 44 synonyms

A new species of Phyllophaga Harris from the island of Navassa in the Caribbean (Coleoptera: Scarabaeidae: Melolonthinae)

The small Caribbean island of Navassa (U.S. possession) is unoccupied by humans, but recent surveys have detected a surprising number of endemic (precinctive) invertebrates. A new species of May beetle, Phyllophaga navassa, is here described and compared to the Hispaniolan Phyllophaga fauna

Corrigenda to and validation of Ozophora woodruffi Slater 2005 (Hemiptera: Lygaeidae)

Important missing specimen data are provided for the original description of Ozophora woodruffi Slater (2005: 245) (Hemiptera: Lygaeidae), along with additional comparative relationships. Because of the missing type information, according to ICZN rules (1999), the species became a nomen nudum. This paper now serves to validate the name, and authorship becomes Slater (2012)

New Species of \u3ci\u3ePhyllophaga\u3c/i\u3e Harris (Coleoptera: Scarabaeidae: Melolonthinae) from northeastern Mexico

Three new species of Phyllophaga are described from northeastern Mexico: P. (s.str.) gramma n. sp. from grasslands near Monterrey city, state of Nuevo Leon; P. (s.str.) jeanmathieui n. sp. from mixed forests of Sierra Chipinque, Nuevo Leon; and P. (Listrochelus) pinophilus n. sp. from pine-oak forests of mountains in Nuevo Leon and Coahuila. Illustrations of diagnostic structures and comments about the relations of each species are provided. Se describen tres especies nuevas de Phyllophaga procedentes del noreste de México: P. (s.str.) gramma n. sp. de los pastizales cercanos a la ciudad de Monterrey, Nuevo León; P. (s.str.) jeanmathieui n. sp. de los bosques mixtos de la Sierra de Chipinque, Nuevo León; y P. (Listrochelus) pinophilus n. sp. de los bosques mixtos en las montañas de Nuevo León y Coahuila. Se incluyen ilustraciones de las estructuras diagnósticas y comentarios sobre las relaciones de cada una de las especies descrita

Revision of the Phyllophaga of Hispaniola (Coleoptera: Scarabaeidae: Melolonthinae) — PART 4

With this study, the fauna of Hispaniolan Phyllophaga is now composed of 48 species, all of which are endemic (precinctive), including 22 new species described herein (4 attributed to Woodruff and Sanderson: approxima, bonfils, jimenezi, rex; 18 to Woodruff: aceitillar, alcoa, androw, baoruco, carnegie, davidsoni, eladio, haitiensis, jaragua, larimar, marcano, nunezi, ortizi, pedernales, rawlinsi, rustica, santachloe, toni). Additionally, allotypes are described for 7 species with previously unknown males (aliada, canoa) or females (esquinada, fossoria, imprima, kenscoffi, panicula), and 6 new country records (Dominican Republic) are provided (aliada, leptospica, minutissima, panicula, permagna, recorta). Of the 48, only 1 male remains unknown (barrosa), and 9 females are missing (aceitillar, carnegie, costura, davidsoni, espina, garrota, probaporra, rustica, toni); 32 are recorded only from the Dominican Republic, and 5 are known only from Haiti. The 727 Figures include 50 habitus illustrations for all species, as well as SEM photos of male and female genitalia, and other salient morphological characters. The discovery of “sister species,” on opposite sides of the Enriquillo basin, provides significant data to support the 2 island concept; 15 species are known only from the paleo “south island,” and 23 are restricted to the “north island”. RESUMEN: De acuerdo con este estudio, la fauna de Phyllophaga en la isla Española, en el mar Caribe, está compuesta por 48 especies, todas endémicas (precinctivas), incluyendo a 22 nuevas especies aquí descritas (4 atribuídas a Woodruff y Sanderson: approxima, bonfils, jimenezi, rex; 18 a Woodruff: aceitillar, alcoa, androw, baoruco, carnegie, davidsoni, eladio, haitiensis, jaragua, larimar, marcano, nunezi, ortizi, pedernales, rawlinsi, rustica, santachloe, toni). Adicionalmente, se describen los alotipos de 7 especies, de las cuales no se conocían los machos (aliada, canoa) o las hembras (esquinada, fossoria, imprima, kenscoffi, panicula), y se reportan por primera vez a 6 especies para la República Dominicana (aliada, leptospica, minutissima, panicula, permagna, recorta). De las 48 especies, solo un macho no se conoce (barrosa) y 9 hembras aún no se describen (aceitillar, carnegie, costura, davidsoni, espina, garrota, probaporra, rustica, toni); 32 de estas especies se conocen solo de la República Dominicana y solo se conocen 5 de Haití. Las 727 ilustraciones incluyen a 50 figuras completas de todas las especies, al igual que microfotografías electrónicas (SEM) de las genitalias de machos y hembras. El hallazgo de “especies hermanas” en lados opuestos la cuenca Enriquillo es un indicador significativo que apoya al concepto de dos islas; 15 especies se conocen solo en la “isla sur,” y 23 estan restringidas a la “isla norte.” Because of its large size, this work is broken into 5 parts, with PDF files archived separately as follows: Part .... Pages ........ Figures ...... filesize 1 ........ 1–22 ............ 1–109 ...... 22 Mb 2 ...... 23–47 ........ 110–190 ........ 8 Mb 3 ...... 48–76 ........ 191–332 ...... 14 Mb 4 ...... 77–91 ........ 333–413 ........ 7 Mb 5 ...... 92–112 ...... 414–537 ...... 11 Mb For the convenience of users with very fast connections or sufficient patience, the entire work is archived as an attachment to Part 1 as a supplemental file (60 megabytes)

Revision of the Phyllophaga of Hispaniola (Coleoptera: Scarabaeidae: Melolonthinae) — PART 2

With this study, the fauna of Hispaniolan Phyllophaga is now composed of 48 species, all of which are endemic (precinctive), including 22 new species described herein (4 attributed to Woodruff and Sanderson: approxima, bonfils, jimenezi, rex; 18 to Woodruff: aceitillar, alcoa, androw, baoruco, carnegie, davidsoni, eladio, haitiensis, jaragua, larimar, marcano, nunezi, ortizi, pedernales, rawlinsi, rustica, santachloe, toni). Additionally, allotypes are described for 7 species with previously unknown males (aliada, canoa) or females (esquinada, fossoria, imprima, kenscoffi, panicula), and 6 new country records (Dominican Republic) are provided (aliada, leptospica, minutissima, panicula, permagna, recorta). Of the 48, only 1 male remains unknown (barrosa), and 9 females are missing (aceitillar, carnegie, costura, davidsoni, espina, garrota, probaporra, rustica, toni); 32 are recorded only from the Dominican Republic, and 5 are known only from Haiti. The 727 Figures include 50 habitus illustrations for all species, as well as SEM photos of male and female genitalia, and other salient morphological characters. The discovery of “sister species,” on opposite sides of the Enriquillo basin, provides significant data to support the 2 island concept; 15 species are known only from the paleo “south island,” and 23 are restricted to the “north island”. RESUMEN: De acuerdo con este estudio, la fauna de Phyllophaga en la isla Española, en el mar Caribe, está compuesta por 48 especies, todas endémicas (precinctivas), incluyendo a 22 nuevas especies aquí descritas (4 atribuídas a Woodruff y Sanderson: approxima, bonfils, jimenezi, rex; 18 a Woodruff: aceitillar, alcoa, androw, baoruco, carnegie, davidsoni, eladio, haitiensis, jaragua, larimar, marcano, nunezi, ortizi, pedernales, rawlinsi, rustica, santachloe, toni). Adicionalmente, se describen los alotipos de 7 especies, de las cuales no se conocían los machos (aliada, canoa) o las hembras (esquinada, fossoria, imprima, kenscoffi, panicula), y se reportan por primera vez a 6 especies para la República Dominicana (aliada, leptospica, minutissima, panicula, permagna, recorta). De las 48 especies, solo un macho no se conoce (barrosa) y 9 hembras aún no se describen (aceitillar, carnegie, costura, davidsoni, espina, garrota, probaporra, rustica, toni); 32 de estas especies se conocen solo de la República Dominicana y solo se conocen 5 de Haití. Las 727 ilustraciones incluyen a 50 figuras completas de todas las especies, al igual que microfotografías electrónicas (SEM) de las genitalias de machos y hembras. El hallazgo de “especies hermanas” en lados opuestos la cuenca Enriquillo es un indicador significativo que apoya al concepto de dos islas; 15 especies se conocen solo en la “isla sur,” y 23 estan restringidas a la “isla norte.” Because of its large size, this work is broken into 5 parts, with PDF files archived separately as follows: Part .... Pages ........ Figures ...... filesize 1 ........ 1–22 ............ 1–109 ...... 22 Mb 2 ...... 23–47 ........ 110–190 ........ 8 Mb 3 ...... 48–76 ........ 191–332 ...... 14 Mb 4 ...... 77–91 ........ 333–413 ........ 7 Mb 5 ...... 92–112 ...... 414–537 ...... 11 Mb For the convenience of users with very fast connections or sufficient patience, the entire work is archived as an attachment to Part 1 as a supplemental file (60 megabytes)

Life or death in amber?

Because I've studied Dominican Amber for 25 years, this article began as a simple request for me to review a recent book: "Life in Amber" by George 0. Poinar, Jr., Stanford university Press. 350p.; 37 color and 154 black and white photos; 8 maps. Publication date: Sept. 25, 1992. Price: $55.00. It was soon obvious that the volume and nature of my comments precluded a simple review. My paraphrased title is a minor semantic difference with Dr. Poinar's, although I doubt that he would write of "Life in Egyptian Tombs". Creatures preserved for 30 to 40 million years should at least be "Former Life in Amber". So much for trivia