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Article Reference First Old World record of the poorly known, swan-sized anseriform bird Paranyroca from the late Oligocene/early Miocene of France
A tarsometatarsus of a large anseriform bird from the late Oligocene/early Miocene of the Saint-Gérand-le-Puy area in France is assigned to the distinctive taxon Paranyroca, which was before only known from the early Miocene of North America. Paranyroca may be a stem group representative of Anatidae and its tarsometatarsus exhibits a peculiar character mosaic, with an Anhimidaelike hypotarsus and an Anatidae-like distal end. With regard to these features, the bone resembles the tarsometatarsus of another anseriform bird from Saint-Gérand-le-Puy, which was described as Cygnopterus alphonsi but has not yet been compared with Paranyroca in the original description. C. alphonsi was originally identified as a swan, but this classification has subsequently been contested and here it is proposed that the species is more closely related to Paranyroca.
Located in Library / RBINS Staff Publications 2017
Article Reference First record of a Lessepsian migrant: the sea cucumber Holothuria (Theelothuria) hamata Pearson, 1913
First record of a Lessepsian migrant: the sea cucumber Holothuria (Theelothuria) hamata Pearson, 1913. A single specimen of the Indo-West Pacific sea cucumber Holothuria (Theelothuria) hamata Pearson, 1913 has been captured in 2017 in the Mediterranean Sea, Turkey, Iskenderun Bay, at 30 m depth. This specimen is here described, and the taxonomy of the species is briefly discussed. Despite the lack of timed biogeographic evidence, we here argue that H. hamata is a Lessepsian migrant; the first in its genus and only the second holothuroid.
Located in Library / RBINS Staff Publications 2019
Article Reference First record of Ciocalypta Bowerbank, 1862 (Demospongiae, Suberitida, Halichondriidae) in the Eastern Pacific, with description of a new species from Peru
Located in Library / RBINS Staff Publications 2020
Article Reference FIRST RECORD OF FIVE ANT SPECIES (HYMENOPTERA: FORMICIDAE) FROM RWANDA
Ant studies conducted in Rwanda have reported a total of 105 ant species. However, this is an underestimation of the total ant richness since Rwanda is in a region rich in biodiversity. To fill the gaps, ants have been sampled in planted forests, coffee plantations, and different other land use types since 2017. Specimens have been collected using pitfall traps and hand collection, digitized, and identified to subfamily, genus, and species level. Results indicated that five ant species were found in Rwanda for the first time. These are Camponotus acvapimensis, Camponotus schoutedeni, Camponotus sericeus, Odontomachus assiniensis and Tetramorium sericeiventre. Specimens are deposited at the Royal Belgian Institute of Natural Science and the Rwanda Ant Collection. We recommend more ant studies focussing on their mode of living. This will result in more ant species newly recorded in the country and possibly new to science.
Located in Library / RBINS Staff Publications 2023
Article Reference First record of Phylloptychoceras (Ammonoidea) from the Maastrichtian type area, The Netherlands
Located in Library / RBINS Staff Publications
Article Reference First record of the ant Pheidole megatron Fischer and Fisher, 2013 (Hymenoptera: Formicidae) from Rwanda
We present the first record of the ant Pheidole megatron Fischer and Fisher, 2013 in Rwanda, a species thought to be endemic to the Malagasy region. Specimens were collected in July 2019, in one of the houses located at Kivumu, in the center of Rwanda. They were first morphologically identified as Pheidole megatron using a recent identification key. Molecular identification through mitochondrial cytochrome oxidase I (COI) confirmed the morphological identification. The Rwanda sample clustered with samples from the Comoros, and it belongs to the group megacephala. Future studies may focus on the biology and ecology of this ant species in Africa. Moreover, we suggest the screening of other African populations of Pheidole megacephala using finer genetic markers with higher mutation rates to clarify the identification and spread of the species.
Located in Library / RBINS Staff Publications 2021
Article Reference First record of the Apodid Sea Cucumber Anapta gracilis Semper, 1868 (Holothuroidea: Synaptidae) in the Gulf of Thailand.
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Located in Library / RBINS Staff Publications
Article Reference First record of the cicadas genus Orientopsaltria Kato, 1944 (Hemiptera: Cicadidae) from Vietnam, with description of one new species
Located in Library / RBINS Staff Publications 2019
Article Reference First record of the cicadas genus Orientopsaltria Kato, 1944 (Hemiptera: Cicadidae) from Vietnam, with description of one new species
Located in Library / RBINS Staff Publications 2019
Article Reference First record of the globally invasive crab, Charybdis hellerii (A. Milne-Edwards, 1867), in Benin, with notes on its taxonomy (Crustacea, Decapoda, Brachyura, Portunidae)
The Indo-Pacific portunid, Charybdis hellerii (A. Milne-Edwards, 1867), is a crab species native to the Indian and Western Pacific Oceans and has previously colonized the Eastern Mediterranean and the Western Atlantic. It is now recorded in the Eastern Atlantic, on the coast of Benin, where a thriving population has established. This invasive and widely distributed species exhibits morphological variations within and between populations, which are discussed in detail. Its current distribution is presented, and its future expansion along the West African coast and future impact on coastal ecosystems and local fisheries are the object of tentative forecasts. Illustrations of sexually mature specimens from different sizes and regions are presented, and their allometric, individual and geographical variations are discussed. A new synonymy and a new account on the taxonomy and the biology of the species are presented. Illustrations of the lectotype and the paralectotype of C. hellerii are also provided for the first time. Charybdis spinifera (Miers, 1884), C. merguiensis (De Man, 1887) and C. vannamei Ward, 1941 are here treated as subjective junior synonyms of C. hellerii. The holotype of C. spinifera and two syntypes of C. merguiensis are illustrated. Key words: alien species, Eastern Atlantic, West Africa, systematics, type material https://doi.org/10.11646/zootaxa.4576.2.1 http://zoobank.org/urn:lsid:zoobank.org:pub:C21B66E0-E7BF-4E82-9EBE-24F7CDEFC8A5
Located in Library / RBINS Staff Publications 2019