Two species have been attributed to the genus Teretoctopus Robson, 1929: T. indicus Robson, 1929, the type species of the genus, and T. alcocki Robson, 1932. Of the four original T. alcocki syntypes, we relocate and redescribe the remains of two of them, and designate one of them the lectotype. Of three original T.indicus syntypes, it is probable that one is lost permanently, but the whereabouts of two of them remains unknown. What we can discern from remaining T. alcocki type material, augmented with descriptions of these specimens by Anne Massy and Guy Robson, is compared with what is known of the type species of this genus, T. indicus. A rediagnosis of the genus Teretoctopus is proffered, and relationships between this genus and others historically referred to as “inkless octopuses” are evaluated. While Teretoctopus has nomenclatural priority over Vulcanoctopus González et Guerra, 1998 and Muusoctopus Gleadall, 2004, for which it is possibly the senior synonym, and shares many characters and states with Ameloctopus Norman, 1992, further taxonomic resolution of relationships among these genera must await description and molecular analyses of accurately identified Teretoctopus specimens from the Gulf of Oman and northern Arabian Sea.
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RBINS Staff Publications 2026 OA
We redescribe the type material of Phyllodactylus siamensis Boulenger, 1899, type species of the Southeast Asian gekkonid genus Dixonius Bauer, Good & Branch, 1997, using external morphology and cranial osteology (by Micro-Computed Tomography, µ-CT). There is some evidence that the type series contains more than one species; we hence designate a lectotype in order to stabilize nomenclature and provide more precision on the geographical location of the type locality. Because the current concept of Dixonius siamensis auctorum is incomplete and composite, we provide a revised diagnosis based on the presently designated lectotype and a paralectotype from the same locality, as well as observations on new material from the type locality and the first photographs of live topotypical individuals. We regard Dixonius siamensis as probably geographically restricted to the Dong Phaya Yen mountain range in central Thailand, and the numerous published mentions of this species from outside this range likely refer to other or undescribed taxa. We treat Phyllodactylus burmanicus Annandale, 1905 from Tavoy, southern Myanmar, as a valid species, as Dixonius burmanicus comb. nov.
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RBINS Staff Publications 2024
