The rainforests of Australia’s eastern mesic zone have given rise to a diverse biota. One mygalomorph spider lineage endemic to Australia’s tropical rainforests is the genus Namea (family Anamidae). We explore the systematics of this group of spiders and, in doing so, reveal a genus with remarkable levels of sympatry and a huge undescribed diversity of species. We further provide a taxonomic synopsis of the genus, as a framework for future work on this diverse group of rainforest trapdoor spiders.
Invertebrate Systematics
Volume 34 Number 7 2020
The genus Lamprohaminoea includes species of colourful haminoeid snails associated with coral reefs and rocky shores in the tropical Indo-West Pacific. In this work, we revise the diversity and systematics of Lamprohaminoea species using a combination of molecular phylogenetic, shells and morphology. The genus comprises five species, three of them new to science and here described.
Morphological variation challenges the delimitation of protogynes and deutogynes of four-legged mites. We used an integrative approach to delimitate Epitrimerus sabinae s.l. and recovered a new species, Leipothrix juniperensis, sp. nov. We expanded approaches used to link protogynes and deutogynes and provide useful guidelines for eriophyoid mites.
The Doryctinae is a subfamily of braconid wasps with a very heterogeneous morphology. We conducted a molecular phylogenetic study among species of Callihormius and other related doryctine genera to assess their limits. Based on the relationships recovered, we propose various taxonomic arrangements and the erection of four new genera. The group originated between late Oligocene and middle Miocene, with early diversification events occurring between middle to late Miocene.