Zootaxa

An account of the crickets and katydids (Orthoptera: Ensifera) from Sulu Island

2026-06-11T12:24:02+12:00

Sulu Island is part of the Sulu Archipelago located between northeast Borneo (i.e., Sabah) and southwest of Mindanao Island. As such, Sulu Island can be an interesting location to study the biodiversity between the two aforementioned biodiverse and endemic-rich regions. For orthopterans, little is known about the species from Sulu Island. Based on recent sampling of the crickets and katydids on the island in 2025, we present here 21 species of crickets (from families Gryllidae, Mogoplistidae, Oecanthidae, Phalangopsidae, Trigonidiidae, and Rhaphidophoridae) and eight species of katydids (from subfamilies Conocephalinae, Meconematinae, Mecopodinae, and Phaneropterinae). We also describe a new species here: Rhicnogryllus amoenus sp. nov. (Trigonidiidae: Trigonidiinae).

**Description of a new species of Neallogaster Cowley, 1934 from Northern Vietnam (Odonata: Anisoptera: Cordulegastridae)**

2026-06-11T12:46:58+12:00

A new species, Neallogaster vietnamica, is described based on a male collected from Hoang Lien National Park, Lai Chau Province, Vietnam. It can be distinguished from the other species of the genus by characteristics of body maculation and the shape of the cerci. This is the first record of the genus from Vietnam.

**Strahlaxiidae redefined and a new species of Strahlaxius (Crustacea: Axiidea)**

2026-06-11T12:48:18+12:00

Using molecular and morphological evidence, the axiidean family Strahlaxiidae Poore, 1994 is rediagnosed and confined to just Strahlaxius Sakai & de Saint Laurent, 1989. It includes three species S. plectrorhynchus (Strahl, 1862), S. waroona (Poore & Griffin, 1979) and the new species, Strahlaxius australiensis sp. nov. The distributions of the three species are discussed. Neaxius Borradaile, 1903 and Neaxiopsis Sakai & de Saint Laurent, 1989 are removed from Strahlaxiidae to Axiidae Huxley, 1879.

**Geographical variation in Tylencholaimus mirabilis (Nematoda: Tylencholaiminae) evidence from South African and Indian populations**

2026-06-11T12:49:43+12:00

Understanding intraspecific variation in nematodes is essential for accurate taxonomy and ecological interpretation. This study examined morphological and molecular variation in Tylencholaimus mirabilis from geographically distinct populations in South Africa and India using an integrative taxonomic approach. South African populations from Limpopo Province were studied using light microscopy (LM), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), and partial sequencing of 18S and 28S rDNA for morphological characterization and phylogenetic placement. Comparative morphometric analyses were conducted using PCA, PCoA, and UPGMA. South African specimens showed a slender body (768–977 μm), cap-shaped lip region, longer posterior genital branch (4–17 μm), and longer odontostyle (6–9 μm), whereas Indian population had a stouter body with shorter posterior branch (6–9 μm) and odontostyle (6.5–7.5 μm). Multivariate analyses confirmed morphological separation supported by Euclidean distances and cophenetic correlation values. Phylogenetic analyses of 18S and 28S rDNA confirmed species identity and revealed close relationships among populations from South Africa, the Netherlands, and India with strong support (posterior probabilities 0.93–1.00). Combined morphological, statistical, and molecular evidence demonstrated geographic differentiation within T. mirabilis, highlighting the importance of integrative approaches in resolving intraspecific diversity and improving nematode taxonomy.

**Two new species of the genus Bogidiella (Crustacea: Amphipoda: Bogidiellidae) from Japan**

2026-06-11T12:53:04+12:00

Two new species of bogidiellid amphipods, Bogidiella isajii and B. painushima are described from an anchialine undersea cave in Minamidaito Island and freshwater flowing through a cave in Ishigaki Island, Ryukyu Islands. Bogidiella isajii sp. nov. differs from its congeners in the absence of an inner ramus on the pleopods, armature of uropods 1 and 2 rami, and shape of the telson. Bogidiella painushima sp. nov. is morphologically similar to B. aprutina and B. broodbakkeri, but differs from these two species in the shape of antennal sinus of the head, size of antenna 2 peduncular article 2 gland cone, armature of the accessory setal row of the mandible, shape of gnathopod 1 propodus and pereopod 7 coxa, and armature of the telson. Nucleotide sequences of the mitochondrial cytochrome c oxidase subunit I from paratypes of the two new species were determined for future studies.

Three new species of Onthophagus Latreille, 1802 from Bioko Island, Equatorial Guinea, belonging to d’Orbigny’s group IX, with a taxonomic note on O. denudatus d’Orbigny, 1902 (Coleoptera: Scarabaeidae: Scarabaeinae: Onthophagini)

2026-06-11T12:54:31+12:00

Three new dung beetle species (Onthophagus basilensis Génier sp. nov., O. castus Génier sp. nov., O. larseni Génier sp. nov.) are described from Bioko Island, Equatorial Guinea, and assigned to d’Orbigny’s group IX. Specimens were collected in montane and lowland rainforest using dung-baited pitfall traps. Diagnostic characters, including male genitalia and intraspecific variation, are provided. A review of related taxa indicates that O. denudatus d’Orbigny, 1902 and O. denudatus endroedii Frey, 1973 are distinct, sympatric species separable by external characters and parameral morphology, with no intermediates; Onthophagus endroedii is therefore reinstated as a valid species. These findings highlight the island’s still underexplored Scarabaeinae fauna and emphasize the importance of continued taxonomic surveys and reassessment of species boundaries within the group.

New geographic and host records of Chtonobdella catenifera (Moore, 1938) (Hirudinea, Hirudiniformes, Haemadipsidae) parasitizing Heosemys spinosa (Gray, 1831) and Manouria emys Schlegel & Müller, 1840 (Testudines) from West Sumatra, Indonesia

2026-06-11T12:56:50+12:00

This study reports the first record of the rare terrestrial leech Chtonobdella catenifera (Moore, 1938) in the Barisan Nature Reserve, Sumatra, Indonesia, where 12 specimens were found attached to their vertebrate host: the Spiny Hill Terrapin Heosemys spinosa (Gray, 1831) and the Sundaic Giant Tortoise Manouria emys Schlegel & Müller, 1840 belonging to the families Geoemydidae and Testudinidae, respectively. These findings represent the first confirmed cases of haematophagy of C. catenifera on the spiny hill terrapin. The leech mitochondrial cytochrome c oxidase subunit 1 (cox1) gene sequences of specimens from Indonesia form a monophyletic group with Chtonobdella meyeri (K2P distance of 10.6%), and showed low intraspecific variation of about 0.010 (1%). This discovery highlights the underexplored diversity and host associations of terrestrial leeches in Southeast Asia and contributes to a better understanding of host-parasite interactions involving superfamily Testudinoidea which have high conservation priorities in Indonesia.

**Integrative taxonomy reveals the larva of Allopodagrion contortum (Hagen in Selys, 1862) (Odonata: Megapodagrionidae) from Southeastern Brazil**

2026-06-11T12:58:13+12:00

The genus Allopodagrion Förster, 1910 includes Neotropical damselflies distributed from southeastern Brazil to northern Argentina, with only A. brachyurum De Marmels, 2001 previously known in the larval stage. Here, we describe the larva of A. contortum (Hagen in Selys, 1862) based on specimens collected in Pico do Itambé State Park (Minas Gerais, Brazil). The relationship between the larva and the adult was confirmed through molecular analyses (COX1 gene). The larva of A. contortum, which can be distinguished from A. brachyurum by tubercles of the head, pronotum, and mouthpart morphology.

**Description of a new species of the genus Systaria Simon, 1897 from Vietnam (Araneae: Clubionidae)**

2026-06-11T13:00:00+12:00