Zootaxa

**Goby spotting: An updated guide to coral gobies (Genus: Gobiodon) in the Indo-Pacific Region**

COURTNEY A. HILDEBRANDT — 2025-11-25

Genus Gobiodon are obligate coral dwelling cryptic fishes. Gobiodon form a mutualistic relationship with host scleractinian corals, making them integral to coral reef ecosystem functioning. Despite this, they are often omitted from fish assemblage studies, biodiversity surveys and coral reef fish guides due to confusion on species identification. The guide aims to provide a comprehensive description of the main diagnostic features for the majority of Gobiodon species distributed throughout the Indo-Pacific region. Species of the genus can be observed occupying host corals of the genera Acropora, Stylophora, Hydnophora and Echinopora on coral reefs in the Pacific and Indian Oceans. Gobiodon species are known for their cryptic behaviours and are distinguishable using body colouration and colour markings. There are 31 described species, 26 of which have undisputed species status and sufficient data to include in this guide. We provide live colouration descriptions, known coral hosts, reef habitats and geographic ranges for each species. Recent developments in understanding the sociality and genetic relationships of this genus have also been incorporated. Useful field resources such as an identification key, occurrence table with accompanying map, and a colour plate of the encompassed species, have been included.

**On the occurrence of the genus Schellencandona (Ostracoda, Candonidae) in Italy, with the description of a new species**

GIAMPAOLO ROSSETTI — 2025-11-25

Subterranean environments harbour a diverse yet understudied ostracod fauna, particularly within the family Candonidae, which poses significant taxonomic challenges due to subtle morphological traits that require careful examination to differentiate genera and species. The genus Schellencandona, composed predominantly of stygobiotic species, currently includes 15 described species, many of which are endemic, while a few may have potential intercontinental distributions. This genus is characterized by considerable variability in the morphology of valve and carapace, along with homoplastic similarities to other subterranean candonid species. In contrast, the morphology of the soft parts is highly conservative across species, offering a more stable basis for taxonomic identification. This study reports the first confirmed records of living Schellencandona species in Italy, including one species new to science, for which a detailed morphological description of both valves and soft parts is provided. The second recorded taxon closely resembles a species previously reported from Germany and more recently from Turkey. Both species were collected from the interstitial habitats of hydrologically-dynamic river stretches and exhibit highly localized distributions. These findings suggest that Schellencandona may have a greater species diversity than currently recognized in Italy, where research on ostracods inhabiting groundwater and groundwater-dependent ecosystems remains limited compared to other European countries. In addition, this study provides a comprehensive review of the literature concerning the geographical distribution and habitat preferences of Schellencandona species. However, the potential to explore biogeographic patterns within the genus remains constrained by the general lack of illustrations accompanying existing records, which hinders the validation of their taxonomic assignments.

A new genus and species of otiocerine planthopper (Hemiptera: Auchenorrhyncha: Derbidae) from coconut palms (Cocos nucifera) in Jamaica, revised status of Shellenius schellenbergii and an updated molecular phylogeny of New World Otiocerinae

BRIAN W. BAHDER — 2025-11-25

Recent survey work in Jamaica has uncovered a large number of new species of planthoppers in the families Derbidae and Cixiidae on palms (Arecaceae). Herein, a new genus and species of planthopper, Litophallus inornatus gen. et sp. nov., is described from coconut palm. Molecular data for the cytochrome c oxidase subunit I (COI), 18S rRNA gene and D8–D10 expansion region of the 28S rRNA gene is provided and analyzed for the novel taxon and other available New World Otiocerinae. These findings are important because they provide novel data to help better understand the diversity and evolution of this unique group of planthoppers. Finally, Shellenius schellenbergii (McAtee, 1923) is transferred to the new genus as Litophallus schellenbergii comb. nov.

**Neotropical orchid-weevils of the genus Stethobaroides Champion (Coleoptera, Curculionidae, Baridinae)**

JENS PRENA — 2025-11-25

Stethobaroides Champion, 1908 comprises the species of the Stethobaris LeConte complex with an exposed pygidium. The following eight species are recognized in this study, five of them as new to science: Stethobaroides badicrus Prena new species (Costa Rica), S. elcoranus Prena new species (México), S. lauro Prena new species (Costa Rica), S. nudiventris Champion, 1908 (Belize, México), S. permixtus Prena new species (Costa Rica, Panamá), S. piliventris Champion, 1908 (México), S. scutellatus Casey, 1922 (Brazil, French Guiana) and S. villus Prena new species (México). Diorymerellus vigintiestriatus Fonseca, 1957 is a new junior synonym of S. scutellatus. A lectotype is designated for S. nudiventris. Specimens of five Stethobaroides species occurred on 17 genera of epidendroid orchids, most frequently on species of Catasetum and Gongora. One species, provisionally identified as S. permixtus, occurred numerously on Vanilla planifolia Andrews, a commercially important orchid in the Vanilloideae subfamily. Plant associations remain unknown for three species from the Pacific regions of México. Remarks are made regarding Toxpam, a historical collecting site in Veracruz, México.

**Developmental types and a new cryptic species of Chicoreus (Gastropoda: Muricidae) from Papua New Guinea**

ROLAND HOUART — 2025-11-25

The two Indo-West Pacific muricid gastropods Chicoreus brunneus (Link, 1807) and C. microphyllus (Lamarck, 1822), are commonly thought to develop via a non-planktotrophic larval stage, as witnessed by their paucispiral larval shell. We have found specimens morphologically ascribable to these two taxa, but with multispiral protoconchs clearly indicating planktotrophic development, and have addressed their status by comparing sequences of the DNA barcode fragment (cytochrome c oxidase I, cox1) from specimens of the two complexes with both protoconch types.

While the genetic data are not conclusive for the C. brunneus complex (although suggestive of a cryptic diversity), the specimens of the C. microphyllus complex with multispiral protoconch are clearly not conspecific with those with paucispiral protoconch, and are here described as a new taxon: C. phyrtos sp. nov.

**Corrections for grammatical agreement for species in Chelaner Emery, 1914 (Hymenoptera: Formicidae)**

RICHARD LITTAUER — 2025-11-25

This paper provides a list of mandatory corrections for grammatical agreement under Articles 31 and 34 of the Code for the southern ant genus Chelaner Emery, 1914, together with notes on the treatment for every species in the genus. Chelaner has masculine gender and all adjectival species names combined with it must also be masculine. The species-group names corrected are: C. antarcticus, C. anthracinus, C. aper dubius, C. bicornis, C. bifidus, C. bihamatus, C. burchera, C. centralis, C. crinitus, C. croceiventre, C. durokoppinensis, C. edentatus, C. elegantulus, C. falcatus, C. flavoniger, C. forcipatus, C. gilberti medioruber, C. insularis, C. kiliani obscurellus, C. lacunosus, C. longinodis, C. majeri, C. melleus, C. nightcapensis, C. parantarcticus, C. petiolatus, C. punctulatus, C. rapaensis, C. ravenshoensis, C. rubriceps, C. rubriceps cinctum, C. rubriceps extreminiger, C. rubriceps ruber, C. rubriceps sanguinolentus, C. rufoniger, C. sculpturatus, C. sublamellatus, C. tambourinensis, and C. tambourinensis howensis.

Two new species of jumping spiders (Araneae: Salticidae) from Northeastern India

PUTHOOR PATTAMMAL SUDHIN — 2025-11-25

Two new species—Asemonea dentis sp. nov. (male, female), and Colyttus nongwar sp. nov. (male, female)—are described from Meghalaya state of India. Detailed morphological descriptions, illustrations, and diagnoses of the species are provided along with a distributional map.

New Middle Jurassic Osmylopsychopidae (Neuroptera) from Northeastern China

XIAOTIAN LIU — 2025-11-25

Osmylopsychopidae, belong to an extinct family within Neuroptera. In this study, two new genera and three new species, namely, Densipsychops pectinatus gen. et sp. nov., Puripsychops eurypterus gen. et sp. nov. and Eupypsychops oligophlebius sp. nov. are described from the Middle Jurassic of Jiulongshan Formation of Daohugou, Inner Mongolia, China. A list of known osmylopsychopids and a key to genera are provided. The new finding further enhances our comprehension on the diversity of osmylopsychopids.