Systematic revision of Stegodera Martens, 1876 (Gastropoda, Stylommatophora, Camaenidae), with description of a new genus

The monotypic genus Stegodera Martens, 1876 is systematically revised based on anatomical and morphological examination of freshly collected specimens. A new species from southern Hunan, which resembles Stegodera angusticollis, is confirmed to represent a new genus evidenced by comparative shell morphology and anatomy as well as by molecular phylogenetic analyses. The new genus might be more closely related to Stegodera and Nesiohelix Kuroda & Emura, but differs anatomically from the latter two genera by the absence of a dart apparatus.

Primulina cataractarum sp. nov. (Gesneriaceae) from limestone landform in Southern Hunan, China

A new species, Primulina cataractarum (Gesneriaceae) from limestone areas in southern Hunan, China, is described and illustrated with photographs based on morphological and molecular data. This new species is slightly similar to P. porphyrea and P. rubribracteata in morphology, but it can be easily distinguished by its smaller rounder leaves, large repand green bracts and purple corolla tube. Phylogenetic analysis proved that these three species are different, and their relationships are relatively distant. It also reveals that P. cataractarum is genetically similar to P. jiangyongensis, which is geographically next to the type locality of the new species, but they differ greatly in morphology. Following the IUCN Red List Criteria, P. cataractarum is assessed as Critically Endangered (CR B2a; C2b) because of its limited populations and vulnerable habitat.

New genera and species of brachypterous members of the tribe Meconematini (Orthoptera: Tettigoniidae) from Hunan, China

In the paper, 2 new genera and 2 new species of Meconematinae in Tettigoniidae are described from southern Hunan, China, i.e. Xiangothaumaspis Xin, Wang & Shi gen. nov., Xiangothaumaspis falcatus Xin, Wang & Shi sp. nov.; Neocosmetura Xin, Wang & Shi gen. nov., Neocosmetura torcha Xin, Wang & Shi sp. nov., and the characteristic photographs are provided.

Four new species of Asian horned toads (Anura, Megophryidae, Megophrys) from southern China

Recent phylogenetic analysis encompassing multilocus nuclear-gene and matrilineal mtDNA genealogy has revealed a series of cryptic species of the subgenus Panophrys within genus Megophrys from southern and eastern China. This study demonstrates that the Panophrys specimens from the hilly areas among Guangdong, Guangxi and Hunan can be morphologically distinguished from all recognized congeners, thereby providing additional supports for the recognitions of four new species of Panophrys, namely Megophrys (Panophrys) mirabilis Lyu, Wang & Zhao, sp. nov. from northeastern Guangxi, Megophrys (Panophrys) shimentaina Lyu, Liu & Wang, sp. nov. from northern Guangdong, and Megophrys (Panophrys) xiangnanensis Lyu, Zeng & Wang, sp. nov. and Megophrys (Panophrys) yangmingensis Lyu, Zeng & Wang, sp. nov. from southern Hunan. The descriptions of these species take the number of Megophrys species to 101, 46 of which belong to the subgenus Panophrys.

Composition of Garnet from the Xianghualing Skarn Sn Deposit, South China: Its Petrogenetic Significance and Exploration Potential

The Xianghualing skarn Sn deposit in the southwestern part of the southern Hunan Metallogenic Belt is a large Sn deposit in the Nanling area. In this paper, the garnet has been analyzed by laser ablation-inductively coupled plasma-mass spectrometry (LA-ICP-MS) to obtain the concentrations of the major and trace elements. The results reveal that the garnets from the Xianghualing deposit mainly belong to andradite-grossular (grandite) solid solution and are typically richer in Al than in Fe. They show enrichment in heavy rare earth elements (HREEs) and notably lower light rare earth elements (LREEs), and commonly negative Eu anomalies, indicative of a relatively reduced formation environment. The garnets have high Sn concentrations between 2313 ppm and 5766 ppm. It is also evident that there is a positive correlation between Sn and Fe, suggesting that Sn4+ substitutes into the garnets through substituting for Fe3+ in the octahedral position. Combined with previous studies, it can be recognized that the Sn concentrations of garnet in skarn Sn deposits are generally high, whereas the W concentrations are relatively low. This is just the opposite in garnets from skarn W deposits that typically have high W, but low Sn concentrations. In polymetallic skarn deposits with both economic Sn and W, the concentrations of both metals in garnets are relatively high, although varying greatly. Therefore, the Sn and W concentrations in garnets can be used to evaluate a skarn deposit’s potential to produce Sn and (or) W mineralization, which is helpful in exploration.

Notes on Carex (Cyperaceae) from China (VI): the identity of Carex retrofracta Kük. (sect. Confertiflorae)

Carex retrofracta is a sedge belonging to section Confertiflorae and endemic from eastern to south-western China. Based on a comparison of the type specimens for Carex purpureotincta, C. haematorrhyncha (C. purpureotincta var. sphaerocarpa), C. xiangxiensis and C. retrofracta, and an analysis of morphological and molecular variation within and among populations, we could not find consistent diagnostic characters to differentiate all four of these putative species. Consequently, all of these taxa are considered to be conspecific and reduced to synonym of Carex retrofracta, the oldest name among them, expanding the distribution of this species to the provinces of Anhui, Guangxi, Guizhou, Hubei, Hunan, Sichuan, Taiwan and Zhejiang. Populations from southern Hunan and northern Guangxi were found to be distinct from the other samples of Carex retrofracta in both morphological and molecular data, and are described here as a new subspecies, which differs from C. retrofracta in having glabrous leaves and shorter perigynia.

A new Oligocene flora from Ludvíkovice near Děčín (České středohoří Mts., the Czech Republic)

A recently recovered site of plant macrofossils, Ludvíkovice, in the České středohoří Mts. is situated on Sokolí vrch hill, belonging to the Děčín Formation (radiometrically dated to 30.8–24.7 Ma), according to regional stratigraphy. The flora has yielded a fern, Rumohra recentior, and several angiosperms, but no conifers. The prevailing foliage is preserved without cuticles. Noteworthy are records of Daphnogene cinnamomifolia, Laurophyllum cf. acutimontanum, Platanus neptuni, Sloanea artocarpites, Carya fragiliformis / C. quadrangula, Alnus rhenana, Trigonobalanopsis rhamnoides, Eotrigonobalanus furcinervis and cf. Quercus sp. Several foliage specimens of dicots could not be identified to species level, i.e., Leguminophyllum sp., Pungiphyllum cf. cruciatum and Dicotylophyllum sp. div. The fossil plant assemblage of Ludvíkovice corresponds to zonal mesophytic vegetation accompanied by riparian elements. This is corroborated by the Integrated Plant Record vegetation analysis, which reconstructs a zonal broad-leaved evergreen forest similar to the living broad-leaved evergreen sclerophyllous forest from Southern Hunan and Northern Guangxi in SE China. The vegetation thrived under a humid climate characterized by average values of MAT (14.6–24.1 °C), WMMT (24.7–28.3 °C), CMMT (2.2–18.8 °C) and MAP (979–1724 mm). The fossil flora of Ludvíkovice is similar in composition to the floras of Markvartice, Veselíčko, also from the Oligocene Děčín Formation of the České středohoří Mts. and the Hrazený hill.