Cicileus derradji sp. nov., a new species from southern Algeria (Scorpiones: Buthidae)

Posted by
  Cicileus derradji sp. nov., a new species from southern Algeria (Scorpiones: Buthidae) Abstract A new scorpion species, Cicileus derradji sp. nov., is described from Tin Zaouatine District, In Guezzam Province, southern Algeria. The description is based on an adult male holotype, an adult female paratype and a juvenile specimen, and is supported by detailed morphological analyses, including colouration, morphometrics, carination patterns and trichobothrial arrangement. This discovery extends the known distribution of the genus Cicileus approximately 500 km southwestward within Algeria. With the addition of this species, the number of recognised species in the genus increases to six. The new species is compared with all previously known species of Cicileus , and detailed colour photographs, including images taken under ultraviolet illumination, are provided. Derradj, L., Aydın Yağmur, E., Benali, N., & Bikada, M. (2026). Cicileus derradji sp. nov., a new species from south...

Mystery on the Bounty: The family-level status of Pacificana cockayni Hogg, 1904 (Araneae)

Posted by

 


Mystery on the Bounty: The family-level status of Pacificana cockayni Hogg, 1904 (Araneae)

Abstract

The family-level placement of the species Pacificana cockayni Hogg, 1904 (Araneae, Miturgidae) has been ambiguous for over a century, with the monotypic genus initially placed in Agelenidae, later transferred to Amaurobioidinae (Anyphaenidae), and presently in Miturgidae. A recent work describing the male and molecular data consisting of a single mitochondrial gene, cytochrome c oxidase subunit I, confirmed that the species is part of the marronoid clade; however, these data did not result in conclusive family-level placement. Here, we use low-coverage whole genome sequencing (lcWGS) combined with data from the Sequence Read Archive to infer a phylogeny from ultraconserved elements (UCEs) and six legacy Sanger loci. Indications of potential family placements from prior work and the topologies from this study support a transfer of Pacificana Hogg, 1904 to Cycloctenidae Simon, 1898 (new family placement).
Gorneau, J. A., Cala-Riquelme, F., Crews, S. C., Montana, K. O., Spagna, J. C., Vink, C. J., & Esposito, L. A. (2024). Mystery on the Bounty: The family-level status of Pacificana cockayni Hogg, 1904 (Araneae). Molecular Phylogenetics and Evolution, 108256. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ympev.2024.108256