Entyposisfrici (Coleoptera, Scarabaeidae, Melolonthinae), a new species from Somaliland.

Entyposisfrici Bezdek & Sehnal, sp. nov., from Somaliland is described and relevant diagnostic characters are illustrated. The new species is compared with the morphologically closely similar Entyposis Kolbe, 1894 species. An updated checklist and an identification key to northeastern African Entyposis species are provided.

Distribution of water phase near the poles of the Moon from gravity aspects.

Our Moon periodically moves through the magnetic tail of the Earth that contains terrestrial ions of hydrogen and oxygen. A possible density contrast might have been discovered that could be consistent with the presence of water phase of potential terrestrial origin. Using novel gravity aspects (descriptors) derived from harmonic potential coefficients of gravity field of the Moon, we discovered gravity strike angle anomalies that point to water phase locations in the polar regions of the Moon. Our analysis suggests that impact cratering processes were responsible for specific pore space network that were subsequently filled with the water phase filling volumes of permafrost in the lunar subsurface. In this work, we suggest the accumulation of up to ~ 3000 km3 of terrestrial water phase (Earth's atmospheric escape) now filling the pore spaced regolith, portion of which is distributed along impact zones of the polar regions of the Moon. These unique locations serve as potential resource utilization sites for future landing exploration and habitats (e.g., NASA Artemis Plan objectives).

Telomeric DNA sequences in beetle taxa vary with species richness.

Telomeres are protective structures at the ends of eukaryotic chromosomes, and disruption of their nucleoprotein composition usually results in genome instability and cell death. Telomeric DNA sequences have generally been found to be exceptionally conserved in evolution, and the most common pattern of telomeric sequences across eukaryotes is (TxAyGz)n maintained by telomerase. However, telomerase-added DNA repeats in some insect taxa frequently vary, show unusual features, and can even be absent. It has been speculated about factors that might allow frequent changes in telomere composition in Insecta. Coleoptera (beetles) is the largest of all insect orders and based on previously available data, it seemed that the telomeric sequence of beetles varies to a great extent. We performed an extensive mapping of the (TTAGG)n sequence, the ancestral telomeric sequence in Insects, across the main branches of Coleoptera. Our study indicates that the (TTAGG)n sequence has been repeatedly or completely lost in more than half of the tested beetle superfamilies. Although the exact telomeric motif in most of the (TTAGG)n-negative beetles is unknown, we found that the (TTAGG)n sequence has been replaced by two alternative telomeric motifs, the (TCAGG)n and (TTAGGG)n, in at least three superfamilies of Coleoptera. The diversity of the telomeric motifs was positively related to the species richness of taxa, regardless of the age of the taxa. The presence/absence of the (TTAGG)n sequence highly varied within the Curculionoidea, Chrysomeloidea, and Staphylinoidea, which are the three most diverse superfamilies within Metazoa. Our data supports the hypothesis that telomere dysfunctions can initiate rapid genomic changes that lead to reproductive isolation and speciation.

Metapogonia snizeki sp. nov. and a previously unknown female of M. elgonensis (Burgeon, 1945) (Coleoptera, Scarabaeidae, Melolonthinae, Diplotaxini).

Metapogonia snizeki sp. nov. from northeastern Tanzania is described. The new species is compared with the morphologically closely similar species M. elgonensis (Burgeon, 1945). A previously unknown female of M. elgonensis is described, and the species is recorded from Uganda for the first time. Relevant diagnostic characters (parameres, shape of male protarsomeres, female pygidium) are illustrated.

A 200 km suspected impact crater Kotuykanskaya near Popigai, Siberia, in the light of new gravity aspects from EIGEN 6C4, and other data.

We provide arguments in favour of impact origin of a 200 km suspected impact crater Kotuykanskaya near Popigai, Siberia, Russia. We use the gravity aspects (gravity disturbances, the Marussi tensor of the second derivatives of the disturbing geopotential, the gravity invariants and their specific ratio, the strike angles and the virtual deformations), all derived from the combined static gravity field model EIGEN 6C4, with the ground resolution of about 10 km and a precision of about 10 milliGals. We also use the magnetic anomalies from the model EMAG2 and emphasize the evidence of much deeper sources in the suspected area, constraining the impact origin of this structure.

On the identity of Cyphonoxia maljuzhenkoi Zaitzev, 1928 (Coleoptera: Scarabaeidae: Melolonthinae).

The melolonthine species Cyphonoxia maljuzhenkoi Zaitzev, 1928 (Coleoptera: Scarabaeidae: Melolonthinae: Melolonthini) was described from three specimens collected by Dmitriy M. Maljuzhenko, a physician by profession, while he was working in the former Erivan Governorate from 1906 to at least 1914 (Anonymous 1914). Type series was cited by Zaitzev (1928) differently in the Russian and in German versions of the primary description. In the Russian version, Zaitzev stated on p. 393 in Cyrillic script: "Arm. Alishar u Araksa (3 ekz. Maljuzhenko, koll. Muz. Eriv. univ. i Muz. Gruzii)", while in the German version, he mentioned on p. 397: "Nachkraj: Alishar, distr. Sharur (3 ♀♀, dr. Maljuzhenko, Koll. d. Museen Georgien und Armenien)". At the time of collecting the type specimens (no later than 1914 when Maljuzhenko finished his collecting activity in the region (S.M. Iablokoff-Khnzorian, personal communication to M.K. in 1993)), the locality was a part of the Erivan Governorate of the Russian Empire. Currently, it is situated in the Nakhichevan Autonomous Republic of Azerbaijan.

Ahermodontus bischoffi-rediscovery of an endemic dung beetle species (Coleoptera: Scarabaeidae: Aphodiinae) in Albania after more than 80 years.

The genus Ahermodontus Báguena, 1930 (Coleoptera: Scarabaeidae: Aphodiinae) is currently comprised of three species: A. marini Báguena, 1930 and A. ambrosi (Pardo Alcaide, 1936) from southern Spain and Morocco and A. bischoffi (Vsetecka, 1939) from Albania (see e.g., Dellacasa et al. 2001, 2002, 2016). The distribution and bionomy of both of the western Mediterranean Ahermodontus species are relatively well known. Contrastingly, A. bischoffi was described using a single female specimen collected by A. Bischoff in Llogara, Albania in 1934 (Vsetecka 1939) and additional specimens remained unknown until now. Geodesist Alfons Bischoff (1890-1942) was a famous Albanian speleologist and insect collector (Horn et al. 1990; Genest Juberthie 1994; Zhalov 2015). He often made his insect material accessible to specialists on particular insect groups and several species is dedicated to him: for example, the Carabidae (Coleoptera) species Duvalius bischoffi Meschnigg, 1936, Pterostichus bischoffianus Jedlicka, 1936, and Zabrus bischoffi Müller, 1936, and the paper wasp Polistes bischoffi Weyrauch, 1937 (Hymenoptera: Vespidae).

Tanyproctus (Tanyproctus) arher (Coleoptera: Scarabaeidae: Melolonthinae: Tanyproctini), a new species from the Socotra Island, Yemen.

Tanyproctus (Tanyproctus) arher Bezdek, Sehnal & Král, new species, is described from Socotra Island (Yemen), based on external morphology including male genitalia.

Review of the subgenus Polyphylla (Granida) from continental Asia (Coleoptera, Scarabaeidae, Melolonthinae).

A review of Polyphylla Harris, 1841, species belonging to the subgenus Granida Motschulsky, 1861, from continental Asia is presented. One new species is described from Thailand: Polyphylla (Granida) simonisp. n.Polyphylla (Granida) nikodymi de Wailly, 1993, is recorded from Thailand for the first time. Polyphylla (Granida) minor Nomura, 1977, is recorded from Yunnan (China) for the first time. The previously unknown female of Polyphylla (Granida) phongsali Zídek, 2006, is described.

Phylogeny of the Metazoa Based on Morphological and 18S Ribosomal DNA Evidence.

Cladistic analysis of traditional (i.e. morphological, developmental, ultrastructural) and molecular (18S rDNA) data sets (276+501 informative characters) provides a hypothesis about relationships of all meta-zoan higher taxa. Monophyly of Metazoa, Epith-eliozoa (= -03non-Porifera), Triploblastica, Mesozoa, Eutriploblastica (=Rhabditophora+Catenulida+"higher triploblasts"=Neotriploblastica, including Xeno- turbellida and Gnathostomulida), Rhabditophora, Syndermata (="Rotifera"+Acanthocephala), Neotrichozoa (=Gastrotricha+Gnathostomulida), Nematozoa (=Nematoda+Nematomorpha), Panarthropoda (=Onychophora+Tardigrada+ Arthropoda), Cephalorhyncha, Deuterostomia, Ambulacralia (=Hemichordata+Echinodermata), Chordata, Phoronozoa (=Phoronida+"Brachiopoda"), Bryozoa, Trochozoa (=Eutrochozoa+Entoprocta+ Cycliophora), Eutrochozoa, and Chaetifera (=Annelida+ Pogonophora+Echiura) is strongly supported. Cnidaria (including Myxozoa), Ecdysozoa (=Cepha- lorhyncha + Nematozoa + Chaetognatha + Panarthropoda), Eucoelomata (=Bryozoa+Phoronozoa+Deuterostomia+Trochozoa, possibly including also Xenoturbellida), and Deuterostomia+Phoronozoa probably are monophyletic. Most traditional "phyla" are monophyletic, except for Porifera, Cnidaria (excluding Myxozoa), Platyhelminthes, Brachiopoda, and Rotifera. Three "hot" regions of the tree remain quite unresolved: basal Epitheliozoa, basal Triploblastica, and basal Neotriploblastica. A new phylogenetic classification of the Metazoa including 35 formally recognized phyla (Silicispongea, Calcispongea, Placozoa, Cnidaria, Ctenophora, Acoela, Nemertodermatida, Orthonecta, Rhombozoa, Rhabditophora, Catenulida, Syndermata, Gnathostomulida, Gastrotricha, Cephalorhyncha, Chaetognatha, Nematoda, Nematomorpha, Onychophora, Tardigrada, Arthropoda, Echinodermata, Hemichordata, Chordata, Phoronozoa, Bryozoa s. str., Xenoturbellida, Entoprocta, Cycliophora, Nemertea, Mollusca, Sipuncula, Echiura, Pogonophora, and Annelida) and few i ncertae sedis g roups (e.g. Myzostomida and Lobatocerebromorpha) is proposed.