Transcriptome-based Phylogeny of the Semi-aquatic Bugs (Hemiptera: Heteroptera: Gerromorpha) Reveals Patterns of Lineage Expansion in a Series of New Adaptive Zones.

Key innovations enable access to new adaptive zones and are often linked to increased species diversification. As such, innovations have attracted much attention, yet their concrete consequences on the subsequent evolutionary trajectory and diversification of the bearing lineages remain unclear. Water striders and relatives (Hemiptera: Heteroptera: Gerromorpha) represent a monophyletic lineage of insects that transitioned to live on the water-air interface and that diversified to occupy ponds, puddles, streams, mangroves and even oceans. This lineage offers an excellent model to study the patterns and processes underlying species diversification following the conquest of new adaptive zones. However, such studies require a reliable and comprehensive phylogeny of the infraorder. Based on whole transcriptomic datasets of 97 species and fossil records, we reconstructed a new phylogeny of the Gerromorpha that resolved inconsistencies and uncovered strong support for previously unknown relationships between some important taxa. We then used this phylogeny to reconstruct the ancestral state of a set of adaptations associated with water surface invasion (fluid locomotion, dispersal and transition to saline waters) and sexual dimorphism. Our results uncovered important patterns and dynamics of phenotypic evolution, revealing how the initial event of water surface invasion enabled multiple subsequent transitions to new adaptive zones on the water surfaces. This phylogeny and the associated transcriptomic datasets constitute highly valuable resources, making Gerromorpha an attractive model lineage to study phenotypic evolution.

Two new species of Amemboa Esaki (Heteroptera: Gerridae) from West Bengal, India.

Amemboa mahananda sp. nov. and Amemboa bifurcata sp. nov. are described from Mahananda Wildlife Sanctuary, in the Darjeeling district and from Kalikhola, in the Jalpaiguri district of West Bengal, and compared with all allied species. A species checklist of the genus Amemboa Esaki, 1925  and Amemboides Polhemus & Andersen, 1984 from India and their distribution in India and elsewhere is provided. Amemboa kumari (Distant, 1910) is reported for the first time from West Bengal and Amemboa dentata Polhemus & Andersen, 1984 is newly recorded from Himachal Pradesh.

First record of the genus Baptista Distant, 1903 (Heteroptera: Veliidae) from China, with descriptions of two new species.

The genus Baptista Distant, 1903, is recorded for the first time from China. Four species are treated in this paper, with B. digitata Andersen, 1989 and B. hoedli Zettel, 2004 newly recorded from China and two additional species, B. curvicornis sp. n. and B. obtusa sp. n., described as new to science. Photographs of the male and female dorsal habitus, male fore legs, male abdominal sternites, and male genitalic structures are provided, accompanied by line drawings of the male fore tibial details, male paramere, habitat photographs, and a distribution map for all Baptista species. A key to all four species occurring in China is also provided to assist in future identification.

Thirty-four new species of Rhagovelia (Heteroptera: Veliidae) from the East Papua Composite Terrane, far eastern New Guinea.

Thirty-four new species of Rhagovelia are described from the East Papua Composite Terrane of far eastern New Guinea. The new taxa described from this area are as follows: R. yela, R. woa, and R. mbo from Rossel Island; R. tagula, R. kolukolu, and R. riu from Tagula Island; R. bwagabwaga from Misima Island; R. suloga from Woodlark Island; R. torrenticola and R. elongata from Goodenough Island; R. awaetowa from Fergusson Island; R. dibuwa from Normanby Island; R. basima from Fergusson and Normanby islands; R. kalawai from Sideia and Basilaki islands; R. guiagoila from Basilaki, Sideia and Sariba islands; R. tufi, R. bowutu, R. obscura, R. upalai, R. antap, R. goilala, R. udabe, R. watuti, R. peninsularis, R. auga, R. aviavi, R. tekadu, R. sapoi, R. mimani, R. dinga, R. ivimkana, R. loriae, R. grisea, and R. cheesmanae from the Owen Stanley Range of eastern New Guinea. Redescriptions are also provided for five previously described species occurring in this portion of New Guinea: R. peggiae Kirkaldy, R. hirsuta Lansbury, R. priori Lansbury, R. caesius Lansbury and R. aureospicata Lansbury. A regional key is provided for these 39 species of Rhagovelia occurring in the Papuan Peninsula and adjacent island groups, accompanied by figures of the male parameres and other diagnostic morphological structures, and distribution maps for all species.

A taxonomic contribution to the genus Pseudovelia Hoberlandt, 1951 (Hemiptera: Veliidae) from China, with descriptions of ten new species.

Thirteen species of the genus Pseudovelia Hoberlandt are now known from China. Of these, Plongitarsa Andersen, 1983 is the only member of the genus previously recorded from China. P. pusilla Hecher, 1997 and P. tibialis tibialis Esaki & Miyamoto, 1955 are previously described species newly recorded from China. In addition, 10 new species are described as follows: P. anthracina sp. n., P. contorta sp. n., P. extensa sp. n., P. fulva sp. n., P. globosa sp. n., P. hsiaoi sp. n., P. longiseta sp. n., P. piliformis sp. n., P. taiwanensis sp. n., P. vittiformis sp. n. Photographs of the male dorsal habitus, male forelegs, male middle legs, male hind legs, male hind tarsal details and male genitalic structures are provided, accompanied by line drawings of male genitalic structures and a distribution map for all Chinese Pseudovelia species. A key to the males of all 13 Chinese Pseudovelia species is also provided to assist in future identification.

A new species of Velia (Hemiptera: Heteroptera: Veliidae) from West Bengal, India.

A new Oriental species of water crickets, Velia (Cesavelia) mitrai sp. nov. is described from the vicinity of Darjeeling, West Bengal, India. It was collected from a shaded stream with slow current, situated at an altitude of 2006 m a.s.l. within the Neora Valley National Park. This species is the fourth member of this genus known from India.

Two new species of Valleriola (Hemiptera: Heteroptera: Leptopodidae) and taxonomic notes on the tribe Leptopodini Brullé, 1836 from East and Southeast Asia.

Two species of the genus Valleriola Distant, 1904 (Heteroptera: Leptopodomorpha: Leptopodidae: Leptopodinae: Leptopodini) are described as new: Valleriola asiatica sp. nov. from Laos and Hainan Island of China, and Valleriola bui sp. nov. from Laos and Thailand. In addition, Leptopus riparius Hsiao, 1964 is newly recorded for Vietnam, Valleriola javanica Drake & Hottes, 1951 is newly recorded for Laos, and additional records are provided for Leptopus riparius, Valleriola javanica and Valleriola buenoi (Usinger, 1942). Photographs of the dorsal habitus, heads, hemelytra, fore femora, male parameres and live specimens are provided, accompanied by a distribution map for the species of Leptopodini occurring in East and Southeast Asia.

The Leg Sensilla of Insects from Different Habitats-Comparison of Strictly Aquatic and Riparian Bugs (Corixidae, Ochteridae, Gelastocoridae: Nepomorpha: Insecta: Heteroptera).

The aim of this study was to analyze morphological types and arrangement of the leg sensilla of Corixidae, Ochteridae and Gelastocoridae, in relation to their various habitats. The leg sensilla of four species of Corixidae, six of Gelastocoridae and two of Ochteridae were studied. Eight main types of sensilla with six subtypes of sensilla trichodea and four subtypes of sensilla chaetica were found and described. The greatest variability was observed among mechanoreceptive sensilla. The study showed differences in the shape of the legs between strictly aquatic and terrestrial taxa. It is the first attempt to describe leg sensilla among nepomorphan taxa.

Systematics of the Nososticta salomonis complex (Odonata: Zygoptera: Platycnemididae).

We examined the morphology, colour patterns and genetic relationships of Nososticta populations allied to N. salomonis (Selys) from across Melanesia. Seven species-level taxa are recognised in the N. salomonis 'complex': N. africana (Schmidt), N. boonei sp. nov., N. chrismulleri Theischinger & Richards, N. hedigeri sp. nov., N. salomonis (Selys), N. stueberi sp. nov., and N. tagula sp. nov. All of these species are black damselflies with blue markings, and they differ from all other Nososticta by having: 1) a prominent spike on the male superior appendage, 2) a prominent angular base of the male inferior appendage, and 3) a complex posterior lobe on the female pronotum bearing two pairs of processes in the rough shape of a chair when viewed laterally. A molecular phylogeny based on the DNA barcode fragment of the COI gene plus two nuclear genes indicates that these seven species are closely related, but more extensive sampling of Nososticta species is required to confirm that they form a monophyletic group.

Testing Geology with Biology: Plate Tectonics and the Diversification of Microhylid Frogs in the Papuan Region.

Studies of the Papuan region have provided fundamental insights into the evolutionary processes generating its exceptional biodiversity, but the influence of geological processes merits further study. Lying at the junction of five tectonic plates, this region has experienced a turbulent geological history that has not only produced towering mountains allowing elevational specialization and island archipelagos with varying degrees of isolation promoting vicariance, but also active margins where land masses have collided and been subsequently rifted apart creating a mosaic of intermixed terranes with vastly different geological histories. Asterophryine frogs are a hyperdiverse clade representing half the world's microhylid diversity (over 360 species) centered on New Guinea and its satellite islands. We show that vicariance facilitated by geological history explains this far and wide distribution of a clade that should have poor dispersal abilities. We recovered a mainland tectonic unit, the East Papua Composite Terrane (EPCT), as the center of origin for Asterophryinae and no fewer than 71 instances of what appear to be long-distance dispersal events, 29 of which are between mainland regions, with 42 from the mainland to the islands, some presently as far as 200 km away from source populations over open ocean. Furthermore, we find strong support for a "Slow and Steady" hypothesis for the formation of the northern margin of New Guinea by many separate accretion events during the Miocene, over other major geological alternatives, consistent with the 20 M year age of the clade and arrival via the EPCT. In addition, the historical biogeography of our frogs strongly supports an affiliation of the Louisiade Archipelago and Woodlark Island with the Owen Stanley Range on the EPCT, and the recent proximity of the large New Britain Island. Our results show that Asterophryinae did not have to repeatedly and independently disperse across large ocean barriers to the offshore islands, against the predictions of island biogeography theory, but that the current distribution can be explained through vicariance and short-distance oceanic dispersal as historical land connections disappeared and islands slowly became separated from each other. We show that islands have a life history, changing in distance from other land masses, with consequent opportunities for dispersal, isolation, and cladogenesis of their biotas. More broadly, we can begin to see how the geological history of the Papuan region can result in the rapid accumulation and staggering number of extant species.

Two new genera and six new species of Terrestrial Hydrometridae (Hemiptera: Heteroptera) from French Polynesia.

The family Hydrometridae (Hemiptera: Heteroptera) has been previously recorded from French Polynesia based on three species in three genera: Chaetometra robusta (Hungerford, 1939) and Dolichocephalometra pacifica (Van Duzee, 1934) from the Marquesas Islands, and Hydrometra gagnei J. Polhemus & D. Polhemus, 1995 from Tahiti in the Society Islands. Based on recent surveys from montane cloud forest habitats, two new genera and and six new species of Hydrometridae are described from the Marquesas and Society Islands as follows: Marquesametra n. gen. from the Marquesas Islands, containing M. hivaoa n. sp. from Hiva Oa (Mt. Temetiu); and Prohydrometra n. gen. from the Society Islands, containing the previously described P. gagnei n. comb. from Tahiti (Tahiti Nui), and the five new species P. johnpolhemi n. sp. and P. englundi n. sp. from Raiatea (Trois Cascade and Mt. Toomaru respectively); P. tohiea n. sp. and P. moorea n. sp. from Moorea (both from Mt. Tohiea); and P. teatara n. sp. from Tahiti (Mts. Teatara). All of these new species are terrestrial, and with the exception of P. johnpolhemi, which inhabits rheocrenes, represent specialized inhabitants of upland wet forest habitats. This indicates that terrestrial ecologies have evolved multiple times within the Hydrometridae, and are the typical mode of life for species of this family occurring in the insular eastern Pacific.

emCallivelia/em, a new genus for certain Neotropical Veliinae (Heteroptera: Veliidae), including description of a new species.

The new genus Callivelia is proposed to hold three Neotropical species previously held within Paravelia: type-species Callivelia conata (Hungerford), Callivelia taipiensis (Cheesman) and Callivelia bipunctata (Rodrigues, Moreira, Nieser, Chen Melo). Paravelia virtutis (Drake Harris) 1935 is synonymized under Callivelia taipiensis (Cheesman) 1926. In addition, a new species, C. anomala, is described from the Amazon Basin of Brazil. Additional distributional records are provided for the three previously described species treated, including the first country record for C. bipunctata in Paraguay. A key to the species of Callivelia is provided, accompanied by color habitus photographs for all three species, and additional photographs of key generic characters.

Two new species of emOcyochterus/em (Heteroptera: Ochteridae) from Ecuador and Panama.

Two new species of Ocyochterus are described, O. graziae from Ecuador, and O. gilloglyi from Panama, and compared to the other two Andean species previously known in the genus. Dorsal habitus and anterior head photos are provided for all described species of Ocyochterus, and photomicrographs are provided for the male genitalic structures of O. graziae and O. gilloglyi. A distribution map is provided for all species in the genus.

Four new species of Wahnesia Frster, 1900 from the DEntrecasteaux, Louisiade and Woodlark island groups, Papua New Guinea (Odonata: Argiolestidae).

The species of the damselfly genus Wahnesia Frster, 1900 occurring in the DEntrecasteaux Islands, Louisiade Archipelago, and on Woodlark Island are reviewed, and four new species are described: W. muyuw from Woodlark Island, W. misima from Misima Island, W. tagula from Tagula (Sudest) Island, and W. rossel from Rossel Island, these latter three islands all lying in the Louisiade Archipelago. In addition, new information is presented on the identification and distribution of the two previously described species from the DEntrecasteaux islands: W. annulipes (Lieftinck, 1956) from Goodenough, Fergusson, and Normanby islands, and W. armeniaca (Lieftinck, 1956) from Goodenough and Fergusson islands. Illustrations are provided for the male abdominal terminalia and genital ligula of the four new species, as well as the wings and a color photograph of a live male of W. muyuw, and the ligula of W. armeniaca, accompanied by updated distribution maps for all species treated.

Nine new species of Enithares (Heteroptera: Notonectidae) from New Guinea, with distributional notes on other species and an updated world checklist.

Nine new species of Enithares are described from New Guinea and immediately adjacent islands: E. peninsularis from the Owen Stanley Mountains of the Papuan Peninsula, E. bosavi and E. papua from southern Papua New Guinea, E. orsaki from northern Papua New Guinea, E. insularis from the D'Entrecasteaux Islands, E. tagula from the Louisiade Archipelago, E. ziwa from the central mountains of western New Guinea, E. arfak from the Arfak Mountains of the eastern Vogelkop Peninsula, and E. kasim from the western Vogelkop Peninsula. Enithares bakeri is newly recorded from New Guinea, and in combination with the new species described above brings the total number of species of Enithares in New Guinea to 16, and the regional total to 19 when including nearby islands of Waigeo, Biak, the D'Entrecasteaux group, and the Louisiade Archipelago. The species concept of E. atra is clarified and geographically restricted to southeastern New Guinea; specimens previously recorded under this name from northern New Guinea are shown to represent the new species E. orsaki. Additional distribution records for 15 previously described Enithares species are provided for many localities in the Malay Archipelago and mainland Southeast Asia, including the first records of E. bakeri from Lombok, Flores, Timor, Halmahera, and Obi; the first record of E. paramegalops from Ambon; the first records of E. gibbera from Kolombangara and Malaita in the Solomon Islands; the first record of E. intricata from Bali; the first records of E. lombokensis from Flores and Sumba; the first records of E. ripleyana from Halmahera, Ternate and Tidore; and the first record of E. ciliata from Borneo. Photomicrographs of key characters and distribution maps are provided for all new species described, accompanied by an updated world checklist for the genus with distributional notes and associated references.

A new species of Leptopus (Heteroptera: Leptopodidae) from caves in Iran, with notes on other cavernicolous Iranian Heteroptera.

The new species Leptopus gakalae is described from caves in Iran and compared to congeners occurring in the western Palearctic region. Figures are provided of the dorsal habitus and diagnostic morphological characters. Also provided are additional records for other species of Leptopus Latrielle, 1809, occurring from India westward through Europe and North Africa, as well as the first North American record of Leptopus marmoratus (Goeze, 1778) based on an agricultural quarantine intercept. A key is provided to all species of Leptopus occurring in the Western Palearctic region. Notes are also provided on other species of Heteroptera occurring in Iranian caves, with special reference to the small water strider Velia affinis Kolenati, 1857.

Review of the Mesovelia horvathi species complex (Hemiptera: Gerromorpha: Mesoveliidae), with the description of seven new species from India.

Seven new species from India are described in the Mesovelia horvathi species complex and assigned to two putatively monophyletic species groups. Mesovelia brevia sp. nov. and M. dilatata sp. nov., both occurring in Tamil Nadu and Meghalaya, and M. occulta sp. nov., known from only Tamil Nadu, are described and placed in the Mesovelia horvathi species group. Mesovelia andamana sp. nov. from the Andaman Islands, M. bispinosa sp. nov. and M. isiasi sp. nov. from Meghalaya, and M. tenuia sp. nov. from Tamil Nadu, are described and placed in the M. andamana species group. Photographs of morphological characters, distribution maps, and a key to males are provided for all of the species treated.

Altavelia, a new genus of Neotropical Veliinae (Heteroptera: Gerromorpha: Veliidae), with a key to species and descriptions of four new species from Colombia.

The new genus Altavelia Polhemus Moreira (Heteroptera: Gerromorpha: Veliidae) includes seven species previously contained in the inveruglas group of Paravelia Breddin, 1898 and four new species from Colombia: A. altoandina Molano Morales, A. antioquia Molano Morales, A. montana Molano Morales, and A. quindiana Molano Morales. Additionally, A. amoena (Drake, 1957) is synonymized with A. flavomarginata (Hungerford, 1930). The genus is characterized by prominent setal tufts or sclerotized wing-like processes on the male proctiger; elongate body shape with long, slender legs; uniformly blackish forewings; antennal segment I longest; and the female abdomen with tergum VIII deflexed. Species in this genus occur at high elevations in the Andes Mountains with records from 1500 to 3600 m. A key is provided to all 11 species in the genus and new distributional records are presented for A. boliviana (Breddin, 1898), A. columbiensis (Hungerford, 1930), and A. flavomarginata.

A new species and new records of Engytatus from the Hawaiian Islands (Heteroptera, Miridae).

Engytatushenryi sp. n. is described from the Waianae Mountains of Oahu. This new species feeds on Abutilonsandwicense (Malvaceae), an endangered understory plant in mesic forests. A dorsal habitus photograph and line drawings of key male genitalic structures are provided for E.henryi, accompanied by a photograph of the host plant. Cyrtopeltiskahakai Asquith is given a new generic assignment as Engytatuskahakai (Asquith) new combination, and additional locality and host-plant records are provided for four other Hawaiian endemic Engytatus species.