Genetic Analysis Reveals a Distinct Lineage of Hog Deer (Axis porcinus) in Kratie Province, Cambodia.

The hog deer (Axis porcinus) is an endangered cervid with drastic population declines. There are 2 recognized subspecies of hog deer: A. p. porcinus, ranging from Punjab Province in Pakistan, Nepal, and the Northern part of India to Myanmar, and A. p. annamiticus found in Indo-China, Thailand, Laos, Cambodia, and Vietnam. The current geographic range of A. p. annamiticus is still ambiguous. We analyzed variation in the mitochondrial DNA control region (mtDNA CR) to investigate the intra-species structure, differentiation, and demographic history of hog deer from Cambodia (Kratie Province), which we compared with the populations from India and Thailand. We also generated divergence time estimates using a concatenated dataset of complete Cyt b and partial CR. The CR data showed that Cambodian hog deer are genetically differentiated from the mainland Indian and Thai populations, forming a distinct basal clade. The time of divergence indicates that the Cambodian lineage split from the other 2 hog deer lineages around 0.51 Mya, during the Late Pleistocene. The results also suggest strong phylogeographic structure among hog deer: lineage A extends from Terai Arc (foothills of the Himalayas) to Assam, India (A. p. porcinus), lineage B from Manipur, India to Thailand (A. p. annamiticus), and lineage C is only known from Kratie Province, Cambodia. Lineage A exhibited a higher level of genetic diversity than lineages B and C, with recent demographic stability. Thus, the hog deer population in Kratie Province appears to be a distinct lineage that should be treated as an evolutionarily significant unit.

Precision mapping of snail habitat provides a powerful indicator of human schistosomiasis transmission.

Recently, the World Health Organization recognized that efforts to interrupt schistosomiasis transmission through mass drug administration have been ineffective in some regions; one of their new recommended strategies for global schistosomiasis control emphasizes targeting the freshwater snails that transmit schistosome parasites. We sought to identify robust indicators that would enable precision targeting of these snails. At the site of the world's largest recorded schistosomiasis epidemic-the Lower Senegal River Basin in Senegal-intensive sampling revealed positive relationships between intermediate host snails (abundance, density, and prevalence) and human urogenital schistosomiasis reinfection (prevalence and intensity in schoolchildren after drug administration). However, we also found that snail distributions were so patchy in space and time that obtaining useful data required effort that exceeds what is feasible in standard monitoring and control campaigns. Instead, we identified several environmental proxies that were more effective than snail variables for predicting human infection: the area covered by suitable snail habitat (i.e., floating, nonemergent vegetation), the percent cover by suitable snail habitat, and size of the water contact area. Unlike snail surveys, which require hundreds of person-hours per site to conduct, habitat coverage and site area can be quickly estimated with drone or satellite imagery. This, in turn, makes possible large-scale, high-resolution estimation of human urogenital schistosomiasis risk to support targeting of both mass drug administration and snail control efforts.

Evolution of endemism on a young tropical mountain.

Tropical mountains are hot spots of biodiversity and endemism, but the evolutionary origins of their unique biotas are poorly understood. In varying degrees, local and regional extinction, long-distance colonization, and local recruitment may all contribute to the exceptional character of these communities. Also, it is debated whether mountain endemics mostly originate from local lowland taxa, or from lineages that reach the mountain by long-range dispersal from cool localities elsewhere. Here we investigate the evolutionary routes to endemism by sampling an entire tropical mountain biota on the 4,095-metre-high Mount Kinabalu in Sabah, East Malaysia. We discover that most of its unique biodiversity is younger than the mountain itself (6 million years), and comprises a mix of immigrant pre-adapted lineages and descendants from local lowland ancestors, although substantial shifts from lower to higher vegetation zones in this latter group were rare. These insights could improve forecasts of the likelihood of extinction and 'evolutionary rescue' in montane biodiversity hot spots under climate change scenarios.

Dominant predators mediate the impact of habitat size on trophic structure in bromeliad invertebrate communities.

Local habitat size has been shown to influence colonization and extinction processes of species in patchy environments. However, species differ in body size, mobility, and trophic level, and may not respond in the same way to habitat size. Thus far, we have a limited understanding of how habitat size influences the structure of multitrophic communities and to what extent the effects may be generalizable over a broad geographic range. Here, we used water-filled bromeliads of different sizes as a natural model system to examine the effects of habitat size on the trophic structure of their inhabiting invertebrate communities. We collected composition and biomass data from 651 bromeliad communities from eight sites across Central and South America differing in environmental conditions, species pools, and the presence of large-bodied odonate predators. We found that trophic structure in the communities changed dramatically with changes in habitat (bromeliad) size. Detritivore : resource ratios showed a consistent negative relationship with habitat size across sites. In contrast, changes in predator: detritivore (prey) ratios depended on the presence of odonates as dominant predators in the regional pool. At sites without odonates, predator: detritivore biomass ratios decreased with increasing habitat size. At sites with odonates, we found odonates to be more frequently present in large than in small bromeliads, and predator: detritivore biomass ratios increased with increasing habitat size to the point where some trophic pyramids became inverted. Our results show that the distribution of biomass amongst food-web levels depends strongly on habitat size, largely irrespective of geographic differences in environmental conditions or detritivore species compositions. However, the presence of large-bodied predators in the regional species pool may fundamentally alter this relationship between habitat size and trophic structure. We conclude that taking into account the response and multitrophic effects of dominant, mobile species may be critical when predicting changes in community structure along a habitat-size gradient.

Leaf litter copepods from a cloud forest mountain top in Honduras (Copepoda: Cyclopidae, Canthocamptidae).

Five different species of Copepoda were extracted from a leaf litter sample collected on the top (at 2000 m a.s.l.) of a cloud forested mountain in El Cusuco National Park, Honduras. Three of them, one Cyclopidae and two Canthocamptidae are new to science, and are described herein. Olmeccyclops hondo sp. nov. is the second representative thus far known of this New World genus. Moraria catracha sp. nov. and Moraria cusuca sp. nov. are the first formally described members of the genus occurring in Central America. The concept of a "Moraria-group" is considered to be an artificial grouping and is limited here to the genera Moraria and Morariopsis only. The distributional range of this group is essentially Holarctic, with the mountainous regions in Honduras, and probably in west Nicaragua, as the southernmost limits in the New World.

Dragonflies of Cusuco National Park, Honduras; checklist, new country records and the description of a new species of Palaemnema Selys, 1860 (Odonata: Platystictidae).

The odonate fauna of Honduras is poorly documented. Based on 10 years of observations and collections we present an overview of dragonflies from cloud forests in Cusuco National Park, northwestern Honduras. A total of 44 species were reported including at least seven new country records for Honduras we include ecological observations for most species. A new species of Platystictidae (Palaemnema lorae Jocque & Garrison, n. sp. Holotype ♂: HONDURAS: Cortés Dept., CNP, Cantiles, Trail 5, small river close to camp, N15.513457 W88.241681; 1846m, 23 June 2012 collected by Merlijn Jocque, field code: BINCO_HON_12_047, in RBINS) is described and illustrated.

Untangling the waterfall damsels: a review of the Mesoamerican genus Paraphlebia Selys in Hagen, 1861 (Odonata: Thaumatoneuridae) with descriptions of 11 new species.

A review of the Mesoamerican genus Paraphlebia Selys in Hagen, 1861 is presented, including diagnoses, illustrations of diagnostic characters, and distribution maps for all species. A key to the known males and females is provided. Eleven new species are described: P. akan Ortega-Salas Gonzlez-Soriano. sp. nov., P. chaak Ortega-Salas Gonzlez-Soriano sp. nov., P. chiarae Ortega-Salas sp. nov., P. esperanza Ortega-Salas Gonzlez-Soriano sp. nov., P. flinti Ortega-Salas Gonzlez-Soriano sp. nov., P. hunnal Ortega-Salas Gonzlez-Soriano sp. nov., P. itzamna Ortega-Salas, Jocque Gonzlez-Soriano sp. nov., P. ixchel Ortega-Salas Gonzlez-Soriano sp. nov., P. kauil Ortega-Salas Gonzlez-Soriano sp. nov., P. kinich Ortega-Salas Gonzlez-Soriano sp. nov., and P. kukulkan Jocque Ortega-Salas sp. nov.

New or rare Madagascar tiger beetles26. A new species of the genus Pogonostoma Klug from northwestern Madagascar and a revised key to the Pogonostoma (P.) srnkai species-group (Coleoptera: Cicindelidae).

A new species of the genus Pogonostoma Klug, 1835, P. (Pogonostoma) mahimborondrense Moravec Wiesner sp. nov. is described as new to science from the Mahimborondro protected area in Northern Highlands, northwestern Madagascar. By its unique complex of diagnostic characters, the new species is incomparable to any other species within the genus. It is placed here into the Pogonostoma (P.) srnkai species-group (in the concept presented in the monograph of the genus by Moravec 2007). A revised key to species of the species-group is presented in order to supplement the key in the monograph. Habitus and diagnostic characters of the new species are illustrated in colour photographs. Maps and photos of the occurrence of the new species in Mahimborondro are also presented.

A new Cangoderces (Araneae, Telemidae) from DR Congo, the first telemid from Central Africa.

Spiders collected as part of a rapid biodiversity survey in lowland forest in Democratic Republic Congo contained a new species of Cangoderces Harington, 1951 (Telemidae). The male of the new Cangoderces wewef sp. n. is characterized by the male palp with a deep triangular dorsal indentation of the bulbus and the apophyses at the base of the embolus. The female is recognized by the shape of the sclerotized spermatheca in the endogyne. The presence of the species in DR Congo fills the huge distribution gap between the species known from South Africa, Kenya and western Africa.

Notes on a small collection of Prioninae from North-East Madagascar with the description of a new Schizodontus/ Quentin amp; Villiers, 1974 (Cerambycidae, Closterini).

We present observations from a small collection of longhorns belonging to the subfamily Prioninae and collected during an expedition in the rainy season to a newly designated protected area, Mahimborondro, in North-East Madagascar. The material includes a new species (S. mahimborondroensis sp. nov.) of Closterini (Prioninae) from a small genus with only two described species (Schizodontus angustus Quentin Villiers, 1974 and S. latus Quentin Villiers, 1974). An identification key to the three species is included.

A new species of Derobrachus Audinet-Serville, 1832 (Coleoptera, Cerambycidae, Prioninae) from a cloud forest in Honduras.

A yearly biodiversity monitoring of longhorned beetles (Cerambycidae) in a Honduran cloud forest revealed a new species of prionine. Derobrachus cusucoensis sp. nov. is a locally relatively common species described from Cusuco National Park in Honduras, becoming the ninth species of this genus recorded for the country. Similar both in morphology and a montane habitat to D. dohrni, there is a possibility that this new species represents a disconnected population from the latter that evolved separately. An adapted insert for an existing identification key to all Derobrachus species is included.

Host niche may determine disease-driven extinction risk.

The fungal pathogen Batrachochytrium dendrobatidis (Bd) drives declines and extinctions in amphibian communities. However, not all regions and species are equally affected. Here, we show that association with amphibian aquatic habitat types (bromeliad phytotelmata versus stream) across Central America results in the odds of being threatened by Bd being five times higher in stream microhabitats. This differential threat of Bd was supported in our study by a significantly lower prevalence of Bd in bromeliad-associated amphibian species compared to riparian species in Honduran cloud forests. Evidence that the bromeliad environment is less favorable for Bd transmission is exemplified by significantly less suitable physicochemical conditions and higher abundance of Bd-ingesting micro-eukaryotes present in bromeliad water. These factors may inhibit aquatic Bd zoospore survival and the development of an environmental reservoir of the pathogen. Bromeliad phytotelmata thus may act as environmental refuges from Bd, which contribute to protecting associated amphibian communities against chytridiomycosis-driven amphibian declines that threaten the nearby riparian communities.

Nearly 400 million people are at higher risk of schistosomiasis because dams block the migration of snail-eating river prawns.

Dams have long been associated with elevated burdens of human schistosomiasis, but how dams increase disease is not always clear, in part because dams have many ecological and socio-economic effects. A recent hypothesis argues that dams block reproduction of the migratory river prawns that eat the snail hosts of schistosomiasis. In the Senegal River Basin, there is evidence that prawn populations declined and schistosomiasis increased after completion of the Diama Dam. Restoring prawns to a water-access site upstream of the dam reduced snail density and reinfection rates in people. However, whether a similar cascade of effects (from dams to prawns to snails to human schistosomiasis) occurs elsewhere is unknown. Here, we examine large dams worldwide and identify where their catchments intersect with endemic schistosomiasis and the historical habitat ranges of large, migratory Macrobrachium spp. prawns. River prawn habitats are widespread, and we estimate that 277-385 million people live within schistosomiasis-endemic regions where river prawns are or were present (out of the 800 million people who are at risk of schistosomiasis). Using a published repository of schistosomiasis studies in sub-Saharan Africa, we compared infection before and after the construction of 14 large dams for people living in: (i) upstream catchments within historical habitats of native prawns, (ii) comparable undammed watersheds, and (iii) dammed catchments beyond the historical reach of migratory prawns. Damming was followed by greater increases in schistosomiasis within prawn habitats than outside prawn habitats. We estimate that one third to one half of the global population-at-risk of schistosomiasis could benefit from restoration of native prawns. Because dams block prawn migrations, our results suggest that prawn extirpation contributes to the sharp increase of schistosomiasis after damming, and points to prawn restoration as an ecological solution for reducing human disease.This article is part of the themed issue 'Conservation, biodiversity and infectious disease: scientific evidence and policy implications'.

Newly discovered populations of the Ethiopian endemic and endangered Afrixalus clarkei Largen, implications for conservation.

Knowledge of the Ethiopian amphibian fauna is limited and Southwest Ethiopia remains understudied. This part of Ethiopia, where most of the country's remaining natural forest is situated, is known to harbour the only populations of Afrixalus clarkei (Largen), an endemic banana frog, worldwide. This species is under great threat of extinction and is therefore classified as endangered on the IUCN red list. We surveyed different potential habitats for this species outside its known range and found several new populations extending its known habitat preference, and the geographical and altitudinal range of the species. We here show that Afrixalus clarkei is more common than previously thought.

A new biogeographically disjunct giant gecko (Gehyra: Gekkonidae: Reptilia) from the East Melanesian Islands.

The East Melanesian Islands have been a focal area for research into island biogeography and community ecology. However, previously undescribed and biogeographically significant new species endemic to this region continue to be discovered. Here we describe a phylogenetically distinct (~20% divergence at the mitochondrial ND2 gene) and biogeographically disjunct new species of gecko in the genus Gehyra, from the Admiralty and St Matthias Islands. Gehyra rohan sp. nov. can be distinguished from all congeners by the combination of its very large size, ring of bright orange scales around the eye, moderate degree of lateral folding on the limbs and body, and aspects of head, body and tail scalation. Molecular data indicate mid to late Miocene divergence of the new species from nearest relatives occurring nearly 2000 kilometres away in Vanuatu and Fiji. Large Gehyra have not been recorded on the intervening large islands of the Bismark Archipelago (New Britain and New Ireland) and the Solomon Islands, suggesting this dispersal pre-dated the current configuration of these islands, extinction in intervening regions, or potentially elements of both. Conversely, low genetic divergence between disjunct samples on Manus and Mussau implies recent overseas dispersal via either natural or anthropogenic means.

Microdrile Oligochaeta in bromeliad pools of a Honduran cloud forest.

Phytotelmata, or plant-held water bodies, often house complex aquatic invertebrate communities. Microdrile oligochaetes (Clitellata, Annelida) are known to be part of that community, but specimens are rarely identified to species level. Here we report three species of Enchytraeidae and three species of Naididae from a collection sampled in phytotelms of bromeliads in Cusuco National Park, Honduras. Two species of enchytraeids are new to science. Bryodrilus hondurensis sp. nov. is distinguished from other members of the genus by the high number of ventral chaetae, up to 11 per bundle. The genus is Holarctic and this is the southernmost record so far of a Bryodrilus species. Hemienchytraeus phytotelmatus sp. nov. is distinguished by a combination of characters, among which the huge spermathecae and seminal vesicles are most conspicuous. The genus is common in tropical and subtropical soils around the world. A third species of enchytraeids in the collection, Cernosvitoviella atrata (Bretscher), is redescribed, together with three known species of Naididae, Pristina jenkinae (Stephenson), Pristina osborni (Walton) and Pristina terrena Collado & Schmelz. Presence of ingested debris and humus in the intestine of most specimens suggests that the collected animals live and reproduce in the phytotelms. We provide a list of oligochaete species recorded so far from bromeliad pools in Central and South America.

Terrestrial Dispersal and Potential Environmental Transmission of the Amphibian Chytrid Fungus (Batrachochytrium dendrobatidis).

Dispersal and exposure to amphibian chytrid fungus (Batrachochytrium dendrobatidis, Bd) is not confined to the aquatic habitat, but little is known about pathways that facilitate exposure to wild terrestrial amphibians that do not typically enter bodies of water. We explored the possible spread of Bd from an aquatic reservoir to terrestrial substrates by the emergence of recently metamorphosed infected amphibians and potential deposition of Bd-positive residue on riparian vegetation in Cusuco National Park, Honduras (CNP). Amphibians and their respective leaf perches were both sampled for Bd presence and the pathogen was detected on 76.1% (35/46) of leaves where a Bd-positive frog had rested. Although the viability of Bd detected on these leaves cannot be discerned from our quantitative PCR results, the cool air temperature, closed canopy, and high humidity of this cloud forest environment in CNP is expected to encourage pathogen persistence. High prevalence of infection (88.5%) detected in the recently metamorphosed amphibians and frequent shedding of Bd-positive residue on foliage demonstrates a pathway of Bd dispersal between aquatic and terrestrial habitats. This pathway provides the opportunity for environmental transmission of Bd among and between amphibian species without direct physical contact or exposure to an aquatic habitat.

Freshwater Rhabdocoela (Platyhelminthes) from ephemeral rock pools from Botswana, with the description of four new species and one new genus.

Four new species of freshwater rhabdocoel flatworms from ephemeral rock pools in southeastern Botswana are described and discussed. Two of them, Syringoplana kolasai n. gen. n. sp. and Mesostoma thamagai n. sp. belong to the Typhloplanidae Graff, 1905. The unique construction of the excretory system is the main characteristic of S. kolasai. M. thamagai can be separated from other Mesostoma Ehrenberg, 1837 species by the presence of a bundle of eosinophilic glands at the transition from oviduct to seminal receptacle. The other two taxa, Gieysztoria isoldeae n. sp. and G. faubeli n. sp. belong to the Dalyelliidae Graff, 1905. G. isoldeae is characterised by the presence of four separate hollow spines in the male atrium, which are connected to two accessory glandular organs. G. faubeli can be separated from other Gieysztoria Ruebush and Hayes, 1939 species by the detailed construction of the stylet. Apart from these two species the occurrence of an unidentified Microdalyellia Gieysztor, 1938 species is mentioned.

A new species in the genus Amphipteryx Selys, 1853 (Odonata, Amphipterygidae) from Pico Bonito National Park, Honduras.

The Mesoamerican damselfly genus Amphipteryx includes four species: Amphipteryx agrioides (Mexico), A. chiapensis (Mexico), A. meridionalis (Honduras) and A. nataliae (Verapaz, Guatemala). We describe a fifth species, Amphipteryx jaroli, from the cloud forest in Pico Bonito National park, Honduras. Additionally we include an up to date key of all species in the genus for both sexes.

ResumenEl género Mesoamericano del zigóptero Amphipteryx incluye cuatro especies: Amphipteryx agrioides, (Mexico), A. chiapensis (Mexico), A. meridionalis (Honduras) y A. nataliae (Verapaz, Guatemala). Se describe una quinta especie, Amphyterix jaroli, localizada en ul bosque nublado del Parque Nacional Pico Bonito, Honduras. Adicionalmente se incluye una clave actualizada de todas las especies del género, tanto para machos como hembras.

A new genus of Psychodinae (Diptera, Psychodidae) from phytotelmata in a Honduran cloud forest.

Larvae of a new species of Psychodinae, Moruseodina cusucoensis gen. et sp. nov., were collected during a biodiversity survey of aquatic invertebrates in plant held water bodies (phytotelmata) in Cusuco National Park, Honduras. The fourth instar larva, pupa and adult male are described based on reared material. The new species was difficult to place in an existing genus, thus a new genus name is proposed. Based on similarities in morphological characteristics, ecology and distribution, the species Moruseodina superba comb. nov. and Moruseodina conspicua comb. nov. are transferred from Telmatoscopus Eaton, 1904 to the new genus.