Poupin J. & Malay M. C. 2009. — Identification of a Ciliopagurus strigatus (Herbst, 1804) species-complex, with description of a new species from French Polynesia (Crustacea, Decapoda, Anomura, Diogenidae). Zoosystema 31 (2): 209-232.

Four hermit crabs of the genus Ciliopagurus are recognized as a complex of species named the “strigatus complex”. They are found in the low intertidal or shallow waters of the Indo-West Pacific. Ciliopagurus strigatus (Herbst, 1804) is characterized by striped legs and chelae with alternate yellow and red transverse colour bands. It is commonly found on reef habitats and is reported from the Red Sea to French Polynesia. Ciliopagurus tricolor Forest, 1995 is reported with certainty from East Africa to Réunion Island, C. vakovako Poupin, 2001 is endemic to the Marquesas Islands, and C. galzini n. sp. is described as a new species from specimens collected in the Tuamotus. Within the 17 extant species of the genus Ciliopagurus, these four species are distinct by the aspect of the ocular acicle with 3–5 terminal spines instead of usually 1 or 2 in the other species, a few morphometric characters, and by their vertical distribution, from intertidal to about 20 m, whereas all the other species are usually collected deeper. The species of the “strigatus complex” are morphologically very similar and can be separated with confidence only by their coloration. All of them have similar colour patterns of transverse bands on the chelipeds and walking legs, but each species can be easily recognized by the distinct colour and/or disposition of these bands. The appraisal of these colour differences as valuable specific indicators is confirmed by phylogenetic analysis of mitochondrial and nuclear DNA sequences.

Kitahara M. V. & Cairns S. D. 2009. — A revision of the genus Deltocyathus Milne Edwards & Haime, 1848 (Scleractinia, Caryophylliidae) from New Caledonia, with the description of a new species. Zoosystema 31 (2): 233-248.

Based on part of the material collected during the HALIPRO 1, BATHUS 3, BATHUS 4, and NORFOLK 2 expeditions by the Muséum national d'Histoire naturelle, Paris off New Caledonia, 10 species of scleractinian corals belonging to the genus Deltocyathus were identified: D. magnificas, D. rotulas, D. suluensis, D. vaughani, D. ornatus, D. heteroclitus, D. corrugatus, D. crassiseptum, D. cameratus and D. inusitatus n. sp. These 10 species are fully described and illustrated, their distributional and bathymetric ranges are given. A brief history and an identification key for all species belonging to this genus are provided.

Jaume D., Sket B. & Boxshall G. A. 2009. — New subterranean Sebidae (Crustacea, Amphipoda, Gammaridea) from Vietnam and SW Pacific. Zoosystema 31 (2): 249-277.

Three new species of the stygobiotic genus Seborgia (Amphipoda, Sebidae) are described from anchialine waters on the Loyalty Islands and on Vanuatu (Melanesia), and from slightly brackish groundwaters in the Gulf of Tonkin (Vietnam). Seborgia sanctensis n. sp. displays a biramous third uropod, a feature never previously reported in sebids. The same species is also noteworthy in having a bilobed maxilla, a trait currently regarded as diagnostic of the Sebinae. Even though these features could be interpreted as evidence supporting the establishment of a separate, new genus for this taxon, its overall similarity with the other Seborgia species is striking, and we prefer to consider it as the representative of the genus exhibiting the most plesiomorphic character states. The other Seborgia species display a relatively derived, regressive condition in both of these characters. The biramous third uropod of Seborgia sanctensis n. sp., the posterior part of the body strongly reflexed beneath the pereion when alive, the fusion of the basis segments of the paired maxillipeds in S. kanaka n. sp., and the entire telson, all lend additional support to previous suggestions that the sebids should be included among the leucothoideans. The discovery of Seborgia sanctensis n. sp. and S. kanaka n. sp., two species retaining the visual apparatus or at least traces of it, in anchialine pools located on coarse non-consolidated sediments suggests that this type of crevicular habitat is the primary habitat for the genus, and leads us to infer that Seborgia has probably come to occupy inland subterranean habitats by way of marine regressions.

Galil B. S. 2009. — An examination of the genus Philyra Leach, 1817 (Crustacea, Decapoda, Leucosiidae) with descriptions of seven new genera and six new species. Zoosystema 31 (2):279-320.

A study of the leucosiid genus Philyra Leach, 1817 led to realization that it is restricted to its type species, P. globus (Fabricius, 1775) and one new species, P. samia n. sp. Seven new genera are described: Afrophila n. gen. for P. punctata Bell, 1855; Atlantolocia for P. laevidorsalis Miers, 1881; Atlantophila n. gen. for P. cristata Miers, 1881; Hiplyra n. gen. for P. variegata (Rüppell, 1830), P. platycheir De Haan, 1841, P. longimana A. Milne Edwards, 1874, P. variegata var. elegans Gravier, 1920, and two new species, H. michellinae n. gen., n. sp. and H. sagitta n. gen., n. sp.; Lyphira n. gen. for P. heterograna Ortmann, 1892, and three new species, L. natalensis n. gen., n. sp., L. perplexa n. gen., n. sp., and L. ovata n. gen., n. sp.; Pyrhila n. gen. for P. pisum De Haan, 1841, P. carinata Bell, 1855, P. biprotubera Dai & Guan, 1986; and Ryphila n. gen. for P. cancellus (Herbst, 1783), and P. verrucosa Henderson, 1893. All genera are diagnosed and species are described or redescribed and illustrated, extended synonymies are given, and a key for their identification is provided.

Damborenea C. & Brusa F. 2009. — A new species of Temnosewellia (Platyhelminthes, Temnocephalida) ectosymbiont on Villopotamon thaii (Crustacea, Decapoda, Potamidae) from Vietnam. Zoosystema 31 (2): 321-332.

A new species of the genus Temnosewellia (Platyhelminthes, Temnocephalida, Temnocephalidae), Temnosewellia vietnamensis n. sp., is described from Quangnam Province, Vietnam, ectosymbiont on the external carapace of Villopotamon thaii Dang & Ho, 2003 (Crustacea, Decapoda, Potamidae). Records of temnocephalans from the region of Southeast Asia are superficial despite a great number of potential host species. Temnosewellia semperi (Weber, 1889), is the only known species and has been recorded from Aru, Java, Sumatra, Philippines, Malaysia, Thailand and China. In 2003, temnocephalans were reported for the first time from Vietnam which led to the current description of a new species based largely on characters from adults and eggs. The new species has five anterior tentacles; black pigment confined to the eyes; an ejaculatory sac; a cirrus straight that is not dilated and which has an obvious distal unspined region; anterior parenchyma with only two Haswell cells; yellow, slightly reniform eggs, that lack a peduncle and which are deposited on host carapace. The opercular plates of the eggs form a ring of seven almost rectangular shapes. The fracture plane of the operculum is parallel to the long axis of the egg. The great number of potential host species available in the Southeast Asia is taken as evidence that the region may harbour many other, yet undescribed, temnocephalan species.

Holland N. D., Jones W. J., Ellena J., Ruhl H. A. & Smith Jr K. L. 2009. — A new deep-sea species of epibenthic acorn worm (Hemichordata, Enteropneusta). Zoosystema 31 (2): 333-346.

Individuals of an enteropneust, Tergivelum baldwinae n. gen., n. sp. were videotaped at a depth of about 4 km in the eastern Pacific and collected by a remotely operated vehicle. The living worms range in length from 9 to 28 cm and are dark brown anteriorly and beige posteriorly. The proboscis is shaped like a shallow dome, indented on either side by a laterodorsal fossa housing a prominent proboscis nerve. The collar comprises a thin transverse crest dorsally and two laterally projecting lips on either side of the mouth ventrally. The mouth is oriented parallel to the substratum and is flanked by large left and right buccal muscles (contrasting with the rudimentary musculature elsewhere in the body). The respiratory pharynx of the trunk extends far anteriorly so that much of it lies dorsal to the mouth opening. The gill bars are not joined by synapticles. The laterodorsal body wall at the anterior extremity of the trunk extends as two conspicuous flaps (back veils) that run posteriorly as unattached coverings over the anterior 30–50% of the trunk. On either side of the midline, the body wall of the trunk is extended as a narrow lateroventral fold. Within the trunk runs the intestine, which lacks hepatic sacculations and opens at an anus at the posterior end of the body. Frame analysis of videotapes suggests that the worm can secrete a mass of mucus around the body to facilitate demersal drifting from one epibenthic foraging site to the next. We include a preliminary phylogenetic analysis based on rDNA sequences from T. baldwinae n. gen., n. sp. and additional deep-sea enteropneusts not yet formally described taxonomically (sequence data place them unexpectedly close to ptychoderids). Until more is known about the group as a whole, it is prudent to leave family level classification of T. baldwinae n. gen., n. sp. as incertae sedis.

Korzun L. P., Érard C., Gasc J.-P. & Dzerzhinsky F. J. 2009. — Adaptation of seedsnipes (Aves, Charadriiformes, Thinocoridae) to browsing: a study of their feeding apparatus. Zoosystema31 (2): 347-368.

The present study describes in detail for the first time the skeleto-muscular system of the jaw and hyoid apparatus (i.e. feeding apparatus) of seedsnipes (Thinocoridae), a small (two genera, four species) South-American bird family the biology and particularly the diet of which are still barely known. Morpho-functional analyses interpreted in the light of presently available behavioural and diet data show a strongly developed adaptation to the removal of attached plant items based on the acquisition of the separate control of jaws. In order to acquire this mechanism and because they are separated in two very different size-classes, large Attagis and small Thinocorus species did not modify the same osteo-muscular structures. Attagis species expanded m. pseudotemporalis superficialis of which they increased the intricacy of the internal aponeurotic system. Thinocorus species evolved a specific orbito-zygomatic process (mainly by expansion and fusion of postorbital and zygomatic processes by ossification of aponeuroses), expanded the medial portion of the external adductor of the mandible and increased the complexity of the aponeuroses of this medial portion. Seedsnipes appear to be well specialized in the continuous removal of small plant fragments thanks to a tongue raising mechanism joint to enlarged salivary glands and crenate areas in the buccal cavity. Thinocoridae seem to have followed a morpho-functional evolutionary pathway similar to that followed by sandgrouse (Pteroclididae) in the course of the adaptation of their bill and hyoid apparatus to a vegetarian diet essentially based on the removal of small attached plant fragments in rather similar habitat conditions.

Chavatte J.-M., Grès V., Snounou G., Chabaud A. & Landau I. 2009. — Plasmodium (Apicomplexa) of the skylark (Alauda arvensis). Zoosystema 31 (2): 369-383.

Plasmodium parasites were sought in 30 skylarks (Alauda arvensis) captured in the Département des Landes (France) during the post-mating migration. Parasite prevalence was low (6/30) while intra-specific diversity was high (14 species). Five species were morphologically indistinguishable from those found in the magpie (Pica pica) from the Paris region: Plasmodium dorsti, P. bioccai, P. ghadiriani, P. dherteae, and P. relictum quentini n. subsp. Two species had been described in other birds: P. rouxi and P. hexamerium. The species Plasmodium alaudae (Celli & Sanfelice, 1891) is redefined in this article. Finally, five new species are described and named: P. reniai n. sp., P. coluzzii n. sp., P. caloti n. sp., P. ginsburgi n. sp. and P. jeanriouxi n. sp., and one, Plasmodium sp. is described but not named. The pattern of infection in the skylark, a migratory gregarious bird, is compared to that of the magpie, a solitary sedentary bird.