[Herpetology • 2023] Limnonectes phyllofolia • A New Species of terrestrially-nesting Fanged Frog (Anura: Dicroglossidae) from Sulawesi Island, Indonesia

Limnonectes phyllofolia 

 Frederick, Iskandar, Riyanto, Hamidy, Reilly, Stubbs, Bloch, Bach & McGuire, 2023

DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0292598

 

Abstract

Herein, we describe a new species of terrestrially-nesting fanged frog from Sulawesi Island, Indonesia. Though male nest attendance and terrestrial egg deposition is known in one other Sulawesi fanged frog (Limnonectes arathooni), the new species exhibits a derived reproductive mode unique to the Sulawesi assemblage; male frogs guard one or more clutches of eggs festooned to leaves or mossy boulders one to two meters above small slow-moving streams, trickles, or seeps. This island endemic has thus far been collected at three sites on Sulawesi: one in the Central Core of the island, and two on the Southwest Peninsula—south of the Tempe Depression (a major biogeographical boundary). The new Limnonectes has the smallest adult body size among its Sulawesi congeners—with a maximum snout-vent length of about 30 millimeters. Beyond its unique reproductive behavior and body size, the species is further diagnosed on the basis of advertisement call and genetic distance from sympatric fanged frogs. The discovery and description of the new species highlights the remarkable reproductive trait diversity that characterizes the Sulawesi fanged frog assemblage despite that most species in this radiation have yet to be formally described.

 

Limnonectes phyllofolia sp. nov. in life.
(A) A male L. phyllofolia (no voucher) guards an egg clutch on a leaf 0.2 meters above a slow spring-fed stream on Gunung Balease—24 October 2010, 21:05 h. (B) A male L. phyllofolia, MVZ:Herp:295234, guards an egg clutch 0.6 m up on a 2 m tall mossy boulder overhanging a stream in Bantimurung National Park—25 June 2014, 20:30 h. (C) A male L. phyllofolia, MVZ:Herp:295430, guards an egg clutch on a leaf 0.2 m above a puddle in Bantimurung National Park—25 June 2014, 22:25 h.
(D) A male L. phyllofolia, MVZ:Herp:295248, guards an egg clutch on a mossy boulder 1 m above a 1 m wide cascading stream in Bantimurung National Park—25 June 2014, 21:38 h. (E) A male L. phyllofolia (no voucher) guards an egg clutch on a leaf while larvae hatch and drop into the water below.

Limnonectes phyllofolia sp. nov.

Diagnosis: L. phyllofolia sp. nov. can be diagnosed on the basis of the following combination of character states: (1) small body size, (2) reduced webbing, (3) unique advertisement call, (4) a heretofore unique reproductive mode, and (5) by geographic range—being restricted to localities on the Southwest Peninsula and the southeastern quadrant of Sulawesi’s Central Core.

Etymology: We have informally referred to this species as Limnonectes sp. “leaf-nester” in reference to its characteristic reproductive mode. We therefore opted to memorialize this in its formal specific epithet, “phyllofolia”, which is derived from the combination of the greek fýllo—meaning “leaf”, and foliá—meaning “nest”.

  Eggs and newly hatched larvae of Limnonectes phyllofolia sp. nov. 
 (A) A male L. phyllofolia, MVZ:Herp:295236, guards two egg clutches on a sapling 2 m above a 1 m wide stream in Bantimurung National Park. (B) Example of dual egg clutches (guarded by MVZ:Herp:295224) deposited on fern frond 0.6 m above a puddle in Bantimurung National Park.
(C) Example of eggs from clutch guarded by MVZ:Herp:295224—clutch was collected from leaves 0.75 m above a puddle on 24 June 2014, 19:00 h from Bantimurung National Park. (D) Example of eggs from clutch guarded by MVZ:Herp:295236—clutch was collected from leaves of a sapling tree, 2 m above a 1 m wide stream on 25 June 2014 at 21:38 h from Bantimurung National Park. (E) Example of newly hatched tadpoles. The associated clutch was guarded by MVZ:Herp:295246, and collected on a mossy boulder 1.5 m above a 1 m wide stream on 25 June 2014 at 21:38 h from Bantimurung National Park.

 

 Jeffrey H. Frederick, Djoko T. Iskandar, Awal Riyanto, Amir Hamidy, Sean B. Reilly, Alexander L. Stubbs, Luke M. Bloch, Bryan Bach and Jimmy A. McGuire. 2023.  A New Species of terrestrially-nesting Fanged Frog (Anura: Dicroglossidae) from Sulawesi Island, Indonesia. PLoS ONE. 18(12): e0292598. DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0292598

[Paleontology • 2023] Qianlong shouhu • Exceptional early Jurassic Fossils with Leathery Eggs shed light on Dinosaur Reproductive Biology

 Qianlong shouhu

Han, Yu, Zhang, Zeng, Wang, Cai, Wu, Wen, Cai, Li, Wu, Zhao & Xu, 2023

DOI: 10.1093/nsr/nwad258

Abstract

Our understanding of pre-Cretaceous dinosaur reproduction is hindered by a scarcity of evidence within the fossil record. Here we report three adult skeletons and five clutches of embryo-containing eggs of a new sauropodomorph from the Lower Jurassic of southwestern China, displaying several significant reproductive features that are either unknown or unlike other early-diverging sauropodomorphs, such as relatively large eggs with a relatively thick calcareous shell formed by prominent mammillary cones, synchronous hatching, and a transitional prehatching posture between the crocodilians and living birds. Most significantly, these Early Jurassic fossils provide strong evidence for the earliest known leathery eggs. Our comprehensive quantitative analyses demonstrate that the first dinosaur eggs were probably leathery, elliptical and relatively small, but with relatively long eggshell units, and that along the line to living birds, the most significant change in reptilian egg morphology occurred early in theropod evolution rather than near the origin of Aves.

dinosaur, Sauropodomorph, Jurassic, embryo, egg evolution, reproductive behaviour

Skeletal morphology of Qianlong shouhu.
 Skeletal silhouettes of the adult (a) and embryo (b) showing preserved bones (in grey) and standing postures. The skull photograph (c) and line-drawing (d) in right lateral view, maxillary teeth in right lateral view (e), and right pes in posterior view (f) of GZPM VN001 (adult). The skull normal image (g) and transparency image (h) showing cheek teeth in left lateral view

Systematic paleontology

Dinosauria Owen, 1842

Saurischia Seeley, 1887

Sauropodomorpha von Huene, 1932

Qianlong shouhu gen. et sp. nov.

Etymology: The genus name is derived from Mandarin Chinese Qian (an alternative name for Guizhou Province where the fossils were collected) + long (‘dragon’); the species name shouhu means ‘guarding’ in Chinese, referring to the associated preservation of adult skeletal fossils and embryo-containing egg fossils.

Holotype: GZPM VN001 is a partial and semi-articulated skeleton (Fig. 1), though the partial skull and mandible are preserved 30 m western to the postcranial skeleton (Supplementary Fig. S1). It is probably an adult individual given the closed neurocentral sutures of all preserved vertebrae.

Locality and horizon: The locality and horizon are Zhuanpo, Pingba District, Anshun City, Guizhou Province, southwestern China and the Lower Jurassic Zhenzhuchong Member (possibly in Sinemurian), Ziliujing Formation. 

Diagnosis: Qianlong differs from other sauropodomorphs in the following character states (autapomorphies marked by *): a shallow concavity at the base of the premaxilla nasal process; relatively straight teeth with labiolingually asymmetrical crowns and without denticles; jaw articulation lower than dentary dorsal margin; a short retroarticular process; a very small external mandibular fenestra; well-developed nutritive foramina on the maxillary and dentary, the width of Metacarpal I being greater than its length; Metatarsal V with a strongly expanded proximal end that is four times the mediolateral width of the distal end and with a small bulge on the lateral margin * (Fig. 1 and Supplementary Fig. S2).

 

Fenglu Han, Yilun Yu, Shukang Zhang, Rong Zeng, Xinjin Wang, Huiyang Cai, Tianzhuang Wu, Yingfeng Wen, Sifu Cai, Chun Li, Rui Wu, Qi Zhao and Xing Xu. 2023. Exceptional early Jurassic Fossils with Leathery Eggs shed light on Dinosaur Reproductive Biology. National Science Review, nwad258. DOI: 10.1093/nsr/nwad258

[Paleontology • 2022] Ramoprismatoolithus okurai • Fossil Eggshells (Testudoolithidae & Prismatoolithidae) from the Early Cretaceous Okurodani Formation, northern central Japan

Ramoprismatoolithus okurai 

Uematsu, Tanaka, Kozu, Isaji & Shimojima, 2022

 DOI: 10.1080/08912963.2022.2142910  

ABSTRACT

Seven isolated eggshell fragments and six eggshell impressions were collected from the Okurodani Formation (Hauterivian to Barremian) in Shokawa, Takayama City, Gifu Prefecture, Japan. To date, these specimens represent the oldest fossil eggshells in the country. Microscopic observations classified the eggshells into Testudoolithidae indet., Ramoprismatoolithus okurai oogen. et oosp. nov. and indeterminate type. For Testudoolithidae indet., the eggshell microstructure and estimated egg size suggest that they could be laid by any of the cryptodiran turtles reported by skeletal remains from the formation: Trionychoidea, Xinjiangchelyidae and Sinemydidae. Ramoprismatoolithus okurai bears prismatic microstructure and ramifying ridges on the outer surface, the combination of which is unusual for prismatoolithid eggshells. Based on morphological observations and phylogenetic analyses, Ramoprismatoolithus was ascribed to troodontid or closely related non-avian maniraptorans. The remaining specimens consist of eggshell surface impressions without original fragments, for which oospecies and taxonomic affinity are indeterminate. These findings demonstrate that eggshell fragments shed light on small-bodied taxa that are poorly represented by skeletal remains in the region. While the fossil record of small maniraptoran species from the early Early Cretaceous is relatively scarce worldwide, Ramoprismatoolithus adds to this record and extends the confirmed geographic range of this clade. 

KEYWORDS: Eggshells, Testudoolithidae, Prismatoolithidae, Early Cretaceous, Okurodani Formation, Japan

 

Oofamily Prismatoolithidae, Hirsch 1994a emend. Moreno-Azanza et al. 2014

Ramoprismatoolithus oogen. nov.

Etymology. ‘Ramo’ from Latin rāmus meaning branch, referring to the reticulate ridges on the eggshell outer surface.

 

Ramoprismatoolithus okurai oosp. nov.

Diagnosis. Combination of the following characters distinguishes Ramoprismatoolithus from all other ootaxa: low reticulate ridges on the outer surface; eggshell thickness 0.3–0.6 mm including ornamentation; eggshell consists of two distinct layers: the inner mammillary layer and the outer prismatic layer delimited by a gradual boundary; mammillae composed of acicular crystals; the mammillary layer to prismatic layer thickness ratio of 1:4–1:5; columnar extinction patterns under PLM.

Holotype. GPM-Fo-1925, eggshell fragments up to 3 × 4 mm in size mounted on a SEM stub.

Referred specimens. Five isolated eggshell fragments and four outer surface impressions that are the external moulds of the eggshell fragments (<12 × 17 mm; GPM-Fo-1924, 1926, 1927 and 1928).

Locality and horizon. All referred specimens were discovered in black mudstone layers from the upper part of the Hauterivian to Barremian Okurodani Formation at the Kobudani Valley in the Shokawa area, Takayama City, Gifu Prefecture, Japan.

Etymology. The specific name honours the late Masatoshi Okura who pioneered the discovery of fossil eggshells and other vertebrate remains in Shokawa.

Conclusion: 

The current study describes fossil eggshells collected from the Hauterivian to Barremian Okurodani Formation in Shokawa, northwestern Gifu Prefecture, which represents so far the oldest fossil eggshells in Japan. The Shokawa eggshells are ascribed to a turtle and non-avian theropod species, suggesting the faunal composition that is yet to be recognised in skeletal remains from the deposits. Notably, a new oospecies Ramoprismatoolithus with peculiar ornamentation sheds light on the presence of unreported maniraptorans during the early Early Cretaceous. This finding reveals the distribution of small-bodied non-avian theropods in the eastern margin of Asia at that time.

Rina Uematsu, Kohei Tanaka, Shohei Kozu, Shinji Isaji and Shizuo Shimojima. 2022. Fossil Eggshells from the Early Cretaceous Okurodani Formation, northern central Japan.  Historical Biology: An International Journal of Paleobiology. DOI: 10.1080/08912963.2022.2142910  

 phys.org/news/2022-11-dinosaur-egg-species-mystery-cretaceous.html

[Paleontology • 2021] An Exquisitely Preserved in-ovo Theropod Dinosaur Embryo sheds Light on Avian-like Prehatching Postures

in Xing, Niu, Ma, ... et Brusatte, 2021.

 DOI: 10.1016/j.isci.2021.103516  

Artwork by Julius Csotonyi facebook.com/JuliusCsotonyi 

Highlights:

• A Late Cretaceous oviraptorid theropod dinosaur embryo is preserved in-ovo

• Its head lies ventral to the body, and the back curled along the egg's blunt pole

• Its posture is similar to that of a late-stage modern bird embryo

• Avian tucking behavior possibly originated among non-avian theropods

Summary

Despite the discovery of many dinosaur eggs and nests over the past 100 years, articulated in-ovo embryos are remarkably rare. Here we report an exceptionally preserved, articulated oviraptorid embryo inside an elongatoolithid egg, from the Late Cretaceous Hekou Formation of southern China. The head lies ventral to the body, with the feet on either side, and the back curled along the blunt pole of the egg, in a posture previously unrecognized in a non-avian dinosaur, but reminiscent of a late-stage modern bird embryo. Comparison to other late-stage oviraptorid embryos suggests that prehatch oviraptorids developed avian-like postures late in incubation, which in modern birds are related to coordinated embryonic movements associated with tucking — a behavior controlled by the central nervous system, critical for hatching success. We propose that such pre-hatching behavior, previously considered unique to birds, may have originated among non-avian theropods, which can be further investigated with additional discoveries of embryo fossils.

 

Lida Xing, Kecheng Niu, Waisum Ma, Darla K. Zelenitsky, Tzu-Ruei Yang and Stephen L. Brusatte. 2021. An Exquisitely Preserved in-ovo Theropod Dinosaur Embryo sheds Light on Avian-like Prehatching Postures. iScience.  DOI: 10.1016/j.isci.2021.103516

   facebook.com/JuliusCsotonyi/posts/10158048449631396

[Herpetology • 2021] Novel Reproductive Behavior in An Asian Frog: Sex‐reversed Inguinal Amplexus [Leptobrachella laui; Megophryidae]

Leptobrachella laui (Sung, Yang, and Wang, 2014)

in Sung, Lee, Ng, et al., 2021. 

 DOI: 10.1002/ecs2.3407

Abstract

Amphibians exhibit diverse reproductive behaviors, including nine documented types of amplexus, the behavior in which male and female frogs position themselves for courtship, oviposition, and fertilization. All known forms of amplexus involve the male on top of or in line horizontally (cloacal apposition) with the female. Here, we report a novel form of amplexus observed in Lau’s leaf litter toad (Leptobrachella laui; Megophryidae) in Hong Kong, China. Termed “sex‐reversed inguinal amplexus,” the female climbs on top of a male and the male transports the female to a concealed breeding site. We were unable to determine whether this was the amplectant position in which frogs engaged during oviposition or solely during courtship and prior to oviposition, but there are a number of possible evolutionary drivers that may have given rise to this behavior, including limiting suitable oviposition sites or strong competition for males among females. Further research will be necessary to understand the evolutionary origins of this novel reproductive behavior.

Keywords: amphibian, amplexus, behavioral ecology, Leptobrachella laui, Megophryidae, oviposition

A pair of Lau’s leaf litter toads (Leptobrachella laui) in sex‐reversed inguinal amplexus, in which a female is on top of a male, in Hong Kong, China in March 2017.

 

Yik‐Hei Sung, Wing‐Ho Lee, Ho‐Nam Ng, Martha L. Crump and Nancy E. Karraker. 2021. Novel Reproductive Behavior in An Asian Frog: Sex‐reversed Inguinal Amplexus. Ecosphere - Naturalist. DOI: 10.1002/ecs2.3407

 

Lingnan University scholar discovers novel reproductive behaviour in native frog species

 prnewswire.com/news-releases/lingnan-university-scholar-discovers-novel-reproductive-behaviour-in-native-frog-species-301246791.html

  twitter.com/BritishHerpSoc/status/1377882238923067392

 ln.edu.hk/lingnan-touch/101/saving-lives-in-the-wild-how-prof-sung-yik-hei-evolved-from-hobbyist-to-conservation-biologist

[Paleontology • 2021] An Oviraptorid Preserved Atop An Embryo-bearing Egg Clutch sheds light on the Reproductive Biology of Non-avialan Theropod Dinosaurs

 an oviraptorid specimen [LDNHMF2008]
consisting of an adult skeleton preserved atop an embryo-bearing egg clutch. 

Bi, Amiot, Peyre de Fabrègues, ... et Xu, 2020.

  DOI: 10.1016/j.scib.2020.12.018

 facebook.com/PalaeoPittman

twitter.com/ClairePdF

 Artwork by Zhao Chuang. english.IVPP.cas.cn

 

Abstract

Recent studies demonstrate that many avialan features evolved incrementally prior to the origin of the group, but the presence of some of these features, such as bird-like brooding behaviours, remains contentious, in non-avialan dinosaurs. Here we report the first non-avialan dinosaur fossil known to preserve an adult skeleton atop an egg clutch that contains embryonic remains. The preserved positional relationship of the adult to the clutch, coupled with the advanced growth stages of the embryos and their high estimated incubation temperatures, provides strong support for the brooding hypothesis. Furthermore, embryos in the clutch are at different developmental stages, suggesting the presence of asynchronous hatching—a derived feature even among crown-group birds—in non-avialan theropods. These findings demonstrate that the evolution of reproductive biology along bird-line archosaurs was a complex rather than a linear and incremental process, and suggest that some aspects of non-avialan theropod reproduction were unique to these dinosaurs.

Keywords: Oviraptorosauria, Cretaceous, Clutch, Brooding, Embryos, Asynchronous hatching

Fig. 1. LDNHMF2008, an oviraptorid specimen consisting of an adult skeleton preserved atop an embryo-bearing egg clutch.
(a) Photograph. (b) Interpretive drawing with bones and gastroliths in white and eggs color-coded by ring (A, red; B, green; C, blue).
(c) Restoration (white indicates bones preserved in the adult skeleton).

Abbreviations: I, digit I; II, digit II; III, digit III; A#, egg in lowermost ring (A); as, astragalus; B#, egg in middle ring (B); C#, egg in uppermost ring (C); cav, caudal vertebra; ch, chevron; cv, cervical vertebra; di, manual digit; dr, dorsal ribs; dv, dorsal vertebra; em, egg known to preserve embryo; fe, femur; fi. fibula; ga, gastralium; gl, gastroliths; h, humerus; il, ilium; is, ischium; mt, metatarsal; O2, egg sampled for oxygen isotope analysis; pb, pubis; pp, pedal phalanges; ra, radius; sl, semilunate carpal; ti, tibia; ul, ulna. Note that C11 and C12 are not paired eggs. The eggs that would have been paired with C11 and C12 are probably not preserved, as is the case for some other eggs and skeletal elements.

 

An attentive oviraptorid theropod dinosaur broods its nest of blue-green eggs while its mate looks on in what is now Jiangxi Province of southern China some 70 million years ago.

 Artwork by Zhao Chuang.

 Shundong Bi, Romain Amiot, Claire Peyre de Fabrègues, Michael Pittman, Matthew C. Lamanna, Yilun Yu, Congyu Yu, Tzuruei Yang, Shukang Zhang, Qi Zhao and Xing Xu. 2020. An Oviraptorid Preserved Atop An Embryo-bearing Egg Clutch sheds light on the Reproductive Biology of Non-avialan Theropod Dinosaurs. Science Bulletin. In Press. DOI: 10.1016/j.scib.2020.12.018

Researchers Announce World’s First Dinosaur Preserved Sitting on Nest of Eggs that Includes Fossilized Babies

english.IVPP.cas.cn/rh/rp/202101/t20210112_261616.html

 facebook.com/PalaeoPittman/posts/1044670122662486

  twitter.com/ClairePdF/status/1341303270543863810

[Fungi • 2018] Gymnopus nidus-avis • A New Gymnopus Species with Rhizomorphs and Its Record as Nesting Material by Birds (Tyrannidae) in the Subtropical Cloud Forest from eastern Mexico

Gymnopus nidus-avis César, Bandala & Montoya

in César, Bandala, Montoya  & Ramos, 2018. 

  DOI: 10.3897/mycokeys.42.28894 

Abstract

A new species of Gymnopus is described on the basis of collections from the subtropical cloud forest of eastern Mexico. Macro- and micromorphological characters, in combination with ITS sequences obtained from fruit body tissues, were used for its taxonomic circumscription. Basidiomata of this species were found growing scattered on fallen twigs of Quercus and also developing abundant long, black, wiry rhizomorphs. The authors discovered that these latter are used as part of nesting material by Mionectes oleaginous (Tyrannidae) inhabiting the subtropical cloud forest studied. A macro- and microscopical description as well as a discussion and illustrations are provided. A new combination in Gymnopus is proposed for Marasmius westii, a synonym of Marasmius brevipes.

Keywords: Marasmioid fungi, Neotropical fungi, nesting biology, Omphalotaceae

Figure 2. Gymnopus nidus-avis: basidiomata (César 36, holotype).

Scale bar: 4 mm 

Gymnopus nidus-avis César, Bandala & Montoya, sp. nov.

Holotype: MEXICO. Veracruz: Municipality of Xalapa, Santuario del Bosque de Niebla, Instituto de Ecología A.C., 1343 m a.s.l., gregarious, on fallen twigs of Quercus, 20 April 2016, Cesar 36 (XAL).

Diagnosis: Pileus pale brown to brown. Lamellae adnexed, distant, very pale brown. Basidiospores ellipsoid to subcylindrical. Basidia 2–4-spored, narrowly clavate. Cheilocystidia 20–39 × 3–8 µm, irregularly cylindrical, with constrictions and small lateral appendages. Pileipellis hyphae with colourless incrustations; terminal elements appendiculate. Pileus and lamellar tissues clampless.

...

Etymology: Referring to the use of rhizomorphs as nesting material by birds.

 Enrique César, Victor M. Bandala, Leticia Montoya and Antero Ramos. 2018. A New Gymnopus Species with Rhizomorphs and Its Record as Nesting Material by Birds (Tyrannidae) in the Subtropical Cloud Forest from eastern Mexico. MycoKeys. 42: 21-34.  DOI: 10.3897/mycokeys.42.28894

[Botany • 2018] Bauhinia proboscidea (Fabaceae: Cercidoideae) • A New Species from Costa Rica and Panama, with notes on B. beguinotii, B. gorgonae and B. pansamalana

Bauhinia proboscidea P. Juárez, R. Flores & M.A. Blanco

in Juárez, Flores & Blanco, 2018. 

DOI:  10.11646/phytotaxa.361.1.2 

 facebook.com/MarioBlanco

Abstract

Bauhinia proboscidea, a new species from Costa Rica and Panama, is described and illustrated, and compared to the closely related B. pansamalana of southern Mexico, Guatemala and Honduras. It is also compared with B. beguinotii, with which has been confused in herbaria. Bauhinia gorgonae, endemic to Gorgona Island in Colombia and which has been classified as a variety of B. beguinotii, is here considered a separate species. A key to the Neotropical species of Bauhinia with three fertile stamens is provided. Some observations on the morphology and reproductive biology of B. proboscidea are presented. Global-level assessments of the conservation status according to IUCN Red List criteria indicate that B. proboscidea and B. beguinotii (which was previously assessed using some misidentified records) should both be considered as species of Least Concern (LC), B. gorgonae should be considered as Endangered (EN), and B. pansamalana should be considered Not Threatened (NT). Country-level conservation assessments are also provided for all four species. The homology of the “intrastipular spines” of Bauhinia is briefly discussed.

Keywords: Central America, conservation, intrastipular spines, IUCN Red List categories, taxonomy, reproductive biology, Eudicots

FIGURE 2. Bauhinia proboscidea. 
A. Staminate flower. B. Perfect (hermaphrodite) flower. C. Apex of fertile stamens of staminate flower with incurved filaments and open anthers. D. Detail of perfect flower, showing recurved fertile anthers and pistil with incurved style. E. Detail of staminodes (red and yellow, with white abortive anthers), filaments of fertile stamens (dark red) and pistillode (green) in staminate flower. F. Immature fruits. G. Two-flowered inflorescence, with one perfect flower and one staminate flower; the perfect flower (left) has already shed its petals. H. Detail of stem node showing intrastipular spine with liquid secretion.

F from Flores et al. 3835 (PMA) by R. Flores; all other photos from Juárez 1241 (USJ) by P. Juárez.

 facebook.com/MarioBlanco

FIGURE 1. Bauhinia proboscidea.
A. Fruiting branch. B. Perfect (hermaphrodite) flower; note recurved fertile stamens and incurved style. C. Staminate flower; note apically incurved fertile stamens. D. Apex of staminodes and bases of free portion of filaments of fertile stamens in staminate flower. E. Apex of fertile stamen filaments and anthers of staminate flower. F. Floral diagram of perfect flower. G. Pair of intrastipular spines at a node (leaf scar on opposite side of stem, not visible), with liquid secretion. A based on type specimen (Juaìrez 420, USJ, CR, MO); B–F based on photographs of Juárez 1241 (USJ).

Drawn by P. Juaìrez.   facebook.com/MarioBlanco

Bauhinia proboscidea P. Juárez, R. Flores & M.A. Blanco, sp. nov.

Etymology:— The specific epithet refers to the prominent staminal tube and the projecting pistil (the latter in hermaphroditic flowers), which together resemble a snout or proboscis of an animal. The recurved fertile stamens of hermaphroditic flowers also bear a superficial resemblance to the tusks of elephants Loxodonta spp., order Proboscidea).

   

    

     

    

Pedro Juárez, Rodolfo Flores and Mario A. Blanco. 2018.  Bauhinia proboscidea (Fabaceae: Cercidoideae), A New Species from Costa Rica and Panama, with notes on B. beguinotii, B. gorgonae and B. pansamalana.  Phytotaxa. 361(1); 25-40. DOI:  10.11646/phytotaxa.361.1.2

Researchgate.net/publication/326470197_Bauhinia_proboscidea_a_new_species_from_Costa_Rica_and_Panama

 facebook.com/MarioBlanco/posts/10160622632565032

 facebook.com/permalink.php?story_fbid=2101651306741271&id=100006892651727

twitter.com/AudubonPanama/status/1020109356438892544

instagram.com/p/Bmd9PgTBKQt

   

Resumen: Se describe e ilustra Bauhinia proboscidea, una nueva especie de Costa Rica y Panamá, y se compara con la cercanamente emparentada B. pansamalana del sur de México, Guatemala y Honduras. También se compara con B. beguinotii, con la cual se ha confundido en los herbarios. Bauhinia gorgonae, endémica de la Isla Gorgona en Colombia, se considera aquí como una especie independiente de B. beguinotii, de la cual se ha clasificado como una variedad. Se brinda una clave para las especies neotropicales de Bauhinia con tres estambres fértiles. Se presentan algunas observaciones sobre la morfología y biología reproductiva de B. proboscidea. Evaluaciones a nivel global del estado de conservación de acuerdo con los criterios de la Lista Roja de UICN, indica que tanto B. proboscidea como B. beguinotii (que había sido previamente evaluada usando algunos registros mal identificados) deben ser consideradas como especies de Preocupación Menor (LC), B. gorgonae debe considerarse como En Peligro (EN), y B. pansamalana debe considerarse como No Amenazada (NT). También se presentan evaluaciones de conservación a nivel de país para las cuatro especies. Se discute brevemente la homología de las “espinas intraestipulares” de Bauhinia.

[Herpetology • 2018] Reproductive Biology and Maternal Care of Neonates in southern African Python (Python natalensis)

 Neonate southern African pythons (Python natalensis) basking at the entrance to the nest chamber.

in  Alexander. 2018.  DOI: 10.1111/jzo.12554

theconversation.com

Abstract

Reproductive strategies such as parental care have been pivotal in evolutionary innovations such as endothermy in birds and mammals. The diversity of reproductive biology across the squamates provides a unique opportunity for elucidating the selective forces responsible for the evolution of various reproductive strategies. Here, I report on the reproductive biology of the southern African python (Python natalensis), based on a 7-year study of free-ranging pythons, revealing a behavioural complexity not usually expected for snakes. Mating occurred in the austral winter, with individual males following females for more than 2 months. As is typical for pythons, females brooded eggs by coiling around the clutch. Females are capital breeders; they lost ~40% body mass during a breeding event and did not breed in consecutive years. There was no evidence of the facultative thermogenesis that has been reported in congeners, suggesting that facultative thermogenesis has arisen independently more than once in Python. Reproductive females thermoregulated more carefully than non-reproductives, maintaining higher, more stable Tbs at all stages of reproduction, especially while brooding. This was achieved by a stereotypic basking regime facilitated by ‘facultative melanism’, with females darkening significantly for the entire breeding event. Mothers remained with neonates at the nest site for approximately 2 weeks after hatching. During this time, mothers alternated between brief bouts of basking on the surface and coiling around the hatched eggs, on which the neonates rested. Neonates formed an aggregation near the burrow entrance to bask during the day, individually returning to the nest intermittently throughout the day. During the night, neonates remained within the mother's coils on the hatched eggs. This study highlights the diversity of reproductive biology within Python and cautions against generalization in this regard. This is the first unambiguous report of maternal care of neonates in an oviparous snake.

Figure 4.  Neonate southern African pythons (Python natalensis) basking at the entrance to the nest chamber.
 Some of the neonates have already undergone their first shed.

G. J. Alexander. 2018. Reproductive Biology and Maternal Care of Neonates in southern African Python (Python natalensis).  Journal of Zoology.  DOI: 10.1111/jzo.12554

New insights into how southern African pythons look after their babies  theconversation.com/new-insights-into-how-southern-african-pythons-look-after-their-babies-91276

'Cold-blooded' pythons make for caring moms  phy.so/440240120 via @physorg_com

[Herpetology • 2018] A Biogeographic and Ecological Perspective to the Evolution of Reproductive Behaviour in the Family Salamandridae

Kieren, Sparreboom, Hochkirch & Veith, 2018. 

   DOI: 10.1016/j.ympev.2018.01.006

Highlights

• The family Salamandridae is of Western Palearctic origin and started to diversify in the Late Cretaceous.

• The common ancestor was oviparous, mated on land without amplexus and probably showed a pin wheel spermatophore transfer.

• Colonization took place once to the Nearctic and twice to Eastern Asian realms.

• Changes in habitat type are not significantly correlated with changes in mating characters.

Abstract

Amphibians have a complex reproductive behaviour, which shows the highest diversity among tetrapodes. The family Salamandridae, distributed across the entire Holarctic, is one of the most diverse groups of extant salamanders comprising 114 species in 21 genera. The family has a remarkable diversity of courtship modes, amplexus and sperm transfer. It is often hypothesised that this diversity has evolved in adaptation to a specific mating and/or breeding habitat. We test this hypothesis based upon a phylogenetic reconstruction using the complete mitochondrial genome sequences of 45 Salamandridae species, representing all existing genera. We used ancestral character state reconstruction methods and geographic range models and applied relaxed Bayesian molecular clock models to discuss the results in a temporal framework of Salamandridae evolution. Our results show that the family Salamandridae started to diversify in the Late Cretaceous (ca. 87 mya) and is of Western Palearctic origin. Ancestral character state reconstruction predicts that its common ancestor was oviparous, mated on land without amplexus and probably showed a pin wheel spermatophore transfer, which is still found in the Italian endemic Salamandrina terdigidata. Our results suggest that several colonization of continents with subsequent radiations took place, once to the Nearctic and twice into Eastern Asian realms. However, these events were only in one case associated with a change in mating behaviour (dorsal amplexus in Nearctic newts). Around the Cretaceous-Paleogene boundary (K-Pg boundary) several Salamandridae lineages further diverged, again with no obvious changes in mating behaviour. Overall, there is no significant signal for mating character evolution being caused by changes in habitat type, with only a slight tendency that changes in mating habitat might have led to changes in the type of sperm transfer which in turn was associated with changes in the presence or absence of amplexus.

Keywords: Mitogenomics; Bayesian molecular dating; geographic range; mating behaviour; ancestral character state reconstruction; coevolution

Sarah Kieren, Max Sparreboom, Axel Hochkirch and Michael Veith. 2018. A Biogeographic and Ecological Perspective to the Evolution of Reproductive Behaviour in the Family Salamandridae. Molecular Phylogenetics and Evolution. In Press.   DOI: 10.1016/j.ympev.2018.01.006

[Herpetology • 2017] The Phytotelm Tadpoles of Microhyla arboricola (Anura: Microhylidae) from Vietnam, with Comments on Reproductive Biology and Development

Microhyla arboricola Poyarkov, Vassilieva, Orlov, Galoyan, Tran, Le, Kretova & Geissler, 2014

 DOI:  10.11646/zootaxa.4247.4.4 

Abstract

The reproductive biology of Microhyla arboricola (Microhylidae) was studied in two regions of the southern Annamite Mountains in Vietnam. M. arboricola is an obligate phytotelm-breeder that reproduces in water-filled tree hollows in montane evergreen forests. Clutches are attached above the water level in the hollows and contain 5–37 pigmented, relatively large eggs. Larvae hatch at markedly advanced stages and develop in water until metamorphosis is completed. The developing tadpoles are obligately oophagous and feed on conspecific eggs and embryos. M. arboricola tadpoles differ from tadpoles of pond-dwelling Microhyla species in their external morphology (extremely long tails, dorsolateral position of the eyes, dark pigmentation), digestive tract morphology (large, extensible larval stomach and short intestine), and oral morphology. The larval chondrocranium and hyobranchiumof M. arboricola is described. M. arboricola shares its habitat with other hollow-breeding species of anurans. To date, M. arboricola is the only known arboreal species of the genus Microhyla that has a unique reproductive mode. The ecological niche of this species differs greatly from those occupied by other microhylids of Indochinese Peninsula.

Keywords: Amphibia, embryonization, oophagy, phytotelmata, Southeast Asia, tadpole

Adult Microhyla arboricola in a tree hollow 

 Anna B. Vassilieva, Vitaly L. Trounov, Nikolay A. J. Poyarkov and Eduard A. Galoyan. 2017. The Phytotelm Tadpoles of Microhyla arboricola (Anura: Microhylidae) from Vietnam, with Comments on Reproductive Biology and Development.    

Zootaxa.  4247(4); 413–428.  DOI:  10.11646/zootaxa.4247.4.4

[Ornithology • 2016] Reproductive Biology of the Sapayoa Sapayoa aenigma, the “Old World suboscine” of the New World

A Sapayoa Sapayoa aenigma emerges from its nest in the Panamanian rainforest.  

photos: J.M. Hite

  DOI: 10.1642/AUK-16-5.1 

ABSTRACT

The Sapayoa (Sapayoa aenigma), a low-density resident of Chocó rainforests from Panama to Ecuador, has long perplexed ornithologists. It was originally described as a manakin (Pipridae), but molecular work has revealed its closest living relatives to be Old World suboscines (Eurylaimides) and supported its placement in the monotypic family of Sapayoidae. Despite such phylogenetic intrigue, little is known about the Sapayoa's general life history or reproductive biology; only one nest has been described. We present information on 2 actively attended and 13 inactive Sapayoa nests in Darién National Park, Panama. We provide the first detailed description of individual effort at an active nest, family group dynamics during the nesting period, the plumage of immature birds, and the range of vocalizations produced. We also present the first documentation of cooperative breeding and compile several recent nesting observations, extending the published Sapayoa breeding period by several months. Furthermore, we describe unusual behaviors among provisioning birds, including mounting between individuals of the same sex and mounting of a female by immature male helpers during chick provisioning. The receiving individual gave a conspicuous solicitation display before each mounting. Finally, we highlight elements of the Sapayoa's natural history that echo its Old World relatives and contrast with members of the New World Tyranni. For example, the Sapayoa resembles the eurylaimid broadbills—and differs starkly from the manakins—in diet, nest structure, breeding system, and mode of parental care.

Keywords: cooperative breeding, helpers, mounting, Old World suboscines, Sapayoa aenigma, Sapayoidae

Sapayoa aenigma, Nusagandi, Panama 

photo: Jan Axel 

wikipedia.org  |  JanBirdingBlog.blogspot.com

Sarah A. Dzielski, Benjamin M. Van Doren, Jack P. Hruska, and Justin M. Hite. 2016. Reproductive Biology of the Sapayoa (Sapayoa aenigma), the “Old World suboscine” of the New World [Biología reproductiva de Sapayoa aenigma, el “suboscín del Viejo Mundo” que habita el Nuevo Mundo]. The Auk. 133(3); 347-363. DOI: 10.1642/AUK-16-5.1

Field Study Helps Confirm The Sapayoa Is Like No Other Bird In The New World

https://www.allaboutbirds.org/field-study-helps-confirm-the-sapayoa-is-like-no-other-bird-in-the-new-world/

An Old World bird in a New World rainforest http://phy.so/380909066 via @physorg_com

The Sapayoa, a rainforest bird from Central and South America, is an evolutionary enigma—genetic analysis shows that its closest relatives are bird species living across the ocean in Asia and Africa. Now, new research in The Auk: Ornithological Advances demonstrates for the first time that its natural history links it to its evolutionary relatives thousands of miles away.

How the Sapayoa ended up so far from other members of its lineage remains a mystery, and little is known about its reproductive biology or social behavior. However, new field work in Panama by Sarah Dzielski and Benjamin Van Doren of Cornell University and their colleagues reveals that Sapayoas consistently build nests that hang over the water along ravine-bottom streams. One of the active nests they observed was attended by a family group comprised of an adult male and female and two immature males, all four of which brought food to the two chicks. The researchers were surprised by the social behavior they observed, which included mounting between individuals of the same sex, possibly to establish dominance and maintain social cohesion.

These are the first extended observations of Sapayoa breeding behavior, and they provide hints at how this unusual bird is connected with its roots. Many of the Sapayoa's Old World relatives are cooperative breeders, getting help from family groups, and the pear-shaped hanging nest also is consistent with Old World "suboscines," the group of birds to which Sapayoas belong.

Dzielski, Van Doren, and their colleagues Jack Hruska and Justin Hite searched for Sapayoa nests as part of an expedition to Panama's Darién National Park in summer 2014, observing the family group at their focal nest for more than 70 hours over ten days. "Nest searching was always an adventure," says Dzielski. "We found countless abandoned nests, and while checking inside for eggs or evidence that the nest was active, we found all sorts of surprises. In a few instances, a large grasshopper the size of a mouse hopped out from under the flap and scared the daylights out of us!"

"The Sapayoa is so different from other passerine birds that it is currently placed in its own family, Sapayoidae, but relatively little is known about its natural history," adds Van Doren. "This gap in scientific knowledge was the reason we traveled to eastern Panama to learn about this enigmatic species. We hoped that more information about the Sapayoa's natural history would cast its surprising evolutionary relationships in a new and clearer light."

"The Sapayoa has long been a mystery bird. When my colleagues and I identified it as the only Old World suboscine in the New World in 2003, it only became more mysterious," says Jon Fjeldså of the University of Copenhagen, who led the research team that first identified the Sapayoa's unusual origins. "How did it arrive in South America? Why does it resemble a manakin? And does it still behave like an Old World suboscine? I am excited to learn that it indeed does!"

RESUMEN

Sapayoa aenigma, un ave residente en bajas densidades en los bosques húmedos del Chocó desde Panamá hasta Ecuador, ha confundido a los ornitólogos por bastante tiempo. Aunque la especie originalmente fue descrita como un saltarín (Pipridae), estudios moleculares recientes revelaron que sus parientes más cercanos son los suboscinos del viejo mundo (Eurylaimides) y sustentan su ubicación en la familia monotípica Sapayoidae. A pesar de esta intriga filogenética se sabe muy poco sobre la historia de vida o la biología reproductiva de Sapayoa; sólo se ha descrito un nido. En este trabajo presentamos información de 2 nidos activos y 13 nidos inactivos de Sapayoa encontrados en el Parque Nacional Darién, Panamá. Presentamos la primera descripción detallada del esfuerzo individual en un nido activo, la dinámica del grupo familiar durante el periodo de anidación, el plumaje de las aves inmaduras y el repertorio de vocalizaciones. También presentamos la primera evidencia de cría cooperativa y recopilamos varias observaciones recientes de anidación que extienden el periodo reproductivo conocido de Sapayoa en varios meses. Además describimos comportamientos inusuales entre las aves que proveen alimento a sus crías, incluyendo la monta entre individuos del mismo sexo y entre un individuo joven y una hembra adulta durante la alimentación de los polluelos. El individuo que recibía la monta ejecutaba antes un despliegue para solicitarla. Finalmente, resaltamos elementos de la historia natural de Sapayoa que se asemejan a las de sus parientes del Viejo Mundo y contrastan con las de miembros de Tyranni en el Nuevo Mundo. Por ejemplo, Sapayoa se asemeja a los Eurylaimidae (y difiere drásticamente de los Pipridae) en dieta, estructura de los nidos, sistema reproductivo y modo de cuidado parental.

Palabras clave: ayudantes del nido, cría cooperativa, monta, Sapayoa aenigma, Sapayoidae, suboscines del viejo mundo