Francisco Luís Franco

The genus Dryophylax currently comprises 15 widely distributed South American species of snakes. Despite recent efforts to clarify the systematic status of the genus, several species remain taxonomically poorly defined. One example is Dryophylax nattereri (Mikan 1820), regarded first as a junior synonym of Thamnodynastes strigilis (Thunberg 1787), and later as a junior synonym of Thamnodynastes pallidus (Linnaeus 1758). Despite several historical taxonomic studies addressing other congeners, D. nattereri has been often neglected, and no author has attempted to test species boundaries. Recently, several authors referred to this taxon as Dryophylax cf. nattereri, after it was resurrected without a proper taxonomic justification. Here, we demonstrate that D. nattereri is a valid species, based on morphological data gathered from a large series of individuals distributed throughout its known distribution. We designated a neotype for D. nattereri and provide a detailed description of the species diagnostic characters, with additional data on external morphological variation, skull osteology and hemipenial morphology.

Defining and delimiting species boundaries is a challenging task, even for specialists. After a species is described, subsequent taxonomic revisions may lump it with another taxon, split it into two or more species, or even reclassify it into a different taxon. These changes in species taxonomy can cause instability in the list of species considered valid over time, which can affect macroecological predictions and have consequences for conservation planning and biodiversity management. In this study, we use five macroecological variables and four factors associated with the taxonomic history of New World coralsnakes to investigate whether these variables can predict the likelihood of a species undergoing taxonomic revision, leading to changes in its taxonomy. Some of the authors, experts on the group, identified, drawing on their knowledge, which species have a higher likelihood of undergoing taxonomic change. Our findings indicate that the number of synonyms, body size, and the latitude of the centroid positively affect the probability of a species splitting in the future. The necessity for a species to undergo taxonomic revision increases with the number of subspecies, and the level of difficulty in delimiting a species increases with the number of synonyms. We demonstrated that most coralsnake species exhibit some degree of taxonomic uncertainty, with these species predominantly found in moist broadleaf forests. If macroecological and taxonomic variables can be used to predict the taxonomic uncertainty of other taxonomic groups, we could enhance our understanding of how taxonomic uncertainty affects our perception of macroecological patterns and conservation planning. Additionally, this approach could help identify which species need more taxonomic attention.

Brazilian continental islands represent a natural laboratory to study speciation driven by recent phenotypic and genotypic divergence. The Bothrops jararaca species group is distributed in the Brazilian Atlantic Forest and on most of the Brazilian continental islands. The group is currently composed of the mainland common lancehead (B. jararaca) and four insular species (B. alcatraz, B. insularis, B. otavioi, and B. sazimai). Here, we evaluate mitochondrial DNA and morphological diversity of the B. jararaca species group and aim to provide additional evidence to understand insularization processes on the Brazilian coast. Our results, interpreted together with a comprehensive review of geomorphological data, provide a new conceptual framework for understanding the colonization process of the Brazilian continental islands. This framework suggests a history of multiple rounds of periodic isolation and reconnection between insular populations and their mainland relatives throughout the last 420,000 years. Furthermore, although some insular populations may have speciated prior to the last glacial maximum, other species likely diverged within the last 11,000 years. Additionally, the repeated evolution of size and dietary shift in the B. jararaca species group suggests a remarkable case of convergent adaptation. Our study provides evidence that the Bothrops from Ilha da Moela (Brazilian state of São Paulo) represents an undescribed species, presenting a distinct phenotype, and an exclusive history of isolation and adaptation. We describe this unique lancehead as a new species and we suggest it should be listed as critically endangered based on its endemicity to a small island that is severely impacted by constant and longstanding human presence. http://zoobank.org/urn:lsid:zoobank.org:pub:B1F65287-CEC4-4F9C-90D7-42314A497590

Recently a new species of bombyliid fly, Marleyimyia xylocopae, was described by Marshall & Evenhuis (2015) based on two photographs taken during fieldwork in the Republic of South Africa. This species has no preserved holotype. The paper generated some buzz, especially among dipterists, because in most cases photographs taken in the field provide insufficient information for properly diagnosing and documenting species of Diptera.

The genus Xenoxybelis contains two species, X. argenteus and X. boulengeri, characterized by semi-arboreal habits and an extremely thin rostral area, classified in the subfamily Xenodontinae (Colubridae). Xenoxybelis boulengeri is considered a rare species and is poorly represented in scientific collections. Its external morphology is known only from the original description and seven other specimens. In this study, twenty additional specimens were examined from the Brazilian states of Acre, Amazonas and Rondônia. Variation in meristic and morphometric characters are described, and new characters are incorporated in a revised diagnosis of the species. Illustrations and a description of the hemipenes of X. boulengeri are presented for the first time. Analysis of morphological and molecular characters permit allocation of Xenoxybelis to the tribe Phylodryadini, together with Ditaxodon, Philodryas, Pseudablabes and Tropidodryas.

A new species of Pseudoboa, P. martinsi, is described from the Amazon basin of Brazil, with records from the states of Pará, Amazonas, Roraima and Rondônia. The new species is distinguished from the other five species of the genus by a combination of scalation and coloration characters. Individuals of the new species were found in both primary and disturbed forested areas. The species seems to be predominantly nocturnal and secretive because specimens were found foraging in the litter during night.