New paper!

Taszakowski A. et al.: "Additional contribution to the genus Psallops Usinger (Hemiptera: Heteroptera: Miridae: Psallopinae), with descriptions of three new species".

Three new species of the genus Psallops (Hemiptera: Miridae: Psallopinae) are described from different regions: P. carolinus sp. nov. from Madagascar, P. matarankensis sp. nov. from Australia, and P. ulu sp. nov. from Brunei. Diagnostic characters and illustrations of the male (P. matarankensis sp. nov. and P. ulu sp. nov.) and female (P. carolinus sp. nov.) genitalia are provided. The female genitalia of Psallops are described for the first time. Detailed morphological examination using scanning electron microscopy revealed additional states of several characters recently recognized as taxonomically informative within Psallops. These findings broaden the currently known morphological limits of the genus and further support the taxonomic importance of these characters for future studies on the internal classification of Psallops.

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New paper!

Schroeder S. & Weirauch C.: "New genera and species of Australian sheoak-associated plant bugs (Hemiptera: Miridae: Phylinae: Pilophorini and Semiini)".

To contribute to the documentation of Australian Phylinae, the second largest subfamily of Miridae (>300 species described from Australia), we examined 593 specimens collected from Casuarina Linnaeus, 1759 and Allocasuarina Johnson, 1982 throughout Australia between 1995 and 2004. We here describe 12 new species in the five new genera Swiftiephylus, gen. nov. and Umbraphylus, gen. nov. (Pilophorini) and Casuaphylus, gen. nov., Luxiphylus, gen. nov., and Pseudophytocoris, gen. nov. (Semiini: Exocarpocorina). Decisions on generic and tribal placement were based on morphological data and emerging molecular phylogenetic hypotheses. The similarity in color pattern among the Casuarinaceae-associated Phylinae suggests potential convergent evolution of cryptic coloration for blending with host inflorescences.

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New paper!

Jin Z. et al.: "Mosaic phenotypic evolution underlies the adaptive success of water-surface colonization in Gerromorpha".

Understanding how the remarkable phenotypic diversity observed in organisms arises through shifts in macroevolutionary patterns and tempos is a fundamental challenge in evolutionary biology. Phenotypes often evolve in a mosaic pattern during adaptive transitions. For organisms that have invaded highly specialized habitats, such as the unique two-phase interface habitats (water surfaces), the macroevolutionary history of their phenotypic diversification remains only superficially understood. Semiaquatic bugs (Insecta: Heteroptera: Gerromorpha), which exhibit extensive habitat diversification and unparalleled phenotypic innovation, represent one of the most successful extant adaptive groups at this interface and provide an excellent system for study. By analyzing their adaptive transitions and phenotypic macroevolutionary history, we demonstrate that Gerromorpha experienced a single major adaptive transition from land to the water surface. Subsequently, semiaquatic bugs successfully colonized a wide range of distinct water-surface habitats. During this process, phenotypic space was explored under strong constraints and along pronounced mosaic trajectories; i.e., different body regions exhibited markedly distinct patterns of phenotypic space occupation and partitioning, as well as markedly different evolutionary rates. Furthermore, we showed that this mosaic pattern of phenotypic space occupation and rates of exploration had complex and critical effects on the invasion and colonization of water-surface habitats. Our study provides a typical case of macroevolutionary dynamics in species adapted to specialized air–water interface habitats, emphasizing the complex and significant roles of environmental context and functional demands in shaping patterns of phenotypic evolution.

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