Zoosystematics and Evolution

𝐇𝐚𝐩𝐩𝐲 𝐅𝐫𝐢𝐝𝐚𝐲! To celebrate our recent move over to Bluesky, enjoy a collection of weird and wonderful discoveries published in our journal! 🧵(1/15)

🦉 Don't forget that #ZoologyCon2026 is coming to Bucharest early next month! 📋 Accommodation details have now been added and can be accessed on the official site: zoologycon.ro/scientific-p... #zoology #conservation #taxonomy

🐛 Two new millipede species, Hedinomorpha caobang and H. vast, have been discovered in Vietnam, marking the first record of this genus in the country. Full study: doi.org/10.3897/zse.102.208437

🦐 A taxonomic dispute concerning two isopod genera has been resolved through an integrative study combining morphological and genetic analyses, revealing that Koreoniscus is a junior synonym of Mongoloniscus. Check out the full study: doi.org/10.3897/zse.102.186565

🦐 Two new amphipod species, Niphargus almensis and Niphargus uchansi, have been discovered in the underground rivers of Crimea, representing the first riverine hyporheic niphargids recorded from the peninsula and expanding our knowledge of these freshwater crustaceans: doi.org/10.3897/zse.102.206462

🪱 A recent taxonomic revision of marine worm systematics has reinstated the genus Maea, however this change creates unexpected complications for the classification of the family Magelonidae, prompting a reconsideration of whether Maea should remain distinct: doi.org/10.3897/zse.102.205086

🐌 A new land snail species with distinctive red-brown bands - Yuyao heyuemingi - has been discovered in Yunnan Province and formally recognised as belonging to an entirely new genus: doi.org/10.3897/zse.102.182198

🐸 A new horned toad species, Boulenophrys tianlinensis, has been discovered during a biodiversity survey in Guangxi, China. Read all about it: doi.org/10.3897/zse.102.193995

🦎 First record of the grass #lizard Takydromus kuehnei vietnamensis in China. Two specimens from Fangchenggang, Guangxi confirmed via morphology + mitochondrial #DNA. Read more: doi.org/10.3897/zse....

🐸 A new species of toad, Oreolalax lizipingensis, has been discovered in a nature reserve in Sichuan, China. ⛰️ It is only found in high-altitude streams between 2,400 and 3,100 metres! Learn more here: doi.org/10.3897/zse.102.183210

📍 We recently attended the 4th BioSyst.EU meeting in Uppsala, Sweden, held in the very city where taxonomy was born! ➡️ Read the full recap on our blog: blog.pensoft.net/2026/09/03/p... #BioSyst2026

🦉 ZoologyCon 2026 | 4-7 Nov, Bucharest 🔬 Taxonomy to genomics, ecology to conservation - join zoologists from around the world. 📋 Preliminary programme now live: zoologycon.ro/scientific-p... ⏰ Register by 20 September: zoologycon.ro/registration... #ZoologyCon2026 #Zoology

🐸 A new species of leaf litter toad, Leptobrachella jinzhongshanensis, has been described from Longlin County, Guangxi, China, identified by its patterned flanks, bicoloured iris and marbled underside: doi.org/10.3897/zse.102.195575

Meet Laimosemion laranja, a new #killifish from Brazil's lower Rio Amazonas Basin in Amapá. It shares its color pattern with the L. geayi group but stands apart in fin, scale and skull traits, and its cox1 DNA diverges 5.3-12.3% from close kin. ➡️Full study: doi.org/10.3897/zse....

🤝Great catching up with Prof. Andreas Schmidt-Rhaesa at #BioSyst2026! 📝He's a Former Editor-in-Chief of @evolsyst.pensoft.net and current subject editor at @zse.pensoft.net. Check out some of his research below: 👉 doi.org/10.3897/evol... 👉 doi.org/10.3897/zse....

🪸 We attended another interesting talk at #BioSyst2026, this time by Kaveh Samimi-Namin: "Re-describing Octocoral Type Material in the Museomic Era: Linking Historical Names to Modern Phylogenies." ⬇️ Kaveh is also an author in our journal: zse.pensoft.net/article/1928... @systassn.bsky.social

📢 Just days left! @pensoft.net will be in Uppsala - join our team at the 4th BioSyst EU meeting (17-19 Aug) to explore our open-access journals and chat with our team about publishing your research. Learn more: zse.pensoft.net/news/1413 #BioSystEU2026

🦀 Two new genera and species of freshwater crab, Angiangmon nuicoto and Lamdongmon tanhlinhensis, have been discovered during recent surveys in southern Vietnam: doi.org/10.3897/zse.102.187291

🌏 The 5th International Congress on Southeast Asian Gateway Evolution - #SAGE2026 - is now underway in Phuket, Thailand! 🔬 Bringing together global researchers to showcase the latest breakthroughs in systematics, ecology, and evolutionary biodiversity science: zse.pensoft.net/news/1391

🦎 A striking new skink species, Scincella gigas, has been discovered in the mountains of Yunnan Province, China, and is the largest member of its genus ever recorded. Its name is derived from the Greek word for "giant"! ➡️ Full study: doi.org/10.3897/zse.102.204139

🦐 Surveys of freshwater shrimp in Guangxi, China, have uncovered a striking new species, Caridina grammosticta, characterised by its seven reddish-brown stripes and speckled pattern. ➡️ Read more: doi.org/10.3897/zse.102.199045

🔬 A long-confused freshwater mussel has recently had its identity clarified, revealing it is more closely related to the genus Nodularia than previously thought, and it has now been renamed Nodularia liuovatus. ➡️ Full study: doi.org/10.3897/zse.102.200796

🦎 A new skink species, the Dabie Mountains Ground Skink (Scincella dabieshanensis), has been discovered in China, bringing the country's total number of Scincella species to 19. 👉 Learn all about it: doi.org/10.3897/zse.102.187997

🐸 A charming new amphibian, the Damingshan Tree Frog (Gracixalus damingshanensis), has been discovered in the evergreen and bamboo forests of Damingshan National Nature Reserve in Guangxi, China, identified by its golden-brown eyes and multi-note call: doi.org/10.3897/zse.102.186426

New karst-adapted gecko described from Guizhou, China: Gekko qiannanensis. It nests within subgenus Japonigekko alongside other karst species, distinguished by moderate toe webbing and a gray dorsum with six pale bands. Brings Japonigekko to 42 species, 28 known from China: doi.org/10.3897/zse....

Surveys from 2024 across the Nazca, Salas y Gómez, and Juan Fernández ridges (SE Pacific) led to the discovery of a new squat #lobsters: a new Leiogalathea and three new Munidopsis species. All the details in the open-access article: doi.org/10.3897/zse.... @ceabcsic.bsky.social

Four new water #mite species have been discovered in southern China, found living in #moss and #algae at water's edge. One genus is a first record for China. Microscopy also revealed hidden hardened structures forming as the mites mature. Full #openaccess study: doi.org/10.3897/zse....

Two new #spider species described from Yunnan, China: Metashinobius daweishan and M. dulongjiang. This study also reports the first-known female of the genus and refines its diagnostic features, with detailed photos of anatomy and genitalia: doi.org/10.3897/zse....

A new species of Chinese giant #salamander - the world's largest #amphibians - has been discovered in Anhui Province, China. ➡️See the full study in our open-access journal: doi.org/10.3897/zse.... ➡️Or read @pensoft.net's blog: blog.pensoft.net/2026/07/15/n...

🪱🔬Three new species of #freshwater #flatworm (Dugesia) have been described from Henan Province, China. Using anatomy, chromosome counts, and DNA, researchers confirmed each is genetically and physically distinct from its relatives. Full study here: doi.org/10.3897/zse....

⚽ @pensoft.net's Biodiversity Cup is back - and this time it's the Animal Kingdom edition! 🗳️ Head over to their Instagram story and vote for the species you think deserves to win this round: instagram.com/pensoft/ #BiodiversityCup #FIFAWorldCup2026 #WorldCup2026 #FIFAWorldCup

📢 The abstract submission deadline for ZoologyCon 2026 is fast approaching! 📝 Abstracts are invited across all six congress themes, from taxonomy and genomics to conservation and citizen science. ⏰ Submissions are only being accepted until 31 July 2026 - get yours in soon! zoologycon.ro/home/

🐟 A new species of freshwater fish, Acrossocheilus zhangjiajiensis, has been discovered in the upper Lishui River Basin of Hunan Province, China. 🔬 This fish brings the total number of recognised Acrossocheilus species to 25! ➡️ Full study: doi.org/10.3897/zse.102.195486 #newfish #newspecies

📍 The 10th European Hemiptera Congress is to be hosted in Martonvásár, Hungary, from 28 June to 3 July. 🤔 Curious to find out what will be covered across the sessions? Check out our latest news announcement: zse.pensoft.net/news/1311

🦎 Zoosystematics and Evolution moves up! Impact Factor climbs to 1.4 (from 0.9), Q3→Q2 in Zoology (WoS). #Scopus CiteScore at 1.8, Q2 across all indexed categories. See more: zse.pensoft.net/news/1303 #scholarlypublishing #openaccess

🐟 A new species of parasitic flatworm, Prodistomum chumphonense, has been described from the intestines of two mackerel species collected in the Gulf of Thailand: doi.org/10.3897/zse.102.190596 @unibarcelonathe.bsky.social

🪸 An annotated catalogue has been produced to document over 750 specimens of black corals (Antipatharia) held at Naturalis Biodiversity Center in the Netherlands, encompassing name-bearing type material for 59 taxa. ➡️ Check it out: doi.org/10.3897/zse.102.192821 @biology.ox.ac.uk

🔬 A novel parasitic species belonging to the genus Myxobolus has been discovered in the intestinal walls of a freshwater fish during a biodiversity survey in Hunan province, China, where it was found to infect nearly a third of examined hosts. ➡️ Find out more: doi.org/10.3897/zse.102.191790

🔬 Two new species of freshwater flatworms of the genus Dugesia have been discovered in the Taihang and Funiu Mountains - D. cylindrica and D. elongata. ➡️ Read more about them: doi.org/10.3897/zse.102.181547

🐛 A total of eight millipede species, including four recorded in Guizhou Province for the first time, were identified within the Chishui Alsophila National Nature Reserve. 🔬 Two species entirely new to science were also discovered and described in the following study: doi.org/10.3897/zse.102.185791

🕷️ 🎸 𝘗𝘪𝘬𝘦𝘭𝘪𝘯𝘪𝘢 𝘧𝘭𝘰𝘺𝘥𝘮𝘶𝘳𝘢𝘳𝘪𝘢 is a newly described crevice weaver spider named after #PinkFloyd that preys on animals six times its size and hides inside walls. Published in @zse.pensoft.net and featured on the #BBC #Wildlife Magazine homepage, as covered by Magda Patynska. 👇