The taxonomic status of the strabomantid frog species Pristimantis nebulosus (Henle, 1992), originating from southern Cordillera Azul in central Peru, is investigated based on examination holotype and its comparison with freshly collected topotypic material. Following current standards, we provide a redescription holotype. It rather poor state exhibits certain damages preservation artifacts, co...

In this study, ITS–rDNA region was used to identify some anamorphic powdery mildews in Guilan province. According to the results, Erysiphe species on Vicia faba and Sesbania punicea showed 100% similarity to each other, however, without ITS sequence of holotype of E. sesbaniae it is impossible to make conclusion whether Vicia faba powdery mildew fungus actually belongs to E. sesbaniae or E. tri...

Asthenochrysa viridula Adams, 1978 (Chrysopidae: Nothochrysinae) is a neotropical species. Until now, this species was known from only few specimens: the holotype female Misiones, province in northeastern Argentina and male two females states of Minas Gerais Espírito Santo Brazil. In contribution, A. reported for first time Tucumán, located northwestern also Santa Cruz, an eastern department Bo...

Attempts to reconstruct the neutral neck posture of sauropod dinosaurs, or indeed any tetrapod, are doomed to failure when based only on the geometry of the bony cervical vertebrae. The thickness of the articular cartilage between the centra of adjacent vertebrae affects posture. It extends (raises) the neck by an amount roughly proportional to the thickness of the cartilage. It is possible to ...

Fossil sites from Brazil have yielded specimens of spinosaurid theropods, among which the most informative include the cranial remains of Irritator, Angaturama, and Oxalaia. In this work some of their craniodental features are reinterpreted, providing new data for taxonomic and evolutionary issues concerning this particular clade of dinosaurs. The mesial-most tooth of the left maxilla of the ho...

The exploration of Earth's biodiversity is an exciting and ongoing endeavour. Here, we report a new species of seadragon from Western Australia with substantial morphological and genetic differences to the only two other known species. We describe it as Phyllopteryx dewysea n. sp. Although the leafy seadragon (Phycodurus eques) and the common seadragon (Phyllopteryx taeniolatus) occur along Aus...

Although there are nine genera of ctenochasmatoids reported from the Jehol Biota, at present each is known from a specimen that has either a skull or a relatively complete postcranial skeleton. A nearly complete juvenile specimen of Gladocephaloideus from the Lower Cretaceous Jiufotang Formation of Sihedang, Lingyuan of Liaoning Province is the most complete ctenochasmatoid preserved to date wi...

The utility of nondestructive laser Raman for testing the biogenicity of microfossil-like structures in ancient rocks is promising, yet results from deposits like the ∼3.46 Ga Apex chert remain contentious. The essence of the debate is that associated microstructures, which are not purported to be microfossils, also contain reduced carbon that displays Raman D- and G-band peaks similar to those...