The vampire squid, Vampyroteuthis infernalis Chun, 1903, is currently the only extant species in the family Vampyroteuthidae Chun, 1903. However, specimens from the Gulf of Guinea, Africa, and California suggested the possibility of additional taxa. Here, we report the second species of Vampyroteuthis, collected from the South China Sea, China, which differs from V. infernalis by its tail shape, lower beak, photophores position, and the phylogenetic analysis of mitochondrial COI and nuclear large subunit ribosomal DNA (LSU) sequences: V. infernalis present by the lacking of the tail, photophores located approximately one-third of the points between the fins and end, and the lower beak with a broad, short wing; V. pseudoinfernalis Qiu, Liu & Huang, sp. nov. present by an acuate tail, a pair of photophores located at the midpoints between the fins and tail, and a lower beak with a broad, elongate wing.

Four species of the genus Karstsinnectes, which live in dark, low-energy groundwater ecosystems, are currently recorded, mainly distributed in the upstream of the Pearl River, the Youjiang River and the Hongshui River. Completing biodiversity surveys is particularly difficult due to the particular cave habitats inhabited by these species. In this work, we describe a new cave fish of the genus Karstsinnectes, namely K. cehengensis Luo, Zhao & Zhou, sp. nov., collected from the Beipanjiang River, the upstream of the Hongshui River. Genetically, the four individuals of the new species form a phylogenetically separate lineage, as the sister clade of K. acridorsalis, with a 9.4–9.5% genetic difference in mitochondrial Cyt b. Morphologically, the new species can be distinguished from its congeners by a combination of the following morphological characteristics: body naked, without body color; eyes reduced, diameter 1.4–3.8% of head length; anterior and posterior nostrils adjacent, anterior nostril not elongated to a barbel-like tip; lateral line incomplete; caudal fin forked; dorsal-fin rays iii-7, pectoral-fin rays i-11–12, pelvic-fin rays i-7, anal-fin rays iii-5, with 14 branched caudal-fin rays. The discovery of this new species represents the northernmost distribution of species within the genus Karstsinnectes and the first record from Guizhou Province. All currently known species of this genus inhabited in caves, making them ideal organisms for studying historical river connectivity and cave formation process.

This study focused on and examined the traditional Lucanus fortunei group comprising more than 60% of all Lucanus taxa in China. Each species treatment includes a description, distribution, collecting methods, natural history and digital habitus and other pertinent images. A dichotomous taxonomic key was created specific to the Chinese L. fortunei group and the related groups. The Lucanus fortunei group is arguably the largest group in terms of species richness in Lucanus Scopoli; however, the group definition is unclear and needs to be critically assessed and redefined. Field work and sampling of the Chinese Lucanus fortunei species group was conducted between summer, 2017 and summer, 2022. Field sites included Anhui, Zhejiang, Fujian, Taiwan, Jiangxi, Hubei, Hunan, Guizhou, Sichuan, Chongqing, Yunnan, Xizang, Guangdong, and Guangxi Provinces. Thirty-two taxa (species and subspecies), including 473 specimens, previously considered to fall within the scope of the Lucanus fortunei group were examined by morphological study. Three new groups, the Lucanus brivioi group, the Lucanus kraatzi group, and the Lucanus parryi group are proposed and separated from the traditional Lucanus fortunei group, based on morphological characters. The subspecies, L. parryi laetus, is proposed as the synonym of the nominate subspecies.

Four new genera in three spider families are reported, namely Langlibaitiao Lin & Li, gen. nov., of Dictynidae O. Pickard-Cambridge, 1871, with Lathys inaffecta Li, 2017 (♂♀, China: Guangxi) as the type species; Huoyanluo Lin & Li, gen. nov., of Macrobunidae Petrunkevitch, 1928, with Huoyanluo ruanxiaoqi Lin & Li, sp. nov. (♂, China: Yunnan) as the type species and Gushangzao Lin & Li, gen. nov. and Gyro Lin & Li, gen. nov., of Theridiidae Sundevall, 1833, with Gushangzao shiqian Lin & Li, sp. nov. (♂♀, China: Xizang) and Gyro zeppeli Lin & Li, sp. nov. (♀, China: Yunnan) as the type species, respectively. Further 31 new species in 19 spider families are reported, including Agelenidae C.L. Koch, 1837: Troglocoelotes doul Lin & Li, sp. nov. (♀, China: Guangxi) and T. ruanxiaowu Lin & Li, sp. nov. (♀, China: Guangxi); Dictynidae: Langlibaitiao zhangshun Lin & Li, sp. nov. (♂, China: Hainan); Hahniidae Bertkau, 1878: Hahnia zhuyifani Lin & Li, sp. nov. (♀, China: Yunnan); Liocranidae Simon, 1897: Platnick xintongi Lin & Li, sp. nov. (♂♀, China: Xizang); Macrobunidae: Funny yanqing Lin & Li, sp. nov. (♂♀, China: Xizang) and Huoyanluo zhangzezhongi Lin & Li, sp. nov. (♂, China: Yunnan); Mysmenidae Petrunkevitch, 1928: Phricotelus yangxiong Lin & Li, sp. nov. (♂♀, China: Chongqing); Nemesiidae Simon, 1889: Raveniola shixiu Lin, Wang & Li, sp. nov. (♀, China: Guangxi) and R. xiezhen Lin, Wang & Li, sp. nov. (♂♀, China: Yunnan); Nesticidae Simon,1894: Speleoticus sicet Lin & Li, sp. nov. (♂♀, China: Sichuan); Ochyroceratidae Fage, 1912: Speocera yiduoi Lin & Li, sp. nov. (♂, China: Guangdong); Oecobiidae Blackwall, 1862: Uroctea chenyui Lin & Li, sp. nov. (♂♀, China: Guangxi); Oonopidae Simon, 1890: Orchestina xiebao Lin & Li, sp. nov. (♀, China: Chongqing); Philodromidae Thorell, 1869: Apollophanes lujiani Lin & Li, sp. nov. (♂♀, China: Guangxi) and Psellonus dawanqu Lin & Li, sp. nov. (♂♀, China: Guangdong); Salticidae Blackwall, 1841: Coccorchestes spark Lin & Li, sp. nov. (♂♀, Indonesia, West Papua), Onomastus zhuwu Lin & Li, sp. nov. (♂♀, China: Chongqing) and Synagelides huangxin Lin & Li, sp. nov. (♂♀, China: Chongqing); Sparassidae Bertkau,1872: Thelcticopis chongzu Lin & Li, sp. nov. (♂♀, China: Yunnan); Symphytognathidae Hickman,1931: Kirinua zhengqi Lin & Li, sp. nov. (♀, China: Guangxi); Synotaxidae Simon,1895: Tekellina haosiwen Lin & Li, sp. nov. (♂♀, China: Chongqing) and T. huihangi Lin & Li, sp. nov. (♂♀, China: Zhejiang); Theridiidae: Chrosiothes pengqi Lin & Li, sp. nov. (♀, China: Chongqing), Coscinida hantao Lin & Li, sp. nov. (♂♀, China: Chongqing), Gushangzao goemon Lin & Li, sp. nov. (♂♀, Japan, Iriomotejima Island), Theridion chenzhangfui Lin & Li, sp. nov. (♂♀, China: Zhejiang) and Yaginumena xuanzan Lin & Li, sp. nov. (♂♀, China: Chongqing); Theridiosomatidae Simon, 1881: Coddingtonia chenyufengi Lin & Li, sp. nov. (♀, Vietnam: Hai Phong) and Sennin zhangxinae Lin & Li, sp. nov. (♂♀, Vietnam: Hai Phong); Zodariidae Thorell, 1881: Mallinella zhoushengboi Lin & Li, sp. nov. (♂♀, China: Chongqing). Four new combinations in three spider families are proposed: Philodromidae: Psellonus kianganensis (Barrion & Litsinger, 1995) comb. nov.; Theridiidae: Gushangzao pelorosus (Zhu, 1998) comb. nov. and Dictynidae: Langlibaitiao chishuiensis (Zhang, Yang & Zhang, 2009) comb. nov. and L. inaffectus (Li, 2017) comb. nov.

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Each species within the order Thysanoptera has a distinct mitochondrial gene order displaying a high level of gene rearrangement, particularly massive in Phlaeothripidae. To understand the evolutionary patterns of rearrangement in this family, we sequenced the complete mitochondrial genome of Psephenothrips eriobotryae, a notable potential pest of loquat trees. Its mitogenome is a circular DNA molecule (15,413 bp in size) composed of 37 genes: 13 PCGs, 22 tRNAs, two rRNAs, and two putative control regions (CRs). By comparing with the ancestral mitogenome of arthropods, P. eriobotryae exhibits notable gene rearrangement variations. However, it shares four conserved gene blocks with three closely related species in Phlaeothripinae. In the phylogenetic tree, P. eriobotryae was clustered with these three leaf-feeding Phlaeothripinae species. The presence of more similar conserved gene blocks probably indicates a strong correlation between gene rearrangements and the phylogeny within Phlaeothripidae. Furthermore, the mitogenome of P. eriobotryae shows some characteristics: (a) two putative CRs in which CR2 is the copy of partial CR1 with 99.62% sequence similarity, and CR1 consists of two 237 bp repeat unites; (b) high A+T content of 82.6% in overall base composition; (c) trnS1 lacking a complete dihydrouridine (DHU) arm; (d) the protein coding gene, atp8 started with TTG instead of the more common ATN, while nad3 terminated by TAG rather than TAA; (e) translocations and inversions observed in fifteen of the 37 genes.

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Species are not only the fundamental units of taxonomy but also the basic units of pest management. Insects of Conogethes are important agricultural and forestry pests. However, species boundaries within Conogethes often appear obscure. In the present study, we re-evaluated the species status of Conogethes by applying three species delimitation approaches based on the mitochondrial DNA sequences, with particular emphasis on the yellow peach moth C. punctiferalis (Guenée, 1854). We first optimized species delimitation and inter-species genetic divergence threshold using a DNA barcoding dataset. The results revealed that several nominal species of Conogethes species harbored deeply diverged mitochondrial lineages which were recognized as independent species by the species delimitation methods. The p-distance between the delimited putative species ranged from 0.0159 to 0.1321 with a mean of 0.0841. Then we refined the species status of C. punctiferalis using the smallest interspecific distance threshold based on a geographically comprehensive population-scale dataset. This procedure narrowed the species concept of C. punctiferalis to a genetically coherent unit. Further investigation of its intraspecific divergence in the geographic context revealed that the refined C. punctiferalis was still widely distributed with the same or highly similar mitochondrial haplotypes occurring across South and East Asia.

Eleven new species of Ourapteryx Leach, 1814 were described: O. curta Jiang & Han, sp. nov., O. triangulata Cheng & Han, sp. nov., O. cawarongensis Cheng & Jiang, sp. nov., O. arcuata Jiang & Cheng, sp. nov., O. longiacutata Jiang & Cheng, sp. nov., O. linzhiensis Jiang & Cheng, sp. nov., O. aniqiaoensis Cheng & Zhu, sp. nov., O. incurvata Cheng & Jiang, sp. nov., O. concava Cheng & Han, sp. nov., O. alba Cheng & Han, sp. nov., O. motuoensis Cheng & Zhu, sp. nov. Diagnoses for these new species are provided, with illustrations of external features and genitalia.

Egyptian species of the leafhopper genus Exitianus Ball, 1929, E. capicola (Stål, 1855), E. nanus (Distant, 1908), and E. pondus Ross, 1968 are reviewed. Illustrations, morphological descriptions, and a key for their identification are provided. In this study, we used molecular techniques to confirm morphological identification and detect phylogeny among the three Exitianus species. The partial nucleotide sequences of the amplified products obtained were determined by Macrogen Korea. The nucleotide sequences of 28S rDNA and COX genes of the EGY-ARC-9, EGY-ARC-4, and EGY-ARC-5 were determined by Macrogen Korea, blasted into BLAST at the National Center for Biotechnology Information website (NCBI) and compared with those deposited in the GenBank DNA database. The results represented the homology percentage between the partial sequences of the 28S rRNA and COX genes from each species and related species obtained from GenBank DNA database. The morphological identifications of the three Exitianus species were confirmed by molecular characterization and sequencing of 28S rDNA and COX genes and identified as E. capicola, E. nanus, and E. pondus. Also, their sequences of 28srDNA and COX genes were deposited in GenBank with an accession number (LC670610, LC670607, and OQ196105) for 28srDNA gene and (LC775357, LC775358, and LC775359) for the COX gene.

The genus Diomus Mulsant, 1850 (Coleoptera: Coccinellidae: Diomini) from China is herein revised. Five species of Diomus are occurring in the Chinese fauna to date, including a new species from the Dafushan Mountains Forest Park, Guangzhou, Guangdong, namely D. dafushanensis Bi, Peng & Chen, sp. nov. Nomenclatural history, diagnosis, illustrations and distribution were provided for each species. A key to the native species of Diomus from China is also presented.

We present a comprehensive catalog with an updated database of the fossil record of Diplopoda in the world. Taxonomic data was collected from descriptions and reports published from 1854 to the present. We also include new records from Mexican amber (Upper Oligocene-Lower Miocene), counting 83 unknown fossil inclusions, with the first records of the orders Polyxenida, Platydesmida, and Julida, as well as the families Sphaeriodesmidae and Trichopolydesmidae within Polydesmida. According to our results, Diplopoda counts 413 records featuring 299 distinct taxa ranging from the Middle Silurian to the Upper Pleistocene, representing three subclasses, two subterclasses, six superorders, 25 orders, 15 superfamilies, 55 families, 93 genera, and 161 fossil species. To date, no fossils of the order Siphonocryptida have been reported. The fossil record extends over three geological eras: the Paleozoic, with 161 taxa, including 97 species; the Mesozoic, with 53 taxa and 22 species; and the Cenozoic, with 85 taxa and 42 species. The referred material shows different forms of fossil preservation. It comprises 123 impressions, 99 compressions, 26 ichnites, predominantly from Paleozoic and Mesozoic sediments, and 165 amber inclusions from late Mesozoic and Cenozoic sites. Thus, this catalog allows us to estimate the size and taxonomic composition of Diplopoda in the fossil record worldwide.

Three new spongillafly species of Sisyra Burmeister, 1839 from southern China and Laos are described, namely S. arcuata sp. nov., S. nobilia sp. nov., and S. stenoloma sp. nov. Notably, S. arcuata sp. nov. and S. nobilia sp. nov. have remarkable forewing marking pattern, which has never been reported in Sisyra. Additionally, the male of the rare species Sisyra yunana Yang, 1986 is described for the first time. All these Sisyra species have a highly specialized male gonocoxites 9.

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Here, a new species collected in the coastal area of Southern China is described, namely Bolbochromus vespertialis sp. nov. The species belongs to the subgenus Bolbochromus Boucomont, 1909, distinguished from the other two subgenera by possesses a frontovertex with punctate augmentation, an unmodified clypeus and aedeagus with distinct parameres (Krikken & Li, 2013)

A new species, Sclerodermus alternatusi Yang, sp. nov. (Hymenoptera: Bethylidae), is described and illustrated. Its cerambycid host, Monochamus alternatus Hope, a severe wood borer attacking many pine trees (Pinus spp.), is also a vector of pine wood nematode, Bursaphelencus xylophilus, which cause severe damages to pine forests in China. The new species is a gregarious ectoparasitoid of junior larva of M. alternatus. The number of adult wasps reared from a single host larva ranges from 6 to 45. The ratio of female to male is 20 : 1. The new parasitoid species has a high potential in using as a biocontrol agent for the wood borer. Diagnosis of the new species with comparisons to its related species, S. pupariae Yang & Yao and a key to known species of Sclerodermus from China is provided.