@article {58071, title = {Tainacanthus ferox, a remarkable new genus and species of katydids from the high mountains of Hispaniola (Orthoptera: Tettigoniidae: Pseudophyllinae: Polyancistrini)}, year = {2020}, abstract = {

The new genus and species of Polyancistrini katydids Tainacanthus ferox gen. nov., sp. nov. is described from specimens collected in the highest mountains of the Dominican Republic, island of Hispaniola. This is the third genus of Polyancistrini known from Hispaniola and the seventh genus of the tribe. Tainacanthus is distinctive due to the unique architecture of its pronotum, which is a large and bulbous shield with an extended metazona that covers and protects the stridulatory apparatus surrounded by a relatively small number of large and sharp spines. Additionally, all legs are armed with larger and more robust spines than those of Polyancistrus Audinet-Serville, 1831, its most likely closest relative. Tainacanthus inhabits the highest mountains of the Dominican Cordillera Central at over 2,400 m above sea level, living among hard-leaf evergreen vegetation interspersed with pine forests. The type locality is included within the Armando Berm\údez National Park, one of the most important protected areas in the Dominican Republic.

}, keywords = {biodiversity, distribution, Greater Antilles, taxonomy, Tettigonioidea, West Indies}, doi = {10.33800/nc.vi1510.33800/nc.vi15.213}, url = {http://novitatescaribaea.do/index.php/novitates/issue/view/18}, author = {Perez-Gelabert, Daniel E.} } @article {58040, title = {Acoustic Complexity Index to assess benthic biodiversity of a partially protected area in the southwest of the UK}, year = {2020}, abstract = {

The soundscape of the marine environment is a relatively understudied area of ecology that has the potential to provide large amounts of information on biodiversity, reproductive behaviour, habitat selection, spawning and predator\–prey interactions. Biodiversity is often visually assessed and used as a proxy for ecosystem health. Visual assessment using divers or remote video methods can be expensive, and limited to times of good weather and water visibility. Previous studies have concluded that acoustic measures, such as the Acoustic Complexity Index (ACI), correlate with visual biodiversity estimates and offer an alternative to assess ecosystem health.

Here, the ACI measured over 5 years in a Marine Protected Area (MPA) in the UK, Lyme Bay, was analysed alongside another monitoring method, Baited Remote Underwater Video Systems (BRUVs). Two treatments were sampled annually in the summer from 2014 until 2018 with sites inside the MPA, as well as Open Control sites outside of the MPA.

Year by year correlations, which have been used elsewhere to test ACI, showed significant correlations with Number of Species and ACI. However, the sign of these correlations changed almost yearly, showing that more in-depth analyses are needed.

Multivariate analysis of the benthic assemblage composition (from BRUVs) was carried out by Permutational Multivariate Analysis of Variance (PERMANOVA) using Distance Matrices. Although not consistently correlating with univariate measures, the ACI was significantly interacting with the changing benthic assemblage composition, as it changed over time and protection (Inside vs Outside the MPA).

ACI showed potential to allude to shifting benthic communities, yet with no consistency when used alongside univariate measures of diversity. Although it is not without its own disadvantages, and thus should be developed further before implementation, the ACI could potentially reflect more complex changes to the benthos than simply the overall diversity.

}, keywords = {Acoustic Complexity Index, biodiversity, Marine Protected Area, Monitoring Tools}, doi = {10.1016/j.ecolind.2019.106019}, url = {https://linkinghub.elsevier.com/retrieve/pii/S1470160X19310155}, author = {Davies, Bede F.R. and Attrill, Martin J. and Holmes, Luke and Rees, Adam and Witt, Matthew J. and Sheehan, Emma V.} }