Two New Pseudoscorpion Species of the Coastal Genus Garypus L. Koch, 1873 (Garypidae) and an Updated Checklist of the Pseudoscorpiones of Taiwan
Abstract
Pseudoscorpions are predatory microarthropods that feed on even smaller animals, such as mites and springtails. While these organisms are generally considered terrestrial and live in the leaf litter or under barks or rocks, some pseudoscorpions live in the intertidal area, including species in the genera Anagarypus, Anchigarypus, and Garypus in the family Garypidae. This study describes two new species of the genus Garypus L. Koch from Southern Taiwan, Garypus wilsoni Lin & Chang sp. nov. and Garypus sanasai Lin, Huang & Chang sp. nov., reviews the pseudoscorpion fauna of Taiwan, and provides an updated checklist of the country. Specimens of the two new species were collected in seashore habitats and their status as new species were supported by both morphology and molecular phylogenetic analysis. Our discovery marks the first new species of pseudoscorpions reported in Taiwan since 1937, as well as the first records of the family Garypidae in Taiwan and of Garypus in East Asia. Moreover, the discovery of these two new species in Taiwan fills the regional distribution gap between Garypus in Thailand and southward and its closely related genus Anchigarypus in South Korea and Japan. The location where Garypus sanasai Lin, Huang & Chang sp. nov. was found also represents the northernmost distribution of the genus Garypus in the West Pacific.
Methodology and Implementation Steps
Zoological studies 是中研院生物多樣性中心出版的期刊，收錄動物行為、生態學與演化學的文章，不接受單純只有單一新種描述的文章，是免期刊發表費用且公開取用的期刊，根據JCR Journal Citation Report，2023年的impact factor為1.5，在動物學的排名為58/181(Q2)。是臺灣本土動物學重要且頂尖的期刊，也有很多來自世界各地的研究發表於此。除了這篇研究以外，還有兩篇來自東歐及巴西的擬蠍研究。
Innovation and Cross-Disciplinary Collaboration
台灣在此之前沒有本土的擬蠍研究者，最後的新種描述停留在1937年。不只台灣，全世界的擬蠍研究者比起其他類群也少很多。大多擬蠍的研究都是純形態分類為主，常常有分類錯誤的情況發生。此研究是少數加入分子親緣關係的分類研究，並且也同時提供模式標本的生物條碼COI序列，供後續研究與比較。自2022至今已有兩篇國外的擬蠍研究引用此文章。
Expected Results and Contributions
這篇奠定了臺灣擬蠍的研究基礎，整理了過去臺灣擬蠍的分類，同時也使台灣擬蠍原本的8科8屬10種增加到9科9屬12種。擬蠍在生態系中扮演掠食者角色，因此較難在環境負載力低或受破壞嚴重的棲息地存活。舉例來說，2007年網路上曾有北海岸擬蠍的記錄，但十年後，我與該記錄的作者重新調查該地點，卻未能再次發現其蹤跡。這顯示擬蠍可能對環境變遷敏感，因此記錄其多樣性對於棲地保育非常重要。本研究所發現的兩種新種，目前只有在台東、車城與綠島有分布，為南部特有的類群。
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