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Protists are the most diverse eukaryotes. These microbes are keystone organisms of soil ecosystems and regulate essential processes of soil fertility such as nutrient cycling and plant growth. Despite this, protists have received little scientific attention, especially compared to bacteria, fungi and nematodes in soil studies. Recent methodological advances, particularly in molecular biology techniques, have made the study of soil protists more accessible, and have created a resurgence of interest in soil protistology. This ongoing revolution now enables comprehensive investigations of the structure and functioning of soil protist communities, paving the way to a new era in soil biology. Instead of providing an exhaustive review, we provide a synthesis of research gaps that should be prioritized in future studies of soil protistology to guide this rapidly developing research area. Based on a synthesis of expert opinion we propose 30 key questions covering a broad range of topics including evolution, phylogenetics, functional ecology, macroecology, paleoecology, and methodologies. These questions highlight a diversity of topics that will establish soil protistology as a hub discipline connecting different fundamental and applied fields such as ecology, biogeography, evolution, plant-microbe interactions, agronomy, and conservation biology. We are convinced that soil protistology has the potential to be one of the most exciting frontiers in biology. (C) 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

SIRT1 is an NAD+-dependent deacetylase and one of the seven-member family of sirtuins that play a key role in the regulation of metabolism, DNA repair, inflammation, chromatin structure, and aging in mammals. Activation of SIRT1 improves mitochondrial function, treats hyperglycemia and fatty liver in mice and provides cardioprotection. The SIRT1 deacetylase reaction is one of the most complicated in the biological world, carrying out a two-step reversible reaction involving a covalently attached peptidyl intermediate. In collaboration with the de Cabo lab, we reported that STACs can increase the mean and maximum lifespan of mice by up to 22%. In humans, SRT2104, was able to alleviate psoriasis. Whether STACs such as resveratrol and SRT1720 mediate their health benefits via direct SIRT1 activation remains an unsolved question in the field, but one that will help guide drug development. SIRT1-activating compounds (STACs) work by binding to the N terminus of SIRT1 and lowering the Km for the substrate. Mutation of the mE222 residue adjacent to the STAC binding domain (SCD) prevents SIRT1 activation. We have generated a knock-in mouse model that is a homozygous mutant for E222K and are using it to precisely determine which of the biological effects if STACs such as resveratrol are due to SIRT1 activation. These studies will determine which diseases STACs could treats in humans and how they can be improved to increase their potency.

Lycodon banksi sp. nov. Figs 2-5, Table 3 Holotype: VNUF R.2015.20 (field number: TK 20.15), adult male, collected on 4 April 2015 by Vinh Quang Luu and Thomas Calame in the karst forest, at the mouth of a cave, Phou Hin Poun NPA, Hinboun District, Khammouane Province, central Laos, at an elevation of 167 m a.s.l. Diagnosis: Lycodon banksi sp. nov is characterized by the following morphological characters: (1) dorsal scales in 17-17-15 rows, dorsal scales on the anterior 2/3 of the body length smooth, the six central dorsal scale rows of the posterior 1/3 of the body length feebly keeled; (2) supralabials 8; (3) infralabials 10; (4) loreal entering orbit; (5) cloacal single; (6) ventral scales 241; (7) dorsal surface of body with 87 greyish yellow blotches; (8) ventral surface of body and tail uniformly grey cream. Description of the holotype: Head elongate (HL 15.3 mm), moderately distinct from the neck, longer than wide (HW/HL ratio 0.71), depressed (HH/HL ratio 0.40), narrow anteriorly (IN/IO ratio 0.65); snout elongate (SnL/HL ratio 0.39); nostril lateral, oval shaped, located in the middle of the nasal; eye large (ED/HL ratio 0.17), pupils vertically elliptic; rostral triangular, much broader than high, hardly visible from above; nasal divided into two scales by a vertical ridge along posterior edge of nostril; two square internasals, as wide as long, bordered by two large, subpentagonal prefrontals posteriorly; frontal single, enlarged, pentagonal, narrowed posteriorly; parietals longer than wide, in contact with each other medially, with upper anterior and posterior temporals, paraparietal laterally and four nuchal scales posteriorly; loreal 1/1, elongate, entering orbit; supralabials 8/8, first and second in contact with nasal, third to fifth entering orbit, sixth largest; infralabials 10/10, first pair in broad contact with each other, first to fifth in contact with first pair of chin shields; first and second pairs of chin shields elongate, of the same size and shape, separated by a medial groove, first pair larger than the second; preocular 1/1; postoculars 2/2, of the same size, bordering anterior temporals; anterior temporals 2/2, posterior temporals 3/3, upper ones smaller than lower ones. Body elongate, SVL 415 mm; TaL> 50 mm (tail tip lost); preventrals 2, ventrals 241; subcaudals 26 (tail tip lost), divided, weakly notched laterally; cloacal single; DSR 17-17-15; dorsal scales on the anterior 2/3 of the body length smooth, the six central dorsal scale rows of the posterior 1/3 of the body length feebly keeled; the vertebral scales not enlarged. Colouration in life: Head dark grey, without vertical light nuchal band; dorsal surface of body dark greyyellow with 87 greyish yellow irregular dorsal blotches; first body blotch starting at ventral scale 13, a half vertebral scale covered by this blotch; two yellow stripes on each side, from behind the neck to vent, indistinct posteriorly; ventral scales grey cream; dorsal surface of tail with at least eleven greyish yellow tail blotches, ventral surface of tail grey cream. Hemipenis: The left hemipenis is only in part everted but shows a spinose ornamentation. Additional specimen: One specimen which was not collected but detected and photographed on 22 July 2016 by an arachnology team consisting of Peter Jaeger, Aloke Sahu and Jonas Ewert, in Khammouane Province, in ca. 12.4 km distance from the type locality. The color pattern of this specimen resembles closely that of the holotype. Comparisons: In our phylogenetic analysis, Lycodon banksi sp. nov. is nested in a clade containing L. rufozonatus, L. semicarinatus (Cope), ‘ L. flavozonatus’, L. futsingensis and L. meridionalis. The new species differs from the similar L. meridionalis by having loreal entering the orbit (versus separated from the orbit), dorsal scales on the anterior 2/3 of the body length smooth, the six central dorsal scale rows on the posterior body third feebly keeled (versus distinctly keeled), dorsal head pattern uniform dark grey (versus with yellow-black marbling in L. meridionalis), and ventral surface grey cream (versus yellow with dark spots posteriorly) (see Bourret, 1935; Orlov & Ryabov, 2004); from L. rufozonatus by having loreal entering the orbit (versus usually separated), a distinctly higher ventral scale count (241 versus 185-204), dorsal scales feebly keeled in the posterior body part (versus all smooth), dorsal head pattern uniform dark grey (versus dark brown with yellow borders), and body pattern blotched (versus banded) (Boulenger 1893); from L. semicarinatus by having loreal touching the orbit (versus separated), a higher ventral scale count (241 versus 211-234), dorsal scale rows keeled along posterior 1/3 (versus keeled along anterior half), belly pattern uniform grey cream (versus yellow), and body pattern blotched (versus banded) (Boulenger 1893); from L. flavozonatus by having loreal in contact with the orbit (versus separated), cloacal single (versus divided), six dorsal scale rows on the posterior third of the body feebly keeled (versus 10-12 keeled dorsal scale rows at midbody), dorsal head dark grey (versus black with light markings), and belly pattern uniform grey cream (versus yellow with large black spots); from L. futsingensis by having loreal entering the orbit (versus separated), a higher ventral scale count (241 versus 193-203 in males), dorsal scales feebly keeled in the posterior body part (versus all smooth), and body pattern blotched (versus banded) (Vogel et al., 2012; Neang et al., 2014) (Table 4). The new species has a loreal entering the orbit and thus differs from the following species and subspecies of the Lycodon ruhstrati group which have the loreal separated from the orbit: L. cardamomensis Daltry & Wüster, 2002, L. davidi, L. multifasciatus (Maki, 1931), L. ophiophagus Vogel, David, Pauwels, Sumontha, Norval, Hendrix, Vu & Ziegler, 2009, L. paucifasciatus Rendahl in Smith, 1943, L. ruhstrati ruhstrati (Fischer, 1886), and Lycodon ruhstrati abditus (Vogel et al., 2009). In addition, the new species differs from L. cardamomensis by having more ventral scales (241 versus 215), and in body pattern (87 blotches versus 12 bands); from L. davidi by having more ventral scales (241 versus 224), six dorsal scale rows on the posterior third of the body feebly keeled (versus dorsal scale rows at midbody slightly keeled, outermost rows entirely smooth throughout body), and belly pattern uniform grey cream (versus anterior third whitishcream, posterior part heavily speckled with dark dots); from L. multifasciatus by having more ventral scales (241 versus maximum 237), and dorsal pattern blotched (versus banded); from L. ophiophagus by having more ventral scales (241 versus 211), and dorsal pattern (87 blotches versus 21-22 bands); from L. paucifasciatus by having fewer dorsal scale rows at neck (17 versus 19), more ventral scale rows (241 versus 221-222), six dorsal scale rows on the posterior third of the body feebly keeled (versus two upper rows plus vertebral row distinctly keeled), and dorsal pattern blotched (versus banded) (Neang et al., 2014); from L. r. ruhstrati and Lycodon ruhstrati abditus by having more ventral scales (241 versus 211-228; 241 versus 206-224, respectively), and dorsal pattern blotched (versus banded in the latter) (Vogel et al., 2012); from L. synaptor by having much more ventral scale rows (241 versus 201-203), dorsal pattern with 87 blotches (versus 30-31 bands), and belly pattern uniform grey cream (versus banded) (Vogel & David 2010); from L. zoosvictoriae by having more ventral scales (241 versus 213), dorsal pattern consisting of 87 blotches (versus 31), and having six dorsal scale rows on the posterior third of the body feebly keeled (versus all weakly keeled) (Neang et al., 2014). From the remaining species occurring in Laos, the new species can be distinguished as follows: from L. capucinus by having more ventrals (241 versus 182-211), fewer supralabials (8/8 versus 9-10), cloacal single (versus divided), dorsal blotches 87 (versus reticulated), and greyish yellow blotched body pattern (versus reticulated); from L. fasciatus by having more ventral scale rows (241 versus 182-225), dorsal pattern consisting of 87 blotches (versus 19-49 bands), and belly pattern uniform grey cream (versus white with dark blotches) (Neang et al., 2014); from L. laoensis by having loreal in contact with the orbit (versus separated), more ventrals (241 versus 169-192), and dorsal scales feebly keeled in the posterior body part (versus all smooth) (Neang et al., 2014); from L. septentrionalis by having more infralabials (10 versus 7-8), more ventral scales (241 versus 202-217), and dorsal pattern blotched (versus banded), as well as belly pattern uniform grey cream (versus white) (Neang et al., 2014); from L. subcinctus by the presence of preocular scale (versus absent), having cloacal scale single (versus divided), dorsal pattern blotched (versus banded in anterior part), and more ventral scale rows (241 versus 129-230) (Neang et al., 2014). From the remaining species in the fasciatus group, the new species differs as follows: from L. butleri Boulenger by having more ventral scale rows (241 versus 220-227), dorsal pattern blotched (versus banded), and belly pattern uniform grey cream (versus banded & spotted) (Grismer et al., 2014); from L. cavernicolus by having dorsal head uniformly dark grey (versus light brown), fewer supralabials (8 versus 9 or 10), more dorsal blotches (87 versus 36-45 bands), dorsal scales on the anterior 2/3 of the body length smooth, the six central dorsal scale rows of the posterior 1/3 of the body length feebly keeled (versus all keeled), and greyish yellow blotched pattern on the body (versus white bands); from L. gongshan by having six dorsal scale rows on the posterior third of the body feebly keeled (versus upper and vertebral dorsal rows keeled), more ventral scale rows (241 versus 210- 216), and dorsal pattern with 87 blotches (versus 32- 40 bands) (Vogel & Luo, 2011); from L. liuchengchaoi by having cloacal scale single (versus divided), dorsal pattern consisting of 87 irregular greyish yellow dorsal blotches (versus 40 well-defined yellow rings), and more ventral scales (241 versus 204) (Zhang et al., 2011). Distribution: Lycodon banksi sp. nov. is currently known only from the type locality in the Phou Hin Poun NPA, Khammouane Province, central Laos (Fig. 6). Etymology: The name of the species is dedicated to our friend and colleague Chris Banks, International Coordinator, Philippine Crocodile National Recovery Team, Zoos Victoria, Australia, for his outstanding contributions towards amphibian and reptile conservation, in particular of the Philippine Crocodile. We propose the following common names: Banks’ Wolf Snake (English), Banks Wolfszahnnatter (German). Natural history: The holotype was found at 20:39 h, crawling on a limestone outcrop in the karst forest, approximately 0.3 m above the forest floor, at an elevation of 167 m a.s.l. The humidity at the time of collection was approximately 85% and the air temperature ranged from 23 to 26 oC (Fig. 7). Another specimen was observed 12.4 km away from the type locality, active on the ground at 23:30 h, near a limestone cliff in the secondary forest.

uploaded for Revue Suisse de Zoologie by Plazi, {"references":["Anderson J. 1879. Reptilia and amphibia. In: Anatomical and Zoological Researches: Comprising an Account of the Zoological Results of the Two Expeditions to Western Yunnan in 1868 and 1875. Volume I. [pp. 703-860, 969-975 index.]. Bernard Quarich, London, Vol. I: 705- 860, [1878].","Boie F. 1827. Bemerkungen uber Merrem's Versuch eines Systems der Amphibien, 1. Lieferung: Ophidier. Isis van Oken 20: 508-566.","Boulenger G.A. 1893. Catalogue of the Snakes in the British Museum (Natural History). Volume I. Trustees of the British Museum, London, xiii + 448 pp., 28 plates.","Bourret R. 1935. Notes herpetologiques sur l'Indochine francaise. IX. Les Serpents de Chapa. Bulletin general de l'Instruction publique, 14 (1934-1935), 7 (Mars), 239-251 [Reprint: 5-17].","Burbrink F. T., Lawson R. & Slowinski J. B. (2000). Mitochondrial DNA phylogeography of the polytypic North American rat snake (Elaphe obsoleta): a critique of the subspecies concept. Evolution, 54: 2107-2118.","Cantor T. 1842. General features of Chusan, with remarks on the flora and fauna of that island [part 1]. Annals & Magazine of Natural History (1) 9: 265-278.","Daltry J.C. & Wuster W. 2002. A new species of wolf snake (Serpentes: Colubridae: Lycodon) from the Cardamom Mountains, southwestern Cambodia. Herpetologica, 58(4): 498-504. http://dx.doi.org/10.1655/0018-0831(2002)058[0498:anso ws]2.0.co;2","Deuve J. 1970. Serpents du Laos. Memoires de l'Orstom, Paris 39: 1-251.","Dowling H.G. 1951. A proposed standard system of counting ventral in snakes. Journal of Herpetology 1: 97-99.","Fischer J.G. 1886. Herpetologische Notizen. Abhandlungen des Naturwissenschaftlichen Vereins in Hamburg 9: 51-67 (1-19).","Gunther A.C.L.G. 1864. The reptiles of British India. Ray Society, London, xxvii + 452 pp., pls 1-26.","Gunther A.C.L.G. 1875. Second report on collection of Indian reptiles obtained by the British Museum. Proceedings of the Zoological Society of London, 1875 (March), pp. 224-234, pls 30-34.","Grismer L.L., Quah E.S.H., Anuar S., Muin M.A., Wood P.L. Jr. & Nor S.A.M. 2014. A diminutive new species of cavedwelling Wolf Snake (Colubridae: Lycodon Boie, 1826) from Peninsular Malaysia. Zootaxa 3815(1): 051-067. http://dx.doi.org/10.11646/zootaxa.3815.1.3","Guo P., Zhang L., Liu Q., Li C., Pyron R.A., Jiang K. & Burbrink F.T. 2013. Lycodon and Dinodon: one genus or two? Evidence from molecular phylogenetics and morphological comparisons. Molecular Phylogenetics and Evolution 68: 144-149. http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.ympev.2013.03.008","Lanza B. 1999. A new species of Lycodon from the Philippines, with a key to the genus (Reptilia Serpentes Colubridae). Tropical Zoology 12: 89-104.","Le M., Raxworthy C.J., McCord W.P., Mertz L. 2006. A molecular phylogeny of tortoises (Testudines: Testudinidae) based on mitochondrial and nuclear genes. Molecular Phylogenetics and Evolution 40: 517-531.","Luu V.Q., Nguyen T.Q., Calame T., Hoang T.T., Southichack S., Bonkowski M. & Ziegler T. 2013. New country records of reptiles from Laos. Biodiversity Data Journal 1: 1-14. doi: 10.3897/BDJ.1.e1015","Luu V.Q., Calame T., Bonkowski M., Nguyen T.Q. & Ziegler T. 2014a. A new species of Cyrtodactylus (Squamata: Gekkonidae) from Khammouane Province, Laos. Zootaxa 3760(1): 054-066. http://dx.doi.org/10.11646/zootaxa.3760.1.3","Luu V.Q., Calame T., Nguyen T.Q., Le M.D., Bonkowski M. & Ziegler T. 2014b. A new species of the Gekko japonicus group (Squamata: Gekkonidae) from central Laos. Zootaxa 3895(1): 73-88. http://dx.doi.org/10.11646/zootaxa.3895.1.4","Luu V.Q., Calame T., Nguyen T.Q., Bonkowski M. & Ziegler T. 2015a. A new species of Cyrtodactylus (Squamata: Gekkonidae) from limestone forest, Khammouane Province, central Laos. Zootaxa 4058(3): 388-402. http://dx.doi.org/10.11646/zootaxa.4058.3.6","Luu V.Q., Calame T., Nguyen T.Q., Le M.D. & Ziegler T. 2015b. Morphological and molecular review of the Gekko diversity of Laos with descriptions of three new species. Zootaxa 3986(3): 279-306. http://dx.doi.org/10.11646/zootaxa.3986.3.2","Maki M. 1931. A monograph of the snakes of Japan. Dai-ichi Bhobo, Tokyo: 247 pp.","Neang T., Hartmann T., Hun S., Souter N.J. & Furey N.M. 2014. A new species of wolf snake (Colubridae: Lycodon Fitzinger, 1826) from Phnom Samkos Wildlife Sanctuary, Cardamom Mountains, southwest Cambodia. Zootaxa 3814(1): 068-080. http://dx.doi.org/10.11646/zootaxa.3814.1.3","Orlov N. & Ryabov S. A. 2004. Revalidization and change of taxonomic status of Dinodon rufozonatus meridionale Bourret, 1935 (Serpentes: Colubridae: Colubrinae). Russian Journal Herpetology 11(3): 181-197.","Pope C.H. 1928. Seven new reptiles from Fukien Province, China. American Museum Novitates 320: 1-6.","Posada D., Crandall K.A. 1998. MODELTEST: testing the model of DNA substitution. Bioinformatics 14: 817-818.","Ronquist F., Teslenko M., van der Mark P., Ayres D. L., Darling A., Hohna S., Larget B., Liu L., Suchard M.A., Huelsenbeck J.P. 2012. MrBayes 3.2: efficient Bayesian phylogenetic inference and model choice across a large model space. Systematic Biology, 61: 539-542.","Siler C.D., Oliveros C.H., Santanen A. & Brown R.M. 2013. Multilocus phylogeny reveals unexpected diversification patterns in Asian Wolf Snakes (Genus Lycodon). Zoologica Scripta 42: 262-277. http://dx.doi.org/10.1111/zsc.12007","Smith M.A. 1943. The fauna of British India, Ceylon and Burma, including the whole of the Indo-chinese subregion. Reptilia and Amphibia. Vol. III. Serpentes. Taylor & Francis, London, xii + 583 pp.","Swofford D.L. 2001. PAUP*. Phylogenetic Analysis Using Parsimony (* and Other Methods), version 4. Sinauer Associates, Sunderland, Massachusetts.","Taylor E.H. 1965. The serpents of Thailand and adjacent waters. University of Kansas science bulletin. 45(9): 609-1096.","Teynie A., Nguyen T.Q., Lorvelec O., Piquet A., Lottier A. & David P. 2014. Amphibiens et Reptiles du Laos: nouvelles donnees nationales et provinciales. Bulletin de la Societe Herpetologique de France 151 [2014]: 21-52.","Thompson J.D., Gibson T.J., Plewniak F., Jeanmougin F. & Higgins D.G. 1997. The ClustalX windows interface: Flexible strategies for multiple sequence alignment aided by quality analysis tools. Nucleic Acids Research, 25: 4876-4882.","Uetz P., Freed P. & Hosek J. 2017. The Reptile Database, http:// www.reptile-database.org, (accessed 25 March 2017)","Vogel G. & David P. 2010. A new species of the genus Lycodon (Boie, 1826) from Yunnan Province, China (Serpentes: Colubridae). Bonn zoological Bulletin 57(2): 289-296.","Vogel G. & Luo J. 2011. A new species of the genus Lycodon (Boie, 1826) from the southwestern mountains of China (Squamata: Colubridae). Zootaxa 2807: 29-40.","Vogel G., David P., Pauwels O.S.G., Sumontha M., Norval G., Hendrix R., Vu N.T. & Ziegler T. 2009. A revision of Lycodon ruhstrati (Fischer 1886) auctorum (Squamata Colubridae), with the description of a new species from Thailand and a new subspecies from the Asian mainland. Tropical Zoology 22: 131-182.","Vogel G., Nguyen T.Q., Kingsada P. & Ziegler T. 2012. A new species of the genus Lycodon Boie, 1826 from Laos (Squamata: Colubridae). North-Western Journal of Zoology 8: 344-352.","Zhang J., Jiang K., Vogel G. & Rao D. 2011. A new species of the genus Lycodon (Squamata, Colubridae) from Sichuan Province, China. Zootaxa 2982: 59-68."]}

Synapsis tridens Sharp, 1881 Synapsis tridens Sharp, 1881: xcii (original description). Type locality. India, Assam. Material examined. VIETNAM: CAO BANG PROVINCE: Pia Oac Nature Reserve, primary forest, baited pitfall trap, 30.iv–15.v.2016, 22°34′3.1″N 105°53′3.6″E, 1227 m, 1 ♁, 22°33′59.7″N 105°52′48.5″E, 1165 m, 1 ♀, 22°34′3.1″N, 105°53′4.7″E, 1220 m, 1 ♁, 22°34′3.1″N 105°53′4.4″E, 1213 m, 1♀, Van Bac Bui leg. (all in VNFU). THANH HOA PROVINCE: Pu Luong Nature Reserve, primary forest, baited pitfall trap, 5.–25.iv.2016, 20°28′55.1″N 105°14′29.3″E, 958 m, 1♁, 20°28′54.7″N 105°14′30.9″E, 950 m, 1 ♁ 1 ♀, Bùi Văn Bắc leg. (VNUF). Distribution. SW China, NE India, Laos, Myanmar, Thailand and N Vietnam (ZÍDEK & POKORNÝ 2010). Remarks. The aforementioned specimens represent additional records from Vietnam., Published as part of Bui, Van Bac & Bonkowski, Michael, 2018, Synapsis puluongensis sp. nov. and redescription of S. horaki (Coleoptera: Scarabaeidae), with a key to Vietnamese species, pp. 407-418 in Acta Entomologica Musei Nationalis Pragae (Acta. Ent. Mus. Natl. Pragae) (Acta. Ent. Mus. Natl. Pragae) 58 (2) on page 416, DOI: 10.2478/aemnp-2018-0032, http://zenodo.org/record/4504894, {"references":["SHARP D. 1881: Note sur l'Ateuchus tmolus Fisch. Avec description d'une espece nouvelle du genre Synapsis. Annales de la Societe Entomologique de Belgique 25: xci-xcii.","ZIDEK J. & POKORNY S. 2010: Review of Synapsis Bates (Scarabaeidae: Scarabaeinae: Coprini), with description of a new species. Insecta Mundi 142: 1 - 21."]}

Synapsis horaki Zídek & Pokorný, 2010 (Figs 2B,H,I, 4 A–G) Synapsis horaki Zídek & Pokorný, 2010: 18, figs 12–15 (original description). Type locality. Vietnam, Vinh Phuc Province, Tam Dao, 900 m a.s.l. Type material examined. HOLOTYPE: ♁, ‘ 6–10.v.1990 | Tam Dao | Vinh Phu Distr. | Vietnam | 900 m | Jan Horák leg.’ (NMPC). Additional material examined. VIETNAM: CAO BANG PROVINCE: Pia Oac Nature Reserve, primary forest, baited pitfall trap, 5.–20.v.2016, 22°34′3.6″N, 105°53′3.3″E, 1223 m, 1 ♁, 22°34′1.4″N, 105°53′3.3″E, 1220 m, 1 ♁, 22°34′3.1″N, 105°53′4.7″E, 1220 m, 1 ♁, 22°34′3.1″N 105°53′4.4″E, 1213 m, 1 ♀, Bùi Văn Bắc leg. (all in VNUF). Diagnosis. Hypomeral cavities present; surface sparsely punctate, and not covered by macrosetae. Mesepisternal surface flat and rugose. Genae unexpanded. Frons unarmed. Pronotal anterolateral angles not protruding. Elytral striae weak and indistinctly punctate; elytral interval 2 swollen near base. Ventral surface of femora densely punctate. Description. Body length 17.5–20.1 mm, body width 10.8–12.6 mm. Colour: Dorsal surface black and glabrous. Ventral surface black on head and shiny black on thorax, abdomen and femora. Reddish brown macrosetae upon legs and pronotal margins. Mouthparts, maxillary palpi and tarsi reddish brown. Antennae brown; antennomeres IV–VI darker than other antennomeres. Head nearly semicircular, 4.4–5.3 mm long, and 7.5–8.5 mm wide. Clypeal surface extremely rugose; apex strongly and deeply emarginated, V-shaped; distance between apices of clypeal denticles (DDC) 1.4–1.6 mm; anterior margin flexed upwards with few reddish setae. Genae rectangular, quite distinctly separated from clypeus and frons by well-defined suture; surface strongly rugose and weakly punctate; margins of anterolateral angles with dense reddish macrosetae. Frons unarmed, only slightly swollen; surface weakly rugose and punctate. Antennae with 9 antennomeres; length of antennomere I approx. 1.4 mm, equal in length to antennomeres II–VI combined; antennal club approx. 1.4 mm. Prothorax. Pronotum transverse, 4.8–5.1 mm long, and 9.3–10.6 mm wide, widest at anterior quarter; pronotal disc almost indistinctly punctate, except for small weakly punctured areas near base and sides (at 30× magnification); anterolateral angles sharp and not protruding. Two lateral carinae on each side of pronotum clearly distinct; margin of outer carina with dense reddish brown macrosetae; area between carinae smooth. Hypomeral cavities present; surface of cavities weakly and sparsely punctate, and without macrosetae. Meso-metaventrum plate almost smooth, with posterior median weak groove, and with distinct excavation near metacoxae; surface of sides and anterior part sparsely and weakly punctate. Pterothorax. Elytra 10.4–12.1 mm long, 10.8–12.6 mm wide, with weak and indistinctly punctured striae. Elytral intervals convex, smooth and impunctate (at 30× magnification); interval 2 swollen near base. Mesepimeron and metepisternum flat, granulose and without macrosetae. Legs. Ventral surface of profemora strongly, coarsely and quite equally punctate; macrosetae upon profemoral margin reddish brown and long, denser in anterior margin. Protibia (ProTiL 3.2–3.6 mm, ProTiW 2.3–2.9 mm) with three broad and flat lateral teeth; protibial spurs (ProTiSL 1.4–1.6 mm) sharp, strongly curved outwards near apex, and equal in length to protibial tarsus. Ventral surface of mesofemora strongly and unequally punctate; punctures becoming denser on third posteior part. Mesotibia (MesoTiL 3.5–4 mm, MesoTiW 1.3–1.5 mm) with two sharp spurs (1 stMesoTiSL 2.0– 2.4 mm, 2 ndMesoTiSL 1.1–1.3 mm). Ventral surface of metafemora strongly and unequally punctate; punctures denser on posterior half of metafemora. Metatibia (MetaTiL 4.7–5.1 mm, MetaTiW 1.3–1.5 mm) elongate and slightly curved. Metatarsus length 3.9–4.1 mm, with 5 metatarsomeres nearly similar in size. Table 2 (on this and the opposite page). Morphological comparsions between the new species and its congeners compiled after GILLET (1911), ARROW (1931), BALTHASAR (1963), MASUMOTO (1973, 1996), HANBOONSONG & MASUMOTO (1999), KRÁL & REJSEK (2000), KRÁL (2002), OCHI & KON (2007), OCHI et al. (2008), ZÍDEK & POKORNÝ (2010). Abdomen and pygidium. Abdominal ventrites opaque, indistinctly punctate, and narrower at midline. Pygidium 2.2–2.5 mm long, 4.0– 4.8 mm wide; surface slightly convex, scabrous, and with mixture of punctures and rugosities. Aedeagus. Phallobase length 3.4–3.6 mm (in lateral view); basal suture with strong swelling at middle. Parameres length 2.0– 2.2 mm (in lateral view). Phallobase and parameres forming angle> 130 o. Sexual dimorphism. Based on an examination of the four specimens (3 males and 1 female), we did not find significant differences in morphological characters between both sexes, except for the colour of compound eyes, being black in the female but yellow in males (Figs 2H, I). This finding is consistent with the observed sexes of S. puluongensis sp. nov., raising the possibility of using this character to distinguish both sexes of these two species. Biology. All four specimens were collected in the Pia Oac Nature Reserve. The habitat is primary forests at an elevation of 1220 m a.s.l. characterized by a forest canopy cover ranging from 76 to 95%. The percentage of exposed soil was 0–5%, with 6–25% herbaceous plant layer and leaf litter cover of 96–100%. The forests has a complex structure with various storeys. Dominant trees range from 20 to 30 m tall and belong mainly to two dominant families: Fagaceae (Castanopsis spp., Lithocarpus spp., Castanea spp.) and Lauraceae (Litsea spp., Cinnamomum spp., Machilus spp.), the herbaceous and parasitic plants comprised Poaceae, Asteraceae, Orchidaceae and Loranthaceae. Remarks. So far, Synapsis horaki was known only from the holotype specimen collected in the Tam Dao National Park, Vinh Phuc Province, northern Vietnam. The herein presented specimens constitute a new record for the Cao Bang Province and the first known female. Morphometric measurements are summarized in the Table 1., Published as part of Bui, Van Bac & Bonkowski, Michael, 2018, Synapsis puluongensis sp. nov. and redescription of S. horaki (Coleoptera: Scarabaeidae), with a key to Vietnamese species, pp. 407-418 in Acta Entomologica Musei Nationalis Pragae (Acta. Ent. Mus. Natl. Pragae) (Acta. Ent. Mus. Natl. Pragae) 58 (2) on pages 413-416, DOI: 10.2478/aemnp-2018-0032, http://zenodo.org/record/4504894, {"references":["ZIDEK J. & POKORNY S. 2010: Review of Synapsis Bates (Scarabaeidae: Scarabaeinae: Coprini), with description of a new species. Insecta Mundi 142: 1 - 21.","GILLET J. J. E. 1911: Coprides nouveaux de la region orientale et remarques synonymiques. Annales de la Societe Entomologique de Belgique 55: 313 - 314.","ARROW G. J. 1931: The fauna of British India, including Ceylon and Burma. Coleoptera Lamellicornia. Part III (Coprinae). Taylor and Francis, London, 428 pp.","BALTHASAR V. 1963: Monographie der Scarabaeidae und Aphodiidae der palaearktischen und orientalischen Region. Coleoptera: Lamellicornia. Band 1. Allgemeiner Teil, Systematischer Teil: 1. Scarabaeinae, 2. Coprinae (Pinotini, Coprini). Verlag der Tschechoslowakischen Akademie der Wissenschaften, Prag, 391 pp.","MASUMOTO K. 1973: Observation of the nidification of Synapsis davidi Fairmaire. Entomological Review of Japan 25: 60 - 63.","MASUMOTO K. 1996: Coprophagid-beetles from Northwest Thailand (X) (Coleoptera, Scarabaeidae). Entomological Review of Japan 50: 87 - 94.","HANBOONSONG Y. & MASUMOTO K. 1999: Dung beetles of Thailand, Part 1. Genus Synapsis. Elytra 27: 453 - 462.","KRAL D. & REJSEK J. 2000: Synapsis naxiorum sp. n. from Yunnan (Coleoptera: Scarabaeidae). Acta Societatis Zoologicae Bohemicae 64: 267 - 270.","KRAL D. 2002: Distribution and taxonomy of some Synapsis species, with description of S. strnadi sp. n. from Vietnam (Coleoptera: Scarabaeidae). Acta Societatis Zoologicae Bohemicae 66: 279 - 289.","OCHI T. & KON M. 2007: A new species of the genus Synapsis (Coleoptera, Scarabaeidae) from Laos. Elytra 35: 91 - 95.","OCHI T., KON M. & KAWAHARA M. 2008: Notes on the coprophagous scarabaeid beetles (Coleoptera: Scarabaeidae) from Southeast Asia (XIX). Three new taxa of Synapsis from Southeast Asia. Entomological Review of Japan 63: 191 - 199.","SHARP D. 1881: Note sur l'Ateuchus tmolus Fisch. Avec description d'une espece nouvelle du genre Synapsis. Annales de la Societe Entomologique de Belgique 25: xci-xcii."]}

Key to species of Synapsis recorded from Vietnam The key is based on the specimens examined by us in NMPC and VNUF as well as on literature data (ARROW 1931, BALTHASAR 1963, KRÁL & REJSEK 2000, KRÁL 2002, HANBOONSONG & MASUMOTO 1999, OCHI & KON 2007, OCHI et al. 2008, ZÍDEK & POKORNÝ 2010). 1(6) Hypomeral cavities present (Figs 2 E–F). 2(3) Elytral interval 2 near base not swollen (Fig. 2A)........................................... S. puluongensis sp. nov. 3(2) Elytral interval 2 near base swollen (Fig. 2B). 4(5) Metafemora in ventral view densely punctate, body length 17.5–24.0 mm................................................................... S. horaki Zídek & Pokorný, 2010 5(4) Metafemora in ventral view not punctate, body length 27.0–29.0 mm (Fig. 2D).................................................................................. S. yama Gillet, 1911 6(7) Hypomeral cavities absent. 7(10) Frons with minor horn or medial tubercle; mesepisternal cavities absent. 8(9) Genae not expanded, anterolateral angle of pronotum not dentate (Fig. 5A)....................................................................................... S. simplex Sharp, 1875 9(8) Genae expanded; anterolateral angle of pronotum tridentate (Fig. 5B)............. S. tridens Sharp, 1881 10(11) Frons without minor horn or only with medial tubercle; mesepisternal cavities present and covered with red setae (Figs 6 A–C, F). 11(12) Anterolateral angles of pronotum nearly rectangular (90°). Lateral angles of genae obtuse, rounded. Metafemora in ventral view sparsely punctate (Figs 6A, D)................. S. ovalis Boucomont, 1920 12(11) Anterolateral angles of pronotum about 135°. Lateral angles of genae rather sharp, metafemora in ventral view densely punctate (Figs 6B, E).............................................................. S. strnadi Král, 2002, Published as part of Bui, Van Bac & Bonkowski, Michael, 2018, Synapsis puluongensis sp. nov. and redescription of S. horaki (Coleoptera: Scarabaeidae), with a key to Vietnamese species, pp. 407-418 in Acta Entomologica Musei Nationalis Pragae (Acta. Ent. Mus. Natl. Pragae) (Acta. Ent. Mus. Natl. Pragae) 58 (2) on pages 416-417, DOI: 10.2478/aemnp-2018-0032, http://zenodo.org/record/4504894, {"references":["ARROW G. J. 1931: The fauna of British India, including Ceylon and Burma. Coleoptera Lamellicornia. Part III (Coprinae). Taylor and Francis, London, 428 pp.","BALTHASAR V. 1963: Monographie der Scarabaeidae und Aphodiidae der palaearktischen und orientalischen Region. Coleoptera: Lamellicornia. Band 1. Allgemeiner Teil, Systematischer Teil: 1. Scarabaeinae, 2. Coprinae (Pinotini, Coprini). Verlag der Tschechoslowakischen Akademie der Wissenschaften, Prag, 391 pp.","KRAL D. & REJSEK J. 2000: Synapsis naxiorum sp. n. from Yunnan (Coleoptera: Scarabaeidae). Acta Societatis Zoologicae Bohemicae 64: 267 - 270.","KRAL D. 2002: Distribution and taxonomy of some Synapsis species, with description of S. strnadi sp. n. from Vietnam (Coleoptera: Scarabaeidae). Acta Societatis Zoologicae Bohemicae 66: 279 - 289.","HANBOONSONG Y. & MASUMOTO K. 1999: Dung beetles of Thailand, Part 1. Genus Synapsis. Elytra 27: 453 - 462.","OCHI T. & KON M. 2007: A new species of the genus Synapsis (Coleoptera, Scarabaeidae) from Laos. Elytra 35: 91 - 95.","OCHI T., KON M. & KAWAHARA M. 2008: Notes on the coprophagous scarabaeid beetles (Coleoptera: Scarabaeidae) from Southeast Asia (XIX). Three new taxa of Synapsis from Southeast Asia. Entomological Review of Japan 63: 191 - 199.","ZIDEK J. & POKORNY S. 2010: Review of Synapsis Bates (Scarabaeidae: Scarabaeinae: Coprini), with description of a new species. Insecta Mundi 142: 1 - 21.","GILLET J. J. E. 1911: Coprides nouveaux de la region orientale et remarques synonymiques. Annales de la Societe Entomologique de Belgique 55: 313 - 314.","SHARP D. 1881: Note sur l'Ateuchus tmolus Fisch. Avec description d'une espece nouvelle du genre Synapsis. Annales de la Societe Entomologique de Belgique 25: xci-xcii."]}