Species inventories are essential for documenting global diversity and generating necessary material for taxonomic study and conservation planning. However, for inventories to be immediately relevant, the taxonomic process must reduce the time to describe and identify specimens. To address these concerns for the inventory of arthropods across the Malagasy region, we present here a collaborative approach to taxonomy where collectors, morphologists and DNA barcoders using cytochrome c oxidase 1 (CO1) participate collectively in a team-driven taxonomic process. We evaluate the role of DNA barcoding as a tool to accelerate species identification and description. This revision is primarily based on arthropod surveys throughout the Malagasy region from 1992 to 2006. The revision is based on morphological and CO1 DNA barcode analysis of 500 individuals. In the region, five species of Anochetus (A. boltoni sp. nov., A. goodmani sp. nov., A. grandidieri, and A. madagascarensis from Madagascar, and A. pattersoni sp. nov. from Seychelles) and three species of Odontomachus (O. coquereli, O. troglodytes and O. simillimus) are recognized. DNA barcoding (using cytochrome c oxidase 1 (CO1)) facilitated caste association and type designation, and highlighted population structure associated with reproductive strategy, biogeographic and evolutionary patterns for future exploration. This study provides an example of collaborative taxonomy, where morphology is combined with DNA barcoding. We demonstrate that CO1 DNA barcoding is a practical tool that allows formalized alpha-taxonomy at a speed, detail, precision, and scale unattainable by employing morphology alone.

The Seychelles harbour an endemic frog family, the Sooglossidae, currently containing two genera: Sooglossus, with three species, and Nesomantis, with one species. These unique frogs are generally considered to be basal neobatrachians, although their relationships to other neobatrachian taxa, except the Nasikabatrachidae, remain unresolved. Our molecular phylogeny based on a dataset consisting of fragments of the nuclear rag-1 and rag-2 genes, as well as mitochondrial 16S rRNA in representatives of the major neobatrachian lineages, confirmed the previously postulated Sooglossidae + Nasikabatrachidae clade and the placement of the South American Caudiverbera with the Australian Myobatrachidae, but did not further resolve the position of sooglossids. Our results do, however, unambiguously show sooglossids to be monophyletic but the genus Sooglossus to be paraphyletic, with the type species Sooglossus sechellensis being more closely related to Nesomantis thomasseti than to Sooglossus gardineri and Sooglossus pipilodryas, in agreement with morphological, karyological, and bioacoustic data. As a taxonomic consequence, we propose to consider the genus name Nesomantis as junior synonym of Sooglossus, and to transfer the species thomasseti to Sooglossus. For the clade composed of the species gardineri and pipilodryas, here, we propose the new generic name Leptosooglossus. A significant genetic differentiation of 3% was found between specimens of Sooglossus thomasseti from the Mahé and Silhouette Islands, highlighting the need for further studies on their possible taxonomic distinctness. © 2007 The Linnean Society of London, Biological Journal of the Linnean Society, 2007, 91, 347–359.

Treefrogs of the family Hyperoliidae are distributed in Africa, Madagascar and the Seychelles. In this study, their phylogeny was studied using sequences of fragments of the mitochondrial 16S and 12S rRNA and cytochrome b genes. The molecular data strongly confirmed monophyly of the subfamily Hyperoliinae but indicated that the genus Leptopelis (subfamily Leptopelinae) is more closely related to species of the African family Astylosternidae. The Seychellean genus Tachycnemis was the sister group of the Malagasy Heterixalus in all molecular analyses; this clade was deeply nested within the Hyperoliinae. A re-evaluation of the morphological data did not contradict the sister group relationships of these two genera. The subfamily Tachycneminae is therefore considered as junior synonym of the Hyperoliinae. In addition, the molecular analysis did not reveal justification for a subfamily Kassininae. Biogeographically, the origin of Malagasy hyperoliids may not be well explained by Mesozoic vicariance in the context of Gondwana breakup, as indicated by the low differentiation of Malagasy hyperoliids to their African and Seychellean relatives and by analysis of current distribution patterns.

The International Federation of the Red Cross (IFRC) has joined local efforts to combat the spread of the mosquito-borne chikungunya disease, with a donation of equipment to the local branch of the organisation.

The media is over-reacting to a crippling mosquito-borne disease currently sweeping across the Indian Ocean region, the World Health Organisation (WHO) said, adding that the disease is rarely fatal.

Between 28 March 2005 and 19 February 2006, 2406 cases of chikungunya have been notified by the 31 physicians from a sentinel network in La Réunion, including 333 cases reported during the week 13 to 19 February. Estimations from a mathematical model evaluate that 157 000 people may have been infected by chikungunya virus since March 2005 in La Réunion, including 22 000 persons during the week 13 to 19 February.

Mosquito borne Chikungunya fever is spreading among Indian Ocean Islands with authorities fighting to contain the virus on La Reunion, Mauritius and the Seychelles, and with Madagascar and the Comoros feared to be next.

The World Health Organisation on Wednesday said it was sending experts to the Indian Ocean region to help control a crippling mosquito-borne disease that has infected thousands across Mauritius, Seychelles and Reunion.