The dataset includes georeferenced occurrences of Betula borysthenica Klokov. The dataset was compiled as part of the work of NGO "Ukrainian Nature Conservation Group" which aimed to map Betula borysthenica Klokov, based on the interpretation of satellite imagery from Google Earth. The dataset contains occurrences of Betula borysthenica Klokov ("Dnipro birch" in Ukrainian), an endemic species recorded in the Black Sea Biosphere Reserve, Oleshky Sands and Biloberezhzhia Sviatoslav's National Nature Parks, the Kinburn Spit Regional Landscape Park, the Sahy Landscape Reserve and the Berezovi Kolky Forest Reserve in Kherson and Mykolaiv administrative Regions and surroundings based on remote sensing data. This dataset provides information about 18,926 occurrences of B. borysthenica , which is protected in Ukraine. This is the largest recent public dataset on occurrences of B. borysthenica from Ukraine. This study substantially improves the available data on the species. Meanwhile, only 88 occurrences were previously present in GBIF.
The genus Shiraia is monotypic, with the type species Shiraia tripartita (Leech, 1900). When this species was first reported from China in 1900, it was tentatively classified in the genus Tarache , which is in the subfamily Acontiinae. Possibly following the original classification, subsequent classifications in the early 20 th century placed it in the genus Eustrotia , synonymised with the genus Deltote in the subfamily Acontiinae. Thereafter, this species has not been studied in detail in terms of its taxonomic position or morphology for over 50 years. Subsequently, this species was classified as closely related to the genus Corgatha in the family Erebidae, subfamily Boletobiinae, based on the similarity of genitalic morphology. In this study, Shiraia tripartita was recorded from South Korea for the first time and the generic status of Shiraia was discussed. The detailed morphological characteristics of Shiraia tripartita have not previously been described and illustrated in literature. In this study, we report this species from South Korea for the first time and present a detailed re-description with high-resolution illustrations of adults and genitalic characters, along with a taxonomic history. Following the detailed morphology, our morphological comparison supported the affinity between Shiraia and Corgatha and we discussed the taxonomic implications for the genus Shiraia with Corgatha species. Based on our results, the diagnostic characters of Shiraia are also present in Corgatha species. Therefore, a further comprehensive taxonomic revision of the genera Shiraia and Corgatha is required with broader taxon sampling.
Dung beetles form a group of insects which are fundamental bioindicators to determine the health of ecosystems and for the maintenance of environmental services. Nonetheless, knowledge of their diversity in regions such as Santander remains limited, which can constrain conservation decision-making. We report an inventory of dung beetles from four life zones in the Department of Santander, Colombia. Sampling was conducted in forested and open areas and species richness and abundance were summarised across life zones and vegetation covers. Species distributions were verified using published literature and occurrence databases to identify previously undocumented records. A total of 3089 individuals belonging to 34 species were recorded. In addition, three species represented new distribution records for the region and the Department of Santander. Regional checklists, such as this one, are essential for reducing existing knowledge gaps on dung beetle diversity in Colombia.
The green macroalga Bryopsis nana M.J.Wynne, 2005 (Bryopsidaceae, Bryopsidales, Chlorophyta) was collected during a winter survey of hard-substrate macrobenthic communities at Plage l’Ilot, Ain Benian, west of Algiers, Algeria. The specimen occurred as an epiphyte on a geniculate coralline alga on a wave-exposed rocky/vermetid platform. Identification was based on stereomicroscopic and light-microscopic examination of diagnostic morphological characters and comparison with the protologue. The Algerian material showed the diagnostic combination of a small erect thallus approximately 5 mm high, radial branching limited to a single order, pinnules concentrated at the distal end of the primary axis, a primary axis reaching 408 µm in diameter, pinnules approximately 608 µm long and 160 µm in diameter, scars of shed pinnules 40–50 µm in diameter, and very small discoid chloroplasts 3–6 µm in diameter with a single pyrenoid. Based on the literature and taxonomic databases consulted, this is the first documented occurrence of B. nana in Algeria and the Mediterranean Sea. Because the record is based on a single thallus and lacks molecular confirmation, its biogeographical significance should be interpreted cautiously.
During growth, amphipods undergo successive moults accompanied by changes in body size and morphology. Several morphological features can be used as reliable indicators of the growth stage. However, the limited availability of information on stage-specific morphological variation may hinder accurate taxonomic identification, reducing knowledge of species distribution. In this paper, the diagnostic characters of the subadult stage of the male Phronima atlantica from the Aegean Sea, eastern Mediterranean Sea, were examined and compared to the mature stage. As a result of the comparison, all taxonomic diagnostic features of P. atlantica that differentiate the species from its congeneric species are confirmed as robust, except for the outer ramus of uropod 2 being twice as long as the inner ramus. Such analysis poses some questions about the distribution pattern of the species within the Mediterranean Sea, which could be underestimated. Moreover, the documentation of P. atlantica in this study validates the occurrence of the species in the Aegean Sea, following an absence of records in this region since 1924, probably due to misidentifications.
