In this study, we describe a new species, Scirtes jefersoni (Coleoptera, Scirtidae), based on male, female, pupa and larva specimens, collected from fallen palm bracts (‘capembas’) and palm leaves in temporary forest puddles and streams across four localities in the state of Amazonas, northern Brazil. Larvae were reared under laboratory conditions until adult emergence, allowing the association between immature and adult. Late larval instars and pupae were described, representing the first description of a Scirtes larva and pupa from South America. Scirtes jefersoni is the first species of Scirtes described from Brazil in 75 years; the last one was described in 1951.
Meloimorpha japonica (Haan, 1844), a widely distributed cricket species in East Asia, exhibits notable morphological variation across its range. This study integrates morphometric and molecular approaches to investigate intraspecific variation in wing morphology and its geographical correlates. We analysed morphometric data (34 specimens) and COX1 sequences (20 specimens) across seven Chinese populations. Phylogenetic analyses revealed a monophyletic clade with no population structure, despite significant longitudinal clines in forewing length (R = -0.36, p = 0.039). Despite size variation, key taxonomic characters (wing venation, leg morphology, genitalia) remained invariant, supporting the recognition of M. japonica as a single polytypic species. This study highlights the importance of longitudinal gradients in shaping morphological diversity and underscores the need for integrative approaches in understanding intraspecific variation.
A new species, Stenchaetothrips subaequalis, with subequal ocellar setae pairs, is described from India based on specimens collected from leaves of Cynodon dactylon. This species shows sexual dimorphism in colour, with the females brown and the males bicoloured.
Populations of several cavity-nesting aculeate wasps and bees have been in decline due to a shortage of nesting sites and changes in agricultural landscapes. We tested the suitability of various natural and non-natural materials as nesting sites for aculeate wasps and bees in Finland. According to our results, natural materials such as reed and cow parsley stems and birch wood with holes, were more suitable for artificial nests than plastic straws. We developed a new type of nest containing natural stems and a wooden cube with drilled holes of various diameters. To compensate for the shortage of nesting sites, artificial nests made of natural materials can be used to provide breeding environments for several species of cavity-nesting aculeate wasps and bees native to the boreal zone. When artificial nests are used for research purposes ('trap nests'), insects should be allowed to hibernate in the artificial nests under natural conditions instead of being frozen.
Environmental DNA (eDNA) analysis has emerged as an innovative and promising method for monitoring aquatic biodiversity, although challenges remain regarding sample filtration and standardisation of extraction protocols. We optimised filtration and extraction techniques using cellulose nitrate (CN) membranes with a 0.45 mu m pore size and a phenol-chloroform-isoamyl alcohol (PCI) extraction method. The eDNA collected was quantitatively and qualitatively assessed using a NanoDrop spectrophotometer and agarose gel electrophoresis, respectively. PCR amplification of the 12S rRNA gene was followed by high-throughput metabarcoding to assess fish biodiversity. Our survey identified a diverse aquatic community, uncovering 9 orders, 14 families, 18 genera, and 21 species of fish, with the Cichlidae and Anabantidae families being frequently detected. Dominant species included Oreochromis niloticus and Oreochromis mossambicus. The study concludes that the CN membrane with a 0.45 mu m pore size, combined with PCI extraction, offers a cost-effective and reliable protocol, enhancing purity and reducing degradation. This study underscores the feasibility and effectiveness of eDNA analysis in Malaysia, offering a robust framework for future ecological research and conservation efforts in resource-limited settings.
The ennomine genus Rhipignophos Wehrli, 1951 is redescribed, and brief diagnoses for its sixteen species are provided. Primary type specimens of Middle Asian (Turkmenistan, Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, Tajikistan and Kyrgyzstan) and Afghan species of Rhipignophos are illustrated, and photographs of their male and female genitalia are provided. Five new species, Rhipignophos kopetdagicus Kostjuk, Viidalepp & L & aacute;szl & oacute; (Turkmenistan), Rhipignophos naumanni Kostjuk & Viidalepp (Afghanistan), Rhipignophos eberti Kostjuk & Viidalepp (Afghanistan), Rhipignophos shachristanica Viidalepp (Tajikistan) and Rhipignophos kentauica Kostjuk (Kazakhstan) are diagnosed and described. Two subspecies of Rhipignophos tadzhikistanica Viidalepp, 1988 are elevated to species rank: Rhipignophos lateritia Viidalepp, 1988 and Rhipignophos shugnana Viidalepp, 1988.
In this study, we describe Diamesa cylindrata Fu, a new species from the Oriental region of China. A detailed morphological account of the adult male is provided, accompanied by measurements and illustrations. It resembles D. parancysta, but differs by several hypopygial characteristics.
The poorly known species Helcostizus maculatus (Woldstedt, 1874) (Hymenoptera, Ichneumonidae, Cryptinae), originally described from Finland, has been nearly absent from literature during the 150 years following its description. Furthermore, the whereabouts of the type specimen has been uncertain and the male has been unknown. Here, the holotype of H. maculatus is illustrated, the male is newly described, an identification key to the two western Palearctic species is provided and H. maculatus is recorded for the first time from Sweden.
Tree cavity-nesting birds depend on suitable nest sites for successful reproduction. For effective conservation, it is hence crucial to understand species-specific breeding needs and species interdependencies. In the Philippines, cavity-nesting birds and their underlying nest web interactions are poorly known. We determined tree and cavity characteristics utilized by sympatric tree cavity-nesters in the lowland tropical forest were found in live and dead trees belonging mostly to Parkia timoriana and Shorea contorta. Using stratified bootstrapped multinomial logistic regression modeling, we found support that cavity depth, volume and entrance area best explained the differences in realized nest niches among cavity-nesting birds. Dependence on woodpecker cavities was also high (63%) among secondary cavity nesters, underscoring the importance of woodpeckers within our study site. We recommend conserving both live and dead trees, with or without cavities, to support the nesting opportunities of all cavitynesting species.
Wild ungulates are the main prey of wolves in Finland. In theory, abundant wild ungulate populations could reduce the need for wolves (Canis lupus) to prey on livestock, as well as attract predators to the area. We tested the prey scarcity hypothesis by examining whether the number of sheep depredation cases in Finnish wolf territories was related to the population densities of moose (Alces alces), white-tailed deer (Odocoileus virginianus), roe deer (Capreolus capreolus), or to the combined density of these ungulates. The absolute number of sheep depredation cases increased with the number of sheep farms, but was independent of the size of the wolf territories. Our statistical models suggested that the number of wolf attacks on sheep was negatively correlated with moose density, and also to some degree with roe deer density. White-tailed deer density and ungulate biomass did not explain numbers of wolf predatory attacks. The observed patterns could be explained by differences in the use of space by wild ungulates in relation to human settlements and sheep farms associated with those settlements; as in Finland, moose is the only ungulate that has been found to avoid human settlements.
Two new species, Stenochironomus (Petalopholeus) inpa and S. (P.) emilianoi (Diptera, Chironomidae), from Brazil are described and illustrated based on adult, pupal, and larval stages. These species can be distinguished from their congeners primarily by characteristics of the male hypopygium. The larvae were collected from lotic environments. Both species were found in the Amazon region, with the former also recorded from the Cerrado biome.
Kieffer (1913) erected the genus Brillia, with Metriocnemus bifidus Kieffer, 1909 as the type species by original designation. To date, the genus comprises 15 valid species worldwide, including four species described from China. In this study, Brillia litangensis Liu, sp. nov., is described and illustrated as a male imago from Sichuan Province within the Oriental region of China. The new species inhabits high-altitude areas and shows strong cold tolerance. A key to the adult males of Brillia known from China is presented.
Global change affects species in many ways. To understand spatio-temporal changes in population dynamics, monitoring data are needed. Social wasps (Vespidae) are ubiquitous in many environments. Using beer traps, we studied annual and seasonal population dynamics of workers of two social wasp species, Vespula vulgaris and Dolichovespula media, in south-central Finland over six years. The abundance of both species fluctuated annually. That of Vespula vulgaris displayed some cyclicity, unlike that of D. media; fluctuations were not fully synchronous among locations. Also, seasonal fluctuations were spatially and temporally variable. Vespula vulgaris was active later in the season, had longer flight period, and more abundance peaks than D. media, which generally had one short abundance peak. Our study suggests great spatiotemporal variation and species-specificity in the population dynamics of social wasps, which should be considered in designing monitoring protocols.
While there is a rich Miocene fossil record from Europe, it is heavily biased to areas south of 50 degrees N, and Miocene records from northern Europe are very scarce. Especially Fennoscandia has traditionally been considered to lack practically all evidence from the Neogene mainly due to heavy glacial erosion during the Pleistocene. However, during recent years, a few isolated, re-deposited finds of Miocene mammal fossils from Finland and Sweden have somewhat changed the situation. While the original provenance of these finds is uncertain, they most likely originate from eroded Miocene sediments within the Fennoscandian shield itself, in any case broadly representing northern Europe. A proboscidean humerus fragment from Suomusj & auml;rvi, Finland, is considered Miocene in age because of microfossil contents of the attached sediment remnant, and it has been tentatively identified as Deinotherium sp. Microfossils from the Suomusjarvi specimen indicate a warm, humid freshwater shore environment, broadly similar to the swamp-forest dominated plant communities from Miocene deposits of Denmark and Iceland. Molars of a tetraconodontine suid and a gomphothere from Sweden add to the Miocene finds from Fennoscandia, although the provenance of the latter is still uncertain.
The Late Miocene vertebrate localities in the Axios Valley (Macedonia, Greece) were discovered at the beginning of the last century by the French geologist Camille Arambourg, who made a large fossil collection and carried it back to France. During the last 50 years, extensive fieldwork have been carried out by a Greek-French team, which has yielded a large number of fossils. Important data on fauna, stratigraphy, biochronology, and palaeoecology were obtained from the study of this collection. The fauna of the Axios Valley proved diverse, comprising numerous groups of mammals and number of new taxa. It is divided into five distinct faunal assemblages, which cover chronologically the entire Late Miocene period. These faunas have been systematically studied, dated, and correlated with the European MN (mammal Neogene) biozones. Their analysis has been a major contribution to the understanding of palaeoenvironmental conditions and climatic changes during the Late Miocene in Greece and the wider Eastern Mediterranean region. The faunas of the Axios Valley have a well-established geographic, stratigraphic, systematic, and chronological background. They were the first to appear in the Eastern Mediterranean and can be used as a comparative fauna for the Late Miocene. Subsequent works in Greece and T & uuml;rkiye added more data, further improving our understanding of the Neogene period in the Eastern Mediterranean. This paper is an attempt to summarise the work done on the Axios Valley Late Miocene mammal fauna in the last 50 years and present the results.
Many calicioid fungi accumulate ascospores into an adhesive mass, called the mazaedium, at tips of stipitate apothecia. Fossil specimens from European ambers demonstrate that this morphology had evolved by the Paleogene and has since remained unchanged. The conserved maintenance of a spore-saving strategy is probably linked to animal-vectored dispersal, but experimental evidence confirming this is lacking. Here, we approached the question with a series of experiments, in which ascomata of three distantly related calicioid species were exposed to living individuals of four insect species. The results confirmed that calicioid ascospores are readily attached to any insects that touch the mazaedial spore mass. Adhered ascospores could be recovered from insect surfaces with ultrasonic cleaning. We found no significant differences in the amounts of attached ascospores of different fungal species. We discuss the new findings in the context of previous observations supporting the ecological and evolutionary role of animal-vectored dispersal in calicioid fungi.
It is a common observation that most larger (over around 5-10 kg) herbivorous mammals have longer faces than carnivorous ones. A horse has a relatively longer face than a lion, or even than a wolf. This difference in face length is not the case for smaller mammals: rabbits and ferrets have similarly short faces. A shorter face bestows a mechanical advantage at the front of the jaw, advantageous for cropping forage as well as killing prey. Why is this ability sacrificed in long-faced larger herbivores? We propose that longer faces relate to the ability to use the forelimbs in feeding; for reasons of allometric scaling and locomotor specialization, forelimb mobility becomes restricted in larger animals, and a longer face becomes important for food prehension. We test this hypothesis with a large dataset of face lengths and anatomical assessment of forelimb mobility in extant mammals (including a few extinct equids).
