Argiope trifasciata is a nearly cosmopolitan orb-weaver whose presence in Europe has been documented only in recent decades. Here, we report the first records of the species from Greece, based on a collected voucher specimen from Rhodes, which was morphologically and genetically examined, and additional citizen-science observations from Rhodes, Kos, and Crete. The Rhodes sequence was identical to the Cyprus sequence across the 611-bp COI alignment, and the two sequences were recovered together within the strongly supported Old World-associated Clade. These records fill a distributional gap between the western and eastern Mediterranean, correspond to projections in GLM-based species distribution modelling and extend the documented range of A. trifasciata in the region. Given the possibility of both natural dispersal and human-assisted transport, we treat A. trifasciata in Greece as a cryptogenic, recently expanding species.
The saucer bug Limnocoris brauni De Carlo, 1966 is recorded from the department of Caquetá, the first time from Colombia. This species had been previously reported from Bolivia, Ecuador, and Peru. Additionally, L. distanti Montandon, 1911, L. malkini La Rivers, 1974, and L. stali Montandon, 1897 are newly recorded from various departments throughout the country, extending their known geographical ranges. Distribution maps for each species are presented, along with photographs of habitus and diagnostic features of adults. The fauna of Limnocoris is now represented by 24 species in Colombia.
Tarentola parvicarinata Joger, 1980 is a phyllodactylid gecko recently reported for the first time from the Grand-Bassam area of Côte d’Ivoire. Here, we document additional occurrences across the country based on reverified citizen-science photographs. We confirmed 15 records of T. parvicarinata that had previously been misidentified as other gecko species. The reverified data reveal a widespread distribution spanning major towns from southern to northern Côte d’Ivoire, indicating that the species has long been overlooked. Our findings refine the known distribution and status of this species and highlight the value of re-evaluating citizen-science datasets.
We report four novel sites for Boulenophrys nankunensis (Wang, Li & Wang, 2020) that markedly expand this species’ previously known geographic range, which was thought to be restricted to the Nankunshan Provincial Nature Reserve in Guangdong Province, China. The new specimens facilitate a detailed morphological redescription of this species and supplement information on intraspecific phenotypic variation. We assess the conservation status of B. nankunensis and propose the of Endangered using IUCN criteria. This study provides morphological identification evidence and conducts the first formal extinction-risk assessment for this species.
We report three new records of Dipsas bucephala (Shaw, 1802) from the Brazilian Cerrado, including the first confirmed from the Distrito Federal. Our records increase the number of confirmed localities in Goiás state from two to four and extend the known distribution by up to 350 km northeast, filling an important gap in the Central Brazilian Plateau. Most records were associated with gallery forests within the Cerrado matrix, highlighting the importance of riparian forest habitats as potential dispersal corridors for forest-associated species in open savanna landscapes.
Calcaritermes Snyder, 1925, is primarily a Neotropical termite genus, characterized by the soldier caste having a large, conspicuous spur on each foretibia. This character is absent in all other genera of the family Kalotermitidae. Calcaritermes colei Krishna, 1962 was described from soldiers collected at a single location in central Mexico. This termite is now recorded for the first time from Belize, Guatemala, and Honduras approximately 1,280 km from its type locality in Mexico.
The distribution Barbarophryne brongersmai (Hoogmoed, 1972) has long remained poorly documented due to its resemblance to Bufotes boulengeri (Lataste, 1879). The species had long been considered as endemic to Morocco until its presence was reported from Algeria, but without supporting evidence. We report the first documented observation from Algeria based on a population discovered in the Béchar region in May 2025. Multiple individuals at different life stages were observed. This record confirms the species’ presence in Algeria and underscores the need for further surveys to refine its eastern distribution.
The first molecular occurrence record of the Blacktip Reef Shark, Carcharhinus melanopterus (Quoy & Gaimard, 1824), is documented from Mantanani Island, Sabah, Malaysia, based on environmental DNA (eDNA) metabarcoding. Surface seawater collected from two seagrass sites on 9 May 2024 and analyzed using MiFish 12S rRNA primers. A single 155-bp operational taxonomic unit matching C. melanopterus with 100% identity to MitoFish reference sequences was recovered exclusively from one of the sampled sites (20,881 reads). No reads were detected at the other site or in negative controls. Sequence data are deposited in NCBI SRA (BioProject PRJNA1460790).
Northernmost range extensions in the Gulf of California, Mexico, are reported for five crustacean species, one from the family Portunidae and four to the family Squillidae. These extensions cover the central and northern portions of the Sonora coastline (Agiabampo and Puerto Peñasco) and the eastern coast, off San Luis Gonzaga and San Felipe, Baja California, Mexico. The species exhibiting the greatest range extension was Cloridopsis dubia (H. Milne Edwards, 1837), spanning 830 km.
The crocodile newt Tylototriton koliaensis Poyarkov, Nguyen, Le, Le, Arkhipov, Gorin, Hernandez & Dufresnes, 2024 was recently described from northern Vietnam. Here, we report the first country record of this species from China, based on specimens from Bainan Township, Napo County, Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region. Both molecular and morphological evidence supports the identification of the Chinese specimens as T. koliaensis. This record improves our understanding of the diversity and distribution of Tylototriton Anderson, 1871 in Guangxi and highlights the need for further herpetological surveys in the biodiverse China–Vietnam border region.
Two specimens of Parascolopsis tosensis (Kamohara, 1938) were collected from Dongsha Atoll. Because records of the species are sparse and it has only been recorded from Taiwan, the Philippines, and the Nansha Islands in the South China Sea, the newly found specimens represent the first records of this species from Donsha Atoll.
Biological invasions threaten freshwater biodiversity, particularly in anthropogenically impacted ecosys-tems. We report the first record of the fish Xiphophorus hellerii Heckel, 1848 in the Piquiri river basin (Upper Paraná), which was found in recent surveys, and investigate its distribution in Brazilian streams, using secondary data. We recorded 19 individuals in the Piquiri river basin. The results indicate predominance of occurrences in metropolitan areas, totalling 76 records in Brazil, likely linked to aquarium releases. We hypothesize that channelized urban streams may facilitate establishment by increasing environmental stressors, and we highlight the risks to the native fish fauna by the invasive X. hellerii.
We collected sediment samples from seamounts in the Andaman Sea, India, onboard RV Sindhu Sankalp using a spade corer. Rhaptothyreus typicus Hope & Murphy, 1969 was collected from a hydrothermally active seamount, whereas Bodonema vossi Jensen, 1991 was collected from both a hydrothermally active seamount and a ferromanganese crust-rich seamount. Both these nematodes are rare and have limited taxonomic and biogeographic information. These reports represent the first record of these species from the Indian Ocean and from seamount habitats.
We examined 35 sites across 24 rivers, lakes, and lagoons in El Salvador and documented two native and one non-native freshwater mussel species in addition to the invasive Corbicula. Phylogenetic analyses supported the synonymy of Nephronaias lempensis Marshall, 1926, under Nephronaias goascoranensis (Lea, 1858). Mussel distributions were patchy; Mycetopoda subsinuata (Sowerby, 1868) occurred in soft, lentic habitats, whereas N. goascoranensis occupied a broader range. Sinanodonta pacifica (Heude, 1878), a non-native species, occurred in the upper Lempa basin, and Corbicula showed recent expansion. These results provide essential data for conservation planning.
We present new data on the distribution of Pericyma albidentaria Freyer, 1842 (Lepidoptera, Erebidae) based on voucher-confirmed material from the Fergana Valley in Uzbekistan. Three specimens were collected in Tashlak District and identified using external morphology and genital structures. This record represents the first georeferenced, voucher-based occurrence of the species in eastern Uzbekistan and extends its known distribution range in Central Asia.
The eucalypt snout beetle genus Gonipterus Schoenherr 1833 (Coleoptera, Curculionidae) has been present in Uruguay since the 1930s, although the identity of the species remained uncertain. We confirm the presence of at least two species, G. platensis (Marelli, 1926) and G. pulverulentus Lea, 1897, using both morphological and mitochondrial COI analyses. Both species occur in commercial Eucalyptus plantation throughout the country. This represents the first molecular evidence of their coexistence in Uruguay, providing key information for future management and biological control programs in eucalypt forestry.
Myotis peytoni Wroughton & Ryley, 1913, a species of bat endemic to the forests of South India, is categorized as Data Deficient. Here, we report a new country record from Bangladesh, approximately 2,000 km north of this species’ previously known distribution. A detailed study of morphology, including cranial and dental characters, as well as a molecular analysis using the cytochrome c oxidase subunit I gene, confirm the species as M. peytoni. The phylogenetic analysis shows that the individual from Bangladesh is closest to the south Indian population. We recommend further study of the biogeography and population dynamics of the Bangladesh population.
We report the first occurrence of Ictinogomphus ferox (Rambur, 1842) (Odonata, Gomphidae) in Algeria, based on material collected in Tassili n’Ajjer National Park (Central Sahara). Between 2022 and 2023, four adult males and three ultimate larval stadium exuviae were collected from six sites at two localities. To our knowledge, these records constitute the first documented occurrences of this Afrotropical species in North Africa. This finding increases the number of gomphid species recorded from Algeria to seven and from the Maghreb region to nine.
We report the first occurrence of Ictinogomphus ferox (Rambur, 1842) (Odonata, Gomphidae) in Algeria, based on material collected in Tassili n’Ajjer National Park (Central Sahara). Between 2022 and 2023, four adult males and three ultimate larval stadium exuviae were collected from six sites at two localities. To our knowledge, these records constitute the first documented occurrences of this Afrotropical species in North Africa. This finding increases the number of gomphid species recorded from Algeria to seven and from the Maghreb region to nine.
The Andean Fox, Lycalopex culpaeus (Molina, 1782), is one of the largest endemic canids in South America. The northernmost part of its distribution lies in the Andes of southwestern Colombia, where it is known only from few localities. We present noteworthy records in southwestern Colombia, including one individual from the southern buffer area of Purac & eacute; National Park, a second individual found as roadkill on the Pan-American Highway, both in the Department of Cauca, and two additional records from the Colombian Massif. The Purac & eacute; record extents the distribution of this species by 74 km northward from previously verified localities.
