Mianhua and Huaping Islets constitute the legally designated Mianhua and Huaping Islets Wildlife Refuge (hereafter, the Wildlife Refuge), whereas nearby Pengjia Islet lies outside the refuge boundary, but was included in some survey years owing to its geographic proximity or specific survey objectives. In 1996, the Wildlife Refuge was designated by the Keelung City Government (the local competent authority) under the jurisdiction of the Forestry Bureau, Council of Agriculture (the central competent authority, now reorganised as the Forestry and Nature Conservation Agency, Ministry of Agriculture). Since its designation, access to the Wildlife Refuge has required prior permission and has been restricted to research and educational purposes. In 2018, the central competent authority was transferred to the Ocean Affairs Council and its affiliated agencies. Ecological surveys, associated with the Wildlife Refuge, have been conducted from 1994 through 2025 by various implementing organisations. This Wildlife Refuge is the only known breeding habitat of the Streaked Shearwater ( Calonectris leucomelas ) in Taiwan and also an important stopover site for migratory birds along the East Asian–Australasian Flyway. Furthermore, after livestock removal in 1996, secondary succession has been observed in plant taxa over the years. Given the long-term accumulation of survey data associated with the Wildlife Refuge, we compiled and standardised data from historical reports and published the resulting dataset on the Global Biodiversity Information Facility (GBIF) under a CC BY 4.0 license. Before being made openly available, the dataset facilitated evidence-based conservation management and public policy development. Now, as an open-access dataset, it improves cross-border data integration and exchange. The dataset can support ecological research, while also improving public access to biodiversity information. This data paper describes Version 1.37 of the dataset. Please note that the dataset in the GBIF repository will be continuously updated as future annual surveys are completed. This dataset compiles 20,533 occurrence records across nine taxonomic groups over this Wildlife Refuge from 1994 to 2025, allowing ecological succession to be examined. The species accumulation curves, plotted in survey order, show that the observed species richness for avian and plant taxa has reached a plateau, whereas the number of recorded species for other taxonomic groups continues to rise. Furthermore, the dataset highlights critical breeding events, such as the nests and juveniles of the Streaked Shearwater ( Calonectris leucomelas ), which were first recorded in 2010 and have been continuously documented through 2025. This finding makes this Wildlife Refuge the only known breeding habitat of the Streaked Shearwater in Taiwan. In addition to terrestrial and avian records, the ecological significance of this area extends to its marine environment as well; it encompasses an IUCN-designated Important Shark and Ray Area (ISRA) and documents globally significant species like Manta birostris , which is protected under Taiwan's Protected Marine Wildlife List.
Odorrana nagao , a member of the predominantly limestone-associated O. lipuensis species group, was recently described from limestone karst forest in Tuyen Quang Province, northern Vietnam and was previously known only from its type locality. During fieldwork in Laoshan Provincial Nature Reserve, Malipo County, Yunnan Province, China, three adult female Odorrana , referable to this species group, were collected. We examined their taxonomic identity using mitochondrial DNA sequence data and morphological comparisons. We document the occurrence of Odorrana nagao in China and the presence of the O. lipuensis species group in Yunnan Province. Molecular phylogenetic analyses placed the Chinese specimens with the type series of O. nagao with strong support, while their identification was further supported by low mitochondrial genetic divergence and agreement in external morphology. The newly-examined specimens extend the known female snout–vent length from 47.1–54.7 mm to 47.1–59.5 mm. This record extends the known distribution of O. nagao northwards across the China–Vietnam border, increases the recognised Odorrana fauna of China from 47 to 48 species and brings the number of species recorded from Yunnan to 17.
Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) and post-EIA monitoring generate substantial biodiversity information through ecological surveys conducted before, during and after development projects. In the Republic of Korea, these records have accumulated in individual assessment reports, but their reuse has been limited because occurrence information is dispersed across documents and is not generally available in a structured format. Compiling these records into a standardised dataset can improve access to historical biodiversity information and support research, conservation planning and environmental assessment. The dataset comprises 5,000 occurrence records of six endangered mammal taxa documented in EIA and post-EIA monitoring reports in the Republic of Korea. The records cover surveys conducted from March 2007 to June 2023 and include taxonomic information, survey dates, detection methods and generalised geographic coordinates. Occurrence locations presented on maps in the original reports were manually digitised and the records were standardised using Darwin Core terms. The dataset integrates occurrence records from the assessment, construction and operation phases and is openly available through the Global Biodiversity Information Facility (GBIF).
Transitional waters are dynamic coastal ecosystems located at the interface between freshwater and marine environments. They are characterized by pronounced environmental variability resulting from the interaction between geomorphology, freshwater inputs, tidal exchanges, climatic variability, and human activities. These factors generate high habitat heterogeneity and complex ecological dynamics. Phytoplankton communities inhabiting transitional waters are particularly sensitive to both natural gradients and anthropogenic pressures, often exhibiting marked spatial and seasonal patterns in species composition, abundance and functional structure. In response to fluctuating environmental conditions, phytoplankton taxa display a wide range of morphometric and functional adaptations, making trait-based approaches especially suitable for investigating community organization and ecosystem functioning in these ecosystems. Although a large amount of phytoplankton trait data is available, its use could be enhanced through improved data harmonization and interoperability. The availability of FAIR (Findable, Accessible, Interoperable and Reusable) phytoplankton trait data from transitional waters, coupled with associated environmental information, is therefore essential to support comparative analyses and to improve our understanding of trait–environment relationships in these vulnerable ecosystems. In this study, we present two complementary and FAIR datasets derived from coordinated monitoring activities conducted in transitional water ecosystems across the Mediterranean and Black Sea regions. The phytoplankton dataset comprises individual-level morpho-functional trait measurements collected at 14 sites, including 104,687 records from 242 taxa belonging to 10 phyla. Recorded traits include cell size, shape, density, biovolume and estimated carbon content and biomass values, enabling analyses at multiple levels of biological organization, from individuals to functional guilds and whole communities. The abiotic dataset includes in situ measurements of key physicochemical variables describing water quality conditions, such as salinity, conductivity, temperature, pH, dissolved oxygen, oxygen saturation and total dissolved solids. Nutrient concentrations are also provided, including nitrite (NO₂), nitrate (NO₃), ammonium (NH₄), dissolved inorganic nitrogen, phosphate (PO₄) and silicate (SiO₂). In addition, the dataset also includes information, when available, on the main physiographic and hydrological characteristics of the studied transitional waters, including water depth, tidal range, inlet morphology (outlet length and width), sinuosity index, surface area and hydrological connectivity. Qualitative descriptors of anthropogenic pressure and protection status are also included, such as the presence of Ramsar designation, Natura 2000 sites, local protection plans and indicators of human disturbance. Together, these variables characterize microtidal, nutrient-rich lagoon ecosystems that differ in their environmental conditions and degrees of anthropogenic impact, providing a comprehensive environmental context for trait-based analyses of phytoplankton communities. Both datasets have been harmonized to ensure semantic consistency, interoperability and reusability. They are accompanied by comprehensive metadata and are openly accessible through the LifeWatch Italy Data Portal and Metadata Catalogue (doi: https://doi.org/10.48372/x9qx-4t72). Data quality and usability have been validated through their application in previously published studies focusing on morpho-functional analyses, phytoplankton guild classification and hypothesis testing across different levels of data aggregation. Together, these FAIR-compliant datasets represent a robust and reusable resource for advancing trait-based research and functional ecology in dynamic transitional water ecosystems.
The taxonomic revision of Neotropical Lepidocyrtus , based on morphological data of the Neotropical species of the genus Lepidocyrtus , is currently in progress, which has led to the discovery of two new species for Colombia: Lepidocyrtus (Setogaster) deiverandersoni sp. nov ., defined mainly by supplementary chaeta ml absent on Abd. II, chaeta p7 as mic on Abd. III and dorsal mac formula A 0 /00/0100+3 and Lepidocyrtus rosanae sp. nov ., defined mainly by labral chaetae a1 branched apically, appendages absent on sublobal plate, sens as absent on Abd. II, sens as and ms absent on Abd. III and dorsal mac formula 00/0100+2. Lepidocyrtus ( S. ) deiverandersoni sp. nov . ia placed in Setogaster is based on the absence of the apical bulb on Ant. IV and mucronal spinelet, while the subgeneric position of L. rosanae sp. nov . is not clear due to the presence of the apical bulb on Ant. IV and presence of scales on the anterior side of the ventral tube. Two new species are described from Colombia, Lepidocyrtus (Setogaster) deiverandersoni sp. nov . and Lepidocyrtus rosanae sp. nov ., based on body chaetotaxy.
