Boiruna sertaneja is a large snake primarily associated with the Caatinga and recognized for its pronounced ophiophagy. Nevertheless, information on its diet remains scattered across a limited number of publications and isolated records. Here, we compiled available dietary information from the scientific literature, photographs and videos published on digital platforms, and unpublished observations by the authors. Only prey identified to species level were included, whereas records predating the formal description of B. sertaneja were assessed separately because of historical taxonomic uncertainties. We documented 18 prey species belonging to 11 families and four major vertebrate groups. Snakes accounted for 50.0% of prey species richness, followed by lizards (27.8%), birds (16.7%), and amphisbaenians (5.6%). When historical records potentially attributable to the species are considered separately, the list reaches 22 species and also includes mammals. The diet was predominantly reptivorous and strongly characterized by ophiophagy, but was not exclusive, indicating sufficient trophic plasticity to include birds and potentially mammals. Audiovisual records added new prey species, including Amphisbaena alba, documented for the first time as prey of B. sertaneja. The authors’ observations also documented active predation on live birds, while audiovisual records revealed behaviors including pursuit, restraint, constriction, prey manipulation, and ingestion. Integrating conventional and digital sources expanded our knowledge of the diet and feeding behavior of B. sertaneja, highlighting the value of complementary approaches for studying the natural history of elusive and poorly sampled snakes.
Much of the ethnobiological knowledge produced by research is documented and synthesized under scientific names, yet species boundaries can change long after records are produced. When a historically broadly circumscribed species is later split, earlier information on use, hunting, trade, management, or other human relationships may no longer contain enough evidence to determine which currently recognized species was involved. We introduce taxonomic erosion of ethnobiological knowledge as the loss of contemporary taxonomic resolution or assignability of previously documented ethnobiological records following changes in taxonomic circumscription. We distinguish this process from nomenclatural change, misidentification, and what has been termed erosion of local ecological knowledge, which concerns the knowledge held by people rather than its scientific documentation. Its occurrence depends jointly on the nature of taxonomic change and on the evidence preserved with each record, including voucher specimens, diagnostic images, biological material, provenance, and other verifiable documentation. We also introduce the complementary concept of taxonomic recovery of ethnobiological knowledge, which occurs when preserved evidence allows historical records to be reconnected to currently recognized taxa. Newly described or newly delimited species may also possess histories of human relationships that long predate their scientific recognition. We argue that taxonomic traceability should be treated as a core component of ethnobiological documentation, databases, and syntheses. The taxonomic resolution assigned to a record should never exceed that supported by the preserved evidence.
Wild edible plants (WEP) are among the most important non-timber forest products, contributing both to local food security and to the generation of income for families. The aim of this study is to present a comprehensive dataset of WEP in Guinea-Bissau, West Africa, including species identification, characterization of uses, bioecology, and local common names, as well as an associated image dataset documenting the species and their edible parts. Data were collected through extensive fieldwork across the country, complemented by bibliographic and herbarium research. Additionally, countryside and urban markets were visited to identify and characterize WEP currently traded. A total of 114 WEP were recorded in the flora of Guinea-Bissau, belonging to 45 families and 89 genera; of these, 110 are native species and four are introduced and naturalized. Fruits were the most commonly consumed plant part, followed by leaves and underground organs, with most consumed in natura. About 40 WEP are sold in the markets, several of which have high socioeconomic importance both as food and as sources of income. This dataset enhances knowledge of WEP in Guinea-Bissau and supports the promotion of sustainable use of natural resources and ecosystems in West Africa.
The genus Aquilaria Lam. (Thymelaeaceae) produces agarwood, one of the world’s most commercially valuable non-timber forest products, yet the species-level evidence underpinning conservation and trade governance in the Philippines—a megadiverse archipelago with high endemism and active CITES-regulated commerce—remains fragmented. Following PRISMA 2020 guidelines, 165 records were identified, including 150 from six bibliographic databases and search platforms and 15 from other sources. After removal of 78 duplicates, 87 records were screened; 40 reports underwent full-text assessment, and 26 primary studies met the final inclusion criteria. Of the 21 accepted Aquilaria species recognized globally by Plants of the World Online (POWO), nine are native to the Philippines, whereas Co’s Digital Flora of the Philippines (CDFP) recognizes eight; the discrepancy arises from the treatment of A. decemcostata, which POWO accepts as a distinct species but CDFP places within the synonymy of A. cumingiana. All eight CDFP-recognized species carry national threat designations, whereas five Philippine endemic taxa remain Data Deficient under the IUCN Red List, highlighting substantial gaps in contemporary population and distributional evidence. Pharmacological and phytochemical evidence is concentrated in A. filaria and A. malaccensis, while A. cumingiana, despite active cultivation in the Philippines, lacks a published phytochemical profile from Philippine-sourced agarwood. Ethnobiological evidence was similarly limited, with little documented information on community-specific uses, local ecological knowledge, resource management, or livelihood relationships involving Philippine Aquilaria. Seven priority knowledge gaps spanning integrative taxonomy, distributional and population surveys, phytochemical characterization, agarwood induction, regulatory alignment, and community-centered resource use were identified. This review provides, to our knowledge, the first integrated species-level synthesis of Philippine Aquilaria and establishes an evidence base for conservation governance, regulated trade, and sustainable resource development.
Traditional Maya medicine remains a key component of local healthcare and biocultural heritage in Yucatán, Mexico, yet it is increasingly affected by socio-environmental change. While ethnobotanical studies have documented plant use, fewer have examined the underlying organization of medicinal systems. This study integrates ethnographic fieldwork with all six recognized traditional healers in two Maya communities (Tibolón and Yaxcabá) and a systematic literature review following PRISMA 2020. A consolidated database of 268 use-reports was analyzed using descriptive statistics, Informant Consensus Factor, co-occurrence network analysis, null model comparisons, and core–periphery analysis. The respiratory pharmacopoeia comprised 139 taxa across 54 families. Plant use was concentrated in a limited set of therapeutic categories, with leaves, decoction, and oral administration predominating. The flora included native (55.2%), exotic (42.2%), and regionally endemic taxa (2.6%). Network analyses revealed a structured pattern of associations among plant families and therapeutic uses. Null model comparisons showed that observed networks deviated from random expectations, with elevated clustering and reduced modularity. Core–periphery analysis identified a recurrent core of eight highly connected respiratory categories. Network and null-model analyses indicate a non-random organization of the Maya respiratory pharmacopoeia. The concentration of taxa, therapeutic categories, and use patterns, together with network and null model analyses, suggests an interconnected system shaped by ecological accessibility, sensory perception, cultural transmission, and historical incorporation of new taxa. These findings provide the basis for a preliminary theoretical framework for interpreting the Maya respiratory pharmacopoeia as an adaptive biocultural system.
