We present a genome assembly from an individual specimen of Stomoxys calcitrans (Stable Fly; Arthropoda; Insecta; Diptera; Muscidae). The genome sequence has a total length of 1,070.90 megabases. Most of the assembly (98.96%) is scaffolded into 5 chromosomal pseudomolecules.The mitochondrial genome has also been assembled and is 17.6 kilobases in length. Gene annotation of this assembly on Ensembl identified 15,757 protein-coding genes.

We present a genome assembly from an individual specimen of Stomoxys calcitrans (Stable Fly; Arthropoda; Insecta; Diptera; Muscidae). The genome sequence has a total length of 1,070.90 megabases. Most of the assembly (98.96%) is scaffolded into 5 chromosomal pseudomolecules.The mitochondrial genome has also been assembled and is 17.6 kilobases in length. Gene annotation of this assembly on Ensembl identified 15,757 protein-coding genes.

We present a genome assembly from a female tachinid fly Dexiosoma caninum (Arthropoda; Insecta; Diptera; Tachinidae). The genome sequence has a total length of 517.10 megabases. Most of the assembly is scaffolded into 6 chromosomal pseudomolecules. The mitochondrial genome has also been assembled and is 18.7 kilobases in length.

We present a genome assembly from an individual male tachinid fly, Linnaemya vulpina (Arthropoda; Insecta; Diptera; Tachinidae). The genome sequence has a total length of 554.00 megabases. Most of the assembly (98.85%) is scaffolded into 7 chromosomal pseudomolecules, including the X and Y sex chromosomes. The mitochondrial genome has also been assembled and is 16.72 kilobases in length. Gene annotation of this assembly on Ensembl identified 11,599 protein-coding genes.

Box tree moth, Cydalima perspectalis is native to East Asia where it occurs on Buxus trees. Its natu-ral distribution includes China, Japan, Korea and India, and it was accidentally introduced into Europe, Middle East, North America and north Africa through the trade in Buxus spp., where it can cause considerable damage. In the native range of C. perspectalis, three tachinids (Diptera, Tachinidae) are known to parasitize larvae of C. perspectalis, including Exorista sp., Pseudoperichaeta nigrolineata (Walker 1853) and Compsilura concinnata (Meigen 1824). Data on tachinid parasitoids parasitizing C. perspectalis on the European continent include only P. nigrolineata. Field collection of mature larvae and pupae of C. perspectalis during July 2020 in four locations in Split – Dalmatia County in Croatia resulted in collection of live tachinid larvae that were reared to adults. The tachinid specimens were identified at the Natural History Museum, London, UK, as Nemorilla flo-ralis (Fallén, 1810) (Diptera, Tachinidae). Conservatively, 1.2 – 2.4 % parasitism rate was achieved. This is the first world record of N. floralis parasitism on C. perspectalis larvae, which can be added as a potential tool for C. perspectalis biological control.

We present a genome assembly from an individual male tachinid fly, Linnaemya vulpina (Arthropoda; Insecta; Diptera; Tachinidae). The genome sequence has a total length of 554.00 megabases. Most of the assembly (98.85%) is scaffolded into 7 chromosomal pseudomolecules, including the X and Y sex chromosomes. The mitochondrial genome has also been assembled and is 16.72 kilobases in length. Gene annotation of this assembly on Ensembl identified 11,599 protein-coding genes.

We present a genome assembly from an individual female Eristalinus aeneus (a hoverfly; Arthropoda; Insecta; Diptera; Syrphidae). The genome sequence is 495.4 megabases in span. Most of the assembly is scaffolded into 6 chromosomal pseudomolecules. The mitochondrial genome has also been assembled and is 15.97 kilobases in length.

We present a genome assembly from an individual female tachinid fly Germaria angustata (Arthropoda; Insecta; Diptera; Tachinidae). The genome sequence has a total length of 586.50 megabases. Most of the assembly is scaffolded into 6 chromosomal pseudomolecules. The mitochondrial genome has also been assembled and is 16.77 kilobases in length.

We present a genome assembly from an individual female Eristalinus aeneus (a hoverfly; Arthropoda; Insecta; Diptera; Syrphidae). The genome sequence is 495.4 megabases in span. Most of the assembly is scaffolded into 6 chromosomal pseudomolecules. The mitochondrial genome has also been assembled and is 15.97 kilobases in length.

We present a genome assembly from an individual male robberfly, Dysmachus trigonus (Arthropoda; Insecta; Diptera; Asilidae). The genome sequence has a length of 450.3 megabases. Most of the assembly is scaffolded into 7 chromosomal pseudomolecules, including the X and Y sex chromosomes. The mitochondrial genome has also been assembled and is 16.93 kilobases in length.

We present a genome assembly from an individual female Nowickia ferox (a tachinid fly; Arthropoda; Insecta; Diptera; Tachinidae). The genome sequence is 670.7 megabases in span. Most of the assembly is scaffolded into 6 chromosomal pseudomolecules, including the X sex chromosome. The mitochondrial genome has also been assembled and is 17.19 kilobases in length. Gene annotation of this assembly on Ensembl identified 27,893 protein coding genes.

We present a genome assembly from an individual male Epicampocera succincta (a tachinid fly; Arthropoda; Insecta; Diptera; Tachinidae). The genome sequence is 398.1 megabases in span. Most of the assembly is scaffolded into 7 chromosomal pseudomolecules, including the X and Y sex chromosomes. The mitochondrial genome has also been assembled and is 21.4 kilobases in length. Gene annotation of this assembly on Ensembl identified 20,733 protein coding genes.

The Darwin Tree of Life (DToL) project aims to sequence and assemble high-quality genomes from all eukaryote species in Britain and Ireland, with the first phase of the project concentrating on family-level coverage plus species of particular ecological, biomedical or evolutionary interest. We summarise the processes involved in (1) assessing the UK arthropod fauna and the status of individual species on UK lists; (2) prioritising and collecting species for initial genome sequencing; (3) handling methods to ensure that high-quality genomic DNA is preserved; and (4) compiling standard operating procedures for processing specimens for genome sequencing, identification verification and voucher specimen curation. We briefly explore some lessons learned from the pilot phase of DToL and the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic.

We present a genome assembly from an individual female Nowickia ferox (a tachinid fly; Arthropoda; Insecta; Diptera; Tachinidae). The genome sequence is 670.7 megabases in span. Most of the assembly is scaffolded into 6 chromosomal pseudomolecules, including the X sex chromosome. The mitochondrial genome has also been assembled and is 17.19 kilobases in length. Gene annotation of this assembly on Ensembl identified 27,893 protein coding genes.

We present a genome assembly from an individual male Epicampocera succincta (a tachinid fly; Arthropoda; Insecta; Diptera; Tachinidae). The genome sequence is 398.1 megabases in span. Most of the assembly is scaffolded into 7 chromosomal pseudomolecules, including the X and Y sex chromosomes. The mitochondrial genome has also been assembled and is 21.4 kilobases in length. Gene annotation of this assembly on Ensembl identified 20,733 protein coding genes.

Climate and land use change can alter the incidence and strength of biotic interactions, with important effects on the distribution, abundance and function of species. To assess the importance of these effects and their dynamics, studies quantifying how biotic interactions change in space and time are needed.We studied interactions between nettle‐feeding butterflies and their shared natural enemies (parasitoids) locally and across 500 km latitudinal gradient in Sweden. We also examined the potential impact of the range‐expansion of the butterflyAraschnia levanaon resident butterflies via shared parasitoids, by studying how parasitism in resident butterflies covaries with the presence or absence of the newly‐established species. We collected 6777 larvae of four nettle‐feeding butterfly species (Aglais urticae,Aglais io,Ar. levanaandVanessa atalanta), over two years, at 19 sites distributed along the gradient. We documented the parasitoid complex for each butterfly species and measured their overlap, and analysed how parasitism rates were affected by butterfly species assemblage, variations in abundance, time, and the arrival ofAr. levana. Parasitoids caused high mortality, with substantial overlap in the complex of parasitoids associated with the four host butterflies. Levels of parasitism differed significantly among butterflies and were influenced by the local butterfly species assemblage. Our results also suggest that parasitism in resident butterflies is elevated at sites whereAr. levanahas been established for a longer period.In our study system, variations in butterfly species assemblages were associated in a predictable way with substantial variations in rates of parasitism. This relationship is likely to affect the dynamics of the butterfly host species, and potentially cascade to the larger number of species with which they interact. These results highlight the importance of indirect interactions and their potential to reorganise ecological communities, especially in the context of shifts in species distributions in a warmer world.

Fauna Europaea provides a public web-service with an index of scientific names (including important synonyms) of all extant multicellular European terrestrial and freshwater animals and their geographical distribution at the level of countries and major islands (east of the Urals and excluding the Caucasus region). The Fauna Europaea project comprises about 230,000 taxonomic names, including 130,000 accepted species and 14,000 accepted subspecies, which is much more than the originally projected number of 100,000 species. Fauna Europaea represents a huge effort by more than 400 contributing taxonomic specialists throughout Europe and is a unique (standard) reference suitable for many user communities in science, government, industry, nature conservation and education. The Diptera-Brachycera is one of the 58 Fauna Europaea major taxonomic groups, and data have been compiled by a network of 55 specialists.Within the two-winged insects (Diptera), the Brachycera constitute a monophyletic group, which is generally given rank of suborder. The Brachycera may be classified into the probably paraphyletic 'lower brachyceran grade' and the monophyletic Eremoneura. The latter contains the Empidoidea, the Apystomyioidea with a single Nearctic species, and the Cyclorrhapha, which in turn is divided into the paraphyletic 'aschizan grade' and the monophyletic Schizophora. The latter is traditionally divided into the paraphyletic 'acalyptrate grade' and the monophyletic Calyptratae. Our knowledge of the European fauna of Diptera-Brachycera varies tremendously among families, from the reasonably well known hoverflies (Syrphidae) to the extremely poorly known scuttle flies (Phoridae). There has been a steady growth in our knowledge of European Diptera for the last two centuries, with no apparent slow down, but there is a shift towards a larger fraction of the new species being found among the families of the nematoceran grade (lower Diptera), which due to a larger number of small-sized species may be considered as taxonomically more challenging.Most of Europe is highly industrialised and has a high human population density, and the more fertile habitats are extensively cultivated. This has undoubtedly increased the extinction risk for numerous species of brachyceran flies, yet with the recent re-discovery of Thyreophora cynophila (Panzer), there are no known cases of extinction at a European level. However, few national Red Lists have extensive information on Diptera.For the Diptera-Brachycera, data from 96 families containing 11,751 species are included in this paper.

BACKGROUND:Reliable taxonomy underpins communication in all of biology, not least nature conservation and sustainable use of ecosystem resources. The flexibility of taxonomic interpretations, however, presents a serious challenge for end-users of taxonomic concepts. Users need standardised and continuously harmonised taxonomic reference systems, as well as high-quality and complete taxonomic data sets, but these are generally lacking for non-specialists. The solution is in dynamic, expertly curated web-based taxonomic tools. The Pan-European Species-directories Infrastructure (PESI) worked to solve this key issue by providing a taxonomic e-infrastructure for Europe. It strengthened the relevant social (expertise) and information (standards, data and technical) capacities of five major community networks on taxonomic indexing in Europe, which is essential for proper biodiversity assessment and monitoring activities. The key objectives of PESI were: 1) standardisation in taxonomic reference systems, 2) enhancement of the quality and completeness of taxonomic data sets and 3) creation of integrated access to taxonomic information. NEW INFORMATION:This paper describes the results of PESI and its future prospects, including the involvement in major European biodiversity informatics initiatives and programs.