DOI: 10.3897/BDJ.14.e196523

Authors: Isadora Lopes, Herison Medeiros, Rafaela Forzza

Abstract: The family Myristicaceae (Magnoliales) comprises ca. 500 species and has a pantropical distribution and centres of diversity in Africa, Asia and the Neotropics. In the latter, the Amazon Region, the largest rainforest in the world, is notable for having about 65 Myristicaceae species and recorded hyperdominance with 29 species of five genera, with a highlight for Iryanthera Warb. and Virola Aubl. genera with 13 and 11 hyperdominant species, respectively. Although the Amazon is known to be highly biodiverse, with 14,003 known seed plant species, much remains unknown due to the lack of proper research funding and difficulty in accessing many areas. This study aims to increase our knowledge of the family and the region by providing curated data about the occurrence of Myristicaceae species in the Amazonian State of Acre in Brazil.We provide a dataset with 34 species and five genera of Myristicaceae recorded in Acre, Brazil, treated in the most recent flora by the authors. This includes the nine new occurrences for the State and corresponds to ~ 31% of the family’s species richness in the American continent. The distributions exhibit different patterns, with 16 species found throughout the State and 18 species restricted to one of two watersheds. This difference between the diversity in the two basins was previously observed in other studies of birds and vines and here which we observed may also be the case for trees and treelets. We also observed the ratio of staminate and pistillate inflorescences amongst the collections, with a staminate-biased ratio of approximately 7:1.

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DOI: 10.3897/BDJ.14.e191347

Authors: Zoya Dudnik

Abstract: This dataset provides information for 3235 Brachiopoda specimens held within the Ocean Benthic Fauna collection (collection code: OBFc) in the Shirshov Institute of Oceanology (IORAS). Collected from 1852 unique locations across the World Ocean, these specimens represent a 100-year record of Brachiopoda biodiversity, with sampling beginning in 1924.The IORAS Brachiopoda collection, due to its high species diversity, is a valuable resource for researchers. Broad taxonomic representation provides critical baseline data that fundamentally advance our understanding of brachiopod distribution patterns, ecological niches, and historical biogeography. The collection thus directly supports a wide range of disciplinary research, including taxonomy and phylogenetics, and the study of large-scale macroecological patterns in global marine ecosystems.A comprehensive revision and digitization of the complete Brachiopoda collection of the Shirshov Institute of Oceanology has yielded a detailed dataset on specimen distribution across geographic, bathymetric, and taxonomic categories. The project prioritized the documentation and imaging of the type specimens. This new dataset is a significant scientific resource for taxonomy, biodiversity, and biogeography; this data enhances our understanding of marine biodiversity and the distribution patterns of Brachiopoda throughout various oceanic regions and depth zones.

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DOI: 10.3897/BDJ.14.e191754

Authors: Jonathan Rees, Nico Franz, Beckett Sterner

Abstract: This article describes an exemplar-based approach to species checklist alignment. Biologists in many fields often work with tables whose rows denote taxonomic groups (more formally called taxonomic concepts). Such tables, here called checklists, are essential ingredients for communicating the information contained in many research articles, databases developed for research projects and laboratories and comprehensive taxonomic resources, such as the Mammal Diversity Database and Catalogue of Life. An important activity is reconciling or aligning two or more checklists (also called taxonomic concept mapping), i.e. relating the records of one checklist to the records of another. Our implementation of exemplar-based alignments is scalable both pragmatically and computationally: it does not require labour-intensive manual processing of the checklists or alignments, it handles large checklists efficiently and it is usefully aware of taxonomic concept relationship mappings. Open-source code implementing the exemplar-based approach is available online as part of the List Tools software library.

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DOI: 10.3897/BDJ.14.e185229

Authors: Theodore Cook, R. DeWalt, Scott Grubbs, Phillip Hogan, Lily Hart, Shawn Clark, Richard Baumann, David Burton, Luke Myers

Abstract: Stoneflies are a relatively small order of insects comprising over 4,200 extant, described species. They have long been recognised as valuable indicators of water quality, since nymphs are dependent on clean water conditions and are sensitive to the effects of sedimentation and pollution. It is also well-documented that stonefly species around the world have suffered contractions in range, leading, in some cases, to local extirpation or extinction. West Virginia is home to high stonefly species richness relative to most other USA (United States of America) states. Despite this diversity, the available literature is scattered and occurrence datasets supported by voucher specimens are non-existent. Funding from the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and a consortium of northeastern USA states has provided an opportunity to document the stonefly fauna of West Virginia, especially for state and regional species of conservation interest, by gathering specimen-based occurrence data from museums, collecting new specimens statewide, and compiling trusted literature records into a single statewide dataset. Our hope is that the records presented in this data paper will further the understanding of stonefly species distribution in West Virginia and the eastern USA in general, and provide conservation agencies with usable temporal and locality data. These data will be used as the basis of an upcoming distribution atlas and annotated checklist of the stoneflies of West Virginia.Our dataset brings together over 4,500 stonefly records from all 55 counties in West Virginia. These records, spanning the previous 134 years, have been contributed by 17 institutions and personal collections. Through new collecting and the examination of museum specimens, we have been able to verify the presence of 150 species, with representatives from all nine eastern North American families. Fourteen species previously recorded from West Virginia, comprising seven Perlodidae, six Perlidae and one Chloroperlidae, have not been recovered. Most of these absences can be accounted for by changes in taxonomic nomenclature. In addition to 140 species already known from the state, we report the presence of 11 new state records, including four Perlidae, three Perlodidae, two Capniidae, one Leuctridae and one Nemouridae.

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DOI: 10.3897/BDJ.14.e189867

Authors: Michael Thomas, Elias Bizuru, Concorde Nsengumuremyi, Gaspard Munyaneza

Abstract: The native vascular flora of Rwanda is currently the subject of ongoing study aimed at producing a comprehensive and up-to-date national checklist. The discovery of Diospyros abyssinica forms part of the Flora of Akagera National Park project, a focused initiative designed to document and synthesise the vascular plant diversity of this protected area in Rwanda’s Eastern Province. The ultimate objective of this project is to generate a complete and authoritative checklist of the Park’s vascular plant species, incorporating current taxonomic treatments, verified distributional data and conservation status assessments. The checklist is being developed through the integration of systematic field observations, the assembly and analysis of a comprehensive database of herbarium specimens and a critical review of relevant published and unpublished botanical literature.A new country-level record of a native vascular plant species previously unrecorded in Rwanda emerged during 2023 fieldwork inventory in the Eastern Province. Diospyros abyssinica is reported as new to the Province, where it is represented in a relict population of only 15 individuals in less than 20 hectares. Due to the species having many uses, it has been prioritised as a species for indigenous tree planting programmes.

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DOI: 10.3897/BDJ.14.e188155

Authors: Jaap Vermeulen, Camilia Yen Richard, Mohammad Effendi Marzuki, Mohd Zacaery Khalik

Abstract: The pulmonates represent an important component of land snail biodiversity in a wide range of habitats across Borneo. Despite their presence in many ecosystems, the diversity of these organisms is still being actively documented through ongoing surveys and taxonomic work. Our study presents 13 new species, a new genus and the first records of pulmonates in Sarawak, contributing to a clearer understanding of species composition in the region.Thirteen new species of land snails are described from Sarawak, Malaysia (Borneo): Hemiplecta gambut, Vitrinula aulacotropis (Ariophantidae); Chloritis platycephala (Camaenidae); Kaliella micradelpha, K. montismulu, K. xystrota, Rahula pallidula, R. scoliostoma (Chronidae); Dyakia nitens, Everettia cryptopleura, E. micropleura, E. platyacris (Dyakiidae); and Hypselostoma stenopyrgus (Hypselostomatidae). The new genus Gleniskos (Charopidae) is introduced, two species are transferred; Gleniskos lafargei and G. sarawakensis. Finally, Mariaella dussumieri (Ariophantidae) is reported from Sarawak for the first time.

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DOI: 10.3897/BDJ.14.e192174

Authors: Denis Gradinarov, Yana Petrova, Ognyan Sivilov, Vladimir Stefanov

Abstract: Beetles of the family Zopheridae (Coleoptera, Tenebrionoidea) are rarely reported from Bulgaria and available data on their distribution in the country are scarce. Here, we provide an updated checklist of the family, based on published data and new records.Twenty-one species of the family Zopheridae are listed for Bulgaria. New data on the distribution of fourteen species are provided. The species Colydium noblecourti Parmain, Eckelt & Schuh, 2024 is reported for the first time for the country. The presence of the species Aulonium trisulcum (Geoffroy, 1785), A. ruficorne (G.-A. Olivier, 1790), Orthocerus clavicornis (Linnaeus, 1758), Langelandia anophthalma Aubé, 1842 and Synchita mediolanensis A. Villa & J. B. Villa, 1833 is confirmed for Bulgaria.

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DOI: 10.3897/BDJ.14.e182079

Authors: Prashant Katke, Avinash Vanjare, Karuthapandi M, Sameer Padhye

Abstract: Large branchiopod crustaceans play a crucial ecological and economic role as flagship species in temporary aquatic habitats. With less than 10% of the global fauna identified in the Indian subcontinent, it is essential to conduct comprehensive research that includes open access information on their diversity and distribution. Such data generation is vital as it provides key insights to support management and conservation efforts. Given the limited, fragmented and incomplete information on the diversity and distribution of large branchiopods in India, we offer the first comprehensive compilation of species occurrence records for the country. This compilation integrates data from our field collections (2020-2024) and relevant information extracted from literature (from 1859-2024). We provide 581 comprehensive records of 46 species from India, revising the names and taxonomic classification of certain species to highlight the significance of detailed, georeferenced occurrence data in improving our knowledge of large branchiopod biodiversity and distribution. Additionally, we introduce the Rshiny application, which illustrates the spatial distribution of all large branchiopod species found in India, along with their frequency across various habitat types.We provide a total of 581 open access records using a literature review and our original data from India (1859-2024), with 13 families, 15 genera and 46 species from all five orders (Anostraca, Notostraca, Laevicaudata, Spinicaudata and Cyclestherida). Each record has its current scientific name, location name, geographic information system (GIS) data of the location, date/year of collection and the waterbody type in which the species was found.Few secondary occurrences date back to more than 150 years and it is likely that these habitats (such as pools and ponds) are now destroyed; the coordinates we provide for many such habitats/regions can help in re-surveying and re-describing certain species or in future research on this group. Following the initial study, which documented 42 species from the Indian subcontinent and 38 from India, we have added four new records to the Indian checklist. A new fairy shrimp species, Streptocephalus warliae Katke, Padhye & Vanjare, 2025 was also identified from our samples. An updated RShiny app, entitled 'LbranchidistributR' is presented for visualising the spatial distribution of all large branchiopod species occurring in India, along with the frequency of occurrence in different habitat types.

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DOI: 10.3897/BDJ.14.e182770

Authors: Kerem Kaleli, Fatih Dikmen, Thomas James Wood, Çiğdem Özenirler, Ahmet Murat Aytekin

Abstract: Andrena is one of the most diverse bee genera in the Holarctic Region, yet its species diversity and distribution in Türkiye remain poorly documented. This study provides an updated faunistic assessment of the genus in the Mediterranean Region of southern Türkiye, based on extensive field sampling in 12 provinces between 2008 and 2009 and a comprehensive synthesis of existing records. Specimens were identified using the latest taxonomic revisions and provincial distributions were compiled to produce a contemporary regional baseline.A total of 81 species were documented, belonging to 26 subgenera, including three endemic Turkish taxa (A. hungarica ssp. macroura, A. purpureomicans and A. cinnamonea), as well as A. wolfi, which was recorded in the country for the first time. Floral visitation data were also incorporated into the study. Furthermore, the species distribution was summarised with regional maps. The photos of morphological characters of regional and Turkish new records were also taken and included to the study. Together, these results provide the most current and comprehensive overview of Andrena diversity in southern Türkiye, offering a critical foundation for future research into the taxonomy, biogeography, pollination ecology and conservation of Mediterranean bee communities.

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DOI: 10.3897/BDJ.14.e163267

Authors: Veikko Yrjölä, Luís Crespo, Stephanie Saussure, Francis Asamoah, Arttu Soukainen, Benjamin Badii, Pasi Sihvonen, Pedro Cardoso

Abstract: Agricultural expansion, a leading driver of biodiversity loss, has widespread effects on ecosystem services, particularly in tropical regions. In West Africa, the impact of intensified agriculture on local biodiversity – especially predator and decomposer species like spiders and ants – is understudied. This study aims to provide a checklist of terrestrial spiders and ants associated with savannahs and mango orchards in northern Ghana thus creating a baseline for further ecological studies on the community composition of these groups.In this data paper, we publish the baseline checklist and morphological measurements of spiders (Araneae) and ants (Hymenoptera, Formicidae) associated with forest savannahs and mango orchards located in northern Ghana. In total, we collected 64 species (28 unidentified morphospecies) of spiders and 64 species (24 unidentified morphospecies) of ants. Of these, almost all spider species and nine ant species were new records for Ghana, while many of the morphospecies could potentially be species new to science. In addition, we publish standardised morphological measurements of each species for potential functional diversity studies in the future.

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DOI: 10.3897/BDJ.13.e165806

Authors: Wisut Sittichaya, Sarah Smith, Narit Thaochan, Sinlapachai Senarat

Abstract: The tribe Xyleborini comprises over 1,300 species of ambrosia beetles, all of which form mutualistic relationships with fungi. Several beetle species exhibit strong host preferences, particularly within the plant family Fagaceae for genera such as Castanopsis. This study documents the xyleborine beetles associated with Castanopsis inermis in Thailand to improve understanding of their host use and diversity.Twenty species of xyleborine ambrosia beetles were collected from a single fallen Castanopsis inermis tree. Amongst them, twelve species were recorded from C. inermis for the first time. One species, Arixyleborus perbrevis Sittichaya & Smith, sp. nov., is described as new to science, while Cnestus ater (Eggers 1923) is newly recorded from Thailand. Some biological observations on xyleborine ambrosia beetles are also presented.

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DOI: 10.3897/BDJ.13.e157470

Authors: Paul Imbun, Tan Fui Lian, Maklarin Lakim, Luiza Majuakim

Abstract: We monitored five localities within Crocker Range Park, one of the protected forests administered by Sabah Parks in the Malaysian part of Borneo. The sites selected were at various elevations: lowland sites at 260 m and 499 m a.s.l.; montane sites at 1,216 m, 1,260 m and 1,477 m a.s.l. Forty species were encountered in this study. New discoveries were also found during the course of our three-year period survey (October 2003–October 2006).The discoveries include amongst others, the Sabah endemics of Meristogenys, two new records for Sabah: Sarawakiphrys dringi (Inger, Stuebing and Tan, 1995), and Pelophryne rhopophilia Inger and Stuebing, 1996, as well as a new species, Kalophrynus minutus sp. nov., described herein. These findings provide evidence of many unknown species still waiting to be discovered. These discoveries also add significantly to our understanding of the distribution of frog species in Borneo as a whole, showing that species formerly thought to be very restricted geographically actually have much greater and more extensive distributions within Borneo.

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DOI: 10.3897/BDJ.13.e158952

Authors: Luke Myers, Boris Kondratieff, Scott Grubbs, Lindsey Pett, R. Edward DeWalt, Timothy Mihuc, Lily Hart

Abstract: There is a 187-year history of stonefly (Insecta, Plecoptera) research in New York State. In total, 29 current valid species have a type locality in this state. Despite several new species' descriptions and numerous other papers discussing stoneflies in general from New York, a comprehensive treatment of the state's fauna is lacking. In this treatment we provide a comprehensive approach to assessing distribution and diversity patterns across multiple dimensions, focusing on adult flight periods, habitat associations, elevation gradients, United States Geological Survey Hierarchical Unit Code (HUC8) drainages, and United States Environmental Protection Agency (USEPA) Level IV Ecoregions.This work is based on recent fieldwork, exhaustive searches of museums and research collections for specimens and accumulation of specimen data from peer-reviewed literature. Our analyses of 6,538 records from 1375 unique locations confirm the presence of 127 species in 42 genera across nine families, representing 58 of the 62 counties of the state. Nine new state records are presented with three known only from historical collections prior to 1970. Further analyses produced for all species include adult flight periods, elevational ranges, and distributional affinities across HUC8s and USEPA Level IV Ecoregions. This research will provide the basis for future conservation decisions in the state, identify gaps in our current knowledge, and elucidate needs for future research. A specimen data set has been associated with this document to aid in future assessments.

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DOI: 10.3897/BDJ.13.e157274

Authors: Lore Esselens, Pia Addison, Jacqueline Bakengesa, Luis Bota, Laura Canhanga, Domingos Cugala, Beatriz Daniel, Marc De Meyer, Hélène Delatte, Jean-Marc Herpers, Kurt Jordaens, Sija Kabota, Abdul Kudra, Ramadhani Majubwa, Aruna Manrakhan, Mirene Mussumbe, Maulid Mwatawala, Franck Theeten, Didier Van den Spiegel, Sam Vanbergen, Carl Vangestel, Massimiliano Virgilio

Abstract: As part of its extensive Diptera holdings, the Royal Museum for Central Africa (RMCA) houses over 100,000 specimens of Tephritidae and Syrphidae, which represent a critical resource for taxonomic and systematic research. Here, we present a feasibility study evaluating streamlined workflows for genomic data mining and archiving in museum collections. We analysed DNA yield, quality and sequencing performance from more than 1,400 insect vouchers and found few predictable trends, reflecting the nature of heterogeneous and skewed groups of samples collected under largely unknown field conditions. Regardless, our results show that Illumina short read whole genome sequencing can work well even with degraded insect material. In this context, routine short-read sequencing offers a practical first step for genomic data mining, particularly for large collections. It enables us to reserve more complex and resource-intensive methods for the subset of samples that fail initial sequencing (7% of specimens, in our case). As an outcome of this work, RMCA’s archiving system has been adapted to integrate genomic data and metadata alongside traditional specimen records. We argue that genomic data should be treated as an integral component of collection management, enhancing scientific value, supporting long term preservation and improving traceability of genetic resources in natural history collections.

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DOI: 10.3897/BDJ.13.e154676

Authors: Alexander Sennikov

Abstract: Due to the lack of complete taxonomic inventories and revisions for nearly 120 years and a high number of chaotic and conflicting species descriptions in the times of the primary biodiversity exploration, the actual diversity of apomictic species of Hieracium in Finland is currently unknown. The existing nomenclatural and bibliographic inventory, published in 2002, does not include taxonomic evaluations. To compensate for this deficiency, there is an urgent need for a new taxonomic revision. The operative foundation for this revision is an inventory of the taxonomic diversity and distribution patterns on the basis of primary sources, i.e. herbarium collections identified by major taxonomic authorities.A complete checklist of Hieracium species occurring in Finland, which were accepted in major authoritative sources (recently or in the past) and identified in herbarium collections, includes 137 accepted species, which are deemed mostly apomictic. These taxa are considered taxonomically evaluated and are recommended for current use in national checklists and manuals. Brief species descriptions are provided as the basis for a new identification key. Species distributions in Finland are recorded on the basis of herbarium specimens according to the traditional biogeographic provinces of Eastern Fennoscandia. The distribution patterns revealed in the hierarchical cluster analysis highlight a largely isolated position of the Åland Islands, with strong phytogeographical connections to Sweden; the presence of taxa with strictly oceanic distributions in south-western Finland; and a high level of taxonomic dissimilarity between the north (Lapland and neighbouring territories) and the east (southern and central mainland Finland and neighbouring territories) of Finland. The eastern floristic element is considered autochthonously developed in Finland during the postglacial colonisation of Northern Europe by Hieracium plants and contains numerous endemics or near-endemics of the country. Two species are established aliens, which were introduced as park ornamentals over 100 years ago. A new synonymy is established: Hieracium schmidtii subsp. residuum is reduced to a synonym of H. crinellum; its only record in Finland is a local relic of the postglacial period, remotely isolated from the main populations in Norway and southern Sweden. Numerous further province-level and country-level records are expected in Finland in the course of a new taxonomic revision, with a total to reach or exceed 200 species.

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DOI: 10.3897/BDJ.13.e157961

Authors: Thuane Bochorny, Alexandre Quinet, Ana Carolina Castello, Anderson Alves-Araújo, Andrea Costa, Ariane Peixoto, Cassia Sakuragui, Claudio Fraga, Claudenice Dalastra, Danilo Zavatin, Diego Gonzaga, Eliana Ramos, Eliane Jacques, Elsie Guimaraes, Elton Lírio, Gabriel Marcusso, Genise Sommer, George Queiroz, Haroldo Lima, Igor Azevedo, José Fernando Baumgratz, Lana Sylvestre, Lara Deccache, Leandro Giacomin, Leandro Pederneiras, Lucas Marinho, Marcelo Souza, Marcus Nadruz, Marli Morim, Massimo Bovini, Miriam Kaehler, Natalia Barros, Otávio Marques, Pedro Viana, Ronaldo Vinícius-Silva, Sebastião Neto, Tatiana Carrijo, Rafaela Forzza

Abstract: The Reserva Biológica do Tinguá is a protected area located in Rio de Janeiro state, Brazil. It is part of the Atlantic Forest domain and primarily features Dense Ombrophilous Forest, ranging from lowland to submontane, montane, and highland vegetation types. The Reserva Biológica do Tinguá is critically important for conservation, ranking among the priority areas for protecting the biodiversity of the Atlantic Forest, as well as local water supply. Understanding and accessing the floristic list within the regions is essential to developing effective conservation strategies. We utilize herbaria databases to create a comprehensive list of plant species based on revised taxonomic data. The updated list of vascular plants recorded in Rebio Tinguá is available in the “Catálogo de Plantas das Unidades de Conservação do Brasil” and is presented here with additional details on species richness, endemism, and conservation status.The Reserva Biológica do Tinguá contains 1,301 species of vascular plants, including 1,133 angiosperms, one gymnosperm, and 167 are ferns and lycophytes. Of these species, 52,2% are endemic to the Atlantic Forest. There are 97 threatened species, of which five are considered Critically Endangered (CR), 57 Endangered (EN), and 36 Vulnerable (VU) at national level. Among the threatened species, 86 are endemic to the Atlantic Forest. The number of records and species richness in this area are notably high, comparing to Atlantic Forest standards. Protecting areas like the Reserva Biológica do Tinguá in densely populated urban centers presents considerable challenges due to environmental degradation, including air and water pollution and extraction of natural resources. Recognizing the ecological significance and promoting floristic studies of the remaining fragments of the Atlantic Forest is essential for biodiversity conservation ensuring overall environmental integrity.

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DOI: 10.3897/BDJ.13.e148234

Authors: Luís Barcelos, Rui Freitas, João Barreiros

Abstract: Taxonomic and geographic misattributions in biodiversity inventories remain a pressing issue in biogeographical research, particularly in regions with overlapping or similar place names. The Republic of Cabo Verde (also known as Cabo Verde Islands) and the Cape Verde Peninsula (Senegal) exemplify this challenge, where historical and recent studies have struggled to provide accurate species distributions due to unverified, erroneous and ambiguous records. This underscores the necessity of comprehensive, reliable datasets to delineate species occurrences across these distinct geographic areas.This study provides a rigorously verified inventory of coastal fish species occurring within the Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ) of the Republic of Cabo Verde, focusing on depths between 0 and 200 metres. By delineating the faunal composition specific to Cabo Verde, this work addresses the recurrent confusion with species lists referencing the Cape Verde Peninsula (Senegal).A total of 393 species, distributed among 125 families and 40 orders, is documented, offering an invaluable resource for refining biodiversity assessments and providing information forconservation strategies in this biogeographically unique region. Two species, Thalassoma newtoni (Osório, 1891) and Diodon eydouxii Brisout de Barneville, 1846, are reported for the first time from Cabo Verde in this paper.

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DOI: 10.3897/BDJ.13.e142496

Authors: Zoya Dudnik, Antonina Kremenetskaia

Abstract: This dataset comprises detailed information on 2,134 Pycnogonida specimens stored in the Ocean Benthic Fauna collection (collection code: OBFc) of the Shirshov Institute of Oceanology (IORAS). These specimens were collected over a span of 77 years, since 1947, from 996 distinct localities across various regions of the World Ocean.The IORAS Pycnogonida collection stands out for its wide range of Pycnogonida species, including both common and exceptionally rare specimens, some of which are unique to this collection. This diversity makes the dataset an invaluable resource for taxonomists, ecologists and marine biologists, particularly those studying sea spiders. By providing comprehensive data on species distribution and diversity, the collection plays a key role in advancing our understanding of these intriguing marine arthropods. It serves as a vital reference for scientific research, aiding in species identification, the study of ecological relationships and the analysis of biogeographic patterns worldwide.The whole Pycnogonida collection of the Shirshov Institute of Oceanology has undergone a meticulous revision and digitisation process to compile a comprehensive dataset on the geographic, bathymetric and taxonomic specimen distribution. This effort includes the documentation and imaging of the type collection as well as of rare and unique records. The resulting dataset serves as a valuable resource for a variety of scientific disciplines, including taxonomic studies, biodiversity research and biogeographic analyses. This dataset contributes to our understanding of marine biodiversity and the distribution patterns of Pycnogonida across different oceanic regions and depths.

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DOI: 10.3897/BDJ.12.e133971

Authors: Wei Zhao, Zhaoming Wang, Lina Zheng, Gaowa Naren, Qiang He, Wei Han

Abstract: According to the Species Catalogue of China, Tibet, China, has more than 1,000 species of bryophytes, showing its remarkably high biodiversity. Amongst them, the Polytrichaceae is one of the largest family, with six genera and 25 species, one subspecies and two varieties reported previously.Based on a field survey and specimen identification, the following species have been newly recorded in the bryoflora of Tibet, namely Oligotrichum obtusatum Broth., Pogonatum contortum (Menzies ex Brid.) Lesq. and Polytrichum sphaerothecium (Besch.) Müll. Hal.

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DOI: 10.3897/BDJ.12.e126315

Authors: Milka Elshishka, Aleksandar Mladenov, Stela Altash, Sergio Álvarez-Ortega, Reyes Peña-Santiago, Vlada Peneva

Abstract: The genus Enchodelus is an intriguing free-living dorylaimid nematode taxon. Its representatives display a distinct distributional pattern as they are mainly spread in high altitudinal enclaves of the Northern Hemisphere, being often associated with mosses and cliff vegetation. Although their feeding habits have not been studied with experimental protocols, it is traditionally assumed that they are omnivorous.The genus Enchodelus has not been recently revised; descriptions of many ‘old species’ (that have been described long ago and have not been reported since their original discovery) are of poor quality, hardly discoverable and do not conform to the nowadays taxonomical standards. Thus, a comprehensive compilation and analysis of their literature data is indispensable to provide new insights into the taxonomy of the genus and to elucidate its evolutionary relationships.This contribution provides a cyber catalogue of all Enchodelus species, 28 in total. It compiles available information from the key European Research Infrastructures, such as TreatmentBank, Swiss Institute of Bioinformatics Literature Services (SIBiLS), the Catalogue of Life (CoL), Global Biodiversity Information Facility (GBIF), European Nucleotide Archive (ENA) and Biodiversity Literature Repository (BLR). Data about their distribution (geographical records and habitats) are incorporated too and all brought together. It is completed with discussion and notes for some species, along with information on species distributions and microhabitats. Here, all available information on Enchodelus species is brought together. This will contribute to a more complete assessment of species diversity and distribution and support further biogeographical and ecological research.Besides, type material Enchodelus vestibulifer Altherr, 1952, deposited in the Museo Cantonale di Storia Naturale di Lugano (Switzerland), is re-examined and the species is considered as incertae sedis. Further, a new species of the genus found in Caucasus, Georgia is described after its morphological and molecular study; also morphological and molecular data for E. macrodorus (de Man, 1880) Thorne, 1939, the type species of the genus, collected from Spain are provided.

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DOI: 10.3897/BDJ.12.e120471

Authors: Rachid Rouag, Nadia Ziane, Marcos De Sousa

Abstract: Algeria is situated at the crossroads between Europe and Africa. The northern part of the country is listed as an area of high biodiversity. Currently, the ecosystems (rivers, lakes, deserts, forests etc.) and the species are under more pressure than ever. The impact of humans is significant and many factors constitute a strong threat to this fauna, especially reptiles, which are the most vulnerable because of their low mobility. Thus, pollution, the drying up of wetlands and their conversion to agriculture have clearly affected the existence of many species. The herpetofauna of Algeria is one of the most diversified in the Mediterranean Basin, consisting of 104 species of which 16.98% are endemic. We suppose that the present list of reptilian fauna provided in this paper is not exhaustive and it is expected to include more species given the lack of research on reptiles in Algeria and its large area.Our dataset contains information on reptile occurrences in Algeria. The dataset is based on original research by the staff of the Laboratory of Environmental Sciences and Agroecology of Chadli Bendjedid University in Algeria. The conservation status of all recorded species is given.

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DOI: 10.3897/BDJ.12.e118576

Authors: María Elena García-Garza, Jesús Angel de León-González, María Ana Tovar-Hernández

Abstract: In Mexico, there are six scientific collections of polychaetous annelids. The "Colección Poliquetológica" from the Universidad Autónoma de Nuevo León houses one of the three most important collections of annelids in the country, based on a number of lots and number of type materials deposited, as well as geographical coverage.A catalogue of type materials of polychaete annelids housed at the “Colección Poliquetológica” from the Universidad Autónoma de Nuevo León (México) is presented for the first time. The Collection contains 37 holotypes, 174 paratypes and one syntype. These type materials are grouped in 15 families, 35 genera and 54 species of marine worms. Types were described mostly from the Mexican waters, with a low number of types from Ecuador, El Salvador, Argentina, USA, Philippines, New Caledonia and Japan.

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DOI: 10.3897/BDJ.12.e116598

Authors: Norshida Ismail, Yusuke Nishida, Susumu Ohtsuka, Geoff Boxshall, James P. Bernot

Abstract: In total, 14 species of Caligus have been reported from Malaysia. Amongst them, four species are reported from lutjanid fishes.Caligus dussumieri Rangnekar, 1957 is reported from Malabar snapper, Lutjanus malabaricus, purchased from a local wet market in Terengganu, Peninsular Malaysia. This is the first record of this species in Malaysia and it is only the second species assigned to the bonito-group of the genus Caligus to be reported from Malaysia. A key to species of the bonito-group is presented herein. The list of caligids infecting lutjanid fishes and the geographical distributions plus the known hosts of members of the bonito-group of Caligus are discussed.

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DOI: 10.3897/BDJ.12.e105688

Authors: Fabiula Arantes, Luiza de Paula, Rafaela Forzza

Abstract: Inselbergs are granitic and/or gneissic rocky outcrops and, in Brazil, the dome-shaped ones in the Atlantic Forest Domain are called sugarloaves (pães de açúcar). They have an extremely specialised vegetation with high levels of endemism. Even though, they are poorly studied and highly degraded. In north-eastern Espírito Santo State, south-eastern Brazil, the Monumento Natural dos Pontões Capixabas (MONAPC) is a federal protected area created to guard some inselbergs mainly threatened by mining, which is one of the main economic activities in the State. In this work, we provide the first checklist of the vascular plant species in this protected area.We recorded 108 species in 36 families and 75 genera that inhabit the vegetation islands on the inselbergs within the official limits of MONAPC. A new species of Pleroma (Melastomataceae) and a new species of Cololobus (Asteraceae) were discovered as new to science and they are being described in other articles.

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DOI: 10.3897/BDJ.11.e102637

Authors: Bianca Greyvenstein, Johnnie van den Berg, Hannalene du Plessis

Abstract: The previous species list of South African Mantodea, published in 1998, was largely compiled from the literature and did not incorporate data from the many insect museum collections available in the country. It is estimated that approximately 120 species of Mantodea occur in South Africa; however, since no historical museum records were previously incorporated, the current information is considered to be outdated and not a true reflection of the Mantodea fauna within this region. A checklist of species is an important benchmark for any insect group, especially in light of the worldwide declines of insect diversity reported over the last decade. Checklists that provide accurate information on insect diversity, especially for groups, such as the Mantodea which could be under threat and thus could provide important information that can be used in determining the threat status of species, as well as to aid in their conservation in general.This paper provides an updated checklist of the praying mantids (Insecta, Mantodea) species of South Africa. While 120 species were previously reported to occur in South Africa, this paper reports 157 species in 64 genera that represent eight different superfamilies, 14 families and 22 subfamilies. Additionally, five species are reported for the first time to occur in South Africa. This species list was generated from the approximately 4000 specimen records of which 3558 records reside within South Africa. The remaining 732 records represent 14 other African countries. Occurrence records from two citizen-science platforms (iNaturalist and Gbif.org), were also incorporated in this study, adding 1880 species records in South Africa. The low number of specimens in the national collections indicate that this group of insects is poorly collected and highlights the lack of knowledge about South Africa’s mantid fauna, as well as a lack of taxonomic expertise as 1532 museum specimens remain unidentified to species level.

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DOI: 10.3897/BDJ.11.e110450

Authors: Attila Rigó, Ákos Malatinszky, Zoltán Barina

Abstract: The systematic urban floristic research of Budapest was started in 2018 by the authors with detailed methodology. One scope of the research was to gain knowledge on the plant taxa appearing in Budapest and to compile the inventory of the urban flora of Budapest.We have provided the inventory of the urban flora of Budapest, which includes distribution data for all 973 taxa found in Budapest between May 2018 and May 2023. We also provided new detailed occurrence data for 49 species in Budapest. Seven of them are new to the adventive flora of Hungary (Campanula portenschlagiana Roem. & Schult., Clinopodium nepeta (L.) Kuntze, Chasmanthium latifolium (Michx.) H.O.Yates, Cyrtomium fortunei J.Sm., Linaria maroccana Hook.f., Talinum paniculatum (Jacq.) Gaertn.), three were rediscovered in Hungary (Glebionis coronaria (L.) Cass. ex Spach, Lagenaria siceraria (Molina) Standl., Sisymbrium irio L.) and 18 were recorded for the first time in Budapest. We also provided data for two data-poor (Artemisia scoparia Waldst. & Kit., Polygonum rurivagum Jord. ex Boreau) species and we documented the major expansion of six species.

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DOI: 10.3897/BDJ.11.e86921

Authors: Helena Wiklund, Muriel Rabone, Adrian Glover, Guadalupe Bribiesca-Contreras, Regan Drennan, Eva Stewart, Corie Boolukos, Lucas King, Emma Sherlock, Craig Smith, Thomas Dahlgren, Lenka Neal

Abstract: We present a checklist of annelids from recent United Kingdom Seabed Resources (UKSR) expeditions (Abyssal Baseline - ABYSSLINE project) to the eastern abyssal Pacific Clarion-Clipperton Zone (CCZ) polymetallic nodule fields, based on DNA species delimitation, including imagery of voucher specimens, Darwin Core (DwC) data and links to vouchered specimen material and new GenBank sequence records. This paper includes genetic and imagery data for 129 species of annelids from 339 records and is restricted to material that is, in general, in too poor a condition to describe formally at this time, but likely contains many species new to science. We make these data available both to aid future taxonomic studies in the CCZ that will be able to link back to these genetic data and specimens and to better underpin ongoing ecological studies of potential deep-sea mining impacts using the principles of FAIR (Findable, Accessible, Interoperable, Reusuable) data and specimens that will be available for all.We include genetic, imagery and all associated metadata in Darwin Core format for 129 species of annelids from the Clarion-Clipperton Zone, eastern abyssal Pacific, with 339 records.

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DOI: 10.3897/BDJ.11.e103921

Authors: Andriy Novikov

Abstract: The current paper presents a nomenclatural checklist for vascular plants validated being (sub)endemic to and present in the flora of the Ukrainian Carpathians. This checklist is a part of the work targeted on an inventory of endemic plants distributed in the Ukrainian Carpathians. It is mainly based on the analysis of primary sources (i.e. original protologues and monographic works), but also uses the data provided in the recent online taxonomic aggregators, such as the Global Biodiversity Information Facility (GBIF), Catalogue of Life (CoL), Plants of the World Online (POWO), Euro+Med PlantBase, World Flora Online (WFO) and others. Over 7,000 specimens deposited in the leading Ukrainian herbaria were also revised and used as a supporting data source during the work on the checklist.The checklist provides a revised nomenclature, including corrections on publication dates, rediscovered taxonomic protologues, corrected authorships and revised taxonomic status for (sub)endemic (sub)species of vascular plants occurring in the Ukrainian Carpathians. It contains 1,101 names, from which 78 species and subspecies have been accepted as valid and 1023 species and infraspecific taxa are provided as synonyms. It is completed with critical notes on the nomenclature of problematic taxa and brief annotations regarding their distribution in the Ukrainian Carpathians, indicating the endemicity range and sozological status for all analysed (sub)species.The current checklist is linked with the GBIF taxonomic backbone, provides notes on detected issues and primarily focuses on its update and correction of the nomenclatural issues and taxonomic inconsistencies, but also aims at discussing issues in other popular taxonomic databases.Sabulina pauciflora is proposed as a new combination to comply with a recent revision of the genus Sabulina.

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DOI: 10.3897/BDJ.11.e103436

Authors: So Shimizu, Hsuan-Pu Chen, Kai-Ti Lin, Ren-Jye Chen, Shunpei Fujie, Su-Chuan Hung, Mei-Ling Lo, Ke-Hsiung Tsai, Kaoru Maeto

Abstract: Citizen science is a research approach that involves collaboration between professional scientists and non-professional volunteers. The utilisation of recent online citizen-science platforms (e.g. social networking services) has greatly revolutionised the accessibility of biodiversity data by providing opportunities for connecting professional and citizen scientists worldwide. Meteorus stellatus Fujie, Shimizu & Maeto, 2021 (Hymenoptera, Braconidae, Euphorinae) has been recorded from the Oriental Islands of Japan and known to be a gregarious endoparasitoid of two macro-sized sphingid moths of Macroglossum, Ma. passalus (Drury) and Ma. pyrrhosticta Butler. It constructs characteristic star-shaped communal cocoons, suspended by a long cable. Although M. stellatus has been reported only from the Oriental Islands of Japan, the authors recognise its occurrence and ecological data from Taiwan and the Palaearctic Island of Japan through posts on online citizen-science groups about Taiwanese Insects on Facebook and an article on a Japanese citizen-scientist's website.Through collaboration between professional and citizen scientists via social media (Facebook groups) and websites, the following new biodiversity and ecological data associated with M. stellatus are provided:Meteorus stellatus is recorded for the first time from Taiwan and the Palaearctic Region (Yakushima Is., Japan).Cechetra minor (Butler, 1875), Hippotion celerio (Linnaeus, 1758) and Macroglossum sitiene (Walker, 1856) (Lepidoptera, Sphingidae) are recorded for the first time as hosts of M. stellatus and two of which (C. minor and H. celerio) represent the first genus-level host records for M. stellatus.Mesochorus sp. (Hymenoptera, Ichneumonidae), indeterminate species of Pteromalidae and Trichogrammatidae (Hymenoptera), are recognised as hyperparasitoid wasps of M. stellatus.Parapolybia varia (Fabricius, 1787) (Hymenoptera, Vespidae) is reported as a predator of pendulous communal cocoons of M. stellatus.The nature of suspended large-sized communal cocoons of M. stellatus and the importance and limitations of digital occurrence data and online citizen science are briefly discussed.

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DOI: 10.3897/BDJ.11.e96705

Authors: Enkhtsetseg Gankhuyag, Altanchimeg Dorjsuren, Eun Hwa Choi, Ui Wook Hwang

Abstract: Grasshoppers (Acridoidea, Orthoptera) are the dominant herbivores in grassland ecosystems worldwide. They can increase rangeland productivity by stimulating plant growth and accelerating nutrient cycling. This article presents a comprehensive checklist of grasshoppers in Mongolia. Until then, the available information was very scattered, based on old studies of Mongolian grasshoppers, recorded in a few international catalogues and databases, individual records and research work on agroecosystem communities. However, the available information on the composition of the Orthopteran fauna in Mongolia was sometimes unclear or non-existent and these dubious data were excluded from the present study. In addition, the grasshopper distribution analysis used the standardised personal collection of D. Altanchimeg. We also present a list of grasshoppers, as well as their distribution and abundance, in countries adjacent to Mongolia, such as Russia, China and South Korea. The surveys covered six types of natural zones: high mountain, taiga, forest-steppe, steppe, desert steppe and desert; desert steppe and steppe zones are the most widely distributed. We hope to have contributed significantly to the study of the distribution of grasshopper species in all these natural zones.In this study, a total of three families of Acridoidea belonging to eight subfamilies, 17 tribes, 52 genera and 128 species are reported for the various natural zones. The recorded species belong to eight subfamilies: Gomphocerinae are the most numerous with 56 species recorded, followed by Oedipodinae (51 species), Thrinchinae (nine species), Melanoplinae (six species), Calliptaminae (three species), Dericorythinae, Acridinae, Egnatiinae (one species each).

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DOI: 10.3897/BDJ.11.e72764

Authors: Arianna Thomas-Cabianca, Martin Villet, Anabel Martínez-Sánchez, Santos Rojo

Abstract: Rhiniinae (Diptera, Calliphoridae) is a taxon of nearly 400 known species, many of them termitophilous. Approximatelly 160 valid species in 16 genera are Afrotropical, with over 60 of them occurring in South Africa. The taxonomy of this group is outdated, as most studies of the South African taxa were conducted 40 to 70 years ago (mostly by Salvador Peris and Fritz Zumpt). Published information on their biology and ecology is also scarce.An annotated checklist of 73 species of Rhiniinae for South Africa was developed, based on the holdings of sixteen entomological collections in Africa, Europe and North America. Over 3,700 specimens were examined, revealing nine new species records for South Africa (Cosmina undulata Malloch, 1926, Isomyia cuthbertsoni (Curran, 1938), Rhyncomya botswana Zumpt, 1974, R. tristis Séguy, 1933, Stomorhina apta Curran, 1931, S. malobana (Lehrer, 2007), Thoracites kirkspriggsi Kurahashi, 2001, Th. sarcophagoides Kurahashi, 2001 and Trichoberia lanata (Villeneuve, 1920)). We propose one new combination Eurhyncomyia metzi (Zumpt, 1981) comb. nov. (= Rhyncomya metzi Zumpt, 1981)). Additionally, evidence is presented to remove Rhyncomya viduella Villeneuve, 1927 stat. rev. from synonymy with Rhyncomya cassotis (Walker, 1849). Relevant novel biological and seasonality information, historical occurrence maps and high-definition photographs for each species are compiled.

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DOI: 10.3897/BDJ.10.e97682

Authors: Paulo Borges, Lucas Lamelas-Lopez, Rui Andrade, Sébastien Lhoumeau, Virgílio Vieira, António Soares, Isabel Borges, Mário Boieiro, Pedro Cardoso, Luís Carlos Crespo, Ole Karsholt, Michael Schülke, Artur Serrano, José Alberto Quartau, Volker Assing

Abstract: The Azores is a remote oceanic archipelago of nine islands which belongs to the Macaronesia biogeographical region hosting a unique biodiversity. The present Azorean landscape is strongly modified by the presence of man and only in small areas, where the soil or climate was too rough, have primitive conditions remained unchanged. Despite the fact that most of the Azorean native habitats are now lost, a large number of endemic species are still present and need urgent conservation. The present checklist of terrestrial and freshwater arthropods of the Azores Archipelago is based on all known published literature. The main goal of this work is to list, as rigorously as possible, all the known terrestrial and freshwater arthropods of the Azores. In this way, we are contributing to solve the ‘Linnaean’ shortfall, i.e. an incomplete taxonomic description of species-level diversity and the Wallacean Biodiversity Shortfall, the incomplete species distribution knowledge.The checklist includes new records of arthropods at island and archipelago levels that were published in the last twelve years. Compared to the last checklist of Azorean arthropods (Borges et al. 2010b), a total of 217 taxa (species and subspecies) are added.Currently, the total number of terrestrial and freshwater arthropod species and subspecies in the Azores is estimated to be 2420 taxa belonging to 14 classes, 53 orders, 440 families, 1556 genera, 2400 species and 149 individual subspecies.The most diverse orders of Azorean arthropods are: Coleoptera (585 taxa), Diptera (423 taxa), Hemiptera (338 taxa), Hymenoptera (163 taxa), Lepidoptera (159 taxa) and Araneae (133 taxa).A total of 276 endemic taxa are currently known (232 species and 44 subspecies), belonging to eight classes and 22 orders. São Miguel, Terceira and Pico are the islands with higher number of endemic species and subspecies. In the Azores, the number of native non-endemic taxa is 793 taxa, totalling 1069 indigenous taxa. Compared to the other nearest Macaronesian archipelagos (Madeira and Canaries), the Azorean arthropod fauna is characterised by a lower percentage of endemism (endemics/indigenous: 26% in Azores, 47% in Madeira Archipelago and 42% in Canary Islands) and a high proportion of exotic introduced taxa (39% in Azores, 19% in Madeira Archipelago and 8% in Canary Islands).Based on recent IUCN Red-listing of Azorean arthropods, a large fraction of the endemic taxa is under high threat.

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DOI: 10.3897/BDJ.10.e85582

Authors: Stefan Vidal, Jochen Müller, Stefan Schmidt

Abstract: Since the first checklist of German Chalcidoidea and Mymarommatoidea was published over two decades ago, a revision of the status of these superfamilies in Germany is overdue. The previous list contained chalcidoid species mentioned in published papers up to 2000 and was cross-checked with the data compiled by Noyes in the Universal Chalcidoidea Database. Additional species, determined by the first author, were also included. Since then, revisions of several chalcidoid genera have been published synonymising species or describing new species. The previous checklist also contained several erroneous names and doubtful records that turned out to be incorrect placements or questionable citations and are corrected in the present version.The updated critical checklist of German Chalcidoidea includes 1,610 species from 19 families.

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DOI: 10.3897/BDJ.10.e80167

Authors: Petr Novotný, Josef Brůna, Milan Chytrý, Vojtěch Kalčík, Zdeněk Kaplan, Tomáš Kebert, Martin Rohn, Marcela Řezníčková, Milan Štech, Jan Wild

Abstract: Digitising and aggregating local floristic data is a critical step in the study of biodiversity. The integrative web-based platform Pladias, designed to cover a wide range of data on vascular plants, was recently developed in the Czech Republic. The combination of occurrence data with species characteristics opens many opportunities for data analysis and synthesis.This article describes the relational structure of the Pladias database service (PladiasDB) and the context of the platform architecture. The structure is relatively complex, as our goal was to cover: (i) species occurrence records, including their management, validation and export of revised species distribution maps, (ii) data on species characteristics with quality control tools using defined data types and (iii) separate user interfaces (UI) for professionals and the general public. We discuss the approaches chosen to model individual elements in PladiasDB and summarise the experience gained during the first five years of operation of the Pladias platform.

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DOI: 10.3897/BDJ.10.e78518

Authors: Carla Rego, John Smit, António Aguiar, Délia Cravo, Andreia Penado, Mário Boieiro

Abstract: Syrphid flies are important ecological indicators and provide crucial ecosystem services, being important pollinators and biological control agents of insect pests. These charismatic insects are conspicuous and, due to their size and colourful patterns, are relatively easy to identify. However, the lack of user-friendly literature (e.g. photographic guides) for most areas may hamper its wider selection as a study group in biodiversity and ecological studies. The syrphid fauna of Madeira Archipelago comprises 26 species, including four endemics (Eumerus hispidus Smit, Aguiar & Wakeham-Dawson, 2004; Melanostoma wollastoni Wakeham-Dawson, Aguiar, Smit, McCullough & Wyatt, 2004; Myathropa usta, Wollaston, 1858 and Xanthandrus babyssa, Walker, 1849), but, despite the current good taxonomic knowledge on this group, information on species distribution, ecology and conservation is still lacking. Here, we provide a pictorial key to the adult hoverflies of Madeira Archipelago highlighting diagnostic characteristics and present photographs of both males and females (in dorsal and lateral views) in colour plates. The key and plates will help researchers to differentiate these species, thus encouraging the use of this insect group in future bioindication studies. In addition, this study also aims to engage a broader audience of non-experts in improving the knowledge on the distribution and ecology of Madeira syrphids.We provide a checklist for the hoverflies of Madeira Archipelago and a pictorial key to help on species identification.

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DOI: 10.3897/BDJ.10.e77661

Authors: Žan Kuralt, Urška Ratajc, Neža Pajek Arambašić, Maja Ferle, Matic Gabor, Ivan Kos

Abstract: At a time of immense human pressure on nature and the resulting global environmental changes, the inventory of biota - especially of undisturbed natural areas - is of unprecedented value as it provides a baseline for future research. Krokar, an example of such an undisturbed area, is the largest virgin forest remnant in Slovenia. It is located in the Dinaric Alps, which are believed to harbour the most diverse fauna of soil invertebrates in Europe. Nevertheless, the soil fauna of the Krokar virgin forest has not been thoroughly studied. Moreover, modern taxonomic approaches often rely on genetic information (e.g. DNA-barcodes), while extensive reference libraries from the Dinaric area are lacking. Our work, therefore, focused on addressing this lack of faunistic and genetic data from the Dinaric area.A total of 2336 specimens belonging to 100 taxa (45 spiders, 30 centipedes, 25 ground-dwelling beetles) were collected and deposited to GBIF. DNA-barcodes of 124 specimens belonging to 73 species were successfully obtained and deposited in GenBank and BOLD databases.

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DOI: 10.3897/BDJ.10.e77669

Authors: Nina Filippova, Galina Ganasevich, Ilya Filippov, Anastasia Meshcheryakova, Elena Lapshina, Dmitry Karpov

Abstract: The history of biological collections and digitisation initiatives in northern West Siberia is relatively new due to recent development of the region. The Center for Biodiversity Data Mobilization was established to promote the initiative, led by the Yugra State University. This organisation itself has a relatively young collection of biological specimens, which was, until recently, in a disintegrated state and only partly mobilised. The Yugra State University Biological Collection (YSU BC) currently includes three subdivisions differring by history and taxonomic groups, but also by details of management and storage conditions: the Fungarium, the Bryological collection and the Herbarium collection of YSU.The paper describes the general structure of the Yugra State University Biological Collection, its history, storage conditions, management practices, geographical, temporal and taxonomical coverage. The paper is underlined by three datasets of the collections databases published in GBIF, which are described in detail. The databases are managed in Specify 6 and 7 software and accessed through Specify Web Portal and through GBIF.The Yugra State University Biological Collection made an active reorganisation of physical storage conditions and data management recently, providing the model for other collections in the region. This paper describes the history, general structure, management practices and data management of all three parts of this collection for the first time.Although one part of the collection (Fungarium YSU) was mobilised earlier, last year, we mobilised data of the Bryological and Vascular plants (Herbarium) collections. The three datasets of the corresponding collections in GBIF were increased by about 6000 georeferenced records during the last year.

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DOI: 10.3897/BDJ.9.e68693

Authors: Leidys Murillo-Ramos, Pasi Sihvonen, Gunnar Brehm, Indiana Ríos-Malaver, Niklas Wahlberg

Abstract: Molecular DNA sequence data allow unprecedented advances in biodiversity assessments, monitoring schemes, and taxonomic works, particularly in poorly explored areas. They allow, for instance, the sorting of material rapidly into operational taxonomic units (such as BINs - Barcode Index Numbers), sequences can be subject to diverse analyses, and with linked metadata and physical vouchers they can be examined further by experts. However, a prerequisite for their exploitation is the construction of reference libraries of DNA sequences that represent the existing biodiversity. To achieve these goals for Geometridae (Lepidoptera) moths in Colombia, expeditions were carried out to 26 localities in the northern part of the country in 2015–2019. The aim was to collect specimens and sequence their DNA barcodes, and to record a fraction of the species richness and occurrences in one of the most biodiversity-rich countries. These data are the beginnings of an identification guide to Colombian geometrid moths, whose identities are currently often provisional only, being morpho species or operational taxonomic units (OTUs). Prior to the current dataset, 99 Geometridae sequences forming 44 BINs from Colombia were publicly available on the Barcode of Life Data System (BOLD), covering 20 species only.We enrich the Colombian Geometridae database significantly by including DNA barcodes, two nuclear markers, photos of vouchers, and georeferenced occurrences of 281 specimens of geometrid moths from different localities. These specimens are classified into 80 genera. Analytical tools on BOLD clustered 157 of the mentioned sequences to existing species level BINs, identified earlier by experts. Another 115 were assigned to BINs that were identified to genus or tribe level only. 11 specimens did not match any existing BIN on BOLD, and are therefore new additions to the database. It is likely that many BINs represent undescribed species. Nine short sequences (<500bp) were not assigned to BINs but identified to the lowest taxonomic category by expert taxonomists and with comparisons of type material photos. The released new genetic information will help to further progress the systematics of Geometridae. An illustrated catalogue of all new records allows validation of our identifications; it is also the first document of this kind for Colombian Geometridae. All specimens are deposited at the Museo de Zoología of Universidad de Sucre (MZUS), North Colombia. DNA BINs are reported in this study, the species occurrences are available on SIB Colombia https://sibcolombia.net/ and the Global Biodiversity Information Facility (GBIF) https://www.gbif.org/ through https://doi.org/10.15472/ucfmkh.

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DOI: 10.3897/BDJ.9.e68567

Authors: Suzane dos Santos, Juliana Rodrigues, Sheyla Couceiro, Felipe Moreira

Abstract: Gerromorpha (Hemiptera: Heteroptera) comprises more than 2100 species of semiaquatic bugs, most of which have the ability to walk on the surface of the water. So far, 238 species have been recorded from Brazil, but several portions of the country remain poorly explored. The metropolitan region of Santarém (MRS), Pará state, Brazil, lacks faunistic and taxonomic studies concerning this group, and the local fauna is under threat due to human actions.Aiming to fill gaps concerning the diversity and distribution of Gerromorpha in the Amazon, a survey of the semiaquatic bugs from the MRS is presented. Collections were made in 33 aquatic ecosystems in the different phytophysiognomies within this area from July 2019 to October 2020. As a result, a checklist with 44 species recorded from the three municipalities of the MRS is presented. Furthermore, three new species of the genus Microvelia Westwood, 1834 (M. belterrensis sp. nov., M. hamadae sp. nov. and M. sousorum sp. nov.) are described, two species are recorded for the first time from Brazil (Microvelia aschnakiranae Makhan, 2014 and Rhagovelia graziae Galindo-Malagón, Morales & Moreira, 2021), two from Pará state (Microvelia longipes Uhler, 1894 and Paravelia dilatata Polhemus & Polhemus, 1984), and 15 from the MRS (Brachymetra lata Shaw, 1933, B. shawi Hungerford & Matsuda, 1957, Tachygerris adamsoni (Drake, 1942), Microvelia pulchella Westwood, 1834, Rhagovelia brunae Magalhães & Moreira, 2016, R. evidis Bacon, 1948, R. jubata Bacon, 1948, Callivelia conata (Hungerford, 1929), Oiovelia cunucunumana Drake & Maldonado-Capriles, 1952, Paravelia bullialata Polhemus & Polhemus, 1984, Stridulivelia alia (Drake, 1957), S. stridulata (Hungerford, 1929), S. strigosa (Hungerford, 1929), S. tersa (Drake & Harris, 1941), and S. transversa (Hungerford, 1929)).

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DOI: 10.3897/BDJ.9.e68558

Authors: Louis Nastasi, Andrew Deans

Abstract: Cynipidae (Hymenoptera: Cynipoidea) is a diverse group of wasps, many of which are capable of inducing plants to make novel structures, galls, that protect and nourish the wasps' larvae. Other cynipids, especially those species in Ceroptresini and Synergini, are understood to be usurpers of galls made by other cynipids. The North American cynipid fauna has not been fully cataloged since 1979, but there is renewed interest in revising the taxonomy and in doing research that sheds light on the mechanisms of gall induction, the evolution of this life history, and their ecological interactions more broadly. Significant taxonomic changes have impacted the group since 1979, thereby warranting a new catalog.The current state of knowledge of species classified in Aulacideini, Ceroptresini, Diastrophini, Diplolepidini, Phanacidini, and Synergini in the United States, Canada, and Mexico is summarized in catalog format. We report 323 names, including 170 valid species of rose gall wasps, herb gall wasps, and inquiline gall wasps, classified in 12 genera, from the United States, Canada, and Mexico. Current taxonomic status, distribution, host associations, and vernacular names are listed for each species. The catalog also includes the original description of galls for many species of gall-inducer, as well as atomized characterizations of different gall traits as key-value pairs. For most galling species without existing vernacular names, new vernacular names are proposed.

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DOI: 10.3897/BDJ.9.e64267

Authors: Matthias Riedel, Andrei Humala, Martin Schwarz, Heinz Schnee, Stefan Schmidt

Abstract: A revised checklist of the Ichneumonidae of Germany is presented. The list represents an update of an earlier checklist, published in 2001. The present list includes several records of species that are new for the German fauna and species that were discoverd since the last checklist was published. Representatives of species new to Germany are mostly deposited in the Zoologische Staatssammlung München, Germany.The checklist presents 3,644 species of Ichneumonidae from Germany, with 48 species recorded for first time. The number of Ichneumonidae species recorded from Germany increased by 379 species compared to the previous checklist that was published 20 years ago.

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DOI: 10.3897/BDJ.9.e62329

Authors: Samuel Vanden Abeele, Hans Beeckman, Tom De Mil, Cecile De Troyer, Victor Deklerck, Henry Engledow, Wannes Hubau, Piet Stoffelen, Steven Janssens

Abstract: The current data paper aims to interlink the African plant collections of the Meise Botanic Garden Herbarium (BR) and the Royal Museum for Central Africa Xylarium (Tw). Complementing both collections strengthens the reference value of each institutional collection, as more complete metadata are made available, and it enables an increased quality control on the identification of wood specimens. Furthermore, the renewed connection enables the linking of available wood trait data with data on phenology, leaf morphology or even molecular information for many tree species, allowing assessments of performance of individual trees. In addition to studies at the interspecific level, comparisons at the intraspecific level become possible, which could lead to important new insights into resilience to and impact of global change, as well as biodiversity conservation or forest management of Central African forest ecosystems.By interlinking the Tervuren Xylarium Wood database with the recently digitised herbarium of Meise Botanic Garden, we were able to establish a link between 6,621 xylarium and 9,641 herbarium records for 6,953 plant specimens. Both institutional databases were complemented with reliable specimen metadata. The Tervuren xylarium now profits from taxonomic revisions made by botanists at Meise BG, and a list of phenotypical features for woody African species can be extended with wood anatomical descriptors. New metadata from the Tw xylarium records were used to add the country of collection to 50 linked BR herbarium specimens for which this information was missing. Furthermore, metadata available from the labels on digitised BR herbarium specimens was used to update Tw xylarium records with the date of collection (817 records), collection locality (698 records), coordinates (482 records) and altitude (817 records). In conclusion, we created a reference database with reliable botanic identities which can be used in a range of studies, such as modelling analyses, community assessments or trait analyses, all framed in a spatiotemporal context. Furthermore, the linked collections hold historical reference data and specimens that can be studied in the context of global changes.

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DOI: 10.3897/BDJ.9.e64212

Authors: Magdi El-Hawagry, Hathal Al Dhafer, Mahmoud Abdel-Dayem, Martin Hauser

Abstract: This study systematically catalogues all known taxa of the family Stratiomyidae in Egypt and Saudi Arabia. It is one in a series of planned studies aiming to catalogue the whole order in both countries.Twenty species belonging to seven genera and three subfamilies (Pachygastrinae, Stratiomyinae and Nemotelinae) are treated. One of these genera, Oplodontha, and two species, Oplodontha pulchriceps Loew and Oxycera turcica Üstüner & Hasbenli, are recorded herein for the first time from Saudi Arabia. A lectotype for Nemotelus matrouhensis Mohammad et al., 2009 is designated. An updated classification, synonymies, type localities, world and local distributions, dates of collection and some colored photographs are provided.

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DOI: 10.3897/BDJ.9.e62011

Authors: Jihun Ryu, Young-Kun Kim, Sang Jae Suh, Kwang Shik Choi

Abstract: Dokdo, an island toward the East Coast of South Korea, comprises 89 small islands. Dokdo is a volcanic island created by a volcanic eruption that promoted the formation of Ulleungdo (located in the East sea), which is ~87.525 km away from Dokdo. Dokdo is an important island because of geopolitics; however, because of certain investigation barriers such as weather and time constraints, the awareness of its insect fauna is less compared to that of Ulleungdo. Dokdo’s insect fauna was obtained as 10 orders, 74 families, and 165 species until 2017; subsequently, from 2018 to 2019, 23 unrecorded species were discovered via an insect survey.As per a recent study, the database of insect species on Dokdo has been identified as 10 orders, 81 families, 188 species, and 23 undetermined species. This database has been registered to the Global Biodiversity Information Facility (GBIF; www.GBIF.org), and is the first record for Dokdo’s insect fauna.

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DOI: 10.3897/BDJ.9.e60287

Authors: Magdi El-Hawagry, Ahmed Soliman, Hathal Al Dhafer

Abstract: The present study is one in a series of planned studies aiming to catalogue the whole order Diptera in both Egypt and Saudi Arabia.All known Egyptian and Saudi Arabian conopid taxa are systematically catalogued in the present study. Three species recorded herein for the first time from Saudi Arabia: Conops (Asiconops) elegans Meigen, 1804 and Thecophora atra (Fabricius, 1775) (Al-Baha region, southwestern of Saudi Arabia); Conops (Conops) quadrifasciatus De Geer, 1776 (Tabuk region, northwestern of Saudi Arabia). Physocephala variegata (Meigen, 1924) is also recorded for the first time from Gebel Elba, the southeastern triangle of Egypt. Considering that Gebel Elba in Egypt and Al-Baha in Saudi Arabia are affiliated to the Afrotropical Region, this is the first time to record Physocephala variegata and Thecophora atra from the Afrotropical Region. An updated taxonomy, world and local distributions, dates of collection and some colored photographs are provided.

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DOI: 10.3897/BDJ.8.e57444

Authors: Subhankar Sarkar, Bhim Kharel

Abstract: Oniticellini Kolbe, 1905 is a paucispecific tribe of the scarab beetle subfamily Scarabaeinae. The tribe is composed of 256 described species worldwide, while from India 26 species were recorded up to date. Beetles belonging to this tribe are commonly known as paracoprid dung beetles and perform some remarkable ecological functions. Nevertheless, there is a dearth of knowledge on the occurrence of these beetles in the mega diverse tropical forests of the Himalayan foothills located in the North of the West Bengal state of India.A first faunistic account of the tribe Oniticellini Kolbe, 1905 from Baikunthapur forest, located at the Himalayan foothills of the West Bengal state of India is presented. A total of 5 species of the tribe distributed over two genera Tiniocellus and Liatongus were recorded during multiple surveys for scarab fauna of the forest. All the taxa were recorded for the first time from the area, while Tiniocellus spinipes (Roth, 1851) is a new record for the West Bengal State of India. Additionally, a preliminary checklist of Indian species of the tribe is also provided.

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DOI: 10.3897/BDJ.8.e59249

Authors: Alexey Seregin, Dmitriy Bochkov, Julia Shner, Eduard Garin, Igor Pospelov, Vadim Prokhorov, Pavel Golyakov, Sergey Mayorov, Sergey Svirin, Alexander Khimin, Marina Gorbunova, Ekaterina Kashirina, Olga Kuryakova, Boris Bolshakov, Aleksandr Ebel, Anatoliy Khapugin, Maxim Mallaliev, Sergey Mirvoda, Sergey Lednev, Dina Nesterkova, Nadezhda Zelenova, Svetlana Nesterova, Viktoriya Zelenkova, Georgy Vinogradov, Olga Biryukova, Alla Verkhozina, Alexey Zyrianov, Sergey Gerasimov, Ramazan Murtazaliev, Yurii Basov, Kira Marchenkova, Dmitry Vladimirov, Dina Safina, Sergey Dudov, Nikolai Degtyarev, Diana Tretyakova, Daba Chimitov, Evgenij Sklyar, Alesya Kandaurova, Svetlana Bogdanovich, Alexander Dubynin, Olga Chernyagina, Aleksandr Lebedev, Mikhail Knyazev, Irina Mitjushina, Nina Filippova, Kseniia Dudova, Igor Kuzmin, Tatyana Svetasheva, Vladimir Zakharov, Vladimir Travkin, Yaroslav Magazov, Vladimir Teploukhov, Andrey Efremov, Olesya Deineko, Viktor Stepanov, Eugene Popov, Dmitry Kuzmenckin, Tatiana Strus, Tatyana Zarubo, Konstantin Romanov, Alexei Ebel, Denis Tishin, Vladimir Arkhipov, Vladimir Korotkov, Svetlana Kutueva, Vladimir Gostev, Mikhail Krivosheev, Natalia Gamova, Veronica Belova, Oleg Kosterin, Sergey Prokopenko, Rinat Sultanov, Irina Kobuzeva, Nikolay Dorofeev, Alexander Yakovlev, Yuriy Danilevsky, Irina Zolotukhina, Damir Yumagulov, Valerii Glazunov, Vladimir Bakutov, Andrey Danilin, Igor Pavlov, Elena Pushay, Elena Tikhonova, Konstantin Samodurov, Dmitrii Epikhin, Tatyana Silaeva, Andrei Pyak, Yulia Fedorova, Evgeniy Samarin, Denis Shilov, Valentina Borodulina, Ekaterina Kropocheva, Gennadiy Kosenkov, Uladzimir Bury, Anna Mitroshenkova, Tatiana Karpenko, Ruslan Osmanov, Maria Kozlova, Tatiana Gavrilova, Stepan Senator, Maxim Khomutovskiy, Eugene Borovichev, Ilya Filippov, Serguei Ponomarenko, Elena Shumikhina, Dmitry Lyskov, Evgeny Belyakov, Mikhail Kozhin, Leonid Poryadin, Artem Leostrin

Abstract: The "Flora of Russia" project on iNaturalist brought together professional scientists and amateur naturalists from all over the country. Over 10,000 people are involved in the data collection.Within 20 months the participants accumulated over 750,000 photo observations of 6,853 species of the Russian flora. This constitutes the largest dataset of open spatial data on the country’s biodiversity and a leading source of data on the current state of the national flora. About 85% of all project data are available under free licenses (CC0, CC-BY, CC-BY-NC) and can be freely used in scientific, educational and environmental activities.

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DOI: 10.3897/BDJ.8.e56883

Authors: Arthien Lovell Pelingen, Herbert Zettel, Clister Pangantihon, Kyra Mari Dominique Aldaba, Earl Kevin Fatallo, Jemillie Madonna de Leon, Hendrik Freitag

Abstract: This survey aims to provide an updated species checklist of aquatic and semi-aquatic bugs in the intra-Philippine biogeographic region of Mindoro. An assessment survey of water bugs (Hemiptera, Heteroptera) was conducted by mostly manual collection in selected areas of Oriental Mindoro from 2017 to 2018, in which some of the collecting activities were contributed by graduate students of Ateneo de Manila University.Twenty-nine aquatic and semi-aquatic heteropteran species were documented and some are known island-endemic species or subspecies, including Enithares martini mindoroensis Nieser & Zettel, 1999, Hydrotrephes stereoides mindoroensis Zettel, 2003, Aphelocheirus freitagi Zettel & Pangantihon, 2010, Rhagovelia mindoroensis Zettel, 1994, Rhagovelia raddai Zettel, 1994, Rhagovelia potamophila Zettel, 1996, and Strongylovelia mindoroensis Lansbury & Zettel, 1997, which were found in new areas in the region. In addition, there are also new records for the island that have already been documented before in other parts of the Philippines, such as the Philippine-endemic Ochterus magnus Gapud & San Valentin, 1977 and Hebrus philippinus Zettel, 2006, and the widely distributed backswimmers Anisops nigrolineatus Lundblad, 1933 and Anisops rhomboides Nieser & Chen, 1999. Several undescribed specimens and potentially new species are also discussed in this paper. Further surveys in the other parts of Mindoro, and in the other regions of the Philippines, are encouraged to produce a comprehensive baseline data of heteropteran species richness in the country.

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DOI: 10.3897/BDJ.8.e54495

Authors: Oscar Pérez-Flores, Víctor Toledo-Hernández

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DOI: 10.3897/BDJ.8.e54205

Authors: Blandine Nacoulma, Marco Schmidt, Karen Hahn, Adjima Thiombiano

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DOI: 10.3897/BDJ.8.e54748

Authors: Melvin Chew, Azman Abdul Rahim

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DOI: 10.3897/BDJ.8.e52190

Authors: David Plotkin, Akito Kawahara

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DOI: 10.3897/BDJ.8.e52357

Authors: Magdi El-Hawagry, Salah El-Din El-Azab, Mahmoud Abdel-Dayem, Hathal Al Dhafer

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DOI: 10.3897/BDJ.8.e49450

Authors: Colin Favret, Joseph Moisan-De Serres, Maxim Larrivée, Jean-Philippe Lessard

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DOI: 10.3897/BDJ.7.e36094

Authors: Jeanette Stålstedt, Joanna Łaydanowicz, Pekka Lehtinen, Johannes Bergsten, Joanna Mąkol

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DOI: 10.3897/BDJ.7.e32391

Authors: Giacomo Assandri, Alessandra Franceschini, Valeria Lencioni

Abstract: Historical collections of natural science museums play a fundamental role in documenting environmental changes and patterns of biodiversity transformation. This considered, they should have a pivotal role to plan conservation and management actions.The MUSE - Science Museum of Trento is an Italian regional museum preserving about 5.5 million items (organised in 297 collections). About one million of them are invertebrates, 70% of which are of local origin, gathered in the collection "Miscellanea Invertebrati". Odonata account for a minor part of this collection; however, most of them are of local or regional relevance. A complete catalogue of this collection does not exist to date.The collection was studied in 2017-2018 and this contribution aims to present the Catalogue of the historic collection of Odonata of the MUSE - Museo delle Scienze of Trento (Italy).In all, 836 specimens of adult dragonflies and damselflies are found in the collection referring to an overall 56 species. The collection covers a period between 1924 and 1957 and refer to 74 defined localities, all located in northern Italy (most of them in Trentino - Alto Adige Region).The samples conserved in the collection are, for several species, the only indisputable confirmation of their former occurrence in that region.

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DOI: 10.3897/BDJ.7.e32114

Authors: Yuichi Kano, Yoshihisa Kurita, Kazuki Kanno, Kengo Saito, Hironori Hayashi, Norio Onikura, Takeshi Yamasaki

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DOI: 10.3897/BDJ.7.e31432

Authors: Bruno Cancian de Araujo, Stefan Schmidt, Olga Schmidt, Thomas von Rintelen, Kristina von Rintelen, Andreas Floren, Rosichon Ubaidillah, Djunijanti Peggie, Michael Balke

Abstract: We present the results of a DNA barcoding pipeline that was established as part of the German-Indonesian IndobioSys project - Indonesian Biodiversity Information System. Our data release provides the first large-scale diversity assessment of Indonesian coleoptera obtained by canopy fogging. The project combined extensive fieldwork with databasing, DNA barcode based species delineation and the release of results in collaboration with Indonesian counterparts, aimed at supporting further analyses of the data. Canopy fogging on 28 trees was undertaken at two different sites, Cikaniki and Gunung Botol, in the south-eastern area of the Gunung Halimun-Salak National Park in West Java, Indonesia. In total, 7,447 specimens of Coleoptera were processed, of which 3,836 specimens produced DNA barcode sequences that were longer than 300 bp. A total of 3,750 specimens were assigned a Barcode Index Number (BIN), including 2,013 specimens from Cikaniki and 1,737 specimens from Gunung Botol. The 747 BINs, that were obtained, represented 39 families of Coleoptera. The distribution of specimens with BINs per tree was quite heterogeneous in both sites even in terms of the abundance of specimens or diversity of BINs. The specimen distribution per taxon was heterogeneous as well. Some 416 specimens could not be identified to family level, corresponding to 72 BINs that lack a family level identification. The data have shown a large heterogeneity in terms of abundance and distribution of BINs between sites, trees and families of Coleoptera. From the total of 747 BINs that were recovered, 421 (56%) are exclusive from a single tree. Although the two study sites were in close proximity and separated by a distance of only about five kilometres, the number of shared BINs between sites is low, with 81 of the 747 BINs. With this data release, we expect to shed some light on the largely hidden diversity in the canopy of tropical forests in Indonesia and elsewhere.

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DOI: 10.3897/BDJ.6.e27161

Authors: Elizabeth Reese, Laura Burkle, Casey Delphia, Terry Griswold

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DOI: 10.3897/BDJ.6.e26741

Authors: Vaughn Shirey

Abstract: Natural history collections contain estimated billions of records representing a large body of knowledge about the diversity and distribution of life on Earth. Assessments of various forms of bias within the aggregated data associated with specimens in these collections have been conducted across temporal, taxonomic, and spatial domains. Considering that these biases are the sum of biases across all contributing collections to aggregate datasets, the assessment of bias at the collection level is warranted. Interactive visualization provides a powerful tool for the assessment of these biases and insight into the historical development of natural history collections, providing context for where sources of bias may originate and developing historical narratives to clarify our understanding of our own knowledge about life on Earth. Here, I present a case study on using Sankey diagrams to illustrate the development of the entomology type collection at the Academy of Natural Sciences of Drexel University in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania with the hope that extensions of these practices among individual natural history collections are modified and adopted.

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DOI: 10.3897/BDJ.6.e24927

Authors: M. Andrew Johnston, Rolf Aalbu, Nico Franz

Abstract: Generating regional checklists for insects is frequently based on combining data sources ranging from literature and expert assertions that merely imply the existence of an occurrence to aggregated, standard-compliant data of uniquely identified specimens. The increasing diversity of data sources also means that checklist authors are faced with new responsibilities, effectively acting as filterers to select and utilize an expert-validated subset of all available data. Authors are also faced with the technical obstacle to bring more occurrences into Darwin Core-based data aggregation, even if the corresponding specimens belong to external institutions. We illustrate these issues based on a partial update of the Kimsey et al. 2017 checklist of darkling beetles - Tenebrionidae sec. Bousquet et al. 2018 - inhabiting the Algodones Dunes of California. Our update entails 54 species-level concepts for this group and region, of which 31 concepts were found to be represented in three specimen-data aggregator portals, based on our interpretations of the aggregators' data. We reassess the distributions and biogeographic affinities of these species, focusing on taxa that are precinctive (highly geographically restricted) to the Lower Colorado River Valley in the context of recent dune formation from the Colorado River. Throughout, we apply taxonomic concept labels (taxonomic name according to source) to contextualize preferred name usages, but also show that the identification data of aggregated occurrences are very rarely well-contextualized or annotated. Doing so is a pre-requisite for publishing open, dynamic checklist versions that finely accredit incremental expert efforts spent to improve the quality of checklists and aggregated occurrence data.

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DOI: 10.3897/BDJ.6.e24137

Authors: Komla Abotsi, Kouami Kokou, Jean-Yves Dubuisson, Germinal Rouhan

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DOI: 10.3897/BDJ.6.e25230

Authors: Katherine Parys, Terry Griswold, Harold Ikerd, Michael Orr

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DOI: 10.3897/BDJ.6.e22236

Authors: Ian Kitching, Rodolphe Rougerie, Andreas Zwick, Chris Hamilton, Ryan St Laurent, Stefan Naumann, Liliana Ballesteros Mejia, Akito Kawahara

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DOI: 10.3897/BDJ.4.e7984

Authors: Eleni Voultsiadou, Vasilis Gerovasileiou, Nicolas Bailly

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DOI: 10.3897/BDJ.4.e8051

Authors: Benjamin Price, Elizabeth Allan, Kiran Marathe, Vivek Sarkar, Chris Simon, Krushnamegh Kunte

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DOI: 10.3897/BDJ.4.e5653

Authors: Chih-Wei Huang, Yen-Chen Lee

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DOI: 10.3897/BDJ.4.e7729

Authors: Alejandra Martínez-Melo, Francisco Solís-Marín, Blanca Buitrón-Sánchez, Alfredo Laguarda-Figueras

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DOI: 10.3897/BDJ.4.e8013

Authors: Natalie Dale-Skey, Richard Askew, John Noyes, Laurence Livermore, Gavin Broad

Abstract: Background A revised checklist of the British and Irish Chalcidoidea and Mymarommatoidea substantially updates the previous comprehensive checklist, dating from 1978. Country level data (i.e. occurrence in England, Scotland, Wales, Ireland and the Isle of Man) is reported where known. New information A total of 1754 British and Irish Chalcidoidea species represents a 22% increase on the number of British species known in 1978.

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DOI: 10.3897/BDJ.4.e8286

Authors: Emma Williams, John Elia Ntandu, Paweł Ficinski, Maria Vorontsova

Abstract: We present the first taxonomic checklist of the Poaceae species of the Serengeti, Tanzania. A review of the literature and herbarium specimens recorded 200 species of grasses, in line with similar studies in other parts of East Africa. The checklist is supported by a total of 939 herbarium collections. Full georeferenced collection data is made available alongside a summary checklist in pdf format. More than a quarter of the species are known from a single collection highlighting the need for further research, especially concerning the rare species and their distribution.

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DOI: 10.3897/BDJ.4.e7085

Authors: Adriana Oliveira, Claudia Bove

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DOI: 10.3897/BDJ.4.e6577

Authors: Daisuke Shimada

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DOI: 10.3897/BDJ.4.e7055

Authors: Pedro Castanheira, Abel Pérez-González, Renner Baptista

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DOI: 10.3897/BDJ.4.e7441

Authors: Ed Baker

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DOI: 10.3897/BDJ.3.e6482

Authors: Adriano Kury, Daniele Souza, Abel Pérez-González

Abstract: Including more than 6500 species, Opiliones is the third most diverse order of Arachnida, after the megadiverse Acari and Araneae. This database is part 2 of 12 of a project containing an intended worldwide checklist of species and subspecies of Opiliones, and it includes the members of the suborder Laniatores, infraorder Grassatores of the superfamilies Samooidea and Zalmoxoidea plus the genera currently not allocated to any family (i.e. Grassatores incertae sedis). In this Part 2, a total of 556 species and subspecies are listed.

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DOI: 10.3897/BDJ.3.e7062

Authors: Camille Moreau, Antonio Aguera, Quentin Jossart, Bruno Danis

Abstract: The Register of Antarctic Marine Species (RAMS, De Broyer et al. 2015) is the regional component of the World Register of Marine Species (WoRMS Editorial Board 2015) in the Southern Ocean. It has been operating for the last ten years, with a special effort devoted towards its completion after the International Polar Year (IPY) in 2007-2008, in the framework of the Census of Antarctic Marine Life (CAML, 2005 - 2010). Its objective is to offer free and open access to a complete register of all known species living in the Southern Ocean, building a workbench of the present taxonomic knowledge for that region. The Antarctic zone defined by this dynamic and community-based tool has been investigated with a particular interest. The Sub-Antarctic zone was a secondary objective during the establishment of the RAMS and is still lacking the impulse of the scientific community for some taxa.In the present study, more than 13,000 occurrences records of Asteroidea (Echinodermata) have been compiled within the RAMS area of interest and checked against the RAMS species list of sea stars, using WoRMS Taxon Match tool. Few mismatches (basionym mistakes : i.e. original name misspelled or incorrect) were found within the existing list and 97 unregistered species are actually occurring within the RAMS boundaries. After this update, the number of Asteroidea species was increased by around 50%, now reaching 295 accepted species.

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DOI: 10.3897/BDJ.3.e6604

Authors: Luís Barcelos, Pedro Rodrigues, Joël Bried, Enésima Mendonça, Rosalina Gabriel, Paulo Borges

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DOI: 10.3897/BDJ.3.e5707

Authors: Torsten Dikow, Donat Agosti

Abstract: A cybercatalog to the Apioceridae (apiocerid flies) of the Afrotropical Region is provided. Each taxon entry includes links to open-access, online repositories such as ZooBank, BHL/BioStor/BLR, Plazi, GBIF, Morphbank, EoL, and a research web-site to access taxonomic information, digitized literature, morphological descriptions, specimen occurrence data, and images. Cybercatalogs as the one presented here will need to become the future of taxonomic catalogs taking advantage of the growing number of online repositories, linked data, and be easily updatable. Comments on the deposition of the holotype of Apiocera braunsi Melander, 1907 are made.

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DOI: 10.3897/BDJ.3.e5848

Authors: Yde de Jong, Juliana Kouwenberg, Louis Boumans, Charles Hussey, Roger Hyam, Nicola Nicolson, Paul Kirk, Alan Paton, Ellinor Michel, Michael Guiry, Phillip Boegh, Henrik Pedersen, Henrik Enghoff, Eckhard von Raab-Straube, Anton Güntsch, Marc Geoffroy, Andreas Müller, Andreas Kohlbecker, Walter Berendsohn, Ward Appeltans, Christos Arvanitidis, Bart Vanhoorne, Joram Declerck, Leen Vandepitte, Francisco Hernandez, Róisín Nash, Mark Costello, David Ouvrard, Pascale Bezard-Falgas, Thierry Bourgoin, Florian Wetzel, Falko Glöckler, Günther Korb, Caroline Ring, Gregor Hagedorn, Christoph Häuser, Nihat Aktaç, Ahmet Asan, Adorian Ardelean, Paulo Borges, Dhimiter Dhora, Hasmik Khachatryan, Michael Malicky, Shaig Ibrahimov, Alexander Tuzikov, Aaike De Wever, Snejana Moncheva, Nikolai Spassov, Karel Chobot, Alexi Popov, Igor Boršić, Spyros Sfenthourakis, Urmas Kõljalg, Pertti Uotila, Olivier Gargominy, Jean-Claude Dauvin, David Tarkhnishvili, Giorgi Chaladze, Michael Tuerkay, Anastasios Legakis, László Peregovits, Gudmundur Gudmundsson, Erling Ólafsson, Liam Lysaght, Bella Galil, Francesco Raimondo, Gianniantonio Domina, Fabio Stoch, Alessandro Minelli, Voldermars Spungis, Eduardas Budrys, Sergej Olenin, Armand Turpel, Tania Walisch, Vladimir Krpach, Marie Gambin, Laurentia Ungureanu, Gordan Karaman, Roy Kleukers, Elisabeth Stur, Kaare Aagaard, Nils Valland, Toril Moen, Wieslaw Bogdanowicz, Piotr Tykarski, Jan Węsławski, Monika Kędra, Antonio M. de Frias Martins, António Abreu, Ricardo Silva, Sergei Medvedev, Alexander Ryss, Smiljka Šimić, Karol Marhold, Eduard Stloukal, Davorin Tome, Marian Ramos, Benito Valdés, Francisco Pina, Sven Kullander, Anders Telenius, Yves Gonseth, Pascal Tschudin, Oleksandra Sergeyeva, Volodymyr Vladymyrov, Volodymyr Rizun, Chris Raper, Dan Lear, Pavel Stoev, Lyubomir Penev, Ana Rubio, Thierry Backeljau, Hannu Saarenmaa, Sandrine Ulenberg

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DOI: 10.3897/BDJ.3.e5737

Authors: Emilia Rota, Yde de Jong

Abstract: Fauna Europaea provides a public web-service with an index of scientific names (including important synonyms) of all living European land and freshwater animals, their geographical distribution at country level (up to the Urals, excluding the Caucasus region), and some additional information. The Fauna Europaea project covers 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. This represents a huge effort by more than 400 contributing specialists throughout Europe and is a unique (standard) reference suitable for many users in science, government, industry, nature conservation and education. This paper provides updated information on the taxonomic composition and distribution of the Annelida - terrestrial Oligochaeta (Megadrili and Enchytraeidae), Aphanoneura and Polychaeta, recorded in Europe. Data on 18 families, 11 autochthonous and 7 allochthonous, represented in our continent by a total of 800 species, are reviewed, beginning from their distinctness, phylogenetic status, diversity and global distribution, and following with major recent developments in taxonomic and faunistic research in Europe. A rich list of relevant references is appended. The Fauna Europaea Annelida - terrestrial Oligochaeta data-set, as completed in 2004, will be updated accordingly.

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DOI: 10.3897/BDJ.3.e6313

Authors: Angela Telfer, Monica Young, Jenna Quinn, Kate Perez, Crystal Sobel, Jayme Sones, Valerie Levesque-Beaudin, Rachael Derbyshire, Jose Fernandez-Triana, Rodolphe Rougerie, Abinah Thevanayagam, Adrian Boskovic, Alex Borisenko, Alex Cadel, Allison Brown, Anais Pages, Anibal Castillo, Annegret Nicolai, Barb Mockford Glenn Mockford, Belén Bukowski, Bill Wilson, Brock Trojahn, Carole Ann Lacroix, Chris Brimblecombe, Christoper Hay, Christmas Ho, Claudia Steinke, Connor Warne, Cristina Garrido Cortes, Daniel Engelking, Danielle Wright, Dario Lijtmaer, David Gascoigne, David Hernandez Martich, Derek Morningstar, Dirk Neumann, Dirk Steinke, Donna DeBruin Marco DeBruin, Dylan Dobias, Elizabeth Sears, Ellen Richard, Emily Damstra, Evgeny Zakharov, Frederic Laberge, Gemma Collins, Gergin Blagoev, Gerrie Grainge, Graham Ansell, Greg Meredith, Ian Hogg, Jaclyn McKeown, Janet Topan, Jason Bracey, Jerry Guenther, Jesse Sills-Gilligan, Joseph Addesi, Joshua Persi, Kara Layton, Kareina D'Souza, Kencho Dorji, Kevin Grundy, Kirsti Nghidinwa, Kylee Ronnenberg, Kyung Min Lee, Linxi Xie, Liuqiong Lu, Lyubomir Penev, Mailyn Gonzalez, Margaret Rosati, Mari Kekkonen, Maria Kuzmina, Marianne Iskandar, Marko Mutanen, Maryam Fatahi, Mikko Pentinsaari, Miriam Bauman, Nadya Nikolova, Natalia Ivanova, Nathaniel Jones, Nimalka Weerasuriya, Norman Monkhouse, Pablo Lavinia, Paul Jannetta, Priscila Hanisch, R. Troy McMullin, Rafael Ojeda Flores, Raphaëlle Mouttet, Reid Vender, Renee Labbee, Robert Forsyth, Rob Lauder, Ross Dickson, Ruth Kroft, Scott Miller, Shannon MacDonald, Sishir Panthi, Stephanie Pedersen, Stephanie Sobek-Swant, Suresh Naik, Tatsiana Lipinskaya, Thanushi Eagalle, Thibaud Decaëns, Thibault Kosuth, Thomas Braukmann, Tom Woodcock, Tomas Roslin, Tony Zammit, Victoria Campbell, Vlad Dinca, Vlada Peneva, Paul Hebert, Jeremy deWaard

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DOI: 10.3897/BDJ.3.e5800

Authors: Maria Balsamo, Jean-Loup d`Hondt, Jacek Kisielewski, M. Todaro, Paolo Tongiorgi, Loretta Guidi, Paolo Grilli, Yde de Jong

Abstract: Fauna Europaea provides a public web-service with an index of scientific names (including important synonyms) of all living European land and freshwater animals, their geographical distribution at country level (up to the Urals, excluding the Caucasus region), and some additional information. The Fauna Europaea project covers 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. This represents a huge effort by more than 400 contributing specialists throughout Europe and is a unique (standard) reference suitable for many users in science, government, industry, nature conservation and education. Gastrotricha are a meiobenthic phylum composed of 813 species known so far (2 orders, 17 families) of free-living microinvertebrates commonly present and actively moving on and into sediments of aquatic ecosystems, 339 of which live in fresh and brackish waters. The Fauna Europaea database includes 214 species of Chaetonotida (4 families) plus a single species of Macrodasyida incertae sedis. This paper deals with the 224 European freshwater species known so far, 9 of which, all of Chaetonotida, have been described subsequently and will be included in the next database version. Basic information on their biology and ecology are summarized, and a list of selected, main references is given. As a general conclusion the gastrotrich fauna from Europe is the best known compared with that of other continents, but shows some important gaps of knowledge in Eastern and Southern regions.

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DOI: 10.3897/BDJ.3.e5211

Authors: Rafael Araujo, Yde de Jong

Abstract: Fauna Europaea provides a public web-service with an index of scientific names (including important synonyms) of all living European land and freshwater animals, their geographical distribution at country level (up to the Urals, excluding the Caucasus region), and some additional information. The Fauna Europaea project covers 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. This represents a huge effort by more than 400 contributing specialists throughout Europe and is a unique (standard) reference suitable for many users in science, government, industry, nature conservation and education. For the Mollusca-Bivalvia, data from 5 families (Margaritiferidae, Unionidae, Sphaeriidae, Cyrenidae, Dreissenidae) containing 55 species are included in this paper. European freshwater bivalves belong to the Orders Unionoida and Cardiida. All the European unionoids are included in the superfamily Unionoidea, the freshwater mussels or naiads. The European cardiids belong to the following three superfamilies: Cardioidea, Cyrenoidea and Dreissenoidea. Among the Unionoidea there are the most imperilled animal groups on the planet while the Cardioidea includes the cosmopolitan genus Pisidium, the Cyrenoidea the Asiatic clam (Corbicula fluminea) and the Dreissenoidea the famous invasive zebra mussel (Dreissena polymorpha). Basic information is summarized on their taxonomy and biology. Tabulations include a complete list of the current estimated families, genera and species.

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DOI: 10.3897/BDJ.3.e5447

Authors: Olga Schmidt

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DOI: 10.3897/BDJ.3.e5204

Authors: M. Teresa Vizoso, Carmen Quesada

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DOI: 10.3897/BDJ.3.e5057

Authors: Filippo Di Giovanni, Alexey Reshchikov, Matthias Riedel, Erich Diller, Martin Schwarz

Abstract: New distributional records on 55 ichneumonids (Hymenoptera, Ichneumonidae) from Italy are provided. Of these, 47 species are new for Italy, including representatives of the subfamily Diacritinae and of the tribes Zimmeriini (Ichneumoninae) and Pseudorhyssini (Poemeniinae); six species are new for Sardinia, one for Sicily and one for the Italian mainland. The hitherto unknown female of Baranisobas hibericus Heinrich, 1972 (Ichneumoninae) is described.

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DOI: 10.3897/BDJ.3.e4162

Authors: Rupert Collins, Emanuell Duarte Ribeiro, Valéria Nogueira Machado, Tomas Hrbek, Izeni Farias

Abstract: The Rio Nhamundá is a poorly-known clearwater river draining the southern Guiana Shield of Brazil. In this study we report the findings of a preliminary ichthyological survey, focusing on catfishes (Siluriformes). We identify a total of 36 species (31 genera, seven families) from the Nhamundá, including 11 species already recorded from the river. Overall, our survey results show that even rapid surveys can provide important information on Amazon fish biodiversity, suggesting potential new species, providing range extensions for nominal species, and additionally highlighting taxa in need of taxonomic revision and genetic study. As well as the traditional forms of data collected on biodiversity surveys (i.e. preserved specimen vouchers), our study also provides "new" types of data in the form of DNA barcodes and images of fishes exhibiting colouration in life, information that will be invaluable in future work addressing difficult groups. O Rio Nhamundá é um rio de água clara, pouco conhecido, que drena parte do Escudo das Guianas em território brasileiro. Nesse estudo, nós reportamos os resultados de um levantamento ictiofaunístico preliminar dessa área, tendo como foco os bagres (Siluriformes). Nós identificamos um total de 36 espécies (31 gêneros, sete famílias) provenientes de nossa coleta, e adicionamos 11 espécies já conhecidas para o rio. De maneira geral, os resultados de nossa pesquisa mostram que mesmo levantamentos rápidos podem gerar informações importantes sobre a biodiversidade de peixes amazônicos, sugerindo potenciais espécies novas, ampliando a área de distribuição de espécies, além de apontar a necessidade de revisões taxonômicas e estudos genéticos para alguns taxa. Para além das formas tradicionais de dados coletados em pesquisas de biodiversidade (i.e. espécimes preservados), nosso estudo fornece "novas" formas de dados, como DNA barcodes e imagens com o padrão de coloração dos espécimes vivos, informações essas que serão de valor inestimável para futuros estudos que abordem grupos taxonômicos difíceis.

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DOI: 10.3897/BDJ.3.e4830

Authors: Ulrike Aspöck, Horst Aspöck, Agostino Letardi, Yde de Jong

Abstract: Fauna Europaea provides a public web-service with an index of scientific names of all living European land and freshwater animals, their geographical distribution at country level (up to the Urals, excluding the Caucasus region), and some additional information. The Fauna Europaea project covers 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. This represents a huge effort by more than 400 contributing specialists throughout Europe and is a unique (standard) reference suitable for many users in science, government, industry, nature conservation and education. For Neuropterida, data from three Insect orders (Raphidioptera, Megaloptera, Neuroptera), comprising 15 families and 397 species, are included.

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DOI: 10.3897/BDJ.3.e4567

Authors: Paula Rozo-Lopez, Ximo Mengual

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DOI: 10.3897/BDJ.3.e4301

Authors: Klemen Čandek, Matjaž Gregorič, Rok Kostanjšek, Holger Frick, Christian Kropf, Matjaž Kuntner

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DOI: 10.3897/BDJ.2.e3999

Authors: Izabella Nery, Natalia Carvalho, Henrique Paprocki

Abstract: In order to contribute to the butterflies’ biodiversity knowledge at Serra do Intendente State Park - Minas Gerais, a study based on collections using Van Someren-Rydon traps and active search was performed. In this study, a total of 395 butterflies were collected, of which 327 were identified to species or morphospecies. 263 specimens were collected by the traps and 64 were collected using entomological hand-nets; 43 genera and 60 species were collected and identified.

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DOI: 10.3897/BDJ.2.e4015

Authors: Alessandro Minelli, Boris Sket, Yde de Jong

Abstract: Fauna Europaea provides a public web-service with an index of scientific names (including important synonyms) of all living European land and freshwater animals, their geographical distribution at country level (up to the Urals, excluding the Caucasus region), and some additional information. The Fauna Europaea project covers 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. This represents a huge effort by more than 400 contributing specialists throughout Europe and is a unique (standard) reference suitable for many users in science, government, industry, nature conservation and education. Hirudinea is a fairly small group of Annelida, with about 680 described species, most of which live in freshwater habitats, but several species are (sub)terrestrial or marine. In the Fauna Europaea database the taxon is represented by 87 species in 6 families. Two closely related groups, currently treated as distinct lineages within the Annelida, are the Acanthobdellea (2 species worldwide, of which 1 in Europe) and the Branchiobdellea (about 140 species worldwide, of which 10 in Europe). This paper includes a complete list of European taxa belonging to the Hirudinea, Acanthobdellea and Branchiobdellea. Recent research on a limited number of taxa suggests that our current appreciation of species diversity of Hirudinea in Europe is still provisional: on the one hand, cryptic, unrecognised taxa are expected to emerge; on the other, the status of some taxa currently treated as distinct species deserves revisiting.

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DOI: 10.3897/BDJ.2.e1558

Authors: Timothy Jones, David Baxter, Gregor Hagedorn, Ben Legler, Edward Gilbert, Kevin Thiele, Yalma Vargas-Rodriguez, Lowell Urbatsch

Abstract: The amount of plant biodiversity data available via the web has exploded in the last decade, but making these data available requires a considerable investment of time and work, both vital considerations for organizations and institutions looking to validate the impact factors of these online works. Here we used Google Analytics (GA), to measure the value of this digital presence. In this paper we examine usage trends using 15 different GA accounts, spread across 451 institutions or botanical projects that comprise over five percent of the world's herbaria. They were studied at both one year and total years. User data from the sample reveal: 1) over 17 million web sessions, 2) on five primary operating systems, 3) search and direct traffic dominates with minimal impact from social media, 4) mobile and new device types have doubled each year for the past three years, 5) and web browsers, the tools we use to interact with the web, are changing. Server-side analytics differ from site to site making the comparison of their data sets difficult. However, use of Google Analytics erases the reporting heterogeneity of unique server-side analytics, as they can now be examined with a standard that provides a clarity for data-driven decisions. The knowledge gained here empowers any collection-based environment regardless of size, with metrics about usability, design, and possible directions for future development.

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DOI: 10.3897/BDJ.2.e1093

Authors: Yusuke Miyazaki, Masanori Nakae, Hiroshi Senou

Abstract: The potential fish species pool of the Kubo, Tochikura, and Ichinono river systems (tributaries of the Iwai River, Kitakami River drainage), Iwate Prefecture, northern Japan, was compared with the observed ichthyofauna by using historical records and new field surveys. Based on the literature survey, the potential species pool comprised 24 species/subspecies but only 20, including 7 non-native taxa, were recorded during the fieldwork. The absence during the survey of 11 species/subspecies from the potential species pool suggested either that sampling effort was insufficient, or that accurate determination of the potential species pool was hindered by lack of biogeographic data and ecological data related to the habitat use of the species. With respect to freshwater fish conservation in the area, Lethenteron reissneri, Carassius auratus buergeri, Pseudorasbora pumila, Tachysurus tokiensis, Oryzias latipes, and Cottus nozawae are regarded as priority species, and Cyprinus rubrofuscus, Pseudorasbora parva, and Micropterus salmoides as targets for removal.

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DOI: 10.3897/BDJ.2.e4094

Authors: Adriano Kury, Amanda Mendes, Daniele Souza

Abstract: Comprising more than 6500 species, Opiliones is the third most diverse order of Arachnida, after the megadiverse Acari and Araneae. The database referred here is part 1 of 12 of a project containing an intended worldwide checklist of species and subspecies of Opiliones as Darwin Core archives, and it includes the superfamilies Travunioidea and Triaenonychoidea. These two superfamilies are often treated together under the denomination of Insidiatores. In this Part 1, a total of 571 species and subspecies are listed. Briggsidae and Cladonychiidae are both downgraded to subfamilies of Travuniidae. Peltonychia Roewer, 1935 is an available name and senior synonym of Hadziana Roewer, 1935 and is herein revalidated. Seven genera of Triaenonychidae described by Lawrence between 1931 and 1933 originally failed to comply ICZN rules for availability (Art. 13.3). All of them only became available when Staręga (1992) designated a type species for each. Therefore, the correct authorships of Austromontia Lawrence, 1931, Biacumontia Lawrence, 1931, Graemontia Lawrence, 1931, Larifugella Lawrence, 1933, Mensamontia Lawrence, 1931, Monomontia Lawrence, 1931 and Rostromontia Lawrence, 1931 are all Staręga, 1992. Fumontana Shear, 1977, originally referred only to subfamily Triaenonychinae (as opposed to Soerensenellinae then and not corresponding to present Triaenonychinae), not to any tribe (which in turn correspond to modern subfamilies) is herein included in the subfamily Triaenonychinae. Picunchenops Maury, 1988 originally not included in any tribe of Triaenonychidae, is herein included in the subfamily Triaenonychinae. Trojanella Karaman, 2005, originally ranked as Travunioidea incertae sedis, is herein included in the Travuniidae Travuniinae. Nuncia ovata Roewer, 1915 (synonymized with Triaenonyx cockayni Hogg, 1920 by Forster (1954), but with inverted precedence) is here combined as Nuncia coriacea ovata Roewer, 1915 as correct senior synonym instead of Nuncia coriacea cockayni (Hogg, 1920), which is current in the literature. Neonuncia enderbei (Hogg, 1909) is reaffirmed as the correct spelling for the species, while the deliberate change to Neonuncia enderbyi by Forster (1954) is an incorrect subsequent spelling.

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DOI: 10.3897/BDJ.2.e1557

Authors: Henrique Paprocki, Diogo França

Abstract: A second assessment of Brazilian Trichoptera species records is presented here. A total of 625 species were recorded for Brazil. This represents an increase of 65.34% new species recorded during the last decade. The Hydropsychidae (124 spp.), followed by the Hydroptilidae (102 spp.) and Polycentropodidae (97 spp.), are the families with the greatest richness recorded for Brazil. The knowledge on Trichoptera biodiversity in Brazil is geographically unequal. The majority of the species is recorded for the southeastern region.

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DOI: 10.3897/BDJ.2.e1060

Authors: David Gibson, Rodney Bray, David Hunt, Boyko Georgiev, Tomaš Scholz, Philip Harris, Tor Bakke, Teresa Pojmanska, Katarzyna Niewiadomska, Aneta Kostadinova, Vasyl Tkach, Odile Bain, Marie-Claude Durette-Desset, Lynda Gibbons, František Moravec, Annie Petter, Zlatka Dimitrova, Kurt Buchmann, E. Valtonen, Yde de Jong

Abstract: Fauna Europaea provides a public web-service with an index of scientific names (including important synonyms) of all living European land and freshwater animals, their geographical distribution at country level (up to the Urals, excluding the Caucasus region), and some additional information. The Fauna Europaea project covers 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. This represents a huge effort by more than 400 contributing specialists throughout Europe and is a unique (standard) reference suitable for many users in science, government, industry, nature conservation and education. Helminths parasitic in animals represent a large assemblage of worms, representing three phyla, with more than 200 families and almost 4,000 species of parasites from all major vertebrate and many invertebrate groups. A general introduction is given for each of the major groups of parasitic worms, i.e. the Acanthocephala, Monogenea, Trematoda (Aspidogastrea and Digenea), Cestoda and Nematoda. Basic information for each group includes its size, host-range, distribution, morphological features, life-cycle, classification, identification and recent key-works. Tabulations include a complete list of families dealt with, the number of species in each and the name of the specialist responsible for data acquisition, a list of additional specialists who helped with particular groups, and a list of higher taxa dealt with down to the family level. A compilation of useful references is appended.

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DOI: 10.3897/BDJ.2.e4034

Authors: Yde de Jong, Melina Verbeek, Verner Michelsen, Per de Place Bjørn, Wouter Los, Fedor Steeman, Nicolas Bailly, Claire Basire, Przemek Chylarecki, Eduard Stloukal, Gregor Hagedorn, Florian Wetzel, Falko Glöckler, Alexander Kroupa, Günther Korb, Anke Hoffmann, Christoph Häuser, Andreas Kohlbecker, Andreas Müller, Anton Güntsch, Pavel Stoev, Lyubomir Penev

Abstract: Fauna Europaea is Europe's main zoological taxonomic index, making the scientific names and distributions of all living, currently known, multicellular, European land and freshwater animals species integrally available in one authoritative database. Fauna Europaea covers about 260,000 taxon names, including 145,000 accepted (sub)species, assembled by a large network of (>400) leading specialists, using advanced electronic tools for data collations with data quality assured through sophisticated validation routines. Fauna Europaea started in 2000 as an EC funded FP5 project and provides a unique taxonomic reference for many user-groups such as scientists, governments, industries, nature conservation communities and educational programs. Fauna Europaea was formally accepted as an INSPIRE standard for Europe, as part of the European Taxonomic Backbone established in PESI.Fauna Europaea provides a public web portal at faunaeur.org with links to other key biodiversity services, is installed as a taxonomic backbone in wide range of biodiversity services and actively contributes to biodiversity informatics innovations in various initiatives and EC programs.

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DOI: 10.3897/BDJ.2.e1168

Authors: Andrew Liston, Guy Knight, David Sheppard, Gavin Broad, Laurence Livermore

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DOI: 10.3897/BDJ.2.e1167

Authors: Gavin Broad, Laurence Livermore

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