Leafhopper and planthopper (Auchenorryncha) assemblages were investigated at a lowland site in the United Kingdom supporting acidic and mesotrophic grasslands reverting from agricultural use, alongside remnants of semi-natural acidic heath. Further areas of agricultural land had been subject to soil inversion with or without addition of sulphur, heather brash and seed material to establish acidic heath or mesotrophic grassland. Eleven years after work commenced, Auchenorrhyncha assemblages of heath created on former arable land were most closely related to those of remnant semi-natural heath and reversion acidic grasslands. In contrast, an area of heath created on former pasture eight years previously, and at an earlier stage of development, supported an insect assemblage more closely related to those of mesotrophic grasslands. Time since creation, former land use and degree of isolation are identified as potential factors determining the similarity between Auchenorrhyncha assemblages of the remnant and created heaths.

Many parasitoid wasps parasitize herbivorous insect larvae growing within plant organs (e.g., fruits and leaves). As it is hard to identify the insect host species directly, one approach to deal with this issue is to identify it by means of molecular analysis from puparia left within plant organs after wasps emerge. Unfortunately, current barcoding methods are either too expensive or too inefficient for mass species identification. Here, we present a protocol that is comparatively inexpensive and rapid. It includes two major modifications in the barcoding process. One is to use a modified Chelex DNA extraction method, which performed best in PCR amplification and was the least costly and time-consuming among four candidate methods. The other is to use general PCR primers for the host taxon, which had the highest sequencing success rate when coupled with the Chelex DNA extraction method. Our protocol proved to be successful in identifying the hosts (i.e., tephritid fly species) of parasitoid wasps in a Tibetan alpine meadow. The protocol can be widely used for mass identification of insect host species from puparia tissues to facilitate the studies on host–parasitoid interactions.

As part of our research aiming to understand the morphological variation in ringed seals, we dissected mastication muscles of nine Saimaa ringed seals and two Baltic ringed seals. We found no significant differences in the muscles of mastication between these subspecies but the location of the tympanic bulla in relation to the articular surface of the temporomandibular joint was more medial in the Saimaa ringed seal. As compared with the previously studied Baikal and Caspian seals, the origin of the jaw-opening digastricus muscle covered less of the tympanic bulla in the Saimaa and Baltic ringed seals. Our data on masticatory-muscle masses indicated that similarly to terrestrial mammal species, the growth patterns of mastication muscles of the Saimaa ringed seal differed from each other according to the body size.

Age and sex are key information to interpret results of studies on birds' biology. As sexing monomorphic species is difficult, in this study we aimed to determine the degree of sexual size dimorphism in song thrushes migrating across the southern Baltic coast, and to develop reliable sexing criteria for future studies of this species. We ringed, measured and took blood samples of song thrushes at the Polish coast. Then we used molecular techniques to determine the sex of ringed individuals and to calculate functions from morphometrics for sexing birds from different age groups. Our results showed a degree of size dimorphism between sexes, more pronounced in adults than in immatures. Dimorphism was clearest in the size of the vestigial outermost primary, which was longer in females despite their smaller size, a likely result of different selection pressures during the breeding season. Differences between sexes were greater in adults than immatures, probably because the immatures are not exposed to selection pressures acting on older birds during migration and breeding. We developed equations allowing to estimate sex correctly of 81.5% of adults in spring and 81% in autumn, and of 63.3% immatures in spring and 63.6% in autumn. Thus, the equation for adults can be used with confidence, while those for immatures with caution.

Global change, including urbanization, affects species ecology. Social wasps (Vespinae) are ubiquitous in urban areas, which increases their encounters with humans. We studied social wasps in urban gardens and nearby urban woods in central Finland, using beer traps. Social wasps were common in gardens and woods, and overall wasp abundance was higher in the woods. Also, the most abundant and frequent species Vespula vulgaris was more abundant in the woods than in the gardens. Variation in the overall abundance and the abundance of V. vulgaris was great among trap locations, which likely results from wasps' social nesting habits. Neither the abundance of all social wasps nor that of V. vulgaris differed between July and August. Our study suggests that urban woods might increase wasp abundance in adjacent gardens. Vespula germanica — a species expanding its range northwards in Finland — was documented for the first time from central Finland. The ongoing global change is likely to change wasp communities and their encounters with humans in urban environments.

We used a total of 589 independent photos of three species — the leopard cat (Prionailurus bengalensis), red fox (Vulpes vulpes) and North China leopard (Panthera pardus japonensis) — from 81 camera traps to study coexistence of those sympatric carnivores. We computed an occupancy model and ran single-season and two-species models to examine patterns in occupancy, detection and coexistence. Our study revealed simultaneous presence of red foxes and leopards both in space and in time. Leopard cats and leopards avoided each other, and red foxes and leopard cats coexisted particularly at night. Vegetation cover was found to be the most important factor in candidate models for site occupation.

A new species, Ateuchus tona, from the eastern Andes of Colombia is described and illustrated. The unique set of characters of this species, particularly the unusual sexual dimorphism in the sixth abdominal ventrite, which is largely expanded medially only in males, clearly separates this species from all other known species of Ateuchus. The species was found in 2004 during a single sampling event in a protected area. Since in Colombia most of the cloud forests are subject to extensive deforestation, additional sampling is needed to gather information about the species' conservation status. Additionally, two species, A. parvus and A. freudei, new to Colombia are presented rising the number of the Ateuchus species known for the country to eleven.

The intermediate disturbance hypothesis (IDH) suggests that the peak of species diversity occurs at intermediate-scale disturbances. The IDH received criticisms because many studies have shown that the relationship between disturbances and species diversity is generally not unimodal. We searched Web of Science for articles on IDH to study the applications of the hypothesis in animal and plant studies. We classified found articles into those which presented evidence in favour and against the IDH. Furthermore, we analysed the effects of article age and impact factor of the journal in which it was published on the number of citation this article received. We found that most arguments against the IDH were found in papers on aquatic ecology and in papers published in journals with higher impact factors. Those articles were also cited more often than those presenting evidence in support of the IDH. We thus can conclude that the IDH seems to be less supported in newer papers and particularly in those in the field of aquatic ecology.

Climate change is presumed to increase both the number and frequency of fluctuations in environmental conditions. Fluctuations can affect the ecological and evolutionary processes that make species more successful competitors. For example, fluctuating conditions can create selection pressures for traits that are profitable in adaptation to fast climate change. On an ecological timescale, environmental fluctuations can facilitate species competitive success by reducing other species' population sizes. Climate change could then enhance species invasions into new areas if fluctuation-adapted invaders displace their native competitors in chancing environments. We tested experimentally whether fast environmental fluctuations, either past (on an evolutionary timescale) or present (on an ecological timescale) affect species competitive success. Bacteria that evolved in either constant or fluctuating temperature were set to compete with the dominant invader Serratia marcescens, which had also evolved in either constant or fluctuating temperature. Moreover, the competition experiments were conducted in environments with similarly constant or fluctuating thermal conditions. The results showed that temperature fluctuations during competition, i.e. on an ecological timescale, made the invader more successful. Surprisingly, we found that the invaders' or its competitor species' evolution in fluctuating environments did not affect the outcome of the competition. Our study highlights the importance of the present environmental fluctuations in promoting species' competitive success and potentially facilitating biological invasions.

A new population of blind mole rat (genus Nannospalax) was discovered near the town of Albertirsa in north-central Hungary. We used newly designed primers to specifically amplify the whole mitochondrial cytochrome-b region and two nuclear DNA regions. Based on the most comprehensive taxonomic sampling to date, we compared this population with several other European blind mole-rat taxa. The results from both mitochondrial and nuclear regions have unequivocally placed the Albertirsa population into the monophyletic group of the Vojvodina blind mole rat (N. (leucodon) montanosyrmiensis), which turned out to be a sister clade to all other molecularly studied European Nannospalax. This study not only identified the fourth known population of an extremely rare rodent taxon but also calls for a taxonomic revision of European lesser blind mole rats (N. leucodon superspecies) to systematically evaluate the genetic structure of their populations and to understand the complex evolutionary history of these European rodents. The occurrence of the Vojvodina blind mole rat at this northern location helps to clarify the distribution area of this heavily data-deficient taxon. As currently understood, this lineage predominantly occurs in sandy grasslands of the Danube–Tisza Interfluve in Hungary and Serbia. Its distribution range and phylogenetic structure might reflect the importance of potential biogeographical barriers (e.g. large rivers) that shaped the blind mole rats' allopatric or peripatric speciation.

We investigated the intra- and trans-generational effects of larval diet on immune function, body size and development time of the greater wax moth, Galleria mellonella (Lepidoptera: Pyralidae). We found that moths reared on a diet diluted with cellulose (a low-nutrition diet) were about one-third smaller, had about one-fifth longer development time and exhibited about 10% stronger encapsulation responses as compared with moths reared on the standard diet. The low-nutrition parental diet prolonged the development time of male offspring that were fed the low-nutrition diet by about 4% and the development time of female offspring that were fed the standard diet by about 1%. However, females that were fed the low-nutrition diet attained about 6% greater body mass when their parents were reared on the low-nutrition diet. Our results add to the growing number of studies demonstrating that the nutritional history of parents can affect the performance of their offspring.

Among Aculeata, only bumblebees (Bombus spp.) have long been popular targets of entomological research in the Russian Arctic, whereas the information on wasps, ants and solitary bees from this region is scarce. Sampling in the surroundings of Nary-an-Mar in the years 2013, 2015 and 2019 yielded 39 species of Aculeata, among which 27 species are for the first time reported from the Nenets Autonomous Okrug (NAO). Noteworthy findings include Gorytes neglectus, Lasioglossum boreale, Mimumesa littoralis, Odynerus alpinus and Osmia maritima. Combined with published information, our data increased the fauna of aculeate Hymenoptera of NAO to 61 species. We also list and discuss erroneous or doubtful records of additional 11 species. Collection localities are provided for each species. Based on comparisons with northern Finland and the Murmansk Oblast in Russia we estimate that about 60 additional aculeate species could still be found in NAO.

Sexual habitat segregation affects animal distribution and can lead to different life-histories across sexes. We investigated sex-related habitat segregation in the mountain hare (Lepus timidus) during the early-breeding and post-reproductive periods at the macro- (home range) and microscale (pellet location) by using pellet data sets from a non-invasive genetic population monitoring in the Swiss Alps. The data sets comprise six years (2014–2019) of sampling and include 119 individuals (70 males, 49 females). At the macroscale, the sex-related habitat segregation was weak in both periods but higher in the early-breeding period as compared with that in the post-reproductive period. Home ranges of females contained a higher proportion of forest stands in the early-breeding period. At the microscale, the sex-related habitat segregation for habitat characteristics was low in both periods. We conclude that habitat segregation between male and female mountain hares is weak during the early-breeding and post-reproductive periods.

I studied the primary types of Centris bees described by the naturalist, botanist and entomologist Adolf Ducke. The type specimens of C. caxiensis, C. friesei, C. hyptidis, C. maranhensis, C. ocellaris, C. singularis, and C. superba were analysed, providing information on their current status and depository of primary and secondary type specimens. To stabilise the application of some names, lectotypes for C. friesei and C. singularis were also designated. In addition, morphological characters useful in recognition of the species studied are also provided.

Parachaetocladius squamula Liu & Cao is described and illustrated as male imago from China. An amended diagnosis with a key to the known male adults are presented.

The paddy frog (Fejervarya multistriata) belonging to the family Dicroglossidae, is a species widely distributed in temperate and tropical Asia. In this study, the complete mitochondrial genome of F. multistriata was sequenced. The mitogenome was 17 677 bp in size, consisting of 13 protein-coding genes (PCGs), 23 transfer RNA (tRNA) genes, two ribosomal RNA (rRNA) genes, and a non-coding control region (D-loop). Like in other vertebrates, most mitochondrial genes of the species are encoded on the heavy (H) strand, except for ND6 and eight tRNA genes which are encoded on the light (L) strand. The overall base composition contained 28.03% A, 29.90% T, 26.91% C and 15.16% G. The alignment of the Fejervarya and related species' control regions exhibited high genetic variability and rich A + T content. In addition, we found that the tRNA-Leu2 rearrangement occurred in the LTPF gene cluster in the mitochondrial genome of the F. multistriata, resulting in a new arrangement (T-PL-F). There was a tandem duplication of the tRNA-Met gene between tRNA-Gln and ND2, and the similarity rate of the two genes reached 74.6%. The phylogenetic relationships based on nucleotide sequences of 13 PCGs was analysed by re-establishing phylogenetic trees (ML and BI). The results indicated that F. multistriata was more closely related to F. limnocharis than to F. cancrivora and F. manoharani, the two latter showing a new gene rearrangement (ND6-tRNA-Glu-Cytb-D-loop-ND5-tRNA-Thr-tRNA-Pro-tRNA-Leu-tRNA-Phe). Our results indicate that F. limnocharis sample found in Yancheng, and F. multistriata from Mojia, Santai and Ji'an, are possible conspecifics. This study on the mitochondrial genome of F. multistriata provides an important reference for the future studies on phylogenetic relationship and the taxonomic status of Fejervarya and related Dicroglossidae species.

Erythrotes murzini gen. nov. and sp. nov. from China (Sichuan Province) is described and illustrated. The new genus is close to EupromusPascoe, 1868, but the latter has smaller eyes, elytra with distinct costae and big punctation, mesocoxal process with distinct distal tubercle, and pronotum with black central line. Elytra of the species in Eupromus is not granulated. The new species described here is larger than most of the Eupromus species.

Here we present the first data on karyotype structures in five spider species belonging to the families Agelenidae, Salticidae and Thomisidae collected from Mediterranean and central regions of Turkey. An air-drying method was used to obtain mitotic and meiotic chromosomes. The karyotype characteristics including diploid chromosome number and sex chromosome systems were in Salticidae: Euophrys frontalis (Walckenaer, 1802) and Attulus distinguendus (Simon, 1868), 2n♂ = 28, X₁X₂0; Thomisidae: Xysticus lanio C. L. Koch, 1835 and Xysticus ferrugineus Menge, 1876, 2n♂ = 23, X0; Agelenidae: Agelena orientalis C. L. Koch, 1837, 2n♂ = 42, X₁X₂0. Sex chromosomes were identified tentatively. All species contained monoarmed chromosomes and there was a gradual decrease in their total lengths.

Collection of moths and butterflies in the city of Arkhangelsk, Solovetsky Islands, Pinezhsky and Kargopolsky districts carried out between 2017 and 2019, and identification of occasional samples resulted in the discovery of 47 species of Lepidoptera not previously reported from the Arkhangelsk Oblast; three more species were added to the regional fauna based on published data. Especially noteworthy are the findings of Coleophora proterella (a recently described species; the first record from Russia), Clostera albosigma (the westernmost European record) and Bryotropha affinis (a rare, mainly coastal species in Fennoscandia). We also confirmed the records of eight species known from old publications only, and we report new localities for 318 species. To date, the known fauna of the Arkhangelsk Oblast totals 1188 species of moths and butterflies (639 species of microlepidoptera and 549 species of macrolepidoptera); 62 of these are classified as threatened in Finland. We estimate that the regional fauna of Lepidoptera amounts to 1800 species.

Collection of moths and butterflies during 2010–2019 revealed 15 species not previously reported from the Murmansk Oblast, Russia. Revision of published data added nine more species to the regional fauna. We also confirmed records of 14 species known only from old publications, and report records of 83 infrequent species, which clarify their distribution within the study region or demonstrate interesting ecological patterns. Especially noteworthy are records of Argyresthia retinella, Levipalpus hepatariella, Araschnia levana, Macroglossum stellatarum and Endromis versicolora. We discuss the occurrence of 10 moth species in the Murmansk Oblast that had been based on erroneous or doubtful identifications, and therefore not included in our list. The known fauna of moths and butterflies of the Murmansk Oblast now totals 834 species. We estimate that the regional Lepidopteran fauna may include 1000 to 1020 species.

Thienemanniella dapanensis Fu is described and illustrated based on an adult male collected from Zhejiang Province, China. Thienemanniella ginzanquinta (Sasa & Suzuki, 1998) and T. xena (Roback, 1957) are redescribed based on newly collected material from Zhejiang Province. A key to the known adult males of Thienemanniella from the Oriental Region in China is given.

Georthocladius meluensis and G. techensis are described and illustrated based on material collected from glacial springs and streams in Corsica and Eastern Pyrenees. The two new described species can be separated from other members of the genus by the shape of sensilla coeloconica, tergite IX, anal point, virga, inferior volsella and gonostylus. Currently, the genus Georthocladius is represented in Europe by three species: G. collarti (Goetghebuer, 1941), G. luteicornis (Goethghebuer 1941) and G. retezatiAlbu, 1972. As many characters in these species are similar, they all should be treated as one and the same species. Differential diagnosis, comments on the ecology of the two new species and key to known male adults from Europe are given.

While effects of some linear infrastructures on biodiversity are well understood, the direct effect of railways on the fauna (mortality) is known only for some vertebrate groups. We recorded animal mortality on a 15-km-long railway sector in western Romania. In total, 11 687 animals killed by trains were found of which most were invertebrates (99.19%). Almost 3/4 of dead animals (gastropods and mammals) had been killed long before the study began. Just like roads, this railway affected especially invertebrates, but proximity to a river could have biased our results.