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Scuttling in the highlands: Discovery of a new genus and species of freshwater crabs (Decapoda, Gecarcinucidae) from the Eastern Ghats, India
No full textA new genus of gecarcinucid freshwater crab, Patithelphusa gen. nov., is described from the Shevaroy Hills, Yercaud, located in Salem District, Tamil Nadu, within the Eastern Ghats of India. This new genus is closely related to Baratha Bahir & Yeo, 2007 and Travancoriana Bott, 1969, but can be readily distinguished by a combination of morphological characters, including a relatively broad and shallow cervical groove, triangular bilobed median teeth on the epistomal median lobe, a blunt external orbital tooth with a relatively long outer margin, and a distinct G1 terminal segment terminating in a triangular tip. In addition, morphological characters together with molecular evidence from partial mitochondrial 16S rRNA gene sequences support the recognition of Patithelphusa yercaudensis sp. nov. as a distinct species, exhibiting a genetic divergence of 9.66% from its closest relative, Travancoriana schirnerae Bott, 1969. Phylogenetic analyses based on Bayesian inference and maximum-likelihood approaches recovered the newly described species as a well-supported monophyletic clade, distinctly separated from other known gecarcinucid taxa from India and the geographically proximate region of Sri Lanka. With the addition of this new genus and species, the diversity of Indian gecarcinucid crabs increases to 112 species across 31 genera. Furthermore, biogeographic inferences suggest that the new genus and species may be isolated from its closest gecarcinucid relatives by the wide valleys and the Cauvery River system, which likely act as ecological and geographical barriers. These unique topographical features may restrict gene flow and limit dispersal among high-altitude, habitat-specialist decapods, providing a refuge that facilitates the evolution of novel taxonomic units in peninsular India
Methodological design to study the effects of heatwaves on natural plankton communities from Mediterranean vulnerable ecosystems
No full textThe Mediterranean region is considered one of the areas most exposed to climate warming, with artificial lakes and coastal lagoons representing particularly vulnerable ecosystems, that provide essential goods and services. Among the extreme events linked to warming, heatwaves are of growing concern, yet their ecological effects on the functioning of Mediterranean aquatic systems remain poorly investigated. We present a methodological framework designed by the Project “a warmer Future world: effects on plankton commUnities and paThogens in mediterranean vUlneRable Ecosystems (FUTURE)” to study how natural plankton communities respond to abrupt and sustained thermal stress. The approach focuses on entire communities, from bacteria to zooplankton, includes laboratory experiments and field monitoring activities, and combines classical techniques with molecular tools to capture changes in biodiversity, food web size-structure, and the occurrence of potentially pathogenic and antibiotic-resistant bacteria. Two diverse aquatic ecosystems in the Western Mediterranean were selected as case studies: an artificial lake used for drinking water and a coastal lagoon used for fishery, both of high ecological and economic importance. By applying controlled experimental simulations with ecological relevance, the framework provides a replicable approach to investigate plankton community-level responses to heatwaves. This methodological contribution aims to support future research by offering a comparative perspective on vulnerable Mediterranean ecosystems and promoting standardized approaches to assess the impacts of extreme climate-driven events. By providing a scalable and reproducible protocol, this work contributes to filling a critical knowledge gap in the Mediterranean and supports future research and management efforts in climate-sensitive aquatic ecosystems
Dorobaea linearifolia (Asteraceae, Senecioneae), a distinctive new species of the subtropical montane forests of central Peru
No full textDorobaea linearifolia Montesinos & Pruski (Asteraceae, Senecioneae) is described as a new species from the humid subtropical montane forests of central Peru, specifically from the eastern slopes of the Andes in the Huánuco Region. The species is distinguished by its narrowly linear to very narrowly oblanceolate leaves, solitary terminal capitula, and glabrous habit. Its morphological affinities are briefly discussed in comparison with allied taxa in Dorobaea and related genera, images and a table of main character differences are also added. A preliminary conservation assessment, following IUCN Red List criteria, suggests the species should be considered Endangered (EN) B1ab(iii) due to its restricted distribution and ongoing habitat degradation
Off-label postoperative pharmacotherapy in a newborn with truncus arteriosus and challenges to pharmaceutical care: a case report
No full textCommon arterial trunk (truncus arteriosus) is a critical congenital cardiac defect characterized by incomplete division of the common vascular trunk and the presence of a single vessel “riding” an interventricular defect, from which the systemic, pulmonary, and coronary circulations originate. This results in mixed blood entering the common circulation. Severe heart failure occurs from the day of birth. Treatment is definitively surgical, followed by pharmacological management, with patients undergoing periodic follow-ups for the rest of their lives. The main challenge is therapy for heart failure with ACE inhibitors, diuretics, anti-aggregants, anticoagulants, prophylaxis of infections caused by respiratory syncytial virus, and others. Optimizing pharmacotherapy is a considerable challenge because almost all medicinal products used have not been tested in a pediatric population, especially in the neonatal period. We present a clinical case of a patient born with truncus arteriosus type I after surgical treatment, addressing the challenges of off-label prescribing and dispensing of medicinal products, as well as the provision of pharmaceutical services and care
Carex huancabambica (Cyperaceae), a new species from the Peruvian and Ecuadorian Andes
No full textThe Huancabamba Depression in Neotropical South America, a natural barrier between the Northern and Central Andes, serves as a refuge for high levels of angiosperm diversity. However, this biodiversity remains understudied, especially in complex and species-rich genera, such as Carex L. (Cyperaceae). This genus is notably underrepresented in taxonomic and systematic research on the Neotropics. In this study, we employed an integrative systematic approach combining molecular and morphological data to elucidate the taxonomic status of several Carex populations from Ecuador and northern Peru, which exhibit morphological affinities with the sect. Porocystis Dumort. (Castanea Clade). We conducted a phylogenetic analysis using two nuclear (ITS and ETS) and one plastid (matK) DNA regions and carried out a detailed morphological comparison with Neotropical relatives within the section. Both phylogenetic and morphological results supported the systematic distinctiveness of the focal populations. As a result, we describe a new species, Carex huancabambica Gonz.Gallego & Jim.Mejías, sp. nov. and provide its taxonomic treatment. This study contributes to disentangling the biodiversity of the genus Carex in the Neotropics
A Cuban initiative for the implementation of pharmacogenomics in Latin America
No full textPharmacogenomics (PGx) seeks to elucidate interindividual variability in drug response, with the aim of optimizing therapeutic efficacy and minimizing adverse reactions. Although the field has gained scientific momentum in Latin America, its clinical implementation remains limited, largely restricted to academic settings. This short communication presents a regulatory framework—specifically, the Cuban pharmacogenomics guideline—as a foundation for regional implementation. This initiative proposes mapping existing regulations, identifying drug–gene pairs of high clinical impact, and developing a Latin American pharmacogenomic database to guide clinical practice. The Cuban guideline, the first of its kind in the region, covers biomarker validation, ethical considerations, and integration of PGx data into regulatory dossiers. The ultimate goal is to foster equitable, evidence-based personalized medicine in Latin America. Looking ahead, the hope is that personalized medicine will enable both doctors and patients to make more informed decisions about treatment options
Vertical forest strata position and niche shifts between juvenile and adult spiders
No full textFunctional trait analyses have become a vital part of ecological and evolutionary research in recent years. Nevertheless, this progress highlights the persistent and significant gaps in our knowledge of species traits, a limitation known as the Raunkiæran shortfall. For spiders, the difficulty in properly identifying immature specimens has often contributed to discarding the contribution of these lifestages to intraspecific functional variability and community structure. Species microhabitat preferences along the vertical gradient in forest biomes are amongst the traits frequently unknown for spider juveniles, despite their relevance for multiple aspects of spiders' ecology. To bridge this knowledge gap, in this study, we used spider community data collected from the native forests on two islands belonging to the Azores Archipelago, a well-characterized and species-poor system ideal for trait-focused studies. Our goals were to compare the mean verticality and vertical range of adult and juvenile spiders belonging to different hunting guilds (hunters and web weavers) and ballooning propensity (frequent, occasional and rare ballooners). We did this using two-sample paired Wilcoxon signed rank tests and Kruskal–Wallis tests, followed by Dunn’s tests to check for differences in the variation of adult and juvenile verticality from species belonging to different functional groups. Across 22 species sampled at 16 sites on two islands, adult and juvenile spiders did not differ in their mean vertical position within the forest strata. Unexpectedly, however, adults occupied a significantly broader vertical range than juveniles, indicating greater habitat flexibility than anticipated. The pattern observed for vertical range remained when looking at the two hunting guilds considered (hunters and web-weavers), although, in the case of hunters, adults tended to have lower mean verticality than juveniles. Finally, for the three categories of ballooning propensity (frequent, occasional and rare), we observed that juveniles of rare ballooners had higher mean verticality, while, for all categories, these tended to have lower values of vertical range. Our findings show the importance of including juveniles in microhabitat studies, as well as how this seems to vary across functional groups. It is hoped that this study will serve as a valuable baseline to future research aiming to better incorporate immature life stages in spider community ecology, particularly as new standardised methodologies are developed to reliably associate juveniles with their adult forms
The arachnological collection at the Natural History Museum of Bern (NMBE), Switzerland: scope, history, and significance
No full textThe arachnological collection at the Natural History Museum Bern (NMBE) comprises approximately 120,000 vials containing around 500,000 specimens of spiders (Araneae), harvestmen (Opiliones), and scorpions (Scorpiones). While the material originated from around the globe, most of the specimens were collected in Austria, Germany, and Switzerland. The collection is organized into five main sections. It encompasses the collections of Konrad Thaler, Peter “Otto” Horak, Peter Sacher, and Ambros Hänggi, along with a general collection that features rare specimens, including material collected from caves. The material is stored in 80% pure ethanol. Since 1996, a total of 60,000 vials with 235,000 specimens of Araneae, representing 2080 different species, have been digitized and electronically catalogued. The collection also holds type material, including 25 holotypes and 453 paratypes of Araneae, three holotypes and paratypes of Opiliones, and one holotype and two paratypes of Scorpiones. A detailed list of the type material is provided in Suppl. material 1
Automated Extraction of Fungal Trophic Modes from Literature Using BioBERT: An Open Pilot Workflow
No full textFungi exhibit diverse trophic strategies, ranging from obligate symbiosis to saprotrophy, with some taxa capable of occupying multiple ecological roles. Manually identifying trophic versatility from the literature is time-consuming and difficult to scale. Here, we present a pilot workflow that automates the classification of fungal trophic modes using BioBERT, a transformer-based language model applied to biomedical research papers. A curated dataset of 56 fungal ecology abstracts was manually labeled as dual (occupying multiple trophic modes) or solo (restricted to one mode) and used to fine-tune BioBERT for binary classification. The model achieved 86% accuracy with balanced precision and recall, demonstrating that machine learning can replicate literature-based trait assignments. This pilot study emphasizes reproducibility, transparency, and open data integration, offering a proof-of-concept for linking literature-derived ecological information to existing fungal trait databases such as FUNGuild and FungalTraits. All code, data, and trained models are openly available to support reuse and scaling to larger datasets
Solving the riddle of Aspidium ameristoneuron Fée, a misunderstood Cuban or Mexican species of Ctenitis (Dryopteridaceae) – Occasional Papers from the Herbarium Greuter, 7
No full textThe holotype of Aspidium ameristoneuron, the correct application of which has long been in doubt, has been identified in the herbarium RB in Rio de Janeiro. It was found to have been mislabeled, and its true origin is Mexico, not Cuba as stated in the protologue. The history of the labeling error is reconstructed, and the identity of Aspidium ameristoneuron with the species so far known as Ctenitis salvinii (here renamed Ctenitis ameristoneuros comb. nov.) is demonstrated. The names and synonyms involved are typified