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Integrating plot-based methods for monitoring biodiversity in island habitats under the scope of BIODIVERSA + project BioMonI: Tree monitoring in Terceira, Tenerife and Réunion Islands
No full textOceanic islands are globally recognised for their exceptional levels of biodiversity and endemism, often resulting from unique evolutionary processes in isolated environments. However, this biodiversity is also disproportionately threatened by anthropogenic pressures including habitat loss, invasive species and climate change. Targeted, long-term biodiversity monitoring is essential for detecting changes in these vulnerable ecosystems and providing information for conservation strategies.The EU BIODIVERSA + project BioMonI aims at building a global long-term monitoring network specifically tailored to the pressing needs of biodiversity conservation and monitoring on islands. In BioMonI, we use a novel approach that considers mapping previous and current monitoring schemes on islands, developing a harmonised monitoring scheme for island biodiversity and mobilising existing monitoring data. We are assembling data from BioMonI-Plot, a long-term vegetation plot network to understand biodiversity and ecosystem change. It will use baseline data from three focal archipelagos (Azores, Canary Islands and Mascarenes), but we aim to mobilise data from archipelagos worldwide.Plot-based data are a cornerstone of effective biodiversity monitoring on islands. These standardised data collections within permanent plots allow for consistent, replicable observations across temporal and spatial scales. Initiatives like the Global Island Monitoring Scheme (GIMS) highlight the value of permanent plots in capturing ecological gradients and anthropogenic disturbance patterns. Such data underpin the detection of subtle shifts in community composition, functional diversity and species distributions, which are critical for assessing the effectiveness of conservation actions and predicting future ecological scenarios.In summary, plot-based data are indispensable for targeted and effective biodiversity monitoring on islands. They provide the empirical backbone necessary to provide information for adaptive management strategies and contribute to global biodiversity targets.The BioMonI-Plot baseline data consist of 10 plots in each of the following islands: Terceira (Azores), Tenerife (Canaries) and Réunion Island (Mascarenes). As a first step, we describe the diversity and abundance of all woody species shoots with a diameter at breast height (DBH) = 1 cm in each of the 10 plots of each Island. The majority of taxa belonged to the phylum Magnoliophyta, which accounted for 96.66% of the total species and subspecies, followed by Pteridophyta (2.22%) and Pinophyta (1.11%). Réunion Island exhibited the highest species richness, with 66 identified taxa, followed by Tenerife (16 taxa) and Terceira (11 taxa). Only one species, Morella faya, was shared between the islands, occurring in both Terceira and Tenerife. Most of the recorded species were classified as endemic according to their colonisation status. Specifically, 32 species were endemic to the Mascarene Islands, 22 to Réunion, nine to the Azores, eleven to Macaronesia and four to the Canary Islands.The data presented in this Data Paper provide a valuable proxy for evaluating the ecological integrity and overall habitat quality of native montane forests across three oceanic archipelagos: the Azores, Canary Islands and Mascarene Islands. By focusing on tree species as primary ecological indicators, the dataset offers insights into essential structural and compositional attributes of these ecosystems, including species richness, relative abundance and patterns of dominance.The comprehensive species-level information contained in this dataset allows for comparisons of forest composition across islands and biogeographic regions, contributing to our understanding of insular forest dynamics, endemism patterns and conservation priorities in tropical and subtropical montane environments
Description and bioacoustics of three new Eurycorypha (Orthoptera, Tettigonioidea) species from Tanzania and Ghana, with notes on their biology
No full textThree new species of Eurycorypha Stål, 1873 are described, originating from Tanzania and Ghana. E. willschi from Ghana is widespread throughout central and west Africa, while the two species from Tanzania, E. spicula and E. paraspicula, are restricted to specific mountain ranges within the Eastern Arc Mountains. Two of the species were reared from nymphs, providing valuable data on their nymphal development and diet. The male songs represent amplitude patterns previously unknown in the bioacoustically hyperdiverse genus Eurycorypha. In the two species with known duets, the females were found to respond shortly after the male songs, while in E. willschi, they responded only after one of the two elements of the male song. How habitat drives speciation even in fully alate species is discussed, reflecting the extent and isolation of certain habitats. The wing shape of Eurycorypha species also appears influential; rounder, less flight-active species tend to be more restricted than elongate species in expansive habitats
Monoclonal antibodies: their place in applied medicine and their role in the newest infectious disease – history, present, and future. Literature review
No full textMonoclonal antibodies (mAbs) are immunoglobulins with practically absolute specificity (monospecificity) for a particular antigen (epitope). Over the past three decades, monoclonal antibodies have undergone a remarkable transformation, evolving from their use predominantly as research tools to becoming increasingly powerful therapeutic agents in medical practice. Personalized therapy and targeted treatment of diseases form the cornerstone of modern medicine’s revolutionary capabilities. Monoclonal antibodies are a shining example of personalized therapy, developed based on deep and continuously growing knowledge in the fields of immunology, molecular biology, and biochemistry. The accepted nomenclature for monoclonal antibody names indicates their origin: murine (-omab), chimeric (-ximab), humanized (-zumab), or recombinant (-umab). Monoclonal antibodies belong to the IgG class. Monoclonal antibodies of this class possess specific properties and advantages. They are characterized by optimal pharmacokinetics, stability, and low immunogenicity (especially recombinant forms), a low toxicity profile, and the capacity for large-scale production of specific monoclonal antibodies targeting diverse antigens. The mechanisms of action of monoclonal antibodies include direct cell toxicity, immune-mediated cell destruction, vascular destruction, and immunomodulatory functions. The pathophysiology of many conditions treated with monoclonal antibodies is equally intricate, involving numerous cells and molecules. Monoclonal antibodies, in general, are characterized by good tolerance. The scientific community continues its efforts to enhance their efficacy, reduce their immunogenicity, and optimize their pharmacokinetic properties, as well as attempts to achieve oral (mucosal) bioavailability. The use of monoclonal antibodies in modern medicine is continuously expanding, with their incorporation into therapeutic regimens for numerous severe non-malignant diseases such as asthma, atopic dermatitis, migraine, hypercholesterolemia, osteoporosis, bacterial infections (e.g., anthrax), and viral infections (such as COVID-19). Efforts are being directed not only at improving the structural and functional properties of existing monoclonal antibodies but also at creating new types of antibodies with smaller molecular weights and higher specificity. As a next generation of nanobiotechnology, natural and synthetic nanobodies have been utilized in numerous fields of biomedicine, including as biomolecular materials, for various biological studies, and in medical diagnostics and immunotherapy. Monoclonal antibodies and antibody-based molecules offer a reliable opportunity to effectively counter emerging viral pathogens and antibiotic-resistant bacteria. When administered to patients with a healthy immune system, they can provide necessary prophylaxis against specific diseases, acting as vaccine-like molecules and promoting long-term, antimicrobial-specific immune responses. Monoclonal antibodies have been identified as a potentially effective therapy for preventing the progression of COVID-19 in patients at high risk of developing severe disease
Monomorium dine sp. nov. (Hymenoptera, Formicidae): a new inquiline social parasite ant species from North America
No full textAmong the very rarest of Nearctic ants are three species of inquiline social parasites belonging to the genus Monomorium, namely Monomorium inquilinum DuBois, Monomorium pergandei (Emery), and Monomorium talbotae DuBois. All three species are known only from the type collections. Here, we describe Monomorium dine Cover & Rabeling, sp. nov., from the Navajo Nation in New Mexico, USA, a new species closely similar to the three known social parasites. Like them, M. dine appears to be a workerless inquiline that exploits a free-living Monomorium host. We also provide keys to the queens of the Nearctic Monomorium inquilines, provide the first images of these species, report new collections for Monomorium talbotae DuBois, discuss host-parasite associations, and summarize what is presently known about these mysterious social parasites
The subfamily Attageninae (Coleoptera, Dermestidae) from Saudi Arabia
No full textThis study documents the diversity and distribution of the subfamily Attageninae (Coleoptera: Dermestidae) in Saudi Arabia based on the examination of specimens from institutional and private collections, and field surveys using different trapping and collection methods. It enumerates 20 species belonging to two genera, Attagenus (19 species) and Telopes (one species). Six species are newly recorded for the country: Attagenus barbieri Pic, 1946; A. jakli Háva, 2021; A. kadleci Háva, 2012; A. vanharteni Háva, 2009; A. yemensis Háva & Herrmann, 2014; and Telopes tessellatus Reitter, 1887. Morphological examinations led to the exclusion of five previously misidentified species from the Saudi fauna: A. dichrous Roth, 1851; A. fasciolatus (Solsky, 1876); A. heydeni (Reitter, 1881); Telopes obtusus (Gyllenhal in Schönherr, 1808); and Telopes reitteri (Mroczkowski, 1968). The distribution of Attageninae reveals the influence of environmental gradients on species richness, with mid-altitude areas (601–1500 m) serving as biodiversity hotspots, hosting 14 species. Lowland and highland specialists display niche adaptation, with species like A. apicalis and A. logunovi restricted to low altitudes (≤ 600 m) and A. kadleci found exclusively in high-altitude environments (> 2000 m). Approximately 40% of the Attageninae species in Saudi Arabia are found within protected areas. This study identifies five endemic species in the Arabian Peninsula, including one exclusive to Saudi Arabia (A. logunovi). These findings increase the number of known attagenine species by 43% in Saudi Arabia and 7% in the Arabian Peninsula, highlighting the need for systematic surveys and taxonomic revisions to reveal the overlooked biodiversity in the region
“Lepidoptera Fluminensis”, a forgotten eighteenth-century lepidochromy book on Brazilian moths and butterflies
No full textEarly Portuguese natural history collections regarded Brazil as one of its main interests, influenced by the kingdom’s political authorities and naturalists’ own fascination. Two unique and almost identical copies of the same work on Brazilian butterflies, “Lepidoptera Fluminensis”, with specimens predating Brazil’s independence, are held today at the Museu Nacional de História Natural e da Ciência da Universidade de Lisboa (MUHNAC), in Portugal, and in the private collection of António Bonchristiano in Brazil. Both books were prepared using a poorly known and now extinct technique, lepidochromy, sometimes labeled as “nature printing”. Here we present a concise history on lepidochromy, as well as the history of these books from conception until the present day, including their conservation status, and a taxonomic review of their content. We suggest that the authorship of the books should be attributed to two authors, Friar José Mariano da Conceição Veloso and Father Francisco Solano, while previous works had only identified the former as the possible author. As the authors used Linnaeus’ “Systema Naturae” as a major reference for the species’ identification in “Lepidoptera Fluminensis”, here we provide a taxonomic update for all species based on current classification of Lepidoptera. Originally regarded as having representatives of 169 different taxa, “Lepidoptera Fluminensis” represents specimens of 145 taxa currently recognized, from nine families. We also present a brief note on the importance of Friar Veloso’s work as an early scholar of Brazil’s natural history and the relevance of “Lepidoptera Fluminensis ”as both an artwork and a naturalistic endeavor
Overly optimistic adder, Vipera berus (Linnaeus, 1758), killing and intending to swallow an oversized young hare, Lepus europaeus Pallas, 1778
No full textIn snakes, predatory attacks on oversized prey are not uncommon. Here, we describe an adult female Vipera berus that likely bit and intended to swallow an oversized young hare, Lepus europaeus. The estimated mass of the hare was about 10 times greater than that of the viper. The event took place in Denmark, on 10 August 2022. We suggest that the adder under these circumstances might have benefited from a large prey to gain maximum energy after likely having given birth. Greatly oversized prey items killed by snakes are poorly known in literature. Based on published and unpublished reports, we add to the knowledge of snakes’ killings and subsequently abandoning oversized prey items. It may be an underdocumented phenomenon
Lycidae, Elateridae (Omalisinae), Prostomidae and Pyrochroidae in the Coleoptera collections of “Grigore Antipa” National Museum of Natural History with the first record of Pyrochroa bifoveata in Romania
No full textThe paper deals with twelve species of Lycidae, Elateridae (Omalisinae), Prostomidae and Pyrochroidae from Romania. Photographs of male genitalia and abdominal segments of four specimens of Pyrochroa bifoveata Molfini, Mancini & Bologna, 2022 from Constanța, Brașov, Satu Mare counties and Bucharest are given. Distribution maps based on the examined material are presented for the twelve species
The rapid expansion of Sphenophorus venatus in the Balkans and Eastern Mediterranean, and notes on the west palearctic Sphenophorus (Coleoptera, Curculionidae)
No full textSphenophorus venatus (Say, 1831), a species native to the Nearctic region, has recently been recorded in multiple Eastern Mediterranean and Balkan countries. This study compiles new records based on field surveys and citizen science platforms, confirming the species’ presence in Albania, Bulgaria, mainland Greece, Italy (including Sardinia and Sicily), Israel and Turkey. Clarifications of its distinction from related species in the western Palearctic, alongside notes on the Sphenophorus species in the region are provided
Seasonal distribution of scarabs (Insecta: Coleoptera: Scarabaeidae) of a tropical dry deciduous forest in central India
No full textStudies on scarab (Insecta: Coleoptera: Scarabaeidae) seasonality from central Indian province are sparse, particularly from tropical dry deciduous forests. Our study of seasonal distribution of scarabs in Bor forest, a tropical dry deciduous forest of central India, led to a collection of 72 species belonging to 35 genera under seven subfamilies namely, Aphodiinae, Cetoniinae, Dynastinae, Melolonthinae, Rutelinae, Scarabaeinae and Orphnini. Subfamily Scarabaeinae is found to be the most speciose with 36 species under 14 genera. Genus Onthophagus is the most speciose genus with 15 species. Subfamily Orphninae found to be the least diverse with a single species. Season and weather parameters shaped the scarab beetle assemblages in the tropical dry deciduous Bor forest. Scarab species richness is found to be positively and significantly related to the mean temperature (β=0.03±0.01 SE, p<0.05) and to the mean precipitation (β=0.03±0.01 SE, p<0.05). Constrained by logistics, we could not identify optimum temperature or precipitation values on which the scarab species richness can be highest for both the fitter model