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The phylogeography of economically important forest pests is important for understanding their demographic and evolutionary history. Linking the genetic data obtained with the bioclimatic models helps reveal future demographic trends of the pest species studied. Lymantria monacha is a polyphagous species that feeds on numerous coniferous and deciduous trees throughout the Palaearctic and is known to cause catastrophic defoliation, particularly in Europe. In addition, data from various mapping programmes over the last decade have revealed changes in the distribution of L. monacha. Therefore, in this study, we decided to clarify the evolutionary and demographic history of this important forest species using genetic data complemented by bioclimatic modelling. Our results confirmed the systematic status and monophyly of L. monacha. However, the lack of a geographical pattern between the studied regions suggests that the current genetic structure may be the result of recent dispersal events. Moreover, we found that the areas of high genetic diversity are consistent with potential past range shifts and survival of changes in climate and host plant availability. These two main variables also seem to determine the future range of L. monacha. Also, our modelling confirmed a poleward shift in its range and with a significant retraction from its current southern edge of distribution. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We recorded a new species of Cossidae -- Acossus terebrus (Denis & Schiffermüller, 1776) -- for Mongolia (Tov Aimak). We also report on the most northern habitat of the cossid genus Gobibatyr Yakovlev, 2004 (North-West Mongolia, Bayan-Ulegej Aimak), which shows the permeability of the Mongolian Altai Mountain Range for some elements of the Dzungarian fauna. Additionally, our sampling resulted in adding new localities to the ranges of Catopta perunovi Yakovlev, 2007 and Cecryphallus nubila (Staudinger, 1895) (first discovered in Hovd Aimak). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article gives a detailed illustrated redescription of the rare little-known species, Dyspessa wiltshirei Daniel, 1938, including description of the male genital structure which is presented for the first time. The differences of this species from its closely related species are also provided. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Simple Summary: Butterfly specimens with unusual morphological characters (e.g., unusual wing coloration) have contradictory interpretations in the literature and have been considered by different authors either as previously undescribed taxa, putative hybrids, or aberrations of well-known species. Such individuals clearly represent a taxonomic problem that needs to be addressed by scientists. The application of molecular techniques could shed light on the origin of morphological uncertainty. Here we use a combination of mitochondrial and nuclear DNA markers to analyze three lycaenid butterflies with unusual wing pattern, which are thought to represent naturally occurring hybrids due to their intermediate phenotype. We confirm their hybrid origin and indicate that the specimens are wild-caught hybrids between females of Callophrys rubi and males of Ahlbergia frivaldszkyi. Our data indicate that gene flow across species boundaries in these butterflies can occur long after speciation. Natural hybridization is rather widespread and common in animals and can have important evolutionary consequences. In terms of taxonomy, exploring hybridization and introgression is crucial in defining species boundaries and testing taxonomic hypotheses. In the present paper, we report on natural hybrid specimens between Ahlbergia frivaldszkyi (Lederer, 1853) and Callophrys rubi (Linnaeus, 1758). To test the hypothesis of their hybrid origin, we employed the molecular mitochondrial (COI gene) and nuclear (wingless, RPS5, and Ca-ATPase genes) markers commonly used in phylogenetic studies and explored the morphology of the specimens. Our analysis revealed that hybrids bear mitochondrial haplotypes of C. rubi, while nuclear fragments are heterozygous, sharing a combination of A. frivaldszkyi and C. rubi lineages. The hybrid specimens combine morphological characters of both genera. Our results for the first time empirically demonstrate the possibility of genetic introgression between these species and between the genera Callophrys and Ahlbergia on the whole. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Attractive targeted sugar baits (ATSBs) have the potential to significantly reduce infective female Anopheles mosquitoes in arid areas, such as in Northern Mali. Malaria is epidemic in the north due to the limited viability of Anopheles species in the desert climate. The goal of this study was to determine of the effect of ATSB on the number of older female An. gambiae and on the number of sporozoite-positive females in villages in northern Mali. Methods: Villages were located in the north of Mali. In this study, 5677 ATSB stations were deployed, two on each home, in ten villages during late July and early August 2019. Ten villages served as controls. After a pre-treatment monitoring period in July, An. gambiae populations were monitored again from August to December using CDC-UV light traps, pyrethrum spray catches (PSC), and human landing catches (HLC). Mosquitoes were dissected to estimate their age, while ELISA detected sporozoite positivity. The monthly entomological inoculation rates (EIRs) were calculated for HLC indoors and outdoors. Data from villages were compared using t-tests, while bait station weighted density versus amount of collected females was checked with a Pearson's correlation. Results: A total of 2703 female An. gambiae were caught from treated villages, 4582 from control villages, a 41.0% difference. Dissection of 1759 females showed that ATSB significantly reduced the number of older females. The proportion of older females in treated villages was 0.93% compared to 9.4% in control villages. ELISA analysis of 7285 females showed that bait stations reduced the number of sporozoite-positive females. The infective females in treated villages was 0.30% compared to 2.73% in the controls. The greater the density of bait stations deployed, the fewer the older, infective females (P < 0.05). EIRs were low in control villages except in months when An. gambiae populations were high. EIRs in ATSB placement villages remained zero. Significant reductions (P < 0.0001) in An. gambiae males were observed. Conclusions: Bait stations reduced all measures of vector populations in this study. In a low-transmission setting, ATSB has the potential to greatly reduce malaria. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background The effect of clothing colour on the biting rates of different vector mosquito species is not well understood. Studies under tropical field conditions are lacking. This study aimed to determine the influence of clothing colours on mosquito biting rates in rural and suburban settings in West Africa. Methods We performed a simulated field study in a suburban and a rural site in Mali using Mosquito-Magnet traps utilizing CO2 and other attractants, which were covered with black, white, and black/white striped textile sheets covers. These targets operated continuously for 10 consecutive days with bright nights (around full moon) and 10 consecutive days with dark nights (around new moon). Trapped mosquitoes were collected and catch rates counted hourly. Mosquitoes were morphologically identified to the species complex level (Anopheles gambiae s.l. and Culex pipiens s.l.) or species level (Aedes aegypti). A subset of Anopheles specimens were further identified by molecular methods. Results Under bright-night conditions, An. gambiae s.l. was significantly more attracted to black targets than to white and striped targets; during dark nights, no target preference was noted. During bright nights, Cx. pipiens s.l. was significantly more attracted to black and striped targets than to white targets; a similar trend was noted during dark nights (not significant). For day-active Ae. aegypti , striped targets were more attractive than the other targets and black were more attractive than white targets. Conclusions The study firstly demonstrated that under field conditions in Mali, West Africa, mosquito catch rates were influenced by different clothing colours, depending on mosquito species and light conditions. Overall, light colours were least attractive to host-seeking mosquitoes. Using white or other light-coloured clothing can potentially reduce bite exposure and risk of disease transmission in endemic tropical regions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Simple Summary: The genus Colias Fabricius, 1807 is a taxonomically challenging group of butterflies. Many Colias taxa display a high level of intraspecific variation in wing pattern and are weakly differentiated with respect to genitalia structure; therefore, a conclusion on their status as a distinct species, subspecies or local form can be controversial. In such cases, it is crucial to conduct a comprehensive analysis based on various phylogenetic and biogeographical approaches and a large-scale sampling dataset in order to resolve existing taxonomic and nomenclatural problems. In the present study, we focused on two enigmatic Colias taxa of unclear taxonomic status, Colias mongola Alphéraky, 1897 and Colias tamerlana Staudinger, 1897, restricted in distribution to western Mongolia, northwestern China and the south Siberian part of Russia. Here, we conducted a DNA barcode-based analysis that revealed complicate genetic pattern with several differentiated haplotypes clustered in four distinct haplogroups. In addition, we found a strong correlation between a specific mitochondrial haplogroup and Wolbachia infection, suggesting that Wolbachia endosymbionts may have played an essential role in the biology and diversification of the taxa in question and the genus Colias as a whole. The genus Colias Fabricius, 1807 includes numerous taxa and forms with uncertain status and taxonomic position. Among such taxa are Colias mongola Alphéraky, 1897 and Colias tamerlana Staudinger, 1897, interpreted in the literature either as conspecific forms, as subspecies of different but morphologically somewhat similar Colias species or as distinct species-level taxa. Based on mitochondrial and nuclear DNA markers, we reconstructed a phylogeographic pattern of the taxa in question. We recover and include in our analysis DNA barcodes of the century-old type specimens, the lectotype of C. tamerlana deposited in the Natural History Museum (Museum für Naturkunde), Berlin, Germany (ZMHU) and the paralectotype of C. tamerlana and the lectotype of C. mongola deposited in the Zoological Institute, Russian Academy of Sciences, St. Petersburg, Russia (ZISP). Our analysis grouped all specimens within four (HP_I–HP_IV) deeply divergent but geographically poorly structured clades which did not support nonconspecifity of C. mongola–C. tamerlana. We also show that all studied females of the widely distributed haplogroup HP_II were infected with a single Wolbachia strain belonging to the supergroup B, while the males of this haplogroup, as well as all other investigated specimens of both sexes, were not infected. Our data highlight the relevance of large-scale sampling dataset analysis and the need for testing for Wolbachia infection to avoid erroneous phylogenetic reconstructions and species misidentification. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Aim: Biogeographical studies on the entire ranges of widely distributed species can change our perception of species' range dynamics. We studied the effects of Pleistocene glacial cycles on current butterfly species distributions, aiming to uncover complex biogeographic patterns in the Holarctic, a region dramatically affected by Cenozoic climate change. Location: Eurasia and North America. Taxon: Boloria chariclea, Agriades optilete, Carterocephalus palaemon, Oeneis jutta. Methods: We reconstructed the biogeographic history of four butterfly species differing in habitat preferences (B. chariclea – tundra, A. optilete – bogs, C. palaemon – temperate grasslands, O. jutta – taiga), using one mitochondrial and two nuclear DNA markers and species distribution modelling. Results: Except for B. chariclea, all species originated in Eurasia. The open habitat species A. optilete and C. palaemon formed widely distributed east‐west genetic clusters in continental Asia and clusters separated from them in Europe. Genetic clusters of the taiga species O. jutta were not geographically separated in Eurasia, suggesting Pleistocene fragmentation and recent reconnection. The glaciated North America was recolonized from Beringian and southerly situated refugia by all four species. Main conclusions: The Pleistocene mammoth steppe allowed a widespread continuous distribution of open habitat butterflies, while in contrast the distribution of a taiga‐specialist species was more limited. In the mostly flat and continental North Asia, the butterflies of various types of open habitats survived ice age in widely distributed east‐west belts. In the mountainous and oceanic regions of Europe, Beringia and west North America, all four species persisted in contracted areas during the glacials. After deglaciation, they expanded their ranges and formed contact zones among populations. To conclude, the harsh climate of the glacials did not represent an obstacle for butterflies. Instead, different habitat specialists selected their own ways to thrive in the dynamic conditions of Quaternary glacial periods. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• A robust phylogeography of gypsy moth based on a comprehensive taxon sampling is proposed. • Intraspecific variation and relationship among major phylo-geographic lineages are clarified. • Discovery of a new cryptic lineage from Persian Plateau. • A new scenario for colonization and the geographic centres of origin of gypsy moths is proposed. We examined the global phylogeography of gypsy moth (Lymantria dispar L.) using molecular data based on mitochondrial and nuclear genes. Populations from all biogeographic regions of the native and introduced range of L. dispar , were sampled to fully document intraspecific and subspecies variation, identify potential cryptic species, and to clarify the relationships among major phylogeographic lineages. We recovered three major mtDNA lineages of L. dispar : Transcaucasia; East Asia + Japan; and Europe + Central Asia. The circumscription of these lineages is only partially consistent with the current taxonomic concept (i.e., L. dispar dispar ; L. dispar asiatica ; L. dispar japonica), with the following important discrepancies: (1) north-central Asian populations, including topotypical populations of L. dispar asiatica , may be more closely related to European rather than Asian segregates, which would require the synonymization of the taxon asiatica and establishment of a new name; (2) the Japanese populations (L. d. japonica) are not distinct from east Asian populations; (3) the presence of a distinct, unnamed mitogenomic lineage endemic to the Trancaucasus region. We demonstrated that the population from Transcaucasia contains the highest mitochondrial haplotype diversity among L. dispar , potentially indicative of an ancestral area for the entire dispar-group. Our study corroborates the endemic Hokkaido, Japan taxon Lymantria umbrosa (Butler) as the sister group to all other L. dispar populations, but the applicability of the names umbrosa versus hokkaidoensis Goldschmidt needs to be re-evaluated. The ancestral area analysis suggest that Japan was likely colonized via Sakhalin ∼1 Mya, in contrast to previous studies which have suggested colonization of the Japanese archipelago via the Korean Peninsula. Lastly, mitogenomic variation within L. dispar is incongruent with phylogenies based on nuclear DNA, as nDNA gene phylogenies did not recover the three major mtDNA lineages, and also failed to recover L. dispar and L. umbrosa as reciprocally monophyletic. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]