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The fauna of Kunashir Island and the islands of the Lesser Kuril Chain contains 47 species from 18 genera of Georissidae, Helophoridae, Hydrophilidae, Hydraenidae and Elmidae. Two species (Enochrus vilis (Sharp, 1884) and Ochthebius inermis Sharp, 1884) are recorded for Russia for the first time. Fifteen species are new to the fauna of Kunashir Island and the Lesser Kuriles. The article contains an annotated list of species, including the studied material and published records. The article is illustrated by photographs of habitats and species, maps of their distribution in Kunashir. The relationships between the species richness on an island area and the features of the fauna of Kunashir in comparison with Hokkaido are discussed. The species richness of the studied Polyphaga families in Kunashir is almost 2/3 of the fauna of Hokkaido, while the island's area is 55 times smaller. The reason for the absence of large species of the genera Hydrochara and Hydrophilus in Kunashir is hypothesized to be a restriction of the northern range species boundaries by the July isotherm of +16°С.

The National Ecosystem Survey of South Korea aims to understand the nationwide distributional status of various species of flora and fauna. This study aimed to determine the optimal number of pitfall traps needed to survey insects as part of the National Ecosystem Survey and the suitability of using baits in these traps. Twenty (the current number of pitfall traps used in the National Ecosystem Survey) nonbaited traps (NBTs) and five additional baited traps (BTs) (commonly used by researchers) were installed to analyze and compare capture efficiency between methods. Analysis showed that when using NBTs alone, at least 100 traps are needed to capture all species of a survey site. However, the same capture rates can be achieved by installing 15 NBTs and 5 BTs. Therefore, the results of this study confirm that the most effective survey method using pitfall traps requires a combination of NBTs and BTs rather than the current method of installing 20 NBTs alone.

Moths are phytophagous, cosmopolitan, agricultural pests, night pollinators, chiefly nocturnal and potential bio-indicators. The current study will be the first report on species diversity, species composition, abundance, and distributional pattern of moth fauna in Aravalli Hill Range Rajasthan. During the survey period of 2018–2019, 758 specimens of moths were collected pertaining to 34 species, 26 genera belonging to 05 families, and 13 subfamilies from three different sites of Aravalli Hill Range. Based on the number of genera, family Sphingidae was most dominant with 9 genera, and family Crambidae was least dominant with 2 genera. Based on the number of species, the family Sphingidae was the most dominant, representing 13 species, followed by Erebidae representing 11 species, Saturniidae and Noctuidae with 4 species each, the least dominant was Crambidae with 2 species. The diversity indices for moths have been calculated for the first time from the Aravalli Range of Rajasthan. Across the survey, Simpson’s Diversity Index (D′), Shannon Diversity Index (H′), Dominance & Evenness was calculated as 0.95, 3.3, 0.04, and 0.8, respectively, which reflects that moth fauna is diverse in the surveyed areas.

A single specimen of Spotted frillgoby, Bathygobius cyclopterus (Valenciennes, 1837), was collected from a tidal pool on Jeju Island, Korea, in October 2017. The species is characterized by five upper free rays of the pectoral fin, a lower jaw with a mental frenum with a slightly curved posterior margin, and a small flap on the anterior nostril. Mitochondrial DNA 12S rRNA revealed that it corresponds to B. cyclopterus than other congeneric species by 100% identity. This species is the third Bathygobius species of the fish fauna of Korea, and the new Korean name proposed for the species is “Eol-lug-mu-nui-mang-dug”.

In 2017, a spillover dam was constructed in the middle course of the Amazar River of Russia, forming a reservoir to provide water to the Amazar Pulp and Saw Mill project known as Polyarnaya. The dam uses an integrated approach, combining hydrochemical, hydrobiological, and ichthyological methods, as well as echo sounding. Comprehensive studies of the transformation of the Amazar River into a reservoir demonstrate the initially low biodiversity of hydrobionts characteristics for a semi-mountain river under the conditions of the sharply continental climate of the Trans-Baikal region. During the initial stage of formation, the reservoir was similar to the original watercourses in physical and chemical parameters and in the composition of the flora and fauna. It featured extensive shoals that were gradually turning into silt-covered and plant-filled shallow bays. These bays will eventually be locations of maximum concentration and diversity of hydrobionts and future nursery and spawning grounds for fish. The construction of the dam has significantly changed the hydrology of the Amazar River downstream of the dam. These findings reveal problems related to fish migration to the Thymallidae and Salmonidae spawning areas, as well as reductions in the biodiversity and quantity of the macrozoobenthos typical for run-of-river reservoirs.

In 2016, an intense copepod infection was recorded from a reservoir in proximity to the Danube River in Hungary from visibly emaciated wels catfish, Silurus glanis. The parasite-induced pathology was described but parasite identity was not conclusive. Additional sample collections in 2017 and 2018 allowed for identification using both light and scanning electron microscopy, alongside genetic characterisation. The copepods were confirmed to be ergasilids, Sinergasilus major, distinctly different from any previous infection on silurids in Europe. This is the first record of this parasite from Hungary and the first host record from wels catfish.

The current studies were carried out in the three experimental locations of Kashmir valley during 2013 to 2016. The species Andrena cineraria formed the dense nest aggregations in plan grounds, barren lands and hilly areas near the fruit orchards and other landscapes with clay loam soil type. The species start flying and foraging in the orchards from April till July. The nests were allodalous, 29–36 cm in depth, with cells located obliquely around the main barrow. The nests were dense with a maximum density of 11.09 nests/m2 observed in landscapes of Budgam. The barrow diameters were found varying with depth from main entrance. The maximum barrow diameter recorded was 2.05 mm. At certain depth, the female constructs the first cell and the upper nest burrow is vertical and lower is oblique. The nest entrance is generally hidden under the tumulus. In the depth of average 30.48 cm, each cell directly opens to main burrow either alternately or unilaterally. The cell number, diameter, and length varied with depth. Foraging behaviour of A. cineraria on various fruit crops and other shrubs and social forestry trees were determined and the abundance, visitation rate, total visits and time spend per flower were found significant, especially on fruit crops. The significance of the studies is important for the melittologists, as it will help in the conservation of bee fauna. The study is also important in using this species for pollination purpose and would also help to detect and understand the possible pre-adaptation of species in temperate region of Kashmir valley.

Pitfall trapping is an efficient self-sampling method for capturing epigeal arthropods for ecological and faunistic studies. During the present study, conducted between March 2009 and March 2015, pitfall trapping was undertaken in five study sites of different habitats in Abu Dhabi Emirate. During the study period a total of 94 monitoring visits were made to collect data from the pitfall traps at five sites in Abu Dhabi. A total of 36,238 individuals of ground-dwelling arthropods of 121 different species belonging to 14 orders and 46 families were recorded from all the study sites using pitfall traps. The order Coleoptera (beetles) was recorded to be the most dominant order with 46 species followed by Hymenoptera (ants, bees & wasps) with 24 species. On average 37.5 ± 3 (mean ± SE) species were recorded every month from all the study sites and number of species did not vary significantly across the months (df = 11, F = 0.48, p = 0.91 one-way – ANOVA). The arthropod fauna was recorded to be highly diversified in different habitat types, but the number of individuals were not evenly distributed across the study sites (H) 1.10, (E) 0.53, Shannon Diversity Index). The highest diversity of arthropods was recorded from a site Wadi Tarabat, followed by Al Wathba Wetland Reserve (AWWR) and Abu Al Abyed. Our findings indicate that to study ground dwelling invertebrate species, pitfall trapping is an efficient method. Moreover, capture efficiency of pitfall traps can be affected by climatic factors and habitat types of Abu Dhabi Emirate. The ideal period to encounter the highest number of species is between March to April and September to November across all the habitat types.

A preliminary detective survey for the hymenopteran insect fauna of Jazan Lake dam region, Southwest Saudi Arabia, was carried out for one year from January 2018 to January 2019 using mainly sweep nets and Malaise traps. The survey revealed the presence of three hymenopteran Superfamilies (Apoidea, Vespoidea and Evanioidea) representing 15 species belonging to 10 genera of 6 families (Apidae, Crabronidae, Sphecidae, Vespidae, Mutillidae, and Evaniidae). The largest number of species has belonged to the family Crabronidae is represented by 6 species under 2 genera. While the family Apidae, is represented by 2 species under 2 genera. Family Vespidae is represented by 2 species of one genus. While, the rest of the families Sphecidae, Mutillida, and Evaniidae each is represented by only one species and one genus each. Eleven species are predators, two species are pollinators and two species are parasitics. Note for each family was provided, and species was provided with synonyms and general and taxonomic remarks and their worldwide geographic distribution and information about their economic importance are also included. All species were photographed with dorsal and lateral views.

In Vietnam, fisheries play a key role in the national economy. Helminth infections in fish have a major impact on public health and sustainable fish production. A comprehensive summary of the recent knowledge on fish helminths is important to understand the distribution of parasites in the country, and to design effective control measures. Therefore, a systematic review was conducted, collecting available literature published between January 2004 and October 2020. A total of 108 eligible records were retrieved reporting 268 helminth species, among which are digeneans, monogeneans, cestodes, nematodes and acanthocephalans. Some helminths were identified with zoonotic potential, such as, the heterophyids, opisthorchiids, the nematodes Gnathostoma spinigerum, Anisakis sp. and Capillaria spp. and the cestode Hysterothylacium; and with highly pathogenic potential, such as, the monogeneans of Capsalidae, Diplectanidae and Gyrodactylidae, the nematodes Philometra and Camallanidae, the tapeworm Schyzocotyle acheilognathi, the acanthocephalans Neoechinorhynchus and Acanthocephalus. Overall, these studies only covered about nine percent of the more than 2400 fish species occurring in the waters of Vietnam. Considering the expansion of the aquaculture sector as a part of the national economic development strategy, it is important to expand the research to cover the helminth fauna of all fish species, to assess their potential zoonotic and fish health impacts., Graphical abstract Image 1, Highlights • 268 helminth species were reported in 213 fish species occurring in Vietnam. • Reported zoonotic helminths belonged to digeneans, nematodes and cestodes. • Other species included monogeneans, nematodes, cestodes and acanthocephalans.

The soldier flies of the subfamily Stratiomyinae from Korea are treated taxonomically herein. Hitherto, only 2 genera within this subfamily, Odontomyia Meigen and Stratiomys Geoffroy, were previously recorded in Korea. During this taxonomic survey on stratiomyidae flies in Korea, the authors recorded a total of 15 species, including six newly recorded species in Korean fauna: Odontomyia filipjewi, O. halophila, Oplodontha elongata, Oxycera tangi, O. trilineata, and Rhaphiocerina hakiensis. Among them, Oplodontha Rondani, Oxycera Meigen, and Rhaphiocerina Lindner were confirmed as previously unrecorded genera from Korea. Some morphological characteristics of these newly recorded species are provided here. A key to the genera of Korean Stratiomyinae is also included.

The Korean fauna of the snail-killing fly genus Pherbellia Robineau-Desvoidy is reviewed taxonomically. A total of five species belonging to this genus are recognized to occur in Korea. Two of these species, Pherbellia orientalis Rozkosný and Knutson, 1991 and Pherbellia shatalkini Rozkosný, 1991, are recorded for the first time from Korea. The descriptions and illustrations of these species are provided with a key to the Korean species belonging to the genus Pherbellia.

The genus Ametastegia Costa, 1882 was studied. Eight species are recorded for the first time in Korean fauna: A. acutiserrula Wei, 1999, A. cheni (Wei 2003), A. geranii (Takeuchi 1929), A. longicornis (Takeuchi 1929), A. nigroclypea Wei, 2003, A. sinica Wei, 1998, A. tenera (Fallen 1808), and A. tibialis Wei, 2003. The males of A. longicornis and A. tibialis are first discovered and described. A key to the 10 Korean Ametastegia species along with diagnoses, variation, photographs of the diagnostic characters, distribution, and recorded hosts for each species are provided.

This study focused on comparing between dipteran fauna recovered from small mice (Mus musculus Linnaeus, 1758) and albino rat (Rattus norvegicus Berkenhout, 1769) carcasses placed in different habitats (a botanical garden and on a over the roof of 3rd floor of the faculty of science‘s building in the university campus). It was conducted during winter 2018 in Al-Dir'iya, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. Collected specimens were identified morphologically and by molecular techniques based on the mitochondrial cytochrome oxidase subunit I (COI) gene. The number of flies recovered from the different decomposition stages of rat and mice carcasses at the two study sites was 5244, representing 11 families and 14 species. A tota nol of 4665 flies, comprising 11 families and 14 species, invaded carcasses located in the botanical garden, compared to the carcasses placed on the rooftop, which attracted 579 flies from 6 families and 9 species. The most abundant species recovered from both sites was Chrysomya albiceps (Wiedemann, 1830), followed by Musca domestica (Linnaeus, 1758), suggesting that these species are the most valuable for estimating Post Mortem intervals (PMIs) in this region of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. The data collected from this research can serve as the baseline data for homicide investigation as these flies can help determine PMI.

Although freshwater ecosystems are among the most diverse and endangered in the world, little attention has been paid to either the importance of parasitic disease as a threatening process for freshwater organisms, or the co-extinction risk of freshwater parasites. In this review, we use theoretical and empirical studies of host/parasite interactions to examine these issues, particularly with respect to the threat posed by climate change to fish and parasite communities in intermittent rivers. Intermittent rivers are those that cease to flow at any point in time or space, with isolated pools providing ecological refuges for freshwater biota between streamflow events. Intermittent rivers are the dominant river type in arid, semi-arid and Mediterranean regions; areas of the world that have experienced dramatic decreases in streamflow as a result of climate change. Reduced streamflow decreases the number, size and connectivity of refuge pools in intermittent rivers, with important consequences for free-living aquatic organisms, particularly fishes, and their parasitic fauna. As a result of more frequent and sustained periods of no flow, parasite diversity within refuge pools is expected to decrease, with a concomitant increase in the prevalence and intensity of those parasite species which do survive, particularly host generalists. Decreased connectivity between refuge pool communities should increase the spatial modularity of host/parasite interactions, leading to a greater structuring of host and parasite communities along the river. This increases the probability of species loss (for both hosts and their parasites), as local extinctions cannot be reversed by colonisation from other localities., Graphical abstract Image 1, Highlights • Parasites in intermittent rivers must adapt to alternating lotic and lentic conditions. • A drying climate will decrease number, size and connectivity of lentic refuges. • As a result, parasite α-diversity will decrease, but β-diversity will increase. • Increased parasite abundance in refuge pools may drive hosts to local extinction. • Increased modularity of interactions increases host and parasite extinction risk.

The Quantougou (QTG) Fauna in central Lanzhou Basin is an important late Mid-Miocene fauna on the northeastern Tibetan Plateau margin, but its numerical age remains a matter of debate. Here, we present a new magnetostratigraphic record for a fluvio-lacustrine section to further constrain the age of the QTG Fauna. Results suggest that the studied section spans from polarity chrons C5Cn.2n to C5n.2n or C5An.1n, with ages of ca. 16.5 Ma to 10 ​Ma or 16.5 Ma to 12 ​Ma. The QTG Fauna is located at the top of polarity chron C5r.3r or C5Ar.2r, which corresponds to an age of 11.7 Ma or 12.8 ​Ma for the fauna. Accordingly, the associated Myocricetodontinae (a subfamily of Gerbillidae, Rodentia) is suggested to have appeared in the Lanzhou Basin at 11.7 ​Ma or 12.8 ​Ma, which is the oldest Myocricetodontinae in East Asia but is still much younger than the ~20 ​Ma appearance of this subfamily in West and South Asia. Our age data support the interpretation that East Asian Myocricetodontinae originated from South Asia. The QTG fauna further suggest a dry and open grassland environment, which is consistent with global cooling after the Mid-Miocene Climatic Optimum.

A taxonomic study of the genus Synchita Hellwig in Korea is presented. Two species, Synchita hayashii (Sasaji) and S. ussuriensis (Iablokoff-Khnzorian), are newly added to the Korean fauna. A key to species in East Asia, descriptions, habitus photographs, and illustrations of diagnostic characters of the Korean species are provided.

Five species of the subfamily Clinocerinae from the Tatra Mountains (S Poland) were observed to be parasitized by larval water mites. Two of them: Kowarzia plectrum Mik, 1880 and Clinocera storchi Mik, 1880 are recorded from this massif for the first time. In addition, C. storchi, is new for Polish fauna. The most infected species was Clinocera appendiculata Zetterstedt, 1838, following by Wiedemannia mikiana (Bezzi, 1899), Clinocera storchi Mik, 1880, Kowarzia plectrum Mik, 1880 and Wiedemannia jazdzewski Niesiołowski, 1987. The highest number of hosts occurred in the case of Panisopsis curvifrons (Walter, 1907) with five host species, following by both Hydrovolzia placophora (Monti, 1905) and Protzia eximia (Protz, 1896) with one species each. In the case of Clinocera appendiculata more parasites were recorded on males than on females and in C. storchi more parasites were recorded on females. The abdomen of the hosts was the most often chosen by water mites larvae., Graphical abstract Image 1, Highlights • First detailed records of water mites parasitism on five Clinocerinae species. • There are differences in infection of sexes in different host species. • Abdomen was the most often chosen parts of the body by water mites larvae. • The widest range of the body size occurred for Panisopsis curvifrons larvae. • Hydrovolzia placophora is the species develop later than Panisopsis curvifrons.

A catalogue of the fauna of Korean Xyleborine species is provided with information on the Korean records, local and world distribution and taxonomy. The following seven new species and 11 newly recorded species are added to the Korean fauna: Cyclorhipidion laciniosum Park & Smith sp. nov., Cyclorhipidion triste Park & Smith sp. nov., Microperus molestus Park & Smith sp. nov., Xyleborinus kwangreungensis Park & Smith sp. nov., Xyleborus singhi Park & Smith sp. nov., Xylosandrus dentipennis Park & Smith sp. nov., Xylosandrus trunculus Park & Smith sp. nov., Cyclorhipidion fukiense (Eggers), Cyclorhipidion japonicum (Nobuchi), Cyclorhipidion laetum (Niisima), Diuncus haberkorni (Eggers), Dryoxylon onoharaense (Murayama), Euwallacea interjectus (Blandford), Microperus quercicola (Eggers), Xyleborus glabratus Eichhoff, Xyleborus muticus Blandford, Xyleborus ohtoensis Nobuchi, and Xylosandrus compactus (Eichhoff). Two new combinations, Euwallacea praevius (Blandford) comb. nov. and Dryocoetes longipilus (Eggers) comb. nov. (both from Xyleborus), are given. The record of Euwallacea minutus is removed from the Korean fauna.

The offspring of skate Bathyraja sp., caught in the environs of the Simushir Island (Greater Kuril Chain), were studied for infections and stomach contentment. Three species of cestodes: Onchobothrium sp., Pseudanthobothrium purtoni, and Phyllobothrium georgiense were found. Eight taxa of invertebrates were found in the stomach: seven amphipods Acanthostepheia behringiensis, Ampelisca eschrichtii, Eusirus cuspidatus, Gammaridea fam. gen. sp., Lysianassidae gen. sp., Oedicerotidae gen. sp., Stenothoidae gen. sp., and one isopod Arcturus crenulatus. The explosive increase in the number of cestodes infecting Bathyraja sp., has been caused by a change in the food spectrum, characterized by the appearance of bony fish. It is the first time that these three species of cestodes have been recorded in the Bathyraja (inhabiting the Northwestern Pacific). The obtained data expands knowledge on the feeding of skates, the fauna of cestodes of the North Pacific Ocean, and their final hosts, as well as coastal communities of the middle Kuril Islands that are poorly studied.

Scorpions have high levels of endemism and their distributions are typically narrow, making them particularly vulnerable to changes in their environment. Unfortunately, little is known about the status of scorpion conservation worldwide. Here, we compiled information on scorpion diversity across the world and highlighted Mexican scorpion diversity. We created and overlapped scorpions’ hotspots with the Mexican system of protected areas. We also modeled the potential distribution area of 24 wide distributed scorpion species under current and future scenarios to evaluate their vulnerability to climate change considering full and null dispersal models, and calculated the percentage of their distribution that will be protected by the natural protected areas in the future. Our results indicate that while Mexico has the greatest diversity of scorpion species compared to any other country in the world, these animals are not sufficiently protected by the system of natural protected areas under neither current nor under future climatic conditions. In terms of climate change vulnerability, we assessed the impact to these species if their migration to future more climatically suitable areas is not feasible. However, if full migration is feasible for species with broad ecological habitats, nine species might have a more widespread distribution, including three species with medical importance (Centruroides spp.).

The prevalence of endoparasite infections in 83 free-living specimens of Caretta caretta, classified as vulnerable species, from the Adriatic Sea and Northern Ionian Sea was investigated by coprological examination. Thirty-seven (44.6%) turtles were found to be infected with helminths. The helminth infections found were: Rhytidodes gelatinosus and Sulcascaris sulcata (18.1% each), Hapalotrema mistroides (13.2%), Cymatocarpus solearis (9.6%), Eniodotrema megachondrus (7.2%), Kathlania/Tonaudia sp. (3.6%), Neospirorchis sp., Octangium sagitta and Plesiochorus cymbiformis (1.2% each). There were no significant differences in the total prevalence of helminth infections between sexes, size classes, and seasonal periods. Conversely, the prevalence of helminth infections was significantly higher (P, Graphical abstract Image 1, Highlights • The loggerhead sea turtle Caretta caretta Mediterranean populations harboured helminth parasites. • First report of Octangium sagitta in loggerhead sea turtles living in the Mediterranean Sea. • Some epidemiological factors may affect helminth prevalence in free-living C. caretta.

Invasive mammals such as rats are associated with negative impacts on native fauna and their eradication on islands around the world has been proved to result in substantial conservation gains. Fernando de Noronha is an archipelago located off the north-east coast of Brazil and has records of native fauna negatively impacted by introduced rats. We used D-Loop sequences and 14 microsatellite markers to investigate gene flow between three populations of Rattus rattus across two islands of Fernando de Noronha. Using both methods we found very great differentiation between the two islands, indicating very low or no gene flow. Our findings suggested if Rata Island were cleared of rats it would have a low probability of reinvasion occurring from the main island. Thus, we recommend an eradication program be implemented on Rata Island following the successful program on nearby Meio Island.

Biodiversity is variation of life. In agro-ecosystems, biodiversity is usually the calculation of comparative numbers and species of organisms. Insects are the largest and most diverse group of organisms in the world. During present study, different wheat fields of district Sialkot were sampled for the assessment of diversity and relative abundance of insect fauna. Collection of insects was carried out by the sweep net technique. A total of 896 specimens of insect fauna belonging to 15 species and 9 families were collected. Overall, maximum species diversity was observed during the month of April followed by the month of March. Highest relative abundance of sampled fauna was recorded in March (37.05%) followed by April (34.37%) while it was least in June (5.80%). This variation is probably due to temporal fluctuations observed in different months during which sampling was carried out. Overall, Schizaphis graminum (Rondani) or aphids was the most dominant species (17.52%) followed by Coccinella septempunctata (L.) (11.83%). The highly captured predator was C. septempunctata and prey was S. graminum. Simple linear regression showed the highest association between C. septempunctata (larva) and Diuraphis noxia (Kurdjumov) (R2 = 0.945). The Shannon diversity index represented the significant results regarding Diversity (H’= 2.64), Evenness (E = 0.82) and Dominance (D = 0.08) of insect fauna sampled in 2017. The Canonical Correspondence Analysis (CCA) showed the significant effect of rainfall and temperature on most of the sampled species. The current study would be helpful in future for the application of species-specific biological control in wheat field that will lead towards sustainability of agro-ecosystem. Keywords: Biodiversity, Wheat, Insect fauna, Predator prey ratio, Biological control

Coral reefs are some of the most biodiverse ecosystems harboring thousands of species, many of them symbionts that play important roles in the survival of their hosts. These associated taxa, mostly invertebrates, remain largely unstudied and the conservation status of the majority of these species is not assessed. With coral reefs under severe global and local threats, effective conservation measures based on a whole ecosystem approach are needed. The IUCN Red List is the most up to date inventory of species’ conservation status, yet does not include symbiont fauna of important host organisms. Here we suggest including associated taxa in future endangerment assessments, especially those living in obligate symbiosis.

In current study, extensive field surveys are carried out to explore the fauna of assassin bugs of family Reduviidae, along with their habitats and prey records from different localities in the Pothohar region of Pakistan. The quantitative web structure is constructed for better understanding species habitat linkage and is represents a total of twelve different assassin bug species, of which five were identified as new country records i.e., Tribelocephala indica (Stal, 1853), Coranus spiniscutis (Reuter, 1881), Oncocephalus schioedtei (Reuter, 1882), Scadra annulipes (Reuter, 1881) and Ectrychotes dispar (Reuter, 1881). The result of diversity indices, Shannon-Weiner’s and Simpson’s index showed that Trail-5 (Islamabad), Taxilla (Rawalpindi), Sohawa (Jehlum) have maximum values (1.092, 0.662; 1.75, 0.82 and 1.69, 0.78) respectively. The assassin bug species i.e., Rhynocoris marginatus and R. fuscipes are found to predate maximum number of economically important pests of various crops. The diversity indexes of assassin bugs from the Pothohar region indicated that the species have uneven distribution in the five districts. The variation in richness of assassin bug population was recorded in the selected three districts of the Pothohar region. The species richness showed almost same pattern in Islamabad and Jehlum demonstrated by minute difference in Shannon’s equitability index (0.65-0.929 and 0.77-0.87) respectively.

We report the results of a faunistic study of Microlepidoptera performed in Southern Siberia using diverse sampling techniques allowing to cover various taxonomic groups. The provided taxonomic list is comprised of 64 species from 44 genera and 18 families, where all species represent novel geographical records. Of them, only 62 species inhabit Southern Siberia, the other two species, Tuta absoluta (Meyrick) and Carposina sasakii Matsumura are quarantine pests intercepted in this region. Eighteen genera and 3 families (Glyphipterigidae, Chimabachidae, and Oecophoridae) are reported for the first time from the studied region. Overall, 11 species from 7 families are novel for Siberia. Two species, Bucculatrix pannonica and Coleophora curictae, are newly recorded in Russia. For the species newly recorded in the fauna of Siberia and Russia, male or female genitalia are illustrated. For Coleophora curictae, representing a novel record for Russia, the bionomics is given for the first time. Keywords: Microlepidoptera, New regional records, Quarantine species, Russia, Southern Siberia

The South Sandwich Trench is a 965 km long arcuate subduction trench spanning the South Atlantic and Southern oceans, isolated from most other hadal (areas where water depths exceed 6000 m) environments by thousands of kilometres. This feature represents the coldest known hadal ecosystem with ambient sub-zero temperatures recorded from bathyal depths to over 7000 m water depth. Very little research has been carried out into the hadal fauna of this trench since the Russian expeditions of the 1960s and 70s. Here, we report the first visual assessment of hadal fauna from the South Sandwich Trench from a series of seven baited camera and trap deployments between 6044 m and the deepest point at 8265 m water depth, a location called Meteor Deep. Three species of hadal fish (Liparidae), with very low population densities were observed at depths shallower than expected, likely due to the piezo-thermal effect decreasing their depth range. Four species of scavenging amphipods were recovered, extending the known distribution of Eurythenes andhakarae, Hirondellea dubia, and Bathycallisoma schellenbergi to the South Sandwich Trench. Large densities of brittle stars (Ophiuroidea) were seen in the shallower hadal depths, while dense aggregations of holothurians (Elpididae) were observed within trench-fill basins located along the deep trench axis coincident with a visible surficial layer of surface derived detritus. In addition, gastropods, sponges, and stalked crinoids were observed. Importantly, this study highlights the endemic community present at hadal depth within this somewhat unique high pressure-low temperature environment.

The global trade in wildlife affects ~24% of terrestrial vertebrates, and demand for traditional medicinal materials, especially for traditional Chinese medicine, is a high profile driver. At present the relative extent to which demand for wild-animal-origin medicinal materials arises from different markets (OTCM, zhongyi and CMP, see companion paper) within "TCM" is unknown. We wished to populate the above categories, revealing the numbers and types of species involved, to provide the first consolidated description of the diversity of animal species potentially able to be used for different facets of "TCM”, an overview of their conservation status, and an initial estimate of the degree to which existing trade feeds into these different facets of "TCM”. We found that the number and diversity of wild-animal-origin medicinal materials listed as available for use in "TCM" differ markedly between the Pharmacopoeia of the People’s Republic of China (representing OTCM) - which currently lists 70 wild species - and the Medical Fauna of China, representing zhongyi - which lists 2275 animal species. Our findings indicated a substantial trade - both imports to, and exports from China - of "TCM" medicinal materials from wild animal taxa listed in the Medical Fauna of China but not listed in the Pharmacopoeia, and also of species for which there is no prior textual support, including species potentially being traded as substitutes for listed species. We recommend working with TCM practitioners to enact the targeted substitution of sustainably sourced plant-based medicinal materials for the currently-used animal-origin materials. We suggest that this should initially target the 70 OTCM species, as well as inferred OTCM species and selected genera likely to be imported as substitutes, to strike a balance between keeping the focus of the required research narrow, while targeting the taxa most likely to be traded.

Microplastic (MP) pollution is increasing worldwide and affecting aquatic fauna in different ways, which endangers current aquatic resources in a still unknown extent. MP-induced threats to marine fauna are critical for developing countries, where waste treatment may be not optimal and coastal communities rely heavily on marine resources for dietary protein. In this study, we assess the importance of MP pollution for African fishing resources. A new meta-database was created from published studies, containing 156 samples with more than 6200 individuals analysed for microplastic content from African and adjacent waters. A combination of research landscape analysis and rank analysis served to identify main research targets and to determine regional fishing resources especially affected by MP. A network of relevant terms showed fish health as a concern in Mediterranean waters, environmental pollution in freshwater and an emphasis on plastic items in South Africa. MP contents in fishing resources from Nile countries and the Gulf of Guinea, followed by Tunisia, are significantly higher than in other regions. Some of the most exploited species are among the most polluted ones, highlighting the threat of MP pollution in valuable but already compromised African fishing resources. Large geographic gaps with almost absent data about MP in aquatic fauna were revealed, especially in freshwater and in East African coasts. These results emphasize the importance of increasing the coverage of MP pollution in African fishing resources, and improving plastic waste management in the continent. info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersion

Mosquitoes and the diseases they transmit are a global public health threat that affects most human populations. Mosquito abundances are strongly linked to the number of suitable larval habitats available. However, it is still not well understood how different land uses impact larval habitat quality in different parts of the world. We investigated links between land use practices and abundance of mosquito larvae in temporary ponds located in different land uses in a malaria expansion zone in Tanzania. Temporary ponds are often cited as important sources of mosquitoes but are also of substantial conservation concern being home to a unique fauna and flora. Often, they also have high socio-economic importance. Overall, encountered mosquito larval abundances were very low, both for the collected Anopheles gambiae s.l. and Culex quinquefasciatus. Although temporary ponds are important mosquito larval habitats in other parts of Africa, currently they are unlikely to be an important factor affecting the prevalence of mosquito borne diseases in the Manyara study region. Larval abundances in temporary ponds were higher in agricultural areas where more eutrophic conditions were found and minimal in residential areas. Overall, even though temporary ponds are often modified as rice paddies in the rainy season, they were in a good ecological condition and hosted a diverse assemblage of aquatic predators that likely prevented larval mosquitoes from reaching high densities. Maintaining this good condition by preventing pesticide and nutrient input as much as possible, can be important to prevent pond degradation that is likely to make these habitats more suitable for mosquitoes in the future.