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We review the type specimens belonging to 71 species of Indo-Pacific Triphoridae Gray, 1847 stored in the Muséum national d’Histoire naturelle in Paris. We provide detailed information on the original description, a diagnosis according to the most recently recognized diagnostic characters, and curatorial and nomenclatorial notes. The lots of Triforis (Iniforis) mirifica var. lifuana Hervier, 1898, Mastonia funebris Jousseaume, 1884, Mastonia issa Jousseaume, 1898, Inella numerosa Jousseaume, 1898, Mastonia obesula Jousseaume, 1884, Obesula pantherina Jousseaume, 1898, Mastonia peanites Jousseaume, 1898, Inella perimensis Jousseaume, 1898, Inella rossiteri Jousseaume, 1884 and Obesula senilis Jousseaume, 1898 contained specimens belonging to multiple species and we here designate lectotypes to stabilize nomenclature. We invalidate the neotype designation of T. pupaeformis Deshayes, 1863 because of significant differences between the neotype and Deshayes’ original description. Triforis plicatus Deshayes, 1834 is a Newtoniellidae Korobkov, 1955. Finally, we consider the name Triphora lamyi Selli, 1974 unavailable.

The largest genus within the Phyllanthaceae family is a group called Phyllanthus L. Recent studies have shown, that Phyllanthus is paraphyletic with the genera Glochidion, Breynia and Synostemon nested within it. In this thesis, I study the evolution and systematics of Phyllanthus and how to solve the apparent paraphyly. First we explore past morphological subgroups to come to a subdivision, which was tested using molecular phylogenetics. Several species of Phyllanthus are also used in traditional medicine and by utilizing the living collections of the Hortus botanicus Leiden, we tested for antibacterial and antifungal bioactivity. The phylogeny resulting from this study is used to study the historical biogeography and diversification of the tribe and to propose a new classification where Phyllanthus is separated into several smaller genera.

The extant Triphoridae of the Samoan archipelago are reviewed, and 21 new Samoan records are discussed and illustrated based on recent collections from the island of Tutuila, American Samoa. Confident identifications are provided for the following 9 species: Bouchetriphora pallida (Pease, 1871); Coriophora cnodax (Jousseaume, 1884); Coriophora fusca (Dunker, 1860); Costatotriphora iniqua (Jousseaume, 1898); Iniforis fusiformis (Kosuge, 1961); Mastonia iris Laseron, 1958; Nanaphora triticea (Pease, 1861); Triphora collaris Hinds, 1843; and Triphora taeniolata Hervier, 1898. Provisional records are provided for 7 species: Inella cf. numerosa Jousseaume, 1898; Iniforis cf. douvillei Jousseaume, 1884; Mastoniaeforis cf. chaperi Jousseaume, 1884; Nanaphora cf. tricolor Laseron, 1958; Opimaphora cf. coralina Laseron, 1958; Triphora cf. fulvescens Hervier, 1898; and Metaxia cf. brunnicephala Kay, 1979. A further 5 species are recorded from Samoa that cannot be definitively assigned to currently described taxa and may represent undescribed species: Monophorus aff. strictus (Laserson, 1958); Nanaphora aff. triticea (Pease, 1861); Obesula aff. pantherina Jousseaume, 1898; Opimaphora aff. coralina Laseron, 1958; and Triphora aff. laddi Kay, 1979. Two species previously recorded from Samoa based on tentatively identified fossil material are now validated as currently present: Iniforis albogranosa (Kosuge, 1961) and and Viriola pagoda (Hinds, 1843). Of the 13 other species previously recorded from Samoa, 2 are currently considered synonyms; 4 are questionable records not based on any specimens that can be located; 2 are questionable names that may represent synonyms; 1 is a likely misidentification; and 4 are valid records of which one, Mastonia cf. rubra (Hinds, 1843), was recollected. Based on this analysis, the currently documented triphorid fauna of Samoa consists of 33 species, although additional species are undoubtedly present. The current total is also subject to change as taxonomic and nomenclatural problems are resolved.

Shelled pteropods are marine planktonic snails that are regarded as bioindicators of ocean acidification because their thin aragonitic shells are susceptible to dissolution. In addition, shelled pteropods play an important role in the ocean’s carbonate budget and in marine food webs worldwide, despite their small body size. It is unclear if pteropod species are genetically homogeneous across their broad spatial ranges, or composed of several distinct species or populations. Little is also known about their evolutionary potential to adapt to long-term environmental changes. I aimed to assess the spatial genetic variation in the shelled pteropod Limacina bulimoides, to gain insight into the drivers of genetic structuring in the open ocean and to obtain a better understanding of their evolutionary history and adaptive potential. Through standard barcoding genes and novel target capture probes for pteropods, I investigated the patterns of genome-wide variation of L. bulimoides across their interconnected subtropical and tropical ocean habitat. I found that L. bulimoides is not genetically homogeneous across its range, but is composed of at least three reproductively isolated lineages across the Atlantic, Indian and Pacific Oceans. Detailed analysis of the Atlantic lineage revealed three distinct populations separated by narrow dispersal barriers, which suggests that (bio-)physical factors, natural selection, or a combination of both could be keeping populations apart. Looking forward, the methods used to access genomic information in L. bulimoides can be applied to other shelled pteropods, including species in (sub)polar regions, which are already experiencing the effects of a rapidly acidifying ocean.

In 2009 and 2010, the Faculty of Archaeology of Leiden University performed excavations at the archaeological site Anse Lavoutte on the Caribbean island Saint Lucia. This site was inhabited during the Late Ceramic Age, about A.D. 1000-1500. The authors analysed 20 bags of sieving material collected during these excavations and identified the shells therein. This provided information about the molluscs that lived there and/or were used by the people of the settlement. Reports on molluscs only occasionally mention some species from Saint Lucia. In addition to Malacolog, an online database inventory, this paper is also a contribution to a checklist of the molluscs of Saint Lucia.

This book seeks to provide a practical overview of all aspects of relevance in the field of molecular identification of plants. The first section, “From sample to DNA”, provides information on how to set up an experiment, how to design the best sampling protocol, and how to extract DNA from different substrates. The second section, “From DNA to sequence or identification”, gives an overview of the methods that can be used. The final section, “From identification to application”, shows what kind of scientific questions that can be addressed or which applications with relevance for society are possible with plant identification. This book is meant for people with previous experience who want to bring themselves up to date with the latest techniques, but also for early stage researchers who need a first overview of the available options. We hope that this book will be a useful tool for both science and education.

Dissochaeta Blume (Melastomataceae, tribe Dissochaeteae) is well-known as a scrambling plant genus found in Southeast Asia, where it is an inhabitant of the tropical rainforests or evergreen forests.The main objectives of this thesis are to clarify the relationships among species and genera within the Dissochaeta alliance and to provide a new classification, which reflects the evolutionary and biogeographic traits of this plant group. The study focuses on three aspects of the Dissochaetaalliance: the taxonomy, molecular phylogeny and historical biogeography.

Mollusca form an important animal phylum that first appeared in the Cambrian, and today is, after Arthropoda, the second largest animal phylum, with more than 100,000 extant species (Bieler, 1992, Brusca and Brusca, 2003), with the class Gastropoda accounting for 80% of the extant species in the Mollusca. Despite its species-richness, a generalized gastropod shell architecture is maintained because of conserved developmental processes. All of the shelled gastropods grow by adding, in a unidirectional accretionary way, shell material with the mantle edge organ, usually at different deposition rates around the existing aperture. This shell ontogeny, or to be more specific aperture ontogeny, gives the general spiral form for the shells. However, spiral forms can vary when there are changes in any one of the aspects in the aperture ontogeny profiles, namely, the rate and direction of shell deposition around the aperture, size and shape of the aperture (i.e. mantle edge), and the total length of the shell ontogeny processes. The interplays between these developmental parameters have generated a great diversity in shell form, for which taxonomists and evolutionary biologist are now trying to accurately characterize and to understand with regard to its evolution. This thesis reveals several hitherto unknown aspects of Plectostoma shell forms, in terms of the developmental homology, the aperture ontogeny profile, anti-predation functionality, and evolutionary pattern in shell characters and ontogenetic morphospace evolution. In fact, these are the issues that have been targeted by biologists for centuries in order to improve the way shell shape is characterized and to improve understanding of shell form evolution.

We revise the type specimens of 132 nominal species of worldwide Triphoridae stored in the Natural History Museum of the United Kingdom (NHMUK), London. We provide the species name in its original combination, followed by bibliographic details of the original description, the location of the known type material, the original description (and its translation when in Latin), a diagnosis and curatorial or nomenclatural notes. We illustrated most specimens in the type series in colour and with SEM imaging and we have added the original figure whenever possible. The specimens ofTriphorisalveolatus,T.granulatus,T.suturalisandT.verrucosus, all A. Adams & Reeve, 1850,T.pfeifferiCrosse & Fischer, 1865 andT.cucullatusde Folin, 1867, previously considered type material, are not considered here belonging to the type series. Adams & Reeve’s taxa should be considerednomina dubia. The nameTriphorainsularumis a manuscript name by H.E.J. Biggs who deposited “types” in the NHMUK but refrained from introducing the name due to the lack of apex of the studied material. We selected lectotypes for six species (T.concorsHinds, 1843,T.maxillarisHinds, 1843,T.fuscomaculataE.A. Smith, 1904,T.shepstonensisE.A. Smith, 1906,T.eupunctataG.B. Sowerby III, 1907, andT.rufulaWatson, 1886) to stabilize the nomenclature. Finally, we illustrate original specimens (although not types) of three species described by Turton, whose type material is lost.

Monitoring of airborne pollen concentrations provides an important source of information for the globally increasing number of hay fever patients. Airborne pollen is traditionally counted under the microscope, but with the latest developments in image recognition methods, automating this process has become feasible. A challenge that persists, however, is that many pollen grains cannot be distinguished beyond the genus or family level using a microscope. Here, we assess the use of Convolutional Neural Networks (CNNs) to increase taxonomic accuracy for airborne pollen. As a case study we use the nettle family (Urticaceae), which contains two main genera (Urtica and Parietaria) common in European landscapes which pollen cannot be separated by trained specialists. While pollen from Urtica species has very low allergenic relevance, pollen from several species of Parietaria is severely allergenic. We collect pollen from both fresh as well as from herbarium specimens and use these without the often used acetolysis step to train the CNN model. The models show that unacetolyzed Urticaceae pollen grains can be distinguished with > 98% accuracy. We then apply our model on before unseen Urticaceae pollen collected from aerobiological samples and show that the genera can be confidently distinguished, despite the more challenging input images that are often overlain by debris. Our method can also be applied to other pollen families in the future and will thus help to make allergenic pollen monitoring more specific.

Taxonomy as a science has accumulated data and knowledge for more than 250 years. The quality and usefulness of the facts recorded in taxonomic literature has greatly improved from the early descriptive texts to the modern data-rich, hypothesis-driven works. Our work illustrates the application of some of the “e-taxonomic” tools and the “New Taxonomy” thinking explored in the introduction. Here, we analyzed specimen data contained in legacy taxonomic literature in Chapters 2 and 3—to observe species distribution of one spider group and genital evolution, respectively—and also explored an integrative perspective that involves describing new taxa and testing phylogenetic hypotheses using molecular and morphological data, as done in Chapter 4 and 5.

Freshwater is an important resource, but at a great risk of species decline due to habitat loss, pollution and over-exploitation, and invasive alien species. European and national regulation dictate the monitoring of freshwater quality in the Water Framework Directive. The biological elements of these assessments focus on the organisms living in freshwater systems, such as fish, macroinvertebrates, and plants. Traditional monitoring of quality relies on labor-intensive and expensive collection and morphological identification of specimens. Recent developments in molecular techniques allow for easier identification through (meta)barcoding and species detection using environmental DNA (eDNA). This thesis explores the possibilities to integrate genetic tools into freshwater quality monitoring and impact assessments, by investigating the ability of DNA-based methods to approximate morphologically determined species occurrences and the influence of their abundance on quality ratios. Additionally, it examines the effects of replication strategies in eDNA sampling, and studies the implications of using eDNA monitoring across several trophic levels of the ecosystem in impact assessments. Combined with a growing body of literature, the findings in this thesis illustrate that molecular techniques will contribute to a better ecosystem understanding and allow for more effective monitoring and management of freshwater systems, safeguarding the ecosystem services provided to humankind.

Captive breeding programmes in zoological institutions can be important tools for conservation. Lemurs are popular zoo animals and are present in hundreds of zoos outside of Madagascar. But are captive lemur populations integrated into exsitu conservation efforts? Are lemur species in zoos chosen because of their conservation value, popular appeal, or some other considerations? Here, we address these questions, focusing on zoological institutions of the European Association of Zoos and Aquaria (EAZA) network. We assess whether lemur species presence in EAZA zoos is linked to taxonomy, International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN) threat category and/or biological traits (body mass and diet). We find that a total of 22 of 109 lemur species are currently kept in EAZA zoos (July 2021). Our results show that some species (e.g. Lemur catta, Varecia variegata) and genera (e.g. Eulemur) are over-represented in zoos, whereas some species- rich genera are poorly represented (Microcebus) or not represented at all (Lepilemur). Body mass and diet are strong indicators of presence in captivity, with larger or frugivorous species overrepresented, and small or folivorous species underrepresented. A total of 15 species are currently bred under collaborative European ex-situ programmes. There is no link between severity of IUCN status and species presence in zoos, and endangered or critically endangered species are not more likely to be found in captivity. These results suggest that species in EAZA zoos have predominantly been chosen due to their appeal to the public, ease of husbandry or other practical and administrative constraints, rather than based on potential benefits for conservation. Addressing the imbalance between the EAZA’s current collection of captive lemur species and the lemur species of conservation priority would lead to better representation of the threatened biodiversity of lemurs under active ex-situ population management, potentially acting as a failsafe against extinction.

New data on 52 non-indigenous mollusks in the Eastern Mediterranean Sea is reported. Fossarus sp. (aff. aptus sensu Blatterer 2019), Coriophora lessepsiana Albano, Bakker & Sabelli, sp. nov., Cerithiopsis sp. aff. pulvis, Joculator problematicus Albano & Steger, sp. nov., Cerithiopsis sp., Elachisina sp., Iravadia aff. elongata, Vitrinella aff. Vitrinella sp. 1 (sensu Blatterer 2019), Melanella orientalis, Parvioris aff. dilecta, Odostomia cf. dalli, Oscilla virginiae, Parthenina cossmanni, Parthenina typica, Pyrgulina craticulata, Turbonilla funiculata, Cylichna collyra, Musculus coenobitus, Musculus aff. viridulus, Chavania erythraea, Scintilla cf. violescens, Iacra seychellarum and Corbula erythraeensis are new records for the Mediterranean. An unidentified gastropod, Skeneidae indet., Triphora sp., Hypermastus sp., Sticteulima sp., Vitreolina cf. philippi, Odostomia (s.l.) sp. 1, Henrya (?) sp., and Semelidae sp. are further potential new non-indigenous species although their status should be confirmed upon final taxonomic assessment. Additionally, the status of Dikoleps micalii, Hemiliostraca clandestina comb. nov. and H. athenamariae comb. nov. is changed to non-indigenous, range extensions for nine species and the occurrence of living individuals for species previously recorded from empty shells only are reported. Opimaphora blattereri Albano, Bakker & Sabelli, sp. nov. is described from the Red Sea for comparison with the morphologically similar C. lessepsiana Albano, Bakker & Sabelli, sp. nov. The taxonomic part is followed by a discussion on how intensive fieldwork and cooperation among institutions and individuals enabled such a massive report, and how the poor taxonomic knowledge of the Indo-Pacific fauna hampers non-indigenous species detection and identification. Finally, the hypothesis that the simultaneous analysis of quantitative benthic death assemblages can support the assignment of non-indigenous status to taxonomically undetermined species is discussed.

This paper presents a first critical review of the beetle species (Insecta: Coleoptera) reported from the (former) Dutch Antilles as well as a history of beetle collecting and collectors on the islands. The introductory section provides a concise overview of the location, climate, geology and vegetation of the six islands. The catalogue is concluded with miscellaneous additions, corrections and annotations to the published records of the other islands of the northern Leeward Islands, and a comprehensive bibliography. (ZooBank registration: http://zoobank.org/ E2D76464-5AAE-4D75-9AC5-CA119E65D72A

The evolution of the Pontocaspian lakes and seas (Caspian Sea, Black Sea, Aral Sea) is characterised by major changes in water levels, which developed into a pulsating system of connected and isolated basins. During the late Quaternary (Late Pleistocene and Holocene), these basins have hosted a unique endemic biodiversity that experienced species turnover events. There are indications that the Pontocaspian species diversity is now in demise because of anthropogenic modifications of the ecosystem, such as habitat alteration, poaching, pollution and invasive species. Little data is available on faunal changes and resilience of Pontocaspian species to help discerning the effect of natural drivers and anthropogenic drivers on the endemic fauna, which is of direct relevance for conservation strategies. This thesis aims to characterize species richness and abundance of fossil faunas to establish a baseline for comparison with the changing biodiversity of today. Mollusc species are used as the study group as they easily fossilize and are abundant in the geological record. They inform us about the composition of communities and how they change, and enable us to reconstruct environments (‘habitats’). This is necessary in order to compare biodiversity through different time intervals and establish whether comparable habitats existed as those of today. A baseline of Pontocaspian mollusc faunas was achieved by analysing snapshots from the Caspian Sea basin and the Black Sea basin. Caspian mollusc assemblages are analysed from late Pleistocene (corresponding to the late Khazarian, Hyrcanian, early Khvalynian and late Khvalynian regional stages) and pre-20th century Holocene (Novocaspian) assemblages. Black Sea assemblages from the late Neoeuxinian and late Holocene are described. They are both compared with modern day assemblages. This study shows clear indications of a Pontocaspian mollusc diversity crisis. Overall, in the 20th–21st century, Pontocaspian molluscs have experienced a severe decline in species richness and abundance: a strong turnover towards invasive species in the Caspian basin, a strong habitat decline in parts of the Black Sea basin and a total obliteration in the Aral basin. The late Quaternary mollusc fauna snapshots demonstrate that endemic species dominated the Caspian communities with minor contributions of native species until the late Holocene. The Pontocaspian mollusc species richness in the Caspian Sea basin is higher than in the Pontocaspian habitats of the Black Sea basin, or the Aral Sea basin. Throughout the Late Quaternary, the strong natural fluctuations of Caspian Sea level affected shallow water bivalve species of the genus Didacna, but barely changed the overall composition of the mollusc faunas. Late Quaternary mollusc fauna snapshots of the Black Sea basin show very little change in the Pontocaspian species community since humans impacted the habitats. However, the Black Sea Pontocaspian mollusc communities are currently under severe threat of habitat deterioration and destruction. This research indicates that the Caspian Sea could act as a source for Pontocaspian biota, hence conservation efforts are imperative there. The deeper parts (>50 m water depth) possibly present a (partial) refuge, and urgent research is required to assess these habitats and their faunas. Future research should focus on improving the taxonomic framework to elucidate the identity of some Pontocaspian cryptic and sister species. We need more distribution and ecological data of current Pontocaspian species and more detailed biodiversity time series coupled with detailed environmental proxies to assess the nature of the Pontocaspian biodiversity crisis more comprehensively and plan conservation actions accordingly.

By means of an integrated approach, including molecular, morphological, anatomical and histological data, we describe a new species of freshwater flatworm of the genus Dugesia from southwest China, representing the third species recorded for the country. Morphologically, the new species, Dugesia umbonata Song & Wang, sp. nov., is particularly characterised by the presence of a muscularised hump immediately antero-dorsally to a knee-shaped bend in its bursal canal and by an ejaculatory duct that opens subterminally through the dorsal side of the penis papilla. Four molecular datasets (18S rDNA; ITS-1; 28S rDNA; COI) facilitated determination of the phylogenetic position of the new species, which belongs to a clade comprising other species from the Australasian and Oriental regions. We also analysed the structure of its major nervous system by means of the acetylcholinesterase (AChE) histochemical method and compared these results with data available for three other species of Dugesia.

The term “textura oblita”, referring to a tissue type in ascomycetes with apothecial ascomata, has caused much confusion to ascomycologists. Originally it was defined as a long-celled tissue type consisting of thick-walled hyphae with intercellular substance. However, this definition appeared not well, or not at all, applicable to the originally given examples like Phialea starbaeckii. This has resulted in two other definitions which are more or less the opposite of each other, viz. as a thick-walled tissue with gelatinized walls and as a thin-walled tissue embedded in a gelatinous matrix. The main issue is the location of the gelatinous substance in the relevant tissue: in the cell wall, extracellular, or both. Unfortunately all of the three tissues are called “gelatinous tissue”, although the term “gelatinous tissue” according to its definition concerns only tissue with extrahyphal gel. This implies that essential information about the location of the gel is ignored. In effect, all three conceptions of textura oblita are reducible to versions of textura porrecta that differ in the location of the gel. Similarly other tissue types can occur in different versions.The author discusses the postulated mechanisms of gel formation in fungal tissues. These concern disintegration of the outer layer(s) of hyphal walls, disintegration of hyphae, and secretion, here linked to exocytosis. There is supposed to be a correlation between the way of gel formation on the one hand, and the structure of the sporocarp and the cell wall in ascomycetes and basidiomycetes on the other hand.To conclude, an emended tissue typology is provided in which the distinguished versions of the six basic tissue types are arranged according to the shape of their cells, the arrangement of their hyphae, the occurrence of thickened cell walls, and the occurrence of extracellular gel.The species name Cyathicula starbaeckii, comb. nov., is validly published here.

DiSSCo, the Distributed System of Scientific Collections, is a pan-European Research Infrastructure (RI) mobilising, unifying bio- and geo-diversity information connected to the specimens held in natural science collections and delivering it to scientific communities and beyond. Bringing together 120 institutions across 21 countries and combining earlier investments in data interoperability practices with technological advancements in digitisation, cloud services and semantic linking, DiSSCo makes the data from natural science collections available as one virtual data cloud, connected with data emerging from new techniques and not already linked to specimens. These new data include DNA barcodes, whole genome sequences, proteomics and metabolomics data, chemical data, trait data, and imaging data (Computer-assisted Tomography (CT), Synchrotron, etc.), to name but a few; and will lead to a wide range of end-user services that begins with finding, accessing, using and improving data. DiSSCo will deliver the diagnostic information required for novel approaches and new services that will transform the landscape of what is possible in ways that are hard to imagine today. With approximately 1.5 billion objects to be digitised, bringing natural science collections to the information age is expected to result in many tens of petabytes of new data over the next decades, used on average by 5,000 – 15,000 unique users every day. This requires new skills, clear policies and robust procedures and new technologies to create, work with and manage large digital datasets over their entire research data lifecycle, including their long-term storage and preservation and open access. Such processes and procedures must match and be derived from the latest thinking in open science and data management, realising the core principles of 'findable, accessible, interoperable and reusable' (FAIR). Synthesised from results of the ICEDIG project ("Innovation and Consolidation for Large Scale Digitisation of Natural Heritage", EU Horizon 2020 grant agreement No. 777483) the DiSSCo Conceptual Design Blueprint covers the organisational arrangements, processes and practices, the architecture, tools and technologies, culture, skills and capacity building and governance and business model proposals for constructing the digitisation infrastructure of DiSSCo. In this context, the digitisation infrastructure of DiSSCo must be interpreted as that infrastructure (machinery, processing, procedures, personnel, organisation) offering Europe-wide capabilities for mass digitisation and digitisation-on-demand, and for the subsequent management (i.e., curation, publication, processing) and use of the resulting data. The blueprint constitutes the essential background needed to continue work to raise the overall maturity of the DiSSCo Programme across multiple dimensions (organisational, technical, scientific, data, financial) to achieve readiness to begin construction. Today, collection digitisation efforts have reached most collection-holding institutions across Europe. Much of the leadership and many of the people involved in digitisation and working with digital collections wish to take steps forward and expand the efforts to benefit further from the already noticeable positive effects. The collective results of examining technical, financial, policy and governance aspects show the way forward to operating a large distributed initiative i.e., the Distributed System of Scientific Collections (DiSSCo) for natural science collections across Europe. Ample examples, opportunities and need for innovation and consolidation for large scale digitisation of natural heritage have been described. The blueprint makes one hundred and four (104) recommendations to be considered by other elements of the DiSSCo Programme of linked projects (i.e., SYNTHESYS+, COST MOBILISE, DiSSCo Prepare, and others to follow) and the DiSSCo Programme leadership as the journey towards organisational, technical, scientific, data and financial readiness continues. Nevertheless, significant obstacles must be overcome as a matter of priority if DiSSCo is to move beyond its Design and Preparatory Phases during 2024. Specifically, these include: Organisational: Strengthen common purpose by adopting a common framework for policy harmonisation and capacity enhancement across broad areas, especially in respect of digitisation strategy and prioritisation, digitisation processes and techniques, data and digital media publication and open access, protection of and access to sensitive data, and administration of access and benefit sharing. Pursue the joint ventures and other relationships necessary to the successful delivery of the DiSSCo mission, especially ventures with GBIF and other international and regional digitisation and data aggregation organisations, in the context of infrastructure policy frameworks, such as EOSC. Proceed with the explicit aim of avoiding divergences of approach in global natural science collections data management and research. Strengthen common purpose by adopting a common framework for policy harmonisation and capacity enhancement across broad areas, especially in respect of digitisation strategy and prioritisation, digitisation processes and techniques, data and digital media publication and open access, protection of and access to sensitive data, and administration of access and benefit sharing. Pursue the joint ventures and other relationships necessary to the successful delivery of the DiSSCo mission, especially ventures with GBIF and other international and regional digitisation and data aggregation organisations, in the context of infrastructure policy frameworks, such as EOSC. Proceed with the explicit aim of avoiding divergences of approach in global natural science collections data management and research. Technical: Adopt and enhance the DiSSCo Digital Specimen Architecture and, specifically as a matter of urgency, establish the persistent identifier scheme to be used by DiSSCo and (ideally) other comparable regional initiatives. Establish (software) engineering development and (infrastructure) operations team and direction essential to the delivery of services and functionalities expected from DiSSCo such that earnest engineering can lead to an early start of DiSSCo operations. Adopt and enhance the DiSSCo Digital Specimen Architecture and, specifically as a matter of urgency, establish the persistent identifier scheme to be used by DiSSCo and (ideally) other comparable regional initiatives. Establish (software) engineering development and (infrastructure) operations team and direction essential to the delivery of services and functionalities expected from DiSSCo such that earnest engineering can lead to an early start of DiSSCo operations. Scientific: Establish a common digital research agenda leveraging Digital (extended) Specimens as anchoring points for all specimen-associated and -derived information, demonstrating to research institutions and policy/decision-makers the new possibilities, opportunities and value of participating in the DiSSCo research infrastructure. Establish a common digital research agenda leveraging Digital (extended) Specimens as anchoring points for all specimen-associated and -derived information, demonstrating to research institutions and policy/decision-makers the new possibilities, opportunities and value of participating in the DiSSCo research infrastructure. Data: Adopt the FAIR Digital Object Framework and the International Image Interoperability Framework as the low entropy means to achieving uniform access to rich data (image and non-image) that is findable, accessible, interoperable and reusable (FAIR). Develop and promote best practice approaches towards achieving the best digitisation results in terms of quality (best, according to agreed minimum information and other specifications), time (highest throughput, fast), and cost (lowest, minimal per specimen). Adopt the FAIR Digital Object Framework and the International Image Interoperability Framework as the low entropy means to achieving uniform access to rich data (image and non-image) that is findable, accessible, interoperable and reusable (FAIR). Develop and promote best practice approaches towards achieving the best digitisation results in terms of quality (best, according to agreed minimum information and other specifications), time (highest throughput, fast), and cost (lowest, minimal per specimen). Financial Broaden attractiveness (i.e., improve bankability) of DiSSCo as an infrastructure to invest in. Plan for finding ways to bridge the funding gap to avoid disruptions in the critical funding path that risks interrupting core operations; especially when the gap opens between the end of preparations and beginning of implementation due to unsolved political difficulties. Broaden attractiveness (i.e., improve bankability) of DiSSCo as an infrastructure to invest in. Plan for finding ways to bridge the funding gap to avoid disruptions in the critical funding path that risks interrupting core operations; especially when the gap opens between the end of preparations and beginning of implementation due to unsolved political difficulties. Strategically, it is vital to balance the multiple factors addressed by the blueprint against one another to achieve the desired goals of the DiSSCo programme. Decisions cannot be taken on one aspect alone without considering other aspects, and here the various governance structures of DiSSCo (General Assembly, advisory boards, and stakeholder forums) play a critical role over the coming years.

Latonia seyfriedi, the type species of the genus Latonia, was described by von Meyer (1843) based on an articulated skeleton from the middle Miocene (Serravallian) of Ohningen, Germany. Besides the holotype, four additional articulated skeletons are known from the type locality; all display only the ventral aspect. A similar frog reported by Lartet (1851) from the middle Miocene of Sansan, France was later assigned to the genus Latonia as L. gigantea based on disarticulated skull roof bones covered with sculpture. In the course of time, similar bones were recovered from numerous localities, but, because the dorsal surface of the cranial roof was not known for L. seyfriedi, they were mostly identified as L. gigantea. The crucial question of whether the skull roof bones of L. seyfriedi, especially the frontoparietal and maxilla, bear sculpture or not remained unresolved until recently, when specimen TMH 8438 from Ohningen was made available for micro-computed tomography (CT) investigations. The present study reveals that the frontoparietal is covered by pustular sculpture as in the L. gigantea neotype, and that the sculpture on the maxillae is similar in both taxa. Since other bones are also similar, we suggest that L. gigantea is a junior synonym of L. seyfriedi. Micro-CT scanning of TMH 8438 made it possible to reconstruct the original positions of the bones. It turned out that the nasals are sculptured and overlapped with the frontal processes of the maxillae as well as with the anterior end of the frontoparietal. This allowed us to reconstruct the shape and proportions of the skull.

The Pontocaspian (Black Sea - Caspian Sea) region has a very dynamic history of basin development and biotic evolution. The region is the remnant of a once vast Paratethys Sea. It contains some of the best Eurasian geological records of tectonic, climatic and paleoenvironmental change. The Pliocene-Quaternary co-evolution of the Black Sea-Caspian Sea is dominated by major changes in water (lake and sea) levels resulting in a pulsating system of connected and isolated basins. Understanding the history of the region, including the drivers of lake level and faunal evolution, is hampered by indistinct stratigraphic nomenclature and contradicting time constraints for regional sedimentary successions. In this paper we review and update the late Pliocene to Quaternary stratigraphic framework of the Pontocaspian domain, focusing on the Black Sea Basin, Caspian Basin, Marmara Sea and the terrestrial environments surrounding these large, mostly endorheic lake-sea systems. © 2018 The Authors

To gain more insight into the evolutionary development of orchid flowers and fruits, the orchid species Erycina pusilla was studied. The evolutionary origin of the median petaloid sepal, the callus on the labellum, and the stelidia was studied. These organs were found to be derived from a sepal, a stamen that gained petal identity, and stamens that became staminodes, respectively. The “Oncidiinae” model was proposed, explaining the duplications, diversifying selection and changes in spatial expression of different MADS-box genes that shaped the perianth, enabling the rewardless flowers of E. pusilla to mimic an unrelated rewarding flower for pollinator attraction.After pollination the inferior orchid ovary develops into a fruit. This process is described for E. pusilla up to fruit dehiscence. The fruit associated MADS-box genes and proteins together with other dehiscence-related genes were analyzed in order to propose a first “orchid fruit developmental protein and gene network” model. Fruit development was further studied by transcriptome analyses presenting data obtained from different developmental phases.By analyzing the anatomy of ripe fruits of different orchid species, possible correlations were found between fruit valve lignification patterns, life form, growth strategy, ecology, fruit orientation, dehiscence type, number of valves and slits, and phylogenetic relationships.

Adaptation to different ecological environments can, through divergent selection, generate phenotypic and genetic differences between populations, and eventually give rise to new species. The fire salamander (Salamandra salamandra) has been proposed to represent an early stage of ecological speciation, driven by differential habitat adaptation through the deposition and development of larvae in streams versus ponds in the Kottenforst near Bonn (Germany). We set out to test this hypothesis of ecological speciation in an area different from the one where it was raised and we took the opportunity to explore for drivers of genetic differentiation at a landscape scale. A survey over 640 localities demonstrated the species’ presence in ponds and streams across forests, hilly terrain and areas with hedgerows (‘bocage’). Genetic variation at 14 microsatellite loci across 41 localities in and around two small deciduous forests showed that salamander effective population sizes were higher in forests than in the bocage, with panmixia in the forests (Fst Fst > 0.025). The system fits the ‘mainland-island’ metapopulation model rather than indicating adaptive genetic divergence in pond versus stream larval habitats. A reanalysis of the Kottenforst data indicated that microsatellite genetic variation fitted a geographical rather than an environmental axis, with a sharp transition from a western pond-breeding to an eastern, more frequently stream-breeding group of populations. A parallel changeover in mitochondrial DNA exists but remains to be well documented. The data support the existence of a hybrid zone following secondary contact of differentiated lineages, more so than speciation in situ.

Gilen gen. nov. (type species G. orientalis sp. nov.) from South East Asia is described and illustrated. The new taxon has a produced mid-longitudinal facial projection, which differentiates it from all other known genera of Ichneumonidae. It belongs to the tribe Perilissini in the subfamily Ctenopelmatinae (Hymenoptera, Ichneumonidae) and is recorded from Laos, Northern Thailand and Vietnam.

Wasps of the genusGasteruptionare predator-inquilines of bees nesting in cavities in wood, stems, galls, and vertical soil surfaces. During studies of hymenopterans associated with reed galls caused by flies of the genusLiparawe recorded three species. We provide the evidence that a rare European speciesGasteruptionphragmiticolais a specialized predator-inquiline of an equally rare wetland beeHylaeuspectoralis.Gasteruptionnigrescensis a predator-inquiline of bees of the family Megachilidae, using the common beeHoplitisleucomelanaas the main host.Gasteruptionassectatoris a less specialized predator-inquiline of multiple groups of bees. The first two species,G.phragmiticolaandG.nigrescens, are usually present at well-preserved reed beds associated with meadows rich in flowering plants whileG.assectatordoes not prefer any specific habitat. Mature larvae ofGasteruptiontypically have a dorsoventrally flattened body and lateral lobes, small head with only slightly sclerotized mouthparts and tridentate mandibles. The larvae of these three species differ only slightly from one another, at most by the sclerotization of the mouthparts, colour, and position of setae on the head capsule and the shape of the mandible. As previous descriptions are insufficient, we provide first detailed descriptions with figures.

Two genera, Areopraon Mackauer, 1959 and Pseudopraon Starý, 1975, are newly recorded from China in this paper. Two new species, namely A.chui Tian & Chen, sp. n. and P.hei Tian & Chen, sp. n., are described and illustrated. Keys to the known species of these two genera are provided.

The genus EugaltaCameron, 1899 (Ichneumonidae: Poemeniinae) is reported for the first time from Vietnam after studying the Ichneumonidae collections recently assembled at the Institute of Ecology and Biological Resources (Ha Noi) and the Naturalis Biodiversity Center(Leiden). A key to seven species of Eugaltais compiled. Eugaltapunctulatayamuna(Gupta, 1980), is a junior synonym of the nominate subspecies, E. punctulatapunctulata Cameron, 1899, syn. nov. Citation: Pham Thi Nhi, Khuat Dang Long, Cornelis van Achterberg, 2017. First records of the genus Eugalta Cameron, 1899 (Hymenoptera: Ichneumonidae: Poemeniinae) from Vietnam. Tap chi Sinh hoc, 39(4): 467-473. DOI: 10.15625/0866-7160/v39n4.11242. *Corresponding author: ptnhi2@yahoo.com Received 5 December 2016, accepted 12 August 2017

The distribution of Zethus Fabicius, 1804, in the Oriental and Palaearctic regions is discussed, with special reference to the northeastern Oriental species. A newly discovered species, Z. velamellatus Tan, sp. n. from China (Zhejiang), is described and illustrated. The first key to species of Zethus Fabricius from China is presented. Zethus nigerrimus Gusenleitner, 2001 is recorded for the first time from China and redescribed.

Antispila treitschkiella (Fischer von Röslerstamm, 1843) and A. petryi Martini, 1899, sp. rev. were regarded as synonymous since 1978, but are shown to be two clearly separated species with different hostplants, life histories, DNA barcodes and morphology. Antispila treitschkiella feeds on Cornus mas L., is bivoltine, and has, by following its ornamentally planted host, greatly expanded its range in north-western Europe. In contrast A. petryi feeds on the widespread native C. sanguinea L., is univoltine, and is one of only two Antispila species previously resident in the British Isles, the Netherlands and northern Europe. Consequently, the increase in abundance of A. treitschkiella in the Netherlands since the early 1990s and in Great Britain in recent years must be regarded as part of a recent expansion into north-western Europe, whereas the native A. petryi is hardly expanding and less abundant. In Britain, detailed surveys of parks and living collections confirmed the monophagy of these two species. A search of British herbarium samples provided no evidence for an earlier date of establishment. Information on recognition of all stages, including DNA barcodes, and distribution is provided, and these two species are compared with the third European Cornus L. leafminer, A. metallella (Denis & Schiffermüller, 1775).

Heliozelidae are a widespread, evolutionarily early diverging family of small, day-flying monotrysian moths, for which a comprehensive phylogeny is lacking. We generated the first molecular phylogeny of the family using DNA sequences of two mitochondrial genes (COI and COII) and two nuclear genes (H3 and 28S) from 130 Heliozelidae specimens, including eight of the twelve known genera: Antispila, Antispilina, Coptodisca, Heliozela, Holocacista, Hoplophanes, Pseliastis, and Tyriozela. Our results provide strong support for five major Heliozelidae clades: (i) a large widespread clade containing the leaf-mining genera Antispilina, Coptodisca and Holocacista and some species of Antispila, (ii) a clade containing most of the described Antispila, (iii) a clade containing the leaf-mining genus Heliozela and the monotypic genus Tyriozela, (iv) an Australian clade containing Pseliastis and (v) an Australian clade containing Hoplophanes. Each clade includes several new species and potentially new genera. Collectively, our data uncover a rich and undescribed diversity that appears to be especially prevalent in Australia. Our work highlights the need for a major taxonomic revision of the family and for generating a robust molecular phylogeny using multi-gene approaches in order to resolve the relationships among clades.

The genus Stantonia Ashmead, 1904 (Hymenoptera, Braconidae, Orgilinae) is reviewed for Vietnam, China, Japan, and Russia. Six new species of the genus Stantonia are described and illustrated: Stantonia brevicaudata van Achterberg, sp. n., S. dickyyui van Achterberg & Long, sp. n., S. granulata Long & van Achterberg, sp. n., S. robustifemur van Achterberg & Long, sp. n., S. stilpnosoma Long & van Achterberg, sp. n., and S. vietnamica van Achterberg, sp. n. A new subgenus (Planitonia subg. n.: type species Stantonia robustifemur van Achterberg & Long, sp. n.) is proposed for the species with a flat clypeus and face, and reduced vein r-m of the fore wing. Three species are newly recorded from Vietnam: Stantonia gracilis van Achterberg, 1987, S. sumatrana Enderlein, 1908, and S. tianmushana Chen, He & Ma, 2004. A key to species of Stantonia from Vietnam, China, Russia, and Japan is provided.

An illustrated key to the genera and subgenera of the Alysiini (Hymenoptera, Braconidae, Alysiinae) from China is presented. Three genera new for China are reported: Adelurola Strand, 1924, Anisocyrta Foerster, 1863, and Pentapleura Foerster, 1863. The total for China is 26 genera of Alysiini and an additional seven subgenera (excluding the nominal subgenera, which are included in the total of genera). The known Chinese species are listed under each genus and the biology is summarised. Separatatus sinicus (Zheng, Chen & Yang, 2012) and Grammospila eurys (Chen & Wu, 1994) are new combinations. Regetus Papp, 1999, and Adelphenaldis Fischer, 2003, are new synonyms of Eusynaldis Zaykov & Fischer, 1982. In addition, Eusynaldis Zaykov & Fischer and Synaldis Foerster, 1863, are treated as subgenera of Aspilota Foerster, 1863, and Dinotrema Foerster, 1863, respectively. An aberrant species of Separatatus Chen & Wu, 1994, S. parallelus sp. n., is described from Yunnan and Hainan.

The tribe Planitorini van Achterberg (Hymenoptera: Braconidae: Euphorinae) is revised. One new genus Paramannokeraia gen. n. (type species: P. gibsoni sp. n.) and five new species from Australia are described and illustrated: Mannokeraia albipalpis van Achterberg, sp. n., M. nigrita van Achterberg, sp. n., M. punctata van Achterberg, sp. n., Paramannokeraia gibsoni van Achterberg & Quicke, sp. n. and P. juliae van Achterberg, sp. n. The tribe Mannokeraiini van Achterberg, 1995, is synonymized with the tribe Planitorini (syn. n.).

The genus Gielisella gen. n., belonging to the Elachistidae: Parametriotinae is described with two new species from southern Spain: its type species G. clarkeorum sp. n. and G. nigripalpis sp. n., both only known from adults collected at light. DNA barcodes of both species are provided. The taxonomic history of the Parametriotinae is discussed and a catalogue of the 35 recognised genera is provided as appendix. The arguments for erecting a new genus are discussed and we hypothesize that this constitutes an overlooked native Palaearctic element, although we cannot completely rule out the possibility of imported exotic species.

Nipponopius glabricaudatus sp. n. from Shaanxi and Ningxia (NW China) is described and illustrated (Hymenoptera: Braconidae: Opiinae). A key to the species of Nipponopius Fischer, 1963, is added and for the first time the male is described and illustrated. The genus is reported for the second time from outside Japan and is new for China. The position of Nipponopius Fischer is discussed and it is accepted as a valid genus.

Coeliniaspis Fischer, 2010 (Braconidae, Alysiinae, Dacnusini) is recorded from China and Russia for the first time. Coeliniaspis insularis (Tobias, 1998) is reported from China (Fujian), redescribed and illustrated. A key to the species of the genus Coeliniaspis Fischer is added. Coeliniaspis insularis (Tobias, 1998) and C. rufiventris (Tobias, 1998) are new combinations.

Asia contains a high species diversity of the freshwater gastropod genus Theodoxus. Recent molecular and morphological reviews of this diversity have uncovered a number of yet undescribed species while suggesting the urgent revision of several others. Moreover, some of these studies have indicated a number of species previously not recorded for this continent. Despite the advancements, a taxonomic revision and an update on the distribution of Theodoxus spp. in Asia is still pending. Here, we construct the most robust phylogeny of Theodoxus up to now and review original descriptions, type material, recent taxonomic revisions, compendia, and species lists to provide a comprehensive checklist of all known extant Asian Theodoxus spp. Our checklist also provides descriptions for three recently discovered and yet undescribed species (Theodoxus gurur Sands & Glöer, sp. nov., Theodoxus wesselinghi Sands & Glöer, sp. nov., and Theodoxus wilkei Sands & Glöer, sp. nov.), as well as shows the need to synonymise several previously described morphospecies. The present revision recognizes 14 extant Theodoxus spp.

This thesis describes the genetic and prokaryotic diversity of giant barrel sponges. Although it was originally believed that the giant barrel sponges in the AtlanticOcean and the Indo-Pacific Ocean were two different species, our analyses showed thatthere are several species in both ocean basins. Even more remarkable, is that each species is most closely related to a species in the other ocean basin. According to our analysis, there are threegiant barrel sponge species in the Atlantic Ocean, and, at least, six in the Indo-Pacific Ocean. Sponges house a large and diverse community of microorganisms. It is generally believed thatthese microorganisms play a central role in the physiological processes in the host. It appears that the region in which a giant barrel sponge occursmainly determines the composition of their microbial community. However, if you lookat a smaller scale within a region, for example within one reef or around an island suchas Curaçao, it appears that not only is the geographical location important, but the hostspecies to which an individual belongs also plays an important role.

The sedimentary record of the Caspian Basin is an exceptional archive for the palaeoenvironmental, palaeoclimatic and biodiversity changes of continental Eurasia. During the Pliocene-Pleistocene, the Caspian Basin was mostly isolated but experienced large lake level fluctuations and short episodes of connection with the open ocean as well as the Black Sea Basin. A series of turnover events shaped a faunal record that forms the backbone of the Caspian geological time scale. The precise ages of these events are still highly debated, mostly due to the lack of well-dated sections. Here, we provide an integrated magneto-biostratigraphic age model for two sections from the Kura Basin – Goychay and Hajigabul. Our results reveal several major intervals with elevated salinity, associated with mesohaline faunas, and propose the following age constraints: 1) The Productive Series-Akchagylian boundary is marked by a marine transgression from the open ocean that occurred around the Gauss-Matuyama reversal (∼2.7–2.6 Ma); 2) The Akchagylian-Apsheronian transition is characterized by a regression event and introduction of a new, “Pontocaspian” mollusc assemblage, dated within the Reunion subchron (∼2.13 Ma). The ostracod assemblages of the two sections do not show a major faunal turnover here; 3) The early Bakunian transgression occurs after the upper Apsheronian lowstand (0.85–0.83 Ma). We conclude that major transitions in the age-indicative mollusc groups sometimes occur at different time intervals (i.e. diachronic) and are highly depended on the local depositional environments. A high-resolution interdisciplinary approach on sections outside the Kura Basin is required to better understand the potential diachroneity of these turnover events in the entire Caspian Basin.

Since the introduction of non-native rodents to the Caribbean region, these invaders have successfully occupied many, if not most, islands where they pose tremendous threats to native biodiversity and ecosystems. The objective of our study was to conduct a preliminary assessment of the relative abundance of invasive alien rodents in different vegetation types on the small Caribbean island of St. Eustatius, which has no native rodent species. We used tracking tunnels (baited ink cards placed in tunnels to identify the prints of animals lured to the card) to determine the presence of rodent species. We collected data in 25 × 25 m (n = 13) and 5 × 5 m (n = 130) plots to determine whether elevation, number of tree species, canopy cover or other microhabitat components were correlated with rodent relative abundance. Invasive rodents are present in varying relative abundances in rural areas on St. Eustatius. House mice (Mus musculus) were not recorded inside the terrestrial protected areas, whereas black rats (Rattus rattus) were detected in all elevations and all but one vegetation type sampled. We determined significant correlations between some of the habitat characteristics, especially elevation, canopy height, leaf litter cover and number of tree species, which showed significant collinearity with 27 of 45 pairwise comparisons. There was a significant correlation between rodent relative abundance and the number of tree species, but not between elevation, number of living trees, number of shrubs, rainfall, canopy cover, canopy height, leaf litter cover, leaf litter depth, or slope. There was a significant difference within vegetation types for the frequency of traps containing rat versus mouse tracks. Our study was impacted by two major hurricanes in September 2017. Keywords: Black rat, House mouse, Island, Relative abundance, Tracking tunnels, Vegetation

Trigonostemon Blume is a plant genus in the family Euphorbiaceae comprising 59 species. These plants are small trees or shrubs growing in the lowland rainforests in Southeast Asia and adjacent areas. The small unisexual flowers with colourful petals and the 3 or 5 united stamens are typical characters of the genus. The present thesis studies four aspects of the genus: the taxonomy, pollen morphology, molecular phylogeny and historical biogeography. The species delimitation has been optimised in the taxonomic revisions and the species complexes can now be clearly recognised by morphological characters. Palynological studies reveal strong correlations between pollen and macromorphology in Trigonostemon and these support the infrageneric classification of the genus. Molecular phylogenetic analyses have demonstrated that Trigonostemon and Dimorphocalyx Thwaites are two monophyletic groups and are not closely related, although they are similar in morphology. Furthermore, Trigonostemon is divided into four sections based on molecular and (pollen) morphological data. Finally, the thesis concludes with the historical biogeography of Trigonostemon: it probably originated on Southeast Asian mainland, one lineage later radiated to the Malay Peninsula, and dispersed further eastwards and diversified before the genus reached its current distribution.

Hybrid zones occur where two species meet and produce offspring (hybrids). Typically, hybrids show a considerable reduction in fitness. In this thesis two hybrid zones are treated.Two species of banded newts (Ommatotriton nesterovi and O. ophryticus) are thought to meet in a hybrid zone in the north of Turkey. In this thesis I confirm the species status of the two banded newt species based on mitochondrial DNA and two nuclear DNA sequences. The location of the hybrid zone is narrowed down to a 60 km wide region. If a hybrid zone is present between O. nesterovi and O. ophryticus, it is narrower than 60 km and it may be geographically stable. An introduced population of hybrid banded newts in Spain provides evidence that the two species can produce fertile offspring. This increases the likelihood that a hybrid zone indeed exists between the two species.Common and spined toads (Bufo bufo and B. spinosus) meet in an 800 km long hybrid zone that runs diagonally across France. A genetic footprint north of the hybrid zone was previously recorded and linked to southward hybrid zone movement, with B. bufo overtaking B. spinosus. To test hypotheses of hybrid zone movement, a transect in northwest France was studied with 31 nuclear markers. The contrasting results suggest that stronger reproductive isolation on the B. spinosus side of the hybrid zone than on the B. bufo side, may be more likely than hybrid zone movement.To continue the research on the Bufo hybrid zone, two distant transects, one in the northwest and one in the southeast of France, were studied using 1200 nuclear markers. Asymmetries which were previously found in the literature and in this thesis, were confirmed for the hybrid zone in northwest France, but not in the southeast, where the gene flow appears to be symmetric, indicating the hybrid zone is stable here. Barrier markers, genetic regions which may be associated with barrier genes, were identified by their relatively restricted gene flow. The barrier markers present in both transects suggest that the two species have evolved a universal genetic barrier to gene flow. The differences in patterns of gene flow between the transects may be caused by genetic divergence within B. bufo, documented in previous phylogeographical work. We can clearly no longer think of hybrid zones as static upon formation; hybrid zones evolve! With the increasing availability of genome resources, detection of more detailed patterns of differential introgression along the genome in hybrid zone studies will reveal the genetic architecture of speciation and the evolution of hybrid zones.

In this thesis, I targeted the orchid genus Lepanthes, one of the six genera of angiosperms that surpasses 1,000 species in the Neotropics, as a study model to investigate the evolutionary processes that promoted species diversifications. To investigate this, we improved the taxonomy of the group integrating a solid phylogenetic framework with morphological evolution, assessing inter-specific relationships in species complexes with hundreds of DNA markers using anchored hybrid enrichment approach, and describing new species. In addition, we addressed the pollination of Trichosalpinx through the study of floral anatomy, pollinator behavior, and floral traits. Trichosalpinx flowers are pollinated exclusively by female biting midges that are attracted by the small quantities of proteins secreted on the flowers. Finally, we inferred the biogeographical history and diversification dynamics of the two largest Neotropical orchid groups (Cymbidieae and Pleurothallidinae), using densely sampled phylogenies coupled with geological datasets and discussed the impact of biogeographical events and orogeny on the species richness of Lepanthes. Species diversification is correlated with Andean orogeny, and multiple migrations and recolonizations across the Andes indicate that mountains do not constrain orchid dispersal over long timescales. This thesis provides new insights into the complex evolution of one of the most species-rich angiosperm.

Traditional taxonomic publications have served as a biological data repository accumulating vast amounts of data on species diversity, geographical and temporal distributions, ecological interactions, taxonomic relations, among many other types of information. However, the fragmented nature of taxonomic literature has made this data difficult to access and use to its full potential. Current anthropogenic impact on biodiversity demands faster knowledge generation, but also making better use of what we already have. This could help us make better-informed decisions about conservation and resources management. In past years, several efforts have been made to make taxonomic literature more mobilized and accessible. These include online publications, open access journals, the digitization of old paper literature and improved availability through online specialized repositories such as the Biodiversity Heritage Library (BHL) and the World Spider Catalog (WSC), among others. Although easy to share, PDF publications still have most of their biodiversity data embedded in strings of text making them less dynamic and more difficult or impossible to read and analyze without a human interpreter. Recently developed tools as GoldenGATE-Imagine (GGI) allow transforming PDFs in XML files that extract and categorize taxonomically relevant data. These data can then be aggregated in databases such as Plazi TreatmentBank, where it can be re-explored, queried and analyzed. Here we combined several of these cybertaxonomic tools to test the data extraction process for one potential application: the design and planning of an expedition to collect fresh material in the field. We targeted the ground spider Teutamus politus and other related species from the Teutamus group (TG) (Araneae; Liocranidae). These spiders are known from South East Asia and have been cataloged in the family Liocranidae; however, their relations, biology and evolution are still poorly understood. We marked-up 56 publications that contained taxonomic treatments with specimen records for the Liocranidae. Of these publications, 20 contained information on members of the TG. Geographical distributions and occurrences of 90 TG species were analyzed based on 1,309 specimen records. These data were used to design our field collection in a way that allowed us to optimize the collection of adult specimens of our target taxa. The TG genera were most common in Indonesia, Thailand and Malaysia. From these, Thailand was the second richest but had the most records of T. politus. Seasonal distribution of TG specimens in Thailand suggested June and July as the best time for collecting adults. Based on these analyses, we decided to sample from mid-July to mid-August 2018 in the three Thai provinces that combined most records of TG species and T. politus. Relying on the results of our literature analyses and using standard collection methods for ground spiders, we captured at least one specimen of every TG genus reported for Thailand. Our one-month expedition captured 231 TG spiders; from these, T. politus was the most abundant species with 188 specimens (95 adults). By comparison, a total of 196 specimens of the TG and 66 of T. politus had been reported for the same provinces in the last 40 years. Our sampling greatly increased the number of available specimens, especially for the genera Teutamus and Oedignatha. Also, we extended the known distribution of Oedignatha and Sesieutes within Thailand. These results illustrate the relevance of making biodiversity data contained within taxonomic treatments accessible and reusable. It also exemplifies one potential use of taxonomic legacy data: to more efficiently use existing biodiversity data to fill knowledge gaps. A similar approach can be used to study neglected or interesting taxa and geographic areas, generating a better biodiversity documentation that could aid in decision making, management and conservation.

This study attempts to understand how indigenous community institutions pose an important role in sustainable community-based development, including the integration between local culture and development. Gintingan as an indigenous community institution in Subang of West Java is used as an example of how the local people of Kabupaten Subang operationalise their indigenous beliefs and systems in their livelihood, and how dynamic processes influence the utilisation of the indigenous institutions to reach the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) at the community level. In particular, this study identifies local people’s preferences towards the available ‘Plural Community Institutional System (PCINS)’ in the society: indigenous, transitional, and modern institutions. The independent and intervening factors, i.e. socio-demographic, psycho-social, as well as government and private promotional factors, are examined in the study, to understand the dynamic influences of how the local people of Subang choose their preferences to utilise the available community institutional systems. The study also seeks to contribute ethnoscientific findings to the development debate about the top-down versus bottom-up approaches in development. In particular, the discourse examines the roles of both approaches in poverty reduction, by using the community institutional systems approach.

Polysyncraton Nott, 1892 is the second largest genus of didemnid ascidians; it has a wide distribution ranging from temperate to tropical waters. Seventy-one specimens of Polysyncraton from eight museum collections and recently collected samples were analyzed. This resulted in the description of three new species (P. cabofriense Oliveira & Rocha sp. nov. from Brazil, P. globosum Oliveira & Rocha sp. nov. from Australia and P. snelliusi Oliveira & Rocha sp. nov. from Suriname) and emended descriptions of three further species (P. amethysteum (Van Name, 1902), P. magnilarvum (Millar, 1962) and P. purou C. Monniot & F. Monniot, 1987).

This study has been carried out in the community of Sukamiskin, a kelurahan (‘village’) in Bandung, the Capital of West Java Province, located in the Sunda Region of Indonesia. Parallel to the historical development of the different medical systems, also the related health and communication systems among the people have been extended with new information, knowledge, and experience, which have similarly led to the development of different Traditional and Modern Health Information & Communication Systems (T&MHICS). The proposed Model of an Integrated Health Information & Communication Systems (IHICS) against the background of the three domains of respectively the societal discourse, the lay discourse and the expert discourse, as a planning tool in order to provide a contribution to the improvement of the local people’s level of health literacy, and as such to the ‘Information Society Indonesia’ within the context of public health development in the near future hopes to attribute a new significant meaning to the concept of Iber Kasehatan as a construct of an Integrated Health Information & communication Model (IHICM) in order to provide a contribution to the health of the local population of Sukamiskin in Bandung, as well as in other regions in Indonesia and the rest of the world., knowledge, and experience, which have similarly led to the development of different Traditional and Modern Health Information & Communication Systems (T&MHICS). The proposed Model of an Integrated Health Information & Communication Systems (IHICS) against the background of the three domains of respectively the societal discourse, the lay discourse and the expert discourse, as a planning tool in order to provide a contribution to the improvement of the local people’s level of health literacy, and as such to the ‘Information Society Indonesia’ within the context of public health development in the near future hopes to attribute a new significant meaning to the concept of Iber Kasehatan as a construct of an Integrated Health Information & communication Model (IHICM) in order to provide a contribution to the health of the local population of Sukamiskin in Bandung, as well as in other regions in Indonesia and the rest of the world.