The record of Ametropus fragilis Albarda, 1878 (Ephemeroptera, Ametropodidae) from Georgia

The representatives of the genus Ametropus (Insecta, Ephemeroptera) were recorded 80 years ago in Georgia. Due to the taxonomic uncertainty, the recorded specimens were considered potentially new taxa. Since then, no other record of Ametropus has been documented from the whole South Caucasus and its nearby regions further south. In the present contribution, we provide a new record of Ametropus from the Alazani River (Kura River Basin, Georgia). Morphological and DNA barcoding of the COI gene fragment showed that the species belongs to the widespread Holarctic species A. fragilis. Morpho-anatomical characteristics also confirmed the high degree of similarity between the newly recorded specimens and those once recorded 80 years ago. In addition, the COI barcode showed a strikingly closer relationship between Caucasian A. fragilis and North American A. neavei (3.54% divergence) compared to Caucasian and European A. fragilis populations (4.3% divergence). The observed pattern clearly indicates the need for further and more thorough revision of the Ametropus species complex in the Holarctic region

New records of centipedes (Myriapoda: Chilopoda) in the fauna of Georgia, South Caucasus

Georgia's rich biodiversity, as a key part of the Caucasus hotspot, makes it an ideal destination for scientific research. Nevertheless, knowledge about the species diversity of different animal groups in this area remains limited. In this article we provide information on the nine centipede species (Henia brevis (Silvestri, 1896), H. hirsuta Verhoeff, 1928, H. taurica (Sseliwanoff, 1884), Strigamia caucasia (Verhoeff, 1938), S. pusilla (Sseliwanoff, 1884), Harpolithobius spinipes Folkmanová, 1958, Lithobius antipai Matic, 1969, L. foviceps Muralevitch, 1926, and L. micropodus (Matic, 1980)) newly recorded in Georgia. Three of these species (H. brevis, H. hirsuta, and L. micropodus) are also new records for the Caucasus region. Data on their distribution, maps of the localities, and photos of the specimens studied are also given

Revealing the stygobiotic and crenobiotic molluscan biodiversity hotspot in Caucasus : part I : the phylogeny of stygobiotic Sadlerianinae Szarowska, 2006 (Mollusca, Gastropoda, Hydrobiidae) from Georgia with descriptions of five new genera and twenty-one new species

The position of the southwestern Caucasus as a stygobiotic Mollusca hotspot is confirmed. Molecular data of stygobiotic gastropods revealed the diversity of subfamily Sadlerianinae Szarowska, 2006, inhabiting the subterranean environment of Georgia. In addition to the well-known endemic genera Pontohoratia Vinarski, Palatov & Glöer, 2014 and Motsametia Vinarski, Palatov & Glöer, 2014, five more genera were identified in northwestern Georgia as new to the science: Kartvelobia gen. nov., Imeretiopsis gen. nov., Caucasopsis gen. nov., Caucasogeyeria gen. nov., and Hausdorfenia gen. nov. Additionally, 21 new species were found to inhabit the studied area (Samegrelo, Imereti, Racha regions in Georgia)

Revealing the stygobiotic and crenobiotic molluscan diversity in the Caucasus : Part IV : crenobiotic Belgrandiellinae Radoman, 1983 (Mollusca, Hydrobiidae) from Georgia

Since 2020, the south-western Caucasus has been recognized as a hotspot of stygobiotic Mollusca diversity after revealing a large number of new, range-restricted species within the spring snail family Hydrobiidae, subfamily Sadlerianinae sensu Szarowska. Meantime, based on extensive material collected in the south-western Caucasus during the last decades, we studied members of another spring snail subfamily Belgrandiellinae Radoman, 1983. Modern integrative taxonomic work revealed hitherto unknown diversity within this subfamily in the region and further proved the importance of the south-western Caucasus as a hotspot of stygobiotic life. In particular, the subterranean environment and springs of Georgia were known to be inhabited by the genus Tschernomorica Vinarski and Palatov, 2019 with four nominal species. Our research, based on a morpho-anatomical study and genetic investigation of COI/H3 mitochondrial/nuclear markers, revealed additionally seven species and three genera new to science—Colchiella lugella gen. et sp. nov., C. nazodelavo gen. et sp. nov., C. shiksa gen. et sp. nov., C. dadiani gen. et sp. nov., Sataplia cavernicola gen. et sp. nov., Aetis starobogatovi gen. et sp. nov., and Tschernomorica kopidophora sp. nov. —to inhabit the Georgian part of south-western Caucasus. The full taxonomic description of each new taxa, along with the review of habitat characteristics and conservation status, is provided. Molecular genetics suggests that the ancestors of Caucasian Belgrandiellinae have migrated from south-western Europe, probably more than once during the late Messinian and early Pliocene periods. Later, Plio-Pleistocene climate oscillations, particularly the repeated rise and fall of the Black Sea water level, resulted in the isolation and radiation of various lineages within the Caucasus and Crimea

The first DNA-assisted record of Hemelytroblatta livida (Blattodea: Corydiidae) from Georgia with notes on Corydiinae species composition in the Caucasus

The fossorial sand cockroach Hemelytroblatta livida (Brunner von Wattenwyl, 1865) is reported from Georgia for the first time, with a commentary on the species composition of the Corydiinae Saussure, 1864 subfamily in the Caucasus. Collection data, pictures of the male and female, and DNA barcodes are also provided. Furthermore, information on Polyphaga aegyptiaca (Linnaeus, 1758) is provided, along with images of the male, female, and juvenile

Phylogeny, phylogeography and hybridization of Caucasian barbels of the genus Barbus (Actinopterygii, Cyprinidae)

Phylogenetic relationships and phylogeography of six species of Caucasian barbels, the genus Barbus s. str., were studied based on extended geographic coverage and using mtDNA and nDNA markers. Based on 27 species studied, matrilineal phylogeny of the genus Barbus is composed of two clades ¿ (a) West European clade, (b) Central and East European clade. The latter comprises two subclades: (b1) Balkanian subclade, and (b2) Ponto-Caspian one that includes 11 lineages mainly from Black and Caspian Sea drainages. Caucasian barbels are not monophyletic and subdivided for two groups. The Black Sea group encompasses species from tributaries of Black Sea including re-erected B. rionicus and excluding B. kubanicus. The Caspian group includes B. ciscaucasicus, B. cyri (with B. goktschaicus that might be synonymized with B. cyri), B. lacerta from the Tigris-Euphrates basin and B. kubanicus from the Kuban basin. Genetic structure of Black Sea barbels was influenced by glaciation-deglaciation periods accompanying by freshwater phases, periods of migration and colonization of Black Sea tributaries. Intra- and intergeneric hybridization among Caucasian barbines was revealed. In the present study, we report about finding of B. tauricus in the Kuban basin, where only B. kubanicus was thought to inhabit. Hybrids between these species were detected based on both mtDNA and nDNA markers. Remarkably, Kuban population of B. tauricus is distant to closely located conspecific populations and we consider it as relic. We highlight revealing the intergeneric hybridization between evolutionary tetraploid (2n=100) B. goktschaicus and evolutionary hexaploid (2n=150) Capoeta sevangi in Lake Sevan.The study was supported by Russian Science Foundation (grant no. 15-14-10020); final stage of the study was supported by Russian Foundation for Basic Research (grants nos. 18-54-05003 and 19-04-00719)

The impact of insect herbivory on biogeochemical cycling in broadleaved forests varies with temperature

Herbivorous insects alter biogeochemical cycling within forests, but the magnitude of these impacts, their global variation, and drivers of this variation remain poorly understood. To address this knowledge gap and help improve biogeochemical models, we established a global network of 74 plots within 40 mature, undisturbed broadleaved forests. We analyzed freshly senesced and green leaves for carbon, nitrogen, phosphorus and silica concentrations, foliar production and herbivory, and stand-level nutrient fluxes. We show more nutrient release by insect herbivores at non-outbreak levels in tropical forests than temperate and boreal forests, that these fluxes increase strongly with mean annual temperature, and that they exceed atmospheric deposition inputs in some localities. Thus, background levels of insect herbivory are sufficiently large to both alter ecosystem element cycling and influence terrestrial carbon cycling. Further, climate can affect interactions between natural populations of plants and herbivores with important consequences for global biogeochemical cycles across broadleaved forests

Development and application of a multilingual electronic decision-support tool for risk screening non-native terrestrial animals under current and future climate conditions

Electronic decision-support tools are becoming an essential component of government strategies to tackle non-native species invasions. This study describes the development and application of a multilingual electronic decision-support tool for screening terrestrial animals under current and future climate conditions: the Terrestrial Animal Species Invasiveness Screening Kit (TAS-ISK). As an adaptation of the widely employed Aquatic Species Invasiveness Screening Kit (AS-ISK), the TAS-ISK question template inherits from the original Weed Risk Assessment (WRA) and related WRA-type toolkits and complies with the ‘minimum requirements’ for use with the recent European Regulation on invasive alien species of concern. The TAS-ISK consists of 49 basic questions on the species’ biogeographical/historical traits and its biological/ecological interactions, and of 6 additional questions to predict how climate change is likely to influence the risks of introduction, establishment, dispersal and impact of the screened species. Following a description of the main features of this decision-support tool as a turnkey software application and of its graphical user interface with support for 32 languages, sample screenings are provided in different risk assessment areas for one representative species of each of the main taxonomic groups of terrestrial animals supported by the toolkit: mammals, birds, reptiles, amphibians, annelids, insects, molluscs, nematodes, and platyhelminths. The highest-scoring species were the red earthworm Lumbricus rubellus for the Aegean region of Turkey and the New Zealand flatworm Arthurdendyus triangulatus for Croatia. It is anticipated that adoption of this toolkit will mirror that of the worldwide employed AS-ISK, hence allowing to share information and inform decisions for the prevention of entry and/or dispersal of (high-risk) non-native terrestrial animal species – a crucial step to implement early-stage control and eradication measures as part of rapid-response strategies to counteract biological invasions

Integrative phylogenetic, phylogeographic and morphological characterisation of the Unio crassus species complex reveals cryptic diversity with important conservation implications

The global decline of freshwater mussels and their crucial ecological services highlight the need to understand their phylogeny, phylogeography and patterns of genetic diversity to guide conservation efforts. Such knowledge is urgently needed for Unio crassus, a highly imperilled species originally widespread throughout Europe and southwest Asia. Recent studies have resurrected several species from synonymy based on mitochondrial data, revealing U. crassus to be a complex of cryptic species. To address long-standing taxonomic uncertainties hindering effective conservation, we integrate morphometric, phylogenetic, and phylogeographic analyses to examine species diversity within the U. crassus complex across its entire range. Phylogenetic analyses were performed using cytochrome c oxidase subunit I (815 specimens from 182 populations) and, for selected specimens, whole mitogenome sequences and Anchored Hybrid Enrichment (AHE) data on ∼ 600 nuclear loci. Mito-nuclear discordance was detected, consistent with mitochondrial DNA gene flow between some species during the Pliocene and Pleistocene. Fossil-calibrated phylogenies based on AHE data support a Mediterranean origin for the U. crassus complex in the Early Miocene. The results of our integrative approach support 12 species in the group: the previously recognised Unio bruguierianus, Unio carneus, Unio crassus, Unio damascensis, Unio ionicus, Unio sesirmensis, and Unio tumidiformis, and the reinstatement of five nominal taxa: Unio desectus stat. rev., Unio gontierii stat. rev., Unio mardinensis stat. rev., Unio nanus stat. rev., and Unio vicarius stat. rev. Morphometric analyses of shell contours reveal important morphospace overlaps among these species, highlighting cryptic, but geographically structured, diversity. The distribution, taxonomy, phylogeography, and conservation of each species are succinctly described.We thank Ana-Maria Benedek, Monica Sîrbu and Jouni Leinikki for their assistance with the fieldwork, and to Jeroen Goud, Sankurie Pye, Fiona Ware, Emily Mitchell, and Aleksandra Skawina for their assistance with the taxonomic investigation. We would also like to thank the editor, Dr. Guillermo Ortí, and two anonymous reviewers for their time and effort in reviewing our manuscript and for their insightful comments and valuable improvements to our work. This publication is based upon work from COST Action CA18239: CONFREMU - Conservation of freshwater mussels: a pan-European approach, supported by COST (European Cooperation in Science and Technology), including STSMs, the interaction of the authors and the writing of the paper. This work was supported by the project ConBiomics: The Missing Approach for the Conservation of Freshwater Bivalves Project No. POCI-01-0145-FEDER-030286, co-financed by FEDER through POCI and by FCT - Fundaç˜ao para a Ciˆencia e a Tecnologia, through national funds. Strategic funding UIDB/04423/2020 and UIDP/04423/2020 was provided by FCT. FCT also supported DVG (2020.03848.CEECIND), EF (CEECINST/00027/ 2021/CP2789/CT0003) and MLL (2020.03608.CEECIND). INB, AVK and IVV were supported by the Russian Science Foundation under grants (19-14-00066-P), (21-17-00126) and (21-74-10130) respectively. BVB acknowledges the bioinformatics platform of UMR 8198 for the computing resources to perform time-calibrated phylogenetic analyses; this platform is in part funded by CPER research project CLIMIBIO through the French Minist`ere de l’Enseignement Sup´erieur et de la Recherche, the Agence Nationale de la Recherche, the European Fund for Regional Development (FEDER) and the region Hauts-de-France (HdF). Support to KD came from the Czech Science Foundation (19–05510S). TT and MT were supported by the National Science Fund of Bulgaria under the project ‘Conservation of freshwater mussels on the Balkan Peninsula’ (KP-06-COST-9/20.07.2022). Any use of trade, firm, or product names is for descriptive purposes only and does not imply endorsement by the United States Government.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio