Widespread continental mtDNA lineages prevail in the bumblebee fauna of Iceland

Origins of the fauna in Iceland is controversial, although the majority of modern research supports the postglacial colonization of this island by terrestrial invertebrates rather than their long-term survival in glacial refugia. In this study, we use three bumblebee species as a model to test the hypothesis regarding possible cryptic refugia in Iceland and to evaluate a putative origin of recently introduced taxa. Bombus jonellus is thought to be a possible native Icelandic lineage, whereas B. lucorum and B. hortorum were evidently introduced in the second half of the 20th century. These phylogeographic analyses reveal that the Icelandic Bombus jonellus shares two COI lineages, one of which also occurs in populations on the British Isles and in mainland Europe, but a second lineage (BJ-02) has not been recorded anywhere. These results indicate that this species may have colonized Iceland two times and that the lineage BJ-02 may reflect a more ancient Late Pleistocene or Early Holocene founder event (e.g., from the British Isles). The Icelandic populations of both Bombus lucorum and B. hortorum share the COI lineages that were recorded as widespread throughout Eurasia, from the European countries across Russia to China and Japan. The findings presented here highlight that the bumblebee fauna of Iceland comprises mainly widespread ubiquitous lineages that arrived via natural or human-mediated dispersal events from the British Isles or the mainland

An example of a possible leech-bryozoan association in freshwater

Associations of various invertebrate species with bryozoans and sponges are a well-known marine phenomenon but such epizooic communities are far less diverse in freshwater environments. Here an occurrence of numerous leeches Alboglossiphonia cf. papillosa (Braun, 1805), in interstitial spaces between zooids of a colony of the freshwater bryozoan species Plumatella aff. fungosa (Pallas, 1768) in Eastern Siberia is described. To the best of our knowledge, this record appears to be the first known example of a leech-bryozoan association, although such relationships deserve further research

Diversity, biogeography, evolutionary relationships, and conservation of Eastern Mediterranean freshwater mussels (Bivalvia: Unionidae)

Located at the junction between Europe, Africa, and Asia, with distinct evolutionary origins and varied ecological and geographical settings, together with a marked history of changes in orogeny and configuration of the main river basins, turned the Eastern Mediterranean into a region of high diversity and endemism of freshwater taxa. Freshwater mussels (Bivalvia, Unionidae) from the Western Palearctic have been widely studied in their European range, but little attention has been dedicated to these taxa in the Eastern Mediterranean region and their diversity and phylogeography are still poorly understood. The present study aims to resolve the diversity, biogeography, and evolutionary relationships of the Eastern Mediterranean freshwater mussels. To that end, we performed multiple field surveys, phylogenetic analyses, and a thorough taxonomic revaluation. We reassessed the systematics of all Unionidae species in the region, including newly collected specimens across Turkey, Israel, and Iran, combining COI+16S+28S phylogenies with molecular species delineation methods. Phylogeographical patterns were characterized based on published molecular data, newly sequenced specimens, and species distribution data, as well as ancestral range estimations. We reveal that Unionidae species richness in the Eastern Mediterranean is over 70% higher than previously assumed, counting 19 species within two subfamilies, the Unioninae (14) and Gonideinae (5). We propose two new species, Anodonta seddoni sp. nov. and Leguminaia anatolica sp. nov. Six additional taxa, Unio delicatus stat. rev., Unio eucirrus stat. rev., Unio hueti stat. rev., Unio sesirmensis stat. rev., Unio terminalis stat. rev. removed from the synonymy of Unio tigridis, as well as Unio damascensis stat. rev. removed from the synonymy of Unio crassus, are re-described. The nominal taxa Unio rothi var. komarowi O. Boettger, 1880 and Unio armeniacus Kobelt, 1911 are proposed as new synonyms of Unio bruguierianus, and Anodonta cyrea Drouët, 1881 and Anodonta cilicica Kobelt & Rolle, 1895 as new synonyms of Anodonta anatina. Also, the presence of Unio tumidus in the Maritza River is confirmed. The phylogeographic patterns described here are interpreted concerning major past geological events. Conservation needs and implications are presented, together with populations and species conservation priorities

New records of geometrid moths (Lepidoptera: Geometridae) from Myanmar based on DNA barcodes and morphological data

An integrative study of the Indo-Burmese Geometridae in the collection of the Russian Museum of Biodiversity Hotspots (RMBH, Russia) revealed six newly recorded species for the fauna of Myanmar, i.e., Plutodes costatus (Butler,1886), Pogonopygia nigralbata Warren, 1894, Mixochlora vittata (Moore, 1867), Pelagodes bellula Han & Xue, 2011, Agathia carissima Butler, 1878 and A. codina Swinhoe, 1892. The occurrence of P. bellula is the first record ofthis taxon outside the Tibetan Plateau. Our findings highlight that the distribution of several Oriental geometrids could be broader than was previously suggested

Freshwater mollusks from Neogene-Quaternary Dniester and Prut riverine deposits as indicator paleoenvironments: chemical composition of shells and its palaeoecological interpretation

The respective environments in two ancient rivers were studied using geochemical methods with paleogeographic reconstructions of fossil material represented by shells of freshwater bivalve mollusks. The studied outcrops are located in the basins of the Dniester and Prut rivers. Materials were collected from two Pliocene (Brînza, Giurgiuleşti) outcrops and the ages of the second group of localities (Sucleia, Slobozia Mare, Gura Bîcului) are from Middle to Late Pleistocene. The determination of the taxonomic position was carried out using standard malacological methods. Geochemical data were used for the environmental reconstruction and included stable isotope ratio and trace element compositions in subfossil freshwater bivalve shell (Bivalvia: Unionoida). Key indicators of paleoenvironments show changes in water temperature. Changes in the taxonomic composition of bivalve mollusk assemblages also occurred. In the present study, increasing the water temperature caused a change of stenobiont species of bivalve mollusks to eurybiont species. Eutrophication of watercourses, caused by anthropogenic pollution and climate change in the direction of warming, has led to the replacement of pearl mussels of the family Margaritiferidae by more eurybiont species of the family Unionidae in the benthic communities of European oligotrophic rivers. These processes are similar to those deduced for the Neogene-Quaternary watercourses of the Prut and Dniester basins, but they proceed at a much faster pace. They are processes of eutrophication of watercourses – the main factor leading to the catastrophically rapid modern reduction of the ranges of pearl mussel

Freshwater mollusks from Neogene-Quaternary Dniester and Prut riverine deposits as indicator paleoenvironments: chemical composition of shells and its palaeoecological interpretation

The respective environments in two ancient rivers were studied using geochemical methods with paleogeographic reconstructions of fossil material represented by shells of freshwater bivalve mollusks. The studied outcrops are located in the basins of the Dniester and Prut rivers. Materials were collected from two Pliocene (Brînza, Giurgiuleşti) outcrops and the ages of the second group of localities (Sucleia, Slobozia Mare, Gura Bîcului) are from Middle to Late Pleistocene. The determination of the taxonomic position was carried out using standard malacological methods. Geochemical data were used for the environmental reconstruction and included stable isotope ratio and trace element compositions in subfossil freshwater bivalve shell (Bivalvia: Unionoida). Key indicators of paleoenvironments show changes in water temperature. Changes in the taxonomic composition of bivalve mollusk assemblages also occurred. In the present study, increasing the water temperature caused a change of stenobiont species of bivalve mollusks to eurybiont species. Eutrophication of watercourses, caused by anthropogenic pollution and climate change in the direction of warming, has led to the replacement of pearl mussels of the family Margaritiferidae by more eurybiont species of the family Unionidae in the benthic communities of European oligotrophic rivers. These processes are similar to those deduced for the Neogene-Quaternary watercourses of the Prut and Dniester basins, but they proceed at a much faster pace. They are processes of eutrophication of watercourses – the main factor leading to the catastrophically rapid modern reduction of the ranges of pearl mussel

Spilarctia mikeli Bolotov, Kondakov & Spitsyn 2018

Spilarctia mikeli Bolotov, Kondakov & Spitsyn, 2018 Figs 1–14 Spilarctia mikeli Bolotov et al. (2018): 10, fig. 4. Type material examined. Holotype female SPH0695 [RMBH]. Type locality. INDONESIA: East Nusa Tenggara, Flores Island, Sano Ngoang Lake, camp site, secondary mountain forest with old nutmeg trees on a hill slope, 08º42’34”S, 119º59’51”E. Material examined. INDONESIA: Flores Island, Bajawa, Wolokoro Ecolodge, heavily disturbed monsoon forests and eucalyptus plantings, 08º49’02”S, 120º56’03”E, 28–31 January 2020, V. Spitsyn & E. Spitsyna leg.— 18♂, 6♀; Flores Island, Bajawa, Manulalu Ecolodge, planting of eucalyptus with fragmented areas of natural vegetation, 08º51’45”S, 120º59’40”E, 01–02 February 2020, V. Spitsyn & E. Spitsyna leg.— 1♀; Flores Island, Labuan Bajo, Mbeliling Mountain Ecolodge, mountain monsoon forest, 08º35’21”S, 119º59’12”E, 05–07 February 2020, V. Spitsyn & E. Spitsyna leg.— 1♂. DNA barcoding. Reference COI sequences: GenBank accession numbers MG 735265 (holotype female); and MW 051031 – MW 051033 (males). Despite the high morphological variability discovered in both sexes (Figs 1–12), uncorrected COI p-distances between our samples were only 0.30–0.45 %. Description of the male. Morphology and markings. Wingspan 32–37 mm, forewing length 16–19 mm (N = 19; Figs 1–2, 5–9). Head yellowish brown. Frons smaller than eye diameter, and therefore the male’s eye looks larger than that of the female. Labial palpi stout, upright, short (slightly longer than eye diameter), black dorsally and reddish brown ventrally. Proboscis small, weakly developed. Antennae brown, outer side of each segment with one branch. Thorax yellowish brown. Legs yellow or pinkish yellow, tibia and tarsus usually black, femur sometimes pink. Wing marking pattern is highly variable (see Figs 1–2, 5–9). Forewing grayish yellow or grayish brown, usually with 2–5 transverse rows of dark dots and/or spots (some specimens lack these markings). Hindwing yellow, usually with some dark spots. Abdomen yellowish brown, with a row of black spots dorsally, and with one or two rows of black spots laterally. Male genitalia. Tegumen large and broad; uncus large, elongated, V-shaped, with broad base and rounded apex (Fig. 13). Saccus large, elongated, U-shaped. Valva narrow and curved, well sclerotized, its apex strongly curved. Valva broadening from the base to the medial part and then tapering apically. Juxta broad, with wide rounded base, with concave upper margin. Aedeagus large, slightly curved medially and dilated distally, with a robust dentate carinal plate. Vesica with two fields of small cornuti apically (Fig. 14). Distribution. Indonesia: Flores Island.Published as part of Spitsyn, Vitaly M., Kondakov, Alexander V., Tomilova, Alena A., Spitsyna, Elizaveta A. & Bolotov, Ivan N., 2021, Male of Spilarctia mikeli Bolotov, Kondakov & Spitsyn, 2018, an endemic species from Flores Island, Lesser Sunda Archipelago (Lepidoptera: Erebidae Arctiinae), pp. 193-197 in Zootaxa 4975 (1) on pages 193-194, DOI: 10.11646/zootaxa.4975.1.9, http://zenodo.org/record/492511

The male of Estigena wallacei Spitsyn et al., 2019 (Lepidoptera: Lasiocampidae)

Spitsyn, Vitaly M., Kondakov, Alexander V., Tomilova, Alena A., Spitsyna, Elizaveta A., Bolotov, Ivan N. (2022): The male of Estigena wallacei Spitsyn et al., 2019 (Lepidoptera: Lasiocampidae). Zootaxa 5138 (1): 98-100, DOI: https://doi.org/10.11646/zootaxa.5138.1.1

Estigena wallacei Spitsyn, Bolotov, Kondakov & Tomilova 2019

Estigena wallacei Spitsyn Bolotov, Kondakov & Tomilova, 2019 Estigena wallacei Spitsyn et al. (2019): 31, fig. 2a–b. Figures 1–6. Type locality: INDONESIA: Lesser Sunda Archipelago, East Nusa Tenggara Islands, Flores Island: Labuan Bajo, garden and native grassland on the sea coast, 8.5225°S, 119.8711°E. Material examined. Holotype female RMBH Sph 0571, INDONESIA: Lesser Sunda Archipelago, East Nusa Tenggara Islands, Flores Island: Labuan Bajo, garden and native grassland on the sea coast, 8.5225°S, 119.8711°E, 24 January 2015, Bolotov leg.; Flores Island, Labuan Bajo, Mbeliling Mountain Ecolodge, mountain monsoon forest, 8.5892°S, 119.9867°E, 05–07 February 2020, V. Spitsyn & E. Spitsyna leg. – 1♂ (RMBH Sph0828); Flores Island, Bajawa, Wolokoro Ecolodge, heavily disturbed monsoon forests and eucalyptus plantings, 8.8172°S, 120.9342°E, 08 February 2020, V. Spitsyn & E. Spitsyna leg. – 1♂, 1♀ (RMBH Sph0829 and Sph0922). Differential diagnosis. The male of E. wallacei (Flores) could be distinguished from that of E. caesarea (Timor) by having 6 strong, conical cornuti at the apex of vesica (vs 39–62 cornuti in E. caesarea). Description of the male. Wingspan 33–41 mm, forewing length 20–23 mm (N = 2). Head light brown to dark brown. Labial palpus large, its length ca. 2.5 of eye diameter, bears dark brown or blackish scales with white distal ends. Antenna brown, short, bipectinate. Thorax and legs light brown to brown. Forewing light brown to brown, without clear marking pattern. Hindwing narrow, elongated, with prominent cubital area, light brown to dark brown, with a lighter anal area and a large, distinct dark yellow spot with black points and wavy lines in the R-M area. Abdomen yellowish brown. Male genitalia. The genital capsule largely resembles that in E. caesarea, i.e. tegumen broad with two strong caudal hooks; vinculum narrowed; valva with short and massive dorsal process, ventral process finely toothed on inner margin; juxta fork-shaped with narrow lobes. Aedeagus short, tube-like; vesica elongated, tapering proximally, its apical part rounded, bag-like, and bears 6 strong, conical cornuti. DNA barcoding data. The GenBank acc. numbers of the reference COI sequences for E. wallacei are as follows: MK 419950 (holotype female); OK083723 (male); and OK083724 (male). All the sequences are identical (i.e., belong to one COI haplotype). Distribution. Indonesia: Flores Island.Published as part of Spitsyn, Vitaly M., Kondakov, Alexander V., Tomilova, Alena A., Spitsyna, Elizaveta A. & Bolotov, Ivan N., 2022, The male of Estigena wallacei Spitsyn et al., 2019 (Lepidoptera: Lasiocampidae), pp. 98-100 in Zootaxa 5138 (1) on pages 98-99, DOI: 10.11646/zootaxa.5138.1.10, http://zenodo.org/record/655206

Pollinators on the polar edge of the Ecumene: taxonomy, phylogeography, and ecology of bumble bees from Novaya Zemlya

The High Arctic bumble bee fauna is rather poorly known, while a growing body of recent molecular research indicates that several Arctic species may represent endemic lineages with restricted ranges. Such local endemics are in need of special conservation efforts because of the increasing anthropogenic pressure and climate changes. Here, we re-examine the taxonomic and biogeographic affinities of bumble bees from Novaya Zemlya using historical samples and recently collected materials (1895–1925 vs. 2015–2017). Three bumble bee species inhabit the Yuzhny (Southern) Island and the southern edge of Severny (Northern) Island of this archipelago: Bombus glacialis Friese, 1902, B. hyperboreus Schönherr, 1809, and B. pyrrhopygus Friese, 1902. Bombus glacialis shares three unique COI haplotypes that may indicate its long-term (pre-glacial) persistence on Novaya Zemlya. In contrast, Bombus hyperboreus and B. pyrrhopygus share a rather low molecular divergence from mainland populations, with the same or closely related haplotypes as those from Arctic Siberia and Norway. A brief re-description of Bombus pyrrhopygus based on the newly collected topotypes is presented. Habitats, foraging plants and life cycles of bumble bees on Novaya Zemlya are characterized, and possible causes of extremely low bumble bee abundance on the archipelago are discussed. The species-poor bumble bee fauna of Novaya Zemlya is compared with those in other areas throughout the Arctic. The mean bumble bee species richness on the Arctic Ocean islands is three times lower than that in the mainland Arctic areas (3.1 vs. 8.6 species per local fauna, respectively). General linear models (GLMs) indicate that this difference can be explained by specific environmental conditions of insular areas. Our findings highlight that the insularity is a significant factor sharply decreasing species richness in bumble bee assemblages on the Arctic Ocean archipelagoes through colder climate (lower summer temperatures), prevalence of harsh Arctic tundra landscapes with poor foraging resources, and in isolation from the mainland