One more “Asian” psocid (Insecta: Psocodea) found in Africa?

The study presents new findings of Peripsocus cf. constrictus Thornton & Wong, 1968, in Uganda, near Buvi village, along the shores of Lake Victoria. Specimens were collected on July 30th, 2022, from a swampy area with bushes, palms, and various hygrophytes. A total of 12 female specimens were collected by beating the vegetation and stored for further analysis. The species P. constrictus was previously described based solely on a male specimen from Southeast Asia, so its identification based on females from Africa remains uncertai

New genus and two new species of stygobiotic snails from Stara Planina Mts, Bulgaria

Two new species, one of them belonging to a new genus are described from two caves in North Bulgaria. Polatenia sinuiapertura n. gen. and n. sp. was found in sand deposits at the entrance of Izvora Cave, Polaten District of Teteven Town, and Kolevia toplensis n. sp. found at the water catchment near Toplya Cave at vicinity of village of Golyama Zhelyazna

A record of import of the invasive snail Theba pisana (O. F. Müller, 1774) (Gastropoda: Helicidae) in Bulgaria

This is a short communication of a discovery of the invasive Mediterranean snail species Theba pisana among food products in a market in Bulgaria imported from Spain. A single live juvenile specimen was found among lettuce leaves. Later it was alive kept in a terrarium

A new collection of Psocodea (Insecta) from Unguja Island (Zanzibar, Tanzania)

The study presents a new collection of Psocodea (Insecta) from Unguja Island (Zanzibar, Tanzania), conducted during March 3rd to 9th, 2024. Despite recent efforts to explore Psocodea fauna in equatorial and tropical Africa, comprehensive studies in East Africa, particularly along the east coast and inland areas, remain limited. This research contributes to filling these gaps by documenting 16 species, including nine new records for the Zanzibar autonomic region and seven new records for Tanzania. Notably, one species (Nanopsocus sp.) may potentially be new to science

Cyclopsocus hyalinus Thornton & Smithers, 1984 – a new record of barkfly (Psocodea: Psocomorpha: Calopsocidae) for continental Asia

The psocid species Cyclopsocus hyalinus Thornton & Smithers, 1984 from the family Calopsocidae is recorded for the fauna of Thailand for the first time. In total, 38 psocid species are known from Thailand. The species was collected in January 2014 in Sakaerat Environmental Research Station in the evergreen forest by light trap. This species is known only from its type locality in New Guinea. The present find is new for continental Asia

A record of Bythinella cf. opaca (Gallenstein 1848) (Gastropoda: Prosobranchia: Hydrobiidae) in Bulgaria

Specimens of Bythinella cf. opaca were collected from a stream in Sredna Gora Mts. (West Bulgaria) on 24 Nov 2007 and 17 April 2008. The locality was situated west from village of Djulevo, close to Streltchenska Luda Yana River, UTM-grid: KH80, GPS coordinates: 42 ̊27'15.6" N, 24 ̊20'27.1" E, 393 m a.s.l. We determined the species considering the male genital system structure, but the shell morphology also was looked upon. It was the first record of such species in Bulgaria. After this report the Bulgarian Bythinella species rose to 3: B. austriaca, B. hansboetersi and B. cf. opaca. According to the fact that the species B. austriaca previously recorded in the country was not studied anatomically we consider its occurrence here as not proved

Does the genetic structure of spring snail Bythinella (Caenogastropoda, Truncatelloidea) in Bulgaria reflect geological history?

Bythinella is a minute dioecious caenogastropod that inhabits springs in central and southern Europe. In the Balkans, previous studies have addressed its morphological and genetic differentiation within Greece and Romania while the Bulgarian species have remained poorly known. The aim of the present paper has been to expand the knowledge on the subject in Bulgaria. Shell morphology and anatomy of the reproductive organs were examined, and a fragment of the mitochondrial cytochrome oxidase subunit I (COI) gene and the nuclear ribosomal Internal Transcribed Spacer 1 (ITS-1) were sequenced from 15 populations. Additional sequences from eight previously studied populations were included in our analyses. Phylogenetic analyses revealed five main mitochondrial DNA clades, which were partly confirmed by analyses of the ITS-1 sequences. The genetic differentiation between the clades was found to be in the range p=2.4-11.8%. Most of the populations belonged to clade I, representing B. hansboetersi, and were distributed in SW Bulgaria. Clades II and III inhabit areas adjacent to clade I and were most closely related with the latter clade. Much more distinct were clade V, found at one locality in NW Bulgaria, and clade IV, found at one locality in SE Bulgaria, close to the sea. Four populations were found in caves, but only one of these represented a distinct clade. Considering the observed pattern of interpopulation differentiation of Bythinella in Bulgaria, we can suppose that isolation between clades I, II and III may have been caused by glaciations during the Pleistocene. The time of isolation between the above three clades and clade IV coincides with the Messinian Salinity Crisis, and the time of isolation between the clade V and the other four most probably reflects the isolation of the Rhodopes from western Balkan Mts by the seawater of the Dacic Basin