Historical Biogeography of Subterranean Beetles – “Plato’s Cave” or Scientific Evidence?

The last two decades were particularly prolific in historical biogeography because of new information introduced from other sciences, such as paleogeography, by the development of quantitative methods and by molecular phylogeny. Subterranean beetles represent an excellent object of study for historical biogeography because they are the group with the best representation in the subterranean domain. In addition, species have reduced mobility, display different degrees of adaptations to life in caves and many specialists work on this group. Three processes have shaped the present distribution of the tribe Leptodirini (Coleoptera Cholevinae) in the world: dispersal, vicariance, and extinction. Therefore, three successive stages can be established in the space-time evolution of Leptodirini: (1) dispersal from a center of origin in the present area(s); (2) dispersal, extinction and vicariance among the present area(s); and (3) colonization and speciation in the subterranean domain. The Romanian Leptodirini, especially those from Western Carpathians is examined with respect to these processes. Their pattern of distribution in different massifs and at different altitudes is discussed, with possible explanations from a historical biogeographic point of view

A conservation roadmap for the subterranean biome

The 15th UN Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) (COP15) will be held in Kunming, China in October 2021. Historically, CBDs and other multilateral treaties have either alluded to or entirely overlooked the subterranean biome. A multilateral effort to robustly examine, monitor, and incorporate the subterranean biome into future conservation targets will enable the CBD to further improve the ecological effectiveness of protected areas by including groundwater resources, subterranean ecosystem services, and the profoundly endemic subsurface biodiversity. To this end, we proffer a conservation roadmap that embodies five conceptual areas: (1) science gaps and data management needs; (2) anthropogenic stressors; (3) socioeconomic analysis and conflict resolution; (4) environmental education; and (5) national policies and multilateral agreements.Peer reviewe

Révision de Drimeotus s.s. Miller, 1856 (Coleoptera, Cholevidae, Leptodirinae) de Transylvanie (Roumanie) avec description de deux nouvelles espèces et clé de détermination des taxa

Moldovan, Oana Teodora (2000): Révision de Drimeotus s.s. Miller, 1856 (Coleoptera, Cholevidae, Leptodirinae) de Transylvanie (Roumanie) avec description de deux nouvelles espèces et clé de détermination des taxa. Zoosystema 22 (1): 139-152, DOI: 10.5281/zenodo.539490

Book Review: Habitantes de la obscuridad (Fauna Ibero-Balear de las Cuevas) – Inhabitants of the darkness (Ibero-Baleric fauna of caves)

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Population size and dispersal patterns for a Drimeotus (Coleoptera, Leiodidae, Leptodirini) cave population

Drimeotus viehmanni (Coleoptera, Leiodidae) is abundant in the cave Peştera cu Apă din Valea Leşului (Western Carpathians) and was chosen for a mark-release-resight experiment. The aims of the experiment were to estimate the size of the population and to analyze the dispersal patterns inside the cave, for conservation purposes. During the three years’ study, the observed abundance of D. viehmanni was significantly higher in summer compared to the winter season. The seasonal dynamics can not be explained by climate features such as temperature and air relative humidity which had low or no variation during all seasons. Few marked beetles were re-seen during the mark-resight experiment proving the existence of an important cave/subterranean population, which was estimated between 5,084 and 533,033 individuals. The marked individuals moved between neighbouring patches on a distance of 10 m over the same amount of time as on distances longer than 200 m. Dispersal inside the cave occurs during the winter months, which indicates non-continuous behaviour triggered by environmental features and involving only a negligible part of the population in the studied cave

A tribute to Gheorge Racoviţă (1940–2015)

The article was written in the honor of the Romanian cave scientist Gheorghe Racovit

Révision de <i>Drimeotus</i> s.s. Miller, 1856 (Coleoptera, Cholevidae, Leptodirinae) de Transylvanie (Roumanie) avec description de deux nouvelles espèces et clé de détermination des taxa

La dernière révision du sous-genre Drimeotus s.s. Miller, 1856 des monts Padurea Craiului (Transylvanie, Roumanie) est due à Jeannel (1930). Plusieurs autres auteurs ont essayé ultérieurement de modifier cette classification. La découverte de nouvelles populations dans la région et les difficultés d’établir leur statut taxonomique d’après la clé dichotomique de Jeannel basée sur des caractères morphologiques extérieurs nous ont déterminé à reprendre la taxonomie du sous-genre, en utilisant des critères moins variables dans une population. Par conséquent, le travail insiste sur la description de l’édéage et de son sac interne en tant qu’éléments essentiels dans la diagnose des espèces. Les résultats obtenus se trouvent en concordance avec la biogéographie du sous-genre. Deux espèces nouvelles sont décrites : Drimeotus racovitai et D. osoiensis et une nouvelle clé dichotomique du sous-genre Drimeotus s.s. est proposée.The last revision of the sub-genus Drimeotus s.s. Miller, 1856 of Padurea Craiului mountains (Transylvania, Romania) was realized by Jeannel in 1930. Later, several authors modified the taxonomy. New discovered populations, from this area, could not been integrated in the group by using the external morphological features of the existant Jeannel ‘s dichotomous key. Therefore, the work insists on less variable criteria in the population, such as the morphology of the male copulatory organ and its internal structures. The obtained results are consistent with the subgenus biogeography. Two new species are also described: Drimeotus racovitai and D. osoiensis and a new dichotomous key is proposed.</p

Occurrence of Li in groundwaters and plants from Dobrogea karst area, Romania

A positive association of Li consumption with the potentially protective and beneficial for the human health was reported (Barjasteh-Askari et al. 2020). Drinking water, grains, or vegetables can be a significant Li source for humans. Microdoses of Li intake may have antisuicidal, mood-stabilizing, antidepressive, and antimanic effects (Knudsen et al. 2017; Ng et al. 2019). The assessment of naturally occurring Li concentrations in water and food sources in different regions may present a high interest in the wellbeing of locals. In this study, a versatile quantitative ICP-MS method for Li quantitative determination in water and plant samples was optimized, and the relationship between Li, macroelements (Na, Mg, Al, K, Ca, Fe, Mn), and microelements (Cr, Co, Ni, Cu, Zn, Pb, Sr, Ba, V, As, Sr, Cd, Pb) concentration was assessed. Contents of Li, and micro- and macroelements were measured in groundwater (Praporgescu-GWR27, Closca-GWR28, Sipote-GWR29, and Tufani-GWR30) and plant samples (ryegrass—Lolium sp., nettles—Urtica sp., and mint—Mentha sp.) collected from Dobrogea karst area, Romania. The results indicated an acceptable precision in all studied matrixes and a reproducibility between 2.46 and 4.22% of the developed method. In the case of water, the highest Li concentration was measured in GWR27 followed by GWR28 (12.2 and 5.6 µg/L), while in the case of the plant’s samples, Lolium sp. collected from GWR28 and GWR27 (11.1 and 8.8 mg/kg DW) had the highest Li concentration