Afrotropical Research Articles

Is Côte D'Ivoire a new high hybridization zone for the two major malaria vectors, Anopheles coluzzii and An. gambiae (Diptera, Culicidae)?

Anopheles gambiae and An. coluzzii are very closely related and recently differentiated species representing the main malaria vectors in the Afrotropical region and responsible of up to >3 infective bites/person/night in Côte D'Ivoire, where prevention and control has stagnated in recent years. The aim of the present study was to genetically and ecologically characterize An. gambiae and An. coluzzii populations from two villages of Côte D'Ivoire, lying in the coastal forest belt and 250 km inland in the Guinean savannah mosaic belt, respectively. Results reveal high frequencies of both species in both study sites and high frequencies of hybrids (4-33%) along the whole year of sampling. Consistently with observations for the well-known high hybridization zone at the far-west of the species range, hybrid frequencies were higher in the coastal village and highest when the two species occurred at more balanced frequencies, supporting the "frequency-dependent hybridization" ecological speciation theory. Pilot genotyping revealed signatures of genomic admixture in both chromosome-X and -3. Coupled with previous reports of hybrids in the region, the results point to the coastal region of Côte D'Ivoire as a possible regions of high hybridization. Preliminary characterization of parameters relevant for malaria transmission and control (e.g. possibly higher sporozoite rates and indoor biting preferences in hybrids than in the parental species) highlight the possible relevance of the breakdown of reproductive barriers between An. gambiae and An. coluzzii not only in the field of ecological evolution, but also in malaria epidemiology and control.

A new generation of long-lasting insecticidal nets

The scale-up of malaria interventions over the past two decades has resulted in substantial reductions in malaria burden, especially in sub-Saharan Africa, which accounts for 95% of the global malaria burden. 1 Bhatt S Weiss DJ Cameron E et al. The effect of malaria control on Plasmodium falciparum in Africa between 2000 and 2015. Nature. 2015; 526: 207-211 Crossref PubMed Scopus (1439) Google Scholar , 2 WHOWorld malaria report 2020: 20 years of global progress and challenges. https://www.who.int/publications/i/item/9789240015791Date: Nov 30, 2020 Date accessed: December 5, 2021 Google Scholar Between 2000 and 2019, an estimated 1·5 billion malaria cases and 7·6 million malaria deaths were averted, with many of the early gains attributed to widescale deployment of insecticide-treated nets and availability of effective drugs. 1 Bhatt S Weiss DJ Cameron E et al. The effect of malaria control on Plasmodium falciparum in Africa between 2000 and 2015. Nature. 2015; 526: 207-211 Crossref PubMed Scopus (1439) Google Scholar However, progress in global malaria control and elimination efforts have stagnated in recent years, the reasons for which are multifactorial and include the development and spread of insecticide resistance in malaria vectors. The massive scale-up of insecticide-treated nets and, later, long-lasting insecticidal nets (LLINs), which have an insecticide incorporated into the net fibre and can last longer under typical use, was accompanied by the emergence of vector resistance to pyrethroids. 3 Hancock PA Hendriks CJM Tangena JA et al. Mapping trends in insecticide resistance phenotypes in African malaria vectors. PLoS Biol. 2020; 18e3000633 Crossref PubMed Scopus (37) Google Scholar This resistance is now present in all primary vectors throughout much of sub-Saharan Africa. 3 Hancock PA Hendriks CJM Tangena JA et al. Mapping trends in insecticide resistance phenotypes in African malaria vectors. PLoS Biol. 2020; 18e3000633 Crossref PubMed Scopus (37) Google Scholar , 4 Knox TB Juma EO Ochomo EO et al. An online tool for mapping insecticide resistance in major Anopheles vectors of human malaria parasites and review of resistance status for the Afrotropical region. Parasit Vectors. 2014; 7: 76 Crossref PubMed Scopus (86) Google Scholar , 5 Moyes CL Athinya DK Seethaler T et al. Evaluating insecticide resistance across African districts to aid malaria control decisions. Proc Natl Acad Sci USA. 2020; 117: 22042-22050 Crossref PubMed Scopus (17) Google Scholar Studies have shown that a new generation of LLINs that include the synergist piperonyl butoxide have improved efficacy compared with pyrethroid-only nets. 6 WHOGlobal plan for insecticide resistance management in malaria vectors. https://apps.who.int/iris/handle/10665/44846Date: 2012 Date accessed: December 5, 2021 Google Scholar , 7 Mosha JF Kulkarni MA Lukole E et al. Effectiveness and cost-effectiveness against malaria of three types of dual-active-ingredient long-lasting insecticidal nets compared with pyrethroid-only long-lasting insecticidal nets in an area with pyrethroid-resistant mosquitoes in Tanzania: a four-arm, cluster-randomised trial. Lancet. 2022; 399: 1227-1241 Summary Full Text Full Text PDF PubMed Scopus (3) Google Scholar However, although piperonyl butoxide can restore susceptibility in pyrethroid-resistant mosquito populations wherein the primary resistance mechanism is metabolic detoxification by oxidase enzymes, it has minimal impact on other mechanisms of pyrethroid resistance. Insecticide-treated nets with novel active ingredients and different modes of action are needed. The WHO Global Plan for Insecticide Resistance Management recommends the use of two or more compounds of different insecticide classes to make a single product or formulation as an approach to combating resistance. 6 WHOGlobal plan for insecticide resistance management in malaria vectors. https://apps.who.int/iris/handle/10665/44846Date: 2012 Date accessed: December 5, 2021 Google Scholar The challenge is developing products that are not only effective against pyrethroid-resistant mosquitoes but are also safe to humans and are amenable to incorporation into the net fibres. Effectiveness and cost-effectiveness against malaria of three types of dual-active-ingredient long-lasting insecticidal nets (LLINs) compared with pyrethroid-only LLINs in Tanzania: a four-arm, cluster-randomised trialAfter 2 years, chlorfenapyr LLINs provided significantly better protection than pyrethroid-only LLINs against malaria in an area with pyrethroid-resistant mosquitoes, and the additional cost of these nets would be considerably below plausible cost-effectiveness thresholds ($292–393 per DALY averted). Before scale-up of chlorfenapyr LLINs, resistance management strategies are needed to preserve their effectiveness. Poor textile and active ingredient durability in the piperonyl butoxide and pyriproxyfen LLINs might have contributed to their relative lack of effectiveness compared with standard LLINs. Full-Text PDF Open Access

A three-year randomized community trial of community support workers in rural Ethiopia to promote retention in HIV care

ABSTRACT Retention in care is a major challenge for global AIDS control, including sub-Saharan Africa. In a large Ethiopian region, we evaluated an intervention where HIV positive community support workers (CSWs) provided HIV health education, personal counseling and social support for HIV patients new to care. We enrolled 1,799 patients recently entering care from 32 hospitals and health centers, randomized to intervention or control sites. Dates of all clinic visits, plus deaths or transfers were abstracted from HIV medical records. Primary outcomes were gap in clinical care (>90 days from a missed clinical or drug pickup appointment) and death. For 36 months of follow-up, and for the first 12 months after enrollment, weighted risk differences [RD] between treatment arms were modest and non-significant for gap in clinical care, death or either outcome. Through 36 months, 624 of 980 controls and 469 of 819 intervention participants had gaps in clinical care (RD = −5.5%, 95% confidence interval [CI] = −17.9%, 7.0%); 79 controls and 82 intervention participants died (RD = 2.5% 95% CI = −1.7%, 6.8%). Factors including HIV stigma and a volatile political climate may have attenuated the advantages we anticipated, demonstrating how benefits of CSW interventions may depend upon psychosocial, clinical and structural factors particular to specific community settings.

A global overview of climate change impacts on freshwater decapods: substantial research gaps across taxa and biogeographic regions

AbstractFreshwater decapod crustaceans, with representatives from four main taxonomic groups (Anomura, Astacidea, Brachyura, Caridea), form a large and prominent functional group distributed globally across all types of freshwater habitats. Freshwater decapods play critical ecological roles in aquatic communities and ecosystems, and at the same time have widespread cultural and economic significance. A large proportion of freshwater decapods are imperilled by threats including pollution, habitat loss, invasive species, and importantly, climate change. Direct impacts of climate change, as well as its synergistic effects with other threats, pose a substantial but potentially understudied and possibly even underestimated risk to the conservation of freshwater decapod crustaceans. We assessed patterns of climate change impacts on freshwater decapods, as well as the extent of related research, at a global scale. Based on a comprehensive literature survey of all years up to November 2019, we found that only 49 publications, starting from the first relevant article in 2003, contained empirical evidence of climate change effects on freshwater decapods, with a total of 145 native and 11 non-native freshwater decapod species studied in relation to climate change. Climate-change research has also been increasing for all four groups, but more than half of the literature included the freshwater crayfishes Astacidea. We also found a strong bias towards the Australasian region in climate-change research in freshwater decapods, while no published studies were recorded in the Oceania biogeographic region. Importantly, almost three-quarters of native freshwater decapod species studied were projected/reported to be significantly affected by climate change, while more than 90% of the non-native freshwater decapod species studied were projected/reported to be significantly affected by climate change. Considering the severe impacts demonstrated for several species, and coupled with the notable taxonomic and geographic gaps in research into the rest of the freshwater decapods, there is an urgent need for greater representation in climate-change research across species and in regions of high diversity (such as the Neotropical, Afrotropical, and Indomalayan regions), in order for conservation interventions and measures to be beneficial to the most threatened groups.

Exploring the community structure of Afrotropical macroinvertebrate traits and ecological preferences along an agricultural pollution gradient in the Kat River, Eastern Cape, South Africa

• We identified signature traits and ecological preferences of agricultural pollution. • Traits and ecological preferences responded differentially to agricultural pollution. • Shredders, crawlers and a preference for macrophytes were sensitive to agriculture. • Predators, swimmers, haemoglobin and medium body size were tolerant to agriculture. Agricultural activities impact riverine ecosystem structure, function, and processes. In the Afrotropical regions, research on agricultural effects on macroinvertebrate trait distribution is sparse. In this study, we investigated the spatial and temporal changes in the community structure of macroinvertebrate traits along an agricultural disturbance gradient in an Afrotropical River system. Physicochemical variables were sampled alongside macroinvertebrates at eight sites in the dry (winter and spring) and wet (summer and autumn) periods of 2018–2019. We grouped the sites into four categories using the percentage of agricultural land-use cover within each drainage area. Our results showed that agricultural pollution exhibited varying effects on traits and ecological preferences, with traits such as a predatory lifestyle, medium body-size (>10–20 mm), active swimming, possession of spiracles and haemoglobin, and adult aquatic life stage increasing with the pollution gradient. These traits were positively associated with nutrients (PO 4 + -P, NO 2 + -N, NH 4 + -N and NO 3 + -N), salinity, turbidity and temperature and were deemed tolerant of agricultural pollution. Shredding, crawling, and a preference for macrophytes as food showed strong positive associations with the least disturbed sites and were negatively associated with increasing nutrients, salinity, turbidity and water temperature. As such, these three traits were considered sensitive to agricultural pollution. The identified indicator traits can be used to predict the survival and distribution patterns of organisms under the impact of agriculture-induced stress.

Six new species of Amblypsilopus Bigot (Diptera: Dolichopodidae: Sciapodinae) and a key to species of the Afrotropical mainland

Six new species of Amblypsilopus Bigot, 1888 from the Afrotropical region are described and illustrated: A. gabonensis sp. nov. from Gabon, A. martini sp. nov., A. mufindiensis sp. nov. and A. udzungwensis sp. nov. from Tanzania, A. milleri sp. nov. from South Africa, and A. spiniscapus sp. nov. from Ivory Coast. Amblypsilopus gabonensis sp. nov. and A. spiniscapus sp. nov. are remarkable in having a setose antennal scape. Amblypsilopus martini sp. nov. and A. mufindiensis sp. nov. are peculiar in bearing very long setae on the antennal pedicel, mesonotum and scutellum. Amblypsilopus milleri sp. nov. is considered a member of the South African A. fasciatus species group despite its unmodified wing venation. The new species differ also from other similar representatives of the genus in the morphology of the male cercus and the male secondary sexual characters on the legs. The male of A. bevisi (Curran, 1927) is described for the first time. The following species described from females are considered doubtful (nomina dubia): A. flavicollis (Becker, 1923), A. rectangularis (Parent, 1937), A. sudanensis (Parent, 1939) and A. tropicalis (Parent, 1933). Amblypsilopus subfascipennis (Curran, 1926) has a strongly sinuate wing vein dm-m and is transferred to Chrysosoma Guérin-Méneville, 1831 (comb. nov.). Chrysosoma ungulatum Parent, 1941 from Príncipe with an almost straight vein dm-m is transferred to Amblypsilopus (comb. nov.). Chrysosoma centrale Becker, 1923 from Tanzania also has a straight wing vein dm-m and modified fore tarsus, being very close in habitus to A. steelei Grichanov, 1996, and is also transferred to Amblypsilopus (comb. nov.). Chrysosoma asperum Parent, 1933 from South Africa has the same characters, is almost identical to South African A. bevisi and is also transferred here to Amblypsilopus (comb. nov.) and newly synonymized with A. bevisi (syn. nov.). Presently, 66 reliable species of Amblypsilopus are known from the Afrotropical region, including 37 from the Afrotropical mainland. A revised identification key to males of species of the Afrotropical mainland is provided. New records are given for some known species. The species diversity of the Afrotropical fauna and variability of morphological characters in the genus Amblypsilopus are briefly discussed.

Description of Spiniola hanaro Park, gen. and sp. nov., and three new species of Torodora Meyrick, 1894 (Lepidoptera, Lecithoceridae, Torodorinae) from the Afrotropical Region.

A new genus, Spiniola Park, gen. nov., is described from Malawi, based on the type species, S. hanaro Park, sp. nov., and three new species of Torodora Meyrick, 1894 are described: T. batillana Park Koo, sp. nov. from Kenya, and T. chrysotes Park Koo, sp. nov. and T. manalis Park Koo, sp. nov. from Uganda. Images of adults and genitalia of the new species are provided.

First records of three genera, Cyphomella Sther, 1977, Olecryptotendipes Zorina, 2007 and Robackia Sther, 1977 of the Harnischia complex from India with description of O. extentus sp. n., O. obtunsus sp. n. and R. aequilongia sp. n. (Diptera: Chironomidae).

Three genera, Cyphomella Sther, 1977, Olecryptotendipes Zorina, 2007 and Robackia Sther, 1977, of the Harnischia complex are recorded for the first time from India. Two new species of Olecryptotendipes and one new species of Robackia are described on the basis of adult males. Cyphomella camelus (Kieffer, 1955), described from Afrotropical and Palaearctic regions, is recorded for the first time from India and its description is supplemented. The molecular barcodes of three species, O. obtunsus sp. n., C. camelus and R. aequilongia sp. n., are also provided. Revised world keys to the adult males of the Olecryptotendipes and Robackia are also provided.

Perinatal asphyxia and associated factors among neonates admitted to a specialized public hospital in South Central Ethiopia: A retrospective cross-sectional study.

Perinatal asphyxia continues to be a significant clinical concern around the world as the consequences can be devastating. World Health Organization data indicates perinatal asphyxia is encountered amongst 6-10 newborns per 1000 live full-term birth, and the figures are higher for low and middle-income countries. Nevertheless, studies on the prevalence of asphyxia and the extent of the problem in poorly resourced southern Ethiopian regions are limited. This study aimed to determine the magnitude of perinatal asphyxia and its associated factors. A retrospective cross-sectional study design was used from March to April 2020. Data was collected from charts of neonates who were admitted to NICU from January 2016 to December 31, 2019. The review of 311 neonates' medical records revealed that 41.2% of the neonates experienced perinatal asphyxia. Preeclampsia during pregnancy (AOR = 6.2, 95%CI:3.1-12.3), antepartum hemorrhage (AOR = 4.5, 95%CI:2.3-8.6), gestational diabetes mellitus (AOR = 4.2, 95%CI:1.9-9.2), premature rupture of membrane (AOR = 2.5, 95%CI:1.33-4.7) fetal distress (AOR = 3,95%CI:1.3-7.0) and meconium-stained amniotic fluid (AOR = 7.7, 95%CI: 3.1-19.3) were the associated factors. Substantial percentages of neonates encounter perinatal asphyxia, causing significant morbidity and mortality. Focus on early identification and timely treatment of perinatal asphyxia in hospitals should, therefore, be given priority.

Systematics of Afrotropical Eristalinae (Diptera: Syrphidae) using mitochondrial phylogenomics

AbstractWe examined the phylogeny and intrageneric classification of eristaline hoverfly genera from the Afrotropical Region using mitochondrial genomes. Genome skimming was used to obtain (nearly) full mtDNA and nuclear rDNA (18S, 28S) genomes of 120 museum vouchers from eight genera and 98 species. Phylogenetic reconstructions of mitogenomes and mitogenomes + nuclear rDNA yielded comparable phylogenies while that of rDNA only resulted in poorly resolved phylogenies. Phylogenetic analyses focused on six genera and supported the monophyly of the genera Chasmomma Bezzi, Eristalinus Rondani, Mesembrius Rondani and Syritta Le Peletier & Serville, whereas Simoides Loew was not monophyletic and rendered Phytomia Guérin‐Méneville paraphyletic. We therefore synonymize Simoides with Phytomia. Within Chasmomma, two species‐groups that differ in the colour and the shape of the hind femora (Chasmomma femoratum and Chasmomma nigrum species‐groups) were supported. Within Eristalinus, the monophyly of the subgenera Merodonoides Curran and Eristalodes Mik was supported, but not of the subgenus Eristalinus Rondani. Within Syritta, the monophyly of three out of the five species‐groups tested was rejected. This approach illustrates the importance of integrative and iterative approaches in taxonomy and shows that genomic data may not only clarify the systematic relationships among hoverfly genera and species, but also offer perspectives into the evolution of morphological and ecological variation within the family.

New species and new records of Afrotropical Ophioninae (Hymenoptera: Ichneumonidae)

Two new species of Ophioninae (Hymenoptera: Ichneumonidae) are described from the Afrotropical region: Dicamptus johanssoni sp. nov. from Congo, and Euryophion titanius sp. nov. from Liberia and Congo. Additionally, Dicamptus bantu Delobel, 1976 is reported for the first time from Guinea, Euryophion pisinnus Gauld et Mitchell, 1978 from Tanzania, and Rhopalophion discinervus (Morley, 1926) from Congo.

Contribution to the taxonomy of the Oecetis (Oecetis) tripunctata (Fabricius, 1793) species group (Trichoptera: Leptoceridae)

Unsettled, dubious Oecetis tripunctata taxa are studied applying the principles and practices of fine phenomics relying on the ventral profile of the gonopods and the lateral profile of the phallic organ. The distribution of Oecetis tripunctata (Fabricius, 1793) is restricted to the Palaearctic Faunal Region. 14 new species were described from the Oriental Faunal Region: Oecetis anhua s. nov., O. baneswara sp. nov., O. baoloca sp. nov., O. bhubaneswa sp. nov., O. dagna sp. nov., O. dhaulia sp. nov., O. gujara sp. nov., O. halonga sp. nov., O. hoabinha sp. nov., O. kamba sp. nov., O. orissa sp. nov., O. peraka sp. nov., O. prenna sp. nov., O. sabarma sp. nov. and one species Oecetis lata Johanson, Pham, Malm & Sjöberg, 2020 was recorded from Vietnam. 2 new species were described from Australasian Faunal Region: O. kokopa sp. nov., O. parom sp. nov. as new records of the Oecetis tripunctata species group. 10 new species were described from the Afrotropical Faunal Region, including mailand Africa and Madagascar: O. anka sp. nov., O. banda sp. nov., O. bua sp. nov., O. conga sp. nov., O. congana sp. nov., O. ghana sp. nov., O. manta sp. nov., O. maroa sp. nov., O. volta sp. nov., O. zoa sp. nov., and one species Oecetis kagerana Kimmins, 1956 was recorded from Ghana, as well as O. maculipennis Ulmer, 1922 was placed to the Oecetis tripunctata species group. This replacement has necessitated revising and renaming the Oecetis maculipennis species group describing 2 new species: O. kimminsiana sp. nov. and O. nkwanta sp. nov. Oecetis maculipennis species group was renamed as Oecetis kimminsiana species group.

Toward a terrestrial biogeographical regionalisation of the world: historical notes, characterisation and area nomenclature

An interim hierarchical classification (i.e. biogeographical regionalisation or area taxonomy) of the world’s terrestrial regions is provided, following the work of Morrone published in Australian Systematic Botany in 2015. Area names are listed according to the International Code of Area Nomenclature so as to synonymise redundant names. The interim global terrestrial regionalisation to the subregion level recognises 3 kingdoms, 2 subkingdoms, 8 regions, 21 subregions and 5 transition zones. No new names are proposed for the regions; however, Lydekker’s Line is renamed Illiger’s Line. We note that some regions still require area classification at the subregion level, particularly the Palearctic, Ethiopian and Oriental regions. Henceforth, the following interim global regionalisation may be used as a template for further revisions and additions of new areas in the future.

First record of the ant genus Agraulomyrmex Prins, 1983 (Formicidae: Formicinae) from India, with description of a new species

ABSTRACT The formicine ant genus Agraulomyrmex Prins, 1983 is recorded from Damoh, Madhya Pradesh, India, and a new species Agraulomyrmex damohensis sp. nov. is described based on a single worker specimen. This genus is reported outside of the Afrotropical region for the first time. The new species is compared with the two described species of the genus from Africa and it differs from them by having nine segmented antennae. This species has been placed in genus Agraulomyrmex based on the structure of the mesosoma (i.e. absence of mesometanotal suture and metanotal groove), presence of nine segmented antennae without distinct club, and absence of ocelli. Holotype is deposited in the National Pusa Collection, Division of Entomology, Indian Agricultural Research Institute, New Delhi, India. http://www.zoobank.org/urn:lsid:zoobank.org:act:8F948505-D833-47BE-B324-63B113034CFC

The Horn of Africa: Past and Present

The Horn of Africa has a special geographical position, since it has access to the Red Sea and the Indian Ocean. The worsening situation in the Horn of Africa is evidenced by the crisis in Somalia, the raging war in the Ethiopian region of Tigray, for the second year with the participation of the Eritrean army, as well as the growing tension in the states of Oromia and Amhara. The armed conflict that began in November 2020 in northern Ethiopia is now a source of instability for the region. The conflict and the collapse of the economy of this country lead to the displacement of the population, and neighboring states such as Sudan, Djibouti, Kenya and, probably, Somalia will suffer the most from the wave of migration. The article deals with political processes and relations in the Horn of Africa region.

Areas of endemism in the Afrotropical region based on the geographical distribution of Tipulomorpha (Insecta: Diptera)

AbstractThis article explores the distributional data of 2440 occurrence records for 1415 Tipulomorpha (Insecta: Diptera) species to search endemism patterns in the Afrotropical region and to propose a regionalisation scheme. The results were compared to areas of endemism proposed in previous works for other taxa. Areas of endemism were established using NDM/VNDM based on a grid size of 8° and consensus cut‐off of 24%. In this study, five subregions were found: Arabian, Atlantic, Indian, Southern Africa and Central Africa. These subregions are divided into 12 dominions: Arabian Peninsula, Atlantic Islands, Central Africa, Central Madagascar, Eastern Africa, Indian Ocean, Northwestern Africa, Southeastern Africa, Southern Africa, Southern Madagascar, Southwestern Africa and Western Africa. There is a general congruence of the dominions with the distribution of the main hydrographic basins and divisions of the forests of Madagascar.

Review of Afrotropical sceliotracheline parasitoid wasps (Hymenoptera, Platygastridae)

The platygastrid subfamily Sceliotrachelinae, while represented globally by numerous biologically important taxa, is generally poorly known for the Afrotropical region. It contains a number of species of economic significance, including some that attack hemipteran pests of citrus. Here we review the taxonomy of the subfamily for the region. We revise two enigmatic, endemic South African genera,AfrisoliaMasner and Huggert andSceliotrachelusBrues, providing illustrated identification keys to the species.Afrisolia anyskopvan Noort & Lahey,sp. nov.,Afrisolia quaggavan Noort & Lahey,sp. nov.andAfrisolia robertsonivan Noort & Lahey,sp. nov.are described for this previously monotypic genus.Sceliotracheluswas previously known only from the two male type specimens ofSceliotrachelus braunsiBrues. Two new species,Sceliotrachelus midgleyivan Noort,sp. nov.andSceliotrachelus karooensisvan Noort,sp. nov., are described from the Eastern and Western Cape, respectively. The female ofS. braunsiis described for the first time and additional distribution records for the species are documented. The putatively basal species,S. karooensis, exhibits less derived morphology than the highly apomorphicS. braunsi, necessitating reassessment of the limits of the genus. The exceptional morphology exhibited by species ofSceliotrachelusis hypothesized to be an adaptation to living in leaf-litter. We also revise the Old World species ofParabaeusKieffer, describing a remarkable new species,Parabaeus nasutusvan Noort,sp. nov., and provide an illustrated and updated key to the species.FidiobiaAshmead is currently represented in Africa by seven described species to which we addFidiobia celeritasvan Noort & Lahey,sp. nov., a charismatic new species from South Africa. The distribution of the genusIsoliais expanded to include new country records forI. hispanicaBuhl (Kenya) and an undescribed species from Madagascar. To facilitate the ongoing exploration and documentation of the African platygastrid fauna, an identification key to Afrotropical sceliotracheline genera and high resolution images of exemplar species for the remaining genera are provided. An overview of known species richness and biology is also included. All images presented here as well as additional images and interactive online Lucid identification keys are available on WaspWeb at http://www.waspweb.org.

Clitobius grimmi sp. n. from Egypt with notes on C. oblongiusculus (Fairmaire, 1875) (Coleoptera: Tenebrionidae: Blaptinae).

Ten valid species of the genus Clitobius Mulsant Rey, 1859 have been published so far from the Palaearctic, Afrotropical and Oriental Regions. With C. grimmi sp. n. from Egypt an eleventh species is here described and illustrated. Specimens representing the newly proposed species were identified as C. oblongiusculus (Fairmaire, 1875) in many of the surveyed entomological collections. This could potentially be explained by the superficial convergence of C. grimmi sp. n. with the description of Halomenus lineicollis Fairmaire, 1879, which is now considered a junior synonym of C. oblongiusculus. Morphological distinctiveness of all of the above mentioned taxa is hereby discussed. The lectotype for Halonomus lineicollis Fairmaire, 1879 is designated in order to fix the nomenclatural status of that taxon. The determination key of Purchart Kamiski (2017) to the Clitobius species is updated with the following taxa: Clitobius subplumbeus (Fairmaire, 1892) and C. grimmi sp. n.

New Cecidomyiidae from the Lowermost Eocene French amber (Diptera)

Two new Cecidomyiidae are added to the Lowermost Eocene Oise amber fauna: in the Lestremiini, Allarete patriciae sp. nov. and in the Winnertziini, Rhipidoxylomyia rasnitsyni sp. nov. Allarete is widely distributed in the Holarctic, Afrotropical, and Oriental regions, and Rhipidoxylomyia in the Palaearctic and Oriental regions, suggesting ancient origins, which would be confirmed by the present discoveries.

DBSCAN and GIE, Two Density-Based "Grid-Free" Methods for Finding Areas of Endemism: A Case Study of Flea Beetles (Coleoptera, Chrysomelidae) in the Afrotropical Region.

Simple SummaryAreas of endemism (AoEs) are one of the most important topics discussed in biogeography, considering that the analysis of areas of sympatry between endemic species is essential to understand species distribution patterns, reconstruct evolutionary events, regionalize biogeographical areas, and assess regions of high conservation concern. Here, we propose a workflow based on the application of a clustering-based algorithm to identify AoEs and compare it to another method, the Geographical Interpolation of Endemism, based on a kernel density approach. We apply this framework to the flea beetles of the whole sub-Saharan Africa, identifying several AoEs through both methods, but with differences in their delimitation, number and features of characteristic species, and surface. Considering that our proposed workflow can be applied to any territorial context and sets of endemic species, we also provide a GIS tool that implements all the steps into one single toolbox. The identification of AoEs, possibly facilitated by our approach, can provide useful spatial information when dealing with several biodiversity-related issues, even applied to practical conservation measures, such as protected areas management and landscape planning.Areas of endemism (AoEs) are a central area of research in biogeography. Different methods have been proposed for their identification in the literature. In this paper, a “grid-free” method based on the “Density-based spatial clustering of applications with noise” (DBSCAN) is here used for the first time to locate areas of endemism for species belonging to the beetle tribe Chrysomelidae, Galerucinae, Alticini in the Afrotropical Region. The DBSCAN is compared with the “Geographic Interpolation of Endemism” (GIE), another “grid-free” method based on a kernel density approach. DBSCAN and GIE both return largely overlapping results, detecting the same geographical locations for the AoEs, but with different delimitations, surfaces, and number of detected sinendemisms. The consensus maps obtained by GIE are in general less clearly delimited than the maps obtained by DBSCAN, but nevertheless allow us to evaluate the core of the AoEs more precisely, representing of the percentage levels of the overlap of the centroids. DBSCAN, on the other hand, appears to be faster and more sensitive in identifying the AoEs. To facilitate implementing the delimitation of the AoEs through the procedure proposed by us, a new tool named “CLUENDA” (specifically developed is in GIS environment) is also made available.