Biodiversity Hotspot Research Articles

Biosphere reserves in the megadiverse Cape Floristic Region are effective in conserving arthropod diversity

AbstractBiosphere reserves (BRs) aim to protect global biodiversity alongside social and economic development. Each BR is composed of a core area where biodiversity conservation is maximal. Surrounding this zone is a buffer and then a transition zone where agroecological farming and other low‐intensity land‐uses are undertaken to an increasing degree. The Cape Floristic Region (CFR) is a biodiversity hotspot at the southern tip of Africa, extremely rich in endemic plants and arthropods. We review the instigation of four CFR BRs for effective conservation to protect this unique biodiversity, and where new species are regularly being discovered. Core areas protect many endemic and rare arthropod species with impacts from human activities in these critical areas being softened by the outer zones. Within the buffer and transition zones, agroecological approaches are advancing arthropod conservation, largely through maintenance of natural patches in the agricultural matrix. While larger patches are better, small patches also have high value for arthropods, especially when functionally connected. Other biodiversity‐friendly farming methods such as high vegetation cover between vine rows are also proving to be effective for indigenous arthropod conservation, as is an ecologically sensitive pest management strategy. Furthermore, a national programme aimed at removal of invasive alien trees is enabling arthropod recovery, especially endemic stream insects. Although fire is a natural CFR phenomenon, increased fire frequency is of concern. Nevertheless, natural fire refuges remain vitally important and are playing a critical role, especially for vulnerable species‐rich groups like pollinators. Overall, there is optimism that most arthropod species will remain at effective population levels in this megadiversity hotspot by putting in place effective precautionary measures. Here we show that the BR model contributes towards the protection of the CFR's endemic arthropod fauna, with potential to expand the BRs beyond the four official reserves.

Hymenochaete liyiriana sp. nov. (Hymenochaetaceae, Basidiomycota) from Arunachal Pradesh, Northeast India

ABSTRACT A new polypore, Hymenochaete liyiriana T. Rakhe & R. K. Singh, is described based on its morphological and molecular characterisation. It was collected from the sub-tropical forest of Arunachal Pradesh (India) that lies within the Eastern Himalaya biodiversity hotspot. H. liyiriana is characterised by a concentrically lamellate hymenophore, tramal hyphae with hooked tip, and cyanophilous basidiospores. The internal transcribed spacer (ITS) and partial nc 28S rDNA (nLSU) region-based phylogenetic analysis also differentiated H. liyiriana from the closely related species, H. campylopora and H. setipora.

A metabologenomics approach reveals the unexplored biosynthetic potential of bacteria isolated from an Amazon Conservation Unit.

The Amazon, an important biodiversity hotspot, remains poorly explored in terms of its microbial diversity and biotechnological potential. The present study characterized the metabolic potential of Gram-positive strains of the Actinomycetes and Bacilli classes isolated from soil samples of an Amazon Conservation Unit. The sequencing of the 16S rRNA gene classified the strains ACT015, ACT016, and FIR094 within the genera Streptomyces, Rhodococcus, and Brevibacillus, respectively. Genome mining identified 33, 17, and 14 biosynthetic gene clusters (BGCs) in these strains, including pathways for the biosynthesis of antibiotic and antitumor agents. Additionally, 40 BGCs (62,5% of the total BGCs) were related to unknown metabolites. The OSMAC approach and untargeted metabolomics analysis revealed a plethora of metabolites under laboratory conditions, underscoring the untapped chemical diversity and biotechnological potential of these isolates. Our findings illustrated the efficacy of the metabologenomics approach in elucidating secondary metabolism and selecting BGCs with chemical novelty.IMPORTANCEThe largest rainforest in the world is globally recognized for its biodiversity. However, until now, few studies have been conducted to prospect natural products from the Amazon microbiome. In this work, we isolated three free-living bacterial species from the microbiome of pristine soils and used two high-throughput technologies to reveal the vast unexplored repertoire of secondary metabolites produced by these microorganisms.

Endemic Plant Species of India: Challenges and Conservation Strategies

India is home to a rich diversity of endemic plant species, many of which face severe threats due to habitat destruction, climate change, and unsustainable human activities. This paper explores the current status of endemic plant species in India, highlights the challenges they face, and proposes conservation strategies. India boasts a significant number of endemic species, with many of them listed as threatened, underscoring the urgency for effective conservation. Habitat loss, primarily driven by urbanization, agriculture, and deforestation, is a major contributor to this decline. Climate change further exacerbates these threats, altering species distributions and accelerating the loss of suitable habitats. The paper discusses various conservation approaches, including in situ and ex situ methods, along with the importance of local community involvement in conservation efforts. Technological innovations such as GIS and satellite monitoring have proven to be instrumental in mapping biodiversity hotspots and enhancing conservation efforts. Policy frameworks like the Biological Diversity Act of 2002 have laid a foundation for species protection, but stronger enforcement and broader initiatives are needed. Finally, the paper outlines future directions for conservation, emphasizing the need for integrated approaches that combine technology, research, policy, and community participation. The survival of India's endemic plant species is crucial for maintaining ecological balance and safeguarding biodiversity for future generations.

Exploring the Contribution of a Generalist Citizen Science Project for Alien Species Detection and Monitoring in Coastal Areas. A Case Study on the Adriatic of Central Italy

Coastal areas are biodiversity hotspots, providing essential ecosystem services, yet they are among the most threatened systems, particularly by alien species invasion. The European regulation on invasive alien species (IAS) highlights early detection as a key prerequisite for effective containment or eradication strategies. Traditional monitoring methods are costly and time-consuming, and Citizen Science (CS) may be a promising alternative. We assessed the contribution of the generalist CS project “Wild Coast Adriatic” (WCA) developed on the iNaturalist platform to the detection of alien species (AS) along the Central Adriatic coast. Using WCA, we extracted alien occurrences and explored AS seasonal patterns, geographic origins, dangers (EU regulation), and distributions inside protected areas (Natura 2000 and LTER sites). Between 2020 and 2023, WCA gathered 2194 research-grade observations of 687 species, including 139 records of 50 AS, five of which are of European concern. Asteraceae and Fabaceae (plants) as well as insects and mollusks (fauna) were the most abundant aliens. The observations increased over time, with more records concentrated in autumn and summer. Most AS come from the Americas and occurred outside the protected areas. Our results underline the contribution of CS data for detecting AS in coastal ecosystems, offering a valid support for early warning, monitoring, and management strategies.

Eco-phylogenetic study of Trebouxia in southern Africa reveals interbiome connectivity and potential endemism in a green algal lichen photobiont.

Southern Africa is a biodiversity hotspot rich in endemic plants and lichen-forming fungi. However, species-level data about lichen photobionts in this region are minimal. We focused on Trebouxia (Chlorophyta), the most common lichen photobiont, to understand how southern African species fit into the global biodiversity of this genus and are distributed across biomes and mycobiont partners. We sequenced Trebouxia nuclear ribosomal ITS and rbcL of 139 lichen thalli from diverse biomes in South Africa and Namibia. Global Trebouxia phylogenies incorporating these new data were inferred with a maximum likelihood approach. Trebouxia biodiversity, biogeography, and mycobiont-photobiont associations were assessed in phylogenetic and ecological network frameworks. An estimated 43 putative Trebouxia species were found across the region, including seven potentially endemic species. Only five clades represent formally described species: T. arboricola s.l. (A13), T. cf. cretacea (A01), T. incrustata (A06), T. lynniae (A39), and T. maresiae (A46). Potential endemic species were not significantly associated with the Greater Cape Floristic Region or desert. Trebouxia species occurred frequently across multiple biomes. Annual precipitation, but not precipitation seasonality, was significant in explaining variation in Trebouxia communities. Consistent with other studies of lichen photobionts, the Trebouxia-mycobiont network had an anti-nested structure. Depending on the metric used, ca. 20-30% of global Trebouxia biodiversity occurs in southern Africa, including many species yet to be described. With a classification scheme for Trebouxia now well established, tree-based approaches are preferable over "barcode gap" methods for delimiting new species.

Effects of land cover and protected areas on flying insect diversity.

Widespread insect losses are a critical global problem. Mitigating this problem requires identifying the principal drivers across different taxa and determining which insects are covered by protected areas. However, doing so is hindered by missing information on most species owing to extremely high insect diversity and difficulties in morphological identification. To address this knowledge gap, we used one of the most comprehensive insect DNA metabarcoding data sets assembled (encompassing 31,846 flying insect species) in which data were collected from a network of 75 Malaise traps distributed across Germany. Collection sites encompass gradients of land cover, weather, and climate, along with differences in site protection status, which allowed us to gain broader insights into how insects respond to these factors. We examined changes in total insect biomass, species richness, temporal turnover, and shifts in the composition of taxa, key functional groups (pollinators, threatened species, and invasive species), and feeding traits. Lower insect biomass generally equated to lower richness of all insects and higher temporal turnover, suggesting that biomass loss translates to biodiversity loss and less stable communities. Spatial variability in insect biomass and composition was primarily driven by land cover, rather than weather or climate change. As vegetation and land-cover heterogeneity increased, insect biomass increased by 50% in 2019 and 56% in 2020 and total species richness by 58% and 33%, respectively. Similarly, areas with low-vegetation habitats exhibited the highest richness of key taxa, including pollinators and threatened species, and the widest variety of feeding traits. However, these habitats tended to be less protected despite their higher diversity. Our results highlight the value of heterogeneous low vegetation for promoting overall insect biomass and diversity and that better protection of insects requires improved protection and management of unforested areas, where many biodiversity hotspots and key taxa occur.

Two new taxa of brush-footed butterflies (Lepidoptera: Nymphalidae) from the Western Ghats biodiversity hotspot, southern India.

A new species, Amathusia travancorica sp. nov. (Nymphalidae: Satyrinae: Amathusiini), and a new subspecies, Athyma inara sahyadriensis ssp. nov. (Nymphalidae: Limenitidinae: Limenitidini), are described from the Western Ghats biodiversity hotspot, India, based on multiple male and female specimens. The new taxa are compared with type specimens of related species and subspecies, revealing consistent differences that distinguish the new taxa. Genitalia dissections are also provided as comparative materials. Additional information is provided on historical records, distributional ranges, habits and habitat, phenology, larval host plants, and early stages. Finally, the type locality and synonymy of Pantoporia mera Swinhoe, 1917 are discussed based on comparison of type specimens (Pantoporia mera Swinhoe, 1917 syn. nov.=Athyma inara Westwood, 1850).

Macro‐evolutionary dynamics dominated by dispersal promote the formation of regional biodiversity hotspot‐insights from hawkmoths (Lepidoptera: Sphingidae) in South China

AbstractAimRapid loss in global insect diversity has generated substantial public worry due to their critical ecological roles. However, there is controversy about the effectiveness of the global‐scale hotspots in guiding the conservation of diversity at the regional scale. Even worse, little is known about the knowledge of insect distributional dynamics in many understudied regions, such as East and Southeast Asia. Here, to guide for setting regional‐scale conservation priorities for insect diversity, we explore hawkmoths (Lepidoptera: Sphingidae) for their distributional dynamics and identify regional hotspots requiring protection.LocationSouth China (including Guangdong, Guangxi, Hainan, Hong Kong and Macau) and northern Vietnam (17°~26.5° N, 102°~117.5° E).MethodsSpecies distribution models were generated for 194 hawkmoth species based on 3597 occurrence records to predict their distributions. We calculated the spatial patterns of taxonomic and phylogenetic diversity and identified regional hotspots. Furthermore, the potential assembly mechanisms underlying insect diversity were explored by analysing the rates of speciation, extinction and dispersal between phyloregions.Results(a) The coastal regions of South China and northern Vietnam represent a regional hotspot of hawkmoths in East and Southeast Asia, with significantly higher α‐diversity than that in inland regions. (b) Dispersal played a more important role than local speciation and extinction in the formation of regional hawkmoth hotspots.Main ConclusionsIn this study, the ‘Out‐of‐the‐tropics model’ can explain the formation of the hawkmoth regional hotspots and the enhanced version of the ‘Pure dispersal model’ can explain the formation of the hotspots in Hainan Island. Compared with the local speciation and extinction, dispersal is the main driving factor that promoted the formation of the regional biodiversity hotspot of hawkmoths in South China. The case of Hainan Island suggests that protection within hotspots needs to account for specific regional macro‐evolutionary dynamics rather than indiscriminate coverage of identified hotspots.

BASS - Biodiversity Assessments at Small Scales

Much of the work developed on biodiversity dynamics due to climate change focuses on large scales. Yet, we know that small scale is critical to fully understand biodiversity change, particularly for plants and small or less mobile organisms which might seek refuge in sites that keep specific microclimatic and biotic conditions dampening the effects of large-scale changes. The project BASS - Biodiversity Assessment at Small Scales - aims to explore the intricate relationships between small-scale environmental variations in space and time and biodiversity patterns. Central to our study is researching how microclimatic conditions, such as potential solar radiation, influence species occurrence, abundance, community composition and biotic interactions within a Mediterranean context. Our objectives include gaining a deeper understanding of the effects of localised environmental conditions and their change in time on biodiversity, providing critical data for an under-researched Mediterranean Biodiversity Hotspot region, and examining the dynamics of small-sized species, particularly plants and invertebrates. We have established a network of 16 fixed sampling points across the Lisbon University field station - Herdade da Ribeira Abaixo (HRA), Grândola (South Portugal): eight with high and eight with low potential solar radiation. Each of these plots will serve as a 'mesocosm' for detailed ecological studies in the next decades. This framework will support a variety of research projects each focusing on different taxa and questions, including Masters' theses, PhD dissertations and independent studies, thereby fostering a collaborative research environment. By integrating previously collected data during the last three decades with new findings, we aim to offer valuable insights into the processes underlying ecosystem functioning and change at small spatial scales. This project not only addresses fundamental ecological questions, but also contributes to sustainable landscape management and biodiversity conservation efforts.

Plants and Bee Visitors in the Eastern Afromontane Biodiversity Hotspot of Kenya, East Africa

Plants and Bee Visitors in the Eastern Afromontane Biodiversity Hotspot of Kenya, East Africa

A DNA barcode reference of Asian ferns with expert-identified voucher specimens and DNA samples

Ferns belong to species-rich group of land plants, encompassing more than 11,000 extant species, and are crucial for reflecting terrestrial ecosystem changes. However, our understanding of their biodiversity hotspots, particularly in Southeast Asia, remains limited due to scarce genetic data. Despite harboring around one-third of the world’s fern species, less than 6% of Southeast Asian ferns have been DNA-sequenced. In this study, we addressed this gap by sequencing 1,496 voucher-referenced and expert-identified fern samples from (sub)tropical Asia, spanning Malaysia, the Philippines, Taiwan, and Vietnam, to retrieve their rbcL and trnL-F sequences. This DNA barcode collection of Asian ferns encompasses 956 species across 152 genera and 34 families, filling major gaps in fern biodiversity understanding and advancing research in systematics, phylogenetics, ecology and conservation. This dataset significantly expands the Fern Tree of Life to over 6,000 species, serving as a pivotal and global reference for worldwide barcoding identification of ferns.

Phylogeography of Cold Water Soft Coral Alcyonium spp. (Anthozoa, Octocorallia: Alcyonacea) Between South America and the West Antarctic Peninsula.

The Antarctic marine environment has a unique geologic and climatic history that has contributed to the evolution of high species diversity. Given the current trend of environmental warming, understanding the history of Antarctic species is crucial for predicting the impact of climate change on ecosystem function. Soft corals are a group of striking presence in the benthic marine assemblages in the Southern Ocean, which is recognized as a biodiversity hotspot. DNA sequences (Cox1, mtMutS, and 28S rDNA) were utilized for molecular phylogenetic reconstructions, species delimitations, and divergence estimations to investigate the spatial patterns of genetic diversity in Alcyonium species in the southern South American-Antarctic region. Significant genetic divergence was observed between regions, with a clear genetic break between South America and the West Antarctic Peninsula and the identification of four putative species. Divergence time estimates indicated that Alcyonium's diversification began about 41.1 million years ago (Ma), coinciding with the opening of the Drake Passage and the formation of the Antarctic Circumpolar Current (ACC, ~42 Ma). This indicates that Alcyonium has persisted insitu for an extensive period, enduring a wide range of environmental conditions.

Exposure and Sensitivity of Terrestrial Vertebrates to Biological Invasions Worldwide.

While biological invasions continue to threaten biodiversity, most of current assessments focus on the sole exposure to invasive alien species (IAS), without considering native species' response to the threat. Here, we address this gap by assessing vertebrates' vulnerability to biological invasions, combining measures of both (i) exposure to 304 identified IAS and (ii) realized sensitivity of 1600 native vertebrates to this threat. We used the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species to identify species threatened by IAS, their distribution, and the species' range characteristics of their associated IAS. We found that 38% of worldwide terrestrial lands are exposed to biological invasions, but exposure alone was insufficient to assess vulnerability since we further found that most of the world hosted native species sensitive to biological invasions. We delineated areas highly vulnerable to biological invasions, that is, combining areas of high exposure and high sensitivity to IAS, located in Australia and coastal states of North America with a high confidence level, but also-depending on the group-in Pacific islands, Southern America, Western Europe, Southern Africa, Eastern Asia, and New-Zealand with a medium confidence level. Assessing the completeness in exposure data, we revealed strong biases in the global description of the well-known invasion hotspots, with limited areas being assessed with a medium to high confidence level. The completeness of sensitivity was overall very high, for the three studied taxonomic groups. We also demonstrated that coldspots of vulnerability to biological invasions were areas of low confidence in terms of data completeness, which coincided with biodiversity hotspots. There is thus a critical need to address these knowledge shortfalls which jeopardize efficient conservation initiatives, regarding the threats to well-known vertebrate taxa.

Forecasting the Effects of Global Change on a Bee Biodiversity Hotspot.

The Mojave and Sonoran Deserts, recognized as a global hotspot for bee biodiversity, are experiencing habitat degradation from urbanization, utility-scale solar energy (USSE) development, and climate change. In this study, we evaluated the current and future distribution of bee diversity, assessed how protected areas safeguard bee species richness, and predicted how global change may affect bees across the region. Using Joint Species Distribution Models (JSDMs) of 148 bee species, we project changes in species distributions, occurrence area, and richness under four global change scenarios between 1971 and 2050. We evaluated the threat posed by USSE development and predicted how climate change will affect the suitability of protected areas for conservation. Our findings indicate that changes in temperature and precipitation do not uniformly affect bee richness. Lower elevation protected areas are projected to experience mean losses of up to 5.8 species, whereas protected areas at higher elevations and transition zones may gain up to 7.8 species. Areas prioritized for future USSE development have an average species richness of 4.2 species higher than the study area average, and lower priority "variance" areas have 8.2 more species. USSE zones are expected to experience declines of up to 8.0 species by 2050 due to climate change alone. Despite the importance of solitary bees for pollination, their diversity is often overlooked in land management decisions. Our results show the utility of JSDMs for leveraging existing collection records to ease the inclusion of data-limited insect species in land management decision-making.

Occurrence of priority and emerging organic contaminants in cold-water corals and their habitat: a case study in La Herradura Bay (Spain).

Coastal ecosystems are heavily anthropized areas impacted by discharge of chemical pollutants. We present for the first time the occurrence of a wide number of such chemicals in surface water, sediment, suspended particulate matter, and corals from a protected Mediterranean setting, La Herradura Bay (Spain). A seasonal monitoring sampling campaign was conducted in 2021 (winter and summer). This bay is a marine biodiversity hot spot and home for endangered cold-water corals species (Astroides calycularis and Dendrophyllia ramea). Up to 94 target analytes were present in marine samples, with pharmaceuticals being the predominant compound class (up to 37 ng L-1 in seawater and 775 ng g-1 in sediments), especially during the winter season. Uncontrolled untreated wastewater discharges in combination with hydrodynamics dominating in the area seemed to be the major source of contaminants towards the coral colonies inhabiting the bay, which accumulate pharmaceuticals (up to 154 ng g-1), personal care products (UV filters and synthetic fragrances), polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons, and organophosphate flame retardants, showing log BAFs up to 6.6. Such values were slightly higher in D. ramea than A. calycularis, but not statistically significant differences were observed (p-value > 0.05). Further research is encouraged to assess possible damage to cold-water coral species exposed to multiple contaminants.

Modeling the potential distribution and shift of an Algerian endangered endemic species (Cedrus atlantica) under climate change scenarios: Implications for conservation

Algeria is distinguished by its geographical and climatic diversity, which contains a varied flora and endemic species, being recognized as one of the biodiversity hot-spots of the Mediterranean region. Among its endemic species, the renowned Atlas cedar (Cedrus atlantica) is particularly notable as it exclusively grows in the Atlas Mountains. Classified as endangered species by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) Red List, because of its endemism and also because dramatic declining populations over the past four decades. Forecasting the potential impact of climate change on the distribution of this species might help in devising effective conservation strategies. Under this backdrop, this study aimed to simulate the current distribution of suitable habitat for C. atlantica in Algeria and investigate the influence of climate change on its distribution range by the years 2050, 2070 and 2090. The distribution was modeled using Maximum Entropy (Maxent) based on locality information of 103 occurrence sites of the species and nine different environmental variables. The model showed that annual mean temperature and elevation were the most important environmental factors affecting the distribution of C. atlantica in Algeria. Currently, the total suitable habitats for this species, including both medium and high suitability habitats, cover a total area of 1,837 km2, yet its distribution is relatively narrow and fragmented. This area would obviously decrease under all future climate change scenarios, shifting northwestward and to higher elevations, where conditions conducive to the species’ expansion will exist. Our results showed that at lower elevations and latitudes the species is highly prone to the effects of climate change, and they are confronted with an augmented risk of extinction across diverse climatic scenarios. This research provides valuable information for the more effective conservation and sustainable management of C. atlantica in the face of climate change challenges.

Disentangling the response of species diversity, forest structure, and environmental drivers to aboveground biomass in the tropical forests of Western Ghats, India

Tropical forests are crucial to the global carbon cycle, but a significant knowledge gap in the precise distribution patterns of forest aboveground biomass (AGB) hinders our ability to formulate effective conservation efforts. A key unresolved issue is the lack of understanding of how forest AGB interacts with biotic and abiotic factors on large spatial scale. To address this, we used Structural Equation Modeling to disentangle the direct and indirect effects of environmental, anthropogenic, structural diversity species diversity and edaphic factors on AGB of trees, lianas and regenerating communities using the data from 96 1-ha plots in the central Western Ghats biodiversity hotspot, India. We hypothesized that the effect of structural attributes overrides AGB distribution, with relative contributions varying among plant communities. The landscape-level mean AGB was 245.12 ± 19.74 Mg ha−1, with SEM explaining 68–85 % of variations across the three vegetation communities. Structural diversity emerged as the primary mediator of the positive effects of taxonomic diversity on AGB in the regeneration community, whereas canopy cover and stem density linked diversity to AGB in adult tree and liana communities. Further, AGB showed a positive association with soil organic carbon in adult tree and regeneration communities, underscoring the significance of belowground resource availability on AGB. The results indicate that structural features were consistently the strongest AGB predictors at all levels of data aggregation, indicating the predominant role of niche complementarity and efficient space utilization in driving AGB, albeit differently across the plant communities. Our study emphasizes the importance of maintaining high structural features and managing taxonomic diversity while promoting soil fertility and minimizing disturbances to support AGB in tropical forests. We recommend testing the effects of predictor variables on biomass of vegetation communities independently to better understand the ecological principles of forest functioning.

Conservation in agricultural landscapes: Impact of privately managed interventions on habitat condition and woody cover

Agricultural landscapes often overlap with areas of high biodiversity. Conservation efforts in these areas have the potential to play a pivotal role in mitigating biodiversity loss and supporting global conservation targets. This study investigates the effectiveness of private conservation interventions established in an agricultural landscape and biodiversity hotspot of Tasmania, Australia. Using a synthetic control design, we assessed two interventions: conservation covenants, which limit disturbances, and a stewardship program emphasizing active management. Our analysis, segmented by dominant vegetation group, examines both habitat condition and woody cover. Results indicate substantial variability both within and between programmes. The stewardship programme generally improved habitat conditions for native grasslands and grassy woodlands, although increased woody cover in native grasslands was a negative outcome. Conservation covenants had positive effects on grassy woodlands and modified agricultural land but were less effective in native grasslands. The study highlights challenges in private conservation, such as balancing landowner engagement with conservation goals and ensuring consistent monitoring. Long-term monitoring and adaptive management are crucial for sustainable ecological benefits, and integrating privately managed conservation efforts with public reserves has the potential to help achieving global biodiversity targets. Insights from this research can guide future conservation strategies, promoting effective management practices in working landscapes.

Sustained Fishing Threatens Globally Protected Species: Insights from Digital Catch and Genomic Data

Small-scale fisheries capture a wide marine biodiversity including highly vulnerable and endangered species. Despite global conservation efforts, at regional scale, strategies to conserve threatened species are often constrained by poor biological information and a paucity of fisheries data to understand the level of threat posed to their populations. In Myanmar, devil and manta rays (mobulids) are caught for meat consumption and export of gill plates. The impact of this exploitation is not fully understood as mobulid rays, especially in this region, have been poorly studied, catch levels are under-reported and the fishery is unregulated. An accurate knowledge of the species composition and catch levels is an important first step to inform potential management and protection strategies for these species. This study is the first to combine digital catch recording alongside genomic tools to analyze mobulid rays caught in the Tanintharyi Region of south Myanmar. Our catch data analyses indicate a sustained catch and decrease in total landings of mobulids from 2016 to 2018 in Tanintharyi. We identified five species of mobulid rays, including the first record of M. tarapacana for Myanmar. Our analyses of population genomics provided evidence of structured populations of M. thurstoni and partial admixture in M. mobular. Our findings are highly valuable 1) contributing to fill the knowledge gap for these threaten species in the region, and 2) as the first documentation of sustained fishing pressure these rays are exposed to, and the species under potential fishing threat in the Tanintharyi Region, a high priority biodiversity hotspot.