Palaearctic Species Research Articles

Impacts of climate change on dragonflies and damselflies in West and Central Asia

AbstractAimTo project the impact of climate change on dragonfly and damselfly diversity in West and Central Asia.LocationWest and Central Asia.Time period1900–2020 data used to predict distributions in 2070 and 2100.Taxon studiedOdonata.MethodsBased on 149,001 records, distribution models were created for 159 species using MaxEnt. Environmental variables consisted of climate variables taken from BIOCLIM, river data and soil data. The future climate data were obtained from CHELSA from CMIP6 climate models. The same variables were collected for three scenarios (SSP1‐2.6, SSP3‐7.0 and SSP5‐8.5) of shared socioeconomic pathways for the years 2050–2070 and 2080–2100. For each scenario and period, diversity maps were prepared for six species groups: all species, Lentic, Lotic, Oriental, Afrotropical and Palaearctic species.ResultsStrong declines in diversity are expected in western Turkey, the Levant and Azerbaijan, and to a lesser extent in parts of Iran and southern Central Asia. An increase is expected in eastern Turkey and at higher elevations in Central Asia with a limited increase throughout the Arabian Peninsula. In contrast to expectations, a decrease in areas with <15 species was found. Faunal composition is predicted to show strong shifts, with Palaearctic species declining and Oriental and Afrotropical species increasing. No clear difference between the trend of lentic and lotic species is found, although there are clear spatial differences in trend between these groups.Main ConclusionsClimate change will result in strong changes in diversity and distribution of dragonflies and damselflies in West and Central Asia with regional declines and increases. None of the species are predicted to go extinct based on the impact of climate change only, however, the combined impact of climate change and anthropogenic forces is likely to push some of the species to near extinction by 2100.

Catalogue of Bombus muscorum (Linnaeus, 1758) specimens (Hymenoptera, Apidae) deposited in the State Museum of Natural History NASU, Lviv, Ukraine

Bombus muscorum (Linnaeus, 1758) belongs to the subgenus Thoracobombus and is one of the 40 bumblebee species that occur in Ukraine. This Palaearctic species has been found from Ireland in the west to Mongolia in the east, and from the latitude of Stockholm to Crete. It is generally uncommon to very uncommon in all its continental locations (Rasmont, Iserbyt, 2010–2012). It is very rare south of the latitude 40N. The species has not been observed in many of the locations of west, central and south-east Europe where it occurred one century ago, and considered to be threatened: vulnerable in the IUCN Red List of European Bees (Rasmont et al., 2015). B. muscorum is currently declining where its extinction is projected for the future. It is assumed to have a low dispersal capability. The species queens emerge in late spring, make nests on or under the ground surface and develop small colonies. In Ukraine B. muscorum has patchy distribution and inhabits grasslands in river valleys, water meadows, and wet meadows on the banks of lakes and ponds, rich in forbs containing floral resources, suitable for this species. The species is included into the Red Data Book of Ukraine as rare one. Recently its populations have significantly declined due to loss of natural habitats (Konovalova, 2010). In the entomological collection of the State Museum of Natural History, National Academy of Sciences of Ukraine, 57 specimens of B. muscorum have been deposited. Eight specimens belong to an old historical collection, made between the sixties of the 19-th century and 1939. All were collected in Lvivska and Ternopilska provinces of Ukraine. Judging by the writing style on labels, four of them with high probability were collected by A. Wierzejski, and the remaining four – by J. Snieżek. The recent part of the collection includes specimens, found from 1998 to 2006 in Lvivska, Ternopilska, Volynska, Mykolaivska and Khersonska provinces of Ukraine (fig. 1), and in France (1 spec.). The collection represents the following physiographic regions: FZB: ROp: Roztochchia; FZB: ROp: Opillia; FZB: West Podillia Upland; FZM: Volynske Polissia; SZ: SZN: DnDpL: South Dnipro Upland; SZ: SZS: CBAzL: Syvash-Azov Lowland. The bumblebee specimens were collected by the collectors as follows: O. Holovachov, I. Konovalova, V. Rizun, O. Vovk.

Association of the opposite sexes of Dryinus niger Kieffer, with notes on males of the other Western Palaearctic species of the same genus (Hymenoptera, Dryinidae).

In Fennoscandia, only one species of Dryinus (Hymenoptera, Dryinidae) is known, D. niger Kieffer, 1904. The species is very sporadically collected in that region, and the association of its opposite sex is difficult by its rarity. The capture of a male in Norway allowed us to describe it and place it in the new key to the males of Western Palaearctic Dryinus.

A revision of the Palaearctic species of the ant genus Cardiocondyla Emery 1869 (Hymenoptera: Formicidae).

A synopsis of the Palaearctic species of the ant genus Cardiocondyla Emery 1869 is provided. The four species groups which are of Palaearctic origin or which are restricted in their distribution to this faunal zone, the C. elegans, C. ulianini, C. batesii and C. stambuloffii group-consisting of 25 recognized species-are taxonomically revised. Further nine species belonging to species groups of Ethiopic and Oriental origin which may penetrate into and build up true outdoor populations in the southern Palaearctic are only treated in the determination key. The main working rationale of this revision is Numeric Morphology-Based Alpha-Taxonomy (NUMOBAT) with formation of species hypotheses largely based on exploratory data analyses and checking these hypotheses by discriminant analysis. NUMOBAT data of the species considered comprise 727 worker samples with 1555 individuals and 23,300 primary data. Including high-resolution photos of surface microstructures, all species are depicted by z-stack imaging in four standard visual positions. Numeric data on 19 phenotypical characters are presented in comparative tables and supplementary verbal descriptions are given. In contrast to species groups with Ethiopian, Oriental and Australasian origin, no member of the four Palaearctic species groups has developed a tramp species potential to spread globally. Four cryptic species are described as new: Cardiocondyla dalmaticoides n. sp., C. caspiense n. sp., C. verdensis n. sp. and C. rolandi n. sp. Confirmed were the synonymies of Cardiocondyla elegans santschii Forel 1905, C. provincialis Bernard 1956 and Xenometra gallica Bernard 1957 with C. elegans Emery 1869, that of C. elegans eleonorae Forel 1911 with C. bulgarica Forel 1892, that of C. elegans torretassoi Finzi 1936 with C. nigra Forel 1905, and that of C. bogdanovi Ruzsky 1905, C. montandoni Santschi 1912 and C. stambuloffii taurica Karavajev 1927 with C. stambuloffii Forel 1892. Cardiocondyla bicoronata Seifert 2003 was newly synonymized with C. nigra Forel 1905.

Subfamily Heteromyzinae newly recorded from China with description of one new species (Diptera: Heleomyzidae).

This study reported the subfamily Heteromyzinae with its genus Tephrochlamys from China for the first time. Tephrochlamys Loew is a small genus in Heteromyzinae with only 13 known species from the Afrotropical, Oriental, Palaearctic and Nearctic Regions. Here, we described one new species of Tephrochlamys from Qinghai of Palaearctic China: Tephrochlamys qinghaiensis sp. nov. An updated key to the Palaearctic species of Tephrochlamys is presented.

The relationship of moult timing, duration and sequence to the aerial lifestyle of the Little Swift (Apus affinis)

Feather moult is an important and energy‐demanding avian life‐history trait that is necessary to maintain the function of the plumage by replacing abraded feathers with new ones. However, during moult, aerodynamic capacity is temporarily impaired by the reduction and shape change of the flight surface. Therefore, among aerial birds, adaptations may evolve to reduce this impairment. Here, we studied the timing, duration and sequence of the annual complete moult of adult Little Swifts Apus affinis in northern Israel by examining the plumage of 55 individuals monthly in their colony. Primary moult occurs over 191.7 ± 24.0 days, representing 52.5 ± 6.6% of the annual cycle, and overlaps with the breeding season, a rare occurrence among small Palaearctic bird species. In addition, primary moult duration was significantly affected by its timing such that individuals that started to moult later had a shorter moult duration than those that started to moult earlier. This relationship is most likely to be a result of the time available for moult, which is limited by breeding and also by the cold season and the expected decline in food availability. Moult overlap with breeding or cold seasons may involve energetic and functional costs. Our results indicate two strategies that appear sequentially: (1) a slow and long moult that largely overlaps with breeding, and (2) a shorter moult that overlaps less with breeding (both strategies avoid moulting during the cold season). Most Little Swifts (85.7%) moulted their rectrices in a centripetal sequence starting with the outermost pair of rectrices inward. This moult was later in relation to wing feather renewal and had almost no overlap with primary moult. Finally, we tested a method for non‐invasively monitoring moult of small species by collecting and sampling shed feathers without the need to capture the birds themselves, as has been successfully used for larger bird species. This work demonstrates the importance of aerodynamic considerations in the evolution of life‐history traits. Moult‐related aerodynamic costs may be an important evolutionary factor shaping moult strategy, including timing, duration and sequence, mainly among species, like swifts, that are highly dependent on their aerodynamic ability.

Notes on Diptera Pupipara of the eastern Palaearctic region. 2. Identity of <i>Ornithoica momiyamai</i> (Hippoboscidae)

The louse fly,Ornithoica momiyamai, is ectoparasitic on a variety of bird species in Japan and the Republic of Korea (ROK). However, its species status has been controversial for many years. We investigated its morphological and ecological traits to clarify further its species status. Morphology of gynandromorphs, which has been regarded as useful in distinguishing related Ornithoica species, was reported for the first time. Gynandromorphs in Japan have a tri-lobed infra-anal plate similar to Ornithoica tridens (endemic to Taiwan) but distinct from several related tropical species. Collection records of O. momiyamai compiled from literature were compared with O. tridens, Ornithoica exilis (a tropical species carried to the temperate region by migratory birds), and Ornithomya avicularia (a Palaearctic species overwintering in the temperate region primary as puparia). The records indicate that O. momiyamai is relatively common throughout temperate Japan and the ROK, found on a number of bird species irrespective of their seasonality, and collected annually and locally if collection efforts are done. Records also document population increases during summer months concurrently with Ornithomya avicularia in warm-temperate Japan. These results demonstrate that O. momiyamai is a temperate species that overwinters as puparia at least in warm-temperate Japan.

Review of the Palaearctic species of Miscogasteriella Girault, 1915 (Chalcidoidea, Pteromalidae).

Palaearctic species of the genus Miscogasteriella Girault, 1915 are reviewed. Miscogasteriellaolgaesp. nov. from South Korea and M.vladimirisp. nov. from Japan are described. Type material of M.nigricans (Masi) and M.sulcata (Kamijo) is redescribed and illustrated. Miscogasteriellanigricans is recorded from the Palaearctic region for the first time. An identification key to females of all Palaearctic species of Miscogasteriella is given.

The first record of Gyraulus cf. acronicus (Gastropoda, Heterobranchia, Planorbidae) in waterbodies of the Novaya Zemlya Archipelago

The knowledge on diversity of freshwater molluscs in the Arctic islands of the Russian Federation remains incomplete. The present study provides the first record of the North Palaearctic species Gyraulus cf. acronicus (Férussac, 1807) on the Novaya Zemlya Archipelago. It is also the first finding of freshwater gastropods on the archipelago and the northernmost record for Gyraulus in the Palaearctic Region. The questions still remain: whether our finding belongs to a recent or a subfossil or fossil population, and how gastropods could colonize the Arctic islands. Several possibilities of dispersal are discussed: the former land-bridge once connecting the archipelago islands to the mainland, and the dispersal of snails with other animals after the Ice Sheet retreat.

Two new species of Neuratelia Rondani (Diptera: Mycetophilidae) from Chukotka, North-East Russia

Two new species of the fungus gnats genus Neuratelia Rondani, namely Neuratelia aculeata sp. n. and Neuratelia cornuta sp. n. are described and illustrated from the Anadyr River valley (Chukotka, North-East Russia). By structure of male terminalia Neuratelia aculeata sp. n. resembles Neuratelia nemoralis (Meigen, 1818), while Neuratelia cornuta sp. n. is noticeably different from all known Palaearctic and Nearctic species.

Alboglossiphonia afroalpina sp. nov. and Alboglossiphonia buniana sp. nov. – two new leech species from Africa and revision of the genus Alboglossiphonia Lukin, 1976 in Africa

Two new leech species from Africa are presented. The position of the eyes, the number of crop caeca and the gonopores separated by two annuli indicate that both belong to the genus Alboglossiphonia. Alboglossiphonia afroalpinasp. nov. differs from the other African species in its elongated body shape, the shape and size of the suckers and above all by the unique spotting on the dorsal side, which is not found in any other species of the genus. Alboglossiphonia afroalpinasp. nov. inhabits the alpine zones of the Mt. Kenya and Mt. Elgon massifs and represents the highest record of a leech in Africa to date, approx 4,500 m above sea level. Alboglossiphonia buniana sp. nov. differs from other species of the genus by its completely fused pairs of eyes, the shape and size of the cranial sucker and the head area and a jagged outer margin. The species is only known from Bunia in northeastern Democratic Republic of Congo. Eleven species of the genus Alboglossiphonia are known from Africa, belonging to different zoogeographical areas. Northwest Africa is home to Alboglossiphonia hyalina (O.F. Müller, 1774) and A. iberica Jueg, 2008 as Palaearctic species. Alboglossiphonia polypompholyx Oosthuizen, Hussein & El-Shimy, 1988, A. disuqi El-Shimy, 1990 and A. levis Gouda, 2010 are restricted to the lower reaches of the Nile in Egypt. Six species exist south of the Sahara: Alboglossiphonia namaquaensis (Augener, 1936), A. disjuncta (Moore, 1939), A. conjugata (Oosthuizen, 1978), A. macrorhyncha (Oosthuizen, 1978) as well as those described here, A. afroalpinasp. nov. and A. bunianasp. nov. The examination of the three syntypes of Alboglossiphonia namaquaensis (Augener, 1936) showed that this species is identical to A. cheili (Oosthuizen 1978) and that the latter must be used as a synonym in future. Historical evidence from the Central Africa Museum in Tervuren (Belgium) from the Sciacchitano Collection and the British Museum of Natural History was examined. The systematic position of Glossiphonia verrucata Sciacchitano, 1939 was also clarified. Almost all species were photographed for the first time, most of them including their holotype. Distribution maps are presented for all species. All African Alboglossiphonia species are compared in terms of their characteristics in tabular form.

Cryptic, sibling or neither of the two? Integrative species delimitation ofPsylliodesflea beetles with overlapping ranges

AbstractSpecies identification and delimitation are particularly challenging for morphologically similar and geographically overlapping species, such as in the case of Western Palaearctic flea beetle speciesPsylliodes kiesenwetteriKutschera, 1864 andPsylliodes ruffoiLeonardi, 1975. In this study, we implemented an integrative taxonomic approach based on a comprehensive geographic assessment of morphological and genetic variation, including 142 adult specimens from 15 sympatric and allopatric populations. Results of species delimitation methods using the barcode marker COI show that molecular identification and delimitation betweenP. kiesenwetteriandP. ruffoiare straightforward. Single‐locus and multi‐locus phylogenetic analyses indicate these two species have a large genetic divergence and belong to two distinct clades of thePsylliodes gibbosaspecies group. Morphological identification based on qualitative characters shows great differences in identification success depending on the character used. Characters of male and female genitalia perform very well, but can only be assessed on fully sclerified individuals, whereas the colour of antennae was discovered as a new reliable diagnostic character both for teneral and fully sclerified individuals. Morphological identification is particularly sharp when multiple characters are used in combination or when a morphometric approach is performed. In conclusion, despite overall morphological similarity,P. kiesenwetteriandP. ruffoiare not cryptic species neither they are sibling species, as they belong to distinct clades within thegibbosaspecies group, and they can be reliably distinguished by morphological characters. This study substantiates the relevance of a range‐wide assessment of morphological and genetic variation, including individuals from the type locality, and both sympatric and allopatric populations, for taxonomic assessment of morphologically similar species with overlapping ranges.

A New Species of the Genus Collyria (Hymenoptera, Ichneumonidae, Collyriinae) from Armenia

Collyria montana sp. n., from Armenia is described and illustrated. It is the fi rst record of the genus Collyria from the country and eighth known Western Palaearctic species.

Study on Terrestrial Wild Vertebrate Diversity and Geographical Fauna in Qinghai Area of Qilian Mountain National Park, China

To gain an in-depth understanding of the resource status of terrestrial wild vertebrates in the Qinghai Area of Qilian Mountain National Park, a total of 10 field surveys were conducted in the reserve from May 2019 to May 2022, and the diversity and geographical fauna of terrestrial wild vertebrates in the study area were studied combined with literature. The results show that in the Qinghai Area of the Qilian Mountain National Park, there are 265 species of terrestrial vertebrates in 4 classes, 30 orders, 71 families and 167 genera. Among them, Amphibia has 1 order, 2 families, 2 genera and 3 species; Reptilia has 2 orders, 4 families, 5 genera and 5 species; Aves has 21 orders, 51 families, 131 genera and 214 species; Mammalia has 6 orders, 15 families, 29 genera and 43 species. The composition of terrestrial wild vertebrate species in the study area shows that Aves account for 80.75%, Mammalia account for 16.23%; Reptilia account for 1.89% and Amphibia account for only 1.13%. The geographical fauna is dominated by Cosmopolitan species (218), followed by Palaearctic species (48) and a few Oriental species (3). Data from the G-F analysis shows that birds are more diverse at both family and genus levels, followed by mammals, with amphibians lower and reptiles lowest.

On the occurrence of a Palaearctic species of the genus Aphaereta Foerster (Braconidae, Alysiinae) and description of a new species of the genus Leiophron Nees (Braconidae, Euphorinae) from central India

A new species of parasitoid wasp, Leiophron crassivena Gupta & van Achterberg sp. nov. (Braconidae, Euphorinae), is described and illustrated from central India along with first report of the Palaearctic species Aphaereta vondelparkensis van Achterberg et al. (Braconidae, Alysiinae) from India.

Diversity of Palaearctic Dragonflies and Damselflies (Odonata)

More than 1.2 million distribution records were used to create species distribution models for 402 Palaearctic species of dragonflies and damselflies. On the basis of these diversity maps of total, lentic and lotic diversity for the whole of the Palaearctic (excluding China and the Himalayan region) are presented. These maps show a clear pattern of decreasing diversity longitudinally, with species numbers dropping in the eastern half of Europe and remaining low throughout a large part of Russia, then increasing again towards Russia’s Far East and Korea. There are clear differences in diversity patterns of lentic and lotic species, with lentic species being dominant in colder and more arid areas. Areas with a high diversity of species assessed as threatened on the IUCN red list are largely restricted to the Mediterranean, Southwest Asia, and Japan, with clear hotspots found in the Levant and the southern half of Japan. The diversity at species, generic, and family level is higher in the south of Japan than in areas at a similar latitude in the western Mediterranean. This is likely to be the result of the more humid climate of Japan resulting in a higher diversity of freshwater habitats and the stronger impact of the glacial periods in the Western Palaearctic in combination with the Sahara, preventing tropical African lineages dispersing northwards.

European and Mediterranean Myzocallidini Aphid Species: DNA Barcoding and Remarks on Ecology with Taxonomic Modifications in An Integrated Framework.

The genus Myzocallis Passerini (Hemiptera, Aphididae, Calaphidinae, Myzocallidini) is a rather primitive group of aphids currently comprising 45 species and 3 subspecies, subdivided into ten subgenera, three of them having a West Palaearctic distribution. The majority of the species inhabit Fagales plants and some of them are considered pests. Despite their ecological interest and the presence of some taxonomic controversies, there are only a few molecular studies on the group. Here, the main aims were to develop a DNA barcodes library for the molecular identification of West Palaearctic Myzocallis species, to evaluate the congruence among their morphological, ecological and DNA-based delimitation, and verify the congruence of the subgeneric subdivision presently adopted by comparing the results with those obtained for other Panaphidini species. These study findings indicate that Myzocallis (Agrioaphis) leclanti, originally described as a subspecies of M. (A.) castanicola and M. (M.) schreiberi, considered as a subspecies of M. (M.) boerneri, should be regarded at a rank of full species, and the subgenera Agrioaphis, Lineomyzocallis, Neomyzocallis, Pasekia were elevated to the rank of genus, while Myzocallis remain as such.

Review of the genus Plutothrix Förster, 1856 (Hymenoptera, Pteromalidae) with a key to Palaearctic species

The species of Plutothrix Förster, 1856 are reviewed. Plutothrix gribanovi, sp. nov., is described from Russia, P. longigaster, sp. nov., and P. zerovae, sp. nov., are described from Finland and Russia. The male of P. canariensis Hedqvist, 1974 is described for the first time. The species Plutothrix transdanuviana (Erdös, 1946), syn. nov., is synonymized under Seladerma antennatum (Walker, 1833). The following new records are reported: Plutothrix nudicoxa Graham, 1993 and P. perelegans Graham, 1993 from Finland, P. obtusiclava Graham, 1993 and P. zhangyieensis Yang, 1996 from Russia, and P. perelegans Graham, 1993 from Ukraine. An identification key to females of all Palaearctic species of Plutothrix is provided.

The new antlion genus Dominikon gen. nov. with the description of a new species, Dominikon aspoecki sp. nov. (Neuroptera: Myrmeleontidae)

The genus Dominikon Dobosz, Krivokhatsky & Ábrahám gen. nov. is separated from the genus Nedroledon Navás, 1914, along with two previously described species: Dominikon lagopus (Gerstaecker, 1894) and Dominikon iranensis (Hölzel, 1972) comb. nov. A new species, Dominikon aspoecki Dobosz, Ábrahám & Krivokhatsky sp. nov. is described from Iran and Turkmenistan. The new genus is characterized by the presence of a prominent postventral processus of the ectoproct. The genus Nedroledon includes two valid Western Palaearctic species (Nedroledon anatolicus Navás, 1914 and N. maculatus Zakharenko, 1990). The paper contains a key for both genera, Nedroledon and Dominikon, and a key for the species of the new genus Dominikon. The taxonomic features and habitus of each species are illustrated. New data on the distribution of species of the two related genera Dominikon gen. nov. and Nedroledon Navás, 1914 are also given.

A new species of the genus Ornithomya (Diptera: Hippoboscidae) from the Far East

A new species of the genus Ornithomya Latreille, 1802 (Diptera: Hippoboscidae), O. strigilis sp. nov., is described from the Lazovsky Nature Reserve (southern part of Primorskiy Territory, the Far East of Russia). The new species differs from other Palaearctic species of Ornithomya in its large body size, the number of long setae on the scutellum, and the arrangement of microtrichia (setulae) on the wings. An updated key to the Palaearctic species of Ornithomya is provided.