Pensoft Editorial Team

Soil carried on sea freight loaded with dangerous pests and diseases

Soil collected from the external surfaces of sea freight was found to support live microorganisms, worms, seeds and insects, including various regulated biosecurity organisms.

Often introduced unintentionally by human activities, invasive alien species can outcompete and overwhelm native flora and fauna, driving species to the brink of extinction and disrupting the balance of ecosystems. Understanding why exactly they establish in new locations and how they got there in the first place is crucial if we are to mitigate their destructive effects. Unfortunately, there isn’t enough research on this, and the answers might not always be straightforward.

A research team from AgResearch and Better Border Biosecurity (B3) investigated the biological risk posed by soil on the external surfaces of sea freight such as shipping containers or used machinery at sea ports in New Zealand. With their work, the researchers hope to facilitate the assessment of relative biosecurity risks between different introduction pathways and contribute to the development of more efficient measures against them.

The team found soil on most types of sea freight, irrespective of origin, with all soil likely to vector microbes, including plant pathogens. The amount of soil recovered from a single sea container was 5.3 kg, while the overall mean weight collected from sea freight was 417g, with most of the soil found on the underside of sea freight.

“While the presence of soil is perhaps not surprising, the presence of live bacteria, fungi, worms, seeds and insects associated with the soil was of greater concern. Various regulated biosecurity organisms were recovered from the samples, including plant-parasitic worms, seeds, insects and spiders that were not recorded as being present in New Zealand,” says Mark McNeill of AgResearch, who led the study.

Seeds of *Euphorbia prostrata*, a new record to New Zealand, were found on sea freight. Photo by Stefan.lefnaer under a CC BY-SA 4.0

“Not only does the spread of exotic species through these networks represent significant environmental, economic and social costs to natural and agricultural environments if invasive alien species were to establish, a loss of biodiversity is also an expected consequence of invasive alien species establishment. For islands, the implications can be significant, as they have high levels of endemism and invasive alien species establishment can lead to extinction of species as well as biodiversity declines,” the researchers write in their paper, which was published in the open-access journal NeoBiota.

Compared to a previous study on contaminated footwear carried in luggage by international airline passengers, the number and diversity in soil on sea freight was smaller than soil transported in more protected environments (e.g., footwear in luggage). This showed that biosecurity risk can vary with pathway. However, prioritising one soil pathway over another according to the risks they present, and differentially allocating resources is problematic, because the relative risk is dynamic, dictated by factors such as new pests or diseases entering the respective pathways.

Unwelcome guests: International tourism and travel can be a pathway for introducing invasive species

Even so, the researchers suggest that contaminated sea freight is an important introduction pathway for exotic species. The establishment of such species can be prevented by cleaning containers prior to departure, inspection at the border, and further cleaning where required.

Research article:

McNeill MR, Phillips CB, Richards NK, Aalders LT, van Koten C, James TK, Young SD, Bell NL, Laugraud A (2023) Defining the biosecurity risk posed by soil found on sea freight. NeoBiota 88: 103-133. https://doi.org/10.3897/neobiota.88.98440

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New insect genus discovered in one of the most biodiverse rain forest regions in the world

In their latest study, the researchers of the University of Turku in Finland describe a new wasp genus, Capitojoppa, to science.

The Allpahuayo-Mishana National Reserve in Peru has often been described as the most biodiverse rainforest in the world. For example, in recent decades, scientist have discovered several new bird species from the region. The researchers of the University of Turku in Finland have studied the insect biodiversity in Allpahuayo-Mishana for over twenty years. In their latest study, the scientist described a new wasp genus, Capitojoppa, to science.

In their newly published study, the researchers describe a new wasp genus Capitojoppa to science, categorising it to the subfamily Ichneumoninae.

Capitojoppa amazonica is a large parasitoid wasp species that has only been discovered in the Allpahuyao-Mishana National Reserve in the Peruvian Amazon. Photographer: Kari Kaunisto, Biodiversity Unit of the University of Turku.

“Wasps belonging to this subfamily are usually large and colourful, especially in the tropics, and as larvae feed internally on moth and butterfly caterpillars and pupae. We have studied the biodiversity of ichneumonines in the Allpahuyao-Mishana National Reserve with the samples collected by the researchers of the University of Turku in Finland. In our studies, we have discovered several species unknown to science which we will describe in the future. The current study kicks off this research,” says Doctoral Candidate Brandon Claridge from the Utah State University in the United States.

The Allpahuyao-Mishana National Reserve first gained prominence in the scientific community in the late 1980s when an American botanist Alwyn Gentry documented the highest number of tree species at a single locality known to date.

“Gentry wanted to discover how many tree species can grow in one hectare (2.5 acres) of the Amazon rainforest. In his study, he discovered nearly 300 tree species in that one-hectare research patch. We have studied the insect biodiversity in the same research areas since 1998 and report some of the highest numbers of insect species in the world from this region. We also found Capitojoppa near the same research hectare used by Gentry,” says Professor of Biodiversity Research Ilari E. Sääksjärvi from the University of Turku, who collected the specimens during his field studies.

Species unknown to science are described in research journals. Their names often describe the species’ characteristics or range.

*Photo: Kari Kaunisto, Biodiversity Unit of the University of Turku.*

“The name Capitojoppa tells scientists a great deal about the characteristics of the newly discovered wasp genus. The wasps of the genus have a large head, which is reflected in the capito part of the name. It also refers to the barbet bird genus Capito found in South America, which have a large and strong beak. The joppa part of the name refers to the wasp genus Joppa that the Capitojoppa resembles. The specific species name amazonica refers to the Amazon,” Claridge explains.

Finnish researchers helped in the conservation efforts of the Allpahuayo-Mishana Reserve in the 1990s.

“Allpahuayo-Mishana is a part of the Amazon that has an unprecedented abundance of species. Due to the region’s complex geological history, there are several different types of rainforest growing in the Reserve. The species biodiversity of many organisms is highest on the whole planet at Allpahuayo-Mishana. We actively continue our studies in the region. Unfortunately, the area is currently changing rapidly due to human activities. With our insect studies, we are trying to find out how the impact of human activities, such as climate change, alter the nature in the rainforest,” says Professor Sääksjärvi.

The group’s research article was published in the journal ZooKeys.

Research article:

Claridge BR, Kaunisto KM, Sääksjärvi IE (2023) Capitojoppa, a new genus of Ichneumoninae (Hymenoptera, Ichneumonidae) from Peruvian Amazonia. ZooKeys 1178: 69-76. https://doi.org/10.3897/zookeys.1178.108929

Listen to the trees: a detective work on the origin of invasive species

An attempt to explore the history of the spread of four non-indigenous invasive tree species in one of the most important Hungarian forest-steppe forests of high conservation value.

Guest blog post by Arnold Erdélyi, Judit Hartdégen, Ákos Malatinszky, and Csaba Vadász

Today, almost everyone is familiar with the term “biological invasion”. Countless studies have been carried out to describe the various processes, and explore the cause and effect, and several methods have been developed in order to control certain invasive species. However, one of the biggest puzzles is always the question of how it all happened. It is not always easy to answer, and, in general, the smaller the area, the more difficult or even impossible it is to answer. In the course of our work, we attempted to explore the history of the spread of four, non-indigenous invasive tree species in one of the most important Hungarian forest-steppe forests of high conservation value, the Peszér Forest (approximately 1000 ha). Last week, we published our study in the journal One Ecosystem.

An open formation of the Eurosiberian steppic woods with Quercus spp., a priority natural habitat type of Community interest under the European Union’s Habitats Directive

The Far Eastern tree of heaven (Ailanthus altissima), as well as the North American black cherry (Prunus serotina), the box elder (Acer negundo) and the common hackberry (Celtis occidentalis) are among the worst invasive plant species in Hungary. They are also responsible for serious conservation and economic problems in the Peszér Forest.

Invasion of tree of heaven (top left) and common hackberry (top right) in poplar stands, carpet of seedlings of black cherry (bottom left), and monodominant stand of box elder, regrown from stump after cutting (bottom right)

Historical reconstructions of the spread of invasive species are most often based on only one, or sometimes a few aspects. We used six approaches simultaneously:

we reviewed the published and grey literature,
extracted tree species data from the National Forest Database since 1958,
conducted a field survey with full spatial coverage (16,000 survey units (25×25 m quadrats)) – instead of sampling,
recorded all the largest (and presumably the oldest) individuals for annual ring counts,
performed hotspot analyses on the field data
collected local knowledge.

Cutting down the oldest common hackberry trees in order to count the annual rings from trunk discs

Our results show that each approach provided some new information, and without any of them the story revealed would have been much shorter and more uncertain. We have also highlighted that at the local level, the use of one or two aspects can be not only inadequate but also misleading.

From the literature it was possible to determine the exact place and date of the first occurrence of the tree of heaven and the black cherry. However, in the case of black cherry, for example, it was only possible to piece together the circumstances of the first plantings by combining three different sources. The first occurrences of box elder were found in forestry data. Finally, in the case of the common hackberry, searching for old individuals and determining their age gave the best results.

Common hackberry in the Peszér forest according to the recent forestry data (2016) and the field survey (2017-2019). The difference is clear: in the official forestry database, the tree species is underrepresented several times over

A well-explored story of a biological invasion can go a long way in making more and more people understand that controlling these non-indigenous species can only be beneficial. On the other hand, it can also help to strengthen conservation efforts, for example by increasing the volunteer workforce, which can be a major factor in the reduction of certain species. We hope that our work and the approaches we have taken will serve as a good model for exploring other invasion stories around the world.

Winter snapshot from the Peszér Forest, a diverse forest edge habitat along an inner road.

Research article:

Erdélyi A, Hartdégen J, Malatinszky Á, Vadász C (2023) Historical reconstruction of the invasions of four non-native tree species at local scale: a detective work on Ailanthus altissima, Celtis occidentalis, Prunus serotina and Acer negundo. One Ecosystem 8: e108683. https://doi.org/10.3897/oneeco.8.e108683

MOBIOS+: An extensive database for advancing Mindanao Island’s biodiversity

The database is a groundbreaking and pioneering initiative set to revolutionise our understanding of the rich biodiversity of Mindanao, the second-largest island group in the Philippines.

The Philippine Archipelago, with more than 7,100 islands, has one of the highest levels of endemism globally and is a hotspot for biodiversity conservation. Mindanao, the second largest group of islands in the country, is a treasure trove of terrestrial species, boasting one of the highest densities of unique flora and fauna on the planet. However, despite its ecological significance, comprehensive biodiversity records and data for the region have remained inaccessible until now.

The Mindanao Open Biodiversity Information (MOBIOS⁺) database aims to bridge these critical data gaps by compiling biodiversity information from the 21^st century. This monumental undertaking seeks to enhance our understanding of Mindanao’s biodiversity trends, while establishing a database that is openly accessible to researchers and conservationists worldwide.

MOBIOS⁺ is the first of its kind and, currently, the most comprehensive attempt to create a consolidated database for the biodiversity of Mindanao based on publicly available literature. With a vast collection of biodiversity data, this database will be an invaluable resource to advance regional biodiversity research and analysis.

“It will further facilitate the identification of species and areas that require immediate conservation prioritisation and action, addressing the urgent challenges posed by our rapidly changing planet,” the researchers behind the project write in their data paper, published in the open-access, peer-reviewed Biodiversity Data Journal.

Team members of the MOBIOS+ consortium curating the dataset.

The MOBIOS⁺ database, available through the Global Biodiversity Information Facility (GBIF) platform, currently comprises an impressive 12,813 georeferenced specimen occurrences representing 1,907 unique taxa. These span across ten animal classes inhabiting terrestrial and freshwater environments within the Mindanao faunal region. The project aims to continuously update the species database, complementing on-ground biodiversity efforts in Mindanao.

Diversity and distribution of species occurrence records across taxonomic groups included in the first version of the MOBIOS⁺ database. The diversity of species (percentage, %) according to class compared to the overall number of species recorded in the MOBIOS⁺ database (a); and the total number of species and the number of georeferenced occurrences per animal class (b).

Associate Professor Krizler Tanalgo of the Ecology and Conservation Research Laboratory at the University of Southern Mindanao, the project leader behind MOBIOS⁺, shared his thoughts on this initiative, saying:

“We aim to democratise biodiversity information, making it readily available to researchers, policymakers, and conservation biologists. By doing so, we hope to facilitate well-informed decisions to address pressing environmental challenges, with a particular focus on the often underrepresented Mindanao region, which tends to receive limited attention in terms of research and funding.”

Distribution of biodiversity records across taxonomic groups from published papers.

“The MOBIOS+ database is not only a testament to the dedication of the scientific community, but also a beacon of hope for the future of biodiversity conservation in Mindanao and beyond. It will support researchers and conservationists in identifying species and areas that require immediate prioritisation and action, safeguarding the unique and fragile ecosystems of this extraordinary region.”

The Biodiversity Community Integrated Knowledge Library (BiCIKL) project, funded by the European Union Horizon 2020 Research and Innovation Action under grant agreement No 101007492, has supported the publication of this work. The work is part of a special collection supported by the project and looking to demonstrate the advantages and novel approaches in accessing and (re-)using linked biodiversity data.

Research article:
Tanalgo KC, Dela Cruz KC, Agduma AR, Respicio JMV, Abdullah SS, Alvaro-Ele RJ, Hilario-Husain BA, Manampan-Rubio M, Murray SA, Casim LF, Pantog AMM, Balase SMP, Abdulkasan RMA, Aguirre CAS, Banto NL, Broncate SMM, Dimacaling AD, Fabrero GVN, Lidasan AK, Lingcob AA, Millondaga AM, Panilla KFL, Sinadjan CQM, Unte ND (2023) The MOBIOS+: A FAIR (Findable, Accessible, Interoperable and Reusable) database for Mindanao’s terrestrial biodiversity. Biodiversity Data Journal 11: e110016. https://doi.org/10.3897/BDJ.11.e110016

***

You can find all contributions published in the “Linking FAIR biodiversity data through publications: The BiCIKL approach” article collection in the open-access, peer-reviewed Biodiversity Data Journal on: https://doi.org/10.3897/bdj.coll.209.

Not ugly but lovely: 100 ZooKeys papers on spiders co-authored by Shuqiang Li

Shuqiang has published 51 new genera and 677 new species in 100 ZooKeys papers.

Last week, on Friday, 6 October 2023, a research article entitled “One new genus and four new species of Liocranidae Simon, 1897 (Arachnida, Araneae) from China and Vietnam” by Chang Chu, Shuqiang Li, Yanbin Yao, Zhiyuan Yao was published. This is the 100^th paper published in ZooKeys co-authored by Shuqiang Li, a leading spider specialist from the Chinese Academy of Sciences in Beijing, China. Shuqiang’s first ZooKeys paper was published on December 18, 2012. Until last Friday, Shuqiang has published 51 new genera and 677 new species in 100 ZooKeys papers.

Shuqiang started his scientific career as a spider taxonomist, with his first paper on the Linyphiidae of China published in 1987, followed by a series of revisions of known Chinese and Asia spider species. To date, he has documented more than 2,000 new species.

A glimpse into new spider species published in ZooKeys by Shuqiang Li. A. *Macrothele limenghuai* (Macrothelidae); B. *Phrynarachne dreepy* (Thomisidae); C. *Onomastus chenae* (Salticidae); D. *Asianopis liukuensis* (Deinopidae); E. *Ectatosticta xuanzang* (Hypochilidae); F. *Megaeupoa yanfengi* (Salticidae); G. *Chilobrachys jinchengi* (Theraphosidae); H. *Platythomisus xiandao* (Thomisidae).

He is also a proficient professor in the University of Chinese Academy of Sciences and has mentored more than 30 PhD students from China, Vietnam, and Italy, and another three M.Sc. students from Kenya and Malaysia. Most of his former Chinese PhD students have since become full professors. Shuqiang has been the Secretary of the Asian Society of Arachnology since 2012 and President of the Arachnology Society of China since 2018.

Femorbiona shenzhen, one of the new species described by Shuqiang Li and his colleagues in ZooKeys.

Many people see spiders as ugly due to their multiple legs, hairy bodies, and sometimes venomous fangs, but this appearance serves a purpose in their survival and adaptation to their environment. “Spiders are lovely animals”, Shuqiang said to us. He focuses mostly on fine spider structures. For example, he used spider copulatory organs (male palp and female epigyne) to study species taxonomy. “Interspecies mating is not easy due to difference in copulatory organs,” he says. He and his team members are also focusing on the origin of spider organs.

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Bouldering in south-central Madagascar: a new “rock-climbing” gecko species of the genus Paroedura

Thanks to recently collected samples, it was described and named after its preferred habitat, the boulders surrounded by the last remaining forests at these sites.

Named after its habitat preference, Paroedura manongavato, from the Malagasy words “manonga” (to climb) and “vato” (rock), is a bouldering expert. Part of its “home range” is also very well-known to rock climbers for its massive granitic domes. “Its description represents another step into the crux (in climbing jargon, the most difficult section of a bouldering problem) of resolving the taxonomy of the recently revised P. bastardi group, where the new species belongs, and reaching a total of 25 described species in this genus, all exclusively living in Madagascar and Comoros,” says C. Piccoli from CIBIO – Research Center in Biodiversity and Genetic Resources, Portugal. She and her team just published a paper describing the new gecko.

Thus far, this species has only been found in Anja Reserve and Tsaranoro, both of which are isolated forest patches in the arid south-central plateau of Madagascar. These sites, at a distance of ca. 25 km, have a peculiar conformation, with huge granitic boulders close to rocky cliffs and surrounded by vegetation. The survival of P. manongavato, defined as microendemic for being restricted to a very narrow distributional range, thus depends on the preservation of these small forest patches. Subsequently, the authors proposed an evaluation of its conservation status as Critically Endangered, a category designated for species threatened of extinction by the International Union for Conservation of Nature.

Its discovery history is long, starting during the Malagasy summer of 2010, when the first evidence of another Paroedura species was found in Anja, together with the recently described P. rennerae in 2021. Distinguishing these two species on the field is a difficult task. Both species have prominent dorsal-enlarged keeled scales and a similar dorsal pattern, although adults of P. manongavato have an overall less spiky appearance, less contrasted dorsal markings, and a smaller body size compared to P. rennerae. The need to collect more samples brought researchers A. Crottini, F. Andreone, and G. M. Rosa to return to Anja in 2014, and collect the future holotype (i.e. the name-bearing and description reference individual) of this new species. Later in 2018, F. Belluardo, J. Lobón-Rovira, and M. Rasoazanany, visited Anja and Tsaranoro again and were able to collect several tissue samples and high-resolution photos of the reptiles living in the area, including the new gecko species. This cumulative data collection was fundamental to advance with its description.

Published in the open access journal ZooKeys, this study highlights the importance of conducting herpetological inventories in Madagascar to improve our understanding of species diversity and progress with species conservation assessments. “The description of this species shows the importance of collaborative efforts when documenting biodiversity, especially for those range-restricted and isolated species at greatest risk of disappearing,” points out the leading author of this study C. Piccoli.

Research article:

Piccoli C, Belluardo F, Lobón-Rovira J, Oliveira Alves I, Rasoazanany M, Andreone F, Rosa GM, Crottini A (2023) Another step through the crux: a new microendemic rock-dwelling Paroedura (Squamata, Gekkonidae) from south-central Madagascar. ZooKeys 1181: 125-154. https://doi.org/10.3897/zookeys.1181.108134

Photos by Javier Lobón-Rovira.

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More and more emerging diseases threaten trees around the world

A new study published in NeoBiota reveals a troubling trend: the rapid emergence of new diseases, doubling approximately every 11 years, and affecting a wide range of tree species worldwide.

Diseases are among the major causes of tree mortality in both forests and urban areas. New diseases are continually being introduced, and pathogens are continually jumping to new hosts, threatening more and more tree species. When exposed to novel hosts, emerging diseases can cause mortality previously unseen in the native range.

Tar spot on maple in Frostburg, MD, USA. Photo by Andrew V. Gougherty

Although not all diseases will outright kill their hosts, some can dramatically affect host populations. In the 20th century, chestnut blight, perhaps the most well-known tree disease in North America, effectively eliminated chestnut as an overstory tree in its native range in the Appalachian Mountains. More recently, we’ve seen sudden oak death in California, ash dieback in Europe, and butternut canker in the eastern US, each having the potential to eliminate host tree populations and alter the ecosystems where they occur.

“The continued emergence and accumulation of new diseases increases the likelihood of a particularly detrimental one emerging, and harming host tree populations,” says Dr Andrew Gougherty, research landscape ecologist at the USDA Forest Service. Recently, he has been exploring where tree diseases have accumulated fastest, and which trees are most impacted by new diseases. This information could help researchers and land managers better predict where new diseases may be most likely to emerge.

Powdery mildew on maple in Vancouver, BC, CAN. Photo by Andrew V. Gougherty

The study, recently published in the open-access journal NeoBiota, analyzes over 900 new disease reports on 284 tree species in 88 countries and quantified how emerging infectious diseases have accumulated geographically and on different hosts. “The ‘big data’ approach used in this study helps to characterise the growing threat posed by emergent infectious diseases and how this threat is unequally distributed regionally and by host species,” the author writes.

Dr Gougherty found that globally, the number of emerged diseases has accumulated rapidly over the past two decades. “The accumulation is apparent both where tree species are native and where they are not native, and the number of new disease emergences globally were found to double every ~11 years,” he explains. Among the trees he assessed, pines accumulated the most new diseases, followed by oaks and eucalypts. This, he explains, is likely due to their wide native distribution in the Northern Hemisphere, and the planting of pine forests throughout the globe. Europe, in aggregate, had the greatest total accumulation of new diseases, but North America and Asia were close behind.

In addition, he found more emerging tree diseases in areas where tree species were native versus non-native, with the exception of Latin America and the Caribbean, likely because most of the trees he assessed were not native to this region.

“Unfortunately, there is little evidence of saturation in emergent tree disease accumulation. Global trends show little sign of slowing, suggesting the impact of newly emerged diseases is likely to continue to compound and threaten tree populations globally and into the future,” warns Dr Gougherty. “Climate change is likely also playing a role, both by creating more favourable conditions for pathogens and by stressing host plants.”

Research article:

Gougherty AV (2023) Emerging tree diseases are accumulating rapidly in the native and non-native ranges of Holarctic trees. NeoBiota 87: 143-160. https://doi.org/10.3897/neobiota.87.103525

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Maximising the impact of standardised biodiversity data: Pensoft’s role in the EU project B-Cubed

In line with its commitment to providing open-access biodiversity data, Pensoft has joined forces with 12 organisations to form the B-Cubed project.

The problem at hand

Measuring the extent and dynamics of the global biodiversity crisis is a challenging task that demands rapid, reliable and repeatable biodiversity monitoring data. Such data is essential for policymakers to be able to assess policy options effectively and accurately. To achieve this, however, there is a need to enhance the integration of biodiversity data from various sources, including citizen scientists, museums, herbaria, and researchers.

B-Cubed’s response

B-Cubed (Biodiversity Building Blocks for policy) hopes to tackle this challenge by reimagining the process of biodiversity monitoring, making it more adaptable and responsive.

B-Cubed’s approach rests on six pillars:

Improved alignment between policy and biodiversity data. Working closely with existing biodiversity initiatives to identify and meet policy needs.
Evidence base. Leveraging data cubes to standardise access to biodiversity data using the Essential Biodiversity Variables framework. These cubes are the basis for models and indicators of biodiversity.
Cloud computing environment. Providing users with access to the models in real-time and on demand.
Automated workflows. Developing exemplary automated workflows for modelling using biodiversity data cubes and for calculating change indicators.
Case studies. Demonstrating the effectiveness of B-Cubed’s tools.
Capacity building. Ensuring that the solutions meet openness standards and training end-users to employ them.

Pensoft’s role

Harnessing its experience in the communication, dissemination and exploitation of numerous EU projects, Pensoft focuses on maximising B-Cubed’s impact and ensuring the adoption and long-term legacy of its results. This encompasses a wide array of activities, ranging all the way from building the project’s visual and online presence to translating its results into policy recommendations. Pensoft also oversees B-Cubed’s data management by developing a Data Management Plan which ensures the implementation of the FAIR data principles and maximises the access to and re-use of the project’s research outputs.

Full list of partners

Visit B-Cubed’s website at https://b-cubed.eu/. You can also follow the project on X @BCubedProject and LinkedIn /B-Cubed Project, as well as by subscribing to its newsletter here.

Study on mysterious Amazon porcupine can help its protection

After 22 years of relative obscurity, this research uncovers vital information about its distribution, phylogenetics, and potential conservation threats.

Porcupines of the genus Coendou are arboreal, herbivorous, nocturnal rodents distributed in tropical and subtropical regions of the Americas. Most of what we currently know on them is restricted to species that occur near urban areas, and we still have a lot to learn about these fascinating animals.

Recently, a new study shed light on a very unknown neotropical porcupine species. Roosmalens’ dwarf porcupine (Coendou roosmalenorum) is the smallest porcupine species we know, with blackish monocolored bristles on the tail which confers a blackish color to it, but apart from its appearance, we didn’t know much about it until recently.

A preserved specimen of *Coendou roosmalenorum*.

“This species was described in 2001 and our paper is the first scientific report after this date, which means nothing was discovered about Roosmalen’s porcupine in a 22-year period,” says Fernando Heberson Menezes, the lead author of a study that was just published in the open-access journal ZooKeys.

“Before our research, we had only a morphological description of the species, with a little information about its distribution and natural history, and nothing about population ecology or conservation threats.”

Using DNA sequencing and exploring data on its occurrences, Fernando and his team were able to uncover new facts about the enigmatic animal.

Thanks to their study, we now know more about its distribution in the Madeira biogeographical province in the Amazon Forest. “With this information, we raised the hypothesis this species is endemic to Madeira Province, which is important for predicting where we can find this species and the possible threats affecting its population or its distribution,” says Fernando.

Distribution of *Caaporamys roosmalenorum* in Brazilian Amazonia. The new record (locality 1) is the southeastern most record for the species, from Mato Grosso state, Brazil. The darker gray area represents the Madeira Province sensu Morrone et al. (2022).

At the same time, they found Roosmalens’ dwarf porcupine at new locations in the Amazon rainforest, which suggests that its distribution in southern Amazonia is wider than suspected.

Their phylogenetic analysis – the study of the species’ evolutionary history and relationships with other species – confirmed that the species is a member of the subgenus Caaporamys . This is important, the researchers say, because the classification of the genus Coendou had been “historically chaotic” until the last few years.

The information in this study opens up numerous opportunities for further researching this species. “We can think of ways to answer very basic scientific questions such as ‘how does Roosmalen’s porcupine use space?’ or ‘what does it eat?’, some more advanced questions such as ‘how did it evolve?,’ or applied questions such as ‘what are the major threats for its conservation?,’ or ‘how can we use it as a model to know more about the health of the Amazon forest?’, says Fernando in conclusion.

Original source:

Menezes FH, Semedo TBF, Saldanha J, Garbino GST, Fernandes-Ferreira H, Cordeiro-Estrela P, da Costa IR (2023) Phylogenetic relationships, distribution, and conservation of Roosmalens’ dwarf porcupine, Coendou roosmalenorum Voss & da Silva, 2001 (Rodentia, Erethizontidae). ZooKeys 1179: 139-155. https://doi.org/10.3897/zookeys.1179.108766

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Hundreds of weeds found illegally advertised online in Australia

A research team led by Jacob Maher discovered thousands of online advertisements for weeds that are prohibited in Australia due to their harmful impact on the country’s environment and agriculture.

Hundreds of weeds have been found advertised on a public online marketplace in Australia. Cacti and pond plants were among the most frequently advertised illegal weed species. These weeds are prohibited in Australia due to their harmful impact on the country’s environment and agriculture. Despite this, a research team led by Jacob Maher discovered thousands of online advertisements for these weeds. Their study is published in the open access journal NeoBiota.

Water hyacinth, a notorious invader that was found traded online.

Trade of ornamental plants, the kind grown in homes and gardens, is the major way weeds are introduced to new places. Some ornamental plants can make their way into the environment and become invasive, negatively impacting native species and agriculture. Increasingly, plants are traded on the internet, allowing a wide variety of plants to be introduced to more distant places. A lack of surveillance and regulation of this trade has resulted in the wide trade of invasive species.

In response, scientists from the University of Adelaide have utilised specialised software called ‘web scrapers’ to monitor trade on public classifieds websites. These web scrapers automate the collection of online advertisements. This allowed the researchers to detect thousands of advertisements for weeds over a 12-month period.

Opuntia, a notorious invader that was found traded online.

Despite Australia’s laws banning the trade of harmful weeds, advertisements were observed across the country. Some of the weeds advertised were associated with uses by traders, including food and medicine. The most popular uses were associated with pond and aquarium plants such as filtering water and providing fish habitat.

The researchers recommend that governments adopt web scraping technology to assist in regulating online trade of plants. They also highlight increasing public awareness and seeking cooperation from online marketplaces as solutions to this growing problem.

“Currently, these online marketplaces allow people to advertise and purchase invasive species, whether they are aware of it or not,” says Maher. “Regulation is needed, but we also need to cultivate awareness of amongst plant growers of this issues and we need help from marketplaces to regulate trade on their end.”

The technology developed in this study is now being utilised by biosecurity agencies in Australia to monitor and regulate the illegal trade of plants and animals online.

Original source:

Maher J, Stringham OC, Moncayo S, Wood L, Lassaline CR, Virtue J, Cassey P (2023) Weed wide web: characterising illegal online trade of invasive plants in Australia. NeoBiota 87: 45-72. https://doi.org/10.3897/neobiota.87.104472