Content from more than 30 biodiversity journals published on the ARPHA Platform will now be archived in the Biodiversity Heritage Library (BHL), the world’s largest open-access digital library for biodiversity literature and archives.
A global consortium of natural history, botanical, research, and national libraries, BHL digitises and freely shares essential biodiversity materials. A critical resource for researchers, it provides vital access to material that might otherwise be difficult to obtain.
Under the agreement, over 16,000 articles published on Pensoft’s self-developed ARPHA Platform are now available on BHL. Both legacy content and new articles are made available on the platform, complete with full-text PDFs and all relevant metadata.
Thanks to this integration, content in our journals will become even more accessible and readily discoverable, helping researchers find the biodiversity information they need.
Prof. Lyubomir Penev
More content published on ARPHA will gradually be added to the BHL archive.
The publications will be included in the Library’s full-text search, allowing researchers to easily locate relevant biodiversity literature. Crucially, the scientific names within the articles will be indexed using the Global Names Architecture, enabling seamless discovery of information about specific taxa across the BHL collection.
“Pensoft is pleased to collaborate with BHL in our joint mission to support global biodiversity research through free access to knowledge. Thanks to this integration, content in our journals will become even more accessible and readily discoverable, helping researchers find the biodiversity information they need,” said Prof. Lyubomir Penev, CEO and founder of Pensoft and ARPHA.
The news comes soon after BHL announced it is about to face a major shift in its operation. From 2026, the Smithsonian Institution – one of BHL’s 10 founding members – will cease to host the administrative and technical components of BHL. As the consortium explores a range of options, the BHL team is confident that “the transition opens the door to a reimagined and more sustainable future for BHL.”
On Monday, 28 April, the first day of the European Geosciences Union General Assembly 2025 (EGU 2025), participants had the chance to discover one of the most promising initiatives in biodiversity informatics: the Biodiversity Knowledge Hub (BKH). BKH was presented as part of a dedicated poster session, titled “Biodiversity Knowledge Hub: Addressing the impacts of environmental change by linking Research Infrastructures, Global Aggregators and Community Networks“.
Understanding and addressing the impacts of environmental change on biodiversity and ecosystems demands access to reliable FAIR data (as in Findable, Accessible, Interoperable, Reusable). However, the current landscape is often fragmented, making it difficult to combine and use these resources effectively.
Enter the Horizon-funded project Biodiversity Community Integrated Knowledge Library (BiCIKL): a pioneering initiative that demonstrates the transformative power of interdisciplinary collaboration. Coordinated by Pensoft, BiCIKL ran between 2021 and 2024.
Within BiCIKL, 14 European institutions from ten countries teamed up with the aim to integrate biodiversity data across research infrastructures, scientific repositories, and expert communities.
Through this integration, BiCIKL bridged the gap between isolated knowledge systems and delivered actionable insights to guide conservation and resilience efforts. The project embodies the principles of open science by demonstrating how interdisciplinary collaboration can turn fragmented data into cohesive, usable knowledge for researchers, policymakers, and practitioners.
At the heart of BiCIKL’s success is the Biodiversity Knowledge Hub (BKH): an innovative platform that provides seamless access to biodiversity data, tools, and workflows. The BKH fosters interoperability between diverse resources, thus making it easier to combine information from different sources. Whether for advanced research analytics or policymaking in support of sustainable development, the BKH empowers users with tools tailored to their needs.
A few of the standout features of the BKH include:
Modular design to allow continuous expansion and adaptability to new challenges in biodiversity and climate resilience
Interoperable systems that connect a variety of databases, repositories, and services to deliver integrated knowledge.
Community building by welcoming a broad network of stakeholders to ensure the platform’s long-term sustainability and growth.
Watch the Biodiversity Knowledge Hubvideo on YouTube.
Setting a New Benchmark in Biodiversity Informatics
Through its collaborative approach, BiCIKL set a new standard for how biodiversity and climate resilience initiatives can be harmonised globally. By showcasing best practices in data integration, capacity building, and stakeholder engagement, BiCIKL became much more than a project: it turned into a blueprint for future biodiversity knowledge infrastructures.
The Biodiversity Knowledge Hub serves to demonstrate how harmonised standards and active collaboration are key to unlocking the full potential of biodiversity data. In doing so, its mission is to create scalable, long-term solutions that are crucial for addressing today’s pressing environmental challenges.
The poster presentation at EGU25 outlined the methodologies and technologies driving the BKH, emphasizing its role as a pioneering model for integrated biodiversity knowledge and action. As environmental pressures continue to mount, the work of BiCIKL and the Biodiversity Knowledge Hub offers a hopeful path forward—one where knowledge flows freely, collaborations flourish, and data-driven solutions guide our way to a more resilient future.
Visit the Biodiversity Community Integrated Knowledge Library (BiCIKL) project’s website at: https://bicikl-project.eu/.
They say beauty is everywhere if we have eyes to see; a team of scientists looked at a tiny, 3-mm snail and saw art.
An international group of malacologists (researchers studying molluscs) led by Serbian PhD student Vukašin Gojšina and his Hungarian supervisor, Barna Páll-Gergely, was exploring snail diversity in Southeast Asia when a species unknown to science grabbed their attention, prompting them to name it after cubist artist Pablo Picasso.
Unlike most other snails, Anauchen picasso has rectangularly angled whorls that, according to the scientists, make it look “like a cubist interpretation of other snails with ‘normal’ shell shapes.”
Anauchen picasso.
The research team just published a 300-page article including the descriptions of 46 new species of microsnails from Cambodia, Myanmar, Laos, Thailand, and Vietnam.
SEM imaging showing an enlarged apertural view of Anauchen picasso.
“Although the shell sizes of these snails are less than 5 mm, they are real beauties! Their shells exhibit extraordinarily complexity,” they say. “For example, the aperture (the ‘opening’ of the shell) is armed with numerous tooth-like barriers, which are most probably useful against predators. Furthermore, several of the new species have an aperture that turns upwards or downwards, which means that some species carry their shells upside-down.”
These apertural barriers and the orientation of the last whorl on the shell were among the primary characters that helped the researchers tell different snails apart.
Appearance of the last whorl A shouldered B rounded C keeled at the centre of the periphery D keeled above the centre of the periphery E keeled below the centre of the periphery F double keeled.
While many of these new species were collected recently, several, unknown to science until now, were found in the collection of the Florida Museum of Natural History, collected all the way in the 1980’s. It is likely (and in some cases, certain) that the locations where these snails were found have already been destroyed by deforestation and limestone quarrying, which are the major threats to locally endemic land snails in Southeast Asia.
Research article:
Gojšina V, Hunyadi A, Sutcharit C, Tongkerd P, Auffenberg K, Grego J, Vermeulen JJ, Reischütz A, Páll-Gergely B (2025) A new start? Revision of the genera Anauchen, Bensonella, Gyliotrachela and Hypselostoma (Gastropoda, Eupulmonata, Hypselostomatidae) of Southeast Asia with description of 46 new species. ZooKeys 1235: 1-338. https://doi.org/10.3897/zookeys.1235.145281
In the heart of Canada’s Rocky Mountains, an unassuming yet remarkable butterfly has been quietly flying under our scientific radar for years. With a wingspan of an inch to an inch and a half, and wings that are brown on top and greyish brown with black spots below, this population was long thought to belong to the Half-moon Hairstreak (Satyrium semiluna). However, the isolated hairstreak butterflies of Blakiston Fan in Waterton Lakes National Park, Alberta, have now been recognized as a distinct species: Satyrium curiosolus, or the Curiously Isolated Hairstreak.
Satyrium curiosolus.
A recent study by an international collaborative team, published in ZooKeys, uncovered the unique evolutionary history of this population. The results were striking: Satyrium curiosolus has been completely isolated from its closest relatives for quite a while—possibly up to 40,000 years— becoming more and more genetically and ecologically unique along the way.
The science behind the discovery
“Our whole-genome sequencing of S. curiosolus revealed strikingly low genetic diversity and exceptionally high levels of historical inbreeding compared to the geographically nearest S. semiluna populations in British Columbia and Montana, more than 400 km distant,” says co-first author Zac MacDonald, a La Kretz postdoctoral researcher at University of California Los Angeles Institute of the Environment and Sustainability. Despite its small population size, genetic data suggest that S. curiosolus has likely maintained itself as a stable, independent lineage for tens of thousands of years. “Like the Channel Island Fox, S. curiosolus may have purged some of its harmful recessive genetic variation through a long, gradual history of inbreeding, allowing it to persist as a small and completely isolated population today,” MacDonald adds.
Satyrium curiosolus.
Satyrium curiosolus is found in a distinct habitat unlike any other population of S. semiluna that we know of. While its relatives thrive in sagebrush steppe, S. curiosolus occupies a single alluvial fan that is more accurately described as prairie-grassland, where it associates with different plants and ant species. Satyriumcuriosolus relies exclusively on silvery lupine (Lupinus argenteus) for larval development, a plant not known to be used by S. semiluna populations in British Columbia.
A freshly eclosed S. curiosolus on silvery lupine (Lupinus argenteus).
“Furthermore, we recently discovered that S. curiosolus larvae have mutualistic relationships with a particular species of ant (Lasius ponderosae), which has not been observed in other S. semiluna populations,” says James Glasier of the Wilder Institute/Calgary Zoo, who was also part of the study. Satyrium curiosolus caterpillars provide the Lasius ants with a sugary excretion called honeydew to eat, while in return the ants protect the caterpillar from parasites and predators. Caterpillars also retreat into ant galleries when disturbed, or when it gets too hot out, and adult females have been observed laying eggs right near the entrances to Lasius colonies under Silvery Lupines.
Why it matters
The recognition of S. curiosolus as a species has important implications, highlighting its unique evolutionary trajectory and emphasizing an urgent need for tailored conservation strategies.
The discovery of S. curiosolus is a powerful demonstration of how genomics is revolutionizing taxonomy and conservation.
Julian Dupuis, Assistant Professor in the Department of Entomology at University of Kentucky
Satyriumcuriosolus faces a somewhat unique challenge: its long-term isolation has resulted in very low genetic diversity, which means that the species has a reduced potential to adapt to changing climatic conditions. While conservationists often consider genetic rescue—introducing individuals from related populations to boost genetic diversity—as a solution to low genetic diversity, the distinctiveness of S. curiosolus raises concerns about potential outbreeding depression when mixed with S. semiluna. It is likely that the two species are not even reproductively compatible, meaning S. curiosolus may be on its own. Conservation efforts must now consider new solutions, such as establishing additional S. curiosolus populations, to help this butterfly persist as climate change threatens ecological change at Blakiston Fan.
A case study in genomics and conservation
Satyrium curiosolus.
“The discovery of S. curiosolus is a powerful demonstration of how genomics is revolutionizing taxonomy and conservation,” remarked co-first author Julian Dupuis, an Assistant Professor in the Department of Entomology at University of Kentucky. “While traditional taxonomic methods often rely on morphology alone, our study underscores the importance of integrating genomic and ecological data to uncover hidden diversity. With the rise of genomic tools, previously unrecognized species like S. curiosolus are being discovered, highlighting the need for conservation strategies that account for cryptic biodiversity.” Dupuis adds.
Collaboration in conservation
The Curiously Isolated Hairstreak reminds us that even the smallest and most overlooked species can hold extraordinary scientific and conservation significance.
“Our studies on S. curiosolus and S. semiluna highlight the importance of collaboration between academic scientists, nonprofit organizations, and conservation managers. All of this work was made possible through partnerships between academic researchers, Parks Canada, and the Wilder Institute/Calgary Zoo. By combining expertise in genomics, field ecology, and conservation management, we were able to produce findings that not only reshape our understanding of biodiversity but also provide actionable insights for species protection. Moving forward, these interdisciplinary collaborations will be critical for tackling complex conservation challenges and ensuring the long-term survival of species like S. curiosolus,” added MacDonald.
The future of Satyrium curiosolus
Title: S. curiosolus larvae being attended to by Lasius ponderosae ants.
Recognizing S. curiosolus as a distinct species is just the beginning, the researchers say. Future research should explore its evolution and interactions with other species like host plants and ants. Additionally, long-term monitoring by Parks Canada and the Wilder Institute/Calgary Zoo will be essential to assess how this species copes with climate change and what conservation actions are appropriate. “This is a wonderful example of how such monitoring can connect diverse approaches and impactful answers to a simple question like ‘that’s odd – why is it there?’”, says anchor author Felix Sperling, a professor at the University of Alberta and curator of the U of A’s Strickland Museum of Entomology.
“For now, the Curiously Isolated Hairstreak reminds us that even the smallest and most overlooked species can hold extraordinary scientific and conservation significance,” the researchers say in conclusion.
Research article:
MacDonald ZG, Dupuis JR, Glasier JRN, Sissons R, Moehrenschlager A, Shaffer HB, Sperling FAH (2025) Genomic and ecological divergence support recognition of a new species of endangered Satyrium butterfly (Lepidoptera, Lycaenidae). ZooKeys 1234: 291-307. https://doi.org/10.3897/zookeys.1234.143893
The initiative aims to make it easier to access and use biodiversity data associated with published research, aligning with principles of Findable, Accessible, Interoperable, and Reusable (FAIR) data.
The data portals offer seamless integration of published articles and associated data elements with GBIF-mediated records. Now, researchers, educators, and conservation practitioners can discover and use the extensive species occurrence and other data associated with the papers published in each journal.
A video displaying an interactive map with occurrence data on the BDJ portal.
The collaboration between Pensoft and GBIF was recently piloted with the Biodiversity Data Journal (BDJ). Today, the BDJ hosted portal provides seamless access and exploration for nearly 300,000 occurrences of biological organisms from all over the world that have been extracted from the journal’s all-time publications. In addition, the portal provides direct access to more than 800 datasets published alongside papers in BDJ, as well as to almost 1,000 citations of the journal articles associated with those publications.
“The release of the BDJ portal and subsequent ones planned for other Pensoft journals should inspire other publishers to follow suit in advancing a more interconnected, open and accessible ecosystem for biodiversity research,” said Dr. Vince Smith, Editor-in-Chief of BDJ and head of digital, data and informatics at the Natural History Museum, London.
— GBIF @biodiversity.social/@gbif (@GBIF) March 10, 2025
“The programme will provide a scalable solution for more than thirty of the journals we publish thanks to our partnership with Plazi, and will foster greater connectivity between scientific research and the evidence that supports it,” said Prof. Lyubomir Penev, founder and chief executive officer of Pensoft.
On the new portals, users can search data, refining their queries based on various criteria such as taxonomic classification, and conservation status. They also have access to statistical information about the hosted data.
Together, the hosted portals provide data on almost 325,000 occurrence records, as well as over 1,000 datasets published across the journals.
A team from the Leibniz Institute for the Analysis of Biodiversity Change (LIB) has discovered groundbreaking ways for rapidly digitizing collection data. Data of insect specimen labels can now be easily read with just a smartphone – and all wirelessly and using only free, already available apps!
Screenshots from a mobile phone showing the steps of scanning of real-time data collection, and examples of labels: A step 1: marking of the text to be captured via touch screen of the mobile phone (example – printed labels scanned on pin) B step 2: select from menu bar (at the right side under three dots) “Copy to computer” (example – printed labels scanned separately). C Capture of multidirectional printed labels scanned separately from the specimen in “Google Lens” D Capture of multiple distorted, printed labels scanned on the pinned specimen in “Google Lens” E Initial capture of a printed label scanned separately from the specimen in “Google Keep” F Extracted data resulting from E.
Why is this important?
Around 1.1 billion objects in the largest natural history museums worldwide remain undigitized and manual extraction of specimen label information for taxonomic revisions, another source for biodiversity data mobilization, is very time consuming. By digitizing these data, we can preserve valuable knowledge about our biodiversity, especially in times of climate change and human biodiversity crisis when many species are going extinct before they are even discovered.
This innovation will accelerate and advance global research and the preservation of our biological knowledge. And the best part? It’s not expensive and accessible to everyone – from professionals to amateur scientists!
Research article:
Ahrens D, Haas A, Pacheco TL, Grobe P (2025) Extracting specimen label data rapidly with a smartphone—a great help for simple digitization in taxonomy and collection management. ZooKeys 1233: 15-30. https://doi.org/10.3897/zookeys.1233.140726
A team of researchers from the Pontifical Catholic University of Ecuador, in collaboration with the Natural History Museum of London, has announced the discovery of three new species of torrent frogs belonging to the genus Hyloscirtus. The study, recently published in the journal ZooKeys, combines genetic, genomic, morphological, and bioacoustic analyses, revealing hidden diversity in one of the planet’s richest ecosystems.
Maximum likelihood phylogram of Hyloscirtus for DNA sequences of mitochondrial (12S rRNA, 16S rRNA, ND1 and adjacent tRNAs) and nuclear genes (RAG1 and c-myc). Bayesian posterior probabilities (pp × 100) are shown above branches and bootstrap values below. Asterisks represent values of 100%. Missing values indicate posterior probabilities and bootstrap < 50. Amazonian species of the H. bogotensis group are shown with colored boxes. Outgroup species are not shown and include two species of Boana and two of Dendropsophus. Voucher museum numbers are shown before the species name. For Ecuadorian populations, the province is provided after the species name. Abbreviations for other countries at the end of terminals: BOL (Bolivia), COL (Colombia), PAN (Panamá), PER (Perú), and VEN (Venezuela). UCS: unconfirmed candidate species.
Frogs in the mist
The research focuses on frog populations inhabiting the Amazonian cloud forests, a region known for its high biodiversity and conservation challenges. By combining DNA sequencing (both genomic and mitochondrial), detailed morphological studies, and the analysis of mating calls, the authors have identified three new species:
Hyloscirtus maycu
Hyloscirtus elbakyanae
Hyloscirtus dispersus
Hyloscirtus dispersus
Hyloscirtus elbakyanae
Hyloscirtus elbakyanae
Hyloscirtus dispersus
Hyloscirtus maycu
Hyloscirtus maycu
A tribute to open knowledge
As a recognition of the value of free access to scientific information, one of the newly described species has been named after Alexandra Elbakyan, programmer and creator of Sci-Hub. This website provides free access to scientific articles, allowing researchers worldwide to consult studies that would otherwise be locked behind expensive subscriptions—especially in low- and middle-income countries. Sci-Hub has been instrumental in democratizing scientific knowledge on a global scale.
Variation in life of Hyloscirtus elbakyanae.
Importance of the study
“This discovery not only expands our understanding of cloud forest biodiversity but also highlights the urgent need to conserve these ecosystems in the face of growing environmental threats,” said Andrea Varela, lead researcher of the study.
Geographic distribution of Amazonian species of the Hyloscirtus bogotensis group. Stars represent the type locality of H. albopunctulatus, H. phyllognathus and H. torrenticola.
The paper also examines the impact of the Andes on the diversification of this group. Colonization events across the Andes have been very rare; in the studied group, only two such events were recorded, over 14 million years ago, both from the Amazon towards the Pacific basin. These findings underscore the crucial role of the Andean barrier in the evolution and distribution of these species, offering a unique perspective on the complex biogeographic history of the Andes—one of the most biodiverse ecosystems on Earth.
Research article:
Varela-Jaramillo A, Streicher JW, Venegas PJ, Ron SR (2025) Three new species of torrent treefrogs (Anura, Hylidae) of the Hyloscirtus bogotensis group from the eastern Andean slopes and the biogeographic history of the genus. ZooKeys 1231: 233-292. https://doi.org/10.3897/zookeys.1231.124926
“We have not only revived Francis Walker’s species Topiris candidella, from 1863, but also expanded our understanding of an entire group of small white moths.”
A moth neglected by experts for a century is found to have been collected by Alfred Russel Wallace 169 years ago
Cutting-edge techniques allowed scientists to show the moth as belonging to a genus comprising 14 species, 11 of which are new to science
One of the new species has been named after Greta Thunberg
Alfred Russel Wallace
Scientists at the Natural History Museum (NHM), London, have discovered that a long-overlooked moth specimen in the Museum’s collection was in fact collected by explorer and naturalist, Alfred Russel Wallace, in 1855. This was at the same time as he was formulating his own revolutionary ideas on the origins of species which he would go on to share with Charles Darwin.
The small white moth, Topiris candidella, was described in 1863 by Francis Walker but was dismissed in 1927 by leading entomologist Edward Meyrick as “better neglected” having suffered substantial damage due to historic storing practices. The moth has remained overlooked for nearly a century, until now.
Using a cutting-edge DNA sequencing method, NHM scientists extracted genetic material from a single fragment of one of the specimen’s remaining legs and connected it to a group of moths found throughout South East Asia.
The scientists were able to prove that rather than being a single neglected species, Topiris is in fact a genus of 14 species, including 11 species which are new to science and described today in the paper published in ZooKeys.
One of these species is named Topiris thunbergella, in honour of Greta Thunberg and her work in raising awareness of the environmental pressures on the native forests of South East Asia.
A new to science species of land snail was discovered by a group of citizen scientists working together with scientists…
Dr David Lees, Senior Curator for Microlepidoptera at the Natural History Museum, adds, “This discovery highlights the incredible potential of modern DNA analysis to reveal the evolutionary history of species, even from fragmented and long-forgotten specimens.
“By applying this innovative sequencing technique, we have not only revived Francis Walker’s species Topiris candidella, from 1863, but also expanded our understanding of an entire group of small white moths.”
During their research, David and fellow moth expert, Mark Sterling, found that a hidden label under the pin of the broken moth bore the handwritten letters “SAR”, a clue that this moth had been collected by Alfred Russel Wallace as part of over a thousand moths he collected at Rajah Brooke’s Forest retreat.
Topiris albidella
Paralecta rosiflora
Topiris thunbergella
Topiris salva
This was in December 1855, just months before he published his ‘Sarawak Law’ paper, which eventually led to a joint reading (at Darwin’s request) of their theories of evolution through natural selection.
Beyond the scientific breakthrough, the study has wider conservation implications. Of the 24 species reviewed in their paper, only three have been recorded since 2000, highlighting the urgent need for biodiversity monitoring in this region.
Mark Sterling added, “The 80 million specimens currently held in the Natural History Museum’s collections continue to be a critical resource for understanding biodiversity and assessing the effects of environmental change.”
Research article:
Sterling MJ, Price BW, Lees DC (2025) A revision of the hitherto neglected genus Topiris Walker, 1863 (Lepidoptera, Xyloryctidae) with taxonomic notes on the genus Athrypsiastis Meyrick, 1910. ZooKeys 1229: 297-368. https://doi.org/10.3897/zookeys.1229.119155
This press release was originally published by the National History Museum, London. It is republished here with permission.
Recognizing the Sundaic rhinoceros as a separate genus not only improves scientific understanding but also has important implications for conservation efforts.
A new study revealed significant differences in the appearance and behaviour of the two one-horned Asiatic rhinoceros species, challenging long-standing classifications and supporting a re-evaluation of their status.
Sundaic rhinoceros (Eurhinoceros sondaicus). Photo by Toby Nowlan
The study, led by zoologist Francesco Nardelli and paleontologist Kurt Heißig, highlights how millions of years of evolutionary pressures have shaped the distinct adaptations of the Indian (Rhinoceros unicornis) and Sundaic (Rhinoceros sondaicus)rhinoceroses. The critically endangered Sundaic rhinoceros has a slender skull, a broader and lower back of the head, and a shorter nose and teeth suited for browsing leaves. In contrast, the Indian rhinoceros has a more robust skull and taller teeth adapted for grazing on grasses.
“Adaptations of large terrestrial mammals to various environments are linked to the diversity of food items they can consume, which is reflected in the variation of their dental and cranial morphologies,” the researchers write in their paper, published in the journal ZooKeys. “In rhinoceroses, these adaptations are identified in their teeth structure and head posture.”
The Sundaic rhinoceros, now confined to Java’s Ujung Kulon peninsula, is a browsing species with uniquely polygonal-patterned skin and, unlike any other living rhinoceros, hornless females. In contrast, the Indian rhinoceros is a grazer of riverine grasslands in northern India and Nepal. With deep skin folds and a heavier build, the Indian rhinoceros is considerably larger than its Sundaic relative. It is superseded in size only by the elephant and the white rhinoceros, with males weighing more than 2,000 kg and females reaching 1,600 kg.
Indian rhinoceros (Rhinoceros unicornis). Photo by Olivier Bacquet
Fossil evidence confirms that these differences evolved independently over a long period of time. The authors maintain that they represent fundamental anatomical and ecological distinctions and reflect deep evolutionary adaptations.
The behaviour of the two species also differs significantly, with the Sundaic rhinoceros being solitary wanderers and Indian rhinoceros forming temporary crashes.
“Both species possess unique adaptations for survival, emphasising the importance of understanding their systematics for effective conservation,” the researchers write in their paper.
Based on these findings, the scientists propose a more precise scientific name for the Sundaic rhino: Eurhinoceros sondaicus. “Recognizing Eurhinoceros sondaicus as a distinct genus provides a more accurate reflection of its evolutionary history and ecological specialization,” they assert. “This refined classification not only enhances our understanding of rhinoceros evolution but also provides a clearer framework for conservation planning, helping to tailor strategies for the protection of these critically endangered animals.”
Original Source:
Nardelli F, Heißig K (2025) A taxonomic review of the genus Rhinoceros with emphasis on the distinction of Eurhinoceros (Perissodactyla, Rhinocerotidae). ZooKeys 1230: 303-333. https://doi.org/10.3897/zookeys.1230.127858
The frog Alsodes vittatus is an elusive creature – described in 1902, it managed to go undetected for more than a century. Now, after a decade of investigation, a research team has rediscovered it, in its first sighting after 130 years.
A female individual of Alsodes vittatus.
Researchers from the Laboratory of Systematics and Conservation of Herpetozoa (SyCoH) of the University of Concepción, Chile – Dr. Claudio Correa, engineer in renewable natural resources Edvin Riveros Riffo, and biologist Juan Pablo Donoso, have published their extraordinary discovery in the journal ZooKeys.
Alsodes vittatus was scientifically described in 1902 by Rodulfo Amando Philippi, a German naturalist living in Chile. French entomologist Philibert Germain had discovered the species in 1893 at the former Hacienda San Ignacio de Pemehue in La Araucanía Region, Chile, and brought three specimens to Philippi for description. Since then, no one has seen the species again, despite multiple search efforts.
A male individual of Alsodes vittatus.
Between 1995 and 2002, several researchers unsuccessfully tried to find it in the Pemehue area, at the northwestern end of the former estate. In 2015 and 2016, new expeditions led by Claudio Correa and Juan Pablo Donoso managed to locate two populations of Alsodes in the same area, but the individuals they saw lacked A. vittatus’ distinctive white or yellow stripe on the back, suggesting they likely belonged to a different species.
A male individual of Alsodes vittatus.
“The main challenge in locating it was the lack of precision in the description of its type locality,” say the researchers. “In Germain’s time, the Hacienda San Ignacio de Pemehue was an estate of enormous size, and the naturalist did not specify the exact place where he collected the specimens.”
To locate the species, Correa and his team had to reconstruct the route that Germain could have followed within the estate by studying his publications and other historical documents. In 2023 and 2024, Claudio Correa and Edvin Riveros followed the reconstructed route, entering the former estate from the southeastern end. There, they found two populations of A. vittatus in the Lolco and Portales river basins in La Araucanía region, confirming the existence of this enigmatic species after more than a century without records.
The habitat of Alsodes vittatus.
This is an important milestone for South American herpetology and the conservation of biodiversity in the southern cone. Most of the other species in the genus Alsodes are either threatened with extinction or we don’t know enough about them to assess their status, and shedding light on where and how they live is the first step in protecting them.
“The rediscovery of A. vittatus allowed us to obtain, more than a century after its description, the first biological and ecological data on the species. Field observations also indicate that this amphibian faces several significant threats and that it could be considered endangered,” the researchers warn. “In a broader context, this rediscovery demonstrates the limited biological, evolutionary and biogeographic knowledge of the amphibians that inhabit the southern cone of South America, emphasizing the urgency of their study and conservation.”
Research article:
Correa C, Riveros-Riffo E, Donoso JP (2025) Lost for more than a century: the rediscovery of Alsodes vittatus (Philippi, 1902) (Anura, Alsodidae), one of the rarest and most elusive amphibians from Chile. ZooKeys 1230: 195-212. https://doi.org/10.3897/zookeys.1230.135523
