Category: Zookeys

Pensoft and ARPHA integrate with Prophy to speed up reviewer discovery across 90+ scholarly journals

Prophy’s AI-driven discovery system will provide editors with a broader and more diverse pool of qualified peer reviewers based on automated semantic analysis.

In a new partnership between open-access scholarly publisher Pensoft and the AI-driven reviewer discovery system provider: Prophy, the editorial teams at all journals hosted on the publisher’s ARPHA Platform receive access to a broader and more diverse global pool of researchers.

The integration connects ARPHA’s editorial and peer review workflows with Prophy’s continuously updated database of millions of active, qualified researchers. As a result, editorial teams across more than 90 open-access peer-reviewed journals powered by ARPHA can now opt to enjoy data-driven reviewer recommendations based on structured analysis of researcher expertise and publication history, with matches based on each manuscript’s topic, field, and research focus.

This development responds to a growing challenge in scholarly publishing. As submission volumes rise, the pressure on a relatively small pool of frequently invited reviewers increases, which eventually leads to delays and reviewer fatigue. By expanding the pool of potential experts and improving how they are identified with the help of semantic analysis, the integration supports a more sustainable and balanced approach to peer review.

“By working with Prophy, we’re helping editors discover expertise that might otherwise be overlooked, opening the door to a more inclusive, well-distributed, and resilient peer review ecosystem. This is about using technology not to replace human judgment, but to support it in a smarter and more responsible way.”
Prof. Dr. Lyubomir Penev, founder and CEO of Pensoft and ARPHA.

“We’re excited to work with Pensoft and ARPHA to bring smarter reviewer discovery to their editorial teams. Peer review should be efficient and fair, and this partnership helps with both. Editors can find the right expertise faster, which means less time searching and fewer delays. This integration helps editorial teams manage growing submission volumes without burning out their reviewer networks.”
Oleg Ruchayskiy, CEO of Prophy.

To further support editorial teams and client journals’ owners, Pensoft and ARPHA are offering the Prophy integration free of charge to all journals on the platform until the end of 2026.

The partnership reflects Pensoft and ARPHA’s continued focus on equipping journals with practical, forward-looking tools that strengthen peer review, support editors, and help ensure the long-term sustainability of scholarly publishing.

Stay up to date with the latest from Pensoft and ARPHA by subscribing to our blogs and following us on social media, including BlueSky, Facebook and Linkedin.

Pensoft and the University of Zurich sign strategic OA Agreement to support Swiss research

The agreement encompasses five key research and medical bodies, and allows corresponding authors to publish their findings without individual Article Processing Charges.

Pensoft and the University of Zurich have signed a comprehensive Open Access (OA) agreement, starting a partnership that enables researchers at participating institutions to publish their findings in Pensoft’s peer-reviewed journals without incurring individual Article Processing Charges (APCs).

The agreement encompasses five key research and medical bodies, namely the University of Zurich, the University Hospital of Zurich, Balgrist University Hospital, University Children’s Hospital Zurich, and the Psychiatrische Universitätsklinik.

Researchers from these institutions can now publish without worrying about APCs in 65 peer-reviewed journals published by Pensoft or hosted on its advanced ARPHA platform, including flagship titles such as ZooKeys, PhytoKeys, Biodiversity Data Journal, NeoBiota, and IMA Fungus.

Under this new framework, publishing costs for corresponding authors affiliated with the respective institutions are 100% covered by a centralised institutional deposit secured by the University of Zurich. By removing financial barriers, the agreement encourages scientists to disseminate their work to both the academic community and the wider public, making research immediately and freely available upon publication.

This initiative ensures that research is shared under open licences in strict accordance with the FAIR principles—making data Findable, Accessible, Interoperable, and Reusable.

“We are excited to start this partnership with the University of Zurich and sign an agreement that reflects our strong commitment to inclusive and equitable open science. By supporting researcher-driven publishing, we continue to foster a sustainable environment for high-impact scientific communication.”
Prof. Lyubomir Penev, CEO of Pensoft

“We are pleased to extend our portfolio of gold open access journals, in which our researchers can publish their findings without paying individual APCs. We thereby strengthen our commitment to open research information.”
University Library Zurich

Are you affiliated with a research institution operating with OA agreements? Is your institution interested in helping resident researchers navigate the complex processes underpinning academic publishing and knowledge sharing? Reach out to <publishing@pensoft.net> to discuss a potential collaboration.

Pensoft and Bibsam Consortium announce new OA agreement to advance scholarly publishing in Sweden

The agreement covers almost 100 institutions, including Karolinska Institutet, Lund University, Uppsala University, and the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences.

Pensoft and the Bibsam Consortium, operated by the National Library of Sweden, are pleased to announce the signing of a comprehensive Open Access (OA) agreement, marking a significant step in the transition towards a more transparent and open scholarly publishing landscape in Sweden.

Thanks to this move, researchers at participating institutions will be able to publish their findings in 65 journals published by Pensoft or using its advanced publishing platform ARPHA, including flagship titles such as ZooKeys, PhytoKeys, Biodiversity Data Journal, NeoBiota and IMA Fungus, without incurring individual article processing charges (APCs).

The agreement encompasses 97 research bodies, including Karolinska Institutet, Lund University, Uppsala University, and the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences.

All authors affiliated with participating institutions can benefit from this agreement, with publishing costs 100% covered by an institutional deposit secured by the National Library of Sweden.

Unlike subscription-based systems, an OA framework ensures that scientific findings are immediately and freely available to the global community, supporting the global shift toward accessible science and adhering to the FAIR principles (Findable, Accessible, Interoperable, and Reusable).

OA agreements like this one reduce the financial burden on scientists and encourage them to share their work with both academia and the wider public, ultimately lowering barriers to sharing knowledge in a time when scientific input is key to resolving global challenges.

“We are excited to start this partnership with Bisbam and sign an agreement that reflects our strong commitment to open science. By supporting researcher-driven publishing, we continue to foster a sustainable environment for high-impact scientific communication.”
Prof. Lyubomir Penev, CEO of Pensoft

“We are delighted to announce the addition of Pensoft Publishers to our portfolio of nationally funded agreements for 2026. This represents an important step towards achieving full open access to scientific publications in Sweden.”
Niklas Willén, License Manager at Bibsam Consortium and National Library of Sweden

Are you affiliated with a research institution operating with OA agreements? Is your institution interested in helping resident researchers navigate the complex processes underpinning academic publishing and knowledge sharing? Reach out to <publishing@pensoft.net> to discuss a potential collaboration.

Celebrating Excellence: Pensoft’s 2025 Journal Awards Are Here

Continuing its tradition, Pensoft Publishers honors its authors and editors with awards for the most cited 3-year-old articles and the most active editors of 2025.

As per tradition, every January we at Pensoft Publishers celebrate the achievements of our authors and editors through our annual award initiative, which spotlights the most cited articles from several flagship journals and recognizes some of our most dedicated editors.

Traditionally, the award is presented in two categories:

Leading authors of the three most cited 3-year-old scientific articles.
The three editors, who have demonstrated the highest level of activity over 2025.

This year, our open-access journals participating in the awards are:

Biodiversity Data Journal

Found on Bluesky, X and Facebook, this journal is designated to accelerate data-rich publications and innovative formats that make biodiversity information easier to discover, reuse, and integrate.

The most impactful papers of 2022 for Biodiversity Data Journal are:

MaxEnt model-based prediction of potential distributions of Parnassia wightiana (Celastraceae) in China (2022) Authored by Dai, X., Wu, W., Ji, L., Tian, S., Yang, B., Guan, B. and Wu, D.
An updated checklist of Azorean arthropods (Arthropoda) (2022). Authored by Borges PAV, Lamelas-Lopez L, Andrade R, Lhoumeau S, Vieira V, Soares AO, Borges I, Boieiro M, Cardoso P, Crespo LCF, Karsholt O, Schülke M, Serrano ARM, Quartau JA, Assing V.
New species and new records of exotic Scolytinae (Coleoptera, Curculionidae) in Europe (2022). By Marchioro M, Faccoli M, Dal Cortivo M, Branco M, Roques A, Garcia A, Ruzzier E.

We would also like to extend our sincere gratitude to our editorial team for their commitment throughout 2025. This year, we are proud to recognize the journal’s three most prolific contributors:

Yanfeng Tong
Caio J. Carlos
Enrico Ruzzier

ZooKeys

Open-access scientific journal that is internationally recognized as a leading outlet for describing new animal species and advancing modern, data-driven zoological taxonomy. Found on Bluesky, X and Facebook.

**The most impactful papers of 2022 for ZooKeys are:**

Panstrongylus noireaui, a remarkable new species of Triatominae (Hemiptera, Reduviidae) from Bolivia (2022). Authored by Gil-Santana HR, Chavez T, Pita S, Panzera F, Galvão C.
Catalogue of the Diptera (Insecta) of Morocco—an annotated checklist, with distributions and a bibliography (2022). By Kettani K, Ebejer MJ, Ackland DM, Bächli G, Barraclough D, Barták M, Carles-Tolrá M, Černý M, Cerretti P, Chandler P, Dakki M, Daugeron C, De Jong H, Dils J, Disney H, Droz B, Evenhuis N, Gatt P, Graciolli G, Grichanov IY, Haenni J-P, Hauser M, Himmi O, MacGowan I, Mathieu B, Mouna M, Munari L, Nartshuk EP, Negrobov OP, Oosterbroek P, Pape T, Pont AC, Popov GV, Rognes K, Skuhravá M, Skuhravý V, Speight M, Tomasovic G, Trari B, Tschorsnig H-P, Vala J-C, von Tschirnhaus M, Wagner R, Whitmore D, Woźnica AJ, Zatwarnicki T, Zwick P.
Benthic megafauna of the western Clarion-Clipperton Zone, Pacific Ocean (2022). Authored by Bribiesca-Contreras G, Dahlgren TG, Amon DJ, Cairns S, Drennan R, Durden JM, Eléaume MP, Hosie AM, Kremenetskaia A, McQuaid K, O’Hara TD, Rabone M, Simon-Lledó E, Smith CR, Watling L, Wiklund H, Glover AG.

We are also delighted to award the three editors who have completed the highest number of editorial tasks over the past year.

Yuri Marusik
Anthony Herrel
J. Adilson Pinedo-Escatel

MycoKeys

A key open-access journal for documenting fungal diversity worldwide and promoting modern mycological research and taxonomy. It can be found on Bluesky, X and Facebook.

The most impactful papers of 2022 are:

Morphological and phylogenetic analyses reveal two new species of Sporocadaceae from Hainan, China (2022) Authored by Zhang Z, Liu R, Liu S, Mu T, Zhang X, Xia J.
A new Arthrinium-like genus of Amphisphaeriales in China (2022). Authored by Jiang N, Voglmayr H, Ma C-Y, Xue H, Piao C-G, Li Y (2022)
Three novel species of Distoseptispora (Distoseptisporaceae) isolated from bamboo in Jiangxi Province, China (2022). By Zhai Z-J, Yan J-Q, Li W-W, Gao Y, Hu H-J, Zhou J-P, Song H-Y, Hu D-M.

A special thank you to our 2025 editorial team. We are pleased to announce this year’s three most active editors:

Samantha Karunarathna
Danushka Tennakoon
R. Henrik Nilsson

PhytoKeys

PhytoKeys plays a central role in publishing research on global plant diversity and supporting cutting-edge research in plant systematics and evolution. Found on Bluesky, X and Facebook.

The most impactful papers of 2022 are:

Disintegration of the genus Prosopis L. (Leguminosae, Caesalpinioideae, mimosoid clade) (2022), Authored by Hughes, C.E., Ringelberg, J.J., Lewis, G.P. and Catalano, S.A.
Monograph of wild and cultivated chili peppers (Capsicum L., Solanaceae) (2022). Authored by Barboza GE, García CC, Bianchetti LB, Romero MV, Scaldaferro M.
Flora of Mongolia: annotated checklist of native vascular plants (2022). By Baasanmunkh S, Urgamal M, Oyuntsetseg B, Sukhorukov AP, Tsegmed Z, Son DC, Erst A, Oyundelger K, Kechaykin AA, Norris J, Kosachev P, Ma J-S, Chang KS, Choi HJ.

We would also like to acknowledge the dedication of our editors in 2025. The three most active editors receiving this year’s recognition are:

Lorenzo Peruzzi
Blanca León
Alexander Sennikov

On behalf of the journals’ publisher, Pensoft, we wish to thank ALL authors, editors, reviewers and readers for their continued support and engagement.

We once again invite our readers to celebrate these contributions and to engage with the featured articles and editor profiles, recognizing the collective effort that supports high-quality, open-access scholarly publishing.

Nature Conservation

Found on Bluesky and Facebook, this is journal with a vast scope covering all aspects of nature conservation and integrating research on the ecological, evolutionary, economic, and social dimensions of conservation management.

**The most impactful papers of 2022 for Nature Conservation are:**

Rapid linear transport infrastructure development in the Carpathians: A major threat to the integrity of ecological connectivity for large carnivores (2022). By Papp C-R, Dostál I, Hlaváč V, Berchi GM, Romportl D (2022)In: Santos S, Grilo C, Shilling F, Bhardwaj M, Papp CR.
‘Animals under wheels’: Wildlife roadkill data collection by citizen scientists as a part of their nature recording activities (2022) Authored by Swinnen KRR, Jacobs A, Claus K, Ruyts S, Vercayie D, Lambrechts J, Herremans M.
A literature-based database of the natural heritage, the ecological status and tourism-related impacts in show caves worldwide (2022). Authored by Piano E, Nicolosi G, Mammola S, Balestra V, Baroni B, Bellopede R, Cumino E, Muzzulini N, Piquet A, Isaia M

We would also like to acknowledge the dedication of our editors in 2025. The three most active editors receiving this year’s recognition are:

Cássio Cardoso Pereira
Mark Auliya
Reinhard Klenke

School student discovered a new dung beetle in Xinjiang, China

New dung beetle, Cheiroplatys aiweiae, discovered by a middle school student from China.

In the rugged hills of Shiren Gou, Urumqi, in China, a field research trip turned into a scientific discovery for middle school student Wang Yuheng. In June, 2022, while exploring, the student spotted an insect with an unusual metallic luster on its body.

After several days of comparisons, he made a bold claim: this was a new species that he had never seen before!

Close up photos of the newly discovered dung beetle Cheironitis aiweiae from China. — Photos of *Cheironitis aiweiae* (Wang et al., 2025)

To test Wang’s statement, his school’s science teacher teamed up with Zhang Xin, a PhD biologist from the Xinjiang Institute of Ecology and Geography at the Chinese Academy of Sciences. Their detailed analysis confirmed it – this was a new species of dung beetle from the genus Cheironitis.

The discovery was published in the open-access journal ZooKeys, marking the first record of Cheiroplatys aiweiae in China, as well as the first documented distribution of Cheironitis moeris in the country.

The young discoverer Wang Yuheng. — Photo of Wang Yuheng. Credit to the Xinjiang Production and Construction Corps No. 2 Middle School WeChat Official Account

However, turning the discovery of the new species into a published paper wasn’t easy for Wang. He was faced with language barriers, struggled with report structure, and grappled with complex scientific terms. Undeterred, he consulted existing literature, double-checked data, and worked through multiple revisions until the manuscript was finally ready for publication.

By tradition, the discoverer of a new species has the right to name it. Endearingly, Wang chose the name Cheiroplatys aiweiae after his mother’s name, honoring her unwavering support throughout the research and publication process.

Original source:

Wang, Y., Montreuil, O. and Coppo, P. (2025). A new species of Cheironitis van Lansberge, 1875 (Coleoptera, Scarabaeidae, Onitini) and the first record of Cheironitis moeris (Pallas, 1787) from China. ZooKeys, 1265, pp.151–158. doi: https://doi.org/10.3897/zookeys.1265.174240

New Moby Dick-like termite species discovered

The discovery adds a 16th species to the South American roster of Cryptotermes termites.

In the canopies of a South American rainforest, a tiny soldier termite has stunned a team of international scientists with its whale-like features.

Cryptotermes mobydicki, the name given to the termite by the international research team — led by a University of Florida scientist — boasts features of an elongated head and hidden mandibles. It resembles the iconic sperm whale from Herman Melville’s classic novel — hence its name.

Microscopic views of an insect head showcasing various angles (A, B, C, D) with detailed features and a scale bar at 0.5 mm. — These slides show views of the termite soldier’s frontal prominence and elongated head resembling the head of a sperm whale, and how in both the whale and termite, the mandibles are eclipsed by the head. Photo provided by Rudolph Scheffrahn.

“This termite is unlike anything we’ve ever seen,” said Rudolf Scheffrahn, professor of entomology at the UF Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences (UF/IFAS).

The specimen was so distinctive that the team of international entomologists thought it was looking at specimens of an entirely new genus, said Scheffrahn, whose taxonomic research is based at the UF/IFAS Fort Lauderdale Research and Education Center.

This termite is unlike anything we’ve ever seen
Rudolf Scheffrahn

“The lateral view of the soldier’s frontal prominence and elongated head resembles the head of a sperm whale, and in both organisms, the mandibles are eclipsed by the head,” he said. “The whale’s eye and soldier’s antennal socket are comparatively positioned. After I noticed the resemblance to a sperm whale, my coauthors thought the name to be appropriate and whimsical, much like ‘ghost orchid’ or ‘Dumbo octopus.’”

The discovery adds a 16th species to the South American roster of Cryptotermes termites. A genetic family tree analysis shows that Cryptotermes mobydicki is closely related to other neotropical species found in Colombia, Trinidad and the Dominican Republic, giving scientists a new clue into the evolutionary story of this globally distributed genus.

Moby Dick attacks a ship, its massive jaws open wide, while birds fly overhead in the ocean scene. — Illustration from an early edition of Moby-Dick.

Researchers found the colony in a dead, standing tree about eight meters off the forest floor. It’s unusual anatomy highlights the diversity of termite evolution and the surprises still waiting in tropical ecosystems.

“The discovery of this distinctive new termite species underscores the vast number of unnamed organisms yet to be discovered on our planet,” said Scheffrahn.

To scientists, discovery is also a win for biodiversity. Every new species discovered adds to scientific understanding of life on earth, especially in a group as small as termites with only about 3,000 species worldwide.

There is also good news for Florida property owners. As a newly described drywood termite species, Cryptotermes mobydicki is no threat to homes or trade. Unlike other invasive termites that cause costly damage in parts of the southeastern United States, this species is found only in its rainforest habitat and does not spread beyond it.

Research article:

Scheffrahn RH, Buček A, Sillam-Dussès D, Šobotník J (2025) Cryptotermes mobydicki (Isoptera, Kalotermitidae), an extraordinary new termite species from French Guiana. ZooKeys 1258: 305-311. https://doi.org/10.3897/zookeys.1258.166021

Story originally published by: Lourdes Mederos, University of Florida/Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences (UF/IFAS). Republished with permission.

A new spider genus named after Shuqiang Li

“I am delighted that the authors have named a spider genus after me,” the ZooKeys subject editor commented.

Guest blog post by Ying Wang, Qingzhen Meng, Yuri M. Marusik and Zhiyuan Yao

A photo of a man wearing a black suit and white shirt, set against a plain white background. — Prof. Shuqiang Li

In a recent paper published in ZooKeys, a new genus of Lynx spider from China was named after the given name of ZooKeys subject editor Shuqiang Li, to honour him for his contributions in spider taxonomy. It is worth noting that from the publication of the first article on the taxonomy of Chinese spiders in 1842 by Cantor to the release of The Spiders of China by Song et al in 1999, the number of known Chinese spider species was only 2,361 through 175 years of cumulative research. In the past 25 years, spider research in China has been led by Shuqiang and his colleagues. To date, the number of Chinese spider species has exceeded 7,000, increased by 4,639 species in 25 years. These taxonomic research achievements are the result of the silent dedication of Shuqiang and his colleagues, and have laid a solid foundation for understanding and conserving China’s biodiversity.

Shuqiang is also a prolific arachnologist. By early 2025, he is author or coauthor for 2 063 new spider species, establishing him as the second most prolific arachnologist in history and one of the foremost taxonomists of the 21st century.

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

“I am delighted that the authors have named a spider genus after me. I hold the view that taxonomy should never be underestimated. Balanced disciplinary development is the foundation of healthy scholarship, and an overemphasis on high-profile disciplines is detrimental to social progress,” Shuqiang Li commented.

Research article:

Wang Y, Meng Q, Marusik YM, Yao Z (2025) Shuqiangius gen. nov., a new genus of Oxyopidae (Arachnida, Araneae) from China. ZooKeys 1261: 189-200. https://doi.org/10.3897/zookeys.1261.171511

Insects and innovation: Pensoft in Portland 2025

Pensoft attended the Entomological Collections Network Annual Meeting and Entomology 2025, both held in Oregon’s largest city.

In November 2025, Pensoft’s Chief Communications Officer, Teodor Metodiev, crossed the Atlantic to represent the publisher at two entomology events in Portland, Oregon: the Entomological Collections Network (ECN) Annual Meeting (8–9 November) and the Entomology 2025 conference (9–12 November).

Entomological Collections Network Annual Meeting

Held at the Hyatt Regency in Portland, the ECN 2025 annual meeting brought together professionals dedicated to the care, management, and use of entomological collections. The hybrid event featured live talks, pre-recorded lightning presentations and a silent auction in support of collection initiatives.

Pensoft’s stand at the ECN meeting.
Natural History Collections and Museomics featured prominently at the event.
Deborah Paul, one of the Editors-in-Chief for Natural History Collections and Museomics, with Teodor Metodiev.

At ECN 2025, Pensoft spotlighted its journals in entomology, particularly the newly launched diamond open-access journal Natural History Collections and Museomics (NHCM), which welcomes research on the preservation, digitisation and analysis of natural history collections. Building on last year’s successful collaboration, the meeting again highlighted the Topical Collection “Entomological Outreach Collections and Community Engagement,” published in NHCM and inspired by the 2024 ECN programme.

Entomology 2025

Pensoft joined more than 3,200 insect science professionals at the Entomological Society of America’s annual meeting, Entomology 2025 (Ento2025), hosted at the Oregon Convention Center. Over four days, the conference offered symposia, workshops, networking sessions, mixers and a busy exhibit hall.

Pensoft exhibited at booth #715, showcasing the publisher’s portfolio of entomology journals and promoting two key EU-funded projects on pollinators: VALOR and AGRI4POL. Featuring professional scientific illustrations, attractive open-access publishing opportunities, and results from Pensoft-partnered EU projects, the booth attracted considerable interest from attendees.

A highlight of Pensoft’s presence at Entomology 2025 was the participation of Lars Straub, Editor-in-Chief of the newly launched Diamond Open Access journal Advances in Pollinator Research (APR). Straub moderated two student 10-minute presentation competitions and presented his own research, “Neonicotinoid exposure reduces fitness of a widespread butterfly, Vanessa cardui.”

Dr Alfred Daniel Johnson, a Journal of Hymenoptera Research author.
Dr Kevin Li, a One Ecosystem author.
Dr Claire Rutledge, a NeoBiota author.
Dr Lars Straub, Editor-in-Chief of Advances in Pollinator Research .
Dr Priyadarshini Chakrabarti Basu, an Advances in Pollinator Research editor.
Dr Yihang Li, a ZooKeys author.
Dr Jose ‘Joe’ Martinez, a ZooKeys author.
Yeshwanth, H M, a ZooKeys author.

–

Following a fantastic week in Portland at both ECN 2025 and Entomology 2025, Pensoft looks forward to continuing its close collaboration with the entomological and collections communities. The Entomological Society of America’s next annual meeting, Entomology 2026, will take place on 8–11 November in Columbus, Ohio, where Pensoft plans to create more partnerships and continue its support for open science in insect research.

Record-breaking success: Study on spider megacolony is the most popular article published by Pensoft

In less than a month, a paper in Subterranean Biology surpassed nearly 27,000 Pensoft studies in popularity.

Pensoft is thrilled to announce a new record in science communication: the research article “An extraordinary colonial spider community in Sulfur Cave (Albania/Greece) sustained by chemoautotrophy,” authored by István Urák et al., has achieved unprecedented publicity.

Published in the journal Subterranean Biology, the paper has become by far the most popular research article ever published across Pensoft’s scientific journal portfolio in terms of both news media coverage and overall online attention.

Issue 53 (2025) of Subterranean Biology, where the spider megacolony paper was published.

Thanks to an integration with our partners at Altmetric, we have quantifiable metrics that measure just how exceptional the attention to this article is. The paper’s Altmetric Attention Score of 2254 places it in the top 5% of all research outputs scored by Altmetric globally. For less than a month, it became more popular than nearly 27,000 research papers published by Pensoft and tracked by Altmetric.

The study was covered globally by major news outlets, reaching audiences far beyond niche scientific circles. The article garnered over 2,200 online mentions linking directly to the publication, with Altmetric tracking attention from 290 news outlets specifically. The story was featured by numerous top global news organizations, including The New York Times, BBC, The Washington Post, The Independent, Die Welt and NBC News,as well as popular science publications such as Smithsonian Magazine and Science Alert.

View this post on Instagram

Beyond traditional media, the study gained significant traction on various social platforms, including YouTube, TikTok and Instagram, alongside mentions on Bluesky and X.

@zekedarwinscience
A massive spider web colony in a bizarre ecosystem underneath the border of Greece and Albania #evolution #spider #animals #biology #learnontiktok
♬ original sound – Zeke Darwin

The paper details fascinating discovery from the Sulfur Cave, which sits on the border between Albania and Greece. There, the research team documented an extraordinary spider community centered around a massive communal web spanning more than 100 square meters. This giant structure, dense enough to resemble a living curtain, is home to an estimated total of over 110,000 spiders, comprised of approximately 69,000 Tegenaria domestica and 42,000 Prinerigone vagans individuals.

A video of the spider colony in Sulfur cave. Courtesy Blerina Vrenozi

Crucially, this study marks the first documented instance of colonial behavior in both of these spider species, and the first recorded case of colonial web-building in a chemoautotrophic cave environment.

This unusual coexistence, where the larger, normally predatory T. domestica does not eat the smaller P. vagans, is believed to be facilitated by the cave’s total darkness and, most importantly, the overwhelming abundance of food resources. The ecosystem is sustained entirely without sunlight through chemoautotrophy, where sulfur-oxidizing bacteria form biofilms that support invertebrates that serve as the spiders’ primary, highly dense food source. This specialized, isolated environment has also driven the evolutionary adaptation of the spiders, which are genetically distinct from their surface relatives, illustrating the remarkable genetic plasticity that emerges under extreme environmental conditions.

In terms of popularity, the article comes right before two studies from our flagship taxonomic journal, ZooKeys. Our second most popular article is a crustacean study titled “A new species of supergiant Bathynomus A. Milne-Edwards, 1879 (Crustacea, Isopoda, Cirolanidae) from Vietnam, with notes on the taxonomy of Bathynomus jamesi Kou, Chen & Li, 2017,” published in ZooKeys in January 2025.

The Dark Side of the ocean: New giant sea bug species named after Darth Vader

Following closely is “Review of Neopalpa Povolný, 1998 with description of a new species from California and Baja California, Mexico (Lepidoptera, Gelechiidae),” published in ZooKeys in January 2017, which describes a new moth species with a curious scientific name.

New species of moth named in honor of Donald Trump ahead of his swearing-in as president

We are proud that our journal Subterranean Biology is the platform for publishing such globally compelling research. This record success only confirms the widespread interest in high-quality, specialized scientific discoveries.

We continue our dedication to effective, high-reach science communication and look forward to sharing other compelling research with both scientists and the wider public.

RoC10: A Milestone in Chrysomelidae Research and Community

This issue brings together novel research from contributors worldwide, covering taxonomy, morphology, ecology, pest management, and historical perspectives.

Guest blog post by Caroline S. Chaboo, Yoko Matsumura, and Michael Schmitt

We are thrilled to announce the publication of the 10^th volume of Research on Chrysomelidae (RoC10), which appeared in September 2025. It was born at the 11^th International Symposium on the Chrysomelidae that occurred during the 27^th International Congress of Entomology (ICE) in Kyoto, Japan, August 2024. This volume continues the legacy begun in 2008 by Pierre Jolivet (1922–2020), whose vision launched the RoC series. Since RoC3, Pensoft Publishers have been a wonderful partner to prepare and publish these special issues in ZooKeys.

Returning to Japan after 44 years, ICE Kyoto was the largest entomological event since the pandemic, drawing over 4,000 participants—more than 1,000 from Japan. The symposium particularly offered young Japanese researchers a rare opportunity to engage with global experts, in our shared passion for the spectacular leaf beetle family.

Group photo from the symposium. Left to right: Michael Schmitt (Germany), Rui Nie (China), Brian Farrell (USA), and Jesús Gómez-Zurita (Spain)

RoC10 brings together novel research in biology and systematics from contributors worldwide. The volume comprises scientific papers and historical articles. Authors are emerging students, seasoned experts, and interdisciplinary teams. Topics cover taxonomy, morphology, ecology, pest management, and historical perspectives.

After co-editing 12 volumes—including 10 RoC editions—Michael Schmitt steps down from the editorial board. He passes the torch to new and younger colleagues to continue this tradition that began in 1985. We owe much gratitude for his impressive contributions and we welcome new researchers to join us at the 13^th European Congress of Entomology in Tours, France (July 2026), and the 28^th ICE in Cape Town, South Africa (July 2028). Let’s keep this vibrant momentum going!