Nota Lepidopterologica welcomes new Editor-in-Chief Marcin Wiorek

Wiorek has strong skills in lepidopteran morphology and molecular knowledge, and will join co-Editor-in-Chief Théo Léger to continue the development of the journal.

Marcin Wiorek joins Nota Lepidopterologica’s editorial team as a co-Editor-in-Chief together with Théo Léger. He was elected to replace David Lees in this capacity on 22 August 2025  at the meeting of the Society for European Lepidopterology (SEL), the society behind the open-access, peer-reviewed Nota Lepidopterologica journal.

A man in a beige shirt stands near a stone wall, accompanied by a large yellow moth resting on their shoulder.
Marcin Wiorek.

“I am truly honoured, but also happy to join the team of Nota Lepidopterologica as a successor of David C. Lees and all previous great Editors. My interest in Lepidoptera focuses on tiger moths (Arctiinae), and different aspects of their systematics, phylogeny, biology and zoogeography. During the past few years, I have been studying the Syntomini of Madagascar, a group that ignited my professional and deep interest in moths, resulting in my recently obtained PhD,” Wiorek said.

The move follows David Lees’ resignation as a co-Editor-in-Chief after eight years of service. Here is a note from him on his time in Nota Lepidopterologica:

A man stands in a dense jungle, wearing a hat and carrying a net for collecting insects, surrounded by lush greenery.
David Lees. Photo by Brian Fisher

“It has been a real privilege to serve as an Editor-in-Chief of the open-access journal Nota Lepidopterologica since 2017 (Issue 40 (2)). Over these eight years I have aimed to keep up the high standards established by my predecessors, the fine lepidopterists Erik van Nieukerken, Jadranka Rota (currently president of SEL, now known as Society for European Lepidopterology) and later Maria Heikkilä, whom I replaced, and to be able to help improve the accessibility, inclusivity (e.g., we welcome submissions outside the EU), and high scientific standards of the journal, working with the team at Pensoft. Plamen Pankov and Boriana Ovcharova have been particularly helpful, aided by their colleagues, as well as Matthias Nuss and Wolfgang Eckweiler in solving printing issues.

“As a co-Editor-in-Chief, I helped edit 11 issues between 2017 and 2025, containing 148 papers and 2,114 pages, occupying some 12 cm of shelf space! During this time, an Impact Factor was introduced (currently 0.7). I trust its quality, accessibility and readership will continue to improve, for example each paper integrates an Altmetric score and Pensoft often offer to promote papers with a wider interest.

“My co-Editor-in-Chief Théo Léger will continue his fine work, together with Marcin Wiorek who was elected to replace me at the 24th European Congress of Lepidopterology held in the Czech Republic last month. I know Marcin very well; we have been to the field together in Madagascar on two occasions and I have also had the pleasure to collaborate with him, and can thus vouch for his strong scientific and linguistic abilities as well his broad skillset in Lepidoptera (particularly erebid moth) morphology and strong molecular knowledge and other technical abilities. These will be invaluable in deciding on the increasingly integrated nature of submissions received at Nota Lepidopterologica. He is already well known in the SEL community.

“I will continue as a Senior Curator at the Natural History Museum, London, where I am in charge of microlepidopterans, and look forward to having more time to focus on my own scientific output.“

Nota Lepidopterologica’s latest issue.

“I am thrilled to contribute – together with co-Editor-in-Chief Théo Léger – to the further development of the journal and the maintenance of its high professional and editorial level,” added Wiorek. “I believe that my dedication to high publishing standards, implementing modern research methods embedded in the classical taxonomy and systematics of Lepidoptera, will help me work effectively on adding further centimetres of substantive shelf space to the legacy of our journal. I think that my interest in European languages (especially English, crucial to fully enjoy the British humour of my predecessor during joint field trips to Madagascar) can also help me a bit…”

Pensoft and Nota Lepidopterologica thank David for his hard work and dedication and wish him all the best in his future endeavours. We also look forward to working with Marcin on the journal’s development and wish him every success as he takes on this new role.

Advancing invasion science: NeoBiota publishes its 100th issue

The open-access journal NeoBiota has published its milestone 100th issue, celebrating more than fourteen years of advancing research on biological invasions and their impacts on biodiversity, ecosystems, and society. The milestone comes at a time of great achievement for the Pensoft-published journal in terms of editorial leadership, readership growth, and international recognition.

New editorial leadership

Last year, NeoBiota welcomed a new editorial leadership team, as Dr. Ana Novoa Perez, Prof. Tammy Robinson, Prof. Phil Hulme and Dr. Andrew “Sandy” Liebhold joined forces to bring a wealth of expertise to the journal. 

New Editors-in-Chief join the lead at invasion science journal NeoBiota

Strong impact and rankings

According to the 2024 release of Web of Science metrics, NeoBiota achieved a Journal Impact Factor (JIF) of 3.0, maintaining its Q1 position in Biodiversity Conservation. At the same time, Scopus reported an impressive CiteScore of 6.8, which secures the journal a Q1 ranking across seven categories: Animal Science and Zoology; Ecology, Evolution, Behavior and Systematics; Insect Science; Aquatic Science; Plant Science; Ecology; and Ecological Modeling.

The rankings underscore the journal’s influence across ecological disciplines and its continued recognition as a leading publication in invasion science.

Growing global readership

NeoBiota has also experienced remarkable growth in readership. In just the latest quarter, articles published in the journal have attracted over 220,000 views from 90,000 unique readers worldwide. 

This increase in readership, coupled with the journal’s focus on strong science communication, has attracted international media attention to NeoBiota’s research papers, such as this piece on the spread of lionfish in the Mediterranean Sea published in BBC Wildlife.

How are invasive fish entering the Mediterranean Sea?

Highlights from the 100th issue

The landmark issue features a collection of articles that reflect the journal’s mission to expand both the geographical and conceptual scope of invasion science:

Non-native species in the Philippines and Southeast Asia (read here) by Neil Angelo Abreo, Antonín Kouba, Elizabeta Briski, Danish A. Ahmed, Ismael Soto, Phillip J. Haubrock – Part of the topical collection Developing lists of alien taxa in the Global South: workflows, protocols, processes, and experiences.

From Abreo et al. Map of Southeast Asia showing the number of established non-native species reported per country.

Compiling and analyzing the non-native flora of a megadiverse Neotropical country: a new catalogue for continental Ecuador (read here) by Ileana Herrera, Anahí Vargas, Kimberly Rizzo, Zhofre Aguirre, Isabella Dillon, Brunny Espinoza-Amén, Felipe Espinoza De Janon, Andrés Espinoza-Maticurena, José R. Ferrer-Paris, Efraín Freire, Carlos Gómez-Bellver, Diego Gutiérrez del Pozo, Vanessa Lozano, Alejandra Moscoso-Estrella, Nora H. Oleas, Kevin Panchana, Sebastián Pardo, Katya Romoleroux, Verónica Sandoya, Carmen Ulloa Ulloa, Isabela Vieira, Jordi López-Pujol – Also part of the above topical collection focusing on the Global South

Acacia invasion triggers cascading effects above- and belowground in fragmented forests (read here) by Raquel Juan-Ovejero, Filipa Reis, Pedro Martins da Silva, Elizabete Marchante, Fernanda Garcia, Maria Celeste Dias, Filipe Covelo, António Alves da Silva, Helena Freitas, José Paulo Sousa, Joana Alves.

From Juan-Ovejero et al. Conceptual flow chart showing the hypotheses of the study.

Transparency and reproducibility in invasion science (read here) by Fabio Mologni, Jason Pither.

Taken together, these contributions highlight both regional challenges, such as managing alien taxa in biodiversity hotspots, and broader conceptual issues, including methodological rigour in invasion science research.

–

As NeoBiota celebrates its 100th issue, it continues to push the boundaries of open, accessible, and impactful publishing in invasion science. With new leadership, growing readership, and a commitment to innovation in scholarly communication, the journal is poised for further growth in its next hundred issues. Explore the full 100th issue here.

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Pensoft and the Vietnam Academy of Science and Technology forge new scholarly partnership

At a visit at the publisher’s headquarters the two parties signed a Memorandum of Understanding.

In August, Pensoft had the honour of welcoming colleagues from the Vietnam Academy of Science and Technology (VAST) to the headquarters of the open-access scholarly publisher and technology provider in Sofia, Bulgaria. The visit was marked by engaging discussions on scholarly publishing, future innovations, current challenges in academia and potential collaborations.

The highlight of the meeting was the formal signing of a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) between Prof. Dr. Lyubomir Penev, Pensoft’s CEO and founder, and Prof. Dr. Thai Hoang, Vice Chairman of the Scientific Council of Materials Science at VAST and the Editor‑in‑Chief of the Vietnam Journal of Science and Technology.

“This Memorandum of Understanding marks an important step towards fostering international collaboration in scholarly publishing. By combining the expertise and know-how of Pensoft and VAST, we aim to make research more accessible and innovative for communities worldwide,”

commented Prof. Dr. Lyubomir Penev.

“I am very happy to visit Bulgaria and collaborate with Pensoft Publishers. Here, we know Pensoft and the ARPHA publishing platform for their diverse publishing solutions designed for scientific papers, monographs, academic books and more, as well as their professional and efficient work. All this makes them quite prestigious for us.

Starting from this Memorandum of Understanding, next, we will explore ways to use the ARPHA publishing platform for the publication of Vietnam’s scientific journals, books and other research outputs.”

added Prof. Dr. Thai Hoang.

Over the course of the visit, the group engaged in an enriching dialogue. Guests from VAST offered an in-depth look at their publication outlets and shared insights into the Vietnamese scholarly publishing landscape, as well as the nation’s rich cultural heritage and natural wonders. 

In turn, Pensoft offered a comprehensive overview of the company’s journey of over three decades, starting from the launch of the first Pensoft journals and proceeding to the continuous development of several innovative publication platforms and solutions, including the full-featured end-to-end publishing platform ARPHA. Today, there are over 80 open-access peer-reviewed journals, including both Pensoft-launched titles, and many owned and run by research institutions, universities and learned societies from around the globe.

The visit continued beyond the office with the publisher’s management inviting their guests to a several-day trip around the country that covered the cultural and historic hubs of Plovdiv and Koprivshtitsa.

By the end of the visit, both parties agreed that their meeting in Bulgaria underscores their shared vision: to advance open, innovative, and accessible scholarly communication. With the MoU in place, both sides look forward to transforming this mutual understanding into concrete collaborative initiatives.

*

With perfect timing, shortly after the visit, one of the VAST delegates: biologist Prof. Dr. Quang Manh Vu (also affiliated with the Hoa Binh University, Hanoi, Vietnam), in collaboration with his Bulgarian and Vietnamese colleagues: Dr. Ivailo Dedov (Bulgarian Academy of Sciences) and Dr. Tuan Trieu Anh (Hung Vuong University, Viet Tri City, Vietnam) published a study in Pensoft’s inaugural and flagship journal in zoological systematics: ZooKeys. The research paper lists species of slugs and semi-slugs of the superfamily Helicarionoidea the team collected in North Vietnam in 2023. Amongst the collected specimens, the scientists discovered a new-to-science species of semi-slug they named after Pensoft’s Prof. Dr. Lyubomir Penev, who is himself a biologist and taxonomist by background. 

“When I found out I had a new species, I had no hesitation on the name: Ostracolethe penevi. I had been looking forward to naming a curious species after my friend Prof. Lyubomir Penev, a man who made the world look up to Bulgarian science, and someone who has helped me a lot through the years,”

comments Dr. Ivailo Dedov in a news announcement.

“This newly described species deserves a name that reflects the generosity of nature, the advancement of science, and the enduring friendship between Vietnam and Bulgaria,”

added Prof. Dr. Quang Manh Vu.

***

Additional information:

About Vietnam Academy of Science and Technology (VAST):

Founded on 20 May 1975, VAST is Vietnam’s largest multidisciplinary research organization, with branches in Hanoi, Ho Chi Minh City, Haiphong, Nha Trang, Dalat, and Hue. Its mission spans basic and applied research, the development of high technology, human resource training, and providing scientific advice to the government on pressing national issues. 

VAST is known for achieving high output in international peer-reviewed journals; in 2023, more than 2,200 works were published, with nearly 80% in international outlets. The Academy is responsible for several cutting-edge initiatives, including satellite R&D through the Vietnam National Space Center, strategic technology fields aligned with the Fourth Industrial Revolution (e.g. AI, new materials, semiconductors), and large-scale environmental and biodiversity monitoring across the country. Looking forward, VAST has set ambitious goals, including mastering key advanced technologies, increasing technology transfer, enhancing publication impact, strengthening partnerships at home and abroad, and cultivating world-class scientific talent.

New Jurassic ichthyosaur species discovered in Mistelgau

Ichthyosaurs were marine reptiles, with dolphin-like bodies, that lived during the time of the dinosaurs.

An international research team from Switzerland and Germany has described a new ichthyosaur species based on fossils curated at the Urwelt-Museum Oberfranken (Bayreuth, Germany). The study was published in Museum für Naturkunde Berlin’s open-access journal Fossil Record.

Artist's interpretation of Eurhinosaurus mistelgauensis on belemnite battleground. Credit: Andrey Atuchin.
Artist’s interpretation of Eurhinosaurus mistelgauensis on belemnite battleground. Credit: Andrey Atuchin.

Ichthyosaurs were marine reptiles, with similar body shapes to dolphins and tuna, that lived during the time of the dinosaurs. The research team behind the discovery, led by Gaël Spicher (JURASSICA Museum, Porrentruy, Switzerland), named the new species Eurhinosaurus mistelgauensis in reference to the clay pit of Mistelgau in Upper Franconia, a fossil site that has yielded numerous important finds. “We wanted to highlight the scientific importance of the Mistelgau locality,” explains Gaël Spicher.

Excavations in the clay pit have been conducted regularly since 1998 by the Urwelt-Museum Oberfranken, which recovered and prepared the fossils prior to their scientific study. One specimen originates from a so-called “belemnite battleground,” dense accumulations of Jurassic cephalopod remains that are characteristic of the site.

The newly described species shares the elongation of the upper jaw typical for othe species in the Eurhinosaurus genus, producing a pronounced “overbite” similar to that of modern swordfish. Eurhinosaurus mistelgauensis differs from previously known species by its notably robust ribs and special features in the joint connecting the skull and the neck.

Fossilised Eurhinosaurus mistelgauensis specimen.
Eurhinosaurus mistelgauensis specimen from the Urwelt-Museum Oberfranken on a belemnite battleground. The fossil plate is about 4 m long. Credit: Spicher et al.

“The naming of a new species emphasises the significance of the Urwelt-Museum Oberfranken’s fossil collections for understanding Jurassic marine ecosystems,” says museum director Dr. Serjoscha Evers. “The Mistelgau site continues to provide rare insights into a time period that is otherwise scarcely documented worldwide.”

Further studies on the Mistelgau material are in preparation. These include analyses of injuries preserved in the ichthyosaur skeletons, which may shed light on the ecology and life history of these ancient marine reptiles.

Original source

Spicher GE, Miedema F, Heijne J, Klein N (2025) A new Eurhinosaurus (Ichthyosauria) species from the Lower Jurassic (Toarcian) of Mistelgau (Bavaria, Southern Germany). Fossil Record 28(2): 249–291. https://doi.org/10.3897/fr.28.154203

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New semi-slug species named after Pensoft’s founder Prof. Lyubomir Penev

Ostracolethe penevi, an endemic semi-slug, was described as a new species living in the leaves of northern Vietnam’s moisture-loving shrubs and grasses

Prof. Lyubomir Penev

Pensoft is delighted to announce that a new species of semi-slug was named after our CEO and founder, Prof. Lyubomir Penev.

Endemic to Vietnam,Ostracolethe penevi was described as new to science in a study in ZooKeys’ 1249th issue.

“The new species is named after Prof. Dr Lyubomir Penev for his incredible contribution to the reputation of Bulgarian science and his tireless, friendly support over the years,” the authors write in their paper, which was published in Pensoft’s flagship, open-access zoology journal.

ZooKeys’ 1249th issue

In 2023, Dr. Ivailo Dedov of the Institute of Biodiversity and Ecosystem Research at the Bulgarian Academy of Sciences, Prof. Quang Manh Vu of the Hoa Binh University in Hanoi, and Dr. Tuan Trieu Anh of Vietnam’s Hung Vuong University collected slugs and semi-slugs of the superfamily Helicarionoidea in northern Vietnam.

“About 15 km from Sa Pa town in northern Vietnam, a pure stream of water cascades down from a mountain cleft about 200 meters high. From a distance, the waterfall appears like a silver-white silk ribbon shimmering amid the immense greenery, which is why it is called the ‘Silver Waterfall.’ It marks the beginning of the Ô Quy Hồ Pass—a meeting place for nature lovers, adventurers, and creative spirits alike,” says prof. Vu.

A waterfall cascades into a calm pool, surrounded by lush greenery and rocky terrain.
The locality of Ostracolethe penevi Dedov in Vietnam’s Lào Cai Province.

“In my second expedition to Vietnam we managed to collect many slugs and semi-slugs (that have a reduced shell which can’t fit their entire body). Later, in Sofia, when we started identifying our specimens, two species grabbed our attention with their unusual anatomy,” Dr. Dedov explains.

A white structure with interconnected loops and shapes, set against a black background.
Ostracolethe penevi’s net structure.

“I dissected a specimen that turned out to be a new species, probably of the genus Ostracolethe. In it, I found an unusual structure consisting of eight interconnected ‘Olympic rings’ in two rows whose functions for now remain unknown.”

“When I found out I had a new species, I had no hesitation on the name: Ostracolethe penevi. I had been looking forward to naming a curious species after my friend and PhD supervisor Prof. Lyubomir Penev, a man who made the world look up to Bulgarian science and also changed the way taxonomy and biodiversity information is published worldwide; someone who has helped me a lot through the years.”

“This newly described species deserves a name that reflects the generosity of nature, the advancement of science, and the enduring friendship between Vietnam and Bulgaria,” Prof. Vu adds.

Ostracolethe penevi is about 4 cm long and lives in the leaves of moisture-loving shrubs and grasses. Its slender body is mostly light-yellowish-ocher in colour, with gray-blackish stripes on the neck and yellowish tentacles.

A close-up photo of a brown semi-slug on a green leaf, displaying with a slimy body and two prominent antennae.
Ostracolethe penevi.

“An unusually structured species dedicated to an extraordinary personality!,” concludes Dr. Dedov.

The other semi-slug the research team explored in their ZooKeys study, Ostracolethe fruhstorfferi, can actually change colours, not unlike a chameleon.

“While I was trying to take a good photograph of a live specimen, placing it on different kinds of surfaces, I found the animal changed colouration depending on the substrate,” Dr. Dedov explains.

“When a specimen was photographed on a stone surface it looked whitish transparent, and only melanin kept the pattern of colouration. The very same specimen photographed on tree bark became more colourful, and pinkish, ocher, brownish, and yellowish colours appeared,” the team write in their paper.

Two close-up images of a slimy mollusk, labeled A and B, showcasing different angles and textures on a natural surface.
The same specimen of Ostracolethe fruhstorfferi A. On rock surface, and B. On tree bark.

“It turned out that I was observing the first land snail with what is called metachrosis: changing colours for the purpose of blending in with the environment and passive protection,” says Dr. Dedov.

The research team suggests this might be possible thanks to a torus-toroid (doughnut-like) structure described in literature as “enigmatic and with unknown functions.”

“Congratulations on the discovery and formal description of a new species for science—Ostracolethe penevi—named in honor of Prof. Penev, a sincere and esteemed friend of Vietnam, as well as the Founder and CEO of Pensoft,” says Prof. Vu in conclusion.

Research article:

Dedov I, Manh Vu Q, Trieu Anh T (2025) Slugs and semi-slugs of the superfamily Helicarionoidea (Gastropoda, Stylommatophora) collected in North Vietnam during the 2023 Bulgarian Zoological Expedition, with emphasis on the genus Ostracolethe. ZooKeys 1249: 317-338. https://doi.org/10.3897/zookeys.1249.155684

Grassland butterflies: important indicators of the state of nature

With the Grassland Butterfly Index for Germany, UFZ scientists are providing important input for the implementation of the EU Nature Restoration Regulation.

One of the goals of the EU Nature Restoration Regulation, which came into force in 2024, is to halt species loss and preserve important ecosystem services provided by agricultural landscapes.

Scientists at the Helmholtz Centre for Environmental Research (UFZ), in collaboration with the Senckenberg German Entomological Institute (SDEI), have now calculated the Grassland Butterfly Index for Germany – an indicator of the state of biodiversity proposed in the EU regulation.

The results, published in the open-access journal Nature Conservation, show a negative trend, especially in recent years. For their calculations, the researchers were able to draw on 4 million observation data collected at the UFZ over the last 20 years as part of the ‘Butterfly Monitoring Germany’ programme.

Orange butterfly on a leaf.
Small Copper (Lycaena phlaeas), a species for which the index shows a positive trend.
©Werner Messerschmid.

Agricultural landscapes are among the most degraded habitats worldwide. Their restoration is one of the key measures for halting global biodiversity loss and preserving important ecosystem services.

“The Nature Restoration Regulation (NRR), which came into force in 2024, is an essential instrument for achieving the restoration targets set for the European Union,” says Prof. Josef Settele, agroecologist at the UFZ. The objectives also include increasing biodiversity in agricultural ecosystems (Article 11 of the NRR), taking into account climate change, the needs of rural areas and sustainable agricultural production. To implement the overall objectives, EU Member States are required to develop national restoration plans and implement concrete measures in terrestrial, freshwater, coastal and marine habitats.

The extent to which the specific measures are effective and the ecosystems develop positively will be determined using indicators. For agricultural landscapes, these are (a) the grassland butterfly index, (b) the stock of organic carbon in cropland mineral soils, and (c) the share of agricultural land with high diversity landscape features. For at least two of these three indicators, the EU regulation calls for an upward trend towards a satisfactory level by 2030. Since natural conditions vary across EU countries and there is a wide range of different land management practices, Josef Settele argues that all EU countries should start by recording all three indicators so that none of them is prematurely dropped.

With the ‘Grassland Butterfly Index’, a research team led by the UFZ has now calculated one of the three indicators for Germany for the first time and published the results in the journal Nature Conservation. The data for this analysis comes from Butterfly Monitoring Germany (Tagfalter-Monitoring Deutschland – TMD), a long-term programme coordinated by the UFZ and the Society for Butterfly Conservation (GfS). Every week during the summer, volunteers count butterflies at fixed locations using a standardised European method.

“Since the TMD was launched in 2005, this has resulted in around four million data records being collected, which provide information on the development of butterfly populations in Germany,” explains one of the co-authors of the publication, biologist Elisabeth Kühn, who coordinates the German Butterfly Monitoring programme at the UFZ.

What does the index show for Germany?

The ‘Grassland Butterfly Index’ tracks the development of populations of 15 butterfly species from 2006 to 2023 that are considered typical inhabitants of various grassland biotopes.

Of the 15 indicator species, four are increasing (green), five are declining (red) and no significant trend could be identified for six species (grey). ©UFZ.

“Four species have increased, five species show a declining trend. For six species, the trend is uncertain, which is probably due to insufficient data and large differences between the locations where they were found,” says the study’s lead author, bioinformatician Alexander Harpke. In the first decade of the period analysed (2006 to 2016), the index for Germany as a whole shows a slightly positive trend – which does not rule out the possibility that this may vary greatly for individual species.

However, if we look only at recent years (2016 to 2023), the index shows a significant decline overall. This mainly affects specialised species such as the Small Blue (Cupido minimus) or the Dingy Skipper (Erynnis tages); generalists such as the Small Copper (Lycaena phlaeas) or the Meadow Brown (Maniola jurtina) are hardly affected.

These results show that the trend for grassland butterflies in Germany during the comparison period corresponds to the trend at European level, which was last determined by Butterfly Conservation Europe in 2025 for all 27 member states.

A brown butterfly.
Dingy Skipper (Erynnis tages), a species that declined in Germany between 2006 and 2023. ©Erk Dallmeyer.

Butterflies as indicators

Butterflies are known to be sensitive to changes in their environment. Land use plays a decisive role in this. “The loss and fragmentation of habitats have a proven negative effect on the long-term survival of butterfly populations. Intensive mowing, nitrogen inputs and pesticides contribute to a deterioration in habitat quality or increased mortality. Species that depend on specific habitats, such as nutrient-poor grasslands, also suffer from a lack of use, e.g. through grazing or mowing,” explains Prof. Thomas Schmitt from the Senckenberg German Entomological Institute (SDEI) in Müncheberg, who is also co-author of the study.

In addition to land use, climate change is increasingly contributing to changes in butterfly fauna. Higher temperatures favour the spread of heat-loving or tolerant species, while species adapted to cooler conditions are in decline.

These dependencies of butterflies on land use and climate change make them excellent indicators of the state of our ecosystems. In addition, they are easy to record – especially by qualified volunteers. Together, these two factors have provided an invaluable database for butterfly monitoring in Germany, which scientists are now evaluating to calculate trends and indicators for reporting under European environmental legislation.

“The significance and representativeness of the indicator could be further increased if government programmes such as Habitats Directive monitoring or nationwide insect monitoring were integrated into the analysis,” says UFZ biologist and co-author of the publication Dr Martin Musche. The same would apply if data from neighbouring countries were included.

The work on this publication was funded by the UFZ and the GfS, as well as by the National Monitoring Centre for Biodiversity and the Federal Agency for Nature Conservation (BfN) as part of the FAMos project, with funds from the Federal Ministry for the Environment, Climate Protection, Nature Conservation and Nuclear Safety (BMUKN).


Publication:

Harpke A, Kühn E, Schmitt T, Settele J, Musche M (2025) The Grassland Butterfly Index for Germany. Nature Conservation 59: 315–334. https://doi.org/10.3897/natureconservation.59.162812

Further Information

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Hornet invaders: British public urged to report yellow-legged bee killers

Originating from Asia, invasive yellow-legged hornets have spread across western Europe, threatening bee populations.

Researchers have emphasised the vital role of public reporting in controlling the invasive yellow-legged hornet (also known as the Asian hornet) in Great Britain.

Indigenous to Southeast Asia, the hornet (scientific name: Vespa velutina nigrithorax) was first detected in France in 2004 and has since rapidly spread across western Europe, including Great Britain.

Tracking an invasion – a single Asian hornet sparked the ongoing spread across Europe

This species poses a serious danger to native pollinators, especially honeybees (Apis mellifera), which lack natural defenses against the hornet’s predation. The hornet’s arrival threatens both biodiversity and the beekeeping industry, with intense predation leading to depleted colony reserves and deaths.

A new research paper published in the open-access journal NeoBiota presents a simulation model that predicts the hornet’s dispersal and gauges how long official nest-detection efforts could remain effective before being overwhelmed. The model considers natural dispersal, genetic factors such as the production of diploid (and therefore infertile) males and the realistic distribution of public observers in the landscape.

Without public reporting, the study found that hornet populations in Britain could become unmanageable within 3–7 years of undetected spread, overwhelming resources for nest detection and destruction. However, when public and beekeeper reports are incorporated, control efforts can remain effective for at least 10 years, with this window extending based on reporting rates and observer density.

Three maps of Great Britain showing a decreasing density of hornet sightings correlating with increasing public reports.
Mean density of undetected nests (per km2), estimated at year six for scenarios involving two incursions per year. A) Average density in scenarios where control is absent B) Under the lowest national reporting probability C) Under the highest national reporting probability. Each scenario was estimated across all 100 simulations.

Proximity to populated areas greatly increases the likelihood of successful nest discovery and destruction as they are much better protected due to frequent sightings and reports. Conversely, nests in remote or sparsely populated zones pose a greater risk of escaping detection and fueling further invasion.

Public awareness campaigns, online reporting tools, and targeted outreach to beekeepers have proved highly effective. For instance, in 2023, nearly 21,000 public reports led to 72 nests being destroyed. Now researchers call for continued improvement of such engagement strategies, especially in vulnerable low-density regions.

Do think you’ve seen a yellow-legged hornet in Great Britain? Report it here.

Original source

Warren DA, Budgey R, Semmence N, Jones EP, Jones B (2025) Public reporting is essential for controlling the invasive yellow-legged hornet: a novel model simulating the spread of Vespa velutina nigrithorax and timescales for control in Great Britain. NeoBiota 101: 25-44. https://doi.org/10.3897/neobiota.101.148570

New agamid lizard described from China

At 6–7 cm long with a wheat-coloured tongue and distinct markings, it’s the 47th Diploderma species recorded in China.

Researchers from China just described a new species of mountain lizard from the upper Dadu River Valley in the Hengduan mountains of Sichuan Province.

Since 2018, the research team conducted numerous surveys in the upper reaches of the Dadu River. There, they encountered a lizard species that showed unique characteristics not previously observed among known Diploderma species in the region. Through molecular biological analyses and morphological studies, they confirmed that this was indeed a previously unrecognized species and gave it the name Diploderma bifluviale, referencing the location where it was found: the confluence of two rivers, Chuosijia and Jiaomuzu.

A photo of a brown lizard with intricate patterns scurrying over rocky terrain, near green plant shoots.

Diploderma bifluviale is the 47th species of Diplodermain China. The genus Diplodermais distributed across East Asia and the northern part of the Indochinese Peninsula.

With a length of 6-7 cm, D. bifluviale has many distinctive features, such as its wheat-coloured tongue and unique coloration. Unlike its closest relatives, it lives in semi-arid shrublands in warm-dry valleys at elevations of 2,100 to 2,500 m, residing in arid shrublands with small leaves and scattered rock piles.

A camouflaged lizard rests on a rocky, sandy surface.

“This discovery highlights the understudied biodiversity of the upper Dadu River,” the researchers say in their paper, which was published in the open-access journal ZooKeys.

Research article:

Liu F, Wu Y, Zhang J, Yang G, Liu S, Chen X, Chang J, Xie Q, Cai B (2025) A new species of Diploderma Hallowell, 1861 (Squamata, Agamidae) discovered in the upper Dadu River valley of the Hengduan Mountains, Sichuan, China. ZooKeys 1251: 17-38. https://doi.org/10.3897/zookeys.1251.153705

Image credit: Bo Cai

How are invasive fish entering the Mediterranean Sea?

A new study explores how shipping, currents and habitat factors carry alien species through the Suez Canal.

In 1869, the construction of the Suez Canal was completed, connecting two marine regions previously separated for 16 million years and initiating major ecological changes that continue to this day.

Now more than 100 fish species native to the Indo-West Pacific Ocean – including the ‘devil firefish’ – have crossed to become established in the Mediterranean Sea.

But how do they make the journey?

Researchers from the American University of Beirut and the American University in Dubai analysed how invasive fish from the Indo-Pacific region colonise the Mediterranean. Combining ocean current modelling, shipping data, and environmental analysis, they examined records of 136 fish species to map the natural and human-driven factors that enable these invaders to thrive.

Location of the Suez Canal.

Published in NeoBiota, the findings indicate that the primary drivers for the initial entry of invasive fish into the Mediterranean are proximity to the Suez Canal and sea currents transporting fish larvae into nearby eastern Mediterranean regions. However, while sea currents play an important role early in the invasion stage, they cannot explain how species cross into the western Mediterranean.

Indeed, cargo shipping has become increasingly influential, with focal points like Malta acting as key stepping stones for the spread of non-native fish, especially to western Mediterranean areas. Over time, the odds of a region being colonised via shipping have grown significantly.

A ship passing through the Suez Canal in Egypt.

Additionally, local conditions such as high salinity in Mediterranean waters boost the likelihood of invasive species establishing permanent populations, as these fish tend to be pre-adapted to saline environments from their native habitats.

“Scientists have long suspected that the anti-clockwise spread of invasive species in the eastern Mediterranean is due to currents and the high number of first records in Malta is due to shipping.

“Our use of sea current simulations and shipping data could confirm these conjectures and provide quantitative estimates of the effects.”

Heinrich zu Dohna, lead author of the paper.

Logistic regression models indicate that  in some regions shipping leads to a sixfold increase of the odds of receiving invasive species,  indicating targeted management and monitoring is needed at major shipping hubs.

Flamboyant and lethal: unveiling the lionfish invasion of the Mediterranean Sea

Better data on ballast water release and ship movements in the Mediterranean are needed, as cargo shipping’s impact on biological invasions is now clear. Malta’s role as a major shipping hub makes it a particular hotspot for secondary introductions and warrants special attention by policymakers and marine managers.

Original source

zu Dohna H, Lakkis I, Bariche M (2025) The spread of Indo-Pacific origin fish species in the Mediterranean Sea is influenced by sea currents, habitat factors, and increasingly by shipping. NeoBiota 101: 73-89. https://doi.org/10.3897/neobiota.101.157775

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A wasp for the wild: New parasitoid species named in honor of the National Geographic Society

The name “natgeo” was chosen in honor of the Society’s legacy of exploration, conservation, and storytelling.

“During the Siang Expedition, funded by the National Geographic Society and Felis Creations, we arrived in the remote village of Yingku in Arunachal Pradesh, knowing we were stepping into one of the last frontiers of biodiversity in India. What we didn’t know was that tucked among the forests and farmlands was a tiny creature that had never been formally introduced to science until now,” say researchers Dr. A.P. Ranjith (Integrative Insect Ecology Research Unit, Department of Biology, Chulalongkorn University, Thailand) and Associate Professor Dr. Buntika A. Butcher (Integrative Insect Ecology Research Unit, Department of Biology, Chulalongkorn University, Thailand). “On the very first day, we collected a pair both male and female of this amazing, enchanting new species!”

A close-up photo of a wasp with delicate wings, elongated antennae, and a slender body.
Heinrichiellus natgeo. Photo credit Dr. A.P. Ranjith

Meet Heinrichiellus natgeo, a newly discovered species of parasitoid wasp. The species was described by Dr. Ranjith and Dr. Gavin R. Broad (The Natural History Museum, London, UK), under the supervision of Additionally, genetic data helped them determine the new species’ systematic placement, with the assistance of Dr. Bernardo F. Santos (Center for Integrative Biodiversity Discovery, Museum für Naturkunde, Berlin, Germany).

A close-up photo of a wasp's head, showcasing large compound eyes and intricate mouthparts against a blurred background.
Heinrichiellus natgeo. Photo credit Dr. A.P. Ranjith

“The name natgeo isn’t a coincidence – we chose it in honor of the National Geographic Society, whose legacy of exploration, conservation, and storytelling has inspired thousands of people. This discovery is our way of saying thank you for their outstanding commitment to the environment,” Dr. Butcher says.

Despite its small size, this insect plays an outsized role in keeping ecosystems balanced. It is a natural enemy of several pest species, ensuring that nature’s checks and balances continue working quietly in the background.

In the field, the wasp didn’t shout for attention no bright colors or loud buzzing. Instead, it was a patient hunter, seeking out the eggs or larvae of its host species. “It’s a reminder that some of nature’s most important work happens in complete silence,” says Dr. Ranjith Even though the researchers do not yet have biological data, they assume that this remarkable species will play a significant role in the forest ecosystem by helping to regulate insect pest populations.

Close-up photo of a wasp's head and thorax.
Heinrichiellus natgeo. Photo credit Dr. A.P. Ranjith

“And here’s a fun twist in the story: we collected both the male and female specimens using a yellow pan trap a deceptively simple tool that works by tapping into parasitoid wasps’ irresistible attraction to the color yellow. It’s fieldwork science at its most charming: a splash of color in the forest that quietly lures in tiny wonders,” Dr. Butcher says.

“Discoveries like this matter not just for the sake of science, but for the health of ecosystems and the future of conservation, particularly in the world’s biodiversity hotspots,” the researchers say in conclusion. ”In a time when species are disappearing faster than we can document them, every new find is both a small victory for biodiversity and an encouragement for more young talents to engage in biodiversity research.”

Lush green mountains and rolling hills under a partly cloudy blue sky, with fog lingering in the valleys.
Landscape view of Yingku village in Arunachal Pradesh. Photo credit Sandesh Kadur/Felis Images.

Alongside this, the researchers also uncovered two more new species, Heinrichiellus brevispinus from Thailand and Heinrichiellus vedani from South India. These exciting finds remind us that India and Thailand still hold countless hidden treasures of biodiversity, waiting to be discovered. They published their study in the Journal of Hymenoptera Research.

Research article:

Ranjith AP, Broad GR, Santos BF, Butcher BA (2025) First report of the genus Heinrichiellus Tereshkin, 2009 (Hymenoptera, Ichneumonidae) from the Oriental region with the description of three new species. Journal of Hymenoptera Research 98: 757-778. https://doi.org/10.3897/jhr.98.158760

About the Research team:

Dr. A.P. Ranjith, a post-doctoral fellow at Chulalongkorn University, Thailand, is an expert taxonomist specializing in hymenopteran parasitoids, with more than ten years of experience in taxonomy and systematics. He has described over 100 species and 11 genera new to science.

Dr. Gavin R. Broad, based at the Natural History Museum, UK, has several decades of experience in the phylogeny and systematics of ichneumonid parasitoid wasps. He has described several hundred new species and numerous new genera.

Dr. Bernardo F. Santos, from the Museum für Naturkunde, Germany, possesses extensive knowledge of the evolution and phylogeny of parasitoid wasps, with a strong background in parasitoid taxonomy.

Dr. Buntika A. Butcher, who supervised the study, is an Associate Professor at Chulalongkorn University. She is an experienced researcher with strong expertise in the taxonomy and systematics of braconid parasitoid wasps and their biology.

The team focuses primarily on documenting biodiversity in understudied countries such as India and Thailand, while raising awareness of the ecological importance of insect diversity.