Pensoft blog - Part 2

Bulgaria joins the Global Biodiversity Information Facility (GBIF)

Led by Pensoft and its CEO Prof. Lyubomir Penev, the partnership marks a major step for Bulgarian science and regional biodiversity leadership.

Bulgaria officially joins the Global Biodiversity Information Facility (GBIF). This major event for Bulgarian science was initiated by a memorandum signed by the Minister of Environment and Water: Manol Genov.

GBIF is an international network and data infrastructure funded by governments around the world that provides international open access to a modern and comprehensive database of all species of living organisms on the planet.

Joining GBIF is an important step for initiatives such as the Bulgarian Barcode of Life (BgBOL), as it will facilitate the integration of genetic data on species diversity into the global scientific community and support the creation of a more accurate and accessible bioinformatic database. This will increase the scientific visibility and relevance of Bulgarian efforts in molecular taxonomy and conservation.

Newly established Bulgarian Barcode of Life to support biodiversity conservation in the country

World map showing GBIF network participants: green for voting participants, blue for associate participants, gray for non-participants. — Prof. Lyubomir Penev

“First of all, I’d like to congratulate all fellow scientists working in the domain of biology and ecology in Bulgaria with this wonderful achievement,” says Prof. Dr. Lyubomir Penev, founder and CEO of the scientific publisher and technology provider Pensoft, as well as a key participant in the talks and preparations for Bulgaria’s joining GBIF. He is also Chair of BgBOL.

“Becoming a full member of GBIF has been a long-anticipated milestone we have discussed and worked on for several years. Coming not long after we initiated the Bulgarian Barcode of Life, the Bulgarian membership in GBIF gives us yet another uncontested evidence that the nation is on the right path to preserving our uniquely rich fauna and flora,” he adds.

Pensoft is looking forward to sharing our know-how with Bulgarian institutions and scientists in order to streamline the visibility and overall efficiency of biodiversity data collected from Bulgaria.
Prof. Lyubomir Penev

“As close partners of GBIF for over 15 years now, Pensoft is looking forward to sharing our know-how with Bulgarian institutions and scientists, so that they can fully utilise the GBIF infrastructure and tools, in order to streamline the visibility and overall efficiency of biodiversity data collected from Bulgaria.”

GBIF is managed by a Secretariat based in Copenhagen and brings together countries and organisations that collaborate through national and institutional coordinators (also called participant nodes). The mechanism provides common standards, good practices and open access tools for institutions around the world to share information on the location and recording of species and specimens. According to GBIF, a total of 107 countries and organisations currently participate in the network, a significant number of which are European.

The GBIF network, as screenshot from https://www.gbif.org/the-gbif-network on 10/06/2025.

By joining GBIF, biodiversity data generated in Bulgaria can be streamlined through the network’s infrastructure so that the country does not need to build and maintain its own separate infrastructure, which also saves significant financial resources.

As a full voting member, Bulgaria will ensure that biodiversity data in the country will be shared and accessible through the platform, and will contribute to global knowledge on biodiversity, respectively to the solutions that will promote its conservation and sustainable use.

Map of Bulgaria showing biodiversity data with orange heatmap indicating occurrences. — Bulgaria’s page on GBIF, as screenshot from https://www.gbif.org/country/BG/summary on 10/06/2025.

Improvements in data management by Bulgaria will also contribute to better reporting and fulfilment of obligations to the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) as well as to the Intergovernmental Platform on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services (IPBES). As a member of GBIF, Bulgaria will be able to apply for funding for flagship activities in Bulgarian institutions and neighbouring Balkan countries. This will enable the country to expand its leadership role in the Balkans in biodiversity research and data accumulation.

GBIF and Pensoft signed a Memorandum of Cooperation

The partnership between GBIF and Pensoft dates back to 2009 when the global network and the publisher signed their first Memorandum of Understanding intended to solidify their cooperation as leaders in the technological advancement relevant to biodiversity knowledge. Over the next few years, Pensoft integrated its whole biodiversity journal portfolio with the GBIF infrastructure to enable multiple automated workflows, including export of all species occurrence data published in scientific articles straight to the GBIF platform. Most recently, over 20 biodiversity journals powered by Pensoft’s scholarly publishing platform ARPHA launched their own hosted portals on GBIF 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.

Celebrating One Year on Weibo

One year ago, Pensoft embarked on an exciting new journey to connect with the vibrant scientific community in China by launching our official Weibo account. This initiative was designed to foster closer ties with Chinese researchers, academics, and science enthusiasts—helping to broaden the reach of scientific knowledge and promote international collaboration.

Highlights from Our First Year

Over the past 12 months, we’ve shared a wide range of articles, research highlights, and updates from our diverse portfolio of open-access journals. Here are some of the most memorable moments from our first year:

Our most viewed video featured the discovery of three new species of Nautilus—the iconic deep-sea mollusks. Published in ZooKeys, the study described species from the Coral Sea and South Pacific. The video captivated marine biology fans and drew thousands of views. Videos are a powerful way to share science, and we encourage researchers to include video materials whenever possible!

Video by Gregory J. et al.

Another example was the video from the study Kleptoparasitism in Micrurus mipartitus competing for the same Caecilia sp. in western Colombia, published in Herpetozoa. The footage documented a rare and dramatic interaction between coral snakes fighting over a caecilian, and it fascinated our followers with its unusual ecological behavior.

Video by Henrik Bringsøe, Niels Poul Dreyer

Our most viral post introduced the newly described supergiant Bathynomus vaderi—a massive deep-sea isopod discovered off the coast of Vietnam. Its name, vaderi, was inspired by the creature’s head, which bears a striking resemblance to the iconic helmet worn by Darth Vader in Star Wars.

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

Another popular post highlighted new mimetid spider species (Araneae, Mimetidae) discovered in Guizhou Province, published in Zoosystematics and Evolution. The study shed light on the region’s rich spider biodiversity and sparked strong engagement from our Chinese followers. It seems that spiders are a consistent fan favorite, with arachnid discoveries regularly going viral on our Weibo!

**Male holotype of *Mimetus* *lanmeiae* sp. nov., photograph by Q Lu (Shenzhen)**

This trend continued with our most popular longread, which told the story of Otacilia khezu sp. nov., a newly discovered cave-dwelling spider from Guangxi, China, published in the Biodiversity Data Journal. What truly captured readers’ imaginations—beyond the biological discovery—was the name itself. The spider was named after the Khezu, a wyvern from the popular video game Monster Hunter, known for its blindness and eerie appearance. Just like its namesake, Otacilia khezu completely lacks eyes — a striking adaptation to life in the dark.

Monster Hunter in real life: eyeless spider named after video game monstrosity

We’re also thrilled to see research from Pensoft’s journals featured widely across Chinese media. Articles have appeared in blogs, popular outlets such as People’s Daily, Xinhua, Global Times, Science and Technology Daily, on CCTV, in local news, and even in print newspapers!

Looking Ahead

As we celebrate this milestone, we’re filled with excitement for what lies ahead. We look forward to continuing to share cutting-edge science, uncovering new discoveries, and building stronger connections with our Chinese readers and partners.

Thank you to everyone who has followed, shared, and supported us over the past year. Your engagement has made this journey meaningful and rewarding.

Stay connected with us on Weibo: Pensoft’s Official Weibo Account

FERRO project celebrates one year of advancing lake restoration across Europe

With a mission to address nutrient pollution and drive sustainable lake restoration across Europe, the FERRO project marks its first year.

Launched in June 2024, the Horizon Europe-funded project: Fostering European Lakes Restoration by Nutrient Removal, Recovery and Reuse: Integrated Catchment and In-lake Scale Approach (FERRO) – brings together scientists, engineers, and environmental experts from across Europe to develop innovative, nature-based, and circular solutions to reduce nutrient pollution in freshwater ecosystems.

Eutrophication, caused by excessive nutrients, such as phosphorus and nitrogen that enter lakes and reservoirs, remains one of the most pervasive threats to freshwater bodies. These excess nutrients often originate from agricultural runoff and wastewater discharges, resulting in algal blooms, oxygen depletion, and biodiversity loss.

FERRO addresses these challenges by working at both catchment scale and in-lake level, aiming not only to remove harmful nutrients, but also to recover and reuse them – aligning with Europe’s goals for circular economy and sustainable water management.

With a strong emphasis on interdisciplinary collaboration, FERRO combines natural science, engineering, economics, and policy to develop scalable restoration strategies adaptable across Europe’s diverse lake regions.

The FERRO consortium

FERRO unites seven partners from six European countries, each contributing unique expertise to the project’s holistic approach:

Biology Centre CAS, Czech Republic
Brockmann Geomatics, Sweden
Brockmann Consult, Germany
Helmholtz Centre for Environmental Research (UFZ), Germany
University of Southern Denmark (SDU), Denmark
Pensoft Publishers, Bulgaria
University of Helsinki (UH), Finland

Together, these organisations form a powerhouse of knowledge, experience, and innovation in the fields of limnology, hydrology, environmental policy, circular resource use and communications.

Pensoft’s role in FERRO

As the leader of the Communication and Dissemination Work Package #2, Pensoft plays a key role in ensuring that FERRO’s results and insights reach the widest possible audience. The responsibilities include the development and maintenance of the project’s visual identity and digital presence, managing media relations, producing public outreach materials, and facilitating knowledge exchange between scientific, policy, and stakeholder communities. Pensoft also supports the strategic dissemination of scientific outputs and policy-relevant findings, ensuring alignment with the project’s broader impact goals.

FERRO marked its first anniversary with a successful General Assembly meeting held in Leipzig, Germany, between 20^th and 22^nd May. Over the three-day meeting, the project partners gathered to reflect on the progress achieved during the first year, align their visions for the project’s future, and collaboratively plan the next phases of implementation

As the project entered its second year, the Leipzig meeting served as a moment to evaluate initial findings, refine methodologies, and strengthen engagement with stakeholders at local, regional, and EU levels. The outcomes will guide the FERRO consortium in its continued efforts to advance lake restoration across Europe.

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Stay tuned for more updates as the FERRO project continues to develop and implement its solutions for healthier lakes and more sustainable nutrient management across Europe!

You can keep tabs on the project’s official website: ferroproject.eu and also follow FERRO on LinkedIn, X and YouTube.

Bugging Science Olympiad in 2024 and 2025 with Real Insect Specimens in Georgia, USA

Guest blog post by Dr. Kelly Carruthers, lead author of the research paper, ‘Use of insect specimens for Science Olympiad entomology exam in Georgia, USA,’ published in the open-access journal Natural History Collections and Museomics.

Ask any person around you, “how do you feel about insects?” and you’re likely to get a range of answers, most not so great. As entomologists, we’re always looking for new ways to do outreach and engage with the public at large, mostly so we can move the “feelings about insects” needle toward a little bit less icky.

Outreach can range from standalone events that we’re invited to all the way to large insect festivals that attract considerable audiences… like moths to flames. Occasionally, we do get asked to do something new and intriguing to reach a broader audience, and this time it was the Georgia Science Olympiad.

A box of insect specimens. — Schmitt boxes prepared for students to observe and interact with during the Outreach Day. This box displays families within the orders Diptera, Trichoptera and Hymenoptera and were selected, based on their large size and charismatic features. Students were allowed to view and handle specimens carefully to observe features and characteristics of each family.

Science Olympiad is a non-profit organization founded in 1984 with the goal of increasing science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) participation among students of primary and secondary grade levels in the United States. Science Olympiad boasts 23 different science-related events where groups of 2 -3 students participate and can earn awards by placing individually and/or as a team by combining scores.

Events range from testing to lab and build events, where students attempt to build the winning machine to the competition specifications. Additionally, Science Olympiad competitions rotate through a variety of field biology events, including Forestry, Herpetology, Ornithology, and Entomology …which is where I came in!

In 2024 and 2025, the Entomology rotation re-emerged, and the University of Georgia’s Department of Entomology was asked to participate in the organization and test writing for both high school and middle school divisions. Being ever excited to engage in new outreach opportunities, I jumped at the chance to participate.

Three small trays containing inspect specimens. — Sample specimens used for the Science Olympiad Entomology Exam. Unit trays include the specimen for the individual station and the station number pinned in the top right corner.

Yash Sajjan and Vaishnavi Balaji, both students at the University of Georgia who participated in Science Olympiad in middle school and then dedicated themselves to organizing the event as university students, reached out to me to explain what they needed. Typically, entomology exams in other US states use photographs and images, but we decided that using real insect specimens would be much more impactful. Yash also told me he could write the exam easily, and as a point of pride (as both an entomologist and former educator), I let my ego win and offered to write the exam myself instead.

The exam consisted of 15 stations, 14 of which were real insect specimens and 1 that used a model of a bee or diagram of a grasshopper for the high school and middle school exams, respectfully. Each station had 4 – 7 questions that ranged from classification names to pest status to interesting behavioral aspects of the insect specimen, and students were given 50 minutes to complete the exam. For each exam, 9 – 10 insect orders were represented of the 29 listed on the 2025 National Entomology List put out by the Science Olympiad.

Because the Entomology exam was so successful, I was asked to help participate in the inaugural outreach day for Science Olympiad in Georgia which aimed to increase participation in Science Olympiad by providing demonstrations, activities, and resources for underserved counties in neighboring counties to University of Georgia.

Students observing a box of insect specimens. — Students and a teacher observe a Schmitt box with a variety of specimens during the Outreach Day for the Science Olympiad. Descriptions and meanings of the orders of insects are projected on the screen.

For this event, I was able to curate 23 of 29 insect orders and 70 of 100 families listed on the 2025 National Entomology List from a surplus collection from entomology coursework at UGA to show students. I worked to find either a specimen that exemplified the family or one that was extravagant enough to excite or interest students.

Overall, teachers, students, and the State Director for Science Olympiad were supportive and interested in using real insect specimens for the exam and outreach day. It gave students a chance to see an insect in 3-D beyond what an image can show.

Science Olympiad has the power to show students a variety of STEM fields and shape their future major choices and college experiences. Knowing this, entomologists and other professionals in STEM have a chance to engage with a group of often enthusiastic and interested students, encouraging them to see a new aspect of STEM and open their eyes to new experiences. In addition, the outreach day gave me a chance to connect with teachers which may gain confidence in the material, which directly impacts how students engage with and explore various topics. If as entomologists we bug teachers and students into appreciating a few bugs a bit more, then we’ve done our best work for outreach!

Original source

Carruthers K, Sajjan Y, Balaji V (2025) Use of insect specimens for Science Olympiad entomology exam in Georgia, USA. Natural History Collections and Museomics 2: 1-10. https://doi.org/10.3897/nhcm.2.153727

Follow Natural History Collections and Museomics on Facebook and Bluesky.

New Horizon Europe project will support the green transition by boosting skills and competences

The GREEN TALENT project aims to combat crises of climate change and biodiversity loss by enhancing professional development in the field

Officially started on 1 June 2025, the newly-funded Horizon Europe project GREEN TALENT is to run for 4 years with the overall objectives to unite 17 academic, public and private sector partner institutions from 9 European countries, and the United States.

The project’s goal is to develop the capacity of organisations and pathways to combat climate change and biodiversity loss, and support secondments across these countries, fostering international collaboration in research and innovation (R&I), as well as public and private decision-making.

Grounded in the EU’s comprehensive ERA Policy Agenda, the GREEN TALENT initiative has ambitious plans to enhance professional development in the field, providing Green talents with the opportunity to gain hands-on experience through group mentoring activities, job shadowing, and networking events.

During its implementation, the project has planned to establish four demonstration hubs in Malta, Greece, Cyprus and Bulgaria, which will host 45 secondments, acting as collaborative spaces between representatives of academic and non-academic sectors.

“GREEN TALENT is about empowering a new generation of innovators, practitioners, and communities to respond to the urgent and interconnected challenges of climate change and biodiversity loss.

To succeed, we need innovation in its broadest sense – embracing not only new technologies, but also collaboration, knowledge exchange, behavioural change, and new financing mechanisms. By strengthening capacity and excellence across academia, business, and practice, we are building the partnerships and platforms needed to scale impactful solutions.

GREEN TALENT establishes four national hubs – in Malta, Cyprus, Greece, and Bulgaria – that will build on recent regional successes to foster cross-sector collaboration addressing climate change and biodiversity loss through nature-based solutions.

These hubs will foster collaboration among stakeholders at local and national levels, while engaging with European and international partners to enable mutual learning, inform best practices, and scale successful interventions beyond national contexts.

“GREEN TALENT strengthens Europe’s ability to lead the green transition by investing in people, fostering inclusive innovation, and delivering measurable progress toward climate resilience and biodiversity recovery,”
says the project coordinator, Mario Balzan, Ecostack Innovations.

Launched to support the green transition, GREEN TALENT will implement ongoing follow-up and assessment measures to ensure the long-term impact of its training activities. These efforts will enable participants to continuously refine their skills and effectively apply newly acquired competences within their home institutions.

All training materials will be openly accessible via a newly developed GREEN TALENT Capacity-Building Platform. In addition to comprehensive learning resources, the platform will showcase case studies, support peer learning, and host an Exchange Forum to encourage interdisciplinary dialogue and cross-sector collaboration.

By equipping research and innovation talents with practical skills and fostering international cooperation, GREEN TALENT aims to drive meaningful progress toward climate resilience and biodiversity preservation.

Pensoft’s role at GREEN TALENT:

Pensoft will lead the project’s Work Package 7: Communication, Dissemination and Exploitation. The primary objectives of the WP are the creation of a distinct brand identity, spreading knowledge through sustainable outreach strategies to facilitate knowledge exchange between academia and non-academia by organising events and workshops, while encouraging collaboration across GREEN TALENT’s Demonstration Pilots through shared success stories and highlighting secondees’ achievements.

Consortium partners:

For more information:

Follow the GREEN TALENT project on BlueSky and Linkedin.

Project website coming soon!

Disclaimer:

Funded by the European Union under grant agreement No. 101217375, GREEN TALENT (Building Capacity and Partnerships for Systemic Solutions to the Climate and Biodiversity Crises).

Views and opinions expressed are, however, those of the author(s) only and do not necessarily reflect those of the European Union or the European Research Executive Agency (REA). Neither the EU nor the REA can be held responsible for them.

A prolific discovery: three new orchid species from Costa Rica and Panama

The new species utilise an unusual method of asexual reproduction known as prolification.

Researchers have discovered three new Pleurothallis orchid species in the cloud forests of Costa Rica and Panama. The new species utilise an unusual method of asexual reproduction known as prolification.

*Pleurothallis* *winkeliana*. Credit: Karremans et al.

Found in the cool, misty highlands of the Talamanca range at elevations between 1400 and 2550 metres, the newly discovered species, Pleurothallis matrisilvae, Pleurothallis pridgeoniana and Pleurothallis winkeliana are described in the open-access journal PhytoKeys.

Prolific stems in species across Pleurothallidinae. Credit: Karremans et al.

Prolificating plants produce miniature plantlets directly from their flowering stems, allowing them to bypass seed production.

Whilst prolification is rarely a fixed feature within this group of orchids, it becomes common under stressful environmental conditions. The ability may be advantageous in the challenging conditions of cloud forests, but remains underexplored scientifically. Methods of asexual reproduction might also be important when pollinators are scarce.

*Pleurothallis* *matrisilvae*. Credit: Karremans et al.

The new species have each adapted to exhibit prolification in different ways, such as forming long chains or bushy growths. These adaptations helped researchers identify them as distinct species, despite their initial visual similarities with other plants.

With close to 1700 species currently recorded, a third of which not known from anywhere else in the world, Costa Rica is a well-known orchid biodiversity hotspot. The discovery of these orchids displays the Talamanca range’s significance as a rich and largely unexplored area.

*Pleurothallis* *pridgeoniana*. Credit: Karremans et al.

With these additions, Costa Rica now boasts 67 recognised species of Pleurothallis, though researchers believe many more await formal identification. Such abundance highlights the importance of conserving these unique ecosystems.

Thanks to Costa Rica’s robust system of protected areas (SINAC), local institutions such as Lankester Botanical Garden of the University of Costa Rica are able to uncover and describe floristic novelties in an effort to study and conserve the country’s unique biodiversity.

Original source

Karremans AP, Pupulin F, Gange J, Bogarín D (2025) Three new species of Pleurothallis (Orchidaceae) from Costa Rica and Panama, with a note on asexual reproduction by prolification in Pleurothallidinae. PhytoKeys 256: 197-220. https://doi.org/10.3897/phytokeys.256.140316

Follow PhytoKeys on X, Bluesky and Facebook.

Europe’s most complete stegosaurian skull unearthed in Teruel, Spain

A new study by palaeontologists from the Fundación Dinópolis, published in the journal Vertebrate Zoology, rewrites the evolutionary history of this dino group.

A photo of a person holding a large, textured fossil resembling a dinosaur skull, with distinct eye sockets, against a backdrop of grass. — Close-up photograph of the *Dacentrurus armatus* skull found in Riodeva (Teruel, Spain).

Palaeontologists from the Fundación Conjunto Paleontológico de Teruel-Dinópolis have published new research in the prestigious scientific journal Vertebrate Zoology published by Senckenberg. The article describes a partial stegosaurian skull discovered in the municipality of Riodeva (Teruel, Spain) and proposes a new hypothesis about the evolutionary history of plated dinosaurs.

Stegosaurs were dinosaurs mainly characterized by being plant-eaters, moving on all fours, and displaying two rows of plates and/or spines from the neck to the end of the tail. The specimen studied was recovered during the palaeontological excavations led by the Fundación Dinópolis at the “Están de Colón” fossil site, located in sediments of the Villar del Arzobispo Formation, dating to the Late Jurassic epoch (around 150 million years ago). It is the best-preserved stegosaurian skull ever found in Europe and has been identified as belonging to the species Dacentrurus armatus.

An illustration of a large, spiked dinosaur with a long neck standing by the shore, roaring against a backdrop of sea and cloudy sky. — Illustration of *Dacentrurus armatus*. Credit: Adrián Blázquez / Fundación Dinópolis.

Sergio Sánchez Fenollosa, a researcher at the Fundación Dinópolis and co-author of the study, explains: “The detailed study of this exceptional fossil has allowed us to reveal previously unknown aspects of the anatomy of Dacentrurus armatus, the quintessential European stegosaur, which in 2025 marks 150 years since its first description. Dinosaurian skulls are rarely preserved due to the extreme fragility of their bones. This discovery is key to understanding how stegosaurian skulls evolved.

A close-up photo of a dinosaur sculpture's head, with another dinosaur in the background. — Head of a *Dacentrurus armatus* sculpture on display at Dinópolis (Teruel, Spain).

Furthermore, alongside the anatomical study, we have also proposed a new hypothesis that redefines the evolutionary relationships of stegosaurs worldwide. As a result of this work, we have formalized the definition of a new group called Neostegosauria”.

According to the researchers, this new group includes medium to large-sized stegosaurian species that at least lived in what is now Africa and Europe during the Middle and Late Jurassic, in North America during the Late Jurassic, and in Asia during the Late Jurassic and Early Cretaceous.

Alberto Cobos, managing director of the Fundación Dinópolis and co-author of the publication, adds: “This dual achievement–both the study of an exceptional fossil and the proposal of a new evolutionary hypothesis–positions this research as a global reference in stegosaurian studies.

This fossil site from Riodeva continues to be a subject of research and still holds numerous relevant fossils, including more postcranial elements from the same adult specimen and, notably, juvenile individuals, a particularly rare combination in this type of dinosaurs. These discoveries continue to exponentially increase the palaeontological heritage of the province of Teruel, making it one of the iconic regions for understanding the evolution of life on Earth”.

3D rendering of a fossilized piece of dinosaur skull. — Cranial reconstruction of a stegosaur, showing the studied fossil in its anatomical position.

The scientific article has been published in the renowned international journal Vertebrate Zoology under the title New insights into the phylogeny and skull evolution of stegosaurian dinosaurs: An extraordinary cranium from the European Late Jurassic (Dinosauria: Stegosauria). The authors are palaeontologists Sergio Sánchez Fenollosa and Alberto Cobos from the Fundación Dinópolis. The article is available open access at: https://doi.org/10.3897/vz.75.e146618

Illustration of a Dacentrurus skull from Riodeva, Spain, showing three views: fossil, outlined diagram, and 3D model, scale 10 cm. — Set of images of the most complete stegosaurian skull found in Europe, belonging to *Dacentrurus armatus* and recovered from Riodeva (Teruel, Spain).

This contribution from the Fundación Dinópolis, affiliated with the Dept. of Medio Ambiente y Turismo of the Gobierno de Aragón, is part of the activities of Research Group E04-23R FOCONTUR, funded by the Gobierno de Aragón (through the Dept. of Empleo, Ciencia y Universidades). Additionally, it is part of the research of the Unidad de Paleontología de Teruel, funded by the Gobierno de España (through the Ministry of Ciencia, Innovación y Universidades). The work at this site is also supported by the project titled Los yacimientos paleontológicos de la provincia de Teruel como factor de desarrollo territorial (IV), subsidized by the Gobierno de España and the Gobierno de Aragón through the Teruel Investment Fund (via the Dept. of Presidencia, Economía y Justicia).

Research article:

Sánchez-Fenollosa S, Cobos A (2025) New insights into the phylogeny and skull evolution of stegosaurian dinosaurs: An extraordinary cranium from the European Late Jurassic (Dinosauria: Stegosauria). Vertebrate Zoology 75: 165-189. https://doi.org/10.3897/vz.75.e146618

Image credit: Fundación Conjunto Paleontológico de Teruel-Dinópolis

New copepod species highlights fragile biodiversity in Bermuda’s caves

It is the only member of the Tetragoniceps genus living in caves and could represent an ancient, early-diverging member of its evolutionary lineage.

Bermuda’s Walsingham cave system harbors a wide diversity of cave-dwelling animals not found anywhere else in the world; now, one more joins their ranks as researchers of the University of Cambridge, the Bermuda Institute of Ocean Sciences and Senckenberg am Meer German Centre for Marine Biodiversity Research have discovered a new copepod species.

Three close-up views of a translucent shrimp-like creature, showcasing its segmented body and delicate antennae against a dark background. — Confocal laser scanning microscopy images of *Tetragoniceps bermudensis*.

Copepods are some of the most diverse of all crustaceans, found everywhere from freshwater ponds to the open ocean. These tiny organisms are some of the most abundant animals in the marine plankton, and an essential component of food webs worldwide. However, their huge diversity remains rather poorly known, particularly in challenging environments like subterranean caves.

New species of Brazilian copepod suggests ancient species diversification and distribution

The new Bermudian copepod, Tetragoniceps bermudensis, was first collected in 2016 by Sahar Khodami, Pedro Martinez Arbizu, and Leocadio Blanco-Bercial from the Bermuda Institute of Ocean Sciences and the Senckenberg am Meer German Centre for Marine Biodiversity Research, who ventured into Roadside Cave through a narrow passageway in Bermuda’s ancient limestone bedrock. However, it was only when researchers analysed it in detail, in 2024, that T. bermudensis was confirmed to be an entirely new species. Like other members of Bermuda’s cave fauna, Tetragoniceps bermudensis – named after the country where it was discovered – might represent an ancient, early-diverging member of its evolutionary lineage, the research team say. Together with other ancient crustaceans inhabiting the island’s caverns, it persisted in a secluded, delicate underground ecosystem relatively free from competitors and predators.

“The new species of copepod crustacean, Tetragoniceps bermudensis, is the first of its genus from Bermuda, as well as the first known cave-dwelling species of the genus anywhere in the world and only the second within its family, Tetragonicipitidae,” says lead author Giovanni Mussini of the University of Cambridge’s Department of Earth Sciences. “This finding from Roadside Cave adds to the great diversity of endemic crustaceans (and other cave fauna) found in the island’s network of limestone caves.”

The team during the sampling expedition to Roadside Cave in 2016.

The team only found one female egg-bearing individual at Roadside Cave, a small cavern in Bermuda. It is hard to estimate just how rare the new species is based on a single specimen, but the finding “suggests a correspondingly limited area and a probable endemic status, consistent with the high degree of endemism typical of Bermuda’s cave-dwelling fauna,” the researchers write in their paper in the journal ZooKeys.

A photo of a dimly lit cave interior with water dripping from stalactites. — Views of Roadside cave.

Roadside Cave, where the new species was found, may face threats from “urban development, vandalism, dumping, littering and pollution, and sediment disturbance due to unlawful access by humans and domesticated animals,” which makes protecting this small creature all the more urgent. The researchers call for formal protection of the cave and for robust enforcement of existing measures to protect its precious fauna.

“The discovery of this species highlights that there remains a cryptic diversity of cave-dwelling species still to be discovered even in a densely populated island like Bermuda, whose hidden, underground biodiversity is all too often overlooked,” Mussini says in conclusion.

Research article:

Mussini G, Niimi YJ, Khodami S, Kihara TC, Martinez Arbizu P, Blanco-Bercial L (2025) A new species of Tetragoniceps Brady, 1880 (Copepoda, Harpacticoida, Tetragonicipitidae) from an anchialine cave in Bermuda, with an updated key to the species of the genus. ZooKeys 1239: 1-19. https://doi.org/10.3897/zookeys.1239.144436

Journals published on ARPHA now archived in the Biodiversity Heritage Library

To date, the content available on BHL includes 16,000 legacy articles and also extends to future articles.

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.

This automated workflow is facilitated by the ARPHA platform and uses the Open Archives Initiative Protocol for Metadata Harvesting (OAI-PMH) to enable exposure and harvesting of repository metadata.

“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.”

Probiotic supplementation may help reduce chemotherapy side effects in breast cancer

A new study published in the journal Pharmacia showed that multi-strain probiotics can have impact on chemotherapy-related side effects.

Chemotherapy is one of the most popular ways to treat breast cancer. Even though it has proven to be effective, it also has downsides, such as a higher risk of side effects, as it doesn’t only attack the cancer cells but can also affect normal cells. Chemotherapy-related side effects such as fatigue, weakness, and proneness to infections can influence treatment adherence and undermine the effectiveness of the therapy and the patients’ quality of life.

Probiotics are among the emerging alternative supplements being studied for their potential benefit in cancer treatment. A new study published in the open-access journal Pharmacia explored the effects of multi-strain probiotics on chemotherapy-related side effects using Karnofsky performance score, complete blood count, and blood biochemistry.

The findings show that probiotics with 7 strains have a potential effect in patients with breast cancer, especially in the improvement of common chemotherapy-related side effects, such as fatigue and nausea. Another potential effect of multi-strain probiotics is improving blood urea nitrogen levels. Significant improvement was observed in the ability to perform activities of daily living, which means patients can go about their lives more independently and reduce their reliance on others. This might also be related to the improvement of nausea and fatigue symptoms.

Close-up photo of a Black doctor showing pills and pill bottle at the camera

In conclusion, multi-strain probiotics have been shown to have potential benefits in chemotherapy-related side effects for patients with breast cancer undergoing chemotherapy. Further, larger study is needed to explore these effects and to confirm the benefits of multi-strain probiotics before they are used in clinical practice.

Research article:
Kirtishanti A, Wijono H, Kok T, Setiawan E, Tanggo VVCM, Zahara GS, Davina W, Presley B (2025) Effect of multi-strain probiotics supplementation on chemotherapy-related side effects among patients with breast cancer: A pilot trial. Pharmacia 72: 1-9. https://doi.org/10.3897/pharmacia.72.e144998