Content from more than 30 biodiversity journals published on the ARPHA Platform will now be archived in the Biodiversity Heritage Library (BHL), the world’s largest open-access digital library for biodiversity literature and archives.
A global consortium of natural history, botanical, research, and national libraries, BHL digitises and freely shares essential biodiversity materials. A critical resource for researchers, it provides vital access to material that might otherwise be difficult to obtain.
Under the agreement, over 16,000 articles published on Pensoft’s self-developed ARPHA Platform are now available on BHL. Both legacy content and new articles are made available on the platform, complete with full-text PDFs and all relevant metadata.
Thanks to this integration, content in our journals will become even more accessible and readily discoverable, helping researchers find the biodiversity information they need.
Prof. Lyubomir Penev
More content published on ARPHA will gradually be added to the BHL archive.
The publications will be included in the Library’s full-text search, allowing researchers to easily locate relevant biodiversity literature. Crucially, the scientific names within the articles will be indexed using the Global Names Architecture, enabling seamless discovery of information about specific taxa across the BHL collection.
“Pensoft is pleased to collaborate with BHL in our joint mission to support global biodiversity research through free access to knowledge. Thanks to this integration, content in our journals will become even more accessible and readily discoverable, helping researchers find the biodiversity information they need,” said Prof. Lyubomir Penev, CEO and founder of Pensoft and ARPHA.
The news comes soon after BHL announced it is about to face a major shift in its operation. From 2026, the Smithsonian Institution – one of BHL’s 10 founding members – will cease to host the administrative and technical components of BHL. As the consortium explores a range of options, the BHL team is confident that “the transition opens the door to a reimagined and more sustainable future for BHL.”
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.
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
Scholarly publisher and technology provider Pensoft welcomes the latest addition to its diverse portfolio of scholarly outlets: the open-access, peer-reviewed journal Scientific Annals of the Danube Delta Institute (SADDI).
The official journal of the Danube Delta National Institute for Research and Developmentin Tulcea, Romania, SADDI publishes research in a variety of fields related to the Danube Delta and similar wetland ecosystems. Established in 1993, it offers a multidisciplinary platform for studies in the fields of ecology, biodiversity, environmental protection, hydrology, ichthyology, ornithology, limnology, and sustainable development related to wetlands and deltaic environments.
SADDI is led by Editor-in-Chief Iuliana-Mihaela Tudor of the Danube Delta National Institute for Research and Development.
As a diamond open-access journal, SADDI will be free to read and publish and invites researchers and scientists to submit their manuscripts.
In joining Pensoft, SADDI will get access to improved publishing infrastructure and benefit from increased visibility and discoverability for its published research, making use of Pensoft’s full-featured platform ARPHA, an end-to-end publishing solution that makes it easy for both humans and machines to access, cite, and reuse research.
At the 32nd International Symposium “Deltas and Wetlands” in Tulcea, which will take place on 12–17 May, Pensoft’s CEO Prof. Lyubomir Penev will give a talk how the newly revamped SADDI has changed now that it is powered by the ARPHA publishing platform, and will also discuss how scholarly publishing can help advance Danube conservation.
“The Pensoft team is excited to cooperate with the Danube Delta National Institute for Research and Development as we support SADDI’s growth and development. We appreciate this new partnership and look forward to seeing the journal thrive using our advanced publishing services,” Prof. Penev said ahead of the event.
The Monte Gordo Grasshopper (Eyprepocprifas insularis) has proved to be a rare and elusive species: its last, and, until now, only sighting was a single specimen found in 1980. This is why researcher Dr. Michel Lecoq declared it extinct in 1996.
Eyprepocprifas insularis, male, holotype. This specimen, collected by the Programme de Recherche Interdisciplinaire Francais sur les Acridiens du Sahel team at São Nicolau, Cape Verde, in Oct. 1980, was the only known for many decades. Scale bar: 1 cm. Photo credit: Christophe Herve, MNHN, Paris.
After more than 40 years of no records, an exciting discovery happened thanks to a holiday Rob Felix took with his fellow researcher Annelies Jacobs in Cape Verde, the insect’s only known location, “to look for birds and other interesting stuff for field biologists like us. Before going on our trip, we looked for information about this peculiar grasshopper that was thought to be extinct for a long time. We were hoping and dreaming that maybe we could find it again.”
“During a night walk on our first evening on São Nicolau to a colony of a unique seabird species, the Fea, I stumbled upon a grasshopper sitting on the path. When I looked closer in the torch’s light, I immediately recognised its unique appearance. I shouted out loud: it’s Eyprepocprifas! To my surprise, correct at once because it’s not the most easily pronounceable genus name,” he says.
Eyprepocprifas insularis, male. This endemic to Monte Gordo Natural Park, São Nicolau, Cape Verde, was rediscovered in 2023 after being declared extinct. Photo credit: Rob Felix
In the following days, Rob and Annelies found several other specimens in Monte Gordo Natural Park and its surroundings.
Endemic to the island of São Nicolau, this grasshopper is a “living fossil,” meaning it hasn’t evolved significantly for millions of years and has few or no living relatives.
Habitat of Eyprepocprifas insularis on São Nicolau, Cape Verde. Photo credit: Rob Felix
“E. insularis must have been there for a very long time and has been able to withstand the severe ecological conditions,” the researchers write in their paper, which was published in the Journal of Orthoptera Research.
This montane grasshopper has shown remarkable resilience, surviving in the challenging environment of Cape Verde’s islands and enduring periods of intense drought and strong winds that can introduce new species from the African continent.
“The rediscovery of the only endemic brachypterous (short-winged) grasshopper, Eyprepocprifas insularis, on São Nicolau, an island with a volcanic origin dating back approximately five million years, provides significant insight into the island’s ecological and evolutionary history,” the researchers write.
They say this rediscovery is a crucial first step toward the insect’s conservation: as a threatened species restricted to a small area, E. insularis might actually be closer to extinction than we think. Now that it has been found again, we have the opportunity to take steps to protect this unique species and its habitat.
Research article:
Felix R, Jacobs A, Lecoq M (2025) Rediscovery of the Monte Gordo Grasshopper Eyprepocprifas insularis: An ancient brachypterous species endemic to São Nicolau, Cape Verde (Orthoptera, Eyprepocnemidinae). Journal of Orthoptera Research 34(2): 159-168. https://doi.org/10.3897/jor.34.144016
On Monday, 28 April, the first day of the European Geosciences Union General Assembly 2025 (EGU 2025), participants had the chance to discover one of the most promising initiatives in biodiversity informatics: the Biodiversity Knowledge Hub (BKH). BKH was presented as part of a dedicated poster session, titled “Biodiversity Knowledge Hub: Addressing the impacts of environmental change by linking Research Infrastructures, Global Aggregators and Community Networks“.
Understanding and addressing the impacts of environmental change on biodiversity and ecosystems demands access to reliable FAIR data (as in Findable, Accessible, Interoperable, Reusable). However, the current landscape is often fragmented, making it difficult to combine and use these resources effectively.
Enter the Horizon-funded project Biodiversity Community Integrated Knowledge Library (BiCIKL): a pioneering initiative that demonstrates the transformative power of interdisciplinary collaboration. Coordinated by Pensoft, BiCIKL ran between 2021 and 2024.
Within BiCIKL, 14 European institutions from ten countries teamed up with the aim to integrate biodiversity data across research infrastructures, scientific repositories, and expert communities.
Through this integration, BiCIKL bridged the gap between isolated knowledge systems and delivered actionable insights to guide conservation and resilience efforts. The project embodies the principles of open science by demonstrating how interdisciplinary collaboration can turn fragmented data into cohesive, usable knowledge for researchers, policymakers, and practitioners.
At the heart of BiCIKL’s success is the Biodiversity Knowledge Hub (BKH): an innovative platform that provides seamless access to biodiversity data, tools, and workflows. The BKH fosters interoperability between diverse resources, thus making it easier to combine information from different sources. Whether for advanced research analytics or policymaking in support of sustainable development, the BKH empowers users with tools tailored to their needs.
A few of the standout features of the BKH include:
Modular design to allow continuous expansion and adaptability to new challenges in biodiversity and climate resilience
Interoperable systems that connect a variety of databases, repositories, and services to deliver integrated knowledge.
Community building by welcoming a broad network of stakeholders to ensure the platform’s long-term sustainability and growth.
Watch the Biodiversity Knowledge Hubvideo on YouTube.
Setting a New Benchmark in Biodiversity Informatics
Through its collaborative approach, BiCIKL set a new standard for how biodiversity and climate resilience initiatives can be harmonised globally. By showcasing best practices in data integration, capacity building, and stakeholder engagement, BiCIKL became much more than a project: it turned into a blueprint for future biodiversity knowledge infrastructures.
The Biodiversity Knowledge Hub serves to demonstrate how harmonised standards and active collaboration are key to unlocking the full potential of biodiversity data. In doing so, its mission is to create scalable, long-term solutions that are crucial for addressing today’s pressing environmental challenges.
The poster presentation at EGU25 outlined the methodologies and technologies driving the BKH, emphasizing its role as a pioneering model for integrated biodiversity knowledge and action. As environmental pressures continue to mount, the work of BiCIKL and the Biodiversity Knowledge Hub offers a hopeful path forward—one where knowledge flows freely, collaborations flourish, and data-driven solutions guide our way to a more resilient future.
Visit the Biodiversity Community Integrated Knowledge Library (BiCIKL) project’s website at: https://bicikl-project.eu/.
Elephants are among the largest land mammals on Earth and are often referred to as “ecosystem engineers” because they sustainably alter their surroundings through grazing, trampling, and digging. Europe, too, had an elephant: the straight-tusked elephant (Palaeoloxodon antiquus) lived on our continent for around 700,000 years. The species survived multiple ice ages before becoming extinct during the last one due to additional hunting pressure from humans. Throughout its existence, the straight-tusked elephant helped shape Europe’s landscape, maintaining open spaces and light woodlands. Many native plant species are still adapted to these conditions today.
A sculpture of Palaeoloxodon antiquus next to the paleontological museum of Ambrona (Soria, Spain). Photo credit: PePeEfe under a CC BY-SA 3.0 license.
“The German name Waldelefant (forest elephant) originates from the assumption that this species primarily lived in the wooded regions of Europe. However, fossil evidence shows that P. antiquus often inhabited open or semi-open habitats with mosaic-like vegetation, similar to modern elephants,” explains Prof. Dr. Manuel Steinbauer, Chair of Sport Ecology at the University of Bayreuth.
What for?
Our perception of nature is shaped by what we experience in our surroundings. Ecosystems without direct human influence are often perceived as “natural.” However, when considering insights gained from fossils, it becomes clear that today’s ecosystems— even without direct human intervention—differ significantly from those in which the species of our landscapes evolved thousands of years ago. Studies like the one carried out by the Bayreuth research team highlight the importance of studying past ecosystems for conservation. Understanding how climate and environmental changes have historically affected large mammals can provide valuable insights for modern conservation strategies.
To reconstruct the way of life of P. antiquus and, in particular, its actual habitat—known as the realised niche—the research team examined scientific literature and palaeontological databases for fossil finds of P. antiquus that could be assigned to specific Marine Isotope Stages. Marine Isotope Stages are periods in the earth’s history that reflect climate history, representing warm and cold stages. The Bayreuth research team assigned fossil finds from across Europe to either a warm or cold stage and used climate models from these periods to reconstruct the realised niche of the straight-tusked elephant. A comparison with modern climate data suggests that straight-tusked elephants would still be able to live in Europe today. The climate in Western and Central Europe would be particularly suitable, except for mountainous regions such as the Alps and the Caucasus.
Current potential distribution of the straight-tusked elephant (Palaeoloxodon antiquus) in Europe. The colouring represents the probability of occurrence, with grey indicating “very unlikely” and dark green “very likely”. The black dots mark the fossil finds on which the prediction is based.
“In the past, megafauna like the straight-tusked elephant and their regulatory mechanisms—such as grazing—were omnipresent. Many European species, particularly plants that thrive in open habitats, likely established in their diversity in Europe because they benefited from these ecological influences. Traditional conservation strategies in Europe primarily aim to protect biodiversity by shielding habitats from human activities. However, this strategy alone is unlikely to restore the lost ecological functions of megafauna,” says Franka Gaiser, a doctoral student in the Sport Ecology research team and lead author of the study.
Modern conservation projects actively reintroduce large herbivores to Europe. However, this comes with challenges, as the ecological processes that have shaped modern ecosystems are not yet fully understood. Additionally, today’s large herbivores cannot entirely replace the role of extinct megafauna, as both the animals themselves and the landscape structures, as well as species interactions, have changed significantly.
Original publication:
Gaiser F, Müller C, Phan P, Mathes G, Steinbauer MJ (2025) Europe’s lost landscape sculptors: Today’s potential range of the extinct elephant Palaeoloxodon antiquus. Frontiers of Biogeography 18: e135081. https://doi.org/10.21425/fob.18.135081
Introducing Haploniscus hades, isopod of the underworld.
The deep sea is the largest yet least explored biome in the world, with estimates suggesting that up to 91% of marine species are yet to be discovered.
Indeed, when it comes to finding new species in the deep sea, things are more than a little tricky. Besides the obvious difficulties associated with scouring such vast, inaccessible depths, researchers also face the obstacle of so-called ‘cryptic’ species: groups of closely related taxa that are almost impossible to tell apart from looks alone.
The recently discovered Haploniscusbelyaevi isopod species complex is one such group, collected from the the abysso-hadal Kuril-Kamchatka Trench (KKT) region in the Northwest Pacific Ocean.
Distribution of haploniscid species of the belyaevi-complex in the greater Kuril-Kamchatka Trench and Sea of Okhotsk area of the Northwest Pacific. Stars indicate each species type locality.
Isopods collected from the region were initially believed to represent a single species, but are now known to represent at least six distinct species, five of which are new to science. Published in the journal Zoosystematics and Evolution, a new study combines classical morphology with DNA barcoding, confocal laser scanning microscopy, and the first-ever genomic sequencing of Haploniscidae isopods to distinguish these cryptic species.
In the research paper, lead author Dr Henry Knauber and his colleagues from the Senckenberg Research Institute and Goethe University Frankfurt provide detailed descriptions of each species and reveal the names of the new species, inspired by Greek mythology.
Meet the new isopods
Left to right: H.hades, H.belyaevi, and H.erebus.
Haploniscus hades
Who else could rule the hadal zone but Hades himself? This isopod’s pleotelson (tail segment) hides its uropods (tail appendages), which, to the endlessly creative research team, evoked the cap of invisibility used by Hades.
Haploniscus apaticus
Named after Apate, the goddess of deceit, this ‘deceptive’ isopod hides in plain sight thanks to its unassuming looks, which kept it hidden amongst its sibling species until recently.
Haploniscus erebus
Bearing the name of Erebus, the primordial god of darkness, this species lurks in the shadowy depths.
Haploniscus kerberos
Named after Kerberos (Cerberus), the multi-headed guardian of the underworld’s gates, this species is currently only known from the abyssal plains, watching over the borderlands between deep and deeper.
Haploniscus nyx
Nyx, the goddess of night, lends her name to this elusive species.
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The isopod specimens were collected during deep-sea research expeditions between 2012 and 2016, covering depths of up to 8,000 meters.
While the names of these species represent little more than creative fun, the study’s findings help illuminate evolutionary processes across natural barriers such as the Kuril-Kamchatka Trench and underscore the potential for new discoveries in Earth’s least explored environments.
Who knows, perhaps Haploniscus hades has two brothers, H. zeus and H. Poseidon, hiding above, still waiting to be found.
Original source
Knauber H, Schell T, Brandt A, Riehl T (2025) Across trench and ridge: description of five new species of the Haploniscus belyaevi Birstein, 1963 species complex (Isopoda, Haploniscidae) from the Kuril-Kamchatka Trench region. Zoosystematics and Evolution 101(2): 813-853. https://doi.org/10.3897/zse.101.137663
Cover image credit: Isopods: Knauber et al.; Illustration: macrovector/Freepik.
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The European Union (EU) has been working to protect nature for decades, with the Natura 2000 network now safeguarding over 18% of EU land and 9% of its marine territory. Yet, biodiversity is still in trouble, with only 50% of bird species and 15% of habitats in good conservation status.
To turn the tide, the EU’s Biodiversity Strategy for 2030 will expand the existing Natura 2000 areas, implement the EU’s first-ever Nature Restoration Law, and introduce concrete measures to achieve global biodiversity targets. Success will depend on enhancing biodiversity monitoring, making better use of data and gaining a clearer picture of how nature is changing.
Addressing this urgent challenge, the EU Horizon project BMD (abbreviated for Biodiversity Meets Data) will offer a centralised platform (Single Access Point or SAP) for improved biodiversity monitoring across Europe.
Pensoft’s role
Pensoft will play a role in Biodiversity Meets Data’s impact by planning and implementing the communication, dissemination and exploitation of project results, as well as helping with the training and capacity building for BMD’s end-users, which will be led by LifeWatch ERIC. Pensoft will adopt a multi-format approach to knowledge transfer with tailored outputs for the scientific community, decision-makers, industry representatives and the general public.
Furthermore, the BMD SAP will also incorporate elements of the Biodiversity Knowledge Hub (BKH), developed under the BiCIKL project, coordinated by Pensoft.
“It’s incredibly rewarding to see the continuity in our projects, with the legacy of the BiCIKL project continuing with Biodiversity Meets Data. This seamless progression not only builds on our past successes but also ensures that our work continues to deliver long-lasting value to the biodiversity community.”
said Prof. Dr. Lyubomir Penev, CEO and Founder of Pensoft, and project coordinator of BiCIKL (abbreviated from Biodiversity Community Integrated Knowledge Library).
The BMD project consortium at the project’s kick-off meeting in early March 2025 (Leiden, the Netherlands).
International consortium
Coordinated by Naturalis Biodiversity Center, the project brings together 14 partner organisations from 11 countries to develop innovative solutions for biodiversity management.
Visit the BMD project website at https://bmd-project.eu/, and make sure to follow the project’s progress via our social media channels on Blueskyand Linkedin.
They say beauty is everywhere if we have eyes to see; a team of scientists looked at a tiny, 3-mm snail and saw art.
An international group of malacologists (researchers studying molluscs) led by Serbian PhD student Vukašin Gojšina and his Hungarian supervisor, Barna Páll-Gergely, was exploring snail diversity in Southeast Asia when a species unknown to science grabbed their attention, prompting them to name it after cubist artist Pablo Picasso.
Unlike most other snails, Anauchen picasso has rectangularly angled whorls that, according to the scientists, make it look “like a cubist interpretation of other snails with ‘normal’ shell shapes.”
Anauchen picasso.
The research team just published a 300-page article including the descriptions of 46 new species of microsnails from Cambodia, Myanmar, Laos, Thailand, and Vietnam.
SEM imaging showing an enlarged apertural view of Anauchen picasso.
“Although the shell sizes of these snails are less than 5 mm, they are real beauties! Their shells exhibit extraordinarily complexity,” they say. “For example, the aperture (the ‘opening’ of the shell) is armed with numerous tooth-like barriers, which are most probably useful against predators. Furthermore, several of the new species have an aperture that turns upwards or downwards, which means that some species carry their shells upside-down.”
These apertural barriers and the orientation of the last whorl on the shell were among the primary characters that helped the researchers tell different snails apart.
Appearance of the last whorl A shouldered B rounded C keeled at the centre of the periphery D keeled above the centre of the periphery E keeled below the centre of the periphery F double keeled.
While many of these new species were collected recently, several, unknown to science until now, were found in the collection of the Florida Museum of Natural History, collected all the way in the 1980’s. It is likely (and in some cases, certain) that the locations where these snails were found have already been destroyed by deforestation and limestone quarrying, which are the major threats to locally endemic land snails in Southeast Asia.
Research article:
Gojšina V, Hunyadi A, Sutcharit C, Tongkerd P, Auffenberg K, Grego J, Vermeulen JJ, Reischütz A, Páll-Gergely B (2025) A new start? Revision of the genera Anauchen, Bensonella, Gyliotrachela and Hypselostoma (Gastropoda, Eupulmonata, Hypselostomatidae) of Southeast Asia with description of 46 new species. ZooKeys 1235: 1-338. https://doi.org/10.3897/zookeys.1235.145281
In the heart of Canada’s Rocky Mountains, an unassuming yet remarkable butterfly has been quietly flying under our scientific radar for years. With a wingspan of an inch to an inch and a half, and wings that are brown on top and greyish brown with black spots below, this population was long thought to belong to the Half-moon Hairstreak (Satyrium semiluna). However, the isolated hairstreak butterflies of Blakiston Fan in Waterton Lakes National Park, Alberta, have now been recognized as a distinct species: Satyrium curiosolus, or the Curiously Isolated Hairstreak.
Satyrium curiosolus.
A recent study by an international collaborative team, published in ZooKeys, uncovered the unique evolutionary history of this population. The results were striking: Satyrium curiosolus has been completely isolated from its closest relatives for quite a while—possibly up to 40,000 years— becoming more and more genetically and ecologically unique along the way.
The science behind the discovery
“Our whole-genome sequencing of S. curiosolus revealed strikingly low genetic diversity and exceptionally high levels of historical inbreeding compared to the geographically nearest S. semiluna populations in British Columbia and Montana, more than 400 km distant,” says co-first author Zac MacDonald, a La Kretz postdoctoral researcher at University of California Los Angeles Institute of the Environment and Sustainability. Despite its small population size, genetic data suggest that S. curiosolus has likely maintained itself as a stable, independent lineage for tens of thousands of years. “Like the Channel Island Fox, S. curiosolus may have purged some of its harmful recessive genetic variation through a long, gradual history of inbreeding, allowing it to persist as a small and completely isolated population today,” MacDonald adds.
Satyrium curiosolus.
Satyrium curiosolus is found in a distinct habitat unlike any other population of S. semiluna that we know of. While its relatives thrive in sagebrush steppe, S. curiosolus occupies a single alluvial fan that is more accurately described as prairie-grassland, where it associates with different plants and ant species. Satyriumcuriosolus relies exclusively on silvery lupine (Lupinus argenteus) for larval development, a plant not known to be used by S. semiluna populations in British Columbia.
A freshly eclosed S. curiosolus on silvery lupine (Lupinus argenteus).
“Furthermore, we recently discovered that S. curiosolus larvae have mutualistic relationships with a particular species of ant (Lasius ponderosae), which has not been observed in other S. semiluna populations,” says James Glasier of the Wilder Institute/Calgary Zoo, who was also part of the study. Satyrium curiosolus caterpillars provide the Lasius ants with a sugary excretion called honeydew to eat, while in return the ants protect the caterpillar from parasites and predators. Caterpillars also retreat into ant galleries when disturbed, or when it gets too hot out, and adult females have been observed laying eggs right near the entrances to Lasius colonies under Silvery Lupines.
Why it matters
The recognition of S. curiosolus as a species has important implications, highlighting its unique evolutionary trajectory and emphasizing an urgent need for tailored conservation strategies.
The discovery of S. curiosolus is a powerful demonstration of how genomics is revolutionizing taxonomy and conservation.
Julian Dupuis, Assistant Professor in the Department of Entomology at University of Kentucky
Satyriumcuriosolus faces a somewhat unique challenge: its long-term isolation has resulted in very low genetic diversity, which means that the species has a reduced potential to adapt to changing climatic conditions. While conservationists often consider genetic rescue—introducing individuals from related populations to boost genetic diversity—as a solution to low genetic diversity, the distinctiveness of S. curiosolus raises concerns about potential outbreeding depression when mixed with S. semiluna. It is likely that the two species are not even reproductively compatible, meaning S. curiosolus may be on its own. Conservation efforts must now consider new solutions, such as establishing additional S. curiosolus populations, to help this butterfly persist as climate change threatens ecological change at Blakiston Fan.
A case study in genomics and conservation
Satyrium curiosolus.
“The discovery of S. curiosolus is a powerful demonstration of how genomics is revolutionizing taxonomy and conservation,” remarked co-first author Julian Dupuis, an Assistant Professor in the Department of Entomology at University of Kentucky. “While traditional taxonomic methods often rely on morphology alone, our study underscores the importance of integrating genomic and ecological data to uncover hidden diversity. With the rise of genomic tools, previously unrecognized species like S. curiosolus are being discovered, highlighting the need for conservation strategies that account for cryptic biodiversity.” Dupuis adds.
Collaboration in conservation
The Curiously Isolated Hairstreak reminds us that even the smallest and most overlooked species can hold extraordinary scientific and conservation significance.
“Our studies on S. curiosolus and S. semiluna highlight the importance of collaboration between academic scientists, nonprofit organizations, and conservation managers. All of this work was made possible through partnerships between academic researchers, Parks Canada, and the Wilder Institute/Calgary Zoo. By combining expertise in genomics, field ecology, and conservation management, we were able to produce findings that not only reshape our understanding of biodiversity but also provide actionable insights for species protection. Moving forward, these interdisciplinary collaborations will be critical for tackling complex conservation challenges and ensuring the long-term survival of species like S. curiosolus,” added MacDonald.
The future of Satyrium curiosolus
Title: S. curiosolus larvae being attended to by Lasius ponderosae ants.
Recognizing S. curiosolus as a distinct species is just the beginning, the researchers say. Future research should explore its evolution and interactions with other species like host plants and ants. Additionally, long-term monitoring by Parks Canada and the Wilder Institute/Calgary Zoo will be essential to assess how this species copes with climate change and what conservation actions are appropriate. “This is a wonderful example of how such monitoring can connect diverse approaches and impactful answers to a simple question like ‘that’s odd – why is it there?’”, says anchor author Felix Sperling, a professor at the University of Alberta and curator of the U of A’s Strickland Museum of Entomology.
“For now, the Curiously Isolated Hairstreak reminds us that even the smallest and most overlooked species can hold extraordinary scientific and conservation significance,” the researchers say in conclusion.
Research article:
MacDonald ZG, Dupuis JR, Glasier JRN, Sissons R, Moehrenschlager A, Shaffer HB, Sperling FAH (2025) Genomic and ecological divergence support recognition of a new species of endangered Satyrium butterfly (Lepidoptera, Lycaenidae). ZooKeys 1234: 291-307. https://doi.org/10.3897/zookeys.1234.143893
