Tag: entomology

Celebrating 10 years of Open Access: Deutsche Entomologische Zeitschrift

Founded in 1857 as the Berliner Entomologische Zeitschrift, Deutsche Entomologische Zeitschrift (DEZ), stands as one of the world’s oldest continuously published entomological journals. Throughout its 166-year history, DEZ has weathered significant challenges, navigating two world wars and internal societal divisions, consistently re-emerging to contribute to insect systematics.

In 2014, the journal transitioned to Open Access publishing under the auspices of Pensoft. Through this partnership, DEZ embraced a publishing model dedicated to transparency and global accessibility, making its content freely available to anyone, anywhere in the world.

As we celebrate 10 years of Open Access for the journals of Museum für Naturkunde Berlin (MfN), we look at some of the most interesting insect research published in the journal in the past decade.

Read our blog post celebrating 10 years of Open Access for all of Museum für Naturkunde Berlin’s journals here.

Caribbean pygmy jumping leaves

Published in 2023, one of DEZ’s most popular recent papers discusses the Caribbean pygmy jumping leaves, a tribe of pygmy grasshoppers called Choriphyllini. Their taxonomy has been historically confusing, with many unrelated but similar-looking tetrigids (pygmy grasshoppers) being grouped together. Authors Josip Skejo and Niko Kasalo call this group of leaf-resembling insects “a lovable mess,” referring to their confused taxonomy.

The amazing diversity of the Caribbean pygmy jumping leaves

With common names such as “Jamaican Bitten Jumping Leaf” or “Old Cuban Dancing Leaf”, these insects are attractive to both researchers and laypeople.

Brown 'pygmy jumping leaf' grasshopper. — *Valalyllum folium*, a member of the tribe Valalyllini, subfamily Cladonotinae.

“We can only guess what the future holds for these neglected animals,” the authors said, concluding their paper. Will we see another paper in DEZ dealing with pygmy jumping leaves?

Research paper: Skejo J, Yong S, Bogić D, Kasalo N (2023) Caribbean pygmy jumping leaves (Tetrigidae, Cladonotinae, Choriphyllini). Deutsche Entomologische Zeitschrift 70(1): 129-141. https://doi.org/10.3897/dez.70.98982

Barcoding Taiwanese leaf litter beetles

Another important study published in DEZ focused on beetles found in Taiwan’s leaf litter. Researchers Martin Fikácek and Fang-Shuo Hu said that leaf litter is like an underwater coral reef, in that they support a huge amount of life that we don’t know much about. This is what motivated the Taiwanese Leaf Litter Beetles Barcoding project, a research effort aiming to create a DNA barcode library for the beetles that inhabit the forest floor in Taiwan.

Hidden biodiversity underfoot: DNA barcoding of Taiwanese forest beetles

As a rule, studying leaf litter beetles presents a number of challenges due to their vast numbers, diminutive size, and high endemism, but the DNA barcoding approach allows for faster, easier species identification. In their 2024 study in DEZ, the researchers reported the publication of 953 DNA barcodes of forest leaf litter beetles from central Taiwan, in total representing 334 species of 36 beetle families.

Research paper: Hu F-S, Arriaga-Varela E, Biffi G, Bocák L, Bulirsch P, Damaška AF, Frisch J, Hájek J, Hlaváč P, Ho B-H, Ho Y-H, Hsiao Y, Jelínek J, Klimaszewski J, Kundrata R, Löbl I, Makranczy G, Matsumoto K, Phang G-J, Ruzzier E, Schülke M, Švec Z, Telnov D, Tseng W-Z, Yeh L-W, Le M-H, Fikáček M (2024) Forest leaf litter beetles of Taiwan: first DNA barcodes and first insight into the fauna. Deutsche Entomologische Zeitschrift 71(1): 17-47. https://doi.org/10.3897/dez.71.112278

Revising Tropopterus

Having received more than 33,000 views, the paper titled “Revision of Tropopterus Solier: A disjunct South American component of the Australo-Pacific Moriomorphini (Coleoptera, Carabidae)” is the most popular DEZ article of the last decade.

Sole author Dr James K. Liebherr of Cornell University has published numerous important papers on beetle taxonomy in the journal, garnering close to 100,000 total views.

Research paper: Liebherr JK (2019) Revision of Tropopterus Solier: A disjunct South American component of the Australo-Pacific Moriomorphini (Coleoptera, Carabidae). Deutsche Entomologische Zeitschrift 66(2): 147-177. https://doi.org/10.3897/dez.66.38022

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In these ten years of Open Access, DEZ has published 155 articles, contributing to the advancement of open entomology. As we look forward, we hope for a bright future for Deutsche Entomologische Zeitschrift that reflects its rich and inspiring history.

Don’t forget to follow DEZ on X and Facebook, and subscribe for its newsletter from the journal’s website!

Follow the #openaccess_mfnberlin hashtag on X (formerly Twitter) to join the conversation around the anniversary!

New wasp species discovered by researchers on Rice campus

“You don’t have to travel to a distant rainforest to find new and beautiful things — you just have to step outside and look.”

A newly identified wasp species, Chrysonotomyia susbelli, has been discovered in Houston, Texas, marking the 18th new species identified by Rice University’s Scott Egan and his research team since 2014. The discovery, the fourth wasp species found on the university grounds in seven years, reveals the hidden world of parasitoid wasps and the intricate ecosystems that thrive outside our doors.

*Chrysonotomyia susbell*i. Photo credit: Rice University

Chrysonotomyia susbelli is a parasitoid wasp, about 1 millimeter long, that emerges from galls, or tumorlike growths created by the gall wasp Neuroterus bussae found on southern live oak leaves. The galls serve as microhabitats within which larvae feed, develop and pupate. The research team’s study was published in the journal ZooKeys on Sept. 18.

Scott Egan, left, and Brendan O’Loughlin, right. Photo of Egan by Brandon Martin/Rice University. Photo of O’Loughlin courtesy of Rice University.

“Chrysonotomyia susbelli represents the sixth species of its genus described from North America and the first globally known to parasitize cynipid gall wasps,” said Egan, an associate professor of ecology and evolutionary biology.

The wasp was discovered and named by Brendan O’Loughlin, a Rice senior and the study’s first author. “The wasp’s goldenrod color is almost identical to the official colors of Wiess College, my residential college,” O’Loughlin said.

To confirm the uniqueness of the species, the research team conducted a genetic analysis and a detailed study of the wasp’s physical features under a microscope. Its investigation also included a review of the historical literature to ensure that the species had not been previously described.

This research was complemented by DNA barcode data and observations of the wasp’s natural history, including host associations and a unique leaf-scanning behavior exhibited by female wasps. The researchers also modified the identification key of New World members, groups of species found exclusively in the Americas, to incorporate this new species.

Egan emphasized the importance of studying local biodiversity. “You don’t have to travel to a distant rainforest to find new and beautiful things — you just have to step outside and look,” he said.

The discovery hints at a previously unexplored ecological niche involving Chrysonotomyia parasitoids, cynipid gall wasps, and oaks, suggesting that there may be many more undiscovered species within this system.

“Generations of Chrysonotomyia susbelli have likely lived
unnoticed on the oaks of Rice University since its founding,” Egan said.

Co-authors of the study include Pedro FP Brandão-Dias, Ph.D. graduate of ecology and evolutionary biology at Rice and current postdoctoral scholar at the University of Washington, and Michael Gates, parasitoid wasp specialist of the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Systematic Entomology Laboratory at the Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History.

Originally published by Rice University. Republished with permission.

Research article:

O’Loughlin B, Brandão-Dias PFP, Gates MW, Egan SP (2024) Description of a new species of Chrysonotomyia Ashmead from Houston, Texas, USA (Hymenoptera, Chalcidoidea, Eulophidae). ZooKeys 1212: 241-254. https://doi.org/10.3897/zookeys.1212.127537

Orthoptera and origami: Pensoft at the International Congress of Entomology

Meeting our authors in person was a chance for us to gather valuable feedback and make sure we are doing our best.

The International Congress of Entomology 2024 (ICE2024), which took place on August 25-30 2024 in Kyoto, Japan, was arguably the biggest entomology event of the year. For the Pensoft team, it was an excellent chance to catch up with our authors and editors and discuss new partnerships.

At the Kyoto International Conference Center, entomologists visited lectures, symposia, and poster presentations, but they also enjoyed insect-themed haikus, origami, and artworks, and got to sample some edible insects.

Origami Corner#Amazing #ice2024 #ice2024kyoto #YoshinoriShintani #not4sale pic.twitter.com/vnEr3kWePQ
— International Congress of Entomology 2024 Kyoto JP (@ice2024kyoto_jp) August 27, 2024

Meeting our authors in person was a chance for us to gather valuable feedback and make sure we are doing our best to provide entomologists with a frictionless process that makes their published research shine.

Robin Kundrata, author in ZooKeys
Deepa Pureswaran, author and editor in NeoBiota
Alain Roques, author and editor in NeoBiota
Jessica Gillung, author in ZooKeys
Ranjith AP, editor in Check List and author in ZooKeys and Journal of Hymenoptera Research
Minoo Heidari Latibari, author in ZooKeys
Elisabeth Geiser, author in ZooKeys
Sven Bradler, author and editor in ZooKeys
Showtaro Kakizoe, author in ZooKeys
Antonio Carapelli, author and reviewer in ZooKeys

At Stand 25, congress participants browsed the company’s open-access entomological journals, including ZooKeys, Biodiversity Data Journal, and Deutsche Entomologische Zeitschrift, as well as its wide range of books on insect diversity, systematics, and ecology.

Scientific illustrator Denitsa Peneva’s beautiful works adorned Pensoft’s stand; Mostafa Ghafouri Moghaddam, subject editor at ZooKeys and Biodiversity Data Journal and author at a number of Pensoft-published journals even got to take one of her prints home after winning a raffle that Pensoft organised. He won a beautiful illustration of Bombus fragrans on Trifolium pratense.

Pensoft’s founder and CEO and one of the founding editors of the company’s flagship journal ZooKeys, Prof. Lyubomir Penev, was there representing the company and meeting with fellow entomologists.

Prof. Penev with Evgeny Zakharov of the Centre for Biodiversity Genomics
Prof. Penev with researchers Jadranka Rota, Niklas Wahlberg, Alexander Konstantinov, and Michael Schmidt
Prof. Penev with researcher Caroline S. Chaboo

They also got the chance to learn about the ARPHA Platform, a next-generation publishing solution that offers a streamlined and efficient workflow for authors, reviewers, and editors.

ARPHA Platform’s 15 top features enjoyed by client journals and publishers

At ICE2024, Pensoft also presented its newest open-access jorunal, Natural History Collections and Museomics. A peer-reviewed journal for research, discussion and innovation of natural history collections, NHCM will publish under a diamond open access model, allowing free access to published content without any fees for authors or readers.

New Diamond OA journal Natural History Collections and Museomics launches on ARPHA Platform

In addition to its publishing endeavors, Pensoft also presented some of the EU-funded pollinator projects that it takes part in such as Safeguard, PollinERA, and WildPosh.

ICE2024 was a chance to advance entomological science and foster collaboration within the global scientific community. For those who missed the chance to connect with Pensoft in Kyoto, the company’s journals and platforms remain accessible online, offering opportunities to read and produce groundbreaking research in insect diversity and ecology.

Low-cost, high-volume imaging for entomological digitization

The flexibility of the imaging rig could benefit many potential users who are looking for an accessible method for larger collections of specimens

Guest blog post by Corey Feng and Dirk Steinke

The demand for the digitization of natural history collections has increased with the advancement of imaging technologies. Large collections composed of millions of insect specimens are exploring efficient strategies and new technologies to digitize them. However, many of these new systems are quite elaborate and expensive, creating a need for more affordable and easy-to-use equipment.

75-by-47-cm foam platform with pinned insects in dorsal and lateral positions.

Creating a digital image for every specimen is an essential part of the DNA barcoding workflow at the Centre for Biodiversity Genomics (CBG). A newly designed imaging rig has enabled the CBG to quickly and efficiently image specimens at high quality while controlling the specimen’s orientation to emphasize key morphological characters. This system allowed the CBG to take some 190,000 images over the past year.

The SLR rig is placed on a heavy-base table to minimize vibration. The inset shows the actual rig area with specimens on the styrofoam base.

Our new ZooKeys study describes this imaging rig, which was mainly created for pinned specimens. It is inexpensive and easy to install as it uses a camera mounted to a CNC machine rig to photograph specimens at high capacity. By using a foam board to array specimens, the user can choose their orientation, which contrasts some existing methods that do not provide such flexibility. This setup produces 95 high quality images within half an hour.

Panel of example images taken with the SLR rig.

The flexibility of the imaging rig could benefit many potential users who are looking for an accessible method for larger collections of specimens. By alternating various parameters, such as the distance between the camera and specimens or the type of camera and lens used, users can adapt their system to specimens of varying sizes. With further changes to the array, the imaging rig can also be adapted to support imaging specimens on slides, within vials, or other storage solutions.

Research article:

Steinke D, McKeown JTA, Zyba A, McLeod J, Feng C, Hebert PDN (2024) Low-cost, high-volume imaging for entomological digitization. ZooKeys 1206: 315-326. https://doi.org/10.3897/zookeys.1206.123670

How to ensure biodiversity data are FAIR, linked, open and future-proof?

Now concluded Horizon 2020-funded project BiCIKL shares lessons learned with policy-makers and research funders

Within the Biodiversity Community Integrated Knowledge Library (BiCIKL) project, 14 European institutions from ten countries, spent the last three years elaborating on services and high-tech digital tools, in order to improve the findability, accessibility, interoperability and reusability (FAIR-ness) of various types of data about the world’s biodiversity. These types of data include peer-reviewed scientific literature, occurrence records, natural history collections, DNA data and more.

By ensuring all those data are readily available and efficiently interlinked to each other, the project consortium’s intention is to provide better tools to the scientific community, so that it can more rapidly and effectively study, assess, monitor and preserve Earth’s biological diversity in line with the objectives of the likes of the EU Biodiversity Strategy for 2030 and the European Green Deal. Their targets require openly available, precise and harmonised data to underpin the design of effective measures for restoration and conservation, reminds the BiCIKL consortium.

Since 2021, the project partners at BiCIKL have been working together to elaborate existing workflows and links, as well as create brand new ones, so that their data resources, platforms and tools can seamlessly communicate with each other, thereby taking the burden off the shoulders of scientists and letting them focus on their actual mission: paving the way to healthy and sustainable ecosystems across Europe and beyond.

New BiCIKL project to build a freeway between pieces of biodiversity knowledge

Now that the three-year project is officially over, the wider scientific community is yet to reap the fruits of the consortium’s efforts. In fact, the end of the BiCIKL project marks the actual beginning of a European- and global-wide revolution in the way biodiversity scientists access, use and produce data. It is time for the research community, as well as all actors involved in the study of biodiversity and the implementation of regulations necessary to protect and preserve it, to embrace the lessons learned, adopt the good practices identified and build on the knowledge in existence.

This is why amongst the BiCIKL’s major final research outputs, there are two Policy Briefs meant to summarise and highlight important recommendations addressed to key policy makers, research institutions and funders of research. After all, it is the regulatory bodies that are best equipped to share and implement best practices and guidelines.

Most recently, the BiCIKL consortium published two particularly important policy briefs, both addressed to the likes of the European Commission’s Directorate-General for Environment; the European Environment Agency; the Joint Research Centre; as well as science and policy interface platforms, such as the EU Biodiversity Platform; and also organisations and programmes, e.g. Biodiversa+ and EuropaBON, which are engaged in biodiversity monitoring, protection and restoration. The policy briefs are also to be of particular use to national research funds in the European Union.

🆕Policy Brief by @Bicikl_H2020 addresses the likes of @EU_ENV @EUEnvironment @EU_ScienceHub @BiodiversaPlus & @EuropaBon_H2020🇪🇺 to pave the way for a Linked Open Data-based, AI-assisted Overarching #Biodiversity Supergraph.

📃See:https://t.co/JMr2IbgFLT #FAIRdata #BiCIKL_H2020 pic.twitter.com/IFl2xPbriN
— RIO Journal (@RIOJournal) May 7, 2024

One of the newly published policy briefs, titled “Uniting FAIR data through interlinked, machine-actionable infrastructures”, highlights the potential benefits derived from enhanced connectivity and interoperability among various types of biodiversity data. The publication includes a list of recommendations addressed to policy-makers, as well as nine key action points. Understandably, amongst the main themes are those of wider international cooperation; inclusivity and collaboration at scale; standardisation and bringing science and policy closer to industry. Another major outcome of the BiCIKL project: the Biodiversity Knowledge Hub portal is noted as central to many of these objectives and tasks in its role of a knowledge broker that will continue to be maintained and updated with additional FAIR data-compliant services as a living legacy of the collaborative efforts at BiCIKL.

🆕Policy brief by @Bicikl_H2020 advises how to liberate #scientific #data from #scholarly publications and publish #FAIRdata, in order to foster excellence & innovation in #biodiversity science, #monitoring & #conservation.

📃See: https://t.co/yHMc7TPeTm #BiCIKL_H2020 #FAIRdata pic.twitter.com/iFnSCvDdft
— RIO Journal (@RIOJournal) May 8, 2024

The second policy brief, titled “Liberate the power of biodiversity literature as FAIR digital objects”, shares key actions that can liberate data published in non-machine actionable formats and non-interoperable platforms, so that those data can also be efficiently accessed and used; as well as ways to publish future data according to the best FAIR and linked data practices. The recommendations highlighted in the policy brief intend to support decision-making in Europe; expedite research by making biodiversity data immediately and globally accessible; provide curated data ready to use by AI applications; and bridge gaps in the life cycle of research data through digital-born data. Several new and innovative workflows, linkages and integrative mechanisms and services developed within BiCIKL are mentioned as key advancements created to access and disseminate data available from scientific literature.

While all policy briefs and factsheets – both primarily targeted at non-expert decision-makers who play a central role in biodiversity research and conservation efforts – are openly and freely available on the project’s website, the most important contributions were published as permanent scientific records in a BiCIKL-branded dedicated collection in the peer-reviewed open-science journal Research Ideas and Outcomes (RIO). There, the policy briefs are provided as both a ready-to-print document (available as supplementary material) and an extensive academic publication.

Currently, the collection: “Towards interlinked FAIR biodiversity knowledge: The BiCIKL perspective” in the RIO journal contains 60 publications, including policy briefs, project reports, methods papers, conference abstracts, demonstrating and highlighting key milestones and project outcomes from along the BiCIKL’s journey in the last three years. The collection also features over 15 scientific publications authored by people not necessarily involved in BiCIKL, but whose research uses linked open data and tools created in BiCIKL. Their publications were published in a dedicated article collection in the Biodiversity Data Journal.

BiCIKL keeps on adding project outcomes in own collection in RIO Journal

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Visit the Biodiversity Community Integrated Knowledge Library (BiCIKL) project’s website at: https://bicikl-project.eu/.

Don’t forget to also explore the Biodiversity Knowledge Hub (BKH) for yourself at: https://biodiversityknowledgehub.eu/ and watch the BKH’s introduction video.

Highlights from the BiCIKL project are also accessible on Twitter/X from the project’s hashtag: #BiCIKL_H2020 and handle: @BiCIKL_H2020.

BiCIKL project sums up outcomes and future prospects at a Final GA in Cambridge

A new 3D printable model of an entomological pinning block

Intended for widespread use by entomologists, the block is applicable to large entomological collections with individual specimen numbering.

Guest blog post by Ilia Vladimirov Gjonov

The proposed model of an entomological block is ready for printing on a standard 3D printer. In addition to the usual positioning of glue boards and labels along the Z-axis, the model also offers targeting devices that enable precise positioning of the entomological pin along the X- and Y-axes.

The model is offered in two variants – one for immediate use after printing and another that requires the fabrication of an additional steel rail measuring 100 × 30 × 5 mm, against which the tip of the pin rests during positioning along the Z-axis. The rail is also used to increase the overall mass of the fixture. The overall dimensions of the device are 100 mm in length, 35 mm in width and 37 mm in height.

The proposed entomological block is intended for widespread use by entomologists, particularly those using insect glue boards. It is applicable to large entomological collections with individual specimen numbering and its use can ensure that entomological pins are positioned on the label so as not to disrupt the integrity of the number or barcode. It can also be modified to suit the needs of the user and can be sliced and printed directly on a 3D printer.

Methods paper:

Gjonov I, Hristozov A (2024) 3D printable model of an entomological pinning block, designed for precise positioning of entomological glue boards and labels. Biodiversity Data Journal 12: e121569. https://doi.org/10.3897/BDJ.12.e121569

Pensoft wishes “Happy 90th birthday!” to thrips expert Dr. Laurence Mound

To date, Dr. Laurence Mound is the most prolific thrips researcher in history and has made monumental contributions to the field.

Today, Pensoft celebrates one of its most distinguished editors and the world’s leading authority on thrips: Dr. Laurence Mound on the occasion of his 90^th birthday.

Born in Willesden, London, on 22 April 1934, Dr. Mound is considered a world authority in the field. Having received his PhD from the University of London, he has been studying the biology and systematics of the order Thysanoptera for more than six decades. His academic recognitions include honorary membership at both the Royal and the Australian Entomological societies.

To date, Dr. Laurence Mound is the most prolific thrips researcher in history and has made monumental contributions to the field as the author of 500 publications, including landmark papers that have since shaped our understanding of the taxonomy and evolution of thrips. He has also published a number of books on thrip identification and control.

Having worked with admirable devotion and persistence to advance the knowledge of thrips on a global scale, Dr. Mound has described over 700 species and 100 genera. His studies have helped with species identifications in important pest groups, which in turn has had a pivotal role in the management of pests and the prevention of the establishment of new pest species.

One of the first-ever entomologists to join the ZooKeys editorial team, Mound has been the journal’s go-to editor for the order Thysanoptera for more than a decade. He oversaw the publication of 18 research papers at ZooKeys. He has also authored 11 articles in the journal, including especially valuable identification keys of different taxa from across the globe. He has also been one of the journal’s active reviewers.

Other journals published by Pensoft have also benefited from Mound’s invaluable scientific contributions. Over the years, the renowned thrips expert has also been an author, reviewer, and editor at Deutsche Entomologische Zeitschrift, Biodiversity Data Journal, Check List and Journal of Orthoptera Research.

“As a founder of ZooKeys, I’d like to specially congratulate Laurence on his 90^th anniversary and personally thank him for his admirable involvement in our beloved journal. I cannot stress it enough how central dedicated and passionate scientists like him are to have a journal establish itself as a top-quality community-led resource of knowledge. As a fellow entomologist, I’d like to wish him health and good fortune for many years to come; and may the devotion and fascination you have invested in the field extend to each and every aspect of your life!”
says Prof. Dr. Lyubomir Penev, founder/CEO of Pensoft and founding editor of ZooKeys.

“As Editor-in-Chief of ZooKeys, I wish you a ‘Happy 90^th birthday!’ and thank you for your dedication and support of the journal since its very early days,”
says Dr. Torsten Dikow, Editor-in-Chief at ZooKeys and research entomologist and curator at the Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History (USA).

“It was Laurence Mound who suggested my name to replace him as subject editor for Thysanoptera at ZooKeys five years ago. Since then, Laurence has actively continued to be a major contributor of both papers and reviews to the journal. It is an honour to share his friendship and to be able to continually receive his support, encouragement and guidance over the years. I would like to express my gratitude and wish an excellent birthday to this researcher who inspires all of us who study Thysanoptera and entomology in general,”
says Prof. Dr. Elison Lima, Adjunct professor at Universidade Federal do Piauí (Brazil) and fellow thrips expert.

“We are truly honoured to have been working with Laurence all these years! His passion and dedication have left a permanent mark on the field of entomology. We toast to the future success and happiness of a dear friend, editor, and author. May his work continue to inspire many more generations of entomologists and conservationists,”
adds Pensoft’s editorial team.

Pensoft took a BiCIKL ride to Naturalis to report on a 3-year endeavour towards FAIR data

Three years ago, the BiCIKL consortium took to traverse obstacles to wider use and adoption of FAIR and linked biodiversity data.

Leiden – also known as the ‘City of Keys’ and the ‘City of Discoveries’ – was aptly chosen to host the third Empowering Biodiversity Research (EBR III) conference. The two-day conference – this time focusing on the utilisation of biodiversity data as a vehicle for biodiversity research to reach to Policy – was held in a no less fitting locality: the Naturalis Biodiversity Center.

On 25^thand 26^thMarch 2024, the delegates got the chance to learn more about the latest discoveries, trends and innovations from scientists, as well as various stakeholders, including representatives of policy-making bodies, research institutions and infrastructures. The conference also ran a poster session and a Biodiversity Informatics market, where scientists, research teams, project consortia, and providers of biodiversity research-related services and tools could showcase their work and meet like-minded professionals.

BiCIKL stops at the Naturalis Biodiversity Center

The main outcome of the BiCIKL project: the Biodiversity Knowledge Hub, a one-stop knowledge portal to interlinked and machine-readable FAIR data.

The famous for its bicycle friendliness country also made a suitable stop for BiCIKL (an acronym for the Biodiversity Community Integrated Knowledge Library): a project funded under the European Commission’s Horizon 2020 programme that aimed at triggering a culture change in the way users access, (re)use, publish and share biodiversity data. To do this, the BiCIKL consortium set off on a 3-year journey to build on the existing biodiversity data infrastructures, workflows, standards and the linkages between them.

Many of the people who have been involved in the project over the last three years could be seen all around the beautiful venue. Above all, Naturalis is itself one of the partnering institutions at BiCIKL. Then, on Tuesday, on behalf of the BiCIKL consortium and the project’s coordinator: the scientific publisher and technology innovator: Pensoft, Iva Boyadzhieva presented the work done within the project one month ahead of its official conclusion at the end of April.

As she talked about the way the BiCIKL consortium took to traverse obstacles to wider use and adoption of FAIR and linked biodiversity data, she focused on BiCIKL’s main outcome: the Biodiversity Knowledge Hub (BKH).

Key results from the BiCIKL project three years into its existence presented by Pensoft’s Iva Boyadzhieva at the EBR III conference.

Intended to act as a knowledge broker for users who wish to navigate and access sources of open and FAIR biodiversity data, guidelines, tools and services, in practicality, the BKH is a one-stop portal for understanding the complex but increasingly interconnected landscape of biodiversity research infrastructures in Europe and beyond. It collates information, guidelines, recommendations and best practices in usage of FAIR and linked biodiversity data, as well as a continuously expanded catalogue of compliant relevant services and tools.

At the core of the BKH is the FAIR Data Place (FDP), where users can familiarise themselves with each of the participating biodiversity infrastructures and network organisations, and also learn about the specific services they provide. There, anyone can explore various biodiversity data tools and services by browsing by their main data type, e.g. specimens, sequences, taxon names, literature.

While the project might be coming to an end, she pointed out, the BKH is here to stay as a navigation system in a universe of interconnected biodiversity research infrastructures.

To do this, not only will the partners continue to maintain it, but it will also remain open to any research infrastructure that wishes to feature its own tools and services compliant with the linked and FAIR data requirements set by the BiCIKL consortium.

On the event’s website you can access the BiCIKL’s slides presentation as presented at the EBR III conference.

What else was on at the EBR III?

Indisputably, the ‘hot’ topics at the EBR III were the novel technologies for remote and non-invasive, yet efficient biomonitoring; the utilisation of data and other input sourced by citizen scientists; as well as leveraging different types and sources of biodiversity data, in order to better inform decision-makers, but also future-proof the scientific knowledge we have collected and generated to date.

Project’s coordinator Dr Quentin Groom presents the B-Cubed’s approach towards standardised access to biodiversity data for the use of policy-making at the EBR III conference.

Amongst the other Horizon Europe projects presented at the EBR III conference was B-Cubed (Biodiversity Building Blocks for policy). On Monday, the project’s coordinator Dr Quentin Groom (Meise Botanic Garden) familiarised the conference participants with the project, which aims to standardise access to biodiversity data, in order to empower policymakers to proactively address the impacts of biodiversity change.

You can find more about B-Cubed and Pensoft’s role in it in this blog post.

On the event’s website you can access the B-Cubed’s slides presentation as presented at the EBR III conference.

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Dr France Gerard (UK Centre for Ecology & Hydrology) talks about the challenges in using raw data – including those provided by drones – to derive habitat condition metrics.

MAMBO: another Horizon Europe project where Pensoft has been contributing with expertise in science communication, dissemination and exploitation, was also an active participant at the event. An acronym for Modern Approaches to the Monitoring of BiOdiversity, MAMBO had its own session on Tuesday morning, where Dr Vincent Kalkman (Naturalis Biodiversity Center), Dr France Gerard (UK Centre for Ecology & Hydrology) and Prof. Toke Høye (Aarhus University) each took to the stage to demonstrate how modern technology developed within the project is to improve biodiversity and habitat monitoring. Learn more about MAMBO and Pensoft’s involvement in this blog post.

MAMBO’s project coordinator Prof. Toke T. Høye talked about smarter technologies for biodiversity monitoring, including camera traps able to count insects at a particular site.

On the event’s website you can access the MAMBO’s slides presentations by Kalkman, Gerard and Høye, as presented at the EBR III conference.

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The EBR III conference also saw a presentation – albeit remote – from Prof. Dr. Florian Leese (Dean at the University of Duisburg-Essen, Germany, and Editor-in-Chief at the Metabarcoding and Metagenomics journal), where he talked about the promise, but also the challenges for DNA-based methods to empower biodiversity monitoring.

Amongst the key tasks here, he pointed out, are the alignment of DNA-based methods with the Global Biodiversity Framework; central push and funding for standards and guidance; publication of data in portals that adhere to the best data practices and rules; and the mobilisation of existing resources such as the meteorological ones.

Prof. Dr. Florian Leese talked about the promise, but also the challenges for DNA-based methods to empower biodiversity monitoring. He also referred to the 2022 Forum Paper: “Introducing guidelines for publishing DNA-derived occurrence data through biodiversity data platforms” by R. Henrik Nilsson et al.

He also made a reference to the Forum Paper “Introducing guidelines for publishing DNA-derived occurrence data through biodiversity data platforms” by R. Henrik Nilsson et al., where the international team provided a brief rationale and an overview of guidelines targeting the principles and approaches of exposing DNA-derived occurrence data in the context of broader biodiversity data. In the study, published in the Metabarcoding and Metagenomics journal in 2022, they also introduced a living version of these guidelines, which continues to encourage feedback and interaction as new techniques and best practices emerge.

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You can find the programme on the conference website and see highlights on the conference hashtag: #EBR2024.

Don’t forget to also explore the Biodiversity Knowledge Hub for yourself at: https://biodiversityknowledgehub.eu/

Rare bee species discovery links the French Alps to Turkey and Iraq

The new species has a narrow ecological niche, making it vulnerable to climate change and agricultural practices.

European researchers have discovered a new species of osmiine bee with an unusual geographic distribution.

Hoplitis onosmaevae is currently found exclusively in the Mercantour National Park in the French Alps and disparate mountainous regions in Turkey and Northern Iraq. The distance of more than 2000 km between these areas highlights a significant biogeographic disjunction.

New bee species distribution. — Distribution map of *Hoplitis* *onosmaevae*.

Described in the open-access journal Alpine Entomology, the new bee species demonstrates unique ecological characteristics such as its distinct nesting behaviour in dead wood.

Presumed to only harvest pollen from Onosma species, it has a long proboscis, which is likely an adaptation to collect nectar from the long-tubed flowers of this genus.

The strongly disjunct distribution of Hoplitis onosmaevae has important implications for conservation. The species likely has a very narrow ecological niche, making it highly susceptible to future changes in its habitats, for example due to changes in agricultural practices or to climate change.

New bee species habitat. — Nesting habitat in the Alps, with dead trunks of larch.

New bee species in flower. — Female *Hoplitis* *onosmaevae* in a flower of *Onosma tricerosperma*.

“The consideration of the few known populations of this species in France is very important in the conservation field,” says lead author Matthieu Aubert, freelance entomologist and member of the Observatoire des Abeilles association.

“This study highlights the incredible diversity of wild bees and that we still have a lot to learn from our environment, even in western Europe,” he continues.

The researchers emphasise the need for detailed conservation plans in the southwestern Alps to ensure the survival of Hoplitis onosmaevae, considering its highly specialised ecological niche and consequently its vulnerability to habitat changes. Their proposals for initial conservation steps can be found in the full research paper.

Research paper

Aubert M, Müller A, Praz C (2024) A new osmiine bee with a spectacular geographic disjunction: Hoplitis (Hoplitis) onosmaevae sp. nov. (Hymenoptera, Anthophila, Megachilidae). Alpine Entomology 8: 65-79. https://doi.org/10.3897/alpento.8.118039

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“Tiny, beautiful, and completely unknown animals”: Citizen scientists discover new beetles from the Borneo forest

The field trip allowed laypeople to participate in the study of biodiversity, and to discover and name a new species.

The undiscovered small beetles in the tropical rainforest are probably endless. But that did not discourage citizen scientists on expeditions to the Ulu Temburong forest in Borneo to keep adding them to scientific records, one at a time. Together with a team of researchers, they published a new species, Clavicornaltica mataikanensis in the open-access peer-reviewed Biodiversity Data Journal.

The minute, two-mm-long leaf beetle that lives on the forest floor is the latest discovery of Taxon Expeditions, which organises scientific field trips for teams consisting of both scientists and lay people. Unlike other science/adventure trips, Taxon Expeditions organises real scientific expeditions for lay people, guiding them in the discovery of new species of animals, by focusing on the thousands of ‘little things that run the world’.

Citizen scientists, students, and researchers working together in the rainforest. Credit: Taxon Expeditions – Sotiris Kountouras

Clavicornaltica mataikanensis, named for the stream Mata Ikan (“fish eye”) that runs in the valley where it was found, is one of a plethora of tiny beetle species that live in the leaf litter of tropical forests—and most of them have not yet been scientifically described and named. At 2 mm long, the flea beetle is actually one of the largest among its relatives – which might explain why so little is known about their ecology and diversity.

The Ulu Temburong forest in Brunei. Credit: Taxon Expeditions – Sotiris Kountouras

The field trip, in which local students and researchers also took part, gave untrained lay people the opportunity to participate in the study of this hidden world of biodiversity and in the process of naming and publishing new species. Participant Lehman Ellis, from the US, says it was “exciting and beautiful” to be part of the discovery.

Citizen scientist Eleonora Nigro in the field lab working on the publication. Credit: Taxon Expeditions – Iva Njunjić

Entomologist and founder of Taxon Expeditions, Dr. Iva Njunjić, says: “We introduce the general public to all these tiny, beautiful, and completely unknown animals, and show them that there is a whole world still to be discovered.”

Research article:

Otani S, Bertoli L, Lucchini F, van den Beuken TPG, Boin D, Ellis L, Friedrich H, Jacquot B, Kountouras S, Lim SR, Nigro E, Su’eif S’ie, Tan WH, Grafe U, Cicuzza D, Delledonne M, Njunjić I, Schilthuizen M (2024) A new, unusually large, Clavicornaltica Scherer, 1974 flea beetle from Borneo, described and sequenced in the field by citizen scientists (Coleoptera, Chrysomelidae, Galerucinae). Biodiversity Data Journal 12: e119481. https://doi.org/10.3897/BDJ.12.e119481