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Red lists represent an important instrument for evaluating the decline of species in space and time, for improving decisionmaking and for guiding conservation planning. However, globally, only a fraction of species has been categorized according to a red list, even in countries where insects are relatively well-studied. Such large knowledge gaps hinder conservation planning and ultimately jeopardize the maintenance of ecosystem functions. Given the recent reports on severe insect decline, it is now more than ever of great importance to obtain a reliable complete picture of the state of insects. We here derive an estimate of extinction rates and of the proportion of threatened species for the total insect community in Germany, and asses spatial and temporal of extinction patterns.We found a regional extinction rate of 4.5% (1773-1937 species) for the area of Germany. Among extant insect species, 6% are classified as critically endangered (1856-2024 species), while among remaining species, a staggering 36.1% (10758-11086 species) is classified as threatened.Higher trophic levels of zoophagous insects are often more sensitive to negative environmental changes due to their position in the food web, and at the same time are underrepresented in Red Lists. They are therefore disproportionately affected by these knowledge gaps.This concerns particularly parasitoids which are taxa of regulatory importance and often higher extinction risk levels due to their trophic position.Exemplary examination of the spatial scaling of red list categories indicate a far higher rate and risk and exemplary over ten times higher regional extinction rate when the reference area is gradually scaled down.This illustrates the actual situation regarding the magnitude of regional species extinction events and extirpation risks that we have to assume for certain parts of the reference areas.For a given region, the loss of the gene pool of populations specially adapted to a given region usually represents an irreversible biodiversity loss. In order to avoid further irreparable damage, the species threatened with extinction must be preserved with top priority. There is thus a considerable need for research in order to assess the conservation status of more than 56% of the insect species diversity in Germany and to immediately achieve a more balanced trait group representation in red lists.

We describe a new mechanical tool for dividing mixed insects and other invertebrate samples into subsamples. The device enables the division to equal parts by means of a movable hemispherical bowl and a separating disc. Due to the complete stainless steel manufacturing, the sample divider is sterilizable by using chemicals or heating and thus suitable for DNA-based methods. The production of equally sized subsamples is of particular importance for biodiversity studies today, especially when using metabarcoding combined with insect homogenisation for species determination of mixed insect samples. The device allows sub-samples to be analyzed separately using the same or different methods, or getting archived for museal preservation and future research.

We present a unique data set of trait information for 586 insect families in Central Europe, covering the largest known part of described species (over 34,000 species). Life history information and major functional traits were evaluated with fuzzy coding and weighted according to the number of known species in Germany. An overall analysis of the German insect fauna is given and the data set is exemplarily applied to metabarcoding results of malaise trap samples. Due to the high functional and taxonomic diversity in insects, further developments and refinements of traits to be included will be an ongoing process with advancements of upcoming database versions to be subsequently published.

In connection with the 10th International Symposium on Syrphidae in Lesbos, a pre- and post Symposium collecting expedition was held on the island of Samos, Greece in September 2019. In total 62 species were collected of which 19 are new species to the island of Samos. Moreover Ischiodon aegyptius and Paragus compeditus are new to Greece. The genera Eumerus and Merodon are well investigated in the SE Mediterranean area, and especially the Greek islands. The discovery of respectively five and two new species for Samos during this very short visit shows that with more effort many new species for the fauna of this island are to be expected.

Agriculture and the exploitation of natural resources have transformed tropical mountain ecosystems across the world, and the consequences of these transformations for biodiversity and ecosystem functioning are largely unknown1-3. Conclusions that are derived from studies in non-mountainous areas are not suitable for predicting the effects of land-use changes on tropical mountains because the climatic environment rapidly changes with elevation, which may mitigate or amplify the effects of land use4,5. It is of key importance to understand how the interplay of climate and land use constrains biodiversity and ecosystem functions to determine the consequences of global change for mountain ecosystems. Here we show that the interacting effects of climate and land use reshape elevational trends in biodiversity and ecosystem functions on Africa's largest mountain, Mount Kilimanjaro (Tanzania). We find that increasing land-use intensity causes larger losses of plant and animal species richness in the arid lowlands than in humid submontane and montane zones. Increases in land-use intensity are associated with significant changes in the composition of plant, animal and microorganism communities; stronger modifications of plant and animal communities occur in arid and humid ecosystems, respectively. Temperature, precipitation and land use jointly modulate soil properties, nutrient turnover, greenhouse gas emissions, plant biomass and productivity, as well as animal interactions. Our data suggest that the response of ecosystem functions to land-use intensity depends strongly on climate; more-severe changes in ecosystem functioning occur in the arid lowlands and the cold montane zone. Interactions between climate and land use explained-on average-54% of the variation in species richness, species composition and ecosystem functions, whereas only 30% of variation was related to single drivers. Our study reveals that climate can modulate the effects of land use on biodiversity and ecosystem functioning, and points to a lowered resistance of ecosystems in climatically challenging environments to ongoing land-use changes in tropical mountainous regions.

Following an international Diptera expedition in 2016, two new species of Platycheirus Lepeletier & Serville, 1828 were found in Taiwan. A total of three species from three different species groups are now known from Taiwan. The two new species, Platycheirus ferrumitarsis sp. n. and Platycheirus perpes sp. n., are described and their respective placement within the peltatus and ambiguus species groups is discussed. The other species, Platycheirus formosanus Shiraki, 1930, is illustrated and its placement is discussed. It is argued that P. nigritus Huo, Ren & Zheng 2007 should be considered a nomen dubium as it is discussed to be described based on an intersex specimen.

The taxonomy of Syrphidae is far from being complete in the Afrotropical Region and many species have been described from a single sex only. One of these is the enigmatic monotypic genus Syrittosyrphus Hull, 1944, of which, so far, only the male of Syrittosyrphus opacea Hull, 1944 was described from the Eastern Cape Province in South Africa. Here, we re-describe the male and describe the female. We summarise all known distribution records from South Africa (Eastern Cape, KwaZulu-Natal and Limpopo Provinces) and Zimbabwe (Vumba), of which several are new. We also provide notes on the species’ ecology.

Reports of declines in biomass of flying insects have alarmed the world in recent years. However, how biomass declines reflect biodiversity loss is still an open question. Here, we analyze the abundance (19,604 individuals) of 162 hoverfly species (Diptera: Syrphidae), at six locations in German nature reserves in 1989 and 2014, and generalize the results with a model varying decline rates of common vs. rare species. We show isometric decline rates between total insect biomass and total hoverfly abundance and a scale-dependent decline in hoverfly species richness, ranging between -23% over the season to -82% at the daily level. We constructed a theoretical null model to explore how strong declines in total abundance translate to changing rank-abundance curves, species persistence, and diversity measures. Observed persistence rates were disproportionately lower than expected for species of intermediate abundance, while the rarest species showed decline and appearance rates consistent with random expectation. Our results suggest that large insect biomass declines are predictive of insect diversity declines. Under current threats, even the more common species are in peril, calling for a reevaluation of hazards and conservation strategies that traditionally target already rare and endangered species only.

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Aim Species differ in their degree of specialization when interacting with other species, with significant consequences for the function and robustness of ecosystems. In order to better estimate such consequences, we need to improve our understanding of the spatial patterns and drivers of specialization in interaction networks. Methods Here, we used the extensive environmental gradient of Mt. Kilimanjaro (Tanzania, East Africa) to study patterns and drivers of specialization, and robustness of plant–pollinator interactions against simulated species extinction with standardized sampling methods. We studied specialization, network robustness and other network indices of 67 quantitative plant–pollinator networks consisting of 268 observational hours and 4,380 plant–pollinator interactions along a 3.4 km elevational gradient. Using path analysis, we tested whether resource availability, pollinator richness, visitation rates, temperature, and/or area explain average specialization in pollinator communities. We further linked pollinator specialization to different pollinator taxa, and species traits, that is, proboscis length, body size, and species elevational ranges. Results We found that specialization decreased with increasing elevation at different levels of biological organization. Among all variables, mean annual temperature was the best predictor of average specialization in pollinator communities. Specialization differed between pollinator taxa, but was not related to pollinator traits. Network robustness against simulated species extinctions of both plants and pollinators was lowest in the most specialized interaction networks, that is, in the lowlands. Conclusions Our study uncovers patterns in plant–pollinator specialization along elevational gradients. Mean annual temperature was closely linked to pollinator specialization. Energetic constraints, caused by short activity timeframes in cold highlands, may force ectothermic species to broaden their dietary spectrum. Alternatively or in addition, accelerated evolutionary rates might facilitate the establishment of specialization under warm climates. Despite the mechanisms behind the patterns have yet to be fully resolved, our data suggest that temperature shifts in the course of climate change may destabilize pollination networks by affecting network architecture., We studied specialization patterns in plant–pollinator interactions along a 3.4 km elevational gradient on Mt. Kilimanjaro (Tanzania) and demonstrated that specialization decreased with elevation across networks, communities, and pollinator species. Temperature predicted the degree of specialization better than pollinator richness, resource availability, area, or pollinator traits. Despite the mechanisms behind the patterns have yet to be fully resolved, we conclude that temperature shifts in the course of climate change may destabilize pollination networks by affecting network architecture.

Agriculture and the exploitation of natural resources have transformed tropical mountain ecosystems across the world, and the consequences of these transformations for biodiversity and ecosystem functioning are largely unknown

SummaryNew records of the endangered European genus and species Psarus abdominalis (Diptera, Syrphidae, Rhingiini) are provided together with a list of the Syrphidae collected in the Haut-Rhin Department. Based on these new records, the status of this highly endangered species is discussed. In addition, we give molecular data about Psarus abdominalis as part of the German Barcode of Life project, a contribution to a reference DNA library, as well as the detailed distribution of Psarus.

In 2006 a study of Syrphidae (Diptera) was carried out in the region of Damghan, Semnan Province of Iran, recording 17 species at five collecting sites, comprising altogether 1076 specimens. Two species, Cheilosia cumanica (Szilady, 1938) and Paragus serratus (Fabricius, 1805) are new to the Iranian fauna. Flower visiting was recorded on 11 species of plants, Raphanus sativus being the most commonly visited plant.

Umfassende Managementplane fur Natura-2000-Gebiete (FFH- und Vogelschutzgebiete) werden durch Art. 6 Abs. 1 FFH-Richtlinie nicht zwingend vorgeschrieben. Sie stellen aber ein wertvolles Planungsinstrument dar, um Verschlechterungen von Lebensraumen und Arthabitaten zu vermeiden bzw. deren Zustand zu verbessern. Sie stellen auch eine proaktiv ausgerichtete Erganzung zum Instrument der FFH-Vertraglichkeitsprufung fur Plane und Projekte dar. Das Kapitel gibt einen Uberblick uber die Bedeutung und Setzung der Erhaltungsziele, die Planung und Umsetzung von Erhaltungsmasnahmen und die Anforderungen an Managementplane fur Natura-2000-Gebiete. Die aktuelle Situation zur Anwendung des Instruments in den Bundeslandern wird analysiert und es werden praktische Hinweise zur Managementplanung gegeben.

Naturliche Okosysteme, die organismische Vielfalt, die sie beherbergen, und ihre Leistungen sind von grundlegender Bedeutung fur den Menschen.

Der Klimawandel wirkt sich zunehmend auf Verbreitung, Bestandssituation, und Verhalten von Tier- und Pflanzenarten in Mitteleuropa aus ( Kap. 3, 4). Die Ableitung von Vorhersagen auf Grundlage uberregionaler Klimawandelszenarien ist mit Unsicherheiten behaftet, die durch biologische Prozesse (z. B. Ausbreitungsfahigkeit und -verhalten, Interaktionen und Populationsdynamik) verstarkt werden. Dennoch erlauben diese Szenarien Aussagen zur Bedrohung klimasensibler Arten, Lebensgemeinschaften sowie Regionen und eine Priorisierung und Fokussierung zu setzender Masnahmen.

This paper presents results of a study of the Syrphidae fauna of Cameroon, based largely on an expedition to that country conducted in May 2006. Sixty-three species of Syrphidae were collected during the Expedition, 49 of which are newly recorded for the country, including some undescribed species. A preliminary checklist of the Syrphidae of Cameroon is provided, indicating that the Cameroonian Syrphidae fauna now comprises 96 species in total.

The species of the genus Betasyrphus Matsumura, 1917 from Madagascar are reviewed. Betasyrphus keiseri sp. nov. is described from Vohipara (Ramonafana National Park) and compared to the type material of Betasyrphus serarius (Wiedemann,1830). The latter species could not be confirmed from the Afrotropical region and has to be deleted from the Afrotropical catalogue. The male genitalia of the new species are figured and a key to the species from Madagascar is given. The genus contains 12 described Aftrotropical species, excluding two taxa of uncertain status. Only two valid species exist in Madagascar.

This study analyses whether the Natura 2000 network of Sites of Community Importance (SCIs) is able to protect relict species in the taxonomic groups of higher plants, molluscs, dragonflies and damselflies as well as butterflies (only Rhopalocera) in Germany. Altogether, a total of 157 species from all groups are identified as relict species in Germany. Fourteen of these are included in Annexes II, IV or V of the Habitats Directive.

In Deutschland sind die Aufgaben im Naturschutz zwischen Bund und Landern geteilt, wobei die Durchfuhrung und Umsetzung des Gebietsschutzes eine Aufgabe der Bundeslander ist. Dem Bund obliegen hierbei die Rahmengesetzgebung durch das Bundesnaturschutzgesetz (BNatSchG), der internationale Naturschutz und die Durchfuhrung des Artenschutzes (Washingtoner Artenschutzabkommen). Im Flachenschutz kann der Bund in besonderen Fallen eine finanzielle Unterstutzung in Forderprojekten fur Gebiete “gesamtstaatlich reprasentativer Bedeutung” beitragen. Schutzgebiete im engeren Sinne sind dauerhafte Sicherungen von Gebieten aufgrund gesetzlicher beziehungsweise rechtsverbindlicher Bestimmungen mit festgelegtem Schutzziel. Dazu gehoren alle Kategorien des Bundesnaturschutzgesetzes. Hierbei lassen sich verschiedene Formen unterscheiden, zum Beispiel der Pauschalschutz von allen Vorkommen von bestimmten Biotoptypen, Schutzgebiete mit unmittelbarer Rechtsverbindlichkeit (zum Beispiel Naturschutzgebiete) und solche Schutzgebiete, die uber andere Schutzgebietskategorien mittelbar umgesetzt werden. Klar von den Schutzgebieten zu trennen sind die Pradikate, deren Vergabe von Wertkriterien abhangig ist, und die keinen rechtsverbindlichen Schutzstatus haben mussen. Manche Pradikate setzen eine rechtliche Unterschutzstellung voraus, andere sind Schutzgebietsvorschlage offizieller Stellen oder Schutzgebietsvorschlage Dritter, zum Beispiel der Naturschutzverbande. Am bekanntesten ist die IBA (Important Bird Areas)-Liste der Vogelschutzverbande geworden. Einige Pradikate werden auf Zeit vergeben und regelmasig kontrolliert, so zum Beispiel das Europadiplom des Europarates alle funf Jahre. Schutzgebiete werden nach den jeweiligen Bestimmungen der Landesnaturschutzgesetze von den Landesnaturschutzbehorden ausgewiesen. Allein die Ausweisung von Nationalparken bedarf einer Benehmensherstellung mit dem Bundesministerium fur Umwelt, Naturschutz und Reaktorsicherheit und dem Bundesministerium fur Raumordnung, Bauwesen und Stadtebau. Mit dem europaischen Schutzgebietssystem Natura 2000 sind erstmals gesetzlich auch ein Schutz vor Auseneinwirkungen auf das Schutzobjekt und eine regelmasige Erfolgskontrolle vorgeschrieben. Keywords: Artenschutzgebiet; Biospharenreservat; Biotopschutzgebiet; Europaische Vogelschutzgebiete; FFH-Gebiete; FFH-Richtlinie; Geschutzte Landschaftsbestandteile; Landschaftsschutzgebiet; Meeresschutzgebiet; Nationalpark; Naturdenkmal; Naturmonument; Naturpark; Naturschutzgebiete; Naturschutzpark; Raumordnungsgesetz; Ressourcenschutzgebiet

Since the ratification of the “International Convention of the United Nations on Biodiversity”, a lot of activities have been initiated to incorporate biodiversity concepts in nature conservation on national level. While nature conservation in earlier times mainly focused on species conservation, modern strategies are based on the conservation of biodiversity as a whole. This new orientation process is reflected by the “Habitats Directive of the European Union” and the “Biodiversity Convention” itself. Relevance and evaluation of biodiversity, as well as the possibilities for its maintenance are discussed in detail with reference to its main levels of hierarchy: genetic diversity, species diversity, and diversity of habitats or biotopes. The latter includes functional and dynamic aspects of biotopes, biotope complexes and landscape units.

Diptera are one of the three largest and most diverse animal groups in the world. As an often neglected but important group of pollinators, they play a significant role in agrobiodiversity and the biodiversity of plants everywhere. Flies are present in almost all habitats and biomes and for many medicinal, food and ornamental plants, pollinating flies guarantee or enhance seed and fruit production. They are important in the natural landscape, in agriculture and in greenhouses, and have recently come into use in the production of seeds for seed banks. The Sao Paulo Pollinator Initiative, the CBD, and Pollinator secretariats were important starting points in the international recognition of pollinator importance. However, large gaps in our knowledge of the role of Diptera in pollination networks need to be addressed in order to sustain agriculture and to enable appropriate responses to climate change. At this 9th Conference of the Parties we would like to draw attention to the role of often-neglect...