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Global biodiversity gradients are generally expected to reflect greater species replacement closer to the equator. However, empirical validation of global biodiversity gradients largely relies on vertebrates, plants, and other less diverse taxa. Here we assess the temporal and spatial dynamics of global arthropod biodiversity dynamics using a beta-diversity framework. Sampling includes 129 sampling sites whereby malaise traps are deployed to monitor temporal changes in arthropod communities. Overall, we encountered more than 150,000 unique barcode index numbers (BINs) (i.e. species proxies). We assess between site differences in community diversity using beta-diversity and the partitioned components of species replacement and richness difference. Global total beta-diversity (dissimilarity) increases with decreasing latitude, greater spatial distance and greater temporal distance. Species replacement and richness difference patterns vary across biogeographic regions. Our findings support long-standing, general expectations of global biodiversity patterns. However, we also show that the underlying processes driving patterns may be regionally linked.

This article explores a doctoral sustainability leadership course in an interdisciplinary leadership program. Learners in the course study sustainability and sustainability leadership from a systemic design perspective. They are invited to become visionaries who work across boundaries and disciplines with cooperative and reflective spirits to find integrated solutions for complex organizational problems. The first section provides course background information on the interdisciplinary, interdependent, and integrated complexity of the sustainability movement. It also examines the different and often ambiguous understandings of sustainability and why a systemic design platform might provide a more expansive vessel for sustainability leadership and projects. The second section investigates systems thinking, design action, the nature of change, and dialogue--the core of good design. The third section uses a learner's case study "Air Combat Command Sustainability Design Project" to illustrate how an organizational leader built a sustainability plan unique to his organization. Five domains (BenEli, 2012) provided the overarching infrastructure. Although each domain embodies a separate area, together they make up a unified organizing principle that works toward integrating essential elements into a strong infrastructure. The article concludes with reflections from both the course facilitator and the course learner.

Schools and school teachers often focus on content aimed at delaying sexual debut and preventing teenage pregnancy, and address the impacts of risky behaviours on infant health. Infant simulators are increasingly used in health education courses. However, it is unclear how effective this education is. In this review, we examined the evidence for the effectiveness and use of pregnancy/parenting education programmes for school-aged students using infant simulators. Infant simulators are lifelike replicas of human newborn babies that have electronic capacity to mimic a range of infant behaviours. These may include feeding, comfort needs and nappy changing. Responses to these replicated behaviours may be recorded to provide feedback of the adequacy of the response for educational purposes and provide feedback to prospective parents and caregivers. This review followed the guidelines for conducting a scoping review developed by Joanna Briggs Institute (JBI). After following the process as recommended by the JBI, 32 eligible articles were selected for inclusion. Eight themes emerged from the analysis and it was found that the use of infant simulators in terms of effectiveness was not conclusive. This may be due to lack of longitudinal studies examining the impact of the education provided. Furthermore, the literature did not address innovations of infant simulators that replicate infants with particular characteristics, those with fetal alcohol spectrum disorder, shaken baby syndrome or challenges from parental substance use. Further research is required to determine the long-term impact of using infant simulators on reducing risky behaviours. Given these challenges, it is important to support initiatives for sex, pregnancy and parenting education among all students. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Dialectica hedemanni (Rebel, 1896) (Gracillariidae) is reported new to the UK from Middlesex (vice-county vC21) - a female was collected on 7 June 2018. the species is normally resident in Macaronesia. the identification is confirmed by genital morphology and by DNA barcoding. A 100% match in the DNA barcode ties its origin to Spain (e.g. Canary Islands: La Palma) rather than Portugal (Madeira), according to available COI-5P sequences on BOLD. It is unknown if this specimen was an adventive or is breeding on Malvaceae species locally. We discuss its relationships with and separation from other Dialectica species. D. hedemanni is quite divergent from the other two Dialectica species now confirmed to be breeding on species of Boraginaceae in the UK. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Malaza fastuosus is a lavishly patterned skipper butterfly from a genus that has three described species, all endemic to the mainland of Madagascar. To our knowledge, M. fastuosus has not been collected for nearly 50 years. To evaluate the power of our techniques to recover DNA, we used a single foreleg of an at least 140-year-old holotype specimen from the collection of the Natural History Museum London with no destruction of external morphology to extract DNA and assemble a complete mitogenome from next generation sequencing reads. The resulting 15 540 bp mitogenome contains 13 protein-coding genes, 22 transfer RNA genes, two ribosomal RNA genes, and an A+T rich region, similarly to other Lepidoptera mitogenomes. Here we provide the first mitogenome also for Trapezitinae (Rachelia extrusus). Phylogenetic analysis of available skipper mitogenomes places Malaza outside of Trapezitinae and Barcinae + Hesperiinae, with a possible sister relationship to Heteropterinae. Of these, at least Heteropterinae, Trapezitinae, and almost all Hesperiinae have monocot-feeding caterpillars. Malaza appears to be an evolutionarily highly distinct ancient lineage, morphologically with several unusual hesperiid features. The monotypic subfamily Malazinae Lees & Grishin subfam. nov. (type genus Malaza) is proposed to reflect this morphological and molecular evidence. Key words: next-generation sequencing, phylogeny, Madagascar, ancient DNA, Paul Mabille. Resume : Le Malaza fastuosus est une espece de papillon aux motifs tres colores qui appartient a un genre qui compte trois especes decrites, toutes indigenes de Madagascar. Au meilleur de la connaissance des auteurs, aucun specimen du M. fastuosus n'a ete collecte depuis pres de 50 ans. Pour evaluer la puissance des techniques d'extraction d'ADN, les auteurs ont employe une seule patte avant sur un specimen holotype vieux d'au moins 140 ans, conserve au sein de la collection du Natural History Museum London et qui ne presentait aucun signe morphologique de dommage exterieur, pour extraire de l'ADN et assembler un mitogenome complet a l'aide de sequencage de seconde generation. Le mitogenome obtenu compte 15 540 pb et contient 13 genes codant pour des proteines, 22 genes d'ARN de transfert, deux genes codant pour des ARN ribosomiques et une region riche enA+T, tout comme les autres mitogenomes de lepidopteres. Les auteurs rapportent egalement le premier mitogenome au sein des Trapezitinae (Rachelia extrusus). Une analyse phylogenetique parmi les autres mitogenomes d'hesperides place le genre Malaza a l'exterieur des Trapezitinae et Barcinae + Hesperiinae, mais avec une possible relation proche avec les Heteropterinae. Parmi celles-ci, les Heteropterinae, les Trapezitinae et presque tous les Hesperiinae presentent des chenilles qui se nourrissent de monocotyledones. Le genre Malaza semble former un groupe distinct et ancien sur le plan evolutif, mais qui presente plusieurs caracteristiques morphologiques inhabituelles presentes chez les Hesperiidae. Une sous-famille monotypique, Malazinae Lees & Grishin (genre type Malaza) est propose pour refleter les evidences morphologiques et moleculaires. [Traduit par la Redaction] Mots-cles : sequencage de seconde generation, phylogenie, Madagascar, ADN ancient, Paul Mabille., Introduction Its name translated from Malagasy as 'famous', Malaza Mabille, 1904 is probably the most unusual skipper genus from Madagascar. Three Malagasy endemic species of Malaza have been described (Lees [...]

Madagascar is a prime evolutionary hotspot globally, but its unique biodiversity is under threat, essentially from anthropogenic disturbance. There is a race against time to describe and protect the Madagascan endangered biota. Here we present a first molecular characterization of the micromoth fauna of Madagascar. We collected 1572 micromoths mainly using light traps in both natural and anthropogenically disturbed habitats in 24 localities across eastern and northwest Madagascar. We also collected 1384 specimens using a Malaise trap in a primary rain forest at Andasibe, eastern Madagascar. In total, we DNA barcoded 2956 specimens belonging to 1537 Barcode Index Numbers (BINs), 88.4% of which are new to BOLD. Only 1.7% of new BINs were assigned to species. Of 47 different families found, Dryadaulidae, Bucculatricidae, Bedelliidae, Batrachedridae, and Blastobasidae are newly reported for Madagascar and the recently recognized Tonzidae is confirmed. For test faunas of Canada and Australia, 98.9%-99.4% of Macroheterocera BINs exhibited the molecular synapomorphy of a phenylalanine in the 177th complete DNA barcode codon. Non-macroheteroceran BINs could thus be sifted out efficiently in the Malaise sample. The Madagascar micromoth fauna shows highest affinity with the Afrotropics (146 BINs also occur in the African continent). We found 22 recognised pests or invasive species, mostly occurring in disturbed habitats. Malaise trap samples show high temporal turnover and alpha diversity with as many as 507 BINs collected; of these, astonishingly, 499 (98.4%) were novel to BOLD and 292 (57.6%) were singletons. Our results provide a baseline for future surveys across the island. Key words: Africa, invasive alien species, Lepidoptera, Malaise trap, plant pests. Madagascar est un haut lieu de l'evolution au niveau mondial, mais sa biodiversite unique est menacee, essentiellement en raison de perturbations anthropogeniques. Une course contre la montre est engagee pour decrire et proteger le biote malgache menace. Dans ce travail, les auteurs presentent une premiere caracterisation moleculaire des << microlepidopteres >> de Madagascar. Les auteurs ont recolte 1572 specimens en utilisant principalement des pieges lumineux (dans des milieux tantot naturels, tantot perturbes par l'Homme) au sein de 24 localites dispersees a travers l'est et le nord-ouest de Madagascar. Ils ont aussi collecte 1384 specimens a l'aide d'un piege Malaise dans une foret primaire humide a Andasibe. Au total, les codes-barres ADN ont ete sequences pour 2956 specimens correspondant a 1537 BIN, dont 88,4 % sont inedits dans BOLD. Seuls 1,7 % des nouveaux BIN ont ete assignes a une espece connue. Parmi les 47 familles trouvees, les Dryadaulidae, Bucculatricidae, Bedelliidae, Batrachedridae et Blastobasidae sont signales pour la premiere fois de Madagascar. La faune etudiee presente la plus grande affinite avec l'ecozone afrotropicale (dans laquelle se retrouvent 146 BIN). Les auteurs ont trouve 22 ravageurs connus ou especes envahissantes, principalement dans les habitats perturbes. Les specimens provenant des pieges Malaise different au fil du temps et presentent une grande diversite alpha, leur total pouvant atteindre 507 BIN. Parmi ceux-ci, etonnamment, 499 (98,4 %) sont inedits dans BOLD et 292 (57,6 %) ont ete vus une seule fois. Ces resultats fournissent un referentiel pour de futures etudes dans d'autres regions de l'ile. Mots-cles : Afrique, especes envahissantes, Lepidoptera, piege Malaise, ravageurs de plantes., Introduction Madagascar is one of the top priority global hotspots for biodiversity conservation with high endemicity and under large anthropogenic pressure (Vences et al. 2009). There is an urgent need [...]

We describe here a new species of oecophorid moth from specimens found in West London and Western Australia. This taxon is part of the Tachystola hemisema (Meyrick, 1885) DNA barcode complex, which consists of at least five different clusters, each with a distinct Barcode Index Number (BIN) on the Barcode Database of Life (BoLD). Illumina sequencing and bioinformatic processing techniques were applied to the lectotype of T. hemisema (collected in 1884) and the designated holotype of the new taxon (collected in 1886) and all 13 mitochondrial protein coding genes were recovered. Recent specimens from West London were DNA barcoded and compared to the BoLD clusters. The morphology of these specimens was compared to the extent possible (both historical specimens lack abdomens). The pairwise distance between typical T. hemisema and the new taxon measures 3.65% for CoI-5P, while there are some amino acid differences in CoI-3P and eight other genes. We also identify morphological differences for the new taxon. The generic placement of the new taxon and T. hemisema with respect to Tachystola acroxantha (Meyrick, 1885) is also considered. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]