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A new scorpion species, Euscorpius drenskii sp. nov., is described from the Western Rhodope Mts. in southern Bulgaria. It is characterized by an oligotrichous trichobothrial pattern, which shows a conspicuous loss of one trichobothrium in the external median patellar series (em = 3), also observed in E. carpathicus (Linnaeus, 1767) and the subgenus Alpiscorpius Gantenbein, Fet, Largiadèr & Scholl, 1999. Phylogenetic analysis of 16S rDNA marker sequences does not show any close relationship between these three groups, suggesting that the observed loss of a trichobothrium is an independent event.

The genus Pseudamnicola Paulucci, 1878, is commonly found throughout the Mediterranean region. The genus displays considerable levels of endemism, accompanied by notable systematic and taxonomic ambiguity. However, the application of molecular data has proven highly effective in clarifying taxonomy and unveiling the diversity of cryptic species within the genus. Therefore, we employed all cytochrome c oxidase subunit I sequence data available and generated new ones from Greece to infer the phylogeny of the genus throughout its Mediterranean range and estimate the divergence times as well as the ancestral area of diversification. Our phylogenetic and time‐estimate analyses demonstrate that with 36 to 38 extant Pseudamnicola species and genetic divergences across species ranging from 0.5% to 11.9% on average, the genus underwent relatively recent diversification during late Miocene (6.53 Ma), and the primary speciation events occurred during Plio‐Pleistocene. The Italian Peninsula and Islands and the Ionian Drainages as defined by the Freshwater Ecoregions of the World are the ancestral regions of the genus following two different dispersal routes. Our study contributes to deepening our understanding of Pseudamnicola phylogeny by using data from throughout its range for the first time. This phylogeny provides evidence and confirms previous studies that relatively recent habitat isolation, followed by founder and dispersal events, has been one of the primary reasons for the evolution of the genus Pseudamnicola in the Mediterranean basin. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Crete with its complex geomorphological history is the island with the highest number of endemism observed in animal and plant taxa throughout the Aegean archipelago. While other groups of organisms within Crete are well‐studied, the freshwater gastropod fauna still remains poorly investigated. Bythinella and Pseudamnicola, are 2 genera of freshwater springsnails, both present on the island, inhabiting springs and other freshwater habitats. Here, we conduct a comprehensive study on the distribution of the different genetic lineages of the 2 gastropod genera in order to assess the mode of their differentiation on the island and infer the actual number of species present in the island. Towards these aims, sequence data from the mitochondrial gene were used and analyzed within a phylogenetic framework. For Bythinella, our results strongly support at least 5 delineated Bythinella spp. inhabiting Crete, which correspond to the already described species from previous studies with the addition of a new one. Bythinella analyses reveal an old time‐frame of differentiation with vicariant phenomena being more likely the main drivers shaping the present‐day distribution of the genus' genetic lineages. For Pseudamnicola, our data indicate the presence of at least 2 delineated Pseudamnicola spp. with a differentiation more consistent to an isolation‐by‐distance pattern of a relatively recent origin. Dispersion processes followed by isolation of the populations and/or recent speciation, seem to be the underlying process for the current distribution of Pseudamnicola lineages. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In the present work, several scorpion populations assigned to Euscorpius concinnus (C.L. Koch, 1837) and Euscorpius carpathicus niciensis (C.L. Koch, 1841) are reconsidered on a phylogenetic, morphological, and geographical basis. Three new species are described, E. latinus sp. nov., E. stefaniae sp. nov., and E. trejaensis sp. nov., while E. niciensis stat. nov. is elevated to species status. Ecological and biogeographical data are provided for the revised taxa. Following these taxonomic changes, the number of species comprising the subfamily Euscorpiinae has increased to 90. The scorpion species present in Italy increased to 27, with one species belonging to the family Buthidae, one species to Belisariidae, and 25 species to Euscorpiidae. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract Background If the insect innate immune system is to be used as a potential blocking step in transmission of malaria, then it will require targeting one or a few genes with highest relevance and ease of manipulation. The problem is to identify and manipulate those of most importance to malaria infection without the risk of decreasing the mosquito's ability to stave off infections by microbes in general. Molecular evolution methodologies and concepts can help identify such genes. Within the setting of a comparative molecular population genetic and phylogenetic framework, involving six species of the Anopheles gambiae complex, we investigated whether a set of four pre-selected immunity genes (gambicin, NOS, Rel2 and FBN9) might have evolved under selection pressure imposed by the malaria parasite. Results We document varying levels of polymorphism within and divergence between the species, in all four genes. Introgression and the sharing of ancestral polymorphisms, two processes that have been documented in the past, were verified in this study in all four studied genes. These processes appear to affect each gene in different ways and to different degrees. However, there is no evidence of positive selection acting on these genes. Conclusion Considering the results presented here in concert with previous studies, genes that interact directly with the Plasmodium parasite, and play little or no role in defense against other microbes, are probably the most likely candidates for a specific adaptive response against P. falciparum. Furthermore, since it is hard to establish direct evidence linking the adaptation of any candidate gene to P. falciparum infection, a comparative framework allowing at least an indirect link should be provided. Such a framework could be achieved, if a similar approach like the one involved here, was applied to all other anopheline complexes that transmit P. falciparum malaria.

Aim: Positive relationships between island size and species richness have been found for oceanic and non‐oceanic islands. However, the effect of isolation, also predicted by island‐biogeographical theory, seems challenging to test. Species‐specific mechanisms drive the perception of distance and space for animals, and therefore isolation patterns are masked when described at the community level. We used epiphytic plants (canopy islands) and their spider communities to study how functional group and species‐specific use of space modifies the effect of island‐level predictors on species richness. Location: A coffee plantation near Xalapa, Mexico. Taxon: Spiders (Araneae), vascular epiphytes (Bromeliaceae, Piperaceae, Orchidaceae, Araceae, Pteridophyta). Methods: We collected canopy islands from three trees and recorded their three‐dimensional position. Afterwards, we collected all epiphyte‐dwelling spiders. We used Generalized Linear Models (GLMs) to analyse the effect of island size and isolation on the species richness of spider communities and community subgroups (guilds, mobility groups and families). Isolation was calculated using two metrics (aerial and walking distances) associated with different ways of mobility in the canopy (bridging and wandering respectively). We evaluated species‐level associations with island features and tested for sample‐size effects on GLMs using null‐model analysis of ecological networks. Results: Although unimportant at the community level, isolation was more important than island size for some spider subgroups, while having negligible effects for others. Species‐specific responses to isolation and island size were responsible for the variability in species richness patterns observed for broader subgroups (families, guilds and mobility groups). Specific responses of mobility groups to isolation metrics were in line with two ways of moving between islands; one using tree branches as pathways (walking isolation) and the other using silk threads to connect points directly across the air (aerial isolation). Main conclusions: Spatial patterns of epiphyte‐dwelling spiders were explained better when functional traits were considered, and the effect of isolation became apparent only when analysed per functional group, whereas it was masked at the community level. This supports the hypothesis that hunting behaviour and mobility affect the specific perception of space and distance even at the small spatial scale of canopy islands. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]